Normally, Thanksgiving was a time for family to gather and share their gratefulness. However, with the current pandemic, there was a limit to how many people could gather together. Sure, they could have COVID tests beforehand to prove that they are clean, but that ever-present risk prevented people from having Thanksgiving as casually as they did previously.
Even with the relatively COVID-free Animalia, people weren't going to take the risk. So the Thanksgiving Banquet was mostly more like a takeout place. Not that people couldn't eat at the Great Hall, but there was a limit to how many tables could be distant put apart. But there were convenient packages that contained full-course meals that can be taken home, reheated, and enjoyed by the family. It wasn't a perfect system, but things were bound to be back to normal by next year.
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A lot of people had to rely on livechats to speak with family because of social distancing. Nate counted himself lucky that he was able to come home for Thanksgiving. Of course, he had to make sure he was clear of contamination beforehand. Nate was glad that most of his extended family was there for Thanksgiving. The one exception was Gooseberry, who was currently helping develop a corona vaccine for Animalian use. Nate wished her luck and hoped things would go faster than projected.
"It's a pretty good spread," said Nate, looking at their Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, it was all-vegetarian. Sometimes, Nate wished he could enjoy a hamburger again, but obviously that wouldn't work for multiple reasons.
"Well, I've been trying to pick up more domestic skills," said Blueberry, "Speaking of which, we've got something to tell you."
"What is it, Blue- I mean, Mom?" asked Nate. It was going to take a long time to getting used to calling her 'Mom', especially since they and his father were now around the same biological age.
"Actually, I am going to be a mom," said Blueberry, "Your father and I are going to have a calf."
"Oh, that's wonderful," said Nate, "I was wondering how long it would take."
"Uh, funny that you mentioned that," said Meryl, putting a hand on her stomach.
Nate raised his eyebrows, "Really?"
"Well, it kinda came as a surprise," said Meryl, "I was wondering why my period hadn't kicked in yet and when I did a test..." She just shrugged.
"No one's judging you," said Ulysses, "We're just a little surprised."
"I'm the real one surprised," said Olly, "I know the scientists said I was potent now, but I wasn't expecting it so soon."
"Well, we'll have time to get ready," said Blueberry, "We're just going to have a growing family."
"Yeah, but my sister will probably be wanting to get knocked up now," said Olly.
"Well...Shuixing's going to be sorry she missed this," said Nate.
"Don't think of getting started with her," said Ulysses, "You're not even married yet."
"Dad!" said Nate in annoyance.
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And while some people were grateful that their pregnancies were beginning, others were grateful they were finally over. Beacon had been staying on Mieni Atoll with hir mate and hir parents, waiting for their first spawn to be borne. Hir pregnancy hadn't been easy, especially when shi learned shi was carrying five babies. Not a record-breaker, but more than enough for hir.
Fortunately, there was some precedence for this kind of pregnancy with the Anaconda family. Comparing notes made Beacon feel a lot better about what hir labor was going to be like. And it turned out to not be as bad as shi though. Thanks to an anglerfish's elastic skin, shi was able to deliver hir spawn pretty easily. Of course, with normal anglerfish, they lay eggs which then hatched into either females that will grow into large predators or males that will remain puny until they latch onto a female and merge with her. But being a fusion of fish and human, male and female made a big difference for their offspring. Each newborn was a miniature version of their parents, all of them hermaphrodites. To some people, these baby anglerfish would look creepy, but they were beautiful to their parents.
"So, how does it feel to be a father?" asked Beacon.
"We never really would have expected it to feel that good," said Allura, "But we're a lot more than we were a few years ago. Having a family means more to us now."
"Well, it'll also mean there's more to plan for the future," said Beacon, "Like should we move here permanently? How are we going to raise our kids? Will we be able to provide enough for them?"
"When it will be our turn to be the mother," continued Allura.
Beacon raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"We're an equal partnership. It's only fair," said Allura.
"Not that it isn't, but we have five kids now," said Beacon.
"We wouldn't have so many," said Allura.
"Well, I think we need to wait before we can think of knocking you up," said Beacon, "For starters, I've got a lot of weight to lose. Again."
"We think you still look sexy," said Allura.
"Cute, but I like having visible abs," said Allura.