Huge thanks to Kranfoel, McHanz, Lil_Proto, and Delta-Soldier. You guys helped a lot with the proofreading!
Tightly holding Neon's hand, you slowly guide her through the door. With mild amusement, you watch her stare at the tiled floor, slowly stretching out her foot, flinching as soon as she touches it.
'No grass.'
'There is no grass here, but you can step on it.'
Neon looks up to you before bringing her foot back onto the floor again, this time without flinching, putting pressure on her step.
'Feels different.'
'Does it bother you?'
'A little.'
*Beep?*
The lion robot beeps, grabbing your attention. You look up to see the robot looking at you tilting its head with a question mark appearing on its screen.
"Everything's fine. She is just nervous, never been out of the biome before."
The robot nods in understanding, watching you coaxing Neon out of the biome. Neon then lifts up her other foot on instinct, shaking but never taking her sights off the floor. Eventually, she manages to place both feet on the tiled floor, ready to move forward.
Seeing this, you place your hand on her shoulder and gently motion her towards the robot. The robot smiles and continues its mission to guide you to the Doctor that sent him.
Looking up to keep track of the robot, you see that you are in some sort of observation room, where there are computers, papers scattered everywhere and a transparent wall that shows the inside of the biome.
'Wall is missing?'
'Not really, it's just transparent, we can see through it from here rather than in the biome.'
'But how?'
'Wish I could explain it.'
Looking around, you notice that one of these computers was left on, revealing live camera footage on the biome. Right now, the camera feed shows the Chimera behemoth curled up in a ball, where each of the heads huddles together, shuddering.
'How powerful is her hypnosis?'
'Enough.'
You flinch at the response, realising you accidentally shared your thoughts with Neon.
'Good to know.'
'Where?' Neon asks, looking around to see the strange machines.
'Must be a lab of some kind.'
'Lab?'
'It's a place where people research and study, I think.'
Neon seemingly wants to ask more but seems content with the answer for now.
'What's that?'
'That is a computer.'
'Purpose?'
'To do...work?'
'Explain?'
'Umm sorry Neon...I can barely remember how most of these things work now. Maybe when we have the chance we can find out together.'
'Oh...' Neon's ears droop down in disappointment. She then looks up, her ears perking up as she spots another object of interest.
'What's that?' Neon asks, pointing towards an object. You follow her direction to what she is pointing at.
'That's a book'
'That?' She points to a different object.
'That's a trash can.'
'And that?'
'That's a fan.'
Truthfully, you don't mind one bit about answering Neon's questions. If anything, you find it adorable seeing her wonder with awe and curiosity as she gawks at every little object she sees.
'Many strange things...'
'I know it can be overwhelming Neon...are you ok?'
Neon simply nods as she holds your hand tightly, drawing strength from your encouragement and guidance. Following the robot close behind, Neon seems to look down in thought, seemingly gazing at her own footsteps. Suddenly, her ear twitches as her neon eyes look up at you.
'Others?'
'Others? You mean other latex?'
'Yes...latex nearby?'
'Well judging from how frequently I met them, I would say it won't be long.'
'They different?'
'Different? In what regard?'
'How they act.'
'It...really depends on whom you are talking to. Some good, some...different. But not necessarily in a bad way. They're like you and me.'
Neon's eyes flare for a second, looking down as she hums in thought.
'Tell past?'
'My past? Like all the latexes I met?'
'Yes! And Lab.'
'When we get the chance, I can tell you everything.'
'Promise?'
'Of course.'
Neon purrs as you continue to guide her along with the robot. The robot stops by a door, facing an electronic device with a screen. The screen boots on and a pair of white rectangular eyes appear on the screen as it shifts its gaze onto the robot.
"There you are Proto. I assume your task provided by Dr K was a success?"
*Beep!*
The robot beeps, grabbing your arm with a gentle tug, motioning you to come closer. Following the robot's request, you stand next to the robot, while Neon huddles close behind you, nervous yet curious about the device.
'Another robot?'
'Think so. Don't worry though, I'll handle it.'
The screen shifts its eyes onto you, blinking in response before its eyes widen in shock.
"Oh my goodness. Colin is that you?"
You did not expect such a comment from the A.I., seriously...what is going on here??
"Yes...my name is Colin. Why?"
"Colin. Your ID in the registration has long since expired and needs a serious update along with countless other IDs. Normally in a situation like this, it is assumed that the worst has happened. Where were you this whole time?"
"I was frozen in a stasis pod."
"Hmm..." The A.I. hums and a few quiet beeps can be heard.
"This is a reasonable explanation, though the chances of arriving at said stasis pod according to my login entry...or what's left of it, should be nigh impossible."
"Impossible? How so?"
"However, the fact that you're here alive and well computes with the possibility. So this stands. Now...as much as I want to let you in...I will need to renew your identification," the A.I. says, ignoring your question.
"My identification?"
"Correct. This is mostly to ensure users get continued access to the greenhouse and other restricted areas. But since your current I.D. photo has expired in my database, I will have to create a new one."
"And...how do I do that?"
"Just stand directly in front of me and I'll take care of the rest. Proto? Would you move out of the way?"
