So I Heard You Like Faeries

To Xylona, Faerieland was privy to many wonderful things she had yet to fully experience, and she was determined to mark one landmark off her bucket list today. As Luthario had promised, the Red Xweetok found him at the Wheel of Excitement, surrounded by various other Neopets aspiring to hit the big win. The Uni appeared to be speaking- well, arguing, with the Faerie in charge, and as she walked closer, snippets of their conversation reached her sharp ears.

     "I don't see why I can't be the one spinning the wheel, Ms. Faerie."

     "For one thing- you have hooves."

     "I could use my horn!"

     "You could cheat!"

     "I have no need for cheating, Faerie. Neopoints do not interest me; do not confuse me for a bourgeois fool."

     If she hadn't been sure she'd gotten the right Uni, she was now.

     "I'm sorry," Xylona quickly interrupted, grinning widely at the Faerie, who looked about ready to combust. "Celia, was it? My... friend here, he's new around, he really, really, doesn't understand Faerie etiquette." She turned to glare at Luthario. "Right?"

     The Shadow Uni rolled his eyes, but acquiesced. "Yes, as you can tell from my colour. I do not reside here."

     Celia sniffed dismissively, crossing her arms in annoyance. "What sort of self-respecting wheeler would let the Neopet turn it, regardless of the location?"

     "You mean, what sort of self-respecting Faerie would let a Neopet turn it? I suppose you have to keep the wheel pristine and unadulterated by grubby paws."

     Oh Fyora, he's another Archyl. Xylona grimaced. Guess I'll be spinning the wheel another time.

     "LUTHARIO. I see our owner there! She wants us to go over right this instance, or she will be very very angry." Grabbing him by the ear, Xylona pulled the protesting Uni along as she offered a quick apology to Lelia, who looked about one step away from quitting her job and signing up for war with Athenia.

     "Did you really have to do that, Lu?"

     "I did nothing wrong. She provoked me first," Luthario insisted, with all the indignance of a Uni scorned. Which, well, he was.

     "How am I gonna face the Faeries now?" Xylona mourned. "I'll be made wheel-wrecker by association! I'll never be able to have a go at spinning the wheel, and I was looking forward to it so much. It's all your fault! You'd better make this up to me."

     "Why are you so concerned about what they think of you? And you have a better chance finding the Hidden Tower than winning anything of worth from the Wheel. I've had very... reputable sources test it, and it's extremely rigged."

     "Because I like Faeries, and I want them to like me! What were you doing there then?"

     "Trying to confirm it. I suspect magic was used, no thanks to your lovely Faeries."

     Xylona sighed heavily. "This is Faerieland, of course magic was used. You didn't need to be so rude to Celia, she was just doing her job."

     "Like I said, she provoked me. She dared to insinuate I was a lowly thief out to con the Wheel, when it was the other way around. How rude."

     "Thank you so much, Fountain Faerie!"

     Momentarily stopping their argument, Xylona turned to the source of noise, and spotted an ecstatic Plushie Kacheek jumping in excitement near the Rainbow Fountain. The Fountain Faerie was grinning gently and petting the Kacheek on the head. Xylona wanted to feel happy for the Kacheek, but she couldn't help but wish she were that lucky.

     Noticing her glum face, Luthario tried to distract her from her thoughts. "We didn't really get to talk much after we met in your brother's Petpet store, due to my impolite behaviour. I never got to ask about you."

     "Um, well..." Xylona paused to recollect her thoughts. "Like I mentioned in the store, my family and I recently relocated from Meridell, as Faerieland looked like a much better place to eke out a living. Tamri's my younger sister, she's an Ixi... and she wasn't very happy when we moved. She loved Meridell. Our big brother, Archyl the Eyrie, he's from Moltara, and he's having trouble with how different Faerieland is. He's a bit rough around the edges, so it's hard for him to not appear intimidating, and the Faeries don't really like that." She winced. "It makes him look ungraceful to them, even though he has wings."

     Luthario made a go on gesture. "And you?"

     "I... I'm okay, I guess. I help out in the shop, do a little sightseeing... Hard to get by without wings, though. I don't know how many times I've fallen through a thin cloud. I was lucky Archyl was always nearby."

     Luthario sniffed in distaste. "Typical behaviour of Faeries, to inconvenience anyone who wasn't one of them."

     The Xweetok glared halfheartedly at him in return. "What about you, Mr. Pretentious? Caused any wars lately?"

     The insult slid off like water off a Mallard's back. "I'm doing a world tour. My siblings are scattered across the globe, but we do meet up once a week for dinner with our owner. I've eaten the most amazing Ptolymelons in the Lost Desert, snorkeled with the best in Maraqua, and experienced the adrenaline rush of good old-fashioned betting in Krawk Island..." Luthario looked positively dreamy, before his expression soured. "But Faerieland, however, has yet to impress me."

