NPIA Headquarters, an Undisclosed Location Somewhere in Neopia Central
"And I missed it by ONE!"
Taro, Natalie, Noelle, and Sys-op watched as
Magnolia, arms crossed, paced back and forth in her office. "Mag," Sys-op started.
"It wasn't that big of a deal, really--"
"That big a deal? That monstrously-grown potato
crop cost me 100 Neopoints!" Magnolia exclaimed, ceasing to pace. "1819 potatoes!
Sys, did you guess 1819 potatoes, or did you just get 1818 potatoes instead?"
"Actually, I guessed 1820 potatoes, but
that's not the point," Sys-op replied. "The point is that it was only once."
"I know--once, but so sudden!" Magnolia
sat down in a rolling chair. "One second, I'm counting 20 potatoes, the next,
it's 1818!"
"1819," Noelle corrected.
"Oh, WHATEVER it was!" Magnolia cried.
"Well, Sys-op's right," Taro added. "I mean--um--it
never happened to me--but she's right."
"The most I've counted in that game was about
48," Natalie commented.
"Oh, just leave me to be the only one in here
to face this torment, why don't you?" Magnolia moaned as the door opened. "Hi,
Chief," she added.
"Good morning." There was a long silence. "What's
the matter with her?" the yellow Wocky asked Magnolia's audience.
"1819 potatoes," Magnolia mumbled.
"Oh," Chief replied. "Well, don't let it get
to you that much, because you're on your next mission."
"And on top of my potato-counting shame I have
WORK to do?" Magnolia queried. "What is it this time?"
"This is a bad time, isn't it? We have another
missing from the agency, either way," he answered.
"Again? Chief, if you send
me into space again, I swear I'll slap you into next week."
"Er--nothing of the sort," Chief hastily added
as Noelle giggled to herself. "This one is Juliet di Nicoli. She disappeared
less than two weeks ago, but we have an idea of where she might be."
"Di Nicoli?" asked Noelle. "You mean Peach? Ah,
I remember her from the academy! We were very close friends--where did she go
off to?"
"I was getting to that. We think she might be
being held in Haikou, a large island city off the coast of Mystery Island."
Chief handed Magnolia three photographs.
"The photograph thing again," Magnolia said.
"Who's this?" she asked, viewing a picture of a yellow Nimmo with a tight black
bun. She wore a silken cheongsam with a floral print.
"That's Mei Lin, a keeper of a popular inn--I
forget what they called it--in the next photograph." Magnolia viewed the next
picture, seeing a tall, populated inn in the city. A sign stood in front with
a small lotus emblem on it. "This is where you'll be staying while you're in
Haikou. If you'll look at the next photograph..." The picture was of a green
Shoyru with short, black hair and a stern look on her face.
"She isn't one of the innkeepers, is she?" Magnolia
asked.
"No, quite the contrary," Chief told her. "That's
Ming Chen. She's actually who we've suspected is responsible for Di Nicoli's
kid--er--Cybunny-napping."
"She's a white Cybunny," Noelle added.
"Er--it sounds like you and Juliet were
good friends, Noelle," Sys-op said. "What else about Ming should we know?"
"Well, I suppose that's it," Chief replied. "What
she would actually do with Juliet is beyond me. The Haikou Independence Parade
is being held three days from now, and Ming is in charge of decoration."
"And she's a criminal?" Magnolia asked.
"We think she is."
"So, apparently, whatever she's planning to do
with Juliet involves the parade," Sys-op stated. "Well, okay, then."
"I'll go with you for reinforcement, Magnolia,"
said Noelle. "I've known Peach--erm--Juliet for years."
Somewhere in Central Haikou
Magnolia looked quite awkward stumbling through
the crowded streets in her red cheongsam and sandals after Noelle and Sys-op,
(who, needless to say, were yards ahead of her.) "You know, these sandals are
REALLY hard to walk in," she moaned, nearly colliding with a street vendor.
"No one wears these in Neopia Central."
"Oh, quit being so un-cosmopolitan, Magnolia,"
Sys-op snapped.
"UN-cosmopolitan? That isn't even a word!"
"Just be quiet; the inn's just ahead."
