The B and B
"The Opening"
Written By Joshua King a.k.a DJ Kitsune
In Neopia, there is a place where the beds are cozy, breakfast is fresh, and everyone knows your name, but not necessarily your usual order. It is 'Ferny and Hannah's Bed and Breakfast'…
"No, No, NO! 'Hannah and Ferny's Bed and Breakfast'! Your version has no pizzazz!" Hannah said with a wild flailing of her arms.
"And I chose to make you co-owner because…" Ferny started to say as Hannah cut her off.
"You chose me because you don't know a thing about operating a restaurant, much less a bed and breakfast."
"Just remember who's putting up the dough to get this off the ground, ok?" Ferny warned as the front door opened with a flourish.
With a series of huffed breaths and other sounds of exertion, Armin and Kanrik set down a large crate of food. In all, they had brought in two office desks, a refrigerator, a deep-freezer, four boxes of dishes/utensils, and twenty four boxes and crates of food and drinks. They were dead-tired to say the least.
"That is everything, ladies. Balthazar and Captain Scarblade have a few more runs to make and then they'll be back for the grand opening tonight." Kanrik said with an exhausted sigh as he and Armin sat down on two of the bar stools in the foyer.
Hannah and Ferny nodded as they placed several sheets of documents onto a large clipboard. Now they took over with their responsibilities: taking inventory of every last thing that they now had in their bed and breakfast…and putting it all where it was to go. It was now 11 a.m. They had about five hours before Twisted Roses and Sticks 'N' Stones would arrive to set up for the concert that night.
Armin and Kanrik didn't rest for long. Within about ten minutes they were back at it, this time with buckets of bleach water and scrubby pads. Every inch of the massive castle turned restaurant had to be scrubbed clean. The attic upstairs was the only exception because Princess Ferny and Jeran were the only souls in Neopia who could enter that room.
"I'm telling you, Armin. I love the fact that Fernypoo's castle will be able to house so many customers, but the amount of cleaning required to keep it up is going to wear my fingers and knees to the bone!" Kanrik said shaking his head right along with Armin.
Even though they were working at a frantic pace, they knew that Hannah and Ferny would be working just as hard at the mental aspect of the business they were opening that night. Handling the accounting books and the advertising work required to do so was a daunting task. Keeping track of customers, net income, the foods that people would like the most, the schedule of deliveries…Armin and Kanrik couldn't believe that the two ladies were handling the stress so well.
Four p.m. came really quickly for Hannah and Fernypoo. They had finished the inventory and bookkeeping only twenty minutes before and were just now completing the stocking of their massive supplies and equipment. A sudden ring at the door told them that any break in the flurry of their work would have to wait.
Like a stampede of animals, the three ladies of Twisted Roses entered the bed and breakfast with their musical instruments, setup crew, and other equipment. Sticks 'N' Stones followed a few minutes later: the two bands were touring together over the summer.
Despite the quickness of their entry, the two bands soon slowed down and halted when they saw a sight that they had subconsciously deemed impossible: Princess Fernypoo covered from head to toe with sweat and dirt. Even after the war with Jahbal, it seemed that Fernypoo could still shock people with how responsible and mature she had become.
"Girlfriend, you need a bath and quick! Who would've thought that a Princess could get so dirty?" Tyraxa said as she put her drumsticks in one of her dress pockets.
"I can't expect two people to do the work of six or seven people, now can I? I'm much more than royalty these days." Ferny responded as Hannah joined in the conversation.
"And don't I know it? Ferny's either been lifting something, cleaning something, or crunching numbers on the calculator all day! She's been doing more work than me, Armin, and Kanrik put together!" Hannah agreed.
"So you're kinda like Jimmy Browning. 'The hardest working Princess in all Royalty'!" Tyraxa answered as Hannah and Fernypoo laughed.
