Dog of War

"See? I told you it would be fine." Cordelia hummed with self satisfaction as she inspected the cupboards. "She may not be ready for a collar yet, but she's clearly accepting your touch, and that you're the one in control."

 

Camila's vines wiggled. She could hardly believe it had gone so well! "I mean she still might get upset about it later, we didn't really let her protest."

 

Cordelia laughed. "Well, no, but I don't think it would be any trouble." She closed the cupboards and opened another set. "I think being a bit more strong vined with her will be good for both of you. Besides, you can't tell me that's the first time you’ve stolen a to

 

 

uch."

 

Cordelia closed the second set of cupboards and opened a third, piquing Camila's interest. She asked, "Is there something you're looking for?"

 

"Ah, yes," Cordelia closed them, turning to face Camila. "Popcorn. Daisy insists on it when watching movies." 

 

Camila's vines twitched. "Apologies, but I believe we'll have to compile it. I have a number of chocolates and other sweets, but I don't believe I picked up anything like that." She made a note to correct the error.

 

"That's quite alright! I'll put some drinks in as well." Cordelia whipped out her pad, and made several swift inputs with her vines. The compiler dinged, and she withdrew a large bucket of the snack from within. "A few of those chocolates would be great, though!"

 

Camila nodded, retrieving a small bag of milk chocolate from its place. "Did you have any ideas as to what rendition we should watch?"

 

"I'm not sure what versions are available for Terrans. Honestly, I'd normally watch the full twenty-two hour version as interpreted by X'nancthet, Aktho'letep, and their florets." Ah, that was one of Camila's favorites as well. As it had taken several decades to film and edit, but it left nothing out; it even had all the scenes of Zhuva and Ileuadi cooking for their florets! 

Cordelia turned her attention back to her pad. After a minute or so of searching, she spoke up. "I’ve got two options: Ferthar and Vilint or Tynari and Iander." 

 

Camila brought out her own pad and looked them both up. These did look good! The first version by Ferthar and Vilint featured two Affini that were clearly from the core worlds given their abandonment of resembling any specific xenospecies, with their beeple florets. It seemed to play up the historical drama angle. 

 

The second version was more modern; not only were seri and noin played by Terrans, the two Affini had far fewer blooms on them. The more light hearted one seemed preferable, a more dramatic might be too much for Princess to emotionally handle.  "The Tynari and Iander one seems best!" 

 

"Perfect!" Cordelia set the movie to be played and tucked her pad away, wiggling with an abundance of joy. It was so cute when she got excited! "Ohhh, I'm so excited to watch this with you, dear." Cordelia hummed, dancing to her own rhythm. "Their first meeting, the way they learn each other, their first embrace," Cordelia suddenly swept into Camila, entangling herself in such a way that they were face to face. Her core was thrumming so loudly, Camila thought she might rebloom in her friend's vines that very moment. "The first time they touched each other's cores~" she purred. 

 

T-touching cores?! Cordelia was talking about touching cores with her?! "Yes!" She exclaimed, her voice off kilter, before realizing what she said. Panicking, she quickly added, "That is- It is very romantic!" 

 

Cordelia smiled. How was Camila so lucky that she got to see such artistry this close? She slowly, and too soon, pulled away, "Now, we should probably get out there before Princess misses you too much~"

 

Camila felt her mind still reel with unsavory thoughts of her oldest friend as they returned to find the cuties cuddling in the corner of the couch, just as they left them. Princess seemed to still be a slight daze as she held onto Daisy. Stars, she had been so adorable in her vines! The way she had leaned into her touch! And those vacant, untroubled eyes... They hadn't lasted nearly long enough.

 

Daisy gasped as Cordelia sat in the other corner, and bounced over to her side. "Yay, popcorn!" She cheered as her Mistress fed her a few pieces.

 

Camila got Princess' attention by waving a vine in front of her face, "Do you think you can move to the middle with Daisy?"

 

Princess kept looking away, bracing themselves against the back of the couch as they stood up. "S-sure." They took one step, and a second one saw the cushion give from under them. Camila caught the girl and placed her in the center, now on her hands and knees. Just to make sure she didn't lose balance again. "Thanks," she mumbled, sitting back down as Daisy reattached herself, the bowl under her other arm. 

 

"We found a nice abridged version. It's only about two and a half hours, but it does hit all the really important scenes," Cordelia explained as Camila dimmed the lights and turned the display on, the film's title coming to life. She could hardly believe she was about to watch The Stars Betwixt with Cordelia; and with their Terrans between them, no less! It was all so romantic ! 

