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In a lot of novels that graced the shelves of her mother's tailor shop and that of Master Qifrey's atelier, the main character often realizes their feelings for a love interest only when they're deep into the attraction.
In Coco's case, it wasn't like that.
She remembered vividly when she started to entertain it.
She isn't sure whether it was exactly after their mission that dealt with the rescue of two people stranded in a carriage, or a bit earlier when she watched the brilliant display of an avian born of flame contrasting the dull backdrop of gray skies. All she knew was that after that day, how she viewed Agott had changed.
Perhaps it was when she heard and saw the concerned expression of the girl with soft dark curls and and brows furrowed with more burdens than a child her age could ever think to carry.
Yes, perhaps that was it.
A whirlwind of emotions and water had overtaken most of Coco's senses that time, as she held on as much she could to the muddy embankment. Worry for the boy who was half-crushed beneath the boulder, worry for her inability to immediately think of a sensible spell to cast, worry for her materials she knew were soaked beyond use, and worry for the girl with soft dark curls.
Even when she knew she was the one in a precarious situation, she felt ill at ease more about her fellow apprentice who stared back at her, looking the most concerned about her.
Yes, concern had flooded her senses and much as waters did her clothes and inventory, but so did a twinge of something warm and fluttery upon realizing how nice it is to be the subject of Agott's worry.
A crazy thought had occured to Coco of intentionally subjecting herself to peril just so she could keep experiencing Agott's concern.
In hindsight, she didn't need to. Those things naturally happened. Even if it was directly caused by Coco's actions.
Such as the case when she found herself in the hospital of Kalhn, flushed, weak, and cold. When things got better, Qifrey relayed to her how Agott had been so urgently bothered that Coco had just fainted mid-conversation.
Now, as they entered familiar fields leading to the atelier, riding on an enchanted wooden board, Coco found herself smiling. The nightmares that plagued her the nights before seem so distant after the giddiness she felt upon helping Tartah, as well as Qifrey's anecdote about her raven-haired friend.
She saw her friends in the distance, Tetia greeting her first with a loud call and a wave, Richeh beside her and Agott a bit behind them with Olruggio.
Coco waved back, eyes more focused on the girl whose hands were hidden behind her back.
-
That night, Coco should have been resting as doctors recommend, but she found herself walking out of her room, greeted by the sight of Agott deep into her studies. Her roommate had been so intent on getting through her second pentagram test, so every night, she tended to burn the midnight oil — at times even way into the morning.
The sound of her soft footsteps prompted the studious lass to stop and turn her head towards the perpetrator.
"Coco, why are you awake?"
Her tone was flat, but her face was soft, concern marring her features.
"You should be resting."
The irony of hearing that advice from Agott's mouth almost made Coco snicker. She could very well see the small bags that had started to form underneath Agott's stern eyes.
"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking of going out to stargaze."
Coco looked through their shared window, and Agott followed suit.
"The skies are clear tonight."
The green haired girl turned her gaze back to Agott, unspoken words just at the tip of her tongue.
"Would you like to join me?"
She bit her lip, hesitantly entertaining the idea of even saying it out loud. She knew Agott wouldn't spare a thought to consider before she declined.
Agott returned to her work as she spoke, "Don't stay out too late, and bring a cloak so you won't get cold."
Coco offered a smile in return, a sensation of warmth encapturing her even before she could take the cloak off their shared coatrack.
"Okay," she replied and Agott made a non-committed sound to acknowledge that she heard her.
As Coco closed their door, she indulged in one last glance at the girl sat on her desk.
Her posture was rigid, focused, yet something about it was soft and elegant, like most things about Agott.
Fully shutting the door behind her, she headed down, wrapping her cloak tight around her, more for comfort than to fight the chill in the night air. Careful not to alert or wake anyone else, she took time to gently open and close the atelier's door.
Perhaps she should have brought her blanket with her aside from her cloak. And maybe a lamp.
Those thoughts lingered in her mind as she walked towards a tree that she knew would offer her a comfortable spot to sit and gaze upon the night's theater for celestial bodies.
The chill in the air was less forgiving than she anticipated, and the starlit sky barely offered any assistance for her navigation on the path to her destination.
