Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ashlyn remained awkwardly wedged in the corner, deep in the air shaft she had managed to squeeze herself into. The metal was cold against her skin, where her shirt had torn. So had the skin. It had not been easy getting in here, and the grating she had pried apart had cut her badly on the way through.

But at least, they couldn’t fit in here.

She had been aware of… of the thing. Sitting outside the broken panel. It knew she was in here, she was sure. But there was no other way out. All the other connecting pathways in this narrow chamber were too small to get through, and she had been unable to shift the fan blocking the way further inward.

The voice spoke out again. Slow. Methodical. Each syllable pronounced with a strange crispness.

“Petal, are you alright? There is blood on the grating. Yours, I think. Do you need medical attention?”

She continued to say nothing. She didn’t dare. What purpose could it serve? It’s not like it would let her go.

“I am concerned for your health. There will be a team along shortly. They will fully remove the grating. If need be, they can remove the whole wall.”

She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. So that’s how long her lifetime was measured in, then. Time to remove the wall, then time to… do… whatever they did. Whatever would be done to her.

Erund waited patiently by the broken grating. It would wait as long as it took. The poor scared thing needed help, that much was clear. How they had managed to push themselves through the grating was impressive, although sadly, that had probably been due to the adrenaline helping them ignore the pain.

It sighed, and continued its lonely vigil. It owed the creature that much. It would be here for them, one way or another. However long it took.

There was movement. Another Affini on the rescue team had come along. It spoke to them in their private language.

“The incision team is on its way?”

“They are, but we have more information. Every sophont on this ship has been accounted for. Except for one.”

They held out a tablet.

Erund took it, reviewing the paperwork it displayed. So, they had a name. And that meant, with the Accord’s old databases finally integrated, they had everything else. Maybe there was something that could be done with this. Removing the wall with the scared thing in there would be risky.

Possibly it wouldn’t have to come to that.

“Petal, are you still awake? Can you hear me?”

Say nothing. Say nothing.

“Ashlyn?”

The tool with which she had cut through the grating fell out of her hands, landing on the metalwork with a loud bang.

Shit.

“That is the name you go by?”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Terrans don’t always go by their registered names. I see you have changed your name before, petal. Do you still wish to use this one?”

She closed her eyes, and let her back slide against the freezing cold metal of the air shaft, leaving a faint trail of blood. She hit the ground with a thud.

“I see another name that comes up, quite often. In stories you have written. Sunset. Would you prefer that one?”

No… No no no no. It couldn’t possibly… No… How on terra had it… No… This was bad… This was very bad… She knew she should have never written those stories. She knew they would come back to haunt her. She just had no idea this would be the form it would take.

There was a dull rumbling noise. If it had meaning, it was lost on her.

“A curious choice, Sunset. The end of a day. The world turning dark. A closure. But it doesn’t seem to match the tone of the writing. I wonder why…”

She couldn’t. Not this. Anything else. Not this.

“A Sunrise, this one could see. A new start. A beautiful new day. Full of promise…”

Her mind was frozen now. She was weakening. The pain had started to make itself felt. Her heart was acting erratic as the fatigue poisons built up. She didn’t know how much longer she would last.

“We can’t wait forever, petal. This experience is not healthy for you. We may need to put you to sleep. We can dispense an aerosol xenodrug in with you. Give you a nap. When you awaken next, everything will be okay.”

She tried to feel panic at that. She really did. But she was tired. Exhausted. The adrenaline rush had taken everything out of her. She was really feeling the pain now, from the lacerations across her body.

She gave up. She wouldn’t fight the inevitable anymore. She couldn’t. She had no fight left to give. She gasped in huge lungfuls of air, no longer trying to breathe quietly.

Her fraying mind grasped at something. Anything.

Without really intending to, she spoke, the words barely a whisper.

“...A sunset is a promise too…”

“...Oh?”

She heard the creature’s interest. Well, it was too late for her now. These might be her last words. Better make them count.

“It’s… a promise. That the sun will rise again.”

No response was given to that.

Her mind had grasped the thread now. It was the last coherent thought she could muster. She didn’t fight it.

“When… when I was a kid. We lived planetside. I hated the dark. Hated it every night. But… every night, before it got dark. There was the sunset…”

She took a few more breaths. If the creature was listening, she couldn’t tell. She got the sense that it was.

“It was beautiful. Blowing out the sky, in oranges and purples. Far more beautiful than the sunrises could ever be.”

Another pause, nothing.

“It was a promise. The sun’s way of promising. No matter how dark the night got. It would rise again in the morning. That there would be another dawn.”

More silence.

“That… was my last sight. Of the sun. Any sun. We left the planet at night. When the colony got bought out. Never could go back. Been on a station my entire life. I’ve never gotten to see a sunrise since.”

Silence, but then.

“The sunrises this one has seen have been immensely beautiful. It believes, soon, you may be able to see one once again.”

Silence.

It was the only thought in her head now.

Silence.

What would it matter? One way or another, it had her. But maybe… maybe…

Silence.

She tried to speak, but her throat was too dry.

Silence.

She tried again.

“I… I want to come out, now…”

It was barely a whisper. But the creature heard it nevertheless.

“This one is glad to hear that, petal. We should have the remains of the grating removed shortly. It looks forward to seeing you.”

Chapter Text

Chelsa sat in the conversation circle with Torus, in their office as the administrator of the intake ward. They were the ones who had gotten her interested in terran care, at the dawn of her last bloom. They had been her close friends and mentors throughout, for several years, now.

They had been going through the intake files, discussing the fate of several terrans under their care. Most would be domesticated. A few had a clear shot for independence. There were a few edge cases, wardens would need to be chosen carefully.

Torus pulled up another file, the terran’s details flickering to life on the surface between them.

“Then, there is the issue of Ashlyn. An interesting case, we believe.”

Chelsa looked at the sophont in question, not quite seeing what was meant.

“I’m afraid I don’t quite take your meaning. A fairly straightforward case for independence, I had thought. Zero feral tendencies. No loyalty at all to the Accord. Forced to serve against her will. Didn’t fight. Hid. Was rescued willingly.”

Torus smiled, the parting teeth curling around their face, nearly completing an oval.

“We do not doubt she could be independent. We do not doubt it for a minute. Our question is, whether she would thrive that way.”

Chelsa reviewed the paperwork again.

“Ah, I see. She was a shut-in, before the Accord Navy took her. You all are concerned she will revert.”

“That is exactly our concern. We don’t particularly agree that she should be domesticated against her will, of course. However, we are not sure if she would discover that avenue on her own.”

They seemed to consider matters, before speaking once again.

“There is a path. It has been done before. Sometimes, in cases like this, a wardship is chosen. And the warden gives them a… taste… of what things could be like. Domestication isn’t always the result, of course, but then again neither is independence. It has helped us to find the proper course in the past, and it might be helpful now.”

They leaned back for a moment, and continued.

“However, there is a complication that needs to be addressed. Should the ward choose domestication, it’s often not just any Affini they are happy with…”

Chelsa sighed. She could see the complication well, it was an obvious pitfall of the plan. It was, of course, a risk with any warden. But in this case, it was almost a sure thing, if the ward chose domestication.

“The warden would need to be prepared to take them on as a floret. Yes, we would need to make our choice carefully.”

Torus cracked another smile at her.

“Does any name spring to mind?”

It took Chelsa a minute to figure this out.

“...Me? Do you all think I should be the one to take her on?”

“Indeed. You said yourself you were beginning to become interested in the prospect of a floret. We know that you have started looking at open offers in the domestication center. And the two of you have been interacting well, we hear…”

Chelsa took a moment to imagine this, turning the idea around in her mind. It did have some appeal…

“And you do, of course, rather like her.”

Chelsa tried to give as much of an affronted look as she could muster, but couldn’t put up much protest.

“Well indeed that may be, but at the end of the day I am only a provisional. She is but one of many under my care.”

Torus gestured at the digital paperwork between them.

“Then by all means, take a sabbatical. At the very least, it will be a taste of things to come for you, should the girl be resolute to independence. But in the end, we should at least try.”

The smile unfolded again.

“We do owe her that much.”

“Wait, you mean you are going to be my warden?”

Ashlyn gave the Affini in front of her a confused look. She had been told about the wardship, of course. A great many things had been explained to her, in the past few days. It was hard to keep track. She was still lost, off balance, confused. Doing her best to keep up. This wasn’t at all what she had expected. She hadn’t really expected to be taken by these… these Affini, but… if she had, this wouldn’t have been what she imagined.

Chelsa spoke up again.

