Hello, readers. WaterDragonMaverick here with the next chapter of Palisman Café. Last time, I showed off more of my AU by having Luz and the others explore the counterpart to "Covention" and meet up with Amity. After a challenge that ended in a draw, Luz and Amity come to a bit of an understanding with each other. Not only that, but we meet Eda's sister and see their dynamic with each other in the fic.
Now with this chapter, we're going to get a little more character interaction and focus on the café. Not to mention a few details from canon added in and some lighthearted friendship moments. I hope you enjoy what happens in this chapter before we get to adapting one of my favorite episodes in Season 1.
Party on!
The Owl House is owned by Disney and was created by Dana Terrace
Inside Palisman Café, also known as the Owl House, Luz was putting the finishing touches on some additions to the main café area. "There! How does it look," she asked Eda as she gestured to the glyph design on the wall that she made out of plastic stars.
"Well, looking at it now, it's pretty good, Luz," Eda complimented as she put a hand to her chin. "Maybe we could put more up around the place."
"Yeah, like on the ceiling," Luz said.
As Eda only smiled at Luz's enthusiasm, Hooty called out as somebody knocked on the door. "Delivery for Miss Clawthorne," said a voice on the other side of the door.
Looking through the owl-shaped peephole, Eda saw it was a delivery man with a few packages she ordered. "Ah, the supplies I wanted," Eda voiced as she opened the door and signed for her mail. "Come on, let's unpack this stuff," Eda said as she slammed the door with her foot when the man left.
Helping Eda, Luz put a box on the counter and watched the woman pull out a knife to unseal the package. "What did you get," Luz asked as Eda opened the box.
"Remember that bubble tea stuff you gave me after your friends took you to lunch? Well, I managed to find some cheap equipment to help make it," Eda said. "Just needs a little tinkering like with the stuff Owlbert finds."
"Cool! We can work on the menu later," Luz exclaimed as Eda started to inspect items. As she did, Luz noticed something fall off of the woman's wrist. "Um, Eda. It's happening again."
"What," Eda asked.
"Your hand," King said as he gestured to the dry skin coming off Eda's hand and arm like molting feathers.
Eda gasped as she looked, then all three went up to Eda's room to get her medicine. Unfortunately, Eda opened the cap to find the bottle empty. "Oh boy. This is terrible," she voiced as she shook the empty bottle around. "We'll need to go to my pharmacist in the market."
"Yay! Market," Luz cheered.
"I'm going to steal everything that isn't nailed down," King declared as the three left.
When they walked through the marketplace, Eda soon stopped at a certain building and knocked on a window shutter. "Open up, Morton," Eda called out to get the attention of somebody.
"Uh, j-just a minute," somebody responded.
Meanwhile, Luz was sitting on a nearby bench and enjoyed people watching with King sitting next to her. "Is there anything better than people watching in a new town? You can imagine all sorts of things that could happen in their lives," she remarked as she watched a trio of people get on a bus, which drove off as a small woman tried to catch it. "The curse of tiny legs," Luz commented as she saw the woman take a seat at the bus stop.
"I know the pain," King empathized. "Luckily, I don't have a reason to chase after such a trivial thing," the small dog stated before his head turned in another direction and he saw something. "SQUIRREL! Must chase," he exclaimed as he started chasing after the critter and barking at it. Luz could only laugh as she watched the scene.
"Come on, Morton," Eda said as she knocked on the shutter again.
"Sorry, Eda," a young pharmacist with brown eyes and brown hair said as he opened the shutter. "I was up the whole night taking inventory and I haven't gotten much sleep.
"I need a refill," Eda said as she handed her empty prescription bottle.
As Morton started getting Eda's medicine for her, Luz soon saw her friends walking nearby. "Willow and Gus," she said to herself before heading to them. "Heya, friends," the Latina greeted as she approached the two with a smile, which quickly faded when she saw the sad expressions of the two. "Wait, what's wrong? Who hurt my babies," she asked.
