Tea'Leaf

​

The witch puts his feet on the ground, standing between them and the group. “I’m a merciful man,” He starts, taking a step closer to the girls as they hesitantly stumble back, Tetia whimpering as Richeh practically bares her teeth, “Give me the girl, and I’ll make sure 427 doesn’t take out their… tendencies on you.”

“No!” Agott shouts, Richeh close behind with her own words.

“Get out of here, creep!”

Kashi sighs, the slight glint of light from above hitting the mask in a way that now shows his dead, yellow eyes. His tone shifts into a dark, numb voice, “Well, at least I tried.”

His hand twists to its side, but as soon as the girls feel the air around them shift, (Name) moves. Their jaw snaps shut around his wrist, and a crackle of bones breaking between teeth causes everyone to gasp.

‘I cannot allow him to hurt them,’ (Name) thinks, one of their paws pressing against his shoulder as they tumble to the ground, the witch moving his free hand back to try and grab at the animal with a pained cry. The movement makes their attention shift from one hand to the other as they bite down hard. Blood fills their mouth, which causes their stomach to lurch and their mind to fog with terrible memories as the scent of metallic liquid hits their nose. They have to tell themself to keep going–this isn’t for them; this is to protect the girls.

Their teeth don’t only shatter his bones and pop his joints out of place, but they also tear the skin and scribe spells on them, rendering his hands useless. ‘I cannot allow him to live.’ The thought barely fazes them as another overrides it–‘Take the ink.’ The tremors that wrack their body continue, only causing more pain for the man underneath them as he continues to try and squirm away from their snapped-shut jaw tugging and shaking his wrist. His elbow pops and he cries out again, “You bitch!”

They feel an electric shock hit their side as his hand slams against his chest, the electricity running through both of them for a moment. (Name) doesn’t stop. The electrocution only makes their teeth squeeze tighter into his flesh, claws digging deeper into his back.

It stops after a moment, and (Name) can feel their body tremble more harshly, breathing raspy as they drop his hand, hacking up blood. They stay on top of the man, ‘Get the ink. Save the kids. Kill him.’

One of (Name)’s hind paws presses down on his lower back as their tail flicks around, earning a tired, pained cry to escape the man. Their paw finds the capsule of their stolen ink underneath his cloak, using it to push it away from them.

Coco is the first to snap out of her shock, eyes cast to the ground as a shine hits her eyes, ‘Ink!’ She moves quickly, Agott barely able to look over and call her to come back, as she runs around the creat–around (Name) and the witch. Her hand grasps the capsule, raising it high into the air, “Agott! Catch!”

The girl nods, watching closely as Coco tosses it over the brawling bodies. It reaches Agott with only a small extension of her arms, taking out her quire to find a seal she could use–something she could use without harming (Name)–before Coco shouts over again, “Agott!”

She looks up just in time for a journal to be thrown her way. It’s (Name)’s. She quickly moves between pages, thankful that the journal Coco found is their workbook rather than their sketchbook, and finds a nearly complete spell with wind sigils that Agott is somewhat familiar with. ‘I suppose we’ll just have to trust (Name)’s penmanship.’As soon as the circle is finished, the wind around them begins to swirl into a dome, circling the group as the barrier domes around them.

(Name)’s ears flick at the sound of their spell starting up, eyes moving from the man beneath them and up towards the wall starting to form. A growl escapes them as they grab at the witch’s upper arm, using as much might as they can to slide him out of the dome. Blood seeps into the air as his body gets shoved onto the other side of the barrier, the wind isolating any noise and visuals from one side to the other.

There’s a sigh of relief from the group until (Name) looks over to Coco.

“...Coco, get over here,” Tetia mumbles, eyes wide as Coco moves closer to (Name). Richeh quickly moves one of the walls, taking the conjuring ink from Agott to begin working on an escape from the large, rock-made box they’re in.

“...(Name)?” Coco asks, hesitantly taking another step closer, hands raised slowly while keeping her focus on the snout and claws of her friend. She can see the hackles slowly lower, scales glistening as the sound of wind blowing wraps around her words.

They stay still, ears perking up to try and show they’re sane and alert to her words. It seems to work, as the girl relaxes in front of them, easing (Name)’s own insecurity on the entire matter. They move closer to Coco, adrenaline once again wearing off now that they know the group is safe–at least for the moment.

She can see the limping movement, the staggering breathing, and the wince in their eyes. It’s a pitiful sight, but she doesn’t try to speak up on it. Instead, she moves closer, kneeling in front of (Name) while raising her hands. They flinch at the movement, ears folding back, but ease at the sight of Coco. ‘She is safe.’ They feel her arms move over (Name)’s neck, the scrape of scales on her arms ignored by the girl. ‘The others are safe…’

‘We will all be scolded once we get to the atelier…’

The sound of a wall breaking alerts (Name), tensing up and looking over. They see Tetia and Agott first, then Richeh kneeling before a hole she just made. Tetia is still trembling, her eyes constantly looking over to (Name), glances that make the older apprentice’s stomach churn with guilt and insecurity. Their ears rotate like satellites as they pick up the sound of their original captor crying out and slam against the dome wind barrier, making their hackles raise, and their eyes focus on the spot he’s at.

They gently move away from Coco, trying to ignore the smell of blood staining their snout and the taste of it still on their teeth. She notices the discomfort on (Name)’s face almost immediately, ‘It must be the blood… It’s a little hard to imagine (Name) fighting another person. I wonder if they did it for us, or because of their history with him.’

She moves one of the flaps on her cloak to (Name)’s face, hesitating as they watch the older apprentice flinch away again, breathing still stuttering. It’s worrisome. ‘What could cause their breathing to be like this? I doubt they’d be able to answer if I were to ask…’ After another moment, the fabric rubs against their snout, red wiped off of their fur and onto Coco’s cloak.

“Coco! (Name)! We need to get going,” Agott shouts, hesitantly looking at (Name) before focusing on Coco, “The spell’s disappearing!”

(Name)’s the first to move, limping as they feel the left side of their body ache, hip screaming at them to lay down and stop moving. Their chest hurts, too, the electricity and recent transformation making their muscles contract and relax without care for their required oxygen intake, and the teen can’t help but wonder if this will have long-term effects.

​

Tetia feels guilt as fear settles into her chest. It’s odd: the teen that once held her while she had a panic attack, the one who taught her how to ease her anxiety, the one she runs to first when anything goes wrong. She could justify it with the situation around them; it’s tense, and this is a huge secret that they’ve kept from the girls for years. At the same time, she can’t help but feel an immense amount of guilt over her own fear: This is (Name) she’s seeing, someone she fully trusts like an older sibling; why was she so scared just because they had a new face?

Her contemplations don’t stop as (Name) gets to her side, eyes glancing up with their ears folded back. Maybe it was the violence they just caused, blood still on their muzzle, eyes too animalistic while being extremely human. No matter what it was, she gently smiles back, trying to hide her discomfort before moving to Richeh’s side as Agott pushes the group to leave the arena.

​

The group moved quickly around the desolate streets, hiding within buildings when (Name) pushed against Coco or Agott. They were quick to understand that their pushes meant they could hear something around them, a trust building up between the girls and (Name) despite their lack of words.

It wasn’t hard for the teen to hear the sounds of witches above them–four voices total, two new, the woman who was with the deer-masked witch, and finally, the man himself. Each sound above them was enough for (Name) to push against one of the girl’s, their face pressing one of their shoulders as another voice rings above them.

“He’s pissed.” “No shit? His precious little experiment just rendered his hands useless in the span of minutes.” “Not that I can blame the animal.” “Me neither; he’s an asshole.” “Right?”

One building to another, occasionally spotting a Brimhat, until finally, (Name)’s legs give out. They falter first, standing still as the girls continue to run, Agott looking back as their limbs tremble, their breathing suddenly stalling as their eyes stare at nothing in particular.

“Stop,” Agott calls back to the girls, moving quickly to the quadruped. “(Name), (Name), you’re not breathing.”

She can feel panic settle into her mind, ‘They need to keep moving. Why are they not breathing? We’re sitting ducks here. We’re almost to the edge of town.’ A hand presses against their neck, feeling the staggering breaths softly returning to normal as she watches (Name) finally fall to the ground with a pained whine. She curses quietly, moving quickly to try and pick them up as the other girls move around behind her.

“What happened?” Richeh asks, helping Agott move (Name) with soft hands.

Agott huffs, feeling (Name) squirm away from them. She knows exactly what they’re thinking, too–‘I can do this myself. I don’t need help,’–and she can’t help the frustration rolling over her shoulders as she practically snaps at the teen in her arms, “Stop. I can clearly see you’re in pain, (Name). Just stop moving.”

The said teen whines again, looking up at the girl with pitiful eyes. Their ears fold back at the scolding, making her scoff, “Don’t give me that.”

Tetia runs out of a building, “In here!” She whisper-shouts, Coco and Richeh fixing the positioning of their hands as the three pick up (Name), nearly dragging their paws and definitely their tail along the ground.

Once inside, the girls drop (Name) on the floor, and they know they were trying to be gentle about it, but it definitely wasn’t gentle. Their chin rests on the ground, the coldness of it only making their muscles ache further, their chest still hurting, their back muscles twitching.

“...is it every night?” Tetia asks, sitting in front of (Name), knees pressed against her chest. When the teen nods, she feels tears prick at her eyes, but is quick to blink them away.

It wasn’t hard to feel bad for (Name); all of the girls had a rock in their stomach at this point, questions both personal and simple filling their minds now that they’re safely hidden away and so close to the end of town. Theories of how (Name) got this way were something none of them wanted to think about, but the ideas kept coming. How young were they when it happened? Where was the spell inscribed? Are the transformations always this painful? How did they escape?

A hand rests on their head, warm and small—smaller than any hand they’ve ever felt. Their ears relax, whiskers twitching on their eyebrows as Tetia brushes over them with a thumb.

‘This is nice…’ Now that (Name) can logically state they’re safe in their mind, at least for now, their body responded with a near-complete shutdown, now wanting to lie on their self-warming blanket and sleep. The hand moves around their head, instead moving to hug their hackles as Tetia practically lies on top of them. They flinch once her hair brushes against their scarred back, but quickly shun the tension within their mind, telling themself off for being like this right now. She needs the comfort, and is looking for it in them; they can’t pull away.

“...that guy was weird,” Richeh states with a small huff, sitting down next to Tetia. She also curls her knees to her chest, hugging them close as she watches (Name) be held by the girl, thinking to herself, remembering the facts she knew about (Name), conclusions already forming about them: warmth must ease their joints and muscles. She rests her cheek onto her knees, “...I don’t want to be here anymore.”

‘I did not want any of you to be here in the first place,’ (Name) thinks, a small grumble escaping their throat despite no actual words forming. It makes Tetia softly giggle against their hackles, scales no doubt rubbing against her, and all they can hope is that it’s not too uncomfortable or sharp for her.

​

Minutes pass as Coco and Agott sit on the other side of (Name), both of them looking through (Name)’s spell journal and Agott’s journal to try and figure out if any of the spells they can use would be useful. Lots of (Name)’s are wind-based, with a few light-based spells nearly completed. The issue is that some of them are too complex for both girls to figure out what exactly they do. Agott’s are smaller since they’re in her palm quire, but are much easier for the two to form a comprehensive plan with.

“We need to get back up that hill; it’s our best bet to figure out how to escape,” Agott starts, “I’d say we can fly up there, but with (Name)...”

