By Any Other Name

"

Gooood

," Miss Gallica cooed, and Lilra's eyelashes fluttered as waves of soft, gentle, sweet pleasure wafted over her. She almost swooned, but the hand stroking her hair kept her upright, eagerly leaning upwards into the touch. "So easy to drift into my eyes. Into my touch. Such a sweet, silly girl, aren't you? Just my adorable silly thing. You're going to be good, now, aren't you?"

Lilra felt her eyelids fluttering. "G-Good..." The herbalist felt the words slipping ever-so-easily from her lips, and it felt so, so easy to let the sounds slip out, to give Miss Gallica what she intuitively sensed the crimson-haired noblewoman wanted to hear.

"Gooood," Miss Gallica cooed. "That's right, sweet thing. That's quite alright, my darling. It feels good to drift, doesn't it? Feels good..." She stroked Lilra's hair affectionately, smiling slyly. "... to sink."

Lilra felt herself nodding, dreamy and distant, as her head began to loll.

Delicately-manicured fingers slipped beneath her chin to hold her head upright. She shivered at the touch.

And Miss Gallica's smile widened.

"Uh." Lilra felt herself nodding. "Y-Yes?" She wasn't sure what to say. She felt so very fuzzy. So very... so very... Her head lolled, only held up now by Miss Gallica's tender hand caressing her cheek, the fingers stroking under her chin. Oh, it felt so... so...

"You aren't used to this, are you?" Miss Gallica whispered. The noblewoman leaned in close, and Lilra heard a whimper escape her as the eyes came closer. "Being taken care of. Poor

thing

. What was a silly thing like you doing, wandering out here alone?"

"W-Wandering?" Lilra was trying desperately to make sense of the words, but it was so, so easy to sink even deeper into green sappy bliss as the eyes shimmered and spiraled like distant galaxies.

"Wandering," Miss Gallica purred, "all alone, without me around to take care of you. Poor

thing

."

"Poor... poor thing..." Lilra shivered at Miss Gallica's strange tone. It was so... so condescending. So patronizing. Treating Lilra like a... like a... like a lost pet, almost.

As that word occurred to her, she felt a tremble run through her, and she bit her lip. Like a lost pet. Oh, that sounded... that sounded so... so...

"Poor thing," Miss Gallica agreed, giggling. "But don't worry, sweetness. Are you not used to pretty girls taking care of

you?

"

Lilra struggled to find a response, but the fingers grazed her lips, encouraging her to speak. She felt herself whimpering a "No."

"No?" Miss Gallica cocked her head with a sweet smile. "Aw. That's quite the surprise to me, darling. You are..." Her fingers stroked down Lilra's sensitive side, tickling over her arm as it descended to her hip. "... quite a natural at it, darling."

"Natural." Natural. It felt natural, Lilra reflected weakly. Strangely natural. Strangely right. Yes. "Really?"

"Of course," Miss Gallica cooed. "Goodness me, darling, a sweet, pretty thing like you simply

mustn't

be wandering out alone." She leaned in even closer. Her lips were curved upwards in a triumphant, smug smile. "A silly, silly thing like you... should be..." The hand dipped lower, stroking along Lilra's waist. "... where she can be watched at all times. Tended to. Like a delicate flower."

"Oh." Lilra nodded dreamily. Sure. Certainly. Miss Gallica was speaking so confidently, and Lilra had long since given up on understanding more than every other word Miss Gallica whispered. It was so easy to just sink into these little touches, the stroking and petting, the scritching, the touches along her sides. She craved more petting. More stroking. More of that delightful sensation of being...

... being... petted... treated like a... a... she swallowed, feeling her head so fuzzy and fluffy and warm and soft. She couldn't think straight. All she could think in were lazy, endless spirals, swirling clouds, delicate pretty flowers swirling in her mind like thousands of fluttering butterflies.

"That's right," Miss Gallica purred. "Good girl. Such a good girl." The hands dipped down further, fingers tickling Lilra's side. Lilra squirmed a little, uncertain, as the fingers began to play along her sash, under her belt. "Such a good girl. My good girl just wants to drift and sink into pleasure, doesn't she?"

Lilra felt uncertain again. She was flushed, flustered, nervous, shy, unused to staring so long into a pretty woman's eyes. Completely overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by affection. But the hands weren't on her head anymore, and that made her frown. More pleasure? But where were... where were the petting hands going?

How could she possibly feel better than she did letting Miss Gallica pet her head like a... like a...

Miss Gallica smirked, taking Lilra's frown to signify a growing need. "Aw, don't worry, little darling," she breathed. "Miss Gallica..." The hands slipped under Lilra's apron and skirt, and Lilra jumped as she felt delicate fingers grazing her bare skin. "... is here to take

care

of you now, my sweet, simple thing."

