It’s Not A Dissection

[Seiji Lockard]

It had been far too long since Seiji had last seen the feline by the name of Humphries and he had a small feeling that perhaps the cat had been avoiding him. When he first came across the cat; and had to deal with Ghost almost eating him, he had made it clear that he did want to examine the cat. Humps had agreed and yet nothing had followed up after that. Seiji blamed himself a little bit with how he had gotten a bit busy with work and a few other things. However; now with the school year kicking in, things getting into full swing, and him having worked out a perfect balance with his schedule he felt now were the perfect time.

He had made sure to make the proper calls so that Humphries would be free from work for the whole day; just in case if the cat was sore after the test today. Seiji had already made sure to do a lot of research on the feline physiology and was confident that he knew what he was going to be looking for and doing for today’s test. The question now was if the cat was going to show up on his own accord if Seiji’s backup plan to have Humphries captured and brought here would have to come into effect. Yes, Humphries was a grown man- er cat but he still worked for the school.

That meant there were certain things he had to deal with and one of those was getting a checkup if it had been deemed necessary. Of course, Seiji had made a very strong case as to why this checkup was necessary and important to ensure that Humphries was healthy and nothing serious was present. After all, the cat had once been a human some time ago so Seiji just wanted to make sure that there were no other side-effects other than the ones that came with being stuck as a cat.

((Tag:Humphries))

[Humphries]

This whole thing didn't actually bother Humphries all that much. He could understand the necessity of getting a checkup, of making sure he was perfectly healthy. He also knew that he would only have so many more years, thanks to his decision to enter a feline form and all. The averaging out put him at having perhaps another five to ten, tops. Genetics were strange when it came to humans that had chosen to turn into a cat and remain that way, but that had always been the math as Humphries had heard it.

And he had promised this young man. Though he seemed to recall having done so before altering his form to make it slightly more difficult to locate him. The cat that now trotted into the side-effects lab would certainly be different than previous, albeit with the same mind and the same underlying genetics at the core.

This cat paused at the door, looked up, and let out a loud, growling meow, wanting to both announce his presence and his irritation at not being able to immediately enter the room.

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji had been finishing up the last touches of getting everything set up for today when he had heard the loud meow. He quickly grabbed the bag of cat treats and tucked them into one of the pockets of his lab coat that he quickly slipped on over top of his clothing. He tended to like to wear his lab coat when he was working; making it a bit more clear to others his job and that he was working. At least that was his thinking but he would not deny that he also enjoyed wearing a lab coat. "I'm coming!" Seiji called out as he quickly moved to open the lab door.

He had been expecting Humphries but before him was another cat. Well, Humphries was indeed a cat but he looked different than this one so who was this? It quickly clicked in Seiji's mind that it would make perfect sense for Humphries to be able to turn into another type of cat. For what purpose? He would ask, but for now he needed to get the formalities out there and hope that he was actually talking to Humphries and not some stray cat that managed to get on campus and was running around.

"Hello Humphries. It had been a while. How are you?" Seiji asked, quickly reaching into his pocket to pull out a treat from the bag and offering it to the feline. He did have to bend over so that Humphries did not have to like climb up him and he just hoped the cat liked what he got. He made sure to not get catnip but it was basically the next best thing. At least that was what the reviews said on the treats.

[Humphries]

The door opened and Humphries brushed past, not bothering with the formalities and not wanting to get caught on the other side of the door again. Soon he was sliding into the room and looking around, trying to figure out where the best place to position himself happened to be. There surely had to be some tables or a chair or something along those lines. Humphries turned toward the young man, ready to hear his suggestion and/or direction.

And that's when he noticed Seiji studying him strangely. The cat sat down and looked up, knowing that the slightly new form would likely take a bit for Seiji to readily identify. But Humphries had faith in the young man's intelligence, faith that was very quickly rewarded. "I'm doing well enough, thank you," he said via the device on his collar, the very British voice managing to even put in a bit of inflection despite being robotic in source.

Humphries noticed the treat, noticed Seiji descending and putting it before him. The cat gave it a long look. "Do you usually bribe people before you invite them in? I just want to know whether I should be holding out for a lolli or some other sweet."

[Seiji Lockard]

By the way the cat moved it looked like he wanted to get right down to business, but Seiji could not help but to want to be pleasant and make sure that there was an understanding between the two of them. He had been raised on manners being very important and it was next to impossible for him to go about things without having his manners. That meant greeting a person, asking how they were, and then offering them something. That was why he had done everything that he did, for those very reasons.

