FSE

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Celebration of a new year's arrival was something that Fioden found to be rather odd. There wasn't much signficance in recognising that a new year was underway, in any way that he had been told. A time to celebrate and enjoy, or so the rabbit's parents had tried to describe to him. Perhaps that was all that it was, an easy to remember date for people from all over to forget that they were living their lives, or what they expected to be their lives.

Having purchased his home a fair bit away from the city, as well as surviving the wraith of stamp duty and government taxing, he reluctantly agreed to hold a housewarming party on New Years Eve when his parents had asked, knowing full well that family friends annoying as they may be were less of an issue than close friends becoming intoxicated. He left his parents to arrange all that, knowing that aside from supplying the venue, he would pretty much not have to sink much investment into it at all.

Fioden watched as his parents set everything up, rearranging tables and chairs out in the lawn, his mother dashing into the kitchen to check on the oven, his father making himself look busy though he knew he was barely working at all. He sighed as his sense of obligation decided he would at least fill in the gaps where his father purposely cut corners. He was relieved when the set up was finally complete, having dodged his mother's attempts of completely rearranging the room to how he had it when he had moved in, nearly broken plates, and unpolished glasses. Time check. 6 PM. Had he entirely let his parents have their way, they wouldn't have been set up in time. *Thank goodness we didn't try to pull off a lunch as well,* he thought to himself.

The doorbell rang before his mind had really any more time to do any more thinking, but his mother had already gone for the door.

"Why hello Rebecca!"

"Hello Harriet! How have you been?"

Fioden moved away from sight, preferring not to be around if his mother called. Rebecca was a rather enthusiastic Robin who had supervised him back when he was a toddler at the old day-care centre a few suburbs over. Somehow, old links never really died for his mother, and even now at 28, he could still recognise that voice. The whole awkwardness of the time difference since they had last met was one of the reasons why he stayed away and preferred not speaking much.

"So how is your son?"

"What can I say? He's been amazing! Securing a house at his age is such an amazing feat..."

The rabbit's mind drifted off a bit until he was certain that Rebecca had finished and his mother was free again. When he came back to the foyer, his mother wasn't present, and the chatter in the lounge room suggested that she would be occupied for some time yet. Fioden was kind of relieved that his mother hadn't left the Robin alone. He wasn't in any particular kind of mood to engage with such liveliness. Still, he knew that the door wouldn't answer itself, and so he waited by the front to see if the other guests were arriving.

Soon enough, he saw other cars pulling up to the empty kerb, and he was glad they didn't think the driveway was free parking. The street was mostly empty up to that point due to the other locals having gone on holiday, or were out in the city where they pushed and shoved to reach the best spots. There were many people he had seen before, but most he didn't know. Fioden did remember seeing them at some stage or another at some point during his life, but for the most part that was due to their visitations to his parents' home years back. Checking his father's mobile under his contacts, he greeted them in turn. They smiled back and greeted the rabbit, before he sent them onward to the lounge room. The first was one of his dad's business contacts Mr. Ferrel, the ferret who once worked at the local library now heading a data facility at a nearby university. Then the couple of otters who he recognised as their previous neighbours, with their two grandkids in tow, then a weasel who he remembered once asking for help with his car, before he decided to become a mechanical engineer.

Fioden was relieved of his duty when his father arrived at the front after too getting engaged by Rebecca. "Go on," his father said. "you must be tired after all that. Relax."

The sound of chatter filled the house, and being inaudible due to the large amount of it let him certainly just empty out his thoughts, let his mind unwind at his balcony on the second floor, looking out over the city. There wouldn't be any celebratory fireworks just yet since it wasn't the time for it yet. But that time would soon come, by which everyone in his party would all gather in the back yard to look and to cheer. There weren't any fireworks or sparklers around in the house since he had been concerned about all the brush and vegetation that still needed cleaning up. In the meantime though, he leaned over on the rail, looking out. There wasn't anything particularly different, other than the knowledge that they would at some point close off the roads to the major bridge dividing the harbour. Just like they had done in all of the years he had watched it. Looking over right to the next-door neighbour's, he noted that there too was a party of some sort going on as well. It seemed a bit more interesting than the one going on where he was at, but he suspected that it probably wouldn't end without some form of scuffle first.

