It had been a day since Seni’s visit at the xenoclinic. They had spent most of that time resting, thinking and sobering up their body after all the xenodrug they had inhaled there. They had spent close to two hours at the clinic, where the air was constantly loaded with light xenodrug, so they ended up consuming more of it in that one day than they had in their entire life before that point.

Aside from that, though, Seni was actually very relieved after their visit. Their questions about floret life had all been answered. The curiosity they had thought to be driving their actions was finally satisfied. But despite that, when they thought about the past few days’ events, the twisting feeling in their chest was still there, eating at them.

They tried to collect their thoughts, and recalled the past week in their head. Yesterday, the visit at the clinic. They had finally met Anne’s mistress, and they met Salama and her floret again. The day before, they talked to Anne for the first time in weeks. She was a floret, but she was still herself. This thought couldn’t let them rest, it was like a breakthrough in everything they had believed. And it was confirmed at the clinic, still… then, before that, they spent a few days procrastinating, and then…

Seni’s mind thought back to Kaltxi. When they met, they got very mad at them for publicly humiliating them and for giving them drugs without asking. But since then, they had met and spoken to more Affini than ever before, and they realised this is just what they’re like. Merciful and kind, just like Anne kept saying, and yet, they loved to play tricks on humans, domesticated or not. They liked to mess with them, infect their thoughts… It was definitely unfair, Seni thought, but there was nothing that could be done about it. They were, by human standards, omnipotent and immortal gods, and no amount of human resolve could stand up to them. This was obvious from all the propaganda and all the stories they’d heard of the bravest space rebels being turned into obedient pets in a matter of days.

They didn’t like it, but this changed their outlook on how they’d been treated by Kaltxi. Compared to what Seni had seen at the clinic, it wasn’t all that bad. They were kind to Seni, they directed them to the right place, and though Seni hated to admit it, they did turn out to have read their mind quite well.

Seni took out their mini-tablet and opened the messaging app. They had since muted all notifications from it, so there were a few messages and selfies from Anne and Tanny, and few more from group chats and various more distant friends, so they had to scroll down a bit to see Kaltxi’s friend request. They sighed and finally opened it.

From: Kaltxi Ngari, First Bloom

[5 days ago]

-”Hello, little Seni. I hope you didn’t take offence at my behaviour at the park today. You were so cute, and you looked like you needed my help. If you’d like, maybe I could make it up to you. I think we could become good friends. Feel free to message me!”

[3 days ago]

-”Hello, little Seni. I understand that you do not want to talk to me right now. You must have a lot to think about. I will not pester you, but feel free to text back anytime you’d like.”

[Yesterday]

-”Hello, little Seni! Salama told me she had met you at the clinic today! I’m happy to see that you took my advice. How was it? If you’d like to talk to me about it, I’m right here. If not, I understand.”

Seni felt bad. This Affini really had not meant any harm, and based on these messages, Seni even got the hint that they might be… infatuated with them? Of course, this was how all Affini spoke, but none of the ones they’d met recently had reached out to them on the Overnet like this. Seni hadn’t even looked Kaltxi up in the end, it was them who went out of their way to message. They decided to respond to the Affini’s requests to talk.

[Accepted friend request from: Kaltxi Ngari, First Bloom]

-”Hello. I’m sorry for not responding. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

-”Sure, I’d like to talk, if you still want to.”

Before they could look away, a response appeared.

-”:)”

A while later, more followed.

-”That would be great! Would you like to meet with me today? We can do anything you’d like.”

Seni felt their heart beating hard again. Their mind filled with panic, though they couldn’t understand exactly why. They had a feeling that there was something sinister behind this offer. Or at least, sinister by their standards. By the Affini’s, even drugging them and making them flustered for their own amusement was a gesture of kindness.

Still, Seni couldn’t deny their curiosity. After what they had been through, they didn’t think there was anything more an Affini could surprise them with. The worst that could happen was getting talked even further into becoming a floret, which they had already got used to. They decided to take the plunge.

-”Yeah, that would be nice.”

 

-”Perfect :) I will meet you where we met last time.”

