FOURTEEN

~In which the author skip the listed prompt yet again~

A small upscale jewelry shop had opened up next to Boutique Couture, and this shop was where Augustine headed one evening. He wound a thick scarf around his neck and the lower part of his face, hoping for some protection from the wind and chill, as early springtime was still quite cold in Lumiose.

As he walked down Vernal Avenue, his eyes drifted towards a TV visible through the window of a nearby cafe. The Pokemon tournament being broadcast cut to commercial, and he stopped to watch the political ad that played, featuring a stern-looking woman in a dark blue suit. At the end, the words "Claire Pontmercy for Governor/Claire Pontmercy Pour le Gouverneur" flashed across the screen. He sighed. In all his fretting over work and saving money for what he wanted to buy at the jewelry store, Augustine had forgotten that it was an election year. He would need to take time to review all of the candidates ...

He reached the jewelry store, a small but brightly-lit space with minimal decorations. Cases of jewelry lined the walls, with a few displays in the center of the room. A sign directed him to where the item he was looking for would be.

"Good evening, sir. How may I be of assistance?" A sales clerk, dressed in black and white and with her hair in a sleek updo, approached him.

"Ah yes. Hello ... I'm here to purchase a ring," said Augustine, now suddenly nervous that he would soon have to vocalize his full reason for coming here.

"Very good, sir. What kind of ring are you thinking? A plain band? Something with a precious stone set in it?"

"Well, erm, I would like to purchase an engagement ring."

The clerk nodded. "Follow me, sir. And please, tell me some about your love."

"Erm, well, she's the greatest - then again, I suppose everyone thinks that of their significant other. She's intelligent, kind, brave, works wonderfully with Pokemon ..."

"How does she make you feel when you're with her?" the clerk asked.

"Like I could do anything, even fly! And well-cared for - a-and just ... loved," he said dreamily. As he spoke, the sales clerk scanned all of the rings in the display and selected five to pull out and show to Augustine.

He looked at the five rings the clerk picked out, inspecting them as the clerk explained that she picked these five based on what he had said about Serena, hoping he would think one of them would be truly exceptional and beautiful just like she was. His eyes lingered on a ring with a silver band, where small diamonds encircled a crystal fire opal.

"May I see that one?" he said, pointing to the opal ring. The clerk handed it to him, and he held it gingerly in between his fingers. Sure the large diamond rings cut in interesting shapes were spectacular, but he admired the flecks of brilliant color inside the stone. He imagined sliding this onto Serena's finger once she said yes to his proposal, and his insides filled up with both anxiety and excitement. He felt like he was going to both vomit and jump for joy.

"I'll take this one," he said.

At the register, the clerk placed the ring inside a small velvet box. "When do you plan on asking?" she inquired, trying to make light conversation.

Augustine looked at the clock on the wall. "Soon - no - tonight! She recently started working at Clemont's Gym, and she's off work in fifteen minutes ... I'll ask her tonight." As soon as he spoke, he almost immediately wanted to take it back. Maybe he should wait after taking her on a special date, but at the same time he had the ring and he felt like a small child at Christmas and he was ready to start the next chapter of his life with Serena.

After finishing the transaction and stuffing the box into his coat pocket, he practically flew out of the shop and sprinted down to Centrico Plaza, stopping right as he got to Prism Tower. For as long as he could remember, he had dreamed of this place as the location where he would ask the love of his life to marry him. The night may have been a bit windy and nippy, but the moon shone with all of its brilliance, and the brief run had warmed him.

Now, as he waited, thinking about what he wanted to say to her, nerves started to settle in. Maybe he should wait, he thought. But he didn't want to risk Serena finding the ring in whatever hiding spot he had selected for it - and if he felt nervous now, then there was the chance of him being even more so later on down the line. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, which calmed his jittery feeling a little bit. Perhaps he should have worn something better, or put more effort into his hair, or at least freshened up with cologne and some breath mints.

Serena soon emerged from the ground-level doors of Prism Tower, buttoning up her jacket as she walked. As soon as she did up her last button, she looked ahead and her face broke into a smile when saw Augustine.

It was time ...

"What are you doing here?" asked Serena as she dashed up to Augustine, her smile growing wider. It pained him, how beautiful her smile was - how beautiful she was, in sum - and it was definitely a pain he wanted to keep feeling for the rest of his life.

"Just running an errand on Vernal, and I-ah-I was in the area, so I thought I would walk home with you," said Augustine, casually at first until he choked on a word, and then he sped up the end of his sentence before his composure had the chance to crack.

"Well your company is greatly appreciated," Serena replied. "Shall we?" she said, offering a hand to him. "I'm reeeally hungry."

"Yes we shall, cherie, but first I have something I need to get out of my mind and into words." That sounded so much better in his head, he thought as he took Serena's hands into his. He took a deep breath, thinking of the small speech jumbling about inside his head, and made sure he was as calm and collected as he could be before he started.

"Serena ... you are without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me. I knew our destinies would be intertwined from the day we met - remember that? When your Eevee and my Gible almost attacked each other over Pokepuffs? Erm, anyway ... before I knew it, I was in love. You inspire me, and you challenge me. I can't imagine my life without you in it, and I don't want to. I don't even want it to be a possibility."

He watched her expressions, flashing from expectant to surprised to pleased to anticipation of what he would say next.

"You're the most amazing person I know ... I want to be in your life, to support you in all your endeavors, to help lighten your load when things become too much to bear alone, to care and comfort you when you are hurting - just - to love you."

Augustine let go of one of her hands and used his free hand to dig in his pocket until his fingers found the small box containing the ring. He then dropped to his knees, flipped open the lid of the box, and held it up to her.

She gasped loudly. Her hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes widened in shock.

"Augustine -" she whimpered, shaking her head slightly.

"Serena Yvette Carlyle, I love you. Will you marry me?"