'When you're imagining exactly what you're trying to visually recreate, you need to also take into account the potential scale. The volume and the mass. This will give your object a more realistic effect.'

Raine was staring down at the pages of their book. Illusion magic. An interesting thing to research, and their only hope to keep from drawing attention to themself or Eda.

"Raine!" Their eyes darted up from their book and they spotted their girlfriend just in front of them. Raine had been sitting on the sofa in the living room reading.

"Oh! Eda, uh…" Raine said, "What is it?"

"Whatcha reading?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"A book about illusion magic, figured I'd try my hand at it since you're uh… a little bit unable to do magic normally anymore," They said. Recently over the past three weeks, due to the baby, Eda had slowly been losing control of her magic. Raine had already read about this, and luckily it was a normal occurrence.

Well, Raine had just grown more curious about all sorts of magic. And… just reading in general. It had been slow lately with a job that only happened maybe once or twice a week.

"You don't have to learn about it if you don't want to, you realize that, right..?" Eda said, raising an eyebrow as she stared down into the texts.

"How else are we supposed to get things from the Human Realm without paying!" The mint haired witch exclaimed.

"I suppose… but you do realize stealing it like… without magic, is just as effective, right?" There was that glint in Eda's eyes.

"I'm aware, dearest Lord Calamity," Raine chuckled as they rolled their eyes.

"So…" Eda said, "We're almost out of baloney, I guess that's the sign we should probably go to the human realm to get more."

"You just want to rob a store, don't you?" They raised an eyebrow, to which Eda scoffed.

"What!? No!" Which was obviously a lie. She had that smirk now.

"Are you sure?" They asked in a playful tone. The redhead shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno, maybe spending more and more time here is driving me a little off the rails," She said.

"Really? Do you not like spending almost every day with me?" Raine closed their book and sat it to the side. Their tone was incredibly sarcastic.

"I'd never get tired spending time with you," Eda said.

"I know," They sighed. A reminder rung in their head that a few months ago they would have said the opposite.

"Well, if you want… we could go in a few minutes?" Eda pulled the portal key from her hair.

She must have been thinking about it already if it was just right there to grab.

"Alright then," Raine stretched their arms and stood up, "Let me get changed, I assume you will as well."

"You betcha," She said. Eda headed towards the stairs while Raine only needed to snap their fingers. When they did so, their pajamas transformed into a pair of jeans and a pink sweatshirt for a top that was tucked into said jeans. Under the sweatshirt was a button up top with a collar, which was folded above the neckline of the sweatshirt.

Now standing and thinking about things, part of them was surprised that Eda hadn't complained about having to do all the small things now. Without magic and all. At least she didn't as often as they'd expected.

"Raineeeeeee!" Oh. Well they supposed that would end today.

They paced up the stairs and entered their shared bedroom with Eda. She was standing in front of her vanity mirror, furiously fiddling with a pair of jeans.

"They don't fit!" She exclaimed, turning to them. Eda's eyes were full of frustration.

"Mhm, I can see that," Raine had to hold back a laugh. As much as they felt bad for her, they were well aware this issue was going to start popping up eventually. They approached Eda and grabbed her hands, "You know exactly why they won't fit too."

"I know! Cuz of the little roommate, I get it, but I was so excited to wear these!" The redhead complained.

"I bet you have something just as nice in that wardrobe of yours," Raine said, letting go of Eda's hands. Lately, ever since they'd moved in and started going to the human realm together, Raine had made Eda get more… human like clothes. That actually looked good together. It was easier to blend in that way.

Eda deflated momentarily then turned at her wardrobe. Giving up hope she slid the jeans off and threw them beside her.

Raine couldn't help but admire Eda's… assets.

With that quick thought through their brain, they watched as she opened her wardrobe and began to dig through it.

"I think I have something, it's just going to look so… cheesy," She said. Her grip eventually landed on something and the witch pulled out a wadded jean material. Flipping it down, Raine saw it was a pair of overalls.

