Neovians - a Neopets RP

[Parry]

As the topic description says, this is a Life RP - if you're unfamiliar with the term, a Life RP is where there's no plot, so absolutely anything can happen.

 

Plot

You are a resident of Neovia. Everyday is the start of an ordinary day. You do what you do everyday, but most importantly, you are getting on in life.

 

Rules

1. No Godmodding

2. I don't mind if there's a tiny bit of romance, as long as it's not too graphically described. If you want to go as far as marriage, don't go too overboard again.

3. No sexual references please.

4. If you have loads of characters, I'd prefer it if you kept your focus on several and make the rest minor characters or summat similar.

5. In terms of events, don't make them too wild; e.g. if a Neopet suddenly blows up Neovia, that's a no no. Try and keep them believable.

6. I don't mind if you invent Neopets or use your own pets to RP as.

7. Have fun!

 

App

Remove everything in [ ]

[b]Name:[/b] [include surname as well. If your character is female and is already married, add (nee surname)]
[b]Age:[/b] [if your character's married/engaged, you have to be at least sixteen]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] [Apart from species and colour, elaborate on what they wear. You don't have to stick to the clothes that Prigpants and Swolthy sell]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Class:[/b] [This is roughly where they fit in society. From top to bottom: Aristocratic (just bear in mind you don't actually rule), Upper, Middle, Merchant, Lower. Generally this shouldn't stop your characters from interacting with each other, but if their class are a bit too far apart then you may run into socialisation issues.]
[b]Family:[/b] [if it's really big, try and stick to the most immediate]
[b]Spouse/Partner/Love Interest:[/b]
[b]Anything else:[/b]

 

Accepted Applicants

Name: Camomile Phillips (nee Blackmore)

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Appearance: Camomile is a camoflauge Kyrii. She often wears a Long Orange Dress, although she's not tall enough so it trails slightly. Whenever she walks outside, she dons on her Autumn Veiled Hat, and will occasionally take a fan with her. When it is cold, she also wears a Simple Fur Lined Cloak and Grey Fur Muff.

Personality: Camomile is the youngest of her seven sisters, and she is regarded as the most cautious. Camomile has a lot of sense, and she does her best to keep composed at all times, regardless of how she's feeling. She does have heavy sensibilities, however, and does care for the people around her. She also enjoys playing with irony and wit, which does make her seem merciless sometimes. Camomile can make spontaneous judgements, although she is rarely capricious in her actions.

Class: Middle

Family: Matthew and Lydia Blackmore (parents), Rose McCarthy (eldest sister), Pansy Colston (disgraced second sister), Tulip Vinge (third sister), Daffodil Johnston (fourth sister), Hyacinth Clarke (fifth sister), Buttercup King (sixth sister)

Gregory Dawes (cousin), Lady Lauren Dawes (nee Stone) (cousin-in-law, married to Gregory), Lady Kimberly Stone (Lady Lauren's older sister)

Spouse: Walter Phillips

Anything else: N/A

 

Name: Walter Phillips

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Appearance: Walter is a red Gelert. He wears Green Bloomers and a Green Velvet Dress Coat, and because of his clothes, he tends to stand up rather than walk on all four legs.

Personality: Walter is naturally intelligent, and although his education was quite basic, he is capable of mixing with the Middle class without shaming himself. Like Camomile, he enjoys playing with irony and wit, although he is gentler with it. He is fairly sagacious, and he often leaves a modest impression. He can also be humble at times, and he dislikes boasting.

Class: Merchant

Family: John and Mary Phillips (parents)

Spouse: Camomile Phillips

Anything else: He runs a florist, and his stand is not too far from the bridge

 

NPCs (will add more as the RP develops)

Lord Sylvester - purple Hissi - very fond of throwing balls and keeping up with society, and generally throws them once every fortnight - upper class

[jumpingbeans]

JB Pintlers(Not married)

20

Male

Desert Bori who always wears Blue Earrings, and often just a T-shirt and sweat pants. However, he does enjoy getting into Dress Pants every so often.

Loyal, trustworthy, and always ready to laugh or get laughed at.

Upper-Middle. He's kinda in between there.

