Friday: A Jewel Indeed

The shopkeeper of the Shenkuu Petpet Shop, Fanciful Fauna, was in the back room grooming the untameable fur of a Biyako, a feisty petpet known for its proficient skills in hunting, when she heard an obnoxious bellow coming from the front of her store. Using her adept range in hearing, she suspected who the owner of the voice belonged to and released a heavy sigh. Carefully placing the Biyako back with the rest of the Shenkuu-inspired petpets, she wrapped her beautiful green kimono closer around her body and adjusted the obi around her waist - it was her strange habit whenever she had to deal with a difficult customer. She fiddled with her purple flowered hair accessory on her glistening long white hair, and then placed a smile on her face, her typically facade whenever she welcomes a customer into her shop.

      She cringed when her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the Collector, an overbearing and egotistical Neo-citizen who enjoyed collecting rare petpets from all over Neopia simply for the sake of bragging rights, standing in her front shop. Rumor has it that he owned a King Skarls Snowbunny, a petpet that no one had ever seen in all of Neopia – how he acquired one would always remain a mystery.

      As she walked closer to the patron, she heard him impatiently tapping his expensive leather loafers on her wooden parquet floor. She glanced up at his face and shuddered when she saw his customary smirk and evil glint in his dark eyes. As usual, he was chewing on a wooden toothpick in the left side of his mouth.

      Just when she was about to greet him with her customary line, "These Petpets can be found nowhere else in Neopia!", the Collector quickly snapped, "About time you showed up! I've been waiting here for fifteen minutes!" while pointing to his expensive Time Traveller Peophin Watch. Fauna internally snickered when she saw that his watch was set thirty three minutes off; he was clearly showing off his expensive tastes rather than the actual time.

      Fauna gritted her teeth and refrained from rolling her eyes. "I apologize for keeping you waiting. How can I be of assistance to yo---"

      He quickly interjected, "No need to waste anymore of my precious time. I refuse to stay here any longer when I'm usually in Neopia Central on Fridays. Is it here yet?"

      Caught off-guard by the Collector's crude conduct and impudence, she felt herself go rigid. She knew what petpet he was after and it was her duty to keep it away from his greedy hands. The petpet he was after is one of the most recognized petpets in all of Neopia; its innate gentleness and calm demeanor bears many characteristics and qualities that are revered by the residents of Shenkuu.

      Looking into the dark eyes of the Collector, she replied, "Unfortunately, I don't have that petpet. I do have other ones for sal--"

      "A reliable source told me that the petpet is in this shop. I was all the way in Moltara City, scouting for a Magmut, an extremely annoying critter that loves to swim in magma, when I heard the news. I was literally deep beneath the surface of Neopia and so I had to pay a pretty penny to travel across the world, and then use one of your annoying and ridiculously slow-moving Shenkuu flying ships to get here! I refuse to leave your shop until I get what I want... I want the Jewel of Shenkuu!" he snapped.

      Fauna was itching to call the Defenders of Neopia to escort him out of her place of business, but she refrained and sternly said "Like I said before, the petpet is not here."

      The Collector knew he was not getting anywhere with the shopkeeper and altered his approach. He retrieved 100,000 Neopoints from his wallet, significantly much more than the estimated value of the black and white coloured petpet he desired, and placed it on the beige countertop. He brazenly smirked at Fauna and said, "Money is no issue for me. Go fetch the petpet like the good little shopkeeper you are, and you can keep the rest."

      Fauna knew it was a manipulative tactic he used to get what he wanted. It was why he was able to add a Quilin into his collection, a petpet deemed the Prize of Shenkuu because of its magical powers and skills as a great and vicious fighter. Although she knew she couldn't get the Prize of Shenkuu back from him, she would do her best to refrain from the Jewel of Shenkuu from following the same path.

      The petpet he was after is thought to be the physical manifestation and representation of Yin-Yang, as its exterior fur is covered in black and white. These two colours are striking contrasts to one another, yet it is perfectly balanced to symbolize what's most important to Shenkuu: peace and harmony. Glancing at the Collector's arrogant nature, she deduced that the Jewel of Shenkuu would be unable to thrive under his care.

      She also acknowledged that handing the petpet over to him would be an insult to her integrity and reputation. Unbeknownst to him, she'd had many customers beforehand who would offer her significantly more than the petpet's actual worth, but she would refuse. It was also why the petpet is given in limited numbers, because it was her responsibility to ensure the Jewel of Shenkuu would go to someone who would treasure it instead of just owning it for the sake of owning one.

      Standing firm on her decision, she shoved the Neopoints back into the Collector's face and with all her might and confidence, she sternly stated, "I don't think you want to pay THAT much!" hoping that he'd get the underlying meaning. However, that set off an opposite effect when she noticed the Collector take out 100,000 more Neopoints to add to the pile.

      Resorting to her last plan of action, she shouted, "GUARDS! GUARDS! GET THIS ROGUE OUT OF MY SHOP!"

      The Collector quickly acknowledged the situation - he didn't want to be placed under arrest so retrieved his business card from his back pocket and placed it on the countertop. "Here's my proposition, one million Neopoints for the Jewel of Shenkuu. All yours if you sell it to me." The Collector winked at her and then quickly vacated the premise.

      It.

      Fauna couldn't believe that the Collector resorted to calling the Jewel of Shenkuu as an "it". His words were an insult to the national emblem of the land. Historically the Quilin was the insignia for Shenkuu, as noted by the release of the ever popular Quilin Stamp, but recently residents of Shenkuu realized how the Jewel of Shenkuu's notion of harmony and calm are much more important than the Quilin's symbolism of strength.

      At the same time, Fauna was frozen in her spot as she watched the Collector's silhouette fade away. She has never been offered this much before and so she did not know how to respond. Once her shock subsided, she peered at the clock on the wall and she decided it was time to close up shop. As she began to sweep up the dust on her floor, she began to think about her circumstances. Her business had declined over the past couple of years, and thus it was getting more difficult to keep her head afloat in this widely competitive petpet business. After all, apart from the Prize and Jewel of Shenkuu, why would Neo-citizens want travel all the way to Shenkuu to purchase petpets when there are shops that are more easily accessible to them, like the one in Neopia Central?

      After she finished cleaning and mopping the store, she began to tally up her till for the day. For an entire day's work, she made a meager 83,000 Neopoints.

      Once she finished closing her store, she tentatively picked up the Collector's business card on the table and then shoved it into the depths of her kimono. She then switched off the store front lights and walked into the back room where she housed the rest of the Shenkuu petpets for sale.

      She knelt down to turn on a lamp and then sat on a wooden stool. She began to rub her sore feet, while thinking about her long day with minimal reward, and then over to the Collector's proposal. She retrieved his business contact information and gazed it at under the lamp light.

      Eyeing the Jewel of Shenkuu who was happily munching on some bamboo in the far right corner, she sadly said, "I'm sorry, but I have no other choice..."

      The Jewel of Shenkuu mimicked her strong emotions and began to whimper. Fauna quickly soothed the petpet by gathering it up in her arms and stroking its long black trunk; her heart began to swell when the petpet reciprocated the affection by nuzzling into her cascading long mane and happily purring against her silk kimono. Rocking the Pandaphant as if it was her own petpet, she repeated, "I'm sorry, but I have no other choice but to keep you here another day. I was unable to find a responsible owner for you today. I'll try again tomorrow..."

      Pandaphant Trivia: These cute fellows are considered the jewel of Shenkuu and are being offered to responsible owners in limited numbers. They are extremely sweet creatures known for their gentleness.

The End