“I am sorry for the confusion. Yes, usually a warden is chosen from outside the BXWC. However, in this case, I will be serving this role.”

Ashlyn gave her a blank look, but a worrying thought was building.

“Did… Did I do something wrong? Is this because…”

Chelsa gave a curious gesture, causing her to hesitate.

“No, nothing like that, petal. Nothing like that at all. You have been an exemplary provisional ward, certainly better than many I have had the pleasure of dealing with in my day to day. There are just… special circumstances at play.”

Ashlyn hesitated at that. That didn’t sound particularly good. What were they? Why wasn’t she saying?

Chelsa resumed.

“In any case… As promised, today is the day for you to start your wardship. With me, as it happens.”

She extended a vine.

“I must say, I am very excited for this opportunity myself, petal. I look forward to introducing you to your new life.”

Ashlyn reached out, hesitated, and took the proffered vine.

“Let us make our way out into the world, together. My apologies for the lateness of the hour, us Affini are not always working to the typical terran cycle. The way should be well lit for us, however.”

Ashlyn sat on the bed that had been offered to her, in the soft light of the room. She hadn’t really been able to see where they were. She still thought she was in space, but it was hard to tell. Station or planet, whatever it was, had been in its night cycle. She had gotten a sense of depth, though. The little islands of well-lit path between the train stations were surrounded by pools of darkness. If this was a space station, it was big. Much bigger than the ones she had spent most of her life on.

Chelsa spoke up.

“Do you want anything before you go to bed, petal? Your room has a compiler, and this habitation is equipped with an AI assistant. If anything perks your interest in the night, feel free to request it.”

Ashlyn shrugged.

“Umm… I dunno… A glass of water would be nice.”

There was a soft blue flash behind Chelsa, in an alcove against the wall.

A voice spoke up. Soft, vaguely male. Seemingly out of the walls.

“Request completed.”

Ashlyn looked blankly from Chelsa to the glass.

Her mind was still foggy. She couldn’t really believe what had just happened. But it was only one of a great number of the things she couldn’t believe. Among all the questions she should have, only one seemed to stand out to her.

“Umm… is it listening all the time?”

“Oh yes, but you should clarify remarks directed at it. I just call it the HAB. It is as part of this habitation as any of the rooms or furniture.”

Chelsa grabbed the glass with a vine, and passed it off to the girl.

“I will let you get some sleep now, petal. Your last few days have been immensely busy, I am sure you wish to rest. If you need anything, anything at all, let HAB know. You can always ask for me directly, if you wish.”

She turned to leave the room.

“Let HAB know when you want to turn out the lights, petal. Sleep well”

Chapter Text

Ashlyn couldn’t sleep.

She lay in the bed, in the dark. She tried closing her eyes, but… that didn’t help. It just made the darkness close in more.

There wasn’t anything wrong with the room, at least. It was quite nice, nicer than the places she had lived for most of her life. But other than that, it wasn't particularly alien. In the darkness, away from the… from Chelsa, she could imagine it to be like any other night, on the stations she had lived on.

But still, sleep wouldn’t come.

She sighed… She really wanted to get to sleep. Too much had happened, too much had changed. She didn’t want to spend more time thinking about it. If only there was something that could help her.

…Now that was a thought.

She spoke up softly.

“HAB?”

The automated voice spoke up, suitably quiet to her tone.

“Yes, Ashlyn?”

“Is there… umm… any way I could get some music or something?”

“We have an immense catalog of music available. I can choose from it based on your specifiers, or alternatively, the entire terran catalog has been made available for your use.”

It took a moment for that to sink in.

“Wait… The entire catalog? Like, everything ever made?”

“Most things. Some might have been lost.”

She tried to think, but her mind was mostly blank. There was only one thing she could think of, the thought that had made her ask in the first place.

“...Do you have the album `The Nightingale’s Winter Dance`?”

“We do. Would you like it played?”

She tried to answer. It came out as a whisper.

“Yes…”

Gently, the music started up. Every note was familiar. Every note was comforting.

The music her mother had used to help her sleep. Decades ago.

For a long moment, she let it surround her.

Another thought nudged her mind, awoken by the familiar circumstances.

It was a stupid thought.

She couldn't let it go.

“Umm…”

“Yes, Ashlyn?”

“That… compiler thing. Is it just for food?”

“No. It can produce much more, within restrictions for suitability and safety.”

Her heart was beating faster now. Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to ask?

“And… it’s not just music and food you have, right? You have other things from terran culture?”

“A great many.”

She couldn’t believe she was going to do this.

She really shouldn’t.

She was going to though, wasn’t she.

She took a deep breath.

“There was… this kid’s show. It had a racoon in it. His name was Ryan. There was… A stuffed animal of him…”

“That is a common alliteration. More specificity is needed.”

“Umm… It was on when I was a kid. Like… I was six…”

Gently, the display in the room lit up.

“Is this the racoon in question?”

Her heart leapt into her throat. That was it. That was the one.

That was him.

“Yes…”

“Would you like it produced?”

“Y…”

The word came out without the assistance of her vocal chords.

There was a blue flash behind her. The compiler had activated again.

Her body had become numb. Through an effort of will, she managed to roll around, and sit up.

He was there, waiting for her.

She got up, unsteadily, and made her way over to the compiler.

She reached out.

She took hold of him.

For a long moment, she just stood there, hugging him close. Everything else was silent, save the familiar music, soft in the night.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and squeezed him tight.

It had been… so long…

She made her way back to her bed.

The music washed over her. Around her. Through her.

She hugged Ryan tighter.

Gently, softly, she cried herself to sleep.

Chelsa continued watching her ward through the HAB’s cameras. The HAB had notified her of her ward's requests. It had also informed her of her crying. As much as she wanted to go in and comfort the girl, it would be better to leave her be for now. She was going through a lot, and some quiet time to herself would serve her best right now.

But those requests… Well, the first was innocent enough. The second was curious. But when you added her stories to the mix…

She couldn’t be sure though. She could use some advice.

She switched her tablet over to the communication platform. Her mentors would be awake, certainly. They had never bothered adapting to the diurnal sleeping habits of the terran space they had found themselves in, and rarely bothered with sleep these days. They might be busy, of course, but it was worth a try.

Before too long, the connection was established.

“Good evening, Chelsa. Needing advice so soon?”

She let herself smirk at the playful remark.

“Good evening, Torus. I do have an observation I would like to discuss. Do you all remember Ashlyn’s stories?”

“Ah yes, they were a key detail in gaining her trust, as we recall.”

“I find it interesting that they all dealt with the same theme. At first, I thought it was simply nostalgia for her childhood, but there might be something more…”

She told them about the requests.

“We see… A stuffed animal, and music, both from her distant past. We see what you mean.”

They spent a moment in thought, before replying.

“This isn’t necessarily uncommon among terrans. Indeed, many domestication contracts have been written according to such behavior. Reverting to childhood does seem to be one of the many ways they find relief from traumatic events.”

Silence returned for another moment, as they both processed this.

Torus spoke up again.

“This might give you an in, actually. While childlike behavior was a common theme in her stories, they do have another component, if you recall.”

Chelsa considered this.

“A parental figure.”

“Not quite. Parents might be a touchy subject for her. We believe the term used among terrans in this situation is ‘Caregiver’. But indeed they can play a similar role, even if only by the nominal connotations.”

Another pause for thought, before they resumed speaking.

“We discussed providing her with the experience of domestication, this may well be the way to do so. We are sending you some resources on the subject, we recommend you look through them.”

The items flashed up on the screen. Chelsa quickly scanned them.

“...Curious how far back this goes. Terrans used to play this role for each other, then? It’s almost as if some had wished to be domesticated even before our arrival…”

Torus chuckled at this.

“Indeed it seems that way.”

Chelsa refocused on the conversation.

“So, how should I approach this then?”

Torus made a movement, the closest they could get to a terran shrug.

“Mostly, what the duties of floret care would already be. But… in particular, we recommend lightly taking responsibilities from her. Not forcefully, but anticipate her needs. Make decisions in her stead. Give her routines. Try to limit her executive function to simple, low stakes decisions.”

They smiled, the peculiar oval once again revealing itself.

“To be frank, maybe you should allow yourself to indulge your instincts with her a little. We have known you for some time, Chelsa. This ward might be more particularly suited to your stewardship than we had suspected.”

They hesitated, before giving a final parting thought.

“Oh, and do lean into the language. It does carry quite particular shades of meaning. We would recommend re-reading her stories for inspiration. They might offer much greater insight than we had realized. If indeed she does choose domestication, this might very well be her path.”

