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Qifrey passed the fifth test on his first try. He had been worried, but it had been surprisingly easy.
“It's because you have a good instinct for teaching,” Beldaruit had told him with a smile full of pride. Would he be saying that if he knew Qifrey's reasons for becoming a professor? That he had picked it not because of any passion towards education, but because it was a job where you were obligated to worry and fret? That he was hoping it would cause him so much stress and he would dislike it enough he wouldn't have to hurt Olruggio anymore?
He truly was rephrensible.
Of course, the second step to becoming a professor after passing the tests was finding an apprentice, and that would be hard for him, with his reputation.
What should he do then? He had spent most of his free time the last couple years studying for the test, and of course before that he had spent most of his free time with Olruggio, who was now often preoccupied with his own work. He could travel, though of course he couldn't do so for too long lest the distance between him and Olruggo lured him into safety and made the silverwood want to sprout.
There was nothing he could do besides linger in the Great Hall, in this ever-so discomforting place where whispers wandered after him and the cool ever-present humidity was reminiscent of drowning.
Well, he had plenty of time to decide what to do with himself. For now though, he could afford at least a bit of rest. He opened the door to his apartment, and there was his dear friend Olruggio, waiting for him with a bottle of wine.
“Congragulations,” he said, holding up a glass. Qifrey graciously took it.
“Thank you…” He had sent Olruggio a letterbird right away of his results. He must've rushed over here right away upon hearing the news. He really was too much. Qifrey took a seat cross from him.
“How was it?” Olruggio asked.
“Not bad. I think the fourth test was harder.”
“What was it?” asked Olruggio.
“You know it's considered bad luck to discuss with others tests that you haven't taken yet.”
“I'll never do it.”
“You'll never know if you'll change your mind.”
“I won't,” mumbled Olruggio.
Qifrey hoped that he would. Olruggio would definitely make a better professor than he ever would. He had taught Qifrey so much about the world when they were both children, and he had a better demeanor for it. He was very insistent he didn't want to be one though. “There's things in my life I would prioritize over children,” he had said. Warming the world with his contraptions was what he wanted to focus on, Qifrey supposed. Perhaps the exchange was worth it, then.
“So,” Olruggio continued, “now that you've passed your fifth test and you don't need to study anymore… When are you going to leave the Great Hall?”
“Leave? I'm not going to leave.”
“Eh?” Olruggio blinked. “Don't you want to? When we were children, you said he did.”
He had said that, multiple times. If Olruggio were to think carefully back on his memories, he would realize Qifrey had stopped saying so after the Tower of Tomes, when he had realized a life away from a place that caused him discomfort was too dangerous for him.
“I did, but if I were to leave the Great Hall, I would need a Watchful Eye. And I don't want to live with a stranger.” He would have to live away from Olruggio too, since the Great Hall offered many resources that made his work easier–
“I'll be your Watchful Eye.” Olruggio offered without a moment's hesitation.
of course he would say that.
Qifrey held back a sigh and smiled instead. “I don't think that'll be allowed.”
“Why not?”
“Olly, we're best friends. Everyone here knows that. The Watchful Eye is supposed to be a neutral party.”
Olruggio blinked. “I suppose you're right.” He leaned back and sighed. “And I wanted to get out of here…”
Inviting himself along, huh? Well, they had talked about their future being shared too, when they were children. And now their fates had to be, because…
The slight tickle of Olruggio's old hat ribbon on his neck. Qifrey brushed it out of his way.
It was better down here for him. At the bottom of the sea, he could hardly ever relax. The irrational fear the ceiling of the Great Hall would come crashing down and kill them all. The stares that followed him wherever he went. A new bittersweet memory around every corner as a constant reminder of the sins he had committed. Olruggio close enough to hurt, but not close enough to touch. Yes. Here, with a student by his side, there was no way he would ever be able to relax. .
Maybe he could take up a hobby. He had always wanted a garden, but down here where there was barely any free space and no natural sunlight, such a thing was impossible. Maybe he could do embroidery. There were some neat things you could do with magic with a bit of practice and some conjuring ink. Maybe he could just go to the library and study. Make himself a better teacher before he could even properly start.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door, forcing Qifrey to get out of bed. Who was it? At this time of day, it could only be Olruggio, but their celebration had lasted a bit too late into the night, and he knew his friend was very busy right now.
