Loyalty & Light

by BlehBluhBlah

"You and me, hermana... always." Ever since the Noceda sisters were kids, Lealtad had one thing in mind, and one thing only: protect her little sister's smile. Follow through a journey of The Owl House, as canon events unfold with Luz's big sister watching over her. Can Lealtad keep her sister grounded in her true home? Or will she lose her to this new world's fantastical themes?

11. Escape of the Awkwardness

A/N: We're back, baby! I wanna lead with some HIGH appreciation toward all of y'all and your patience and love! I saw many comments come in the hiatus and received many kind direct/personal messages in both FFN and Tumblr! I really appreciate those of you who were patient but also really sweet about my progress and checking in on me. I especially appreciate those of you who've been reading my ongoing Arcane fic as well, working on everything I have has been a blast, and it's nice to see some of my readers enjoying all my works.

Nonetheless, season1b is here and in full swing! The rest of the chapters are all ready and scheduled to release! I've talked about what this next half contains many times on my blog. And I no doubt suspect many of you have concerns or questions about how I handled Season 3 in terms of my canon compliance and fret not! I have made adjustments but honestly not much of the plot has changed but a bunch of stuff was added! Seriously though, that stuff is QUITE some time from now so don't worry about them, as we'll be slowly but surely getting there.

The additions? Well, let's just say we ain't skimping on Noceda backstories as much now...

Hope you enjoy. (Very long A/N at the end by the way)

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Chapter Summary: Lealtad has to keep busy all on her own when Eda is feeling a bit down with her Owl Curse and some uncomfortable tension stirs up with Luz's friends.

Word Count: 16,628

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Escape of the Awkwardness

Going to the slayground was honestly one of the better outings the Owl House members have done as of late. King had become antsy for some reason to wreak havoc and chaos, and unfortunately no one was prepared or in the mood for another pillow fort day. Lealtad usually would've been down for it, but she had a rough sleep (King left one of his plushies in her sleeping bag and it left a nasty crick on her back) so she didn't have it in her for the morning. They all knew he needed something quick and easy to get it out of his system and that was when it clicked to Lealtad: the slayground.

It was perfect!

A big place for him to run around and release his energy but also enough fresh air for them all to relax and get out. There was just enough time for the little demon to have his fun for the morning, and thankfully the park was also close enough to Hexside for her and Luz to meet up with Gus and Willow for the Grudgby game. She still had no idea what the sport was about—neither did Luz, despite her pretending to—but she was excited to see what a Boiling Isles sport would look like. Though the thought of have to see Willow again made Lealtad frown a bit. When Leal expressed her interest in hearing more about a Boiling Isles/school sport, Willow got excited. But with the context of everything Leal was aware of, it was more awkward considering her eagerness in inviting her and her sister.

"There's a Grudgby game in two days! We're facing our rival school!" she recalled the girl's outburst of excitement as she clenched her fists and stalked forward with a tinted face. "You guys should come! I-If you want!"

Lealtad also recalled her awkward laughter. "Ah, are the tickets pricey? I don't—"

"Free admission for students! A-And even if you're not enrolled yet you can come as our plus one admissions!"

Luz heard all she needed with that, since there was no practical reason for them to say no. And if Lealtad thought about it? She didn't want to say no either. Sure, Willow's… adorably obvious crush might make some things awkward but Leal had faith the witch could be mature and reign it in. So far Willow had been doing pretty well, nothing deliberate had come out yet. If it was going the way Leal expected, soon enough Willow's little fancying would simmer out. It wasn't like she had actively gone out of her way to ask her out or anything.

"Ya know Bean Head," Eda began, breaking Lealtad from her thoughts, "taking King to the park was one of your best ideas yet." The witch shot an amused smile at the demon as he began ascending the playscape from the slide.

"Yeah, well, ol' Ven showed this place to me back on Pride Day and I realized this was a good outlet for King to just… be King," she fondly remarked. The three of them were currently sitting on the very same bench she and Venny shared. Luz sat in between her and Eda, with her attention locked onto their resident demon. She looked down at her sister and chuckled at her visible concern.

"What if he gets hurt? What if the kids are mean to him?" Luz stressed as she tapped her left foot repeatedly and bit at her nails. "My parental instincts are freaking out, man!"

"Relajate, Sunshine," Leal amusedly advised, "If anything happens we're here for him." She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Besides, he's fine. Look at him," Eda casually pointed over at King. He was making his way up the slide once again, determinedly keeping his eyes fixed on the top.

"It does look like he's having fun," Luz commented. Her concern shifted into awe as she said in a baby voice, "Aw. I wonder what cute little game he's playing."

"Knowing him? Probably something with a mix of tyranny and conquest," Lealtad guessed. In any case, she was proud of him as he was making it up the slide further this time. The triumphant sight of him reaching the stop and pumping his paws into the air made her giggle. She leaned over and playfully nudged Luz's elbow with her own. "'Member when you were so happy you climbed the slide up the playscape?"

"Ahh," Luz fondly cooed. "I swear whoever maintained those things made them greasy for slipping," she clenched her fist in mock anger, no doubt remembering all her attempts off slips and slides.

Leal snorted. "Yeah. Almost as if they intended for kids to go down them one way," she sarcastically remarked. Her sister returned her comment with an adorable pout, making Leal smirk back. "In any case, it looks like Scruffy's more successful than you," Leal teased as they all looked back to the demon of the hour. She then gasped as she watched him get pushed down the slide by a Hexside kid with a nasty hanging snot. He ungracefully rolled forward and conked his head all the way down slide. "King!" Leal exclaimed in concern, standing up.

The little demon seemed unbothered by his fall as he quickly stood up and ran over to them. "Eda!" he wailed, barreling into Leal's leg with a hug. She crouched down and patted his skull, double checking his head for any bruises (sure it's a skull, but she's paranoid, so sue her!). "That monster took my throne," he whined as he pointed at the toddler.

"You mean the baby?" the witch dryly clarified.

"No, the usurper!" King corrected, pulling back and stomping his foot as he kept pointing at the toddler swinging on the spring rider. "I want you to go over there and blow him up. Kaboom!"

"Kaboom!" the kid echoed, mirroring the demon's movements.

"Yeah, I'm not using Owlbert to blow up a five year old," Eda dryly declined as she twisted her palisman off her staff. "He's got better things to do. Like this," she proceeded to nuzzle Owlbert's stomach with her finger as he rested in her lap. Eliciting a cheerful warble, Eda then moved her fingers over to his wing, massaging them gently.

"Aw, what a sweetie," Luz cooed, "How did you get him, anyways?"

"Get?" Eda echoed in surprise. "I made Owlbert from the branch of an ancient tree," she explained. She held her right hand out for him, prompting him to hop on it, as she brought him to her left shoulder and said, "Oh, he's my palisman and we're bonded for life." As he nuzzled his head against her cheek, Eda's face shifted into a grimace. "I'd annihilate anyone who'd hurt him."

The older Noceda winced a bit at the sight of the lady's serious face: she would take Eda's word for it, no doubt.

"Fine," King scowled, "Don't help."

Leal rolled her eyes. "C'mon, King—"

"No, no," he shook his paw, "Revenge will taste all the sweeter if they fall by my hand alone." He laughed, clenching his paws in excitement.

She noticed the aforementioned pusher arrive and was about to address then… until they pushed King once again, claiming, "tag", as he fell to the ground. Leal gasped at the sight. "Hey!" she shouted at the child, though they continued to ignore her as they ran off laughing. She crouched near King, helping him up off his face. "You okay?" she asked, cupping his cheek.

The little demon's eyes narrowed, and that was all she needed to know that he was, indeed not okay.

"Oh, man. Here we go. King's squeak of rage," Eda teased.

Leal shot the witch a scowl while King stood up. "Nyeh… nyeh," he muttered. Then, a piercing squeal erupted from him, making Lealtad wince as he threw his feet and arms all over the place like a temper tantrum.

Once he stopped, she held her hand out. "King, cal—"

She was interrupted as his squeal persisted once again, with King rising to his feet and pumping his fists to the sky in anger as he ran after the kid.

Lealtad's eyes widened as she stood up and ran after the demon, stopping him from clambering the playscape. "Buddy, calm down!" she hissed, picking him up and placing him at her feet.

King gasped at her. "But he—"

"What that kid did was wrong, but you shouldn't lash out like that," she advised, holding a stern finger.

"But you do it sometimes!"

"Ahh… well," she lowered her finger and bit her lip, "I'm hardly the gold standard for role models, Scruffy." She sheepishly chuckled. "So do as I say, not as I do?"

He blinked at her.

Leal sighed. "Would you at least let me scold the brat before you go all crazy?" She jerked her thumb at the top of the playscape, where the child of interest stood.

He crossed his arms. "Not as satisfying as destroying him myself," he mumbled.

She mirrored his gesture, crouching down at him with a level stare. "King."

"King, Leal," Luz shouted, drawing the two's attention toward her, "We have to go!"

The urgency in her sister's face provoked Leal's instincts. Her eyes flew over to Eda, who noticeably looked like she was not feeling well, or at least suddenly not in a good mood. She turned to King with a frown as he pouted up at her. He gestured up at the kid. "But—five more minutes please?" Before Lealtad could even argue, her sister spoke again.

"Guys!" she stressed.

"Uh-oh, that really doesn't sound good. Scruffy, c'mon, you can get your vengeance another time—I'll help too, but we gotta go. Sounds urgent." Not wanting any more argument, she proceeded to pick up King and carry him, letting his head rest on her shoulder. But before leaving, she turned and threw a warning finger at the kid atop the playscape. "You push him again and I'll find your parents and tell on you, brat!"

The kid simply blinked at her, unbothered by her threat and the booger dripping down their nose.

Lealtad just sighed and shrugged, racing after her sister and Eda.

It wouldn't be a day in the Boiling Isles without incident after all…

::TITLE OPENING::

Eda fainting and having an Owl Beast scare was definitely not the incident Lealtad had in mind. Thankfully, the witch hadn't had any trouble flying them back, but she did sound drained. Though Leal couldn't tell if her exhaustion spurred from King's constant complaining about the kid from the park or if it was legitimately because of her curse. In any case, Luz filled her in on the spontaneity of Eda's reaction, and Leal wagered the curse was not a bad guess as to the cause. Upon landing outside of the Owl House, the four entered the building, ignoring Hooty's greetings—aside from Lealtad.

"Sup, Hoots," she greeted.

He smiled at her. "Hiii Leal! At least someone has manners!"

She chuckled. "You gotta excuse Clawthorne—she's feeling a bit under the weather," she explained.

Hooty gasped. "Oh no! Is it the Owl Beast?"

"Current working theory, for me at least," she replied.

"No 'theory here'," Eda remarked, tossing her staff onto the couch while Owlbert flew and perched himself on the backrest. "It is." She sighed before throwing herself face first into the couch.

Lealtad turned to Hooty and shrugged. "There ya have it."

"I'll go get your elixir," Luz worriedly offered.

"Don't worry about it," Eda dismissed as she lazily waved her arm. "I'll get it myself in a bit," she said into the couch.

"You sure?" Leal asked, leaning up against Hooty as she raised a brow. "You seem kinda… tired."

