Mr. and Mrs. Piper were rather surprised when Fiona's pet canary transformed into an Animalian, but they were quick to adapt. They soon found Sera to be a delightful young woman and rather smart for someone who hasn't received a formal education. In a way, Sera was a preview for what Fiona will be like when she got older. A bit literally since Fiona had also become a humanoid canary, but she was still her sweet self.
And even though Sera wasn't their actual daughter, they did feel some pride when she performed on Arbor Day. She looked so pretty in her dress and her voice was so beautiful. Sera became quite popular after that, a lot of people complimenting her on her performance. And it would seem she made a bigger splash than she had thought.
Mr. and Mrs. Piper were doing some gardening when a car pulled up to their house. It was a very shiny blue Porsche, obviously belonging to someone who had a lot of money. Once the car had stopped, a woman came out of it. She had greying hair, but moved with plenty of energy. Her suit and her sunglasses also looked expensive, as well as the slim briefcase she saw carrying. She looked around before spotting the Pipers and asked, "Excuse me, is this the Piper residence?"
"Yes," said Mr. Piper, a little uncertain why this strange woman was here.
"Ah, good, then you must be Sera's..." the woman paused at that, looking a little perplexed before trying, "Legal guardians?"
"We're her family," said Mrs. Piper in a firm tone. Sera might not be her own daughter by blood, but she wasn't about to let some outsider to imply she didn't belong with them.
"Oh, good, I wasn't quite sure how these Animalian arrangements worked," said the woman, "Sera is home, yes?"
"And what would you want with Sera? Who are you?" demanded Mr. Piper.
"Oh, forgive me, my card," said the woman, handing him a business card. Mr. Piper looked at it, which read 'Ella Harmonia, Talent Scout, Agent, Manager'.
"What are you a manager of?" asked Mrs. Piper.
"Musical bands," said Ella, "At least, I used to be. The world of music moves at a faster pace than you might think."
"So how can we really trust you?" asked Mr. Piper.
"I am here to offer a proposal to Sera," said Ella, "As her guardians, you'll also have to sign...unless Sera is of legal age. Is she?"
Mr. and Mrs. Piper paused at that. While Sera was a fully-developed adult, she was chronologically only a few years old. It was a bit hard to tell what was the proper legal age for uplifted Animalians. But Mrs. Piper answered firmly, "She's not signing any contracts without us looking at them first."
"Fair enough," said Mrs. Harmonia, "May I speak with her?"
==========
Sera and Fiona were a little surprised that a talent scout would have come to their house. Fiona thought she had heard of Mrs. Harmonia before in connection with some of the pop bands she had listened to. If for no other reason but curiosity, Sera agreed to see her.
Mrs. Harmonia lowered her sunglasses a little to look at Sera. "You're even prettier in person. Even without the sequins," she said.
"Thank you. But you didn't come all this way just for my looks," said Sera.
"No, your voice, darling, that is what I need to hear," said Mrs. Harmonia, "If you could just show a little bit of your singing." Sera shrugged before trilling. She didn't really use any words, but it was really more of a throat exercise. Mrs. Harmonia smiled and said, "Good, just what I was hoping for. Now then, Canary Diamond, you wish to become a big pop star, yes?"
"You're not actually going to offer it all to me," said Sera, "That sounds far too good to be true."
"The good things are never handed out that easily," said Mrs. Harmonia, "I've seen plenty of young stars who took life for granted and lost it all."
"Everything?" asked Fiona.
"Well, everything that was part of their career," said Mrs. Harmonia, "Have you ever noticed how some pop stars seemed to flare for only a brief time before fading into obscurity?"
Fiona could recall a few stars that seemed to drop out of the spotlight after a while. "What happened to them?" she asked.
"The pitfalls of fame and fortune," said Mrs. Harmonia, "Often, the fame goes to their head and they think they can do anything they want. Then become part of some scandal like drug abuse and infidelity. Then they lose all their fans, their contracts, their careers completely falls through. It's always a shame."
"Are you saying that could happen to me?" asked Sera nervously.
"No, no, that's why I wanted to seek you out," said Mrs. Harmonia, "You are fresh, uncorrupted, untouched by human vice."
"You seem to have come a long way just for one girl in a small town," said Fiona.
"Well, it's not just your, er, do you consider each other sisters?" asked Mrs. Harmonia.
"Yes," said Sera and Fiona at the same time.
"Very well, it isn't only Sera who I'm here for. There are many pop stars like I've just described whose careers burned out. But there are some who want to get back in the game, even if they have to restart their lives as Animalians. I am looking to open a recording studio here pop stars can reinvent themselves. But I can't just have old bands. I need fresh talent who has done no sin that the media would tear them apart for," said Mrs. Harmonia, "Canary Diamond might not be the only former animal who wants to become a pop star, but she'll be one of the biggest if she's the first to sign up."
Sera considered this before saying, "What precisely are you offering?"
Mrs. Harmonia opened her briefcase and pulled out a paper. "This contract states that you will be paid $5000 as a start. The rate of pay you'll receive afterwards will depend on the success of selling your albums, advertising, or any other merchandise. You'll have final say of what you will or won't promote. Travel expenses will be taken care of by the manager, i.e. me."
"Travel expenses?" asked Fiona.
"Well, your sister can't become a national success by staying in just one state, can she?" asked Mrs. Harmonia, "She'll need to take her concerts across the country, perform in different cities. It will probably be good promotional work for Animalia as well."
Sera considered the contract very carefully. She had learned how to read, but the wording on it was a bit too complicated. She'll definitely need Fiona's parents to look at it. The offer was certainly tempting, but she needed to know more before she could consider signing on. "My parents will be looking at this contract before I sign it," said Sera, "And I want to meet the other pop stars that I'll be performing with."
"Of course," said Mrs. Harmonia, "I can take you to meet them. They're at the Town Hall. I have people talking with your mayor about the studio."
"I'm coming with her," said Fiona, "And so are our parents."
"If you insist," said Mrs. Harmonia, "If we're going to leave, it should be now. Time is a crucial factor here."
Sera nodded to her sister before they stood up. Sera couldn't deny she felt really giddy about becoming a real national pop star. She only hoped it wasn't too good to be true.