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The door to the atelier slammed open, the sound reverberated and resulted in a flinch for Coco and Qifrey, who sat nearby.
The two stood up and rushed over, expecting the worst; instead being greeted by a shiny-eyed and out-of-breath Agott. Her hands clutched her robes to prevent her hands from shaking, and Coco felt energised at the sight. Agott finally caught her breath, not without moving her mouth as if preparing to speak, and finally, “The migratory birds!”
Qifrey softened in understanding, this burst of excitement happened every year. “They're here for the highsun!” she inserted.
Qifrey smiled. “Olly won't be happy about the cuckoos.”
Agott nodded enthusiastically. “They certainly love to voice their repetitive calls outside his tower in the dead of night.”
“It might just become couch season for him again.” Or Qifrey bed season.
Coco eyed the two curiously. “Does couch season mean anything?”
Agott looked at her in return, both playfully and seriously. “It means you should avoid waking him up. Despite his eyes saying otherwise, when the cuckoos come he takes his sleep very seriously. Fortunately, it didn't happen when you arrived last year.”
Coco nodded at Agott with a similar expression. “I'll keep a mental note, then!”
These days Agott had noticed that Coco seemed to be feeling a lot better, maybe it was the coming test that's distracting her, or maybe someone got through to her.
“I take it that our study session will stop there then, Coco,” Qifrey added, watching Coco tilt her head at him. He gestured his eye to direct Coco towards Agott before taking his leave. Instead of gripping her robe, Agott was now shyly fiddling with it.
“Would you like to come outside with me? There's a gulp of swallows and a scream of swifts feasting on insects in the sky right now,” she asked quietly, eyes practically pleading.
Coco's eyes lit up at the invitation, Agott wanted her to be there! “Of course!”
The fidgeting hands relaxed, the fabric falling a very short distance. “I- I'll go get a picnic blanket, then. It's a little dewy, still. I'll see you out front?” After receiving a nod, Agott took her leave to the storage while Coco about speed-walked to her bedroom to prepare for the trip outside.
Agott was first out, patiently eyeing the door. She almost dropped the picnic blanket from a jolt at the sound, and sight, of the door creaking open, protesting the earlier rough-handling.
The first thing Coco said to Agott out of the door was, “A gulp and a scream, you said. Did you coin those terms yourself?”
Agott stepped aside, no longer hoarding the center of the path, to make space for Coco. “Not at all. They're a shared name in the books I've read. The first is self-explanatory with its pun, and the second one is inspired by their distinctive calls.”
“The screeches?” Coco asked, now beside Agott, neck tilted forward and hands behind her back to look at her. It's funny seeing how large the picnic blanket was compared to Agott. If it were sentient, Agott would probably be swallowed up, pun not intended, unfortunately.
“Yes, the screeches.”
Coco followed Agott's lead, the girl's direction in flight and steps had no hesitancy. While walking, Agott spoke up again, “You know… Swifts can actually stay airborne for 10 months, they've made quite the journey to come here. In fact, despite their lifespan of 5 to 9 years, they can travel around 6 million kilometres in total. Thanks to observation logs and associated calculations, such statistics are commonplace.”
Coco looked gobsmacked. “How?!”
“Migrations, aerial feeding, it all adds up. And how they sleep while travelling, they actually sleep with half of their brain at a time!”
Not even a muscle was visibly moved in Coco's expression from before. “That's possible? Wow, I can't imagine that.”
“We aren't exactly swifts, I'd be worried if you could,” Agott joked. “But yes, it's common in birds that fly for long periods.”
Another ‘wow’ surfaced from Coco, the girl taking a few heartbeats, or many in her case, to watch Agott. She wore a large smile on her face, almost twitching at the corners. Agott's smiles were so contagious, it was an effort to avoid their spread. Coco loved her smile.
