Cherishment Makes The Heart Grow Fonder [Open]

[unbreakable_king]

Who; Rhy, Llewellyn, Yuki, And whoever
What; Get Your Cherishment Gifts Here, and Husband time
Where; Markets, Rhy's Apartment.
When; February
Warnings; None?

I. A Pop-Up Gift Shop
Cherishment was coming. It was a term that Rhy didn't understand but he heard whispered time and time again in the shop, whispered between Tiana and the other seamstresses as they worked on fancy dresses and even, from time to time, a more romantic garment or two made mostly from lace. BUt they talked and talked in anticipation until Rhy finally asked what was going on. And what he learned set Rhy to thinking, thinking and preparing.

Which was what led to him out in a small stall in the open air markets through the month. It had been one he'd convinced Tiana to rent for the time of Cherishment, and from there he'd even went and bought his own small charcoal brazier to help him stay warm, even going so far as to drape the whole thing in a tent-like covering to keep the heat in. Granted the tent-like covering was made of discarded fabrics that were less desirable or had gone out of fashion years ago. It made the whole stall a bit warmer where he sat, though it had to be open in the front, so Rhy himself was in warm clothing and covered with a blanket, his hands often dipping under the counter so he could work his fingers inside a warming pocket.

All in all though, the stall was well decorated with his holiday offerings. There were all sorts of stuffed fabric hearts and small bowls and cups filled with a variety of fabric flowers. All of them were made from cast offs of the store, things too small to work with back there ot make real garments. Yet they were all very vivid in color, or rich in texture, or had subtle patterns worked into them or lace decorating them. They were a marvel of little things, stuffed in the case of the hearts with sawdust, flakes of ceder, and some herbs that were good at keeping moths away so they would keep well. The roses were lightly perfumed.

And all of it sold by a cheerful man calling out to whoever passed by.

"How about a lasting fabric creation for your dearest friends, or greatest love? A fabric creation will be rich in color, and meaning, for many years to come!"


II. An Evening In Love
Selling to others wasn't the only thing Rhy was doing, though. No, he had his own love to think about. Which was why he had come home one night with plenty of gifts. Pampering a lover was a very Kingly thing to do. Which suited the armload of gifts he came home with. Boxes with watches, an armload of hand made fabric roses, even a box of hand crafted chocolates he'd bought in town, nothing was too good for his beloved, and Rhy wanted to make sure that his love knew it.

And, of course, a nice soft and oversized heart that he'd stuffed with soft cotton just to give Pretzel to chew on.

Comments

[areasontohope]

Yuki hadn't heard of Cherishment. And he was working in the office when someone came in and spoke about it. To him it sounded pretty close to Valentine's Day back home and he looked at the calendar on his desk.

Oh

He thought about Jacob and well..there weren't clear defined boundaries on who bought who what and when so he decided to be the one to give the Valentine's gifts..or Cherishment as it was being termed here. So he waited until after work and saw so many gift shops in town.

What to buy? Where to start?

With a sigh, he put on his coat and started by purchasing a few sweets. But as he was walking by, Yuki heard Rhy's voice calling out and he headed over there to see what the man had for sale.

Moving over to the stall, his eyes searched around and then saw a few things. He was a little nervous. Not at the purchasing of the things of course, but of who they were for, and most importantly, how they were going to be received.

But he smiled at the man and gave a slight bow. "It's good to see you again."

[unbreakable_king]

Ah, there was a young man he remembered in passing.

"Food as an expression of love, right?" he said. Yes, he remembered the boy for that. "It's good to see you too. Have you been thinking of it, what food might mean love for you?"

[areasontohope]

"Yes." Yuki replied, recalling that conversation. But then his face coloured a little since now that same chat was hitting a lot closer to home now than it had back then. "Uh..well I can't say I have any other answer other than what he likes..or would like."

Which was true.

[unbreakable_king]

Oh, what he likes? Rhy is captivated. Little Yuki has found a love.

"Well, I don't know that there are answers to be found here. Perhaps there is another way I can help you?"

[areasontohope]

"Yes." Yuki replied with a smile. "I was wondering if you could make..something with chocolate and strawberries in fabric." Valentine's Day back home was the girls gave guys chocolate and on White Day in March the girls got a gift in return.

With dating another guy, he wasn't sure if that tradition would work.

[unbreakable_king]

Well that's interesting. And Rhy's smiling. Strawberries are a bit like hearts.

"Is that the food of your love?"

[areasontohope]

Yuki couldn't say for certain if that was the definitive food so he did blush a little bit. "Well he did say he liked them. And with the holiday I thought those would be appreciated."

[unbreakable_king]

"Oh, are they associated?" Rhy asked as he started looking through his reds and pinks to try and choose bits of fabric that would suit this. "How many?"