Coco smiled to herself despite this, instead imagining how Agott would probably chastise her for not preparing enough, telling her that she should have thought to bring her pen and palm quire in case of any emergency.
She let her mind indulge in miscellaneous thoughts after she situated herself at the junction where grass met the sturdy wood of the tree.
So much has happened to her in such a short span of time. Coco felt she already had difficulty keeping up with everything, she can't begin to even think about what else the future held for her.
She missed her mother.
Thoughts of guilt became easier to manage after her talk with Master Qifrey about her nightmares. He was so kind with her. Despite the circumstances of their initial meeting, she felt like he was the closest thing to a parent to her now more than ever.
In the aftermath of all her nightmares, and all that has happened, however, she knew now that nothing could ever fill the gap of her mother's own love for her.
She loved Mister Qifrey, yes, but his words of gentle encouragement would never be the same as the feel of her mother's hand wrapped around her own as she assisted her in drafting clothing patterns.
She shook her head to disrupt sad thoughts, looking up into the in an effort to actually stargaze. They twinkled in random succession, some at a pace slower than others.
Amber eyes closed momentarily as she let out a sigh.
It must be so nice to be part of something where you all shine brightly. Even if one shines brighter, little ones catch up and are still just as visible despite the strong contrast.
Coco felt like she was barely emitting light as a star, if she could even count herself as one, in the sky that included stars like Master Qifrey, Master Olruggio, Tetia, Richeh, and Agott.
Oh, yes, Agott.
How could she ever begin to hold a measly flame like herself to the bright North Star that is Agott?
Coco felt her cheeks warm as she thought of her once more, looking at the bright North Star in the sky.
All thoughts had seemed to lead to the girl with soft raven curls, and Coco let herself indulge.
She started to understand more of how Agott had expressed affection, even if it would kill her to admit it was any type of affection. Coco thought that perhaps, that was Agott's way of convincing herself that she wasn't 'weak' or 'soft'.
To Coco, Agott was anything but. Soft, maybe a little, (Coco tugged her cloak around her tighter as she felt her heart spike), but not weak.
Coco had only known her for a little less than half a year, but she'd gotten the gist of how she is.
Agott's love is strong and steady. She shows it in the admiration and respect she has for Master Qifrey, and the way she entertains Tetia's and Richeh's silly and impractical topics of conversation from time to time with a subtle but noticeable smile.
Oh, to be the subject of Agott's love.
Coco let herself slide down to lay instead on the grass fully.
The grass was soft and gratefully not damp. It still had traces of warmth from the sun's heat during the day. She could probably fall asleep here if she let herself.
"You're not planning to sleep out here, are you?"
The sudden voice that rang through the air made Coco sit up in surprise, looking to the source so quickly it nearly gave her whiplash.
"A-agott! You surprised me..."
There Agott was, approaching with careful steps, a ball of light hovering just above shoulder. A pair of mugs occupied her hands, steam wafting from the liquid it held, and a piece of folded cloth hung around her forearm.
When Agott had finally reached Coco's side, she wordlessly handed both mugs to the girl already sat on the grass and spread out the cloth before wrapping it around Coco's shoulders, and taking back only one of the mugs for herself.
"Th-thank you..." Coco managed with a small voice, not trusting to make it any louder in fear of breaking what seemed to be an illusory turn of events.
She used her unoccupied hand to adjust the blanket around her.
Wait.
This wasn't her blanket.
It was thicker, much smoother to the touch than Coco's own was. This felt luxurious to hold, and it smelled a lot like Agott-
Agott didn't say anything, simply opting to sit next to her on the grass and taking a sip from her mug.
Coco looked at her own mug and moved it to her nose, giving it a sniff.
A sweet cacophany of scents invaded her senses, the steam pairing up nicely to warm her face and airways.
"This smells so sweet. What's in it?"
With her gaze fixed toward the horizon, Agott had both of her hands holding her mug now, likely using the warmth of the drink to heat up her fingers.
This made Coco's brows furrow for a moment.
"Tangerine marmalaide. I added lemon and honey as well," Agott replied, not looking at her. "Then I added water so we could drink it."
