Lin ultimately did get new clothes that fit her better, and she was quite pleased with her new form after her conversion. She recognized her newfound strength and was happy to see that she was no longer feeling the pressure that came from her morphine addiction. Lin was happy to show that off to Mai, who'd eventually even found her way to the area just outside the door to the conversion room, likely to be there for her friend.
"You're looking good," Mai said with a smile as she watched Lin flex for a moment and with Doctor Stein standing quietly behind them, "I bet all the boy Pandas will want you..."
"Or I might convince someone to become a Panda Animalian to be with me," Lin smiled, "at least if it is so far starting families and how Animalia's edicts work."
"I'm sure there will be plenty of guys back in Oregon that wouldn't mind... even if Pandas are vegetarians," Mai said with a smile.
Lin smiled and laughed a bit at this, though she was soon forced to pause a bit as Doctor Stein coughed a bit to clear his throat. The two paused and turned to look to him as he stood there waiting for their attention. Once he was sure he had it, Doctor Stein began speaking.
"Well, I'm glad to see you doing well..." Doctor Stein spoke, "but you will still have some acclamation classes to attend to."
"But Lin already had to fill out paperwork explaining her understanding of a Panda's instincts," Mai said to him, raising an eyebrow in surprise and disbelief.
"A lot of this isn't so much about recognizing a Panda's instincts as it is about adapting to the new strengths and potential limitations that Lin now has," Doctor Stein explains, "Ms. Lin is going to be much stronger than before and there are a lot of things where she's going to have to know where the limits of the things she's working with."
"You mean like making sure that I don't click a pen and push so hard that the main part of the pen is pushed through the opening?" Lin wondered.
"In a sense," Doctor Stein nodded.
"And what about places where I could go all out? See how strong I am now?" Lin wondered.
"The Claw Coliseum would work for that," Doctor Stein answered, "and to a degree, a lot of the acclimation classes are often there... particularly with those that ultimately return to homes outside of Animalia."
Lin smiled at that.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The report that Lin might need to stay in Lyre/Animalia a bit longer than was originally expected was a bit of a surprise, but Lin was ultimately accepting of that. To a great extent, she still flexed her fingers as she and Mai walked, and she could feel all the muscles in her hands. They were bigger now and Lin could feel it. She also glanced to her fingers and noted their thicker and almost stubby forms that looked like they could practically be a compromise between a Human hand and a mundane Panda's paw. It was something that could make handling paper a bit more difficult and where she could snap pens or pencils because she wasn't paying attention to how much strength she was putting into it.
And to a degree, spending time in Animalia wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Prior to Mai catching her morphine addiction and pushing Lin to convert to cure that issue, Lin may not have wanted to be an Animalian, but there was a degree of respect for them and their community. Particularly as they had managed to hold success in the US where the presence of Animalians wasn't initially thought to be likely to succeed. Northern Nevada was pretty conservative, even if the state as a whole was fairly liberal. Just about all of Texas and Florida were very conservative, and yet Lyre/Animalia, Dino City, and Dinotopia Aquatica did very well and had managed some degree of independence from being ground down by either local or state authorities. Lin admired and respected that, and to a degree that raised some curiosity on looking over Animalia while there. And with Mai there as a friend, Lin felt even better.
The Claw Coliseum came off like a good place to start, particularly if some of the acclimation classes would be there. It made for an impressive structure that both Lin and Mai noticed as they came in, along with the various Animalians and Humans coming in and out of the building. It was another of those things that further showed on how Animalia was contributing growth in the local economy and health of Lyre's community, and not just for its Animalian residents. That was all something that Lin could respect, and it left her whispering at things, and provided some opportunity for seeing what she could do with her new strength. It was all amazing and as Lin and Mai approached the front desk, Lin was so focused on looking in awe at everything that she didn't notice the Polar Bear Animalian walking right in front of her. The collision came suddenly, sent the Polar Bear Animalian staggering a step back while Lin bounced off and very nearly ended up on her rear before she recovered.
"Oh... I'm sorry..." Lin managed as she noted a Tigress Animalian looking to the Polar Bear Animalian, "I'd only just converted... and... well, I was taking everything in."
"It's okay," the Polar Bear Animalian answered and patted the hand of the Tigress Animalian, "I'm Molly... the Tigress is my wife Shelly."
"I'm Lin, and this my friend, Mai," Lin introduced herself, "you're not mad about me not paying attention?"
"Well..." Molly gave a smile, "you could pay more attention, but given that you're new... that's understandable."
"Thank you," Lin gave a smile of relief.
"What made you chose a Panda?" Shelly wondered.
"It's iconic... like a tiger's stripes," Lin shrugged, "and the Panda has always been cute."
"And your girlfriend didn't covert?" Molly asked, noting that Mai was still Human.
"We're not a romantic couple," Mai answered, "we've been platonic friends..."
"And Mai helped me get out of some real trouble," Lin added, "and now I'm looking to get a new start and see how strong I am while acclimating to things and being able to return to Oregon and get all the boys there interested in a Panda."
"And the place does seem interesting," Mai spoke and that got Lin nodded.
"Yeah... it's left me wanting to see just how strong I am now," Lin agreed.
"We could help you get started," Shelly commented, "Molly come here to work out and train fairly frequently."