Luz tensed, a hand reaching for the owl staff when she heard footsteps approaching beyond the door. When the click of the doorknob followed, she relaxed. If that was anyone other than Anne, they'd be screaming in pain right now.
"Luz, I found someone."
Her heart leapt to her throat. She jumped to her feet, scrambling and stumbling around the fire pit to the front door. Found someone? Could it be? Willow? Amity?
Anne stood in the small corridor connecting the door to the living room. Her eyes were alight like twin orbs of blue flames. The golden hilt of her trusted sword peeked over her shoulder like a loyal companion. A hefty burlap sack was tied across her chest, fitting the width of the corridor, and she acted as if it weighed nothing at all. However, most striking of all, her arms carried a frail, battered girl that Luz has never seen before.
Her skin was pale white, almost sickly, almost like a porcelain doll. The green jacket hugging her body barely qualified to be considered a jacket anymore, so damaged was its state. A mess of red hair framed a sharp face worn down by turmoil and exhaustion. Brown eyes stared at Luz through a pair of cracked glasses, piercing yet nervous.
A pang of disappointment struck Luz's heart, and she hated it. She just hoped it didn't show on her face.
"Oh god, you poor thing." Luz gasped. She stepped back, motioning Anne further inside. "Quick, put her down on the couch."
Anne and Luz moved quickly. Luz cleared up the clutter around the couch - mostly her papers, her cape, and the owl staff - and rearranged the cushions for the girl to comfortably lie down on. Anne circled the fire pit in the middle of the living room and gently lowered the girl onto the couch, but kept a hand supporting her back while Luz slid the girl's backpack off of her. Luz placed the backpack in the corner for now, next to Anne's backpack, as Anne helped the girl settle into the most comfortable position she could manage.
Luz and Anne took a step back, watching the girl recline further, sinking into the cushions. She really looked like she needed it. No, deserved it.
"Where did you find her?" Luz whispered. The last thing she wanted was to disturb the girl.
"The jungle," Anne replied, whispering too. Her eyes have returned to their natural color.
"You were in the jungle? This late at night?" Luz whipped her head to face Anne, her voice rising without her meaning to.
Anne never met her eyes. Her gaze was locked on the girl. "Yeah, yeah, chew me out later. This girl needs your magic heals and she needs it now."
Good point. Anne could take care of herself. Luz knelt by the girl with her best bedside smile. "Hey," she began, catching the girl's attention, "can you tell me where it hurts?"
"Um, cuts and bruises on… everywhere. I think I dislocated my left arm. Might have sprained my right arm. Wouldn't be surprised if I broke a few ribs too." The girl's eyes wandered lazily down her body, as if reluctant, lingering on each part, reliving the memories.
Luz tried to keep her smile, but found it harder and harder to do with each injury the girl listed. "You've been through the wringer," was all Luz could say, half-smiling and half-cringing.
The girl made a small noise and a weak shrug. Yeah, fair enough. Luz wouldn't know how to respond to that either.
"Alright, first, let's take that jacket off." Luz reached for the zipper of the girl's jacket, and remembered something important. "I'm Luz, by the way."
"Tulip."
Awww. "Tulip. That's a lovely name."
A faint shade of red stained Tulip's pale cheeks. She didn't hear that often, Luz could tell. But now, back to business.
Luz zipped the jacket open and worked together with Tulip to shed the garment from her body without ruining it even further. She tried to not cringe - or at least not cringe too hard - as two jagged, red lines running along Tulip's triceps and an ugly, purple blotch on her underarms were exposed for the world to see. A low, sharp hiss came from Anne's direction, which, yeah, so it wasn't just her. As bad as the wounds were to look at, they're probably the easiest to deal with. She'd have to take a closer look if Tulip really did break a few ribs. That left her with the arms.
"Let's start with… undislocating your left arm."
"That's- do you know how?" Tulip's eyes darted to the arm in question, nervous.
"Yeah, of course!" Hope no one noticed how her voice went up by a pitch at the end there. "My mom's a nurse. I picked up a few things from her. I mean, I must have. That's a thing that happens, right?"
"Dude."
Yeah, that's not helping her nerves any, Anne. "Yes, yes, I can do it, just- trust me!"
Luz fetched her marker from the pile of gear she'd set aside, as well as a decently-sized piece of paper. This was going to be a complicated one.
