Chapter 36 – Drahmah!

'Put your hands over your head and turn around slowly…!'

Ava opted for the more pro-active approach of ducking, rolling, turning, jumping sideways and aggressive waving of dessert spoons as a distraction.

'You know, that could have worked for me.' the Carbogenie said. 'Shame of the side jumping. I rather counted on you being helplessly caught between us. Extra points for the Lissajous pattern though.'

Ava, still in a crouched stance, spoons at the ready, observed through the now fading patterns and with a deep sigh how yet another genie had entered her life. 'So you must be the infamous Oxygenie that started all this trouble…?'

'I didn't start it! It is just that my older sister always gets her way because she was the first one. Blech!' she screeched with disdain dripping off every syllable. 'Tell her Raven, how I discovered you first. If it weren't for Mom, we would have been a couple from the start. But no, I was too young, blahdiblah…'

Raven was about to say something, hesitated and was then silenced by the next outburst.

'After creating all the seas with her, this is my reward?! Why wouldn't she keep dating that Chlorine guy and prevent him from turning our sea all salty because of his after-breakup-fling with that girl Potash?'
'At least that last one wasn't a toxic or acidic relationship, if I remember my Chemistry class correctly.' Ava concluded, to the annoyance of the Oxygenie.

In the meantime, Ava noticed that her dessert spoons started to develop a black tarnish when too close to the new genie. She counted to ten in her head, like she was taught at school, took a very deep breath and put up her loudest non-screaming voice.

'Will you please shut up with your socio-emotional rambling! I've got better things to do. Your petty relationship stuff is currently threatening the survival of every living thing on Earth! We need water, we still need some hydrocarbons until we have made a full transition to rely on hydrogen only , we have too much carbon dioxide (I can only guess who is dominant in that relationship of yours!) and I would like to go home. NOW!'

Out of breath, she waited for a reply.

'But our burning passion?' the Oxygenie mumbled, eyeing the Carbogenie who had dropped his eyes in embarrassment.

'Burning passion doesn't usually last, or so I have been told by my Mom.

So is it really worth alienating from your sister for that? I mean, I already miss my little twin brother after the few moments I am here.'

Both genies looked crestfallen as they huddled together some way off to debate their strategy. After some heavy duty gesticulating they returned to Ava.

'Allright then. We'll go back on the condition that you will be our relationship counsellor to sort this out. And please call me Rusty. Deal?'

'Deal!' Ava said.

'Can I keep the moustache?' Raven asked in a little voice.

'That's fine by me. I don't know what Hydrid has to say about it but I guess you are old enough to be your own genie.'

'Ok then. Please follow me to the pinch. We'll have to hold hands because this grail is upside down and I'm not sure you can fly out under your own power. Oh and I should take a deep breath if I were you. Water, remember?'

Raven got a grip on the hands of Ava and Rusty and then flung them both upwards with force, to be pulled after them himself due to momentum.