Juliet was fairly nervous as she made her way into the modest building that was there on the river that separated Lyre from Animalia. All that ran through her mind was the memory of what happened that had brought her here. She'd accepted the idea that going out would be a way for her and "her" girls to not only celebrate their conversions but that things had largely worked. She didn't like that they wanted to go to a known strip club, but she accepted the promises that they would not go up on stage or do anything to embarrass themselves. Of course, what happened was then the last thing she expected. The club was celebrating a few things starting open up again and thus had worked out a deal with a restaurant that then provided high class food and champagne.
The food was fine, but she'd ended up having a bit too much of the champagne and wandered up onto the stage. That was the last thing she expected or wanted to do, but she'd had enough to drink that she wasn't thinking clearly and let some of her own personal desires come forward. The last thing she remembered was Olympe and Josephine rushing up toward the stage to carry her off it, and she'd passed out shortly after that. She woke up again, at what was told to be an hour later, feeling hungover and on a couch in what turned out to be the office to the club. All her girls were there and looking rather nervous, with Fifi and Mia looking a bit apologetic. There was also a white furred Dog Animalian there that looked to her with a bit more "authority" than the rest of the club's guests. From there, Juliet was shown the security images of what she'd done and with the information that such an incident required a referral to the therapy clinic that Juliet had come into under a possible "Regressive Hypersexuality Disorder/Syndrome" diagnosis.
"Can I help you, Miss..." the secretary spoke slowly as she looked up from her computer to Juliet.
"Juliet Renard-Argenté ," Juliet answered, "I am here for a scheduled appointment regarding an incident at the..." She paused and swallowed the lump forming in her throat forming from her own embarrassment, "Meat Market."
The secretary managed to spell it out onto her computer and found it listed and then spoke, "I see you're scheduled with Doctor Jones, himself. If you'll just take a seat, he should be out with you in a few minutes."
Juliet noted the waiting room and how the chairs were all spread out a bit, and based on some of the reporting that had related to how, where, and when things Regressive Hypersexuality appeared with converted Animalians, particularly those that were older when they converted, was that the clinic was often busy between couples therapy and dealing with Regressive Hypersexuality, which would mean the clinic could see a lot of business. More than there were actually chairs, but there were few chairs only one or two other people were there. Thankfully none of them seemed to say anything to Juliet. She sat down and curled her tail around her waist so that it was in her lap. She began absentmindedly grooming the long silver-black fur of her tail. After a few moments a lone man came out.
"Ms. Renard-Argenté?" the man, Doctor Jones, spoke.
Juliet stood up and nodded, "and you are Doctor Jones?"
"Yes," Doctor Jones replied politely, "if you'll come with me."
Juliet carefully followed until they came into one of the individual therapy rooms. Doctor Jones waived over to a long couch while he moved over a wheeled office chair and picked up a pad of paper from the desk the chair was at. Juliet sat down and quietly set her hand bag down next to the raised portion of the couch and then looked over to the therapist who had moved his chair to a point about six to seven feet away from her and had the pad in his lap.
"So... how are you feeling?" Doctor Jones asked, starting the session.
"Embarrassed," Juliet said slowly and honestly, "I mean all of this is because I got drunk and made a fool of myself before total strangers... People that might never see me for anything more than a Silver Fox Animalian Vixen and would simply want to seduce me and not see me for who I am..."
"That can be understandable, Ms. Renard-Argenté," Doctor Jones continued, "the Meat Market, like most strip clubs, will carry that sort of reputation... not something that a woman of your stature or rank would want to go to."
Juliet nodded.
"Which then begs the question... why go to the Meat Market in the first place?" Doctor Jones asked.
"It was mostly just some celebration for the girls I've been looking after, and I'd let them make the choice," Juliet answered, "Mia and Fifi selected the Meat Market because they thought it would be fun."
"You sound displeased with that," Doctor Jones commented noting how her voice finished the comment. It wasn't anger filled, but it was filled with frustration.
"In a way... maybe," Juliet answered, "I mean... I know that Animalians have a higher libido than Humans, but that really can't be all that they'd want to be. Such institutions often see their performers abused in some way... or short lived in that once they grow old, people lose interest. Not to mention that if they try to move into other careers later, that past may prevent them from getting a future that would be good for them. Not in the long run, anyway."
"And yet you went with them?" Doctor Jones wondered.
"Well, yes," Juliet nodded, "It's been my job to look after them and helm gain the knowledge and skills needed while getting over some of the mental deficiencies that many were born with. In some ways... it has felt like being a mother to them and at other times... a best friend. And in this, over the years... I've grown a rather soft spot for all that have come in through my doors and into my care. And I've taken pride in being able to help them get what they need, particularly when their families or the state can't provide it."
"Sounds very caring," Doctor Jones gave a small smile, "and respectful that you'd accept their wish to celebrate becoming Animalians in a place like the Meat Market. And from what the report on what happened would indicate to me... is that your girls care for you too, like a mother-like figure. They had the sense that something was wrong and moved to avoid you doing more than what you did at the Meat Market..."
Juliet lowered her ears with a bit of a whimper, with the knowledge that had it not been for Josephine and Olympe she might have exposed her own chest to her girls and to total strangers. She ignored the sound of pen writing on paper as Doctor Jones either wrote out her answers or described some action that she took. That moment was humiliating for her, yet, it was her girls that saved her the worst of things.