Of course, it was him on the other side of the door anyway. Despite the fact he usually suffered from hangovers worse than Qifrey, right now he was beaming too brightly. He entered.
“I got special permission to be your Watchful Eye!”
What? “From who?”
“Your professor. I went over this morning and asked him.”
“And he said yes?”
Olruggio nodded.
Oh, Beldaruit. He couldn't believe it.
“Why?” he asked.
Olruggio scratched the back of his neck. “Well, we had a talk…”
“About what?”
“Er. The details don't matter.” He waved Qifrey off. “I have permission.”
What had Olruggio said to him? Beldaruit should know well by now that there was no situation where Olruggio could act objectively towards him. His friend was loyal to a fault. He didn't just say yes because he knew Qifrey didn't like the Great Hall and would be happier elsewhere, did he? If Qifrey did get in trouble, this would bounce back on him for allowing this.
“I don't think you should be my Watchful Eye,” said Qifrey. “It's not– It's not ethical.”
Olruggio raised an eyebrow. “Are you planning on committing a crime?”
“No.” Well, none towards his students, at least. Though if he ever did get a chance to go after a Brimhat.
“Then it's fine.”
That attitude is why Olruggio shouldn’t be his Watchful Eye. What had he told Beldaruit to convince him?
“Well, it's not just a matter of ethics. It's best for your work if you're based in the Great Hall–”
“Not really,” said Olruggio. “There's too many people who bother me here. Wanting my advice or for me to help them with something. I can't focus at all. Besides, it's not like there won't be a nearby windowway to this place anyways.”
“But–”
Oh, what excuse could he give? There was none. He hated this place.
“Where would he live?” he asked.
“Where do you want to live?” Olruggio asked him.
“I don't know.” They had adventures around the entirety of Zozah in their youth, but when asked, he couldn't single out one place.
“Well, then we'll have to look. I had a list of potential locations.” Olruggio pulled one out of his cloak. Oh dear, he really was prepared. “Let's go.”
“RIght noow? Do you not have any work to do?”
“Er. It's fine.” Olruggio turned to leave. “Let's go looking.”
He was skipping out, wasn't he? Hopefully it would be fine…
A witch settlement off the coast of an outsider town was where Olruggio wanted to start his search
“This is Kalhn, isn't it?” asked Qifrey.
“Yep. The climate is good in this part of Zozah, you know,” claimed Olruggio. “The summers aren't too warm, and the winters aren't as harsh as they are further up north. I thought it would be as good of a place to start as any? What do you think?”
“Sure, Olly.”
The location didn't matter. All towns were thesame to him. Walking through the markets, it was clear that it was just as crowded here as it was in the Great Hall. All those bodies in one area made it hard to breathe.
They were looking at him, they all were. If anything, he was getting even more stares than he usually got in the Great Hall. There, the people were used to him, but here, he was a commodity. He wanted to go back to his room. Why did he ever let Olruggio drag him out here?
“Even a place like this is too big for you, huh?” His friend had noticed his anxiety.
“It's fine…” said Qifrey. All witch settlements were going to have people in them. It was a given.
“No… I was wondering if you would even want to live in any sort of town. We'll just have to look at the countryside, then.” Olruggio pulled out his list and began to cross multiple options off.
“Of course I want to live in a town. I don't want my student to get lonely.”
He said that, but it really would be better for Olruggio if he lived in a settlement, someplace where he could easily help people. It would be selfish of Qifrey, to keep him all to himself in the middle of nowhere.
“Well, then you can get two of them. They can have each other.
“No student would want to live in the middle of nowhere.”
“I don't know about that. I'm sure you would've loved it as a kid…” said Olruggio. “And I don't think that I would've minded it, either.”
He would've liked it. Which meant they were other children who certainly would, even if it would probably make it harder to find an apprentice who was willing to.
“Let's live by a settlement instead of in one, not too far into the countryside. That way if our help is needed, it'll be easier to reach us. We wouldn't have to go all the way to the Great Hall to get supplies either.” A couple hours’ walk would be a couple clockmarks of flight.
“Do you want to take a walk, then?” asked Olruggio.
The weather was nice. There was no reason to say no.
And so, they left Kalhn, and headed off into the wilds.
