Meeting of Fortunes

Alone in the dead of night, two boys meet to exchange gifts.
One holds a necklace fashioned from gold and jewels, the metal delicately linked together and the gems impressed into the surface until it appears perfectly smooth. The other brings a basket of sand the color of the sky above, so dark that it seems to be a shadow except for the light reflected off the grains.
The first boy grins. "I brought something for your fiancée, Pedro. What do you think?"
"It's quite...expensive, Orion." The second boy places his basket down. "I'm not sure she'll believe it's from me."
Orion laughs like Pedro's words are incredibly funny. "It's not supposed to be from you. It's from me."
Pedro frowns at him. "I brought you sand."
Orion sobers immediately. "I see. Is this that Darkwater stuff?"
"Blackwater," Pedro corrects him. "Yes. It took me several days to sneak away enough."
Orion leans forward, throwing an arm over his companion's shoulder. "Truly, I thank you. My lord will enjoy this supremely."
Pedro stiffens slightly but relaxes. "Just be vague about the origins. I don't need Warlord Mosso to know I'm giving away our resources."
"Afraid he'll prevent you from marrying his daughter?" Orion asks, studying Pedro.
The boy shakes his head. "He's more likely to kill me, honestly."
"Oh." Orion bites his lip. "How do you plan to explain the necklace?"
"I'll say it's from a friend." Before Orion can speak, Pedro continues. "No, I don't consider you a friend yet."
"Yet!" Orion exclaims, his joy back. "There's still the chance of friendship there."
Pedro rolls his eyes, but amusement can be seen at the corners of his mouth. "I suppose."
"Excellent." Orion is about to say something, but Pedro tilts his head, eyes widening.
"Shh," he hisses. "There's something nearby."
"Probably just a deer," Orion says, but his guard is up. He reaches to touch his leg, where a sheath containing a sturdy blade is strapped.
Pedro moves his head around and then lowers to the ground, pressing his fingers into the soil. "Were you followed?" he asks quietly.
"I don't think so," Orion replies. He too keeps his voice down. "You?"
"I hope not," Pedro says. He focuses and then stands up. "I think we're good, though. There's no one other than us as far as I can reach."
Orion is about to answer, but suddenly an arrow shoots from a tree and impales the branch next to him. Within moments, more follow, as well as people dropping from the air all around them.
Pedro reacts instantly, ducking behind a tree and pressing his palms against the ground. Orion is slower to move, but he avoids more projectiles and manages to hide.
A boulder erupts in front of Pedro, and Orion checks around before rolling to join the other boy.
"What do we do?" he asks frantically. "There are..." he pauses to look over the rock, "at least twenty of them."
"I can summon a small earthquake," Pedro says. "But you need to keep them away."
"How, exactly?" Orion asks.
"I don't know," Pedro says impatiently. "Throw diamonds at them. Maybe after they either lose or kill us some of them can get married now. Just do something." He closes his eyes and begins to use his power.
"Okay then," Orion mutters. He lifts himself up and starts to generate jewels, hurling them across the clearing at their attackers, all the while wondering how they managed to have such misfortune befall them.
It takes a while, but a ripple runs through the clearing, startling everyone. Recognizing it as Pedro's, Orion attacks with renewed vigor, and soon the boys are the only ones still standing.
"We're good," Orion says, stepping around the boulder. Pedro hauls himself up, pressing a hand to his head. He waves the other and wraps dirt around their attackers, solidifying it in seconds.
Orion pulls his knife and approaches the leader, pushing the tip under the man's beard. "Why did you attack us?"
The man pants. "We... were told... you had money. We saw you... trading gold. Wanted... it."
Pedro narrows his eyes. "So you just wanted our valuables."
The man nods. Orion eases up on the knife, but asks, "Who told you we had money?"
He shrugs. "Some person knew you were a Jewelon and had made something recently that you took with you."
Pedro and Orion's gazes meet. They converse with only their eyebrows and eyes until Orion turns back to the man and says "If we let you leave alive, you must tell no one."
The man nods fearfully. Judging by his stance, Orion guesses he isn't Gifted. Just a regular man trying to make a living. Removing the knife, he stands and flicks a hand at the jewels lying around on the ground. "There's your money. Take them, and say nothing of what happened."
The man nods eagerly, and Pedro releases him. The boys make the same deal with all the other bandits and finally walk into the woods together.
"That was eventful," Orion finally comments.
Pedro snorts. "It was dangerous. We need to be more careful."
Orion nods seriously. "Yes. Where should we meet next time?"
Pedro considers carefully and then leans over to whisper a location in his companion's ear. Orion nods when he leans away. "Good idea."
As they separate, Orion turns back. "Good luck with your wedding!" he calls. "What's her name again?"
"Lani," Pedro says, his eyes softening. "She looks delicate, but she's far more than a pretty face. When her father dies, she'll make a great Warlady."
Orion grins. "Well, then, I wish you luck with that. See you next month."
Pedro nods, making his way home. "See you."