 

Princess eyed the assemblage of chocolates as Camila placed them in front of her. "More treats? Didn't I just have ice cream? And isn't this a lot"

 

Daisy picked up a few pieces of popcorn and tossed them in her mouth. "Snacks are a must for movies! C'mon, lighten up, Princess!"

 

"Don't worry Princess ," Camila removed a berry and offered it to the girl. "I'll make sure you don't eat too many, okay?" 

 

That made her light up crimson even as she took the berry. She held it for a moment, before popping it in her mouth. Her eyes fluttered as she moaned into the taste, placing a hand over her mouth to make sure none of it spilled out. 

Cordelia reached a few vines behind the couch, and as Camila met them with her own, she hit play. 

-_-_-_-

They were still reeling from the sweet, infinitely complex flavor of the berry when the movie started. Somehow, they were even better than last time. How did they keep tasting better? Were they drugged? They had certainly reclaimed their place as the best thing they had tasted. The ice cream had been mind-numbingly good, but the berries seemed to be honing in on their sense of taste. They were so preoccupied with this, they nearly missed the opening scene. 

 

Ileuadi and seri were getting ready for the day, intercut with Shuva and noin doing their own morning ritual. A simple, quiet morning with Affini and pet. 

 

They noted there were already several differences from the text as it moved through the pets’ routines, most notably that it had Terrans filling the roles of the beeple. Clearly this was more of an adaptation than true transliteration of the material into film. The novel was extremely lengthy and did spend a lot of time obsessively detailing minutia. If they included every little thing, it'd have a runtime of at least a dozen hours.

 

Daisy crunched on a handful of popcorn, and held the bowl up to them. It was a plain-looking snack, visually unimpressive yellowed puffs. Trying a piece, they found it delightful- buttery, salty, crunchy and light. Daisy gave them a wry smile as they grabbed a modest handful, eating a few from it at a time. 

 

The movie was already at the first meeting between the Affini, notably skipping most of the first few days that let you get to know each character before the story properly began, but the cinematography, music, and set design were all well done. The twilit jungle and swelling music as Zhuva and Ileuadi first crossed paths. The setting star silhouetting themselves and their pets. There was even a star shower above the two as they introduced themselves, something absent in the novel. They felt tears well up at the emotion of the scene, sniffling as they wiped them away. 

 

Daisy leaned in and whispered, careful not to interrupt the movie. " Stars , you're cute." They felt every muscle tense up at the compliment.

 

C-cute?!

 

Why would she say that now ?! "Y-you too," they mumbled. 

 

They immediately regretted even trying to reply as Daisy quietly giggled. She picked up two of the chocolates from the plate, palming one and holding the other with her forefinger and thumb. She brought it up to their mouth- "Ahh." Was she intent on feeding them? 

 

They looked to Miss Verdun, only to find her and Miss Dawnbloom gazing into each other's eyes. It had occurred to them that Miss Dawnbloom was harboring more than friendship for Miss Verdun, but with the film in front of them it was impossible to ignore the parallels. Was this like a date for them? Were they actually together, or just hopeless flirts? Neither of these questions would help them with the problem at hand. 

 

Daisy wanted to feed them a piece of chocolate. That was definitely a romance thing, right? Or was that still within the bounds of Compact friendship? Did Daisy want something more? They had never had that kind of relationship before. This was a lot to worry about, and they weren't supposed to worry. They opened their mouth. 

 

Daisy placed the chocolate inside, while quickly eating the one in her palm. She hummed with satisfaction and turned back around to watch the movie. The chocolate was incredible, its rich flavor bleeding into their mouth as they stifled a moan. The menagerie of chocolates in the ice cream had been great, but simple chocolate was a delight in and of itself! 

 

The movie was starting to get the meat of the of the story- seri and noin communicating to try to get their owners together, meanwhile Zhuva and Ileuadi were each waxing poetic about the other and trying to push their florets together so that they could have an excuse to be close. The resemblance to their own situation focused into sharp relief. Before they could dwell on that further, they noticed a vine offering them another chocolate. 

 

They followed the vine to find Miss Verdun smiling down at them, her eyes rippling with those pinks, purples and golds... They blinked. What were they doing again? A tap on the cheek brought their attention to the chocolate in front of them, and they reflexively opened their mouth. The vine placed it on their tongue and closed their mouth with a nudge on their chin.

