"They've built a rather nice community here," JT commented as he walked along the streets of Animalia with Josephine.
While Sophie went to be there for Roland's release from the hospital and Doctor Stein and Jeremy met with Effie Wilcox to prepare for Heather's final punishment, life in Animalia continued to move on. And JT's idea for a bachelor/bachelorette auction was one of those sorts of things. The idea was more to support those being confronted by hurricanes and the resulting damage, and at the same time could offer Animalians who hadn't found mates the opportunity to get a shot at it. Josephine and the Brown family had proved okay with the idea, obviously, while Clara seemed okay with the idea so long as there were certain revisions made to make sure that one, it didn't become something that only the super wealthy could afford and two, that everyone was welcome. JT was more than accepting of the idea. And now he and Josephine were walking from the Brown farm to Animalia's City Hall.
And there was a lot that JT had found quite nice about Animalia. Many of the dirt roads that followed where Martin or Josephine had driven to move animals and so on had been paved to become part of the official streets in Animalia, and they also served to directly connect the Brown Farm with the rest of Animalia and leading into the other connections with Lyre. And as they walked along, JT was able to look to the various homes and residences that had been built. Many of them were fairly simple in design, but they were functional and JT was able to see that some were scaled up in size that they were bigger than what he otherwise thought they would be. Of course, as he glanced over to Josephine, he then figured that that made sense, as his sister presently towered over him.
"The amazing thing is how fast many of them were built," Josephine answered, "and how quick many Animalians actually picked up on many human architectural concepts."
JT nodded, "True... I remember some phone calls with you telling me that. Still... it looks nice."
They walked along quietly and soon Animalia's City Hall came into view. To their great surprise, they found Abby, Sarah, Malice, and Jessica waiting for them outside the main doors. They still had their backpacks with them, so it was clear they'd come directly from school.
"Is something up?" Josephine asked as she and JT approached them, "Normally city council meetings don't attract this much attention."
"We kinda wanted to film the debate and presentation for a future Animalia Ambassadoria episode," Abby answered, "it was one of a string of ideas we brainstormed through a few days ago."
"Isn't there supposed to be another member? Sophie?" JT asked curiously.
"We asked her about it, but when we called her after school... she was more excited about Roland being released from the hospital," Malice said, "so, she's gone to see her bondmate."
"Boyfriend in human terms," Sarah corrected Malice.
"Same difference," Malice huffed, "You've seen how close they've been and how concerned she was over him being hurt."
Josephine noted the happy wag of Malice's tail, giving her the impression that Malice was happy that Roland would be released from the hospital as well. It was something that reaffirmed the bonds of friendship that Josephine had seen with Abby, Jessica, Sarah, and Sophie when they were little. The Animalia outbreak and the addition of Malice didn't lessen that.
"Well, it is good that he's getting out of the hospital," Josephine spoke, "did Sophie say anything about how her volunteering at Horizon is coming?"
"I think she's making some progress... the some of the debates and theories over where her wings will be when she converts are up in the air," Sarah answered, "she's had interest in being a pterodactyl based Animalian."
"Wouldn't her wings be on her back, like the birds and bats?" Josephine asked.
"I think she said that was the most likely theory," Sarah gave nervous pull on her lips, "though from what Sophie's shared with us... there could be some questions..."
Both Josephine and JT raised an eyebrow at that. The Husky Animalian's voice had trailed off at the end, which made some sense as she was likely relaying things Sophie had told her, but that didn't mean it really settled matters.
"And?" Josephine eventually asked.
"Well..." Sarah said slowly, "she said that the common theory on the evolution of birds is that they emerged out of the Theropod dinosaurs, the two legged predatory dinosaurs, like what Heather became. In this... there'd then be questions on how the Animalia Virus would determine that. Is it in the sense of actually having a wing that could allow for flight? Or is it a measure of evolution and so on? And if the latter, then shouldn't Heather have an extra set of arms on her back since birds evolved FROM Theropod dinosaurs? And with pterosaurs, which Sophie wants to be... they have multiple fingers on the apex of each wing. That could mean that her pinkie finger could lengthen to form the wing while the rest of her hand remains unchanged. Sophie's said that A LOT of that is at best theoretical at the moment and they won't know more they've had more time for tests."
"Sounds like quite the conundrum," JT commented.
"It probably is," Josephine nodded, "but we've dallied long enough. If you wish to cover the debate, you are free to come, but let's keep things quiet. Okay?"