"Them," Willow laconically stated as she pointed a thumb behind her. Luz looked in the direction the Korean girl was pointing and saw Amity Blight with several girls her age in front of some snack stands. While the other girls were laughing with each other, Amity was silently browsing products with a neutral expression. "Amity's having a slumber party and invited everyone but me," Willow sadly explained.
"And she keeps posting about it on her Instagram account," Gus added as he showed the social media app and found the latest post to show Luz.
Looking at the selfie, Luz read what was typed up with it. "What?! 'It's Party Night! No Dorks Allowed!' Ugh! What a jerk. I thought we had an understanding after the convention," Luz complained as she glared in the direction of the girls.
"Gus and I have never been to a slumber party before," Willow sadly stated.
"You could have one with me at the café," Luz suggested. "Besides, we're way better than them."
Amity's gang started to walk past them with bags of treats for their party. A pink-haired girl in a yellow-sleeved uniform was laughing about something before seeing Willow. "Sorry that you couldn't get an invite to the party, Willow. Only winners allowed," she taunted as she looked at Amity, who only sighed in distaste.
"Leave her alone, Boscha. She can easily break your femur in half," Amity stated, remembering Willow's fit of anger from when Luz first showed up at Hexside. Before any of the girls could say anything else, Amity walked off with her bag, prompting the others to follow.
When the girls left, Willow growled and started muttering something in Korean, which Luz could tell from context was probably resentment about not being invited by Amity. "Don't waste your time getting thorny over them," Luz said as she put her arm around Willow's shoulders. "Because we'll have our own slumber party!"
"Are you serious," Gus excitedly asked as he and Willow smiled. "This is on my bucket list," he remarked as he pulled out a pen and a sheet of paper.
"Well, you can cross that off tonight," Luz stated. "I'll just see if it's okay with Eda, first."
As Luz went back to the pharmacy, she was able to hear Eda's conversation with Morton. "Here you go, E. This should last you for the month," the young man said.
"Thanks," Eda said as she pocketed the bottles. "I have an appointment with that lab later in the week, so I needed this just in case."
"Eda. Gus, Willow, and I want to have a slumber party so we can stick it to Amity. So, can we sp-," Luz said as she arrived, but was soon cut off by Eda.
"Of course," the woman stated. "I'm always a fan of sticking it to prissy snobs that deserve it. Plus, they could help see what's good for the café." Getting an answer from Eda, Luz squealed in delight as she turned to Gus and Willow, giving them thumbs-up to signal it was okay.
Later that night, Eda and Luz started to close up the café. "This is going to be so much fun," Luz said as she made sure she had everything she planned for. "Laptop for marathoning my favorite shows, art supplies for drawing up some fun works, karaoke machine I found in your closet, and even stuff for Dungeons and Dragons."
"Plus, I can teach you kids how to play Texas hold 'em," Eda added as she started shuffling a deck of cards.
"Oh boy, cards! The paper rectangles old people think are fun," Luz said as Owlbert landed next to Eda when she finished shuffling. "Aww, he thinks he can play cards."
"Oh, he can," Eda mentioned. "He's actually beaten me in a few hands before. I even have this made for him," she said as she placed a small green hat on Owlbert's head. Luz started gushing over the bird and took a photo of him before she posted it on Instagram and other sites.
Soon, Hooty sounded out as somebody knocked at the door. "That must be them," Luz exclaimed as she put away her phone and went to open the door. "Gus! Willow! You made it."
"Hi, Luz," the two friends greeted as Luz saw them out of their school uniforms and carrying several items with them. Willow wore a tan dress with long sleeves, a pair of leggings, and brown boots. Gus wore a bluish-green tunic with white sleeves, a black belt, black tights, and brown boots. While both had backpacks on, Gus was holding a strange projector of sorts while Willow had a small tree in her hands.
"I brought a bonsai tree for the café. Camellias. I thought it would look nice," Willow said as she put the plant on a table.
"You didn't have to do that," Luz replied with a smile.
