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The evening sun had befallen upon the atelier, painting the windows with thick pink and orange swirls. Coco and Agott were seated at their respective workstations. After a long day of lessons, the two girls would sit in silence, grappling over their respective wands and ink, until Master Qifrey called for dinner.
However, today Agott was restless. For some reason, she kept climbing up onto the windowsill to gaze out into the hills beyond. This was a feat made more precarious because Coco had not yet fixed and returned her sylph shoes.
After the third climb, Coco could not keep her curiosity contained.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Agott did not even glance in her direction.
“No,” she said. “I am simply waiting for Master Olruggio to return.”
Coco tilted her head. Master Olruggio kept extremely irregular hours. She was not aware it was even possible to know when he was coming home.
“May I ask why?” Coco tried.
“No.”
Well.
Coco tried to return to her work, but her thoughts were now speeding like a sled down a steep slope. Since her arrival at the atelier, Coco had seldom spent time with Olruggio. Besides being their Watchful Eye, he crafted custom contraptions for a wide variety of clientele. Apparently this autumn period was one of his busiest times of the year.
Meanwhile, Agott prized her ability to refine and master her magic above all else. Anything that interrupted her evening study time must then be of vital importance. Whatever this matter was, Coco hoped that she would find out soon enough.
Luckily a mere half an hour later, Agott jumped down from the window and landed elegantly on her feet.
“He has returned,” Agott said, brushing herself off. “Come with me.”
Nearly shaking with anticipation and curiosity, Coco followed her down the steps. Tetia and Riché were looking over from the staircase to their workstation. Tetia beamed when she saw them.
“Are we finally carrying out The Agreement?” Tetia asked.
“Yes,” Agott said, without meeting her eyes.
“Oh, thank you!” Tetia squealed, wrapping her arms around the girl.
Agott scowled and pushed her off.
“Let’s go,” she said.
Coco fell in step behind Tetia, watching as Agott led them across the bridge to Olruggio’s atelier.
“What exactly is The Agreement ?” Coco whispered.
“Oh,” Tetia started. “It’s a really really exciting—”
“Not that exciting,” Riché interrupted.
“Then why did you agree to help?”
“Because it is a change and Riché wants a say in it.”
There was no time for any more questions. They had arrived before the ominous “those who knock will be cursed” sign. Agott stared up at the foreboding words, straightened her back, and rapt hard on the wood.
“Master Olruggio!” she called.
There was a deep grumble from behind the door, followed by a series of increasingly louder shuffles. The door swung open with a harsh groan.
“Whatever it is,” Olruggio said, emerging with a face weary and a heavy sigh. “It better be important.”
Agott, undeterred, stared him straight in the eye.
“The atelier now has four apprentices,” she said. “So we have come to collect on The Agreement.”
Cryptic as that sentence was, Olruggio seemed to understand exactly what she meant. He shot a glance towards his haphazard calendar posted on the wall. It was crooked, every inch of paper seemingly covered with tight scrawls, overflowing notes, and arrows pointing to even more notes.
“Does it need to be now ?” he pleaded.
“ Yes ,” Agott insisted. “The rain season is about to start. We wouldn’t want a repetition of last time , now would you?”
Olruggio’s expression was eclipsed with a grimace.
“Alright, alright,” he said, raising his hands in defeat. “Let’s go ask Qifrey.”
“Hurray!” Tetia cheered as Olurggio led the way to the kitchen. Coco followed close in step behind the group, still very bewildered.
As they approached the main building, the wondrous smell of a hearty roast washed over them. They found Qifrey before the dining room table, setting down a basket of bread rolls.
“Oh good,” he said, turning towards the sound of their footsteps. “I was just about to call for dinner.” He paused, seeing the serious expressions upon their faces. “Is something wrong?”
It was Agott who stepped forward.
“Master Qifrey,” she said. “There is a very important matter: we would like to petition for another couch.”
Coco’s eyes drifted to the living room. There was only a single couch set before the hearth. Of course, the room was very spacious with plenty of floorspace. However, she supposed during the winter if all six of them wanted to snuggle up before the fire, it would be a tight squeeze.
Qifrey seemed to follow a similar train of thought.
“A couch?” he echoed, an amused expression blossoming across his features. “Is that all?”
“And we would like to buy one from a proper furniture store,” Agott said.
“Which means a shopping trip!” Tetia added.
This caught Coco’s attention. A shopping trip implied a trip to Kalhn. Her lips began to pull upwards into a wide emile. She would never pass up an opportunity to see more magic.