"Yeah," her sister agreed. "Do you need us to stay home and take care of you?" Luz gasped, squishing her cheeks with her hands in excitement. "I could put King in a little doctor's outfit!"

The poor demon exclaimed from the corner, where he had papers and a pen.

Lealtad chuckled, lifting her camera from her chest. "Oh, I'd love that," she grinned, shaking her camera.

Hooty giggled. "Hah! Me too!"

"No one wants to see that," Eda stated, turning head to expose her face.

"I do," Luz seriously stated, eyes glued to King.

"Look, I know how to take care of myself," the witch explained, propping herself up a bit, "I've had this curse longer than both of you have been alive."

"Cumulatively?" Leal mused, smirking as she crossed her arms. "Because damn—you old old, eh Clawthorne?"

"Old enough to do this," Eda remarked, drawing up a spell circle.

Before she could even say anything, Leal felt her beanie get dragged before her eyes. "Ahh, ¡mierda!" she cursed, pulling her beanie back up to her head. "You know I hate that!"

"And I hate being called old," the woman shot back.

Leal settled for sticking her tongue out, to which the witch merely rolled her eyes.

"So, how did you get it?" her sister asked.

Eda groaned into the couch. "I don't know."

"You don't know!" Leal and Luz exclaimed together. They shared a look of disbelief before looking back at the woman lying on the couch.

She pulled her face up and frowned. "Somebody gave it to me," she quickly explained, "I don't know who, don't know how, and I don't care because I'm fine, all right?"

Leal scoffed. "Because today's fainting was the definition of, 'fine'," she dryly commented.

Eda turned to her and blankly stared. "I will magick you into a trash can, Bean Head."

"Whelp, if magic is what makes you conk out and shit maybe lay off of it?" she shot back, raising a brow. "But then again, you have been dealing with this curse of yours longer so you obviously know how to keep it under control," she teased, smirking at her.

Eda stared at her for a second, not gracing her with an insult back. She sat up and pointed at Luz. "Don't you two have plans with Tweedledum and Twerpledee?" she asked, waving her finger about.

"Nice subject change," Lealtad coughed under her breath.

Eda shot her a glare as she held out her hand, prompting Owlbert to pick up his staff and fly it over to her. Leal conceded her teasing and held up her hands non-threateningly. Fortunately for Eda, Luz seemed entirely willing to accept the new conversation topic.

"Well, we are going to the Grudgby game between Hexside and Glandus High," Luz excitedly explained.

"Since when are you into sports?" Eda asked as Owlbert perched himself back on her staff, allowing her to screw him back into place.

"Since I found a little something called 'Hexside Pride,'" Luz answered elatedly, leaning forward on the couch and into Eda's personal space.

"Aaand," Leal chimed in, "since Park extended an invitation to us." She shrugged as she leaned back up against Hooty once again, crossing her arms all the while. "Sunshine said yes the second she learned we could go for free."

Eda chuckled at her remark, shooting her an appreciative finger gun, to which Leal nodded back at.

Luz scoffed. "To think that Glandus—whoever they are—would dare face us!" her sister went on, pointing off in the direction of nowhere. Leal and Eda exchanged a look of confusion, before sharing a shrug. Luz turned back to Eda, holding her hands up. "But if you need us to stay…"

"Gross," Eda cringed, standing up, "Sympathy." She pointed toward the door. "Go! Go have fun at sport."

"Hooray! Hooray for sport!" Luz shouted, pumping her fists to the sky as she ran over to King. "Hugs and kisses, King." She pecked his skull, then in sing-song, said, "Don't spend all day plotting revenge." And she was out the door.

"That drooly-faced heathen will know my wrath," King replied, matching her tone.

"Byyyyee Luz!" Hooty shouted.

Eda's eyes finally locked on Leal's, leaving the two to share a staring match. "Can I help you?" she asked the teenager.

Leal shrugged. "You sure you're good? 'Cause I don't mind skipping out on this," she jerked her thumb over to Luz's direction. She definitely wasn't looking for an excuse to bail. Totally.

Eda chuckled. "I'm fine, Bean Head. You go and have fun with your sister."

She conceded a nod. "If you say so, Clawthorne." She shot a finger gun at King. "Plot your revenge all you like King, but you're not doing anything until I get back, got it?"

He sighed, leaning closer to his papers. "Yeah, yeah, okay," he muttered.

"Take care, all!" she shouted, waving as she exited the room.

"Byyyyee Leal!" Hooty shouted.

She waved over her shoulder, running down the path after her sister. She found her jogging ahead, and laughed at the sight. "¡Hermana!" she yelled, "slow down!"

Chasing after her wasn't exactly a hard feat, but it was a bit vexing with how her sister seemed adamant at maintaining motion instead of just stopping all together. She caught up with her within a minute, taking a second to regain her breathing as she shot a glare at her. Luz seemed unbothered by the gaze, in favour of sustaining her excited skipping and keeping her smile plastered on. She kept up a cheerful hum and as if acting like Leal had been beside her the entire time, turned to her and asked with genuine curiosity, "Do you think Hexside has its own chants or should I come up with my own to show my support?"

Lealtad snorted. "I think I haven't seen you this excited to attend a sports game before," she teased.

Luz balked. "What do you mean? I've always been this excited to go to your softball games with Mamá," she argued, smiling proudly at her older sister. A faint warm feeling swelled up in Leal at her sister's blatant pride. "I may not know much about softball," Luz went on, pumping her fists, "but I do know I like to see my sister crush at it!"

Lealtad chuckled, ignoring the flushed feeling in her ears. She grabbed her bat, which she had tucked into her messenger bag, and pulled it out. "How do ya know I'm crushing it if you don't know much about softball?" she asked, twirling it around in her left hand.

Luz smirked. "I know enough to know you're good at it!"

She laughed. "Fair enough, Sunshine, fair enough." She rested her red bat on her shoulder as she released a soft sigh. Her eyes flew toward the Hexside building in the coming distance, and she couldn't help but smile a bit.

"So… you're excited to go too, huh?"

She blinked, turning to her sister. She realized, contextually, her sister was talking about their attendance to the school. Leal lamely replied, "I mean, it's somethin' to do…"

Luz pouted. "Aww c'mon, you have to be a bit excited!" She nudged her with her elbow. "I mean, isn't that why you agreed to come to the game? To show your soon-to-be school's spirit?"

"First off, I didn't agree to going," she shot a pointed look to her sister, making her wilt a bit. A quick wave of regret swelled up within her as she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't mind tagging along since it's another way to get a lay of the land."

"But… it's an away game?" her sister addressed.

Leal tilted her head. "Huh, then I guess I'm just going to this thing for fun," she corrected, shrugging casually. She didn't miss the small pout on her little sister's face after she said that however. Lealtad wasn't exactly sure what to convey for Luz, who was clearly angling for more excitement, but the least she could do was express what she was thinking practically. "Anyways, to my second point, I'm more so curious if anything else."

Her sister shot her a confused look.

"When I walked with Bump and Clawthorne, I kinda got the firsthand experience of the student life." She shot her a teasing smile. "Unlike you, who was dragged around avoiding what were basically suped up hall monitors."

Luz frowned. "Gus apologized for that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, don't worry I ain't holding it against him," Lealtad assured her, waving her hand dismissively. "I'm just bragging that I got the proper incite on things."

Her sister smiled. "You always do," she proudly stated.

Leal rolled her eyes. "Anyways, seeing all that, it kinda gave me both similar and different vibes from regular school. Or I guess here this is regular school, so Human school? I dunno." She shook her head. "It was—I guess—enlightening to learn."

"You said Bump taught you some things, right?"

She shrugged. "More or less. He answered my questions, very teacherly if I may add, so I guess it was a teaching experience in some way."

"See? Practically a Hexsi… Hexsidian?" Luz cupped her chin, pondering the word. "Whatever—practically a Hexside student already!"

She giggled. "Yeah, yeah, I haven't gotten to my point yet, hermana." Her sister patiently smiled, gesturing her open palms for her to take the floor. "I guess when I accepted, I was letting my curiosity take over. So yeah—I don't know if I'm feeling eager or nervous, but I am interested to see what lies ahead." She leaned over and bumped her shoulder with Luz. "That good enough for ya?"

Luz beamed back. "As long as you're happy."

Lealtad had an easy response. "I'm always happy when I see you smile." The faint blush on her sister was a win in her big sister book, and the two continued walking with giggles echoing from them.

It wasn't long after that they arrived at the school, where a noticeably big Viking-like boat was parked out in front of the steps. Though instead of oars protruding out from it, the boat had three yellow legs coming out from either side, with wings coming out from the railing and a tail near the back. Leal figured the giant head at the mast wasn't just a decorative design but an actual monster head. When in Boiling Isles, she supposed, shrugging off the sight. Her gaze fell from the large boat toward the mass of students loading onto it and gathering around it. Despite their size, Leal could easily pick out Willow and Gus from the crowd, as the former wore a yellow Hexside hat and the latter had a yellow Hexside sweater.

She nudged her sister to garner her attention and direct her to them. "Looks like Park and Porter are waiting," she spoke up, pointing the barrel of her bat toward them.

"Ooooh, seeing all these passionate students has me all excited!" her sister cheered.

Leal looked at her amusedly. "You mean more than you already have been?"

Luz ignored the inquiry and shook her sister's arm. "I think have a good chant! How about, 'Hexside's gonna wreck your side'?" Lealtad simply allowed her face to express her cringe and disapproval alone. Luz took note of said feedback, but remained undeterred in her efforts. "Oh! 'Hexside is the best side in the west side,'" she chanted, throwing her hands around like a rapper. Her sister turned back and yelped, startled by the giant boat. How had she not noticed that?

The head moved and released a small roar, confirming Leal's suspicions of its sentience.

Luz scurried around the creature (ship?), with noticeable caution, going as far as to grab her older sister's army jacket sleeve and tugging her close. Luz smiled sheepishly up at her but Leal took it in a good natured stride and smiled back. In spite of all things, she understood her sister had her moments where she scared easy. And to be honest, as cool as it was the boat was a bit off-putting. When they made it around the ship, Luz's eyes lit up as Gus and Willow neared them.

She parted from Leal and extended her arms outward. "Ah, friends!"

The three younger teens proceeded to shout and cheer, expressing their passion for the team, with Gus shouting, "Game day roar!"

Lealtad recoiled her head back, shocked by the collective enthusiasm. Her sister pumped her fists to the sky. "Happy game day, fellow, uh…" she cupped her chin thoughtfully. "Are we Hexidians? Hexies?" Luz gasped, raising her finger as an idea no doubt formed. "Hexoleos!" Leal winced at that, shaking her head at the name.

Willow placed her hand on Luz's shoulder. "Actually, most people call us… winners," she declared, clenching her fist as determination squinted in her eyes.

The older Noceda laughed, raising her brows in surprise. "Damn, Park, never expected such school spirit from you!" The witch looked at her, clearly embarrassed by her attitude, but Leal smiled. "It's neat," she added, hoping that was decent enough to say without coming off as… well, anything.

The blush on the girl's face was something Leal optimistically chalked up to her embarrassment from before and nothing to do with what she said. Because that made more sense.