Magnolia, Noelle, and Sys-op were greeted by
a tall inn with a sign in front. The sign was in Mandarin, but Magnolia recognised
the lotus instantaNeously. "This one's the--" Before Magnolia could even say
"place", a green Nimmo swung the door open.
"I apologise, but the inn has presently reached
full c--" the Nimmo paused. "Ah! You must be Magnolia, am I correct?" she asked,
in a much quieter tone.
"Erm--right--Mei, is it?" Magnolia replied. "I
thought for a moment we'd come to the wrong p--"
"Oh, come in, come in! You must be freezing out
there," Mei interrupted, ushering the group inside. "Dinner has just started
being served, so you've made great timing."
Magnolia, Sys-op, and Noelle were led by the
Nimmo through a series of hallways, the sound of chattering and clinking dishes
greatly muffled by the walls as they traversed further. "The inn is pretty full
right about now, but we've managed to save you a room," said Mei, coming to
a halt. "Ah, here. Come downstairs once you've gotten settled, and we'll see
if we can save a table as well. This is your key, and be sure to contact anyone
on the staff with any trouble or inconvenience you might have. Thank you for
staying at the Drifting Lotus Inn and have a nice stay!"
"Ah, so that's what it's called," Noelle
murmured as Mei walked off. "No wonder there was a lotus on the sign outside."
Magnolia opened the door and stepped inside. The room was quite neat, with two
beds facing a large painting of a mountain landscape on the wall. A vase filled
with lilies stood on an ottoman next to each bed, and a window opposing the
door reaching from the ceiling to the floor gave a breathtaking view of the
city.
"Huh, there're only two beds," said Magnolia.
"One for me and one for Noelle. Looks like we're going to need to stuff Sys-op
in a pillow case tonight."
"Ha, ha," Sys-op muttered. "I'll sleep in the
bathtub, if that's what you're planning on."
Later that Night
Magnolia stared down at her plate with utter
disgust. It wasn't simply the fact that she had no fork to eat with, but more
the fact that the food looked a bit rushed. The noodles on her plate had been
singed nearly to charcoal; her dumplings were covered in sauce that was supposed
to go on the chicken, but Mei had supposedly missed her target. The rice was
so dark that Magnolia thought it to be brown rice, and tried that first.
It wasn't.
Magnolia coughed and sputtered, reaching for
a bowl of water. Luckily, she sat at a table near a staircase, so no one saw
her, but she decided not to eat any more. Sure, she loved Chinese food. She
just didn't like Mei's Chinese food. Noelle and Sys-op, who had eaten
earlier, were out in the back garden somewhere, leaving Magnolia alone to deal
with the situation at hand.
A few lessons about culture told her that if
she ate nothing, it would be an insult to the cook. But she couldn't
eat anything. Soon enough, Magnolia noticed that a dragonbud was resting in
a water-filled vase nearby. "I hope you haven't eaten," she murmured, holding
her plate up to the plant. Delighted, it ate the food, plate and all, and eyed
the bowl of singed rice. Checking that no one was looking, she fed it the rest
of her meal.
"Wow," said a waitress, eying her clear table.
"Weren't you just served?"
"Er--another waitress took the plate away," Magnolia
replied. The dragonbud grinned in the back.
"Ah, I see. I suppose you've met the innkeeper?
I'm Sang, her sister. We've been keeping the inn here for years. And you are...oh,
right. Magnolia, is it?"
"Erm--right..." Magnolia answered gingerly.
"Oh, silly me--this is for you," Sang said, handing
Magnolia a fortune cookie. "I'll see you around the inn again sometime."
"Right. Thank you," Magnolia murmured, breaking
the cookie apart. She took out a slip of paper. The font was so tiny that she
had to squint to make it out, but soon enough, she read:
You will find a great revelation in the nearest
library.
Magnolia read the note again and finally fed
it to the dragonbud.
Haikou City Library
"106.5, RON," said the librarian, a spotted
Blumaroo, typing feverishly at a computer. "You know, I think I recognise you."
"From the Faerieland library?" Magnolia paused,
looking up. "Right, Funame, it was?"
"I'm glad you remembered," Funame replied with
a smile. "I hope you find that book of yours with no trouble."
"Erm--thanks, Funame," Sys-op said, walking off.
"I think I've found it," Noelle declared after
a few moments. "Haikou Independence Parade - A History. That's it, then."
