The Price of Ambition

     “So what’s the deal with your bag? It looks kinda big and lumpy.” Annie asked while they soared through the air. She was finding that due to her heightened abilities, she was able to fly quicker, and her stamina seemed to be stronger. Saorsie, on the other hand, would probably struggle a little more. The big bag wouldn’t help either.

     “Oh, my bag! Um, heh, just some stuff I thought I would need for the trip and uh…” She trailed off, not meeting her sister’s eyes.

     “Come onnnnn! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Annie flew back and forth, getting close to Saorsie, then going back, then getting close again just to agitate her. “Don’t make me turn this flight around!”

     Saorsie let out a loud whine. “Ugh! Fine! I just wanted to bring some of my designs to show Limbre!”

     “You’re awfully ambitious to think that you can even get a moment alone with her.” As one of the most up-and-coming fashion designers in Neopia, she was beginning to be regularly featured in magazines and on TV. Annie didn’t know much about fashion, but she could only imagine that someone like that would have a jam-packed schedule.

     “But it doesn’t hurt to try, right?” Saorsie asked. Her eyes were wide, as if she was going to cry at the thought of not getting to see her. “Otherwise, how else am I going to become a famous fashion designer like her?”

     She made a good point. Annie decided to stop bugging her sister about it for now, even if she thought it would still be unrealistic. Her sister probably had a better chance at becoming best friends with Limbre than she did at finding all the materials.

     They had to take two stops before reaching Altador, but after about an hour and a half, the famed city was in sight. Its signature architectural style could be visible even from far away, with its octagonal wall around the city and stone columns featured on many buildings. The two girls found a safe place to land within the city limits and slowly came to a stop.

     “Wow, it’s beautiful here,” Saorsie said in awe as she looked around. Even without Fashion Week in sight, her eyes were wide with excitement, and Annie wondered if she was going to bolt forward and leave her in the dust.

     However, she couldn’t disagree with her sister. “Yeah, it’s really nice. I heard they have an incredible Colosseum here.”

     “It’s for the Altador Cup, not for fighting!” Saorsie nudged Annie playfully.

     “But what do they do in the off-season? They should host Battledome fights there!” Annie protested as the two began to walk.

     As they got closer and closer to the Hall of Heroes, they could hear music blaring from the Neopian Fashion Week stage. They had set it up just outside the Hall with permission from King Altador. Saorsie explained how the Yurble that worked there wasn’t very happy with it, but everyone else was in favour, since it brought traffic to the local businesses.

     “Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, this is so exciting!!” Saorsie was switching between hopping and floating with every step. “I wonder if Lyssica will be there? Or Ryziea?”

     “Sounds like everyone’s gonna be there,” Annie said dryly. She knew that she needed to at least pretend like she cared, but her mind was occupied with how she could get to King Altador. “Will there be anyone not from the fashion world?”

     “Well, I heard a lot of the elite Neopians will be there. You know, models and socialites and stuff like that. It’ll be a real who’s-who,” Saorsie explained. “I’m surprised Poppy isn’t out here working for the Times, they always report on this stuff.”

     “She does more sophisticated things,” Annie retorted with a huff.

     They stayed silent until they reached the ticket booth, which was packed all the way back to Exquisite Ambrosia. Every pet in the line was dressed head to toe in the latest fashion, which made Annie feel like she was standing out like a sore thumb. She was wearing her cloak again to try and hide her mutant form, but it could only do so much. When they approached the line, she immediately received a few stares.

     “I don’t know about this…” Annie said, nervously looking at her sister. “Do you think they’ll even let me in? I bet they don’t let mutants in.”

     “No, no, no! I promise it’ll be okay!” Saorsie reassured her, placing a paw on Annie’s shoulder. “Since mutants, babies, and Maraquan pets seem to dress differently, they have to feature designers for them too. So I promise, you’ll see other pets that look like you!”

     Although Annie trusted her sister overall, she didn’t trust that the event was going to be as inclusive as Saorsie seemed to think it would be. “Are we even going to get in in the first place? This line is like, a mile long, and it doesn’t seem to be moving too fast.”

     “Yeah, um, I don’t know about that,” Saorsie answered, looking away.

     “And what about how much it’s gonna cost? If this is such a big deal, I don’t think it’ll be cheap…” Annie grumbled.

