Ah... Thanx for answering the questions!! Sometimes things get just a tad bit confusing... hehe...
Jupiter Girl: I was going to put Alex and Mia together... but I'm completely for Isaac/Mia's. Maybe next fic? I was planning on one anyway. *thinks about it* On second thought, maybe I should finish this one first. X_x
Midnight C: Did not intend for it to turn out a love triangle... which it is. But I needed a reason to keep Alex in it. So yeah. He loves Mia, Isaac loves Mia, and Mia loves them both but now truly truly loves Isaac more. *awww...* Hopefully, I'll think of more to Alex's explanation.
Snoopy6458, Miss Black Dragon, Carlson: Thanx!
Triad Orion: Oh, okai... now everything's clearer.
Alex: Thanks! I tried to imagine how Alex might have been like before all that Saturos-and-Menardi-evil-people stuff, and then had to put it down on paper (or the computer?). Whoever writes can appreciate how hard just thinking and imagining, then putting it in words, can be.
Isaac says Booga: Umm... thanks???
4 – Djinn, Friends, and Romance Don't Mix
Isaac sat on the chair in Mia's room, content with just watching her sleeping form. She's so beautiful, he thought, mentally drawing her in the air before his eyes. Long blue hair, blue eyes that change in shade to her inner emotions and thoughts... He smiled as he drew in his mind the two stray strands of her hair that could never stay in their proper place. Pert nose, small, smiling mouth. He stared into space with a hint of a smile on his face, outlining every inch of her slim body and imagining every tiny fold of her clothes. And she loves me.
A most warm kiss swung him out of his reverie.
"Morning Isaac," Mia laughed quietly, touching her nose with his.
"Same to you, Mia," Isaac whispered, leaning forward so their lips touched ever so softly. Pretty soon they were both seated on the bed, kissing gently, over and over again.
"Look, you two. If you insist on going all romantic, at least consider our poor wounded feelings!" Garet cried dramatically when he swung open their door. The two smirked, but pulled reluctantly away from each other.
"It's not like we were doing anything," Mia protested.
"That's what you say now, but who knows what kind of mischief you two love doves would have gotten into were it not for your best friend Garet?"
"Garet, just be quiet." Jenna jokingly jostled Garet away from the door frame so she could enter the room.
"But Jenna-!"
"They're in love!" The girl cried, her eyes beginning to look slightly glazed over and starry. She was a tomboy, but Jenna was also a romantic and dreamy girl, going soft over mushy and sad things. "Just let them kiss. We all know Isaac is too virtuous to have premarital sex with Mia." Both Isaac and Mia turned red at Jenna's mentioned subject.
"Oh come on you two! Don't be embarrassed; we're all adults here!" Jenna giggled, trying not to laugh at the expressions on their faces. Anyway, Mia, I found the most perfect outfit for you in Vault, when I visited yesterday. Come on, I want to see you in it!" Shoving the other two inconsiderately out, Jenna shut the door and held up an average-sized and plainly wrapped bundle.
"Open it," she squealed. To make things simple, Mia froze the twine binding it together and then broke all the pieces, which fell forgotten onto the bed. Unwrapping the brown paper, the water seer removed a tight and heavy ice blue blouse along with a tight feminine-cut tunic much like Jenna's except that it was a dark navy blue, not rusty brown. The navy blue dress itself reached to about mid-calf, billowing just enough to allow easy movement. The sleeves were tight on the upper arms and flared out at the ends instead of tied at her wrists. New blue gloves were thin but made of a warm fleece, wrapped in a separate, inner package. The edges of the tunic and dress were several shades lighter than the rest of the rich color.
"It's gorgeous!" Mia said in excitement. During their journey, she'd hardly bought any new clothes, staying instead in the cloak and robes that she had begun her adventure with. Albeit the new outfit was plainer than those she wore to signify herself as one of Mercury Clan, she would merge easier with people in Vale and not draw so many strange looks from towns-men and -women or from travelers.
