Miriam Strite, or rather Evelyn, after her conversion to a Forest Cobra Animalian knew she wasn't fully free after her conversion. Animalians did seem to look at making sure that the Animalia Virus was well contained and controlled, making sure that there was no massed and uncontrolled spread. It made some of Ki-ko's concerns about "Miriam" carrying HIV/AIDS during the conversion make sense. Even with that disease now cured, Evelyn knew that her past would have its consequences. She'd avoided the worst of the possible punishments for deliberately spreading a fatal disease among various homosexuals, but that didn't mean that the past wouldn't catch up with her and they would be something that wouldn't be easy to overcome.
For the things she'd done weren't necessarily kind, regardless of what triggered the behavior. But Evelyn had committed herself to a new life and a new start, regardless of the consequences that came down on her from her old one. One of them related to those that she had "wronged" in the past and that came as part of sets of counseling with a Doctor Jones that related to many of those issues. She was seated in a coiled position, still getting used her new tongue and her new tail. Some things came instinctively while others took a bit of work and Doctor Jones was more than happy to press forward with certain issues.
"I do not know about thissssss," Evelyn said slowly as she looked the Human therapist who was seated across from her.
"A lot of this will be crucial for both your healing and for hers," Doctor Jones spoke, "given what both of you have gone through... bottling things up and trying to excuse things won't help you, and holding on to what you did to her won't fully help her either. This isn't an attempt to make you friends... but once the police lower the key points at which they've had their surveillance over you... there will be the potential that you will run into people that might not respond well to things you've done in the past. And Animalia wouldn't like you or her holding onto past resentments and potentially fighting."
Evelyn slumped down and nodded a bit as Doctor Jones got up and moved to the door that was behind Evelyn. She turned to follow him as he walked and noted the small box that was outlined in Doctor Jones' front pants pockets, which housed a sort of panic button should Evelyn decide to be more aggressive, since Doctor Jones wouldn't allow even Animalia's officers into the main therapy rooms with him while a session was in progress. Evelyn saw that as a reminder of the legal troubles she had, given the things she'd done in the past, even though her intentions really weren't violent. Some of the counseling that was offered and she accepted as part of her "punishment" was partially to try and work through her issues from her past and what she hoped for with the future. She had no desire for fighting.
Doctor Jones calmly opened the door and looked out to the two that were standing outside the doorway. The female was a bit nervous but seemed reasonably calm and mostly leaned against the male that was with her. Two of Animalia's officers were also on station for the moment, but they stood by quietly for the moment. Doctor Jones looked to the two that he had come for and spoke, "Okay, I believe she is ready to talk with you... if you can come in."
As Doctor Jones came back from the door, he held it opened to reveal two figures. Both were Zebra Animalians, though Evelyn was unsure as to which specific species, though that didn't matter. One was male and was reasonably fit, but the other was female and very well fit, and Evelyn could see that in the curve of the female Zebra's biceps with the black and white stripes stretched over them. The two noted Evelyn but said little as they collected a set of folding chairs by the wall and then moved them back so that they could set them down near Doctor Jones' chair.
"Now... Evelyn, you may remember Annie," Doctor Jones spoke as he gestured to the female Zebra Animalian, before then gesturing to the male, "this is her husband Stuart."
"Ssssssssssssssssssso you are cured too," Evelyn said weakly.
"Converting cured the HIV YOU gave me, yes," Annie answered with a firm tone to it, which Evelyn could easily hear.
"I'm... I'm ssssssssorry," Evelyn managed, noting Annie flexing her fingers for a moment, "it's well... I was raisssssssssssssssed that... everything ssssssssssssssssssssexual between women was sssssssssssssssinful... and I... I couldn't accept that I was attracted to what I couldn't..."
"Becoming an Animalian doesn't necessarily cure that part," Annie answered with narrowed eyes.
"But you have a hussssssssband," Evelyn pointed to Stuart, "who isssssssssssss most definitely male."
"That hasn't changed my attraction women," Annie answered back with narrowed eyes, "Animalian conversion with regard to homosexuals would create something of a bisexual status. It doesn't make them one hundred percent straight and doesn't change who they are... and there are some women that I've met in Animalia that would be more than happy for a night together..."
Annie's mind drifted to some thoughts on Ella and Simone, as the three had occasionally met for what ended up being some threesomes here and there while Ella and Simone also talked about some of the small successes the dance club they'd started had. There were some others as well from some of the Homosexuals Anonymous meetings as well, and Stuart had been quite open with regard to that sort of thing. It made her marriage with him rather open, but that actually became something of an endearing trait that drew her emotionally closer to Stuart than she ever would have expected. Yes, he was a bit hornier than most other Animalians, but his personality was quite accepting and that was ultimately something more than physical attraction.
"And as for Stuart... it's because of his personality," Annie continued, "he is a kind and open minded man, not closed off to things. He understands that I am bisexual thanks to the conversion and that I will have needs that a man can't always provide... and he doesn't judge me for that. And it's that personality that I fell for. Our marriage is not just about sex. It goes deeper than that."
"And it's not like there is anything necessarily wrong with being homosexual or bisexual," Stuart added, "I even saw a video on YouTube that had this guy talking about sexuality among unuplifted animals... and the video made some commentary that many of them even showed things that would be some element of bisexuality that goes on in nature. Sorta going against the whole argument that homosexuality is an unnatural sin."
"Tell that to my parentssssssssssssssssss," Evelyn answered with more bitterness than anything else she'd said, "always saying be mindful... be ssssssssstraight... God issss againsssssssssst thissssssssss... God is against that. Left me with the baggage."
Annie noticed that, and despite the issues that had left her with HIV before her conversion, she could recognize the real pain that was present in Evelyn's voice. The hissing lisp didn't hide that, and from what Annie knew was that most snake and lizard Animalians would get better with time and practice when it came to words that would sound like they had the letter "s" in them. The big thing though was the pain that was there, and to a certain extent, Annie was surprised by it. She'd suspected some of the motives in Miriam's behavior, but while she'd been frustrated with what had happened to her, she didn't fully expect Miriam/Evelyn to have been as traumatized by her upbringing as she sounded.
"That isn't your fault... what they left behind was their problem," Annie commented, her tone a bit softer, "what was up to you was to be able to make a decision for yourself... Surely you had some measure of freedom... to find sources of information beyond just what your parents and church gave you.... Right?"
"I could look at other thingsssssssssssssssss," Evelyn said slowly, "but I wasssssssssssss alwaysssssssssssss told they were lying and should never be trussssssssssssssssted, excccccccccccccccept for what agreed with the book."
"That... that must have been tough," Annie managed after a moment.
"It got worssssssse when my folksssssssssssssssss caught HIV and then me," Evelyn nodded, "no compasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssion for me. And all I wanted was acccccccccccccccccccccceptancccccccccccccccccce from what I knew."
"I take it they never accepted the whole "avenging angel" thing?" Stuart asked.
"Yesss," Evelyn managed.
"Well... that should give you a new start at things, then," Stuart offered, "a chance to learn and see that whatever that church your family was in... perverted what is good in religion to push rather dark version of it."
"That is why I acccccccccccepted conversssssssssssssssion," Evelyn managed. "A new sssssssssssssstart."
"And there will be nothing wrong with that," Annie said slowly, "and that new start... might earn you the respect that you may want..."