Windstorm: Part Three

Sky Pelt

I rubbed my eyes in embarrassment. Dayne’s outburst had attracted the gaze of everyone in the coffee shop. “Dayne…” I began.

“DON’T YOU ‘DAYNE’ ME!” she hollered. “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU’VE RUN AWAY FROM ME SINCE YESTERDAY!!”

Next to me, I could hear Alysoun muttering, “Look’s like our Windstorm is getting his tail whipped.” Terzin chuckled.

I glowed red under my green fur. “Listen, Dayne,” I said, “Stop screaming – you’re going to hyperventilate.”

“Oh yeah? Well excuse me, mister, but I think you’re going to be the one hyperventilating after you’ve spent your breath apologizing to me!”

Well, at least she was quieting slightly. “Okay, okay,” I said, “I’m sorry for running off on you. Now, can you just sit down?”

“NO!”

“Please? Dayne, You’re causing a scene.” I had no idea whether I’d said the right thing or made a terrible mistake.

Dayne looked around at all the staring eyes, sighed, rolled her eyes, then finally sat down. There are no words to describe how relieved I was that she’d cooled her jets. “Alright, then,” she said, “First things first: who are they?”

I introduced Alysoun and Terzin. “Terzin was the Lupe I was looking for,” I told her. “And Alysoun’s a friend of his.”

Dayne shook paws with them stiffly. “And what is it that you three have in common?”

“Well,” I began, “It’s really weird, I’m, uh… er, they, uh…”

Now Alysoun was the one rolling her eyes. “He’s a prophesied hero that we’re looking for. If you don’t believe it, get lost, ‘cause I’m not giving out any more details.”

Dayne looked insulted at Alysoun’s choice of words, but didn’t retaliate in case she was shooed out of our conversation. “Fine,” she said. “Sisslio, what are you prophesied to do?”

The Island Zafara was taking this all quite nonchalantly, but I knew that she probably didn’t believe a word of it. I briefly explained Frey’s story and my part in it. I must have looked serious enough that she decided to go along with it, because the next sound that came out of her mouth was a squealed, “Ooh! Now that you’re important, can I give you a makeover?!”

“What?!” I exclaimed. The last thing on my mind right now was the thought of Dayne giving me a makeover. Then again, in a situation like this, that would have been the most “Dayne” thing to say. She honestly had beauty on the brain.

“Oh, come on!” she said, “That green fur of yours is so tacky and…basic. I mean, at least Alysoun here has some style – those stripes on you look fab, girl!” The Striped Zafara in question snorted – I could tell that she had an instant dislike for Dayne, who was acting like the impractical, never-serious, fashion-obsessed Neopet that she was.

“Uh, what did you have in mind?” I asked cautiously.

“Well, this new job of yours sounds like it’s all about wind, right? Wind, wind, wind!”

“Uh-huh…?”

“So where does wind come from?”

“Uh…”

“The sky, silly! You would look amazing in Cloud!”

“But, Dayne,” I said, “Zafaras can’t be painted in Cloud yet.”

“I know!” she answered, in an overly bubbly voice. Was she truly clueless, or just acting stupid?

“So…?” I prompted. “Where are you going with this?”

“To Kauvara!” she answered jovially, taking my question literally. “C’mon!”

She grabbed my wrist and hauled me away. Alysoun and Terzin followed at a more relaxed pace. Once in front of the Kau’s magic shop, Alysoun approached me.

“You’re going along with all this?”

“If I don’t, I’ll never hear the end of it,” I muttered in reply.

She gave a short laugh. “What are you two, roommates or an old married couple?”

“I know what you mean,” I said, sighing. “We share an apartment and I never, and I mean never, go anywhere near her room. If I did, she’d have me in everything from gowns to galoshes from dawn to dusk. We were good friends in school, but she treats me like her own personal fashion manikin now.”

Alysoun gave another chuckle but then stopped dead at the sound of Dayne consulting with Kauvara.

“Yeah, I’d like a colour change for my friend here.”

“No problem,” said Kauvara, “I’ve got more morphing potions than you can count!”

My jaw dropped. “MORPHING POTION???” I exclaimed. No way. I thought she just wanted to change my colour, not my species! I could already imagine myself waddling around the apartment as a mutant JubJub.

