There's tension in the air, and Ephemer's about to make an important choice! Is it going to last?

Thank you for reading!

One look at the jewelry store sign, and Ephemer felt like he needed to throw up. He had been so nervous about this that he refused to eat breakfast. That probably was a mistake- but if he had, at least something would come up if he did happen to get sick. He wasn't sure which one was the lesser of two evils.

A little bell above the jewelry store door rang as he entered. He didn't head right to the customer service counter right away, though. He still had to prepare himself. Sure, he knew what he was going to do, and he knew how he was going to do it- but actually being here? His knees were as good a gelatin now. Ephemer swore that he was shaking as he looked over at the glass display cases closest to the door. A small smile crossed his lips as he looked over the wedding rings. It then quickly dropped when he noticed the prices.

Slowly, carefully, Ephemer worked his way around the store, looking at the display cases and various diamond pieces. He made it up to the customer service station without even realizing that he was there. On the other side of the counter, the jeweler had been watching him. None judging, and figuring that Ephemer was looking for something in particular, the jeweler waited for the young man to get a bit closer before asking that one question Ephemer was almost afraid to answer.

"Is there any way that I can help you today, young sir?"

Of course it surprised him. Of course he let out a sheepish grin and absently scratched the back of his neck before properly answering.

"Um, uh..." the young man stumbled as he tried to recollect himself. "Y-yeah, you can. You see, I was looking to buy a..."

. . .

"Skuld, I want to tell you something, but you have to promise to keep it a secret."

"Lemme guess," his friend playfully said as she tapped her chin in thought, "You're not as satisfied with Anora as you thought, so you want us to have an affair."

Ephemer's face immediately scrunched into disgust. "What? No!"

Skuld let out a short chuckle as she brought her cup up to take a sip. "Then what?" she questioned.

"I'm going to do the exact opposite, actually." he told her, too annoyed by her to be nervous in confessing. "I want to give Anora a promise ring."

What happened next was the very unflattering display of water coming out of Skuld's nose, along with her choking on the rest. Through coughs, she quickly questioned, "Are you serious?! Ephemer, you can't just…!"

"I know that, which is why I need your help." he huffed. Still too annoyed at her to be even remotely second guessing his choices now. "You're the jewelry expert between us; you can help me decide what kind of ring to get her, and where to get it."

"I hope you're joking."

"Not even remotely."

Skuld recoiled a little. She gave her water glass a funny look before turning to Ephemer.

"Well," she started to a skeptic sigh, "I guess the main question is this; is she allergic to silver?"

Ephemer's face immediately fell. "I… I don't know." he admitted. "She doesn't seem to be, I think. But she doesn't really wear jewelry at all, so it's hard to tell."

"Then you should probably go with a gold ring." his friend told him- holding back her opinions on why Ephemer would buy Anora jewelry when she seldom wore any to begin with. "White gold, maybe. It's cheaper. Sometimes."

Ephemer gave her a slow nod. This was going to take some time.

. . .

"It's a very pretty ring." the jeweler told the young man with a nod as they reviewed the custom order. "A white gold band, five blue diamonds arranged into a star. Inside engraving reading 'we'll go together' in all lowercase letters. I'm sure whoever you plan on giving this ring to is going to absolutely love it."

"You think so?" Ephemer automatically asked. The jeweler looked at him before letting out a light chuckle.

"Of course I do." they agreed with a nod. "Custom orders are always my favorite to fill- it means that there is a lot of love and thought that goes into them. Now, how would you like to pay? We accept credit, debt, and offer layaways."

Oh yeah, that. Ephemer had been so caught up in knowing the jeweler thought the ring would be nice that he had almost forgotten about the payment.

"I was wondering what layaway plans you had, actually." he told them. "And, at the same time, if it was possible to split the payment across different cards? I know it sounds weird, but..."

. . .

