Hey, guys! Sorry about any delays on the last few chapters. I hit a small writer's block because I didn't know how to go off that last chapter and all that my plot outline says is 'Run into Mia. Build relations'… not the best planning I've ever done, so, again, I apologize.

That being said, I did manage to come up with something, albeit not my best work. I think it's appropriate because it's got some Christmas stuff in it, except it isn't Christmas because that would imply that Weyard is Christian; they believe in Sol and Luna but I didn't want to make Solmas or Lunamas or something like that, so instead it's the Luna Celebration. Regardless, I can always edit it later on, but for now what you see is what you get :P.

Thanks, as always, to AnriMia24 and Mr0cheese for reviewing!
AnriMia24: I appreciate your honesty and you can be rest assured that I cannot foresee any reasonable explanation to have any more swearing on that level in the future! :)
Mr0cheese: Yes, you'll be happy to know that the mudshipping is going to start taking off. Good on you for guessing correctly about Garet and Jenna :P. Also, I'm glad you liked my inclusion of Feizhi; I'm not great at OCs and I figured that she doesn't get much attention in-game or in the fanfic world, so she seemed the perfect character to use. However, her time in this story is pretty short-lived since she's only a minor character.

Disclaimer: blah blah blah

Warmth

Isaac spent about a month and a half recovering in Bilibin. Always by his side to help him through his recovery was Mia. Though it was only a short time, Isaac was becoming increasingly fond of the Mercury adept in ways he had never thought about before. He wasn't about to say he liked her more than a friend, but he couldn't deny that he was slightly infatuated with her. She was so loving and kind, and he often felt his troubles disappear when she spoke to him. Still, his experiences with Garet and Jenna hung heavily on his mind, and Isaac was unable to stop showing signs of his depression.

"Are you ready?" asked Mia.

"Yeah, one sec. I've just gotta get my scarf," Isaac called back. Since he had started walking without another person's aid, Mia had taken it upon herself to rent a small house for the three adepts to share. Feizhi left some time ago after catching up with Isaac and telling them that she must have predicted his near-death experience. Isaac and Mia initially felt a bit strange living together without her there as well, but figured that it couldn't be helped. Besides, they would only be there until Isaac was strong enough to decide where he was going next.

"Where are we going again, Mia?"

"You'll see in a bit!" she said, a tinge of excitement lacing her voice. Mia had said that there was some sort of special winter traditions that Bilibin, Imil, and Kolima took part in. The only tradition he knew of was the winter parties back home, but those weren't exactly what he'd call special. Ready to go out into the snowy night, Isaac followed Mia out the door.

A light snow was falling all around but the full moon could still be seen behind a break in the clouds above. They walked for some time before Isaac realized that she was taking him to the park they frequented. Why is she taking me here? We come here all the time. They sat down at the bench overlooking the city.

"So," he said after a few moments, "what are we doing here?"

"You're so impatient sometimes!" she giggled back to him. "Just hang on a minute."

He scrunched his face at her before turning back towards the city. It wasn't long before something caught his eye. The plain lights that twinkled in the city suddenly changed into the many different colours of the spectrum. Isaac jumped from his seat, thinking that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Rubbing at them and leaning over the ledge he watched as more and more coloured lights filled the city until it was aglow as a rainbow. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

"Mia! What is all this?!"

She chuckled and spun him around. He hadn't even noticed, but the trees behind him had lit up with just as many colours as the city. He watched as people came around holding candles surrounded by coloured glass. They would stick them pretty much anywhere they wanted and just walk away. A few tall men were hanging a shimmery vine of some sort across the branches of trees. Isaac couldn't quite believe what he was seeing; his eyes glowed with the different lights.

"What do you think?" she asked, beaming at him.

"I-I don't really know what to say. It's beautiful, but what is this?" he asked, still in awe of his surroundings.

She giggled before pulling out a couple candles of her own from a pouch she had underneath her robe. Handing him one, she pulled out a blue glass cover which she also handed to him. "I'm not really sure, but the people of these three towns have been doing this for quite some time. We decorate the town on a specific night with colourful things and we exchange presents later on. It's just something we've always done. It's called the Luna Celebration. Here," she handed him a match, "put your candle somewhere. I like putting mine somewhere where everyone will see it."

