Dog of War

 

"-and this is our couch!" Daisy exclaimed, motioning to the piece of furniture with her free hand. It was similar in design to the one in Miss Verdun's hab, although instead of a verdant green, it was a bright yellow. In fact, the entire living room was fairly similar; a collection of plants littered the area, there was the couch and screen in front of it, and the rest was largely open. All the items that were similar were in a variety of colors however, and a far cry from the planned color schemes of Miss Verdun's. It felt almost disorganized in a way, but that wasn't something Affini did. 

 

"Oh, and can't forget Claire!" Fuck, they hadn't been paying any attention to Daisy. They looked around, and realized with horror who was she was talking to. 

 

"Hi cutie!" The sickeningly sweet voice of the Hab AI cheered. "Daisy has been telling me a lot about you, I'm glad to finally meet you!" Oh, fantastic, the machine had heard about them. 

 

"Hello, Claire. It's nice to meet you." They managed to keep most of the disdain out of their voice. As a result they sounded frustrated instead of furious. 

 

"Aww, thanks, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything, okay?" They reminded themselves it was only a few weeks, and then they can stop entertaining these ridiculous machines. 

 

"Sure thing!" Daisy turned to them and frowned, "Uhm, are you alright?"  

 

"I'm fine," they responded bluntly. 

 

Daisy hummed, leaning in close and examining them, "Well you don't seem fine. Is it cuz of your hand? Do ya wanna talk about it?" 

 

"It's..." How could they explain it to Daisy of all people? They took a deep breath and sighed. "I met a former coworker, and it didn't go well. They used to all fear and respect me. I had everything under control, I held all the cards, I had all the power. I was someone they looked up to and relied on, but I betrayed them for selfish reasons. Now I'm struggling just not to get pet by random Affini and now those same people just want to, well," they held up the injured hand.

 

"Pets are really nice, especially on Class As, you should try them." Daisy smiled, nodding. "Wayyy better than someone being scared of you." 

 

They frowned, did she even listen to a word they just said? "Daisy, I'm not a pet, and I don't want to be one."

 

Daisy giggled, snorting, "You don't have to be a pet to get pets, independents like pets too, silly. Be-sides," she swung their conjoined hands back and forth with each syllable. "If you had a collar, it could cover that scar on your neck."

 

"You don't say," they growled. 

 

"Yeah! Miss Verdun really wants you too, it's super obvious. I'm sure she'd be really happy if you asked!" Wait, what? Daisy suddenly lit up, bouncing in place. "Oh I know what would cheer you up! My garden!" No, wait, what was it she just said? 

 

"Hold on a minute-" they started to protest, but Daisy was already pulling them along. "D-Daisy, can we talk about what you just-" the door she had been dragging them towards opened and stopped the words dead in their throat. 

 

They had been thrust into Eden. 

 

Flowers of every color bloomed in shapely beds, intermixed with ferns, bushes, and taller plants. Above those were large, bell-like blossoms that seemed to glow faintly blue as they lazily floated through the air, seemingly growing without any plants or roots at all. The room was quite large, too, easily as large as the common area, with a small hill on one side overlooking it, and a stream running from the hill  to a pond full of and adorned with waterborne plants. There was an almost overwhelming but decidedly pleasant aroma to it all.

 

 "Daisy this is... amazing!" It was more than that, but none of the words they could think of did it justice. "You did this yourself?"

 

Daisy twisted and squirmed in place, a hand on her cheek hiding only a portion of the bush, "Well Mistress helped me with suggesting plants and landscaping ideas. She also takes over when I can't get any gardening done, but I grew everything myself!" She gasped as some idea dawned on her, "Oh! Lemme show you the first thing I planted!" She started dragging them towards the hill. 

 

They let her lead them, not wanting Daisy to sprain herself. "Actually, uh, can we go back to what you said? About Miss Verdun?" 

 

"Huh? What about her?" Daisy asked without even slowing. 

 

Daisy's lack of focus never ceased to astound them. It was fortunate for her that she was a pet, she'd most certainly have died if she had to feed herself. "You said it was 'super obvious' that she wants me?" 

 

"Oh yeah!" Daisy giggled, continuing to lead them up the gentle hill. "Did you not realize?"