Chapter Text

The dawn light spread across Ashlyn, gently rousing her from her sleep. Instinctively, she gave Ryan another squeeze, and turned around.

Dawn…

The thought exploded in her mind. Immediately she was awake, looking around wildly.

The dawn light was pouring in from a window. Outside of it was a lush green field, ending in a forest. There were birds in the forest. She could hear their songs from here. The light was warming, just as she remembered, from so long ago.

How… How did she get here? How did…

Slowly, as softly as the morning had, realization began to dawn.

It was artificial.

The window was a display. She remembered it from last night. The room was beautifully lit, though. If it was a display, it had a capability far beyond anything she had ever seen. The light pouring out of it was authentic enough. She could even feel the warmth of it.

She began to breathe again.

She heard Chelsa’s voice outside the door.

“Good morning, Ashlyn. Are you awake, petal? May I come in?”

She hesitated for a moment, glancing around the room. The dress they had given her yesterday was on the floor where she had discarded it, but there was another, freshly hung up on a peg. She hurried over to it, and put it on.

“Ya… Sure… Come on in…”

The door slid open silently. Chelsa came through.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Ashlyn hesitated, and nodded. With embarrassment, she realized that Ryan was still out, visible on the bed. She wished she had the sense to have hidden him.

“Yea… Umm… This whole… Sunrise thing… Is this because…”

She trailed off, unsure how much to reveal.

Chelsa seemed to understand, though.

“Oh yes, petal. I know of its significance to you. Sunset, and Sunrise. The Affini who rescued you thought it quite significant that you get to experience this at last.”

Ashlyn looked around the room. It was nice, comforting in a way she couldn’t describe. Artificial though it was, If this was anything close to what she had been missing these last two decades…

“Umm… will this happen every day?”

“If you would like.”

She hesitated, and nodded. Chelsa spoke up in reply.

“HAB, set this routine for daily operation.”

“As you wish.”

She spoke up again.

“Are you hungry? I’ve cooked some breakfast for you. I picked something special for your first day. I think you might like it.”

Ashlyn nodded.

“Alright. Follow me, little one.”

Ashlyn had already started walking, but the last two words made her stop dead.

Chelsa turned around again.

“Is something the matter, petal?”

Ashlyn tried to calm down. No, it was just a coincidence. The Affini just had a strange way of speaking.

“No, I’m okay…”

Together, they left the room.

Ashlyn followed Chelsa through the hab. She hadn’t really processed it when she had arrived, but everything was so much bigger than her here. The entire place was made to Affini scale. Her room had been the only exception. The oddity, rather than the rule.

The two of them entered the kitchen, where a table stood higher than herself. On either side were, well… One of them looked to be a chair that would fit her, quite high off the ground. The other had a much different shape. Presumably, it was what Chelsa found comfortable.

Ashlyn hesitated, not quite sure what to do.

“Let me help you up, little one.”

‘Little one’ again… She tried to push back against the feelings those words stirred.

She felt vines wrap around her, lifting her up. Gently, she was set down into the chair, her legs dangling freely in the air. The chair was the right height to bring her level with the table, and only then did she see what was on it.

Her heart caught in her throat.

It was waffles. Those waffles. The same ones. Her favorite childhood breakfast.

She looked up at Chelsa in mute confusion.

“Do you like them? Our records indicated you used to like this food. I thought it would be appropriate to make you something familiar for your first day.

She managed to untangle the knot in her vocal chords enough to form a reply.

“Umm… Ya, but… Cooked? These were like… store bought. Frozen things. When you said you cooked… Do you mean, like, made with that compiler?”

“No, petal. I wanted to produce something myself for your first day, only the raw ingredients were compiled. Oh, and the waffling iron. A curious way of cooking things…”

She smiled down at her.

“I was able to find the original recipe for what you had, but it wouldn’t quite do. This is a recreation, as best I could make. It should be very familiar in taste and texture, but with significantly less… additives.”

Ashlyn inspected them again. Now that it was mentioned, she could see the differences. These were mostly smooth all around, with only a slight ridge around the middle. Not the generous seam left in place by whatever industrial moulding process had created her childhood treat.

She poked them gently. The texture was right enough… The smell was an exact match too.

She took a deep breath, and glanced around for the syrup. The plastic bottle she was used to wasn't there, but there was a small silver pot. She picked it up and looked in. Syrup, alright.

She set to work.

Chelsa watched as the girl poured syrup onto a waffle. Quite a lot of syrup. She then lifted it up, tipping it gently side to side, watching the sticky liquid flow across. She seemed to be intent on filling in each and every square.

“That’s a curious way to eat them. Is that the traditional method?”

Ashlyn hesitated at the comment, beginning to blush.

“No… Sorry… It’s just how I always used to do it. I guess it’s a bad habit, my father always got annoyed at me for it…”

She trailed off…

Chelsa tried to gauge her ward’s mood.

“Do you miss him? We have extensive records. Chances are good that he made his way into the Compact too. I’m sure the two of you could be reunited.

A look of panic crossed Ashlyn’s face.

“No! No… I mean… I don’t want…”

The girl’s panic hung in the air. Chelsa reevaluated matters.

“Very well… We can, of course, also seal your file against discovery. I’ll make a note of it.”

Things seemed to settle down. Ashlyn once again focused on the waffle, staring at it for a long moment with a faraway look, before finally resuming her meal.

It was an odd way of eating. Chelsa watched her cut carefully across one row, keeping all the little squares intact. She then cut each one out, one by one, eating as she went. Row by row, bite by bite.

Chelsa reflected on things as her ward ate. It really was there, now that she was watching for it. The girl had taken on a feeling of childlike innocence already. It had really taken very little effort to bring it out. The breakfast alone had been enough.

It was so cute to see her blush. So easy, too. ‘Little one’. It wasn’t too uncommon a phrase among Affini, at least when directed at terrans. But it was clear its meaning held an outsized importance to Ashlyn.

She thought back to the stories the girl had written. There had been so many, especially given how similar in theme they were. The girl, Sunset, Ashlyn, living a simple life. Free of responsibility. Looked after. Cared for.

Happy.

They had all been private, though. As private as anything could be, in the face of Accord data-mining. Ashlyn had never apparently shown them to anyone… Had she really not thought to try it out in person? Had she really withheld this happiness from herself?

Well, that was finally ending. She would finally have someone to give her the life she had always wanted. The life that she had never allowed herself to have.

The life she had always deserved.

And goodness, the stories were full of ideas. There were so many things to try…

She needed to make plans. There were things to prepare. Changes to be done. Xenodrugs to get grafted.

She might even consider getting the implant prepared, just in case. It was worth thinking ahead.

She smiled gently to herself.

This wardship was going to be even more fun than she’d realized.

Chapter Text

“So, Ashlyn, what do you wish to do today? I know you have had a rough experience as of late, and it’s your first day under the Compact, so let’s have an easy day.”

She remembered the advice of her mentors, and tried to limit the scope of what had been asked, gently steering her ward’s decision.

“Perhaps there is some show you would like to watch…?”

Ashlyn thought back to last night. Every terran work ever produced…

A thought bloomed in her mind. Her comfort show. She hadn’t been able to watch it in some time. She used to watch it all the time. Especially as a kid. But she had returned to it time after time in her adulthood. It always made her feel better.

“Umm, could we watch a cartoon? I mean, if you have most terran stuff…”

“Sure, petal. Which one would you like?”

“Do you have… uhh… Witches in Time?”

The HAB spoke up.

“There are 3 reboots on record by that name. Terran standard seems to indicate they are disambiguated by release year.”

Ashlyn hesitated for a moment.

“Umm… I don't remember exactly… I think it was released like… Twenty something years ago… You can only get them off piracy sites now…”

“One record matches your parameters. Released in 2531. Thirty-six episodes, over the course of two years.”

“Umm… that sounds right…”

Chelsa stood up.

“Put it up in the living room, HAB, we will be there momentarily.”

Ashlyn was about to hop off the tall chair, but Chelsa’s voice spoke up.

“Hold still, little one. Let me help you. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Ashlyn blushed again the epithet, but stilled herself, and nodded.

Vines wrapped around her.

She had expected to be placed back on the floor.

She hadn’t expected Chelsa’s vines to curl all around her, swinging her back, supporting her legs. In brief panic, she grasped onto Chelsa, clutching against the Affini. But she was well supported. She didn’t fall.

She was being cradled, in Chelsa’s vines.

In mute embarrassment, she waited as she was carried out of the kitchen, back into the living area. Back to the couch. Like everything else, it was Affini sized. Everything in the hab had been like that. She was losing her point of reference. Cradled in Chelsa’s vines, up in the air, picked out of a chair she couldn’t reach the ground from, at a table higher than her head, to a couch too tall for her to reach, she was losing all perspective.