He lit his candle and looked around to see where he could make his stand out. It was difficult to find a place where someone had not already put theirs. Before long, he spotted an angel statue with its arms outstretched. Thinking it was odd that no one had already thought of it, he hastily walked over and put his candle on one of the angel's open palms. Smiling to himself, he turned to Mia who was holding her own golden candle. She smiled and placed hers beside his on the other palm of the angel. He watched as her face turned a deep crimson.

"Mia, why are you blushing? Is something the matter?"

Still smiling, she shook her head before gesturing to a plaque by the angel's feet. Isaac stooped over to read it before he realized why this spot had yet to be taken, and blushed just as profusely as her.

Venus, Goddess of Love
If thou so desires, an offering for one's true love shall be placed upon the hands of this angel.
If Venus respondeth, thy love shall reign stronger and truer than all others.

He didn't even realize at first, but he had placed a blue candle and Mia a gold one: the colours of each other's element. He was about to take it down out of embarrassment, but a gentle hand stopped his from reaching for it.

"It's fine, Isaac," Mia said softly, "no one knows they're ours anyways."

"I-I suppose…" he stammered. His chest stirred and he couldn't stop his feelings of embarrassment. However, Mia seemed to be at ease now.

She giggled again, "I just didn't know you felt so strongly for me." He laughed a bit, but felt butterflies in his gut. Why was he feeling so nervous all of a sudden?

"Come on," she said, "if you think this is pretty, wait until you see the town." She took him by the hand and led him swiftly out of the park. Even the simple gesture of grabbing his hand made his legs feel like jelly.

Isaac stood in awe when they reached the market street. Shiny strings and ropes dangled across buildings, windows were colourfully painted upon, and, overall, the entire scene was completely new to him. The city glowed with fluorescent colours and it made the falling snow look like confetti. He was surprised to see the vendors were still open. Up and down the streets, people were going about shopping and buying all sorts of things. He wondered why everyone was out buying things on a night like this.

"What's going on here, Mia?"

"It's the winter market! Everyone is buying gifts for their loved ones to exchange in a couple weeks. Usually the prices are cheapest around now because it's the beginning of the season, but they'll shoot way up for all those last-minute buyers."

"Wow, so what do people usually buy for each other?"

"Anything they think the recipient will like. It's fun to see what people will get you. You never know until you open up the box."

Isaac turned his gaze from the beautiful lights to Mia. He had never seen her so happy before. He figured that she must have really missed all of this when she was helping rebuild New Vale. Feeling slightly guilty, he looked away from her and the two of them began to pace down the busy market street.

"Isaac," said Mia after a while.

"Yeah, Mia?"

"We should buy presents for all our friends! I know most of them won't quite understand the occasion, but everyone likes getting gifts!"

He thought about it for a moment. Was he really in the mood to get something for Garet and Jenna? He'd feel bad if he bought everyone else something, but didn't really want to get something for them. In his mind, they didn't deserve a gift from him after what they'd put him through. Maybe I'll get them coal; they're Mars adepts, they should like it. I should probably get something for my parents, at least. It's not weird if I buy them something but not the other two.

"Yeah, but maybe you should pick out Garet and Jenna's presents… You understand, right?"

Unexpectedly, Mia turned and gave him a hug. "Of course I do, Isaac. You should stop worrying about them so much and have a bit of fun tonight. I'll meet you back here in an hour, okay?" He nodded and watched as she walked up to a clothing stand.

Isaac took his time walking around the different stands. He had already bought a tunic for Ivan, a few shakers of lucky pepper for Piers, a teapot for Felix and Sheba, a pair of blacksmith gloves for his father, and a picture frame for his mother which he would stick a picture in later. He really wanted to get something for Mia as well, but couldn't find anything that he thought might suit her. It had to be really special, considering all she'd done for him. Unfortunately, none of the jewelry here seemed to do her justice. He sighed, realizing it had already been an hour. He headed back to find Mia holding a bundle of boxes in her arms.

