The Matchmaker
^___^ I've gotten reviews from Midnight C AND Triad Orion! W00t! ::Runs around in glee:: Wheeeee...!! Go me! ::Dancedance::
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Disclaimer: I don't own GS or GS2. If I did, I'd have Felix for my own purposes, Picard would be *known* as Picard, and Djinn wouldn't be as hellishly annoying. Yep. But I don't. So... Yeah.
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The Matchmaker(s)
Chapter six
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Felix growled as Garet gave his sister a light shove for making some odd comment. He then proceeded to watch Jenna bat him over the head, miss, then backhand him, thusly knocking Garet unconscious. His sister was so violent, sometimes...
"Garet, are you okay?" Isaac asked, trying to ignore the death glare Jenna gave him.
"The girl has a mean backhand..." Mia said, patting said homicidal Mars Adept on the arm lightly. "Ply."
"Nnngggmphhyaagh..." Garet meeped as he saw Jenna next to him. He rolled away, then sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Owww..."
"It's a little late for that, Garet." Isaac chuckled. "You feeling okay?"
"Yeah, but... Nnn.... Oww! That hurt..."
Mia sighed.
"Come back over here, dufus. Don't provoke Jenna anymore, you know what she can do..." Garet crawled over, making a wide arc around Jenna to get to Mia. She placed her hand on his head and murmured another Ply.
"Oww... Oooh! It tingles!" Garet clutches his head and shook it around wildly.
"I think he's just hopeless, Mia. Let him be." Isaac said, biting into a sandwich while Garet whined about the 'minty-freshness' envading his mind.
"You sure?" The Mercury Adept asked, a delicate hand on her chin.
"He's always been like that. Suffers from brain-freeze very spontaneously."
"Hmph, the jerk deserves it, he pushed me into the river." Jenna grumbled, poking at some potato salad she could almost swear moved. She had used a weak Flare on herself to get the wetness out, but some dampness still remained. Curse that Garet. That Garet she liked.
"I... ooh, it tingles! I did not! I... Mmmph! Slipped!" Garet shook his head wildly.
Mia glanced back at Isaac, who shrugged and reached for a pastry. Mia slapped his hand away, scolding him, "You don't eat dessert before the actual meal, Isaac."
"Dessert?" He asked, weakly, blinking away the purple dots that those beautiful blue eyes gave him.
Felix sighed at Isaac's helplessness. And Jenna supposedly *liked* that idiot? ...Well, Mars Adepts were always known for their endurance, their temper, and their near-sightedness...
"Felix? What are you doing here?"
Felix eeped and jumped around, hand on the hilt of his sword, expecting to find some beastly chimera or walking tree, but only found Sheba, arms crossed over her chest and a questioning look on her young face.
"I... oh. Um, hi, Sheba."
"You know, you're really frightening when you squeal like a scared child."
"I do? I mean..."
Sheba chuckled quietly behind her hand.
"Felix, you've been spending too much time watching Garet, I think... You're starting to become an oaf like him..."
"Hey!"
Sheba waved him off, managing to stop her chuckling from becoming a gale of laughter.
"Anyhow... You're too overprotective, you know that? Garet isn't going to jump Jenna and demand her money or haul her off to Prox, you know. They're best friends, after all."
"I know that!" Felix said stoutly. "Older brothers are supposed to *be* overprotective."
"Rrrright... Garet is an older brother, but he really doesn't care about what happens to Kay (or that scary little brother of his). And normally, older siblings would rather like it if somebody hauled off their kid sister or brother to Prox or somewhere..."
Felix sighed.
"Sheba, did you come here to lecture me?"
"Partially. Your mother wants you down at the square to move something."
"Why can't my father do it?"
"Don't be a selfish idiot, Felix. Your father's suffering from back pains currently. Ivan's down there, too, but Iris only knows how much he can do..."
Felix gave her a sour look and stalked off.
"No squealing, now, Felix!" Sheba called after him. She took one more look at his retreating figure, then another at the picnicking Adepts, before she took off in a different direction altogether.
