Post by Vapovile on Dec 25, 2020 18:06:06 GMT
Walking through the streets of London, Malcolm Barber nervously finds the store he was looking for; Regal Jewelers. “Here it is…” He nervously whispers to himself, stepping through the wooden doorway and being met with rows upon rows of jewlery, sitting behind glass cases that looked thick enough to take a bullet. His eyes fell upon two salespeople who seemed to be occupied with customers already, making him let out a sigh. “Oh no.” He muttered. How did you buy jewlery?
Strolling down the aisle, Malcolm noticed a row of rings that were neatly placed in a black mat, letting the shiny metal stand out even more. His eyes grew wide when he saw some of the prices, his mouth getting dry as well. “Hah?!” He gasped. He had been saving up some of his paycheck for a few months, but would it really cost this much?!
Eyes darting between the selection, Malcolm looked up and saw the salespeople were still with other customers. “What would she even like…” He asked, eyes looking at a selection of rings. Would she want a red one like her hair? Blue to contrast? He saw a nice silver one near the middle, but he didn’t know if she’d want something like that. He didn’t want to disappoint her, after all!
Mind still racing, Malcolm flipped open his phone and began scrolling through his contacts. Eve? No, she would push him toward the cheaper stuff. Marion or Penny? If they found out where he was, they would freak out. Marie? Would she even want to help him with something like this? His eyes them fell upon a number near the top. A shiver went down Malcolm’s spine as he dialed.
---
“Henshin!” A voice rang from the TV, followed by the Japanese man gaining a suit of red and green, with fish-like fins along his arms. Alexis lazed on the couch, tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth and biting down with a satisfying ‘crunch’. Feeling her phone buzzing, Alexis looked at who was dialing and grew a sadistic smile.
“Helloooooooo!” She sang into the phone, Malcolm looking at his phone in confusion. Why was she addressing him so casually? “Hey, Alexis? Do you have a minute to talk?” He asked, hands almost shaking. Alexis had always scared him, and her teasing whenever he was around her didn’t help matters.
Alexis sat up and spoke into her phone a little more seriously. “You sure you got the right Primrose girl? Ashlea should be a little further down your phone, you know.” She joked. Malcolm tried to laugh at her joke, but decided to move on. “Thank you. So uh...odd question. Do you um, know what kind of jewlery Ashlea likes?” He asked with hesitation. Alexis let out a gasp and immediately stood up, summoning her demon dog Whiplash and disappearing into the couch’s shadow, reappearing in Malcolm’s and letting out a squal when she saw what he was looking at.
“Oh...my...god!!!” Alexis’ face was lit up with joy when she saw the selection, Malcolm practically falling down onto his ass when Alexis suddenly appeared before him. “Please d-don’t do that!” He pleaded, Alexis too absorbed in the situation to care. “PLEASE tell me this is what I think it is!” She practically squealed, making some people in the store look at her confusingly. Malcolm, now red-faced, made motions to try and make her quiet down.
“Please don’t tell anyone! I forgot you could even do that…” He mumbled. Now someone else knew what was going on. Alexis let out another squeal and placed her arms on Malcolm’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes while he looked up at her. “Ok, I am SO going to help you with this! Come on, I know exactly what to do!” Pulling Malcolm by the arm to another case, she began to inspect the specimens below, Malcolm’s anxiety slowly going down when he saw the sorceress actually wanted to help him.
---
The two now stood in the middle of the large apartment he and Ashlea rented, letting out a relieved sigh when he saw that Ashlea was still at work. Alexis sat backwards on one of the chairs in the living room, looking at Malcolm with an evil grin. “Soooooo, spill it. When are you doing it?!” She demanded. Malcolm looked at the small black case in his hands, then at his feet. “Well...I don’t know. She probably wants it to be all fancy, and I’m just kinda...not.” He said. Would Ashlea even accept something less than a huge production? Alexis narrowed her eyes and slammed her hands on Malcolm’s shoulders, making him shrink back before Alexis hoisted him back up by the shoulders.
“Look, you’ve been with her for how long now? Does she care that you’re not dropping dollar bill out of your shirt?” “No…” “Then there you go! Just do something heartfelt, and try to spice it up after you have a general idea! Any thoughts?” She asked, looking attentive at him.
