The pair had returned to the couch so the tamer could teach Ren about the magic of Christmas.
The tamer was sitting with one knee up, reclining onto the armrest. The digimon was sitting opposite, cross-legged and facing him.
"So, do digimon know about religion?"
The digimon gave a dubious waggle of his head.
"Sort of."
"Well, short version, in Christianity they believe in their lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Basically, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ. Or... it was. Nowadays, it's just spread everywhere and so it's become a general holiday. It's a pretty big deal now. People decorate their houses and buy each other presents."
"I see. Why?"
"Ummm... well... I guess it's just tradition, really."
Ren looked around the lounge room, surveying the decor.
The tamer gave him a perplexed look.
"...you looking for something, Ren?"
"You don't have any decorations."
"Uh... yeah. I... I never really bothered with it, since it's just me here. I guess... it just didn't seem necessary."
The tamer gave a casual shrug to emphasise his apathy.
The pair sat in silence, until Ren spoke up.
"What about now?"
"Now what?"
"Now it's not just you here."
"Oh... uh... yeah, I guess it's not."
"So, should you decorate?"
"I dunno."
The tamer realised Ren was staring at him intently, and it only took a moment to figure out what the fox was actually asking.
"... do you wanna... you know... help decorate my place?"
Ren's ears perked in anticipation.
"Can we?"
"Yeah, sure. We'll have to go buy some stuff, though."
"Oh... you don't have anything?"
"Nope. Like I said, I've never bothered. We're gonna need to go for an excursion."
For a moment, the digimon looked conflicted, and the tamer easily guessed why.
"...you know we can still snuggle later, right?"
"I know. Just..."
"Come on moochymon, it'll be fun"
Ren gave the tamer a quizzical look, tilting his head.
"What did you call me?"
"Uh, moochymon. You know... since you're moochy, and you're a mon."
"I'm not moochy..."
The tamer stood up and walked past Ren, giving the fox a cheeky smile and a condescending pat on the head.
"Yes you are."
Ren just gave a disgruntled frown.
"...come on, you can help pick the decorations."
After a short drive, they were approaching the local shopping centre. Ren stared out the window, astonished at the massive mish-mash of buildings that made up the complex. It was larger than anything he had yet encountered.
"Tamer... all these buildings. This is all for shopping?!"
"Uh, yeah. We take shopping pretty seriously."
The digimon turned his attention to his tamer, waiting for a further explanation. The tamer, however, had his attention focussed on the more immediate surroundings. As soon as he spotted the entrance to the complex, he realised his mistake.
A queue of vehicles flooded the main entrance to the carpark. With a sigh, he turned his vehicle off the main road and joined the back of the jam. Coming to a halt, the tamer glanced over to give Ren a bemused look.
"I think I made a huge mistake."
"Hmm? What do you mean, Tamer?"
"Coming to a shopping centre in the week before Christmas. I forgot how packed it gets. Never gonna find a space in all this traffic."
"Is it not usually like this?"
"Nah, it's normally much quieter. But at Christmas, everyone tends to leave their shopping 'til the last minute... me included."
"Oh. Should we come back another time?"
The tamer gave a chuckle.
"Yeah, nah. It's only gonna get worse. Best to get in now before it gets really crazy."
Ren gave a concerned look, unsure how the traffic could get worse than what it was currently.
"...we'll just have to circle around for a bit."
A bit turned out to be nearly 20 minutes. After stalking the aisles fruitlessly, the tamer had eventually resigned himself to head for the rooftop parking lot. Driving up the ramp he realised that, much like himself, most people weren't keen on leaving their vehicles in the sun when they planned to be shopping for several hours. There were plenty of spaces available.
Ren seemed unfazed by the notion of an extended walk to the centre.
"Why did we not come here in the first place, Tamer? There are plenty of spaces."
The tamer scoffed at the digimon's question
"Because I didn't want to have to walk a mile only to get into a stinking hot car when we come back later."
The digimon stared at him for a moment with a look of mild disbelief.
"It won't be that hot, will it?"
"Well... I'm not the one covered in fur."
Ren glanced down to his stomach, pensively running a hand through his fur and trying to imagine how hot the car could possibly get.
"...anyway, we'll just put up with it. Come on."
After a short walk, they made it to the centre entrance, where they were greeted with a sign.
Notice to all tamers:
Only rookie digimon or lower permitted
Digimon must be kept under constant supervision
Ren took a moment to read it, before turning to the tamer with a curious look.
"Why are some digimon not permitted, Tamer?"
"Take a guess."
"I... don't know. It seems a bit unfair."