Luz felt the eyes watching her as she sketched line after line onto the paper. Butterflies fluttered from the pit of her stomach to lift her heart to the stars, as she realized, this was another opportunity to show someone the wonders of magic for the first time. She remembered perfectly the moment she lifted the veil for Anne. The wonder in Anne's eyes, the rapid, anxious beating of her own heart, the way time itself seemed to freeze; the moment was, well, magical.
The glyph was done. Luz looked up to see Anne smiling and Tulip staring in a mix of confusion and fascination. She addressed Tulip with that bedside smile again.
"Can you turn around and lift your shirt? I need to apply this directly to the skin."
Tulip flitted between the paper in her hands and Luz. "Apply… the paper?"
"Hey, what did I just say? Trust me." The bedside smile might have turned a tad smug, but what the heck, she's all giddy now.
Tulip's movement was slow, but she's still moving, scooting slightly in her seat so that her back was facing Luz and hiking the back of her shirt halfway up, revealing more ugly red lines and blotches of purple on her pale white skin. Luz will deal with them shortly. The arm was priority number one.
Luz slipped the paper under Tulip's shirt to press it against the back of her left shoulder blade. Tulip craned her neck around, trying for a good look of what's happening. Luz offered her a reassuring nod.
"Now. Hold still."
Luz tapped the glyph. The paper was set alight in the deep blue colors of the Healing Coven, before dispersing, converted into a healing wave that seeped into Tulip's body. At the same time, Luz gauged the amount of pressure she needed, and pushed against Tulip's shoulder blade. She heard a snap, as she felt the bone settling into its proper place, and a gasp escaped Tulip's lips. Was that a good thing?
"Did that do it?" Luz immediately withdrew her hands. "Oh god, please tell me that worked. Please tell me I didn't mess you up. Are you better? Worse? Average?"
Tulip breathed deep, once, twice, before answering, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm… better, actually."
All the tension in Luz's body was released with a sigh of relief. She had never used a healing glyph to fix a dislocated bone. Good to know it could be used that way. Tulip gingerly rubbed her left shoulder, giving her left arm an experimental spin. She must still be feeling the healing wave working its magic in her body. Luz knew the sensation well - a steady wind, crisp and chilly like on an autumn morning, weaving its way through the nooks and crannies inside you. It took some getting used to.
"Wh- what was that? What are you doing to me?" Tulip's voice pitched higher, faster. Luz motioned for her to calm down.
"Healing glyphs." Luz leaned back to sit cross-legged on the floor. "I know, it feels a little weird, but it's a good weird. Once the feeling's passed, you'll be feeling fitter than a fiddle."
"Glyphs?" Tulip paused, swallowing the word that just left her mouth. "Like… magic? Magic glyphs?"
"You know the line about Kansas and how you're not in it anymore?"
Tulip stared blankly, then shrugged. "Well. Okay."
But the way she shrugged must have grazed one of her bruises, because she flinched and hissed right after. Tulip gathered up a few healing glyphs that she'd pre-drawn beforehand. For minor wounds like these, the simpler ones should do. She gently coaxed Tulip's arm closer and carefully laid a glyph over a bruise.
"It works like this, see? I put it on your wounds, and boop!" Luz tapped the glyph. The paper was converted to a deep blue healing wave. Tulip's eyes went wide with wonder. The scars and bruises were gone within seconds. It never gets old. "All better. A few more should do it."
"That's incredible," Tulip breathed, turning over the healed arm, taking in the spotless patch of skin.
Awww. That got Luz feeling a little bashful. "Thanks. I still have a lot-"
"No, this is groundbreaking."
"Eh?"
"You can cure wounds with just a piece of paper and a marker? Imagine the resources you could save! All the time and effort needed to make all these different bandages and ointments for all these different cuts or burns or welts, they can all be-!"
"Whoa, rein those snails in for a sec, Bill Nye." Anne stepped forward and coaxed Tulip, firmly yet gently, to lie back down on the couch. Luz never noticed until now, but Anne had been hovering nearby the whole time, watching over them like a mother hen. She hadn't even bothered untying the sack from her back. "Remember how you almost lost a race with an elephant from Hell?"
