Character introductions.
Boiling Isle parkway, Bothell WA.
Hexside Institute. Children's wing, teenager ward.
Main characters:
Luz Noceda: 14 yo patient, ADHD and schizophrenic. One of the most dangerous patients, and the most violent in the children's wing, has been in the hospital since she was 10. Best friends with Amity, Gus, and Willow. Currently dating Amity. Severe delusions mixed with ADHD compulsions and fidgeting. Believes she lives in a magical world called the Boiling Isles. She thinks her friends are witches and she attends a magic school. Was diagnosed to have ADHD before being found as schizophrenic. A usually cheerful girl whose mother loves to visit her and her friends on Saturdays. Loves the M&M cookies her Mami always brings. Permanent resident, similar to Amity and her siblings.
Amity Blight: 14 yo patient, severe anxiety and PTSD from traumatic childhood. Has been in the hospital since she was 8, has 2 older siblings. Currently dating Luz. Amity is sensitive to who gets close to her, doesn't like people touching her without warning and can get violent. Best friends with Willow, Gus, and Luz. Was abused by parents until taken away by CPS and placed in the hospital with her siblings for recovery. Originally for a few months, but now the Blights are permanent patients, until transfer to the adult wing at 18. Has the nickname 'Mittens' around the ward thanks to her annoying siblings, she doesn't hate the nickname though.
Willow Park: 14 yo patient, mild schizophrenia with a fixation to plants. Has been in the hospital since she was 11. Talks to plants and loves their company, not violent unless someone hurts her plants, friends, or feelings. Best friends to Gus, Amity, and Luz. Her dads visit her on most Saturdays and she looks forward to their visits. Semi permanent resident, unlike some of her friends. She is the responsible 'mom' friend, keeps them all out of trouble… most of the time.
Gus Porter: 12 yo patient, hyperactivity and compulsive hoarder disorder. Been in the hospital since he was 10. Overly active and obsessed with collecting 'human' things. Loves to play along with Luz's fantasies, often getting into his elven character for days at a time. Best friends to Amity, Luz, and Willow. Youngest in the teenager wing, is a favorite to all the doctors. Has parents, but they rarely visit. Semi permanent resident. Loves the M&M cookies Camilla always brings.
Boscha: 14 yo patient, narcissistic personality disorder and intermittent explosive disorder. Troublesome patient who has been in hospital since she was 8, arrived at the same time as the Blights. Gets upset easily and has trouble making friends. Rarely violent, but can be loud, mean, and overwhelming. Scares the other kids and bullies them for fun. Semi permanent resident. Has parents but they never visit and she doesn't talk about them.
Skara: 13 yo patient, depression. Best friends with Boshca, arrived at the same time when 7 years old. Semi permanent, has been released multiple times but always returns after a few weeks due to suicide attempts. Shyer and doesn't like to bully others. She usually keeps Boscha calmer and out of trouble. Has parents who visit her periodically. Isn't a danger to anyone but herself and sometimes refuses to leave her room for days at a time.
Doctor Eda Clawthorn: Children's Doctor. Eda and her sister, Lilith, are the two main doctors in the Hexside children's wing. Is the main doctor to Luz, Willow, Gus, Viney, Jerbo, and Barkus. Has a soft side for Luz, her favorite patient. Doesn't like to encourage Luz's fantasies, but knows when it is unavoidable. Has a playful side, on free times can be seen hanging out with Luz and her friends. Has a registered service dog named King to help with rowdy patients. Eda is more relaxed then Lilith and well liked by everyone. Gets into trouble by Lilith for being 'irresponsible' and 'playing favorites' but really couldn't care less.
Doctor Lilith Clawthorn: Children's Doctor. Eda's older sister and second doctor in the children's ward. Main doctor to Edric, Emira, Amity, Willow, and Boscha. Unlike Eda who has a playful side, Lilith is all about her job. Is responsible for keeping her little sister out of trouble, which usually proves useless. She would never be caught dead admitting this, but has a soft side for the Blight siblings. Relating to their past situation, she sometimes acts motherly towards them and has known them since they first arrived.
