Loyalty & Light Chapter 9: Once Upon a Swap: Lealtad's Lone Lesson, an owl house fanfic

A/N: Alas, perhaps one of my favourite and most challenging chapters to write! I should start with a fair warning, prepare for a VERY frustrating Lealtad. ( ^‿^) I think this'll be a fun read. Apologies this came out so late! A bit of mix up during editing and well, I'm still all over the place.

Chapter Summary: A heated argument spurs Eda into punishing Lealtad with cleaning Hooty. While her sister and the rest of the Owl House members head to the market, Leal stews with her thoughts and finally confronts her homesick feelings.

Word Count: 15,229

Once Upon a Swap: Lealtad's Lone Lesson

"I can't believe you're going to sell at the market today," Lealtad bemoaned.

"I can't believe you're still whining," Eda shot back, earning a round of chuckles from King and Luz.

Leal rolled her eyes. Way earlier that morning, she ventured into town to snatch Luz some surprise morning ham-bug-ers but was quickly met with a gross amount of Coven guards and Conformitorium goons. Thankfully Venny threw her a bone and moved over to a more secluded alley to make the transaction. She narrowly avoided securing Luz's surprise breakfast but decided to warn Eda about canceling this weekend's market sale. And of course, her warnings were met with deaf ears.

"Profit waits for no one!" Eda declared, raising her finger to the sky.

"Uhh, it does. It waits for customers. And a market. Which you won't have if you're arrested."

"Well, that allowance of yours that you seem so keen on spending on that," Eda shot a finger toward the ham-bug-er resting on the living room table, "won't be around either if I don't bring in the cash." She raised a brow with a smug smile.

Lealtad rolled her eyes. "First off, I've been saving responsibly too—I've still got plenty of snails left." She patted her brown messenger bag. "Second? Some of that 'cash' came in from me and mi hermana delivering your potions in town!" She had gestured to her sister, who seemed adamant in remaining silent in this argument along with King. "Also, third of all, what happened to your gold from the Bat Queen? You said shit from her would set you for life! And fourth, the 'rent' and 'allowance' comebacks can't be your excuse for batshit recklessness!" she shouted as she fixed the witch with a glare.

"Leal!" she heard Luz hiss.

Eda frowned in turn as she crossed her arms. "You know, you've suddenly got a lot more attitude than usual."

"Because you're roping my sister along with your carelessness!" she frantically waved her arms. "Honestly, I just don't get why you have to do this every weekend either. You're a wanted criminal and you choose to routinely sell at the same location?" she said in befuddlement.

It made no sense! And it made less sense as to why Luz was eager to join her. And it wasn't like Lealtad thought Eda was capable of capture or in any real danger. But it was unnecessary to risk dumb things especially if Luz would get wrapped up in it. It didn't matter if Eda could magick away all the Coven guards or pull off a high speed chase, the point should've been they didn't need to have one in their first place!

And yet Leal seemed to be the only one thinking like that.

Eda had opened her mouth to respond—likely with a snide comment—but Luz chimed in instead, "Aww, c'mon Leal, I was gonna show off more of my Light magic at the market today!"

That made Lealtad frown more. "Sunshine, you have to hear how bad that sounds, right?"

Luz scowled. "Now you're just being overly cautious."

She balked. "Me?" she incredulously said. "Dama Búho here is known as 'the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!'" she mockingly shouted. "Freaking announcing yourself like that is just as bad as a bright beacon!"

King giggled. "That was a pretty good impression of you," he taunted, pointing at Eda.

"Well it seems that's the only thing ol' Bean Head here is capable of having fun with," Eda muttered not so discreetly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leal narrowed her brows.

"It means you could stand to cut loose every once in a while," the witch casually replied, arms akimbo.

"I do!" Lealtad glanced over to her sister for approval, but only found her rolling her eyes before looking down. "Really, ¿hermana? You think I don't cut loose?" She groaned, palming at her face. "We literally just spent the night trespassing at the library!"

"That was two days ago," her sister mumbled.

Leal blinked in confusion. "So? I wasn't a stick in the mud like Amity—I played around and had fun!" She felt her ears heat up at this. It was silly to even argue this useless point. "Whatever! Point is, I can cut loose," she glanced at Eda.

"Definitely not on the nagging, that's for sure," Eda sardonically quipped as she walked past Leal. She then shrugged with a sigh. "Whelp, no one's forcing ya to come along, Bean Head."

"Yeah but you going makes Luz and King wanna go, and that puts them in danger," she countered. But even after the words flew out of her mouth she internally felt confused. Why did she tack King onto that point anyway?

"Yeah but you," Eda pointed at Leal's chest, "can't force them," she pointed to Luz and King on the couch, "to not come." She smirked,

Leal squinted her face in confusion. "I'm-I'm not?" she nearly screamed.

"Kinda sounds like you're one step closer from it." The Owl Lady shrugged.

"Yeah Leal," King finally chimed in, hopping off the couch and walking over to the two, "I don't wanna pass this up! Market's the best place for me to get trash takeout and leftover street meat!" His happy tail wag almost made Leal falter in her defence, but she didn't budge.

"Scruffy," she softly said—with just a minor dab of exasperation—as she crouched down to his level, "I know it's got good eats but I can whip you up some griffin eggs instead! An-And make 'em how you like it!"

"With my ingredients," Eda sing-songly whispered.

Leal shot a quick scowl up at the witch before fixing King with a smile of her own.

But it seemed to have no effect as he awkwardly frowned. "Heh, sorry Leal, but, I really want to go to town today!"

"And so do I!" Luz chimed in, now standing up.

The older Noceda sighed as she rubbed her temple. "Hermana," she tiredly said as she rose up, "not now. Just finish the breakfast I got you—"

"I didn't ask you to get me a ham-bug-er!" she shouted, making Leal's heart jump. Lealtad looked at her sister with shock as she found Luz staring at her with sudden eyes of… anger? She was huffing in place, seeming conflicted on her next choice of words. Yet before Leal could even ask what was wrong Luz shouted again, "Just like how I didn't ask you to get me all those chimichurri sandwiches!"

That made Leal tilt her head in confusion as she furrowed her brows. It had been a while since Luz referenced anything from home, but doing it in this way surprised Leal. "What's that got to do with anything?" she gestured around them.

"You're always telling me what not to do, and weighing in on the fun I want to have," Luz answered, "It's always on your terms."

"It's just caution, Luz." She motioned a placating hand. "Ahora toma un respira."

Luz scoffed. "You cannot be telling me to take a breath after you just shouted your head off!"

"I'm only saying that to keep things level headed!"

"Just for my sake?" Luz snidely shot as she pointed to her chest.

Leal bewilderedly nodded. "Who else!" What was the point of this argument anyways? Why was Luz even getting mad?

Her sister stomped her foot. "You know, I never asked to be looked after!"

"Then stop getting into trouble!"

"How 'bout when you stop worrying about me like a mom!"

"Only when you stop acting like such a kid!"

"Okay!" Eda shouted, stomping her staff onto the floor, effectively silencing all loud tension. An instinctive part of Leal flinched and shrunk a bit at the witch's authoritative tone. "Because of your glowing personality, I'm laying down the law as home owner and declaring that Leal?" she turned to her with a smug smile, "You're staying here."

Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"You obviously need to mellow out and I think some hard labour will do you good!" She walked away and opened the door, tapping it with Owlbert. Hooty's eyes opened with excitement but Eda quickly covered his mouth with her finger. "So I'm putting you in charge of cleaning Hooty."

"The fuck?" She scoffed indignantly. "You can't do that."

"I can't?" Eda's smirk grew as she leaned over. "It's my house, Bean Head."

::TITLE OPENING::

This was beyond unfair. She came back to warn them, and now she got canned with a literal house chore. Hooty had been excited by the prospect and told her where Eda kept the cleaning—bathing supplies, he called them—but Lealtad already knew where they were ever since she roamed the Owl House. She had shot the house demon a stern look and warned him, "Don't even think about getting extra dirty by the time I return."

Her intimidation seemed to work for once today, and the bird tube appeared genuinely fearful.

As she made her way to and from the closet with the cleaning supplies, she couldn't help but think about what happened earlier. She had never felt more alone in an argument before. Neither King nor Luz came to her defence. King was abnormally silent and evasive when they left. He didn't even humour her with a joke or anything smug about being a king of demons. Luz? She was worse. She didn't bother with a single word or even try to talk to her—she was just given the cold shoulder by her little sister. And it wasn't until they were out the door that Luz fixed her with a petty glare.

The nerve of her!

"Pequeño mocoso," she muttered under her breath.

She was doing what she promised. Both to Luz and their mom. Someone Luz seemed keen on ignoring. Leal wasn't stupid. This world was addicting to Luz. Everyday was a high for her. One adventure to the next and the next, it was like an episodic drug she could take weekly. But the issue was there was no way she was going to go cold turkey—she was living in the addiction. Everyday meant Leal had to fight a losing battle and today was the day they all realized how outnumbered she was. The only other voice of reason that existed in this damn house was her own mirror at this point.

She closed her eyes and growled, before picking up all the equipment needed to clean the house demon. It was hard to convince herself she wasn't really mad at Luz or King. It was hard to convince herself to calm down at all. Leal knew she started something, and that she might've been a bit hostile, but she never felt more alone in a room full of people before. "So stupid," she grumbled, closing the closet door and turning back down the hall. As she made her way back to Hooty, she thought back on what Eda said to her before they left.

