Crash Course Shopping

by one48am

Nageku placed her face to the glass and uttered, "Ooooo." Aishaushy giggled and tugged her arm. Nageku turned to look at the Aisha and blinked. He raised a paw and pointed to the cloudy moisture spots that now adorned the glass. They looked like two little eyes.

"You don't have to drool, Nage," he grinned. He looked passed the two quickly vanishing dots. Nestled behind the glass was a Paintbrush of the Stars.

"I know, but I can wish, right?" The Zafara sighed and rocked back on her heels. "I mean, it's not like I'm going to get one any time soon, but I can still look."

Ushy nodded and shrugged. "Why don't you ask your family? They've gotta know somethin'. Just look at all the stuff they've got."

"Guess you're right. Thanks, I'll do that!" Before Ushy could utter another word, the hyperactive Zafara was gone.

***

Nicia was with one48am at the shop. The Angelpuss was clumsily plodding through the aisles with a Lemon Snow Puff. When Nageku entered, Nicia "brrflp"ed and purred. Nageku smiled and scratched the small feline-like pet behind the ears. While Calfax and Enzia were on break, it was almost impossible to keep Nicia from following their owner to the shop. She wasn't much help, but anything was appreciated. Nageku turned her eyes towards one48am. "Jen!" she called, but Jen was busy pulling an Omelette from the top shelf. Nageku pouted. Why did she have to wait? She stared at the customer. The young girl was in tattered clothes. Her white Aisha looked pampered, but not very. Jen handed the girl the Omelette and a Green Skeith Plushy and whispered something in her ear. The girl's eyes lit up.

Jen smiled and said, "Better go before I change my mind." The bell clanged and the girl and Aisha disappeared. Nicia bumped Jen's ankle. She was having a degree of difficulty carrying a Negg. Jen took the Negg in one hand and hugged the Angelpuss in the other. She glanced over at her youngest pet. "Sorry about that Nage. What's up?"

Nageku sprung forward.

"Iwantastarspaintbrushandiwanttoknowhowtogetoneandiwantonenow!" She gasped and sucked in a deep breath of air.

Jen held up her hands defensively. "Woah, wait, wait. Slow down. You want a Paintbrush of the Stars?" Nage nodded. "You want to know how to get one?" She nodded again. "Errr... play games?"

"I can't make that much from games and you know it!"

Jen sighed and leaned back against a shelf. "Once stocks go back up or the shop starts doing well again, I'll buy you one, no problem. Until then though, no luck. You can try to earn it on your own or save up your allowance."

Nage sighed. "Thanks."

"Sorry I can't help more," Jen shrugged. "You'll just have to wait on it, no matter which way it happens. Hey, dinner's at 7. I'll see you tonight?"

"Of course." Nageku slumped off.

***

"There's a Mynci on your back."

"Wha...?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh... I really want a Stars Paintbrush but I don't know how to get it," Nageku muttered. Enzia was staring at her curiously. Her long, striped tail twitched. Her expression oozed mild confusion. Nageku turned to give her a mean look. "What? Why are you staring at me?"

Enzia didn't flinch. "I think your fur looks fine the way it is," she commented. "Besides, if you know what you're doing, earning Neopoints isn't that hard." She looked away. Enzia possessed a degree of arrogance that clouded the air around her. Many Kougras do. But, Nageku thought, she might know what she's talking about. She did decide to become the richest NeoPet in Neopia some time ago. Then again, she hadn't had much luck...

"So what do I do?" Nage inquired.

"You're too young," Enzia quipped.

"Am not!"

"Fine, fine." Enzia leaned back on the sofa and carefully ticked off her ideas with her claws. It felt like an eternity before she again spoke up. "Opening a shop is a popular way to do it. Pets can't do it of course, but it is a good idea. Gotta be careful though. You can really mess yourself over. The game erado likes so much, Cheat!, is a good way too. There's also the Stock Market."

"Tell me about the shops," Nageku bounced in excitement.

"Well, it's common sense really. Shops cost 150 NP to open, and you add 50 to that every time you upgrade. The first upgrade would be 200, the second would be 250, and so on. It's all supply and demand. Certain items are worth selling. Others aren't. You know Rainbow Snow Puffs or Healing Potions? A lot of them shouldn't be bought from Kauvara or the Snow Food Shop. They sell in private shops for less than you'll buy them for. Also, some will sell for several times more than you bought them for. Also, you should lay off on the visual and auditory effects, if you know what I mean. They bother some people. Others have a lot of problems processing them."

"And the Stock Market?"

"Ah, don't you know anything? Shush up," Enzia scolded. She flailed a paw towards the TV. "Fur-vivor is on."

"But..."

"Shhh! Go ask Cal if you want to know. She knows more about that than I do."