While the witch tried to stammer out a response, Gus stepped forward, motioning his palms at the Nocedas. "Grudgby games are the best. The players go through these action‐packed trials. And the audience gets to wave flags," he excitedly explained. "Look, I practiced," he dug into his pockets and revealed two flags with blue and sky blue colours. He proceeded to demonstrate a small dance, humming all while doing so.

Lealtad chuckled at the boy's moves good naturedly. It was nice to see him be unapologetically passionate about something other than Humans for a change, though his excitable charm reminded her of Luz sometimes.

Luz looked down at her hoodie and tugged at its hem. "Is it weird I'm not wearing anything Hexside?"

"Ummm, it's weirder that you're both wearing Glandus colours," Willow addressed.

The sisters drew their attention to the banner that stood beside Luz. The Glandus colours seemed to be that of purple and white, which made Leal cringe a bit as she glanced down at her shirt and Luz's hoodie. Her eyes then flew to the Hexside portion of the banner, where she noticed the blue, yellow, and a bit of white?

"Yellow's part of your school colours? Never would have guessed," Leal remarked, punctuating her point with a shrug. There wasn't exactly any aesthetic of those colours around the school from what she could recall. Or at least nothing noticeable with those accents.

A series of stomping shook around them, and they turned to see a massive Hexside student, marching past them. "Get ready to be creamed, Glandus nerd!" the student teased, walking past as he pushed his finger down on Luz's head.

Leal scowled up at the giant while her sister stabilized herself and cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting, "Hey, I'm a Hexside nerd!"

She watched as the giant gathered with the other students in line, ignoring her sister's proclamation and laughing with the other Hexsidians(?). Lealtad scoffed as she tapped her knuckles at her bat's grip. If there was one thing she hated about sports, it was the kind of crowds that formed from them sometimes. Softball was fun, all things considered, and she enjoyed playing it. But the fans and the groups it attracted were less on the kinder… sociable side that Leal wanted nothing to do with.

It was one of the main reasons she was a social recluse of her school: the supposed "star player" who was "too cool" to bother with fans. Lealtad didn't like how crazed and irrationally passionate fans could be toward the players or the game she was playing. She just wanted to swing her bat, throw and catch her softballs, and run. The game was what was fun, not the audience. But that was for something back home, not here. Leal turned her attention back to Luz, who was pouting at down her own outfit.

"Gotta change out of this shirt," she said, looking around.

Leal rolled her eyes. "Hermana, it's fine. No one's gonna care."

Luz frowned at her. "You of all people know that someone wearing your enemy team's colours while cheering for you is all kinds of wrong!" She rolled her eyes again at her sister's dramatics. Even if she did have a point, Leal still thought she was unnecessarily going the extra mile. Luz then turned to her friends. "Where can I get a Hexside shirt?"

"I know!" Gus happily answered. "There's a lost-and-found box in the cafeteria!" he pointed his flags toward the school.

"Ah! The lost and found," her sister looked up nostalgically. She pointed her fingers. "Where mouthguards go to retire."

Lealtad shuddered at the visual.

"You coming, Leal?" her sister asked, making her way to the steps.

She blinked at her. "Wait, you're seriously changing for this?" Luz happily nodded. Leal shook her head with a sigh. "Nah, you go ahead. I'll wait out here with Park and Porter," she said, jerking her thumb at the witches.

Luz shrugged, undeterred from her sister's lack of interest, then continued to sprint up the steps.

"Please don't wear anything that's clearly stained or whatever!" Leal shouted as Luz reached the top.

"Yeah, yeah, of course!" she shouted back before disappearing inside the school.

Lealtad chuckled good naturedly at her sister's antics, turning to Gus and will with a half shrug and a smile. "That's my Sunshine," she remarked.

The three shared a laugh.

"So, uh, Leal?" Willow spoke up, smiling up at her. "What did Luz mean by 'you of all people'? Are you into sports too?"

She shook her hand in a so-so motion. "Back in the Human Realm I'm a star player for my high school's softball team." She twirled her bat resting on her shoulder. "This, is one of the equipment we use to play. It's kinda difficult to explain but let's just say it involves hitting a ball with this stick and lots of running."

"S-So you're pretty—athletic! You're athletic, huh?" the witch quickly corrected.

Lealtad held back from cringing as she saw the girl's face redden while Gus just straight up facepalmed. Man they were not subtle at all—how did she miss this! "Umm, I guess so?" She shrugged. "A-Anyways, I've told Luz this plenty of times, but I'm not really a passionate, peppy sports fan. Me joining the team just happens to be the only way I can consistently keep playing with people who actively like playing it after all. I play for the sport, hardly for the wins and even less for the audience."

"So you'd rather just play with no one watching?" Gus asked.

"I mean, a crowd's nice to have, because it gets things amped but…" she trailed off, nodding toward the Hexside students chanting and pumping their fists near the boat.

The two witches laughed—one much harder than the other—as they nodded in agreement.

"Heh, I kinda get it," Gus replied. "But, I still wanna know more about this… softball you speak of." He twirled his flags as he spoke, then brought them close to both his cheeks as he squinted. "How does one hit a ball that is soft?"

Leal snorted. "In fairness, Porter, you can hit anything with a bat—no matter how soft," she mused with a devilish smile, giving her red bat spin in her hand before resting it on her shoulder again.

As the boy laughed, Willow beamed excitedly. "I mean, we all saw that back during the Moonlight Conjuring!" She released a stilted chuckle. "You're really good at swinging!"

She couldn't hold back from scrunching her face at the compliment. "Thanks… Park…" she awkwardly replied. The girl's face hadn't stopped blushing, and it was then Leal questioned if it started the second Luz left them. She looked to Gus, who was visibly in agony over his friend's efforts, and sighed. No, she had to be upfront. "Hey, Porter?" she shot him a pleading look. "Mind if I just borrow Willow for a sec? Just to talk?"

The girl's eyes widened at that while the boy glanced between the two. "Uhhh…" Leal internally frowned, but outwardly fixed the boy with a knowing look, quickly looking at Willow before him. His eyes widened. "Oh. Uhh, yeah! Don't mind me!" He waved his flags along, gesturing for the two to go ahead, "I'll just wait here for Luz, practising my flags!"

Leal nodded her appreciation and turned to Willow. "You mind, Pa—"

"Not at all!" she immediately burst out. She covered her mouth and followed up with a sheepish, apologetic smile.

"Alright, c'mon," she waved her to follow, leading them about a decent ways away from the front entrance of the school. Once she was confident about being out of Gus' or anyone else's earshot, she took a deep breath and turned back to the girl. Willow was smiling up at her, fingers interlaced as she shyly kicked her foot around in the dirt. And then it happened. The look on her face?

It was one all too familiar to Leal…

::FLASHBACK::

"So… I just heard from Tambry and Shaun that they won't be able to make it."

Lealtad looked up from her copy of The Outsiders and toward the tan and lean blond boy sitting across from her. He pushed up his square glasses and sheepishly chuckled, setting his phone down with an expectant smile. Collin Saunters, captain of the debate club, was currently sitting across from her in a booth within the Snack Shack. After a successful group book presentation, her English partners suggested they eat out together after school to celebrate. Lealtad wasn't one to do so usually, but she obliged them solely because they really carried her for this assignment.

Recently, Luz had some free time and wanted to finish watching Little Witch Academia, and Leal was not about to pass up a binge session. Needless to say, she totally slacked on her end of providing a good sum of notes for the project, but Collin covered for her. Stating she could make up for it by doing majority of the vocal presentation, he let Leal use his notes and research. But Lealtad Noceda was not one to take unearned favour lightly. So when they all offered to eat after school, she simply texted Luz and her mom that she couldn't walk with her today, and left it off at that.

And that was how she found herself eating with Collin Saunters.

Lealtad didn't think the boy was a big deal, but then again, she wasn't one to pay attention much to social cliques. She just simply wanted to thank the group as a whole and offer to pay for lunch. In any case, half the group not showing made her feel like the whole point of this hangout was null and void.

"Ah… then, raincheck?" Leal awkwardly shrugged, moving to stand up out of the booth.

Collin's eyes widened as he held his hands out, pleading with her to stay. "N-No! We can still eat… just the two of us?"

She internally frowned. Leal got a sense Collin was a kindhearted guy, but she also found it weird he was a bit… extra kind to her specifically. Recently at least. But she could also just be overanalyzing things like Luz says sometimes. "I-I thought it was kinda a celebration with like, everyone?" she stiffly motioned around them.

The blond chuckled. "Y-Yeah, fair, but they texted and said they were okay with me—us eating without them."

Leal let out a small sigh. Again, she wasn't quick on the uptake for most social cliques, but she did know when she got paired with her group, that Collin, Shaun, and Tambry were best friends. Something about this made her suspicious. She decided to be blunt. "Saunters, did you and your friends set this up?" she asked with a raised brow, placing her hands on the table as she kept her tone low but soft.

His face flushed. "O-Okay, guilty," he held his right hand up. Lowering it, he shrugged. "I-I swear it wasn't my plan, but my friends really pushed on it. And well… I couldn't exactly say no because it was for a reason I was kinda all for?"

She crossed her arms and cocked her head, sinking back into her seat. "Really?" Her curiosity was peaked, but her cautiousness was prickled as well. "Well, what was it?" she innocently asked. Might as well get it out now.

Collin bit his lip, pushing his glasses up once more before shooting her a smile. "I-I… I just… I've been kinda meaning to tell you something…"

::FLASHBACK::

Maria Morales. Amongst nearly the entire grade she was known as the Grade 10's cutesy shy girl who kept to herself. A short and plump fellow Latina with short and pretty, flowy, brown hair. And also, Lealtad's recent gym partner for the badminton unit. It was not a long unit either, just over a week's worth, but the two were the notable duo that dominated nearly every bracket lineup their gym teacher made for class. Within that time, Leal had actually learned that Maria was actually quite an athletic gal, and despite her shy nature, she was the more competitive of the two during their matches (she could get really heated about losing, apparently).

And she also just happened to follow Leal to her stairwell spot where she ate lunch today.

Having P.E. before lunch meant working up an appetite, so Leal eagerly rushed to her spot without a care of her surroundings, not even realizing she had been followed. It was an awkward start at first, with Maria profusely apologizing for being "creepy" and only wanting to eat lunch with her, but Leal brushed it off. She didn't think there was much harm to the girl sitting next to her at the bottom of the steps near the railing. She was mostly reserved after all. But then, she started talking.

"S-So, tomorrow's our last day of badminton… huh?" she quietly brought up, sipping her Capri Sun.

Leal chewed on her turkey melt and cringed a bit—it was too soggy. She hoped the sandwich she made for Luz wasn't too bad either. "Umm, yup," she said through her mouthful, nodding.

"I-I… um, I had fun partnering with you… for gym…"

Leal beamed at the girl, taking a big gulp of her food. "Me too, Morales! We destroyed everyone," she smugly teased, nudging the girl playfully.

Her face flushed as she looked away, nodding. "Y-Yeah… you're really good. Y-You should join the badminton team!"