"I admire that you've got spunk towards me, but I don't need to tell you to be mindful of what you say to your sister," she told her before getting Luz and King on her staff, "Have fun cleaning Hooty, byyyyee!"

Lealtad scoffed at the witch's departure.

Where did she get off on acting… like she knew Luz? Like she knew Lealtad? She barely knew how to teach Luz, let alone act like—

She shook head, continuing her trek down the stairs and past the living room. "Let's just get this over with." She had no idea how hard or tedious of an experience cleaning Hooty would be. With their mom's line of work, there had been times Lealtad visited or volunteered which resulted in her cleaning and washing all kinds of pets. Some could be fun, others could be a real piece of work. She knew Hooty had fun being an absolute menace in the mud, dirt, and whatever slimes he could roll around in, but she hoped cleaning it off him wouldn't be difficult. Or rather, that he wouldn't be difficult.

Taking a deep breath, Lealtad stepped outside with the buckets of sponges, cleaning soap, and all the like in her hands…

And she was met with a skeletal Hooty and a discarded rug of his skin on the ground.

"Of fucking course this is how I have to clean you." He tilted his head slightly at her, and she was out. She took a deep breath and dropped the cleaning supplies on the ground. "Screw this. I'm going home," she declared, turning around and walking back into the living room.

She heard the discomforting noises of Hooty presumably getting back into his skin, before asking, "What? Are you leaving?"

"Just to cool off my head, door-bird," she explained, not even sparing him a look back because she did not wanna chance whatever sight she might witness. She continued to swipe the portal key off the living room table. Eda made a point about being careful with such an item, but left it open for use when Lealtad once pitched to her that needing to buy human food could also be a good alternative for her and her sister. They've yet to make good on that option, but right now Lealtad needed space. With one tap on the eye, the door flew in front of her and unfolded open. "I'll be back to clean you later," she said over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off the bright white light before her.

And then she stepped through.

Too much came at her all at once for her to process what she was seeing once again.

Hearing the whistle of a gentle breeze grace by along with a chorus of bird chirps surrounding her made Lealtad choke out a small sob. This was the human word. Her world. She took five steps out off the porch and onto the grass. Grass. Regular, non-Boiling Isles grass. She took another deep breath, soaking in the air. It was barely any different from the Demon Realm and yet it felt like it was marginally ten times greater. It was almost as if she was breathing in a childhood memory. It was absurd how much emotion she could feel, and nothing about this place was even familiar to her. She and Luz played around in the forest many times, very reluctantly in most cases as Luz would just run off, but they never went deep. Yet, somehow, standing in this place was like she was home.

With a chuckle, she stepped forward and walked. She tucked her hands into her army jacket pockets, soaking in the sight of the forest and the path ahead. The clouds, the leaves, the swaying bushes—this was the real world. This was the world she lived in. Each step on the path, every stray branch crack, all the chirps and chittering, it all just spoke to her. Familiarity. She knew this. She understood this. She had ran down this path only once before, just to chase after Luz who was chasing Owlbert, but Leal walked like she knew this pathway her whole life. Like it was something that made sense.

But then she heard it.

The squeak of a rabbit.

Lealtad turned over to the source, and smiled as her suspicions were confirmed. It was a white rabbit, plump atop a turned over log, staring off into a small clearing. Her hand flew down to her chest, and anxiety and fear swept in when she realized her camera was on her. She looked down at herself and realized nothing was with her. Her messenger bag, her bat, basically everything she usually carried. She scoffed internally. Was she really that in her head? She forgot all that.

The squeaking drove her attention back but this time, Leal fixated on the rabbit's gaze. It was looking at a nice patch of wildflowers and clovers. She knew from her mom that they typically liked eating such flora, but it was strange how the rabbit wasn't going toward it. But then Lealtad's eyes widened when she saw why. There was a very obvious looking trap next to the patch. The way it was arranged, it looked too bizarre and complicated to be set for a rabbit. But it was a trap nonetheless.

Taking caution, Lealtad carefully stepped over to the trap, mindfully observing her surroundings for any peculiar or similar set ups nearby in fear of setting something more hidden off. Their mom had taught her and Luz well enough what to do with traps like these many times. When it became clear to her that playing in the forest was going to become a habit, she made sure at least Leal knew what to do whenever they encountered something like this. Most especially in the event there was some poor critter caught in one.

"Always make sure the trap is dismantled. I don't want you hurting yourselves, but if you think it's safe I want you to make sure it can't hurt any more animals."

Lealtad pulled the sticks out from the ground and began uncoiling the strings and wire tied around the trap. She then snapped the twigs and sticks used to set it up, before pocketing the string and wire into her back pocket to throw it out later. She smiled and gestured at the patch of flowers and clovers, nodding the rabbit to run along as she backed away. It sensed her calmness and hopped over, first sniffing its diet before digging in. Leal chuckled at the sight before walking off. Least the little critter was smart enough to recognize something amiss before taking a leap for its lunch.

That made Leal sigh longingly as she fished her phone out of her pocket, swiping to send her mom a text. Lunch sounded good right about now. Maybe she could ask their mother to whip up some tostones while she filled her in about this trap. It was strange that the trap back there wasn't set in a way that was meant to ensnare the rabbit. There was no bait, none of the flora part of its diet was near the trap—it was for something else. Maybe she'd have to ask their mom about it, she might know more…

Lealtad stopped in her tracks.

What was she doing?

A wave of clarity washed over her as she held her breath.

No… what was she doing!

She looked down at her phone, realizing her thumb was just about to click on her DMs with her mother. She then looked up and froze when she noticed their house was just a few metres away from the clearing. What the Hell was she doing? Lealtad backed away, breathing heavily as she finally released her breath and kept her eyes fixated on the house. It was almost afternoon, her mom was still at work. She wouldn't be there. But neighbours would be around. What was she even thinking? Like today was just any other day? They were living in a hidden realm. Magic didn't exist to this world, griffins didn't exist here! She was just about to walk out in the open—

And she wasn't supposed to be here.

Her heart ached at the realization.

She was just a few metres from her home, she was in familiar territory, but she wasn't allowed to be here. She was at camp. Lealtad Noceda, and her little sister Sunshine, were at RealityCheck, living it up for the summer. That meant so much in many ways. It meant Lealtad couldn't go to the Gravesfield Library to cool her head off and bury herself in books, because her boss and some of her mom's friends might see her. It meant she couldn't go to Snack Shack for a chimichurri sandwich because her classmates would see her. It meant she couldn't go to the mall because it would be on the way to her mom's work, so they'd cross paths. It meant…

Lealtad closed her eyes in frustration and turned around. And ran back into the forest. She ran away from her home. She ran.

It meant she couldn't come back to her life.

As Leal sprinted through the forest, the passing sounds of chirping and caws reminded her of how she'd heard many more and more interesting ones back on the Boiling Isles. She blinked the tears away in her eyes, deciding to stare up to the sky. Instead, she found herself remembering how the clear blue and white clouds literally paled in comparison to that of the pastels back in the Demon Realm's skies. Leal ran and ran, realizing the patches of dirt and grass were less expressive and lively than the place she'd been surrounded in this summer. This was the world she grew up with, yet she was running from it and into another… one that had so much more.

This was familiar… but it wasn't new.

It wasn't… magic.

For better or worse, that meant she couldn't return.

Not yet.

She stopped just short of the old strange house, right before the glowing door. Laughing to herself as she wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead, she pulled her red-orange beanie off. She ran her hand through her long hair, feeling the sweat collect in her fingers and palm. Shaking her head, Lealtad flicked her hand to rid the sweat before donning the beanie back on. She tucked it over her ears and straightened herself up, releasing a calming breath. She turned back, taking in the sight of the scene before her. She didn't need a camera this time.

Something about photography: her eyes were always capturing a picture. That was why she let her camera hang on her neck so carelessly so often—her eyes could see the shot, but her hands were what seized the moment. Right now, something in her gut told her to appreciate this picture. It was the same feeling she had at the beginning of summer, when she felt the need to stand by her sister back at the Conformatorium and when she felt she had to stand by her when she made the decision to stay. Her whole body screamed for her to soak in this sight before she turned back and walked through. Though it couldn't be captured and stored digitally, she could appreciate it for what it was.

Maybe it'd make sense later, maybe it was just some random thing. But for now? Leal took it as a sign to appreciate this while she could. Because she was about to reenter a whole world of crazy…

Crazy fun, sure, but also crazy irritating.

So she walked back into the Boiling Isles, heavy heart and all.

::::

When she stepped back in, Leal made a point to sneak out the back door to remain unnoticed by Hooty. She said she'd clean him when she got back later, and she meant it too, but she also needed to clear her head first. But the sad truth was that Lealtad didn't have many places to do that. It frustrated her how little she has here. Luz is all it is. Maybe King. But is that it? Not even a fixed place. She could only ever picture the Owl House when it came to sanctuary and comfort in the Boiling Isles. No other place came to mind. It wasn't like the Human Realm.

All those places she could just escape to. None of that existed here. As she walked she hated how… normal everything felt here. This time, she had her usual kit: messenger bag, bat in hand, and canon camera around her neck. But walking through the forest? She hated that her memories of whatever she just went through were conjured out of sheer bullshit. Yes, because walking on the beaten path of the Boiling Isles was no different than walking in the forest back home. Because the chirps and chitters were basically the same as the ones she had just heard ten minutes ago.

It was just nature.

And nature was different anywhere in the world, human or otherwise. Her bias couldn't deny that. It was absurd how a realm with fauna that literally spewed giant spiders from mixed, crossed bred animals could still feel like a regular old stroll down a forest. It was more absurd that Lealtad fooled herself into thinking her home was anything more… special? No… that wasn't the word. She didn't know what was anything at this point.

