Chapter Text
Coco gazed out of her bedroom window, her arms folded on the windowsill as she admired the full moon outside. The night sky was just as beautiful as always.
I wonder if the moon is magic, she thought, not for the first time. Its light is so pretty, and everything else about magic is beautiful and precious!
I wonder if witches like the moon too.
A flicker of movement went past, snapping Coco out of her daydream. Surprised, she glanced up.
A shadowy shape zipped past the moon, then flew above it. Then the shadow dropped slightly, silhouetting itself against the moon. Coco stared in amazement, her eyes darting back and forth to follow the shadow.
The shadow hovering in front of the moon was shaped sort of like a human, a human wearing a cloak and a pointy hat. Only witches wore pointed hats like that one!
The shadow wobbled slightly, and Coco watched, riveted. She was seeing a real witch flying in front of the moon! This was the best night of her life!
The witch wobbled again, dropped, and then started hovering again. A moment later, they plummeted straight down.
“Huh?!” said Coco, leaping to her feet and pressing her palms onto the windowsill. The witch had fallen out of the sky! Where had they gone?
Wait—she was pretty sure she’d heard some kind of rustle right after the witch dropped. Did that mean they’d landed? And did it mean they were close by?!
When a few moments had passed and the witch hadn’t flown up again, Coco turned around and darted out of her room, rushing down the stairs. She couldn’t help giggling a little.
A witch! I’m going to meet a witch!
Then she crashed into something big and soft. She stumbled back, stunned, and had to wave her arms a little to keep from falling to the floor.
“Coco?” said the kindly voice she’d known all her life. “What are you doing? It’s almost time for bed.”
“S-Sorry, Mother,” said Coco, recovering enough to smile sheepishly. “Did you see that?”
“See what?” asked her mother.
“Out the window!” said Coco, pointing toward the front door. “I saw a witch flying in front of the moon! They had a pointed hat! They were flying! And then they fell out of the sky! We should go find them…make sure they’re okay…and then if they don’t fly back home right away, we could have a witch staying at our house! That’d be the most incredible thing ever!”
“Slow down, Coco,” said her mother. “You saw a witch? A witch wouldn’t be flying around at night unless they had something important to do. You probably saw a falling star or something.”
“It wasn’t a falling star!” Coco protested, wringing her hands. “It was a witch! I saw their pointy witch hat!”
“If it was a witch, they can wait until you’ve gotten your sleep,” said her mother, clearly not believing her. “But I can take a quick look outside for you if you go to bed.”
Coco lowered her head in disappointment, but then she nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Mother! Tell me if you find the witch! Good night!”
She waved to her mother, then headed back upstairs. When she made it back to her room, she glanced out her window again. No sign of the witch.
Maybe Mother’s right. Maybe it was just a falling star…
No! Coco shook her head fiercely. No it wasn’t! Falling stars don’t dart all around like that! It MUST have been a witch!
After one last glance out the window, Coco reluctantly got into bed, letting out a sigh. I hope the witch will still be there tomorrow…I really want to meet them…
She rolled around in bed excitedly for a little while before finally managing to fall asleep.
—----------------
Coco had been hoping to go and look for the witch as soon as she’d finished breakfast. Unfortunately, some customers came into her mother’s shop, and Coco had to delay in order to help her mother cut lengths of cloth and such. Between making straight lines on cloth to mark where to cut, she kept glancing out the window in hopes of glimpsing a pointy hat, but she never saw anything.
“Mother?” Coco managed to ask at one point. “Did you find the witch I saw last night?”
“No sign of them, I’m afraid,” her mother answered. “They probably left.”
Coco longingly looked out of the window.
“Now, Coco, we still have some work to do,” said her mother. “But you’ve been working hard this morning, so as soon as we wrap this up, you can go outside and look for the witch, all right?”
“Really?” Coco gasped. “Okay! I’ll work super hard on this last bit!”
The last bit didn’t take too long, and soon Coco was getting an approving smile from her mother. So excited that her cheeks hurt from all the smiling, Coco ran upstairs and glanced out the window one more time. She’d seen the witch drop out of the sky right around…hmm…there, so that was where she should look first. Just in case the witch was still there.
Coco looked over at the pendant lying on her windowsill. She hadn’t put it on this morning, but maybe she should do it now.