They both look over at their friend, who’s now being cuddled by both of the girls, with Tetia still lying over their face and neck and Richeh lying over their waist, hands slowly picking off the scales along their back. Coco’s eyes brighten at the sight, but Agott sighs, contemplating scolding them for not helping with the plan.

She continues, “And what would we even do once we get to the forest? If we don’t know where we are, how can we assume our masters can find us?”

“We could make a distress beacon,” Coco suggests, “Like your light phoenix at the river?”

“That would alert the Brimhats, too,” Agott states with a sigh and a shake of her head, “I’d suggest using a twinning pen, but (Name)’s the only one with that spell memorized.”

The two look over to (Name), who has no thumbs or a way to explain how to make the spell. Both of the girls deflate instantly, heads falling into hands as they sigh and shake their heads.

Coco then mumbles, “If only we could send some sort of…I don’t know, transparent signal.”

During their conversation, Richeh and Tetia watch (Name)’s physical responses, recognizing what each ear flick means, and how their expression relaxes slowly but surely, until Richeh contemplates whether they’re even awake still.

Another twitch of (Name)’s ear, tuff tickling Tetia’s torso, makes her think. She gasps, causing all of the other kids to look up at her as she sits up quickly. Her eyes are glowing as she looks over, “We can use noise to distract the Brimhats and make a beacon from here on some timed wait. By the time the Brimhats get here, we’re already in the forest!”

All of them look over to Agott, who blushes slightly at the sudden attention brought to her. She thinks for a moment, trying to figure out how to make a timer for the beacon, before finally snapping, “Yes. Yes, that could work.”

​

So the group gets to work. Pouches of Calling–small bags inscribed with two sigils that allow movement and repeated noises–are made by Richeh and Agott, who pass the nearly completed bags to Coco and (Name). They whisper and move around the room, letting the pouches soak up the subtle sounds of fleeing children and animal, before placing them down in a box, ready to be released once Tetia finishes her spell.

The pink-haired girl moves around the room quickly, using a thin rope found within the building to hold a pen that will hold the ink long enough to drip after a certain amount of time. Once the ink drips, it’ll set off the spell–Agott’s light phoenix– through the building’s hearth and into the air. Well, that’s the hope, seeing as they only have one shot of doing this.

​

(Name) and Agott wait by the door, watching Tetia finish her setup before moving to their side with a smile. Agott nods softly at Richeh and Coco, who hold the box of pouches on the opposite side of the road, nodding back. They put the box down, tilting it until four tiny pouches begin to waddle down the road, repeating the noises of footsteps, pawsteps, and “panicked” whispers just loud enough to seem inconspicuous.

As soon as the pouches turn a corner, the entire group runs. It’s a quick sprint to the hill, the steep sides and rocky extrusions allowing (Name) to climb up while the girls fly as quickly as they can to the top. They all wait at the top for the teen, making their ears fold back in an anxiety-induced state of guilt, ‘They need to keep running. Stop waiting for me. Go.’

They get to the top and watch as the girls begin to fly again, Coco and Agott manning the front, with Richeh and Tetia intentionally trying to go slower so (Name) wasn’t so far behind. It only makes their frustration worse towards the girls, anxiety filling their already hurt lungs and chest as a grumble escapes their throat.

The grass was damp, the forest was growing thicker as trees overwhelmed the area, making both flying and running a tedious endeavor. The feeling of dirt on their paws made (Name) remember their nightmares, all too familiar with the scents around them, the phantom feelings of hands grabbing at their legs and tail making their vision begin to go spaztic. It’s overwhelming to their mind, a whimper escaping them as they watch the girls speed forward.

They had to stop. They couldn’t continue. It was too much. As long as the girls continue, they’ll be okay. As long as they get to safety, they can find them later. It’ll be okay.

(Name)’s legs have begun to tremble again, their head fuzzy with a headache as they feel the lack of useful breathing finally get to them, body no doubt hot to the touch by now. It wasn’t long before they heard feet at their side and the sound of Tetia’s voice wrapped around their ears.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, her hand at their side, feeling the wobble of their movements and the short breaths of their chest. The others get to their spot, and a small whimper escapes their throat, stumbling against the tree as they watch these little witches try to speak about what they should do.

Tetia’s shaking; they can feel it through her hand, and they can hear the worry in Agott’s voice as the beam of light shoots up into the air. They’re slowing the group down. ‘They are not far enough away from him.’

“We need to find a spot to hide,” Agott mumbles, her hand rubbing her face as Coco looks around. There’s no such thing that would fit all five of the children.

A quick nip to Tetia’s cloak gets her focus to return to (Name), and they try to use their forehead to push away the girl. The small growl from pushing their aching body forward makes Richeh move closer, only to be pushed back as well. They continue to growl and push at their sides, snapping their teeth as if speaking.

“We’re not leaving you here,” Richeh finally states, a glare in her eyes as she holds (Name)’s face with her hands, stopping their nudges.

They grumble against her backtalk, pulling away with a huff before snapping again, this time directed at the blue-haired girl. The others watch the one-sided argument, (Name) shoving Richeh away with snaps and growls while the girl continues to argue.

She huffs, crossing her arms and promptly sits down next to the shaking (Name), “I refuse to leave your side. It is not happening.”

Her movement makes the teen groan, teeth grabbing at her cloak. They try to tug her up, only making the girl fall to her side without any sign of uncrossing her arms and relenting. The frustration and fear of any Brimhats finding these girls only makes (Name)’s growls and snaps harsher, but the girl trusts them enough to not actually hurt her.

Finally, Agott speaks up, “Coco and I can fly out to try and find something that can help us. Richeh, you and Tetia stay with (Name).”

The words make the quadruped bristle up more, looking over with a glare. Before they can start grumbling and making noises at the girls, Coco moves to them and kneels. She rests her hands on (Name)’s face to make them look at her–she wants them to listen to her words, “You’ve done enough, (Name). Let us help.”

It doesn’t help, their ears falling flat on their head with a groan, huffing and stomping their hind paw–a mistake that makes them wince, only solidifying the girls’ idea. Realizing the stubbornness in all of the girls, (Name) pulls away from Coco. They move back to Richeh and sit next to her with a grumble, back facing the group as they raise their ears.

The girls watch them sulk, Tetia holding back a small giggle before looking over to Agott and Coco, “Be safe.”

“We will,” Coco adds with a smile.

Agott nods while watching the three before her. The two then fly off, rising into the sky before flying quickly around the branches. She’s extremely cautious of letting hope fill her mind as of yet, knowing damn well they’re still lost in the woods without a single idea on where they should go. Her mind rushes too quickly to focus on a single idea, occasionally looking beside her to make sure Coco’s keeping up.

The wind blows around them as the blonde-haired girl keeps her eyes open. It’s far too late into the night for the girl, and she can feel the tiredness tug at the edges of her eyelids; the adrenaline of the night settles into a terrifying mix of exhaustion and fear as they continue to fly.

Suddenly, Agott stops, making Coco nearly tumble into her as she halts her own sylph shoes into a levitation, looking over with confusion as the girl raises her hand, “Wait…do you hear that?”

Silence and night breeze are all Coco picks up on. She’s about to shake her head before a voice from their right reaches them. The two hesitantly stand still at the noise, before both of the girls gasp and look at each other.

Said girl blushes at the sudden accusation, her cheeks and ears flush as she stutters out while walking into the door, “I–I didn’t need to! W–Why are– I never–” she looks at the decorations, then the cake, then the adults, and finally to (Name), who looks as confused as ever, which only makes Agott blush harder. “I never asked for a celebration–I don’t need one!”

Her master chuckles, gently patting her head as he speaks, “You might not need one, but it’s still nice to have a cake, no?”

His words stagger Agott once more, her blush easing softly before sighing, “...I suppose it was a considerate thing to do.”

Tetia whines as she moves over to Olruggio, who’s putting down a box that’s wrapped in some colorful paper, complaining she didn’t get a present for Agott. The new words and items are all circling (Name)’s head, eyebrows now twitched downward as a clinical gaze settles on the box, then the streamers, then the cake–what is all of this?

The “Birthday girl,” as Qifrey calls her, is sitting down in front of the cake; the white-haired man sits next to her while Tetia jumps over to the other side of the cake with a wide smile. She looks over to Olruggio and (Name)--the adult is grabbing a candle, and the older apprentice is just standing there. “C’mon, (Name)! Sit down so we can celebrate!”

They don’t move for a moment, too wrapped up in what they’re celebrating. It’s a slow walk for them, but eventually, they pick up their feet and move next to Tetia, glancing at the girl who has begun to ask Agott what she’s going to wish for. 

The dark-haired girl scoffs at the question, “It doesn’t come true if you say it out loud, Tetia.”

A small “aww” escapes Tetia before she leans against the palms of her hands, looking up at the ceiling as she says quietly, “I’ve said my birthday wish every year; maybe that’s why they never come true…”

She then looks over to (Name), smiling once again as she asks with a tilt to her head, “What would you wish for?”

“...huh?” (Name) asks, absolutely clueless about what’s happening. It’s almost anxiety-inducing at this point–why would they wish for anything? Didn’t these two know that stuff never comes true? Not on stars, not on eyelashes, not on ladybugs, and not on whatever this candle-on-a-cake situation is.

Tetia moves closer to (Name), much to their discomfort, her voice louder now as she continues, “You know, like what birthday wishes do you ask for?”

They finally look over to Olruggio for help, watching him lean over the table and spark one of the wicks, then the second. He extinguishes the flame and waves at Agott to start the ritual. She closes her eyes, and everyone goes quiet for a moment before she finally blows out the candles. Everyone starts to clap, (Name) watching with utter confusion, their heart rate increasing steadily as the stress of being in the unknown catches up to their mind. 

The clapping ends, and Olruggio begins to cut the cake, Tetia returning her own attention to (Name) as she asks once again, “Well?”

“I…” They look back over to their master, then to Qifrey, who is talking to Agott about whatever this ‘present’ is. “...What is happen?”

Their words make Tetia’s own expression adorn a confused mask, and finally, Olruggio speaks up on behalf of (Name)--as soon as he starts to speak, they let out a sigh of relief–“Oh, right, uh… (Name) probably doesn’t know what a birthday is.”

“What?!” Tetia’s voice echoes through the corner; all four people in the room now look at the pink-haired girl, who’s now thoroughly distraught at his words. The dark-haired man puts down the plate and knife he was using, waving his hands before he’s interrupted by Tetia, “What do you mean (Name) doesn’t know what a birthday is? Don’t they have a birthday? Everyone has a birthday!”

The child in question looks over to the two adults, both of whom are now blushing in embarrassment–if they were honest about it, the thought of celebrating a birthday for (Name) never crossed their mind. There were no documents on their birth, and it felt disingenuous to celebrate their capture date with the Knights, so the two just left it alone, not really seeing a reason for it. It’s not like they celebrated their own birthdays. Sure, Olruggio takes the night to drink in town with old friends from the Hall, but he also leaves for a drink or two often enough; it’s not really a rare thing for Qifrey to babysit his apprentice overnight.

But now, with the two girls and the first birthday ever celebrated in the atelier since (Name)’s arrival, they’re slowly feeling guilt wrap around their hearts.

“I do not?” (Name) tries to explain, tilting their head at Tetia with as much confusion as someone who was just told the sky was actually green. They then add with a quieter voice, facing away from the optimistic girl, “Um… I also do not want one, if it is this…”

That seemed to ease Tetia just a little, moving away with a small hum, one finger moving to her chin as she thought for a moment. She then shrugged, sitting correctly while Olruggio passed the plates of sliced cake around, moving to sit down himself next to his apprentice.

