Planning
"You know what I need?" the Rabbit huffed, leaning back against the railing of the ferry. "A vacation."
"Oh, forgotten gods, yes," Sarahi agreed beside him, resting her chin on her folded arms as they watched the water flow by below them. "I know summer-before-last wasn't that long ago, but it feels like forever since we had an actual day off. I can't even count last summer, thanks to work and stuff."
"Yeah. Deep White was nice, though," the Rabbit reminisced, and Sarahi nodded in agreement. "Fucking ironic we live in a tourist trap and I can't even remember the last time I had a vacation. I think those couple of times we went over to the Runepaws' to swim was the closest I've ever come to a getaway."
Sarahi quirked a brow. "Never really been outside of Three-Peaks, huh? Not even over to Twinstar mall? Rhinton's not that far away..."
He shook his head. "Mom and Dad couldn't really afford to go places. Same for Tuli, though she let me and Nayeli see some attractions in town during breaks. Not complaining, just saying it wasn't practical, so yeah: I've been stuck here my whole life."
Sarahi picked up her head, rested her chin on her palm, and gave him a big smile. "Well, that's not the case anymore, you know. We should get out of town for a few days. Let you and Nayeli see some of the world."
He frowned at first. Oro had never been big on expensive things. He liked bare-bones, sturdy, practical things. But after a moment his expression softened, and he even smiled back at her. "Yeah. That sounds like a bill worth paying."
"Woohoo! I can't wait!" Kitt giggled, skipping around the deck excitedly. "Travel! Adventure! Wonders!" Both of her companions quirked a brow at her but grinned, somehow suspecting she might have a different idea of what a trip like this meant in her new home.
They didn't talk about it again for several weeks. Sarahi figured they'd start thinking about the details seriously when winter rolled in and the park saw less traffic than in summer and autumn. It was the closest thing the town had to a dead season, and part of the reason the mayor had ever approved that ski resort that caused such a kerfuffle five years ago.
So she was surprised when Oro laid out a stack of tickets and brochures on the dinner table two weeks before the official start of autumn. "We're taking a vacation," he announced, stunning everyone else at the table. "Out of town. Far out of town. Like, to The Scales far."
"Oh! How exciting!" Tuli blinked, smiling brightly as she looked at the tickets. "What brought this on?"
"Whoa, whoa!" Sarahi interrupted before he could answer. "I know we talked about something like this after that mess at the cabin, but so soon? I kind of thought we'd talk about it more... and probably wait for winter."
"I said I needed one, didn't I?" Oro grunted. "I held off through the summer. This is the closest we'll get to a lull before the next big wave of tourists hits when the leaves turn. Nayeli starts classes again in a couple weeks, and Diya'll be neck-deep in photography shoots. If we don't go now, you're right—we'll basically have to wait for winter," he nodded. "That said... yeah, I feel like a bit of a heel for not asking anyone's input. I just wanted to give you all a nice surprise for once. Kinda hard to do that while polling for destinations." He exhaled slowly. "So I made reservations. I'll apologize for being a selfish bastard if any of you don't like it. I can still cancel everything in the next couple days. Th only things locked in are plane tickets and rooms, really. I've looked up local attractions, and have a rough idea of what we could do each day, but mostly we'll play it by ear once we're there. To me, ‘relaxing' means no hard commitments."
Nayeli's mouth quirked up in a smile, and she leaned over to give him a hug. "It sounds wonderful to me already," she promised him, "Any kind of trip would be a novelty for me."
Kylan gave a low whistle, looking over one of the brochures on the table. "We've been all over the country over the years, but never off the continent. The Scales would be new to us."
Sarahi chewed her lip. "I wasn't complaining. It just surprised me... which I guess was the point," she chuckled. "Will the boss give us the time off, you think?"
"He doesn't get a fucking choice," Oro grunted. "We're contractors on a very loose leash. If we don't work, we don't get paid, and that's about all there is to it," he shrugged. "That said... yeah, I felt bad for leaving him high and dry too, so I told him about it last week while you were down at Longclaw's. He acted pissed and told me to be sure we ‘have our fucking fun'." The Rabbit chuckled. "So he knows and understands, whether he likes it or not."