Tulip returned to a reclining position, her cheeks gaining this really cute shade of red that matched the hair framing her face. Luz promptly got to work healing the rest of her wounds, on her other arm, on her legs, on her back. Her ribs weren't broken after all, thank god. Just more bruises, which were quickly taken care of. Luz wished she could do something about Tulip's cracked glasses, though. She doubted her healing glyphs could work on glass. Maybe she could scour the other rooms tomorrow, see if she could find any glasses similar to Tulip's.
Anne knelt beside Luz once she's finished, so that she's at eye level with Tulip.
"So? Better?" she asked.
"Much better." Tulip nodded. And gifted them both a very cute, dimpled smile. "Thank you."
Awww, she got a cute smile from a cute girl. What a great way to end the day. But Luz was only happy to help. Anne finally relaxed for the first time since she entered the room, too. She stood up to do an unwinding, full body stretch, which, good thing she did. Luz was getting worried she might end up burning the sack still tied to her on the campfire.
"Hey, you want something to eat? I'm gonna make something. I'm kinda hungry." Anne rambled, not really waiting for answer from Luz or Tulip.
Luz raised an eyebrow. She knew Anne had an appetite, but dang. "You already had dinner."
"And it's time for the sequel! Dinner 2: Munch Squad. Coming to a plate near you." Anne marched off down the corridor towards the kitchen, still fully armored, still with that sack on her back.
Luz shook her head, and plopped down on the floor with her back to the couch. Nice of the calm to start settling again. Tulip seemed to be appreciating it too - really taking in her surroundings for the first time.
The apartment wasn't much, but it's still more than enough. They probably could have found a better place to take shelter in somewhere in the city, but the second Anne saw a dabbing building, there was nothing Luz could have done.
This living room was probably the biggest room in the apartment, so they tend to leave most of their stuff here. Luz's things - meaning her papers, her pen and markers, her cape, and the owl staff - had all been shoved into one corner in the rush, so she set to work disentangling the mess. Anne's pink backpack sat in a different corner, next to Tulip's, and next to a sword and a crossbow - Sasha's and Marcy's. A couch and two easy chairs circled a low table, except Anne had thrown the table out, literally, out the window. In its place was a crackling fire pit, which, must be a little jarring to see in the middle of the living room. With no electricity, they had to do something about the heating, and the lighting. Orbs of light gently float near the ceiling of every room in the apartment.
Speaking of. Down the hallway, the door to the bedroom and bathroom stood opposite of each other. The bedroom has a double bed that you could just melt into, and though it's a perfect fit for two, Luz and Anne rarely shared it, since Anne decided they should take their rest in turns. The bathroom has no running water because, again, no electricity, so they have to go to a water source nearby every few days. A little further down the hallway is a well-furnished kitchen, where the sounds of Anne's early prep for a meal could be heard. The hallway led to a small balcony, overlooking a few smaller buildings and a dried up canal.
Yeah, all in all, not a bad spot.
"Luz?"
Luz blinked. Oh cramity, was Tulip trying to talk to her this whole time? "Hi, yes! Sorry, I kinda zoned out."
"I-It's okay. Um." Tulip twiddled with the hem of her shirt. "So. Magic exists, huh?"
Luz reached for the owl staff. The comforting weight and feel of the wood on her fingers brought a smile to her lips. A smile that she shared with Tulip. "Believe it or not."
"At this point? I'm willing to believe anything." Tulip smiled too, but hers was more on the dry side. The light in her eyes flickered, like she just remembered something. "What about Anne, with her eyes? Is that magic too?"
Right. She's seen the eyes too. Luz shrugged. "Guess so. Not the same kind of magic as mine, though."
Luz bit the inside of her cheeks. It's… a good thing Tulip brought up the eyes. She'd wanted to talk about it with someone, get a few things off her chest. Someone who wasn't Anne. She stole a quick glance towards the corridor. Anne might still be a while getting the food ready. Might as well, right?
"It's a… little unsettling, isn't it?" she started, carefully, keeping her voice low. "Her eyes? When it gets all glowy like that?"
Tulip definitely noticed how she lowered her voice. Maybe even the nervous edge in them. "A little bit, I guess. Human eyes generally don't glow, blue or otherwise," she answered. "But I'm- hm. It doesn't really bother me that much? Compared to… everything else I've seen. I think it's kinda cool, actually."
