The crowd had grown into a swarm of students, instructors, and Boiling Isles residents of witches and demons that burst through the front doors of Hexside; finally setting Luz, King, and Amity down on their feet in the gymnasium. The animated musical instruments started playing again, and the flood of beings began to occupy the food tables; even marching down into Grom's nest to dance in the creepy locale. Small bits of empty blackness that had been torn off of Grometheus during Luz's battle were still writhing about, trying to avoid being stepped on and slink their way back into the darkest recesses of the pit to gather its strength for next year.

"Luz! That was incredible!" Willow shouted, as she uncharacteristically pushed her way through the crowd with Gus in tow. "We saw everything!" Unlike Luz and Amity's outfits that had gathered burrs and small tears in their run through the forest, Willow's yellow and white dress was still immaculate, with a fresh corsage on her wrist.

"Yeah!" Gus agreed excitedly. "Everyone was watching from the tree-line. No one's ever seen a Grom battle like that!" He had removed his blue tuxedo coat at some point after the battle with Grom, and his white dress shirt and black suspenders made the younger boy look actually handsome.

Amity began to slowly maneuver away from the trio of friends, watching King run to Eda to be lifted up in the Owl Lady's arms as she approached. Amity instead, was looking for her twin siblings that were nowhere to be seen in the group of congratulatory students, and she frowned.

"I had a pretty amazing dance partner." Luz said, and Amity jumped at the touch on her shoulder. She turned to find Luz, sweaty and smelly from her fear fuelled run through the forest; but bright eyed, glowing, and filled with renewed energy that would likely carry her through the evening. "Where did you learn to dance like that?!"

Amity ran a finger behind her pointed ear to make certain her hair was behaving and smiled shyly. "Oh, that? My mom made me take dance lessons as a kid. It'd actually been awhile…"

"That was an impressive split you used to summon that abomination! That looked more like bonafide ballet!"

"Ball-Eh?" Amity asked, unfamiliar with the word. Luz's admiration was making her blush though, and currently being half of the center of attention wasn't helping. "You mean Ballare. It's an old dance that my mom said has 'circulated through the wealthy since the rise of the Emperor'." she laughed lightly. "Were you classically trained too?"

Luz laughed. "No. I was just going freestyle out there; following your lead. Thanks for coming to help though. You were right." she admitted, her smile fading. "I wasn't ready." She shook her head, turning back to Willow and Gus for a moment. "We're going to get some punch. I'll catch up with you guys in a bit, okay?"

Willow and Gus nodded and moved off as the rest of the crowd began to dissolve as well. Luz hooked her arm through Amity's and dragged her over to the snack table. "Uhm, what did you see? In Grom, I mean." Amity asked, accepting a cup of punch from Luz. "You really weren't okay, were you?"

Luz took a few sips of her drink. "Oh, I… it was nothing. Just someone back home that might not approve of me being here."

Amity frowned for a moment before feeling her lips turn up in a smile. "I think I understand that. My parents might not approve of what I'm doing here either."

Surprised, Luz met Amity's eyes. "I never said anything about my mom." she said, tilting her head in confusion. "And what are you doing here that your parents wouldn't approve of?"

Amity suddenly found herself choking on her punch, nearly spraying Luz in the process. Her mother definitely wouldn't approve of her putting herself in danger in defense of a human, or making friends with one, let only hoping to become romantically involved. "Oh, y'know… there's no sense going to a party when there's studying to be done…" she said once she was able to clear her throat. "Sooo… how are you liking your first annual Grom Night?" she asked, feeling her cheeks flush as she shyly eyed Luz, hopeful.

Luz took a deep breath and let it out as a contented sigh. "Other than being almost devoured by a raging fear monster, it's been great!" she said, looking around the gymnasium at all the students that were smiling and dancing and smooching in the shadows. But they were safe, because of what Amity and Luz did tonight. "I really wanted to thank you for saving me back there. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to beat Grom alone. I'm sorry you had to face your fear."

Amity thought back to the words Grom used with Luz's face to scare her. It called her a monster. A coward. "No…" she said, reflexively reaching out to touch Luz's hand before noticing and retracting it again. "I think… I think it was something I had to do; and I think it told me what I needed to hear."

