Sunlight cut in through the front window and stung Dr. Death's eyes through their lids as he stirred and groaned faintly, turning on his side away from the light. As his nose brushed against the back of the couch, he awoke, startled that he wasn't in his bed but rather in the living room. Before he could question it, last night began creeping back...and everything that had happened with it.
He yawned widely and sat up, surprised to find himself feeling fully rested and without the irritating heavyness that usually came with waking. He ordinarily got about five hours' sleep a night and awoke with the sun in time for work, but today he seemed to have slept straight through the sunrise and....damn, what time was it? A sudden horror dawned on him. Work. He hadn't shown up for work! The techo sprang off of the couch and ran to his bedroom, quickly changing out of his damp clothes from the night before and not bothering to even glance at himself in the mirror as he hurried out the door.
He arrived at the pound a few moments later and found a rather exasperated Rose seated behind the desk as she tried to handle both the adoptions and the abandonments at the same time. A look of blessed relief crossed her face as she saw him enter and make his way behind the desk.
"Where have you been??" she asked, eyes wide and imploring as she gratefully handed over the stack of abandonment forms. "I called you four times this morning and you didn't pick up."
"Sleeping. I'm sorry." he sighed, sifting through the pink slips of paper to see what he had missed out on.
"You must have been dead to the world..." Rose pointed out, sounding a bit less frazzled. "Did you find Snap?" she added as an afterthought.
"No." he sighed, feeling ashamed as he realized that, in his panic to get to work, he had forgotten about his petpet for a moment. "I was up late looking for him."
"Awww..." Rose cooed, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll turn up."
"I doubt it, but thanks." he muttered, finishing the forms and laying them aside as he was approached by a red-headed girl who meekly handed him a yellow aisha that regarded him with its odd slanty eyes with some contempt.
"Name?" he asked.
"I--I'm Stephanie." the girl told him softly.
"No, I mean the aisha." he corrected. She jolted a little, looking at the floor.
"Sunnie." she whispered. He wrote the name down.
"And why is Sunnie going into the pound?" he questioned.
"I--I---" the girl faltered and suddenly burst into tears. "No!!!" she cried, seizing her pet off of the counter and holding it. "I can't leave her here!!" Sobbing, Stephanie fled the pound with the rather surprised aisha in her arms.
"Well....that was a first..." Rose remarked, blinking bewilderedly.
"I suppose..." Dr. Death muttered. "Wish they were ALL like that." he added, crumpling the abandonment form and tossing it into the wastebasket as the next potential abandoner approached the desk, offering a striped uni. One by one, he dealt with them, filing the pets and caging them until the bustle he had arrived to had disappeared as Rose dealt with her adopters.
"Thank goodness!" Rose declared, fanning herself with one hoof as she emerged from the back, the last young neopian emerging with an excited red usul at her side as they scampered out the door. "Running this place is most definately not a one-man job!"
"I said I was sorry." He grumped.
"Who was accusing you?" Rose asked, shrugging and smiling faintly.
"I don't suppose anyone called you about Snap last night after you placed your ad, did they?" he tried, already knowing she'd say no. The uni shook her head.
"Not as such, no. But he's only been gone a day. Don't write him off as lost yet." she assured him. "And on that note, I'm going to go on my break."
"Alright." he nodded. "What time is it anyway?" he asked.
"Almost noon. If I were mean-spirited, I'd tell you I was taking both my breaks and my lunch right now in one big lump." she chuckled. "And I didn't call you in as truant either, so don't worry."
"Thank you..." he sighed, chalking up yet another favor he owed Rose in his mind. "Just go ahead and take your lunch now too, I guess." he added.
"Oh no, I couldn't do that." she began. "I'd leave you alone here for two hours and--"
"I left YOU alone here for four." he shot back. She paused, debating with herself.
"Well.....alright." she agreed. "Want me to bring you back anything?"
"I'm fine." he assured her. She smiled and trotted out from behind the desk eagerly, taking her shawl down off of its hook and wrapping it about her shoulders as she pushed open the front door and slipped outside into the sunshine. Alone and allowing himself a chance to think, Dr. Death found that, physically, he felt rather good today. He briefly wondered if he should credit any of it to his outpouring last night. At the time he had felt miserable, but without the heavyness of his past pulling on him as much, he had slept like a rock and, for the first time in months, felt refreshed. This revelation was brought to a halt, however, as a thin man with a goatee, toting three rather dejected-looking nimmos behind him as he sashayed up to the desk. Judging by the contemptious look in his eye, the doctor could tell that this man could only be here to abandon as he readied three forms with a sigh. Another one of those days...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"C'mon Karma, get up!" Yahoo implored, perched outside of her bedroom door.
"Any luck?" Chomby asked, poking his head out of the kitchen.
"No." the cybunny huffed. "I think she plans on staying in there all day." he lifted himself to his hindpaws and rapped on the door. "Karma?"
"Leave me alone..." her voice filtered out. "I just want to rest, guys, alright?" The chomby and cybunny exchanged a look with one another.
"You don't think she's gonna abandon us, do you?" Chomby inquired worriedly.
"Nah...." Yahoo told him. "She's just crabby. Probably had a fight with that idiot she's chasing after."
"Yahoo, I heard that." the frog's voice filtered out of the bedroom. Yahoo flushed a bit.
"Sorry." he muttered as he shuffled away from the door and lopped into the living room, flopping dejectedly on the couch. "Not MY fault you have a crush on a weirdo." he added so quietly that only he and Chomby could hear.
"So where'd she go last night anyway?" Chomby inquired, flopping down beside Yahoo. He shrugged.
"How'm I supposed to know?" the cybunny sighed. "All I know is she ran off with that techo and came back here all angry."
"We should do something for her...." the chomby remarked wistfully, resting his head on his paws. "I mean, she DID rescue us from the pound and we're just letting her stew in there. We're supposed to make our owners feel better." There was a long pause and then Yahoo sprang to his feet.
"I got it!" the cybunny grinned. "Girls are supposed to like flowers and chocolates and junk, right?"
"I guess...." Chomby said doubtfully.
"Great. Let's go out and get her something like that so she'll stop hiding." Yahoo grinned, his powderpuff tail wriggling with excitement at his new plan.
"Like what?" the dinosaur asked.
"Well....." Yahoo said, fishing for an idea. "Hey, they released that new valentines crap, right?" Chomby's face fell.
"Yeah but you and every other neopian is trying to get their hands on it right now...." he replied disappointedly. "We'll never..."
"AHA! Never say never! Its just a matter of pestering the shopkeeper till he gives us what we want so we'll leave." Yahoo grinned deviously. "Especially since they probably only take him a few minutes to make and he just wants scarcity. Now c'mon! Let's go!" Doubtfully, Chomby followed off after him as he scribbled out a quick note and stuck it to Karma's door before they both headed out of the apartment.
Karma sat up as she heard the apartment door close and waited, listening for anything else. Nothing. Not even the hushed muttering of her neopets. Deciding that they had taken off somewhere, she sighed and swung her legs over the side of the bed, sitting for a moment. She hadn't slept well at all last night...the images of the story Glitz had told her haunted her well past the night and into the early morning. The lupe lying dead in its cage, the pets all taunting and throwing things....how terrible.
She got out of bed and crossed the room, staring at her reflection in the mirror and groaned. Her hair stood out in ratsnests all over from the tossing and turning she had done and dark circles stood out under her eyes. In short, she looked like death warmed over. As she shuffled into the bathroom, deciding to see if a shower would restore any life to her complexion, she thought heavily about what had happened last night and wondered if Glitz sas all right. Truthfully, she had been horribly reluctant to leave, but decided there was nothing more she could do. Talking to her had seemed to make him worse rather than help him, and she had hoped at least one of them was able to sleep last night.
