If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.
"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."
--Buddha 563-483 BC
Zone was once again what he wanted to be: A hamster.
Not just your everyday, average little fur ball of cuteness, but rather an entertaining, charming, and ever generous, powerful little dude on four legs.
He was once a man, who sprung up to over six feet tall, with strands of light brown hair, now fur, lined with white and dark patches in areas, which would, he thanked the goddess, be able to provide more hair in his animal form. Just enough to keep him temperate in those wintry nights when the fire died down, the dying embers that reflected his tiny eyes as he snoozed satisfactory in one of his favorite girls lap, that he was able to cuddle deliciously into their warmth.
Tonight, he was happy. More so than usual, because they had just finished off a wonderful dinner, equipped with Zone's favorite foods: the pet store variety, minus the meat.
They all settled down by the fireplace. Trish had cooked, being the wonderful chef that she was, providing lots of delicious entrées for everyone.
There was a delectable display of hors d'oeuvres, which settled in a nice silver round tray. Cocktail shrimp that surrounded a sultry sauce, minced green and black olives in their own juices sat next to the rest. White rice, steaming and fresh sat on the porcelain white bowl, while two other bowls of curries sat next to it, red and green sauces to place atop the cooked grain.
For the main dish, there was a delectable aroma of lemon chicken that sat in the middle of the dinner table. It had plenty of small cut up chives and sprinkled pepper that adorned the plump covering of the dish. Lucia had scrunched up her face at the chicken, for she had been ridiculed as the "chicken lady" when she devil triggered. It took her a long time to realize that poking fun at yourself was the best remedy to alleviate the hurt. So now, she just laughed and started clucking with her arms flapping when the meanest humans and demons would stare at her, poking fun at her triggering powers. She was extremely susceptible and made a new year's resolution to herself to be less sensitive. After all, the world was a harsh and cruel place when there existed people whose every duty in life was to hurt others. These were demons, mostly, but in the form of humans as well as she discovered. They were the cruelest kind.
Lady told her that both good and bad demons as well as good and bad humans existed. It confused Lucia a little, but she nodded with clear understanding, because she was a good demon, a rare kind. After all, Lucia had spent most of her life defending humans from demons.
Trish also cooked up some salmon for those who were not into the chicken, so she made sure they were cooked just right, covered in a special white sauce that begged for any fish lover to gobble it up. She had also prepared some Mexican dishes that she was fond of, a few burritos that were fool proof of beans. She didn't like the fact that the beans gave her a bit of gas, so in place of them, Spanish red rice and special sauces mixed with sliced juicy steak and herbs. Cut up potatoes had been part of the meal too, and a large side greek salad, with cherry tomatoes, and olives adorning the green leafs of healthy goodness.
It was quite a meal, and Zone had indeed enjoyed their wonderful company, eating up his little greens on his small plate. He loved to watch how Trish acted so motherly around the girls, or like a big sister, hovering over the meals and making sure everyone was happy and full. He also giggled at Lucia's accent, enjoying the fact that she was so proud of it, and was eager to share a small prayer before eating their meal. Lucia was so very faithful to her god, and that god was Sparda- Dante and Vergil's father. So she closed her eyes and whispered a prayer of thanks that there were great heroes like Sparda to save the world from the powerful demons.
Lady brought out a large bottle of champagne to celebrate. With the wine and the champagne, the girls were feeling quite tipsy even after eating a big meal. Trish also brought out a bottle of cognac for the after dinner retreat, pouring a little in Zone's tiny glass. He giggled and rolled over, happily playing with his new toy- the yarn that had yards and yards of red and blues. They rolled all over the place, and he chased after it like a prancing kitten.
Now, they set themselves before the dying embers, before the hearth, and enjoyed the warmth of the room. Lady got up and placed wood in the fire so that it lit up immediately at the ends and caught on, blazing the room with more warmth.
On the carpeted floor, Lady leaned back, sitting next to the fireplace and picked up her champagne glass. "Here's to wonderful friends! Hoping that this year will be prosperous and eventful!"
Raising the glass, the others raised theirs; Lucia smiled widely and chimed in, "Yes! Here's to great friends, and a great year!" Trish, who was petting Zone, grinned and winked, "To the two best girlfriends I've met in my lifetime! Cheers! And most of all, cheers to Zone!"
They all smiled at Zone and he was so happy that he did several flips and ran into the other room.
"Where did he go?" Lucia said with concern.
"Zone?" Trish called out; she was sitting on the reclining chair, and just before she got up, Zone rushed back in with a box of special goodies for the girls.
Lady chuckled, "Zone, what is this? We've already exchanged Christmas gifts."
Zone replied with a scamper over to the brunette, chirping happily at her to open it, and then rushed to Trish and Lucia, doing the same.
When the box was opened, there was a key for each girl, all tagged with their names. Lady had a cherry and azure one, Lucia had a white one that resembled her devil trigger, and Trish had a yellow one when she tapped into hers.
"A key!" They said in unison.
Zone nodded then squealed. Trish put it up against the light of the fire; hers shone in a golden way, and she noticed that her key had a handle that was etched in a man's face.
Lady exclaimed, "Look at mine! It's got a double handle." And indeed it did, but there was a small hole in the middle, though the handles curved in like the appearance of two bodies that stretched over to give the illusion of two people connected at the arms. Lucia's on the other hand was in the shape of a wing, it glittered in silver highlights when it hit the light.
"What is the meaning of this, Zone?" Lady asked politely. Her blue and red eyes were wide with curiosity and innocence.
He did a couple more flips and then squealed, ran to the globe that sat atop a cedar desk. There, he turned it around slightly until it hit at a location. There was an X marked at the section where Panama Canal sat.
"An adventure?" Lady cried with delight. Lucia and Trish both looked at each other, smiling hugely, "Oh yes! Yes! Let's go on an adventure!" the blonde said first, with an eager red head in tow.
It was the first day of many adventures. They decided to stay in tonight and enjoy the last dying fires, drink the rest of their champagne up, and lazily went to a large bedroom that kept the three girl's beds, with a small one on the floor that had "Zone" written on its bed frame.
"Tomorrow, we shall all go to Central America!" Trish said with satisfaction, she stretched out her long arms and yawned. Lady breathed in and sighed, cuddled deep into her blanket, and nodded. "I can't wait!"
Lucia giggled as she brushed her bright red hair, and shook the strands out of its braid, "Oui, tomorrow will be a wonderful adventure. With Zone as our guide."
They all said their goodnights and turned off the lights.
Zone slept happily into the evening with dreams of tomorrow and helping the girls on their journey. If there's one thing he knew about women, is that they longed for excitement and adventure in their lives.
Soon, he was left with the promise of tomorrow's adventure and sounds of his light snoring.