Kads on Kads on Kads

     “Hobbies?” Alieniey had echoed back blankly. She was all of three days old and had just started to explore the world around her.

     The Jetsam threw her heavy head back letting out a bellowing laughing, directed at her. Then her eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you don’t even have A hobby.”

     Alieniey could still hear the laugh now. Her hand clenched in a fist, nails digging into her skin. And what had she done? Just stared dumbly on, not saying anything!! “Stupid happy road,” she muttered, scowling.

     “Mewww," came an unfamiliar sound, hitting her ears in a pleasing manner and melting her anger just a smidge. Her large, black eyes darted around, trying to locate where the sound originated from.

     "Meeeewwwww," it came again, now even more drawn out and desperate. Alieniey's gaze landed upon a large building...or was it a cage? I guess one could call it a cage building? On top of this building, a shiny, silvery Kadoatie statue balanced neatly. "Meeewwww." The sound came again, and now it was quite clear it was coming from inside the cage building. As she had no particular plans for the rest of the day, there was no harm in following curiosity. She glided over to the building, and pulled the surprisingly heavy cage door open. A sign hung near the entrance on a single nail, and she read through it quickly: ‘Welcome to the Kadoatery! This is where Kadoaties go when their owners are on holiday. It's a nice place, but it doesn't take long for them to get lonely.' Alieniey looked around. There were cages upon cages of Kadoaties. Kads on Kads on Kads. But they all looked happy, from what she could see. "Meeewwwww." The sound came yet again, and this time Alieniey was able to spot where it originated from: a Yellow Kadoatie, whose glistening eyes were welling up with tears so much so that it seemed on the precipice of pouring down the adorable Kad’s face.

     "Aww," Alieniey let out instinctually. The name of the Kadoatie hung above on a rather fancy looking sign: Snooty. What a random name, Alieniey thought to herself. Underneath there was yet another sign: "You should give it a Purple Potato Aperitif."

     "A Purple Potato Aperitif…” Alieniey mused aloud. She had never heard of this thing. "Sorry, little guy, I don't have that." She stuffed her hand in her white suit pocket, retrieving a 1/3 Cheese Omelette. She had eaten the other 2/3rds for breakfast, and boy, had it been delicious. She imagined with how hungry Snooty looked, he would be thrilled with this feast. "Here you go!" She dropped the omelette into the metal food bowl with a generous smile. Snooty scrunched up his nose in seeming disgust, and began pushing the food bowl between the bars of the cage. “What are you doing?” Alieniey cried out in surprise. Snooty’s eyes darted up, locking with Alieniey’s eyes, as he continued to push the bowl until it came crashing to the ground. The omelette splattered messily across the grey cement floor. Then, the Kadoatie turned his back to Alieniey, pushing his nose up in the air. Alieniey eyes widened. "You can't be serious!” She exclaimed in disbelief.

     "Mewwww," Snooty cried again, even more pathetic than before."Honestly, you know how much this omelette cost!?" Alieniey huffed, bending down and picking up the remains. Her hand hovered around the metal food bowl, and she reluctantly picked it back up and shoved it back into Snooty’s cage. Stomping off, she threw the remains of the food in the trash bin near the entrance and headed home.

     Right before her house was the Shop Wizard, and curiosity got the best of her. She decided to drop in. The fluffy wizard was leaning against a wall, his cape scraping against the floor. He perked up as soon she walked in. Clearly, it was a slow search day. “Hey wizard! How’re you doing?”

     “Not bad, not bad. What can I do you for?” He asked with a grin.

     “Can you please give me the shops and prices for a Purple Potato Aperitif."

     The Shop Wizard laughed. "Yes, there are none. You might want to check the trading post."

     "An unbuyable food?" Alieniey’s blood began to boil. How were all the other Kadoaties fed? She wondered. “Thanks anyway.” She turned toward the door.

     “Can I help you with any other search?” The wizard asked quickly.

     “No, no, that’s all. Have a good evening.” The sun was beginning to set, and she quickly made her way home.

     “Welcome, how was the meet and greet?” Suniye, Alieniey’s sister, asked as she came in. The Royal Draik was laying on the couch, a book perched on her stomach.



     “Boring, per usual.” Alieniey grunted. “But something very strange happened on my way back. Have you heard of the Kadoatery?”

