Losing her magic was the pits.
Eda knew that she wouldn't escape petrification completely fine, but it was still a bummer when she tries to cast a light spell, or any other spell, and nothing happened. It felt like there was a phantom ache, like something was ripped out of her.
And she remembers what Luz said.
"It's okay. I can teach you what I know, and what we don't know, we can learn together."
Eda said she looks forward to it, but…she doesn't know if she's ready to accept that her magic might be gone for good. She doesn't want Luz to feel bad, either. The kid wants to help her. Still, her magic is not the same…
But you gotta let her.
Thanks to how long they were up and what they went through, nobody started waking up until 10:30-ish. When Eda walked into the kitchen that morning and saw Lilith there, her stomach churned. She'd almost forgotten that she let her stay.
Lilith had only started to make things better by using her pain-sharing spell and bringing her back to her cursed form. She couldn't just leave her out there after that. But…it was long overdue. They both knew that. Lilith may be her sister, and she may have removed half of the curse, but she is still the one who cursed her in the first place. She's still the one who said nothing for years, who thought the best solution was to have her arrested instead of facing her and talking to her. Hell, she even mocked her "weakened" state a few times before! And worst of all, she was still the one that had hurt Luz.
Of course, Eda warned her the night before about what she'd do if she ever harmed or disrespected Luz again. She hopes she'll take it to heart.
"Oh, good morning Edalyn." Lilith greeted. Unlike yesterday, her hair was…a bit less neat. It was…somewhat refreshing.
Eda said nothing and only side-eyed her as she made her cup of apple blood. She doesn't have the energy to talk to Lilith right now.
Lilith shrugged and started searching the kitchen for something. "Ugh, I need some coffee. Honestly, Edalyn, how do you find anything in here?"
Eda rolled her eyes. "Look in the cabinet. And it's not that messy."
"I see."
While Lilith made her drink, Eda sipped hers, wondering when Luz would come down. She supposes that the girl is sleeping in. Understandable, given last night. Luz will wake up on her own time.
Or maybe I should go wake her up, Eda thinks, feeling worry build up.
Lilith sat across from her, staring into her mug. "So…it turns out that I still have some of my magic." She began.
That made Eda look up. "Oh?"
"Of course, it's weakened, so I'm not as strong as before, but at least I still have it." Lilith said with a small smile.
"And you're telling me this why?" Eda said, narrowing her eyes. A part of her was jealous, and angry. Why does Lilith get to keep her magic after everything?
"Because I can help you now! You may have lost your magic completely-"
"Don't remind me…"
"-but I still have mine! I can still help you! Isn't that wonderful?"
Eda stared at her sister. She talked about how she still has her powers as if it's some miracle. But to Eda, it feels unfair.
"What, you think I'm useless without magic?" Eda glared.
Lilith looked taken aback. "N-no, of course not! I just mean that I think you could use a lot more help now that you've lost your powers."
"You think I'm weak? You say this like it'll comfort me somehow, but it's doing the exact opposite." Eda said. The last thing she needed was somebody making her feel inferior.
"I thought that at the very least you'd be happy." Lilith said sternly.
Eda stood up. "Happy? You think I'd be happy that you still have your natural magic after everything you did?" She sneered.
Lilith stood up as well. "I share the curse with you now! I thought you'd appreciate that I'm making an effort now!"
"Well, I do appreciate it. But what else do you have to answer for? Oh right. Not saying anything about the truth for thirty fucking years, trying to have me arrested as a solution…" Eda listed, clenching her fists.
"Edalyn! You know I was only trying to help!"
"And there's also how you thought our tyrant of an emperor could cure me! You call that helping?"
"You wouldn't understand! You're being very unreasonable! Don't forget I saved you!" Lilith tried.
"No, Luz did, which is another thing, you tried to kill her to bring me down!"Eda yelled. The image of her own sister tossing Luz over the bridge would never leave her head.
"Edalyn! I'm not the only one who played a part in your suffering, you know!" Lilith argued, slamming her hands on the table.
"Oh really? Your part in my suffering? Who else was involved, sister? Do tell me."
"I admit, Emperor Belos is a deceptive liar, and I was a fool to believe him. And the petrification may have played a part in taking away your powers. And the hu-"
Eda pointed an accusing finger at her sister, glaring daggers. "Apupup! Stop right there! Don't you dare finish. Luz has nothing to do with this."
