Now that the Landing Day fireworks show is over, the various Fire mages are herded off to the dormitories for much-needed showers and it is left to the apprentices to clean up the ritual circles. Spring Meadow promises to catch up to Anisa at Aaron's party, and helps to collect the blankets that were laid out on the grass earlier.

After a bit of discussion, Beatrice and Abram decide to let Benjamin come to the party – after he's helped Ranit take Coal and Petal home. Even Royce is a bit surprised at his parents' decision to drop by the party at the apothecary's house, despite the excuse that, "It's really along the way, after all," from Beatrice.

The Scholar's Quarter is somewhat sedate compared to other parts of the city, without any of the balls one might find in the Noble's Quarter or the large holiday block-parties common in less affluent areas. In such a setting, Aaron's townhouse stands out simply because all of its rooms are lit tonight.

Even before reaching the door, it's clear that the Snowshoes won't be the first arrivals. Lapi ears easily pick out the sounds of multiple people inside, even if none of them are directly visible through the windows at the moment.

Anisa, ears canted forward, puts her paw upon the doorknob. "Sounds like the place is already picking up. I wonder who all Aaron invited?" The Lapi woman twists the knob to push the door open.

The door opens easily, and Anisa is the first to see the party setup. The dining room table is serving as a buffet, decked out with breads, cheeses, fruits and veggies, along with candle-warmed pots of xocholatl for dipping them in. There are even spiced, sugared and salted chewing sticks set out in a small basket. The wet bar holds a punch bowl and glasses, along with a hot kettle for those interested in tea, and just behind it on the kitchen counter are several large ceramic containers with mist dripping down their sides, along with several bowls.

A fire blazes in the hearth, and several logs are set nearby to ensure it is well fed tonight. A Zerda couple of about the same age as the Snowshoe parents sit on the couch facing the fire, and regard the latest decoration to be added to the room: a large suit of armor hung on a stick-figure mannequin.

"Happy Landing Day!" calls a slightly strung-out looking Aaron as he rushes from the kitchen. "Come in, come in!"

The white Lapi smirks slightly at the suit of armor, and stands aside to allow the rest of her family entrance. "Hi, Aaron! Sorry we took a bit, but had to take the little ones home. They were getting cranky."

The other Snowshoes enter, Beatrice giving the place a once-over before nodding approval.

"So this is your new home, eh? Very nice," Abram comments, as Royce sidles over to examine the buffet.

Anisa closes the door behind them, and smiles as she walks over to Aaron. "Is the crowd getting big yet? I saw the place lighted up and could hear a few people."

The fennec couple stands up and comes around the couch, the man holding his hand out to Abram. "Isaac Sandborne," he introduces himself. "And this is my wife Natalie. A pleasure to meet you."

Aaron smiles to Anisa and says, "Oh, just the neighbors and a friend so far, but she's upstairs looking at the isometrics machines you got from the college still. I don't know if I could handle a real crowd."

Abram introduces himself and Beatrice, and points out his children to the Zerdas, as the older couples fall into easy conversation.

"But you have to have a crowd for a party," Anisa says with a grin. "It's just not proper otherwise. Upstairs taking a look at my machines? She's not thinking of being my first customer, is she?"

"She has more of a professional interest, I imagine," Aaron says, still grinning. "And it'll get more crowded, I'm sure. The Derryberrys – that's Jasmine's family – are coming, and there's no telling how many people Spring Meadow will drag over."

"What's in the fancy jars?" Royce asks as he comes over with a plate full of snacks. "Oh, and Ben is gonna come by too, once he finishes a chore."

"Ice cream," Aaron tells Royce. "I figured the Fire mages would appreciate it."

Anisa walks over to the buffet table, and picks a baby carrot to nibble on. "I don't guess I know the Derryberrys, who's the gal taking a look at my stuff? And yeah, Ben'll be over in a bit, we'll have to take it easy on him."

