It was not actually possible for Ophie to overpower Jake. So she appreciated that he was willing to play along. Not that she would actively say so out loud. But she appreciated it. She pulled him over to her enormous plush bed and urged him to sit down. Then she positioned herself across from him with her back against the numerous cushy pillows.

One unintended side-effect of placing him here was that it was far trickier to get into any sort of ridiculous military posture. Jake was forced by the insanely cozy mattress to sit cross-legged, spine incapable of going rigid. That didn’t stop him from trying for a few seconds, wiggling his shoulders and hips, only to accept defeat and go into a slump.

Okay, soldier boy is at least capable of relaxing. Y’know, as long as he’s forced to. That’s something. Seriously, though, what is his deal?

She sat studying him for a while before deciding to just launch into it. “Seriously, though, what’s your deal?”

He seemed completely baffled, and Ophie realized she was talking across cultures just as much as she was with the affini. Hell, they felt easier to understand compared to this brick wall of a man! They were just all drugs and domination and calling things cute. In short, they were great.

“My deal?”

“I’ve partied with soldiers before. Being Terran Navy isn’t an excuse for having a stick lodged-” She stopped herself and sighed. Berating this poor man wasn’t helpful. They were stuck together until this whole thing was over. The giant stacks of affini paperwork and contracts ensured that much. So she needed to at least try and be gentle. “You’re stiff, sweetie. And you said it yourself, this is all about… rousing the troops or whatever! So we’ve gotta make this convincing.” Ophie pet him gently on the calf. “Fine, you’re ‘not good at relaxing’, whatever that means. Let’s just focus on what you like to do in your off-time. When you’re not… I don’t know, firing guns and making heroic last stands.”

Stars, he looked so uncomfortable. It was kind of adorable. “I worked out a lot…”

Uuggghhhhhh give me strength. “Yes, Mr. Muscles, I think we can all see that quite clearly. What else?”

Jake rubbed at the back of his neck, massaging his plentiful muscles. “I grew up listening to old-world jazz… Sometimes when everything got to be too much, I’d sit on my bunk, listen to these ancient recordings, and stare out into space. I didn’t have to plan anything, or worry about anything. I could just… exist.”

Ophelia breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Okay! Okay, we can work with that.” She gave his calf a few more gentle pats in an upbeat, syncopated rhythm. “It’s not exactly the same thing as properly relaxing. But spacing out to some classical music is a great start. When we get out there, maybe we start blasting some jazz. Let it flow from there.” She made to get back up from the bed, but was stopped when Jake instead reached out to place a hand on her leg.

“Wait…”

“Hm?” She looked back toward him, watching him carefully. But this very tiny heart-to-heart wasn’t enough to suddenly make Jake any easier to read. “What is it?”

“I just need another minute.” He cast a nervous glance toward the door. “There’s something about Serafa… I don’t know how to describe it exactly. She’s unsettling.”

Now we’re getting somewhere! He hasn’t shaken the image of affini as monsters. The poor thing’s probably terrified! Ophie did her best to give Jake a warm and understanding smile, shifting a bit closer toward him. “Of course, sweetie, we can hide out in here for a little while. I know they can be pretty intimidating.”

Jake shook his head and smiled weakly. “Not like that. I know they’re big and hard to kill. I can respect that.” For a moment he did that thing again, going somewhere inside his head with a distant stare. “Camilis seems nice enough. But when I’m around Serafa… I don’t know. It feels like the room is too hot, and my chest gets tight.” His face went back to normal and he looked at her conspiratorially. “Do you think they’re lying to us? And maybe they’re already drugging us?”

Oh stars, no way. No, no, no. That’s far too easy. You can’t be fucking serious. You have a crush, you fucking idiot!! Have you never had one before? Ohh, you really are precious. Ophelia wanted to poke and prod and tease him, but instead she decided to pull back on those impulses. Pointing it out would definitely just make the poor bastard even more awkward, which would make her job difficult in turn. He had to sort it out for himself. But at least she could give some gentle nudges in the right direction. “Nah, they’ve got all those flowers and needles. When they go for the kill, we’ll know it. It’s just nerves.”

