Machia looked up from her biomonitor program, finally following the line of her ears. "Legally I'm more human than you," she said. "Structurally, about 20% less. Biologically -" she tapped a button on her screen. "- after the compounds your drink are digested you're going to be slightly more horse than I am. I'm having to limit my own fusion rate this week so I don't throw off my leg calibration, so you're ahead of the curve. This phase involves a fairly major hormone surge to co-ordinate various muscle integrations, so if you feel the urge to bite anyone try to keep it under control."

She smiled brightly. "That won't be a problem for me! I'm getting my dose tomorrow, and I've already got a bite toy lined up. Wonderful how that works out!"

She picked up her headphones. Any moment when she wasn't directly monitoring your training she was doing preparation work for her soundscape. She held it for a moment, toying with the cord, and then set it down.

"No, I'm going to be your opponent this round. My presence is uninteresting scientifically, but I'd prefer not to embarass myself on Friday. Usual scoring practice, I'm on hex 1, you're on Hex 6, center is live first, then random hexes after that." She stretched languidly, and then slapped her cybernetic leg violently. "No gel this run, this is for me. Are you ready?"