MADEFATE.

she  hates  crying  in  front  of  authority  figures.  it  reminds  her  of  how  she  had  begged  her  mother  to  believe  her,  absolutely  terrified  that  this  false  rumor  had  ruined  any  of  her  chances  of  being  a  proper  arklaum.  and  hadn't  it?  no  one  in  the  great  hall  wanted  to  take  her  on  as  an  apprentice,  dismissing  her  before  she  even  had  a  chance  to  decide  if  she  wanted  them  as  her  master.

which  was  how  she  had  ended  up  here,  outside  of  the  great  hall  for  the  first  time  in  her  life.  apprenticed  under  master  qifrey,  who  at  least  had  some  recognition  as  the  former  apprentice  of  someone  as  important  as  belarudt.  but  agott  knew  she  couldn't  have  been  his  first  choice.  there  was  no  way  he  could  want  her.

so  she'd  just  have  to  prove  that  she  was  worth  it.

He'd hoped the sunlight and the fresh air outside of the Great Hall would lift Agott's spirits. Olly had finally spotted the perfect place for an Atelier, and he'd been so overwhelmingly relieved to leave that he had never considered that to Agott, this place was home.

Oh, oh dear.

Slowly, he kneels down until he's at eye level with her, maybe just a hair below her so that he doesn't impose his presence. He's not immune to having heard the whispers of Agott's past, her falling out with her family, though all he's taken from that is a lesson in what not to do to a child.

the  truth  was...  he  probably  was  running  on  maybe  two  hours  of  sleep  for  the  past  week.  but  tetia  didn't  need  to  know  that.  none  of  them  needed  to,  honestly.  not  even  qifrey.  it  was  just  easier  to  stay  up,  drown  himself  in  deadlines,  than  face  the  memories  that  came  back  to  haunt  him  when  the  nights  turned  colder.   "  yeah,  well,  you're  still  growing  and  need  the  rest  more.  "   meanwhile  he  was  an  adult  and  as  such  knew  his  limits  better.  something  like  that.

but  it  was  hard  to  argue  with  her  when  she  was  like  this,  and  it  wasn't  like  she  was  doing  any  harm.  quite  the  opposite,  her  heart  was  in  the  right  place  and  olruggio  was  glad  that  she  cared  so  much  about  other  people.   "  i've  finished  the  commissions  i  was  working  on  the  past  few  days,  so  i  can  rest  up  now,  i  promise.  "

So does the triumphant grin on her face, eyes bright and expression animated. ❝ You can't just promise, Master Olly. ❞ She offers her hand, pinkie extended, already hooked into a curve. ❝ You have to pinkie promise. That way I'll know you'll actually sleep. ❞ It's actually a very easy thing, to separate the different versions of Master Olly. She has never once doubted his promises to them — to help them or to keep them safe. And even when he occasionally forgets something, it's never rattled Tetia's belief in him.

Her faith that he'll take care of himself though ? Different story entirely.

"Ah… good morning, Master Qifrey." He was surprised by the name he gave him. Friend… His previous master had never called him that. He felt something ache in his heart. So he had lost so much good, huh? "I didn't expect to see you here."

He added after a moment, turning slightly. This place isn't very close to his Atelier. Or rather, he suspected.

"Miss Alaira is incredibly nice, please don't worry! I can't say a bad word about her… I've learned a lot too, and everything."

The boy gently scratched the back of his neck. He started talking more and more. No wonder, he quickly got used to Master Qifrey's warm aura. Even a boy like Euini feels like he can tell him everything about himself.

❝ I had some business in the area, and realized I could stop by. Though I suppose we should keep this a secret between you and I and Alaira, yes ? ❞ He has no intention of alerting anyone to the pair's whereabouts; truthfully, he probably shouldn't be here at all, and if not for needing to speak with Alaira, he would have kept his distance just in case.

He's certain that Alaira is doing a wonderful job; there are few people in this world that he would trust as he does her. It eases something behind his ribs to know that there is one less student suffering under a cruel, thoughtless teacher.

💐Qifrey's Atelier and Flowers💐

💗 Tetia | Peony (Paeonia officinalis) Good fortune & prosperity

💙 Richeh | Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) Thank you for understanding me

💜 Agott | Halo Violet (Viola cornuta) You occupy my thoughts

💚 Coco | Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Resilience & hope

🤍 Qifrey | Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) Return of happiness

Tetia 🌸 3/4

Daffodils remind me of her hairstyle!

well  if  that  wasn't  a  feeling  olruggio  knew  well,  glancing  in  the  direction  of  his  workroom  where  he  knew  there  were  things  he  probably  should  be  working  on.  and  yet,  here  he  was,  basking  in  the  firelight  with  a  glass  of  wine,  spending  some  time  with  his  best  friend  while  their  students  slept.  and  perhaps  it  was  that  wine  that  was  driving  this  conversation,  causing  qifrey  to  relax  enough  to  admit  that.

all  he  knew  was  that  he  didn't  want  to  go  back  to  staring  at  those  spells,  searching  for  the  missing  piece.

not  when  he  can  have  these  stolen  moments.

❝ Oh I'm not surprised, ❞ he replies, amusement glittering in his voice and in his grin, more teasing than it ever is with the girls. With anyone else. ❝ Though I think you're saying that more for my benefit than to tell the truth. Even the girls can see how tired you are when you have a week of commissions to fulfill. ❞

The offer takes a little by surprise — not that he would doubt Olly's willingness to do so, nor that he wouldn't trust him with the girls. If anything, he trusts them more with Olly than with himself. But Olly firmly had not become a teacher; to bring up the suggestion means that either he's grown to care for them that much, or —

❝ I'm really fine. Shouldn't have brought anything up in the first place. Though I do believe they'd love a little excursion with their Watchful Eye, given that they've passed their second test. ❞ How terrible, to take advantage of Olly's kindness to do anything but rest. Good. The pain is like a terrible alcohol that he's come to depend on, welcome and bitter.