(Name) expected that to be the end of it; the cake was good, Agott enjoyed her present–which was a belt that held two quivers for her pen and palm quire, so she could bring them with her on the go–and a few games that Tetia practically demanded the three children play for the rest of the day.

It was…fine, they suppose. There wasn’t necessarily anything bad about a birthday, but it didn’t mean that they cared for it, especially not enough to be upset that their masters never gave them one. In fact, right after (Name) retired for the evening, Olruggio tried to apologize for never giving them a celebration, which only backfired as his apprentice pretty much bashed on the idea of giving them one in the first place–would it just be a random day they’d choose? Or the day they “escaped” the Brimhats? They didn’t even want to think about this supposed day of birth. Plus, cake was only an okay dessert; it wasn’t their favorite, but it wasn’t bad.

The days continued into weeks, returning to normal after Agott’s birthday, much to their joy, and it seemed like Tetia had let go of the entire “(Name) has never had a birthday celebration before” topic. Qifrey gave lessons, Olruggio did commissions, the girls studied, (Name) drew.

That is, until Agott walked into their bedroom with an annoyed expression not well hidden on her face. (Name) tilts their head as she gets to the bottom step, moving over to their bed before falling onto it with a groan. 

They softly laugh, swiveling their chair to direct themself to her as they ask, “What happen?”

“Tetia’s being super annoying about the entire birthday thing,” Agott complains, moving to her side to watch (Name). They’re perched on their desk’s floating chair, journal filled with writing directly in front of them–research on some sort of wind-related spell, the notes of it coming from Miss Alaira. She then huffs again, rolling to her back to stare at the ceiling, “She’s already been told that you don’t care for a celebration, but she’s being insistent that you must have one.”

“Why do I?”

“How should I know?” Agott adds, head rolling to its side as she shrugs, “I didn’t have a lot of these celebrations before I joined the atelier, either, but she swears it's an important tradition to have.”

The older child hums at the explanation, but it doesn’t do much to ease the confusion and small amount of curiosity that’s now settled into their mind. “...What is the birth-day?”

Agott’s eyebrows furrow slightly at the question, her mind running through the question over and over again until she finally settles on a response that should clear the question, speaking in a tone that makes (Name) blush in embarrassment at their lack of knowledge, “...the day you were born? Like, from your mom?”

The older kid looks away, one hand moving up to scratch at their temple, “Oh.”

“Do you not know when you were born..?” 

There’s a silence between the two as the girl’s eyes roll over (Name)’s expression, the slight furrow of their brow, the change from confusion to a deep remorse–almost guilt–from the question that most kids their age would know–well, Agott supposes kids with at least one parent know. The older of the two looks down at their hands, fingers messing with their nails.

Agott was well aware that (Name) was odd; they struggled with speaking, ate faster than anyone she’s met before, and held confusion over simple things that Agott doesn’t even remember when she learned them. It was as if (Name) wasn’t raised properly, if they were raised at all. And that made her stomach sink.

There’s a difference between an abnormal childhood and criminal-level neglect, and Agott was fairly certain throughout the past nine months she’s known (Name) that they were neglected by their caregivers. Maybe they were treated like an animal, but she had little evidence on that front aside from some of the habits (Name) had, and she wouldn’t dare ask them or their masters about such a horrible theory. She could link this neglect to a full list of evidence, but this new bout of knowledge made her feel icky–does (Name) even know what a mother is? A father?  

“It’s fine,” Agott says, closing her eyes as she moves her face to the ceiling once more, rolling her arms underneath her head as she tries to ease her own tension away by not making it into a big deal, “It’s nothing that important; no one actually has memories in their earlier years, anyway.”

(Name) hesitantly looks back at the girl, “...can I get them back?”

“Hm?” She looks back over, confusion now in her expression as she tries to understand the question, before recognition far beyond her age settles. A sigh escapes her, tone softening as she returns her gaze to the ceiling, “That’s…not how memories work. Our bodies don’t remember before a certain point.”

Another small ‘oh’ leaves (Name) before silence returns around the two. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just heavy, as (Name) returns their attention to their fingernails. They weren’t that upset about the answer, maybe a little disappointed, because they could remember vague, minute things about their past. Namely those white and pink flowers and that lullaby they only know the beginning melody of in a deep, quiet voice. It ached at their heart and mind, as if they were guilty for forgetting their parents, for forgetting the only memories of when they were truly at ease in life. 

Agott isn’t doing much better with the heavy silence, but is better at hiding it. Her thoughts move into that terrible territory of questioning–how bad was (Name)’s situation before moving into the atelier? She knows they’ve been here for a little over two years by now, and was at around the year-and-a-half mark when she first joined, but before that, she didn’t know much. It was as if everything about (Name) before then was deeply hidden, like a secret that they didn’t want to share–and if it’s as bad as she feared, she would understand why. The curiosity of it doesn’t go away just because of how dark the secret might be.

Quick footsteps moving through the workshop alert (Name) to the sudden presence of Tetia. It’s not hidden, especially because she begins to shout, “(Naaaamee)! Agoooott! I need your help with something!”

The two look over at the door, then back at each other. The dark-haired girl whispers, “...if we don’t say anything, do you think she’ll leave?”

(Name) huffs at the question, rolling their eyes before standing up. Agott sighs dramatically, rolling off the bed before following the older child up the stairs. They open the door and step out, the pink-haired girl for some reason looking into boxes as if the two would be in one, “...Tetia?”

She jumps in surprise, turning around with a wide smile, “Ah! (Name)! Agott! I need your help in the kitchen!” Her words are quick and loud, making the older child squint their eyes, unable to speak up anymore as a hand grabs at their own, dragging both them and Agott over to the catwalk.

Agott begins to stutter, “A–Tetia! What are you doing?”

“I need you over here!” She responds, not actually acknowledging the question as the three get to the main atelier floor, (Name)’s eyes suddenly shielded by Tetia’s hand, “No peaking!”

“Tetia–”

“Hang on!” She practically whines as Agott crosses her arms with a huff, looking over to see decorations sprawled out around the dining area and living room, a cake that has been made set up on the table–this one with what looks to be a berry-specific icing with extra berries on the top–and two clumsily gift-wrapped boxes are on the coffee table. She moves one hand to her forehead, rubbing it gently as Tetia begins to bring (Name) over to the dining area.

Agott follows, her annoyance at only growing as she notices both masters are sitting at the table. She moves to Qifrey’s side, whispering something into his ear as Tetia puts (Name) right next to the table.

Now, here’s the thing: (Name) knew it smelled like cake, and they could also hear Olruggio’s cursing as he stumbled around decorating the place with Tetia’s voice calling over to make sure the celebration was perfect. They didn’t understand the importance of this, but if it meant they could befriend their new atelier-mate, they’d go with the “surprise,” the cake, and whatever else Tetia had planned.

As soon as she moves her hands away from (Name)’s face, Tetia states loudly, “Surprise!”

They feign shock, looking around as enthused as they can–which isn’t very well expressed if Olruggio’s and Agott’s expressions are anything to go off of–before looking over at Tetia and stating, “Thank you.”

The words are enough for the pink-haired girl to cheer, grabbing their hands once more as she begins to talk, “Agott didn’t want to help, but Master Qifrey and Master Olly helped me decorate! We didn’t know what cake you’d like, but I said you’d really like a vanilla and berry cake, and Master Olly baked it!”

(Name) follows along as she motions towards the seat in front of the cake, sitting right next to them with Olruggio on the other side. They don’t move around as a candle is placed in the middle of the cake, hesitantly moving away as the adult uses a small contraption to light the wick in the same manner he did with Agott’s cake.

Tetia whispers into the child’s ear, her hands still on (Name)’s as she explains, “You make a wish before blowing out the candle–something you hope for in the next year until your birthday!”

They hum before looking over at their master for confirmation, watching Olruggio let go of the contraption and lean back, gaze focusing on the child with a small nod. (Name) contemplates what they’d wish for, not really believing what the pink-haired girl is saying, but they suppose they can play into the celebration. ‘...I wish…what do I wish?’

It wasn’t supposed to take this long, they don’t think, and that idea only solidifies as Qifrey tilts his head and moves one hand around the cake, resting it close to (Name) as he speaks up, “We don’t have to continue if you don’t want to, darling.”

But they shake their head, instead closing their eyes for just a moment–‘This is what Agott did, yes?’ Before blowing the candle out while opening their eyes. The smoke makes (Name) squint, nose wrinkling as the group claps softly, Olruggio chuckling while moving to cut the cake. 

They get the first plate, and Tetia watches their movements before humming in thought. She taps her lip, looking less enthused but no less happy–if that makes sense–before leaning closer to (Name), “Did you wish for something good?”

“...yes?” They respond, tilting their head–‘What is “good” wish?’ Although, after another moment, (Name) realized they technically didn’t wish for anything, so they mumbled soon after, “...no..?”

Olruggio leans over (Name) to hand Tetia a plate while stating, “Any wish is a good wish, Tetia.”

“Well yeah, but,” her words halt as she thinks about it, before huffing, taking the fork and immediately taking a bite of the cake, deciding she actually does not argue against his words, instead mumbling to herself, “...I just wanted to know what they wished for…”

The slices are all passed out and (Name) begins to eat only once everyone’s already begun to eat their own. They’re aware they eat faster than everyone, and it’s become a habit for them to start eating only after the others have begun, so they aren’t the first to finish in such an obvious way. It rarely helps, and just the same as before, (Name) is the first to finish the berry-flavored cake, putting the fork down and moving one hand to clean off any frosting that might’ve gotten onto their mouth.

“How did you like it?” Olruggio asks, taking another bite of the cake.

They hum, nodding after a moment of contemplation. Well, the cake was okay, but they weren’t thinking about that. The entire celebration was nice; it made them forget about what’s going to happen in only a few hours, and it made their chest feel warm and fuzzy in a way that rarely happens–the attention was uncomfortable, but they didn’t mind it when it was accompanied by the people around them at that moment. 

“...good.” (Name) finalizes, feeling Tetia giggle and lean their head against their shoulder. They smile down at her, looking over at Agott and Qifrey, then to Olruggio, smile still on their softened face, ‘...I wish to feel like this always.’

All three girls look to her in different states of shock and confusion at the revelation, thinking on their own about what that could mean for not only the group, but for the older apprentice themself. The silence around them only grows heavier as each one questions the same thing: Could this have something to do with (Name)’s time before the atelier?

Agott ends the silence with a firm voice, waving her hand, “It doesn’t matter right now; we need to find them and leave.”

“But…where do we start?” Tetia asks, all four now standing at the edge of the hill, staring down at the near-desolate town. They can see movement now, but it’s too far away to make out any hint of who they could be, which only makes Tetia grow more anxious. ‘What if we can’t find them?’

None of them answer Tetia’s question; none of them really know the answer, but they begin to move down the hill anyway—(Name) went through the portal; they must be here somewhere. Agott takes the lead as Richeh speaks up, “We need to be careful; none of us have conjuring ink.”

“I don’t even have my quire or pen…” Coco mumbles, feeling a little silly that she decided not to bring the items out with them. She then shakes off the idea–none of them could’ve known this would’ve happened; why would she bring out her materials?

