In The Shadow of Our Choices

Chapter 84 - Tapestry

Ominis

As he stepped out into the cold rain behind Grace and Adelaide, he hissed, "I told you - that was the worst excuse we could possibly use."

He could still feel the heat of embarrassment. The last thing he needed was Elizabeth thinking the rumors were true. Grace, however, giggled, Adelaide joining in until they were both laughing in earnest. Ominis raised his eyebrows, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry," Grace said when she'd caught her breath. "Sebastian didn't believe what he was implying, it was written all over his face."

"I think I know when my oldest friend is just teasing me, thank you very much," Ominis said in mock indignation, then sighed. "Right, will you two be alright getting back on your own?"

"Of course," Adelaide said happily, "Good luck."

He heard twin cracks of disapparation and shook his head, smiling. Those two were certainly growing on him. Ominis pulled up the hood of his cloak and set off into the elements, headed for the Gilded Griffon. The streets were nearly deserted, though it was the middle of the afternoon. He only hoped the shop would still be open. Ominis had an early Christmas gift in mind for Elizabeth, and figured he ought to get it started now. Garreth had given him the idea the other day when he'd been rehashing the Halloween Ball for the dozenth time.

As he walked, he was desperately glad that the sleet didn't affect his spell, otherwise he imagined it'd be impossible to navigate. But as it was, he found the Gilded Griffon just fine, and, to his delight, it was open. When he stepped inside, a bell tinkled, and Ominis paused to dry himself with a charm while he could hear the shopkeeper stirring to action in the depths of the store.

"Ah, hello again sir," the jeweler greeted him jovially. "Did your lady like her ring?"

Ominis knew the ring had been on the cheaper side, as rings went, and was pleasantly surprised to not find any scorn in the man's voice.

"She did," Ominis said with a smile. "And actually, I was hoping to order a piece this time."

"Certainly," the man said, and Ominis heard papers being brought out onto the glass of the counter. "What were you looking for?"

Ominis dug into his pocket for his own piece of parchment. Grace and Adelaide had helped him with the design, as he only had the faintest idea what it should look like.

"I was hoping this pattern could be etched into the band of a ring," he said, handing it over. "And then I was hoping for some assistance picking out a stone too - you'll see what we were thinking for that on the paper as well, as well as the sizing for the ring."

The jeweler made a thoughtful noise and there was a long pause as he studied that page.

"I can certainly do that, sir," he said at last, as there was more rustling of papers. "And what were you thinking for the stone and metal? Diamond and gold to match the other ring perhaps?"

Ominis shook his head, perhaps a touch more vehemently that he should have - thinking of how well that would go over.

"No, no, that's much too... common. And not the meaning I was going for," he settled on. "I was thinking bronze with a pink stone of some sort?" Ominis realized he was turning his own ring on his finger and stopped, smiling sheepishly. "I hear she looks good in pink, and a friend suggested the bronze would go well with that."

The shopkeeper chuckled. "I see. Well, for pink stones, we have Pink Tourmaline - very popular right now. Or I was able to get my hands on some rhodolite garnet - new, and a darker shade of pink, if that's what you were thinking." Ominis must have made some reaction that tipped the Jeweler off to his... lack of money - or perhaps he had suspected from his last purchase. "Rose Quartz, always a classic, though on the cheaper side... Ah - that reminds me - I did get in some of these lovely clear salmon pink stones with my last shipment from Pala. They came in with the Rose Quartz, but I'm not entirely sure what stone it is. My best guess is some sort of beryl, but without knowing what they are... I could give you a discount?"