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*With Felix-kun*
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Felix went down to the square to find utter chaos. (Not that it wasn't uncommon nowadays, with all the "Golden Hero" Adepts, but...) There was a fairly large crate in front of the Psynergy stone, with a group of people around it with various cutting devices. Women were fussing to the right side of the stone, arguing that a nice blue would highlight the stone's natural light, but a dark violet would be much more romantic for would-be couples. (Felix rolled his eyes at them.) Then, to the left, little boys and girls were running around with streamers. Near them, a cat and dog chased each other around, occasionally tackling each other, causing a dust cloud, then parting again to run off while yelling animal obscenities at each other.
Well, this was one of the more normal days....
He walked around to the right side, which was his left. Immediately, some young ladies that were supposedly 'infatuated with him' as his sister put it (who wouldn't be? ^_^) came up to him to ask about the blue-purple debate.
"Oohh, Felix! There you are! We were just about to go look for you... Tell me, what would be better? This blue tapestry, or -- "
"This LOVELY purple?" Another woman butt the other one out her way, pushing a silken sheet in Felix's face. He blinked, and backed away a step.
"Umm... Well..." He looked between them, trying to do quick calculations in his head. He sighed weakly. "What about silver?"
The ladies looked at each other, their heads cocked to the side.
"Oooh, that'd look nice! Thank you, Felix!"
"Eek!"
Before Felix could manage to mutter 'psychotic women' and walk off to see what the commotion with the crate was, he was bombarded with kisses. He blinked. The ladies walked off, talking amongst themselves while they went into the inn. Felix grumbled under his breath and continued on while rubbing the heels of his hands into his cheeks.
"What's going on here?" He asked over the hubbub of the crowd. They stilled, noticing one of the 'saviors of the world' standing there with a cross sort of look on his face. (It was also that sort of look that read, "Don't tick me off now, because I just got kissed by some psychotic women you know I love to hate.")
"Oh, um, Felix!" His mother came over to him, wiping at her sweaty forehead tiredly. "The crate was open... once... And Ivan went in to start taking things in, but the children ran by, closed the crate's doors (I never knew crates HAD doors until now!), and now, Ivan's stuck in there..."
"Where did this crate come from?" Felix asked in disbelief as the crowd parted to let him through. He walked around the wooden box, placing his ear on the side to hear if Ivan was indeed, in there.
"Sir Hammet delivered it to us as a gift." His mother answered. "Can you open it?"
"Let's see... Is there anything inflammable in there?"
"Yes... That's why I didn't call your sister. I'm afraid she'll burn the box, Ivan, and everything else down..."
"There's a lock or something in there?"
"When we opened it the first time, some pieces of wood came off, so we're guessing it's wedged..."
"Oh. Hm." Felix pulled his Levatine out (That's what he has in my game ^-^) and prodded at the box. He continued to wander around it. As he found the supposed wedged opening, he poked the edge of his sword in...
"OW!"
Felix yanked it out very quickly.
"Ivan?"
"OW!"
"Sorry!"
"Owww...!!"
"Ivan, are you alright?" Felix's mother asked, rushing up and pressing her ear to the side of the box.
"Does it... OW! Sound like I'm... Ooh! Okay?!"
"Ivan, don't be rude to my mother!" Felix snapped.
"Sorry, but... OW! You poked my side pretty hard!"
"Ivan, move! I'm going to try and poke my sword in again!"
"I... I can't! There's no room! I'm shoved up against some tables and...... pillars, I think!"
Felix sighed.
"Excuse me!"
Felix's ears perked and he turned around. Picard waved to him cheerily, walking in from the entrance.
"Oh, Picard! What are you doing here?"
"I haven't seen you and everyone for a few months, Felix. And it's the time of the Dance, or so Sheba told me. I decided to come. I have official consent from King Hydros."
Felix nodded, Ivan's predicament momentarily forgotten.
"Ivan's stuck in there, isn't he? I heard, coming from Vault."
"Mmm, well..."
"Let me see..." Picard went to inspect the sides, fingering the slightly splintered wood thoughtfully. "Oh, this shouldn't be all that difficult. Get the citizens to stand back a bit, please, Felix?"
"You heard the man. Stand back." Felix's mother said, ushering them away from the box. Felix shrugged and went to stand beside Picard.
"What do you plan on doing?"
"Freezing the crate without freezing the inside, then shattering the opening. The crate's hinges are loose, so if you hit it hard enough, it'll break into pieces, and Ivan will be free."
