Arachne felt her hands sweating from underneath her skirt's pockets, grasping onto a wooden box, smooth and well finished, although it could be considered to be even more polished due to her access perspiration, all because of her upcoming plans. But of course they involved others, and for some strange reason she had some irrational doubt in them that somehow they would stumble in their duties and ruin a surprise she had tried to hard to keep an absolute secret despite her year's long journey to prepare for such a thing; something she knew to be quite important to her and Amalica.
For her plan over the course of the last year was to propose to her partner, who she had been with for fourteen years to the date of which her plan was meant to unfurl, and it had been with the aid of her friends that she was even sitting where she was now, preparing herself for what was to come. And Arachne would have executed it sooner, and it probably would have eased the stress weighing her down over the monumental event in her relationship that was about to occur at her own stead, if the rings she had drawn up for Ristil to forge had not taken as long as she thought them to be.
In his own defense, they were customized to almost perfection, Amalica's being that of a silver band with a lute on its side decorating its center as a jewel would, green quartz in the base the instrument itself, intricate drawings embossed into the metal itself, personalizing it even more, a string of musical notes decorating the rest of the band itself. Arachne's own ring was far more simple when it came to design, for the reason that she did not want to bring attention to her own ring, or at least as much as her lover's would, something she thought she readily deserved. And as such it was a silver ring with a lyre in its own center, but no protruding from its main structure as her partner's did, purple quartz crystals shimmering on each edge of the bar that held the tuning bulges of the instrument.
For some strange reason the drow elf somehow did not even fathom that such an intricately designed ring would take such a long time to forge and customize, but as Ristil described to her the process, she understood why, and began to make far more convoluted plans to make her proposal even more special for both her and Amalica. It was almost what Arachne felt she owed to her partner due to the fact that it had been the bard who had made the 'first move,' as some people called it, and she thought it only fair that she made some move into the relationship to further, and what better way than to take a step into making them bonded in the most mutually official way?
So, over the course of the year that it had taken to actually forge the rings, one of which Arachne had kept hidden from Amalica for the better part of the week since it had been made, which had been her own, the drow elf conversated with her friends, and made plans so as to make the proposal as special as it was meant to be. She still remembered when Ristil had planned to propose to Tris, and how he had planned it to be during a moonlit dance, on the surface, where he knew his then girlfriend was connected the most with, and everyone had known that she had said yes to his plea when the two of them came back to the bulk of the celebration because of the wide smiles painted on both of their faces in broad strokes.
Arachne's goal was to make Amalica smile in that same way, perhaps even with an entirely new gleam to it that outshone even the most excited of couples, because she knew that if anyone was to achieve such a thing, it would be her, and she would give anything to see that happen, better yet if she was the cause of such a thing to occur. And one thing she knew that the bard valued the most was events shared with those she cared about the most, and as such she had even managed to get Ristil's parents involved in her plans, as they had practically raised her after she accepted that she would not be returning to Abburth, and it would be in her best interests not to do so.
At about that time, Arachne could picture Amalica making her way towards Tris and Ristil's home to babysit Kal under the guise of the two of them having a day to themselves, as well as for her to teach the young boy a little bit more about playing the lute, as it was something that mesmerized him, and one thing that children were praised for in their community was exploring their interests. However, the eleven year old was in on their plan, too, and would soon tire of the lesson, and instead ask if they could gaze upon the fungi that would so beautifully decorate the caverns just outside Cell Maccis.
He would then sit down in an area very close to where the two of them had first shared their feelings fifteen years prior, a subtle clue Arachne hoped she would not immediately pick up, and they would talk for a bit, which was when the most time would be taken up, giving Ristil and Tris plenty of time to collect both Ilphrin and Ereldra, his parents, from their home, as well as the proper food stuffs and the like to celebrate afterwards. And when they sent Kal a message with the use of his necklace that was meant to keep him safe in case of emergencies, that would be when they would be in the same general area as she was, hiding out.
When such a signal was sent, Kal would declare that he wanted to play a game of tag, and, Amalica, being a playful spirit, would happily oblige, and either he would tag her first, or she would begin as the tagger, but it would inevitably lead her exactly where she needed to be. For there was a curtain of luminescent vines that had somehow managed to invade rock between it and the soil it called home, and it served as the one piece of privacy that would add to the almost enchanting feeling whenever anyone rose to the surface world for any moonlit dance.