Hieronymus Bump: Children's Mental Counselor. Hosts daily chat sessions with the kids, whether in a group or individually. Older man, he complains about his job but truly enjoys helping the kids. Has been working in the Hexside institute for 30 years, the longest working employee. Knew the original founder before she died, leaving the institute to her oldest son Belos.
Mr. Belos: Lead Doctor, hospital owner. Is the original founder's oldest son, inheriting the position after her passing. Mostly works from his office but meanders around the building to make sure everything runs smoothly. Rarely visits the children's ward, not a huge fan of children or the one they call Luz. She has a burning hatred for him, no one knows why, and anytime he visits she manages to give him bruises, scratches, and bite marks that last for days. Needless to say, Luz is on his list of least favorites. Luz calls him Emperor Belos, and the other kids like to call him the Emperor after her little nickname.
Edric Blight: 16 yo patient, PTSD and reactive attachment disorder. Been in the hospital since he was 10 years old. Him and his twin sister, Emira, cause daily mischief that usually lands them in solitary. They don't trust adults, nor most people, and lean on each other for emotional support. Best friends with Jerbo, Viney, and Barkus. Hang out with Mittens and her friends sometimes, love to tease their lil sis about anything they possibly can. Permanent residents planned to move to the adult wing once they turn 18.
Emira Blight: 16 yo patient, PTSD and reactive attachment disorder. Been in the hospital since she was 10 year old. She and her twin brother, Edric, get into trouble on the daily and are known to be solitary often. Past experiences left them both with a lack of trust towards adult figures and are slow to make friends. Best friends with Viney, Jerbo, and Barkus. Finds new ways to antagonize Mittens on the daily, they have a game of 'who can make her blush the reddest' going.
King: Calming Animal, black dog with a torn ear and white skull shaped spot on face. Eda's dog who hangs around the kids. Goes wherever she does and helps calm the more rowdy patients. Laid back and easy to trust, has a soft spot for belly rubs and bacon. Sometimes sent into solitary if the patient needs emotional support, he knows just how to relax an anxious child. Most nights he sleeps with Luz unless another child needs his support. Gets along well with Puddles, the other therapy animal in the ward.
Owlbert: Eda's owl shaped doctor bag. Most people know who 'Owlbert' is. Eda has a strange doctor bag that is shaped like an owl. In Luz's fantasy world he is Eda's palisman and a semi-living owl who lives on her magic staff. Luz always greets Eda and Owlbert, not wanting to hurt his feelings. Even her friends like to greet Owlbert most mornings, a cute tradition started by Luz.
Hooty: Medicine distributor and night guard. His voice can be heard every morning and night right before medicines are distributed. He is the communal alarm clock, waking everyone up and signalling lights out. A kind man who, while having the most annoying voice in the world, has a heart of stone. He keeps the hallways patrolled at night and he is known to wear weird clothing combinations with colorful patterns. He maintains a peppy personality around the kids and is known to "Hoot" in greeting, leading to his nickname around the ward.
Kikimora: Belo's wife and secretary. She is Mr. Belo's secretary, but also leads free time activities in the afternoons. Art class, music sessions, social games, all these are headed by Kikimora. Luz distrust her, something about being loyal to Emperor Belos, but still enjoys the activities she leads. Kikimora enjoys the children's company and seeing the creative ways they come up with to entertain themselves.
Camilla Noceda: Luz's Mom, visits on Saturdays. Unlike some parents who visit their kids intermittently, she visits every Saturday without fail. She would visit everyday if possible, but Saturday is the only visiting day she can make with her busy schedule. Not only does she visit Luz, but makes sure to visit her friends also. Around the children's wings she is kindly known as 'M&M mom' because every week without fail she brings homemade M&M cookies for any kid who wants one. It breaks her heart to see her baby Luz like this, but is glad she is being cared for and has friends.
