Fat Tuesday, or more popularly called, Mardi Gras was a night for loosened inhibitions. With the start of Lent the next day and penance for 40 days, this was really the night to get all the vices out of one's system. The Meat Market was the best example for that. Tomorrow, the strip club would be closed and there will probably be a lot less people coming in during Lent. So this night, the dancers were going with absolute abandon. The dancers weren't bothering much with clothes. Mostly just enough to keep the naughty bits covered...barely. What they were mostly wearing was jewelry, armlets, bracelets, anklets, rings, and lots and lots of bead necklaces. There were some dancers who even dared to only wear a heavy amount of necklaces instead of any tops at all.
Janice had come here to be supportive of her cousin, Fleur. All things considered, Fleur's choice of career in Animalia wasn't much of a surprise. She hadn't been called 'Flirty Fleur' for nothing. She was a very notorious tease, even for a Frenchwoman. While she did tease the men, she seemed to reserve more of her interest for women. The only part that made Janice uncomfortable was that a lot of that teasing was directed towards her. Fleur's choice to be a vixen wasn't much of a surprise either. Actually, it was a bit of a relief. It made it a bit easier to not be seen as cousins and hopefully make her teasing look less awkward. But Janice doubted that.
Janice soon spotted Fleur up on the stage. The vixen was wearing a lot of jewelry and, quelle surprise not any top. She might have been wearing pasties, but the necklaces and the rapid dancing made it hard to make sure. Janice didn't know if Fleur had pole-danced before, but she was swinging from the pole like a natural. Though once Fleur spotted Janice, she gave her a big flirty wink before spinning and shaking her rear in her direction.
It quickly got too uncomfortable for Janice so she decided to head over to the bar. As she got close to the bar, she saw someone rather surprising at a table. It was Heather Green and judging by the glasses littering the table, she had been trying to quell a fiery thirst. Janice walked over to her and said, 'Eather, I would not expect you to be 'ere."
Heather lifted her head and looked at Janice. Her eyes seemed a little unfocused. "Oh, h-hey, Anne," said Heather, a little slowly.
"Actually, I am Janice," said Janice, standing close enough to Heather.
"Oh, right. You look ssso much like your mother," said Heather, her words slurring a bit.
Janice raised both eyebrows in shock. "Are you getting drunk?" she asked. While Animalians didn't like the taste of alcohol, it wasn't impossible for them to get drunk. It would require a fair bit of determination to have that much.
"I'm trying to," said Heather, "Ya got any idea how much booze a dinosssaur hasta guzzle to get plashtered?" asked Heather, indicating her bigger body.
"It seems you're succeeding," said Janice, "Whyever would you be wanting to get drunk? I thought you were 'appy with your life."
"Oh, itsh the besht," said Heather, "I'd like to move ta someplace with more elbow room, but I'm happy here."
"Zen why are you two sheets to ze wind?" asked Janice.
"So I can forget that," said Heather, pointing a thumb.
Janice looked in the indicated direction and gaped a bit. Tyra Wrex was hardly a rare sight at the Meat Market, but it looked like she was going more out than normal. Much like the other dancers, she was wearing more jewelry than clothing. Unlike the others, Tyra was wearing the flimsiest of g-strings, which several dollar bills stuffed in it. And a particularly nimble twirl showed that she was definitely not wearing pasties. "Mon dieu..." said Janice in disbelief.
"She's getting married thish sssummer," said Heather, "You'd think she'd show shome decorum."
"Maybe she is only, 'ow do you say, 'sewing 'er wild oats'?" suggested Janice.
Heather gave the skunk as level a look as she could manage and said, "Wild oats is a guy thing, not a girl thing, especially for grandmothers who are getting re-married."
"At least your grand-mère is not trying to flirt with you," said Janice, "My cousin 'as been trying to get into my pants since I finished school."
"You're kidding," said Heather in disbelief.
"Zat's what she's always saying. 'I'm just kidding.' 'Don't be so stiff, Janice.' 'It's just a little fun.' I would not be surprised if she tried to get into our bed, with Walter, me, or both," said Janice bitterly.
"I don't think she means any harm," said Heather, "It's just her idea of a joke."
"Well it never made me laugh," snapped Janice, "I 'ope she finds someone else to annoy."
"Sounds like you need to talk to someone about those issues." Janice turned and looked up. Jeremy was standing there, a quizzical tilt to his eye ridge.
Most people would find a Syntixisaurus Rex towering over them rather scary. Jeremy's dark scales, red eyes, and muscular build would make him rather intimidating. However, Janice never felt very threatened by Jeremy. He didn't have enough force of personality to be scary. "'Ow long 'ave you been standing zere?" she asked in annoyance.
"Long enough to hear that outburst," said Jeremy, "I'm no expert in familial relationships, but if Fleur is going to be staying here, I think you need to work out your problem with her instead of just bottling it up inside."
Janice sighed and said, "I suppose so. But she will not take anyzing I say seriously."
"If I were dealing with a skunk, I wouldn't push my limits," said Jeremy, "You are basically a walking tear gas sprayer. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to collect my wife."
Heather gave Jeremy a very goofy smile and said, "Hi, honey. Did anyone tell you bright lights bring out your muscles?"
Jeremy looked at the glasses near Heather and said, "Did you drink all of this?"
"The waiter took away glasses," said Heather, "You have any idea how much it takes to feel a buzz when you're over nine feet tall?"
"Did you put them on Tyra's tab?" asked Jeremy.
"You bet I did," giggled Heather, "That'll teach her to make a spectacle of herself." The giggle sounded a bit more giddy than what it should have been.
"Ok, time to get you home," said Jeremy, walking over and pulling Heather to her feet.
Heather leaned on Jeremy and said in what was probably supposed to be a whisper, "Hey, sexysaurus, I think I'm entering breeding season. Wanna put an egg in me?"
Jeremy gave Janice an exasperated look and said, "This is why I don't try to get drunk."
"And 'ere I was zinking of drinking ze image of my cousin out of my head," said Janice, "I zink I value my dignity more."
"Good choice," said Jeremy as he started leading Heather to the door, "Just how much did you drink?"
"Aw, now wouldn't you like to know?" said Heather in a teasing voice.