Tetia nods, “Neither do I…”

—

—

The feeling of his neck between their fingers brought (Name) a sickening delight, the twisted sensation around their stomach and chest making their head slightly light. They can’t see his face, but they hope his expression is full of shock—‘He did this to me. He deserves to die—‘

Just as soon as the thought comes into their mind, a large gust of wind shoves them off of the man. They tumble onto their back, barely able to get up before noticing the smile on the witch’s face. He stands up, hands extended outward as he steps closer to the prone child, “Ah, Subject 427! It has been a while!”

They flinch at the title—that’s not their name—a growl escapes their throat, and they stand up, intentionally making their knees shaky as they hide their hands within their cloak.

“Oh, and are you friends with the little sprout~? How interesting…” He continues, another step closer; they move away. A sickening chuckle escapes his throat, making (Name)’s body unintentionally freeze as he continues, “I’m not here for my own experiments, but I suppose I can take this as my bonus—“

The ground shakes beneath the two of them as (Name) drops a sigil on the ground, the ink glowing softly as the man trips forward from the sudden shifting of the paved path. ‘Now is my chance.’ (Name) lunges at him again, nails digging into what they can assume to be his cheeks as they shove his head back, slamming it against the paved ground as it shakes all around them.

Their entire body tenses at the feeling of his ice-cold hands touching their stomach, then their chest. It takes a lot for them to not try and get off of the man, instead bringing his head back to try and slam it down again. A wave of electricity shoots into their chest, lungs halting and heart pulsing wildly as they seize with a loud cry, falling to their side as the man stands up.

His movement is still wobbly from the earth shifting beneath his feet, but he is quick to get to the sigil and squander it under his shoe, humming as he looks over his shoulder with a glare, “An apprentice? How amusing…”

(Name)’s breathing is still spaztic and short, hands shaking as they push against their own chest to try and start their lungs. Their eyes are wide, vision trembling as they gasp and spit on the ground, getting to their hands and knees as the man coos softly towards them, “This brings back memories, doesn’t it, 427? Let’s see…”

His hand trails down their spine, making their breath catch as a whimper escapes them, hands clawing at the ground. His touch is cold against the clothed scarring, but it burns as his finger grazes over each bump of the sigil, “Still so sensitive over this area, hm?”

Another moment passes, and a spit of wind shoves his hand back–ink trailing down (Name)’s wrist, a shakily done spell at the very tip of their finger. They take the moment to slam their head back, the back of their skull hitting the witch’s face, and they hear a crack–likely from both their own head and his mask.

Looking back, they see him stumble back with one hand over his jaw, blood trickling down his chin as he spits out a tooth. They don’t wait long before they try to run.

‘I need to find Coco.’ They think, moving quickly to their feet despite their heart beating weird and their lungs spazzing with each inhale. Adrenaline pushes through their veins as they hear the witch begin to follow them, moving their feet together to use the sylph shoes. ‘I need her to be safe–’

An invisible force slams into their stomach as soon as they take flight, like a fist has grabbed their entire torso. They get slammed into the ground as the man moves closer, that glare now harsher than ever, “You bitch, don’t you know who your maker is?”

He laughs, the eerie mix between amusement and hatred making (Name) whimper as they feel the same force of wind shove their body further onto the ground. They gasp as tears begin to fall, ‘I need Master Olruggio–.’

Their body is picked up, feet dragging on the ground as they’re brought close to his face. Piercing yellow eyes stare at theirs, void of anything; they almost looked dead. (Name) pants heavily, their chest tensing as his fingers graze their cheek, “...I suppose I can sweeten the deal for that lunatic if the girl’s still here.”

“N–No–” (Name) tries, pulling their head away from his touch, glaring despite the tears and aching fear that nearly brings bile to their throat– ‘Stop talking. He’ll get mad,’ “Y–Stop–”

The shaky, stuttering mess of words makes the witch freeze, before letting out a full-belly laugh. His hand yanks at their hair, shoving their face down until their chin presses against their neck, “The little cat can speak now? How amusing!”

He pushes further, (Name)’s neck aching as they squirm against his hold and the hold of his spell, gagging as they feel their throat close up from the positioning of their head. It was all too much, but they couldn't do anything except battle against the man’s grasp. 

“Hm…” He lets go, gliding back as he waves his hand up, the wind that’s surrounded them tightening and raising them, “You’ve survived for years; I wonder if my spell needs some touch-ups…”

Dread fills (Name) at the words, their entire body freezing as a trickle of blood falls down the back of their neck, goosebumps following its wake. Their eyes are wide, staring in complete fear at the paved ground before noticing they’re moving, only recognizing the sudden motion for a moment before they’re thrown into a wall. 

A pained cry escapes them as they feel their side slam into it before they tumble onto the ground. Their breath is lost; gasps and seizing heartbeats echo in their ears as they feel the ground around them shift, gaze moving to the paved walls that are expanding upward.

“I suppose I should take some observations of the process before making plans for that, wouldn’t you agree, 427?” He looks down, floating just above the finalizing wall that surrounds (Name).

“G–Get me out!” They shout, finally catching their breath as they stand on shaky legs, hands gripping at their side–their ink is gone. 

“You have no power to be making such demands, brat,” He states, glare returning as soon as the first word is uttered out of (Name)’s mouth, “Perhaps I should cut your tongue out. I don’t want my subject to talk back, now…”

—

—

The girls move from street to street, light on their toes as they try to find (Name) on ground level, the idea of flying around with their sylph shoes completely abandoned at the sight of numerous Brimhats moving from above. They stay as hidden as they can, using the abandoned houses and stalls to their advantage when one hears even the faintest sound of a Brimhat moving around.

An hour has passed before the girls decide to set up camp for just a moment, holing up in one of the buildings, staying as far away from the windows as possible while regrouping.

Richeh is first to sigh, “This isn’t working.”

The others hum and nod in agreement, Tetia keeping her eyes on the windows as she thinks, ‘What we need is a plan–or maybe a sign as to where (Name) could even be.’ Her hands find her cap, taking it off to hold it in her hand. Coco moves herself closer to Tetia, sitting next to her with a gentle smile before looking over to the windows. She then asks, “Do you think (Name) had the chance to escape?”

“Doubtful,” Agott says, “They wouldn’t have left you here.”

“Especially with how scared they looked when they saw the hat of the man,” Tetia adds, her breathing shallow as her grip tightens on the hat. She moves her legs to her chest and curls around herself, a small whimper escaping her as she rests her forehead on her knees. “Why can’t we just have one day without something going wrong?”

Before anyone could speak up, a laugh from behind them caused all of the girls to turn around to see a face in the hearth, bone-thin hands holding the edge of the opening. She squeezes out of the opening, her limbs twisting in odd ways before standing up fully. She wears another animal skull, bones extended and twisted in a similar shape to the witch that was holding Coco, “Boo~.”

Richeh backs up quickly, Agott holding her arm out as Tetia and Coco stand up. They all hesitantly look between one another– ‘What should we do?’

The witch’s giggles surround them as she takes a step closer, body hidden behind a black robe that reaches the ground, billowing into smoke that returns to the air. She speaks, one arm moving out of her cloak before using her pointer finger to tap her mask with a tilt to her head, “I was sent for one girl,” she laughs more, “but I can’t seem to recall which one~!”

Another voice echoes around the room, “...I can’t seem to recall Master asking for her alive.”

The cloak moves around before phasing into a clone of the witch, lacking a mask. Instead, her face concaves into a pitch-black void, as if it were cut off, leaving a hollowed shell of a human without such a key feature. The original witch giggles again, “Me neither! Oh, sister, who shall we take first~?”

Richeh’s eyes widen–‘the cloak is moving…she’s about to cast a spell!’–quickly yanking at Agott’s arm before running out of the building, the other two girls following closely behind as Agott looks over her shoulder. The others follow suit when a large crackling sound escapes the building, watching as a large spike of ground erupts from the roof in the direct spot that they were once standing on. ‘There was a trap inside the building–’

Tetia screams as one of the twin witches gets in front of the group, Coco quickly turning left, “In here!”

The four follow Coco’s lead as they run around. It goes on for a few minutes, occasionally taking stops to catch their breath before one of the two pops up again, only starting the game of cat and mouse.

During one of these breaks, Coco notices a large rectangular building to their left, eyebrows furrowing, ‘I don’t remember that being there when we first looked around…’

“I think they’re herding us,” Tetia says, slightly out of breath as she looks around a corner, spotting the twin witches conversing, not chasing them for some reason.

“What makes you say that?” Richeh asks, digging into a box to only find dust and long-since rotten food. She was hoping for some sort of weapon or item to use as a weapon.

Tetia points to the witches, “They haven’t tried to fight us, just following, and I think we’re getting closer to that,” she points to the arena-looking building in the distance made of pure stone and brick.

Agott nods, cursing at herself for forgetting her conjuring ink as she looks over the pre-made spells in her quire. She’s helpless in this situation, and if she’s helpless, then the rest are, too, and she can’t even comprehend how helpless (Name) likely is. She knows they don’t like the ink; it’s easy for her to assume they would be empty of it just the same as the girls. Frustration takes hold of her as she contemplates what to do next.

“Could we split up?” Coco asks, making the rest look over. Agott looks like she’s about to blow a fuse at such a ridiculous question–why in the Hell would they agree to splitting four ways? That’s practically suicide, especially without their ink, some even without their quires! Coco seems to understand the misunderstanding, and begins to wave her hands with a guilty smile, “N–Not like, completely! But I mean, if we start to run, two of us could go one way, and two could go the other. It would just make it harder for two witches to corral two separate pairs…”

Agott just gets closer to shouting at the green-blonde, only to be interrupted by Richeh, “That could work.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it like sheep and dogs,” she starts, “If the two are to split, they can’t communicate where they should go, and if we keep getting further away–”

Tetia whines and grabs Richeh’s wrist, “We gotta go!”

They begin the chase again.

—

—

(Name) groans, lying in their own pool of blood as the witch above them tsks, writing in a journal while stating, “You’re just human in this form, truly is such a waste with how stubborn you are to stay alive.”

Another blow of wind makes their back hit the ground with a sickening pop in their shoulder, causing them to cry out in pain. Tears fall down their cheeks as they roll to their side, “P–Please–”

“You should know better than to open your mouth, 427,” the witch states, waving his hand to the side, and the air around them suddenly gets cut off.

Their hands find their neck, unable to cry out as their face grows flush, the pressure in their ears and eyes suddenly too great to take. It’s as if the air around them suddenly turned into water–they can’t breathe. Nails dig into their own skin as they try to swallow anything around them, tears cascading down flushed cheeks as one of their hands moves up to press on their ears. The air hurts.

Only when their vision begins to go spotty, and their chest practically concaves inward, does the witch wave his hand once more, air hungrily inhaled by the child as it returns to their surroundings. They fall to their hands and knees, bile quickly finding its way out of their throat as they throw up on the ground. Sobs escape (Name)–‘What is this even for? Some sick observations?’ They don’t dare to ask, understanding they’ll likely die if they make another sound.

A crackling noise moves from the opposite side of the cage they’re in, their head barely able to look over as the wall moves apart. Their eyes widen as they spot Agott and Coco run into the cage, barely able to gasp before their entire form freezes–‘Do not speak.’ Another side of the wall cracks open, and Tetia and Richeh run in.

“Oh? I thought I told you to just bring the girl, Shoka,” the witch says in a harsh tone, the twin witches moving up before giggling.

The girl’s other half moves back to the shaded cloak, fading away while Shoka speaks, “I forgot who you asked for, so I brought them all!”

“No deaths, like you wanted, Master Kashi,” the second voice rings out.