"Isn't it? I had this lighter cloak special-made for you, because I didn't think you would want a short waist cape like the one I always wear," Jenna explained, while dragging out another piece of cloth that she had had tucked under her arm. Mia's eyes widened again when she saw the lighter-weight and embroidered fabric. On its back was a perfect replica of the Mercurian Clan symbol that was on her own cloak, in fine dark violet stitches.
"I hope you didn't go to too much trouble for all this," Mia said, trying to sound dismayed but not having the heart to.
"I didn't. I happen to like sketching sometimes, and when you were busy talking with Garet or Ivan sometimes I'd grab a small piece of paper and draw the cloak pattern. I had one of Garet's Djinni go to the seamstress a few days before we got there and deliver the note and sketch."
"What can I say? Thank you so much, Jenna!" Mia laughed, hugging her friend tightly.
"It's nothing. Anything for a friend of Garet's. Or should I say, a friend of Isaac's. What's on between you two? I've had to fend off my parents' watchful eyes these past days, and haven't been able to gossip with Garet or Isaac, not that they would tell me what's up anyway. Felix doesn't want me out of his sight, after what happened these past two years. Protective brothers," Jenna sighed. Mia lent her an attentive ear until she got so hungry her stomach grumbled.
"As much as I want you to let go of your feelings and feel free of their excessive weight, I really do have to eat something before I collapse on you," Mia chuckled weakly, and the two stumbled down the stairs to grab some food, laughing the entire way.
Garet glared at the door after Jenna slammed it shut.
"How rude!"
Isaac smiled wryly, trying not to grin at the several thoughts that crossed his mind, and the several images of Garet walking into a room by slamming open a door, or of Garet slinging his arms over Mia and Ivan's shoulders while they were trying to have a quiet conversation. "Garet, have you ever considered that you might also be like that at times?"
The guard glared at him too. "Isaac, sometimes you're my very best friend, who is always understanding and sympathizing, but other times such as now, you are just an annoying person."
Changing the subject, Isaac gestured downstairs. "Come on. I haven't eaten anything yet."
"No wonder. You were busy sti-"
Isaac yanked his elbow around Garet's neck, leading him downstairs and effectively choking him at the same time. "Let's go, Garet! Off to the food!"
Downstairs, they found a sleepy Ivan slumped over his porridge, spoon in his mouth, chin on the table, eyes closed, and hair unlike his usual neat sprawl. In front of his nose was a thick book, and from the looks of it, Ivan had probably been up the whole night trying vainly to finish it before the break of dawn.
Isaac stuck a scrap of paper from his pocket into the page and closed it with a silent puff of air while Garet wrenched the spoon out of the wind seer's hand and mouth and pulled the younger boy over his shoulder and back.
"Guess you're not going to get that breakfast just yet!"
On their way up, the came across Mia and Jenna, chatting and laughing animatedly. Jenna had on her usual attire – short rust-brown skirt and red long-sleeved blouse, along with the high-cut tunic and short purple cape. As always, her brown hair was parted hastily and tied into a high ponytail.
Mia, on the other hand, was wearing a new outfit that was most likely the one Jenna had gotten her. It had the straight, crisp edges of new clothing, and it looked so much like the clothing she usually wore, except tighter and better-fitting, that there was no doubt she would fit in more easily in Vale and look less conspicuous on the road.
"Oh no! What happened to Ivan?" Mia exclaimed in concern, losing the carefree smile and running over to the fatigued Adept.
"We think he stayed up trying to read this." Isaac held up the thick volume, titled The Mysteries and Myths of Alchemy and the Lost Adepts. Mia sighed in exasperation and pulled on Garet's wrist to make him march up to Ivan's room with her. When he protested, she put on her no-nonsense healer mask.
