Page 10 of Purring, Presents, and Parties

Hesarium sounded a short rumble of amusement before addressing Bazium. “I’ll talk with Tarrian and Norrium about assuming your duties. Have all your notifications sent to me, and I’ll distribute tasks.”

“Thank you for your gift of time and skill,” Bazium said, setting down his untouched drink and rising to his feet. Rain hopped off Hesarium’s lap and stood in front of Bazium, blocking his exit.

“I just thought of something,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “The last time I checked the concurrent calendars, I noticed we’re getting close to an Old Earth holiday calledChristmas. You should look into making the party a holiday one.”

His little human was almost vibrating with eagerness, making Hesarium regret his suggestion of Bazium organizing by himself as penance. If Rain was this enthusiastic about a Christmas party, then he was going to help Bazium make it spectacular. May the ancestors bless their endeavors!

“Perhaps help from a few select Talins isn’t out of the question,” Hesarium suggested. “As long as it’s in the service of the entire community. You’ll still do the brunt of the work, but the added help will allow you to accommodate all the humans.”

“Yes,” Bazium agreed. “We will need to begin immediately. We have precious little time to achieve our goals!”

After making Rain promise she’d finish her drink before going back outside, Hesarium caught up with Bazium.

“I have thoughts,” he said to his longtime friend and leader.

Bazium stopped, impatience radiating off him. “What is your suggestion?”

“If we’re going to throw a party dedicated to a specific human holiday, we need to do research. What type of activities did they do? What food did they eat? Did they wear special outfits or perform specific actions? This is all mission-critical information you need. I’m going to suggest you let me do some of the research. I’ll report my findings and you can organize accordingly.”

“I’m glad to hand this task over to you,” Bazium agreed.

“Excellent!” Hesarium exclaimed with an excited rattle. “I’ll interview Rain first, then several of the other humans. After that I’ll–”

“You can’t interview anyone!” Bazium objected. “No one can know, and you need to have Rain promise to keep the secret. This must remain a surprise for Ari.”

Hesarium didn’t think it needed to be a surprise, but he couldn’t argue with Bazium. This was his penance to perform.

“Then after I interview Rain, I’ll comb through the few records we have from Old Earth.”

“That’s a good plan,” Bazium said, striking his fist to his chest. “I expect a report from you soon.”

Then he turned on his heels and walked away, his long strides rapidly carrying him out of sight. Hesarium gave himself a moment to consider how all of this might go horribly wrong, then dismissed it.

They were Talins, and even more, they’d been the most decorated Advance Squad of their generation. They would hold a Christmas celebration to rival any held on Old Earth!

Hurrying back to his beloved Rain, Hesarium wasn’t surprised to find she’d left the cool, comfortable confines of the cottage and was kneeling in the dirt again. Sinking to his knees next to her, he unclipped his Ident and tapped the record function.

“I have questions,” he began.

Rain laughed and pointed her trowel at him. “I’m not surprised. I’ll tell you how we celebrated, but I’ve got to warn you, humans had different traditions all over the place and a good portion of the population didn’t celebrate Christmas.”

“Tell me all you know,” he ordered. “I’ll use the information wisely.”

Rain’s grin widened. “This is going to be interesting!”

Chapter 5

Zuri

Trying to hold back her tears, Zuri walked to Jalin’s enclosure. He shared the enclosure with two other men, but she hoped to find him alone or talk him into going for a walk with her.

“What—oh!”

A body knocked into Zuri, sending her tumbling. She landed painfully on her hands and knees then rolled over on her butt. Jalin and Aspin were staring down at her with identical expressions of surprise. It was so adorable that Zuri started laughing.

“I’m so sorry, Zuri!” Jalin said, sinking down next to her. “Are you hurt?”

“Don’t worry, the cobblestones broke my fall,” she joked, making both men laugh.

---