Luz didn't seem to notice the touch, much to Amity's both relief and disappointment, but a look of thoughtfulness crossed her features and she seemed to stare an uncomfortable amount at Amity. "Huh. I… I think it might have done the same for me." she said. She finished her cup of punch and set it down on the table behind her before turning back to Amity. "I'm going to go mingle. Don't leave until we get another dance in okay? Promise?"

Amity smiled, nodding as she watched Luz leave to be with her friends. The way she almost seemed to skip away in her large boots, with her floofy pink tutu around her waist swaying with her movement, and the tails of her coat flapping as she hopped away and disappeared into the crowd made Amity's heart pound in her chest. Not out of fear, or anxiety, or anger this time, but the unfamiliar feeling of longing for something other than prestige or approval from her parents and tutors.

"Hey Mittens."

Amity's smile faded instantly at the sound of her brother's voice behind her and her face reddened brightly at the realization that she had just been caught staring by her annoying siblings.

"We heard your date was going well." Emira teased, causing Amity to turn to face her brother and sister.

"Better than ours…" Edric said under his breath, resulting in a backhanded slap to his chest from his twin sister. "Ow!"

"We also heard you faced down Grom with Luz." Emira added, ignoring her brother. "What's that all about?"

"Maybe if you had been there with everyone else, you'd know." Amity replied indignantly, taking another innocent sip from her cup. "Where were you two, anyway?"

"Getting stood up, apparently." Edric mumbled; barely audible over the music.

Amity stifled a laugh before frowning. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just…"

"Did you just apologize?" Emira asked in surprise. "I think I've only heard you say that to mom or dad." she grinned. "You really are sweet on that human, aren't you?" she whispered. "Don't worry, Edric and I will keep your secret."

"Maybe." Emira backhanded her brother again. "Ow!"

"Thanks." Amity said. "I'm not really sure about anything right now." she admitted, looking away. "I haven't spoken to Ms. Clawthorne for weeks about tutoring for the Coven tryouts; my advanced classes this semester are taking more attention; and mom's, well… mom. I can't afford any distractions right now." she said, before lowering her voice. "Besides, I think Luz is just interested in being friends, anyway."

Edric and Emira cast side eyed glances at each other, brandishing their arrogant smirks that Amity knew all too well. "You'll figure it out, Mittens." Edric said.

"Yeah." Emira agreed. "Use that big brain of yours." she grinned, lightly poking her little sister in the forehead.

Amity growled and swatted her sister's hand away. "Don't you two have anything better to do tonight?"

"Absolutely." Emira grinned, drawing a spell circle in the air and summoning a small potion into her hand. "I grabbed something from mom's private collection." she whispered, shaking the bottle. "Time to sneak past those vines and get this party started…"

"I'll be taking that." Principal Bump said, drawing a spell circle to direct the object into his own hand. "You two should find something else to do than attempting to… do whatever this potion does, to the student body." The twins grimaced and slunk off across the dance floor; likely to replace their grom night prank with another to keep themselves entertained. Principal Bump dropped the potion into a pocket of his robes and tucked his craggy, thin hands into his opposing sleeves. "Is it safe to assume you had nothing to do with your sibling's intentions?"

Amity nodded, taking another nervous sip from her cup. She wasn't typically nervous speaking to Principal Bump, or any of her instructors, but her vulnerability of facing down Grom and letting her emotions run free in her dance with Luz left her feeling like a raw nerve. "Uhm, no sir. I mean, yes…" she stammered, suddenly unsure how to answer.

A smile curled the edge of Principal Bump's lips. "Well done tonight, Ms. Blight. I was quite impressed with how you handled Grometheus. I can't say that in all my years as Principal here, I've ever seen the Fearbringer defeated in such a way."

"Oh, well; it definitely couldn't have happened without Luz." she replied, feeling her cheeks warm. She took another sip from her cup, trying to hide her embarrassment behind it.

Principal Bump looked at her quizzically. "Sharing credit? That seems out of character. Especially for someone so focused on joining the Emperor's Coven."

Amity felt a twinge of guilt at the Principal's words, because he was right. Years of being pushed to succeed, and climb to the top of the ladder of prestige had earned her; and the Blight family, a reputation that she had been all to eager to cultivate only a short time ago. "Recent experiences…" she began, slowly choosing her words. "Have lead to some significant changes in my goals."