It was almost as if she was a kid again.

No. Get it together. Don't think about that.

The display was already running by the time they got there. Gently, Chelsa placed her down onto the couch. Like everything else, it was too big for her. The only way she could sit back against it was by pulling her legs up onto it. She did so, sitting cross-legged. Chelsa joined her a little way off.

Ashlyn tried to collect herself. She let her head fall back into the couch, staring blankly at the display. The old familiar cartoon played out. She had seen this one before, of course, many times. But the warm familiarity was a comfort to her. She tried to let her mind relax, tried to stop all thought. Tried to let herself be lost to her comfort show, as she had many times before.

Try as she might, she couldn’t quite lose herself to it. Chelsa was taking up an overly large part of her mind. She couldn’t clear her thoughts of the Affini.

Ashlyn glanced back up at her.

She wasn’t sure how early it was, but surely the day had started already. She had work, didn’t she? In the intake ward? Maybe it was a weekend for her…

“Umm…”

Chelsa turned to face her.

“Yes, petal?”

“Don’t… you have work? At the ward?”

“Oh no, petal. Not anymore. We don’t work, in the way you understand the term. You can think of us more as dedicated volunteers. Anyway, I’m taking a leave of absence from that position in the interim.”

“Oh… Why?”

The Affini looked into her, eye to eye.

“To take care of you, little one.”

Ashlyn went back to resolutely staring at the screen, her face now a deep red.

Despite her efforts, she still couldn’t focus on the cartoon. Her thoughts kept running back, reviewing everything. Her childhood breakfast, being carried, the epithet. They… they knew of her stories. Her private stories. At least, the other Affini had. Did Chelsa know? She must know… She had known about the sunrise, at least… They seemed to be sharing everything with each other. Was this deliberate? She was a… whatever it had been called… a warden. Which might make Chelsa her caregiver, in the technical sense of the word, but… Certainly she wasn’t actually… actually doing that, though… right? It was just a fantasy, it wasn't real.

She glanced up again. Chelsa wasn’t paying her much attention.

Maybe the cartoon had been a bad choice… It was messing with her head. The old nostalgia of it. Being up on this oversized couch, the form of Chelsa looming over her. She could feel the stirring of that deep rooted fantasy. The one that could only come out in her writing. Never in reality. She longed to give in. To go get Ryan. To lean into the Affini. To rest her head against her. To curl up. To give herself up to the impulse. To…

No. No no no. Absolutely not. She couldn’t. It wasn’t permitted. It was just a stupid fantasy.

Just a fantasy…

She tried to glance once more at the Affini. Had meant it to be a glance. Chelsa was already looking at her. Their eyes met, locked.

“Is something the matter, little one?”

Her throat had gone dry. She couldn’t speak. She didn’t dare. She couldn’t even shake her head.

“Do you want me to sit closer, perhaps?”

The conflicting answers exploded in her mind. Yes. No. She wanted… She couldn’t…

The emotions came, all at once. Great waves of emotion, flooding out her mind. She didn’t even know what emotions they were. But they were everywhere. She was drowning in them.

She burst into tears. Great, big, heavy sobs. They came, all at once. Overwhelming her. She couldn’t… She wanted… No… No… Nothing made sense anymore. This wasn't right. The Affini was being too nice. No one had ever been this nice to her. She didn't understand. She didn't…

There were words, somewhere. The Affini was speaking to her. Right next to her. They were quiet, understated, but somehow managed to cut through the sound of her sobbing.

“It's okay, little one. You are safe now. It's the first time you have ever been safe. It's okay to cry. You are holding back a lifetime of emotions, it's okay to let them out now.”

The tears kept coming. She could hardly breathe. She was gasping for breath at every opportunity, the emotions damming up against each one, desperate to come out again.

She couldn’t stop.

She tried to stop.

She didn’t want to stop.

Eventually, by degrees, the tears worked their way out of her, leaving her exhausted. Her mind had gone numb in the exertion, but there was a clarity to the world there hadn't been before. All her senses seemed brighter, sharper, as if the world had become more real somehow.

The cartoon was still playing on the screen. The sound from it was the loudest thing in the room. Cutting into her thoughts in a way it hadn't before. She needed quiet.

She managed to speak up, in a cracked voice.

“Hab… pause the video…”

Silence descended on her.

Somehow, during her fit of crying, she had tucked herself into a ball, pulling her legs up, holding them close. Her back was painfully tense, her arms hurt from holding her legs so tightly.

She sighed, untensing, shifted her weight, and fell sidelong onto the couch. It took all her effort to bring herself to fall away from Chelsa, instead of into her.

A new sensation. Touch. A vine was exploring her arm, running along it, petting it. A soft voice spoke out, as soft as the vine.

“It’s going to be okay, little Ashlyn. Everything will be okay. You are safe now.”

She fought back against the fresh wave of tears her words had nearly released. She tried to think, in the mess her mind had become.

She must be doing it deliberately. Playing into her fantasy. She must be. Almost certainly.

But, why though… This was something to be ashamed about. Just a little thing in her head. The stories had been a private indulgence, they were never supposed to be seen by anyone. It wasn't something that should be acted upon.

Did… did the Affini not know that? Maybe they just didn't understand how terrans worked. Maybe they didn't know it was only fiction. It wasn't real. It wasn't supposed to be real.

The vine on her arm had made its way up to her face now. It brushed the hair out of her eyes, and started playing against her cheek.

Maybe… from their point of view… it didn't matter…

No, that was a stupid thought. She let the shame of it wash over her, drowning it out. Of course it mattered. It had always mattered. It always would.

She really should push back against this. She was taking advantage of them. Of their ignorance. They didn't know how terrans were supposed to act. They didn’t know that she wasn’t allowed to want this.

Maybe… maybe she should say something. Try to explain…

…No. She was already too ashamed of this side of herself. She didn't think she could manage to face trying to explain it.

She would just have to keep herself from engaging with it.

She pulled herself together, and pushed herself back into a seated position. The vine was retracted.

When she trusted herself to speak again, she spoke.

“Can… can I… have a glass of water? I think I'm just… overwhelmed.”

Chapter Text

Ashlyn lay in her bed, and tried to sort through the mess of thoughts in her head. She had been getting through most of the day on autopilot. She had resumed watching the cartoon, after a while. Chelsa had kept interacting with her though. Checking in on her. Touching her gently. Using those words…

The Affini was out of the HAB now, mercifully. She had said there were things she had needed to do. Chelsa had put her in her room for the intervening time. “Nap time”, she had called it. Ashlyn was too exhausted to argue. Anyway, being in the familiar room, with its terran-scale furniture, was a welcome relief from the confusing perspective of the rest of the HAB.

Lunch had been… even worse than breakfast. Chicken fingers. They had tasted far better than any of the artificial stuff she remembered from when she was a kid, but… finger foods had not been conducive to her mental state. She could feel herself regressing even as she ate. She had fought against it, as hard as she could. But… It had been difficult. Especially when Chelsa had taken that wipe and cleaned her hands for her.

The conflict in her mind was really building up now. She longed to give in. She really did. But it would be… wrong. It would be wrong of her to do so. The Affini didn’t know any better. She couldn’t let herself give in, it would be taking advantage of them. She wasn’t even supposed to be like this. It was something she had to bury.

If only Chelsa hadn’t been working so hard to dig it out of her…

She sighed, and hugged Ryan tight.

…That had been a mistake, hadn’t it? She shouldn’t have asked the HAB for him. She hadn’t been thinking clearly that night. She really shouldn’t have done that. Maybe she should get rid of him…

She felt her chest tighten sickeningly at that thought.

No… It was too late now. She finally had him. At long last, they had been reunited. She couldn’t possibly give him up now.

The voice of Chelsa called out through the HAB. She must have returned from whatever she had been doing.

“Ashlyn? Little one?”

She closed her eyes, and once more tried to fight back the feelings those two words awoke in her. She really wished the Affini would stop calling her that.

“Little one? Are you awake? May I come in?”

She tried to steady herself. She took a deep breath, and shoved Ryan under the sheets.

“Sure… You can come in.”

The form of Chelsa drifted in through the doorway.

“Goodness, little one, your face! Have you been crying again?”

Ashlyn felt herself tense up again, but tried to relax.

“I’m… okay. I just… I’m okay.”

The Affini folded herself onto the bed next to her. Extending a vine. She felt it sliding up and down her back.

“I know things have been a lot for you, but I am here to help. You can talk to me about anything, you know.”