"Looks like you've been busy," he chuckled. "Need a hand?"

"That's alright, I've got them."

They started for their temporary house, carefully weaving between other people to avoid dropping any of their new gifts. When they got in, Mia quickly lit the fireplace and gestured for Isaac to come take a seat beside her on the couch. He complied and walked over, putting the gifts down at his feet. He counted how many boxes she had in front of her: one, two, three… nine. Wow, that's a lot more than my measly five. Who could she have bought them for? Ivan, Sheba, Piers, Felix, Jenna, Garet… uh, who else… oh! Probably one each for Megan and Justin. He counted his fingers. That was eight people; who could the last one be for? Mentally smacking himself, he realized who he'd forgotten. The last one was probably for him! Now he felt anxious to get her something because he hadn't yet, but what could he possibly buy that would suit her?

Meanwhile, Mia had gotten up to boil a kettle to make tea or honey water. She was humming to herself, and Isaac couldn't help thinking about how pretty she had looked in the colourful glow of the city and now by the fireplace. His cheeks grew hot and he desperately tried to think of something else before she noticed him blushing and grinning like an idiot.

In his desperation, though, he brought on memories of Jenna. His face dropped at the thought of her and it didn't help when Mia sat back down beside him. He thought of the day she broke up with him. They sat at a fire much like this one at Garet's house. Back then she had seemed so warm and welcoming to him, but it had been part of her ruse. He couldn't let go of that: she pretended for him. It didn't really seem like it was for him anymore. Maybe he would've understood if she'd left him when she was mad at him. He didn't like to think that she wanted to break up with him at all, but maybe it would have been less painful if she'd done it sometime earlier. That way he wouldn't have this feeling of sadness that he'd made her pretend or that she'd fallen for someone else. Why did she have to pretend for him? Why didn't she just leave him when she knew she didn't feel for him anymore? What did Garet have that he didn't? That was a stupid question he thought. Garet had Jenna, and that was all that mattered now.

"Isaac," said Mia, resting her hand on his, "you need to stop thinking about them. It hurts, I know, but it'll only hurt you more if you don't let go. She's gone."

By now he'd grown used to her touching his hand. She seemed to use it as a comforting mechanism for when he was upset and she could tell just by looking at him when that was. "I know, and I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me, Mia. In my heart, I wish I could do this kind of thing with Jenna; hang out and experience new things. I suppose that's what Garet's there for now. I'm truly grateful that I could experience this with you, though. I'm glad that you're here to show me the world. It's funny how I offered you that same thing three years ago, but in a completely different way. You truly are my best friend, Mia; more than Garet ever could have been."

She blushed and smiled, looking away from him. For some reason, he thought her smile looked slightly disappointed. Why would she be disappointed? Did he say something wrong? He had just said that she was a better friend than someone he considered his brother.

"Mia? What's the matter? Was it something I said?"

"No, it's nothing, Isaac. I'm… I'm glad I've been able to help you so much. I don't think I'm nearly as good as you make me out to be. I'm happy for the time we've shared together."

The time we've shared together… That must be it! She's still wondering about if I'll come back to Imil with her. I should've known. Now that I'm healthy again she's afraid that we'll have to part ways. I'm still a little unsure, though… I still can't go back to New Vale… Mia's been the only one who could make me feel like I still have meaning; like I still have a reason to keep going. It's not like I don't want to go with her, anyway. It's decided; I will go to Imil with her. I hope I don't seem cheap if I say that's my gift to her. It's kind of like a gift to myself too.

"I've been happy about our time together too, Mia." He quickly changed the topic, trying to avoid telling her what he was planning, "I think we should stay here for the gift exchange. I know that we were planning to move on once I was finished recovering, but this way we can mail these packages away to the others and exchange our own in person. Whatd'ya say, Mia?"

