"I think this would look lovely on her —what do you think?"
Numair blinked at his companion, caught off guard by the sudden shift. Tamalt had been in Corus for the better part of two months now, with what Numair thought was a singular aim of preparing for the impending summit at the City of the Gods. It seemed, however, that other priorities had found a way to creep in.
"Daine?" Perhaps he was mistaken.
"Of course," Tamalt laughed, "who else."
Damn.
The necklace was nothing short of exquisite. Finely worked silver, with an emerald that caught and absorbed the light in equal turns. Beautiful. Expensive . Certainly not a gift a man who was not receiving certain benefits would purchase for a woman—besides himself, of course.
"Not really, actually," he shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, suddenly done with the excursion. Tamalt looked back at the piece, brow furrowed, and regarded it with the same consternation that Numair regarding the other mage with. Powerful, wealthy, charming. Numair scowled; just about the same age as he was. He gritted his teeth and tempered his rising annoyance, though if it was at the threat of this man taking advantage of his friend or threat of a missed opportunity he wasn't sure.
"Are you sure?" Tamalt turned back to him with a smile, as if Numair was playing a joke on him.
Sighing, he shook his head, "It's lovely but no, she won't wear it. That silver claw? It never comes off. And she doesn't wear bracelets or rings on account of how often he has a bow in hand. She prefers earrings."
So be it.
For those interested, the above is fanfiction of a fanfiction. Sanctuary by Magda Jan Brown is excellent and completely worth a read (but warning: it's abandoned).