Yeah. Luz was ready for a response like that. She tried to play it cool with a nod. It really was a Luz problem, not no one else's. Wasn't Tulip's fault for finding those glowing eyes of doom sexy and cool. Wasn't Anne's fault for having them. Wasn't Anne's fault for using them all the time considering how useful they were. Wasn't Anne's fault that those glowing blue eyes reminded Luz of feeling so small, so alone, standing under the twisting shadows of a cruel tyrant.
"Luz!" Luz dang near jumped out of her own skin suddenly hearing Anne's voice. "The stove?"
"Oh, right!" Luz rose to her feet, swiped a fire glyph from the pile, and placed the owl staff against the wall. She shot a glance back at Tulip as she left the room. "I'll be back in just a sec, okay?"
Anne's back was to her as Luz entered the kitchen, chopping away at the counter. She's still wearing her armor, because of course she was. At least she's untied the sack and left it in the corner. Seeing her right now, no one in their right mind would ever compare this kind, courageous, best mom friend of a girl with something as heinous as Belos.
Anne heard Luz approach and wordlessly raised a frying pan towards her. Luz pressed the fire glyph against the bottom of the pan and tapped it. The surface heated up and hissed immediately. Real nice how all of the apartments here came with a pretty complete set of cooking appliances, including stoves. Electric stoves.
"Gracias," Anne muttered as she set the pan down.
"Mai pen rai Ka." Luz smiled, giving Anne's pauldron a tap. "Gonna take your armor off sometime tonight, o brave knight?"
Anne looked down on herself with surprise. "Oh, wow, yeah, I'm still wearing it." Her attention quickly returned to the food. "I'll… do it after. This is sizzling real nice."
Luz rolled her eyes, but internally. She knew better than to get between Anne and her cooking. She simply gave Anne a knowing pat on the back as she left the kitchen. Yeah. The eyes were where the similarities began and ended. It was strictly a Luz problem.
Luz paused at the doorway upon returning to the living room. Tulip had sat up a little straighter, eyes locked on the owl staff, clearly admiring it. Luz crossed her arms, leaned against the doorframe, and curled her lips into smug smile. Yes. This is a cool pose.
"Pretty cool staff, right?"
Tulip glanced at her for a split second. "It is. The owl carving at the top is very… distinct," she observed. "Is it yours?"
Luz's smile flickered. Her breathing wavered. Good thing Tulip wasn't paying attention. "No. It's my mentor's. I'm just keeping it safe for now."
"Your mentor?"
Luz struck a pose with both hands on her hips. She'd like to imagine a dramatic wind would blow any second now. "Tulip, you're standing before a bona fide witch apprentice of the Owl Lady herself," she boasted. "Well. Sitting before."
"None of that meant anything to me. No offense." Tulip's stare was mostly blank, but the glint of amusement in them was unmistakable.
"Buzzkill," Luz blew a raspberry, but it was in good fun. "The point is, the staff is important. It's my responsibility until… well, until we at least get outta here."
Tulip leaned back to sink into the cushions, sighing as she craned her head to face the ceiling. "If we get out of here."
"Hey, hey." Luz crossed her arms, borrowing Anne's patented Look. "You're new here, so I'm letting that one slide, but we don't tolerate that kind of negativity in this shelter."
A heavy breath escaped Tulip. Her attention remained on the orbs floating near the ceiling. That won't do. Luz crossed the living room and sat beside Tulip on the couch.
"Tulip, look at me." She seized both of Tulip's shoulders. Tulip was caught off guard, but her eyes still met Luz's. Luz leaned forward until the tips of their noses were inches apart, allowing Tulip to see deep in her eyes, feel the determination and resolve shining within. "Repeat after me: we're going to figure out a way out of here together."
Maybe Luz shouldn't have been so forward, because Tulip was blushing up a storm, but dang it, she couldn't bear to see this poor girl in despair. After a few coughs and a few inches of extra distance, Tulip's lips curled into a lopsided smile as she repeated, "We're going to figure out a way out of here together."
Luz smiled too. That's better. Smiles all around. She released her grip on Tulip's shoulders and leaned back. Let Tulip get her personal space back.
"And we'll find your friends too. I guarantee it."
Tulip immediately made an odd grimacing expression. Uh oh. Did she say something bad?
