Title: OZ Matchers – Interlude: Viewscreens
Timeline: Post Interlude: The Fallout, Pre (but closer to) Round 4
Summary: DG learns more about customs in the OZ that reveal people's true colors.

A/N: Are you sitting down? Because this actually IS a new chapter… o.O I'm terrible. You know it, I know it, my muse knows it. I hope the fluff and new old-tradition-you-didn't-know-the-OZ-had makes up for it. More at the end…

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The OZ had some interesting ways of communicating. Instead of telephones, they had Viewscreens.

In order to use a Viewscreen, a person either needed magic or a clear, magical gem. The gems changed color much like now the outfits change at OZ Matchers, DG noted. Purple for marriages, blue for engaged, green for courtships, and then brown or black for everything else. She assumed red would show up too, but hadn't witnessed it yet, herself.

A few months after DG's third Matcher, Cain, Jeb and Raw left with some troops to end some skirmishes that were threatening to spread farther into the OZ. They took a Viewscreen with them and every few days, people would gather at the Central City Palace to talk to their loved ones who were in the military.

DG watched over the crowd with a soft smile on her face. A few people were milling around waiting for their turn at the Viewscreen, while others just stayed to visit. DG could tell how easily the people were coming together after the Witch's reign. People seemed more relaxed and happy now that they could openly hug a person without having to worry about them, or themselves, being hurt by the Longcoats because of it.

DG fiddled with her gem, which she had fixed in a bracelet. A simple silver setting was all she required. Some people made elaborate rings or necklaces, some even made them into keychains.

Glitch had a bracelet, Jeb clipped his to his belt, and Raw and Cain had necklaces. Well, DG amended, Cain didn't like it being called a necklace.

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DG noticed a chain around Cain's neck one day and narrowed her eyes.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

"You wear a necklace?" she asked incredulously.

Cain practically growled. "Don't call it that…"

DG's brow was now raised. "What else would you call it? A man chain!?" she snarked.

He rolled his eyes and pulled out the gem on a fairly masculine looking chain for her to see.

"Oh," DG muttered, and dropped the subject.

Cain just shook his head, amused that he rendered her speechless.

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Soon it would be time for her to get the latest report from Cain and she suddenly felt her stomach flop.

It had been doing that lately whenever she thought of him.

However she didn't have long to dwell on that because Glitch had started ushering people out of the hall and it was now time for her to take notes.

DG made her way up to the Viewscreen platform and plopped down in the chair, slapping her notebook onto her lap as she grabbed her gem, thankful the chain was long enough to reach from her wrist to her palm. It had writing with her other hand easier. Sure she didn't need to use the gem, but it was one less thing she didn't need to concentrate on.

"Hey there, Princess," Cain's voice crackled over the Viewscreen as screen put him in focus.

"How's it going, Tin Man?" she queried, feeling herself relax after seeing him alive and well.

"Well enough," he said with a half smile. "Ready?"

She nodded and pinched her thumb and forefinger together, drawing a line in mid air a few inches long. A pen materialized and she grabbed it before it fell to the floor.

"Showing off already?" he asked, not hiding how he was impressed.

"Practice makes perfect," she muttered, glaring at the pen which proved to have no ink. She shook it and then closed her eyes, tapping it on her notebook a few times. This time when she scribbled on the corner of the page, ink came out, but it changed color in a rainbow-like scheme.

Close enough.

"Are you ready now?" he asked slowly and she could hear the smile in his voice.

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep her cheeks from turning a slight shade of pink as she squirmed in her chair, trying to look like she was getting comfortable.

"So..." she prompted him and he started talking with a smirk.

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"Okay," DG nodded awhile later, finishing up a few notes. "So that means you'll be home soon?" she asked without looking up.

At Cain's silence, she looked up to see his eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"You're getting better at this," he said. He hadn't actually hinted that they'd be leaving in a few days, but by his report she had figured that out on her own.

She looked at him coyly. "I'm not completely hopeless, you know…I have a few tricks up my sleeves," she said raising her hand still hiding the gem in her hand in a showy gesture.

His eyes locked onto her wrist, and followed the chain to where it disappeared in her fist. He glanced at her quickly before shifting in his chair. She caught his eye and gave him a small smile. His eyes bore into hers before he glanced around behind him.

"Are you alone?" he asked quietly.

She looked around to see that the room was empty, from her little corner of the room. It's not like anybody could see her with the Viewscreen in front of her.

"Yeah," she whispered, her smile threatening to spill across her face. He was smiling softly now and nodded towards her hand.

"I want to see it," he said in a low voice.

She grinned now. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours, Tin Man," she said suggestively.

He laughed at that, and raised his hand, that had his man chain wrapped around it, with the gem in his fist, and shook it for emphasis.

She smiled and leaned toward the screen opening her fist with her palm upward while he did the same.

A bright red glow shown from both gems, and DG glanced up slyly to see Cain staring back.

"Still a secret," he mused, giving her a smile that made her glad she was sitting down.

"I miss you," she murmured after a moment.

He raised his other hand and ran his fingertips along her jaw line on the screen. DG reached up and flattened her hand on the screen and he pressed his palm to hers.

"I miss you too, Sweetheart," he whispered. "I'll be back before you know it."

'Bye,' she mouthed, with a small wave, causing her bracelet to shake. He gave her a lopsided grin and winked before breaking the connection, causing the screen to go dark.

DG watched as her gem faded, as did her smile.

There was another Matcher coming up soon.

It was getting harder to come up with excuses to not show her true colors to everyone.

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A/N: Ridiculous. My muse has skittered to a stop with this story apparently. This is one of the original written-forever-and-a-day ago scenes. I was going to add another interlude or two before this for transitional purposes but NOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOooo…but this has another OZ tradition! I hope that makes up for the wait. But sadly, I think it's safe to say that I'm done with this one (for a long while anyway)… You guys have been amazing and overwhelming with your reviews and alerts though! THANK YOU! It means the world. Really.