“I set up the wi-fi for your apartment, didn’t I? Come on, Lars, I’m supposed to be on vacation here…”
Back at Lars’ apartment, Tom was sitting curled up on the couch by a space heater to let his fur dry after a shower. He was idly playing some games on Lars’ video game console, still getting used to playing with fox paws, but definitely felt like he was getting better. Even if he couldn’t managed to top any of Lars’ high scores no matter what he tried.
“You live in my house on my resort’s dime, eat my food, and now you complain when I ask for help? Siipeilijä!” Lars groaned, collapsing on the couch with Tom and cuddling up with him. Tom had heard that tone more than once before, and he knew Lars was just having a bit of a tease at his expense. “You understand what I am saying though? We’ve got just a few internet lines at the main office for guests to use, and it is slooooow like melassi! This is no way to build a resort, is it?”
“Perhaps if you offered a few new activities, people wouldn’t need to be on the internet all the time, hun. I mean, who goes all the way to the north pole and thinks, ‘Huh, I really need to watch YouTube’?” Tom idly said, paying more attention to his game than to Lars at the moment, which quickly earned him a playful shove in the ribs. “Hey! You made me lose my last life!”
“If we add more activities, then perhaps you should run them!” Lars snorted. “Or, you can do what you said and start getting this place in shape for the next group of visitors! You are my lover first, but future business partner is a close second!”
“Lars, darling. Fuzzball, love of my life. I already told you, we can’t lay cable internet until next summer! I know you’re worried about Santa and the resort’s future, but that’s just a fact I can’t change,” Tom replied as calmly as he could. Lars’ explanation about Santa and the fading power at the resort had been rather frantic and left a bit to be desired, but Tom understood the significance of the situation nonetheless. If he wanted to make a life up here with Lars, they’d have to figure out some way to get Santa’s mojo back and fix the power issue.
“That is why we don’t lay down cable, Tommy. You already made that internet satellite thingy out of stuff that was lying around the resort, right? Just do it again, but bigger!” Lars said, his ears flicking and his tail moving in to tickle the tip of Tom’s nose teasingly. “Besides, if we lay cable, it’ll just get eaten up by some trolls out on the tundra. And a few of the workers you call in would probably end up getting nabbed by trolls to begin with. You know what happens then? More trolls. Do you want more trolls, Tommy?”
“No, I do not want more trolls,” Tom sighed, wishing he could get back to playing his game. “…I’ll make some calls, okay? We might be able to set up some sort of satellite receiver on the cheap, just enough to get a stable signal available to a few dozen people at once, maybe add a dedicated broadcasting sub-signal that-“
“Do not bore me with this nerd paska, darling,” Lars teased, locking his muzzle with Tom’s and twirling his tongue around inside his surprised lover’s mouth. “If you do this for us, it will be the best Christmas a fox could ask for! And, I might consider holding one of the werefox people’s most important Christmas ceremonies with you…”
Tom’s cock immediately sprung up at the mere mention of the word ‘ceremony’, since by now he knew what most ceremonies with Lars’ entailed.
“I’ll start drawing up the plans right away!” Tom said with a goofy grin on his face, idly pawing at his stiff cock and hoping that Lars was in the mood for a little bit of fun before they got down to work.
Alas, the hyperactive fox was too excited even for a quick romp in bed, and he dragged Tom to his feet and began pulling him toward the door.
“No time! I must get Fiia to sign off on the costs, and you must make your calls! Nopeasti, Tommy!”
