After an enlightening and somewhat inebriating evening with Dr. Twig, Alptraum staggered back to the guest room he was given, only to be woken up by a playful Igorina in the middle of the night. As a result, the Eeee slept late into the morning, but woke without feeling hungover or dehydrated thanks to Igorina's 'suck my blood' fetish. He was still a bit stiff and sore though.

Once he cleaned up and made it to the laboratory, Twig and Igorina were already busy with an experiment in electrical stimulation of muscle tissue using a lizard, and not one another as Alptraum may have expected them to. The tank with the crystal heart in it was still bubbling and stinking, but the crystal did look clearer than when it went in.

"I cannot believe I do not have a pounding headache," Alptraum admits as he slips through the door and into the lab," I guess there was something to that old myth about blood and booze." Deciding to not disturb their work quite yet, Alptraum takes a detour to examine the crystal heart in the tank. He puts the palm of his right hand, wrinkly skin and all, against the glass to see if he feels any warmth from any nearby iron.

There's definitely a tingle. The electrified rods placed into the thank have a thin, sooty-looking coating on them that might be the extracted iron.

"Oh, Igowina has a special hangovah pweventative," Twig notes with a grin, as a lizard spazzes out on the table next to him. "I think yowa cwystal will be clean in about a week."

Alptraum pulls his hand away and shakes it a bit to get the tingle to pass. The bat then peers at his hand for a moment, and in a fit of 'what the heck, try something weird', he tries to see if he can make some of the black 'tubes' he now knows are in his arm to make the skin move a bit by trying to move them around in his arm. "A week?" he asks, "I need to stay here for a week? I have to have it purified next, so I can't just go do another task. Hmmm."

"Ah, you need to bwing it with you?" Twig asks. "May I ask what Azwael's instwuctions wewa?" As much as he tries, just willing it doesn't seem to have any noticeable effect – but then, Alptraum can't feel the shadow-veins normally anyway, so it's hard to tell.

"I have to find a sacred spring of purification. I assume bathe the heart in it. He didn't say if I could bottle it up and bring it back to bathe it here," Alptraum explains, "And get some dragon painted bottle thing, but that's unrelated."

"Hmmm, pawhaps we can speed up the pwocess then," Twig suggests, leaving the lizard to come over to the tank. Igorina touches a live wire to a stud implanted on the lizard's head, and it immediately calms down and looks… happy.

"Well, tell you what. I can go to the spring, it may take me a bit to find it anyway, and bottle some. That way you can observe if it does anything. If it doesn't, I can just fly back to the spring and try again," Alptraum offers, "It's not like I have a specific timeframe I have to meet… "

"And what the heck are you doing to that poor lizard?" Alptraum asks as he glances towards Igorina.

"Oh, this stud connects to a wire that goes to the pleasure center of his little lizard brain!" Igorina says cheerily. "One zap to that and he's blissed out for awhile."

"Hmm. Do you have a metal stud going into your pleasure center?" Alptraum just has to ask.

"I don't need one," Igorina notes.

Alptraum things about that. "Well, you didn't last night," he admits, not when I was using my tongue to … ahem.

The bat pretends to comb out his hair with his claws and looks back to Doctor Twig. "I don't want to risk damaging it more, so if I have to make two trips, that's okay," he says.

"Hmmm, the puwification effect may be in the location and not in the watah," Twig notes, and makes some adjustments. The tank begins to hum a bit.

"I can't say without seeing it," Alptraum admits, "I need to be close to sense much of anything."

"Well, you can stay tonight at least," Twig notes, and grins. "We can wun more expahiments on you then!"

"Er, more? What more did you have in mind?" Alptraum asks and wiggles his fingers at the bat. "I think you're fascinated by a dead-ish, yet functional limb!"

"Well, is thewa mowa you can show us with it?" Twig asks, giving the chitin a poke with his finger.

"Well, one thing I'd like to try … devouring one of your lizards without touching it. I want to see if things come out of my palm, like we saw in that strange molesto-scope of yours," Alptraum offers, "And the other, well … you had mentioned reducing your fangs. I could try to practice transforming things with it. Reshaping living flesh is supposed to be a shadow dragon specialty… "

Twig's hand goes to his mouth. "You've done it befowah?" he asks.

"Only on myself," Alptraum notes, "And there was the time Melusine removed … ah, we don't need to talk about that. I can practice on smaller things. You have plenty of experiment animals, it looked like?"

"Wina, bwing a fwesh lizahd!" Twig declares! The Skreek giggles, and goes to a cage to fetch one out. A blue and red one.

Alptraum rubs his jaw in thought (he even uses his right hand, which is rare since he has favored his left ever since it began changing). "Any requests on what you want me to do to the lizard?"

