The arrival in Egypt was calm and New Zerzura had something that Nevada didn't in December, warmth. In pure theory Sylvia could enjoy the various things that Animalia and Lyre did offer cold blooded Animalians to keep warm. The Brumation House and the hot springs were actually quite comfortable, but it still meant that she'd have endure the cold between "home" and those heat sources, and while she knew that once she had her career going that she'd have to put up with at least some of that sort of thing, she was perfectly fine with enjoying some time in an area that could be warm all the time.
There was also the underlying issue of her parents. While Sylvia didn't hate them as people, and she did in fact love them for the care that they'd given in raising her, she did still hold her feelings with regard to their demands on her. She had been fairly good at figure skating before the incident that would require her converting to regain full mobility, but she really didn't have the passion for it, yet her parents always pushed her into it. In that sense, the "incident" was a liberation of sorts for Sylvia as it gave her the freedom to pursue the things she wanted.
It was only when Project Phoenix was announced as a means to cure disease and heal injuries that Sylvia knew she had to restore that freedom. Her parents had volunteered her for the position, which Sylvia wasn't necessarily opposed to, but had done so with the idea of her becoming something graceful or nimble, they'd most often mentioned some species of swan or some kind of primate that could dart through the trees, which would then restore the use of her legs. That was enough to tell Sylvia what her parents wanted, and thus why when she converted, she chose to become a snake Animalian, given as that the snakes that had been uplifted in the initial outbreak, most of them Gopher Snakes, or those that were in the Lyre Zoo's reptile house in the second outbreak being built more like the mythological Naga in having the tail of a snake but a more hominid upper half. She could ice skate if she didn't have legs, and her parents were still a bit sore at that decision.
That made Egypt a bit more attractive to visit over the winter period before she'd have to go back for her "spring" semester in January. It was warm and she wouldn't have to deal with her parents' disappointment in her not wanting to be a figure skater. It also presented her with some opportunity to meet with and visit with some of the local desert snakes that had been uplifted and that is what presently had her maneuvering threw New Zerzura's streets with her interpreter to meet with some of the uplifted snakes. She'd found that many of them worked in jobs that related to pest control and removing unuplifted rats and mice that might get into the grain crops that were grown around New Zerzura thanks to irrigation efforts from the Nile River. Some of that made sense to Sylvia, as most snakes tended to feed on rodents as their primary source of food... and there were some times when a part of her mind looked a feral mouse and thought, "food."
"This is their office, here," her translator and guide said to Sylvia and gestured to a large rectangular sign over the door to a building. On the sign written in Arabic were "New Zerzura Pest Control and Agricultural Protection Office," which the guide did translate for her.
"They work here?" Sylvia asked.
"Most do," her guide answered.
The guide then opened the door and that allowed Sylvia to enter into a modest sized conference sort of room with a few adjoining offices. Waiting there were three snake Animalians. One was a male cobra with largely brown colored scales. He wore a rather loose fitting white shirt that came down to his waist. At his waist was a faded gold sort of "skirt" that Sylvia had remembered seeing in some historical depictions of Ancient Egyptian dress based on the various hieroglyphics that had been found by archeologists. It made some degree of sense, as while Egypt might be more tolerant than most other Islamic countries, that didn't necessarily mean they'd just allow for public nudity, even if snake Animalians had all their equipment kept internally. The scales on his neck were in a pair of dark brown bands while the rest of his belly scales were more of a tan brown. The scales on his arms and the dorsal side of his tail were the same shade of dark brown on the bands on the underside of his neck. Sylvia guessed he was an Egyptian Cobra.
"I am Sadat," the Egyptian Cobra Animalian spoke politely with a soft bow to viper Animalian that had come in with one of the New Zerzura guides and translators, though to him Sylvia was a bit surprising based on the rattles at the end of her tail.
"I am Sylvia," Sylvia answered after guide translated Sadat's introduction, partially interested that he'd taken a name based on one of Egypt's past Presidents. "I've come to meet some of the other snake Animalians that might live here in New Zerzura and enjoy some warmth that Nevada doesn't have at the moment."