     “Well, we won’t know until we get up there, right?”

     “But if we get up there and we can’t afford it, then what do we do? We’ll have wasted all that time for nothing!”

     Saorsie chewed on her bottom lip. “Look, Annie, can we please at least try? I’ve wanted to go to this since I was little. This is the place to be for fashion. If I can get just one minute with Limbre, then I can show her how hard I’ve been working!”

     Annie wasn’t unsympathetic to her sister’s plea. She could certainly think of a few different Battledome fighters she would love to get a minute with too. When she looked ahead at the line, she could at least see a few people going in. “Okay, fine. We can wait. But if we don’t have enough NP to get in, we’re gonna have to come up with a better plan.”

     “Yay!” Saorsie cheered and wrapped her arms around her sister. “Thank you so much, I really owe you one!”

     “Well, you can return the favour by getting me in front of King Altador.”

     They waited in the line for what felt like ages. The two sisters idly chatted a bit, but all Saorsie could talk about was the different designers that would be at the show that night, and Annie couldn’t keep up. Even if she wanted to suck it up for her sister, the names all went in one ear and out the other. Unfortunately, Annie didn’t think to bring a watch, so she could only track the time by the chiming of the bells at the Hall of Heroes. They had gotten to Altador at ten in the morning, and by the time the end of the line was in sight, it was four in the afternoon. Ahead, she could see one pet guarding the entrance: a Grey Draik wearing a blindfold.

     “Hey,” Annie said, nudging Saorsie, “what do you think the deal is with the blindfolded bodyguard?”

     “Huh? Uh, I dunno. We could ask when we get up there.” Saorsie was standing on her toes, trying to see over the barrier and barely paying attention to what Annie said.

     After another hour, they finally got to the front. Annie got a good look at the price board and gasped. “100k just for general admission? 500k for the front row, and a million for backstage passes! This is insane, Saorsie. We can’t afford that.”

     Saorsie’s face fell. “Wh- that expensive? Really? Well, I guess it is Neopia’s premiere fashion event…”

     The group in front of them entered, and the two were forced to step up by the group behind them. A bored Yellow Quiggle sat in the booth, looking at them like they were dirt on the ground. “How many tickets?”

     “Um, uh…” Saorsie was at a loss for words..

     Annie cut in, not knowing what else to say. “What’s with the Draik? Why does he have a blindfold?” She pointed at him while he was standing against the front wall. “How can he guard the event without seeing anything?”

     The Quiggle grabbed a nail file and began to file her nails down. “We think his name is Thirteen. Apparently, he can turn people to stone. I dunno, nobody’s tried to run in without a ticket or anything, so maybe it’s not real. Why, are you gonna be the first to find out?”

     Annie rolled her eyes. She was just about to say to Saorsie that they should leave, but a Royalgirl Hissi burst through the gates, looking panicked. “Frances! You gotta help me, one of my models bailed!”

     As soon as the words came out of the Hissi’s mouth, Saorsie stood up a little straighter. “Whaddaya need, Pfit? I can try and grab someone from the crowd or something,” the Quiggle, supposedly named Frances, said.

     “We need a mutant for Mazzymo’s show, their Elephante got sick and had to drop out and…” Pfit turned to Annie and Saorsie, her eyes widening. “You! You’re perfect!”

     Saorsie’s shoulders slumped, but she still had a small smile on her face. “Heh, it’s like something out of a movie. Go ahead Annie, I’m sure you’ll be great.”

     “Wait!” Annie yelled, raising her hand. “Can I bring a guest with me?”

     Pfit grabbed her hand and started to drag her into the show. “Yeah, sure, whatever. She can come backstage with you, I don’t care. I just need to get you into an outfit ay-sap.”

     The two followed the Hissi through the bustling crowd towards the backstage area for one of the runways. When they hit the staging room, Pfit called out to a Mutant Scorchio. “Mazzy! I got your replacement model right here!”

     Mazzymo looked up from fixing the hair of a Mutant Lenny and his body released a bit of tension. “Oh, thank goodness! Come here, dear. You’re perfect! You’re beautiful! What’s your name?” He asked, putting his arm around Annie.