"What can you do to it?" Igorina asks, holding the lizard up the back of its neck.

"Aside from eat it?" Alptraum asks, "Well … I bet I could turn it into a snake… "

"Or maybe just its brain. That happened once," Alptraum adds, "It was gross."

"How would you do that?" Twig asks, looking at the lizard. "Why a snake?"

"Well, it's simple? Just sort of mold its arms and legs back into its body?" Alptraum offers.

"Alternatively!" Alptraum suddenly declares, "I could ken Igorina and try to make the lizard look like a mini-her!"

"Ken?" the Skreek and Eeee ask simultaneously.

"Ken," Alptraum repeats, "Its … well. You learn how an animal works by cutting it up, right? Kenning is like that, except there's no cutting and it doesn't harm the person being kenned. What it does do, is teach me how that thing is made … and I can imprint that pattern on another creature. Or so the theory goes… "

"And oh, I should warn both of you … a Yodhinala described it as one of the most arousing things ever done to her," Alptraum adds and waves his hand as it isn't that important.

"Me first!" Igorina says, raising her hand.

Alptraum glances to the Doctor. "Do you want to exercise your authority and claim first experience?" he asks as he grins impishly.

"I… will see how Igowina weacts to it fahst, I think," Twig notes, trying to look aloof about it.

"Hand the doctor your lizard," Alptraum tells Igorina, "And sit down… "

The Skreek hands off the reptile, and sits down on a work stool. She actually smooths out the wrinkles of her lab smock too. "Do I have to hold my breath or anything?" she asks.

"Taking a deep breath is probably a good idea, yes," Alptraum says as he goes to stand in front of the Skreek. "Just nod when you are ready… "

Igorina puffs out her cheeks, and takes a deep breath… then stops and asks, "Does it matter what I had for breakfast?"

"It shouldn't. Why? What did you have?" Alptraum asks.

"Snake bacon," Igorina admits, looking a bit embarrassed for some reason.

"You'll be fine. Now take a breath and relax. It won't hurt, I promise," Alptraum promises.

The Skreek composes herself and then nods to Alptraum, her cheeks puffed out from the breath she's holding.

It's hard to say what motivates some of Alptraum's behavior. Every now and then he gives into some strange impulse, for good or bad. This would be one of those times. Instead of just placing his hand on her, the Eeee wraps his right hand around the back of her neck and kisses the Skreek. Maybe he thought it would distract her a bit from the sudden oozy feeling that spreads out over her neck, then down her back and chest. It's like being wet at first … but that quickly changes as the the Skreek can feel as if the ooze sinks into her very skin. It's also only a matter of moments before her eyes go dark and she's 'floating' in an inky blackness. It's quiet there, where it feels like something is licking, no, 'tasting' her entire body, inside and out. To Doctor Twig's perspective, Igorina looks as if she's coated from head to toe in a thick oil or rubber-like substance. It makes all her curves and features slightly indistinct, almost blobby.

"Fascinating!" Twig says, coming closer. "Is the kiss weally necessawy though? Can she heah us at all?"

Alptraum pulls his lips away … and the Skreek's can be seen for just a moment before they disappear beneath the darkness. "No, but it was fun," the Eeee admits in a very distracted tone. The second question he doesn't answer, he shudders instead and his ears start to twitch around. It's now his turn to breathe deep and lick his lips … and the shadowy coat starts to withdraw from Rina, leaving her as she was, sitting on the stool. In a few seconds, she can breathe again. To Rina, though, it's hard to judge how long that was. It was one of those moments that seemed to somehow last both forever and be over in a blink of an eye.

The girl shivers and suddenly gasps when she finds herself back in the normal world, and starts rubbing herself with her hands. "That was… How many times can you do that to a person?" she asks, looking a bit like the lizard did after she zapped its happy button.

Alptraum's gaze turns to to Doctor Twig. His lips draw back in a very predatory grin … and then he starts towards the scientist. The cackle that comes from Alptraum as he stalks the scientist is … well, rather disturbing. He sounds like Igorina.

"Oh my, awe you… alwight?" Twig asks, backing up until he hits the bookshelves.

Alptraum puts his hands on either side of Doctor Twig and leans in. When he's a mere few inches away, he shudders again, then blinks. "There's also a downside," he admits sheepishly as he pushes himself away from the bookcase and Doctor Twig. "I tend to pick up a behavioral imprint of the person for a few seconds afterward, depending on how, ah, strong a personality they have. Sorry about that."

Alptraum rubs his hands over his face a few times. "You were asking how many times, right. Well … as many as I want, really. I don't know of a limit, but it always carries a small risk to myself and them," he admits. "And it can be addictive."

"Addictive to you owa to the subject?" Twig asks, calming down a little.

