In the Human World:
Intro
It had been a very tiring and emotional week for Luz Noceda. From the moment she decided to try to steal that hat in the Emperor's Castle, all the way to where she found herself right now. Her mother eyed her, not unkindly but with definite questions, as she sat beside Amity on the couch in their home. That portion really did not feel real to Luz right now, she was actually home. She could have drifted into some other thoughts, but she felt Amity take her hand and squeeze it. Luz wanted to be sorry that Amity was away from her world and family, but at the moment she really couldn't be. After all, having the teal haired witch there with her was helpful to her battered emotional state right now.
"Cariño, I'm waiting." Her mother gave her a patient look and reminded her of the most important question. "Why are you back from Camp early?"
"The cabins had a plumbing problem and uh." Luz rubbed her neck with her free hand as she tried to think quickly. "And they all flooded so everyone had to go home!"
"Doesn't your friend . . ." Here she paused to look at Amity who gave a weak smile from her side. "What's your name, sweety?"
"Amity Blight, Mrs. Noceda." The young witch sounded much the way she would when addressing one of her teachers, she seemed more confident than Luz for a moment.
"Amity, dear, do your parents know you're here?" Camila leveled a disarming smile at the young witch.
"I. . ." Amity trailed off looking conflicted and Luz blurted the first thing which came to mind.
"They kicked her out, Mami!" She said this and suddenly all eyes were on her. King, sitting near her feet and poorly pretending to be a dog gently kicked her when nothing followed for a moment. Luz glanced at Amity again, before looking to her mother. As was common when she got really nervous Luz suddenly started speaking Spanish rapidly. She was not thinking, she was just speaking. "Ella es lesbiana y se enteraron. Llegaron al campamento y le dijeron que ya no era su hija, y luego la dejaron. Intentamos llamar pero no responden y es muy doloroso para ella, así que le dije que podía quedarse con nosotros. ¡Por favor mamá! (She's a lesbian and they found out. They came to camp and told her she was no longer their daughter, and then they left her. We tried to call but they don't answer and it's really painful for her so I told her she could stay with us. Please Mom!)"
"Cariño, no podemos quedarnos con ella. (Sweetie, we can't just keep her.)" Camila said as she moved to sit to Luz's right and hug her. "You have a good heart, but if her parents come looking for her Amity will have to go home with them."
"They, uh, they won't come looking for me." Amity said, looking down at the cast which still covered her right foot and lower leg. She had missed at least half of what the mother and daughter said, but she knew there was no chance her parents would show up on the Noceda's doorstep. "I'm sorry, I don't want to be an inconvenience."
Camila Noceda looked from one girl to the other, and Luz was giving her the most desperate look she had ever seen. Amity kept her gaze down, looking for all the world like a lost little girl. . . And Camila noticed that the girls were holding hands as if afraid the other would be ripped away from them if they let go. She sighed, turning her eyes from the girls to the rather unfortunate dog sitting by their feet. Questions about his strange appearance could wait for now, she supposed.
"You'll have to share your room, Cariño." She cautioned and both girls were suddenly looking to her with hope in their eyes. Camila tilted her head and really took in Amity and squinted slightly as she noticed her ears. The teal haired girl was wearing a cloak and the hood had finally slipped off exposing her pointed ears and letting the light really catch in her golden eyes. Those eyes widened and Amity reached for the cloak's hood, but Camila smiled at her. "You don't have to hide, Amity." Camila smiled. "I've seen my share of odd birth defects, sweety."
"Yeah. . . Ha ha ha." Luz's laugh was less then convincing, and she squeezed Amity's hand, hoping she'd keep playing along. "She uh, is a little shy about her ears Mami. I, uh, I tried to tell her they're cute, but I don't think Amity believes me."
"Oh, yes, I'm really shy about my ears." Amity agreed, blushing slightly at hearing Luz use the word cute in reference to her. She pushed some hair behind her ear and nervously smiled again. "It's a family trait, happens a lot to us Blights."
"Well don't you worry dear, you're such a pretty girl." Camila said this in the tone any doting mother would use, and Luz got to witness genuine surprise wash over Amity's face. She shot the young witch a grin, before the elder Noceda tapped her shoulder. "Let's go get the folding bed and get it set up in your room." Camila glanced at King again and sighed. "And Luz, don't forget to walk Amity's dog. She shouldn't be walking him alone with that cast."
"Yes, Mami." Luz hopped up and all but danced from the room.
TOH TOHTOH TOH tohtohtoh TOHtohTOH
An hour or so and a quick dinner later Luz and Amity were alone in Luz's room. Amity sat on the end of the folding guest bed and her golden eyes took their time roving the room. Her eyes were lingering on an Azura the Good Witch poster when Luz dropped to sit beside her. Amity bit her lip, not turning to meet the human teen's eyes in an effort to avoid blushing any harder than she suddenly was. The young witch cast about her mind for a topic and finally remembered what she wanted to ask.
"What exactly did you tell your mother about me down there?" Amity asked and she could literally sense Luz tensing beside her. She turned and looked at her, curiosity overriding her normal reaction for the moment. "Luz, what did you tell her?"
"I said you're a lesbian and got disowned." Luz admitted, wincing, and clearly expecting a negative reaction. After a few beats of silence Luz relaxed and realized Amity still looked curious. "Amity?"
"What's a lesbian?" The teal haired girl asked, and Luz's shock was easily read on her face.
"Uh, a girl who only dates girls." Luz supplied and saw Amity raise an eyebrow. "Do they not have a term for that on the Boiling Isles?"
"Uh, no, no we don't." Gold eyes averted again to the poster as she mulled the answer in her mind. "In the isles no one really worries about who you love, not in that manner. Is that a big deal here?"
"Yes. . . I mean not here with my Mom and I." Luz seemed to be tripping over her words. "A lot of humans are fine about it, but the ones that aren't are really um. . ." She sort of waved her hands helplessly. "Some people just don't understand and kind of don't want to."
"And how did you know your mother wouldn't mind?" Amity heard Luz mutter something, vaguely sounding like Spanish, before she answered.
"I've kind of always crushed on boys and girls equally, and Mom never had a problem with it. I love my Mami." They were saved further need to discuss it as King basically bolted into the room, quickly hiding under Luz's bed.
"Hide me!" He loudly whispered from the shadows under the bed. Amity and Luz exchanged a look before Luz moved to the floor beside her bed, only able to see King's eyes in the shadows. She did not need to ask because King spoke with out prompting. "What is wrong with humans? Why do you all treat me like a baby and coo at me?"
Amity tried to cover her laugh by faking a cough, but King clearly heard her because he half heartedly growled. All that did was cause both girls to laugh at the poor demon's plight. This was not what either girl thought she would be doing, say a week ago, but for the night at least things were alright.
"Go to bed girls!" Camila called up the stairs.
"Light's out I guess." Luz said.