Proto wordlessly moves out of the way, allowing you space to stand in front of the A.I., despite your confusion with Neon close behind. You look at the A.I. as it looks up to you with expectation as time passes by.
'What happened?'
'This robot seems surprised to see me.'
'It is?'
'Yeah, it is strange.'
"Colin. No pets are allowed in the I.D."
"Seriously?"
"I am simply following the procedure Colin, I can't go against my programming much like Proto couldn't."
Sighing in frustration, you look up to Neon, reaching out to her through telepathy.
'Neon, I'm gonna need you to step back a bit, this robot won't let us through until you do so.'
'Are you sure?'
'Positive. Should only take about a few seconds, don't worry.'
Though hesitant, Neon lets go of your hand as she steps back, her tail coiling around her legs as she waits. Seeing this, the A.I. speaks:
"Excellent, now keep your eyes on me Colin, this won't take long."
Focusing your attention on the A.I., the robot's eyes turn into a camera and with a click, the A.I. eyes go back to its rectangular eyes, presumably taking the photo it needs.
"Registration complete. Welcome back Colin."
*Click*
And with that, Proto heads to the door, pushing through, holding the door for you and Neon, gesturing you to follow through. Through the door, you can tell there are a lot of plants growing on the ground, a greenhouse perhaps? Before you could call out to Neon, she quickly grabs your hand, restoring the telepathic connection.
'That jungle?'
'It's not a jungle but there should be plenty of plants. I say it's a good place to start. I know the lab is overwhelming for you but I'm here to support you ok?'
Neon nods, returning her gaze through the door, excitement builds inside her as she sees something familiar...yet different.
Stepping through the door with Neon close behind, you take in your surroundings. The greenhouse is small but overrun with plants sprouting everywhere. Almost every inch of the room save for the entrance is covered with grass, with a few trees with branches hanging low. One of the branches shakes, as a squirrel hops along the branch, jumping onto the next branch leading to another tree. Looking to your right, you can see a large glass window with sunlight piercing through, reaching the plants.
'Where...are we?'
'I...can't say...'
'Like jungle? Maybe?'
*Beep?*
Proto beeps, grabbing your attention and pointing towards the other side of the room.
"Right right, we were just trying to figure out where we are."
*Beep?*
"Umm..."
*Beep.*
Proto beeps in an assuring tone, projecting a few images for you. The projection shows the word 'Greenhouse' before switching to a picture.
At first, you see what seems to be a picture of a few trees and bushes, with the word 'Before' on the bottom right of the picture.
It then switches to the same picture except the trees and bushes now bear fruit and vegetables, with the word 'After' at the bottom right of the picture. The pictures are enough to jog your memory.
"Ohhh! Now I remember."
*Beep!*
Proto beeps with satisfaction before dispersing the projection.
'What metal say?'
'He is saying we are in a 'Greenhouse', a place where food is grown.'
'Greenhouse? Not jungle?'
'No, but I don't think it's meant to grow this much. Looks overrun.' You communicate, taking in the sights.
*Beep!*
Proto beeps, grabbing your attention and pointing towards the other side of the greenhouse again.
"We are coming! We are just taking in the sights!"
*Beep Beep!*
Proto beeps, followed by jumping and clapping in excitement.
"Ummm...what are you trying to say?"
*Beep...*
Proto then stretches out its arm, gesturing to the greenhouse with a wave of its arm.
*Beep!*
He then points to himself with a smile. You consider the meaning of the gestures, piecing them together.
"Are you saying you tended to the greenhouse all by yourself?"
*Beep!*
Proto beeps, confirming your deduction. You take another look at the greenhouse, evaluating it. Despite being overrun, it still has a sense of being well-kept.
"Impressive."
*Beep Beep!*
Proto beeps excitedly, placing its hands on its hips, beaming with pride and accomplishment.
'What metal say?' Neon communicates, peering over your shoulder to spy on the robot.
'He said he had tended to the greenhouse all by himself.'
'Metal made trees?'
'I think it's more like he made sure it grew healthy.'
Neon looks around in confusion, struggling to understand how Proto could make the trees grow. Looking ahead, Neon quickly walks past you, releasing her grip on your hand as she approaches the edge of the grass. Lifting her foot, she steps onto the grass, breathing a sigh of relief, before placing her other foot onto the grass.
You can see her smile, happy to return to something she is familiar with despite the short amount of time since she has left the biome. Looking to her left, she sees a large tree before running to it, her paw brushing against it.
You stand close to her, reaching out and placing your hand on her shoulder. She flinches, her fur puffing out slightly but calming down quickly, returning to normal. She turns around to face you, feeling a sense of awe coming from her.
'Tree...it's the same.'
'Like back in the jungle?'
'Yes. Familiar...more comfortable...'
You smile in understanding, happy to hear she finds her new surroundings familiar. This should make it easier to introduce her to the other parts of the institute and eventually to the outside world.
'I'm glad to hear Neon.'
Neon didn't respond, too drawn with her new surroundings. She scans around, looking for something.
'Where others?'
'Other latex? There could be one nearby.'
'Friendly?'
'Hopefully. More often than not they mean no harm.'
'Mean latex?'
