"So you'll be off with your friends?" Shyra asked to Jessica as she sat at the Mariana dinner table with Jessica's mother to her left and Roger to her right.
Things had progressed for her with the various sessions both Doctor Jones in regular therapy sessions and in the visits to the Marianas. Things had been rather tense at first, particularly as Jessica's parents didn't want their only daughter getting it in her head that stripping was okay, and that Roger seemed to genuinely like Jessica, and a lot of what Shyra had wanted to share did relate to flirtation and that sort of thing. However, as the sessions continued, Shyra had watched a rather happy family unit between Jessica and her parents and more importantly actual loving relationships between Jessica's parents and between Jessica and Roger. A lot of it was something that Shyra couldn't fully remember having. Her own parents had been okay to her and to each other, but they were gone now, and with her own past in clubs as a waitress and dancer, her relations with men had never gotten to a point where real "love" could bloom.
In her observations of the Mariana family, she'd seen love and companionship that went beyond serving drinks and exciting other feelings, as it were. In some ways, it gave Shyra the guess that Roger and Jessica would probably be together regardless of how flirty one or both acted, and that the same went for Jessica's parents. It amazed her and in her normal sessions with Doctor Jones, he'd had her comment on what she'd learned from the Mariana family. It amazed Shyra even more when she said it to him. That amazement had gotten to the point where the Marianas became more tolerant of her and were more willing to let her visit without Doctor Jones from time to time, though, still only so long as Jessica's parents could be there, at least.
"Yes," Jessica nodded and reached over to hold Roger's hand, "Animalia Ambassadoria will go to report on the openings of the new colonies in Egypt and... I think Maelewano is in Kenya somewhere..."
"And Abby and Samson have already begun calculating bug repellant needs," Roger added.
"I'm still a bit uneasy with going to Egypt," Jessica's father said slowly, "all that unrest and religious fanaticism."
"Egypt is pretty calm by those standards," Jessica assured her father, "and Sophie's gone over all the likely clothing and behavior requirements that we'll need to meet while there and all of us can meet those requirements... at least as far as they apply to tourists."
Shyra watched as Roger squeezed Jessica's hand and then said, "I will keep her safe, sir."
Jessica's father gave a small smile and nodded. There was a few quiet moments while the others resumed eating. Shyra sat quietly chewing for a few moments as she tried to remember over the cast that was on Animalia Ambassadoria. She'd been a big fan of Jessica's and Roger's on the show, and they were a part of why she choose to become a Rabbit Animalian, even if she chose a domestic breed rather than the more wild breed that Jessica chose. Though, this often meant that some of the other cast on the show slipped her mind.
"Sophie... she was the one at the police academy?" Shyra wondered.
"No, that's Simon, Malice's bond-mate, though Malice wants to go the same route as him," Jessica answered.
"Sophie is the human on the show," Jessica's mom told Shyra.
"She's probably a Pterodactyl by now, since school got out for the summer," Jessica corrected.
"And you'll all go on this trip?" Shyra asked.
"Yes... though WHEN is still a bit up in the air," Jessica answered, "Sophie and Roland need to be in Lyre/Animalia for the official opening of Project Mesozoic and she's told me that they have some sorta big... show that will relate to it... Sarah, Malice, Abby, and Samson will need to have their schedules go around the Mr. and Miss Farmhand Competition as they are either competitors and judges..."
"I think Sammy joined that," Jessica's father commented.
"Both he and Samantha," Jessica nodded, "He's done okay... though it's probably too early to know for sure who is going to win."
"It seems you all have a lot going on," Shyra said slowly and looked down for a moment and gave a small frown.
Shyra still had her job at the Meat Market, and things there were going well enough that she wasn't going to give that up. However, there was the odd sort of sense that it wasn't going to present the same sort of excitement like going around the world to see new countries and places and put together some updates on existing places that Animalia already had colonies at. It also didn't have some of the added excitement that related to revealing the plans for the new Dinotopian Colony or other major events in Animalia. Though, she did remember some good news...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Wow! You look good!" a friendly face smiled to Shyra and Doctor Jones outside the Meat Market.
