Chapter Text
They were lounging in the living room after breakfast. Richeh had fallen back asleep with Brushbuddy, Tetia was putting her hair up for the day, and Coco was reading with her head in Agott's lap. Agott was making notes on a spell that Coco had been thinking about when they heard the window way 'woosh' open.
Setting her notebook and pen on the ground, they all looked up at the noise of clomping hooves on bricks. Richeh sprung up, with an awareness that scared everyone and looked down the steps to find Lord Beldaruit, the Wise in Teachings, and Riliphin, walking up to the living room.
"RILI!!!"
Agott stood with the others and went to the stairwell as Richeh jumped into Riliphin's arms.
"Richelette! It's so good to see you!"
They hugged for a bit and Agott saw Lord Beldaruit smile at the reunion.
Remembering her manners, she dropped down to her knee and bowed to the Wise in Teachings.
"Lord Beldaruit! We…"
'CRASH'
A plate was shattered in the kitchen and they all turned to see Master Qifrey staring at Beldaruit with his eye wide. There was a sudden running down the hallway from Olruggio's workshop and the dark haired man came running down the stairs of the bridge.
"Qifrey! Is everything… oh shit…" He dropped into a slight bow, keeping his eyes on Qifrey to see if he was alright.
Beldaruit scoffed and gestured for everyone to get up. "Well that's one way to welcome your former master…"
Everyone got up, but Qifrey was still frozen in place. Olruggio jumped up, nodding to Beldaruit and drew a quick counter-clock spell to reverse the shattered plate. He picked up the plate and put it to the side, knowing it would break again soon, but focused on Qifrey.
"Qifrey… Are you hurt?"
Agott watched her master blink then look at Olruggio with a relieved smile. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Lord Beldaruit, what do we owe the honor…"
Beldaruit laughed and put his chin in his hand. "Didn't you read my letters? I told you over a week ago that I would be visiting to see how you have been." His sealchair clomps through the living room to the kitchen. "Since my former apprentice refuses to come to me. I had to come to him."
Agott watched Qifrey grit his teeth then look down at the ground. "You didn't have to do that."
"Nonsense! I don't have to do anything!" He moved in a way that made Olruggio move behind Qifrey, and brought his sealchair up to meet Qifrey's eye. "I wanted to see how you were doing my boy. I needed to see you in person."
Beldaruit held a hand out to Qifrey, who slowly took it. When Qifrey realized that he was really here in person, a damn broke in his heart and he dropped to his knees, still holding his father figure's hand. Beldaruit moved the chair so that it was sitting on the ground and pulled Qifrey to him.
Agott watched her master cry in his former masters lap for the first time and it made something in her break. She looked to Olruggio who was watching in surprise and realized that the other adults in the room were going to be busy at this point. Turning to the other girls and Riliphin, she gestured for them to follow and they all went outside to the hill near the garden.
Richeh and Riliphin were talking to each other, catching up during the walk, while the other two lamented on what they had just seen. When they got to the hill, Agott was pulled into a hug by Coco and she squeezed her back.
"Everything alright?" Coco whispered in her ear. Agott put her head down on the other's shoulder and closed her eyes.
Seeing Qifrey fall into Beldaruit looked like a parent comforting a child. Something that she never got as a kid. Her mother was never really comforting and during her third test she came face to face with Adina Arklaum. It wasn't until that moment, Agott realized that she would never be enough for her mother's standards, but she was for Master Qifrey and Master Olruggio. She told her mother that she no longer wanted to carry the Arklaum name and would still become better than anyone in the house, not because of her 'average' magic that they belittled her for, but because she was beyond that. She was the one who helped with the leech at Silver Eve for stars sake!
That was the first time in a long time Agott saw her mother smile genuinely and told her that she was proud of her choice, giving Agott nightmare fuel for years.
Shaking her head into Coco's shoulder, Agott gripped onto Coco hard. Coco understood quickly and held on. They stood there for a few moments until Agott let go and wiped away the un-shed tears from her eyes. Turning around to the others, Tetia, Richeh, and Riliphin were sitting on the hill, talking quietly.
She took Coco's hand and sat next to Tetia, who threw an arm over her shoulder. "I didn't realize Lord Bel didn't come to see Master Qifrey in Ezrest. It makes a lot of sense, but every time Master Qifrey was around Grand Master Bel, he didn't seem to be happy about seeing him."
