39 Dress for Sess


    A girl was leaning in the windows of a bedroom while sighing at the sky, her long and silky brown hair still damp from the shower. Da, the name of the girl, is in the middle of drying her hair while she tried to talk some sense into her friend. She was indeed inside Anne’s room, apanying her as she refused to go outside.


    “Anne, I know you’re being cautious, but this is ridiculous, you’re not going out of your room for almost three days!”


    Anne shook her head and looks into Da, “I’m fine, I was just... The study, you know the second exam is in two weeks.”


    “It is just some aptitude and magica capability test, a simple test that doesn’t require us to study...” Da stared at her friend, she know Anne was hiding something, “Anne, what happened? You’ve kept something from us, right?”


    “No... No! I am not.” She tried to deflect Da’s suspicion.


    Da squinted her eyes and walk toward Anne. “Liar, I knew you were lying. Now tell me, what the hell happened?”


    Anne was, in fact, hiding something from Da and David after her lunch and pleasant afternoon conversation with Henry. Something was happened to her, something that she doesn’t want Da and David to be aware of it for now.


    “I’m fine, trust me. Besides, I’ll be going out tomorrow with rice, so no need to worry about me.”


    While Anne was arranging her books on the shelf, Da took one of them and read the title.


    .....


    “How to get more magica within you,” she frowned and handed the book to Anne, “Why do you read a crappy book like this?! You know it was bogus.”


    Putting her hands on her hip, she pouted her mouth and muttered some words, “It was just for... uhm fun, let it go, Da.”


    Da checked all the books on the shelves, and her mouth went open. “Well, apparently not! What’s all this?” She reads the title of the books one by one, “Magica One on One, Girl, Your Magica is Strong In You, and Strengthen Your Magica by Meditation, what in the pegasus *rse?!”


    “Ugh, give it back. I need to read some of it.” Anne feels a little ufortable when Da snoops around trying to guess her problem.


    “Anne, do you have a problem with your magica? Is it too low? I mean, there’s never a standard of how low a person’s magica could be withheld to get a passing grade.”


    She looks at Da with a heavy heart. The only thing she can do was smile at her and said, “No, I just wanted to know how to increase my magica, even just for a little.”


    Da wasn’t convinced, but there was nothing she can do if Anne didn’t want to be honest with her. She just hope someday this new friend of hers could be more open and trusting.


    “Okay then, whatever you say, look, I am worried about you. Could we just go outside the dormitory? For a cup of buttered kakao and biscuits?” Da practically pleaded for her friend to be getting out of her small room.


    “Fine, let me change my clothes first. I need to buy some fertilizer for my catnip nt, anyway.”


    Da gave her a warm embrace and after she change her clothes, the two of them along with Chikara goes outside the Icarus dorm. They headed to B street, bought the fertilizer, and go to a small kakao stall in the middle of the busy market. They enjoyed a cold buttered kakao while Chikara was sleeping in Anne’sp.


    “That familiar of yours, I’ve heard some stories about how ferocious they could be. Is it okay with you?”


    Peeking at her familiar, Anne just smiled while her hand brushed into the white fluffy fur of Chikara, “I guess I am, I mean he is mine now, for better or for worse, hopefully, it’s more into better than the worse.”


    The way Anne talked about her familiar made Da amused by it. She can feel her love for the definitive dangerous little hybrid monster in herp. The two of them had a great time at the market until nighttime wasing. Da goes to the practice building again. The huntsman job required the candidate to have more stamina at night, and she was building up her strength for now. Anne goes back to the dorm alone, and this time with more books to read than before.


    Chikara’s meowing and putting one of his paws into Anne’s, she smiled at her familiar, “I know, I will not get a definite answer in here, but at least I’m trying, right?”


    The only answer that came from Chikara is a loud meowed and purred. Anne read the entire book until dawn came and the sun begin to rise. She took a rest for a moment before rice ising. At ten o’clock, rice is already waiting for her in the lobby. With her beauty and demure, all eyes are on her, the brazen nobledy from a remote vige.


    rice saw her best friend descending the stairs. She squealed and gave Anne the tightest embrace ever.


    “Oh, my darling Anne, I so miss you, my dear friend.”


    Still feeling awkward around rice, Anne smiled at her and apologize, “rice, sorry I’m a littlete.”


    Shaking her head, she smiled so brightly at Anne, “Don’t worry about it, oh look at you, howe you be much thinner than before?” Her smile though, dissipated when Anne left hand became visible to her, “Oh no! what happened to your left hand?!”


    “I’m fine, rice. Come on, I know the perfect store to buy our dress.”


    Although sleepy and discouraged, she feels a bit of happiness in the presence of rice. The boutique that Anne mentioned is on N street, near the pce of the Valorian kingdom. The boutique is inside a small alley, a peculiar ce to have a store. Anne knew sometimes the best store is not something that can be seen easily, and this is the perfect store for her.


    On Sunday noon, Henry’s familiar came at the perfect time. Like he told Anne, a red cardinal came directly from her window. She introduced herself as Sabrina, Henry’s familiar, and gave her a small note that was attached to her leg.


    ‘Dear Anne, here is the name of the boutique that is perfect for you.


    Seven star Boutique, at N street. Block left near the Merry General store.


    Have a lovely day and don’t forget your promise of a dance at the pce ball.


    Love, Henry.’


    When she read the note for the first time, she had a good giggled at it. The love that Henry wrote on his note made her heart flutter. A bit embarrassed when she remembered the calction of her own age, but then, this is her second chance in life, the new Anne.


    Back at the boutique, an old couple with a young man is weing Anne and rice into their store. Anne was already mesmerized by the array of beautiful gowns inside the boutique.


    “Hello, wee to our store, Miss Anne.” The olddy immediately goes to Anne.


    “Do you know about me, mam?” Asked Anne. She never expected the store owner to know about her.


    “Actually, captain Henry already told us about you.”


    “Really? Henry did that?”


    The olddy smiled and nodded her head, “Saturday night, he came here and told us all about a girl with purple hair that wille here buying a dress for the pce ball.”


    She feels all kinds of warm feelings right now. Anne will make sure to reward him with one dance at the pce ball. rice pulls her away into one section of the store.


    “What do you think about this one, Anne? It will be perfect with your purple hair, don’t you think?”


    rice showed her a silver palette dress. It is beautiful, but something iscking in her mind.


    “I don’t know rice, I just can’t feel it. How about if we look for your dress first?”


    “What do you mean, looking for my dress? Oh, honey, I have my dress already.” Said rice while smiling so sweetly at Anne.


    Anne looks at her friend with amazement on her face. “What? then why are you here then?”


    “To find your perfect dress, darling, what else?” Answered rice with a naughty wink, she took the olddy’s hand and asked her nicely, “Now, mam, you’re the expert here, what do you think about my friend? Do you have a perfect gown based on her personality and that unique hair of hers?”


    The olddy assess everything at Anne, and a smile came to her face, “I got a perfect dress for her, I’m sure she will be the star at the pce ball,” Thedy asked the two of them to be followed her into the back of the store, “The dress is an unfinished product, but I can assure you we will be able to finish it before the pce ball.”


    When she presented the dress to the two of them, Anne knew immediately that was the dress for her, a softvender dress with a tulle skirt, an ent of beautiful silverce with a bow at the back. The first time Anne saw the dress, she had a few words and only look amazed by the dress. rice looked at her friend and decided for her.


    “Yes, this is the dress, mam.” rice embraced her friend, feeling happy for her, “Can’t wait to see you in that dress! Pce ball, here wee!”