"Right, mom," Abby nodded.
"Good," Josephine nodded and opened the door and allowed everyone to enter. They then entered to find Robbie waiting for them, though Josephine also noticed some of the other Animalian City Council members heading up the stairs to go to their main chambers, so it was likely that Robbie was there to greet everyone as they came in. He gave a small nod to Animalia's ambassadors but soon turned to Josephine and JT with one lowered ear.
"Hello, I'm Robbie, Animalia's Deputy Mayor, I chair the City Council meetings and provide a tie breaking vote should there ever be a tie," Robbie introduced himself to JT as they shook hands, "And you are... JT... I take it?"
"That's me," JT gave a small grin, "here to explain my idea. It'd be something good for you and something good for the world. Animalians get a shot at romance and Animalia helps people who really NEED it right now. And your Mayor, Clara, her ideas for revisions to be of benefit to all is perfectly fine with me. In fact... working them in might even help with some of the negative media attention that's come in after that one rogue launched an attack..."
Robbie slowly nodded and looked between JT and Josephine for a few moments. Abby, Sarah, Jessica, and Malice all watched this rather slowly. They all probably guessed that Robbie didn't expect JT to be coming in with one of Animalia's City Council Members. He didn't know that JT was Josephine's brother or that at times Abby figured a good portion of his reasoning was more than just raising money for hurricane relief but to be close to family. As JT was a frequent visitor to the farm ever since he arrived.
"Well... yes, I'm sure," Robbie said slowly.
"JT is my older brother, Robbie," Josephine told him after a few moments, "and his idea isn't a bad one."
"I'm sure... I was just..." Robbie said slowly, "Nervous."
"It's okay," JT assured him, "I don't suppose I've visited family often enough to be well known in these parts."
"Well... I suppose if you're ready..." Robbie commented and looked over to Josephine, "Everyone else is either already here or has just arrived. So... let us proceed."
From there they went upstairs and joined the rest of Animalia's City Council. Again, JT found himself marveling at the craftsmanship that went into the building's construction. He followed Robbie to the Council Chambers and stood where Robbie directed him to. Josephine went to her assigned seat next to Daisy while the Animalia Ambassadoria team set up in the back corner of the room with Jessica operating a small video camera. Once Jessica was ready, he held up a thumb to Robbie who then moved things forward. From there, Robbie introduced JT to the gathered council and commented on the base idea that had been suggested.
What followed was more a question and answer session than anything else. Many of the Council Members had concerns that the auction would mean that the Animalian participating would belong to the bidder or would become a pet or slave of some sort. JT had to explain that the auction's bid was only for the single date. There was nothing in the bidding or in the rules of such an auction that would allow the winner to lay any sort of claim of ownership on the Animalian in question. He also added that since the auction would only cover one date, if the couple didn't hit it off the way so many Animalian couples seemed to do so easily, they weren't required to keep dating if it didn't work out.
Some Council Members had concerns about who would be allowed to bid and who would be participating. JT emphasized that anyone would be allowed to bid, though obviously if the bidder was human and was bidding on a date with an Animalian, Animalia's Edicts and rules regarding conversion would then come into play, but there was nothing that would forbid Animalians from bidding if they wished. The point of the exercise was to help provide for the meetings, not to exclude anyone. JT also added that he found Clara's conditions to be acceptable.
The end debate soon focused on how such an auction would benefit Animalia. There was some concern would only become a sham and that JT was trying to swindle them. That was shot down by Josephine rather quickly and with an almost angry snort. JT assured the concerns that he had no intention of pocketing the money and assured them that it would then go into organizations that gathered and delivered needed goods or provided the physical labor needed for the work. In doing so, JT argued that they would demonstrate a great level of generosity on Animalia's part that could help show that they were good and were aware of the world around them. In this, they would stand to gain greater support as more people realize that there was more to Animalia than just anthropomorphic animals living in their own corner of Nevada.
JT's arguments ultimately came off rather well, and his general agreement with Clara's stated conditions also went a long way, as while every Animalian had their own personality, it was noted that Animalians seemed to have a great deal of respect for Clara and Robbie, the first two Animalians. In this, even if there was a disagreement, the respect that was had for them seemed to keep things rather civil. And in that atmosphere, that Animalia's City Council voted to allow for the idea... to show that Animalia cared for more than just Animalia and to provide some single Animalians a shot at happiness. The auction would have to abide by Clara's conditions for it, but JT had no problem with that.