Adi found plenty to be pleased with Animalia. The people she had met were friendly, regardless of being Human or Animalian, and with a great deal more sympathy than what she had received for the past two years. After her conversion, the annoying State Department official that had been snooping around when she arrived seemed to go back his regular assignments. For the moment it seemed like he was trying to follow around a female White Rhinoceros Animalian, which had to be frustrating, and was only a remainder of all the frustrations that she had to deal with.
She could understand a country wanting to defend itself from external threats or from rebellion. Every government would fear that, and in her family's experience in dealing with things in Syria, that sort of thing was all too clear for Adi. Especially when she and her family had ended up on the receiving end of the government's vengeance in Syria and the wrath of the extremists that were part of the chaos in the region. She'd tried to get to America in 2016 as a refugee, and things had initially looked good, but then came the American election and the incoming President made it clear that they wouldn't tolerate any refugees from Muslim countries and essentially brought the process of coming to the US to get away from dictators and extremists back to square one. She ended up in a small and cramped refugee camp in Jordan for two years before she was finally "found" to not be a terrorist, and in that time, her family had been killed by either ISIS or by the Syrian government.
And all of that was something that fueled a fair bit of her resentment toward the present US government and its agents that tried to defend everything it did. Their actions had cost her dearly, and she now had to carry on without her family, but Animalia would be a good start and in a way she looked forward, and with the State Department agent less interested in her at the moment, she had the free time to wander through Animalia and enjoy the various sights to see. And there were plenty of sights to see, as she found parts of the town fairly festively decorated, though she couldn't quite picture why. It was past the New Year in the Christian calendar, and America generally did not recognize the Islamic calendar and from what Adi had seen of the outside world, some of the decorations from the orient that what Adi expected from the US.
"They're for the Lunar New Year," came a feminine voice from behind her, making Adi jump a little, "and they're pretty big with those Animalians that are of Asian descent. Most are Chinese and Japanese... and there is some excitement for the new year. Maybe less this year than last year... as not many people have the same fondness for pigs that they would for a dog or a cat... or a horse."
"Pigs are unclean... cloven hooved," Adi answered as she turned.
She turned to see a shorter Animalian in fairly comfortable clothing with only a light jacket over her, though it was zipped up at the moment, meaning that Adi couldn't see what shirt this Animalian was wearing. Adi guessed she was a Mink of some kind. The Mink Animalian also wore a pair of black pants that while soft did hug her fairly tightly. Adi also noted that this Mink Animalian also didn't seem to be as bothered by the cold weather as she was. She'd gotten various clothes with the money she had left after her conversion, and found that in the cold of winter, warm heavy clothing was better for being outside. This was especially true given that she didn't become the Arabian Mare Animalian she now was to grow what would amount to a winter coat for the breed, and it certainly wouldn't match the length of the fur on the Mink Animalian's muzzle and neck.
"Well there is that for some people," the Mink Animalian spoke slowly, "I'm Maggie, by the way... are you lost?"
"No... I've mostly been enjoying some of the scenery," Adi answered and then tapped the shoulder of the padded jacket she had on, "and trying not to shiver in all this cold. You can call me Adi."
"Adi..." Maggie said slowly.
"It's the name my father gave me," Adi explained.
"So, Adi, what do you plan to do aside from look to the decorations for the Lunar New Year?" Maggie asked politely.
"I had heard many inspirational things about Animalia... that you favor sport," Adi commented.
"And we'll have IAC coming up in the summer, if your interested," Maggie commented, "and many Horse Animalians participated the first time... though while there are some prizes there, the IAC is not something you'll be able to live off of. You'd need something more regular outside of the summer."
"Well... I have heard of other things... but... I'm not sure if it is right," Adi said slowly, raising one finger to her lower lip as she tried to think to one of the advertisements she'd seen on the news regarding Animalia.
"You don't have to work at the Meat Market if you don't want to," Maggie assured her, "and most of those that do... well... let's just say that most those who are quite invigorated with all new hormone levels they have as Animalians."
Adi shook her head with a snort. There were some places she didn't fully know, but the former slaughterhouse and now strip club was not one of them. She knew what it was and would have preferred something other than that. Her family wasn't necessarily fervent with regard to their following Sunni Islam as many others, but that didn't necessarily mean she was looking to show everyone what she looked like naked.
"I like how I look... strong and graceful..." Adi began, "but I don't want to show everyone... everything... about me. I'd want the one to see me in a state of undress to be a kind man that I've found love with and that we would be preparing to start a family."
"Perfectly understandable," Maggie nodded, "but not all beauty is about nudity. I've had one "part time" student that has been with the school of modeling that I run and manage from time to time to focus on some things... most of what she'll wear and pose for is fairly conservative business wear, even for human women. And she does look strong confident... but yet loving and caring in them. As such, beauty is not limited to nudity."
"You're school?" Adi wondered as she blinked.
"Animalia School of Modelling," Maggie nodded, "helping many who've had interest break into the business and do well in it. They do not HAVE to be nude or "sexy" shots if they do not wish to be. And while every Animalian can hold looks that many would die for... I'm not sure I've had one with your potential grace... or even potential instinctive pride..."
Adi didn't say anything as Maggie offered her a card.
"And if you're not actually looking to model... I could always use someone to help organize and manage some of the paperwork that goes through the school's business, if that's more your pace," Maggie offered, "I could tell you more... but it might be good to go somewhere a bit warmer for you."
"Thank you," Adi answered. She was a bit curious on this. She wasn't interested on being in any nude photos or anything sexual, but her family hadn't been super strict when it came to things like religion, which had been part of why groups like ISIS had been after them, which left her mind a bit curious about some of the things Maggie had offered and would like to hear a bit more before getting into any discussion. Getting out of the cold and then hearing more, would be a good start.