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"We're out again?" Qifrey said disdainfully, staring at the empty container of tranquileaf.
"Aye," Olruggio sighed. "Better fetch some more, in case we get any more colds around here. It's getting chillier outside."
"I'll go out and get some."
"Tread carefully, alright? It just rained, so it's slick. I'll handle dinner."
"I'll be careful," Qifrey shot him a warm smile and donned his cloak. He grabbed a basket he had left on the table earlier, pausing at the glimpse of something white inside.
Coco's little brushbuddy was curled up in the bottom of the basket, snoozing away.
"Oh, hello," Qifrey giggled, scratching it on the head with a finger. "Would you like to come with me?"
The brushbuddy's head poked out from the mass of white fur, yawning enough to show its two little buck teeth. It stood up and stretched, before scurrying out of the basket and up Qifrey's shoulder.
"Right, I'm off, then. If you or the girls need me, just yell for me. I'll be back in a clock-tick!"
"Bye," Olruggio said, not looking up.
Qifrey cheerfully stepped out into the mud, closing the door behind him. The smell of rain still hung in the air, water clinging to every surface. He didn't mind water so much like this, so long as it didn't touch him.
He made his way for the cliff where he knew he could find some tranquileaf bushes— the same, actually, that he had discovered after being hit by that lightning spell so many moons ago.
He searched the bushes carefully, brushing his fingers through each until he found what he was looking for.
"Ah, there you are," he muttered, crouching down to pick some leaves. He plucked the leaves in silence, dropping them in the basket as he went.
The last thing I want is another Coco situation. I know we aren't allowed to practice medicine, but keeping tranquileaf around certainly cannot hurt anybody.
Just then, a twig snapping made him look up. Two scalewolves were charging directly at him, sprinting at top speeds.
Qifrey jumped out of the way, letting them pass, but the brushbuddy on his shoulder scrambled away faster than he could react.
His heart dropped as it made it's way directly for the cliff's edge. Without thinking, he dove to grab it, hugging it to his chest to keep it from wriggling away.
As they slid down the hill towards the cliff's edge, he pressed his sylph shoes together, expecting the sliding to slow down and stop.
But they didn't.
"Shit," Qifrey gasped. He and the brushbuddy both plummeted off of the cliff and down, down, down to the river below. I can't reach my palmquire.
He attempted to hold his breath as he hit the water, clutching the brushbuddy, but the impact knocked the breath out of him, causing him to swallow a hefty amount of water. It's so cold… he thought dazedly as he sunk. He snapped himself out of it and kicked his feet as hard as he could, feeling the weight of the water in his thick, now heavy robes. Finally, though, he did manage to surface, and struggle his way against the current to a fallen tree in the middle of the water. He immediately vomited a ton of water, coughing and spluttering excessively until the river became nothing more than a lingering taste in his mouth and a force washing over him from the waist down.
"Are you hurt?" he panted after gaining his bearings, as the brushbuddy scurried onto the log. It seemed generally unharmed, to Qifrey's relief. It shook hard, spraying water all over Qifrey's face.
Well, my sylph shoes are out of commission, for now. The mud must have ruined them. As is my palmquire… there's no chance it isn't soaked.
He rested his forehead on the wood for a second. "Maybe if I can get this cloak off, I can climb to shore," he muttered, voice raspy. He stared wistfully at it for a moment. He really did not want to get a new one.
His clothes clung uncomfortably to his skin, and water dripped down his neck from his hair, causing shivers down his spine. "This is why I hate water," he grumbled, unclasping his cloak with one shaky hand. He watched it sweep underneath him, silently mourning the loss.
He shook it off and gripped the log with both hands again, attempting to haul himself out, fingers slipping over and clawing into the grooves in the bark.
The brushbuddy, bless its heart, did attempt to help, placing its adorable little black paws on Qifrey's finger and pulling with all its might.
He chuckled at the effort, and managed to push himself up onto the log.
He let out an exhale, relieved to be fully out of the water. He was well aware of how much he was shivering, the chill of the night starting to settle in the air— and his cold, wet clothes weren't helping.