"I can't exactly make sure he's only tired right here on the stairs! So hurry up and come with me to his room!" She said brusquely, and nodding to the other two, dragged him up the stairs and out of sight. Jenna accompanied Isaac down the main floor again so he could finally have his breakfast. By now, his stomach was rumbling quietly, loud enough that his childhood friend could hear. She grinned wickedly.
"So what were you doing this morning, Isaac? So busy you couldn't even get some food?" As she expected, he blushed and tried to ignore her bait to tease him into a defensive argument.
"Jenna, I am trying to eat."
"Aww!! So you were doing something?"
"Jenna..."
"You can tell an old friend!"
"Really."
"Isaac!"
"You know what I'm going to say. It really is none of your business!" The swordsman insisted, cramming a piece of bread into his mouth so he wouldn't have to speak to her.
"Of course its my business!" She replied cheerfully, swinging an arm over his shoulder so hard that he almost spit out what was in his mouth. "Mia's my friend, you're my friend, and from what Garet said, you two were standing by yourselves, in the dark, last night. Something must have happened. Tell me!"
"Jenna..." Isaac warned, his face coloring slightly. Jenna jumped at it.
"See! You're blushing... is there something you want to tell me, Isaac?" The girl teased. He groaned inwardly and began shoveling the food (neatly) into his mouth, ignoring the cheerful and prying childhood friend.
"Well, Isaac, are you going to ask Mia to the Holiday of Stars dance? The mayor has invited the people of Vault to come, and some people on nearby farms or those living in the forest. Besides, I'm sure Mia would love to have you ask her. You know how she moves; the natural dancer. Isaac? Are you listening to me?" Jenna demanded, smacking him lightly on the head. Startled back into reality, Isaac didn't answer and tried to keep eating his food, despite her later frequent interruptions.
Upstairs, Mia was having the same problem with Garet. While she lay down Ivan on the bed and cast her magic over him to check for any problems in his health, Garet perched himself on the small chair in the room and watched. When she was finally finished and covered Ivan with the blanket, she turned around and found him with a most peculiar expression on his face.
"What? What's wrong?" Mia demanded, instantly suspicious.
"N-nothing!" Garet could be carefree with everyone and at anytime, except with Mia when she thought he'd done something stupid, or when she was serious.
"Garet, what is it?"
"So did you two do anything yesterday night?" Garet pounced on the opening like a cat would leap onto a mouse. Her face fell and she instantly blushed, trying mightily to hide it.
"Garet, you're too prying."
"Aww, I'm your friend! And Isaac's friend. The least you could do-"
"Is not tell you anything that isn't your business," Mia finished haughtily, shutting the door of Ivan's room after herself. Garet immediately scrambled after her, teasing her all the way down the stairs about what he presumed had happened the night before. Finally, just before reaching the ground floor, she turned around abruptly.
"Garet, would you be happier knowing what happened last night or having icicles shoved down the back of your shirt at a most unexpected moment?" His mouth, in the process of beginning another string of pesky questions, immediately shut and grinned mischievously. Eyeing him suspiciously, Mia quirked her mouth in a half-grin and walked serenely to the table where Jenna and Isaac were eating their breakfast.
"I'm sorry about Garet," Isaac groaned once they had excused themselves and left for his house. Mia had told him all about Garet's antics, from the obvious such as the questions he asked and the more implications his actions hinted towards.
"Don't be." Her impish smile lifted his spirits. "Garet's always like that. Besides, he's your friend. Our friend. He's supposed to tease us. It's his job."
"I don't know. I just wanted him to approve, I suppose. He's like a big brother to me sometimes. Whenever some girl would try to flirt with me when there were gatherings, he'd always be there to rescue me from her clutches. I don't even know why they liked me that much. I never talked, I was always depressed, and I was always serious, unlike our wonderful friend back at the inn. Even my mother insisted I should open up more and act more..."
