Alien food was terrifying. Some of it was still moving. Or strange colors. Where does one get some fried chicken for Christmas on an alien planet, anyway? Or a cake?

But more importantly, this was the first time he was spending Christmas away from home. And the first one since Philip had come back. Like hell he was going to be anywhere else but with him while they explored this planet together.

While they walked together, even the more decadent attractions of Risa didn't seem to draw him out of his thoughts about what Christmas was the anniversary of, and further, what that mistletoe had set off. Why couldn't he get that off his mind? Sure, the mistletoe had wedged him into situations more uncomfortable than that, but shouldn't kissing his partner be weirder than that? Detectives weren't supposed to enjoy kissing each other. Unless one of them was a voluptuous police detective teaming up with a private dick for a personal grudge to avenge her old partner. Overall, it left him noticeably distracted, but as ever, he was pushing through it.

He wandered past some pink and black striped serpentlike creatures swimming in a tank. They vaguely resembled eels, but with more ribbed fins. He jabbed Philip in the ribs with his finger to get his attention. "Ah, it's Decade," he said with a grin.