Suddenly, Princess Fernypoo got a weird grin on her face. Hannah started shaking her head and groaning as Ferny rose up a finger of inspiration. It wasn't long before Tyraxa and the other members of Twisted Roses were talking in private.
Armin and Kanrik were upstairs, but they had seen what had just happened and they came rushing down the stairs to join Hannah in her complete state of shock.
"She's gotten one of her harebrained ideas again, hasn't she?" Armin asked as Hannah violently nodded.
"I swear, if she ruins tonight's grand opening, I'll…" Hannah growled as she shook her fist in the air.
Later that night, at about 6pm…
"Ladies, Gentleman, and Young Ones, I welcome you to the Grand Opening of 'Hannah and Ferny's Bed and Breakfast'!" Kanrik announced to an audience of over four hundred well-dressed Neopians. Among them were King Jazan and his wife Nabile, Princess Amira, Magax, Magnus the Inferno, Jeran, Sophie and her family from Neovia, and Illusen. They were all anxiously anticipating the concert that would kick off a night-long celebration: the first of its' kind in Meridell since the end of the war.
Backstage, Ferny was getting eyed by Armin like she was an angel…an angel in a radiant black dress that is.
"You know, you should really be getting ready to handle the lighting instead of gawking over me like this. It isn't like I've never put on makeup and other stuff before." Ferny chuckled as Armin blinked his eyes heavily.
"I'm sorry; it's just that Hannah never tries to look as pretty as you. Otherwise, I'd probably have my eyes glued to her." Armin replied as Hannah came up behind him.
Armin was whirled around and came face to face with a Hannah completely unlike any he had ever laid his peepers on.
"I'll just leave you two alone. I'm going to be on in a few minutes anyway." Fernypoo said as she shook her head and left.
Out on stage, Sticks 'N' Stones was getting the crowd into a good-hearted frenzy. The mosh pit was alive and kicking; Jazan was currently getting pushed forward with his wife not too far behind. In a couple of minutes, it would be Twisted Roses turn to rock the castle. Ferny couldn't wait.
"And now, live and in living ebony, it is time for the three 'Glam Girls of Goth': Twisted Roses!!" Kanrik yelled as four hundred plus fans put their fists in the air and screamed their heads off. The three ladies bowed for a few minutes: they were always filled with awe and appreciation for their fan support.
"Tonight, we have a special treat for you. You're going to get four girls for the price of three. Joining us to shake the stage is Princess Fernypoo and her Battle Axe of Annihilation!" Tyraxa screamed as Fernypoo jumped out to the stage and belted out a few chords to show the crowd that she could rock too.
"Good show, Princess. Let's kick it up a notch with 'Inner Child'. One…two…one, two, three…" Mylina whispered in Ferny's direction as she grabbed the mike and got ready to sing.
Six songs and one break later, Twisted Roses was bowing to the crowd again with Ferny doing so right along with them. Mylina hushed the crowd after a few more minutes in preparation for something that she and Ferny felt was appropriate in ending the concert.
"Thank you…from the bottom of our hearts. Tonight has been awesome and we were happy to share it with you all, with Hannah and Ferny, with our tour mates Sticks 'N' Stones, and with everyone else that helped make tonight possible. But we want to take a moment to remember someone who has recently passed away…someone who helped pave the way for several kinds of music…someone who gave his life in being 'The Hardest Working Neopian in Show Business'. Tonight, we and Princess Fernypoo are going to perform on of his most famous songs in tribute to his legacy and everything he did to influence us and others. For you, wherever you are, Jimmy Browning: 'Living in Neopia'!" Mylina yelled as the crowd got on their feet in anticipation.
The song was emotional and everyone in the crowd seemed to light a candle during the lengthy, final chorus which ended one of the most memorable nights, and concerts, in the history of Meridell. 'Hannah and Ferny's Bed and Breakfast' was officially a smash hit and the two owners couldn't have been happier. They could only hope that the future of their business would be as successful as their beginning.