“We're here,” Coco heard, snapping her out of her thoughts and downward gaze. Agott was right, she hadn't even noticed the calls of the birds above them. Her eyes – which scanned the sky quickly, locking onto the rapidly moving specks – once again travelled in attention by the sound of Agott unfurling the blanket. It caught the wind so perfectly, it was no wonder there were such aerial birds above them. Coco quickly crouched down to stretch one end's corners, placing her weight on one corner to prevent the wind from lifting it.
Agott laid down on it first, Coco following suit. It was comfortable, not a rock or unevenness underneath, and positioned under the shade of a large tree, lest the two be scorched by the sun.
For a few minutes, they didn't say anything, simply watching the sight above them. Each bird chased after insects invisible to the eye at the distance the two were at, using rapid stops and spins and catching the wind effortlessly. Coco's eyes squinted more after each minute, eventually giving into the temptation of seeking answers by asking, “Which one is which?”
“The ones with the longer and wider tails, like trailing ribbons, are the swallows. The swifts are more sizeable and have the longer wingspan,” Agott replied softly, turning to watch Coco's expression. After the response, she noted that Coco's eyes moved from one bird to the next, lighting up at being able to tell the two apart better. She'll be sure to give the girl some identifying features to go off of in the future.
Coco turned her head seeking Agott's eyes, only to experience a minor shock at the ones already on her. She wasn't alone in that, Agott feeling her heart catch. It quickly eased back after hearing Coco voice out, “What bird do you think you'd be?”
Agott's eyes closed in thought before returning to the sight before her. “Before I say it, what do you think I'd be?”
“Mmmm… I don't know birds too well, but maybe a raven?”
“Because of the colour scheme?”
Coco nodded, moving herself closer until she could feel her arm and hand pressing against Agott's. She could also feel a twitch from the other girl, a cute reaction to her affection as always. Their faces were now much closer, too. “And because they're smart.”
Agott looked away, heating up more than the highsun could ever do to her. “A-Ah.” A pause, the girl closing her eyes to focus on her speech instead of Coco's gaze. “I was thinking of an owl. Back at the tower, there was one kind I saw in particular, a starry owl. They are breathtaking in the moonlight.”
“An owl makes sense. You do love your owlcats,” she said, playfully nudging Agott.
Agott returned a nudge, now comfortable with the contact. “I do.”
Silence motivated Coco to ask more, all too willing to hear the rambles of the girl beside her. “What other birds come around here at this time?”
“It's rather mountainous around the Atelier, so some bird species tend to avoid it because of the known birds of p-prey…” she stuttered and stopped speaking as she felt Coco's hands wrap around hers.
“Keep going, please?” Coco asked, hoping her sudden affection didn't result in the end.
“...E-Especially ospreys, which are another migrating species that come here at this time of year. They mostly stick around the coast for their primarily fish diet, but you can see them here quite regularly.”
There was a brief silence, and an encouraging squeeze from Coco before Agott continued, “Even these swallows and swifts will lower in number. It's nice when some remain, as they can be a good indicator of storms when they fly low. In fact, it's actually the insects that are lower, but it's harder to see them. You can also sometimes see storks fly over here, to reach the coast.”
The picnic blanket shifted from Coco sitting up, looking down at Agott with wide, sparkling eyes. Her free hand was clenched, and moved up and down excitedly. “That's amazing... Agott, you're amazing...! Amazingly knowledgeable and just so amazing at explaining. It's amazing!”
“You and your sudden specific-vocabulary compliments,” Agott responded bashfully, listening to the resounding giggle beside her. “Thank you. For coming outside with me, and for giving me the chance to share all of this.” She added.
Coco shook her head, finding her way back to Agott's side. “That's just natural. You're the one who initiated this.”
A huff could be heard from Agott. This deflecting… she couldn't help but wonder what else Master Qifrey was teaching her. “I am. But the point still stands.”
It's been a few years at the Atelier, now. It was another highsun.
