The Blights: a Family Completed
With a soft giggle, Amity opened the door to her mother's room and slowly made her way to Lilith's bed. She stealthily made a spell circle and used some abomination goo to raise herself to the historian's eye level.
The "knocked-down" witch leaned forward and was about to softly poke her mother in the cheek. Amity let out a soft gasp as a pair of hands gently wrapped around her and Lilith pulled her daughter close.
"Mommy, no faiw?" Amity pouted cutely.
Lilith just laughed slightly as she took a moment to reposition herself. Once both were comfortable, Lilith settled back into her bed and wrapped an arm around Amity. The "knocked-down" witch snuggled into her mother's chest and soon her eyes were starting to close.
Lilith just smiled and looked at the clock on her stand. There was still a good hour before Luz woke one of her mothers up in her usual fashion. So that gave her enough time for a little more sleep/snuggle time with Amity.
"Hoot! Hoot! Lulu, you have guests!" came Hooty's voice from Lilith's window.
Lilith groaned and looked at Hooty. The house demon had opened her window and was looking at the ex-head witch with his usual chipper expression. She frowned as the words of her friend reached her still half-asleep mind.
She looked at her clock again and saw it was just past eight. So, who could it be at this hour?
"Hootsifer, who's at the door?" Lilith asked as she carefully got out of bed.
"Oh, just the muck man and some surprises," Hooty replied, singing the last part.
Lilith sighed tiredly as she grabbed a robe and put it on. While she loved her friend dearly, there were times she couldn't help but agree with her family that Hooty could be (unintentionally) annoying; muck man could be anyone.
"Mommy! Up! Up!" Amity chanted eagerly, holding her arms up.
Lilith giggled and carefully picked up her daughter. She then headed downstairs and to the front door. She blinked in confusion when she saw who was at the door.
"Alador," Lilith asked, "What are you doing here at this hour?"
The inventor let out a tired sigh and took a moment to reposition what appears to be a green hairball in his arms. He opened his mouth when something whizzed by him and ran up to the former Coven head.
"Mitty, Mitty! Play, play!" a six-and-a-half-year-old Edric chanted eagerly.
Lilith blinked at the "knocked-down" Tri-track student as she began to piece things together. Slowly, she looked at the "hairball" in her old classmate's arms and realized what, or, more accurately, who it was.
"...Help," Alador squeaked as he brushed some hair out of Emira's face.
Lilith just sighed and looked at Hooty. "Dear hootsifer, please wake my sister. I need a hair-shortening potion."
Hooty eagerly nodded and stretched into the house to wake Eda. Lilith sighed again and looked at the Blight family, namely the twins, with scolding eyes.
(A short way later)
"So, you knew that twins took one of our rejuvenation potions when they were here yesterday," Lilith stated, with a deep sigh.
Eda, half asleep and with Luz on her lap, lazily nodded and yawned. Lilith groaned, pitched the bridge of her nose, and then inhaled deeply.
"And you didn't think about telling Camila or me about this because…" Lilith inquired pointedly.
Eda just shrugged as she leaned into the couch, and looked around. Currently, Lilith was on the couch with her, and Amity was on the Historian's lap. On the loveseat, Camila was trying to sort out Emira's hair with Vee's help. Aaldor was also on the Loveseat, trying to keep Edric under control.
Eda couldn't help but smile mischievously as she looked at her sister. "I don't see the point you're trying to make, sis. The potion only lasts a day and I'm sure those two wouldn't give daddy Blight any more gray hairs."
Again, Lilith sighed and pitched the bridge of her nose before she responded to her sister.
"The point I'm getting at, sister, is that we could have helped Alador settle into things."
She then turned a slight scolding glare at the Blight twins.
"And you two," Lilith said scoldingly, "You didn't need to sneak around us. If you want to be rejuvenated, you need but ask."
The twins gulped and then quickly nodded. Something about the glare the former coven head was giving them was scary. Lilith smiled slightly at this, and then looked at Alador seriously.
"Now, how about we set out a plan for the day," Lilith suggested warmly.
Alador opened his mouth to say something when he heard a noise.
"V-V!" exclaimed a black-haired, four-and-a-half human girl as she ran up to the loveseat.
The witch inventor blinked as he watched the human girl hug the basilisk and Vee's entire face went red. Alador looked at the sisters from explanation.
"That's Masha, Vee's girlfriend from the human realm," Lilith explained with a kind smile. "She's visiting to explore the Isles with young eyes, as she puts it."
The Historian frowned as a thought entered her head, and she excused herself to make a call. Alador watched her leave and looked back at his current children and realized one was missing.
Panic started to fill the man when he realized his son had gotten away from him while he was distracted. He started to get up, only to find himself unable to. It was like he was glued to the piece of furniture, and he couldn't free himself.
Now close to full panic, the male witch summoned an abomination and had it pull him with all of its might. It didn't seem to do much; Alador was still stuck to the loveseat…but not for much longer.
There was a sudden ripping sound and the magical inventor was sent flying. Since Alador's abomination was sent flying with him, the creature was able to soften the impact when he fell to the ground.
