Archive of Our Own

It all started with three weeks to spare.

“Master Qifrey’s birthday?!”

Tetia’s shout echoed violently through Olruggio’s already sleep-deprived brain, as did the onslaught of complaints from the girls as they circled him one by one.

Their prey-drive appeared well intact this morning.

“Have you never celebrated it?” Coco asked in alarm, her head whipping around to watch the girls argue.  

Tetia damn-near threw herself across Agott’s lap, leaning far into her personal space to urgently ask, “Agott, did you know about this?”

“You’ve been here the longest,” Richeh offered in hushed explanation from the girl’s other side.

“This’s the first I’m hearing of it,” she answered with a small shrug, shutting her book after marking the page. “I figured he didn’t like celebrating it, otherwise he would’ve said something, wouldn’t he?”

Olruggio dropped his chin in hand, humoring them by asking, “Did you not find it suspicious when a year passed and it wasn’t celebrated?”

“Don’t you turn this around on us, mister!” Tetia tutted, waving her finger as close to his face as she could reach.

Richeh seemingly materialized right beside him to add, “Yeah, we wouldn’t be ignorant if you were a better teacher!”

Okay, ouch?

Olruggio’s chest almost caved in from the sheer force of the blow.

“Regardless,” he pointedly said, swallowing his hurt. “I’ve been working on something to give him, but it’s... well...”

He ran his hands up and down the sides of his face, unable to think of a way to phrase it that didn’t reek of his ongoing failure.

“You don’t think you’ll finish in time,” Agott guessed, tilting her head. “And you want us to come up with a back-up gift in case yours doesn’t work out.”

Olruggio cringed, shrinking into himself.

“Do I have that right?” she asked, this time with that smug little grin taking over her face.

She was too smart for her own good.

He put his head down on the table, his pride wounded. “Yeah, that’s about right.”

“Oh, how fun!” Coco gushed, happily clapping her hands together as she turned to the girls. “I have so many ideas!”

Olruggio heaved a relieved breath.

He likes Coco.

She’s the only one in this house who doesn’t maliciously bully him.

“Try to think something up, come to me if you need any help,” he said, standing from the table. “I’ll be going into town the day after tomorrow to-”

“Take me!” Tetia shouted, her hand shooting into the air. “I can help!”

Richeh’s hand suddenly fisted in his robe, holding him in place. “Bring Richeh saltpork.”

Coco’s eyes flitted between the two, then she hesitantly raised her own hand. “I would also like to go into town!”

Olruggio dropped his face into his hands. “I was already planning to bring you girls along,” he grumbled, weakly shooing them away. “Let your teacher finish speaking before freaking out next time, okay?”

“You’re not as nice as Master Qifrey,” Richeh very unhelpfully pointed out, staring up at him. She tugged on his robe one more time, pointedly whispering, “Saltpork,” before taking a step away without breaking eye contact.

Tetia clapped her hands, drawing the girls’ attention. “We could make him something cozy! Like a...” She paused, tilting her head this way and that before snapping her fingers and calling out, “Blanket!”

Then she waved her hands in front of her. “Wait, no, how about some kind of... like something that could...”

“Giant brushbuddy,” Richeh offered with a pointed nod of her head. “Like a bed that follows you around.”

Tetia turned to her with stars in her eyes. “That’d be perfect!”

“Would it?” Agott’s dull voice asked.

“Should it be something useful, like a tool?” Coco murmured in question. “Or something more fun, like what we did for Lord Beldaruit?”

Agott stood at that. “Anything he actually needs, he’d just make for himself.”

“You girls know how much he loves your magic,” Olruggio said, straightening his robes. “I’m sure he’ll be charmed by anything you come up with.” Then he grinned a bit ruefully. “He’s easier to impress than Beldaruit, I’ll tell you that much.”

“What’s your idea, Master Olly?” Coco asked, swaying from side to side, her eyes alight in curiosity.

He nearly felt bad for denying her, but he couldn’t let it slip just yet.

“Mine is... a secret, for now.”

Agott’s eyes instantly met his. “In case you don’t finish it, right?”

It took everything in him not to fall to his knees.

He spared her a weary look. “Do you dislike me, Agott?”

“Of course not,” she said blankly, looking right at him. “What gave you that impression?”

She had to be testing him, right?

Right?

“We just don’t wanna accidentally make the same thing!” Tetia added with a smile, her hands clasped behind her back.

Olruggio huffed a small laugh, turning away and rubbing at his neck. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Can you at least give us a hint?” she urged, swaying in place, her big eyes shining bright. “Pleaaaaase?”

Ugh.

Olruggio’s a weak man.

He scratched at his chin, awkwardly muttering, “Stars, I guess?”

Richeh’s eyes lit up. “You’re giving Master Qifrey a whole star?”

“Not exactly, I’m just trying to...”

Wait.

He leaned down to press a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Richeh, you’re a genius,” he said emphatically, ruffling her hair.

She nodded, arms crossed over her chest with an air of victory around her.

He was in such a rush to get to his room, to mark his thoughts on paper where they wouldn’t be forgotten, that he ran head-first into Qifrey when he entered the hall.

“Quite a hurry you’re in,” Qifrey remarked, reaching out to steady him. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, it...” He briefly trailed off before adding a quick, “Everything’s great.”

A brow raised and a quirk of Qifrey’s lips as he voiced, “High praise, coming from you.”

“Don’t sour my good mood,” Olruggio grumbled, watching as Qifrey’s smirk softened into a smile, the man offering a small wave in parting as he continued down the hall.

Then, just as Qifrey was turning out of sight, Olruggio called out, “I derailed study time!” before adding, “Just thought you should know!”

He saw Qifrey’s bottom lip jut out in disapproval.

Then Olruggio yanked the door shut, slipping his cloak from his shoulders and sitting cross-legged at his desk.

He was almost able to will himself into productivity-mode, but the faint scent of lunch being prepared was a marvel distraction.

