Chapter Text
Chapter 1: We have Neighbors?
With a wicker basket in hand, Coco, the Witch’s Apprentice, flew off into the bright spring morning with the brushbug tucked safely into the collar of her cloak. Her master had decided that today was a perfect day to sent her and her fellow apprentice out on a small quest into the freshly rain-soaked Naakiwan Downs. The warm, welcoming sunshine on her face and the sparkling rain still clinging to the tall grasses made her enthusiastically agree with her teacher’s decision.
She clutched her palm quire in her hand, the metal button digging into her palm. Her master had written the three things he wanted her to collect from the rolling fields of the Downs into her quire and she was determined to impress him.
Wood sorrel, horncaps, basiwilt.
She repeated the list to the brushbug as she flew towards a patch of grass near the atelier she knew had an abundance of wood sorrel. She wasn’t sure how many of the white and purple flowers she needed to collect to pass her quiz, so she picked a nice handful of them and carefully placed them into her basket.
She decided to get the basiwilt next. It grew on the cliffs, looking so miserable and wilted that it made her sad to look at it too long. She knew it was just the plant’s defense mechanism, but it still made her a empathetic for the poor looking herb. Sprigs of the deceptive plant were picked and nestled into her basket just as gently as the wood sorrel.
Now for the hard one on the list: the horncaps.
Coco wasn’t exactly sure where to find the mushrooms, though she remembered her master saying that mushrooms like cool, dark places. She had no luck in the first shady place she checked, only finding bugs and puddles of water.
Maybe she needs to find somewhere with more leaves?
She zoomed northwest, towards the part of the Naakiwan Downs that sometimes gets so lush and damp that it considers being part of the Marshwoods. Those wet, leafy edges of the Downs were probably the perfect place for horncaps to grow.
There was someone else there who looked like she had the same idea.
It was a girl about her age, sitting on her haunches in the leaves and filling a wicker basket with mushrooms. Coco couldn’t see her face but she could see her dark, curly hair. Her cloak was made of soft, dark gray fabric and embellished with gold. The cloak’s hem was wet and heavy with red-brown mud. Coco knew from her short life wrapped in fabric that it would be a difficult stain to remove if it weren't for the magic of wash barrels.
When she finished picking the mushrooms, the girl looked into her basket. Coco could only guess that she was counting them. She had that same look on her face that her master had when he was considering the ingredients in his kitchen.
The girl stood up and looked down at her mud-soaked cloak. When she saw how dirty it was, she scowled at the mud that had the audacity to be on her clothes.
“Excuse me, hi!” Coco greeted the girl with a bright smile and a wave. She wasn’t expecting to find anyone else out here, let alone another apprentice her age. While she loved that she could finally learn magic in a real atelier from a real witch, the vast fields of the Naakiwan Downs could be a lonely place for a friendly girl like Coco. “Are there horncaps here? I really need to find them.”
The girl jumped in surprise, turning quickly to face Coco. The wide-eyed terror on her face shifted so quickly to a scowl of irritation that Coco wondered if she really saw it at all.
“There were, yes,” The girl answered coldly, clutching her basket at her side. “You should go find another spot.”
“Oh, okay,” Coco deflated a little, wondering where else she could check for the mushrooms. Maybe a little farther south? At this rate, she wondered if she would get home in time for lunch. She shook off her worries for the moment and put on a kind face. “I’m Coco. What’s your name?”
“What are you doing here?” The girl demanded of her, completely ignoring Coco’s question. “There shouldn’t be anyone else around for acres.”
“My master sent me out to find everything on this list and I’m not having any luck finding the horncaps…” Coco said, holding up her own basket of herbs to show she was telling the truth about her quiz. “I told him I could do it and I really don’t want to disappoint him.”
The girl stared at her. Coco had never seen anyone with such richly purple eyes.
“Are you from Kalhn?”
“No? We go there sometimes, though.” Coco frowned, confused by this girl’s interrogation. “I thought we were the only atelier in the Naakiwan Downs. Do you live around here, too?”
The girl didn’t answer.
