The past two days almost didn't seem real. Not to Luz, not to Eda, not to anyone. So much happened that when they were all finally able to sit down and think about it, they were at a loss for words. The important thing was they were safe and sound again, this time accompanied by Lilith, who was now sharing the curse with Eda.
Since Lilith betrayed the emperor, it was needless to say she wasn't in his coven anymore, and now had nowhere else to go. In return for everything she did this night, Eda allowed her to stay at the Owl House for now until she could sort things out on her own. Especially now they both lost their magic, it wasn't safe to be anywhere else.
She, Eda, Luz, and King sat in their own spots in the living room, speaking no words yet all mentally sharing the same thoughts. The only sound filling the air was the ticking clock and Hooty's small snores. Lilith continuously twisted a strand of her hair, the streak that was now greyed due to the curse. She noticed her sister now having a whiter stripe in hers, but it seemed Eda wasn't focused on her appearance at all. The owl lady didn't bother looking at herself in the mirror, or even glancing down at her blackened gem. Her eyes were focused elsewhere, occasionally averting over to her teen apprentice sitting on the floor.
Luz shifted every few seconds, finding herself uncomfortable in any position she was in for too long. She and King were exhausted, bags noticeable beneath their eyes. But they felt as if Eda and Lilith would disappear if they fell asleep, so they forced themselves not to close their eyes.
After what felt like an eternity of silence and comprehension, Eda decided she was sick of the tension in the atmosphere. She hated being in a room full of people when no one was talking, and she was fine with everyone processing the events of tonight. But now she was too uncomfortable with it, and if someone needed to speak now, it would be her.
She slapped her knees before standing up, now catching everyone's attention. "Well, I'll go get some blankets for ya, Lilith." She said. "You don't mind crashing on the couch, do you?"
Lilith shrugged quietly, still not being able to give verbal responses yet. Eda didn't care, though, and walked over to the closet to grab a heavy blanket and pillow she had spared. Luz stood up and lazily treaded to the kitchen, since she hadn't eaten in over a day and her stomach was practically begging for food.
King and Lilith made brief eye contact, but their eyes quickly retreated. "Well, this has been fun." The king of demons said as he stood up on his hind legs. "But I'm gonna go hit the hay."
As he trotted up the stairs, Eda returned to the living room and set the linens on the sofa. "Do you need some pajamas?" She asked her sister, who seemed to flinch when hearing someone talk to her.
"Oh, um, I'm fine." Lilith declined awkwardly.
"Really? You're just gonna sleep in that?" The younger witch asked, putting her hand to her hip. "You can say 'yes' when I offer you something, you know. My pajamas aren't that horrendous."
While Lilith appreciated her trying to use humor to lighten the mood, she couldn't shake away the weighing guilt in her chest. "Edalyn, I should probably tell you something."
Eda sighed, "Look, Lilith, I really don't want to talk about what happened right now. It's late and I just wanna—"
"No, please. I need to say this or I'll never be able to sleep." The eldest witch said, standing up to properly face her sister. "I-I know there is nothing I can say that will make up for the hell I've put you through. I was selfish, naive, and dare I say..evil. I was so blinded by my dream, our dream, that I hurt you and I'll never be able to live with myself." She carefully took Eda's hand, staring down at the floor. "I will spend the rest of my life with this mistake, and even if I can't forgive myself, I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday."
Eda stared at their hands, taking in her sister's words. While it was going to be a tough path to forgiveness, she was willing to go through it. Lilith was her family, she could never truly hate her, especially after what happened tonight. "I will, someday." She nodded, patting Lilith's hand. "It'll take some time. But hey, you sharing the curse with me is a good start." She smiled assuringly, "And you can stay here as long as you'd like. As long as you promise to never hurt my kid again."
Even though Eda was being dead serious, Lilith chuckled, awkwardly. "I promise I won't. I can see why she admires you, and seeing as how she escaped the emperor, you must've taught her pretty well."
"She's the best student I could've asked for." Eda smiled, then turned her head around toward the kitchen, "Speaking of, I should check on her."
"May I borrow your nightwear then?" Lilith asked.
"Knock yourself out. There's an extra pair upstairs in my closet." The younger witch said before she walked away. Lilith smiled, already feeling at home. It was nice to be under the same roof as her sister again, it almost felt like old times.
Eda peered into the kitchen, spotting the teen girl standing by the table with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. "Ah, I see King told you about my secret stash." She said, stepping into the room.
Luz side-glanced the witch, not saying anything in response. She mindlessly dunked a cookie into her beverage before eating it, staring off out the window. Eda sighed as she approached the human, putting her hand to her shoulder. "Hey, don't give me the silent treatment. Let me hear your voice when you're not screaming at guards to let me go." She said playfully, once again using comedy to soften the tension.
But once again, it didn't work. In fact, it might've caused more damage. Luz sniffled, feeling herself on the verge of tears. It didn't help when she glanced up at Eda again, this time getting a better look at her mentor's appearance. Her greyed left eye, her white hair streak, her dark gem—it was like she was a different person now. Sure, Luz preferred this over the owl beast form, but it still hurt to see the witch in such a weak condition. Eda lost her magic, she would never truly be the same anymore.
Noticing the moisture in the girl's eyes, Eda frowned and opened her arms. Luz immediately made way into her embrace and clung onto her tightly, sobbing against her chest. "I'm sorry, Eda." She murmured, "I-I just..keep thinking about what would've happened if I— if you..."
"Shh, hey, hey. Don't talk like that." Eda said softly, brushing her fingers through her apprentice's short hair. "Don't think about it, okay? I'm fine, you're fine. We're all fine." She gently pressed Luz's head closer to her chest so that she could listen to her heartbeat. "You hear that? I'm still alive, and it's all because of you."
Luz nodded, gripping the back of her dress. "I was so scared, Eda." She sniffed, her lip trembling as she spoke. "I acted tough, but I was so scared..."
"I know, kid. I know. I was scared, too." The owl lady confessed, hiding her face against Luz's head.
Luz briefly opened her eyes in shock. The idea of Eda, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, being scared was just baffling to her. "Y-you were?"
"Of course I was." She shrugged, "I was scared something was gonna happen to you, that Belos was gonna hurt you." She unconsciously tightened her grasp on her apprentice at just the thought of anyone hurting her. "I-I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
The girl didn't blame Eda for being afraid, as the feeling was mutual. I'm never letting anything happen to you again. She thought, quickly wiping away a couple tears. "Eda? Can you promise me something?"
It took a second for Eda to response, since now she was beginning to cry as well. She hated crying, especially in front of others. But she knew Luz wouldn't hold it against her. That was one of the best things about having this sweet, funny, creative little human as her apprentice; she could be herself around her. "Sure, what is it?" She asked, holding back her tears.
Luz lifted her head to look up at the witch, their watery eyes finally meeting. "Promise we'll never be separated like that again."
Eda frowned, those words striking her like lightning. She didn't know if she could keep this promise, seeing as how Belos was probably going to plan something against them now that they escaped. But even without her magic, even as a cursed, wild witch, Eda was never going to step down from a fight. She nodded, letting her tears fall onto her face. I'm never letting anything happen to you again.
She kissed Luz's head and pulled her in for another hug, keeping her as close as possible. "I promise."