It was generally true that converted Animalians lose their taste for alcohol. Their new taste buds find the taste too bitter for them to choke down. But sweeter drinks are easier on their palates, though not everyone tries to get themselves drunk. Their new lives were often a lot happier than their old ones and they didn't require alcoholic drinks to celebrate. In fact, some Animalians had converted just so they could escape the noose that alcohol had on them.
Still, there some occasions where friends go out for a friendly round of drinks. And since they were giving discounts to veterans for Memorial Day, today was good a day as ever. There were plenty of veterans at the bar, both human and Animalian. For instance, Rick and Bennie were sharing some drinks together as well as reminiscing about their service in Iraq.
"You know, the people in Iraq aren't all that unfriendly," said Rick, "Plenty that I've been able to talk to were quite nice."
"Not all Muslims are out to destroy Western civilization," said Bennie, "Just a small group of radical extremists that not even the other Muslims there like."
"Not that our current government can tell the difference," said Rick with a bit of disgust. He knew the new heads of state were eager to use any excusable angle to strip Animalians of their status of citizens and use them as disposable super soldiers in their senseless wars. There were enough levelheaded people also in power to balance them out, thankfully. Rick was a little bit thankful that Project Chimera was a bust. If it had succeeded, the military would be trying to breed monsters that might not be able to live normal lives.
"Well, at least they can't send me back there," said Bennie. Rick lifted an eyebrow at that. "I'm a whale," said Benny, "How well could they expect me to operate in a country that's mostly desert?"
"I thought orcas were dolphins," said Rick.
"Tomato, tamato," said Bennie, "I mean, I know we're grouped as dolphins, but it's cooler to say I'm a whale."
"How you boys doing?" Rick and Bennie looked up to see Daniel Richardson. Daniel had become one of Animalia's biggest celebrities and not just because he was a war hero of WWII and because he was over a hundred years old. Danial literally was one of Animalia's biggest celebrities because his double-dose had such a spectacular success with him. Despite being a golden retriever, he was actually bigger than most canine Animalians, even as big as the Great Danes and other larger breeds. He was actually taller than Rick but not as tall as Bennie. He also had an enormous amount of muscles to fill in his frame.
"Just talking about our time in Iraq," said Bennie.
"I never saw much point in staying in Iraq," said Daniel, "I agreed that the bastards that attacked us had to pay, but we shouldn't have stayed there longer than we had to."
"Preaching to the choir," said Rick a little dryly.
"Right, sorry," said Daniel, "So, how's the missus?"
"She can't walk for long distances anymore," said Rick, "Clara ought to be having her cubs in the next few weeks. I'm starting to worry if they'll be too much for her."
"She's a tough puma," said Bennie, "If anyone can successfully give birth to quadruplets, it's her." He turned to Daniel and asked, "What's with the bottle?"
Daniel held up the dusty bottle he was holding and said, "This? I found this while I was clearing out the war memorabilia. It's a bottle of whisky I was saving for the end of the war to share with my platoon." His voice turned somber for a moment as he said, "So few of us made it back..." He was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Anyways, I thought that before I buy a round of drinks for the house, I'd share this stuff for anyone who has the stomach for it."
"Well, don't keep us waiting," said Rick, "Give us a slug."
"I don't know, this stuff would be strong for you when it was freshly made," said Daniel, "You might not be able to handle when you were human."
"Hey, we're apex predators. We can handle some dusty old whiskey," said Bennie.
Daniel shrugged and said, "You asked for it." He put some of the old whiskey in two shot glasses and handed them over. Rick and Bennie clinked their glasses before downing them.
The effects were rather comical. Both their eyes bugged out and their tails went completely straight. Rick could swear his whiskers were curling and he was definitely sure the fur was standing up down his back. Bennie made a squeaking sound from his blowhole as if he wanted to spout the whiskey out of him.
Daniel chuckled and said, "I did warn you. Did you get that, Bert?"
Bert, who lost an arm in Vietnam but regained it as a black bear, lowered his smartphone and said, "Got every second of it. You need to figure out how to use one of these yourself."
"When I was a boy, we still had rotary dials," said Daniel, "You can't expect me to figure out those new-fangled swiping phones that easily."
"You've got more than enough time," said Bennie in a squeaky voice that made him sound a lot like a dolphin.
Rick shook himself and said, "That's strong stuff. We should see how well Shamus can take it."
"Yeah, I'd like to see that Irishman can handle a drink like he says he can," said Bert.
Daniel grinned and said, "You're gonna film that, right?"
"Wouldn't miss it," said Bert.
"Then let's save some whiskey for him later," said Daniel.