'Umm...'
Thoughts of a certain snow leopard and goat crawl into your mind.
'...a few...'
Neon notices your discomfort but she thankfully decides not to press on about it. She leans over your shoulder, looking at something.
'Robot.'
'Proto? Is he right behind-'
*Beep!*
A loud beep rang behind you, causing you to jump in fright. You quickly turn to face the robot with an angry glare. Proto doesn't seem to notice but continues to beep.
*Beep beep beep!*
"What's wrong?" you ask, trying to understand the robot.
Proto then projects an image of him watering the plants, trimming some bushes and petting a brown latex dog for bringing the watering can.
The projection switches to a hologram screen on what appears to be a...
"A to-do list...?"
The to-do list contains a list of chores, mainly composed of garden-related tasks such as shearing branches, watering plants...depositing oranges into the battery machine?
"I'm not gonna ask about that one."
*Beep*
The robot turns and starts to walk in another direction. Seeing this, you quickly rush towards the robot.
"Wait woah woah! Hang on! Proto! Where are you going?"
*Beep*
The robot turns, showing the to-do list again.
"Yeah, but aren't you supposed to take us to the Doctor??"
Proto nods in response.
"Then shouldn't you take us to him first?"
He shakes his head.
"Why not??"
*Beep!*
The robot then projects another hologram, this time showing a priority list. You quickly read the list.
Top Priority: Complete maintenance on the Greenhouse. Provide medical assistance if needed.
Low Priority: Following other instructions
"Can't you change the priority?"
The hologram changes.
Please input the password ________________.
"You have got to be kidding me..."
Incorrect password.
"I wasn't trying!"
The hologram disappears, leaving Proto staring at you blankly before exclamation marks replace its eyes. It walks to the shed, locked by the same electronic device as before. The screen lights up, revealing the A.I.
"Time for work already Proto?"
*Beep!*
"Access granted."
Proto opens the shed, taking a gardening shear and a watering can before closing the door, walking to the corner of the greenhouse, opening a tap and starting to fill up the watering can. You simply watch the robot, left speechless by its odd priorities. You then feel something touch your shoulder. You turn to see Neon, worrying for you.
'You ok?'
'Yeah...just...a bit in disbelief.'
'Why?'
'The robot wants to tend to the greenhouse first.'
'But...shouldn't it...?'
'I know, but there is nothing we can do about it except wait.'
Neon sighed in disbelief, not sure what to say about it. Suddenly, her ears perk before rushing to somewhere in the greenhouse, disappearing into the bushes. She then comes back, holding a pair of oranges. Walking up to you, she offers one to you which you happily accept. She places her hand on your shoulder to resume the telepathy.
'Snack break?'
'Yeah...good idea, but where did you find these?'
'Bushes'
'Bushes? You mean the trees?'
'No, bushes.' Neon said, shaking her head.
'But I thought they...' you trail off, seeing Neon shake her head.
'Never mind. Any idea on where we should eat these?'
Neon searches around, her gaze locks over your shoulder as her eyes faintly glow. Looking over your shoulder, you see Neon watching the sun through the large window. Before you could respond, she starts walking past you, following the sun.
Following along, you see her standing in front of the window, her eyes gazing through it into the other side, fear, confusion yet slight excitement dawn on her face. Standing next to her, you look out the window to find the large glowing warm sun, along with tall buildings in the distance.
Neon places her paw on the window, watching it press against the glass as if to test to see if it will phase through. She looks up at you, reaching out her hand, expecting you to take it. Taking her hand, you feel the connection as her voice reaches your mind once more.
'Where?'
'We are in a building.'
'Building?'
'Yeah, like those tall things in the distance.'
Neon then turns to the window, examining the buildings more.
'I'm confused...does this mean...jungle...is not jungle?'
'It...kinda is but at the same time it's not.'
'I'm...scared...'
You feel her grip tightens, her fear of what seems to be impossible growing hold of her. You can understand her fear and confusion, for all her life she thought she has been living in the jungle, only to learn that this is not true. And now she is seeing all kinds of things that are alien to her. It's overwhelming.
'It's ok to be scared, Neon. When I woke up without my memories, I was scared too. But that doesn't stop me from journeying through the unknown. I had some frights here and there, but in the end, I met a great friend.'
'From...the lab?'
'That's right.'
Neon pauses in thought, releasing her grip and slowly sits down on the ground, lost in thought. You then sit down next to her cross-legged, waiting for her to speak up when ready. She then opens her eyes, placing her paw on your leg, enabling her telepathy.
'Tell Lab?'
'Oh yeah, about all the latexes and my experience?'
'Yes! Do tell!'
Looking up to the sky through the window, you collect your thoughts about your past experience.
'Where to begin...Alright...When I woke up in this lab, I was alone in some small room with no one else nearby. All I knew is that there is something lurking through the lab but I didn't know what. When I saw the latexes...I was scared...confused...as if all common sense was just thrown out of the window. My first encounter wasn't pleasant. I was chased by a blob of latex, a wolf and a cat. When I first saw the cat, I found comfort. I never thought that the cat was a latex beast as well. But when I found out it was too late...'
