The chamber was unusually quiet until suddenly…
"THE RESULTS ARE OUT!"
The shout nearly blew the fur off Linda's ears.
Dr. Swaid stormed straight into Gaffer's chamber.
"Master, this is it! The first result!"
Those were the first words that entered Gaffer's chamber before the door had even finished sliding open.
Dr. Swaid didn't wait to be invited; he walked straight in, coat still smelling faintly of medicinal herbs and the faint mineral scent of the laboratories.
He extended a thin crystalline slate.
"Master Imoogi," he said, "this is the first result."
Gaffer accepted it without a flicker of concern, without even lifting his brows.
The man who could tear battlefields apart showed the same calm he'd show if handed a cup of venom.
He glanced at the writings.
The doctor continued, "It shows that the beast pet has no disease of any sort. It is entirely clean."
Gaffer nodded once.
There was never a moment he suspected otherwise. "Good."
Swaid nodded vigorously. "Yes, Master. This is only the first result of the first test."
Gaffer frowned. "How many tests did you run on the beast pet?"
Did this Anaconda dare stress that little rabbit out for the sake of tests?!
The doctor coughed. "Ah, only… three."
From the side, Scliff immediately scoffed, loud and judgmental. "Why so many on a mere beast pet?"
Doctor Swaid licked his lips, nervous. He held up another set of files.
"I also ran a test on the brain… on the adaptability of the beast pet. I wanted to see how far it has advanced as to what it can take, what it can't take. Its handling of stress, environment, learning, memory. It's just basic evaluation."
He paused, choosing his words with caution.
"Though it's… not surprising," he added gently, "that it cannot talk. Or that it hasn't transformed into man-form yet. It is likely its affinity is extremely low. And as a low-ranked beast, it is expected—meant—to be a beast pet, or beast food… rather than a beastman."
"And?"
"And," he added after a hesitant breath, "I… also ran a test on the gender. Although it isn't out yet and might take days."
Scliff scoffed immediately.
"Why run a gender test?" he snapped. "It's obvious that thing is male. There's no way it is female and would be a stray."
He scoffed again, as though the very idea irritated his skin. Female? Tsk! He'd worship at the rabbit's feet if truly it was a female. Tch!
"And the second test?" Ghaffar asked.
"It should come out today… possibly any moment."
While the grown-ups stressed over paperwork, Linda was dealing with a different brand of nonsense.
She sat on her hinds, forepaws balanced neatly as she stared into the conclave where the silver slim beast was asleep. Again!
Days had passed. And ever since the beastling young master discovered it could sleep naturally and peacefully, the little serpent was doing nothing but that.
Which meant Linda was bored and had no playmate now.
Instead, she had a newly-human goldfish doctor hovering awkwardly in front of her.
The medical officer knelt down in front of the corner bench where she perched.
Linda blinked.
Was that… a blush on his face?
The doctor swallowed as he looked at her, and then, very awkwardly, opened his arms in a gesture Gaffer usually used when he wanted her to hop into his arms.
Linda stared at him.
Was he expecting her to let him pick her up?
He better close those arms if that was his thought. She didn't just leap into any Tom, Dick, or Hardy that stretched their hands.
But when she didn't move, he only blushed harder and actual gold scales had started to flicker on his neck like sparkling embarrassment.
Linda's eyes widened. She instinctively hopped down to the dry floor.
Then he flapped his hands nervously. "W-Wait…. don't run! Don't move…!"
She hopped down anyway and stepped closer to him to look at him.
But when she stepped closer, the doctor panicked and stepped back, scales spreading faster now, their colors flushed.
His ears were already turning into gills.
Linda tilted her head. She didn't understand why he looked so… flustered. Or why his transformation was so slow.
She didn't know yet that low-rank beastmen transformed painfully and sluggishly. All she knew was that he was turning into a fish again.
She moved closer, lifting her paws to gesture that he needed to go find water now! But he only looked more confused and dumber. So she did the opposite of what he ordered.
She ran.
Her little paws slapped the floor as she hopped away, and behind her he frantically followed, dramatically flailing along, down the corridor, toward the reservoir.
"Beast pet! STOP!!" he wailed.
She did not.
"Stop! Stop! Don't run anymore! Little rabbit!"