Brother: Frank. Mother: Jo Anne (might make a character for her if she appears often. Dad: Justin (same thing) Wife in law(frank's brother) Clarice

No spouse, partner, etc., and will probably never have one. he doesn't want one, either.

Will not ever go to a circus, he hates clowns.Also, he's training to be a lawyer, but rihgt now he works at a restaurant, part-time. He enjoys visiting his brother, and always wears sweat pants there just to annoy him(Clarice loves this)

 

 

Frank4t Pintlers

22

Male

Golden Skeith, who will never, ever, ever wear jeans, sweat pants, t-shirt, etc. Always wears dress pants and shirt, or a suit.

Kinda Snobbish, but always likes a little laugh. However, he's more often serious, as he's the CEO of Tool-it.

Aristocratic

Clarice, his wife. Frank4t, his brother. Jo Anne, his mother. Dad:Justin. Father-in-law (Clarice's father) Leo. Mother-in-law: Patricia.

Is married to Clarice, and has been for 5 years.

Hates being called frank4t, prefers Frank. CEO of Tool-it, a multi-million dollar tool company. Likes his brother, but not his 'childish(sweatpants)' ways.

 

Clarice Pintlers(nee Wobnoll)

21

Female

A Silver Kacheek.Like frank, she enjoys wearing dress shirts and skirts, but she also enjoys wearing sweat pants to annoy him.

Lives life to the fullest, and really likes roller coasters, and motorcycles.

Aristocratic

Basically the same as frank, only opposite.

Married to frank for 5 years, but and had a big crush on him in Junior High.

Doesn't work much, with frank's high paying job, but has a part time job at the court as a Judge. Is also training JB a bit over the phone to help him. She does, however, have a secret fear of Ferris Wheels, because when she was little, it broke while she was at the op alone, and it she didn't get down for 3 hours.

[Big Brother]

Name:

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Appearance: is a Magma Bori. He usually wears his Red Undershirt with a Fancy Frock Coat on top of it, White Trousers, with a White Belt holding it together, and a Sundial Wristwatch. When he's outside or visiting someone else, he slips on his Champion Laurel and a Bow Tie when he's going out. On occasion, he might wear his Red Striped Vest, and a Valentine Newsboy Hat with an Altador Cup Brooch. When he's at home, he puts on his Red Cybunny Slippers, a Sleepy Neopets Blanket or his Ultra Fahionable Potato Sack(Had to be mentioned) and a White Robe.

Personality:  is an only child in his family. He is pretty used to mega changes in life since he and his family went through alot of them. He's adventerous and courageous, always looking for something new to enjoy, while being very clever at the time. He's a very friendly guy, he can accept nearly anyone for a friend, but he's very curious for them aswell.

Class: Middle

Family:

Spouse/Partner/Love Interest: None...YET

Anything else:  runs a Funeral service near the cemetary.

[jumpingbeans]

((I'm guessing we could start any time now.... can we?))

[livvy]

Hm.... I guess I'll give it a shot.

 

Name: Lilianaveranaliciana Putian ((Yep, she's going by Lili again. And she's kind of basically the same character. I just happen to like the character.))

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Appearance: Blue Aisha; small for her age; usually wears modest dresses made by her mother from scraps of fabric from Prigpants and Swolthy; two constant accessories: large round glasses (she's quite nearsighted without them) and a basic brown satchel (usually laden with books)

Personality: Quiet, ambitious, remarkably intelligent. Strongly introverted.

Class: Lower

Family:

----- Arthur (Art, Arty) Putian - father - Grey Kacheek - surprisingly bright attitude for a gray pet; works as groundskeeper for the cemetery outside the gates of Neovia

----- Grace Putian (nee Taylor) - mother - Green Wocky - stay-at-home mum; works part-time at Prigpants and Swolthy, Tailors

----- Daniel Putian - brother (12) - Blue Gelert - typical annoying little brother; helps dad at the cemetery (when mum will let him)

----- Esseviannala (Essie) Putian - sister (23) - Red Acara - very attractive; works at Walter Phillips' florist shop ((Is that alright, Nom?))

