Chapter Text
Olruggio awoke one morning to a shrill sound that cut through his vivid dream, something about burning all the pies he needed to have done by the end of the night, the details were already fading from his memory. He shot out of bed immediately and, bleary eyed and heart pumping, rushed to the source of the sound. Fearing a rogue spell, dangerous creature, or even the Brimhats, Olruggio was relieved to only see Qifrey and his pupils huddled together in the entranceway, seemingly all in one piece.
Riche seemed to notice his presence first, turning to look at him with lidded eyes and unruly hair. With how disoriented Olruggio felt, he wondered what time it was, concluding it must be in the early hours as the shadows were long and the girls were still in their nightgowns.
“Tetia, you woke Professor Olruggio,” Riche chided, only barely heard over Tetia’s continued shouts.
So there was the source of the sound. Olruggio tried to steady his pounding heart now that the threat of danger had passed. “If it’s nothing I’m going back to bed.”
Qifrey looked up from the scroll he was holding and met Olruggio’s eyes, his expression turned sympathetic as he took in the state his friend was in. Olruggio was always disheveled but he figured he must have looked worse than usual due to his fitful sleep and panicked awakening.
“Professor Olruggio!” Tetia stopped her excited cheers long enough to talk. “We just received our invitation to The Bal Masque.”
Qifrey turned the invitation to face Olruggio, showing the beautiful script adorning the scroll. “April 26th,” Olruggio read. “It's soon.”
“Children, let’s keep our voices down so Olruggio can go back to bed,” Qifrey said, shooting Olruggio an apologetic look. “I’m sorry I should have waited to tell them until the sun fully rose at least.”
Olruggio waved the concern away, “It’s alright, I need to be up anyway.” What he needed was rest, but it was clear from his stressful dream that his closest deadline loomed over even his unconscious thoughts.
“I’m sorry for waking you up, Professor Olruggio,” Tetia said. “I’m just too excited. To think, in a month we will be dancing in beautiful gowns and eating fancy finger food.” She closed her eyes and swayed as she got lost in her imagination.
“So, is The Bal Masque a dance?” Coco asked.
“My apologies, Coco,” Qifrey chuckled. “I forgot I never mentioned it. To be truthful, I never went to my Bal Masque.”
“What?” Tetia cried. Even Agott and Riche looked shocked at his admission. “But it’s supposed to be the most magical night in a witch’s life.”
“It was okay,” Olruggio remembered, “I’m not much of a dancer so I didn’t stay long.”
“But it’s not just about dancing,” Agott said, “it’s about coming of age and deciding what kind of witch you’ll be from that point on.” Her fingers curled into a fist and her eyes shone with passion. “It’ll be my moment to proclaim my intentions to be a librarian and prove myself.”
Olruggio smiled crookedly at the display. Agott was endlessly passionate about magic the same way he was. But he remembered he spent his time at the ball worrying about Qifrey’s absence. He’d left early to find his friend and spent the night with him instead, something Olruggio never regretted despite the lamentations he had about his actions later that same night.
“While Olruggio and I did not have the typical Bal Masque experience, that doesn’t mean you won’t have a rewarding and memorable time.” Qifrey reassured. “You get what you put in. Besides, we will be there as chaperones to help the night go smoothly.”
“If it’s so important, then why didn’t you and Professor Olruggio put in more effort?” Riche asked bluntly.
Qifrey was speechless for a moment, mouth gaping uncharacteristically. “I suppose I didn’t take it seriously enough.” He finally said.
Olruggio’s eyebrows raised at the blatant lie, not that he could blame Qifrey for not wanting to relay the events of that night. Olruggio wasn’t keen on unpacking what had happened and had largely buried it deep within his memory. Richeh also seemed suspicious of his answer and furrowed her brow intensely, nose wrinkling from the effort, but she didn’t push further. Olruggio laughed at seeing such a severe expression on such a young face.
“I think we should have breakfast,” Olruggio said, hoping to cut through the odd tension that had built up.
“And then can we talk about finding dresses?” Tetia begged.
“After, yes,” Qifrey said, finally breaking out of whatever episode digging up his unpleasant Bal Masque experience had caused. Qifrey tended to become despondent when it came to trudging up unhappy childhood memories, not that Olruggio was in any place to judge, throwing stones in glass houses and what not.
As the girls shuffled off to the kitchen, talking about their excitement amongst themselves, Olruggio grabbed Qifrey’s wrist to hold him back. “Are you sure about going? I figured I’d go with them alone so you could avoid the whole thing entirely.”
Qifrey pulled his wrist from Olruggio’s grasp. “I appreciate your concern but it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with my entire life. This is important to the children and I will be there to make sure it goes well for them.” Qifrey patted his hand before leaving to join the others in the kitchen.
Olruggio could tell just from his eyes that he meant it, he was going to make sure they wouldn’t go through what he did, particularly Coco.