You shudder in thought, remembering your fear when the cat slowly transfurred you.
'I really thought I was gonna die! I thought I would never see the light of day again! I didn't know what was going to happen but I was so scared! I didn't understand when I woke up after that, but I didn't know what to think...I didn't know what I could trust...'
Neon then moves her paw onto your hand, assuring you. You smile in thanks and continue.
'I then met some black latex pups, they understood my fears and they even helped me slip past the adult wolves. And after that, I met the black latex dragons, they showed no harm to me...Heck! We even played a few games! They have shown me that I don't need to be scared of them. And then I met a more white latex and they tried to help me understand their idea of 'Transfurring'. Although they were rather pushy about it at first... I have come to learn that not all latexes are bad.'
You look at Neon, seeing her smile when you finish your story.
'Wow...an adventure!'
'I guess you could call it that...what about you? What's the jungle like?'
Neon pauses in thought, idly rolling the orange with her other paw. Her green marks go faint as her ears droop.
'Lonely...'
You recall hearing Neon saying that you are her first friend back in the jungle biome. But why?
'Didn't you try to make friends in the biome?'
'Yes...'
'But...?'
Neon shakes her head.
'Too powerful...hypnosis...too powerful...All latexes? Hypnosis...telepathy? Pointless...'
'You can't make friends because your hypnosis is too powerful?'
'Hypnosis and telepathy...similar...but different...Lack practice...alone...forever...'
Neon starts to tear up, the loneliness is too much for her to bear. In response, you pull Neon into a gentle hug.
'But you are not alone...not anymore. I am here for you now, you don't have to be alone anymore Neon, I promise.'
Neon pauses left in a loss of the hug, eventually, you feel her wrap her arms around you, gently pulling you into the hug as well.
'What's this? Feels...nice...'
'It's called a hug, we do it when we want to show our care or concern with another, we do it to try to make the other feel better when they feel sad.'
Neon hums in thought, reflecting on the definition of a hug.
'Friends hug?'
'It's not just friends that do it, but family or even lovers too. But yes, friends hug.'
'Good friend.'
'It's the least I can do.'
Pulling away from the hug, you watch Neon wipe her tears away with her paw, her smile returning. Her eyes snap open, pulling her other paw in front of her, holding the orange. She quickly grabs your hand to resume the conversation.
'Forgot snack!'
Your eyes widen as well.
'Oh yeah! Our oranges! How about we eat them now?'
'Yes! To friendship!' Neon exclaims, peeling the orange.
'To friendship!' you reply, disconnecting from the telepathy to start unpeeling the orange.
You hum with amusement, this feels almost exactly like how you and Puro started your friendship back at the library. You then start to frown, remembering your last meeting, things didn't go quite as planned, didn't they? If it weren't for Trixie, you wouldn't have been forced to separate from Puro.
'I hope he is doing ok...'
Where can you find him? Does he know where to look? He does have your shorts so maybe he can find you eventually? This institute can almost feel like a labyrinth, filled with locked doors and latexes eager to take you in as their host. Puro must be so worried for you, especially when you were kidnapped by Violet.
'I hope I can find him soon...'
Unpeeling the orange, you pull out the first slice and take a bite along with Neon. Your eyes widen as the orange makes contact with your tongue.
!!!
'DELICIOUS!!!' You and Neon thought simultaneously.
The flavour is...how is it so good?? This orange makes the ones at the library seem like a joke! The fruity taste!
You and Neon wolf down the orange with gluttonous greed, enjoying the sweet taste. Neon reaches out and places her paw on your lap to send her thoughts to you.
'Friend! Perfect Snack! Better than Jungle!'
'I know!This orange is perfect!'
Once you and Neon have engraved the sweet taste in your mouths, you both take the orange peels and throw them to the bushes in the greenhouse, having no need to keep them.
*Snap!*
Suddenly, a large plant with a set of jaws shoots out from the ground, catching both orange peels with a snap. You see that the plant is like a piranha plant of some kind. The plant swallows the oranges, releasing a hearty burp before returning to the soil where it belongs.
You and Neon share a glance, sharing the fear as you both look down at the grass below you...before sharing the same glance again...dreading the reach of the plant. After a brief pause, you reach out to Neon, placing your hand on her shoulder.
'Let's just...get out of here...slowly...'
'Yes please...'
'Let's go.'
Trying to shake off the strange event, you and Neon turn and head to the other side of the greenhouse, keeping an eye out for Proto. Eventually, you see the robot walking to the exit of the greenhouse, turning to face you and Neon.
*Beep!*
Proto beeps, motioning you to follow him as it goes through the door, with the watering can and shears in tow.
'Seems like he wants us to stay close to him while he does his job.'
'More jun-...greenhouse?'
'Possibly!'
You both then walk to the exit, pushing through the door while Neon sticks close behind. Entering through the door, you look ahead to see the new room you are entering.
"What the..."
It's another Greenhouse, except this one is much larger than the previous room, with plants and trees everywhere. There are also some latex creatures roaming around, from an anthropomorphic squirrel and fox to a small black feral dragon with white horns and orange eyes, resting under a tree with a pair of small black foxes, with strange purple markings similar to Neon's.
