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Gumshoe had started saving two weeks after Miles kissed him for the first time. Maybe he was being silly, but he figured that even if it didn’t work out, it was still a good idea to save. He shaved down his already limited budget even more, stretching one pack of noodles into two meals or skipping morning coffee or taking a long walk instead of driving to save gas. It wasn’t fun, but he knew it was for a good cause.
Now, a year and a half later, he’d made it. He stared at his account balance for a long time; he’d never seen the number that high before.
Three whole months' salary.
Despite knowing exactly what he was going to spend it on, he couldn’t help but dream a little. With that much money, he could get the fancy packs of instant noodles. He could get his car’s oil changed. He could buy a new bedframe that didn’t squeak so much and need to get put back together every three days. He could take a vacation.
But none of that was what he’d worked so hard for, so at the first opportunity, he picked a jewelry store and walked in.
The nice lady behind the counter smiled at him gently. “Good morning, sir,” she said in a perfect customer service voice. “Can I help you look for something today?”
“Um…” Gumshoe scratched the back of his head. “A ring.”
Her face was unmoving; she’d been here long enough not to assume. “Is this for a gift?”
“Well, uh…” He felt his face getting warm. “I-it’d be an engagement ring.”
Her mask slipped, and a more genuine smile replaced it. “Oh, congratulations!” She came out from behind the counter and extended a hand. “My name is Dia and I would be honored to help you pick out a ring.”
Gumshoe shook her hand. “Dick,” he answered.
“So, Dick,” she said, “do you have something in mind?”
“Uh…” He shrugged. “I don’t really know about any of this stuff. I’m not really a fancy jewelry kind of guy.”
“Hmm. Well, what about the person you’re buying it for? What are they like?”
He noticed the careful use of a neutral pronoun and appreciated it. It took away some of the tension when he said, “His name’s Miles and he’s - I guess it’s not very helpful to say he’s perfect, huh?”
“Perhaps not, but it’s nice to hear.”
“Heh.” Gumshoe stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well. He’s brilliant, for a start. Smartest guy you’ll ever meet. Way smarter than me, for sure. And he’s kind of - he’s a real serious guy, too. But when he smiles…” Gumshoe trailed off, thinking about it. He had to shake his head and clear his throat to focus. “He’s much fancier than me, always wearing nice clothes and stuff. Real traditional style, very formal, even when he’s casual.”
Dia listened to it all with a thoughtful face and a knowing nod. “Hmm… well, I have a couple suggestions.” She walked back around the glass encased counter and Gumshoe trailed along. “Traditionally, women’s rings had gemstones, and men’s rings were a simple band, but that’s not always the case these days. Some men will get something with a gem inset, or the full classic diamond.” As she spoke, she opened the case from behind and pulled out a few rings, laying them on a black velvet mat. She closed that case up, moved to the next one, and repeated the process. “You could always go for a colored stone, of course, but if he’s traditional it’s hard to go wrong with gold and a diamond.”
She laid the velvet mat on the glass counter and beckoned Gumshoe over.
Gumshoe kept his hands firmly in his pockets, staring at the sparkling jewelry. He felt like he was in a museum, and if he touched anything it would just shatter. This woman was casually handling rings worth more money than he’d ever had at one time in his life, like it was nothing.
“This is your classic princess cut diamond,” she said, picking up one of the rings and holding it toward him. Gumshoe bent down to take a closer look. Before he knew it was happening, Dia had taken his wrist and placed the ring into his open palm. “You’re allowed to examine it,” she said, still smiling.
Gumshoe gulped, holding the ring as carefully as if he was handling crucial evidence. It was really pretty. The stone glittered in the light with every movement, like it was lit from within. He tried to imagine it on Edgeworth’s hand. Would it catch the light when he raised an objection? Would he like that? It might be too much.
Then he noticed the little paper tag and the price printed on it in tiny, tiny font. Oh, oh no.
“Um.” Gumshoe cleared his throat and carefully set the ring back down. “I should probably tell you my budget first.”
“I find that it’s better to not worry about the budget,” Dia replied smoothly. “Just find something you love! This is important, and you don’t want to overlook the perfect ring because it’s out of your budget.”
“I, uh. The thing is, I’m not… I’ve been saving up.”
He told her how much he had.
Her expression didn’t change much; the smile stayed in place. Her eyes, though, flickered before settling into a steely gaze that reminded him of Mr. Edgeworth.
Gumshoe stepped back from the counter, his shoulder hunched up. “I’m sorry for taking up your time,” he mumbled.
“No, wait.” Dia reached forward, as if she was going to grab him to keep him from leaving.
“I probably can’t afford any of these things,” Gumshoe said, and he was surprised to realize his throat felt thick. He probably looked so pathetic, in his dumpy coat, walking in here so proud of saving up - and it amounted to nothing, really. He could save for the rest of his life and he’d never be able to afford a ring good enough for Miles.
Dia huffed and took back the velvet tray, covered in its beautiful rings. “Dick, don’t you dare take a step towards that door.” Her tone had shifted dramatically, the smooth perfect customer service voice giving way to a lower, more forceful voice. “I said I’d help you find a ring,” she said as she tucked the tray and all its rings somewhere safe, “and I’m gonna.” She leaned forward across the counter. “Now. A few things. One, it doesn’t have to be a diamond.”
“I-it doesn’t?”
“It absolutely doesn’t. If you want a clear stone, there’s much cheaper and more ethical options.”
