Tom made his way to the private room set up in the welcome center for the guests to use computers and phones for personal use. He sat down in an armchair and dialed Eric’s number before holding the phone up to his ear.
The phone rang a few times before, after what felt like an eternity, Eric picked up the phone and answered with a simple “Hello?”
“Hey little bro, it’s me,” Tom said.
“Oh, hey Tom! It’s good to hear from you! How are you enjoying Greece?” his little brother asked.
“Yeah, Greece is great,” Tom replied. “A lot more hot and humid than back home. Haven't had much time to get out and relax since I’ve been so busy making sure the grand opening runs smoothly.”
“Damn Tom! You gotta set aside some time for yourself!” Eric laughed. “When are you going to get the chance to take another trip to Greece?!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Tom admitted. “I really shouldn’t work too hard, or else I’ll end up burning myself out. Anyways, I need to talk to you about something. It’s about your friend…”
“Oh, Alex! How is he doing? Have you gotten the chance to talk to him?”
“Yeah, I actually was just talking to him a few minutes ago. He knows that I’m a werefox and that you’re one of Santa’s reindeer.”
“And how did he take that revelation?”
“Decently well…definitely a bit of a culture shock for him. He has a lot of questions, and there are a few that I don’t feel qualified enough to answer.”
“So he wants to talk to me, huh?” Eric replied. “Alright, is he in the room with you? Put him on the phone.”
“No no, he’s back in my office. I’m calling you because I wanted you to video call my laptop. That way he can hear and see you.”
“Oh, I get what you’re saying. Yeah, I like that idea. Okay, I’ll turn on my laptop and call you in a few minutes, okay?”
“That sounds great. Thanks little bro. Talk to you again in a few.”
“Right back at you, Tom. See ya.” With that, Eric hung up the phone. Tom put the phone back and left the private room, making his way back to his office.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“So…we’re doing a video call with Eric?” Alex asked, watching as Tom opened the video call software on his laptop before setting it in front of Alex.
“Exactly,” Tom said. “I figured that it would make things a lot easier if you could see and hear him when he explains things. He should be calling us any minute now.”
As if on cue, a little jingle began to play from the speakers of Tom’s laptop. A small window with a picture of Eric’s face had opened up on screen, with two buttons to either accept or deny the call. Alex placed his right index finger on the trackpad and moved the mouse over the ‘accept call’ button, but he didn’t click the button. Upon sensing Alex’s hesitation, Orion placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. Alex returned the smile before turning his attention back to the laptop clicking the ‘accept call’ button. As soon as the image of the ‘person’ on the other side appeared, Alex’s eyes widened in shock.
On the screen was what looked to be a hybrid between a human and a reindeer, quite similar to the other Weres that Alex had seen at the resort. The reindeer’s camera was positioned so that the reindeer’s full face and a bit of his upper chest was displayed, revealing the cream colored fur that coated his chest. Upon seeing Alex’s stunned expression, the reindeer laughed and gave the young man a friendly wave, showing off his two-fingered hand.
“Heya Alex, how are you?” Eric asked, a grin plastered on his muzzle. “So glad that I’m finally able to show you the form that I’m most comfortable being in.”
Alex managed to shake himself out of his stunned state. “Eric?” he asked, a hint of shock still in his voice. “You’re…you look…you’re actually a reindeer…wow…” The young man shook his head in disbelief. “So then…your brother and Orion weren’t lying when they said that…”
“…I’m one of Santa’s reindeer?” Eric finished. “Yeah, they’re telling the truth. Santa’s real, and his sleigh is pulled by magical anthropomorphic reindeer that can turn into regular reindeer and humans. Hey, wait a sec…who’s Orion?”
Alex moved over slightly and ushered Orion into frame. The taller man bent down so Eric could see his face. “Hey there, I’m Orion,” the man said, giving the reindeer a friendly wave. “I’m a werewolf who was born and raised on the land that the Mt. Lykaion resort was built on. Both Alex and your brother have told me a bit about you.”
“Oh, well I’m flattered,” Eric said, scratching the back of his head as he glanced away from the camera sheepishly. “Anyways, enough about me! Tell me everything that’s happened since you got to the resort, Alex!”
