FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Love is not something that everyone finds easy to show, or to find. But me... I... well, I love it. :3 To show that, this series of short, single-scene stories is all about the many aspects of love.

Love Is... Forged in gold and diamond.

"Good morning Sir, how can I be of assistance today? A new watch perhaps, or a gift for a lady-friend?"

Martin's cheeks reddened violently as the smartly dressed sale's assistant before him enquired eagerly about what he'd come in to look at. Of course the answer was simple enough, but saying it... actually saying it to a complete stranger? It felt like a much bigger deal than he'd anticipated all of a sudden! So big that he almost couldn't believe he was going to do it. And yet, he was. There was no doubt about it, and no way that he would ever consider changing his mind.

The collie pulled himself up, standing proud and smart in his best white shirt, tie and jacket, and addressed the female rabbit before him with a voice that reflected the same walking-on-air feeling which had surrounded him ever since he left for town earlier that morning.

"Actually, I'm here to look at engagement rings. I'm going to ask my girlfriend to marry me."

The response which Martin received from that rather revealing comment was like a firework had gone off inside the rabbit's head. She was a middle aged woman, slim and attractive, if not really Martin's type, but upon hearing that this customer was in the market not for a necklace or a watch or a brooch, but a ring, she began to bounce up and down on her footpaws like a schoolgirl! Clearly this was a woman who loved what she did for a living, and especially if that meant helping a lucky bride and groom to be on the road to happiness by helping them to find the perfect ring with which to seal the deal!

Martin's eyes widened as she grabbed him by the paw and began to march him through the store, clearing a path with a wave of her hand at the few other customers as she practically skipped towards the back wall of the jewellers, which bore several large cases full of various ring designs.

"Ohh dearie me... where to begin!"

The rabbit turned on her heels, grinning. Martin couldn't help but grin back. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and given that he had already been giddy enough knowing what he was here to buy the collie's heart was suddenly racing even faster than before.

"Well, how about we start with the basics. What do you want? What is it that you think you would buy if you could have anything in the world to place on her finger?"

It took Martin only a few seconds to formulate his response, and it would have been even less had he not been so wound up with excitement.

"Something traditional, but with a twist. Gold, and diamond; only the best for my Emmy, but... with something special to it. An edge of some sort which separates it from the rest, that makes it wonderful and unique in its own way. Just like her..."

Again the rabbit looked ready to bubble over with joy as Martin smiled wistfully, gazing off into space and picturing what Emma might look like with a ring on her paw. Beautiful. More beautiful than she'd ever looked in her life, or than any other creature in this universe!

The shop assistant reached into the breast pocket of her trouser-suit and pulled out a handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes and wiping away a stray tear of joy.

"Oh, young love..."

Martin blushed deeply, noting the ring on the rabbit's own finger. It glinted brightly in the sunlight which streamed in through the shop's large bay windows, encrusted with several rather large diamonds surrounding a truly monstrous gem that was so big and bright it alone could have dazzled even the wealthiest bride! Before he could wonder how much such a rock might set a guy back monetarily though the rabbit noticed him looking, her own white furred cheeks glowing pink as she misread his curiosity.

"I'm sorry dear, I do get awfully involved when picking out a ring, and I know it's not my place. If you need some space, or want to decide on your own, please just say so. I promise not to take it personally."

Shaking his head, the collie smiled warmly.

"No, it's fine, really. I was just looking at your own ring. It's beautiful! Have you set a date yet?"

The rabbit looked down at her paw, back up at Martin, and flushed crimson.

"Oh... uhm... actually, it's not mine. It belongs to this shop. I just tried it on earlier to show a customer, and... I think I must have forgotten to take it off!"

Biting his lip, half way between feeling guilty and laughing at how he hadn't even considered that possibility, Martin apologised.

"Sorry, I just assumed when I saw it that you were engaged too."

Peeling off the ring and shaking her head, the rabbit smiled brightly. Martin couldn't help but notice the twinkle in her eye though, which told him even before she'd said anything that despite not being engaged this was not a lonely woman.

"No. No... we're not. My partner and I have been together for almost twenty years, but we're not engaged. She and I... we don't think that it really matters. It's a wonderful thing to share if you can, but... we know who our family are, ring or no ring."

Martin nodded, not only appreciating the sentiment contained within the rabbit's words but feeling rather touched that she saw him as the type of person not to judge her for that rather glaring admission of her sexuality. Of course she was right, he couldn't have cared what gender the person she was involved with was. He was just glad that she had someone, since she really did seem like a nice fur. Before the collie could tell her that he agreed though, or give any further sign beyond his appreciative nod, the rabbit redirected their conversation back to the topic at hand.

"Anyway, we were talking about your girlfriend, not mine. You said you wanted something traditional, but with a twist? Well... I can think of a few items we have in stock that might fit the bill. Some of them are on display, but I can think of a few we have in our storage that aren't out here. They're not part of a line, and each one is unique in far more respects than just the makeup of the diamond. They're very high quality though, if you don't mind something a little... well, unique!"

