A Grey Faerie's Hobby

     “Here you go, Grey Faerie. Hope it’s ok.” The Krawk stepped back, nervously glancing between at the Petpet.

     “You’ve done so much for me. Thank you, from the bottom of my sad little heart.” Baelia said, cradling the Puppyblew close to her chest. The little Petpet barked happily, although it turned to look at the Krawk with curious eyes as Baelia called upon a Fire Faerie to reward the compassionate Neopet. He had been so kind to her, helping her find the Puppyblew. She still couldn’t believe some would even take time out of their day to go on one of her silly quests, so she was sure to call favors upon her friends in order to reward them.

     After the Fire Faerie bestowed her blessing, and waving off the thanks and compliments from the Krawk, Baelia headed to her home.

     It was a bit of a walk from the Faerie Quests building, but she enjoyed the sights Faerie City had to offer. It amazed her how much progress had been made since the fall, but the city was as bustling as ever, with new buildings cropping up each day, and Faeries flying about with construction materials. It was much easier for Baelia to move around too, since she no longer had to worry about a cloud being too thin to hold her weight. With solid ground beneath her feet, she could walk confidently wherever she wanted. Still, she couldn’t help but feel guilty. She shouldn’t be happy about Faerieland’s fall.

     The Puppyblew wriggled in her arms, barking in greeting at a passerby and snapping her out from her train of thoughts. Baelia let out a sigh, these Petpets were so energetic she couldn’t keep up.

     When they finally arrived at her home, she kneeled to set the Puppyblew on the ground, unsurprised when it immediately set off to explore its new surroundings. Baelia gazed fondly at the Petpet, she longed for that kind of curiosity, and grabbed two bowls from one of her shelves.

     Once the adorable puppy had food and fresh water available, she sat down at her tiny desk. It was pushed against the wall, right below a window from which she had a nice view of her neighbor’s garden, with colorful flowers she could never grow herself.

     On her desk, there was a letter she had received that morning:

     “Dear Grey Faerie,

     Hope you’re doing well!

     I know we’ve never met, and you probably have better and more important things to do than answer letters from random Neopets, but a friend of mine told me that you maybe could help me get a Petpet, and I figured I might as well try. I would love a Puppyblew! They’re adorable and so tiny.

     I’ve been helping my sister care for her Babaa, so I’m responsible! I would feed my Puppyblew everyday, and play with it and love it forever!

     Please help? I’m trying to save up, but Petpets are expensive! I would prefer to spend those NeoPoints on a bed for the little guy, or maybe some toys? I’m not sure.

     Thank you!

     With love,

     Vaulkra.”

     As Baelia read over the letter again, a small smile graced her face.

     It wasn’t the first time she had received a letter like this.

     At first, she had asked Neopians to bring her Petpets in hopes of finding a companion who could cheer her sad, grey life up. However, as time went on, and she collected more and more, she found that hadn’t been the answer. Her mood was always a bit blue, no matter the amount of adorable Petpets she had living in her house, and it was getting harder and harder to care for all of them.

     And then, the first letter arrived.

     It had been a young Neopet, who heard of her affinity for asking questers for Petpets and wanted to know if they could be adopted.

     The letter contained what could only be described as an extensive application, describing their experience as a petpetsitter, references, and even a drawing that depicted the Kougra with a Cobrall, their favourite Petpet.

     Baelia didn’t need all that, though. She just needed enough interest to actually send a letter, and a short chat with the Neopet.

     She had adopted out most of her Petpets that way. In some cases, she recommended that the adopters start out with easier-to-care Petpets, as some were pretty young and would find the responsibility to be a bit too much. But Puppyblews were a great first Petpet and amazing with children, so Baelia had no worries in letting this young Neopet adopt the little guy hopping around her home.

     She had been doing this for a while, so she felt confident in her system by now. Although there had been a few returns, as sometimes life got in the way, most were success stories. She still kept in touch with a few of the new owners, and reading their letter brought a small amount of joy to her otherwise grey life.

     With a sigh, she took out a fresh piece of paper, dipped her quill in some ink, and set out to write a response.

     ***

     Baelia’s grey heart softened, as it always did, as she watched the young Draik hug their new Puppyblew. She was sure they would become best friends in no time, and that the Petpet was in good hands.

     “It’s amazing what you’ve been able to accomplish, Baelia.” said a voice next to her.

     Baelia jumped in surprise.

     “Ah, Queen Fyora! Hullo! It’s nice to see you.” She gave a tiny bow, then turned back to watch the Draik playing with the Puppyblew. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the Faerie Queen. “What do you mean?”

     The Queen nodded at the scene in front of them. “You’ve helped many Neopians find a companion, and in order to do this, you’ve also allowed many more to be blessed by different Faeries.” Fyora smiled, “That’s an amazing feat.”

     “Oh, not at all!” Baelia shook her head, she didn’t deserve this praise. “It’s the least I can do! I don’t even have any magic to give blessings to the kind souls that help me out, so I have to ask for favors.” She looked down at her patched-up dress. “It’s really not that remarkable. It’s more of a hobby, I guess.”

     “It’s an amazing hobby, then.” Fyora declared. “Keep it up, and let me know if you need help with anything.” She nodded at Baelia, before waving her goodbyes and setting flight towards the Hidden Tower.

     And for a moment, Baelia could see it.

     She wouldn’t need much. Maybe a bit more space than she currently had. Maybe one or two helpers to take care of the Petpets while they were being adopted. A big play area, a cosy corner where owners could meet their new Petpets, and a tiny desk for her to look over applications.

     Maybe she could even advertise her services in the Neopian Times?

     She shook her head, trying to dispel her thoughts. She was a Grey Faerie. Could a Grey Faerie really do all that?

     But as she watched the energetic Puppyblew chase its new owner around, this Grey Faerie allowed herself to dream.

     The End.