"Uggh," she growled, kicking a rock ahead of her. "I hate this."

When she looked up from her feet, she sighed as she realized she was heading toward Bonesborough. Great, because if it wasn't enough to find out how wrong she was with her own opinions about her home now she had to be a hypocrite. Again. Leal rolled her eyes and kept walking. She needed to distract herself. She hadn't exactly explored the town much aside from Eda's delivery routes for her potions business, so that meant she hadn't seen what the typical lifestyle was to just live in town. But she was smart too.

With coven guards roaming about, she knew she had to keep a low profile.

It wasn't like she couldn't walk around, as many Bonesborough residents recognized Eda and her… human companions. But that didn't change the fact that the association was easy to lump her into trouble with just knowing the infamous Owl Lady. No one opted to mess with any of them or rat them out, but that wasn't to say a coven guard just seeing them wouldn't be enough cause to start a chase.

Lealtad shook her head as she kept walking. She didn't want to think about Luz right now. Or Eda. or King.

She doubted she'd even run into them at all, since the market was nowhere near where she was. "Wait a minute," she muttered, looking around. "Where am I?" She recognized a few housing buildings, but nothing memorable enough to pinpoint her exact location. She knew this route from a familiar delivery before, but it wasn't anything… unique to really map out her path.

Worst case she could just turn back and head to the Owl House, so she wasn't afraid to keep going and wander around. It was still a populated street, but it felt like a neighborhood street more than anything else. Strips of houses with porches, cut little claw hand balconies, and lawns of venomous plants hissing near the sidewalks. Lealtad chuckled as she walked and observed the sights.

Just a head, on a lawn of a house that looked like a hut with a hand for its roof, a family of three adults and two kids were playing in the yard. Two of the adults were casting Illusion spells to make funny faces while the third one used—what Lealtad assumed—Construction magic to craft a makeshift playground. The two kids laughed and cheered as they ascended their small Earth hut, and challenged their guardians to "take the castle" from them."

Families.

Lealtad smiled as she grabbed her camera. She looked behind her, making sure she wasn't obscuring the path, before kneeling down taking a picture of the street. Her angle was low, rising up to make the sky fill half the shot while the road, sidewalk, and houses filled the lower half. This shot, with the exception of the "weird" house designs and demons and witches in it, looked like any other neighborhood she'd seen back in Gravesfield.

Her smile fell as she thumbed over the delete option.

What did that mean then?

They were all just people? No different than each other?

Of course, she already knew that.

But then why did it bother her?

"C'mon Tiarus, Leah!" a sweet voice shouted, startling her. She glanced up and watched as a fourth adult emerged from the hand roof hut, waving the kids inside. "Movie's all set up!"

"Ooh, time to spend our entire day lounging inside our home!" the Construction witch cheered.

The kids and other two adults whooped as they all trailed in, discarding their illusions and structures within seconds. Leaving an empty lawn like nothing before. But inside, and in its wake, Leal knew it wasn't empty. She gulped as she hovered her thumb back over the delete option: right above "YES." She knew that this was home. That this entire world was a home. Families no different than the ones she had seen back home, kids no different than the ones she had read to, and laughter she'd heard countless times throughout her years.

They were just people.

And this was a home.

But… it wasn't hers.

Was it?

A slimy secretion of noise and jiggling slowly began to near behind Leal, causing her to turn around in fear of obstructing someone's path. But— "Venny?"

None other than her favourite not dog vendor in all of town. They blinked at her as they waved their blue mitts in excitement. She noticed their yellow hat was sliding back, nearly falling off their head.

"Ahh, Ven," she pointed to her head, "your cap's slipping."

Venny's eyes rolled back over their brain, making Lealtad shudder as she averted her gaze. That was almost as bad as when Luz did that thing with her eyelids. She shook off the discomfort and looked back in time to see Venny had adjusted the cap back atop their head, adorably blinking at her their thanks.

"Say, I—" they quickly began to move their mitts as they worked to make a ham-bug-er, making Leal shake her head. "A-Ah, Venny, I'm good! I was gonna ask," she chuckled, "if you knew where we are? I kind of just… wandered about? I don't know this street."

Venny blinked at her, curiosity obviously expressed within their eyes. Ducking underneath the cart, they brandished a note and pen and quickly wrote something down before flipping the notepad toward her.

DAYDREAM FILM STREET

Lealtad blinked at the name, but nodded her thanks. She wasn't actually sure what to do with that information. She hadn't really thought of a destination she wanted to head to. Though it seemed it didn't matter as Venny already conjured another note and turned it over to her.

IF YOU KEEP HEADING STRAIGHT, SEVEN MORE BLOCKS, TWO LEFTS, AND ONE RIGHT LEADS YOU BACK TO THE MARKET DISTRICT

She cocked her head. "I'm not heading there?" They mirrored her gesture of confusion, starting to write but Lealtad wagered she knew where their line of questioning was heading. "I-I'm not looking for my sister." She bit her lip and cleared her throat, leaving the unsaid Eda and King for… whatever. She hoped they wouldn't look too much into it.

Their eyes narrowed.

There was an uncomfortable couple of seconds of silence before they wrote another note and handed it to Lealtad.

I KNOW A CUTE LITTLE PARK UP AHEAD. WANNA SIT WITH ME FOR MY BREAK?

It was obviously an invitation to talk about whatever was bothering her. Lealtad honestly appreciated the gesture, but she wasn't sure of well… anything actually. She awkwardly smiled as she handed the note back. "Um, I dunno Ven, I—"

They pulled out a note, obviously pre-written, and blankly stared as they turned it toward her.

FREE CHINCH CHIPS?

Her shoulders shook with laughter as she rolled her tongue around in her cheek in amusement, thinking the offer over. Venny, however, already began pushing their cart past her and leading the way. It seemed she supposedly had already given her answer. Lealtad shrugged as she rushed and caught up with Venny. Leal figured if she couldn't get her chimichurri sandwiches back home, Venny's chinch chips were the next best thing.

As they walked, Lealtad decided to hazard some conversational chatter. Not having Luz or even King made her acutely aware of how chatterless her usual demeanor and atmosphere was. But she did have natural questions she wanted to ask them. "So do you usually sell this route?"

Venny nodded.

"You typically go all over Bonesborough in one day?"

They shook their head.

"Ahh, so just like, throughout the week?" she guessed.

They nodded.

A demon kid with red skin and huge vampire teeth ran toward the two of them. As they neared, Leal noticed they had no visible eyes. She believed they kind of looked familiar but she wasn't sure from where. They then handed over a couple snails and spoke with the deepest voice she had ever heard, asking, "Can I have a not dog?"

Venny held up their mitt to Leal and she respectfully stepped aside and waited as the vendor began cooking up a meal for the kid, who cheerfully said, "Yay!" in their low bass.

She bit her lip as she tried to contain her giggles. Sometimes the Isles gave her little gifts like that: just random encounters or exchanges that made her smile or surprised her. The kind of spontaneity that was a welcomed newness to her life. Not the kind that involved puppet demons or curses. The kid's gaze (she guessed) turned toward her, making her still a bit. They weren't scary or anything like that. But, the sudden attention was a bit unsettling. She kind of felt like that sometimes whenever she did reading groups and the children just walked up and stared at her.

"Uhh, hi," she waved.

"Cool stick!" the demon bellowed in their deep voice, pointing at her red bat in her hand.

She chuckled, twirling the bat and raising their awe. "Thanks." She leaned down and rested it back on her shoulder. "You know I've used this to slay some pretty scary monsters, eh?"

Their jaw dropped. "Whoa…"

Venny jiggled as they leaned over and handed a not dog to the kid, spurring another cheer before hurrying off. The two exchanged a look of amusement before continuing their walk. Venny simultaneously scribbled out another note and handed it over to her as the park he reference neared.

She took it and felt her ears flush a bit.

YOU'RE GOOD WITH KIDS

"I guess I have some practice," she replied as she handed the paper back. Once they turned into the park, Lealtad gasped at the sight of the playground. Or rather, according to the sign, The Slayground. "Funded by the Bonesborough department of parks and wreck," she read aloud. The sandbox in the middle had purple squid tentacles emerging from it, flailing about as kids played with the sand like any other kid would back in the human realm. The playscape was comically fitting, as the pink slide was no doubt intended to mimic that of a tongue and the actual structure it emerged from formed an outline like a mouth with teeth borders on the top and bottom.

It was like any other playscape.

Like a regular place for kids to play; a park to have fun in.

It was no different than the playground in the Gravesfield Park, or the playscapes made in all their middle schools and elementary schools. Flashes of her and Luz playing in sandboxes and slides came to Lealtad's mind. With her parents just in the distance, sat at a park bench like the very one Venny was leading her to, sitting and watching. Leal sat down with stiff movements as she watched the kids run and scream and laugh. Like regular kids. Because this was regular here.

A ruffling occurred beside her and she turned to see Venny handing her a note along with a small box of chinch chips.

"I-I dunno actually Ven," she shrugged, "I kinda don't have an appetite right now."

They shrugged as they grabbed another note and quickly wrote something down, showing it to her.

FOOD IS A GOOD WAY TO THINK THINGS OVER SOMETIMES.

She sighed at their persistence and accepted the free food as well as the note they slipped with it. She crunched on the chips as she read it.

I LIKE GOING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THESE

"For the kids? Easy money?" she guessed, chewing softly.

