Nichole was almost finished walking home when she spotted Francine nearby. At the same time, Francine also saw Nichole and waved to her. Nichole waved back as she walked up the street.
"Nichole," Francine called out, "I was hoping to run into you today."
"Why?" asked Nichole.
"Well, I've been thinking about our conversation the other night, and I thought you might want to get to know the town better. So, I'm here to see if you'd like to get out of the house and tour the town a bit."
Nichole thought for a moment and replied, "I don't see why not. I've already taken care of the things up at the school and there's nothing else for me today. Let me go see if Karen wants to go."
"Sure thing," Francine said, "I'll go get my car so can tour the town together." Nichole went inside the house to get Karen while Francine went to her home to get her car. Francine drove to the front of the Charleston home when Nichole and Karen came outside. The two of them climbed into Francine's car and Francine drove off.
"One of the more unique features of the town is the layout. The roads are laid out in a wagon wheel fashion with a few roads leading in and out of town," explained Francine as she drove around the town. "On the one hand, it makes it easy to get from place to place without any trouble. On the other, though, it can make it hard for anyone not familiar with the town to get out. There are some usable landmarks, like the hospital, the school, and some major chains, like the Target and the Wendy's."
Francine drove past the high school as she continued, "And there you see the high school. We also have a college here as well, and I'd like to point out that education is one of our major industries in Moon Lake as well as the hospital."
"I've already taken care of things at the high school," Nichole mentioned to Karen. "You'll start in a couple of days once the paperwork goes through and we get your schedule."
"Thanks, mom," Karen answered with a roll of her eyes.
"My pleasure, dear," Nichole replied with a bit of a smirk.
The car drove past the Tachibana estate when Karen said, "Woah, what's that? That looks like something from ancient Japan!"
"Ah, yes, that's the Tachibana place," Francine replied, "They're the richest family in town. They own the hospital and have their own pharmaceutical research firm here. We owe quite a bit to them."
"Oh?" Nichole asked. "How so?"
"Much of what we know about were physiology is due to the research by the Tachibana group. Also, we have them to thank for the were birth control pill. Without that, our population would have exploded."
"What do you mean by the were birth control pill?" Karen asked.
"They made a pill for each kind of were. While we weres don't have periods per say, it's still very easy for us to get pregnant. Without the pill, the very act of sex would cause us to release an egg, and we would get pregnant very easily. It also frees us from the heat cycle that most other animals face. Pretty much, the were birth control pill allows us to live normal lives and control our fertility."
"Interesting," Nichole said as she thought about what Francine said.
"If either one of you is planning to go were, I'd suggest stopping by the hospital to get some birth control pills before making the plunge," Francine explained to the two as the car drove through the center.
As the three drove through the center of town, there was quite a bit of activity on the streets. This was normal for a typical weekday morning in Moon Lake. Karen and Nichole both noticed the population of people as they continued down the street.
"When I was at the high school," Nichole started to comment, "I couldn't help but notice how attractive everyone was." As she said this, there were a couple of gentlemen that she couldn't keep her eyes off of.
Francine noticed this and smirked before replying. "It's one of the perks of being a were. Becoming a were just doesn't give you fur and fangs, but it also enhances your normal self. It really depends on the were you become, but almost all weres develop physically. They gain new muscle, the fat goes away, and it's like you're perpetually twenty-five all the time."
"Really?" Nichole asked as she took a close look at her friend. Come to think of it, Nichole did notice how unchanged Francine was when they were back in New York.
"Yup, and the best part is that we very rarely get sick. I haven't experienced so much as a sniffle when I became a weredog. I haven't gained any weight...well...outside of some muscle, and my figure has never been better. And let me tell you, Daniel and I have had a great time together ever since." Nichole blushed a little as Karen just giggled. "I remember some of the fears we went through when we first moved here," Francine continued, "but Daniel, ever the good cop he is, said that we should follow the law, and he did becoming the weredog that he is now. I followed him soon after, and I haven't looked back ever since."
Francine saw that they were coming up to the Moon Lake Diner, and asked, "Would you girls like some brunch? My treat."
"Sure, why not?" Nichole replied as the car drove into the parking lot.