Coco stared back at her drink and took a sip. Sure enough, the sweetness of honey paired with the tanginess of tangerine and the slight sourness of lemon coated her tongue.
"Mmm! This is really good, Agott!" Coco remarked, taking another sip, careful not to burn her tongue.
This time, Agott did look. The floating light orb spell she cast illuminated enough to see Coco's soft smile and eyes closed in delight.
She, too, allowed herself a small smile.
She then turned to the sky.
Coco was right. The skies really were clear tonight.
A shiver shot down her spine and she grit her teeth.
Within the next moment, she heard Coco shuffling closer, and the very blanket she put on her had enveloped her jointly with the telltale warmth of Coco's body.
Agott froze, eyes wide as an owlcat's.
"What-"
"There we go," Coco said, oblivious to Agott's shock, and unashamadely brushing sides with her. "Now we can both be warmer."
They made eye contact, and if Coco hadn't been aware of Agott's expression, she was now.
Both their cheeks were stained pink and were warmer than anything they needed to fight off the cold.
Coco was the first to break eye contact, looking to the side and reaching a hand to play with loose strands of hair near her ear bashfully.
In an effort to make herself feel less flustered and calm her racing heart, Coco started to hum a soft melody.
Realizing she was still staring, Agott looked away with a grumpy look on her face. That same look melted away as she continued to listen to Coco's voice.
Because how could she maintain such a moody disposition in the company of her amber-eyed friend turning everything she touched into gold?
Coco gazed back at the stars and gasped, "Look!"
And look, Agott did.
"A shooting star!"
True enough, a star with a faint glowing trail slowly made its way through the sky. But just as she saw it, it was gone.
Before disappointment could settle in her stomach, another one appeared, this time moving quicker and disappearing just as fast. Then another came and went.
Then another.
And one more.
Two more.
A lot more after that.
"It's a meteor shower," Agott remarked in a quiet voice, awestruck at the realization. She'd never seen one that wasn't an overt display of magic.
Whenever she saw one, it was during festivals or magic shows held by witches to entertain the commonfolk, especially children. As someone who grew up with magic and who sought out to know every spell in each book she came across, she wouldn't spare it another thought or feeling, even casually criticizing it when she knew the spell was clumsy.
Now, out on the grassy plains, as two girls sitting cozily under a shared blanket in the dark and drinking steaming sweet drinks, it was a different experience. One she silently wished could last longer than she'd like to admit.
Expecting to see Coco observing the shower with wide eyes and a smile, as she did many things, Agott was surprised to see her eyes tightly shut and hands clasped around the mug in front of her.
Sacrificing the chance to catch more of the view, Coco relayed her wishes to the stars.
She wished hard.
She wished to find the answers she sought to bring her mother back, first and foremost.
She also wished that this moment with Agott would last forever, however a futile request it would be.
And one last tiny desire lingered before she opened her eyes.
I wish she could like me back.
When her vision had come back to her, she saw Agott looking at her in confusion.
"Huh?? Wait," she looked back up at the sky, seeing the last of the moving stars disappear into the night, any more failing to appear.
"Didn't you get to wish at the shooting stars??" Coco asked, distraught.
"Ah," Agott replied, shaking her head. "I didn't."
"Noooo," the green-haired girl whined, despairing on her friend's behalf. "I should've told you to before they were gone."
A trace of a smile held from fully taking form displayed on Agott's lips. "It's fine."
Only children believe in such things anyway.
Agott stopped herself from saying just that, seeing Coco's distressed expression. "I don't need their assistance. Plus, I'd rather start working hard to reach my goals than wait for wishes to come true."
"Ehh?" Coco tilted her head in disbelief of Agott's answer before chuckling. "You really speak like a grown-up sometimes, Agott. Oh! I know, you probably wished to become a grown up soon! No wonder you're staring to sound like one."
"Now where did you get that from?" Agott asked, hiding a smile behind her mug.
"Aha! You aren't denying it."
-
It wasn't long before their mugs had emptied and the cold became too much to bear even with their cloaks and a pyreball spell.
