Work Text:
The Promise
“Chew slowly, Coco.” Agott grunts beside her as she takes a bite of her sandwich.
Coco slows down her chewing as Oifrey-sensei hands her a glass. She takes it and gulps down the water, wiping her mouth with her palm.
She sets her almost-finished sandwich back into her box. The two little pink and blue boxes are still intact.
Coco looks back to where Tetia and Richeh are, their backs are facing her direction, so she can’t exactly tell what they’re doing.
Coco quickly gets up to call them again. When they first called for the two of them, Tetia had just shouted back, “We'll be right back.” Coco has almost finished her lunch, and her friends are still nowhere in sight.
“Coco,” Qifrey-sensei says, looking up at her while arranging their scattered books and papers.
“I will go call for them” Coco beams as she runs toward them.
She can vividly hear Agott calling out her name. She just shouts a quick, “Wait!”
Tetia and Richeh are facing the little flower bush. Hearing footsteps, Tetia slowly turns around.
“Coco.” She smiles, signaling her over with one hand. “Look at this!”
Coco climbs up. It’s slightly higher where Tetia and Richeh are sitting. She stands in front of Tetia. She is braiding her hair together with Richeh’s hair.
They’re doing it together. The front part of Tetia’s left-side hair and Richeh’s right-side hair are woven together, divided into three sections like one usually does before braiding hair. Tetia braids it while Richeh places a flower into each section of the braid. A fistful of small reddish flowers rests on Richeh’s lap.
“Wow…” Coco muses, sitting in front of Tetia. “It looks pretty,” she says.Their hair is colored vividly lavender under the sunlight.
“I know, right?” Tetia replies as she takes off her rubber band and ties the braid. “How do we look?” she asks, leaning her whole body against Richeh.
“Sensei is calling you three.” Agott comes up behind Richeh. “What are you doing…?”
Her words get stuck as she looks at the scene, Coco is watching with sparkling eyes.
“Say, Agott,” Tetia chimes, plucking a few more small flowers into their joint braid. “How does it look?”
“It looks good,” she says simply, then holds Coco by the arm. “You should finish your food.” She drags Coco toward their sensei.
Richeh and Tetia use their sylph shoes, jump upwards. Staying close so they don’t ruin their newly made braid.
*
Coco can’t focus on her worksheet. She keeps glancing between the books and her paper. Noticing her staring, Tetia asks, “You need help?”
Coco doesn’t need help. She needs her hair to grow longer, like Tetia’s, so she can braid it too with Richeh and Tetia. She doesn’t mind short hair, nor does she have any particular liking for long hair. She’s fine with both.
But after seeing Tetia and Richeh’s braid, she wants long hair.
“I want my hair to be longer,” she sighs, dipping her wand into the ink but not touching it to the paper.
“It’ll take years to grow out that much,” Agott answers from the side.
“How long?” Coco asks again. Her hair is chin-length right now, so how long would it take to grow like Tetia’s?
“Maybe three years, or a little more, to have hair like mine,” Tetia replies instead, caressing her own hair and giggling. “You want to braid it?” she adds teasingly.
“It looks so pretty,” Coco says honestly, fisting her hair with one hand and tilting her head toward Agott. “How long will it take for Agott to grow her hair like yours?”
Agott has curly hair, so she would definitely need more time to grow it out. Her dark hair would stand out if they ever braided it together.
Unlike Richeh and Tetia’s light-colored hair, Agott’s is a deeper shade. So if the dark purple mixed with golden green, it would look especially striking, like different threads woven into one bundle.
“Your face is turning red,” Richeh says suddenly, lying on her back on the mat.
Coco quickly presses both palms to her cheeks. She looks to her side. Agott is looking at her.
*
Coco doesn’t necessarily need anything other than ink. Qifrey-sensei doesn’t have to bring her along just to buy that, but he still takes her with him and Agott anyway.
Agott needs a few necessities. She always picks her things according to her own taste. Coco, on the other hand, is fine with almost anything.
Qifrey-sensei tells both of them to wait inside the shop, not to wander around like they did before. He goes to Nelnoa for something important that Coco doesn’t really understand.
