Dr. Jones didn't particularly need to see Oka. Her psychological profile was remarkably sound, considering the trauma she had been through. And since converting, she had adjust rather well, mostly because of who she was staying with. But Dr. Jones did want to check up on her for a few things.
"Oka, I trust you're feeling well," said Dr. Jones.
"Just fine, thanks," said Oka. She was dressed lightly because of the hot weather, which did show off a bit of her okapi body. She was tall, but not nearly as tall as a giraffe Animalian. Her body was built more like an average Animalian. Her height mainly came from her slightly longer-than-average legs and her foot-long neck. Her body was covered in chocolate-colored fur, except for arms and legs which had zebra-like stripes. Unlike a giraffe, she lacked horns on her head, a sexual dimorphism that makes her distinct from giraffes.
"Any trouble with adjusting?" asked Dr. Jones.
"Mostly just with figuring out what to do with my tongue," said Oka. She stuck out her long black tongue and licked over her nose before pulling it back. "When I first changed, I didn't know how to put it back in," she commented.
"Yes, I recall that," said Dr. Jones, thinking back.
==========
The woman was making it clear she wanted to keep her anonymity. The mask she wore looked like an old theatre mask. Though considering the scarring of her face, she had good reason to wear it. The trenchcoat may have been a bit overdone. She approached the desk and said, "I'm here for my treatment."
"Ah, we've been expecting you," said Judy, "It's 'Oka', right?"
"Yes, or it will be soon," said the woman, "Do you have the treatment ready?"
"Yes, but there's no immediate rush," said Judy, "Don't you want to meet your patrons?"
"My patrons?" asked Oka in confusion.
Just then, Annie and Stuart walked through a door. "Hi, I'm Annie and this is my mate, Stuart," said Annie.
Oka tilted her head, apparently confused. "But you're zebras," she said, "I asked to become an okapi."
"We've already got the okapi formula ready for you," said Judy, "Two doses so you can get your youth back."
"So how are they my patrons?" asked Oka.
"We just figured you might want a place to stay until you got yourself set up," said Stuart, "We don't mind sharing our place with you."
"As long as you don't mind if we want some alone time," said Annie, hugging her zebra stallion. She had grown to really like having sex with Stuart. She actually liked a lot about him, which was how she and Stuart ended up getting married during the group wedding for members of Homosexual Anonymous. Though not everyone at that wedding ended up pairing with the opposite sex counterpart. Ella and Simone are officially married each other, even though they have an open relationship with Tom and Frank. And the orca and shark couples may as well be in a four-way marriage for all Annie's able to comprehend about them.
"But why are you offering?" asked Oka, apparently not quite comprehending.
"Well, you really seem like someone who could use a few friends here," said Annie, "I've got a few other friends who'd like to help, but they're busy right now."
"I...I don't know what to say," said Oka.
"Are you ready for your conversion then?" asked Judy.
"Yes...but I'd rather be alone, if you don't mind," said Oka.
"Of course," said Judy, "Just go into one of the changing rooms and apply these patches to your skin." She handed Oka two dermal patches.
After Judy led Oka to one of the changing rooms, she came back and said to Annie and Stuart, "Now then, remember, you aren't supposed to pry too much into her past at first."
"Don't worry, I know how to coax a woman," said Annie, "She'll tell more about herself when she's ready. And I'm not in a rush to hear about her psycho dad anyways."
Stuart gave an angry snort and said, "He better not come here." When it came to intimidating animals, a zebra rarely springs first to mind. But when Stuart got mad, he could plenty intimidating. It helped that he had such huge muscles.
Eventually, Oka came back, wearing a dressing gown provided by Horizon Labs. She had converted very well, though her gown left a lot of her cleavage exposed. "So how do I loooo..." started Oka before her long tongue spilled out of her mouth.
"Not bad," said Annie, "You might wanna keep that tongue in check."
"Ah unno ow. Ah gan geg ih bag in mag mou," said Oka, a little hard to understand.
"We should probably ask the giraffes for help," said Judy.
==========
"I understand you've been keeping in touch with your brother," said Dr. Jones.
"Damian's being supportive...in his own way," said Oka.
"How is that?" asked Dr. Jones.
"Well, he tends to cuss me out at first when we first talk then he forgets about it and starts talking nicely," said Oka.
"Does he usually do that?" asked Dr. Jones.
"Yeah, he doesn't have a good control of his temper, but he never does anything more than swear before cooling off," said Oka.
"Hmm... It sounds like he has a case of coprolalia," said Dr. Jones.
"Say what?" asked Oka.
"Compulsive swearing," said Dr. Jones, "It's not a serious tic, though it sounds like it's compounded by a variation of bipolar disorder."
"How hold up," said Oka, "Just because our dad was crazy doesn't make Damian crazy. Well, not that crazy."
"Not necessarily," said Dr. Jones, "Some mental disorders are caused by imbalanced brain chemistry rather than past trauma. And such brain chemistry can be hereditary."
"You're not going to try and cure him, are you?" asked Oka.
"Only if he wants treatment," said Dr. Jones, "In any case, conversion is not strictly necessary. Medication is often enough to treat bipolar disorder."
"What do you use for compulsive cussing?" asked Oka.
"A swear jar."