It was a langorous morning. Normally Camilis preferred to ‘seize the day’ as the terrans put it, but this was a rather special moment. And it seemed only proper to let this linger for as long as possible.

The previous day had been a momentous one, with far more happening than seemed reasonable.

There had been the picnic in the park, and then Ophelia’s livestream while they explored the museum. That was when things had begun to turn. Ophelia’s distress over the harassment, Rose’s conflicted feelings about the Compact, Serafa going after her, and then all of the glorious experimentation coming to a head. And finally, blissfully, Rose accepted her place in their family.

Their two florets — stars, how happy she was she no longer needed to qualify that word — spent nearly another hour indulging themselves in one another while she and Serafa looked on, whispering sweet nothings to their darlings, and ensuring that they were properly fed and hydrated when all was said and done.

The four of them shared a light dinner before inevitably retiring right back to Camilis’ room for another round. More drugs, more vines, more teasing, more praise. It was… perfection.

So, it was only fair that their morning moved at an easier pace than it normally did. Ophelia and Rose needed a great deal of rest after all the things they did with and to one another. Even Serafa was resting quite deeply. Camilis reached out, lightly brushing her two florets’ hair while leaning over to nuzzle into her companion. “I will go and put together some breakfast for all of us. I am certain that the smell of delicious food will help urge you all to get out of bed a bit sooner.” Rumbling with laughter, Camilis made her way out of the room and downstairs.

Until now, this hab unit had been mostly a place to live while the four of them figured everything out. But now that the terran’s domestication was assured, Camilis was starting to realize just how bare the place was. It was no longer just a temporary arrangement until their project was over, or until they found somewhere more suitable. No hab was going to be better-placed or more perfectly designed for them.

And that meant it would soon be time to move the space from functional to comfortable. Decorations were still minimal and mostly contained to their bedrooms. Her shared office with Serafa, the living room, the kitchen, all of it was still rather bare. While Camilis began fishing ingredients out of the stasis unit to turn into a proper meal, she began wondering what would best fit her curious little family.

Ophelia seemed proud enough of her filmography, surely she might like to put up some posters from her old vids. No military paraphernalia, Rose wouldn’t react well. But she might like a space to work out, if she really did intend on staying so fit. There was also talk of getting a large piano, so perhaps some musical theming would look lovely.

Considering the long lives that she and Serafa had, not to mention the places their work took them, they had accrued all kinds of wonderful knick-knacks from around the universe.

To borrow another delightful terran phrase, they needed to make this hab a home.

---

Eventually, Camilis had a proper bounty put together for her beloved little family. For herself and Serafa, she had prepared a large bowl of some delicious, earthy tea. And for their florets, a traditional terran breakfast — eggs and bacon and something called ‘hash’. That last dish shared a name with an old earth drug and required a good deal of research to properly figure out.

Eventually, the others came walking into the kitchen. Or rather, Serafa walked into the kitchen with the two humans bundled up in her arms. “Well it took some coaxing but we’re here. Though I think these two may still need some help with their meals.”

Ophelia gave a dramatic nod and looked at Camilis with wide eyes. “My… everything is tired and sore. I don’t think I can even use a fork in this state…”

Laughing softly, Camilis strolled over and planted a kiss on top of Ophelia’s head, then one on Rose’s for good measure. “Oh dear. We will have to feed you,” she said with mock-concern. “The horror of it all. Still, I am willing to make this sacrifice for you, little one.”

Serafa giggled softly and moved over to the table to set their florets into their chairs. “Our people take exceeding pleasure in feeding adorable little cuties. We’re only too happy to do this.”

Blushing and fidgeting, Rose looked over at Serafa with a smile. Some of her private confessions to the other affini last night had been carefully dragged out and repeated with a few small pushes. Camilis knew Rose would find joy in being taken care of so directly. There were times when she craved being ‘small and protected’. No doubt she would enjoy this.

Darling little Ophelia was already quite used to tap training and being vine-fed. So Camilis let instincts take over as she held up a piece of bacon and lightly tapped her floret on the cheek before placing it on the girl’s tongue. Rather than immediately tap her on the chin and allow her to take a bite, she relished in pausing for several seconds, all the while maintaining steady eye-contact with Ophelia. She watched as the girl whimpered and wriggled, resisting the urge to disobey and enjoy her food. Only when she let out a truly pathetic whine did Camilis finally tap her chin and allow her to bite down.