     “U-um, Anerada…”

     “Umiranda! Perfect! Go see Oalex, he’ll do your hair and makeup. Chop chop! We’re live in ten minutes!” Mazzymo pushed her towards a Mutant Draik, who was holding an ornate black dress and red wig.

     “C’mere. We don’t have much time and we have to make you look fabulous,” Oalex said, moving Annie to help her get into the dress. She tried to move the way he pushed her, but she was stiff, and she could tell that it irritated him. “Relax a little! But don’t go limp. Just put your arms through here.”

     While the Draik manipulated her, Annie looked around. Everyone seemed to be going crazy, running around like their lives depended on it. Various pets with clipboards yelled at each other, and mutant pets were all checking themselves out in the mirrors. All of them were decked out in extravagant outfits and wigs, and they managed to somehow look incredible in them. She could spot the Lenny from earlier, an Acara with a thick, red scarf, a Hissi with two heads that seemed to be snapping at each other, and a Tuskaninny, who was…

     “Tuskgus?!” Annie cried out.

     She reached to try and get his attention, but Oalex grabbed her arm and moved it back into place. “Stay still! I need to put eyeliner on you!”

     Fortunately, Gus turned around and lit up the second he saw her. He was also in designer wear, which included a tuxedo and top hat. He crossed from the mirror to come see her. “Annie! Gus did not expect you here!”

     “I didn’t exactly expect myself to be here either, but well, here I am,” Annie said with an awkward chuckle. “Since when do you model?”

     “Gus has other mutant friends. One also model. Invite Gus to show,” he said proudly, brushing down his tuxedo. “And now Gus see you!”

     “It’s a miracle that I’m here, honestly. Saorsie is probably…” Annie looked over to try and find her sister, but she seemed to have disappeared. “Shoot. I lost her. She’s really into fashion, so she’s probably bugging every intern she can find to get them to introduce her to somebody.”

     “Five minutes! Last touches!” Pfit yelled. A few assistants swooped in and checked all of the models, fixing bow ties and adding more blush to their cheeks. Oalex rushed out, seemingly satisfied with everything he had put on Annie.

     “Well, Gus wish you luck. You do good,” Gus said as one of the assistants powdered his face.

     “Thanks, Gus. Good luck to you too.” Annie was trying not to show it, but she was a nervous wreck. She had never even considered the thought of modeling before. Her sister tended to practice her designs on SB, since she was more patient. Every so often, Saorsie would suggest a battle fashion line, but Annie had always brushed her off. Now, she was beginning to regret it. Both because it might’ve given her a little amateur model experience, and also because it would’ve helped them to bond more. At least now when Saorsie talked about things in the fashion industry, Annie would understand a little more.

     Before she knew it, she was getting shoved into a line with the other mutants. Gus was at the head of the line, and he looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. There had to be thousands of Neopians out there, eager for the latest styles, and Annie would’ve guessed he was thinking about his grocery list.

     She was able to get a peek onto the stage from behind the curtains and saw a Christmas Peophin in a black suit standing at the mic. “Hello Altador,” he said. His voice was smooth like butter, with an authoritative tone to it. He didn’t seem excited, but the crowd went wild all the same. “Welcome to Mazzymo’s Mutant Show.”

     Annie poked the Acara in front of her. “Hey, who is he?”

     “You haven’t heard of him?” The Acara said, as if she couldn’t conceive someone who didn’t know him. “It’s Palmare! He’s on the news, and he’s an announcer for a lot of these events. He even hosted the Neopies!”

     “Oh. Yeah.” Annie had only vaguely heard of him, but she didn’t want to still seem out of touch.

     “Now, let’s hear a few words from Mazzymo himself,” Palmare said, before gesturing to the designer as he came onto the stage.

     The Mutant Scorchio stepped up to the mic, waving at the crowd. “Hello, beautiful people! Good to see you all! Especially you, Sonny.” He pointed at someone in the crowd that Annie couldn’t see. “Now then, the theme of my presentation this year is ‘The Sophisticated Mutant.’ In the past, I’ve shown rugged and spooky styles. But tonight, I want to prove that Mutant pets can still carry a classy aura. Even if some people don’t see it, they’re just like you.

     “So now, without further ado, I present to you… ‘The Sophisticated Mutant!’” Mazzymo gestured to Gus, and the Tuskaninny leisurely walked out onto the stage.

