As much as I want to write something for Agott's birthday, I don't think I have the energy for it (happy disability pride month)
Instead, have a little headcanon of mine I've been developing.
As you can see quite clearly in the manga, Agott has textured hair. It's thick. It's curly. It gets frizzy. Maintaining hair like that takes a good amount of knowledge and some hefty effort. It'd be hard for a girl that age to take care of her hair all on her own, as much as I'm sure she wants to. Plus, being from the family she's from, it'd be a blow to her pride to not look well-maintained.
Unfortunately, curly hair like Agott's needs a lot of moisture to remain defined and to keep it from being frizzy. And we all know how much Qifrey hates water and being wet! So who would that leave to help Agott?
He might claim he doesn't want to be a teacher. That he wouldn't be right for it. But he does love teaching. And gods, he loves those girls.
So on wash days when Agott is struggling with her hair enough that she gets sick of trying to manage it on her own, she shows up outside of Olruggio's atelier. Knocks on the door, towel around her shoulders and hair still dripping wet, a basket over one arm, holding another towel, a hairbrush, and multiple bottles and tubs.
Olruggio opens his door, sees its her, and welcomes her in.
It was a bit rough at first, but by the time Richeh and Tetia have joined them, he's got it down to a science. They sit on the glowing tiles, Olruggio's sleeves tied up and pushed back, as he works leave in conditioner into Agott's hair, gently pulling apart tangles and only using the brush to clear out the particularly rough snarls, always letting Agott pull away if he tugs too hard on accident or if her scalp hurts from a knot getting caught on brush bristles.
He scrunches the curl defining cream into her curls, and if the tub is running too close to empty, asks her to remind him the name of the shop in she gets it from, so he can pick up more for her the next time he visits Kalhn. He dutifully always emulsifies the oil on his palms before finger combing it through her hair, absently twirling some of the curls around his fingers to re-define them as he goes.
Agott sits patiently through it all, letting herself relax under gentle hands that help take care of her hair for her, with a patience she still isn't always used to, sighs of relief when Olruggio lets her pull away not just because the pain of hair getting tugged on fades, but because she's allowed to take a break if it hurts, and lets her eyes wander, watching glimmers of light float up off the tiles as she lets herself be taken care of.
She'll be a grown up and a librarian on her own, one day. The best there ever was. But until then, it's... not so bad to let someone else take care of her hair for her. Especially not when Olruggio gives her that proud, self-satisfied grin, and tells her he's all done when he lowers the towel from scrunching some of the excess water up, just so her shoulders dont get wet, and she turns around to look at him.
...she knows Qifrey and Olruggio don't play favorites. But she was the first apprentice, and she's good at what she does, and she's the only one who gets her hair done like this by Olruggio.
It's good for any young girl to get to feel special.