"You really didn't," Eda added, sounding more deadpan. "I have to take care of several animals and the actual business of a café, so I don't have the time or reason to take care of some dinky little tree," she stated. Willow frowned, but then Owlbert flew in and landed next to the tree, hooting happily as he saw the plant. Seeing that, Eda rolled her eyes before speaking again. "But if Owlbert likes it, then I suppose I can keep it for him." Hearing this, Willow smiled brightly before Luz took a selfie with her and Owlbert next to the plant, then put it on social media.
"Come on, we're going to have so much fun," Luz said as Gus and Willow put their bags on a few chairs in the café. "We've got snacks, we've got music, we've got a lot of cool stuff to choose from. What should we do first?" Suddenly, Hooty flew toward them and the barn owl picked up the art supplies, as if to make a choice for himself. "Well, looks like Hooty wants to see us draw."
"Whatever floats your boat, kids. I'm going to test out that new drink shaker for the new menu," Eda said as she went behind the counter and started mixing some drinks together.
Luz, Willow, and Gus soon started drawing as they sat where they had room. Letting her guests take the more colorful pens and markers, Luz chose to simply use a pencil to sketch something. As the three drew up what they wanted, Gus was the first to show his work. "Guys! Check it out," he said as he held up a simple sketch of King. "Looks just like him, right?"
Luz and Willow looked at the sketch, then at King himself, who was chewing away at a squeaky toy. "Try adding some shadows for more detail," Luz suggested helpfully. "How are you doing, Willow?"
Willow smiled as she showed a drawing of some colorful flowers in an owl-shaped pot. "I thought that I should draw something meaningful. Something beautiful," she told her friend.
"Amazing work," Luz complimented. "It almost looks like the real thing!"
"Aw, shucks," Willow responded with a blush. "And what's your sketch?"
Luz returned to her paper and started filling in some more details just as Eda walked over with the first cups of bubble tea for the kids to try. "I decided to go with something that can have a little backstory," Luz told everyone as she lifted up her paper to show them the full sketch. The others gasped as they saw an owl-like beast with gray feathers, black eyes, and a dark gem in the creature's chest. "I decided to draw Eda if she was a cursed witch. This is her 'Owl Beast' form that causes her to become an animalistic demon if she doesn't take an elixir to control her condition," Luz explained as Eda took the paper to get a closer look at it.
"I know I should be repulsed, but that look is fierce," Eda voiced, liking the style of the artwork. Luz smiled as her art was appreciated, then she snapped a picture of it to post online before putting the sketch in one of her books for safekeeping. "Now then, how about you try this 'elixir' for yourselves," Eda said as she gave the trio the boba.
As they all took a drink, they enjoyed the taste of it. "This is really good, Miss Eda," Willow said as she enjoyed the cherry and orange flavor.
"It's delicious," Gus exclaimed as he practically inhaled the drink, falling out of his chair as he did. "I'm okay," he replied as a bucket was on his head.
"This is perfect for the menu, Eda," Luz said as she enjoyed her peach-flavored drink.
"Good to know," Eda said. "Now then, how about we play some Texas hold 'em?"
For the next hour or two, Eda taught the kids how to play poker with all of them betting snacks instead of money. After she won the first game, Eda stepped back and let the trio play with herself as the dealer. "I'll bet some chips," Luz said after she looked at her cards, tossing a bag of chips onto the table.
As Gus and Willow matched the bet, Eda started putting down the community cards. "So, how's everything at Hexside," Eda asked the two guests.
"I'm doing a lot better in the Botany Track than in Automatons," Willow says. "My grades have never been better."
"That's great to hear, Willow," Luz congratulated as Gus added a pack of cookies to the pot.
Eda soon placed down another card, which prompted Willow to fold. Staring down Gus as Eda put down the final card, Luz grinned as she revealed her pair to match the river. "Three of a kind! Come to Mama," Luz cheered as she managed to beat Gus' pair of 9's with three Jacks.
"Hey, can we get out of here? I'm getting bored," King complained as he looked at the group.
"You wanna go for a walk," Luz asked, making King's tail wag as he got excited. "Who wants to go outside? You wanna go outside? Do you? Do you," Luz playfully asked the dog.
"Yes! I do! I wanna go outside," King answered as he circled around Luz's feet, then went to the door to scratch it.
