Steve Herrons sat somewhat nervously on the couch in the living room of the Moore family's living room and looked to Chrissy as she sat on the floor before him. The mention of Marcella Walker pulling her stunt out of romantic jealousy, among other things, was a big surprise and he wasn't fully prepared for. Seeing Chrissy laugh a bit helped, as it did let him see that his girlfriend was adjusting to things. Though, the sound of a toilet flushing and then followed by a few heavy steps, then water running from a sink for a few moments and then stopping, then stopping, and then more heavy steps was enough startle him again. Steve looked to the wall behind him and then looked back to Chrissy and found that she had not moved. Her hands were in her lap, holding the tip of her trunk down.
"Chrissy?" Steve asked.
"Wasn't me," Chrissy answered.
"Then... what was it?" Steve asked nervously.
"I believe HER name is Nzinga," Chrissy answered, "Didn't you see her car when you came up?"
He looked around again as he heard more heavy footsteps and then turned to see another female African Elephant Animalian come into view. She was about the same height as Chrissy but might be a bit more muscular. This other Animalian looked down to Steve for a moment and spoke carefully.
"I can understand your frustration in dealing with amenities that were not built for your present size," Nzinga said to Chrissy, "they aren't impossible to work with... but definitely more difficult. Hopefully, any and all arrangements that are made can help you move forward."
"Thanks, I guess," Chrissy managed, "this is Steve... My present boyfriend... who's taken things better than I feared."
"Then that would be good for you," Nzinga replied, "having friends can always help."
She then reached down with one hand and Steve carefully shook it, though to say that he shook her "hand" would be rather generous. In reality, it was really not much more than shaking a finger or two.
"You're representing Animalia... or WSA?" Steve asked.
"Horizon and Animalia asked that my husband and I offer what help we can, particularly with what will ultimately be needed to help two people who've become Elephant Animalians both cover the financial damages caused in their fight and adapt to the changes that they've undergone," Nzinga counted down the list of things on her fingers, "this would also include some rundown things like school... transport to and from, and so on."
“So… you are here to take Chrissy away,” Steve said, his voice sounding a bit more mournful than he’d wanted it to be.
“Where your girlfriend goes to school will be more up to what her parents may wish,” Nzinga explained, noting the mournful tone in Steve’s voice. She had the sense that there was some fear of loss there but also figured that there was a lot of conflict and other background issues that would take time for him and Chrissy to work through in their relationship. “Animalia can’t control that. WSA may have better infrastructure… particularly with regard to handling larger Animalians, like Elephant Animalians. But WSA might be able to loan some furniture and things to Desert Flats so that Christina and Marcella can graduate in the local school…”
“Technically, the school we go to isn’t in Desert Flats,” Chrissy spoke up, “and Steve doesn’t actually live here, either. We met in school.”
“Really?” Nzinga asked.
“Our school is a consolidated school,” Steve explained, “many of the towns in this part of Nevada don’t have a lot of people in them, and outside of the more mountainous area near where Lyre/Animalia is, it doesn’t get a lot of rain, either. The result of this is that many of these smaller schools have found they don’t have the funds to maintain multiple different schools. It would actually be cheaper and easier for these towns to have their school districts consolidated into one school at a centralized site… which is actually to the south of here. I live in a more rural home that’s about fifteen minutes southeast of Desert Flats by a straight line and a half an hour by road on a day with low traffic and no county sheriffs monitoring for speeders.”
“My parents told me that Lyre was going to be one of the schools consolidated with us… before Animalia,” Chrissy added, “the founding of WSA changed that…”
Nzinga nodded, "I see. Well, regardless, we want to be able to help Christina adjust and make do with her situation and see what would need to be done depending on what her parents would prefer. Either to help with transport to and from school, loaning the appropriate number of tables and chairs, and so on. Right now... her parents return is all that I'm waiting on."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The wait for Chrissy's parents wasn't a particularly long one. As while the schools hadn't started up yet in the day or two after New Year's Eve/Day, the mines that were the driving force in Desert Flats' economy did return to work after the new year. Nzinga spent some of that time conversing more with Chrissy and Steve, mostly looking into things on where their relationship was. She didn't expect the boyfriend to visit on the same day, but for the most part, Steve's behavior seemed tolerable. There were moments where it seemed like he was showing a bit more interest than what one would expect from someone who was just casually interested. It was something that could create a different set of issues later, but right now, discussing those issues with Chrissy or Steve wasn't appropriate.
Nzinga still had to sit on the floor, just as Chrissy did, but it eventually paid off as an old beat-up green colored Chevrolet truck pulled onto the modest sized driveway. She noted the movement through the window as two people got out, both were in dark blue overalls. One, a female, looked to where Nzinga's car was parked on the street, and then made her way toward the front door with the man following. The man was also carrying a few bags of groceries.