She thought about it for a second before responding to him. "Well, I was planning to do it with Megan and Justin, but I don't mind staying here with you." She smiled and went to remove the whistling kettle from the fireplace. Pouring each of them a cup of tea, she came back and leaned her head on his shoulder. Isaac wasn't about to push her off, but he wasn't quite sure how to respond to the gesture. Before, when it had been Jenna he would have put his arm around her. In this case he didn't know since he wasn't with Mia. The thought alone made his chest stir and cheeks redden. Quickly, he took a sip of tea to make it seem like the hot drink had made his cheeks turn red. She didn't seem to mind that he wasn't doing anything, so he figured he'd just let her lean on him. It wasn't as if he didn't like it.

They sat there talking about many things for some time before Mia started to yawn. It was pretty late out, but they didn't have much to do tomorrow anyways; they were on somewhat of a vacation. He continued talking until Mia's responses started to become mumbled and incomprehensible. After a moment she stopped responding altogether, and he looked to see her sleeping on his shoulder. Smiling, he put his mug on the small table beside him and picked her up. Carefully carrying her to her room, he placed her down on the bed. Does she sleep in her robes or should I take them off? An extremely odd thought for him, and he almost fainted from how much blood rushed to his head. Why he even thought of that he would never know. Gently laying the blanket over her sleeping figure, he started for the door before turning back to look at her. Another thought crossed his mind. She would never know, and, after all, she had been there for him after all this time. Silently, he approached her and looked down at her peaceful face. It was now or never. Stealthily, he lowered his face and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. He tiptoed over to the door before an odd grumble came from behind him.

"…Now you… can't make fun… for when I… your cheek…"

Isaac felt his heart speed up, but simply smiled and closed the door without looking back. Great, he thought, I guess now we're even. She kissed me in my sleep, I kissed her in hers. He walked back down the stairs to put their cups in the sink. A few of his and Mia's djinn were over by the fireplace, hopping around and speaking mentally to each other. Sometimes Isaac liked to watch the little games that they played with each other, so he decided to sit on the couch and watch them for a while before going to bed.

However, when he approached them, they all looked up at him quickly before murmuring something amongst themselves. Djinn didn't have faces per se, so he couldn't tell exactly what they were thinking from facial expressions. A few of them hopped up beside him before speaking to him directly.

"Master Isaac likes Miss Mia!" chanted one of Mia's female djinn.

"Mist!" shot Flint's superior voice, "That's no way to speak to one of the Masters! My apologies, Master Isaac."

Isaac smiled at Flint, feeling undeterred by the remarks made by the Mercury djinni. "Don't worry about it, Flint. And I told you before, you don't have to act so formally around me or call me Master. We're friends! I'd say that goes for all of you about any of us 'Masters'."

"Sorry Mas… I mean Isaac. Force of habit."

"Anyway," added Quartz, "is it true, Isaac? Do you really like Miss Mia?"

"Luna help us…" muttered one of the male Mercury djinn.

"Don't act like that, Dew," squeaked Vine. "You were just as curious as us a few minutes ago."

"Yeah, but I have dignity! I'm not about to get up in Isaac's face and demand him tell me if he has feelings for my Lady."

Isaac snickered. Djinn were always bickering with each other, but they meant well. There were just so many of them that it would've been impossible for all of them to get along, anyway. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to constantly hang around with seventy-one of your friends. There would definitely be some friction.

"You guys should quit bugging him," sounded a strangely deep djinni's voice. Two brief gold flashes and a faint purple flash emitted in front of the fireplace before Echo, Flower, and Blitz floated up to their companions on the couch.

"Shouldn't you guys be with Felix and Sheba?" asked Flint.

"We don't need to be with them all the time," said Flower; she had a strangely mature woman's voice, "only when they call upon us."

"Besides," added Blitz, a mischievous sounding male, "you mud makers were so loud we could hear you all the way from Lalivero!"

"Hey! We're trying to ask Isaac something over here!" shouted Mist and Quartz in unison.

Isaac was having a tough time stifling his laughter, but he didn't want to wake Mia. Attempting to compose himself, he answered the djinn that stared at him with their beady eyes, "I dunno, I guess a little. It's not a huge thing, though, and I don't think she's into me anyways."

