in circles | post-wha fic | memorabilia series
Rated: G (Everyone)
Relationships: Coco & Coco's Mother, Coco & Agott & Tetia & Richeh
Characters: Coco, Coco's Mother, Agott, Tetia, Richeh, Qifrey, Olruggio
Summary:
Once upon a time, in a small village located in the Zozah Penninsula stood a house guarded by walls of thorns.
One day, the thorns fell and revealed mother and daughter in an embrace.
Three years had passed since their disappearance, and neither remembered anything from then in those three years.
(How could Coco ever forget magic?)
word count: 2711
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Witch Hat Atelier, or any of the related characters. The Witch Hat Atelier series is created by Shirahama Kamome and owned by Kodansha Ltd. This story is intended for entertainment purposes only. I am not making any profit from this story. All rights of the Witch Hat Atelier series belong to Kodansha Ltd.
It had been a few weeks since Coco woke up in front of her house beside her mom, missing about three years' worth of memories.
When they woke up, their friends and other villagers swarmed all over them, asking them questions they couldn’t answer and telling them things they couldn’t make sense of. Once they explained how they lost their memories, the villagers filled whatever gaps they could fix. In the span of one afternoon, they learned that their house was sealed away with rose bushes and thorns that could not be cut, no matter how much anyone tried. So they left the area alone, praying that the inhabitants were not there to suffer such a desolate fate. Then one day, the roses wilted and the thorns receded, revealing mother and daughter laying on the ground in a tight embrace.
It was something out of a fairytale, they said.
For some reason, even if three years had passed, the house was spotless and looked even better than how Coco remembered it. Coco’s memories conjured up a house that was aged but sturdy, with walls that were no longer a bright white, but more like the softer shade of crushed eggshells. Some pieces of the roof were chipping, and pieces of the wood beams were beginning to contort due to the moisture that came from hard rain and snowstorms. Despite those images from her memories, the walls were pure white, the tiles of the roof looked brand new, and the wood was replaced with sturdy oak pieces. Even fabric that should’ve definitely yellowed and fell victim to moths was in pristine condition, and her mom even swore that some rolls of fabric hidden in their cellar shouldn’t exist.
“Maybe it really was magic, right, Coco?” Her mother brought her a cup of tea and set it on the table. Coco was sure it was chipped at certain edges before they fell under a spell, but the table looked like it was brand new, and polished to great lengths that Coco swore she could see a fuzzy reflection of herself on it.
“I don’t know. Maybe it really was?” Coco smiled at her mom and wrapped her hands around the cup, savoring the warmth it offered.
“Not so excited about magic anymore?” Her mom put one hand on her waist, her eyebrows pinched in concern for the daughter she had lost.
Coco could only shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t even remember why I loved magic as much,” she confessed.
At that, her mother leaned down to give Coco a hug, maybe to hide away whatever face she was making. “Oh, Coco. What happened to you?”
“I’m okay, mom!” Coco laughed and squeezed her mom. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Her mom released her and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear before she smiled and walked away, leaving her alone in the kitchen which should’ve felt familiar, but felt strange anyways.
Ever since Coco woke up from the three-year nap, she would stand in front of the mirror in her room and stare at her body.
Maybe it was because her clothes were all new since she grew a couple of inches, but it was wrong. Her body felt too light, and she would occasionally reach to her side like she expected some kind of bag to be there. It was like certain pieces were missing; like a belt full of tools on her waist, and a cloak that hid her arms and hands in plain sight.
And her hands.
Her hands.
They were not soft with disuse, but calloused and dyed dark with ink. She could hold them steady and they hardly wavered as they sometimes would in the past. It told her that she was skilled in precise arts like perhaps drawing, or sewing, or something of the sort.
When she and her mother opened shop again, no longer did she have to take a deep breath to cut straight sheets with perfect precision. What was more confusing was her skill in drawing circles for skirts. Steady hands created perfect circles, no matter how big or small.
It came naturally; like it was a skill she painstakingly honed over the years.
There were other things too, like the fact she aged while her mother had not. She gained weight and grew a couple of inches while her mother was exactly the same way as she had remembered her. She even noticed new scars around her body, along her arms, her knees, and her hands that couldn’t come from things like a kitchen knife or by tripping on rocky ground.
But Coco pushed those thoughts to the back of her head and did her best to help her mom rebuild their life in the village, despite how much had changed.