Viney: 16 yo patient, parasomnias. Has been in the teenager ward since she was 13 for vivid night terrors and parasomnia. Often sleepwalking and injuring herself, medication helps but not always. Best friends with Edric, Emira, Jerbo, and Barkus. A semi-permanent resident, used to be able to visit her parents on weekends, but a severe sleepwalking injury quickly ended these. Her parents live further away and visit once a month. Emira and her are dating, and have been for a while. Trying to stay out of the twins 'trouble zones helps, but she ends up in solitary more times then she can count. It's never her fault. Non violent when awake, but can be a danger to herself and others while having night episodes.
Jerbo: 15 yo patient, anorexia. Has been in the hospital off and on since he was 10. Eating a bit and getting better, gets released only to return a few months later a shell of himself. Recently his parents refused to let him return home until fully recovered, claiming 'it gave them false hope their son was better' They never visited him anymore. Best friends with Edric, Emira, Viney, and Barkus. Dating Edric since his most recent return. Staying out of trouble is nearly impossible for anyone associated with the Blight twins, usually going down with the ship of pranks and ending up in solitary.
Barkus: 15 yo patient: real name Markus, communication disorder. One of the oldest residents, arrived at the young age of 4 after being abandoned on the steps of a gas station. He has never talked, only communicated basic needs through a form of barks and other animal noises. No one knows his past, he can't really explain anything in depth, only that he is most likely a semi-permanent resident. Very smart and cognitively there, he just can't learn to speak. Rather happy with his life, he enjoys reading and hanging out with his best friends Edric, Emira, Viney, and Jerbo. Non violent, and very good at staying out of trouble even with strong ties to the Blight twins. Prefers the nickname Barkus and everyone calls him this.
Puddles: Viney's therapy cat. Large grey and brown cat with golden eyes. Hangs around the teenager ward freely during the day but is Viney's therapy animal at night. Helps wake her up if she sleepwalks and calms her down during panic episodes. Is also trained to alert the night guard in case Viney gets out of control. Viney doesn't have any roommates, due to her sleep issues, so Puddles keeps her company. Has a cat flap in Viney's door so Puddles can freely move around. Puddles doesn't meow, hiss, and purr like a normal cat. Puddles coos, warbles, and squawks more like a parrot.
There will be other side characters but they will have smaller roles so official diagnosis or character chart is unneeded. There are also other nurses, janitors, and workers, but they are not mentioned by name and are always side characters. Hexside mental institute is split into two different buildings. The adult wing, and the children's wing. Having different doctors and nurses, only a few people are able to move freely between these two areas. In the children's wing there are two different wards. There is the teenager ward where our story takes place, with kids over 13. An exception to this is Gus so he could remain with his best friends. And the children's area where most of our main characters spent a while in the past, children 12 and under stayed here before being moved to the teen ward. Once a patient turns 18 they will either be released or moved to the adult wing. Hexside mental institute is located on Boiling Isle parkway in Bothell Washington, this is where Luz gets her inspiration for her magical world.
Now, without further ado… enjoy!
Chapter 1:
"Emperor Belos is gone, Amity. I defeated him and now we don't have to live in fear anymore. Eda and King are safe, Lilith is on our side now. Together we can do anything we set our mind to!" She was holding Amity's hand under the blossoming tree they created when Grom was defeated. Something was wrong, Amity seemed sad. Not her usual flustered self, holding Luz's hand but had a look of worry plastered across her face. "Amity, is something bothering you?" Luz's heart was now racing, whatever was hurting Amity hurt her also. She looked into Luz's eyes, her golden pupils meeting chocolate brown ones. She spoke, at first her voice seemed to be coming from underwater but slowly got clearer. "Luz, wake up. Wake up, please... Wake up."
Luz opened her eyes, only to be met by blinding lights and a splitting headache. "Ami-ugh." She tried to sit up only to be met by resistance around her wrists and ankles. She heard a shuffling coming from beside her and felt someone grab her hand.
