Madder Red Town

[Dai]

South City. It was the furthermost city away from Briggs, that was why he'd come here. The climate was completely different in every way, from the warmth that permeated the low-hanging clouds in the sky, to the lack of breeze for such a warm day. He'd ditched the usual casual clothing, opting for something more loose and breezy--even then, he was still packing a sweat. Although this was nothing like the Great Desert, he wasn't used to temperatures even in these numbers. Shaking his head slowly, Daigoro Ito slowly raised his head to meet the gaze of one or two people--they looked away almost right after. He liked that about South; he didn't have to worry about people knowing who he was, or sucking up to him because of his position. Then again, he also got the occasional person who actually came up to him, challenging him to a fight for the hand of Reila Tsukino. He'd never tell her that these fights occurred, of course. Nor that he almost always got the upper hand on these people. Daigoro Ito had no formal training in the Martial Arts. Instead, he relied on a knowledge mixture of anatomy and physics, one that would give him the understanding he needed to cause the most damage in all of the right places. Chuckling quietly, Daigoro remembered that as he filtered through this crowd.

He blinked, now remembering why he was coming to South City in the first place. It was the farthest away from Briggs and a place where very few people would know him. In fact, he did this because he needed a place where nobody would recognize him, or report back to Reila on his position. It was a big gamble leaving Briggs to do this, but once it was done--no, this wasn't the time to think of things like this. Instead, he would think in the now. Right. So. He had come to South City to buy something. Something that he would give to Reila, eventually. He hadn't quite worked out where he was going to get it from--he was no expert in purchasing jewelry of any kind. He did, however, have a good sum of money on him. This money, he had earned through his work and saved up over the course of six or so months, simply putting a few thousand Cenz into the pot every week. He'd made up about 100,000 now; an amount that was sure to be able to purchase exactly what he wanted. Smiling quietly, he turned towards the first store he saw and slowly walked in with a sage-like look on his face, perusing through the sparkling pieces of metal and stone. A ring was in his hand--one that he'd surreptitiously taken from within her own jewelry. Sizing means, of course.

"Argh... what to pick... what would be good for her... why do girls like these sparkly things...?" Turning away from the ring counter, the redhead slowly walked out of the store, tapping a finger on his chin. There were other stores around this one, so it wouldn't be too difficult, right? Now, all he needed was some assistance. Tch. That would mean potentially asking a stranger to assist him in buying an... engagement ring. Blinking, the man had to slowly shake his head. Oh, the tragedy. To be looking for someone to help without having them report back to the person you were buying for, yet not trusting someone you didn't know to help you. Oh, sweet sweet... irony.

[Shula Brighton]

Winter in South was such a funny thing. Days weren't as hot as they were in summer, but were still usually warm enough to get away with light clothing that let whatever blessed breeze there might have been to blow through the cloth and keep your body happy. At the coldest during the day, you might need a light jacket. Nights, however, were a different story entirely during the winter, and once the sun was down the temperatures could quickly shoot down to freezing. Hell, even in the summer nights got chilly in this desert, and having the lake there just added to the humidity rather than cooling it off a lot. Ah, the joys of living in a sandbox oasis.

Shula sighed deeply, running a hand through her white hair that hung down around her shoulders, her uniform coat tied around her waist. The little notes left for her were helping her to relax in work as a person further, despite how far she'd already come in the year at Central. Spade's first suggestion had been letting her hair down at work. It seemed silly at first, but she'd found it was kind of liberating to not have it pinned to her head in ten-thousand bobby pins. She looked up at the tall young man with thick arms who stood bent over examining the engine of her ancient powder blue beetle. He sighed, standing up and wiped his hands off on a grease rag.

"So what's the prognosis? You can fix it, right?" Duncan glanced at the little motor and back to the little general who was giving him puppy eyes.

"New alternator. I can fix it, but I'll have to call around for the part... I'll try to have it done by tonight, tomorrow afternoon at the latest, okay?" Shu sighed and nodded. She was done for the day, ducking out early to get her car turned in, but didn't feel like walking back to HQ to do more... or going right home right yet. Spade wouldn't be home until later that night since today he'd opted to actually go to Central to work.

