Qifrey & Olruggio Skirting the Issue
Noticed a little something while I was skimming through volume 4 that I thought Iād share.
Qifrey and Olruggio are talking about Richeh here, which is straightforward enough in that first panel, but the bottom two are interesting. Qifrey is very carefully not looking at Olruggio as he says āItās hard to know how closely to approachā while Olruggio remarks āPeople arenāt quite as straightforward as spells, are they?ā I get the distinct impression neither of them are talking about Richeh anymore, but have instead decided to air their problems with each other under the guise of talking about Richeh instead.
The problems listed fit in pretty well with their continued issues later on in the series as well. Qifrey doesnāt know how close he can get to Olruggio and, in fact, keeps him at a distance. Whether itās because Olruggio is always busy or because heās trying to protect him (or just himself) is hard to say, but I do believe Qifrey doesnāt really āgetā Olruggio. After all, he asks him later on āWhy would you go so far to meā when I have a feeling this is supposed to be something obvious from Olruggioās perspective.
Meanwhile, Olruggio is very correct in saying Qifrey isnāt straightforward. Qifrey is purposefully keeping all manner of secrets from him, after all, and isnāt letting him in. Not too long ago he brought in a new student (Coco) without even consulting him, which is something that bothers Olruggio up to the very latest chapter.
Interestingly, not too shortly after this, Olruggio gives Qifrey a gift for him and the girls and Qifrey comments his āspells are more eloquent than his words.ā So, sort of a quiet way of not-quite-resolving the previous complaint.
Thereās also the symbolism of scalewolves, which is brought up for the entirety of this arc. Several characters get tied to them loosely, such as Richeh, Coco, Agott, Qifrey, etc. That idea of protecting oneself with armor, letting that armor go to form a pair, basically letting your guard down in some way. This was very heavily applied to Richeh and her possible budding relationship with Euini, but it could also be applied to Agott and Qifrey as well, so thatās some food for thought. Agott of course is opening up more thanks to Coco and letting some of that armor go while Qifrey is going in the exact opposite direction and rejecting Olruggioās help and turning ever more inwards.
The one other thing I have to say about this section is that thereās another scene later that makes me feel like something about it justā¦ doesnāt quite add up? Qifrey is explaining Richehās situation to Olruggio as if he has no idea what her background is, but later on we see this:
Olruggio was there with Qifrey when he took her in! XD I mean, that makes more sense actually. Olruggioās main issue with Qifrey taking Coco in was that he wasnāt consulted, so it would make sense that he was consulted about the other three. I guess Qifrey could be reminding Olruggio of something he already knows in a vaguely snarky way, but I have to wonder if maybe this is a little detail that changed in the series over time.
Anyway, some food for thought.
Yesss, I think about this scene a lot - not only because it illustrates where the rift between them lies, but also how theyāre both aware of it and are struggling to directly acknowledge it.Ā
Iāve got a slightly different read on Qifreyās line - personally it seems like heās either talking about himself or both of them, but definitely himself. And for more than just his relationship with Olruggio! A heart-wrenching bit of character Qifrey has is his recurring disbelief at the care people have for him. Examples below: Ch18 as above, Olruggio telling him to get some rest; Ch38, Coco explaining her choice to save him; Ch40, Olruggio prejudicing their friendship over his duties as a watchful eye and a witch.
(I think the note that the scales areĀ āplaitedā is interesting, given the design of his turtle neck ey? The only time in the series heās conscious and not wearing it, Ch36, is definitely the scene where heās most emotionally vulnerable and Olruggio makes the most progress with him. You could argue heās more informationally open in Ch40, but itās implied through early dialogue in Ch40 (āno match for youā) and the hat-handover in Ch38 that he had planned for Olruggio to walk away in ignorance, one way or another.)
But!! Important note about scalewolves that also leads me to think Qifrey is talking about himself: scalewolves have to shed their scales to avoid hurting others. Qifreyās held his true secret from everyone in his life - his oldest friend, his mentor/father-figure, everyone - and whatever it is itās clearly dangerous, and Qifrey thus keeps his distance. Keeping Olruggio away is theĀ āsolutionā heās chosen because heās aware that his friend will try and intervene to save him - no doubt something that will interfere with Qifreyās plans and get the man hurt in the progress.Ā
(As an aside - Qifrey says itās because Olruggio is kind, but from both Ch39 and Ch51.5 it might also be Olruggioās Damage that heās got a bit of a saviour complex - certainly we see him contemplating their cardinal laws over a child he doesnāt know the name of, and itās possibly only the cynicism of seeing the scale of the problem that keeps him from blatantly breaking the law - but thatās just headcanon lmao.)
Itās difficult to pick apart the intricacies that go into Olruggio and Qifreyās relationship behind this exchange in full because, well [gestures at every interaction they have] itās sort of all of it. Theyāve known each other for so long that explicit communication isnāt always needed, theyāre quite aware of the otherās needs and styles of communication (Olruggio seems to be a man of few words, or at least few directĀ words when it comes to how he personally feels, and his use of gifts as an excuse to express that Qifrey should look after himself is part of that; Qifrey is quite adept with verbal complements and validating the feelings of his students but incredibly cagey about his own wellbeing and feelings - they fit nicely, I think). Itās why confrontations like the one in Ch36 look so painful for both of them - thereās a rift that canāt be crossed with their usual communication anymore, itās a sign of them drifting apart (something that one of them is actively facilitating, and the other is only just noticing the scale of).
It might even be thatā¦ this isnāt a new way of expressing themselves in adulthood, and most of the time itās actually quite functional - but external, complex factors like the Brimhats just donāt fit into their way of implicit communication and theyāreeee not really adapting for it lol
