What It's All About
What It's All About.
Christmas.
The time of joy and celebration. When family gathered together for the holiday and enjoyed themselves and the company. Presents were given. Stories were told. A grand meal was served. And all hearts got warmed up nicely.
It was truly a festival to look forward to.
Too bad that it did not mean the holiday was 'officially' celebrated throughout the world.
Surely it was a global phenomenon, but for where Pat was, it was not really necessary to celebrate the event. The twenty-fifth of December was just an ordinary day of the week which also happened to be the Christmas Day for the rest of the world.
This, however, did not stop either anyone from trying to enjoy the festivities in their own ways, or the businesses from trying to reap profit out of it.
Pat was determined not to go with the flow this year. He had to finish his project by the end of this semester, which was two months away, and he was not that far from the starting point yet.
The deer scratched the rear of his head as he sat in front of his laptop. He had not been slacking off, that was for sure, but the complete opposite held true. He was a little, if not too much, to the perfectionist side of the scale. Pat was always serious about his works. And if they ever fell short of his expectations then he would nonchalantly dropped them.
This was also the case.
And Pat began to wonder if he was taking his practice too far this time.
Countless websites before his eyes did nothing to spark him any interesting new project idea and ended up with him leaning on the back of his chair, rubbing between his eyes in frustration. He did not have college today since it was Saturday and all the time he awoke was spent to surfing the internet desperately for inspirations.
It was tiring.
And the fact that Pat was still barehanded at the end of the day tired him even more.
Pat sat alone in his shared dormitory. His other two roommates were nowhere to be seen since they were out tonight. He vaguely remembered one of them going to stay over at his friend's place, but failed to address what the other would be doing for the night.
Not that it mattered to him much. He still had a project to do and solitude was always welcomed.
"Hey, Pat!"
And there went his peaceful private sanctum.
The deer groaned and turned his head toward the small dorm's doorway. There stood one of his dorm mate, a bulky brown Thai Ridgeback in his usual wears - a simple white T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and his trademark backpack - smiling at him almost too enthusiastically. How he missed the sound of someone coming in did not surprise him as much as how stealthy the big guy was.
Pat looked straight into the dog's eyes. He did not care much of what the cheerful Sports Science major sophomore wanted, as long as it did not involve him. And how he wished the guy to just leave him alone.
Then he realized something.
"Didn't you have plans tonight, Gob?" The canine was the one he did not caught up with details, and Pat was sure he was going to be alone until much later into the night, at least, not as early as half past six like this.
"Oh. I do have. Just gonna grab my things before heading out." Gob opened up his closet and drew out a rather large cube wrapped in glossy brilliant green paper and a little ribbon bow attached to the top of it. He set it on his bed. "You never forget your present for a present swap party!"
"Oh. Okay." Pat sat up. "What time will you be back?"
"I don't know. Why did you ask?"
Pat did not know whether to think if the guy was being ignorance or simply stupid, but he answered still, "Well, you and I have been sharing the same room for almost two years now. I think it helps to know that kind of information, you know?"
Gob rubbed his chin and tilted his head back a little. "I guess you're right. But I still don't know when I'll be back."
A sigh slipped out of Pat's mouth. "That's fine. Just go and have some fun at the party." He waved his hand outwardly, returned his attention to the laptop, and started his search for idea again. Shuffling noises entered his ears as his friend grabbed the things he needed.
Several minutes and webpages later, he noticed that it had become quiet. Curious, he turned around to see the back of the Ridgeback sitting on his bed, his head cocked to the side and his arms crossed - Gob's method of deep thinking.
"What's the problem?"
Gob's ears perked up, but he sat still like that. "Nah. Just...," Pat stared at his roommate as he trailed off, probably thinking of what to tell him. Gob then turned around and asked, "Do you plan to stay here alone all night?"
Pat, did not have to think for an answer to that, quickly replied, "Yeah. Have to find my next topic. The last one was not good enough for me."
"Huh..." Gob's expression was not hard to decipher, being simple-minded like he was. He was still lost in his thought it seemed, and that intrigued Pat somehow. It was not often to see him contemplate like that and Pat soon found himself returning the big dog's question.
"Why did you ask?"
The Thai Ridgeback rubbed his chin again. "Well, I was thinking about bringing you with me to the party too."
That was unexpected to say the least. But the deer did not even need to try to hide what minute surprise he had. "And you do know that I'll say no, right?"
"Oh, c'mon," Gob groaned, "I know you'd say no. You do it all the time, but this is Christmas we're talking about. You oughta enjoy yourself in this kinda day!"
"Last time I checked, Christmas isn't customary in this part of the world. So, that doesn't apply," Pat replied with a stern face.
