Chapter Text
i.
“I thought studying medical herbs is illegal for witches.”
It's rare to hear Agott talk first so early in the morning, because she is usually the one who’s busy fighting off her dazed state to stay awake from sleeping so late at night. So, naturally, her voice snatches nearly everyone’s attention around the table, stopping all the chewing on their breakfast to stare starstruck at her. Except Olruggio, who’s just arrived in the dining room, glancing at her before proceeding to drink his coffee next to Riche.
“Why are you guys looking at me like that?” Agott asks, more suspicious than offended. She then nods toward something on the kitchen countertop to specify her start off; a vase of freshly picked wildflowers so colorful and vibrant - they sharpen the already gleaming on her other friends’ faces immediately.
“Oh!” says Tetia. Her usual cheerful demeanor gradually lessens into a worry frown; others’ shoulders sag down along with hers. “Wait. Those flowers are medical herbs?” she asks, turning her head in a whip, searching for Olruggio’s face since their Professor Qifrey is currently preoccupied with ingredients in the back stockroom.
The man, Olruggio, sitting next to his bastard best friend’s; Qifrey’s vacant chair, chokes on his coffee at that.
“Professor Olruggio?” Coco calls for him warily as she offers him a glass of water when the man coughs. Riche helps her by patting Olruggio on the back.
“Who said those are medical herbs?” Olruggio asks in between subsiding coughing fit, murmuring a thank you to both Riche and Coco. “Did Qifrey say that to all of you?”
“Did the professor say that? I honestly don’t know,” Tetia says in confusion, grinning shyly when Agott huffs tiredly at her. “I can’t help it! I was too excited with these waffles, hehe.”
“Actually, he never told us that,” Coco replies with the same confusion. Riche nods along with her, and they both stare outside the window to look for Qifrey. “He just accepted Professor's gift just like that, and went out, didn’t he?”
Agott’s brows are shot up hearing that, but she doesn’t say anything; only glances at Olruggio with neutral expression while shoving a spoonful of her breakfast into her mouth. However, a neutral expression of a twelve year-old girl is just as clear as a day for the only adult in the room; it only tells that her interest is piqued and answered at the same time.
“How do you know those are medical herbs, Agott?” Coco asks, turning to her side.
“They’re not medical herbs, I promise,” Olruggio quickly answers, because, just like Agott (he assumes), he remembers that one of those flowers was used to relieve fever for Riche once. “It’s a package that your professor asked me to get from the SouthEast border. He, uh, he needs them for seasoning. Like, you know. Seasoning his next experiment for our meals, is all.”
Both Tetia and Coco hum at that. Riche tilts her head to the side, contemplative, while Agott remains silent as she stares straight ahead to the vase again. Olruggio furrows his eyebrows, insulted when the dark-haired apprentice throws him a look that says 'what a terrible act of lying' after that.
“But why must he put them in the vase, then?” Riche asks just as Olruggio is about to busy himself again with his mug of coffee. “Why not immediately store them in the stockroom? Or put it outside? Seasonings need to be dried first, right?” She knows this, because Professor Qifrey always explained about the process of everything while doing them. Always.
These girls are too clever for my own good, Olruggio thinks to himself. “Well, maybe he forgot...?” he offers with a stiff smile, clearing his throat as he dives in to claim and eat Qifrey’s breakfast, out of impulse. It’s a lie, of course. Almost all of it. And he does feel guilty for pushing through, but he can’t just admit to the rest of them that some of the plants can be used as an antidote; one of the rarest antidotes for the deadliest poison, in fact. A little dose of its concoction can even chase off mokeskin pox overnight.
It’s just- Qifrey has the most ridiculous yet understandable idea to plant them in their hidden garden, asking him just a month ago to bring them home - because, as the Watchful Eye, Olruggio got to travel to the SouthEast border this time around solely in the matter of business. But this is the crowded port area that has the tightest security for exports and imports that they have discussed about. The plants grow in this exact depth of the ocean, guarded by ‘marines’ that are trusted and binded by law, by the Council of Magic Security. How on earth is he going to sneak a bunch with him without pulling an act of the greatest rogue Witch of the century?