The pendant, which had a shimmery white stone shaped sort of like a diamond, was Coco’s second favorite thing (after magic, of course). She’d had it for as long as she could remember, and it had always been her good-luck charm.
A little extra good luck might help her find the witch! Smiling at the pendant, Coco hung it around her neck and patted it before excitedly running back downstairs and out the door.
Outside, Coco headed straight for the place she’d seen out her window, looking around at all the trees. There were lots of trees in this spot, some of them pretty big, so maybe that was the rustle she’d heard? Maybe the witch had fallen in a tree?
“Hello?” Coco called, looking up the nearest tree. “Hello?”
When there wasn’t a response, she headed to the next tree and called up that one too. “Hello?”
Then she heard a rustling sound a couple of trees away. She ran up to the tree that had rustled and called out “Hello?” more eagerly than ever.
“Hello?” Coco repeated. “Is there a witch up there?”
The branches rustled above her, and suddenly a person in witch clothes dropped out of the tree. The person yelped, then frantically clapped her shoes together, which somehow made her hover instead of falling. However, she then wobbled backward in the air, and her feet flew apart again, and she stopped hovering, dropping the rest of the way to the ground with a loud thump.
The witch gritted her teeth, muttered something to herself, and managed to push herself upright. Then she reached up to touch the top of her head, and her eyes widened. “Where’s my hat?”
“Huh? Your hat?” said Coco, noticing the pointed hat lying on the ground a short distance away from the witch. She picked it up and held it out. “Here it is! It fell off.”
The witch grabbed the hat and put it back on. “Thanks,” she said, sounding a little annoyed.
As the witch adjusted her hat, Coco stared in amazement. A witch! She was finally meeting a real witch!!!
To her surprise, the witch looked about her age, with short curly black hair, pale skin, and purple eyes. The young witch was dressed in a light seafoam blue, and her matching hat had a short yellow tassel on top. And she looked so beautiful! She was totally a witch, the first one Coco had met!
The witch girl got to her feet and dusted herself off, frowning as she located a twig on her cloak and tossed it aside. “I can’t believe I had to spend the night in a tree,” she said. Then she finally looked over at Coco, and her eyes widened. “Wait—you gave me back my hat.”
“I did!” said Coco, bouncing excitedly. “Your witch hat looks so pretty! I can’t believe I finally met a witch! And you look like you’re my age! I love magic so much! My name’s Coco! What’s yours?”
The girl blinked. “...It’s Agott,” she said after a moment. “And I don’t have time to talk. I’m looking for something.”
“Ooh!” said Coco. “Really? Are you looking for some kind of important magical thing?”
“Yes, I am,” said Agott, starting to walk away. “Goodbye.”
“Wait!” said Coco, running after her. “I’ve never gotten to talk to a witch before! What are you looking for? I don’t know much about magic, except that it’s the most wonderful thing in the world, but maybe I could help you find whatever-it-is!”
Agott kept walking.
“I saw you flying in front of the moon last night!” said Coco. “How did you fly?! I’ve always wanted to fly!”
Agott narrowed her eyes and looked over at Coco. “Stop following me. I don’t have time for this.”
“Oh,” said Coco, surprised but not really discouraged. “I’m just curious. I guess it makes sense that you don’t really have time, since you’ve been here all night…”
Agott turned away from Coco and kept walking, her hands stiffly at her sides.
“Come to think of it, if you’ve been in that tree all night, you must be hungry!” said Coco. “Want to get something together?”
“I’m not hungry,” Agott said, but then her stomach growled. Agott stopped short, her face turning red.
“Yes you are!” said Coco. “You can follow me, okay? I’ll show you to the bakery, and we can get you some food!”
Agott hesitated, then sighed and nodded. “Fine. I’ll follow you.”
—----------------
“Good morning, Coco,” said the baker, setting out some bread loaves and buns. “Just as cheerful as always, I see! Who’s your friend?” She blinked. “Wait…”
“This is Agott!” said Coco. “She’s a witch! Isn’t that amazing? She’s been looking around for an important magical thing, and she’s really hungry. I want to get some food for her!”
The baker blinked in surprise. “Goodness. You’ve actually met a witch? And she looks your age…” She shook her head. “Well, come up here, Miss Witch. What would you like?”
