Prince of Fire Emblem: Three-Ring Circus

[didntaxyou]

So, not how she expected to spend her day.

"We have to get this done by mid-afternoon if we're going to have time to eat afterward, and for me to still have tea with Maribelle..."

She's walking, but she stops short at the remembrance of her friend.

"Ooh, someone's gonna have to tell her, huh? She should hear it from me."

She glances back at Bunta, expecting him to be following her as she navigates the castle town. Several people recognize their princess and raise their hands or hats, which she acknowledges with cheerful return waves or personal calls as she goes, but plenty of others see no significance in the presence of a girl in a plain cleric's habit, walking down the street.

"Wait, what should she hear from me?" She gives him an almost pleading look. "Should I... be honest with Maribelle? Or not?"

Comments

[volleygenius]

Bunta notices the little squirm and cheek squish. Adorable to see, not so happy a cause. She's pretty uncomfortable right now, huh? Is it the involuntary part of this relationship? Or is it more than that? Bunta knows she struggles with her sense of self-worth. Maybe someday, she'll see what a gem she is, and know that there are other people out there who see it for themselves, but in the meantime, there isn't anything he (or anyone else not named Lissa) can do to fix it. The most he can do is simply be her friend.

He smiles and laces his hands behind his head. "Gold is good. I like the warm color it has."

"I do agree, gold would be splendid on you," Ishimitsu says before running through a selection of gold men's rings. Most of them are simple bands, sometimes with a small, single inlaid diamond. Some of them are smooth, others textured or patterned. Bunta looks them over, but instead of identifying a standout for himself, his mind drifts back to that daisy ring in the central case.

All he can think about is how much he wants her to have it...

He shrugs. "I dunno... Lissa, which one do you like?"

[didntaxyou]

"Well, I dunno! I'm not the one who's gonna wear it," she answered quickly.

She waved to the jeweler. "I don't suppose you take commissions, if we're really hopeless at finding something? Or maybe you do modifications? I hate to ruin something already done so artfully, but just in case!"

[volleygenius]

"We do take custom orders, Miss! That's absolutely not a problem. This is an excellent choice for customers who want a piece truly tailored to them."

Really? She doesn't have any opinion at all? The quickness of the reply-- and her follow-up question to Ishimitsu-- makes him wonder if she's deflecting. Avoiding. She doesn't seem lacking in investment. Hm.

Well, he doesn't have any interest in picking out his own ring. Okay then.

"I dunno. Why don't you pick it, Ishimitsu? I don't mind."

[didntaxyou]

"Wh-what?! Now, hold on a just a minute!"

She grabs on to his arm (well, it helps their cover, but also it makes a point!).

"You can't ask him to be responsible for that! Do you know how many perfectionists you're going to be wearing it in front of? Imagine what Genichiro-kun will say if you do something like that!"

[volleygenius]

"Hm?" Bunta sounds as Lissa takes hold of his arm and appeals to, of all people, what Sanada might think.

...Okay, it's not as ludicrous as it sounds. Sanada has every capacity to make his life a living hell BUT. The principle! He frowns.

"But I'm not interested in the ring that makes Sanada happy...!"

[didntaxyou]

"Well, nothing will make him actually happy but... What about the ring that makes Genichiro-kun not follow you around for a week and lecture you about propriety and respectability and stuff?"

She pulled her hands back to put them on her hips.

"You have to take things a little more seriously, or did you forget about my perfect, perfect brother?"

[volleygenius]

At this, Bunta blows out a breath into a bubble of gum and matches her hand-on-hip gesture with one hand. No words. Just silently waiting for her to put two and two together here.

[didntaxyou]

"Oh, what are you looking at me like that for?!"

Her nose wrinkles almost into a pout; the math is not getting done.

"If you don't act right I'm just gonna make it embarrassing! Like, a pink stone right in the middle of it!"

[volleygenius]

Math may not be getting done, but she's just as cute as always. Bunta almost cracks and grants that they're going to need more time, but at the last moment, she pulls through with an idea. He can work with an idea.

"Really? Go on."

What else have you got?

[didntaxyou]

Nose wrinkling intensifies. Lissa is slightly affronted that he's so nonplussed by her threat, and the pressure to up the ante is on.

"It'll have my name on it, too. In fancy calligraphy."

[volleygenius]

If Lissa is hoping to deter him... it's not working. Instead of becoming uncomfortable, his interest only seems to increase.

"Oh, that's a good idea. We can get it engraved around the band."

[didntaxyou]

"On the OUTSIDE, where everyone can see it," she warned. "And, there will be flowers in the design. Big ones with lots of petals."

The lack of effect her words have on him is beginning to rankle... worse, she's running out of ideas to threaten him with.

"It'll say a bunch of other stuff, too."

Once she thinks of it, anyway.

[volleygenius]

Why is she talking like this is a threat? Bunta doesn't get it.

"Oh? What else should it say? Pink stone, Lissa's name in fancy writing, flowery design-- hey, Ishimitsu, are you getting all this?"