"But if she hadn't-"
"Hadn't what? Luz was only trying to help me." She growled. "And she definitely helped me more than you did. You don't get to blame her for your mistakes. Not on my watch." Eda took a deep breath to calm herself. She hoped their argument hadn't woken up Luz. However, at that moment, she noticed the girl coming down the stairs, only to stop mid-step, watching the sisters, looking unsure if she should intervene or not.
Shit, we probably woke her up. I hope she didn't hear anything she shouldn't have...
"Why can't you just trust me? I thought that we had a chance at making things better!" Lilith said angrily.
"Why should I?" Eda said lowly, crossing her arms.
Then, at that moment, the conversation was interrupted by Luz grabbing King, trying to keep him from running into the kitchen.
"No, don't!" she muttered. Eda and Lilith turned to see her looking up sheepishly and slowly making her way back up the stairs. Unfortunately, King had escaped her arms and began shuffling around the kitchen for food. Lilith's shoulders slumped.
Eda pinched the bridge of her nose and turned back to her sister. "Lily, listen to me when I say you can't just split the curse with me and expect everything to be instantly better again. You have a long ways to go before you can expect me to forgive you. Think about that." Then she turned around towards the stairs. "I need to be alone."
As soon as Luz saw Eda pass in the hallway, she got up and made her way towards her mentor's room. She knows Eda might want some privacy, but after hearing the fight downstairs, she couldn't just...leave her alone.
And Luz definitely knows Eda would do the same for her.
When she reached the door, she raised her fist to knock. "Eda?" she said. "It's me, can I...can I come in?"
After 10 seconds, Luz pushed the door open and let herself in. Her mentor was splayed out face-down in her nest, one arm hanging over the edge. She's hurting, I know it, Luz tells herself. She walks closer.
Eda senses the girl's presence, but says nothing. Normally, she'd tell her to go away, but she didn't have the energy to do so. She found the kid's company comforting anyway.
Luz stood in front of the nest, looking down at the witch. "I...heard you and Lilith. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I promise!" Eda said nothing. "I understand how you feel. You're not the only one who lost something, you know?" Luz continues, hoping Eda was listening. "You lost your magic, and...I lost my only way home." Luz lifted a hand to stroke Eda's hair, feeling her throat start to tighten at the reminder of her loss. "We're in this together, okay? I-I'm gonna help you, promise. I owe it to you."
Eda looked up, seeing Luz looking out the window. Her heart warmed at how unbelievably understanding the girl was. Once again, she was reminded of how much she had changed since Luz had come into her life. Her beloved, sweet, caring kid was like a light in the darkness. In a sudden burst of affection, she reached out.
Suddenly Luz was yanked into a tight hug. "Ah-!" she grunted, startled by the sudden mood change. Eda had flipped herself over, squeezing her girl affectionately and holding her close.
They were in an awkward position, but Eda didn't care. Titan, she loved this kid so much! "You're so good!" she said. Then she sat up, still holding Luz. She pulled away slightly, looking down at her. "Don't you worry, kiddo, you don't owe me a thing. I know that as long as we're together, everything's gonna be okay." She moved a hand up to ruffle the girl's hair, then moved it to cup her cheek. "I love you so much."
Luz smiled, leaning her head against the witch's chest. "Okay." Her heart warms at how much Eda cares. So she laid there, letting Eda hold her.
The pair sat there for a moment, Eda cradling her kid close and resting her cheek on the top of her head. It wasn't often they got a moment like this, and she wanted to cherish it. There's no way she deserved somebody this wonderful.
It was Luz who broke the silence first. "I know you miss your powers, but, will you let me know when you're ready to try glyphs?"
Eda loosened her grip a little bit so Luz could move to sit in her lap more comfortably. "I think I can try them out for you." She said. Luz was right. Glyphs may not be the same as her old magic, but they're still magic. If Luz can figure it out with that big brain of hers, then why not her?
Luz smiled, satisfied with that answer. She wrapped Eda in another hug.
Another minute massed and Eda pulled back. "You know what? How about we go see what we can scrounge up for breakfast? I'm starving, and I'm sure you are too."
Luz nodded. "Heck yes I am! But, it's almost noon, so, don't you mean brunch?"
Eda rolled her eyes. "Eh, what the hell, I was close." she playfully flicked Luz's forehead, earning a giggle from her. "And after that, you can try to teach me, got it? Let's see what you can do with that big brain of yours." she said, ruffling Luz's hair affectionately.
"Eda, you're the best!"
