Shortly after Clara, Rick, Robby, and Martha returned to Animalia from Mieni Atoll, things seemed to quiet down greatly. Ran and Gaz were looking over many of the areas that would need to be upgraded and changed if they were going to turn the the main island where what had been Nimitz Air Force base into a resort and additional areas for scientific research, particularly when even Lt. Colonel Lance Corporal joined in the exploration of the jungles on other parts of the island found various new animal species that scientists would be very interested in studying. That would be especially true for many of the amphibian and mammalian species that were on that atoll. Reptiles like various sea snakes and even the Saltwater Crocodile could be expected in places like this, as they did swim out to sea, but the mammals that went out to sea were usually unable to come on land, like whales and dolphins, and they hadn't found any obvious sea otter, seal, or sea lion, which would mean that the mammals that did go out to sea but came back to land weren't present.
Ran had told everyone that human scientists would be very interested in studying all that. And Ralph and Rita both took to following after the two Great White Animalians. Some of it was curiosity and some of it was simply old habits continuing. After all, Remoras were all known for following larger fish and sometimes even boats. They might be bigger than they once were, but that didn't stop them from following the others. In this, they overheard many of the conversations between Ran and Gaz. Ran learned that Gaz had taken to following various dolphin pods and that was why she was in areas where Great Whites weren't common, though Ralph and Rita knew that already. They also learned from Ran on many of the things that would need to change, as the barracks on the base and many of its command centers would need to change with regard the business aspect that Animalia wished to establish on Mieni.
"These barracks wouldn't necessarily provide comfort..." Ran spoke slowly as they walked down a hallway in one, "they're built to house a large number of people in a small area... from what I've been told, when people go on vacation they don't wish to bunk with a large number of people."
"They wish their own privacy," Gaz commented, to which Ran nodded, "but what about many of their headquarters and other buildings?"
"The hangers will probably stay for civilian flights in and out and as will their flight control centers," Ran answered, "the rest... I'm not sure. I'd think the scientists would need to come and take a look to see with regard to what they need."
"For what?" Ralph asked curiously.
Ran and Gaz both stopped and looked back to Ralph and Rita. The two remoras had continued to follow them dutifully and with some things that'd be fairly helpful, but for the moment there wasn't much need for that. The scientists from Horizon hadn't yet arrived and they were only just looking over the buildings that were there for what would need to be done to either upgrade them for purposes that Animalia intended for the former military base. It was for the moment something that would give Ralph and Rita some time to explore on their own. Joe the Pilot Fish had taken to some curious looks at the jungle to see what was there and even volunteered to swim out to some of the other islands in the atoll to see if there was anything there as well.
"Things like their laboratories and other things," Ran answered, "but that will have to wait."
"Why don't you two go off and have a good time," Gaz offered to them, "much of what's going on right now isn't that labor intensive."
"And do what?" Rita asked.
"Well..." Ran said slowly, "Valentines Day is coming up... and the two of you have seemed fairly close..."
"We'd have your permission?" Rita asked.
"You don't need our permission to fall in love," Gaz told her, "go on, you two. Go have a good time."
Ralph looked to Rita, and he did find her beautiful.
"If you'd like to," Ralph said slowly to her.
At this both remoras began to actually walk away. The two had liked each other and both Ran and Gaz had noticed that. The only thing that had really kept them from acting on their own had been following their instinctive desire to be of service of Ran and Gaz. As they began to walk out and toward the internal lagoon inside Mieni Atoll's ring of islands.
"Actually... I... I would," Rita sad slowly and leaned over to kiss Ralph.
As she pulled away, Ralph was left with a rather dopey grin while Ran and Gaz smirked and watched them walk out. They came out of one of the barracks buildings that had been on the air base and headed out toward the central lagoon. The son was warm and in a way felt good on their scales. As with Gaz and Ran, Joe, and Ariel, the uplifting process had given Ralph and Rita's scales some ability to resist the sun's UV rays, just the same way fur and feathers did for most Animalians and some of the natural mucus that fish naturally produced acted something like a sunscreen ointment that human's used. That didn't mean, however, that they wanted to spend all their time above water. They slowly made their way out into the lagoon and disappeared beneath the waves. The water felt nice and both remoras were soon kissing and holding each other as their tails swished side to side and their legs were held underneath their tails.