 

Did we just let her feed us?

 

It was only a snack. That was fine, right? It was certainly hard to complain when the chocolate tasted this good. I-it didn't interrupt the movie and the plate was out of reach anyways! And they'd have to move Daisy off them to get at it themselves. They shouldn't worry about it. 

 

The movie has reached the part they had been reading; the beeple, or in this case, Terrans acting in their place, realizing their feelings for each other. In the novel, this resulted in mutual petting and trophallaxis. The Terrans playing seri and noin, obviously, lacked the equipment for trophallaxis. That did not deter them from emulating it with... some very sloppy making out with mouthfuls of honey. The camera panned down from their lips, focusing on the cascading golden fluid. 

 

What did that taste like?

 

 They felt their entire face burn as they averted their eyes. 

 

"Princessss~" Daisy's voice hissed from beneath them like a vent.

 

They looked down just as she pressed her lips to theirs. 

 

WHATTHEFUCKWHATHFUKWTF

 

Their eyes went wide with shock as their mind ground to halt. Daisy was kissing them ?! Her lips were soft. The faint tastes of chocolate, butter, and salt lingered on them. The flash of their monitor lit up the darkened room as her tongue probed for an opening. They could feel their heart pounding in their ears and behind their eyes. 

 

Miss Dawnbloom's voice was firm, "That's enough, petal." A vine nuzzled into Daisy's shoulder and she gasped, pulling away. 

 

"Awwwh," Daisy whined, settling back into the nook of their arm as though nothing had happened. "Okayyy." 

 

Their minds were racing with the implications. What did this mean ? Was it just because they were watching The Stars Betwixt? Or did Daisy... like them in that way? Everything felt like it was starting to spin again- In... Hold... Out... In... Hold... Out... They regained composure, and the world began to stop revolving as the flashing stopped. 

 

The movie paused. "Are you okay, Princess?" Miss Verdun's voice carried concern within its layered sound. 

 

They nodded, unwilling to speak, and keeping their eyes downcast. Uncomfortably aware that they were now the center of attention. 

 

Miss Verdun hummed with dissatisfaction. Something inside then ached at that, and a vine tilted under their chin tilted their face upwards until their eyes met. The patterns drew them in even as they pierced through them. "What's wrong, Princess? And do not lie about being fine again."

 

There was nothing they could hide from those eyes. "We- I was surprised! I-I..." They wanted to bury their face in embarrassment, followed by the rest of themselves, just to avoid owning up to the rest of it, but the eyes kept them in place. "I've never... kissed anyone... before... Or dated. Or anything." They felt tears pressing themselves into reality from behind their eyes, "and I'm not sure what any of that means in the Compact anyways, or how Daisy being a pet affects it."

 

Miss Verdun's eyes pulsed with joy and she brushed her hand through their hair, causing sparks of pleasure to fire. "Good girl. " A strange... eagerness? surged up inside. They were a good girl! " Isn't it easier when you tell me what's wrong?"

 

"Y-yes." They nodded, finally released from the iron grip of her eyes. 

 

"Well, if you wanna know what it means," Daisy's voice took on a sultry tone as she shifted to sit in their lap, leaning into their ear. "it's that I really like you, Princess." She pulled back, and they gazed into each other's eyes, hers glistening with mischief. Everything around them stopped for a single beat. Even the Affini on either side fell away to the background. 

 

Then Daisy kissed them for a second time. 

 

Her tongue easily found its way inside as they gasped, and soon pressed up against their own. They instinctually pressed against it, and her tongue danced expertly with their own. They could taste the lingering remnants of chocolate, and they couldn't help but moan into it. 

 

The kiss lasted forever, it lasted all of twenty seconds. Daisy pulled away with a wet *plop*, a thick strand of saliva connecting their now parted lips as they tried to remember how to breathe . 

 

"You're not half bad for a first timer, y'know~" Daisy grinned hungrily.

 

In. Air rushed to their starved lungs as they began breathing again. "Th-thanks?" They stammered, desperately trying to analyze what had just taken place. Running the event over and over again in their head as Daisy snuggled back into them.

 

Daisy likes us?

 

"We can kiss more later, I really wanna finish this movie. You were right Princess, it is super cute!" 

 

"Okay." They replied, too stunned to think of an actual response. Daisy liked them? 

