Oh I am so happy you guys are liking the story so far! It really motivates me! So I hope you'll like this chapter to!
The sun was high in the sky gleefully looking down at the world from its blue kingdom. The cool soft wind blew gently, weaving through the green leaves of the trees. Manami stood in front of the imposing redwood entrance of the witching academy and looked down at her watch (one of the few pieces of technology that worked on campus but of course it wasn't a digital watch) waiting patiently for her friends. Classes had ended a while ago and the students were allowed to mingle and do as they pleased. Normally Manami would have gone to her room and started experimenting with chemicals and various ingredients watching the cauldron bubble, but today she was going to go down town with her friends in search for a vessel for the Bonding Ritual. She was so excited she couldn't keep the smile of her face. She loved spending time with her friends and if they could spend that time chatting over sparkly jewelry while still working to find the perfect vessel for the Bonding Ritual it was like hitting two griffins with one boulder!
"Yo, Okuda!" Okuda smiled as she saw Rio walk up towards her.
Rio wasn't a big fan of skirts, when out of uniform she usually dots on her worn blue jeans. Along with her usual jeans she wore a black and white striped shirt along with a red blazar. Manami walked over to Rio with a smile.
"Hey, Rio. Where's Akari?" Okuda asked curiously.
"Oh you know Akari always fashionably late." Rio joked.
"She couldn't find the right accessories?" Manami said with a knowing smile.
"Yup! Oh by the way you're looking awfully cute today." Rio commented.
Okuda was wearing knee high white slim jeans, a pastel floral sleeveless shirt and she was carrying a small white purse shaped like a rose.
"Oh uhh thank you." Manami said with a small blush.
"Hmm…" Rio narrowed her eyes.
"H-huh….is uhh something the matter…?" Okuda asked confused as to why Rio was suddenly acting weird.
"Yeah real cute….awfully cute….Suspiciously cute….Don't tell me….Your trying to get a discount for the vessel by dressing all cute!"
"E-eh…" Was all Manami could utter as she tilted her head to the left in confusion.
When she finally registered what Rio said she flushed.
"W-What no, no i-it's not like t-that…"
"I'm so proud of you! Finally using your feminine wilds to your advantage! Yes Okuda you are an inspiration!"
Manami could only stare as Rio happily talked about how proud she was of her….Well a compliment was a compliment….I guess….
"Uhh…that's isn't..." Before she could explain herself Akari showed up.
"Hey guys!"
"Huh? Oh! Akari you're finally here." Okuda said as she saw her friend jog towards them.
"So did you make up your mind on what accessories to wear?" Rio asked with a teasing smile. Akari laughed sheepishly.
"Y-yeah…Well I decided not to wear any. I mean if we're going to a jewelry store I might as well get something I like…" Akari said with a sheepishly smile.
"Wait a minute!" Rio exclaimed, her eyes scanning Akari up and down.
Akari was wearing dark pink shorts and a pastel pink cardigan over a white shirt with a black silhouette of a cat and crescent moon. The cardigan had a cute lace collar and black shiny buttons. It was a simple and cute outfit.
"Don't tell me you're trying to get a discount to! Why didn't anyone tell me?! I would have dressed all cute to!" Rio exclaimed.
"I'm sorry what…?" Akari asked clearly confused. She glanced at Manami hoping the bespectacled girl could fill her in on what was happening Okuda merely shrugged as she had no idea what Rio was talking about either.
With that the three girls made their way down the mountain on their broomsticks; there was no way they were walking all the way down and then walking all the way back up, it would take too long. When they finally reached the base of the mountain they placed their broomsticks in the available parking space the school provided. Well it wasn't really a parking space it was more like a small room filled with lockers to place you broom in. After they locked their brooms safely inside the lockers they made the rest of the journey on foot.