"Yeah, about that." Tulip rubbed the back of her neck. "I, uh. I came here alone."
Luz blinked. Did she hear that right? "Wait, really? Like, alone alone?"
Tulip nodded. Whoa. That's a first. That's a clue.
"I'm guessing you ended up here with friends too, like Anne."
So Anne already told Tulip about her own missing friends. It was Luz's turn to nod. "Yeah. It was me, and my friend Willow, and… Amity."
Luz couldn't keep herself from frowning, thinking back. Things were going so well. Everything settled down, the Boiling Isles was free, and she finally got the portal back. She could finally go home. She even convinced Willow and Amity to come, said they deserve a break after everything that's happened. Said it was her turn to show them her world. But she ended up here, and Willow and Amity were dragged here with her, and now they're missing, and she had no idea where they were, and she had no idea where to even start looking. All because she wanted to show the human world to her friend and… friend. Girl. Friend.
Cramity, she's still getting used to that.
"And the three of you were separated too," Tulip finished for her. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Luz exhaled, letting the light in her eyes dim. Battered, tired Tulip shouldn't be the one doing the consoling, but the comforting words still felt good to hear. For a long moment, the only sound to be heard was the sizzle of Anne's cooking from the kitchen.
Willow and Amity. Sasha and Marcy. They're out there, somewhere, on this strange new world. Waiting to be found. Waiting to be saved.
Luz stared into the crackling, shifting flames of the fire pit. The stare hardened, the fire in her heart bursting back to life. The light of resolve behind her eyes shined brighter than the sun.
"We'll find them all, and we'll find a way home. That's a promise."
"Order up!"
Anne's timing couldn't be better. Luz had just started to hear the distinct rumble of an empty stomach, which Tulip insisted wasn't hers. Anne entered the room - still armored, of course - with a steaming bowl on each hand. The wafting smell quickly filled the room, and Luz wasn't ashamed to admit it got her mouth to water just a little bit. Anne crossed the room to hand Tulip a bowl before plopping down against the opposite wall with her own bowl.
The smell made Tulip eager to accept the bowl, but that enthusiasm didn't last long. Not that Luz could blame her. The contents of the bowl consisted of nothing more than misshapen chunks of black stuff - she had to assume it's some kind of meat - that's been glazed with a gravy-like substance colored even darker.
"Um. What is this, exactly?" Tulip asked slowly, clearly trying to be polite, bless her.
Luz shouldn't snort, but she couldn't help it. "Your first mistake is asking." She'd long since resigned herself to Anne's whims when it comes to eating. Whatever the food was, Anne's good for it.
"Excuse me for not making it look pretty." Anne was already chewing a mouthful of the stuff. "Just chow down. It's good."
Tulip stared down at the bowl in her lap. Must be a weird disconnect for her head. The smell was strong yet appetizing, but the appearance was anything but. Tulip scooped a spoonful of chunks, lifted the spoon into her mouth, and chewed. And a three, and a two, and…
"Oh!" It was like lightning had struck the girl. Her eyes were alight, stars dancing in her pupils. "Oh, wow. This is amazing."
Anne had the courtesy to do a full body bow. "You're welcome."
Tulip wasted no time scooping a second spoonful into her mouth, followed by a third, then a fourth. Anne ate at a much slower pace, but anyone could easily see that she'd worked up an appetite. And Luz was kinda starting to regret not joining in.
The room was silent except for the crinkle of flames and the tinkling of silverware against ceramic. Even that started to die down as Anne and Tulip finished their meals. Now's a good time as any to continue the conversation, right?
"So. Tulip," Luz began. "What's your story? How'd you end up here?"
Tulip didn't answer right away. Or a minute after. Or even two minutes. Her fingers idly fiddled with the spoon in the empty bowl as gears grinded in her head. She's choosing her words, and she's doing it very carefully.
"I was stuck on a train. A really, really weird train. I think… it travels between dimensions, or something."
Both Luz and Anne nearly left the floor like a pair of loaded springs. Wow. Just when she thought she'd heard everything.
"T-Travel between dimensions?!"
"Yeah. I think? I'm not exactly sure how it works." Another pause, stretching just a little too long. "Uh, anyway. It took a while, but I finally found a way off of it. But instead of going home, I ended up here."