“It’s the perfect time, because next week will be the right season for them to ripe!” Qifrey tried to persuade him, even as Olruggio worked on his project in his own atelier. "They are not only for poisons, and you know this, too, right? You can get past the check-out procedure with ease, I think. Just tell them that they’re for cleaning the stain of the oldest artefact that we have to maintain, or even your burnt equipment! I promise, Olly, if you do bring them here, I will find the actual ancient artifacts that might fill in the gap for us, and cook you whatever meal you want me to make for the next three months as well.”
“Only the next three months?” Olruggio tried to play it off, keeping up an uninterested facade, one brow raised up. The gears inside his brain were already activated regardless, mapping out a large-scaled tactic and overlaying plan on how to do this safely, because Olruggio was born to solve problems out of spite; he loves challenges more than he loves sleep, and it’s been that way even before Beldaruit pointed him to guide and watch over Qifrey in (and with) his bizarre ways.
“Oh, Olly. Is keeping the status quo for the girls at bay isn’t a good enough answer for you?” Qifrey then pulled this damned technique that Olruggio despises so much; it's practically Olruggio’s fortitude weakness. A rueful gaze and glimmering miserable intonation like a kicked puppy that lowkey can shake his foundation of beliefs.
And so, even as he arrived with his usual unbothered demeanor just now this morning, Olruggio managed to actually bring home the requested plants after swearing nonstop and excessively to himself the entire journey of dodging officers, back here. He had to put extra normal-looking packaging in a bouquet style that the Unknowings love to design for special occasions, because magic is easier to detect instead of frivolous setups these days like that incredibly festive thing.
“Eat your breakfast, now, all of you,” he demands as he chews, “Your professor will come in and begin his lesson of the day soon.” He continues eating, even as eyes pinning on him for a little while, and breathes out a relaxed sigh when the children start picking up their utensils again.
“Okay dad!” Tetia chants happily, obviously absentminded when she says it. It takes a moment for her to realize that all heads now turned to her in surprise. Olruggio, specifically, looks stunned with his jaw slacked when she looks at him. "Eh? Waffles, everyone?" She’s still clueless about what is going on for another moment until Agott points it out.
“You called Professor Olruggio ‘dad’.”
There's a pause.
“Huh?” Tetia stops chewing so that her hearing doesn’t clash with the sound of it. “Sorry, Agott, come again?”
“Dad.” Riche smiles at her teasingly, all mischievous. “You called Professor Olly dad! Again!”
“You called him dad again?” Coco looks at her, face perking up in amusement when Tetia gapes at them.
When it all clicks, Tetia eventually looks around in panic and screeches. Rose color climbing up fast from her neck to her entire face as she tries her best to swallow her food quickly before covering her face with both hands. Olruggio makes a strained noise behind his throat in worry when Tetia chokes and hiccups, and thins his lips nervously, uncertain of what to do, while Coco pats her back with a gleeful fond expression.
“Take it easy, kid,” Olruggio says after Tetia downs her entire glass of water, refusing to look at him at all. The slip-up must feel so awkward for her, he knows, even though it’s happened more than two times already. He is glad when Qifrey finally shows up with a basket full of raw spices on his hands and their eyes meet amidst sudden piercing brightness from outside.
“Oh, you’re not going straight to bed?" Qifrey asks him with a joyful smile just as Olruggio opens and closes his mouth, blinking dumbly at him. “You have visitors, by the way. They’re... outside. Uh…” he slows down and stops in his tracks when he hears small cluttering noises from his apprentices. “Hello, girls?” he says when he notices that some of them are trying to stifle giggles while Tetia is covering her face with both hands. “Is everything alright? What did I miss? What's wrong with Tetia?”
He approaches them after putting down the basket on the floor, near vials and glass milk bottles. Agott ignores Riche’s nudging, and Coco takes the liberty to respond to him after seeing that. “We were talking about Professor Olruggio’s gift,” she says with an innocent grin, considerate as ever. Riche points toward the vase of flowers behind Qifrey with her index finger.
“They’re medical herbs, aren’t they?” Riche slips in right after without hesitation. This time, she's the one ignoring Agott's reprimanding nudge at her.