As the date of The Bal Masque drew nearer, Tetia could practically feel the spark of excitement growing each day. Coco constantly begged Tetia for more information on the dance, Agott had spent ages carefully choosing an outfit, and Tetia had caught Riche practicing dancing in her room late one night. Even outside of the Atelier, witches their same age chatted about it relentlessly. Tartah seemed particularly excited, often visiting Coco and asking her about her thoughts on the ball and ensuring she would attend. He’d also stare at Coco a lot, zoning out until she’d ask him a question and he’d have to ask her to repeat it. Tartah’s cheeks would often turn red hot around her.
Tetia wasn’t especially versed in the language of romantic love, but she’d read about it a lot and she was sure this was what young love looked like. At least from Tartah, she never could get a read on Coco. She was generally very kind and friendly but the telltale signs of blushing and nervousness were absent when she spoke with Tartah. While Tetia was curious, she decided quickly that she would not interfere. It was their business and she was comfortable watching from a distance. For the moment, anyway.
One day, while Tartah was visiting Coco again, he pulled Tetia aside into an empty section of the Atelier. He seemed more nervous than usual, wringing his hands tightly as he worked up the courage to speak.
“Tartah,” Tetia grabbed his hands to halt his anxious movement, “what’s wrong? You’re a wreck!”
“I’m sorry to bother you with this-”
“Don’t apologize!”
“But,” Tartah looked around to make sure no one was within ear shot, “I’m planning on asking Coco to dance with me at The Bal Masque.”
Tetia started to shout in excitement before Tartah hastily shushed her. “Please keep it down, I want it to be a surprise.”
“Oh, Tartah, that will be so romantic. Anything you need me to do to help you confess to Coco just let me know!” Tetia said.
A deep red blush spread across Tartah’s face, “I didn’t say anything about a confession, I was only going to ask her to dance. I just wanted to know if you would help me practice, I swear I have two left feet.”
“But Tartah, there is no better time to confess than at The Bal Masque,” Tetia said. “Think about the atmosphere, the lighting, the clothes, the music. Think about the symbolism. If The Bal Masque is about maturing and taking an important step towards adulthood, I can think of nothing more fitting than confessing to a crush.”
“But if she rejects me I’ll ruin the night for the both of us,” Tartah said glumly. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on her.”
Tetia thought about Coco’s feelings towards Tartah, it was clear she enjoyed spending time with the boy but did her feelings go beyond platonic? They spent a lot of time together, Coco always laughed at his jokes, and Tetia even saw them hold hands once. But Coco held hands with a lot of her friends. She was very good at making you feel like the most important person in the room.
“Coco is much too kind and understanding for unrequited feelings to ruin her day,” Tetia decided. Tetia may have been unable to pin Coco’s exact feelings for Tartah, but she knew without hesitation that Coco would never hurt him.
Tartah hung his head, “You’re right, she’s much too good for me.”
“Look, The Bal Masque is a time for new beginnings, Tartah. We are soon approaching young adulthood and now is the chance to prove ourselves.” Tetia thought back on how Olruggio and Qifrey seemed so down when asked about their own Bal Masque. “We can’t look back at this important time in our lives with regret. This is the perfect time to be brave. As Professor Qifrey says, you get what you put in!” Tetia grabbed Tartah’s shoulders and shook him for emphasis.
“Do you think I have a chance?” Tartah asked.
“I think that Coco is one of the nicest people you and I will ever meet, I think you’d be foolish to not ask her,” Tetia said. “And if you take too long, you will lose your chance. It’s time to seize it, Tartah.”
Tartah’s eyes shone with a fiery determination and Tetia knew her speech worked. “You’re right, Tetia,” he said. “I’ve been keeping it in long enough. I will confess to Coco.”
Tetia slapped Tartah’s back, the impacting thud ringing louder than she had intended. “That’s wonderful, Tartah. I would be honored to help you learn to dance and to gather the courage to confess your feelings.”
“Thank you, I’m going to go home and think about what I’ll say.” Tartah’s anxiety was now replaced with steadfast resolve. Tetia basked in her success at turning Tartah’s mood around. Whatever the outcome, Tetia was happy to help her friend find his confidence.
Agott listened quietly to Tartah’s and Tetia’s conversation through the door. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop but Tetia had a tendency to speak loudly and the mention of Coco had sparked Agott’s interest. But as she listened, a pit grew inside her stomach.
Agott hadn’t learned anything novel, she figured Tartah had a crush on Coco, how couldn’t he? They spent so much time together. But Agott had grown comfortable with his silent pining, content that it would not go anywhere. But here was Tetia, inspiring Tartah to confess on the soon approaching Bal Masque. The thought of Coco and Tartah dancing together made Agott’s stomach flip unpleasantly.
Agott knew how she felt about Coco, it had taken years to understand the jealousy she felt when Tartah blushed around her, and even longer to understand why Coco set Agott’s heart alight every time they spoke. If Coco accepted Tartah’s confession, Agott wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand being in the same room as them.
Agott heard someone approach the door and she leapt back to hide. Tartah and Tetia exited and waved goodbye to each other.
“You should feel proud of yourself, Tartah,” Tetia said. ”Confessing your feelings is not an easy thing.”
Tartah smiled brightly at her praise and left, walking with his head held high.
Agott was going to be sick.