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”Shin, this anime is very violent.”

”Mhm”

A few minutes later.

”Oh goodness, she just said the eff word again.”

”Mhm.”

Another few minutes, ”Oh my…did she really just call him a…”

”Yup.”

Finally, ”I don’t think what she just said is physically possible…”

It was nearing 3 am and Shin and Kealey had just started watching a new anime. It worked well that they were on Thanksgiving break, because Shin was having a sleepless night and Kealey had joined him by proxy. It’s kind of how it worked when you got to share your boyfriend’s emotions. Kealey didn’t mind though, Shin always had ideas of things to pass the time. This one was particularly interesting, and despite her protestations the blond was absolutely fascinated by what was happening on the screen. She hadn’t known that cartoons talked that way. The animes they usually watched were cute and funny, with sometimes intense moments…but this…this was a whole new level.

The concept was easy enough…business man gets intercepted by pirates…ends up joining the pirates. The pirates were the crazy part though…at least at first…and one of them was a girl. A real hard-nosed, go-getter type of girl. She drank real liquor, not beer, and she cursed like the sailor she was. Secretly, Kealey was impressed. She tried to imagine herself in such a role and failed, snuggling closer against Shin with a slight giggle. He was so patient with her rambling…and everything. She smiled.

Then, she spontaneously burst into tears. Horrible tears. Not happy tears, either, real…horrible…awful…tears. The emotions had come out of left field and shattered the happy, awe filled, comfortable moment she’d been enjoying. She couldn’t stop it though…not now that it had started in earnest. It was Kealey’s least favorite situation…knowing her emotions were there, trapped in their own little bubble while someone else’s ran completely rampant with her.

”I…don’t….know…what’s wrong….” she gasped between hiccups and small sobs. ”But someone is…is…really upset….”

Running hands through blond curls, the empathy tried to take a deep breath and calm herself, but failed, there was simply too much misery…and now there was more on top of it…from another source. ”It’s…re-really bad….and I can’t make it stop…”

"Help?"

Oh lord. This was really starting to get bad. The newcomers bustled in, and even though Kealey was pleased to see that it was Ghost and Sebastian and not someone unused to her strange behavior, it was still embarrassing to be sitting at a dinner table and crying. This was supposed to be a happy occasion!
Aurum directed everything like a finely tuned orchestra, and soon they were all settled around the table and ready to eat. By this point, Kealey had managed to pull herself together at least a little...at least until Aurum announced that after they prayed, they were all going to say what they were thankful for. That meant…more thankful feelings. Kealey gulped, she was going to hold it together. She took a deep breath. Aurum gave thanks, and then it was on to the hard part.

Shin spoke quickly, and Kealey had to smile (a little tearily) at the way he said his piece. Her mind frantically rambled though, trying to find the words to put to the feelings inside her. There were so many, and they were so…so…she had it. It was her turn now, and Kealey smiled in turn at everyone at the table with her. When she spoke, her voice only quivered a little, smile still firmly in place.

”I’m doing two….because well…I want to.” she announced, then smiled and continued ”I’m thankful for everything I have here…who would have thought that home would be so far away from where I was born?” That was the first…as to the second, ”And I’m thankful that I get to share all these feelings with you all. I don’t want to start crying again…but you can’t imagine how it feels to be surrounded by this much good feeling…” she sniffled, dangerously close to tears again. ”So yeah…that’s it.”

Ghost got it. Ghost got it better than she should have. Kealey was the one who was supposed to know emotions here. She was the empath! How was it that the people closest to her always seemed to be able to read her emotions even more clearly than she read theirs? It was something she’d have to figure out. For now, though, she listened.

Ghost talked, saying things that Keaeley suddenly felt like she should have already known. They were still nice to hear though. He looked a certain way when she wasn’t there? Kealey reminded herself to bring that up at some point…or maybe sneak a peek. She wasn’t jealous of the bond Ghost claimed to have. It wasn’t in Kealey’s nature to be jealous like that, plus she was glad. People needed people, and Kealey wasn’t arrogant enough to believe she was all Shin needed. The insight was good.

She dropped her head and looked at the notebook, suddenly embarrassed.

”I know…It’s not that. Don’t forget, I know how he feels.” she said, tracing the things she’d drawn on the notebook paper with her finger, ”Sometimes it’s hard not to let the ‘what ifs’ get a food hold though…has that ever happened to you?” Kealey hoped so…somehow it would be better. Ghost, who was so serene and so…ethereal…if she had doubts sometimes, maybe everyone did.

As to Japanese liking blonds, Kealey simply had to laugh and smile a slightly knowing little smirk. "They sure do, don't they?"

Kealey didn’t pry anymore about Jude. Ghost was his mother, regardless of the fact that he’d only joined the family recently. ”Well, he’s a wonderful little guy. Let me know if you ever need someone to stay with him. It’s the least I could do.” Jude was probably nearly old enough to not need a babysitter, but Kealey thought they’d get along well.

Ghost spoke and Kealey listened, copying down anything she could manage while the other woman spoke. The vowels seemed to be the same and Kealey watched raptly as Ghost pointed each one out and copied them down. Kealey traced them twice into her notebook. Those were easy enough…and a consonant syllable simply got added. Vowels always sounded the same.