Lealtad furrowed a brow. "I wouldn't sell yourself short either, you got a ton of good rallies in yourself!" She shrugged. "'Sides, I'm already on the softball team. Heck, you should try out for the badminton team! I'm sure they'd love ya!"

Maria kept her head down, sipping her drink quietly.

She chose not to hash the point further—if the gal was embarrassed at the praise, then Leal would reign back for now. She simply turned away and continued to munch on her sandwich. She made a mental note to never reheat turkey sandwiches in the microwave again for lunch, she'd just have to prep them in the morning before she and Luz left for school rather than the night before. The meat did not taste that great, the crust was really fighting her in terms of staleness, and—

"Hey Leal… do you have plans… after school today?"

Leal blinked, surprised by the random inquiry. "Uhh, what?"

Maria blushed, looking away. "I-I was just wondering… maybe… we could get to know each other more? Like, hangout?"

She stared at her confusedly. Was that not what they were doing right now? Her eyes widened as she watched Maria look up and face her, the girl smiling sheepishly as her brown eyes bashfully blinked at hers. Unless… "We're hanging out right now, aren't we?" Leal lightly teased, hoping to maintain the mood as she put her sandwich down in her lunchbox.

Maria giggled, nodding. "Yeah, we… we are. But…" she took a breath. "Leal, I have a confession to make…"

::NOW::

"Leal!"

She blinked, shaking her head. "Ri-Right, sorry," she muttered. Lealtad looked down at Willow. That smile. Those big shy eyes that would just stare right into hers but also look away. The stuttering and amplified awkwardness. It was patterns. She knew jack shit about crushes and flirting but she did know patterns.

"So Leal? I-I don't mean to… interrupt, whatever you wanted to talk about, but… I, um, I have something to tell you…" Willow quietly said, fiddling with her interlaced thumbs.

Lealtad gulped.

"I have a crush on you!"

And there it was.

And like every other time she heard this, Leal made the exact same face. Her reaction, like nearly always, was an awkward half smile, with raised brows. "Ahhh…" she uttered, mentally slapping herself. Aaaand she'd say that too… because she was stupid. Lealtad then tapped her knuckles on her bat's grip—something she could only do the times she did have it—before biting her lower lip and nodding.

Why.

Why did this always happen?

Why couldn't people just be friends with her for just being friends' sake? Why did they have to bring romance into this? But as Willow's eyes faltered, and her flushed cheeks burned brighter, Leal's heart plummeted. No… Willow was different. She wasn't just Luz's friend… she was kind of hers too. They weren't slapped together for a project's sake or happened across each other in some cheesy meet cute—they were strangers first. And then…

And then they became friends. Luz and Leal, became Willow's friends, and then later Gus'.

It wasn't fair to think like that.

Lealtad smiled back at Willow, stepping forward as she placed her free hand on the girl's shoulder. "Willow," she softly said, "I… I'm really flattered—" She'd said this dozens of times already, sometimes she meant it, other times… not so much. "—but," and cue the fallen face, "I'm just not interested like… that."

The witch's eyes widened. "O-Oh! A-Are you aro? Aroace?" She brought her hands up to her mouth and gasped. "I-I don't wanna make things uncomfortable! I'm so sorry—"

"N-No, it's fine," Leal assured her, chuckling. Wow, Hooty was not kidding about Queerness here. Back home, that was something she almost always had to explain whenever she shot someone down. Even with people of the same-sex. "I'm not… really aromantic. J-Just ace. But… that aside," she shot the girl a soft smile, "I just… don't think of you that way, Willow."

Gosh, she could almost see the excitement getting crushed out of her very eyes. Willow's gaze fell. "O-Oh…" she sadly uttered.

Lealtad sighed, retracting her hand. "You're a really sweet girl and an honest badass, which I totally vibe with in terms of you being my sister's friend." She frowned, awkwardly shrugging. "But I'm just… a bit too old for you. And I don't really think of you like that. I'm sorry, Willow."

A beat of silence.

Willow's face of dejection hung for a moment, before she looked up at Leal with a sad smile. Not strained or forced, but a genuine smile. Her eyes looked thankful, as if the honesty was something she'd rather take than nothing at all. Lealtad couldn't help but sadly smile back.

This girl… she was strong. Leal knew that from the second she saw her nearly abduct her little sister like a Batman Rogue Gallery villain. But also knew it for certain when she saved their asses from those demon hunters. She just… needed some self-confidence. Lealtad saw a bit of Luz in her that way, at least a younger Luz, and thought she could encourage her. Never did she anticipate that spiraling into… well, a crush. Lealtad felt her skin crawl at the word, feeling uncomfortable about the implications—this was her sister's friend.

Before she could help herself, she lamely added, "I hope this doesn't affect your friendship with my sister." She internally cringed at her selfish remark.

"I-It won't!" Willow assured her, lifting her head. "You and Luz, you two have been so impactful in the short time I've known you. Luz most especially. It… kinda reminded me of how Gus and I first met." She chuckled, a hint of fond nostalgia leaking in her expression. "I… your sister is a good friend."

Lealtad nodded. "Glad to hear it," she honestly replied. "But, I think my sister and I happened to make a good friend too." She smiled. Willow blushed but quickly tried to hide it, which made Leal feel a bit awkward, and so she chuckled. "I… I could give you some space? I-If you'd like?"

Willow bit her lip, shrugging. "I… I don't know?"

And another beat between them.

The uncomfortable silence that filled the air immediately set Leal off, making her shake her head. No… she didn't need to do this to anyone. Today was supposed to be fun, or at least, for them it was supposed to be. Leal didn't want this. She needed her own space to clear her head too. Taking a deep breath, she considered her next thought as the best course of action. "Tell mi hermana I'm heading to the library," she said with a smile, making her way back to Gus.

Willow's eyes widened as she grabbed Leal's wrist, stopping. "W-Wait, you don't have to leave—"

"Park," she softly said, "I don't wanna make things more awkward for you. I've seen how pumped you guys are for this. You deserve to enjoy today, with your friends." She gently pulled her arm back and pocketed her hand. "I already told ya rallies aren't really my kinda scene and well… you and Gus seemed pumped about this as much as Luz." She looked back and laughed at the sight of Gus waving his flags at them. "You guys have fun. Luz…" she took a quick breath, "Luz'll be fine without me."

The witch nodded, smiling at her. "Just so you know, that kind of consideration is what made me—well, y'know," she lightly teased, her cheeks flushed.

Lealtad snorted, nodding. "Whelp, my bad?" she joked while smirking at her. "You tell her I decided I'm gonna finish reading that book I told her 'bout, and that this whole sports scene wasn't vibing with me." She started to walk off then stopped, turning back to the witch. "And Park?" The girl stood at attention, ears listening. "Stay cool," she winked.

Willow chuckled. "I'll try."

Walking past Gus with a parting smile was equal parts awkward and confusing for his part, but Leal still bid him a farewell wave. She trusted it was better to let Willow explain rather than herself doing it instead. She then turned down the path of the Hexside walkway and made her way to Bonesborough. With another glance back, her smile and heart felt heavy as she watched Gus embrace a downtrodden Willow with a big hug.

She certainly hoped it would get easier.

Because this never did.

::::

Lealtad hated this kind of feeling.

Rejecting someone rarely ever felt good, let alone someone she actually liked. All those times throughout her two years in high school and a small portion in her last year of middle school, she started to pick up when people were on some levels of attraction but also confused it with people who flirted for fun or just joking around. She had a hard time telling whenever someone was being genuine with their interest or not. Or even if that interest stopped at friendship! Part of why she kept away from people was because they were hard to get sometimes. Luz and her mom weren't hard. She understood them easy enough.

But then this place happened.

It was all starting to get to her.

Lealtad sighed as she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and pulled out her phone, looking at her last messages to her mom earlier that morning.

Mami [7:34 AM]: I know you're probably busy these days with camp things but I just wanted to ask how are things with you and Luz?

Mami [7:35 AM]: Are you guys okay?

Guilt crept into Leal that morning as checked her messages. She hadn't been messaging their mom as frequently as she promised, and though she reasoned before that because it was getting deeper into summer their mom would stop hovering so much, this was different. Leal found herself struggling to even come up with summaries of what to say sometimes. She took awhile to even type out a quick and simple reply this morning. Three messages were all she wrote back:

Fave Bebé [7:44 AM]: We're all good 👍 Mamá! Sorry for the radio silence! Like you say I've been pretty busy here.

Fave Bebé [7:44 AM]: we have another full day of plans ahead!

Fave Bebé [7:45 AM]: Have a good day at work!

Mami [7:46 AM]: Thansk! You too Mija!

Lealtad shoved her phone back into her pocket and sighed once again, letting her knuckles tap against her bat's grip repeatedly.

She was letting her mom down.

She didn't mean to get sucked into this place.

She didn't expect to find Eda, King, and Hooty to be so likeable and fun. She didn't expect Willow and Gus to be cool and malleable with her and her sister's dynamic. So she fell in with the flow of things—even though she tried not to. And that was how things slipped past her, how she just didn't notice stuff. Now she had to deal with this whole thing with feeling like an absolute asshole and hoping Luz and Willow's friendship wasn't jeopardized. But she couldn't mediate because Willow needed space, Luz was better off not knowing to avoid anymore awkwardness, and also Leal herself just needed distance too.

She didn't want to tiptoe around Willow. She didn't deserve that. With the girl's confidence the way it was, doing that would only make her feel worse and more shitty. But Lealtad also knew she couldn't devote herself to be so aware of Willow's feelings or even Gus'—who she never considered how he might feel about her shooting his best friend down. Leal didn't want to exhaust herself.

No…

She was just being a jerk.

With another irritated sigh, Leal kept on walking, shoving her free hand into her pocket as she scowled. She stayed on her current path, coming across the slayground once again. She noticed a couple of the kids from earlier were still there, which made her wonder how long they had been playing at this place. As she strolled past, her peripheral caught a familiar blob of green in the distance, making her grin. She pulled her hand out of her pocket and waved, whistling loudly.

The blob stopped and turned from their food cart, blubbering excitedly as Leal made her way to them.

"Hey, Venny!"

The vendor produced a prewritten note with a small drawing of them waving that said, HI LEAL!

She giggled at the prepwork and smiled. "Busy day?"

They lifted their hand(?) and waved it in a so-so gesture. With a cheerful blink, they gestured to the cart, as if to say, You want?

Leal nodded as she dug into her pocket for her Ace Pride wallet and fished out the payment for some chinch chips. But this time, she managed to slip the vendor some extra snails, smiling at them as she accepted it. "Told ya I'd tip next time!"

Their body shook, presumably with laughter, as they happily blinked at her. They quickly wrote and produced a note for her.

EVERYTHING WORK OUT OKAY? WITH YOUR SISTER AND THE OWL LADY?

Lealtad smiled, appreciating their concern as she nodded. "Yeah, Ven, it worked out fine." She munched on a couple chips, standing to the side of their cart. "My sister's actually heading to the Grudgby game today with her friends."

Venny's eyes looked at her skeptically, as if silently asking, And what about you?