Venny shook all over, presumably with laughter as they replied with another note.

THAT, AND BECAUSE I GET TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE. IT'S WHY I TRY TO COVER THE ENTIRE TOWN IN A WEEK

She nodded. "It's a nice way to immerse yourself with the townsfolk."

Another note.

MUCH LIKE YOU WITH YOUR PHOTOS?

She smiled at that. "Yeah… I guess."

Venny cocked their head and pulled out another prewritten one. It was at this point Leal realized they must've been really prepared for conversational dialogues with the vast amount of pre-written notes they had.

WHAT'S WRONG?

Lealtad clicked her teeth and handed back the note. "It's…"

Not nothing.

"Nothing, Venny. Just… got into a fight with my sister and Miss Owl Lady." She shrugged as she continued to miserably munch her chips. "It's stupid."

They were getting faster at writing these.

HOW EVERYONE REACTED? OR WHAT THE FIGHT WAS ABOUT?

She sighed, throwing her head up as she dropped her box of food into her lap. "Both? Neither? I… ugh." She groaned, face palming hard. She peeled her hand off and looked to Venny with a small frown. "You have family, Ven? A spouse or something?"

They shook their head as they wrote their reply.

NOT REALLY INTO RELATIONSHIPS. I PREFER FOOD

Leal guffawed at that. "Shit, if that ain't a mood Venny!" The two basked in a moment of laughter. She quickly finished her chips before turning to the vendor, smiling appreciatively for the meal and laugh. "I love my sister. But… I think I might love her too much sometimes." She watched the vendor shoot her a confused stare. "She called me a mom," she muttered. Venny nodded their understanding, prompting Leal to go on. "I-I don't know what started this though. I thought things were okay but… maybe she's right."

She slumped in her seat as brought her bat up to the bench to rest on, letting her knuckles tap on it repeatedly. "But like, she just gets into so much trouble and Eda instigates it!" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Maybe this place just isn't meant for me."

Venny bristled at that and flipped a note with huge blockly words:

NO WAY!

She bit back her smile as they continued to write.

YOU'RE ONE OF MY BEST CUSTOMERS

"Hah, and here I thought your selfish motives would be more subtle with your advice," she teased.

They winked back at her before showing another note.

DO YOU THINK YOU DON'T BELONG?

Lealtad froze at that question. Was that really what was bothering her? Did she belong? She looked down at her camera and flipped through her gallery. Collections of photos, events, scenery—all things she'd witnessed and taken part of. Immersing herself with life. That was what her photography was like sometimes. And here, on the Isles, it wasn't any different was it? She found herself back at the very first photo of this "summer".

The four of them on Owlbert, flying high above the Bones of the Isles.

That felt like it was ages ago but also so recent.

She sighed. "I… I dunno," she answered honestly. "So much is going on that's just… it's a lot like home. And in some ways, it's a lot… more than home, if that makes sense." She pulled her left hand away from her camera and rapped her knuckles on her bat's grip once again, letting the rhythm soothe her. "Things happening here that, just, don't happen back home. But things happening here that's all too like home."

Daily hi-jinx with Luz? Typical Noceda sisters behaviour. Luz making friends? Nothing she'd ever seen before. Somehow attracting the affection of one of said friends? Definitely not something Leal expected… nor wanted. But spending time with King? Something about that made her feel nostalgic in some ways. Helping Eda cook or running her potion deliveries like errands? That was familiar too. Staying up late to talk about the crazy days they had? That was the same anywhere.

Another ruffle of paper drew her attention toward her companion.

SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE HOMESICK

Leal smirked. "Yeah… guess that's part of it." She knew there was more. She just couldn't place a word or feeling for it.

YOU LIKE READING RIGHT?

She blinked at the note, then nodded, prompting another one to follow suit.

YOU SHOULD GO TO THE LIBRARY. NICE PLACE TO RELAX AND DESTRESS

Her eyes widened at that. Gravesfield might have been off limits, but she did say libraries were libraries no matter where you were. "That's a good idea Venny, thanks!"

They blinked their appreciation.

Leal made a move to get out of her seat, but stopped and turned toward them. "You, uh, you mind taking a photo or two?" Venny's eyes widened for a second, and then they waved their hands with excitement before posing with their mitts pushed up against their face. She smiled at the sight as she brought up her camera and captured the picture. "Oh, and, selfie?" she suggested.

They waved her to come close and Lealtad eagerly scooted over. She turned her camera around and held it high, giving a somewhat downward angle toward the two with Venny taking up her background. She held up a peace sign with her bat still in hand and clicked. Another memory captured. She pulled away and stood up, shouldering her bat as she reviewed the photos.

They were great.

She looked at Venny and chuckled. "Immersing myself with the memory," she explained.

They nodded knowingly at her.

"Thanks for the meal, Ven. I'm tipping you next time."

They winked and waved as she walked off, making her way over to the library. She looked over her shoulder and smiled once more as she watched them wave at the kids who suddenly began to crowd their cart, holding snails up at them. The sight of the vendor eagerly exchanging food and cash, well…

She snapped another photo and continued walking.

Another good distraction at least.

::::

When she walked into the library, Lealtad was prepared to apologize toward the librarian for the fiasco of papers that occurred and the disturbances she and the Blight twins caused. While she did find some of them funny and they were the actual people committing the pranks, Leal didn't exactly stop them for the most part. She encouraged a good bit of their fun too. She had to own up to that as well and was prepared for a lecture or any kind of magical punishment. But apparently, the front desk librarian said one of their volunteers pleaded that they lift the ban on the two humans.

She had an inkling as to who it was, but decided not to bother the witch who was no doubt working.

Instead, Lealtad profusely thanked the witch for his forgiveness and swore not to disrupt them any further. After that, she made her way over to the nonfiction section. She thumbed around for any books that might catch her eye, reading the first few chapters before shelving them back or glossing over their blurbs in quick succession. Choosing nonfiction… she wagered it was a good shot as any as to immersing herself in familiarity while also exposing herself to the Isles once again. Compromise, right?

Eventually, she settled on a book titled, The Finding of a Home. A biographical story based on a witch in the Construction Coven who created a home in Bonesborough for his travelling family and worked hard to upkeep it through weather conditions, robbers, and fiscal issues. It was strange reading a true story with grounded, realistic elements of struggle and conflict… but also having magic involved. For a good ways through the book, Leal had to remind herself it wasn't fiction. The style of prose was actually very similar to biographical works she had read before.

It was just the inclusion of the centred character conjuring literal slabs of Earth and stone that broke her immersion sometimes.

But reading it, it reminded Lealtad of the kinds of stories she admired back home or in general. Real heartache and struggle, real sacrifice and endless love—for family. She scoffed to herself as she placed her thumb on the page, marking the fourteenth "chapter" (as it wasn't really divided by chapters, but sections) and rested her head against the bookshelf. She didn't want to sit in any of the public seating or reading areas. Most were pretty full, but she also wanted privacy.

Lealtad had secluded herself into the landscapes and nature section once again, but now realized it was a naturally dimly lit section of the library. The last time she was there, it was during nighttime, but being there in the day, not enough lighting from the skylights and windows illuminated the path and left the shadows of the shelves to cast over her. She debated looming in just complete darkness, but reading in the dark wasn't good for anyone's eyesight.

And that was why she had a light glyph hovering over her shoulder like a reading lamp.

Every chapter she finished, Leal threw a glance at the ball, even though it hurt her eyes. Magic. She couldn't sit in the library of her home because of something like this, because of this… story they concocted. Yet here, she could walk in and conjure a ball of light and just sit. Lealtad chewed her lower lip as she sighed. The father in The Finding of a Home, Elm Everett, portrayed the aspects of a typical protagonist that most movies "based on a true story" would leach onto. That meant he was a good guy. She swallowed at the thought. A good father, a good mother, a good parent, a good guardian. A good sister, a good brother, a good sibling, a good child. Family. Sacrifice wasn't a requirement, love and care and bonds were what maintained family.

Was… was that not what she was doing for Luz?

"You're always telling me what not to do, and weighing in on the fun I want to have. It's always on your terms."

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, folding her book shut as she dropped it to her lap. Her left hand slipped over to her bat resting beside her, and began tapping her knuckles against its grip once again. What was she supposed to do then? Ignore her? Just shut her mouth? Leave? Lealtad shook her head.

She couldn't be mad at Luz.

Never.

She just wanted to know what she was doing wrong.

A stinging threat of tears danced on her eyelids but she willed them away. She did not want to cry in a library. That would be the cheesiest shit a book nerd like her could ever do. Leal stood up and batted her glyph away, letting the darkness cloud in as she walked out of the section and made her way back to nonfiction, tucking the book under her right armpit as she shouldered her bat on her left. She kept her head low as she walked, rolling her tongue in cheek as she thought.

Of course when she wanted to go and distract herself she decided to read a book purely centered on familial love, protection, and sacrifice. That was what got her: sacrifice. Luz didn't ask her to stay when she proposed her plan to Eda. It wasn't until now Lealtad started to consider: would her sister have even asked her to stay? Thinking back on that day, it sounded like Luz was more so looking for permission from Leal to stay rather than anything else. But she involved herself, Luz didn't tell her to.

"You know, I never asked to be looked after!"

Did… did she not want her here anymore?

"Lealtad?" a boy's voice called out.

The familiar voice stopped her in her tracks, causing her to whip around. She blinked in surprise as she realized it was Edric and Emira, who looked as though they were hovering behind a bookshelf peeking into the Kid's Corner. Leal could see past them that in the room, Amity was running around, wrangling all the kids into a reading circle but with her back to the entrance. Her eyes widened before she narrowed her brows and gripped at her bat hard.

