Alyce looked skeptical. “We have two workingzigs.”
Holly glanced at Sam. “Sam, are there any more we could get up and running?”
Sam took a slow drink of water, set the glass down, and considered the question. “There are two more in the maintenance bay,” he said. “Parts are there. Could get them functional if I pushed my repair bots and put in a few extra hours.”
“In two weeks?” Alyce pressed.
“Functional,” Sam repeated, with emphasis. “Not pretty.”
“Pretty isn’t the priority,” Holly said.
“Good,” Sam said. “Because they won’t be.”
Alyce was not finished. “What about food? We can’t exactly roll out a buffet. The NuProd units produce rations, and I doubt ‘festival-quality dining’ is in their vocabulary. And we’ll have species with different dietary needs. Who knows what might turn up. We can’t serve everyone the same thing.”
Holly had anticipated this, and it was the one area where she didn’t have a clean answer. “I can do some baking and cooking.”
“I can supply teas,” Harry offered. “Hot and iced. Multiple blends. I have varieties that are safe for most known species, and a few that are specifically beneficial for aquatic metabolisms.” He rubbed his hands together. “This is going to be wonderful.”
“The garden has some produce we could use,” Mish added. “Not a lot, since it provides most ofourfood, and we need to eat, too, but enough for simple dishes. Salads. Roasted vegetables. Things that don’t require much equipment.”
Holly nodded, but Alyce was right. It wasn’t enough for a proper event, even a small one. She was turning the problem over in her mind when the lounge door opened.
Rasker walked in. He paused at the threshold, taking in the scene: Holly surrounded by four residents who were clearly in the middle of something. He had not been invited, and he knew it, and he stood there with enough self-awareness to be unsure whether to stay or go.
“Come in,” Holly said. “We’re planning that thing you mentioned.”
He crossed the room and leaned against the counter rather than taking a seat. Outsider’s posture. Present but not presuming. “What thing?”
“A festival,” Harry announced, before Holly could respond. “A grand celebration of everything Moone’s Landing has to offer. Food, music, nature, culture, and,” he gestured toward his own shop, “fungi.”
“It’s a small gathering,” Holly corrected. “Nothing ‘grand.’”
“It’s a festival,” Harry said. “Call it what it is.”
Rasker’s gaze moved from Harry to Holly. The corner of his mouth shifted. “It’s a good idea.”
“It wasyouridea,” Holly said. “We were just discussing the food problem. We don’t have the supplies for a proper spread, and we can’t order more with our current budget. We’re thinking of doing this in two weeks.”
Rasker folded his arms. “As you know, I have a newer NuProd in my room you can borrow. It’s a compact model, but it can replicate a wide range of dishes, and it handles species-specific dietary requirements.” He looked around the room.“If there are visitors with particular needs, it can generate suitable food. As long as we’re not feeding hundreds. It’s not a commercial model, after all.”
A brief silence followed. Holly recognized it. They were not entirely sure how to feel about the man who’d come to buy their home, now offering to help them throw a party in it.
Alyce broke the silence first. “That would actually solve half our problems.”
“More than half,” Mish said quietly.
“I’m offering the equipment,” Rasker said. “No catch. I’ll set it up in the lounge for the day and anyone who needs it can use it.”
Sam studied him for a moment, then nodded once. “Appreciate it.”
“All right,” Holly said, feeling the shape of the event solidify in her mind. “So we have teas from Harry. Baked goods and simple dishes from me and whatever the garden provides. Rasker’s NuProd for everything else. Garden tours from Mish. A forest walk. Harry’s shop open for visitors.”
“The Emporium will want to participate,” Alyce added. “Orba and Sula won’t say so outright, but they’ll have their shop looking like a palace.”
“Music,” Harry said firmly. “We need music. I have a collection of traditional recordings from at least fourteen systems. I can set up speakers in the square.”
“Nothing too loud,” Mish cautioned, rubbing her hands on her pants. “My children are sensitive to certain frequencies.Stars, what am I going to do with them during the festival? Most species find them unsettling at best during these, um, challenging years.”
