A Survivor's Tale

The Proposal

It was cold. The thermostat was broken and no one had come around to fix it. Otto had grown impatient and was about to go downstairs and do it himself.

However, as he was about to get up, his ears perked up upon hearing footsteps behind him.

"You okay?" An all too familiar voice asked.

Taking the woman's hand into his, Otto smiled, pulling her onto his lap, receiving an ever deepening kiss from the one person in the world he could ever love.

Pulling away, Lara smiled, her eyes offering what could only ever be seen as a supernatural warmth, peeling away the blackened, charred ice filling the man's bones. "Good morning, Darling."

Otto had to do a double take. "Darling?"

Lara giggled. "Of course. It's my way of saying you're just for me."

Otto blushed a maddening red.

"Why is your face so red, Darling?" Lara asked with a coy smirk.

"S-Sorry."

The Croft shook her head, her joyful expression only making the room feel a little lighter and brighter. "You are so easy to tease."

"Only because you're so good at doing it."

Lara stood up with a quick peck on Otto's cheek, making her way toward one of the computers. "So, have you made any progress?"

Staring at his computer, Otto raised an eyebrow. "On what?"

"That project you've been working on?"

The grizzled man turned to his girlfriend with a curious look. "Which one are you talking about?"

Stretching, the muscles within Lara's body popped. "You know, the one with the ring."

Otto's eyes widened. "Oooh, that one. So far, I've tracked the gemstone to a local jewelry store. I dunno how to obtain without stealing it."

Lara leaned against a the wall, crossing her arms. "Alright. What about the band? Do you know what the band is made of?"

"That's the damn problem. I have no idea. The band is supposed to be made of a humble yet noble metal."

Lara pursed her lips. "There's silver and bronze, or there's iron."

"But which of those three would match a ring from the Middle Ages?"

"Silver, of course." Lara answered, looking through a book absentmindedly.

When he thought Lara wasn't looking, Otto smiled. Noticing the man's giddy child-like excitement, the young woman couldn't help but smile.

You see, Lara didn't know this, but Otto was trying his best to be subtle about ring materials for an engagement ring. He'd already had the sapphire and now he could get the band. He'd been using Lara's love for history to disguise his questions so as to keep her from his true intentions.

He'd wanted to surprise her. They'd been together for three years and he was ready to tie the knot with her. He only hoped she felt the same.

Since Lara's father was gone, he had to do the next best thing, asking Roth for her hand in marriage. It had been a monumental task to find the courage to ask the old veteran.

After making the ring by hand, Otto set up a meeting with Roth during one of Lara's exams. She'd expressed a desire for space to focus. Doing what he could to help, he left Lara alone. She would eventually feel a little guilty afterward.