Sandra the anole, at barely over one foot tall, stood trembling in terror as the snake woman sat down at the table and curled her tail over the arm of the chair.
"P-Please..." The tiny lizard woman squeaked, don't hurt me.
"I have no intention to." Boss blinked evenly. "I'm not a monsssster."
"I-I know." The lizardess gulped. "I'm sorry. It's just..."
"I know. I get it." The cobra said gently, reaching for the anole's little shoulder and giving her a comforting rub between her fingers. "A lot hasss happened today. But you know what?" The snake smiled warmly. This seemed to reassure the anole a little. She stopped shaking at least. "What would you ssssay if I told you I would be happy to change you back?"
"Oh my God!" The anole practically cried, putting her hands over her snout and tearing up. "Do you mean it?"
"Of coursssse darling." The cobra raised the remote onto the table. "I'm ssssure you have a family and somewhere to go home to. Right?"
"Yes." The former zookeeper sat down in her oversized shirt and breathed a sigh of relief. "Of course. I was terrified I'd be a little lizard chick forever. And... and... being changed in the first place was scary. Can... can you do it now?"
"Yesss." The cobra nodded, still smiling warmly. "Or... you could sssstay a lizard a little longer. I could grow you up to a larger sssssize. We could hang out."
The anole blinked and seemed taken aback. "Why would I want to stay a lizard?" Sandra asked.
"Well... think about it." The snake smiled. "You're actually kind of free this way. You wouldn't have to work. Nothing to worry about. And we're going to start building thisssss zoo up into a sort of... animal commune. Issss that the idea? Either way, it'ssss your choice. I could turn you back into a boring human with a boring life. Or, I could leave you a lizard and make you a big ssssexy reptile."
This caught the anole's attention and she gasped. "Why... why would..."
"Do you know what'ssss neat?" The cobra grinned. "Thissss little box tellsssss me everything about you. Your mind. Your likesss. Your dislikessss. Your desiressss. Your... interessssting preferencessss."
"Oh my God." The anole said weakly. "It does?"
"It doessss, little lady." She turned the screen for the lizard to see and the anole paled a lighter green as she read her own incredibly embarassing psyche profile laid out in list form. She liked reptiles. She... liked reptiles a lot. She loved being close to them, even if she hated the job. "I have one quesssstion though."
"Yes?" The anole said weakly, cuddling into herself and gulping.
"I don't mean you any ill will. But why did you treat ussss sssooo badly? Why did you starve poor Gretta and Fred and leave usss in our own filth?"
The former human began to cry now. "I... I hate this zoo. I hate this place. I know it's no excuse, but... I got stuck here out of college and I'm just paying bills. I..."
The snake looked down slightly and awkwardly and shrugged. "Okay. Lissssten. I'm willing to move on if you are. You have to be a better perssssson though."
"Will... will you still grow me?" The anole sniffled.
The cobra chuckled slightly and nodded. "Not... change back?"
Again, the anole blushed slightly greener.
"I ssssee." The snake said coyly. "Yessss, I can make you a big lovely reptile woman. But, there issss one more thing."
"Y-Yes?" The anole gulped.
"What happened to Todd? Do you know where he issss?"