Hm. I've been told I need to add a disclaimer with every story I write. And I thought I could get away with just putting one on my bio-page-thing. Oh well, unless someone informs me otherwise, this disclaimer is going on the rest of my stories: I do not own neopets, Dr Sloth or any other creations from the brain of Adam. But Taren is mine.
Slothy and the Student
Chapter 1
"Excellent. Now, how are my finances progressing?"
The lenny whom the dark cloaked figure was addressing fiddled nervously with his tie. He began to sweat as those blood-red eyes bored into his own. "Well, Dr Sloth, sir, it's not looking too good." He stuttered on, fearing his boss's wrath at the bad news. "You see, this invasion of killer robot buzzers you were planning has er…failed. Some ah, idiot prematurely connected the robots to the um, emergency generator, and as their default programming instructed, the robots ah…destroyed the warehouse. So, the last of your invasion funds plus some of your personal capital have been drained to-"
"Are you telling me that I'm bankrupt?" Dr Sloth interrupted in a menacingly quiet tone.
"Oh yes," chorused all the gray-suited executives around the table.
The evil genius stood up, disgusted at the brainless sycophants. He muttered as much to himself as to his executives, "What we need is a plan. A brilliant fund-raising idea so that the Return of Dr Sloth can commence."
"Oh yes," they all chorused again. "Luckily, Sloth Enterprises ltd. is not quite broke yet!" the lenny who had first spoken piped up. "Dr Sloth, please meet your new lodger!"
The silver automatic doors hissed open to admit a gangly, freckle-faced kyrii. "Hi Slothy!" she said rather breathlessly. Her mop of lurid ginger hair looked as frizzy as if it had directly taken part in one too many electrical experiments (as it probably had) and boldly contrasted with her shy, quiet voice. Every few seconds she would fiddle with her paws or her thick red glasses as she babbled and spluttered recklessly on with nary a pause. "Wow if this is just your conference room I can't wait to see my bedroom by the way I'm Taren and I'm an undergraduate at Neochussetts Institute down in Neopia 'cos of course your neohome's a floating metal sphere at a thirty-six point four degree tangent to the Virtupets Space Station and I'll be boarding here for the next year and I get to learn astrophysics and how to be an evil genius from you PLUS everything I'm paying will contribute towards your next failure- I mean conquest of Neopia and this is going to be so cool!"
Taren continued muttering excitedly while she grabbed Dr Sloth's hand and dragged him out into the corridor. As the automatic doors were closing behind them, Sloth's livid green face struggled into view of his executives. "If I live through this, you're all fired!" he yelled before disappearing completely.
Dr Sloth opened his eyes blearily. Had the previous day been merely a bad dream? Yes, it had to be: the stars were twinkling, the meteors were whizzing by and Sloth was feeling good! He whistled merrily out of his bedroom, past the open door of his spare room, into the- WHAT THE JUPPIE HAD HAPPENED TO THE SPARE ROOM?
Sloth screamed. Approximately 2.41 seconds into the scream a furry red face foaming at the mouth, dripping toothpaste; and a toothbrush-bearing paw poked out from behind the bathroom door. Taren was about to ask, "Bla' ugganga?" but spotted Dr Sloth and screeched shrilly in fear before she could begin. Sloth saw what was happening and screamed. Again.
"My carpet!"
"Your jammies!"
After the morning's confusion, Neopia's favorite green-skinned evil genius could be seen in an apron cleaning the toothpaste stains off the precious kauhide carpet in his bathroom, a red kyrii apologizing profusely behind him. "Gee Slothy I'm real sorry I didn't mean to mess up your carpet here let me help you-"
"Silence! Kyrii, why did you paint my spare ro- er…your bedroom completely bright red? No, don't answer me. As long as you don't drop any more toothpaste and don't redecorate your room again and um…" Sloth lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard, even though the nearest point of residence was two hundred miles away, "don't tell anyone what design I have printed on my pyjamas, I'll let you off this once. Now begone."
"Gee thanks Slothy you're the best!" Taren gushed before scooting off.
To be continued…