"This will be fun..." Sophie commented as she drove along in the rental car that she, Roland, JC, and Pauline had picked up at the Dallas airport shortly after their arrival on the Thursday afternoon before Valentines Day, "Dino City's first Valentines Day and we get to put out a few shots for it... show how things are progressing."
"A fluff piece," Roland commented.
Sophie sighed at that and let it go. A lot of the Animalia Ambassadoria pieces seemed to come off as those sorts of things, showing how everyone enjoyed the holidays of the year or promoted certain events that Animalia was known for. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it also didn't answer serious questions that those that were critical of Animalia raised. Many of them continually brought up issues of damage and control with conversions and some of the surprises that came from it. Things like the Seven on Four Night had already changed how Horizon was allowed to distribute the Animalia Virus for conversions, and the financial cost estimates for repairs for both the hotel from that night and what Mr. D had to pay were used to cite on how Animalian's high libidos were not good, regardless of whether or not the sex was consensual.
Then of course there was the incident with Heather during her Sophomore year in which the Syntixisaurus Rex's attack was used as proof that the conversion uncontrolled didn't lead to the civilized beings that Animalia claimed and floated conspiracy theories that the initial outbreak was really a scene of rapes and bloody attacks in Lyre and that it took MONTHS for the new Animalians to learn that sort of thing was uncivilized. It was ridiculous and Sophie did her best to point out that those conspiracy theories were not factually true, but she'd also found that those conspiracy theories were widely promoted and believed, regardless of the facts, often to serve to urge legislation that would be designed to put far more restrictions on Animalia. They hadn't progressed much, even in some of the states where that sort of support was higher, but it told Sophie that the fluff and event pieces that Animalia Ambassadoria put out were NOT convincing anyone.
"Yeah," Sophie eventually spoke, "That'll still be a hurdle... but then, it's not like we can complain about an excused absence from school on Friday cover Valentines Day tomorrow and be away from prying eyes as it were."
"And that would be fun," JC commented from the back seat as he rested one hand in Pauline's.
The two Microraptor Dinotopians had free reign with what was the Albers' guest room before his uplifting, and while Mr. and Mrs. Albers allowed JC and Pauline their romantic nights, he'd also noticed that they seemed to hover over Sophie quite a bit, particularly on nights when Roland had come over for dinner. He could also see and tell when there were moments where Sophie might have liked to take Roland to bed, but couldn't. Thus, JC saw the present Valentines Day/weekend mission as something that would give her and Roland the time to be together without someone making sure "nothing" happened... though at the moment, they didn't know on all the hoops that would be gone through once they started with the piece...
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Some of it though came with their first check in on Friday morning. The four were a bit tired from the drive from Dallas to Dino City after a plane flight shortly after WSA's day had ended on Thursday. Things were a bit better on Friday and Sophie called Heather on her cellphone from the hotel's breakfast area.
"So the whole family came down...?" Heather asked over the phone while JC and Pauline nibbled on some eggs, "For Valentines?"
"No, it was just me, Roland, JC, and Pauline," Sophie answered, "the drive was a bit tiring... I mean, I have my license… but in Lyre and Animalia with things being so close together, I can fly most places and walking isn't that far..."
"No... I mean you came down for Valentines?" Heather asked.
"Animalia Ambassadoria wants something of a puff piece showing how Dino City is celebrating the holiday," Roland answered, "which probably won't be too different from how anyone else celebrates it... just that most of the people in Dino City are Dinotopians."
"Sophie's mother also wants some coverage on the new Sauropod Dinotopian..." Pauline added, "the one who became an Amargasaurus."
Sophie and Roland both nodded at that, as actually both of their parents had some curiosity on Tyler Pug. So far as they knew he had some community service type things that he was doing for Dino City and Glen Rose to handle the costs related to getting "clean" as it were, which was fine. Though there were times where both Pterodactylus Dinotopians had some wonder if the curiosity was more on the perceived size of the Sauropod Dinotopians, something that went back to the awe they'd had when they first met Andrew on the Thanksgiving after Horizon began working and testing with the Dinotopian strains of the Animalia Virus. Sophie didn't necessarily have a problem with her parents being physical in their love with each other, but a part of her really didn't want to "help" them with that sort of thing.
