Jenny waived Clemens out as he left in his dress suit. It wasn't quite as good as what he would wear for the wedding, but it was still formal. As he made his way out of the apartment building he found a cab waiting for him. It was a bit of a surprise, but it did make sense. If the bachelor party proved to be a wild one with either a lot of alcohol flowing or a stripper was hired, having a cab would be a good idea. If he got himself killed in a drunken car crash, Clemens was pretty sure Jenny would kill him. Permission to be a bit wild did not mean permission to be dumb. Clemens carefully approached the cab.
"You're Clemens Patten, I hope?" the cab driver asked, sporting a slight English accent.
"I am," Clemens answered, and then asked with a slightly humorous tone to his voice, "and you would be my ride to the bachelor party?"
"Yah, mate," the cab driver smiled, "a David... or Jacob bloke called our company set the whole thing up. I'm take you "uptown" and allow you and your mates a bit of fun and then take you home. And I aim to do my job well so you can have a good time."
"That is very good of you," Clemens nodded, "Let me climb in, and we can be on our way."
Clemens opened the back door to the cab and noted that the cab hadn't been upgraded for animal people. The back was softly upholstered from the looks of things, but the seat had no hole or indented area with which to fit his tail, which gave him the inclination that the cab had been built before the Animatrix Serum became available for people to buy. Thankfully, Clemens had one advantage by being a snake person that helped him in these situations. His tail could easily coil to fit in the backseat. It might take a bit of maneuvering to get his tail in, but he had the muscle control to do so. Mammal based animal people, like George and Molly, had to rely on their tails being thinner and allowing them to sit a bit further forward in such a chair, but it was still the chair and their bodies that would put their tails in whatever position they were in. A tiger's tail in nature was designed to help them balance as they ran. That didn't require the extensive musculature needed to make their tails coil the way Clemens' tail could. Snakes, regardless of whether they were constrictors or venomous species, needed that musculature in their tails as it would help them with regard to basic locomotion and thus enabled the ability to coil their tails.
"Need any help?" the cab driver asked as Clemens climbed in, angling his body to put himself in as comfortable a position as he could manage.
"No, I'm fine," Clemens answered as he finished getting himself in and shutting the door. As he began to buckle himself, he continued, "you may proccceed with your mission."
"Right-o," the cab driver smiled and began to pull away.
As the cab pulled forward, Clemens was left to wonder on what would be going on. He had an idea of what Jacob and David had planned, as stories did circulate about what their parties entailed, but there was still a lot to be curious about. Jacob had said they'd be having the party in formal setting that was upper class. That left Clemens wondering how Jacob or David could afford it on their salaries. Did they pool their money together? Did they have more help with regard to paying for everything? And what would happen at the club or restaurant that the party would be held at? Jenny had made the guess that there would be a snake-woman stripper, and Clemens couldn't say that was entirely impossible. People who had bought their doses of the Animatrix Serum came from all walks of life, and for all sorts of reasons. However, the fact that it was possible didn't mean that it was probable. Most of the people who had purchased the Animatrix Serum had chosen mammalian species, and a high end club or restaurant would probably look down on that sort of behavior. Or at least that is what Clemens thought.
"Exxxxcusse me, but uh... will I owe you anything for all thiss?" Clemens asked as the cab rolled into the richer part of town and that part's business district in particular.
"Nah, mate," the cab driver answered, "the company was paid in advance for the deal. Just enjoy the ride, we're nearly there."
Clemens gave a sigh of relief to that and glanced out at the lights of the buildings, which were now being turned on. The cab eventually came to a stop outside an upscale club with decorative plants just outside the glass doors. He found Jacob, David, Jenny's brother Peter, and the other male coworkers from the zoo's reptile house.
"Have a good night," the cab driver said to Clemens as he began to climb out.
Clemens nodded and slowly approached the others, who smiled to him.
"Well... here he is, our guest of honor," Jacob Pertwee said with a smile, "are you ready for a good time?"
"I suppossse," Clemens answered, "a bit curious about what you've planned for me."
"Hey, it wasn't all him," David spoke up, "the three of us did help pool together ideas and arranged a cost sharing arrangement to pay for all of this."
That solved one of the questions that Clemens had, though the replies he was receiving soon brought more conversation.
"Though I would have thought this would be something your best man would do," Peter commented with a small laugh, "Did he get here okay?"
"Jossseph hasn't arrived yet," Clemens answered, "but he will be here for the wedding... and the reherssal."
Peter patted him on the back and ushered Clemens toward the doors, "I'd hope so. From what Jenny's told me about him from when she met him over this past Christmas... I've been intrigued. I'd very much like to meet him."
"I'm ssssure that can be arranged," Clemens gave a smile.
"Bah!" one of his other coworkers spoke up and urged them inside, "we can talk about family meetings at the wedding! Tonight is a night to party! And give our buddy his last rites."
Clemens gave a blink as he was ushered through the doors into the club. It was definitely upscale with men in suits and all discussing something, though Clemens couldn't tell over all the other ambient sound. The club actually had some soft rock music playing over speakers. Jacob was talking to a man in what looked like a tux about something while David seemed to be moving around the group of men to keep them together. Eventually Clemens noticed the man Jacob was talking with wave them forward and then pointed to a spiral staircase at the other end of the entry area of the club. He heard Jacob thank the man and then lead them forward.
