The Alchemist

"Next is Yamauchi Zinan, my mother's apprentice and alchemical vunderkind. He is smart, clever, like me also mage gifted, and my parents are in favor of the match; but, he also is arrogant, out of shape, nuroticaly obsessed with his work, and painfully dull to talk to," Ursula Put down another finger.

"Do his Virtues outweigh his vices?" Masukumeron asked.

"I'm not sure, that's the problem. I can't seem to figure out if he is in love with ME or his own image of me. He's not a bad guy, he's just..." Ursula trailed off.

"He's just not your TYPE physically or mentally speaking," Masukumeron replied, "so why are you still considering him?" Ursula was quiet for a good 20 seconds. "WELL?" Masukumeron demanded.

"Because everyone else agrees that it would be a good match," Ursula said after a moment.

"Why? Face this Squarely Ursula," Masukumeron chided.

"My mom and dad say that a match with another mage will be more stable. Gods know they have had their rough patches over mom's duties. My sisters say that he's totally in love with me, but unless they're seeing something I don't I think their wrong. Grandma says the I-Ching indicates he is going to change drastically, and for the better, when he marries: but it doesn't say WHO he's going to marry. and let's not forget the dark secret at the heart of all this: Mage Match gives us a 97.53% compatibility," Ursula Sighed.

"Yet, you hesitate, why?" Masukumeron asked.

"All those indicators are flawed. Mom and Dad are not Me and Zinan, and I'm not as famous as mom. My sisters are all inveterate girly-girls and might just be seeing what they WANT to see instead of what's really there. Grandma should have known better than to do a casting for me: it's unreliable when dealing with other mages OR people you are emotionally attached to, therefore triply so in this case, as both myself and Zinan are mages and Grandma want's me to be happy..."

"There's still Mage-Match.com," Masukumeron replied, batting at the pedal of the Skyboard.

"Yes, but, haven't you heard?" Ursula asked.

"Heard what?"

"They were hacked last October and dozens of identity manifests stolen, myself included," Ursula sighed.

"So you think he's the hacker and built his profile to match yours?" Masukumeron asked.

"Maybe, or maybe he just got a hold of my profile on the darkweb and did it that way, doesn't matter, I can't trust Mage Match for the next few years at least," Ursula grumped.

"Well, then it's time to move on to the next to last suitor I suppose," Masukumeron said, licking her paw and running it over her head.