Spouse/Partner/Love Interest: None, as of yet.

Anything else: Lili is the middle child of three, and the only one who honestly enjoys school. In her free time, she works at the Neovian Library, organizing shelves or delivering books and papers from the Neovian Printing Press. She's a bit of a dreamer, and hopes to escape her lower class life in Neovia and become... well, a someone. Though she rarely speaks out, she holds strong opinions, and refuses to settle for less than what she believes to be right.

[jumpingbeans]

((I'm just gonna start))

JB was in his law class. It was torturous, because he already knew everything. He had asked his teacher a thousand times if he could take the test early. She had said no. Then he asked his teacher if he could skip off class, and just write the test at the end. She, again, said no. JB thought his teacher was horrible, mean, cruel, etc., but everybody else thought she was amazing.

"Isn't she just the best?" "What would we be without her?" the other students often remarked.

"I'd be at the court, winning thousands of dollars a month" JB always thought when he heard those comments"And wouldn't be working at the Neovian Coffeehosue." he'd continue.

It's not that he didn't like working there. His boss was really kind and friendly. And he loved the 25% discounts. But he really needed some extra money. He would hate having to ask frank for some.

"So, any questions?" his university teacher asked.

"Yeah, why won't you let me take the test?" JB thought to himself.

 

Frank was walking out his front door, waving at his wife, when he saw a cute little Harris, alone on the street. He couldn't just leave that poor thing there, so he brought it in to his house, making sure to keep it from his clothes, and told his wife "Could you look after this for today?"

After a nod, Frank went back to walking to his car, with that cute little Harris on his mind.

[Midtime]

((Since I've been tipped by my brother, I'll attempt introduce a long-standing character who's meant to be in Neovia anyway. Well, I say "in"...))

 

Name: Four Left Feet (Shenkuu by origin; this is a direct translation), commonly called Mr. Foreman in Neovia.

Age: Anywhere from fifty-two to eighty-four; Foreman's memory works in strange ways, and he sometimes can be caught reminiscing about the forging of the Altador Cup.

Gender: Male.

Appearance: A red Eyrie whose feathers are slightly greying, Foreman has a rather short, thick beak, if well-polished. His dress habits are thought queer at the very least, and downright bad taste at the very worst. His wardrobe seems to comprise almost exclusively ripped coats, patched trousers, netty shirts, faded ties, and tattered rain-cloaks, while he wears a pair of thick and rather robust spectacles and a mysteriously well-polished silver hunter-case pocket-watch; he does not, strangely, give the impression of being poor so much as having something better to do with his monetary gains.

Personality: Foreman is almost always a little out of pace with the atmosphere of the room; he comes across as rather brooding and melancholy on the more pleasant sort of day, yet inordinately upbeat and optimistic on sombre occasions such as funerals, this possibly being a reason why he is rarely invited to them. Aside from that feature, he has the qualities of any good storyteller: a strong, convincing voice, a wise, grandfatherly air, and a willingness to hand out too many sweets to children.

Class: Upper, if it must be said; but in reality Foreman has never honestly fitted in with the local populace, and despite his half a decade here is still secluded in some ways in that corner of society where all Gentleman Foreigners belong.

Family: He seems to have experience with young children, but he does not volunteer very much information about his origins, and almost no-one has ever asked him. All that is known is that his mother, who apparently gave him his love of stories, is commonly referred to - by him at least - as 'Grammy'. It's a family thing.

Spouse/Partner/Love Interest: He considers himself rather a little old for this business, though he confesses sometimes to having been called quite handsome when he bothered to groom properly.

Anything else: Foreman makes his living telling stories at (largely informal) meetings and gatherings, quite marvellously well; he began with light, heart-warming narratives, and still often uses them with adults. However, the tales he tells to children are no longer half so far from Neovia as they once were, and not half so long ago, and though they may not end in a moral of any sort, he seems to be of the belief that the children will benefit from them in their own way. One of his patrons did once snatch a whisper of such a story, and when he later confronted the Eyrie about being careful with the calibre of the stories he made up, the reply was, "Made-up stories... Made-up stories... Ah, yes. I think I ran out of those long, long ago..."

