As Sobek awaited the arrival of the human delegation, a familiar smell had begun to make its way into his nostrils, but he had not been able to remember what it was. It was undoubtedly the smell of a human being, but for some reason he remembered it very clearly. Then, when the delegation finally arrived, he almost lost his composure.

He would have recognized the human on Al's back with his eyes closed. Even though she physically she had changed slightly she was clearly the child he had saved in the forest earlier! She had grown taller and more developed, and her smell had changed slightly too, but it was undoubtedly her.

"What does it mean? Perhaps humans have become convinced that she has a certain influence on dinosaurs? Well, it doesn't matter" he thought quickly. After all, the presence of the child did not change anything: apart from seeing an old acquaintance, what was different from what he had planned?

So he was cordial and called out to them: "Welcome, kind guests. Please come forward so that I can get to know you and welcome them in the right way; let it not be said in the world that my herd does not know the duties of hospitality!"

He had spent a whole day preparing a worthy welcome; after all, he certainly didn't want to give the idea that dinosaurs were brutes. He had an entire building prepared to house the delegation and had built and lit a bonfire to cook the meat for them to eat well (he had used a flamethrower to light the fire).

The humans climbed out of the dinosaurs and approached, discovering that tables and chairs had been set up next to the bonfire, probably looted from some house or shop. There were even cutlery. "We know those of your kind enjoy eating using these utensils. We aren't experts in their use, but we have done our best" Sobek said. An obvious lie: in reality he knew very well what forks and knives were for, but he did not want to give the impression of knowing human culture too well; after all, it would take a dinosaur months, perhaps years, to figure out how to use such objects.

To his surprise, it was the (no longer) little girl who he had saved in the forest who spoke: "We thank you for your hospitality. You are clearly committed to offering us the best possible welcome, and for that we are extremely grateful" he said.

"Mh? Why did you speak first? Oh, who cares" Sobek grumbled in his mind. "So, let's not waste time! Sit down so that we can share our food with you; nothing helps to know each other better than eating together"

The humans obeyed and sat down at the tables. As they did so, Sobek realized that the people who had sat next to the (no longer) child had something familiar. He had already seen one of them: it was the head of the search team who almost had him shot at. The other was a blonde woman Sobek was sure he had never seen in his life. But then why did they seem so familiar? 'Wait a minute...' A memory of his past life appeared in Sobek's mind, and the spinosaurus jumped; it was not possible, yet they were exactly the same faces...

'Aren't those Jackson Oz and Chloe Tousignant? Two of the characters from Zoo!?' Only self-control prevented Sobek from cursing. For real? First the Jurassic Park characters, and now the Zoo characters? What sick game was God playing? 'At this point I wonder if there are no characters from other TV series, films or books in this world, of which I am not yet aware...'

Sobek had to appeal to all his patience to avoid cursing. Seriously, why did that world always seem to make fun of him? Did God really love to confuse him more than he thought?

He took a deep sigh and went back to thinking with a clear head. Whoever those two people were was irrelevant. After all, they weren't superhuman like Thor or Hulk: they were just simple men and women, who couldn't do anything dangerous against him. So the plan remained unchanged.

Humans weren't the only ones to sit down; four other dinosaurs stepped forward and sat around their pack leader, followed by a pterosaur that descended from the sky shortly after. All of them had a moon tattooed on their foreheads. They were obviously Buck, Carnopo, Old Li, Apache and Blue, who as the highest members in the social structure of the pack should have been present. Even if they were not experts in gab, it was important to show prestige in a negotiation: their mere presence was enough and advanced.

"Let me make the introductions. I am Sobek, pack leader of all the dinosaurs of this and all other lands" the spinosaurus began. Even if humans already knew who it was, showing up was still a sign of education.