They walked down by a few white colored apartments. They could hear the loud shuffling of feet in the distance. Classes were over and it was likely many office workers were either taking their leave for the day or taking a well-deserved break. There were many well-dressed men and women scurrying across the walkways to the nearest restaurants that were up ahead. Beyond the wide expanses of the restaurants was the boulevard which was lined with clothing stores, pawn shops, convenient stores, there were even a few food vendors nearby…
"Hmm…You know I just realized we have no idea where we're going…" Rio commented as her blue eyes scanned the parted sea of shops.
"W-well we can just go look for jewelry stores and go in the ones we think are potentially the best." Manami suggested.
"That's going to be a lot of walking…" Akari commented. "Good thing I wore tennis shoes!" Her optimism giving Manami and Rio strength.
The first shop they went to was small and clean. It offered various rings, but they were limited on anything else.
"Hm…Well rings are very nice and practical…." Rio said as she held her chin in thought.
"Hm...I wish they had more options though…" Akari commented as she looked down at the glass case that held various rings in various sizes and styles.
"What do you think, Manami, see anything you like?" Akari asked.
Manami looked at the shimmering rings. They were all very pretty but…nothing caught her attention.
"Hmm…not really…What about you Akari?" Okuda asked.
"Well I do like rings but I rarely wear them…" Akari replied.
"I think I would lose mine…" Okuda commented with a humble smile…
"Yeah or what if it falls down the drain…I don't know maybe we should keep looking… Hey Rio come on let's try ano-… Rio…?"
Akari looked around for the blonde and she soon found her near a small display of silver rings. Akari walked over to where Rio was standing and looked down at the display…There weren't that many rings in this particular display and it looked like all the rings there were meant for the middle finger….Only Rio would want to wear a ring on her middle finger… Akari thought as she rolled her eyes.
"O-Oh do you see one you like…?" Manami asked as she made her way towards her two friends curiously glancing down at the ring display.
"Yeah look at that one!" Rio said excitedly as she pointed to the ring she had her eye on.
Manami followed Rio's finger towards the ring she was pointing at. It was a silver ring with a tiger's eye marquise shape gem in the middle. The ring was slender and simple, what really made it stand out was the gem placed in the middle. It was probably a cat's eye gem as evident by the narrow band of light in the middle that resembled a cat's iris. The dull red almost burgundy color was what made the gem stand out against the gleaming silver body of the ring.
"Oooh…a cat's eye!" Akari squealed.
"Do you guys think I should get it?" Rio asked.
"I think it's pretty…" Manami said. "Plus cat's eyes are known to ward of lots of evil spirits it would definitely come in handy if you ever go on some sort of witch's quest. It's like an added bonus to the fact that it would be your vessel."
All gems contain a certain amount of magical energy in them, as do most things, but it's usually a small amount and barely noticeable. However, a gem's hidden magic can easily be tapped into and enhanced by magic users.
"I also hear it attracts a steady flow of money and good fortune." Akari mentioned.
"I have to get it." Rio said as her eyes briefly turned into dollar signs when Akari mentioned money. "Excuse me how much for this ring?" Rio asked a nearby employee.
"Forty-eight dollars."
"F-f-forty-eight…d-dollars…for a single ring?" Rio stuttered….
"Rio, you do know that Cat's Eye gems are expensive and so is jewelry in general?" Akari asked a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
"Y-Yeah but…Ohh I really want it but listen. Sh! Sh! Listen! Do you hear that? It's my wallet crying in the distance."
"Rio you do know you don't have to get it….Right?" Manami clarified.
In the end Rio did buy the ring but she sadly stared at her wallet for the rest of the walk… Akari and Manami hadn't bought anything from the store and had gone looking for another jewelry store leaving Rio to wallow in her own self-pity. The next store they found was around the same size as its predecessor, but it offered a lot more variety.
"Hmm…" Manami's eyes were trained on the display case searching for something to call for her…She didn't see anything she liked. Everything in the store was rather extravagant and too gaudy for her taste…Or maybe it was too simple…? She let out a sigh and tried looking for Akari. Hopefully Akari found something she likes.
"Hey Akari find anything you like?" Manami asked.
Akari simply shook her head.
"Nah let's try some other place."
They walked out the door of the shop the bell above chanted its farewells.