"Take it easy on him?" Aaron asks, spearing a bit of fruit on a long wooden toothpick and dipping it into the xocholatl. "Oh, it's Meg Cooper, my physical therapist from when I hurt my foot. And my leg. And my back."

"Yeah, this is his first party with people all older than him, so no running him ragged." The doe perks an ear at the buck. "Physical therapist? She doesn't think my equipment is bad, does she?"

Royce wanders across the room to examine the armor, especially the designs on the breastplate.

"She's never seen equipment like yours before, I think," the buck says, shrugging. "She's mainly into chiropracty and massage, but she knows a lot about muscle injuries."

Anisa grins. "So the stuff is special? That's more the better!" She finishes off the carrot, and dips a piece of apple into the xocholatl. "Should we go take a peek, or does she prefer to work alone?"

"Royce, don't touch that!" snaps Beatrice, before going back to chatting with Mrs. Sandborne.

"She's up in the back room I think," Aaron says. "You should go up and introduce yourself! I need to stay down here in case people show up."

The doe nods. "I'll go take a look; be back in a little bit." She downs the apple, and makes her way over to the stairs. "Don't let the party start without me!"

"I'll do my best," Aaron chuckles.

Just at the top of the stairs, the door to the back room is open and someone can be heard moving around and mumbling to themselves.

Anisa ascends the stairs, and turns the corner into the room. "Hello? Anyone there?" The doe smiles, perking her ears for the therapist.

A brown-and-white Rhian pony turns her head in surprise, black mane whipping around. "Oh, hello!" she says, getting up off of her knees from where she was examining the odd collection of arms and pulleys that Royce had put together.

The Lapi walks into the room, offering her paw to the Rhian. "You must be Meg. Aaron told me I'd find you up here. My name's Anisa." She smiles. "So, does the equipment pass the test?"

"Oh, I expected you to be … bigger!" the pony says, and shakes Anisa's hand. The Rhian is dressed in a comfortable pair of blue overalls and a pink blouse. "And yes, I'm Meg! I've never seen anything like this contraption before, to be honest."

Anisa's ears twitch in amusement at the remark, but stays silent on the matter. "Neither have I, to be honest, but I've worked on things like it before." The doe walks over to lean on the wall. "It comes from the College originally, so there's no telling what it completely does."

"Aaron had said something about that," Meg says, and sits down on the weight bench. "He told me you were going to open a sort of fitness club?"

The doe grins. "Eventually, yeah. I'm taking business classes right now to get my bearings, and I still have to figure out where I'm going to put it exactly, but it's my eventual goal. In the meantime, I'm teaching Aaron how to spar, so it's just as good here as anywhere."

"Oh my, you're teaching him to fight?" the pony says. "I hope that means he won't get beaten up so much anymore. He was in pretty poor shape when I met him – a Lapi with a limp is a sorry sight. Although I suppose if he'd let it go, getting a limp in his other foot would have balanced it all out eventually… "

Anisa nods, wincing at the mention of the limp. "His mom was a fighter, so he's gotta have it in him somewhere. The last thing people expect is a Lapi who can fight, so it comes in handy. I guess you get a lot of business from him?"

Meg chuckles. "Oh no, nothing steady anyway. I mostly do rehabilitation with dockworkers, since they pull muscles and get other injuries a lot. Broken arms, legs, ribs, that sort of thing. But Aaron can be counted on to have something unusual in the way of injuries, to keep me on my hooves."

"I can imagine," replies the doe. "So, my equipment won't kill anyone, will it?" She grins. "Might be good for therapy."

"Do you get many injuries sparring?" Meg asks the rabbit, glancing back at the isometrics machine. "Besides bruises, I mean? I wouldn't mind working someplace where people actually came to me for a change."