Kashi hums, “Well, I suppose that is what I wanted…” He moves his gaze to the group, who have by now moved to (Name)’s sides, Tetia’s hands barely touching their shoulder before they flinch away with a pained gasp. He chuckles, waving off his apprentice, “Bring the news to our patron, and explain we have some extra pets to add to our roster.”

“(Name)! What happened?” She asks, tears filling her eyes as Agott moves to their side, too, hands not reaching out. She can see the tremors run down their back, a small whimper escaping them as their breathing quickens.

Coco is about to move closer, but Agott holds her hand out, “Give them space.”

“Hm…” The man above them tilts his head, “So I was correct in my assumption, 427 befriended such a vital piece of our mission…this works out nicely for us.”

His smirk can be seen from underneath the mask, and he gently moves down the side of the wall, an eerily amused chuckle escaping him, “Tell me, little ones, how much do you know about my subject?”

“More than you, creep!” Richeh practically shouts, standing in front of the group with tense shoulders and furrowed eyebrows, “Let us go!”

The scoff that escapes him makes the others look up, (Name)’s eyes wide with fear–there are too many avenues this man can go in ways to screw up the girls’ trust in them; physical harm is also in the realm of possibilities, and they have no clue why these witches want Coco so bad. He speaks with a teasing tone, moving closer to the group, knowing damn well they can’t cast spells by now, “I highly doubt you know your little…friend’s ins-and-outs in such a way I do. In fact, I’d say I have rather intimate pieces of knowledge on it…”

(Name) stands with shaky legs, chest aching from the lingering electric shock still messing up their heart rate. Their glare is strong as they put a hand on Tetia’s shoulder for support, a whimper escaping them as they realize–that aching isn’t from the electricity. Tetia’s hand holds their elbow, making them wince, ‘Not now…It can’t be now–they can’t see me like this.’ 

“Ah, it’s that time of day, isn’t 427?” His teasing voice makes their skin crawl; a whimpered exhale pushes through their clenched teeth. They push off of Tetia, the girl trying to get a hold of them soon after, but they shake her off.

“N–No–”

“Oh yes, I’d be careful, little ones,” Kashi chuckles, floating back up to the edge of the walls, getting to the twin witch before adding, “If I remember correctly, they get a little…agitated after sunset.”

Moving away from the girls, (Name) can feel the beginning pops of their spine and bones, tears pricking at their eyes from the sudden fear of a new audience before them. They look back, teeth clenching as they stutter out with a tense smile, “I–It will be–okay.”

Tetia is the first to move, but Richeh holds her arm out, realization clear in her eyes. ‘Why does this look like…’ Agott understands the same observation, biting her lip as a deep sense of dread fills her chest.

(Name) continues to back up, their bones snapping and their joints popping. They can hear a gasp escape one of the girls, their smile fading as a sob pushes past their aching throat, the tremble of their heart and lungs doing little to help their transformation. It’s hard for them to look up as their hips and legs disfigure beneath them, falling to their knees and hands as they hear the coos and amused laughter of their captor wrap around their ears–except this time, they know he’s here. They know those laughs aren’t just some twisted memory at the front of their mind, and it makes their next words turn to sobs, “I– D–Do not– I am–Okay!”

Agott watches (Name)’s shoulders and collarbone shrink and morph in such a deformed way that it makes her sick to her stomach. ‘This is why they’re in pain.’ A part of her mind races at the idea that her friend has forbidden magic etched onto their very skin, angry at the secret, grief at the idea of being friends with an impure child behind her mother’s back, sorrow that her friend’s going through this pain, frustration that she’s just standing there and watching it happen. But what else was she supposed to do?

“What’s happening...?” Tetia asks, breath hitching as tremors begin to reappear in her body as she takes a step back. She wasn’t there for what happened to Euini; she only saw the aftermath and the much more graceful transformations the Brimhat cursed the boy with. She didn’t see the actual horror of it. The cloak stays over their body, but she can hear (Name)’s shirt and shorts rip as their muscle mass increases, and she gasps again as their face begins to change with another terrible sob. Fear encapsulates the girl’s mind and body, unable to stop herself from taking into account the words of the witch above them–just watching this conspire with laughter filled with such amusement; it makes her sick. ‘What did he mean when he told us to be careful?’

“Do not– worry.” (Name) tries to comfort, their shouts causing their already in-pain throat to fill with blood, hacking as they feel their head grow dizzy and their body twist.

Richeh doesn’t answer Tetia, her body pressing further back as she feels the pink-haired girl stay at her side. She bites her lip, eyebrows furrowing as she takes in the terrible sight before her. It was nothing like Euini’s transformation. This was…this was unbridled, as if this was a preceding experimentation of the same spell. ‘Did Master Qifrey know about this? Are they safe to be around?’ Her questions are left unsaid as another cry escapes (Name), her own heart rate increasing as she watches teeth morph into thick daggers like that of a scalewolf, ‘Will they be like Euini before Coco’s spell?’

Said girl stood frozen, eyebrows furrowed, before looking up at the witch observing it all. ‘That’s why (Name) took off after me. Did…did they think I would’ve been put through this, too?’ Her eyes sting with tears at the idea; a wave of guilt pours into her chest and throat as she thinks back to the night (Name) broke that glass. Such a terrible question to be asked. Such a terrible way for her to find out why. Her gaze then sharpens, eyes moving over the oldest apprentice sprout fur along their skin, scales following closely behind as another sob escapes them, sounding more like a cat’s growling yowl instead of a human. ‘How do they survive this...?’

The sounds of pained yowls and gags against the floor finally soften into panting and sharp inhales. (Name) can still feel the tension within their chest from the electricity of that witch’s hands, and it seems to only heighten the pain within their joints and newly formed muscles like a live wire touching water.

Their eyes move up, and the four girls hesitate to move, watching their ears fold against their scalp. Their eyes aren’t human. 

‘That’s not (Name) anymore.’

For clarification: The Deer-masked witch has a spell on his hands/fingers that allows him to control the wind within a certain radius around him. This is how he’s able to literally push and hold air away from (Name), use it as an extended hand, and more that will be shown later.

Names:

Kashi = Deer Mask

Shoka = Twin 1 (Masked face)

The two men split up to discuss this sudden change of plans with their own apprentices, Qifrey giving a teasing complaint asking why he had to deal with four apprentices instead of just the one Olruggio had to tell. Only for his friend to push his shoulder with his own, teasing back, “Because I’m not the one who picks up strays off the street.”

“You and I both know that’s not true,” Qifrey calls back, shoulder bumping together once more as Olruggio waves his hand towards him, moving to the catwalk with an “aye, aye...”

The dark-haired man gets to the workshop quickly, finding his apprentice nestled on the windowsill once again, their journal pressed against their legs as they sketch the landscape before them, pencil gentle against the paper as they hunch over themself with extreme focus.

Olruggio can’t help but scoff, moving over and pressing his hand on their forehead, pulling them up, “You know, if you sit like that your back’s goin’ to hurt.”

They whine at the sudden shove to their face, fixing their posture as their hands drop the pencil and journal, using their entire body to shove his hand back. They look over, appalled, eyebrows furrowed as his hand stays in their own.

“C’mon, there’s no lessons for today, ‘nd I can bet Tetia or Agott will want to hang out with you outside rather than in here,” His voice hangs between them as he finally pulls his hand away, moving it to rub the back of his neck.

(Name) practically jumps off of the sill with wide eyes and an open-mouthed smile, their voice cracking from the lack of use as they speak, “Really? Why?”

“Do we need a reason?” Olruggio asks, moving to the steps as he watches them jump over the halfwall, catching themself with their sylph shoes, almost tripping as they catch themself and bounce into the catwalk. ‘I guess we don’t need a reason,’ he chuckles.

The living room is empty when (Name) enters, but is quickly filled as Tetia nearly tumbles down the stairs, followed by Coco, who’s holding her hand, Richeh, who’s slower in her descent, and finally Agott, who’s asking Qifrey why she wasn’t allowed to just study in her room–it was a free day afterall, she should be able to use that time freely. Qifrey doesn’t get a word of explanation out when she spots (Name) bouncing on their toes as Tetia begins to talk excitedly about all the games they can play with the young teenager.

‘Oh, that’s why,’ Agott thinks to herself, leaving Qifrey’s side to find her spot by the older apprentice. They barely stop their conversation with Tetia as Agott joins them, the pink-haired girl holding the teenager’s hand while jumping.

“We can play hide-and-seek! Or tag! Oh! There’s this one game I’ve seen other kids play in Kahln that we can try out! It has to do with a–”

“--Tetia,” Richeh mumbles, tugging at her sleeve to get the girl to stop, “we can play all of them if we start now. Explaining each game will shorten the time we have.”

The pink-haired girl nods along, chuckling as she lets go of (Name)’s hands, “I guess you’re right. C’mon!”

She immediately bounds to the front door, barely waiting for the others as she and Coco are the first to step outside, followed by Agott and (Name), with Richeh walking calmly outside, closing the door after Qifrey shouts: “Don’t go too far out! Stay where the windows can see you!”

All five apprentices run around for hours, only stopping when they get tired or when Qifrey brings out more water and snacks for the group, returning to the fields soon after to continue their fun.

It was fun, the most fun (Name) has had in a while. Tag was first, followed closely by a hide-and-seek-tag amalgamation because everyone kept on hiding from the person who was ‘it’ anyway, then what Tetia called “Simon says”--(Name) didn’t know who Simon was, but they went along with it.

After the sun had risen about halfway to the sky, most of the apprentices decided it was time to wind down for a little while. They all found a good tree to hunker underneath, laughter following them as Agott got into a heated debate with Tetia about the best technique to make pie. Richeh rests on (Name)’s side as they move a bag they had grabbed before they left the atelier, taking out a journal and pencil from within it as they move their knees to let the book rest on them.

They open it, quickly finding an empty page to add to their growing collection of sketches. The past four years have strengthened their skill with the graphite-tipped pencil; the strokes of lines and etched shading were enough to show the clear interest and passion for any subject they deemed fit for the off-white page.

It was easy to find a muse for their sketch today, looking over to see Tetia huffing and turning away from Agott, who was rambling about the precision of using fire for baking. Coco giggles as she sits next to the dark-haired girl, leaning over her lap as she keenly observes her with a relaxed smile.

The pencil was smooth over the page, simple lines and traceable features of the green-blonde girl with a button nose and cheeks that still held her baby fat. Her eyes were bigger than the rest of the group, pupils always seemingly wide in adoration for a spell or a witch or a new contraption—she was like a puppy.

Each graphite line and smudge takes up (Name)’s attention, barely moving into a better position for their upper back as Richeh watches, propped at their side with hair tickling their arm. She sighs, her head’s full weight resting on (Name)’s shoulder, before asking quietly, “…how do you do it?”

“Hm?” (Name) responds, pausing their drawing as they watch Richeh point at the subtle chiaroscuro around the soft nose of sketched Coco.

“That,” She responds, “You make it look so easy…”

Her words finally catch the attention of the rest, Coco looking over before blushing with her mouth agape—‘Th—That’s me—!’ Tetia moves to (Name)’s other side, giggling as she nods, “Yeah! You always draw us really well!”

(Name) grows flustered at the sudden attention and compliments, shrugging slightly as Agott and Coco move to sit in front of them.

The green-blonde girl hides herself in her hands, asking shyly, “Y—you draw everyone?”

“Yes,” (Name) states, tilting their head before asking, “Do you not want me to?”

