Jeanie's Teeny Tikes

     “You crashed your brother.”

     “He wasn’t listening to my directions!”

     “You tried steering a live Neopet.”

     “I hear riding ghosts doesn’t work very well.”

     Jeanie, Ailemea’s owner, drank in a calming breath before bursting out, “Ailemea, this is not a joke! You and Abe could’ve been seriously injured. What were you thinking?”

     Ailemea sat in the living room of their Brightvale Neohome. Abelo, a Black Eyrie with white tattoos of bone, and Ailemea’s partner in crime—or rather, the victim of her strong personality and poor decisions—rested at the other end of a sofa nursing a bandaged wing. His usual cool exterior looked distinctly uncool with a pink sling holding his wing in place. Both he and Aile wore Twisted Roses band t-shirts in honour of the band they would now never see.

     Grumpily, Aile began to raise her voice. “I was thinking that I would like to get out of this house and do something for me! You never would’ve let us go to that concert!”

     “You didn’t even ask! How is flying all the way to Tyrannia on an Eyrie’s back a good idea?”

     “Okaaayyyyyy,” the Blue Xweetok groaned. She couldn’t help rolling her eyes, though she did immediately notice how the expression made Jeanie’s already red face grow properly apoplectic. She hurriedly amended, “I get it. I’m sorry. I’ll pay for the Healing Springs out of my allowance or whatever.” She affected what she hoped was an appropriately penitent expression.

     It was Jeanie’s turn to roll her eyes, though her rage did seem to calm slightly. “You know very well the springs are free,” she muttered as she started to pace the green rug. Ailemea shrugged helplessly.

     Finally, Jeanie stood still. She faced Ailemea straight on, hands on hips. She shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do with you, A. You’re my oldest pet, and somehow you still haven’t remotely matured.”

     Ailemea folded her arms across her chest in a defensive posture. “I’m mature,” she grumbled.

     “Oh yeah? And what are you doing with your life?”

     Ailemea was silent, but Jeanie blazed on, listing on her fingers.

     “Abelo flies for the post office, Flooken runs the nursery, Oreh fights in the Battledome, and even Nexy takes jobs for the Employment Agency! What are you doing?”

     “I’m just discovering myself is all,” Ailemea mumbled.

     “Is that what you call looking in your mirror all day and brushing your mane?”

     That was a low blow. Ailemea blinked back sudden tears. Jeanie sighed, sitting down beside her.

     “I don’t mean to be harsh,” she said more gently. “I’m just at a loss here. You don’t seem to have any direction in your life. And now the only decisions you are making are harming yourself and others.” Ailemea’s lip trembled, and Jeanie reached out to pat her with a sigh. “Just go to your room.”

     Ailemea got to her feet and headed for the door.

     “Aile,” Jeanie said. The Xweetok paused and turned. Jeanie held out a hand. “Tickets.” Ailemea sighed, emptying her pockets. “With Abe injured and unable to work, who knows when the Healing Faerie will deign to heal him, I’ll have to figure out a way for you to pay him back.” Ailemea nodded and turned once more for the door.

     Jeanie’s voice stopped her once again. She was looking at the concert tickets. “You realize these tickets are used, right? You got scammed.”

     Ailemea hefted a sigh. “Of course they are,” she said, and she retreated to her room.

     ****

     The next morning at breakfast Jeanie was in a much better mood. As Ailemea settled at the table and poked at her omelette, Jeanie sat down across from her with an excited smile.

     “I’ve decided how you’re going to pay Abe back!” she announced. The Xweetok responded by shooting her a look and shoving an egg into her mouth. She intentionally chewed with her mouth open, causing Jeanie to roll her eyes. “Would you like to know what it is?” she asked sweetly.

     “I think you’ve made it pretty clear I don’t get much choice about anything,” Ailemea muttered as she picked at the omelette.

     “Oh good grief, go paint yourself Grey already,” Jeanie said, waving a hand at Aile’s attitude. “You need to get out of the house so Abe can get some proper rest, and you need to make some money to make up for this fiasco. It just so happens I have the perfect solution.”

     “Your self-satisfaction is killing my appetite,” Aile grouched, shoving her plate away, barely touched. Jeanie gave her a warning look. “Fiiiiine,” Aile said, holding up her paws in surrender. “What’s your grand idea?” Jeanie’s smile returned.

     “It so happens that Flook could use a hand at the nursery.”

     Ailemea blinked at Jeanie very slowly. Jeanie continued to smile.

     “Surely you must be joking,” Ailemea finally said.