She undressed and stepped into the tub, twisting the faucet on as she was showered in lukewarm water that slowly became hot against her skin. It occurred to her that she wished she had known who had taken Snap and wished all sorts of horrors on them. Apparently it wasn't enough that the yellow techo was snubbed by everyone in Neopia, but they had to kick him when he was down as well by taking his petpet. The more she thought about it, the less it seemed like a mistake or accident.
As she poured some Peophin-brand fragrant shampoo into her hands to rub into her hair, she decided she would make a quick stop at the pound later just to make sure he was still functioning at least. Not a long visit though....the last thing she needed was another blatant accusation of her being prying and clingy. She was concerned, was all, she told herself. And after that, she would try and find out where Yahoo and Chomby had gotten to. Hopefully they hadn't run out on her for moping away the morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Death sat quietly, dragging a pen across the backside of an adoption slip and randomly doodling. Rose had been gone for about an hour and the adoptions/abandonments had slowed to a trickle as the universal lunch hour settled in over Neopia. He still felt fairly well, but mentally was laboring over the loss of his doglefox once again. He had called the Petpet Lost And Found twice, and both times had been placed on hold for a lengthy period of time only to be told that no one had reported finding a doglefox.
He had given up after setting the phone down the second time and decided that things would have to fall where they may as he occupied himself with his senseless loops and scribbles. As he began an uneven spiral up in the corner of the paper, he was shaken out of his half-there state by the door opening and what looked to be a rather wealthy girl striding in with a skunk usul in tow.
"NO!! I DON'T WANNA!!!" the pet whined, attempting to dig its heels into the floor. The doctor shook his head, reaching for an abandonment form and preparing himself for another incoming.
"You stop it at once, Azzie!" the girl scolded. "You're in enough trouble as it is!" The usul fixed its face into a pout as it crossed its paws over its chest in dignantly and huffed. The girl immediately softened her expression with almost frightening ease into a smile as she regarded Dr. Death behind the desk. "Pardon me, sir, but is your co-worker around perchance?"
"Rose is out to lunch." he informed her disinterestedly. "But I'd be happy to help you." though he didn't sound happy at all, really. The girl's pleasant expression slipped a few notches as she picked him up and down with her eyes.
"Well, she placed an ad on the Petpet Lost And Found last night, I believe. About a doglefox?" The techo jolted, his senses coming alive with a surge of hope. "And we think we may have found such a doglefox, don't we Azabeth?"
"No!" the usul insisted, stamping her foot. "I found him, he's mine!!"
"Azzie..." the girl warned.
"He's mine!!" the skunk usul whined. "Mo-om, don't make me!"
"Azzie, if you don't go out and get him out of your wagon RIGHT now and bring him in here, I'm cancelling your birthday party!" she threatened. The usul blinked, stunned.
"But---"
"And I'll cut your allowance." her owner continued. The usul's lip quivered as it realized that arguing was going to be useless.
"Fine..." she growled, turning and stamping outside. Once she was gone, the girl flashed Dr. Death an indulgent smile.
"She's wonderful, isn't she?" she asked. The techo had to bite his lip to keep from bursting out laughing at something that couldn't be further from the truth. "I don't suppose you'd be able to identify RoseMadder's doglefox for her, would you?" she asked, resuming her air of pompousness.
"Actually, Rose placed that ad for me." he informed her, feeling a mild satisfaction as the remnants of the smile vanished from her face.
"Oh." was all she managed. Something about the way she looked at him told him that, had she known the doglefox was his to begin with, she wouldn't have even made the effort...but that it was already too late to draw back now. She picked him over again, wrinkling her nose. "Ugh, your hair!" she remarked.
"Eh?" the techo inquired.
"What a mess!" she scolded, reaching into her coat and fumbling out a red long-hair brush and handing it to him. "Honestly! You think your owner would take better care of you!!" For a moment all he could do was stare at the offered utensil. "Well, go on, take it!" she goaded.
"I don't have an owner." he informed her, forcing himself to close his fingers around the handle of the brush and keep his voice calm. "I've not had an owner for quite some time now..."
"Well? What do we say?" she prodded, ignoring his previous statement. The techo gritted his teeth. Now he was supposed to thank her for humiliating him?? By some grace of god, he was allowed to keep his anger in check for a few moments longer as Azzie returned from outside, wearing a sullen expression and toting a doglefox behind her on a blindingly pink leash. Dr. Death felt his heart sink as he saw its buttermilk-colored pelt and sighed as the usul approached the desk, glaring at him.
"He's mine." the usul said protectively once again.
"Azzie, I'm warning you...." her owner began, trying to get a 'thank you' out of the doctor forgotten for the moment.
"No, no....its alright." the techo muttered, slumping a bit in his seat. "Its not mine after all. Mine was brown."
"Well, if you're sure..." the girl said, poorly attempting to feign sympathy and unable to hide the slight smugness in her voice.
"See, mom??" Azzie said. "Now can we go home?? I hate this place and so does Dandelion!!" Dandelion? the doctor thought. Feh, what a ridiculous name for a pet.
"Whatever you'd like, dear." the girl smiled, taking the usul by the paw as the spoiled squirrel-like neopet stuck her tongue out at Dr. Death. Rather than return her "pleasantries", the techo averted his eyes and attempted to return to his doodling. So close yet so far....ah well. As the usul, girl, and doglefox turned to leave, the petpet froze suddenly and dug its heels into the floor, whimpering.
"Dandelion, c'mon. Let's go. Mummy's going to buy us some chocolate!" the usul grinned down at the yellow doglefox. 'Dandelion', however, didn't seem interested in the prospect of chocolate as his nose worked furiously at the air. After a moment, he began to thrash on the end of his leash like a hooked marlin. "Wha....Dandelion! What's wrong??" Dr. Death watched the spectacle with no amusement as the petpet struggled and seemed to suddenly be attempting to pull off of its leash. "Dandelion!!"
"Don't yell, Azabeth." her owner scoffed. "Honestly! He's a little monster and I have no idea why you wanted him in the first place!"
"He's not a monster!" the skunk usul complained, attempting to reel in the doglefox as it strained on the end of its pink leash. "He just doesn't like this place and I don't either!"
"Join the club, kid..." the doctor muttered under his breath. Suddenly, with a violent twist, the doglefox came free of its leash and skittered eagerly across the pound floor in the yellow techo's direction. It paused, puzzled by the large desk that obstructed its way, and sniffed eagerly at the base of it as it trotted around the side. Finding its way past, the doglefox lulled its tongue out of its mouth eagerly and clumsily galloped toward the doctor, leaping onto its hind legs and pawing frantically at his pantleg as it yapped happily.
"Dandelion, you come back here!" the usul demanded, chasing after the petpet. However, as she moved to grab it up from where it desperately clawed at the techo's pantleg, it lifted its lip suddenly, whirling and snapping its teeth shut bare centimeters from the usul's paws. Azzie squealed and stepped backward. "That's not nice!" the neopet squealed. "And after all I did for you! Gave you a nice bath, let you sleep in my bed last night...." the doglefox continued to ignore her, its tongue washing at the air in a vain attempt to get close enough to lick the doctor's face. "And then I bought you that silly paint brush and---" the usul gasped, covering her mouth as she realized she had just spilled the beans. Dr. Death came to attention instantly.
"What....did you say?" he asked.
"Umm....I....." Azzie faltered, realizing she had no out to this and so she tried a different tactic and pouted her lip outward, glaring at him angrily. "Yeah, so I painted him! You still have no proof he's yours!!!"
