After they left the living room, Ophelia expected to be pulled into Cam’s room. So it was kind of a disappointment when she was instead led into the new office space. Still, she wanted to give Cam the benefit of the doubt here. “Did you need to grab something?”

“Ah, I actually wanted to get some work done while we wait for those two.”

“Oh,” Ophie said, unable to disguise her mild disappointment. Obviously, she wanted the best for Jake, or… well, whoever they might be or whatever their name was when all this was over. But watching Camilis do that hypnosis thing had lit something inside her. When Sera requested some time alone to work it out, Ophie briefly hoped she might be able to use this as an excuse for some fun. “Um, I guess I can just go to my room then. I don’t want to get in the way.”

She hadn’t even managed to completely turn away before she felt a vine slip around her elbow and tug her back toward Cam. “Do not worry, little one. I have plans for you as well.”

Fuck. Her brain melted and her face burned. Stupid bio-whatevers. A touch and a few confident words were more than enough to totally disable her. Still, maybe her hopes weren’t as stupid as she thought. “Wait, really?”

“The affini are an advanced race spanning across the universe with the capacity to bend all sapient life to our whims. I am confident I can manage a little multitasking.” The vine pulled Ophie in closer until she was standing directly in front of Camilis, then it slid up to give her a few gentle caresses beneath her chin that both pacified her and forced her to look up at her affini.

No, the affini. Not hers. It was all just pretend.

Perhaps that thought caused something in her face to change, because Cam’s wooden mask contorted a bit and she bent down closer. “Would you prefer to be alone?”

“No!” It came out so desperate and obvious before Ophelia had a chance to temper her answer. “No, I just— Um. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

With a thoughtful hum, Camilis planted herself in her desk chair before easily hauling Ophelia up by the armpits and settling her into her lap. “Well, you certainly do not have to tell me. But I am willing to bet that it is not as embarrassing as you believe it to be.” Cam ruffled her hair affectionately, and for a moment her brain shut down from the onslaught of pleasant feelings.

Once Ophie managed to shake the fuzz in her head, she tried to sort out her thoughts. Sera had managed to give her some comforting words the other day, saying that Cam definitely wanted her. But since then, some of those fears started to creep back. “Uh, I guess it’s just that all this stuff is temporary. Like sooner or later, we’ll be done. You’ll have some new project to work on, and probably some floret waiting for you to finish here so you can get back to them.” She wrapped her hands around a nearby vine and fiddled with it idly. “I wanna do stuff with you, but it’s kinda sad knowing that it’s not forever.”

“Trust me, if I had a floret, you would know it. They would be right here with me.” Cam laughed, which only made her feel more foolish. “I want to show you something, Ophelia.” She retrieved her tablet from within her chest, tapped it a few times, and then passed off the device.

Ophie released Cam’s vine and took the tablet. She began looking over the opened document. Based on the few names she’d heard thus far, it looked like maybe this was a list of xenodrugs. They all had this weird air of butchered Latin. Next to each one was a handful of sentences about their intended effects. It was kind of interesting, but she didn’t understand why this was so important to share. “Is this part of a research project or something?”

“No, darling. This is a list of xenodrugs I compiled after I used the euphoria carnatia on you — xenodrugs that I fully intend to dose you with. And that is only a preliminary foray. You responded so perfectly to such a mild dose, I was instantly energized with a need to try as many as I can with you.” She gently brushed Ophelia’s hair while rumbling softly. “There is nothing temporary about my desires. I decided at that very moment that you would be mine, one way or another.”

Holy shit. Ophelia was mush. She was putty in this alien’s hands. As her heart hammered in her chest, she looked up into those beautiful pink and silver eyes. “But— But why me? I’m a simple girl, Cam. I’m not some interesting project, I’m not complicated or especially deep or whatever.”

She tried to glance away in her embarrassment, but once again Camilis kept a hand under her chin, forcing Ophelia to keep looking upward. “Once our propaganda campaign is over, I will eventually be called upon to provide my services in any number of ways. Therapy, medicine, research, writing, and more. And when I come home, do you think that I would want yet more stress dealing with some poor, traumatized floret in need of specialized care? You are bright and enthusiastic and eager. The two of us could have quite a lot of fun together, which is precisely what I will need in the coming months and years.”

Something simple and easy. She really wanted to believe that. Did this mean—? “So, someday, I could be your floret?”