She awkwardly chuckled, shrugging. "Something came up. Nothin' bad," she quickly assured. "But, uh, I kinda needed some space from Luz's friends." She brightened up as she nodded her head further down the sidewalk. "I was actually about to employ that suggestion of yours again. Was just heading to the library."

Venny beamed at her with cheerful eyes. They hurriedly pulled out another slip and wrote down on it. Brandishing it with a parting wave, Leal read it with a chuckle.

WELL, HOPE YOU HAVE FUN!

She nodded at him. "Same to you, Ven." With a two fingered salute, the two walked their separate directions. "Thanks for the meal!"

They continued to happily wave as Leal turned back around, joyfully munching on her pick-me-up snack. Heading toward the library, she walked with a newfound confidence. She didn't need to dwell on those thoughts before. She was going to the library to distract herself after all. And it wasn't long until Leal arrived at her destination, with her meal finished, that her spirits were on their way to being lifted. Entering the library still brought the same sense of wonder and awe as the first time and the second, which made the teen chuckle.

She was such a book nerd.

But now? She was on a mission. A mission to finish that book she was reading. Finding her way over to the nonfiction section, she grabbed a copy of The Finding of a Home and brought it with her to her reading spot in the landscapes and nature section. Settling into her comfortable cross legged seating, she summoned a light glyph over her shoulder and began reading. The last she left off with Elm Everett, he was on the path to trying to figure out how to celebrate his kids' birthdays this year with little funds to spend all while trying to make good on his promises to take his wife out for a date.

Responsibilities.

A little too close to home for her, which was why she stopped where she did last time.

Throwing herself back into it, Leal could only hope this story pulled through with a nice ending…

::::

It was a really good book.

Maybe in a different mood she would've been in tears, but for now, she was touched. The idea of a man on a journey to keep his family together with what felt like the world against him, and prevailing in the smallest of ways possible was sweet. She pulled out her phone and looked at the time: halfway through the afternoon. Lealtad stood up and stretched, feeling the creaks of staying so coiled up for so long all at once. The reality of how long she'd been sucked in had hit her in a wave, making her chuckle.

A good book had that effect.

She tucked it under her arm and popped the light glyph hovering beside her hip. It was only halfway through the day… maybe she had time for another book? Leal snorted as she walked out of the shelves and into the pathway. No, she had to let the ending of the book she just read sink in. Good stories, in her opinion, were digested twice—during the first read, then afterward, where you just sat down and thought about it.

The Finding of a Home ended with Elm Everett celebrating his 45th birthday, with his wife and kids taking him out to the original lot of land they once lived at. The place he moved them away from to build the better home they had—the past. And they had a picnic there. A land that was swept over by a terrible gorenado, and now settled over the decade and a half that passed. Everett ended his story back where he started, but he was finally able to look back at the past they had with fondness.

Lealtad could relate to that.

Growing up the way she did, looking back grew harder each year. But it also grew easier. Life was funny like that.

"I wonder what you'd think of all this, Papá," she whispered under her breath, giving her red bat's grip a gentle squeeze. As she passed through into the wider central pathways of the library, she heard the approaching sound of deep, cheerful laughter. She turned and yelped as a familiar looking red demon with vampire teeth nearly ran head first into her shins. She held out her palm to stop their sprint, hastily calling out, "Whoa, whoa, easy there, fella!"

"Oh, sorry—" they gasped in their deep voice as they stopped in their tracks. "It's you!"

She smirked while nodding at him. "And it's you!" she teased, chuckling as she knelt down. "What're ya in a hurry for, bud?"

"We're taking a reading break, so I wanna run around!"

Lealtad made a visible show of expressing her understanding as she uttered out an, "Ahhhh." She looked around her surroundings. It didn't look like a guardian or anyone in charge or responsible for them was nearby. Or at least not yet. Leal shot a small disapproving frown at the little demon as she said, "Well, that's cool and all, but you can't be running in a place like this." She dropped her voice to a soft pitch as she said, "You have to keep the noise down. You don't wanna be disturbing other people."

The demon pouted at that. "Oh, okay."

"Why don't we look for whoever you're reading with, huh?" she suggested.

"Oh, we were in the Kid's Corner!"

"You don't say, eh?" She leaned down and grabbed the demon's hand, letting them lead the way.

"Can you tell me and my friends more of your monster slaying stories?" they asked with excitement.

She chuckled, shrugging. "We'll see, okay? But maybe another time."

As they arrived at the Kid's Corner, Lealtad wasn't surprised at all to see Amity Blight within. The poor witch looked like a mess, frantically running around trying to round up a seemingly restless bunch of kids. She managed to form a sort of goalie position with herself and a small Abomination, keeping them corralled inside the room.

"Okay, everyone, we won't be reading Haunting Homes if you won't behave!" the witch declared, with a series of groans following suit. "You don't like that, huh? Then how about you all sit on the carpet and stay put 'til I come back with Braxus?" The speed at which the kids ran earned an impressed nod from Leal. It took a lot of discipline to corral toddlers and little kids together, both on whoever was in charge and the kids themselves.

But one of the kids, a red head, stopped and pointed behind Amity, right at Leal. "But, Braxus is already back!"

Amity spun around at that. And the look of surprise and… uncomfortableness(?) she had when she realized Leal's presence made Lealtad feel bad. She offered a small wave and released the kid's hand. "I'm assuming they're with you?" Leal mused.

The wide eyed girl rapidly nodded. "H-He is," she replied, motioning for the boy to come over, "Come on, Braxus, the others are waiting."

"Okay!" he said, walking over to join his peers on the carpet.

And awkward silence stirred with Amity sheepishly gripping at her arms as she looked at Leal, darted her eyes around, the back at Leal. Finally, the witch asked her, "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Reading." She dropped the book from under her arm into her hand. "That is what most people come here for, right?" she teased. "Or is that different on the Boiling Isles too?" The green haired girl's face flushed a bit, making Leal feel bad again. Backtracking, she chuckled and shook her head. "Relax, Blight, I'm just messing."

She released a strained chuckle, with her eyes glancing down to Leal's hand before meeting her eyes. "Thank you… for uh, bringing him back."

Leal beamed a polite smile. "No problem, Blight."

Amity's eyes cast down at her hand again before looking up at her. "I, um, hope he didn't cause you any—"

"Blight," Leal gently stressed, "it really was no problem."

"Oh… okay," she quietly said, nodding. Leal wasn't sure what the witch had in mind with this encounter, though in fairness she probably didn't want an encounter at all. Perhaps Leal was overstaying her welcome and she just wanted her to leave. Before Leal could make a comment about heading out, she noticed Amity's eyes flicker down at her hand once more. But it wasn't until they widened that Leal realized she was actually looking at the book in her right hand. Amity remained transfixed with the book as she shyly pointed at it. "Is that…"

"The Finding of a Home? Yup. Just finished it," she proudly smiled, waving the book in her hand. "Really emotionally charged and has some of the best prose I've seen in a long time. Can't tell if that's a Demon Realm thing or just plain skill." She laughed, shrugging playfully.

A small smile formed on Amity's lips as she nodded. "Yeah… it's um, a favourite of mine."

"Ah, good taste!" Leal commended her, sparking a blush from the girl.

An awkward silence hung for a couple seconds, until a loud screech from the room behind Amity startled the two. They looked over and noticed they were playing with her Abomination like monkey bars, which made the witch draw up a circle and command it to bring the kids back to the carpet. She breathed out a tired sigh, which made the older teen sympathetically cringe. She could vastly remember days like these back home at the Gravesfield Library. The few times she did have reading groups, it could be a coin toss on some days. Even with all the training and skill in managing kids, children would always be unpredictable. When she saw the girl's composure break for a split second, the stress leaking in, she couldn't help herself.

Lealtad leaned to the right, looking past the green haired girl's shoulders and into the Kid's Corner. "Say, you need any help with the kids?" she asked her, pointing toward the children. "I know they typically like partnered readings. Y'know, two types of energy to bounce off of. Or at least, that's my experience with them." She shrugged. "I could be your Person Two?" she offered.

Amity's eyes were wide like saucers. Her gaze cast back to the kids, for a couple seconds, no doubt thinking it over. Turning back, she bit her lip before awkwardly nodding. "Um… sure?"

"'Sure?' Or sure, period," Leal clarified. "I don't wanna step on your toes if you're not comfortable—"

"I-I'm not. I mean, I'm not uncomfortable." Amity shot her a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Honestly, they are being quite a handful today."

Leal chuckled. "Happens to the best of us, Blight." She walked over to the witch and gestured behind her. "Shall we?"

Amity smiled, nodding more confidently. She led her into the Kid's Corner, dispelling her Abomination as she announced, "Okay everyone, today we have a special guest with us!" The kids all awed into hushed whispers and murmurs as the two of them arrived at the carpet. Amity pulled up another stool and placed it beside hers. "Why don't you introduce yourself?" she directed to Leal as she sat down.

The teenager beamed at that as she placed her book and messenger bag on the nearby table. After quickly leaving her bat leaning against it, she stood in front of the empty stool and waved at the kids. "Hey everyone! The name's Lealtad Noceda. But you can call me Leal." They watched her with open curiosity, which made her laugh a bit internally. Kids could be so easily entertained when you presented something as something worth being interested in. Deciding to satiate their intrigue, she pulled her beanie back a bit, revealing her ears. "And I'm a Human!"

The gasps of awe echoed out.

"Wow, a Human!"

"She looks like a witch!"

"What're you doing here?"

Leal giggled. Shifting her tone into a grandiose speech, she answered, "I came to this realm to read to kids all over the Isles, imparting the greatest of stories through the most vivid storytelling means," she crouched down and stage-whispered, "Children's books!"

Another group of gasps once more.

She proudly smirked at their collective awe and looked over to Amity, who was definitely giving her a confused look. It was no doubt related to the actual reasons why she was here, but Leal could only smile at her. "'Special guest', no?" she whispered as she winked at her, making the witch roll her eyes. She sat down on the stool and clapped her hands, rubbing them together eagerly as she asked, "So, what's the book we're all eager to read, huh?"

"Haunting Homes," Amity answered as she pulled the book from a stack resting on the nearby shelf. She placed the book on her lap, displaying the cover toward the pool of kids in front of them. "A fun little story about a witch from the Oracle coven trying to talk to some lost spirits." A chorus of ooo's sounded out, making Leal giggle lightly.

She missed this atmosphere a bit.

Seeing the enraptured awe of the kids as they scooted together and crossed their legs was adorable.

She looked to Amity, who held the book out to her with an awkward smile. Maybe this was a bit of a bad idea. But… "Haunting Homes, huh?" she read aloud, grabbing the book and opening it. It seemed like a simple picture book. "You read the main character and I read everyone else?" she suggested, holding it open for both of them as she held it between the two.

Amity nodded, her smile slowly growing a bit more confident.

Clearing her throat, Leal began reading with a cheerful tone. "It was a day like no other, in the town of Frighton Boo—" she paused, turning to Amity whispering, "Is that a—"

"No, it's not a real place," she interjected with a blank tone.

Leal chuckled, nodding. "Gotcha." The group of kids giggled as Leal adjusted her posture, continuing where she left off. "Where even Holly Haunter hoped for something to do!" She turned the page, showing a small demon witch walking down a sidewalk. "She walked and wandered, bored and bummed, happily smiling as she hummed!"

