There were several laughs and strange things happening as May was passing the halfway point. Some were more amusing than others:
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"So these are some of the ex-sluts that are going to be in Project White Lily?" asked Anton as they made their ways to their changing rooms.
"Indeed." said Dr. Jones, "Most of them have asked to have their old identities removed, but some of them are actually some of Shyra's ex-coworkers/friends from the days when the Mafia ran the casinos. They run the gamut from bouncers, to waiters and waitresses, and even male and female 'dancers'."
"I bet that Shyra is glad to see some of them." said Marlysa.
"You'll have to ask her about it." replied Dr. Jones, "However, Shyra was able to get them 'sponsorship' for the Meat Market."
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The Piper Clan, the main family for Cheaper by the Dozens, were planning for their Summer Vacations. But some of it was sad because a lot of members would not be leaving their destination, mainly for some much needed diversifying of their gene pool. Fortunately, Mary's parents and grandparents more than made up for it. It helped blunt some of the "negative press" to call those who would be staying at the various other colonies 'branch clans'. It was also fortunate that rats could be excellent learners, because those who would be 'clan heads' had already earned online degrees that were often required by Horizon.
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One really amusing thing was when a man was stopped by US customs at an international airport while shipping two coelacanths from the eastern coast of Africa for Dinotopia Aquatica. Most of the problem/amusement came from the fact that customs never had to deal with something like this. In the end, it was decided to allow Animalian "donations" to be allowed through customs as long as they were both declared and shipped in clear, sealed (with holes for air breathers) plastic containers.
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Another amusing thing could be considered Exhibit A for why guys didn't like going clothing shopping with girls. One guy and his girlfriend was taking advantage of Claw Coliseum Fashion "Boutique"'s Summer Prep Sale, though it was clear that the guy was there against his will. He also seemed to be getting more and more irritated the more and more that his girlfriend revealed that she was indecisive about the color of the swimsuit she wanted to match her skin (now, suntan, sunburn, etc.), among other things.
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Heather, Tyra, and Jeremy were waiting anxiously as a call was made to Costa Rica about Heather's escape. The official then hung up his phone to reveal some surprising news.
"Heather, the Costa Rican government is willing to let you off with a black mark on your record for 'reckless experimentation' and drop the other charges." said the official.
"Wha...?" said Heather, clearly not expecting that.
"Apparently the tracks you left led the authorities right to a drug lord's home." continued the official, "And you won't believe what was seized there."
"Go ahead." prompted Tyra, still not believing her ear holes.
"Not only did we find more than $22 Billion in American cash, hidden in everything from suitcases to cabinets packed neatly to the top, and not counting the Chinese yuan that was seized as well," Said the official, reading from the notes he had taken, "we also found more vintage/rare/exotic firearms than most legitimate gun museums; gold-plated machine guns; many art pieces illegal to own (not counting the fact that some of them were registered as stolen from their origin countries); many exotic animals that were well taken care of, such as white tigers, panthers, leucistic lionesses, the whole nine yards; a man-made cave with hot tub; a drug lab for manufacturing and distributing cocaine, meth, and heroin; a marijuana farm; as well as something truly disturbing."
"What's that?" asked Heather, clearly both wanting and not wanting to know.
"There was apparently a plot on the table there to hire illegal poachers to obtain Heather's head. Literally." said the official. On seeing Tyra's enraged expression, he quickly added, "That drug lord is already being jailed for life just on the drug charges alone, so you don't have to worry about him anymore. That's why Costa Rica is going to let Heather off easily. But it's also going to be part of an event in Animalia this June. They're going to showcase everything seized from that drug lord's den to showcase why the war on drugs is being waged."
"Good," said Jeremy, glad that Heather's life was out of danger.
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Another thing that was decided, and in some ways related to the drug bust, was the start of an entirely new Project dedicated to extremely weird animals that were seized from the drug lord's den. Project Chimera was resurrected in a way, but instead of creating mythical creatures, it was dedicated to the uplifting of animals that were considered weird enough to might as well be. This was due in part to the fact that a male and female pair of Aye-ayes, as well as a female caecilian were found on the property of the drug lord.