Seni is relaxing in their Master's lap, eyes closed, blissed out on drugs directed straight into their bloodstream by their lovely haustoric implant. They feel so grateful for it. With a lazy, misdirected movement, they bring their hand back to stroke it. The open scar is gone now, replaced by just a tiny slit and a leaf growing out the top of it. A small sapling of a vine, just like one of their Master's. It was his idea, after all. In time, it will grow into a beautiful long string of vines, forming a necklace, or something more like a natural collar. Not that there's anything wrong with current collar. They usually don't even notice it's there, but it's stylish, cute and not obstructive, exactly the way Seni and their Master want them to look.

Their Master's own vines and branches, covered now in tons of tiny yellow and blue flowers, are stroking their hair and their chin, making them feel so good. They don't want to leave or move. They feel like they could stay like this forever. Deep inside their mind, the thought remains, however, that that isn't possible. Their mini-tablet rings from between the couch cushions. Seni shuffles to reach for it, but their Master's vine is faster. It takes it out and it automatically unlocks. Seni has a password on it, of course, but it can still detect that it's their Master touching it, which bypasses it. They can't keep anything from him, after all.

"It's nearing sixteen, petal," Kaltxi says, stroking their chin with a loose vine.

"Mmngh" is all Seni can muster up in response. They don't want to get up. Well, they *want to*, but they also don't want to. Thoughts are hard when they're under the influence of their Master's touch, after all. It doesn't matter. Viney hands pick them up and put them down on the floor gently, making sure they can steadily stand up.

"It's time, Seni. You had better not keep your friend waiting," he says. "Or are you not responsible enough to go on your own, after all?" 

They rub their eyes. "I am! I just...", they yawn, "need a moment." 

Kaltxi giggles. "Did my little floret feel so good they dozed off a bit?" Seni giggles too in response. "Do they need a little something to wake them up?"

Seni stretches their arms. "No, my Master! I'm all good now," they say happily.

It was a grueling past week for Seni. Jean had invited them on something like a coffee date, and they really wanted to make it special. So, they asked - begged, really - their Master to let them go on their own. He didn't agree at first, but seeing Seni's cute pleading face, he couldn't resist. He said if Seni can prove they're responsible and stay on their best behaviour, he will allow them to go alone. Even if it's just for a few hours, it was so exciting to Seni that they really gave it their best; after all, they hadn't been allowed to stray from their master for nearly two months now.

"So, my Master? Do you think I could go on my own?" they ask impatiently. Kaltxi sighs.

"My little Seni, you have been an exceptionally good, helpful, obedient floret for the past week," he starts. Seni flaps their hands in joy at being called so many nice things. "So, it pains my heart terribly, to say..." Seni stops flapping and looks up at their Master intensely. The suspense is killing them. "that I must keep up my part of the deal, too. Thus, little Seni, today, between 17 and 19, you will be granted free reign."

Seni jumps in excitement. They love being under their Master's watch, of course. When he's there, it feels like nothing can harm them, nothing bad can happen at all. But they also want to prove themself. Prove that their belonging has made them so much better, that they can go and do things on their own, too. Not that that would ever be a necessity, of course.

Kaltxi chuckles at the sight of such an excited, happy Seni. "Don't let it get to your head, now," he says, booping them on the nose. As an involuntary instinct, they slip their tongue out. That's another thing their master taught them, just because he thought it's cute.

"My dear, what am I going to do without you?" he asks, shaking his head with a smile. 

Seni looks up at the ceiling, thinking, then jumps as they get an idea. "I'll bring you something back! Will that make you happy, my Master?"

"Oh, you're so thoughtful! Of course, I suppose it will assure me you're thinking of me even when you're away," he says. Both he and Seni know it's only a tease. They can't go a few minutes without thinking about him either way. "Now, it's time to get ready. Let's pick out something for you to wear, alright?"

"Yay!" they exclaim, followed by a giggle. "I mean-- Yes, my Master!" Both of them laugh. Seni is so excited; this is always their favourite part.