The arrival of various people who gotten caught up in Las Vegas's gambling and "mob" past had been a bit of a surprise, but Shyra had been more than happy to see them again. Especially as many of them had been former co-workers and when they'd last parted it had been on rather good terms. Many had arrived in Lyre by bus and were on a sort of tour of the area, which would include Horizon and Animalia, since both had put Lyre on the map as it were. From some of the emails and phone calls that Shyra had gotten, she'd thought her old co-workers intended to join Animalia, but so far, among the three women and two men, all of them were still Humans.
"Yeah," a second woman commented as she approached Shyra and poked Shyra's right bicep and then right breast, "You definitely found the fountain of youth here..."
Shyra happily hugged them all, as they all friends and she was happy to see them. Some of the poking she could well live with, as they were all friends, and at the same time, with her libido being higher than even the average Animalian, a part of her liked the attention. Her change in species didn't change that and the fact that her old friends looked happy seemed to indicate as though her friends were happy to see her too. There was Francesca Lewis, who they'd called Fran for short, Louise Fransa, who they'd nicknamed "backwards" as it seemed like her first and last names seemed to be the reverse of Fran's, and Elizabeth Quarryman, who they'd called Quarry, based on her last name. There was also Julius Tire and Timothy Pyre who had been friends with them before. Shyra was glad to see them.
"Yeah, I did," Shyra smiled, "and that goes for all Animalians. A renewed shot at youth... that's what a LOT of people, even if becoming animals isn't their thing, have joined Animalia for. It IS amazing."
"You look a bit stronger too," Julius commented, "though I gotta ask, why a rabbit?"
"Why not?" Shyra gave a smile and twirled to give them a good look at her, "I look good and I feel good... as for being a rabbit, there are a few reasons. Good at "multiplying" is one thing but my biggest hero in Animalia is also a Rabbit Animalian."
"Your hero?" Fran asked.
"Heroine, actually," Shyra gave a weak grin, "She's the Rabbit Animalian on Animalia Ambassadoria. Her name is Jessica, and I get to see her from time to time as part of my therapy and her family... I'd hope to be friends with her to."
"Does she work here?" Backwards asked.
"No... she's too young, and I don't think her parents would be keen on the idea," Shyra answered, "but they are good people, and I'm very glad that they're giving me a chance."
Her friends all nodded, and Shyra smiled at the smiles that were flashed to her. She was happy to see them, and while age, time, and attire had changed, particularly after Shyra became an Animalian, memories of the good times that they'd had in the past came back to her as she looked to each of them...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"So... do these old friends of yours plan to join Animalia?" Roger asked slowly.
"I think so, and mostly for the new lease on life sort of thing that I got," Shyra answered, "but I don't know for sure if they've actually made a choice of species yet."
"Well... even if they want to join, don't pressure them into anything," Jessica's mom spoke, "people have to be free to make their own choices. You don't want to force anyone into anything they don't want."
"And you don't mind if they'd prefer jobs as waitresses at the various restaurants they've made here for Animalia? Or at the Meat Market?" Shyra asked.
Remembering the meeting outside the Meat Market on Easter and the fear that she wouldn't even get to be Jessica's friend. She had privately admitted that she may have been a bit too forward and had been afraid of not getting to really meet and talk with Jessica as a result. The sessions with the Mariana family, and sometimes Roger, was a great second chance, as they did give her a second chance after the poor introduction to Jessica. Especially as she got the sense that Jessica's father wasn't fond of the club.
"That's their choice if they choose to work there," Jessica's father spoke, "Privately, I'd think there are better places to work... but I can well understand that single people will have interest in that sort of thing, and if they CHOOSE to do that... I have no say with them... But I will protect my baby girl, regardless of her species and regardless of the threat to her."
"The last thing I'm looking to be is a threat," Shyra answered, "I'm really looking toward friendship... that sort of thing."