Coco, as she always did, looked over from her desk to Agott in both admiration and interest. Her eyes locked onto a section of Agott's sleeve, which, despite being tied up by ribbons to some extent, flowed side to side at the repetitive studying motions. The movement allowed for a visible imperfection to make itself known to Coco.
Now rising up from her own seat, Coco moved her focus in search for a certain cookie box. Once discovered, she began her journey to Agott with it in tow. The clinking and closing in footsteps alerted Agott, resulting in a hasty turn, eyes wide. Coco noticed the expression. “You have a hole in your sleeve,” she explained.
Agott relaxed. “Ah, that? It was recent.”
“I'm sure. Mind if I sit and patch it up?”
Agott nodded, watching the girl take her seat, box joining. “Do I not have to take the robe off?”
The lid was now opened, the box containing a range of thread colours and thicknesses along with some needles. “Seamstresses get used to fixing up hanging fabric, just make sure you stay still,” Coco said, taking the thread closest in colour to the white robe, “and your sleeves are loose so it shouldn't be a problem in the prick department.”
Agott hummed, eyes observing the effortless threading of the needle, and preparation steps. Her own sewing skills felt non-existent in comparison. Gently tugging her sleeve, Coco began to deftly stitch the hole up. “When did you get this sewing kit?” Agott asked, not moving her arm an inch.
Eyes remained on the sleeve as Coco replied, “Not too long ago, I told Master Qifrey about missing tailoring, and he let me buy whatever I wanted. The sewing kit was one of the things bought.”
“I take it then, that you don't think of it as a job?”
“I never really did, with the exception of the busy season and entitled customers. But I only ever helped out. Mom did the most of the heavy-lifting.”
“I'm glad you still enjoy it,” she said sweetly, watching as Coco nodded and finalised her sleeve. There was something enchanting about Coco when she focused on something. It was both motivating and pleasing to the eyes, like magic, Agott couldn't look away.
With the meticulous motions easing, she heard the girl exhale, voice now noticeably less focused. “Okay, it's done.”
A glance was all it took for Agott to appreciate the handiwork. “As expected, it’s perfect. Thank you,” she praised.
Coco gave her a riveting smile in response. “Tell me sooner if you ever need something fixed up again, yeah?”
“Of course,” Agott replied. “Maybe I'll make some holes purposefully.”
The expression Coco wore became teasing, eyes lidding, and a smile to her voice. “Is this your way of telling me you want me around more?”
“And what if it is?” Agott replied confidently, turning herself to face Coco.
Coco returned a dark grin. “Then maybe I'll stitch us together.” One of her hands found its way into Agott's, sliding in with ease.
Agott shuddered at the thought and sensation. “Now that'll fuel my nightmares. What brought that up?”
“You've never heard of the folktale?”
“The folktale? I don't believe so.” Agott looked up at the ceiling in thought. “We witches don't have many of those in general, more mythology if anything, and the ones we do are likely different to the ones you know. A couple of child tales to instill fear, maybe. But with the great number of witches being underwater, there's not much reason or content for the tales.” Her eyes moved back to Coco's, squeezing her hand. “So tell me. What's this folktale you speak of?”
“When one wishes for closeness, they reach for it themselves. But when one desperately wishes for closeness, the little people of the forest can hear it,” she begins, the story already creeping Agott out. “They're known to be masters at their stitchwork, using a thread that can't be cut by anything but their own tools. The night someone yearns for closeness to another is the night that one singular thread makes an appearance from their skin. If their love is received, it connects to another. If it isn't, it's connected to the forest. People have tried to pull the thread out after discovering their fate to the forest, but it wasn't just connected to them simply, it was a complex network that wrapped each part of their insides. Each night, the thread grows shorter, and shorter, and shorter, with the victims waking up outside or in the homes of the one who receives their affection. Some allow themselves to be stitched to the other for their life. Others find a way to melt it with shared effort.”
