Despite the several changes to his anatomy, Anton was still able to type quite easily. His claws weren't as large as other Animalians so they didn't get in the way. Though he still had trouble with thinking up things to write so that slowed him down a bit.
It was while he was typing that Marlysa found him. "What are you doing?" asked Marlysa.
"I'm working on a plan for Project White Lily," said Anton.
"Oh, that one offshoot of Project Phoenix that's focusing on steroid abusers?" asked Marlysa.
"Yes," said Anton, "They deserve as much of a second chance as anyone."
"You know, I know you've said abusing steroids is bad. But I know you never did, right?" asked Marlysa.
"Nope, I built up my muscles the old-fashioned and honest way," said Anton.
"But why exactly is misusing steroids bad?" asked Marlysa, "I know that some steroids are good and I know that using the wrong steroids for the wrong reasons is cheating, but what else is the problem?"
"Well, the good steroids are the one that doctors prescribe, the ones that are meant to be used for medicinal, healing purposes. Like the skin cream you use for bad chafing," said Anton, "But the anabolic steroids that people abuse are basically a synthetic version of male testosterone that's supposed to build up more muscles."
"I can see why that would be considered cheating," said Marlysa.
"There are worse things about it," said Anton, "The short-term effects of steroid abuse are nasty enough. People become more aggressive, hungrier, and withdrawal exacerbates it. But long-term effects could be worse. The fluctuations of hormones weakens the pancreas, the liver, the heart, and the immunity system. People are lucky if they only get diabetes from such abuse, it could be a lot more lethal in other ways."
"And you want to help the people who have suffered from steroid abuse and want to heal. I can appreciate that," said Marlysa, "But what I don't understand is why go through the effort of establishing a special project for them? They're just as welcome to go through Project Phoenix like everyone else."
"Project White Lily is more than just healing them," said Anton, "Actually, I would hope that there'd be less need to resort to conversion. It's not that I have anything against it, but I want people to think they resort to less extreme measures to improve themselves. This project is going to be all about cleansing. Not just the steroids from their systems, but about what drove them to abuse steroids in the first place; the ego, their fear, the self-confidence. Also, this project will also be focusing on a natural and healthier way to build up muscles. The less we rely on the Animalia virus, the better. If it became the cure for everyone, we'd have more Animalians than we'd be able to handle. Besides, it would make the current government feel more secure that we're not becoming too numerous."
"Well, that certainly is a lofty goal," said Marlysa, "And you know you can count on me to support you."
"I know I can," said Anton with a loving smile at his wife.
"Just one more thing, why White Lily?" asked Marlysa.
"Because the white lily is a symbol of purity and it's my favorite flower," said Anton.
"But aren't lilies funeral flowers?" asked Marlysa.
Anton paused before saying, "Well, yes, but we're focusing more on purity here."