She raced all the way to the reservoir, where the attendants had recently added extra water portions; a large bowl the size of a miniature swimming pool.
She stopped at the edge.
The doctor stumbled up behind her, breathing unevenly. His whole neck was covered in scales now; his shoulders were next. His ears were full gills now.
Linda pointed at the water with her paw, gesturing frantically.
Bend down! Bend down and go into it, clueless fish!
He stared blankly, not understanding a thing. He frowned, confused. "What are you trying to say? I don't understand."
He knelt down, leaning closer to her.
She moved quickly, nudging his arm just enough that his hand slid into the water.
WHOOSH!
His hand transformed instantly into something breathtaking. It became like a merman's: scaled, sleek, with beautiful webbed claws that glimmered a rosy gold.
He gasped.
He had never seen his own transformation look like this. He had never known he could look this… beautiful.
"I… I didn't know I could do that," he whispered.
His cheeks were practically glowing.
Then he looked at Linda.
"You…" he whispered, "you're making me realize these things."
He didn't even notice when he started talking freely.
"I really like you as you are, little rabbit," he said, cheeks red. "I like the way you play… The way you run. When I see you with the young master, I… I sometimes wish I could join your little club."
Before he knew it, he was pouring out his whole life.
"Do you know, I used to be so ashamed of myself, Little rabbit. I'm a worthless beastman. I was such a tiny beast-fish when the master found me… and because of the way I transform, always slow, always painful, because I'm a low-ranked beastman…"
His voice cracked softly. He touched the identity stone hanging at his neck.
"The master told me to join the medical team. He said maybe when a cure is found someday, I'll be the first to get it. And now that he's searching for a remedy for his son and the young master is doing better, I just hope one day I too will get healed so that I can be like the others. Strong. Ferocious. Dangerous. Intimidating. At least, now I know I am capable of being so beautiful."
He gave a small, watery laugh at himself.
Linda just listened, learning the term low-ranked beast and how it relates to slow transformation for the first time.
And the more he talked, finally comfortable, finally letting himself relax, the more the scales and gills slowly faded away.
Scale by scale, gill by gill, he reverted back to human again.
Linda watched thoughtfully.
Hmm. When he was flustered and panicked, he transformed. When he talked and calmed down, he un-transformed.
Maybe transformation… is tied to emotion?
It was only a guess.
She wasn't good with emotions in her past life. She had a low EQ.
Kids used to call her "stone-face" in high school. No one ever wanted to partner with her in school. She never even had a boyfriend.
The only thing she truly understood was animals.
So now, she couldn't read the doctor's flushed cheeks or stuttering breath as a crush on her.
She had no idea he was flustered because of her.
All she saw was him turning all red for some reason and panicking when she ran away. It was similar to when he was holding a paper the other day. He was so tense and was sweating and panicking.
So maybe emotions triggered it.
If she wanted to confirm that… she needed to fluster him again.
Linda narrowed her eyes with scientific bunny seriousness, then she leapt onto him with warning.
She decided to scare him!
"Wha—!!" he shrieked.
The doctor jolted, yanking his hands out of the water to catch her before she slipped.
His entire face turned blazing red. His ears too had a deep, embarrassed shade of red, and he quickly turned his face away to hide the foolish smile he couldn't hold down.
Linda stared up at him. He looked terrified.
She had no idea he was thinking: 'She jumped on me. She jumped on me..!' And that his heart was beating like a panicked fish in a net.
Rather she was focused on the fact that nothing was happening. He wasn't transforming yet.
She narrowed her eyes.
Time for Plan B— she decided he needed to be even more "scared."
She opened her tiny mouth wide, showing the two short rabbit teeth she believed were threatening. She lunged up as if to bite his nose. Her soft body plastered over his face, her little nose attacking his hair like a warrior fluff.
The man froze.
Then he turned red. All over. Redder than before.
Suddenly his head beneath her broadened. Scales shot across it.
When she lifted herself slightly to look, she saw a fish head on a human neck. Yes! She was right!
He must have been very terrified of her attack.
Poor goldfish's heart was thumping wild with affection instead of fear.
Now she had confirmed her guess was right, Linda hopped off, straight into the mini-pool below.
SPLASH!