"What's this train like? Where'd it come from? Where's it heading?" The questions spilled out of Luz's mouth with the strength and speed of a waterfall. The fuse has been lit. Luz was curious before, but now she's deeply invested.
"It's, uh, big. Really big. I don't know where it came from. Don't know if it's heading to anywhere in particular. I don't think it is. It's just… going."
Luz didn't need any divination glyph to know that Tulip was holding back on all the juicy details. "Were you alone? Was there anyone else onboard? Did you meet them?"
"I guess there were. Other people. Maybe." Tulip's answers were getting awfully short and clipped.
Luz cocked her head. She knew exactly what's happening here. She scooted closer to Tulip and placed a comforting hand on her thigh. "Tulip, it's okay. You're safe here. I know we literally just met, but we're all friends here. There is nothing you can say that'll weird us out."
Tulip stared at the hand on her thigh, then at Luz. Her eyes were still clouded with doubt. Maybe she just needed one more push. "Come on. How long did you stay on that train? How did you manage to get off? Does this train have name?" Luz asked and asked and asked. "How'd you even end up on it in the first place?"
"Luz." Anne's voice broke through the stream of questions, stern and a little scary. Luz didn't need to turn to know that she's giving her that Look. "We all came here with a story. Some parts of it, you just don't want people to know."
Luz cringed at herself for not noticing it sooner. Tulip had been slowly shrinking further into herself with every question thrown at her. "Thanks, Anne," the poor girl mumbled, relieved.
Luz removed her hand from Tulip's thigh. Right. Boundaries.
Anne set her bowl aside and rose to her feet. "Welp. It's been a long night, especially for you, Tulip. Won a race against that beastie, and you're still alive. I'd say the best way to celebrate is by getting a good night's sleep," she said, circling the fire pit. "C'mere, I'll carry you to the bed."
"Oh, no, I can just sleep here, you've already- okay we're doing this again."
Tulip had no way of stopping Anne from lifting her up in her strong, beefy arms. "Dude, it's fine. The bed's big enough for two, and someone's gonna stay up to keep watch anyway. No guest of ours is spending the night on the couch."
Luz led the way and opened the door to the bedroom for Anne and Tulip to squeeze through. Anne laid Tulip down on the right side of the bed and adjusted the pillow for her. She even helped Tulip take off her boots, placing it by the bed. Luz couldn't keep herself from smiling, watching it unfold. Anne wasn't simply a mom friend. She's the mom friend.
"I'm gonna go clean up," Anne said as she passed Luz to leave the room. "Get plenty of sleep, Tulip."
"Night, mom."
"Wasn't talking to you, weeb."
Luz chuckled as she sat down on the other side of the bed. She pulled out her phone from inside the bedside table and turned to look at Tulip. "Need something to help you sleep? I've got, let's see… some Spanish lullabies, some great anime openings, ievan polkka remixes, and caramelldansen but it sounds like it's coming from another room."
"I'm barely hanging on right now. I'm gonna pass out just fine," Tulip breathed her answer as she rubbed her eyes. Luz never noticed the bags under her eyes, but now that she did, it was impossible to ignore.
"Well, your loss." Luz put her phone back in the bedside table. A few quiet moments passed, with Luz simply watching Tulip shifting about, fixing her unruly hair, trying to get comfortable. One of the light orbs near the ceiling blinked out of existence.
"Sorry for being pushy before," Luz began. It's going to ear her up if she left it alone, so she might as well settle it now. "I've been told I have problems with boundaries."
Tulip turned her head to look at Luz and… didn't quite smile. She's too tired to smile, but she's trying. "It's fine. Really. I get it. You're curious. I'm curious too. About a lot of things." She stared upward, but her eyes weren't looking at the ceiling. Her eyes were lost in her own memories. "It… almost got the better of me, sometimes. I get… tunnel vision. Suddenly, an answer is the only thing that matters."
Luz opened her mouth, but no word left her. She didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't that. How old was this girl again? "Maybe you could give me some pointers," she eventually said.
"I'm not great yet, but I'll do my best." Her eyes were closed now. Tulip didn't see the grateful smile forming on Luz's lips.
Everyone really did come with a story.
Luz got off of the bed. There were still things she needed to do before ending the day. "If you need anything, just say so. I'm sure mom'll come running."