He forced himself to ignore it, with papers littered around and his pen clenched tight between his teeth.

His notebook was open in front of him, failed seals all tacked up within sight.

It may have been hours since he first sat down, it may have been days.

His initial idea was some kind of windowway that showed the night sky in that spot, the one at the rocky cape overlooking the sea.

Qifrey once told him, five drinks deep, that the view was synonymous to home for him.

Olruggio had to take a walk after that one.

He thought to transpose the window onto paper, or maybe a piece of cloth, something that could be unfolded for better view of the horizon.

It wasn’t a bad idea.

Hell, it was his only idea.

You’re giving Master Qifrey a whole star?

But that was a much better one.

The North star, the one that always shined brighter than all the others. It was its own siren song, guiding sailors and wanderers and all who were lost.

Centering it in a windowway would be perfect.

It would carry the air with it, the temperature and the smell, the pull of that sharp wind and the peace of seclusion it brought.

It would be a reminder of Qifrey’s freedom, of the freedom they achieved together.

Olruggio couldn’t think of a more fitting gift.

He was determined to go through with it from the start, to create this special little gift just for Qifrey by any means necessary.

Even if it meant enlisting the girls for help with a back-up gift.

He wasn’t expecting Richeh to give him the perfect idea in an offhand comment, which both simplified the goal while also demanding a damning number of steps and trials.

If the focus was on a single star and not the whole array, he could design a smaller contraption to stand on its own, not needing to be unfolded or unraveled for viewing.

Simpler in theory, not in practice.

He could anchor the windowway pointing towards the star, but stars move, the winds are strong, the beasts stronger and far too curious to leave a shiny contraption alone.

There were so many factors to consider.

He sighed, wetting his pen and holding it steady above the parchment before making a quick, practiced circle, a hint from connecting.

His hand raised from the paper, and his sleeve smeared through the ink.

Seems it’d be a long night.

“Are you coming down for breakfast?”

Olruggio blinked his eyes open, not realizing they were closed until that very moment. “What?”

“Breakfast,” Qifrey repeated, leaning over the desk and right into Olruggio’s line of sight. “Will you be joining us?”

His eyes raised to the window behind him, seeing the sunrise pouring in and his pyreball sitting long-since extinguished.

“Oh, it’s-” His words cut off into a yawn. “It’s morning.”

A sharp eye, crossed arms, and that ever-concerned, “Olly,” spoken low and disapproving.

“I know, I know,” he said, waving Qifrey off as he collected up his seals and straightened the stack. “It wasn’t on purpose, I just got caught up.”

A low hum is all Qifrey gave, his posture relaxing as he peered over Olruggio’s shoulder and asked, “What’s that you’ve been working on?”

Olruggio looked down at the seal he’s drawn for possibly the millionth time.

It was one of far too many, all failures.

He was supposed to be better at this.

“It’s nothing,” he murmured, flipping the paper only to reveal the same failed seal with minutely longer signs.

“An eye sigil?” Qifrey voiced just as Olruggio stubbornly stuffed the papers beneath a book and out of sight. “What for?”

“Speaking of which,” Olruggio said, capping his pen. “I’m borrowing the girls tomorrow.” His eyes raised to Qifrey. “Fieldtrip in town.”

He didn’t know if it was wise to come clean, there was little care about his own gift being known, he always gave Qifrey something.

He just didn’t want to spoil too much of whatever the girls had in store.

“You’ve left me with more questions than we started with,” Qifrey said with a small smile, reaching out to lightly poke him in the forehead. “I still don’t know if you want breakfast.”

Olruggio felt as if he were experiencing some sort of crisis of faith, because he didn’t know what the girls were planning, whether it’d be a contraption or a spell or a spectacle.

No matter what they ended on, what it risked was surprise.

Which could be either the highlight of Qifrey’s day or the thing that sent him spiraling.

He looked to Qifrey, still staring down at him, his smile twisting a bit in poorly-veiled concern.

A warm hand was pressed to his forehead.

“Olly, are you feeling alright?”

It made Olruggio’s decision for him.

“Sit with me for a minute,” he instructed, patting at the spot next to him and listening for the girls down the hall.

Qifrey lowered to sit cross-legged on the floor, facing him.

He looked patient, though a little frazzled.

The prospect of making it worse made Olruggio’s chest ache.

“I told the girls about your birthday.”

“Olruggio.”

That one definitely stung a bit.

“What I’m working on is... not working,” he awkwardly admitted, unable to look at the man currently staring daggers right into his soul. “I wanted to see if they could come up with something better because I... could use some help.” He sighed in defeat, dropping his forehead against the desk. “So I’m taking them into town tomorrow to get supplies for whatever it is they’re gonna make for you.”

It was quiet, and when Olruggio’s head raised he saw that ever-present look on Qifrey’s face again.

The one where he looked hesitant, a little bit displaced, and so startingly unsure of himself.  

“Olly, I’m...” he started, awkwardly trailing off as his hand traced to the top of his cap. “I appreciate it, I really do, but...” His gaze shifted to the side. “You know I don’t do too well with being... celebrated.”

He spoke the words as if the mere thought of it made him uncomfortable, his shoulders hunching up as he coiled that ribbon tight around his finger.

Olruggio reached between them.

“Of things worth celebrating,” he murmured, catching the ribbon with his finger and gently pulling it loose. “You being born is at the very top of my list.” He leveled Qifrey with a look. “Understand?”

Qifrey nodded slow as if in a daze, whispering out a hushed, “Yes,” as he watched Olruggio weave the ribbon between his fingers.

It was an old habit.

One he had no desire to break while his prized ribbon remained within reach.

Qifrey watched him from the corner of his eye, a few times looking as if to speak, but staying quiet until the moment the ribbon left Olruggio’s grasp and brushed against the floor.

Their eyes met, and Qifrey sucked in a sharp breath, his fingers twitching around like he was about to do something.

But the moment broke, because Qifrey tore his gaze away quick and sudden.

