Comfort Food
Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl house and do not make any profit from this story.
The nighttime was quite peaceful in the Human Realm. It was so different from back home it was almost unsettling for Amity. On the nights when she had looked out from the balcony in her bedroom, she had grown accustomed to seeing some sort of large beast prowling around the grounds of the manor. But here the largest thing she had seen running about was a stray cat crossing the street.
A soft breeze came across her, giving her a mild chill. Amity shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as she waited for it to pass. That was the other thing, the nights here were so much colder than back on the Boiling Isles. The pajamas she had borrowed from Luz were only doing so much to keep her warm. Not to mention how awkward she still felt wearing them. But there had only been so many options after they had been out in the rain.
After sitting out on the front step for a little longer, Amity went back inside. She carefully closed and locked the door, minding the two slumbering boys over on the couch. The sleeping arrangements had been simple enough. They boys got the living room, she and Willow got Luz's room, and that left Luz and Vee to share a room with Mrs. Noceda. Luz hadn't argued with that, overjoyed to finally be reunited with her mother, despite everything that had led up to that point.
The recent memory of Luz with her mother saddened Amity a bit. Sure, she was happy for Luz to be back home. But it was hard to keep her mind off of the fact that now… she was in the same situation Luz had been before. Except that she had no idea if she had a family to go back to anymore. There was so little she knew about what had happened and she could only fear the worst. It was overwhelming.
Starting to feel her emotions getting the better of her, Amity quickly and quietly hurried to the bathroom. She gently shut the door and then sat down by the tub and let out a silent sob. As her tears began to fall, she hugged her knees to her chest again. Her breaths grew more labored as she struggled to keep herself from being too noisy and risk waking someone up. After a minute she managed to regain control of her emotions and stifle herself.
Amity sat quietly in the dark, her head hanging down. The tears were no longer falling, but moisture still sat in the corners of her eyes. She sniffled and buried her face in her arms, finding solace in her solitude. It was a familiar feeling, being alone in a small room with only her thoughts. All she needed was a good book to distract her and it would be like the good old days when she secluded herself in her study room at the Bonesborough library.
Now that was an idea. A little reading would help her get out of her sorrowful mood. Luz had most of her Good Witch Azura books up in her bedroom. Amity could sneak back upstairs, take one of them and then sneak back down to do a little reading in the kitchen. She'd just need to take a second to collect herself first. It was actually a bit tempting to continue sitting alone in the dark room by herself and she was having trouble resisting the urge to just stay put.
A soft knock sounded at the door. At first Amity wasn't entirely sure she had heard it, but then the door suddenly opened. Amity snapped her head up with a gasp, spotting a shadowy figure in the doorway.
"Hello?" Someone softly called.
The light came on, blinding her as the darkness was instantly banished. Once her eyes had adjusted, she saw it was Luz's mother. The woman was looking down at her with concern and Amity quickly recalled that while her tears had stopped flowing, the streaks they had created down her cheeks remained. She hurriedly wiped them away and stood up, faking a smile.
"Sorry." She said. "I'm all done in here. The bathroom is all yours."
"Is something wrong?" Camila asked. "I could hear you crying."
"Crying? I-I wasn't crying." Amity lied, starting to step out the door. "I'm perfectly fine. I'll just be heading back to bed now."
"Alright, but if you want to talk, don't be afraid to ask me." Camila offered. "It isn't good to bottle up your emotions. If you need help, I'm here for you."
Amity stopped, a bit stunned by the offer. She was getting a weird sensation, as if she had experienced this sort of situation before. It took her a moment to realize that it was because it reminded her of something Luz would do. As she considered how it was Luz's mother of all people who was offering, it occurred to her how silly it was to be surprised. It was almost enough to make her giggle.
But still… it was strange for Amity to be offered help from an adult she barely knew. As it was, she wasn't accustomed to getting much, if any, help from the adults she had known her whole life. At most, she usually had to do something in exchange beforehand, make a deal or do a favor. In her life, every little kindness was something she had to earn.
Well… for most of her life so far. Things had changed ever since she had met a certain human who was genuinely kind. Maybe that was why this seemed so familiar. It was starting to become clear to Amity just how Luz became such a sweet, considerate person. And just like with Luz, Amity found herself wanting to trust Camila. The circumstances however, were making her remain hesitant.
