Chapter I

Love Born

"Hi, I'm Claire Dearing; we talked on the phone." The tall red-haired woman was saying. Her hair was in a practical ponytail, and she had a general impression of being quite professional in a feminine way while also having an air of strength and maturity. This latter trait had not become developed in her without a struggle, by any means. She had previously been the CEO of the famous 'Jurassic World' amusement park - before crisis sent her out of business over 3 years ago. Now, she devoted her time with her newly-established NGO effort into preserving what dinosaurs were left on the abandoned island where her park had once been.

"So we did. I'm Zia Rodriguez." A shorter, probably younger woman was standing across from her. She wore casual clothes, and had a casual bearing. She had short, jet-black hair, and her small face was framed by dark, determined eyebrows, and pink horn-rimmed glasses. She had a spirited aura, and a direct, arresting gaze. She extended her hand to Claire easily. Her right arm was covered with elaborate tattoos. Claire returned her firm handshake, and the two sat down. The office from which Claire's endeavor operated from was not very big, but it was cozy. A small, dedicated number of people worked within the casual atmosphere.

"So!" started Claire. "We brought you here for your knowledge and expertise, firstly, but even more than that I was impressed by your track record of commitment to the livelihood of real, living animals. That's the kind of people we are gathering here for our work - which I mentioned on the phone - and so, that's why I would really like to have you here,"

Zia was sitting with her legs crossed, folding her arms casually. "Same here! I appreciate that you seem to have a real conscience for dinos, and don't just see them as objects. I really feel for dinos, even though I've yet to really see one." Zia laughed shortly, along with Claire.

"I hope you'll get your chance; I hope those dinosaurs will too." Claire nodded. "We need you to help us predict and identify potential health risks to the dinos presently, as well as any they might face when we finally figure out how to get them to safety."

"That's what I do," replied Zia, pointing at herself on either side with both hands.

Claire was pleasantly surprised and charmed by her quirkiness - she had got a hint of it on the phone, but given Zia's 'paleo-veterinarian' title she had expected something else - someone more boring, perhaps less cute…

"I'm looking forward to working with you - and getting to know you as well!" Claire said warmly, standing up. Zia stood up as well - because of the proximity of their chairs though, thy ended up being awkwardly close to each other. "Woops," Zia chirped casually, as she pushed the chair back.

"Oh, no, it's ok," Claire told her, smiling.

Zia met eyes with her and smiled as well. "I think I'm gonna like it here," she said thoughtfully.

"Ok! Let me introduce you to our other staff," Claire said, holding the other woman's arm. Zia let out a low whistle at this - which Claire didn't seem to notice.

They went around the small office, met with the other volunteers, and cleared off Zia's new desk. It was decided she would start working the next day.

"This is gonna be fun," Zia remarked, as her eyes met with Claire's.