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?

12. Sense & Insensitivity

A/N: The longest chapter yet! This is the one I've been the MOST excited about, especially considering the "filler" some of y'all expected this to be. In L&L, we don't do that here. Also, filler isn't necessarily bad! Especially when done right!

Hope you guys like this one!

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Chapter Summary: Lealtad finds herself occupying a new routine and sense of interest for the Isles as a book fair hits Bonesborough, all while she holds the fort alone at the Owl House as Eda is away.

Word Count: 25,927

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Sense & Insensitivity

Another day, another time spent down in Bonesborough with Eda's scam stall. Lealtad occupied herself with her copy of The Tale of the Good Child today. A book that, when Eda saw her reading, pointed out that her older sister liked that book when they were around Luz's age. That similarity made Leal shrug as she had no qualms to talk about it further. She was content with just keeping to herself and reading it. It was the story of a child who lost their parents and was raised in an orphanage. A sense of realistic fiction (for the Boiling Isles that was) that followed the child as they ran away and ended up in a forest, suddenly finding themselves raised by a recluse who specialized in Potions magic.

Working from that kind of premise—baring the genre difference—Leal could easily see why Amity thought highly of this book in relation to The Finding of a Home. A good part of the beginning centered around the home in the woods and the seclusion it offered. Kalen Vance was a recently turned twelve year old kid who only wanted to prove their worth to their mentor and guardian, nicknamed: "Watcher," as he never remembered his name because he couldn't have been bothered to. Leal thought that was honestly a mood. Kalen was on a journey to learn and grow, eventually crossing back into society and by what the blurb told Lealtad: was on a set path to helping their old town with their newly learned kindness they'd been imprinted on by Watcher.

Needless to say, Lealtad was invested and already twelve chapters deep.

Normally she would've been helping at the stall, but it was a slower day strangely enough, so Eda could handle it by herself. Though, even the Owl Lady herself was casually lounging back with a pair of sunglasses on her face. So Leal shrugged it off, figuring it was all good. In all honesty, Leal bet it was also because Eda was still feeling tired from yesterday, having not got a decent nap in. They had a late start today too, with both Eda sleeping in and Leal (okay, so maybe she stayed up reading the first five chapters) that evidently meant a late set up at the market area.

They had a quick brunch, finishing Lealtad's leftovers from last night, and went straight to town.

Well, they did. After help setting up, Luz needed to use the washroom but Leal just figured she wanted to ditch and go exploring because she also got the sense today's sales would be a drag. And judging by the lack of customers that were passing by, Leal didn't blame her sister. She hoped her sister would know better than to get wrapped up in adventure without bringing her in—at least most of the time—and assumed Luz would be alright roaming the market area. Content with just chilling, Leal turned to chapter thirteen and smiled. Nothing like finishing a chapter to reinvigorate excitement!

"Ugh," Eda scoffed, scrunching up her nose at Leal as she lowered her goofy shades to narrow her eyes.

Aside from a brief glance, Leal didn't remove her eyes from the page as she replied, "Can I help you?"

"Put your book away!" the witch shouted, pulling her sunglasses off. "We don't need your nerdy book nerding away our customers!" Eda shouted, waving her sunglasses at her.

Leal lowered her book and frowned at the witch. "Clawthorne, have you ever actually read a book?"

"Bean Head, have you ever actually said something not sarcastic before?" the woman replied, matching her cadence with dopey eyes.

"Yes," Lealtad smirked smugly, "Just now."

Eda scoffed, rolling her eyes. She slid her sunglasses back on and placed her hands behind her head, kicking her feet back up on the table. "Smartass."

"Kettles and pots, and all that," she shot back, shrugging, bringing her book back up. It was strange how easy their banter could fly like that. In some ways, it kinda reminded her of how she used to act around her dad. With less snark of course, but same kind of quipping. At that Leal's smile fell into a fond one as she looked to her bat which was resting beside her seat.

Before her thoughts could even be allowed to linger, King hopped onto the table with a tray of… well, junk. "Partake of my free snack samples!" he shouted, gesturing his snacks toward the passersby. "Take it! I demand it as your ruler, the King of Demons!" Frustration at its peak, the demon threw his tray of scrap at the ground as he exclaimed. "Why isn't anyone paying attention to me? I'm their rightful overlord." He moved to sit on the edge and slumped his shoulders. "Intellectually and such," he added.

