Heather could only stare in shock and surprise as her grandmother finished her performance, much to the laughter and taunts from Animalia's ambassadors. Her grandmother had NEVER tolerated things like that before, let alone considered participating in it, and yet there she was, not only an Animalian, but a Theropod based Dinotopian, like her. A part of her couldn't believe that her grandmother would have gone along with this willingly and she was also embarrassed and shamed by it all. A part of her wanted to strike out in anger at Horizon going after her grandmother, but in the back of her mind there were some things that battled against that rather easily.
There was her conversation with Steve during her following of the riddles. There was the various conversations that she'd had with Sophie during the various research projects regarding Project Mesozoic. She'd found that especially surprising in that she'd remembered trying to kill both Sophie and Roland, and yet Sophie had seemed to be rather understanding and surprisingly forgiving with regard to their private talks. Of course the Rhino Guard had always been close at hand and Heather figured that a lot of that on Sophie's part was feeling rather secure, but then at the same time, they'd ended up talking about various things, including movies and so on. When that was then added to what Steve had told her regarding finding love with Ava and the sensation that she'd nearly robbed Sophie and Roland of that added to her own sense of shame. And that was what prevented her from responding in any sort of rage.
Heather only watched as Effie, or rather Tyra, descended a flight of stairs on the side of the stage when a pair of large hands touched her shoulders. Heather turned her head to see the two Rhino Guard members that had been assigned to guard her and monitor her as she participated in Horizon's project and the various punishments that were arranged for her. Behind them was Doctor Stein and a rather bookish looking man in a white polo shirt holding a large yellow notepad.
"Back to the cell?" Heather asked with narrowed eyes to Doctor Stein.
"Actually, we'll head to their dressing rooms, where we'll have more room to talk," Doctor Stein spoke and gestured to the bookish looking man, "This is Doctor Franklin Pyre. He's a psychologist contracted by the State of Nevada to run your evaluation. Your guards will be there for his protection."
"Okay..." Heather said slowly as she stood up and moved the chair that she'd been in around. It made a loud metal clunk as she set it down while Doctor Pyre walked around toward one of the doors where her grandmother was standing guard.
"You'd best behave yourself," Tyra said firmly to Heather as she opened the door to let Doctor Pyre head in first. Heather only nodded and followed Doctor Pyre in with the Rhino Guard members following along behind.
The dressing room seemed to be sort of a cross between a locker room and a private bathroom in some one's home. The floor was tiled and well polished with a large vanity along the wall near the door. Next to it was a sink. Heather also noticed that the vanity lacked many of the sorts of make up items that she'd figured went into clubs like this. Of course, most clubs like this had human performers that at times felt they needed those things. So far, she'd found that Animalians seemed to be far more accepting of how they "naturally" looked. Of course, given that they all had incredibly muscular bodies and with females while they gained rather Amazonian features in their transformations, it wasn't to the point that looked more male than female. In fact, Heather had even noticed in her own form with her enhanced bust and hips as well.
Heather remained standing and looked over to see Doctor Pyre sit down on a large wooden bench, which was between the rows of lockers where the Meat Market's dancers would put their normal clothing before changing into their costume for the show, in a way that he straddled it and had his pad set down in front of him. The two Rhino Guards ushered her forward so that she was standing in front of the bench while they stood behind her.
"So... how are you feeling?" Doctor Pyre asked.
"Excuse me?" Heather questioned.
"How are you feeling?" Doctor Pyre asked, "about yourself... your situation... what you did wrong... Anything wrong."
"A part of me is rather angry," Heather grumbled and crossed her arms.
"About what?" Doctor Pyre asked.
"That Horizon went and transformed my grandmother! I told them not to hurt her or use her as part of their experiments! I didn't want them to hurt her and... here she is... transformed by them," Heather answered, a growl on the edge of her voice.
"I've talked with Doctor Stein, your grandmother's transformation was entirely willing on her part and there are signed papers that can prove that," Doctor Pyre answered, "so Horizon didn't force her into anything."
Heather didn't say anything in response to that.
"So... is that REALLY why you're angry?" Doctor Pyre asked.
Heather looked down, her mind processing what the doctor had said. That her grandmother had accepted the transformation was a surprise, but in a way there was still the embarrassment at having all her "sins" revealed to her. She'd contested that she wasn't Heather Wilcox in her own defense in order to try leave it so that Effie would never learn of how far she'd fallen and die of a heart attack brought on by disappointment in her over how far she'd fallen. She'd even admitted that much to Sophie during one of their more private talks as part of the research for Project Mesozoic.
"I didn't want her to know how... how far I'd fallen," Heather sighed after a moment, "My Effie had always been kind to me and liked my drawings as a child... but life didn't go well for me and I didn't want her to feel the shame of my failures... To see how far I'd fallen. To be hurt by what I'd done."