Once all of those factors had been met, then he could get down to business. It was odd that Humphries was in a different form and for a moment he wondered if Ghost had been sneaking out and trying to eat the feline. That would be a good reason to change form but it would not really change his scent so that could not have been the cause for the change. He was going to ask soon but first the formalities. He really could not just skip them. "That is good to hear, might I ask why your form is different?" Seiji asked.

He knew he should have made it a little easier for the cat to get up onto the examine table, but he figured the feline would be able to jump up high enough. If not, he would help him up but first there were the treat that he wanted Humphries to have at least one of. "Oh no, it's not a bribery. It's to make you feel comfortable and safe. People tend to feel comfortable and slowly start to trust those who give them things. Plus I read that cats really enjoy these treats." Seiji responded.

He would not give the cat a lollypop unless he wanted one and was chuckling at the thought of Humphries licking away at it. "If you want one and you work with me through this process, I'll give you one." Seiji responded, making sure that was clear.

[Humphries]

The question had Humphries looking up at Seiji. Most people didn't even comment on how he'd altered his shape to something else. Humphries either assumed that they didn't notice or simply didn't care. Seiji clearly either responded well to one or the other. "It it different? That's odd, I've been a cat for as long as I can remember," he simply jumped up, not seeing as though the form was any of Seiji's business for the time being. Part of Humphries wondered why this young man in particular was the one present here, but Seiji had struck Humphries as being intelligent and pleasant enough for such details to be overlooked for the time being.

So instead Humphries looked up toward the table, wondering if he needed to attempt the rather impressive leap. He probably could if he wanted to, but he didn't see why there couldn't be a chair or something. "I'm already safe," Humphries pointed out, glancing over at Seiji, "seeing as your attacking me would likely result in your being reprimanded at the least. I'm also not seeing any of your usual friends around," Humphries looked for a moment, but he already knew they wouldn't be there.

"Why don't you move something over so that I can get onto the table and we can get on with this? Then you can worry about giving me treats for me performance."

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji blinked a few times at Humphries words. Was he not aware that his form had changed? While he did understand that animals had a different understanding of what they looked like until they actually saw themselves in a mirror. Was that the case here? If it was he could understand that, but at the same time that made him worry if Humphries form was just changing and that the former human was not aware of it. That could mean that there was something seriously wrong or not, but all the same Seiji was adding that as something to look into.

“You are still a cat, but your overall appearance has changed but we can talk about it another time. I’ll take it into account for my test.” Seiji said, leaving the matter alone for now. Perhaps Humphries was playing dumb because he didn’t want to talk about. That didn’t help stop any of Seiji’s worry but he tried to at least not pry for now. “Well, yes of course you are safe. It’s just a way to ensure that you feel safer and more relaxed around me. It…never mind.” Seiji said, almost going to explain why it was something that helped with what he was doing.

He didn’t want to talk to the cat’s ear off and the feline probably didn’t care too much. Down to business then, which had Seiji setting the treats aside. His mind wondered what he could do with them supposed he could give it to the mice in the lab, they would likely eat it. “Oh no, I made sure to leave Sapphire in the other room, the office part.” Seiji said as he pointed to the closed door. It was not like Sapphire would come to bother them anyways, she was likely curled up under a heated lamp and enjoying being away from the other snakes.

“Oh right, so sorry.” Seiji said as she quickly moved a step up stool in front of the table which should have provided the cat with enough to be able to make his way up onto the table. Seiji was already buttoning up his lab coat then, slipping on his gloves and then pulling over the tray which had everything he needed for the test to day to be completed in a timely manner. “I’m going to first start of with taking some blood and fur samples.” Seiji pointed out as he got the needle ready and would get right to it once Humphries seemed settled and ready to go.

[Humphries]

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," Humphries responded. The translator didn't quite convey the sarcastic tone that Humphries truly wanted to use when saying those words, but he had a feeling that they would be conveyed nonetheless. He knew that some people were just absolutely fascinated by his very being after all. He certainly didn't mind the attention; he minded the condescension.

Relaxed, save, and so forth. Humphries just kept staring, his tail flicking. Did he care? Somewhat. Despite his surliness and reluctance, Humphries was at least partially interested in the young man and what he studied and what all that would uncover. However, he was a cat, and he also didn't want to look too interested in the whole thing. Too much encouragement and Humphries would end up a lab rat.

At least he wasn't going to end up diner. Humphries nodded his appreciation at that. He vocalized this with a "thank you" as the stools appeared. Two quick leaps and Humphries was up onto the table. he opted to sit, his haunch resting on the table with his forepaws tucked down below. His tail curled around and he watched the young man moving about, getting a needle ready.

"Blood samples? Do you normally get those for people or am I just special? You do realize that, besides the obvious, I'm not struggling with my power?" Humphries had to flick his tail again. Just keep being a pain, poke and see what turned up.