She tried to see who it was, but the lights made her head hurt and opening her eyes was painful. The unknown figue spoke, she immediately knew it was Amity. "Luz, you're awake!" She was a bit too loud, making the headache wash over like a wave. Luz must have grimaced because Amity immediately hushed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Luz. You must have a terrible headache. I will be back in a moment with Doctor Eda." She let go of Luz's restrained hand, leaving a confused Luz lying in bed. Doctor Eda? What did she mean by that?
A minute or two later she heard footsteps near her side. "Amity, turn the overhead lights off would you? It can't be helping her headache. Then give us a minute alone, once I'm done talking with her you can return." Was that Eda? She sounded so professional.
The brightest lights clicked off a moment later and Luz could finally open her eyes without intense pain. Sure enough, Eda stood next to her. She was wearing a doctor gown and looked very worried. Amity was nowhere to be seen, only Eda and Luz in a small hospital room. "Where did Amity go?" Her head was still aching and felt fuzzy, she just wanted to hold Amity's hand again.
"She will return in a while, I wanted to talk with you alone for now." She proceeded to reach into an owl shaped doctor's bag, grabbing a stethoscope and other medical tools. Immediately getting to work taking Luz's heart beat, blood pressure, and checking pupil dilation.
"What was the last thing you remember?" Eda asked as she tended to Luz's fragile state. Luz struggled to remember. Amity and her standing under their grom tree, just before that she had escaped the Emporium after defeating Belos. "I-I saved you from Emperor Belos. King and Lilith were there, I saved you all from being petrified to stone. Then I was with Amity under our tree where we defeated Grom." The details were a bit muddled but she didn't wanna worry Eda.
She looked into Edas golden eyes, wait, wasn't one supposed to be grey? Eda was visibly sad, giving Luz a pitiful look. "I really thought you were getting better, this relapse was one of your worst. Heck, you were on your way to being able to visit your Mom for the weekend if not for this sudden relapse." Relapse? What the heck is she talking about? "Can I go see Amity? And where is Willow and Gus? Are they ok?" She started to haphazardly struggle against the straps keeping her in the bed.
"I can go grab them from the hall, you need to calm down before the others insist on straitjacketing you again. You are lucky I managed to convince them to move you in here and not keep you in solitary for even longer." Eda stood up, gathered her tools, and gave her one more look of pity before leaving to grab her friends. Her head was racing a mile a minute. Where am I? Why am I not in The Owl House, surrounded by my friends and family?
A blink later the door hastily swung open, pulling Luz from her jumbling thoughts. Willow, Amity, and Gus all darted in, surrounding her bed. "Luz! You are back! We were so worried, don't do that to us again." Gus was gushing, and jumping around, emotional tears in his eyes. Willow pulled him into a giant bear hug so he didn't overwhelm Luz with his good intentions.
While she was 'trying' to calm down Gus, she gently talked to Luz. "Welcome back Luz, we were afraid you would be in solitary forever. Life just isn't the same without your antics." Amity had already found her way to Luz's side, sitting in the nearby chair and grabbing Luz's restrained hand again. She knew it comforted Amity as much as it did herself. Amity had faint tears in her eyes, she didn't say anything out loud but her face radiated affection.
Luz was happy to see her friends, but boiling questions still nagged at her head. "It's so good to see you guys, but where am I? This isn't the Owl House, is it some sort of healer's coven?" Her friends' faces dropped slightly at this. It was at that moment she noticed something terrible. Her friends were missing their pointed ears. Their witch ears had vanished, they now looked eerily… human.
"Where did your witch ears go? Is this some strange illusion?" She couldn't remember if Eda had her normal anatomy, her mind had been too messy to notice. The others shared anxious glances at each other. Willow was the first one to speak up. "You don't know where you are, do you?" She sounded tired, like she had explained this a million times. Gus piped up after Luz shook her head, she had no idea where she was. "At least she sees our normal ears for once! While I did love pretending to be an elf, I'm rather glad you see our actual ears." Amity giggled at this, while Willow just looked between him and Luz sadly.
