The Matchmaker

Really, I'm starting to get reeeeeeally suspicious of some of you. I mean, Midnight C has *always* been too good... ::Squints:: Eh, maybe it's just me. ::Suddenly snickers:: I just noticed I wrote 'That Matchmaker' instead of 'The Matchmaker.' It's just me, but.... XD Sorry. Been around 'All that jazz!' - Matthew too much.

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Disclaimer: Haven't we gone over this?

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The Matchmaker

Chapter five

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"I know you guys are up to something."

The whispers stilled.

"Stop it, will you? Maybe you guys have an inkling of what I'm thinking, but only I can really tell what my heart thinks. Sometimes."

/Sometimes!/ The Djinn squealed.

/Jinx./

/Flint, shut up!/

/I get to pinch you, Quartz!/

/No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!/

/Hey, stop runnin' so fast!/

/Pudgy!/

/Shut up! You've gained pounds, Granite, I know!/

/Right. And we don't eat./

/You do./

/You do to./

By this time, Quartz had found a safe spot in Isaac's trademark yellow scarf. The Venus Adept sighed and tucked a strand of unruly hair behind his ear. Granite and Flint were known for their bickering. There was only one little peacemaker that could end their arguments, and that was --

/Boys, be quiet!/

/Flower!/

/Why do you argue who's chubbier? We all look the same, don't we?/

/Uh, yeah, but Flint's -- /

/Granite sneaks -- /

/Boys!/

/Sorry, Flower./

/Sorry./

/That's better. Be good and do the Under the Bed, okay?/

/But the Under the Bed -- /

/We did it last week!/

/Do you want a heavier punishment?/

/No ma'am./

/Good!/

Isaac chuckled quietly to himself as Flower returned herself to his shoulder. The 'Under the Bed' was the punishment she gave to the naughty 'little ones.' Otherwise, it was literally cleaning the dust that had collected over the week under Isaac's bed.

"The rag's in the bathroom, under the sink." The Venus adept called to the exiting Djinn.

/Hmph./

"What?" He called innocently after them. One of the two snorted indignantly at him. Ah, he loved the fact Felix had given him Flower. Days like these were just so easier with her around. And, what he liked most, was that all of the other Earth Djinn were smitten with her. Especially the 'Arguing Ones.' "Flower, what should I do?"

/Go take Mia somewhere!/

"Flower!"

/Well......./

"You have to be so girlish."

/Excuse me, Isaac! I happen to -- /

"Okay, okay."

/Hmph! Then... Um... Sorry. That's all I can think of./

"Take Mia somewhere?"

"Take me somewhere where?"

"Oh, uh, hi, Mia........"

/Teeheehee! So where are you going to take her?/

"Flower, be quiet." He hissed under his breath.

"Isaac?" She asked, now starting to get somewhat suspicious.

"Uh, Mia... Um. What are you doing out of bed?"

"Isaac, the fever's long gone, and I feel perfectly fine."

"You sure you have your equilibrium in check?"

"Be quiet." She retorted.

"You know you had a fainting spell yesterday..."

"I'm fine now. I know myself best, right?" Mia leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest.

"How about a picnic?" Jenna suggested, suddenly appearing beside Mia. "It's a perfect day!"

"A picnic?"

"Yes, a picnic! C'mon, don't chicken out now!" Jenna winked knowingly at Isaac, and he blushed suddenly. "Mia, let's go! You can't wear those funky robes all the time! You'll overheat and faint again in this weather if you wear those! I know I have something..."

"Arrgh!" Mia yelped as Jenna hooked an arm around hers and yanked her out of view. "Help me!"

"Aww, don't bother. Mia, you gotta look cute for the guy you'll be going to a dance with."

Speaking of dances... The Festival was only in a few days. Mia sighed. She... Was she looking forward to it? Of course she was looking forward to it. Probably not the 'dance all night with Garet-the-toe-stepper' part, but dancing with Isaac, who was most definitely more fluid and graceful than the spiky-haired friend of theirs, would likely to be a pleasant experience...

"How does this look?" Jenna asked, lifting up a short blue dress. Mia meeped, then shook her head wildly. "Oh, c'mon. I'm sure you have great legs under those robes, with all that trekking around the world to save my butt and the lighthouses-thing!"