 

Was it really that obvious? "I thought that was just how Affini treated Terrans."

 

Daisy paused and turned to face them, "I mean kinda? To a degree. I've seen this before though, trust me." Daisy playfully poked them in the nose, "You can tell the way she clings to you a bit before actually putting you down. Also the way her biorhythm sounds when she looks at you- if you asked to be her pet she'd definitely say yes."

 

We are fucked.

 

The thought made them feel queasy; had she actually wanted them that way the whole time? Why? "There is no reality in which I'm asking to be a pet, Daisy."

 

"Welllllll," Daisy trailed, tilting her head and leaning to the side before righting herself and smirking. "I guess we'll have to see, won't we?" 

 

They scoffed, what a ridiculous prospect. They may end up being unable to avoid it, but there was no way they'd just throw away everything they worked for. As they followed Daisy up the hill, their mind turned to the actual problem- the very Affini they needed to help them adjust to being independent in the Compact wanted to personally collar them. 

 

Could they actually trust Miss Verdun to help them be independent? Wasn't wanting to own them a conflict of interest? Did they even have any actions they could take? Asking for a new Affini was a gamble; from what they’d seen, Miss Verdun was definitely on the less overbearing side. Even if they did get one, there wasn't any guarantee that Affini wouldn't become interested either. 

 

What did Miss Verdun even see in them? They were far from cute, they didn't like intimacy, they didn't like laying around all day, or being doted on, and there was no way she could ever put a collar on them without them breaking down. They were uniquely unsuited for being a pet. Daisy suddenly stopped.

 

"We're here!" She cheered. At their feet was a modest plant, growing in front of a much larger leafy plant. White petaled flowers with yellow centers bloomed from its stems, as it encircled the large plant and crowned the hilltop. There were still a few tools in their bed, a trowel and some gardening gloves. "When I first met Mistress I was going through a lot of a stuff, and she suggested that I start gardening as a therapeutic thing." Daisy was blushing, her eyes fixed to the plant as she recounted the tale, "These daisies were the first thing I planted."

 

That was... touching, in a way. "Was that because of your name? Or is that why you go by Daisy?"

 

"Huh?" Daisy cocked her head to the side. Suddenly she slapped her hand to get cheek, making a light 'smack!' "Oh! That reminds me! I've been sharing so much I haven't given my best friend any time to tell me her big news!"

 

Big news? "Daisy, what are you talking about?"

 

Daisy puffed up, her face caught somewhere between pouting and frowning, "C'mooon, friends are supposed to be able tell each stuff!" She whined.

 

They blinked, did they have something to share? It had only been two days, after all. Neither of them could think of anything they needed to tell her. "I'm being honest, I really don't know." 

 

"AAAAAA! GIRL, PLEASE!" Daisy cried out, suddenly taking their good hand in both of hers and redoubling her pout. 

 

It clicked. "Oh, the gender stuff?" 

 

"Yeah! Mistress told me you're using she/her and taking Class Gs now! I'm so happy for you!" Daisy wrapped her arms around them in a hug, squeezing firmly.

 

They gently placed their good arm around her, returning the hug. "I'm not even really sure, I'm just-" Why were they even doing this, anyways? Because the projection Miss Verdun sprung on them made them feel a strange longing? There had to be more to actually being a woman than that. "I don't know. I'm trying some things I guess."

 

Daisy hummed. "Wanna talk about it?" She pulled away from their chest to grin up at them. "Girl to girl?"

 

On its face, discussing any serious matter with the pet seemed unlikely to produce anything of value. However, Daisy seemed unlikely to judge them, and as an actual woman could maybe offer some insight. She also didn't have an apparent and vested interest in feminizing them, unlike Miss Verdun. Of course, talking to the pet was similar to talking to Miss Dawnbloom, which might as well be just telling Miss Verdun, so they'd have to be careful. "You know what? Yeah." 

 

"Yes!" Daisy perked up, overjoyed. She grabbed their hand again, gently pulling them now instead of dragging. "C'mon, let's go to the cuddle zone!" 

 

"The what?" 