He raised to his knees, grabbing a blank sheet of parchment from the desk. “Since you’re going into town, could you-”

“No!” Olruggio blurted, quickly snatching the pen from Qifrey’s hand. “This isn’t a shopping trip, we have a mission here.”

Qifrey blinked at him once, twice, and then he smirked as he produced another pen from seemingly nowhere and continued writing. “This trip is to gather supplies for my birthday, yes?”

Olruggio didn’t like where this was going.

“...yeah.”

It reeked of manipulation.

“So it’d be inconsiderate of you not to pick up...” His eyes lowered to the paper, reading off, “One dozen horncaps, two dozen flying shrimp, twenty-four ounces of parasol jellies, rock ginger, some-”

“Are you being serious right now?”

A smile- crooked, amused, and absolutely damning.

“I’ll leave this with you,” Qifrey said, happily tucking the folded list into Olruggio’s shirt before walking to the doorway. “Will we see you at breakfast?”

“You will,” Olruggio confirmed with a sigh of defeat.

“Good.”

Then Qifrey was stepping into the hall, his hand on the doorknob.

He suddenly whipped around, blurting, “We also need butter!” as he frantically pointed at the desk. “Write that down!”

Olruggio sighed so loudly his head ached from the force of it.

He hurriedly marked the item onto paper, raising his eyes to dully ask, “Anything else, Master Qifrey?”

“N-no,” Qifrey mumbled, neck crawling red as he wove that ribbon between long fingers. “That’ll be all, Olly.”

Olruggio had to hide his laugh behind an awkward cough. “I’ll be down soon.”

There was a hum, then the soft creak of the door being pulled closed.

It was left open an inch, just enough for Olruggio to have to shut it himself if he wanted to be alone.

An open invitation, a very insistent one.

Olruggio smiled, turning to start cleaning up his desk.

“I fibbed!” Qifrey shouted from the hall, throwing the door open for it to loudly slam against the wall. “Grab a few shorecumbers as well, three should suffice,” he said, counting off on his fingers before continuing with, “And if they have white prism lemons- look at me, Olly, I said white- please get six of...”

Qifrey paused, staring Olruggio down with his chin in hand.

He was fidgeting all around, his face pinched with uncertainty.

Olruggio’s played this game many times before.

“You’ll get me a new list before I leave?”

It was one he didn’t mind losing.

Qifrey clapped his hands together. “I will,” he agreed with a bashful smile. Then he knocked his knuckles against the doorframe, calling, “Breakfast is in five!” before finally leaving the room.

Olruggio took a few moments to straighten his desk, then he stood, reaching up to crack his back before pacing into the hall, leaving his stack of seals left safe and hidden.

You’re giving Master Qifrey a whole star?

Olruggio only wishes he could give him more.

The girls were slow-moving given the early hour, which was the same thing making Olruggio’s eyes droop as he waited for them to gather by the door.

The ride to Kalhn wasn’t long enough to demand such an early start, but Olruggio’s had first-hand experience in trying to rush the girls through their rare trips to the Marshwoods.

It just wasn’t worth the jabs they’d throw at him on the flight home.

They lined up in a row like ducklings, dressed in full Winter-wear with hats pulled over their hair and cloaks wrapped tight around them.

Qifrey, to his credit, didn’t push too hard for hints, instead spending the time straightening cloaks and checking sylph seals for safety.

It was Qifrey anxiously adjusting Agott’s scarf for the fourth time that made the girl’s patience finally snap.  

“My scarf is fine, Master Qifrey!” she blurted with a huff, smacking his hands away.

He looked a bit startled, and then embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing at his neck. “I just don’t want to see anyone catch a cold in this weather.”

Then he awkwardly stepped to the side, pulling the front door open and gesturing for the girls to file through, their excited guesses of when snow would come quieting as the atelier quickly emptied.

Olruggio intended to follow, but was stopped in place the moment he made to step away.

There was a hand tugging at his cloak, and Qifrey’s quiet voice asking, “You’ll be warm enough in this?”

“It’s never failed me before,” he murmured in explanation, grinning a bit as he squared his shoulders and added, “Ghodrey kids are made of sterner stuff, you know.”

Qifrey looked away at that, and he was rubbing at his arm, refusing to meet Olruggio’s eye.

It was so horribly, painfully obvious that Qifrey wanted to accompany them, making Olruggio feel like a damn monster for forcing himself to step away when he saw the girls waiting for him at the fenceline.

He lightly knocked his fist against Qifrey’s chest, leaning close to murmur, “We’ll be back before dark,” before crossing the threshold and into the November chill.

“See that you are,” Qifrey whispered, twisting the ribbon around his finger, stood otherwise motionless in the open doorway, watching them leave.

He didn’t know if Qifrey’s nerves were due to the gift’s mystery or the plain matter of its existence.

But it was most likely Qifrey just felt left out.

Olruggio’s head hurt.

“Phew,” Tetia said once they touched down, breathing on her hands and rubbing them together. “Master Qifrey was right to worry, it really is getting cold.”

“He’s sensitive to it,” Olruggio said, pulling his cloak tighter around himself. His eyes turned to Agott. “Let him fuss, there are worse things than being cared for.”

She matched his look with one of her own.

“Would you say the same to Master Qifrey?”

It was a harsh blow, and it hit Olruggio square in the chest.

He sighed, defeated as he crouched down and gestured the girls to hold out their hands. “Each of you take a few snugstones.”

“They’re smaller!” Coco said, holding it up to the sky for a better view. “I didn’t know anyone but Richeh could draw a seal so tiny.”

That got Richeh’s full attention, the girl raising her own stone and tracing the glyph with her thumb. She nodded once, looking to Olruggio and saying, “It’s cute.”

Not the impact he was going for, but he’d be stupid not to accept the rare victory.

“They’re meant for your pockets,” he explained, slipping one-each into his own. “Keep your hands in them so you don’t lose a finger.”

