Martha Kenward hoped that this particular call wouldn't take very long. It wasn't like she was a city official, she was only one of Animalia's models. But being the wife of Deputy Mayor Robbie did make things rather busy. Not to mention she had plenty to plan for Thanksgiving. Her parents were coming over and Martha was expecting them to reveal they were expecting another child. It wouldn't be a big surprise as they've been double-dosed ground sloths for a few years, though part of her wondered why they'd wait so long.
It wasn't much of a surprise for Martha to see Shyra at the Meat Market, considering she works here. It was a bit more of a surprise for her to see Lucy Greenwall. "Oh, is this part of someone's punishment?" asked Martha.
Lucy looked a bit annoyed. "Why is it that when I appear, people assume it's for punishing?" she asked.
"You do have a bit of a reputation," said Martha pointedly.
"I give out herbal remedies," said Lucy, "I'm not a torture technician."
"You are pretty well known for those Passion Spice jawbreakers," said Shyra.
"I do other herbal remedies," said Lucy, "If my clients wish to keep things private, it's their business."
"May be time to branch out into better advertising," said Miss Fabina, "But that's not why I called all you ladies here and there isn't any punishing going on either."
"Then what is it?" asked Martha.
"We've got a trio of...ladies who want to convert," said Fabina, her distaste being obvious, "They wanted, in their own words, 'a cute white bunny, a naughty black kitty, and a sexy red vixxy'."
"Naughty?" asked Lucy in annoyance.
"Is 'vixxy' even a real word?" asked Martha.
"These women aren't particularly creative, or intelligent," said Shyra.
"Oh, these are the bimbos I've heard about?" asked Lucy.
"Oh, I wouldn't call them bimbos," said Martha.
"You can and you should," said Fabina with disgust, "I'm not sure if have some mental impairment or they've literally coasted through life on their looks alone with bothering to learn anything."
"Fabina, is there something you have against them in particular?" asked Martha.
"I don't know them personally, but it rubs me the wrong way to see people treating beauty as the easy way out. If anything, it makes things harder for women who have no power. And I should know that," snapped Fabina.
"And they're wanting to work here, where they expect their hot bods to pay for everything," said Shyra.
Lucy sighed and said, "I'm not sure how I can teach them lessons that will stick."
"Actually, I think I might have an idea," said Martha, "We can't really keep them from working here, but we might be able to get them to realize they can't rely on beauty alone in life."
==========
Not long after that, Trixie, Dixie, and Vixi were given the dosages they needed to transform. And they were not disappointed with the results. "Omigosh, just look at these things," said Trixie as she hefted up her big bunny boobs, "I can't believe they're all real now."
"And I can't believe how limber I am now," said Dixie as she stretched one of her legs up. Her feline feet almost touched her head. "I bet I can give myself a real tongue bath now. I'm sure guys would love to see that."
"I can certainly say you're looking very juicy," said Vixi, wagging her fox tail, "In fact, you two look so good, I could eat you up."
"Say what?" asked Trixie, a little startled.
"Uh, not really, you know what I mean," said Vixi.
"I wonder if I'll want to eat mice now," said Dixie.
"Well, I hope you three have been studying about your new species," said Ms. Fabina, coming into the room.
"Uh, tots. Good thing I was already on a carrot diet," said Trixie.
"Carrots have a bit too much sugar to be a rabbit's primary diet," said Ms. Fabina, "You should be eating more greens."
"And I guess I need more milk and fish," said Dixie.
"You should really try to have a more balanced diet," said Ms. Fabina, "Well, like I said, the dancing schedule is full and we're not starting on any new adult filming projects for a while. But I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to catch up on your homework."
"Uh, what homework?" asked Vixi.
"Well, part of the conversion paperwork includes a background check. We can't just let anyone with a serious criminal background be converted," said Ms. Fabina.
"Oh, no worries, we didn't do anything bad," said Vixi.
"We also take a look into your educational background," said Ms. Fabina, "I've noticed that none of you have been to college."
"You know how much college costs these days?" asked Dixie.
"True, but your high school records show that didn't have grades anywhere good enough to even go to community college," said Ms. Fabina, "Honestly, it's a wonder you were able to graduate at all."
"Uh, we had, like, a little help from nerds, I mean, study buddies," said Trixie.
"I'm sure you had," said Ms. Fabina in a flat tone, "Fortunately, the three of you qualify for the GED program and have been signed up."
"But we already have our diplomas," said Vixi.
'And I'm sure they're not worth the paper they're printed on,' thought Ms. Fabina. Out loud, she said, "Our GED program is for those who have large gaps in their knowledge and memory or those who had been intellectually-challenged before conversion."
"Hey, we are not stupid!" snapped Dixie. Ms. Fabina glared at her, which made her feline instincts scared enough to back down.
"I did not say 'stupid', though I'm almost tempted to. And I do not think you were intellectually-challenged. You simply didn't bother to use your brains because you felt like your looks would do all your work for you," said Ms. Fabina, "However, that is not how it is here. You three may have gorgeous bodies, but so do other Animalians. That makes you average. And not everyone is going to fall for your charms and do your work. So you're going to get another chance to develop some real-world skills and rounded-out knowledge."
"And what if we refuse?" asked Vixi.
"I can simply not hire you," said Ms. Fabina, "And I do have enough friends to keep you barred from working in Animalia's modeling industry. Your new forms won't be much of a meal ticket if you can't display them. And really, it's not like you're going to military school. You'll be working alongside peers who'll also be studying. You'll have an equal chance of learning and bettering yourselves." Ms. Fabina was usually not this blunt, but it was clear these ladies have not had enough 'tough love' when they were growing up. Their parents spoiled them too much and it was going to take some discipline to salvage their intellects.
Trixie sighed and said, "We can still, like, do stuff at the Meat Market, right?"
"When the schedule has cleared up, yes," said Ms. Fabina, "But if I hear you've been slacking off with your studies, or worse, trying to cajole someone into doing the work for you, I will fire you. You'll get some warnings, but you will be fired if they're not heeded."
"I thought you were going to be more fun," whined Dixie.
"Fun and business in moderation," said Ms. Fabina, "And adult entertainment is a business."