Ephemer considered knocking on Ava's door for a fraction of a second. He was just asking for a favor, how hard did it have to be? He still felt bad when he just let himself in, though. Ava didn't register that he had entered for a moment. When she did, she looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey Ephemer." she greeted. "I was just about to go on lunch; what's up?"

Ephemer brought a shaking hand up to his neck as he nervously stuttered, "H-hey Mom… I need your help."

Ava's happy face turned into one of confusion and slight worry. "What's wrong?"

"I wanted to…" he started to say, closed his eyes when he faltered for a moment, then started again. "I wanted to give Anora a ring. A special one. I know what I want to do, and I think the jeweler in town can help, but the price… I think I can do layaway but… But Momma, I don't think I can do it alone. I need help."

At this, Ava furrowed her eyebrows as she put her paperwork away. She was used to Ephemer calling her 'Mom' (and occasionally a very sarcastic 'Mother') but never 'Momma.' It had almost sounded like he had combined both 'Mom' and 'Ava' at the same time and didn't bother to correct himself. The new term definitely caught Ava's attention, and she was more than curious on what he wanted to do exactly.

"What did you have in mind?" she then asked.

"I want you to hire me." he replied, his eyes flashing with determination. "It can be for the internship thing you promised when we graduate, or it can be somewhere else on campus. If there aren't any jobs on campus, then maybe you can help me find one in town. I need your help. Please Mom… I'm begging you..."

Ava gave a small sound of thought as she lulled the idea over. "I think I have an idea." she told him. "But I have one question; why?"

Ephemer gave her a confused blink. "Why, what?"

"Why give Anora a ring? Especially one that you know will be incredibly expensive? I don't exactly see her being the materialistic type, and I don't think I've ever seen the girl wear more than a dollar store headband..."

At this, Ephemer deflated a little. He looked so much like a small child, it very quickly reminded Ava of the first time she saw him. He was just a lost, confused kid. But he was determined.

"I just…" he started to say, "I guess I just want her to have something really special, just from me to her. Something that says that I love her, even when we're not together. Trust me Ava, I would make it myself if I could."

"That serious?"

Ephemer gave her a stiff nod. "You have no idea." he affirmed in a shaking voice. "I really want this."

Ava let out a small, thoughtful hum. "Well, if that's the case..." she mused as she got up from her desk and walked over to him. She slipped her hands into his before telling him, "Then I'll help you pay for it."

"WHAT?" the boy immediately exclaimed, jumping back in shock. "You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will." Ava informed him in stubborn certainty. "You order that ring the exact way you want, you pay what you can, and I'll cover the difference. I won't take no as an answer, Ephemer, and you know it."

"Mom..." Ephemer whimpered- tears forming in the corner of his eyes as he held on to her for dear life. "I love you so much. I'll pay you back when I can, promise!"

. . .

"Alright," the jeweler agreed, "I've got you set up on a four week plan. The down payment will be expected today, and then we'll automatically take out the set amount each week after. Which means, with the current total of 5,000 munny, you'll pay 2,000 munny today as a down payment, then after we'll automatically deduct 750 munny from your secondary card. By my outlook, you'd be good to pick the ring up the second week of December. Is this alright?"

"It's perfect." Ephemer grinned. "More than perfect."

"Excellent. We'll see you back here in December. Would you like a receipt?"

"Yes please." Ephemer agreed, almost taking the little slip too quickly. With a confident stride, he started to head on out the door. This was it. This was going to be his biggest gift to Anora yet. He was sure that she was going to like it. She had to. He'd give it to her on Christmas and everything would be perfectly fine.

But what if we don't make it that long?

Ephemer quickly shook his head. He wasn't going to have those thoughts now. He wasn't. He wouldn't. He never would have spent so much money on Skuld. If he did, he definitely would not have gone to great lengths for customization. No, this was a special ring for a special person to celebrate just how special they were together. Anora's ring would be a testament to their love. Their young, and hopefully long, love. With that ring, Ephemer was bound and determined to let Anora know that he would love her forever.

And that was a promise.