"Guess I have some time to kill before I need to start prepping dinner..." Free afternoon, no work and a sunny day could only mean one thing... Window-shopping! Shula had barely given herself any real free time, especially after that mess in January eating her mind. But browsing was good for the soul, and it was kinda funny that almost everyone knew her name. It was weird, kinda funny, and kinda nice. Watch in one pocket, wallet in the other, Shula walked away from the little garage into the rest of the shopping part of town, strolling casually through the crowds. Shops were super busy right now as Valentines approached, and the stores that sold flowers, pretty clothes and jewelry were crammed with people. Shula had a weakness for shiny things, and wore it often (especially with her dancing costumes and special occasions), but usually the things she got for herself were brass and copper with diamantes and inexpensive. Shula leaned over as she looked in the window of a popular jewelry shop and gazed at a diamond and ruby choker. It was exquisite, and so damn sparkly and had little red and gold rose earrings with rubies that went with it and.... cost almost a month's wages, even at what she made before she paid all the people she paid under the table. OUCH.

Yeah, not this week. She smiled and waved a small hand at the assistant behind the window to signal she was just browsing. She turned to walk away when a tall redhead walked out of the shop's door. He seemed rather... frazzled. And...? Shula took a closer look at him as he looked around the area as though unsure where to go next. Her face lit up, a small laugh passing her mouth. "Ito! You're a far way from home! What brings you Southward?"

[Dai]

(SHULA! HERE'S THE FONT FOR THE ELVISH SCRIPT! http://www.dafont.com/tengwar-annatar.font)

"Ito! You're a far way from home! What brings you Southward?" Aaaand freeze. Almost mid-step, the man suddenly stopped all muscular movement, making a futile attempt to pretend to be a statue of some kind. Somebody that knew his last name, here in South City. Well, he certainly didn't expect to be a total unknown, but it was slightly frustrating being recognized, despite only having visited a single shop. Sighing softly, he surmised that the source of this voice would not leave so easily, so he turned around and smiled at where he assumed a person's face would be, closing his eyes and scratching the back of his neck nervously. Of course, when Daigoro opened his eyes, he was shocked to see that there was no feminine face to greet him. Blinking, he looked down slightly and smiled. Ah, so that's who it was. Though he didn't really know this woman personally, he did know her name and face--Brigadier General Shula Brighton, Head of the Southern HQ in Amestris. He laughed quietly and nervously, before finally speaking; though his entire body shook very subtly. "Please, ma'am. Daigoro, or Dai. I feel too formal being referred to by my last name, especially when I'm off duty." He laughed softly and casually, finally relaxing and looking down at her with a more natural expression.

"As for what I'm doing so far south? Weeell..." Should he tell her? Brighton was a woman. Women knew what other women liked. In fact, he would be far from surprised if she was the perfect assistant to his cause. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a piece of paper and quietly chuckled to himself, reading it over once more. 'So here I pledge my love to you. My one, my only, my forever.' Smiling softly at this, he looked back up slightly, meeting the red eyes of the Ishvallan woman with his own. "If you promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone, especially not to the other Generals..." His mind made the switch to Ishvallan almost instantly--a skill he'd picked up pretty easily with knowledge of four languages. "I'm... basically here in order to... uhm... well... I'm here, because South is one of the places where I am lesser-known--as is my... uh... relationship... with Reila. I decided that this place was the best for... uh..." Gods, why was this so difficult to say! Could it not just be easy and be done with it?! He swallowed back his pride and looked Shula directly in the eye, cheeks glowing at the same hue as his hair and eyes.

"I-I'm here to buy an engagement ring in order to propose to R-Reila!"

