"Well, Yoshi has expressed some interest in the surgical aspects of transition," Dr. Kildeer said. "Right?"

"Y-yes," Yoshi replied. Shinobu looked at her in surprise, a gaze that she avoided.

"But to be blunt," Dr. Kildeer continued, now speaking mostly to Yoshi, "You can't be under anesthesia if you might lose your shape. And it can complicate your recovery, as well. We don't have a lot of data on how surgery can affect shapeshifters, but changing shape with an open wound can be very dangerous. We do know that."

"I see," Shinobu mused, chewing one of her claws and frowning deeply. "Yes. But I have tried to teach Yoshi to control this already. It did not go well. And," she added, "It is common knowledge that, sometimes, mixed species people simply cannot learn these things. What then?"

Yoshi sighed, which Shinobu didn't seem to notice. Dr. Kildeer regarded them both for a moment, the set of his mouth and his ears betraying a hint of annoyance, which Shinobu also didn't seem to notice.

"Let's not give up too easily, huh?" he said lightly. "Maybe she just needs a different teacher."

"Ah," Shinobu said. Dr. Kildeer turned to Yoshi again.

"Let's make sure we check in about this when I see you next, okay? Now--are you still interested in trying out the estrogen patch we talked about?"