The Finest Little Honky Tonk on Skalga [17]

Thank you to u/SpacePaladin15 for the universe and thanks to the other fanfic writers for giving me the inspiration for this little masterpiece of nonsense I have cooked up. Thank you to u/rookamillion and u/Roddcherry for the artwork! Can’t forget, also got an awesome ficnap from u/Heroman3003 and a kickass new ficnap series by u/Thirsha_42

Not to mention, this series has the incredible honor of having an actual written and recorded song for it done by u/AlexWaveDiver and an associated piece of art done by u/RoddCherry !

Thank you to u/Win_Some_Game , u/AlexWaveDiver , and u/rookamillion for proofreading!

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I also made a profile post with a synopsis for all four of my stories and each chapter with individual links to everything! If you haven’t caught up with Honky Tonk in a while or want to read the other series, that’s the place to start!

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Intro: The two lovey-dovey Vens are on Earth now, but they’ve run into quite the unfortunate scene with Ray. I’m sure everyone can guess the fate of Mrs. Oakley by now, but it’s 100% confirmed here.

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Memory Transcription Subject: Halin. Manager for Little Branson. Shocked Beyond Belief.

Date: [Standardized Human Time] March 10, 2138

I read the words carved into the stone. I read them again, then once more just to make sure. Then maybe again to check once more. I feel my heart explode in my chest as I do my best to grab Tiltva’s attention.

“Tiltva, that… that's—"

“That’s who, Halin?”

One last check…

Zoe E. Oakley
Nee Counts
CDR
Nurse Corps
US Navy
Mileau
Aafa
Born August 4, 2108
KIA March 25, 2137
Beloved Wife and Daughter

“Tiltva, that’s… Mrs. Oakley in the grave…”

“W-what? No, no that doesn’t make sense.”

“She died on the last day of the war, on Aafa.”

“H-Halin, we just stalked our boss across the galaxy to his planet, to his hometown, to the grave of his deceased wife as he grieves. W-we have to get out of here or-or-”

Then, on the edge of my focus, I see Thyla’s ears shoot up into the air in her signature eavesdropping pose. Her little nose twitches back and forth in a search pattern as she gets closer and closer to where Tiltva and I are crouched. I tug on Tiltva dress and point with my tail to the small girl about to expose us.

“Tiltva, we’re already found out; might as well just show ourselves.”

“Y-yeah…”

Both of us standing up to our full height, we step out from the hedgerow into the open field next to some other headstones a short distance away from Ray and family. Thyla’s tail goes into a frenzy as I see her recognize Titlva, and she is about to sprint towards us, but the woman with them steps in front of her and stares us down with an actual snarl. Not a smile, a defensive and furious expression.

“You two, who are you? What do you want from us? Why would you… wait, do I know…”

Just then, Ray’s head turns slow and low over towards us, and his eyes slowly blink as he blankly looks between us. He turns back to Mrs. Oakley’s grave and gives a nearly imperceptible wave with his hand.

“Hello Halin, hello Tiltva. Fancy seein’ you two here. Oh… this is my sister Barbara, or we call her Babs. Babs, these are the two Venlil employees I was tellin’ you about. Halin is the tuxedo one in the shirt, hat, and boots; Tiltva is the stripey one in the dress.”

As Babs tilts her head side to side, trying to figure out something from Tiltva and me, Thyla ducks between her legs and starts to sprint towards us at an almost frightening speed.

Oh speh, the lesser gravity has super-boosted her hyperness.

At a ridiculous distance away, Thyla crouches mid-sprint and explodes into the air towards us. The moments crawl by as I watch Tiltva step forward and brace herself for impact, but miraculously she manages to catch Thyla and arrest her momentum with a spin.

Ah, lesser gravity goes both ways. Easier to jump, easier to catch.

As Thyla whines and yips in Tiltva’s hug, I slip away and walk over to Ray under the intense stare of Babs. At his side, he sucks in a labored breath and gives me the slightest side-eye.

“Halin, buddy, mind if I ask why you and Tiltva have found yourselves on Earth, in my hometown, at my local cemetery?”

“I-I… uh, we…”

What can I even say? N-nothing… But I can do something.

