"It is interesting that Americans devote a whole holiday to food," Ling commented as she and Mr. Hyun went through the buffet line, "I mean... look at all that is here."
Mr. Hyun was impressed by that, though some of that was also balanced by what he knew the North Korean people generally lived through. Chairman Kim lived well, but Hyun knew well enough that if they had bad weather or an absence of rain for too long, many of the people ultimately starved, particularly with North Korea kept so isolated from the rest of the world. The farm that had had raised Ling did fairly well, but he also knew that that farm was specially built in an area where few North Koreans could see or interfere with it and had many of the state restrictions relaxed as part of efforts to ensure that when Ling was uplifted she would not question North Korea's rules or government.
However, given their time in Lyre and Animalia as part of Hyun's own mission, the more he got the sense that those restrictions and censoring of information couldn't work. Ling would talk with other Animalians and learn things from them, and while there were times where Hyun could be pleased that Animalians were often frustrated by America's national government over some of its decisions, there was never any desire for an outright revolution or anything that would imply that they would turn on the government. They also generally respected many of the principles that America "claimed" to follow, and Hyun knew the more and more Ling was exposed to that, the less she would approve of how things worked in North Korea.
"Yes, they do have a lot," Mr. Hyun nodded and scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes onto his plate.
The food wasn't something that he was used to, as many American foods were, and given the wide array of pots and dishes that the food came in or was being served on, it was also clear that the Animalians had cooked the meal in their own homes and brought the food to the Great Hall to share with others. What was brought likely depended on the type of Animalian. Carnivores brought meats and Herbivores brought vegetables, fruits, and some brought pies. All of which were different from what Hyun was used to, and more surprising to him, was that despite some suspicions on his "motives," they were willing to share with him.
The thing that surprised him most, though, was how much he responded to it in ways that he wasn't trained to. There was no regimentation, there were no orders, and generally none of the Animalians were confrontational with him. They could be flirtatious, as Ling was at times with him, and the actions of a group of Horse Animalians to tease him over that made that situation all the more clear, but with Ling... Hyun found himself feeling relatively protective of her. He knew she likely wouldn't take to the conditions and workload that would be required in North Korea and the limited freedom that she would have there. And strangely, that desire to protect her had also lead to him having his own "traitorous" thoughts on just keeping Ling in America.
That hadn't been his mission, and Chairman Kim wouldn't like it, but then Hyun also knew on some of the changing nature of his orders. The "permission" to convert and mate with Ling struck him as another of those situations where the regime he'd long served loyally had the capacity to turn on those that had served it. Becoming an Animalian would likely mean demotion for failing to get North Korea an Animalian super-soldier, and that was something that had fueled some private thoughts on his own to defect to either the US or South Korea in order to protect Ling. But he hadn't voiced any of that out loud to anyone.
"Are you okay, Mr. Hyun?" Ling asked to him as they reached the end of the buffet table and picked up some glasses of what was marked as apple cider.
"Just lost in thought, Ling," Mr. Hyun commented, "things are fine. And you are safe here... You can be thankful for that."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Elly, meanwhile, had sat down to eat with Sudan and some of the other members of the Rhino Guard. Some of this was with some knowledge that they were the only other White Rhinoceros Animalians in Animalia but also with some curiosity at the fact that like her, they had come to Animalia from outside the US. She'd found that they had been in Animalia longer as part of their service to the Rhino Guard, and thus were a bit more used to Thanksgiving, but also found it amusing that despite this, they weren't exactly used to the cold.
"Temperatures in the low thirties are below freezing... but they're not that cold," Elly pointed out as she brought up a forkful of squash to her mouth, "and there are certainly times when it could be colder."
"Doesn't mean we've been used to it," Sudan commented, "it's generally pretty warm in Africa. To see snow and prolonged cold temperatures... it was a surprise when we first saw it."
"I'm surprised that you're not so bothered by this..." one of the other Rhino Guard members said to her, "I mean... outside of the Wooly Rhino, we aren't exactly built for cold weather."
"Hah!" Wanda gave a cheer from her seat next to Sherry.
"Well," Elly gave a small laugh, "while the Rhinoceros isn't an animal known for inhabiting cold climates... I am from Russia." She then tugged outwardly on the hood of her jacket which had a faux fur lining around its edge. "Low thirties can be a warm winter day in Siberia. Best countered by warm food and a good jacket."
"Well the food is warm," the Rhino Guard member commented.
"And the jackets are warm too," Sudan gave a small laugh, "and we are thankful for that..."
"Not to mention that winter will only last for a few months," Sherry added, "it won't be too long before April when things start to warm up again."
"And we're all thankful for that," Sudan laughed again, and even Elly laughed a little at that while shaking her head.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adi, meanwhile was enjoying a more boisterous meal with the Hanson family at one of the other tables. She'd met most of the other Horse Animalian "herds" in Animalia and found them all to be interesting and friendly, though most of them were all connected to the Brown Family and were either owned by the Browns or by a neighbor that often worked with them. She'd also found that the males in these groups all had bond mates. In this, while she wasn't as openly flirtatious as some of the new Horse Animalian females, that didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't interested in finding a potential bond mate of her own. Though, meeting the Hanson family's patriarch was a bit of a surprise. He wasn't as big as the Draft Horse Animalians, but for a Quarter Horse Stallion, he was massive.
"I would thank you for letting me join our family for dinner," Adi spoke politely, though a little nervous, given the size comparison. She was bigger than she was when she was Human, but the Arabian was not a particularly large breed of horse and compared to the larger Halter type for the American Quarter Horse, which the Hanson family had to be so far as Adi knew, made her feel small by comparison.
"It is no problem, dear," Mr. Hanson gave a warm smile, "You've been a good friends with Blythe, Coye, and Faye with some of your adventures so far... which is a big gift to them. Particularly given the circumstances that caused them to miss their childhood."
Adi gave a slow nod at that, remembering that the Hanson herd had sort of got their present build by a set of unintended consequences. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson had been happily married and started their own family, which turned into what was likely hoped to be one child into six. Multiple births weren't impossible in Humans, but they were relatively uncommon. Given the physical strain that had come from carrying six infants to term, at once, and then the additional strain of caring for them had worn Mrs. Hanson down, leading to the decision to convert into Horse Animalians. It would rejuvenate Mrs. Hanson and let her keep up with her children, and if they wanted to convert afterward, Mrs. Hanson could then deliver a single dose of her milk for them. However, the six children had gotten into the milk first and ended up double dosing themselves.
That presented some issues of nervousness at times for Adi, as while the law had recognized that double dosed Animalians were to be recognized as legal adults, there was still some of the issues that went beyond what the law said. And at times, Adi was a bit uneasy with the fact that she knew the young Hanson stallions had an interest in her, and particularly Damien. It wasn't that she rejected them, and a good part was even interested in Damien in return, as he was a gentleman. But there was the thoughts in the back of her mind that dwelled on her own family and what had happened to them, and there old memories and worries got in the way.
"And you were willing to give me a chance," Damien said softly as he looked to her from his seat beside her.
"Well... I suppose much of that is the result of the man who'd done my family direct harm being killed," Adi commented, "ISL did a lot that went after my family... because we "weren't Muslim enough" for them."
"All that stuff never made any sense to me," Mrs. Hanson sighed, "fanaticism doesn't make anything better..."
"Thankfully the man has met justice, as it were," Abraham commented, "and you are free to be who you wish."
"And among friends," Blythe added with a smile.
"And for that I'm thankful," Adi nodded.