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In the dark of the night, where crickets sing and frogs cry into the cool midnight sky, Agott awakens. She doesn't know what stirs her rest until she hears a soft sniffle. Where once she would have rolled her eyes and snapped at Coco to be quiet, she turns to face her roommate. Moonlight frames Coco's trembling silhouette in her bed.
When Agott sits up, Coco startles. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you…" Her voice crackles with the evidence that she's been crying for some time now.
Agott already knows the reason for her tears and struggles to find words. She's never done well comforting anyone. That's more Tetia or Master Qifrey's strength… Wired more logically, Agott only knows how to handle situations she can fix with a quick spell, or a reasonable explanation.
Well into her apprenticeship under Qifrey's teachings, Coco has excelled in ways that continue to impress even Agott. She used to feel jealousy seeing the once outsider turned witch succeed. Now she views her as a rival of sorts. An equal. Still, even with a few years of study, nothing has revealed to be the spell to restore Coco's mother and home.
There was a recent attempt. A discovery of a new spell that could undo the effects of a stone turning spell. It was tweaked with the help of Agott, Qifrey, and the others alike, in hopes they could channel it to revert the effects of the crystal that changed Coco's mother.
It didn't work.
Coco hid her tears with a smile, waving off any of their concerns. "I guess I'll have to learn even more magic! Who could complain about that?"
It was obvious she was lying, but she walked away before anyone could think of anything to say that would comfort her, or at the very least let her spill her tears freely. Not bottle them up for them to fester.
"Well, I'm awake as it is," Agott states. "Why are you awake, though? We have important lessons tomorrow, as well as a trip to Kalhn, you don't want to be exhausted for that." She brings up their outing in hopes it will bring Coco some cheer. If she has to deal with her feelings anymore, she's not sure what she'll do.
It's so awkward when someone cries. She doesn't ever know what to do when she cries herself.
Another sniffle from Coco makes her grimace. At least she has the dark to thank to hide her expression.
Fabric shifts. Footsteps that sound as heavy as Coco's heart must feel thunk on the wooden floor between their beds. Agott stiffens when weight settles beside her on her bed and Coco sits. "My spell… our spell that we all worked so hard on… It didn't work. I'm worried I'll never see her again." Coco sounds so truly heart broken Agott's heart sinks with the shared weight of Coco's burden. "I had a dream that I went home. I ran and called for her, when she opened the door… her face… it was blank. When I woke up I realized that I… I can't remember her smile."
Oh, stars above.
Agott does not know what to say. What can she say to that? She's not experienced a grief so heavy as being the person responsible for a spell gone wrong and ripping away someone dear. With her own complex relationship with her mother, she can't very well relate to Coco's distress in this regard.
Even though she's not seen her mother in ages, she could never forget her face. Not when she looks in the mirror and sees her in herself everyday. Cutting her hair was an act of defiance in itself, to remove even more association from her person of that woman.
Realization makes her sit up straighter.
"Did anyone ever say if you resemble her? Your mother? I never met her so... I wouldn't be a fit judge in the matter."
There's a soft gasp. Coco's hand finds hers in the darkness. Agott holds it tight, ignoring her own discomfort for the sake of Coco's.
She counts the number of deep breaths Coco takes before answering. Ten. "People would say I have her smile. Her nose, or her cheekbones… I think I look more like my dad, though. Because of my hair."
Her father… who Coco lost very young, too. Damn it, way to go, Agott. She tries not to sigh too loudly when Coco starts to cry again. Awkwardly switching hands to hold so she can wrap an arm around Coco and pat her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
Despite the heavy mood and her fit of tears. Coco giggles.
Agott has no clue what could be so funny.
"Thank you, Agott. I know you hate it when I cry, but I appreciate you trying to comfort me." Coco leans her head into her shoulder, nuzzling her affectionately. Before Agott can begin to process any of this, Coco stands up and returns to her bed. "You're right that I don't want to miss the outing tomorrow. We should go back to sleep. I'll be okay, really. Just… needed to cry it out, I guess."
Well.
Agott squints through the darkness as Coco's silhouette burrows under the blankets again. All she can do is trust her friend when she says she'll be okay. She'll keep a close eye on her tomorrow, maybe let Qifrey know that they stayed up too late. Not because of Coco's dream, or what she admitted, she'll make a little white lie that Coco had questions about some spell she's been studying.
The next morning, Coco's eyes are still rimmed with red and shadowed with dark bags. Agott tells her to wash her face before the others ask questions to save her a bit of embarrassment.
Excitement thrums within the little group, enough for Coco to feel it herself, she still looks weary and depressed, but the smile she wears is still a relief. At least the trip to Kalhn and some lessons can take her mind off things. Even if for a little while.