The collie's ears perked up and his tail began to wag. He didn't even have a chance to vocalise his interest before the rabbit was dashing off towards the back-room, leaving him to look at the rings she'd directed him to in the cases lined up before him.

Martin's gaze travelled from case to case, searching for something that would prove striking enough to catch his eye at a mere glance. He saw several nice rings, the diamonds interspersed with other gems such as rubies, emeralds and sapphires. A few of the ones with sapphires were very nice in fact, but at the end of the day he knew that he would never place anything on Emma's finger which looked nice in any way, shape or form.

Just to convince himself that he'd been right in his initial musings, Martin also checked out some of the less traditional engagement rings. White gold, platinum, even a couple of silver ones that were especially ornamental in nature. He looked at something called life bands; engagement rings with diamonds that were held on by a screw, and could be removed when the day of the wedding came without needing to buy a second ring for the bride. It wasn't hard to see why they were reduced four times over, and Martin expected that soon they'd be low enough for someone at the store to simply suggest removing the diamonds and selling the rings themselves as normal wedding bands!

By the time the female bunny returned, carrying a tray upon which about ten small black boxes were resting, Martin had reached the end of the display case and was actually looking at something which was supposed to be a giant replica of the wedding band below it. Apparently there were minute particles of diamond laced through the gold of the band, but even on the enlarged version Martin couldn't actually see anything. He suspected that they were there, but that the particles of diamond were probably those dusted up off the floor after the cutting process; not of much real value despite their definitive status as that particular periodic element which people would pay so much money for.

He greeted the rabbit with a grin, and confirmed that he would indeed like to see these ones that she'd brought from the store-room.

"One thing though..."

The female raised her head, having previously been gazing down at the tray she'd placed on the display case between herself and Martin, and cocked her head. Her long, upright ears twitched eagerly, making Martin feel somewhat guilty for the very businesslike question he had to pose next.

"I was wondering, what's the price range of these rings? Because while I'll be as flexible as I can, there's no sense in me seeing what you've got here and getting your hopes up for a big sale if they're all worth fifty grand!"

Grinning, the rabbit reassumed Martin that the rings weren't in the rage of fifty thousand, and to his delight the collie realised that all but the highest of the price-range laid out before him were within the limits of his budget! Thus he turned his attention back to the tray laid out between himself and his guide through this exciting yet daunting world of rings and commitment, and allowed her to show him what she had hidden away in each of those ten boxes.

The first ring was a fusion of gold and platinum twisted around the band, with a square diamond mounted on top. It was actually at the lower end of his budget, but since it was both far too big for Emma's ring-size and not pure gold, Martin figured that he probably wouldn't go for it. The second however was much more like what the collie had been looking for, and actually felt his heart beginning to flutter slightly when the box's lid was lifted. The diamonds in this ring ran all the way around the band; smaller, but together still quite substantial. To his horror though upon turning the ring over, he saw that there were four diamonds missing from the ring. The rabbit explained to him that they could be replaced with zirconium at a fraction of the cost, but it would be far too expensive to find new diamonds to fit those holes.

"Zirconium is fine, and I'd have no problem getting a ring with that if it was what I thought Emma would love the most, but... I don't want to replace diamond with them just for the sake of show. So, no thanks."

The rabbit nodded, smiling in that same warm, joyous manner she had when Martin had spoken highly of Emma earlier.

"She's a lucky woman, that ladyfriend of yours. I really hope she says yes, whatever ring you pick."

Martin blushed, nodding slowly.

"Me too."

The third, fourth and fifth rings were all very pretty and well priced for what they contained, but despite being unique in small ways they were all too run of the mill for Martin's tastes. He said he'd come back to number four for another look later, the way the two small emeralds and sapphires flanked the central diamond something he thought that Emma would enjoy, but even that was said with some trepidation.

The next ring they came to was number six of the ten, and as the rabbit drew back the lid of the box Martin's breath was snatched from his lungs in a gasp of surprise.

"Ugh!!"

With an exclamation of disgust the female bunny swatted away the large spider that was perched atop the ring, and Martin shook his head at her instantly. If he gave that ring to Emma now all he'd ever see when he looked at it was a big spider sitting where the diamond was. That wasn't the kind of memory he wanted to associate with his girlfriend's engagement ring! Thus he didn't even need to see it properly, and back into its box it went as the spider, now homeless, scuttled off back in the direction of the store-room.

Both of them still grinning in the wake of their little spider attack, Martin thinking what a great practical joke that would make for April fool's day, a spider in a gift-box, neither one was really paying attention as the rabbit opened up the seventh ring's box. It was therefore slowly and gradually that Martin found his gaze drawn down to that particular ring, with its pure golden hoop and a simple yet utterly unique design upon the portion of the ring bearing the diamond.

"Oh my god..."