"Yeah…" Eda agreed, finally sitting up in her seat as she pulled her glasses off. "Hey!" she exclaimed, yanking a Hexside student by the cowl. She proceeded to sniff them, which, in any context, was considered so bad. "It reeks more of nerd than money today."

"Guys!" Luz shouted, slamming her hands on the table. That thankfully startled the poor student out of Eda's hands and allowed him to escape. "You will not believe what's going on!" her sister exclaimed, raising her hands to the sky.

Lealtad snorted. "It's the Isles, Sunshine, I hardly believe what I see when I look out our bedroom window some days."

Luz smirked smugly at her as she pointed her fingers. "Ah hah! But that's where I have you ¡hermana! I think this is something you'd definitely like!" She slammed her hands on the table again. "C'mon, let's go!"

Eda groaned, crossing her arms. "Kinda busy here?"

"Yeah, selling jack shit," Leal teased, bookmarking her page as she tucked it back into her bag. "C'mon, Clawthorne, you're still feeling a bit drowsy from yesterday and no one's biting today," she pointed out as she gestured around them. She picked up her bat and passed the witch, patting her shoulder. "Let's just take today off?"

At that, the witch sighed. "Fine. But you both better help me pack up!" she ordered.

Fair trade.

It wasn't hard to pack up with the three of them banding together—King, of course, helped by shouting at them. By the time they finished, Eda had everything in a knapsack and sent Owlbert off to return it home. It kind of blew Leal's mind how easily the woman trusted the palisman to be alone, but then again yesterday's ordeal just demonstrated Owlbert could be pretty capable at handling himself. Or at the very least, that he had Eda's whole trust at heart. Plus, he did scavenge human junk for Eda all on his own.

With the stand settled, they began following Luz down the market, who immediately reassured them where they're going wasn't at all far. She didn't give much info, no doubt in anticipation for the surprise, but Leal took her sister's word that'd it be something she would like too. And she was right about it not being much of a walk. Within a minute, they arrived at their destination. And how did Leal know before Luz even announced it?

Probably because of the giant banner above them titled, BOOK FAIR.

"Where books come to life!" Luz exclaimed as she posed for effect, gesturing around them. At that moment, a red book from one of the stalls fell down from its stack and talked, greeting Luz, who responded in kind by kicking it with it a yelp.

Lealtad chuckled. The Boiling Isles being Boiling Isles as per usual. "Neat," she commented, smiling up at the banner. "Not sure why I didn't think you'd guys wouldn't have one of these," she said kind of to herself.

"Not sure why we do," King remarked. "A fair without rides?"

A random witch around King's height with a huge backpack of books suddenly leaned toward the demon. "Who needs rides when this," they said, pushing the book to King's face, "can take you anywhere?"

Though the comfort space would've been appreciated, Leal still laughed at the gesture.

Unfortunately King didn't find the same humour as he tossed a piece of uncooked meat onto the witch's head condemning him to one of the many hungry critters flying around the grounds. Lealtad could only hope the poor soul knew how to magick their way out of that situation on their own. "C'mon, Scruffy," Leal scolded him. "Dude wasn't wrong either—they really can take you anywhere," she teased with a smile.

King harrumphed, crossing his arms as he turned his head.

"A, ew," Eda snidely said, plucking a book off a booth and dropping it to the ground, "B, I'm bored. C, I feel like pickpocketing some dork while they browse," the woman monotonously declared as she walked off with her arms crossed.

Leal rolled her eyes while her sister protested, begging her mentor to stay but only to be ignored. Luz turned back to the two of them, eyes hopeful. She snorted at her sister. "As if you have to ask, Sunshine." She winked, already moving toward her sister.

"What about you King?" Luz asked. She crouched down and pulled on her hood. "Will you give it a chance? I'll let you ride in my hoodie!"

At that, King giggled as he brought his hands to his face, eagerly moving toward Luz. Leal helped pick up the demon and placed him in Luz's hoodie, making sure to also stop and take a photo of the cute sight before her. With the group prepared, the three began walking through the fair and soaking in the scenery. Leal's eyes were in awe of nearly every stall. The ranges from genres and types of styles and covers were practically endless. Heck, they walked by a stand labelled GHOST WRITERS with an actual ghost behind the booth which Leal thought was awesome!