"That's because he couldn't be…"
They all turned to Coco, who was playing with Agott's hand.
"He knew that Grand Master Bel would bring him peace, so he kept his distance. Now he doesn't have to anymore."
The all let the breeze fill their lungs as Coco's words were digested. She had known the longest about Qifrey's situation, aside from whatever Olruggio had known prior, and from what they had learned from the long conversation Qifrey had with them after they got home from Ezrest, they understood that he wouldn't be alive without the stress.
Agott looked over to Riliphin, who was rubbing his arms. "Master Bel knew."
The others looked at him with surprise and Richeh sat up from laying on his lap.
"He knew about Predis Qifrey's ailments for a while and knew that their distance was purposeful." He looked over them all with a sad distant look. "When he heard about what happened, he wanted to come to the city but knew that the King would probably try to keep him there for his own ailments…"
They all watched as Riliphin began to dissociate, looking out at the fields. Richeh took his hands and squeezed them, grounding him back to reality. Rili smiled and pulled Richeh in for a hug. "I thought it was just going to be a quick visit, but I have a feeling we might be here a bit longer."
Richeh murmured 'that is fine' into Riliphin's chest and he laughed. Tetia looked excited as she turned to Agott and Coco. "We can show off our spells to Grand Master Bel!"
Agott laughed and saw someone walking up the hill in the corner of her eye. She turned and to see Olruggio shuffling up the dirt path that had been made from countless people coming up to the hill. He was smiling to himself and when he saw all of them together, he smiled wider.
"Is everything alright Master Olly?"
He nodded and sat down on the hill next to Riliphin. "Everything's fine. We are going to have guests for the next few days…"
He bumped Riliphin with his shoulder and the other man nodded. "I assumed so. I packed my over night bag for a few days and I think Master Bel did as well."
Agott watched Olly nod and turn to her with concern. She tried to wave him off, saying she was fine but he mouthed that they would talk later. She nodded and felt Coco squeeze her hand. "We should have brought our books out here."
Coco laughed and shook her head. "Always thinking about studies."
Olruggio chuckled and shook his head. "Actually I was thinking we should get some things from the garden. We have to get more vegetables since we have guests."
Tetia groaned, laying down. "Master Qifrey already made us garden last week."
Olruggio smiled, patting her head. "We have to garden everyday if we want to keep them fresh. Let me go grab some gloves and a basket, I will meet you all over there."
Agott and the others stood, heading down to the garden. She looked around the chrysanthonion area and dug a little to see how they were doing. Finding a one that was ready to be pulled, she took it with her bare hands and looked up at the others. The other girls were already in other areas, looking at some other vegetables, but Riliphin was just staring at her.
"Don't you need gloves for gardening?"
Agott shook her head, digging into the dirt to look at another one. "Not really. Master Qifrey made us learn non-magical hobbies for when we graduate. We usually each have a day that we pick things and on the seventh day we all come out and garden together."
Riliphin nodded and stepped forward into the garden, pulling up his skirts so they didn't get dirty. "Do you not plan to go back to the Great Hall after you graduate?"
Agott froze, hands in the dirt. She never really thought about where she would go after she graduated. She thought that she would go straight to the Tower, living in the family estate on the other side of the Tower bridge, but she threw that all away when she gave up the Arklaum name.
"After they graduate, Qifrey doesn't plan on sending them back to the Great Hall." Olruggio walked into the garden behind Riliphin, handing him a pair of gloves. He put the basket next to Agott and opened up a vapor bubble, throwing the chrysanthonion in. "If he had it his way, he would have them stay forever, but the choice to stay is always there."
He settled down next to Agott, who was still frozen, overloaded by the information of knowing that she wont have to move to the Great Hall in a few years. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked over to Olruggio. "Unless you want to move to the Great Hall…"
"Trust me I don't."
Olruggio laughed, taking his hand off of her shoulder and putting his hands in the dirt. Agott looked at Riliphin again and found him staring at the ground. "Well I don't know what to do…"
"Richeh will teach you."
He jumped as Richeh came over to the vapor bubble to deposit her findings. Tetia and Coco joined them, adding some vegetables as well. Riliphin agreed with his sisters whims and was dragged away by Richeh and Tetia to another part of the garden. Olruggio laughed, going back to digging and Coco joined them.
"What kind of hobbies do people have in the Great Hall?"
