A Distressed Heart

     And yet Heartcatcher is realizing hers does not fit her at all.

     Daniel is the name of heroes, young and old. All are brave souls, just like the Kacheek. His Spyder, Minimalist, shares that noble mindset, never taking more than he needs. The two of them have big hearts, the biggest of all that reside here.

     Saffri is short for Saffron. It is a beautiful pink flower, and she is a beautiful pink Aisha to match. Cresé is similar to her owner, the family trying to find a way to turn the word ‘crease’ into something elegant. The Ghostkerchief is known for getting folded and tangled. Yet she’s still one of the most graceful of them all. Two lovely names for the loveliest people here.

     Darknetta, a shy Usul who hides from the spotlight. And her Petpet Carmariller Shard, a faerie with a sharp mind. They’re almost opposites, yet perfect complements to each other. Their names are mysterious, and quite intimidating if you do not know the pair. Although once you meet the Usul and her Petpet, you’ll find yourself significantly less scared.

     Finally there’s Melodiv. Her name was going to be Melodic, but the misspelling ended up too endearing to not use. A Xweetok with a musical voice, who treats every interaction as if it’s a show. Overdramatic, yet with the flair you’d expect from an aspiring star.

     Melodiv’s Yullie on the other hand, does not feel like her name fits at all.

     Heartcatcher sits in her Petpet bed, tail wrapped around her body as she considers the names of everyone around her.

     In comparison, she feels slighted. Perhaps because looking to find meaning in one’s own life is much more challenging than finding meaning in another’s. Or maybe because her name means nothing.

     She does not catch hearts. She is alone, ostracized from the other petpets, unable to meet them on an even level.

     “Well, if they want to be seen as my equals, they should be as good as me.” She mumbles to herself, halfheartedly.

     The Yullie sits in her bed, letting the empty feeling in her chest hang in the air. Her eyes downcast, a whimper hanging in the back of her throat. The only company she will find tonight is her own sorrow-

     “Are you going to mope there all day?” A sing-song voice interrupts Heartcatcher’s thoughts. The petpet’s eyes darted upwards, meeting the gaze of the Carmariller resting in a hanging vase.

     “How long have you been there?” The Carmariller shrugs, offering no detailed answer to the question. Heartcatcher lets out a sigh, half frustrated but mostly exhausted. “Alright then. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve stayed for, because you’re leaving now.”

     Shard giggles. “Unless you’re going to sprout wings, I don’t think you can actually force me out.” The Yullie glares upwards, with a look strong enough to give Shard pause. “... Oh. On second thought I have something else to do.” With a quick glide, the Carmariller flies out the window.

     Heartcatcher slumps back down. She was just about to go back to her internal monologue before she heard the soft skitter of many legs.

     “Heartcatcher’s feeling down?” Says a quiet, feminine voice Heartcatcher recognizes. “Yeah Cresé, Shard said she was concerned about her mood. And she couldn’t get her to lighten up so!” She can practically hear Minimalist’s toothy grin from out the door. “We’ll be sure to make her day better!”

     There’s the sound of excited fabric swishing and many excited legs tapping at the mere prospect of making the Yullie happy. Heartcatcher reminds herself to never threaten Shard again, because the Carmariller does apparently retaliate.

     The pair of friendly petpets walk through a crack in the door quietly. As if not realizing their loud planning had already alerted Heartcatcher of their presence, how foolish. This is why she spent time away from them, because she would never make such a mistake

     The pitter of steps grows increasingly louder as Minimalist scurries across the room. Cresé is much quieter, floating beside the Spyder with the only sounds being the quiet jingle of her bell. Regardless, Heartcatcher does not look at either of them. She continues to sit there, staring at the ground.

     “Hey, Heart?” The Spyder taps a leg on her back. She sighs and finally looks at him, locking her eyes with his many. Minimalist stutters at the eye contact, and Heartcatcher is reminded that Darknetta is not the only one with anxiety in this house.

     Cresé comes to his rescue and nudges the Yullie’s ear with her fuzzy head. “Are you feeling okay?” The Ghostkerchief’s voice is low and gentle. “It’s alright if you’re not, we all have sad days. But…” She lowers herself down on the bed next to Heartcatcher, the ghost attempting a makeshift hug as best as she can with no arms. Plush fabric wraps around the Yullie’s body in an embrace. “All three of us are here to help you.”

     “Yeah!” Minimalist perks up, leaping into the hug himself. With his six fuzzy legs, he makes for an excellent cuddler and Heartcatcher is finding it hard to keep the frown on her face.

     There’s a moment of quiet, of Heartcatcher almost being able to enjoy the company of others, before she realizes. “What do you mean three?”

     Minimalist unlatches one leg from the hug, putting it up to his eyes as he scans the room. “Huh, she should have arrived here by now. Oh, wait!” He waves up to the planter on the ceiling. “Shard! There you are, how long have you been up there?” The Carmariller shrugs with such a big smile and Heartcatcher feels her mood spoil slightly.

     The faerie glides down, landing a few inches away from the three. “I’m glad to see Heart’s doing fine now, I was almost worried she’d never feel better!” While Heartcatcher doesn’t completely buy the Carmariller’s kind gesture, she won’t object to it.

     There will be a catch somewhere later down the road, but that’s for later. The Yullie looks to the standing Petpet with apathy. “Are you going to join the hug or?” Minimalist and Cresé look with excited expressions, because a Petpet group hug sounds like a swell time.

     Unfortunately, Shard declines with a shake of her head. “I’m not one for physical contact, sorry!” She hops back into the air. “But I’ll be around if you three need anything. Wouldn’t want to force you away from such a cozy spot!”

     Heartcatcher wraps her tail around herself, Minimalist, and Cresé. Shard keeps her promise, sitting perched from the windowsill and looking down, waiting to be called upon. Moonlight shines outside, illuminating the four of them in its soft white glow.

     The Yullie relaxes. Maybe, she isn’t actually above them all. At least not all of the time. She may be superior in many ways to her fellow petpets, but her friends do supply a comfort like no other.

     After a bit, the door creaks open. Melodiv walks in slowly, pawing at her eyes. When she looks down to greet her Petpet, she’s met with the sight of the three drowsy critters nestled together.

     “Oh, the others gotta see this.” She says, turning on her heel out the door.

     She returns in a moment, with Daniel, Saffri, and Darknetta all rushing in soon after. There’s hushed squeals coming from the Neopets (and a small, squeaky scoff from Shard who finds the whole affair laughably pathetic.)

     Heartcatcher cannot find it in herself to pay much attention to the specific chatter going on as she closes her eyes. It doesn’t matter what is exactly happening, because all she needs to know is she lived up to her name.

     “That’s Heartcatcher for you!” Melodiv chirps. “Always one to gather an adoring crowd!”