Mist and Quartz glanced at each other before looking back at Isaac. Quartz shot a small pebble at his face and Mist pinched his arm with her tail-claw. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?!"

"You rock head! Do you really think Miss Mia doesn't feel anything for you?!"

"Mist! You can't talk to him that way! He may not want us to call him Master, but he still is one!" shot Flint. Echo nodded in agreement.

"Pfft big deal, he isn't my Master! My Lady Mia is the only Master I have, and we call her Miss Mia because she asked us to stop calling her Lady!"

"Isaac," said Quartz, "it's probably because you don't have a woman's intuition, but Mist and I, and probably Flower, can see that there's something more going on than you're probably aware of."

Isaac stopped for a moment. Was he really so dim that he couldn't see what was right in front of him? Had Mia really fallen for him? Had he really fallen for her as hard as they were saying? He knew that he felt something for her, but he didn't think of it as anything more than a little crush at most. Still, he had to agree that there were some signs of her affection towards him. "I… I don't kn-"

"Listen up, bub!" called Mist, "That 'Oh, Mia, you're my best friend' line was probably the stupidest thing you could've said to her! What's worse is that Blitz just read your mind and confirmed for me that you didn't even realize that that's why she was disappointed! No duh she wants you to go to Imil with her, but not 'cause you're her 'best friend'!"

"All right, that's enough from you for tonight," said Dew, who latched onto Mist's tail with his own. "Good night, everyone," he said before disappearing with the both of them.

"We'll fill her in before we head back to Lalivero," said Blitz.

"I think you guys are being too hard on poor Isaac," voiced Flower. "I mean, you should've seen Felix! Sol, if you thought Isaac was oblivious then you probably would've thought Felix was a statue! The man had no idea that Sheba was into him even after she said 'I really wish you didn't have to go back home, Felix. I hoped that maybe you could live here in Lalivero with me'. What kind of idiot doesn't get a clue after a girl asks you to live with her?! I was about to grow flowers where his hair should be!"

Echo and Blitz chuckled at the memories of the oblivious Felix. Quartz and Vine hopped up to the other female Venus djinni and listened to the rest of her rant while Flint hopped onto Isaac's lap.

"You know, Isaac, I don't usually think much about this whole love thing, but I think Miss Mia would be good for you. She seems much more reasonable than Miss Jenna, and on a personal note I like her djinn better. Well, except for Mist. I'd trade Mist for Tinder any day. Of course, I also think Corona is very friendly. Mars djinn are typically like Mist, so it's nice when there happens to be two that are much calmer than the rest."

Isaac stopped Flint from babbling for too long. "Do you really think Mia would be good for me? I'm afraid to hurt her. I figured she'd be good for me in the sense that she helps me forget about Jenna, but I haven't really thought of her in that way very much."

Flint gave what could best be described as a shrug (since Venus djinn don't have shoulders). "The choice will fall to you in the end, Isaac. It's not my place to tell you what to do, but I can voice my opinion. Most of us, save Mist and I think Sleet, though he wasn't here tonight, believe that you would do well to have someone like her in a closer personal relationship than as your friend."

"Do… do you really think so? I don't know if I'm ready yet."

"Isaac," Vine squeaked; she sounded much younger than the other female djinn, "we aren't rushing you into anything you don't feel comfortable doing. If you're unsure of your feelings for Miss Mia then take some time to sort them out. We just want what's best for you."

They all hopped to show their support for him. He smiled and patted his own djinn on their heads. "Thanks, guys. I'll definitely need some time to sort out this whole Mia-Jenna thing, but I'm glad you're being supportive towards me. I think I need to sleep on it."

With that the djinn all nodded and hopped off the couch to continue their little games and such. Isaac took his leave of them, heading up the stairs towards his room. As he passed by Mia's, he thought a lot about what they said. Does she really like me as much as they say? Do I really like her as much as they say? I've been so hung up on Jenna that I guess it was clouding my view of the present. Isaac let his mind wander as he lay in his bed, trying to sort his thoughts without Jenna distracting him.