"I love you the way you are. Don't change for anyone but yourself," Mia said softly. Her sympathetic expression immediately warmed Isaac's heart, and he could only see her shining blue eyes looking up at him. He hugged her tightly, wrapping his arms around her slender body.
"Thank you."
"Don't start thanking me left and right again. I really do love you. You don't need to change. I like the serious, quiet Isaac. And I know why all those girls chased after you. When you want to be, you're funny, and sweet. You look at the optimistic side of everything, even after that horrible tragedy. You never fail to smile even when you're unhappy. You care." She kissed him. "Not to mention that you were the most handsome man I'd ever met when I first set eyes on you. Also you would put your life on the line for your friends and family. Like you did in Suhalla for me."
Isaac's face reddened, but his smile grew slightly bigger. He and Mia stood in the road, secluded in the shade of the cliff, just staring at each other with silly smiles on their face. Glancing down, both noticed that Isaac had his arm wrapped around her waist and one hand cupped her chin gently, Almost instinctively, they leaned in and closed their eyes for a kiss.
::I want to see!!::
::No! I want to.::
::Out of my way, I was here first!!!::
::I was her first Djinn!::
::So? We're her Djinn too!::
::I'm the nicest!::
::Go away, I claimed her shoulder!::
::Stop pushing!::
::You started it first, so you stop pushing!::
::I love Mia the most, so you have to let me watch from the best spot!::
All of a sudden, a whole crowd of Djinn were jumping around on Mia's shoulders, hair, and clothes, while Isaac's Djinn were perched on his head and arms. They broke away from each other, each cursing the fact that even Djinn could get in the way of a kiss.
::You guys!:: Mia protested, shoving all of them back in her pockets and cradling Fizz preciously in her arms.
"I'm so sorry... I should have left all these little gals back at the inn or with Ivan or something. I never dreamed they'd be interested in us," Mia laughed helplessly. After getting over his own disappointment, Isaac joined her, and they helped each other up from their positions on the ground.
"Come on. I want to show you something." Isaac pulled her towards the waterfall a little ways from the small town. Running through the snow curiously, Mia followed lightly, her footsteps hardly as heavy as Isaac's in the snow. Losing sight of him, she continued with her tireless pace, walking carefully and occasionally running forward when there weren't as many drifts around. Finally, though, she ran up to Isaac, who was staring up at the waterfall. When she looked up also, Mia's breath caught as she gazed at the majestic sight.
"Oh- Isaac, it's beautiful..." She whispered, stretching a hand towards the icy water. When it splashed over her sleeve, she shivered, and stepped back to look again. The water fairly flew over the edge of the cliff, then came down in sparkling showers. It was especially pretty when flecks of ice, dangerous when they were in larger pieces, floated out and caught the rays of sunlight shining down on Vale. Mia wanted to jump into it, cold as it was.
"That isn't the best part." He carefully walked so that she could see a narrow ledge that led into a dark and small cave just behind the waterfall. Walking first, Isaac slipped in and held out a hand for Mia. Following she saw that the cave, at first appearing to be small, actually narrowed and led into a larger cave inside. It glowed with an invisible source of light, much like a sparkling blue aura.
"Here- is the best part."
Isaac's whisper tingled in her heart, making her shiver in delight. Mia stared wide-eyed at the wonder around her. Peering closely at the walls revealed that there were miniscule violet Psynergy stones lodged into rock, and glowed. In the center of the cave, hidden before by some rocks, was a sizeable Psynergy stone, but blue in color instead of violet. It emitted a soft blue glow that stretched to encompass the entire room.
"It's beautiful. When did you find this!" Mia exclaimed softly, enchanted. She felt her supply of Psynergy being replenished, standing in the small cavern. It filled her like a glass having sparkling water poured into it, cold and refreshing.