Anisa shrugs. "Well, yeah, every now and then. The occasional strained muscle, bruised knuckle, sprained wrist… In Caroban I got KO'ed pretty badly, but luckily there were some mages on hand." The doe shrugs again. "If there hadn't been, I'd probably had been messed up bad. Came to you for a change?"

The pony nods in understanding, then says, "Oh yeah, right now I have to make house-calls, which means I have to lug all my stuff around with me. And that can be a lot of stuff, too, if I need to see a lot of different races. I've got four different sizes of massage table, even."

The doe scrunches up her nose. "That does sound pretty exhausting." She grins. "Maybe if I ever get this thing off the ground, you can have a space in my gym. Instant service!"

"Hey, that'd be great!" Meg says. "As long as it's a soundproofed area. I thought the Guard would bust in the way Aaron squealed when I had to help him get over a paralyzed … uh … " The mare wiggles her ears, and pats her rump. "Like I said, always something unusual."

Anisa giggles, and nods. "I'll be sure to make it a point when I'm looking for space. Wanna go see if the party's started yet? I'm in the mood to be rowdy."

"Oh, right!" Meg says, knocking herself comically on the side of the head. "I'd forgotten!"

The doe laughs, and makes her way to the door. "C'mon, we can go embarrass Aaron. It's more fun when it's a team sport."

Several more people have shown up while Meg and Anisa were upstairs. Benjamin seems to be in an ice-cream eating contest with Xander, while Spring Meadow gnaws on a chew-stick and chats with the poodle Fire mage (dressed in full robes now) from the fireworks show. An older pair of Skeeks have joined the conversation near the fireplace, talking about whatever it is people over 40 talk about.

"It's a Goliath," Aaron can be heard explaining to Royce, over near the armor. "Each clan sort of adopts one as their symbol, you see."

Anisa leaps down the last two steps of the stairs playfully, and waves to Meadow. "Springer! About time you showed up. I thought you'd ran off to another party." She smiles and takes a punch glass and getting a drink. "Have you met Meg? She's a friend of Aaron's." The white Lapi swivels one ear in Aaron's direction, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Hi, Anisa!" the Lapi Earth mage replies, while the poodle turns to get a look at the white doe and pony as well. "Were you up there getting a massage or something?" Spring Meadow asks with a giggle.

"Why does it have three heads though?" Royce asks Aaron. "Is that common for Goliaths?"

The white doe smirks, "Nope, not yet. She was just examining my exercise stuff. Who knows, we may end up partners some day." She turns to the poodle and smiles. "Kelsey, was it? My name's Anisa."

"I think those other two are really giant claws," Aaron says to the younger black-and-white Lapi.

The poodle trying to look like a Jupani nods her head to Anisa. "Yes, Kelsey van Kabril. So you're Lightfoot's new girlfriend, right? What's this about 'exercise stuff?'"

"Meg Cooper," the pony says, introducing herself to Meadow and Kelsey. "Yeah, Anisa's keeping her equipment here. All stuff from the College, too! She's gonna open up a club."

Anisa's ears shoot up. "Er, girlfriend? Not … not exactly, no." The Lapi's ears blush as she smoothes them back. "We're just friends. And yeah, it was a gift from the College. Meg was giving it the look-see."

"You shouldn't believe every bit of gossip, Kels," Meadow says in a teasing tone. "Anisa doesn't live here either."

Kelsey looks briefly embarrassed, but recovers quickly. "Ah, but you are setting up a business with the equipment, right?" she asks Anisa, just to be certain.

The white doe's jaw drops at Meadow's words. "They say I'm living here now?" She shakes her head, grimacing. "I only come over here every now and then, sheesh!" The doe sighs, and nods to Kelsey. "That's the plan. Otherwise I'd just have a bunch of stuff and nothing to use it for. Plus, it'll get me out of the barmaid shtick."

"Auugh!" Benjamin wails, and sets down his bowl of frozen dessert to clutch his head.

"I told you not to eat it so fast," Xander comments.

