A Trip to the Marketplace

     "Look at you," Mimi exclaims, turning back to her friend. She's practically dragging her by the collar, tugging the other Ixi forward. Despite the crowded streets, Neopets all over seem to avoid the pair after a single glance at the other. Mimi can't exactly blame them. Eva's covered in bumps after scratching so hard. "You won't get an injection and we've already wasted four hours in Brightvale -- which, by the way, wasn't a short trip," she reminds, looking back at her friend and stares pointedly as she scratches at her neck. It's a miracle they've found mittens on their way to the Neopia Marketplace. She's sure it would've been worse without them. "The hospital's said you've got Neomites and the best way to cure them is through an injection but I know," she adds quickly, tugging harder on her friends collar, "I know you hate injections which is why we're going to find an alternative," she promises. "And the next best place is here," she adds after a breath.

     "Can't we just try the healing springs again," Eva pleads, jumping when a door swings open too quickly beside her. She leaps towards her friend, clinging to her arm, and looking all the more apologetic when she turns to face her again.

     "Do you really want to make the trip all the way to Faerieland again just to be handed goop again?" She doesn't have to look back this time for an answer. The silence says it all. "Didn't think so," she shouts back, reaching behind her to pull Eva forward. "Stop being such a baby. The marketplace isn't so bad. You can find practically everything out here! Just think of it like an adventure," Mimi encourages.

     "I don't really do adventures," Eva says, hovering closely now as they pass a group of Mutant Neopets. "I'm more of a stay at home type of girl, if you know what I mean. You know, far away from other people," she adds, unable to stop staring despite herself. Her head snaps forward when one of them makes eye contact. She swears she can feel her heart leap from her chest. How she would love to be home, curling up with a book right now. "How much further do we have to go," she asks.

     "I don't know exactly," Mimi answers. It's a question she's asked herself too.

     "You don't know where you're going," shouts the Ixi, drawing attention. She regrets it the following moment, her ears pointed down when people stare. "What do you mean you don't know," Eva whispers, clinging to Mimi's arm.

     "Well, there's usually signs and advertisements," Eva explains. "And if all else is left, we just go to the center where the giant hats in," she says, pointing forward. Even from there, she can see the Shop Wizard's tower hanging above all other stores. "But usually there's storefronts of advertisements - you know, from Neopets who specialize in certain things," she adds. "Collectors. Hoarders."

     "Neopians hoard medicine," Eva asks, skeptical of her friend, but she barely has time to answer before she's dragging her into one of the said shops.

     "There," Mimi shouts, dragging the pair forward. "See, medicines, potions, etc." She points to a sign in big bold letters plastered to the front of the window. She doesn't give Eva a chance to respond before she's pulling the pair in.

     A bell rings when the Ixi pushes open the door. "Hello," she shouts, sticking her head in. She's not sure if the shopkeepers heard her, but she's too distracted to have registered anything if they had. "Holy moly," the Ixi calls, her neck craned upward as she looks at the shelves upon shelves of potions and other antidotes. "I don't think I've seen so many morphing potions in one place," she calls, rushing towards a particularly interesting batch. "Look, this one's a Faerie Ixi Morphing Potion. You remember when you wanted to become a Faerie Neopet so bad after reading that one Neopia article?" she adds, turning her head towards Eva. It's only then, seeing her itching best friend, that she remembers why they were there. "Right," she says, refocusing her efforts. "The nurse said we should try a cooling ointment," she goes on, moving past the collection of morphing potions and towards the medicinal herbs. "She said it can cure just about anything, or so they say," she adds, but the vials and line of ointments has her overwhelmed. She's not even sure what a cooling ointment looks like, let alone if it really exists. "Wait, I think I see the shopkeeper," she says, taking a dash towards the right.

     Sure enough, she does see the desk for the shopkeeper, but whether she sees the shopkeeper is another question altogether. She has to approach nearly the edge to see him: a Mynci who's laying on the floor, openly snoring despite the clearly lit open sign up front.

     "Should we wake up," Eva asks quietly from her side, and honestly, Mimi's not sure how to approach it. She's never been to a shop where the shopkeepers so blatantly passed out the entire time.

     "Excuse me," Mimi calls quietly at first, then repeats it more loudly. She's greeted by more snores, the Mynci turning over towards his side, hugging his pillow close to his chest. Mimi presses her lips together and approaches the desk even further. She spots a bell placed on the center for the first time with a sign that reads 'RING FOR SERVICE'. "Excuse me," she calls, ringing the bell this time. "Can we get some help?"

     The Mynci springs up from the sound of the bell, one eye open and his mouth drooping. "I'm up. We've got bananas," he shouts, still dazed for a moment before he catches sight of the two Ixis. "Customers," he registers, blinking as he rises. He yawns when he approaches the desk. "How can I help you," he asks, scratching his head.

     "We're looking for--" Mimi pauses, moving out of the way when Eva starts to hide behind her. She pushes the other Neopet up front so the shopkeeper can see her clearly. "We're looking for some ointment to help my friend. She has Neomites," she explains.

     "Neomites," the Mynci repeats, scratching himself just at the sight of her. "We've got plenty of Neomites Injections for sale," he says, moving around the corner.

     "No injections," Eva exclaims, embarrassed the next moment for shouting. She scurries behind Mimi once more. "No injections please," she repeats.

     "My friends scared of needles," Mimi explains. "We heard cooling ointment might do the trick instead, if such a thing exist," she adds.

     "Cooling ointment," the Mynci repeats, looking back at the pair. "It exists, but how deep is your wallet?" he asks, looking back at them. One glance and he doubts they've got much between them. "They're a bit pricey, but good deals out here. They're normally 100,000 but your friends' giving me hives just looking at her. I'm willing to part with it for a mere 80."

     "Eighty Neopoints," Mimi asks, reaching for her pouch. "We can definitely do that," she states, following after the Mynci.

     "Eighty thousand," the Mynci clarifies, coming to a halt once they've arrived at the appropriate shelf. He holds up a blue jar. "A rather good deal if I do say so myself." But as the colour drains from Mimi's face, it tells him otherwise.

     "We can camp outside the Healing Springs," Eva says, tugging at her friend. "I don't mind," she adds.

     "Relax, relax," the Mynci goes on. "I have alternatives," he claims, moving around the pair to grab something off of the shelf. "Soothing stones," he says, presenting it to the itching Ixi. "Just rub it around yourself. Go ahead. It's only a few Neopoints," he adds when Eva looks up at him tentatively. Slowly, the Ixi takes the stones from him and starts rubbing the stones onto her fur.

     "Are you sure this works?" she asks, rubbing all over. "I'm not really feeling anything," she says, trying up at her neck where the itching is worse. It's then she feels a prick at her side. She lets out a small yelp, but it ends as quickly as it came. The itching seems to disappear all at once too. "Oh my gosh, it worked," she exclaims. "The itching's gone," she shouts in glee. "The stones worked!"

     The Mynci faces his back to the gleeful Ixi and holds up the empty injection for Mimi to see. "We'll just keep it between you and me and call it an even hundred," he whispers.

     Mimi breathes out a sigh of relief. "Just take the whole thing," she says, handing the Mynci her pouch and taking Eva's hand before she can see. "Thank you so much," she shouts behind her as she pulls the other Ixi out the door. She lets out a yelp of glee too as the bell rings once more and they make their way back out onto the cobblestone streets. "See! I told you the marketplace wasn't so bad!"

     The End.