Journal #64: Ring of Amethyst and Diamond

Having, of course, been a fair amount of time since their last meal. Aniks had taken it upon himself to find the kitchen and at least make something. It wasn’t too terrible to find. Rather small compared to Sigrun’s but it worked. He began rummaging through the cabinets, which much to his surprised were stocked. His eye furrowed, looking for some inspiration for a meal while looking through these cabinets, likely he would only be feeding Celuriel and himself tonight. The others had rushed to rooms not saying much. While clearing room on a table, he half-turned looking at Celuriel. “I have to ask,” unable to completely hide a smile as he spoke, “why have you been so catty to Licia?”

Celuriel leant against the wall, watching her drow explore their newest temporary hideout like he owned the place with a faint frown tugging down the corners of her mouth. Kitchens weren't her domain and she had more than a few things to be thinking about - her mind wandered. And so she was barely focused on reality when Aniks spoke, her focus snapping back at the sound of his voice. "catty?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes at his smile. "oh. she's annoying. and too 'good'."
She paused, silently stepping closer to him and helping with the table-clearing. "and she doesn't deserve what she has."

“There’s enough room for you to sit on the table, unless you want to stand,” Aniks said gesturing to the empty space they had just made. As he went to collect and place ingredients on the rest of the table. That gave him an excuse to think about what she said. As that was clearly not what he had expected in the later comment. “Annoying yes, ‘good’ I can agree with. Still not a stubborn as Ashlyn on some matters.” Then he frowned pulling out a whisk, not useful so he put it back. “Not all of us get the best hand when they are dealt. Some are just lucky than most.”
Celuriel obligingly perched on the table, letting her legs sway in the air now that there was room to do so, and continued to watch Aniks figure out the kitchen. "Ashlyn didn't want to kill someone when they slept," she commented, her tone still even and not-quite-neutral. "and she--"
 
She stopped herself short, making a noise of disgust. "she doesn't matter. neither one does. she has a luck deity. her 'hand' is better. it is pointless to care. why did you get a scroll?"
 
The whisk was back in his hand as he looked back at the elf. Taller than him because of the table, odd-looking up Celuriel. With a single finger, he pulled over a bowl, a couple of eggs in hand. That did not sound like Licia but… she said it didn't matter. Besides no real reason keep dwelling on something like this. This might not be the best place to talk about that. He was in a decent mood given what this day had thrown at him, Celuriel was helping. The ebony elf bumped into her softly. Then a small smile appeared as he cracked eggs. "Well, I think my 'hand' is quite better than hers at the moment. The scroll? Oh, I am making something. Eventually, when we are not constantly running around for once. Still, even before that, I need to get that umbrite forged. Have I ever made you aletheian toast before?"
 
Celuriel took full advantage of him wandering close to run her fingers through his hair. He didn't have long hair; that wasn't stopping her. Today had been a day she didn't want to remember, and Aniks would at least be a pleasant distraction from it all. "is what you're making a secret?" she asked, already guessing the answer would be positive. "and no. why does toast have a nationality?"
 
"I think Aletheia was where somebody first made, or popularized Aletheian Toast." The drow smiled as fingers ran through his hair. Moving the bowl now closer to her. Continuing making breakfast, for lunch, or was it dinner? “That? No, it’s hardly a secret. I want to forge a blade I am comfortable with. Apparently, when I fight I resemble a Sarenite Dancer.” Aniks said clearly annoyed at the fact he dances through a battle. “Besides that was not the secret I wanted to keep.”
The explanation of Aletheian toast seemed to just annoy Celuriel. "what makes it different to normal toast?" she asked, tapping his shoulder when he slipped into annoyance. That was her domain. He needed happier emotions. Still, she took a moment to consider things as he talked and cooked. "...you do dance. I want a new scythe. do you blame Ashlyn? you copy her sometimes."
 
Notably? She didn't mention his actual secret. She'd let him start that when he wanted to.
 
The table was oddly enough lacking any toast, there were a couple of sliced loaves at the table untouched. It looked like he was making scrambled eggs. Not toast. He plucked a small frying pan that had been hanging from the wall. Ironic given who was mentioned. He answered her first question by showing her how Aletheian Toast was different form normal toast. As he finally lite a fire under the frying pan, placing a piece of bread on the pan that had been soaked in eggs. Speaking about other things as he cooked “I would prefer my dancing to be seen by you only. And I hardly think Ashlyn has anything to do with how I fight or dance. Nor do I copy her!” He smiled at that claim, almost wanting to see comparison if anything.
 
Then took a moment, her request for a new scythe interested him. “What would you like it forged out of? I could forge that once we are home for more than a day. Actually, there is a fair bit I will be doing once we are in Ironfalls again.”
 
Celuriel hummed softly in quiet understanding of this new form of toast as Aniks placed it into the pan. Toast was bread that had made friends with fire. The egg was new, the pan was new, but it was technically still toast. "the bloodied emperor will invite us to more of his balls. I would not be your only audience. will you avoid dancing then?" she asked, a smirk tugging at her lips. She definitely sounded amused with him. "make an illusion fight next to ashlyn and watch. you move the same."
 