The two Blights straightened up and awkwardly waved.

"I swear, if you two are here to mess with your sister I am itching for a reason to release some steam." She twirled her bat in hand in a flourish.

Edric flinched and backed up against the shelf while Emira blankly stared.

Lealtad actually wouldn't do anything, because A, she didn't want to get kicked out from the library, and B, didn't actually have it in her to actually make good on a threat. Her heart wasn't fully in it. But her anger? It still had its fuel to be skeptical.

"Back to threatening violence?" Emira dryly remarked, crossing her arms.

She sighed. "With you two? It seems like hard facts are the only way anything gets through those thick heads of yours." She tapped the barrel of her bat on the floor, letting it echo.

Despite her demeanor, Emira flinched with her brother at the sound.

"C-Can you knock it off?" she hissed. "We're just here to look after our sister!"

Leal's brows raised. "Excuse me?"

Edric sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's… complicated."

The human narrowed her eyes at the two witches before sparing a look at Amity. "Fine. But you're walking and talking with me," she pulled out the book under her armpit and shook it, "I gotta put this back and I do not trust you two to loiter around her."

The two exchanged a confused look before following Lealtad back to the nonfiction section.

"Since when were you her protector?"

"I'm not." She shrugged. "But I'm also not gonna let her suffer to any possible pranks you two have stirred up." She looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at the two. "Plus I don't trust the two of you wouldn't have snuck back into her hideaway."

"We wouldn't do that!" Emira nearly shouted.

Leal shrugged again as she turned her head back and moved over to the nonfiction section, quickly slotting her book back into its place. She then let her bat's barrel fall to her ankle as she slanted herself up against the shelf, leaning with a skeptical stare. "So how'd you two get back in here?"

"Uhh Illusion magic?" Edric stated as though it were obvious. She rolled her eyes. "Wait, how'd you get back in?"

"Apparently your little sister did me and mi hermana a solid lifted our ban." She smirked. "I'd ask that you tell her I appreciate it, but I also don't know if she wants to be around you two."

Emira clenched her fists as her brother sighed and slumped, looking at the floor dejectedly.

The sight of their faces—if she was honest—kind of made her feel sympathetic.

"That's actually what our problem is," Edric mumbled. "She won't talk to us."

Leal scoffed. "Gee, wonder why—"

"You know your comments aren't really appreciated," Emira snapped, crossing her arms.

Leal remained unbothered by her response. "So your response to her wanting space is to pester her at work?"

"We're not bothering her!" Edric asserted. "We're just… looking after her." He rubbed his arm as he frowned. "After you… w-well, talked to us," she snorted at the light term for what she did, "w-we went back home. We didn't go goblin tipping or anything. We just… went straight back," he sadly said.

Emira nodded as she placed her back against the shelf and slid down onto her butt, letting her arms rest on her knees. "We waited in her room, for her to return home… so we could apologize," she softly said.

Leal's eyes widened at the admission. When she looked to Edric, he was already halfway joining his sister on the floor beside her. "We waited for hours and hours but she wasn't home. And then just when dawn broke—" he sighed again, shaking his head. "We fell asleep waiting for her. She was so mad when she found us asleep in her room—"

"Like a bunch of idiots on her bed."

"—invading her privacy again…" Edric muttered frustratingly.

Their irritation and sadness, it was self-reflection. Lealtad blinked at the two's expressions. She awkwardly rubbed her neck as she spoke. "Did… did she tell you what happened?" She didn't want to kick these two while they were down, but she did figure as older siblings they deserved to know what danger their little sister was wrapped up in.

But to her relief, she didn't need to poke that nest as the two sadly nodded.

"She was just yelling at us and telling us to get out. That we had no right to do what we did," Edric hoarsely explained, shaking his head, "That we're such terrible older siblings an-and…"

"She told us we almost got her and your sister killed." Emira sniffed, burying her forehead into her arms. "She kicked us out of her room, said her personal things were hers and we had no right to be invading them. Told us to never come near her again." She bonked the back of her head against the shelf. "Titan, what did we do?"

Lealtad bit back the numerous snide comments streaming in her head as she listened to the two's sniffles and fought back their tears. Guess all the older siblings today were dealing with little sister issues. She slid down beside them and rifled through her brown messenger bag, pulling out two pairs of wipes for them. The two looked up at her with, honestly, the most adorable looks of appreciation and hesitance. She sighed once again and shook it toward them, letting them swipe the wipes with haste as they wiped their eyes and blew their noses.

"Thank you," they quietly said at the same time, both resting their arms on their knees and curling in on themselves.

"But what I do know, Leal, is that some people are worth second chances if they have the option."

Luz said that about Amity. On their walk home—back to the Owl House, Luz said she admired her boldness and confrontational attitude. She said she was happy Leal let them have it, but also reasoned that just as much as she couldn't count out Amity yet she couldn't say the same for her siblings. Lealtad shrugged it off and said she was still too mad to think about the Blights. And now here she was…

The two witches solely responsible for possibly one of the most sickening violations of privacy she'd seen so far, crying at their own actions and terribleness. The third degree was already burned into them at this point, and now she had to lay out the ointment.

She tapped her knuckles against her bat's grip and clicked her teeth. "Sounds like a shitty predicament to be in."

The twins stared at her before chuckling.

"Gee, thanks for the obvious," Emira sarcastically replied.

"No problem, Blight," she winked at her.

Edric shook his head with a small smile. "What are you doing here anyways? Is your sister not around?"

Lealtad laughed, shaking her head as she tapped her bat some more. "We had a fight." She could see from the corner of her eye that theirs went wide with surprise. "What? Not like we're perfect siblings either." They offered a small smile as she just shrugged. "I needed to blow off steam. But… well, out living conditions and such make it hard to… hard for me, to go anywhere to vent and chill." She scoffed as she gripped at her bat and lifted it, then dropped it, letting the barrel collide and echo. "This was the only place that has a semblance of familiarity to home but of all the books I could choose—mine was a little too close to home."

"What happened?" Edric softly asked.

She blankly stared at him. "Nothing I'd share with you two." He pouted at that as he shrunk in on himself. She internally scoffed, what a golden retriever. "I couldn't tell ya if I wanted to. I'm still… conflicted myself." She sensed their confusion and elaborated, "Sometimes, it's hard to stay mad at her or figure out what went wrong because I need time to sort it and think it over. It's harder when it's me or something I did that she's mad about. Because if I'm… defensive or… oblivious, I can't see what I'm doing wrong.

"So I just have to sit like this," she gestured around them, "thinking hard about what the Hell I'm doing and what was really being said." She looked back at the two. "The thing about Luz, is that she struggles to really say what she wants to say sometimes. I'm, like, the only person she can be straight with." She gripped at her striped shirt, holding it tight. "But sometimes that's what scares her and makes her dance around me so much. She'll shout around the problem, and while I know she does that my patience only goes so far and it's hard not to take it personal—'specially when she's not being clear with me.

"I just… I love her so much but I can't help but feel like that smothers her sometimes," she whispered, looking down at her camera. "I… I don't know. And usually, if we were back home, I'd have the environment or spaces to recuperate and sort this shit out. But we're not home. We're here and I don't know anything." She let go of her shirt and grabbed her camera's lens. "Dios mío, and that's barely part of my problems anyways."

"There's more?" Edric chuckled, attempting to jest.

It was a nice joke actually, she found herself laughing with him.

They sat in silence after that. Her tapping her bat, Emira picking her nails, and Edric clicking his teeth—God they were all so lost right now. A couple more minutes of this annoying not silence persisted until Edric asked, "What was it that made you like… just, so protective about her?"

She blinked at that question. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Just… I don't think I've seen an older sister more loyal and caring about their little sister like that." His eyes widened as he looked to Emira. "N-No offence Em!"

"Ed, we're literally moping for being terrible people—you get a pass," she dryly remarked.

As he breathed a sigh of relief, Lealtad smiled. She thought back about her childhood with her little sister. About the home they grew up in. "I mean, it was nothing crazy. Ever since I saw her I just… as a kid, I thought, 'Wow, she makes me so happy.' And… I loved that. Growing up with her was never a dull moment. Luz just… has this light I find so endearing and I never want to see it snuffed." A croak in her throat made her jump a bit, not even realizing the tears pricking her eyes.

She quickly brushed them away with her army jacket's sleeve. "Like, growing up with her? My God was she just a daily dose of joy. Still is." She chuckled fondly. "My parents and I, we just like, circled around her like she was the damn power source that kept us going. Have you seen her smile?" The two laughed with her. "My mom and…" she cleared her throat, ignoring where that thread was about to lead, "I just always wanted to keep Luz happy. Because her happiness could just make everyone happy. I can always count on her for that because—"

"Mamá, c'mon! Have faith and trust in Luz!"

"Moooom, relájate un poco, have faith and trust in Luz!"

"Have faith and trust in Luz, isn't that what you say to me?"

Lealtad smiled. "I know my sister. And I love her." she softly said. "And I think that's all that matters." A wave of calm washed over her as she stood up, pushing herself up onto her feet with her bat. She looked down at the two. "I won't pretend to know your sister or your situation either. But if you truly and genuinely care—"

"We do," they interjected together.

She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Right. I'm saying in that case? You need to respect her privacy." Looks of frustration and sadness overtook their faces but she raised her finger before they could complain, "I know it sucks. But to be blunt… what happened was incredibly terrible." They shrunk at that. "She just needs time and if you two are patient… eventually she'll be open listening. But you have to listen first. Because she deserves that."