"Hey you guys left me!"
"Huh…" Both witches said in unison as they watched Rio run up to them.
"Sorry we just thought you may have wanted to be alone…" Akari said with a sheepish smile.
"You were kind of a downer, mourning over your lost money, even though you didn't have to get the ring." Okuda stated bluntly.
"Hehehe sorry. Well I'm back in the swing of things! Let's go!" Rio stated happily as she marched down the boulevard.
They tried a few more shops, but nothing caught either of the two girl's eyes. Finally they came upon an even smaller shop. It was a bit vintage and weathered down but it still retained a refined atmosphere.
"Oh look at this brooch!" Akari said happily as she gazed down at a cute daisy bouquet brooch.
The flowers' stems and small curled leaf were made from pale gold and the three daisies were cut from a honey yellow citrine. It was a really cute piece of jewelry and the bright yellow hues reflected Akari's bright and cheerful personality perfectly.
"Ah…it's really pretty…" Manami said as she looked down at the piece of jewelry. "Are you gonna get it?" She asked.
"Yeah! Hey, I'm gonna go pay for this you can keep looking around no need to rush." Akari said as she made her way to the crash register.
Manami made her way towards the glass displays, continuing her search. That's when she saw it. Her eyes caught the reflected surface of the stone and she knew this was her vessel. It was a pendant necklace. The golden chains were dainty and simple and from those chain hung a smooth round Ethiopian fire opal encircled by a Turk's head bezel. The gem naturally reflected the light. Its milky white body shimmered softly with light purple amethyst, sea green emerald and the shimmering red of garnet, it had an exceptional play of colors, but what made the opal even more beautiful were the burning flames trapped inside the precious stone. A burning yellow, sun kissed orange and light red that seemed to flicker inside like flickering flames made the opal feel mystical. It was so beautiful.
"E-excuse me…uhh…h-how much is this pendant necklace…?" Manami shyly asked pointing at the opal pendant necklace.
"Hm…Oh! That will be forty-two dollars ma'am." The employee replied glancing down at the piece of jewelry the braided girl wanted.
After paying for her vessel she made her way out the store where she found Akari and Rio waiting for her. She didn't want to keep them waiting so she hurriedly made her way towards them.
"Oh! Manami you're back find anything?" Akari asked.
"Y-yeah I did."
"Well come on let us see." Rio said curiously looking at the small bag in the bespectacled girl's petite hand.
"O-Ok…" Manam said shyly as she got out her necklace.
"Oh pretty." Rio said with a smile. She liked how the colors glimmered every so often.
"That's an Ethiopian opal isn't it?" Akari asked with a smile as she was mesmerized by the flicking flames inside the opal.
Manami nodded in response.
"Opal's are quite fragile you'll need to take good care of it and regularly wear it." Akari said.
"Don't worry about the wearing part it's her vessel she'll probably never part from it." Rio commented as Manami put her necklace on, the pendant fell right below her collarbone.
"I-I'll be sure to take extra care of it." Manami said as she gently touched the opal.
"So how much did it cost you? It must have been expensive." Rio said.
"Oh I got it for forty-two bucks." Manami replied.
"I got my brooch for forty!" Akari added happily.
A cold wind past by as Rio crouched down in agony.
"I could have saved at least six dollars!" She whined.
Akari and Okuda merely giggled at their friend's antics. All in all it was a pretty successful day they had all managed to find their vessels. Now all that was left was to train, get items that would represent the elements, and write their incantations. Manami couldn't wait to prove all her neigh Sayers wrong. Until now she had always thought she would be happy with a low-key familiar to help her as she opened up a small mystic's shop, but now she wanted to strive for something bigger because she wanted to become better. She wanted to be strong; she wanted to be an inspiration to all wielders! She wanted to be a witch her familiar could be proud to call master and even if it takes a lot of work she's determined! As long as the fire in her opal pendant stays alight so will her determination!
ohhh it seems Manami is getting fired up! This was pretty short compared to the other two chapters but I hope you enjoyed it none the less! Please R&R.