Agott stayed where she was, just to Coco’s side.
“These are really good!” said Coco, pointing out her favorite buns to Agott. “Why don’t we get some of these?”
Agott folded her arms. “...All right,” she said.
“Okay!” said Coco, picking out several. “We’ll take these, please!”
—----------------
Soon, Coco and Agott were sitting in the shade of a tree, eating together. Agott still wasn’t saying much, and she hadn’t smiled yet, but Coco could tell she liked the buns and was eating them eagerly.
“You were really hungry, huh?” said Coco. “Don’t worry, I had breakfast a little while ago. You can eat the rest!”
Agott silently took another bun and bit into it.
“Can I help you find what you’re looking for?” Coco asked. “It’s easier to find things when someone else is looking too!”
Agott swallowed her food and stared at the remainder of the bun. “You shouldn’t,” she said. “You’re just an ordinary person. This is a…” She glanced at Coco. “...A special witch thing.”
Special witch thing. Right. Agott was part of a whole other world.
Coco sighed and hugged her knees. “I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t try to get in the way of special witch things. I was just so excited…I’ve always wanted to meet a witch. Magic is the best thing ever.” She stared at the ground. “When I was little, I wanted to be a witch, but my mother said that you have to be born a witch to use magic. So when I saw you flying around in front of the moon last night, I got so excited. At least I could see you make your magic.”
Silence.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Coco nervously looked over at Agott, who was still staring thoughtfully at her bun.
“Magic…isn’t everything you apparently think it is,” Agott said at last. “It’s not fun and games. It takes hard work. And I should really get going.” She stuffed the rest of the bun into her mouth and stood up, brushing the crumbs off her cloak.
“Oh. Okay.” Coco tried not to stare longingly after the witch walking away. “I hope you find your special witch thing.”
“Thanks,” said Agott, walking away without looking back.
Coco turned her gaze back down to the ground and sighed. Her first witch encounter—with a witch her own age!—over in just a few clock marks. She probably wouldn’t have another chance like this, but she shouldn’t bother a busy young witch…
The sound of a yelp followed by a loud flump startled her, and she turned her head. Agott had suddenly fallen to the ground a short distance away, but she’d managed to catch herself with her hands.
Coco leapt to her feet and ran over. “Are you okay? Did you trip?”
“Of course not,” said Agott, sounding vexed. “I never trip.” She started to push herself up, but then she dropped to her knees and let out a huff. “I was flying most of the day yesterday.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs. “My legs must be fatigued. Master Qifrey said that can happen sometimes…”
Then Agott blinked and shook her head. “Hold on. Why am I telling you this? You’re just a regular person!”
“Master Qifrey?!” said Coco. “You have a teacher?!”
“Of course I am,” said Agott. “Witches our age study as apprentices.”
“Did Master Qifrey send you to look for your special witch thing?” Coco squeed.
“He…” Agott looked startled, then nodded really quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, he’s the one who sent me.”
“If you’re tired out, why don’t you rest a bit?” said Coco. “I’ll keep you company!” She plopped down next to Agott and made herself comfortable in the grass.
“Fine,” said Agott, holding her head high as she continued rubbing her leg muscles. “I don’t need company, but you can stay if you want.”
“Sorry if I’m getting too excited,” said Coco. “Am I getting too excited? I just can’t believe I really met a witch today!”
Agott didn’t say anything, but she made eye contact with Coco.
I’m making eye contact with a witch! Coco thought. This is the best!
Agott’s eyes were light purple and really pretty. Coco let a huge grin spread across her face as she looked at her new witch friend.
“...Stop staring at me,” Agott said at last, breaking eye contact and looking down at her lap. “It’s distracting.”
“Oops,” said Coco, trying to look somewhere else. “Sorry. Um…how are your legs doing?”
“They feel a little better,” said Agott. “I should get going.” She pressed her hands onto the ground and slowly pushed herself upright. She wobbled a little, but she made it up.
“You’re going to go back to looking for your special witch thing?” Coco asked.
“Yes,” said Agott. “And it’s not called a ‘special witch thing.’ It’s called…” She shook her head. “Never mind.”
Coco stood up. “Even if I’m not a witch, I still really wish I could help you look for your thing,” she said.