Sadat chuckled as the last bit was translated to him. It made some sense that there would be those that would avoid the cold. As an Animalian, he'd found that he wasn't quite as vulnerable to the fluctuations in temperature as he was bigger now than when he was when he was uplifted, but he did feel warmer when in the sun than in the shade.
"Then it is good to meet with you, as I think this might sit as a sort of cultural exchange for all of us," Sadat commented, "Let me introduce you to my compatriots here..."
He then gestured to the other two snake Animalians who were there. Bother were female and were dressed light gray dresses that covered their chests and ran down their tails, ending at a height that would be just below where human woman's knee would be. The first was a viper of some type with a triangular head and tannish-yellow scales with darker spots that banded around her body as she looked back through cat-like eyes the same color as her scales. The most noticeable thing that Sylvia could see were the large scales above her eyes that looked like horns. The other was similarly colored as the first, but lacked the horns that the first had.
"These two were named by Animalia's contracted archeologist who helped with the construction of New Zerzura and helping the Egyptian government mark and identify the tombs... Melbourne, I think his name was," Sadat began.
Sylvia only gave a shrug. Based on Animalia Ambassadoria's videos over the past couple of years, they were the only ones that had met Melbourne. She had never met him, however she didn't want to be rude and let Sadat continue.
"This is Neith," Sadat introduced the first of the two females, the one with the horns above her eyes, "She is a Saharan Horned Viper." Sadat then moved on to the other female, the one who lacked the horns. "This is Nephthys. She is a Sahara Sand Viper "
"We like your hair," Neith said politely, "I take it you were converted?"
"Yes," Sylvia nodded after she got the translation, "I was Human and became an Animalian."
"And bejeweled her tail," Nephthys commented, "Whoever did the work must have done a lot of work to manufacture the buttons... though they don't glisten..."
Sylvia glanced back to her tail where her heavy scales where that were fairly typical of all rattlesnakes. She could shake it and make it buzz just like any other rattlesnakes.
"They actually aren't jewels or brass or any sort of decoration that I put on my tail," Sylvia began to explain, "I became Great Basin Rattlesnake. What you see are actually part of my tail and are specialized scales that when shook will buzz and will warn any large herbivore that the snake is there and doesn't want to be stepped on or to warn potential predators that the snake is aware of its predator's presence."
Sylvia then shook her tail for emphasis, which got the other two Viper Animalians, and in this specific case True Vipers while Sylvia was a Pit Viper, to lift their heads in some recognition. Sylvia figured it was some surprise but possibly some recognition as well, which probably made some sense. Snakes of all kinds had to have some means of warning potential predators or simply those that might unintentionally step on them of their presence. Cobras had their hood, rattlesnakes had their rattle, and coral snakes had their bright colors. Sylvia figured that all snakes had to have some means of giving a warning, as venomous snakes wouldn't want to waste venom on something they couldn't eat.
"It is... it is vaguely similar to when I'd rub my scales together to ward off stray dogs," Neith commented and then demonstrated it by coiling her tail up and then rubbing her own heavily keeled scales against each other. It didn't sound like Sylvia's rattle, but Sylvia could hear a fairly clear rasping noise that would reinforce Sylvia's warning theory.
"Interesting," Sylvia commented, "and you all work here to control rodents?"
"Among other pests," Sadat answered, "as the local grain crop must be protected and guarded, and since poison baits aren't to be used... good vigilance does better. Some may go to Horizon should they need laboratory animals or should they wish to uplift it. We hope that this will protect the crops and help make the area around New Zerzura be reasonably fertile."
"We do use a lot of live traps though," Nephthys commented, "So it's not as though we spend all day going through the fields and eating what is caught."
"So what do you do with what you catch?" Sylvia wondered, grateful for her guide translating their conversation.
"They are euthanized and tossed out into the desert away from New Zerzura so that snakes that haven't been uplifted may eat," Nephthys answered.
"Using our venom, milked, made sure the vaccine for the Animalia Virus is active and then administered via hypodermic needle," Sadat finished.
"Interesting," Sylvia commented, "Would you... donate venom for people that do anti-venom research?"
"I think Horizon has done some research on that... but I think they've presently advised against it at the moment until they can know for sure whether or not the production of anti-venom from snake Animalians would only lead to more accidental conversions," Sadat answered.