Tetia pulled a face. “You’re so morbid, Master Olly.”

He leveled her with a dull look. “I’m realistic.”

Tetia ignored him, which was nothing new.

She spun on her heel. “I wish I could take a snugstone and just wrap it around me like a blanket!” she said, pressing the stone to her cheek.

“That’d be fantastic,” Coco agreed. “A warm, fuzzy blanket is the best!”

Agott’s eyes sharpened. “Or a warm, fuzzy cloak,” she said, turning to them. “Like the one Master Qifrey wears.”

It was like a bomb going off, the way they all started speaking at once, each rattling off sigils and signs and the ever-important degrees of coziness.

They were practically vibrating in place, Olruggio could feel the air quivering around them.

He deflated, not bothering to fight as he looked amongst them and asked, “Where to?”

His fate was in their hands today.

They started at the fabric shop, with Coco taking lead before he even thought to supervise.

She looked so at home amongst the fabrics and furs and multi-colored thread, pointing to materials and tools and explaining their uses with the biggest grin on her face.

He made a mental note to mention it to Qifrey later on.

For the first half hour, Olruggio found himself a willing student, listening as the girls reasoned where to hide what seals and in which material.

But then the discussion turned to colors and textures and which grey was the right grey and Olruggio disassociated with haste.

He heard the distinct sound of Tetia’s gleeful squealing as she raised a pelt in front of her and excitedly asked, “What about fur?”

Coco’s eyes lit up, and then she paused, turning to Olruggio to hesitantly ask, “But that would be… too expensive, right, Master Olly?”

“It wouldn’t be,” he murmured, absentmindedly running his hand over the furs they passed. “Choose whatever you want.”

His careless words practically damned him, because it was five hours later, after a quick lunch of salted pork sandwiches per Richeh’s demand, that the girls finally addressed the fact that Olruggio was also there for a reason.

“Where did you need to visit, Master Olly?” Tetia asked, finishing off Agott’s chips and licking her fingers clean.

“I just need to see Mister Nolnoa,” he said, gesturing further up the path towards the magic supply shop.

When they entered the shop, Coco was practically trembling with restraint as she asked, “Master Olly, can we play in the alley with Tartah and his friends?”

“That’s fine,” he said, gesturing them away as he approached the counter.

Then his neck prickled, and he spun on his heel to seriously urge, “But don’t you dare wander,” as he pointed between them. “I’m not spending hours searching for you four.”

A beat of quiet.

They rolled their eyes.

All four of them rolled their eyes at him!

He snapped his fingers. “I’m serious, I’ll leave you here!”

“He said convincingly,” Agott mocked under her breath, eyes alight as she pulled the door open.

Tetia poked him in the stomach as she passed. “Master Olly’s a softie.”

“I’ll keep Brushbug safe,” Richeh assured, raising the creature in one hand while the other was clasped in Tetia’s, leading them through the door.  

Coco hesitated in the silence that followed, her eyes darting between Olruggio and the open doorway for long enough that he took the highroad and gave up entirely.

“Keep an eye on them for me, will you?”

She blinked at him, eyes wide before throwing herself into a formal bow. “I will!” she said excitedly, quickly running from the shop and calling, “Thank you, Master Olly!” over her shoulder.

Nolnoa tutted, pacing behind the counter and saying, “Always a whirlwind.”

Olruggio cringed a bit, scratching at his neck. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s no worry,” Nolnoa said, waving him off. “Though for what it’s worth,” he added, looking Olruggio up and down. “They listen better to Qifrey, you should work on your authority.”

It was so funny to hear it nearly made him laugh aloud.

Authority.

A hilarious concept.

“Olruggio of the Torch,” Nolnoa suddenly added in greeting, arms spread wide. “A rarity. What can I do for you?”

Back to business.

“Well,” Olruggio started, rifling through his pocket. “You work with brass, don’t you?”

“Not often,” he said honestly, tilting his head. “What did you have in mind?”

Olruggio slid the sketch onto the counter between them. “Could you make this?”

Nolnoa adjusted his glasses, raising the sketch in front of him before immediately asking, “Is this for Qifrey?”

It was embarrassing, how obvious it was, but Olruggio managed to hold his tongue, offering a short nod in reply.

“I suppose...” Nolnoa said slowly, shrugging his shoulders. “Just don’t expect it to be perfect.”

Olruggio gave a shrug of his own. “I hoped it wouldn’t be.”

The novelty is what Qifrey always appreciated most.

In Olruggio’s defense, he did warn Qifrey that the girls would present their gift today.

He just didn’t know they’d do it in the middle of lunch.

“I can’t wait any longer!” Tetia suddenly shouted, dropping her spoon and jumping to her feet. “Master Qifrey, it’s your birthday!”

Qifrey looked so startled it seemed as if he might run away.

“It is, yes,” he said quietly, setting down his own spoon and turning towards her.

“Can we please do it now?” Tetia pleaded, holding her hands together. “You’ll be so surprised, I promise!”

“We outdid ourselves,” Richeh added, pointedly not putting her spoon down as she continued eating.

The final nail in the coffin was Agott’s face flaring red as she awkwardly mumbled, “Could we, Master Qifrey?”

It wasn’t possible for Qifrey to deny them this.

“Well, how could I be expected to say no to that?”

Bingo.

The girls quickly cleared the table, rushing all around to place dishes in the sink and return leftovers to the cookpot.

They made quick work of it, but the scant few moments of waiting left enough time for Qifrey to nervously catch his eye.

“It’s nothing shocking,” Olruggio quietly assured, resting his chin in hand. “You’ll like it.”

Then the girls were rushing back to the table, with Tetia trailing behind, package held aloft in her arms.

There was a smile on Qifrey’s face, bright and shiny as if delighted by the surprise.

But his hand was fisted tight in Olruggio’s sleeve, like the anticipation was as thrilling as it was terrifying.

Olruggio didn’t understand, and he’s not sure he ever would, but that didn’t stop him from taking Qifrey’s hand in his and gingerly moving it to the tabletop.