"You hear that, Ivan?" Felix tapped the crate.
"Yeah. Get me out, it's stuffy in here!"
Felix gave a nod, then stepped back a bit. Picard whispered a "Frost," and the crate was covered in a layer of ice.
"Jenna's Burst Brooch would be useful now..." Felix muttered. "But then, Ivan would go to smithereens, and everything else would, too..."
"Felix, are you talking to yourself?" Picard asked, a twinkle in his golden eyes. Felix flushed and looked away, now humming. The Lemurian chuckled and went back up to the crate. "You ready, Ivan?"
"It's now or never. It's sweltering in here..."
Picard then gave the crate a mighty punch, and the makeshift door shattered into millions of tiny ice shards. The crowd burst out into applause as Ivan stumbled out, and fell in a heap at Picard's feet. Immediately, they surged forward to get the numerous decorations out. Picard picked up the exhausted teenager and stepped off to the side.
"Ugh, that hurt..."
"Sorry."
"Oh, don't be such a crybaby, Ivan! It's just a scratch!"
"You call this a scratch, Picard? Are you nuts?"
"Ivan, I'm sure you remember the time Garet suffered that 'mortal wound,' as Mia put it? In his stomach? And Isaac's gotten a nasty chop to his leg before, and I've almost lost my hand before. Need I go on?"
"Mmmph. Shut up, Felix." Ivan grumbled. Felix ruffled the boy's naturally messy hair (making it look more like shrub than anything). Picard cast a Ply on him but still steadied him with his arm.
"Oh, there's Sheba. I need to help with setting up (why haven't they set up already, anyhow?), so why don't you go talk to her?" Felix suggested.
"Picard, you're here!"
Ivan was dropped into Felix's arms as Sheba gave Picard a flying hug. She hung from his neck, a few feet from the ground. Ivan glanced back at Felix, who shrugged.
"All girls are like that, Ivan. Picard just seems to have more luck with them than we do."
Ivan gave Felix a glare.
"Are you saying girls don't like me?" He asked, obviously offended by the Earth adept's remark.
"Well, not necessarily, but did Sheba give you a flying tackle when you came?"
"Um, no, but..."
Felix pat him on the back and went off to help the citizens of Vale with the numerous tables, chairs, pillars, and other oddities. Ivan gave him a look that resembled, 'Now here's an odd one,' but followed him to help as well, hoping the crate wouldn't fall on him this time. (Oh, poor Ivan... I'm feeling particularly nasty to you today. ^_~)
"Picaaaard! What took you so long? You were supposed to be here yesterday!" Sheba said, dropping to the ground. Picard offered her a grin and looked sheepish.
"Well, besides pirates, rough waters, and the occasional sea dragon..."
"Oh, I see. I didn't think the Eastern Sea was this bad after we defeated Poseidon."
"King Hydros told me to be wary. With the lighthouses lit, one can never be really sure."
"Hm, that is true. Where are you going to be staying?" The topic of the lighthouses was still a bit rickety to talk upon.
"I was hoping the inn wouldn't be full -- "
"What? What makes you think that? You can stay at Garet's. I believe there's enough room. Let's see, since Mia and I are staying with Jenna, Ivan is staying with Isaac, so, yes. You will be able to stay with Garet."
"Are you sure he won't mind?" Picard didn't mean to be rude, but Garet was... well, odd. The time they had to room together, he and Ivan didn't get any sleep. Garet was mumbling things about 'a pink Saturos juggling a baby blue cabbage,' or so he thought. He involuntarily shivered. He really didn't want to dwell upon it.
"Of...." Sheba paused a moment. Poor Picard. He wouldn't be able to stand Garet, if Isaac, his childhood best friend, couldn't stand him. "Um, actually, I'm sure Isaac wouldn't mind! Garet has... er.... *Relatives* over, now that I think about it." Sheba hurriedly said, poking the tips of her index fingers together.
"Oh, wonderful." She noticed Picard's mortified sort of look hidden in his eyes died away to a pleasant, happy sparkle.
"Come on. Dora would be happy to set you up with a spare room." As they walked, Sheba only remembered then that the Festival was in two days. Hmm.... Her gaze lingered to the ruins of the once great cliff, barely visible behind a large clump of trees. Only two days to the Festival, then that night, Isaac had to tell Mia, or else she'd go back to Imil, to be likely wed off to some stranger...