Agott and Olruggio hummed, thinking to themselves. Agott could only think of reading and research, but that was what she normally did. She looked up at Olruggio, who looked like he was debating on what to say, then finally came to the conclusion that he wouldn't be able to hide.
"There isn't a lot of hobbies outside of magic, but most people are taught how to cook, even though there's the cafeteria. But Qifrey and I were a bit…" He tilted his head from one side to the other. "… more…forward on getting out of the Great Hall at any opportunity, so we learned how to do things that most witches in the Great Hall don't usually do."
Agott watched him pull out a giant chrystanthonion and throw it in the vapor bubble. There was a sort of sadness to his eyes that she knew well. Being put on a pedestal, only to never meet those expectations. She watched him shake his head, getting himself out of his memories and clean his hands to get the vegetables out of the bubble.
"If you ever want to try a new hobby, let us know. We know you have your sewing, but if you ever want to try something else…"
Coco smiled wide, clearly excited. "I have some ideas, especially after you helped me with my spell! I will let you know!"
Agott felt a nudge from Olruggio and looked up at him, giving him a quick grunt. "That goes for you too Agott." She nodded along, trying to think of what hobbies she would have that didn't involve magic.
After they all collect their findings, they head back into the atelier to find Qifrey and Beldaruit talking in the kitchen surrounded by the smell of cookies. Agott noticed quickly that Master Qifrey looked more relaxed around Lord Beldaruit than she had ever seen. When he noticed that everyone came back in, he told them all to get changed out of their dirty clothes and he would prepare them some tea.
Agott and Coco went to their room, getting changed quickly and putting their clothes in the bin to be put through the wash barrel. When they got back to the kitchen, Qifrey had set out all the different types of mark tea with the special cups. Agott went through the different tea slips, picking out some thornbark and fairy grass, handing them to her master.
Qifrey took the slips from her and put a on the contraption, telling her that she is allowed to have the thornbark now but her next cup was not going to have it. She knew how strict he was about their sleep, but didn't fight him.
They all settle in the living room, tea and cookies in hand. Agott went to sit in her usual place, but realized that Lord Bel needed more space because of his sealchair. They moved around, giving him space to sit, and he quickly apologizes to everyone.
"Since it seems like I came in before you all were about to start class, I would be honored to teach some things while I am here."
Agott watched as Qifrey's face scrunched up. "I actually planned for them to have a day of relaxation. They worked on a big project this past week and deserved a day off. Tomorrow might be better."
Grand-master Beldaruit looked at Qifrey, then to the girls and nodded. "I can definitely teach them something tomorrow! But for now I want to know about that big project!"
Everyone pulled out their notes, explaining what they did for Qifrey's room. Tetia even got him to bring the heated weighted blanket down. Qifrey gently put it on Beldaruit, who immediately asked about the spells. Everyone took their turns, showing off their spells and Agott even showed him her book copying spell. He looked intrigued at the spell, asking her about why she made it, but was interrupted by Qifrey calling them all for lunch.
They headed outside for a picnic, finding a place where Beldaruit could put his chair comfortably. Qifrey and Olruggio brought the baskets full of food and the outside blankets. Agott sat with Coco, eating her veggie rice ball as Beldaruit told Qifrey that he wished that he could have Qifrey cook for him like he did so long ago.
He turned to the girls, still keeping an eye on Qifrey who was handing out tins of food. "When your Master was younger, he and Olruggio would always sneak out of the Great Hall to explore. Vinanna and I attempted to try to stop them from sneaking out but they figured it out somehow…"
"We turned the looking glass window in Qifrey's old room into a window way."
Beldaruit's mouth went agape and Qifrey flicked Olruggio's ear. "Don't tell him that!"
Olruggio laughed and pulled on Qifrey's hand. "He was going to learn somehow, might as well tell him fifteen years later."
Agott watched her master roll his eye, then settle down next to Beldaruit's sealchair legs. Beldaruit went on, telling them about the chaos that Qifrey and Olruggio got up to and eventually Qifrey put his head down on Beldaruit's lap. They all watched as Qifrey closed his eye when Beldaruit began to pet his hair.A silence fell among the group, not wanting to wake Qifrey. Beldaruit hummed with contentment, putting his fingers through Qifrey's fluffy white hair. "I think the last time Qifrey felt safe enough to fall asleep around me was before his third test."
