Dearest Lulu, I hope this letter finds you well and that you're enjoying your time with your parents. Hooty was outside the Owl House, using a typewriter instead of writing since...he couldn't properly hold a pen. And Lucila had to teach him how to use it, so he just mashed the buttons with his face to type. I'm writing to let you know that I am a genius!
Whenst I wrote you last, I was in the throes of a malaise. Hooty went over to the mailbox, seeing a letter in it. "That's when I got your letter!"
He laid it down on a rock to read. "Hello, Hootsifer. Your letter concerned me. You write of feeling unimportant while Luz, Lucila, Eda, and King are off on adventures." Hooty looked towards the window sadly, seeing the shadows of the girls and Eda. "But, Hooty, you are the Owl House." King popped up and Luz took hold of him, the four walking off. "You take care of everyone inside you. If that isn't a worthy purpose, then what is?"
He cooed happily, a tear falling from his face.
Hooty opened himself up to talk to them. "How we doin', hoot house?"
Luz was on one couch, looking at her terrarium, Eda was reading scrolls on the other couch, and King was in front of a crystal ball next to her. Near King was Lucila, who was sitting at the desk and looking at two drawings.
"Can you keep it down?" King called out, trying to lower his own voice. "Down. Down! Why does this keep happening?"
Hooty went over to him. "Sounds like our little demon is becoming a 'de-man'."
"Ugh! Why does that sound so wrong coming from you?" His voice broke a little. "You!" He then yelled in frustration, jumping off the couch. "I am done with this!"
Hooty laughed as he then went over to Eda. "Those teens, eh? Their moods change like the wind."
Eda put down her scroll...and clothespins were holding up her eyelids, as her eyes were red, meaning that she hadn't gotten any sleep. "Whoa!"
"I'm freakin' out, Hooty," She informed him. "Belos is planning something big, and I'm weaker than a newborn witchling. If I wanna protect you guys, I have to train as hard as I can to get strong. No rest!" She gathered her supplies, standing up.
"But every time you overwork yourself, you turn into the Owl Beast," Hooty said in concern.
"I said no rest!" She exclaimed, blowing an air horn, alarming the others. She then stomped away.
"Can you please be quiet?" Luz spoke up in exasperation. "You're scaring the echo mouse." She sat up, frowning. "And if he's not happy, I'll never make my way into Amity's heart...I mean, make a portal back home," She blushed, sweating a bit. "Uh, we have to go!" She ran off towards her room.
"Like I said, moods changing like the wind," Hooty went over to Lucila, who looked at drawings of Edric and Hunter. Her eyes darted between them.
"Huh? Not now, Hooty," She waved him off.
"Ooh! Two boys, eh?" He nudged her and she flinched with wide eyes. "Kinda makes you wonder who's got your heart!"
"Hunter-no—Edric! Ah hah..." She scooped up the drawings with a blush and awkward smile. "I mean...no one! Ahhh!" She ran off in embarrassment.
You were right, Lulu. These four needed my help. So I devised the plan of plans.
He gave a wide grin to himself.
Hooty slithered to the doorway of the kitchen. Your words inspired me to help everyone, Lulu. So I'll start with King. He stopped himself across the table, looking at King, who was going through various books on demons.
"Maybe if I figure out what kind of demon I am, I'll know what's going on," He murmured to himself, flipping through a page. "But nothing in here looks like me," He flipped through more pages.
Our little bundle of joy was growing up, and he had questions. As the only other demon in the house, I had answers! But would he accept help from me? Never. Unless...
Hooty loomed over him, his eyes glowing. He then opened up his mouth above King, and then it was dark.
King emerged from a large ball of what looked like garbage, and when he broke himself free, he was covered in it. He looked at himself, furious.
"Did you owl pellet me?!"
"Are you angry, sweaty?" King heard Hooty's voice, backing up a bit in fear. "Is there hair in places? Does your voice crack in a super embarrassing way?" He slithered past King, who looked a little unnerved as he stepped back again. "I have the answers you seek...you're going through demon puberty!"
The lights turned on to reveal a circular room with a board of pictures. There were also pictures of demons on the walls, and it sort of felt like a classroom...but for demon puberty.
"Ugh!" King facepalmed himself. "The last thing I want from you is a health class."
"This isn't a health class," Hooty went over him and he ducked his head. "It's an unholy test, to determine what kind of demon you are!" He pulled down what looked to be a chart for demon traits. They were fur, chinchilla, pocket monster, Cthulhu, fidgety, claws, cartoon, and super cute.
"Really?" King asked hopefully, standing up.
"Yup! Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm the only other demon here. So," Hooty chuckled at him. "What other choice do you have?"
"Uh..." King thought about it, and realized that Hooty actually had a point. It wasn't like any other demons were stepping up to assist him, especially since he didn't know other demons that well. "All right," He shrugged in agreement. "What the heck?"
"Yay!" Hooty took hold of him, flying around the room. He put on a hat and King sat in front of the board to pay attention. "Our ancestors arose from the muck of a decomposing Titan. And there are so many of us! But all demons can be placed in three categories: Bug, Biped, and Beast."
"Yeah, okay. Everyone knows about the three B's-"
"Do not interrupt!" Hooty shouted angrily, King looking a little scared of him for once. "Now, I'm pretty sure you're not a Bug, but we can't rule anything out. As a type of worm myself..." He wiggled his body, which made King shudder in disgust. "I'm an expert on this subject! Let's begin!" He dove forward, taking a screaming King with him.
King was dressed in a pink t-shirt with music symbols on it, and he groaned. "Bug types naturally communicate through dance," Hooty informed him, looking up at a dance chart. "Also, don't tell Luci I accidentally shrunk that shirt. Like so!" He turned to a fairy and a bug, who did a brief dance. Hooty sniffled at them. "Poetic."
King danced, but...it just gave shocked reactions. "Don't you talk about my mother!" Hooty screamed angrily, hissing at King and chasing after him, even though the demon didn't even know what he said.
King panted as Hooty looked down at him. "Well, your dance was offensive and your attempt to spin a cocoon was just...sad. Honestly."
"Can we just not talk about the cocoon?" King asked awkwardly, hugging his tail.
