"So you see… since I don't have any knowledge of Earth culture I thought that maybe you could maybe help me pick something."

Cindy beamed as she looked up at Dorado, an excited look on her face. She had been more than a little surprised to see him show up there. Usually when he came to visit it was along with the rest of his family, and it usually meant that his father and her mother were going to discuss some important matter.

She had wondered just what had made him take the trip here, and to see her specifically. At first she thought it was about her sword collection or some sort of magic he might have been curious about. But when he had mentioned getting a gift for a certain girl, she was all ears. "So… is this for your girlfriend?"

Dorado's eyes went wide, and he quickly held his hands up. "N-no. She's not my girlfriend. She's just… she's a girl I happened to bump into on Earth, and I visit her sometimes. We're just friends though," he said. From the way the swords on his cheeks were glowing however, Cindy had some doubts.

She smiled at him, not being able to resist teasing him a bit. "Really? If that's the case why do you need to make sure this gift is so special then?" she asked.

Dorado thought for a moment. He couldn't go into details because… well, while he thought Cindy was trustworthy, the less people who knew about his visits with Makaria the better. But when she had mentioned that she didn't really get all the many gifts, he just… felt compelled to do something about it.

"People tend to avoid those who court death, and they certainly don't think to offer them any gifts. But that's to be expected."

It wasn't like she had guilt tripped him or anything, but the fact that she had said it so casually bugged him for some reason. Everyone deserved a gift now and then. Even goddesses of death. "Well… I guess I just want to make her happy," he said earnestly.

The smile on Cindy's face only grew. This boy had it bad. "Is that so? Well, whatever the reason, I'm happy to help. What kind of gift do you think she would like? Is she into fashion? I know there's a new line of designer dresses that are coming out that I should be able to get my hands on." Between her mother and the connections she had in the modeling and fashion world it would have been a phone call or two.

Dorado scratched his head. "I don't see her being much into fashion." He didn't know that much about the gods, but seeing as Makaria didn't dress like any of the humans he doubted they had the same fashion sense. Even if he did get her one he doubted she'd be able to wear it without the rest of her pantheons questioning it.

"Okay then… how about jewelry?" Cindy ventured.

Dorado took another moment to think. The right piece of jewelry wouldn't stick out as much as a change in wardrobe. And he did remember his mother telling him about a necklace his father made for her once. "Yes, I think that can work," he said, nodding.

"Great! Let's go!"

Dorado had never seen such a large place dedicated to jewelry before. They had stands for such things back in mewni, but they weren't even close to this big. And if you couldn't find that particularly special thing you wanted, you had to go to a smith and have it ordered. This place however… it was huge.

"Okay, so what would you think she'd like?" Cindy asked as she looked over one of the nearby cases. "These are pretty expensive, but I honestly don't think anything in here would be too steep for you." Considering who his family was, money really wasn't an issue.

The boy looked into the cases, taking in the number of brightly colored jewels. They were in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Many of them looked like typical rings and necklaces. Others looked like roses, raindrops, and suns. "They all looked very well crafted," he muttered.

Cindy nodded. "This is the sore Maman and Mom come to buy jewelry. We come here too to get them things for mother's day. You won't find anything low quality here," she said approvingly.

Dorado nodded. "I can tell. But I'm not sure anything in this case really… well, matches her? That's the best way I can put it," he said.

"No problem. We can keep looking around. There's plenty more. But just so we can try and narrow it down, what type of aesthetic do you think she'd be into?" Cindy asked.

Dorado looked down. "Aesthetic? Ugh… I suppose she's very…" Into death? No, that sounded odd. And it wasn't entirely true. She was a goddess of death but it wasn't as if she was obsessed with it. Should he get her something opposite? Something more bubbly and colorful?

No, he didn't think she cared too much for that either. "Maybe… something dark but not too dark? Grayish, no silver, that's it. Silver colored," he said. "She would like that."

Cindy nodded, and then led him towards another of the cases. "This one is full of sterling silver. They're not the most expensive or extravagant, but if you really think she'd like something like this then it can't hurt to take a look."

Her maman had taught her a thing or two about gift giving. Expensive and high quality things were nice, but if it didn't suit the person's style of taste then it didn't count for much. It was better to go for something that a person would genuinely like that just something that cost the most.

Dorado looked over them for a bit, and then his eyes stopped on one. "That one!" he said, leaning over the case. "That one is perfect!"

Cindy leaned down next to him and saw what he was looking at. It was a necklace, with a small pendant in the shape of a rose. The coloring made it look like a mix of silver and black, and in the middle of the rose sat a spot where a gemstone could be placed. "Oh, it's very pretty," Cindy commented.

"She'll love that one, I know it," Dorado said, smiling. Whenever she came to visit mewni, she always loved looking at the roses in her father's garden.

Cindy giggled. Dorado looked so excited right now. Usually when she saw him he seemed so strict. Polite, but like he was trying to keep up some sort of act. Seeing home look so genuinely pleased about something was a nice change of pace. "Alright then, I can go get someone and we can pick out a gemstone to place in it."

Dorado turned towards her. "Thank you again for all the help Cindy. You have no idea how much I appreciate this," he said nodding.

"It's no problem. Happy to help."

As she walked off, Dorado turned back and looked at the rose. He wondered if he should get something else while he was here. He was sure Wisteria would like something in emerald. She had a clear liking for the color green after all.

"Hey Makaria."

The goddess of death looked up from where she was sitting, not having noticed her friend had been approaching. "Oh, hello Cindy. It's nice to see you. What brings you today?" she said, smiling back towards her.

Maybe it was just in Cindy's head, but she seemed a lot more… chipper, for some reason. "Nothing really. I was just passing by and thought I'd visit," she said before noticing something. "Oh, what's that. If you don't mind me asking."

Makaria was clutching something to her chest, and it had been sort of hard not to notice it. The goddess held the item in question up for her to see, her smiling growing slightly as her cheeks turned red. "It's just a gift from a friend of mine. I mentioned that I didn't get many and he wanted to get me one. I didn't want to come off as whiny or anything but… I can't deny that it really did brighten my day. It's so pretty."

Cindy leaned down a bit to get a better look, and… that… that looked really familiar. Wait a second. A black and silver rose, and that gemstone in the middle…

It couldn't be, could it? No, it had to be a coincidence.

"Makaria… if you don't mind me asking, this friend of yours…?"

The goddess looked hesitant. She had been so giddy about showing off her gift to her friend she had given away a bit too many details. She trusted Cindy, but she wasn't sure if she wanted anyone else knowing about her visits with Dorado yet. "Oh, uh… he's just a boy from another pantheon…"

Cindy tried not to look too skeptical, but the gears were definitely turning. That looked way too much like the one in the store for it to be a coincidence, and she had a hard time imagining a god walking into a human jewelry store in the first place.

But she decided not to press the issue for now. "I see. Well, it does look very beautiful," she said, taking a seat next to her. She was sure they would figure things out eventually, and until then she'd like them bide their time. "He must think you're a pretty special person to give you something like that," she said, not being able to resist teasing her a bit.

Makaria covered her face in embarrassment. "N-no! It's not like that! It was just a friendly gift! That's it!"

Cindy giggled. "I'm just teasing. You're surprisingly shy for a goddess you know."

"I don't get many chances to socialize…"

"Except for with this mystery boy I guess."

"Cindy!"

A/N: Fic for Laylaylamode of Cindy hanging out with Dorado and Makaria!