Timelined a few days after Let it Go
<Rogue> Rogue spun Ripley in a quick circle, careful not to let their faces touch, and laughing at the high-pitched squeals coming from her niece. After a couple of spins, she slowed and moved to actually help Bobby. "So... When's this happenin' again? Y'all gonna kidnap me an' fly me somewhere new this time?"
<Bobby> "We haven't gotten that far," he laughed, holding his yapping hairy beast back from defending his little sister. "I doubt it though. I'm betting this will be the whole nine yards. Meaning nine yards of fabric on a big poufy dress."
<Rogue> "Well, duh. It's Paige." Rogue reached out and ruffled the poor mutt's head. "Oh, hush up." Rogue shifted Ripley to her hip and leaned over a counter, pointing out shiny things to her. "Are y'all completely okay with all this? Like, no doubts'r depression?"
<Bobby> "No, I'm..." He paused, frowned, then nodded. "This time of year... it's hard, yeah." Maybe taking a toddler and a dog to the holiday market was a bad idea. "But I want this. She wants this."
<Rogue> "Ah know she does. An' as much as Ah love Paige, Ah look out f'r you an' this lil one first an' foremost." She kissed at the air towards Ripley and got an air kiss, sort of, back. "So, if y'all want it an' have no problems at all, then it's fine. If ya don't... talk ta her."
<Bobby> "I want this, babe." He leaned on the counter and looked over at her. "Really. It's... time. I love her." Ripley giggled and he reached to play with one of her blonde curls. "And Rip doesn't have to be an only child."
<Rogue> Rogue grinned, "Okay then. Good." She laughed, "Oi. That's tha last thing Ah need ta think 'bout. Gross. Tell daddy, gross!" Ripley wrinkled her face up with a grin and practically shouted the word. Well, as best as a two year old could anyway.
<Rogue> "What'd y'all have in mind f'r tha rings?"
<Bobby> "It's not gross, it's the miracle of life! Circle of life even." Bobby started humming some Lion King, much to Ripley's delight. Laughing, he shook his head. "I'm not picky, but what do you think Paige wants?"
<Rogue> "Pink. An' girly. An' pink." Ripley shouted, "Pink," and Rogue nodded. "Yeah, pink." Rogue scrunched up her face and walked around the cases some, "Do y'all want matchin'? Or completely separate?"
<Bobby> "Well as fetching as I know I am with pink hair, I'm not wearing a pink ring. Not even for Paige." He laughed and tweaked his daughter's nose, putting the dog down to circle his legs.
<Rogue> "Don't mean ya hafta have a pink ring. Could just have a design that's similar. Or put a pink diamond on tha inside o' tha band'r somethin'." She frowned and danced side to side with Ripley, "Do ya think more antiquey or more modern?"
<Bobby> "Fu...dge if I know," he barely caught himself. "Think that calls for a quarter?"
<Rogue> "Ah won't tell if y'all won't." She smirked at him and looked at Ripley, "She's distracted anyhow." Rogue put her down to run around with Yoda, making sure to block the exit path. No escaping! "Then how 'bout we go f'r somethin' classic. Classic is always good. Could go either way."
<Bobby> "She's looked at classic, she's looked at antique, she's looked at modern, although she kind of ruled out most of the modern." He chuckled and leaned back onto the counter. "She says they're all too pretty and she can't decide. The only thing the ones she does like have in common is pink diamonds."
<Bobby> He looked over at Rogue. "Babe," he said, licking his lips and lowering his voice. "I didn't even know diamonds came in pink before all this."
<Rogue> Rogue snickered and leaned over to nudge him and pat him on the shoulder, "That's why ya got a gal f'r a best friend. Ta help ya figure this sh--oot out. Diamonds come in all kinds o' colors apparently. Ah'm still partial ta mah emerald an' sapphire though."
<Bobby> "...did you know gold came in pink, too?" He clutched the patting hand and put on a panic face.