"Still, All I've seen from you is works and more works. You gotta relax once in a while, dude," Gob said with a grin. He did that all the time in what Pat translated as trying to persuate him. It was a good thing that he was bad at it.
"Right. Once in a while. My graduation ceremony is once in a lifetime. If you ask me, I'll go for the latter," Pat countered calmly. He had used that as an excuse everytime the jock tried to invite him for a party. It had been working fine, and he knew it would this time too.
"I still insisted that you go this time."
It did not.
Gob sure was stubborn tonight.
"And I still stand my ground. I won't go, whatever time that is." He was slightly annoyed. After all those months living in the same place, Gob still failed to see his disinterest in social interaction.
Now it was Gob's turn to sigh. Pat looked at the dog as he turned his back to him again, his ears flopped down to the side. Now, he was not great at understanding body language, but he could grasp the hinge of sadness out of it. It almost made him feel guilty for rejecting his good-hearted friend's offer.
Then the project popped out into his mind.
Whatever guilt he has had to stay low for now.
Pat disregarded his dorm mate and went back to his idea hunting. He thought he was going to get a good one from news sites but apparently nothing great were reported. He caught some promising elements, though, and googled them for additional information.
That was when he realized something. There was no sound being made the entire time he ventured the internet.
The puzzled deer took his eyes off the screen to look at the meathead's bed again.
Gob was still there, staring intensely at him.
Pat raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"What 'what'?" Gob said, smuggling. Pat knew what he intended to do here.
"Don't try to be smart, Gob," warned the deer, annoyance shown on his face, "I said I won't go and that's that."
"I didn't say anything." He replied, still grinning. Pat had to roll his eyes to that.
"Fine. If you want to do it that way, then go ahead. See if I care..."
And go ahead did the canine do. The small dormitory was silent; save for the clicking and typing, and occasional shuffling and bed squeaking. Pat worked on his laptop without giving Gob a single glance. And Gob did nothing in particular; just stared at the other party, played around with his cell phone, or walked around aimlessly.
Gob had never succeeded at convincing Pat before and he did not think the jock would be able to anytime soon. He did his work in relative peace, but he still did not make any real progress.
Stress slowly crept into his mind as no resources were able to provide him with what he needed. Frustration built with every link he clicked, every line he read, and every page he closed. In no time, he had to stop everything altogether; he could not handle the stress anymore.
Pat was tired, distressed, and, now, feeling hopeless. Both his palms found their ways to his face; a frustrated groan escaped his lips, reverberated throughout the quiet room. Gob surely must have heard that.
But he did not say anything.
Pat did not mind the silent treatment he was receiving. If anything it was rare to have Gob stay put like this. Most of the time he would use his every waking moment trying to fish the deer out of here or talking to his friends on his cell phone--
'Would you send someone for me. It's so cold out here alone--' 'beep'
Right on cue.
The popular-song-from-way-past ringtone was cut short with Gob answering the phone. His booming voice carried over to the other's ears easily even if he tried his best not to listen.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I'm still at my dorm."
"I know. I know! I'll be out in a minute."
"Be sure to leave me some turkey, ok?"
Pat's ears perked up.
Did he say turkey?
Did he say turkey, as in a kind of food not a name of a country? Something you rarely got to eat in this part of the world even in a very special occasion due to being overly expensive and not common to the locals?
And he got invited to a party that had a TURKEY?
Gob slid his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. That was one of his friends; the mastermind behind this whole present swap party idea to be exact. He was expected to show up thirty minutes ago, and he should be had he didn't decide to pull out this kind of a stunt, or in this case, a lack of stunts. Now he began to wonder if this was worth the effort.
Speaking of effort, before his phone rang off his too-hard-working friend seemed to be upset about something. He raised his head forward, half expected to see the deer in his exhuasted state.
A buck staring into headlights.
That's the first thing to come into his mind when he saw Pat's expression: eyes wide, ears stood into attention, jaw opened slightly and...
Was he drooling?
He saw his friend jerked, realized that he had been seen, and immediately made an attempt at hiding his embarrassment.
He chuckled hard.
Gob watched as Pat tried to bury his muzzle under his laptop. His features left the dog with an idea that his short conversation over the mobile device somehow appealed to him. He just wasn't sure what it was that could pull off that kind of a reaction.
"I see someone getting interested in the party, eh?" He tested the water, trying to see if what he thought was true.
Pat was silent.
Seemed like he hit the spot.
Gob snickered. He might be able to yank this unsocial of a friend out of his workaholic secluded world this time.
And he didn't even have to try much, as Pat interrupted the joyful moment with an audible gulp and strings of stuttered words.
"U... um... No, I mean... Yeah... Kinda."
Strike one.
"What do you mean, 'kinda?'"
Pat turned to face him.
"You know... It sounds interesting... I guess..."
