"Oh well, Pan, it appears that won't work out so well either," Klyven chuckled.

Pan, his Ghostly Carmariller sidekick gave him her signature glare.

"Aw, come on," Klyven pleaded, "you couldn't possibly expect me to madly dash around Neopia to track down and pay for random items, only to being them back to the Employment Agency and make sub-par profit? I don't think so. I simply told that Faerie what I thought of it all." He sighed. "I think that permanently banning me from there was a tad extreme, though."

Pan simply crossed her arms and shook her head.

"I know, I know," Klyven said, rolling his eyes. "I'll get on it."

With a snap, he summoned a rather long piece of rolled up parchment paper and a sinister-looking quill. "Let's see now... those Tiki Tours on Mystery Island didn't work out too well; the locals didn't seem to appreciate me taking the initiative and creating my own tiki torches for the tourists. There was just too much screaming going on. I found it amusing, but I guess they didn't. Then there was the job at Krawk Island for the Food Club betting gate. I still can't believe the nerve of those pirates, thinking I played a role in causing a number of upsets in several different rounds by rigging them. Needless to say that when the Governor found out about the situation, he didn't seem to be too happy with it, and threatened to throw me to the Krawken. Or something ridiculous of that nature. After that, there really aren't very many other activities we... I mean 'I' have been kicked out of."

With a haughty wave, the daunting parchment disappeared. Pan sighed sadly.

"Well, we should probably be stopping for lunch before we head back to Shenkuu to twiddle our thumbs. Again."

He looked around.

"Since we're already here in Neopia Central, we should try eating at this 'Gourmet Club'. I've heard they serve only top-notch style foods that are local, as well as exotic foods that are as far as Maraqua!"

Klyven paused and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"It also seems there's a required Membership after you dine here, but it can't be too bad. If there's a Membership Fee, though, that could prove to a problem."

He opened up the large, glass door.

"I guess we'll see!"

Once inside, he and Pan were greeted by the Quiggle Maître D'.

"Greetings. Are you a current member of the Gourmet Food Club?"

"No, I'm not," replied Klyven while squinting suspiciously at the Quiggle.

The Maître D' continued on as though there wasn't anything remotely odd about his behavior.

"I'd like you to follow me. This way, please."

The Quiggle led the duo down a row of tables, and finally seated them at a booth that was located near a window. He set down a menu.

"This is our entire selection, but since you are just starting out as a beginner, I would advise that you start in this section first. As you advance, the price 'noticeably' increases. Your waitress will be with you shortly, please enjoy."

With that, he gave a small bow, and continued back towards the front door.

Klyven flipped through the menu, ogling at the different foods that were priced in the hundreds of thousands of Neopoints.

"Don't you even THINK of ordering anything expensive, Pan," he muttered. She poked her tongue out in response.

Once the order was placed and the food was served, Klyven and Pan ate mostly in silence, only occasionally remarking something about a particular dish. After finishing up and being fairly satisfied with the meal, he left a tip on the table, then pocketed the information and point cards that were left behind.

"You know, Pan, that really wasn't all bad. I mean, it became troublesome chasing down those Deviled Eggs, but at least those were fairly good. There were also a couple of... more questionable brow-raising menu items that were there, but at least the effort eventually pays off.

"The best part of all is, though, that at least you can get a badge or a trophy if you make the top 200. I mean, I enjoy posing for the Beauty Expo as much as the next Neopet, but it's a nice change of pace at least, yes?"

Once they got outside, Pan nodded in agreement and started to drift around.

"Then it's settled, it's how I'll occupy my time... for a little while, at least." Klyven came to a stop.

"This couldn't possibly go wrong, could it?"

The Carmariller shrugged.