"It would appear your folks have arrived," Nzinga said slowly, "will you wish to add your two cents on what you'd want?"
"I can speak up with what I need while you talk with my parents," Chrissy answered just as the door opened and ushered Moores return to their home.
"Chrissy... who is this?" Mrs. Moore asked as she came in through the door and looked to Nzinga who stood up.
"She's from Animalia... essentially doing some damage control after what Marcy did," Chrissy answered.
"And as I've told your daughter, Ms. Walker will pay for her actions," Nzinga spoke, "there will be some financial issues that your daughter will have to pay for her role in the fight with Ms. Walker... but they'd be more financially focused."
"I can understand... and you are?" Mrs. Moore asked as her husband came in and looked to Nzinga with somewhat wide eyes.
"My name is Nzinga," Nzinga introduced herself, "and I am here to try and help."
"The best help would be restoring our daughter's Human form," Mr. Moore spoke.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that... and Horizon hasn't found any answers," Nzinga said slowly, "the best that might be managed is coming up with a Human strain of the Animalia Virus, but that might only work as a means to prevent Humans from becoming Animalians. And since I don't work for Horizon... I can't say as to how well that project is advancing. Most of what I'm able to work with would be more in relation to transportation to and from school... if you wish for Chrissy to keep going to the school she's presently enrolled in, seeing to WSA transferring the appropriate number of chairs or desks to that school so that your daughter wouldn't have wrestle around chairs and tables that would not be scaled to her present size. The same would apply to transport if you'd feel it appropriate to transfer her to WSA... along with the work that Christina will also be responsible for until her share of the bill to the club is paid."
Both parents hmphed at that. It was pretty clear to Nzinga that they weren't entirely happy, and likely more aimed at what Marcella Walker did than anything else. Nzinga could understand that. Thus, she did her best to make sure that she didn't reverberate anything down her trunk, as it would amplify the noise and could potentially sound aggressive.
"Rocky wants compensation for the damages," Mr. Moore said slowly, "knowing full well that neither us nor the Walkers have the money to pay for the things destroyed in the fight."
"And he also doesn't want either in his club again," Nzinga nodded, "the only option on that side would be for them to work volunteer shifts at the Meat Market in Lyre/Animalia. No actual stripping... but serving drinks and food and likely supervised working their till. It'd probably be the quickest way for them to earn the money that this Rocky says he needs to pay his bills."
There were frowns, but neither Mr. or Mrs. Moore said anything for the moment.
"If this Rocky were willing to let them work for him to make up for the damage caused, that would be the preferred option," Nzinga said slowly, "as it would be less travel for both your daughter and Ms. Walker. But he doesn't and was quite firm on not wanting either in his club again."
"Yeah, Rocky has a bit of a temper," Mrs. Moore admitted and looked down, "I just wish things could just stay normal..."
"To a degree, "normal" can be relative," Nzinga commented, "a great many things changed when Animalia got started. And from what Rocky told me is that his club really only got going after Animalia did and more people were actually driving through Desert Flats."
"Maybe... but until this party turned ruckus... it never came to our family," Mrs. Moore pointed out.
Nzinga could only nod. She had been the matriarch of the African Elephants at the Lyre Zoo, but as an Animalian and not sitting in either Animalia or Lyre's city governments, that status held no real value. The best she could do was offer words of encouragement and help.
"Yeah," Chrissy spoke up, "but at least Animalia is willing to help where they can with all this. And Marcy will be dealing with more than just working off Rocky's bills Both legal and likely parental as well. So, there is something there."
Mr. and Mrs. Moore nodded at that. Nzinga also saw them flash an understanding smile to their daughter, which provided some hope that the relationship between parents and child wasn't hurt by the incident.
"And we do thank you for your help," Mr. Moore spoke, "but we would like to keep things as close to "normal" as we can. Keep Chrissy at her present school. It's her senior year and not everyone that goes there lives in Desert Flats or would be close enough to go to anywhere but that school."
"I see," Nzinga said slowly, "that will make some things potentially difficult... but WSA may have some spare chairs and tables that they can deliver to Chrissy's school. It might take a day or two to get it arranged, as they'd also need to know her schedule, and thus the number of tables and desks that would need to be sent."
The Moores both nodded again.
"And in the meantime, my husband and I can handle driving your daughter to and from school... and to and from Lyre as part of her community service to pay off Rocky's bill," Nzinga continued, "all that I would need is the time it would normally take you to drive from here to her school and things like that."
"Thank you for your help," Mr. Moore spoke while putting a hand on his wife's shoulder and they began to go over a lot of the time for travel being explained.