"So, the fifteenth, then?" Cecily looked up from the piece of paper we were scribbling on to make sure.
"Yep, that's gonna be our wedding date." I smiled, "Well, at least that's what we're telling them. From what Ed and the others told me, we're probably gonna have to postpone it."
Right now, Cecily and I are thinking up the perfect wedding invitation letter for mom and dad. Yeah, if we want them to come on over from across the sea, we're gonna need to be reaaaaaally convincing about it, hence our hesitant tone. I can't even begin to imagine what their reactions are gonna be to seeing their stupid runaway son suddenly inviting them to his wedding that they knew nothing about prior to him sending the letter, and I don't even wanna imagine how having them meet Cene is gonna pan out.
"Are Nelly and Meil invited?" Ed asked as he walked through the room.
"They're gonna be swamped with exams and stuff like that, right?" Cecily asked, "I'd really like to align it on one of their seasonal breaks, but I doubt we'll manage."
"Of course, we're still gonna send them a letter." I smiled, "Bet they're gonna be so surprised, heh!"
"I'll bet." Ed looked a tad uncomfortable, "Imagine getting a letter from your dead dad. Frankly, I'd shit myself right then and there."
"Don't swear in front of Cene!" Aru preemptively put her hands over Cene's ears to block out Ed's swearing habits, "I swear, is there a single place in this household where I can take care of the kid without you guys being a bad influence on him?"
"You don't get to say that." Cecily stared daggers at her, "Just be glad Lune took the brunt of your punishment. Honestly, I'll breathe so much easier when the Saints' house gets finished and your ass moves out."
"Hehe, ass." Cene giggled, "Mommy said a bad word too! You're gonna get grounded, mommy!"
"Ah." Cecily blushed a bit after realizing how hypocritical she was being.
"Hey now, ass isn't a swear word, so mommy's still safe." I defended her, "You see, Cene, ass is just another word for a donkey."
"weally?" He actually cocked his head back, "Awoo, is papa making that up?"
"Nah, he's right." Aru let out a tired chuckle, "Somehow, yet again, he managed to find a way out of the situation without lying to you, kid."
"Oh, okay." He nodded before continuing to play with his toys, "Bwaaaaam! Pshh!"
That kid, he doesn't get held up too much by things, does he? I'd say that's good, but in reality it might be a trait that his peers find annoying. It might just be me taking a child's naturally short attention span way too seriously, but if he doesn't happen to grow out of it, then his friends might think he purposefully doesn't care about what they have to share with him. I'll have to keep an Eye out for that. Oh, speaking of Eyes...
"You guys think I should get contacts?" I asked out of nowhere.
"Whoa, that's sudden." Ed inspected my Rainbow Eyes from afar, "Why, is your Eyesight getting worse?"
"No, nothing like that, but my Eyes are unusual." I explained, "They turned Rainbow ever since I woke up, and Aru is refusing to tell me why. People might get put off by it, so maybe having some colored contacts would help keep people from pestering me about it too much."
"Oh come on, people give us weird stares when we're out shopping, but nothing more." Cecily reassured me, "I think it looks cool, so there's no reason to be so self-conscious about what some randos think."
"Aww, that's so sweet!" I gave her a one armed hug, "Then, I guess I won't be changing these bad boys. If my fiancée says they're cool, then that's all the words of encouragement I need!"
"Is your guys' honeymoon phase ever gonna stop?" Ed already got tired of seeing us be all lovey-dovey these past few days, "Just go send that damned letter already. If you recall, you still didn't buy those engagement rings you promised Cecily."
Ugh, right, I hoped they had forgotten about those... Damn, if we're gonna replace them with wedding rings in a couple months, then is there really a reason to buy engagement rings in the first place? No! You can't be thinking like that, Lune! This is gonna make Cecily happy, so don't go ruining it! You promised to become the perfect husband and father, and a perfect husband and father does NOT skip out on these tiny details that mean a lot later on!
"Actually, I had planned on going to pick one out with Cecily immediately after we went to send the letter." I revealed, "It's a nice day outside, so I hope you don't mind."
"Oh, not at all." Cecily looked a tad surprised, "But hey, did you really plan it out like that? Or are you just trying to act cool after Ed called you out?"
"Pssh, what do you take me for?" I fake laughed as I ran to put on some proper attire, "Hey, instead of accusing me for no reason, how about you instead focus on a good ring design? I'd like to get them custom made to fit us. Y'know, to make it more special."
"Oh, that's a great idea!" She smiled at me, waiting for me to go upstairs before turning to the other three in the room, "He's compensating for being lazy about buying the rings earlier, isn't he?"
"Definitely." They all nodded, even Cene.
Well, so glad I stopped to eavesdrop on them from the staircase. Now I know how little my family and friends think of me. But they can think whatever they want, because once I get the best ring ever thought up, I'll knock all their socks off! And then Cecily's gonna be all like "Oh wow! They're so pretty, you're the best husband ever!" and Cene will say "Yeah, papa! Those wings look sick! Scwew Awoo, you'we way coolew!"
"Yeah, as if." I sighed once I returned back to reality, "But a man can dream..."
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After getting dressed, Cecily and I began walking to the town post office. We already filled in all the details regarding the people it's addressed to, so all we really had to do was pay the tiny fee and hand it over to them. And with that, the letter has been officially sent to Whitehood! May your journey be a smooth one, little letter, because I'd rather you arrive at my parents' doorstep first try. I'll have to ask Aru to use her omniscience and tell me straight up how many letters are gonna get lost in transit. That stuff is always bound to happen with how bad the ships they use are...
