The B and B

The Hour of Decision

Written By Joshua King

Hannah Hawthorne walked into The Golden Sun with only one thing in mind: getting exactly what she wanted. Some would say that her attitude was self-serving but for her it was a matter of self-preservation. She needed the restaurant to be as successful as possible and there was only one way, in her mind, to make that happen.

After being shown to a table in the back of the restaurant, Hannah and Ferny embraced each other and, as Jeran waved goodbye to them, started to look at their menus. As this was one of their favorite places to eat it didn't take either of them long to decide what they wanted and, after they gave the menus back to the waitress, they got down to brass tacks.

"Do you still think we should franchise the bed and breakfast?" Ferny asked suddenly which took Hannah back a bit. She hadn't expected Ferny to be so direct so soon but she nodded with an air of confidence as Ferny took a sip from her cup of steaming tea.

"Then I'd say we have a severe conflict of interest...one which we're going to have to resolve before either one of us leaves this room. One thing I won't stand is having a house divided against itself. We're either going to have to come to a compromise or..."

"...or what? Don't even say what I think you're going to say! I've put in too much time, sweat, and dedication! This is my job, my means of income, my life we're talking about here!" Hannah ranted as Ferny begged her to calm down. The irony of the present Ferny versus the former Ferny wasn't lost on Hannah as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"It's the truth, Hannah. Now I've thought about this long and hard and I've decided that doing some advertisements on television might not be such a bad idea after all...but done in a manner which is still down to earth. I can't betray the customers that our restaurant is founded on by trying to create an empire."

"I'm not asking for an empire, Ferny. A fiefdom, maybe, but not an empire. You act as if I want to take over Neopia with bed and breakfasts in the manner of a conquering general." Hannah said sarcastically as Ferny did her best to keep her cool.

"You might not be asking for it but in the minds of our faithful patrons that's exactly what we'll be trying to do...they already have to wait weeks for a seat at The Kelp and The Golden Dubloon won't take neopoints or neocash. I don't want our business becoming the same thing: an exclusive inn that only the most faithful can patron."

Before Hannah could respond with another rebuttal their food arrived. Calling an unspoken timeout, Hannah and Ferny started eating and almost forgot that they were having a heated argument. Getting a refill on her tea, Ferny's mind was in turbo mode as she tried to come up with some way to satisfy Hannah's insatiable desires without compromising her principles. She was still drawing a blank as Hannah fired off another mortar round.

"You're failing to realize the fact that we're already becoming a franchise. What do you call our sister restaurant in the Lost Desert? For the love of...Kanrik and Mariko are bringing in more profits than we are each month!"

"The Lost Desert also has a thriving tourist economy and Qasala is quickly becoming as big a metropolis as Sakhmet. Meridell has never been known for having a lot of visitors especially in the summer." Ferny quietly replied as Hannah came close to tearing at her hair.

"I swear...you can't see the forest for the trees!"

With this final jab, Ferny decided that she'd just about had enough. She'd tried to be reasonable, tried to come to a compromise, but Hannah wouldn't budge. It was as if Hannah had turned into what she'd been almost a decade ago...a spoilt brat who wanted everything her way or nothing at all. So she did something she hoped she'd never regret...she grabbed Hannah by the shirt and jerked her forward so their heads made contact.

"Here's the deal: I've tried to reason with you but now you're making this personal. Since that's how you want to play your hand I'm going to get real personal and straight to the point. We're not franchising beyond the two bed and breakfasts we have at this time. End of story. If you don't like it then make sure the door doesn't hit you on the way out to the unemployment line. Got me?" Ferny warned as she let go of Hannah's shirt and allowed Hannah to fall back into her seat.

Leaving as gracefully as she came in, Ferny left the restaurant and casually walked towards the Imperial Palace for the first of several meetings with other royalty over the course of the weekend. On the way, she called both of the bed and breakfasts and checked up on them spending considerable time on her cellphone with Armin and Anastasia. The Meridell Fireworks Competition was that same weekend and Ferny expected a rush of customers and wanted to ensure that they could handle the extra workload.

Hannah, meanwhile, was still in The Golden Sun in a state of shock. She'd been handed an abrupt ultimatum and it was now or never as far as she was concerned. For weeks and weeks a battle plan had been forming in the deep recesses of her mind to take control of the bed and breakfasts. But the only question was...would she act on it?

In her heart she was still loyal to Ferny and a part of her wanted to simply cut her losses and believe in the philosophy that her business partner was clinging to. On the other hand, she had been and always would be a treasure hunter and she couldn't help but see the bed and breakfasts as being like a rare jewel all hers for the taking.

Making her own cellphone call, Hannah made an important and decisive decision. She would inevitably go down with the ship if her idea failed but she saw it as a calculated but richly rewarding risk. It would be better than taking over the bed and breakfasts, while Ferny was preoccupied with her royal engagements, as she didn't have the heart to betray someone who was such a close friend. And, as another plus, she and Ferny would have no more reason to argue...

Meanwhile, on the way to the Imperial Palace...

Ferny couldn't help but enjoy the breezes blowing by her as she drew ever closer to the Imperial Palace. Already she'd passed by her half-sister Princess Amira who was traveling in a specially-made cart being carried by four muscular Grundos. They waved to each other and Ferny could hear Amira's trademark huff as she whisked on by. What surprised her was that King Jazan and Queen Nabile hadn't passed by yet...she didn't think that they'd be so early in arriving but sure enough they were standing outside of the palace almost as if they were waiting there just for her. Climbing the massive amounts of steps in leaps and bounds Ferny, in what was a dazzling yet functional qijong dress, greeted them both with a warm smile.

"Your bed and breakfast has been quite a blessing to us. Kanrik and Mariko are handling things quite well in my opinion." King Jazan complimented Ferny as she walked inside the palace with him and his wife.

"So I've heard...it certainly puts my mind at ease. Excuse my outward display of stress but Hannah and I..."

"You and her are still in disagreement, I take it. Don't worry so much. Everything will work out in due time." Queen Nabile encouraged Ferny as she was suddenly interrupted by a call. It was from Hannah and at the worst possible time as the first royal meeting was within minutes.

"Please excuse me, I have to take this." Ferny said humbly as she nearly ran out of the palace and into one of the side gardens.

"What is it, Hannah? The first meeting is about to get started..."

"I've thought things over and I've decided to resign...I'm going to join the crew of the Cyrodrake's Gaze. It's for the best as me and you will never see eye to eye on the direction of the bed and breakfast."

"I'm sorry to hear that but perhaps you're right if we do part ways. We'll still be friends, right?"

"Of course...you've meant so much to me over the years. That's one of the reasons I'm resigning...I fear our differences would have jeopardized our friendship." Hannah replied as Ferny wished her the best.

"I wish you the same...now hurry and get to your meeting before you look like a complete doofus. I'll call you later." Hannah said with a laugh as Ferny clicked her cellphone shut. For the first time in days Ferny smiled one of her big smiles. She was sad that Hannah was moving on but she was also filled with joy at the new adventures that her best friend would experience.

"Come on, Fernypoo...they're going to start without you!" Jeran poked his head out of the palace and said as Ferny responded by running up the stairs again and almost diving into the palace...