A Christmas-in-July tale inspired by @rominagarber’s Zodiac, for my fellow Zodiac fanfic readers/writers @fandomsonthemoon and @shitmanimkindahot. Takes place at Nishi’s home on Sagittarius. I apologize in advance for spelling errors. I “read” the books via Audible so I don’t know some of the proper spellings. I’ll admit I was a little rushed putting this together, but I hope you enjoy anyway! “Thank you!”
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“I’m sorry I wasn’t more prepared.” Nishi said looking around the decked halls. “Sagittarians are normally so scattered during the holidays we don’t bother with these homey traditions.”
“So what do you do, then?” Rubi asked. She was hanging over the edge of a box full of decorations as tall as herself, feet in the air, digging for mistletoe. Hysan had imported copious amounts of lights, bright ornaments, and other decorations from Libra. Rubi had shipped over a bright blue tree from the forest of Argyr to place in the center of the home. She had worked hard in making sure it was covered in tinsel and baubles on all sides for a three-hundred-and-sixty degree adventure. To Rubi’s delight, Hysan had engineered a revolving plate to hold the tree and turn it.
“Families who are home sometimes set up scavenger hunts around their neighborhood so you have to go find your gift. Finding it is just as much fun as getting it usually. One year, when we were apart, we all decided to collect ornaments from every planet and moon we visited to bring back… but they never usually make it onto any trees.” Nishi gestured to the box by her feet. There was only the faintest hint of loneliness in her voice as she recited the memory. In truth, she didn’t really know what she was missing until she went home with Rho one year during their academy break. Her own feelings of longing to have her family nearby was replaced with concern for Rho. All of the things tying Rho’s memories of Christmases at home were unreachable, and maybe even destroyed now.
Rubi seemed to sense the train of Nishi’s thoughts, and with a wise look in her eyes so contrary to her childish face said “Home is where you make it. This year, we’re making home here, and new memories in it. Now… where is Rho?” She asked, her eyes turning from aged wisdom to childish mischief.
Rho was in the kitchen with Mathias, fumbling her way through baking, by memory, some traditional Cancrian goodies. Mathias had hunted for a couple of days to find everything she needed to make kelp cookies, coconut pies, and sugared seaberries. Rho groaned as she pulled a too-dark batch of kelp cookies from the massive kitchen’s oven.
“My dad is the one that usually did all the baking while my brother and I helped mom put the house together.” She said sheepishly to Mathias. “I don’t have enough kelp and clam powder to keep messing these up.” Exasperated, she dumped the blackened cookies into the compactor.
“Even the best of cooks make those kinds of mistakes, Rho. You’re doing fine.” Mathias said, comforting her. Rho looked into the compactor, back to Mathias and raised an eyebrow.
“The full compactor begs to differ.”She said dryly. At the end of the night, she would end up with two good coconut pies, one kelp cookie for the each of them, and a pile of sugared seaberries so high they’d be eating them until New Galactic Year’s.
Hysan breezed into the kitchen. He had been working on a surprise in one of the house’s many rooms. In his light coveralls, a few tools in his pocket, and a Sagittarian smile on his face, he looked like he was up to no good.
“It’s all set up.” He said triumphantly, snagging a sugared seaberry from the cooling rack. Rho hastily placed the last possible batch of kelp cookies in the oven and set the timer.
“We should wait for Stanton.” Rho said. “He should have been here by now though.”
“Let’s see about helping Rubi and Nishi.” Hysan offered. He and Mathias turned to leave the room, meeting at the doorway.
Rubi screeched a laugh.
“Stop stop stop!!” She said through breathless giggles. Hysan and Mathias froze in place, looking at the Geminian, puzzled and alarmed. That was when Nishi noticed it as well, and fell into a fit of laughter alongside her. “I was hoping to catch Rho in my net somehow, but Helios gave me an even better gift!!” Ruby laughed. And laughed. And laughed.
Rho squeezed between Mathias and Hysan in the doorway to try to see what had caused the commotion, which only caused more screams of hilarity from Nishi and Rubi. Clutching her splitting sides, Nishi pointed up and laughed “Look!”
The three of them in the doorway looked up.
Hysan’s perfect mouth slid into a sideways grin. Mathias and Rho blushed redder than the holly berries strung by the fireplace.
“Well, Mathias?” Hysan said facetiously coy. Mathias glared but refused to budge and leave him in the doorway with Rho, who gave them both a crabby pinch making them both jump out of the doorway.
“Any word from Stanton?” Rho asked Nishi quickly, hurrying to put the comedy behind them. As if on cue, Stanton swung open the wreath-emblazoned door. A bag over his back, and a Saint Claus hat on his head.
