After the most recent visit with Melpomene to their realm in the mirror scape, they'd given Chalcanthite a crystal. It was different than any of the ones that had been explained, something personal and unlike any other. It was perfect, exactly what he'd been looking for to finish things. The grey and gold streaked crystal felt familiar to him, reminded him of his fiance and he knew it was perfect. It felt like they were there with him almost and so he went to work on things again.

It was rare that he locked his office door, the times it had happened being able to be counted on just one hand. But this was something that he didn't want any interruptions during, let alone anyone else poking into things that weren't there business. He'd already managed half of his project, the side he'd managed from his explorations in the rift. Each of the rings that lay on the mat on his desk already had his namesake mineral inlaid into them both. It had been difficult considering Chalcanthite was a mineral that easily dissolved in water, he'd had to work fast with the resin and it took more than a few nights of attempts to get it just right with the long wispy formations all in line as they wrapped around the bands in their channels.

Setting the grey and gold crystal down, he brought his lamp closer and looked the thing over with a loupe to see what would be the best way to go about chipping some of the material away to put into the other channel on each ring. At least if he cracked it here, nothing would pop out of it. Or at least that's what he figured and hoped because it would be hard to hide a tree sprouting up out of nowhere. He had helped Benitoite with things but he wasn't one with a green thumb that could explain it away as a project.

Absentmindedly, he ran his thumb over the inside of his engagement band, thinking of the other as he set about making what would be their wedding bands. It was like any other craft he'd done, patience was needed and a steady hand. Something that had been hard to come by back when he'd been drinking himself to a early grave. Now it was easy, other than when he was terribly worried about his partner, something that he had been alright happening as a trade off.

Exhaling slowly, he hummed to himself as he picked up his tools and started carefully chipping small bits of each of the colors that were mixed in the crystal's surface before setting them aside into small little mortars for grinding. He'd take each and grind them down into a bit finer of a dust to then mix with resin and fill the other channel on the rings. He'd watched and listened to videos about the process for months, ever since he'd started considering proposing to them even if he'd been so hesitant.

There wasn't a rush though, especially now that Liam had taken the step and risk that he'd been so worried about. It was one thing to be partners, another to be spouses. Something he hadn't quite thought was a possibility for him for more than a few reasons. Then again the entire relationship and how it had happened hadn't quite been normal or something expected so for things to happen like this seemed almost fitting.

Once he had three small piles of crushed crystal, he double checked the mask over his nose and mouth to make sure he wouldn't inhale anything. Mixing resin into the three piles, he worked a swirling pattern with the three colors into the channel of each ring, something that reminded him of space in a way with its swirling dusts from the photos he knew of. He hadn't taken the risk to look outside when he'd been so close to getting sucked out into the void, he'd been too focused on Melpomene and Brassite.

Holding each ring up, one at a time, he inspected them for any bubbles or uneven spots where the resin wasn't flush with the rest of the ring. It was one thing if there was a bit of overflow, that was something he could sand and polish away. Once he was satisfied, he cured the resin with a light and began sanding things smooth. It was the same base process as what he was used to working on wood, even though the sanding material was different for resin while also being able to avoid scuffing the metal. One by one he went through the levels of grit unit there wasn't any feeling of snagging or jaggedness between all three materials. It was smooth and flush all the way around on both even if the resin and metal now had a layer of dust all over. His desk was a mess as well but it wouldn't be hard to clean, he'd had a mat down just for that reason so he could just roll it up and threw the mess away.

Taking a soft bristle brush to them both, he wiped away as much dust as he could before starting to hand polish them both. The passage of time as he worked went unnoticed outside of when the other earring returned to him. It meant that at least two hours had passed at some point but exactly when escaped him as he was deep into the work he was doing. They'd understand that sometimes things ran long, if anything he'd make it up to them somehow either by bringing them another set of tarts or by finding them something nice to bring to their realm the next time they both went. It was a weekly occurrence now, at least in this down time between semesters. He was glad for the rest, even if he still tried to find himself busy work to do around the house when he wasn't on patrol or assisting his lieutenants.

Working until both rings had a nice even shine to them, he placed them in the black velvet box he had purchased to hold them both. They were simple at first glance, black metal with two bands of material inlaid into them, one of which was a light and wispy blue with a strand-like appearance and the other was swirled grains of black, grey, and gold crushed crystal. The neat and orderly Chalcanthite for him and the always changing and flowing swirls of the mirror space crystal for Melpomene. He was proud of them both, of the work he'd done tonight as well as the progress he'd made since they'd picked him up off that bench and brought him back to his home. Liam always gave him what he needed and he kept soaking it up and moving forward instead of wallowing in the past as he used to. Maybe there were still some worries, there would always be considering all the people he'd lost, but with these rings he knew he'd feel a bit more comfortable when they were separated. The earrings were one thing but when an emergency came up it wasn't easy to get a clear enough message across, if his theory worked out though... The rings would help them sense each other and help get to one another if something happened. It wouldn't solve the issue of Liam needing a mirror to get to him but it would help him teleport to them faster and in the end that was what he was more worried about.

Closing the box, he slipped it into his breast pocket for now and began to clean up. It was just as easy as he thought it would be, rolling the mat up and dumping the excess into the trashcan. All his tools were put back into his desk for when he returned to work more on those crystal tuning forks, a project he had been still figuring out how to test without too much risk. It took time to figure it all out, time that he had more of when the semester was out, and he would get it figured out one day. But for now he needed to head home to rest, his eyes were tired from the work and he still had a twinge of pain in his back from getting slammed into the marble wall of that museum. A shower was in order, then some tea and maybe dinner. The rest he would figure out with his fiance after apologizing for being so late. With a sigh, he dusted himself off before unlocking the door to his office. It was a formality if anything since he was heading out and his desk and cabinets each had their own locks that were in place to keep everything inside and away from mischievous hands.

There was a lot to plan but at least he'd finished one of the most important parts of the whole thing, the rest of what would be a headache of planning would happen over time. There would be a lot to figure out but he'd figure it out with them, plus he knew that if there was anything he wanted particularly they'd let him do as he pleased.