"Overalls? Cheesy?" They snickered, "You think overalls are cheesy?"

"They make me look… round!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms out, "It's not exactly a me look."

"You look beautiful still," Raine said, "I personally think it's nice."

"You're my partner, of course you're going to say that," Eda pouted. She stepped her legs into the overalls and pulled them up, buttoning the suspenders over her shoulders. Now she stood before them in a pair of Jean overalls and a yellow sweatshirt underneath it. She was right though, by round she simply meant the now more obvious bump on her belly.

"True, but I really do think you're pretty, partner or not," Raine stepped forward, rolling a finger on her shoulder.

"Dearest Raine, if it weren't for this kid being a baloney lover I'd say fuck going to the human realm, but you know that would kick us both in the ass later," Eda had spoken in a more hushed, slightly suggestive voice.

"Mm, yeah, later then," Raine said. They quickly grabbed a hair tie and pulled Eda's hair up in a ponytail as she usually wore it. Now that she was wearing 'normal' clothes, the two went back downstairs.

Before Eda clicked the key for the portal door, though, she grabbed a handkerchief and tied it around her head. Raine grabbed a beanie and slid it on, hiding the tip of their ears.

"So… you ready to go?" Eda asked Raine as they grabbed a satchel from beside the sofa. They nodded.

Eda picked up the key and clicked it.

"After you," She said to Raine as the door flew up and unfolded itself. Once it was fully formed, it opened, showing the woods of the entrance to the human realm.

The couple took each other's hand and with a few steps they entered the other world.

Raine had grown more and more used to the Human Realm the past few years. Eda often dragged them there, and they had to be honest, they were going to be mildly fond of it. Everything about it was… unique. The sky, the plants, the animals, everything was different.

The real oddities to them, though, were humans.

There were so many things vastly different (and similar) about them in contrast to witches. Culturally, especially. What stuck out to Raine most was how underappreciated the earlier fall times were. Back on the Boiling Isles witches had been celebrating fall coming with harvest feasts and all, while the human realm treated it like any normal time.

Raine was a sucker for tradition.

"So shall we get what we came for?" Raine had been deep in thought until Eda had spoken. They were walking beside her on a sidewalk in the town the door was located in. Gravesfield. Morbid name for a place in the Human Realm.

The grocery store, it was called, that they went to for Eda's baloney wasn't too far down the street. Raine nodded and they continued to walk.

"Do you even wonder why it gets colder here much quicker than it does in the demon realm?" The mint haired witch asked. Eda shrugged her shoulders.

"Not really, we're surrounded by boiling water. It's bound to be warmer at home," She said, "I do enjoy that aspect of here though, means I can layer up a bit more."

"My snuggly owl," Raine teased. Eda blushed, looking in the other direction.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Rainestorm," She exclaimed. The two went back and forth for the next few minutes before they finally entered the store.

It wasn't a very large one, locally owned and locally sourced according to the signs on the windows. The inside was slightly compact, with around 10 rows of shelves. Eda and Raine, having grown adjusted to this particular store, immediately set foot for the side row to the end of the store. There was all the meat, and in that meat, baloney. Just what they needed. Raine grabbed the first pack they saw and handed it to Eda.

"Now how are we going to go about… you know, paying for this," Now that Eda was losing magic, Raine hadn't considered there was no way to… give the cashiers fake money.

"You were reading about illusions already, were you not? Why not give it a go," The redhead suggested.

"In public? And risk us getting banned from the only store we know has this stuff? I think you and I both know that's a horrific idea, even for your level of chaos," Raine said. Eda looked slightly dumbfounded and placed her hands on her stomach, but quickly regained herself, looking like she was listening to Raine's reasoning.

Until she turned and began scanning the area.

"Eda…" Raine began, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Not before a short plump woman turned the corner of the isle and began walking down. Her purse hung to the side of her, and Eda's eyes were pierced onto it.