"I don't think that Tyler Pug's found a Valentine, yet," Heather commented
"I think it's more "personal" research than anything related to Valentines Day," Sophie explained, "either that or looking for something that might make me and Roland going to SMU next year for college easier..."
"Well... if they make that choice... it's theirs to make," Heather answered, "and who knows... maybe it may help the two of you out a bit... As I'd wager that if you're both down here alone for Valentines Day/weekend... there are certain things YOU want to do away from their eyes..."
Sophie then hoped that Heather wouldn't see her blushing through her pycnofibers or the bony part of her beak.
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From there, they went along with getting some shots of Dino City for the holiday, and true to expectations there were things that were pretty standard. Some of the shops that were open in Dino City matched those in Glen Rose with posted signs pin heart stickers in the windows that advertised the holiday or specials that were in connection to the holiday and the group made a special note that the main restaurant in Dino City, which was something of a steakhouse, though their vegetarian menu was also fairly extensive... at least from what Sophie remembered when the Albers and Luwrie families had visited over the summer, had a dinner special for Valentines. In that they agreed that it'd make for a good double date and they wouldn't have to interrupt the city's life for coverage.
Of course some other parts of their coverage did come across some of the pairs in Dino City as they went about some of their work. At the Dino Dome, they found Walter and Dory going through their own respective workouts as part of some of the plans for the Mesozoic Fight Club. From rumors, they didn't yet have enough promised competitors for it, but as Dino City got more established and more people became Dinotopians, the more likely that things like that would not be that terribly far away. But the workout for the Ankylosaurs Dinotopian and Doedicurus Cenozoic Glyptodont Animalian wasn't hostile, and the there was in fact some color coordination between the two.
Walter wore a pair of red wind-pants and a white shirt while Dory wore a pair of white wind-pants and a pink shirt. Most of the workout was aimed around practicing with specific blows and movements that Brett Horne and Mario Domini had put together as part of the training programs for all of Animalia's combat sports that would relate to things like the UFC. And what they practiced on looked to be large cushioned bags that would either be suspended from the ceiling or balanced something heavy on the floor. As the four watched and taped, they even got some shots showed the potential of what their mace like tails could do.
"That's all impressive... and you're doing all this for Valentines Day?" JC wondered as he looked at one of the dummies that was rocking back and forth after the blow that was delivered to it.
"No... this is all just stuff to keep in shape for when the Mesozoic Fight Club will have enough members to begin actual matches and tournaments," Walter answered, "some of it may just go for skills demonstrations as things are being set up..."
"We are color coordinated for Valentines Day, though," Dory smiled and ran one paw along Walter's cheek, "and Walter looks quite good..."
"Glad to see that you're happy together and with the Mesozoic Fight Club prep... though..." Roland began.
"I really can't say on where they'll put me," Dory answered, "as I'm on par with some of the larger modern Animalians... but Doedicurus isn't so old that it was from the Mesozoic Era... They may end up just establishing a whole new bracket for Cenozoic Animals too."
"Any specific plans for Valentines Day?" Pauline inquired.
"A bit of fun later," Dory smiled, "for while Walter is a bit bigger than me... as Ankylosaurus was bigger than Doedicurus... I'm big enough that he can fit... strong together and firmly in love..."
Sophie ignored some of the innuendo there and kept things as clean as they could. Some things might need editing once they got back to Lyre/Animalia, but when they could talk with those that were romantic couples, it'd do best have as much as possible. Especially when Walter and Dory didn't have them leave to keep their workout private.
"And how have you both liked things down here?" Roland asked.
"Good... not as cold in the winter as things could be in Lyre... or at least not for as long," Walter added, "and... well... Dory makes for great company. The Edicts might mean we'd have to adopt... or let Dory be artificially inseminated by another Doedicurus Animalian... but love is more than just whether or not one can have kids together. It's more about how people get along..."
"And we get along quite well," Dory smiled.