***

"Caaaaal-FAX!" Nageku yelled. The blue Kau looked lazily up from her blanket. Calfax was almost always on the beach. Just one of the fringe benefits of having one in your back yard. "Do you know anything about the Neopian Stock Market?" Nageku asked as she bounded over to the blanket.

Cal laughed, a little too heartily for a girl. "Of course I do. Ah, I suppose you are at the age already where you would worry about NP. What are you trying to buy? Cosmetics or clothes?"

"Paintbrush," Nageku said hurriedly. "How do I use the Stock Market?"

"Well," Calfax began lazily, "first you would want to watch the stock to see how it behaves. If time isn't a luxury you have, just buy the least expensive one. However, never ever buy stocks with NP that you need. If you have some extra you saved from your allowance, use that."

"I know that already!" Nage whined.

Calfax's grin only grew wider. "The Neopian Stock Market is an interesting creature. Give her a little while and she'll crash. That's when you want to buy. Stocks won't go below four, so if they drop that low, buy all that you can. You can only buy 1,000 shares a day. If you bought 1,000 shares at four, you would pay 4,000 NP. If you bought 500 shares at four, you would pay 2,000 NP. Just multiply the numbers. Then, when the stocks start going up again, don't sell them immediately. Wait for them to go at least above 20. You maximize profits this way."

Nage sighed. "It's too much and it sounds like it takes a lot of time."

"It does," Calfax nodded sagely. "But it was a Paintbrush you wanted? Try the auction house. There are a few simple rules to this as well. Some items go for more than they're worth and some go for much less. It's up to you to decide which is which. Choose an auction that's about to close and is still cheap, but don't bid on it. Wait until it's in its last minute. This way, there's little movement on the price of the item. Most people just bid and bid and bid until the item isn't worth it anymore. They compete with each other and in trying to get the item, they just raise the price." Nage nodded slowly. "There is no guarantee that you'll get the item," Calfax continued. "Why don't you talk to erado? He has much experience with the Trading Post." Nageku again nodded and, without a word, padded off.

***

The world faded. All that existed was the ball, the red Peophin, himself and his Magaral. And the water. The vast expanse of cool liquid that separated him from the Peophin. He took in a deep breath and screeched, then swatted the ball back. Kallece nearly missed it. Nearly. "Hey..." It barely registered. "Hey." Here comes the ball... "Hey!" SMACK! It bounced against his side. He winced, trotted around and waved to Kallece, Maggie hot on his heels. Yes, he was fine. He would probably be sore tomorrow, but it was good training for speed and accuracy. "Hey!!!" POUNCE! He yelped as he collapsed in the sand, several pounds of angry Zafara sitting on top of him. "I said hey," she scolded.

"Ah," erado wheezed, only partly from surprise, "hey Nage. What do you need?" he panted as Maggie neared. Kallece giggled out in the water and ducked beneath the waves.

"What do you know about the trading post?" she demanded.

"Um, depends on what you want to know. It's on Mystery Island. You browse by most recent, user name, lot number, or the item name. You can usually find pretty decent deals there, and if you're dealing with any person on NeoPets, say an item transfer, the trading post is the only way to do it to make sure you're not cheated."

"Is that all?" she asked as she dropped to the sand.

"Mostly," he stood and shook the sand from his yellow fur. "Whether you're buying or selling, know what the item in question is worth. A lot of folks get really upset if you underbid on a lot. It's bad manners. Best to just go with the user has listed in the Wishlist."

"Can you withdraw an offer?"

"You certainly can. Even if the original owner of the items accepts, you still have the ability to cancel the transfer."

"Cool! Can you do that at the Auction House?"

"Nope. At auction, if you win the bid, you have no choice. It's yours. If you put an item up for auction you can't get it out either. You can bid on it yourself though."

"Oh... sounds tough," Nageku commented as she stared off.

"You don't have much to work with, do you?"

Nage shook her head swiftly. "I have Nicia, and I'm not about to give her up. I also have my green Cybunny plush."

erado9 stretched his wings. "Well, in that case, it's probably going to make things tough. You can try for a job at the Employment Agency in Faerieland, but that doesn't always work out very well. You lose a lot of NP sometimes. Then again, sometimes you make a small fortune. What do you need NP for anyway?"

"I really really really want a Paintbrush of the Stars."

Nageku stared off in the distance. Her eyes clouded over with tears. "Cheer up," erado smiled warmly and nuzzled her. "I think your coat looks beautiful green. Paint would be nice, but colour doesn't make the pet. Just save up. If you really want that brush, you'll get it. It just might take some time."

"Guess you're right," Nageku sighed and hugged her older brother. "Thanks era."

"Sure thing. What are you going to do now?"

She smiled, turned and hopped several steps away. "I think I'm going to get a job and work for my Neopoints. It may not be as fun as playing with Ushy and Nicia, but I guess for now it's the only way." Without another word, she turned and scampered away to tell her owner the news.

The End