Was that too dismissive? Ophie pushed their conversation back to the matter at hand. “Look, maybe forcing you two to cuddle with an audience was the wrong first move. Acting is easier if you know and trust your scene partner. So let’s just work on getting to know the big plants. Then we can try again in a day or two. C’mon, what do you say?”

His shoulders finally loosened and he gave a small nod. Though he didn’t look entirely convinced. “A different tactic. No shame in switching strategies. Okay, sure.”

Much better. Ophelia finally got down from the plush bed and Jake followed after her. “I’ll drag Cam away so you can get some alone time with Sera. I know I might as well tell the sun not to rise, but seriously, try to not overthink this. Talk to her just like you would any person. Start with music. Move from there.”

She led the way back into the lounge where the two affini were reclining on the massive couch, chatting away in what she could only assume was their own secret tongue. Ophelia cleared her throat softly and sidled up in front of Camilis. The alien looked down at her with a subtle smile. “Feeling better, little ones?”

Some small part of her admitted that she understood a bit about what Jake was saying. Cam was like no one she’d met before. There was something regal in her bearing — the way she carried herself was hypnotic. And that low soothing voice seemed to bypass her ears and go straight to her belly. Plenty of affini used wood to make their face masks, but Cam was the first one she’d met for whom that descriptor was more literal. She gave nothing away with her constantly passive expression, save what she let you see.

Ophie’s ‘alone time’ plan wasn’t just for Jake’s benefit. It was selfish too.

“Much! I think we jumped in the deep end, when we should be dipping our toes in, y’know?” The looks on their faces told her that they did not, in fact, know. Stupid cultural barriers. “So we’re just gonna take some one-on-one time with you instead. Nice and simple.”

Cam gracefully stood from the couch and nodded firmly. “Sensible. I like it. Care to see my private hab then, darling?” She extended a massive hand to Ophelia.

She didn’t even bother to hide her enthusiasm. What was the point? Ophie took her hand — or perhaps it was more accurate to say she had her hand taken — and was swiftly lead along the massive semi-circular staircase to the upper level. “Have fun, you two!” she called out with a cheeky wave. Camilis led her through the second of two tall-ass doors and into a room much like her own, but scaled up for the affini’s size.

As soon as the door slid shut again, Cam crouched down onto one knee to get more on her level. “So, you wished to have me all to yourself, then?”

That sensation in her belly doubled, and she flushed, nodding her head dumbly. “Uh-huh…”

Her hand was released, then brought to her head to give a soothing pat, brushing her hair slowly. “Aren’t you sweet?” Everything went a bit fuzzy, and Ophelia was far less confident about her earlier assertion to Jake. Maybe they were secretly drugging them already. It was the only way to explain what was going on here. It certainly couldn’t be—

Oh, stars, she definitely had her own stupid crush. But that was a good thing, wasn’t it? Well… yes and no. It could go a long way toward making their propaganda more legitimate and believable. But she’d had on-set romances before, and they were always brief and often ended painfully. Would that happen here too? Once their time was up together, Cam would no doubt go back to her old life where she could probably have her pick of any number of eligible florets.

Wait, shit, florets? Hadn’t she meant sophonts? No. Yes? Was that something she wanted when they wrapped? Maybe…

Ophie realized she hadn’t said anything in a while. Normally that was cause for concern with a fellow terran. But Cam didn’t seem to care one bit. She just kept gently petting her and playing with her hair, doting on her so gently. There was no expectation that she needed to keep up the conversation, or seemingly do anything at all. She could have spent hours just standing there swaying as the affini paid her such gentle attention.