"Sheba?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm worried about..." Dare she tell him? "...Isaac."
"So the man has finally realised women?" Picard chuckled. Sheba would gape, but that would make her look like Garet. So she didn't.
"Mia, specifically."
"I see. And you want to stick them together, now?"
"Yeah... But Mia seems completely oblivious to Isaac's random displays of affection, adn vice versa..."
Picard sighed dramatically.
"Ah, Isaac! I shall smote thee! Thou has not realised the love your fair maiden has for thee!"
Sheba raised her eyebrow. Yep. Vale was meant for weirdos like them.
~-~ And back with Felix, Ivan, and the rest of Vale...
"IVAN!"
"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!"
"You're such an idiot sometimes, you know that?"
"Felix, go throw yourself in the river!"
"Ivan, that was uncalled for!"
"Well, so was that comment that I'm an idiot!"
"Hmph. You tipped the box over onto yourself! Who's the idiot?"
Felix's mother sighed. Had she known about the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" gameshow, she would've stopped at the 1,000,000 dollar question, as it would obviously be: "Who argues more? A. Felix and Jenna, B. Isaac and Ivan, C. Isaac and Garet, or D. Felix and Ivan?" She would've saved all of her lifelines to this question, but it would be of no use.
It's a four-way tie, she would think hopelessly.
"....And who got stuck in the box earlier? And had to be saved by the gallant Picard, who came ALL the way from LEMURIA, Ivan?"
"And who's the one who's too over-protective of his dear, younger little sister that can make Saturos whimper and hide under his bed that has a bedspread of little ducks? And who had a temporary crush on MENARDI, FELIX?"
"How'd you get your little cursed hands on my diary, Ivan? ...And how'd you know Saturos had a ducky bedspread? I never wrote that!"
"Ah, the things Jenna can tell you when you have a bit of dirt on her... Like, say, she likes Garet?"
"IVAN, you are so dead! Never mind, I'll just leave you there!"
"Go ahead! Someone's bound to lift this!"
"But today? Dearest little Ivan, who is no doubtedly weaker than I am, since I happen to be larger, older, and have a greater advantage in this current situation, do you think it'll happen today? Everyone's busy, and currently, everybody thinks I'm talking to a tipped over box!"
....Curse that blasted Felix.
"I'll get you, Felix! ONE DAY!"
"I believe Earth has a greater advantage to Wind, Ivan. When it comes to the offensive." Ivan could hear the box creak as Felix sat down upon it.
"Yeah? I could Spark Plasma your rear end off ANY DAY!"
"Really... When did you learn Spark Plasma, Ivan?" Felix said dryly, checking his nails boredly.
....Cursed that blasted Felix to the depths of --
Felix's attention was drawn back up to the ruins of Mt. Aleph, where he could've sworn he saw a red spark fly up and explode.
"Oh. I gotta check up on Isaac, Mia, that idiot Garet, and my kid sister, Ivan. Bye."
"Yeah, bye." Ivan muttered sourly. He knew Felix was grinning like the idiot he was, and was waving.
And Felix continued up on his way towards Mt. Aleph, where Jenna was out for Garet's blood, Isaac was trying to decide between cheering Jenna on, or continuing to eat, and Mia was wondering why the gods placed her on this earth, and whether they were drunk when they did so.
Oh, yes, Vale was a place for weirdos that were Adepts.
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End
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WHOO! Go me, I finished a chapter in LESS THAN A MONTH! XD!!
[Felix] 0_o;
[Stephanie] *Sigh*
Yay! ^___^ Oh, waitasecond! Do you peeps want this to be an Ivan/Sheba, or a Felix/Sheba? Please submit your vote... I can't decide.
[Felix] I don't like Sheba, though!
That's what you think. -_- The community thinks differently.
[Felix] You always tell me that. *Sulks* Game characters never get the respect they deserve..
Heh. Submit your vote, PLEEZ! IVAN/SHEBA, or FELIX/SHEBA! BWAH! I'll luv you all so much! ^_^ Three more chapters, I think. I THINK.... Vote, review, comment, whatever! See you next chapter!
[Felix] .....Yay. I got to bother Ivan.