     Suniye’s ears twisted upward, and she sat directly up. “Yes, I’ve been by there a few times, but whenever I go, the Kadoaties that are hungry want the most expensive food. You know you actually get a trophy for feeding Kadoaties? How nice would it be to get a gold trophy…”

     “Really? Is that how they get away with asking for such expensive food?” Alieniey queried, flopping down on the couch next to her sister.

     "I guess, but I’ve seen some who have fed hundreds upon hundreds…even thousands of Kadoaties! They must be really rich if that’s the case.”

     “Restockers,” Alieniey said with a sigh. None of them were quick enough for such Neopian riches.

     “Are you talking about the Kadoatery?” Xavrine’s voice chimed in. The Pirate Draik popped on to the couch with them, her Meepit following in toe. “You know, there’s a whole crowd of Neopians who just love feeding the Kads. Why don’t you go and chat with them tomorrow? They hang out at the Site Games board when they’re not at the Kadoatery. Just stop by the bank and pick up some Neopoints on the way, just in case.”

     “I guess I could do that…” Alieniey said. While she was rightfully angry at the little Yellow Kadoatie, a small part of her admired his ability to reject the food with no apologies. If she had that kind of strength to stand up to that annoying Jetsam, perhaps she wouldn’t have gotten angry to begin with. Reflecting on this, she decided she wanted to see this Snooty Kad again, and get to the bottom of these expensive Petpets, as well as who exactly was feeding into their spoiled lifestyle, quite literally.

     At seven exact, she was up, dressed in a matter of seconds. She grabbed a piece of toast and headed for the Neoboards. Adhering to her sister’s suggestion, she popped into the bank, drawing out some Neopoints, and then, not long after, she was at the Site Games board. Sure enough, she found a group crowded around a board called: ‘Feed a Kad’. At the moment there was a Pink Usul, two Pirate Draiks, and a Baby JubJub, She wandered over, a little reticently. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, and when she got close, all eyes moved to her, and silence permeated the board. “Oh hi!” She said quickly. “I’m new here. I’m interested in feeding Kads. Actually I visited the Kadoatery for the first time yesterday, and I noticed one Kad in particular wasn’t fed. His name was Snooty, but he was asking for Purple Potato Aperitif...but that’s an unbuyable item. Is that normal?” Had all those words really just tumbled out her mouth? She felt her face starting to redden. She hadn’t even asked for their names. However, to her relief, none of them seemed phased by her awkwardness.

     “Oh yes, that’s normal.” The JubJub said with a grin. “You need deep pockets to feed these Kads. Too bad for you." His eyes running up and down her in a judgmental fashion. "Clearly, you’re poor. See you around!”

     The Pink Usul jabbed an elbow into the JubJub. “Ignore Joe. He’s such a troll. Actually, sometimes a Kad will ask for an unbuyable food, and they just keep mewing until someone rich comes in to feed them. But most of the Kads ask for cheap to reasonably priced foods. It’s a game of speed. You got to either have the item on you, in your safety deposit box, or be quick with your search and grab. Most of us have the items on us. Wait, maybe I have a list.” The Usul’s eyes fluttered downward to her bag, revealing a glittery silver shadow on her eyelids. She gave off ‘fashionable’ and ‘shop-a-holic’ vibes in the best of ways, although the brown leather satchel that the Usul was now digging through definitely did not match her feminine, fluttery pink dress. The Usul dragged out a small stack of stapled papers. “Here you are!” She said, handing Alieniey the papers. “It’s divided by type, so you can choose a category and buy that type of food.”

     Alieniey took the papers, squinting at the small font next to the picture of each item. “Wow, the whole process sounds a bit intimidating,” Alieniey said, swallowing hard. Could she really do this? She wondered. She began flipping through the pages. There were just so many different types of food!

     “Maybe at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. Why don’t you join us for a run? You can watch and get the feel of it before purchasing the food. The next possible refresh is in a few minutes. We were going to head over now?” The Pink Usul offered with a smile. “I’m Ashley, by the way.”

     “Oh, sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Alieniey. I’d love to join you guys, if that’s okay?”

     “Why else would I offer?” Ashley said with a giggle. She grabbed Alieniey’s arm, locking it with her arm. “Let’s go y’all!” She said giddily. They started off in the direction of the Kadoatery. “So those two are twins.” Ashley said, pointing a finger at the two Pirate Draiks. Alieniey noticed now that they were dressed in identical sets of clothing: white tees and blue jeans. “Mia and Vera. They’ve fed over a 1,000 Kads so far.”