The girls would notice, they’d see their teacher’s anxiety.

Qifrey shouldn’t have to withstand the guilt of it.

Not today.

“We know how much you love snow!” Tetia said, depositing the large, wrapped bundle onto the table.

“But how much you hate getting wet,” Agott added, unbinding the knotted twine for the brown paper wrapping to unfold.

Richeh took hold of the grey cloak, a perfect replica of his current one, but lined with fur and bursting with hidden seals. “No one likes being cold,” she said, shaking it out for it to unfurl over the table.

Coco’s smile was always the brightest.

“And who doesn’t love a little bit of magic?”

Qifrey took the cloak in hand, hesitant as if he’d dirty it with his touch.

“You girls... made this for me?” Qifrey voiced in question, his fingers brushing through the fur lining. He glanced around at them, a playful smile quirking his lips. “I take it there are seals in here?”

He was met with various shouts of, “It repels water!” and “The convergence spell keeps it warm!” all overlapping and drowning each other out.

“Tell him about how the seals were made,” Olruggio interrupted, leaning back in his seat. He looked to Qifrey. “You’ll like this one.”

“It was Agott’s idea,” Tetia said first. “Staining the thread with magic ink.”

“Richeh drew most of the reference seals for us,” Coco added, sheepishly scratching at the back of her neck. “I can’t draw them small enough.”

Richeh glanced up at that. “Coco did all the sewing.” She held up her hands, showing fingertips pricked with red. “It’s harder than it looks.”

“The seals are hidden in lining that’s between the inner lining and outer fur,” Coco said. “No one will ever see them and they won’t rub off.”

Tetia ran up to Qifrey, saying, “We replicated Master Olly’s snugstone seal as well,” as she slipped her hands into an inner pocket. “The insides of the pockets are nice and toasty warm, just stick your hands in there if they ever get cold!”

Then all eyes were on Agott, who only looked more and more uncomfortable the longer the silence stretched.

Qifrey’s face softened.

He crouched down to eye-level with her, offering the cloak in his hands. “Is there something you’d like to show me, Agott?”

“The fastener,” she murmured, tapping at the metal ornament before looking to the side. “If you unclasp it, there’s a spell.”

Two brows raised as Qifrey looked around at the girls, his face alight with amusement.

Long fingers gripped each side of the clasp, deftly unhooking it and watching on in pure, childlike wonder as the cloak rapidly furled in his hands, condensing down to coil with the brass ornament and loosely wrap itself around Qifrey’s wrist.

Qifrey sat there for a moment, staring down at it with his mouth dropped open and his eye sparkling with delight.

“You girls simply must show me the seals you used,” he said in fascination, flicking the bracelet open for the cloak to immediately splay across his lap. He clapped his hands together before holding them over his mouth. “This is spectacular.”

His hands shifted along the clasp, his fingers gliding along the etched design. He turned to Agott beside him. “Why isn’t it warm when it’s in its bracelet form?”

Her face lit up. “W-well, we made it so a portion of the stitching shifts out of place when it’s rolled up.” She made the motion of wringing out a towel. “The tension of it breaks the ring.”

“How’d you figure that out?”

Richeh again displayed her battered fingers. “We popped a stitch and the whole thing exploded.”

It was Olruggio that Qifrey’s gaze instantly landed on.

Olruggio sighed. “The snugstone seal went a little haywire,” he said, looking to Richeh and pointedly adding, “It did not explode.”

Coco spoke up at that. “We bought better thread after that, you’d have to cut it with a knife to break it now.”

That made Qifrey turn to Coco next. “You said the snugstone seals were hidden in the pockets, but the entire cloak is warm when unfurled.” His head tilted. “How is that?”

Coco proceeded to launch into a thorough explanation, complete with reenactments by the girls as they detailed how the cloak is not warmed, but is sealed with a weak convergence spell, trapping the wearer’s body-heat within the layers.

Qifrey looked so delighted by it all that Olruggio felt like a fool for not mentioning the holiday to the girls sooner.

It was Qifrey’s wish he was fulfilling, but seeing the man’s face lit up the way it was, fascinated by creativity and magic and awed by its limitless possibilities...

Olruggio knew the expression well.

He saw it through every step of teaching Qifrey the fundamentals of magic.

It poked at his chest, and it prickled his eyes.

It was a look of elation so striking Olruggio couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.

The discussion lasted for hours, only coming to a pause when dinner needed to be prepared.

A pause, not a stop.

They had plans to resume the following morning.

Olruggio took it upon himself to clean while the girls washed up, popping corks back onto ink-pots and collecting up the mass of papers strewn around.

He took the time to separate them into stacks before setting them to the side, knowing which script belonged to who without needing to think twice about it.

He felt Qifrey’s gaze on him more than once as dinner was made, served, and cleaned up.

Then Qifrey politely excused himself, making a show of unfurling the cloak and clasping it around his shoulders before stepping out into the cold.

Olruggio did end up following him outside, but only after giving Qifrey a deserved hour to cool down.

He was sitting a short way down the main path, cross-legged on the ground, frost rubbing onto his pants and eye fixed on the sky.

Olruggio almost thought he might finally manage the element of surprise, but Qifrey always seemed to feel his presence long before he made himself known.

“Coco turned out to be quite the seamstress,” Qifrey said suddenly, turning to look over up him. “And Agott’s spell of reduction is a real masterwork.”

Olruggio took a seat beside him, waiting patiently to hear whatever point Qifrey was fighting to say out loud.

“I’m proud.”

“You should be,” Olruggio said, lightly elbowing Qifrey’s arm. “I was only consulted on the radial sign for the snugstone and all that convergence nonsense.”  

It was quiet, and the silence dragged on as Qifrey sat motionless beside him.

He wasn’t even fidgeting.

Olruggio didn’t know what that meant.

