#mireana

Pairing: Clerith ; Cloud X Aerith

There were a few moments in his life that could was render Cloud Strife helpless. With all that he had been through, this moment, standing outside a jewelry store, could probably well be the most helpless he had felt in a long time. Of course, in his defense, he had never done much shopping before – jewelry shopping especially.

But he had something important to do, one he considered a mission. He would just have to suck it up. He was SOLDIER First Class, anyway. He could do something as simple as shop for a ring, right? How hard could it be?

Gulping down his nervousness, Cloud took that step that would lead him inside Cali’s Treasury. A bell on the door signaled his entry.

Mission start.

Display cases of various jewelries lined the walls of the store. Passing rows and rows of the precious trinkets, he could see the shop had everything could adorn the human body, from dainty anklets to sophisticated earrings.

Seeing the case assigned to rings, he made his way to take a look. What he saw had him reevaluating the difficulty of this mission.

Who ever said shopping for a ring was a simple feat? Oh. He did. Fool that he was. Another moment of helplessness for him.

He was still berating himself when he heard a chirpy, female voice say, “Can I be of help?”

Raising his gaze, Cloud found a teenaged girl standing opposite of the case he was examining. She was wearing a nametag with the store’s logo on it, she must be an employee.

Since Cloud knew he was out of his depth with this whole venture, he was taking the girl’s help.

“I’m looking for a ring,” he said to the teen, feeling awkward all of a sudden.

“What’s it for? Something for an event?” the girl inquired.

“Well, I’m looking for an engagement ring,” he answered.

His answer seemed to please the teenager because she smiled wide. “Did anything catch your attention? That could help narrow your choices down,” she suggested with a wave of her hand to the number of rings displayed inside the glass case.

Cloud shifted his gaze back to the rings, considered each, but really couldn’t choose one. He should have asked one of their friends to come with him, it would have made this easier. He must have taken a long time because the girl spoke again.

“I’ve found from previous experience that asking about the buyer’s significant other helps tremendously,” she suggested.

Good to know he hadn’t been the only one who was troubled with the same problem.

“What’s her name?”

“Aerith.”

“Hmm, sounds like earth,” the teen commented. “Okay, can you tell me more about her? Like, what about her attracts you the most?”

That got Cloud speechless for a moment. Several answers rose in his mind, it was difficult for him to pick just one.

The girl took pity on him, and prompting him asked, “What about the first time you met her, what drew you to her?”

Now that, he had no trouble thinking about.

“Her eyes,” he muttered, reminded of their first meeting.

“Excuse me, what happened?” she had asked him, her eyes drawing him in. A flower girl caught in the middle of the chaos of his mission with AVALANCHE.

Cloud bought a flower from her, a rare thing in Midgar. That had pleased her, gifting him with a smile that banished the look of worry she had on her face. He could remember thinking if that smile costed only one gil, it was a good purchase.

Coming out of his musings, he added, “She had these impressive eyes, eyes that held an innocent radiance to her.”

“Diamonds,” the girl muttered, lost in thought. She was probably making a list in her head based on Cloud’s answers. She started to walk away, stopped, asked him, “Eye color?”

“Green,” he responded.

“Heh. Emeralds.” Muttering under her breath, the girl changed course and went through a door at the back of the shop. She came back after a while, now holding what seemed to be a book of some kind, browsing through the pages.

“I’m thinking this may be of more help,” she spoke as she walked back toward her old position. “We’ve had lots of males come in here looking for jewelries, rings especially, but had trouble picking one. So Cali, the owner, thought of making a catalogue for them to go through, and hopefully finally find something to start with,” she went on. That explained what she was holding.

Laying the catalog down in front of Cloud, she said, “I guess it’s better for us to take one step at a time, a sort of customization. Most of our customers gave positive feedback, often commenting their purchase fit the wearer perfectly, made them feel more special.”

Giving an encouraging smile, she added, “The way you talked about her, it’s obvious she’s a very special lady to you.”

Cloud nodded his agreement. He found that thinking about Aerith indeed made it easier for him to make a choice. Thankfully, he was the only customer at the time since it was early in the morning. His awkward attempt and indecisiveness wouldn’t cause the lone attendant too much of a bother.

“Let’s start with the materials, shall we?” she prompted. “I’d suggest you go for the platinum one – durable and it stays white. Scratches aren’t a problem as well. In fact, it will give it a patina finish, that’s a vintage or antique look, if scratched. Our customers love it.”

Cloud had no idea of mostly what the girl just explained, but he nodded nonetheless. What she said, the parts he understood, sounded perfect for Aerith. His lover would always fight alongside him, no matter how much he protested. If platinum would aid the ring in surviving a few rough battles, that’s what he’d get.

“Done,” she chirped as she took out a tablet and clicked on a few things. “Design, next.” She indicated for him to leaf through the book.