Aimlessly, her fingers drummed a pattern against the tabletop as she considered weapon materials. "what are you planning? and I don't know what materials are good for a scythe. you decide."

Soon a plate was placed on the table, aletheian toast started to be stacked up. Other breakfast foods were being pulled together. “Wanting to go to more balls, are we? If that were the case then I would have no choice but to dance in front of others. Ashlyn on the other hand, if she caught me doing that, she would probably try to properly train me. As for your new weapon. Mithril or Adamantine would make nice scythes, If anything steel if the other two cannot be forged. ”

Aniks carefully kept his face straight as he spoke. “Planning nothing out of the ordinary. Need to find space for the dragon as it is hatching. Name it. Collect more spells, forge your scythe, tell Ashlyn I want my armor back. Send some messages. Take you out on a date, where I propose to you with the ring in my pocket.”

She shot him a glare for his last comment, flicking grains of sugar in his direction in lieu of snowballs or daggers. "you are horrible at keeping secrets." The glare nicely concealed whatever other emotion she might be feeling, and she was glad for it. She at least could hide things. "we can't avoid more balls. ashlyn has a wedding. the emperor will have a wedding. those lead to dancing. if she tries to take you away for too much training, kazric will steal you back for me." That had implications. She didn't explain them, instead stealing a piece of aletheian toast and nibbling on it as she watched him move around the room. Cooking remained strange to her.
 
"what are you going to do with the new pet."
A single eye was closed as the sugar grains hit him. An amused smile across his face. Placing the plate of the rest of her meal next to her. Which had more than just the toast. As well as Syrup, which Aniks triple checked that is was just maple syrup. He slowly ate his own food as he spoke. “You make a point about the balls. Though next time we go to one, I will not be so hesitant to dance with you. As for the unnamed dragon. Well, I have been thinking about it, and I am not completely sure calling a dragon a pet is smart. They are a bit too intelligent to be compared to other pets. And given where I found it, I might want to keep a close eye on them. So raising the dragon as we travel seems like the better option for now...”
 
Before he spoke again, there was a pause. He seemed to search for the right words. Aniks leaned over the table, his face not too far from hers, though he still had to look up. The drow had an earnest smile and Shockley his face was devoid of any sign of blushing “Secret or not, I mean it Celuriel, I really do. You mean so much to me. The only reason I stop myself now, is I want you to have a proper surname. I do not want the woman I love having the surname of Alas’thil. And at the moment I could only think of one that name that would fit. But I want you to be happy with that name as well.”
 
Silence rung out in the kitchen for a small eternity at Aniks's proclamation. Celuriel stared at the drow intently, a flush of red dusting across her cheeks betraying her emotions, before just... closing the space between them and kissing him. Not deeply; she had words she needed to share. Drawing back a fraction, she spoke.
 
"names are just names. we wouldn't need to care immediately. and," She lightly flicked his hair. "I will be happy with you. you have my love even if you are stupid sometimes. if you want a name that sounds stupid, then this doesn't need a name attached."
 
The door creaked across the room. Before either inhabitant or invader could say something, a blur of steel embedded itself into the doorframe. Celu's dagger. "Kitchen's busy then," Teras's voice said with barely contained amusement. The door shut with a click.

Impressive Aniks hardly noticed her throw this time. He was understandably distracted at the moment from her words. The click of the door let Aniks steal another kiss. This time he was the one to break away, moving to be more in front of her. Instead of leaning over to her. A smirk rolled across his face “Hopefully that message will be enough.”

“Now about those names. If it’s not something we need to care about immediately...” He said closing his eyes, this would take some nerve. He opened his eyes breathing out. The Barkeep took both of her hands in his own, gently pulling her off the table. Then took a measured step back letting her go. Aniks reached into his pocket his whole hand around the ring, so she couldn’t see it. Carefully removing it from his pocket. “I know this is not the proper place, and we still have things like your sister and the shards to deal with. But right now, I want you to be happy. You are my gorgeous partner, strange and mysterious, with a beautiful smile when you dare to show it. You’ve protected me even when I could not see the dangers and countless times I have been grateful that you entered my life and changed it in ways I still do not understand.” The drow got down on one knee, shifting the ring in his hand so she could see it for the first time. Holding it out to her. “A future with you is something I am willing to fight for. So Celuriel Valeria Geltharieth, will you marry me?”
 
Celuriel didn't look impressed by him moving away from her, but he had words to say and she was patient. For him, at least. She made a noise of confused complaint at his arms around her waist, his expression the only thing stopping her from scowling at (and potentially injuring) him for moving her without asking like that.
Oh, but her own expression was a picture worth painting as he began to speak: she stared at Aniks in sheer surprise, the rare smile he spoke of taking a second to flicker into view before her hand flew up to cover it. She stepped towards him at the question, looking at the stunning amethyst-diamond band of shining silver for barely a moment: staring into his eyes was far, far more important right now. "you know the answer already," she murmured, dropping down to hug the stupid drow close. Her stupid drow. He could put the ring on her after. "you saved me from the tower. and Hell. and you show me how to live, and love, all the time. even if you do that in stupid ways sometimes. we're not inviting my sister to the wedding."