“L-Lars, can’t this wait just a tiny bit!?” Tom whined, covering up his cock with his free paw as the cold air of the outdoors hit him. “M-My fur’s still wet, damn it…”
----------------------------------------------------
Lars dragged Tom off to the main guest center, where most of the working telephones and computers were set up for guests to use. Tom reluctantly headed back, making a mental list of people he knew who could help. A friend who’d been with him and Dave the first time they’d been to Lapland, a couple techy guys he’s run into during his work, a few more friends that might actually believe any of the crazy shit he was about to try to explain to them…
“This is never going to work…” he sighed as he sat down to begin. “That fuzzball’s gonna really owe me if we can pull this off…”
Meanwhile, at the main desk, Lars was patiently waiting for Fiia to arrive so he could tell her their plans. She had been working on a few improvements to the resort on her own end, and between the two of them they figured they just might be able to add enough oomph to the resort to give Santa’s Christmas Spirit the boost it needed.
“E-excuse me?”
Lars’s ears perked up at the sound of a voice that was not Fiia’s, and he turned to see a slim, sleek fox standing at the desk, dressed in an exotic silk robe and glancing around nervously. A bit taller and slimmer than Lars, the fox had bright fur that was nearly silver, with only the tips shining a light gold.
“Yes, can I help you?” Lars replied politely, instantly switching over to his concierge mode. However, he wasn’t aware of any fellow werefoxes coming for a visit, unless they were from one of the far-off villages that he wasn’t aware of. “Are you a guest? I can help you find your lodgings.”
“I’m looking for Santa… Is he in?” the fox replied, their voice a high and fine tenor that had just the faintest of accents which Lars coundn't quite place. Lars still could not tell if this fox was a male, female, or neither, though for the purposes of his job he supposed it did not matter much. And he was quite happy with Tom, so it wasn’t like he was looking for a date, even if this new fox was quite cute.
“Santa? We offer visits to the village and the workshop, but meetings with Santa himself are-“
“N-no, I’m sorry. I misspoke. I mean, I have an appointment with him? Or, he is expecting me?” the fox said hesitantly, making every statement sound more like a question as they fidgeted with their robe nervously. “It is just, I would hate to barge in unannounced, so I thought it best to check in first?”
“…You’re quite sure he is expecting you?” Lars asked curiously. He had not been trained for this, and acting like Santa’s receptionist was not really in his job description. “Well, if he is expecting you, then there is no problem with just heading straight to the workshop. Do you have a place to stay while you’re here? I just need a name and I can book a room for you…”
“N-no, no! That is unnecessary, thank you! My name is Inari, and I can handle my own accommodations while I’m here for the conclave of the ancients.”
Lars’ eyes went wide and his aurora went wild, blasting out a wave of color in the air around himself that seemed to amuse Inari slightly. “Y-you’re Lord Inari!? T-the head ancient in the Japanese sanctuary!? Why didn’t you say so!?” Lars nearly shouted, making the other fox flinch back a bit at the sound.
“I-I did not wish to brag, sir. I am only here for the conclave of the ancients, and did not wish to make such a fuss…” Inari replied humbly, bowing slightly. “T-this is a lovely resort, though. I am glad to see my fellow foxes making such a lovely place for themselves. Ah, I know what!”
Inari reached into one of the pockets of their silk robe and withdrew a small object, a silk-wrapped talisman hung with a fine cord, and held it out to Lars with both paws.
“It is an omamori, a good luck talisman. For bringing luck in business, one of my personal blessings,” Inari said as Lars gratefully accepted the gift with a bow. “I hope to see your resort grow by leaps and bounds, my friend. And perhaps to visit for my own pleasure someday.”
“R-right, thank you very much, Lord Inari!” Lars stammered, carefully tucking the priceless gift away. “The train to Santa’s village leaves in ten minutes, and the station is just around the corner!”
Without another word, Inari gave one last bow and exited the guest center, leaving Lars completely dumbstruck. He looked at the talisman he’d been given, stitched with fine Japanese characters in gold thread that seemed to glow, and he knew that this was not just any mere good luck charm. This was the key to getting the resort back on its feet, and to getting a future for himself and Tom.
“Henget, this might actually work…” he muttered to himself as he kept his eyes peeled for Fiia, hoping that Tom was having some success on his end as well…