_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_

Two weeks went by very quickly, and Isaac was awoken one morning by a cheery Mia.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said as she walked in with a tray of breakfast food and tea. "How'd you sleep?"

"Just fine, thanks," he responded as she handed him a cup. He placed his plate on the bedside table.

Mia sat down on his bed. "So, do you know what day it is?"

He grinned. Of course he knew what day it was; Mia had been counting down the days and was practically singing about it yesterday. "Yeah, it's Luna Celebration day or whatever you called it."

She smiled back and wrapped him in a big hug. He blushed a little, as they were both still in their nightclothes. Her silky nightdress was a bit thinner than he was expecting and he wondered if she even realized that it may be awkward. When she released him, though, it seemed she was too distracted by her excitement that she didn't notice his blush. Quickly getting up, she went into her room to get his gift. He couldn't stop his eyes from following her as she walked out of the room. Damn, she's got a nice body! Funny how I've never even seen Jenna like this. He shook his head, trying to get that thought out of his mind before Mia returned.

She came in moments later with a medium-sized box. He grinned as she plopped it on his lap. Sitting up, he began to untie the colourful ribbons she'd tied onto it. When he lifted the top off, he reached in and pulled out a large blue trench coat. The right arm had three pieces of armour on it while the left had only a shoulder piece. She must have had the armour attached on because she knew he was right-handed: the right arm would be exposed, hence the additional armour on it. He quickly got out of his bed to try it on. It was a little big, but he was sure he'd grow into it a bit more. Looking at himself in the mirror, he then turned to Mia to give her another hug.

"Thanks, Mia! I love it!"

She looked at him, beaming. "Oh how wonderful! I knew it would suit you! At first I thought about giving it to Garet because it's so big, but it looks too sophisticated for him."

Isaac chuckled a bit before opening the drawer on his bedside table. He'd managed to find something for Mia; however, it wasn't quite as nice as he hoped it would've been. Regardless, he still hadn't told her that he was coming to Imil, so it was like a double present. He pulled out a small box and handed it to her.

"Oh, Isaac," cooed Mia before she even opened the box. She knew it must have been some sort of jewelry for it to be in a box that small.

He smiled warmly towards her. "Open it."

She carefully untied the ribbons and lifted the lid off. Slowly she retrieved the silver locket from its resting place. It was a beautiful chrome colour and she stared at it with a look of pure joy and awe. She clicked the small button on the side to open it up. Strangely, she began to blush, but her expression didn't change. Isaac smacked himself on the head. Crap, I didn't even bother seeing what the inside of it looked like! I hope it's not too awkward… oh geez, she's blushing.

"Hehe, uh, what's on the inside, Mia? I don't think… I don't think I actually looked…"

Upon hearing those words she fell into a giggle fit and clutched the locket close to her. Now he was completely confused.

"Oh my, I d-didn't know that you accidentally f-fell in love with me, I-Isaac!" she managed to say between her giggles.

He felt his cheeks burn before he grabbed the locket that she was now holding out to him. He clicked it open and found himself ready to die from embarrassment. Inside there were two slots; one side for a small photograph and the other for a heart-shaped jewel of some sort. He collapsed down on the bed beside the still-giggling Mia. He wanted to disappear right then. However, Mia rolled on her side and gave him another tight hug, saying that she loved it even if he hadn't given it to her for what it was meant for. His nerves quelled a bit before he sat her up.

"Oh, Mia, there's something else that goes with the gift."

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, "Have you got a ring to propose to me with too?"

He blushed again, realizing that he wasn't exactly clear with his wording. "No, no, it's not like that. I have to tell you something… not something like I wanna marry you or anything… not that I wouldn't, but it's not what I want to tell you… not that I wouldn't tell you, er, actually if I wanted I probably wouldn't right now… not to say that I do… I mean you're really great, but marriage… I'm not ready for that commitment… not that we're together anyways… we'd have to be dating first… not that I'm asking you out! Oi…"

She was trying extra hard not to burst out laughing. He felt like a goof for not getting straight to the point so he decided that would be the best thing to do in this case. "Mia, I've decided that I want to come with you to Imil."