"Oh, you work at your family's business then?" Kelsey asks, glancing over to the elder Snowshoes by the fire. "I can certainly sympathize with wanting to get away from one's family."

"I'll say!" Meg pipes in. "I didn't want to become a barrel-maker like my dad."

"Yeah, I've been working there since I was 12," replies Anisa. "It's not exactly my cup of tea, especially since my older brother is the one who'll eventually inherit the place." The Lapi grins at Meg. "I take it you've been in the same boat, Kelsey?"

"I thought you got along great with your mother, Kelsey?" Meadow asks the Gallee.

"Hah," Kelsey snorts. "I get along fine with her now that I'm on my own. Consider yourselves lucky not to be the daughters of nobles. My mother's ideas of female independence didn't count when it came to me."

Anisa smirks. "Consider yourself lucky you're not a Lapi," she says, jerking her head sideways to Meadow for emphasis. "We're expected to get marred by our late teens in order to be 'fulfilled.'"

Meg pats Kelsey's shoulder. "I've seen what you mean. Oh … weren't you going out with that do Varr boy, though?"

"Ugh, children," Kelsey says with a shudder, and then glares at Meg. "Please, don't remind me. With any luck, Eustace will go out on a stupid quest to qualify for one of the new orders, and never come back."

"Nobles get that a lot too, Anisa," Meadow says. "Only they have to pick a mate from a book."

"Children aren't so bad. I'm just not ready to have any of my own." Anisa takes a sip from her cup. "I know, I was just saying that we can relate. Except for the book part – ew."

"Well, I'm pretty happy with my husband," Meg says, clutching a glass of punch in her big hands. "He's trying to start his own business too. Brom has ambition."

"Oh, what sort of business?" Kelsey asks politely.

Anisa looks over to Meg with a huge smile. "Brom's your husband?" The doe laughs. "He's in my business class! He sits right by me, as a matter of fact." She grins at the Rhian. "It's a small world, it seems! Where is he? Not coming tonight?"

"He's busy tonight, cleaning up after the parade," Meg says, sounding a bit disappointed. "But once his … agricultural supply business … gets going, I'm sure he won't have to work so hard."

"Oh, I know him!" Meadow says, snapping her fingers. "He sold me some fertilizer for the garden."

The white doe's ears wilt, and she places a consoling paw on Meg's arm. "That's too bad, but I'm sure he'll do well once he gets started. He's a really nice guy. You'll have to tell him 'hello' for me when you get home."

"Meadow," Kelsey says in quiet voice – to anyone but a Lapi anyway, "should Xander be eating so much sugar? He was pretty jumpy after the rituals."

"He's not still eating ice-cream, is he?" Meadow says in alarm, and turns to find the brown-furred buck. "XANDER! TAKE IT EASY ON THE SWEETS OR YOU'LL EXPLODE!"

"Yes, Mother!" Xander calls back, causing Benjamin to burst into a fit of giggles.

Anisa giggles as well. "See? That is what a girlfriend does to her boyfriend. I couldn't do that to Aaron with a straight face."

Kelsey blinks at Anisa. "So, Lightfoot hasn't tried to charm you then? That's amazing. He flirts with everyone, after all. Even me. Even after I nearly burned his shop down that time."

Meg nods in apparent agreement. "He's quite the flatterer, I've noticed."

"Flirted?" The doe blinks. "Well … I guess I couple of times could have counted, and he has done a lot for me. But I never counted it as anything more than just flirting." The Lapi grimaces. "Especially if he does it to everyone … I guess… "

"Please, just don't start throwing anything, you two," Aaron calls to Xander and Meadow.

"Oh, he just does that to seem harmless I think," Meadow claims. "He flirted with me when I was at the Collegia here, but he never did when he came to visit Caroban. I bet it's just a business thing."

Kelsey sniffs. "Well, he did give me that lifetime discount for not killing him," she admits.