     “Wow! That’s amazing!” Alieniey said in awe. The Draiks smiled at these words, clearly pleased to be recognized for their accomplishments.

     “Thanks!” They said in unison.

     “You can get there too, if you want to,” Ashley said with a smile. Alieniey wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to feed one, but she kept this to herself. “We pretty much do this for a few hours every day. I mean there’s the rush of it, and it’s also a fun social activity. Oh! Look at that! We’re already here.”

     Joe pulled open the gate with his Baby JuJjub hands. The heavy cage door required both, and, even using both hands, he seemed to struggle a bit. They entered together. There were already some people seated on the metal benches in the centre of the room. Alieniey recalled yesterday the place had been empty. Clearly she had come at an off-time. The Neopets all seemed to be looking up at the large, white clock that hung above the cages. “Twenty seconds to go,” a Halloween Kougra shouted excitedly. Ashley pulled Alieniey into a spot that was open on the bench, and they sat together. Alieniey looked over at all the satisfied Kadoaties. At the moment, they were all satiated. Eyes travelling from cage to cage, Alieniey couldn’t spot Snooty. “Brace yourself, it’ll be tense for a few minutes. The Kadoaties cages switch all at once with a click, and the new Kadoaties are all hungry.”

     “Ten, nine, eight,” the Neopets were chanting together, “seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.” Alieniey braced herself, but nothing happened. Everything was still and quiet. The Kadoaties were still not hungry. All the Neopets were on their feet, eyes glued to the cages.

     “What’s happening?” Alieniey whispered to Ashley.

     “We can only calculate a possible minute where it might refresh.” Ashley explained, not taking her eyes off the cages.

     “So does that mean–" Alieniey was cut off by a loud clicking sound, the cages shifted quickly, revealing the new Kadoaties, and loud cries and mews reverberated in the tall room.The sound of shoes hitting the cement floor tumbled into Alieniey’s ears, accompanied by the mews. All the Neopets were running to the cages, pulling food from their satchels, purses, pockets. With each Kad that was successfully fed, a satisfying ‘bing’ was emitted from the cage, and the Kad would glow with happiness. The whole process was so exciting. Alieniey wanted to leap to her feet and join in. Then, in less than a minute, it was over. All the Kadoaties were fed. Some Neopets wandered out the door with their friends and some alone, talking about the next possible time together. Ashley popped back over with a bright smile.

     “I fed one! You know, it’s never a sure thing. It depends who gets to the cage first and all that. Today the competition is medium, I’d say.” Ashley said with a confident smile.

     “Medium?? It gets worse than this?” Alieniey asked wide-eyed.

     “Oh yeaahhh, but don’t worry by the time you get all the food you need, it should be around the lull time and will be a bit easier than now. I’ll come with you to grab the food, unless…you’ve changed your mind?”

     While Alieniey wasn’t sure she’d be successful, she knew she had to try. “I want to do it. Let’s get the food! I think I’d like to get hot dog items.”

     “Great! I personally go for soups.”

     After an hour of running shop to shop, finally Alieniey had stocked her bag to its brim. Fifty hot dog items. Who’d a thunk there were so many hot dog items? Well, Kads definitely have diverse tastes. They were able to get back to the Kadoatery, and a wave of relief came over Alieniey when they entered the Kadoatery. There were only a handful of Neopets waiting on the bench, much less than before. Alieniey took a seat with Ashley and looked on at the cages. Happy, full Kads sat in the cages.

     “Ten, nine, eight,“ it was the same Halloween Kougra as before, and this time he counted alone, “seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

     There was a silence, and both Ashley and Alieniey got to their feet. The familiar loud clicking sound went off, all the cages shifting to reveal hungry, mewing Kads.

