Akko

Akko had to pat herself on the back. Some days, she had brilliant ideas. And this was one of those days. Diana and Sucy were out gathering some rare ingredient or another that Sucy needed for a potion. And what better thing to come back to than a surprise dinner made by their girlfriend?

But she had a problem. The only idea she had for what to cook required ingredients she didn't have. Of course, the solution was simple: picking up what she was missing from the magic food market.

She hummed happily as she created her list of what she needed. Hot pot and dumplings would be the perfect choices for the cold night they were in for. And if she got some of the rejuvenating broth from the market? Even better! Premade dumplings that she could reheat were also on her shopping list. There wasn't enough time to consider making her own from scratch, not before her girlfriends returned. But premade ones were just as good, and Akko could hardly resist drooling at the mere thought.

She checked her list twice, then tucked it into her crossbody bag. There was one obstacle that remained: access to the magic markets. Nobody without magic knew of its existence. Even if by some miracle they learned of it, there still was no way the average person could ever venture to see for themselves. No, the magic market was special, and accessible solely by broom. And now that Akko had managed a bit of flight, she was certain that she could make it where she needed to go.

Akko checked the contents of her bag a second time. List, money, wand, potions, and space for the ingredients she needed. A glance in the mirror for her hair and dress, then she yanked on her boots and grabbed her broom. A couple hours should be more than sufficient to fly to the markets, make her purchases, and then cook the perfect surprise dinner for their day off!

Sneaking out of the Luna Nova buildings was easy. But then again, Akko had never found it difficult to slip past her teachers and make her way to the edge of school grounds. The more difficult part was getting past the border hedge and onto the magical ley line that would take her to the markets.

She checked over her shoulder, looking for any signs that she had been followed or somehow missed a teacher's watchful gaze. Nothing came into view, so she mounted her broom and concentrated hard. Flying hardly came naturally like she wanted, but by sheer force of will, she managed to get herself into the air… and tumble straight into the prickly hedge with a scream.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding," she groaned. Her dress was caught on the thick brush, and her bag was a short distance away, half tangled with her broom.

Mumbling curses under her breath, she worked to free her skirt from the brambles before gingerly working to extricate herself from the top of the hedge. This proved to be more of a challenge than the young witch planned, as every movement she made took her deeper into the hedge as the branches bent and broke underneath her weight.

Akko fought her way to her bag and broom, covering her arms and legs in scratches for her efforts. The bag wasn't damaged, from what she could tell, only opened slightly from the fall and being caught on the branches. Her broom was none the worse from the adventure, something that brought her a sigh of relief. With some effort, she managed to pry herself completely free of the hedge and onto the dirt path outside the boundaries of Luna Nova.

She blew out her breath and took a moment to look over her injuries. Bruises, scratches up and down her legs and arms, and a sizable scrape on her knee. Akko groaned and mounted her broom. There would be plenty of time to patch herself up when she got back. She concentrated and managed to get herself back in the air. If she had this much trouble leaving school… How much more was she going to encounter on her way?

The answer proved to be 'quite a lot'. Flying alone took more stamina and magic than she remembered using at Luna Nova. Like at school, there was no safety net. Nothing that would offer her any kind of help if she grew too weary. So, she was forced to try and land when she needed to take a rest. Unfortunately for Akko, landing wasn't smooth and easy yet. The gash on her knee only grew, trickling blood down her leg and soaking into her sock.

"Bandaids. I need to get bandaids when I get to the market," she mumbled to herself when she got up for the third time. "Sucy and Diana make flying look so easy. It's not fair."

She lost count of how many witches passed by overhead while she rested, or while she slowly flew on the right side of the leyline. Nearly every single one stared, or rolled their eyes at her flying speed.

"Where'd you learn how to fly? From a magazine?" One witch sneered at her as she swooped overhead, purposely getting close enough to knock Akko off balance.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Akko scowled at her as she struggled to keep herself from falling for the third time. The condescension from the more proficient witch wouldn't usually bother her. But her jovial mood was fading along with her confidence in her recently acquired skills.

"Heh! Just my way of saying hello, girlie. And good luck, cause you're gonna need it," the witch singsonged as she whizzed away.

Akko's smile returned when the markets came into view. Surely her luck had to be changing now!

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when thunder rumbled in the distance. The witch looked up just as the skies opened, pouring down a torrential amount of rain. Akko shrieked and lost her balance again, tumbling the few feet remaining down to the ground. Freak thunderstorms weren't unusual, but all the same she had to curse how rotten the timing was.