They both exchanged a look before sighing in resolution and nodding. They then stood up together and smiled at her.

"Thanks Leal," Edric said, "We… we're really sorry about what happened too."

"Yeah," Emira nodded with serious look, "We'll… we promise we'll try to do better but… it was also uncool that we tried pressuring your sister with what we did."

"And that got her in danger too," her brother tacked on.

Lealtad smiled. "If there's anything I've learned today, we've all got a lot of growing to do." She awkwardly cleared her throat as she shouldered her bat. "And… I'm sorry I threatened your sister. I-I know what I said before but… I… I am sorry." She chewed her lip and shook her head. "I'll… I'll talk to her someday too. But don't go apologizing on my behalf. She deserves to hear something like that from me—"

"Plus, she wouldn't believe us," Emira pointed out.

"That too," Leal chuckled. She dug into her pocket and looked at her phone. 3:39 PM. She looked up from her phone and smiled at the two. "Now if you'll excuse me… I have a house demon to clean."

::::

When Lealtad returned to the Owl House, she chuckled at the sight of Hooty chasing a critter up one of the trees. It seemed her threat made good as she hadn't dirtied himself any further, but he could only be entertained for so long. Her eyes flew toward the buckets of cleaning supplies sitting at the front door and a wash of embarrassment crept up on her. Thank goodness Hooty was Hooty, because anyone else in the Owl House would never let her live an outburst like that down. As she neared the clearing, ready to wave at the demon bird and call his attention, her phone chimed.

Leal gasped, realizing she forgot to message their mom! She hurriedly fished out her phone and checked her message. And then her eyes widened at the message her mom left for her.

Mami [3:06 PM]: Happy Pride Day!

Mami [3:06 PM]: Just wanted to let you know I could not be more proud of you and Luz with every day that passes.

Mami [3:06 PM]: Live your truth, mija, because I'll always be here to love you.

Her lip quivered at the three messages. It was Pride? Lealtad thumbed over to her calendar and scoffed in disbelief. A month. They've only been here a month. Why was that… just so bizarre to her?

"Leal?" She looked up and found Hooty staring at her with worry. "Are you okay?" he shyly asked.

She closed her eyes and laughed. God, she was such an asshole. "Yes, I'm… I'm alright. Sorry 'bout earlier Hoots," she nodded ahead of them, "are you ready for your cleaning?"

"Boy, am I!" he cheered, retracting a bit closer to the house.

She walked over and began typing up a response as she said, "Would you mind staying in your skin this time?"

"Okay!" he chirped.

She smirked as she sent her response to her mom.

Fave Bebé [4:10 PM]: Thanks Mamá. I'll be sure to send Luz your love too.

Fave Bebé [4:10 PM]: I… I do have a question though.

With a deep breath, she typed up her inquiry.

Fave Bebé [4:10 PM]: Do you think I mother Luz a lot?

She pocketed her phone and rushed over to the buckets. "So… how do you usually go about this? Just aggressive scrubbing?" she asked as she placed her bag, camera, and bat off to the side.

Hooty beamed at her. "Yup! Don't be afraid to be rough either, that's how you get all the grime out! Hoot, hoot!"

Leal sighed as she grabbed a sponge and dropped it into one of the buckets of water. "Let's get this over with, door-bird," she mused, slipping on a pair of rubber gloves before grabbing the sponge. She began scrubbing Hooty at his base—or whatever the part near the door was considered. Thankfully, as much as Hooty could stretch, he didn't cover all of him in dirt. If he did? Well Leal would just say she didn't see the deeper parts. But from the door and up, she worked her way through a furious technique of scrubbing. It was honestly amusing hearing Hooty giggle like he was being tickled, but it was more relieving to vent her stress through an aggressive technique.

It was just the perfect thing she needed.

"Are you still mad at Eda?" he softly asked as she soaked her sponge once more.

She looked up at him. "Um… no. I'm not. I'm actually gonna apologize to her when she gets back." He grinned appreciatively at that, making her smirk as she continued to soak and squeeze her sponge.

"What did your mom say?"

She raised a brow as she brought the sponge to his midsection, dabbing all over the muddy stains with the soapy water. "Excuse me?" she asked as she scrubbed.

"You, uh, looked kinda sad when you looked at your phone." He bent down and offered a sympathetic frown. "You don't talk to anyone about her messages, do you? Hoot?"

She squinted at his sudden curiosity. "Where's this coming from?"

"I just don't want anybody to be sad again!" he explained with a smile. "If people are sad inside me, I get sad too!"

She cringed at his weird statement. "That's… sweet, Hoots. But it's…" it is a big deal. "Something me and my sister celebrate this time of year. Well, with our mom, but uh… we can't do that." She shrugged, clearing her throat to calm herself as she continued to scrub. "It's nothing we can't do next year."

"What is it?"

She straightened at that. Was… Queerness even a thing here? Willow had a crush on her, but was she really a gold standard for relationships within the Boiling Isles? She shrugged, deciding that learning was better than nothing. "Do you guys have… like, Queer culture here? Like, gay, bisexual, lesbians—"

"Uh duh?" Hooty easily stated, moving his body as though to emphasize a shrug.

His casualness made her blink. "Oh. Well… do you have a day to celebrate all that?"

"No, why?" he cocked his head owlishly.

His voice was riddled with genuine curiosity. She chuckled. "Well, in the Human Realm, people who identify as those things are, well, a vast minority. And weren't always treated so well."

"That's terrible!" Hooty gasped. "Queerness is pretty common here! Hoot, hoot! You guys should just stay here if you're not treated well!"

Leal snorted. "Yeah well, a gal can dream—wait." She shot her head up in alarm. "That's not a thing here?"

Hooty blinked. "Nope?"

"Like… homophobia?"

"Uhhh, I don't know what that is! But I do know that plenty of people identify as Queer! It's not weird to see at all!" Hooty smiled. "Even Eda has had some Queer relationships in the past!"

She gaped at that. "And here I thought she just had a long list of ex-boyfriends!"

"Oh she still does, but there were others too! Hoot, hoot!" the demon bird cheerily stated. "Or at least, there was one? I can't remember because she doesn't really talk about it—"

Lealtad scrubbed harder as she shook her head. "That's fine, Hooty. I don't wanna know Dama Búho's entire love life anyways." She snorted. "That's something for my sister." The thought of her made Leal frown a bit, but she kept cleaning.

"Are you and Luz Queer?"

She wasn't sure why, but something about the way Hooty asked it, along with his innocent tone, Leal just guffawed. She nearly fell over in laughter as she shook her head, biting back her smile. "Ahh, yes, Hooty. I'm Asexual and Luz is Bi."

He giddily chirped at that. "Oooh!"

She looked up at him and asked, "How 'bout you? You any kinds of Queer?"

Hooty wiggled his head, again, presumably expressing a shrug. "Not sure! I like voles and bugs!"

Lealtad giggled. "I think that just makes you an owl."

"Oooh, then I'm an owl!"

She laughed again, motioning for the demon bird to lower his head so she could finish cleaning him. "Congrats, door-bird, you're an owl," she teased, scrubbing his head and cheeks. She felt her phone buzz—her mom replied. And suddenly her smile faltered ever so slightly. She quickened her pace and topped off Hooty, giving him a towel from the other bucket for him to dry himself off while she peeled off her gloves and looked at her mom's replies.

Mami [4:26 PM]: You two aren't fighting are you? Dios mío, on Pride of all days?

Leal snorted, rolling her eyes fondly as she scrolled.

Mami [4:26 PM]: You are always quick to remind Luz that my harshness or poor choice of words come from a good place. And I know it's the same for you.

Mami [4:27 PM]: Luz will always remember that you're her awesome big sister who watches anime with her and recommends more anime.

Mami [4:27 PM]: She'll always know you as the person who plays games with her and read her bedtime stories when she was little.

Mami [4:27 PM]: Luz will always remember that she loves you.

Mami [4:28 PM]: You're her shoulder, mija, sometimes all you need to do is let her lean on you.

Lealtad sniffed as she rubbed her eyes, brushing away the tears. Goodness, too much crying and near tears happened today. She laughed again as she knew her apology with Luz would be guilty of a few more tears as well. But her mom was right. It was like she said to the Blights earlier. They loved each other, and that was all that mattered. Her hands flew toward her canon camera, and Lealtad looked at the gallery. 85% full.

She scoffed in amazement. "Been here a month and it's already nearly full… wow, I wonder what other memories I'll make down the way."

"Oooooh!" Hooty cooed, curling back toward her with a towel on his head. "Are you gonna make some photo memories?"

Lealtad looked up and smiled as she saw the night sky beginning to take over. ""You know what? I am!" She nodded. "So, you wanna help me set it up, ¿casa del búho?"

Hooty gasped. "I have a nickname!"

"I mean I've said 'door-bird' and 'Hoots', but—"

"Yes! A thousand times yes!" he cheered.

Leal cringed. "Alright, don't make this weird." She stood up and waved him to follow. "To the roof!"

::::

Leaving Hooty in charge of setting up the display in the backyard made Leal nervous, but she already laid out the pattern for him anyways. She had faith he could manage placing paper on marked places. No, the real nerves that came were the anticipation of waiting for Eda, Luz, and King to return. It was half past five and they hadn't returned yet. Part of her was worried that she was right, the Emperor's Coven and all the coven guards caught them and they were in the Conformatorium.