“What do you want for your birthday?” Agott asks suddenly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her cape, eyes fixed on her lap.
“My birthday?” Coco asks, just to be sure. It’s definitely coming up soon, and Agott remembers it. And now she’s asking what she wants.
Agott stops fidgeting and looks at her with a slight frown. “That’s what I asked,” she says, turning her head away just as quickly.
“You gonna buy me a present?” Coco asks teasingly.The tips of Agott's ears turns red. Coco finds this side of Agott so endearing. “Agotta be kidding.”
“Hey…” Agott mumbles, trying to sound firm. “So, you don’t want anything?” she asks.
It’s cute. When Agott gets embarrassed or shy, her voice softens. Her eyes turn half-lidded, like she’s trying hard not to look up. Her cheeks warm up slightly, while her ears stay beet red. Just like they are right now.
“Agott will give me anything I ask for?” she asks in a joyous voice, swinging her feet lightly.
Agott sighs, like she’s accepting something she doesn’t really want to. She faces her again. “Ask away.” It’s almost funny watching her keep a straight face, her eyes looking anywhere but Coco’s.
“If I ask, you have to fulfill it,” Coco says, leaning toward Agott and grabbing her arm with both hands. “Promise, it’s not that hard.” She giggles.
Unlike the early days, Agott doesn’t shove her away. She lets her lean in and hold her hands.
“Just ask,” Agott says again, huffing irritably.
“Let’s braid our hair together like Tetia and Richeh.”
Agott stays silent for a few seconds. Coco doesn’t move away, so she can’t see her face. A part of her wants to check if her expression changed or not. She loves seeing that.
“We don’t even have hair for braids,” she deadpans.
“Then let’s grow our hair together and braid it when it’s long enough,” Coco says, trying not to sound desperate.
“That’s what you want for your birthday?” Agott asks, confused.
“Yes. I do. You can’t change your mind,” Coco replies, straightening up from her leaning position.
Agott opens her mouth like she’s about to say something, then closes it again. She simply nods.
Qifrey-sensei comes down from the stairs, calling for them. He takes both of their hands in his and leads them out of the shop.
He brings them to a clothing store and tells Coco to try on any dress she likes. The one she likes most will be her birthday dress.
In the end, they buy a pretty sea-green dress for her birthday.
The Fulfillment
The Great Hall bathing area never fails to fascinate Coco. Every time they come to the undercity, she always finds a chance to bathe here. Like today.
The warm water relaxes her sore muscles. Coco floats on the surface, her ears dipped just under the water. It feels almost like standing on a beach, with the distant sound of waves along the shore.
Her hair tie loosens, but she doesn’t open her eyes. It’s just her in the bath. It won’t be a problem. Agott probably went inside.
She feels a light shove against her shin under the water. Seems like Agott is still here.
“Coco,” Agott calls. The sound comes a little muffled through the water, splashes echoing differently with her ears dipped beneath the surface. “We should get inside.”
She opens her eyes, and a bit of water slips in from her wet eyelashes. She blinks a few times to clear it.
Agott is sitting near her feet, her thick curly hair tied into a bun on top of her head, making it look like she grew a second head. Her cheeks and collarbone are flushed from the bath’s steam.
“Just a little more,” Coco says, trailing her fingers through the water. “Lay beside me.”
“We are late, Coco.” Agott reminds her, moving beside her and lays there. Floating on the surface like Coco.
“What are we late for?” Coco fully unties her already loose hair. “It’s night time, and we don’t have anything tomorrow.”
Agott looks to the side, her brows knitting slightly. “We need to head out for the Atelier early in the morning.”
“I know,” Coco replies, looking at Agott. There’s a small gap between their faces. It’s not the first time. And the thought of what if I close it isn’t new either. Though, she still can’t gather up her courage.
She unties the bun on Agott’s head, ignoring her raised eyebrow.
“What?” Agott asks, not stopping Coco from combing through the wet strands.
Their hair floats side by side on the water’s surface, drifting like dark ribbons.
