Too Good to be True? It's Amazing What Coffee Can Do

      A sweet summer breeze blew across the field where Pure_Decadence, known to her friends simply as Deca, waited. The air current tussled her auburn locks as the chocolate Peophin shifted her weight from hoof to hoof. “You tell someone a certain time and expect them to show up and yet…” She let the sentence trail off, snatched away by the wind. Rolling her eyes she turned her head this way or that, as if her friends would suddenly appear.

      A scuffling sound caused her to glance down and she reared back with a scream as the ground exploded in front of her. “I’m heeeeeere!” called out her brother as he shot from the newly created hole. A dimensional Peophin with wild locks and an even crazier look in his eye, Brujyh was every opposite his sister.

      “Bru! Just because you can use burrow to escape your enemies in the Battle Dome doesn’t mean you should use it to scare me!” Deca exclaimed, brushing dirt off her adequately named Dust Dress. “Do you have any idea what this cost me in the NC Mall?” She asked only slightly less annoyed then she let on.

      Brujyh looked at her with a rueful grin. “Don’t know and.. well since you swap out clothes more often than King Skarl kicks People out of his kingdom I’m not overly worried. But I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the distress I clearly caused you.” He said and bowed low.

      Deca rolled her eyes and turned when she heard the flap of wings. “Hail!” She called out to the ice Draik that was landing on a rock nearby. Pure_Decadence seemed much happier to see him than she had her brother.

      Prince_Hailstorm, who was neither a prince or as tumultuous as his name suggested gave her a wave. “Are we ready to go?” He asked glancing down the slope at the county fair that was in full swing.

      “Are we ever! We’ve only been waiting for at least three Kad pends!” Brujyh exclaimed, louder than life as always before taking off down the hill. The other two followed at a much more leisurely pace.

      Roo Island was packed with Neopians of all species and colors. Deca’s gaze roamed around and she gave a small wave to a stealth Peophin that was waiting in line at the Spring Shop. “We’ll have to bring souvenirs home from Souvenirs” she said as they passed by the adequately named store. Pure_Decadence almost ran into her brother who had stopped in the middle of the walkway. “Um.. earth to Brujyh.. keep walking!” she said with a small push.

      Bru’s attention was captured by a desolate looking castle across the river. “I hear Count Von Roo lives there.” He said glancing at Hail who’d stopped to watch him as Deca wandered ahead.

      “Yeah he lives there… but you’re not getting an avatar from him at this time of day.” Hail chuckled, sunlight sparkling off his icy wings. “You’ll have to wait until midnight and you’d have to tie against him the first round and win the second. You know how hard that is?”

      Brujyh was barely listening as the empty spot in his Avatar book echoed in his mind. “That’d be a sweet avatar to own though.” He said more to himself than his young companion.

      Hailstorm laughed again before latching a claw onto Brujyh’s ear and pulling him along. “Come on you big slorg. There’s plenty of avatars to win in the games room or if you’re feeling really lucky we can wander up to the Dice A Roo tournament hall and spend a few hours playing dice until you grow bored of it. The mischievous glint came back to Bru’s eyes at that. “Oh no mister! If we’re spending all afternoon in there then we’re stopping by the Coffee Shop first and I’m ordering a Pinanna Cappucino.”

      Bru smiled “Well then darling, let’s get your coffee then go find a table.” He said leading the way to the Coffee Shop without hesitation.

      Hail looked around for Deca and when he didn’t see her, he shrugged, and like usual followed his friend. Being laid back definitely helped when he had adventurous friends like Brujyh and NC shopaholics like Decadence.

      Having paid for Hail’s coffee from his own neopoints, Brujyh felt less than guilty as he glanced around the tournament hall. His eyes landed on a werelupe close to his own age. “Hi there!” he said startling the lupe who was deep in conversation with the Xweetok next to him. “Mind if my friend and I join in with you?”

      The Halloween lupe looked him up and down before shrugging and motioning toward the seat to his left. “Be my guest. I’m Farren08 and my friend here is Stevens40 but please feel free to call me Farren and him Stevens. The numbers just seem to confuse People.” He said, his voice deep and Brujyh could just picture him howling to the moon. No wonder Von Roo wakes up at midnight Bru thought to himself.

      “Thanks and may the best neopet win!” Bru plopped down with no grace onto the stool. “I’ll start first?” He asked and with a flick of his hoof sent the dice spinning.

      King Roo leaned forward. “You add a single Neopoint to your pot!” He said then motioned for Hail to pick up the dice. The counter in front of Bru went up by one.

      Hail threw the dice half-heartedly, more interested in his coffee than actually playing.

      “That’s a very good roll! You move up to the blue dice!” King Roo chortled.

      Bru glanced at Hail with a raised eyebrow. “You’re supposed to be my good luck charm not lucky yourself!” He laughed.

      Hail gave him a wink then handed the dice over to Stevens. Shadowy and relaxed Stevens shifted his shoulders before tossing the dice. “Cool! Two neopoints are added to your pot!” King Roo exclaimed.

      Stevens passed the dice to Farren and the lupe growled deep in his throat as they clattered across the table. “Oh dear, that means Game Over. You lose all the neopoints in your pot.” King Roo had the decency to look sad has he delivered this message.

      Farren sighed and watched his counter go from 287 to 0. He handed the dice to Brujyh without a word. With a quick toss and clutching Hail’s wing for luck Bru let the dice fly. “Oh dear, you got a game over too” King Roo said.

      Bru glanced at Hail “You are the worst good luck charm ever!” He stated sticking out his tongue.

      Hail shrugged, muzzle deep in his cup as he drank more of his coffee and tossed the dice again. “Congratulations! You move up a rank to green!” Hail lowered his cup and caught the bewildered look of Farren across the table.

      The werelupe turned towards Bru “There’s no way he’s that lucky!” Brujyh shrugged back at him.

      Stevens leaned forward in his seat and threw the dice. “Oops! This wasn’t such a good throw! You lose 1 neopoint from your pot.” The king said.

      Stevens passed the dice back to Hail nonchalantly but the ice Draik could see the gleam in the shadow Xweetok’s eye.

      Hail let the dice fly and “Congratulations! You move up to yellow!”

      Stevens laughed “Ok you’re cheating. There’s no way you got three rank ups that quickly!” He said taking the dice back from Hail. With a toss, Stevens covered his eyes.

      “You were so close.. but you didn’t manage to proceed to the next die.”

      Stevens fixed Hail with a pointed look.

      Hail, grinned cheekily, and finished his coffee before tossing the dice yet again. Everyone around the table groaned as Hail once again landed on the triangle.

      “Up to silver you go young’in” King Roo said, looking as confused as everyone else.

      Stevens tossed the dice and almost leaped out of his chair as he too got a triangle. “Yes!” he proclaimed and pumped his fist in the air. Farren looked at him oddly, the gesture so out of character for his friend.

      Hail picked up the dice and tossed them high in the air, letting it drop on the green velvet table before picking up his empty mug and climbing off the stool. As expected the die landed on the moneybag. Hail chuckled on his way out the door hearing the cries of disbelief from the table behind him.

      Glancing at his avatar count he noticed it go up by one for winning the Dice-A-Roo jackpot. It’s amazing what a little luck and a lot of coffee could accomplish he thought to himself as he strolled into the afternoon sunlight.

      The End.