Still… Agott wonders if there isn't something she could do to help Coco. Emotions are a fickle thing. They aren't something one can simply fix, or spell away. They're complex, they take a physical presence along with mental, and will remain for however long they so wish. Where once Coco's fascination and ignorance made her gasp in awe, she's far more knowledgable in magic. She still gawks in wonder at times, but not with same she had as a brand new apprentice or when she first set foot into the atelier.
"Yoohoo~ Agott~, Agott you in there?" Tetia's knuckles knock on her head. She glares at her, still bitter the girl managed to grow so much taller.
"I'm right here, no need to roughouse me!"
A laugh from Qifrey makes her blush even more at the fact her master saw everything. "We've all called your name at least twice, dear girl. Are you coming along, or no?"
The window way shows Kalhn behind him. Coco and Richeh await on the other side. Both of them stare at her impatiently. Coco, she can understand her eagerness to explore Kalhn still. Richeh, however, makes her shake her head. Will she ever outgrow her childish love for trinkets?
"I'm coming, I'm coming, don't get your robes in a twist." She humphs and stomps through the window way, ignoring how her classmates giggle and Qifrey seems just as amused.
The city bustles with life. Crowds of witches going every which way, running errands, or setting out to fulfill a request. Agott longs to get a taste of the city life, but she doesn't know if she would truthfully trade in the quiet life on the countryside for such a noisy environment. She's learned well how to tune out most noises thanks to Coco and Tetia being particularly rambunctious, but there's some noise levels that just can't be ignored.
Like the buskers playing at the corner for instance. The sound of their strings and horns though nice for the moment of them passing by, would most certainly get old fast if she lived on this street.
"Where shall we go first?" Qifrey asks them. "I need to restock on some stationary, so that'll be my first stop. Olruggio requested for some supplies as well and he'll have my cap if I don't get everything on his list."
Having come up with a plan earlier that morning, Agott links her arm with Coco's. "Coco and I have a special errand to run, we'll meet up with everyone later." Then, before anyone could ask any questions, she turned down the next street, dragging Coco along with her.
Green hair flares out with the way Coco whips her head looking from Agott to the others as the gap between them grows. She sputters helplessly.
Agott swears she hears one of them mutter something about how they've become inseparable. She crushes the urge to reprimand them, Tetia, it sounded like, and continues marching along.
They're a few blocks apart from the rendezvous point when she finally stops in front of a shop.
Crowding her personal bubble, Coco demands, "Agott, what was that all about? Is there something wrong? Do you need help with something? You know we can trust Master Qifrey with anything, right?"
"Hush, it's nothing nefarious, Coco," Agott scoffs. She can't help but laugh a little, though. Considering the brimmed hats obsession with Coco, it wouldn't be too absurd to wonder if something were amiss. "I simply want to bring you here."
"To…" Coco turns to regard the storefront then tips her head the side. "A salon?"
Flustered that she must explain herself, Agott feels heat flood her face. "Last night you mentioned that it's your green hair that makes you resemble your father more. So… I thought I'd bring you to a salon, where they have spelled mirrors to see what you'd look like with a different hair color. Perhaps you'll resemble your mother as a brunette."
Silene befalls them. She stares at Coco's back, wondering if she made the right call when she notice her friend's shoulders begin to tremble like they did the night prior. Making Coco cry again was not part of her plan, though considering the crux of the matter, probably unavoidable. She pats her on the shoulder.
"I'll stay with you the whole time. We don't have to go in if you don't want to, anyway." Agott assures her with a thumbs up.
Coco shakes her head fiercely. "No! I want to at least see these magic mirrors! They sound so amazing!"
Of course.
A smile curls Agott's lips. Coco would never turn down to see a contraption she'd never seen before. Despite know her humble beginnings, Agott still sometimes forgets how things that seem so mundane to an everday witch would be so impressive to someone who wasn't born a witch.
Maybe she should gift her a magic pocket mirror for Coco's birthday. There's enough time for her to save up for one…. or she could buy a common pocket mirror and learn the spell herself!
A hand intertwining with her own rips her from her thoughts.
"Let's go! I want to see Agott with pink hair!"
"I did not bring us here to make a fool of myself!"
The bell jingles when they enter, and a young woman greets them with a gentle voice, followed by another woman not much older than her. Light spells float in the air, illuminating the handful of mirrors that decorate the back wall.
Stepping forward, the witch who greeted them grins. "Are we here for a spa treatment, a trim, or are we wanting to browse hair styles?"
"Um!"
Agott takes the lead as Coco forgets her words in the midst of her amazement of yet another magic shop full of wonder. "We're just here to browse at the moment, ma'am. We'll let you know if we need anything."
"Of course, my name's Sybil and that's Rishi! Call us when you've decided on something." Sybil beams.