“Say, Agott,” Coco murmurs softly, almost like a whisper. “What birthday gift am I getting this year?” Agott looks into her eyes for a moment, then suddenly sits up. Her loosened hair drags out of the water, splashing right into Coco’s face.
She quickly knots her hair and stands up, moving fast. She doesn’t look back. “Come quickly,” she mutters, grabbing a dry towel from the basket beside the pool and wrapping it around her bathwear.
Coco sits up as she watches Agott go inside to change. She looks down at her fingertips. They're wrinkled and pruned from staying in the water too long.
A soft laugh slips out of her lips before she can stop it. Agott really hasn’t changed much over the years.
*
The atelier is decorated with tiny flowers and little spells. To celebrate, Agott and Coco's acceptance for the 4th test.
When they come back from the Great Hall, everything looks normal. The moment Coco pushes the door, it feels like the room comes to life . Lighting up the little decorated spells around it.
Qifrey sensei and Olruggio sensei greeted them with open arms. Petting their heads. Tetia showers them with her love.
Looking at the little spells, Coco can tell Richeh is the one who drew most of the decorations.
Richeh stands beside the door, giving them a rare smile. She takes Coco’s hand as they head inside.
Tetia latches herself onto Agott, “When is your test beginning?” she asked.
“At the end of this month,” Agott says, slumping down onto the soft mat with Tetia still attached to her. Coco follows behind.
“You will take it together?” Tetia asks again, letting go of Agott as she lies back on the soft pillow. The pillow lights up under her weight.
Coco grabs a pillow onto her lap, squishing it a little as it glows. She laughs and asks Tetia, “Gonna sleep in the light?”
“Anywhere with a soft bed,” Richeh says as she heads up the stairs to her room. “Richeh is still sleepy.”
Tetia puffs her cheeks and shakes her head. “I made mistakes in my patterns. But it won’t last long,” she says, grabbing another pillow and squishing it like Coco.
“So you and Coco will take it together?” Tetia asks again.
“No. Mine is a week later,” Coco informs her.
Agott and Tetia lie together. Agott seems like she’s already drifting off.
Qifrey-sensei and Olruggio-sensei are in the kitchen. Tetia gets up, saying she’ll help them, and stops Coco from following, urging her to rest for now.
Coco stays there for a while, watching Agott’s relaxed face. Agott really didn’t sleep well last night.
“That’s rude to stare at someone like that,” Agott mutters, shifting a little and pulling her knees in.
“Should I say the same whenever it happens to me from now on?” Coco asks with a cheesy smile.
Agott opens her eyes, lips pressed into a thin line. “No,” she says. “I admire your beauty.”
That catches her off guard. Agott doesn’t say cheesy things like that often. And if she does, the next moment her head practically starts steaming. Her face will turn even redder than Coco’s. Even though Coco is the victim. For the next few days after, she always acts a little weird too.
Agott sits up, murmuring something incoherent and taking a deep breath. Then she gently takes Coco’s hands into her palms.
“Would you like a portrait of us together as a birthday gift?” she asks, her cheeks dusted pink.
Coco can hear the sounds of utensils from the kitchen. Food must be ready. Footsteps come down the stairs too, probably Richeh returning.
But none of it compares to the sound of her own heartbeat. It feels so loud she almost doubts Agott can’t hear it, or at least feel it through their joined hands.
“I would love it,” Coco says. It comes out a little squeaky. “When can we?” she asks, surprise and glee blending in her tone.
“After you visit your mother.” Agott thinks for a moment. And adds softly, “I will go with you.”
She visits her mother monthly. Mother doesn’t have any memory of Coco. She think of as another costumer. Sometimes Agott tags along. It's mostly for work though.
“Girls, dinner is ready,” Qifrey-sensei calls from the kitchen.
Agott stands up, helping Coco up with her. Richeh comes into view, glances at them for a moment, mutters something under her breath, then shakes her head.
Coco doesn’t bother trying to figure out what Richeh said. Her thoughts are already stuck on the portrait. She and Agott will get one together. It feels like one of the best birthday gifts anyone could ask for.