 

Daisy pushed aside one of the large leaves of the plant, revealing the answer: a small indent into the earth, filled with plush blankets, pillows and a few stuffed animals. It was remarkably similar to the pet bed Miss Verdun had them sleep in when they arrived. The large leaves of the plant, growing in an elevated plot in the center, shaded the area. "The cuddle zone!" She led them inside. "It wouldn't be a floret's garden without a cuddle zone or two~" 

 

They stopped at the edge of the actual bed, pausing to remove their boots. Untying them with one hand wasn't much harder than with two, but they might have to carry them back. Or ask Miss Verdun to tie their boots for them. Kicking off her garden boots and removing her dirty overalls, Daisy flopped backwards into the bedding, landing with a sigh. They sat down across from her, sinking into the soft material. "So do you sleep here?" 

 

Daisy popped her head up. "In the garden? Well sometimes, but I have a bed. This is just for relaxing with friends."

 

It was undeniably nice. The air was cool, the blankets, pillows and bedding comfortable. Most of all, the large leaves of the plant they were in were fairly good cover, and through the gaps between them you could see all the garden below. Off to one direction with the only approach there as well. It was a perfect vantage point and hiding place, if only it had some alternative exit route. On second thought, the presence of an AI and an Affini was also less than ideal, but it was nice even still. "Do you have friends over often, then?" 

 

"Uhm, sometimes? We go to their Habs pretty often too. Let's not get distracted," Daisy sat up, and scooted over to be sitting directly in front of them. "We're here to help you with your gender stuff!" 

 

They were beginning to have second thoughts. "I-I don't know... I mean, what do I even say?"

 

Daisy placed a hand on theirs and smiled, "Just let out what's bugging you, or talk about what happened or whatever."

 

Find the loose thread, and start pulling.

 

"I... Three days ago, I didn't really know it for what it was, but Miss Verdun showed me a projection of the effects of Class G. I couldn't stop thinking about the, uh, 'woman in the mirror.'" They turned to face away from Daisy, embarrassed to recount the event. "It's... I don't know, it made me feel weird about my body, and there's a sort of... longing? Desire? It's probably just because she was pretty hot but that isn't it either. Miss Verdun has seemed pretty certain about all of it and she's been pushing me towards, um, being a woman I guess? It's annoying but it also... kinda... feels nice?" They nervously scratched their face, it was weird to admit that. "But like, I don't feel like a woman very much, and there has to be more to it than that!"

 

"Ooo, we definitely have to do girl stuff together." 

 

They frowned, "Did you even listen to what I said?" 

 

Daisy nodded. "It sounds like you're having a lot of trouble accepting you want to be a girl, and that being a girl is actually that simple."

 

They turned back to Daisy so she could see them look at her incredulously. "There has to be more to it than that." 

 

"Well, you might be like, a non binary woman or a demigirl or something really fun like a doll or a kitty or even something else entirely!" Okay, she had to be making those last ones up. "It pretty much is that simple though."

 

"I don't really feel like a girl." They grumbled. 

 

Daisy leaned in close, placing the arm not holding their hand over their other shoulder, and whispered in their ear. "You know, I can help with that."

 

"D-Daisy?!" They stammered. She was way too close, and what did she mean by that anyways?!

 

Daisy pulled back sheepishly, and let out an uncharacteristic nervous laugh. "Eheh, well, only if you're feeling ready, of course." 

 

They had to know, "What would that, uhm, entail, exactly?" 

 

"One day I will get you to stop talking like such a nerd." Daisy stated, folding her arms in. "As for what we'd be doing, mostly a bit of touching," she leaned in as before, running a hand up the outside of their thigh, "and a bit of kissing." She moved in towards their neck-

 

They pulled back in a panic. "S-sorry! I don't think I'm ready for that!" Stars, their heart was nearly pounding out of their chest, it felt odd that the monitor wasn't flashing. 

 

"That's okay," Daisy smiled, and placed her hand on her chest ceremoniously, "I can teach you about other girl stuff." She put her arm back down. "Miss Verdun will be happy to help you too, of course! Have you talked to her about this?" 

 

"Kind of? Not exactly." They frowned. Telling the Affini precisely how this all made them feel wasn't something they wanted to do. Especially if she actually did want to own them, like Daisy said. "I feel like it would only encourage her to be more overbearing." 

