Miss Sera’s hand brushed through Rose’s hair, causing a spiral of colors to erupt in her vision.

A change in perspective was putting it lightly. The goal of this entire thing had been to spend an evening together and simply dip a toe into the water. But with the drugs in her system and the word ‘Miss’ on her lips, Rose was starting to fear that she was already sunk.

Up until now, Rose had seen Sera as a few different people. Sera, the weird alien. Sera, her scene partner. Sera, the xenosociologist. Sera, the egg-cracker.

This was new — Sera, her owner. Sure, the agreement was that this was only for the night, a temporary thing to see if it would work. But Rose had allowed herself to see the affini differently, and there wasn’t actually any going back from that. Even if they decided it didn’t feel right and she stayed here instead as a roommate, a friend, something more… some part of her would always remember this intense feeling, this specific perspective, at least a little.

Of course, all of these thoughts were mostly subconscious. The moment that needle entered her neck and she was injected with those xenodrugs, her brain turned to mush. There was no thought, no sense of the outside world, only the two of them in that room. All that mattered was the sudden influx of incredible sensations across her skin. Sera’s vines had this fascinating texture to them — smooth at first, but also kind of bumpy in places, and other spots were almost scaly.

And the dress! She’d been so nervous about wearing it at first, but now she was glad to have it on. Her other clothes were nice, but they were pretty coarse and would probably be a nightmare. This was… silky and soft and heavenly.

All this aesthetic appreciation was cut short as she felt Miss Serafa start to pet her, and the world exploded in fireworks. This wasn’t her first time on these drugs, but again, it was a matter of perspective. That last one seemed more like a way for the two affini to encourage herself and Ophie to get even closer. With this… Rose could almost sense that the drugs were as much for Sera’s benefit as her own. A way to assert dominance and bring joy, simply because it was her whim.

Rose attempted to continue her exploration, intending to run her hands up and down her pretty dress, but something was stopping her. Lazily, she looked down at her wrist and found a familiar vine wrapped around it, halting her movements. Well, that wasn’t a big deal, she would just use the other— Oh, shoot, that one got snagged too. Every time she tried to do something, she’d get tangled up in Miss Serafa! She felt a bit silly for managing to do something so careless. Rose began to giggle softly.

“Hm? What’s so funny, little one?”

Ah! Miss Sera’s voice! Stars, it always sounded so nice… Rose tugged a little at the vines holding her, still giggling a bit and finding it difficult to explain why she was so amused. “Um! Clumsy…” She was fairly certain she could have put it better, but it was kinda hard to really string words together. Besides, Miss Sera was smart, she would get it.

She did one of those high rumbly things and nodded. “No, darling, you’re my graceful little beauty. You did nothing wrong, I put those there.” Sera began petting her head again, sending Rose’s thoughts spiraling out, and she missed whatever the affini said next. “The important thing is that you don’t need to worry. Because you’re a very good girl.”

Yeah! She was! She was good, and a girl, and she was a good girl! Rose nodded in agreement, causing Miss Serafa to giggle brightly.

“And so smart too! You know just what you are.” As she spoke, more vines began to work their way around Rose’s body. They were at her elbows, her shoulders, her knees, her ankles…

An ancient terran song danced through her head. Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes (knees and toes)… The memory of that silly jingle combined with all the new sensations flooding her caused her laughter to get even more intense. The more she laughed, the more the vines held her and snaked around her body, until the feedback loop became almost too much to bear.

A couple tendrils started to ensnare her chest, and a very new sensation entered the mix. This wasn’t boring old joy or a bit of tickling. This was… good. Really good. A long, low moan worked its way up her throat and briefly filled the room.

“Oh?” Miss Sera said lightly, her tone teasing, sending shivers all through Rose’s body. “You like that?” The vines at her chest began to carefully form around her breasts, shifting and caressing through the dress, and Rose went from merely hazy to outright brainless.

“Aahhhh…” was all she managed to get out before devolving into louder moans.

“That’s extremely cute, little one, but I can’t have you falling off the edge into blissful oblivion just yet. I want to have a little more fun first!” There were a bunch of words there that Rose didn’t quite understand in her current state. But she heard Miss Serafa say she wanted to have more fun, and that was definitely something Rose supported! So she nodded her head a few times with another low moan. “So glad you agree, dear.”