Anisa takes another sip of her punch. "Yeah … just business. Besides, I'm his self-defense teacher too. Hard to flirt when you're dodging punches."

"Self defense?" Kelsey asks with a grin. "I can't imagine Aaron putting up a fight. But maybe that's because he didn't know how to before."

"He's learning," the doe says with a grin. "I've had to know how my whole life. You'd think with his family he would too, but I guess he didn't grow up with them."

"Anisa is the one that knocked out that uppity Mind mage, Fuchsia," Meadow says to Kelsey, whose eyebrows go up at the mention.

"Well, it was a double KO," Anisa corrects. "Those snakes move weird."

"Well, I'll take more care next time I threaten the apothecary then," Kelsey says, straight-faced.

"His family?" Meg asks. "I don't think he's ever talked about his relatives to me before. And why does he have a suit of armor made for a Rhian?"

The white doe grins at Kelsey, then turns to Meg. "Oh, that… It's a, uh, family heirloom of sorts. And it's not exactly for a Rhian."

"Is that what that is?" Kelsey asks, glancing across the room towards the armor. "I've known a few nobles that kept suits of armor in just about every corner of their homes."

"Yeah, it's his mom's armor," Meadow comments, then takes a sip of her punch.

Anisa smirks at Meadow. "You said it, not me. Yeah, it's his mom's; supposedly she's big enough to actually fit in it. Can you imagine that? A Lapi that big? Unreal!"

Meg just stares blankly after the statement, but Kelsey nods and says, "Oh, I didn't know he was Amazonian. He's a bit small and … you know … timid."

"Are they like Titanians then?" Meg asks.

"He's half Amazonian," the white doe interjects. "His dad is a normal Lapi. He must have taken more after his father, I'd guess. I'd really like to meet his parents just to get a look." The Lapi laughs to Meg. "No, they're not Titanians. Only rabbits, but very big rabbits, it seems."

"Domesticated barbarians, from what I've heard," Kelsey says. "Hard to imagine a bunch of Lapis raiding and pillaging, but Olympia used to be a lot bigger before they came."

The pony looks from Anisa to Kelsey to Meadow, then back at the armor. Finally, she grins and says, "You're all trying to pull my tail, aren't you? I mean … killer Lapis? That's about as believable as Rughrats building airships."

Anisa nods. "So you see why it's kind of interesting that Aaron's not so aggressive, but that's what I kinda like about him." The doe shakes her head at the Rhian. "We're serious, although I have yet to meet any. Meadow has, though."

The Earth mage nods. "Yeah, and some of them were scary. Really hunky bucks though!"

The white doe giggles. "I gotta go there then and get a gander myself!"

"I think I'll stick to Rephidim," Meg says. "Places on the surface seem so strange."

"You're missing out then," says Anisa. "The surface can be a lot of fun! Dangerous, yeah, but so can this place at times."

"I don't know about Aaron not being aggressive, now that I think about it," Kelsey notes. "He did kill those Babelite spies a few years ago. Tore one up and threw the other through a window, or something. I'd forgotten about it until all this came up."

"He went through the window with one, is what I remember," Meg says. "That's how he hurt his foot."

Anisa perks her ears up. "I hadn't heard about this. What happened?"

"Well, he had this Exile come in to tell stories to some of the younger apprentices," Kelsey says, closing her eyes in thought. "Anyway, this Exile was one that brought the Boomers to Sinai, or something, and these two Eeee were waiting in the Apothecary shop to kidnap him. There was a big fight, and the apprentices and Exile all ran out. But the Eeee never came out alive."

"Wow, I never knew." The white doe glances over at Aaron quickly. "That puts him in a whole new light. Maybe he doesn't need me to teach him after all."

"Wow, I just remember him telling me it was something the Temple wanted kept quiet," Meg says. "I didn't really think much of it. I mean, Aaron was always talking about some weird cult or secret conspiracy or something."