"Come on, Ren. You really want a Greymon stomping through the centre?"
"If it behaved itself."
"I dont think it's a matter of behaviour. Here, let me show you..."
The tamer led Ren inside, where they found themselves in a large atrium. Small shops ran along either side of a central corridor, with mezzanine walkways along the shopfronts. A central void separated the walkways, allowing light from the glass roof down to the lower levels of the centre. Groups of people milled through the centre, with a handful accompanied by smaller digimon.
The tamer gave his partner a smug look.
"...so... still think you want a Greymon in here?"
Once again, the digimon was distracted, staring in disbelief at the structure. The tamer gave him a nudge.
"...Ren?"
"Huh? Oh... I guess not. But... that means they don't get to experience this..."
"Well, yeah. Although it's a bit different for them, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, they're still themselves when they change. Like Gaby, remember?"
"Oh... yes. It's just me that has that problem."
The tamer gave a sigh.
"Come on, don't worry about that now. Let's go find some decorations."
He led Ren to a department store, hoping to keep the digimon's mind off his troubles.
For the most part, his plan worked. Once again, the fox was like a child in a candy store, staring in wonderment at all the new sights. So much so, the tamer almost had to drag him along by the arm so they could get some shopping done.
As they strolled through the store, the tamer started going over his mental list of things to look for.
"...alright, so first thing is to pick a tree... even if it's gonna be fake."
Ren gave him a confused stare.
"Are you meant to get a real one?"
"Well, it's not a rule or anything. Some people just prefer real trees. Like, Mum would always insist on getting a real one. Personally, I don't really see the need. Sure, the smell is kind of nice, but they drop frickin' needles all over the place."
"So, some people grow a tree in their house?"
The tamer gave a laugh before looking at Ren as if he was crazy.
"Nooo, don't be silly. They just go to the farm and pick one out."
"A farm? For trees?"
"Yep."
"Didn't you say Christmas is only once a year?"
"Uh-huh."
"So... what do they do for the rest of the year?"
"Who? Oh, the farmers?"
Ren gave a nod.
"...uh... well, I guess they just focus on growing the trees. Like, they don't just spring up overnight. They're pretty slow growing. Dunno what they do for money. Can't imagine they just rely on the profits from selling trees at Christmas... even if those damn things are really expensive."
As they walked and talked, they came across the section of the store dedicated to Christmas items.
"...ah, here we go."
Ren stared wide-eyed at the various displays, with aisle upon aisle of Christmas paraphernalia laid out.
"This is all just for Christmas?"
"Uh, yeah. Told you it was a big deal."
"But how could anyone need so many decorations?"
"Trust me, people go nuts with this stuff. Hey, we'll have to go for a drive at night. There's some houses in the neighbourhood that go all out with lights and stuff."
The tamer started heading for one of the aisles and Ren followed along, still boggled by the sheer volume of Christmas decorations.
They easily found the aisle with trees. Display models were laid out on the top shelf, with a variety of different boxes on the two shelves below.
The fox examined one of the boxes.
"The trees fit in these boxes?"
The tamer responded without looking at the digimon, bent over and preoccupied with examining the different boxes.
"Yeah, they squash 'em right down. Hmm... looks like most of them come pre-decorated."
He stood back and took a cursory glance along the display.
"...ok, let's see if we can find a plain one."
To start with, Ren simply followed along, leaving the tamer to make the decision.
The tamer quickly came across one display model free from decorations. Glancing between the tree and the boxes beneath, he eventually found the corresponding package and read over the label.
"...wow, 9 foot tall. I don't think we need one that big. That is a massive box."
He looked back to see Ren standing idly and fidgeting. The digimon apparently needed some coaxing to get involved.
"...Ren, can you see any smaller ones that don't come pre-decorated?"
Ren scanned through the display, before pointing out a tree.
"Like this one, Tamer?"
He looked over to see Ren pointing at one of the display models. It was a plain tree, slightly hidden between two large decorated ones.
"Huh. Not bad."
He searched for a product tag.
"...hmm. 7 foot... it's a little big."
He stepped back to browse the rest of the display models.
"...I guess there doesn't seem to be any smaller plain ones. Oh well, this'll do."
He took another look at the tag so he could match it up to one of the boxes on the shelf.
"...uh, ok... I think it's this one."
He grabbed the end of one of the boxes, slowly sliding it out.
"...damn, it's kind of heavy. Gonna need a trolley for this thing."
He got the box out and stood it upright, before glancing back at the shelf.
"...can you see a price anywhere?"
The eagle-eyed digimon pointed back to a tag hiding under one of the boxes on the shelf.