“All within budget of course,” Olurggio said.
Qifrey spied Olruggio, eye twinkling.
“Are you involved in this scheme as well?” His lips were tipped upwards. “It’s not like you to be invested in home decor.”
“It was brought up to me a while back,” Olruggio said, vague and not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Besides,” he deflected. “It’s a good idea.”
“I certainly agree,” Qifrey said “However, there are a few details I’d like to discuss, especially if we make this a day trip to Kalhn.” He gestured to the table. “I hope there will be no objections to talking this out over dinner. We wouldn’t want the food to get cold, now would we?”
“Of course,” Agott said, turning to the cabinet to gather the plates. As if on cue, everyone began bustling around to help finish setting the table. Coco’s stomach grumbled as she eyed their dinner: honeytree glazed quadryphon roast, seated on a bed of carapace yams and sword carrots.
“So,” Qifrey said, once everyone was settled. “Is everyone in agreement that we would like another couch?”
“Plus a shopping trip!” Tetia added, passing along the basket of rolls.
“And a shopping trip,” Qifrey corrected, taking a roll for himself.
Coco also took a bread roll. They were warm to the touch and twisted into ornate knots. She lifted it to her nose and sniffed. Freshly baked.
Agott continued explaining. “The current couch can only fit two adults or three children. That is no longer sufficient for the six—”
“ Seven ,” Riché interrupted. “Counting Brushbuddy.”
“Can’t forget Brushbuddy,” Olruggio observed, piling his plate with quadryphon meat. Before he could dig in, Qifrey pulled his plate back and doubled his serving of vegetables.
“ Seven of us,” Agott corrected. “Furthermore, it will be winter soon. Once the frost settles in, less people would want to spend their evenings sitting upon the cold hard floor.”
Qifrey nodded. “I do agree that this atelier is getting full…”
“But we do have the space!” Tetia said. “If we move the woodpile, we can squeeze a couch next to the staircase.”
“And Riché can make a contraption to store the wood.”
“See,” Olruggio said. “It’s even becoming an educational experience.”
That made Qifrey chuckle.
“How about you, Coco?” Qifrey asked. “What do you think?”
“Oh um,” Coco stammered. She hadn’t realized she had been silent up until now. “I think it’s a good idea! A shopping day in Kalhn always sounds really really amazing. And uh…” She wracked her brain. “Oh! And maybe I can help choose a couch material that is easy to clean. Maybe one that doesn’t collect Brushbuddy fur?”
To emphasize her point, she pulled at a tuft stuck to her own atelier uniform.
Riché turned to Qifrey.
“No,” he said, with a gentle shake of his head. “I doubt they’ll let us bring Brushbuddy into the store.”
Riché pouted.
“I must ask though,” Qifrey continued. “Are you sure you all want to go couch shopping? I know everyone is excited for a day trip, but browsing for furniture can be dreary and boring.”
“Are you kidding me?” Tetia asked. “This is going to be a super great research opportunity for my cloud magic!”
“I’ll never turn down an opportunity to visit a magical store!” Coco promised.
“Riché wants to make sure the new couch is comfortable.”
All eyes fell on Agott and Olruggio, who exchanged a cryptic look.
“I promised I would go,” Olruggio said, far too simply.
“It may not be necessary,” Qifrey said. “You have a lot of deadlines around this time of year. I can surely manage on my own, especially if we shrink—”
“No!” Both Agott and Olruggio exclaimed.
Coco startled backward. Even Master Qifrey’s eye was wide as he slowly put down his fork.
“Is something the matter?” he asked.
Agott straightened herself.
“No,” she repeated. “It is possible to transport the couch without shrinking it. All we need to do is add a lightweight spell and fly it back. The glyphs are already prepared in my room. You are welcome to look over them.”
Qifrey raised an eyebrow.
“Olruggio?”
“Exactly what she said,” Olruggio said. “I can easily clear a day off my schedule. No issue at all. And with the two of us adults, it's no problem to carry the couch back.”
Qifrey looked between his best friend and his first apprentice.
“Now that I remember,” he said slowly. “You two were the ones to buy the first couch.”
Agott stared straight at Olruggio, but he was fixated on his own plate. Coco noticed a deep red flush spreading from his neck to his cheeks.
“Did something happen on that trip?” Qifrey asked.
Olurggio stabbed at his food a few times.