Breathing out, as if it was the most difficult thing in the world for him to say, Daigoro Ito stumbled backwards a mite and shook himself off, clicking his tongue as if testing the waters of his mind. The color on his cheeks slowly faded, the man's mind coming straight back to him. He did it, he said it, there was nothing else to it. Instead, he opted to sit down on a nearby chair to catch his breath. Without warning, however, his heart began to beat rapidly. What that... This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. Why had all of his breath left him? This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. His entire body shook as images started to flicker before his eyes. Images? Images of what? Destruction. Death. A crater. An army. Reila. Reila. She was there. She almost died. He killed. He saved her. Zaska fell. Death. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This chair. This street. This block. THIS CITY. Closing his eyes, the redheaded man took in a deep breath and regained composure, slowly looking up at Shula and smiling softly. It was in this city that he'd had his first proper... moment... with Reila, carrying her back to the police station in order to save her. But why... was that memory so strong?

[Shula Brighton]

The way Ito froze mid-step made Shula think of a Miyazaki cartoon and that if this had been one, his hair might have spiked out in every direction like a bright red, panicking hedgehog. She kept her giggle to herself, folding her arms lightly over her chest as she waited for Dai to turn around. Slowly he turned, as though he had to debate turning over doing something else, and she watched him rub at the back of his neck like he'd been busted. Man, guilty conscience, or what? Red eyes swiveled to her directiona dn then angled down to actually see her... Damn, she needed to start wearing platforms. She smiled up at him, giving a tiny wave with her fingertips.

"Please, ma'am. Daigoro, or Dai. I feel too formal being referred to by my last name, especially when I'm off duty." Shula couldn't help but laugh a little. Damn, apparently the sign on her office door didn't warrant a whole memo past her own HQ, and even there she was having a hard time with some of her staff.

"As long as you don't call me "Ma'am." Everyone here knows not to use my rank, on or off duty. Just Shula's fine." Small brown hands moved down to adjust the sleeves tied around her waist and tighten them, wondering if she shouldn't have just left it in the car when Dai continued.

"As for what I'm doing so far south? Weeell..." Shula quirked an eyebrow, watching the visiting officer as he looked over a slip of paper. What was that? A shopping list? Long way to come for parsnips. "If you promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone, especially not to the other Generals..." His voice dropped slightly and he switched to Ishvallan, his body language returning to being somewhat apprehensive. Oooookay, what? Top secret stuff usually came in those nifty brown envelopes and while discreet weren't exactly inconspicuous. And he said he was off duty, so it wasn't official business. Aaaaand he was in a jewelry shop.... The First Batallion Transvestite Brigade? Oh how fabulous. "I'm... basically here in order to... uhm... well... I'm here, because South is one of the places where I am lesser-known--as is my... uh... relationship... with Reila. I decided that this place was the best for... uh..."

Shula waited patiently, watching Dai struggle through the words and trip on himself repeatedly. Oh good lord, Dai, OUT with it! You're gonna hurt yourself at this rate. She watched Dai as he changed colours like a chameleon, finding it amazing that a human could progress that many shades of red that he could match his own hair colour and wondering if he were always this articulate. The hell was... "I-I'm here to buy an engagement ring in order to propose to R-Reila!" She blinked a few times, letting that register. Sooooo he was jewelry shopping all sneaky-like to find the one ring.... The one right that almost every girl hoped for at some point in her life. No, it wouldn't rule them all, but it would stand for a lot and assert that she ruled at least half the available closet space. Finally Shula smiled brightly with a small laugh.

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! So you're doing it down here so she wouldn't find out about it... That's so romantic." Dai finally breathed out and let his body resume looking like a normal human being's. "And hey, no worries; I won't tell anyone. South's changed a lot since the rebuilding... I know a few really great shops around here if you'd like to know where they are."

