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Qifrey knew that raising four girls was bound to have its fair share of challenges that he simply could not help with.
He could not do anything about growing pains, like when Tetia shot up an inch overnight, but suffered pains in the backs of her ankles when her legs didn’t quite grow as fast. The solution to that had been gentle stretches and a borrowed spare sealchair from Beldaruit that she was confined to for several weeks until she could walk and run with no pain.
He could not do anything when the girls one by one began getting their periods, something he was so out of his depth with that he actually ended up calling in Alaria, who stopped by several more times within that same year to help each of the four girls, who somehow all managed to start having monthlies within weeks of each other.
And Qifrey could not do a damn thing about teenage emotions, which proved to be the worst of the struggles he faced. From mornings where he literally dragged Richeh out of bed while ignoring her loud complaints to Coco’s seemingly endless reasons to burst into tears.
All in all, it stood to reason that over the years, Agott became his most reasonable child with her steady temper and unwavering focus in her studies. Rarely did she stray from her typical routine, which was a blessing to Qifrey and Olruggio.
Which is why it stood to reason that, when Agott came stumbling out of her room very late one night after all the other girls had already gone to sleep, with an almost-scared expression, Qifrey and Olruggio had immediately thought the worst.
“What is it, Agott?” Qifrey said urgently, rising to his feet. “Something wrong?” Olruggio twisted so he could face her from his own spot on the sofa. “Oi, you look like you’re about to be sick,” he commented. “…did you get sick?” Qifrey asked hesitantly, coming up to her.
Agott blinked at them with confusion. “Ah… no, everything is fine. I couldn’t sleep and thought I’d try having some valeromile tea.” Qifrey smiled at her. “I see. Here, let me- you can sit, if you like.”
She nodded, coming over to the couch. “Thank you, Master Qifrey,” she said softly, sinking into the middle of the sofa.
There was some silence for a moment while Qifrey fetched a mug and filled it with water, then steeped tea in it for a moment. “Milk?” He called, to which Agott replied, “No, thank you. Just the tea.” Qifrey brought the steaming cup over and handed it to Agott, then sat on her other side so she was between her two masters.
Agott stared down at the tea with that same look of near fright, and Qifrey and Olruggio exchanged a glance. “Is something the matter, Agott?” Qifrey asked gently, to which Agott swallowed hard. “How do you know…” she began hesitantly, gripping her mug tightly, “…when you’re in love with someone?”
Qifrey made a slight choking noise and Olruggio’s eyebrows shot up. They exchanged another glance. “Well…” Olly said slowly. “I suppose it depends on the person. But I would say… when you’re in love with someone, you just want to be around them all the time. Want their life to be as easy as possible. Maybe you… find yourself thinking about them more than other people?”
Agott took a shaky sip of the tea and swallowed it, then set it carefully down on the floor beneath her. She pulled in on herself, bringing her knees up to her chest and tucking her head under her arms, which she folded onto her knees.
There was a moment where neither master knew what to say, and then Agott whispered into the silence, “I think I’m in love with Coco.”
The quiet that followed that confession could have fooled Qifrey into thinking a muffling spell had been cast somewhere. He just barely kept his jaw from dropping, and Olruggio’s face was somewhere between shock and just a touch of knowing. “You think so?” Qifrey said finally, soft into the silence.
Agott trembled slightly. “Yes,” she whispered. “I can’t- I can’t stop thinking- it’s awful, Master Qifrey. It’s awful being so distracted!” Qifrey couldn't help but chuckle at that, which finally got Agott to unravel from her shell and place her chin on her arms. “Yes, I suppose it could be rather distracting,” he mused.
Olruggio laughed. “Well, if you feel that way for her, maybe you should tell her,” he suggested. Agott immediately looked horrified and began shaking her head violently. “No! No, no, I can’t, she’d never- we wouldn’t- I can’t,” she blurted out, cheeks blooming red. “What if she doesn’t feel that way for me?”
Qifrey thought it was rather hilarious that Agott was freaking out like this over someone who so clearly liked her more than anyone else. Surely he hadn’t been this terrible with a crush at 15?
Then he looked up at Olruggio and begrudgingly admitted to himself that perhaps not confessing your feelings for some 20 odd years was in fact being more terrible with a crush than Agott was currently.
“But what if she does?” Olly said, not unkindly. “Then wouldn’t ya have rathered not waste time being unsure? The sooner ya do it, the less time ya sit on your feelings.” Qifrey wondered if Olly had ever confessed to a crush. Certainly not since they’d met.
Agott made a grumbling noise, her face redder than Qifrey had ever seen it. “Well, if you don’t want to, it's your choice,” Qifrey said. “But I agree with Olly. Sitting on feelings is rather exhausting in my experience. If you truly want to focus, telling Coco may be the best option.”
She opened her mouth hesitantly as if she were about to speak, but a soft, sleepy voice interrupted. “Tell me what?” Coco stood, wrapped in her blanket and with half-asleep eyes in the entryway to the hall that led to their room.
Agott’s eyes widened and her face deepened another shade redder. “Nothing,” she said quickly. “Just- something about our room needing cleaning, that’s all.”
Coco shrugged, still clearly mostly asleep. “Come back to bed,” she wheedled. “If you don’t, I’ll fall asleep and then you’ll wake me up coming back in and then both of us will be unhappy.”
Agott nodded, unfurling with rapid speed and grabbing the tea, which must be rather cold by now, and downed half of it in one gulp. “Alright. Thank you for the tea, Master Qifrey,” she said quickly, setting the half-full mug on the counter and hurrying after Coco, who was shuffling back towards their room.
As soon as they were gone, Olly burst out laughing. “Aye, young love,” he cooed. “So sweet. It’s not very Agott of her to be so worried over another person.” Qifrey chuckled. “Oh, give her a break. She was always the most emotionally dense of the girls. It isn’t her fault she can’t see that Coco has been head over heels for the past year.”
They kept their chuckling quiet as they finished their own tea and washed all three mugs. “Olly, have you ever confessed to a crush before?” Qifrey inquired, bumping his hip lightly with his own. “Ah, no,” Olly confessed. “I’ve had ‘em, certainly, but never told. ‘Fraid I’m a bit of a hypocrite then.” Qifrey laughed. “Maybe a little.”
“You?” Olruggio asked, tapping his hip back. “No,” he replied thoughtfully, “If I had you would have known, I suppose. I never really felt that way for anyone over the years.”
Lies, his brain whispered. Qifrey had long since felt that way for the man currently jostling into his hip with a boyish grin, but much like Agott, he had no intention of confessing anytime soon.
“Ah, that’s ‘aight. You’ve got me, after all,” Olly said cheerfully. “Now, it is getting to be quite late…” Qifrey squinted at him. “You didn’t sleep last night, did you?” He asked calmly.
Olruggio cringed back under his scrutiny. “Aye, leave me be! You know when I’m focused I sleep worse- Qifrey, don’t you think about it-“ too late. Qifrey had already stuck a levitation sigil on his stomach, propelling him to flop around uselessly in the air like a balloon. “Off to bed,” Qifrey said gleefully, grabbing him by the collar to drag him towards Olly’s spire.
Qifrey thought perhaps Olly complained more than his teenaged girls did.