Chapter Text
-Tetia-
The white ceiling began to sway with color the longer Tetia stared at it. The pressure on the back of her neck felt nice at first, but quickly became overwhelming—so much so that she could not just tilt her head side to side to rid herself of it. Sighing in frustration at having to give up her activity, she jolted her head back to a neutral posture. Though, she immediately regretted it when her head felt like a Prince Rupert’s drop about to burst.
“You should start looking down slowly. It would hurt less.” Richeh piped up. To Tetia’s surprise, she didn’t even look up from her book, and knew from the noises of pain and frustration alone.
“What makes you think I’d remember?” She replied, a mock angry edge laced into her words.
“Usually, people begin to learn from their mistakes after only two to three repeats. For being so eager to absorb spell knowledge, anyone would assume you’d also be willing to absorb some personal improvement knowledge.” Richeh popped back, matching the jokingly harsh tone.
After huffing in reply, Tetia decided to attempt to see what Richeh was reading, but she was too far. Tetia stood and quickly cleared the gap between them to peer over the other’s shoulder, hands clasped behind her in expectance. “What’cha reading—? Ah, it’s that again! Ice sculptures, right? Oh, I’m sure they’ll be so pretty and sparkly!”
Richeh flinched, presumably at the volume or pitch of Tetia’s voice. A pang of guilt flew through her body, until Richeh spoke again. “Yeah. I wanted to try to make ice ribbons, too.”
Tetia’s eyes lit up in excitement. “So cool! Richeh, won’t you teach me when you learn?” She twirled around with her hands clasped, attempting to sway her friend with theatrics.
Richeh closed the book and gently tapped it onto the top of Tetia’s head before sliding it back into its place on the shelf. “I will, but only if you stop the twirling. You’ll give yourself another headache, and you have enough of those already."
“Oh, but it’s so fun! You should try, Richeh! Here, take my hands and I’ll help you!” She held her hands out ‘til her elbows bent inward, but to no pain of the girl.
Richeh reluctantly took her hands, and the two began slowly spinning. They spun and spun, until they got so dizzy they sat down.
“Hey, Tetia. I have a question for you.”
Tetia cocked her head, replying, “What is it?”
Richeh glanced at the door before leaning closer and whispering to Tetia, “I know speculation is bad, but. . . Have you also noticed that Coco and Agott seem to be unusually close for ‘best friends’? I keep catching Agott staring at Coco with a wistful and almost loving expression.”
Tetia perked up at the explanation, clapping her hands in excitement. “You, too? I thought I was the only one! Not to mention, Coco always picks her first for activities, tries to impress her more than anyone else, and is more responsive to her criticism.” She paused, index finger tapping her jaw. “Now that I think of it, Agott also gets flustered whenever we mention them together! It’s just as bad as when she’s put on the spot and praised for her ‘bad’ spells!”
Richeh exhaled, head dipping down. “Thank goodness. If we’re right, who do you think will say something first?”
“Coco, for sure! Agott never says anything about her personal feelings unless it’s critical of the recipient.” Tetia clasped her hands and flung them up by her cheek, batting her eyelashes. “I can hear it now, ‘Oh, Agott! You’re all I’ve ever wanted! Won’t you please be my girlfriend?’” She laughed, her bad impression of Coco amusing even herself.
“No way. Coco wouldn’t want to mess anything up or make Agott ‘hate’ her. Agott would confess first, because she just wants to get it over with and avoid miscommunication.” Richeh rolled her eyes, before crossing her arms.
“But doesn’t Agott think Coco likes Tartah back? It’s obvious he likes her, after all.” Tetia wagged her finger at Richeh, leaning forward.
“I object! Clearly, Coco is oblivious!” She gently hit her fist onto the floor in front of her, mocking a heated debate.
Tetia flung herself backwards with so much vigor she nearly fell. “Do you really think Agott can read situations like that? She’s so socially inept, she thought Coco hated her for months! Not even everyone’s words of reassurance could shake the belief! It had to be Coco herself!”