Coco paused, considering whether to tell Agott the next part, only to notice the curiousity marking her face. “Some stories say that the reason why the thread seems to constrict one's body from the inside, is to shrink them down into little people. It tightens and tightens, and sometimes it's lethal. I think that's the reason why people in my village are so careful with their thoughts of others…”
It was certainly an intimidating story, Agott thought. She found it all too fascinating how deep into fear these stories go. But as much as she wanted to think of the tale, her thoughts landed on the previous statement. “So in other words, by stitching us together, you're a little person in disguise?” Agott joked, nearing closer, her voice becoming flirtatious. “Or maybe… you're telling me that you yearn for me, desperately. And that I return that feeling. Which is it, Coco?”
Coco blushed deeply and looked down, her trapped fingers attempting to fidget with embarrassment. It was clear, despite her lack of words, which option was her answer. Agott watched the hand for a few seconds, before moving them to her lap and encasing Coco's hand with her own. There was one last step to stop all of the fidgeting.
Her voice was unwavering. She spent years of holding her confessions, confessions that would end up in stutters and embarrassment. In unwanted change to their friendship. And so she waited, waited for Coco with too much hope. This was it. And she was sure it would be well-received. She knew Coco's affection these days was deeper, different, that they were teetering between stagnation and change. And so she took the plunge they both desperately needed. “You aren't wrong to think that.”
Coco looked back up to her shyly, although there was a hint of excitement lighting up in her eyes. “You mean…”
“Yes,” Agott answered, blushing, “I like you. Love you, even. For some time. The one who I bullied at first, who was still unbearably kind in return, who inspired me, who holds her own feelings in and still keeps secrets, whose magic and ideas I love and take pride in, who listens to me, and blabbers about anything in return, who's adorably adorable with her adorable speech patterns. It's always been you.”
“Agott…” Coco let out, throat constricted and tears rising. “I just… I told you about something people have nightmares about, and you use it to confess like... like that?”
“You're okay with that, right?” Agott replied softly. Coco's heart fluttered at the voice.
“Of course I am. I like you so much too. You're wonderful, and beautiful, sweet, and adorable, and I can't list more like you did to me. It's always been you too, I just took a while to learn that. And you've just been so patient with me.”
“I could say the same for that last sentence. But enough of this, I'll ask properly then. Coco, will you be my partner? My g-girlfriend?”
She saw a shaky nod, it tugging at her heart. It really hasn't been long for her, facing these feelings, compared to Agott. “Yes.”
“I'm glad.” Another press of their hands. She could allow herself to be a little selfish now. “Then may I be bold and suggest something?”
Coco eyed her curiously. “You've been quite bold already, what else do you have up your newly fixed-sleeve?”
“I'd like to stay stitched together with you for tonight, so could I… sleep beside you?”
It may have been a bold statement, but the execution was shy and quiet for the latter part. Coco looked at her fondly. “It'll be cramped, we'll probably be cuddling.”
“I can manage that.” She heard Agott say resolutely.
Coco didn't back off just yet. “It's been a while since you last hugged me, after we attempted the tower. I don't want you to be uncomfortable.” They never really hugged outside of emotional moments, she'll be sure to catch them up.
Nor did Agott. “I asked for this. And well, I can prove it to you wi- with another hug.”
“You don't need to prove yourself to me, silly. You've done enough of that. I might… um, take you up on that offer for a hug though,” Coco said, untangling their hands.
It was too awkward as they were now, their knees were pressed together as they sat, the distance wouldn't allow for a hug like standing would. Coco bravely pushed up on her knees, Agott looking up at her in a shy understanding, pressing backwards and letting her legs outstretch.
Agott felt Coco crawl over her, sitting down and wrapping her arms around her neck, head tilted down to watch the pink dusting on her face as she looked up in return.
It took a moment until Coco felt arms embrace her as well, tightly at that, to the point that her head rested in her collarbone. To receive such affection from Agott, it was invigorating.