“N—no! No, that’s not it,” She awkwardly laughs while rubbing her hand over her shoulder, the other falling to her lap as she thinks to herself, ‘I just thought you hated me…’

Tetia halts the conversation with a quick jump up and a gasp, making all four of the others follow her as she runs to the atelier, “Hang on one second!”

The four hesitantly return to (Name)‘s drawing, and Agott hums in thought before stating, “You’ve gotten better. Just how much do you draw?”

Once again, another wave of flustered warmth envelopes their face and neck as (Name) puts the pencil down, “A lot? It is usually Master Olruggio, though…”

Richeh and Agott hum in acknowledgement, as if they understood completely why he was the usual muse for (Name)’s sketchbook.

The group’s attention returns to the atelier as the sound of quick-paced footsteps and the ruffling of pages grows closer. Tetia’s holding four small, square journals and four pencils in her hands, getting to the group with a wide smile before passing around the goods.

She returns to (Name)’s side, pressing the journal against the ground as she moves to lie on her belly, hand holding her chin, “You can teach us!”

“Huh?” The older child mutters in surprise. They weren’t opposed to the idea—and wouldn’t ever say ‘no’ to Tetia even if the request was slightly embarrassing for the teen—but with the attention the entire group is now giving (Name), they move their hands to hide their face with a small whine, “I—I do not know how to teach...”

Tetia doesn’t seem deterred at the news, adding excitedly while already moving her pencil along the page, “Just tell us how you do it, Master (Name)!”

More of that flustered warmth fills their entire face, and (Name) doesn’t take long to nearly shout, “D–Do not call me ‘Master’! I am not your Master, Tetia!”

‘They sound a lot like Master Olruggio,’ the entire group thinks in unison while growing more comfortable on the shaded grass. Richeh leaves their shoulder, holding the journal against her thighs, pencil pressing dots onto the page; Coco moves to sit criss-crossed, journal resting on her legs as she leans closer to (Name), eagerly awaiting “masterful” words from them; Agott seems more disinterested in the actual concept of drawing herself, but she moves closer to (Name) anyway, focus drifting onto their own journal as they hesitantly pick up the pencil once again.

“S…I start with um…” (Name) hesitantly draws a square, then adds mapping lines very lightly on the top of it, “The lines help to put things on it correctly, um… and then there are the actual things…”

Coco is the only one who’s actively trying to copy exactly what (Name) does, moving the pencil with as delicate of strokes as possible, noticing how light they are with the graphite tip. Her focus was solely on their hand, shakily copying as her tongue barely pokes out of her lips, one hand holding the paper down as best as she can as she moves into herself. Her focus and movement make (Name) grow more flustered at the sudden interest in what they’re doing, looking back to their own paper.

Opposingly, Richeh is doing her own thing, doodling lines and dots, making her own art from the abstract ideas within her mind, moving around to lean her back against (Name)’s side. She looks over with a confused look before asking, “Why is it so delicate?”

“It is to make the lines easier to trace,” They state without hesitation, moving over what they decide will be in Tetia’s image. They tap the end of the pencil against the edge of the journal, “Any mistake is easier to draw over if it is light enough.”

Their eyes look over Coco’s actual handle on the pencil, her grip pressing deep enough for the tips of them to turn aale. It was to keep the pencil stable from a lack of comfort in the slim body of the pencil while using it. It reminded (Name) of their own lack of experience when they were still with the Knights, so they leaned over slightly, dropping their own pencil to fix the girl’s hold on the pencil. They moved her fingers softly until the pressure of the pencil was spread on three fingers, rather than the two Coco was using.

It was a silent motion, one that (Name) thought nothing of, but Coco’s widened eyes and pupils showed it clearly meant something to her. They returned to drawing, brushing the graphite tip over the parchment while stating in a calmer tone, “To make the shadows, I use the side of the pencil so more rubs on the page.”

All four girls look over their arms and sides to watch the difference in lines from how (Name) holds the page, easily working the grey over what the group is slowly understanding is another image of one of the girls. They continue to work over the page, using both the tip and side of the pencil until they get to the hair, adding two ovals and multiple thick locks before continuing further with the light strokes of the tip to individualize hair.

“Is it supposed to be Tetia?” Richeh asks, her paper already filled with lines and dots and circles; only a little bit of the shading that (Name) was discussing is on some of the circles and squares.

At the sound of her name, Tetia looks over eagerly and curiously, gasping in enjoyment as her gaze floats over the twin pigtails and bangs, the positioning of her head a slight downward tilt. (Name) hums with that recognizable flustered heat moving over their cheeks once more as they hesitantly move the journal to face Tetia more. She scoots closer, hand grabbing their leg as she speaks, “It’s so good!”

She then leans her elbow against (Name)’s hip, using her palm to rest her cheek on as she mumbles, “You’re so good at it…you really are a master at this.”

“No,” (Name) responds, ignoring the grumble from Tetia at their declining word. They continue to draw, going slow as they watch Coco try to copy each motion.

Quite a lot of time passes as (Name) continues to show off their skills, aiding Coco and Tetia as they move onto different subjects to sketch–a pointed hat, a tree, the horizon in front of them, each time allowing the girls around them to copy their work as best as they can. Between them starting and ending, Agott has somehow swapped spots with Tetia, curled against (Name) in a very similar way that Richeh is, both girls watching (Name) instead of working on their own journals.

Tetia and Coco get up to play around once again, shouting back at the others about their plan, getting a small “okay” from (Name) as they notice Agott practically falling asleep in the afternoon sun, Richeh moving the pencil to doodle a random heart on (Name)’s paper. They don’t mind it, moving the pencil to continue the landscape drawing that unintentionally took up one quadrant of the entire journal, shading over rock and hill, looking up occasionally to make sure the two more hyper children aren’t running too far.

They look over to the atelier–both adults are still inside. ‘Master Qifrey hasn’t been out in a while…’ Returning their attention to the drawing, they sigh softly, feeling relaxed for the first time in a while. Being around people, no worries about later tests or lessons. Just pure relaxation. (Name) can even feel their own eyelids begin to grow heavy, resting their head gently on top of Richeh’s head.

The quiet and calmness of the world only lasts another minute before they hear Tetia’s voice calling for them in a tone of voice they never like hearing from any of their atelier-mates–fear. She’s flying to them, “(Name)! Agott! Richeh! Help!”

Without care for the near-sleeping girl at her side, (Name) stands up, running over as she barrels against their chest. They both fall over as (Name) stares with wide eyes, feeling Tetia’s hands tremble as she holds onto their cloak. Before they can ask what’s happened, another sound makes them look over her shoulder–a witch was walking slowly into a portal, and in his hands was an unconscious Coco.

From behind, the group can see antlers twisted into the figure of a hat and a cloak made of deer and wolf hide. But (Name) knew that his face was hidden with a deformed deer skull. They also knew his skin was sickly white and terribly cold to the touch.

(Name) could hear his sickeningly amused coos and shushes, the feeling of hands on their skin returning, the sound of flesh being cut open as their nose smells metallic blood overfills their mind as their breath hitches.

‘...He has Coco.’

Without thinking, they get up and take off, sylph shoes pointed back as they move as fast as they can to catch up to the two. They don’t hear the others follow them; they can’t hear the cries of Tetia and the others to wait, that they should get Master Qifrey or Olruggio–no.

They know that portal won't last long. They know this was their only chance to get Coco back. They know that if they didn’t take her back, she’d be in the same hands that tore apart their life from its roots.

They couldn’t let it happen.

The portal thinned out as they sped through it, slamming shoulder-first into the back of the witch before them, knocking him down as Coco slipped from his hands. The two tumble down a steep hill, and (Name)’s hands find the man’s neck, a sudden aggression taking hold of their entire form as they feel the cold skin against their fingers.

—

​

—

The three girls get through the portal right before it fades into oblivion, Agott looking back to see Qifrey running out of the atelier. He’s too far away for her to make out any expression or noise from the man. She looks back over, Tetia grabbing Coco as Richeh looks around the area, her hand holding the journal close to her chest before asking, “Where are we?”

It’s dark, a greyness that floods the sky, making it look like smoke clouds the sun. Trees are all around them, and when Richeh walks further, she notices they’re on the top of a very steep hill, looking over an abandoned town wrapped in vines and more trees. There are lanterns lit in the road below–but there’s no sight of any living being.

“...Where’s (Name)?”

You almost broke a few times, whether it was from almost grabbing him by the face and shoving him away when he decided to stand in front of the tv until you acknowledged him, or from the guilt of walking past his room to see him asleep with your matching chocolate lizard keychain in his arms instead of you.

But he could annoy, bother, interrupt, and guilt trip you all he wanted; you were’t budging. It didn’t matter how many apologies he gave or how long his eyes burned holes into you from across the dinner table, you would drag this out until he never even thinks of going to a casino again.

Though that was starting to get difficult the more restless he got, and so after packing a few necessities and sneaking out of the HOL like a spy mission, you showed up at Purgatory Hall’s door with a look of pure desperation.

Thankfully the angels were as welcoming as ever, and Solomon loved to help you get on the demon’s nerves because in no time you were settled in with no guilt-tripping demon to bother you.

No passive aggressive sad faces with whip cream on your pancakes in the morning, no slipping his beach-wear magazines under your door so you wake up to a pile of magazines with him shirtless and glistening in the sun on the cover. You were finally free to ride out your petty train in peace!

For about 5 minutes, that is.

You forgot about your DDD, which quickly let you know was a big mistake as it nearly vibrated itself off the coffee table from all the texts you were receiving. You didn’t even have to check to know it was Mammon losing his mind upon coming home to find you nowhere to be seen.

Luke gave you an odd look from the seat beside you, so you quickly snapped up the device, pressing his icon and hitting block with an embarrassed sigh. No big deal, you could've seen that coming from a mile away.

Unaffected, you went back to watching whatever show Luke had put on for maybe about 10 seconds before the sound started up again, somehow even louder this time as if in protest.

With a groan you picked your DDD back up to see him texting you on every other platform he could possibly think of, leading you to roll your eyes in annoyance and block him on those, too. He could post mysterious status updates like upset because of a certain someone, they know who they are on Devilgram all he wants, you weren’t taking the bait.

You thought that was that, but he didn’t stop there. First it was emailing you from the RAD computers when you stopped answering your phone. Then it was a smartwatch from an “anonymous admirer” appearing on your doorstep that conveniently had only his number on it.

When that didn’t work he still! didn’t give up, just went bigger—somehow getting into RAD’s system to broadcast an apology video onto the smartboard mid-lesson—leaving you to hang your head in embarrassment for the rest of the day.

No response? Not a problem for him, he simply went bigger. Those billboards he was on for his modelling gigs? Yeah, one of them now had him with a candy heart with your name on it in his mouth. How did he even get that approved?!

Spray painting I’M SORRY, COME HOME onto the side of Purgatory Hall when begging at the door didn’t work, somehow overriding the smart fridge Solomon installed to mess with Simeon and FaceTime-ing you from the screen on it.

“Mc I know you can hear this. I see you getting that parfait! Hey— are those noodles? Aw come on you know those are my favourite! Wait don’t walk away— M/c! wait! Hey!!”

At least you didn’t have to deal with that one yourself: Simeon somehow managed to get the entire thing shut down within the hour. His hopelessness with technology could be useful on occasion, apparently.

You swear he even put a spell on the microwave because it beeped what you were sure was “I’m sorry” at you in morse code for 4 hours straight yesterday.

So yeah, turns out Mammon was a little more dedicated than you thought. It was only when you finally thought he’d given up that he showed you just how desperate he could be.