“I come bearing olive branches and peaceful tidings!!” He announced. Everyone said their hellos and welcomes. Hysan, failing to conceal his pride, reminded everyone of the surprise that awaited them upstairs, and they trudged up the steps. He had cleared out a room and filled it with more of the trees Rubi had brought from Argyr- blues and greens and deep browns of all heights filled the room with the exception of a small clearing in the center, over which hung a foot wide ball.
“Close your eyes.” He said. All did. Rho could hear a faint whirring noise coming from the ball. Then, something cold hit her skin. And then another hit her hair. Her nose. Her fingers.
“Snow!” Nishi exclaimed. They all opened their eyes. Small, feathery puffs were floating down from the whirring ball on the ceiling, tipping the trees in white powder.
“Yep.” Hysan said proudly. “Taste them.”
Eyes wide, Rho and Nishi exchanged glances before looking up to the ceiling, and dropping their mouths open. A few cold flakes landed on their faces, but eventually a few landed, angel soft, on their tongues. They were gauzy. Cold. Vanilla.
“Are these Cold Cream Clouds?” Rubi bounced on her toes, mouth upwards and agape.
“Yep. There’s a miniature spinner inside the orb that whips out little whisps so you can eat them like real snow. Only a little tastier.”
“We never had snow on Cancer.” Stanton said astonished. “Too tropical of a climate. This is amazing.”
“Yep. If we can get it to be mass produced, everyone could create their own little snowglobe every Christmas no matter what planet they’re on.” Hysan said. Stanton quickly turned to Rho.
“Rho, I’d like to give you your gift now.” Stanton said. They left the group twirling in Cold Cream Clouds, Rubi trying to form snowballs from the gauze on the floor.
Downstairs, Stanton pulled a small box out of his Saint Claus sack.
“Rho,” he began. “I know this first Christmas without home is a little weird. But I got an idea on Capricorn. I hope it makes you happy, and not sad. But I made one for me, and one for you.”
Stanton handed Rho the box, which was surprisingly heavy. From the box, she lifted a cool, heavy sphere.
“A snowglobe?” She ventured.
“Yes. I had it made special. Give it a shake.”
She rolled her wrist, sending tiny snowflakes flurrying as an image appeared. She saw her father first. He was dumping Narclams out on the table for a butcher paper feast where they would shuck and eat without plates or silverware right there on the paper covered table. She saw Stanton placing dishes of melted butter at each of their place settings, sneaking a vegetable from the hot pile of Narclams. Her and her mom appeared by the table, Mom tying Rho’s already long waves back with white ribbon before tying her own locks back. She couldn’t have been older than five.
“Stanton, oh my gosh!” Rho said, not taking her eyes of the globe.
“Keep watching.” He said. He didn’t have to , she was transfixed.
They gathered around their round table, and held hands. Mom and Dad closed their eyes, and so did Stanton. Anxious, her younger self squirmed in her seat. Mom began to speak.
“We thank the Cancer sea for this meal that we gather around and providing for us the year past, and the year ahead.”
“We thank Cancer,” continued her father “for providing our house that we gather in, where we feel safe, and where our love builds us a home.” Rho’s tears began to well behind her eyes, blurring the edges of the image.
“We thank each other for the support we share, the lessons we teach, and the love we feel.” Stanton recited, sounding like it was from memory.
The room fell quiet a moment before Dad shook Rho’s hand.
“Your turn, Rhoma.” He encouraged.
“Ummmmm… thank you!” toddler Rho said. The table was surrounded by laughter. The snowglobe faded. Rho’s tears had escaped her eyes and were falling unchallenged down her cheeks. She didn’t know what to say. There was nothing she could say. No thank you, no I love you, that could accurately capture how grateful she was for the memory. Instead of speaking, she threw her arms around Stanton.
“It was the first Christmas you were able to sit at the table with us.” Stanton told her.
“And you made me finish our gathering prayer the same way every year after.” Rho laughed through her tears. Pulling away from their hug, she held the globe close to her heart.
“It’s perfect, Stanton. I needed this piece of home so much and I didn’t even know it.”
“Home is always with you, Rho.” Stanton said. “But I hope this makes it easier to remember.”
A cold puff exploded against the back of Rho’s head. She whirled around to see Nishi on the balcony above, Cold Cream snowball in hand, smiling menacingly. Rubi bounded in behind, and another white puff ‘ploofed’ against Nishi’s back, distracting her for a minute. Hysan looked after them as he descended the stairs. As he passed the kitchen doorway, he paused, sniffed before saying “Rho… how long did you put the cookies in for?”
Another dozen cookies burned. But Rho was too happy to see Nishi enjoying her home decked in faux winter, Rubi imagining new Christmas stories, Mathias taking over preparing the Christmas feast, and the dozens and dozens and dozens of new memories to add to those of Christmases past to care. She looked to the miniature Helios on top of the Christmas tree and thought, in the same childlike voice she heard from the snowglobe: “… thank you!”
2087
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