<Rogue> Rogue fought the laugh and kept her best serious face, "Ah did. It's called rose gold. An' ya know what else? Sapphires come in pink, too."
<Bobby> "This is witchcraft." He shuddered. "Witchcraft!"
<Rogue> Rogue couldn't fight the laugh anymore. "Oh stop it. Y'all had ta know some gal somewhere wouldn't ever be satisfied with one color f'r tha different gems an' metals."
<Bobby> Bobby started humming Silver and Gold in reaction to this. "It's seasonal!"
<Rogue> Rogue's laughter got a bit louder and she hip bumped her best friend. "Y'all're a nut. C'mon. Let's try some pretty rings on."
<Bobby> "Well, I'll try 'em on you." Bobby returned the bump and slung an arm around her after checking to make sure the kid and dog were still behaving. Finally he settled down and looked at the case. "Okay... that?" He pointed.
<Rogue> Rogue arched an eyebrow at his choice, "Ah think that's a good startin' point at least..." She gestured for the man to come help them, "What 'bout that," she pointed at an over the top gaudy ring.
<Bobby> He looked at the ring, then Rogue, then the ring, then Rogue again. "You really think she'd wear that?"
<Rogue> "Maybe? Hell...ifax. Ah dunno, Bugs. She's y'all's gal. Ah ain't had y'alls memories lately ta know her better'n y'all. It's girly?"
<Bobby> "She's girly, but she's not..." His nose wrinkled at the ring. "That."
<Rogue> Rogue nodded, conceding that it was probably too much. "Alright. Well, then let's try tha one y'all pointed to at first?" She glanced over her shoulder at the munchkinlings and turned back to the case.
<Bobby> The man handed him the ring and Bobby gave it a once-over, and then looked at the tag and coughed. "Well." Shaking it off, he pretended to go on one knee, dipping slightly, and took Rogue's hand to slide it on.
<Rogue> Rogue barely contained her snicker, turning it into a clearing of her throat and gave Bobby her hand. Ripley toddled over to see what the fuss was about and Rogue wrinkled her nose, "We've got an audience who'll be real confused when she gets older."
<Bobby> "Like, oh my gosh, dad, how many women do you need? Really?" He affected his best bored teenage girl voice. Ring in place, he straightened up. "What do you think?" Bobby decided two female opinions were even better and stooped to grab up his daughter. "And what do you think?"
<Bobby> "Pink!" Ripley screeched.
<Rogue> Rogue giggled at Ripley's reaction and gave a nod in agreement. "Ah think Ripley's got it right. Pink!" She reached up to tickle her niece, but her hand was caught by the tiny toddler hands and Ripley tried to take the ring off her finger. "Ohhh, no ya don't. Expensive."
<Bobby> "Yeah, that's not a chew toy, baby girl." He laughed and took Rogue's hand to take a look himself. "Might be too tempting for little fingers."
<Rogue> "But if ya make sure it's insured an' it fits her well 'nough, it shouldn't be a problem. Do y'all like it? Or do ya wanna see others?"
<Bobby> "Feels too easy." He sighed and let go of her hand. "It's a trap!"
<Rogue> "These are not tha diamonds y'all are lookin' f'r?" Rogue took the ring off and passed it back to the man behind the counter, "They may can take any ring an' replace tha regular diamonds with pink ones, too."
<Bobby> He gave the guy behind the counter a beseeching, sad look and perked up when the man responded with an amused nod. "Kickass!" Interest renewed, he kept looking.
<Rogue> Rogue laughed and shook her head, rolling her eyes as well. "So, when's Rip gonna learn 'earmuffs'?"
<Bobby> Bobby's highly mature response to this was raspberries, which Ripley promptly mimicked.
<Rogue> Rogue reached out and flicked at Ripley's lips to interrupt the raspberries and make a pip sound instead. "Don't let Daddy turn y'all 'gainst me, Starshine!"
