"I thought you'd be bigger," Pauline commented offhand as Sora and Yuki hopped about fitting Sophie for a new set of swimwear.
"Well... I'm bigger than I was," Sophie managed a weak smile, "and at the same time, I still have some growing up to do. Like Jessica, I'm only single dosed."
Pauline watched as Sophie's eyes seemed to drift toward Roland for the moment, who was presently grooming his pycnofibers at the moment. It was enough to give Pauline further confirmation that Sophie was more interested in Roland than as just as "friend." She knew this already, as Sophie and Roland were bond-mates, just as she was bond-mates with JC, but it was more an understanding that Sophie did have the desire to be with Roland in every possible way. Pauline had little real problem with that. She knew that their parents didn't want them double dosed, but she also knew that all of them had been vaccinated, which would mean that until the vaccine wore off at the start of the summer in 2019 Sophie and Roland couldn't be double dosed and Pauline also knew that they loved each other. But humans could be a puzzling thing.
"There," Sora commented as she fastened a button to the back of Sophie's neck, which would hold the young Pterodactylus Animalian's bikini in place, "That should hold everything together."
"So what's your plan for the coverage?" Yuki asked as she hopped in front of Sophie.
"I think our part in taping for the episode will be to show how Dinotopians are enjoying Mieni, now that a lot of the secrecy and testing for Project Mesozoic is now done and everyone is free to go beyond just Lyre and Animalia," Roland commented as he approached and gently touched Sophie's shoulder.
"We might even go for some areal shots of the atoll... which we couldn't really do the last times we were here," Sophie added and flexed her wings for a moment.
Sora and Yuki both watched Sophie's flexing of her wings as they all stood there as a group. Sophie actually stood a bit shorter than them, but then, Sophie still had largely plantigrade feet rather than Sora and Yuki as Velociraptors who had digitigrade feet. However, they also could see that Sophie made up for that by actually having wings. Sora and Yuki had flight feathers on their arms, which could look very wing-like, but it was expected with Velociraptor that this was more to help it with running than flight. Sophie and Roland, however, could actually fly.
"So, what about after you've got all your stuff filmed?" Yuki asked.
"Maybe a bit of swimming," Sophie shrugged, "Or at least to see if we can still swim."
The last part earned a few chuckles and Sora and Yuki both waved as the two sets of Dinotopians in Animalia Ambassadoria made their way into the air. Sophie and Roland were quick to get into the air and they were soon circling overhead while they waited for JC and Pauline to get higher into the air to allow their four wings to help them glide from point to point. Once they were all in the air, they moved off to film what they could from the air. They got a few good shots from Mieni's "diving board" near the edges of the harbors that were built for the cruise liners that came in along the outside of the atoll, and this included Andrew and Jen's diving contests into the water, including the resulting splash that pretty much soaked many of the other tourists who were hoping to dive in after them.
"That actually looked rather fun," Roland commented as they observed things from the air and holding the camera to keep it rolling.
"Well... Pterodactylus lived near the Jurassic seas when it lived," JC commented, "from what Sophie found while doing her research... while it may not have been like a modern crane in that it waded in the water and neither was it like a modern duck that would sit on the water... it's not like it is totally unfamiliar with water..."
"Yes... I think some of the earliest Pterodactylus fossils were found in limestone that was the result of a shallow sea eventually burying them," Roland commented in agreement, "which would mean that fish probably were on its menu..."
"Albeit small fish," Sophie chuckled.
"Well... if you want to go diving later, that's fine," Pauline commented, "I'd prefer to keep my feathers dry."
Sophie and Roland both chuckled and moved on.
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"It's amazing how you put this all together," Jessica said to Joe as the male Pilot Fish Animalian lead them into the underground/cave hotel underneath Zampa Islet and noted how it looked like the old and dried coral was heavily used in the construction.
"Well... admittedly we had to use some cement to help hold things together," Joe answered with a reply as he looked back to Jessica and Roger as she showed them around the hotel on the islet, "particularly as while old coral is the base for a coral atoll, a lot of the actual islands is actually sand that builds up around them. So... while a lot of the structural design has some inspiration from Animalia's "burrows," the construction is rather different. Though we did try to incorporate corals into the design."
"It looks rather good," Roger answered as he paused to sniff at one of the corals that was fit into the concrete that made up the real foundation of the structure.
Joe lead them into a larger room that served as a sort of lobby area. Technically, all reservations went through the main hotel on Mieni and would then be directed to the other areas depending on specific needs, wants, and desires, but Zampa Islet was there for many of those who were more interested a lot of the undersea tours. As they entered, there was a central desk that was also decorated with coral and had a lone sea shell in its center with the word Zampa in gold calligraphy. Behind it were two doors that lead toward the established guest rooms.