Cam continued to rumble with gentle laughter. “Could be? Ophelia darling, you will be. It is a question of when, not if.”

Fuck.

Almost desperately, Ophie leaned in and began to nuzzle against Cam’s chest plates, hugging her tightly. “Promise?”

“I promise, little one.” Carefully, Camilis pried Ophie back a bit so that she could once again entrance her with those incredible eyes. “Now, as I was saying, I do have something planned for you. It would not be right to let my future floret become bored.”

Fuck.

“Anything. What did you have in mind?”

“Ahh, I do adore that boundless obedience. First things first, that dress will have to come off.”

She emitted a shocked squeak as her whole body froze up. “Um, excuse me? Do I have to?”

“I would prefer it not get dirty. Are you questioning me? Or are you hoping I’ll do it instead?”

Fuuucckkkkk.

Ophelia whimpered and fidgeted nervously. “Would you do it?”

“I might, but I think if you really want to belong to me, then we had better work on your manners. We have already addressed the word ‘please’ and I am sure you have not forgotten that one yet. But it would also be wise to start showing proper deference.” She picked Ophelia up again, standing her on top of the desk. “Let us try this: ‘Please, Miss Pruntio, will you take off my dress so that I do not ruin it while you play with me?’ Can you manage that?”

It was a wonder Ophie’s legs didn’t instantly turn to jelly. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “P-Please, Miss P-Pruntio, will you take off my dress so that I do not ruin it while you p-play with me?”

“Good girl!” A pair of vines tapped Ophelia on the shoulders. “Arms up.” Without an ounce of hesitation, Ophie did as commanded and raised her arms up. The dress was lifted up off her body. Her bra followed, then her underwear, with a gentle tap at each ankle signaling that she needed to step out of them. Before she had time to bashfully cover her body, the vines pulled her right back down into Camilis’ lap. “Now, sadly, I have not yet had a chance to obtain the xenodrugs I wish to try. So we will be doing this… What is the saying? The old-fashioned way?”

There was nothing ‘old-fashioned’ about this as far as Ophelia was concerned, but she didn’t see the point in mentioning that. She just nodded dumbly. “Yes Miss.”

“Wonderful. Now, this is the most important part. Since I will be working, it may be difficult to get a proper sense of whether something is negatively affecting you through traditional verbal feedback.” As she spoke, a vine slipped its way in front of Ophie’s face and against her lips. “If you are uncomfortable or overwhelmed, bite down as hard as you possibly can on this vine and I will put a stop to our game. Can you do that for me, my dear? Go ahead and give it a try, I think you will find it difficult to hurt me.”

That seemed somehow wrong, but… orders were orders. Ophelia parted her lips and wrapped them around the vine. She sunk her teeth into the fleshy plant matter as hard as she could. That earned her another pleasurable rumble that she felt down to her bones.

“Yes, that will do quite nicely. Just like that, and I will stop. Otherwise, you need only do your best to properly lose yourself in the experience.”

She kept the vine firmly between her teeth and nodded again, locking eyes with Camilis. Ophie was already fairly certain she would have no need to bite down a second time. She trusted Cam to treat her right. Or wrong, honestly. That would be just fine too.

Everything suddenly went dark as another vine wound its way over her eyes. More of them encased her arms and pulled them tight behind her back until they were pressed together, not allowing even an inch of movement. Others took her ankles, bending them up until her feet were nearly pressed against her exposed butt. Her thighs were pulled apart, and she felt something softer and more malleable brush against her breasts and nether regions. If she had to guess, those were most likely some combination of Cam’s tea leaves and sakura flowers.

The feather-light touch elicited a bright gasp from her and she nearly dropped the vine from her mouth. Perhaps sensing the issue with this, Camilis worked it more tightly around her cheeks and the back of her head until it was as much a gag as a communication device.

So far, so kinky, but Ophelia was unclear about why Cam was so worried about her needing some kind of safety net. But the next few steps made it more clear where the potential danger might lie. One final vine made its way around her neck with almost agonizing slowness, wrapping a few times until her head was securely immobilized.

From there, she was lifted up from Camilis’ lap and pulled somewhere dark, cramped, and stuffy.