When the woman wasn't paying attention, Eda slipped her hand and managed to grab her wallet. A few seconds scuffled by and she pulled out a bit of the money from inside. She hid the wallet in her back pocket and walked back up to Raine.

"Now it'll be legal," She whispered. Her yellow eyes had that spark, something Raine hadn't seen much of from her recently.

"That probably wasn't legal either, dear," Raine spoke hushed as they facepalmed.

"Well, now that we do have a bit extra, we could try some other things," Eda suggested, "I've seen apple blood here before, I want to know what it tastes like. I've also noticed some spicy chips you could try since you like spicy things back home."

"Really? A taste test? And is that apple blood with or without alcohol?" Their raises of concern were met with a shrug.

"I dunno, I'll ask someone. I know alcohol exists here but trust me, I wouldn't want it anyways," She said, "It's shit."

"Really? When did you try it?" Raine tilted their head. Eda stayed silent, turning to look down the row, completely ignoring Raine's question. Their jaw grew slightly agape as they gasped, "You didn't." They realized

"Oh I did." Eda said. She dashed down and grabbed a small container, displaying it to Raine, "On the contrary, apple blood."

"That says… apple juice." Raine said. Eda glared momentarily before handing the baloney to Raine.

"I'll find you something spicy," Eda said. She walked ahead, slowly being followed by Raine. They were hesitant to keep following her, nervous the lady knew what she'd done and would do something to cause a scene.

After going through a few isles, Raine spotted Eda stopping in front of a selection of chips. She contemplated for a moment before grabbing a bright purple bag. She held the bag out to Raine.

"How about this?" Eda asked them. Raine shrugged, "I'll take that as a yes." They accepted their fate and took the bag.

The two then made their way to the front and stood in the line at checkout. When it was their turn, Eda gave the cashier a twenty and paid for their items. It was an excessive amount, apparently, because she received over ten dollars back in change.

Once outside and holding the bags, Eda's hand dove into the bag Raine was holding with the apple juice. She pulled it out, even though it may have been an entire jug, but the witch wasted no time in twisting off the cap and holding it in the air.

"To an achievement!" She said, "And to the fact this is non-alcoholic!"

Raine gulped as Eda took a sip from the bottle.

Almost immediately she retracted back, gagging.

"What the fuck?!" She looked up to them with pure disgust in her eyes as she stared at the bottle, "This tastes horrible!"

"It can't be that bad," Raine said, extending their hand to take the jug from her.

"You want to taste piss?" Eda asked them, to which Raine nodded, "Be my guest." She handed them the apple juice and they took a sip.

She was right.

It was disgusting.

They choked on the drink, forcing it the rest of the way down.

"How do people drink this?" Raine said, sealing back the cap onto the container.

"I don't want to know," The redhead said. She placed her hands on her hips, "What do you want to do? Think you want to try those chips yet?"

"Blegh, I don't think I trust them after that horrific taste," They stuck their tongue out, "Maybe later."

"Alright, guess we can just walk around and see what happens," Eda shrugged her shoulders and slid her hands into her front pockets. They were rather small pockets, which shocked Raine.

The two went back onto the Main Street of Gravesfield and walked down it. It was early fall, Raine had figured. The leaves were starting to change colors and were falling off the trees that dotted the street.

"Hey, you might wanna see this," Eda said, pulling on Raine's sweatshirt sleeve. Spinning around they followed her eyes onto a small store. In the front window was a…

Record player?

Raine owned a record player, but they didn't know the Human Realm had record players.

"Who would've thought," The witch said, walking to the door and opening it, the inside had a bell that jingled when the door opened, "I say we take a closer look." She bowed to let Raine enter first. They obliged and entered the store.

Inside the walls were littered with guitars and other stringed instruments. In the middle there were shelves that held all sorts of music equipment, from replacement strings to capos. The floor was a black and white checkering. In the windowsill the record player sat, turning as it played music.

It seemed they served the same purpose as back in the demon realm. Records were often made simply for show and not as much for the actual magic in a bard's music.