     Annie watched Gus take the floor like it was nothing. His hat stayed perfectly on his head as he strutted down the runway. Cameras were flashing in his direction, but he seemed to pay them no mind until he got to the end. When he hit the very end of the stage, he struck a pose, raising one flipper to tip his hat at the audience. Everyone ate it up, cheering like they were at the Altador Cup.

     When he started his exit from the runway, the Lenny took his entrance. In opposition to Gus’ carefree demeanour, the Lenny looked like she meant business. Her eyes were squinted slightly, as if focusing on something ahead of her, and her lips curled into a small smile. The whole expression seemed to say ‘I know something you don't.’

     The Acara went out after the Lenny did, commanding attention as she walked. Every step was filled with confidence, a sharp contrast to what Annie was feeling. She knew that as soon as the Acara hit the end of the runway, Pfit would be frantically gesturing for her to go out, the same way she had been doing to every other model.

     Finally, the Acara did her sharp turn, and Pfit practically shoved Annie out onto the stage. She froze, as if someone just flashed a light into her eyes. But Gus was in the wings on the other side of the stage, and he gave her an encouraging smile. With that to drive her, she walked forward on shaky legs. Where the other pets in the show exuded grace or determination, she could only show off how nervous she was.

     With shaky steps, Annie walked forward. All she could focus on was getting one hoof in front of the other. Any attempt at a presence would trip her up. Although she tried not to look out into the audience, she could feel what she could only imagine to be a million eyes on her. But there was one voice in the crowd that she could hear distinctly.

     “Woooo!! Annie!!! You look great!!” Annie could see Saorsie, two rows from the front, cheering at the top of her lungs. She was jumping up and down and clapping her paws, more excited than anyone else in the audience. “Yeah!! That’s my sister!!!”

     That encouragement was enough for Annie to roll back her shoulders a bit and walk with more confidence. She still didn’t know what she was doing, but she was able to focus on the runway, tuning out all the cameras and music. With her head held high, she walked towards the end of the stage, taking great care to make sure she didn’t accidentally fall off. Opting not to pose at the end, she simply stood for a moment, basking in the glow of all the stage lights. After a few seconds, she turned and started to walk back, passing by the Hissi from earlier.

     When she finally got backstage, she felt like she was going to collapse from how much it drained her. Gus immediately ran to her aid, supporting her so she didn’t fall over. “Annie do good! Gus proud of Annie.”

     Annie leaned on him, trying to make sure that her shaky legs didn’t give out. “Heh, th-thanks… I don’t know if I’d ever do that again.”

     It didn’t take long before Saorsie managed to climb through the crowd backstage and getting to Annie and Gus. “Hey! You did incredible! And uh, you’re Gus, right? SB told me all about you. You were great too!”

     “Thank you. You Saorsie? Nice to meet you,” Gus said, extending his hand. Saorsie shook it wholeheartedly.

     “So um, what do you want to do now? We have backstage passes, so we could do anything, and Limbre’s show is in fifteen minutes…” Saorsie looked down, trying to look shy and failing at it.

     Annie rolled her eyes, but nodded. She couldn’t blame her sister for getting so excited. After strutting the runway, hunting down a fashion designer sounded a lot less stressful. And it would provide a good distraction from having to find King Altador. “So how are we supposed to find her?”

     “Well, I met the DJ who just did a set at the mutant show, he’s met a lot of the designers. If I find him, he can probably show me where Limbre is!” Saorsie said, bouncing up and down a bit.

     “Alright, then let’s roll,” Annie said, beginning to walk with Gus and her sister.

     Saorsie led the way as the three weaved through crowds, practically tripping over their feet to make sure they didn’t get lost. There were so many fashionable Neopians all over the place, from the assistants to the models. Even though Annie didn’t care about fashion, it made her feel a little inadequate. But knowing that she could still be a model, even as a mutant, made her feel better.

     Finally, Saorsie found a Ghost Acara sitting in a corner with headphones plugged into his laptop. She had to wave in front of his face just to get his attention, but when he noticed her, he looked up and took his headphones off. “Oh, hey, ‘sup?”