[Parry]

((All accepted, and Livvy that's fine. JB, please don't start until you have my say-so))

 

The sun rose lazily above the horizon, and as his rays shone on Neovia, the residents knew that another day had begun. For hard working Walter Phillips, he had already been awake long before the sun. He was commonly handsome, and his countenance appeared two or three years than he really was. If one judged by smartness of his dress, it would be difficult to assume that he was nothing more than a modestly living Neovian, whose main source of income came from the florist which he was not only the proprieter of, but also a part-time shopkeeper.

 

"Good morning Walter," said a voice from behind him, as he prepared to start business soon. He turned around and saw his wife of two years, Camomile, stood behind him. She was not particularly elegant in style or countenance, and she was as ordinary as any person. She knew how to govern herself; her feelings, her thoughts, were all closed to her alone.

 

"Good morning Camomile," he smiled as she approached him. Although she helped at the shop, she only helped through her own choice; she often spent the day either reading or seeing her sisters on a near-daily basis. Since their seperation, they had frequently kept in touch with each other (except for Pansy, whose name and existance was never again acknowledged by any of the Blackmores or Gregory Dawes and Lady Lauren). "You are usually not up this early."

 

"Of course I am," she smiled back. "Only you do not notice, because you are too hard working." As a way of whiling time away, they conversed a little longer with the sweetness all happy couples possessed. Walter, noticing the emergence of more Neovians, knew it was time to start business, and Camomile left him. She began crossing the town, with every intention of seeing Buttercup and Tracy.

[jumpingbeans]

((Sorry. I just thought we would be able to start))

The bell finally rang, in JB's law class. He finally got relived of the torture, but next he had to go to Art. At least he liked art. He kept on walking towards art class, when he heard the fire bell go off! Along with the panic, JB went outside to the cold weather((what's the season? I'm going with fall)),and waited on the back of the building.

 

Frank had gotten into his car, when he passed his brother's university. The university was a small one, all in one building. He just than had saw that it was on fire! Quickly getting his cell-phone, he called his office. "I might be a bit late" he told them, rushing to the university.

[Midtime]

((Wait, a cell-phone? In Neovia?))

 

It was fall in Neovia, and Mr. Foreman, who always seemed a little stuffily dressed in summer, had now begun to draw attention to his lack of any good protection against the elements.

 

Not that it was so terribly cold yet; and it was difficult to tell the season in Neovia. Snow did fall from the eternal, opaque blanket of clouds above, but it was grey and half-hearted, and soon melted away; and of course the trees here bore no leaves to shed. It was rather difficult to tell the time of day, in fact, here in the perpetual dimness of the Woods, and Foreman did somewhat envy the locals' ability to at least make a pretence of seeing the sun at midday, whose light to Foreman seemed little better than the consumptive glow of the lanterns by the sides of the streets.

 

Then again, those lanterns held a special significance in Neovian lore. It was said that they had been gifted by fays to the early Meridellian settlers, and though the metalwork was hardly worthy of elegant faerie design, they shone with a strange and steady light for as long as they had oil, while the merest breath of air might erase a candle-flame, and it was utterly true that the most frightful of the spirits of the Woods never ventured within the borders that the lights set up about the edges of Neovia; whilst any adventurer or child callous enough to abjure that protection was quick to find himself in great, great trouble.

 

Catching his mind meandering, the old Eyrie turned back to the building whose doorstep he had been standing on for an uncomfortably long period of time, and knocked.

 

The response should have been prompt; as a lecturer at the local University, - which she lived directly beside, - the home-owner was always and scrupulously punctual. Foreman waited.

 

After a good while, an irritating smell came to his attention.

 

He looked up.

 

"Good grief," he said.

[livvy]

Lilianaveranaliciana sighed deeply. Sitting on the third of four stone stairs leading up to their house, she stared out at the grey that was just barely beginning to lift.

It was to be the first day of the new school year. She liked school, but it was a long walk that required an early start, and unfortunately her family lived in the far corner of the largest graveyard in Neovia. FORTUNATELY, she chided herself wearily. If dad didn't have this groundskeeping job, we probably wouldn't have anywhere to live.