"Afternoon!" Raine and Eda turned at the sound of a voice from the end of the room. Behind the counter stood a woman, probably a few inches shorter than Raine, and definitely no older than twenty three. She had brown hair half up in the back, tied up with a bow, and brown eyes. Her skin was tan, and she had a nose piercing in her left nostril.

"Oh! Hello! Sorry, we're just passing through," Raine said. The woman nodded her head.

"Ah, I see, did that record player catch your attention?" She asked.

"Mhm, what song is playing?"

"Where is My Mind, it's by The Pixies, ever heard of them?" The woman asked.

"No, this isn't the music I typically listen to," Raine said.

"I could jam out to this," Eda cut in, "How much for it?"

"Oh, that's my personal copy, if you want music I'd go to Tunes 4 U across the street, this is just a guitar store," She said, "I guess you two are big on music though?"

"Ah, not me as much, but they are," Eda said, pointing to Raine. They chuckled, rubbing the back of their neck.

"I play viola," They explained, "It's a… job, that's for sure."

"Oh, boohoo don't tear yourself up over the fact it's a guitar store you're in," The cashier said, "There's a few violas down on the end on your left."

"My viola luckily works just fine," Raine said, "Replaced the strings just a few months ago."

"Oh, well in that case, just have fun looking," The woman went back to whatever it was she was doing behind the counter. Raine could hear some clicking noises and realized she was holding a small handheld game.

"Raine," Eda said, pulling them to turn around.

"What is it?" They asked her. She got a mischievous look on her face. Raine blinked at her, "No."

"Why not?" Eda asked. Raine shook their head.

"We are not stealing the record player," They were painfully aware that since it was Eda who had taken interest first that she definitely wanted to steal it to compare theirs' with it.

"Give me a good reason and I won't," The redheaded witch said, "If there is no good reason, then go up and chat with the woman some more and I'll get the infinity pouch."

"From where?" Raine asked.

"My hair." Eda said nonchalantly.

"Oh," Raine said. They contemplated for a moment before sighing, "Fine, but I'm buying something first."

"There's no music here to buy," Eda pointed out.

"There is some books, and if you get to compare a stolen record player to mine, I can buy a book and try it to see how it differs from my scores." They explained, "So, give me a few minutes, and while I'm checking out, you can get it."

"Deal," Eda said, holding her hand out. Raine hesitantly took it.

Raine looked at a rack of music books and eventually found one for the viola. Picking it up they noted the price, only twenty of the human realm's currency.

They took the book up to the front and placed it on the counter. They also placed the bags they'd been carrying with the baloney and chips on the ground.

"Oh, piqued your interest?" The woman looked up from her game, pausing it.

"Yeah, figured it'd be fun," Raine said, "Say uh… what's your name?"

"Susan, what about you?" Susan asked, scanning the book.

"Raine, my girlfriend's named Marilyn," It always felt wrong saying Eda's fake name, but she had… already kind of had a ban in several places under her legal name.

"Oh, so she's your girlfriend?" She chuckled, "I'm sure explaining that one to your parents was fun," Susan placed the book in a plastic bag and placed it on the counter, "22.76."

"Alright uh…" Raine opened the wallet Eda had given them and fiddled with the cash until they found a 20 and a five, "Here you go. But uh… what do you mean by… explaining that to my parents?"

"Isn't it a little taboo, if you guys aren't married?" The brunette shrugged her shoulders, "Though I don't care."

"Uh…" they paused, trying to think of what they were talking about, "Is this about us having… a uh…"

"Mhm," Susan said.

"Oh! Uh, my… my parents don't care, and she uh… doesn't talk to her parents. Not because of this though!" Raine explained. The music in the background was fading and finally ended. Eda had turned the record player off. They hoped this very awkward conversation would distract Susan long enough for Eda to stuff it in the bag.

"Sorry, I was just curious," She let out a small chuckle, "I see you guys walking outside every once in a while. You two make a cute couple."