"On the contrary..." the doctor said, looking down at the petpet. "Snap, down!" he instructed as the doglefox eagerly planted its rear on the floor and looked adoringly up at him, his tail wagging frantically. The usul seemed to momentarily make her face into a fist as she attempted to counter this.
"Dandelion, paw!!" she ordered, reaching for the doglefox's paw. When it refused to give it to her, she reached down and grabbed it, giving it a shake and looking smugly at the techo. As she attempted to work her arms around the petpet and pick it up, the doglefox snarled warningly and bristled its fur. "Dandelion, what's wrong with you??" she demanded to know.
"I want to know where you found this petpet." Dr. Death said, unable to keep a hint of accusation out of his voice.
"The petpet shop." she shot back.
"Azabeth, don't you lie to the man." her owner glared. Dr. Death was surprised by the girl's interference on his behalf and was certain she would have stepped in by now to tell him to leave her poor precious pet alone. "You came in last night and told me you found it on your way home from Manny's house."
"Sort of." the neopet muttered, looking at her feet.
"Define, 'sort of'." Dr. Death said darkly, his last doubts of the doglefox not being his vanishing as he leaned down and picked Snap up. The petpet happily wriggled in his hands, snuggling up against him and wagging its tail madly. He felt joy tug at his heart, but forced himself not to show it yet....not until he found out why this little brat had run off with his petpet.
"He was just sitting out there in the rain." she said defensively. "And he was all wet and a GOOD owner wouldn't just let him get soaked."
"Did it occur to you that perhaps he wasn't being LEFT outside?" the techo asked. "And that maybe taking him might have hurt someone?"
"What do you care??" she asked angrily. "You were probably going to kill him anyway!!" He glared at her a moment and then reached for the telephone.
"I have an excellent idea. Let's let the chia police decide." he said softly. The usul's outrage melted quickly into horror.
"No!!" she squealed. "Mommy, don't let him!!"
"I think you've made your point, sir." the girl huffed, stepping forward and kneeling to hug her pet. "There's no need to take things too far. She's learned her lesson." He paused a moment, one finger hovering over the dial pad before.....very slowly, he released the reciever and allowed it to fall back to its cradle with a clatter. "You have your doglefox back. Let's call it even."
"I'm grateful to have him back, but to call this even...." he began and then stopped himself from going into a tirade about the hell he had gone through the night before. "Nevermind." he said at last with reluctance. The girl nodded her head stiffly.
"Come along, darling." she said to Azzie firmly, pulling the skunk usul to her feet and pulling her to the exit. "I think its time to go."
"Mommy, I want Dandelion back..." she sniffled.
"I'll buy you a brand new doglefox on the way home, dear, and---" their voices trailed off as the door slammed behind them. The techo instantly seized Snap into a hug, smiling and not caring who saw him for a moment.
"Look at you." he said to the petpet he set it on his lap ruffled its headfur. Snap gave him a large canine grin, panting a bit. "I wonder if that paint washes off....you look like a butter biscuit." Snap yapped happily at his words, leaping onto his hind paws and licking at his cheek. He smiled and, as he always had before, picked the petpet up and nestled it into the front pocket of his labcoat. Snap's pelt reeked of peophin fragrant soap and perfume, and the glaringly pink collar that had been put around his neck completed the ridiculous illusion. He chuckled a bit, reaching down to scratch the doglefox under his chin. "Do me a favor and go take a healthy roll in the dirt when we get home." he smirked, hooking the collar under his fingers and fumbling with the clasp until it fell away and he tossed it in the wastepaper basket. "You smell like a funeral parlor."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh c'mon!" Yahoo pleaded.
"No." the breadmaster muttered around his mouthful of tealeef sandwich.
"Eight hundred neopoints then!" he tried hopefully.
"No."
"Eight hundred and one?"
"Will you let it go, little fellah? I already told you I can't just drop what I'm doing and make a valentines muffin for ya. I've got those things on such a long back-order list with Valentines Day coming up that its not even funny." the blue kacheek explained reasonably.
"But our keeper would really like one..." Chomby put in. "And she's upset because the guy she likes keeps blowing her off."
"That's a sad story, but the answer's still no, kiddo." the kacheek sighed. "Do you know what kind of riot I'd have in here if I played favorites?"
"Alright then how do we get one?" Yahoo asked, sounding exasperated. The kacheek pointed at a long line of neopians all crowded by the currently-empty bakery shelves.
"Wait for a restock and hope you're fast enough." he stated. The cybunny and chomby groaned as they turned and left the shop.
"Well so much for that." Chomby muttered, sighing. "Think maybe she'd like a chocolate poogle?"
"No we're not done yet." Yahoo assured him. "We're just getting started!"
"I was afraid you'd say that..." the dinosaur groaned as he followed after the cybunny in the direction of the toy shop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karma paused outside of the pound door, compulsively straightening her hair and checking her shirt for any stray stains. Having gotten Yahoo and Chomby's note saying that they were going to go spend the afternoon in the games center to give her some time alone after her shower, she had decided to take the opportunity to take another nap. At length, unable to sleep, she had given in to her urge to go and find Glitz and make sure he was alright after last night. She had braced herself for him to be in a horrible mood and to scream at her to leave as soon as he recognized her. An excited yap tortured her hearing as she winced, directing her attention to the front desk where the yellow techo regarded her with a blank expression of surprise for a moment as a yellow creature in his pocket wriggled.
"What's that?" she asked, for lack of better things to inquire. Much to her surprise, his demeanor softened into a smile. Had she ever seen him smile before? She couldn't remember.
"Like Snap's makeover?" he asked, sounding sarcastic but with good nature. Her eyes widened a bit.
"What happened to him??" she asked, moving closer and examining the now-yellow doglefox. "Better yet, how'd you find him?"
"Stolen." he replied, pulling Snap out of his pocket and setting him on the desk as the petpet skittered toward Karma and greeted her eagerly.
"Stolen? By who?" the frog asked, picking Snap up and cuddling him.
"Some self-righteous rich snob grabbed him out of my back yard and gave him a paint job." he sighed. "Its not a big deal. I have him back and nothing that she did to him isn't fixable."
"Well good..." Karma nodded, handing Snap back to him. "Anyway, I have to get going."
"Really." he said. "Where's the fire?"
"Nowhere." she replied. "But no point in darkening your doorstep again." She smiled faintly. "I'm sorry for harrassing you so much, Glitz. I had the night to think it over and you're right. I've been a real pain in the ass. I didn't mean to make it look like I was obsessing over you or anything."
"Its alright." he told her. "I was out of line last night anyway....not to mention, drunk." Karma nodded but said nothing. "I...ahh....I get off at seven and after that I need to pay the shop wizard a visit and see about finding a brown petpet paint brush for this guy." he began, breaking the silence that seemed to inevitably happen in every conversation they had. "I could use an extra pair of hands to manage Snap, if you're free."
"Sure." she shrugged, sure he was just extending the offer to playcate her and make sure she didn't go away mad at him. Still, it was something to do. "Want me to meet you there?"
"I'll come get you." he informed her. "I need to go home and get changed and I don't know how long I'll be. Especially since I want to give this little monster a bath. He smells like he was marinated in perfume."
"That I won't argue with. And I'll see you then." the frog smiled.
"Right." he nodded as she turned and left. He hoped she didn't think this was a date...because he didn't feel that it was. But he felt that he owed her SOMETHING for the way he acted the night before. Maybe if they parted ways on good terms rather than with static between them, things would be easier and they wouldn't have to keep playing the awkward game of deliberately ignoring one another. He didn't HATE her, really....or even strongly dislike her....but she seemed to rub him the wrong way all over when she was around him. He didn't really know why, nor did he precisely care enough to figure it out.