“Ethical?” Gumshoe frowned. “Diamonds aren’t ethical?”
“Oh, don’t get me started,” she answered, rolling her eyes. “Boss told me he’d fire me if he caught me talking someone else out of diamonds. No, for a clear stone my go-to is moissanite.”
Gumshoe tilted his head. “Moistawhat?”
“Moissanite. It’s a lab-made stone, meaning it’s not actually mined. It’s almost indistinguishable - almost as hard, and this may be a matter of opinion but it’s more brilliant.” Dia was on the move while she spoke. She went to a different case with a fresh velvet tray, crouched down, and carefully selected a ring. Another, she picked up, but put back down after checking the tag. “You said he’s very formal?”
“Yeah,” said Gumshoe, mystified by her actions. Did she know the price of every ring in here? How? “He wears a cravat.”
She stopped for a second. “A cravat? Really?”
Gumshoe nodded, and she laughed. “Sorry, sorry, that’s just - very formal.” She stood up and spent a second in thought before going to another case. “And traditional. You did say traditional, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.”
“And fancy,” Gumshoe added. Then he frowned again. “Wait, aren’t diamonds traditional? If he’s traditional, don’t I need to get a diamond?”
“Diamonds are traditional,” Dia said without breaking stride, “because women needed expensive jewelry for insurance. Before we could have savings accounts, we had diamonds. Your guy doesn’t strike me as the type to be too concerned with how much money you have.”
“How do you know that?”
Dia raised an eyebrow. “Call it a hunch.”
Gumshoe scratched the back of his neck as Dia finished her hustling and set the tray down. “Here,” she said, “are some very nice options. Moissanite stones, fourteen karat gold. I’ve got a couple with very classic settings, and a couple more modern options. And all,” she added with a grin, “within your budget.”
“Really?” Gumshoe peered at the tray. The gems on these rings were definitely smaller than the first batch, but still pretty, and decently sized. “How do I pick?”
“Look at them up close,” Dia answered, handing him one, “one by one, and see which you like. Oh, and don’t look at the price tags. I promise they’re all in your budget.”
Gumshoe nodded and stared intently at the first ring. It had a thin golden band and a central oval stone with two tiny ones on either side of it. It was… fine? It was pretty. It sure looked like a ring. He set it down and picked up another. This one had a square rock. It was also fine.
“I really don’t know what I’m looking for here,” he muttered.
“You’ll know it when you see it,” Dia answered. “Just like how you found your future fiancee.”
The word sent a shiver down his spine, and he smiled sheepishly at her.
“Sorry,” she said. “It’s hard to work here without turning into a little bit of a romantic.”
She wasn’t wrong, though. Gumshoe could remember quite clearly the first time he’d met Miles. He’d been young, and fierce, and hard - but beautiful. He was hard to miss, with hair that shone like silver and that ridiculous getup. Not to mention the fact that he was deeply involved in the murder Gumshoe was being accused of. Gumshoe’d been fond of him ever since.
There had been another day, though. After everything. After the second DL-6 trial, and Miles’s year away. There’d been a day, perfectly normal, like any other day. Gumshoe’d brought Miles a file and a cup of tea, and Miles had looked up at him and thanked him. Gumshoe had spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what it was - maybe the sadness that always lurked behind his eyes was gone, maybe he truly smiled at Gumshoe for the first time - whatever it was, that was the moment he fell.
He’d asked Edgeworth out the next day, and Edgeworth had been shocked, but he’d said yes.
Gumshoe took a deep breath, nodded seriously, and picked up the next ring.
That one was also just fine. So was the next one, and Gumshoe was getting nervous, because there were only a couple left on the tray. He picked the next one up and gasped.
It was a very simple design. One gem, round, cut to catch the light in a way that reminded him of Miles’s eyes. The metal of the ring itself curled up on either side of the gem, securely holding it in a delicate, elaborate weave both sturdy and light.
“There it is,” said Dia, and Gumshoe looked up to see her watching his face intently. “That’s the one.”
Gumshoe nodded, then looked down at the ring again. “D-do you think he’ll like it, though?”
“He loves you?”
Strange question, but Gumshoe had no hesitancy in answering with a nod.
“Then he’ll love it.”
Gumshoe did glance at the remaining options, just to be sure, but none of them were as perfect as the one he was holding. Dia let him hold onto it as she moved around behind the counter again, putting away rings and getting out paperwork. He had trouble taking his eyes off it, actually. It was real. He was holding his engagement ring. He was going to propose.
The actual checkout was surprisingly mundane - debit card and a cash register. He could’ve just been buying groceries. The only snag was when he saw the final price.
“That can’t be right,” he said, glancing back down at the ring in his hand.
“Oh, but it can.” Dia looked practically smug. “You should have enough left over to take him out for a nice dinner first.”
“I think I might just do that,” Gumshoe said, perking up. “Actually, we’re going out tonight! Some fancy French place. T’Aime, I think it’s called. Miles is real excited about it. I guess he’s looking forward to the food?”
Dia, who had been in the proposal business long enough to be quite familiar with T’Aime, the most romantic restaurant in the city, just nodded. “You can take the ring now,” she said, offering a box, “and bring it back to be cleaned and resized when you know his ring size.”
“Rings have sizes? Huh.” Gumshoe carefully tucked the ring into the tiny silk pillow and closed the black velvet box. “Thanks for all the help, Dia! Wish me luck?”
“I don’t think you’ll need it. Enjoy your dinner!” Dia winked. “And don’t forget the ring.”