When she landed, for the first time since leaving Luna Nova, Akko realized she wasn't wearing her hat. Had she forgotten to put it on before she left? Or had it fallen off when she took the first tumble into the hedge? She had no way of knowing– not where she was presently. Regardless, it wasn't with her, and her hair and clothes were rapidly reflecting the abrupt change in weather.

She pushed herself back to her feet and grabbed her broom. Taking a step, she winced as pain shot up through her ankle. Perfect. A sprained ankle on top of everything. "Why does this keep happening to me?!" she wailed. Silence was the only reply she received.

Akko suddenly remembered she had a couple of potions in her bag. Her hand dug through and grasped the first small bottle she found. She yanked it free and did a quick check on the label. Pain relief and minor healing. Perfect. She uncorked the bottle and downed it in two gulps, grimacing at the taste.

Pain relief for her ankle was immediate, but she could tell at a glance it was still swollen. More healing would be needed when she got back to the school, just like with the large gash on her knee. At least the bleeding had stopped on her wound.

A large raindrop fell from a tree overhead and plopped onto her nose. Akko sneezed and dragged the back of her hand across her face before glowering at the clouds that continued to pour rain down upon her. Add being wet and miserable to the list of reasons why she was regretting her choices. But nothing could be done about it. She was all in, and had to finish what she started. It would be worth it when she surprised her girlfriends. At least, that was her sincere hope.

She stumbled to the closest awning at the edge of the market, leaning on her broomstick for support. A wide-eyed teenage boy stared at her from his stall where he was selling jars of preserves. He wore a brown apron over a cream-colored shirt, and his brown, curly hair kept falling in his eyes.

"You, uh, okay there, miss?" he asked. His gaze went from the top of her head and her dripping hair to the bloodied mess of her knee, her sock, and her swollen ankle.

"I'm fine, thanks," she snapped at him with more venom than she intended.

His hands went up defensively. "Whoa. I dunno what's going on, but you got problems, girl. I was just trying to help."

Akko sighed and took a moment to collect herself before pasting on her best smile. "Well, maybe you can point me to the vendor selling fresh vegetables, and the dumpling stand?"

"Uhhh, vegetables are across the street and three stalls down. For fresh dumplings, you'll go all the way down to the end, and it's the second from the far end. Tell 'em that Bobby sent you, and they might even give you a discount." Bobby shook his head at her. "Stay here a few minutes and dry off at least, will you?"

Akko stubbornly shook her head. "I shouldn't. I'm on a very strict time schedule. I have to get what I need and then go back to Luna Nova to cook for my girlfriends."

Bobby's brow furrowed. "And you're going all the way back… looking like that?"

"Well, I can't exactly teleport," Akko huffed. "So, yeah. I am." She shifted her broom to the opposite hand.

"At least let me give you a hand or something even if you can't stay. Maybe a jar of pickled eggs for your trouble?"

She almost refused, but then looked at the jar again. Sucy loved them, even if neither of the other two girls shared her sentiment. "Yeah, alright."

Bobby handed her a jar which she tucked into her bag. "I hope whatever is going on gets better."

"Thanks." Akko stood at the edge of the awning and stared up at the sky. The rain appeared to be letting up, at least a little. She took a deep breath and crossed the street, making a beeline for the produce stand as swiftly as she could hobble.

"My, my, dearie. You've been in a bit of a scrape, haven't you?" the wrinkled old woman dressed in pale blue working behind the stand gave her a pitying smile. "Make sure you bandage those scrapes up. You wouldn't want them to become infected."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Granny," Akko said politely. She stared at the selection of vegetables. Which ones did she need for her hot pot recipe?

"What can I get for you today, dearie?"

"Hold on. Let me grab my list and I'll tell you." Akko fumbled for the bag on her hip. She pulled it open and rummaged around. One remaining potion. Her money pouch. Her wand. All she needed except–

Akko moaned. "Please tell me this isn't happening."

"Is something the matter?" The old woman looked more concerned than ever, if that was even possible.

There was no denying it. Akko was officially screwed. This was the nail in the coffin of the rotten luck she had experienced all day. The icing on the cake. She collapsed heavily on the ground in front of the booth and buried her face in her hands as she let out a distraught wail and tried not to cry.

"Uuuughaaaahhhhh! My liiiiisssst is GOOONNNNNEE!"