All at once, the world suddenly resolved into crystal-clear focus as a sensation pulled all of Rose’s attention to the center of her chest. She looked down and saw one of Miss Sera’s vines carefully dragging a thorn across the skin just above the dress. From the perceived sharpness, Rose expected to find her clothes stained with blood. Instead, there was an almost imperceptible mark a few inches long, the skin puffing up only slightly.

The drugs had obviously made that tiny scratch feel like a slash. And now that the pain was subsiding again, her thoughts scrambled away from her once more. Which was when Miss Sera carefully applied some kind of… sap to the scratch that caused it to start burning all over again with a low heat. “Mmmrrnnn…”

“I know, dear, but that will help keep any sort of infection or irritation from setting in.” A gentle kiss to the forehead was more than enough to send Rose careening off into pleasure again, the concept of pain itself completely erased from her memory. “There we go, all is right with the world…”

Everything slowed down for a while as Rose was held there, pinned in place in Miss Sera’s lap, stroked into sweet submission. They eventually reached a kind of rhythm where the affini would start easy, mostly just delivering gentle headpats or light kisses. Then she would get more exploratory, letting the other vines go wandering across Rose’s body, always on the lookout for some new sweet spot. And then all of that would come crashing down as a vine pinched her, or a thorn or needle lightly scratched. At one point, Rose had even been rolled over onto her tummy for a back massage, only to have a vine strike her shoulder like a whip.

Whoever or whatever Rose had been before this moment, she could no longer recall. Some dim part of her mind tried to tell her that until recently her name hadn’t even been Rose! But that seemed ridiculous, so she ignored it and let herself sink deeper and deeper into this wonderful experience.

She was Miss Serafa’s floret, and that was the only thing that mattered.

---

“Miss! You can’t play dress-up with your dolly if you’re too busy spying on them…” Ophie huffed and pouted. It was the only thing she could do at the moment. Miss Camilis was kind enough to give her back her gift of gab, and her ability to understand words. That had been… a lot. And Cam only made it worse by chatting up a storm even knowing Ophelia couldn’t process a single word of it! It was so horribly, awfully, wonderfully, deliciously cruel.

And then there was the gnawing hunger in her core. Whatever Miss Camilis had injected her with left poor Ophie in desperate need of sweet release. She’d been on the edge for hours now. A stiff breeze could have sealed the deal. All she would need to do was give herself a gentle nudge and she’d finally know a bit of peace — a twitching finger in the right spot and she’d be satisfied. But try as she might, Ophie couldn’t so much as wiggle her pinky. So close, yet so far.

Still, this new game Cam had come up with served as a pretty good distraction. All of Ophelia’s clothing had been removed, and her future owner had her wrapped up in vines and leaves and flowers. Using a tablet and the wonders of the overnet, she was able to research various sophont fashions, and then manipulate her extremities into all kinds of new outfits for her mannequin.

But the distraction had been interrupted when her affini started snooping on their habmates. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand. Ophie desperately wanted to be a fly on the wall for whatever Rose and Sera were doing. But the two clearly needed some time to work things out one-on-one before they could be a proper quartet.

“I know darling, I just… worry. I am concerned if those two can finally work things out. Sera can be… flighty, and she sometimes lacks the necessary confidence. And Rose, for all the progress she has made, still has a great many things she needs to sort out.” It seemed to take great effort for Miss Camilis to finally tear her vines away from the wall and bring her full attention back to Ophie. “But it was rude of me to ignore you like that. And to assume them incapable of doing what needs to be done. I just need to have faith.”

Ophie smiled and nodded as much as she was able. “They’re big girls, they can do it. I know they can.” The plant matter around her body shifted again, briefly sending a wave of pleasurable feelings through Ophelia’s body. “Ahhh…” A small vine carefully adjusted her chin, guiding her to look back into the large mirror. She was able to watch as vines and leaves draped along her body, making it look as though she was wearing an elegant floor-length gown. More tendrils around her feet began to curl and push her ankles upward until she was wearing verdant high heels. “Ohhhh, this reminds me of a dress I wore to a charity gala!”