"Is that it, Tamer?"
Real Look Pine Tree 7ft
Only $149.99
The tamer went wide-eyed when he realised the number Ren was pointing to.
"Fuck! A hundred and fifty bucks! Why are they so expensive?"
Ren looked at the tamer curiously.
"Is that a lot of money?"
"Uh, yeah kinda. That's like... almost a day's pay for me."
"Oh. I didn't realise. I..."
The digimon looked away bashfully
"...I never really thought about money. You always looked after it."
"Yeah, well... you don't really need to."
The tamer had a funny thought.
"...I wonder if they let digimon have bank accounts. Anyway, back to the tree..."
He turned his attention back to the box.
"...it's a lot of money, but I guess it does last longer than a real one. Hmm..."
Ren grabbed his attention.
"What about this one?"
The tamer scoffed as he saw Ren pointing at the smallest, saddest tree on the display.
"Ren... we are not getting that piece of crap. Come on. We gotta do it properly."
The tamer patted the box he had pulled off the shelf.
"...we'll get this one, alright?"
He went to lift it again but stopped as he felt the weight, gawking at the effort.
"...if I can find a trolley."
"I can carry it, Tamer."
"Nah, don't worry about it Ren, it's too awkward. I'll just-"
As the tamer was talking, Ren had stepped over and casually lifted the box, easily holding it under one arm.
The tamer just stood blinking, speechless at the feat.
"...jeez, you really are strong. Are you sure you're happy to carry it? Like, it's not too heavy?"
The digimon gave a nonchalant shrug.
"It's fine."
"Sheesh, ok Mr Muscles. Well... let's find some decorations to put on it, then."
The tamer headed for another aisle, with Ren happily following along, unperturbed by the weight of the box.
They browsed through a few aisles for decorations. The tamer picked out a string of LED fairy lights for the tree, but couldn't find any other decorations that suited his fancy, until they came across a particular display.
"...hey, look at this Ren. It's like a pick and mix."
The digimon just stared cluelessly.
"...you know... you pick and mix the ones you want."
"Ohhh. So you can choose exactly which ones to get?"
"Yeah. I think we choose one of these boxes and just fill it up. Here, give me the tree..."
He grabbed the tree, albeit with some difficulty, before using his head to nod towards a stand stacked with colourful boxes.
"...now you can grab one of the boxes and fill it up."
Ren looked to the tamer with a worried expression.
"You want me to choose?"
"Yeah. I mean, that's why you're here... to help choose decorations."
"But what if I choose the wrong ones?"
"You literally can't pick wrong, ok? Just choose whichever ones look nice to you."
The tamer watched with an amused smile as Ren turned back and browsed through the array of decorations, slowly working down the aisle.
However, the smile slowly faded as he realised the digimon was taking the task quite seriously, painstakingly assessing each type of decoration and deliberating between the different styles.
He couldn't help feeling it might've been a mistake to ask Ren to choose. The fox was notoriously bad at making trivial decisions, typically overthinking matters and always seeking to appease the tamer with his choices.
"...you don't have to be too picky, Ren. I'll be happy with anything you choose, ok?"
"But you were being really picky earlier, so I want to make sure to get the best ones."
"I... errr..."
He realised the digimon was right. He'd browsed through several aisles and hadn't found anything he liked. With a sigh, the tamer just shook his head. He left the Christmas tree box balancing on its own, before pulling out his phone to check his online banking.
"Hmm... should be plenty. Lucky I'm still getting paid. Wonder when they're finally gonna call me back to the office. At least I don't have to worry about the end of year party."
He returned his phone to his pocket and looked back to Ren. The digimon was so focussed on finding the perfect decorations, he'd unwittingly gone past the end of the pick and mix section and into another section.
"Uh, Ren? I don't think we can choose those ones."
"Oh? But I found one I like."
The tamer wandered over to see what Ren was looking at, glancing up at the sign above the display as he did.
Waterford
His casual smile slowly faded as he recognized the brand name.
"Aw, shit. Credit card, don't fail me now."
Ren was browsing a miniature tree covered in ornate crystal decorations.
"Which one do you like, Ren?"
The digimon glanced at the tamer, before looking back to the display and pointing out one particular bauble, staring at it in fascination.
"That one."
The fox had picked out a delicate droplet shape, with an intricate pattern in the middle and blue highlights on the top and bottom. A fancy ribbon was secured to a gold cap at the top of the bauble.
The tamer let out an impressed whistle.
"Yeah, it's really nice. It sort of matches your colours, too. But damn, you sure do have expensive taste."
Ren's curious expression faded to something a bit more cautious.