"Both," Alptraum answers.

"Just ask Rina how it made her feel," Alptraum offers as proof.

"Remember that time you got struck by lightning?" Igorina asks Dr. Twig.

"The time it fixed my neah-sightedness owa the time it made me… uh… you know… fowa a week?" Twig asks.

"The latter!" Rina says with a grin.

"Oh my," Twig notes. "That could be embawwassing," he says, holding a hand to his mouth.

"And you're next," Alptraum says with his trademark impish grin. He holds out his right hand to the Doctor.

"No kiss though, wight?" Twig asks, just to be sure, before sitting on a stool.

"I can kiss him!" Igorina volunteers.

"If you do that, I'll end up kenning both of you at once," Alptraum warns.

"Ooo, we'll have to try that later," Igorina notes, but does leave the Doctor unmolested for the time being.

Alptraum takes up the Doctor's hand. In a few seconds, black ooze is creeping up Twig's arm … and whatever it covers goes immobile and almost feels numb. Or at least he can't feel anything other than something cool and slick creeping along … and under his skin. For Doctor Twig, it seems, Alptraum is extending the process so the scientist can feel it all and analyze it…

"This is vewy… stwange," Twig comments as the shadow creeps over him.

"It gets stranger," Alptraum remarks with a grin. The rate of shadow movement increases rapidly … and the scientist finds a wave of inky goo spreading both down and up his chest. It actually stops just under his chin and lingers there while the remainder of his body is entirely engulfed and rendered immobile. The next few seconds go in a blur as Twig suddenly finds himself blind and feeling as though he's floating. The next bit of eternity might remind him of a night with Rina … since the sensation of being licked comes full force. How long it lasts … well, Twig has no idea. All of a sudden, though, he finds light invading the dark place … and in the next few seconds he's free. Alptraum is rubbing his jaw and looking … worried.

"Oh my!" Twig mutters as he comes out of it. "That… was wathah distuhbing. It goes way beyond just tasting someone's blood!" He shifts a bit on his seat. "Weminds of when I had to have that enema too," he whispers.

"I did wawn wou," Alptraum lisps. The Eeee then frowns. "Oh gweat."

Igorina burst out laughing and comes over to see if Alptraum's fangs are longer now too! "I think they're still the same length," she reports with a giggle.

"Yeah, well, I did wawn that wou pick up vawious twaits for a bit," Alptraum grumbles.

He reaches over to the table, grabs an empty pot, then whacks himself in the head. "There, better!" he declares. A pause. "Well, except for the headache. Ow."

"So, now that you've licked us, what can you do?" Igorina asks.

"I pwesume it means Alptwaum could westowa us to how we awe now if anything happens to us," Twig suggests.

"Oh, I could turn Doctor Twig into a girl Skreek," Alptraum offers with a huge grin.

"And turn him back later?" Igorina asks. "So I could be a vampire bat then, eh?"

"But yes, as the doctor guesses, I could heal one of you if you were hurt, since I know how your body is made," Alptraum has to admit, ruining the moment. "And yes, you could. But doing either is very difficult, dangerous, and well … I doubt I could manage it well. Maybe a part, but not the whole thing."

"I could probably alter the doctor easier than you, Rina," Alptraum admits, "Simply because he's an Eeee like me, and there is familiarity to our physiology. I think it would make it easier."

"Is doing just pahts safe?" Twig asks. "You'd have to know how to make them… connect pwopahly."

"Melusine almost made me into a girl once," Alptraum notes, "So it is possible. But as I said, it's hard and dangerous. I mainly wanted to see if you would, ah, freak out." He grins.

"Well, yes, I would fweak out if you actually twied it!" Twig admits, his ears vibrating. "I thought the lizahd would be yowa fahst test subject."

"I want a mini-me!" Igorina says, holding out the lizard again. It sticks its tongue lazily out at Alptraum.

"But where is your sense of adventure?" Alptraum teases the other bat, "Don't you want to be a monster?" The Eeee winks, then turns to Rina and the lizard.

This time Alptraum sits in the stool and pats his lap. "Place the lizard here and let me see what I can do," he says.

Igorina sets the lizard down, and says, "Is that a lizard in your lap or are you glad to see me?" This is followed by a cackle, however.

"I'd prefer a Skreek in my lap," Alptraum teases and places his hand on top of the lizard. The first matter is enveloping it in shadow and this happens fairly quickly. Trying to reshape it, though … Alptraum thinks on the mental pattern of skreek, namely Rina. From there he starts trying to manipulate the shadow, drawing in in here, out there, and otherwise shaping a miniature Rina out of shadow-flesh and while doing so he tries to impress that on the lizard inside. If he were asked to explain what that meant, he doubts he could. IT's like some part of him knows what it means. A fragment of Muriavan's memories, perhaps? Who knows. Dagh, he doesn't even know if it will work!