One of Miss Camilis’ bright pink flowers slid up and perched itself just above Ophelia’s ear, creating a lovely accent against her bright ginger hair. “Hm. ‘Charity gala’… Is that as much of an oxymoron as I fear it to be?”

Pursing her lips, Ophie watched as her body was posed again and again — hips out, hand at her neck, head tilting back as if to show off her beautiful collar. “Oh, I have no doubt. Thousands of credits to get a seat, but I’d be willing to bet only a small fraction of that money went to any actual charities. And you can be darn sure that there was even more cash getting siphoned out of those ‘non-profits’ before it went anywhere worthwhile.”

“Tragic…” Cam mused softly as she adjusted Ophelia’s pose again — a hand teasingly lifting the high slit of her dress, heels pushing her up even higher until she looked like a ballerina. It was a good thing Miss Camilis was holding her up or her legs would be trembling from the effort.

“Worst of all, you couldn’t even raise a stink about it. If you opted not to attend, then everyone saw you as some kind of selfish monster who hated poor people or didn’t want to cure diseases. And if you protested the obvious corruption, then you were way less likely to get work.” Her lips curled into a pretty pout. “Just another way for the Accord to exert its control…” This topic was depressing and threatened to kill the moment. So she instead flashed a grin at Miss Camilis. “I much prefer how you exert control.”

The affini moved in closer, gently petting Ophie’s head, eliciting a low moan from her. “Speaking of, I’m becoming very fond of this little game. It’s actually given me a wonderful idea for a surgical body modification I might give you, once you have your implant.”

Flushing, Ophelia looked at her affini in the reflection of the mirror since she couldn’t turn her head and look directly. “Really…?”

“An entire network of little vines that I can manipulate at-will, all across your body. With nothing but an idle thought, I could create an entire outfit for you. Or…” The dress melted away, leaving Ophie in nothing but leafy panties and a bra. “I could do… this…” The vines around her hips slowly shifted and crept their way across her skin, caressing her just enough to trick her into thinking she might finally get a bit of freedom from that teasing heat. But Miss Camilis was too good at her job to let that happen. “Any time I wish…”

“Ngh. I-In your defense, Miss, you can already do that any time you wish,” she pointed out between panting breaths and desperate whimpers.

Cam’s mask broke out in a predatory smile, flashing a grin of sharp thorns. “Too true, little one.”

“Do you th-think a body mod like that could really be made?” she asked, unable to keep the needy optimism out of her voice.

“Oh, I imagine if it does not yet exist, there would be plenty of surgeons that would jump at the chance to figure it out.”

Just as soon as the teasing had started, it was over, and Cam was already forming a new outfit for her. It was a bit like Rose’s preferred look — cropped jacket, tight shorts, and a keyhole top showing off her tummy. “So… h-how do you think they’re doing over there?” As long as the affini had gone to all the trouble of listening through the wall, Ophelia figured she might as well get a little gossip out of it.

Ophie was finally pulled back from the mirror, carried by Miss Camilis over to the bed and set down into her wide lap. “Based on what little I could make out… Well, I think it is safe to say that even if Rose does not cave tonight, she cannot hold out much longer. That woman is a seed, through and through. She simply needs that last little push.”

Sighing with relief, Ophelia sunk into Cam’s lap, enjoying a moment to catch her breath. That was good. She was happy to be patient, so long as there was still hope that Rose would finally join their family, completely. If Miss Camilis was certain, then there was no need to worry. Simple as that.

---

By the time Sera finally took a proper break, poor Rose was panting and completely spaced out. The two of them huddled together in the little reading nook on the throne of pillows, as Sera held Rose close to her chest and brushed her hair. That drug cocktail, whatever it had been, was finally wearing off. Which meant she no longer lost all sense of self just from the mere act of having her head pet. It still filled her vision with rainbows and stars and made her crave the next point of contact. But at least it was easier to think.

It was both a relief and a disappointment.

The moment Rose allowed herself to admit that, she was lost. She wanted more. She enjoyed playing her part tonight. She liked being teased and played with.

The thought was inescapable. Rose wanted to be Sera’s pet.

Like before, Sera drew Rose’s attention by tucking a finger under her chin and urging Rose to look up at her.