“It was absolutely nothing dangerous,” he reassured. “However, it became far more complicated than it needed to be. I would explain, but we don’t want to jinx anything. So if you don’t mind, I prefer not to say anything about what happened last time until the new couch is safely before the hearth.”
Qifrey looked between Agott and Olruggio. Neither of them met his eye.
“Alright then,” Qifrey said. “I’ll schedule a shopping trip.” His eye twinkled. “If only so that I can hear this story.”
Two days later, they departed for Kalhn. Coco had woken up at first light at dawn and had dutifully counted the clock marks until their departure. Oh what a wondrous occurrence to visit the magical city so soon! Coco lay before the hearth, kicking her legs into the air. To pass the time, she flipped through a book Master Qifrey had lent her, which detailed Kalhn’s cultural history.
When that fateful clock mark arrived, the six of them left the atelier. The skies were clear and Kalhn was more than close enough to fly to. There hadn’t been time to fix Agott’s sylph shoes nor construct her own, so Qifrey carried Coco and Olruggio carried Agott.
As they touched down in front of the future store, Coco could only stare up in open awe. It was more thrumpant than anything she could have ever imagined. The entire store rose from the ground in one tall spire. A series of windows ascended in a spiral along the side of the building, casting glimpses of the various showroom. Each showroom seemed to have a different theme: ocean waves, rustic forest, ornate medieval…
Coco began to jump up and down, squealing with excitement. Tetia took her hand and together they began to spin in a circle.
“Careful now,” Qifrey said. “You don’t want to wear yourself out before we even get started.”
The shopkeepers chuckled as their coven of witches teetered into their store. With hand in hand, Tetia and Coco approached the front desk.
“Hello,” Tetia greeted. “We would like to browse your couches. Here is a list of what we are looking for.” She handed over a list of previously agreed upon requirements.
“Very well, miss young witch,” the shopkeeper said with a bow. “Please follow me.”
As they walked through the store Coco's eyes darted around so much, she became dizzy. Every single direction beheld some sort of whimsical object. There were elegant rotating tables, walking chairs squatting on embroidered runs, and long floating couches rising high to the ceiling. Even the floor was adorned with crystal tiles that shone brightly under her feet.
The rest of the atelier followed like a procession. Qifrey and Olruggio trailed close behind, answering questions as they arose. Further back, Riché followed, albeit taking her time to gaze upon the crystal decorations. Meanwhile, furthest behind, nearly detached from the group altogether, was Agott.
In her mind, her contribution to The Agreement was complete. In fact, she had never even wanted to make such an official pact. Soon after Tetia had moved in, Agott had let it slip that Olruggio swore they would only get another couch if there were four apprentices in the atelier. Somehow over the years, that twisted into they would get another couch once there were four apprentices in the atelier.
One of the hardest parts was convincing Master Olruggio into agreeing. However now they were actually inside the store, she could let the others figure out the rest. Agott wasn’t that picky anyhow. She wouldn’t be surprised if Coco and Tetia insisted on a thorough inspection of every last couch in this entire store. Besides, she still needed to save her energy to protect her dignity once the others learned the story about what happened last time . So after half a clock mark, Agott sat down. A little while later, Riché sat down next to her.
Agott focused her gaze upon Master Qifrey and Olruggio. Qifrey was smiling, chattering indistinctly to his apprentices. However, she noticed that Olruggio was working to stifle multiple yawns. She wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed up late working in order to make time for this day trip.
“If they don’t stop them,” Agott said. “Tetia and Coco keep us here all day.”
Riché hummed in agreement, but didn’t say anything else.
Agott pulled at the hem of her skirt. She wished she had brought along a book.
“How long until Master Qifrey and Olruggio get tired and sit down with us?” Agott asked, at least partly out of boredom.
Riché looked over at the chattering witches.
“Master Olly within the next five minutes,” she said. “With Master Qifrey following shortly after.”
“But only after Master Olly,” Agott said. “To prove he’s not a wuss.”
Riché said nothing.
“Do you want to make that a bet?” Agott asked.
Riché looked up.
“If you’re right,” Agott explained. “and Master Olly sits down first, with Master Qifrey afterwards, I’ll wash the dishes for you for two days. If I’m right and Master Qifrey starts teasing Master Olly about sitting down first, you weed the garden for me for two days.”
These were their respective least favorite chores. Riché hated the way her hands smelled after washing dishes. Meanwhile Agott hated how scouring the garden for errant plants ate into her evening study time.
“And if we both win?” Riché asked.