"Remember to find a quiet place," Rita said to Ralph, "Ran and Gaz said we don't want to hurt the environment."
Ralph nodded. Horizon had found and produced a specialized vaccine that had made the Animalia virus less infectious, and many Animalians in Animalia had already gotten those injections and their were promises that Horizon would bring that vaccine to Mieni so that the Animalia Virus wouldn't get loose and contaminate the world's largest ocean.
"Yes," Ralph nodded agreement.
They eventually made their way to the bottom of the central lagoon and settled toward the center of the body of water. Unlike the areas outside the atoll, the lagoon was shallow enough that one could look down and see the floor from above, but for the most part there were no flights and people out on the beach would be at such an angle that they wouldn't necessarily see anyone on the bottom of the lagoon. And there the two looked to each other as they began to slowly undress the other. While the uplifting of Joe, Ralph, and Rita had been a surprise, the original group had brought out a surprising amount of clothing and swimsuits needed, though Ralph and Rita found that the swim trunks and clothing made for Ran and Gaz didn't fit either of them perfectly, but it was better than nothing.
The two kissed and Rita found herself giving a moan as Ralph's hands ran over her breasts as they came free from her bikini top. The sensation felt good and Rita liked it very much.
"That feels very nice," Rita said to Ralph before kissing him again.
Ralph smiled as they briefly came apart. Rita was beautiful with her large breasts floating in the water with her dark nipple scales fully aroused. It made Ralph feel good and he felt himself become aroused as well. As Rita pulled down Ralph's swim trunks and their clothing was buried in the sand beside them, both were quite pleased to see what looked very much like Ran's claspers in his uplifted form. They were very sensitive and Ralph felt a very pleasureful twitch in them as Rita slowly wiggled both of them. It was something that Horizon had found with Ariel after she was uplifted and was now confirmed for Ralph regarding male fish. This related the sexual reproductive habits that Animalians all enjoyed in, and in a way that was very much similar to human sex. For many of the land based Animalians this lead to fairly typical relationships with little real modification to their equipment.
For fish however, there were major changes. In fish, reproduction was not internal. Spawning salmon and trout would lay their eggs in the streams in which they were born and the male would then spray the eggs with sperm and both parents would die shortly after. Some other fish species might move into shallows and near sea grasses to attach their eggs before the male sprays them with sperm. Anatomically, some species like sharks had claspers that served for internal fertilization, but that wasn't something that went across the entire world's fish populations. However, the present erect clasper-like penises that Ralph presently sported showed that fish Animalians were likely to be built more for the same sort of sexual reproduction as other Animalians.
"I think this will be fun," Ralph stated and kissed Rita again, along with rubbing one of her breasts with one hand and rubbing the juncture between her legs and he smiled when Rita gave a happy moan.
"Then let us have fun," Rita moaned with a smile as she caressed Ralph's equipment with one hand and propping herself up with the other.
Ralph and Rita both smiled to each other as Rita lowered herself down onto Ralph's erect equipment. They slid in painlessly in Rita's new vaginal opening, which was sealed shut when not aroused and Ralph could feel her "grip" on him down there was firm enough that no water would get inside her, even as he began to thrust forward, giving low moans that joined Rita's higher tones as well. They soon resumed kissing and rubbing the areas on each other that they found sensitive and loving the pleasure that they gave each other as they both thrust their hips forward. It felt good.
"Ohhhh," Rita moaned, "Yes... Ralph... please... I'm gonna... I'm gonna..."
She could feel the pleasure building and building. Like a great wave it swelled and move forward built within her, and by a subtle twitch she felt in Ralph's equipment, she new he was feeling the pleasure build within him as well. Soon everything erupted and the two felt a tremendous orgasm go through both of them. It felt good and they soon cuddled together. The cuddling felt nice, though also arousing in a way. Rita felt her breasts grow slightly larger as did her muscles. It gave her an added feeling of power in her body and at the same time she saw Ralph also growing more muscular and she could feel his claspers growing larger even while still inside her. It wasn't enough as compared to others getting their second dose and both Ralph and Rita were much smaller than Ran or Gaz. However, that growing power was enough to make them both smile and left them ready for a second go.
"That was nice," Rita said softly after she caught her breath.
"Yes," Ralph nodded and kissed her again, "want to go again?"
"Yes, please," Rita smiled.