"Okay! Let's see if you're a Biped demon," Hooty looked to the collage of Biped demons. "They walk on two legs and even have bile sacks just like witches! So for this test, you're gonna have a duel with a little friend of mine," Hooty bumped the box nearby, and it revealed Tiny Nose, who was playing a game of sorts.
"A scuffle, eh?" King prepared himself, since she was smaller. "Alright, alright. Let's do it! Just, uh, don't get mad if you can't-" Hooty rang a bell and Tiny Nose threw her console, shouting in rage. She spun a spell circle, firing a large ball of fire that knocked King into the wall. He screamed in pain as it caused an explosion. Lucila opened up her window, looking up in confusion.
He coughed while sitting on a chest, Hooty coming up behind him. "Wow! Heh, not a single spell. Even Bug demons have some magic."
"I-It's fine, it's fine," King held up a hand, getting a little frustration, but had hope for the last one. "Let's just keep going."
"Okay, okay. There's only one way to test for Beast types." Hooty looked down at the box again, Tiny Nose pushing it away while holding a needle and wearing a mask. "I'm gonna need a blood sample."
"I gwaduated from medical school!" Tiny Nose cheered, and when she poked King, he screamed in pain.
He met Hooty on the ceiling, annoyed by everything he just went through...
"After reviewing the results, we've come to a conclusion."
"Lay it on me!" King squeezed his eyes shut. "Beast, Bug, Biped, I don't care! I just wanna know what I am!"
Hooty's eyes shined in front of King. "You..." King gasped in anticipation. "Are you!" Hooty suddenly had a banner with balloons and wore two party hats. Tiny Nose was holding something in the likeliness of King.
"Hooway!"
Hooty placed a party hat over King. "Weh?"
"The blood tests were inconclusive," The house demon informed him, glancing at Tiny Nose. "We don't really know what you are. But that's okay 'cause we don't need to know that to be your friends!"
King just chuckled in disbelief, fists clenched. "I...thought you had real answers..."
"The only real answer is inside your heart," Hooty nuzzled his cheek, King pushing him away.
"I don't need you to tell me to love myself, Hooty," He walked away, throwing away the hat as he looked down at a pile of balloons. "I wanna know where I came from, what my dad looked like, what I'll look like when I grow up," He held a balloon, staring at his reflection until it popped. Hooty frowned at his answer not being good enough to help. "I don't have any responses to my video yet. Or my wanted posters. Maybe my dad is gone. Maybe there's no one else like me. And I'll live my whole life without any answers!" He kicked some balloons.
"No!" Hooty exclaimed in despair. "I didn't wanna make you mad!"
"Well, I am mad. At him, for not being here!" He had tears in his eyes, sniffling sadly. His tears hit the floor, and his crying continued. "He left me ALONE!" Suddenly, a sonic scream occurred from him, popping all of the balloons and exploding the cake. It even blew a tree and King panted, looking at his hands in confusion. The banners burned as they broke off.
"Oh, no...now I'm sad too," Hooty sunk towards the ground, Tiny Nose walking up to him.
"At least the cake is good!"
"It was supposed to be a crumble!" He shouted, moving away while crying.
"Hooty?" King looked down at him, but he didn't listen. "Hooty!"
Things got a little, uh, messy with King. But I wasn't about to give up! He went back inside the house, following the trail of books and papers. What Eda said confused me. How could she get stronger if she's bone-tired? And maybe I was being a nervous Nellie, but I couldn't shake my fear of the Owl Beast coming out.
Eda walked down the hall, her eyes still pinned. "Me? Sleep? Ha! Not until I can call myself the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles once again!" She stopped in front of a tray that was in front of her door. It was a plate of Hooty-shaped cookies along with a glass of milk. She took a note that was included.
"A reward for all your hard work! Love, Hooty? Hmm," The pins fell from her eyes. "Not a bad idea. I could use the fuel," She took a bite from a cookie, actually finding them delicious. "Dang, owl boy can bake," She took another bite, but she noticed that there were purple sparkles from it...She squeezed some between her fingers, and floating z's came from it. "Sleeping nettles...?" She murmured in confusion.
"Yup!" Hooty popped out of the ground. "One bite will put you to sleep for hours!"
"Sleeping nettles don't just put you to sleep, they heighten your dreams!" Eda informed him. "Do you realize who you just stuck me with?"
A noise was heard and she looked down the hall to see that it was now dark. A growl was heard in the distance. "Hooty, don't let me fall asleep," Eda ordered him, but then Hooty fell, revealing that it was just a wooden carving of him.
"Yup! One bite will put you to sleep for hours! For hours...for hours..." She then realized that she already was asleep, turning around as she heard another growl. She gritted her teeth.
"You know, maybe this is an opportunity...The Owl Beast is why I ran away from home. The Owl Beast is why I never got close to anyone," She looked away angrily. "And the Owl Beast..." A shadow ran past her and she looked back, seeing it disappear down another hall. "Is why I don't have magic," She growled out, the Owl Beast coming out of hiding. "Oh, you've haunted me long enough, birdbrain. I think it's time for me to haunt you!"
She stepped forward, and everything changed to a bedroom and not the Owl House, confusing her. "Huh?" She stepped up to the mirror and saw her younger self in the reflection. "Huh! Well, this is a development," She scratched her cheek as her voice sounded different as well.
"Edalyn!" Gwen called out, and she sounded far away. "Come downstairs, please!"
She walked down the steps, passing by family photos. Then she stopped as she saw the living room, with a dinner table set up. Her mother with brown hair manifested from thin air, putting down a bowl of food. Then the younger Lilith manifested, hiding something in her hands.
"Mother, do you like my napkin folding?" She revealed a large sawn, or what looked like one. Eda just sighed at this, looking away.
"Oh, that's nice, sweet-flea," Gwen glanced back at Eda. "Edalyn! Help us set up, won't you?"
"Sorry, dream-mom," Eda denied, walking down the steps. "I don't have time for whatever this is. I'm on a mission."
Her mother just laughed it off. "You're going to say that the night your dad leaves for the Mandible."
"Dad?" Her eyes widened, the door opening to reveal her mother.
"Hey, pumpkin! Here to see me off?"
"Dad!" She ran up to the man, hugging him. "It's so good to see you again."