[Seiji Lockard]

He had not noticed? Seiji was not fully sure if Humphries was being honest or if he was being sarcastic. It was hard to tell when he had to base it off of the way a device sounded and that cat's body language. Then again, a cat’s body language always looked like it didn't really care. "I have a mirror if you would like to look at yourself at any point." Seiji just opted to say that for whatever the case might have been. He even pointed to where the mirror was for later if the feline decided he did wish to in fact see himself. With that out of the way, Seiji was moving on, and could not help but to feel a little nervous.

Not nervous in terms of what he was doing, but it always did make him feel a little off when he was not being asked question or if a person didn't really seem interested in what was going on. Perhaps it was his mind that made him always wants to ask question and know what was going on that he didn't understand why others did not do the same. No matter, he just went about his work, having made sure to get everything he needed that would help more specifically with a feline’s body. "No problem." Seiji responded back with a friendly smile when the cat thanked him and once the gloves were on, he went to work. He was pleased that Humphries choose to sit and that he was working with a cat who had been a human in the past so figure this whole process would not be too difficult.

He had already stuck the needle into the cat's font arm, drawing some blood quickly before he moved on to snip just a little bit of the cat's fur on his underside. "I do this for everyone." Seiji responded, still going about his work as he put the blood sample away and the fur into a little bad once he obtained it. "I know, many people can have no issues with their powers but that does not mean that everything is fine with their bodies. Side-effects of a power have a verity of different ways of affecting a person and I want to ensure that nothing out of the ordinary is accruing in your body. I'm certain you know you won't live as long as you would as a human, but it would be awful if you get some unique strain of sickness that would kill you off faster or be a threat to other humans or mutants." Seiji informed him.

He then moved off to get what he needed next, a saliva sample, which he hoped Humphries was not going to make that too difficult for him. "Can you open your mouth please?" Seiji asked, already having the swab ready.

[Humphries]

A mirror? Humphries gave the man a long look that tried to clearly communicate the immense doubt he had in the young man's mental faculties. If he didn't believe sarcasm and scientific knowledge to be wholly disconnected Humphries might have been a good deal more insistent upon getting someone else to do this. But Seiji kept right along, continuing to be as pleasant as a pediatrician.

and there was the needle, making Humphries hiss. "There are protocols, you know," he pointed out, growling slightly and clearly ready to start swiping if it came down to it. He'd heard the speech that followed before, enough so that he didn't really feel any reason to pay attention to it now. They all circled around the same few ideas.

"Is this your way of reminding me that I've chosen a life rife with feline diseases and a guaranteed shorter lifespan?" Humphries asked. "Because I've heard all that before. Everyone's quite keen to remind me, as if I'm not aware that continuing to stay in a feline form is aging me at a much greater rate, that I'm likely to end up dying in my forties instead of a much healthier eighty. I'll take the ten years of being what I feel like being, thank you very much."

And the suggestion to open his mouth. Humphries almost wanted to roll his eyes, but he obeyed, stretching wide. Seiji could see his tongue and his cheek twitching before the device spoke again: "Aaaaaaah"

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji didn’t say anything and kept to his work, even as he was given the look from the cat. He did not see it as a foolish offer, because what if the cat really was not fully self-aware. He didn’t know or fully understand just how deep Humphries ability affected his mind. He assumed that the cat still had normal human intelligence but in most cases with shifters the longer they remained in a form the more animal like they became. So that was what he was assuming at the moment, but that was not becoming so clear with how the feline was reacting.

Then again, he was still acting very much like a cat so it was still a little hard to tell. There are protocols? Seiji was confused on what the feline meant by that since he didn’t think that he had said or done anything that required protocols. He assumed it was for the needle, since that was when the cat hissed, but then again he was making a stab in the dark. He felt challenge that he was having such a difficult type fully understanding a cat, when he typically was pretty good at reading body language. “Sorry.” Seiji quickly apologized once he was done with the drawing of the blood and made sure to wipe the spot in case any blood decided it wanted to slip out a little bit.

He was already working on putting things away when Humphries was asking a question that made Seiji feel a little bad, but it was not like it was a lie. “I did not mean it that way specifically. I just mean that there are a lot of unforeseen risks that come with ending up stuck or choosing to live in such a way besides what you normally would expect.” Seiji pointed out as he grabbed his stethoscope to put around his neck and focused looking inside Humphries mouth once he opened up. “There is nothing wrong with choosing to live the way you do. I meant no offence. My job is just to ensure that I understand and do what I can for the side-effects that come with a power.” Seiji added, looking around the cat’s mouth before putting the stethoscope to the cat’s chest and checking his pulse.