::Throws a pot at his head::
^___^ I've gotten reviews from Midnight C AND Triad Orion! W00t! ::Runs around in glee:: Wheeeee...!! Go me! ::Dancedance::
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Disclaimer: I don't own GS or GS2. If I did, I'd have Felix for my own purposes, Picard would be *known* as Picard, and Djinn wouldn't be as hellishly annoying. Yep. But I don't. So... Yeah.
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The Matchmaker(s)
Chapter six
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Felix growled as Garet gave his sister a light shove for making some odd comment. He then proceeded to watch Jenna bat him over the head, miss, then backhand him, thusly knocking Garet unconscious. His sister was so violent, sometimes...
"Garet, are you okay?" Isaac asked, trying to ignore the death glare Jenna gave him.
"The girl has a mean backhand..." Mia said, patting said homicidal Mars Adept on the arm lightly. "Ply."
"Nnngggmphhyaagh..." Garet meeped as he saw Jenna next to him. He rolled away, then sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Owww..."
"It's a little late for that, Garet." Isaac chuckled. "You feeling okay?"
"Yeah, but... Nnn.... Oww! That hurt..."
Mia sighed.
"Come back over here, dufus. Don't provoke Jenna anymore, you know what she can do..." Garet crawled over, making a wide arc around Jenna to get to Mia. She placed her hand on his head and murmured another Ply.
"Oww... Oooh! It tingles!" Garet clutches his head and shook it around wildly.
"I think he's just hopeless, Mia. Let him be." Isaac said, biting into a sandwich while Garet whined about the 'minty-freshness' envading his mind.
"You sure?" The Mercury Adept asked, a delicate hand on her chin.
"He's always been like that. Suffers from brain-freeze very spontaneously."
"Hmph, the jerk deserves it, he pushed me into the river." Jenna grumbled, poking at some potato salad she could almost swear moved. She had used a weak Flare on herself to get the wetness out, but some dampness still remained. Curse that Garet. That Garet she liked.
"I... ooh, it tingles! I did not! I... Mmmph! Slipped!" Garet shook his head wildly.
Mia glanced back at Isaac, who shrugged and reached for a pastry. Mia slapped his hand away, scolding him, "You don't eat dessert before the actual meal, Isaac."
"Dessert?" He asked, weakly, blinking away the purple dots that those beautiful blue eyes gave him.
Felix sighed at Isaac's helplessness. And Jenna supposedly *liked* that idiot? ...Well, Mars Adepts were always known for their endurance, their temper, and their near-sightedness...
"Felix? What are you doing here?"
Felix eeped and jumped around, hand on the hilt of his sword, expecting to find some beastly chimera or walking tree, but only found Sheba, arms crossed over her chest and a questioning look on her young face.
"I... oh. Um, hi, Sheba."
"You know, you're really frightening when you squeal like a scared child."
"I do? I mean..."
Sheba chuckled quietly behind her hand.
"Felix, you've been spending too much time watching Garet, I think... You're starting to become an oaf like him..."
"Hey!"
Sheba waved him off, managing to stop her chuckling from becoming a gale of laughter.
"Anyhow... You're too overprotective, you know that? Garet isn't going to jump Jenna and demand her money or haul her off to Prox, you know. They're best friends, after all."
"I know that!" Felix said stoutly. "Older brothers are supposed to *be* overprotective."
"Rrrright... Garet is an older brother, but he really doesn't care about what happens to Kay (or that scary little brother of his). And normally, older siblings would rather like it if somebody hauled off their kid sister or brother to Prox or somewhere..."
Felix sighed.
"Sheba, did you come here to lecture me?"
"Partially. Your mother wants you down at the square to move something."
"Why can't my father do it?"
"Don't be a selfish idiot, Felix. Your father's suffering from back pains currently. Ivan's down there, too, but Iris only knows how much he can do..."
Felix gave her a sour look and stalked off.
"No squealing, now, Felix!" Sheba called after him. She took one more look at his retreating figure, then another at the picnicking Adepts, before she took off in a different direction altogether.