Which was why it was such a disappointment when the petting suddenly stopped. A whimper rose up her throat against her wishes, but that just made Cam chuckle softly. “Come.” That one word command made her melt until her legs nearly bucked from under her. Perhaps seeing the warning signs, Cam swept Ophie up into her arms before carefully escorting her over to her own bed. The damned thing was as big as a terran shuttle. It would have to be, to have enough space for a gigantic plant alien.

Ophelia realized that she was still in Camilis’ arms and grew progressively more flustered. This was due in no small part to the fact that she wasn’t ready to leave this comfy nest. Nor did Cam seem ready to set her down. “There is something weighing on you, little one. What is it?”

Stars, what had she been thinking about? Ophelia couldn’t remember so she blurted out the first question that struggled its way up through the fog. “Did you drug me?”

“No. Would you like me to?”

She squealed and hid her face in her hands. “No! I mean—! That’s not—! Then why do I feel like this?”

A vine wrapped around each wrist, gentle as can be and yet utterly unyielding, and pulled her hands away. Rather than release, they kept right on holding her wrists, pinning them almost casually up above her head. “Like what, Ophelia? I’m a xenopsychologist, not a mind-reader. Use your words, darling.”

Another unwanted whimper bubbled out of her as she wriggled uselessly against her minimal bindings. In a matter of seconds she’d been utterly pacified. And if Cam was to be believed, she wasn’t even under the influence of anything. Maybe. It was still unclear. Right, she was supposed to explain. Words, what were words? She used them all the time. She could talk for hours! Why were words so hard now? “I feel fuzzy.”

“You’re a mammal. Not as covered in fur as some of them, but it only makes sense you would have plentiful tiny hairs.”

Was she teasing her? Well obviously she was. But it was unexpected. Cam had been so dry and serious up until now! Ophie shook her head and tried to jostle something loose. “My head. My brain. It’s hard to think… when you look at me, and touch me…” Stars, just those few statements were a chore to get out.

“The wonders of affini physiology. Even without our advances in xenodrugs, we have a million ways to draw in precious little sophonts. Let me demonstrate.” With her free hand, she tucked a finger under Ophelia’s chin and forced her to look up. She didn’t need much urging, but the finger was just as unyielding as the vines that pinned her. “Look into my eyes, little one.”

For the first time since they had met earlier that day, Ophelia actually took in her eyes. They were hidden deep behind her mask, the same vibrant pink as her flowers, and seemed to almost shine and glow. After a few seconds of staring, she also started to notice the little flecks of silver that swirled around in gentle circles, drawing her in deeper. “Bwuh…?”

She emitted a low rumble, which seemed to be her noise of amusement. “With just a few points of contact and a glance, you’re pacified. My voice, my movements, all of them are so wonderfully crafted through eons of evolution to affect you.” The vines at her wrists tightened almost imperceptibly. “Though I must say, there is something about terrans in particular that we have not been able to enjoy for a few domestications now. You are… especially primed for these qualities. Your dopamine receptors — ohhh, they are a treasure. Impossible to ignore the craving for more. And the way you bond so seamlessly with anything and everything. You make the perfect pet.”

She was fairly certain that Camilis was speaking about ‘you’ in the general sense — terrans as a whole. And yet she wondered, hoped even, that she also meant ‘you’ in the much more direct sense. Like all of creation had conspired to bring the two of them to this very moment. Maybe it had. It felt like it, and right now feelings were the only thing that mattered. The thumb of the hand holding her chin began to stroke her cheek and she nuzzled into it without a shred of shame. “Yuh…?” What were words?? How did she word??

The rumbling laughter grew until it seemed to fill her entire body. “Oh dear… We’re supposed to be getting to know each other. We can’t very well converse properly when you’re like this. I think we can consider this little demonstration a success.” Despite Ophelia’s myriad protesting whines, her wrists were released, and she was set down to rest and recuperate in Cam’s lap.