“Do you really not remember? It’s not like I’ll tell the adults,” Tanerl handed Coco a mountain apple before taking a seat beside her. He was two years younger than her, but he’d grown taller than her during the time she was gone. All the things she’d missed always felt like a slap to the face as they slowly but surely sunk in.
“You won’t tell the adults but you’ll tell everyone else, then the adults will hear and they’ll know. Besides,” Coco slumped forward before taking a bite from the fruit. “I really don’t know anything. I wish I did.”
“Nothing at all?”
“If there was something, I would have chased it long ago,” Coco stared at the sunset with scenery that didn’t quite capture her heart as it should have. “But there’s nothing there.”
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Tanerl stood up and looked at her with questioning eyes.
“You’ve changed though. You’re not the same,” there was nothing accusatory in his voice; he simply said it like it was a fact, and all Coco could do was nod in silence.
Their village wasn’t the only thing that changed.
She too, was forever changed.
Coco moved along with the seasons as they shifted with the trails of time. In less than a year, things had more or less settled down. Their shop had a steady stream of customers, and the villagers treated them as kindly as ever. Somehow, Coco knew it was more than she could ever ask for.
On one quiet summer day, during a time when hardly any customers came in, Coco was manning the storefront while her mother worked on a commissioned dress in the back. As Coco pressed her cheeks on the cold wood of a table, the door flew open and entered a young girl her age.
Time came to a standstill as Coco slowly stood up and watched the girl walk in, her turquoise cloak being pulled behind by the wind. Her dark, curly hair covered parts of her eyes, and her mouth was pulled to a fine line.
Coco wanted to stare at her more, maybe run into her and hug her tight and burst into tears. For the first time in months, something felt right and not wrong. She felt like she could finally rest and feel at peace.
But Coco didn’t know her, and she did not know Coco.
The girl lifted her eyes to meet hers, and Coco gave her the best smile she could muster.
“How can I help you?” She asked, instead of asking, “ Where have you been? ”
“Do you have, uh, lace?” The girl asked her.
“We do! What kind of lace are you looking for?” Coco walked towards the rows of lace that covered the wall, as well as the boxes that contained multitudes of sheets that customers may want to browse through.
The girl looked taken aback by the number of options there were but Coco was used to different kinds of customers already.
Coco waited a moment before taking a step closer to the girl and giving her a small smile. “Would you like some recommendations?”
The girl nodded, stepping away and looking away, but not before Coco saw her cheeks turning into a dark shade of red. “Yes, that would be great.”
“What will you be using the lace for? A dress for some special occasion?” Coco asked, beginning to look at the piles of lace they kept in the box. “Maybe for a festival? Or will it be for a headpiece?”
“No, a dress. For formal occasions, I guess,” she said. “For balls and the like.”
“Are you perhaps nobility?” Coco took out a pile of lace from the box and headed for the table. “I should apologize for my lack of courtesy then.”
“No, no. I’m more of a… someone for hire?”
Coco looked her up and down and frowned. “Aren’t you around the same age as me?”
“Like, an artist?” The girl clarified, pushing her hair back. Once the girl met her eyes, Coco was struck at how familiar those purple eyes were. But it was their first time meeting, so it was impossible.
“Oh, I see. I thought you were a mercenary,” Coco laughed as she laid down the samples on the table, pushing away the thought of how pretty the customer was. “That would have been a fun tale to tell my friends. Anyways, here are some samples of what you might like for your dress.”
Coco began to point out the different details of each patch of lace, and how they might be applied to her dress. The girl picked up one patch and Coco fell into the history of that piece, pointing out its patterns and running her finger through the intricate handiwork.
Maybe it was the time of day, or the fact they were alone in such a large room that was meant for bustling customers, or the lack of explanation, but when a few strands of hair fell in front of Coco’s face, the girl brushed them behind her ear. Coco was startled and looked up and expected to see something like embarrassment, but she found the girl looking at her with a look that could only be deciphered as sadness.
“Oh? Are you okay?” Coco moved away and began to panic; she’d dealt with different kinds of customers throughout the year, but she had never come across a customer who looked like they wanted to cry.
Coco was already waving her hands around, unsure if she should hold the girl, pat her shoulder, or give her some privacy to collect herself, but the girl laughed, and all the tension in the air drained out.