Principal Bump was silent for a moment before his smile broadened. "Yes, it's certainly been a busy few months, hasn't it? Should you require any assistance with these new goals, don't hesitate to ask." he said with a nod before stepping away to continuing searching for trouble makers.

Amity finished her punch and dropped her cup into the toothy maw of the nearest trash demon that consumed it lazily, having been fed an exorbitant amount of refuse already that evening. She spotted Luz immediately on the dance floor, surrounded by Willow, and Gus who was carrying the little grey demon King on his shoulders. Skara and Toddric were still dressed in their yellow and blue Grom jersey's that they had changed into when the battle had begun earlier, and seemed to still be in a fervor despite the creature's loss.

Pictures had started to be taken, and Amity spied Boscha, Bo, and Celine posing for the camera demon when Mattholomule jumped in as well, only to be forcefully removed by the annoyed trio of girls. The former detention track students; Viney, Gerbo, and Barkus as Amity had come to learn after their encounter with the basilisk, were in a group of their own that moved into position once Boscha and company moved on. Amity had suddenly realized that her 'friend' hadn't even offered a congratulatory word or gesture since everyone had returned to the gymnasium, but she didn't feel as alone as she thought she would have without Boscha's, or even the other Banshee's attention.

Taking a seat on the edge of Grom's nest with a number of other students, Amity allowed her legs to dangle into the pit. Her bare legs had gotten scratched up after falling from Eda's staff and into the trees, with faint red lines across her pale skin that caught her attention and she frowned, straightening her dress in an effort to hide them.

"That was a great fight tonight, Amity!" Cat shouted over the music. Amity hadn't even noticed her in the dim, strobing light, and found her sitting awkwardly next to Solis, who was chatting with another student on his other side. "Would you like me to…" she said, trailing off as she gestured to Amity's legs.

"Hmm? Oh. Uh, sure." Cat drew a quick blue circle in the air, causing the scratches to glow for a moment before vanishing. "Thanks. Are you here with…" Cat frowned at her, but nodded; probably expecting to be chastised for appearing at Grom with the large framed abomination student. Amity smiled. "Cool. He seems really nice."

Cat smiled back with a look of relief before leaning in to whisper. "He is. Little shy though." she chuckled. "I'm still waiting for him to ask me to dance."

"I know how that feels." Amity said, looking away and unintentionally into the dancing crowd.

"What?" Cat asked, unable to hear over the music.

"Uh, maybe you need to ask him!" Amity replied. "I'm going to go try and do the same." she added, climbing to her feet. "Thanks for the healing spell, Cat!" She waved and turned to go before stopping for a moment and turning back to crouch beside Solis. "You should ask Cat to dance."

Solis seemed surprised at Amity's comment, and sweat was suddenly very visible on his round, spiky face. "I… I can't…"

"I've seen your abomination control, Solis. You can." she smiled. She stood again, and walked away toward the crowd, releasing a breath she just realized she had been holding. Why was it so terrifying to be kind? To put someone else first for a change? She couldn't help but wonder what everyone else in the room was thinking about her actions, but as she looked about she came to realize that there were not as many eyes on her as she seemed to feel, and smiled. This was Grom, and she was going to have fun for the first time in awhile.

Amity smoothed out her dress, blew out a breath, and focused on Luz seemingly having a seizure on the dance floor with Willow and Gus which produced a surprising giggle from her, and she took a step forward before being stopped by a pair of adults blocking her path. "What are you…" she started, recognition coming a few moments after and she stepped back. "Get out of my way, I'm busy."

"You did pretty good fighting Grom for such a little snot." said the green haired, dark skinned woman that had refused to help Amity and Mattholomule in Latissa. She looked like a spider farmer in her very casual outfit, with unfashionable baggy pants, a white dress shirt, and a work jacket doubling as a suit coat.

Her companion frowned. Rowena, much like in her shop, was dressed immaculately in a long blue dress that hung down to her ankles, and her auburn hair was put up in a wavy bun. "What Brook means to say is that we saw you and your…"

"Luz?" Amity asked, still annoyed that her path to the dance floor was being blocked.

"What's a Luz?" Brook asked.

"A human." Amity replied. "Aren't you two a little old to be at a School dance?"