Sarahi nodded. "Oh, I can imagine," she agreed, and left it at that. Honestly, Sarahi could still easily see Oro being the product of some fling their supervisor had with a Rabbit a couple of decades ago, they were so alike in personality. She also knew Oro got pissed off anytime she tried to tease him about it, so she'd stopped after the second time. Maybe he was worried she might be on to something...
"So," Diya leaned over the paper pile in the center of the table, "Plane? Is there a seat that can accommodate her?" the little Feline inclined her head toward Sarahi. The Sha'khari likewise gave him a curious look. She had never flown anywhere before, or been on any kind of public transport besides the trolly in town (which didn't even require seatbelts), so she couldn't even say for certain how her exceptionally rare figure could be accommodated.
Surprisingly, Oro nodded firmly. "Yes... sort of. Every plane is required to have at least four seats built specifically for Snakes," he noted, pulling out a printout of safety instructions for the legless people. "There's a body harness instead of a chair, and belts made to go over the coils." He gave the provided diagram a dubious look. "The guy I talked to on the phone thinks we can use those to strap down your back half, but we'll see. He swears you'll be legal and secure in just the harness, though."
"There's no accommodation specifically for centaurs and the like?" Kitt tilted her head curiously, "Do those species not travel on these ‘planes' for some reason?"
Every head at the table tilted right back at her. "You have people like me in your world?" Sarahi voiced the question, "Four legs and two torsos?"
"Centaurs," the little Dog nodded firmly with a smile, running her hand across and then up her belly. "Human, more or less, for this half, horse or deer for this one," she pushed the hand back down her legs. "They trade with us Eladrakin on occasion, but avoid humans at any cost. Lots of bad history between the races. They're reclusive, but far from rare. Some of their herds number in the hundreds, which makes them more common than Eladrakin by a long shot."
"... Huh," Sarahi blinked, partly impressed and partly — just a little — envious. "Well... I'm called a ‘Sha'khari' in this world... and there's maybe four others on the planet. I couldn't even tell you if we're all Lions or different Kinships. It's an extremely rare condition, so there's not really a market for us. I only got to start wearing comfortable pants in the last couple of years, and that's thanks entirely to my husband." She flashed Oro a warm smile full of gratitude.
The Rabbit rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress a slight smirk. "Yeah, yeah... but no, they don't make stuff specifically for her body type. It's not usually a problem, except when it comes to seating and safety restraints. I guess we could have gone on a cruise, but that'd take a week just to get there... and I'm not enamored enough by boats to want to spend my whole vacation on one. Was that a mistake?" he asked sincerely, glancing around the table. But everyone shook their heads, generally agreeing they'd like to be able to roam a little more than that, so the plan stayed as he'd made it.
Arrival
The following weekend found them at the airport, most of them for the first time in their lives. And eighteen hours after that found them touching down on the largest island in The Scales, a string of tropical islands that were the iconic beach getaway the world over. The family practically staggered into their hotel, oddly exhausted from too much sitting and sleeping upright and jet lag. Oro checked them in, and they followed the bellhop to their suite.
"Whoa," Sarahi gasped as they shuffled through the door to their temporary home for the week. "This is gorgeous, Oro! This is where we're staying?" she asked, looking straight ahead through the gauzy curtains separating the living room from the balcony to the view of the ocean and palm trees beyond the rail.
"It had better fucking be," the Rabbit grunted, grinding his teeth against a headache. "A four-bedroom suite doesn't come cheap. But it's a first for a lot of us, and there's not likely to be another for a good long while, so I went all out. Fuck, I could do with a nap, though."
"Gods forgotten, I want to be impressed, but my head hurts too much," Diya moaned in agreement as she scooted past them in search of a bedroom to lie down in for at least a few minutes.
Tuli patted Oro's back sympathetically as the family began spreading out and wheeling their suitcases from the living room into the bedrooms. "I think we all could. Let's try to make it just a nap, though, so we can sleep through the night and get adjusted to local time in the morning."