But then, in the open door—as Hooty had swung himself in and extended his body out through to the backyard—in came the three of the hour.

She stood up from her seat and awkwardly waved at them. "I-I cleaned Hooty."

Luz shot her small smile while Eda looked at her proudly. "Good. Thanks Bean—"

"I never want to do that again!" King wailed as he ran toward Leal, hopping into her arms.

She brought him down to her stomach, to avoid conking his head against her camera as she laughed. "You good, Scruffy?"

"Eda did a bet again!"

"Hey! We said not to tell her!" Eda hissed.

Leal chuckled as she patted King's head. "What'd I tell ya about making bets with Eda? You haven't won those, buddy. And the one you did—"

"I almost got eaten by my own student."

She smirked as she continued to pat the demon. Her eyes locked with Luz, who had been desperately trying to avoid her gaze the entire time. "Sun—Luz, can we talk?"

She nodded, smiling at her. "I'll… be in our room," she pointed to the stairs and walked over.

Lealtad sighed as she pulled King off. "Scruffy, you mind? I gotta talk to Dama Búho for a sec," she explained just as the witch tried to tip toe into the kitchen.

He pouted. "Okay… you're not mad at me for this morning, are you?"

She blinked at the question. Was he beating himself up about that too? She shook her head with an earnest smile. "Never, Scruffy. Now run along into the kitchen. We're gonna do something fun in a bit."

"Okay!" he said as he hopped out of her hands and dashed away.

"Don't fall asleep!" she shouted after him.

"I won't!" he shouted back.

Lealtad cleared her throat as she stepped toward Eda, rubbing her neck. "I-I just wanted to apologize for the way I treated you this morning."

Eda's eyes widened. "A-Ah! Don't sweat it, kid!" she waved off as she stomped her staff leaning up against it. "It was no big deal."

Leal stared at her in confusion but quickly shook off her shock. She needed to say this. "N-No, really. That was super inappropriate and like, totally disrespectful of me to say that shit to you. I was… I was being such a brat. I had no right to say anything like that especially because you've been so generous and—"

"Seriously, it's fine!" Eda waved off again, blowing a raspberry.

She blinked at the woman in disbelief. "Really?" she clarified incredulously.

"Yup." She leaned over and cupped a hand over her mouth, stage-whispering, "Frankly, I think you need new material with your insults. Lacking originality, Bean Head!"

"Well… I should also confess since you left your portal key here, I used it to try and go back home and cool off," she pointed over to the table, "B-But I quickly realized how stupid that was and came back. I shut it too, as you can see."

Eda shrugged. No seriously, she was way too casual about this. "Eh that's fine, we said you'd use it sometimes so you made good on that, no?"

"I… guess?" Leal cocked her head. "Are you sure you're cool with—"

"Yeesh, I already said I was, didn't I?" Eda bemoaned as she turned around.

And then it clicked. "You guys got caught didn't you?" she accused, smugly smirking at her as she crossed her arms.

Eda's shoulders slumped as she sighed. "My sister, her goons, pet shop owners, and teenagers came chasing after us." The teenager could only blink in befuddlement at that information.

Lealtad wagered that the context of Eda's bet had something to do with all that. Part of her wanted to be smug, but another part of her wanted to genuinely apologize for what she did today. But… she also knew Eda. Her cleaning Hooty, owning up to it, that was all the Owl Lady needed at the end of the day. Especially since her pride was hurt too. Okay, so maybe she did know them pretty well—but that went both ways. "How 'bout we both spare the 'I told you so's' in favour of just apologizing?" she offered, extending a fist forward.

"Sounds good to me!" Eda grinned and bumped her first with Leal's. "I gotta say, I really like that human thing over the high fives!" She turned away, waving over her shoulder. "I'll make sure King doesn't bother you and your sister."

"Thanks," Leal nodded her appreciation. "Oh, and uh, are you free for the rest of the evening? I kinda have a little… thing planned, and I'd appreciate it if you and King were there… for Luz," she lamely tacked on.

She shot her a set of finger guns, clicking her teeth. "Don't worry Bean Head, I'll make sure King's wide awake."

"Great. It'll uh, take place on the roof. I-If that's okay!"

"C'mon don't lose that spunk now," Eda teased with a wink. "Now go on and talk with Luz."

Lealtad nodded and darted past Eda, rushing up the steps and over to her and Luz's room. With a knock on the door, she called out, "Sunshine?"

"It's our room, Leal, c'mon in," came the soft reply.

Her tone had an air of teasing to it, which was good. Lealtad took a breath before entering. She found Luz sat on the chest, looking down at the photo of them she had on the floor. Lealtad smiled as she walked over and sat beside Luz. As soon as she sat, Luz's head tilted over and landed on her shoulder. A comforting sigh escaped the two of them. It was silly, but Leal knew she was probably stressing about the same thing she was: were they still sisters? It just took something simple like this, to remind themselves they'd always be good.

She wrapped arm around Luz and gave her a squeeze. "I wanna—"

"No," Luz firmly spoke, "for once, don't apologize first. Let me."

Lealtad nodded.

"I… was in Eda's body today."

She shot her head up at that. "Come again?"

"Freaky Friday."

Leal gasped. "No way! That's one of your favourite movies!"

Her sister giggled. "Yeaaah."

"Wait, so was the bet—"

"Uh-huh."

"And it was the three of you?"

"Yup."

"Who was—"

"I was in Eda's body, King was in mine, Eda was in King's," Luz amusedly filled in.

Lealtad laughed as she pictured the sight. "Now I'm glad I didn't come."

"Oh yeah," her sister nodded. "Major bullet dodged." The two chuckled, with Leal giving Luz another comforting squeeze. She took a breath, then continued. "I literally spent the day in someone else's shoes and well… I'm sorry for what I said this morning." She shook her head as her fingers interlaced with each other. "I… I know you do a lot for me. And I know you mean well when you do it too. I-I get that I can be bit… impulsive and that makes it hard for me to really process what you're trying to do for me.

"But… well, Lilith captured me, as Eda." Leal raised a brow at the non sequitur, but continued to rub her sister's shoulder and listened. "I'm not saying this to gossip and because I love backstories—though I do!" She snorted at the clarification as Luz went on, "But I learned Eda wanted to join the Emperor's Coven with her sister at one point. And well, Lilith really reminded me of you."

Leal gasped. "That ¿perra?"

Luz rolled her eyes. "I meant in her intent. She really sounded like she wanted Eda to join for her own safety, because she, well, cares for her." She shrugged, before looking toward Lealtad. "I-I know that I can make things difficult with how I do things with the way I want to do things. B-But I know I can't just poof away my problems. I can't just sit and act like you haven't sacrificed for me either. Because I also know that you've given a lot for my problems too.

"And I'm not just talking about here on the Isles… I mean back at home too." She smiled at her as she pulled Leal's arm off her shoulder, and interlaced her fingers within hers, squeezing her older sister's hand. "Like how you always made me whatever I wanted for lunch, especially when Mamá doesn't have time to make us anything—you learned how to cook for me!" She chuckled in disbelief, which made Leal's ears blush. "An-And when you can't make anything you give me spending cash earned straight from your job at the library! You're always looking after me, you're always there for me, Leal, heck, you're here because of me! And… I really do appreciate it. Muchas gracias hermana, te quiero."

"Yo también te quiero, Sunshine," Leal replied, smiling. She gave Luz's hand another squeeze. "Okay, but you gotta know it's my turn to apologize, right?"

She shook her head. "Leal, no you were right. And if Eda's too proud to admit it, then I will but—"

"Ignoring the whole coven fiasco, Luz," Leal brushed off. She took a breath. "You're not a charity case I look after. I don't think of you as a kid who just constantly gets into trouble. I know you're more mature than that. I want you to know I will always have faith in you. I will always trust you." She stared into her eyes with serious conviction. "I may insert myself in harm's way for you, I-I may seem like I'm babying you but—you're my little sister. I can't bear to lose any more light and I'd be damned if you lost yours when I could've done something 'bout it." Lealtad took a breath. "I… I'll try to do better from here on."

"I know, because you always are doing better," Luz smiled, "where do you think I learn it from?"

She chuckled, bonking her forehead against hers. "Smartass."

"Again, learned it from watching you," she whispered back.

They held that moment for a couple seconds, and then pulled away. Lealtad was ready to move off and announce her plan, but she caught her sister's hesitant look once again. She patiently stared, understanding she was working up the nerve to speak once more. Leal's gut told her to be ready to comfort her sister—her expression was almost the same as the time she came out to her.

"Lealtad, I have something to tell you…" Luz softly said.

"Yeah?"

She looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with her thumbs. "R… Remember before the start of our exam season? After my book report presentation?"

Lealtad nodded, clearly confused but fully attentive.

"You told me… the Thursday after… that I could come to you about anything." She gulped, keeping her gaze away. "And asked if… there was something I-I wanted to… talk about."

Leal nodded again, her heart beating.

No.

Don't say it.

Luz choked back a sob, raising her head as her eyes were streaming with tears. "I… I was getting bullied… again…" she softly said, a crack leaking into her voice.

Leal's heart broke as she instantly lunged toward her sister, embracing her in a big hug. She shushed and hummed, calming her little sister's cries as she rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back in comfort. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," she repeated, senselessly, squeezing her sister with all the love she could muster. "Respirar, Sunshine," she whispered, "Count to five, and just breathe."

Luz's cries choked and stalled, as she tried to calm her breathing and count. Leal continued to rock her as she waited. She felt her shoulder dampen so heavily with the amount of wailing and tears Luz released unto it. But she didn't care. "Just let it out," she told her. "And then breathe."