She opened the book and flipped to the index. "Preparations, preparations, preparations--ah-ha,
there, on Page 127...there we go. It says here that a woman by the name of Lei
has been in charge of décor preparations for the past--twenty-six years? And
this book was made...last year. So then, that means that Lei should be in charge
of decoration, not Ming!" Noelle took another glance at the book. The opposing
page had a picture of the previous year's parade on it, as well as a photograph
of a green Zafara--Lei. Magnolia looked at both pictures as well.
"Who could Ming be after?" Magnolia finally asked
after moment of silence. "And what does all of this have to do with the parade?"
"Ah--wait a second," Noelle said, flipping the
page backwards. "'After Ming Chen had been in charge of lighting for the past
nine years, Lei has taken over her position and has been overseeing decorations
ever since.' That means that--"
"She's going after Lei? But why at the parade?"
Magnolia implored.
"Lei will certainly be there to admire the fruits
of her labour, am I right?" Sys-op replied. "When she arrives, that would be
the perfect time for Ming to strike."
"But then, why did she kidnap Peach?" Noelle
queried.
Magnolia looked at the picture of the previous
parade again. Lei had certainly done a good job on overseeing both decoration
and lighting. The paper lights strung above the bridge were quite attractive,
and reminded Magnolia of the red light on an explosive before it went off. Suddenly,
she got a bizarre notion.
"Noelle, you know Juliet. She wouldn't happen
to know anything about explosives, would she?" Magnolia asked.
"Are you kidding? That woman's an explosives
genius," Noelle replied.
"So then, that means that she's planning to destroy
the bridge using Juliet because she can't figure out how to set a bomb herself!"
Magnolia stated. "Come on, the parade's tonight--we should get going!"
Haikou Bridge; Later that Night
"Okay, Noelle, I'll find Juliet; you and Sys-op
find Ming and save the bridge," Magnolia affirmed. "You know, I really don't
know where in the city she could be kept."
"Try looking in that tower at the north end of
the bridge," Sys-op suggested. "It's kind of likely that a villain would want
to keep their newly kidnapped Cybunny in a tall tower."
"Right; we'll be seeing you later, Magnolia,"
Noelle added.
Magnolia, Noelle, and Sys-op parted ways, and
Magnolia headed for the tower. She had no trouble opening the unlocked door;
however, the tower was dark and deserted. She traversed up a long, winding staircase
to the top, and upon kicking the door down (after about fifteen tries,) she
saw a solitary crate next to the window. A quiet sniffle came from the crate.
"OH, FAERIE QUEEN; THERE'S SOMEONE IN THERE!"
Magnolia quickly darted to the crate and attempted to beat it open with a nearby
sledgehammer lying on the windowsill.
"MMMPH!" cried the voice from inside.
"DON'T PANIC!" the Aisha shrieked, hitting the
crate once more. "I'M A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL!" Suddenly, the crate gave way
and a white Cybunny with brown hair tumbled out. Magnolia ripped the masking
tape from her mouth.
"Trained professional, huh?" she remarked.
"Ah--are you Juliet?" Magnolia asked. "I--I mean,
I've been looking all over--"
"Please, call me Peach," she said. "I think Peach
sounds better to me."
"Whatever you say. Look here, Peach, I'm here
for the parade. You see, I heard that--"
"Ming?" Peach finished. "No surprise. I'll explain
everything on the way out."
Haikou Bridge, Southern End
"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"
Noelle rode across the long bridge on a bicycle,
Sys-op sitting the basket in front. "Those lights are probably set to explode
any second now!" Sys-op shrieked, covering her face with her paws.
"Don't worry about it--I'm sure we can disable
them in time," Noelle replied, looking away from the bridge for a second.
"NOELLE!" Sys-op snapped. Noelle looked ahead
to see two Gelerts carrying a long paper Draik kite across the bridge. Noelle
attempted to swerve away from it, but far too late; the bicycle drove straight
into the ornate paper kite, blinding Noelle and Sys-op.
A paper kite on wheels driving through the bridge
was quite a strange sight, but even worse when the bridge was as high above
the city as it was. Noelle nearly missed running the bicycle over the edge of
the bridge several times, until finally, the kite fell off, revealing a large
gap in the bridge.
"AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Sys-op cried. "SWERVE!
