K amino had to be the least festive place in the galaxy, Zam decided. The perpetual rain never turned to snow, the halls always remained silent and sterile, and the native Kaminoans wouldn't know holiday spirit if it round-house kicked them in the face.
To be fair, Christmas was a relatively new development. It had become popular after the natives on some obscure planet had been found celebrating it. Of course, the hipsters and sensationalists had grabbed onto the concept, and branded the celebrating of it the culturally sensitive, and more importantly, cool thing to do.
Honestly, it just looked fun to Zam. The decorations were funny, the customs were funnier, and who didn't like presents? That was all the logic she needed to go out and buy what she considered to be a Christmas starter kit with decorations, presents, and a hologram of an evergreen tree. She grinned to herself as she walked through the luminous corridors of Tipoca City, occasionally warranting a wary glance from a passing Kaminoan. Kaminoans were notoriously xenophobic, so the idea of celebrating a holiday derived from what the considered an inferior culture probably repulsed them. Their loss, Zam thought dismissively.
She came to the monochromatic door that marked the entrance to the living quarters of the Fetts and rang the doorbell. A Kaminoan answered. "May I help you?" Taun We asked, her voice unchangingly melodious.
"Is Jango here?" Zam asked, craning her neck to look around the apartment. She could see little Boba sitting on the floor with a sheet of flimsi and a few crayons, but there was no sign of his bounty hunter father.
"Jango is currently away." Taun We said, a hint of disapproval entering her voice, "You'll have to come back later."
"That's okay." Zam said with a shrug, "He's probably terrible with decorations anyways." She pushed the Kaminoan aside and entered the apartment. Boba looked up and smiled, "Hi Zam." He said, not seeming to notice the offended Kaminoan behind her.
"Boba," Taun We crooned, "Do you know this female? Would your father approve of her presence here?"
"Yeah, she's our friend." Boba said, a bit guardedly, "She can stay if she wants to." Zam looked smugly back at the Kaminoan, who simply glided away, radiating disapproval. Zam turned back to Boba who had resumed coloring. How old was he again? Six, maybe? Human aging always puzzled Zam. While Clawdites had brief, independent childhoods, human children took more than a decade to mature and were very vulnerable during their early life stages.
"What's all that stuff for?" Boba asked, pointing to the bags of ornaments and brightly colored papers held in Zam's hands.
"Ever heard of Christmas?" Zam asked. Boba shook his head. "It's a holiday," Zam explained as she placed the bags on the floor, "And on this holiday, legend says that a fat man dressed in red and white comes down through the chimney and leaves you presents." Boba looked skeptical.
"What if you don't have a chimney?" He asked.
"He, uh, teleports or something." Zam said. Boba still looked unconvinced. "Does he give presents to everybody in the galaxy?" He asked.
"Yeah, unless you're naughty in which case you get a lump of coal."
"Wouldn't all those presents and coal be too heavy for him to carry?"
"Oh, well, he's not actually a man." Zam said, spinning the story as she went along, "He's actually a droid, so he can carry all of those presents without getting tired. I think he's called Santabot or something."
"Who built him?" Boba asked.
"Elves." Zam said vaguely, "So, what are you drawing there?" Appeased, Boba held up his picture for Zam to see. "Oh, it's Slave I!" Zam said. She paused, "Is that a person under it?"
"It's a Jedi being squished." Boba giggled. Zam laughed, "Your father would love that!" Boba smiled proudly and walked over to Zam, peering down at the bags she had brought. Zam quickly brought a concealing hand over the merchandise, "Hey, no peeking!" she said, "Some of the stuff in there is supposed to be a surprise." Boba's eye's widened, "Can I see?" He asked.
"I'll let you see later." Zam said, "For now, do you want to help with decorating? It's customary to hang plants and red ribbon around the house on Christmas." She could almost see the question forming in Boba's mind, "To, uh, catch Santabot." She deflected the inquiry before it could leave his mouth. Boba seemed satisfied with this ambiguous answer for once. He glanced around before whispering conspiratorially to Zam, "If Santabot is real and we do catch him, can we take his presents?" Zam laughed, "I like the way you think, kiddo." She handed him a bunch of fake evergreen vines and a roll of red ribbon, "If we manage to catch him, we'll split the loot fifty-fifty. Deal?"
"How about I take all the presents and you can keep the coal?" Boba suggested slyly. Zam smirked, "Okay bounty hunter, " She said, "But I expect a couple of presents for myself as a finder's fee."
"Deal!" Boba said, sticking out his hand. Zam struggled to keep a straight face as they sealed the deal with a handshake.