Amity beamed a tight smile as she hummed a tune, "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm!"

"But as she walked from school to home, she heard a great, big, chilling moan!" Leal turned the book to show the kids the artwork for the ghostly lettering on the page as she uttered out, "'Ooooooo!'"

The kids all giggled.

"Spirits don't sound like that!"

"The one my mom summons do!"

"Do not!"

Leal brought the book back and brought her finger to her lip, miming the kids to shush. They all ceased their chatter as she flipped the page and turned it to Amity, who was smiling at her. Leal was confused as to why she was just staring at her face, so she shook the book, which managed to bring the witch's eyes back down.

With a light, somewhat pitchy tone, Amity read, "'Oh gee, what to do? I think I heard someone just say—'"

"'Ooooooo!'" Leal said once more, using her free hand to gesture some spooky finger wiggles.

A couple more giggles from the kids as Amity read on, "'Yes, exactly that! Some ghostly call, where's it at?'"

Leal nodded and turned it back between them as she continued to narrate. "Holly walked over to a big house across the street, where floated a spirit in a blouse looking downbeat." She internally snorted. Goodness, these rhyming schemes. But she could see the captivated interest of the kids and knew it was a hit for them at the very least. She turned the page again, revealing the spirit who was now talking to Holly.

She turned it slightly to Amity, for her to read. "'Why, the noise just now, was that you?'"

Lealtad grinned, leaning over as she moaned out, "'A noise? What? Whoooo?'" She dramatically shrugged, expressing an expressive look of confusion that made the kids giggle once again.

"'Why, I—'" Amity bit her lip, trying to hold back her smile, "'Why, I mean you, Spirit, the one with the ooooooo's!'" She shot Leal with an admonishing look that didn't seem to carry any bite.

Leal audibly gasped, nodding as she read, "'Ah, yes, that's me! I'm feeling a bit bluuuueeee!'" She cupped her cheek with her free hand as she pouted at the kids, sparking more laughter. "'I've lost my friends you see, where they've gone? I've not a clue!'" she pouted further, blinking sadly, "'With it just me I can only cry out, 'Ooooooo!'"

"'Well don't worry, good Spirit,'" Amity looked to Leal and beamed, "'I'm sure I can help you out!'" She adopted an awkward pose, placing her hands on her hips—trying to mimic Holly Haunter's same look—as she said, "'Because helping others is what I'm all about!'"

Lealtad smirked at that.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

But…

Maybe she did need this today.

::::

It devolved into the most chaotic of reading sessions she'd ever have, but Leal could tell everyone was enjoying it. And she knew that meant everyone. Two books later, the kids were loving Leatad's acting and body movements, so by the third book she started to get more physical and expressive. Because of the reception toward her style of reading, Amity wanted to keep the vibe going and tried to keep up with Leal's improv. It was adorably sweet to see this girl—who was obviously a bit out of her element here—try something new for her routine.

They roleplayed as youthful children learning life lessons about sharing and friendship, to warrior princesses defeating big bad evils. Leal would bring in her bat to pretend it was a magic staff or sword, vanquishing non-existent monsters with big and strong grandiose movements. Amity did her best to bring her Abominations into the mix, but seemed a bit overtaxed on making them body act as well. Regardless, Leal could appreciate the girl's strive to entertain the kids. She chalked it up to another reminder that the girl wasn't as bad as she made her out to be before.

But that didn't excuse everything, of course.

Still, seeing her smile and read to the kids, the same way Leal would back home, the way she did to Luz when she was young: it was endearing. But it was also a bit of a melancholic thought. This girl who, while may claim was doing it for extra credit, had the capacity to be gentle and soft spoken. Yet it was also contrasted by the reality that a girl this sweet could say and do such cruel things to Willow. Lealtad's smile fell as she lowered the bat in her hand.

Right.

Willow.

"'Big Barbarian?'" Amity called out, holding the book toward her. "I said, 'Big Barbarian?'"

Leal blinked out of her thoughts and lifted her bat. "Sorry!" she said in a deep voice. "Took too many clubs to the head, I guess!"

The kids all laughed while Amity shot her a concerned look that seemed to ask, Are you okay?

Lealtad just winked at her before continuing to run her lines. "'You are right Miss Librarian, I was too mean and cruel!'" She made a big pout, turning to the kids. "'I may be a barbarian, but I am not a fool! My friend, I am sorry for what I said! Let's not fight, but make up instead!'" she announced, dropping her bat to the floor and clasping her hands together with a pleading frown.

The crowd cooed as they raptly looked toward Amity, who pressed on.

This was fun.

She missed doing this a bit. This type of reading, this engagement: it was all kinds of nostalgic and amusing. But working with Amity… it made her think about the witch's past. Not just more recently, but beyond her and Luz's arrival. Her brother and sister, the way they acted—Leal could only imagine the space she must've had for her to resort to hiding in a library for comfort. She's had regulars at the Gravesfield Library who've done similar, the kind who frequent the place because "home wasn't any better" or because it was quieter and calmer than their alternatives. But Amity?

Leal watched as Amity continued to close the story, smiling wide as she used her free hand to gesture about with dramatic movements.

This girl thrived here. She could see that much at least. It was the patented child friendly smile and politeness Leal empathized with. A sense of maturity and caring that one would possess if they worked well with kids. She didn't just hide here… she lived here. Not in the idea that she had nowhere else to go, but that she was really living her life here. No one from school or home. Just her and herself... and all the books she could want.

"And so, the Big Barbarian learned, that in the end? There was nothing stronger than the bond between him and his friends," Amity announced, gesturing to Leal.

The older teen smiled readily at the cue, going into deep bow as she lowly said, "The End!" A round of applause and cheers, and Leal soaked up the childlike praise as she bowed repeatedly. She then raised her head and turned, gesturing to Amity. "How 'bout a round for our loveable narrator?" At that, Amity flushed as she brought the book down to her lap, averting her eyes as the children proceeded to clap and cheer louder.

"Okay, okay," Amity placatingly spoke, raising a hand and effectively silencing the noise, "I think that about wraps up today's reading session."

"Awww," came the group response.

Lealtad chuckled. Even back in the Human Realm, it was a kind of a hit or miss when it came to the engagement and interests of reading groups. But when the kids were interested? Nine out of ten times the reaction was like this when the time was up. Leal turned her gaze to the clock hanging above the archway and blinked in shock. It was the crack of evening! God, how long did these parents let their kids stay here? She looked down at her phone to double check the time and tapped her phone on, revealing her lock screen and the time to match exactly the one of the clock's: 5:58 PM.

"I know, I know, but today we managed to read ten books! Isn't that exciting?" Amity pointed out. Few of the group seemed to consider the point, smiling up at the green haired teen. Though the general consensus was still disappointment. "Don't worry everyone, since today we've managed to read all your requests, next time we can grab whatever you all like on the shelf!"

"Yaay!" came the unanimous reply.

Lealtad snickered at the slightly regretful look that befell Amity's smile. "Uh-oh, too late for takebacks—good luck with that mess, Blight," she teased.

Amity rolled her eyes and shrugged, tucking the book they just finished under her arm. "Eh, I spoil them."

The older teenager smirked. If someone told her back when this brat stepped on King's cupcake that she was the type to spoil kids during reading time, Lealtad probably would've hit them with her bat first.

"Will Miss Leal join us next time?" a blonde with cute little pigtails asked, raising her hand.

At that, the teen in question blinked. She observed their expectant faces and awkwardly smiled. Her gaze flew to Amity, who seemed to devolve back to a discomforted look. Right, that made sense actually. Still, Amity attempted to lower their expectations as she began saying, "U-Uh, I'm sure Miss Leal has her own—"

"Schedule to keep!" Lealted announced, theatrically raising her arms high as she stepped toward the girl. "You see, dear kids, I have my own little friend to look after. A sweet little sister in fact," she winked toward Braxus, making him gasp.

"Whoa, more Humans?" another child exclaimed.

She nodded, smiling. "She and I are special secrets! Can't be telling everyone where we are," Leal said in a stage-whispered hush, bringing a finger to her lips. She crouched down and looked at the blonde. "And that's why I won't be around much to read to y'all," Leal frowned. "'Cause if I was, I wouldn't be a guest at all!"

"I'd be okay with that!" the girl happily replied.

Leal giggled, nodding. "Well that's sweet. But I'm afraid I don't work here, so I don't think that'd be actually allowed." She shrugged, matching the girl's disappointed frown. "But hey, as a special guest, that doesn't mean I won't be back here and there to read for you!"

"Promise?"

::FLASHBACK::

"Really? The Good Witch Azura… again?" Lealtad dryly remarked, plucking the second installment of the series off her little sister's desk. She looked to Luz, who was curled up in a blanket, lying in bed. She shook the book in her hand as she crawled on, sitting herself beside her sister. "Wouldn't you prefer something more… grown up?"

"No!" Luz denied, shaking her adorable head. "It's… comforting."

Leal smiled at her sister as she curled into her blanket more. "But why do you want me to read it? You could probably recite it and read it better than me," she teased, already flipping the book open.

Her sister flushed, turning her gaze toward the shuttered window. The night sky seeping in made her frown, clenching her blanket tighter. Lealtad frowned at her sister's sudden mood and brought her free arm around her, tugging her close to her chest. Their mom had a bit of a work issue that had her working overtime and staying late, tacked on with some last minute groceries, and Lealtad had to hold the fort on her own tonight. And out of a random whim after some leftovers for dinner, Luz asked Leal to read her a story tonight. Something she hadn't asked of her in a while.

Not since… not since their dad's funeral.

Lealtad didn't hesitate to accept though.

"I like the way you read," Luz quietly admitted. She turned to Leal and smiled. "It makes the stories feel more real than they already do."

The flutter in her heart was definitely going to keep Lealtad all giddy for the rest of the night. She chuckled, shaking her head. Her sister could be so darn sweet sometimes. "Alright, Sunshine, let's re-read a classic then, shall we?"

It honestly wasn't hard at all to get into the book. It was a kind of chaptered kid's book. Blazing through the pages, hearing her sister's little chuckles and gasps, it was the kind of feeling that made Lealtad happy. It wasn't until Lealtad got halfway through, that Luz softly spoke up, grabbing Leal's wrist gently.

"Leal?"

"Yeah?" She glanced down, locking her eyes with her precious little sister's hazel eyes.

"Promise you'll always be there to read to me?"

She easily smiled back. "Prometo." She freed her hand and wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders once again, squeezing her tight as she snuggled close. "It's you and me, hermana, always."

::NOW::

Lealtad blinked, shaking herself out of her wonder. She could've sworn for a moment this little girl had the same doe eyes as her sister's. She looked past the girl and scanned the group, realizing how hopeful they all looked at her response. It'd been awhile since she felt this giddy. "Of course," she winked. "It's a promise," she affirmed, rising up from her crouched position.

Amity cleared her throat. "And with that, I think it's time you all head to the lobby! Have a nice evening everyone! Get home safe!"