     "Well, Faerieland doesn't really boast that much in terms of delicacies or sights," Xylona admitted. "It's mostly Faerie or Cloud themed pizza. It's really more about the Faeries who inhabit the land, and how they assist us Neopians when they wish to."

     "Don't you think that's a bit skewed? That is exactly my problem with Faeries. They pretend that they don't think they're above us. How well your day goes is dependent on a Faerie's moods."

      The Xweetok mulled over his criticism. "Well, they can cast magic. I don't think they need to pretend."

     "Faeries aren't the only ones that know magic, Xylona."

     "...Really?"

     Luthario turned to look at her, eyes full of sympathy. "You really do need to get out more."

     "Hey!" Xylona said defensively. "I have school, and I've been busy manning the petpet shop. Which I ought to get back to soon, actually - lunchtime is nearly over."

     "No you're not, you're coming with me."

     "I have responsibilities!" she protested.

     "You do indeed. You have responsibilities to not be such an uncultured soul, especially not in my presence."

     "...You're not going to let me say no, are you."

     "No."

     Xylona didn't want to admit it, but playing truant for the day sounded extremely tempting. Glancing over at the Rainbow Fountain, she sighed and made her decision. "Fine. I'll ask Tamri to help out in the store. But where are we going?"

     Luthario grinned in response. "One of the most magical places in Neopia."

     ---

     The first thing Xylona saw when she entered the room, were restockers.

     Rows and rows of restockers.

     "I don't understand."

      "Shh. Observe." Luthario raised a single hoof to muffle his voice, pointing to a grand set of curtains adorning the end of the store. "These restockers are waiting for Kauvara. She's the Starry Kau that runs the shop, and among her many talents, she has the ability to create magical morphing potions of incredible worth - which is what these restockers are waiting for, and rightly so. Her dedication to her craft is amazing." Luthario declared.

     "So... are we gonna have a chat with her or something, to help with the 'uncultured' me? Learn more about how she makes her magic potions?" Xylona asked, nonplussed.

     "Don't be silly, Xylona. We're going to steal one."

     "...You surprise me every time. Why? "

     Luthario paused and looked straight at her, with the most serious expression she'd seen on him yet. "You'll find out afterwards."

     "Fyora, you-"

     "I'll distract them," Luthario hissed. "You grab the nearest thing!"

     "Wait!" Before she could make a grab at his tail, Luthario calmly strutted out into the center of the shop, and all as one, the restockers turned towards him, momentarily distracted by his strange appearance. If the essence of him could be bottled into a morphing potion, Luthario knew they would have had no qualms about doing so instantly.

     In truth, the restockers had only turned as the Shadow flitting in and out of the shelves had been mistaken as a sudden movement from Kauvara. In that respect, they were right and wrong. Kauvara had indeed made her entrance, but she wasn't being blocked by Luthario, as the restockers had assumed. Instead, well... you know that experiment where the subjects were so intensely watching a Yooyuball match, they never noticed the Mutant Mynci running right across the court?

     The exact same thing happened here.

     Emerging from her curtains unscathed, Kauvara trudged her way to the shelves, hooves full of precious items... right towards Xylona. The attention span of restockers is extremely short for anything that doesn't come in a bottle, and Xylona knew that their misguided scrutiny of Luthario, for a glimpse of Kauvara, would not last long.

     Eep! Xylona gulped as she crept behind the Kau, her brown fur camouflaging nicely with the shelves. They're going to turn back at any moment now and it'll be a stampede!

     "Welcome, my fellow Neopians! Is it not a magnificent day today? I was ousted from the Wheel by a Faerie today, and it saddens me deeply to explain why..."

     A visible sweatdrop appeared on Xylona. Kauvara, too, was distracted, as she placed down a potion and turned to the nuisance- err, source of interruption. Lu, I am going to feed you your own shadow after all this is said and done. But now's my chance!

     In a flash, at the thunk, the restockers' heads swiveled instantly to the item- or at least, to Kauvara, who looked distinctly nonplussed. Loping out of the exit hurriedly was a furry tail, knocking the shop-bell as it exited. Luthario smirked, and silently disappeared into the chaos that resulted.

     When Xylona had outrun what felt like a horde of Snorkles at feeding time, she collapsed onto the ground, face-first into the grass and clutching her loot tightly to her body. The sound of hooves slowly making their way towards her made her reflexively look up, to the sight of Luthario looking mildly affronted. "You didn't need to run so far, Xylona. It was a bottleneck at the door, no one would have been able to make it out in time to catch you."