He hugged her back, looking down in a bit of confusion. "I was only gone for an hour. Hey, I know I won't be home for a while, so that's why tonight..." He held up a party popper and Eda realized what was going on.
"Wait, I remember this now."
"I'll be leaving in style!" He pulled the string and a huge blast of light occurred from it. Eda gasped, her eye turning completely black. She grew in size as she loomed over him, but this time, it was the actual Owl Beast. Eda gasped as she watched it tackle her father onto the ground, who struggled.
"No! I won't let you ruin this again!" Eda screamed as she pulled it back, throwing it outside. She then slammed the door shut, now back to her current self. She turned around and saw the younger her with feathers. Her father put a hand over his now scarred left eye, which seemed to be missing.
"Dell!" Gwen called out in concern. "Lilith, call the healing coven, now!"
Lilith ran away to get the phone, Eda standing there in guilt. Suddenly everything went away to leave her in darkness. "It wasn't your fault," Her voice broke a little, glancing back to the Owl Beast behind her. "IT was yours!" She recoiled back to punch it, but suddenly found herself outside in a field, with clouds in the sky...and Raine was sitting on a hill.
"Eda, I-" They glanced back at her, recoiling back in alarm. "Whoa! What are you doing?"
"Uh..." An older Eda gasped as she was still holding that punching stance. "Raine!" She laughed nervously, hands behind her back. "Uh, nothing. I'm fine," She nervously laughed it off, Raine looking skeptically.
"You're lying again," They narrowed their eyes at her. "It's like I don't really know you...so, I've made a decision."
"Okay, okay," Eda stood up. "I know how this plays out," She turned away, not wanting to hear this. "But I'll be ready this time. You hear me, birdbrain?!"
"I'm joining the Bard Coven and..." Raine started off, closing their eyes.
"No, no, no, I hate this part," She whispered to herself.
"...I think we should see other people," They looked away in regret. "I'm sorry, Eda. It's over."
Her eyes widened in despair, looking down at her arms and seeing that they were changing. She had feathers, but her claws were more yellowish as her eyes turned black. "Are you okay?" Raine asked in concern, standing up. "Is this the curse?"
Eda panted, covering her eyes as the current Eda faced her. "Just tell them," She prompted her younger self. "Let them help!"
But she just laughed it off. "It's fine. Everything's normal. You can leave now."
Raine closed their eyes, turning away with crossed arms. "I can't do this anymore." Then Raine completely disappeared.
"Stop pushing them away!"
The Eda in front of her turned into the Owl Beast, and she clenched her fists. "You!" She exclaimed angrily. The Owl Beast flew backwards, screeching at her. "It was always you!" She ran forward, tackling it and they landed on the ground. She hugged its neck, trying to restrain it. "It was all your fault!"
The Owl Beast grabbed her and threw her across the grass, leaving behind an empty path. She looked up at it with a glare.
"Stop...ruining...my...LIFE!" She headbutted it, but then became Owl Beast Eda. She stepped forward towards a cliff, looking out to the sun. Lights appeared in front of her and then she was captured by a net, being pulled back.
Laughter was heard as she tried to break free. "Don't bother, beast. You can't run away anymore. It's...over," A large figure loomed over her and she screamed, seeing someone in a black/grey robe, with stars on the black side and the sun symbol on the grey side. There was no face, it was just black with a crescent moon symbol. The Collector laughed evilly as Eda broke herself free, flying off. However, her wings started to burn until they were crisped, and she screamed as she fell towards the water, falling in and turning into a scroll.
It washed up on the sand, before being picked up by someone walking on the shore. They picked up the scroll and shrugged, tossing it in a basket and walking off. Everything was now in black and light grey, Eda sitting on the shore with a red string tied to her ankle. She heard a screech and looked up to see the Owl Beast attempting to escape, but it was tied to the other end of the string. It fell in the water, trying to break free and failing.
She looked down at her boot, holding the string. The Owl Beast fell back in the water, emerging onto the shore and laying down in exhaustion. Eda walked up to it, feeling sympathetic. "It's okay," She held out her hand, patting it on the head. It screeched at her and suddenly the water turned yellow, an elixir washing up. She took hold of it, staring at the potion. "I thought these were a way to fight you, but...I think they're the reason we can stand here, face to face. Listen, neither of us wanna be here, but...we are, and there's no changing that," She opened up the elixir. "If we can't accept each other, this nightmare will never end," She poured some on her hand, holding it out. "So, what do you say? Truce? For now?"
The Owl Beast slowly accepted, licking at the elixir. Eda chuckled at how it felt. "It's like sandpaper."
The Owl Beast stepped forward, laying on her lap. She smiled and patted it gently. Colors streamed across the sky and she looked up. "Wow...I've...never had a dream this pretty," Her eyes shined a little. The two were lifted up into the air and Eda gasped, sitting up, but...she wasn't her human self, despite being out of her dreams now.
"Ugh. My head..." She noticed her hand was much larger than it should be. "Huh? Oh, geez, did I turn again?" Her voice sounded a bit more distorted and she ran for the window. She opened her eyes and saw that she was a harpy now! She gasped at her new form. "Whoa..."
"I made it worse!" Hooty's voice said in dismay as he saw her. "I made it wooooorse!"
"Hooty, wait. It's okay," She tried to assure him, but he didn't listen as he cried and left. "Hooty!" She looked down the hall. She looked at herself again, whistling. "Oh, girl." She spun around, admiring herself. "This is a hot look."
Hooty peeked into Lucila's room, the 16-year-old sitting at her desk.
As for Luci, her problem was simple: she couldn't choose between bad boy Hunter and Edric Blight, the prankster. And you might be wondering how I know that...because it's so obvious, like geez, pick one!
He stared at the girl as she tapped her chin. "Two boys, and one choice...got anything, Melody?" Lucila looked up at her palisman who was resting on her head. Melody flew onto the desk, looking between the two pictures. She then chirped, shaking her head. "Yeah, I thought so."
But she wasn't going to be able to make a choice on her own, since her heart was in two different directions. So I figured it was up to me to solve it...by giving her an ultimatum of course!