Oh well....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karma had arrived back at her apartment and managed to make herself fall asleep for a little over two hours before coming awake, finding herself still alone. Chomby and Yahoo surely would have been back by now, she thought to herself. She rolled over in bed and fished the note off of her nightstand, reading it again.
Karma,
Me and Chombs had to go out for awhile. Might be a LONG while at that. See ya when we see ya. Don't hold dinner for us.
Yahoo
P.S. -- If you go out today, would you mind picking up some olives?
So, nothing to worry about there. It sounded as though they knew what they were doing and, really, there wasn't much to be afraid of in Neopia. She had been scared to death of the various monsters roaming the land at first, but had learned that most of them were harmless. If not harmless then all they were interested in for the mostpart was putting a scare into people.
What time was it, anyway? She squinted at her alarm clock, the digits reading 7:25. That wasn't going to give her as much time to get ready as she would have liked....oh hell, why did she need time to get ready anyway? It wasn't as though he had asked her out on a formal occasion. They were taking a quick trip to the shop wizard, he would likely ask her to hold Snap while he dickered with the shopkeepers, and then bid her a goodnight and want nothing more to do with her afterward.
"So then why did you agree to go?" she chided herself. "I don't know, because I'm stupid?" she said aloud, grumpily rubbing at her eyes and thankful for her solitude at the moment as she tumbled out of bed and grabbed her hairbrush off of her nightstand. She didn't bother to turn on the lights in her room as she dragged it over her head a few times, smoothing out the tangles. That done, she left her bedroom and found her jacket, laying it over the back of the couch so it would be ready to go by the time he arrived.
As she headed to the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat, there was a knock at the door and she whirled to answer it. Glitz stood on the other side, Snap in his jacket and hands in his pants pockets.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah, just lemme get my coat." she muttered, grabbing it off of the couch.
"You know, it doesn't cost too much to start work on a Neohome." he pointed out, casting a distasteful look around the tiny apartment. "And they're going to want to empty this place out for the newer members sooner or later."
"I'll keep that in mind." she replied non-committedly with a shrug as she pulled on her coat and joined him in the hallway, closing the door behind her.
"Going to lock it?" he asked.
"No." she answered. "My neopets are out and up to something today and they don't have a key. I don't want them to be waiting for me outside in case they come back while we're gone."
"Somebody could break in." he pointed out.
"There's not much to take." she replied. "And I've got about ten thousand in the bank if I need to replace things if they do." she added with a smirk. He decided not to pursue this any further. "So humor me...who's the shop wizard?" she asked.
"Eh...he used to be a sorcerer or something like that." Glitz shrugged as they headed down the front steps and down the street. "Now he sits at a desk and specializes in finding the lowest prices on things in the shops for people who don't like to wander for hours...which I don't."
"Me neither...not at night at least." she agreed. "So where is this guy?"
"Not far from here. Sometimes you have to look for him but he's usually by the money tree."
"Ahh...never been there." Karma remarked.
"You're new and you've never visited the money tree?" he asked skeptically. "Usually that's the first place people go."
"Its always too crowded." she shrugged. "And I'm fine on my own."
"To each his own." Glitz nodded as they walked together, the darkness shadowing the rest of Neopia. In the center of the bazaar, there was still a lively clamour at the base of a large tree. Now and then, a ghost would drift in and lay a bag of neopoints against the trunk and almost instantly, there was a mad dash for it. As they walked past, a fight developed between two girls who had both seized a yellow paint brush at the same time.
"I saw it first, you tramp!!" one screamed as the other one burst into tears.
"Gimme!!!" she shrieked. Glitz winced as they passed the scuffle.
"Some people..." he shook his head as Snap barked at the fighting pair in passing. "Neopia never used to be this way."
"I was wondering about that." she smirked. "And over a paint brush, for crying out loud..."
"They're valuable." he explained. "You'd be surprised what some people would do for a few extra neopoints."
"I guess..." Karma muttered, watching as the fight resorted in hair-pulling and more screaming. He stopped after a few more paces.
"Huh. He's usually right about here." the techo muttered, looking at the empty patch of grass. As they stood contemplating the shop wizard's absense, a faint snoring sound could be heard from somewhere nearby. Karma spotted him first, casting her eyes upward to see an inert yellow fluffball perched in the fork of a nearby tree and sleeping peacefully, wearing an obnoxiously colorful cape and hat.
"Is that him?" she asked, pointing at it.
"None other." Glitz sighed, rolling his eyes as he approached the tree. "Having pleasant dreams, wizard?" he asked loudly, jolting the yellow fluffball awake to reveal a flustered-looking jubjub.
"Oh dearie me!" he simpered in a nasal voice as he attempted to right himself and succeeded in toppling backward out of the tree and hitting the grass with a thud as he scurried to his feet. "Oh PLEASE don't tell the union on me! They'll fire me for sure!!" he babbled, scooping his hat off of the ground with one large foot and placing it back on his head.
"I'm looking for one item in particular." Glitz told him, changing the subject.
"One item in particular! Well you've come to the right place, yes of course!" Saying so, he fumbled a pouch of dust off of his belt with his toes and let it fall to the ground. In a bright flash, a desk suddenly appeared and he stood behind it. "There now, that's nice, isn't it?" the jubjub smiled at the techo and frog. "And what can I help you with tonight?"
"I need a brown petpet paint brush." Glitz informed him.
"Brown.........petpet paint brush....now let's see...." the wizard muttered thoughtfully. "I believe there's one at 5003 Plurby Lane for seven thousand....ohh, but then there's another at 7138 Cirrus Circle for six thousand and ninety-nine. Or maybe even...."
"The lowest one." the techo explained.
"Ahhh yes the lowest. I was getting to that, sir." the shop wizard informed him. "The lowest....the lowest on that particular item...." he murmured, trying to get his thoughts straight. "Ahh! You are looking for no less than 5434 South Coltzan Way! I see a brown petpet brush there for only four thousand two hundred and fifty. But I'd hurry if I were you, sir." Noting that a few other neopians that had overheard the shop wizard were eagerly heading off in the direction of the shop the jubjub had advised, Glitz hurriedly thanked him and broke off at a brisk trot, Karma trailing behind.
As luck would have it, they managed to get to the shop's doors bare moments before the other hopefuls, and startled the shopkeeper as they barrelled in through the door.
"M-May I help you?" The bespectacled wocky inquired, straightening his glasses as he collected his scattered wits.
"Is your petpet brush still for sale?" Glitz asked.
"Which one? We have many..." the wocky said, looking rather nervous as he averted his eyes. He recognizes me from the pound, the techo thought to himself bitterly.
"The brown one." Karma chimed in before one of the others who stampeded into the store behind them had a chance to muscle in and take it. The shopkeeper nodded and reached into his pocket, fumbling out a ring of keys and found a small silver one that unlocked the cabinet under the counter.
"I keep the valuables locked away." he explained. "It keeps the thieves away." Saying so, he slid open a panel and reached inside, fumbling for a moment. "Ah, there you are." he smiled, withdrawing a narrow brush, the end glistening with brown paint, as he laid it on the counter. "Four thousand two hundred and fifty." he said matter-of-factly.
"Fair enough." the techo nodded, reaching for his wallet and opening it, taking out nine bills that were equivalent to five hundred neopoints each. The bank had developed this more obscure way of carrying money not terribly long ago as a way to divert the ghosts and other money thieves that loved attacking neopians that were carting a large bag of coins with them. Change was made and the paint brush swapped hands, despite the disappointed mutters of those behind them who began to leave or filtered about the shop, looking for other items of interest.
"To the petpet puddle?" Karma asked after they had gone outside again.