"How much is it?"
Rather than tell the digimon the price, the tamer simply pointed to the sticker on the shelf below.
All Waterford Decorations
Reduced from $219.00 to $174.99
Ren's eyes went wide, but for a different reason this time.
"...it's more expensive than the tree?! But it's so small."
"Well, it is Waterford. That's the good stuff."
The tamer picked up the decoration from the display and took a closer look.
"...it is very nice. I guess we can get one if you really want. Is this definitely the style you want?"
"That... it's too much, Tamer. I can't ask you to pay that."
"I don't mind, Ren. Do you really want it?"
"I... no, I don't need it."
"You sure?"
The digimon gave a solemn nod, shuffling back towards the cheaper decorations with his tail hanging limply.
The tamer took a final glance at the decoration Ren had been eyeballing, before putting it back and moving to join the digimon.
The tamer helped Ren pick out a variety of baubles and other decorations from the pick and mix, and the digimon soon forgot about the premium bauble.
They ended up with a box full of decorations, the fairy lights and the tree. The tamer had even managed to get Ren to choose a star for the top of the tree.
The walk back to the carpark was less leisurely than when they arrived, with both tamer and digimon having their hands rather full. Given the hoard of people at the centre, it seemed trolleys were in short supply.
Whilst he had tried to be a tough guy, the tamer had eventually caved in and asked Ren to carry the tree to the car.
As they approached, the tamer stood at the rear of the car, putting the box and other decorations on the bootlid so he could fumble through his pocket for the car keys. Ren lowered the tree to the ground, before looking to the tamer for guidance.
"What should I do with the tree, Tamer?"
"Just leave it for a sec."
He managed to free his keys from his pocket, pressing the button to unlock the car. Remembering the digimon's earlier comment, he looked over to Ren with a smirk.
"...you wanna test the temperature, Ren?"
The fox's expression quickly turned dubious as he took in the tamer's smirk.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"Oh, no reason. Go on, open up the door."
Still unsure what the tamer was playing at, Ren hesitantly moved to the passenger door and opened it up.
He quickly recoiled from the wave of hot air that erupted from the sealed cabin, grimacing at the heat.
The tamer gave a snort at the reaction.
"...nice and cool, huh?"
Ren glared in response.
"I can't sit in that!"
"Eh, give it a minute. It'll be fine. You're just lucky I don't have leather seats."
Still grinning, he held a button on the key fob. After a short pause, all the windows lowered, speeding up the release of heat.
After letting the car vent for a minute, the tamer got in and started the engine, letting the aircon run.
He left the engine on to cool the interior and returned to the rear of the car, where he grabbed the box of decorations from the bootlid and passed them to Ren.
"...hold these for a sec."
Opening the boot, he cleared some bits and pieces out of the way to make room for the decorations. Taking them back from the digimon, he found space to stow them off to one side.
Ren stared curiously, assessing the boot space.
"Tamer, are you sure the tree will fit?"
"Yeah, we'll make it fit. You wanna give it a try?"
The digimon did as asked, lifting the Christmas tree box and sliding it into the boot. He fiddled for a minute, trying to angle it so it would fit, before giving up and turning to the tamer with a judgemental look.
"It doesn't fit."
"Oh, ye of little faith. Behold my magic seats!"
"Magic seats?"
"It's a Honda thing..."
The tamer moved around to the rear passenger door and lowered the rear seat backs.
Ren stared blankly, expecting something a bit more spectacular.
"Is that it?"
"Yeah, basically."
"But... I didn't see any magic."
"Yeah, it's really just marketing. Not sure if my car actually even has magic seats. Anyway, push that box in and let's make a move."
Even with the back seats folded down, the large box only just fit into the boot. Nonetheless, they got their purchases home, where Ren was once again assigned the heavy lifting.
They assembled their loot in the lounge, laying the christmas tree box down on the floor where the tamer examined how to open it.
"Alright... I think we're gonna need some scissors for all this tape."
Ren held up a clawed finger.
"No need."
"Huh. Well, isn't that just handy dandy. Alright..."
He pointed at the tape running along the length of the box that was holding two flaps closed.
"...I guess start with these flaps."
Carefully, the fox ran his claw along the joint, easily cutting through the tape. He did the same at both ends, freeing the flaps.
The tamer leant over and pulled both flaps open.
"...damn, they went nuts with the plastic."
Inside the box, the tree was tightly bound with what looked like cling wrap.
"...can you lift it out, then I'll get rid of the box."
Ren did as asked, easily lifting the tree out of the box. The tamer slid the box out from underneath, and the digimon laid the tree on the ground.