"This addition is for those Fish and Marine Animalians that wish to be closer to the sea," Joe spoke, "now... if it's freshwater fish... we would recommend that you stay at the main hotel, where a freshwater pool is available... but we do have facilities here that would help all Mieni's guests have access to the under sea sites. To the right we have doors that will lead the "hanger" area for the tourist subs that the State of California was most generous in helping to fund their construction. They will help us allow human tourists to journey to the sunken USS Pennsylvania and look at the areas around the atoll. It will also allow for all Marine Animalians to have direct access to the open ocean, and the tunnel is short enough that a mammalian Animalian or reptilian Animalian should be easily able to reach the surface of the ocean outside the islet before any risk of drowning. Susan and Chipper were most helpful in all the necessary tests in that regard. Topanga also helped."
"So it would be safe for all Animalians?" Jessica answered.
"In theory it should be safe for all," Joe answered, "even a human in good shape could probably make the swim up the tunnel to the surface of the ocean in terms of the time required. Though with human guests we will require them to wear scuba gear, for their safety, in case they aren't in good shape... and so that they can enjoy and explore the ocean's majesty as well. And all tours from Zampa Islet will have guides and assigned lifeguards to ensure that no one is in any danger."
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The hotel on Banmul Islet in many ways mirrored the main hotel on Mieni, but with the major difference in that it was to a larger scale than the main hotel was. This was obviously with some consideration for the larger Animalians, like the Elephant, Rhinoceros, and Hippopotamus Animalians in mind, though as Abby and Samson filmed the front of the hotel, they found that it would apply to more than just those megafauna. Abby held the camera and did a wide shot that ran from the hotel's far front corner, which came fairly close to the inside of the islet and the atoll's central lagoon and then then across the front of the atoll. As they came across the front, they found Shuixing coming out the front door.
"Hello, Shuixing," Samson called politely, "You're staying here?"
"Yeah," Shuixing gave a small smile to the stallion, "mostly for the headroom."
"Headroom?" Samson wondered, sounding a bit puzzled.
"Yes," Shuixing nodded with a small smile, "If we're just coming up to the top of my skull, the normal hotel is fine and I can manage it... but I do have my horns and they stick up a bit further. If I'm not careful with them... well... I risk goring the ceiling."
"Which I'm sure Mieni doesn't want to have to repair," Abby chuckled from behind the camera, "what do you and the other elements think of Mieni?"
"It's interesting," Shuixing gave a smile, "the water smells a bit salty... but it is still good to swim in and my sisters and I have had some fun as well... And Banmul has had its own fun with some of the other guests here."
"Other guests?" Samson wondered, "you mean the Dinotopians?"
"Yeah," Shuixing nodded, "they can be rather fun to talk too... though some of them are so big and strong... they put me to shame as I am now."
"Well... they were among the biggest animals to ever live," Abby commented, "you haven't had too many competitions?"
"No... I'm here for some warmth and the sun," Shuixing smiled, "which Banmul is also good for."
Abby and Samson both nodded at that. While all of Mieni's islets had had some degree of forested coverage, likely the result of seeds floating on currents or being brought in by humans, by accident or on purpose, when the hotel on Banmul was built a lot of the forested areas on that islet had to be cleared to make room for the hotel. It actually made for some good spots for sunbathing, which as Abby turned back to the lagoon, she could spot Rachel Stega laying on the beach, with a happy smile as a lone man applied sunscreen to her back and backplates.
"Which shows just how far things have come," Samson commented, "and how Mieni is working to be available for all its guests, big and small... Animalian and Human..."
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Malice and Simon covered among the last of the new things on Mieni, mostly due to making up for lost time while Simon had been at the police academy. The police had a fairly decent sized amount of training tasks to do to stay mentally and physically sharp for when it would be time to earn his badge officially when he turned twenty one, but a lot of that seemed rather routine and he could study over a lot of it during flights, which would allow him to be with Malice. And while Malice could be very forward, she was smart and kind and in some ways, Simon actually loved that about her.
"While it isn't fully ready, yet, the new and added runway will be a major addition that will add to Mieni's ability to cater to those wishing to come to the atoll for an island vacation," Malice spoke and then turned to gesture toward the runway being built, "as you can see, it's well anchored with concrete pylons and reinforced steal that will enable larger planes to land at Mieni once it's finished without major problem. It will also be partially protected from storms by the fact that it is between some of the docks for the cruise liners that come to Mieni."
And it was an impressive "floating" runway that jutted out into the ocean. It sat high enough so that waves wouldn't hamper it and the pylons were close enough together with supporting stand structures to allow for an additional runway that was longer and wider than the original airfield, which would allow more weekend tourists to come by plane rather than depending on people coming by cruise liner for a weak. And to some extent, Malice was excited for that as she happily wagged her tail behind her.
"This will enable Mieni to grow into more than a tourist hotspot," Malice commented, "it will open more opportunities for Horizon scientists on Mieni to share their knowledge with others provide for a brighter future for everyone. Hope you enjoyed everything new!"