Cloud turned over the pages, stopped after a few, his attention caught by a certain ring.

The girl noticed the page he was on. “That’s one of Cali’s newer designs. Said it reminded her of flowers.”

It was perfect. “This one,” he voiced aloud. “She loves flowers, and the braided pattern fits her.”

She smiled again before making a few more clicks on the tablet. “Last are the stones. Yours has five, a center, round cut, and two marquis cut gems on both sides. What will they be? Wanna go for the diamonds and emeralds?”

Cloud started to nod, but an idea came to mind. “Can you add in something pink as well?” His lover adored the color, always had something pink on her no matter what she wore or where she went.

“No biggie,” she returned. A few more clicks on the device, then a ding sounded off. “What do you think?” she asked as she showed him the screen.

What he saw had him speechless yet again. It was perfect for Aerith, at least he thought it was.

“I’m taking that as a “Yes”,” the girl concluded, another smile on her face.

He just nodded. He couldn’t really say anything else.

“Almost done,” she announced. “I just have to get the ring size now. Do you know hers?”

“I don’t, but…” Cloud reached into his pocket, taking out a red string, “I have this.”

That had the girl giggling. “The red string of fate,” she whispered fondly. “Though, it should have been the pinky finger, not the ring finger. Good job getting it though.” She took the string in her hand and strode toward another desk, probably to measure the circumference and get Aerith’s size.

The memory of how he got it had Cloud’s cheeks flushing. He’d asked help from Tifa and Yuffie, clueless on how to gain information on Aerith’s ring size.

A few nights ago, while both women were visiting with Aerith, Yuffie had started teasing both Cloud and Aerith about being a destined pair. That was when Tifa pulled out a red string, and then both proceeded to tie one on each of their fingers. He had protested at first, but cluing in on the women’s scheme, went along willingly in the end.

Aerith had made the same comment as the teenaged attendant. “The red string is tied on the pinky, not the ring finger,” she had laughingly stated.

Yuffie had made a show of “realizing the mistake” and maneuvering events so that Cloud would get the uncut portion that Aerith had on her finger. The same portion of string that was now in the shop attendant’s possession.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when he heard the teenager speak again.

“The ring will be done after a couple of weeks,” she informed him. “You just have to make a deposit today, then the full payment to be completed upon pick-up.” She motioned for him to follow her toward the counter.

Cloud handed over his card. “Thank you for the help…” Realizing he didn’t know her name, he glanced at her nametag again. “Aly,” he added with a chagrined smile.

Aly just smiled agreeably, used to having people come and go without really knowing her name. She took the card and rang his purchase. “All done,” she exclaimed as she gave his card back along with a receipt. “Come back on the due date indicated on the receipt to pick up your ring.”

“Mm.”

With a nod, Cloud turned and left.

Almost there.

***

He was nervous.

It was the day for Cloud to pick up Aerith’s engagement ring from Cali’s Treasury. He had been feeling a tense anticipation even since he had woken up. Finally, it was getting done.

He was standing at a counter marked “Pick-Up”, waiting for Aly to hand him the ring. The teenager was getting it from the storage at the back of the shop.

A few more moments of waiting, and then she was there. A black velvet box was in her hand.

“Here you go, Mr. Strife.”

Aly presented the opened box, giving Cloud the first look on the finished jewelry.

The ring looked better in reality comparison to the picture he saw weeks ago.

“Perfect,” he complimented.

“I know, right?” Aly gushed. “Cali, she’s the ownder, said it’s one of the best she had ever made in a long time,” she added, surprising Cloud.

“The owner made it?”

“Yep. When I told her about your Aerith, she said she knew of her. Decided to make the ring herself.”

If the owner knew of Aerith, she must have been someone who had bought a flower from his flower girl. Aerith had been selling her flowers in the area before, so it was highly possible.

“Give the owner my thanks,” he requested sincerely.

“Will do,” she returned.

Full payment made, Aly wrapped everything up, tying the box in a red ribbon and placing it inside one of the store’s bag. She handed it over to Cloud with a smile. “Good luck on your proposal, Mr. Strife.”

Cloud returned the girl’s smile with his own. “Thanks.”

Mission accomplished.

Now, Cloud just had to propose to Aerith. It was another mission, of course. One he’d been prepared for a long time. He was just waiting for the right moment to do so. He wanted it to be a memorable moment for Aerith.

He had no idea that the time would come so soon.

I finally got it done! OMG. I had a lot of fun writing this one. It was originally supposed to be a short piece, really. I didn’t notice how it went over 1500 words. Lol.

Here’s the ring, btw...

Thank you so much to @stray-arrows for giving me this prompt. And yes, I used your name for the name of the store, and @mireana… I hope you both don’t mind. It’s sort of a dedication to the both of you~

Anyway, for those who read this, I hope you like it as much as I liked writing it.