Ophelia’s eyes slid closed and she started slowly chewing, moaning with delight.

Camilis briefly glanced over to see how the others were faring. Her companion lifted a forkful of scrambled eggs up to Rose’s mouth, lightly caressing her cheek as she spoke. “Open up, darling.”

Rose continued to fidget and blush as she obeyed. She must have been watching Ophelia’s training quite closely, because she also forced herself to keep her mouth open until she received the tap on her chin and bit down. Serafa even lightly massaged her throat to encourage swallowing, cooing all the while.”Such a good girl…”

---

After a nice, full meal, their florets seemed to have regained some of their strength. If she was being honest with herself, Camilis was excited enough for this next step that she would have proceeded even if Ophelia and Rose weren’t completely recovered.

How very affini of her, to be eager for paperwork.

The four of them went through their usual process of settling onto the couch, the affini creating a comfortable nest of their vines for their terrans to curl up in. Rose instantly pulled Ophelia into her lap, snuggling her happily and pressing a gentle kiss to her neck, setting the poor woman wriggling. “H-Hey, come on, I’m never going to be able to focus on this if you’re teasing me!”

“I can’t help it. I keep thinking about last night.”

Rumbling, Camilis squeezed both of them. “On the one hand, you only need to focus on a single page. Serafa and I will take care of the rest. On the other hand, Ophelia raises a good point. It is important that both of you be clear-headed during this part of the process.” She used a vine to pick up the two sheets of paper from the nearby table and set them down in Ophelia’s lap. “Take your time, read over everything carefully. Raise any questions you might have — we want to be certain that you understand everything about being officially domesticated.”

Both of them nodded seriously as they started looking over the paper.

“Let’s see here,” Rose said softly, tracing her finger along the first few numbered points. “Obey our owners in all things, that makes sense. It’s kind of the whole… thing.”

“Same with point two. We’re property with no political rights.” Ophelia glanced over at Rose, flashing her a look of mild concern. “I know that part is… a lot. And you’re okay with it?”

Rose just smiled, her face serene and full of certainty. “I was always under my parent’s thumb, and the only thing they ever wanted was for me to make them look good. Then they passed me off to the navy, who did the same exact thing. I… I don’t think I’d know what to do with full legal rights. And with our mistresses, I know I can trust them to do what’s best for me.” She looked up, and was rewarded with a gentle kiss from Serafa.

Giggling, Ophelia nodded and looked back down at the page. “Right, that’s two down. Ah, and it segues nicely into the third — our wellbeing is guaranteed.” Her eyes drifted down to the fourth line and her cheeks started glowing. “Oh, my. That doesn’t save us from punishment… Mn.” She wriggled more, lightly rubbing her thighs together.

Camilis leaned in and whispered slowly in her ear, “one might almost think you were looking forward to testing that clause, little one.”

She emitted a soft squeak in reply but said nothing further, for fear she might dig herself in any deeper.

“Um, this next one…” Rose motioned to the fifth entry. “You can change things? So we’re… agreeing to things that we don’t even know about yet? That’s kind of weird for a contract.”

She raised a fair point, but Rose was imagining a worst-case scenario. And she needed reminding that she no longer needed to be watching for danger around every corner. She was safe. “What kinds of things do you imagine we might change, darling? Realistically.”

Her brow furrowed in thought for a few moments. “Well. I guess if… if something surprising came up, maybe… a-a behavioral problem? Or maybe if it turned out I had another issue. You might need to add some amendments.” She sunk back a bit more into the vines supporting her and looked down at the paper, deep in thought.

“Take your time,” Camilis reminded her gently.

Ophelia wriggled back into Rose’s grasp a bit more and looked up at her with a warm, supportive smile. She was always so good at lifting Rose up and keeping her steady. “Do you really think either of them would spring something on us that would be bad for us? They want us to grow and become even more awesome.”

With a thoughtful nod, Rose bent down to give Ophelia a quick upside-down peck on the lips. “You’re right. I can’t picture our Mistresses trying to slip in some kind of trick or anything.”

Serafa pointed at the document, motioning to the next item. “Each of your documents also lists the kind of stipulations we’ve already put together for you. This should give you a good idea of anything we could possibly want to add in the future.”