Lealtad lost count of how much time passed until Luz's cries stopped, but then they shared a breath. Five in and out, three times in a row. She felt her sister's shoulders rise with a shaky calm at each release. She felt the vice grip she had on her, hugging her close like she used to when they were little. Leal wouldn't let go.

"Are you ready?" she gently asked.

Luz nodded. "They… they started right away. When I got back to school my locker was filled with sticky notes calling me just… names. They weren't even clever." She scoffed. "'Snek Girl', 'Sally Snaker', 'Lizard Luzer'." She gulped, but Leal kept patting her back, giving another squeeze for comfort. "Some just called me stupid or insane or… weird. They just… kept filling my desk, my locker, my bag, anything I owned—they'd slap a note on it and whisper behind my back." She pulled away and locked her tearful eyes with Leal's. "I… I did want to go to Reality Check because of them. I… I wanted to be normal. I wanted to stop being weird."

Leal bit her lip and shook her head. God she hated life so much.

"I-I know this place doesn't mean the same thing to you b-but I just… I can't help but think I'm better off here than I was there." She sniffed and rubbed at her cheeks, brushing away her streaks of tears. "And… and I'm sorry I never told you. I just… I wanted to convince myself that going to Reality Check would help everybody. An-And if it made me less… me… maybe it would've been a good thing."

The memory of Luz almost putting her Good Witch Azura book in the trash bin stung at her heart. She was forcing herself through so much, wasn't she?

Lealtad sighed, placing her hands on Luz's shoulders. "Luz. When we were about to leave for that bus, you held back, remember?" She nodded, but Leal shook her shoulders, getting her to nod more and smile a bit. "You dove after that book of yours and… it led you here. And when you rallied those people at the Conformatorium, you made me want to stay too." She swallowed back her nerves. She could admit this. "I… I've been having a hard time settling here, I-I know that's kinda obvious sometimes. But… I can sit by and know we're alright because I look at you everyday," she fished into her back pocket and pulled out a light glyph. She tapped the glyph and smiled as a ball of light came up between the two. "And you make light. An-And that's enough to brighten my day."

Luz chuckled as she sniffed, shaking her head. "That's cheesy."

"Ah, ah, ah, not done yet." Leal clicked her teeth. She pushed the orb toward Luz. "What do I always say? It's you and me, hermana, always." She leaned over once again and knocked her forehead to hers. "It's stuff like this that makes me hover so much, y'know?" she mused, earning another chuckle from her sister. "I will always be here for you. No matter what realm, no matter what fight we have, I will always come running if you say the word." She pulled her head away and pulled Luz in close, embracing her once more. "Te quiero, Luz."

"Te quiero, Lealtad."

They hung in that hug for another moment, until Leal pulled away with a big dopey grin. "Now c'mon. Hooty's likely got the surprise set up and I'm sure King and Eda are dying for our arrival."

Her sister furrowed a confused brow. "Wait, for what?"

::::

The four of them stood atop the roof of the Owl House, just before the weather vane. King was in Eda's arms as Luz stood beside Leal. Hooty was over her shoulder, awaiting his signal, ready to zip right into the backyard. "So, today's sort of a special occasion back in the Human Realm. For I guess, people like Luz and I." She clapped her hands. "Hit it Hooty!"

"Hoot, hoot!"

She smiled as she watched the demon bird fly by and dove right down. The sounds of papers ruffling about were all the four could hear, and then it happened. Lealtad readied her camera as she grinned at the huge well of light emerging from the backyard.

King shielded his eyes while Eda and Luz gasped. Hooty retracted just in time, placing himself right above Leal as she stepped back and raised her camera. It took a bit of laying out, to spread out the proper markers and sizes for the papers. But once Hooty tapped them all, Leal knew they'd all ascend. And form the words she wanted.

HAPPY PRIDE

Luz's tears returned as she dove right into Leal, embracing yet another hug. She laughed as she said, "Ah, Sunshine, I gotta snap a pic!"

"Hugs first, Leal, c'mon!" her sister whined.

Eda slowly clapped as she whistled. "Nice show, Bean Head, but I'm assuming 'pride' has another meaning or are you just really cocky now?"

Leal rolled her eyes before she snapped the shot, surrending her fate to her little sister's persistent hug. "Pride Day is a thing for humans where we celebrate the visibility of all Queer identities and sexualities. I… I heard from Hooty you guys are pretty open about that stuff here but in our world we…" she felt Luz tighten her hug and she quickly embraced a squeeze back, "don't have the same luxuries. But this day is the day people like us gather and celebrate us being… us." She looked down at Luz and pulled her back a bit so she could see her smile. "Owning our truths and being who we are."

"Wow," King said in awe.

"I know right?" Hooty chimed in, sobbing. "It's so beautiful! Hoot, hoot!"

Leal cleared her throat as she patted Luz's back. Her eyes flew to Eda's. "It-It's not like I don't… trust people with this information. But I do wanna make it clear that… sharing this moment is, well, important to me and mi hermana." She nodded, smiling. She hoped the meaning behind this gesture was understood.

"Well, thanks for including us, Lealtad," Eda softly said, winking at her. And it seemed like Eda at least got it. "May I ask 'bout it?"

"Ah yeah, I'm bi!" Luz cheered, pushing off Leal, pumping her fists in pride.

Eda whistled as she gave the girl a nod. "Kinda suspected."

"And I'm ace," Leal shrugged.

"That's honestly not surprising." Eda snorted, rolling her eyes.

Lealtad sighed, shaking her head. "Do you wanna ruin the moment with smugness, or do you wanna take photos?"

"Photos please!" Hooty cheered.

"I want, I want!" King shouted, pushing Eda forward.

"Alright, alright, let's celebrate this 'Pride Day'," the Owl Lady remarked, gathering within their group photo.

Many more were taken that night.

As she took her photos and captured the moments to come, Lealtad smiled. There wasn't any guilt or doubts leaking in this time. There wasn't an ounce of sadness emerging that she couldn't find the root of. Because she understood. Maybe it was alright if she made new, more fun memories here. With or without her mom, in or not in their home, it didn't matter. She was making memories. And in the end, she could take all of them and bring them home with her and Luz at the end of summer. Now that was a guarantee.

A/N: Ahh, dramatic irony is so fun! ( ^‿^)

This is the most nerve-wracking chapter for me because it's solely Lealtad's POV. Yes, I know this entire story is her POV but I mean this is a narrative specifically born from her perspective. I had to make sure it didn't break too much in its canon compliance but also added enough to warrant even BEING a chapter. This is a true testament to her character's personality if she's well received enough to even have her own standalone off-canon story, and I hope it was interesting enough. I had two options here, either don't include Leal in the swap or do. I didn't want to completely rewrite the episode in terms of canon events so I didn't go through with the latter.

Luz's boiling point in this side of the argument has been well contained, but last chapter kind of hinted at it when Luz first shouts at Leal and quickly calms herself down. Again, since this is mainly from Leal's POV, it's hard to convey but she was kind of being honest in how she felt like Leal was helicoptering over her but she caught herself before going into that further. Luz never wants to hurt Lealtad so while her sister went to get food she took a moment to calm down before saying more things like she did THIS chapter. Today was about tipping points. And boy were they tipping.

The theme of sisterhood is heavily ingrained in this chapter but I also realized it was the chance to really delve into the why of Lealtad's protectiveness and thought balancing it out with the Blight twins would be a clever way of showing their off-screen growth in canon. Along that, it was a nice nod to expose Leal to the idea that people can be complicated much like her and her sister, and with her strongest suit being talking: understanding the mindsets of siblings like the Blights offers a unique dialogue. But don't worry, an Amity and Lealtad conversation WILL happen… in season 1b.

The chapter title is a nod to the actual episode's segments like "Luz's Deals in Heels" or "Eda's Catastrophe". The "bet" doesn't exactly change as Lealtad was only shifted the punishment of cleaning him today, while the actual duty of doing it repeatedly would've fallen upon the loser. Of course the passing remarks of "not it" don't apply since Lealtad already cleaned him. And yes, I changed the way Hooty was cleaned from my original notes because season 2b revealed that… interesting detail about Hooty.

Also yes, Venny is a nonbinary mute. The bestest vendor the Isles' got! They usually communicate their prices by point at their menu stuck to the side of their cart and using prewritten notes and cards for usually inquires and transactions.

Review Responses:

Thomas Holmes II: I'll be honest, when I started then production of this fic in 2020 of December, I knew there'd be a dime a dozen of these Beta Luz sister AUs. I'm not really sure if what makes mine different is clear, but I strived to heavily ingrain the show's canon elements and touch up on them more while also adding a bigger theme toward the story as a whole. Lealtad's story is essentially Luz's contrast. I'm not sure if that's enough to "differ" but I do my best to make my work unique and impactful. Like with this chap!

OMAC001: Glad you liked it! And yeah, after Ed and Em couldn't pressure Leal they found Luz in the Kid's Corner like canon and pressured her instead.

starrat: Thanks! Always appreciate hearing that! ( ^‿^)

Kagaminelover657: Lealtad's greatest strength IS talking things out, so communicating is when she ISN'T pissed is usually productive. Most of the time. Amity is definitely reminder of Luz to Leal, but also has elements of Leal's personality (though she probably wouldn't admit that.) Thanks again for your reviews, they're so fun to read!

Next chapter update: May 25th, 2022.

Stay safe and stay lovely y'all.

Until next time,

- Bleh