"Should I cut the plastic off, Tamer?"
"Uh, not yet. I've heard that with these trees, once you take it out, you'll never get it back in. So, I think we should try assemble it while it's all wrapped up. Uh... is there a stand somewhere?"
He took a second look through the box but was unable to find anything.
"...aw, don't tell me it's wrapped up with the tree."
He looked back over to the tree, before rolling it over slightly.
As he did, he spied a plain cardboard box stashed among the branches.
"...come on, who thought that was a good way to package it? Ren, can you slice that out?"
With a nod, Ren went to work on the plastic film. It was a little bit trickier than the tape, stretching as the digimon pulled at it, but eventually the box was freed.
Ren opened it up, pulling out two truss pieces and staring at them curiously. He quickly determined how they fit together, sliding one piece onto the other.
*SNAP*
The digimon's ears pinned back at the loud noise, and he looked to the tamer worriedly.
"Was that meant to happen?"
"Uh, lemme see..."
The tamer took a look at the stand, quickly finding the source of the noise.
"...ah... I think you were meant to remove this screw."
He pointed to a small screw that was sticking out of one of the pieces. With his strength, Ren had unwittingly forced a bit of plastic over the screw, causing it to snap.
"...typical guy, never bothering to read the instructions."
The digimon gave a guilty look to the tamer.
"Sorry..."
"Eh, it's fine. Should still work. Alright..."
He placed the stand in the corner of the room.
"...let's make a tree."
After a quick flick through the poorly worded instructions, they managed to get the tree installed on the stand. Once again, Ren's claws made short work of the plastic and the tree was fully unwrapped.
They spent a while decorating, stringing the lights and then arranging the various baubles. The tamer had decided to let his partner have the honour of putting the star on top.
Standing back, the pair admired their handiwork and the tamer clapped the digimon on the shoulder.
"Nice job. That turned out pretty good, huh?"
"It does look nice."
"Yep. Thanks for suggesting it."
Ren looked away shyly.
"I just thought... it would be nice."
"And you were right."
The tamer let the digimon go, moving over to the couch and sitting down. Ren remained standing, still taking in the tree.
"...so, fully prepared for Christmas now."
The tamer sat for a moment, building himself up to ask something he knew would be troublesome.
"...Ren?"
The digimon turned to regard the tamer.
"Yes?"
"So... I have a favour to ask... and you might not be entirely comfortable with it."
Ren's brow furrowed, and the hesitation was clear in his response.
"What... what does it involve?"
"On Christmas day... would you be willing to digivolve?"
Ren was clearly unhappy with the request, his expression turning sour.
"But... I thought we would spend it together."
"I know, and I do intend to spend time with you. But I want Kiyu and Yuki to be able to as well."
"Tamer... I..."
"I know you're not keen on digivolving. It's just... Christmas is kind of special. I want them to get to experience it, too."
Ren came over and sat down on the couch. The idea was clearly troubling the fox, with a forlorn expression on his face.
"I don't know..."
The tamer gave a sigh.
"Back at the shopping centre, you remember that sign out front?"
"About rookie digimon being allowed in?"
"Yeah, that one. And you thought it was unfair that bigger digimon couldn't come in."
"I... did."
"Well, I feel the same way about Kiyu and Yuki. I mean, isn't it the same thing?"
Ren stared down into his lap with a sullen look.
"I guess."
"I know you don't like feeling like one of them's getting to spend time with me while you're trapped inside. But Yuki told me he feels the same. He hates being trapped too."
He reached over and gave Ren a reassuring squeeze on his thigh.
"...I don't want any of you having to feel like that. But I also don't like this sort of... jealousy towards them. I mean, they're basically like your brothers. You guys should all be cool with each other."
That got the fox's attention, with the digimon slowly turning to regard the tamer with a confused stare.
"My... brothers?"
"Uh... yeah. You know... since you're all sort of related."
The tamer could see the conflict going on in the digimon's head. His gaze had fallen, but his eyes were darting back and forth as he reflected on what the tamer had said.
"I never... I wouldn't have thought of it like that."
"Well... it's a bit more of a positive way to look at it right? I mean, from one perspective, they know better than anyone what you're going through. Would be nice if there was some way you could actually talk to them about stuff..."
"I don't know what I would say."
"You don't need to know. Just... have a think about digivolving. I can't force you to, but I think it would be nice for them to have a chance at Christmas. You know, us all being like a weird sort of family."
The tamer got up and headed for the kitchen.
"...anyway, I think it's time for some food."
Ren remained sitting on the couch, contemplating what the tamer had said.
"Family..."