[areasontohope]

"Well..back home they are. I'm not really sure about here though I have seen chocolate covered strawberries offered in shops."

At the question posed he had to think for a moment. "Twelve is a traditional number for bouquets. But if you don't have that many, it's okay."

II.

[gadaboutdetective]

Llewellyn, of course, was a little behind Rhy in returning to the apartment. He was doing a lot better with spending more time with Rhy and Pretzel than spending too much time at one of his jobs (thank goodness for Aerith), but he still did lose track of time now and again.

Though tonight he’d made a point of leaving early, if only because he had realized something was up this morning based upon his husband’s mood (he'd be a poor detective and husband if he didn't take note). It hadn’t been hard to see how excited Rhy was about the ‘Cherishment’ celebration this world was hosting. He couldn’t help but muse over how much it reminded him of Valentine’s day from his world, and the Sphere had something similar… But this was the first time he’d paid closer attention to it himself, and found himself rather enjoying it.

The excitement, the atmosphere, the fact that he could choose to enjoy it with Rhy however they wished… It was wonderful, and so he was happy to embrace both it and Rhy’s joy.

For all that Llewellyn had guessed there was something special about that evening, he was still rather puzzling over what Rhy’s plans were. He was not expecting to be spoiled, certainly. Maybe he should have, but it was something he’d need to learn to expect, given how his life had been before Rhy. At least it meant he’d never take his beloved for granted.

He, of course, had something for Rhy without thinking the man had anything for him. A bottle of Rhy’s preferred red wine, a small box wrapped carefully with a bow from a shop he’d discovered in the market. Both were already sitting on the counter, having stashed them there on his lunch break earlier that day with the intent of getting home before Rhy.

Instead, he was a bit tardy (but still earlier than most evenings) with a dozen crimson roses he’d had picked out from Aerith's before he left for the day. The detective couldn’t help but wistfully think that perhaps next year they could have them fresh from their own garden… Pretzel was eagerly tugging him along by the leash into the red building, and Rhy would likely hear them nearing as the pup let out some excited barks to be home.

Re: II.

[unbreakable_king]

The barking had Rhy rushing around the apartment to try and put in the final touches. The candles were lit, the box of chocolates laid out. The dinner, provided by Ignis of course because the man was a genius, was laid out on the table, and Rhy was dressed in his finest clothes.

Tonight would be special if he could help it. And he could.

When the barking got to the door Rhy moved to open it.

"Sweetling."

Re: II.

[gadaboutdetective]

Llewellyn looked a little surprised when Rhy opened the door, eyes drawn to the man’s outfit choice. He looked, in Llewellyn’s opinion, stunning in his finest clothing. Which, even after all this time, managed to derail his thoughts a bit. He even dropped Pretzel’s leash, and the pup darted by to head right into the apartment for his water dish. Needing a moment to get his thoughts in order, his arm raised to display the roses tied off with a gold ribbon first, before a clumsy sound escaped. “Good evening, my love. You look-” He smiled, tilting his head slightly as he gave the display another look. “You look very striking, so much so that my words seem to have left me somewhat.”

And, he realized, perhaps he was somewhat under-dressed by comparison.

He would notice the rather romantic state of the apartment in the next moment or two, of course, but first he was focused on his rather breathtaking beloved. Let him admire you for a moment, Rhy.

[unbreakable_king]

Roses. Oh Rhy smiled, happily taking them from his husband. He remembered.

"I always look ravishing. But I'm happiest to be ravishing for you, my sweetling. Come in so no one else gets to enjoy me."

[gadaboutdetective]

While there were occasions that Llewellyn could be oddly forgetful, there were at least some things that he found committed to memory rather easily. Why and his preferences were one of those things, certainly.

He hummed, though, delighted by the other’s words. “I don’t disagree with you there, my love.” He didn’t need to be told twice to get into the apartment, slipping in through the doorway and letting it click shut behind him. “Mm… I certainly would not want to share you at the moment, selfish as that may be.” He added lightly, tilting his head and then…

Then he paused, his eyes darting around the apartment to see it lit up with candles and clearly there had been much he missed from being later than intended. “Beautiful…” He murmured, awestruck again. It took him a moment to take it all in, surprise on his face. Finally, he offered a soft smile to the other, admiring how the candlelight caught his husband’s eyes. “You’ve been quite busy, I see.”

[unbreakable_king]

"I have," Rhy agreed. Candles. Flowers, the chocolates. He felt like he'd done good.

"Oh, but first the little love."

He moves away from Rhy so he can go fetch the new toy for this lovely little pup.

"Alright, here's a gift for you."