I wince as my knees go into a kneel and the boot does its best to assist as I scooch over next to Ray. I open my arms as wide as I can get them as I wrap my whole self around his side and squeeze the very best I can make myself. The world seems to still as he doesn’t even react, but with my head pressed into his shoulder, I feel a tear roll down and onto the edge of my snout. In a flash, he turns and now it’s my turn to be squeezed as he returns the hug with force. 

“I’m sorry, Halin. I really am. For not telling you, or Tiltva, or anyone. I’m an idiot and a liar.”

“Ray, no, no, you’re not. You’re just grieving. Everyone grieves differently.”

“No, it’s very much so not alright, not by any metric. I just skip around all jolly and bright, pretendin’ that it’s all just fine, pretendin’ that Zoe is just a-okay and is inconveniently on Earth for the time bein’. Hah, y-y’know, she was always such an ass with pranks on me. If it weren’t for the open casket, it wouldn’t surprise me even one bit if she were to just jump out with you two from behind that hedge with her classic 'gotcha.' I would be so so so mad… for a single heartbeat.”

I swivel my ears as two sets of footsteps join us by the headstone, and I hear Tiltva wringing her tail in her paws as she shuffles behind me.

“I, uhm, I know exactly how you feel, Ray. I used to go downtown and eat and shop with Dad all of the time. Pretty much every single paw that we had a matching second meal break during work. But now that he’s gone, I still go and just expect to see him there, waiting for me like he always did. I-I see a flash of off-white and turn with my tail already wagging, a-and he’s just not there, and he never will be again.

Ray, however long it takes you to heal, I can promise that Halin and I will be here for you whenever you need us. And more so than just us, I can tell your sister and your daughter love you very much and are full of help for you as well.”

After this very extended hug, Raymond slowly releases me, and I slowly manage to stand back up to see Thyla on the other side of Ray, hugging her dad while Babs rubs circles into his back and Tiltva wipes her eyes with the backs of her paws. The words catch in my throat, but I force myself to speak again.

“Ray, we really are sorry for intruding on your personal time with family on our days off. We just had nothing else to do and thought that we’d come and see just how close Little Branson is to the real Branson. To be clear, they are very similar. You live in a really lovely place. That said, we are again sorry for intruding, and if you don’t mind, Tiltva and I will just go now and-”

“No, it doesn’t work that way.”

“I-Uh, excuse me?”

“Halin, you’ve already paid for and taken the flight here; there’s absolutely zero reason for you two to run away now, as you’ve intruded about the maximum that someone can intrude, and going away isn’t gonna make a difference.”

“Oh, we’re fired for real this time, aren’t we?”

“Hmmm, that depends on how you react to Mom's cooking. Thyla, call Grandma and tell her to make another two meals of sides like you eat, less dairy though.”

"Okay, Dad!”

I reach down and help Ray as he puts his hat on and stands back up. He gives the knees of his pants a few swipes and about-faces to start walking back towards the cemetery entrance. He, Babs, and Thyla walk in front as Tiltva and I bring up the rear and follow. I look up at Babs and catch myself on bad manners, as neither Tiltva nor I properly introduced ourselves.

“Oh, Babs, my name is Halin and this is my, uhm, fiancee, Tiltva. I’ve been working with Ray as the assistant manager, and Tiltva has been singing with the band.”

Tiltva and I both give meek waves as she looks back with a strained smile and turns back to walking.

“Tiltva, I’ve seen a few of your singin’ practices. You really do have a wonderful voice. Ray is very blessed that you just happened to come in that day.”

Tiltva’s face flashes orange as she ducks her head down in bloom.

“Thank you. I used to always hate my voice before working there.”

“Hate your own voice?”

“It’s really deep and masculine; pups used to make fun of me all the time for it in school.”

“Ah, to hell with them; your voice is damn near perfect. Oh, oh, actually, can you sing just a verse or two right now?”

“Y-yeah, sure.

They baptized Jesse Taylor in Cedar Creek last Sunday
Jesus gained a soul
And Satan lost a good right arm
They all cried hallelujah
When Jesse's head went under
Cause this time he went under for the Lord”

Babs nearly dances in place as her feet pitter-patter while she squeals in delight, and I even catch Ray looking back with a genuine smile.

“Eeeeee- you really do sound exactly like Tanya Tucker! Wild, just wild. Southern accent and everythin’!”

