Not every Christmas party was loud and boisterous. A party can still have festivity even when nobody's dancing. Perhaps it's not very exciting for younger people, but it is a pleasant way of spending the evening. The party at Fennec Hall was a good example.
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It was a little strange for Philip to have the guests treating him differently. He wasn't just Nicole's boyfriend anymore, he was the man of the house now. Well, he still left his wife run things, Philip didn't want to mess with things that are already working. But he did need to stay by Nicole's side more as she talked with other guests. Philip was just grateful it all wasn't just business talk or he'd be bored stiff.
"So, I trust that Morgan is behaving herself this year," said Sylvia, "I heard she made quite a scene last year."
"Oh, I doubt she'll be making many more scenes now," said Philip, looking at his mother, who was serving guests drinks, "She really had that humility driven in."
"Though hopefully not too much," said Joanne, "She can't win Miss Year of the Rabbit if she doesn't exert herself."
"You didn't sign up for her, did you?" asked Philip.
"No, but I don't I'll need to," said Joanne, "I'm sure she'll be driven to win that title on her own."
"Though there are bound to be much more popular choices," said Sylvia.
"Oh, for sure," said Joanne, "That young lady who was on Animalia Ambassadoria would probably be the most popular candidate."
"There's bound to be a lot of competition," said Philip, "I suppose you'll be trying out for the Year of the Snake."
"Well, that's still at least two years away," said Sylvia, "Let's see what happens before that."
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Nicole sorta found her mother's party a little dull, but she supposed she couldn't just keep on being a party girl at the Meat Market. Well, Lars was pretty open to the idea, but Nicole was wondering if she needed to start acting like a wife now. A big question regarding that was about to be asked.
"So, is mating season approaching for your species?" asked Robby, "I haven't fully checked, but it seems that most fox species start breeding during the winter."
"I think it might be soon," said Nicole, a little uncertainly.
"And will you be trying to have your first pups?" asked Martha.
"Well, that's up to Nicole," said Lars.
Nicole looked at her husband in surprise, "It is?"
"I've already raised a son before and he turned out pretty well," said Lars, "Nicole might be trying with Philip. I think she wants a second chance at raising children after not being so close with you. I'm not saying I don't want pups eventually, but I know less experienced than me. So I won't rush you into becoming a mother before you're ready."
"Well, I don't think I am," said Nicole, "Maybe next year, but I think I can have Mom take the first shot. Besides, it may be awkward for us both to be pregnant."
"You wouldn't be the first," said Martha.
"So, after New Year's, I suppose there won't be much else to do but wait for the Lunar New Year," said Lars.
"Well, there's going to be the Winter Ball before then," said Robby.
"What Winter Ball?" asked Nicole.
"Well, you know how during the pandemic, a few classes missed their chance to go to junior and senior prom?" asked Robby.
"Well, I guess they would," said Lars.
"Well, this is an event set up to make up for all those students missing that big night," said Martha, "We'll be having plenty of returning graduates coming back for it."
"And I bet they've been waiting for quite some time," said Nicole.
"Well, now that corona virus control has stabilized, we don't have to be constantly worrying about getting sick more than usual," said Martha.
"Well, I hope they have a good time with that," said Nicole.