“You just remind me of a friend I recently lost. I’m sorry,” the girl said, her lips tight but forming a smile anyways.
“Oh. I’m sorry about that.”
Without thinking, Coco held the girl in a tight embrace. It didn’t feel odd at all; it was like falling into the final slot of a puzzle. “I’m really sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. She’s gone home to her family and friends.” The girl didn’t rest her head on Coco’s shoulder, but her arms clung to Coco as much as she could. “I’m sure she’s happier now.”
In the end, the girl bought four different types of lace and a promise to return with the dress to be added in by them.
When the girl left the shop, everything went back to the way it was.
Of course, Coco never imagined that the girl would be back in just three days, with a dress in tow, and five more people.
There were two more girls around Coco’s age and two adult men who were too busy looking around the shop with Coco’s mother for Coco to take a close look at them.
“Hi!” Coco approached the trio who all smiled at her like they already knew who she was.
“Hello! Nice to meet ya!” The girl with pink, curly hair gave her a thumbs up and a wink. “My name’s Tetia!”
“I’m Richeh,” the girl with long, straight hair pointed at herself with a solemn nod.
And at last, her customer from several days ago introduced herself. “Agott. Thanks for the lace from before,” she said.
“Well, you are a paying customer. Will you be looking around the shop?” Coco asked.
“No. We’re thinking of walking around the village while our masters shop,” Tetia told her. “They might take hours in here.”
Coco giggled. “Would you like me to escort you around? But there isn’t much to see, I’m afraid.”
“No, that would be lovely! Come on!”
With that, Coco was pulled outside to join the three in their walk.
It was strange, the way Coco fit right beside them all. They discussed anything they could, and ran through the fields, just having fun like they were all friends from long ago. Sometimes, the three looked at her with some sort of longing that she couldn’t understand herself. But she understood them, somehow.
Because she looked at them the same way.
“It feels like we’ve been friends for so long. I wonder why,” Coco pulled Richeh up the roof of her house before sitting down beside Agott.
“Maybe we were,” Coco turned her head at Agott, but her eyes were kept firmly on the sunset. “A long, long time ago.”
“Or maybe it’s fate. Agott did come here by accident,” Tetia’s voice was gentle as the breeze. “I’m so glad I got to meet you, Coco.”
“Richeh is glad too. I had fun today,” Richeh leaned on Coco’s shoulder. “I wish this day would never end.”
They all only met so recently, but Coco knew in her heart, she wanted to stay with them just a bit longer. Just a bit longer, just a bit closer. Just until her heart could heal from losing something she didn’t even understand.
Something warm began rolling down her cheeks as she watched sunset disappear over the rows of mountains just beyond her reach. “Me too,” she said. “I wish I could remember why.”
But the day ended, and they had to part their separate ways.
The two men gave their thanks to them both, but they took the time to kneel and take Coco’s hand in theirs, a certain warmth reaching her heart while simultaneously torturing it.
“You have our thanks, Coco. For all that you’d done,” the man with silver hair said. His hands were familiar, and the weight was appreciated. There was something about the man that made Coco feel loved and appreciated, in the same vein her mom made her feel.
“There’s no need! I had fun with your apprentices,” Coco smiled at him with all the sincerity she could give him. “It was a great day.”
He moved away but the other man remained, his blue eyes twinkling with something akin to a fondness for a girl he’d only just met; in a way that should’ve made Coco feel awkward, but only made her feel relieved. “We’re glad then. Take care, okay?” He said. “May our paths cross again.”
The next words came as naturally as breathing, like a reflex that could never be forgotten. “And under the light it may be,” and that simple reply caused the two men to beam at her, like it was they who taught her that phrase.
“Thank you, Coco! For showing us around!” Tetia hugged her with an intense ferocity, that Coco almost couldn’t breathe. Luckily, the girl let go of her and allowed Richeh to give her a light but sweet embrace.
Finally, Agott hugged her, and Coco knew their time was up. It was time to say goodbye.
Again.
“Don’t forget us,” Agott whispered.
“I won’t. Come visit again, okay?” Coco’s voice was warbling, but she didn’t care. Deep inside her, she knew why, but even that was enough for her.
“We promise.”
“We’ll come back.”
“We’ll see you soon.”
“Even if I forget?”
“Especially if you forget.”
Part 2 of the Memorabilia series
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