Tiltva somehow blushes a brighter orange than she was already with a quiet thank you as we come to a stop at the gated entrance to a garden of a house not all too much smaller than Mom and Dad’s. Babs walks up to the gate, unlocks it, and it swings right open for her. Tiltva and I start to step towards it, but Ray and Thyla don’t move even a step. I glance back and forth in confusion before Ray’s eyes widen a bit and he clarifies.

“Oh, sorry you two, this isn’t my parent’s house; this is Babs’s house.”

“So we’re not going inside?”

Babs smiles down at us as the gate swings closed between her and the four of us on the sidewalk.

“Not unless you really need to use the restroom. I’m goin’ in and headin’ to girl’s night in town as hubby is still on his boy’s ski trip, so I won’t be joinin’ you all at Mom and Dad’s. It was a pleasure to meet you both in person; enjoy dinner!”

As Babs heads inside, I look up to Ray, who is checking something on his pad while giving us a glance back every few moments.

“Ray, is your parent’s house close?”

“What? Oh, no, a cab will be here in just a bit.”

Sure enough, almost as soon as he says it, an empty car drives around the street corner and stops right in front of us. Ray holds the door open as we all pile in before him. Once he’s in, the cab streaks down the street and joins a much less populated road. The car twists and winds through the woods as Thyla quietly babbles to Ray about something as I just watch Tiltva staring out the window at the passing scenery. The car slows in the middle of the road and turns to a large metal gate between two brick posts. Ray reaches out the window and flashes his pad to a standalone pole, and the gate slides open to an old and worn pavement path barely a single car wide. 

The car carefully navigates up the climbing path until the lane brings us to a clearing where three large buildings are placed in a circle with a long field behind them going deep into the valley. I catch sight of a large creature eating grass in the field, but the car turns in the circle before I can get a better view. Instead I focus on the three buildings of the circle drive: one big house with a wrap-around porch, one big garage, and then another taller garage with open-walled covered sections on the sides.

The exact scratch that the car stops, Thyla nearly kicks the door open and bounces away from the cab up to the steps of the house. She clears the steps faster than a flash of light, but even then, she’s not fast enough to open the door on her own, as instead it opens to an older human woman just as Tiltva and I are getting out of the car. She narrows her eyes, but then a small smile tugs her lips up as she calls out to us and Ray as the cab is pulling back down the lane.

“Well, well, now this must be the famous Tiltva and Halin that I’ve heard so, so much about! Welcome to the Oakley farm! My name is Ginny, and I’m Barbara’s and Raymond’s mother.”

“Nice to meet you, Ginny. my name is Halin and this is-”

Before I can finish, a blur of white zips out from the side of Ginny’s legs and briefly jumps up in the air in front of Thyla but then turns its full attention towards us. Two bright blue predator eyes stare right at us and never break their lock as the creature charges towards us with its fang-filled mouth open, ready for dinner. I squeal as I try to step in front of Tiltva to get taken first, but as it’s about to launch for a fatal strike, Ray jumps forward and stops it by grabbing it by the… collar?

“Woah now, be kind to our guests, you crazy lil thin’. Sorry about that, you two. This is Snowcone, our family Arctic Lurchin’ Fox. She’s very sweet and safe, despite how I know she looks to you guys. Just put the back of your hands out, and I’ll ease her forward to get a sniff of you both because that’s how she greets and recognizes people.”

I slightly shuffle my feet on the ground and crouch down with my paw extended out, and Tiltva does the same beside me. Ray, still holding tight to the collar, lets Snowcone creep forward, and sure enough, it she smells our hands as her tail starts to furiously wag. Tiltva and I step back to let Snowcone calm down, but Thyla runs back down the stairs and wraps her arms around Snowcone’s neck and face, who promptly licks all over Thyla’s face as she giggles.

“See Tiltva? Snowcone is a good girl! I was scared of her too, but she’s my friend now!”

Just Tiltva? Dang it, Thyla.

Thyla and Snowcone circle around each other as they go back up the stairs to the waiting Ginny and Ray; Tiltva and I follow up and in through the front door of the house. Ginny closes the door behind us, and I follow Ray’s example as I also take my boots off by the door, but Ginny puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Oh, Halin honey, Ray’s told me all about your mobility boot; you can leave that on if you need it to not walk in pain.”

"No, no, it’s fine; the gravity is so much less here; it should be fine.”