"Ugh, how do I do this?" Lucila stood up, Hooty still watching as she paced. "This is why I don't have teenage problems…Okay, Lucila. You've got two boys, one who's really mischievous, but managed to change for you, and the other one…is from the Emperor's Coven, but sweet…and smart…but he's also on the same side as the Coven after Eda's hide. Can't forget that. Who's it gonna be?"
Lucila paused as she thought about it, but it just made it more difficult because she had feelings for both of them. And if she chose one, she'd hurt the other. If she chose neither, that would be not only denying her own feelings, but hurting BOTH of them. And she just didn't want anyone to get hurt.
She ran her hands in her hair, very frustrated. "Arrrgh! I wish this was easier!"
Hooty smirked, deciding to start his plan. He left the hallway and emerged outside, going to the backyard. He took a deep breath.
"Heeey, it'd sure be a shame if I got myself in the muuuuud~!" He called out, Lucila flinching as she heard him. "I'm going in!"
"Hooty, don't you dare!" She scrambled to her door, running all the way outside. Hooty then appeared behind the girl, picking her up and taking her all the way into the forest behind the house. "What are you--Hooty!" She protested as he dropped her about a mile from the Owl House. Her scrunchie and headband went flying off before she landed.
"Ow..." Lucila murmured, her hair out of its ponytail as she sat up. She looked around, but didn't see Hooty, or the Owl House for that matter. She looked towards the ground and saw a message at her feet made from the dirt. "Kidnapped Hunter and Edric to help you make a choice. You're welcome, Hooty." She recoiled back in disbelief.
"He did what?! Wait, Hunter's in the Emperor's Coven," The girl laughed nervously. "T-There's no actual way Hooty could kidnap him."
Two screams occurred as the two boys fell from Hooty's mouth above the grass one by one, and they fell on opposite sides of her. She flinched as her heart raced, Hunter landing on a bunch of flowers and Edric landing in an apple tree, falling on various branches before landing on the ground roughly.
"What am I doing in the forest of the Owl residence?" He demanded as he stood up, dusting himself off. He had his staff with him. Edric groaned as he sat up, seeing her up ahead.
"Luci?"
Hunter looked up upon hearing the nickname. Both of the boys froze upon seeing each other and seeing her with her hair down. The two boys blushed briefly at her before they refocused their attention on each other.
"Oh no." She murmured in fear. No, no, no, this was not happening to her right now. She patted herself for Melody, but Hooty had planned for that too as he put Melody in a cage earlier for her to sleep in. The palisman slept peacefully in the cage that was in the kitchen.
"Who is he?" Hunter pointed at Edric as he stepped forward, both of them ignoring the girl.
"Oh, I see. You think you can just waltz right in for Lucila?" Edric gestured to her.
"I was kidnapped by some…stupid owl demon. I wouldn't call it showing up for her. But you don't seem particularly interested in her since she told me you were busy on a date," He scoffed, crossing his arms. "That just means you already gave up."
Lucila turned to him, narrowing her eyes a bit. "Those weren't my exact words about—"
"Yeah, okay, I was on a date, but I didn't enjoy it! I was thinking about her the whole time," Edric confessed, Lucila blushing a little, while also confused.
"Edric, I thought you said that we were just friends," She rubbed her neck, though a little relieved to hear that he didn't give up his feelings on her, but that was just making things worse...
"I was...expanding my horizons. I was testing myself to see if I had really lost feelings for you. Turns out I didn't," He confessed to her and she rubbed a temple.
"You can't just go on a date with someone else and then say you like me after we agreed to be friends!" She gestured to herself. "I know we're both from different realms, but I would've thought witches would have some decency."
"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed at her. "But I realized it's hard to let go of feelings for someone you've known for months. But...hopefully it's not too late."
"Uh huh. And while you were 'expanding your horizons', she was helping me hunt palismen," Hunter told him.
"What?" Edric questioned in shock, turning to Lucila.
"He was injured when we crashed in Latissa, was I supposed to leave him there?" She gestured to him. "And we were rescuing them, you agreed to a truce!" She corrected Hunter.
"Why even help him? He's not exactly loyal," Edric glared at the blond.
"At least I don't go out with other people if a girl is interested in me!" He argued back and Edric angrily fired an illusion of a cake flying into Hunter's face. He growled at this, charging forward with his staff. He teleported to be behind Edric, hitting him with the staff and knocking him onto the ground. He gritted his teeth at the Golden Guard.
"What?! No!" Lucila cried out at this.
The two charged at each other while jumping over Lucila, both of them hitting each other with their magic. The boys landed on opposite sides, standing up and panting as they glared at each other.
"Is it me or him?" Edric suddenly called out.
Lucila held her head in a panic. With all this pressure on her, she couldn't bring herself to decide what to do. None of the options presented in front of her seemed to be the right one. "I…I…I don't know!"
"I'm outta here," Hunter stormed off as he didn't like that answer. She looked at him in alarm and growled in annoyance. Maybe it was because Hooty pretty much FORCED this to happen, maybe it was because he was upset with her answer, but she was really frustrated to the point where she had to say it.
"That's the thing with you!" Lucila shouted suddenly, causing him to come to a stop. "You can never make up your mind with what you want!"
"I want you!" He whipped around to her. "O-Or at least things to be normal."
"Normal?" She asked in disbelief after getting over her initial shock. "Hunter, no matter how you look at it, we're not normal. What do you expect, for me to join you? You work for Belos. He hates wild magic, and I don't belong to a coven. And I'm clearly not gonna just abandon my sister for you. We could never be normal. I'm not asking you to make a choice because clearly I'm not one, am I?" He couldn't have it both ways, and he clearly didn't show any signs of stopping what he was doing.
"It'd be easier if you wanted anything to do with me!" He argued back.
"Oh, sure, and that's coming from the Golden Guard who keeps playing me for a fool!" She said bitterly.
He stared at Lucila. Even if there was something there, there was something always holding them back to properly do anything about it. "...Well, then maybe we just wouldn't work," He stated and she clenched her fists.
"Maybe we wouldn't!"
"...Fine. After this, I'll...stay out of your way," He looked away briefly with his eyes sad.