“I don’t need help,” said Agott. “I can do this myself. Thanks for the buns, by the way. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye!” said Coco, hoping her disappointment didn’t show on her face. “Good luck!”
Agott nodded, turned, and started slowly walking away.
There she went again, for real this time. Coco hoped Agott was going to be okay. And she hoped Agott would find the special witch thing that her master had sent her to look for.
Even though she knew she probably shouldn’t, Coco kept watching. Which meant that she saw when someone appeared out of nowhere in front of Agott, causing the witch girl to stumble back.
Who was that person that had appeared? Could it be Agott’s teacher, Master Qifrey??
Coco couldn’t resist. She had to see who it was! She took off running, and she dashed straight toward Agott and the other witch.
As Coco ran closer, close enough to see the new arrival, she had a weird feeling that this wasn’t Master Qifrey. The new witch was tall and had a cloak that covered almost their whole body, and their hat, which had a low brim that hid their face, had a spooky eye-like design on it.
“I’m not telling the likes of you!” Agott snapped at the witch. “Go away!”
“Hush,” the other witch said in a low voice. “There’s only one reason an apprentice would be out on her own. You’re after the same power.” They leaned in a little closer. “Tell me: where is the Witch Hat Emerald?”
Coco stopped just behind Agott. What was the Witch Hat Emerald?
“I already said that I’m not telling you!” said Agott. “You’re a Brimhat, aren’t you? You’re against everything witches stand for!”
“Agott?” said Coco. “What’s going on?”
Agott turned her head in clear surprise. “Coco?! You followed me?”
“I thought this witch was your master,” said Coco. “And then I realized they weren’t. Who are they?”
“You don’t need to know!” Agott retorted. “I can deal with this on my own!” She turned back to the other witch, which she’d called a Brimhat. “My master will be here any moment, you know!”
“Hmph,” said the Brimhat. “Do you think that intimidates me? This is your final warning. Answer me. Where is the Witch Hat Emerald?”
Agott took a step back. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know where it is! And even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you!”
The Brimhat took a step forward. As they spoke again, their voice had a low, threatening tone that gave Coco chills. “Do not lie to me. You can tell me right now, if you wish, or…”
“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Coco shouted.
Both Agott and the Brimhat froze.
“Leave Agott alone!” Coco shouted. “She’s my friend, and she’s clearly telling you the truth! She doesn’t know where the Witch Hat Emerald is!”
Agott, eyes wide, glanced back at her. “Coco…”
“I don’t know who you are or what you want,” said Coco, clenching her hands. “But don’t you dare hurt Agott!”
Suddenly, Coco felt a strange warmth against her chest. She glanced down to see that her pendant was glowing with a white light that grew brighter by the moment.
“What?!” hissed the Brimhat, stepping back. “What is this?! This light…”
“What’s going on?!” Agott gasped.
“I don’t know!” said Coco. “It’s my good-luck charm! I’ve had it all my life!” She gasped. “Is it magic?!”
The white light of her pendant was so beautiful. Somehow, looking at it made Coco feel brave. Braver than she’d ever, ever felt.
Maybe it was doing the same thing for her new friend, because then Agott turned back to the Brimhat and reached for something under her cloak. “We don’t know where the Witch Hat Emerald is!” She shouted. “That’s the truth! And even if we did know, we’d never tell some Brimhat!”
“Stubborn,” said the Brimhat, sounding irritated. “Well, let me see if this will make you talk.”
The Brimhat pulled out a stone from under their cloak and held it up. The stone was round and flat, about the size of Coco’s palm, and it had some sort of circle-shaped design drawn on it.
Agott gasped. “What? That’s…”
The Brimhat pulled out a pen with their other hand, moved it to the stone, and closed the outer circle of the design. Magic that was near-black in color, unlike anything Coco had ever seen before, swirled around the stone, which began to grow bigger.
The Brimhat dropped the swelling stone and flew a short distance away, hovering in the air. “If I can’t pry the truth out of you…then perhaps this can.”
As Coco and Agott stared in alarm, the stone grew outward until it was twice their size. It grew a pair each of rocky arms and legs, the ends of its arms balling into fists.
“What’s that?!” Coco gasped.
“I don’t know!” said Agott. “It’s…some sort of monster!” She clenched her hands fiercely. “This must be some sort of forbidden magic!”