     “Not a bit! I think you might even like it!”

     “I think your mature old brain has mistaken me for someone else.”

     “Ha ha, very funny. Go get ready. We’re leaving in ten minutes.” Jeanie stood, taking Ailemea’s plate. Ailemea gaped at her in absolute disbelief now.

     “No, seriously, there is absolutely no way this is a good idea,” she objected. “I don’t do babies!”

     Jeanie smiled over her shoulder. “As of today, you do!”

     ****

     Ailemea kept her head down as she followed Jeanie through Neopia Central. She wore her Cool Xweetok Shades to block out the obnoxiously cheerful sunshine and to mask some of her sheer panic. What was Jeanie thinking? Ailemea barely tolerated people, much less babies.

     She didn’t look up until Jeanie paused in front of her, and then she had no choice but to confront her doom. They stood in front of a medium-sized building of pink, yellow, and light blue. A flamboyantly cheerful sign read in capital letters, “JEANIE’S TEENY TIKES.” Ailemea grimaced. She hadn’t set foot in the centre since it opened. Jeanie had partnered with the Neolodge to take in their lodged babies on the weekends, a time when the Neolodge was staffed only by a skeleton crew; rather than scare the babies with their Transparent horrors, they were “sublet,” in a sense, to Jeanie’s nursery. During the week the nursery operated as a typical daycare whenever they had clients.

     “Don’t worry too much,” Jeanie tried to reassure her. “It’s a Monday and a holiday, so we don’t have any lodgers, and the rest of the clientele is home. It’s just the family today while you get brought up to speed.”

     Ailemea nodded gratefully. “Well, that’s good then. So just Nexy, Kasi, Flook, and me.” Jeanie shot her an odd look. “What?”

     “You really need to come to family dinner from time to time.”

     ****

     Ailemea entered the nursery and was confronted by the sight of not two but nine babies. They dashed around in a state of adorable chaos, hanging from the head and climbing the back of a rather harassed and worn-looking Ogrin. His brown-shaded fur contrasted significantly with the bright primary colours of the daycare centre. It rather negated the intention of a Camouflage coat.

     Ailemea counted out the babies, and then turned on her heel and headed for the door. Jeanie caught her and dragged her back. “I thought you said it was just family today!” Ailemea hissed.

     “It is!”

     Ailemea looked again at the babies and then back to Jeanie. “How in the world did you let it get to this point?” she demanded. Jeanie blushed. “You do know how babies are made, don’t you?” Ailemea said. Jeanie rolled her eyes.

     “Obviously I do,” she said. Ailemea arched an eyebrow. Jeanie shrank uncomfortably beneath her stare. “From the Rainbow Pool!”

     “YES!” Ailemea said, pointing a claw at her accusingly. “So you’d think you’d realize by now that it’s not an accident! It’s a very simple thing to just not go and bring home a ridiculous amount of babies!”

     Jeanie smiled helplessly and shrugged. “They’re just so cute.”

     Flooken approached them with an expression of uncertainty. He’d somehow managed to free himself of the horde of babies. “Everything ok here?” he asked in his soft voice. They turned to him.

     “All good!” Jeanie said, her cheerful mood returning instantly. “Ailemea is thrilled to be here.” Both Xweetok and Orgin gave her sceptical looks. She went on, “I’m just going to kiss the babies, and then I’ll be on my way to run some errands. I’ll bring lunch later! Flook, why don’t you give Aile a tour?” She left them to make the rounds of kisses and snuggles. The noise of the babies rose as she approached, and they swarmed her with giggles, babbling, and drool. Ailemea glowered. Flooken stood waiting a little awkwardly. He was a rather recent addition to the family, and Ailemea didn’t know him very well.

     “Well, let’s get this over with,” Aile said. He nodded slowly and gestured for her to follow him. He led her around the room. He showed her the toy area (a mess), the reading corner where Nexy the Baby Yurble was nestled contentedly in a bean bag with a pile of books and gestured into a side room full of cots intended for naptime. They passed a Baby Wading Pool where a tiny Flotsam, Jetsam, and Peophin splashed. One wall of the centre was entirely windows, including the entry which was a sliding door that opened onto a fenced playground outside. The windows flooded the centre with sunlight. The whole room was pastels of pink, yellow, blue, and purple. The toys were all bright, contrasting primary colours. Ailemea’s head ached, and she rubbed at it distractedly. Flooken looked at her in concern.

     “We gonna be ok?” he asked.

     “Sure!” she replied, plastering on a smile that might’ve well have been a grimace. "What could go wrong?”

To be continued…