Agott pondered for a moment.
“Then we both win. I wash the dishes for you and you weed the garden for me.”
“Deal!” Riché said.
With a mission now on hand, they both turned to observe their teachers. Sure enough, over the next three minutes, Olruggio started shifting uncomfortably from one leg to another. After another minute, he started slowly drifting away from the group, seemingly browsing his way across the showroom until he sat down with a groan next to them.
He glanced at the apprentices.
“I thought you wanted to make sure the material was Riché approved,” Olruggio asked.
“Riché reserves veto rights on any potential couch.”
“Ah,” Olruggio said.
The rest was a silent affair. The three least social members of the atelier did not make for idle chatter. However, once in the intervening time, a shopkeeper came by, saw their serious expressions all fixed upon the three most social members of the atelier (perhaps even in all of Kalhn), and promptly decided to leave them be.
After another five minutes passed, Agott noticed Qifrey rolling his shoulders with exhaustion. He cast a casual scan across the store and upon spotting them, began drifting over.
Qifrey sighed deeply as he sat down.
Riché looked at Agott triumphantly.
“Don’t tire yourself out yet,” Olurggio said. “We still need to carry the couch back.”
“Says the man who was already sitting,” Qifrey said.
Agott suppressed a grin.
“If you weren’t so adamant about keeping the couch its original size,” Qifrey continued. “It would be much easier to carry.”
“Just trust me on this,” Olruggio said. “Don’t shrink the couch.”
Qifrey eyed his friend’s expression.
“Last time,” he said carefully. “You must have shrunken the couch. And afterwards, something went wrong?”
Agott and Olruggio stayed silent, bound by their mutual vow of silence.
“Were you unable to restore it to its original size?” Qifrey guessed. Even Riché was watching them now. “But no, that couldn’t be it. You should have been able to just scratch out the glyph to fix it.” He tapped his chin. “What else could it be?”
Still no response. The two least social members of the atelier could make a remarkable impression of a stone wall.
“But I remember the couch was so clean when you put it in the hearth,” Qifrey said. “So it couldn’t have been anything that bad .”
Agott was suddenly very interested in the stitching pattern on the showroom rugs.
Olruggio kept his gaze fixed on Coco and Tetia.
“Oh well,” Qifrey said. “I guess I will learn later today.”
“If we end up getting a couch at all,” Riché added.
“So much about this being dreary and boring for the kids ,” Olruggio chimed. Coco and Tetia were still avidly chattering away with the salespeople.
Qifrey smiled.
“Wait a minute,” he said, straightening his posture. He called Coco and Tetia over. “Olly, can you please stand up?”
Olruggio obliged.
“Now Coco and Tetia, please sit down and tell us our requirements for the couch,” he asked, shuffling aside to make space for them.
Agott suppressed the childlike urge to cover her ears. She had heard this repeated at least a dozen times today.
Coco and Tetia made themselves comfortable upon the couch and consulted the sheet of paper. “Well one: a three seater couch, meaning it can fit at least four apprentices. Two: material easy to clean. Three: Riché material approved. Four: Brushbuddy fur proof. And Five: looks nice.”
“And how many couches in this store fit that criteria?”
“Eighty-seven.”
“Including this one?” Qifrey said, gesturing to the one they were currently seated on.
Agott’s eyes widened. She hadn’t chosen this couch intentionally. In fact it had been completely unintentional: she had been tired and wanted to sit down. After that, everyone else had just joined her.
But perhaps that was a good sign, a place they all instinctively came to rest?
Coco ran her fingers along the fabric.
“The material is wool,” she reported with a keen eye. “That makes it both durable and soft.”
Riché gave a thumbs up.
“This material is Riché approved.”
Tetia pulled a tuft of fur from her clothes and bruised it against the fabric.
“Seems to be Brushbuddy proof too.”
Agott decided not to fight it. The sooner they decided on a couch, the sooner they could go home.
“The deep blue color suits our atelier uniforms,” she said.
“And it seats one adult and four apprentices,” Qifrey said.
“Which isn’t everyone ,” Olruggio objected, pointedly still standing.
“But you are the one most likely to be asleep on the other couch.”
“Hey!”
Qifrey chuckled.
Olurggio grumbled and moved to check the tag.
“Well,” he conceded. “It’s within budget.”
“So,” Qifrey said, looking over at everyone “Are there any objections?”
There were only smiles all around.
