Chapter Text
The Atelier was entirely too loud before sunrise.
Agott Arklaum prided herself on precision. A perfect circle didn't accommodate a sudden, enthusiastic burst of humming, nor did it thrive under the scent of slightly burnt honey toast. Yet, as she sat at her desk, her stylus poised millimetres above a fresh sheet of parchment, both distractions assaulted her senses simultaneously.
"Coco," Agott said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register. "If you do not cease that dreadful noise this instant, I will replace your ink with vanishing solution."
The humming stopped abruptly. From the other side of the room, Coco poked her head out from behind a massive stack of reference books. Her blonde curls were entirely disheveled, a bright smudge of blue ink adorned her left cheek, and her eyes were wide, shining with an absurd amount of morning energy.
"Good morning, Agott!" Coco beamed, completely bypassing the threat. "I was just thinking about the properties of the Ignis glyph when combined with a soft water crest. If we balance the heat, do you think we could make a self-warming tea set that doesn't crack the porcelain?"
"I think you are fundamentally incapable of focusing on your actual curriculum," Agott snapped, turning back to her desk. Her heart gave a tiny, annoying thud against her ribs at the sheer brightness of Coco’s smile, which she promptly ignored. "We have an inspection by Master Qifrey’s colleagues from the Great Hall next week. You should be perfecting your basic wind glyphs, not dreaming up ways to avoid using a kettle."
"But it's fun to think about!" Coco trotted over, completely ignoring the invisible 'keep out' boundary Agott usually projected. She leaned over Agott’s shoulder, her warmth radiating against Agott’s back. "Wow, your circles are always so perfect, Agott. It's like your hand doesn't even shake a tiny bit. How do you do that?"
Agott felt a sudden rush of heat climb up the back of her neck. She abruptly stood up, pushing her chair back with a sharp screeech against the stone floor.
"Step back! You're crowding me," Agott huffed, crossing her arms and glaring down at the smaller girl. "And it's called practice. Something you would understand if you spent less time daydreaming and more time holding your stylus correctly."
Coco didn't look hurt. In fact, her smile just softened into that gentle, adoring expression that always made Agott feel incredibly cornered. "Okay, okay, I'll practice! Can I sit near you, though? Riche and Tetia are still asleep, and it's quietest up here."
"Do whatever you want," Agott muttered, turning her face away so Coco wouldn't see the faint pink dusting her cheeks. "Just don't speak to me. We are not here to socialize. We are simply acquaintances sharing a workspace."
"Right! Just acquaintances," Coco agreed easily, pulling up a stool right next to Agott's desk—far closer than a mere 'acquaintance' ever should.
### Three Hours Later...
"Agott, look! I did it!"
Agott didn't look up from her text. "If it's an explosion, call Master."
"No, look!"
A small, intricately folded paper bird was suddenly thrust into Agott's field of vision. It was drawn with a clumsy but functional wind glyph on its underbelly. As Coco channeled a tiny breath of magic through her fingertips, the paper bird's wings began to flap with a soft, rhythmic thwip-thwip-thwip, hovering just above Agott's inkwell.
Agott stared at it. It was completely useless. It served no practical function for a witch, it didn't pass any formal test, and the linework was slightly wobbly.
It was also undeniably charming.
"See?" Coco giggled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I managed to steady my hand just like you said. I was thinking of you when I drew the wings, hoping it would be precise enough to please you!"
Agott’s breath hitched. - Thinking of me? -
"Idiot," Agott muttered, her face bursting into a furious crimson. She reached out and plucked the paper bird out of the air, crushing its magic instantly. "You wasted precious ink and magic on a toy. And don't say ridiculous things so loudly. What if Master Olruggio heard you?"
Coco’s face fell slightly, her lower lip turning out in a tiny pout that made Agott's stomach do a strange, uncomfortable flip. "I just wanted to make you smile. You always look so serious."
"I am a witch of the Arklaum line," Agott said stiffly, sitting up as straight as possible to mask the chaotic fluttering in her chest. "I have no need for smiles or paper toys. Go fix your ink smudge. It's distracting."
Coco blinked, then reached up to touch her cheek, laughing sheepishly. "Oh! I didn't even notice. Thanks for telling me, Agott. You're so observant."
"I am not observant, you are just messy," Agott countered sharply, turning back to her book. But as Coco trotted off to the washbasin, humming that same sweet, repetitive tune from earlier, Agott didn't throw the crumpled paper bird away.
Instead, she quietly smoothed out the wrinkles, folded it back into shape, and slid it safely inside the deepest pocket of her heavy witch's robes.
“Just acquaintances,” Agott reminded herself, her fingers brushing against the rough paper hidden in her cloak. Acquaintances who share a room. Nothing more.l