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Locke had always liked the color of Jean’s eyes, that slightly greenish shade of blue that Locke had never seen before. He could spend days looking into those eyes. He could spend his entire life doing nothing but stare into Jean’s eyes and he would die a happy man.
So, when Locke was out one day and saw a bracelet with a rather large inset stone that exact shade of slightly green blue he had to have it. It was quick work; nimble fingers worked the twist of the clasp and amid the bustle of the crowd the woman hardly noticed.
The gem was an alchemical compound, which Locke had known from a distance. It was hardly worth anything, but Locke had to have it. He admired his prize, watching the way light lanced off of the cut gemstone and thought of Jean.
They’d been together for a year now and Locke still couldn’t help but get giddy every time he thought about his partner. The Sanzas had insisted that the honeymoon phase would wear off after a few months, but Locke only felt his love for Jean growing, even if they’d learned to keep the PDA to a minimum.
Back at the cellar Locke found Jean reading a romance book on the couch.
“Look what I found,” Locke said seating himself next to Jean.
Jean looked up from his book, eyes landing on the cheep bracelet. “Garbage?”
Locke rolled his eyes. “Well yes, but look, have you ever seen this color of gemstone before?”
“It’s an alchemical compound, I bet they can make it whatever color they want.”
“Doesn’t this color look familiar?” Locke pressed, grinning.
Jean thought for a moment and as Locke looked at him expectantly he caught on. He took the bracelet from Locke, inspecting the stone. It was a poor copy of a real gemstone, and the impurities were only more evident upon closer inspection, but Locke was right about the color.
“Your favorite color,” Jean said, looking up from the bracelet to Locke.
Locke pressed a kiss to Jean’s cheek and got up. “I’m cooking dinner tonight, anything specific you want?”
“Shark fin soup?”
“You know that’s my favorite,” Locke said.
“Yeah, well I like it too.”
Locke just laughed and continued on into the kitchen.
***
After that first day Locke started to notice more people wearing slightly greenish blue gemstones, all of them fake alchemical compounds, though they did look quite lovely.
He started leaving them around the Elderglass cellar where he knew Jean would find them. In his sock drawer, on his pillow, on his books, on counters, in cabinets.
Jean had a steady growing collection of cheap jewelry growing in his closet. By weight it was probably as much as their current bullshit box, all of it completely worthless, but Jean never threw any of it away.
Whenever he went into his room he would look at his steadily growing collection and would smile and think of Locke. Before meeting Locke, Jean hadn’t ever thought much of his eyes, or really any of his other features Locke found beautiful. He’d never thought he was ugly per say, but he’d never thought he was anything special. Locke made him feel special.
Jean was just preparing dinner when Locke wandered in with a goofy grin on his face. Locke came up behind Jean, resting his head on Jean’s shoulder, reaching with nimble fingers and slotting an earring into Jean’s ear before hugging Jean from behind.
“Just the one?” Jean asked.
“The other one was the wrong color, shoddy work, too green. Honestly if an alchemist can’t even make two stones that are the same color why bother.”
“Maybe that’s how women will guard their jewelry from you from now on. They’ll start noticing that you only steal this specific color, so they’ll change it.”
“What will I do then?” Locke asked.
“Maybe steal something of your own eye color.”
Locke sighed. “My eyes are a boring color.”
Locke’s eyes were deep brown. Jean had read about many lords and ladies in his romance books with brown eyes, though they always seemed to have flecks of gold or green in them, beautiful flecks hidden in the ordinary. Locke’s eyes weren’t like that. They were dark brown in their entirety, no lighter flecks, no spots of color, just brown. People wouldn’t write stories about Locke’s eyes, but to Jean that never diminished the cunning intelligence behind those dark brown eyes.
“You’ll just have to make brown gemstones the new fashion.”
“And make people stop wearing their pretty blue green? Never.”
***
They were three years into dating when Jean thought to make them husbands, officially. The Sanzas often joked that they already acted like an old married couple, but Jean wanted to actually exchange rings for real.
He struggled for a long time to figure out what kind of ring to give Locke. Marriage rings were often expensive gawdy things to show off the wealth of the people who were engaged, but Jean knew that Locke couldn’t wear something like that. It would be too noticeable walking about, and prone to being stolen by other hands, not that Jean actually thought anyone would be able to get a ring off of the finger of Locke Lamora, but he knew that Locke might not wear a fancy ring for that reason.
Something plain would be better, something that Locke could perhaps wear while in costume without it being suspicious.
Jean had gone to Jessaline asking her to make a very small alchemical gemstone.
“You want me to make an alchemical gemstone?” She’d asked, staring at Jean skeptically. She made such things for other customers, but Jean was a thief. He knew that anything inset with alchemical compounds would sell for less than it cost to make.
“I do, yes.”
“With all due respect what’s it for?”
Jean couldn’t help the shy smile that came to his face. “A ring, for someone who has a very particular taste in colors.”