"I suppose." he shrugged. Snap yerfed once as though in agreement as the three of them headed off in the direction of the never-fading brilliant rainbow that touched the ground where the mystical rainbow pool was located, and slightly to its right, a smaller version for petpets.
TBC...........
He yawned widely and sat up, surprised to find himself feeling fully rested and without the irritating heavyness that usually came with waking. He ordinarily got about five hours' sleep a night and awoke with the sun in time for work, but today he seemed to have slept straight through the sunrise and....damn, what time was it? A sudden horror dawned on him. Work. He hadn't shown up for work! The techo sprang off of the couch and ran to his bedroom, quickly changing out of his damp clothes from the night before and not bothering to even glance at himself in the mirror as he hurried out the door.
He arrived at the pound a few moments later and found a rather exasperated Rose seated behind the desk as she tried to handle both the adoptions and the abandonments at the same time. A look of blessed relief crossed her face as she saw him enter and make his way behind the desk.
"Where have you been??" she asked, eyes wide and imploring as she gratefully handed over the stack of abandonment forms. "I called you four times this morning and you didn't pick up."
"Sleeping. I'm sorry." he sighed, sifting through the pink slips of paper to see what he had missed out on.
"You must have been dead to the world..." Rose pointed out, sounding a bit less frazzled. "Did you find Snap?" she added as an afterthought.
"No." he sighed, feeling ashamed as he realized that, in his panic to get to work, he had forgotten about his petpet for a moment. "I was up late looking for him."
"Awww..." Rose cooed, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll turn up."
"I doubt it, but thanks." he muttered, finishing the forms and laying them aside as he was approached by a red-headed girl who meekly handed him a yellow aisha that regarded him with its odd slanty eyes with some contempt.
"Name?" he asked.
"I--I'm Stephanie." the girl told him softly.
"No, I mean the aisha." he corrected. She jolted a little, looking at the floor.
"Sunnie." she whispered. He wrote the name down.
"And why is Sunnie going into the pound?" he questioned.
"I--I---" the girl faltered and suddenly burst into tears. "No!!!" she cried, seizing her pet off of the counter and holding it. "I can't leave her here!!" Sobbing, Stephanie fled the pound with the rather surprised aisha in her arms.
"Well....that was a first..." Rose remarked, blinking bewilderedly.
"I suppose..." Dr. Death muttered. "Wish they were ALL like that." he added, crumpling the abandonment form and tossing it into the wastebasket as the next potential abandoner approached the desk, offering a striped uni. One by one, he dealt with them, filing the pets and caging them until the bustle he had arrived to had disappeared as Rose dealt with her adopters.
"Thank goodness!" Rose declared, fanning herself with one hoof as she emerged from the back, the last young neopian emerging with an excited red usul at her side as they scampered out the door. "Running this place is most definately not a one-man job!"
"I said I was sorry." He grumped.
"Who was accusing you?" Rose asked, shrugging and smiling faintly.
"I don't suppose anyone called you about Snap last night after you placed your ad, did they?" he tried, already knowing she'd say no. The uni shook her head.
"Not as such, no. But he's only been gone a day. Don't write him off as lost yet." she assured him. "And on that note, I'm going to go on my break."
"Alright." he nodded. "What time is it anyway?" he asked.
"Almost noon. If I were mean-spirited, I'd tell you I was taking both my breaks and my lunch right now in one big lump." she chuckled. "And I didn't call you in as truant either, so don't worry."
"Thank you..." he sighed, chalking up yet another favor he owed Rose in his mind. "Just go ahead and take your lunch now too, I guess." he added.
"Oh no, I couldn't do that." she began. "I'd leave you alone here for two hours and--"
"I left YOU alone here for four." he shot back. She paused, debating with herself.
"Well.....alright." she agreed. "Want me to bring you back anything?"
"I'm fine." he assured her. She smiled and trotted out from behind the desk eagerly, taking her shawl down off of its hook and wrapping it about her shoulders as she pushed open the front door and slipped outside into the sunshine. Alone and allowing himself a chance to think, Dr. Death found that, physically, he felt rather good today. He briefly wondered if he should credit any of it to his outpouring last night. At the time he had felt miserable, but without the heavyness of his past pulling on him as much, he had slept like a rock and, for the first time in months, felt refreshed. This revelation was brought to a halt, however, as a thin man with a goatee, toting three rather dejected-looking nimmos behind him as he sashayed up to the desk. Judging by the contemptious look in his eye, the doctor could tell that this man could only be here to abandon as he readied three forms with a sigh. Another one of those days...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"C'mon Karma, get up!" Yahoo implored, perched outside of her bedroom door.
"Any luck?" Chomby asked, poking his head out of the kitchen.
"No." the cybunny huffed. "I think she plans on staying in there all day." he lifted himself to his hindpaws and rapped on the door. "Karma?"
"Leave me alone..." her voice filtered out. "I just want to rest, guys, alright?" The chomby and cybunny exchanged a look with one another.
"You don't think she's gonna abandon us, do you?" Chomby inquired worriedly.
"Nah...." Yahoo told him. "She's just crabby. Probably had a fight with that idiot she's chasing after."
"Yahoo, I heard that." the frog's voice filtered out of the bedroom. Yahoo flushed a bit.
"Sorry." he muttered as he shuffled away from the door and lopped into the living room, flopping dejectedly on the couch. "Not MY fault you have a crush on a weirdo." he added so quietly that only he and Chomby could hear.
"So where'd she go last night anyway?" Chomby inquired, flopping down beside Yahoo. He shrugged.
"How'm I supposed to know?" the cybunny sighed. "All I know is she ran off with that techo and came back here all angry."
"We should do something for her...." the chomby remarked wistfully, resting his head on his paws. "I mean, she DID rescue us from the pound and we're just letting her stew in there. We're supposed to make our owners feel better." There was a long pause and then Yahoo sprang to his feet.
"I got it!" the cybunny grinned. "Girls are supposed to like flowers and chocolates and junk, right?"
"I guess...." Chomby said doubtfully.
"Great. Let's go out and get her something like that so she'll stop hiding." Yahoo grinned, his powderpuff tail wriggling with excitement at his new plan.
"Like what?" the dinosaur asked.
"Well....." Yahoo said, fishing for an idea. "Hey, they released that new valentines crap, right?" Chomby's face fell.
"Yeah but you and every other neopian is trying to get their hands on it right now...." he replied disappointedly. "We'll never..."
"AHA! Never say never! Its just a matter of pestering the shopkeeper till he gives us what we want so we'll leave." Yahoo grinned deviously. "Especially since they probably only take him a few minutes to make and he just wants scarcity. Now c'mon! Let's go!" Doubtfully, Chomby followed off after him as he scribbled out a quick note and stuck it to Karma's door before they both headed out of the apartment.
Karma sat up as she heard the apartment door close and waited, listening for anything else. Nothing. Not even the hushed muttering of her neopets. Deciding that they had taken off somewhere, she sighed and swung her legs over the side of the bed, sitting for a moment. She hadn't slept well at all last night...the images of the story Glitz had told her haunted her well past the night and into the early morning. The lupe lying dead in its cage, the pets all taunting and throwing things....how terrible.
She got out of bed and crossed the room, staring at her reflection in the mirror and groaned. Her hair stood out in ratsnests all over from the tossing and turning she had done and dark circles stood out under her eyes. In short, she looked like death warmed over. As she shuffled into the bathroom, deciding to see if a shower would restore any life to her complexion, she thought heavily about what had happened last night and wondered if Glitz sas all right. Truthfully, she had been horribly reluctant to leave, but decided there was nothing more she could do. Talking to her had seemed to make him worse rather than help him, and she had hoped at least one of them was able to sleep last night.