Each of them took some time reading through their individual rules.

Ophelia groaned when she saw the first one on her page. “Oh, dangit. ‘Good girls must be careful about the sort of language they use, as it reflects on their owners. You will not use any rude words, nor speak unkindly about any sophont.’ And I see you’ve included an… incredibly thorough list of forbidden words.” She giggled softly and shrugged her shoulders. “I’d expect nothing less from you, Mistress.”

Rose chuckled and traced the words with her eyes. Her cheeks began to burn as something caught her eye. “Mn. ‘You are expected to always be honest about your feelings, needs, wants, etc. In order to become the best version of yourself, you cannot hide anything.’ Th-That’s… really sweet. And freeing.”

“I second that motion! Or I guess I third it? Fourth??” Ophelia pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Anyway, agreed. No more repressing. I want the full package, baby.”

The poor woman took a second to compose herself before reading on further. “Huh, and this — ‘Being that your body is property of your owners, it is vital that you keep it in proper shape. You will work out at least three times per terran weekly period, unless Serafa or Camilis Paradula feel that you deserve or require extra rest.’”

That particular requirement earned an excited coo from Ophelia. “Ohh, heck yes. What else do I have here? Oh… Oh wow. ‘Your appearance also reflects on your owners. Any and all outfits must be approved by your owners. Failure to dress in an approved manner will result in a dose of Class-M xenodrugs, and you will be clothed like a doll.’ Mnf. Yeah, that’s… That’s a good one.”

With a contented rumble, Camilis motioned to the final section with the large blank space. “All that is left is for the two of you to fill in any other clauses you wish to add.” She picked up two pens from the coffee table and then produced a pair of wooden plates for their florets to write on.

Ophelia took the pen and then began tapping it softly against the page, brow furrowing in deep thought. After several seconds, she looked up toward Camilis, then over toward Serafa. “Um… Do I have to put anything here?”

“Oh?” Camilis couldn’t keep the teasing tone out of her voice. “Is there nothing you desperately want?”

Flushing, she shook her head. “Kinda the opposite. I want… everything. And the things I feel like doing or trying will probably change from day to day. So it seems silly to spend an hour writing down every single random idea that pops into my head.”

Serafa let out a bright tremolo and gave Ophelia several emphatic head pats. “You’re under no obligation to fill it in. I think that’s delightfully submissive, little one, and very… you.”

While they talked Ophelia through her decision, Rose’s pen was already scratching away with her own additions.

Camilis looked down at the page to see what she had written so far. “Hm, I quite like this first one. ‘I want my owners and pinnate to be honest with me in turn. If I’m hiding or suppressing, I may not realize it, and they should make it clear what I’m doing — come up with productive ways to stop it.’”

“Deal,” Ophelia said with a grin.

Delivering a few pets to Rose as well, Serafa nodded. “I’m curious about this other one though. ‘I would prefer to limit xenodrugs to medical use and playtime’?”

Rose fidgeted a little, pausing to give her pinnate a comforting hug. “The class-G’s and class-D’s are really important to me. And I do like being on stuff like the carnatia euphoria when we’re relaxing or having fun. But if I need to be working out, or learning piano or whatever, I want to be sober. Motor control and concentration and all.”

“I see! That’s perfectly reasonable, darling.”

Camilis smiled and nodded. “I may be able to put together something to aid you in focusing when you need it. Are you comfortable including that under ‘medical use’?”

Her face lit up — a beautiful sight if ever there was one. “Of course! That would be great.”

It seemed that both florets had reached a point of satisfaction with their contracts. Camilis could feel some of her extremities twitch with excitement. “Marvelous. Then all you need to do is check the box beside each statement confirming that you have read, understand, and agree to them. And on the line at the bottom, sign with your new names.”

With their pens flicking, Rose and Ophelia dutifully placed marks next to each numbered clause before adding their names to the bottom.

Ophelia Paradula, First Floret.

Rose Paradula, Second Floret.

In a flurry of activity, moving as one, Camilis and Serafa took the documents and pens from their florets’ hands and put them aside before lavishing them with pets and cuddles, kisses and nuzzles, and a deluge of sweet nothings and praise.

This was just the beginning, and Camilis couldn’t wait to see how their girls would grow under their care.