The Season's Meaning

     Not only faeries, but families, friends, and those co-workers you felt obligated to buy a cheap stamp for - all putting in orders for delivery under two hours, from all over Neopia, for various holiday parties.

     Only the best and quickest had the privilege of working for the subsidiary of the Employment Agency, and Nirra, slapped on her goggles and pulled on gloves.

     The Pastel Jetsam was ready for the day!

     But not before breakfast.

     *-*

     Nirra squeezed her way into a cafe in Faerie City. She cringed a bit as she jostled a table in the small space, but nothing toppled. She approached the proprietor, her friend, an Earth Faerie named Linnet.

     “Work?” She said in greeting, smiling brightly.

     “Work!”

     Linnet called Nirra’s usual order to the kitchen - A Ham and Cheese Wingwich, Water Faerie Apple, and sparkling water.

     While she waited, Nirra perused the FaeFast app, looking for a job to accept. An usul squeezed in beside her, arms full of shopping, placing them all on the table and chairs.

     “Phew! Every year, I tell myself - ‘buy presents throughout the year, don’t wait!’ - and every year - I wait,” She smiled wearily at Nirra. “Don’t be like me!” She shouted her order to Linnet and sat down.

     “Shopping is fun! Why not do it all at once?” Nirra joked, glowing as the usul laughed. They chatted for a few minutes.

     When Nirra’s breakfast arrived, she attacked it with aplomb, eating bites of the muffin between the sandwich lest she have to store it in her knapsack. She wouldn’t make that mistake again, it had soaked her bag.

     “Frennington’s - I think you can still place a custom order and it will be done before the twenty-fifth -”

     “Uh - uh-huh -” The usul’s face grew paler and paler as the Jetsam ate, fur standing on end.

     “I can go with you if you want!” She took a swig of water. “He knows me -”

     “N-no , don’t trouble yourself - I’m going - right now - can’t be too early!” She giggled nervously, grasping at all her bags and rushing toward the exit, knocking over a table in her haste. Nirra stared after her and looked down at the remains of her meal, suddenly disheartened.

     Linnet flew out, holding a bowl. “Faerie Queen Smoothie Bowl for - Where are they.” She finished in a monotone voice. She looked at Nirra’s crestfallen face. “Changed their mind? Only came in to make a mess?” She righted the table.

     Nirra sighed. “I think I scared her.”

     Linnet shook her head. “Don’t repeat this, but you’d be surprised at how poor the manners are for some faeries! Nallimae, Dylene, even Aethia - like a hoard of scarabugs! You’re Fyora in comparison! It’s because - well.” She left the statement unsaid, but Nirra knew.

     “Yeah.” Faerie City citizens were a bit … delicate. The smaller and daintier you were, the more you fit in. Bigger pets could be painted faerie for a level of acceptance, but Nirra, a Jetsam, was not interested in changing herself. “It was going really well!” She thought she had made another friend.

     Sometimes she wondered about returning to Krawk Island. There was a lot more tolerance for the sharper species.

     But it would be too hard to get her Healing Springs moisturizer, she loved the sunrise between the Faerie Forest surrounding the city, and there were the occasional residents who were happy to see her.

      Linnet placed a hand on her shoulder and placed the bowl in front of her. “On the house.”

     Chomping the empty cup and taking a spoon to the bowl, Nirra glanced back at her phone. One job caught her eye.

     “A bag of sugar, peppermint extract, syrup…to Happy Valley.” That was pretty far, but the payout was good. She hit accept.

     Nirra did not feel like seeing Faerie City today.

     *-*

     The customer had selected the slower delivery method. Nirra considered taking the waterways up north - to enjoy the currents, save a bit of neopoints - but the sugar would dissolve along the way. She opted for a shuttle to Neopia Central, and then to the Valley.

     The valley was full of pets, some in caroler groups, others enjoying hot - or even iced - beverages. Instinctively, Nirra looked around for some of the burlier neopets - Grarrls, Skeiths, and jetsams, of course - and relaxed upon seeing a Skeith building a Snow-Chia with a Gelert.

     West past the scratchcard kiosk, into the Winter Woods neighborhood, she approached her destination; A neat little house made of ice and stone. A tiled roof. Holly bushes sat beneath the windows, covered in snow.

     Before she could knock, a voice floated through. “FaeFast? Come in, come in -”

      After a moment, Nirra shrugged and entered.

     The snug home was warm, and in half-unpacked disarray. She followed sounds until she came across a Green Xweetok, wiping his brow as he stood from crouching over a box. Nirra tensed up a little before eying the moving boxes as she set down the delivery. “Just got here?”

     This Xweetok nodded. “It’s my first Giving month away from home. I’d go back, but my fam volunteered to help Queen Thawe host the Northern Noble Gathering for the season. Not a lot of time for traditions.” The Xweetok gave a great sigh.

     Nirra nodded with a sympathetic smile. Mouth closed. Didn’t want to scare him. “Must be hard.” It was a shame, but she had to go -

     “Haven’t made friends yet,” He held out a paw with a smile. “I’m Avalon…?”

     Nirra pushed her goggles up and stared at him. Here was one of the cutesy species, but not afraid, not hostile, just - friendly.

     And what was waiting for her back in Faerieland? More work?

     She brightened and clasped his paw. “Nirra. So, about these traditions…”

     *-*

     Avalon told Nirra about his hometown, a village miles south of Happy Valley called Snowbound. A sleepy village of older neopets, young ones like him left to return in their middle seasons.

He still took great pride in their traditions. “Seven days before the day of Giving, we’d make the best peppermint in all of Neopia!” He said proudly.

     Boiling sugar, adding extracts, and thirty minutes of funny stories later, Avalon withdrew the pan from his oven, blowing the top. “It smells …different. Not bad.”