Only kind of lying, I take the boot off and manage to barely limp as I follow everyone else deeper into the house. We enter what I quickly recognize as a kitchen very similar to Ray’s as I see pots and pans on the stove and counter. I take a tasting breath and let my tail swish at the wonderfully thick air. From a side doorway to the kitchen, a human man that looks like Ray but is Ginny’s age steps out and nearly jumps back in a startle.

“Oh shit!”

Thyla turns right on the man as soon as he shouts.

“Grandpa! We agreed, You can’t curse if I can’t!”

The man pulls his hair back over in his head with a solemn nod.

“Right, right, sorry Thyla, I’d just have liked a bit more of a heads-up that we were havin’ guests, let alone alien guests.”

Ray turns his hands up with a huff as he looks frustratedly back between Thyla and Ginny.

“Neither of you two bothered to tell Dad that Halin and Tiltva were comin’ with us?”

Thyla turns and plants her paws on her hips with her tail stuck back.

“Dad, you could’ve told Grandpa yourself!”

“I, uh, yeah, got me there, whatever… Mom, is dinner about ready?”

“Sure is, but is anyone goin’ to introduce Scott to Halina and Tiltva?”

Ray closes his eyes and bobs his head as he points his hand to his dad and then back to us.

“Dad, these are my employees Tiltva and Halin. Tiltva, Halin, this is my father Scott.”

Scott reaches his hand out, and Tiltva and I both shake it, as learned from Ray, and Scott also smiles happily at us.

“Nice to meet you two! Halin, congrats on the contracts! Tiltva, I’m sure it’s been said already, but it can’t be said enough: you have a wonderful voice! Introductions finished, I hope I’m not the only one hungry?”

Ginny, Ray, and Thyla answer as one.

“Nope.”

Scotts nods his head in approval as he starts to pick up a tray off the counter and bring it towards a table visible in an adjoining room.

“Good, let’s get the table set.”

Tiltva and I are ushered into seats as the rest of the family brings over the pots and trays of food and sets them on the center of the long table. Soon, we all have glasses of water and empty plates in front of us. The humans and Thyla say a quick prayer and then start to grab scoops of food from the center, but something seems to click as Ray notices Tiltva and me not moving.

“Oh, right, which food can you eat? I mean, you can eat pretty much everythin’ aside from the hash brown casserole; too much dairy for your bellies. The rest of it is Italian salad, fresh bread, roasted garlic, steamed brocoli, mashed potatoes, and tuna casserole. Tuna casserole is real meat tuna, but it should be fine for you; maybe a bit too high in dairy, but I still recommend a bite.”

Being a bit jealous of Thyla’s dairy tolerance as she takes a scoop of everything, I instead just follow Tiltva’s lead as I grab the scoops for my dishes. The dinner seems to fly by as I realize just how hungry I was, and none of us really speak as we scarf down the food in front of us. Feeling way too stuffed, my stomach finally screams at me to stop eating, and the humans begin to get up out of their chairs, and Tiltva and I try our best to follow them to their feet. Ginny collects her plate and utensils as she walks to the kitchen, calling back at us over her shoulder.

“I’ll make us all some after-dinner drinks if the rest of you would be so kind as to load the dishwasher and put away the little bit of leftovers."

More than a fair trade for such a good meal.

Clean-up is a breeze with five people working on it, and as soon as everything is put away, I follow the Oakleys back through the house. Snowcone slinks back to us from wherever she had been during dinner as we enter the living room, and Ginny greets us with small cocktails, and as she and Scott take the large couch and Ray takes one armchair, Tiltva and I squeeze side-by-side into the other armchair as Thyla instead flops to the floor and begins playing with Snowcone and a rope-like toy.

With a deep draw of the drink for courage, I then take a deep breath and look to Ray to ask what’s been bugging me since I found out.

“Ray, so how did-”

“Zoe was shot and killed instantly when the field hospital she was at was ambushed and attacked in the last few hours of the war. That’s that. My best friend, my best friend ever since Babs brought her here for a sleepover when we were just kids. She’s gone.”

All brightness and cheer in the room is instantly drained as even Thyla and Snowcone stop their play to look over at Ray. Thyla gets up off the floor and crawls into the laps of Ginny and Scott, who scratch and poke and kiss her while still minding Ray. My held breath is slightly released as I try to say the only thing I can think of.

