Monica was very grateful that big, hairy beastmen were a major turnoff for her. On top of everything else, she definitely didn't want to handle being attracted to Ashley's new form. She vowed to light a candle to Madame Erzulie, goddess of love and sexuality, in gratitude.
Ashley had already decided that fully human women like Monica didn't do anything for him. Without at least a touch of the fur, women were simply not very attractive to him.
"So" Monica was saying "I would get three internal operations. One to give you gills, one to alter your reproductive system to make you an egg-layer, I guess only females get that one, and a minor one to alter your digestive system to handle a diet of raw fish and seaweed. Then they take off your legs and give you a fishtail to match your altered genetics. I think they do a few other things to make people more hydrodynamic and cope with changes in pressure at different sea levels. Something to improve your vision and hearing underwater as well. I would have to work in the fisheries for seven years, that's Venus years that are a little shorter, to pay off the operation and transportation to Venus, and then I'd be free to go. There's a whole new civilization being built down there. The catch is that it's irreversible. If I do this, I'm never walking on land again. I'm probably never coming back to earth again."
"I'd miss you."
"I'll miss you too. We could communicate every once in a while, but in addition to the time gap there's the fact that I'd have to come partially above water to use the equipment--they don't have anything that works underwater to the surface, let alone space."
"You've thought about this a lot."
"I have." Monica paused. "And I'm going to do it. I always dreamed of being a mermaid, and I'm not going to let life go by without living my dream. You know that as much as anyone."
Ashley put down his eyepiece, which was flashing naughty pictures a minotaur lady across the room was sending him. "So when is your appointment to be transformed?"
"They do the transformations on Venus. I have about a week to wind up my affairs on earth, and then its goodbye to this planet, and then goodbye to land!"
Ashley raised his glass. "To mermaid Monica!"
Monica giggled. "To mermaid Monica!" She looked down. "And goodbye to you, legs!"