There is a lot of bizarre feedback, and the sense of suffusing the lizard with shadow again – kenning it while changing it, in essence, so that the flavors match. There's also a considerable drain of energy. Even after eating two lizards yesterday, he feels most of that being used up. It seems to take one and half times as much energy to change something completely than just eating it would provide. But eventually, it tastes right.

Alptraum's expression is strange. It's somehow distant and yet intensely concentrated as he works. He's not even sure of how long the passage of time is as the lizard inside his shadow shapes. When he thinks it 'tastes' right, he lets out a slow breath and retracts the shadow back inside him.

A one foot tall, naked Igorina sits in Alptraum's lap. It flicks its tongue out at him.

"It's mind will be the same, of course, it just has a Skreek body," Alptraum says as he gingerly picks up the small Skreek and offers it to Rina.

The Skreek eagerly snatches up the tiny clone, and tries petting it and pinching it to see how it reacts. "Hah, it is me! Even if it's a bit dull," she declares.

Alptraum grins to Doctor Twig. "So, what is your opinion? Interesting?" he asks.

The other bat tries poking the miniature Igorina, only to have it start sucking on his finger. "Amazing! Will it stay like this or wevaht back to its natuwal state in time?"

"I know I revert if I don't continually push, ah, magic, into maintaining the shape," Alptraum admits, "I'm not sure if it will or not, though. I've never tried so complete an alteration before. I've kept to simple things like hair color, which do revert after a time."

"Hmmm, doing just parts would be different," Igorina supposes. "I can see how that would tend to revert. But if everything is changed, maybe that makes this version the 'natural' one then. We'd have to try breeding her with a Skreek to find out!"

"Isn't it a bit small to breed?" Alptraum asks.

"Eyedropper!" Igorina suggests. But Twig shakes his head. "No no, that wouldn't do. If it became pwegnant, wouldn't it pwoduce nahmal sized Skweek embwyos? It would pop."

"Well, I'm going to call her… uh… Teeny-Reeny," Igorina announces.

"Or I just created dwarf-skreeks," Alptraum suggests, then laughs. "Really, I have no idea how I did it. It was … well, like tapping into an instinct."

"We should twy to teach it how to talk," Twig notes, rubbing his chin.

"Oh, I have one more thing you might be interested in, Doctor," Alptraum offers. "Would you like to see what happens when I over-exert myself and deplete the stored power?"

"And I know how … I could try to make it a tiny Twig to keep her company," Alptraum offers and barely manages to suppress a laugh.

"Ah… how dangewous is that?" Twig asks. "Will you tuhn into a wavenous beast?"

"Keep a lizard near for me to absorb and it will be safe enough. Just don't get near my hand… " Alptraum suggests.

"What other sorts of bodies have you kenned?" Igorina asks. "Should we try having you turn this one back into a… oh wait, you didn't ken its original form did you?"

"I've kenned a sphynx and a couple other Eeee," Alptraum says. "Well, a sphynx-dragon, but still."

"Any girls?" Igorina asks suggestively.

"Several. Why?" Alptraum asks.

"Which ones?" the Skreek asks. "I always wondered what it would be like to have wings, even if just for a little while! Would that use up all your power? What happens if you run while trying to do the transformation? Do you end up eating the subject in that case?"

"The sphynx was a girl, so were the other Eeee," Alptraum notes, "And there is risk, yes, if I ran out while doing it. I probably would eat the target. So … if you want me to try for wings on you, I would need several somethings to increase my energy level… "

"And … hm. It might be easier to make your arms into wings, over adding wings. I'm willing to try, if you can provide me enough energy to make it safe," Alptraum says after some thought.

"One thing fahst," Twig notes, grabbing Teeny-Reeny and biting her. "Hmmm, tastes almost the same as the weal one," he notes.

"What is different?" Alptraum asks.

"Hahd to say," Twig says, setting the squirming Skreekling back down in Igorina's lap. "It tastes like a Skweek, but… not like Igowina, pwecisely… "

Considering something, Alptraum holds out his left arm. "Taste me," he offers, "And tell me if I taste like Eee, or different."

"I… I've nevah tasted anothah Eeee, to be honest," Twig admits.

"Silly vampires, of course it tastes different!" Igorina says with a laugh. "It's not got my spirit!"

"Can you tell if I taste well, at least normal?" Alptraum offers, then shrugs.

"Compawed to myself?" Twig asks, looking dubiously at his own arm.

"That's one option," Alptraum agrees.

"You don't taste like other Eeee," Rina notes. "I've bitten you both after all."

"What do I taste like, then?" Alptraum asks.