Going outside with Olruggio always reminded Qifrey of his youth, where the two of them would constantly sneak out. Have they walked these paths before? There was a good chance they might've, at a point. Qifrey searched for memories in the patterns of the hills and the locations of the plants, but nothing specific came to mind. Just the old feeling of an endless world ahead of him, a feeling he had long lost.
Living out here with Olruggio. Waking up, seeing him early in the morning at breakfast, spending the afternoon lounging around with him. Qifrey could help him with his work, and if he did get an apprentice, maybe Olruggio could help them with fire and light magic. Supper together at night. Olruggio always near him, only a hallway or a room away. Their lives intertwined, for at least the years it took to raise an apprentice. And what if he decided to get another one after that? Olruggio could easily be with him for the rest of their lives.
That life risked being short for Qifrey, it risked a promise broken. It was a terrible idea. He couldn't allow it. He should've been more strong with Olruggio on why they should stay in the Great Hall, but now that they were out here, hiking about, it would be harder to pull him back.
“What do you think of this place?” Olruggio smiled, stopping by a location enar a stream. “It's by water. Could go fishing.”
Qifrey looked down at it.
“The river might be prone to flooding.”
“Do you think?” Olruggio asked.
He had no idea. “Better safe than sorry.”
Of course, they could still live in eyesight from it and be safe from it in case it overflew. They were witches, after all. If Olruggio was thinking the same thing, he didn't say.
They wandered a bit further. There really was hardly anything out here, as far as the eyes could see. Nothing but rolling hills and sparse shrubbery as far as Qifrey could see. It's peaceful out here, he thought.
There's no place to hide. The day was nice, but Qifrey couldn't help but still feel a bit cold.
“What about here?”
Qifrey looked around. In the distance, he could see a wagon.
“I don't know, Olruggio. It's too close to the road.”
“Right. Don't want to be bothered at all. I don't know.” He sighed. “This place is starting to look rather same-y to me.”
“We could go to a place with a different landscape.”
“The climate's supposed to be good here,” said Qifrey
“Right.”
They continued their hike.
“What about here–”
Qifrey saw glittering in the distance.
“I think I see a scalewolf out there. It might be a dangerous place to raise children.”
“A scalewolf?” Olruggio squinted. “I do see a bit of a sparkle.” He let out a sigh. “I guess they do live in this area.”
“It's not safe. We should walk further.”
“What are you looking for?” asked Olruggio as they continued. “I'm fine with stopping anywhere.”
Olruggio was getting impatient with him.
“I don't know,” said Qifrey. “I'll know it when I see it. Do you want to return to the Great Hall?”
“No. It's all right. There's nothing wrong with being picky when looking for a home. I want to make sure you find a place you're happy with.”
Oh, Olruggio was too patient with him. Was this still considered Kalhn territory? Qifrey tried to bring up a map of Zozah in his head…
“Actually, now that I think about it, isn't this in the dragon migration paths?” he said. “This whole area might be too dangerous of a place to raise a child.”
Olruggio sighed. “Dragons rarely swoop down and attack humans. I know you know that because you always told me that when we went out to try and spot them.”
“But, I mean, in general,” Qifrey said, “it might be dangerous to live out here with children though–”
“Are you listening to yourself? Remember the danger we got into when we were young? On the topic of them, when we were apprentices, you found a baby dragon and wanted to personally return it to its mother, and then–”
“I remember.” She had tried to attack them. The baby must've been able to talk her out of it, though, as she stopped before they got hurt. “A little danger is okay.”
“It's not!” said Olruggio. “I mean. As long as your apprentices have the sense to not touch dragons, which I hope they will, it should be safe for them to live out here.”
“Hopefully they'll get your sense,” said Qifrey.
“My sense?”
“They're better for mine.” It would be nice if they could take after Olruggio in general.
“How would they get my senses when you're the teacher?”
“Since you'll be the Watchful Eye…” Qifrey trailed off.
Right. He would just be a Watchful Eye. Really, they weren't required to do anything but watch, but Qifrey's mind couldn't help but wander to Olruggio helping out. He was better at magic than Qifrey, after all. He would be better at emotional manners, too.
It would be like raising children together. Qifrey felt a blush on his face. Realistically, Olruggio would be too busy to waste time looking after them, and QIfrey doubted he had much interest in children in the first place. Fanciful daydreams like that were why this all was a bad idea.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” said Qifrey.