     Nirra sniffed once, then again. Wasn’t it supposed to smell…minty?

      The Xweetok broke off a piece and tossed it into a bucket of snow, where it cooled quickly. Breaking it further, he handed one to Nirra. “Bottoms up!”

     They popped the candy in their mouths. Nirra’s face twisted in confusion. It was good, but…

     “Is it me,” She smacked. “Or is this just…a ton of vanilla?” Avalon looked around, picking up a bottle, stared….and began to laugh.

     “We forgot the peppermint extract!” After a moment, Nirra began to laugh with him, and soon they were both doubled over, eyes wet with tears and sides aching as they took more candy, laughing at its mint-free taste.

     *-*

     The candy was cooled and wrapped. “I’ll see if my neighbors want some,” Avalon said, as they pulled the sleds up the final crest. “But I’ll tell them not to expect peppermint.”

     They were at the top of Terror Mountain.

     “In Snowbound, we start at the palace and sled down through the village to the very end. There’s a single looooong path that runs through. This is even better!” He gestured to their surroundings; Frosty plateaus and caves below, ice-blue sky above.

     It was higher than Nirra had ever been; Her head swam. She tightened her jacket around her. “What’s the path?”

     “Just get to Wintery Petpets in Happy Valley. You know where it is?” She nodded and knelt on the sled. Avalon began counting down.

“Ready…set…go go go go!”

     He pushed off, laughing, heading east through a thicket of pines. After a moment, Nirra followed, headed down the path into the Ice Caves. Neopets grinned as she zoomed past, whooping with laughter - which cut off as she realized the Ice Arena was straight ahead!

      With a sharp turn, she manoeuvred around the hairpin turn. Yes! Laughing, unashamed of her teeth and eyes wide, she saw other residents sliding along - much slower -

     A green blur shot out of a side cave, heading downward. Avalon was beating her! “Oh, no you don’t!” In her haste, she turned too sharply and found herself sliding off the sled. Unable to gain a grip, Nirra braced herself for cuts and scratches, eyes closed -

     A jolt of chill -

     She found herself sliding over the ice instead of a nasty crash, headed toward the Neggery. Unsure how to maneuver, Nirra imagined she was swimming around Maraqua, and leaned her body slightly to the right. There was a narrow crevice in front of the shop, and in a burst of glee, she pushed off with her flippers and shot over the gap, landing on the path that lead to Happy Valley.

     Sun on snow almost blinded her as she slid out of the caves. After a moment, she saw the sign bearing Wintery Petpets and headed down.

      Avalon was already there, clapping and whooping as she maneuvered around carollers and slid to a stop.

     “Fun, right?” He said.

     “I lost…” Nirra glanced at her fin.”- my glove! And the race!” She wasn’t bothered - It was a fun loss.

     “Yeah, but,” He drew out the word. “You beat me for style! You were like woosh woosh,” Arms spread wide, he leaned forward, swaying, pretending to slide. “Did it hurt?”

     Before she could respond that no, it was cold and slippery, two Bruces stepped out from Wintery Petpets.

     “Uh-mazing! We saw you shoot out there like a rocket!” The Yellow one clapped his flippers.

“Never knew Jetsams could do that.” The Orange one said.

     Unthinkingly, she grinned. “That makes two of us.” And the two Bruces grinned back -

     Thwap!

     Something cold and wet hit the back of her head; She whirled around to see Avalon grinning, with a snowball primed to throw. Nirra dodged the incoming missile, and it hit the orange Bruce in the beak, causing his partner to laugh - until he dished out a snowball of his own.

     Soon, the air was filled with laughter … punctured by flying snowballs.

     *-*

     The snowball fight lasted hours, growing in number, until no one could see anymore. Eventually Nirra and Avalon found themselves in the Hot Chocolate Tavern. There was a shared cookie plate. She had a tall hot chocolate with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a (properly minted) peppermint stick.

     Avalon bit the ears off a Gingerbread Korbat, hanging the cookie from the side of his mug of caramel cocoa by the wings.

     “You’ve been helping me with my traditions all day,” Avalon said - spraying crumbs on the table. “Oops -” He picked up a napkin and laughed behind it. “We had to adjust them a little, but it was worth it.”

     “It was! I heard some Neopets talking about starting a night snowball fight tomorrow.”

     He looked to the side. “But…here’s the thing…” He hemmed and hawed, staring into his mug. Nirra’s stomach dropped. How stupid, she thought, to think - again - that one of the cutesy Neopets would be her friend -

     “I haven’t done a thing for you.” He picked up a small bag, neatly tied with a bow. “I gotcha these!”

     Nirra gasped as she withdrew a pair of pearlescent gloves. She felt the grips in the palms and pulled them on - they seemed to settle, like they were finally home.

     “I got them when we were snowball fighting. I snuck away, you didn’t even notice …Thanks for making my first holiday away from home so special.”

     “These - are - great!” Nirra moved to Avalon and lifted him in a big hug. “Oh, thank you thank you thank you!”

     “...’m glad.” He squeaked out, enveloped, and she set him down, beaming, a full, Jetsam-toothy grin.

     He smiled back. “Look! You’re smiling! I thought you weren’t having fun, like ‘who is this random dude who i’m doing tasks with -’”

     “No way! This has been the best day - hey,” She had a sudden idea. “Will you come visit me in Faerieland for New Year’s? I know, I know it’s short notice-”

     “Nirra -”

     “- you just moved here -”

     “Nirra -”

     “- but the fireworks are one of a kind - and I know a great place to get a smoothie bowl -”

     “Nirra! Absolutely! Watching fireworks with my friend sounds like a blast!.... And a non-frozen smoothie bowl?” His smile was almost as big as Nirra’s. “This gets better and better!”

     My friend.

     That felt good to hear.

The End.