Agott saw Olruggio suck in a breath of surprise, then looked away, towards the hill that Qifrey settled on when the tree grew. Agott looked down at her hands, after Qifrey felt better, he explained what he did to keep his secret safe, including the pact he made with Olruggio after the tower of tomes. They all knew the weight of what the Towers meant to both their masters.
Beldaruit looked down at Qifrey with a sad expression. "I always wondered what more I could do…"
"You couldn't have known master."
Qifrey grumbled, keeping his still on Beldaruit's leg, clearly not sleeping like everyone thought he was. Beldaruit's hand froze in his hair, trying to find the right words.
"But I did know, and I couldn't do anything about…"
Qifrey sat up suddenly, making everyone flinch. "What do you mean?"
Olruggio stood up quickly, gesturing to the others to stand as well. "Alright kids, lets head inside to clean things up. Let them talk for a bit."
Agott stood up, taking the tin and anything else that was around her. She and the others left Beldaruit and Qifrey to their staring match, clearly waiting for everyone to leave. As soon as the door closed behind Olruggio, he let out the breath he was holding. He moved to put things in the sink and gripped the countertop.
Noticing the tension, Agott took everyone else's things and gestured for them to go somewhere else. She went to the sink and opened the vapor bubble, putting the tins in it to soak. She waited for Olruggio to notice she was there, knowing that when he got deep in thoughts that it took smacking him to get him to pay attention. She was almost done the dishes before he let his head drop to his chest.
"Do you think Master Qifrey will be alright?"
Olruggio took a deep breath and grabbed a towel to dry things off. "He might not be today, but eventually he will be."
Agott nodded, knowing that was more for him than her. He told her to go find the others or self study until Qifrey comes back or dinner. She agreed and headed to her workspace to study her fourth test workbook. Losing track of time quickly, Agott didn't realize how late it was until Qifrey knocked on the door, telling her that dinner was ready.
She came down to eat, noticing the tension from earlier was gone, but there was still something there. She couldn't name it, and honestly didn't want to as she rested her head on Coco's shoulder. Coco put an arm around her, still talking to Tetia about an idea, but kept looking over to see if Agott was alright. When they went to sleep, Agott curled into Coco.
She knew that she had to talk about how she felt earlier, seeing Master Qifrey break down with Beldaruit, but still had to figure out how to explain it.
When she was woken up, it was from Coco trying to get back into bed. The other saw that she woke Agott up and told her to go back to sleep, saying it was still dark out. Agott hummed, cuddling back into Coco. When she was awakened again, the sun was streaming through her window. She lifted her head, seeing Coco still fast asleep and smiled.
Her heart leapt in her chest as she thought about how her lips might feel on Coco's scarred cheek.
Agott's brain freezes at the thought. Why would she think about kissing Coco? She's never wanted to kiss anyone in her whole life and now she was thinking about kissing Coco? There was clearly something wrong with her.
Apparently her internal panic was loud enough to wake up the other girl. Agott watched as Coco's eyes fluttered open, landing on her face.
"Good morning Agott." Coco's arms squeezed around Agott as Coco nuzzled into Agott's shoulder. "Did you sleep well?"
Agott nodded and squeezed her arms around Coco. "It was alright. I don't remember you leaving but I do remember you coming back."
Coco giggled against her and pulled away, looking away from Agott's eyes. "I had an idea that I needed to write down before I forgot."
Agott laughed, knowing how Coco has a pile of small of paper on her desk that is ideas. She had thought about taking all of the scraps to turn them into an actual list, but didn't want to touch any of Coco's things without permission. She rolled out of Coco's hold, getting up from the bed. "What was the idea this time?"
She started to put her robe on, waiting for Coco to answer, but when none came, she turned around to find Coco staring off into space. She took a step towards the bed, trying not to spook Coco, but watched as those far green eyes came back into focus.
"It was something for my mom."
Agott sharply inhaled, knowing how hard Coco was working on the spell to get her mother back. She watched as Coco took a few breaths then put on a smile, something that Agott loved to see but something in her head said that it was off.
"Don't worry! It was just some things I need to add, I have to get my thoughts in order before showing it to you."
Agott sighed, knowing that there was more but she was too tired to dig. "Just let me know. I have some ideas of my own as well."
Coco nodded and got up as well. They both left for the kitchen, finding Qifrey and Olruggio making some pancake covered bacon. Beldaruit was at the dining table with his head on the table. "I did not make you get up this early when you were my apprentice! This is insanity Qifrey!"
