TBD
Madeira sat at her vanity, rolling diamonds between her fingers. She liked the feel of them in her hands. There were over a dozen of them, all smooth and uncut, egg shaped and big enough to fit comfortably in her palm. It seemed like something so hard should be brittle, but no matter how her nails worried at them she couldn't even scratch their perfect surfaces. She held them up to the mirror to check their shine and to the wall sconces to check their clarity. She had an appointment with Master Li in less than a bell, and she wanted perfection.
At her feet Spooks yawned, his back plates clicking as he stretched. She pet him with her foot, feeling the rumble of his purring vibrate up her leg. Around her the house was watching with lazy interest.
Why do you need more jewelry? It sighed in the corner of her mind. You have so many.
"Yes, I do. But these two new ones will be special", Madeira explained, dropping a chosen stone into a velvet pouch. "I'm not fluent in the language of stones, but rings", she held her hand up to the light streaming in the windows to showcase her gloved fingers, studded with copper and bone and silver, "they are symbolic. They have a very specific meaning."
What meaning?
"Promise, mostly. Wedding bands are exchanged to commit people to each other."
So they're both wedding bands?
Madeira laughed. "Well, I guess so, in a way. This diamond", she chose and carefully put aside another glass-clear stone, "will be a wedding band. I'm not sure what the actual significance of a diamond is... Anyway, it will be for Chiona. I'm going to ask her to marry me this season." It was her first time admitting it aloud. Even in her own house the words seemed heavy on her tongue. "This other one will be a similar sort of promise."
In their connection she could feel a shapeless kind of wonder.
"I know you don't like Autumn. I hope she'll change your opinion of her in time. But this one... It's a pretty blue diamond, isn't it? Very similar to her eyes. This one will be the kind of promise you find with a person and their pet. Take care of you, take care of me. A leash, if you will."
The wonder took on a sharper tone. She will never agree to that.
"No, she won't. That's why I have to sell it sweeter. Well fed dogs don't bite their masters and all that. I think we will work really well together, actually. She's an amazing force."
You're underestimating her.
"No, I'm very aware of how dangerous she is. They're all dangerous, all my allies, all in different ways. That's kind of the point."
Madeira stood, leaning towards the mirror to smooth the collar of her flamboyant blue dress and adjust the lay of the jewels on her throat and in her hair. All the pieces were Guancho Li's. She hoped it would make him recognize what a good and loyal customer she was, though to date she had never been able to negotiate prices with the man. At the very least it didn't hurt to have him look fondly on her with an ego boost.
Besides, she liked the attention her wild fashion brought her. She felt safer when she could been seen.
"Come on, lets not keep Master Li waiting." She prodded the cat-thing with the tip of her pointed boot as she pulled a feathered cloak off the back of her chair. Spooks groaned like a mountain turning over and climbed to his feet.
The Shining Diamond sat well back from the peaks' beating center, on a narrow little street with only a weathered, nameless sign to show it was there. The Avalad in Madeira appreciated the deceptive facade. She followed Spooks to the grimy front door and turned the brass handle, letting them inside.
A bell tinkled above their heads to announce their presence as the Spiritist swept into the jeweler's shop. The place was low lit and dusty, the fireplace in the corner doing nothing but adding to the stuffiness. Long flickering shadows laid across the display cases, but that did nothing to detract from the fine and precious jewelry inside which seemed to emit a light of their own. Madeira stepped closer for a better look, her eyes sparkling with awe.
Spooks, not impressed by jewels or Madeira's fascination with them, immediately made for the one thing in the room of any interest to him. He collapsed in front of the fireplace close enough to singed his whiskers and promptly fell asleep.
At her feet Spooks yawned, his back plates clicking as he stretched. She pet him with her foot, feeling the rumble of his purring vibrate up her leg. Around her the house was watching with lazy interest.
Why do you need more jewelry? It sighed in the corner of her mind. You have so many.
"Yes, I do. But these two new ones will be special", Madeira explained, dropping a chosen stone into a velvet pouch. "I'm not fluent in the language of stones, but rings", she held her hand up to the light streaming in the windows to showcase her gloved fingers, studded with copper and bone and silver, "they are symbolic. They have a very specific meaning."
What meaning?
"Promise, mostly. Wedding bands are exchanged to commit people to each other."
So they're both wedding bands?
Madeira laughed. "Well, I guess so, in a way. This diamond", she chose and carefully put aside another glass-clear stone, "will be a wedding band. I'm not sure what the actual significance of a diamond is... Anyway, it will be for Chiona. I'm going to ask her to marry me this season." It was her first time admitting it aloud. Even in her own house the words seemed heavy on her tongue. "This other one will be a similar sort of promise."
In their connection she could feel a shapeless kind of wonder.
"I know you don't like Autumn. I hope she'll change your opinion of her in time. But this one... It's a pretty blue diamond, isn't it? Very similar to her eyes. This one will be the kind of promise you find with a person and their pet. Take care of you, take care of me. A leash, if you will."
The wonder took on a sharper tone. She will never agree to that.
"No, she won't. That's why I have to sell it sweeter. Well fed dogs don't bite their masters and all that. I think we will work really well together, actually. She's an amazing force."
You're underestimating her.
"No, I'm very aware of how dangerous she is. They're all dangerous, all my allies, all in different ways. That's kind of the point."
Madeira stood, leaning towards the mirror to smooth the collar of her flamboyant blue dress and adjust the lay of the jewels on her throat and in her hair. All the pieces were Guancho Li's. She hoped it would make him recognize what a good and loyal customer she was, though to date she had never been able to negotiate prices with the man. At the very least it didn't hurt to have him look fondly on her with an ego boost.
Besides, she liked the attention her wild fashion brought her. She felt safer when she could been seen.
"Come on, lets not keep Master Li waiting." She prodded the cat-thing with the tip of her pointed boot as she pulled a feathered cloak off the back of her chair. Spooks groaned like a mountain turning over and climbed to his feet.
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The Shining Diamond sat well back from the peaks' beating center, on a narrow little street with only a weathered, nameless sign to show it was there. The Avalad in Madeira appreciated the deceptive facade. She followed Spooks to the grimy front door and turned the brass handle, letting them inside.
A bell tinkled above their heads to announce their presence as the Spiritist swept into the jeweler's shop. The place was low lit and dusty, the fireplace in the corner doing nothing but adding to the stuffiness. Long flickering shadows laid across the display cases, but that did nothing to detract from the fine and precious jewelry inside which seemed to emit a light of their own. Madeira stepped closer for a better look, her eyes sparkling with awe.
Spooks, not impressed by jewels or Madeira's fascination with them, immediately made for the one thing in the room of any interest to him. He collapsed in front of the fireplace close enough to singed his whiskers and promptly fell asleep.
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