 

It was difficult to pay attention to the movie as it started up again, despite it now moving firmly past where they had read. Daisy liked them. Why? For what? They weren't exactly fun to be around, or at least they hadn't been before, and couldn't imagine that had changed after they became an emotional wreck. But Daisy liked them. It didn't make any sense. Daisy was amazing and lovely and sweet and all the things they weren't. 

 

And she likes us.

 

They forced themselves to focus on the movie. Anything besides the idea that Daisy liked them . 

 

It was a big climatic scene, cutting between all four of the major characters, separated from the other. Everyone's plans and schemes and secret alterations to the others' plans had made everything go awry. noin was awaiting Ileuadi in the forest, but Ileuadi was looking for Zhuva in city, who was expecting noin in the park, and poor seri was waiting near the river where she thought Zhuva was going to meet it. Having expected a confession from their potential lover, each of them believed they had been dejected. The score was tense, and the way the camera cut between them added a sense of disorientation as they each processed their grief. 

 

There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomach. Was this what it was going to feel like for Camila and Daisy when they ran? The thought was discomforting, but they couldn't look away from the screen. They were on the edge as seri and noin found each other in the very spot they had first met. Each had been heading home with a heavy heart when they felt drawn there, by some invisible, gravity-like force. They embraced happily, and the Terrans eagerly made out again, bringing freshly buried memories to the surface. A tap on the cheek and a bit of chocolate from Camila helped them calm down. 

 

The Affini joined the reunion shortly after. They paused as they noticed each other, their pets embracing between them. A shot of them silhouetted in the rising sun as the music from the meeting scene reprised before they eagerly entangled with each other, lavishing the other with all the affection they thought they'd never be able to give. The camera panned up, and the movie ended. 

 

Tears rolled down their cheeks. The way they all cared for each other...

 

"Geeze, Princess, you're kinda a sap, huh?" Daisy snickered as the lights slowly came back up to their full power. "Don't worry," she placed a brief peck on their cheek, kissing away a tear. "That's one of the things I like about ya~" 

 

They felt their brain kick it into gear and immediately stall out again. Daisy was lifted up out of their arms, "Sorry, petal, Princess needs a break." Miss Verdun informed as she lifted them into her own vines, and they felt that odd sense of comfort. 

 

"Awwwh," Daisy whined, "I thought we were going to stay for dinner!" 

 

"Camila says Princess needs a break, cutie," Miss Dawnbloom lightly chided. "Don't worry, she'll be coming over tomorrow after breakfast to help you in the garden." 

 

Oh, right. They were going to be largely alone with Daisy tomorrow. For several hours. Maybe they would be too busy to do anything else?

 

Daisy gasped, and let out one of her signature squeals of delight. "OMIGOSH, YES!" She twisted around with the help of her owner's vines to wave at them, "I'll see you tomorrow!" 

 

Miss Verdun and Miss Dawnbloom embraced from the side before parting. "And I'll see you tomorrow, my guiding moonlight~" she quoted.. 

 

"And I, you, my nourishing sun!" Miss Verdun replied in continuation as the door slid shut. Holy shit, they were absolutely hopeless flirts. "So, what did you think of the movie, Princess?" 

 

"Ah, uh-" They verbally stumbled, caught off-guard by the sudden attention. "It was... good. I guess it was hard to tell if it was the love the pets shared that brought their owners together, or the love the Affini shared that brought their pets together? But I really liked it." 

 

Miss Verdun hummed with delight, carrying them to- wait why was she carrying them in the first place? "Well, in the end, it doesn't really matter, does it? That's what makes it such a classic." 

 

They mulled it over as she placed them on their bed, telling them to relax until she finished dinner. Did it matter that some of it had been coercive, or was it more important that everyone ended up happy? ...It certainly mattered that they were somewhat being pushed into being with Daisy by the Affini, right? They did like her, but they weren't sure if they wanted that sort of relationship with a pet. Plus, she had an implant! How much was her and how much was Miss Dawnbloom's influence? Did it matter if they couldn't be separated, and they had only known Daisy as Daisy Dawnbloom, First Floret, anyways? Did any of that matter if they were just going to use her to escape? 

 

They fell backwards with sigh, sprawling out on the bed. One thing was certain- thinking about this wasn't relaxing. They stayed like that, staring up at the ceiling for several long, dragging moments. 

 

We are in over our heads.

 

Miss Verdun returned shortly after, informing them dinner was ready now. She carried them to the kitchen, citing something about it just being easier considering the class E, and placed them at the table. It was a salad much like the one she had given them for lunch before they could taste. Mercifully, the utensils and food were in front of them. If she had insisted on feeding them herself, they didn't know if they could stop her. 