"I just have a lot on my mind." She admitted. "So much happened today and it all started to escalate so quickly. I don't want to burden you any more than I already have. Not after you were so kind as to take us all in when we showed up so suddenly."
"Don't be silly." Camila replied, a warm smile gracing her features. "Until we can get you all back home, you're my responsibility. And that means I will do the best I can to take care of you all. So, how about you go wait for me in the kitchen and we can have a little talk after I'm done over here?"
Again, Amity felt her hesitance trying to get the better of her. This time she found herself a little overwhelmed by the woman's kindness. She couldn't help but give in and reply with a quick nod, the corner of her lip tugging just the tiniest bit upwards. Camila stepped into the bathroom, closing the door and Amity went to the kitchen where seated herself at the table. While she waited, she drew a spell circle, creating a small orb of light which hovered nearby.
A few minutes later, Camila came into the kitchen and took a seat across from her. Amity drew another circle, making the ball of light grow and illuminate the room better. Camila stared in awe, a look of wonder in her eyes that reminded Amity of Luz. She had to stifle a tiny giggle, not wanting to be rude and moved the orb closer to Camila. With another twirl of her finger, she changed it so it became violet.
"That's amazing." Camila commented, still looking at the now softer light.
"It's just a light spell." Amity replied. "Even little witchlings can cast one of those. It's not anything special."
"Maybe not to you, but I haven't exactly gotten to see real magic before recently, so it seems very special to me."
Amity let out a giggle. "That sounds a lot like something Luz would say. I'm guessing she gets that from you."
"Not exactly. Luz takes a lot after her father. I just learned how to see the world with a little of the same sense of wonder he had." Camila explained, a small yet sad smile coming to her face. "Sometimes when I look at Luz, I just can't help thinking of him…"
She trailed off, lost in her reminiscence for a moment. When she recalled why they were there, she cleared her throat and thought how to return to the subject. An idea came to her and she stood again, heading to the refrigerator.
"Since we're both awake at this hour, how about a midnight snack while we talk?" She suggested. "Would you like some ice cream?"
"I didn't know they had ice cream here." Amity replied, perking up a little. "I'd love some. Please."
Camila opened the freezer and took out a carton of lactose free ice cream, chocolate flavored. She then took an ice cream scoop and a couple of spoons out of the drawers, along with a pair of bowls from the cupboards. After filling each bowl with a few, small scoops of the frozen treat, she rejoined Amity at the table and passed a bowl to her. Amity was quick to dig in for her first bite, enticed by the sight of chocolate. Her first bite turned out to be better than she anticipated and she let out a soft 'mmm' as she enjoyed the cool sweetness.
"This is amazing." She remarked, going in for a second spoonful. "What kind of slime is this made from?"
"I'm sorry…. Did you say slime?" Camila asked in response.
"Mmm-hmm." Amity nodded, finishing her second bite. "What else would it be made from?"
"From milk, from a cow." Camila told her.
"What are cows?" Amity inquired curiously, taking another bite.
"This… is not how I was expecting our conversation to go." Camila said with a chuckle.
Amity allowed herself a short laugh. "This isn't how I was expecting my day to go. And I was already expecting things wouldn't go the way I wanted them to." She admitted, her expression becoming somber. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy Luz could finally make it back home. It's just that…"
"You miss your own family." Camila concluded.
"I guess. It's weird for me because I used to think I'd love to be away from them." Amity said softly. "My siblings were always annoying me and my parents were always busy with their jobs. My mom only ever really talked to me when it had to do with school and Dad hardly ever talked with me or my siblings because he was always working."
"Sometimes parents are busy." Camila replied. "I'm sure they could have spent more time with you if they could have."
"I'm sorry, but that's definitely not the case." Amity told her, trying very hard not to sound rude. "Whenever my mom talked to me about school, it was something like 'you had better be doing well in all of your classes' or 'why don't you use all that free time you have to do more extra credit assignments?'. If my grades weren't perfect then they weren't good enough in her book."
"And what about your father?" Camila queried. "Did he feel the same way about your education?"
"He… he felt and thought what Mom wanted him to." Amity explained. "Until recently, he just went along with her, not questioning or arguing anything. But today… "
Amity went silent. Camila waited a few moments for her to continue, but she just kept quietly sitting and prodding her ice cream with her spoon. From what little context she had gotten, she could take a fairly good guess as to what had happened. She found herself having trouble finding the right words. The subject was not one she believed she could approach easily.