[Dai]

"As long as you don't call me "Ma'am." Everyone here knows not to use my rank, on or off duty. Just Shula's fine. Her reaction to that made him laugh, though he didn't know exactly why it did so. Maybe it was because it reminded him of how Reila had told her to address him, much the same? She'd told him not to call her ma'am, or she'd cut him. He had laughed softly at this thought, slowly moving his gaze back to Shula and nodding. "Shula. Alright, I gotcha." And then, she reacted as he slowly stumbled towards his conclusion of saying what he had to say. She almost seemed worried about him, at least for a few seconds while he continued to fumble over his words. When he finally admitted it, however, she seemed to take it... well. She was processing, processing, processiiing... and then she laughed. It wasn't a laugh aimed at poking fun at the redhead--more a laugh designed to be nice and friendly. So she wasn't going to laugh meanly at him? That was more than a relief. Shaking his head and sighing, the man had to chuckle quietly himself, opening his mouth and quickly speaking in Maori first, Elvish afterwards. "Such is life, such is pain..."

"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" He smiled nervously. As good as that blessing was, Reila would actually have to accept the damn proposal before anything else happened. He was confident that she'd at least consider it, though whether or not she'd truly accept it was still beside him. He nodded for a second, sorta lost in thought now while Shula continued to speak. "So you're doing it down here so she wouldn't find out about it... That's so romantic." He nodded. "Well, you know... it'd sorta ruin the surprise if she knew that I was getting her a ring an'all. I was almost tempted to go to Esparia to shop for the ring--I almost feel unsafe from prying eyes here, as well." His smile was bright as he joked about a matter he'd seriously considered. He had certainly thought long and hard about going to Esparia to buy the ring, but decided that his position wouldn't be very well-received. "And hey, no worries; I won't tell anyone." Okay, okay good. LARGE sigh of relief. Very few would understand why Dai was so relieved. He wouldn't have been able to lie to her, so it was all up to her to make sure she didn't tell anyone. When she promised that, well... "South's changed a lot since the rebuilding... I know a few really great shops around here if you'd like to know where they are."

He laughed quietly. "Much appreciated. The last time I was here, I stuck to a hotel and the Five Sphere Garden. Before that, I was fighting against RIOTE over the Stone in my pocket. I must admit, my experience with South has not been the greatest. So yeah... I'd like that, thanks." Nodding quietly, he looked around and blinked. There were, as he counted, three more jewelry stores in the nearby area. Hm. Scratching his head softly, he sighed. "I'm not exactly big on jewels... so, yeah. I'd really need the help." A sheepish laugh and Dai suddenly walked to the nearest store that wasn't the one he'd just come out of. He took his first step in and suddenly noticed that the nearest section was devoted to rings. So.. many... shiny... things... ahhh... it made his head spin just thinking about it all and how much it'd cost him! He shook his head and looked carefully at the numbers. They ranged from about 50 grand, reaching up into 160 grand. Okay, so he was in the median. Good, it meant he could afford something... Waiting for Shula to arrive, he turned to see her and smiled softly. "What do you think, then?" Of course, as always, a man leaned over the counter behind Dai and smiled slyly. "So, you and your lady friend interested in anything?" A sudden blush crossed over Dai's face, the man turning quickly to meet his gaze with a piercing stare. "I'm shopping so my lady friend doesn't know I'm here. This is... someone helping me out. Since I don't know anything about rings, or jewelry.. for that matter." A nervous laugh and his hand went behind his neck again. Oh lord this was embarrassing.

[Shula Brighton]

Dai was interesting, if nothing else. First he was a chameleon trying to practice red gradients, and now he spoke gibberish. The first thing sounded kind of like Aerugese with the way the vowels went, but she couldn't make any of it out (even though her own Aerugese was still iffy), and the second thing that followed it was entirely different. Flowing and slightly musical with a small lilt to it, like litening to a small river washing over pebbles. It was beautiful, whatever it was.