"Wh... what..." Lilra frowned deeper. Through all the fuzz and clutter, she was starting to sense that there was something deeply off about all of this. She felt pinpricks of consciousness returning as the hands, which had formerly occupied her emptying head with endless petting, inadvertently freed her mind as Miss Gallica focused on what was between her legs. The botanist felt her head clearing a little, the fog dispersed by sudden chilly winds. "What are you..."

Miss Gallica paused. She blinked big, shimmering green eyes innocently. "Hm?"

"I... I..." Lilra blinked rapidly, fear now running through her. She tugged away, forcing Miss Gallica to withdraw her hands. "N-No! Who... what are you doing?"

Miss Gallica raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Goodness. And here I thought you were

quite

deep enough under. Perhaps you're stronger-willed than you seemed."

Lilra felt her cheeks burning with humiliation as she realized the implication. Gods, she'd... she'd fallen so easily. She felt a deep shame warring with a fluttering... something. She had... she'd been so...

She carefully tore her eyes from Miss Gallica's and focused them on her feet. This was bad. She felt woozy, and she'd been breathing in... breathing in whatever Miss Gallica smelled like, that sweet rose scent, for who knew how long. The world was swirling slightly. She felt so fuzzy, and she just wanted nothing more than to look back into Miss Gallica's eyes.

But as Miss Gallica advanced, she took another step back. "P-Please leave my garden," she managed, feeling the world trembling beneath her, as if even this meek denial was all that she could possibly muster, a denial that made the earth shake.

Or maybe she was just that woozy from the perfume. She blinked rapidly, wondering... had Miss Gallica always looked so beautiful? So shimmering and glowy and... and bathed in pink fog, like a Valentine morning?

"Hm." Miss Gallica tilted her head, rubbing her chin. She smiled slightly. "No. No, that's not it."

"W-What?" Lilra felt her knees wobble, and realized just how weak she felt right now, how small, how wretchedly mortified. "I—please leave me, m'lady!"

"Mistress will do, darling." Miss Gallica smirked. "Please, don't distract me. I'm trying to think right now."

"I—sorry." Lilra bit her lip and averted her eyes to her feet. She felt so off-balance, it took her a moment to realize what she'd just done, and she forced her gaze upward—still trying to keep from looking into Miss Gallica's eyes, but afraid of that sense of peace and serenity that had suddenly and instinctively filled her, at how good, how deeply, sleepily, dreamily

good

it had felt, to just... do as she was told. To be shy and demure and... and...

"Good girl," Miss Gallica said airily, smiling at her. Lilra swallowed and tried to catch her breath as she took another step back. The... whatever Miss Gallica was, witch or fey or demon, took a step forward. She moved with such grace. Such certainty. As if there was nowhere for Lilra to run.

"You know," Miss Gallica said softly, continuing to regard Lilra with that frighteningly curious, intrigued look, "I think I might have had you all wrong, darling."

"I..." Lilra was confused at the sudden feeling of embarrassment of a different kind. She couldn't place it. But... wrong? Miss Gallica had said she was pretty. Was she not pretty? Was she...

Why did Lilra care? Oh, gods, what

was

wrong with her?

"What?" she squeaked.

"Well, it's simple, darling." Miss Gallica took another step closer. Lilra took another step back, feeling her heart fluttering with... fear? Surely fear. "I thought you were just a

common

human." Her smile widened. She reached forward, not close enough to touch Lilra but close enough to threaten a delicate sort of touch, miming a caress of Lilra's cheek.

"I..." Lilra flinched away, even under the ghost touch. "I... please, miss, I..." Her cheeks burned when she heard her own voice, positively a whine.

"Hush, darling." Miss Gallica said firmly, and beamed as Lilra found her voice dying. "Aha!

There

we go. I think I have it now."

"Ah?" Lilra whimpered.

Miss Gallica took another confident step forward. Lilra had never felt so small as she stumbled back and realized she was getting close to falling backwards into one of the plots.

"It's simple, sweetie," Miss Gallica cooed. "Here

I

thought you were one of those... well, more

physical

humans."

"Ph-Physical..." Lilra swallowed. Oh. Yes. She had never... she didn't really... oh, gods, had Miss Gallica realized that she wasn't interested in that kind of affection? Would she leave Lilra now?

And another thought bubbled into her still-scattered mind: did she still think Lilra was beautiful?

"Yes," Miss Gallica murmured, shaking her head sadly. "Dreadfully dull, isn't it? All that nonsense about...

touch

... in all the wrong areas."

