ok her heart rate is stable. she’s coming up; turn the lights down
hey. you awake? can you hear me? don’t try to move your head, you’re still really drugged. i’m impressed you even moved that much. just blink once for yes and twice for no, ok?
good. hold still, i gotta test your nervous responses. eyes look good, frill retraction is- yeah, that’s good, ok, follow my finger with your eyes- ok, that’s perfect
how much do you remember? do you remember the surgery? the Ambassador Project? good, you’re up to speed. you’re in a clean room right now to try to limit your exposure to the environment and stress out your new senses
yeah, your eyesight and smell are going to be a lot more sensitive than you’re used to. touch and taste will probably be about the same, though your palate will likely change, and your hearing will be less sensitive but not in a way you won’t adjust to
try to focus on the scents. you can smell all of us individually, can’t you? is that interesting?
you think you can talk? that one’s usually kinda hard for new dragons.
“hungry.” yeah, i bet. we can bring you some sashimi if you want. we have an in-house chef who makes it for our dragon residents because fish makes up such a significant part of a dragon’s diet. does that sound good?
ok, we’ll get you a sampler plate in a bit. think you can lift your head? you won’t be able to eat if you can’t
ok, you’re still struggling a bit. tell you what, i’m gonna give you an adrenaline shot to help you burn the drugs off. this is gonna sting a bit; your scales are so thick that i have to punch in between your talons where they’re softer. ready?
hey, don’t hiss at me. you’re ok. pushing adrenaline now…
see, isn’t that better? you’re not thinking through pudding anymore, huh? can you lift your head now?
there you go. go slowly, girl, your balance probably isn’t back yet. i’d hate for you to roll right off the operating table. yeah, let me get you a mirror.
do you like it? oh, your eyes are getting watery- it’s ok, i promise. we recruit from therians for a reason. welcome home.
want to try out your wings and tail? no, you can’t fly, but you can move them around a bit. be careful with your wings, this room isn’t big enough for you to open them fully, but we’ll get you outside soon enough, don’t worry
i’m gonna turn the lights back up. it’s gonna get brighter. don’t worry, your pupils will handle it
think you can stand? be careful now, you weigh half a ton and if you fall i can’t catch you. just go one foot after the other- there you go! look at you!
ok, come over to these big doors. i’ll walk you over to the kitchen and we’ll get you some fish for your first meal as a dragon. how’s that sound?