Slowly he seemed to relax again, and she almost giggled out loud at the thought of someone representing Briggs was about as shy and socially unsure as she was. She didn't think that was humanly possible, but knowing it was was kind of a relief in an odd way. "Well, you know... it'd sorta ruin the surprise if she knew that I was getting her a ring an'all. I was almost tempted to go to Esparia to shop for the ring--I almost feel unsafe from prying eyes here, as well." Esparia? Hell of a trip for a shopping adventure. Sure he'd be anonymous, but don't they have a Shoot Alchemists On Sight rule? Nothing like mixing love with adventure, she guessed, though there were usually better ways to show your love for someone than nearly getting killed for a symbol. Shula nodded in understanding, though; going somewhere that nobody knew you meant you could relax and enjoy things without having to answer someone's too many questions about policies and plans and personal life when it was nobody's business but your own...

"Much appreciated. The last time I was here, I stuck to a hotel and the Five Sphere Garden. Before that, I was fighting against RIOTE over the Stone in my pocket. I must admit, my experience with South has not been the greatest. So yeah... I'd like that, thanks." Shu smiled as dai accepted her offered help, ignoring the knot that pulled at the bottom of her stomach mentioning things that she hadn't even been aware of when they'd happened. Funny how small the world was sometimes and how easy it was for the world to find the things you were sensitive about. She didn't know South had been turned into a stone until Raistlin had told her, and he'd mentioned Briggs took it. ...Don't think about it right now. He didn't know.

Forcing the thoughts away, Shula's smile only faltereed briefly before perking back up as she began to walk with Dai to the next jewelry shop. "It's no trouble at all. I've been here since the rebuilding first started breaking ground, so i know the majority of what's developed like the back of my hand." The store was large enough and brightly lit, the nearest available section of counter devoted solely to rings. Shula couldn't help the little Oooh that slipped past her lips as she saw the way they sparkled from the lights set inside the display cases.

"I'm not exactly big on jewels... so, yeah. I'd really need the help." Shula gave a quiet Mhmm as she glanced across the ring displays, her instinctive shopping critic engaging to the ON position. She bought jewelry often enough to know that just because it said it was on sale didn't necessarily mean you were getting a better price, and never decide in the first shop you go to. These were critical skills, and a good sales person knew when you were floundering and how to talk you out of your soul and make you leave with something that asn't really what you wanted or more than you intended to spend and still make you think you came out on top. "What do you think, then?"

Shula was about to answer as she leaned in closer to look at one particularly sparkly riny with a diamond offset by deep rubies when the ales clerk zoned in on possible prey and stalked closer with a friendly smile and helpful tone. "I'm shopping so my lady friend doesn't know I'm here. This is... someone helping me out. Since I don't know anything about rings, or jewelry.. for that matter. Somewhere in the back of her head, Shula could hear the theme music for Jaws coming up. She turned her attention to the clerk.

"I think we're good just browsing right now, but we'll let you know if we need to see one closer." Friendly but curt, and givbing the sales clerk no room to try and edge back in without permission. Working for commission was hard and jewelry clerks knew this was the busy month for making good paychecks and would do whatever it took. Red eyes moved across the rings slowly before looking up to Dai. "A lot of these are very nice, and I assume you know what your spending range is... But jewelry is reflective of the person wearing it, and picking out a ring for her shouldn't be what you want to tell the world on her hand, but instead, what you see in her, reflected. So tell me a little about her and then based on that, we can try to figure out what might be best... Like, start with what kind of jewelry she already owns, or the kind of person she is when she's honestly being herself."

[Dai]

Though it had taken some time, she had eventually followed him into the store, just as he was looking down at the rings. It didn't take a rocket scientist to feel that presence behind him, so he didn't bother turning to look at her as she approached. "I think we're good just browsing right now, but we'll let you know if we need to see one closer." Hm. A tactic to send away the hungry vulture. To be quite honest, Daigoro wouldn't have accepted his help anyway--he knew better than to let those who had interests in the store guide him. He had gone through with some bad experiences alongside those who worked in the best interests of their store; so much so that he almost blatantly refused to deal with anyone linked to the store, at least occasionally. A strange trait that oft had him disliked, though he didn't care. Why would he care? What reason would he need to worry about what some lowly store clerk thought? None. Therefore, smiling softly at Shula as she began to speak again, he found himself wondering what her expertise would bring him. "A lot of these are very nice, and I assume you know what your spending range is..." Yes, yes, yes. That was certainly true. But jewelry is reflective of the person wearing it, and picking out a ring for her shouldn't be what you want to tell the world on her hand, but instead, what you see in her, reflected."