"It was a fuff'nar that tore up the one Eeee, according to Aaron," Meadow says. "A Skreek threw it at the bat, and Aaron rushed the other one before it could reload its crossbow, but he slipped on something and went flying into the Eeee instead, so they both crashed through the window and the Eeee got impaled on a shard of glass."

"Okay, now that sounds believable," Kelsey says.

Anisa winces, and nods. "Okay, so maybe he does still need me to teach him. Still, he's braver than he lets on in that case." She smiles in the buck's direction. "He must try to keep it quiet."

Across the room, Aaron spots Anisa's glance and waves to her.

"Yeah, I guess having people think killers are going to show up at any moment would be bad for business," Meg says, nodding sagely.

The doe's ears blush, and she waves in return. She nods to Meg. "Not a plus, that's for sure."

"Feh, wouldn't keep mages from coming in," Kelsey says. "I remember worse going on. It's a magical supply store, after all, and nobody expects apothecaries to live long anyway. It's just a matter of time before they poison themselves or explode when they mix the wrong chemicals."

"Don't they say that about Fire mages too?" Meadow teases. "The exploding bit, anyway."

Kelsey sips from her punch and doesn't reply to that.

Anisa frowns at the Gallee. "I hope not; it seems like a pretty dim view."

"I thought they lived really long lives," Meg says. "I mean, they make those medicines and stuff, so they should always have the best potions themselves right?"

"That makes sense too," Meadow admits. "I know Aaron has a special permit to import and export special ingredients and such. Some of the stuff I tried … uh … saw being used in Amazonia was really impressive."

"Yeah, 'saw'… " The white doe grins at Meadow. "Anyway, I hope he lives a long life. He's a good friend."

"Are you ladies doing all right over here?" Aaron asks as he walks by on his way to the bar. "I'm about to brew some tea if you'd like any."

"I wouldn't mind some tea," Meg says. "And is there any of that … uh … ice stuff left? I've never tried any."

"We're doing all right," Anisa says with a smile. "Just talking about you and other guys behind their backs, the usual. Tea would be nice." The doe grins, and takes a sip of her punch.

Aaron blinks at Anisa, then says to the others, "All right, I'll let you know when the tea is ready. And there's plenty of ice-cream left, Meg!"

The Rhian excuses herself to get some ice-cream, and Aaron moves on to make the tea.

"Speaking of the other guys," Meadow says, "how are your brothers managing? I mean … do any of them use Cold Shower?"

Anisa grins, and takes a spring of broccoli off of the platter. "It's fun to make them nervous. So, what other festivities do you guys have planned? Very nice show tonight as well, Kelsey, you and Xander did a great job."

"Thanks," Kelsey says, perking up. "It's hard to keep topping the previous year's show. Everyone's pretty much wiped out afterwards."

"It seems like hard work, and stripping down in public like that must be … embarrassing." The white doe stifles a giggle.

"And we still have to come up with something different for New Year, too!" the poodle moans, then blinks. "Oh that … well, there isn't a big crowd at the College to see that usually. Normally I work in a tent," Kelsey says, and her ears blush just a bit.

"It's always funny to watch Xander get all worked up like that though," Meadow giggles.

"What's not to get worked up about?" Xander says, popping up behind Meadow and Kelsey, and putting his arms around their backs. "I was surrounded by beautiful girls, after all!"

Anisa grins at Meadow. "Yeah, I figured you'd like the show." The doe laughs, then takes a bite of the broccoli. "Yeah, surrounded by hot girls, so to speak. But they can also burn you."

Xander yelps and yanks his hand away from Kelsey to blow on the fingers.

The poodle snickers.

"You're incorrigible, Xander," Kelsey says. "Thank goodness they don't have co-ed dorms on campus."

Anisa laughs, "Xander'd be dangerous if it was like that. He's a walking stereotype." The doe winks at the buck.

