Just A Normal Day In Neovia

     It was a normal depressing morning in Neovia. Grey clouds that threatened rain hung low in the sky as Shopkeepers were unlocking their doors and greeting each other as they started their days in the foggy streets of Neovia.

      In one particular shop, a Mutant Hissi was slithering down the steps from their home above the shop to sleepily get the shop ready to open.

      Alu the Mutant Hissi turned the sign to show her shop was open before unlocking the door and grabbing a broom to sweep the floor. "Another lovely gloomy day, eh, sister?" Alu asked her conjoined twin, Zee. Zee only nodded her head in agreement. Zee had been born mute so she never spoke, only nodded or shook her head or made gestures to get her point across.

      After making sure everything was in order Alu slithered to her spot behind the cash register. "Ah, good morning, Hydra," Alu said while stroking one of the heads of the petpet lounging on the counter. Hydra was Alu and Zee's Mutant Snowickle. Hydra purred as his head was petted. Meanwhile his other head turned to see who had come in after hearing the bell above the door jingle.

      Zee saw that it was Phumist, their Eventide Bori sister who was a gypsy. "Welcome, Sssister, how may I help you?" Alu hissed as she slithered around the counter to greet Phumist. "hello, Alu dear, I'm in need of some meepit eyes for my potions." Besides being a gypsy, Phumist also made potions, and often stopped by her sisters shop for potion ingredients. Zodiac, Phumist's Eventide Muyang, bleated softly and begged for a petting. Zee smiled and rubbed the little ram's head softly, and then he bounded off before carefully pushing a jar of Meepit Eyes towards his owner.

      "Oh, Zodiac, you always know where to find what I need." Phumist told her Petpet fondly. She picked up the jar and patted her Muyang on the head. Alu slithered over to the cash register, "that will be 100 npsss," she hissed. Phumist nodded and dug in her robe pocket for the nps, which she placed in her sister's wing and collected the jar of Meepit Eyes.

      Phumist then frowned, "By the way, I heard from some passerby that that evil Mr. Krawley has been spotted around town." Zee's wing formed a fist as her mouth twisted into a scowl, she then began telling through sign language what she wanted to do to that Krawk. Alu gasped, "Zee! you naughty Hissi! I ought to wash your wing out with soap." She scolded as Zee gave an apologetic grin.

      Phumist understood her sister's hatred of the Krawk. It was one of his potions that turned them into who they were. "Be forewarned, sisters. He's a slippery one." She then turned silently and was gone through the door.

      "Have a Nice Day," Alu waved as Phumist left, Zodiac trailing behind her, then set to feeding Hydra, placing two bowls on the floor. If there was only one bowl Hydra's two heads would fight over the food, and filling them with cans of Disco Petpet Food, Hydra's favorite. Hydra chirped his thanks before eating, purring happily.

      Alu then slithered around the store, pricing things. Several pets came after Phumist left: an Owner and their Grey Ogrin came in, spotted an item they needed for an Esophagor Quest, handed Alu 1,000 nps for the item, and left, a Zombie Usul bought a Brain Wrap, and a Baby Gelert and their owner bought a Halloween Acara Plushie, the young pet cuddling it as they left.

      Alu slithered into the back room, and brought some things out to stock the shop, pricing them while waiting for customers. Zee yawned, then looked at the Von Roo Clock and noticed it was time for their lunch break, so she tapped on her sister to get her attention. "What, Zee?" She said, then noticed the time, "Oh, it's time for lunch. Let's go meet our dear sister Cheren at The Crumpetmongers." She slithered over to the front door and turned the sign before opening the door.

      "Watch the shop while we're gone, Hydra." Alu told the Snowickle before going through the doorway and closing the door behind her. While on their way to the Crumpetmonger, several pets greeted them as they went by, Alu always responded with a 'Hello' or a nod, Zee usually waved.

           The two stopped to chat with Mr. Prigpants and Mr. Swolthy, the owners of Neovia's clothing store. "Good day, Mr. Prigpants, Mr. Swolthy," Alu greeted. Prigpants was a well-dressed Yellow Lenny and Swolthy was his Purple Mynci business partner. "Good day, Alu and Zee," Mr. Prigpants greeted the two. "It is a lovely day, isn't it?" Mr. Swolthy said, before looking up at the cloudy grey sky.

      Mr. Prigpants took out a pocket watch and looked at it before turning to his partner, "We better open the shop, Swolthy, but you two should stop by sometime, we got some clothes in the other day and I think they would look lovely on you." He told the hissi sisters. Alu blushed and told him they would think about it and Zee waved goodbye as she and Alu went on their way.