Oh stars, I’m inside her. I’m tied up by parts of her body and there’s a noose around my neck and I’m inside her. Before Ophelia had any more time to really process her situation, the flowers and leaves against the most sensitive parts of her body began to brush back and forth. The feeling was electrifying and quickly amplified the yawning cavern of want within her. Once in a while, the lightest pressure from something else — probably yet another miniature tendril — would press inside her, or pinch a nipple, pushing her arousal that much further along. But ultimately none of it was enough to send her careening over the edge that she so desperately needed.

The realization that she was well and truly trapped with no hope of release was eventually interrupted by yet another beautiful horror. The vine around her neck started to constrict. It began as mere discomfort, but before long it zeroed in on her windpipe and closed it just enough to make every breath feel like a challenge to be won. If she weren’t already blinded and stuffed inside a plant monster from beyond the stars, her vision would no doubt be swimming and darkening.

From all around her, Camilis began to hum a gentle tune to herself. Ophelia could just barely make out the sound of her typing away.

I’m inside her and she’s strangling and teasing me and she’s working on some project like it’s the most normal thing in the world and I am so completely hers already. I never had a chance. Humanity never had a chance. I think I’m in love? I’m terrified and horny and I’m definitely in love!

The noose tightened a bit more, and stars burst around her in the darkness as a petal brushed over her clit. “Mmnn!” Her body writhed uselessly against the vines which might as well have been made from fucking mithril for how little give they had. She wriggled her fingers a few times, only for the vines along her arms to grow out and encase her hands too. Knowing the outcome, she wriggled her toes which urged Cam to wrap around her feet nice and tight too.

The pressure on her windpipe tightened just enough to fully cut off her air supply. Her stupid monkey brain momentarily wondered if this was how she might die. Her stupid horny terran brain said there was no better way to go out. A mental image formed in her mind of her lungs as they shriveled up into useless little husks, only for a burst of pain to shock her back to reality when a thorn lightly pierced her nipple. The adrenaline kicking through her system fought against her inability to gasp for air. A strangled whimper died in her throat, when suddenly the noose released and she gasped desperately in through her nose.

Just like that, her bindings relaxed just enough that she was able to wriggle a bit more, giving her an opportunity to pretend that she could possibly struggle free. Simultaneously, the leaves and flowers resumed their previous assault. Ophie was driven again and again right up to the crest of need and want and desire, but never given the chance to properly plummet into release.

She heard Camilis’ voice from all around her, flowing through her and within her. “A good first draft. But I can do better.” Cam’s rhythms synced up to her own so well — they helped to ground her and keep Ophelia from completely floating off into oblivion — which was a torture in its own way. She couldn’t even drift off into some blissful nirvana because Cam kept dragging her back to reality!

As it turned out, that ‘first draft’ comment wasn’t just about her project, but a bit of evil wordplay. Cam repeated the process, but even more intentionally than before.

The vines that held her tightened much more securely until Ophie’s muscles ached. Her air supply was cut off so long she nearly lost consciousness. A thorn pierced her other nipple this time, deeply enough that she was certain it had drawn blood. Another appendage drew up between her thighs, and the ease with which it slid inside her let Ophie know that she was precisely as wet as she had feared.

Ophelia’s lungs were pushed to their very limit, absolutely screaming for just a few molecules of oxygen. And with terrifying, expert timing, her throat was released milliseconds before she fully and completely lost consciousness. Which was exactly and precisely when the vine inside her skillfully pushed her into the most staggering, mind-blowing, paralyzing, exhausting orgasm of her entire pitiful existence. It shook her body with the sheer force of it.

Every extremity holding her moved in unison, pulling Ophelia out of her captivity into Camilis’ lap. Having thought of literally everything, the affini had already dimmed the lights to keep her from being blinded as Ophie slumped down onto her back. She lay there for roughly a millennium, caked in sweat, tears, a few small streaks of blood, with thighs that were absolutely soaked to the point she feared they might never dry again.

And all the while, Cam kept right on working casually, growing a third arm just to give her plenty of encouraging headpats. Every now and then she whispered a string of sweet nothings down to Ophie. “Good girl, Ophelia. You were incredibly brave. I am so proud of you. We will do such wonderful things together. I have so many plans for you.”

Slowly, Ophie’s vision cleared and she was able to get a look at the screen and see what Cam had been working on so diligently. She didn’t know the first thing about the affini language, but she recognized nonsense gibberish when she saw it. After all, she had acted in plenty of scenes where she’d had to pretend to be typing away at some console while performing. Whatever the words may have meant, it was clear that Cam had just typed the same sentence over and over again. “You—! Y-You w-weren’t even w-working on anything!”