“Ah, these?” Qifrey turns around and inclines his head to the vase. His eyes trail on Olruggio, noticing a shake of head; disapproval, but words come out faster from his head and lips because of the sleep-deprivation he bears. “Yeah, some of these are-”
“No, they aren’t,” Olruggio talks over him, intonation firm. He feels the girls’ eyes on him in a snap, and he maintains the flattest expression to ever exist. “They aren’t,” he repeats calmly.
“Right! They aren’t!” Qifrey quickly straightens himself up, throwing an apologetic glance at him, then smiles widely at his apprentices.
Olruggio just huffs a silent sigh at him, and stares beyond the opened door instead of meeting Agott’s assessing stare. There are curious heads poking in from the door frame, politely trying to find any sign that Olruggio might be inside; being tentative about setting their feet inside their residency. He still listens to Qifrey's voice carrying on.
"They are just, uh, a gift for me." Qifrey gestures, and jests, "Because I am a very precious friend that Professor Olly likes so much." He then moves to check on Tetia, not daring to look at Olruggio at all. “Tetia, are you okay?”
Agott snorts, somewhat disdainful, while Coco chuckles behind her hand just at the same time Olruggio stands up from his seat. “She’s alright, professor,” Coco giggles, and Tetia just sniffs her dignity back inside, along with her flying soul, and cools out. Neither of them corrects Qifrey's oblivious statement in comparison to Olruggio's answer much earlier.
“I ate your breakfast,” Olruggio tells Qifrey as he heads to the door while tidying his cloak, hoping it might annoy and distract his friend from poking around poor Tetia. “That’s for not eating them right away. Totally not my fault. Will definitely do it again once I'm back later."
Qifrey lets out a noiseless gasp of disbelief when Olruggio sticks his tongue out at him. “The nerve? I’ll eat yours tomorrow, you just watch,” he warns sternly, feigning an insulted reaction. His friend only responds with a brief raspberry sound and a thumbs-down before walking out. “It’s a serious threat, you hear me!” Qifrey half-yells in a not-serious-at-all voice, followed with stifled laughter.
Olruggio smirks to himself, lighthearted, and wears his hat before facing his visitors outside. Four strangers with hopeful faces greet him and he humbly greets them back.
“Sorry for the wait," Olruggio says, "Children, literally and figuratively.” He doesn’t elaborate. “What can I help you with, gentlemen?" He secretly scans them; their body language, their posture, their characteristics, all in a quick glance. He casually walks along with them, then, because people who need the help from a Witch this early morning tend to have the lowest chance of being rushed by urgency; it's also asserted in the way they carry themselves as they chat.
"We should be the one apologizing to you for disturbing your morning routines," says one of the four men; his eyes are muddy green and his hair bronze-colored. He’s taller than the rest of them; twice more social, too. “We’re travelers from a tribe in the far West continent. We desperately need help because our caravan got damaged from being attacked by bandits.” He extends his hand for a proper handshake.
Olruggio, however, knowing that reciprocating an Unknowing’s hand for an acceptance of something else other than peaceful coalition between witches and Unknowings under legitimate written covenant - is a violation against ordinance from ‘above’, quickly clarifies.
“I’m sorry,” Olruggio says, politely rejecting with a professional smile, and inclines his head in a quick bow. “Not intending to be rude. But married witches aren’t allowed to, uh, make direct and intentional physical contact with anyone else except their significant other. This,” he gestures to the stretched hand toward him, “is included, unfortunately."
“Married witches?” the man repeats it with raised brows, a mystified look on his face. “You’re a Watchful Eye that is married? I'm - that’s… new, for me."
"Well, pops, didn't we just talk to his husband?" To Olruggio's surprise, the other, younger man asks him. He's eyeing his father before staring at Olruggio with cautious interest. "The other friendly Witch. The tall, white-haired one. And they live together, don't they? Also, they have kids already. Right, mister witch?"
Olruggio can't believe they're actually buying it. He wants to laugh and his palms sweat for thinking that he and Qifrey as married couple, so he just- clears his throat and leaves it at that.
"Ah," the man says, skepticism still pliant on his face. "You should never speculate such a thing on first impression, Guldu. It might seem rude for a stranger you just met, you know?"
The man then apologizes to him while laughing nervously, which is a relief, because Olruggio wouldn’t know what else to say to lie further for his own sake. He only tells them, after that - misunderstanding is just an old friend, and that no boundaries are crossed.