“I’m leaving,” She announced, turning on her heels and walking away. “Don’t let me see you again.”
“W-wait!” Coco reached into her basket and held up a handful of wood sorrel. “Do you need wood sorrel? I’ll trade you for some of your horncaps.”
“Wood sorrel?” The girl stopped and looked over her shoulder. “You have wood sorrel?”
“Yeah, tons of it! I just picked it, too, so it’s fresh,” Coco smiled, tilting the basket to show the girl the rest of the flowers. “Trade?”
The girl considered it for a moment, then turned to walk back to Coco.
“Okay, fine. Here.” The girl dumped maybe third of her full basket of mushrooms into Coco’s, then snatched the flowers out of her hand. “Now go away.”
There was a ghost of a burn scar on her hand that nearly covered her palm and went up into her sleeve. Coco could see there was another healed burn scar that rose out of the collar of the girl’s shirt and marked the skin under the girl’s jaw.
“I said, go,” She snapped when she saw Coco’s eye’s follow her old injuries. “You got what you wanted. Leave.”
“Oh-Okay!” Coco answered, hiding the nervous shiver that went up her spine. “Thank you for trading with me, I really appreciate it!”
The girl said nothing, only put her hands on her hips and glared daggers at her.
Coco, baffled into silence from the entire interaction with this girl, turned around and went home.
“That was weird, right?” She said to the brushbug still in her collar as they flew back across the grasslands. “She didn’t even give me her name.”
The brushbug trilled in what sounded like agreement.
“I’m home!” Coco said, holding up her basket in triumph. “And I got everything on the list!”
“Wonderful!” Her master said brightly, leaning over to examine the spoils of successfully completing her quest. “My, I must say that I’m impressed by how many horncaps you’ve collected. Good job! It looks like mushroom and bacon croquettes are in our future.”
Coco felt her stomach growl as she handed the basket to Qifrey.
“We’ll start making them when Tetia comes home,” Qifrey said, chuckling at the rumbling. “Would you like something to hold you over while we wait?”
“Yes, please,” She nodded vigorously. While she and her mother had always managed to have something to eat on the table for dinner, the meals they ate could hardly compare to what a witch with a kitchen full of magical appliances could produce or keep on hand. She wondered if all witches ate as well as they did. She could only assume that they do.
“I’ll get you something, please go wash up,” He said, breezing to the kitchen. He took a knife out of the wooden knife block and considered the options held by the perpetually fresh bowl of fruit on the counter. “Did you happen to see how Tetia was doing?”
“No, I didn’t run into her.” Coco poured water into her hands from the vapor bubble, rinsing away all the dirt on her hands and under her nails. “Should we go find her if she doesn’t come home soon?”
“Perhaps she got sidetracked. I’m sure she will come home soon enough,” Qifrey assured her as he cut a mountain apple into slices and put them onto a plate. “I didn’t know you would pass my quiz so quickly. I will have to task you with finding more difficult plants to find next time.”
“The horncaps were the hard ones,” She answered, walking over to her master to collect her snack. “Master Qifrey, how long have we had neighbors?”
Qifrey paused half way though cutting a block of smoked cheese into cubes.
“As far as I am aware, we have never had neighbors.” He put the knife the rest of the way though the cheese. “Why do you ask?”
“Who was that girl, then?” Coco asked with an emphatic tug on her master’s skirt. “The one with purple eyes and a bad attitude?”
“I’m not sure I know who you’re talking about, Coco.” Qifrey put the cheese next to the mountain apples, then handed the plate to Coco. Then he picked the knife up and cut a few more cubes of cheese for himself. “Did you meet someone when you were foraging? Did she tell you her name?”
“I asked but she didn’t tell me.” Coco frowned, accepting her snack plate. The rich smell of the smoked cheese hit her nose and made her stomach growl again. She shoved one of the cubes into her mouth. It melted in her mouth, tasting just as good as it smelled. “Do you think I'll see her again?”
“Would you want to see her again?” Her master asked as he wiped the kitchen knife clean with a damp rag. Qifrey always asked questions without a lick of judgment in his voice. That was something Coco liked about him.