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"So, now onto the rings!" I pointed to yonder.
"Yeah, I'm getting kind of excited now that we're actually going." Cecily looked giddy.
"Don't get too excited just yet! Cause for the next couple of months, we're gonna be going to all sorts of places to prepare for the wedding. Of course there's the rings, but don't forget the bridal outfit, the decorations for the aisle, all the tasty food, snacks and desserts that we'll be handing out at the venue... And how could I forget - Cake!"
"Hey, I couldn't happen to notice one thing missing from that list..." Cecily raised an anxious finger, "You said bridal outfit, but what about the groom's?"
"Oh." I stopped talking, realizing the difficult position I had put myself in.
Since I already had it, and it had a fair amount of sentimental value, I had planned on wearing the tuxedo outfit I wore on my first wedding with Marina. Of course, I know that sort of thing is kind of frowned upon generally, but I didn't just wanna put the one connection I had with her left apart from the ring to stay tucked in a closet. I also wore it for my proposal date with Cecily the other day, and she didn't mind at all, so I thought I could get away with it. Honestly, a part of me wanted her to wear Marina's bride outfit, but I knew that'd be detrimental to her, so I quickly stopped myself from suggesting it. In the end, I guess I'll have to put Cecily ahead of Marina this time, even though I did promise to love them equally...
"O-Oh, yeah." I chuckled, "W-Well, when I said bridal outfit, it was kind of a flub on my end. I basically meant outfits for both of us."
"Is that so..." Cecily stared at me all suspicious before leaving it at that, "Heh, you do know only the bride wears the bridal outfit, right? Though I would like to see you in a bride's outfit. It'd be way too hilarious!"
"Maybe when we're alone..." I blushed a bit, "Though it'd probably tear because it's not the right size. It just can't handle the Grimheart style!"
"You and your self-confidence, I swear..." She laughed as we entered the jewelry, "Dobar dan."
"Dobar dan, gospođo. Gospodine." The worker there welcomed us back.
"Oh, sorry, Entropic?" I asked, "If you don't mind."
"Oh, sure. We take foreigners a lot, so it's no issue." He masterfully switched languages just like that, "So, what can I help you with?"
"We'd like a pair of engagement rings." I smiled like an idiot, "Well, how do I say it... I proposed, but I was kind of getting ahead of myself and did so without a ring."
"You don't have to tell him everything, dear..." Cecily was now thoroughly embarrassed, "But yeah, as you can tell, I said yes, and we agreed to get the rings at a later date."
"Hah, well, as long as she said yes, am I right, lad?" He smiled back.
"Y-Yeah." I felt thankful to have such a patient girl beside me, "In any case, I'd like it to be custom made. It's the least I could do after that display."
"I'll bet, but lad, you do realize custom jobs are more expensive?" He warned.
"Money isn't an issue." I explained, "All that's important is that she's satisfied."
Hearing me say this so casually, Cecily looked a tad swooned even. The meister working at the jewelry noticed this and put on a wry grin before going in the back and putting in front of us a blank piece of paper with a pen.
"Okay, start naming off what all you want, and I'll see what I can do." He nodded.
"Oh, just like that?" I glanced over at Cecily, "Then, any suggestions?"
"Wuh-I dunno!" She dislikes being put on the spot, "U-Uh, I mean, i-is it possible to make a r-rose pattern?"
"What's that? Speak up, lady!" The worker teased her.
"A-A rose design!" She raised her voice all flustered.
"Of course, easy peasy!" He jotted down the first bullet point, "Come on, tons of customers ask for that out of a custom job! Give this proud genius something more difficult!"
"An upside down heart?" I shrugged, "I mean, last name is Grimheart, so I always wanted something like that to be a family crest or symbol."
"That's the same as doing a heart but flipping it upside down!" The jeweler got a bit antsy, "Come on, something unique to you! You wouldn't want to meet anyone in the world who had the same ring design as you, would you!?"
"Then..." Cecily and I both raised our voices in unison, not even caring to let each other speak first, "A bullet design coming out of the heart!"
"Hm?" The jeweler paused.
"Huh?" Cecily looked at me just as confused as I did her, both of us left dumbfounded that we thought of the same thing, "Why did you pick that?"
"Well, y'know, I lived through getting shot..." I chuckled awkwardly after having to explain myself, "And what better way to describe that than to have the bullets come out from the sides of the heart."
"Oh..." She looked down, "I was just thinking of something unique that looked cool, but yeah, your explanation is way better."
"Phah! Your life's a real adventure, innit guy?" The jeweler guffawed as he jotted it down, "Yes, yes, I see it now...! The vision... The perfect ring for a couple as adventurous as you! You two... Just seeing you paints a picture - It tells a story!"
"Right..." I awkwardly backed away, "So, when can we expect it to be done?"
"Give me three days, no! Make it two!" He pointed with his fingers, "I'll get it made just like that, or I'm not the most renowned jeweler this town has ever seen!"
Well, I guess there are people like this... Eh, glad to see our rings are in good hands. But damn, I just realized we used up all our ideas on the engagement ring, so what do we do about the wedding rings when the time comes for it? Ugh, I don't even care anymore. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it...