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6. Ring
ring; a small circular band, typically of precious metal and often set with one or more gemstones, worn on a finger as an ornament or a token of marriage, engagement, or authority.
“That’s the last of them.” Alisaie said as she put away her rapier, wiping the sweat from her brow with a satisfied sigh. “I really needed that distraction; I’ve spent way too much time stuck inside lately.”
Skrall smiled and nodded to her in agreement before approaching the monster corpses to see if there were any materials to gather. Aurochs had tusks, maybe he could use the ivory somehow?
“Yes, a good fight was just what I needed to stretch my muscles!” Alisaie was continuing to speak to herself as she stretched. “We’ve killed enough to meet the quota the villagers asked for, should we go back and see if they need anything else while we’re here?” She turned to her companion, only to see him hunched over a body and muttering to himself.
“No…this won’t work…I need something…shinier…” Skrall was having a deep conversation in his own head, it seemed, while he was placing his gathered materials into a small pouch around his waist.
“Skrall!” Alisaie tried to get the Roegadyn’s attention once more, and this time he jumped slightly, head snapping up to look at her.
“Sorry…did you say something…?”
Alisaie sighed, smiling to herself. “Something on your mind? You seem distracted. If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
Skrall quickly shook his head, a touch of color springing to his cheeks. “N-no, it’s nothing!” He tried to argue, not wanting to worry her. “I-I just, um…here, take this back with you to the village. You can sell the materials, or keep them, or give them to someone, I don’t need them. I just don’t like seeing the bodies go to waste.”
Alisaie took the pouch, but raised an eyebrow. “It sure sounds like you’re thinking about something. And why are you so focused on materials lately? Y’shtola told me the other day you ran off on her in the middle of patrolling to go dig around in a quarry.”
“I-it’s nothing, really…” Skrall mumbled, eyes glancing at the ground as his face colored even more. “I-I just…want to make something…”
The young Elezen’s lips curled into a smirk at the sight of his expression. Aha, so this wasn’t something to worry about, it was something worth teasing him over. “Is this ‘something’ a gift for a special ‘someone’?”
Skrall’s face turned beet red. “U-um…no?”
Alisaie laughed, amused yet again at how terrible the Warrior was at lying. “Is there anyway I can help then? Whatever it is and whoever it’s for, I’ll assist in any way I can.” She gave him a reassuring smile. Not too long ago, the thought of Skrall having a lover would have filled her with jealousy, but she’d since come to an understanding with herself and realized her crush had been nothing but hero admiration. Once that clicked, Skrall had quickly pivoted in her heart to be like an older brother (her better brother, one might say) and she wanted him to be happy.
Skrall shifted awkwardly on his feet, as if debating internally whether he should say anything in response. “...Do you…know where I could find…gemstones?”
—--------
“You’ve really been at this for a while now!” Serendipity, the leader of Ul’dah’s goldsmithing guild, peered around Skrall’s large body to get a better look at what he was working on. The man was delicately engraving small details into a small hoop, going at a painstakingly slow pace to make sure every little thing matched exactly how he envisioned it in his brain. To his right was a pile of discarded scrap metal; past attempts that had begun to pile up over the three days he’d been at his task.
“NE※GIGIGI★※...HiS fLeShY mInD hAs FiNaLlY bRoKeN. GiGi WiLl RePaIr hIm! GiGi HaS tHe TeChNoLoGy!” The mammet Gigi, ever present at Serendipity’s side, was once again making various threats that made Skrall somewhat nervous, but he’d learned after all this time that it was best to try and ignore the clockwork soulkin.
“He isn’t broken, Gigi! Be nice!” The guildmaster chided her mechanical assistant, then turned back to Skrall. “I’ve been watching you; every ring you’ve crafted has been gorgeous and surely would sell for a large sum of gil on the markets. Why do you keep starting over?”
Skrall sighed and sat back in his chair, giving his hands a rest. “...I want this ring to be perfect…” The Roegadyn finally replied, his voice soft. “It’s for someone…very important to me.” A small smile crossed his features, the look in his eyes full of love. “I want it to be as perfect as they are…that’s what they deserve. I want them to look at it and always remember me…no matter what might happen…so they’ll always know how I felt in this moment…”
Serendipity smiled as well. She had known the Warrior of Light for years now since he first stumbled into the guild with no technical knowledge but a knack for using his hands, but this was the first time he’d shared anything about his personal life. He must really love this person to be so forthcoming with details.
“Then, I wish you luck, although make sure to remember,” the Hyur told him, “Even the most beautiful of pieces may still have a few flaws when highly scrutinized, but we still love them all the same.”
Skrall nodded in understanding, but the determined look in his eyes said he was still planning to work until he deemed the ring perfect.
With a small sigh and a smile, Serendipity and the mammet left Skrall to his task.
—----
Bells later, Skrall was the only one left in the empty guild, everyone else having gone home for the evening. Hands slightly shaking from overuse, Skrall carefully set the final gemstone Alisaie had helped him find into the band of the ring. He set his tools down on the counter, and sat back with a satisfied smile.
Perfect.
It was finally perfect.
Now if only he could work up the courage to give it to them.