The chorus of byes and gratitude as the group dispersed was a familiar song to Lealtad's ears. But as they faded out, the realization set in. It was just the two of them. Leal turned over to Amity, who had already fixed a curious look at her before turning away abruptly. The witch walked over to the shelf behind the stools where they sat and began picking up the books they left atop it. "I better… organize all this and clean up," she stiffly said.

Leal clicked her teeth, nodding. "Right, right, of course." She walked over and picked her bat up off the floor. "Do you need help or—"

"N-No!" came the haste response as the girl turned around. She flushed a bit. "I-I mean—"

"Don't worry, Blight," Leal gently replied, "You do you." She proceeded to walk over to the round table and gather her things, slinging her messenger bag back on and her camera strap over her neck. She picked up The Finding of a Home and smiled. Such an eventful time she nearly forgot she just finished this great book. She turned around and was met with Amity's gaze. The witch was kneeling, halfway slotting the books back on the shelf as she stared at Leal.

"I, um, thanks for the help," she softly said.

"No problema," Lealtad honestly replied, "Happy to read to kids anytime." She was about to make a move to leave but got the sense Amity had more she wanted to say, so she lingered, cocking her head inquisitively.

"A-About you not working here." Amity bit her lip, averting her eyes. "You, uh… you could apply here too, you know? I'm sure they'd take you."

Leal's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Amity to suggest that. Amused, she laughed, shaking her head. "Nah, I think I'm good." She twirled her bat around before resting its barrel on her left shoulder. "I wasn't kidding when I said I've my own schedule these days. Besides, I already have a library job," Leal jokingly pointed out, shrugging. "Thanks for the offer though."

"I wasn't offering," Amity pointed out, turning her head back to the shelf. "I was just… pointing out the obvious."

Leal snorted. "Ah, well, thanks for the obvious pointing then," she teased with a wink. "Good look with sorting!" She fired off a two fingered salute and turned around, making her way out. But after taking three steps…

"The Tale of a Good Child!"

She spun around and raised a brow. "Come again?"

Amity was now standing. Her cheeks were flushing red as she had the last book to sort in her hands with a fierce grip. She was a bundle of nerves all over, appearing as though she was summoning the same courage she needed when she told Leal to delete that photo. Curiosity genuinely guiding her, Lealtad patiently waited for the girl to respond. "I… er, i-if you're looking for book recommendations," she explained, shifting her foot, "The Tale of a Good Child is a good novel. It's about an abandoned orphan raised in the wild with a recluse. It's… one of my favourite books."

"Worthy of going up in that shelf of yours?" she mused.

Amity stiffened at that.

Leal's smile fell. "Ah shit, s-sorry. That was a dumb joke." She cleared her throat. "I'll uh, wh-what section would it be in?" she awkwardly asked, hoping Amity would accept the obviously poor attempt.

The girl lowered the book in her hands and released a small breath. "I'll take you there. Lemme just put this away real quick." She turned back to the shelf but paused, turning her head a bit back to Leal. "And yes, it's up on my shelf too," she softly answered, smiling, "I'm not only an Azura fan, there were other books there."

"Copy that, Blight," Leal nodded.

It wasn't long until Amity was leading Lealtad throughout the library. Since they passed the nonfiction section, Leal was able to return The Finding of a Home. Though the rest of the walk itself was… unbearably awkward. They had managed to walk in a sort of side by side step, but with Amity semi in the subtle lead to guide Leal. Though it wasn't entirely necessary because it wasn't really rocket science to navigate the place with directions. Another glance at the girl and she just barely caught Amity averting her eyes again.

She must've had something she wanted to say, right?

It kind of reminded Lealtad of Willow, the way Amity had to muster up a bit of courage to speak up about something. Willow didn't exactly need much work up to get to talking, but the reservedness was identical to how Amity looked right now. That kind of thinking made the older teen frown once again. It was weird how… guilty she felt doing this. After hurting Willow the way she did, now she was spending time with her tormentor. A person her sister adamantly pointed out wasn't entirely a bad person. Yet also a person—in Leal's eyes—who was directly responsible for the confidence issues Willow had.

And here Leal was, making a comparison between the two.

Leal internally scoffed, shaking her head. Why was she making such a big deal about this?

"What did you like about it?"

Lealtad looked at Amity, the girl's gaze was still forward. "The Finding of a Home?" she guessed. At the girl's nod, Leal hummed thoughtfully. "Elm's determination," she answered. "Even when he screwed up and made things hard for his wife or upset his kids, he kept on trying to make things right. Even in the smaller ways." She chuckled, shrugging. "I respect that. When Life really keeps throwing shit at ya like that, the fact that you remain rigid against it says a lot about your character. Says a lot about his."

She thumbed over her bat's grip.

Same could be said about a few of people really...

"What about you?" she shot back, "What caught your eye on this fantastic story?"

They turned into another path, now entering the fiction section. As Amity dragged her fingers across the spines of the books, she simply said, "The premise."

Leal tilted her head. "Family?" she wagered.

Amity kept her head forward.

There was probably a lot there to unpack. God, it was times like this where Lealtad wished her sister was around to help pry in a delicate or gentle way. Though she lectured her sister from time to time for being a tad invasive, she at least had the gall to ask about personal or private things. Leal was hardly the type—least when she wasn't upset. Thinking the better of it, she merely clicked her teeth and nodded, deciding not to push. "It is a good premise," she admitted as they came to a stop beside a shelf.

Amity pulled the book out from the shelf and smiled, handing it over to Leal. It was honestly a bit thicker than she was expecting. Lealtad flipped it over and gave the blurb a quick read, finding herself intrigued by the summary offered. It wasn't too far off from what Amity briefly told her back in the Kid's Corner and that was all Leal needed. "Consider me sold, Blight," she declared, shaking the book in her hand, "I'll be sure to read this the next time I'm here."

As she made a move to reshelve it, Amity asked, "Why don't you just check it out?"

"Uhhh, no library card?" Lealtad pointed out. "Or—I dunno if you guys have the same requirements here—any kind of valid I.D. for this realm?" She shrugged. "It's no sweat, I can always come back. Don't mind reading here anyways."

She was halfway done returning it until Amity spoke again, "I can check it out."

She stopped, blinking. "Huh?"

Amity looked down and flicked her lanyard. "I can check it out for you under my name. And you can give it back for me to return whenever or… something," she lamely tacked on, looking away.

Lealtad smiled at the girl. Wow. "Gee, I'd… I'd appreciate that, Blight," she sincerely replied.

That prompted an even more awkward walk—mostly for Amity—on the way out. Leal was all too satisfied with her new book to bother focusing on the quiet atmosphere. The library was reaching closing time and people were leaving in scattered droves. Once they got to the front desk, Amity told the receptionist she was checking out a book. The process was quick and simple and Lealtad found herself with a checked out copy of The Tale of the Good Child in her hand. As they walked toward the exit, Amity's pace began to lag.

"I… I have to help close up, and all that," she sheepishly said, jerking her thumb behind her.

Lealtad stopped in the doorway, scooting to the side for visitors to pass as she locked eyes with the girl.

Leal had a lot on her mind today. For better or for worse, Amity had done a decent job at distracting her from her thoughts, even if she hadn't known so. Willow and Amity. Best friends. Seeing this seemingly shy green haired girl before her made Leal draw the conclusion more easily. Willow was a great friend who shone well when she got over her nerves. Amity? Lealtad hadn't figured her out yet. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to honestly. But she did know one thing.

She cocked her head and chuckled. "My sister's right about you, Blight." Amity furrowed a confused brow. "You're a good kid. Don't know why you're so antagonistic to people like Willow, but…" the witch flinched at that, which made Leal sigh. She tilted her head the other way and smiled. "But I can see why someone like Willow wanted to be your friend." She tucked The Tale of the Good Child into her brown messenger bag and winked. "Keep up the good work, Blight."

With that, Amity stood there, clearly processing Lealtad's words with her eyes wide open. Maybe she overstepped her boundaries there, but honestly? Leal felt like she did her sister justice with her own words there. As she descended the steps, she heard the pitter patter of running race behind her.

"We have Page positions available!" Amity shouted.

Lealtad stopped again. She turned and looked up the steps. "Pardon?"

"You could volunteer but that's only available to students but you could also maybe work something out with my boss? A-And you mentioned having a job back in the Human Realm and I—it's not a strict schedule either," she quickly explained, "We have people to fill the slots, but you'd be a backfill. I-If you applied, I mean." She took a second to collect her breath. "This one… is kinda an offer," she jokingly added.

Leal snorted, nodding. "Well, kinda thanks," she teased. "I'll think 'bout it, Blight."

"And Leal?" She waited, raising her brows. "Thanks again for helping. You're… You're also a good person." And with that, the witch turned around and sprinted back inside.

The older girl blinked at that.

It was surprising to her how nice that felt to hear. It was no different than what her mom and Luz constantly told her, or what Willow was saying earlier today. She really was in her own head a lot today. But then again… it was nice to hear. Maybe… Maybe Leal wasn't much of a jerk after all.

::::

When Lealtad entered the Owl House, the last thing she expected was to be greeted with Luz holding up a cracked Owlbert asking for a bandaid. But here she was! Hooty was napping, surprisingly, and it seemed neither King nor Eda had joined Luz in the living room. She didn't even get a chance to ask about how the Grudby Game was before getting this sudden request, leaving her to skeptically and slowly walk over to the table and drop off her stuff—save for her bag. Luz had an agonizing look as she impatiently waited and pouted. Leal laughed at her sister's expression, and eventually decided she was done teasing her.

Still, she shot her sister a warning look. "I swear if this is for your boo-boo buddies club—"

Luz stared up at her with a quivering lip and doe eyes, clasping her hands together.

It totally was.

Leal sighed. "Fine," she relented, digging through her bag and producing a plaster for her. "But only," she pulled it back, squinting at her suspiciously, "if you tell me how Owlbert ended up like that."

Her sister accepted the offer with a sheepish smile, and the two quickly resigned themselves on the couch with Owlbert in between them. Luz proceeded to tell her another harrowing tale of misadventure. Shortly after Leal had left apparently, the three took Owlbert with permission from Eda in order to catch the game in time after missing the boat. But flying Owlbert wasn't something Luz was entirely ready for it seemed, as it resulted in a crash which explained Owlbert's poor injury. And that led to an encounter with the Bat Queen, who apparently housed and protected all the lost palismen of the Isles.

And also was a palisman herself.

She made Luz go through a bunch of dangerous chores disguised as trials while Gus and Willow were forced to sit idly by and watch. Leal couldn't help but feel guilty as her sister went on. In the end, they managed to get it all squared with the Queen, with Owlbert vouching for Luz, but Leal was reading while all this was happening!

"—and yeah, they seemed to enjoy it more than going to the actual Grudgby game itself, so maybe it wasn't as cracked up as I thought?" Luz pondered, punctuating her inquiry with a shrug. "But yeah, alls well that ends well I suppose?" She turned to Owlbert and peeled the bandaid, placing it on his cracked head with a smile. "And now you're a part of the boo-boo buddy club."

He cooed at that, blinking happily as he hopped onto Luz's lap.