He should say he was the one who was tired. Then he could think of an excuse to not go location-hunting with Olruggio anymore until he had wasted enough time that he had to return to work. Then, maybe he could find an apprentice who was acclimated to the Great Hall and didn't want to leave, and that could be his reason for saying.
He was about to tell Olruggio so before his friend suddenly got excited and ran aheads.
"Look at this," he said, gesturing.
What Olruggio had founded was the ruins of a hut. He turned towards Qifrey, expecting something.
“Because the person who lived here left, doesn't that prove it's not a very good place to live?” That was his opinion.
Olruggio was disappointed in his answer.
“Do you not recognize this place? Remember?” Olruggio ran his hand along the remains of the stone chimney. “We played here a few times as children.”
Qifrey approached him. Now that he thought about it… “I remember, Olly. We used this as a hideout a couple times when we explored out here, didn't we?” Or at least he thought they did. There were plenty of ruins they hung around after all.
Olruggio nodded.
“This was the first place I ever heard you talk about the future,” said Olruggio. “I mean, beyond the Tower of Tomes. You said this was the sort of place you wanted to live.”
“I see.”
Did he say that here? Qifrey believed him, but… How could Olruggio remember these things about him that he didn't? He was the one who held onto the year after meeting Olruggio before they took on the Tower of Tomes dearer than anything, but yet those happy memories blended in together even more and more, being replaced by the ever-present anxiety he currently felt. Olruggio had a whole life before he met Qifrey, and after the Tower of Tomes he had no reason to look back on his life with sadness. So how did he remember something like that? The ruins, and the thoughtless words Qifrey had said?
“It's perfect, isn't it?” Olruggio was shining with happiness. Qifrey knew the words that he would say next. “It's fate. We have to live here.”
Did they?
“I… I don't know, Olly,” Qifrey said. “Someone might still own it.”
“We can ask around in Kalhn. I doubt it, though,” said Olruggio. “It's even more beaten up now than it was all those years ago.” He picked up a plank of wood that had fallen from the main part of the hut. It crumbled in his hands. “Even if someone still technically owns it, I'm sure we buy it off of them for cheap.”
In this state, it wasn't worth much at all, huh?
“Even then… Wouldn't it be better to build something from the ground up?” said Qifrey. “You know… We could… Customize it more.
“This place is dilapidated enough it would be like we were building it from the ground up. Do… Do you not like it here?” Olruggio looked out at the landscape. “Would you rather a wooden area with more greenery? Or a place that's warmer…”
“I like it out here.”
“Then what's wrong?”
He placed his hand on the remnants of the ruins. There had to be something wrong with this place, some small detail he could point out. Isn’t it silly to pick this out as a place to make a home just because we played here a couple times as children? Olruggio would disagree with that, even though it was.
He just had to get to the truth of the matter.
“I'm sorry to waste your time, Olly, but I just think it would be for the best to stay in the Great Hall. The child would like it more. Let's head back.”
He attempted to walk away, but Olruggio stood in front of him.
“Qifrey, you don't want to live in the Great Hall,” Olruggio told him plainly. Oh, he was losing patience with him now for real.
“Well, that was back when we were children.” Back when he thought he had a life ahead of him.
“You don't like it there…”
Qifrey wandered around the area. What a peculiar hill, ending right on a cliff. This wouldn't be safe for children. Was it made from magic? Qifrey wondered. He closed his eyes. He could feel the sun on his face, the chatterings of animals in the distance, the slight wind. He could sense Olruggio beside him.
The crawling of roots beneath his skin, the constant headache in his head throbbing. He opened his eyes. Despite dusk coming fast, the light made his eye hurt. He tried his hardest not to wince.
Olruggio noticed.
“Qifrey. Are you okay?”
He stumbled down and pulled his knees up to his chest. He didn't want this. He wanted this. He didn't need it. He needed it. He couldn't have this.
But he could, couldn't he? The fact it was just as hard to breathe out here as it was underwater proved that it might be possible. He burrowed his head into his knees. Could it be possible? No..
“Qifrey…” He could feel Olruggio's presence besides him as he sat down. Qifrye looked up, not at him, but at the beautiful landscape.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I'm a little bit scared, that's all.”