"..." Hmm. Tapping his chin, the man turned away and blinked. What did he see in her? What... what exactly did he see in her? He saw power, that he respected. He saw beauty, that he adored. He saw an internal strength that he wanted at his side. "What... do I see in her?" Turning away from the clerk and from Shula, he blinked. "So tell me a little about her and then based on that, we can try to figure out what might be best..." Did he... did he not know enough about her to think through such things? Ah, it was... strange. "Like, start with what kind of jewelry she already owns, or the kind of person she is when she's honestly being herself." His eyes were already closed. He saw Reila. He didn't see individual pieces that he liked. He saw the picture. Everything about Reila was Reila. Not just Reila. His Reila. His Reila, his and only his. So to break down such an image, it was strange for him. "She... she..." This was more difficult than he had originally imagined. He saw what he liked, but knew them to make up the image. It was hard to crumble the image down into smaller pieces. Closing his eyes tighter, he started to stare in his mind. He stared and made small incisions in his thoughts.

"When she's just being... herself..." The image changed from the usual face of Reila, to that night in the halls of Fort Briggs, sitting on that couch. "It got really lonely in the hospital so I used to watch movies to not feel alone." "She.. she doesn't like being alone." "Hey, maybe we should get some ice cream for this one, what do you say??" "She likes sweet things... a real sweet-toothed girl." He laughed softly; memories were flowing before his eyes like the alcohol flowed that night in the snow--"I'll have you know that a tachi is a precious sword. It's like a katana only longer andand...and!! It's delicately fashioned like a work of art. You can't use it for that!" "She appreciates the curves of something delicately fashioned." He chuckled. "Is that so? Well, we'll have to change that, ne?" "But she can also be really mischievous." He swallowed back his thoughts and worries, shaking his head as he continued to think and remember. His mind went from that first wink and nudge, moving towards the fight with Father--red hair swirled around into the image of a Stone, disappearing and reappearing in Reila's hand, slipping into her bra, Dai's hot breath covering her face as they kissed. His arm was useless, but that didn't bother him. They kissed.

"I... she..." He wondered if Shula realized how difficult this was for him. He'd never really thought over the smaller parts of Reila before, just deciding that she loved her for everything that she was. He liked it that way. "Will you stay with me...just for a little bit? Can I... Can I stay like this?" He felt something touch his thigh and grit his teeth as that memory came back. He'd been bedridden, stuck out of service while they fought and lost in South City. She'd come back, she'd been different. "She's caring. She cares for everyone and everything, even if she doesn't always show it." He smiled quietly, letting the memories fade away into the darkness--where they belonged. "She... I can never really explain what it is I love about her. There are too many things in that list. I can't just break down that feeling... so I won't. At least, I won't try to. Though, could I possibly recommend rose gold? Just a... suggestion." He smiled and looked over at the rings again, various colors sparkling before his eyes. His cheeks, though he hadn't noticed, were stained with the few tears that had dropped down from memories. "I love you, Reila Tsukino..." "I really do."

[Shula Brighton]

Trying to summarize the people you cared about or explain what you saw in them or what the attraction was wasn't a terribly easy thing; she'd had to sit and try and do it herself when Csilla had finally pinned her down and made her spill about her relationship with Spade, even though at the time things had been more tentative. But since she'd had to explain herself in a very similar fashion before, Shula undertood Dai's needing a moment to search his thoughts to try and define the Ice Queen in a way that nobody else knew. He seemed to think out loud in that pretty flowey language, whatever it was... she'd have to ask him later.