Neon watches with awe, seeing all of the latex beasts roaming around the greenhouse, her eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.
'Neon? You ok?'
She simply nods, refusing to take her eyes off the sights before her.
'Beautiful...like home...'
Hearing this, you sigh in relief.
'Seems like you are taking it well huh?'
Neon didn't respond. Suddenly her ears start flickering, turning her gaze up to the ceiling. Noticing this, you follow her gaze, seeing a light green wingless dragon with a long and thick tail, relaxing on a set of hanging vines like a hammock, its tail swishing around lazily. It then pauses, turning its head to look below, spotting you and Neon.
The dragon blinks in surprise, looking down upon you...watching...you couldn't help but feel a strange 'itch' in your mind like something is trying to reach out to you.
The dragon then starts getting up and stretches its arms before jumping off the vines, landing on its tail like a spring before launching itself, performing a frontflip and landing in front of you, startling you and Neon.
'Talk about making an entrance!' you think with awe at the dragon's entry.
Seeing the dragon in front of you, you notice it has an odd sheen and texture on its body, with some dark green markings on its body. This dragon gives the impression that it is leaf-like.
The dragon looks at you with keen interest, examining you with curiosity. The dragon smiles at you, reaching out a paw and offering a handshake. Seeing this familiar gesture, you accept the gesture grasping the dragon's paw with your own, allowing a stronger telepathic connection between you and the dragon.
'Greetings human! Welcome to our domain! A little squirrel had told me about your arrival. I never thought I would see the day to see a live human personally!'
'Eh, I'm nothing special. nice to meet you.'
'Pleasure is all mine.'
The leaf dragon communicates, shifting its sight onto Neon behind you.
'Ahhh! And I see you have brought a friend with you. Always great to have more guests.'
The leaf dragon looks up, gazing at Neon, concentrating. Neon flinches and looks away from him, refusing to make eye contact.
'Umm...odd...I can't seem to make a connection with her.'
The plant dragon tries again, with no results.
'She seems to keep rejecting it. What's wrong with her?'
'She has never made friends with another latex before, I think it might be because she is worried she would end up hypnotising you.'
'A latex that can do hypnosis? That's new.'
'It's not normal?'
'Not really, but then again we come in all shapes and sizes so something like that is to be expected.'
'Really?'
'Yep, so how am I supposed to talk to her if she won't let me?'
'I can pass the message between you two.'
The plant dragon looks up in thought.
'Hmm, so she will need you to communicate with me?'
'For now, yes.'
You quickly reach out to Neon, informing her of the situation.
'Hey Neon, I know you can't exactly use telepathy for other latexes but I can relay the message to them if you like.'
'Yes...Neon wants friends.'
While you talk with Neon, the dragon hums in thought.
'Say human, I have an idea. Since you are new here, I can take you and your friend on a tour around our home in the greenhouse, and you tell me about yourself? I keep hearing all these rumours about you but I always want to ask you personally.'
'Sounds like a plan, err...I never got your name.'
The dragon's eyes snap wide open as his tail droops down in embarrassment.
'Oh whoops...It's ahh, Leevo.'
'Gotcha.'
Releasing your hand from the dragon, you examine the leaf in your hand in thought. You realise that the dragon had never asked you for your name but for the dragon's sake, you decide to roll with your nickname, 'Human'...just like...what every latex is calling you...hang on a second.
'Did no one even ask my name...even Puro??'
'What was that human? Something about...Puro?'
Jump in fright, forgetting that you are now holding a leaf that is connected to Leevo through telepathy.
'Just a friend I know.'
'I never heard of someone named 'Puro', does he live somewhere else?'
'He lives in a library.'
'Is he a fox? I heard plenty of foxes live there.'
'A black latex wolf actually.'
'A black latex? I thought they keep to themselves.'
'Not Puro.'
'Hmm, I would like to meet him sometime. Many of us are nervous around the black latex but I think it is because we know so little about them you know? It isn't fair that way. Ah well, how about I take you and Neon on a tour now? Introduce you to the others?' The leaf dragon asks, with a hint of excitement in his tone.
'I can't see why not. We could use a tour, especially Neon. Maybe she could make some new friends along the way.' you communicate, reaching out to Neon with your hand, gesturing to her to communicate with you.
Seeing this, Neon gently grasps your hand and waits for your response. As soon as she did, you direct your thoughts to Neon.
'Hey Neon, what do you say about having a tour here? Leevo here said he can give us a tour around the greenhouse, maybe you can make a friend here along the way,' you relay your thoughts with a smile.
Neon's eyes widen, her tail swishing back and forth with the promise of a potential new friend.
'YES!'
You flinch at Neon's outburst, but you maintain the telepathy with her.
'Glad to hear Neon.'
While holding Neon's paw, you switch your attention to Leevo.
'She agrees, lead the way, Leevo!'
The leaf dragon grins with delight.
'That's great! Let's go already! There are so many things here that I want to show you!'
The dragon quickly turns and heads deeper into the greenhouse, looking over his shoulder to keep an eye on you. Not wanting to fall behind, you gently motion Neon to follow, as you both up with Leevo.
'Where to start...where to start...' Leevo ponders, walking aimlessly in the greenhouse.