“Caw!”

You turned to the window of the guest bedroom the angels had so kindly let you stay in, a decision you were sure they were now regretting after this week’s events. There’s no way.

Alas, there was one of his crows, perched on the window with a small scroll in its mouth.

You wanted to shut the window straight on its face, but you couldn’t do that to poor Grimm. It’s not like it’s his fault his master is an idiot.

After scratching Grimm’s head you gently took the scroll from his talons and unravelled it. It was old and weathered looking, like he had pulled it straight out of the underground tomb for dramatic effect.

‘Here ye Here ye,’ read the first sentence. Oh boy.

‘To my dear m/c, my treasure, my sheep, my light in the darkness,’ if you didn’t already want to rip your eyes out, you did now!

‘Woe is me, because I did not awake to your beautiful face this merry day. If I had but one wish, it would be to take back the hurt I have caused you, and have you in my greedy, undeserving arms once again. Please come home, for your one and only misses you dearly.’

Sincerely, your first man.

Right. He was your first pact—a decision you were seriously second-guessing. What were you going to do with this idiot? Not give in, that’s for sure. You thanked Grimm and rolled the scroll back up before turning and tossing it straight into the trash.

Caw?! Grimm exclaimed, and you scratched his head apologetically.

”Sorry buddy, I have to stand my ground. Forgiving him so easily will just tell him that I’ll always forgive him when he upsets me,” you explained. Did it make you feel a little crazy talking to a crow? Sure, but after conversing with shrunken down, blob forms of sin known as little d’s, nothing could phase you anymore.

After Grimm flew off you continued on with your day like nothing happened. It was a Thursday night with Friday off, meaning you wouldn’t have to skillfully avoid Mammon in the halls of RAD until Monday; three days from now.

The sense of peace and very tiny bit of sadness that was defintely not because you missed him were short-lived though, as you awoke that next morning to the feeling of something.. .jumping on your chest?

You slowly peeked your eyes open, squinting as they adjusted to the harsh morning light that was shining through your open window—had you forgotten to close that last night?

Your eyes drifted back down until something feathery and black came into your vision and you screamed so loud it could’ve been heard from the Celestial Realm. Grimm, who had been hopping around until you woke up let out a startled caw as well and leaped back into the air.

You always closed your window at night in case a random demon decided to come in and eat you in your sleep, but you never expected the real danger to be a crow. Though it’s not like you could be mad at Grimm—it’s not his fault he picked up after Mammon’s idiocy.

You rubbed your eyes, blinking again just to make sure this was really happening, and frowned with guilt at seeing Grimm now distanced to the corner of your room, feathers ruffled.

You got up, petting Grimm’s head in apology for bloody-murder screaming in his face. The poor thing’s hearing had likely already been bursted by Mammon years ago, but still.

You untied the string and unrolled the scroll, coughing as an air of dust came off it. Seriously, where was he getting these things? The dark depths of his wallet?

My beloved M/c,

You cannot imagine my despair when I awoke to not a single response from you. You’re breaking my heart here, ya know? Don’t mind the smudged ink. That’s just my tears. What more can I do to make you forgive me? Let an angry mob throw tomatoes at me? Fist-fight Cerberus? Name your price and I’ll do it, just come home. I love you.

Sincerely, Mammon.

You furrowed your brows. This was getting difficult. Was he really that upset? You looked to Grimm for guidance, but his beady eyes just blinked at you in confusion. You shook your head. Just a few more days to really stick the message in his head, then you would give in.

He was seriously making that difficult. Every day without fail he sent you a letter, the third one being the very next day while you were brushing your teeth. This lead Luke to sneakily try to peak at it from beside you, standing on his tippy-toes.

You only had the chance to read around one line that said something akin to ‘my midnight beauty’ before Luke grabbed it and threw it in the toilet, wasting no time in flushing it. So much for that.

That day there was even a second, with Grimm instead hollering out of the large stained glass window in the dining room, leaving the others to give you an odd look.

“Mammon again?” Solomon inquired.

You didn’t even bother answering, just nodded in defeat as you pressed your forehead to the table. He took the letter, reading it and snickering before tossing it into the fire place. At least you had a support system?

That night, just as you thought you would finally get some peace, there was another peck on your window.

You rubbed your hands down your face, groaning. This was never going to end.

You walked over and shut your blinds, but it was useless. Grimm continued to peck like it was his lifes purpose until it was impossible to ignore, no matter how hard you pressed your pillow to your ears.

You dragged your curtains open, the sound of metal dragging sending shivers up your spine. You unlocked the window and tugged it open, once again tempted to slam it in the crow’s face before you remember it was Mammon you were annoyed with, not Grimm. Don’t shoot the messenger, or whatever.

You unroll it, expecting yet another long paragraph in a messy attempt at formality.

M/c.

Come home.

You tilted your head. That’s pretty vague. You searched to see if maybe there was something on the other side, but all you were met with was a strange looking sigil that you took too long to realize was starting to glow.

Your eyes widened and you went to drop it, but it was too late. In less than a second all you could see was blinding white light, dulling your senses until you had to squeeze your eyes shut.

When they opened again, you had to squint until the blob infront of you came into focus. You could only look at him for a split second before you were being encompassed in a hug so tight it could’ve crushed your ribs.

A stronger person would’ve pushed him away, but it was hard to not be weak for him. You relaxed and hugged him back, running a hand through his hair patiently until he was ready to let go.

“M/c…..” he whined your name, somehow pulling you even closer until there wasn’t a single breath of air between the two of you. “I missed you.”

You shake your head. “No really?”

He pulls his head from where its tucked against your neck to pout at you. “A week. I didn’t hear from you for a whole week! and this is how you treat me?” He huffs, and you can’t help but giggle. “Tsk, who says I wanted to see you anyway… .”

You raise an eyebrow. You don’t even need to list out the dozens of evidence for him, he’s well aware of his actions this past week. Just the way he was clinging to you like he was worried you would vanish again was a clear tell.

Now that you could see his face, he was a mess. His eyes and nose had that hue to them that they always got after he cried, and you almost didn’t realize you were now in his room with how messy it was.

Sure you were upset with him, but this whole thing had been kind of a joke. You didn’t know it affected him this badly, you were only gone for a week! What, did he have no object permanence?

You cupped his face, pulling him into a soft kiss that he immediately melted into. He moved his hand to rest on the back of your neck, deepening the kiss until you had to shove him away just to breathe.

Your chest heaved as you caught your breath, slapping a hand over his lips when he immediately tried to dive back in. “You swear you’ll listen to what I ask you from now on?”

He nodded so quick it could’ve cause whiplash. “I promise.”

You scratched his scalp and he hummed contentedly. “Don’t leave again. I love you.”

You smiled. “I won’t, I promise.”

His fangs teasingly nipped your shoulder and you jumped, swatting him. “Hey-! I love you too, idiot.”

“And I really am sorry,” he added, pulling away so you could see the sincerity in his eyes when he said it.

You huff, thinking back to the spray-paint you were surprised Barbatos hadn’t already killed him for, the fridge, the letters, etc. “Never would’ve guessed.”

She recalled the black tiny ball of fur, curled up near the roots of a tree in the backyard of her house, it looked miserable dirty, completely vulnerable to the coldness of autumn and the dangers of the world. The heart of a little Coco couldn't help but feel sad for the situation of the poor kitty, feeling deeply touched by her situation.

It was so sad to look at that her eyes watered at the sight, and her lower lip trembled holding back a sniff.

She remembers screaming for minutes until her mother came to help pick up the kitten after it bit her finger when she tried herself. It was lost and pitiful, but it still had teeth. In the end, Her mother dealt with the fierce fluffy ball, giving it a good warm bath and some goat milk.

Everything after that was just memories of the kitty growing alongside her with the years, like a little sister of hers.

"She was the cutest thing ever when she was still small, it was so cute to watch her make biscuits on top of a mountain of fabric while my mom dealt with clients!" A warm fuzzy feeling flooded her chest, Coco lifted her hands to hold her hot cheeks from a sudden burst of cute memories. It felt so good to share those histories.

"I see, I can tell you have a deep bond with her." Qifrey commented. A deep in troughs expression covered his face.

"I do. I'm so happy to have her here after.. everything. Having her here gives me more strength and confidence to become a witch and undo the spell in my house!" She told with a determinate voice, her eyes glowing with the same feeling.

The man could only sigh, deep in his chest a light ache reminded him of his worries. And his new apprentice's determination was not helping no matter how beautiful her words were.

Should he tell her?

... Probably not, for now.

"Thank you for trusting me this, Coco." He thanked while brushing her hair with his fingers.

The girl only smiled and appreciated the attention. "Don't worry, Master! It's not like it's a secret anyways." She reassured.

"Alright then, let's get you started in the basics off magic, shaw we?" The male didn't wait for an answer, instead he took his way inside the atelier with an exited new apprentice following behind.

(⁠=⁠^. .^⁠=⁠)S

Time passes faster when you are a cat, the lack of responsibilities and worries makes every day life very simple, it could turn very repetitive and boring real fast.

That's why you always tailed after Coco, she was always up to something and doing something, could it be a rock she found by the river flat enough to bounce once or twice across the water, or helping her mother run her shop, cutting and folding fabric for clients with the prevision of a blade, watch her draw and cut straight lines perfectly never failed to impress you.

But being a witch requires more than simple straight lines, you needed more precision and different shapes, circles, arrows all that sounds so silly and simple, but aligning several arrows around a circle without having drawn it yet is more complicated than it seems. And that's take us to the given moment.

Coco sat besides her master, holding a wood carved pencil in her hand and holding a piece of paper in the table with the other, her tongue was poking out of her lips in a demonstration of concentration, her fingers trembling slightly trying to not fail the task. You sat right in front of the paper, face to face with the girl, but watching her movements with the same attention she poured to it. Qifrey who watched from the side, almost released a snicker at the sight.

The moment the outside circle closed, a reaction erupted instantly from the paper. A gush of water rushed out of the paper targeting the left, watering a once very quiet Agott with a cold surprise bath. The strong reaction from the spell made you jump up from the table startled, jumping surprisingly goods 1 meter before meeting with the ground with a thud. Qifrey got up slightly from his seat to make sure you were okay before turning to the now soaked apprentice and Coco. His face just as shocked as Coco's, feeling a little bad for his other Quifling.

You, on the other hand, blinked a few times before relaxing your body. Your fur that has straighten as part of the reaction relaxed with you making your tail flicker around in annoyance. You don't blame your owner, she is still new to this magic thing, but the black haired girl, now as wet as a fish, clearly didn't agree with you.

"S-sorry! I'm so sorry, It wasn't on purpose!!" The poor green girl panicked, not sure how to react as the victim stared her soul with hatred. And her reaction only got worse when she saw her colleague's spell all messed up by the water.

"Waaahh I'm sorry!! Don't worry, I'll dry it for you!" She assured in panic as she uses her skirt to generate wind. But wind so poor it would probably take some hours to fully dry Agott..

'Oh great heavens.. It's not time to make enemies, Coco..' you thought with a fake drop falling from your fluffy forehead, you patted her leg to stop her from embarrassing herself even more, she didn't paid attention to you.

You had to admit, it was very funny, the poor girl looked like she would eat Coco alive if she could, the only think holding her down was the teacher behind her "abuser" who also looked slightly panicked.

"Calm down, Coco! I'm sorry, Agott, are you alright?" He moved to get up from his place, offering support.

