To Have and To Hold
Prompt 002: Trousers
Author's Ramblings: Forgive the grammatical errors this piece has not been beta-ed. This particular piece was based on a small line dropped in the reviews for Engravings, Arlothia (my lovely beta reader) commented that she did like the idea of the engagement ring been the ostentatious one (and looking like Tesla coils), so here's my answer. This goes right after Preparations, so you might need to read that to understand the engagement ring/closet joke, anyway: Enjoy!
"I only thought the engagement ring was the ostentatious one." Dave said after they had fixed the closet properly, taking the trash downstairs. Balthazar followed, carrying a box of tools and the bottle of unused glue. "It's the one she'll use while you guys plan the wedding, right?" They had gotten into a discussion of how the engagement ring had seemed rather dull to be a sorcerer's ring, and how it should have been in a different shape. Balthazar liked the ring he'd given Veronica, and she hadn't complained, while Dave was trying to make his point across; Engagement rings were suppose to be this grand item that Veronica could show any who sat, stood, or passed by her with pride.
Balthazar didn't think so.
"Oh but I thought about that!" said Balthazar, dropping the box he carried on one of the corners, and picked up a second empty box, asking Dave to pick the ones at the end of the soon-to-be-store to take to the trash. He continued the subject. "Why do you give a woman an engagement ring?"
"To take her off the market?"
A moment of silence in which Balthazar just rolled his eyes. "You see; when you give someone an elegant engagement ring they can use it for as long as the wedding is prepared; one, two years tops right? Then comes the muted glory of the wedding bands. But Veronica and I are getting married in a week, young grasshopper. So why wear an ostentatious ring for a week when she can wear an ostentatious wedding ring?" Dave nodded, as Balthazar lifted the top of the trash can, dropped the box and signaled Dave to do the same. They returned to the Arcana Cabana (II) and started picking up the rest of the trash. When the words hit Dave the apprentice turned in surprise to Balthazar.
"A week?" Dave said a little taken back. "You are getting married in a week? What about the house and castle and the clothing shopping? What of Veronica's cultural shock!" Balthazar lifted his hands, to try and calm Dave while walking slowly towards him.
"Down, grasshopper, calm down. Veronica was the one to set the wedding date, and she wanted it to be a week from today. We have time."
"You'll need new trousers, and another pair of shoes. And a new coat." continued Dave, picking up the box of trash to throw out, while making a mental shopping list for Balthazar's wedding outfit. Behind him, Balthazar looked at the items Dave mentioned, the ones he usually wore, one by one…
"What's wrong with my old coat?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"They wear white now to marry?" Asked Veronica, amazed by the tiny fact, and a little disgusted as well. "Why white?"
"Purity. According to tradition you have to reach your wedding day without any… without having slept together." Veronica narrowed her eyes at the younger woman, and then blushed. "Veronica!"
"What?"
"You slept with Balthazar!"
"For a week now, since he bought the apartment." A moment of silence in which Becky shook her head, a weir relief setting in her gut.
"I meant if you had sex with him?"
"Oh, no! We decided not to have sex until we married. Balthazar is very old fashioned and he wishes us to be married before we… consummate our relationship." She said matter of fact, what made Becky nod in amazement. "I was against it for a moment but then realized that he did have a point. What if I am with child for that simple moment?"
"You're getting married anyway." Becky said, as Veronica turned to serve them tea. "It already sounds like a shotgun wedding, and who's going to care if you did?"
"You have got a good point." A moment of silence. "What is a shot gun wedding?"
Becky explained what a shotgun wedding was, and Veronica laughed by the end of it. Veronica sat across from Becky, placing the cups before them. Her elegant hand reached to pick up the little sugar cubes (thing that continued to amaze her) and she stirred the tea three times, counter clock wise, and threw in another cube, this time stirring clock wise four times. She then picked the cup and sipped. Becky just stirred the tea quickly, and continued speaking. "So I was thinking, now that you two are getting married, that maybe you should go out and buy new clothes."
"New clothes?" Veronica looked down at what she currently wore; a new white and blue dress that fitted perfectly around her curves, with flowery sandals. "We already bought me new clothes, and I thought they were fine."
"They are fine, for every day life; but we have to buy you your wedding and honeymoon clothes." Said Becky excited.
"There's a difference?"
"Of course, although I'll have to ask Balthazar if you guys are traveling for your honeymoon, Dave keeps mentioning that you'll probably go to London."
"Yes, probably." Maybe it would be a great surprise for Becky to find out they were actually leaving for London for the actual ceremony. "I did not buy a white dress so we will have to find one. And matching shoes."
"And a bracelet to match your new necklace."
"And a purse." Veronica added, smiling at the prospect of been able to carry a small new purse around.
"Wonderful, we can go to the mall, and afterwards I can teach you a bit about the new female hygiene."
"Female hygiene? Is there something wrong with females these days?"
"Nothing. But there are new ways to spend happier periods."
"Oh I haven't had a period in years." Laughed Veronica, waving the thought away, making Becky's eyes widen. "Magic."
"You know sometimes I am envious of you guys." Said Becky smiling, lifting her cup. "You go through life using magic, and knowing how to solve puzzles, working to fix the unnatural problems of the world. I wish I could do a bit of magic myself."
"We all have a bit of magic inside ourselves, Becky. All you need to do is search which one is there."
"What are you two conspiring? You're been too secretive for my liking." Said Balthazar as he appeared at the kitchen's door smiling smugly at them. Veronica turned to him, while Becky recovered from the jump she'd issue at the sound of his voice, and they both smiled. "But I am a little paranoid so Dave here would have to tell me if you are not conspiring for real."
"I bet they are talking about shopping." Said the apprentice, appearing behind Balthazar, looking over his master's shoulder. "Girls always talk about going shopping." The two men turned expectantly at their girlfriends.
"I thought they did enough shopping a few days back." He mused, remembering why he needed to finish the walk-in closet before the wedding. At this rate they'll have to buy a large apartment to make a closet out of it.
"Yes, we were talking about shopping. Especially about how to leave Balthazar a poor man at the end of the day." Balthazar's eyes narrowed, for a second he seemed worried, but then smiled. "Good luck with that."
"Veronica does need new clothes Balthazar!" Cried Becky after the man, as he abandoned the general girl talk area.
"Then take her, she had a credit card!"
"You do?" Asked Becky to Veronica, even more surprised.
"Shouldn't we be cleaning the castle's grounds for the wedding, Balthazar?" Asked Dave, after the girls had left to do their shopping, and they finished lunch. Balthazar himself was looking a little pensive, mostly because Veronica had set an impossibly short time line for their wedding, and secondly because he had not idea how to start cleaning the castle grounds. He turned to his apprentice, holding a glass of apple juice and tapping his finger on the sink.
"Maybe we should go shopping as well. We both need new clothes for the wedding. Afterwards we'll think on the castle grounds, alright?"
"We could hold the wedding here, I mean New York." A moment of silence. "Who is conducting the ceremony anyway?"
"I haven't figured that one out." Balthazar finished his drink and set the glass in the sink, while his apprentice frowned. "Three days without practicing and then fighting the closet were enough ok? We have four days to figure who is going to conduct the wedding and clean the grounds. So let's concentrate on buying me some new trousers alright?"
"Sure, you don't have to get all moody over it." Muttered Dave, while Balthazar gave him an evil look.