"It's not that, it's just... In Imil..." Mia trailed off. Bad, bad, bad. This wasn't Imil. And of course, Jenna was sure to pick up on that.

"In Imil what? Girls can't be girls? Mia, you gotta look pretty for Isaac, or he'll shunt you off to the side! And we all know you don't want that, right?" Jenna placed the dress up beside Mia, then leaned back, and stroked her chin in a very-un-Jenna-like way. "Hmm. You're right on this one, though. It doesn't match your persona." She took it away, then whisked another one out.

....And so it was for at least five more hours....

Well, it probably wasn't five hours. Mia *thought* it was five hours, though. Personally, being Jenna's mannequin did nothing to ease her worries about the dance. Or this picnic, for that matter. Please let it rain, please let it rain, please let it rain, Mia begged. I beseech you, gods!

"Ah, if this doesn't cut it, then I don't know what will... That, or we'll have to order something from Kalay." Jenna sighed. Mia was beginning to wonder where all this blue clothing turned up -- no offense to her friend, but blue wasn't Jenna's best color.

She lifted up a blue-and-purple dress on a hanger. The style was simple enough -- it seemed to be like a blue sundress that went down to her ankles. The sleeves were short and opened out in the bell-like fashion. Jenna produced a light purple silky tie to go with it.

"It's beautiful!" She squealed in delight.

Mia, apparently, deep down, was just a simple Imilian healer that had no real knowledge of courting. Alex was more like a kid brother -- always complaining, 'Why do I have to do that?' or 'Why do I have to visit that old couple? They're scary!' and such. Alex never understood... Never, never. The day he understood, she had thought in her days of continuous healing, the world would end and the lighthouses would be lit. Of course, the latter part of that happened. The world hadn't ended yet...

"Alright, then. Let's get you fitted!"

Mia blinked as Jenna whirled around her like a fitful gale trying to get out of an enclosed area.

"Um, do you really need to do all this just to fit me for a dress? We're physically the same height, aren't we?"

"Probably, but you don't want to trip over the hem or it to be too baggy." Jenna gave her a wink. "But, you're in luck. We are the same height and all that business, so all you have to do is slip this on."

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Downstairs, Isaac fidgeted nervously, only partially listening to his Djinn's chatter and Garet's blathering. He wore loose tan breeches, a blue shirt, and, amazingly enough, his famous yellow scarf. (Garet personally thought it was all a "fashion statement.") Garet himself wore practically the same thing, but with an obvious more amount of reddish colors rather than Isaac's softer hues.

His Djinn's chatter dwindled off to silence as Jenna and Mia stepped delicately down the stairs. Jenna, in her red blouse and skirt, was positively eye-catching -- literally. Isaac blinked to rid his eyes of the spots. Mia looked self-conscious in her sundress, fidgeting with a bracelet on her wrist.

"Mia, you look pretty." Isaac said sincerely, taking her hand gently. Mia blushed, looking down at her shoes.

"How cute!" Jenna giggled to Garet, squeezing his arm tightly. Garet, though, was staring at her, seemingly entranced. "...Garet?"

"Um... Buh?"

Jenna sighed, pinched his cheek, and tugged him along, grabbing the basket made by Dora on the counter.

"It's a nice day for a picnic, isn't it?" Isaac remarked as they went up and down stairs, towards the base of Mount Aleph, where trees would provide shade, and the ruins of Sol Sanctum (I'm guessing they're ruins, after the explosion, and the whole 'Mt. Aleph fell after the Lighthouses were lit' sort of thing). He couldn't help but think about what he felt when Vale was destroyed...

"Isaac?" Mia said carefully, tapping his cheek lightly with her hand. "Are you fine? Your eyes just glazed over..."

"Oh, uh, I um... I'm fine, thank you, Mia..." His eyes slid over to the hand that still rested on his cheek. Mia's eyes widened and she snatched her hand back, holding it as though it were a mortal wound.

"They're just like kids in love!" Jenna chuckled. "So naive..."

And Garet was silent, still staring at Jenna...

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"Right here. Nice and shady." Jenna announced, opening up the basket and tossing out a red- and white-checked blanket. While Mia set out various foods, Garet *continued* to --

"Oh, poo. I forgot to ask for something to drink..." Jenna muttered, turning the empty picnic basket over. "C'mon, Garet, run back to your house and get a container, won't you? Then come down to the river."