A pathetic excuse Olruggio accepted.
“I get it. Living in the Great Hall is all you've ever known. The familiarity of it is comforting.”
In a way, it wasn't completely untrue. Qifrey nodded.
“Listen…” said Qifrey. “You don't have to move out here for me… I really will be fine, staying in the Great Hall.”
Olruggio sighed. “I'm starting to think I'm the one who wants to leave more than you.”
“Do you really want to leave?” asked Qifrey.
“Of course I do. I've been waiting for you to pass your final test so we can get out of there.”
“Why? The Great Hall is a good place for you,” said Qifrey. Everyone there loved and appreciated him.
“Not really…” Olruggio scratched the back of his neck. “I find that place stuffy too, you know.”
“You could've left without me, then. I would understand.”
“I suppose I could've built up a place and waited for you. I still wanted to be close if you needed my support, though.”
That wasn't what Qifrey had meant. Well, if it was what Olruggio wanted, to live out here in the middle of nowhere. He never asked for much, from Qifrey.
“We can try,” said Qifrey. Those words quickly put a smile on Olruggio's face. “I likely won't get an apprentice right away,” he continued. “So if it doesn't work out, we can always move back to the Great Hall. Or we could even try another witch settlement. It might be fun to fix this place up, too.”
“Fun?” Olruggio turned and looked at the ruins. “I think it'll be a whole lot of work.”
“No… We can make it fun…”
Qifrey got up and looked closer at the building. Possible floor plans filled his head. A slight dip in the hills separated a former chimney from the main building. They would either need to raise the land or build a bridge to connect the two of them.
“You can live on this side, Olruggio. I'm sure we could make this chimney a little apartment for you. Wouldn't it be fitting?”
“Huh? Are you sure?” Olruggio peered in the old chimney. “It's kind of big…”
“You'll need a big area for all your supplies,” Qifrey pointed out. “Besides, children running around would bother your work. You could lock them out.”
“Your children better not need to be locked out! You're probably right, though.”
Qifrey was right. The hallway would be a thin barrier between the two of them. Fortunately, that was just the sort of barrier that he needed. Maybe this place was as close to perfect as it could get.
Qifrey drew up a spell and ran it against a half-broken wall. The stone extended, enclosing it in a bit more. It wouldn't be that hard to fix with magic, though they might need some extra supplies.
“Didn't you want to check if anyone owned this place?” Olruggio asked.
Qifrey turned towards him, “It's probably fine. That's what you said, right?”
Olruggio sighed. “You sure changed your mind quickly.”
“The garden… Maybe over there…” Qifrey pointed at a flat space of land a bit aways.
“You want a garden?”
“Of course. I don't know about the rest, though. How many apprentices do you think I should prepare for?” Qifrey continued walking around the building. “I suppose it won't be that hard to add extra rooms. And study spaces, too. I don't think I want a classroom, but they'll probably want a workspace for themselves… We should probably have a windowway somewhere too, for emergencies. What about the furniture? What do you think?”
He turned towards Olruggio, who was looking at him with an amused smile on his face. Qifrey felt his face turn red.
“I've got enough money saved, don't worry about it,” said Olruggio, with a wave of his hand.
“Oh no, you don't have to–”
“This'll be my home, too.”
Home, huh? Could it really be… Qifrey shook his head.
“Where should we start?” he asked Olruggio.
“We should start with heading back,” said Olruggio. “I know once you get going, you get going, but we can't get this place in living condition in one night, and I didn't think to bring camping supplies.”
Olruggio had a point. There was paperwork he needed to fill out too since he was moving. How did you give something an address if it didn't have a street? He would have to measure out the miles between here and Kalhn to give instructions.
“You're right… But…” An irrational fear floated into his head. “What if someone claims it before we come back?”
“You were so reluctant to come out here, and now I can't drag you away,” said Olruggio.
“It's possible–”
Olruggio gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“This place has been abandoned forever, Qifrey. Nobody's going to steal it from us.”
He was probably right. Still. Qifrey's eyes lingered on his possible home.
“When can we come back?” asked Qifrey.
“Well…” Olruggio considered. “I've got some work I need to finish in the Great Hall that will take about a week. If you want to, I can spare some time tomorrow to help you get a part of it in livable condition.”
“No.” Qifrey shook his head. “I'll wait for you.”