The rest of the day progressed much quicker. At Olruggio’s request, the salespeople wrapped the couch in a durable sheet to protect it during transport. Afterwards, they helped attach a lightweight glyph. All there was left to do was to fly it back to the atelier.
“Master Qifrey,” Coco asked, once they were outside.
“Yes, Coco?”
“If you and Master Olruggio are carrying the couch,” she said. “How are Agott and I getting back?”
Qifrey and Olruggio looked at one another and grinned.
“Well,” Qifrey said. “I think we all can agree that if it wasn’t for the guidance of our dear Agott, we never would have gotten a new couch. And indirectly, we also would not have gotten another couch without our newest apprentice: Coco. So if it’s alright with everyone here, I suggest Agott and Coco ride on top of the couch on the way home.”
Coco beamed.
“On top?” she squealed. “Carried through the air like a princess in a fairy tale? Yes! Oh please yes!”
She spun to look at Agott.
The girl looked significantly less enthused, turning to look at Olruggio.
“As long as you promise not to drop me,” she warned.
“I promise,” Olruggio said.
Qifrey raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t drop her last time, did you?” Qifrey asked.
“No,” Agott said. “He didn’t drop me .”
“Did you drop the couch? ” Qifrey asked, a smile spreading across his features. “While it was shrunk?”
“Let’s get moving before the sun goes down!” Olruggio said, changing the subject. “I’ll fly forward and Qifrey will fly backward. Riché and Tetia, any objections to flying along on your own?”
“Nope!” Tetia said. “If anything, I get to look out and be the eyes for the Watchful Eye!”
“Riché does not like the way the wrapping feels,” Riché said, already soaring into the sky.
“Great!” Olruggio said. “Agott and Coco climb on board. Please stay seated and don’t shift your weight. We don’t want you to fall. Since we’re carrying the couch, both Qifrey and my visibility will be limited, so please watch out for flock of birds and the like.” He gave a forlorn plea to the sky. “ Please let us have no mishaps on the way home.”
And they were off.
Coco did her best to not shift in her seat, but there were no rules against her voicing her excitement aloud.
“This is amazing!” she shouted against the rushing wind. “I feel like royalty!”
Evidently, it was truly an usual sight to behold an entire coven of witches flying through the sky carrying a couch. As they passed above, whole crowds of people stopped in their tracks to watch. Most smiled, many pointed, and a few waved at them. Coco could not resist waving back.
This was an exceptionally regal experience. Coco had flown before, either in pegasus carriages or simply being carried. However seated upon a throne in the sky, surrounded all around by her atelier— her second home— there were more than a few tears.
As the atelier came into view, Tetia and Riché touched ground first.
“Brushbuddy!” they cried as they ran off. “Brushbuddy! Look what we have for you!”
Qifrey and Olruggio set the couch on the soft grass, then promptly collapsed on top of it. They were wiped.
A minute later, Riché returned with Brushbuddy in her arms. Tetia had brought a vapor bubble.
“Just give us a minute girls,” Olruggio said, after a long drink of water. “Then we’ll bring it in.”
Coco stood up so Tetia and Brushbuddy could have a turn on the couch.
“So,” Qifrey said, having caught his breath. “Last time, you shrunk the couch and dropped it coming home?”
Agott and Olruggio looked between each other.
“There may have been a few accidents,” Olruggio said amiably.
“There was a hole in his bag,” Agott explained.
Qifrey smiled.
“Don't laugh,” Olurggio warned.
“And he didn’t realize it until we had already returned,” Agott said.
“How did you not realize you dropped a couch? ” Qifrey asked.
“Well…” Olruggio looked upon the sky as it could grant salvation from this conversation. “The glyphs shrink it down real small. Plus with the lightweight spell and the wind blowing as you fly—”
Qifrey raised his hand to his mouth in a futile attempt to stifle his chuckle.
“So what happened after you dropped it?” Tetia asked.
“How did you even find it? ” Riché asked.
“It took him three days,” Agott deadpanned. “And when it fell, the glyphs broke so it resumed its normal size and weight. But that wasn’t the problem.”
“And what was?”
Olruggio buried his face in his hands.
“That a herd of sheep had found it first.”
All of them were stifling giggles now.
“And how did you manage to get the couch back?” Coco asked.
“Slowly and painfully,” Olruggio said.
“Master Olruggio made a magical mirage to lead them away,” Agott explained. “Meanwhile I flew in with new glyphs, grabbed the couch, and ran.”
“Olly,” Qifrey said, between chuckles. “Isn’t it part of your job to deliver contraptions?”
