Chapter Text
"Now, do be careful out there, okay?"
Coco eagerly nodded. Agott on her side only let out a breath as she looked away. Qifrey has been repeating those lines since yesterday, at this point she could see why Agott's already feeling jaded by this.
Well, he can't help it when it's their first field work without their master. Olruggio pulled him by his cloak as he waved his hand.
"Walk away now before he's gonna yap your ear off again."
Agott nodded as she went ahead, leaving Coco to bid them a farewell.
As the two watch their figure getting further, Olruggio patted Qifrey's back. "We got those rings from Richeh, if something happens we'll be there."
Qifrey demeanor relaxed a little. "Yeah, that's right," he mumbled. Given that the other two was also on their first field work, he can't help but worry when it comes to Coco. "But this is Coco we're talking."
Sensing his anxiety won't lower down, Olruggio only sighed as he turned, dragging Qifrey's tassel under his fingertips. "Let's drown that tension on a drink."
Qifrey hummed as he stared at the horizon before turning away for a moment before coming back out as he lift his hand up, the ring glowing as a line of light formed, stretching out where the girls are. Olruggio had to drag Qifrey back to the atelier.
"So, if we—wah!"
The map that was held by Coco suddenly smacked her face from the short but gusty wind. Coco scrambled her hands to find the edge before Agott pulled it away from her.
"Thank you, Agott," she said with a relief on her voice. Agott folded the map then handed it over to Coco, "We'll check the route again once we set foot to a town."
Coco only nodded as she looked back to her front. They're currently hiking a ride from a farmer just three towns away from the atelier.
From what Coco had understand, their assignment was to get at least three scale samples from different colored blaze wyrms. Usually, they're found in burrows from the mountains and sometimes below the cliffs of the sea.
The two of them would've flew there to save time, but that'd be too convenient for a witch that's starting their first assignment (ignoring the fact that they need to do at least three community service each season).
And right now they're about to do a community work all by themselves! Coco stopped herself from jumping out to her seat before a pained howl of a creature caught her attention.
She looked back to see the farmer halted the wagon, seeing a creature blocking the path. A two-horned highland buffalo howled again as it tries to stand up before its heavy horns pulled him back down.
Coco creased her brows in concern as she hopped out the wagon. She ignored the farmer, running down straight to the buffalo as she tries to ease it by her coos.
"It's okay now, it'll be over soon." Coco did a once over to its body before her eyes found its horns dangerously curving to its tired eyes with its dry tongue out as it tries to move its neck. Its horns…
Her hands moved to her palm squire before a hand stopped her. She look back to see Agott. "Coco," she called out as she subtly eyed the farmer. Realizing her mistake, her body loosened out for a bit.
"Right, sorry." Once Agott released her hand, she went to the farmer—perhaps to explain the situation to him. This gave Coco time as she turns and ducks down, her pen and palm squire on her lap.
Wind spell wouldn't stick longer directly, I need to cut its horns. Her fingers moved. Soft blade, sigils formed. Can only cut through the hardness, arrows followed. And a breeze to ease it, two lines almost converged.
She then face her palm squire towards the horns as she closes the ring, "I'm sorry," she whispered. A short gust of wind soon felt as the buffalo howled then a breeze followed—circling around the creature's newly cut horns before moving towards its body, supporting as it stood on its four hooves.
Coco sighed in relief before grabbing her vapor bubble, opening it as she offered it to the buffalo, who immediately licked it. She smiled as she watched itself recover.
A tap from her shoulder caused her to look back. Agott was already smiling. "Good job," she said. "I'll take care of the boulders, move him away from the path."
Coco nodded as she tries to lead the buffalo away by moving the vapor bubble. Once they're situated, she watched Agott doing her own work.
As expected, she doesn't even need to look while drawing. Just tapping her palm squire to the boulder only did it disintegrate into powder. After turning them into dust, she once again covered her hands to her cloak before a gust of wind under her swept the dust away from the path.
Once she's done, Agott joined Coco. She watched her ran towards her, albeit out of breath she still have that elated face as she combs its hair with her fingers.
"Is he okay now?" she asked. Coco closed the vapor bubble as she stood up. The buffalo mewled. "I think he already said it," Coco happily replied.
She watched Agott tending to it as its head softly bumps to her, eliciting a small giggle from her. Despite her indifference, Agott always have a soft spot only reserved for animals.
Agott must've noticed her staring, "What?" Coco smiled at her before shaking her head. "Nothing, just thinking."
"…you should probably save that for our upcoming assignment."
"What do you mean you're out of bait salt?"
Agott slammed the desk. "Of all the days…!" Coco mulled for a bit before moving towards the seller, "Do you perhaps have any raw meat?"
"What kind?"
"Any kind," she replied. Ignoring Agott's confused face.
Once they bought a quarter of meat, Agott finally asked. "What are you planning?"
Coco smiled. "We'll create our own bait salt." Agott's eyes shined for a moment before lines of worry appeared. "But if we're taking this to the sea, it'll be dark before we'll get the samples from the cliffs."