She felt herself drawn into them, like they were magnetized.

“How are you feeling, darling?”

Rose blushed and smiled nervously. “Worn out, but… very good.”

Laughing brightly, Sera leaned down and nuzzled into her lightly. “Yes, I can see that. I meant in the grander scheme — how are you feeling about this experiment of ours?”

Ah. Damn. No avoiding it then. It seemed unlikely that Sera would let her get away from this conversation. But… could she really say it out loud? “I-I…”

Sera’s massive hand cupped her cheek, and Rose nuzzled into it instinctively. “It’s alright, Rose. You’ve been so brave. No matter what you say, it’s alright.”

Huffing, she looked a little more desperately into Sera’s eyes. “I wish everyone would stop saying that. I’m not brave. All that… stuff I did, back in the day… That wasn’t bravery. That was just following orders, doing my job. It was… t-the easy way out. If I was really brave, I would have looked inside myself and told the navy to shove it a long time ago. I would have fought back against my parents. I’m not brave.”

To her surprise, the affini just laughed again. “You lack imagination. That’s not why we call you brave. You’re brave because you survived that terrible life, and you emerged from it to become such a warm and wonderful woman. When we pressed you about difficult feelings and desires, you explored them with us. And you were willing to experiment and try being my pet tonight, even with all your fear and uncertainty. You are, in fact, very brave.”

Rose found herself blinking back a few tears, sniffling as she gave Sera’s hand another gentle nuzzle. “A-All I can think about is how easy it would be to just cave in and finally say yes. It would mean growing closer to all three of you, and knowing that I would never have to worry about anything ever again. Not to mention how disappointed you all would be if I said no. But…” She sighed and focused on Sera’s eyes, trying to draw strength from this harmony they shared. “I have a lot of instincts left to unlearn. There’s still a part of me that can’t shake the military training, and that voice telling me weakness is the worst quality to have.”

That confession earned her a tight hug and a high rumble from Sera. “Then don’t be weak, dear. Train your body and your mind. We can keep exploring these masochistic tendencies of yours — I don’t think anyone who willingly lets themself get injured regularly could be called soft. Remember, we’re not looking to mold you into something against your will. Our greatest joy is in helping florets become their best selves.”

Gah, how in the world was she supposed to stand against such an onslaught of support and kindness? Why did Sera have to be so damned nice? “You promise?”

“It’s not our way to lie about these things, sweetie. The whole point is to find mutual joy. If someone is unhappy with the relationship, then we’ll work it out together. So part of your job will be admitting when you feel something is lacking.”

Rose drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to hold it for a moment before finally releasing it along with her pent up nerves, worries, and fears. She knew her answer. All she had to do was say it. “Alright then. Okay. I-I… I’m ready. I’ve decided that I-I do want it. I want to be your… f-floret.” She did it, she said it. The words were out there. She couldn’t take them back. Even if she tried, it wouldn’t be true.

The arms around her squeezed even tighter and Sera pulled her into a soft kiss. “Good girl, Rose! I’m so proud of you! And I would be honored to take care of you. We all will.” She smoothly stood up and carried Rose toward her bedroom door. “I’m sure Cam and Ophie will want to hear this.”

---

Miss Camilis had finally taken pity on Ophelia and delivered the various necessary counter-agents into her system. She had control of her body again, and was no longer being tortured by waves and waves of teasing pleasure. The relief was overwhelming, though there was still a sense of disappointment that she had been denied a proper release. But her affini had clearly made a decision and there was no point in fighting against that. She was the cute little plaything, and full satisfaction would only come when Cam decided it was time.

Thankfully, a new distraction came along.

There was a knock at the door to Camilis’ room, and Ophelia couldn’t quite stifle her loud gasp of excitement. This…! This had to be it! She started bouncing, idly playing with one of Camilis’ vines and looking up at her eagerly.

“Come in!” she said, unable to fully mask her own excitement.

Obviously Ophie knew that she would see her other future owner and Rose come through that door. But the specifics were what mattered. And there was no way she could have been properly prepared for what she saw. Rose was cradled in the affini’s arms, wearing an impossibly cute technicolor dress with a darling little bow on the back. And her posture was so demure and… submissive…

“N-No way…”

Miss Serafa stepped through, head held high. In a fluid movement, she set Rose down next to Ophelia before joining Miss Camilis on the bed. She looked so stars-damned proud.

