ANIMAL PEOPLE (continued) by M.C. Hansen, Pt II

ANIMAL PEOPLE (a satirical short story, in three parts - continued)
by M.C. Hansen

Pt. II

In the examination room, François paced the floor, one hand fisted at his mouth, teeth worrying away fingernails to the quick. A white-coated physician hunched over an aluminum table. Deft hands made their inspection.
Without looking up from her work, the doctor said, “I take it you’ve never seen a doe-woman before.”
“Course I have...or no, I mean, I’ve seen women of course and deer, but not...you know, together,” said Tom, hovering in a corner, mouth open like a complete gob.
A fine golden fur covered the doctor’s skin, and her neck and limbs were anorexic thin. Cup shaped ears extended upwards framing large brown eyes divested of any whites and shaded by thick curving lashes, under which a flat nose ended in a black rhinarium tip.
“My name’s Rasheeda. I’m sorry you had to be a part of this.”
“Yeah, me too. Not the most chipper way to start a holiday.”
Rasheeda looked up, her mouth a tight line.
“Why don’t you step into the waiting room?”
Reaching for a nearby tray aligned with medical instruments, the scalpel and bandages were ignored in favor of a large syringe.
"I'm sorry, François."
There was a metallic crash and deep bellowing sobs.
“Mate, it's better this way,” said Tom. “I mean, she’s just a dog.”
With her slender arms wrapped around the blubbering xenocentric chauffer, Rasheeda turned her head. “What difference does that make?”
“Nothing, just...it’s more humane is all.”
Rasheeda gave a curt nod. “Give me a minute.”
In the waiting room, Tom waited. After some time, the hysterical sobbing atrophied, and Rasheeda slipped from the room. The door shut with a soft click. Tom stood as the doctor removed her smock. Underneath, she wore tight form fitting pants. A triangular tail could be made out at the small of her back and breasts cradled in a child-sized anime print tank top were freckled with downy white spots.
“Is something wrong with your eyes?”
“No, it's fine. I was just taking some pictures.”
An eyebrow rose. “Of my ass and tits?”
“What? No...no! Of course not.” Tom’s gaze flicked back to the mottled cleavage. “Ah, so how far down do your spots go?”
“Is that a pass?”
Tom chortled. “Not a very good one.”
“You know I’d be committing bestiality too.”
“And that bothers you?”
Rasheeda scowled. "Since becoming autonomous and gaining our sovereignty, we no longer participate in such practices."
“All of you?”
“The majority.”
“So then...there are still a few that would let me nob them.”
The scowled deepened.
“No doubt. However, you should know too that we also ban public orgies, sadism, and necrophilia.”
“Lame.”
“I guess we animal people just aren’t as civilized as you humans.”
“Not if you’re reinstating all those 20th century-medieval taboos.”
Rasheeda’s features slackened and blasé eyes rolled over her guest.
“Oh, do let me show you around. I don’t want to miss any of your insightful criticism.”
"Cheeky!" said Tom, winking off another photo. "Are all animal people as sarcastic as you, or is that just a deer thing?"
Rasheeda indicated the door.
“Right!”


Outside, several Swiss-style chalets and luxury cabins nestled into the folds and crests of the nearby foothills. The main resort consisted of redwood ski lodges, and condos huddled around a central plaza, their cookie-cutter balconies formed neat rows and gave panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Throughout the quaint village, a robust alpine mélange of cedar and pine wafted, and as the two crossed an elaborate brick mosaic, Rasheeda pointed out bay-windowed boutiques and popular restaurants. And everywhere - scattered about the shops and manicured walkways - were animal people: bulbous nosed moose-women, well tailored puma-men, panda-girls in miniskirts, gazelle-ladies with long upturned feet, and teenaged horse-boys sporting oblique haircuts.
“This place is bloody fantastic!”
“Careful, you’ll give yourself a migraine blinking like that.”
Tom waved away the concern.
“Seriously, your birthing corporation must have made a fortune on this place.”
“Yes, we were quite the profitable little sentient race; well worth bringing into existence for the sole purpose of being a spectacle. Too bad the fad wore off.”
"Yeah, it happens," Tom commiserated. "Say, would you mind digitally interfacing with me? It's so much more personable than talking face to face."
“Not at all.”
From her pocket, Rasheeda withdrew a flexible translucent phone.
“Talk about uncivilized! Is that a Fiche phone?”
A bubbly laugh escaped Rasheeda and her voice twanged. "I know, right! They're so old! They came out like what...four months ago? And they only have twelfth generation AI software, less than ten-thousand customization options, and none of the psychological side effects of the new neuro-uplinks!”
"Right. Right?" said Tom, missing the cynicism. "I've already gotten plugged, and whoa, the visions and paranoia are a trip.”
Rasheeda plowed on. “But what’s the point of living, if you don’t live it up!”
“Exactly.”
At a patio café, two dark-eyed rabbit-women sat with heads together, giggling as they stole glances at a hipster koala-man in horn-rimmed glasses and tweed, sipping a cappuccino.
“So Rasheeda, how exactly does procreation work with animal people?”
“You mean your parents never explained the birds and the bees to you?”
“Har-har, good one, but really, how do you know what you’re going to get?”
"We do ultrasounds. If there's a penis, it's a boy; vagina - girl."
Tom stopped and shook his head.
“No, I mean...take that kola bloke over there, what would happen if say he got one of those bunnies pregnant?”
“Ah, that...fortunately we can’t have interspecies offspring. We’re coded to only be able to reproduce with others of our biological class.”
“You mean you can’t have any freaky chimera children?”
“Nope, no jaguar-hippo-wolf half breeds here. We wouldn’t want to be wholly unnatural.”
“Well, where’s the fun in that?”
Rasheeda raised her hands and shrugged.