Dai turned away from her, tapping his chin in thought. Shula made no attempt to hurry him, instead looking into the case at the glittering rings. They were all very nice, but so many of them looked so similar to each other/ So many with single stones simply on a thin band, or a single diamon surrounded by a different, coloured stone on a wider band. The way they sparekled was entrancing, but there didn't seem to be much variety... Engagement rings weren't very traditional for Ishvallans, especially with arranged marriages, though they were getting to be a more popular thing to do. Figure if the bride had to pay for the wedding and give the groom a dowry, the least he could do was give her a ring. Pretty, but I can't see myself wearing one like these. A big single stone like that would get caught on everything, as much as my hands move around.

"When she's just being... herself... She.. she doesn't like being alone. She likes sweet things... a real sweet-toothed girl. She appreciates the curves of something delicately fashioned. But she can also be really mischievous. She's caring. She cares for everyone and everything, even if she doesn't always show it." Shula stood up straight, listening, mentally pulling up a picture of Reila and listing things next to her... Damn she hated being so freaking organized, even in her own head. So, Reila was more social than not, likes sweets, likes small detais, playful and deeply caring. Now, how to translate those into jewelry.... Shula was usually pretty good about thinking pretty far outside of the box, but given that the rings in this store were made by a company, there were only so many designs to pick from. Maybe something more custom? "She... I can never really explain what it is I love about her. There are too many things in that list. I can't just break down that feeling... so I won't. At least, I won't try to. Though, could I possibly recommend rose gold? Just a... suggestion."

....Awwwww!! Dai was a total sweetheart! he turned to look at the rings again, Shula looking up and seeing his cheeks shining slightly. He was getting that emotional trying to piece together the things he loved about a woman. That really was beyond sweet.. "Rose gold is beautiful. And those traits are helpful... So maybe something that shows the two of you together, like a ring with two stones? You said she likes delicate things, so maybe something with a really unique design, or or something that has small details and some of her favourite colours in stones..."

[Dai]

He could see it through the corner of his eye--Shula seemed to be listening intently, taking in everything that he said and organizing it in her mind. He was semi-distracted, as the images of Reila flashed in front of his eyes, moving back and forth while he spoke. A calm smile crossed over his lips, fluttering into the air as he finally finished what he was saying, turning away from Shula as not to show her the tears. "Rose gold is beautiful." He smiled softly and chuckled quietly, shaking his head and laughing softly. For once, he got something right. Rose Gold... whenever he saw the soft hues of the metal, he was immediately reminded of her. It matched her hair color--a color that had gone from blonde, to red and then finally to pink. She'd dyed it red while he was in Creta. It was a move that had, most certainly, confused him. Blinking a couple of times, he slowly turned towards Shula with a careful smile crossing over his lips. "And those traits are helpful... So maybe something that shows the two of you together, like a ring with two stones?" Hmmm, possibly. Tapping his chin, he looked carefully at the rings before him and slowly looked up at the clerk.

"What... customization options do you allow?" The man smiled ravenously and nodded. "We allow for many options--""Thank you." No need to drag any of that out further. He'd even be able to get his inscription. "You said she likes delicate things, so maybe something with a really unique design, or or something that has small details and some of her favourite colours in stones..." He smiled calmly and tilted his head slowly over to the side. "I suppose." His mind was now drenched in thoughts and wonders, considering all possibilities. How could he do this... how could he do this... how could he do this? Reila meant so much to him--what if he got it wrong? What if everything went bananas? Heh, no. That was nothing to think about. He loved her. He loved her and wanted everything to do with her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, so he would be happy to take whatever consequences came of asking that question. "I am... most certainly no jewelry expert. But... I think I know what I can see, or at least what I want. Shula, I want something that shows her traits, but not everything about her. Ugh... why can't I explain it the way I want to... (Gods give me strength) Sigh. I wish I could put all of these thoughts into something understandable, but it's just not working..." He was slightly happy, though--Shula was trying to help him. That... he appreciated that.

