Today, there's no reason for dressing fancy. It's a simple idea for today's competition. Military conflicts. At the beginning of the day, Mom and Dad create a situation for the suitors to solve. It's hypothetical, but it could happen.

They told them, "consider Zophoria's society. Now, take another planet whose beliefs are the opposite, and society is structured differently. Said planet is desperate to form everyone in their galaxy to their societal roles. They have already taken over a few planets, making their army grow substantially. They cast their eyes on planet Zophoria. They send death threats and say they'll issue a war if Zophoria doesn't submit and abide by their requirements. What do you do?'

But it's not going to be a simple answer. Grandma is going to participate and hear out their answers. And with her help, the whole royal family is going to poke holes in their idea. Come up with aftermath scenarios, ask why they choose the idea they did.

Fortunately, they're giving the suitors a day to come up with a good idea. They'll present their answers tonight at dinner. One by one, they're going to come in and take a seat at the dinner table. After they present their idea, they'll go back to the smaller tables. The suitors whose ideas are the best get to feast with the family at the table.

Instead of thinking about it, I find myself in the garden. The smells are somewhat overwhelming, but after I water the petals, the smell drowns out. Rainbows of colors fill the small greenhouse, and the afternoon sun shimmers through the glass ceiling.

I set the watering can down on the wooden crate, soil spilling from the cracks in the wood. Taquib hops off my shoulder and dips her dull yellow beak into it to take a drink. Her nebula-colored feathers glitter in the sun, and her white belly is stained with dirt. Kavas is settled on the violet cushion of the basket swing hanging from the ceiling, looking like fire in the sunlight.

I'm impatient. I ordered Arroyo to be here and for Morven to accompany him. He should have been here an hour ago. What's taking them so long? Morven is never late. He's too scared Mom will fire him even at the slightest mishap.

I turn my attention back to Taquib. She's always been the gentle one of the two. Timider, as well. When I first got her and Kavas, they were both hatchlings from different families. They were both the runts of their litters and sent to butchers to be processed. But Dad found them right as the butcher was taking them in. And I guess his heart's just too soft to let the smallest of creatures be harmed. To be fair, it wasn't long after Mako and Mari had just passed away. He must have been feeling lonely. He must've known I was feeling lonely. It's the only reason I ended up with them.

It was so random. One day, Dad just walks into my room with a hand-made straw basket, wrapped in a soft purple blanket with darker polka dots. I lifted the blanket and right before I was Taquib and Kavas. The little things were just a few weeks old, so young that they hadn't even gotten the pigment in their feathers. Taquib was hiding in the corner as far away from my touch as possible, while Kavas kept biting me. I think their personalities made it obvious why I named them what I did.

In her tales, Kavas is hot-headed and somewhat aggressive. Meanwhile, Taquib is the gentle soul who helps to calm her lover and bring people to peace.

It's nice to see how much they've grown. They barely fit in the palm of my hands when I was little. Now, they're half the size of me. The feathers on the top of their head reach my waist, which would make them 3 heads tall. I'm six heads, almost seven. And Erie is barely over six heads. But Taquib has a plumper build, making her shorter. Kavas is more muscular and has longer legs.

When I reach out to pet Taquib, she hops away before flying over to Kavas. She snuggles up right next to her, beady black eyes wide and open. Of course, she's still not talking to me. Why is she mad in the first place? There's no possible way she can comprehend my situation. She's my bird, a gentle, oblivious soul who flies around trying to eat everything.

I hear the doors to the greenhouse open. When I turn around, I finally see Morven and Arroyo. Morven's clothes are more loose-fitting around his belly, something I can't help but notice. He's always been the one for tighter garments or going topless. Arroyo has boxes cradled in his arms. He's eyeing near Morven's waist. Arroyo has always been one to be a bit expressionless, or have some default joking tone, but from what I can tell, he's feeling a little bit of everything. It's off-putting to see fear, anticipation, joy, regret, and calmness dancing in his eyes all at once.

"Sorry. We got into a little..." Morven clears his throat before pausing to find the word. "Kerfuffle."

I raise an eyebrow. "Again?"

"It's not my fault Morven's indecisive." Arroyo sighs, setting the large few boxes on the glass table in the middle of the room. "First, he says he's good with having silver alite at the wedding like I want. But now he wants them to be gold, and he wants to change the entire decor. With only a three months notice, nonetheless."

Morven scoffs. "Silver and white do not go well together!"

"Well, I disagree, but anyway." He clears his throat and lays out the boxes. "I brought what you asked for."

I watch as he opens the boxes. Beautiful crystals in every spectrum of color fill one box to the brim, protected by the velvet box lining. Another is filled with silver, gold, and colored steel chains and bands. The final is filled with earring bases and hooks, along with pliers and other materials. But before I get a better glimpse in the boxes, I make sure Taquib is asleep. She has a habit of stealing shiny things from everyone. Well, she has a habit of stealing in general, but I owe Arroyo too much to let her swoop in and take what she wants. And thankfully, she's passed out. She's curled up next to Kavas with her head on the other bird's body.

"What exactly do you need?" Arroyo asks.

I look over the materials. I even made sure that Morven got Arroyo to bring a variety of everything. This has to be perfect, just for her. "I need a necklace crafted."

Arroyo seems taken back. "That's it?"

"Yes. A handmade and custom necklace is all I wish for." My accidental glare lands on him. "And you better be putting as much effort as you can into this. No mistakes. Understood? This has to and it will be perfect."

He nods. "Loud and clear."

"Good."

I trust him with this. Arroyo was raised in the jewelry-making and crystal business. Only sometimes did his family sell off the raw minerals as some crystal farms do. It's a tradition of theirs to craft the finest handmade products. My family has bought from them for years, and never have they disappointed. I know for a fact Arroyo enjoys it, too. He's made so many earrings, necklaces, piercings, and body jewelry over the years Morven has had to give chunks of it to me.

Looking through the crystals, it's hard to decide. What is Erie's favorite color? I can't believe I haven't asked that yet. It should be one of the first things you ask someone. Maybe I can just pick some colors and she'll like it. I mean, no matter what she would give me, I'd love it. If it's from Erie, it's something beautiful. I blame the size of her heart for that.

I think she'd like sunset colors. Oxrian, despite having horribly built societies, has some of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. Though I've only seen them through video and pictures, I still admire their beauty. Oranges and pinks blend the sky to make it feel like a warm hug. Before night falls, the bright colors fade to white before fading into a pitchless black.

Arroyo has the right crystals. A giant white heart and smaller tear-shaped pink and orange crystals near it. They seem perfect. Each crystal is sanded down and polished to give it a wonderful shine, and they're a perfect size so the necklace isn't chunky or too heavy.

I pick some from the box and set them on the table. In the end, There's a little over twenty gems.

Arroyo is surprised by my choice. "Those? You want those in a necklace?"

"Yes. I'm positive."

"You sure?" He glances from me to the crystals. "These are just common geodes. Nothing special."

"Well, they're special enough for her."

I'm awaiting his response, but he's giving me a confused silence. Morven lets out an excited gasp and grabs me by the shoulders. "Her? HER?"

Well. I think I just broke my best friend.

He doesn't seem to want to let go of me. Squealing, ranting, even ignoring his fiance's touch. It's... concerning. Morven doesn't ignore Arroyo. Never. Even at the slightest touch he's always quick to act on it.

"I can't believe it! It's the Oxri, right? The Oxrian woman? The one with white hair? I thought she was adorable when I first saw her! Guess you did, too! But oh wait, that means you're going to marry her, right? Right, right, right?"

Marry her? I hope so. Marrying Erie would make me the happiest woman in the galaxy.