"I was exploring during one of my younger days, with my father. We were walking around, and suddenly he had the ridiculous notion of jumping into the waterfall. You see, below was a really deep lake back then, during the rainy season, and he wanted to dive. Little did he know that as soon as he jumped, he jumped into the front cave. The river wasn't running to strong a current that day, or he would have run smack into the cliff face. I wriggled my way past the stones, and when he couldn't find me I called to him. Working together, we managed to dig a little opening and conceal the light by rolling a nice blocky boulder in front of the tiny doorway." Isaac gazed sadly around the room, and sat down.
"You really miss him, don't you?" Mia's melodic voice startled him for the second time that day. He looked mournfully at her, unable to hide the pain so evident and still raw in his heart.
"Yes. I try to not think about him too much, but sometimes things such as this bring all the memories back."
"If it hurt you this much, you shouldn't have brought me."
"You make me happy too. The look on your face when you saw it made it worth it." He insisted.
"Isaac... don't hurt yourself on my account." Mia looked torn between scolding him for doing something that hurt him and thanking him for bringing her to see something so intimate and close in his heart.
"I wasn't. Trust me." Glancing away from the mesmerizing blue rock, Mia smiled tearfully. Isaac had moved so they sat next to each other instead of across.
"I know. Thank you for bringing me here. It's such a beautiful place."
"It suits you." When Mia turned her head toward him again, her lips were caught in another breathless kiss. If I'd not been sitting, I would have fallen for sure! Mia thought, trembling. When Isaac began to pull away, she clutched his arms and pulled him closer.
"There's no one to bother us here..." She breathed lightly. He grinned and ran his fingers through her long hair, again tied up in its high ponytail.
"Would you like to go to the Holiday of Stars dance with me?" He asked later, when they sat huddled in the cavern. Echoes of dripping water ran through, but there was no evidence of water anywhere. Large as it was, it didn't stretch far enough that light didn't reach it, and was rather circular with no hidden niches that either of them could see.
"Are you sure you want to share the new year's beginning with me, instead of your mother?"
"I love you. And my mother insisted I ask you." He tightened his fingers around hers. "Also Jenna insisted. And Garet, when I was walking back home last night. Felix also."
"Then yes. I accept." She gave him another gentle kiss and stood up. "We should go back before Garet and Jenna manage to spread rumors about us around the village."
"Chances are, they already are doing that."
"Friends are friends. They spread rumors and tease you all the time."
"Doesn't matter," Isaac hugged Mia closer to him just before they exited. The warm action brought a soft smile to her lips and she leaned her head up to him again.
"Just one more kiss... or else they're going to pop up when we least expect it. They'll probably stake out my room and your house so we can't do anything without them not seeing it."
Blushing once more, Isaac lowered his face to comply, but a sudden crash in the shrubs made them both jump back into the shadows.
"Darn! I thought I saw them, but I think I was just seeing things again." Garet shouted. Mia clapped her hand over her mouth so she wouldn't laugh out loud, even though the waterfall would cover the sound.
"You are always seeing things, Garet. We've been searching for an entire day. Where could they possibly be? Are you hiding them from me, Garet?" Jenna accused, her voice just as loud and stubborn as Garet's.
"Hold on! I could ask you the same thing."
"Oh yeah? Then why-" The arguing voices faded as the pair walked away from Isaac and Mia, whom were both breathing hard.
"Oh well. Next time, you have to give me one kiss extra. I'll see you later tonight, during dinner," Mia grinned, hugging him. "Love you." Isaac kissed her fingertips, and then waved as she glided away into the trees, out of his sight.
Love you, Isaac thought over the roar of the waterfall. When several minutes had elapsed, he walked carefully out of hiding and back home, where he greeted his mother with a silly, happy smile on his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There... late, but still updated. Hopefully, I'll manage one more chapter before school starts again. X_X R+R, okay? Tell me how I did! This chapter is doubtful. I'm not very good at humor or not reusing the same terms over and over again. And one more question: So The Lost Age is out already? *Why don't I ever hear about these things...*