"Ah?" Lilra unwillingly, almost involuntarily, found her eyes meeting Miss Gallica's.

Those beautiful green eyes shimmered knowingly, and Lilra gulped.

"Why, yes, my dear," she purred, her voice flowing like honey as she advanced on her helpless target. "It's quite silly, really. Of course, for a girl as pretty as

you

..." Lilra heard herself whine. "... I imagine I'd do

anything

to delight you."

"I... I..." Lilra's voice wasn't working again. Oh, gods, she couldn't handle this. She couldn't handle a pretty woman smiling at her, let alone a woman of Mistress's... of

Miss Gallica's

overwhelming power staring right at her with such knowing intensity. And calling her pretty, too! How could she survive this?

"But you see..." Miss Gallica sighed, coming to stand right before Lilra, smirking down at her, a smirk that somehow made the flustered girl feel both loved and judged. "... what I'm really interested in... is

here

."

And without warning, her hand darted forward, and she...

... gave Lilra a few little pats on the head.

"Isn't that nice, sweetie?"

As her hand touched Lilra's head, Lilra felt a strange... calm enter her. She swayed slightly, realizing just how much she'd inhaled of that perfume. The perfume. It had to be drugged. No wonder she was acting so foolish and... and pliant. And docile. And obedient.

That... that had to be why, right? She couldn't

really

want this, right? She had to be drugged. She nodded to herself.

"

Goooood

girl," Miss Gallica beamed and patted her on the head again. Lilra whined, struggling to think of... think of something to do, but any cogent thoughts seemed to melt away as quick as they formed, dissolved into goo with every little pat. She was overwhelmed. She couldn't think of anything, much less think straight, much less think of a plan of escape. She could barely keep straight that she

wanted

to escape. "You like

this

, don't you? You understand what pretty girls like you need to understand."

"Uh-huh?" Lilra's voice was soft. Submissive. She bit her lip, trying to focus, trying desperately to clear her head even a little bit...

"

You

see," Miss Gallica murmured, smirking, "that the most

important

part of you I want to play with... is your pretty, silly head." Pat. pat. "And you like this, don't you?"

"Uh-huh?" Lilra whined. She realized that every time she answered a question, she was rewarded with an extra indulgent hand running smoothly, silkily down her head, stroking her hair with lavish attention. "I... I mean... no, wait..."

"

Soooo

easy," Miss Gallica cooed. "Silly thing. And here I was thinking you were strong-willed! Just look at you!" Lilra whined, eliciting another delighted giggle. "

Awww

, is that nice, too? Do you like that, too?"

"Uh-huh?" Lilra whimpered, struggling to understand what Miss Gallica was referring to.

Miss Gallica smiled down at her, and cupped her under the chin.

"You like," she cooed sweetly, "when you're being just a little bit..."

She leaned in close, and whispered, as Lilra stared helplessly, captivated by those glowing green eyes...

"...

humiliated

," Miss Gallica purred.

Lilra's knees quaked. She shook her head desperately, chin exerting the slightest of pressures against Mistress's... against Miss Gallicia's grasp. "N-No. Please, I'm... I'm..."

"You're blushing like a rose, my darling!" Miss Gallica cooed, and giggled. "Oh,

so

easy to sink. If only I'd realized sooner!"

"I'm not." Lilra whimpered. She was normally... this was... she was safe from fey! She was always safe from fey! No one was able to... no one knew about how she... This wasn't... it wasn't... it wasn't fair!

"Now, now, darling," Miss Gallica said firmly, patting her cheek with one hand as the other petted her hair indulgently. "Silly things like you shouldn't try to argue. You'll just confuse yourself!"

"I."

"Isn't that right?"

"But."

Miss Gallica smiled down at her and batted her eyelashes. She ran a hair through Lilra's hair.

"Yes," Lilra whispered meekly.

"You like it when I play with you." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Lilra whined.

"Aww. Such a cute thing you are!" Miss Gallica giggled. "But yes

what?

"

Lilra trembled. She quivered. Her mind felt so delectably... fuzzy. Full. Heavy. The hands kept stroking her, and it was like they were stroking away her worries, her concerns, her will. The headpets scattered her thoughts, each one sending a puff of pink pollen into her mind. She couldn't stop breathing in the rosy perfume, couldn't stop swaying, couldn't stop whining like a helpless... a helpless...

"Yes, Mistress," she whimpered.

"That's right," Mistress Gallica purred, smirking. "And it feels so

goood

to give in, doesn't it?"

"I..." Lilra squeaked as Mistress Gallica leaned in and pulled her close. Very close. The proximity was drowning her in the scent, in the eyes, in the feeling of being... cuddled. Held.

