The following morning at the Owl House, Hunter woke up after a good night's sleep and stretched his arms out wide as he let out a yawn.
"Man", Hunter said, "that was the best sleep I've had in a long time."
Because of the monster attack at Hexside the previous day, the school was closed while repairs were made and the Emperor's Coven conducted an investigation to try and find out more about the True Magic Coven, which meant that Hunter, as well as Luz and Amity, were going to be out of school for a while, and as the former walked downstairs to the kitchen, he thought about what he could do with his time off.
"Maybe I could try to find Dad and see if he wants to spend some more time with me", Hunter thought, "I still need to figure out what went down between him and Eda."
When Hunter got in the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of orange blood, and as he drank it, Eda walked into the room.
"Hunter", Eda said, "you're finally awake."
"Morning, Eda", Hunter said, "are the girls around?"
"Nope", Eda said, "Luz is spending the day in the human realm with her mom and Amity's visiting Willow so she can spend some quality time with her."
"I see", Hunter said, "so I guess it's just the two of us, then."
"That's right", Eda said, "you got any plans today?"
Hunter wasn't sure he wanted Eda to know he was thinking about visiting Paxton because he was afraid of what her reaction might be, so he decided to keep quiet about it.
"No", Hunter said, "nothing I can think of."
"Great", Eda said, "because I was thinking maybe you and I could go out and spend some time together today."
"Really", Hunter asked.
"Sure", Eda said, "now that you're living here with me, I figured we might as well bond with each other, don't you think?"
"Sure, I don't see why not", Hunter said.
"Great", Eda said, "I'll go get ready."
Eda walked away to get herself ready for the day, and Hunter continued drinking his orange blood.
"I guess maybe trying to see Dad again can wait another day", Hunter said, "a day out with Eda actually does sound kind of fun."
A little later, Hunter was up in his room doing a few last things to get himself ready for his day out with Eda, and after he screwed Flapjack onto his staff, he went downstairs and found Eda waiting for him with her staff in her hand.
"So", Eda said, "you ready to go?"
"I sure am", Hunter said.
"Great", Eda said, "then follow me."
Eda and Hunter left the house and flew away on their staffs.
"So", Hunter said, "what exactly are we going to do for our day of bonding?"
"You'll find out", Eda said.
The two witches soon arrived at a part of the isles that was about at the start of the Titan's left leg, and Hunter saw that they were at some kind of amusement park, which had rides like a Ferris wheel, rollercoaster, and a tilt-a-whirl in it.
"What are we doing here", Hunter asked.
"This place just opened up a few days ago", Eda said, "have you ever been to an amusement park before?"
"No", Hunter said, "no I haven't."
"Then this is a perfect opportunity for you to experience how much fun it is for the first time", Eda said, "what do you say?"
"Okay", Hunter said, "I guess it does sound harmless."
"Great", Eda said, "now let's go."
Eda gave the witch in the ticket booth hers and Hunter's tickets, which she had already bought previously, and walked into the park with Hunter by her side, and as he looked around, he saw people walking around all over the place having all kinds of fun.
"Look at this place", Hunter said, "I've never been to any place like this when I was with the Emperor's Coven."
"I still can't believe that's really true", Eda said, "that human posing as the Emperor only ever raised you as his lackey and never once let you be a teenager."
"Well, I never thought about how fun it might be", Hunter said, "it wasn't until after I betrayed him that I started to realize what I had missed out on for most of my life."
"I see", Eda said.
"But now that I'm free from him and the war's over, I'm ready to begin anew start living a whole new life", Hunter said.
"Glad to hear it", Eda said, "now, what do you want to do first?"
"Hmm", Hunter said, "let's see..."
Hunter looked around the park to try and find something that looked good, and he soon set his eyes on the roller coaster.
"How about that", Hunter asked.
"You mean the roller coaster", Eda asked, "sure, we can do that."
Eda and Hunter went and got in line for the roller coaster, and after waiting for a while, they were both sitting in a car and riding up the first hill of the coaster, and Hunter looked around nervously as they went higher and higher.