She squealed with glee after hearing those words, and did something that Isaac was not expecting or prepared for in any way. She wrapped her arms around him… and pulled him into a kiss. His eyes shot wide open, but he didn't kiss back because he didn't even know that's what she was going to do. It seemed that she realized what she was doing after a moment or two and quickly pulled away, her face as red as a tomato.

"Omigosh I'm so sorry, Isaac! I don't know what came over me! I-I was just so happy you said that and then the next thing I knew I was-"

"Shh, it's alright, Mia. I think now we're pretty even for embarrassment so it's okay. Let's just forget about this." Secretly he was a little upset that he didn't kiss her back. He couldn't quite explain it, and he probably wouldn't ever be able to, but after that kiss Isaac didn't feel upset about Jenna breaking up with him ever again. "So," he said after a moment of awkward silence, "what did you have planned for today? Or were we just gonna hang out here in our pajamas all day?"

She giggled, her face still a bit pink from before, "No, silly. I thought we could go walk around town and the park for a bit and then go ice-skating."

"Ice-skating?" The only time Isaac had gone skating was in some of the frozen rooms on his adventure years ago. He wouldn't exactly call that skating since it was more slipping and falling than anything.

"Don't worry, I'll hold onto you."

They laughed and got ready for the day ahead of them.

_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_,..-~^*^~-..,_

It was the end of an enjoyable day. The two adepts were sitting in their usual spot overlooking the twinkling lights of the city. The colours still amazed Isaac, but he no longer jumped at the change. They each had a paper cup of hot, sweet milk that they had purchased earlier in the day.

"Today was fun," he said.

"I wish every day could be like today," she responded.

"Mm. Well now that I'm strong enough, we can teleport to Imil anytime you want; although I'd suggest sometime tomorrow."

"Actually, I was thinking it might be more fun if we teleport just past Bilibin Cave. That way we can trek back to Imil just like old times."

Mia was always full of surprises and that was one of the things that Isaac most enjoyed about her. He smiled and nodded, "I'd like that. A ten day adventure, just the two of us."

She smiled and put her hand on his as she always did. This time, however, Isaac flipped his over and held hers back. She looked up at him and blushed a bit. He gave her a warm smile before speaking again.

"Thanks for today, Mia, and for everything else you've done for me. I'm so blessed to have met you. It's like I've known you my whole life. I-" he stopped himself. I still can't say that... No, she won't feel awkward. It's a simple comment and that's all. He took a breath and continued, "I think you're the most wonderful person I've ever met, and I wish I had met you sooner. I understand why people call you an angel, because you certainly are to me."

She smiled sweetly at him, that sweet smile that he had grown to love so much. Her cheeks stayed a bit pink as they were before, but she was not embarrassed; rather she seemed bashful and graced by his words.

"I-I don't know what to say, Isaac. I wouldn't trade any of my experiences for anything, especially meeting you. You've made me happier than anyone else in my entire life has ever been able to."

He blushed a bit. He couldn't believe that he was the only one who'd ever made her feel so happy, but he wasn't about to ruin the moment. They stared into each others' eyes for while; there would be no distractions this time. Isaac was sure he had feelings for her right in that moment. He wouldn't say that it was love, but it had gone beyond the mild infatuation he'd felt for her before. He decided that now was not the right time to act upon it, but he would find another time, an even better time, to do so.

A moment of peace, he'd been waiting for this for a long time.

Fluff! To quote Despicable Me: "IT'S SO FLUFFY!"

To quote Beauty and the Beast: "There may be something there that wasn't there before."

Wow these chapters just keep getting longer and longer. At first this was only 3000 something words and somehow that turned into over 6000…

Anyways, it took me a while to start writing this, but I think it turned out alright. It isn't the best chapter I've written, in my opinion, but I don't think it's bad. Let me know what you think!

R&R and check out my soundcloud!

-GengaJupite