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The evening came with some of the last scenes for Valentines Day, and the four found that they weren't the only ones who had come to the main restaurant that was there in Dino City. Much of the scents that were there did show it as a steakhouse, but some of the signs that were inside the restaurant did have some salads, nuts, and other items that more herbivorous Animalians could eat, though given that Microraptor and Pterodactylus were both carnivores, the steakhouse idea wasn't too bad to Sophie, Roland, JC, or Pauline. The thing that drew the most attention was who else was in the waiting area with them.
"The place does a lot of business," JC commented as he looked out from the waiting area to the seating area in the restaurant where there were a fair amount of activity going on.
"A lot of it is tourism," William Tarr said nervously from beside Candace. He'd grown a bit more comfortable with her since Christmas, but to a small degree was still surprised by the fact that Candace seemed to have interest in him. In this, he was a bit uneasy with too many people drawing attention to it, which made the appearance of the four members of Animalia Ambassadoria at the restaurant as a bit of a surprise. "We're not really in the tourist season, yet, but we're obviously right next to Glen Rose... the way Lyre and Animalia are practically across the street from each other and there are a few towns that are close by that may have some interest things that go on here... particularly with both Dino City and Glen Rose working together with Dinosaur Valley State Park on things... there is bound to be some people that want to come in, if only for a look-see."
"I think most of them are more interested to see if Candace or I fall out of our tops..." said Marjorie from across the waiting area, "or bust out of them."
William looked over to the Diplodocus Dinotopian who was seated across form him and Candace in the waiting area with her mate, Luke. He gave a small frown as he did so. Though, for while he knew that Animalians of all kinds were well built when it came to their musculature and with females being well endowed. The Sauropod females Marjorie and Jen especially so, and he didn't want to hazard a guess as to what letters Marjorie or Jen's respective cup sizes were. And while he knew that there probably were some people that looked at things that way, and he could well understand what "lust" was, that didn't mean that he thought it right. The fact that some Animalians, like Tyra, seemed all too comfortable with that sort of thing was a bit unnerving and seemed out of place on Valentine's Day.
"I don't think many of that sort would be here on Valentine's Day," Candace spoke up, getting some sense of William's unease and a bit surprised at Marjorie's comment, given that Marjorie and Luke had been more into the sporting side of things and presently worked at the Dino Dome as fitness trainers while brainstorming other sporting ideas, "Particularly when Dino City doesn't have anything like the Meat Market."
"And probably a good thing," Luke spoke, "but that doesn't mean those sorts of people aren't out there and aren't more forward than they should be."
"One even tried to get fresh with me during a class and right in front of Luke," Marjorie added, "it's funny when you think on the stupidity of some of these people... but..."
"That might be better to file a complaint with Officer Slash," William offered, "and let the evening be more for light hearted conversation with your husband... or bond-mate... whichever you prefer."
Sophie and Roland looked to JC and Pauline and the four of them agreed to that. The discussion had gotten away a bit from the original subject in relation to Valentines Day, and while Sophie wasn't ashamed of the curves she'd gained now that she was nearly fully mature, she wasn't exactly interested in discussing them with those she wasn't close to as others.
"That would make the night easier," JC agreed.
"How good is the food here?" Pauline asked turning things back to the original subject.
"Pretty good," Candace spoke, "the kitchen's pantry is well stocked and well provisioned. And it'll actually run all day to include a breakfast menu... And for Animalians that are strictly carnivorous or herbivorous, the cooks will separate out things one group can't eat from the other... even if the recipe for Humans or Omnivorous Animalians would have everything mixed together. And as a few more Dinotopians have moved in... it may get better as the cooks get more practice."
"Their service can be a bit slow at times," William added, "but some of that may be that most of the cooks that they have here have come in from other places and are Human... so they're used to recipes for Humans and not the mostly meat with some garnish or seasoning only for carnivores or fruits, vegetables, and nuts for herbivores. Once they get more practice in... they'll probably be fine."
It was at this point that a waiter came up and said "Tarr" which got William and Candace to stand up. William tried to be a gentleman and offer Candace his arm, but because of her greater height, about the best that could be managed was holding hands. As they moved to head in after the waiter, Sophie, Roland, JC, and Pauline moved to sit where Candace and William had been seated. Before they got to far, JC remembered to call after them...
"Happy Valentine's Day."