<Bobby> As it always did, the nickname made him look down, a sad smile flickering over his face. Bobby rubbed his right hand over his left, fingers brushing his empty finger. Clearing his throat, he looked into the case again. Ring.
<Rogue> She turned to the case as well and frowned over the assortment of rings. "Well, Ah like tha route y'all were headed with tha last one. So maybe somethin' similar?"
<Bobby> "That?" He pointed out a pear-shaped diamond. "Paige said no hearts, because that's too much even for her, but she didn't rule out those teardroppy ones."
<Rogue> "She seems more classic than that. But Ah'll try on any sparkly things ya pass mah way."
<Bobby> He passed on one that reminded him entirely too much of a ring he'd bought before, then tapped the case while he read a sign. "The square ones are called princess cut. That... seems entirely Paigey."
<Rogue> "She definitely is a princess type." Rogue made a funny face at Ripley, "But not as much of a princess as you! Okay, so do ya want more diamonds or less?"
<Bobby> "Oh... the sparklier the better, babe." He spotted something fantastic and giggled, waving the guy back over to get it for him and was still giggling when he showed it to Rogue. "Do you wanna build a snowman," he sang in a terrible falsetto.
<Rogue> Rogue snickered and watched Ripley wiggle on Bobby's hip. "C'mon let's go an' play," she continued. "Is it sad that Ah think we know that movie better than Ripley?"
<Bobby> "Naaaaah, those are the joys of having an actual excuse to know those movies better than her! Right, baby?" He angled his face into Ripley's neck to five her a good loud nomming and was rewarded with her high, happy giggles. “Right? Right?!”
<Rogue> Rogue grinned and took the ring from the man, pulling Ripley's hand over to put it on her. "Perfect! Sold!"
<Bobby> Ripley took a real liking to this shiny thing and stopped laughing and wriggling to staaaare at it long and hard. "Uhoh... Mikey likes it."
<Rogue> Rogue's smile grew and she pulled her wallet out of her jacket. "Like Ah said. Sold. But, Ah'd like f'r it ta have an emerald in tha center instead," she told the jeweler and he nodded and took the ring back and her credit card. "Okay, next? What 'bout that one?"
<Bobby> "This is so sudden, Dollface," he said, pretending to fan himself. "I just don't know what to say."
<Rogue> It was Rogue's turn to blow a raspberry at Bobby. "It ain't f'r y'all. Ah think y'all're more o' a sapphire guy personally. It's f'r her," she booped Ripley on the nose. "F'r when she's a bit older, that is."
<Bobby> "D'awww, thank you." He laughed and edged back over to Anna to slide his free arm around her for a tight side hug. Mean Green would be proud. "Say thanks to Auntie Roguey, baby girl." Ripley tried, then raspberried again.
<Rogue> Rogue laughed and kissed the air towards Ripley. "Ya welcome, Starshine." The man came back and pulled the ring out of the case Rogue had motioned to before. She slid it on her finger and showed Bobby, "So?"
<Bobby> "Holy shiiii-zam, that's like... all sparklies." He took her hand and inspected it, turning it in the light. Then he looked at the price tag and feigned a small heart attack.
<Rogue> Rogue shook her head, "Oh no ya don't. Y'all ain't gonna get me ta give ya mouth ta mouth that easy."
<Bobby> "No?" He laughed and shook his head, then carefully - very carefully - took the ring off and gave it to the guy. He sighed and moved a bit further down, giving the next display a once over. "So any of these... you can just put in a pink stone?" After he was again reassured, Bobby hummed thoughtfully.
<Rogue> Rogue laughed at Bobby's need to be continually reassured that he wouldn't mess up and pointed at a ring in the case he was looking at, "That's pretty."
<Bobby> He glanced at the one Rogue spotted and hummed in agreement, then perked up. Wait. Right beside it. "Heeeey...." Bobby pointed, tapping the glass with a blunt nail. He looked up at Anna and grinned. "Score. I got it." He bounced in place a little. "I really got it!"