Richeh, a smirk now painting her face, took hold of Tetia’s shoulder and pulled her forward. “Want to bet on it? One coin says Agott will say something first.”
Without hesitation, Tetia replied at a volume much louder than necessary, “Deal! I’ll buy myself a candy when I win!”
“No, you won’t! Clearly, I am the one who will win the bet!” Richeh pouted.
The silly bickering continued for a short while, only broken by a knock at the door. Qifrey poked his head in, announcing that dinner was nearly complete. As he closed the door, he made a point to remind the girls that they were in charge of cleaning because Coco and Agott cooked. He chuckled at the complaints his words received, then spouted some old man wisdom about how cleaning is the gateway to responsibility in all aspects of life.
Several days later, Tetia and Richeh were studying a fire spell together. They burned through several sheets of paper trying to get the spell to even work, let alone work well.
“This is so frustrating! Two more tries, and I get dad.” Tetia declared, slamming her head into the desk.
“Which one?” Richeh joked as she pet the pile of curly pink hair next to her.
“Obviously Master Olly. He’s the one who is better with fire, after all. Well, actually, he’s probably busy. So I guess I’ll just get Master Qifrey instead!” She mused, closing her eyes to think clearer. “Or maybe Agott? She probably would know. Ah, but what if she’s also studying?”
Richeh tapped the mess of pink hair. “Back to work, Tetia. We can think about who we ask for help when we actually need their help.”
“Mmph.” Tetia, more partial to her thoughts than the idea of continuing, slumped her shoulders and pressed her face into the table more firmly.
Richeh wedged her hands under Tetia’s forehead, attempting to lift the unwilling girl back to studying. To her dismay, Tetia was adamant about staying with her face planted to the wood.
While they went back and forth with the exchange, the door into the room creaked and opened. The familiar green haired apprentice peeked her head through the opening. “Oh, I’m sorry-! Was this a bad time?”
Tetia sprung up to rush over and take Coco’s hands, dragging her fully into the room. “Not at all, Coco! We were just studying! Do you want to join us?”
“Ah, no thank you.” Coco started, then quickly added on, “But I appreciate the offer! It’s just that I would like to talk to you, Tetia, if it isn’t too much of an inconvenience. . .”
Tetia laughed, then replied after collecting herself. “Of course! Richeh, I’ll be back soon~!”
“So you’ll just throw me aside for her?” Richeh said through pursed lips. She squinted at the bundle of now-apologetic pink hair rushing over. “Just kidding! I don’t care whether or not you go with Coco.”
She stopped in front of the trickster. “Hmph! Well, now you still have to get all my apologies, because otherwise they’ll have nowhere to go!” Tetia squeezed her friend tightly and forced her to sway side to side gently—her apologies now unintelligible to the other party, due to her mouth being behind Richeh’s head.
“Augh! Enough! I didn’t mean iiiiiittttt—!” Despite her verbal protest, Richeh did not pull away, signaling to Tetia that she wasn’t actually uncomfortable.
“Um… Sorry to interrupt, but I still need to talk to Tetia.” Coco said hesitantly, while fiddling with the skirt of her dress.
“Oh! Right! Sorry!” Tetia released Richeh and stumbled back to Coco. “Where to?”
“Outside, preferably.” She replied, laughing softly.
“Alrighty! Outside, it is!” Tetia pointed ahead at the door like a captain showing her crew where to head.
The two walked until Coco stopped and sat down. They were farther from the atelier than Tetia expected, so she decided to put the theatrics down for now in case it was important.
Pawing at the grass, Coco reluctantly began talking. “So, uh, Tetia. Do you happen to know anything about romantic love? Like, what it feels like, I mean.”
Pausing to think it over, she tapped her chin. “I think I do. Or, at least, I could probably give some advice! Who’s the lucky one, hm~?” Tetia had a bubbly feeling that she would be the one to get the coin. Out of respect, she pressed it down in order to remain in an appropriate demeanor for such a conversation.
