Party Planning Party

“Left! Left! No no, that’s too left!! Perfect, now up just a smidge–” 

Calix let out a low growl. He grumbled under his breath. “I’m going to kill that rat.”

Rainbeau shot him a sympathetic look. Prince Peachly, as his name suggested, was quite… picky at times. He had an eye for detail that rivaled none, which was of course why he’d been put in charge of decorating this section, but… Well, it hadn’t been easy on the rest of the team, that was for sure. 

“Stop!! Stop!! It’s Perfect!” 

Finally, the two tacked up the banner and hopped down from the ladders they had been using. Rainbeau watched as Calix padded off, hackled raised, grumbling something about needing a break. He took a second to shake off: it was a hot day, and all the work had been making his soap sweat. But they were closer to done than not! As he looked around, he could see the field was beginning to look like a real festival. It was exciting! 

He hopped towards Peachly. “What should I do next?” 

Peachly– who, for his part, was lounging in the shade of an umbrella– took a moment to glance around. Jonah was cutting out the pamphlets, staring wistfully into space as his hands worked on their own. Neffi was relaxing in the water of the dunk tank: Peachly had long since given up trying to order her around, for his own safety. Other than that, there was only–

Peachly jumped to his paws. “Recovery!” He called out, incensed, “What are you doing?” 

The slug cat, for her part, seemed to have had... a mishap with the streamers. They had been caught in her bandages, somehow, and in the attempt to break free she had only tangled herself further in the mess. Rainbeau was reminded of a bowl of spaghetti.

“I’m okay–!” She called out, but it didn’t seem to be enough for Peachly, who stomped over on his tiny paws. Rainbeau hopped along, a paw step behind him. 

“Will you quit fooling around?! You’re going to get your jelly all over the decor!! And don’t you dare think about ripping those!” 

Rainbeau stepped forward. “Here, I’ll help untangle you. Just sit tight, okay?” 

Recovery visibly relaxed at the offer. An uneven gooey smile spread across her face. “Okay. Thank you, Beau.” 

Peachly watched for a moment as Rainbeau stuck his paws into the mess, making sure he was being adequately gentle with the streamers. Then he sighed, turning and padding back to his precious shade. 

“Just be careful,” he called over his shoulder. “And wash them off when you’re done. Get Neffi to… Nevermind, she’d just shred them.” 

When he was out of earshot, Rainbeau spoke. “He hasn’t been bothering you any, has he? Calix has been really frustrated with him all day.” 

Recovery shook her head– at least, as much as she could while all tied up. “No, he’s okay. He’s just passionate. I can’t be mad at him– I want the festival to go well, too!” 

“Leave it to you to think that way, Recovery,” he said, smiling at her optimism. “Now, let’s get you out of here and then get some water.”