Kaltxi leads them into the wardrobe. They had one built into the hab, to satisfy Kaltxi's need to keep dressing up their 'adorable' little floret. It is filled sorts of companion dresses and outfits, some traditional, some formal, some looking more like classic human outfits, and some more like elaborate plant based contraptions. Seni stands in front of the mirror in only their briefs and a clean undershirt, staring with a wide smile into their own bright yellow eyes, as their owner takes out their tablet and presses something on it. Seni feels the awaited sensation right away. Their muscles relax and their arms become weak, though their legs don't give in and they continue to stand tall, perfectly frozen in place. Their mind becomes almost completely blank. 

"There's my good little doll!" Kaltxi exclaims. He gently grabs Seni's hand and lifts up their arm. It stays in the air, just like he left it. He giggles to himself. "Now, what to give you..."

He scours through the clothes in search of something that would fit the occasion just right. "This boy Jean, he's something special to you, isn't he?" he giggles. Seni's face turns lightly pink, though they still don't move a muscle. "Oh, don't think I'm jealous," he monologues, "my feelings for you are something much different than those between two humans. And either way, it's not like anyone or anything could take you away from me."

He finds a beautiful, pinkish-white long-sleeved shirt and carefully buttons it up over Seni's chest. "This should be a good start," he says. Through their haze, Seni briefly thinks to themself that they agree. The Affini then places the next part of Seni's outfit on them. A dark vest with an intricate, flowery pattern. "I thought to give you something more formal today!" He leans down to whisper in Seni's ear. "A date is a date, you know?"

Their outfit is topped off with a short, black skirt and a pair of biker shorts going down to above their knees, maintaining an illusion of decency. Before he's done, Kaltxi also ties a beautiful yellow ribbon in Seni's wonderfully curly, bright brown, medium-length hair. "There really is something to the old human sense of style," he says, standing back and admiring his own work. "How do you like it?"

Seni keeps standing there, not moving an inch. "Oh, of course, you can't," he says, though his grin indicates he did that on purpose to tease them. He presses a button on his tablet again.

Laughing, Seni swirls around and starts to admire themself in the mirror from all sorts of angles, before finally saying: "I love it, my Master!"

Kaltxi smiles satisfactorily. "Surely, Jean will be impressed at how good your Master's sense of style is!"

They head back to the living room to get Seni prepared to leave for their special evening. Seni reaches to grab their mini-tablet and put it in the pocket of their vest, but suddenly, it rings again. They open it. 

- "[Message from: Jean Waesk, Second Floret]

hey Seni! I'm almost there, come down whenever ur ready :D say hi to your Master for me btw!"

"What is it, Seni?" Kaltxi asked.

"Jean says hi to you, my Master! He says he will be here soon," they say, typing down a response.

-"Done!!"

Their Master smiles. "He really is such a nice floret. Now, if only I could understand his owner," he adds, sighing ironically.

Seni giggles and the two make their way to the door. Kaltxi takes out their tablet again and looks at Seni solemnly over it, then presses a button, disabling their leash. He squats down in front of them, looking in their eyes with sincerity.

Seni finds themself entranced by those eyes. Their mind becomes fuzzy again and they fall into a trance, thoughtless, taking in their Master's every word.

"Listen to me, Seni. This takes a lot of trust on my part. I would be devastated if anything bad happened to you." They grab Seni's collar lightly and place a small pin over it. It is shaped like a flower, with a red button in the centre of the petals. "If you're in any danger at all, press on this. I'll be there before you even know it, I promise. And don't get yourself into trouble, and please..." They smile sincerely. "Be back on time, okay? I'll see you in two hours."

As they stand up, Seni feels the grip of their eyes over them loosen. They reach up and examine the flower-shaped pin, stroking it lightly with their hand. They stand up tall and smile as widely as they can. "Of course, my Master! I promise I won't disappoint you, my Master!" they said.

Their Master's hand reaches up to give their head a pat. They walk up to the door to unlock it for Seni. "I know you won't, petal. Have fun out there!"