"I've never wished more that being a witch was as easy as waving my hands," he told the brushbuddy through his chattering teeth. "If only… I had one of Olly's warming rings right now."
He sat himself properly on the log, letting one of his feet dangle as he examined the other. As he had suspected, the casting seal on his sylph shoes had not held up well. He did have a more professional pair that would've lasted, but they'd had a nasty hole in them, and Qifrey never imagined he'd find himself in a situation like this while they were being repaired by the cobbler.
He gazed up at the cliff edge looming above him in dismay. "How are we going to get up there?" he asked the brushbuddy.
The brushbuddy climbed up his shoulder and cuddled into his neck, evidently seeking warmth, but he cringed away at the feeling of a wet ball of fur all over his neck.
Suddenly, Qifrey perked at what sounded like Tetia's voice calling his name.
"Master Qifrey! It's dinnertime!" she called.
"Tetia!" He yelled with all the volume he could muster. "I'm down here!"
There was a pause, and the rustling of bushes, before he saw a little pink blob of curly hair poke out from above. Qifrey's glasses may have been practically useless after his swim, but he'd know that color anywhere. "Tetia! Get Olruggio!" he called up to her.
"Are you okay?" she called back, sounding genuinely worried for him.
"I'll be fine! Just… please, get Olly!"
Her head retreated back out of sight, and Qifrey sighed, this time with a bit more relief, resting his head in his hands. He was still shaking violently— they were in late fall, now, nearing winter, and the sun was beginning to go down. And the river had been so, very very cold…
"Qifrey! What in the hell are you doing down there?" came the blissfully familiar call of Olruggio's voice.
Qifrey wanted to offer him some sort of quip back, or at least an "it's a long story" but he didn't think he could muster another word, so he just waved at him weakly.
A moment later, Olly landed next to him, wearing what Qifrey assumed was a perfectly good pair of sylph shoes.
"You alright?" he asked, holding out a hand for Qifrey to grab. He took it shakily, struggling to stand. This little expedition had really sapped all of his energy.
Without another word and only a slight struggle, Olruggio scooped him up into his arms and took off with his sylph shoes, landing safely on the grass.
"We'd better get you inside," he muttered, making his way to the Atelier quickly.
Qifrey lifted his head to see all four of his apprentices— his girls— standing at the door, wearing extremely worried expressions. He gave them a faint smile, as reassuring as he could muster.
"Can't wait to hear this explanation," Olly grumbled as he laid Qifrey on the couch. "Agott, could ya please fetch my rings? You know the ones."
She nodded and left the room as Tetia lit a fire, and Olruggio pulled out some blankets.
Agott returned with Olly's warming rings. "I have them," she said urgently.
"Go ahead," he said gruffly, not looking up.
She nodded and pressed them together. Qifrey felt the water finally lift from his clothes and hair, and a sense of warmth cut through the bone chilling cold that had overtaken his whole body.
He smiled at her. "Thank you," he said, voice still hoarse. She just nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.
The shivering gradually subsided, and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep right on the couch.
Olruggio stared at the sleeping man anxiously. He hadn't really moved from that spot since Qifrey had fallen asleep, watching his breathing closely. The girls had since eaten and gone to bed, after thorough coaxing. The brushbuddy was now asleep peacefully on his lap, warm and dry.
"Goddamnit, Qifrey, you're a witch. How the hell'd you manage to get stuck in a river," he snorted, but he kept his voice soft, afraid to wake him.
At some hour very late in the night, he decided that Qifrey was probably safe enough to leave for a moment, so he made his way to the kitchen to make some tea. Something with caffeine in it, of course; after all, he wasn't about to go to sleep with the master of the house so compromised. I'm the watchful eye of this Atelier. Can't have my own residents falling ill, now can I?
But if he was being honest with himself, that wasn't the only reason he worried for Qifrey. They had known eachother for years, since they were just apprentices, and had even exchanged hat ornaments at some point— though Olruggio was fairly sure Qifrey had just stolen his ribbon because it looked cooler. Not that he was complaining. There was something intimate about wearing eachother's hat accessories— something that set them apart from everyone else as a duo.