Dayne glared at me, then turned back to the Kau magician. “Yes, except I only wanted a colour change. You don’t happen to have any paintbrushes I could buy off you, do you? I’ve heard rumours.”

Kauvara glowered at the fashion guru before her, then continued to speak, but in a whisper. “What do you have for it? I won’t take junk.”

“First,” said Dayne, “I want this to be a more…customized order.”

“Like how?” questioned the alchemist.

“I need a potion that will turn this dull green Zafara here into a beautiful Cloud one.”

Behind her, I mumbled to myself, “I’m not ‘dull’!” This provoked yet another giggle from Alysoun. Jeez, she must think that Dayne and I were a portable comedy act.

“Cloud Zafara, eh? That’s impossible!” snorted Kauvara.

“Oh, come on!” exclaimed Dayne, “You’re the most famous potion-maker in Neopia! Can’t you do something for me?! Sheesh! If this is what I can expect from you, I’m taking my potion requests to Kayla!”

That made Kauvara wince. Kayla, a young red Zafara who had become the Royal Meridell Potions-Mistress had once been a mere fan of hers, but had become her competitor in potion sales following the Kass-Meridell War. “Fine,” she said. “If I dip a Cloud paint brush in some Green Zafara Morphing Potion, it might work, but don’t come complaining if he turns out like he’s covered in bits of broccoli!”

“What kind of guarantee is that?” Dayne snapped.

“It isn’t one. Live with it and buy the potion, or go away and make room for other customers.”

Dayne sighed, but in the end relented. “Done.”

Dayne paid for the potion – I had no idea that she regularly carried around hundreds of thousands of Neopoints! – and then handed it to reluctant little old me.

“Well,” she said when I did nothing, “Chug it down!”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” I asked.

“Not really, but it’s fashionable!”

“But shouldn’t she have brewed it for a few days? I mean, if she’s never done paintbrush-potions before wouldn’t she mix it properly? I don’t know if I trust it.”

“You’re so cynical!” retorted Dayne. I was surprised she even knew the word “cynical”. “Today’s shops attract customers with fast service! Instant beauty is what pets are after, not sitting around waiting for an old witch to brew some…brew for them!”

I sighed. “Well, can we at least do this back at the apartment? I don’t want to be publicly seen turning into a freak of nature if that’s what happens!”

“Fine!” said Dayne. “Let’s go, then.”

We led the way home, Terzin, Alysoun, and their Gruslen in tow.

It wasn’t long until we were back in the kitchen, the counter covered in cookie crumbs. “It looks like the Bakery exploded in here,” I told Dayne.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, shrugging. “Just drink the potion! I want to see the new you!”

I uncorked the bottle, knowing I’d have to do this sooner or later. Raising it to my lips, I drew away almost immediately at the stench. “Oh!” I exclaimed, “It reeks like… turpentine or something!”

Dayne just glared at me.

“What did I do to deserve this?” I mumbled, then pinched my nose and took a gulp.

“Wow!” exclaimed my roommate.

“What?” I asked.

“It looks so cool! I’m a genius! No Rainbow Pool required!”

I looked down at the rest of me. Pale blue, with puffs of white, a pale blue underside, and white fins along my spine! I was Cloud, just like that! No sensations, no flashes of light, just a bad aftertaste – weird.

From behind me, Alysoun sighed. “Now, if the fashion show is over,” she said, “Can we get you some weaponry, and then take you to the field?”

“Now?!” I exclaimed.

“Yes, now,” she replied bluntly. “We’ve been waiting for you to come along for ages, and being held up by her obsessions of self-appearance isn’t helping.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY OBSESS –”

“Okay!” I cried, cutting Dayne off. “Let’s go and get this sword or whatever.”

“Thank you!” Alysoun said, exasperated.

I gazed down at my new sky-patterned pelt and thought about this, then inquired, “Where are we going?”

Alysoun had headed toward the door, but now spun to face me, cloak unfurling in a slightly menacing manner. “Underground,” she answered.

Terzin stalked off behind her, and next to me, Dayne was fuming, but I wasn’t listening to her. I was suddenly numb to the world around me and somehow I knew that I was getting way in over my head.

To be continued...