Coco was silent for a moment, considering the question as she chewed on a slice of mountain apple. The girl was not friendly in the slightest but maybe she wasn't all bad. She did give Coco a surprising amount of horncaps for just a handful of of flowers… and there was something about how purple her eyes were that made Coco want to see them again.
“I do,” Coco said, with steadfast determination. “And I'm going to find out what her name is next time.”
Coco stood in the wood sorrel patch outside of the atelier, feeling the last of the days sunlight soak through her clothes. She had tried her best to focus on her master’s lessons, but her mind kept wandering to the girl she met at the edge of the downs. She wondered if he noticed that he didn’t have her fullest attention.
She had hoped that being in the flowers would help her think. That handful of the little white and purple flowers for all those horncaps didn’t really seem like a fair trade. That must mean that she must have really wanted them, right? What would the girl want wood sorrel for?
Coco closed her eyes and took a deep breath through the nose, drawing the tangy, citrus smell of the flowers into her lungs. She took another deep breath and tried to recall the lesson her master had given them last week.
“Do you recognize this flower, Coco?” Her master had handed her a marktea slip with the flowers pressed flat into the paper.
She had stared at the six purple and white petaled flowers for a few seconds, carefully examining the little blooms that were pressed into the paper.
“I know these flowers! They started blooming outside last week,” She said, proud of herself for being able to answer one of her master’s questions with confidence. “I didn’t know you could make them into tea, though. What are they called?”
“Good eye, Coco,” He praised, putting a marktea slip into the pouring tower. It had space for three slips, but Qifrey wanted her and Tetia to try the different teas separately before they started playing with flavor combinations. He slowly poured hot water over the slip and into the cup waiting below the tower. “That flower is called wood sorrel. It usually blooms in early summer but they seem to be blooming early this year.”
“That’s the one people drink when they’re thinking about their loved ones that have passed on,” Tetia had been pawing through the rest of the marktea slips and did not look up as she answered. “Are there any more halftone tea slips, Master Qifrey?”
“That’s correct, Tetia!” Qifrey smiled, picking up the full cup and placing it carefully in front of Coco. “There should be a few more halftone slips. If not, we can purchase more next time we visit the tea shop. Do either of you know anything else about wood sorrel?”
“Is… is that the one that makes you happy when you drink it?” Coco asked, observing the pleasant golden tone of her tea. Was this the one her mom used to drink? It must be. The smell of it made Coco miss her.
“You’re right, it is,” Qifrey said, pleased at how well his students were taking to his lesson. “There are many different ways to eat, drink and cook with wood sorrel. One could potentially make ink dye from it, though I think wood sorrel’s herbal uses are much more effective uses of the plant.”
Coco opened her eyes.
She stood in the flowers a little longer, watching them move with the wind.
Was the girl missing someone?
Was that why she wanted the flowers?
Coco went inside with a fresh determination. Whatever the girl’s reasons, it seemed like she needed a friend just as much as Coco did.
Lunch broke. Coco wrapped up her triangle-cut sandwiches in a waxed cloth, put on her cloak and yoinked the brushbug as she went out the door.
“Where are you going?” She heard Tetia call after her, though Coco didn't have time to answer. She had about a clock mark or so before her master expected her to be seated and ready for the rest of the day's lessons.
She flew towards the first place she met the girl with purple eyes, stopping only for a moment at the wood sorrel patch near her atelier. She wasn’t sure if the girl was going to be there again judging by how unhappy she was with the mud there. Coco found it worth trying, regardless.
She was halfway there when she spotted the girl perched in a tall tree overlooking the Naakiwan Downs, reading a book.
“Hi again!” Coco waved up at her, bouncing a little in the air with the movement. “Do you want to have lunch? I have extra sandwiches!”
The girl gave her a hard, irritated look.
“I’m busy,” She said, holding the book up to cover her face. “And I don’t want your leftovers. Leave me alone.”
“They’re my lunch, they’re not leftovers…” Coco defended, weakly. She shook it off and tried again. “I brought more wood sorrel, too! There’s a big patch that grows around our atelier. I’m not sure if you want more, but I picked some for you.”