"Oh, by the way," Kylan piped up as he grabbed his suitcase, "Is it too early to begin ‘that thing'?"
Oro rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Far as I'm concerned, you could have started on the plane. Nobody here will know who you are, so your Mom's not a concern while we're on this trip."
Kylan grinned big and nodded, then went trotting off after his sister. Nayeli caught Oro in a tight hug as he was reaching for their suitcases, and planted a firm kiss on his cheek. "You did great, dear," she praised him softly, then let the Rabbit carry their things into one of the rooms. There were four queen beds in all, which meant he, Nayeli, and Sarahi were going to be extra-cozy. It wouldn't be the first time they'd made that work, though, and it was only for a week anyway.
Nobody bothered unpacking. After wheeling their luggage into a room, each and every one curled up for a nap they could actually lie down for, until Tuli came around and woke them all up in time for dinner. They enjoyed an introduction to traditional island music and dance in the little restaurant attached to the hotel, then returned to their suite to wind down for the night... where Sarahi promptly fetched a small box from her suitcase. "Sooo... I know I might be the only one interested, but I kind of borrowed this from Gemini for the trip," she said with a mild blush, laying the "Just Dares" box on the coffee table. "I thought it might be more fun to play in a group we're all a lot more comfortable with, at least one night."
Oro snorted. "Sure. That goes well with what I was about to suggest, anyway," he shrugged, causing both Nayeli and Sarahi to tilt their heads at him curiously, "I've got a few more surprises in mind for this trip, but some I can't just spring on you. So I was going to ask about this before moving any mattresses: how would you all feel about communal sleeping? I booked enough rooms for everyone, and obviously won't gripe if anyone wants some personal space. But I tell you all pretty regularly that I'm only interested in Nayeli and Sarahi." He ran his hands back over his long ears, hesitating. "I thought I'd use some of this trip to remind each of you that I don't dis— no, that I do like you, too. Obviously, Nayeli and Sarahi have to agree to this, but I thought I'd start by opening our bed to the whole family while we're here. I'll drag as many mattresses into the living room as we need."
Sarahi giggled, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "As if I'd refuse. Especially after all the work you've put into this already."
Oro nodded, not really surprised, but turned a questioning look to Nayeli. The Lioness answered by hugging him close to her, and kissing his forehead. "I get to stay right next to you, every night. That's my only condition. Otherwise I agree with Sarahi, and think you're being very sweet," she smiled at their husband.
Diya giggled, already unboxing the game and flipping idly through the cards inside. "Yeah, part of me thinks there's going to be a lot of fighting over who gets to snuggle up next to you three each night. And part of me thinks it's wonderful to be in a family where that kind of fight can happen with good humor and no hurt feelings. I am definitely in, both for the bed and the game," she declared firmly. Kylan, wearing panties and a dress to match hers, nodded his agreement.
"Oh yes, and that makes me think," Tuli sadi, nodding as she looked down at her own shoulder, "Kids..."
Nigel and the Nicks appeared from her back, reaching around until she could see all of their faces — or what passed for one, in Nigel's case.
"You were very good on the plane," she smiled, giving each of them a grateful kiss. "I'm sorry to say I need you to keep being good when we're out in public, or you'll scare people. But you deserve a chance to relax and enjoy yourselves on this trip, too, so I want you to come out and speak as freely as you like whenever we're here in the suite, okay?"
"Yay!" the three cheered.
"Oo! Oo! Can we play the game, too?" Nicholas asked immediately.
Tuli could only give Sarahi a questioning look.
The Sha'khari laughed and nodded. "We need another player to keep things even anyway. Kitt kind of throws our player count off kilter," she said, winking at the little Hound whose tail was already wagging furiously as she peered over Diya's shoulder at the cards.
So their first night on vacation didn't turn out to be as relaxing as they might have expected... but as the family curled up together in a warm, happy pile on the mattresses Oro pulled into the living room, they all agreed it was one they would always remember.
