Lisle kept up the pace, but her demeanor was that of a prisoner heading for a firing squad.  She cringed away from the leering inmates and the guard, unconsciously pressing against Gerlinde's leg as the whip coaxed her inevitably towards the operating theater.<br/><br/><em>Just cosmetic,</em>she told herself.<em>I won't even see my ears most of the time - maybe I will get used to the tail.  I don't <span class="bbc_u">have</span></em>to do anything with it...[/i]  The litany helped, but didn't stop her from flinching as they entered that room, as if there was an invisible barrier separating it from the human world and Lisle had walked into it full force.