"We got a private room set for the party," Jacob said as he lead them along, "and things are all set."
"Complete with a bar?" David asked.
"Of course," Jacob smiled, "and they did arrange the menu I asked for."
"Menu?" Clemens asked and still puzzled over the "last rites" comment that one of the others had made.
"Yeah... a menu that's specific for you," David said elbowing him in a friendly manner, "You can't really chew with a snake's teeth, right?"
"Right..." Clemens looked to him.
"And while some spices might work... you can't really digest fruits and vegetables in a way that would keep you healthy," David continued, "and the last thing WE want is to lose you physically."
Jacob then picked up, "so we called ahead to see if they could get some meats and have them sliced and ready for you. You'll be able to eat in style and will hopefully stay with us at the zoo."
"You make it all sssound like marrying Jenny will kill me," Clemens commented as they began climbing the stairs.
"Not kill... just put you in an institution that will restrict what you can and can't do," Peter gave a laugh, "trust me. I pretty much had to twist Emily's arm just to let me come to the party. Once you and Jenny are married... there will be a lot of things you'll have to give up to make it work."
"And so, we party for your last night as a free man," another member of the group spoke up.
"Jenny and I both like many of the same things," Clemens commented innocently, figuring he'd get a response of some kind as Jacob lead them to the door to the private room.
"Ah... yes... the fabled meeting with Arnold..." Peter chuckled, "a good story, but still... marriage is different from simply dating. We're here to celebrate the transition for you... and I am here to welcome you to the family."
He was then led into a long room with had a lone bar along the far wall with a lone female server behind the bar. There also seemed to be a sort of food dispensary shelf on which there were several plates of food and snacks next to the bar and going to one of the side walls. There was a sort of square hole in the wall for the shelf that ran into the next room, and Clemens figured that was a way to get the dishes to a kitchen or a sink quickly. In the middle of the room there was a lone long rectangular table. The table was so well polished that Clemens thought it shined with its own light under the lights that hung from the ceiling. Leather chairs went around the table, though Clemens again noted that they weren't designed for his tail, but the seat was long enough that he could sit forward in the chair and the chairs looked stable enough for him to do so.
"This is the bachelor party for Clemens Patten?" came the voice of the woman attending to the bar.
"That it is," Jacob said with a smile and ushered Clemens around the table and up to the bar, "and here he is. Clemens Patten... Animal Person... Reptile House Manager...Friend...Husband to be..."
Jacob paused and looked around, "Did I miss anything."
"Nah," the one of the others said, "You covered everything. This is Clemens Patten, our guest of honor, and if he weren't already getting married... you'd like him."
"I'm sure I'd like him in a platonic fashion regardless of whether or not he's getting married," the woman answered, "in the meantime, may I offer you a drink? We have several draft beers, both imported and domestic. We have a lengthy wine list as well as various mixed drinks if you're looking for something stronger. Though, I must warn you of the potential risk of alcohol poisoning should you imbibe too much."
"Do you have any non-alcoholic..." Clemens began.
"Oh that's no fun!" David cut him off, "We'll all start off with a round of Heineken and we'll go from there."
Clemens looked to David for a moment. The man only smiled.
"Don't worry," David said, "You get two rounds of alcohol and then water... and we'll eat during your rounds of alcohol. You gotta have at least a little fun."
"Yeah," Jacob agreed, "We got your back."
Clemens felt a few friendly pats on the back and felt a great deal of comradery with his coworkers. It was a big step up from those that tricked a bunch of parents into attacking him, and it felt good to have David and Jacob there. He also figured that Peter would make a good brother-in-law for him. The only thing that surprised him was how tame it was when compared to what he had heard about Jacob and David's parties. Of course it had only just started, but something had lead him to think that things would be a bit rowdier than they were. He turned back see that the server hadn't moved.
"You do understand the risks?" she asked.
"Yes," Clemens said carefully, "and I will put my trussst in my friends."
"HERE! HERE!"
And so the party began and continued. Clemens and the others sat down and ate. He listened to Peter tell jokes on the things he had done to win Emily's heart and that in the end, marriage was worth it. The others wished him well and told him not to let Jenny keep him at home and away from the zoo. It sounded to Clemens like they were thinking that Jenny wouldn't let him see them again, which came off as rather humorous. Especially as he knew they were only joking. The thing that surprised him was that things stayed rather calm. A couple did get a bit tipsy, but it was never more than that. It was a bit of a surprise, and while he had a good time, the surprise of how tame things were left him curious. Eventually Jacob caught on.
"You seem... puzzled," Jacob said to him. He wasn't slurring anything, but that wouldn't be too far away if he kept going.
"Thingsssss sssssseem rather tame," Clemens answered, the alcohol affecting him a bit as well, but not too much, "I had heard you and David threw wilder partiessssssssssss than thissss."
"We can make it wild... if you want," Jacob said slowly.
"No... this... thissss issss good," Clemens assured him, "I'm ssssimply curiousssss."
"You've... seemed rather... quiet with these things..." Jacob answered, "and outside of your work... your big interest has been in old adventure cartoons."
Clemens gave a chuckle, as that was one way of putting it.
"Which would be different from... a wild night on the town..." Jacob answered, "didn't want to rush... you into... anything too adventurous... Maybe with time... and your wife's permission... you can join in our New Years Party!"
"Maybe," Clemens answered simply.