“They came back from that first trip with needles, thread, and four pounds of fur,” he offered, trying to bridge the gap he could feel between them. “The second trip was exclusively for thimbles and tougher thread.”

Qifrey returned his sight to the sky, his expression a little clearer. “And the third?”

“The brass ornaments,” Olruggio said in explanation, pulling his routine backup gift of fruit-wine from his robe and setting it on the small patch of ground separating them.

“Sounds expensive.”

Irritating.

Olruggio leveled him with a dull look. “Some things are worth their cost,” he said gruffly, this time shoving the bottle into Qifrey’s chest to force the man to take hold of it.

“I saw them practicing the seals, but they wouldn’t say what they were for.” Qifrey turned the bottle in his hands, smiling a bit as he popped the cork. “I couldn’t guess from the seals alone.

“You know,” he added after a moment, raising the bottle between them before taking a small sip. “I was pretty curious of your practiced seals as well.”

Olruggio scratched at the back of his neck. “The girls kind of stole the thunder, but here,” he murmured, taking a moment to rifle through his pocket before dropping the small pouch into Qifrey’s waiting hand.

Olruggio was proud of this.

He was very, very proud.

It must’ve shown on his face, the anticipation, because Qifrey’s own softened as he gingerly took the pouch and turned it in hand.

He unwound the tie for it to open in his palm, the circle of dark fabric it was made from slowly flattening.

The contraption laid at its center, small and ornate and glowing so, so brightly.

Qifrey’s head tilted, then his mouth fell open in sudden surprise.

“This is the North star.”

It was, suspended in a frame of brass and dark skylight, seeming so clear and close you might think to pluck it right from the casing and hold it in your palm.   

Not that Olruggio was one to sing his own praises, but...

Well, Qifrey did look pretty impressed.

The awe of the spectacle itself was short-lived, because it wasn’t long before Qifrey was quickly turning the contraption in his hands, eyeing it from every angle and poking at every point.

“How did…” he started, briefly trailing off as he stuck his finger through the star’s center and was left baffled as his finger disappeared into the charm.

Olruggio was practically tickled pink.

“I had Mister Nolnoa make the frame in brass, that’s what I etched the windowway seals into,” he said, gesturing for Qifrey to hold it up. “Each of these brass loop are its own windowway overlapping with the others. I have the mirrors positioned an equal distance around the cape, all focused on the North star.”

“Focused?”

“Agott helped me make guidance signs for the mirrors,” he explained. “They face where it’s brightest.”

“That’s very clever,” Qifrey murmured, trailing his fingertip across the dark frame. He lightly tapped at it. “How does it look like this?”

“The frame is wrapped in ribbon,” Olruggio explained, reaching out to give a light tug to the one on Qifrey’s cap. “From the same spool.

“I used Agott’s idea of staining thread with magic ink to compose a seal with.” Then he looked off to the side. “I had to get Coco to do the stitching,” he admitted, quickly following with, “And I had to bribe Richeh into teaching me her crystal spells.”

He scratched at the back of his neck. “Once the seal was intact and it was crystalized, I had Mister Nolnoa cap both ends in brass.”

He knew he was overexplaining, that most people wouldn’t care for the lecture and would rather spend their time enjoying the gift.

But Qifrey’s eye was shining with starlight, looking positively dazzled by the all those unimportant little details Olruggio couldn’t wait to get out.

Olruggio took a deep breath. “So, to answer your question,” he murmured, awkwardly gesturing at it. “The ribbon’s stitched with a eye sigil to reflect the surrounding stars, so it’ll move with the night.” He tapped at the contraception’s edge. “That’s how it looks like that.”

Qifrey hummed, again sticking his fingers through the windowway. “The cape, you said?” He smiled softly. “I can feel the wind.”

It’s exactly what Olruggio hoped he’d notice.

“Yeah!” he said excitedly, feeling his face heat with adrenaline. “There’s a cloaking spell that twisting the top unseals. If you open it, it’ll-” He cut himself off, sheepishly rubbing at his neck. “Well, give it a try.”

“This here?” Qifrey voiced in question, twisting the cap to let the breeze flow free, cold and damp and misting Qifrey’s hand with rain.

His brow furrowed, and then he laughed once, real loud and boyish

“The smell, Olly!” he gushed, grabbing ahold of Olruggio’s shoulder and jostling him. He raised the charm above their heads. “Goodness, it’s as if I’m right there, staring up at it.”

“Yeah,” Olruggio mumbled, rubbing at his heated neck. “That was the idea.”

The hand on his shoulder quickly smoothed to the back of his neck before tugging him in for a rushed hug. Olruggio felt Qifrey’s hand fist into the back of his cloak, and felt his cold nose pressing against his neck.

Olruggio’s nerves were fried long before Qifrey’s fingers threaded through his hair, breathing a quiet, “Thank you, Olly,” into his ear.

He slowly pulled away, holding Olruggio at arm’s-length. “I’m very impressed.”

The praise felt as though it was tailored just for him, to prickle at his skin and make his palms start to sweat despite the cold.

“I’d say it was nothing, but this was honestly one of the most complicated contraptions I’ve ever worked on.”

The words made Qifrey’s face twist. “Sounds like a lot of trouble.”

“Oh, it was,” Olruggio said emphatically, looking over at him. “But it’s worth being troubled over.”

When Qifrey remained quiet, Olruggio felt the need to elaborate.

“I know you love this place,” he said softly, eyeing the contraption and smelling the salt on the air. “I thought this would remind you of it, of that first taste of freedom.”

“And the star?”

Olruggio shrugged. “You never shut up about them,” he said gruffly, resting his chin in hand. “It’s always stars with you.”

Qifrey’s head tilted, and then he laughed. “It is, isn’t it?”

He held up the charm, and the starlight reflected off his glasses.

“It’s gorgeous.”

That was some strong flattery from a guy as talented as Qifrey, who crafted the most intricate dragons with nothing but water and a touch of magic.

Olruggio nearly returned the compliment on instinct, only managing to keep his mouth shut because it was too dry to speak.

