"Well... Merry Christmas?" Mia said weakly, holding up a mug of hot chocolate as she slumped onto the couch.
Annie gave her a long, unimpressed look, crossing her arms. "Mia, Christmas is supposed to be with friends. Emma's in space doing who knows what, and Blackie is sulking in the corner because he didn't get the special tuna he wanted."
Blackie, perched on the armrest of the couch, flicked his tail in annoyance. "I can hear you, you know. And yes, I am sulking. Christmas without premium tuna is hardly Christmas at all."
Mia sighed. "Want to... open gifts?" She gestured to the small pile of presents under the tree, their colorful wrapping paper reflecting the soft glow of the fairy lights.
"What's the point?" Annie said, throwing herself onto the chair across from Mia. "Emma's the one who gets overly excited about presents, and she's... probably skiing on a comet or something."
Just as she finished, Mia's phone buzzed on the coffee table. Both girls exchanged a knowing glance before Mia picked it up.
"Speak of the devil," Mia muttered before answering. "Emma, where are you now?"
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Emma's voice rang out, so loud that even Blackie flinched.
"Where are you?" Annie demanded, leaning closer to the phone.
"Guess what? I found a planet made entirely of snow!" Emma exclaimed. "I'm calling it 'Wintertopia,' and it's got snowflakes the size of dinner plates! Oh, and the penguins here? Adorable!"
"Penguins?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup! Space penguins. They're kind of blue and glow a little. Super friendly though-they even gave me a scarf made of stardust. It's so sparkly!"
Annie pinched the bridge of her nose. "Emma, why are you out there doing this on Christmas? You should be here!"
"I was gonna come back," Emma said defensively, "but then I got distracted. Oh! And I built a snowman that's taller than a skyscraper! I named him Frost Giant Fred. He's my new holiday buddy."
Blackie sighed dramatically. "Even the penguins get stardust scarves, and I get nothing."
Mia groaned. "Emma, are you at least coming back today?"
"Of course!" Emma said brightly. "Well, maybe. Probably. I just need to figure out how to get the penguins to stop following me-they keep waddling onto the ship."
"You better hurry," Annie said, her voice full of exasperation. "We saved you some cookies. But if you're not back soon, Blackie's getting your share."
Emma gasped. "No! Tell Blackie to keep his paws off my cookies!"
"Too late," Blackie said smugly, licking his paw.
Mia sighed again, shaking her head. "Just get back here, Emma."
"On it!" Emma chirped. "See you soon!"
The call ended, leaving the room in silence.
"Well," Annie said, slumping back in her chair, "guess we'll see her next Christmas."
"Or sooner," Blackie muttered, "if the penguins revolt and kick her out of Wintertopia."
Mia sighed, finally getting up from the couch and heading to the kitchen. She returned a moment later with a small can of premium tuna in her hand. "Alright, Blackie. Since it's Christmas, you win."
Blackie's ears perked up instantly, and he hopped off the armrest, tail swishing excitedly. "You mean it? The good tuna?"
Mia chuckled, kneeling down to open the can. "Merry Christmas, you spoiled furball."