     “Hey! Um, this is my sister and her friend. Annie and Gus, meet Spooktune. He’s really good,” Saorsie said, gesturing between everyone. She still had a nervous smile on her face, but she seemed at ease with the DJ.

     Spooktune reached out to shake hands with Annie and Gus. His eyes darted back and forth between the group and the laptop, but he still carried a friendly smile on his face. “Saw you guys on the runway, you were great. Was that your first time modeling?”

     Although his eyes weren’t completely focused on her, Annie knew that she was the intended recipient of the question. “Was it that obvious?”

     “Well, you looked nervous, yeah. But you did good once you got out there.”

     Annie sighed. How could she show her face around school if she looked like an idiot onstage? Not to mention that she was only just then realizing that people at school were probably going to see pictures of her. All she could hope was that nobody recognized her.

     “So um, I wanted to ask if you knew where Limbre was going to be before her show,” Saorsie asked, pushing her paws together.

     Spooktune arched an eyebrow. “Mm? Probably running around out of her mind. I don’t think you’ll be able to get even a second with her before it starts.”

     Her shoulders fell. “Oh. You’re right. That was stupid. Sorry…” She immediately turned to retreat, but the Acara reached out and put a paw on her shoulder.

     “Wait, hang on. I’m not exactly best friends with her, but I do think I could get you a minute with her after the show. There’ll be an afterparty with a bunch of the designers and elites. I heard King Altador might even be there. I can get you in, easy,” Spooktune said, brushing invisible dirt off the shoulders of his brown jacket.

     Both of the sisters lit up at his offer, each for different reasons. Annie was the one who spoke first. “King Altador? What’s he doing here?”

     “Well, this is Altador, you know? It’s a big event, and he’s been delivering the closing speech every night,” Spooktune explained. His eyes were finally off his laptop, and he was looking between the two girls.

     “Do you th-” Annie was cut off by Saorsie jumping in.

     “Can you get Limbre to talk to me?” Her eyes were wide and her smile was so wide, it looked like it was going to extend past her face.

     “Can’t guarantee it, but I’ll do my best,” he replied. “When she’s not stressed out, she isn’t too hard to approach, at least from my experience.”

     Saorsie started to tug Annie’s hand, heading towards where the rest of the audience was. “C’mon! I wanna get as close as possible to the front for her show!”

     “But Saorsie, what about Ki-”

     “We can deal with it later, please? If he’s at the afterparty, then you can talk to him there, I promise!” She insisted.

     Annie sighed as she followed Saorsie to the audience. They were a few rows back from the runway, but it was a good enough view for the Cybunny to stare starry-eyed at the stage. When Palmare came out and announced that the show was starting, Saorsie was jumping up and down. And when Limbre came out onto the stage, Saorsie looked like she was about to pass out. But upon seeing her, Annie could see why her sister liked Limbre so much. She carried an aura of effortless beauty about her, and her outfit matched her features as a Plushie Cybunny perfectly.

     The show started, and models walked down the runway with the same grace that most of the other mutant models had. Annie was impressed, even though she otherwise didn’t care for the fashion scene. Saorsie’s eyes tracked the models’ every move, and it amused Annie. Eventually, the show came to an end, and Saorsie looked just as excited as she had been before the show started. “That. Was. Amazing!!!”

     “Yeah, it was pretty cool, huh?” Annie said with a smile. The thought of finding King Altador was still stuck in her mind, like a sticky note on her desk, but she tried to be happy for her sister in the meantime.

     “C’mon, we gotta go backstage! That was the last show of the day, so the afterparty’s gonna start soon!” Saorsie tugged on Annie’s arm again, this time dragging her towards the backstage area. After flashing their passes, they were able to find the party tent easily. It was a little crowded, but the models and designers were all there, along with a few socialites and other event workers. They flagged down Spooktune, who crossed the room and joined the sisters.

     “Great show, huh?” He said. Unlike the last time they had spoken, he didn’t have his laptop on him, so he seemed a little more focused on the conversation.

     “It was incredible! Limbre was so great! All of her designs were perfect! I can’t wait until they hit the stores!” Saorsie was back into her fangirl state of mind, focused on something in the distance.

     “Did you uh, still wanna meet her?” Spooktune looked around. The crowd was so packed, Annie could barely see the other mutant models. But she did see Tuskgus, whom she waved over.

