Quigukicon. A newfound convention that stabbed and parried at Usukicon's face and battered it to the floor... from the eyes of the fans, at least. What had started as a rip-off doll brand soon became known for its own charm and individualities. Now, The Lonely Draik -- a three-story inn nearest Meridell -- was booked to the rafters by fans, from young Neopians like Alpha to diehard collectors who had morphed themselves into Quiguki Quiggles. Long lines of merch tables, dotted by display cases, sprawled wherever you looked.

Alpha couldn't be happier. He was in a place swarming with others who shared his obscure interest. Plus, this was the best (well, only) place for him to pick up some uncommon Quigukis to add to his growing collection... even if they cost him small fortunes. He sighed.

A series of shouts accosted his thoughts. Vendors leaned from their booths to see the growing commotion several aisles away. Alpha trudged up to the source, edging and inching around a few members of the crowd.

An Usul in a voluptuous, sparkling purple wig adjusted her rectangular glasses with a scowl. "We've been double booked," she hissed...

The Usul's voice rose to a screech. "Can you believe this, Franklin? Double booked!"

"I'm sure we can figure this out," Franklin said reassuringly. He turned back toward one of the frightened hotel managers standing nearby. "Please, there must be a room available--"

"This is Quigukicon," the Kyrii manager replied as way of explanation. However, when he turned toward the Usul, his demeanor weakened. "Please accept my sincerest apologies. Perhaps a voucher for a free stay another weekend?"

"There won't be a Quigukicon next weekend!" the Usul shrieked.

Alpha cringed with the rest of the crowd, but he genuinely felt rather sorry for the pair, who were probably expecting a stress-free, exciting weekend. More importantly, he felt sorry for the poor innocent who'd gotten stuck with them.

"This is silly," the Usul said as she tried to regulate her breathing. She turned toward the crowd of bystanders. "Who in here has booked Room 341?"

There was a lot of shuffling, much sighing of relief, and even a muffled cry of delight. Alpha looked around with the rest of them before the realization hit. He had Room 341...

However, in his haste to hide his key from sight, the Vandagyre's newly-purchased Little Brother Quiguki slipped out from under his armpit and came so close to falling that Alpha had no choice but to shriek, instantly releasing his key to catch the falling merchandise as he did so.

CLANG!

Never had Alpha known a bronze key with such a simple keychain to be capable of making such a loud and resounding noise as it clattered against the hardwood floor and drew the attention of a pair of large blue eyes to his person; he was pitifully sprawled on his knees as he cradled his newly-bought Quiguki doll above his head like a newborn.

For a while the blue eyes that had caught his own were just as stunned by the commotion as Alpha himself was, but as luck would have it, within seconds of analyzing the pathetic scene that Alpha had drawn to himself, those same blue eyes flashed mercilessly as they focused on the striking, broad digits emblazoned on the keychain attached to Alpha's fallen key.

"You!" the irritated Usul shrilly cried as she shoved aside the crowd of Quiguki fans standing in her way and marched on up to Alpha's cowering form...

She adjusted her glasses again, the irritated look vanishing from her face in an instant.

"Hello, dear. It seems we've had a mix up with our bookings," she sweetly stated in a crisp, clear tone. Alpha stood up to meet her gaze.

"It also appears that you've bought the last Little Brother Quiguki. Now, what's say we forget this little matter of you being in my room and you hand over the Quiguki now?"

The Usul had spoken in such a kind manner that Alpha had to stop for a moment to realise what she had said. He then glanced over toward the manager. The green Kyrii stared intently back before glancing down at the Quiguki in Alpha's arms. Without another word, and not wanting to risk any more confrontation, Alpha quickly rushed past the crowd and up to Room 341.

He placed his Quiguki down by the window and went to make himself a Cup of Hot Borovan. As Alpha took a seat to begin relaxing, there was a loud, sharp bang on the door...

"C-coming," he squeaked, putting his cup of Borovan down with trembling hands. Taking a moment to steel himself, he opened the door.

It was, to his relief, the Blumaroo. His companion was nowhere in sight.

"Hello," the Blumaroo said, squirming, "sorry to bother you..."

"Oh, it's no bother!" Alpha said, suddenly feeling much better. "Would you like to come in?" He started to turn around.