Tulip laughed. Was that the first time she heard Tulip laugh? It was a lovely laugh.
"Good night, Tulip."
"Night, Luz."
Luz slipped out of the room as quietly as she could. The door clicked as it closed behind her. Now, she should tidy up her mess in the living room, or patch up Tulip's jacket, or modify the warding glyph on the front door so that it'll allow Tulip passage too. But instead, she found herself following the sound of gentle, splashing water to the kitchen.
Anne was at the sink, cleaning the dishes and the remnants of her cooking, not yet noticing Luz at the doorway. With no water running, the tap was basically useless, so they'd set up a small bucket of clean water next to the sink to clean with. Luz was not at all surprised to see this wild girl washing up still in her armor. It was as if the armor was a second skin for her.
Alright, Luz has given Anne plenty of opportunities. Time to take matters into her own hands.
Luz crossed the room and slipped her arms around Anne, reaching for the clasps on her front first. Anne made a funny squeak as she felt hands suddenly on her, but she relaxed as she realized what Luz was trying to do. She even helped undo a few of the clasps, and moved accordingly as Luz began removing parts of her armor, until Anne was left with only her tattered school uniform. Luz placed the armor set down beside the counter for now. She knew Anne preferred to handle her gear herself.
"I was just about to take it off, I swear," Anne claimed.
"Mhm. Sure you were." Luz reached up and plucked a leaf out of Anne's hair. Anne groaned as she saw the leaf flutter to the floor.
"Oh my god," she groused, shaking her hair until it was clear of debris. Mostly. You never know what could be in those locks. She fixed Luz with a tired pout. "What're the chances that you know how to give someone a haircut?"
"Everyone technically can. S'just gonna look awful." Luz's mind wandered back to the time she let King try and give her a haircut. Boy, was that a mistake. "But even if I know, I wouldn't do it to you. Your hair looks great."
"Where were you in fifth grade?" Anne mumbled, the smile on her lips tinged with sadness. Luz could ask Anne the same thing.
"It's been a long night for you too, Anne. Using your powers take a lot out of you, right? Get some sleep. I'll take first watch." Luz pointed a knowing finger to Anne's face right as she opened her mouth to speak. "And don't you even try talking your way out of this. It's my shift and you know it."
"Who's the mom now?" Anne rolled her eyes, but Luz knew that she'd won. "Alright. Let me finish cleaning up."
The gentle sounds of lapping water continued as Luz paused at the kitchen doorway. Her eyes lingered on the bedroom door for a moment, before she turned back to the kitchen. "Did you know Tulip came here all alone?"
"Yeah. First time that happened." Anne hung a clean pan on the wall to dry as she glanced over her shoulder. "You think that's something worth looking into?"
"Could be. Could be it's just a huge coincidence that the two of us came here with friends."
"Three."
Oh, really? Three? Luz had her suspicions, but that essentially confirmed it. "You know, good thing you brought that up," she said, standing behind Anne with her arms crossed. "Let's talk about how you were out in the jungle this late at night."
"Here we go," Anne muttered after she blew a breath. She turned around, facing Luz eye to eye. "I was just looking for some fresh air."
"You couldn't find fresh air in the city?"
Anne's pause was brief, but very noticeable. "I wanted the jungle kind of fresh air."
The jungle kind of fresh air. In a way, Luz was disappointed. She's heard better excuses coming from Anne. It's obvious now what happened. Anne ventured into the jungle with a very specific goal. A flash of red hair caught Anne's eye, and she followed that trail until it led her to finding and saving Tulip. Only problem was, Tulip wasn't the redhead that Anne was looking for.
"You were trying to find Twelve again, weren't you?"
Another addition to the roster?
I keep doing this to myself. I mean, I guess I knew going in that this chapter is going to be quite long. My first estimate was, like, 3.5k words or something. But then I go off, and suddenly it's longer than the previous two chapters combined. Eh, whatever. My loss is your gain.
This is my first time really writing Luz. I've written drabbles with her in it before, but they were just dumb jokes and very short. This one's more serious and way longer. So, so much longer. The TOH writers have done a great job putting a lot of amazing nuances to her character. I can only hope my take is at the very least can be decently compared to theirs. I'm not exactly asking y'all to be nice to me, but uh. Yeah.
Next up, it's a new day for the girls. See you then!