Chapter 21 Grtirr
Julie held up a jar of raspberry preserves like it was a trophy, the look of satisfaction playing on her face. “We did it. We found the best one!”
Just the sight of her so happy had my chest tightening up.
Kat beamed right back at her. The two of them had relentlessly taste-tested dozens upon dozens of versions, canvassing the entire market, before settling on their favorite.
They’d bought so many jars that the vendor had offered to ship them directly to the docking bay.
An extra shuttle trip would be necessary just to get them all back to the ship.
And then there were the Earth treats and confectionery, things I had no name for, but that Kat and Julie had happily handed over credits for with giant smiles.
There were other shopping concourses on Halcyon, but we didn’t have a need for luxury goods, so most of the crew from Vokira had joined us at the market today.
We’d split off once inside the tent. The last I’d seen of Sergio, he had his arms laden with purchases.
The credits from the gems we’d traded had gone further than I expected.
Julie wasn’t the only one who appreciated pretty rocks, though I should’ve known already.
My old nest back on Kadri had been filled with jewels. Too bad that was gone now.
Kat and Trsak had gone off to explore on their own, leaving me alone with Julie as we wandered through the stalls.
We passed Facet & Formation, the gem and jewelry vendor from the other day, and Julie slowed, her gaze lingering on the display. “Maybe next time,” she murmured to herself. “I spent too many credits on chocolates and preserves. I don’t think I can afford anything here now.”
I glanced at the stall, then back at her. “I still have credits. I do not need them for anything. You are my mate, what is mine is yours.” I took her hand and started toward the stall.
She blinked up at me, surprise flickering across her face. “I thought you said all these useless trinkets were a waste of space.” She released my hand to wiggle the index and middle fingers of both hands as she said the last three words, irritation creeping into her tone.
I stopped, and as the marketgoers streamed around us, I cupped her face in my palms. “I was wrong. These trinkets aren’t useless.
Not when they make your eyes light up like that.
And if it makes you happy, I’ll bring every last one back to Vokira myself and carry them up the mountain by wing to our nest just to see you smile. ”
Her expression softened, her irritation melting away.
Despite the many eyes on us, many of which would be disgusted and shocked at our cross-species display of affection, I bent and kissed her.
Their disgust meant nothing. Let them choke on it.
Julie was mine, and if they didn’t like it, they could look away.
When I pulled back, her eyes were half-lidded, her breath unsteady.
I wanted to roar in victory, but instead, I led her toward the stall.
The stall was a treasure trove split down the middle, each side offering its own kind of allure.
On the left, the rocks and gems gleamed under the lights.
There were geodes split open to reveal glittering crystal caverns, and smooth, polished stones in every color.
Some were left in their natural state, while others had been cut and faceted into dazzling shapes that sparkled with every shift of light.
On the right was the display of vintage and antique jewelry, each piece with a story of its own.
Delicate necklaces sat on velvet displays, their pendants set with tiny gemstones.
A locket lay open, its surface etched with intricate designs, while a row of gold rings lined a box on the table.
The most valuable items were locked behind glass, their cases lined with dark fabric to make the gold and gems stand out even more.
Julie gravitated toward the rocks first, picking up a piece of fossilized tree resin with a prehistoric fern trapped inside, before putting it down when something else caught her eye.
“Look at those opals!” she squealed before covering her mouth.
“We have them back on Vokira, but I’ve never seen any with red in it.
Those must be the fire opals I’ve read about…
” She gasped, her eyes on the faceted gem rotating in another case.
It was small, no bigger than the tip of my little finger, but it was mesmerizing the way the color shifted between blue and purple in the light.
“What is that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“That’s tanzanite.” The shopkeeper, a wiry human with sharp eyes, leaned in. His hair was streaked with silver, and a pair of round, gold-rimmed spectacles perched on his nose. “Only found in one place on Earth, and the mine’s been dry for years now.”
By the way his eyes looked through the glasses, he didn’t need them for vision repair and was simply wearing them as decoration. The shopkeeper’s gaze flicked to the pin in Julie’s hair.
“That’s a beautiful cabochon. What is it? Is it from Vokira? I assume that’s where you’re from.” He nodded at me.
Julie touched the pin self-consciously. “Oh, this? I’m not quite sure what it is. But I never did find any more like it, and I’ve been looking for years along the river.”
The shopkeeper’s eyes never left the pin. “How much for it?”
Julie shook her head. “Oh no, it’s not for sale. It has sentimental value. It took me forever to make without the right tools. I had to sand it by hand.”
“You made that? The wire-wrapping is beautiful. Not many artisans are left who do that.” He handed her a card. “If you ever find more of the stone or make more of your pieces, call me. And if you’re looking for more like it, try upstream. There might be a larger deposit there.”
Julie tucked the card into her pocket. “Thank you.”
Then she moved to the other side of the shop, scanning the myriad of jewelry pieces. I couldn’t help but eye the display of colorful gemstone rings. There was one that stood out. It had an oval sky-blue stone in the center and two white stones on either side.
“It’s a light blue sapphire. With two natural original Earth diamonds.” The vendor said it as if diamonds were not extremely common and not worth much.
I frowned. “My translators tell me that diamonds are the same crystal we use in our cutting tools. It is very common. I see that reflects the light beautifully, but it is not worth much.”
“It’s an old Earth thing,” Julie explained. “This ring is an antique by now.”
“What did the alien say?”
“They consider diamonds to be very common and not worth much,” she explained.
The vendor chuckled. “I’m assuming he understands our language?”
Julie nodded, and the vendor turned to me.
“We no longer consider diamonds to be precious anymore either. But these are from a century when diamonds were considered the king of gems. They are valued now for their history, and not their rarity.”
I gave him a curt nod, understanding. A fad. Kadri had those too.
After my conversation with Chris, I searched the database for Julie’s questionnaire.
She’d listed her favorite color as sky blue, which hadn’t been surprising to me.
She wore the color often, and there was also the hair clip.
I had also looked up this old Earth tradition of giving engagement rings.
Technically, there were two rings involved, but the tradition was old, and there were many bastardized versions of it now.
I’d decided to go with one ring, for now.
I could always give her more every year.
And I believe I’d found the one, especially when Julie oohed and ahhed at it, but lamented that it was beyond her budget. I kept quiet and sent a message to Chris instead.
In the end, Julie settled on a piece of opal that she immediately saw as a pendant. The shopkeeper reminded her to call him if she ever found more of the stone, and we left to meet everyone else at the front of the bazaar for our evening meal.
“I have a few things to do,” I said as I handed her over to Sergio, who was currently without his partner since Chris was still recovering. “I’ll meet you at the shipping dock after your meal.”
Then, with my communication device translator on and the extra credits Chris had just sent over to me, I returned to the shopkeeper, who looked a little apprehensive to see me alone.
But that apprehension quickly faded when I told him what I was there for.
Before long, I had what he’d called a three-stone ring featuring a three-carat eye-clean Ceylon sapphire oval, flanked by two triangle-cut diamonds in a very old-looking antique ring box in my pack.