“Ray, we truly are sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you…”

As Thyla is still getting loved on and Ray’s chin is sinking into his hand, Scott looks up at us and smacks his lips as he asks Tiltva and I some questions.

“So, what brings you two here to Earth?”

“Impulsive trip. Decided on it on a whim because we were bored, and even then, we only came because an old contact of mine had seats available on a flight.”

“Completely unplanned?”

“Entirely, though we have been wanting to come visit at some point. I think it’s your cold season, but it really does look a lot like Mirror Lake District around here.”

Ginny nods, and her eyes drift to Tiltva next to me.

"Oh, that’s nice to hear. Ray and Thyla both say the same thing, but you know, neither Scott nor I have ever made the trip to Skalga. We will one of these days, though. About Skalga, how have you two been likin’ Little Branson? Is Raymond a good enough boss to you both?”

Tiltva pipes up as I nod in agreement to Ray being awesome.

“Oh, it really has been wonderful working for Ray. You have nothing to worry about there. I’ll speak for Halin and myself when I say that our lives were falling apart when Ray hired us. He’d gotten fired from his job, and my company shut down, but we remembered when we had visited Little Branson for Halin’s birthday celebration, Ray had offered both of us a job if I would sing in the band.”

Ginny almost bounces her knees but stops herself as Thyla sleepily turns over in her lap. However, she still leans forward with excitement.

"Yes, yes, the singin’. Could you sing a bit for us?”

I settle back into the chair and give my full attention to Tiltva and so does the rest of the room, including the slightly happier-looking Ray and very heavy-eyed Thyla.

"You leaned close to ask me

If my drink had gone too warm

But I was too far gone already

In the quiet of your warmth…-”

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Ginny and Scott very lightly clap as Thyla is well asleep now, and Scott is the first to speak, now in a slight whisper.

“That was beautiful, Tiltva, but I don’t think I recognize the song."

“Oh, it’s not a human song; it’s a love confession song I wrote for Halin. With Ray and the band’s help, of course.”

“No way? Halin, you’re a lucky man to have a woman write such a touchin’ song for you.”

I lean over and give a big nuzzle into the side of Tiltva’s snout as her eyes stare back at me with an infectious look.

“Lucky isn’t nearly strong enough of a word.”

Feeling a sudden pang of guilt for flaunting my love for Tiltva in front of Ray, I turn my attention to him, but his smile doesn’t falter even a little bit. Instead, he stands up as Snowcone on the floor stretches herself out with a groan. He takes a few steps over to sleeping Thyla and scoops her up into his arms as he turns back to us.

“Welp, I think that it’s bedtime for me and the girl. See you all in the mornin’.”

Ginny waves him away with a ‘goodnight’ and turns to Tiltva and me in the chair.

“It’s about our bedtime as well; I’ll show you two to your room. Should be mostly set for guests, but if you need anythin’ at all, let us know.”

We follow her as she leads us up the stairs, down a short hall, and opens a door to a spacious room with an absolutely massive bed and a large window looking out into the woods.

“Here’s your room; the bathroom is attached, and through that door there, heat and AC is controlled on the wall. Ray and Thyla say there are a lot more critter noises here than on Skalga, so if you hear anythin’ makin’ sounds outside, don’t worry about it. Goodnight, and again, come get us if you need anythin’!”

“Goodnight, thank you, Ginny!”

Alone inside the room, I take a closer look around, but my attention is quickly swallowed up by the movement of a dress to my side. I stop myself to watch as Tiltva lets the dress slip down her shoulder, and she flicks it off with her tail and climbs right into bed under the covers. I slip off my shirt and set my hat on the bedside table before crawling into bed on my side.

In bed, I can’t stop myself from giggling as Tiltva and I are comically far apart in this massive bed. We both do our best to scooch closer and closer until we are on our sides facing each other. Her ears look like she wants to say something, but I reach out and pull her into me as tight as I can manage, and she slowly exhales into my neck.

“It’s crazy how tough Ray is…”

“Hmmm, what do you mean, Halin?”

“I mean, he lost his wife, his best friend, and yet he still is somehow able to get up and live life. Not only that, but live his life with a small bit of joy. I-If I ever lost you… I-I…”

My throat cuts off my words as it closes up, and my eyes start to water into the fur on the top of her head. She buries herself further into me as I still can’t find any words to continue.

“I love you so much, Halin.”

“I love you more than that.”

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