Hubert was a retired psychologist who had taken to studying the Purrians. In part he was interested in the fresh groundwork that there was to explore, but he also hoped to make some money since his retirement plan hadn't panned out as he had hoped.

    Because the environment and culture of the Purrians often fostered extroverted behavior, he became interested in those that, instead, developed into shy and introverted individuals. It was made all the more interesting because the Purrians had problems turning them around, and their methods usually drove them further away from interactivity. In essence they were regarded as the Earth's equivalent of retards.

    The Purrians suffered more from physical injury than from psychological problems, so they had developed more in the area of the body than of the mind. For that reason he decided to lend his expertise, his reasons being many. Other than the obvious reason (for money, of course), he wanted to improve human-Purrian relations. He also wanted to challenge himself, since his chosen profession had become a well-tread path back on Earth.

    He got permission to stay in a community that had a young girl that was "suffering" from shyness, one who was becoming more introverted because of the resident therapist's methods. The problem was that there was too much force being used, which the girl didn't like, so congress was being made. However, even though he knew what not to do, he also didn't know what to do. Certainly the girl wouldn't be any more attentive to him, seeing as she only had tentative interactivity with her own parents.

    But then he got an idea that would have been crazy if not for it being possible. He got in contact with one of the Terran ships that orbitted Purria, and his request was granted because his idea had the potential to be a positive action on the political front, what with relations between humans and Purrians still being shaky.

    Soon he was living with the girl's family, his body in the girl's exact likeness. It was his hope that something so familiar, even if strange, would make her curious enough to approach him. The trick was to act as a part of the family yet pretend as if the girl wasn't there, to make it obvious that answers would only be forthcoming if she reached out for them herself. And her parents had been instructed to give no explanation for his presence, to ensure the likelihood of the plan's success.

    After a few days it seemed that the plan had indeed worked, for the girl had decided to poke her head into the living room to meekly ask, "who are you?"

    Once that question had been asked, he knew that his greatest challenge lay ahead of him. It had already been difficult enough with a strange, new body, and having to pretend to be a completely different person; but now he needed to act for a very specific audience, and get their approval.

    "I'm your sister, silly!" He had answered in an amiable fashion, which had been punctuated by the extension of his tongue.

    He then returned to the book that he had been reading, no doubt leaving the girl with more questions than answers. Before long he noticed her crawling toward him slowly, her ears laid back, but he acted as if he didn't see her and pretended to read: because the turning of a page could be too sudden of a movement, and thus frighten the girl away.

    When she reached him, she raised a hand and, tentatively, began to touch his ear. Without any reaction from her touch, she was emboldened to explore further, as if to see if her twin were real or not. When she was done she sat by him and stared silently, her eyes roaming between his face and the book he held.

    Finally, she asked, "what are you reading?"

    In reply, he smiled and said, "it's a tale about two sisters. Would you like me to read it to you?"

    The answer was a bit belated yet still positive, so he was more than happy to turn back to the beginning of the book, thus starting a new chapter for his patient.

    The girl's development went well from then onward. The "always ask and never tell" policy, along with his friendly behavior, allowed him to worm his way into her heart. Eventually she joined him in family activities within the home, and it didn't take long for her to open up to her parents. Soon there was no question that she had a strong connection with her family, one that couldn't be reversed by just any means.

    Then it came time for her to brave the world outside. It was at this stage where positive reinforcement would be more vital than ever. He would tell her that he was scared as well, yet knew that he'd be okay so long as she was with him. He took every opportunity to make her feel strong when he was acting weak, to void any existing inferiority complex. Before long they could go anywhere and do anything together, and she grew more confident both for and because of him.

    It wasn't until a year later that Hubert had realized her error. There had been a good reason for why people in her field didn't get involved with their patients. And yet, after a fun (if exhausting) afternoon with her sister, she couldn't find it in herself to fault her actions. Her own positive experiences over the past year had made her feigned behavior become second nature, more real. The feelings that she had developed for her sister and her family were real. She was as much Felina as she was Hubert, if not more so.

But at least she had shared her research with other Purrian therapists. So, in the end, there should be less Purrians with such a "problem" in years to come. Her goal had been achieved. There was no money, as she had first aimed for, but she thought that she had gained so much more than that. And, the powers that be allowing, she would have another lifetime to enjoy it.