She undressed and stepped into the tub, twisting the faucet on as she was showered in lukewarm water that slowly became hot against her skin. It occurred to her that she wished she had known who had taken Snap and wished all sorts of horrors on them. Apparently it wasn't enough that the yellow techo was snubbed by everyone in Neopia, but they had to kick him when he was down as well by taking his petpet. The more she thought about it, the less it seemed like a mistake or accident.
As she poured some Peophin-brand fragrant shampoo into her hands to rub into her hair, she decided she would make a quick stop at the pound later just to make sure he was still functioning at least. Not a long visit though....the last thing she needed was another blatant accusation of her being prying and clingy. She was concerned, was all, she told herself. And after that, she would try and find out where Yahoo and Chomby had gotten to. Hopefully they hadn't run out on her for moping away the morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Death sat quietly, dragging a pen across the backside of an adoption slip and randomly doodling. Rose had been gone for about an hour and the adoptions/abandonments had slowed to a trickle as the universal lunch hour settled in over Neopia. He still felt fairly well, but mentally was laboring over the loss of his doglefox once again. He had called the Petpet Lost And Found twice, and both times had been placed on hold for a lengthy period of time only to be told that no one had reported finding a doglefox.
He had given up after setting the phone down the second time and decided that things would have to fall where they may as he occupied himself with his senseless loops and scribbles. As he began an uneven spiral up in the corner of the paper, he was shaken out of his half-there state by the door opening and what looked to be a rather wealthy girl striding in with a skunk usul in tow.
"NO!! I DON'T WANNA!!!" the pet whined, attempting to dig its heels into the floor. The doctor shook his head, reaching for an abandonment form and preparing himself for another incoming.
"You stop it at once, Azzie!" the girl scolded. "You're in enough trouble as it is!" The usul fixed its face into a pout as it crossed its paws over its chest in dignantly and huffed. The girl immediately softened her expression with almost frightening ease into a smile as she regarded Dr. Death behind the desk. "Pardon me, sir, but is your co-worker around perchance?"
"Rose is out to lunch." he informed her disinterestedly. "But I'd be happy to help you." though he didn't sound happy at all, really. The girl's pleasant expression slipped a few notches as she picked him up and down with her eyes.
"Well, she placed an ad on the Petpet Lost And Found last night, I believe. About a doglefox?" The techo jolted, his senses coming alive with a surge of hope. "And we think we may have found such a doglefox, don't we Azabeth?"
"No!" the usul insisted, stamping her foot. "I found him, he's mine!!"
"Azzie..." the girl warned.
"He's mine!!" the skunk usul whined. "Mo-om, don't make me!"
"Azzie, if you don't go out and get him out of your wagon RIGHT now and bring him in here, I'm cancelling your birthday party!" she threatened. The usul blinked, stunned.
"But---"
"And I'll cut your allowance." her owner continued. The usul's lip quivered as it realized that arguing was going to be useless.
"Fine..." she growled, turning and stamping outside. Once she was gone, the girl flashed Dr. Death an indulgent smile.
"She's wonderful, isn't she?" she asked. The techo had to bite his lip to keep from bursting out laughing at something that couldn't be further from the truth. "I don't suppose you'd be able to identify RoseMadder's doglefox for her, would you?" she asked, resuming her air of pompousness.
"Actually, Rose placed that ad for me." he informed her, feeling a mild satisfaction as the remnants of the smile vanished from her face.
"Oh." was all she managed. Something about the way she looked at him told him that, had she known the doglefox was his to begin with, she wouldn't have even made the effort...but that it was already too late to draw back now. She picked him over again, wrinkling her nose. "Ugh, your hair!" she remarked.
"Eh?" the techo inquired.
"What a mess!" she scolded, reaching into her coat and fumbling out a red long-hair brush and handing it to him. "Honestly! You think your owner would take better care of you!!" For a moment all he could do was stare at the offered utensil. "Well, go on, take it!" she goaded.
"I don't have an owner." he informed her, forcing himself to close his fingers around the handle of the brush and keep his voice calm. "I've not had an owner for quite some time now..."
"Well? What do we say?" she prodded, ignoring his previous statement. The techo gritted his teeth. Now he was supposed to thank her for humiliating him?? By some grace of god, he was allowed to keep his anger in check for a few moments longer as Azzie returned from outside, wearing a sullen expression and toting a doglefox behind her on a blindingly pink leash. Dr. Death felt his heart sink as he saw its buttermilk-colored pelt and sighed as the usul approached the desk, glaring at him.
"He's mine." the usul said protectively once again.
"Azzie, I'm warning you...." her owner began, trying to get a 'thank you' out of the doctor forgotten for the moment.
"No, no....its alright." the techo muttered, slumping a bit in his seat. "Its not mine after all. Mine was brown."
"Well, if you're sure..." the girl said, poorly attempting to feign sympathy and unable to hide the slight smugness in her voice.
"See, mom??" Azzie said. "Now can we go home?? I hate this place and so does Dandelion!!" Dandelion? the doctor thought. Feh, what a ridiculous name for a pet.
"Whatever you'd like, dear." the girl smiled, taking the usul by the paw as the spoiled squirrel-like neopet stuck her tongue out at Dr. Death. Rather than return her "pleasantries", the techo averted his eyes and attempted to return to his doodling. So close yet so far....ah well. As the usul, girl, and doglefox turned to leave, the petpet froze suddenly and dug its heels into the floor, whimpering.
"Dandelion, c'mon. Let's go. Mummy's going to buy us some chocolate!" the usul grinned down at the yellow doglefox. 'Dandelion', however, didn't seem interested in the prospect of chocolate as his nose worked furiously at the air. After a moment, he began to thrash on the end of his leash like a hooked marlin. "Wha....Dandelion! What's wrong??" Dr. Death watched the spectacle with no amusement as the petpet struggled and seemed to suddenly be attempting to pull off of its leash. "Dandelion!!"
"Don't yell, Azabeth." her owner scoffed. "Honestly! He's a little monster and I have no idea why you wanted him in the first place!"
"He's not a monster!" the skunk usul complained, attempting to reel in the doglefox as it strained on the end of its pink leash. "He just doesn't like this place and I don't either!"
"Join the club, kid..." the doctor muttered under his breath. Suddenly, with a violent twist, the doglefox came free of its leash and skittered eagerly across the pound floor in the yellow techo's direction. It paused, puzzled by the large desk that obstructed its way, and sniffed eagerly at the base of it as it trotted around the side. Finding its way past, the doglefox lulled its tongue out of its mouth eagerly and clumsily galloped toward the doctor, leaping onto its hind legs and pawing frantically at his pantleg as it yapped happily.
"Dandelion, you come back here!" the usul demanded, chasing after the petpet. However, as she moved to grab it up from where it desperately clawed at the techo's pantleg, it lifted its lip suddenly, whirling and snapping its teeth shut bare centimeters from the usul's paws. Azzie squealed and stepped backward. "That's not nice!" the neopet squealed. "And after all I did for you! Gave you a nice bath, let you sleep in my bed last night...." the doglefox continued to ignore her, its tongue washing at the air in a vain attempt to get close enough to lick the doctor's face. "And then I bought you that silly paint brush and---" the usul gasped, covering her mouth as she realized she had just spilled the beans. Dr. Death came to attention instantly.
"What....did you say?" he asked.
"Umm....I....." Azzie faltered, realizing she had no out to this and so she tried a different tactic and pouted her lip outward, glaring at him angrily. "Yeah, so I painted him! You still have no proof he's yours!!!"
"On the contrary..." the doctor said, looking down at the petpet. "Snap, down!" he instructed as the doglefox eagerly planted its rear on the floor and looked adoringly up at him, his tail wagging frantically. The usul seemed to momentarily make her face into a fist as she attempted to counter this.