"You okay", Eda asked.
"I'm fine", Hunter said, "just a little nervous, that's all."
"Don't worry", Eda said, "everything's going to be okay."
The car soon reached the top of the hill.
"The only thing you have to worry about is the sudden drop", Eda said.
Then, the car raced down the hill, and the passengers all screamed loudly, especially Hunter, and Eda put her hands in the air.
"Woo-hoo", Eda shouted.
The coaster went through all kinds of loops and curves, each one more exciting than the next, and when the ride ended, Eda and Hunter, who was feeling a bit dizzy, got off the coaster.
"Are you alright, Hunter", Eda asked.
"Yeah, I think so", Hunter said.
"What did you think of that rollercoaster", Eda asked, "was it awesome or what?"
"Well", Hunter said, "it was fun, but let's not do it again."
Then, his mood suddenly changed.
"What am I saying", Hunter asked, "that was fun!"
"So do you wanna go again, or what", Eda asked.
"Heck yeah", Hunter said, "let's go!"
So, Eda and Hunter got back in line for the roller coaster to ride it again, and they ended up riding it several more times, until eventually, the operator decided they'd ridden it enough times and made them leave, and so, they went to ride on some of the other rides at the park and also played a few games, where they won some prizes, and after a while, the two of them were walking out of the park, both of them enjoying some caramel crab apples.
"Wow, Eda", Hunter said, "I sure had fun today."
"I'm glad to hear it", Eda said.
"Thanks for bringing me out here, by the way", Hunter said, "I sure enjoyed our day out together."
"Now hold on just a second", Eda said, "we're not done yet."
"We're not", Hunter asked.
"Nope", Eda said, "I've still got some fun activities planned for us to do."
"Oh", Hunter asked, "like what?"
"Like watching a play in town", Eda said, "how does that sound?"
"I do like to watch a good play every now and then", Hunter said, "okay, I'm in."
"Great", Eda said, "let's go!"
Eda and Hunter got on their staffs and flew away to Bonesborough, and soon arrived at the theater.
"Here we are", Eda said.
Eda went up to the ticket booth and spoke to the witch inside.
"Two tickets, please", Eda said, "one adult, one child."
The ticket witch gave Eda the tickets and she paid him for them.
"Enjoy the show", the ticket witch said.
Eda and Hunter entered the theater and went to look for their seats, and eventually found them in the fourth row.
"Here we are", Eda said, "these look like good seats, don't you think?"
"Yeah, they look good", Hunter said.
He and Eda sat down in their seats and waited for the play to start.
"So", Hunter said, "what exactly is this play about, anyway?"
"It tells one of the greatest stories on the Boiling Isles", Eda said, "the day Luz first arrived."
Then, the lights dimmed, which could only mean one thing.
"The play's starting", Eda said.
The curtains opened on the stage, and two actresses: one playing Luz and one playing Camila, were standing in front of a set designed to look like the front of Luz's house in the human realm.
"Luz, you know I love your wild imagination, but it's too out of control", the Camila actress said, "so I'm sending you to Reality Check Summer Camp to help you learn how to behave more normally."
"But Mom", the Luz actress said, "I don't want to go to some dumb camp."
"I know, Mija, but this is for your own good", the Camila actress said, "trust me, one day, you're going to thank me for this."
The Camila actress then walked offstage.
"Not today, I'm not", the Luz actress said.
The Luz actress took out a prop version of Luz's Good Witch Azura book, and a puppet of Eda's palisman, Owlbert, appeared and took it from her.
"Hey", the Luz actress said, "give that back!"
The actress followed the puppet, and as the lights on the stage dimmed, a narrator began narrating the scene.
"As Luz chased after the little owl that had taken her book, she entered a mysterious old house and went through a strange door", the narrator said, "and what she found on the other side of that door was something she never imagined she'd find in her entire life."
Hunter was intrigued by where the play was going.
"This looks interesting", Hunter said.
The play detailed all the different happenings of Luz's first day on the Boiling Isles, like her meeting Eda for the first time and the epic escape from the Conformatorium, and by the time it was over, the sun was starting to set, and Eda and Hunter both exited the theater.