Strike two.
"And?"
Pat scratched his head as he bent down a bit. He guessed the deer was embarrassed to say it out loud, before he could see him straightened up again.
"Oh, what the hell. Yeah, I wanna go."
Batter out.
Gob had never grinned this wide before. "Great!" He stood up and grapped his gift box, "Let's go then," and proceeded to the door.
"Wait," came Pat's interruption. The Ridgeback spun around; what's wrong?
"Let me grab my jacket. I heard it would be cold tonight."
Gob mentally sighed. He thought the deer was going to change his mind or something. "Whatever. I don't think you're gonna need it, though, we're going in my car anyway."
"Still, the place we're going probably air-conditioned, right? I get cold pretty easily so I'll bring it just in case."
That was true; he WAS really quick to coldness. And the place they're going to really was air-conditioned, even if it didn't need to be when this tropical country finally reached it's coldest season of the year. Though, he could understand that the host might not want to interrupt his neighbor with the noises coming out of his room when he open the windows for cool night breeze.
Then it occurred to Gob that his friend like it to be too cold to be comfortable, even for him.
"Yeah, you're right. Bring the thickest one you can find, though. Your bone might freeze there," He saw Pat nodded a little and went to his closet. Gob placed the box at doorway and did the same. He picked a black hoodie out. He loved wearing it, but the climate always made sure that he didn't get a chance to pick any winter wears up often enough.
Gob inspected the cloth a little; he hadn't worn it for a year. It looked good, still in a great condition and didn't smell bad like an unwashed cloth it actually was.
One more proof to show that he didn't wear it often enough.
He threw it across his back, put his arms into sleeves and adjusted it to let it hugged him more comfortably. He didn't bother zipping it; he liked it more this way.
Ready, the canine then looked around to find his friend in a white jacket with a vibrant purple jumper inside and a pair of brown trousers, sitting on his bunk while he was putting on orange socks. He couldn't help but think that his friend's test in fashion was eccentric. Had he didn't know better he would assume Pat to be a ladyboy by his clothings alone.
Pat sat up, looking about, and laid his eyes on Gob's general direction.
"Let's go."
Doors closed, engine started, ten minutes later and a steel blue car was found stuck deep in a traffic jam. Gob and Pat was getting more and more aggravated, though for slightly different reasons. For Pat's part, the sooner they get there, the sooner he get to taste turkey for the first time in his life. In Gob's case, it was the fact that he was late already without the aid of a terrible traffic.
"Damn. It's seven-fifty in the evening and the traffic is still clogged? This is absurd!" Gob fumed with irritation, his index finger tapping the wheel with ever increasing beat.
"It's Saturday, remember?" Pat said calmly, contrary to the restlessness that was hidden well inside, "Everyone's out and not to mention it's Christmas too. Parties to join and that."
Gob found it in him to return Pat's statement with a smirk. "Thought you said we needn't celebrate Christmas?"
Pat grinned back, "Didn't say we can't."
Gob tilted his head and rolled his eyes. He could not find a good comeback to that.
"So where is this place of your friend? We're going there, right?"
Gob's gaze was back in time to see the car ahead jerked forward a bit. He followed.
"Yeah. It's not too far actually. Just fifteen minutes by car, if the road clear. But like this?" He waved to the multitude series of automobiles that got stuck in place with them at the moment, "I'd say one hour later, and we're still getting nowhere."
Pat made a quick glance over the scene; Gob was probably right. There were at least twenty cars ahead of theirs, and every green light lasted for only ten seconds before it changed into ten minute of red light.
They would never make it in time for the party (turkey in Pat's case.)
"We should have walked there. That might be quicker than this," said Pat as he watched one pedestrian after another strode past them unhurriedly.
With how boring their situation was, the driver found himself observing the footpath activities too. "Anything would be quicker than this."
"True." The deer spoke, head resting on a paw, eyes unfocusedly laying upon the world behind the window.
"Damn this city and its traffic." cursing and hitting his car's steering wheel with his palm, Gob threw himself onto the back of his seat, his eyes closed, getting tired somehow.
"It moved"
His friend's words made him rose for a bit. An eyebrow was raised to indicate his bemusement over a seemingly random sentence.
"What?"
"The car," Pat pointed to the space in front of their vehicle, "It moved."
Gob sat up straight and saw the movement of cars himself. "Oh, right." The blue car moved along the lane.
Then stopped.
Moved.
Stopped.
The repeating events continued in utter silence. The strangely quiet atmosphere in this closed quarter was becoming too much depressing for Pat who then tried to break the emotional barrier with the available resources. "Mind if I turn on the radio?"
Gob suddenly noticed the lack of music department, like it hadn't even crossed his mind before it was mentioned. Usually he would turn the radio on after a few feet driven. Guess he must have been too overwhelmed with the whole ordeal and forgot to do it.