"I-- Well, yes, certainly, we can do that, if you're sure that's what you want."

[didntaxyou]

"Well, when can we come back to get it, then?"

She's pretty much lost the plot; instead of getting Bunta to take it seriously, now she's just wanting to carry through on the threat and be done with it.

"It's going to have to say 'Property of Lissa Yukimura, Princess of Rikkai,'" she blurted out, one last stab at getting a reaction of some kind. "Or something like that, but tell me if that's too long, okay?"

1/2

[volleygenius]

[volleygenius]

[As soon as Bunta finishes processing that, he explodes into laughter.]

"Property? That's great...! I like it. Let's do it, Ishimitsu!"

Poor Ishimitsu seems torn on exactly how seriously he should take this order. But it ultimately seems like a really bad idea to question the princess herself, so he answers with minimal hiccup: "Of course, Princess Lissa. I'm sure I can find a way to fit all of that. Given the complexity, this may take some time, however I assure you its completion will be prioritized so that it's available as soon as possible."

1/2

[didntaxyou]

But wait, you weren't supposed to... She'd had a goal, a reason for doing it like this, and the purpose was...

2/2

[didntaxyou]

But Bunta's laughter is contagious and Lissa giggles, too. This is a stupid thing they're doing, and she still questions Seiichi's idea, but it's already been a load of fun.

If nothing else, Ishimitsu-san earned a lot of money for listening to this.

"It's my brother's fault whatever happens, anyway," she finally decides. "Can't wait to see the look on his face!"

[volleygenius]

In the end, it all worked out. It isn't a formal, serious, elegant ring he's getting. That's what makes it perfect: it's 100% Lissa. Playful. Vibrant. Spirited. Maybe just a little impulsive. Every time he looks at that ring, he'll think of her, and of this moment in Ishimitsu's shop, laughing with her about the brilliance of the joke in calling a fiancé property. And it will probably make him giggle again.

"That's right. In any case, I think he'll get a kick out of it, too. Now, for yours..."

Bunta steps over to Ishimitsu and tugs him down to whisper into his ear. Ishimitsu listens carefully, and he seems relieved after a moment, smiling and nodding with a friendly pat on Bunta's back.

[didntaxyou]

"What? Hey! No secrets!"

She didn't hear any of that, and crossed her arms. There was a brief attempt to look imperiously down her nose at Bunta, intimidate him the way Seiichi sometimes did to people who didn't know him, but she didn't really know what went on in his head in those moments and her attempt at replication was somewhat lifeless.

"Don't I get a say in this?! Just because you refused one...!"

Though he apparently got everything he wanted, judging by that laugh. Lissa is just a little nonplussed.

[volleygenius]

Lissa is too pure to pull off her brother's staredown quite the same way, but it's a cute effort.

"Don't worry; that was a side request. You want to pick your own ring, right? That's fine. Try and take a look at the rest of the cases. There's plenty here you haven't seen yet."

[didntaxyou]

Is there, though?

She supposes so, and turns around in a huff to go peeking through the cases, up one side of the room and down the other, a few stray exclamations over engravings or stone cuttings left in her wake.

Still, it's a little half-hearted, since she's dying to know what his 'side request' could be. And it's not like any hearts are really being touched in this scheme, anyway.

She keeps following Bunta with her eyes, too.

"Kind of a shame nobody else came along..." Seiichi should at least know what he was spending before he got the bill, but that was his choice at every step!

[volleygenius]

While Lissa is browsing, Ishimitsu opens the central case of featured items and removes the daisy ring with the fire opal stone that Bunta saw earlier, closing it inside a ring box before taking it to the transaction desk and starting to fill out some paperwork for the custom order. Once the details of the instruction are recorded, he hands off completion to the desk clerk and rejoins Lissa to show her through the remaining selection and answer any questions she has about them.

Bunta stays with her, casually browsing the rings in cases and occasionally commenting on them up through her remark about their company.

"Huh? How come? Are you missing someone?"

[didntaxyou]

"I just think shopping's more fun in a group, that's all," she said. "Then again, I don't think they'd have any really good opinions... Genichiro-kun would just keep telling you to find something better."

Which makes her giggle.

"You're the only one I'd thought would have any opinions on this kind of thing... well, besides Hiroshi-kun, but whether or not it's sufficient to my station in life isn't really the kind of opinion I care about. So I'm kinda disappointed you wouldn't say anything about what you're wearing!"

[volleygenius]

The little dig at Sanada makes him smile, only because it's true. Sanada's standards were second possibly only to Yukimura's. He shined brightest pushing everyone and everything to be the very best that they could, and their entire nation was stronger for his pushing. And like the rest of them, he had a soft spot for Lissa. She was right. There wouldn't be a ring in all of Rikkai that could seem worthy enough for her in his eyes.

"Mmh... I see. Unfortunately, whether it's a ring I'd choose for myself isn't the kind of opinion I care about. The perfect engagement ring for me is the one that my partner chooses for me to have. So thank you for helping me get the best one!" He winks.