The room was silent except for the thudding of their hearts at the intimacy. And over time, their tenseness subsided, a relaxation and warmth enveloping the two instead.
“Are your legs okay?” Coco whispered down.
“They're falling asleep a little,” Agott replied, still muffled. She tightened her embrace when she felt Coco try to lift off out of worry, leaning back slightly with a tilt of her head to Coco. “It's fine, Coco. I'm willing to take some wobbly legs if it means being with you.”
“You'll be with me a lot more in the future, without wobbly legs. So, at most, a few more minutes like this, okay?”
Agott grumbled at that. “Alright.”
Coco loosened her arms, bringing her fingers to pinch Agott's cheeks. “You're endearing when you're clingy and grumpy. You're not your usual handsome.”
“I'm not grumpy,” Agott replied, eyebrows furrowing.
Coco's fingers travelled through the crease. “You are. Maybe a little. I'm surprised you didn't deny the clingy part.”
Agott fell silent, her eyebrows relaxed now, she couldn't debate that fact. “You can be clingy too,” is all she could say.
Her face was now being aimlessly traced by the other girl. “You've known that from the start.”
She won this one, Agott thought, closing her eyes to enjoy the tenderness. “That's true.”
She felt presses, squeezes, thumbing and smoothing from forehead, to ears, to chin. And eventually, she could feel the fingers journey over her lips, pressing down at them as if testing their softness. She could hear Coco's breathing stop, and Agott was not safe from it either, it being paired with a racing heart. Her eyes didn't dare to open at the sight of Coco. She couldn't take that right now.
When they left Agott's lips, they found their way to cup her cheek instead, a small ‘may I?’ and a nod, and a new pressure replaced them. Coco was kissing her. Agott finally opened her eyes, to Coco's own eyes tensely shut, and her face so very close. Her heart leapt at the view, but at the same time, it was also too close for her to focus on any feature of the other girl properly. So, instead, Agott shut her eyes once again and pressed back enthusiastically, enjoying the kiss to the fullest.
A few more minutes passed, and a few more dizzying kisses were exchanged. Coco was much more relaxed to the point she melted from each bit of contact, and Agott was all too fearless. Like a never-ending dance, Agott chased after Coco's lips once more, only to be met with a palm blockade. She opened her eyes, the sight of a breathless and red-faced Coco didn't help her heart.
Coco moved the hand to balance herself as she lifted off of Agott, and Agott attempted to protest it by keeping the hand where it was, accompanied by a tightened embrace. Of the two, Coco was more determined in her goal: to let the girl's legs rest. She already resisted the urge to continue their exchange of kisses, it wasn't impossibly hard to resist the urge to stay. Even when Agott looked up at her with eyes like that.
“Stop being cute,” she muttered under her breath.
“I didn't realise I gave that impression,” Agott countered. She still wasn't used to being called cute.
“You give a lot of impressions.”
Agott hummed before saying, “You do, too.”
Coco stood up, Agott copying the movement with legs still tingling and knees almost buckling. She watched as Coco outstretched her hand, taking it with a grateful smile, and letting it swing downwards. “All this talking… and kissing…” she added, glancing at Agott's lips and returning up, “is making me a little thirsty. And hungry. Mind coming with me to the kitchen?”
Agott nodded, allowing herself to be dragged away. “Dinner's still a few hours away, what snacks do you have in mind?”
“Mmmm… Maybe some liongoat cheese, on some bread. Nice and simple.”
To her embarrassment, Agott's stomach growled at the thought. “Maybe some of those homemade pickles on top…” she added with a yearning sigh.
She felt Coco walk even faster, and laughed. Not without Coco turning around with a pout. “What?”
“Nothing, nothing.” She was adorable when she was hungry.