Ashlyn took a deep, steadying breath. Maybe… Maybe she should try.

“Can you, umm…”

She trailed off. Tried again.

“Stop the… umm…”

She tried to force the words out. To say them out loud was to admit she had this. The shame was flooding over her now, but she had to say it.

“Stop the… umm… ‘Little one’ stuff?”

There was a moment of pause. Chelsa seemed to be deep in thought.

“Why, petal? It’s a perfectly ordinary phrase. You must admit, you are, to my scale, quite little.”

Ashlyn closed her eyes. So the Affini was still playing games with her. Well, she had to try.

“I mean… not just that. The whole… little thing… We can’t… it’s not right. We… We shouldn’t be doing stuff like this.”

“Like what, petal?”

Ashlyn felt her mind tangling up again. She was getting off balance. She was getting upset. At herself, or Chelsa, she couldn’t tell.

“This… this… this! It's not supposed to be real! It can't be!”

“I don’t take your meaning, sweetie. What isn’t supposed to be real.”

“Those… Those stupid stories!”

The words seemed to echo in the silence that followed.

“Look… I guess you got confused, or something. Those stories… They aren’t something that is supposed to actually be done. They are just… terrans just write things sometimes. Things that aren’t supposed to be real. It’s just a stupid fantasy. I just wrote them to get it out of my head. But… they aren’t something we should be doing. Not… actually doing. It’s not… right!”

It was a moment before Chelsa spoke.

“I see…”

Another moment.

“You feel a great deal of shame over this, don’t you?”

Ashlyn had no response to give. She just let herself fold up, pressing her face into her hands.

“In that case, it’s a good thing we did come across your stories, petal. To think you have been intentionally denying yourself this all these years. Even now, when you are finally in a place of safety, you still won’t let yourself have it.”

Ashlyn still said nothing. She didn’t know what she could say. Chelsa was wrong. Why didn’t she understand? What could possibly make her see? This wasn’t a thing that was permitted. It couldn’t be. How could it ever be?

Chelsa’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“We are not going to stop, little one. You have been denied this life for too long. You cannot possibly tell me that this is not what you want. It took so little effort to start bringing this out of you. The only thing holding you back is yourself. We will keep going, until you finally realize that it is okay to live the life you’ve always wanted. It is okay to be taken care of. You are my little girl, Ashlyn, and it is okay to be loved.

Ashlyn lifted her head up again, and stared up at the Affini mutely. Her mouth moved a bit, as she tried to form words. Her mind was deeply conflicted. That last sentence seemed to have strange harmonics to it, leaving an echo in her mind. She longed to give in. She longed for Chelsa to be right. She longed to live in a world where she could… she could…

No.

The anger swelled within her. Chelsa was being stupid. Why was she so stupid? Why couldn’t she see? She couldn’t be doing this! She wasn’t allowed to! This wasn’t right! She should never have written those stupid stories. She should have deleted them long ago. These feelings should stay buried. Buried deep away. And now, this stupid Affini was trying to bring it out of her. This… This… This stupid… This stupid…

“You… stupid weed! We can't be doing this! I can’t…”

She trailed off, immediately regretting letting the words slip out.

For a moment, nothing was said.

With a series of slow movements that nevertheless seemed to carry a great weight, Chelsa stood up, and leaned down towards her. Ashlyn tried to back away, but her back was already against the wall.

“Little one, if you wanted to have your words taken away, there were more polite ways of asking.”

The words were quiet, but contained a significant sense of meaning, as if they possessed a gravity that was tangible. She could feel them pulling on her mind.

The vines came down, wrapping around her. By the time she could process what was happening, she was already being lifted up. She tried to struggle, tried to wiggle free, but the grip on her was absolute.

She was being cradled now. Not angrily, not with force, but… gently. Lovingly. Chelsa was looking down at her. The meaning on her face was clear, even on that alien form. She had made a mistake. She had done something wrong. And now, there was going to be a correction.

The flower was there, in front of her. A vivid, bulbous, orange oblong. She gasped in surprise, only to see it pulse, spread out. A texture entered through her mouth, coating her throat. Tingling, thick, oddly organic. She tried to turn her head away, but it was being held firmly in place. She tried to hold her breath, but the adrenaline coursing through her demanded she breathe. She tried in vain to fight against it.

Chelsa spoke again.

“Do not struggle, little one. Breathe. Relax. Everything will be okay. I have tried to give you a chance, but it is clear to me that you are inexcusably holding yourself back. It is time for me to show you just what your life could be like.“

A pause. When she spoke next, the words were still soft and gentle, but carried a sense of the absolute. They weren’t communicating an idea, they weren’t even giving a prediction. They were simply stating, with absolute precision, what the future would be.

“There will be no more resistance. There will be no more pushing back. There will be no more denying yourself the love you so richly deserve to feel.”

“Breathe…”

She couldn’t hold against it anymore. She gasped out, sucking in precious oxygen, and… whatever else was being done to her. So this was it. The rumors about the Affini were true. She was being drugged. She wondered if she would remember anything. They said they could control your mind, break you, make you into a slathering mess. She had been treated so well since coming here that the rumors had nearly left her mind entirely, but… this was it. This was what they did.

She closed her eyes, and waited for oblivion to take her.

Only… nothing seemed to be happening…

The flower was removed.

“There we go, little one. Everything is better now. Everything is okay.”

She felt herself be set down on the ground. Chelsa knelt down, a parental vine on her shoulder.

“Feeling better now, petal?”

Ashlyn closed her eyes. She didn’t know what that had been about, but… she did feel better. It had felt good to get the words out, at least. Even if the Affini still didn’t understand, she had needed to say them. She felt better now.

“...”

Wait.

“...”

She tried again.

“...”

With mute and growing horror, she realized what was wrong. Her words wouldn’t come. Is that what Chelsa had done? Is that what she had meant?

“...!”

She… she couldn’t speak…

Chelsa seemed to notice her rising panic.

“It’s quite alright, little one. We just needed to put your words in time out for a while. You have been misusing them. Saying all sorts of wrong things. Not just about me. About yourself. You deserve all the love and care I can give you, and I need to make sure you understand that. So there will be no more talking back to me. No more denying yourself this love. You are my little girl, Ashlyn, and I am going to show you what that really means.”

Chelsa watched the words sink in. It was remarkable. She wasn’t even needing to bother with any hypnotic instruction. The words alone were enough. The right words, and the right tone. They got through all her defenses, all of her repression, all of her denial, and pulled at the longing she had buried deep inside herself. How powerful that longing must be, for it to be leaking out this much, despite the girl’s attempts to suppress it.

Well, she had tried to gently introduce the subject, but the girl’s repression had won out. She had gotten close, on several occasions. Remarkably close. But every time, she had pushed it back down. This time, she wouldn’t be given the opportunity.

It was time to show her that stories didn’t have to just be fiction.

She spread her vines out, in a mimicry of the human gesture she had seen performed so often.

“Come give Mommy a hug.”

Ashlyn closed her eyes at the instruction. Fighting, fighting back. No… She had tried to explain, but now… things had only gotten worse. Chelsa was more determined than ever.

Give your Mommy a hug.

She couldn’t… She… she wasn’t allowed. This wasn’t supposed to be…

Give Mommy a hug.

She didn’t… She shouldn’t… She… She…

She wanted to.

Eyes filling up with tears, she stepped forwards, into the vines. They wrapped around her. Her arms wrapped around Chelsa.

She squeezed Chelsa tight, and felt the vines return the gesture.

It was so gentle… So warm… Even the alien texture of the Affini’s foliage could not take away from the sense of rightness that she felt from it.

She hadn’t been given a hug like this in a long, long time.

The tears broke loose. She started crying. Whatever process had taken her words, the sobs still came through all the same.

She pressed her face in deeper.

A gentle vine came up, stroking her hair.

“It’s alright, little one. Everything is alright now. You are going to be okay. Mommy will take care of you.”

For the first time since coming home, she felt herself starting to believe it.

The hug seemed to go on forever.

It ended too soon.

“Come along, little Ashlyn. Let’s get you some dinner.”

Chapter Text

Ashlyn waited on the too-high chair while Chelsa worked in the kitchen. The Affini had given her coloring pages and crayons to keep her entertained, but she just wasn’t feeling it. She wasn’t sure at all what to do now. Chelsa seemed to have her mind set on doing this, but Ashlyn still felt out of place about it. At least the deeply conflicting feelings were gone. For a brief moment, she had felt herself give in, but that too was gone now. In its place was only a blank emotional numbness.