"Sure. Go ahead," he replied and motioned the car forward again.
Hearing that, Pat flicked it on with unhesitant swiftness. The speakers blared into life, bringing deafeningly loud music into a sensitive pair of ears he has. His hands automatically came to cover them up to no avail.
Gob caught that with the corner of his eye.
"Was that too loud?" he turned the volume down, "Sorry. Never have a passenger before, so I didn't think of that."
Pat only heard the last part just after the long beeping sound in his head died down. "Next time," he said with, at first, a frown.
But in the presence of that goddamn dog's big genuine hearty innocent smile, he couldn't stay mad as long.
Features soften; he finished the sentence, "be sure to remind me of earplugs."
Had Pat not turned his gaze away, he would see an inaudible exhalation of relief on the other's face and movements of his limbs as the traffic seemed to flow again.
It was like a miracle. One moment they're glued to the asphalt, doubting if they would ever reach their destination, and another, they practically flew there. Gob reasoned that it might have something to do with the company of the random general pop and rock music since the traffic suddenly got better after that. Pat took a more realistic route and pointed out the fact that their dorm was in the busiest part of the city. Should they got out of the vicinity, it would be a breeze after that.
Gob did not argue with that.
Seriously, the deer needed to chill out and stayed away from facts once in a while.
As he trotted toward the front gate, he held on to the hope that this party might be able to do the trick.
"Hey."
Oh, joy. What now?
Gob swung his large body around to face the pausing contemplating deer.
"Isn't this suppose to be a present swap party?" came a question that was so obvious he didn't even need to answer. But he did, anyway. Pat wouldn't bring it up if it's not imTulyatant enough.
"You got that right," Gob replied, and he found an urge to repeat the question that has become a trend among them since back at the dorm, "Why did you ask?"
Pat grabbed his forming antlers, rubbing it up and down; Gob had seen this before. It's not everytime, but when the cervidae pondered about something he would unconciously do that. He didn't notice, though. It was quite humorous to see him yank his hand back whenever the realization hit.
He then saw Pat pointed the other hand at the thing that was in the clutch of his arm.
"What's with my gift bo--"
Oh.
"See, I don't have any present," Pat went to the point, "This will not do..." The big dog saw a glimpse of a saddened face before Pat's head dropped with the rest of his upper body.
Ok, he didn't take it into account when he invited Pat. But he didn't think the host would mind much; it's just a friendly gathering after all. No harm done for the lack of a gift to share.
So why did Pat went gloomy all of a sudden?
It shouldn't be that serious of a problem, right?
Pat let out a sigh.
Right?
It sounded much like he had given up on something.
...Right?
"Thanks for bringing me here, Gob, but I don't want to come out as rude to your friends. I'll go get something for dinner and wait for you somewhere around here then. Have fun."
Oh, you stupid dear!
Gob grabbed Pat who had been turning his back on him on the shoulder and delivered a smack with his palm right at the back of that unexpectedly dense head.
A startled hurtful cry was sure to ensue.
"Ow! What the--"
He didn't let him finish that.
"I don't know what's going on inside that head of yours, Pat, but who care if you forget a gift?" he spoke abruptly; his face was not in its usual happy-go-lucky attitude this time, "I mean we've come to relax not for an effing business meeting. You don't have a present? Easy solution, don't enter present swap and that's it. Now stop being so miserable and get here!"
Pat looked straight at him, dumbstruck for a moment too long and Gob had to give him another serious glare before he decided to move along, rubbing where his head was hit, in Gob's definition, 'lightly.'
Atta boy.
After a press to the doorbell, which sounded more like an alarm than a bell, and a little wait as the resident scurried over to answer, a small figure of a familiar face ran out of the door to greet them. A short and trim female bunny with not much of a definition or striking features in a run-of-a-mill t-shirt and denim shorts smiled with a mix of mock irateness.
"FINALLY. We were starting to think that you've got yourself into troubles or something," she said as the steel bar gate was opened from inside, her eyes bounced from one guest to another, "Like offending an officer or getting into a car crash. You know, your usual stuffs."
Before Gob'd got to get his chance at countering her accusation, she managed to ask him a question as her gaze fell onto the senior deer, "So this is the friend you talked about, huh?"
Seeing a small window to insert his thought, he began to open his muzzle...
Too slow.
"Hi, I'm Nina! Nice to meet you!" The bunny introduced herself to Pat and didn't even try to give him a second to reply. "You must be Pat, right? I've heard of you from Gob. Said you're strict as a super thick diamond-padded steel wall suited for a nuclear shelter. He's been trying to get you to come with us for a long time. Well, glad to finally have you here then Mr. Wall! This is gonna be great! So, what are you standing here for? C'mon, get inside already!"