Malcolm pondered this. Anxiety began to creep in as the thought of Ashlea saying no if this wasn’t genuine enough. He knew she wasn’t self-absorbed, but she did like to be treated as a princess sometimes. This moment should be special to her as well! Looking at a nearby vase, an idea finally sprouted in Malcolm’s mind, him looking at Alexis with a smile. “I think I might have something.”
---
A few weeks after the meeting with Alexis, Malcolm and Ashlea were spending their day off walking through a nice park in London. The spring air was pleasant, with many of the flowers having sprouted and giving off a sweet scent. Ashlea wore a white sun dress and a pair of matching wedge shoes that were decorated with gold swirling patterning along the outside. Malcolm was to her left, wearing a grey sweatshirt and baggy black pants. Normally Ashlea would have suggested he wear something she had helped him buy, but he seemed in a hurry when they left.
“Can you BELIEVE that person we had been watching was a vampire all along?! I knew it was weird how he never went out in the day! They thought it was just his job at the night shift, but I knew there was more to that!” Ashlea proudly declared, Malcolm smiling in response. “See, that’s great! You helped them figure out what his deal was. You’re amazing like that...you know?” He said, far more confidently that he had during their first date years ago. Ashlea tilted her head at him, smiling back.
“Why thank you, I am just that amazing sometimes.” She flipped her hair dramatically. “And don’t forget about your own accomplishments! You aced that last test at white mage school!” She proudly said, wrapping her arm around his and pulling him into a side hug. Malcolm looked down in embarrassment, but leaned into the hug. “Now you’re just unfair, turning it back on me.” He complained. Suddenly, Malcolm leaned back, placing his hand in his pocket as he noticed something in the distance. “Oh, what’s that?” He asked, pointing.
Ashlea squinted into the distance. Some long red object was rolling toward them, roughly the height of a medicine ball. It appeared to get smaller as it approached them. Ashlea was prepared to step over whatever it was, but it appeared to completely unfurl when it got to their feet. It was at that moment Ashlea realized what it was.
“...carpet?” She asked, confused. She scraped her shoe against its soft surface, looking out and seeing it stretch out for several meters. Before Ashlea could ask what on Earth was going on, she looked over to see Malcolm pulling his sweat shirt off his body, revealing the black suit and spotted red tie that she helped him buy. He had hidden it under the baggy clothes! “Malcolm, what are you…?” Ashlea asked, eyes starting to widen.
Malcolm strolled around Ashlea and stood on top of the red carpet. Her hands cupped in front of her mouth when he dropped down to one knee. Malcolm sucked in air through his nose, holding it in to calm his nerves, and slowly letting it back out again. He then stared up at Ashlea, mustering up as much courage as he could.
“Ashlea…” He began. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, sending a stream of nearby flower petals past the two, Ashlea able to smell their sweet aroma as she stood still. He reached into his pocked and pulled out a small box, making Ashlea’s eyes grow even wider as he opened the box, revealing the shining silver ring inside with a brilliant ruby on top that shone fiery red like her hair.
“...will you marry me?”
Ashlea couldn’t take it anymore, she dropped down to her own knees and clasped the box in his hands, taking the ring and sliding it up her finger. Tears were already welling up in her eyes. “Of course I will!”
Without skipping a beat, Ashlea pulled Malcolm into a kiss. The wind kicked up once again, sending another flutter of flower petals past the two. A wave of relief washed over Malcolm, his mind going blank with happiness.
Once the two pulled away, Ashlea placed her hand down and closed the box again, looking over at the carpet below them. “...where on EARTH did you find a carpet this long, anyway?” Ashlea asked, letting out a giggle. Malcolm gave a nervous chuckle. “Uh, I might have had some help.” He said, eyes looking toward the sky. Thank you, Angela. Thinking of those who helped him, Malcolm’s eyes fell upon a nearby tree, where a muscular pink-haired girl stood, leaning against it with her arms crossed. A small smile could be seen on Marie’s face. She had managed to grow the nearby flowers enough for their petals to fly by the both of them twice.
“You did fine, Malcolm.” She remarked, giving him a thumbs up and disappearing behind the tree. It was a relief that Marie had accepted Ashlea as his girlfriend, especially after her initial hostility. Ashlea had finally stood back up and dusted herself off, offering her ring-covered hand to Malcolm. “Come on, I am going to take you to the BEST place for lunch! You’ll love it!” She exclaimed, beaming with joy. Malcolm took her hand and hoisted himself up, dusting his suit off. “I would uh, like that.” He mumbled, shifting back and forth. “...I love you.” He said, Ashlea wrapping him into a hug. “I love you too, Mal.”