“I- yeah,” he stuttered, looking away. He cleared his throat. “I thought it looked pretty alright.”

Qifrey looked right at him, and then he softly hummed, his eye crinkling on a smile.

“I find them comforting,” he said, tilting the contraption this way and that, watching as the star shifted with it. “They feel eternal,” he added in a murmur, hushed and private. “Like something that’ll never leave.”

“What’s it you think is gonna leave?”

Qifrey hummed again, and his face twisted as his hand tightened around the contraption. “Nothing is permanent, Olly.”

He spoke it so softly, like it was a secret that pained him to say aloud. Then there was that tortured look on his face, and his eye squeezed shut.

Watching it happen always made Olruggio feel a bit sick.

“I am.”

Qifrey’s eye opened. “What?”

“I’ll die when I’m a hundred years old,” Olruggio said, stretching his arms above his head and laying back. “In this atelier, and you’ll bury me beneath the Willowgrape tree.”

“What makes you think I’ll outlive you?”

Olruggio looked him up and down, huffing as he met Qifrey’s eye and pointedly said, “I’m not doing this without you, Qifrey.”

And just like that, Olruggio knew he said the wrong thing.

He never meant to, but it happened often enough for him to recognize the signs.

Qifrey’s face mottling with nothing short of pure, aching guilt before he curled into himself, tucking his arms around his knees and pushing his face into them.

He looked all too similar to the boy curled up in the base of a beastward spire, hidden and scared and so terribly burdened.

So angry, so hurt.

Not even old enough to understand his guilt was misplaced.

“Hey, you’re not crying, are you?” Olruggio asked, huffing a small laugh the same way he did every time, trying to ease the burden as much as he could. He scooched closer to toss an arm around Qifrey’s shoulders. “C’mon, I was half-joking, you’re gonna make me feel bad.”

Qifrey waved him off with one hand while hiding his face with the other.

“No, it’s only...” he started, trailing off before forcing himself to harshly whisper, “It’s the care.

“The care and the consideration for me,” Qifrey clarified, face pinched like he couldn’t wrap his mind around such a thing. “I can stay warm and dry in the worst conditions, and feel my favorite sky whenever I want.”

He softly shook his head, looking down at the ground as he spoke.

“Everyone managed this because you love me.”

It was a devastating blow.

There was no use in trying to deny it or twist the words around, not when Qifrey sounded so sure when he spoke them.

“I think you’re giving me too much credit,” Olruggio whispered instead, knocking their shoulders together.

Qifrey looked to him with that shaky little smile on his face.

“I could never,” Qifrey said softly, his hand reaching back to twist his cap’s ribbon around his finger. “You deserve far more.”

Olruggio’s hand caught Qifrey’s with the ribbon clasped between them. He brought their linked hands up between their faces. “This’s my job as your Watchful Eye, isn’t it?” he asked, pressing his forehead to Qifrey’s knuckles. “To look out for you?”

Qifrey’s face softened, and he bit into his lower lip.

He opened his mouth to speak.

Right before shoving Olruggio’s hand away as if it burned him.

“I think...” he started, sucking in a sharp breath and holding a hand up, blocking his face. “I may need a few minutes alone.” 

There was no worth in trying to fight it, Qifrey’s never given in before.

Not once he’s started looking so afraid.

Olruggio raised to his feet, hesitating a moment before snatching the cap from Qifrey’s head and ruffling a hand through white hair. “You know where to find me.”

Qifrey bit out a short laugh, looking so unbearably uncomfortable as he lightly nodded his head without breathing a word.

It was a classic dismissal if Olruggio’s ever seen one.

He wouldn’t take it personally.

He received the same gift from Olruggio for his birthday every year.

Always that same bottle of homemade fruit-wine, paired with some small, useful trinket.

Qifrey kept them all.

Even the ones from their childhood, the ones that weren’t supposed to matter- the messy, failed seals and binding promises written rushed in illegible script.

This year felt bigger, more tailored and considerate and so caring it threatened to make him sick from the guilt of having received it.

That made him feel bad as well, that he was wasting precious time out here alone in the cold when he could be inside.

Celebrating and being celebrated with the people who loved him most.

“You’ve been out here a while,” he heard Olruggio’s low voice say from behind. “The girls are getting worried.”

It was perfectly believable, but by the way the man scratched at his neck as he said it, Qifrey knew there was more.

“Only the girls?” he asked, raising a brow.

Olruggio heaved a sigh, stomping closer with his hands shoved into his pockets.

“There’s a heated debate going on inside,” he said, lightly knocking his knee against Qifrey’s back. “About which gift you like more.”

Qifrey blinked once, and then he smiled.

“A heated debate, you say?” He looked up at Olruggio, a wry grin on his face. “You’re too mature to fight with children, aren’t you, Olly?”

Olruggio pouted, then he huffed a breath before sitting down and jabbing his elbow into Qifrey’s side. “I have craftsman’s pride, you know.”

Qifrey found himself laughing before he could think to hold it back.

“C’mon, tell me,” Olruggio added, insistently jabbing at Qifrey’s side. “Which is your favorite? I swear I won’t tell the girls.”

“I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite.”

Olruggio’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because I’m either going to break your heart or inflate that enormous ego of yours.” He tapped at the tip of Olruggio’s nose. “Travesties, the both of them.”

“I take extreme offense to that.”

Qifrey shrugged, wrapping the cloak tighter around him. “Claiming a favorite cheapens them both,” he said honestly. “I couldn’t do that.”

He took a deep breath, twisting his hands in his lap.

“One feels like the longest hug,” he murmured, feeling the warmth holding him close. He gaze turned to Olruggio. “The other feels like my soul.”

Olruggio blinked once, twice, and then he was turning away, rubbing at his neck.

It was rare for Qifrey to speak so honestly, with no restraint and no painted expression to cover his own.  

Qifrey smiled.

It felt nice, despite the risk.

