The guest was another Leopard Animalian, though unlike Rosie he was more of a traditional Leopard's coloration with a brownish-orange coat with the black rosette spots that Leopards where known for. His lower jaw and going down the underside of his neck had a more whitish coloring, and fit well within the standard Leopard's coloration. It actually took Jeremy a moment or two to remember that "black panthers" in nature were not a separate species, but rather a result of a set of double recessive genes resulting in melanism and thus the all black coloring of its fur. He sat close to Rosie and to Jeremy's eyes seemed very much interested in her.
"Yes... I brought a guest, this is Michael," Rosie spoke, "he's the male I've been seeing."
Jeremy watched as there were a chorus of hellos said to Michael, who sat quietly but seemed to have his eyes focused on Rosie. He and Heather remained rather silent. That was partially due to the fact that Jeremy didn't fully feel comfortable in this sort of group setting and had really only come for Heather, as he figured that Heather would likely be on the "outs" with most of Animalia for some time. He was still heavily surprised by the revelation that Heather would be or that she really was looking for a mate. Of course, he had to privately admit that that made sense, given what was known about Animalians with how they generally seemed to have the "perfect" body once fully mature with a naturally high libido to match. Heather might not be "double dosed," but she was still an adult and would feel all of those sorts of urges, though given the fact that she was essentially digging herself out of the proverbial hole that she dug with her attack on Sophie and Roland, that might actually isolate her even more.
"So... Michael, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself," Doctor Jones said slowly and offered the male Leopard Animalian.
"Well... I'm Michael Grimly, I used to work at the Lyre Zoo as a vet before the outbreak occurred," Michael spoke, "but it came in rather quick. The zoo's Amur Leopards were scheduled for some routine bloodwork, and thus were brought into some of the internal spaces behind their enclosures. I was just getting some things ready when both the male and female seemed to go into some sort of convulsions after drinking from a water basin that was in there. It was a surprise to say the least, and an aid and I rushed in, fearing that the two of them had something REALLY wrong with them that was a surprise..."
"But in theory there was nothing wrong with being uplifted," Judy spoke, "It's opened so many things that I know I've never thought on before..."
"True," Michael gave a small smile, "but at the time... we didn't know that. We had tranquilizers ready, as this was standard procedure when doing close medical work with big cats. My assistant managed to tranquilize female with no difficulty, but the male gave me a bit of a nip as he went through the process of transforming. But both transformed into very healthy Animalians... and as another worker came in to report that this was happening all over the zoo... with one girl falling into the Polar Bear enclosure and a boy knocked into the tiger enclosure... I began transforming... becoming as I am now. It's not bad and with the expansion of the hospital here in Lyre being expanded to help with the medical care for Animalians, I was able to transfer over to their lab there and dealing with drawing blood for hormone tests, parasites, and so on. So far, every patient that's come in has been healthy."
"What happened to the two Leopards from the zoo?" Jill asked.
"They're part of Animalia... and doing well, last I heard," Michael answered, "but they'd already been breed together and thus bonded to each other. That kinda left me alone until the IAC when I met Rosie. The hospital wanted me and some of my staff on hand to make sure no one was taking things like steroids, that sort of thing. And there I met Rosie, and found her be... well... perfect. Now granted she is an Indian Leopard and I am an Amur Leopard, but thankfully Animalia's Edicts don't get into issues that relate to certain breeds when it comes to domestic animals and sub-species with wild animals. Only as long as one meets the same species is what the Edicts have been concerned with..."
He then paused and looked to Doctor Jones, "but I've tried to find out more about Rosie... and while I've found out some things... like that her favorite food before she converted and so on... but at times... she's just become so nervous and won't share with me."
"People can often have rough or even tainted pasts," Doctor Jones began, with his focus briefly going to Heather as he said the word "tainted," and then continued on, never missing a beat, "it's important that one show some understanding and not try to force things. If Rosie feels insecure about something... pressuring her could only make those problems, if they're there, worse."
"I would NEVER hurt her," Michael insisted, "Shoot... she could probably beat ME up."
Rosie looked down for a moment.
"She's kind and despite all her great strength, she is quite gentle," Michael spoke, "in this... I don't know what could be scaring her. The only thing I really want to know is what is scaring her... so I can then try to provide some assurance that I will never be what she fears."
"You'd never strike me?" Rosie asked a bit nervously.