Returning downstairs, he settled down with dinner with everyone. Everyone was pretty occupied with each others company, but he did manage some conversation with some of the guests around. Most asked about how the house he came into aquisition, and he responded with some detail. He had gone about the issue in an unconventional manner compared to most in his situation; having saved up the funds necessary and then making a complete purchase instead of looking to get a mortgage so he could move in it right away. Having worked his job as security auditor (inspecting both computer networks and secure facilities), the rabbit managed whilst still maintaining a reasonable standard of living. The most difficulty he would find were the long hours that he worked, as well as having patience. Fioden had seen some of his former classmates taking extravagent holidays to countries far away, and he knew that the positive experience wasn't worth the cost.

Everyone was soon called to the back yard to watch as the light show neared its time. Fioden snuck off up to the balcony again as the crowd of people around him wasn't his sort of thing to do for any time long. It seemed the party next door seemed to be doing the same thing. It seemed somehow more lively and familiar to Fioden than his own party. He felt disconnected from it all, and hoped that the remainder of the evening would pass by quickly and painlessly. The thump of noise and the explosion of light marked the beginning of the early evening fireworks. People cheered as rockets flared up into the void of sky, bright colours and all. It seemed so wasteful, or so it seemed to the rabbit. *Perhaps I just wasn't meant to enjoy these things,* he thought to himself. *Maybe I never will...* He looked over to the next door neighbour's, and was surprised when he saw someone who also wasn't at all engaged in staring aimlessly at the light show. The dingo had been staring in his direction for some time, right at the back of the crowd where he wouldn't be noticed. When the dingo saw, he gave a little wave, of which the rabbit had politely waved back. The dingo responded in an unusual manner, vaulting over the fence and climbing up to the balcony where Fioden was.

"Hey," the dingo greeted.

"Hey," answered Fioden, glancing over to the crowd below. "Your evening been a good one?"

"So far, yes," smiled the dingo. The smile transitioned into a smirk. "It's only a matter of time before one of my guests has a punchup over a girl though."

"Ah, so that's what your party is like. Still, anything's more lively than this bunch."

The dingo looked over the balcony. "Heh, the family party. Could recognise that easily from a distance."

"Really? Are you a sort of partygoer or something?" inquired Fioden.

"I've seen a few. Invited to some, show up at others. Most of my classmates from the old days don't know just yet when to cut me loose."

"That so? You don't seem too bad of the type of person to be subject to that."

The dingo shrugged. "It always happens inevitably. Through high school, college or university, it finds a way. It's just taking its time, of course."

"Huh."

"You got any friends over at this party going on at all?"

Fioden was caught by this question, and stuttered a little when he answered. "Oh, ah... Not really. The party wasn't exactly my idea. It was my parents."

"The fact that it's a family party seems to suggest that." The dingo pointed down at them from above, those down in the yard unaware of the visitor. "Mind if I do some speculating?"

"Um, go ahead." Though the dingo's actions might have been considered to be rude, at the very least, it had made his evening at least somewhat enjoyable. After having his fun at guessing their little secrets, he finally turned to the rabbit. "So, was I right about any of them?"

"I'd say that 30 percent of your guesses might be plausible," chuckled Fioden. "The rest? Completely over the top exaggeration!"

The chatter from below suggested that the final seconds to the new year were near. They quietened down as everyone turned to look out towards the city. They watched the distorted digits highlighted on the bridge as it began to count down.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Fioden looked towards the dingo. Why had he decided to ditch the party he was at? Why bother meeting him? His mind ran several conclusions, but he knew that the answer wouldn't come from there. He didn't even know the other's name.

Six. Five. Four. It could be possible that the dingo was someone he might have met before. The aura that the rabbit felt was something unlike any other being he had been around. He couldn't describe the feeling.

Three. All he could say was that it was different, and it was.

Two. It was almost as if he could trust this stranger...

Suddenly, the counter passed the one mark, and fireworks flared up once again, a dozen colours in the night sky. It was a new year, and for the first time, Fioden felt as if this was a year that would surely bring something new, something immense.