 

They were pleasantly surprised by the flavors contained within a few leaves and some sauce. It had a great texture; crunchy, with bursts of flavor from the various non-treat berries Miss Verdun had placed inside. It was, like most meals had been since gaining taste, gone too soon. 

 

Miss Verdun carried them to the bathroom, handing them their toothbrush already applied with toothpaste as she set them down. "I'll be just a moment, just brush up and get ready and I'll be back to help you into the bath, okay?" 

 

"Alright." They accepted, the only move available. Brushing their teeth was methodical enough to distract them from thinking too much about their situation. It also lasted all of three minutes including the mouthwash for rinsing, and soon they were left with a task far less merciful- getting undressed. 

 

The dress was laced snugly, and they hadn't been able to get into it alone. Could they get out by themselves? Untightening a bow was simple; they would just have to get a loose end, then wriggling the laces loose should be easy. They reached up their back to find a tail, frowning as they failed to do so. As embarrassing as it was, maybe they should just wait for Miss Verdun to help them... It was normal to be helped when getting dressed, wasn't it? So why would that be embarrassing?

 

We're forgetting something again.

 

Try as they might, they couldn't figure out what. Annoyingly, being aware that something had been forgotten didn't actually help remember what had been forgotten. They did not have to worry about the vanished thought they were just holding for long, as the door slid open behind them. They turned to see Miss Verdun, a predatory smirk on her face that made their heart skip. "Did you need some help there, Princess?"

 

They turned away, blushing as they nodded, "Can you help me get undressed? I can't reach the lacing." 

 

They felt a rumbling hum of satisfaction as she approached. There was a gentle tug as the knot was pulled free, followed by three more as it was loosened, and the dress fell, leaving them exposed, wearing nothing but panties. That wasn't the only thing that felt exposed; their chest had grown noticeably over the course of the day. What had been slightly puffy nipples were now small mounds. Not immediately recognizable as breasts, but the enlarged, engorged nipples definitely gave them away for what they were. 

 

We have breasts?

 

They had small, very small, boobs- they felt a wave of arousal at the thought. A vine hooked into their panties and exposed them before they could react, a vine tapping the back of their knee. 

 

They felt something in them explode as they let out a shocked yelp and tried to cover themselves. "M-Miss Verdun!"

 

The Affini stopped. "Is something wrong, Princess?" 

 

"I-I-" Their mind raced, misfiring on all pistons as they searched for the words. There wasn't any doubt she saw... that . Did she know that the changes were turning them on? Oh, fuck, did she think they were just some pervert getting off on the thought of being a woman? In... Hold... Out... "I only needed help with the dress, please don't just remove my underwear with no warning." 

 

"Apologies, the Terran sense of 'modesty' is rather hard to grasp. I will let you know before I remove your underwear going forward." 

 

If their face could get any redder, it did. "I can do my underwear myself, thank you!" 

 

Miss Verdun chuckled like summer rain on a tin roof. "Of course Princess. Now, are you ready for your bath?" 

 

They felt something crawl up their spine; the way she worded it prompted caution. "I am ready to wash myself, yes."

 

"Well of course, you don't need my help now that you have both hands." Vines announced their presence before swiftly wrapping around them and lifting them up. "Of course if you want some help, I will be happy to assist you." They were placed in the tub, so gently they didn't splash.

 

"I'll manage, thank you." 

 

"Alright cutie, but I'm here if you change your mind~" Vines offered the soaps and luffa. Didn't Miss Verdun get tired of being so forward? 

 

They started with the shampoo. Their hair was at the tops of their shoulders now, and washing it actually took effort. They quickly scrubbed their face, wincing slightly at how rough the sponge felt. It was the same luffa- was it just that their skin had gotten that sensitive? They dunked into the water and rinsed off, scrubbing deep into their scalp to try to relieve that growing itch. Lathering in the conditioner only further highlighted how long their hair had gotten as they worked out into each strand. Lathering the luffa again, they started scrubbing their chest- "Ow, fuck!" They dropped the sponge, curling over as their head began to spin from the pool.

 

"Princess?!" Miss Verdun exclaimed, startled by the sudden outburst. "Are you alright?!"

 

"Is fine," they groaned. Maybe the room would stay still if they wanted it enough? "Didn't realize they were that sensitive I guess." 

 

"Be careful with yourself, Princess," Miss Verdun huffed. "I would be more than happy to help you bathe, you know."