Alador moaned lightly as he rubbed his head. Familiar laughter soon reached his ears and looked to the seating area. Edric, Emira, and even Amity were laughing, though Alador's youngest had a look of concern in her eyes.
"OOOOH, man!" Eda exclaimed mirthfully. "I thought I was the only one who still used the old, time-released glue potion trick!"
Alador looked at the bard witch with a small glare as pulled himself from his abomination. He looked himself over and found that Edric had glued the back of his lab coat. That left a pretty big hole in it, but it was old so he wouldn't worry about it.
"What's with all of the noise out here?" Lilith asked as she returned to the living room.
"Oh, Brother Blight just played the old glue-back prank on Daddy Blight?" Eda replied mirthfully.
"Really?" Lilith said underwhelmed. "That prank was old when Father was young."
Edric just smiled all too innocently as he walked up to his father. Alador glared at his son but found himself unable to feel any anger toward the boy. Instead, he just smiled hallowly and patted his boy on the head.
This caused a slightly sour look to cross the "knocked-down" Tri-track student's face. It was like he wanted to get in trouble to see how his father would react.
"So," Eda said, after taking note of the look in Edric's eyes, "Why did you leave, Lily?"
Lilith sighed and took her seat back on the couch. In an instant, Amity was lying her head on her mother's lap.
"Well, Raine offered to babysit so you and Camila could have some time to yourselves," Lilith explained. "I had plans to accompany him but I'm not comfortable leaving Alador alone with his children."
"So?" Eda asked nonchalantly, "Raine was the former head of the Bard Coven. And they led a rebellion. I'm sure they can handle three kids for a few hours."
"I could go with them," Camila suggested, as she finished tying Emira's hair in her usual hairstyle.
Lilith offered her sister-in-all-but-blood a kind smile. "Camila, it has been nearly two months since you and Veessa moved here, and it has been non-stop for you. You deserve some time to yourself. And Raine had reassured me that they can get in touch with someone who could help them."
"So, what's the problem?" Eda asked lazily. "I love my kids but mama needs some me time, even during these times."
"No rikie?" Luz pouted sadly.
Eda panicked slightly and tried to comfort her kid before she started to cry.
"No, no, witchlet," the ex-wild witch quickly said, "I would never, in a million years, not like you anymore. It just, it's just…"
Eda was struggling to find the right words when Luz started to giggle. Eda startled, but only for a second, and then she smiled devilishly.
"Oh, you think that's funny, you little gremlin?" the bard-witch asked playfully, "Well, is this funny?"
Eda then began to mercilessly tickle Luz, which caused the "Knocked-down" human to go into a full-blown laughing fit. Every adult in the room, even Alador, smiled at this scene.
(SC)
"I'm so sorry," Alador apologized as he repeatedly bowed to a store owner.
The store owner, a balding demon with wolf-like features, scoffed at the inventor's gesture but kept his mouth shut.
From her spot on a nearby bench, Lilith gave her old classmate a sympathetic smile as she watched over the children.
Once the morning antics were behind the Owl Familia, the group had made plans for the day. The first order of business, getting the twins some "knocked-down" outfits for the day.
The Historian looked at her daughter's biological siblings and her smile turned warm. Edric had gone with a pair of yellow overalls with cartoonish Slitherbeasts sewn into it. He also wore a light blue, long-sleeve shirt with orange cuffs. Finally, he wore a pair of gray sandals.
Lilith heard a giggle and looked to her right. Emira was keeping herself busy playing with Amity while keeping an eye on a Cerberus puppy. The historian studied the outfit the Eldest Blight child was wearing.
Emira was wearing a pair of light blue leggings with three tears going down her thighs. She wore a sleeveless, navy blue top; a matching summer sweater was tied around her waist and she wore some human realm sneakers. Finally, she had a teal bandana wrapped around her forehead with the Healing Coven symbol on it.
Lilith heard a sigh and looked as Alador walked up to them. The Abomination witch was rubbing the back of his neck and looked drained. Once he reached the group, he looked at his oldest daughter with a glare.
"Now, young lady, care to tell me why you made such a mess?" Alador asked tiredly.
Emira just offered her father a guilty smile and patted the animal at her side.
"Puppy sad," was all the "knocked-down" Blight offered.
Lilith looked at the Cerberus puppy at Emira's side and frowned. She saw the large scar on the pup's central head and looked at the pet store.
Shortly after getting the twins' outfits, Edric had rushed into the pet store, no doubt to look at the animals there. When the rest had entered, Lilith noticed how poorly kept the place was; there were several animals out of their cages and roaming the store.
Lilith was glad the uncaged animals were young and mostly harmless.
The former coven head noticed the expression the middle Blight child wore as he stormed up to the store owner. Alador and Lilith followed close behind him.
While the three were busy with the owner, Emira wandered the store. She eventually reached the back of the store and noticed how much worse things were in the back. Seeing the state of some of the animals must have triggered some bad memories, as she had freed all of them. The end result was the freed animals running wild in the store.
Lilith heard Alador sigh and that brought her out of her thoughts.