 

Inside, she could hear voices.

"But mom, I don't want to go to school!"

"Well you have to go, so there's no use delaying it."

"But dad said I could stay here and work with him."

"Arthur?"

"If the boy doesn't want to go to school, I don't see why-"

"The boy needs an education, and I can't afford to take time off from my work at Prigpants and Swolthy to give it to him."

"Sorry mother, I really have to go. I don't want to be late to the florist!"

 

At that moment, the door swung open and a Red Acara emerged and descended the stairs. "I'm so sorry I couldn't walk with you, Lili. Your brother's being a bit of a pain." The Acara scrunched her nose in disapproval. The result was surprisingly cute. "Anyway, I've gotta run. Good luck at school!" The Acara turned and trotted along the dirt path, her pink dress swirling around her ankles attractively as she walked.

"Goodbye, Essie!" Lili called, waving after her sister. "Have a good day at the store!"

 

Presently, the door opened again, and a small Blue Gelert tumbled out, followed by a matronly Green Wocky.

"Lili! Don't sit on the steps, you'll get dirt all over your brand new dress," the Wocky scolded. Lili stood. "Don't you just love the color? It looked so flattering on Essie, didn't it?"

Lili rolled her eyes while her mother busied herself straightening Daniel's clothes. Of course it looked flattering on Essie. Everything is flattering on Essie. Or rather, Essie is flattering to everything. She could probably make a burlap sack look like a designer dress.

Lili picked up her rucksack containing her books and slung it over her shoulder. She held out her paw to the Blue Gelert and said, "Come on, Danny. Let's get to school."

Daniel pushed her hand away with a look of disgust. "I don't need you to hold my hand, Lili. I'm 12 years old, I can walk on my own."

"Alright," Lili conceded, readjusting the strap on her bag. "Let's go then." She waved goodbye to her mother, and the two set off down the same path Essie had taken, the one that led to the main gates of Neovia. Daniel was dragging his new second-hand shoes through the dirt grudgingly. When they were several metres away from the Green Wocky, Lili bent closer to Daniel and whispered, "And if you walk quickly through the graveyard, I'll give you the sweet from my lunch." With a bright smile, Daniel immediately picked up his feet and walked as quickly as his legs would carry him; Lili almost had to break into a run to keep up. Either way, getting out of the graveyard sooner was just fine with her.

[jumpingbeans]

((Sorry. I can change the cell-phone to a walkie-talkie, if you want))

Frank rushed to the university. He didn't care about much anything anymore, except the safety of his little brother. True, JB did annoy him frequently, but that's what little bothers do, right?

He looked all around the front, and then the back. Eventually, he found his little brother. JB was crying.

"What's wrong, JB?" asked frank. He had never seen his brother cry as hard before.

"It's....It's.....It's my bicycle." JB managed to stammer.

"What's wrong with your bike?" Frank asked.

JB pointed a finger to the university.

"I see." replied frank4t, giving a huge sigh.

"Well, it might still be there when the fire department comes." frank4t added hopefully, but not truly believing it.

JB just cried silently on his brother's shoulder.

[Midtime]

((I'm quite sure radio communication doesn't exist in Neovia? According to Neopets, it doesn't even exist in Neopia Central; though Virtupets technology, of course, includes it.))

[jumpingbeans]

((Maybe my company could be from Virtupets, but has descended from more sales. Could I do that? Or could I get him pulling up to a pay-phone. And if you thought that was going far, I'm glad I changed JB from losing a laptop to losing a bike. XD))

[Parry]

((JB, no cellphones, laptops, MP3s, etc allowed, although if you want bicycle that's fine. And also, I'm not too sure about that fire alarm bell... And yes, it's September atm))

 

Camomile continued to cross Neovia on her own, for Tracy's home was situated near the university, and given how she was living pretty much on the other side of town, the walk was going to take a while (although considering how it used to take four hours to visit the Dawes' mansion when the sisters were still unmarried, Camomile could hardly complain). For a less experienced walker, they would undoubtedly complain, but Camomile was used to walking anyway.