Before anyone could explain more to Luz, Lilith walked in. She was also in a doctor's outfit, but unlike Eda she was wearing round glasses. "Alright, head out you bunch. I need to have a chat with Luz before she can return to her usual activities. Dinner will be served shortly, now scoot scoot." She pushed the three kids out, each mouthing an apology as they were shuffled away, Lilith shutting the door behind them.
"You can join them for dinner in a moment, first I need to make sure you take your pills. I can also answer some questions you may have, Edalyn warned me you were a bit confused." Luz started to ask a question but Lilith shushed the forming words. Unstrapping her hands and legs before giving her two paper cups, one with water and one with assorted pills. Seeing as she wouldn't get any information before taking these, she swallowed them and the water.
Lilith promptly checked her cheeks and tongue for hidden pills, apparently satisfied with what she didn't find. "Now a quick overview before dinner is served. You are in the Hexside mental institute, children's wing. You have been in solitary this past week and would've stayed there for longer had it not been for my sister's intrusion. I'm sure your friends will inform you of less pressing concerns, but for now I leave you with this. Behave yourself and you will be right as rain. Now I will have Eda come and escort you to dinner." She left without Luz even getting one question out.
She waited a while, listening to the muffled chatter of other people outside. They sounded happy, all things considered, but the occasional crying or angry bellows could be heard. Now able to sit up without getting nauseous, she got a better look at her cramped surroundings. A bland room with white walls, a bed with leather straps, and a chair. It lacked the warmth Luz associated with The Owl House.
Before long, Eda arrived again with her odd owl bag in tow. This time, she had a small dog follow in behind her. "Luz, I figured you would want King to accompany you to dinner. He likes when you slip him a bit of bacon." She winked at the last sentence. This isn't King, the king of demons, I know is it? He was a small black dog, with a skull shaped white spot on his head. He was missing most of his right ear, and had a service animal vest on. Luz decided against voicing her concern. She didn't flinch when Eda sat him beside her on the bed.
The little fluff ball immediately rolled over for tummy rubs. "Can he follow me to dinner?" She really wanted King to be with her, something about his laid back nature made her feel better. "Of course! In fact, he usually does! You were the first kid to ever sneak him a scrap of bacon, and he never forgets a friend." Luz smiled at this, and in return Eda grinned as well. Luz picked up King to set him on the floor, he was both heavier and lighter than he looked, and followed Eda outside the room. She was amazed at what she encountered once outside.
There was a long hallway with thick doors lining the walls. Some children her age milled around, going in and out of several open rooms. She recognized some of the kids and couldn't help but beam with happiness. Viney was sitting on the floor reading a large book, Skara was further away chatting with an older teen. Both smiled and waved when they caught a glance of Luz. There were also several adults, orderlies and nurses monitoring the children. Luz could have sworn she saw Edric and Emira being escorted by several burly orderlies, but they vanished before she could be certain. The overall mood was light and cheerful, but one thing was not to be mistaken. This was a mental hospital and each of these kids weren't here for nothing.
Luz would have been more excited to explore, if it weren't for an aroma of food emanating from one end of the hallway. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation. Eda motioned for Luz to follow her and they soon arrived in an open room with tables and a cafeteria line filled with kids. "King can follow you from here, your friends have a table next to the vending machines. Grab some food and feel free to go chat with them! I have some paperwork to attend to, otherwise I would love to hang out for a bit." With this, she left for her office a few doors away. Luz made a mental note of where her office was, just in case. Her office even had a doggy door so King could come and go as he pleased. I like this version of Eda and King, but nothing here makes any sense!
The cafeteria food smelled amazing, and looked even better. Today's menu was a BBQ theme and Luz made sure to grab extra pulled pork for King. She glanced around the open room, spotting the vending machine Eda mentioned. Sure enough, her best friends sat around a table chatting and laughing. Luz couldn't help but grin, maybe they could explain what was happening here. She all but ran towards them, they noticed and waved her over.