"That's no reason for what you did," Alador said. "As it stands, I had to not only pay for the damages, but the store owner refused to take the dog back."
Lilith frowned as she looked at the puppy again. She didn't need to be a beast-keeper to see that the puppy wasn't treated right. The scar looked like it was recent; maybe a day or two old. Add to the puppy's withdrawn personality, it was clear the store owner shouldn't be selling beasts let alone handling them.
Lilith made a mental note to talk to Eberwolf next time he was at the Owl House.
"Trilight staying?" Emira asked hopefully, looking at her father with big, pleading eyes.
Lilith watched as Alador struggled to resist his eldest child's pleading eyes, and timed how long it took before he broke. She was surprised; it took Alador nearly two and a half minutes to cave. The Abomination inventor sighed in defeat and weakly nodded at his daughter.
"YAY!" Emira cheered and hugged the dog's head nearest to her.
The newly named Trilight must have sensed the "knocked-down" witch's positivity as its two tails began to wag. This brought a smile to Lilith's face, and she looked at her daughter and Edric.
The Historian nearly giggled when she saw the sour look on the middle Blight child and an idea came to her.
"Alador," Lilith said, getting the other parent's attention. "I know of another, better-equipped pet store where you could get some items for Emira's new pet. Also, there is a store I would like to take Edric to."
Alador was a little confused but nodded. Lilith smiled as she stood up and took Amity into her arms, and her older siblings jumped from the bench. Alador frowned at the puppy, probably thinking it could create problems since it was currently unleashed.
Lilith solved this problem with a simple beast-keeping spell she learned during her scout days. With a spell circle, she put the puppy into a small trance and ordered him to follow behind Emira.
With that problem taken care of, the historian led the Blights to their destination. It was just a short seven-minute walk, and the historian and the Blight Family had reached the stores in question.
The older studied the store and realized something; it wasn't just a pet store, but a small Beast-treatment center as well.
"Everything Beast and Beyond?" Alador read the sign out loud and then looked at the adoptive mother of his youngest child.
"Camilia has been working here part-time as she familiarizes herself with the Isles," Lilith explained, and looked to her right. "The store I would be taking Amity and Edric to is just three buildings down from here. Call if anything happens."
Alador nodded and headed into the store with Emira and her new pet following. Lilith then walked the short distance to the other store and stopped before entering it.
"Now, before we enter this store, I want you on your best behavior," Lilith told the current children seriously but was focused on Edric. "I am clear, young man?"
"Yes, Auntie Lilith," the "knocked-down" tri-track student replied fearfully.
Lilith couldn't help but smile when she heard her daughter giggle behind her hand, and then the three entered the potion store.
(SC)
Amity giggled as Trilight licked her face…with all three of its tongues. From their spots at the slayground's bench, both parents wore warm smiles.
After getting everything they wanted, Alador and Lilith took their kids to the local slaygrounds so the children could burn off some energy. Currently, the kids were playing with the three-head puppy.
"It's nice to see that poor soul hasn't lost its ability to trust," Lilith said softly.
Alador nodded as he watched Amity hug his oldest daughter's new pet and his smile faded somewhat.
"Yes, it's nice to be given a second chance when you don't deserve it."
Though he said it to himself, Lilith's sharp hearing picked it up, and she looked at her old classmate with concern. She opened her mouth when Edric ran up to the adults.
"Daddy! Auntie Lilith! The "knocked-down" Tri-track student chanted urgently.
"Yes, little one?" Lilith asked warmly, leaning forward.
The middle Blight smiled as pointed behind him. Frowning slightly, Lilith looked where Edric was pointing. It looked like Trilight had taken a fall and injured himself; he was licking a small cut on his right paw. She smiled when she saw Amity and Emira begin to work; Amity was singing a song to try and keep the beast calm as Emira worked to heal the cut.
The historian stood up and was planning to help the "knocked-down" sisters. She was about to walk over but stopped when a familiar noise reached her ears. She looked at the entrance in time to see a familiar bike raced by them.
"JANE PORTER STOP THIS CRAZY THING!" Raine screamed.
Lilith sighed as Alador blinked at the curious scene.
"Why did Raine Whispers have a cheese wheel on their head?" the inventor asked dumbfoundedly.
"Alador, you're part of the Owl Familia now," Lilith replied with a sigh. "It is best for your sanity not to question anything you see beyond this point."
Alador looked at the slayground entrance and decided to take the historian's advice. He stood up and offered his hand to his son. Edric smiled as he took it and together, the rest of the Blight-Clawthornes went over to help their newest family member.
(M Corner)
Well, this wasn't the chaos fest I think most were expecting, but I am still happy about where this chapter went. And don't worry, Masha's role in this story will be explained soon.
Also, I forget to mention this, but I have changed a few things for one of the stories I teased a few months back. It was originally called "Camila's Knocked-down Adventure"; I had since decided to change it to the Sisters' Family Vacation. In the small update, the Clawthorne sisters would be joining Camila for a "knocked-down" story that will span universes!
I would also like some input from you, my readers; should I change my one-shot Christmas-themed story into an ongoing series about the holidays?