The man in question laughed, turning to look at his former master. "I have four growing girls." He sees Agott and Coco at the top of the stairs and smiles. "They also wake up with the sun, so I have to be up earlier than them to make their breakfast."
Agott walks down the stairs, getting the plates and utensils for the meal. She saw Coco go into the pantry, getting the syrup and other things that they put on pancakes.
"Interesting how you wont agree with him, since I was always draggin your snowy head out of bed."
Agott heard a whip of a towel and a laugh from Olruggio.
"Says the man who sleeps til noon on a good day."
Olruggio punched Qifrey in the shoulder and Beldaruit sighed, he was watching them mess with each other then turned to Agott. "They have been like this for years if you could believe."
She smirked, nodding to him. "We have been told by others about how much trouble they made."
Beldaruit laughed as she put the plates out on the table, lining up the forks and knives next to them. She went back to grab mugs and start the kettle for tea. As soon as the full plate of bacon pancakes were placed on the table, the other three joined the table. They eat their breakfast, feeling the sweet syrup fill their veins.
After everything was put away, Beldaruit has them gather in the living room, telling them to gather their books. His seal chair sat in front of the fireplace. It was just Qifrey's apprentices, as Riliphin wanted to speak with Qifrey, sitting around the Wise of Teachings.
"I will be teaching you today, giving your masters a day off to catch up on what they need to…"
"The masters don't need another day off."
Beldaruit looked at Richeh confused.
"What will you be teaching us Grand Master Bel?" Agott said it in a sweet voice, hoping to distract him from what Richeh said. When he turned his head to her with a smile, she knew it worked.
"Well Miss Agott, I will be teaching you about inverse signs today!"
He managed to turn a simple lesson into an theatrical performance. Showing how inverse signs help him with everyday things since he was bed bound sometimes.
"I would like you to pick out two spells, invert the signs and see what happens. Then I would like to see how you would use that in aiding someone."
Agott thought about the spells that she uses the most, light spells, so using inverse signs on her spells would just make the light go out instead of stable. She almost pushed away her light spells, but thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to learn and grabbed her bird spell. She also grabbed the grasping wind spell, thinking that it would be easier to explain.
With the grasping wind, changing the signs turned into pushing instead of pulling, which could be useful when it came to moving things. Especially with Grand Master Bel's condition. But moving to her light spell, she became stuck. She began to draw out her bird of light and inverted the sigils, not closing the ring.
She knew if the closed the ring, the bird would drop to the ground, which didn't make sense for why she made her spell. The bird was made to be a distraction, to entertain outsiders as other people work, or to get help.
Thinking it over for a bit, she heard the tell-tale sound of someone coming over the bridge. Olruggio came down the stairs to see them all working on their spells. He hovered over Tetia for a moment before asking what they were doing.
"Inverting signs on spells and seeing how they can help people."
Agott looked up at Olruggio, seeing that he moved to her. She wanted to cover her work, knowing that it wasn't done, but she knew he wouldn't judge. He looked at her with a smile, patted her head then moved to Coco to look at what she was doing.
"Where's Qifrey and Riliphin?"
Agott looked back down at her work, trying to think about how her spell would help people.
"They went to Kalhn for supplies."
She heard a hum from him. "Master Qifrey said something about getting things for Riliphin's twentieth birthday."
Out of the corner of her eye, Olruggio smiled wide, straightening his back. "Twentieth, eh?"
He pat Coco's head and headed to the cellar, which made Agott roll her eyes. She looked back down at her work, then thought about the glowstone path that Olruggio made and if the despertion signs were inverted, it would make the other bricks glow instead of the brick that was stepped on. Picking up the inverted spell again, she realized that it would be perfect for people who didn't want to have a flashy light bird in the air, but one that could show where people could step.
Quickly writing that down, Agott went to test her theory. Going to the spell testing area, she pushed her shoes together to float in the air. Finishing the circle, she watched the light bird dropped from the paper and glided to the ground, it began to jump around the perimeter of the room. It let out enough light that if it was completely dark, someone would be able to still see the path before them.
She dismissed the spell, putting a cross through the ring. Proud of her findings, she went back to others at the same time the window way opened. Qifrey and Riliphin walked up the stairs, laughing about something that one of them said.
She came down the stairs as Tetia was looking in the basket that Qifrey had in his hands. "What did you get? Did you get us snacks?"