He shouldered her as he walked past and she squeezed her eyes shut. Even if she was asking him to give up his objective, he had put in too much effort and time to do so. She didn't even know why she cared still; something was always drawing him back to her…but they were just on different sides at the end of it all. And yet she was still conflicted; what should she even do? She couldn't choose between them right now; she wasn't ready for this.
She didn't want to hurt anyone at all, but her indecisiveness was making things worse…it was reminding her too much of Will, and how she hurt him despite the two still being good friends.
Edric noticed the girl a bit pale after a few seconds. "Luci?"
Hunter flinched and looked back as he realized that Lucila had gone still. He rushed back over to her, joining Edric's side. He noticeably looked concerned. "Luci, can you hear me?"
Their voices felt like they were fading out as she was getting dizzy. She felt like her circulation was cutting off as she was short of breath. She didn't want to lose either of them, but she couldn't just hurt either of their feelings by picking one of them. But then she'd hurt both by picking neither of them, and she felt strong connections with both of them.
"Luci! What's wrong?" Edric grasped her right arm gently, but she just kept breathing in short lapses for air.
"Help me..." She murmured in panic.
"Are you okay?" Hunter squinted at her, and she rapidly shook her head, sweating. She felt like she was about to pass out, she was so out of breath. His eyes widened in realization and he placed a hand on Lucila's right shoulder gently. "Luci...breathe," He instructed her slowly and she gulped, relaxing just a little as she let out a slow breath. She felt her whole body start to relax as she steadied her breathing. Her vision started to clear as she saw them give relieved looks.
"What just happened?" Edric murmured in confusion.
"You didn't know?" Hunter glanced over his shoulder. "It was a panic attack."
"Nooooo!" They heard Hooty exclaim, looking up to see him crying. "Why do I keep making things worse? I didn't mean for this to happen!"
Lucila walked up to him calmly, holding up a hand. "Hooty, it's okay, I'm fine now."
"I'm sorry!" He went away crying and she sighed slowly, glancing back as the two boys stared at her.
The three sat together in front of a tree, Lucila in between the boys. She held a cup of water between her hands, as she had been silent the entire time. Hunter's cloak was over the girl. And neither of them seemed to make conversation, probably to give her time, but they did have to ask eventually...
"So...you get panic attacks..." Edric started off slowly and she glanced back at him, sighing.
"Yes and no. This would be my first one in 3 years," She admitted quietly.
"...After you got stressed out with the fighting," Hunter deduced slowly and she nodded.
"What happened with the first one?" Edric questioned carefully and she sighed.
"My sister wanted to go to a book signing by the author of her favorite series, the Good Witch Azura series, and it would only be for one day. And I said no because she wanted to be first in line but early in the morning, when we would be in school. So she decided to skip class the day of the signing to meet the author. And when the principal called me in to inform me that she wasn't in school...I just got so bottled up and worried that I almost fainted right there on the spot, unable to breathe...unable to shout...unable to get mad even. Because I didn't know what would happen to her. She was only 11 years old."
Her eyes saddened at the memory. She always tried to block it out of her mind, and whenever she got stressed, she'd go to her songbook or read, but because she was in the forest with none of those...she panicked.
"Ever since that day, I always try to calm myself down. Because...I'm scared that it'll happen again."
"People get anxious all the time, Luci," Edric told her comfortingly.
"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Hunter turned to her.
"...I thought you'd see me different," She confessed tearfully. "As a girl who's actually scared of what would happen the next day. And I don't want that. Or at least I didn't."
"You just had a normal reaction to a...not-so-helpful situation. It's okay for you to have something like this, Luci. It happens. You could just talk to someone," Hunter shrugged a little.
She chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I suck at that."
"Maybe Luz could—"
"No...no, Luz can't know about this yet," She interrupted Edric, looking at him pleadingly. "Please…please don't tell her. She has enough problems. I can...tell her on my own eventually."
He clamped his mouth shut and she looked back towards the cup sadly, conflicted on what to do now...
Edric got an idea as he remembered what Lucila said about music. He waved a finger and a guitar appeared in the girl's hands and she blinked at it. Hunter looked at it in realization.
"Music helps you feel better, right? You could sing something. I-if you want to," The green-haired boy rubbed his neck and she flinched in surprise. Honestly, after what happened, she could really use the time for something music-related...
"…Sure. I'll sing the one I've been working on."
Lucila tuned the guitar, a little nervous since the song wasn't that complicated…but she really needed to get it out in the open. She started playing in D major, the two boys listening attentively.
I don't understand
She played delicately, her voice sounding soft.
This shouldn't be so hard
She closed her eyes, feeling that she was a little bit calm now.
To just reach out my hand
Edric waved a finger, a small circle drum in front of him. Another guitar appeared in Hunter's hands and he blinked since…he barely knew how to play. Lucila had sat him down for a lesson once during their past lessons, but that was only once.
And know the world has changed
Edric started playing along with her, lightly hitting the drum.
But nothing's as it seems
Hunter looked down at the guitar nervously.
I can tell you plenty
She smiled at Edric, who gave her a grin, telling that she was slowly feeling better.
Magic's not the only way to feel
A lone cherry blossom petal started to fall over them. Hunter joined in and he thought she'd be annoyed since he was a bit slow, but she just smiled instead. He steadily got the hang of it as he noticed Lucila silently showing him the notes. He followed her movements and it felt like they were meant to play together.
When the strain falls
The petal hit her head and she looked up, a look of awe hitting her face. The boys looked up as it was raining petals over them.
It's like magic's crying
Lucila stood up and Hunter was about to tell her to get away from them when he saw her twirl.
When the hand's all
They still played as they watched the girl laugh, holding out her arms.
The difference that there is
She slowly spun around as the petals continued to fall and they saw her…so happy. She acted as if she didn't have to worry about anything, she just…wanted to enjoy the beauty of it.
Cause magic is
Lucila spun around quickly, holding out her hands to catch some petals.
The same when we are trying to make something good
She smiled at the flower petals, and Hunter flinched. These lyrics…the way she was singing it…they were about him. She must've written it before he saw her out at sea with her sister and the Owl Lady.
Out of all the strain
Lucila threw up the flower petals in her hands, laughing as they soared over her.
