Panda Persuasion

"Then I won't hold anything back." Marcella activated her scanner on the desk.

She measured Roland's contamination level. The digital screen flashed ninety percent. That number was far too high. She could not cuddle him in his beast form for resonance right now without risking a severe backlash. A pang of disappointment hit her chest.

"Roland, please move to the resonance platform." She gestured to the circular dais in the center of the room.

He obeyed at once, lying on the cool metal surface. His dark eyes shone with a hopeful gleam as he looked up at her. He prayed she could help reduce his heavy contamination to thirty percent.

"Let's begin." Marcella released her psionic power with smooth precision.

A soft, green light materialized, scattering across the room like starlight before enveloping him. Warmth spread through Roland's veins, wrapping him in deep comfort. As her psionic power purged the thick pollutants, his muscles shuddered under the sheer relief. Being a 2-Star therian meant he carried a much heavier burden of contamination. The resonance process took twice as long to clear the dense toxins. Even so, the extra effort amounted to a few additional minutes of her time.

"All finished." Marcella pulled back her glowing energy.

Roland opened his eyes, taking a deep breath of clean air, and glanced at the monitor above the platform.

"Roland, your contamination level has dropped to thirty percent." She gave him an encouraging nod.

His expression lit up with pure, unadulterated excitement.

"Thirty percent! Thank you, Ms. Vance." He bowed his head in deep gratitude.

No more camping at system terminals day and night for rare detox serum. No more bitter squabbles with his family over medicine. The beast god had blessed him today.

He stepped off the platform and met Marcella's expectant gaze. Without a single second of hesitation, he shifted on the spot.

A tiny, round panda appeared on the polished floor.

Seeing an actual national treasure shattered the last of Marcella's professional restraint. She lunged forward and scooped the heavy, fluffy creature into her arms. She stroked the panda's round head, pinched its soft black ears, and ran her hand down its spine. The dense fur gleamed like polished oil under the bright lights and felt slick against her skin. She sank into the fluffy bliss.

Roland's signature dark-rimmed eyes followed her subtle expressions. He let out a soft huff. A spark of ambition ignited inside his chest. Ms. Vance favored his beast form over his human appearance. Could he use this distinct advantage to catch her attention for good? If the system refused to assign him a female partner, he would just secure one himself by playing to her weaknesses.

The system observed the interaction in silence and reached a swift conclusion. Marcella was a massive plush enthusiast. A new strategy formed in the AI's logic circuits.

"Ms. Vance, is the panda enjoyable to pet?" The system's mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

"It is so much fun." Marcella buried her face in the soft fur, breathing in the clean scent of the bear.

"Would you like to try a fox? One with nine luxurious tails."

Marcella lifted her head in a flash. Her eyes sparkled with intense eagerness. "Yes! Where is it?"

Back in her original world of Veridia, nine-tailed foxes existed only in ancient myths. No human had ever seen a real one in the flesh. Her curiosity skyrocketed to the ceiling.

"He is right outside your door. Ms. Vance, your mate Cassian possesses the beast form of a nine-tailed fox."

Marcella froze. She had forgotten to ask about his specific species during their brief time together. There was no way she would let this golden opportunity slip through her fingers. Tonight, she would order Cassian to shift for her. She needed to bury her hands in those legendary tails.

Roland shifted back and left the resonance room. His cheeks burned a flustered pink as he threw lingering glances back at Marcella through the closing door.

Next door, in the mate lounge, Cassian sat in front of his terminal. He was meant to be handling his online work, but Marcella's earlier gift left him distracted. His gaze kept drifting toward the hallway leading to the resonance room. He watched the heavy metal door slide open. He noticed Roland lingering inside much longer than previous clients. Then he saw the flushed face and the longing looks the man directed at his female.

Cassian's jaw tightened. A dark, burning jealousy flared in his chest, hot and sharp. What was that panda doing to his female? A mere 2-Star therian daring to vie for her attention? Cassian would never allow it. He gripped the edge of his desk, fighting the urge to march out there and stake his claim.

Back in the resonance room, Marcella tapped her workstation to review the profile of her next scheduled client. She stared at the detailed bio on the screen, struggling to keep a straight face.

A cockroach. Therians could possess a cockroach beast form?

She muttered to herself in disbelief but regained her composure. Other females would refuse to even look at this man, let alone treat him. Marcella did not care about his genetics. As long as he refrained from shifting into a giant insect in front of her, she could handle the session. Partial beastification was easy enough to overlook.

The heavy door opened again. The cockroach therian shuffled inside. He kept his head bowed and his shoulders hunched, trying his best to conceal any physical beastified traits beneath his thick collar. He knew most females despised his kind. He harbored no grand illusions about winning her favor. He clung to a tiny shred of hope that she might reduce his contamination by a few meager points before kicking him out of the tower.

"Ms... Ms. Vance." He stammered, his hands trembling at his sides.

"Relax. I will just check your contamination level first." Marcella offered a warm, polite smile.

He froze in place. He prayed she would not notice the faint, hardened shell-like texture of the skin around his neck.

Marcella aimed the scanner. The screen read ninety-five percent.

She packed up the device and gestured to the center of the room. "Lie down on the platform."

Her voice rang clear and professional. She was not turning him away.

"Ms. Vance, thank you so much!" He bowed at a sharp ninety-degree angle before scrambling onto the platform.

Five minutes passed in steady silence. The soothing green light of Marcella's psionic energy washed over him, drawing out the dark, heavy pollutants clogging his system.

"All finished." Marcella withdrew her energy and stepped back to her desk.

The cockroach therian sat up and stared at the monitor. His contamination had plummeted from ninety-five percent all the way down to thirty percent. His jaw dropped in shock.

"Ms. Vance, you are incredible! Thank you! Thank you!"

He pulled out his terminal with shaking fingers. He transferred one hundred thousand galactic credits straight into her account without a single second of hesitation.

After the tearful, overjoyed man left the room, the system chimed in with blatant flattery.

"Ms. Vance, your efficiency is terrifying. After detoxing two 2-Star therians, you have only used four percent of your total psionic power."