Camilis laughed more brightly than she had ever heard before. Ophie was drawn up into her arms and kissed softly on the lips. It should have been weird, making out with a wooden mask. But it was quite possibly one of the best, sweetest kisses she had ever experienced in her life. The surface was soft and moist just like lips should be, and tasted faintly of honeysuckle. “Well, if I am going to be the owner of a darling little actress, then I thought I should try my hand at the art form. How did I do?”

It was still a little bit difficult to breathe, or think for that matter, and every inch of her body was completely worn out. Ophelia panted as she rested her forehead against Cam’s mask. “I-I don’t know whether to be furious or d-delighted, which means you did p-perfectly.” Delirious laughter bubbled up from her and refused to die out. “Ehehe, fuck, I need a bath…”

“Mmn, we will need to have a conversation about your word choices too, little one.”

She flushed, giving an embarrassed nod. “Y-Yes Miss.”

---

“So. You thought my hypnotics were… How did you phrase it again? ‘So fucking hot’? It is a shame I only have the veritsom pura or I could give you a demonstration. That particular flower is really only good for encouraging adherence to the truth. And you have always been quite honest.” There was something about this little terran that made her so much fun to tease relentlessly. Camilis knew that she was laying it on thick. But she could not help herself.

Ophelia turned crimson and sunk down beneath the bubbles into the water below, perhaps in an effort to hide herself. Camilis certainly wasn’t going to let her get away with that and swiftly lifted her head back above water. “Is this the part where you tell me I need to stop cursing so much? Or tease me for having yet another kink you’re going to exploit with terrifying precision?”

“I see no reason to limit myself to one or the other. As I said earlier, I am confident I can manage a little multitasking”

She gave an absolutely precious groan of embarrassment and nestled against Camilis, nuzzling into her affectionately. “You’re clearly talented enough to do them both simultaneously without missing a beat, Miss Pruntio.”

“Why thank you, my dear. That is very sweet of you to say.” She rumbled with laughter and doted on Ophelia with a few more headpats. “In all seriousness, how are you feeling?”

“Tired, but this stuff is helping a lot.” Ophelia picked up a handful of bubbles and blew them out.

Once their play session had ended, Camilis had carried her future floret into the decadent bathroom and drew a bath for the both of them. To the water, she added a mixture of soap, oil, and topical xenodrugs that would help to ease her muscles and her thoughts. And judging by the lazy way she draped herself against Camilis’ side, it was doing wonders for her.

It hadn’t been mere idle praise earlier. The fact that Ophelia never once begged for mercy the entire time she was being tormented spoke to the girl’s willingness to be pushed to the edge and beyond. To think Ophelia had implied she was anything other than an ideal pet was ridiculous. Her aimless search for the perfect high had landed her directly in Camilis’ clutches. Letting a treasure like this get away was out of the question. “I am glad. It would be a shame to accidentally do any lasting damage. Now, intentional temporary damage, on the other hand…”

The girl groaned once again, and this time attempted to hide herself away within Camilis’ cape of foliage and flowers. “Stars, that was incredible. I didn’t even know I was into that kind of stuff…”

“I had my suspicions.”

“Of course you did,” she said. “I’m sure you have extensive documentation and a thorough psych profile on me.”

The way she said that implied comedic exaggeration. Which only made Camilis that much more eager to further tease the poor woman. “That is not so far from the truth.” She carefully extracted Ophelia from her cloak and pulled her into her lap. Carefully, she drew her fingers through the girl’s plentiful auburn hair to ring out some of the lingering suds. “The affini are dedicated to bureaucracy, and fastidious to the extreme when it comes to record-keeping. We collect anything and everything we can from the member species of our Protectorates. Government records, school reports, medical forms, it all goes into your file. Obviously we were given access to information on both of you prior to our arrival.”

“Wow, so it’s true. The fabled Permanent Record. I thought that was just an old terran legend to frighten school children.”

Camilis laughed. “Our bureaucrats adore the treasure hunt their work requires. Still, that is only half the job. I was given the pieces, but I had to put them all together in the right configuration. And those provided an incomplete picture. There were things I could only assume, but the rest had to be gained from actually meeting you.” She traced a thin vine down Ophelia’s cheek, looking directly into her eyes. “Your file, delightful though it was, did not do you justice.”