Qifrey laughed, redirecting her to the kitchen. "Of course! I got some sweet buns for everyone, which we can have with the savory meat buns Riliphin picked out for lunch!"
He opened up the basket and brought out the boxed buns from the market. He told them all to clean up a bit and put their work to the side. Everyone gathered for lunch and Richeh asked what Riliphin would want for his birthday. Tetia stood up in surprise.
"ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!!??? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME!!!" Agott dragged her back down, but Tetia kept going. "We didn't even get you any presents! We need to throw you a party and…"
"Its fine Tetia! Just being here is a present in itself!" He looked down at his food and picked up a meat bun. "I also don't really like parties that much." Agott watched his eyes flick over to Bel who was sighing.
Qifrey laughed, looking at Beldaruit as well. "One of the many parties hosted by the Wise? Those were always the most overstimulating and annoying…"
Beldaruit stared back at Qifrey with an eyebrow raised, making Qifrey stop talking. He coughed into his fist and turned back to Riliphin. "Would you mind if we made you a cake? Or something to celebrate? I promise it will not be a big thing."
Riliphin smiled, saying that he liked cake and would be fine with something small. They all finish breakfast and Agott helped with the dishes. Richeh pulled Riliphin out to the garden, while Tetia and Beldaruit went to the living room to talk.
Coco was helping her with the dishes and when they put the final plate away Coco asked if they could go on a walk. Agott agreed, and they told their masters that they would be back. Coco took Agott's hand and they walked down to the lake.
Agott looked down at their hands, then to the lake, trying to keep herself from blushing. Coco lead her to an area where they could sit and look at the glistening water. Coco plays with her hand, which grounds her.
"Do you want to talk about your breakdown yesterday?"
Agott chuckled, realizing why she was brought out here. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, feeling the wind go through her hair. "When I went to the Tower of Tomes, my mother was the one who assisted me."
Opening her eyes, she didn't want to look at Coco, knowing that the other was looking right at her, so she looked out at the lake.
"I told her that I didn't want to be an Arklaum anymore, that I found people who actually respected me for who I was. I told her that I would still become better than anyone in house Arklaum."
When she finally looked at Coco, she didn't realize that she was crying. She went to wipe her eyes but Coco beat her to it, pulling out a cloth to wipe her eyes. Agott finally sobbed, putting her head into Coco's neck.
"And you know what she told me?" Agott was grabbing onto Coco's dress, trying to ground herself. "She told me she was proud of me… Why would she say that? Why doesn't she want…" A sob ripped out of her throat as she finally collapsed, her energy leaving her body.
Coco continued to hold her, patting her back and pulling her close. When her sobs finally calmed down, she pulled herself up and let Coco wipe off her face. Agott smiled, taking a deep breath. When Coco grabbed her face with her hands, she settled in, feeling the warmth of Coco radiating from her palms. Agott stuck her tongue out, making Coco laugh.
She pulled away from Coco's grasp, letting the warmth leave her. She missed it, even though she did it to herself, so she put her head on Coco's shoulder, looking out at the glistening water.
"I cannot tell you why and I cannot tell you what to do, but do you think there is any way that you could reconcile with your mother?"
Agott felt her body freeze at the question. Would she ever be able to reconcile with her mother? For so long she wanted to prove her worth to Adina, but now she doesn't know. She wished that she could have what Beldaruit and Qifrey had, but even that was messed up and broken, even though it looked like things were going to get better.
"I don't know."
Agott allowed the tension leave her body as she spoke, knowing in her heart that she really didn't know. She finally looked over to Coco, knowing that she had her own issues with her mother, but Agott knew she couldn't compare. Her mother was technically a window way away, while Coco's was petrified.
Coco looked at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking and grabbed her hand. "Please don't try to compare! They are two different situations and you know it!" Coco's voice was stern as she squeezed Agott's hand.
Agott laughed. Coco could read her like a book at this point and it just made her fall for her more. She felt her face flush slightly and looked away. Coco squeezed her hand again and looked at the lake.
"Do you think that Grand Master Bel would be helpful with the spell to save my mom?"
Agott blinked, thinking for a moment. Beldaruit is the Wise in Teachings for a reason, he was able to save them all from the leech all those years ago and help with the spell that saved Qifrey, even though it violated the pact. He would absolutely know how to get rid of the petrification on the Coco's mother. But at the same time, his relationship with Master Qifrey was on an upswing and she didn't know if it was a good idea to start asking for things right away.