Brook matched Amity's look of annoyance and crossed her arms. Before she could issue a witty remark though, Rowena interrupted. "Hexside's Grom brings visitors from all over the Isles, as I'm sure you know. Besides, there's not a lot of opportunity for date nights for… witches like us."

"You mean wild." Amity said, narrowing her eyes. Brook's eyes narrowed and Rowena looked about for anyone that might have been listening. "Don't worry, the Owl Lady over there is wanted for a ton of crimes against the Emperor's Coven, and her apprentice is on every magic track this school offers. You're fine."

Rowena visibly relaxed, and smiled. "Well, that's certainly better than Latissa." she said, squeezing Brook's arm. "We came here to see how you were doing since coming into our shop."

"Honestly, I was betting that you hadn't even gotten out of the city." Brook noted.

"Imagine our surprise to hear a certain Blight was going to be facing Grom this year."

"Oh yeah, she got all giddy when she learned it was someone she knew."

Amity paused and cleared her throat before speaking, feeling uncomfortable with the feeling of relative strangers being concerned for her well being. "Well, unfortunately I gave that up. I was… too much of a coward to face it myself."

Rowena seemed surprised at Amity's confession. "We saw what happened. You stood up for that girl despite whatever fears you had, or that it was at full power. Grom must have been feeding for quite awhile."

"Yeah. As much as it pains me to say, you did give that thing what for. And you got a nice crown out of it too." Brook noted, and Amity reached up and pulled the gold and crystal tiara from her head. "Anyway. This is your night, and judging from your attitude when we first met, you could definitely use some fun."

"She's right." Rowena added. "Go find your human." she smiled, leading Brook by the arm to the main door.

Amity watched the pair leave, before returning her attention forward to find Boscha standing before her. "Who was that?"

She stared at the Grudgeby Captain, surprised that Boscha was speaking to her. "Some… friends I met in Latissa when you were stuck there."

Boscha rolled her eyes and brushed a lock of hair out of her view. "Ugh, don't remind me. Worst night of my life." she complained. "So what's with you and that human? You, like, teamed up with her to beat Grom?"

"Yes." Amity replied, feeling like she had to physically push the word out of her body out of the self conscious fear of Boscha's opinion. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, I'll bet you're glad that's over with. What kind of loser needs help facing their fear, am I right? I mean, just witch up and grow a bile sack, already."

"Boscha!" Amity shouted, glaring at the friend she'd had since pushing Willow away with an impatience and anger that had been simmering for months. "Enough! I like Luz!" she continued, then blushed when she realized what she had just said. Her hands were balled into fists, clutching her dress as she leaned in. "And Willow, and Gus, and… you need to stop bugging them!"

"Pfft! What made you so soft? Is this about missing out on the carnival?"

"What?!" Amity asked. "No, your stupid escaped pixie has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh sure, blame it all on me. Don't forget who went and got the Emperor's Coven Head to come rescue you from that little demon guy."

Amity was incredulous. "I was only there because you were body swapped!"

"Yeah, thanks to your new human friend." Boscha retorted. "I'll bet she causes more trouble than you think. Humans are trouble, Amity. I wouldn't be surprised if she makes the whole Boiling Isles a mess before she goes home!"

If she had any less self control than she did, Amity would likely have struck Boscha where she stood. Instead, she fashioned a tether of abomination sludge that weighed down her hands to keep them from swinging.

Boscha grinned and crossed her arms over her chest, confident she had just won their little fight. "You're going to lose any semblance of a social life if you keep hanging out with those dweebs. You know how the hierarchy works here, Amity." she said, now leaning into Amity's space. "I'm at the top, and I decide where everyone else falls. You try to tell me any different again, and your position could wind up faltering; and how embarrassing would that be for a Blight?" She stood straight again and smiled when Amity frowned. "Now that that's out of the way, I have a dance to get back to. Have fun!" she cheered, walking away.

Amity squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and whispered to herself. "I really wish things were different."

"I can help with that…" came a voice from out of nowhere, causing Amity's eyes to snap open. It was female, but unfamiliar and dripping with a sinister sensuality. She waited and looked about for anyone that might have said the words, but there was no one close enough or even paying attention to her at the moment that she could have heard. Cautiously, she moved back to where her new friends were gathered.