Sneets! - Star Festival Booth

“Oh. My. God.”

Ajax sprinted to the booth, leaving his friend group in the dust behind him. Before they could even catch up, he was already in a long line leading up to a booth, balancing on one foot as he leaned far to the side to get a better view.

Leo took a glance at the stand to see what all the fuss was about, and let out a long, drawn-out groan.

“Dude. No.”

“Dude yes!” Ariel piped up, clutching a large purple star pillow in one arm and a clear bag of candy in another. His tiny backpack jingled with his various other prizes as he jogged to his friends.

“No. He has a problem, we can’t enable him.” Leo looked at the various sneet keychains hanging from Ajax’s backpack, many of them gifts from Leo himself. “Well, enable him any more than we already have.”

The booth ahead was advertising sneets as a prize, with the little critters themselves kept in a nicely decorated containment while people played the game. From this distance, it was difficult to tell what the game actually was, but if it involved sneets, it was only natural that sneet researcher and enthusiast Ajax was interested.

“I have the space, I can afford the extra food, medicine if they need it- oh, hm, do you think they’ve had all their shots…?” He listed off what he would need, mumbling to himself about the project he was helping his mentor with. Something about new types of healthier sneet food, and needing new taste-testers for their latest concoctions.

“If our dear friend is in need of more sneets, who are we to deny him?” Ariel played with some of the keychains, unclipping one and holding it up to his face with big, pleading eyes directed at Leo. “I mean, just look at them. Who wouldn’t want a few hundred of these little guys?”

Leo rolled their eyes. It was not that they didn't like sneets; they loved sneets. Mizar’s whole family each had one aside from Alioth, and they were wonderful, chaotic, and surprisingly intelligent creatures. 

But going to Ajax’s place was like walking into a small zoo. There were various environments set up for the sneets to explore, little playgrounds to exercise in, even a dining room for all the sneets to eat together in. If the large groups didn’t belong to Ajax, then they were ones he had been given to take care of for a little while. The mass of colorful shells seemed endless sometimes. They were all well taken care of, of course, but Leo had no idea how one person could handle the responsibility of keeping that many living beings alive and thriving. Maybe being an older sibling helped prepare him for such constant work.

Ajax was still calculating the needs of his pets when the line moved, and the other two had to give him a gentle push forward, shaking their heads with affectionate exasperation as he continued to not notice. 

Ariel, getting bored of waiting, began to rifle through his bag of winnings. He pulled out a fake moustache and slapped it on, then produced a white and blue cane from what seemed like thin air.

In a strange, almost garbled voice, Ariel held the end of the cane up to Ajax’s mouth and asked, “And just what are you planning on doing with your new sneet, young sir?”

“Hm? Oh.” He shrugged. “I want to try out the new apple flavor on an unbiased participant. Apparently, it tastes like everything but apples. Otherwise … I don’t know. Maybe it will like the new volcano area? Maybe it’ll suggest a new one for me to make? I’ll have to get to know it first.”

He smiled calmly, though, so sappily warm at the thought of a new member to his sneet family. Love was so clear in his expression that it was almost painful to see, and far too endearing.

“Fascinating! And do you have ideas for names already set out, or will you let the universe tell you itself?” Ariel gestured wildly to the sky. “Tell us, universe! What shall be the name of the newest sneet added to our dear Ajax’s ranks?”

Ajax snorted quietly. “I usually let them choose themselves. ‘Less they don’t want to. Then we look at baby name websites.”

“Hm, which ones do you use?” Leo asked, stealing a piece of candy from Ariel’s bag. “I’ve been needing some more generators for my campaigns.”

They chatted idly as the line continued to crawl along, Ariel flinging his cane around with increasing dramatic flair until he eventually hit somebody and had to put it away with an embarrassed apology.

Finally, they made it to the front of the line, standing before the famed sneet-covered booth. There were still a few sneets left in the containment, some looking up at the group while others wrestled with each other. A small sneet crowd had gathered to watch the fight, cheering them on with stomps of their little front feet, and claps of their tiny antenna hands. Beside the containment was a jar of pellets in all colors, full to the point of nearly bursting. The rules were listed across the front of the table, with an added sign reminding players of the weight of getting a new pet. Behind it all, watching them with a passive smile, was a mysterious Aerolin in a striped vest.

“Ah, I was hoping you all would stick it out. The line was rather long, after all.” He gestured to the jar with practiced grace, an impressive feat for such simple movement. “If you can guess the number of sneet pellets in this jar, you may win one of these lovely critters.”

“Have they had all their shots?” Ajax wasted no time in discussion, getting straight to business with his usual calm, noninvasive demeanor. The booth owner seemed unbothered by the casual bluntness. If anything, he appeared the slightest bit impressed someone thought to ask.

“Why, of course. I assure you, all of these have been well cared for.” He reached for something behind the table, pulling out a certificate in a humble frame and a small stack of papers. “My license, and the forms for the batch of sneets I brought to the festival. You will find they have been approved by the head of the Creature Health and Safety Department.”

Ajax flipped through the forms, scanning them with expert precision. Nodding, he returned the papers with a gentle grin.

“Everything looks to be about right.” 

“That is always good to hear.” He put the papers back, returning Ajax’s smile. “I am rooting for you.”

Setting the necessary paper stars on the table, Ajax nodded to himself, as if to pump himself up. He seemed determined, a fire raging in his electric eyes. The sneets sensed a change in the atmosphere, pausing their mini fight club to catch a glimpse at their potential new owner. Ariel crunched loudly on some hard candy, while Leo held his breath in anticipation.

Tensions high, Ajax opened his mouth, and guessed.