How many minutes did she spend just laying there staring off into space as she recovered. Fuck, how many hours? But finally her brain-fog started to clear and she felt she could string a sentence together again. Still panting, Ophelia managed a fully coherent thought. “Stars, what do you even need the drugs for?”

Camilis went back to brushing her hair gently. “When you are eating, do you want something bland that merely satisfies your hunger and dietary needs? Or do you want a proper meal that lights up your senses, and fills your belly until you can’t do anything but sit and let it digest for an entire evening?” Her simulated nails scritched at her scalp and Ophie’s head went fuzzy all over again. “Or to relate it to your profession… Is it enough to simply play your part? How much more enjoyable when there are costumes and a fully-realized set and dramatic lighting?”

She nodded along, the reasonable metaphor helping to flesh out the concept.

“Still, that said, every being is different. Some are extremely receptive, some only marginally swayed by these basic effects, while others are outright resistant to it.”

“So… ‘m jus’ weak then…?” she muttered.

“Of course you are weak, you are a terran.” Gah! Teasing! Damn her! “But no, I would say you are ‘lucky’. You will get to experience the full range of what I can do. You should be thrilled. You should feel honored.”

She was. She did. Ophelia felt like she had struck gold. Nothing in her life had felt nearly so satisfying as these gentle touches and hypnotic looks. She could only imagine what kind of ascension she would experience once xenodrugs entered the picture.

And that was when it hit her. She didn’t have to imagine! She could find out! Right now! All she had to do was say it. Which… required words! Dammit! She looked up desperately into those pink and silver eyes, whining pleadingly.

“Use your words,” Cam reminded her smoothly.

Cruelty. Abuse. She knew full well that Ophie wasn’t going to be able to ask in her current state. And she obviously didn’t care, continuing to stroke her hair and face idly. Ophie huffed and groaned, trying and failing to push herself up to a seated position. “I wan’… wanna… flower? Flow’r drug?”

All the teasing touches stopped at once and Camilis sat up tall, seeming thirty feet tall in that moment. “Now now, I know for a fact that terrans have a very important word for moments like these. Take your time, I’m sure it will come to you.”

With a moment to breathe again, Ophie forced her brain to conjure the word. It came to her in a brilliant flash of inspiration. She was a genius! A bunch of plant nerds had nothing on her incredible processing power. Her mouth was back under her control and she spoke with perfect clarity. One single word, the most important word there was. She knew it, and she said it with more gusto than every line of dialogue she had ever delivered. “Please?”

In a single fluid motion, the vines of Cam’s arm shifted ever so slightly until a bright red flower emerged. And since Camilis had fully and completely filled her sense of what the universe was, she knew only green, brown, pink, and silver. Red was new, and so pretty! Were there more colors out there? She was sure there were. She was so smart. The flower was brought forward up to her face, the petals bending to conform to its shape, cupping around her chin and up over her mouth and nose.

And as the world faded away in a tidal wave of warmth, she heard two more words. And those words were so much more important than ‘please’. They were the only words she wanted to hear for the rest of her life.

“Good girl.”

 

---

Camilis watched with endless amusement as Ophelia rolled around in her lap, a stream of constant motion. She could hardly believe her luck. She had been to pet cafes and seen florets less blissful on class-J and class-L drugs. And she had only given little Ophelia a mild dose of class-A xenodrug euphoria carnatia.

But perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d been fully briefed on Ophelia before they ever met, though she made sure to play her knowledge close to the chest-plates. She was notorious for her occasional antics when she wasn’t working. There were terrans far more prone to self-destructive behavior that would do great harm to themselves in the search of a new high. Ophelia Merrill was the next stage down, and it was the only thing that had saved her from being domesticated instantly. She hadn’t been bogged down by the more dangerous inferior terran drugs, but flitted here and there trying everything, and always coming away unsatisfied.