The girl looked over her book at her.
“Okay?” She said, glaring daggers. “I don’t have anything to trade with you.”
“That’s okay, I don’t need anything.” Coco smiled. “You seemed to be excited about it last time. I just thought you’d like some.”
The daggers turned into a soft confusion.
“Oh! I also brought Brushbug!” Coco pointed to the brushbug on her shoulder. “You can pet him. He’s really friendly.”
The girl closed her book with an angry slam.
“What do you want?” The girl growled at her. “I’m trying to study.”
“I only really know Tetia and Master Qifrey…” The smile slid off her face. “I just want to be friends. I have to go back for lessons soon so I promise I won’t bother you for long.”
The girl sighed, then put her book into her shoulder bag. She pushed herself off the branch, circling in a long loop around the tree as she descended. Coco could only stop and admire how gracefully the girl touched down on the grass. “Let me see the brushbug.”
Coco touched down in front of her. She reached her hand toward her, making a bridge for the brushbug to come down from her shoulder.
“Go say hi, Brushbug,” She encouraged him, giving him a little scratch between the eyes.
The brushbug gave a nod and an affirmative “pwee”, then scampered down to her wrist.
The girl put her hand out, the tip of her middle finger brushing Coco’s. The brushbug ran up her forearm and around her shoulders.
“Oh,” The girl said softly, petting the brushbug’s head with the palm of her hand. “He’s so soft.”
“Right?” Coco smiled and pressed the palms of her hands to her cheeks. “He’s soooo pet-able.”
“What are you so excited for?” The girl said flatly as she pet the brushbug. She was gentle with the little creature, scratching it between the eyes and shoulders.
“Nothing! Nothing!” Coco tried to rein in her excitement that the girl was actually talking to her. “I’m just excited about everything.”
“Yeah, I can tell,” She muttered, looking at the brushbug as she pet it. “Where is your atelier?”
“Oh it’s-!” Coco turned and pointed east towards her home. “Some way over there. What about yours?”
“I can’t tell you,” She answered with a shake of her head. “We live in the Downs, though.”
“Oh, okay.” Coco decided to accept that answer. It’s better than being told to go away. The girl had no reason to lie to her but Coco couldn’t remember seeing any houses or ateliers nearby. “Can you tell me your name?”
“…” The girl paused, a look of deliberation and hesitation on her face. “It’s Agott.”
“Nice to meet you, Agott,” Coco said with a confident nod. “Do you want to have lunch with me?”
“I suppose,” Agott said in her flat, irritated voice as she sat down at the base of the tree. “Are you always this persistent?”
“I brought skycress and shorecumber sandwiches.” Coco sat beside her and happily unwrapped the sandwiches. Coco was always this persistent because more often than not, it paid off. She held the sandwiches out to Agott with one hand and the handful of wood sorrel with the other.
Agott took the wood sorrel, putting it in her bag on top of her book. Then she selected one triangle, taking a suspicious glance at the contents of the sandwich. She took a small bite. Her eyes widened. She took a bigger bite.
“Did you make these?” Agott asked after swallowing another mouth full of sandwich.
“No, my master made them.” Coco bit into her own sandwich. It was a good sandwich. The shorecumbers were picked within the last couple of days and the bread was about as soft and as fresh as it could be without still being hot. She and Tetia had woken up this morning to the smell of it baking. “They're good, right?”
“They are, yes,” Agott said with a small nod. “It must be nice to have your master cook. I do a lot of the cooking when we're home.”
“You do?”
“Mmhm,” She hummed, silent for a moment as she ate her food and looked over the Downs. The grass moved with the wind, the movement as mesmerizing as watching a campfire. “Our dad cooks when he can but he's… busy.”
“Your dad?” Coco asked, brows furrowed. “Aren't you a witch? Don't you have a master?”
“It's complicated,” Agott grimaced, offering a little piece of sandwich crust to the brushbug. He happily took it in his little paws. “I'm not going to explain it to you.”
