Ciri was right about the infestation being a cinch; with the two of them there, it took only a few minutes to cut down the entire brood, and a minute more burn the eggs. Now, they were onto their much bigger, much more important mission: Getting the ring a rock.
"Diamond or onyx?" Geralt asked the jeweler as he brandished the silver band he had brought from across the country.
"Well, sir, diamond is, of course, the more traditional and vastly more popular choice, although I daresay onyx on a slim silver band such as this would look rather striking as well," the jeweler said in one impressively long breath.
"So, both are good choices?" He grunted. "That's no help. Ciri?"
She smirked. She gave him a hard time, but she was both honored and thrilled to be such an integral part of this process. "What can you afford, Geralt?" She wanted to be honest.
"Either, really. Or both, if it comes down to it, but one would have to be smaller than the other."
A look of distaste flashed across the jeweler's face.
"Think about her choker, then. What that's made of?"
"Both – a large onyx stone surrounded by small bits of diamond."
The jeweler perked up at this. "Does it almost look as if it has been dusted by diamond, sir? Does it shimmer?" There was a twinkle in the gemologist's eyes – an idea brewing.
Geralt was lost in thought for a moment, undoubtedly trying to picture Yennefer's choker in his mind. Then Ciri noticed an almost imperceptible change in his expression, his eyes darkening, before he cleared his throat with a sheepish look on his face. Ciri could guess that he hadn't stopped at thoughts of just the choker. "Yes, it shimmers."
"If the gentleman pleases, I can create a similar effect: Diamond specks of various sizes along the band with a rock of onyx at the center."
Geralt looked at Ciri, and although she knew he'd made up his mind already, she gave him a reaffirming smile. "Looks like we have a winner."
It took the jeweler two days to complete the ring (would have been four if he hadn't noticed that his customer was none other than the White Wolf in one of the paintings hanging on his wall), but it was worth the wait. The ring was flawless and reminded them both immediately of Yennefer. It was perfect. Geralt was wise enough to realize that his pocket was not the most secure place, his pouches not the most sanitary for something so precious, so he gave the ring to Ciri for safekeeping. Ciri took the responsibility seriously, with immense pleasure and honor.
"Best job I've ever taken," she said with full sincerity.