"No, that's fine!" the Blumaroo snapped, looking slightly alarmed. He probably felt awkward about the whole confusion, Alpha guessed, and smiled widely to try and ease the tension.

"Okay, then," he replied. "What can I do for you?"

"I, um... just wanted to apologise for my friend's behaviour downstairs," the Blumaroo said, avoiding Alpha's eye. "She's not usually like that," he added.

"It's all right," Alpha said automatically, even though his stomach still clenched at the thought of the scene downstairs. "It happens..."

"She's actually a great friend. You would like her if you got to know her; she's a huge Quiguki fan," the Blumaroo rattled off desperately, as though reciting a list. "She-- she's--" He broke off, looking a bit distraught.

"It's all right," Alpha repeated, feeling a little alarmed -- and more than a little sorry -- for the Blumaroo. He looked like he could use a cup of Borovan himself, and considering his choice of friends, Alpha wasn't surprised. He was just about to extend another invitation to him when the Blumaroo spoke again.

"Well, it was nice to meet you. Gotta go!" Without another word, he scampered off, leaving a confused Alpha behind.

Well, Alpha thought, at least he was nice enough to apologise.

He turned back to his room and closed the door. The Borovan had already gone cold. In fact, a chill had settled over the whole room. Shivering slightly, the Vandagyre noticed that the window had come open, allowing the gelid winter air to seep in. His eyes then landed on the window sill, previously occupied by his Little Brother Quiguki.

It was gone. Alpha rushed to the window and dropped to his knees, frantically searching the floor. Maybe a breeze had knocked it over? He scoured the rest of the room as well, just to make sure he hadn't misplaced it absentmindedly.

He found nothing. As he resumed his place by the window, Alpha thought about the burning greed he had seen in the Usul's eyes, at the Blumaroo's odd behaviour, his abrupt exit. He allowed himself to realise what he had suspected all along. The Blumaroo had distracted him while the Usul broke into his room.

Alpha stood up, knowing what he had to do. He wasn't the confrontational sort, but he wouldn't allow anyone to take what was rightfully his, especially a possession that was so dear to him. More importantly, he wouldn't allow anyone to ruin his time at Quigukicon...

The huge crowd from earlier had disappeared, leaving only a few Neopets remaining. If those two were down here then it wouldn't be that hard to find them. With what they'd been wearing when the Vandagyre last saw them it would only take a few minutes.

"Where'd you get that Little Brother Quiguki?" someone said from far away.

Alpha turned in the direction of where he'd heard the question asked. He saw a Gnobru talking to the Usul from earlier. In her hand was the Little Brother Quiguki. He would've known that that was his Quiguki even if there had been thousands in a crowd. Alpha walked up to the two Neopets and...

The Gnorbu, as well as the rest of the small crowd surrounding the Little Brother Quiguki, fell into a confused silence. After an uncomfortable pause, the Usul replied in a calm, condescending voice, "I'm sorry, little boy, but I don't think you have enough Neopoints to buy this exceptionably rare collectable."

Alpha stumbled, careful not to sound accusatory in front of such an audience. "No, I mean... it was stolen from me."

Still calm, the Usul replied, "I think you must be mistaken. Do you know what this is? This is one of the rarest Quigukis in Neopia. Do you, a young Vandagyre, think you can convince the everyone here," she paused and turned to the crowd, making it clear that she was addressing them, not Alpha "that you’re such a great Quiguki collector that have one of these? You don't even know who I am, do you?"

Alpha paused, confused and embarrassed. He became more upset and, though still timid, he was no longer concerned about sounding accusatory: "You're, uhh... you're the lady who stole my Quiguki?"

The surrounding crowd erupted into laughter. Clearly that wasn't the "correct" response. The Usul smiled politely and replied, "I am Miss Poshly Moneybags, the president of the Official Quiguki Fan Club, and I have the biggest Quiguki collection in the world. Every real Quiguki fan knows that. If you don’t know who I am, then this collectable certainly doesn't belong to you. Only the most prestigious collectors own Quigukis that are this rare -- not naïve little kids."

Alpha could feel his heart pounding so hard and so high in his chest that it felt like it was going to hop into his throat and choke him. Alpha cried, "No, it... it was a gift! I can prove it!" Though, it occurred to him that he had left his certificate of authenticity at home.