Whether he liked to admit it or not, Olruggio loved Qifrey a lot— why else would he live as a watchful eye in his atelier and blatantly ignore his job in order to protect him and his interests? They meant a lot to each other, which is why Olly would have to put off his interrogation on exactly what had transpired. Making sure Qifrey and the girls were safe was his number one priority these days.
"Olly?" came Qifrey's voice from the living room, still weak. Olruggio spun on his heel, immediately abandoning all ideas of tea.
"Do you need something?" he asked as he returned to him, heart pounding a little faster with dread.
"No, sorry," he said, interrupted by a cough. "I just… thought you would want to make your report."
Olruggio chuckled despite himself. "Of course you're worried about what reports I make now, Qifrey." he sat himself on the floor, next to the couch, and took his hand gently. "If you're up for tellin' me, I won't pretend I'm not at least a mite curious."
Qifrey attempted to push himself up into a sitting position, but Olruggio placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back down. "Stay. Let me get you some tea, actually."
Qifrey chuckled. "Alright." He shifted so that he was facing Olruggio properly. "If you're worried that I was attacked, you can cross that off of your list, at least. It was just a series of very unfortunate events."
Olruggio breathed a sigh of relief as he stood up. "That's one less thing to worry about, at least. I won't have to talk to the Knights Moralis again fer now."
He made his way back to the kitchen and busied himself with boiling some water, opting for a nice herbal tea with honey, for his throat.
Qifrey waited patiently on the couch while Olruggio brewed it, and balanced the two cups precariously on his way back.
He accepted the cup gratefully, smiling at him with such charm that you'd almost think he had never fallen in the river.
Olruggio made his way back to the seat across from him, taking a seat.
"Right. Well, there's not necessarily much to be told, but the short of it is that while I was picking tranquileaf, two scalewolves came charging directly at us. I got out of the way, but this little brushbuddy here…" he frowned at it. "Sprinted right towards the edge of the cliff. So obviously, I dove after it—"
"Obviously? Qifrey, that thing's an animal. I'd understand you diving off a cliff for yer apprentices, but for a brushbuddy?"
"For your information, this particular brushbuddy is very important to a certain group of girls who would be devastated if anything were to happen to it, especially under my care. Anyways, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal with my sylph shoes."
"So you had them on then?" Olruggio clarified incredulously. "What was the issue?"
"Well, my nice pair is being repaired, and so I had this one that I had just drawn on with ink, with no sort of seal. And unfortunately, the muck and ink did not fare well."
Olruggio winced. "Yeah, that tracks. So ya fell in."
"Yes," Qifrey confirmed. "And I had to let go of my cloak, as well. I can't swim that well as it is, and I swear it weighed twenty kilograms with all the water in it."
"I'm sorry. I know you liked that cloak."
Qifrey started to say something, but was interrupted by a coughing fit.
"You alright there?" Olruggio said immediately, standing up out of his chair and taking a step towards him.
"Fine," he wheezed. "I think I— I think I need to go back to bed."
Olruggio nodded. "Can you walk? I think it'd be better for you to go to your room."
"I think so."
With Olruggio's help, Qifrey stood up, wrapping the blanket around himself. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, but overall seemed stable enough to walk on his own.
The two made their way up the first set of stairs, but once they reached the landing, Qifrey paused, leaning against the wall.
"You alright?"
"Just… a bit dizzy," he muttered. "It'll pass."
Olly placed two fingers on Qifrey's forehead gently, careful to avoid going anywhere near the right side of his face— he was touchy about that. The skin was hot to the touch.
"You're burning up," he said, worry tinging the edge of his voice. "You must've caught a nasty cold."
"I did swallow a disgusting amount of river water," Qifrey mused, though his voice was trembling. "Can't imagine all of the bacteria floating around in there…"
"We'd better get you to a doctor." He began to make his way back downstairs, but Qifrey put out a halfhearted hand in an attempt to stop him.
"Wait. We can't leave the kids by themselves, Olly."
Olruggio thought about this for a moment. "Fine. They'll have to come with. Let's go."
"They're sleeping," Qifrey protested.