"I think that you should ask Master Qifrey." Coco hummed next to her, playing with her hand again. "I think Grand Master Beldaruit would help you out immediately, but Master Qifrey always gets antsy when we go to Beldaruit about something, rather than going to him first."
Coco agreed with her, knowing how Qifrey got around Beldaruit. They both spent a bit more time, sitting at the lake and talking about nothing. When they head back to the atelier, they walked hand in hand to the door. They walked into the living room and find Qifrey and Beldaruit talking quietly as Qifrey added more wood to the fire.
"Welcome back girls! Hope you had a good walk…"
Coco lets go of Agott's hand and goes up to Qifrey. "Master Qifrey! I have a question about a spell, could you come help me with it?" Before he could even say yes, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to their workspace, leaving Agott with Beldaruit.
She stood there silently, bowing her head slightly to the Wise, then found one of her books on the floor. As she went to go pick it up, she felt the eyes of Beldaruit drift to her. "How have you been doing, Agott?"
She froze, not knowing what to do she picked up the book and wiped off the nonexistent dust to keep her hands busy. "I'm fine."
He chuckled, turning his full attention to her. "Dear girl, you sound like my Qifrey!" Agott almost dropped the book she was holding. "But it seems like there's something on your mind…"
"I am no longer an Arklaum."
She heard his breath hitch for a moment before letting his breath go.
"I told my mother that I would no longer be shackled by that name."
Agott stood there in the silence, only a crack of the wood splitting from the fire could be heard. She didn't look at him, but felt a hand on her shoulder.
"How do you feel? Now that you are no longer an Arklaum."
A held breath leaves her throat and she collapses. Beldaruit pulled her into his arms, but allowed her space if she wants to leave. They sit there for a moment, allowing Agott to feel the weight of realization hit her. "I have no idea what I am going to do."
Beldaruit hummed, putting her hair behind her ear. He clearly wanted her to keep talking, knowing that she would closer herself off again.
"I always wanted to be a librarian, but I lost my chance by giving up the Arklaum name."
Agott pulled away from Beldaruit, hiding her face in her hands. She didn't want to look at anyone, she was embarrassed and angry and tired. Hands wrap around hers, pulling her hands away from her face so she had to look at Beldaruit.
"I would never tell you how to feel, but I can tell you that you do not need the Arklaum name to be who you want to be, Agott."
She let the words hit her heart as he let her go. She stood there, thinking about what he said as Coco ran into the living room, notebook in hand, with Qifrey following her. Agott's attention quickly shifted from one future realization to another as Coco smiled at her.
"Grand master Bel! I need your help!"
Agott watched Coco's determination, letting a smile cross her face.
"We managed to fix Ezrest, we managed to get the Silverwood out of Qifrey, now I am asking your help to save my mom?" Coco handed the book to Beldaruit, who quickly took it. As soon as he started to read it, his eyes widened. Coco realizing what she was showing him, began to talk. "I found the spell that I cast… and your lesson today on inverted spells made me think about how to save my mom. I already tried a counter-clock spell after we got back from Silver Eve and…"
"Coco darling, please breathe."
Agott watched Coco stop talking and take a deep breath. She kept her eyes on Coco the whole time, not looking to see what face Beldaruit was making. She didn't want to. She didn't want to see the Wise in Teachings tell Coco no. Coco's sharp eyes never left Beldaruit, she was determined to get Beldaruit to listen to her, just like she did all those years ago.
She heard Beldaruit flip a page in the notebook and sigh. "I will help you. It seems like this spell is quite advanced, but you have managed to do most of the work already..."
"Agott helped me with some things. We have been working on this together."
Coco finally looked at Agott, seeing her smile when they locked eyes. Agott felt her cheeks flush and looked away to Master Qifrey, who was also watching Beldaruit with a sharp gaze.
"Well you both have done a marvelous job so far and I can tell exactly where you are stuck."
Agott and Coco look over to the Wise as he pulled out his pen to make notes. Coco's body drooped slightly, feeling relieved from Beldaruit agreeing. Agott walked over to stand next to Coco, who immediately took her hand. Agott flushed as Coco put her head on her shoulder.
"I only have one condition." Beldaruit looked up from the notebook with his jaw set. "I will help you complete this spell, but I will be casting this spell."