'Wait! How about we start with my favourite spot?' the dragon stops, making a sharp turn to the right.
You and Neon follow suit, still maintaining the telepathy by holding hands. You follow close behind Leevo, guiding Neon through the forest while she aimlessly gazes around the greenhouse, taking in the sights.
Stepping over some bushes, you look ahead to see the same large window, stretching far to the ends of the room. Looking at the sides, you notice there are some latex beasts lying down on the grass, bathing in the sunlight. There are a few leaf dragons like Leevo, a small feral lion, a feral snow tiger, and a strange-looking wolf, lying on its back with its eyes closed.
This wolf's body is dark green and the strands of its fur is giving it a grass-like texture with a lighter shade of green on its chest leading up to its snout. The wolf seems to be lying on a giant yellow leaf, serving as a blanket.
'And here we are! My favourite spot in the greenhouse!'
'In front of the large window?'
'Yes! Here, we latexes come here to relax and sunbathe in the sunlight. As you can see, this is mostly favoured to plant latex like my friends there.'
Leevo makes a calling growl, grabbing the attention of the plant-like wolf. The wolf's eyes gently open, its yellow eyes shifting to see Leevo. The wolf leans up, as the giant yellow leaf it was laying on follows suit, you realise the leaf is actually the wolf's tail.
The wolf nods in response, acknowledging Leevo's greeting. Its yellow eyes shift and snap open, spotting you.
'Erm...if you don't mind. I gotta chat with my friend here.'
'Not at all, go for it.'
Taking the opportunity, Leevo quickly hurries to the wolf's side, seemingly chatting through telepathy. While Leevo is away, you decide to check on Neon, seeing her watching the sunbathing latexes with interest.
'They sunbathe?'
'Yep! Do you like to sunbathe Neon?'
Neon closes her eyes, releasing her grip on your hand to sit down in front of the window, basking in the sunlight. You notice that her green marks are illuminating, perhaps she is enjoying it? You decide to sit down next to her, taking the time to enjoy the sun more.
Without opening her eyes, Neon places her paw on your leg.
'Sun feels...different...better.'
'Better than the one in the jungle?'
Neon nods, not wanting to turn away from the sunlight. Suddenly she sighs, turning to face you with a frown.
'Annoying...'
'Annoying?'
'Communicating like this. Annoying.'
'Yeah, this is getting rather annoying, isn't it? Having to keep physical contact.' You sigh in agreement.
'Tell how.'
'About?'
'You and Leevo. Communicate, no contact.'
'Through telepathy, nothing else really,' you reply.
Neon frowns looking down with frustration. Eventually, her ears flicker as a thought enters your mind.
'What that? Always wondered,' Neon asks, pointing to your friendship bracelet.
'This? That's my friendship bracelet, a gift from a pink dragon I befriended a while back. It's a piece from them.'
'Friendship...bracelet...?'
Neon trails off, staring at the pink bracelet. Her ears flicker, as she looks up at you.
'Give paw?'
'What for?'
'Curious...have idea.'
Without another word, you lift your right hand to Neon as she gently takes it with her own two paws, wrapping around your wrist. She then starts to focus, your wrist getting a strange sensation. Before you could ask what she is doing, a drop of black goo drops to the floor, she is coating your wrist with her black goo.
You refrain from panicking, believing that she knows what she is doing. You feel the goo gently flow around your wrist, leaving a strange warm gentle sensation. You notice that Neon's green markings start to glow, causing her to panic.
'No...No green marks...'
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Neon's glowing marks dim as she continues her work. You feel her goo forming a ring around your wrist, as the flow slows down and the goo grows firm. Once the goo stops moving, Neon moves her paw away, revealing a new bracelet on your wrist. She shifts away from you, no longer in physical contact with you.
The wrist is completely black, two times as large as the pink bracelet you have on your other arm. You can feel some kind of link coming from it, you don't know how but you can tell it's from Neon.
'You made a friendship bracelet...for me?'
'Yes, For friend! My friend! Friend hear Neon?' Neon asks, believing her plan might be working upon hearing your thoughts.
'You like?'
'Yes, It's amazing! Thank you Neon,' you reply, examining the bracelet with a sense of awe and gratitude.
Neon purrs with joy, pulling you into a hug to give her affection. You happily accept the hug, wrapping your arms around her.
'I didn't realise you two are a couple,' A voice teases in your mind.
Your eyes snap open, realising who it is.
'We are not a couple Leevo!'
Your thoughts have also reached out to Neon, her eyes snapping open as she quickly breaks away from the hug. She frantically shakes her head at Leevo who is standing behind you. Although not in physical contact, the bracelet still allows the telepathic link between you and Neon to remain.
'No no! Friend! Just friend!'
The dragon laughs at you and Neon, while you both frown at him with annoyance.
'I kid! I kid! Come on! You gotta admit, it was sweet of her to give you a bracelet!'
'It's a friendship bracelet! Nothing more!'
The dragon narrows his eyes in a teasing fashion, daring you to say that again.
'I mean it!'
'Sure sure, whatever you say human.'
You sigh in defeat, knowing it's best not to argue about it.