"Welcome to dinner Luz! It's been way too long since we last gathered to eat with you!" Gus was jittering as he spoke, his excitement palpable. Luz sat down as Willow leaned down to pet King, who had followed Luz in expectation of food. "I assume you are awaiting another explanation right? It's fine, I do this almost every time you come back from solitary." Solitary? Eda and Willow both mentioned this before so it must be important.
Amity took this time to scoot closer to Luz, eyes averted in a shy manner. Now that Luz had found her best friends, surely everything would make sense. "So, can someone explain to me why we aren't in The Owl House? And who turned King into a dog?" She motioned to King who was currently awaiting meal scraps with a fervent expression on his fluffy face. He was truly the cutest thing Luz had ever seen, she just wished he could talk and make bread jokes like usual.
Gus and Amity just had a dejected look on their faces while Willow started explaining. "You are in Hexside mental institute, where you have been for the past few years. We are all patients here like you, and both the Clawthorn sisters are our doctors. You were sent to solitary after… you had a relapse." She stopped talking there. Something must have happened, it didn't sound good. "So, what happened? Last thing I remember clearly was fighting Emperor Belos and saving Eda, King, and Lilith from petrification."
Amity began to explain, voice shaky at first but growing stronger. "Yes, you attacked Mr. Belos in a fit of rage. He is Hexside's main owner. You snuck into his office and overheard him talking to the Doctor Clawthorns about taking a week off for vacation. You injured him pretty badly, it took six nurses to subdue you." Amity again averted her eyes to the ground, but clutched Luz's hand firmly. "But I'm not a crazy person. You guys aren't either! We don't need to be here, we need to be back at The Owl House…" Suddenly she didn't sound as certain, doubt nagging at her mind.
After a while of silence, Luz spoke. "So how long was I in solitary?" Everyone at the table looked at Luz with sadness. "A week…" Gus was still fidgeting as he said this, but his mood was much less perky. "I'm gonna assume solitary isn't someplace most people spend a week in… is it?" She didn't really want the answer. Willow leaned over to pat Luz on the shoulder. "Hey, at least you're back now! Your Mom is gonna visit tomorrow like she does every Saturday." Gus interrupted Willow with an excited yelp and jumped up. "SHE WILL BRING HER DELICIOUS M&M COOKIES! Oh I just can't wait!" A few nearby orderlies gave him warning stares but Luz could tell they didn't really mean it.
The rest of dinner went by smoothly, they chatted about various things but no more was brought up about solitary. Apparently this place has some amazing activities. An art room, music room, game room, library, and a few other interesting ones. There were even daily special activities held in the cafeteria after lunch. Everyone took turns feeding King table scraps and by the end of their meal he looked more like a pig, or loaf of bread, then a dog. The cafeteria was much quieter now, most kids had left to return to their rooms for the night. Orderlies were escorting some of the remaining kids to their assigned rooms and Luz could tell their table was next. Sure enough, two young nurses approached the table a few minutes later. "It's time for everyone to return to their rooms. Medication and lights out are in thirty."
Luz had a look of confusion on her face so one of the nurses supplied. "Don't worry Luz, we can show you where to go. You won't have a roommate for a while after your stunt you pulled with Mr. Belos, but if you are well behaved you can get that privilege returned." After receiving harsh glares from the two nurses, her friends gave rushed goodbyes before dispersing to their own rooms. This left Luz alone with the two nurses and one overly stuffed dog.
"So, where are we going? And where is Eda?" Luz tried making small talk with the nurses, but they made no effort to converse. Luz had been forced to part with King, he seemed upset by this but made his way to Eda's office and squeezed through his doggy door. Luz and the nurses walked up a flight of stairs to yet another hallway lined with doors. These doors were different, looking more like a hotel room hallway than a hospital. A few teenage girls were milling around but it seemed most people on this floor were getting ready for bedtime. "This is the girls dormitory floor. Your room number is #88 and the communal bathrooms are at the end of the hallway." One of the nurses explained as they arrived at room #88 and entered.