At least the concept was simple. Kealey avoided thinking about the fact that there were probably hundreds of millions of words in the language. When she did that, she started to panic.

Ghost asked what Kealey needed to know specifically, and Kealey took a deep breath, letting it out and dissolving into helpless giggles.

”Besides, ‘I don’t speak Japanese?" she said, then looked back at the notebook page that was already filling up with notes.

”Maybe we should start with, ‘hello’ or ‘it’s nice to meet you.’ Something simple and polite? Maybe how to find a bathroom? You know, the important things.”

Happy, happy, happy. Kealey wondered how much happy a person could be expected to handle. Was that the point of a holiday like this? Christmas had always been a happy affair when she’d been young, but it had also been a serious religious holiday. The same with Easter and any of the Saint’s days they’d been able to celebrate. This felt different somehow. Then again, Kealey hadn’t been able to feel all the emotions at that point. Maybe this was why people went so crazy about holidays.

Kealey realized she was staring at Shin and smiled, just as Aurum’s sister commented that her brother needed some help carrying food to the table. It didn’t take long for the decision to be made and the stampede to take place. Aurum’s food was worth it. Seriously. Shin got the turkey, and Kealey was so busy following the sight and smell of the meat with her eyes that she nearly dropped the green bean casserole when it was deposited in her arms.

The bowl was heavy, but Kealey managed it just fine, setting it on the table before returning to her seat next to Shin. Aurum followed, as well as Ami, then when they were all seated and people were starting to dig into food, it was announced that it was time to give thanks.

Aurum was right. Kealey was suddenly glad that she hadn’t started dishing or eating. She looked around the table at each person in turn. Everyone was so happy, so content, so…good. Uh oh. Too many good feelings were almost as bad as too many bad feelings sometimes and….

Kealey burst into tears. Happy tears…but tears all the same.

”I’m sorry….” she said between sniffles, smile firmly on her face in spite of the tears welling and rolling. ”I’m just so happy…and everyone is so happy…”

She sniffled, ”This is a wonderful holiday. I’m thankful for…for…too much to even explain right now.” She was looking at Shin while she said it, but quickly swung her eyes to Aurum and Ami, ”So…yeah.”

Then there was knocking, and voices, and Kealey recognized them. A teary giggle escaped her as the door opened, ”Happy Thanksgiving!”

When Kealey had grown up there hadn’t been talk of pilgrams and Indians. No hand-turkeys, no school plays about sharing food and learning how to plant corn. Thanksgiving was an American holiday, and Kealey wasn’t American. She’d been in the States for a few years now, and was still shocked with the vigor with which holidays were celebrated. It made her smile. People were different this time of year, even in New York.

To be honest, she and Shin hadn’t even talked about celebrating Thanksgiving. They’d heard about the dinner being served that night at the Mansion and had tossed around the idea of going, but it hadn’t been a priority. Then Aurum had offered to cook.

Aurum offering to cook made Thanksgiving into something else entirely. Kealey still didn’t completely understand, she didn’t know if she could. She just knew that it was important for Aurum to make a feast and that he’d asked her if he could use her kitchen to do it. Kealey had immediately accepted, likening it to a master musician asking to borrow your instrument. Aurum could cook. Aurum could really cook. They’d spent the day before preparing, Aurum in the kitchen, Kealey in the rest of the apartment. Shin had helped when he could, and everything had really come together.

The space was small, but there weren’t all that many of them. Furniture had been moved, tables had been set up, and with all the table cloths on top of them, they looked like one huge table. Kealey had whipped together some appropriate center pieces, and now they sat and waited. Kealey looked up and down the set up, maybe it was too big, too much, but it was their first real Thanksgiving.

Food was close. Kealey could smell it. Aurum’s sister had shown up, and Kealey couldn’t have been happier. This was going to be great. She smiled at Shin, they’d both been forced out of the kitchen after they’d hovered too much. There were potatoes, and turkey, and rolls, and pies, and green bean casserole. Things that Kealey hadn’t eaten before, but things that looked so good she couldn’t wait to try them. The emotions in the room were high with anticipation, eagerness, happiness. This was already a great day.

”This is going to be so awesome.” she said, grinning at Shin, ”So. Awesome. I think Thanksgiving is a great holiday.”

Ami came out the door with food, and Kealey actually squirmed in her seat.

”So awesome.”

”Hello Ghost!” Kealey had to smile when the other woman opened the door. She knew that Ghost’s real name was Maya, but for some reason ‘Ghost’ seemed so much more natural. The apartment was so much different from the one that Kealey lived in just down the hall and she took a moment looking around.

Ghost and Sebastian’s son sat at a table, working on what appeared to be homework and the entire thing emanated such an intense emotional aura of comfort that Kealey had to let out a happy little sigh. She could see a little pot of tea on the table, and when Ghost offered Kealey said that she would indeed love a cup of tea when it was ready. Tea was a helpful study aide.

Kealey came further into the apartment, shedding her coat and hat and making her way to the table where Ghost had set everything up. The pale woman bemoaned her lack of teaching materials and Kealey shook her head, turning a grateful look in her direction. ”No no, anything you can do to help will be so appreciated.” Kealey took a deep breath and let it out.

”I don’t know anything about Japan…or meeting parents.” Kealey may have paled a little. ”So yes…any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. As far as Kappas are concerned…I only know what I learned in Harry Potter. ”