And now here she was in Camilis’ lap, a bundle of ecstatic energy, nuzzling anything that came within a few inches of her sphere of awareness. Camilis didn’t even have to do anything except keep the girl from wandering away in a haze. A loose vine around her neck in a makeshift leash was all she needed to keep her terran safely in range. If she extended a hand, Ophelia would meet her halfway, headbutting and kissing whatever she came in contact with. And all the while, she would mewl and whimper and moan.

She was perfect. And when this entire silly endeavor was done, Ophelia would be hers. There was no question about that. It didn’t matter if an entire fleet of affini came to try and domesticate her. Camilis’ tendrils were in her now, and she would never let go.

She allowed herself a brief moment of sentimentality to thank her lucky stars for the series of circumstances that brought this terran to her. And then she diverted her thoughts to running down the seemingly endless medications she would try pumping into her system.

Of course, given the current experiment, class-A was a requirement for the base of pretty much every cocktail. Her reaction to the euphoria carnatia was sublime.

She was fairly certain she still had a bloom of violeta nepentha. She could make the terran forget all of this. Then they could play out this moment again as many times as she wanted. Bend Ophelia to her will over and over.

Class-C? Maybe some liaise verde… That hardly seemed necessary, they were bonding in record time. And terrans were already so quick to bond. They gave inanimate objects nicknames and personalities. Still, why not?

Ophelia could obviously get pretty wild. It wouldn’t hurt to have a dose of azul molle sedatives on hand. Otherwise she would run herself ragged from her natural energy alone. Or she could forgo the need for sedatives and skip right to making her the prettiest little doll around. Class-M, no question about it. Something strong, like a corpus blanche.

Oh flame, her eyes alone were enough to drop the girl down deep. What kind of absolute miracles could she enact with some hypnotics? Maki necris went on the list, for sure.

This micro-dose was an easy segue into class-J cuddles. She would have to be careful with those. Take this little one to a pet cafe and someone was bound to steal her away! That would never do.

As she ran down the list, it occurred to Camilis that she might need to review Ophelia’s sexual history. She recalled the breadth of rumors about her proclivities. Those alone were enough to qualify her for a diagnosis of sexual addiction. Would some libris caeli alleviate that? Or, deliciously, make it so much worse?

The mere pleasure of touch was enough to make the poor thing lose her ability to speak coherently already. Did she need some lalia rubigo on hand to fully take that away? Turn her endless chatter into a string of nonsense? Not at all. It went on the list anyway.

Yes. Yes, this was excellent. With a few extra vines she kept Ophelia busy, allowing her to focus on retrieving her tablet and start properly documenting the ever-growing list of potential mixtures. Stars, she hadn’t felt this alive in ages! Yes, she would have to suffer this silly acting thing for the briefest of moments. And then the real fun could begin.

After tapping out the last of the list, she paused and glanced away from her immediate vicinity for the first time in quite a while. She allowed herself to think on their… What was that word? ‘Roommates’. She thought of funny little Jacob and dear Serafa. Her friend had obviously been quite taken with the boy. But she was proud, and there was a non-zero chance that she would try and tame him through sheer willpower alone. Sera cloaked herself in so many beautiful flowers, and almost none of them had any utility. That was an approach bound to end in failure.

Camilis looked back down at her list and amended it with a note at the bottom.

‘I should obtain some class-D for my idiot friend. Nyx victorium? Jacob gives nothing away. He is a soldier through and through. Disinhibition will ease away all those barricades. Then, perhaps, she can know the real version. Whatever that might be.’

Camilis brought her full attention back to Ophelia, who was still busy burrowing into her lap with impressive determination. It reminded her of something she had seen when she and Sera had first begun researching the terrans. Serafa had burst into her office and eagerly presented her with a video of a terran pet, a ‘kitty’. Something about the girl’s behavior was quite similar.

With a chuckle, she added another note for herself on her tablet. A few simple body modifications and she would have her very own ‘kitty’. That sounded delightful.