 

When she drew nearer to the university, she stopped; what was that smell? Knowing that something wasn't quite right, Camomile immediately turned to the university, and cried out "Goodness!" as she realised it was on fire. At this moment, the lack of composure which she usually bore could be excused, for it was a perfectly normal reaction when faced with such dangers, and immediately Camomile dashed over, worried that the fire may spread to Buttercup and Tracy's home. She could see Mr. Foreman also looking up at the fire, and she slowed a halt as she joined his side.

 

"Pray, sir, how long has the university been on fire?" she asked as she too looked up, her eyes transfixed on the flames.

[jumpingbeans]

((Would a walkie talkie be allowed that my company communicates with?))

JB and frank4t stayed, waiting, when they saw the fire department trucks coming. It was only a little fire, that started in the cafeteria, so it was easily put out. JB's tears, however, weren't.

frank4t stayed at the backside of the university with JB, still giving tears. He hated to see the tears on his little brother. Not only did he hate seeing it, the tears also gave frank4t bad memories of when he found out that JB had a bad, possibly deadly, sickness. It was 10 years ago....

Frank4t and Clarice were inside, playing a board game, when Jo Anne and JB came running in. They both were crying. frank4t asked his mom what had happened, and all she could say was

"JB......Neomonia." and then Clarice started crying some more. frank4t became very somber. Neomonia was one of the deadliest Neopian diseases, and often kills it's victims within months without proper treatment. His mom and dad didn't have any insurance, very few NP, and health care cost dearly back in those days.They had to get second jobs, and frank4t had to get a part-time job too. They eventually got the medicine, after long hours, and sleepless days.

frank4t didn't cry much, almost never, but he couldn't help crying just then. He just couldn't help it.

[Parry]

((Walkie talkie's alright, but instead of the fire service, I personally think it's more likely that Neopians would be rushing to put the fire out with a bucket full of water.))

 

Camomile was still distracted, but then she heard someone crying. She turned around, and spotted JB and frank. For a moment, her heart softened, and her emotions almost broke her calm countenance; she was tempted to approach them, but being defenceless, and seeing them in such a pitiful state, what if something happened? Even with her parents' support, Camomile still didn't belong to a terribly rich family (Walter only earned roughly 30,000NP a year, or roughly 2500NP a month), and compared to her other sisters' husbands and their earnings, Camomile was the poorest.

 

"Camomile!" she heard somebody cry. Turning around, Camomile saw Buttercup and Tracy some distance from the university. At once, she strode over to them, and happily embraced Buttercup before politely bowing to Tracy.

 

Buttercup was older than Camomile by a year, and the sixth youngest in their family. Like her younger sister, the speckled Lenny's handsomeness was common, but her posture and the ways her eyes flickers and her mouth smiled suggested a lady who strictly upheld manners and propriety. She wore a Frilly Neovian Shirt and a matching Fancy Ruffled Neovian Skirt; over her shoulders, she had drapped a periwinkle blue silk mantle, complete with a plain gold fasten. In short, Buttercup looked exactly like the wife and mistress of a slightly richer family.

 

Tracy shrunk aside slightly, clearly still shy, even though he and Camomile had already been acquainted for two years and saw each other on a daily basis. The shadow Bruce was, as usual, handsomely dressed, and although in public he did not appear it, he was actually a good husband and lover. Camomile admired Buttercup's patience for him, and just seeing the way the Lenny cared deeply proved that they were more in love than they appeared.

[jumpingbeans]

(( Really? Neopia isn't that out-dated. But how about it's just really old ones? Will that do?))

JB finally stopped crying, after about 15 minutes. The fire was put out by the city Firetruck, with the help of some citizens. He wanted to go inside and find his bike, hopefully still workable, but he didn't bet on it. It could easily of burnt during the fire. 'Or maybe it caused the fire' JB thought. He didn't know how it could have, but anything's possible. He let out another sniffle.

"It's going to be alright." frank4t said soothingly.

"Thanks" responded JB.

Just then, a loud voice was heard "It's OK to go back in" the chief fire fighter stated.

JB was one of the first inside. He immediately rushed to where his bike was, before the fire. It's wheels had burnt off, leaving a foul smell, "But it still existed!" JB thought happily.

