Tauri's Big Day

Tauri stood in the middle of the Grundos Café on the Space Station, leaning slightly against a table which continually threatened to buckle. She looked musingly at the table as it gave another creak, and then looked back up at the people wandering past. It was the middle of the summer holiday, and the Grundos Cafe was rather crowded.

     Another Kau, this one bearing almost exactly the same pattern of black and white spots, turned to look at her, still walking forward. Tauri smiled noncommittally and the smile widened slightly as the other Kau bowled over an elderly grey Wocky. The Kau excused himself, and then hurried off, throwing glances behind him, meeting her eyes as often as he dared while dodging through the crowd. He soon disappeared into the crowd, and Tauri went back to studying the masses at large. Others might take more interest in a fancy Kau showing interest, but she was used to it. Without any fear of embarrassing her ego, she thought she was quite good-looking. For being a Kau. –har de har har-

     This was the fifth day she had been at the Space Station, simply looking at people strolling past. They all seemed to have such interesting lives. This Mynci here, short, but quite stylish in a suit so white it almost shone. The light from the ceiling lamps reflected off of the Mynci's suit, and Tauri lowered her eyebrows to shade. Through the light, she could see the initials A.C. embroidered onto the shirt collar in extravagant red letters. This was surely someone big in some business. With the graceful yet brutish way he walked, he might even be in some sort of physical business. Maybe he’s a corrupt director in a prison filled with unruly lawbreakers – the worst in the land?

     Tauri followed the Mynci with her gaze, and thought, “Nah, that’s not plausible at all.”

     She smiled as he deftly swirled around two young Aishas giggling to each other, not noticing the Mynci picking a wallet out of the purse of the left Aisha. “Maybe he’s in a prison?” Tauri thought, and then shook her head docilely. “Why would he be out here, then? Still, he looked like he has an interesting life.”

     She shrugged to herself, and thought “I’d like to have an interesting life like that as well.”

     She leaned back on the table, and chewed solemnly on a piece of hay from her salad.

     An interesting life would be something. Go out into the world, see wonderful things, have extraordinary adventures.

     An alarm brayed out in long hiccupping whoops. Several people screamed in surprise and some threw their shopping bags into the air as they lifted their hands in defense against the sound. One of the shopping bags spilled a woven yellow cowboy hat, which landed apart from the rest of the contents. Tauri bowed down, and picked up the hat. The owner of the hat was busy running to the nearest emergency exit, so Tauri put the hat on, figuring nobody would miss it.

     “Warning!” A cool, slow female voice rang out from the speakers mounted on the walls. “Warning! Extraterrestrial species attack. Security level...” There was a slight pause, and Tauri imagined the owner of the slow voice to rifle through papers in search of the definition for extraterrestrial species attacks. Announcer on a space ship might be an interesting life as well. You’d get to see everything that happens, and tell people about it.

     Tauri leaned back, thinking of everything that might be happening on a space ship. The table finally accomplished what it had been attempting for the last five hours, and gave way under her. She fell, landing on top of the now broken table, and barked a brief curse, more to the surprise than the pain.

     “Amber!” the speaker voice said, as if in response to the curse. “Security level Amber. All civilians are to report to the nearest emergency exit!”

     Tauri looked briefly up at the speaker, and then leaned to the table on her right. She looked up at the speaker, and then nodded complacently. This table was much sturdier than the last one.

     Sparks and flames shot past the window as one of the escape pods ejected. Tauri followed it until it was but a small speck of color in the dark space. “I wonder if those people will see anything interesting...” she thought, and nodded to herself.

     “Move it!” A high, bossy voice rang out through the room. Tauri half-turned to the owner of the voice, and then followed the little Harris as he strode through the room. He was wearing a miniature superhero suit, dark red with yellow stripes.

     “Well, this is surely something,” Tauri said to herself and the Harris turned briskly towards her. “Are you commenting on The Great Peacekeeper Charles Harrisey The Third!?” the Harris barked.

     Tauri raised an eyebrow, and replied, “If that’s you.”

     The Harris jumped, flailing his arms “Of course that’s me!” he shouted.

     “And what kind of creation are you?” Tauri asked.

     The Harris looked suspiciously up at her, and then said, “I am a part of the Defenders Of Neopia! To be chief of the organization soon!”

     “Sounds interesting,” Tauri said, and yawned. “Now, what kind of defending do you do, pipsqueak? Paperwork?”

     The Harris seemed to swell in anger, but as he was small even for a Harris, this had barely any effect at all. “Paperwork!? I am a Defender! I fight for Justice! I strike down on the Wicked! I banish the Evil!”

     Tauri raised an eyebrow at the Harris, and said musingly, “Temper, temper. Now, what Wicked Evils do you fight, oh miniscule sir? Petpetpets?”

     The Harris seemed to swell up again in retort, and then shrank down. With a voice even lighter and smaller than usual, he said, “Yes.” He paused, and then added, “But they are dangerous petpetpets. Right now, Evil Mutant Space Rainblugs are invading the Space Station!”

     “Indeed,” Tauri replied musingly. “Want me to step on some of them for you?”

     “No!” the Harris shouted. “You are a civilian! You are to evacuate immediately!”

     He made to push her, and she considered stepping on him. Not full force, of course. Just a little. Before she could decide on doing so, several load yells and cracking sounds came from the other side of the hall. She turned, and saw what seemed to be a rainbow-colored throw rug crawling towards them.

     “It’s the Evil Mutant Space Rainblugs!” the Harris shouted. “The Great Peacekeeper Charles Harrisey The Third to the rescue!”

     He pulled out a miniature blaster, and started shooting wildly around himself. One of the shots caught Tauri on the nose, and she flicked her head involuntarily. “Hey, give it a rest,” she said, and the Harris glared at her. “You were ordered to evacuate. Civilians are not to be in a war zone.”

     Several small red beams shot past him, and he dived for safety behind Tauri. She looked down at him, and then back at the rainbow throw rug, which on closer inspection turned out to be a small horde of rainbow-colored petpetpets marching in close ranks. The Harris popped out from between her front leg, brandishing his blaster like a sword, and shouted, “No quarter! No Mercy!” He charged into the crowd of petpetpets, firing his blaster wildly around him, hitting several potted plants, ceiling lights, and tables. One of the petpetpets squealed, and they fled, scattering across the room. The Harris, panting slightly, turned on the spot, shouting, “Come out, cowards! Fight like men! Well, petpetpets! Come out!”

     The petpetpets gathered, and charged down on the Harris, who bravely fled. The petpetpets followed, and soon, Tauri was once again standing alone, leaning on the table.

     “A Defender of Neopia? That sounds like an interesting life. Even the little squirt there seemed to have fun. I think that he has a very interesting life, despite his size.”

     She stood musing on this thought, and wondering what other things The Great Peacekeeper Charles Harrisey The Third might encounter through the ordinary day of being a Defender. Sometime later, the slow speaker voice declared the invasion over. “Good lad,” Tauri thought to the Harris, and smiled for herself. Shortly after, people started flocking back into the Grundos Cafe.

     Tauri ordered a fresh salad, and leant back on the same table as earlier, eating her salad slowly, watching the people milling past.

     “Some times I wish I had an interesting life as well,” she thought complacently, chewing on a leaf of salad.

The End