Agott's floating light orb helped illuminate the path back to the atelier, reducing the difficulty of Coco's walk back significantly to how she initially planned to, with nary a lamp nor paper and pen to cast a light for her way.
"You're quite reckless for not bringing a lamp or a light spell. Were you planning to get yourself injured on the way back?"
Agott asked as Coco pranced about a few paces ahead of her, the blanket they used now tucked under Coco's arm while Agott carried their emptied mugs.
Coco stopped to turn around, giving the girl who asked a grin so bright, it rivaled their actual source of light.
"I didn't need to anyway," she said, glancing at the orb that hovered in the space between them.
Coco let the distance between them close as her friend continued walking while she stood still. Her unoccupied hand reached to point at her cheek in thought. "I'd normally be scared of the dark, too, but it wasn't too dark because of the stars."
When Agott was near enough, she made her move and bent forward, surprising the purple-eyed witch to a stop. "Hehe," Coco giggled and smiled to the point of her eyes closing. "And I'm not scared since you're within reach of me, Agott."
Agott blinked wordlessly at her as Coco turned back around and started her prance-like walk once more.
The raven-haired girl was still for a few more seconds before stuttering out under her breath, "I-idiot."
She begrudgingly started to walk back, maintaining an even greater distance from Coco, but making sure the light still reached her. Her ears and cheeks were warmer than a roasted hard potato.
Coco wasn't any better, but she was far enough she was sure that Agott wouldn't notice her cheeks that were just as warm hers.
-
Stargazing was something that Coco enjoyed doing, especially before Qifrey took her in. How could she not? It was one of the closest things she had to experiencing magic when she wanted to.
Even after all that had happened, magic truly was amazing, just as much as it is dangerous. The latter fact did not deter Coco.
She thought that magic was the greatest thing to ever exist, and still continued to think so. This was especially true if it was magic produced by people with immense skill and talent.
Like Mr. Qifrey.
And Agott.
As they enter the atelier, Coco's mind returned to the moment of first seeing her land in their shared study room with her sylph shoes.
She was so amazed by her, floating by the open window, covering the sunlight, its remnants coming off as rays surrounding her. It was like she was an angel descending from the heavens.
And she remembered the bird of flame, too. It was what inspired her to do what eventually saved the boy by the river.
It mesmerized her – Agott's magic. She wishes she could see more of it and watched as she worked on making endless perfect sigils and spells. There was a serene calm whenever Agott would just be in her element.
Coco waited by the steps going up to their room for Agott to put their mugs in the kitchen sink. They didn't say a word to each other as they made their way up the stairs to their room. It was a comfortable silence, and they were both tired enough to expend no energy, ready to sleep. It was only a few hours before Master Qifrey would wake them for breakfast.
They separated then, and just as Coco opened her door, she realized Agott's blanket was still with her.
"Uhm, Agott, wait!"
She quickly made her way to Agott who was already in her sleeping quarters, door open with only half her body peeking out.
Coco outstretched the hand holding her folded blanket. "I almost forgot to give it to you."
"Thanks," was all the girl with soft raven curls said, taking the cloth from her.
"Goodnight, Coco," she greeted, already halfway closing her door before her roommate uttered another, "Wait."
She sighed and opened her door wider, crossing her arms with the blanket tucked to her chest. She looked at the girl before her, and for a split second, she saw the girl who asked to naively borrow her sylph shoes before she braved Dadah Range (without a choice not to. Agott cringed internally, remembering what she did.)
"Thank you, also," Coco said softly, twiddling with her fingers and swaying slightly. "For coming to get me. And for accompanying me in the end."
A beat of silence passed, and Coco thinks she might've offended her. So, in a flurry of unsteady heartbeats and sleep-deprived delirium, she leaned over quickly and gave Agott no time to react.
Coco's lips came in contact with her cheek, and similarly to the shooting stars they observed just a while ago, it went just as quick.
Coco scurried to her room, giving a rushed greeting of "Good night, Agott!" before shutting her door, and leaving Agott dumbfounded and red.
It took a few moments for the youngest Arklaum to regain her bearings and finally head into her quarters, closing her door with no other interruptions.