[livvy]

((This is Neovia. Neovia IS that outdated. And um... I'll write more on this post later. Econ beckons first. <_<))

[jumpingbeans]

((Really? that outdated? I always imagined it as just a quiet town with little inventions, maybe from about the 1970s or 1980s))

[livvy]

((Neovia is more late 1800s, early 1900s. Walking and bicycling are the most likely way to travel.))

[jumpingbeans]

((Really? I didn't know that.

Also, I just went to check. The book News... in... SPACE! can't be that old. And it's published by the Neovian Printing Press. Here's the picture of it:

))

[livvy]

No more than 15 minutes later, Danny had completely forgotten about their 'deal' (though Lili knew he'd hold her to it when lunchtime came.) He ran on ahead, zigzagging around headstones or ducking behind them and popping out when Lili passed. "Daniel, stop that!" she said irritably. She wasn't a morning person. And though she had lived in the graveyard and taken this walk all her life, she still hated it. That her brother was already so comfortable in it... somehow that bothered her.

"What would mother think if she saw your clothes all dirtied?" Smiling to herself, Lili added, "And what about that cute little Lupe in your grade?" Danny stuck his tongue out and made a great show of ignoring her, but Lili noticed him later brushing off his clothes when he thought she wasn't looking.

 

They walked in relative silence for a while. Then Danny piped up, "I don't know why I have to go to school anyway. Dad said I could work with him in the graveyard."

Lili bit her lip. She hated his question, and she knew her brother wouldn't understand the answer. With a slight shake of her head, she decided to give it a go anyway. "Well sure," Lili began carefully, "but anyone can work in the graveyard. That doesn't take anything special at all. School lets you learn new things so you can do something different. Don't you want to explore what else you can be?"

The look on Danny's face told Lili that her words had been wasted. "No, I want to work with Dad," Daniel said with all the determination a 12 year old could have. "And it's not so easy. I'd like to see you pick weeds and polish stones. I bet you can't do it as fast as I can!"

 

No, Lili had to admit, she couldn't. Nor did she want to. It had always been her goal to get out of the graveyard. She was grateful for her father's work providing them a place to sleep, but she couldn't be satisfied with it. Not when she knew how much more there was in the world. Not once her world was no longer confined the the boundaries of Neovia.

"Come on Danny. Let's hurry. I don't want to spend any longer in this spooky place than I have to."

[Midtime]

((Sorry for the tardiness... I'd position Neovia directly before or after the discovery of electricity.))

 

Mr. Foreman did notice the girl approaching him; it simply would not have occurred to him, though, to prioritise another Neovian over the sight he was beholding: the bright, hellish orange-red billowed out of the windows of the university, and the smoke was twisting into the sky like the clouds themselves. He knew he had seen this! - there was little, in fact, in Neopia that he had not, but never had the sense of déjà vu pressed upon his mind so heavily.

 

Finally, casting down his foggy memories in frustration, he turned to greet the girl - though she might yet have claimed the title 'lady' for herself - who had been vying for his attention: "Ah, Camomile. Quite a predicament, isn't it? - and with fires so uncommon here in Neovia. I do hope no-one is trapped in there... but you shouldn't; there's not so much hope to go around." He stopped himself; "But forgive my prattle - to your question: I only just arrived, and was paying a courtesy call to a friend - which I fear I must now postpone."

 

It is not very much to his credit that the person he was addressing had already given up on him.

[Parry]

((I sorta picture Neovia as being in the regency period))

 

As Camomile returned to the Eyrie, with Buttercup and Tracy following, it took a while to recognise Mr. Foreman, but when she did, she said, "Oh, Mr. Foreman! Pardon me, I did not realise who you were. At least the fire has now been put out, and from what I can see, nobody appears to be hurt. I believe you have not yet met any of my relatives?" Turning slightly so she was now partially facing Buttercup and Tracy, Camomile continued.

 

"Mr. Foreman, you may recall that I have once told you about my sisters, and this is Mr. and Mrs. King." Tracy and Buttercup bowed, and it was only then did they approach closer. "They leave near this university, hence why I was passing."