"….I just hope he's still alive." Amity whispered softly, her eyes becoming despondent.
Camila nearly dropped her spoon. The subject was completely different than what she had first thought. It occurred to her that there were still many details that she had not yet been given about what the kids had gone through before showing up at her doorstep. She was now very unsure of what to say to console the poor girl sitting at the table with her.
But… she couldn't just sit there quietly after Amity opened up to her. She tried thinking over how she could respond to that last part, but she was still a bit too stunned to think clearly yet. Amity seemed to pick up on the drastic change in the room's mood and forced a smile.
"Sorry, I wasn't trying to be a downer." She said. "I know I'm being selfish."
"Selfish?" Camila repeated, nearly forgetting to mind her volume. "Amity, dear, you aren't being selfish at all. Anyone would feel the same in your position!"
"But… they are in the same position." Amity replied. "Gus and Willow are at least. They have their dads waiting for them back home too. Except neither of their families know where they went before everything got crazy. They're all probably really worried."
"I'm sure that they are. But that doesn't change the fact you're still worried about your own family too. It's only natural to feel that way." Camila told her. "Until today, I've been terribly worried about my Luz. There was so little I knew about where she was or who she was with. There were days when I thought that the last time I had seen her was really the last time ever."
She stared down at the table, feeling the shadow of her former woes taunting her for a moment. The moment she has seen Luz out in the rain had been such a huge surprise that she still couldn't believe it was real. But it had been such a huge relief she hadn't bothered to fully address the gravity of the situation. It was only just starting to dawn on her now. And now, she could feel her motherly instincts rising up.
"But even when I was so worried that it kept me awake all night. Even when I was ready to give up, I told myself that I had to keep hoping." Camila continued, reaching out and putting her hand onto Amity's shoulder. "I knew someone was looking after my daughter and I had to believe they'd keep looking after her. It means so much for me to know she's had such good friends to be there for her when I couldn't be. I plan to repay that favor for however long it takes to get you kids home."
"Do you really think we'll find a way back?" Amity asked.
"Honestly? I have absolutely no idea." Camila answered. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. There was a way for all of you to get here, so we just need to find you a way back. We'll make one if we have to, just like Luz was doing before."
Amity let out a soft laugh. "You know, you and Luz really are a lot alike." She said, looking up at Camila. "Thanks. For taking the time to talk with me about this. I think I feel a little better now."
"Feel free to ask me if you need to talk some more about anything." Camila replied. "And you have your other friends too if you need a friendly ear. They are in the same boat as you, even if things aren't completely the same. And since you and Luz are dating, don't hesitate to let her know if you need some comfort. She's your girlfriend, so she's obligated to support you through tough times."
"I know I can rely on her. I've had a few experiences back home where she really stepped up to help me when I needed it." Amity said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Although, it didn't always work out how we would have wanted."
Camila smiled. "Something tells me this time, she's going to do nothing less than the best she can. You should have heard how she was going on about what we'd need to do to help not just you, but the others get situated here." She said. "It's amazing how much my baby has matured since she ran off all those weeks ago."
"She's been through a lot." Amity replied. "There's a lot of stories she could tell you, that's for sure."
"Do a lot of them involve you?" Camila queried. "There is so much I would love to know about you two. Like how you met, how long it took until you realized you liked each other, who asked the other out."
Amity blushed and looked off to the side. "Um, well some of those things may be a bit surprising to hear. Luz and I weren't exactly friends at first. I guess you could say she's helped me grow up a lot too since I met her…"
"Then it sounds like I'm in for an interesting story." Camila noted. "But that can wait until later. For now, let's finish our ice cream before it melts."
"This stuff melts?" Amity asked, checking her bowl and seeing a small pool of chocolate starting to form. "Human food is weird."
Camila couldn't help but giggle at her comment, Amity joining her. They finished their midnight snack and then bid each other good night as they went back to bed. Amity stepped quietly back into Luz's room, so as to not risk waking Willow up. She still felt a little awkward about staying in her girlfriend's bedroom, even though Luz was staying with her mother in the meantime, but at least she was able to relax once she got under the covers. She drifted off shortly after, getting the rest she would desperately need before starting the first day of her new life in the Human Realm.
The End.