The head that was resting on Agott's shoulder shot up and Beldaruit put his hand up as well, stopping Coco from arguing. He looked down at the notebook, tracing the spell with his finger.
"If anything were to happen to your mother at your own hand, there is a higher chance that you would fall deeper into territory that I wish to never see." He looked up, but not at Coco, at Qifrey with a sad smile. "I have many sins in my long life. What's one more?"
Agott turned to look at Master Qifrey, who huffed, even though a small smirk fell upon his face as he nodded. A cough from Beldaruit moved her attention back to him, watching the sadness morph into something different.
"Are you alright with those conditions, Coco?"
After a few deep breaths, Coco nodded. Beldaruit smiled then gestured for her to join him.
The three of them worked on the spell, going over every line to make sure it would bring back Coco's mom. By the time they had gotten halfway through the paper in the notebook, Qifrey called them down for dinner.
Everyone joined the table and ate, giving their thanks and all. After dinner, Beldaruit told them that he would continue working on the spell and they should head to bed.
Agott felt exhausted, she poured her heart out twice to both Coco and Beldaruit. All she wants to do now is face plant into bed with Coco, but it seemed like Coco had something on her mind. When they finally settled in, Agott turned to Coco and grabbed her hands. Coco chuckled to herself, then began to relax, putting an arm around Agott.
"How is it you know when I need comfort so quickly?"
Smiling, Agott curled in further to Coco. "Because you fidget with your hands. Its a habit you and Master Qifrey share."
Coco giggled into Agott's hair, resting her head on top of the others. They sat in silence for a moment, Agott feeling Coco's hand go up and down her back in a comforting motion. Agott let her body finally sag from the exhaustion of the past few days.
"What will you do… when you get your mom back?"
Coco's hand stopped rubbing her back, clearly frozen from the question. Agott tried to move to look Coco in the eye, but was stuck in Coco's arms. After a few moments, Coco let out a deep sigh and squeezed Agott.
"I don't know, but whatever I do, will you be there with me?"
Agott smiled, pulling Coco closer while she nodded.
"Of course."
They fell asleep in each others arms, like they did most days at that point. When they woke up, they were the last ones in the kitchen. Everyone had already sat down for breakfast as Beldaruit told them a story about Riliphin, which had the now twenty year old with his head in his hands.
"Good morning girls!"
Qifrey waved at them, flipping a pancake on the griddle. Agott waved back and headed to the tea station.
The day went on in a blur of celebration for Riliphin, mainly hanging out and showing him around the Naawakin Downs, until dinner where Qifrey brought out a cake for them to eat. It was nice and small, just like Riliphin wanted.
They went to sleep, Coco coming to Agott's room again, like always. And when they went to the kitchen the next morning, Beldaruit and Riliphin's bags were packed to go back to the Great Hall. Eating breakfast one last time with them, Agott watched Riliphin's eyes close, his head drooping a few times as they all ate.
After cleaning everything up, they headed down to the Window Way to say their goodbyes. Pulling everyone into their own hugs, Beldaruit stopped Coco from leaving his side. He handed her the notebook with the spell to save her mother.
"Just send me a fluttergram when you are ready."
Agott watched Coco nod, tears filling her eyes.
"I will."
He patted her on the head and turned to the window way as Olruggio slid the last glyph into place. It was set to Argentgard, and the Wise and his student went through with ease, telling the others to keep in touch.
When the window way closes, Agott watched Coco turn around and lunge for her, picking her up and spinning her around.
"We did it Agott!"
Agott felt a flush to her cheeks as she also became excited. She had helped Coco in the past few weeks with her spell and was going to be there for Coco through the end of it.
When she was put back on the ground, Agott cupped Coco's cheeks, feeling the other's smile on her palms. Everything in her mind left, leaving only one thought.
She wanted to kiss that smile.
So she did.
Agott kissed Coco with a peck on the lips, leaving both of them surprised at Agott's actions.
When she pulls away, Coco laughs then pulled her into a hug, causing her to laugh as well. They stayed like that for a few moments until Olruggio cleared his throat, making them look over to him.
"Congrats on the spell… and whatever this is…" He waved a hand at them, then turned to the stairs, pulling a dumbstruck Qifrey along with him. Agott heard him groan into his hand, catching the last part of his sentence. "… moving around bedrooms."
Agott chuckled then looked back at Coco, who was watching her with a smile. And as she gave Coco a kiss on her scarred cheek she realized what the name to this feeling was.
Love.