[gadaboutdetective]

He had done very well, and Llewellyn was more than a little distracted by it all. Emotion welling up in him at how much Rhy had done to surprise him that night. He almost felt silly for not having accurately guessed it before, but this was quite a lot… “It’s lovely, Rhy.” He finally commented softly, before he allowed his husband to tend to their pup for a moment.

It gave him time to take off his hat and shrug out of his heavy coat to get a little more comfortable. He rather felt like he should change.

Meanwhile, Pretzel was delighted by this present. The little hound cared not for the atmosphere or the candles and flowers, they were not something of interest at all. But the soft, stuffed heart being presented to him? That was an exciting thing. His tail wagging eagerly and he let out a little bark as he excitedly accepted his present from Rhy. It would keep him busy for quite a while, especially as he found it was light enough for him to toss about and mess with on his own.

[unbreakable_king]

If he wanted to change, Rhy wouldn't stop him. but he might find rose petals on the bed. Oops.

"Like you are," Rhy told his lover before petting their puppy. "And like Pretzel is. Such a good boy. Daddy made you a toy. Just for you. You don't have to share."

When the puppy took it, Rhy was happy to let it go.

"Well, love, I need to get dinner into the oven to heat up."

I. A Pop-Up Gift Shop

[unknownmoirai]

Inesa had recently started working at A Cut Above but she had decided that she'd work part-time while getting used to the new atmosphere of the city. As such, she only worked four days a week for half the day and today happened to be one of her days off. She had stopped into the store to see if she was needed but Tiana quickly shooed her away and told her to enjoy the various stalls that were set up for the holidays.

It was during her wandering that she spotted Rhy with a collection of various goods made out of fabrics. He was speaking with a customer when she walked up to the stall. Inesa waited patiently, her fingers gently brushing against one of the fabric roses.

She had worn a pink dress without a back so that she could fly around the city and hand out flowers but she was currently empty-handed. Inesa had also slipped on a thin pair of pink slippers after being scolded about not wearing shoes.

Once Rhy was free she spoke, her voice soft and angelic. "These are lovely."

[unbreakable_king]

Inesa. Seeing her, he beams in pleasure. It's been nice, working with her again, even if she's there less commonly than he is. And this whole cherishment thing meant that he wasn't in the store as often as he might have been. So he hadn't seen her as often as he would want to.

So he was glad she was here now.

"Thank you. Roses are important in my home. A symbol of my family and of love."

In fact... He takes one flower free, one with yellow cloth, and holds it out to her.

"This means friendship. For you."

[unknownmoirai]

"I think Mr. Llewellyn once told me the same thing." A soft happy smile shaped her lips while the tip of her finger gently brushed along the various roses that Rhys had put together. They were truly lovely.

Her gaze shifted to the flower held out to her. "Thank you Rhy." She took the flower with a bright grin and tucked it behind her ear such that it weaved seamlessly into picturesque waterfall of white flowers in her hair. "It is beautiful."

A bud of pride blossomed in her chest at seeing Rhy's progress. It had been by Rhy's own hands but Inesa couldn't help but feel the new sensation seeing her student and friend doing so well. "Could I purchase three pink roses and three red roses?"

[unbreakable_king]

"As beautiful as you," he insisted, with a smile.

When she makes the request he smiles and starts to sort out the flowers he has already made.

"I could sell you some of the pre-made ones,but if you want some really nice work, I could make them for you special."

[unknownmoirai]

"Really?" Her eyes lit up, showing more blue than their usual warm gray. "That would be amazing Rhy. Thank you!"

She didn't know how he'd make them but she wanted them to be perfect and she knew that Rhy would do a good job. "Sometimes I think you are too kind to me." Inesa beamed at him.

"When will they be ready by?"

[unbreakable_king]

"How could I be too kind to you?" Rhy asked, shaking his head. "You must understand, my skill only exists because you were willing to teach someone who could do nothing. This kindness I return because you have given me so much."

And that was just how life was in his books.

He took out a paper and started writing down the order.

"I think, for you, two days maximum."

[unknownmoirai]

Inesa giggled and shook her head. "Yes but I could not teach someone who had absolutely no talent. You were always eager to learn." Even if he didn't have a talent for the craft, he had a talent and passion to learn.

"Then thank you. I will happily accept your kindness."

She watched him writing down the order with a curious glance. "Okay. How much are those six flowers? Do you want me to pay you now?" She had some money on her but she wanted to make sure she didn't spend it all before giving Rhy what he'd require for her order.

[unbreakable_king]

He had talent? Rhy smiles.

"No one has ever told me I have talent but for languages. Thank you."

He feels so damn moved by that.

"We're doing half up front, half upon completion," he says as he writes her receipt and offers it out to her.