Alex recalled everything that had happened from the previous day and in the past few hours, from his surprise visitor in the showers and ending with his and Orion’s visit to the Tityroi Vineyard and Winery. All the while, Eric nodded in understanding, stifling some laughter at some of the parts that were embarrassing for Alex to retell. When Alex finished, Eric gave his friend a knowing grin.
“Sounds like you’ve had an eventful two days, huh Alex?” the reindeer asked. “Sounds like you’re having a real good time down there! You are having a good time, right?”
“Y-Yeah! Of course I am!” Alex replied. “I’m really grateful for you and your brother giving me this trip. I can’t thank you guys enough. Though…I have a question…”
“Let me guess…you want to know why I chose to send you to this resort in particular,” Eric said. He gave a slight chuckle before looking over at Tom. “This is just like our conversation from a few months ago, eh Tom?” Tom nodded his head and chuckled a little. The reindeer then turned his attention back to Alex.
“I’ve told you already that I wanted to send you there because of your Greek heritage and because I wanted you to have some time to relax and think about something other than school,” Eric said. “But I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t an ulterior motive. You see Alex, when we started talking a little after Christmas and you told me how shitty your fall semester had been, I felt bad for you man. I know better than anyone that if you were struggling in classes, it was because they were challenging, not because you were slacking off. Then, your spring semester rolled around, and you told me how it went just as bad, if not worse, than your fall semester. When you told me that you were no longer sure what you wanted to do with your life, I realized that you were in the exact same position that I was in when Tom bought me tickets for the FoxFire Resort back in December. And then, I had an idea.”
“When I first got to the FoxFire Resort, I was a bit skeptical of everything. But then, I met Clyde. He taught me how to fly as a reindeer and showed me things that I thought only existed in children’s fairytales . The more time we spent together, the more I began to realize that I loved Clyde, and he loved me back. And the more time I spent as a reindeer, the more I realized that I finally felt like I had a purpose in life. So when I learned that you were in the same predicament that I had been in a few months ago…”
“You booked me a stay here in hopes that I’d find what I wanted to do with my life like you did…” Alex finished, and Eric nodded in confirmation.
“I know that it’s kind of a long shot,” Eric admitted. “If you don’t figure out what you want to do with your life during your stay, then that’s perfectly fine, but I only have one request: give the transformative items a try at least once during your stay. Can you promise me you’ll do that?”
Alex was quiet for a second as he mulled over what Eric had said. Eric had been looking out for him, trying to make sure that he got the rest and relaxation he so badly needed after two hellish college semesters. He wasn’t asking for anything in return besides for Alex to try one of the transformative items. It only seemed fair to do that for him…
“Okay, I promise I’ll give one a try,” Alex responded, which made the reindeer’s face light up. “I’m not sure if I want to try one just yet, since I still want to look at all my options first, but I promise by the end of my vacation, I’ll have tried at least one magic item.”
“Thank you Alex,” Eric said. “Don’t worry, the transformation only lasts for as long as you wear the item. None of them are permanent unless you truly want them to be. And who knows? Maybe you’ll want one to be permanent if you find that ‘special someone’ while you’re there. It might sound a bit outlandish, but from my experience, it’s more common than you might think. Tom met his husband Lars there, my dad met someone, and my mom seems to be taking a liking to my Isä.”
“Your what?”
“Isä,” Eric repeated. “It means ‘father’ in Finnish. I should probably clarify that I have two dads now. It’s a bit of a long story.”
“You’ll have to tell me sometime in another video call,” Alex said, chuckling slightly.
“Or in person,” the reindeer said. “I’m still trying to find a time when I can come and see you. I’ll even bring my husband Clyde along so you can meet him too. You’re going to love him!” Just then, an unfamiliar voice yelled out “Hey Eric! Isä and I are going into the village to get some lunch! You want to come?!”
Eric turned his head and yelled back “Yeah, I’ll be there in a sec, Tag!” He turned back to the camera and gave Alex a smile. “Sorry, looks like I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” Alex replied. “See ya Eric. Have a good time with your dad and…whoever Tag is.”
“I will. Catch you later…Alexios.” Alex groaned in annoyance as the reindeer laughed and hung up the video call.