Martin leaned in closer for a better look, eyes widening and his pulse beginning to race. The diamond had been cut not into a square, or a rhombus, but into that of a crescent! Of course that meant it didn't have the same perfect sheen as a normal diamond, its surface cut at an angle to create the curve, but regardless of that fact Martin couldn't take his eyes off it! Beside the crescent moon shaped diamond, a single small sapphire was suspended too; like a star in the distance.

The collie didn't think he'd ever seen anything so beautiful since the last time he looked into his lover's eyes. It was like a little piece of heaven, plucked out of eternity and embossed on a golden ring. A little piece of heaven... made to sit upon a goddess's finger.

"That's the one."

Martin reached out, closing the box as though terrified that his eyes might swallow up or spoil the perfection of the ring's design, and pushed it towards the rabbit.

"That's Emma's ring. I don't care if it is the one that's out of my price range. I'll take it."

Chuckling, the bunny raised her eyebrows.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to see the other two? I know the heart can be a powerful motivator, but maybe you want to take a minute or two before throwing your money at me. I wouldn't be an honest saleswoman if I didn't give you time to think over your purchase."

Martin affixed her with a fiery, passionate gaze, and grinned.

"Thank you, but... I know this is the right ring. I don't know how to say it other than just saying it. It's Emma's. Already, even though she's never seen it before. I know that is her ring. I... I can see it on her finger. I can see it on her finger now, a-and when we get married, and... and forever."

The collie's bright blue eyes softened, and he implored to the rabbit.

"Please. I want to buy this ring. I have to."

The humour vanished from the rabbit's face, and was replaced by sincere, unabashed wonder. She nodded slowly, and gathered the other nine rings up onto the tray again whilst being very careful to keep Martin's one separate. A quick trip back to the store-room later and she and the collie were standing by the cash register, Martin's hand trembling as he inserted his card into the machine and keyed in his pin number.

He grinned as he heard the receipt beginning to print, and from the other side of the service desk the rabbit grinned back at him. He had it. He had his ring, and the collie looked beside himself with joy!

"There you go, sir. And if I may, I wish the best of luck to you and your partner. I'm sure she'll say yes. With a boyfriend like you and a ring like that, she'd be crazy not to!"

Martin blushed, crossing his fingers in front of the rabbit's eyes and grinning hopefully. With all that said and done, the ring tucked away in his jacket pocket and the receipt in his wallet, the collie seemed ready to depart. He didn't though, at least not immediately. For a few moments he lingered by the desk, and it was only when the rabbit asked him if he needed anything else that he found the drive to do what he'd been considering.

"Do you think you'll still be working here in a few months?"

The rabbit raised her eyebrows.

"I'd hope so. I've worked here a long time, and I don't think they could run the joint without me anymore! It'd be like running a football match without a referee."

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Martin fondled the ring's box for a moment. He sighed happily, and grinned at the female bunny.

"Great! Well then, I'm gonna call back here when I know what the date of the wedding is. And when I do, I'm inviting you and your partner to come along. No pressure, and if you can't make it I'll understand. But... honestly, when I know the date, and assuming that Emma says yes...? I'll be back round to say thank you, and to give you a proper invitation."

The bunny's cheeks glowed pink, and after a minute or so of her saying that he didn't need to do that and Martin saying that he wanted to anyway, she nodded graciously.

"Thank you. It means a lot... really it does."

Martin nodded warmly, and reached out his right paw.

"You're welcome, and I'm Martin, by the way."

Taking his paw in her own, the rabbit shook the male's hand firmly.

"Lonnie. Lonnie Burkley. Pleased to meet you, Martin, and thank you again."

With their introductions made and a final farewell, Martin made his exit from the jewellers. He'd barely made it out of the doorway though when his paw found its way back into his jacket pocket, and once again he felt himself gently stroking the box containing that engagement ring. He couldn't believe that he actually had one; that the ring resting in his pocket was hopefully going to be resting upon Emma's finger before too long. Of course the collie still had no idea precisely how he was going to propose, beyond being down on one knee of course, and he didn't have a clue he was going to say once he'd actually gotten down onto one knee. The fact that he actually had a ring overrode all of those factors though, and it always would. It signalled his intent, and regardless of how badly he organised the actual event he hoped that the ring would speak for itself.

He loved Emma, he wanted to start a family with her, and he wanted to marry her. He was blessed with her love already, they were trying for a baby at every available opportunity, and now... now he had a ring, too.

Martin walked away from the jewellers grinning joyously, feeling as though all the pieces of his life were falling into place. He was so distracted by his delight that he didn't even stop to look back at the shop in which he'd just bought that wonderful ring, or at the sign set in large letters upon its deep blue awning.

'Burkey and Simm, International Jewellers'

But even if he had looked back, and even if he had seen the name represented upon it, it wouldn't have made any difference to the way he was feeling. Because he had a ring in his pocket, and a girlfriend at home for whom it was destined, and that was all that mattered!

By Jeeves