A mysterious voice then boomed from across the convention lobby. "There's only one way to settle this..."

It was the famous Quiggle, Mr. Arthur, the well-known Quiguki doll maker. He was known all throughout Neopia and to see him at this convention was rare.

"Settle what? This is MY Quiguki and not even you can prove otherwise," the Usul told Mr. Arthur, trying not to look intimidated.

"Calm down, Poshly. If this is, in fact, your Little Brother Quiguki then you have nothing to worry about," Mr. Arthur said with a polite smile.

The Usul politely smiled back with a hint of annoyance but she agreed.

"Okay... now, may I please examine the Quiguki in question?" the rather tall Quiggle doll maker asked.

Poshly reluctantly handed over the doll to Mr. Arthur and he gently began to look at the Quiguki's outfit.

Alpha was unable to say anything and he just stared in awe at the Quiggle who was now looking at his doll. He knew that, if anyone could tell if it was his doll, it was him.

"Hmmm... very interesting, yes," Mr. Arthur said to himself, which made Poshly sweat a little.

The Quiggle then looked up and spoke directly to Alpha. "Come here, son. I have something to show you..."

"Yes?" Alpha inquired with wide eyes. "What about it?"

"I specially made the hats of the few Little Brother Quigukis for purchase at Quigukicon this year to read, 'I went to Quigukicon Y17 and All I Got was this Ridiculous Hat.'"

The Vandagyre grinned as he realized what this meant.

"This means," the Quiguki godfather announced to the masses, "that this doll was not purchased from this convention and I can only assume the lad is telling the truth when he claims it to have been a gift."

There was dramatic pause on the part of the Quiggle before he turned his attention back on the Usul. "I accuse thee of thievery."

There were shocked gasps from the crowd and nervous mumblings among the mobs previously accusing the Vandagyre of a crime against their Poshly leader. "What Mr. Arthur says goes," a Lenny in the back said quietly, prompting further whispering.

"But... but..." Poshly just stared at her fanclub subordinates, quickly abandoning her and all she stood for. "But I just wanted him so BAAAAAD," she bawled before flinging herself on the ground in defeated sobbing.

Alpha, again clutching his Little Brother Usuki, almost felt bad for the Usul.

Almost.

She'd, arguably, gotten what she deserved out of this whole mess... but she still didn't deserve to be roomless at one of the most marvelous conventions in the whole of Neopia.

Gingerly, the Christmas Vandagyre approached the weeping Usul. "Hiya," he started. "I... know I kind of wrecked your whole day. First with the room, and then with the doll, and then your fans... though you were mostly to blame about that last part... anyway, I was wondering if you might want to stay in 341 with me? You know, maybe teach me a few things about Quigukis, since you're oh so knowledgeable in the field?" He smiled at her.

Her sniffling ceased and she wanly smiled back. Maybe she could show all the other fans she was a good person after all by bunking with the stupid kid... the kid who caused all the issues in the first place. ALL the issues... her features darkened and she flashed her psychotic eyes again.

Alpha gulped nervously and readied himself for potential attack...

As a gesture of good faith, Alpha reached out his feathered hand to help the Usul up off the ground. Poshly placed her furry hand in his and pulled herself up. "Thanks," she said quietly. "Don't worry about the room. I know you're just trying to be nice and that you don't really want me around. I don't deserve your kindness." Poshly cast her eyes toward the floor as she rubbed uncomfortably at the back of her neck, looking the most self-conscious Alpha had seen her since their disastrous meeting a few hours earlier.

"Oh, that's not true!" Alpha said earnestly. "Everyone deserves kindness! I'm sure you regret what you did, and I'm more than happy to move past it if you are, as well." He trained his wide, innocent eyes to the Usul's face.

Poor kid, Poshly thought to herself. I should probably show him the ropes when it comes to Quigukicon. I owe him at least that much. Poshly put her arm around the young Vandagyre's shoulders and steered him toward Room 341. "Stick with me, kid," the Usul said to Alpha. "I'll teach you everything I know about Quigukicon."

With that, the two became fast friends and were inseparable for the rest of Quigukicon, with Poshly teaching Alpha the ins and outs of Quigukicon and Alpha teaching Poshly a thing or two about kindness and honesty.

The End