LEFT! RIGHT! SOMEWHERE!"
But her command was too late. Noelle swerved,
but the bicycle nearly fell from the bridge before she could grasp on to a low
string of lights. She grabbed Sys-op's basket before the bicycle fell into the
water.
"Oh no," Noelle muttered. "That was a rental."
Noelle winced as they moved forwards--the lights
were slanting down! As Noelle clung on to a paper light decoration for dear
life, she nearly loosened her grip on Sys-op. "NOELLE!" she cried. "I'M FALLING!"
Slightly annoyed by the incessant, but harmless
shocks from the lighting system as each light was knocked off, she barely heard
Sys-op, who clung on to her leg. Her fur, (and her red hair, for that matter,)
was standing on end, and she fell from the lights onto the bridge once across
the gap, Sys-op panting loudly.
Soon enough, Noelle could see the procession
taking place across the gap in the bridge. Standing in the crowd was a green
Zafara, the same in the library book's photograph. "That's Lei, isn't it?" Noelle
asked. "We have to get across the bridge again, Sys--"
"HEY!" A Gelert nearby shouted. "THAT'S THE AISHA
WHO STOLE MY KITE!"
"Uh...oh."
Meanwhile...
"Magnolia, I can't find it," Peach murmured.
"What do you mean, you 'can't find it'?" Magnolia
asked.
"I mean, there 'is none'," Peach replied. "I
remember setting it up, I mean. But, there's a red wire, a green wire, a purple
wire, for crying out loud, but there's no red wire, which is the one I'm supposed
to cut."
"Then just cut all of them!"
"Are you insane? That would set the whole thing
off!" Peach sighed, her tone of voice softening. "I don't get it, though."
"Get what?" said a voice. Magnolia turned to
see a green Shoyru standing in the doorway. "I know you're not planning on what
I think you are."
"Where did you hide that wire, Ming?" Peach asked.
"Well, if I hid it, then why would I want to
tell you?" Ming replied coolly. "I want it to be a surprise for Lei; don't you?"
"No, we don't," Magnolia retorted.
"All right, then. I'll play a game with you,"
she said. "If you can find out where the wire is in five minutes, I'll let you
cut it with no hesitation." She smiled. "But if you can't find it, then I suppose
I'll be receiving Lei's paycheck, won't I?"
"You wouldn't!"
"Would I? Tick, tock, you two."
Peach and Magnolia scrambled around the tower, looking for anything red. The
corners of every wall were covered by a rug, making the effort more difficult.
Magnolia searched the left side of every wall, Peach searching the right. After
a few minutes, Peach triumphantly said,
"I'VE GOT IT!"
"What?" Ming asked. "But--you're out of time
either way. You've only a few seconds left."
Peach would have quickly cut the wire, but she'd
left her pliers in the last room! "JUMPING JUPPIES!" she had only a second to
exclaim. From the window's view, the bridge was soon demolished by a sudden
explosion, tourists and natives running for their lives.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Suddenly, the door swung open. A red-haired Aisha
darted inside carrying a green Zafara and a pink Kadoatie, followed by two Gelerts,
a swarm of Chia Police officers, and the blazing inferno outside.
"GOODNESS GRACIOUS! PUT ME DOWN!" the Zafara
shrieked.
"GET BACK HERE AND GIVE ME MY KITE!" a Gelert
cried.
"YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" an officer exclaimed.
"Wait! Wait! Let me explain, please!" Noelle
implored. "I'm not the one you want! SHE is!"
And so, after Noelle explained her story to the
police, Ming was taken, writhing and wriggling, away to jail for attempted murder.
Haikou was proven to be safe once again, thanks to Agent_Magnolia. (Okay, so
it was more Agent_Noelle, but you get the picture.) The Drifting Lotus Inn is
still quite popular among the city folk, and Mei is being shipped a "Chinese
Food and You" cookbook at this very moment. Peach is now continuing her work
at the NPIA, and Noelle is quite happy to see her again. No one was hurt in
the explosion, and the kite and the damages to the bridge are now being paid
for by Noelle. It's a mystery where she gets all that money from. Magnolia has
tried her luck at potato counter again, but just can't win, no matter how hard
she tries. She is currently looking forward to another vacation. She needs it.
The End | 