Ophelia flushed as she clung on a bit tighter. “Wow… Even knowing all that stuff about me, you still wanted me? Impressive.”

“Yes,” she said without a moment’s hesitation. “You terrans have a nasty habit of expecting too much of yourselves. The Accord punished you for being anything less than perfect. But our only goal is to make you the best version of yourselves. I did not see the flaws and think less of you. I saw the wonderful, eager girl just waiting for a firm hand. There is a world of difference.”

Ophelia looked up at her with those eyes wide with wonder — and xenodrug-induced bliss — smiling beautifully. “A ‘firm hand’ is hardly giving yourself credit. It hasn’t even been a week and you’ve got me wrapped around your finger. Or, erm, wrapped up in your tendrils. Whatever, you know what I mean.”

“I do indeed.” Camilis cooed and gently scratched under Ophelia’s chin, causing her to coo in response until their noises nearly unified. “While we could certainly spend the rest of our evening in this bath, you undoubtedly need food and water after what I put you through.”

“Now that you mention it, I am kinda starving…”

The two of them had clearly been getting quite lost in one another for Ophelia to not even notice her own hunger. Yes, she was most definitely in need of someone to take care of her properly. And Camilis was only too happy to provide.

---

“We’re home!”

Camilis was just putting down a casserole and a bowl of nutrient water on the dining table when she heard their ‘roommates’ return. Her full attention was drawn to the kitchen door, waiting anxiously for whoever might walk through with Serafa.

It seemed as though Ophelia was just as eager, because she excitedly stood up on her oversized chair and turned toward the door with an impressive yell supported by her whole diaphragm. “Get your pretty butts in here! It’s time for dinner and I want details!”

There was some muffled laughter from the other side of the door before it slid open and the two of them entered.

The change was visually subtle, but the energy was totally different. And it wasn’t just the terran. Sera seemed far more lively. Her vines and leaves were brighter, the colors in her flowers more saturated and full. She practically sashayed through the doorway, carrying some bags in her arms. “Cam, Ophie! It is my most wondrous honor to present to you, fresh from a trip about the Second District of Columbia, with an updated wardrobe and a shiny new pair of she/her pronouns… Rose!”

Ophelia leapt gracefully down from her chair and closed the distance to wrap the newly-dubbed Rose in a crushing hug. “Ahh! Babe, you’re glowing! Look at you!”

“Oof!” She flinched before returning the hug just as emphatically. “If I’m glowing, you’re iridescent! What did we miss?”

Winking mysteriously, Ophelia gave one final squeeze before releasing the hug. She sauntered proudly back over to her chair. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell. And we did significantly more than kiss.” Perhaps as a hint, she looked over at Camilis with her arms lifted. “Miss? Will you please help me back up onto my chair?”

The noise Serafa emitted was the perfect coda to this entire day. It started almost as low as one of Camilis’ rumbles before rising to a fever pitch, full of confusion and excitement. She switched to the affini language and gestured almost wildly at Rose. “I was so excited to come back with this incredible reveal! How dare you one-up me like this?”

“It was not intentional, darling. Besides, we both knew this was inevitable. The revelation of Rose is still far more significant!” Camilis picked Ophelia up as she spoke, carefully planting her back down onto her seat before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. She returned to speaking in terran and beamed down at her. “There we are, dear.”

Rose stepped over to one of the empty chairs and looked up at it. She had already proved on more than one occasion she was athletic enough to climb up onto it herself. So it was a surprise to everyone in the room when she instead looked toward Serafa with a playful smile. “We shouldn’t let them have all the fun. Can you give me a hand, Sera?”

Serafa blushed, her vines and leaves all turning from their usual pale color to a much deeper teal for just a moment as she reached down to lift Rose up onto her own chair. Camilis was fairly certain that if Rose had put even a hint of submissiveness in the request, poor Serafa would have fainted from shock and embarrassment.

And judging by the way Rose was blushing too, it was only a matter of time before she found the courage to do something like that earnestly.

“Well, you are just in time for dinner. We can share our stories — or keep our secrets — over a delicious meal, no?” Camilis settled in and placed a few vines in the bowl of water, as did Serafa, while their terrans began divvying up their casserole.

Yes, this was good. This was just right.