Miles was excited to have his first overseas assignment. He was aware that being a member of Animalia Ambassadoria meant visits to the Animalian colonies. It was one of the reasons he wanted to join, though not the main reason. Still, it was exciting that the first place he'd go to was somewhere no one else has been to before. Madame Juliet Renard-Argenté's mansion and the grounds around it would make an excellent start for a French colony. Now that the house has been fumigated and cleaned, Juliet and her students had returned home. Not long after summer vacation started, Miles was sent there as well.
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One of the important parts of journalism is reviewing your footage before sending it off to be published. He was currently on his laptop, looking over what he recorded. He may as well start with his first interview with Juliet.
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"So, Madame Juliet, are you expecting to expand your home?" asked Miles.
"That should not be necessary for quite some time," said Juliet, "My mansion has ample space. Though I'm not sure how many Animalians will be moving in."
"I assume the, er, entertainers are also living in your mansion," said Miles.
"Yes, though I'm keeping their rooms separate from my girls'," said Juliet, "If my girls wish to perform, it must be their own choice, not by others' influence."
"That's understandable," said Miles, "And what do you have planned for the casino/nightclub you'll be featuring?"
"I'm keeping my hands clean of that project," said Juliet, "All I know is that they're not calling it 'Juliet's Folly', thankfully enough."
"Do you have any idea what it will be called?" asked Miles.
"They are planning to call it 'Belles bętes'," said Juliet. On seeing Miles's blank look, she added, "It means 'Beautiful Beasts'."
"Oh, well, that's not so bad," said Miles.
"True, I only wish it weren't attached to a house that will have ill repute," said Juilet.
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Miles wondered if perhaps he should add a little footage of Juliet dancing on stage at the Meat Market after having a little too much champagne. It might remind Juliet that she isn't as above the influence of her Animalian instincts as she says. But that might be a little too insulting. Anyways, Juliet is still coming to terms with her reawakened libido. Hopefully, she'll loosen up in time.
But this interview wasn't just about Juliet's mansion and grounds. This Animalian colony was going to be the start of something much larger. The European Union has been interested in expanding Animalian interest in Europe and were jumping in with France, particularly those who had already gotten footholds (England, Scotland, Spain, and Greece). As such, Miles also had to have a talk with the French representative from the EU.
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"So, just to make sure I'm getting my facts straight, the European Union is mainly an economic organization, not a political one?" asked Miles.
"That is a complex question with a complex answer," said the representative, "But in simplest term, we are mainly economic, but with political pull."
"Ok, so why the big interest in Animalia?" asked Miles.
"You think furries are exclusive to America and Japan?" asked the representative, "Every country with access to the internet has people who are wanting to become Animalians for reasons other than youth and health. Which is why this colony in France is so important for a beginning."
"But there have been also places in Spain, England, and Scotland for Animalian colonies," said Miles, "And we're going to have a colony in Greece."
"The first three are more residential areas than colonies," said the representative, "When they're ready to expand into actual colonies, the EU will be ready to assist them. And Greece is still a work in progress, you know."
"There has been some obstacles," admitted Miles.
"But with France, we can create a proper colony, one that will draw in more people. And once we've shown how much one can prosper, we can start expanding the others and creating more in other countries. Italy and Germany would be good candidates."
"Where would we make a colony in Germany?" asked Miles, "The Black Forest?"
"Not likely. The Black Forest is still a very dense forest. There is limited space to build without cutting down old growth. And even still, it would still be difficult to go to and from. But I'm certain there's parts of Germany more accommodating," said the representative.
"So are you planning an Animalian colony in every European country?" asked Miles a little dubiously, "I'm not sure if we can extend so far so fast."
"Let's not put the wagon before the horse," said the representative, "We still need to get this colony up and running."
"But how would the eventual Russian colony factor into this?" asked Miles.
The representative pursed his lips and said, "Russian is an entirely different matter and outside our sphere of influence. Of course, I hear they're still trying to figure out how to make an Animalian colony work." Relations between the US and Russia has soured a little lately, namely because the new US government isn't as easy to manipulate as the old one. Whether they'll live up to their offer of a colony remains to be seen.
"Well, I'm hoping you have more in mind for this colony than the casino," said Miles.
"Oh, certainly, once we've talked with the nearest village about construction," said the representative.
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Miles was glad he wasn't considering a career in either politics or economics, both sounded like more of a headache than he wanted to deal with. These segments sounded good enough to broadcast, though he wondered if he should edit the talk with the EU representative for time.
There was also plenty of footage of Miles being shown around the mansion itself. It was a magnificent place now that it had been cleaned up. However, there was one strange thing. During one part of the video tour, an indistinct shape could be seen by one of the windows, something Miles had sworn had been there when they were shooting. It might have been a woman's profile, but it was impossible to be sure. Miles was less convinced it could have been a ghost. While the original Animalia Ambassadoria had many adventures, some with an apparently supernatural element, those have always been revealed to be hoaxes, often meant to scare away people from noticing illegal activity. The most prominent example was the one that ultimately led to Heather becoming the first Dinotopian. Miles wasn't sure if he wanted to be mixed in that kind of thing.
The only piece of footage that was definitely not going to be shown would when Eloise got a little too close to Miles in an attempt at flirting. Miles knew that Animalians have strong libidos and rabbits were particularly hot-blooded in that regard. It took a bit of explaining to make her understand that jackrabbits are actually hares, a separate class of mammal from rabbits, despite the similarities. And even so, it took a while to make Eloise see that Miles was too young for anything really serious. The girls from Belles bętes certainly had a good laugh at that. Yeah, that footage was going to get deleted. Well, maybe saved for private use, but never going on air.