 

"Hello cuties," Miss Dawnbloom's sudden voice coming from outside the resting place made them seize up. "Just wanted to check in and make sure you both are doing okay."

 

Daisy pushed aside a leaf, revealing the Affini just behind it. "We're fine Mistress, just having a little girl talk."

 

"Oh? And what are you girls talking about?" Miss Dawnbloom prompted, and their heart sank. They had been hoping to at least not be present for this part.

 

"Beckett's having a bit of trouble accepting that she likes it when Miss Verdun makes her do girl stuff." Miss Dawnbloom gave them a knowing, hungry look as Daisy gasped and covered her mouth, turning to them. "I'm sorry! I probably shouldn't call you 'Beckett' anymore, huh? Do you have a name yet?"

 

They would rather gnaw off their fingers than have this conversation. "No, and Beckett is fine anyways." 

 

"Now, now," Miss Dawnbloom tutted, "that's hardly a name for a cute girl. Camila also informed me she told you not to use 'Beckett' anymore, princess." 

 

Of fucking course she did. Defending themselves against Daisy or either Affini was hard enough. Both at once, with all of them coordinating, made the ground precarious to defend . "That was- it was only earlier today and I've only been trying the Class Gs for two days so far. I never thought about it before, I haven't even really had time to think of any." 

 

Daisy perked up, "Ooo, can I help?!" 

 

"No." That was something they needed to do alone. Why can't they just let them use 'Beckett' until they found something better? It might be a stolen name, but at least it was more dignified than 'princess.' 

 

"Awwwww," Daisy pouted, "c'monnnn! Oh, what about Becky!" 

 

"Absolutely not." They growled, and the monitor flashed yellow, prompting them to calm down. 

 

Miss Dawnbloom cooed, and gave Daisy a few scritches, causing her to melt. "That's enough petal, I'm sure she'll let you know as soon as she finds one she likes." Daisy moaned in agreement, and the Affini turned her attention to them. "I'm glad you seem to be feeling better though. I just wanted to check in and let you know Miss Verdun should be back in about a half hour. Do you want anything?"

 

They shook their head, "I'm good, thank you." How long had they been here anyways? 

 

Miss Dawnbloom hummed, leaning into Daisy and grabbing her face, puppeting her to look her in the eyes. "How about you, pet?" Daisy gasped in pleasure, "Is there anything you desire?" 

 

"N-no Mistress!" Drool was starting to trickle out of the corner of Daisy's mouth. Their mind went back to when Miss Verdun had done something similar to them earlier, at the river. Those infinitely deep pools of gold... 

 

"Of course," Miss Dawnbloom smiled, "if there was anything you needed, anything you even wanted, I would have provided it already." Slowly, she released her pet, letting her drop back into the plush pen. The Affini directed her attention at them again. "You know, Camila would love to help you, if you would let her."

 

They felt a shiver roll through them, aware of the nature of 'help' she wished to extend. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks." 

 

"Well I'll let you two keep having your fun," Miss Dawnbloom stood up, the leaves she had held aside falling back into place and obscuring her from view again. "But feel free to call for me if you need anything, okay?"

 

"Oh! Actually can we get some Class As? I wanna be princess' first class A cuddle buddy~" Awesome, now even Daisy was calling them princess. This is exactly what they needed. 

 

"Ah, maybe another time, okay? Princess can't have the same xenodrugs you do, and Camila wants to take her home when she gets here." 

 

"Awwh, okay. I wanna spend an actual day with my bestie soon though!" Daisy wrapped an arm around them briefly for emphasis.

 

"Camila and I will definitely have to see about getting you two a proper playdate. Now you two be good, and don't forget to ask for help if you need it."

 

"Yes Miss!" Daisy called out.

 

"Sure." They waited for some sign that the Affini had actually left, but heard none. It was spooky how silent they could be.

 

Daisy smiled at them, "So, did you wanna do anything before your mistr- er- before Miss Verdun picks you up?" She chuckled, "Sorry, I'm not used to having friends that aren't pets."

 

 "Not really." Honestly at this point they just wanted to eat and go to bed, today had been dragging on for what felt like forever. 

 

She moved to their side, leaning against them, "Wanna cuddle until she gets here?" 