Olruggio laid on his back, smacking at the dangling ribbon. “I’m getting this back from you someday,” he urged seriously. “Yours is so lame in comparison.”

His lashes were so dark, long and thick and framing the bluest eyes Qifrey’s ever seen.

Qifrey wanted to wisp his finger right across them.

“I’m never giving it back.”

“You’ve said that before,” Olruggio grumbled with a huff, rolling on his side to face him. “Will you ever tell me why?”

Qifrey’s thumb traced over the emblem on his cap, and his entire soul felt the seal hidden beneath it.

“I sure hope so.”

He felt a nudge at his leg, then Olruggio’s shoulder pressing into his thigh.

“Happy birthday, Qifrey,” he said, looking up at him. “I hope we made it a good one.”

Laughable to think it could be described as anything but, not when Qifrey was wrapped in warmth and misted by sea spray.

“It was better than I’ve ever deserved.”

It was the wrong thing to say, or maybe the wrong way to say it, Qifrey knew so but it was impossible to color his own words when Olruggio was staring up at him with those eyes of his.

Attentive and curious, always wanting to understand him.

Olruggio sighed, turning onto his back and saying, “I hate it when you do that,” as he tucked his hands behind his head, getting comfortable. “You don’t have to remind me of how lowly you think of yourself.” His eyes raised to Qifrey’s. “I find it insulting.”

It nearly felt as though Qifrey was stabbed fifty-seven times in the chest.

“You’ve gotten kind of mean, Olly, you know that?”

Olruggio kicked his feet out in frustration. “Richeh said the same thing the other week!” he blurted, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Am I actually mean?” He locked eyes with Qifrey. “Do the girls think I’m mean?”

“At least Richeh, it appears.”

“I don’t get it!” Olruggio shouted, bolting upright and jabbing a finger into Qifrey’s chest. “You’re a damn bully, but I’m the mean one?”

Qifrey laughed. “I am not a bully! Who do I bully?”

A look is all Olruggio gave him, the one where his eyes were squinted in distrust with his lips pressed into a thin line, aggressively gesturing between them.

“Oh, you mean you?” Qifrey voiced, raising a brow. “Why, Olly, you don’t count.”

Olruggio fell onto his back, defeated.

“What does that make me?” he grumbled. “Just the atelier’s little pet?”

Qifrey enjoyed these moments so much.  

If he closed his eyes he could nearly see a boy with black hair and bright eyes speaking the same way.

“You’re a smart man, Olly,” he said offhandedly, goading the man further when he added, “If that’s your interpretation, I won’t be the one to correct you.”

“That means you agree!” Olruggio shouted, shoving him onto his side. “Correct me!”

“Someone’s restless today.”

Olruggio rolled his eyes. “Can you blame me?” he asked exhaustedly. “I’ve never felt more like a teacher than I have these past few weeks.” He dropped his face into his hands, groaning, “They ask so many questions, Qifrey,” before huffing and adding, “I don’t know how you keep up with them.”

“Sure, you do,” Qifrey said, tilting his head. “You did it yourself for these past few weeks, Master Olly.”

His face flared red, and then he looked off to the side. “It’s Master Olruggio to you.”

Qifrey distractedly slipped his fingers into Olruggio’s sleeve, leaning close to murmur, “Is that what I should call you?”

Olruggio’s eyes were shock-wide, his body tense and breath stuttering as he hesitantly leaned away.

His brow was pinched like he was confused, but those eyes were sharp and swirling like the night, always watching Qifrey so, so closely.

Qifrey raised the charm between them, and Olruggio’s face was basked in starlight, and the salt of the sea tasted like freedom.

Krrrk.

He abruptly yanked away, committing Olruggio’s disappointed look to memory where he’d hold onto it as long as he lived, wallowing in the anxiety and guilt it brought him.

A necessary evil.

Qifrey shifted to lay beside Olruggio, a small, safe distance separating them.

The moment was broken, and it was all Qifrey’s fault.

At least he could breathe again.

“Why the North star?” he whispered, staring up at the one above them, muddled hazy through the clouds.

Olruggio glanced over at him, and then he grinned all big and boyish.

“In case you ever get lost.”

Qifrey’s heart jumped in time with the prickling of his eye.

The one that wasn’t there.

He shot up onto his feet, startling Olruggio immensely when he awkwardly blurted, “We should go inside!”

There was a small huff of a laugh.

“Sure, weirdo,” Olruggio said, reaching out a hand for Qifrey to pull him to his feet. “That’s what I’ve been trying to get you to do this whole time.”

Then he tossed his arm around Qifrey’s neck, forcing him to crouch as they walked up the path.

“This is uncomfortable for me,” Qifrey complained as they approached the door. “Am I being punished?”

“Yeah,” he grumbled, poking at the side of Qifrey’s head. “For worrying me like that.”

“Will you forgive me if I apologize?”

Olruggio’s eyes rolled. “Haven’t I always?”

“Wonderful,” Qifrey said with a curt nod. “That’s relieving to hear.”

Then Qifrey whisked the door open, calling, “Girls!” as he leapt across the threshold. “Master Olruggio’s picking on me!”

Olruggio’s mouth dropped open is utter offense, exactly the way Qifrey hoped it would.

“That is the literal exact opposite of what is happening right now!” Olruggio said in protest, kicking the door shut behind him. “He’s lying through his damn teeth!”

“Why so crass, Olly?” Qifrey asked, putting on his best pout. “I thought Ghodrey kids were made of sterner stuff.”

It was Olruggio subtly flipping him off over the girl’s heads as he fielded their complaints that brought the smile back to Qifrey’s face.

He sat back on the sofa, unclasping his cloak and watching it wind loose around his wrist, the charm clipped to his belt radiating a warm light at his hip.

It felt like home.

All of it, the gifts and the girls and Olruggio, eyeing him from across the room.

With an eye as watchful as Olruggio standing as replacement for his own, Qifrey doubted he’d be allowed to get lost even if he wanted to.