[Shula Brighton]

Gift-shopping was never an easy thing; Shula always liked to take great care to pay attention to people and idle conversations with them to find out what they would want most and what would mean something. Passing comments about a beloved book from childhood that was long0since gone, a movie seen once and never seen again, a tune someone dear used to sing to be found and put into a music box - odd things that most people wouldn't find in stores that took a good bit of effort to find and put together, but things that struck a deep chord with that person and would mean that much more. But she'd never tried to find something as truly as important as an engagement ring; she herself was trying to avoid that scenario as much as possible and had been fighting for months with her family to get out of being forced or guilted into an arranged marriage. A few of the people who came with her uncle to help with the rebuilding had stayed behind and were still in touch with her family, so being caught looking at rings would only be a hassle for her.

Red eyes glanced over the rings again, their light reflecting against the deep mahogany hues as she thought. They were all very pretty, if not similarly patterened. The sale clerk said they had customization options, so that was good, bug if they tried to hammer it out then and there with these bases the hungry clerk might start frothing for a sale. "I am... most certainly no jewelry expert. But... I think I know what I can see, or at least what I want. Shula, I want something that shows her traits, but not everything about her. Ugh... why can't I explain it the way I want to...Gibberish.I wish I could put all of these thoughts into something understandable, but it's just not working..."

He was kinda frustrated, but that was understandable. Part of her wondered if he'd been shopping for rings secretly online on his own for a while or not, or if Briggs was too tightly-knit to do that and get away with it. But still, if he could see it... Shula turned, leaning against the counter very slightly, digging around her pocket for a napkin leftover from lunch. "You know, if you can see it, why don't we try putting it on paper and then looking for something that looks similar to what you've got in mind. Even if there's not a base at this store that would work, there's a few more Amestrian jewelry stores nearby to go through, and a few exotic ones that could also have some options." The tiny Ishvallan reached across the counter, helping herself to an abandoned pen and popped off the top. "Want to try that and see if it narrows things down any?"

[Dai]

FRUSTRATION! It was clawing at the very fabric of his mind, for some reason. For Daigoro Ito, a man who could see the image of everything he needed to through his own brand of visualization, describing it through nothing but words was almost impossible. He could describe it in scientific terminology, sure, but he had no intention of boring Shula today, so he would just hope like fuck that he would be able to see it when it came to him. Chucking quietly, he watched the hungry salesman stare intently at them, as if trying to burn a hole in their wallets and steal all of their money. He'd do that, too. Laughing internally, he listened as Shula spoke again. "You know, if you can see it, why don't we try putting it on paper and then looking for something that looks similar to what you've got in mind." Baaaaad idea. Dai couldn't draw for SHIT, unless it was a technical drawing, which then took hours and needed proper equipment. And he had neither time nor objects to do this with. "Even if there's not a base at this store that would work, there's a few more Amestrian jewelry stores nearby to go through, and a few exotic ones that could also have some options."

Exotic ones, ne? Blinking for a second, he cast a slightly-confused gaze onto Shula's face, wondering exactly what she meant by exotic jewelry stores. He watched her reach over to grab a piece of paper and pen, bringing it back and popping the top off of the pen. "Want to try that and see if it narrows things down any?" Now, it was time to think. Would he be able to do exactly what he thought was right for Reila? Or would it be a bad mistake to ever try and visualize something so... precious? "Alright... I'll see what I can do. I can't see it, per se, but I'll try my best." Closing his eyes for a second, Dai reached two hands out in front of him, spreading them towards opposite corners--he had now defined a mental section with which he could visualize this object of his desire. "Alright..." Not noticing the strange look that the man behind the counter was giving him, Dai started to move his hands around, dimensions and the like appearing in his mind: eventually, the shape of the ring was perfectly defined, and the fittings started to appear on top. "Two colors, Red and white--two rubies on either side, with a larger diamond fitted in between. The band itself, not perfect--slightly curved and twisted, but with an underlying beauty. Within this band, etched words in Elvish: So here I pledge my love to you. My one, my only, my forever. Material, rose gold: 19 carat..." Slowly removing the bounds, the image imprinted in his head disappeared. "I think that's it?" Laughing nervously, the man tilted his head slightly to the side. Gah. This was... frustrating.

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