There's no difference with the magic that remains
She adjusted her hair, biting back a smile at the two. For once throughout this entire mess, they weren't fighting over anything, they were just…being themselves. And she just wanted to hold onto that for a little longer…
Oh oo oo
She walked up to them as the flower petals for once didn't disappear. Lucila ran a hand through her hair to get rid of some petals.
"That was…your voice…" Edric stood up. "You wrote that?"
"Yeah…" She murmured softly. "I wrote it because—"
"Because that's how you felt when you wrote it," Hunter interrupted and she turned to him. He gave her a look and she flinched a little as by that look, since she didn't know what it meant, but decided to not ask about it.
"Well…yeah," She admitted quietly. Edric glanced at her and decided that she needed a distraction. He scooped up some flower petals and blew them in her face. She gasped, kicking some onto him. "You did not just do that!"
"What are you gonna do about it?" He teased as Hunter snuck up behind him. Lucila smirked as Hunter opened up his hands, dumping a pile of petals on him. "Hey!"
The three got into a playful fight with the petals, Lucila laughing out loud.
"You're scaring the echo mouse. And if he's not happy, I'll never make my way into Amity's heart. I mean, make a portal back home. Uh...we have to go!" Luz ran into her room, closing the door shut behind her. She sighed in relief. "Okay, little mouse. If you don't wanna tell me about Philip or how he made his portal...maybe you can tell me how to ask out a cotton-candy-haired goddess?"
The echo mouse just squeaked, turning away from her.
Luz's heart was torn between finding a way home and the pursuit of love. How'd I know all that? I suppose like with Lucila, I'm just attuned to other peoples' emotions. Hooty stared at her from behind, but she didn't notice him. She wasn't gonna make any progress if her attention was split!
"Amity's smart, cool, and classy," Luz smiled upon thinking about her. "Asking her out should be breathtaking, emotional, and real! Everyone back home said I was cheesy. Well, except Luci, she thought this was cute. Can't let Amity think the same."
Suddenly there was a knock from the door, and she opened it. On the floor was a note and she picked it up. "As we stumble through life, gloom knows no bounds. You'll only find love when you're in the ground? Ugh!" She then turned it over to see more. "P.S. I mean the basement!" She stood up in annoyance. "Hooty! I don't have time for this! ...Also, we have a basement?"
Once she found the basement, she opened up the door, holding a light orb. She slowly walked down the steps, glancing around in confusion. She then saw a shadow that looked like the back of Amity's head. "Amity?!"
However, once she got a better look, it was just a lamp's shadow, with a large owl pellet in front of her. "Oh, yeah, that's silly," She smiled in relief. "Why would Amity be in our-"
Suddenly the pellet in front of her shook, and it split open, revealing Amity herself. "Amity!"
"Luz?" Amity asked in confusion. "Where are we? I think...Hooty brought me here?"
"Ah," Luz blushed, a little flustered now that the girl was actually here. "Well, this is our basement. I am so sorry about this," She helped up the girl. "Hooty's been acting weird all day."
"Yeah," Amity chuckled a bit, now blushing herself. "House demons get like that after a couple thousand years. It's fine," She stepped forward as her back was facing Luz, as they hadn't properly spoken ever since she kissed Luz's cheek. "Listen, about what happened at my place...I kinda...if we could just forget about the whole thing maybe? I-"
"Hey!" Luz interrupted, not wanting Amity to think that she was uncomfortable with it. "All I care about is getting you out of our dirty, weird basement," She stepped forward, but it triggered a trapdoor apparently. The two stumbled and eventually hugged each other to steady themselves. They looked up and blushed, but then the floor opened underneath them and they screamed as they fell. Hooty looked down at them from above.
The duo fell into a pile of heart pillows, Amity groaning a little. Luz looked at one, gasping in horror as she saw that it was an embroidered pillow with a cherub, which winked at her. "Oh no," She whispered to herself. She quickly planted a fire glyph on there and it exploded into ash. She crawled towards the floor, unsure of where they were. It was dark, so they couldn't see much. A paper floated down and she caught it.
"To return to the world above, make your way through the tunnel of-" She gasped as she didn't finish her sentence, lights turning on to reveal a tunnel of love. And there was also a swan boat with Hooty's face on it as music started playing. "If Amity sees this, she'll think I'm such a loser!" She panicked upon seeing this.
"What is this?" Amity joined her side, confused.
"Ohhh!" Luz held her cheeks, feeling embarrassed.
"Hoot!" The swan boat came to life, wrapping the girls around its neck.
"Whoa!" The two were then dropped into the boat and it took off.
I'll conjure up some flowers
Luz sat up in anger. "HOOTY!"
We could hold wholesome hands for hours
The entrance opened and the boat went through. They went past an animatronic off a rabbit waving.
You'll be my sweetheart
Luz covered her hands, mortified.
My sweetheart
Amity glanced towards a banner that said 'I think you're smart, cool, and classy.' She blushed upon reading that.
My wholesome magic sweetheart
Her face turned red entirely and played with her hair, smiling.
"Oh, no. I'm gonna be made fun of again," Luz murmured to herself in fear.
"Did you, um...did you just say something?" Amity wondered, still blushing as they went past an 'Amity bee mine!' heart. Luz looked past her, her eyes wide in horror.
"Uh...no!" She lunged forward and knocked it down before Amity could see it. She was holding an antenna as she faced the girl. "That was, uh...an invasive species." Then a giggle was heard and a Hooty cherub fired an arrow. It landed in the water, tied to a paper.
And will you be my steady?
Luz looked as the paper rolled out to say 'Amity, u r a q-t!' She whimpered a bit, more notes being fired towards them. "I'm so sorry, Amity!" Luz knocked them away with the antenna. "This is not supposed to happen!"
Amity's face fell upon hearing this.
Be my wholesome magic sweetheart
Luz fired a fire glyph at some animatronics, blowing them up. Amity gasped in horror, Luz letting out a battle cry as she destroyed everything, getting the music to stop. However...she didn't realize that she was unknowingly hurting Amity, who was starting to think that Luz didn't like her the way that she did. She closed her eyes shut sadly and when they reached the end, she now had a look of despair.
Luz emerged from the water, gasping. "This...was a nightmare," She murmured quietly.
"Yeah...it kinda was," Amity agreed, stepping out of the boat. She started to walk away. "I'll...get out of your hair."