*
The next day, the visit to her mother is relatively quick this time. She’s busy with other customers. Still, when she sees Coco, she greets her with a smile and asks if she came for the order.
Coco didn’t order anything this year. She’s about to ask what order she means when Agott steps forward and nods.
Her mother hands them two packages wrapped in brown paper. She tells them to try them out if they want. Agott assures her it’s fine.
Upon returning to the atelier, Coco finds out it’s two dresses. One is a deep, rich purple flowy dress with long sleeves and slits between them. The other is a white dress embroidered with golden-green thread and little stones. They glint in the sunlight, cold-shoulder sleeves held together with embroidered laces.
Thinking about it all just for her birthday portrait with Agott makes her feel oddly emotional. Not in a bad way though.
Agott did all of this for her.
“What type of flowers would you like for the braids?” Agott asks, sitting on the bed as Coco admires the clothes made by her mother.
“What?” Coco looks at her, fingertips brushing over the embroidered sleeves of the dress resting on her lap.
“The joint braid,” Agott answers, not quite looking at Coco, her eyes fixed on the dress instead. “It’s your part of the birthday gift… remember?” Her voice carries a faint hint of embarrassment.
Of course, Coco remembers. Every time she sees Agott’s long hair loose and draped over her back, she remembers. Agott grew it out for her, just so she could fulfill Coco's childish birthday request from years ago.
But all of this… just for this birthday! How long has Agott even been planning all this? She’s really something. Coco always comes up with simple gifts for Agott, and here, Agott is doing this much.
“Any flowers are fine,” Coco murmurs, a little shyly. She’s so happy her eyes start to well up.
“They’re waiting downstairs. Get changed,” Agott says, standing up with the purple dress in hand. Then she exits the room.
Coco sits there a little longer before finally getting up to change. It feels almost ceremonial. It’s just her birthday. Everyone has birthdays. Coco doubts they feel anywhere near as special as hers feels right now.
*
The mat they use for studying is covered in flowers. It looks like a nest made of different blooms, with cushions scattered here and there.
Coco and Agott sit in the middle, their flowy dresses spilling out around them. Agott takes a section of her hair and Coco’s, and combes it gently.
Tetia places a big tiara over their heads. Their heads and shoulders press softly together as she adjusts it.
Qifrey-sensei and Olruggio-sensei sit in front of them with a large canvas and oil paints. They assure them it’s completely fine if they shift a little. It won’t disturb the painting.
While Olruggio-sensei focuses on painting them, Agott concentrates on the braid. Coco loosens each section and carefully places small flowers into it, just like she saw Richeh do years back.
It looks even prettier than she imagined. Their hair doesn’t blend into any new vivid color like Tetia and Richeh’s did. Instead, it stands out. It looks like a mix of different threads wrapped around each other, woven so tightly there’s no way out.
The Keepsake
Coco checks her messages for the ninth time, impatiently tapping her fingernails against the wooden table. Books are scattered in front of her, but she doesn’t pay them any attention but her phone.
Agott: We will take you there tomorrow. (19:07)
Agott will take her to the Witch Museum. Technically not just Agott as the message says ‘we’. But Agott doesn’t go out much, so agreeing to take her sightseeing in the city is already a lot.
“Who's making you smile so much?” Mother asks as she places a cold lemonade on the table.
“I’m going with my friends tomorrow,” she says happily. “We’re visiting the Witch Museum.”
Mother sighs with a small smile. “That’s good. How long will you be out?”
“I don’t know,” Coco replies, shrugging her shoulders. “Probably back by evening.”
She’s still relatively new to the city. Last year, she and her mother moved from the countryside. Back there, people always talked about magic and witches. How they once existed, how life used to be easier in those times.
Coco has always been fascinated by the idea of magic. If magic were real, she’d love to be a witch.
But city people don’t believe in it. That’s what she discovered after moving here. Her friends said it’s all just cheap-rated myths. Nothing more.
There were some old ateliers in the countryside, and she visited all of them. She never went to the Witch Museum. Though she always wanted to.