Like a storm, she comes and goes within a blink of an eye.
Gob swore she said all of that within a mere second, but he wasn't sure. Her hyperactive behaviour still amazed him even the bazillionth time he saw it. Pat, in the other hand, had a look in his eyes that screamed 'What the fuck happened?' as he trailed after the little bunny into the house with his eyes and snapped back toward the big dog, who just give him a nervous lopsided smile.
"'A super thick diamond-padded steel wall suited for a nuclear shelter?'" Pat raised an eyebrow.
A nervous smile changed into a nervous chuckle before Gob replied, "Well, she forgot to mention about drill-proof."
Pat gave him a, in normal people's definition, light punch in the chest and headed inside with Gob following close behind.
Gob guided Pat through the house as if he was the owner, beginning at the living room where two of his friends were watching a match of soccer... No, they were playing a soccer videogame on the forty-two inch television that sat at the far wall of the room. He corrected himself and called out their names to catch attention.
"Hey Gunya, Tulya!"
Ears perked, one of them replied without even a single glance to the caller, "A moment Gob, we're at the last minutes here."
And wait he did, as he listened to the usual gaming rants that passed between the two.
"Wait, what? I didn't press that!"
"Dunno. That's a goal for me and I can care less."
"This doesn't count!"
"Yeah, right. You said that the last five matches, too."
"Like you haven't done the same thing last night."
"That was then, and here is now. I win and that's the important thing."
"Aw, screw this!"
The one on the right threw his controller into the couch he's sitting on, while the left proceeded to turn off the system. They then turned their identical feline faces of Siamese cats toward Gob and Pat's direction and greeted them harmoniously like what a creepy pair of twin in a horror movie would do, "Heya Gob and... Uh..."
"Pat, my roommate I've been talking about. Remember?"
"Oh, right," said the left.
"Oh, him," said the right.
"Nice to meet you," both of them said in that creepy harmony again.
"Uh... Nice to meet you too." Gob noticed a slight quiver in that response. That's to be expected. It had taken him years not to get a goose bump every time they do that.
"So... Er... You two are twin?"
Again with the obvious question. What's up with Pat today? He didn't seem to be level-headed as usual.
"Yep," Gob answered in the twin's stead and flicked his hand toward the left feline, "This is Gunya," then to the right, "and this is Tulya." Their ears twitched in correspondence to Gob's introduction, their face indifferent as if nothing in the world mattered to them.
"I can't believe it." The one he called Tulya spoke in frustration like what he said had rubbed them the wrong way. "After all those years, you still can't tell us apart? I'm Gunya, geez."
He saw what they're trying to achieve here. Not exactly playing with his head since he can tell them apart from almost every day exposure to them -- Tulya, the one who was pulling the trick, had a noticeably smaller dark brown marking on his face than that of his sibling, Gunya -- but messing with Pat who only saw them for the first time.
That might be hilarious, actually.
The seemingly offended cocked his head to the side, waiting for his answer.
Ok, he'd play along for a bit.
"Huh? Wha? I thought... What?" He tried his best to sound confused which seemed to be convincing enough; Pat was staring at him with some degree of disappointment presented.
"It's alright, Gob. I understand. We look so much alike after all But you better remember next time that Gunya has a 'smaller' pad than mine," Gunya -- the real 'Gunya' -- told him, emphasizing on the 'small' part and using in the most condescending tone possible; he's not even sure if the cat acted it out or not, "Now that you're here we can finally get to the eating part."
That surprised him.
"Yeah. You've made us starving, Gob. That turkey better be good!"
Gob did not expect his friends to wait this long just for him and Pat. The appointed time of party was almost an hour ago! "You waited?"
"Yeah. I know. How kind of us, right? Now salute and thank us, dog," Tulya said authoritatively with a very small tinge of playful friendliness.
Gob chuckled and shoved one of the cats in the side with his elbow. He failed to notice a wince that was briefly shown on the victim's face, though. Then, they made their way to the kitchen, where several more sounds were being made.
The dining table was a mess. Pat now fully understood how casual this party was intended to be. The meal, except for the turkey itself, was mostly consisting of fastfood: pizza, deep-fried chicken, wings, and lots of cheese. Turned out that each participant was to bring their own food to the party, and with most of them having close to non-existent cooking skills, delivery orders were sure to be made.
He felt ashamed. Not only he did not have any presents to swap, he also had nothing to share on the table. Gob should have at least tell him about that. How could he fully enjoy this when he knew he was taking advantage of the other? He could have whip something out of his pocket had Gob mention anything at all.
With all the fastfood gone, it was the cue for the main event. The thing that had made him decided to come along in the first place, the luxury he had never expected to be able to indulge in before.