"Hey, I behave myself," Xander says, standing up straight and wiping the ice-cream stain off the collar of his robe. "It's not like I have any privacy, unlike some mages which can sneak off to use a friend's bathtub whenever they want."

Meadow elbows Xander in the ribs while trying to look innocent to Kelsey.

The poodle raises one eyebrow but doesn't ask for details. Being a noble, she probably has access to better facilities whenever she needs them.

The white doe giggles. "You behave yourself about as well as Petal does, Hotfoot, but that's why we like you."

"Tea is ready!" Aaron announces, even as the kettle starts to whistle. Benjamin and Royce are already preparing cups for their parents.

Despite Anisa's wish to get rowdy, the party remains fairly sedate. After exchanging more gossip and jokes, people begin to disperse. The Derryberrys and Sandbornes head off as midnight creeps near, and even Benjamin dozes off in one of the armchairs.

"We'd better get going before they lock the gate," Spring Meadow points out to her fellow mages. "It was a nice party, Aaron!"

"Try to serve some meat next time, though," is Kelsey's advice.

"Bye guys! Be careful getting back!" Anisa waves to the mages as they leave, hiding her grimace as Kelsey suggests meat as a dish.

"I'll … uh … consider it, Kelsey," Aaron says diplomatically, and pats Xander on the back. "And you try to get some sleep, okay cousin?"

"Heh, I'll pester a Dream mage," Xander promises, and sneaks in a kiss on Anisa's left cheek before dashing out the door.

Anisa grins at the peck, and waves as she buck leaves. "You have a spirited bunch of friends, Aaron. I'm glad I'm one of them now."

"Don't forget to let me know when you get set up, Anisa," Meg reminds the doe on her way out.

"You'll be the first to know," the doe says to Meg. "And stop by the tavern any time! You and Brom get the meal on me."

"Would you like us to help you clean up, dear?" Beatrice asks Aaron.

"Oh no, that's okay, Ma'am," Aaron insists. "I can handle this; it's not much of a mess."

"Nonsense," says Anisa. "We can lend you a paw. It's nothing compared to what we're used to, and you need sleep too."

Patting her daughter on the shoulder, Beatrice says, "That's right. You help Aaron clean up, Christina, while your father and I take the boys home before they pass out."

"I thought you guys were gonna help too?" The doe sighs, but shrugs. "Oh well, it's still nothing, and Benjamin's conked. Okay, Mama, you guys go home, and be careful."

"Thanks for coming," Aaron says as he sees the other Snowshoes out. Turning back to Anisa, he sighs and slumps a bit. "What a night. Did you have a good time?"

Anisa smiles, picking the empty platter up from the table. "I had a great time! Not the kind of party I'm used to, but it was nice just to chat with the girls for a while. Maybe I need to have a party like this myself!" The doe carries the platter into the kitchen, and sets it beside the sink.

"I'm glad you got along with them," Aaron says, scooping leftover fruit from the platters into a bowl, and blowing out the candles keeping the fondue warm. "I was afraid you'd be bored."

The doe puts the platter into the sink, and begins to rinse it off. "Bored? Hardly. Kelsey seemed a bit strange, but not unpleasant, and it was nice to meet Meg; she's sweet. Xander and Meadow are always fun." Picking up a rag, the Lapi wipes the platter.

Aaron carries the nearly-empty ice cream jars to the sink. "At least there aren't a ton of leftovers, thanks to your brothers," he jokes. "Any suggestions for my next party?"

"Maybe get a band next time," Anisa grins, and playfully bumps Aaron with a hip. "But really, you did a fine job. I think people were just happy to have a place to relax and gab after all that's gone on today, it was nice." Taking an ice cream jar, she begins to rinse it out as well.

The buck blushes at the bump, and says, "Oh, I'll make arrangements for the trip to Olympia tomorrow, if you're still interested in coming along." Rolling up his sleeves and getting a cloth, he starts to dry dishes.

