After Mel brought Sam's salad, Sam and Tricia carried on their conversation. As they talked, Trish noticed some of the annoyances of her new cow form. Using a fork with her new three-fingered hands was hard to get used to. Also, the long red fur growing on her wrists kept dipping into the salad bowl. She had to wipe off Thousand Island dressing from them with a napkin.
She quickly used the remote to remove the feathering from her arms and legs, leaving them with simple, short black fur just like the rest of her body. She did the same with Sam's blue feathering. Sam of course didn't notice and continued talking.
Tricia found it very strange to be discussing ordinary matters while in their severely mutated bodies. She stared into the bright-blue-on-deep-black eyes of her friend, who was behaving like nothing was amiss.
Trish listened as Sam talked about a friend who was visiting Spain. Once she was finished, Trish decided to bring up what should have been painfully obvious.
"Sam, are you trying a new look?" she asked.
Sam looked at Trish funny, then down at herself. She had to have noticed the larger breasts, the hair and the tail draped across her lap, and the black fur. Sam looked back up at Trish.
"No. What made you ask that?" she replied.
"Well, I'm just wondering why you wear your hair down. It's so long and everything."
"I always wear it like this," Sam explained with a patient, matter-of-fact tone that one uses to explain why two plus two equals four.
"You think you should style it? Or maybe cut it?"
Sam paused finally. Her eyes looked away as she thought. "I never considered it before. I guess...I always just wear it down because it's easy."
Trish was trying to poke some holes in the remote's Acceptance ability, and it looked like she was getting close. It couldn't have possibly altered Sam's mind completely. And if it could...that prospect was frightening.
"Sam," Trish leaned in closer, pushing her empty bowl aside and lowering her voice. "Do you ever wonder why the two of us are the only half-human, half-cows on the planet?"
Sam's eyes narrowed. "What's bugging you today? Don't get all self-conscious on me."
"I'm just saying."
"There have got to be more than just us two somewhere out there," Sam said confidently. "Besides, it's not like our physical differences are causing anyone else to treat us differently."
Trish decided to end the conversation there. She saw no point in pressing the topic in the crowded cafe. Sam acted as if the matter was settled and continued eating her salad.
Trish looked back down at the remote in her lap, wondering if she should keep experimenting at the table or wait until after they finished lunch.