Garet sighed, finally taking his eyes off her. Jenna pat him on the back and they went separate ways.

After asking his mother for a container, Garet went back out to find Jenna on the opposite bank, waving cheerily at him. Grumbling incoherent things under his breath, he went down a flight of stairs, across the bridge, down another flight of stairs, then went back up north to where Jenna awaited him.

"Got it." He said, noting the obvious. Jenna snatched the container from him and stooped at the bank, where cool, clear water ran past their feet. "Careful, Jenna, the ground is slippery..."

"You're not my mother, Garet, I know that. Do you know *how* many years we've been living here?"

"Well, nice of you to note 'we,' instead of 'you'..."

Jenna rolled her eyes and took another step forward, crouching as she filled the container. Once the container filled, she leaned back, but her right foot skidded, thusly making her land on her rear end in wet sand.

"Eww! Garet, help me up! Gross..."

....Why did he have a bad feeling about this?

Garet leaned to help her up, his feet finding footing on smooth, slippery stones. As he yanked her up, *his* feet slid, and --

Splash.

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Isaac and Mia looked up. Mia glanced back at Isaac, her eyes holding concern for their blundersome friends.

"Did you hear something?"

"It's probably the waterfall... Don't worry about it."

"But Garet and Jenna -- "

"Mia, you worry too much. They both dislike water, and neither of them like falling in it, so chances are, they won't likely fall into the river."

"Those two are so unlucky, though..." Mia said, sighing to herself. Isaac chuckled and pat her hand reassuringly.

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"GARET! Ack, my outfit's ruined!"

"I'm sorry, okay, and... oof!" Jenna had pushed her weight upon him when she stood, dripping wet. "Oww..."

Garet tried standing, but slid again and landed head-first in the water. He sat up again abruptly, but took more time in standing. He averted his eyes when Jenna glowered at him dangerously.

"Please don't Dragon Fume me..." He mumbled, wringing out a portion of his shirt. Jenna gave an infuriated sort of sound.

"Maybe I will! Or a Flare Wall! Garet..." She trudged over to the bank, twisting her hair. "You're such a clumsy one..."

"Hey, that's why Isaac had holes in his roof." Garet shrugged, walking over to sit next to her. The container was tucked against a bunch of rocks, completely empty. They both sighed.

"Get that filled, Garet, but don't fall in again. We should get back soon." Garet did as he was told, then they went back up the many flights of stairs.

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"Jenna, Garet! What happened?" Isaac stood. He either chose not acknowledge the glares that were passed from Jenna to Garet, or didn't notice at all.

"They fell into the river... It's so easy to tell..."

"Mmfph." Jenna grumbled. Garet looked sheepish.

"I said I was sorry..."

"You ruined my favorite outfit, Garet..."

"Sorry..."

"Stop it!"

"I'm sorry!"

Mia glanced at Isaac, who glanced at her. Mars Adepts and their bickering...

"Please, can we just have our picnic? You'll ruin it for the rest of us." Mia piped up. Jenna's mouth was open to retort something, but she closed it quickly. Garet crossed his arms over his chest.

"She's right." Jenna said grimly. Garet nodded slowly.

"Argue about it later." Isaac said, but gods knew where that would lead...

And the four sat down to their picnic lunch, unknowing that *someone else* was watching and planning...

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End

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Good Lord, I've got a chapter finished. Any ideas as of who that 'mysterious person' is? No, it's not any of the atagonists...

[Stephanie] Grrarrr...

What now?

[Stephanie] *He's* not home...

-_-;; ::Sigh:: And if we're lucky, he never will be, or my phone bills will sky-rocket..

[Felix] T_T Garet pushed Jenna into the river! GRAAGGH!

Uh oh. 0_o; Rampaging Felix. Not good. I'll try and pen him up for the time being, but 'till then, review, pleeaaase... Next chapter is the *first half* of the Dance... Actual Isaac/Mia-ness! And Garet and Jenna make up. ^_^ Sheba pays a visit, and even a favorite Lemurian shows up...

[Felix] *Grabs Sol Blade* DIE, GARET!

....o_o; Eep...

- Review, please, it'll stop Felix and make me happy... -