She stared again at the top of the paper stack that had been given to her. An Affini and a Terran were depicted in a happy laughing romp through a field of flowers. Too childish. Okay, maybe she did… have this thing, but even still. There was such a thing as dignity.

Her wandering hand picked up a crayon.

“Are you doing alright, little one?”

“...”

She closed her eyes and lowered her head, trying to work things out in her mind. Her words were still gone. Stars… how long would this last? Would she ever have them back? Was this just her life now?

Finally, she nodded.

“Dinner won’t be long, petal. Thank you for being so patient. You are being a very good girl for me.”

She continued staring at the uncolored pages.

Well, paper was paper. She didn’t have to color, but… there was always that other thing.

She took the page, carefully folded a seam, and started tearing it into strips.

Chelsa looked up at the sound of paper tearing. For a moment, she had thought Ashlyn might have been tearing it in frustration, but a quick glance showed that not to be the case. The girl had folded it carefully, and was tearing it into several strips of equal size. Once she finished dividing the entire page, she started folding each strip over on itself, tearing them into equally sized squares.

Curious…

She refocused on preparing the girl’s meal.

Ashlyn let her hands work unaided. She had done this so often that the movement was practically burned into her brain. Twelve squares, twelve units. Each one folded the same way. Following the pattern that old woman had shown her, so very long ago.

Fresh square. Fold in half. Unfold. Fold each half to the seam in the center.

The sounds of the kitchen washed over her.

Fold diagonally along one side. Rotate the paper. Fold diagonally along the other.

The clank of a pot. Something sizzling.

Unfold. Tuck each diagonal behind the opposite flap. A small little rhombus, sharp-edged triangles attached to a pocketed square. One unit. Identical to all the others.

She was lost to time now. Square after square, meticulously folded. Each crease and fold as sharp as she could make it. Any slop, and the finished item wouldn’t hold together as well.

Chelsa carried the finished plate over to the table, setting it just out of Ashlyn’s reach. She didn’t seem to notice. The girl was totally absorbed in her work now.

Chelsa kept watching, unwilling to break the girl’s concentration.

Ashlyn finished folding the last square. She had a small pile of them now. She picked up one, then another, then joined them together, tucking one into the pocket of another. They fit together perfectly.

Piece after piece, the object took shape. An Octahedron.

Ashlyn tucked the last piece in, and gently compressed the shape with her hands, pressing each piece tightly into the others. She heard the satisfying crinkle as each tab slid tightly against its pocket. She hadn’t made many mistakes this time, the final result fitted together well.

She rolled it around in her hands for a while.

After some time, she looked up. Chelsa was watching her.

“That’s a fascinating assembly you have there, little one.”

Ashlyn looked at her for a moment, and shrugged. She set down the shape, and with a tap, sent it rolling across the table to the Affini.

Chelsa picked it up, and examined it.

“This is beautiful… So mathematically precise. It always impresses me just how dexterous terrans can be. Where did you learn to do this, little one?”

Ashlyn stared at her. She didn’t even try to respond.

“...You’ll have to tell me about it later on, petal. But for now, your dinner is ready.”

Ashlyn glanced at the plate for the first time. Macaroni and cheese, and small cut cubes of protein. Another meal straight out of her early childhood. It was strangely easy to think, in her state of emotional numbness, and it occurred to her for the first time to question how the Affini even knew these things about her.

Oh well, she was hungry.

She reached for the plate.

A vine stopped her.

“No no, little one, I don’t want you making a mess. I’ll feed you.”

Ashlyn closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. There really wasn’t any point in fighting her. Best to let it happen.

She nodded.

Chelsa took a forkful of macaroni, and delicately reached out.

She opened her mouth.

The fork went in.

She closed her mouth.

The fork was removed.

Tears started filling her eyes.

The taste was exactly the same as she remembered it.

Chelsa noted her ward’s movements as she was fed her first bite. Her hands had crossed her body, each gripping the opposite elbow, holding herself in a gentle hug. Her eyes had closed, and were visibly tearing up. She seemed to be chewing very slowly, as if lost to the flavor. Eventually, she managed to swallow it.

“Do you like it, little one?”

She got a nod. It seemed more empathetic than the girl’s mood would had called for, up until now. She had retreated inside herself during dinner’s preparation, but once again a meal from her past seemed to be tugging at that long-buried longing deep within her.

Without any prompting, eyes still closed, she opened her mouth again.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction, Chelsa helped her to another forkful.

The meal was all Ashlyn could think about. The flavor, the texture, the warmth. Everything about it. How long had it been? Decades, at least… But… that seemed like no time at all, now. The memory was bright and vivid in her mind. Bite after bite, forkful after forkful, she continued eating. Continued being fed.

She could feel that feeling inside her, growing with every bite. She had fought it back so often, had kept it in check for as long as she could remember. But it was growing. And she was tired. Tired of holding it back. She wanted to give in. Badly. It had been enough of a struggle to suppress in her day to day life. But now, with Chelsa so determined to pull it out of her, she didn’t think she had the strength to keep it down.

She gave in.

Chelsa noticed a change come over Ashlyn. The tension was draining out of her. She was leaning in slightly at each forkful now. From somewhere below her came soft thuds; the girl was gently swinging her feet back and forth, thumping them against the support structure of her chair. Her eyes remained resolutely closed, lost to some past memory.

“Good Girl, Ashlyn.”

She watched a smile creep across Ashlyn’s face, before gently fading again.

Ashlyn was lost to it now.

Twenty years had been rolled back. She was back home again. Back before everything had gone wrong. She was still planetside. Her mother was still around. She was being given the same familiar meal. Everything was okay. Everything would be okay.

Bite after bite, the meal was finished.

“All done.”

Gently, with the sense of waking from a dream, she opened her eyes. Except, something of the dream stayed with her. She was safe. She was comfortable. Everything would be okay.

Chelsa had stood up, and had taken the plate away. The Affini was doing something with it behind her. She didn’t know what. It wasn’t important.

She looked down at the coloring pages in front of her. Macaroni had dropped onto a few of them, over dinner.

She picked up a crayon, and started to color.

After a moment, she became aware of a presence. She looked up, into the form of Chelsa.

“We still have a bit of time before your bedtime, little one. Would you like to watch your cartoon?”

She stared at Chelsa for a moment, then looked back to the coloring page.

“It’s okay, sweetie, we can bring your coloring too.”

She nodded.

The vines picked her up. Once again she was being cradled. Once again they made their way to the couch. Except this time, Chelsa sat down first. She found herself being put down into the Affini’s lap.

A strange rectangular slate was placed in her hands. She didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t matter. The coloring pages were on top of it. She felt a vine gently push a crayon back into her hand.

“Hab, resume the cartoon. Start again from the next episode.”

She looked up. It was her show. Her favorite show. She watched it for a while, until the warm familiarity took root inside her head. She almost didn’t even need the show now, it was playing inside her mind.

She looked down again, and to the familiar sounds of the cartoon, resumed her coloring.

Chelsa felt the contentment wash over her. Ashlyn was happy now. Finally happy. She could feel the girl’s emotion, radiating out of her. It had taken nearly the whole of the day, but she had finally gotten through to her.

She raised a vine, and gently brushed it against the girl’s cheek.

For a moment, Ashlyn leaned into it. Then, she leaned her head back. She felt the girl’s weight shift as she let herself fall back against her, eyes closed.

For a long moment, they stayed that way, the vine gently caressing her cheek.

“That’s my good little girl.”

She heard Ashlyn emit a silent little giggle.

Ashlyn had gotten through several pages by the time she heard the cartoon come to a close. She only had one color, but it was enough. Maybe she could color in the rest tomorrow.

A gentle vine lifted her up unexpectedly. She didn’t feel any panic at that though. She was safe.

“It’s time for bed, little one. Come along.”

She nodded, and let the vines take away her coloring. She was gently set onto the floor. After a moment, a vine brushed against her hand. Instinctively, she took hold of it.

Trailing after Chelsa, Ashlyn followed her caregiver back into her room.

And stopped.

It wasn’t her room.

The dresser had been normal sized for a terran. Now, it was much bigger. The bed was oversized too, the mattress spreading out like a long forgotten plateau, about level with her head. In deference to the fact that it was a long way to fall, a guardrail had been installed across it. It appeared to be on sliders, drawing level with the highly raised headboard and footboard. The mechanism holding it in place seemed complex, she could just about imagine it being a safety lock. She had the distinct feeling that, if it was latched with her in the bed, she wouldn’t be able to unlatch it on her own.

This was her room? Had the room been changed? Was it a different room? What had happened to her bed? What had happened to…

…Ryan?