"Like an Eeee, but… spicier," Igorina says, looking ceilingward. "Smoky. Slightly oily aftertaste. And a bit buzzy."

"I'm starting to taste like a dragon, then," Alptraum muses.

"Anyway, shall I try for wings on Rina?" Alptraum offers, "Get me two lizards to consume and I'll try to gift her with Eeee wings for a day or two."

"Wait, can you try on Teeny first?" Igorina asks. "It's one thing to change the whole body, but Skreeks don't have any of the muscles or skeleton for wings."

"Armwings or wings like mine?" Alptraum asks.

"Well, wings like yours!" Igorina notes. "I need to still be able to use my arms. Did you ken an Eeee with arm-wings though?"

Alptraum reaches over and takes Teeny and places her in his lap. "No, I haven't," he admits. HE lightly places his right hand on the back of the small Skreek and extends his shadow again. This time he brings up his memory of kenning Mave. The Eee focuses on Mave's wings … and shapes the shadow as if similar wings were growing from the back of the small Skreek. He focuses on the taste of the wings, and particularly where they join up with the Skreek's back.

There's some resistance this time. The flavors clash, like sour and sweet, so that he can feel the wings forming, but not connecting. Apparently modifying existing limbs is a lot easier than grafting on completely new ones.

Alptraum frowns and lets the wings flow back into normal Skreek back. He thinks on the flavor of the wing shape this time and tries to see if he can shape Teeny's arms to be Eeee wing-like instead.

Progress is better this time, but there are still points of resistance in the shoulders and back. Anyone who thought Skreeks and Eeees were related in any way was way off. But Alptraum is sure the wings will stick this time.

Alptraum continues to work, brow furrowed. He also spends some time trying to just increase the musculature for the arms and shoulders, so they can work with the wings. When he thinks he more or less has it, he withdraws the shadow. "I can't graft normal Eeee wings," he admits, "But I can do arm wings, I think… "

Teeny-Reeny looks… weird. Her shoulders and back look over-developed, while her lower body is still that of a Skreek, which is a bit short for the elongated arms and wings.

"Well, that is … different," Alptraum admits. He flexes his right hand and glances over to see the state of the orb on its back.

The orb has dimmed a bit more, but not as dramatically as it did after the full-body transformation.

"That looks… uh… I don't think she'll fly," Igorina notes. Twig looks fascinated though.

"Want me to just return her to, uh, normal mini-Rina?" Alptraum asks.

"Yeah, I think so," Igorina says, nodding. "Unless you can turn her completely into an Eeee or Sphynx? It looks like the issue is with adding limbs, but does that mean a four-limbed animal can't be turned into a six-limbed one at all?"

"I think it requires it be of the same species. "I could try to make a four-armed version of you?" Alptraum offers.

"Err, we do have six-legged lizards," Igorina notes, but shakes her head. "See if you can make Teeny into an Eeee or Sphynx completely," she suggests.

Alptraum nods. Again the shadow flows out from his hand to engulf the tiny creature. Since Mave was close on his mind, he focuses on her pattern. The shadow flows and shapes, mimicking in miniature the white Eeee that has sought to 'control' him. His head tilts a bit as he focuses on taste, the bizarre feedback not so unexpected this time.

This time there isn't much resistance, once the old Skreek flavor is replaced. Things feel like they're fitting into place correctly and without conflicts.

Alptraum continues the process of shaping. Eventually he nods and withdraws the shadow from the creature in his lap.

A foot-high version of Mave sits delicately in Alptraum's lap. It gives him that same knowing smile too. Dr. Twig falls out of his seat at the sight, however! "That's an Eeee?" he asks, incredulously.

"She's actually my Yodhinala," Alptraum claims, "And if you ever visit Draco Castle, I can introduce you to her… "

"Tuhn Igowina into that!" Twig urges, smiling widely.

"Hey, should I feel slighted?" the Skreek asks.

Alptraum looks at his right hand, pretty certain he doesn't have that ability right now. "I like Rina as she is. I don't even mind that she chains me to her bed!" he says.

"And if you want that, I would need several hogs worth, I expect, to be able to manage that change. The amount seems to scale to the size of the creature affected," Alptraum adds.

"Hogs? We don't have any of those," Twig says dejectedly. "They don't like the weathah. We'd have to get some fwom town."

"We've just got the lizards," Igorina notes. "We can breed those. Hmm, I wonder if Teeny will still try to do that with one… " She eyes the mini-clone consideringly.

"Well … I could stop back by in a week if you want and see if you got any," Alptraum offers, "And if Rina agrees, of course. And why not go put Teeny with one and find out?"

Igorina sets Teeny on the table first. The transformed lizard stumbles about on all fours for a moment, then gets up on two legs and starts walking.