"Amity, wait!" Luz climbed onto the dock, chuckling nervously. "This wasn't me. This was all Hooty's stupid idea."
Amity flinched and came to a stop. "Yeah. This was stupid. I mean, us, dating? Heh. That's stupid, right?" She brushed away a tear from her eye, which Luz noticed. She gasped and Hooty suddenly popped in between them.
"NOOOO! I did it again!" He cried out, tears flying from his face as he went all the way back to the front door. "I can't help anyone!" He sobbed as he wiggled around. "Out! Out, vile owl! Rid this house of thyself!" He attempted to break free, the tower shaking. King looked down from above.
"Hooty! Calm down, you dingdong!"
"Never shall I curse this home with my odious presence again!"
Lucila, Hunter, and Edric were lying down on the petals, looking up at the stars. To all of them, being peaceful like this...felt a little weird, but they didn't bother to interrupt the moment. Suddenly a crash was heard and the three sat up in alarm. She looked up towards the Owl House seen in the distance, seeing the tower shake.
"Oh no," Lucila murmured in worry for her friends and her sister. "I've gotta go," She glanced back at the two as she stood up. "Seems like they need my help."
"We'll go with you," Edric stated and she shook her head.
"No, that's okay. Um, we'll talk later about...this whole situation," She gestured between her and the both of them. "Hooty's going crazy, I've gotta make sure he doesn't destroy the whole house," She turned around and ran off, the two glancing at each other. Edric smirked at his rival, crossing his arms.
"...Ugh, I'm only going with you because she's gonna get herself in trouble," He relented and they ran off.
King slipped and hung onto the tower, Hooty cracking the walls a little, but still not free. He fell onto the ground. "Looks like I have to do this..." He recoiled himself back and stopped at his usual place. "The hard way."
King screamed a little, and suddenly Hooty escaped through the door. Harpy Eda stumbled down the hall as the house was shaking. She looked up and saw King in trouble by looking out the window. He couldn't hang on any longer and he fell. Harpy Eda swooped in and saved him, flying into the air. King opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Eda?!"
"Don't worry. I think it's a good thing! But where are Luz and Lucila?" She looked around for them. The girls came out of the basement and into the open while Lucila emerged from the forest.
"What's going on?" Amity asked them.
"I don't know. But things always get weird when Hooty's upset," She informed and the tower shook, causing them to stumble. A piece of the tower started to break off.
"I think Hooty was trying to help us with our problems, and so he got carried away," Lucila told the two as Edric and Hunter arrived.
"Luz, Luci, run!" King shouted at them, trying to break free. But two stones broke off, heading for all three girls. "NO!" King let out his sonic scream as the boys ran towards Lucila, the girls ducking for cover. The two dived forward for the girl, pushing her out of the way. The scream broke apart both stones, leaving everything around them different as there were suddenly a bunch of colors. Lucila landed on the ground softly, looking up as the two boys landed on both sides of her, Hunter on her right and Edric on her left.
The two girls gasped as they glanced behind them, suddenly looking at each other.
"Did you do that?" Harpy Eda asked King in shock.
"I...I think I did? I think I've got a power!"
"Oh," Lucila sighed in relief, sitting up. "I guess I should've known you guys would've come," She smiled thankfully as they sat up.
"You okay?" Edric asked her and she nodded.
"Yeah, thanks to you guys..." She flinched as Eda flew down and she pushed Hunter to hide behind a tree. "Stay right there, if they see you, they will NOT be happy!"
"Doubt that they'd be able to do anything," He snorted to himself. He glanced at her from behind the tree as she ran up to her friends and sister.
"Are you two okay?" Harpy Eda wondered as Luz helped up Amity, Lucila joining them.
"Whoa!" Luz exclaimed at her new look, Lucila gasping at her. "Not as okay as you. Dang, girl. I have a few questions for later."
"What's my brother doing here?" Amity blinked in confusion, pointing to him.
Lucila groaned at the reminder. "It's all thanks to-"
Hooty suddenly emerged from the ground. "I failed you all!" He sobbed as they stared up at him. "I failed you all!"
"No, Hooty," Harpy Eda called out. "You actually weirdly helped me." He tore through the ground as he rushed past them. "I'm like a Harpy Woman now!"
"And I can explode things with my voice powers!" King called out.
"But I still failed Luz and Lucila!" He cried out, Lucila frowning at him.
"Hooty…" She murmured softly, feeling bad for him, while Luz didn't look like she wanted to ask Amity out...
"Luz," Harpy Eda turned to her. "What was Hooty trying to do?"
"Quick! Pretend he helped you before he destroys everything!" King added in.
"He won't fall for that," Lucila argued to him. Luz sweated as she glanced back at Amity, taking a deep breath. She beckoned them forward so that Amity wouldn't hear.
"He was trying to help me ask Amity out."
"Oh, whoa," Harpy Eda recoiled back a bit in shock, Lucila gasping sharply with shining eyes. She silently squealed upon hearing this. "Do you wanna?"
Luz glanced back at the girl, blushing and nodding. "Mm-hmm."
"Then do it."
"Like this?" She gestured to the screaming ad sobbing Hooty, who rolled on the ground. Lucila silently facepalmed at this.
"Yeah, I hear ya. I might be able to help," Harpy Eda placed King on her back, placing a hand on Luz's shoulder. "It won't be perfect, but does it really need to be? Good luck, kid!" She flew off after Hooty, Lucila running back to Edric and Hunter.
"My sister's about to do something really big, so...if you guys could just...you know?" She rubbed her arm awkwardly, and Edric got the hint.
"Oh! Wow, hear you loud and clear."
"What is she-" Lucila pushed Hunter further away into the forest so that Luz or Amity didn't see him. He glanced back at her, a bit annoyed but obliged anyway.
"Amity..." Luz turned to her, but thanks to Hooty making a mess, the ground sunk a little to make a crater. "Oh my gosh. Amity, are you okay?" Luz went over to the girl, Amity holding up a hand.
"I'm all right."
She helped the purple-haired girl up. "I was just—I've been wanting to ask you something for a while..." Amity flinched, blushing as she knew what Luz was talking about. "But I wanted to do it in the best way. And in the Tunnel of Love, I thought, Amity's too cool for this."
