It’s not unusual for Ozzy to feel satisfied with his paintings. He knows he’s pretty good at what he does, even if he’s not the best—he can’t be the best, because nobody wants to buy his art—but he likes it all well enough. This piece, though, the landscape (or rather, cloudscape) of Faerieland that he’s painted, a mixture of imagination and photographic reference, is something that he feels strangely proud of. It’s all in greyscale, of course: the glittery buildings and sparkling facades are cast in shadows and one-dimensional light, while the clouds that make up the ground are the same dreary lack-of-hues as the ones up in the sky over the Neopian Plaza today.

He likes that it reflects his environment. He likes even more that it reflects his thoughts on the place—on the land that, years ago, his sister promised they would go to together. 

The land that he knows now, he will never see in person.

The watercolour strokes of Faerieland on his paper are devoid of people. No Faeries, no Neopets. That, too, reflects this dark and gloomy day. Ozzy doesn’t really mind, though. He’s got Styx with him, happily chewing on yet another stick, so there doesn’t need to be anyone out in the Plaza today. 

He reaches down to pet his Doglefox friend, and Styx cheerfully lifts his head to nuzzle into the touch. His tail wags wildly. It makes Ozzy smile for a second to think that, at least if nobody else cares, he’s still got his little buddy with him.

Hours pass by. Nobody comes out. It’s as if the plaza itself has frozen, like it’s nothing more than an image Ozzy had painted on one of his many canvases. Maybe it’s because it looks like it’s going to rain, or maybe it’s just because everyone has finally gotten sick of seeing his face. Whatever it is, it…

“Hey. You there.” 

Ozzy startles as a voice pierces through his thoughts. In front of him is… is…

A girl?

Immediately, Ozzy sits up straight. He looks at the girl, a pale green Acara with twisty black horns, a stylishly-tattered dress, and the reddest eyes he’s ever seen. The girl looks back at him, and Ozzy has to turn around to check that she is, in fact, looking at him, and not some other Neopet that maybe suddenly appeared out of thin air, but… there’s nobody else around. 

Just him and Styx, as usual. 

He points tentatively at himself. “Uh… me?” 

“Yeah. Anyone else here to talk to?” the girl says, a smile on her face that’s just a little bit scary, but this is the first time anyone other than Styx or Mr. Hornelius has talked to Ozzy in a really long time, so he almost doesn’t notice. 

She doesn’t say anything else. Ozzy doesn’t know what to do, and she’s staring at him expectantly, so he ends up defaulting to his usual plan of action: looking down at his feet. “Um… Can I, uh… help you?” Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course you can’t!

From the ground, Styx looks up at him, curious. His tail isn’t wagging anymore, but he's clinging to his big stick with his mouth and both paws.

“Yeah, actually,” the striking green Acara says. She comes close, bending at the waist to lean forward, and jabs her finger at Ozzy’s collection of artwork. “I’m curious about your paintings. I’ve been looking for something new to… brighten up the place. So to speak.” She grins. “You got anything good?”

“Huh?”

“I said, have you got anything good?” She comes closer and peers around Ozzy’s shoulder. 

Get a hold of yourself, Oizys! Ozzy quickly nods and gets to his feet, sliding off his little stool and standing next to the girl. “Um, yes! I… I think so, anyway.” 

The Acara grins, her sharp teeth visible. “Then let’s see what you’ve got.”