'Anyways, now that we are ready...back to the tour!'
'Already?'
'What? I simply just had to say hi to my friends! It wasn't supposed to take long!'
Not wanting to argue, you and Neon quickly get up. And follow behind the dragon, as he takes you through the greenhouse again.
'So where are you taking us next?' you call out, bushing away a branch from an overgrown tree.
'To our feeding grounds! We should be there soon.'
Pushing past the branches, you look back to check up on Neon, making sure she follows close behind. Before you can say anything, something grabs your arm, pulling you to the side.
'Woah! That was close!'
'Hey, what was that for?? Why did you pull me?'
'You almost stepped on that trap.'
'Trap? What do you mean trap?'
'That trap.' The dragon points towards something on the ground.
You look down to the ground, seeing a familiar light brown bear trap with a few splotches of goo near it.
'Oh...damn didn't notice.'
'Come on human! Isn't it obvious? Everyone here has heard about you, they are curious about why it is you are wandering around the institute.'
'Everyone? Why?'
'To take you as a host of course! What else? You are the center of attention! An excellent opportunity! Why else would they be loitering around so close to us?'
'Loitering around?'
Looking over your shoulder, you notice a small group of latexes not too far from behind; consisting of the snow tiger, leaf wolf and a few leaf dragons. There is also a pair of black foxes with purple markings and a black wingless dragon from before, all looking at you with curiosity and interest.
Neon stops, noticing that you are staring behind her, she follows your gaze to find your stalkers in shock. With a growl, Neon roars to the group, startling them as they all run away, diving into the bushes or climbing up the trees and out of sight.
'See? Center of the attention!'
'Right...gotcha. Thanks, Neon.'
'Why they follow?'
'They all want to transfur me.'
'Really?'
'Unfortunately yes.'
You look up to Leevo.
'Why do all of the latexes want to transfur me so badly?'
Leevo pauses in thought, trying to come up with a clear answer.
'Honestly, it all depends on who you ask. If you ask it more in a general sense, we see it as a sort of way to bond with a human. I don't exactly know how to explain it but it's like a pact of trust or some way to show affection or care for a human they have grown to like. It's just something that can't be easily explained.'
'Really? I thought it was just some way for you to just steal or hijack my own body.'
'Oh no no no! It is way more than that! Some would do it because they are curious about having a host or learning how to make a proper body, I've heard that it's rather a pleasant experience.'
That's a strange viewpoint, do the latexes really view transfur as some harmless activity or something?
'So no one here is gonna transfur me?'
'No, not after what happened with the behemoth incident. We do NOT want to see that happening again. After the incident, everyone here at the greenhouse decides that transfurring a human might not be a good idea, mostly because so we don't end up fighting over them. Although that doesn't stop others like me to fantasize about it.'
'Oh...'
You pause in thought, remembering Hunter's story about a certain behemoth.
'Say, that Behemoth incident. Is it about when a human drowned by accident?'
'Wait, you heard about it? Who told you?'
'It was Hunter, said he was part of it and does not want to be part of the Behemoth ever again. Saying it's not worth it.'
'Oh...I hope that doesn't make you think less of us human.'
'Ehh...not exactly I guess? I just don't want to see a Behemoth anytime soon.'
'Fair enough. I have heard stories that humans would always run away from us when they first saw us, sometimes throwing things at us. That always confuses me, it's not like we are out to hurt you or anything.'
'Maybe it's because we aren't familiar with the transfur thing you do.'
'What makes you say that?'
'I literally thought I was gonna die when I got transfurred for the first time, I haven't even heard about it.'
'I...wow...never thought humans would feel that way, that explains a lot.' The dragon remarks, his tail drooping onto the floor.
'I mean...Hunter did explain to me what transfur is but it is so weird to me. Me getting a tail was a weird experience. I mean it was exciting yes, I now know what it is like to have a tail but I'm just kinda scared about not being...me again. Like I don't have a choice in the matter.'
'D-don't think that way human. There are latexes like me that believe transfur is something that needs cooperation from their human host. I don't want you to think we are all selfish, sure there are some bad ones in the bunch but that doesn't define all of us. Does that make sense?'
'I guess I will give it some thought.'
'That's all I ask.'
Leevo steps away, moving to continue the tour as you and Neon follow close behind. Eventually, after journeying through the greenhouse, Leevo calls out.
'Alright, our next stop is just up ahead.'
Hearing this, you look past the dragon and sure enough, there is a clearing ahead, with a long red plastic table with a few leaves scattered around. There are a few crates that are filled with different kinds of fruit, bananas, grapes, apples, and even oranges.
Strangely though, there is also another table that has a few drinking glasses, a knife, and a blender? There are also a few chairs here.
'This here is our feeding ground, here we have all kinds of fruits to enjoy! Sometimes the blue wolf would come and make some of those 'fruit juices' she calls them with that noisy device but she is not here today. Luckily that doesn't mean we can't have some fruit. All of our fruits are freshly produced thanks to our home's caretaker.'
'Caretaker? You mean the robot?'
The dragon turns to you with a questioning glance.
'Robot? You mean metal lion?'
'Yeah, I met him recently. He said he takes care of the garden here.'