The turkey.
A delicacy that commoners only got to see on the screen or hear from words of mouth. Now he would finally be able to understand why this breed of fowl was so special that you only get to eat it on occasions!
Nina and Gob returned from a trip to the kitchen with a large platter and several smaller dishes and bowls. Nina amazed him again with how many containers she can dangerously held in her arms, teetering on the verge of falling down and risked wasting all the precious food. He heard another one of Gob's friend -- a male tiger whose name was Sunny -- yelled at her for the rash action, only to sigh in frustration at her high-pitch, squeaky response.
"But it's quicker this way~." She said, pleading her innocence without any regard to common sense whatsoever.
"Ok. I get it. Now could you please put those plates down? I'm really scared."
Not soon after he said that, Nina tripped over herself, bringing all the food down with her.
"Ah!"
Panic screams from two different sources rang in unison, one was Pat's, and another was, obviously, Sunny's. The tall and firm tiger shot up from his seat, arms splayed outward in a vain attempt to catch the much smaller bunny who...
... Who then spun around, under that concerned embrace and spread all the dishes out majestically on top of the table in one swoop; not a single glob was spilt during the entire act of unrivalled fluidness.
Sunny was left arms opened, standing in a daze like an idiot while the audience was overwhelmed with awestruck silence from such a performance.
The dead air bubble was bursted with Nina's overly cheery voice, "See, I told you it would be faster!" and a poke to the taller male's nose.
The effect was instant. Everyone's muzzle, which was all agape, quickly shut, then turned upward at the corner into nice little curves, broad smiles, and finally opened up again to form laughter of happiness.
Pat found himself merry alongside the other participants, too.
The meat set, every participants seated, Pat was now ready for the experience of a lifetime! The bird before him was cut into slices already so what he needed to do was just picking up the slices and placing them on his plate.
He forked one slice up to investigate. It looked like a normal chicken to him. Then again, they were both avian, so the similarity should be anticipated.
But he bet that this thing must have tasted better tenfold.
After all, if it didn't then what's the point of celebrating with turkey in the first place?
Without further ado, he stuffed it into his mouth. His taste buds went into work as he chewed the meat and rolled it around in his muzzle, savoring the texture which he delightfully found it to be...
Oddly familiar.
Did he know this taste before? He should not, should he? But he DID know, or else he would not be this confuse.
Pat chewed some more, examining it in his mouth.
This taste... This texture...
Now he was certain.
It was exactly like chicken.
Ordinary chicken, nothing special.
...
A feast so expensive it could buy a house turned out to be the same as one of the most common meat ever? This was most absurd! Overpriced! Blasphemy! Madness!
Sparta!
He could not believe how people actually enjoy this; it was just a plain chicken! Not even a sauce or gravy to spice things up?
Pat glanced over the table and now felt a little stupid. He was so immersed with the 'turkey' itself that he missed all the accessories that went with the meat. In one bowl was a white creamy sauce and another a purple squishy thing like a jam of sort. Yellowish mixture of what he could identify as herbs and, he was not sure, bread was stuff on another plate. And a white large mound of mashed potato sat close to a smaller bowl of brownish thick and greasy liquid that he instantly knew was the gravy, even if he had not seen one before. Lastly, a plate of cooked vegetable was situated at the opposite side, barely touched by anyone.
The turkey alone was easy, but how did he suppose to eat with all these foreign substances at his expense? Should he eat turkey with that white sauce or that gravy? What about that jam? Did it go with the mashed potato? Did the foreigners usually have jam with their main courses? What WAS that brownish-yellowish thingy?
Pat tried to analyze the appropriate way to enjoy this meal to no avail. This was too different for him and he was left flabbergasted. The others seemed not to have this problem, though and just stuffed their stomach with the most proper food in this entire party. None paying attention to his situation except for one sitting at the neighboring seat who prodded Pat at the side.
Pat saw the female mixed-breed dog, who went by the name Jern, smiled softly and signaled him to look downward with her head. He obliged and saw her plate under the hovering hands. In it was a bit of everything, lined up beautifully like the dish was crafted by a professional chef. That did not last long, however, as she doused the meat with white and purple and brought it into her waiting muzzle, nibbling gently and looked back at him again.
He got the message, and followed suit.
A turkey, that cream sauce and squishy jam, all wrapped up in one mouthful amount, went into his hungry maw.
...
A disappointingly mundane piece of overhyped meat turned into a firework of sensations in a sudden. First there was the sweetness that reminded him of berry, then came the rich and thick creamy coating which left pleasant touches behind. Both of them fused together nicely, accentuating the plain turkey in ways he had not dared imagine before. The flavors and textures that danced around inside sent him to the whole new level of contentness.