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*With Felix-kun*
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Felix went down to the square to find utter chaos. (Not that it wasn't uncommon nowadays, with all the "Golden Hero" Adepts, but...) There was a fairly large crate in front of the Psynergy stone, with a group of people around it with various cutting devices. Women were fussing to the right side of the stone, arguing that a nice blue would highlight the stone's natural light, but a dark violet would be much more romantic for would-be couples. (Felix rolled his eyes at them.) Then, to the left, little boys and girls were running around with streamers. Near them, a cat and dog chased each other around, occasionally tackling each other, causing a dust cloud, then parting again to run off while yelling animal obscenities at each other.
Well, this was one of the more normal days....
He walked around to the right side, which was his left. Immediately, some young ladies that were supposedly 'infatuated with him' as his sister put it (who wouldn't be? ^_^) came up to him to ask about the blue-purple debate.
"Oohh, Felix! There you are! We were just about to go look for you... Tell me, what would be better? This blue tapestry, or -- "
"This LOVELY purple?" Another woman butt the other one out her way, pushing a silken sheet in Felix's face. He blinked, and backed away a step.
"Umm... Well..." He looked between them, trying to do quick calculations in his head. He sighed weakly. "What about silver?"
The ladies looked at each other, their heads cocked to the side.
"Oooh, that'd look nice! Thank you, Felix!"
"Eek!"
Before Felix could manage to mutter 'psychotic women' and walk off to see what the commotion with the crate was, he was bombarded with kisses. He blinked. The ladies walked off, talking amongst themselves while they went into the inn. Felix grumbled under his breath and continued on while rubbing the heels of his hands into his cheeks.
"What's going on here?" He asked over the hubbub of the crowd. They stilled, noticing one of the 'saviors of the world' standing there with a cross sort of look on his face. (It was also that sort of look that read, "Don't tick me off now, because I just got kissed by some psychotic women you know I love to hate.")
"Oh, um, Felix!" His mother came over to him, wiping at her sweaty forehead tiredly. "The crate was open... once... And Ivan went in to start taking things in, but the children ran by, closed the crate's doors (I never knew crates HAD doors until now!), and now, Ivan's stuck in there..."
"Where did this crate come from?" Felix asked in disbelief as the crowd parted to let him through. He walked around the wooden box, placing his ear on the side to hear if Ivan was indeed, in there.
"Sir Hammet delivered it to us as a gift." His mother answered. "Can you open it?"
"Let's see... Is there anything inflammable in there?"
"Yes... That's why I didn't call your sister. I'm afraid she'll burn the box, Ivan, and everything else down..."
"There's a lock or something in there?"
"When we opened it the first time, some pieces of wood came off, so we're guessing it's wedged..."
"Oh. Hm." Felix pulled his Levatine out (That's what he has in my game ^-^) and prodded at the box. He continued to wander around it. As he found the supposed wedged opening, he poked the edge of his sword in...
"OW!"
Felix yanked it out very quickly.
"Ivan?"
"OW!"
"Sorry!"
"Owww...!!"
"Ivan, are you alright?" Felix's mother asked, rushing up and pressing her ear to the side of the box.
"Does it... OW! Sound like I'm... Ooh! Okay?!"
"Ivan, don't be rude to my mother!" Felix snapped.
"Sorry, but... OW! You poked my side pretty hard!"
"Ivan, move! I'm going to try and poke my sword in again!"
"I... I can't! There's no room! I'm shoved up against some tables and...... pillars, I think!"
Felix sighed.
"Excuse me!"
Felix's ears perked and he turned around. Picard waved to him cheerily, walking in from the entrance.
"Oh, Picard! What are you doing here?"
"I haven't seen you and everyone for a few months, Felix. And it's the time of the Dance, or so Sheba told me. I decided to come. I have official consent from King Hydros."
Felix nodded, Ivan's predicament momentarily forgotten.
"Ivan's stuck in there, isn't he? I heard, coming from Vault."
"Mmm, well..."
"Let me see..." Picard went to inspect the sides, fingering the slightly splintered wood thoughtfully. "Oh, this shouldn't be all that difficult. Get the citizens to stand back a bit, please, Felix?"
"You heard the man. Stand back." Felix's mother said, ushering them away from the box. Felix shrugged and went to stand beside Picard.
"What do you plan on doing?"
"Freezing the crate without freezing the inside, then shattering the opening. The crate's hinges are loose, so if you hit it hard enough, it'll break into pieces, and Ivan will be free."
"You hear that, Ivan?" Felix tapped the crate.