In an instant, Ophie was wrapping herself around Rose and cuddling her emphatically, nuzzling into her neck. “How was it, hon?”

The poor thing was so bashful, hands clutching idly at the skirt of her adorable dress.

Before she had a chance to answer, Miss Serafa reached down and pet them both on the head. “Do you feel comfortable speaking about it, darling?”

Rose shut her eyes tight, stuttering up a storm as she tried to talk. “U-Um, I-I finally made m-my decision, a-and… Mnf, and I think that I-I’m ready to do this. To be… d-d-domesticated.”

Ophie just couldn’t contain herself, squealing excitedly and squeezing Rose with all her might. She was thankful that the woman was so strong, because it meant there was no way she could hurt her, no matter how hard she hugged.

A green vine from Miss Camilis trailed down and brushed against Rose’s cheek, drawing her attention upward. “That is a very good start dear. But now that you have both of us here, perhaps you should try your hand at… begging.”

Stars, that was mean! That was so mean! Ophelia pouted and looked up at her as well. “Miss! Rose is still adjusting, I don’t know if she can—”

“P-Please…” Rose said softly, much to everyone’s surprise. “Miss Serafa, Miss Camilis. P-please make me your floret. I just… I want to be taken care of. I want to know that everything will be okay. Please?”

Neither of them said anything at first. Instead, Serafa silently reached inside her chest and retrieved a cluster of plant matter. It was the inverse of Ophelia’s collar — white and teal vines dotted with small pink sakura flowers. She carefully secured it around Rose’s neck before bending down to kiss her forehead lovingly. “We made that a few days ago in a fit of optimism. I’m glad to see it’s not going to waste.”

“Tomorrow we can begin the official process. But it is not the paperwork that makes you florets. It is the connection we share and the promises we make to one another. So long as the two of you agree to submit yourselves to us, then we will always take care of you and ensure you are as happy as you can possibly be.” Camilis leaned in to press a kiss to Rose’s forehead as well.

Cooing excitedly and kissing along the woman’s pretty new collar, Ophelia could no longer contain her joy. “Um, Rose? Does this…? I-I mean, would you also like for us to… to be pinnates?”

Already flustered, Rose still somehow managed to find a way to blush even deeper as she nodded bashfully. “Mmm, o-of course. You’re important to me. I owe you so much. I-I um… I love you.”

“Ahh! I love you too!” She planted a few more kisses up her neck and along her jaw before capturing Rose’s lips passionately.

With an excited tremolo, Miss Serafa caught their attention with a light tap on each woman’s chin. “This does raise an important issue. Cam and I have been in intense debate about the matter. But it’s been difficult to choose, and we thought you girls might have some opinions.”

“Hm?” Ophelia tilted her head curiously, wondering what else could be so important.

“Uh, I’ll do my best,” Rose muttered softly.

Miss Camilis rumbled softly and nodded. “Common naming conventions demand that florets are numbered by their owners in order of acquisition. With our joining, Serafa and I have decided to reset our floret counts. This means that one of you will be First Floret, and the other Second. While this is not in any way a hierarchy of worth, terrans do seem to be… funny about these matters. So we thought it best to see if either of you have any strong opinions on the matter.”

Wait, seriously? Was that all? Ophelia had to stifle a soft giggle. “Um, sure. Rose?”

“Well… you were effectively the first one. It wasn’t official yet, but still.”

“Yeah, but that’s kinda arbitrary. And you’re way cooler than me and it’s like… a bigger deal that you’re becoming a floret! So you should get to be first!”

The compliment definitely got her the blush she was looking for. But then Rose surprised her by shaking her head and digging in her heels. “You’ve heard about the way I grew up. I was never allowed to be anything except the best. And it was so exhausting.” She started to laugh softly to herself. “I can’t think of a single better way to finally kiss all that goodbye than to actively choose being known as ‘Second’ for the rest of my life. I can only imagine the look on my parents’ faces when they find out.”