The park was not far from Seni’s hab unit, which was why it had become their favourite place to go on lazy days. It had always been a safe place for them to go to when they were lost in thought, so they had never felt so nervous here before. Seni saw Kaltxi from a fair distance away, and it seemed like they hadn’t noticed them yet. They were sitting down at one of the Affini tables, at the small coffee shop where they had previously met Salama’s family. They sat there calmly, looking at something on their tablet, which they were holding up by a vine. In one of their hands they were holding a small gift bag. When Seni was just a few steps away, Kaltxi finally looked up.

“Little Seni!” they exclaimed excitedly. ”Thank you so much for coming. Would you like to sit down?”

Seni’s body felt stiff with anxiousness, but they went to take a seat opposite of the Affini as asked. They didn’t know what to say, other than, “Hello.”

“I have a little gift for you, but I’d like you to open it later. I hope you will like it.” They showed Seni the bag. It appeared to have some kind of fabric inside, so Seni assumed it was new clothes? The Affini took it back before they could get a good look and hanged it up on one of the branches sticking out of their body.

Before Seni could say anything, the two were approached by a waiter. “Hello! Are you ready to order yet?” They were looking right at Kaltxi as they spoke, which annoyed Seni a little bit. It appeared they had been mistaken for a floret once again.

“Oh, I’m sorry, petal, but I’m not ordering. I’m sure my friend would want to pick something themself, though,” Kaltxi said, pointing at Seni.

“Excuse me, my mistake,” they said, the smile not disappearing from their face for even a second. “What would you like, Mx.?”

Seni had barely had time to look at the menu, so they stared at it for just a second before giving up. They knew that the floret waiter was probably not even able to be annoyed by them taking too long, but instinct took over and they settled for their default choice. “Just iced coffee, please.”

The waiter curtsied and walked off. Seni looked up at Kaltxi, who was staring down at them with dreamy eyes.

“So,” Seni fumbled in their attempt to make small talk, “It seemed like you really wanted to talk to me. Was there something you needed me for?”

“Oh, little Seni, it’s simpler than that!” Kaltxi giggled under his breath. “You were so adorable the other day, I just wanted to have another look at you!”

Seni looked up at his face with wide open eyes and bright red cheeks. They had never enjoyed eye contact, but their surprise left them instinctively staring in the Affini’s eyes. It felt like staring into a sky full of stars. The discomfort that usually came with eye contact was replaced by a different feeling, and they weren’t able to tell whether it was good or bad. They caught themselves wondering if they had been staring for a second or a minute or an hour.

The waiter came back with Seni’s iced coffee, snapping them out of it. Seni felt a light shiver going down their spine. They shook their head and began to drink through the straw, taking note to avoid Kaltxi’s eyes at all costs from now on.

“Thank you,” they said after a second. “I mean, for calling me cute. I wanted to see you again too, but I was anxious.” The confession just came out of their mouth without them noticing it, and while Seni hadn’t thought of it this way before, they realised it was true – they had indeed missed Kaltxi.

The Affini smiled. “I’m happy to hear you say that! Say, little Seni, I know you don’t normally like it, but would you mind me patting you on the head? I just can’t control myself with how cute you look, blushing like that!”

Seni contemplated for a second. The hug they had the other day was so nice, they were excited for even a trace of that same feeling. They may not have usually enjoyed touch, but it did seem like it’s different coming from an Affini. “Um, sure. Just a little bit, though.”

Kaltxi reached out their hand over the small table and placed it on Seni’s head. It didn’t feel as intense as before, which Seni figured had been because of the drug, but it was still more pleasurable than any normal touch. Having noticed Seni’s enjoyment, Kaltxi began to stroke their hair, and a few seconds later, more vines extended from his hand to their chin and neck. Seni let themself enjoy this moment for as long as they could, before the sensation began to overwhelm them and they reached to put their hand gently on Kaltxi’s, indicating that they want it to stop.

“There’s a good little sophont,” Kaltxi said, retracting their hand. “I’m happy to see you were enjoying yourself. Touch isn’t as bad as you thought, is it?”

“I didn’t think it felt so different when it’s from an Affini,” they responded quietly. “But, I’m glad you asked before you did it. I appreciate that.” Kaltxi smiled and nodded.

A little moment of silence followed, but it didn’t feel awkward to Seni, only natural. Kaltxi was the one to break it. “Say, little Seni, did you have anywhere you wanted to go with me?”