"Which leaves me curious... as to what got you so interested in helping the learning disabled?" Doctor Jones wondered, "Most nobles and people of wealth around the world may donate money to medical causes and facilities that research into ways to help people with the condition... or to charitable societies that will help fund "special education" and so on... Yet, you've supposedly opened up a whole part of your home to them, raised them, and even helped teach them all the things they need to know... potentially hurting the main income of your family, I imagine."
"My "family" is only me and the girls," Juliet answered, "and the vineyard does well enough. You will be surprised what some people will pay for good wine and good champagne."
Doctor Jones noted the hard tone when Juliet said the word "family," but said nothing, himself, as Juliet continued.
"A lot of this goes back to when I was much younger," Juliet continued, "I had a younger brother... Jacques. He was born with one these learning disabilities and one that often had him uninterested in the vineyard and what it took to run it. My father wanted his son to inherit the vineyard and run it... but Jacques was never going to be able to do so successfully without help. He tried tutors, he tried special boarding schools, anything that he thought might get Jacques to do better. None of which really made him happy... as he would have been content just to care and feed the ducks and geese that were also raised on the grounds, which in turn irritated my father."
"And what did he do?" Doctor Jones asked.
"Eventually... he gave up and shipped my brother into the army, where I know he didn't want to go," Juliet answered, "and my father and mother both said this was for "the best..." But it wasn't. The army, while they had the time to train him, really didn't have time to work with his issues in a way that helped and he sent me letters of mistreatment. Extra work. Extra drills. Bullying from both officers, NCOs, and others in training. After a year or so... we eventually got a letter that came from the government. One of these instances got out of hand and Jacques..." Juliet paused to sniffle a bit, "he was killed in what was described as a hazing incident. That a group had lead him out of the barracks at night and taken out to the roof of one of the nearby buildings, supposedly saying there was something Jacques was supposed to clean... They mocked him for slurs in his speech or the slowness of his speech and he finally got mad and punched one of them. Knocked him back. The guy retaliated and pushed my brother back... but because they were on the roof... the fall took him over a railing and he landed face first on concrete."
Doctor Jones paused with his notes, noting tears forming in Juliet's eyes and rolled his chair over to recover a tissue and then rolled back to her. He offered her the tissues which she accepted.
"The army court-martialed them and they were dismissed from the army," Juliet answered, "but that didn't change that my brother was pushed into a field he didn't want, didn't really understand, and without the care for what was "wrong" with him, and my parent's barely mourned the loss of a life that could have been happy. That's why I've dedicated so much of my life to helping people like my brother... even if they don't come from rich families. They deserve something that could help them aspire to be more and go seeking something grand. Not just be funneled into something they don't want."
"And so... your work with these girls is to give them the chance that your brother didn't get," Doctor Jones surmised, "though you must realize that your girls may want to get into things you don't approve of."
"In a way," Juliet answered, though her eyes narrowed on Doctor Jones, "but what does this have to do with what happened? Why are you asking me this? And I've only tried to see to what is for the best for them... that they aren't abused. Prostitutes... strippers... their lives are not glamorous and they're often abused. I don't want my girls hurt."
"And that is a noble sentiment," Doctor Jones commented, "but keep in mind, what has been reported to me was a supposed case of Regressive Hypersexuality Disorder... or Syndrome if you prefer that designation. The meaning is the same. It's something noted to have occurred with older people who become Animalians. We don't know for sure what causes it, particularly as there are some that are older than you that have converted and have shown no signs of this... and yet there are some that are younger than you that HAVE shown signs of it. In this, Horizon has had difficulty in tracking down any possible genetic cause for the occurrence. Given that so far the best treatment has been therapy... my best hypothesis is that the condition is something that can play to the new Animalian. Some traumatic event or series of events leaves emotional wounds or scars... In your case the mistreatment of your brother by your father, mother, and quite likely the French Army being that source. It's hurt and driven you to become the caring woman you are... but it's also burried several old wounds, that when you converted was triggered by it. That is IF you have Regressive Hypersexuality Disorder."
"I don't," Juliet insisted, "I was drunk when I went up on that stage. If it weren't for the manager of the club showing me the security footage, I wouldn't even remember exactly what I did..."
"Nor that your girls saved you," Doctor Jones pointed out, "and the alcohol could be a factor, but it may have only given you the confidence to let it out... or, even if you don't have Regressive Hypersexuality Disorder... that you've been purposely suppressing your own libido, which isn't good either. You are an Animalian now, Ms. Renard-Argenté. That's going to come with its own desires for attention by nature. And the report also indicates that you made statements of wanting love and to have kits, at a comment made in the incident in question. Now, maybe that's just the alcohol talking... but it may also show that you're looking for MORE than just caring for your girls... that you want more than to just care for them."
Juliet nodded slowly, "I know that my libido is higher... and it's brought back urges... but I'm not out of control..."
"And no Animalian is," Doctor Jones added, "even those with the most strenuous cases of Regressive Hypersexuality Disorder are in control of themselves. They just feel more easily driven to respond to those urges than other Animalians. And with therapy... they can control it as they get a reason to let go of some of the mental stress that was the cause of the condition in my view. Much of what has been described with it by Horizon is more a biological explanation on HOW those issues then affected the Animalian."
Juliet looked to Doctor Jones quietly as his eyes remained soft and kind, and she thought she could make out a smile underneath the mask he was wearing.
"And I am ultimately here to help," Doctor Jones spoke, "regardless of whether or not you have Regressive Hypersexuality or not... because I would think you have some issues that would relate to things within the family that you'd need to work through and not burry... and I would like to help."
Juliet blinked and said the only thing she could, "thank you."