"Want to hear something scary?" Alptraum remarks to Doctor Twig.

"Scarier than a tiny Eeee goddess standing on my table?" Twig asks.

"Would you want to look like that, Rina?" Alptraum asks Rina. Alptraum tilts his head back to Twig and says, "I've seen a Rughrat made to look like Rose."

"That is twisted… " Twig mutters.

"I though so too," Alptraum notes.

"Oh, I think it would be fun for a few days!" Igorina admits, poking at the mini-Mave. "A Yodhsunala body probably has all sorts of interesting reflexes… "

"Speaking of which, would you excuse Igorina and I for a bit, Alptraum?" Dr. Twig requests. "The effects of all that 'kenning' haven't quite worn off, and that little… uh… you understand, don't you?"

"If you can obtain two hogs while I'm going to Grommit, I can try to shape you to look like that when I get back," Alptraum offers Rina. "And turn you back when you're done experimenting… "

"We'll get four hogs!" Igorina announces, and goes to take Twig's hand. "I want to try a Sphynx too!"

Alptraum smiles, amused. "Go ahead. I'll experiment with some shadow while you two are occupied. I'll try to get to to where I can show you what happens when my magic store is significantly low," he says, "So … don't hurry! Just enjoy each other!"

After his hosts have left, Alptraum is left alone in the lab with the mini-Mave. The little Yodhinala is trying to lick itself, and given Mave's flexibility, it's largely succeeding.

Alptraum watches this for a few minutes. "I have the sudden urge to start a new business. I can create dozens of mini-Maves to sell and entertain people. Wow, these would be popular," he remarks as he lowers himself so that he's eye-level with the little Eeee-thing. "Or … I could create a bunch and put them in Arkold's bedroom. Now there would be something to wake up to!"

While Dr. Twig and Igorina work of their excess energy, Alptraum manages to work his off with the tiny transformed lizard – by changing its form a few more times. He manages to go from Mini-Mave to Chibi-Tulani to Lap-Hog to Twiglet and back again to Teeny-Reeny. By then, his hand's magical charge is nearly exhausted, leaving the exposed underside skin shrunken and wrinkled and making his fingers look even more claw-like than before.

The arm even has a dull ache this time, perhaps from overworking the shadow. If he tries hard, Alptraum can almost link the aching parts to the black veins he saw in Twig's Optodepthoscope before. Flexing his fingers makes a noise like stiffened leather being bent.

This engrosses him enough that he barely notices when Twig and Igorina return, nor that Teeny-Reeny is chewing on his shirt.

Alptraum continues to flex his fingers, testing their range of motion, then how much strength remains in them. He also watches the underside of leathery skin for any movement from the shadow-flesh within.

The fingers feel almost arthritic, as if they've aged a few decades. No movement is visible beneath the arm, even when the wrinkled flesh is pulled until it's tight again. "That looks fun to play with," Igorina notes while looking over Alptraum's shoulder.

"Ah, don't touch it. It … er, I would very likely feed on you. You wouldn't like this kind of feeding," Alptraum says as he sits upright and looks over his shoulder. "I thought the doctor would want to see this. I'd like his opinion on it as well. He can't touch it either, not without rubber gloves or something… "

"Pewhaps the ahtifact can shed some light on this condition," Twig suggests, and goes to get his weird tentacle-mirror.

Igorina frowns at the no touching comment, so instead asks, "What happens to real shadow dragons when they starve? Do they get wrinkly or shrink or something?"

Alptraum steps away from Rina and uses his left hand to remove his shirt again so that the mirror can be reattached. The bat then sits back down in the examination chair and places his right arm out, palm up, for attachment. "I'm not sure what happens to them when they are starved, other than it being painful. This is, right now, uncomfortable for me. It aches," he says.

"Can you descwibe the ache?" Twig asks as he sits down next to Alptraum, and attaches a tentacle to the dark bat's shoulder. The second one he sticks to back of Alptraum's hand, minding the warning about being where it can grab.

Alptraum winces a bit when he feels the tentacle 'bite' into his shoulder and the tingle return. "Well … it's like I've done too much work and my muscles are tired. So, how you'll feel in certain areas once I change Rina into a replica of that Eee you saw," he jokes. "I think it aches in the locations we saw those black tendrils growing into my muscle and bone. It seems like it is those places. And … this is what my hand looked like when I was first infected by the black heart. Shriveled, knobby, and stiff."

"Hmmm," Twig mutters, and adjusts the knobs on his alien gizmo. Through its window, Alptraum's wrinkled flesh vanishes, showing muscles and tendons that have gone a bit gray, along with inflamed blood vessels. Going deeper, the muscle fades to show just the arteries and veins. They are all pulsing, except for the black ones, which have largely retreated to the base of the orb. A single inflamed-looked tube remains, going to Alptraum's palm, and it looks thicker than the myriad other shadow-veins that it replaces.