Oh, gods, if the nymphs had tried

this

on her all those years ago, Lilra would be brainlessly licking flower petals by now, she realized in a mix of terror and fervent need, as she stared up into those lovely green eyes. She had never felt so susceptible. So suggestible. So subservient.

"Goodness!" Mistress Gallica tapped Lilra on the forehead several times, her expression unbearably smug. "Such a shameless little thing. You like surrendering deeper and deeper?"

"Uh..." Lilra felt the words being drawn out of her, felt herself being nodded along, and she couldn't help herself. She was being drowned, smothered with affection as Mistress Gallica cuddled and petted and stroked her. "... uh-huh?"

"Awww." Mistress Gallica tilted her head adorably to the side. "My adorable little

pet

."

At this, Lilra's heart caught. Before she could help herself, a needy little whine escaped her quivering lips.

Mistress Gallica raised an eyebrow, and then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh.

Oh

." She tickled Lilra under the chin, eliciting a helpless giggle of delight. "Do we like that, sweetie? Do we like that, my little darling?"

"N-Nuh," Lilra whined.

"Such a

whiny

thing." Mistress Gallica giggled, and sighed as Lilra felt herself wilting. She leaned in and kissed Lilra on the tip of her nose. "Silly. Don't worry your pretty little head about it, darling. I

looove

your whines."

Love. Lilra trembled. Love. That little word felt so... so unbearable. So wonderful. Overwhelming. She couldn't think straight. But she longed to hear it again.

"It's cute," Mistress Gallica cooed. She tapped Lilra on the nose, booping her repeatedly, and Lilra flushed in embarrassment. She was being treated like... like... oh, gods, it was so wonderful, and Mistress Gallica seemed to know just how to play her now. To play

with

her now, like she was... was some sort of

pet

. "Cute cute cute! Don't you like being cute for me, darling?"

"Uh..." Lilra whimpered and avoided Gallica's eye contact, focusing desperately on her own feet, a last agonizingly difficult gesture of resistance as she whispered, "Uh-huh?"

"Look in my eyes, pet."

Lilra tried not to. She tried not to so, so hard. She desperately tried to keep the words to herself, but even as she tried, she could feel the hands petting her hair seem to... seem to adjust, slightly, and she realized her head was being tilted upwards, guided ever-so-subtly...

"Look in my eyes, pet," Mistress Gallica cooed, her voice as sweet and warm and soft as flowing honey, poisonous honey. Honey that trickled into Lilra's fuzzy mind and filled it with molten gooey love and... and... sweetness.

And Lilra felt her eyes slipping into Mistress Gallica's again as she whimpered, "Yes."

Her voice was small. Very small. But she knew Mistress Gallica heard her. The proud and beautiful woman beamed down in delight, her expression dripping with smug, satisfied triumph.

Lilra's mind was dripping now, too. Drifting. Oozing. She felt like she was totally absorbed into trance right now, and it was all she could do not to just sink deeper and deeper down for Mistress, to just sink deeper into those eyes, to try her best to do everything she could to humiliate herself for Mistress's amusement.

Oh, it felt so wonderful. It felt so indescribably wonderful. Lilra didn't know how to not love it. She was drifting, and her mind felt so, so heavy, so weak, so submissive and vulnerable beneath the weight of the honey of Mistress's sweet words.

And her mistress's smile only widened. "What was that, my darling pet?"

Pet.

Pet

. Lilra whined. "Yes." Her voice was still weak, and quavered, but she felt a deep, intoxicating kind of happiness filtering into her, like sunlight through parting stormclouds, as she managed the word.

"Yes,

what?

" Mistress's eyes were filled with gentle patience, but also a kind of... expectation. As if she was used to her pets being quick to obey.

And Lilra wanted to be. She was melting at the very thought of being told she was good again. She couldn't help but let the sounds slip from her then, like everything was slipping from her then, like all semblance of control was draining from her.

"Yes, Mistress, I... yes, I like it," she whimpered. "Yes. Yes, Mistress. I like..." She shivered and quivered, feeling as light and frail as a dandelion puff in the wind as she saw Mistress raise an eyebrow, and she found herself babbling on. "I like it. I like... like..." She wasn't in control anymore, she realized, melting a little at the thought. The thought was almost freeing. "... I like... being... your cute pet," she whined, hearing her voice trembling, so small, so helpless and lost... "Please. Oh, I-I

can't

... I... I

like

it..."

Mistress smiled broadly and hugged her close, smothering Lilra's needy little whimpers with headpats and strokes. "Shh. Shh. Silly thing. Such a silly girl."