 

Laying down and being quiet sounded perfect, even if it came with physical contact. "If you want to." 

 

Daisy moved slowly but deliberately, first leaning behind them, and then wrapping her arms around from the back. Then she gently lay down, and they followed her. Daisy hummed with pleasure in their ear. "Good girl." 

 

That made their heart quicken in their chest. They couldn't stop Daisy from feeling the way their body reacted, but at least she couldn't see them blush. If she noticed, she thankfully kept it herself. Moments passed into minutes, and they found themselves unable to relax. Miss Verdun would be back soon, and if Miss Dawnbloom hadn't told her about what they said before, she would then. 

 

The prospect of facing Miss Verdun with little doubt that she wanted to own them was daunting. Knowing one way or the other didn't directly change anything of course, but it was the shift in perspective that plagued them. It was difficult to see the Affini's teasing as anything but an advancement. They would have to be more vigilant than ever if they actually wanted to leave. 

 

There had to be some reason the Affini hadn't simply made her move. Perhaps she couldn't, unless they made a grievous error like Sawyer did. A few of the florets from the general chat mentioned being made to beg for it- if that was Miss Verdun's goal, they should be fine. It's true they had changed a lot already, but that was too far. They already knew what it was to be property, and as long as they kept it in mind, they would be fine. 

 

Daisy readjusted, pulling them in a little closer and humming. Had she fallen asleep? It was only a half hour, and there surely wasn't much time until Miss Verdun returned. It must be nice to be so utterly carefree. Perhaps if Daisy knew what they were she'd realize she shouldn't be near them. Maybe it would scare off Miss Verdun too, that would be nice. Then they could be alone, and finally relax. 

 

This time, they caught movement through the gaps in the between the leaves and bolted upright. Miss Verdun was here. A sleepy voice came from behind. "Hrm? Issit time?" Daisy yawned. 

 

The leaves slowly parted from a full quarter section of the plant, revealing the two Affini. There was something different about Miss Verdun, was she a bit bigger now? The top of her hair was at Miss Dawnbloom's eye level before, but now it was up to her forehead. She hadn't reformed her legs either, so it was difficult to tell if it was actual difference. Miss Verdun smiled down at both of them, "Hello cuties. How are you feeling, princess?" 

 

Ugh, there was that strange feeling again as she smiled and called them 'princess.' There was something about the way she said it, and it was getting worse. "I'm doing better, I suppose."

 

Daisy leaned into them from behind, "I'm doing great! We had girl talk and cuddled and I showed her my garden!" She fidgeted, "Uhm, not in that order though." 

 

Miss Verdun’s smile brightened, "I'm very glad to hear that. Do you want to say bye to your friend?" 

 

Daisy pulled away so they could turn and face her, returning her embrace. "I guess I'll talk to you later," they said.

 

"You better!" Daisy exclaimed, straining as she squeezed them as hard as she could, which wasn't much. 

 

"Are you ready for me to pick you up?" Miss Verdun asked. She was going to carry them all the way home, wasn't she? They sighed and nodded. Vines gently swept them up in an increasingly familiar motion, but in the light of their recent revelation felt more sinister than ever. 

 

"Byeee!" Daisy cheered, now out of sight as they were firmly held to Miss Verdun's chest. 

 

"Goodbye Camila." 

 

"Goodbye Cordelia, thank you for everything. I mean it." Miss Verdun turned her attention downwards, towards them, "You and I, little one, need to talk." 

 

-_-_-_-

 

The girl meekly pulled on Camila's vines as she carried her out of the Hab, clearly nervous. The poor dear’s paranoia was likely getting the best of her again. "Don't worry, you aren't in trouble, or being domesticated, but we do need to continue our talk from the vet."

 

"R-Right." She mumbled, still tense.

 

"You have been suffering," Camila flexed the wide array of grafts she now had hidden underneath her cloak. Every Class with variations, vines meant for chewing, berry treats that doubled as Class As- if she thought it could even be useful as a niche, she picked it up. Getting them didn't feel the same as the first ones, but the event had its own sense of gravity. Camila could at last give her princess the assistance she deserved. "and I finally have the tools to help you."

 

The girl tensed up more in her vines.