Amity blushed at the compliment. "I'm not as cool as you think."
"Okay," Luz sighed a little. "Everything is so crazy right now, and I have no idea what my future holds, but...it would be so cool if you were in it, so, uh..." She blushed, struggling to say it. She took another deep breath.
"Do you wanna go out with me?" Amity interrupted and Luz exhaled as she was about to say it.
"Nooo! I was so ready..." She covered her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," The purple-haired witch waved a hand. "You can say it."
"Okay," Luz faced her with a smile. "Amity Blight, do you wanna go out with me?"
"Yes!" Amity answered with a smile.
"Okay!"
The two stood there, unsure of what to do. Luz then reached out her hand, Amity taking it. "Why is this still so scary?" Luz murmured to her.
"I don't know."
Hooty was crying tears of joy, having thankfully calmed down mostly. "Dang, Hooty, you really are something."
"Hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot..." The crater was in the shape of a heart. Harpy Eda then noticed Lucila hiding in the trees and went over to her. Hunter made sure that she couldn't see him, glancing backwards at the two. Lucila was smiling at her sister, proud of her.
"What was he doing for you?" King wondered to Lucila, who rubbed her arm.
"He…wanted to help me decide who I would ask out, but…"
"…He can't help with that. Oh, this is bad," Harpy Eda murmured, especially since Hooty looked upset again.
"Not exactly."
She turned around to Edric. Luz noticed them and gestured for Amity to stay there, running over.
"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have realized that…your feelings are more important in all this. So…take your time, Luci. I'll be waiting." He leaned in towards her ear. "But we both know who wins here, don't we?"
He kissed her cheek and walked off with a smile. She opened her mouth in shock at his statement.
"Luci..." Luz murmured at this, Harpy Eda standing behind Luz so that Amity didn't see anything. Hunter then came out of hiding and the three prepared themselves to defend themselves if necessary. He just held up a hand.
"I'm not gonna attack you. Especially since Luci's gotten better with her magic and I'm tired. So this is the only time I'll let you off easy."
Not to mention that her song made it clear to him that he didn't need to complicate anything for her. She stepped forward to him, frowning as she remembered her recent argument with him.
"…I'm really sorry about tonight, Hunter. When I said to myself that I wanted things easy, I didn't tell Hooty to go off and—"
"It's fine. Just don't let it happen again. I could throw him into the Conformitorium for kidnapping me," He crossed his arms, the four wincing.
"Noted..." Lucila brushed a bang behind her ear.
He stepped forward and she flinched. He reached out and touched her cheek. "I won't tell Belos about today."
"...Thank you," Lucila smiled at him.
"Oh, this is it!" Hooty exclaimed hopefully.
"...Hunter, about what I said...I don't want you to stay away from me," She confessed to him, hugging herself. "I don't even know what I want myself, and I shouldn't have said the same thing to you. Look, I didn't think I'd get caught up in any of this. I didn't even know that I was…feeling things towards two people," He blushed upon hearing that and she bit her lip. "But I do know...I don't want to be apart from you. I'm gonna think about this, I promise."
"...I get it. You and I need to just...wait to be honest," He shrugged a little, letting go of her.
"Yeah..." She smiled weakly, since they still had the big elephant in the room which was the Emperor's Coven detail...
"See you later, Luci," Hunter walked off, Hooty crying again.
"No!"
"Hooty, it's okay," She turned around to them. "I…I'll deal with it on my own."
"Are you gonna be okay?" Harpy Eda asked her and she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Yeah..."
Melody chirped as she flew over, landing on Lucila's shoulder and nuzzling her. The girl smiled at the comfort, the other three looking hopeful for the girl that she'd figure this out.
The next day, everything seemed to be more peaceful. Hooty looked in on the living room, Eda and King on the couch. They looked up ahead at Amity and Luz sitting on the ground. He then looked at Lucila sitting on the other couch, looking down at the drawings of both boys.
King may not know where he came from, but he's learning more and more about himself every day.
King tried out his new power, using it on a glass. He was about to use it on a crystal ball when Eda prevented him from doing so.
Eda can become Harpy Eda now.
She shook her head, looking at her harpy arm. A bottle of almost empty elixir was on the table. She still drinks her elixir. But she's accepted the Owl Beast as part of her.
The arm shrunk back down into her normal arm and she smiled. It's progress!
Hooty turned to Lucila, who looked up at her palisman with a smile, caressing the drawings of the two boys.
Lucila didn't choose who to be with yet, but she's finally starting to have more confidence in her love life and in herself.
She placed a hand on her cheek with a fond smile. I wish her the best on what she decides!
Luz and Amity were looking at new information from the echo mouse. And Luz's new GF showed her tips and tricks to get more information from that old human's diary. Luz wrote some information down and Amity smiled down at her. She looked up and the two blushed, looking away. They're adorable and deserve all the happiness!
He smiled in front of the typewriter. I had to promise never to help anyone ever again, but nevertheless, I'm a genius!
He placed the letter in the mailbox. "Everything's solved! No more mysteries! He cheered and someone else arrived.
"I beg your pardon?" Someone who looked similar to King suddenly arrived. He held out a black envelope to Hooty. "Would you see this finds its way to King Clawthorne?" He placed it down on a rock and then left. Hooty gasped as there was a bug on top of the letter.
"Oh my gosh, a bug!" He ate the letter and the bug. "Ah...whoopsie! Hope that was junk mail!"
Angel: The song Lucila sings is inspired by When the Rain Falls from the Disney Channel Original Movie Pixel Perfect and I am so glad I rewatched that movie before season 2. Otherwise I never would've written that scene with the song. Go rewatch that movie and listen to the song, because both are so underrated. Some of the lyrics probably don't make sense, but I tried. I don't even care, though, because I LOVE this song. It's so beautiful, and I would've been so lost without rediscovering it. It's actually on Disney Plus!
Granted...just because I rewrote the song, doesn't mean that it belongs to me, so obviously the inspired song belongs to the movie Pixel Perfect. But I did try REALLY hard to make it sound relatively sound the same with the rewritten lyrics *sheepish look*
Also, don't quote me on how panic attacks occur, I don't know if I portrayed them accurately or not.