     Alieniey’s jaw dropped open as she was met with two familiar eyes. Directly in front of her was Snooty, mewing loudly staring at her with what seemed like bitter anger. Was he still angry about the omelette? Shouldn’t I be the angry one? Alieniey thought to herself. Alieniey felt Ashley nudge her. Right! She thought, pulling herself out of her stunned state. She dashed forward toward Snooty’s cage. As she did so, she realized this might be a massive mistake. None of the items she bought were more than 10,000 Neopoints. Not only that, but Ashley told her to quickly read through the signs to find who wanted hot dogs. But she was already at the cage. Her eyes lowered to read the sign. "You should give it a Blue Bomberry Hot Dog.” She gasped in surprise. Was this fate? She knew exactly where the item was in her bag too! Out of the corner of her eye, she realized an Aisha was running towards them. Within seconds, Alieniey brought out the food and pushed it into Snooty’s bowl. With a smile and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, Snooty ate it in one big gulp. “You should really chew.” Alieniey said in slight disgust. Snooty stuck up his nose, still smiling with satisfaction. “Mew.” He said happily. The cage binged, and then suddenly, a loud chime went off. Alieniey looked around in surprise. She hadn’t heard that kind of sound before?

     “We have our first trophy of the day!” Came a voice through the speakers. There was a Kadoatery MC?

     Ashley came over to Alieniey with a grin. “Congratulations!”

     “Wait what!? You didn’t tell me about this.”

     “Well, I didn’t want to scare you off. You don’t seem like the type who enjoys attention. Anyways, it’ll be quick.” Ashley said with a wink.

     Alieniey looked around, trying to find where the MC was located.

     A spotlight flickered across the room, landing on a Blue Jetsam. Alieniey gulped in horror: it was the gum-chewing, rude Blue Jetsam she had met the other day: Shiela. Shiela held a microphone in one hand and a trophy in the other and was making her way over with speed and precision to Alieniey. “And our first trophy winner is…” Shiela was suddenly beside Alieniey and stuck the microphone under Alieniey’s mouth.

     “Alieniey,” Alieniey said, realizing suddenly with a mix of horror and excitement that everyone’s eyes were on her. The room burst out into applause, and she felt her cheeks start to warm, accompanied by a similarly warm feeling of joy inside her tummy. She had really done it! Why had she even questioned herself? Of course, she could do it!

     “Congratulations!” Shiela said with a smile, handing her the trophy. The Jetsam turned off the microphone and began to leave.

     “Wait, hold on one second. Don’t you recognise me?” Alieniey said, feelings of anger returning.

     Shiela looked back at her, squinting a bit. “Should I?”

     “Yes, we met the other day at the meet and greet.”

     “Hmm, I meet a lot of people you know.” Shiela thought for a second, and then slapped her flippers together. “Oh, that’s right! I remember now.”

     “You laughed AT me for not having hobbies.” Alieniey said, folding her arms.

     Shiela stared at her, looking confused for what felt like a good minute. Then suddenly, her loud Jetsam voice split the air: “Ohhh, oh.” She shook her head violently. “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m a recruiter. I recruit for different fun jobs around Neopia! We try to find people with extra time, who are looking to find a new hobby. You ran out so fast, I didn’t have time to explain. I’m so sorry you misunderstood me.”

     “Oh,” Alieniey said in surprise. She was not expecting that explanation. She had indeed left quickly after.

     “Well, look at you now! You clearly found a great hobby at that! I haven’t seen you here. Was this your first try, and you managed to feed a Kad? That’s pretty impressive.” The Jetsam seemed nervous, as if she really wanted Alieniey to like her, and Alieniey’s heart softened a bit more.

     “Thanks,” Alieniey said with a smile. Perhaps she had misjudged the Jetsam’s intentions.

     “If you’re looking to try a new role, we’re always looking for extroverted people to take up this MC role.

     Alieniey let out a laugh. “I’m so not extroverted.”

     “Really? Coulda fooled me,” the Jetsam said with a sincere smile. “Ah, I gotta get back, but it was nice seeing you again. If you come here more, I’m sure we’ll run into each other again.”

     “Sounds good,” Alieniey said with a smile. The Jetsam walked off.

     “What was that about?” Ashley asked curiously.

     “I guess nothing.” Alieniey said with a peaceful smile.

     “I can’t believe you fed Snooty! You know, I think he wants to be pet.” Ashley said. Snooty was pushing his body against the side of the cage mewing persistently. Ashley opened the cage, brushing her hand through his soft fur. Snooty purred happily. Then, locking eyes with Alieniey, he launched himself over onto her shoulder.

     Alieniey giggled in surprise. Snooty nuzzled his head into hers.

     “Wow! He really likes you!" Ashley exclaimed.

     “I guess you’re not that snooty after all.” Alieniey said to Snooty with a smile.