"I could stretch my legs after that," Willow said as the group decided to leave the house for a walk. As they left the café, the five enjoyed the light of the full moon as they took a stroll through the woods. After a while, Willow noticed somebody after getting far enough away from the property. "Hey, is that?"
"It's Boscha," Gus replied as he recognized the girl who made fun of him and Willow. The group saw her carrying a duffel bag as she was talking with somebody on her phone.
Seeing the girl, Eda could tell she was an annoying brat from how she carried herself. "You know, there's nothing like a good prank at a sleepover," the older woman remarked, encouraging the kids to get into a little mischief.
"I've been wanting to test this new hologram projector out," Gus said as he explained what the device that he brought with him was.
"So, what's it for," Luz asked as she saw Gus pull out a laptop and hook it up to his projector.
"All I need to do is get an image, then I can have the projector create a full replica of it. I can even edit some stuff onto what's projected," he explained as he showed the program on his computer.
"Cool," Luz and Willow said as they watched the boy create a copy of himself, which he then edited to have extra arms.
Thinking about how to use the projector in a prank, Eda had a devilish grin on her face as she figured something out. "Have you ever heard of Baba Yaga," she asked before giving a brief explanation of the Slavic myth.
"Yes, Mom, I'm going to a slumber party," Boscha said to her phone. "No, Mom, you can't come. And yes, it's sad that you're asking," she said before hanging up. Soon, a raven's cry sounded out and Boscha turned to see something behind her. "I didn't see that house before."
"Hey, you should stop being so mean to people," Luz said as she spoke into a megaphone that disguised her voice. "You're kind of a jerk." The kids chuckled to themselves as Luz stopped using the megaphone. "Thanks for this, Eda. It's helping out a lot," she told the woman, who only gave a smile and a shrug.
"Ugh, if somebody in that house is trying to give me a lecture, I'll just TP you like I did with the rest of the neighborhood," Boscha responded, which Luz ended up hearing.
"But don't you see? I am no mere house," Luz said into the megaphone again as Gus used his laptop and projector to make the replica of the Owl House stand up on giant bird legs. Seeing the house standing up, Boscha ran screaming at the sight of it while the group started laughing out loud. "Hahahaha! That was awesome!"
"I've never pranked anyone before! And now I have a taste for it," Gus told everyone as he stopped laughing.
"Okay, let's get going to the real Owl House," Eda said. "No need for the cops to show up when they see a giant walking building," she added as she shut off the laptop and projector.
"Oh, but we could have followed her to Amity's house," Willow complained.
"One victim at a time," Eda told the girl. "Besides, Luz said that the only real bad thing she did today was just a post on the internet. Let's just get back so you can have those snacks while watching shows."
"Not if I get there and eat them all first," King exclaimed as he bolted for the café.
Willow sighed as she looked in the direction Boscha ran. "Well, she does live on the other side of town," she remarked sadly.
Returning to the Palisman Café, the group watched some shows that Luz suggested. Mainly Kamen Rider installments to get Gus and Willow interested and anime that Luz loved. As they watched the shows on Luz's laptop, the Latina noticed that Willow was still upset about something. "Willow, what's wrong," she asked.
"Nothing," Willow said as she didn't bother facing Luz's direction.
"Are you sure? Does it have something to do with Amity," Luz questioned.
"I don't want to talk about it," Willow said as she became more defensive.
"Well, how can we enjoy the shows if you're not watching them," Luz stated. "Why does Amity's sleepover bother you so much?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it," Willow shouted angrily as she looked at Luz.
"¡Oye, no me hable así! I won't let my friends be angry at me like that when I just want to help," Luz exclaimed.
Hearing Luz say that to her, Willow's expression became sorrowful again. "I'm sorry, Luz. It's just... Amity leaving me out hurts more than you think," she sadly said.
"What do you mean," Luz asked while Eda and Gus listened.
"The truth is Amity and I used to be friends," Willow explained.
"Whaaat," Luz gawked in surprise at what the Korean girl was saying.