"Wow", Hunter said, "that was a pretty good play."
"It was, wasn't it", Eda said, "I just wish they picked a better actress to play me instead of that faker."
"I think she did alright", Hunter said, "sure, her impression of your voice needed some work, but other than that, I think she captured your essence really well."
"Easy for you to say", Eda said, "you weren't even in the play, so there wasn't an actor who was playing you wrong."
Eda and Hunter walked through the streets of town and soon stopped at Grimgrub's Pub.
"You thirsty", Eda asked, "because I know I am."
"Sure, I could go for a drink", Hunter said.
Eda and Hunter went inside the pub, and soon enough, they were both enjoying some nice, refreshing drinks of apple blood, with Eda drinking the alcoholic version and Hunter drinking the non-alcoholic version.
"Man, I sure had fun today", Eda said, "how about you, kiddo?"
"Yeah", Hunter said, "I had fun too."
"You think this might be something you'd want to do again", Eda asked.
"Oh, totally", Hunter said, "I had a great time with you today."
"You did", Eda asked.
"Sure", Hunter said, "spending time with my surrogate mother figure was more fun than I thought it would be."
Eda was surprised by what Hunter had just called her.
"You think of me as a mother", Eda asked.
"Sure", Hunter said, "what else would I think of you as?"
"Oh, I don't know", Eda said, "some hermit who's letting you live with her in her cabin in the woods."
"Eda, you're much more than that", Hunter said, "I had nowhere to go after we won the war, but then you offered to let me stay with you and the girls in the Owl House, and for the past month, you've cared for me like I was your own son."
Hearing Hunter say those things about her made Eda feel very happy.
"You've shown more love and care towards me than that fake Emperor did my whole life", Hunter said, "and for that, I cannot thank you enough."
Eda now had tears of happiness in her eyes, and she suddenly embraced Hunter in a hug, much to his surprise.
"You being here with me is all I need", Eda said.
"Um, I'm glad I could make you happy", Hunter said.
Eda then released Hunter from the hug and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Sorry", Eda said, "guess I got a little carried away there."
"No, no, it's fine", Hunter said.
Eda picked up her glass of apple blood and began drinking from it once again.
"But really, I don't think I could ask for anyone better to be my mother than you", Hunter said, "maybe one day I could take you with me to see my Dad."
Eda's mood suddenly changed upon hearing Hunter's suggestion, and she stopped drinking her drink and slammed it down on the bar.
"What's wrong", Hunter asked, "you don't like that idea?"
"Did you forget what I told you about what he did to me", Eda asked.
"He metaphorically destroyed your heart", Hunter said.
"Exactly", Eda said, "so what gave you the insane idea that I would ever want to see that bastard again?"
"I just thought maybe if you two saw each other again, you could maybe make amends and try your relationship again", Hunter said, "I mean, I'm pretty sure it's been years since you two broke up."
"Even if I wanted to get back together with him again, I doubt it would do any good", Eda said, "I'm pretty sure our relationship's beyond repair at this point."
"Maybe not", Hunter said, "I'm sure if..."
"Hunter, listen to me", Eda said, "I'm happy that you found a member of your family, but you have to stay away from Delacroix."
"Dad's not as bad a person as you say he is", Hunter said, "he's really nice."
"He may seem that way now", Eda said, "but right when you least expect it, he'll reveal his true colors and leave you broken-hearted."
"But Eda", Hunter said.
"No buts", Eda said, "I'll say it one more time: don't ever speak to Paxton Delacroix again."
Eda got up from her barstool and walked away with Hunter following her, and that night, as he was lying in his bed, Hunter continued thinking about Eda's relationship with Paxton.
"I just don't understand why Eda hates Dad so much", Hunter said, "I'm sure means well by telling me to stay away from him, but I can't just stay away from my own father, and now I'm even more curious to find out what happened between them."
Hunter decided that one way or another, he was going to get to the bottom of what happened in the relationship between Edalyn Clawthorne and Paxton Delacroix.