Now this was more like what he had in mind!
A grin slapped onto his face as he picked up another piece, dipped it, bit on it, and got sent into another heavenly experience.
Jern called for his attention again with one more poke and showed him how to eat the mysterious bread and herb mixture, which was easy enough as she just pushed it inside simply, and the mashed potato with a splash of gravy on top.
Learning all he needed to, Pat spoke with gratitude, "Thank you very much, Jern. I wouldn't know what to do without you." He saw her ever present soft smile got a little broader before she nodded in response and went back to eating.
Wanted to try everything on the table, the deer examined the whereabouts of the potato, and found out to his chagrin that one of the creepy twin got his hand on the precious bowl. The one with the smaller patch of brown whom Gob confused for his sibling. He remembered his name quite well since it was being emphasized earlier this night.
'Gunya,' that was it.
"Gunya, could you pass me the potato, please?"
Silence.
The cat did not response.
"Gunya, could you pass me the potato?" he said it louder this time, figuring that his voice was too soft.
No response again.
"Gunya?"
"Yes?"
He finally got an answered, but the direction was a bit off... It almost as if 'Tulya' was the one who answered it.
But why would Tulya response in place of Gunya? Unless...
Unless it was an attemp on prank.
Not a very good one in his opinion.
"Tulya," he said, confident that he had the name of the one with the bowl right for sure.
"You called?"
The 'other' one replied again.
What?
"Tulya?" he repeated the name but now facing the other feline instead. The mentioned was not amuse, apparently, by being called twice in a row.
"Yeah, right. I'm Tulya. What do you want?"
Huh? But... But.
"Didn't you react when I called 'Gunya' earli--"
"Someone's calling me?"
As if trying to confuse Pat further, which was their intention from the start, the one with the bowl, now the name lost on him, jumped into the converstion.
"Wait, so you're 'Gunya.' Why didn't you response earlier?" His frustration must have shown by now, but he could care less.
"Umm... Didn't hear?" Gunya, or what he think the name is, reasoned which was good enough for him.
He asserted himself again, revising their names and memorized it with the appropriate face. The one with potato was Gunya, he had a smaller marking on his face, while the other one who sat besides Gob was Tulya.
Gunya. Tulya... Ok, he got that ingrained into his brain.
"Right... So could you send me the potato Gunya, I've been asking for that for a couple of time."
"But I don't have any potato. Tulya does."
...
The 'other' one replied again.
...
ARRRGGHHH
CONFUSION
His rage must have been very hilarious since giggles rose one by one, starting from Gob and then moved along the table until everyone but him fell into a laughing fit.
So they were really pulling a prank on him!
But it was a good one, because he found himself joining in with the laugther too.
The door to the balcony opened, a large figure slid through and shut it behind. The party was escalating into gaming frenzy after the hyperactive owner of the house brought a couple of party games out. With only four slots available, Gob decided to be an observer as the friendly atmosphere quickly turned into an intense competition of wit and backstabbing until only the last one remained.
He had to excuse himself from it or he would get into the crossfire.
Gob jiggled the glass of alcohol in his hand. No, he did not intend to get drunk this night. Just a little boost to his system, that's all. Some Thai Whiskey, which was actually a rum as he has read somewhere before, mixed with cola. Sweet, cheap and easy to drink, his personal favourite for an unextraodinary night.
He caught Pat with the corner of his eyes as he examined the wooden extension. The smaller male was leaning on a fence, zoning out and gazing into the dim nothingness outside, so Gob moved in and gave a nice slapped to the back of his roommate.
Pat went out of air for a moment, unprepared for the sudden strike, and twisted his head to see the assailant. Gob. He should have figured. No one could deliver a more painful friendly hit than him.
His head still ached from that hit to the back.
Pat flashed a lopsided grin, hiding the piercing pain and said to him, "Hey there."
Gob reflected the same smirk and said back in reply, "Hey."
Pat locked his gaze for a little while longer and returned to the state of absent minded. Gob imitated his actions and the two shared a silence moment, away from the havoc that was the party itself.
The night was relatively warm, which was very much appreciated. The soothing wind embraced their heavily clothed bodies and brushed their head fur until it was groomed unorthodoxly. Stars were unseeable, outshined by the moon and city light. Blades of grass waved back and forth slowly in tandem with the lethargic tempo of their surroundings.
Lost to the pace of the world, Gob was a little startled when Pat spoke.
"Thanks."
Despite knowing what the deer referring to, a question, "For?" still slipped out of his mouth.
Pat, also knew full well that the question was half-rhetorical, turned his head upward to face the big guy and answered, "For bringing me here."
Gob found himself facing the other, too. "No problem, champ."