     Saorsie was snapped out of her daydream at the DJ’s words. “Can I? Can you find her? Please?”

     Tuskgus waddled over to greet the group. “Hi Annie, hi Saorsie, hi Spooktune. You looking for Limbre?”

     “Yes! Yes! I wanna see her!” Based on the way her wings were flapping, Annie could tell that she was trying really hard to not completely take off into the air.

     “Uh, I can try and hunt her down, let me see.” Spooktune looked around for a moment, then gestured for the group to follow him. They weaved through the crowd, gently pushing models and photographers aside. His brow was furrowed, both with concentration and a touch of worry, until his features quickly lit up. “There! By the punch!”

     Annie’s eyes followed Spooktune’s paw until she spotted the Plushie Cybunny, using the ladle to spoon some punch into a paper cup. Annie was surprised that she was alone, but she knew that it boded well for Saorsie. When she looked over at her sister, her eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed.

     “It’s her, it’s her, it’s really her!” She said, her tail thumping so hard that Annie thought it might fall off.

     “Saorsie, please don’t say anything weird to her. Let Spooktune introduce you,” Annie said with a sigh.

     The four approached Limbre, and Annie finally got a good look at her outfit. She could make it out on the stage, but now that they were up close, she was able to see all the fine details. Her dark, wavy hair tumbled down from a blue beret, dotted with little embroidered flowers. Her mane was tucked in, covered by the dress she was wearing and what Saorsie had always said was her signature key necklace. Her dress had green polka dots on it, covering the top half until it hit the skirt area, which had a tied green ribbon as a belt, and maroon for the rest of it. Her shoes were sensible black flats, but they almost looked like they were felt, similar to the rest of her body.

     “Hey, Limbre?” Spooktune asked.

     Limbre looked over, her pale pink eyes seeming to flash under the bright lights. “Hi! Spooktune, right?” Her voice was light, calm, and soothing, like if twinkling fairy lights had a voice.

     “I wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine.” He gestured to Saorsie, who was in a complete state of shock. “This is Saorsie. She said you’re her biggest inspiration.”

     Limbre held her paw out, a friendly smile on her face. “Hi, nice to meet you! I’m glad I inspire you, that’s really flattering.”

     Saorsie held her paw out as well, but it was clearly shaking. “H-hi…”

     “Uh, she’s really nervous,” Annie cut in quickly. “This is a big deal for her.”

     But Limbre didn’t seem to be shaken by it. “You don’t need to be nervous! I think I’m pretty approachable, or at least I hope so, heh.” Her giggle sounded like someone trilling on a piano.

     After shaking her paw, Saorsie shuffled in place a bit, unsure of what to do. Annie gave her a small nudge and whispered in her ear. “Show her what you brought.”

     “Oh! You’re right!” Saorsie pulled her backpack around and dug through it so she could pull out all of her fashion work. First, she pulled out a dress, then a few papers with designs on them. “Um, so, I do fashion stuff too. I wanna be a designer just like you someday.”

     Limbre nodded stiffly, as if she had heard that many times before. “Hm? That’s really nice. Are you in school?”

     “Yeah, but when I graduate, I wanna get an apprenticeship or something. I don’t know if you know anything or…” As Saorsie spoke, she thrusted the things she had brought out toward Limbre.

     “Well, obviously you should work on getting through school first but…” Limbre took the dress and papers from Saorsie, giving them a glance at first, but then looking a bit closer. She went through the papers first, then held up the dress. “Where did you learn to sew and design?”

     “Um, my owner taught me to sew at first, but then I learned more from books and stuff. Everything else was just… self-taught. Like, trial and error,” Saorsie explained, looking a bit to the side.

     “Huh, this is honestly better than most of the stuff people show me.” Limbre pointed at one particular design. “This one has the most potential, I think. I would recommend using a different fabric though.”

     Saorsie took everything back from Limbre, grinning so wide that Annie thought her face would crack. “You really think so?”

     “Yeah, I mean, you still have a ways to go, but you have a good start here. As I said, just finish school, and then you can really focus on moving up.” Limbre’s smile was a bit warmer now. “Look, once you graduate, get in touch with me again. I can see what you’ve worked on since today, and we can talk about an apprenticeship.”

