There was a rapid series of knocks on the door and then Luz opened it seeing a familiar pointy eared, green haired with brown roots, pale skinned, yellow eyed face.
"Amity, welcome to the owl house." Luz said as her friend walked in.
"Yooouuu'vvvvveee been here beeeefoooree." Hooty reminded her before the door was shut.
"Remind me to kill the owl tube on the way out." Amity said deadpan before smiling at the three friends she made: Willow, Gus, and Luz.
"So what's the occasion Luz?"
"Miss apprentice wanted a sleepover" Eda revealed as she walked in.
"Oh? I used to have those all the time with Willow when I was younger, and with Boscha as I grew older."
"Oh, well do you want a bed or a sleeping bag?"
"I brought a sleeping bag." Amity said pulling it out and secretly hoping the twins would hold up their promise.
"It's fine, you can have the nest if you want." Eda offered.
"That's very kind of you, but I don't want to impose any more than I already have."
The Owl lady handwaved that suggestion "Let's see I have a random human, the king of demons, a renegade witch, and three of the best witchlings this side of the Isles. Stay as long as you feel like kid."
With that statement Luz expression saddened until Eda gave her hair a ruffle "Chin up kiddo, you'll be top of 'em all one day. I can see it, no Emperor Belos or Fear Bringer will stop you."
Willow coughed into ther fist "So what do you do at a sleepover before just sleeping?"
"Well when my Older sister Caída was still with me and mami we would make pizza ,watch a movie or two, and tell scary stories." the teen let out a nostalgic sigh "I miss her since she went to the academy."
"Oh what kind of academy? My cousin Amelia went to one for the the emperor's wardens."
"Army academy. She said she was going to become a ranger. Anyway let's get started with the pizza. Any toppings you guys want?"
"Everything!" Gus, ever an enthusiast for human things, shouted.
"Maybe just olives and onions." Willow asked
"Thornberries and griffon meat" Amity asked.
"Ok. Now time to start." first she began to stretch the dough out into a rough circular shape, then flatten it to make sure that no air bubbles would be trapped in it. Next was the tomato sauce which since she didn't have any diced just skinned one and crushed it with a rolling pin before sprinkling spider-cow cheese on top. As the last touch she spread the toppings, taking care to not have them all intersect before popping it into the oven.
As Luz waited for it to bake she asked the other three wahat they thought of the emperor now.
"He's basically a superpowered bully at this point!" Willow exclaimed
"Much weaker than I thought he would be considering you were able to injure him Luz, no offense. It's just most of your spells are utility as opposed to direct combat applications. Besides the fireball spell at least." Amity said with rapt attention.
"Well no man will be invincible and I'm worried about what his plans for my home were."
"Were?" Gus asked
"Yeah, I destroyed the door."
"WHY!? The human world is so interesting! I learned of a new human spell called a gun! I though you couldn't use magic!"
"A gun? That's not a spell, my sister would know more about them than I would. I'll text her later."
"But they're firearms, do you have innate fireball spells?"
"Called so because they use fire and rely on you using your arms, Gus. I'll ask Caida about them later, provided she picks up. Also Amity how are you able to stay here overnight? I thought your parents dislike us."
"Well they're fine with Gus because of him being a prodigy in illusion magic. Willow due to her skill with plant magic. As for everyone else, I had my siblings take care of it."
Back at Blight Manor
"Mother, I'm going to be staying over with Boscha and Skara for a conjuring tonight." Amity called.
"Alright, your father and I bid you good luck." Odalia called back.
Then 'Amity' vanished with a near inaudible pop of blue smoke.
"Are you sure she's convinced Edric?"
"Absolutely, Emira. Have a little more faith in me."
"After the library incident maybe I should, but then again we both caused that mess."
"Fair, fair, now do you remember what we get from Mittens for this."
"Yeah, she leaves on sound recording the whole time she's there. That way we get to learn how far she goes with her little crush. Maybe you can do something similar with Jerbo."
"Ouch, sis you said you wouldn't bring it up."
Then the sound of shoes on hardwood came clacking down the hall "Jerbo, Jerbo, Jerbo? Where have I heard that name before?" said Alador Blight "Oh yes, he was in the detention track last I heard."
"He was moved to abomination and plant tracks, father." Edric said straightening up "And aside from Amity and Willow Park he's top of the class."
"Very impressive, and why did you mention him Edric?"
"Oh um well, you see dad I was planning to ask hi-"
"Edric was planning to ask him for notes on abominations to try and develop an illusion that looks almost perfectly like one."
"Oh, were you planning to switch to abominations or multi-track, Edric?"
"I was. Maybe I could ask Mittens for help."
"I suggest you do that Edric, it would give you more time to think about how to get together with Jerbo." Alador finished with a knowing smile
"Dad, how did you know?"
Alador's grin turned wicked "Would you like to know, my boy?" he asked as he began to float, crackling with magic power.
Back to the Owl House
The oven dinged signaling the pizza was done. Luz took it out and then set it on the stove to cool. Then she returned to the living room only to find Amity tomato red while Willow and Gus were laughing.
"Oh hey guys, what were you talking and why is Amity so angry looking?"
"Oh just who we like at school?" the plant witch snickered.
"Really Willow? I had no idea you were into that stuff."
"Same here Luz. I answered honestly and said so far nobody at school. Maybe after my growth spurt and going to the human realm."
"You'd totally kill it there Gus, but quite a few people will look at your ears in an odd way considering y'know, rounded." she said motioning to her own.
"What if I travel with you Luz? Then maybe they'll think I'm a normal human."
"You travel with me and you'll be seen as an even bigger freak. I had backup snakes and taxidermized griffins."