     "That-that's what you're chastising me for?" Xylona had to pause to gasp for breath. "I should be chastising you! You just made me steal something!"

     "I did not. You could have rejected my plan and simply walked out. But you stayed. You did it because you actually wanted to."

     "I wanted to be a thief?!"

     "I think you just wanted to feel different." He smiled, leaning down and gently loosening her tight clasp on the potion. "It must get so dull, living in one place all the time. Following the etiquette, the norms and rules, and never questioning why. You must have wanted to fit in. Yet it didn't make you feel any better, did it? But look; you're smiling more now than you ever did in Faerieland."

     It was true.

     "Lucky guess." She relented, and the potion slid from her grasp. "Didn't feel very Faerie-like to admit how stifling it felt. This was a refreshing change, even if not one I expected. You wouldn't have taken no for an answer, anyway."

     "Well now, time for your reward. Drink up." With a flamboyant gesture, he offered up the potion.

     Xylona's mouth gaped open in response, and this time, it wasn't from exhaustion. In the rush, she had never actually noticed what she'd stolen: a Faerie Xweetok Morphing Potion.

     "You planned this somehow, didn't you?" she accused the Uni.

     "I did not!" Luthario said innocently. "How could I have perpetrated it?"

     "Trust me, if anybody could do it, it'd be you. And I can't drink this, I stole it!"

     "Trust me, Kauvara won't miss it. She gets more than enough business from the restockers, and I think she'd be glad to know it went to somebody like you."

     Xylona's willpower wavered.

     "Perhaps, it was fate. Have you not wanted to be Faerie all your life?" "

     And bent like a telekinetic spoon.

     "...I guess I could just pay her back afterwards," she muttered, in an attempt to sound rational.

      So she took it.

     The first thing that came to her mind was, Wow, I have wings.

     The second thing that came to her mind was, Ouch, that really hurts.

     Apparently, flying instincts didn't come with being Faerie.

     Apart from that, though, nothing seemed different. The world wasn't brighter, and she didn't feel any happier, just relieved. She looked different, but felt the same. She took off, her translucent wings fluttering haphazardly as Luthario joined her, swooping around while she adjusted to flying. It didn't take long for her new wings to feel the strain, and she clumsily landed on a tree branch to rest.

     "So how do you feel?"

     Xylona said the first thing that came to her mind. "Tired, mostly."

     "Understandably so. It's been a long day. Shall we head back to Faerieland now?"

     From her view up on the tree, Xylona could spot Meridell in the distance. She looked up towards the clouds instead. "Yeah, let's go home."

     Epilogue:

     By the time Xylona made it back, Kauvara's Magic Store was closed. Luthario had already left a note (in spidery handwriting) on the door, as she had headed back to Faerieland first to retrieve the Neopoints.

     Ms Kauvara,

     I'm deeply sorry for my outburst in your shop this afternoon. I was trying to open up a little pet from her shell, and a Faerie Xweetok Morphing Potion was taken in the process. Unfortunately, I did not have any NP on me, so Silky will be coming down to reimburse you shortly.

     PS. How is work on the Shadow Uni Morphing Potion?

     Right below Luthario's note was another one, this one in arcane font.

     To the hoodlums that stole my faerie Xweetok morphing potion:

     Luthario, your handwriting is despicable. Hooves are not the best for writing in cursive. The potion would have gone to a restocker at any rate, so I don't really care. Just don't make a scene again! My shelves got knocked down in the chaos you caused, and you have no idea how hard it is to put them upright again while fending off hordes of Neopians.

     PS. The world does not need more of you, Luthario.

     Smirking to herself, Xylona peeked through the window to make sure nobody was around, and snuck into the store through the gap left on the top of the high window. With her newfound wings, it seemed that creeping into stores unannounced was extremely easy. Xylona now understood why Luthario liked doing it so much. Dropping a bag of Neopoints down onto the counter, she carefully attached her own note to the string tied around it.

     Dear Kauvara,

     I'm the one who took your Faerie Xweetok Morphing Potion. I'm really, really, sorry! I took it in a moment of impulse, and I wasn't sure how much it was worth, so I've left ten thousand Neopoints in the bag. Her heart ached at that. Her hard-won savings... but she wanted to do this. Luthario had been right. She didn't need to wait around for some Faerie to help change her life, and she wasn't obliged to make everybody else happy to get what she wanted either. But she could still choose what felt right to her. I know you said you didn't need reimbursement, but it's the least I can do to make up for it. Your place is magical. I live in Faerieland, and it's no small compliment.

     PS. If this isn't enough, just call for a favour any time.

     – Xylona, Faerieland, Archyl's Petpets store. I'll be the Faerie Xweetok manning the counter, and there I'll stay.

The End