Seni thought back to the message. Kaltxi did say they could go anywhere they liked, but they didn’t really have any ideas. They hadn’t thought beyond meeting them at the park, and things were going well, so they didn’t want to go back to their hab so quickly. They shook their head.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you back to my hab unit. I think you’d like it there!”

Thoughts raced in Seni’s mind. Every one of their senses was telling them this was a trap. The way things had been going so far, they were going to end up signing a contract and becoming this Affini’s pet before they knew it. Part of them desperately wanted to back off, to run away and never speak to any Affini again in their lives. Seni knew that the Affini were constantly playing tricks on them. No matter how nice they are, their ultimate goal was always to turn humans into their pets. And yet, another part of them, one that had been getting louder and louder over the past few days, was telling them to give in to it. They weren’t asking to become a floret, but after everything they had heard about them so far, it didn’t sound so bad anymore.

Once again, they had got so lost in thought that they didn’t know how much time had passed. Kaltxi was still looking down at them, and Seni couldn’t quite decipher the look on their face, but they seemed nervous? Seni swallowed their fears and nodded.

“Um, yeah. Okay.”

The light turned green as the camera by the door recognized Kaltxi’s face, and the sliding door to their hab unit opened. It was big. Far bigger than any human hab unit Seni had seen before. The door opened to a living room, in the centre of which stood a large couch and a coffee table. They were shaped in a peculiar way, seemingly breaking at a point and becoming lower, creating a small step between the two parts in human and Affini sizes. Aside from that, there was a large screen, shelves full of books in languages Seni couldn’t understand, and a small kitchen annex. All of this seemed perfectly normal, but because of the size of all of those things, the sheer floor space of the living room was at least twice as big as Seni’s whole hab. There was also an entrance to what looked like an enormous balcony with a view of the river. A few paintings hanged on the wall, featuring both typically human and space art. Something seemed off to Seni about this place, but they couldn’t figure out exactly what just yet.

“Do you like my little home? You seem quite fascinated by it,” Kaltxi said.

“It’s… really big. I didn’t expect that,” Seni said, looking around themself.

They sat down on the couch to rest their legs after the walk – it wasn’t long but Seni had a tendency to get tired quickly – and tried to focus on what it was about this place that felt so off. From this perspective, it felt a little different. They first noticed the small step between the taller and shorter part of the couch and that the human part was much smaller. Then they looked out into the room. It no longer felt like the hab unit was huge, it felt like Seni was really small. They finally realised.

“Do you have florets?”

Kaltxi let out a small laugh. “Very observant of you, little Seni! Yes, this house is perfectly fitted to house a floret or two, but unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure of getting one for myself just yet.”

Seni contemplated for a while, but it felt like everything they could say in that situation was wrong. They remained quiet and idly took out their mini-tablet to fidget on while Kaltxi headed into the kitchen.

“I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to get stocked up on food, I don’t get too many human visitors. But I could make you something in the atomic compiler, if you’d like.” Kaltxi reached out to turn the compiler on, when Seni stopped them.

“No thank you, I’m not hungry yet. Um, but a glass of water would be nice?”

“Of course,” Kaltxi responded and promptly put a glass of water from the fridge onto the lower part of the table in front of Seni. They took a sip.

Kaltxi stared at Seni for a second and then moved quickly, remembering something. “Oh, my stars, I forgot about your present!” They reached for the small bag hanging from one of their branches and handed it to Seni. “You don’t have to like it, but please, do try it on for me, okay?”

Seni carefully brought it out of the bag and took a quick look at it. It was a colourful dress, but they couldn’t make out any details like this.

“Feel free to go to the other room to change. I’d really love to see you in it!”

Seni looked in the mirror. The dress was covered in all sorts of colours, with the largest part being snow white, cut through the middle down with a large yellow stripe, with smaller, purple stripes following it on the sides. The entire thing was covered in floral patterns in various shades of purple, yellow and black. The collar and sleeves were additionally emphasised with black stripes. The thing that stood off the most about it, though, was the cut. It had no sleeves, and it hanged down Seni’s body very loosely by the shoulders, giving the feeling of an angel’s robe, though much shorter. There was no mistaking it. Seni was wearing a companion dress.

