"Shut up, Drasuk. You have a Mini Me manticorid tail, Ree. Rejoice."
"You don't understand, Kira. I accidentally cut Thivoll when I got my claws. What happens if I envenomate him?"
Thivoll chuffs. "You won't have venom, Ree. No female ever has it, but even if you did, I'm immune. Drakonids are only slowed by it, so I assume both Drasuk and Kira would be fine, too."
"Are you sure about that, Superkitty?" she asks. "What do you think that is?"
We all look closer at where Ree is pointing. There is a spike extended from it now, dripping a light purple substance.
"Dear Thela..." Thivoll breathes out, stunned.
"Come on, big dude, catch up. It was your DNA that changed her, and you already admitted to not knowing how this works. She's now a human-cat-lizard-scorpion, and let me just say, it's a hot look, Ree. Speaking of, once you're over your little existential crisis, how about you tell me what new tricks I got from Thivoll?"
Ree lets out a laugh and looks over at me while I tell the suit to recede.
Drasuk makes a displeased grumble but doesn't stop me from baring it all.
Ree's eyes widen. "Damn, Kira. You weren't lying about the science experiment."
"Thanks so much, girl. I just called you hot, remember?"
She shakes her head. "Oh, you look hot, in a seriously scary sort of way."
I purr. Literally. After a blink to adjust to that, I respond.
"My favorite way to look."
She smiles. "To answer your question, you have manticorid scales over your legs and arms, at least up until the red and blue drakonid skin. They are also on the front of your neck, across your upper chest and up onto the sides of your cheeks. Can you turn your leg?"
I pivot for her, feeling like I'm showing off a fancy set of shoes.
"You have a claw on the back of your heels, and I assume from the way your fingers look, you have black claws there."
I can't wait any longer and pull my arms up to my face, giddy. They are beautiful, in a monster mash-up sort of way.
"Are his scales bullet proof, too?"
"No, he's been shot."
"Damn, that sucks. But why not? If your so-called servitors have a thick enough hide on their backs to deflect bullets, why not you, Thivoll?"
"We were only able to modify existing traits, and only so far. Our scales are thicker than they once were, but drakonids hides started out tough enough to withstand random explosions of magma on their home world."
"Alright, well at least I got kitty scratchers."
It only takes a simple thought of needing them to make my new ebony claws extend.
Ree grunts. "Extending is the simple part. Retracting them takes more practice. I, uh, think of the polite claws that Thivoll taught me."
He lets out a chuff. "I knew it. And you teased me about that."
"Polite claws?" I ask with a laugh.
"You will need another method for Kira." Drasuk cuts in. "Nothing about her is polite."
My lips twitch, but I'm too busy trying to think up something polite to disagree with him. I realize he's right and so I switch strategies and think of picking up a wiggling puppy. They snick back into place.
I snort. "Don't you get sick of being wrong, Drasuk?"