Pat smiled, and faced away, up to the sky. "I had a lot of fun, really. The food was great. The games were fun. Your friends are really great to be with, Gob. Wished I had come along since then." Pat paused, and Gob sensed that the deer was not finished yet so he waited.
With an exaggerated deep breath, Pat continued, "I can't thank you enough for not letting me rot away in that dorm. I wouldn't know what I'd miss if you do then."
Hearing that, Gob had to grin with proud.
"Heh, that's what friends for, right? Don't know if you count me as one, but I sure do. And ever I glad to see you here tonight, letting yourself go for once."
Did not fully understand his statement, Pat sent the dog a questioning glance. Gob saw it and explained, "You've been working your ass off, ever since the first time I've seen you. Works, more works, overnights, a lot of caffeine. Never once had I seen you smile sincerely for a feeling of joy or even accomplishment. When you done with one thing, you'll instantly move on to the other without any rest or a little celebration for yourself. I feel tired just looking at you.
I thought instantly, that if I'll ever be in your place, doing the same thing I'd go insane. So I figured that you SERIOUSLY needed a rest. That's why I tried so hard to convince you to come with me. Glad that tonight you did, cause just this ONE night I've seen more of your faces than I had ever seen in two years living with you."
It was true. Pat had never been this alive since he had enrolled into the university. He completely forgot about his works for once and, strangely, it did not bother him at all! Needless to say that the dog was actually quite correct with his assumptions. This was what he needed, even if he did not want it before.
He should give him more credit next time.
"One thing, though. Why did you agree to come tonight?"
Oh, no.
He did not want to answer that. The last thing he want was that to be seen as a food-a-holic by his roommate.
"Um... Dunno. I changed my mind?" He knew his answer was very vague, but he prayed that it might be good enoug--
"What changed your mind, then?"
Damn Gob for being smarter than what he give credit for. Another credit raised.
"Might be a Christmas miracle. Your antic somehow reached into my heart and moved me so much that I want to go with you." Now he was blabbering nonsense.
Gob couldn't buy that. "You and I both know that's bullshit, so spill with it. What made you change your mind?" he asked and then remembered something that had happened back at the dorm.
Pat was drooling back then.
"You were drooling."
He saw Pat's ears perked a tiny bit. So, he must be on a right track here.
"Ah, must be something about that, then," he gave himself a pause to see his friend's reaction, particularly his features. They're all around the place. He had hit the spot now. "Hmm... What would make someone drool? Envy? Hunger? Seeing someone sexy? Wait, you didn't think I was sexy, right?"
Pat almost screamed in response. "What? No! I'm not gay! What made you think like that!"
"Then why were you drooling at me?"
"That was for the turkey, dummy!"
Pat closed his muzzle shut.
Gob gaped his muzzle wide.
Both stared at one another as mutual silence was shared between, them.
Then Gob bursted into laughter. He laughed so hard that Pat's head fur could not hide the red color anymore. He laughed times and times again and soon he was fatigued, gasping for air and reluctantly spoke through the remaining laughter here and there, "Seriously? Turkey? That's it? Oh, if I'd known that you'd fall for food then I'd have you since that long time ago!"
What Pat feared the most, at the moment, finally came true.
"Yeah. Laugh all you want. I have a weak spot to a great meal. All you have to do is just mention some keywords and I'd get hooked like a docile sea bass. Guess it wouldn't be so hard for you to convince me next time," Pat admitted, expecting the dog to laugh harder at him.
Gob did not do that, though, and said something else, "A piece of cake, actually. Do you know who cooked that turkey you're so crazed about?" A shake of head was all he needed.
"It was me."
Pat reacted like what Gob had expected. His lower jaw hung so low it's going to tough his chest, eyes so wide it's going to popped out of the socket.
"Jern and Nina was the one who paid the bill and I prepared it. Didn't think I was one to be a chef, right? Tell you what, the other times I've been inviting you, half of it was to invite you to a feast. It's a shame I hadn't known that you fall head over heel for this, really. You don't know what goodies you've been missing on here."
Pat must say that every credit in the world would not be able to satisfy the amount he wanted to give to Gob right now. Think about it, if the turkey alone was that amazing, then what would an entire dinner be like!
Oh, he couldn't wait for the next party to come.
"If you're curious, the next party would be on New Year's Eve. A full course by me at this very house."
Pat was sold.
Good thing that he did not have plans for the holiday.
A sliding sound of the door was heard, a head with long ears was seen, and her hyper-squeaky overly-joyful voice could not be ignored. "Present swap time!"
Gob replied enthutiastically, "Got it!" and saw Nina duck back into the house. "Let's go. Can't let them wait." He made hand gestures for Pat to come along. "And you better come too cause I put your name in already."
"But I thought you said not to enter the swap?"
Gob flashed his signature smile.
"Didn't say you can't"