'So you have met him! We could never understand the strange lion. All we know is that he comes by every so often and tends to the greenhouse. He seems to never take notice of us much but we appreciate what he is doing.'
You pause to take in Leevo's words. You find it wholesome that Proto's work is providing a comfortable home for these latex creatures to live and thrive in.
'So where is he now?'
'Human?'
'Yes Neon?'
'Neon found robot.'
'Really? Where?' you turn to look at Neon in askance, seeing her point towards your left.
Following her direction, you turn to discover Proto. Right now Proto is busy watering the plants, a plant wolf is standing close to him, almost as if he is on the lookout.
'Hey, Leevo? What's that latex there doing?'
'Oh him? He must be on lookout duty for the caretaker.'
'On lookout? For what?'
Suddenly, a plant emerges from the ground forming, its that piranha plant again. The wolf glares at the plant, pointing in the opposite direction. The plant seems to lean sideways as if to give a glance at Proto who is still watering the plant.
The wolf stomps his foot and with a huff, points in the opposite direction again. The plant seems to growl with annoyance but disappears into the ground, never to be seen again.
'What is that all about?'
'Sometimes there are latex plants that like to bother the caretaker when he is busy. One time a plant was gently gnawing on him, it didn't phase the caretaker much but it is distracting him from his work. So we decided to help the caretaker by keeping the latex plants off him while he works.'
'Can't Proto just shoo them off?'
'The metal lion? We thought so too, but he is just too much of a softie to do that, so we do the 'shooing' for him.'
Proto finishes watering the plants and looks to the plant wolf guarding him with a happily.
*Beep!*
'See? Too much of a softie. Oh hey, would you look at that, he is watering that wolf too.'
Looking up, you see that Proto is currently pouring water on the wolf's head, who seems to be enjoying it. Maybe it's because he is part plant?
Finishing watering the latex wolf, Proto makes his way to you. Proto then projects a hologram to you, showing the to-do list again, this time with almost all of the boxes checked. The last chore is to return all of the gardening tools.
"You're almost done?"
*Be-Beep!*
Proto then points behind you. You turn around to see nothing of interest. Before you can ask, the robot's eyes change to a door and a clock, ticking away.
"You want us to wait for you by the exit here?"
*Beep!*
The robot beeps with a nod.
"I will see you there, don't take long now."
The robot nods, taking the watering can and the gardening shear leaning against the wall nearby and heading to the other side of the greenhouse, presumably back to the shed.
'What robot say?' Neon's thought reaches you.
'He is just returning the gardening tools. He will meet us at the exit.'
'It finished?'
'Finished.'
You decide to inform Leevo about your departure soon.
'Hey Leevo, sorry to say this but the robot will be back soon to escort us. Says he will meet us at the exit.' you communicate, seeing Leevo munching on an apple.
'But why so soon? You just got here!'
'The robot is trying to take us somewhere, I need to find someone, I have questions that need answering.'
'Really? What kind of questions?'
'About me, and my past.'
The dragon looks at you in confusion.
'I don't follow.'
'Leevo, I just woke up in here with no memories about me and my past. I was stuck in some stasis pod for who knows how long. I don't even know how I got here or why.'
The dragon had a look of epiphany.
'So that explains the sudden appearance! Everyone talks about how you seemingly came out of nowhere. It was like you appeared out of thin air!'
'Exactly.'
'If you are trying to remember something from your past, then I should wrap up our tour. The exit is just ahead.' The dragon says, pointing up ahead.
Ahead of you is the exit of the greenhouse, with a few plants visible and no grass by the exit. There is also that security A.I. from before, currently inactive.
'Hey Neon, We are almost there.'
Neon walks beside you, seeing the exit not too far from now, sighing in disappointment.
'Leaving soon?'
'Unfortunately yes. But that doesn't mean we can't come back soon! We can always come back once I'm finished with the doctor. What do you say?'
Neon gives a gentle purr with a nod, agreeing with you.
Stopping in front of the door, Leevo stops and turns to face you and Neon.
'And here we are, the end of our little tour. A shame that you are both leaving so soon.' Leevo communicates with a frown.
'Sorry Leevo, it can't be helped. But me and Neon are definitely coming back here again. This won't be our only visit here.'
Leevo smiles a little, happy with the news.
'Good, You better be back! You have yet to try out those fruit juices. They are quite popular here in the greenhouse,' The dragon hums, recalling his past experience with the drinks.
'Look forward to drinking one with ya.'
'Alright, I must be off! Promised to join my friends in sunbathing. Make sure to bring Neon again, she would fit well around here.'
'You hear that Neon? Leevo thinks you would fit well around here, isn't it great?' you nudge Neon.
'Really...? Well...similar to Jungle...' Neon communicates glancing at the greenhouse around her.
She then looks at Leevo with a nod and smile, as he smiles in return.
'I'll take that as a yes. I will see you guys around,' Leevo says, starting to walk past you.
'And human...'
'Hmm?'
'Be careful...'
Leevo then walks into the greenhouse without another word.
'What he say?'
'No idea.'
Without Proto around, you and Neon decide to sit down and wait. The robot shouldn't take long to come back right?