"Dandelion, paw!!" she ordered, reaching for the doglefox's paw. When it refused to give it to her, she reached down and grabbed it, giving it a shake and looking smugly at the techo. As she attempted to work her arms around the petpet and pick it up, the doglefox snarled warningly and bristled its fur. "Dandelion, what's wrong with you??" she demanded to know.
"I want to know where you found this petpet." Dr. Death said, unable to keep a hint of accusation out of his voice.
"The petpet shop." she shot back.
"Azabeth, don't you lie to the man." her owner glared. Dr. Death was surprised by the girl's interference on his behalf and was certain she would have stepped in by now to tell him to leave her poor precious pet alone. "You came in last night and told me you found it on your way home from Manny's house."
"Sort of." the neopet muttered, looking at her feet.
"Define, 'sort of'." Dr. Death said darkly, his last doubts of the doglefox not being his vanishing as he leaned down and picked Snap up. The petpet happily wriggled in his hands, snuggling up against him and wagging its tail madly. He felt joy tug at his heart, but forced himself not to show it yet....not until he found out why this little brat had run off with his petpet.
"He was just sitting out there in the rain." she said defensively. "And he was all wet and a GOOD owner wouldn't just let him get soaked."
"Did it occur to you that perhaps he wasn't being LEFT outside?" the techo asked. "And that maybe taking him might have hurt someone?"
"What do you care??" she asked angrily. "You were probably going to kill him anyway!!" He glared at her a moment and then reached for the telephone.
"I have an excellent idea. Let's let the chia police decide." he said softly. The usul's outrage melted quickly into horror.
"No!!" she squealed. "Mommy, don't let him!!"
"I think you've made your point, sir." the girl huffed, stepping forward and kneeling to hug her pet. "There's no need to take things too far. She's learned her lesson." He paused a moment, one finger hovering over the dial pad before.....very slowly, he released the reciever and allowed it to fall back to its cradle with a clatter. "You have your doglefox back. Let's call it even."
"I'm grateful to have him back, but to call this even...." he began and then stopped himself from going into a tirade about the hell he had gone through the night before. "Nevermind." he said at last with reluctance. The girl nodded her head stiffly.
"Come along, darling." she said to Azzie firmly, pulling the skunk usul to her feet and pulling her to the exit. "I think its time to go."
"Mommy, I want Dandelion back..." she sniffled.
"I'll buy you a brand new doglefox on the way home, dear, and---" their voices trailed off as the door slammed behind them. The techo instantly seized Snap into a hug, smiling and not caring who saw him for a moment.
"Look at you." he said to the petpet he set it on his lap ruffled its headfur. Snap gave him a large canine grin, panting a bit. "I wonder if that paint washes off....you look like a butter biscuit." Snap yapped happily at his words, leaping onto his hind paws and licking at his cheek. He smiled and, as he always had before, picked the petpet up and nestled it into the front pocket of his labcoat. Snap's pelt reeked of peophin fragrant soap and perfume, and the glaringly pink collar that had been put around his neck completed the ridiculous illusion. He chuckled a bit, reaching down to scratch the doglefox under his chin. "Do me a favor and go take a healthy roll in the dirt when we get home." he smirked, hooking the collar under his fingers and fumbling with the clasp until it fell away and he tossed it in the wastepaper basket. "You smell like a funeral parlor."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh c'mon!" Yahoo pleaded.
"No." the breadmaster muttered around his mouthful of tealeef sandwich.
"Eight hundred neopoints then!" he tried hopefully.
"No."
"Eight hundred and one?"
"Will you let it go, little fellah? I already told you I can't just drop what I'm doing and make a valentines muffin for ya. I've got those things on such a long back-order list with Valentines Day coming up that its not even funny." the blue kacheek explained reasonably.
"But our keeper would really like one..." Chomby put in. "And she's upset because the guy she likes keeps blowing her off."
"That's a sad story, but the answer's still no, kiddo." the kacheek sighed. "Do you know what kind of riot I'd have in here if I played favorites?"
"Alright then how do we get one?" Yahoo asked, sounding exasperated. The kacheek pointed at a long line of neopians all crowded by the currently-empty bakery shelves.
"Wait for a restock and hope you're fast enough." he stated. The cybunny and chomby groaned as they turned and left the shop.
"Well so much for that." Chomby muttered, sighing. "Think maybe she'd like a chocolate poogle?"
"No we're not done yet." Yahoo assured him. "We're just getting started!"
"I was afraid you'd say that..." the dinosaur groaned as he followed after the cybunny in the direction of the toy shop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karma paused outside of the pound door, compulsively straightening her hair and checking her shirt for any stray stains. Having gotten Yahoo and Chomby's note saying that they were going to go spend the afternoon in the games center to give her some time alone after her shower, she had decided to take the opportunity to take another nap. At length, unable to sleep, she had given in to her urge to go and find Glitz and make sure he was alright after last night. She had braced herself for him to be in a horrible mood and to scream at her to leave as soon as he recognized her. An excited yap tortured her hearing as she winced, directing her attention to the front desk where the yellow techo regarded her with a blank expression of surprise for a moment as a yellow creature in his pocket wriggled.
"What's that?" she asked, for lack of better things to inquire. Much to her surprise, his demeanor softened into a smile. Had she ever seen him smile before? She couldn't remember.
"Like Snap's makeover?" he asked, sounding sarcastic but with good nature. Her eyes widened a bit.
"What happened to him??" she asked, moving closer and examining the now-yellow doglefox. "Better yet, how'd you find him?"
"Stolen." he replied, pulling Snap out of his pocket and setting him on the desk as the petpet skittered toward Karma and greeted her eagerly.
"Stolen? By who?" the frog asked, picking Snap up and cuddling him.
"Some self-righteous rich snob grabbed him out of my back yard and gave him a paint job." he sighed. "Its not a big deal. I have him back and nothing that she did to him isn't fixable."
"Well good..." Karma nodded, handing Snap back to him. "Anyway, I have to get going."
"Really." he said. "Where's the fire?"
"Nowhere." she replied. "But no point in darkening your doorstep again." She smiled faintly. "I'm sorry for harrassing you so much, Glitz. I had the night to think it over and you're right. I've been a real pain in the ass. I didn't mean to make it look like I was obsessing over you or anything."
"Its alright." he told her. "I was out of line last night anyway....not to mention, drunk." Karma nodded but said nothing. "I...ahh....I get off at seven and after that I need to pay the shop wizard a visit and see about finding a brown petpet paint brush for this guy." he began, breaking the silence that seemed to inevitably happen in every conversation they had. "I could use an extra pair of hands to manage Snap, if you're free."
"Sure." she shrugged, sure he was just extending the offer to playcate her and make sure she didn't go away mad at him. Still, it was something to do. "Want me to meet you there?"
"I'll come get you." he informed her. "I need to go home and get changed and I don't know how long I'll be. Especially since I want to give this little monster a bath. He smells like he was marinated in perfume."
"That I won't argue with. And I'll see you then." the frog smiled.
"Right." he nodded as she turned and left. He hoped she didn't think this was a date...because he didn't feel that it was. But he felt that he owed her SOMETHING for the way he acted the night before. Maybe if they parted ways on good terms rather than with static between them, things would be easier and they wouldn't have to keep playing the awkward game of deliberately ignoring one another. He didn't HATE her, really....or even strongly dislike her....but she seemed to rub him the wrong way all over when she was around him. He didn't really know why, nor did he precisely care enough to figure it out.
Oh well....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karma had arrived back at her apartment and managed to make herself fall asleep for a little over two hours before coming awake, finding herself still alone. Chomby and Yahoo surely would have been back by now, she thought to herself. She rolled over in bed and fished the note off of her nightstand, reading it again.
