Jeremy and Heather Green should have moved to Dino City quite some time ago. In fact, Tyra was getting a bit impatient with how long it was taking them. But they had one thing they had to see before they go. Polly had a role in the IAC's Underwater Rhythmic Performance and Jeremy wanted to see her perform before he and his wife moved to their new home.
The URP was different from other synchronized swimming shows, and not just because it featured Animalians. One of the biggest differences was that the swimmers spent longer underwater, typically because they are Animalians who spend a lot of time in water and can hold their breath for longer periods. There were cameras underwater that showed the swimming on screens above the pool so that everyone could see what was going on under the surface.
The audience watched as the swimmers entered the pool, with 'Pines of Rome' playing in the background. They spent some time on the surface, doing their stokes in measured unison before diving below. It was very interesting to watch, particularly since gravity wasn't a
hindering factor here. It was rather like a ballet, but required more work than that. While these Animalians can hold their breaths for long periods and were agile in the water, it still took effort to move about underwater like that.
Jeremy and Heather were particularly interested in Polly's role. One would think a polar bear wouldn't be as good a swimmer as an otter or a seal, and there was truth to that. But polar bears are well-adapted for swimming. In fact, they spend a good amount of time in the water during the summer months (and even more so since the ice caps have been melting more). Polly was in fact an ideal swimmer at this time of her life. She had the strength and endurance of a bear, but her body hasn't yet developed the large curves she'll later gain that would reduce her hydrodynamic shape. Not that fully grown female Animalians were hampered in the water, but a slim physique made a notable difference.
Heather muttered to Jeremy, "She sure is graceful. More so than me."
"You're not graceless," said Jeremy.
"I know I'm not much of a dancer," said Heather, "Not Polly. Not even like Tyra. Even if I don't want to dance the same way as Tyra."
"You can dance well," said Jeremy, "Remember the official public opening of Project Dinotopia?"
"Jeremy, we were hardly as well-tuned as Michael Jackson's backup dancers," said Heather flatly.
"I think you're capable of more than you realize," said Jeremy, "If there was time, I'd say you should do something like the hurdle race at Dino City's IAC."
"Then maybe you should do weightlifting," said Heather in a teasing tone, "All those muscles of yours are going to waste working in the lab all day."
"Are you saying I'm getting out of shape?" asked Jeremy in mock outrage.
"I'd say you're more atrophying than anything else," said Heather.
Eventually, the performance came to an end. Jeremy and Heather clapped along with everyone else. They then went to the locker room to congratulate Polly, who was still toweling off. It took a bit of time to get all her fur dry.
"You did great, Polly," said Jeremy.
"Thanks, but the others swam better than me," said Polly.
"They wish they were as sleek as you," said Heather.
"Are you guys going to go now?" asked Polly.
"We'll have to go soon," said Heather, "Tyra has been wanting to get on her with her wedding for some time and we've been holding her up."
"Jeremy, is Tyra your grandma now?" asked Polly.
"Well, technically, she is. Though I don't really think of her like that," said Jeremy. Tyra tended to act more like Heather's somewhat-overbearing sister more than a grandmother.
"Then she's my grandma too," said Polly.
Heather and Jeremy exchanged a glance before Heather said, "I suppose you could think that." Then getting a mischievous idea, she said, "Actually, I think she'd like to be considered your grandma. You should call her 'Granny' and ask her about how things were done in her day."
Jeremy raised an eyeridge at that. Tyra was a bit of an embarrassment to Heather at times, as Heather sometimes had trouble reconciling the grandmother who raised her with the wild dino-gal she's become. And yet Jeremy didn't try to discourage Polly. Since Tyra was going to be married, and later a mother presumably, she'll need to be reminded to act more responsibly. Besides, it should be very amusing.