Strolling down the aisle, Malcolm noticed a row of rings that were neatly placed in a black mat, letting the shiny metal stand out even more. His eyes grew wide when he saw some of the prices, his mouth getting dry as well. “Hah?!” He gasped. He had been saving up some of his paycheck for a few months, but would it really cost this much?!
Eyes darting between the selection, Malcolm looked up and saw the salespeople were still with other customers. “What would she even like…” He asked, eyes looking at a selection of rings. Would she want a red one like her hair? Blue to contrast? He saw a nice silver one near the middle, but he didn’t know if she’d want something like that. He didn’t want to disappoint her, after all!
Mind still racing, Malcolm flipped open his phone and began scrolling through his contacts. Eve? No, she would push him toward the cheaper stuff. Marion or Penny? If they found out where he was, they would freak out. Marie? Would she even want to help him with something like this? His eyes them fell upon a number near the top. A shiver went down Malcolm’s spine as he dialed.
---
“Henshin!” A voice rang from the TV, followed by the Japanese man gaining a suit of red and green, with fish-like fins along his arms. Alexis lazed on the couch, tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth and biting down with a satisfying ‘crunch’. Feeling her phone buzzing, Alexis looked at who was dialing and grew a sadistic smile.
“Helloooooooo!” She sang into the phone, Malcolm looking at his phone in confusion. Why was she addressing him so casually? “Hey, Alexis? Do you have a minute to talk?” He asked, hands almost shaking. Alexis had always scared him, and her teasing whenever he was around her didn’t help matters.
Alexis sat up and spoke into her phone a little more seriously. “You sure you got the right Primrose girl? Ashlea should be a little further down your phone, you know.” She joked. Malcolm tried to laugh at her joke, but decided to move on. “Thank you. So uh...odd question. Do you um, know what kind of jewlery Ashlea likes?” He asked with hesitation. Alexis let out a gasp and immediately stood up, summoning her demon dog Whiplash and disappearing into the couch’s shadow, reappearing in Malcolm’s and letting out a squal when she saw what he was looking at.
“Oh...my...god!!!” Alexis’ face was lit up with joy when she saw the selection, Malcolm practically falling down onto his ass when Alexis suddenly appeared before him. “Please d-don’t do that!” He pleaded, Alexis too absorbed in the situation to care. “PLEASE tell me this is what I think it is!” She practically squealed, making some people in the store look at her confusingly. Malcolm, now red-faced, made motions to try and make her quiet down.
“Please don’t tell anyone! I forgot you could even do that…” He mumbled. Now someone else knew what was going on. Alexis let out another squeal and placed her arms on Malcolm’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes while he looked up at her. “Ok, I am SO going to help you with this! Come on, I know exactly what to do!” Pulling Malcolm by the arm to another case, she began to inspect the specimens below, Malcolm’s anxiety slowly going down when he saw the sorceress actually wanted to help him.
---
The two now stood in the middle of the large apartment he and Ashlea rented, letting out a relieved sigh when he saw that Ashlea was still at work. Alexis sat backwards on one of the chairs in the living room, looking at Malcolm with an evil grin. “Soooooo, spill it. When are you doing it?!” She demanded. Malcolm looked at the small black case in his hands, then at his feet. “Well...I don’t know. She probably wants it to be all fancy, and I’m just kinda...not.” He said. Would Ashlea even accept something less than a huge production? Alexis narrowed her eyes and slammed her hands on Malcolm’s shoulders, making him shrink back before Alexis hoisted him back up by the shoulders.
“Look, you’ve been with her for how long now? Does she care that you’re not dropping dollar bill out of your shirt?” “No…” “Then there you go! Just do something heartfelt, and try to spice it up after you have a general idea! Any thoughts?” She asked, looking attentive at him.
Malcolm pondered this. Anxiety began to creep in as the thought of Ashlea saying no if this wasn’t genuine enough. He knew she wasn’t self-absorbed, but she did like to be treated as a princess sometimes. This moment should be special to her as well! Looking at a nearby vase, an idea finally sprouted in Malcolm’s mind, him looking at Alexis with a smile. “I think I might have something.”