[Humphries]

Naturally Seiji immediately started backtracking, insisting he didn't mean it that way. Humphries couldn't tell if the young man was earnest about it or simply cowering in response to Humphries' own anger. The cat didn't really care so long as he got what he wanted in the end. That was how it had always been and how he intended to have it be from this point onward.

Though he generally didn't have to take that into consideration for people who happened to be looking into his mouth at the time. The young man kept moving around before adjusting to put his instrument to Humphries' chest. The cat knew his heartbeat would be slightly irregular: it mostly matched a cat's but with just a little adjustment for the humanity within him. That more or less summed up Humphries' entire being, really, but he figured that Seiji would realize it soon enough.

For now, the cat simply started purring as loudly as possible, knowing precisely where that device was, what it did, and what the reaction would be. Humphries, yet again, didn't really care: he didn't like being examined and intended to be passive aggressive about it throughout the entire proceedings.

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji really did want to help and he meant every word that he said, since he never been one to lie. Lies ended up hurting people and he did not want to have to hurt someone unless he had to, and he rarely had to. Even if he was still not certain if Humphries was just behaving like his cat self or if he really had an issue, he was still moving ahead with the examination. He was getting done the basics first, and then once those were done he could test Humphries blood while they would take a quick break.

The question and problem Seiji was now wondering about what how he was going to get the feline to pee in a cup. That was going to be a big challenge or really awkward. It was not like he needed it, but pee samples were also a very good area to check if there were any problems. He supposed he could ask for the cats poop, but Seiji had a hard enough time dealing with urine that asking for feces seemed like it would be impossible. "I will be done soon." Seiji informed him, wanting the cat to know that this would not take too long and that Humphries could get back to his life.

The heart rate was a little out of whack, but he quickly made several guesses as to why that was the case. Nothing out of order, but the blood would reveal much more soon enough. Then there was the purring which had Seiji pulling the device away and trying to adjust it to try and focus on hearing the heart. His mouth opened to ask Humphries to stop purring but he was not sure if that was the way to ask. Could the cat even help it? Perhaps the cold against his chest somewhere felt good?

"Alright, now I'm just going to ask you a few personal questions while I get the blood test going. You sure you don't want that treat?" Seiji asked as he moved to put the blood inside a device and place the fur clipping under a microscope. He also still needed to grab the sheet of questions, multitasking for the win.

[Humphries]

Times such as these caused Humphries to wish that he were capable of rolling his eyes. He did keep reminding himself that Seiji meant well, that the earnest young man likely wanted to discover something, that it was natural curiosity driving him forward. In point of fact, that curiosity was admirable, certainly the sort of thing that would help propel an enterprising young man further into the field of science. Yet he still found himself not entirely thrilled with the experience as a whole. And he didn't quite appreciate the near derogatory way that the young man handled things.

"I'm fairly certain I don't need a treat just for answering questions," Humphries replied, "seeing as I'm an adult. Perhaps you should brush up on your feline anatomy. The kittens are the small, fluffy, uncoordinated ones." Humphries flicked his tail again, shuffling about. He could feel where the blood had been taken from and was fighting the urge to start licking the area obsessively. He could do that on his own time.

"Well? Ask away."

[Seiji Lockard]

“I didn’t mean it for that sake; just…well I suppose I was trying to offer you a reward for being a good sport; perhaps something nice to chew on while you answer questions.” Seiji responded. He didn’t mean to make it seem like he was bribing the cat or anything like that, he was just trying to be nice. It was at least clear that Humphries was not pleased by this whole event so he was trying his best to try and make things better in what ways he could. He could give the cat a treat for the moment and maybe some petting later when he did not need both of his hands. “I’m sorry; again I didn’t mean to offend.” Seiji responded as he looked a little sadden.

He didn’t like to upset people and it seemed like that was all he could do when it came to Humphries. He would have just gone silent then and went about his work, but he needed to talk for this bit. If Humphries knew how to write then he could have handed the questions off for him to take care of it. He still lay the question out in front of the cat and go from there, but he ignored how he was feeling for the sake of making sure to do his job properly. “How long have you been like this? Records provide a guess, but there is nothing set in stone it seems, so if you could recall such information…that would be great.” Seiji went ahead and said as soon as he got permission.

He would wait for a response, write it down, and then ask another question. It was probably best to speed through this so Humphries could get back to work and Seiji could stop feeling like he was doing something wrong. “Have you had any pains or feeling anything out of the ordinary?” Seiji followed up, and he meant in all aspects; from physical pain, to any changes in thoughts, or feelings towards anyone or anything.