She felt the rising panic. She had hidden him under the sheets. If… If this had been the same room, what had happened to him? Where was he? Had the old bed been taken away? Had he been taken away?

She was looking around wildly now, unable to think of anything else. On top of the dresser? Under the bed? Where had…

A vine rested onto her shoulder, and with a gentle pressure, turned her around.

Chelsa was holding him.

Tears of relief flooded her eyes. She reached out, grabbed him, hugged him close.

Never again… Never again… She could never lose him again…

She didn’t even react as she was picked up and cradled. There was a click, as of a latch disengaging. She was gently placed down on something soft. Very soft. She sank deeply into the bed.

She didn’t even open her eyes as she felt the bed shift. Something heavy had sat down on it, next to her. With the instinct she was no longer trying to fight against, she nestled in closer, pushing her face against it.

A vine came down, brushing gently across her arm.

“You know, little one, that Class-W dosage only lasted about 45 minutes. You’ve been able to speak for some time now.”

Ashlyn thought about this. She hadn’t even tried to speak in a while. Somehow, words no longer seemed needed. Sunset had never needed words.

Wordlessly, she nestled in closer.

The vine against her back came up to play against her cheek.

“That’s my good little girl.”

Chapter Text

The dawn light gently washed over the room, rousing Ashlyn from her sleep as it played across her face. She had gotten well used to the feeling, in the days, weeks, months, it had been, since her new life had begun. She didn’t actually know how long that had been, now.

Ryan was still nestled tightly in her arms. Even in sleep, she didn’t dare let go. She would never have to let go again.

She rolled over, moving her face into shadow, shading her eyes from the sun. She didn’t need to get up yet. Chelsa would come get her when it was time. She always did. Until then, she could enjoy the comfort of the bed.

The sound of birdsong gently lulled her back into sleep.

“Ashlyn, little one…”

A faint click, the sound of wood sliding against wood.

“Little one…”

A gentle touch, along her cheek.

She opened her eyes.

Chelsa was standing over her, her face in a gentle warm smile. The peaceful quiet of the nursery was replaced by the glowing warmth of the presence of her caretaker. Without any conscious prompting, she let out a smile.

“It’s time to wake up, little one. We need to get you ready. We’re having brunch this morning. There will be another little girl there for you to meet.”

Delicate vines wrapped around her gently, the bedclothes dropping off her as she was lifted up into the air. She was long over being self-conscious about Chelsa seeing her undressed. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had dressed herself on her own.

She waited to be set down, but to her mild surprise, she was carried to the door. She fidgeted in Chelsa’s vines, freed a hand, and pointed it to the closet.

“Clothes…”

Chelsa smiled down at her.

“Not yet, little one. We need to get you cleaned up first. I have a bath drawn.”

She felt contentment return to her. Bath time. She always looked forward to it. She closed her eyes again, and let herself be carried through the HAB.

Chelsa entered the bathroom, cradling the precious little thing in her vines. The bath was already running, the perfectly warm water endlessly rippling as the HAB cycled it through the jets. The tub was Affini sized, of course, poor little Ashlyn couldn’t reach the bottom, but the terran net installed against its side provided a nice safe place to bathe her in.

Gently, she set her ward down on the ground. Ward… It was funny to think of her like that. Technically she hadn’t signed the contract yet, but that was just a formality at this point. What they already had was perfect. There was no need to rush things. She would sign when she was ready.

“Do you want your paci for the bath, little one?”

Ashlyn hesitated for a moment, then wordlessly, gave an emphatic nod, and opened her mouth. Gently, the pacifier was placed in. The girl’s mouth closed around it.

“That’s my good little Ashlyn…”

She lifted her vine up, and brushed against the back of Ashlyn’s head, noting with satisfaction how the girl leaned back into it, her already bright smile growing even more. A giggle escaped through the pacifier.

Chelsa gently slid off the girl’s panties, and lifted her up for the bath. There was a time, not long ago, where Ashlyn would have been embarrassed at this, but those days seemed like a distant memory now. All modesty had left her, as she had finally embraced the comfort she had been seeking her entire life. There was nothing left but love.

The girl still cradled in her arms, she entered the bath. Gently, slowly, she lowered Ashlyn into the water, giving her time to adjust to the warmth. Finally, she let her down completely, the vines of the netting creaking gently as they took her weight. She let the girl’s head rest against the soft waterproof pillow that wrapped around the net, her long hair drifting idly in the water currents.

Ashlyn content in the water, Chelsa refocused on the row of shampoos within her reach. She reached out, and for a moment, her vine hesitated before one particular bottle. A Class-A shampoo. She had this fight with herself every bathtime now, it was almost as part of the ritual as everything else. She would use it on Ashlyn eventually, she knew, but… The time had never been right. The girl still took so much obvious pleasure from being bathed that the Class-A just wasn’t necessary. Surely its addition would bring her even higher pleasure, but… No. Not today. Maybe once the ritual had begun to lose its sparkle, she would introduce such things to the girl. If indeed it ever did.

She reached instead for the standard undrugged terran recipe, picked up the sponge, and set to work.

Ashlyn let herself go completely limp in the warm comforting water of the tub, perfectly content to wait for what she knew would come next. As expected, the gentle vines came, lifting her up out of the water. The sponge brushed against her, each and every part, its soft texture scrubbing away. She felt herself melt even more into Chelsa’s vines. The Affini had her absolute trust. She didn’t have to do a thing. Everything would be taken care of for her.

Her body clean, she felt herself placed gently into the netting once again. Immediately, she started giggling. She knew what would come next. It happened every time. It was part of the ritual. She kept her eyes closed in preparation.

She heard Chelsa say the words. The same words she said every time.

“My my, little one, I think we are due for some rain…”

The water dumped over her head.

She broke out into laughter through the pacifier as Chelsa’s vines started working the shampoo into her hair. By degrees, as they always did, the laughter was supplanted by faint moans of pleasure. To have her scalp massaged by the Affini was always so relaxing, so freeing. She stretched out her body in the warm water, and gave herself up to the feeling.

The sloshing of water and creaking of vines was the only sound in the room. She gave a contented sigh. She didn’t have to do a thing. Everything was taken care of. Everything would be okay.

Ashlyn waited in the highchair as Chelsa busied herself among the kitchen. As usual, she had been given paper to play with. On one side, a stack of coloring pages and crayons. On the other, a set of pre-cut squares, perfectly sized for her origami.

She hesitated, and reached for the coloring pages.

Behind her, something started sizzling on the stove.

She flipped through the pages, looking for something to catch her inspiration. She set down another page, and saw the next item. It was always there, somewhere. Every day. She read the words along the top.

Domestication Contract.

Her eyes were drawn to the first paragraph.

I agree, for the rest of my natural life, to be Chelsa’s precious little girl. Chelsa agrees, for the rest of my natural life, to be my loving caregiver.

She hesitated, as she always did. There was more to it, of course, a lot more. Dense pages of legalese, all attached. She hadn’t read through it yet. She didn’t particularly want to.

There was a space for her signature.

For a long while, she stared at it in thought.

Gently, hesitantly, she put it down again, and flipped through the remaining coloring pages.

After some time, the texture of the sound behind her changed. Not long after, she felt a vine against her shoulder. She looked up.

“Are you ready to go, little one?”

She looked from the basket in the Affini’s vines back to Chelsa. She tried forming a word, through the haze of her regressed mind.

“Breakfast?”

“At the park, petal. We are going to meet a new friend of mine. She has a little too, you will get to meet her.”

She felt some anxiety start to build at that. It’s not that she had never been in littlespace outside before, but… not among other terrans. What would it be like?

…It would be fine. Chelsa would be there with her.

Everything would be fine.

She raised her hands up to Chelsa, and was picked up bodily.

Together, they went out into the world.

Chapter Text

The breeze played against Ashlyn’s hair as she was carried along, Ryan held tight in her arms. Chelsa always cradled her in her vines, whenever they needed to go out. She would have thought that would mean the Affini had no capacity to carry anything else, but it was obvious she had many more appendages than that. Even now she didn’t know how many. In another was held a basket of their breakfast. The smell coming from it had been making her hungry the whole way over.

She looked ahead along the path. She had been to a few parks before, along this habitation ring, but this was the first one they had visited which was suspended up in the air. As she looked ahead, she could see a blanket already spread out on the soft grass. Sitting at it, or at least, folded onto the ground in some complicated way, was another Affini. A little way off, along the railing at the edge of the park, two terran girls stood, one with an arm around the other. As she watched, a train rushed across the elevated rail, causing one of them to jump in excitement, eliciting a hug from the other.