Woah. Okay that was… an incredibly good point. And it was obvious that Rose had much stronger feelings on the matter. So Ophelia conceded, leaning up to steal another kiss from her pinnate. “Then I guess it’s settled.” She looked up at her— Oh stars. Her mistresses. Ohhhh dirt. “You heard the lady, Mistress.”

Both affini were rumbling now, obviously filled with delight at the tiny argument they had sparked, with the two women competing to be second. Camilis nodded in approval, caressing each of their collars with a vine. “Very well then. From this moment forward, you will be Ophelia and Rose Paradula, First and Second Florets Pinnate.”

“Ahhh, that does have a lovely ring to it, darling!” Serafa cooed and did the same, idly stroking their florets’ faces.

“Which I believe means it is time for a bit of a celebration…” Camilis said teasingly.

There was something very suspicious here, but Ophelia couldn’t help but be intrigued. “What did you have in mind, Mistress?”

Once again, her mask was crafted with that terrifying, beautiful grin. Ophelia’s dress of plant matter began to shiver and brush across her skin. “I believe you are still feeling rather… needy, are you not?”

Oh stars. Ophie whimpered and nodded desperately. “You’ve been very skillfully keeping me on edge for hours, Mistress…”

Serafa appeared to catch on before Ophelia could and nodded slowly. “And Rose? I’m sure our time together has left you with some lingering feelings? Perhaps a few small wounds that might need healing kisses?”

Well now, that was an interesting revelation. Ophie smiled sympathetically at her pinnate.

“And with the two of you fully recognizing your relationship,” Camilis continued, her tone of voice suggesting that the two of them should probably catch up to her train of thought. “Well, I imagine it is only right that you take some time to enjoy that fact, while helping your pinnate to recover from a strenuous evening.”

In spite of all this being phrased as an offer, the affini left them no room to make a choice, not now. While Ophelia and Rose lay there between them, their mistresses were already undressing them and very gently coaxing their florets closer until their bodies were pressed together.

There was a brief moment where everything threatened to come crashing down. Rose looked desperately at Ophelia, eyes wide, as her dress was pulled from her shoulders and slid down her body. “W-Wait, but— I-I’m still— My body—”

Ophie had a sudden and burning need to protect Rose from herself, to keep her steady, to make her feel beautiful. She pushed the woman down onto her back and straddled her, the same as she had done just a few days ago. She slowly ran her hands up and down Rose’s abs, staring down at her hungrily. “Your body is incredible.” Ophie pushed her hands higher and swiftly pulled off Rose’s bra, tossing it aside, before slowly kneading her growing breasts. “You’re incredible.”

There was something kind of powerful about making this absolute amazon of a woman blush and wriggle. It kept her confident, even if they were currently flanked by their giant plant alien owners.

“I-I’ve never…” Rose started, but seemed far too embarrassed to complete that statement.

It hardly mattered. This had nothing to do with experience or skill. Ophie needed relief and she needed to be closer to her pinnate.

Perfectly in sync — either from reading her bio-whatevers, or just because she was scary-smart — Mistress Camilis withdrew the last of the leafy clothing from her body. Ophelia carefully shifted herself further up Rose’s body until her thighs were resting on either side of Rose’s head.

Given the dysphoria that she was still fighting, it seemed cruel to do anything below the belt without enthusiastic consent. But there were plenty of other ways to get what she wanted. Obviously she still kept an eye out for any signs that she needed to stop, especially as she brought her body closer to Rose’s face.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I’m like… five seconds out from absolutely losing my mind with pleasure. And I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have between my thighs…”

There was a momentary flicker of anxiety in Rose’s eyes, but it was eventually snuffed out by something far more primal. She gave a firm nod and wrapped her strong hands around Ophie’s thighs, urging her in closer. So she shifted the last few inches closer and—

Oh.

Oh stars.

Oh dirt.

Oh fuuu— frick!

Her estimation had been embarrassingly close. Rose barely got thirty seconds in before her tongue briefly flicked against Ophelia’s clit, at which point everything went white. And only the vines circling her biceps kept her from collapsing on top of her pinnate.

It took ages for both of them to catch their breath, when she suddenly heard Mistress Camilis speak a firm command down to Rose.

“Wonderful. Again…”