The end of the tube, just below the surface of Alptraum's hand, looks like a sucker. The fingers also show stiffening and swelling of the joints.

"What is that?" Alptraum asks and leans in close to look at it.

"Ah, a more pwimitive feeding tube it looks like," Twig suggests. "Befowa, you would extwude yowa shadow thwough multiple tubules to suwwound the pwey, like… like covawing it with a stomach. But you don't have the enahgy now, so… this!"

"We'd better check his heart and other connected areas," Igorina suggests.

Alptraum nudges the mirror out of the way so be can feel along his palm, then stretch the skin taut to see if he can make out the shape. "Does this mean that shadow thing is still a separate creature? That I'm its host?" he asks.

"Well, I don't know exactly what yowa welationship would be called," Twig admits. "Some kind of exotic symbiosis. But whatevah powah is stowed in yowa hand, it has an effect on the limb's health."

Alptraum checks to make sure there isn't some sort of mouth hiding in the wrinkly flesh of his palm.

"I have a theory, but we need to check his heart," Igorina notes. No matter how much Alptraum pushes and probes, the old 'mouth' from when his hand was a dragon head doesn't reappear.

Alptraum sits back and quits fiddling with his hand to the Doctor can check his heart and other, ah, areas.

The hand tendril is moved to Alptraum's left shoulder, and the imager placed over his chest. The shadow sutures on his heart seem 'normal' at least, with no signs of imminent failure.

"Well … that's good. I'm not going to die by exhausting my power store," Alptraum says and sighs in relief. "I guess that if I do still need those, at least the shadow knows if I die, so will it, so it keeps those intact?"

"I wish we'd checked yowa genitals pweviously," Twig laments. "Doing so now without knowing theiwa pwevious condition wouldn't be vewy infowmative."

"Well, you did check it in that you saw where the energy went. Rina, well … she's inspected them a few times and could tell us if they look different," Alptraum jokes and grins.

"So just tell me if I need to drop my pants," he adds.

"I don't think it's the shadow at all," Igorina says. "It's your other spirit, the Barsunala one," she claims. "Your heart wasn't affected, but your forearm is something it tried to reject before. So when its energy is low, so is its resistance. The Barsunala could be forcing it closer to an undead state so it can finally reject it."

"Okay, that's worrying," Alptraum says.

"Hmmm, the withewing could be the wesult of some sowt of death magic, yes," Twig says, nodding.

"So … I should 'feed' it again soon to make sure the effect doesn't damage anything," Alptraum remarks.

"Oh, our bodies are always trying to kill off or reject parts that go bad," Igorina assures Alptraum. "So just because it's a whole limb, it's still not that unusual."

"Ah, yes, feeding it would be good," Twig says. "I don't want it falling off and wiggling about the lab. It would upset the lizahds."

"So, you're telling me this is okay?" Alptraum asks. He now checks himself just to be sure that, ah, other parts aren't being rejected! "And oh, did you get a chance to examine the, ah, sample Rina took from me the other day?"

"Oh, I hadn't gotten to that," Twig admits, and rolls his stool over to another workstation, where the microscope is. "Weena can disconnect you."

"Just be careful to not get too close to the palm," Alptraum tells Rina. "I like you, I'd rather not eat you. Not in this way, anyway… "

"Well, it's just some part of you trying to zombify your hand," Igorina notes, plucking a tentacle from Alptraum's shoulder. "Now, we could check to see if anything else is withering, but if it is you probably don't want to know… "

"I do, actually," Alptraum admits, "I want to know how much I'm affected… "

Obligingly, Igorina undoes Alptraum's pants and feels around. At least her hands are warm! "Hmmm, nothing too wrinkly. How does it feel?" she asks.

Alptraum twitches and actually squirms. "Uh, I can feel that just fine! I think it is unaffected!" he squeaks.

Igorina removes her hand, but Teeny-Reeny – still working with lizard instincts – detects a warm dark cave and scurries down into Alptraum's pants.

Alptraum acks! "There's a rat in my pants!" he complains as he leaps from the chair and hops around like mad!

"Be careful with your hand!" Igorina says between laughs, as she chases Alptraum around. "Hold on while I get you a fresh lizard!"

Alptraum holds his right arm straight out while he fishes around in his pants with his left, all the while hoping back and forth from foot to foot. It frankly looks like he's either possessed or dancing with a ghost who likes to molest its victims with cold hands!

"Hmmm," Twig goes from his workstation, ignoring the mayhem around him as he focuses his microscope. "Intewesting… "

"Don't grab her or she might bite," Igorina warns, holding out a lizard by its tail for Alptraum to grab. "Take this and I'll pry her out!"