“What do we do?” said Coco.
Suddenly, the rock monster threw a punch. Agott ducked and Coco jumped to the side, both of them just barely dodging it.
“We have to fight it somehow!” said Agott, gritting her teeth as she glared at the monster. “But…” She looked afraid, like she didn’t know what to do. “I can’t…” She dodged another punch from the monster, then clenched her hands. “Argh! I can’t!”
“It’s okay!” said Coco, running to Agott’s side to dodge a third punch. “We can figure something out! You’re a witch! You must have some ideas, right?”
“I told you, I don’t!” Agott snapped. “You should run back home! You’re just going to get killed if you stay here!”
“NO!” Coco shouted, loudly enough that the monster froze. “You’re my new witch friend, and I won’t leave you!”
Agott’s eyes went wide. “You…you won’t?”
Coco felt the warmth against her chest again, and her pendant shone with white light, rising into the air. As it did, something against Agott’s chest glowed as well, and another pendant that looked just like Coco’s slipped out from under Agott’s cloak and rose to meet it.
The two glowing diamond pendants flew free of their strings and zipped toward each other, coming together with a click. They flashed with white light, and the light cleared away to reveal that the two pendants had become…a pen.
Coco and Agott gasped, and the monster and the Brimhat froze.
The pen, which was pure white and shimmered like a diamond, hovered in the air between the two girls and gave off a soft glow. Then, dark ink with a faint sparkle to it welled up in the point of the pen, and a strange instinct burst to the front of Coco’s thoughts.
She might not know what was going on, but something was telling her she knew exactly what to do.
Coco reached out her hand, and Agott reached out her own. As the two girls joined hands, the pen spun in the air and then dove downward, drawing something just above the ground between them.
Another instinct rose up, and when Coco and Agott called out the words that came to them, their two voices spoke as one.
“Diamond Pen!” they shouted as the pen whirled around them and continued to draw. “Miracle-Magical Witch Hat Seal!”
The pen drew a circle around the two of them, and the very moment the circle (and the drawings inside of it) was completed, a bright white light illuminated them.
So that’s how magic works! Coco realized. Magic is…drawn!
A tunnel of light rushed up from the seal and surrounded Coco and Agott, and suddenly their clothes began to change. White light enveloped Coco, turning into a ruffled white dress with a long, billowing white cloak. A similar dress, with a longer skirt and fewer ruffles, appeared on Agott. Light spiraled up their feet, turning into matching white boots that appeared in a swirl of sparkles.
More light swirled around Coco and Agott’s joined hands, turning into elbow-length white gloves, and gloves appeared on their other hands as well. Finally, white pointed witch hats appeared on their heads, each with a long black tassel that had a shimmery white bead on the end. The tunnel of light vanished, and Coco and Agott let go of each other’s hands and struck defensive stances.
“The miracle of our duo!” said Coco. “Witch Hat Miracle!”
“The magic of our duo!” said Agott. “Witch Hat Magical!”
The girls leapt toward each other and stood back-to-back, fixing their gazes on the monster.
“We are…the Witch Hat Warriors!”
Coco blinked in surprise as everything that had just happened finally hit her. She and Agott exchanged startled glances.
“Wait…what just happened?” said Agott, staring at her gloved hands. “These words just popped into my head, and now I’m…”
“I’m wearing a witch outfit!” cheered Coco. “This is so incredible! But what’s going on? What just happened with my pendant? And, um, yours too?”
“I…I don’t know…” Agott stared at the pen that was still hovering in the air between them, hesitated, then grabbed it tightly. “The Witch Hat Warriors are…figures of legend. They don’t exist anymore.”
Coco was so ecstatic that it was hard to talk coherently, but she managed, “So we’re new ones?!”
“How could this be?” said the Brimhat, reminding Coco of what else was happening. Coco and Agott turned back to face the Brimhat and the rock monster.
“You may have awakened the powers of the Witch Hat Diamond, but you will go no further,” shouted the Brimhat. “Capture them both!”
As the monster lunged, Coco and Agott jumped out of the way. To Coco’s amazement, they leapt farther than any ordinary human could manage. They even managed to do little flips in midair before landing gracefully on the ground a short distance away.
The two girls looked at each other in amazement.
