Madoka sat up straighter as Faqir emptied the contents of his sack onto the table and began arranging the colorful little bags contained within. He cocked his head.
"W-what are those?"Faqir beamed, lifting a dark blue baggy.
"Jewelry!""Ah..." Admittedly, Madoka sometimes found himself forgetting Faqir was the Ultimate Jeweler--sometimes he seemed more like the Ultimate Class Clown.
Faqir hummed, examining the pouch he'd picked up.
"Things have been crazy since the last trial, right? So I thought, 'I should make everyone something.' Gemstones can be so powerful, and some of the meanings work really well for what we all have going on. So to start, I added diopside, jasper, and onyx to everyone's--those cleanse trauma, aid in relaxation and consolation, and protect the wearer from hostility, respectively. Sounds perfect for all of us, right?"Clair smiled warmly.
"Faqir, that's so thoughtful of you."In a voice reminiscent of a television salesman, Faqir continued.
"But wait, there's more! Each piece also comes with an added stone I picked personally for each of you. Sorry if I got the colors a little off, I tried to pick a setting based on what I can guess about all of you. I could make a new piece if anyone wanted. Well--I could try, at least, I lost a lot of my stuff but the tools in the tool kit were kinda helpful and I guess Monokuma let me keep a good amount of my sh*t. So anyway, Mado! Here, buddy, this is yours."Faqir passed over the dark blue bag. Madoka stood, reaching across the table to take it.
"W-what is it?""Apatite," Faqir declared triumphantly.
"Open it."Obliging, Madoka untied the ribbon holding the bag closed and drew a small silver bracelet out from within. He examined it, tilting his head. None of the stones were ones he recognized--except perhaps onyx, if it was the black one he thought he knew--but all four stones appeared carefully arranged.
"It aids stuttering," Faqir announced.
"Should be useful for you."Madoka wilted.
"Gee, thanks.""See? It's working already!" Faqir paused.
"Don't worry--it also has grief healing properties. I figured you could use that after...well, we all could, but anyway. Supposed to help with communication. You have good ideas, so maybe now you can learn to share them better."Madoka smiled, unhooking the clasp of the bracelet and attempting to fit it onto his wrist.
"Th-that's...actually pretty sweet of you. Thank you."Faqir laughed.
"Shucks. Oh, right--this one is for Amelia." He lifted another dark blue bag and passed it to Amelia. Madoka peered at it--the shape inside appeared to be a necklace.
"That's jade. It's popular with gardeners since it brings a more bountiful harvest, and is known to alleviate fear and anxiety too. Since you're the Ultimate Botanist and all I figured it could be useful."Clair reached for a bright green bag.
"Ooh, I want mine next! Gimme!""Alright, Graham, patience," Faqir said, passing over the green bag. Clair quickly opened it and dumped a pair of silver earrings into her hand.
"Emerald. Supposed to improve eyesight. Maybe you'll finally know what 'red' is."Clair beamed.
"Aw, Faqir...""It's also supposed to lift depression and relieve insomnia. Also it gives the wearer psychic powers. Spooky!""You mean I can finally call things like you do? Neat!"Humming, Faqir lifted another green bag and passed it to Graham.
"Speaking of Graham, here. It's gold. Nice and shiny for ya. Went with a necklace since there's more chain to work with and I can fit a bit more onto it. The gemstone is citrine, which attracts material abundance and aids with holding on to wealth. ...It also balances impatience and restlessness but that was mostly for my sake. Maybe it'll help somehow."Oni grappled for a purple bag. Faqir ceded it to her. She tore it open and instantly slipped four rings onto her fingers.
"YOU HAVE SATISFIED THE GREAT DEMON QUEEN! THIS IS SUFFICIENTLY SPARKLY!""Fluorite. Improves intuition and concentration and encourages balanced thinking. I figured you could use it.""HER EMPRESS HAS PERFECT INTUITION! ...But the concentration is helpful, I guess."Next, Faqir located another blue bag and passed it to Finnian.
"This here's hematite. It improves logical thinking and creativity and dispels negative energy. I know you're already a genius, but hey, always room for more. And, uh, lemme see here..." He passed a dark red pouch to Vivara.
"Speaking of geniuses. It's blue topaz, a favored stone among scholars for it's contributions to higher thinking. It also dispels negative energy like Finn's and improves communication. So you can maybe talk to us more."Braeden was handed a brown bag. Muttering, he opened it.
"Used stainless steel in your chain. Figured you could hook it to your belt loops or something. Anyways, that's topaz--not blue topaz, mind you, yellow--and it calms bad tempers."Braeden scowled.
"Wow, thanks."Faqir chuckled, nudging him playfully.
"I'm not done yet, man, I wouldn't leave you high and dry like that! It also improves mental clarity and increases confidence."Braeden observed the chain with renewed interest.
"Confidence, eh?""Yep! Oh yeah, and this is for Fauss." Faqir began to hum, passing Faussin an orange bag.
"Moonstone. Like the emerald, it's supposed to grant psychic abilities. Useful for the Ultimate Illusionist. It also provides clear thinking and inspiration."Madoka asked Clair for help getting his bracelet on. She obliged, oddly cheerful.
Faqir handed a red bag to Mercy.
"This here's garnet. It increases vitality and stimulates the senses, in addition to aiding with passionate devotion. Like to me, maybe, for being cool enough to give you a present."Only five bags remained now. Madoka paused to count--there were three students left in the room, excluding Faqir himself. He cocked his head, but decided he would ask when Faqir had finished.
A pink bag was passed down to Eriko.
"Tiger's Eye--converts anxiety and fear into practical logic and action. Also provides balance and strength during difficult times and relieves doubt. You've seemed on-edge since the last trial, so...figured maybe it would do something. Uh, who's next, who's next...oh, Romano!"Romano suddenly looked alert. Faqir handed him a green bag.
"There was no need to make me anything of worth, Master Faqir."Faqir shrugged.
"You're part of the team! Wouldn't feel right leaving anyone out. Anyways, that's amethyst. It helps lower obsessive-compulsive tendencies--which, yes, I have definitely noticed you have--aids in discovering wisdom, and brings calmness and clarity."Romano briefly looked surprised, then relaxed. He opened the pouch to find a bracelet, which he tucked into his suit pocket for safekeeping.
Faqir faked wiping sweat off his brow and handed a magenta bag to Ysabel.
"You're last, little lady. Since you don't know your Ultimate, I thought I'd get you agate. It's supposed to awaken talents and attract strengths."Madoka found himself touched on her behalf--it was obvious Faqir had put a lot of effort into thinking up a personal stone for each member of the group. His opinion of the Ultimate Jeweler shifted slightly towards the positive--maybe Faqir really wasn't that bad after all.
Still, the two bags still sitting on the table had him confused. If no one else asked, he definitely would.