"So anyway, we were going to ask Amity who she has a crush on. Maybe it's someone here?"
"Somebody here? Ha,ha.. Ha. Nope my only love is the dictionary."
"And Malingale." Luz snickered causing Amity to turn maroon.
"Shut it. My only real love is a dictionary."
"Oh and the pizza is done guys. Gus you can have my slice."
"Sick, what toppings?"
"None, just cheese, most people eat it plain anyway."
"Really? Seems kinda odd."
"Not as odd as those who put pineapple on it. They're insane." Luz joked.
The teens, sans Luz took a slice each except for Gus who had a plain cheese and everything slice. The first bite came and so did the searing heat of freshly baked food.
"Ow, ow, ow." Willow whined her mouth hanging open to vent the burn.
"What? This is fine." Gus added with a nervous laugh.
Luz grinned her otter smile as Gus felt the spice begin to spark in earnest as he kept making illusory glasses of water. None of them could quench the fire that his toppings brewed up and in fact seemed to fan it more and more. Amity on the other hand was staying quiet taking dainty bite after bite. Then deciding to just scarf it down. "Delicious thanks Luz."
"Eh, no sweat." Luz said laughing and then spotting the sun about to dip below the horizon. "So who wants to watch a movie?"
The three witchlings agreed as Luz thought of a movie to watch. Then it came to her, a movie of horror on Earth that while dated was still serviceable. Though before putting it on she sent Caída a quick text.
'Hey big sis, how are you doing? I know it's been awhile, but I miss you. That and a friend of mine has a question involving guns. Why are they called firearms?'
Then she put the movie on and had Gus make the image larger and clearer. It showed a balck night sky as if shot from the void itself, tiny pinpricks of light in view. Then it came into view, wobbling as it did so. Before seeming to shoot around Earth as it burnt up. Then the name came into view as it was craved from space.
Nearly two hour slater it was over and the four decided to sleep together just in case one of them needed their hand held to go to the bathroom. Gus was still spellbound by the technology used in the movie.
"Did you see that guys! They could use fire spells and their staffs were amazing, such an odd shape!" He said remembering all the battles the research team were in.
"Those were flamethrowers Gus, they're used mainly for clearing snow, but in the past they were used as weapons of war." Luz said yawning as she laid down in her sleeping bag. The other teens did similar as night blanketed the group and brought good dreams for each.
In Gus's he was exploring the human world, learning new facts about their forms of magic and technology, trying the local cuisine and having questions about the isles asked of him. Peace was what he was wishing for and peace was achieved in that dream until he tripped and saw a familiar mask with cold blue eyes.
Willow however was dreaming of a field of wildflowers growing at her command. Her fathers' eyes alight with wonder and laughing about when they thought she would have better opportunities in the abomination track. Then the field pitched and writhed, the ground turning gelatinous then two eyes appearing where her fathers once stood as the body rose and shuddered into an abomination easily double the size of hexside. It pointed down at her and laughed, loud, louder, yet silent, until it spoke in Boscha's voice "Half-a-witch."
Luz was shaking and shivering, the cold halls around her clanging with each step she took. Armed only with a torch and an axe. She was busy dealing with the dark and then she saw the generator and got it started. Light flooded the room and she saw the vent she just crawled through as something long emerged from it. Then it's head popped as what appeared to be a man covered in slime from the waist up started walking towards her as her vision flashed the same color. Then she saw the thing open up with two flaps line with razor sharp teeth surrounding a central mouth and she bolted out of the room. Obviously it followed her and she then turned a corner to catch her breat before feeling a sharp pain in her leg and saw the thing begin to rise form the ground and bite her again.
Lastly Amity was convulsing. She was there the night before Grom about to actually hand Luz her note and now nothing could stop her as she passed the latina her love note. She watched with apprehension as Luz unfolded it. First her crush looked at it with her normally happy look, then confusion, shock, before settling on purse disgust. Her eyes returned to Amity and she tore the note in half. She looked up grinning at Amity's hurt expression and her grin growing ever wider with each tear.
"Wow, why would I like someone as sad as you? Absolutely pathetic, and you think you're little miss perfect. What makes you better than any other student here besides that small star?" she then backhanded the youngest Blight before spitting on her. Somewhere in the back of Amity's mind, where all rationality goes when the brain is overtaken by the primordial dream soup, came the shrieking. A shriek saying that Luz would never do this as her manifestation turned and walked away, arm in arm with a man with flawless pecs and an eyepatch.
Then suddenly she was upright in her sleeping bag, Luz sprawled out asleep, going nowhere. Amity brushed her hair out of her eyes and took the time to examine Luz. The subtle muscle tone in her arms that wasn't there when they first met. Her round ears which were incredibly endearing to her. The cat ears on her hoody. "I wish I had the courage to do this while I was awake, but I guess I could tell you now. I love you Luz and I hope you know this." she said as she gave her a quick peck on the nose before rolling over and going back to sleep.
Morning came quickly as hours sped by like seconds. Then the sun rose illuminating the eye of the Owl House and casting away the cloak of sleep from the current residents. Luz was the first up and as hse reached around for her phone she saw a text from Caída.
'Hey hermanita, how are things in the Demon Realm? Been awhile huh? Anyway to answer your friend's question the answer is Latin. Armaments, army, firearms, all come from Latin. Te veré muy pronto'
The phone clattered to the ground. The she began to mutter and pace.
"Caída in the isles? How? Where? Why?" she shook her head "A better question how does she know I'm here and what does she want?"
All this was interrupted by a singular sound repeated three times over. The sound of flesh on hardwood followed by the creak of metal and wood. Then a voice that was not made for mortals to ponder on the possibility of the owner.
"Visitor. Hoot! Hoot!"