     “Really?” Saorsie’s voice went up an octave, and when Limbre nodded, she jumped a bit. “Wow! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!”

     “Yeah, of course.” Someone called Limbre’s name, and her ears twitched. “I need to get back to the party, but it was really nice to meet you. Hope to see you again!”

     As she walked away, Saorsie watched every step she took. “She hopes to see me again! She said I have potential! This is the greatest day of my life!” She couldn’t control herself and hovered a few inches off the ground.

     “Gus happy for you. Limbre nice lady,” Gus said with admiration.

     “So uh, did you get everything you needed?” Spooktune asked. His eyes were darting around the room, as if he wanted to get back to the party as well.

     Although Saorsie nodded dreamily, Annie cut in. “Um, there’s one other thing I need.”

     “Oh yeah, you needed to meet King Altador or something, right?” Spooktune asked. When Annie nodded, he sighed. “Mm, that’s gonna be tough. He’s the most sought out man in Altador. Everyone’s gonna want to get in for a minute to ask him about politics or history. What do you need him so badly for?”

     Annie explained the story of how she became a mutant in as few words possible. Spooktune didn’t seem too phased by it, simply nodding along. “Ah. Yeah, that’s tough. Do you have to get it done today? You could schedule a meeting with him or something.”

     “I mean, I’d rather get it done sooner rather than later. And since he’s here, we might as well,” Annie replied.

     Spooktune nodded again and looked up at the top of the tent in thought. “Alright. I think there’s another string I can pull. Follow me. Again.”

     He guided the group through the crowd for the second time, but Saorsie had to be tugged every now and then since she was off in her daydreams. It took a few minutes, but Spooktune led them up to a plushie Kacheek dressed in what seemed like head to toe glitter. Her blonde hair sparkled in the light, her makeup was tinged with gold, her dress twinkled with black, silver, and gold, and her clutch looked like it should be flaking glitter. She was engrossed in a conversation when Spooktune tapped her on the shoulder.

     “Hey, Maebbi, can I ask a favor?” He asked, a bit reluctantly, as if he was afraid of her or overwhelmed.

     Maebbi turned around, and her dress twirled with her. When she saw Spooktune, she leaned in to kiss him on both cheeks, which he backed away from. “Hm? Ah, darling! Funny thing, we were just discussing music! Although, I’m not sure if you would know the sophisticated stylings of Brucehoven. He is quite lovely.” Her voice was airy, but lower than Limbre, making her sound vapid to Annie.

     Spooktune rolled his eyes. “No it’s - whatever. I need some help.”

     “Can you make it quick? I was just speaking to Lilacynn about the expansion of her Usuki line.” Maebbi seemed about as distracted as Spooktune had been earlier when he had his laptop earlier.

     “Well, it’s for my friend Annie here,” he said, gesturing back to the trio. Annie offered a meek wave, but she felt inferior in the gaze of Maebbi.

     Unfortunately, the Kacheek looked at her and Gus as if they were dung on the ground. “Huh? What could they…” When she realized that she needed to keep up social graces, she forced a smile. “What can I do for you, dears?”

     “I need a minute with King Altador. Just one minute. Then we won’t bother you again,” Annie said, making sure she sounded as serious as possible.

     Maebbi looked at Annie as if she had asked for her to dig through the Rubbish Dump. “You um, want me to get you in with King Altador, huh?” She put her hands on her hips, her entire body expressing irritation.

     The socialite’s demeanor made Annie shrink in on herself. “If you can…” Her voice had lowered to just above a whisper.

     Spooktune cut in, raising a paw up. “Annie’s working on a business transaction on behalf of Mazzymo. You saw her in the show, right?”

     Maebbi’s jaw dropped. “Oh, you were in the…” She sputtered a bit, but recovered quickly. “Why, yes! I did see you, you were wonderful. He has very good taste.”

     “He’s working on getting officially affiliated with King Altador to bring awareness to mutants across Neopia and the struggles they face.” Spooktune carried a bit of anxiety on his face, but with his shoulders rolled back and his body otherwise still, he exuded enough confidence that Maebbi didn’t seem to be thrown.

     “Oh, of course, dear! Why didn’t you say so in the first place!” The corner of Maebbi’s mouth was twitching, and she looked around the room. “I believe he’s speaking to someone else right now but… come with me, dear.”