After him, the tyrannosaurus lowered his head slightly: "I am Buck, the commander of the assault legion. Nice to meet you"

It was the carnotaur's turn: "I am Carnopo, the army commander. It is also a pleasure for me to meet you"

"I am Blue, scientist and scholar of the dinosaur people. I am honored by your presence"

"I am Apache, commander of the air troops. Nice to meet you"

"I am Old Li, personal advisor to our brave and wise leader. I am happy to make your acquaintance. I hope that our peoples can in the future have more peaceful relations than the present circumstances"

Sobek mentally praised Old Li: of all he was the one who had put the most effort into the presentation. In any world, expressing one's intentions clearly and securely right from the start was a strong message to send to the other party.

Sobek expected that, as usual, their ambassador would present himself at this point; after all it was simple good manners. But against all his expectations, it was Jocelyne who stood up: "You are right, lord Sobek: introductions are a must. My name is Jocelyne Jersey, and I am the ambassador who speaks for all of humanity. Like you, I also hope to be able to reach a favorable agreement for everyone, so that in the future we can develop better and more friendly relations"

Sobek felt as if someone had just hit him on the head; luckily he was able to mask his emotions, otherwise his shock of him probably would have made him look like an idiot. 'Are you kidding me!?' he thought him in his head. Did the humans want to make fun of him, or were they just crazy? What fool sent a fourteen-year-old girl to do the job of an ambassador? He could answer in many ways, but he chose to take the more diplomatic approach: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jersey. However, a doubt pervades me. Forgive the question, and feel free not to answer if you don't want to, but aren't you a little young?"

Sobek hoped he had posed the question in the least offensive way possible, but he knew that teenagers tended to get angry easily. Contrary to his expectations, however, Jocelyne did not lose her temper and did not perceive any sign of discomfort from him. "I know I'm still a young age, but that doesn't stop me from speaking for my country and all the others. Do not let my age confuse you, Lord Sobek: I am perfectly capable of conducting this negotiation and my desire for peace is equal to yours. I ask you to forget my number of years and judge me only for my abilities"

Sobek felt the urge to open his eyes wide in surprise. He remembered Jocelyne as a helpless child, scared and unable to survive on her own. But now what she had in front of her was such a small girl, but that she exuded a strong sense of authority and that she had the gab of an expert debater. Had anything changed in that time? Or maybe she had always been like that, but since at the time they were alone in the forest and couldn't communicate, he didn't notice?

Sobek didn't know; all he was aware of was that the person before his eyes had not the slightest hint of fear in his voice, was staring into his eyes confidently and talking to him with his head held high. The other humans, on the other hand, tended not to look at him directly, and if they did they emitted that unmistakable smell that signaled the presence of fear. 'Maybe I started too prejudiced? After all, she comes from a country where the protection of minors is not so… well, protected. Maybe it is normal there to grow quickly…' the spinosaurus thought. However, he decided to try to fix it: "Don't get me wrong: I've always meant to judge you only for your abilities. If I asked you your age it is only because I was confused: during our stay here we discovered that you humans calculate age differently from us, and establish the difference between adults and young people differently from us. I ask you to be understanding and understand that there are still many questions that my people are asking about yours"

"Oh… okay, I understand. It's not a problem"Jocelyne replied, then assuming a thoughtful air. She evidently she was reflecting on the fact that it appeared humans and dinosaurs had many different costumes.

Sobek mentally breathed a sigh of relief, then waited for the other humans to introduce themselves. As he imagined many of them were part of the escort, so he put their names aside; however, there were two that caught his attention.

"I'm Jackson Oz, Miss Jersey's head of security. Nice to meet you"

"I am Chloe Tousignant, direct subordinate of the Commission on Human Freedom. I'm happy to meet you in person"

'So they really are Zoo characters!' Sobek exploded in his head. 'Why? Why does it seem to me that this world is always making fun of me?'. While he was reflecting angrily he almost thought he heard the crystalline voice of God laughing behind him, and this made him even more angry. 'Laugh, laugh. I'm the one going crazy here, you bitch!'