Alptraum's right hand creaks and pops as he moves, then closes it around the body of the lizard offered by Rina. He even tries to quit hopping around, but that's a bit hard as she just licked something sensitive.

It takes a few moments, but eventually Alptraum's arm has filled back out, the lizard is reduced to skin and bones, his pants are around his ankles and Igorina looks pregnant after getting Teeny to crawl down into her shirt.

"You know, I never knew science could be so exciting," Alptraum admits a bit sheepishly as he's pulling his pants back up. He pulls his shift back on, then remarks to Rina, "You like cute pregnant." He even grins and waggles his brow.

"Yowa spewm is healthy," Twig announces. "Numewous and pointiah than usual fowa an Eeee, but not gwowing teeth or howns or anything. Howevah… "

"So, it looks different? Are they black? Can I see?" Alptraum asks and walks a bit funny as he heads over to Twig.

Igorina giggles at the compliment.

Twig moves aside so Alptraum can look through the microscope. What he sees are mostly transparent little things with tails wiggling around frantically, but no sign of black in them.

"Weird. Is it supposed to look like that? They're so frantic," Alptraum remarks.

"Should the shadow actually weach down thewa, you will have to be cawefull," Twig warns. "The shapeshifting pwopewties may wesult in cwoss-species pwegnancies – although what would be pwoduced is anyone's guess."

"So … I could actually get, say, Rina pregnant?" Alptraum asks as he looks up and sits back. "That would be really strange!"

"Yeah, they're supposed to look like that, mostly," Igorina says after taking a peek. "Looks like they have more penetrating power, though… "

"Of couwse, it could also wesult in stewility, owa no change at all," Twig suggests. "So, should you suspect it, best come back hewa fowa some testing."

"If the shadow spreads, you better believe I'll come back here!" Alptraum says as he shakes out his right hand. "Do you think I'll ever regain feeling in my right hand? More than I have now, that is."

"Not as long as you have a pawt of you twying to kill it," Twig says. "Othahwise, you might wegain feeling. Has it evah felt nowmal since the initial infection?"

"It felt normal right after I first got out the black heart," Alptraum explains, "But once I merged with the shadow dragon, the feeling in it gradually faded away till all I feel is pressure-touch."

"Well, unless I touch another shadow-dragon, then it feels normally. Or if Kaira helps extract the dragon flesh for a time," Alptraum adds.

"Ah, I suppose in the lattah case thewe is less wejection pwessuha," Twig speculates. "Not suwa about the fowmah case though. Maybe shadow is sensitive to shadow is all? Does Wose have issues with feeling sensations?"

"No, she feels things normally," Alptraum says, "Though she feels things even more intensely than normal when she has her shadow active too." That last bit ears a fangy grin from Alptraum.

"That reminds me," Igorina says, holding onto her occasionally squirming midsection. "If we get the crystal heart fixed, you'd better be sure to only handle it with your left hand."

"Why is that? I know I can't handle it right now with my right because of the iron … but why do I have to avoid it afterward too?" Alptraum assk.

"Well, think about it," Igorina says, grinning. "That is what a shadow dragon uses for a heart or to hold its spirit or whatever. If you hold it with your shadow-saturated hand, then the shadow might try to transfer to it – and then there wouldn't be anything holding your own heart together!"

"Ack!" goes Alptraum and grabs his own chest. "I hope not! That would either kill me or require me to shove it into my own chest! Neither is appealing."

"Igowina will pwepawe a case to cawwy it in safely then, just in case," Twig promises.

"Oh, good. Payment will then be a free body shift for each of you," Alptraum says and resumes grinning. "Of course Rina gets to pick what you get turned into… " He then winks at Rina.

"Oooo… " Igorina goes, eyeing Twig – who looks nervous.

"So, what do you think she would pick? You already picked hers," Alptraum reminds him.

"A Rhian! And a Skeek! And a Skreek! And… hmm," the rat goes, tapping her chin in thought. "Oh, a Lapi! And I want to be the guy at least once… "

"I can't affowd that many hogs," Twig whimpers.

Laughing, Alptraum says, "Now now, you only get one pick this time! We can arrange other times as payments for monitoring my health. Now, I should probably let both of you get some work done and go hunting for a bit to increase the charge in my hand. Plus, you probably want to get some real work done, instead of examining some Eeee mutant."

"Twue, and it would be wude to ask you to help with those expewiments," Twig notes, sounding relieved by Alptraum's terms.

"I wouldn't mind, but I doubt I know enough to help. I'll leave you to your work and if the heart is ready tomorrow morning, it's off to Grommit for me!" Alptraum says.