"Yeah. Get me out, it's stuffy in here!"
Felix gave a nod, then stepped back a bit. Picard whispered a "Frost," and the crate was covered in a layer of ice.
"Jenna's Burst Brooch would be useful now..." Felix muttered. "But then, Ivan would go to smithereens, and everything else would, too..."
"Felix, are you talking to yourself?" Picard asked, a twinkle in his golden eyes. Felix flushed and looked away, now humming. The Lemurian chuckled and went back up to the crate. "You ready, Ivan?"
"It's now or never. It's sweltering in here..."
Picard then gave the crate a mighty punch, and the makeshift door shattered into millions of tiny ice shards. The crowd burst out into applause as Ivan stumbled out, and fell in a heap at Picard's feet. Immediately, they surged forward to get the numerous decorations out. Picard picked up the exhausted teenager and stepped off to the side.
"Ugh, that hurt..."
"Sorry."
"Oh, don't be such a crybaby, Ivan! It's just a scratch!"
"You call this a scratch, Picard? Are you nuts?"
"Ivan, I'm sure you remember the time Garet suffered that 'mortal wound,' as Mia put it? In his stomach? And Isaac's gotten a nasty chop to his leg before, and I've almost lost my hand before. Need I go on?"
"Mmmph. Shut up, Felix." Ivan grumbled. Felix ruffled the boy's naturally messy hair (making it look more like shrub than anything). Picard cast a Ply on him but still steadied him with his arm.
"Oh, there's Sheba. I need to help with setting up (why haven't they set up already, anyhow?), so why don't you go talk to her?" Felix suggested.
"Picard, you're here!"
Ivan was dropped into Felix's arms as Sheba gave Picard a flying hug. She hung from his neck, a few feet from the ground. Ivan glanced back at Felix, who shrugged.
"All girls are like that, Ivan. Picard just seems to have more luck with them than we do."
Ivan gave Felix a glare.
"Are you saying girls don't like me?" He asked, obviously offended by the Earth adept's remark.
"Well, not necessarily, but did Sheba give you a flying tackle when you came?"
"Um, no, but..."
Felix pat him on the back and went off to help the citizens of Vale with the numerous tables, chairs, pillars, and other oddities. Ivan gave him a look that resembled, 'Now here's an odd one,' but followed him to help as well, hoping the crate wouldn't fall on him this time. (Oh, poor Ivan... I'm feeling particularly nasty to you today. ^_~)
"Picaaaard! What took you so long? You were supposed to be here yesterday!" Sheba said, dropping to the ground. Picard offered her a grin and looked sheepish.
"Well, besides pirates, rough waters, and the occasional sea dragon..."
"Oh, I see. I didn't think the Eastern Sea was this bad after we defeated Poseidon."
"King Hydros told me to be wary. With the lighthouses lit, one can never be really sure."
"Hm, that is true. Where are you going to be staying?" The topic of the lighthouses was still a bit rickety to talk upon.
"I was hoping the inn wouldn't be full -- "
"What? What makes you think that? You can stay at Garet's. I believe there's enough room. Let's see, since Mia and I are staying with Jenna, Ivan is staying with Isaac, so, yes. You will be able to stay with Garet."
"Are you sure he won't mind?" Picard didn't mean to be rude, but Garet was... well, odd. The time they had to room together, he and Ivan didn't get any sleep. Garet was mumbling things about 'a pink Saturos juggling a baby blue cabbage,' or so he thought. He involuntarily shivered. He really didn't want to dwell upon it.
"Of...." Sheba paused a moment. Poor Picard. He wouldn't be able to stand Garet, if Isaac, his childhood best friend, couldn't stand him. "Um, actually, I'm sure Isaac wouldn't mind! Garet has... er.... *Relatives* over, now that I think about it." Sheba hurriedly said, poking the tips of her index fingers together.
"Oh, wonderful." She noticed Picard's mortified sort of look hidden in his eyes died away to a pleasant, happy sparkle.
"Come on. Dora would be happy to set you up with a spare room." As they walked, Sheba only remembered then that the Festival was in two days. Hmm.... Her gaze lingered to the ruins of the once great cliff, barely visible behind a large clump of trees. Only two days to the Festival, then that night, Isaac had to tell Mia, or else she'd go back to Imil, to be likely wed off to some stranger...