It was a slightly bigger room than the one Luz had awoken in earlier. The walls are a peppy light yellow, big improvement to the drab white ones lining the rest of the institute. A bed just long enough for Luz's petite frame in one corner and a short plastic clothing dresser in the other. There was a door that led to a modest bathroom, quaint but functional. A window without drapery was on the far wall, even from where Luz was standing she could tell it was made with thick plastic and shatter proof. The only wall mounted item was a clock with thin bars around it. A medium bag laid on the floor, presumably filled with Luz's possessions ready to be unpacked. "We will leave you to unpack and get settled. As you have probably noticed, the bathroom door doesn't lock and showers are found in the communal bathroom. Safety reasons and all that. Hooty makes his rounds in ten minutes and lights out not long after." Her and the other nurse left hastily, the door shutting with a dull clack.
Luz wasted no time opening up her bag and shuffling through the contents. Some comfy t-shirts, jean shorts, pjs, and other normal clothes graced most of the bag. After putting the boring stuff in her dresser, she rifled through the rest of her belongings. Her favorite cat hoodie caught her attention, only now did she realize she had a standard hospital gown on and missed the warmth of her hoodie. In the bag she also found her bat shaped phone, a bag of toiletries, and some framed photos of her friends and Mami. Around the time she changed into better sleepwear, and propped her photos on the dresser drawer, a familiar voice echoed down the girl's hallway.
"Medicine time, it's medicine time! Hoot hoot! Then it's lights out time unless you guys wanna listen to one of my famous stories?" A collective groaning from the girls in other rooms made Luz curious about Hooty's stories… but not enough to listen to one. A few minutes and some faint door slams later, her door opened. Hooty stood pushing a large trolly filled with small cups, similar to the ones Lilith had given her except they were plastic and had names scribbled on the sides. Instead of his usual feathery tube, he was a lanky human adult she estimated to be in his mid twenties. One of the strangest things about this situation was his obnoxious choice of clothing. A neon pink nurses scrub with rainbow kittens spitting fireballs patterned his outfit. Eye burning was a good explanation of his attire. As if being a troublesome bird tube wasn't enough, he had to turn into this headache inducing abomination!
"Hello Luz! HOOT! Haven't seen YOUUU in a while, I almost didn't believe the stories about your disappearance but it really sounds like something you would totally dooooo." He handed her two cups with her name on them, one with pills and the other with water. She swallowed them both without hesitation. Hooty didn't check her cheeks as thoroughly as Lilith did, but still did a quick peek to be sure she swallowed them all. "Remember my offer for a thrilling story still stands! HOOT HOOT!" And with that, he shut her door. Leaving a confused, and increasingly drowsy, Luz to ponder what she just witnessed.
Luz was all but ready to go to bed, whatever was in those pills made her extremely tired. She was waiting for Hooty to turn the lights off, apparently having light switches in the rooms was a safety hazard, when a knock came from outside her door. She stumbled up to open the door, only getting a few steps before a wave of dizziness washed over her head. Eda opened the door and managed to catch Luz before she hit the floor. "Hey, take it easy kiddo. Those are some potent pills they gave ya." She helped a staggering Luz back to her bed before announcing why she was here.
"Since this is your first night back, I figured you would appreciate King staying with you. I don't know what you remember, but he sometimes accompanies you to bed unless he is needed elsewhere. Tonight I figured you could use the company, what with them taking away roommate privileges and all." Luz hazily let the information sink in before giving Eda a dopey grin. "Thanns EdaH, 'mere Kin-" The full little dog jumped onto her bed, with some help from Eda, and snuggled next to Luz. "I also brought you-" Eda cut her sentence short, noticing her sleepy friends had already conked off. With a fond, almost motherly, smile she tucked Luz under her covers and placed a delicately hand woven sweater beside her. She slowly shut the door on her way out, no more than a minute later, the lights turned off. The sweater had a small tag on the side with a short note. To a young witch from her proud mentor -Eda