"Good. Now that we have introduced ourselves, I would say to have dinner!" he exclaimed trying to distract himself from his thoughts. "Let the dishes be served!"

Some velociraptors jumped out of nearby buildings and brought several plates full of roasted meat. Some albertosaurs also stepped forward, instead bringing large chunks of raw meat for Sobek and his acolytes and some vegetables for Old Li.

Jocelyne looked at the meat on her plate. It was clear that it had been cooked very loosely, and that not many spices had been added. But seeing what the typical dinosaur meals were, she agreed that they had probably worked hard to be able to cook something for them. "Don't you love cooked meat?" she asked Buck, who was eating not far from her.

The t-rex shook his head: "Personally I've never tried it. Rather than risk getting close to the fire, I prefer to eat raw meat" he replied.

Jocelyne was a little surprised by that answer: "Don't you like fire?"

"Who could ever like it? We don't understand how you manage to use it so lightly. I guess that cooked meat is really good if it's worth taking such a risk"Buck said, swallowing a large chunk of his meal. "We only cooked that because we know you like it, and we had to work hard to do it safely"

Jocelyne didn't know what to think. All animals hated fire, she was well known; however, she took it for granted that once the intelligence was developed, this fear would pass automatically. After all, the fire allowed meat to be cooked, which allowed for healthier meals and less energy spent on digestion. And then many things could be built with fire.

A doubt seized her: if the dinosaurs couldn't stand fire to the point of having a hard time just to cook meat, how did they make weapons and armor? The metal had to be melted somehow. It was impossible to build strong armor with raw metal, much less the barrels for rifles and pistols.

She was curious, but she decided not to push too hard on the subject of 'fire', preferring to keep it for a later time. "What kind of meat is this? Sorry, I don't have your sense of taste, and I'm a little curious"

"If I'm not wrong, it belongs to an animal that you humans call 'boar', or something similar" the t-rex answered.

"Uh, I understand..." Jocelyne said, but she frowned and a strange light lit up in her eyes. Buck thought for a moment than she had seen beyond his lie, but the girl didn't say anything about the meat anymore.

Instead, Jocelyne turned to Sobek himself. After all, now it was more important to establish friendly relations, and starting by eating together around a table was the best prospect: "Lord Sobek, we thank you for all the efforts you are making to make our stay enjoyable. We don't deserve such courtesy"

"Don't belittle yourself. You are here to achieve peace, so from my point of view you are more than deserving of our courtesy" the spinosaurus replied with what appeared to be a smile.

"You are very generous" Jocelyne replied. "I am happy that you have chosen the path of peace. Believe me when I tell you that there are few men who would have done the same, especially after all the offenses we have caused you"

"Such men must have had weak hearts and limited minds. Fighting openly would be an unfortunate choice for both of our peoples. As pack leader it is my duty to keep my people safe, so I intend to use diplomacy while it is still possible to avoid a conflict that will not benefit anyone"

"The more I listen to you, the clearer it becomes to me why your subjects call you a sage. Yes, I think like you. At present, peace and diplomacy are the best way. Regardless of how the negotiations continue, I would like to thank you for choosing to take this path. It is likely that we will have many difficulties in understanding each other, and we have started off on the wrong foot; but I trust that it will be possible to achieve peace with your wisdom and with a lot of perseverance"

"If we really want to achieve peace, it will take commitment from you and me above all, but also from everyone else, every human and every dinosaur in this world, without exception. Achieving peace will be difficult, but maintaining it will be even more difficult. Only by seriously committing ourselves and trying to settle our differences will our peoples be able to coexist"

Jocelyne was surprised by Sobek's oratory. That dinosaur surprised her more and more every time. At least he seemed genuinely intent on finding peace, just as she wished. There seemed to be no deception in her words. Of course, she could always be wrong: after all, reading a dinosaur's expressions was different than reading a person's. "You talked about coexistence. Could you tell me what you hope to achieve?"