"What?! No! Never!" Michael answered, "violence NEVER solves anything in society. One could claim that one would "win" the argument that way, but that doesn't solve the problem that caused the argument. I mean... if some one comes to the lab and squirms or panics because they don't want a vaccination shot or are scared of getting blood drawn... I COULD physically hold them down and do the job forcefully, but all that will do is confirm the patient's fears."
"I've always found that a calm and honest conversation works well," Doctor Jones spoke up, "it gets things out into the open and in a place where no one is to judge another during the course of the session, it helps."
Rosie swallowed a lump in her throat and said, "Well... Michael... you see... you know I was converted right?" Michael nodded. "Well... I was black before I was converted... an African American... A part of me has been nervous because my previous husband was abusive and possibly racist... I didn't know how you'd feel..."
"I feel fine," Michael gave a warm smile, "I've talked with other people in the hospital lab, as it does work with both Humans AND Animalians. They've commented that there is NOTHING that makes a white man's blood any different from a black man's blood. In that every human is the same... They are the same species. This idea that some group is inferior because their skin is a different color... it's childish and at times makes me think that they're far more insecure about something then they let on."
Jeremy heard a chorus of approving cheers at that. Even two human couples voiced their support for what Michael had said. Jeremy then watched as Michael slowly reached for Rosie's paw and lifted it up, giving her a soft lick in the process. He then scooted as close as he could manage and nuzzled his muzzle to hers.
"I fell in love with you because you were strong and funny," Michael spoke, "the jokes you've told me when we've gone out were quite good. That's a good thing and worth protecting. And that is something well worth treasuring."
"Thank you," Rosie answered, "I was so afraid that you... you wouldn't like me if you knew what was under my fur..."
"It's different," Michael admitted, "but it only makes me more curious about you... what other interesting to amazing things are there... I bet you could recite Shakespeare if you wanted to."
"I'd need to Shakespeare first," Rosie answered, "so... how about you? You have any secrets?"
"Well... it's not really a secret or something I'm ashamed of..." Michael said slowly, "but it is what drew me into veterinary studies. When I was a young boy, our family owned this beautiful Irish Setter. He was a handsome dog and very friendly. He had licks for everyone and knew all the tricks you could train a dog to do... Then... when I was in fifth grade... he got sick. I can't remember what the disease was... I think it was a type of cancer or something... It was ultimately untreatable. The only thing my folks could do... was let the vets put him to sleep to ease his pain and suffering. Other than that, he would have wasted away in great pain before passing on. It hurt, because I loved that dog, and it made me determined that I'd try to improve veterinary science so that people would lose such a good friend as I had..."
"What brought about the change to the zoo?" Nick asked curiously.
"Mostly the challenge," Michael answered, "in that working with zoo animals required certain precautions, as some could be dangerous, and would require greater study as there would be more animals and thus many more differences in anatomy to be aware of than with personal pets. Though, I DID have enough expertise that I could volunteer help and theories for veterinary clinics caring for livestock and pets in the area for at least basic care and bounce ideas off of their staff. In that... I really would like to hope I am helping."
"I think everyone tries to help where they can," one of the humans there with a human partner spoke.
Doctor Jones nodded, "and hopefully that sort of help will lead into not only working together but being able to open up to those we care for and those we love. As if honesty is a good policy in most aspects of life, but it is imperative in relationships. Any relationship built either on lies a lack of knowledge is doomed to fail... and if one cannot voice the attraction... it might not start."
The others nodded and few asked a few questions, which Doctor Jones happily explained. Jeremy and Heather sat quietly watching and observing. Heather's mind went over what Jeremy had asked of her, to assist him in looking after Polly for the Halloween Carnival. It wouldn't be a real date, as the main mission would be to make sure Polly didn't get into anything she shouldn't, but a part of Heather's mind figured it might be an opportunity to try and apologize to Polly for her actions when Polly and Marcy visited the lab, which was something that Doctor Jones had urged her that she would need to do during her individual session. There might be the potential for some moment to admit that she wanted Jeremy as something more than a friend, but she figured that would have to wait and see how that event played out. Her thoughts however were soon interrupted as she watched Doctor Jones turn to her and Jeremy.
"And now... how about we move onto those who have been rather quiet through this session," Doctor Jones spoke up as he looked to both Heather and Jeremy, "and remember, this is to be a free and open atmosphere that is free of judgmental comments. And one where all participants are free to voice their own desire..."
And with that, all eyes turned to Heather and Jeremy.