Coco stares in awe of the witch, eyes tracing her broad frame. Her ears are decorated with numerous piercings, matching the number of bauble and trinkets that dangle from her cap. Her red hair falls behind her back in a thick, long braid. Rishi watches in return with a soft smile, dark freckles dotting her even darker skin. Her black hair drape over her shoulders in beautiful braided locs. Her cap sits on her head tipped slightly to the side, with a long ribbon curling behind her.
They're seasoned witches no doubt. They use their spells to make beautiful hair dyes that last longer than non-magic dyes. They have spelled accesories, too. Agott spots the bangles Richeh made at Coco's first Silver Eve festival and feels a spot of pride for her friend.
She drags Coco to the back of the store before the girl can manage to spit out any questions about the store, or the spells they use, or any of the mundane magic within the shop. Agott will fill her in later.
They stop just before arriving to the first mirror. The frame is a shade of white that matches Qifrey's hair. Sharing a look with one another, they pop their heads within the boundary of the reflection, giggling when their reflections show them with the same shade as their master's.
"Can you imagine if we returned like this?" Coco giggles behind a hand.
"Master Olly would mutter something about multiple white haired trouble makers to worry about, I'm certain."
The pass by the next few mirrors. Red, orange, yellow. They go down the list in rainbow order. Coco squeals in delight when they reach a pink ringed mirror. Agott wonders if the mirror may have something wrong with its spell, as Coco's cheeks are just as pink as their reflections hair. Their fun comes to stop as they approach a mirror with a ring of brown.
They still haven't let go of each other's hand. Agott squeezes Coco's in the way Tetia does to assure others.
"You don't have to do this, if you don't want to." Agott reminds her, wondering if this was such a good idea after all. What if all it does is further upset her?
Coco shakes her head. "No… I want to see. It's just… a lot. Y'know?"
Obviously it would be a lot, this much Agott knows. She wouldn't have suggest the idea so carelessly. Rather than voice her blunt internal monologue, she nods. "Take your time. We don't have to meet up with everyone for another hour."
Coco stares at the mirror, still trembling ever so slightly. Tears brim her eyes. She squeezes her eyes shut before bringing them to stand within the reflection of the mirror.
All the breath in Agott's lungs disappears at the sight of Coco's reflection with a dark shade of brown. It suits her. Almost all too well. Not that the natural blonde green of her hair doesn't suit her, merely that it makes her shine in a way none of the other mirrors could.
When she notices Coco's eyes are still squeezed tight, she chuckles.
"Silly, you won't be able to see what you look like if you don't open your eyes." It's a gentle chastise. Halfhearted. Not at all a legitmate jab. She makes sure to keep her voice soft and level.
Coco peeks one eye open, then both widen all at once. She lets go of Agott's hand to cover her mouth in… shock? Hopefully pleasant shock. Not despair, or more heart break. Agott really does wonder if this was a good idea…
Tears spring to Coco's eyes and the girl squats down to crouch on the floor.
Ah.
Bad idea then.
Agott doesn't know what to say. Just squats beside Coco and places a hand on her back. "I'm… sorry. I guess this was a little callous of me."
Her heart skips a beat when Coco shakes her head. "No, it's not anything like that. I just…" She swallows and cups a hand under her cheek. "I look so much like her…" It's whispered like a secret.
Coco stands up straight again, then steps closer to the reflection. She plays with her hair, curling a strand around her finger, setting her hair to part in a different style. Her eyes glimmer with moisture the whole time.
All Agott can do is watch in polite silence.
"Do you think Master Qifrey and Master Olly would be upset? If I dyed my hair?" Coco asks.
Agott blinks at the question. "What do they have anything to do with how you present yourself?"
"Well!! I… I don't know, it just feels like a big change! That's all!"
Agott laughs. Bright and loud.
Coco whines at her.
Eventually they exit the shop with the bell jingling behind them.
Dangling between them is a bag that contains a two week trial of brown hair dye.
"Tah-dah~!" Tetia cheers, waving her arms in the air. "All done! Time to rinse and use Master Olly's rings to dry your hair!"
There's a scramble of movement, then a gentle glow of light from Richeh click two thumb rings together. "Dryyyyy."
Agott tries not to let her jaw drop at the sight of Coco turning to her with a bright smile after admiring her reflection. Her hair is fluffy from the warmth of the magic ring, and under the light from the fireplace, her now brown shines like honey. "Well, Agott? What do you think?"
Warmth floods her face. She stomps her foot and looks away. "Why do you care what I think? It's your hair!"
"It was your idea!"
Behind her, Qifrey snickers while Olruggiou mutters something under his breath. She swears she hears something about puppy love. When she whirls around to glare at him, the old man whistles innocently.
"You look lovely, Coco!" Qifrey claps his hands. "So much like your mother, indeed!"