“Coco,” said Agott. “…Witch Hat Miracle. I don’t know about you, but I feel strong and fast. If we jump at that monster, we might be able to stun it.”
“Okay!” said Coco, nodding excitedly. “Let’s go, Agott! I mean, Witch Hat Magical!”
As the monster lunged again, both girls leapt into the air and dove toward it, each of them stretching out a leg just in time to kick the monster squarely in its seal. The monster let out a low growling sound and fell backward, lying on the ground.
“Take that!” Agott said as the two girls landed safely just in front of the monster. “You aren’t going to hurt us with your forbidden magic!”
“That’s right!” said Coco. “Magic should be for making people happy!”
The Brimhat made an angry sound as the monster managed to get up again. As the monster attempted another attack, Coco and Agott leapt toward it and punched it, knocking it back down.
“Curse you!” growled the Brimhat. “Two children have become new Witch Hat Warriors. I must report this.” They held up another seal and placed it between themselves and the stunned rock monster. “My creation and I will return!”
The Brimhat and the monster vanished into thin air, with no trace of them in sight.
“Huh?” said Coco, glancing back and forth. “Where’d they go?”
“Teleportation without the use of contraptions,” said Agott, frowning. “That’s forbidden magic, too. Looks like they’ve gotten away.”
Then, the beautiful witch outfits vanished, leaving Coco and Agott in the clothes they’d been wearing before. The diamond pen flew out of Agott’s hand and changed back into two diamond-like pendants, which appeared back around the girls’ necks.
“Oh, wow,” said Coco, touching her good-luck charm. “This is the most incredible thing ever!!! I wish I could’ve kept that witch outfit, though—it was so pretty!”
Agott touched her own pendant. “I’ve had this pendant for as long as I can remember,” she said. “I can’t believe I never knew that it was the Witch Hat Diamond…” She glanced at Coco’s pendant. “...or one half of the Witch Hat Diamond.”
“That scary witch was saying something about a Witch Hat Emerald,” said Coco. “Are they related?”
“Yes. They’re two of the legendary Witch Hat Gemstones,” said Agott. “The Witch Hat Warriors used them to fight the Brimhats—the ones who use forbidden magic—hundreds of years ago. And apparently the Diamond was right here all along…in plain sight…”
“I finally know how magic works!” said Coco, jumping up and down in excitement. “It’s drawn! Magic is drawn! And when I was a Witch Hat Warrior with you, Agott, I felt like I could do anything!”
“We can’t just celebrate,” said Agott, folding her arms and shaking her head. “That Brimhat said they’d be back, with the monster they made. And we don’t know what’s going on or what this means.” She sighed. “I’m not looking forward to it, but…I should tell Master Qifrey about this. We’re not about to figure this out on our own.”
“Can I come with you?!” Coco squealed. “I want to meet your Master Qifrey! And I don’t want to say goodbye to you yet! I’ve finally met a witch and seen magic spells!”
“This isn’t a game!” said Agott. “And anyway, you’ve seen too much already.”
“I know,” said Coco, some of her excitement fading. “I know I’m not really a witch. But when I looked like one for a couple of clock marks just now, it made me so happy.” She smiled shyly. “Besides, we held hands while we turned into the Witch Hat Warriors…I get the feeling we’re stronger when we’re together.”
Agott’s cheeks turned pink. Then she jumped, blinked, and vigorously shook her head. “Fine! I’ll take you to meet Master Qifrey. We’ll figure this out. Somehow.”
“YAY!” cheered Coco. “I’ll get to see a real atelier!!!”
—----------------
“Lord Beldaruit?” said a youngish man, running into the room. “Did you find her?”
The older witch who’d called him in gave an excited laugh. “Yes, Qifrey! And you wouldn’t believe what I’ve just seen! I haven’t been so excited in ages!”
“What?” said Qifrey, adjusting his smoky gray witch hat. “What did you see?”
“The Witch Hat Warriors!” said Lord Beldaruit, using his sealchair to jump around excitedly. “Your apprentice just became a Witch Hat Warrior!”
“What?!” Qifrey gasped. “You’re joking! The Witch Hat Gemstones have been long-lost!”
“No, for once I’m not joking, Qifrey!” said Lord Beldaruit. “You should go fetch Agott and her new friend. I believe they have quite a story to tell you!” He laughed again. “I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next!”