A talk on the dance floor

“And that is how that old Earth holiday No Socks Day was saved or something, it was really confusing especially once the funny hats started flying around,” Tendi finished her story. The group was still riding the shuttle which was only just descending now.

“Ha, classic,” you laughed at the story of how the Cerritos crew and Jessica resolved the problem of an alien race being obsessed with an old Earth cultural artifact. They had been offended that the crew were wearing socks on such a ‘holy’ day.

“Hey, where are we going?” Callie asked as she pressed her face against the window. You glanced outside and spotted the landing pad and what was right next door as the shuttle landed.

“It’s part of the climbing package, the after-climb party,” you declare as the shuttle doors open and your fellow climbers start exiting. Stepping outside and onto the soft grass, you beheld the stage where a Risian DJ was working holo-disks and a crowd of tourists and Risians were rocking and bumping on a slightly raised dance floor.

“Hey, new dad, how about we celebrate your kid on the dance floor,” Ino said and took you by the arm. She started dragging you up the small height of stairs and leaving you no chance to protest while Kyoka helped by pushing you .

“Wait, I wanna hear more about Jessica,” you cried as you tried to look back at Tendi and Rutherford who were getting pulled away by Marie and Callie.

“Leave something for when you meet her,” Ino half scolded you as the three of you cut through the crowd of partiers. Once you were in the middle of the crowd, Ino let you go and Kyoka moved to her side. “Come on, let’s party!” Ino started to shake her hips and wave her arms and ass as she spun around. Kyoka on the other hand started a little shuffle and bobbed her head as she took in the beat.

You stood there for a moment, wanting to go find where Callie and Marie took Tendi and Rutherford but then you looked around as the crowd closed around you. You blinked as Ino waved a hand in front of your face. She had stopped dancing and had her hands on her pronounced hips. Kyoka also stopped her dance and looked at Ino.

“Come on James sir, a couple of dances and then we can go get more stories,” Ino asked with a sweet smile which reminded you of Starfire’s begging look but a bit more schemy you thought.

“Yeah, just show us what you got and then we’ll let you go,” Kyoka claimed. You noticed a slight hop in her step as she matched the beat. You thought for a moment but was interrupted by a magenta and black color in your peripheral vision. You turned slightly and saw Callie and Marie at a dance floor side bar with Tendi and Rutherford. You were suddenly bumped from behind.

“Sorry,” a short Trill woman said before she shuffled back towards her dance partner. You looked back at Ino and Kyoka after giving an annoyed look at the Trill lady in her skintight outfit.

“Deal, but you better make the dances worth my while,” you finally nod and start a little dance you call the Cyberpunk Shepard Shuffle.

“Wooo!” Ino cheered before she shrugged off her jacket and tossed it in the air, leaving her in a tube top with a kitty face on it. You didn’t ever get around to talking with Tendi and Rutherford again before the dance party dispersed.

“Does everyone have their presents?” Daisy asked the crowd seated around her. She then frowned and pointed at someone. “Mackenzie! What did I say about bringing a planet!” Mackenzie, daughter of Samus, looked down at the planetary containment pod in her lap with a shrunken green and purple planet floating in the middle. “She’s only seven, planets are only for ages 10 and up.”

“And it's a Star Trek universe and they will still ask some questions about planets popping up and they might even take it from her,” Charles Gardner pointed out as he walked through the crowd, checking on what gifts his various wives, concubines, and kids had picked out and gathered on short notice. “Ah Gavin, I think she might like that mini Defiant model.”

“Oh it's the 2040 model Defiant, I had a spare apparently,” Gavin said as he showed the tiny ship that was even in the box. Molly Gardner, who had a set of modified roller skates in her lap, suddenly jumped from her seat on the floor.

“You had my Defiant! I’ve been looking for that for months!” She accused, marching over as dark veins started appearing on her face and arms. Gavin quickly set the ship model to the side and raised his fists to block Molly’s first blow.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” The Gardner siblings started chanting as Molly and Gavin started to tussle and roll on the ground. Thankfully, some of the more reasonable siblings and concubines/wives of Charles Gardner quickly moved any fragile gift out of the way.

“About time,” Bowsette laughed as she cut through the crowd and dove at the fighting pair with a fiery elbow drop.

“Well, we can reset that counter,” Doctor Joy sighed while setting down her “My first Pokemon Center” doll house. “And we were only four days away from that dinner at Nintendo’s Kitchen.”

“Charles, honey, can we please decrease the counter?” Delia Ketchum begged, batting her eyelashes at him.

“I already reduced it twice now,” Charles shook his head as the brawl started calming down as several Nurse Joys walked into the auditorium and started taking away Molly, Gavin, and a couple of the other Gardner kids who got dragged in. Charles was about to make an announcement when he spotted something.

“Hey Lauren! I told everyone that characters were off the table!” Lauren Gardner, daughter of Bowsette, hugged her pet carrier tightly.

“It's just a sleepy slime! You’re giving her an Eevee egg!” Charles shifted over and patted the Eevee egg’s incubator.

“Well, that’s alright then,” Charles nodded before raising his voice to be overheard over everyone else’s. “Remember everyone, we have two days until we reach the Risa in James' universe, make sure your gifts fit the rules. And if they don’t, try to find something in the Grand Fuegoland’s gift shop.”

“And remember, if anyone tries to run ahead and meet Jessica before James can…” Daisy slams a fist into her palm, creating a loud cracking sound, “...will answer to me. We don’t want to overwhelm her.” The Gardner kids nodded deeply and gulped.