"We played together as kids, but before we got into Hexside, she stopped hanging out with me," Willow continued. "It's been years since then, but every time she and her new friends see me, they just see me as a weed to crush under their feet without a second glance. Nothing but a weakling."
After hearing Willow explain her past with Amity, Luz was quick to cheer her friend up. "Are you kidding? Amity and her posse don't know what they're talking about! You're smart when it comes to plants, you can speak a language she can't, and you can wreck robots with a couple of kicks," Luz exclaimed. "Next to Eda, you're the strongest girl I know. You're not a weakling. You'd make an awesome hero in a show!" Listening to Luz, Willow smiled as the Dominican girl continued. "We may have only met earlier this summer, but you're my best friend."
"I thought I was your best friend," King whined as he put his head against Luz's lap, prompting her to pet the dog.
"Thanks, Luz. You're mine, too," Willow said as she hugged the girl.
"Wow, I know you can break metal with a kick, but you're stronger than you look," Luz remarked as she felt Willow pick her up off the ground.
"I work out every morning," Willow simply replied.
Eda only smiled as she saw Luz laughing as the two girls hugged each other. "Alright, you two. Either watch some more of that show or we start doing karaoke," the café owner told the girls.
Hearing the option of karaoke, Gus immediately went to the machine to find a song to start singing. "Hey! This one looks good. 'I Want It That Way' by The Backstreet Boys," Gus said as he looked at the machine.
"Oh, that's a good one," Luz said. "My mom and I always sang it in the car on road trips." Playing the song loudly for everyone to sing, Luz and her friends continued a great night with each other.
On the other side of Bonesborough, the castle-like Blight Manor was mostly quiet as Boscha and her posse were in Amity's bedroom. "For the last time, it wasn't a giant bird. It was a house with bird legs," Boscha said as she explained what she saw in the woods on her walk over to the manor.
"Are you sure it wasn't just a bird," asked a dark-skinned girl with red sleeves and leggings.
"Oh, shut it, Skara," Boscha snapped, causing the girl to recoil. "Let's just focus on what really matters. Instagram!"
Hearing the girl's declaration, the four girls sitting on Amity's bedroom floor started checking their phones. As they did, Amity only looked out at the sunrise from her window while she listened to music. With headphones on, she separated herself from the rest of the world with a forlorn expression, including the girls that were nearby.
Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?
Save me from the things I see!
I can keep it from the world,
Why won't you let me hide from me?
Mirror, mirror, tell me something,
Who's the loneliest of all?
I'm the loneliest of all.
As the song ended, Amity heard Boscha gasp in surprise as she checked Instagram and other social media apps. Taking off her headphones, she walked over and kneeled down to see what Boscha found on her phone. Throughout the night, people that the pink-haired girl followed had shared various posts that all came from the same person, Luz Noceda. Seeing the photos, videos, and comments, Amity and the other girls couldn't believe what they saw. Especially when one particular photo appeared, which showed the same bird-legged house overlooking the beach with Luz, Willow, and Gus smiling as they stood underneath it. Amity and Boscha only gawked at everything they saw before they had the same thought. "WHAT?"
And with this chapter complete, I how you enjoyed my version of "Hooty's Moving Hassle". Since this was another magic-heavy episode, I adapted the house acting like it did in an interesting way that fits this AU. I also made it so that Eda could stay and let the kids have fun because of her condition being different than canon.
But my favorite parts would have to be Willow's confession about her past with Amity and the girl's isolation at the end. I thought that having the scene get an addition like that was a good way of showing Amity's emotions before we get another real focus on her in the next chapter. Especially with her choice of music. For those of you who don't recognize it, the song is that last part of "Mirror Mirror" from RWBY Volume 1. I just thought that the song (and a few others for that matter) fit Amity's canon characterization well. As such, she's a fan of the series and Weiss herself.
Now then, we'll be going into one of my favorite episodes of the first season next! I'm going to have fun showing what I'm going to do with Luz and Amity in this fic's version of "Lost in Language". Not to mention the twins. I'll let you all wonder what will happen while I write it up. For now, leave a review if you liked this chapter and say what you enjoyed about it.
Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out!