"And what have you done?" Doctor Pyre asked.
"The attack on that girl from Animalia's web show... Sophie and her boyfriend... planning on doing the same to the rest of them," Heather said weakly, "I was so angry that they'd exposed my scheme in Costa Rica to get money for Effie and didn't want to go to a Costa Rican prison... and... simply looked for an easy route for revenge."
"Being angry with one's self is perfectly normal," Doctor Pyre commented, "though the main thing is to have some realization of what you're angry with and have the self control to not simply respond in anger. As anger doesn't help."
"I found that out the hard way," Heather said slowly as she looked down, "at... at least... Effie... err... Tyra... didn't reject me... in spite of everything."
Heather remembered the surprise at first seeing Tyra in her new form at the restaurant that the riddles had lead her to. She'd never expected to see her grandmother as a Syntixisaurus Rex Animalian and looking so confident in her new form, not to mention comfortable with it. Of course, Tyra gave her something of a talking to as they ate lunch and then returned to the Meat Market where the first clue had lead her to and the end of Heather's last punishment. But while Tyra was angry with her and disappointed in what she'd done, Heather never heard any hate in her grandmother's voice. In that, Heather felt some relief.
"Family can be a wonderful thing," Doctor Pyre commented, keeping notes of what Heather said and the physical actions she took.
"I let mine down," Heather said slowly and then remembered the momentary look of judgement that Steve gave her when he said, "I heard about what you did at my old school." He wasn't snarling, but there was clear frown and his ears were drawn back when he said that. Some of the things that Heather also noticed in the course of following the riddles helped show that despite her changed form, that it wasn't the end of the world as she'd commonly referred to it. She'd seen various Animalians going about their daily lives, and in many ways were doing things that she'd expected normal people to be doing. With that as she thought over things she looked up to Doctor Pyre, "I let a lot of people down."
"And what would you want?" Doctor Pyre asked, "to do?"
"Apologize to my grandma... to Sophie and her boyfriend... wish them to become happy pterosaurs together and that they have love," Heather said slowly, "and pay for what I've done..."
"And Animalia's Edicts?" Doctor Pyre asked, "How do you feel about them?"
"An interesting moral code... a shame I'd let my anger get the better of me to the point where I was willing to ignore it," Heather said slowly, "If freed into some kind of probation or protective custody... I'd follow them now."
"And you understand that anger isn't a justification for anything?" Doctor Pyre asked.
"Yes," Heather answered, "it only lead me into being embarrassed. And... I'm not entirely sure on how many real "friends" I'd be able to have now... given everything. Serves me right, I suppose."
With that, Doctor Pyre stood up and moved toward the door, motioning for Heather to follow. They exited the room to find Tyra, Doctor Stein, and Animalia's ambassadors waiting calmly outside the door. Doctor Pyre cleared his throat before he spoke.
"Based on this session and the notes that Horizon has provided in relation to Miss Wilcox's assistance in Project Mesozoic and what Animalia has provided with regard to the other punishments," Doctor Pyre began, "I would tend to agree with the initial defense's claim that much of her behavior was set by being unprepared for the predatory instincts that her Animalian form carried and was thus overwhelmed by them. The counseling and other conversations that Miss Wilcox has had would show a great deal of mental healing in that regard in that she has recognized where she was wrong and has shown real wish for repentance."
Doctor Pyre then turned to look to Tyra who seemed focused on him He cleared his throat and continued.
"In this, it is my opinion that Miss Wilcox's mental faculties are now presently healthy and would recommend to the state that she be kept in Animalia/Lyre in the custody of her grandmother and under a status of being under probation," Doctor Pyre spoke, "This will include monthly checks to see that Miss Wilcox meets all terms of said probation and that she is listening to her grandmother. Monthly therapy sessions with a local therapist as a means for miss Wilcox to get things off her chest will also be recommended."
Heather stood there quietly and with some surprise, but there was some relief. She wasn't free in that she could do whatever she wanted, and the suggestion would probably mean that Tyra would have to move to Lyre or Animalia for the length of her probation, but it would have her free in the sense that she wouldn't be constantly followed by the Rhino Guard when not in a cell. She'd have to start over, and she did get the sense that Tyra would have plenty to say to her about the things she'd done, but in a way it was as Sophie had said... Effie... now Tyra did still love her and that wouldn't change. In that, getting a chance TOO start over wasn't a bad thing.
"We'll look forward to your continued work with Project Mesozoic," Doctor Stein commented, "be it in providing samples to test... to share ideas... or perhaps just to keep Jeremy in line... We'll look forward to it."
"Perhaps... if you could arrange for a large enough set of pencils and markers... perhaps I could draw advertising posters for you," Heather offered.
"We may take you up on that part when we get to the reveal for Project Dinotopia this coming summer," Doctor Stein answered as behind him Sophie and Roland smiled while holding hands.