“Oh, okay.” Coco had a feeling that she wasn’t going to get anything out of Agott that Agott wasn’t willing to share. Although she’d like to know more about this mysterious girl, she decided there was no point in pushing her now. “Does he teach you magic?”
“Of course he does.” Agott brushed the sandwich crumbs off her face with her fingers. “He wants to make sure we know everything we need.”
“We?” Coco echoed, hoping she would elaborate.
“Thank you for the sandwich.” Agott’s voice was harsh but she gently placed the brushbug into Coco’s lap before she stood up. “I’m leaving now.”
“Will I see you again?” Coco asked, not wanting Agott to leave but not sure how to get her to stay.
“Maybe. Don’t expect it.”
Agott took a few steps out into the open, then flew off to the west.
Qifrey was prepared to setting into the second half of the day’s lessons. The only thing missing was his second apprentice. The words “where in the world has Coco gone?” were in his mouth. They were dismissed as soon as the door swung open.
“Master Qifrey!” She announced, bouncing in on the balls of her feet. “Master Qifrey! I saw that girl again!
“Is that so?” Qifrey maintained his usual smile, though he was both intrigued by the mystery of this girl and irritated that someone had encroached on the solitude of his atelier without him knowing. “Did she share her name with you this time?”
“She did,” Coco said, proud that she managed to finally get this girl’s name. “Her name is Agott.”
“Wait!” Tetia slammed her hands flat on the table. “What does she look like?”
“She’s our age and she has pretty curly hair and big purple eyes,” Coco described. “And… she doesn’t smile.”
“That’s Richeh’s sister!” Tetia said, smacking her palms again on the table for emphasis. “How did you manage to talk to her? She doesn’t say anything to me.”
Qifrey and Coco both looked at Tetia.
“What?” She said, surprised by the sudden scrutiny from both her master and fellow apprentice. “You know Richeh, right? Long blue hair, short bangs? Likes rocks?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t made her acquaintance,” Qifrey said, as patiently as possible. Whose apprentices besides his were wandering the Naakiwan Downs? “Just how long have you known Richeh, Tetia?”
“Uhhh,” Tetia thought for a second. “Several months? They travel a lot so they’re not always home.”
“Several months..?” Qifrey said weakly, wondering how in the world Tetia manages to keep these kind of things to herself for this long. “Where did you meet her?”
“Oh, on the beach! We meet up there sometimes,” She said, brightly. “I was getting sand for my cloud spell and she was looking for big pieces of quartz. I can show you the ribbons she made me! Wait here.”
She ran up the stairs to her bedroom, then ran back down. The iridescent ribbons in her hands bent the light around them in shimmery rainbows.
“Aren’t they pretty?” She held one in each hand, holding them up over the ribbons that were in her pigtails already. “She makes them out of rocks. Isn’t that the most creative thing you’ve ever seen?”
“Whoa, so pretty!” Coco clapped her hands over her cheeks. “They’re so sparkly! Why haven’t you worn those yet?”
“They’re for special occasions,” She said, as if it was obvious.
“Like what?” Coco got closer to examine the ribbons. She touched a ribbon, sending a shimmer through it. “Your birthday?”
“Uhhh, I’m not sure.” She thought about it for a moment. “Silver Eve, maybe?”
“Ohhh, that makes sense,” Coco agreed for reasons that entirely escaped Qifrey. “Did you ever see their dad?”
“Their father?” Qifrey interrupted, surprised to hear that witches their age were still with one of their parents. “Are they not witches?”
“They are, yeah,” Tetia answered. “I haven’t seen their dad, no. She said he’s busy a lot of the time.”
It took all of Qifrey’s willpower not to put his head in his hands.
“Do we know where they live?”
Coco and Tetia both shook their heads.
“Alright then,” Qifrey fiddled with fingers, rubbing the knuckle of his index with his thumb. How had he not noticed that there was another witch’s atelier in the Naakiwan Downs? Had they really been there for months without him seeing any trace of them? Qifrey shook his head, then looked down at his teaching notes, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.
“We can talk about this later, I suppose. Shall we return to our lesson?”