While things began to slowly recover and some of the Meat Market's business began to pick up a bit, there were still other programs that its present manager, Miss Fabina looked to that went beyond just scheduling shows and acts. The facility had done very well, given how small Lyre was without Animalia, and that had been part of what helped it make it through the worst of the pandemic the previous year. Heavily because of the fact that Animalia put in place tighter restrictions and didn't allow for them to lax. There were some occasional cases that popped up here and there in Lyre, particularly early on, and that was about it. That essentially protected the Meat Market and allowed for it to remain in business even with restrictions and then look to other projects.
For Miss Fabina that was largely in relation to setting sponsorships for those in the adult entertainment business who might want to get away from some of its darker aspects. For the industry often fell victim to those trying to play to certain fetishes and the complications of the desires of either producers or the actors and actresses, themselves. This had lead with her first sponsorship with Quetzal, Barb, and Holly who had been caught up with a darker version of the sorts of producers that had wanted his performers to be heavily enhanced, and sometimes excessively so. But their former employer wasn't the only one that would get into that sort of thing. She knew that Humans often had their odd tastes in fetishes and this often included things that people did to themselves. There were people who got tattoos to look different and the same thing at times applied things like breast implants and other "enhancements." For there would always be those that would be jealous of those who were naturally better endowed and would do things to look better.
There was nothing truly wrong with this, but it was noted that in many cases these enhancements didn't last long. When women the added weight of their enhancements could be handled, but that didn't last long once they got older. Now, it was possible that some of this could happen with Animalian females when they got older, though because of how the Animalia virus could essentially reverse the effects of aging provided the sample of the Animalia Virus came from one that was younger than the one being converted, that couldn't be fully known at present. Health checks, however, seemed to indicate that female Animalians had more than enough muscle power to not be troubled by the weights on their chests. This was something that was good and gave Miss Fabina the idea to work through ideas on setting up a means to get openings to try this. Though this then brought Barb into her office after one of her shows.
"You want to me to get back in touch with that jerk...?" Barb asked after Miss Fabina explained her plan and idea.
"No... merely a question as to know if there were others that worked for him that wanted a way out," Miss Fabina explained as she watched the Texas Horned Lizard's eyelids flex a bit, "or if you knew others that might want to get out from under the weight of their enhancements... Nothing more than that."
"I see," Barb sighed and relaxed and looked around the office and noted some of its décor. There were a few old photos of the Meat Market as it was in the late 1800s to early 1900s when it was used to slaughter livestock for meat, along with a few photos of past performers and of the Meat Market's front after it reopened as the strip club it became. These were all taken before Miss Fabina took over the Meat Market, obviously, but Barb figured it was also part of holding to the building and business's history. "Well... about the only ones that wanted out were Quetzal, Holly, and me... at list with the previous owner. He may have had others... but they didn't hang with us and even when they did, they were a bit put off by us."
"So you wouldn't know if they'd want out?" Miss Fabina asked.
"I'd imagine that those that were older would want out," Barb answered, "appealing to them, though, could just be done with an advertisement … selling up the good Animalia does and all that."
"I'd thought on that," Miss Fabina answered, "and I'd called down to Dino City to get a commission... since Mrs. Green has done some work of that nature for Horizon's ads. Though I've gotten the answer on her machine or her cellphone saying "I'm getting pregnant and will get back to you in a few days" and so on..."
"Yeah," Barb nodded as she carefully sat down on the wooden chair opposite Miss Fabina's desk. It was fairly clean, though there were some papers that were there in places as well. "A fair number of the Dinotopians are starting to come into their mating seasons... as a fair number of others probably are to. Quetzal has commented that those that have mates are likely adding to their families... with the exception of a couple that seem to be a mixed species couple."
Miss Fabina nodded, "I'm sure. And I will try to call back when that mating season dies down. But while I'm waiting I was figuring to see if you and Holly might have any specific slogans or things that might attract people to converting... at least with those that were in a similar position as to you and your friends. Though some of who we'd be looking for might have had this cosmetic surgery willingly."
Barb blinked and raised one hand up to scratch at her chin for a moment. Her stubbed claws rubbing against her scales let out a slight rasping sound that Miss Fabina followed for a moment. Eventually, Barb lowered her hand and then repositioned her body before answering Miss Fabina directly.
"Well... I can't say much about how to appeal to others specifically," Barb commented, "but one of the things that made conversion interesting to me... was that my curves as an Animalian would be natural." She paused to then shake shoulders backward and forward and shaking her tee shirt covered chest side to side for added emphasis. "Being "big" wasn't so much the problem as it was the unnatural disproportions that my old employer wanted. As it added weight that I couldn't handle then and didn't have a natural counterbalance for. Not to mention that all the plastic helped cut into my tactile senses off. In converting... things were now natural. I gained the muscle to stand and avoid strain. That's not a bad thing, and that's something that I'm sure a lot of people would want. I mean... for those that have wanted the sort of curves Animalians have... I'd think having natural curves would be the way to put it. Just like a poster that shows how we're natural, balanced, and unencumbered by weight... that sort of thing."
"Nothing that would help for the potential change in species?" Miss Fabina wondered, "since they haven't found a way to create a Human strain of the Animalia Virus, yet."
"That's an issue?" Barb wondered, "I mean... I know it's there, but when I made my choice, I accepted that I wouldn't be Human anymore."
"It's something that I may need to confront," Miss Fabina commented, "as some of this could end up bringing the Meat Market into more... shall I say, direct, competition with groups that may wish to control the project. Strip club owners that don't want to lose their dancers and thus spread rumors and the like. Things that you'd be surprised on how many lies people will believe."
"Maybe best to have the truth... and be willing to accept a "no" here or there," Barb finished with a small shrug, "I'm afraid that's all I have for the moment."