Jessaline nodded. “Well then, who am I to deny a paying customer. What color does it need to be?”
Jean took from his pocket a necklace with a large gem of that tell tale slightly blue green. “This color exactly.”
“I didn’t know Master Lamora was so particular.”
“He’s not generally. But in this he is.”
Jessaline nodded, taking the necklace from Jean. “I’ll have it ready within a week.”
***
And sure enough, one week later Jean collected the simple silver band he’d had Jessaline make. The ring didn’t look like much, just a piece of silver, not even all that shiny, but inside the band of the ring it was inset with the tiny blue green stone.
It was perfect. Innocuous enough to where Locke could wear it in public as himself without garnering attention, but still well made enough that he could reasonably wear it when costumed as a noble. The stone being tucked into the band instead of being visible also had the advantage of keeping the stone safe. Alchemical stones were always weaker than the real thing, which Jean knew from personal experience as many of the jewelry pieces Locke had given him over the years now bore chips and scratches in their stones.
Now all that was left was to give it to him.
***
It was nearing Falselight on top of the temple where Jean waited for Locke. He’d left a note telling Locke to come up to the roof of the temple. Jean had thought of doing his proposal elsewhere, but nowhere in the whole of Camorr meant more to them than the temple of Perelandro. It was where they’d first met, where they’d first became friends. They’d shared their first kiss on this very roof three years ago, almost to the day.
Locke eventually climbed up the stairs and saw what Jean had set up. A picnic on the roof complete with wine and sweets Jean had baked that day. Locke looked at Jean then with a look of complete and utter adoration.
Jean had had zero doubts when he requested Jessaline make the wedding ring, and his doubts didn’t start now. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
They sat on the blanket Jean had set out and ate sweets and sipped wine and talked. Locke told a story about Bug nearly getting caught stealing from a yellowjacket which ended in Bug tripping down a flight of stairs and landing in one of the shallower canals, which they’d both found hysterically funny.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Locke said, fishing around in his pocket before he pulled out a gawdy ring and tossed it to Jean. Jean caught it and inspected the ring. It was the usual slightly green shade of blue.
Jean felt his heart soar. He’d received rings like this before from Locke. He knew that this wasn’t a proposal of marriage, but what were the odds that Locke would steal a ring on the night Jean was going to propose.
“I actually have something for you too,” Jean said.
“If you made those little cakes I like I’m going to kiss you.”
Jean just smiled and grabbed the little ring box from his pocket. “Locke Lamora, I love you more than I ever thought it possible to love someone. You’re my entire world, my best friend, my partner in everything. So, would you do me the greatest honor as to become my husband?”
“Yes, gods yes,” Locke said. His eyes were watery with emotion, the cakes he’d been thinking about completely forgotten.
Jean took the ring from the box. “I know you wouldn’t have wanted anything flashy, so. . .” Jean tilted the ring so Locke could see the tiny alchemical gemstone set inside, perfectly the color of Jean’s eyes.
Locke very nearly burst into tears. “Jean. . . it’s perfect.” He tried to regain his composure, only succeeding marginally. “How am I supposed to get you a ring now? Anything I come up with will be terrible by comparison.”
Then Jean took another little packet from his pocket and handed it to Locke. He looked at it in confusion before opening the little packet, tipping its contents out onto his hand. It was another alchemical gemstone the same size as the one set into Locke’s ring, but this one was a dark brown in color.
“I’m sure you can figure something out,” Jean said.
Locke nodded and put the gemstone back in its packet. “You’ll be the only one in all of Camorr to be walking around with a brown ring.”
“At least my ring will be original,” Jean cupped Locke’s face with his hand, gently rubbing away a happy tear that had sprung from Locke’s eye.
“Could have picked original in a better color.”
“Yeah?”
Locke hummed in amused agreement.
“Cuz I always thought brown was a rather nice color.”
“It’s the color of shit and dirt,” Locke said with a laugh.
“And chocolates, and trees, and my lovely husband’s eyes.”
“We’re not married yet.”
“Oh, so you’re calling it off now? I guess you don’t want that ring after all.”
“I’ll die before I ever take it off,” Locke said.
Jean hummed. “Well, I’ll probably take mine off sometimes. To bathe and such. And to look at the pretty gemstone inside.”
Locke laughed, pulling Jean close. “Gods you’re such a sap.”
“Me? You’ve been giving me cheep jewelry for two years and I can’t give you one little ring without you bursting into tears?”
Locke ignored Jean’s comment, just smiling as he leaned in to kiss his soon to be husband.
***
The Sanzas and Bug watched the exchange from the stairs up to the roof.
“First one to steal Locke’s ring has their chores done by the others for a month,” Calo said.
“Do you have a death wish?” Bug asked.
“First one to steal Jean’s ring has their chores done by the others for a month,” Galdo said.
“Deal,” Bug and Galdo said.