 

We know.

 

"It's fine, I'll just take it a bit slower." They forced themselves to recover, and reality mercifully settled into place. Well, mostly in place. Things around the edges still wobbled in a way that was slightly disorientating. The luffa was held out in front of them, and they graciously took it. Trying again, they found they still winced even gently pressing it in. This... demanded caution. 

 

The pace slowed considerably as they very carefully attended to their chest. It wasn't the only area that required extra care, either. Trying to properly scrub any where made them sharply inhale out of pain, earning another warning from Miss Verdun. A normal shower was over within five minutes; each part of them now took that long, or longer. It was annoying to have to go so slowly where they used to power through, but that was all. Or it would have been, if the warmth of the water wasn't starting to aggravate the dizziness of the Class E. 

 

It started back from the edges. The wobbliness in their peripheral crawled inwards, as they were starting their first arm. It had fully taken hold of their vision, the edges beginning to twist by the time they finished their second. By the time they finished washing their back, they had forced their eyes shut to fight off the vertigo. Lifting up their left foot as they attended to the sole was unbalancing, they could feel things were starting to revolve again. They collected themselves for a moment- they just needed to get the sole of their right foot, and the hard part was over. 

 

They felt themselves slip, and they were lifted into Miss Verdun's vines before they hit the water. "Princess?! What's wrong?!" They felt vines prod and examine them as they kept their eyes shut. 

 

"Dizzy..." Was all they could muster as they let themselves relax into her. 

 

Miss Verdun sighed with relief and annoyance, "Princess, you should have told me that the heat was making you dizzy!"

 

"Sorry..." they meekly apologized. 

 

They felt movement; they were being carried out of the tub. "It’s fine, I will just bathe you from now on to make sure it doesn't happen again."

 

Hold on a minute!

 

"That's not-"

 

A vine pressed up against their lips."I will not hear it, Princess." The sudden sternness in her voice made their heart hitch. "You clearly need help you won't ask for, so I will make sure you get that help. Do you understand?" 

 

"Y-yes." They were losing their right to even wash themselves. They would cry if they had the strength. 

 

Miss Verdun started drying them off, gently dabbing away with a plush towel. "When you come off your class Es or we can lower the dosage, I am willing to reconsider. Until then, however-" She placed the towel on their head and scrubbed it into their scalp. Their vision filled with exploding stars as they let out a haltered moan, and that itch was finally satiated. "I hope you don't find it too disagreeable. I do want you to be comfortable here, Princess." She placed them on the ground, not letting go. They weren't sure if they could actually stand on their own, anyways. 

 

Black panties with large pink frills and a larger pink bow on the front floated by their face on a vine. The admittedly cute underwear stopping at their shins as Miss Verdun tapped the back of the knee. Was she going to insist on dressing them too?! ...Why wouldn't she though? It was normal for a princess to be dressed by others, right? They lifted the leg, and then the other when she tapped it, and Miss Verdun slid the panties up their legs. They were silky, and felt nice against their skin. 

 

Pajamas followed, the same soft floral pink button-down and pants as last night, and they were lifted back up into Miss Verdun's vines proper. Again, there was that strange feeling as she carried them, deep in their chest. Like things would be okay. 

 

As she laid them down and tucked them in, they almost believed that maybe they would be.

-_-_-_- 

 

Stars , what a night! 

 

Princess had fallen asleep nearly the moment she tucked her in, but Camila made sure to give her the Class Z anyways. Perhaps she was pushing Princess a bit too hard, but she responded so well! She had got to feed and carry her just like she was her floret! And she was going to get to bathe her from now on, too! 

 

The only thing that kept the night from being utterly perfect was Cordelia. 

 

Oh stars , how close Camila had come to nearly spilling out all her feelings when she interweaved their vines in the same manner as Zhuva and Ileuadi! Or whenever she gazed over and caught Cordelia gazing back. And when she quoted the text as she left. And the kitchen. 

 

Just thinking about that event in the kitchen had her vines lashing with need. Why did she have to get so close and talk about touching cores ? Did she suspect Camila's hidden feelings? Was she trying to draw them out, for whatever reason? Yet she couldn't shake off the thought of caressing the most vulnerable and sensitive part of Cordelia. Cherishing it, lavishing it with the love she wanted to give her, exposing her own self in return...

 

Camila needed to get to sleep herself, tomorrow was going to take all the strength she had. Princess was finally going to get her first therapy session.