Coco’s face went bright red, and she buried it in her hands. “How’d you know?”
She laughed. “Most people don’t ask what romantic love feels like unless they think they feel it. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.” The feeling dissipated faster than she expected at the prospect of the bet not being final. After all, it did hinge on the two actually telling anyone before they got together.
The green haired girl stayed silent for a few moments, before sheepishly admitting. “It’s Agott . . .”
Tetia let out a small noise of surprise, before promptly apologizing and downplaying it. She very much was excited, both for Coco and for her ego. She could already imagine Richeh’s face of horror at the information.
Her delight was cut short by Coco hurriedly trying to explain herself. “Okay, well, I don’t actually know, and it’s not like she even really sees me as a close friend, let alone anything more– I just feel so warm and safe when I’m with her. It’s different than everyone else, I can tell. I always want to make her happier than myself, and it hurts so much more to see her upset. Augh! Sorry.”
Deadpan, Tetia remarked, “She quite literally is closer to you than she is with me and Richeh combined.”
Coco blinked a few times, visibly processing the information just given to her. After it seemed to have sank in, she sat slackjawed for another minute and a half.
“Ah, Coco? Are you feeling alright?” Tetia reached her hand out to test the girl’s forehead for a fever.
Coco shook her head a few times, the awareness returning to her previously glazed-over eyes. “I’m fine. I think. Maybe.”
Tetia laughed, exclaiming, “Okay, then! As long as you aren’t lying to me.”
“I know you may not, but do you know if Agott is, for example, even interested in romance-related things?” Coco ventured, scratching the back of her neck with such speed, it worried Tetia that she would cut herself with her nails.
“First, stop scratching your neck like that. A nervous habit is only okay as long as it isn’t harmful. Secondly, that isn’t a question to ask me—I just don’t know. If anyone, you should ask Agott herself.” Tetia leaned over and swatted Coco’s hand when she did not heed the given instructions.
Coco sighed, removing her hand and placing it firmly in her lap. “Ah, alright. Another long shot, but do you have any advice on how to ask her?”
Choking on laughter so much her words were barely coherent, she replied, “Heavens, no! That’s a question for Richeh, no doubt about it!”
Coco nodded, visibly thinking everything through. “Okay. Thank you, Tetia. This was helpful.”
She patted Coco’s head, smiling. “Oh, cheer up, Coco! I’m sure everything will work out wonderfully!”
“Yeah. Maybe it will . . .”
The two rose and walked back to the atelier, discussing various spells and such that they were working on learning. Tetia picked a random flower or two, sticking them in her hair while she skipped along back.
When they arrived back at the atelier, they split ways and headed to their respective rooms. Tetia swung the door to her study room open, not bothering to knock.
“Oh, Richeh~!” She exclaimed, skipping up next to her friend.
“Hello.” Richeh finished mocking up the spell she had started, then looked up at Tetia. “Is everything okay with Coco?”
Tetia grinned, her mouth taking the shape of a mini plantain banana. “Do you have that coin on you?” She tapped the blue-haired’s skull twice, giggling.
Richeh took a moment to process the question, before exclaiming, “Oh, come on! Fine, here you go.” She began digging in her pockets, procuring a silver coin the size of a walnut. She huffed, turning back to her paper.
The two discussed the bet further, before deciding that they would make a secondary one for which of the two confesses to the other first.
“This time, I think I’ll bet on Coco . . .” Richeh lamented, missing her lost coin already.
“No, Richeh. Don’t you know? Now that you were wrong once, if you switch, you’ll be wrong again! Here, let’s both bet on the same people and then see how it goes!” Tetia grinned, hoping to sell her pitch on reverse psychology. She really did want to see Agott confess first, though. She figured it would be funny to watch Coco recount what happened and how Agott handled everything.
Richeh raised an eyebrow, cautious but accepting of the offer. “Alright. But only if you promise you’re not lying!” She wagged her finger at the smiling blob of pink hair in front of her.