"We can wake them!"
"Please, no… they need their rest."
He sighed. "Qifrey, you're not thinking' straight."
"We can go in the morning. I'll be fine for the next few hours."
"Qifrey…"
His friend looked at him pleadingly. He looked miserable, his face flushed uncomfortably. His eyes were dull with exhaustion. "Please."
"Fine. But we're going right at dawn, you hear me?"
"That's fine," Qifrey muttered, suddenly slumping into Olruggio.
Olruggio hurriedly wrapped his arms around him to keep him from falling. He looked disdainfully at the flight of stairs he still had to go up to get to Qifrey's room.
"You can't make me do that," he decided swiftly, and instead carried Qifrey into his own room, which was much closer. It's not like I'll need the bed. I'll catch up on sleep when Qifrey is better.
He carefully placed him onto the bed, debating whether he would want a blanket with such a fever. He opted for a lightweight one, and pulled out his palmquire, trying to recall the spell Qifrey liked to use to cool a room.
He scribbled it down, blowing on it gently in order to suspend the water droplets midair.
"Of course you fall in the river the day you go out to get more tranquileaf," he muttered.
Qifrey chuckled weakly. "The irony is not lost on me."
Olruggio looked up, surprised. "I didn't know you were still… conscious."
"Thank you for taking care of me, Olly," Qifrey murmured, not really seeming to listen to a word he said. "Come here."
He complied, and Qifrey took his hand in both of his own.
"Get some sleep," he whispered.
"I will," Olruggio reassured him, now convinced that Qifrey wouldn't remember a thing of this when he recovered.
"Promise?"
"Ah, hell. Sure, I promise."
Qifrey smiled and let go of his hands, closing his eyes. He fell asleep almost immediately.
Olruggio gently brushed his hair out of the way of his forehead (while making sure to respect his privacy about his bangs, of course) and felt it again. Luckily, it didn't seem to be much worse, but it didn't seem much better either.
He picked up the vapor bubble he kept on his nightstand and wet a rag very gently, placing it on Qifrey's forehead.
Now, Olruggio had no intention of going to sleep. In fact, he was planning to stay awake as long as Qifrey was sick.
But when he sat down next to him, for what seemed like just a second, he was so warm…
"Olly," came a gentle voice, one that had become very familiar. "Olruggio." He realized he was being gently shaken.
He opened his eyes to see Qifrey looming over him. "Oh, good, you're awake."
"Shit, I fell asleep? 'M sorry, Qifrey. Do you need something?"
Qifrey shook his head. "I actually feel a lot better."
Olruggio sat up, looking at him in disbelief. "Already?" he felt his forehead. "I guess your fever seems to be gone."
He nodded, sitting up as well and looking around. "But, ah… why are we in your room? I could've sworn I went to sleep in my own room."
Olruggio smiled. "You collapsed on me in the landing. Figured this was better than dragging you up that flight of stairs." he chuckled.
"How sweet of you," Qifrey smiled back at him. "I'm afraid we'd better get up, though. Judging by the light through those windows, it's got to be after noon, at least."
Olruggio shot up out of bed. "You're kidding. We'd better go check on the girls. Actually, I'd better go check on the girls."
"Not a chance," Qifrey protested, standing up. He seemed much stabler than last night.
"We'll go together, then." Olruggio conceded, and the two made their way downstairs.
All four of Qifrey's apprentices were sitting by the hearth, working on their spells.
Upon seeing him, their faces lit up.
"Master Qifrey!" Coco hugged him. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better, thank you, Coco," Qifrey smiled, ruffling her hair.
"We were worried about you," Richeh commented.
"I'm so glad you're safe!" Tetia barreled into him, knocking him back a little bit.
Olly automatically helped steady him, but he was okay. He hugged Tetia back immediately. Richeh soon joined the hug.
Agott was watching silently, but she had a smile on her face.
"Agott?" Qifrey offered, opening one arm to welcome her.
After a moment's hesitation, she rolled her eyes and made her way for Qifrey, where she was pulled into the hug.
Olruggio watched the five of them fondly. Maybe Qifrey is finally settling down.