So since tomorrow is her birthday, her friends said they’ll take her sightseeing in the city. And what’s there to see if they don’t go to the museum? It’s one of the most famous places here!
She spends the whole night thinking about what to wear. She’s never seen Agott out of her school uniform, so she wonders what she’ll wear and what Coco should wear too.
Agott is undeniably beautiful. She’d look good in anything.
Maybe Coco should wear the pastel blue dress tucked carefully in the back of her wardrobe. The one with the sheer sleeves and tiny pearl buttons running down the front. She only wore it once during a spring festival before deciding it was far too pretty for ordinary days.
It makes her look softer somehow. Like the kind of girl from storybooks who gets asked to dance under lantern lights.
Agott would probably think it is childish. As it might feel too extra for just hanging out.
Maybe the orange smock top with her new denim shorts would be better instead.
The thoughts keep looping for a long time. She doesn’t know when she fell asleep. By morning, the alarm is ringing and she’s already running around her room, because she’s late again.
*
Richeh’s house is the nearest to Coco’s apartment. Coco wanted to go pick her up, but instead Richeh comes for her.
“We’ll go straight to the museum first,” Richeh informs her as they step into the elevator.
Richeh’s hair is fully open, a thin band resting on her head. Coco has seen her out of school uniform before, and like always, she’s wearing a long dark blue dress that falls over her knees, paired with socks and shoes.
Coco looks down at her own outfit. It’s an off-white tiered midi dress with an off-shoulder gray cardigan. The platform sandals have been worn quite a lot already, and it makes her a little self-conscious.
She asks Richeh, “How do I look?” Richeh is an honest person. Brutally honest, even. She wouldn’t lie.
“You look pretty,” she says, glancing her up and down.
The ride to the Museum wasn’t long.
Tetia was eating ice cream by the van when they arrived. Agott was sitting on a bench just behind her, scrolling through her phone.
Her shoulder-length hair is clipped away from her face, clearly showing her side profile. She notices them before Tetia does.
“Hi,” Coco greets her. She doesn’t know what else to say. They talk every day at school, but right now she suddenly can’t find the words.
“Hi!” Agott doesn’t reply. Instead, Tetia jumps onto Agott’s back, cheerfully greeting her. “You look so good, Coco,” Tetia gushes. If one focuses hard enough, they can almost see sparkles behind her. “Doesn’t she, Agott?”
Agott pries herself out of Tetia’s grasp, straightening her cream-colored top under the chocolate-brown blazer. “She does,” she mutters, pocketing her phone into her jeans pocket.
“Richeh wants ice cream,” Richeh informs, walking over toward the van.
“I’ll take another one too,” Tetia says, following Richeh behind. Her heels click against the asphalt with each step.
Coco sits on the bench where Agott had been sitting just a while ago, patting the spot beside her for Agott.
They sit there in silence for a moment. Then Agott tries to break it. “Do you want ice cream too?”
Coco is pretty sure Agott is just trying to ease the quiet, but it comes out a little funny. She smiles and shakes her head. “Nope. I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Agott nods, lightly swinging her feet.
Coco notices something she’s realized before too. She’s never actually seen Agott without heels. When she first transferred, she thinks Agott wasn’t wearing them, but ever since then… always. Agott is shorter than Coco, but with the heeled boots, the difference barely shows.
Agott has a black tie wrapped around her wrist, and she keeps fidgeting with it in silence while waiting for the others to finish their ice cream.
Then she takes out four tickets and hands one to Coco.
“You shouldn’t have to, I already have-” Coco tries to protest.
“You need to book the ticket beforehand,” Agott says simply, leaning back against the bench. “It’s limited to how many people can visit in one day.”
Coco suddenly feels a bit stupid. “Well then, the money-”
“Aren’t you the birthday girl?” Agott asks, slipping the tie off her wrist so she can fidget with it using both hands now.
“Okay, we are done!” Tetia calls out to them in her singsong voice.
*
The big portrait of two girls catches Coco’s eyes almost immediately. They’re walking through different sections, and there’s so much to see.