"This book fair's got everything!" Luz excitedly said. "A zine-making workshop, meet and greets, and—what's that?" Her eyes flew to a banner just ahead of them. She gasped. "A writing competition? I've always wanted to be a writer," her sister admitted in awe.

Lealted smiled at that. She could attest to the countless Azura fanfiction her sister made her read growing up.

"Writer?" King echoed. "What? I thought you wanted to be a witch!"

"Of course I wanna be a witch," Luz amusedly replied. "But where I'm from that's kinda... impossible."

"'Less you count being a lesbian in fourteenth century Europe," Lealtad chimed in, throwing her sister an amused smirk.

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Anyways, my runner-up dream was to be a writer." Luz dug into her front pocket and produced a small, familiar polaroid photo. "I've had this About the Author picture since I was seven years old!" Leal's heart stilled a bit at the sight. She remembered that photo. "Leal knows my good angle. Gracias, hermana," she beamed at Leal.

"De nada," she softly replied. "But I had no idea you still kept it on you all this time." Her ears were red and her heart was swelling with warmth. Her sister was adorably awesome.

"Of course! It was a fun day!" her sister happily responded. "You wouldn't stop until you finally got a good angle and you went around showing it off to Mamá. It was also the day you got into photography!"

Lealtad nodded, bringing her free hand down to her camera and touching the side of its lens. "It was," she whispered. They were using an old polaroid camera one day, just messing about. Luz was really hyped up about wanting to write a fanfic for Azura and declared during the many photos they took that day, she'd need an About the Author picture. Leal was dead set on making her sister happy and it came out well. Their mom was laughing, Luz was smiling, and… she had never felt more excited about doing something before. She was ten at the time.

Their dad had passed not long before that.

Her smile fell a bit as she gripped at her bat with a gentle squeeze. She remembered her ten year old self looking at all the family photos they had along the walls, at all their memories together. The four of them. The sight of their dad in all of them, and the smiles they had back then… she wanted to reignite that joy. Lealtad remembered thinking if he couldn't be in the rest of the photos to come, she'd try and take good ones of all of them for him. She never expected the day to end with her wanting to take more and more photos for the fun of it.

"I'm gonna enter the competition," her sister declared, disrupting Leal from her thoughts.

"You sure about that hermana?" she asked her. "This is kinda last minute." Her sister was a determined person no doubt, but writing a story in the span of a day wasn't exactly an easy feat.

Her sister nodded, standing tall and proud… for a good few seconds. Then another Hexside student came barreling past her with hysteric joy, running toward the booth signing ahead.

"Ugh! What are these basement dwellers doing out in natural sunlight?" King remarked.

A familiar nose-looking shortstack appeared next to them, looking angrily at King. "Um! We're in line for Jon De Plume, most famous writer on the Boiling Isles, famed author of the Realm Warriors series! I'm gonna have him read my story... and marry me," they whispered mischievously.

Lealtad cringed. Right, she forgot there were book fans like… that. "Might wanna hurry along then, dude," she pointed out, noting the fast growing line. At that, the big nosed person walked off.

"Such power," King muttered, his eyes observant of the sight ahead, "Such command he holds over his minions. I must have the same!" He declared, "Luz the Human! I too shall enter the competition."

"Really?" Luz gasped. "We could work together! It'll be perfect! We're best friends, so we'll make the best team!"

"Team! Yes!" King robotically agreed.

She turned to Leal. "What about you, Leal? Wanna join?"

Lealtad scrunched her nose and shook her head. "Uhh, I prefer to read my stories, not write 'em hermana." She took a step back and jerked her thumb behind her. "You guys have fun with that. I'm gonna keep roaming the fair. See if anything catches my eye." She held up a two fingered salute and waved. "Don't wait up for me. See ya back at the house!"

"See ya!" the two both shouted as she departed.

Lealtad took a deep breath as she smiled, scanning her next stop.

She could only wonder what types of adventures awaited her within the fair.

