Rocket still had a lot to learn about hir new world. It wasn't just what existed above the water, shi had known some of that already. But the concept of single-sexed beings was a bit of an oddity to hir. For hir kind, they were quite capable of fertilizing their own eggs. The rare male was only needed for a bit more genetic diversity. Though with hir new body, shi was a little unsure about how shi was supposed to fertlize hirself. Could shi do it internally or would shi need to use hir new sex organs? To give hir a better understanding of the 'two-party system', Rocket was given the assignment of speaking with some of the members of Project Hermaphroditus to learn what it was like to have only one sex.
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"I may not be the best person to ask about this," said Daffodil, "I felt I was born as the wrong sex."
"So did all the others," said Vita, "I'm the only one who identified as my own sex before changing."
"So why change?" asked Rocket.
"Love, really," said Vita, "Akia really loved me more than anyone else. I mean, it was a little weird at first, but I've gotten used to it."
"So, do you see yourself different from a man?" asked Rocket.
"Well, sort of. After all, I have the ability to bear cubs now. But Akia wants them first. I suppose Daffodil doesn't see hirself much different from a woman other than the ability to sire foals."
"I know I'm not like a woman," said Daffodil, "But I'm as close as I'll ever get. I'm not sure if I'll want to be a father myself, but I'm more concerned about the mother I'm about to be."
"Honestly, I don't think you'll get much of a different answer from the others," said Vita.
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However, the former females were able to give Rocket a more detailed account of what a fully female human has to put up with, something that was a bit of an enigma to Rocket. "So, human females are smaller and weaker than males, so they instinctively feel the need to keep safer?" asked Rocket.
"That's a rather antiquated point of view," said Kicheko, "Men have a few physical advantages, but really they're evenly matched in most ways. It's only been in the last century we've been able to break the barrier down."
"What barrier?" asked Rocket.
"The sex barrier that says that women need to be staying home with the kids while the men did all the hard work and make the big decisions," said Petra, "The old sex roles are outdated. We deserve equal treatment."
"So where do we herms fit into this?" asked Rocket.
"Technically, we should fit both sides, but I think we have our own separate platform," said Kicheko.
"Not for long," said Petra, "Soon everyone will see how awesome being a herm is." Shi had been a bit extra enthusiastic since Lysine had converted into another herm lion. Not entirely surprising given her name and tomboy attitude.
"You know we hyenas still outnumber you," said Kicheko, "Especially with our pregnant members."
"You had a head start, but we'll be gaining the advantage soon enough," said Petra. Shi didn't mean anything aggressive, but shi was known for having a pretty big competitive streak.
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"So, you're from the deepest ocean?" asked Rocket.
"Yes," said Allura, "We know less about dry land than you."
"We who?" asked Rocket.
"We as in us," said Allura, pointing at hir head and hir groin, "The males of our species are little more than a free-swimming pair of gonads. Now the gonads are inside us."
"I think I understand," said Rocket, "So in a way, you're never alone."
"Yes, but still lonely enough," said Allura, "Our thoughts are mostly of one mind, we think. We can't keep ourselves company, can't make our own eggs, not like you can."
"I'm not sure if I can make my own eggs either," said Rocket, "I'm not sure how this works."
"Perhaps we won't be lonely long," said Allura, "We have received much attention. We may have a mate, a human who will convert to be like us."
"I wonder if they'll think of themselves as 'we' too," said Rocket.
"Doubtful," said Allura, "We are two who became one. They would just be one."
"Well, maybe until we have mates, we can keep each other company," said Rocket.
Allura eyed Rocket. If their original fish forms, Rocket would only be a light snack for Allura, as unlikely it is for a killifish and an anglerfish to meet. Rocket was still smaller than Allura, even if shi did have a mix of masculine and feminine features. Allura found that rather cute. They couldn't really be mates because of Animalia's edict, but they could be good company. "We might like that," said Allura.