It seems they weren't the only ones hungry, so the two let go of each other. Tetia and Richeh must have come across a recipe they wanted to try. The former stood at the glyph-heated stove, a flat skimming ladle in hand taking out a wrinkly dough from a pot of some liquid. She took it away, setting it down to cool, slicing the previous one and sprinkling what appeared to be salt. Richeh took her place, a new shape of dough entering the pot.
“What are you guys making?” Coco asked, catching the attention of the two girls.
“Bread! We saw these de~licious looking illustrations in a book, and the recipe was too simple not to try!” Tetia exclaimed, moving back to the empty space in front of the stove, while Richeh returned to shaping. “What was it called again, Richeh? Batsil?”
“Brezel.”
Agott watched thoughtfully, probing them further. “What's in the pot?”
“Lye. It gives the bread its unique colour and taste,” Richeh shared again, a touch happier with pride this time.
“I see. When will it be ready?”
Tetia responded this time, “We're about to put the first batch in, maybe 14 minutes give or take! And another 30 to cool down. It's a fast one!”
Coco was on the verge of drooling already, Agott looking at her amused. They went to sit at the table ahead of time, and with Master Qifrey goodness knows where, and the two in the kitchen focused, it gave enough leeway for intertwining their hands.
Another stomach grumble surfaced, this time from Coco. “Someone's excited.” Agott teased.
At that, Coco rested her head on Agott's shoulder and looked up at her with a glint in her eye. “You're not?” Agott couldn't resist the cute display, tilting her own head to lay a kiss, a small surprised noise coming from Coco.
Agott pulled away, observing Coco open her eyes and look at her softly, face tinted a vibrant red. “I am. I'm sure whatever bread they're making will be delicious.” Coco hummed in acknowledgement.
The two waited, talked some more, exchanged affectionate gestures, and occasionally stood up to get their legs going again, only to re-tangle their fingers. All it took for the two to separate was the passionate yell of, “IT'S READY~!” from Tetia.
Agott stood up. “I'll go grab the liongoat cheese. And pickles. I don't know if it'll work with this bread but I'm sure it'll be fine,” she said, taking one last look to Coco, the girl's expression all too understanding.
Agott returned to a filled, aside from her own seat, table. She placed the food she carried onto it, fondly watching Coco making grabby hands at the bread with a squealy, ‘it looks so gooood!’
A bite, and Coco shivered in delight. “It's soo chewy! And perfectly salty!” she said excitedly before sighing with satisfaction.
It worked well with the combo Agott suggested, as well, but she much preferred it with simple butter.
The remaining day passed quickly, and after brushing their teeth and chucking on some nightrobes, the two moved to Coco's bedroom.
It was warm inside, something not too pleasant to experience during the highsun, not even night was safe from the heat. Agott excused herself quickly, returning with conjuring ink, a wand, and her palm-quire.
“A spell?”
Agott moved to the float-glow lamp. “Yes, just to cool down the room a little,” she stated, swiftly drawing a glyph. In an instant, the room did in fact cool to a comfortable temperature (cuddling in mind).
“Magic really is useful. We always had to bear with the heat back at the village,” Coco shared, taking a seat on the bed, it bouncing under her weight.
Agott matched the action. “How did you cool off?”
“The spring, mostly. There's also a nearby waterfall the kids especially love.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Agott responded, laying down and rolling over to the end of the bed.
Coco pouted. “I thought I'd be the one against the wall. You're the guest here.”
Agott returned a playful expression, patting the space in front of her. “Too late.”
Coco laid down, pressing into her and feeling an arm wrap around her from above, she sighed contently. “Next time, then.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” Agott whispered with a kiss to Coco's crown. Time passed comfortably in the embrace, decorated with gentle traces, shared whispers of 'I love you', sleepy shuffles and sighs; and finally when Coco's breathing evened out, Agott joined her.
---
Agott awoke to the sensation of peppering kisses, not sparing any part of her face. “Good morning to you too,” she grumbled sleepily.
Coco giggled. “Food's ready, so unless you want the others to wonder why you're in my room, I'd recommend getting up.”