The Owl Familia: The Family That Will Grow Forever:
Side Story: A Chat With The Raine
Camila let out a content sigh as she took a seat outside her current place of employment. It was her lunch hour and while it was just leftovers from dinner a few nights ago, it still made her smile.
Roasted Chicka-lisk and veggie with some human seasoning still smelled heavenly even after reheating. She was about to dig in when she heard a soft voice.
"Are you Camila Noceda?"
Camila looked up and saw a witch rubbing the back of their neck.
"I am," the human adult said warmly, gesturing to the empty seat in front of her. "And you're Raine Whispers, si?"
Raine was a little surprised that the human knew them. They quickly realized Camila must have seen pictures of them around the Owl House and probably asked about them.
It nearly brought a smile to Raine's face when they remembered they were dating Eda again.
The Coven head-turn-foreign trade official took a seat across from the human. Camila could see that the witch was nervous about something and offered them some of her lunch.
"Want some?" she asked kindly. "I actually brought more than I needed."
"Thanks, but I'm not much of a meat eater," Raine declined politely.
Camila nodded her understanding and put the plate back on the table. Things turned a bit awkward as the human mother knew that the witch had something on their mind. Raine sighed and decided to start things off.
"How are you doing?" their asked kindly. "It's been about a month since your move and I once heard from Eda that Luz had a bit of a tough time during her first few days."
Camila noticed that when Raine was asking her this, they were staring at her lunch. It didn't take much to figure out what the bard witch was implying. She remembered how Eda told her that Luz got really sick when they began to experiment with the Isles' food.
Camila smiled and made a note to thank Gwen when she next sees her.
"It been a little tough, I wouldn't lie," the human admitted. "But having such a loving family with me makes things so much easier."
Camila's smile turned nostalgic as she thought about her new family. She didn't find it odd, not in the least, that in the short time she had known them, she now considered Eda and Lilith her sisters. Nor did she find it odd that she sees her future daughter-in-law like a niece or King as a nephew.
The human's smile grew when she remember her adopted daughter was in the process of finding herself a full name with plans to take The Clawthorne's name as Luz did.
Camila looked up at Raine with warmth and said, "So, how have you been? My sisters told me a bit about you, and I can't help but feel like you want to talk about something else."
Raine was caught off guard by the human's words. Were they so obvious that someone they just meant could easily see through them?
Raine sighed faintly and looked at the table
"It…it just I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately," Raine muttered quietly. "I keep having these dreams about the Day of Unity."
Camila frowned as she looked at the bard's wrist. She had gotten the full story shortly after moving to the Isles. The way she had heard it, Eda and Lilith had regained their magic shortly before the said event, and Eda had chosen to seal most of it away again. All because what remained of her old curse was enough to warp the magic of the draining spell.
She offered Raine a smile as she reached out and lightly grab their hand. Raine looked at Camila and saw nothing but warmth and understanding in her eyes.
"Have you talked to Eda about this?" she asked gently.
Raine let out a tired sigh and rubbed the back of their neck. "A couple of times. Eda just waves off and jokes that she's still the better bard than me."
Raine smiled a hollow smile and stood up. They looked to the sky, in the direction of the Titan's skull, and sighed.
"It's just not fair," they muttered somberly. "Eda and her sister worked hard to get their magic back and she had it taken so soon. I was against the idea but said nothing about it."
With a sigh, Camila got up and walked over to Raine. The human wrapped the witch in a gentle hug and Raine leaned into the friendly gesture.
"It's times like this I remember something my papa liked to say; there are millions of possibilities, but what matters is how happy one outcome can make someone."
Raine was stunned by this, and for the first time since the draining spell, took a long look at their girlfriend's behavior.
They realized Eda wasn't putting up a front, not like last time. No, she was truly happy! That made Raine realize that Eda could care less about her magic! She found something better than magic.
Eda Clawthorne was happy because she had found her family!
Camila smiled as she watched her new friend come to a realization. She could tell that a weight had been lifted from the witch's shoulders. And that made the human adult happy.
"Thank you," Raine said gently and freed themselves from the human.
"My pleasure," Camila replied sincerely. "Would like to still join me for lunch?"
"Thank you, but I have something I need to do," Raine declined politely. "Tell that little melody of yours I said hi."
Camila nodded and returned to her seat to continue with her lunch. Raine took their leave and headed in the direction of a well-recommended jewelry store.
(M Corner)
Since Eda regained her magic in my story series, I figured Raine would feel even worse about her getting a coven sigil for the rebels' plans. And don't worry, the story arc behind that will come to light in the "Daily Lives" section soonish.
Also, be warned; the next couple of chapters might get heavy; I will be employing my version of the fallout from the Day of Unity.