“...yes.”
Qifrey let out a holler of laughter.
“Stop laughing!”
Qifrey ignored him, choking on his giggles.
“And our new couch is made of wool,” he laughed. “Oh, this is amazing!”
“Why do you think I never told you!?” Olruggio shouted, his face aflame with red.
Coco let herself fall backwards onto the grass. The laughs came so strong now her stomach was cramping. Riché tumbled to the grass next to her.
“I’m surprised the sheep didn’t break the couch,” Tetia said, when she could gasp for breath.
“They practically did,” Agott said. “It took a month to clean off all the stains.”
“Didn’t that smell?” Riché said, with a wrinkling nose.
“You don’t even want to think about it,” Agott said with a grimace.
Master Olruggio pulled his hood over his face.
“Your poor workshop!” Qifrey chuckled. “Is that why you didn’t allow me inside?”
“Is that the reason why you put up the ‘those who knock will be cursed’ sign?” Tetia asked.
“We’re done talking about this!” Olruggio said, standing suddenly. “If you’re all going to amuse yourselves, you may as well do it inside!”
However none of them moved, for they were all paralyzed with laughter.
Night had fallen upon the atelier and all the girls had long gone to bed. Qifrey and Olruggio were seated upon the new couch, the hearth burning low, and an open bottle of silvernectar wine between them.
“So,” Qifrey said, swirling his glass. “I have one more question for you.”
Olruggio pressed his fingers to his eyes.
“Haven’t I embarrassed myself enough today?”
“It’s not an embarrassing question,” Qifrey said.
Olurggio only stared at him.
“I mean I hope so,” Qifrey amended with a chuckle. “I just wanted to know: why did you and Agott decide to get a couch in the first place?”
It was only a few years ago, however it felt like an entirely different life. During that period, everything had been new: the atelier, their respective roles as Master and Watchful Eye, even the blue sky over their heads.
“Do you remember what the living room looked like, before the couches? Olruggio asked.
Qifrey nodded.
Once the atelier had been built, the remaining budget had been scarce. For the first year, two of the apprentices' bedrooms would remain unfurnished. To save on costs, the space before the hearth was adorned with simple cushions and blankets. Olruggio and Agott never commented on the sparseness. In fact, Olruggio had a habit of collapsing on the mountain of cushions at the end of a long day. So when Olruggio suddenly came home with a couch, Qifrey had assumed it was mainly for Olruggio’s own benefit.
“Well, it’s not a big story or anything,” Olruggio said, taking another sip of his drink. “Just two little occurrences that managed to lead into one another. One night shortly after Agott arrived, we were both up late. I asked her if I could do anything to make her more comfortable. The Great Hall is so unlike our countryside atelier and we know she didn’t leave her home on amicable terms. Well, she couldn’t think of anything. So I told her to let me know if anything came to mind. And then, a few weeks later, you were up late making lesson plans and ended up falling asleep in front of the hearth.”
“I remember that,” Qifrey said, his voice a soft whisper.
New as everything was, that period in their lives had also been eclipsed by insurmountable uncertainty. They went through growing pains, all of them in their own unique ways. For Qifrey that meant more than a few stressed induced research sessions, where he lay awake, insecurities prying at his core, wondering if he was doing anything right at all. That particular night, he had obsessed over his books until his limbs were heavy and his eye burned.
Until sheer fatigue in his body overrode absolutely everything.
“Well, Agott found you, came to get me, and I ended up carrying you to your room,” Olruggio said. “The next day, she asked me about the possibility of getting a couch.”
Qifrey started feeling tears swelling behind his eyes.
“I didn’t understand then,” Olruggio continued. “Not until later. But I think that when I asked her what would make the atelier more comfortable for her , she responded with something that would make it more comfortable for you. ”
The tears were spilling now. Olruggio gave a soft smile and reached forward. When Qifrey didn’t pull away, Olruggio brushed his calloused fingers against Qifrey’s cheek. His hand was warm and gentle.
“There now,” Olruggio soothed, voice gruff and slow. “They can be difficult. All of them and in their own ways. But remember: they all chose to stay here.”
Whatever expression Olruggio had, Qifrey would never know, for his vision was completely overrun by tears. Wordlessly, Olruggio wrapped his arms around his shoulders and cradled him into a hug.
“You’re a good teacher, Qifrey.”
In response, Qifrey buried his face into Olruggio’s shoulder and began to cry in earnest.
If only he could be a good person too.