It was a clear day when Marine woke up. Such was normal in the Faery Realm. They got so little rain, it truly baffled her how the flowers could stay alive. She sat up in her woven coccoon of grasses and reeds and stretched, yawning widely. Sleep was still calling to her, beckoning her back into it's warm embrace, but Marine stubbornly rubbed the last traces of it from her crimson eyes. She stood, another yawn escaping her. She needed to make a good impression today, so she would start by getting cleaned up. She gathered her things: homemade soaps, a seashell comb, and her usual clothes, then headed to a nearby spring where she could wash up.

If anything, the chilly water would help to wake her up.

Shu was awake when Marine returned to the tree. He gave a bleary greeting as she entered, tugging the comb through her cerulean hair. It had a mind of it's own, most days, but she could at least get it to look semi-presentable.

"Does it look okay?" She asked Shu nervously.

The Faery gave a noncommital grunt, not looking up from his muffin.

Marine frowned at him, "Thanks a lot," She tugged experimentally at one of the spiky tendrils, then shrugged. This, it seemed, was as good as it was going to get.

"You're welcome," Shu sneered back. He was habitually grumpy in the morning.

"Oh, come off it! You're not still mad about the skittles thing, are you?"

The Faery gave her a puzzled look, "Eh? Oh, nah. I'm just wondering how this is going to work out."

Marine smiled, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Belgae should be here any-"

Three crisp, clear knocks sounded from outside the tree.

"That must be him!"

Shu sighed, "Oh, goody."

Marine shot him a nasty look, "Hey, you be nice today, got it?"

"Yes'm."

Marine nodded once, then opened the door, "Hiya."

"Good day. Are you prepared to leave?"

"Heh... Ready as I'll ever be."

Keats' office was the true definition of drab. Plain white walls with peeling paint, dark hardwood floors, an assortment of books scattered everywhere. Just looking at it made Marine want to yawn.

By the Realms... And here I thought home was the only place you could get a yawn in the form of whitewash.

"Hello, Keats. Ellen," Belgae greeted the pair cordially, "May I introduce you to Marine and Shu? I just met them myself last night."

Marine waved cheerfully while Shu offered a flick of his tail. Keats inclined his head to the two, but said nothing. Ellen, on the other hand, was much more receptive.

"Hello," She greeted them with a smile, offering her hand.

Marine smiled back, shaking the young messenger's hand and hoping that her relief didn't show too much on her face.

"Anyway," Belgae continued, once the formalities had been taken care of, "I thought that Ellen would like a female companion to, as they say, 'hang out with.' I figured Marine would be as good a choice as any."

"That's very kind of you, Belgae," Ellen replied, "But I wouldn't wish to intrude on Marine's life."

"What life?" Shu snorted.

"Hey!" Marine glared at him, "Why are you picking on me today?"

Shu chuckled, "I pick on you every day, Marine. You're just noticing it more today."

Marine huffed, "I suppose he has a point. I don't do a whole lot during the day. I wouldn't mind the pleasant company."

"I'm pleasant," Shu interjected.

"Right," Marine agreed, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Anyway, Ellen. You're welcome to visit us whenever you like."

Ellen smiled her timid smile, "Thank you. I'll be sure to drop by every now and again."

Keats leaned against his desk, polishing his glasses, "Belgae, why did this little get-together have to be in my office? It's distracting enough with just one person to bug me."

Belgae chuckled, "I figured Ellen would be here, that is all. Business has been taken care of, and I would be happy to leave. I'm sure Marine and Shu don't want to listen to you grouss, either."

Ellen smiled, "If you insist. Marine, I'll be along a bit later; I think I'm going to stick around here and bug Keats a little longer."

Keats gave a self-suffering sigh, but made no protest.

Belgae chuckled, and opened the door for Marine and Shu.

"Well? What did you make of them?"

Marine shrugged, "I like Ellen. Keats will take some getting used to."

"The sexual tension between those two was overwhelming," Shu added. Marine made a noise of agreement.

"Beg pardon?"

Marine gaped at him, "You didn't notice it?"

Belgae shrugged, "It has always been like that between those two."

Shu grimmaced, "Wow."

"Yeah, wow. At first, I was afraid we'd walked in on something."

"Hmm," Belgae paused, leaning on his cane, "Now that you mention it, there has been talk among the other halflives about attempting to get those two to admit their feelings for one another."

"What's stopping you, then?" Marine asked.

"Keats."

Shu frowned, "Doesn't he like her?"

"I think he likes her very much," Belgae replied, "He's just too stubborn to admit it. Either that, or he's terrified of rejection."

Marine raised an eyebrow, "I'll side with the former option on that. Seriously, did you see the way she looked at him? A complete moron could figure that out!"

"It is difficult to tell, with Keats."

"If he's a moron or not?" Shu offered.

Belgae chuckled lightly, "I was going to say that it is difficult to tell what he is thinking, but I think I like your rendition better."

Marine grinned devilishly, "Well, count me in on the matchmaker plot. We'll need to find out just how bad all this lugubrious pining really is."

"How will you do that?"

"Ellen would know."

Belgae choked on whatever else he was going to say, "You're just going to ask her? Isn't that a bit obvious?"

Marine shook her head, "I'm a girl. She's a girl. It's commonplace to have that sort of talk. Besides, she doesn't even know this plan exists, let alone that I'm part of it. You should tell the other halflives to come up with ideas to get them closer together... And you should work on Keats. You are his best friend, aren't you?"

"His typewriter is his best friend," Belgae corrected, "But I believe I am a close second."

Marine felt her eye twitch, "Oh... Okay, wow... That's... Good luck. Sounds like you'll need it."

"I don't doubt it for a moment. Very well. I will pass the word to the others. We will meet in Ganconer's pub at the end of the week to see what we come up with."

A/N: Late update, I know. Slow chapter, I also know. Don't worry, it'll pick up soon, I promise. As always reviews are the sweet nectar that keep me writing, the more of those I have, the more motivated I am to update. Thank yous to those who faved/alerted this fic, I appreciate it.

Oh, and for more fun, you might want to read my other Folklore entry, "Accidental." I've decided to make it sort of a "deleted scenes" file for this story. Mostly just humorous encounters between the various characters that, you could say, didn't make the cut to be in the parent fic.

Cheers!