Anisa finishes rinsing out one of the jars, and starts in on another. "Interested? It's what I've been waiting for all week!" The doe grins. "It'll be fun to be on the surface again, and I wanna meet your parents. You had to tolerate mine, after all, so it's only fair."

"But your parents are normal," Aaron says with a chuckle. "Have you asked them about going already?"

"Daddy's kind of annoyed that I'm gone so much, but he said it's okay," says the doe as she starts in on the last ice cream container. "I'm 25, for crying out loud. It's not like he can stop me."

Aaron twitches his whiskers. "Would he feel better about it if we were dating?" he asks.

Anisa stops washing briefly, and looks at Aaron quizzically. "Well … to be honest, probably." The doe starts back in on the container, then sets it aside. She chuckles. "That way, he'd consider it worthwhile. My parents are still old-fashioned. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just wondering," Aaron says, and goes into a fit of dish-drying. "I wouldn't mind going out to dinner or something, just the two of us is all."

The doe starts in on another platter, but slows her washing at Aaron's words. "Dinner? Just the two of us?" She blinks, then grins sheepishly as her ears turn crimson. "You mean like … like a date?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose," Aaron says, pausing himself. "Or just dinner. I'm not sure I should be asking you out on a date yet."

Anisa continues to grin in embarrassment, and looks down into the sink as she continues her task. "Well, I wouldn't be against it, if you're not ready for a date that is."

Aaron's own ears lop down against the side of his head, so it's hard to tell if he's blushing or not. "Well, it probably doesn't matter. After you see my family, you'll probably run screaming," he says with a grin.

The doe smoothes her own ears back, and laughs. "I doubt that. They sound neat. Nothing wrong with having an eccentric family, plus we live in Rephidim for Dagh's sake! I'm used to strange stuff."

Aaron's ears perk back up and he chuckles. "Oh, by the way, you don't want to use the D-word down in Olympia – especially since we'll be arriving around the Apex of Dagh as well."

"They're still superstitious about Dagh?" The white Lapi places the try aside, and scrubs a couple of cups. "What's the 'Apex of Dagh'? Some old religious thing?"

"It's pretty tame now in Parthos," Aaron explains. "Kids wear scary costumes and get candy from people, but in some places it's still a pretty serious holiday, a time to appease the dead and the dark forces."

Anisa finishes off the cups, and dries off her paws. "I'm guessing your mom's people are still that way? I guess I'll have to watch my language, then. Beatrice'd be pleased."

"I'd appreciate it if you would," Aaron says, nodding and drying the cups. "And I guess that's it for the clean-up! Thanks for all your help, Anisa."

"Wow, that was one of the cleanest parties I've ever been to." The doe grins. "Usually, we end up having to pick up the floor for a couple of hours afterwards." The rabbit stretches, and heads back into the living room.

Aaron dries off his hands and follows the doe. "I've never been to a party like that! At least, not one where they bothered to clean up afterwards."

Anisa grins, stopping at the door. "Well, when it's your parents' place, you usually have to. Or if it's a friend's, it's just common courtesy." She smiles at the buck. "I had a great time tonight."

"I was stressing out all day over this party," Aaron says. "But it came out okay! Nobody got sick, and nothing caught fire!" He grins. "And I got to see fireworks up close, too. Do you want me to walk you back home, or will you be okay this late?"

"I'll be alright," says the doe. "I can handle myself. But its sweet of you to offer." She smiles, and gives the buck a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow then? What time?"

Nose twitching from the hug, Aaron says, "Oh, I'll come by the restaurant once I get the arrangements made. We probably won't need to leave for another week, though."

Anisa grins, opening the door and letting in a cool breeze. "Good, that gives me time to get my things ready. And don't worry, I bet your family's not a strange as you make it out to be. I'd better be going, good night! And thanks for inviting me!"

"Good night, Anisa!" Aaron says. "Happy Landing Day!"