Lealtad smiled at the exchange between the two and decided this was photo worthy. She took a picture and looked down at her work, frowning a bit at the image. The cute little bandaid looked great but it was also a reminder. Her sister was alone fighting a giant palisman. All while she was off reading to kids with Amity. She let out a sigh. "Dios mío, Sunshine, I'm so sorry I left you guys alone to deal with that—"

"But I wasn't alone, hermana," her sister easily replied, smiling up at her, "I had Gus and Willow supporting me! And, well, I had your courage too." She proudly puffed her chest to punctuate her point.

Leal smiled. God, her sister was the coolest person of all time. She fondly shook her head, biting back a smile. "You sure Park and Porter were okay?" she clarified, raising a brow. In her good conscience, she couldn't imagine what a shitty day Willow was having.

"Yup! Gus was pretty pleased that he got to do his flag waves and Willow seemed really amazed that I took on the Bat Queen." Luz chuckled, shrugging once again.

Leal let herself smile at that. Maybe it was a good distraction for Willow too. She looked back down at her new photo and smiled before turning off her camera. And it seemed like her sister still learned something out of all this too. "I'm glad you managed to learn something from this though, hermana. And I'm happy you're comfortable with my sister, Owlbert."

He blinked and flew toward her lap, nuzzling up against her camera's lens affectionately. "I think he's comfortable with you too, Leal," Luz pointed out.

Leal reached down and rubbed the palisman's head with her finger, smiling. "Sucks that it took you battling a giant palisman for all that, though." She chuckled. "I'm a bit confused though, if she's a palisman to a giant, is she still a demon? 'Cause Clawthorne and Scruffy said she was the wealthiest demon in all of the Isles." She cupped her chin thoughtfully. "So are palismen technically demons?" She looked down at Owlbert then to Luz.

Owlbert and Luz shared a look before shrugging at the same time, making Leal laugh.

"Didn't really have time to argue semantics when we got caught up in the moment, sorry," her sister joked.

"Still," Leal tilted her head and smirked at Luz, "fighting the Queen of all palismen by yourself? Pretty fucking badass, Sunshine."

Luz blushed. "Ah, well, I am pretty cool I guess," she sheepishly muttered.

"Hell yeah ya are!" Leal affirmed, pumping her fist.

"Oh, what's got you two all peppy?" The two froze and turned to the door. It was Eda and King? When did they leave? "And Owlbert, why are you off the staff?" Eda asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Um, when did you two leave?" Leal shot back.

Eda snorted. "Nice try, Bean Head, I know a redirect when I hear one. I'll tell you 'bout it later," she casually waved her hand. "Once I squeeze it out of King first," she added, shooting him a glare. The demon stilled as his eyes went wide.

Leal squinted at him skeptically. Something was fishy there, and it was likely because of him.

Owlbert proceeded to hoot as he flew over to Eda's shoulder, then warbled as he likely began explaining things to her. Leal gulped as she witnessed the exchange. Eda said she'd annihilate anyone who hurt him, but would she be a bit understanding here? Eda's brows raised as her palisman finished. "Luz took you to get ice cream? Aw, that's… a horrible lie." She blankly said, staring at Luz. The Noceda sisters both cringed as Owlbert shrugged, almost as if he was saying, I tried. Eda shrugged. "Well, lucky for you both I don't care right now. I'm going to take a nap."

Leal scrunched her brows at that as she watched Eda walk away. She was still tired? What were she and King doing all day?

"I'll, uh, be at the playground," King discreetly announced, backing outside.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, no you won't!" Leal ordered, racing after the demon. She yanked him by the collar and brought him back inside. "It's late, we can go another time!" she sternly said, raising a finger.

"But—"

"Another time, King," she stressed.

He sighed, lowering his head. "Okay."

"Alright, now go finish plotting your revenge drawings, I gotta talk to Clawthorne." She ruffled King's head. "And you better come clean about whatever shenanigans you and Eda got into."

"Uhhhh, gotta go draw!" King shouted before darting off.

Lealtad laughed at his response as she shook her head. They'd learn about it eventually. She turned her head toward the stairs and saw Eda climbing them. The witch really looked drained. Kind of the same way she looked after going Owl Beast that one time. Leal frowned as she quickly ran after her, catching Eda halfway. "Yo," she greeted, shooting her a small smile.

The woman groaned and stopped. "Make it quick, Bean Head, I'm tired and cranky," she said as she turned around.

Leal rolled her eyes. This was probably not the time to ask about what happened with her and King today, or to double check that she really did rest. Instead, Leal found herself reminding herself that this woman was simply tired. And that was all that mattered. Much like her mom, after a long hard day, Lealtad could only offer herself up as a stress relief. Maybe that was all Eda needed right now.

Leaning against the railing, she tilted her head. "Uhh, if you want, I can get a head start on dinner? And wake you when it's ready?"

"What?" Eda's eyes widened.

"I mean, you've taught me a decent amount and I know we got enough ingredients for me to whip something up," she explained in what she hoped sounded like a casual manner. "Helps take the load off, right?"

Eda tilted her head. " Hmmm, y'know what? Go nuts, Bean Head." She shrugged, smiling down at her. "Just try not to burn the place down." She winked.

Lealtad laughed. "I'll try my best, Clawthorne." She offered a wave as she watched the woman ascend the stairs.

"Hey Leal!" She turned around and saw Luz at the doorway, with Owlbert on her shoulder. "I wanted to ask, how was your day? Library was all nice and good? You finish that book you were reading?"

She chuckled, smiling brightly at her sister. "Tell you what, Sunshine," she began as she walked down and into the kitchen, "how 'bout you and Owlbert keep me company while I get dinner started, and I tell you a bit about what I got up to."

Luz eagerly followed after her. "Story time, woo!"

At that, Lealtad couldn't help but laugh.

What was one more story after all?

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A/N: Arguably one of the most difficult rewrites as I didn't want to impede on Luz overcoming the Bat Queen by herself but also couldn't think of much of a reason for Leal to not go with Luz because she's adamant on always following her. Though in that same vein, I knew it would be a good opportunity for Leal to venture on her own and bond with other supporting characters (and also DEVELOP those suporting characters more). I also took it as a chance to have Leal bond a bit more with Hooty, but that was earlier in my writing when I hadn't flushed the two's relationship out as much yet. I'm honestly more surprised by how well I like the two's dynamic and how much I really made them interact. So of course, I went down a different route when it came to the final draft.

That isn't to say there aren't other bonding moments with Hooty later though.

Also, this chap went through three different renames. I was originally gonna have the original name—under the impression Leal would join Luz and Co.—and then I had another idea where some of chap 9's conflicts would actually pile onto here, so it would've been "Escape of the Responsibilities" since she would be ditching Luz but also Eda's chores. And finally we have this title! Again, the naming scheme isn't really spelling anything out for my story like season 1 or 2. I'm just adhering to the same kinda structure or style Dana had (i.e., references and phrases, or even just syllabically and/or alliteratively).

Regarding Willow, apologies if she seemed a bit OOC here. But in canon, a lot of her confidence really shot up in the middle of season 1 and there wasn't much to that development aside from it just kinda happening. Not really a gripe, just a note! So here, her infatuation is SUPPOSED to be downright awkward. The same way a lot of people wanted Amity to be more redeemed before becoming Luz's gf, I want to show a bit of Willow's… awkwardness—for lack of a better word—before she grows on her own. A lot of her confidence is tied to her self-worth, but in this AU, Leal is one of the first people to actively seek out and bolster the girl, so it's a mix of confusing admiration for adoration in Willow's case.

And for those of you wondering how the Bat Queen trials played out for Willow, well, the Grudgby game was a distraction. A good way to get Willow's mind off Leal, because first off, she wouldn't want to mention it with Luz right away because it'd be awkward, and second, they still wanna enjoy the game. So the mindset of wanting to not think about it only gets further enhanced once all the shenanigans ensue because well, mortal peril (even of your friend) is kinda distracting.

In terms of the kids who're present at the library, yeah the ones gathered at the Slayground obviously aren't the same ones like in canon (an obvious one being Braxus), aside from the kid who pushed King. I figured reusing designs/background characters was just something for the heck of it. It's a minor thing anyways! Leal's reading with Amity was always a good bit of a nod toward Lealtad's own interests but also that muddling through awkwardness is good sometimes—considering her previous feelings toward Amity. Also, I thought it was a fun way of showing off that Leal has a bit of Luz's quirkiness as well! With the way she reads to the kids, it kinda parallels how Luz reads Azura outloud herself.

And don't worry my dear readers, an apology from Lealtad to Amity and vice versa is coming soon!

Also, flashbacks won't be as much of a recurring concept as you all think (well, depending on your guys' response here). There'll be a few more in the rest of the fic, mostly scattered about—definitely majority in the second season. I kind of decided to try my hand here since TOH started doing them in the latter half of the second season. I'll be honest, I'm not really a big fan of the way they're executed in the show but since they did it I thought I might as well try to mimic the same theme/feel, for a more expository/background developing context rather than a rehash. Please lemme know your thoughts on them, since there'll be more. Not OFTEN, but where it narratively serves its purpose obviously.

The bit with Leal and Luz's dad was ENTIRELY good fortune in my planning, because I had this mapped out before we learned any new info about the dad back in season 3 so it's nice it kinda lines itself up! And sorry if the stories Amity and Leal were talking about were TOO fleshed out, I wanted to go more in depth with the book nerd sides of the two and in order to do that I felt like working from semi established prose would be best. I'll try not to do it too much!

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Review Responses:

OMAC001: Glad you think so! And yeah, it's real sweet of her. Maybe one day!

MarauderPrime12: ( ^‿^)

starrat: And the wait is over!

Thomas Holmes II: Glad you understand that. And yeah, Leal not being involved is gonna be a recurring theme in the next chunk of season1b! I liked making her dynamic with Bump too! As for Coven theories? I think the cover art gives one big hint.

LostKagamiWitchInTheIsles: Having Leal come into her own interests and intrigue was a good growth to show a newer perspective of someone getting invested into magic school. I'm glad you notice the parallel to chap 1 with Leal's mediating! She often does assign herself family peacemaker. Bump is one of my favourite characters in TOH, love how they handle him. This fic is a great way of expressing how deep he can be as an educator. As for the age thing, Leal is actually really studious compared to Luz. So if she does have a natural curisoity from something school would logically be the best way to learn about it in her mind. As for that bet? Hope ya didn't stake a lot on it, lol!

61394: That's a theory alright!

suliganagongorova: Glad you're invested!

Gry26: Perhaps Bump will (both in regards to your first and second comments)! Regarding your third, that certainly seems interesting! But I make it a point that Lealtad's POV is the sole perspective for us as an audience, hence why a lot of scenes go missed because Leal's not present for them. Also, I already have the chapters up to 20 all written out and sorted! Even nearly up to season 3! Nonetheless, I'm glad you got that of your head and put it to words! Seems fun!

Guest: Sorry, but I already have the chapters written out and ready! Kinda why this whole fic had a huge hiatus, writing it all in advance to release on a schedule. Guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens!

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As always, feel free to hit me up on tumblr if ya got asks! And leave a comment if you liked this chapter!

Next chapter update: DATE, 2023

Stay safe, and stay lovely y'all.

Until next time,

- Bleh