"I-Uh, thanks?" Raine said, confused as to whether feel complimented or uncomfortable.

"Sorry," Susan stared at the cash, "Really. I shouldn't pry like that."

"Well where we're from it isn't common either, so I think I see where you're coming from," Raine said. The woman looked up at Raine quickly before going back to changing out their payment.

"That's funny, anyways here's your change," She held the change out for Raine and they took it, "I think your girlfriend is going off somewhere else, better catch up with her."

"Will do, have a good day!" Raine spoke way too fast as they took the bags up and sped walked out of the store. They spotted Eda just a little up ahead and once out of the view of the store window they sprinted to reach her.

"You are never doing that again!" Raine exclaimed, pulling Eda even further ahead with them, "I do not want that woman getting onto us!"

"So she told you her name?" Eda asked them.

"Yup! It was Susan! And she knows my name so before she knows it was you who took it, how about we book it back to the house now that we've gotten our things!" Raine said.

"Alright, alright! But ooooo I missed doing that! It was so thrilling!" The redhead threw her arms out dramatically.

"You got your criminal temptations out of your system!" Raine couldn't help but smile at that.

"Yup!" Eda said, "Now I think if we do something like this monthly I can hold over pretty well." Raine and Eda both began to slow down.

"Eda, you shouldn't be doing that," Raine said, "You might've been able to get away with that but you're still… pregnant. I'm not sure this kind of strenuous activity is good for the baby or you."

"It's just a little bit of chaos, far less than I usually do," The witch said.

"Eda, you shouldn't be doing much activity like that period! You're supposed to at least rest in the later months," Raine placed a hand on their forehead , "Look, today worked fine because what you did was pretty petty, but if there's a way we can tone it down even more… I'm really worried, alright?"

"You don't have to be, I can handle myself," Raine bit their lip at this. What was the use of arguing? And maybe she was right, this was almost nothing compared to what she usually did.

The rest of the walk back to the door was mostly silent.

Once they reached the door and Eda pulled out her key, she looked at Raine. It was a quick glance, but she immediately looked back.

"Look… I'll…" She sighed, "I'll try and tone things down." Eda placed a hand on her stomach.

"Really?" Raine tilted their head up.

"Mhm," Eda said. She clicked the key on the door and it opened, allowing them back into the Owl House. Once in Eda closed the door back up and it was in its normal briefcase form. Raine sat their bags on the floor, and Eda the same with the infinity bag.

"Alright then," They said, "How about we figure out how to make that thing work with our records?"

"You read my mind, Rainestorm," Eda said.

"That's because I know you best of all, my Snapdragon," Raine felt a warmth fill their cheeks as they looked back at Eda, who was grinning wildly at them.

They loved her a lot.

September 27th, 1999

Dear Diary,

Today I was reminded of why I love Eda so much. It wasn't actually all that eventful, for her it was, but for me it felt like a normal Monday. I really hope she'll be okay staying cooped up. She really wants to avoid the Emperor's Coven right now.

We stole a record player. Managed to get it to play some of the records we have. We found it in a shop in the human realm. I'm slightly surprised it even worked. It's odd.

Eda and I did manage to agree on her calming down a bit with stuff like this, just for the next few months. Titan, it's weird sometimes to think that in three months I'm going to be a parent. I'm worried about Eda a lot more, though. She seems… different. Not totally in a bad way, she's been a lot more open lately, but she's also just… off? I think she's just unsure right now, which I can see why, she's pregnant, but I don't know if it's just that or not.

Either way, I think today was one of the best days we've had together in a while. It was pretty fantastic to see her spark again. I love her spark. It's one of my favorite things about her.

I guess I can't write much more though, can I? She's simply living her life. And so am I. It'll be weird when there's three of us (not including Hooty). Anyways, goodnight Diary.

Sincerely in love,

Raine.
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Apologies for such a delayed chapter! hope you enjoyed! If you want more clear updates check my twitter edaseviltwin