Sobek snorted. "Exactly what the word means: that our peoples live side by side with each other. We in our forest and you in your cities. However, I realize that this future is a long way from coming true, so I don't intend to try to speed things up too much. For the moment, I hope that from this negotiation my people can get back what rightfully belongs to them and that humans guarantee us that they will never come back and steal it from us as they once did"

Illustrate your goals right away: another strong message in any negotiation. Sobek was making it clear what he wanted and that he would accept nothing less. Also, Sobek had added a little catch: he hadn't talked about getting the forest back, but what the dinosaurs were entitled to. And this could mean many things.

Jocelyne had noticed. Unlike many others, she could read between the lines. If Sobek had been referring to the territory or something else then she would have had no problem specifying it. It was clear that she also wanted something more, which she did not intend to disclose until the negotiation began. "It's a reasonable goal. I hope that in your perspective we too will get back what belongs to us"

"If you are referring to the prisoners you can rest assured. We did not wrong them a single hair and we treated them in the best way we knew. If the negotiations are successful, we will get back what belongs to us and you will get back what belongs to you. It's simple justice" Sobek replied.

His words might only have sounded like assent to the ears of simple minds, but Jocelyne knew it wasn't. Like Sobek, she too had been vague about the goal of the negotiation, but the spinosaurus had cornered her by citing the prisoners nonchalantly. She was basically defying her: if humans wanted more, they should have said it openly.

However, Jocelyne was not intimidated. She had nothing about her forcing her to speak and Sobek had made no direct request to him. She could simply ignore it and move the subject. "I'm glad you treated the prisoners well. You have my deep gratitude for that" she said simply.

"I don't see why you should. It is normal to take care of prisoners. Killing an enemy who has come to face you is right, but mistreating someone who cannot defend himself is only cruelty and has no logical purpose. Anyone in our place would have done the same" Sobek replied simply.

Jocelyne bit her lip. That was a not so much hidden dig. Behind the fake mask of modesty Sobek was criticizing human beings. Because if there was one thing that human beings did very well it was mistreating those who could not defend themselves.

Any other ambassador would have simply nodded, since retorting meant admitting that humans were not starting from a position of moral superiority. But Jocelyne was not willing to follow such canons: "I'm afraid you are wrong. I know many people who would have rejoiced in mistreating someone who could not defend themselves. Unfortunately, there are many who act out of pure cruelty, in any kind. Therefore from my point of view you are worthy of praise, Lord Sobek, because on the contrary you have proved yourself righteous and good towards the weak, and not evil and selfish"

Sobek didn't expect that answer; Jocelyne was in fact admitting that humanity didn't always behave well when it came to the weak. It was a courageous act: many others in her position would have tried to highlight the merits of humanity, but she had not hesitated to admit her flaws. "You flatter me" he just managed to answer, not knowing how to answer correctly. Then he raised his head and looked up at the sky, which was now completely studded with stars. "You will be tired and the night has long since come; it is my duty to allow you to rest. Tomorrow we will discuss the diatribes among our peoples, but now allow my subjects to lead you to the lodgings we have prepared for you. Sleep and rest as much as you want, so you will be ready to face a correct negotiation"

Humans had no objection. They had already finished eating and their plates were practically empty. In addition, the fire was also going out and no one liked the idea of staying in the dark, not to mention the fact that many were starting to feel fatigue falling over them.

The dinosaurs courteously led the humans to what was a luxury motel a few weeks ago. He hadn't been very impressed during the invasion of the city and many of the rooms were still perfectly in place. It was the perfect place to host an embassy. The dinosaurs accompanied them inside and then gave them the keys so they could lock themselves in if they wanted to. It made no difference, since the dinosaurs would have broken through the windows if necessary, but in this way they gave humans the impression that they trusted them. Also, if there was one thing that humans appreciated it was privacy.