Scene: 124756 Bread Street, Neopia Central. A group of NeoPets were
inside the house trying to discuss how their house was going to be painted….
"That's ridiculous - don't you realise the impact this will have on our lives?"
Tina stared at Rox in amazement. Denying all basic knowledge of survival in
the household continued obstinately. She screwed up her nose, and shook her
head in confusion. "I mean, really - what are you on? You're talking garbage
- there's no way these walls are going to be painted green!"
"Oh dear god Tina, pipe down!" thought Sam The room grew silent. The only
sound was from Tessa, Rinny, Scytherix and Buttercup as they hurried silently
away from the growing madhouse. Nick looked at Adam, who looked at Voilet, who
looked at TJ, who looked at Sam who willed Tina to shut up. Rox had spoken,
and anyone who disputed his word was either brave or foolish. Tina, it seemed,
was a little of both. Rox crossed the room in a few long strides, and glared
down over Tina. Cowering in her seat, she suddenly seemed very small...
"Are you disagreeing with me?" His voice boomed across the station. Sam gulped
The other pets: Tessa a Chia, Rinny a Acara, Ed a Korbat and Scytherix a Kougra
could only watch the scene in horror, no-one got in the way of Rox, they watch
as TJ jumped in to Tina's rescue. He, too, crossed the room, and placed one
hand on the back of her chair. He and Rox were in a face-to-face power play,
with Tina between them. "No, no, no - of course she isn't, Rox!" He shook his
head quickly. "She's, ah, she's just, mmm... Just a little confused, very tired
a-"
Tina interrupted them. "No, I'm not!"
TJ slapped her lightly across the back of her head, warning her. "Yes - yes
she is. She's a bit tired and yeah, mmm... Green walls sound fine. Great."
"Really?" Tom looked suspiciously at the rest of the pets. They all nodded
in agreement. "Adam?"
"Oh, y-yes, green is... um... green is very... nice. Yeah. Green is nice."
Adam spluttered the words, searching for a suitable description.
"Nick?" Rox looked at the green Techo. "What do you think - green or white?"
Nick scratched his head. "Mmm... Sounds good..."
Rox frowned. Tina shook her head. "Wait a minute! This is ridiculous! Green
walls? I mean--" Deftly, she dodged another cuff to the head. "-it's not that
green isn't a nice enough colour... It's just kind of... gross... Why isn't
anyone agreeing with me here?" She turned on her friends. "You all saw the colour
he chose - olive grey! And do you know what he has in mind for the prison cells?
Green paisley! Soon we'll be having fluorescent green in the bathrooms!"
Sam put her hand over her mouth, now realising what Rox had in store for the
house, she was really considering siding with Tina, Maybe like when hell freezes
over she thought.
"Um, Tina, I really strongly suggest that you PIPE DOWN!" whispered Sam.
Tina - Defender of the Truth.
Tina - Braveheart in fur
Rox frowned, and glared at her fiercely. "I like green, do you have a problem
with that?"
Sam's hand shot up in protest "It depends what sort of green, your talking
about?"
A hand clamped down over Tina's mouth before she could answer.
"No, no problem," TJ replied for her. She bit his hand, and he yelped.
"Yes! Of course there's a problem!" Tina hollered, and jumped to her feet.
She felt like Alice in Wonderland - were all these people insane? "Green is
no colour for a NeoHome! Green is for bedrooms, and... and... and maybe basements...
Not for a house. White is the only colour. And maybe yellow, I like yellow..."
She trailed off, thinking about that.
"Um?" Sam said meekly clearing her throat "How bout blue?"
"Why Blue?" TJ asked
"Because it's nice, that's why!" she stated, trailing off
"Blue?" Rox wondered. "I suppose we could go for blue, if it means that much
to you... What do you think, Violet?"
"Oh, definitely pink," Violet replied firmly. "Go for pink, or maybe red...
I love pink, it's my favourite colour..."
"What?" Adam looked at her in amazement. "I thought you liked yellow! What
about the yellow r - I mean... You don't like yellow?" He gulped back his accusation,
thinking indignantly of all the yellow roses he'd given her for her birthday.
Voilet hastened to reassure him. "I love yellow. Yellow's great. But my favourite
colour is pink."
"We are not painting the house pink!" Rox slammed his fist on Tina's desk.
"And that is final!"
"Amen!" said Sam
There was an anguished cry from Voilet, then she rushed out of the room. And
awkward silence followed. Finally, Nick spoke up. "Actually, I'm quite partial
to orange myself. If I had a house, I'd paint it bright orange. Fluorescent
orange, come to think of it. It's such an uplifting colour..."
During all this, the other pets cowered in TJ's room hoping and praying they
not be called on.
"Shut up!" Rox yelled, and Nick shut up. Rox continued. "Ben! What do you
think?" He picked on his quietest housemate, hoping for some support. Ben pondered
the question for a while. Finally, he sighed and answered, " I would have to
go for purple. It's such an interesting colour, and most people like purple.
In fact, I th-"
"Wait a minute. I don't like purple." Tina announced, from the other side
of the kitchen bench. She felt safer from back there, as it was unlikely that
anyone could reach her before she got to the door. This place was an asylum.
Ben looked crushed. "But Tina - I thought you..." He trailed off despondently.
She shrugged, and shook her head. "Purple's okay," she relented, "It's just
kind of... different..." Ben perked up. "That's okay, Tina, you don't have to
agree with me. In fact, opposites really do attra-"
"Hold it right there!" TJ intervened quickly. "We are not painting this place
purple, blue, yellow, or green. We are not painting it red, and it will definitely
not be pink. And as for white, that's just plain boring." He was met by a cacophony
of protest, but raised one hand. "Ah - wait! Hear me out. Let's just go over
this rationally... Now, what colours do we have left?"
Everyone thought about that for a moment. "Grey?" Adam suggested, wrinkling
up his nose. Everyone shook their heads.
"Indigo?" Ben suggested.
"Black?" Voilet answered sarcastically. She had snuck back into the room,
but was now in a particularly sulky mood. No-one had liked her favourite colour
- well, that was just not on.
"Silver?" said Sam with raised eyebrows
"Gold?" Tina frowned.
"Maroon?" TJ suggested.
"Peach?" Nick replied.
"Shell?" Ben suggested.
"What kind of colour is shell?" said Sam, everyone turned on Ben, and he shook
his head.
"Don't ask me, I didn't invent it! I was just thinking -- my mother painted
her house shell once... At least, I think it was shell..."
"Did it look good?" TJ asked.
"No."
"Well, there you go... How about multicoloured?" TJ ducked as a paper ball
came flying at him from Sam's direction. It hit Tina, who hurled it back at
Nick. An all-out paper fight might have started, had Rox not interrupted.
"All right, this has gone on long enough!" he roared, raising both arms.
"This is ridiculous, who cares what colour we paint the house?"
"I care!" The response was unanimous and insistent.
"Okay, well..." Rox tried to be diplomatic about it, but failed miserably.
"We're painting the house green, and that's final!" He turned and walked into
his office, and slammed the door shut. What he didn't realise was that he only
narrowly missed the storm of paper balls which were suddenly catapulted at his
back. The house was silent. Tina returned to her chair, and everyone sobered,
the other pets crawled out of TJ's room. A moment passed, then a minute. A quarter
of an hour passed, and no-one moved. Finally, the silence was broken.
"That's ridiculous!" Tina exclaimed. "Don't you realise the impact this will
have on our lives?"
The End | 