They sat down on the smaller bed in Kaltxi’s bedroom, breaking down in anger. What was he thinking? They hadn’t signed anything, nor agreed to anything yet, and yet he was acting like they already belonged to him. Blowing up their messages, inviting them on a… wait, is this a date? Seni took a step back mentally. Bringing them to his hab unit, with all this conveniently human-sized furniture, and now the dress. Was this Affini courting them?

The thought actually took Seni aback and the anger on their face turned into a blush. Kaltxi seemed like a nice person, at least. He teased them a bit before, but today he’s been nothing but kind. They thought they might as well give him a chance. Not to turn them into a floret, but just to be friends. Seni decided to play along for now. They took another look in the mirror and thought back to the computer-generated image of them as a floret that they had seen the other day. It felt similar, except this time, it was real. They again looked perfectly like a floret, aside from the eyes and the lack of a collar. If they went out with Kaltxi dressed like this, no one would have any doubts anymore.

They walked out of the room, to the sight of Kaltxi anxiously anticipating to see them. Right as they came into view, the Affini nearly jumped out of joy. “Oh, you look so adorable, little Seni!” They reached for their tablet. “Do you mind if I take a picture?”

“No, but…” Before they knew it, Kaltxi was already aiming the camera at them, so they took a break to pose. They heard the click and the Affini rushed to check how it turned out. Seni continued. “...but why did you get me a floret’s dress?”

Kaltxi looked the human up and down, similing. “You were curious what it felt like to be one, weren’t you? I thought it would give you an idea.”

Seni fell quiet. They couldn’t argue with that.

“Look how beautiful you look! Oh, I might just have this framed!” Kaltxi said joyfully. Seni looked at the picture, and indeed, they thought they looked really nice. They had always had a high self-image when it came to looks, and especially so since they started on Class-G xenodrugs. But they had seen way too many visions of themself as a floret, and it began to unnerve them how much they preferred this kind of look.

“I do look really nice, but…” they paused for a bit, as if remembering something. “I can’t wear this out in public. People will really think I’m a floret.”

“I know you’re considering it, petal. Maybe, if you ever decide on it, then you’ll already have the appropriate clothing! And it will remind you of me.”

“That is a nice thought,” Seni responded, then got lost in thought again. “If I ever decide on it…?”

“Speaking of, little Seni, I have an offer for you.”

Seni thought they already knew exactly what the Affini was about to say. Their attitude changed and their face quickly turned red with a mix of embarrassment and anger. They chimed in before Kaltxi could say anything, “NO! I knew it was like that, I knew it, I--” They were suddenly brought to their knees with a familiar wave of blissful calmness. “No, but… you said no more…”

“It’s for your own good, petal. I don’t want you getting angry and hurting yourself,” Kaltxi said in a tone that almost scared Seni, but quickly went back to his usual calm and quiet voice. ”Please listen to me before you make a judgement, okay?”

Seni nodded and their overwhelming calm began to fade, allowing them to stand back up and sit on the couch instead.

“I want to offer you something that not many Affini offer their sophonts. I know you’re anxious about being a floret, petal. But I can tell that part of you really wants it. Miss Salama and Miss Aluna told me all about how you blush and look away every time the topic comes up. Is that right?”

Seni once again nodded, for a lack of words to refute Kaltxi’s arguments.

“But you’re also anxious about committing to it.” Kaltxi carefully reached out a vine to stroke Seni’s chin, and the human didn’t protest. The Affini brought the human’s head up to look at them, though they knew better than to stare in their eyes by this point. “So, my offer is as follows.”

“You will move in with me for a week. You will obey me and I will treat you as my floret. But I will keep away from drugging you or influencing your thoughts, unless I have to, and you will not get an implant or sign a contract.” Seni’s eyes glistened. “After a week, or earlier, if you wish, you can make your decision: you can either break it off and go back to living as a free human, or you can become my floret. Do you accept?”

Seni wanted to hesitate, they wanted to say something, anything, in protest. Once again, a part of them tensed up and wanted to run away, but they were paralysed, and it wasn’t just the drug – it was desire. They fought internally, screamed at themself to say no, to say anything other than –

“Yes. That sounds good.”