Karma,
Me and Chombs had to go out for awhile. Might be a LONG while at that. See ya when we see ya. Don't hold dinner for us.
Yahoo
P.S. -- If you go out today, would you mind picking up some olives?
So, nothing to worry about there. It sounded as though they knew what they were doing and, really, there wasn't much to be afraid of in Neopia. She had been scared to death of the various monsters roaming the land at first, but had learned that most of them were harmless. If not harmless then all they were interested in for the mostpart was putting a scare into people.
What time was it, anyway? She squinted at her alarm clock, the digits reading 7:25. That wasn't going to give her as much time to get ready as she would have liked....oh hell, why did she need time to get ready anyway? It wasn't as though he had asked her out on a formal occasion. They were taking a quick trip to the shop wizard, he would likely ask her to hold Snap while he dickered with the shopkeepers, and then bid her a goodnight and want nothing more to do with her afterward.
"So then why did you agree to go?" she chided herself. "I don't know, because I'm stupid?" she said aloud, grumpily rubbing at her eyes and thankful for her solitude at the moment as she tumbled out of bed and grabbed her hairbrush off of her nightstand. She didn't bother to turn on the lights in her room as she dragged it over her head a few times, smoothing out the tangles. That done, she left her bedroom and found her jacket, laying it over the back of the couch so it would be ready to go by the time he arrived.
As she headed to the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat, there was a knock at the door and she whirled to answer it. Glitz stood on the other side, Snap in his jacket and hands in his pants pockets.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah, just lemme get my coat." she muttered, grabbing it off of the couch.
"You know, it doesn't cost too much to start work on a Neohome." he pointed out, casting a distasteful look around the tiny apartment. "And they're going to want to empty this place out for the newer members sooner or later."
"I'll keep that in mind." she replied non-committedly with a shrug as she pulled on her coat and joined him in the hallway, closing the door behind her.
"Going to lock it?" he asked.
"No." she answered. "My neopets are out and up to something today and they don't have a key. I don't want them to be waiting for me outside in case they come back while we're gone."
"Somebody could break in." he pointed out.
"There's not much to take." she replied. "And I've got about ten thousand in the bank if I need to replace things if they do." she added with a smirk. He decided not to pursue this any further. "So humor me...who's the shop wizard?" she asked.
"Eh...he used to be a sorcerer or something like that." Glitz shrugged as they headed down the front steps and down the street. "Now he sits at a desk and specializes in finding the lowest prices on things in the shops for people who don't like to wander for hours...which I don't."
"Me neither...not at night at least." she agreed. "So where is this guy?"
"Not far from here. Sometimes you have to look for him but he's usually by the money tree."
"Ahh...never been there." Karma remarked.
"You're new and you've never visited the money tree?" he asked skeptically. "Usually that's the first place people go."
"Its always too crowded." she shrugged. "And I'm fine on my own."
"To each his own." Glitz nodded as they walked together, the darkness shadowing the rest of Neopia. In the center of the bazaar, there was still a lively clamour at the base of a large tree. Now and then, a ghost would drift in and lay a bag of neopoints against the trunk and almost instantly, there was a mad dash for it. As they walked past, a fight developed between two girls who had both seized a yellow paint brush at the same time.
"I saw it first, you tramp!!" one screamed as the other one burst into tears.
"Gimme!!!" she shrieked. Glitz winced as they passed the scuffle.
"Some people..." he shook his head as Snap barked at the fighting pair in passing. "Neopia never used to be this way."
"I was wondering about that." she smirked. "And over a paint brush, for crying out loud..."
"They're valuable." he explained. "You'd be surprised what some people would do for a few extra neopoints."
"I guess..." Karma muttered, watching as the fight resorted in hair-pulling and more screaming. He stopped after a few more paces.
"Huh. He's usually right about here." the techo muttered, looking at the empty patch of grass. As they stood contemplating the shop wizard's absense, a faint snoring sound could be heard from somewhere nearby. Karma spotted him first, casting her eyes upward to see an inert yellow fluffball perched in the fork of a nearby tree and sleeping peacefully, wearing an obnoxiously colorful cape and hat.
"Is that him?" she asked, pointing at it.
"None other." Glitz sighed, rolling his eyes as he approached the tree. "Having pleasant dreams, wizard?" he asked loudly, jolting the yellow fluffball awake to reveal a flustered-looking jubjub.
"Oh dearie me!" he simpered in a nasal voice as he attempted to right himself and succeeded in toppling backward out of the tree and hitting the grass with a thud as he scurried to his feet. "Oh PLEASE don't tell the union on me! They'll fire me for sure!!" he babbled, scooping his hat off of the ground with one large foot and placing it back on his head.
"I'm looking for one item in particular." Glitz told him, changing the subject.
"One item in particular! Well you've come to the right place, yes of course!" Saying so, he fumbled a pouch of dust off of his belt with his toes and let it fall to the ground. In a bright flash, a desk suddenly appeared and he stood behind it. "There now, that's nice, isn't it?" the jubjub smiled at the techo and frog. "And what can I help you with tonight?"
"I need a brown petpet paint brush." Glitz informed him.
"Brown.........petpet paint brush....now let's see...." the wizard muttered thoughtfully. "I believe there's one at 5003 Plurby Lane for seven thousand....ohh, but then there's another at 7138 Cirrus Circle for six thousand and ninety-nine. Or maybe even...."
"The lowest one." the techo explained.
"Ahhh yes the lowest. I was getting to that, sir." the shop wizard informed him. "The lowest....the lowest on that particular item...." he murmured, trying to get his thoughts straight. "Ahh! You are looking for no less than 5434 South Coltzan Way! I see a brown petpet brush there for only four thousand two hundred and fifty. But I'd hurry if I were you, sir." Noting that a few other neopians that had overheard the shop wizard were eagerly heading off in the direction of the shop the jubjub had advised, Glitz hurriedly thanked him and broke off at a brisk trot, Karma trailing behind.
As luck would have it, they managed to get to the shop's doors bare moments before the other hopefuls, and startled the shopkeeper as they barrelled in through the door.
"M-May I help you?" The bespectacled wocky inquired, straightening his glasses as he collected his scattered wits.
"Is your petpet brush still for sale?" Glitz asked.
"Which one? We have many..." the wocky said, looking rather nervous as he averted his eyes. He recognizes me from the pound, the techo thought to himself bitterly.
"The brown one." Karma chimed in before one of the others who stampeded into the store behind them had a chance to muscle in and take it. The shopkeeper nodded and reached into his pocket, fumbling out a ring of keys and found a small silver one that unlocked the cabinet under the counter.
"I keep the valuables locked away." he explained. "It keeps the thieves away." Saying so, he slid open a panel and reached inside, fumbling for a moment. "Ah, there you are." he smiled, withdrawing a narrow brush, the end glistening with brown paint, as he laid it on the counter. "Four thousand two hundred and fifty." he said matter-of-factly.
"Fair enough." the techo nodded, reaching for his wallet and opening it, taking out nine bills that were equivalent to five hundred neopoints each. The bank had developed this more obscure way of carrying money not terribly long ago as a way to divert the ghosts and other money thieves that loved attacking neopians that were carting a large bag of coins with them. Change was made and the paint brush swapped hands, despite the disappointed mutters of those behind them who began to leave or filtered about the shop, looking for other items of interest.
"To the petpet puddle?" Karma asked after they had gone outside again.
"I suppose." he shrugged. Snap yerfed once as though in agreement as the three of them headed off in the direction of the never-fading brilliant rainbow that touched the ground where the mystical rainbow pool was located, and slightly to its right, a smaller version for petpets.
TBC...........