"Sheba?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm worried about..." Dare she tell him? "...Isaac."
"So the man has finally realised women?" Picard chuckled. Sheba would gape, but that would make her look like Garet. So she didn't.
"Mia, specifically."
"I see. And you want to stick them together, now?"
"Yeah... But Mia seems completely oblivious to Isaac's random displays of affection, adn vice versa..."
Picard sighed dramatically.
"Ah, Isaac! I shall smote thee! Thou has not realised the love your fair maiden has for thee!"
Sheba raised her eyebrow. Yep. Vale was meant for weirdos like them.
~-~ And back with Felix, Ivan, and the rest of Vale...
"IVAN!"
"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!"
"You're such an idiot sometimes, you know that?"
"Felix, go throw yourself in the river!"
"Ivan, that was uncalled for!"
"Well, so was that comment that I'm an idiot!"
"Hmph. You tipped the box over onto yourself! Who's the idiot?"
Felix's mother sighed. Had she known about the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" gameshow, she would've stopped at the 1,000,000 dollar question, as it would obviously be: "Who argues more? A. Felix and Jenna, B. Isaac and Ivan, C. Isaac and Garet, or D. Felix and Ivan?" She would've saved all of her lifelines to this question, but it would be of no use.
It's a four-way tie, she would think hopelessly.
"....And who got stuck in the box earlier? And had to be saved by the gallant Picard, who came ALL the way from LEMURIA, Ivan?"
"And who's the one who's too over-protective of his dear, younger little sister that can make Saturos whimper and hide under his bed that has a bedspread of little ducks? And who had a temporary crush on MENARDI, FELIX?"
"How'd you get your little cursed hands on my diary, Ivan? ...And how'd you know Saturos had a ducky bedspread? I never wrote that!"
"Ah, the things Jenna can tell you when you have a bit of dirt on her... Like, say, she likes Garet?"
"IVAN, you are so dead! Never mind, I'll just leave you there!"
"Go ahead! Someone's bound to lift this!"
"But today? Dearest little Ivan, who is no doubtedly weaker than I am, since I happen to be larger, older, and have a greater advantage in this current situation, do you think it'll happen today? Everyone's busy, and currently, everybody thinks I'm talking to a tipped over box!"
....Curse that blasted Felix.
"I'll get you, Felix! ONE DAY!"
"I believe Earth has a greater advantage to Wind, Ivan. When it comes to the offensive." Ivan could hear the box creak as Felix sat down upon it.
"Yeah? I could Spark Plasma your rear end off ANY DAY!"
"Really... When did you learn Spark Plasma, Ivan?" Felix said dryly, checking his nails boredly.
....Cursed that blasted Felix to the depths of --
Felix's attention was drawn back up to the ruins of Mt. Aleph, where he could've sworn he saw a red spark fly up and explode.
"Oh. I gotta check up on Isaac, Mia, that idiot Garet, and my kid sister, Ivan. Bye."
"Yeah, bye." Ivan muttered sourly. He knew Felix was grinning like the idiot he was, and was waving.
And Felix continued up on his way towards Mt. Aleph, where Jenna was out for Garet's blood, Isaac was trying to decide between cheering Jenna on, or continuing to eat, and Mia was wondering why the gods placed her on this earth, and whether they were drunk when they did so.
Oh, yes, Vale was a place for weirdos that were Adepts.
~-~-~-~-~-~
End
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WHOO! Go me, I finished a chapter in LESS THAN A MONTH! XD!!
[Felix] 0_o;
[Stephanie] *Sigh*
Yay! ^___^ Oh, waitasecond! Do you peeps want this to be an Ivan/Sheba, or a Felix/Sheba? Please submit your vote... I can't decide.
[Felix] I don't like Sheba, though!
That's what you think. -_- The community thinks differently.
[Felix] You always tell me that. *Sulks* Game characters never get the respect they deserve..
Heh. Submit your vote, PLEEZ! IVAN/SHEBA, or FELIX/SHEBA! BWAH! I'll luv you all so much! ^_^ Three more chapters, I think. I THINK.... Vote, review, comment, whatever! See you next chapter!
[Felix] .....Yay. I got to bother Ivan.
::Throws a pot at his head::
