13thcommander | Labrynthum Inbox

[He could look less intense, but this is important. Dolph is his bestie, after all.]

I ask this with all due respect, Jean, and apologies if my vocabulary isn't entirely up to date: you're not viewing this proposal as some kind of runner-up relationship that will always be secondary to your relationship with Eren, are you? Because Dolph deserves better than that.

[So do you goes unsaid, but is definitely implied.]

No offense taken, Erwin.

[ Erwin will be able to see Jean steeling himself quietly. ]

He's not secondary to my relationship with Eren. Dolph is my priority now. I love Eren, but he's made his choice and his decisions. Dolph deserved better than Alex - he deserved better than me, honestly, at the start.

[ They are both dead, these two lovers of Jean's. But one is trying to make what he can of his life here, and the other isn't, as far as he's aware. ]

I still have choices I can make, and I choose Dolph, and staying with him. As long as this place lets me - longer, if I can manage it.

Edited 2024-10-14 14:47 (UTC)

[Erwin stares for a few seconds more, his brows drawn down as he considers what Jean has said.]

[You better not be shitting him, kid.]

[And then he breaks into a bright, sunny smile.]

Then I'm very happy to hear that, and wish nothing but the best for both of you.

[ Jean keeps his head held up when Erwin considers his words - only when he sees that smile does he let his shoulders slip down a little, a lopsided grin on his face. ]

Thank you, I appreciate that a lot. All I want to do is make Dolph happy - make sure the good memories outweigh the bad ones.

[ He has a lot of work to do. Dolph is thirty, after all. But he'll do it. ]

But - I was serious about the rings question. I know I don't want anything too fancy for him - too complicated and he won't like it.

[Had Jean answered in any other way, this conversation definitely would have shifted to something far more adversarial. But then again, Jean has witnessed how Erwin will refuse to back down on certain topics, so had to know a question like that was coming.]

[Also, thirty isn't old, shut up.]

That's the best reason possible for getting married. And you do make him happy. He's said as much to me.

[And for as reluctant as Dolph can be to talk about emotions, him expressing them so openly to Erwin means it has to be true.]

I'm afraid I won't be much help for the ins and outs of ring shopping. Levi and I saw ours in a dream the labyrinth gave us, and then I simply wished for them from the crystal. There was no shopping or choice involved.

Have you asked Dolph what kind he thinks he'd like? I'd say that silver would stand out more against his skin, but then gold is a different metal than his arm, and could stand for a new beginning.

That's what I want to do for the rest of my life, sir.

[ Ah, they wished the rings - that makes sense. Still, his input is helpful regardless, especially about the gold. It's still a precious metal back home, rare and prized. ]

I know gold can be more delicate, though. Then again, maybe the magic here can be used to make it more durable.

I'll see what he might have a preference for. Even if he knows what kind of metal the ring will be, I still have some tricks up my sleeve.

[Erwin holds up his hand so Jean can see it, and the simple gold band on his ring finger.]

I've been wearing it for about a year, and it's held up well. I think the gold may be mixed with another, stronger metal.

[The ring has some scratches on it, and has been buffed down by wear to a mellow gleam, but it's clearly still in good shape.]

Are you thinking of adding a stone to it? And should I start dropping hints to Dolph about the kind of stone you might like?

[Because he will absolutely wingman for you, Jean.]

[ Jean makes another mental note. It has held up well, that's true - it won't be shiny forever, and that's certainly not a problem.

The question of stones, though, has Jean laughing gently to himself. ]

No - no stones for me. I'd be afraid it'd catch on the gear.

[ The ring is already risk enough. ]

I hadn't considered a stone for him. I wasn't sure if that fell under too fancy. Maybe something set in the metal, rather than protruding?

You do have to be more careful with the gear, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

[Erwin Smith, advising restraint and caution? What is this, bizarro world?]

Yes, something set in the metal. A protruding stone would just get in the way.

I believe the traditional stone is a diamond?

[~~Erwin NO, don't believe the DeBeers propaganda!~~]

I thought about a diamond - it's the stone my necklace has. But it seems... too impersonal?

[ Rings are already not a terribly common thing - more common the further towards the interior you are. For people like Eren and Mikasa, they were rare. Jean's mother had a ring, but it was plain. Stones are the exception. ]

It doesn't make me think of Dolph, I guess.

[Erwin's parents had rings too, but they were both plain bands. That could be why the labyrinth manifested the rings he and Levi wear as it did.]

I agree, a diamond doesn't seem to fit.

[It does, however, fit you, pal, so guess what Erwin is going to subtly slip into conversation with Dolph later?]

What color makes you think of him? That might be a good place to start.

[ Jean seems to consider this seriously, closing his eyes as he thinks. ]

I think of warmth, but... not the colors you'd associate with that. Not red or yellow. Something soothing and comforting, like a lake on a day without wind. A place you want to stay at forever.

Blue, and green.

Blue and green... one moment.

[Erwin puts the phone down and stands up, treating Jean to a view of the cottage ceiling. There's some rustling in the background, and an annoyed meow and murmured apology when Erwin has to move Burnt Rice out of the way, and then Erwin comes back. He props the phone up so the camera is facing him, and he's got a book in his hands.]

[Because of course he has a book about geology and gemstones kicking around. Naturally.]

All right, I'm going to look for blue and green gemstones.

[He starts flipping through the book, and when he finds the page he's looking for, he holds it up so Jean can see it.]

There are emeralds and sapphires, which are beautiful, but it also says here that they're fragile, particularly emeralds. They're not recommended for rings that you wear everyday.

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JEEZ COMMANDER ROAST HIS BALLS

BE HAPPY YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND HAS SUCH GOOD BALL ROASTING FRIENDS, GOSH!

HE IS BUT DAMN

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