Work Text:
Kiriya huffed softly as he slammed down the beaker, glaring darkly at the potions that were spread out carefully across his workspace. He pursed his lips, fingers drumming on the table as he stared down into the glass in front of him. The blonde had his hair pinned up in a braided style to keep it out of the way while working, a few strands still falling despite his cautiousness at pinning it up.
He had been focusing on the newest berry potions that Savio had given him to work on. But for some reason whenever he got to the end of the brewing, it was either burnt, not the right consistency, or taste so awful the blonde was left gagging the moment he brought it too his lips.
A heavy sigh escaped him as there was a low knock at the door. No doubt the smell from this attempt was passing through the rest of the home. He moved over to the window, opening it even as he spoke. “Come in!” He didn’t turn around as the door opened, focusing on taking a few deep breaths of fresh air while he had a moment to do so.
There was silence from behind him, and Kiriya could almost see the blue eyes of his master roaming the room even though his back was to him. Kiriya finally turned as he heard a clink from the beakers. “I thought for a moment that something had happened with the way you were shouting at it.” Savio said finally, sniffing at the concoction before quickly placing it down again. “You took too long to add the rest of the ingredients again- and didn’t mix them fully, judging by the top of this.” He added critically.
Kiriya moved over, nodding slightly and crossing his arms. “I looked away for a moment longer than I should have to check something. By the time I turned back it was starting to smoke.” He explained. Savio glanced at him briefly, but Kiriya didn’t seem to notice as he started to pick through the ingredients he could salvage.
When Kiriya had first come to him, he had been eager to learn, but quick to anger if he failed at a task. Most of that anger seemed to be aimed at himself, rather than at his mentor. His reaction now was something neither of them thought they would ever reach. Kiriya had his brow furrowed in concentration, setting everything into it’s respective containers as Savio pulled away the unusable bits for him.
“I am sorry it caused such a smell. I wasn’t aware yellow berries could cause such an odor when they’re used incorrectly. I thought I had copied the recipe word for word.” Kiriya continued his muttering as Savio picked up the notes, looking over them. The blonde looked up as Savio chuckled softly. “What are you laughing at, master?”
“You have a recipe for double the amount you’ve made.” Savio said. “You needed to cut all of this in half- did the store tell you this was a large batch?”
“They told me it was usually what they did.” Kiriya said, his cheeks starting to heat up as he took the pages from Savio. He could only hide his face behind the pages in an attempt to hide his embarrassment as Savio emptied the glasses for him. “… I apologize.” He mumbled.
“You’re rushing.” Savio said gently, shaking his head a little as Kiriya looked at him over the edge of the book. “And over working yourself, Kiriya. You cannot complete any potions when you lock yourself up here so often.”
Kiriya didn’t argue as Savio shooed him back and out of the way. Savio was right, and they both knew it. With Savio having stated his apprenticeship was over, Kiriya was still allowed to stay with him and he had been pushing to learn as much as he could before he was finally asked to leave.
As he watched the aristo clean, Kiriya’s grip tightened on the book. Asked to leave. Savio would eventually do it, he thought as Savio set the dirty things into the sink. He finally moved as his master turned the water on. “I made these, I can clean them.” He said gently, setting his notes on the table. Savio nodded slightly, moving back to wipe down the table and Kiriya frowned slightly.
He didn’t know where he was going to go after Savio sent him on his way. He couldn’t return to Halgita- and the small town he grew up in was far from any choice he could make. Kiriya had thought about settling down into Burguss, but he didn’t like the hustle and bustle of the city even on the quieter days He had thought about moving to Fayel, even, but after travelling through the Oradian Dunes with Savio, he had quickly thrown that idea away. He was a fan of the warmth, but the heat was far from enjoyable.
So lost in his thoughts, Kiriya jumped as he felt a gentle touch on his elbow. “Are you alright, Kiriya?” Savio asked gently. Kiriya stared at him for a moment, and Savio turned the water off. “I tried to speak to you a few times. What were you thinking about?”
“I apologize, master. I was… Thinking about after this. When I head out. I still don’t know where I want to go.” Kiriya admitted. Savio was silent, and Kiriya found his lips parting, the words spilling out before he could stop them. “It’s not that I wish to stay here and take too much of your time, or just leave you suddenly without any reason-” He cut off as Savio raised a hand, swallowing the rest of the words that were threatening to spill out.
“Kiriya. You are no longer my student, but you do not need to move on so quickly.” Savio said calmly, lowering his hand. “You can stay here as long as you wish. I apologize if when I told you that your apprenticeship was over that you were given the impression of me asking you to leave.” Kiriya took a deep breath, nodding. He didn’t realized that he had even been holding his breath, as Savio put a hand on his shoulder. “You are free to stay here as long as you wish, Kiriya. I will not make you leave nor will I push you to do so.” He added.
“Thank you, Honourable Savio.” Kiriya said softly.
“You do not need to thank me.” Savio shook his head, pulling away, and Kiriya smiled gently as the aristo murmured a soft excuse when there was a knock on the front door. “I will answer it.”
“Go, I can handle things here.” Kiriya nodded, tucking a few bangs out of his way. “Could you close the door? I want to attempt this one more time…” He fell into soft mumbles, not hearing the small chuckle from Savio as the aristo quietly shut the door, leaving his apprentice to continue his work.