Around a corner hangs a large painting. The girls’ faces have blurred with time. They sit in the middle of a nest of flowers with a big tiara resting on their heads, leaning into each other.
One side of the background looks like autumn drifting through evening light, while the other feels like a calm summer noon. Their outfits contrast heavily too, though the finer details of the dresses aren’t very clear anymore.
The most prominent detail still visible is their braid. Light and dark strands woven together, threaded with tiny flowers tucked into it.
Their hands are tied together with a ribbon. Coco is pretty sure it’s red, though the faded paint makes it look more pink now.
“That’s our Coco and Agott,” Tetia chimes in from behind her out of nowhere, looking at the portrait. She points at her two ponytails. “We can do it too, with three people.”
“Agott is out,” Richeh says, walking up with Agott.
They all stand there staring at the portrait, and Agott sneezes. Coco quickly hands her a tissue from her side bag.
Coco does think the girl with the dark hair looks a little like Agott. “Does the girl look like me?” she asks.
Agott is still looking at the painting, holding the tissue in her fist. “Anyone with golden-green hair might look like the girl,” she answers, glancing between Coco and the portrait.
That’s true. Anyone with hair like hers would probably resemble the girl in the portrait, especially when the face itself has long since blurred beneath cracked paint and age. Just like anyone with dark, curly hair might resemble the autumn girl in it.
“It’s a brushbuddy,” Richeh says, pointing at another portrait nearby.
“There are black ones too,” Tetia gushes excitedly.
They wander around longer than planned. By the time they leave, the Museum is already nearing closing time.
They head to a nearby café instead, ordering their drinks and a slice of cake. Tetia is now wearing Agott’s jacket over her pink camisole top, sipping her milkshake. “It was actually beautiful,” she says, leaning back in her chair.
“The Museum?” Coco asks, and Tetia nods. “It was your first time?” Coco asks again.
She had thought it was her first time, while the others were just tagging along.
“Hmm,” Tetia hums, setting her drink down. She takes out a tissue and wipes her fingers, a bit of cream sticking to them. “Getting the tickets can be tricky. Not when you have a rich girlfriend in your group though.”
Tetia laughs, and Agott narrows her eyes. “Who’s girlfriend?”
“Aren’t we your girlfriends?” Tetia asks, clearly joking her way out of it.
“Since when?” Agott replies. It’s hard to tell if she’s joking too or not. She lightly shoves Tetia’s foot under the table.
“Don’t ruin my new heels, girlfriend,” Tetia chirps.
“Cut the cake,” Richeh says, looking at Coco.
The small strawberry cake is placed in the middle of the table. Tetia quickly drops her teasing and urges, “Ah, sorry…yes, Coco, cut it.”
Coco does, blowing out the 17 candle.
“Next birthday we’ll celebrate it with an actual plan,” Tetia says, pouting.
“Richeh forgot the present at home,” Richeh mutters, taking a bite of cake. “I’ll give it to you tomorrow.”
“I can’t give it to you like this, I need to take you with me,” Tetia says joyfully. “So next weekend, okay?”
Coco smiles and nods. They don’t need to give her any presents. It’s already more than enough that they’re spending their day off with her for her birthday.
“What do you want for your birthday?” Agott asks, scrolling through her phone. She doesn’t look up.
“I don’t need-”
“Don’t worry, she’s loaded,” Richeh cuts in.
“Ask away,” Agott says again, finally looking up from her phone. Her eyes still don’t quite meet Coco’s.
Coco thinks for a moment and replies, “If I ask, will you do it?”
Agott straightens up. “What are you going to ask? Umm… I’ll try my best.” She averts her eyes, cutting a small piece of cake. The tips of her ears turn beet red.
“Will you braid with me like the girls in the portrait?” Coco asks. It sounds so lame even to her own ears that she feels her face heating up.
Tetia giggles. “You have to wait for her hair to grow out.”
Agott’s hair is shorter than hers. It might take a year and a half if they really want to do the braid like that.
“That’s okay,” Agott says softly, then asks, “Just this?”
Coco smiles back at her question. Satisfied with her request.