The decorations around Arachne were hung upon the trees around her, that fit in a perfect circle, hidden entirely by a forest, save for the clearing that they were located in, the remains of the bonfire from the last moonlit celebration had yet to have disappeared, as for some reason it managed to, no doubt at the hands of the wildlife and the farmers around them. They were elaborate, but still prepared them for celebration while the night was still new, for they were in a perfect position to gaze upon the stars.
And when she saw the four other people who had helped her so much to plan this monumental moment in both her and Amalica's life, Arachne was quick to aid them in hiding their food until the time was right, as well as ensuring that they were as well concealed as the items they had brought. When that was over, she returned to her position on a large rock that lay just to the side of the clearing, only a hundred paces from the exit to the Underdark if one were to walk directly towards it, holding onto a lyre that had been the first gift she had ever received from her partner on their first anniversary.
As she recollected herself, bolting from the vine-covered exit was a knobby-kneed and playful eleven-year-old with a grin on his face as big as Abburth itself, giggling with so much delight that it was almost easy to forget that he had an ulterior motive to bringing Amalica out as far as she was headed, and most likely not realizing it due to the thrill, but as he hid away, Arachne prepared herself again, taking several deep breaths as she saw a pair of thin and dusky gray hands move aside the vines.
Looking up as she breathed heavily, crimson eyes met violet ones, a look of confusion on her face as Arachne gave her a small smile, beginning to strum her lute despite the sudden spike in adrenaline that she felt as soon as she began to play the tune, something she had crafted on her own at the recommendation of Ristil. And after a few measures of a gentle melody, setting a scene if one had not been made, she began to sing.
"Betrayed far too long, and yet your kindness remains, never gone.
If you wanted to leave me, the days would be long
Your voice, your kindness, your freedom of choice.
Your words always lined with mystical poise.
I want a life, one where I trust my love at first sight.
But all I know is everything's going to be alright
Hands that pluck strings, delicate and unique.
You hold me right here right now.
A gentle kiss against my cursed cheek, a love message never to be beseeched.
But they won't ever be the same
Her voice so beautiful, so much so the healing is proved plentiful.
Say you love me every waking moment"
Setting her lute aside, a bashful smile on her face as she knelt down taking the box from her skirt pocket, and looking up at Amalica as she spoke. "Will you marry me?"
And for a moment there was silence; but not any form of stressful silence, as there was no tension in the air, but a moment where the bard registered what she had been asked, her two hands quickly reaching her mouth as tears began to tease her perfect eyes, a wide smile still reaching her features, a blush more prominent on her face than anything she had seen before. She slowly moving just a bit closer, muttering the answer that even those in the brush were anticipating, something they were straining their ears for in desperation.
"Yes! Of course I will!"
Arachne, wanting to stand up to properly look at her then fiance, quickly slid the intricately designed ring upon her left hand's ring finger, standing up as she tucked the box back in to her pocket, before being immediately caught off guard by the grip of a minstrel's hands pulling her close and bringing her into an almost perfectly executed kiss, only broken by Amalica's surprise at the sudden cheering that surrounded them.
It was a chorus of congratulations and the like, all given to them by their five closest friends, some of them even considered family on Ilphrin and Ereldra's part, and it felt as if all was right with the world as the two of them held each other as the food was brought in with the help of the rest of the family, some of the pastries from their first picnic being among them, and as they all sat down, Amalica gazed upon her ring admirably, littering Arachne in kisses that she had typically kept for when they were alone, for the fact that the drow elf was quite shy and still attempting to get used to the life she had become almost completely accustomed to.
"You all were in on this?" Amalica inquired, taking a sizeable bite from a powdery pastry within the basket in the center of the blanket itself, ruffling Kal's hair playfully, one eye still fixated on the ring upon her finger.
Tris chuckled happily, humming to herself before she swallowed, a gentle smile on her face, "What do you think, Amalica? Arachne had Ristil forge both of your rings so it ould be as special as you are to her." She winked over to Arachne, who still had a prominent blush on her face. "Arachne said that to me when she was concocting her little plan."
Amalica chuckled, "Well I'm glad she did, because I feel the same way."