---
A few weeks after the meeting with Alexis, Malcolm and Ashlea were spending their day off walking through a nice park in London. The spring air was pleasant, with many of the flowers having sprouted and giving off a sweet scent. Ashlea wore a white sun dress and a pair of matching wedge shoes that were decorated with gold swirling patterning along the outside. Malcolm was to her left, wearing a grey sweatshirt and baggy black pants. Normally Ashlea would have suggested he wear something she had helped him buy, but he seemed in a hurry when they left.
“Can you BELIEVE that person we had been watching was a vampire all along?! I knew it was weird how he never went out in the day! They thought it was just his job at the night shift, but I knew there was more to that!” Ashlea proudly declared, Malcolm smiling in response. “See, that’s great! You helped them figure out what his deal was. You’re amazing like that...you know?” He said, far more confidently that he had during their first date years ago. Ashlea tilted her head at him, smiling back.
“Why thank you, I am just that amazing sometimes.” She flipped her hair dramatically. “And don’t forget about your own accomplishments! You aced that last test at white mage school!” She proudly said, wrapping her arm around his and pulling him into a side hug. Malcolm looked down in embarrassment, but leaned into the hug. “Now you’re just unfair, turning it back on me.” He complained. Suddenly, Malcolm leaned back, placing his hand in his pocket as he noticed something in the distance. “Oh, what’s that?” He asked, pointing.
Ashlea squinted into the distance. Some long red object was rolling toward them, roughly the height of a medicine ball. It appeared to get smaller as it approached them. Ashlea was prepared to step over whatever it was, but it appeared to completely unfurl when it got to their feet. It was at that moment Ashlea realized what it was.
“...carpet?” She asked, confused. She scraped her shoe against its soft surface, looking out and seeing it stretch out for several meters. Before Ashlea could ask what on Earth was going on, she looked over to see Malcolm pulling his sweat shirt off his body, revealing the black suit and spotted red tie that she helped him buy. He had hidden it under the baggy clothes! “Malcolm, what are you…?” Ashlea asked, eyes starting to widen.
Malcolm strolled around Ashlea and stood on top of the red carpet. Her hands cupped in front of her mouth when he dropped down to one knee. Malcolm sucked in air through his nose, holding it in to calm his nerves, and slowly letting it back out again. He then stared up at Ashlea, mustering up as much courage as he could.
“Ashlea…” He began. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, sending a stream of nearby flower petals past the two, Ashlea able to smell their sweet aroma as she stood still. He reached into his pocked and pulled out a small box, making Ashlea’s eyes grow even wider as he opened the box, revealing the shining silver ring inside with a brilliant ruby on top that shone fiery red like her hair.
“...will you marry me?”
Ashlea couldn’t take it anymore, she dropped down to her own knees and clasped the box in his hands, taking the ring and sliding it up her finger. Tears were already welling up in her eyes. “Of course I will!”
Without skipping a beat, Ashlea pulled Malcolm into a kiss. The wind kicked up once again, sending another flutter of flower petals past the two. A wave of relief washed over Malcolm, his mind going blank with happiness.
Once the two pulled away, Ashlea placed her hand down and closed the box again, looking over at the carpet below them. “...where on EARTH did you find a carpet this long, anyway?” Ashlea asked, letting out a giggle. Malcolm gave a nervous chuckle. “Uh, I might have had some help.” He said, eyes looking toward the sky. Thank you, Angela. Thinking of those who helped him, Malcolm’s eyes fell upon a nearby tree, where a muscular pink-haired girl stood, leaning against it with her arms crossed. A small smile could be seen on Marie’s face. She had managed to grow the nearby flowers enough for their petals to fly by the both of them twice.
“You did fine, Malcolm.” She remarked, giving him a thumbs up and disappearing behind the tree. It was a relief that Marie had accepted Ashlea as his girlfriend, especially after her initial hostility. Ashlea had finally stood back up and dusted herself off, offering her ring-covered hand to Malcolm. “Come on, I am going to take you to the BEST place for lunch! You’ll love it!” She exclaimed, beaming with joy. Malcolm took her hand and hoisted himself up, dusting his suit off. “I would uh, like that.” He mumbled, shifting back and forth. “...I love you.” He said, Ashlea wrapping him into a hug. “I love you too, Mal.”