"It's okay, teacher, I don't care." She reassured moving her wet hair out of her face in a very nonchalant way.

you silently rolled your eyes and sighed at the sight, every pity you had for the girl vanished momentarily.

"Actually, could I please see Coco's glyph?" Qifrey handed her the paper, and she easily inspected it, her eyes landing on the excruciating mistake, very obvious in her eyes.

She moved close to the other girl, showing her the spell paper and point at the error. "See this? This key-symbol is longer than the others. That's why the water gushed from this side." She carefully explained it, making Coco blush slightly. The reaction made you squint your eyes a little... Was it because of shame? or the proximity? You could only guess, make sure to watch Coco more carefully now.

Qifrey handed the older apprentice a towel, complimenting her observation skills as she farmed some more aura at the opportunity.

"Great, I think I can leave Coco safely in your hands, Agott." The men said as he adjusted his clothes, putting a cloak over his shoulders and eyeing everyone in the room, which also included you.

You on the other hand, stared at him back, not voicing anything. After the jumpscare of water you decided to stay on the ground for safety means. You watched as Coco complained a little before Qifrey left for good to who knows where, you didn't paid attention anyways. You just had the feeling something was not going to work with this trust, you always have an itch every time you look at Agott, something's in her ringing your alarms, but she was just a kid, there is no bad she could do right? ..... Right?

(⁠=⁠^. .^⁠=⁠)S

Qifrey used his boots to descend the staircase, not bothering to tire his legs, only to be surprised with a tug on the cloak causing him to lose his balance and fall on his but.

"Why bother to have stairs if no one uses them?" A woman spoke, in one of her hands laid a kind of scepter, the other one resting on her hips. A smile tugging on her lips after successfully tricking her friend. Her appearance was very eccentric, with double colored hair and a pointed hat like a medal of recognition, she carries herself with pride and confidence. "It's been a long time since you put your feet in 'the bottom of the ocean', your problematic."

The fooled man laughed, relieved by the reveal of his old friend, he extended his hand to her, hoping to get a little help getting up.

"That was a long time ago, Alaira." She helped him get up and the both turned to head inside the place, their voices echoing on the stone walls.

"Let's see, it seams like you still wish to cause trouble... I heard you took another apprentice!" Alaira commented as they walked.

"Already? The rumors travel really fast..." He complained.

"Well.. it could be related right? With the brimhats?" She questioned looking behind her back as Qifrey stopped right away. His face darkened instantly at the mention of THAT group, his entire face now covered in shadow, his eyes and ears now alert. But Alaira didn't bother, instead she kept talking. "It's been four years since the last usage of forbidden magic. That's an interesting clue, one you want to keep close, right?"

"That's not the only reason." He answered dryly. But quickly he allowed himself to relax, changing the topic quickly to avoid more questions. "She still hasn't done the test. So she isn't an apprentice properly said."

"Huh? She didn't?" His companion turned fully to face him now, changing the topic and focusing on the new one at hand.

"It's still too early, and the time is bad."

"Ah, yes. This season, the test site is on the Dadah range..." "It is at its highest elevation of the year." He concluded her words.

"I can't allow her to try the test now. It could cost her life." He explained. And both continued their path.

(⁠=⁠^. .^⁠=⁠)S

Yeah you were damn right. That girl was up to no good, now she lost affection points with you.

You were currently at the front of the circular portal that leads to the test area, both girls made sure to keep their distance from you as you hissed and threatened to attack every time any of them tried to touch the portal. You were not buying her shit, Nuh uh.

"Please, Miss paws, or else I won't be able to be a witch!" Coco pleaded, she was anxious about you and your stubbornness to not let her do the test. "Why don't you let me do it? I have to! How can I save my mom and our house if I don't?!" Her voice grew rushed and more anxious.

"Can't you just shoo her out of the way? We need to do this before Qifrey gets back." Agora complained to the green haired girl. But inside her mind she was surprised and even scared.

'Why is the cat acting like that? It's like it knows about what we are doing, cats can't understand this kind of thing, right?' she thought quietly, observing its reactions.

Coco crouched to get closer to your eye level and slowly approached you, keeping herself low. You let a loud hiss and an angry meow at her, now focusing fully on her, your posture changing as an extra warning for her to get away.

But to your sadness, Coco knew you were not going to harm her, she was completely sure of it, so she got even closer until she was standing right in front of you. You hissed even more at her.

"Please, Miss Paws, please let me do this, I need to do this if I want to grow and prove myself capable of being a witch.." she tried, and seeing that she has your attention she continued. "I.. I want to do this, I want to prove myself. I WILL prove myself, I promise. Or else, how would I be able to get you back home with me? Back to mom? I promise you I'll do this right and walk back victorious from the test, but please, let me try it." She moved her hand to pet your head, making sure to brush that spot behind your ears that you always loved. You really didn't want to comply, but you left your guard down the moment she finished speaking.

You were worried, so much worried about her safety in this test, there was no guarantee she was going to succeed with the short knowledge she had, but something's inside you believed her determination alone would make it work. You looked into her eyes pleading silently for her safety, and she looked back at yours with a reassuring gaze. Slowly you moved closer to her, letting yourself be embraced in her arms and warmth, she quietly moved her fingers in the fur on your back, you rested your head in her shoulder. If you could shed tears, you would've. But this body didn't allow you to do so, and you could only regret every decision that made you like this. You made sure to treasure every second of this moment, her arms around you in safety, her warm fingers brushing your fur with the care of someone holding a beloved treasure, the both of you stayed that way for God knows how long, you just didn't want to leave.

But of course the nonchalant girl would like to lose some more affection points with you, just of course.

Agott faked a cough to catch Coco's attention back, not bothered to interrupt the bounding moment in front of her. "We don't have more time to waste, we need to open the portal."

'I swear I'm going to pee in your pillow. Just watch me' your emotions did a 180° turn and you were back to being angry, but this time you walked aside and let the access to the portal free. Coco smiled brightly at your acceptance and brushed your fur a last time as Agott worked to make the portal work.

"I promise you, I'll be back in no time!" Your owner promised you, before standing up and watching her helper working on the portal.

Finally it was open, right into the Dadah range entrance. Agott wasted no time and pushed Coco inside, before assuming an aura pose and saying.

"By the way, you can do this time once forever." And the portal closed. Coco was left speechless on one side and you were PISSED in the other. Agott moved to leave without caring to address you and you took the opportunity to strike. You aimed for her achilles tendons and took a big bite, putting all your anger on the action and catching her by surprise.

"AAH! YOU FREAK!" She reacted by trying to kick you as you released her injured leg, but you were quick to flee the crime scene after finishing your job.

You left her to hold her ankle and hiss in pain as blood slowly poured from her injury, your teeth marks now engraved in her skin. She holder more curses and sat on the ground holding her leg, trying to settle the pain before leaving.

(⁠=⁠^. .^⁠=⁠)S

You waited until Agott left limping to her room to descend back to the portal. The circle covered in symbols you didn't understand yet greeted you with silence, and you took your time to look carefully at each intricate drawing adorning it. How it worked? You don't know, it should make sense somehow, the person (rather, the witch) who created it must be very intelligent and creative to come up with such an idea.

You sighed mentally, wondering what to do now, you were worried, but you knew she was going to do it. But the deep ache on your chest every time you consider leaving this room made you stay in place, giving in to your instincts and sitting down on the cold stone floor, watching the magical circle like Coco was going to jump right through it victorious and come greet you with lots of pets in the head. That was your ideal outcome, and the only one you hoped for in the moment.

'I just wish for your safety, Coco.' you silently prayed, frozen in place like a dragon guarding it's treasure. Or, in a way you don't appreciate, much like a dog waiting it's owner return.

(⁠=⁠^. .^⁠=⁠)S

"Here is my order. I'll leave it to you."

"Yes, sir." The white haired man left the paper filled with mysteries on the table, giving a curt nod to his fellow witch companion. Alaira watched silently as he moved, her mind still returning to the recent topic discussed between the two friends.

"You wouldn't need to go out of your way just to get this if you lived here." She commented, abandoning her mind filled with questions. "The auditorium is the wizards' stronghold. All your needs in one place."

Qifrey turned to her, giving her his attention. "In that case, I'll only come when necessary." He retorted, by his side a little girl, an apprentice, gilded a basket for him to grab, he thanked the girl and returned to his friend.

"Say, Qifrey.. since when did you started liking pets? I've heard olruggio is the one with a soft spot for cats, not you" the double colored hair witch asked the question that was rounding her mind for a while.

"You could say it was a full package, It came together with Coco, one would not leave the other." He didn't think much to respond, but his thoughts backed at his efforts spend to dealing with the furred creature. "Although, I have my doubts about it's.. existence." He said.

"Do you think It is somehow related to the Brimhats?" The woman voiced quietly, making sure it didn't wonder to stray ears.

"I truly hope that's not the case." He concluded, and the conversation died there.

The silence instead was filled with doubt, questions and the sound of leather shoes against the hard floor.

(⁠=⁠^. .^⁠=⁠)S

Tetia was, to say less, worried. Coco came not even two days ago and she already found her mery little way around the witches affairs. But she couldn't shake the feeling inside her after Agott admitted to have indulged her to do the first test, she hoped she would come back in one piece. But then she discovered that Miss Paws, Coco's pet that has came in with her, has been sitting in front of the portal.

No matter how hard she tried indulging It out of the room, It wouldn't budge out of place. Her evening was filled with failed attempts of at least feeding the animal, which only made her more anxious.

"Come ooon, just eat a little please! I won't try to get you out anymore, I swear!" Her begs filled the room. But you paid her no mind. Not even averting your eyes. But your ears twitched at her words every time. She KNEW you was listening to her!

"What will Coco think? I'll be the worst babysitter in the world if I let you starve yourself!" She panicked, holding her face while crouched at your side. She looked at your undisturbed stance and sighed deeply, feeling sad for you.

She slowly laid down in her side, her arms serving as a pillow for her head while she eyed you with some kind of pity, or maybe understanding. It took some while for the words to come out of her mouth, blame her, she didn't know how to comfort a cat.

"Listen, I know you are worried for her, master isn't here to guarantee her safety on the test. But I am an apprentice and I have taken this test before." She chose her words carefully, her eyes never leaving your figure.

She knew you were listening by the way your ears moved in her direction. "I can assure you, she will be fine. The test is very simple to complete, she just need to grab a flower, there is nothing dangerous there!"

You were listening to her words, and her reassurance made you ponder for a moment, if they were true, it was a relief for your small fragile heart, but still, Agott's words still hammered in your head.

"You can only take this trial once."

That made you worried, because you know how stubborn Coco can be, you were worried she would exhaust herself trying or refuse to leave until she succeed.

Your eyes, heavy with guilt for some reason, abandoned the sight of the portal for a moment and wandered to Tetia. Her pink hair resembling the color of bubblegum in your memory, the word stuck in your head, but you were not sure what exactly it meant.

The girl smiled, glad you finally reacted to her.

"She will be fine, Miss Paws. I get it that you want to wait for her, but at least eat something."

You sighed internally, still hesitant, and looked back to the portal, weighing your options.

"Alright, let's try this: We will go to the kitchen, you find something to eat since I have no idea what cats eat, and we come back here in less than five minutes, it's a promise!" She now used her elbows to keep her head up, laying on her

Hello, I'm glad to be back! That was a hard chapter to write, I can't recall how many times I have rewritten it.. I have an apology gift I'm working on to compensate for the lack of chapters.. thanks for reading, the next chapter is already being made!

I was too lazy to revise the chapter if you see any mistakes please let me know!

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