The other Affini seemed to notice them, she turned her head to the girls.

“Courtney, Fae, our guests are here. Come on over, it’s time for brunch.”

She felt herself set down gently along the edge of the blanket, and waited patiently for her breakfast as the two Affini caught up.

Chelsa made a gesture of greeting at her newfound friend as she sat herself down along the blanket.

“Good morning, Orlane. Are you and Courtney doing well?”

“Very well. It’s been so nice watching her come into her own. You know, our whole wardship I never saw this part of her. It’s wonderful to see it finally coming out.”

“Oh don’t I know it. It’s the most precious thing in the world, to see terrans acting this way. You really had no idea when you domesticated her?”

“None at all… She didn’t even know about it back then. I believe it was her pinnate here who first noticed it in her. She’s been leaning into it ever since.”

“Well, I brought breakfast, let’s get the little things fed.”

Ashlyn sat and colored, the grilled cheese sandwiches filling her with a warm glow. The Affini towering above her were discussing something on their own now, in a language she couldn’t understand.

She glanced again at the two other terrans, and watched them for a bit. One was sitting cross-legged, watching as the other lay fully against the grass, her legs idly kicking in the air. They were doing something on a tablet. It had the feel of a game, but all she could see on its surface appeared to be a flowchart. The girl on the grass had been editing it for some time. As Ashlyn watched, she pressed a button. The scene changed, showing some sort of factory. Things started happening without further input, icons moving across the screen according to some complex rules of their own.

The one sitting on the grass glanced up, and saw her staring.

“Hi, I’m Fae.”

She waited a bit, but Ashlyn couldn’t think of anything to say. She hadn’t needed to make conversation in quite some time, and she wasn’t even sure how to act around these two.

Fae seemed to get the sense that nothing was coming. She spoke up again.

“This is Courtney. I’m… kinda her babysitter now, I guess? Well, I’m actually her pinnate, but like, for right now, i’m the babysitter.”

She nudged the girl on the grass, who was apparently too engrossed with the tablet to notice.

“Hey, say hi, Courtney.”

Courtney glanced up, her face a mix of embarrassment, excitement, and anxiety. She hesitated for a moment, then shifted her weight, and swiped her finger across some display mounted on her wrist. A soft artificial voice spoke out from it.

“Hello.”

Ashlyn kept staring, not sure what to make of the pair.

Fae prompted her.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, it’s Ashlyn…”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ashlyn.”

Fae glanced at Courtney expectantly, but she was focused on the tablet again.

“Oh, she’s gone again. Sorry, she gets distracted easily.”

Ashlyn hesitated, but eventually spoke the question on her mind.

“Are you two… littles, too?”

Fae glanced up again.

“Oh no, just Courtney. I kinda pulled it out of her a few weeks ago, and we’ve been trying it out ever since. It’s been sooo nice seeing her this relaxed. Super glad I noticed. You’re a little too then?”

Ashlyn nodded slowly, the blush overtaking her. She had generally allowed herself to regress in public, in her few outings with Chelsa, but she had never discussed the idea with another terran before.

Fae gestured at the stuffed animal cradled in Ashlyn’s lap.

“That’s Ryan, isn’t it? I think I remember him… He’s from a cartoon, right?”

Ashlyn glanced down, the blush getting worse, but tried to form a response.

“Ya… Umm… I didn’t watch much of it. He’s just my childhood stuffie.”

Fae picked something up that had been lying on the other side of Courtney. She brought up another stuffed racoon, colored in a vivid rainbow pattern. With a hand, she gently made it wave at her.

“This is… Umm… Racoon, I guess. I don’t think Courtney has named him. They aren’t from anything as far as I know. Won them at a festival. Gave it to her when we were dating.”

She laughed, as a thought struck her.

“The way Courtney started bringing him around everywhere and cuddling him was a pretty big clue she was a little.”

She watched Fae set the racoon back down alongside Courtney, and started brushing her pinnate’s hair gently.

A thought crossed Ashlyn’s mind.

“Are you two… florets?”

Fae glanced back up.

“Yep! Well, my Affini isn’t here, he works maintenance on the ship, so I get a lot of free time. Courtney is Orlane’s floret though.”

Fae cracked a smile as an amusing thought passed her mind.

“It took her long enough.”

“Oh…”

Ashlyn thought about this.

“...How did you decide to become one?”

Fae looked at her for a moment.

“You probably want to ask Courtney that.”

She looked down, and prodded her pinnate again.

“Hey. Courtney. Come back to us, you dork. Try to be social for a bit.”

Hesitantly, the girl on the grass turned away from the tablet. Briefly, Courtney’s eyes met Ashlyn’s, before wandering back down and to the side.

Fae spoke to her.

“Ashlyn here wants to know how you became a floret.”

Courtney’s eyes came up again to meet her for another brief moment, before once more drifting away. She thought for a moment, then shifted her weight to her elbow, and once again started moving her finger across the device on her wrist. Each word came out of the device. Soft, flat, distinct.

“Started. As. Ward. Got. Independence. Didn’t. Like. It. Asked. Warden. To. Be. Floret.”

“Oh… Really? You became independent?”

Another swiped response, spoken out of the device.

“Yes.”

“...And you went back?”

Courtney was blushing now, but a smile was cracking through her lips.

“Yes.”

Ashlyn glanced back down at the coloring paper she had been given.

For a long moment, she was lost to thought.

Fae had gone back to interacting with Courtney now. No one was paying her any attention.

She squeezed the crayon in her hand.

Slowly, she began sorting through her coloring paper, looking for what must be there.

Chelsa sat and sorted through the pages of coloring paper her little ward had drawn. Ashlyn was in for her nap, after the excitement of brunch, but Chelsa always made a point to review her little one’s art. The nursery was already well decorated with some of her best work. She put aside a likely candidate, and checked the next page.

The domestication contract.

She was about to set that too aside, when her eyes glanced down again.

There was crayon on it.

She looked closer, and read the word.

‘Ashlyn’.

It was in the space marked ‘Floret Signature’.

She gently put the paper down, and lifted her head up. Her eyes were focused on nothing now. All their time together was playing through her mind. Her first night home. Their first day together. That first beautiful evening when her defenses had finally come down. Each and every day, growing closer. How far they had come, how wonderful the journey had been.

And now, she finally had a floret of her own.

She was about to go rouse her new floret, but… The girl would be tired. Naptime was part of her routine. It was best not to interrupt it.

As excited as she was, this could wait. After naptime, they would go file it. Together.

The document placed reverentially to the side, she continued reviewing her floret’s art, looking for the perfect piece to hang in the nursery, to mark the occasion.

They had all the time in the world, now.

Chapter Text

Ashlyn lay contently in Chelsa’s arms. She could feel the new implant, at the back of her neck. It itched slightly, but Chelsa had gently moved her hand away every time she reached up to scratch it.

The vet Chelsa had taken her to had been planetside. It was the first time she had ever been on a planet, since that night. She had been excited to see it on the trip over, but they had landed in the dark, and she hadn’t been able to get a good view.

It was still dark out. She didn’t know how long she had been out for. Certainly a day or two must have passed. Couldn’t Chelsa have scheduled a time when it was light? She really wanted to see…

Chelsa continued to carry her. She was taking her somewhere, but it was impossible to tell where. As far as she could tell, they were in some sort of park, the little pools of light along the path highlighting lush green grass and trees. Eventually, they came upon a railing. She tried to look out, but there was only a dark void beyond. She couldn’t see a thing.

Chelsa stopped. The Affini had an air of expectation now. Ashlyn waited for a bit, but nothing else seemed to be happening.

“Where are we?”

Her voice was soft and weak. Whatever had kept her asleep for the operation still lingered.

“You’ll see, little Ashlyn.”

For a long moment, nothing else happened.

The light burst forth in a suddenness that made her heart stop, the silhouette of a mountain range throwing a sharp contrast as it rose. A deep and brilliant yellow started leaking over its top, spreading out, sending tendrils of light across the faint traces of clouds pinned to the sky. As she stared, it grew, brighter, brighter.

A blazing star crested a mountain’s peak. An enormous orb of fire, bathing everything in light. The warmth spread over her, around her. Filling her up.

She watched the valley below the mountain range begin to fill with light, as the sun climbed its way further up. A great tidal wave of light and warmth, spreading with deceptive speed. Banishing away the darkness. Illuminating the land beyond.

In response to the new dawn, a solitary bird began its song. Soon, it was joined by others.

Her eyes began to fill with tears.

She felt Chelsa hug her close. She heard her gentle words, granting her a new epithet with which to write the story of their new shared life.

“Good morning, Sunrise.”