      Once they got to their destination Alu pushed the door open and noticed that Cheren was already there. Cheren12, or Cheren to her friends and siblings, a Stealthy Draik, was seated at one of the tables with the owner of the shop, a Yellow Meerca named Minka.

      "A-and then, I said to him, 'Well I told ya to hurry up and buy somethin before I ate it meself!'" Minka said while laughing. Minka had a habit of eating whatever pastries were left at the end of the day if no one bought them

      Cheren chuckled quietly while Captain, her maraquan gallion, swam around in the special enchanted faerie bubble filled with water that Cheren put him in when she went out. While at home he lived happily in a large custom aquarium with plenty of plants and hiding places.

      Suddenly the bell above the door jingled and Alu and Zee slithered through, "Greetingsss, Sssissster," Alu hissed, Zee waved a wing at her Draik sibling as both came over and sat in the chair by Minka. "Hello Alu, hello Zee," Cheren greeted them politely, "how are you on this gloomy day?" Alu got herself comfortable before answering, "Well, Phumist dropped by for some Meepit Eyes. After that I fed Hydra and then went around straightening up the shop and tending to customers."

      Minka got up from her seat before coming back with a plate of pastries, then grabbed a Blueberry Scone as she sat down. Cheren chose a Chocolate Ice Cream Cream Puff, Alu chose a Fudge-Smothered Eclair, and Zee, for some reason, chose an Eyeball Cupcake. When her sister gave her an odd look, she just shrugged, then ate the eyeball off her cupcake. "Ye know, Zee, yer one of the few pets I know that actually likes my Eyeball Cupcakes," Zee just licked the frosting from her lips and reached for a Crumpet.

      "You know dears," Alu said as she sat back, Phumist actually told me something awful." Zee scowled. Alu gave her sister a pat on the wing, "I know, Zee dear, you hate him. I do too." Minka looked confused, but Cheren knew what they were talking about.

      "Mr. Krawley's been spotted again, hasn't he?" Cheren asked quietly. Both heads of the Mutant Hissi nodded.

      The group didn't speak much after that, then Alu and Zee needed to get back to their store. So they said farewell to Minka and Cheren, and as they left, the two could hear Minka say "So today I got a strange customer, he didn't say much, but he loved my Chocolate Scones..."

      Once they had gotten back to the shop, Zee turned the sign back to open and then the two slid behind the counter to wait for customers to start coming in. Nobody else came except for a Ghost Hissi who, after glancing up uneasily at the string of Petpet voodoo dolls strung along the ceiling, grabbed a Meepit Plushie, pushed 100 nps into Zee's wing, and left, muttering something about creepy shops.

     "Imagine that," Alu snorted, "A Ghost Hissi afraid of scary things." Zee nodded in agreement.

      Once the Hissi left, a few more customers came in and browsed, but left without buying anything.

      Then the door blew open with a bang as a sinister looking Krawk came in. "'ello, love" Mr. Krawly hissed as he stepped into the shop. Mr. Krawley, the infamous villain who caused many a Neovian citizen despair, was dressed in a shirt and overalls under a long trench coat with a top hat set on his head, and held in his hand, a sinister looking suitcase which held his terrible life changing (for the worst) potions.

      "Krawley..." The word came as a snarl from Alu's mouth. "I thought you disappeared years ago after the Plot happened. And we thought you wouldn't dare show your face again after what you did to me." Zee bared her fangs and glared at the Krawk.

      Mr. Krawly chuckled, a hollow sound as he walked to Alu's side, Alu glaring the whole time, and placed a hand on it. Zee smacked it off. "My dear...you know the way you look is even more beautiful to me than you were before..."

      "Mr. Krawley, I only bought a potion from you because I was lonely. Although the effects of the potion helped me gain friends it turned me into what I am. I love Zee dearly but I never loved you." Alu growled.

     Krawley tried to embrace the Mutant Hissi and apologize but Alu pushed the Krawk way, then hissed, "Get away from me before I feed you to the Esophagor!" She screeched, her eyes blazing.

      Mr. Krawley backed up, eyes wide with fear. For once in his life, he was afraid. He turned and ran out the door. Disappearing into the fog surrounding the town.

      Alu then sighed, "what a day, eh, sis?" Zee nodded in agreement, then signed something with her wing to her sister. "I agree, Krawley is just a crack pot. let's close up and go to bed."

      Zee made sure Hydra had food and water and spread a blanket in his Aboogala Petpet Bed so he would be warm, as it was going to be cold that night. Then, stretching, the Hissi sisters slithered over to the door, looked at Hydra again, who had curled up in his bed and went to sleep. Zee turned the sign, Alu blew out the candle lighting the shop, and the two slid through the dark and up the stairs to their room.

     What a day, indeed.

     The End.