Caffeine called my name as I finished up breakfast and headed to the espresso machine to make something tasty. Maple lingered in the air, and I went with a maple latte, one for each of us, even though the Cat’s fit in the teacup.

I sipped slowly on the hot beverage as I studied the setup of the shop. Lots of bookshelves and books were stacked all over the place. This layout tied with the coffee shop layout as one of my favorites. If only the two would combine, I’d be in heaven.

It also answered my question on the type of day it’d be. Something with only one person, or maybe a couple, and not a large event filled with people. Not that I minded hosting larger events at the bookshop. That was how I’d found the cookie vendor after all.

“Do you know anything about this writer?” I asked, hoping to discover more about how today should go.

The Cat lapped at his teacup, his tail flicking in response and giving me absolutely nothing.

Rolling my eyes, I took another sip of my warm beverage and I felt the store asking if it was time.

I smiled and nodded as the door unlocked. Part of me wondered if the shop popped into existence seconds before the person entering spotted the building, since it always felt like they showed up right after opening.

The bells hanging from the handle jingled and I set my coffee cup down. The embroidered floral pattern of the dress stuck out like a sore thumb, followed by the oversized glasses, but the extra large cardigan appeared comfortable as heck.

“Welcome to the shop! Let me know if I can help you!”

The woman’s head snapped in my direction and a light green shade of eye peeked at me, before darting around the shop taking in every detail.

I tried not to stare at the canvas tote she carried, a dark blue over one shoulder. The brown messy bun with a pen through it reminded me of nights spent studying before exams to get my useless degree. Yet, she was older than a college student, though maybe not by much.

She waved at me as she headed directly to the first shelf.

I sipped my coffee, but kept watch out of the corner of my eye. She slowly trailed her fingers along the spines of the books. Eventually, I stopped paying too much attention as I sipped my coffee, since she was taking her time with each bookshelf, reading each of the titles before moving on.

The Cat lay down next to my arm, not even paying attention to the woman. Instead, he shut his eyes and slept. The benefits of being a Cat, and not a shopkeeper. Warmth from the sunlight streaming in from the skylights made it hard to keep my eyes open. To stay awake, I snagged out one of the books the Professor had given me to study. Time to learn more about stone magic.

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The bracelet gleamed on my wrist and I wondered what type of stones they were. There was the black one, the green one, and a purple one. I only knew for certain that the purple was Amethyst.

“Hey, Cat, what stones are in my bracelet?” I asked under my breath.

“Green Aventurine, Obsidian, and Amethyst,” he responded, without even opening his eyes. “Good to see you are studying.”

Flipping the pages ahead I paused on the Obsidian page, to read about the types of magic it could be used for.

Obsidian is born from the fiery heart of a world and is a protective stone. The dark glassy surface whispers about its abilities with protective barrier magic, grounding and absorbing negative energy, and reflection magic.

It is a powerful tool best used with respect and intention for protection and grounding.

That stone had shot out a powerful burst of energy, though it might have been a barrier that I’d pushed quickly at that poor customer. Even though it’d been gold in color, it’d come from that stone, I was fairly certain.

I couldn’t help but flip to the others.

Amethyst, with its soothing violet hues, is a stone of mental and spiritual clarity. The crystal acts as a bridge between the conscious and subconscious, enhancing intuition, rational thought, and attacks against the mind.

It's best used for meditation practice and restful sleep.

The description made me pause. Had I seen the golden outline before I received the bracelet? I tried thinking back and pulled out my notebook from under the counter that listed the times I’d used or seen magic.

Tapping my fingers on the counter helped settle things as I processed that the amethyst might be helping me notice things.

The break from the book let me check on the writer, who’d made it to the second shelf of books, but still hadn’t chosen anything. She didn’t pay any attention to me, her focus fully on the titles she read, her lips forming each of the words before moving on to the next.

That left one more stone to read about.

Green Aventurine shimmers with the essence of spring and vibrant magical vitality. It acts as a catalyst, nurturing both personal growth and magical abilities. It’s a stone of optimism, renewal, and the potential of life.

It is best used to strengthen the flow of magical energy within the body, revitalizing and empowering the practitioner. Like a nourishing spring rain, it fosters growth.

I stared at the bracelet containing protective magic, mental clarity and magical growth. When I’d received it, I’d thought the colors reflected my life, though my brother didn’t know that. Now, I wondered at the abilities each of the stones would help me with. I’d already used the obsidian, but maybe the other two provided benefits as well.

The scrape of a book sliding off a shelf brought my attention back to my actual job, managing the shop. The writer stood at the end of the second row of shelves, flipping through a bright yellow book with cream pages. Nothing stood out about it, and I frowned, thinking about why she might be in the shop in the first place.

Something needed to happen, surely, but what?