Coco was then reminded how dangerous the creatures are when the sun falls. A memory soon flashed through mind as she inhaled—feeling something creeping in.
She only let out a breath, subduing the mucky feeling. "A little danger wouldn't hurt us. We've already gone through worse than this," she gave her a tight smile, causing Agott to uneasily acquiesce.
Agott scratched the back of her neck. "At least let me redraw the beast wards near us," she says with hesitating voice. "That way we'll have a failsafe if something goes wrong."
Coco nodded eagerly at this, "Of course!"
By the time they finished concocting the bait salt using the meat and water from the sea, it was night time.
Coco and Agott looked at each other for a moment as they showed each of their light spell shining on their waist before nodding at the same time. They both simultaneously flew, Agott on the other side—throwing the salt bait through the holes under a cliff.
In the meantime, Coco scouted the area, mentally noting the opening just below where the sea meets the sand before moving to the holes where wyrms lives.
If she remembers correctly, once the wyrms smell the meat emanating from the salt, they'll move towards it either by eating it or just by touching the bait will force them to regress their growth, thus shedding off the scales they once wore.
She ignores the fleetings of other creatures flying as she watched every hole in anticipation.
There!
Before she could move, her eyes caught a hat in some of the holes as the light spell briefly flickered, causing her to go rigid. Her eyes went to Agott's silhouette.
She gritted teeth as she put strength to her legs, boosting her as she goes for Agott.
"Brimmed Cap!"
She shouted, alerting Agott as she looked back. Before she could fully face Coco, Coco's body slammed into Agott's.
The only thing Agott saw was red flying to her face and a Brimmed Cap disappearing into the darkness. Agott immediately recovered as she tried to balance their momentum, her hands caught Coco tightly as she pushed her feet off.
"Coco!" she exclaimed, her eyes found Coco's upper arm gashed with blood. Coco's ears were ringing as she tries to put her feet together, her head now leaning to Agott's shoulder. "Wh—what do—where…" Coco can hear Agott panicking.
Coco gently smiled at this, bring one of her free hand to clasp it on Agott. "An opening…" she exhaled as a searing pain crossed through her arm. "Just by the edge of this cliff," she weakly said as she points.
Agott nodded as she carried Coco. She only closed her eyes as she felt herself numbing, the trickling of her blood seemed to tickle her arm for a bit.
Once she felt a cold sensation on her back, her eyes opened to see teared up Agott currently trying to stop the bleeding with the bandages, causing her to hiss in pain.
Agott noticed her. "This is the reason why I was hesitating. Damn it, Coco. I knew we shouldn't have come!"
Coco stared at Agott getting angry at her before progressively hearing Agott blaming herself as she tends to Coco's arm. She smiled at this. It was one of those rare times Agott would be angry at her, but more rare that she somehow blames herself for this. If only she could laugh. Coco then noticed her blood splatted on Agott's face.
For someone getting smeared by blood, she still looks beautiful.
She watched Agott's long lashes fluttering in panic, paired by the tearful lavender eyes that seemed about to cry. The urge to wipe her blood away from her face becomes stronger as Agott's eyes found her unfocused ones.
Feeling the cool sensation seeping through her arm, she slowly leaned away from the rocky walls as her free hand hovered towards Agott's face.
Her thumb tries to wipe the blood away from her bottom lip, only for it to spread. Then a thought invades her mind unbidden—red looks good on her. Before leaning in as she stared at her lips.
Unbeknownst to Coco, Agott was gobsmacked, and was about retort before Coco's frame leans in towards her. Wait, her wound…! Then she felt soft sensation touching her lips.
Her eyes widened by this, in contrast to Coco's closed eyes, she tries to lean away before her heart leaped at the taste of iron as she felt Coco's lips moved.
She's…!
Suddenly feeling weak, she felt her eyes getting heavy—Coco's free hand caressing her cheek, eliciting tingles throughout her chest. She found herself slowly moving her lips together with her, her heart pounding even harder, eyes shut as she clutched Coco's cloak for a respite.
Feeling her breath shortening, they both broke up as she catches her breath. Coco's unfocused eyes were already dilating as she stared at Agott as if she was her lover.
Sensing another one coming, she braces herself as Coco's face leans in. Then she felt a head on her shoulder before a rumbling echoed the cave.
And just like that, as if the spell was broken. Suddenly, Agott's reasoning came back. She then felt her face warming up like a kettle boiling as soon as she remembers it all.
This girl…!
She angrily looked at the peaceful face Coco was wearing before wondering the reason why her stomach rumbled. She finally sighed in defeat, recalling that they didn't eat anything for dinner.
She only moves her hand to gently comb Coco's hair with her fingers, her raised knee now supported both her arm and Coco's frame as she did a once over to her bandaged arm.
She sighs again, her cheek now leaning onto her head as she strokes her head. Her other free hand now absentmindedly touching her own lips, realizing the blood that's been smeared a while ago was washed away by their deed.
This reckless girl's gonna be the death of me.