     “Saorsie, you go with her. Gus and I will stay back here. Come find us when you’re done,” Spooktune said before giving her a pat on the back. “Good luck!”

     Annie’s head was spinning from the amount of times she’d had to follow people throughout the night, but she had no options other than to go along with it. Maebbi walked a lot quicker than anyone else had, so Annie felt like she had to sprint to keep up with her. But eventually, she led the group to a large, imposing presence. From behind, King Altador was taller than Annie thought he would be.

     “Altador! Darling!” Maebbi shouted, and the Lupe himself turned around. Despite being larger than life, he still had kind eyes and a warm smile.

     “Maebbi, good to see you again. How are you doing?” He asked, reaching down and giving her a small pat on the shoulder.

     “Lovely, we MUST catch up soon! But that’s not why I’m here.” Maebbi gestured back to Annie and Saorsie. “They said they had to speak to you about your deal with Mazzymo. I’m going back to the party, but I will return, I promise!” She pranced back into the crowd, immediately being swarmed by partygoers.

     “A deal with Mazzymo?” King Altador said, tilting his head in confusion.

     “Um, sorry, this has nothing to do with Mazzymo. I had to lie to her so she would introduce us,” Annie said. Her face was feeling hotter every second. “I promise it’s not anything weird. I just really, really need your help.”

     King Altador nodded. Annie was afraid that he was going to ask them to leave, but his expression was neutral. “Hm, what do you need help with?”

     “So uh…” Annie went through her usual song and dance, explaining her story for what felt like the millionth time. She stumbled a few times, distracted by the unreadable expression on the King’s face, but Saorsie would pick up where she left off, and she’d eventually find her footing again. When she finally came to the end, she was out of breath. “...So as part of the recipe, I need an item that’s blessed by you. Is that weird? It’s weird. Sorry.”

     “That is quite the quest. I imagine it will be very difficult for you.” His expression was still flat, but his voice was soothing. “But I don’t think that is too much to ask from me. It will only take a moment of my time, cost me nothing, and benefit you greatly. So I will gladly bless something for you.”

     Annie’s face lit up. “Wait, really? That’s incredible! I can’t thank you enough! I…” Her face froze when she realized that she didn’t have anything important he could bless. She had snacks, but they would either be eaten or expire. However, in a flash of inspiration, she was able to think of one thing. “Saorsie! The dress in your bag!”

     Saorsie backed up a few inches, protectively holding her bag. “No! No way! Limbre complimented it! She said it had potential!”

     “But she also said to keep working on it! Besides, you still have the plans and patterns, you could always make a new one,” Annie said.

     Reluctantly, Saorsie pulled the dress out of her bag and handed it over with her eyes closed. “Fine, but I don’t wanna see it go into that gross pot.”

     “Funny, that’s what Izzrin said when we handed over one of her plushies to Edna,” Annie said, taking the dress and holding it in front of King Altador.

     The Lupe placed his hands on the dress and closed his eyes. “In the name of Altador, by the stars above us, I bless this fabric to help this Neopian on her quest.”

     Nothing magical happened, but Annie felt her heart stir a bit. When he removed his hands and opened his eyes, she looked down at the dress. “Um, did it work? It doesn’t look any different.”

     “It worked, don’t worry. The forces of Altador are something I can’t explain, but I think Edna will know that the dress received my blessing. Although I don’t endorse her methods, I can respect her magical ability,” King Altador said with a bow of his head. “I hope you succeed in your journey. I wish you nothing but the best.”

     Annie nodded, her smile growing. “Thank you so much. I’ll never forget this!”

     He gave her one final nod, then retreated. It was as if he disappeared with how quickly he was enveloped by the adoring crowd. She was surprised she managed to even get a single word with him, let alone his blessing.

     Saorsie came back and peeked over Annie’s shoulder. “Well, I guess I should be flattered that he blessed something I made. I wish he had commented on how pretty it looked or something.”

     “Well, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. Thanks, Saorsie,” Annie said before giving her sister a hug. “Now can we get out of here? The lights are starting to get to me.”

     “Oh yeah, the literal four eyes. Makes sense,” Saorsie said after releasing Annie. “Alright, yeah. Let’s get home before it gets too dark.”

To be continued…