A/N: I do not own Genie or Carpet. Anyone that still believes otherwise needs their head checked.

So, after the fail the last two chapters were, I decided to treat you guys to something a bit longer. Sorry about my too-short additions to this story.

Chapter 4: Falling Out

The second Genie came out of the lamp once Marid made it to the hill, he could tell something was up. Marid looked as though he was on the receiving end of a slew of bad luck, which kind of confused the jinni. Last he had been out, the kid had been beside himself with happiness. What had happened?

"Uh, kid?"

"What?" The boy snapped, forcing a flinch out of the azure entity. Something had happened alright. Now it was his job to either tread lightly or get right to the point. It was something he decided to take the middle road for.

"Did the date of the apocalypse get announced, or something?" Genie wondered aloud, but what he hoped would not get him a need for a time-out in the lamp. Unfortunately, Marid heard.

"No, the world is not ending, but you seem to be loosing your touch."

"Come again?"

"Personal wish fulfillment does not mean that there are limits! Especially if that is a part of your wish!" Marid raged, shouting at the azure jinni with all the force he could muster, not caring if anyone had heard, not caring that Genie was starting to resemble a kicked puppy both figuratively and literally, all he knew was that he had just been denied something, denied because the one thing that was supposed to make everything better for him, as it had in the stories, could not grant one measly wish for love. With a rage that seized his hands, he picked up the battered golden lamp, and threw it down the hill, watching with a grim satisfaction as it landed square in the middle of the river. A cursory glance was enough to confirm that, as the lamp had fallen, Genie had gone with it. Still storming with passionate anger, Marid turned, and walked back toward the Healer's house.

Carpet had stayed behind a woodpile outside of the Healer's house when he followed Genie's master down the hill. Given that he had been in the company of many such as the man that the master had been with, it didn't take him much to decide that inside was not a good place to be. Still, Genie's magic-made storm, coupled with the fact that the wood was rotting a bit in the heat, made it a bit harder for the rug to remain incognito without something getting on him, whether it be mud, or something else of the sludgy variety. Slinking away from the woodpile, Carpet immediately came to a drop that curled over a cliff side, where the river cut through the next two hills. Awed for a moment, Carpet noticed the large section of darkness that lay under the top of the cliff. Curiosity overcame caution, and the brightly colored rug swooped under the crown of the cliff, only to come face-to-face [or the closest thing he had to a face] with a large cave that opened to a section under the hill, inaccessible from the top of the hill, or the fast-flowing river below. It seemed like a great place to hide out while Genie finished up with this master. However, when Carpet settled down just inside the opening, he completely missed the faint outline of tables, chairs, and vials of something unknown in the far back reaches of the cave.

Genie never felt seasick, so he knew the silicon slab of something awful that resided in his stomach was not from anything physically wrong. Of course, it could have had much to do with the fact that he had just been forced to endure a shouting match from a kid over something he could not have controlled to save his immortal life. It wasn't like he could exactly fault himself, but he still felt terrible, and a little more than afraid over what the kid was going to grow up to be. All in all, he preferred having those rules around, because he could imagine the morality issues that would come into play without them. He didn't want to kill; bringing people back from the dead usually had some pretty nasty side effects, and making people fall in love…

He didn't really feel the need to expand on that. Manipulating a person's feelings, usually to disastrous ends, was something that definitely left a sizeable pang on what was left of his conscience. It wasn't as though the person wanted to be forced into whatever romance the wisher had planned. It was the kind of thing that felt wrong on so many levels. Still, after seeing the way that Marid had been blown off by his dream girl, he wondered what exactly she had against the kid. It wasn't like he did anything to deserve this and what was obviously a second time. But, thinking back to the one and only time he had seen her, Genie could not help but wonder just who this girl was. She didn't seem like an ordinary human, there was something in her demeanor that suggested so much more.

Before Genie could get anywhere else, his lamp rocked dangerously in the river. Maybe he was going through some rapids? The jinni was more than stunned when suddenly the small golden prison reversed course, a rogue current carrying it upstream. What was going on out there? As he was reeling slightly in his itty-bitty living space, a feminine voice suddenly spoke from the river outside the lamp, echoing and flowing, like the water outside. There was also an underlying current of wisdom, perhaps mixed with jadedness, which ran strong.

"Hello, wish-granter."

"Wh-Who's out there? You know I can't come to the door right now!"

"I surmised as much. It is truly a sad thing that has befallen your kind."

That took him like a punch in the gut. Talk about wishes, and he could show all the optimism of a guy that just won the lottery. Mention the fact that he was bound to this small, golden lamp until doomsday and he came up a tad bit short.

"Ah, well, you can't have everything, can you?"

"No, it doesn't appear that way. What brings you to my river?"

"Just sight-seeing mostly, and granting wishes, but that's more of a full-time job."

"Really? And who would be the mortal?"

"A just a kid from the village. His name's Marid."Genie threw out carelessly, but not without the want to get off the topic as quickly as possible. If he started speaking about the boy, it would draw him back to the fact that his master had just violently rejected him.

There was a tense pause from outside the lamp, but the speaker's tone did not change when they conversed again.

"So, then you are the one to thank for that rainstorm. It did seem odd."

"What? Did I not reach my quota?"

"Oh, no, you did nicely. It's only the fact that another magical entity can usually detect another's work or their presence if they are in disguise."

That was an interesting tidbit. Genie mulled it over before storing it away to think about later [given in between masters, he usually had a fair amount of time on his hands]. His curiosity still craved an answer though.

"If you don't mind me asking, who or what exactly are you?"

"Just a river spirit directing you to shore."

So that was why his lamp was drifting against the current.

"You really don't have to do that. I'll just drift until…well, until someone else picks me up."

"My river runs as far as the ocean to the west. Along the way, there are hardly any more villages. I provide water, but the land is still very dry, and unsuitable for farming, which most mortals rely on. If I let you go, you would most likely end up at the bottom of the sea." The current faltered a moment. "Still want me to let you go?"

Darned if the mysterious speaker did not sound almost amused by that series of facts.

"Guess I'm along for the ride." The jinni muttered. Almost on cue, his lamp began to scrape what felt like the river bank.

"Time to disembark. It was a pleasure speaking to you, even if we never were formerly introduced."

"You know, we can make up for that. You can just call me Genie."

"Hnn, creative. I am Ribadore." Her voice began to fade, a sure sign he was leaving the river's waters. "Goodbye."

The sensation of floating died away entirely, and the firmness holding up his lamp was a sure sign that he was no longer in the stream. Even though he knew she probably wouldn't hear it, he still found the words floating out of his mouth.

"See you around."

Preparing himself for a long sojourn in the lamp, Genie was startled when he felt the sudden feeling of his prison being lifted.

Heh, if you don't like the fact I rounded this off with a cliffhanger, I suggest reviewing. It'll inspire me to write faster. ^^

[This is a totally innocent grin, by the way.]

Au revoir, dear readers!