::TITLE OPENING::

It wasn't too dissimilar to the Covention in terms of the scale and atmosphere.

There were aspects that reminded her of a human book fair, but with mixed in Boiling Isles elements here and there. Signings and author meetups, various genres and categories available for trade or purchase, and all with that demonic twist or monstrous pitch angle attached. Demons selling books on best ways to eat sentient foods, witches selling their recommended recipes or techniques to training or learning spells—it went on and on. All in all, it wasn't at all hard for her to navigate the place. Lealtad didn't begin roaming with the intention to really buy anything. She only had so much snails from Eda's allowance.

She also still had Amity's book, so she wasn't exactly in the market to really get anything. But browsing was always a fun experience especially at a fair. Her smile never left her face as she strolled stall to stall, politely asking the owners if it'd be okay to take a photo. Some looked on at her strangely and obliged, others actually posed, but Lealtad accumulated many photos in the past fifteen minutes. She sifted through them in her gallery, already thinking up which one deserved some actual edits or would just go straight to her album of memories.

It was a fleeting moment of distraction, but Lealtad liked having the moment to her own thoughts and passions.

Yesterday's moment with Willow was still fresh, and Leal vastly needed to keep her mind afloat with things to keep her spirits lifted. Photography was great, but so was reading. Lealtad wasn't exactly a big genre nerd, with only select tastes here and there, she was mostly up to reading just about anything as long as it could hook her. The common exceptions were more theme based if anything else. Fantasy novels hardly ever appealed to her the way an anime or manga could. And romance fiction for her? It was needless to say more often than not the main theme wasn't appealing to her.

She didn't dislike romance. She was confident she wasn't aromantic! It was just that most depictions or real world concepts about romance were so artificial and… arbitrary to Lealtad. She just didn't see the romantic love everyone and their mothers seemed to pitch. Which was why she was blankly staring at a witch who was in front of her stall, hard selling to Leal about her thrilling romance novel. "—goes on so many dates! Until she finds that Mister Right!" Her face fell into a sorrowful pout. "All while her best friend pines from the sidelines!"

Leal cringed. "Sorry, Ma'am, 'fraid that's not really… my kind of taste," she said, awkwardly scooting to the next stall. She had enough with romance for the next two weeks. "I'm sure it's a thrilling read!" she shouted before turning away. She immediately came face to face with a burly witch wearing a strange fishbowl like helmet. "Uhh heey?"

He smiled at her. "Greetings! Might I interest you in a copy of my best selling series, Stars and Back?" he offered, raising his book toward her. It was a simple olive green book with nothing but its title staring before her.

A no cover design? That was the first she'd seen today. "Depends," she humoured him, placing her free hand on her hip as she cocked her head, "What's it 'bout?"

He devilishly smirked. "It's a fictional tale centering around a young boy who conjures a new spell! Taking him to the stars! Where he discovers a vast new world before him!"

Lealtad chuckled. "Sounds like I'm already living that fiction," she mused.

He blinked. "What?"

She shook her head dismissively. "How many installments are there?"

"Five!" he proudly answered, puffing his chest. "Best fantasy series on the market!"

She took the book out of his hand and read over the blurb. It wasn't far off from what he already pitched, but it sounded very Narnia and Star Wars at the same time. And with her living on the Isles? Leal kind of had her fair share of fantasy elements for a decent while. With an apologetic shrug, she offered the book back to the man. "Sorry, sir, maybe another time?" she suggested.

Book browsing, at fairs especially, was hard as it was fun.

There wasn't much time nor comfort to skim with such a hustle and bustle circling about. Lealtad was debating on just calling it a day and coming back tomorrow. She did catch a flyer and learned the fair would be here for a total of four days. Her best guess was that newer vendors would arrive, or that some would start slacking prices so she'd have cheaper purchases. She did see a couple books that seemed like they'd be a nice and quick decent read, but she didn't exactly have deep pockets of snails to spend on all of them.

"Come on down, Hexside kids!" Lealtad's attention drew her toward a stall at the end of the strip, being manned by a demon with one eye and one asymmetrical horn on their forehead. "Looking for new entry level textbooks?" they continued to shout, "I've got all the main nine tracks on all the basics, one-oh-one!"

Her brows raised at that. Only one other student seemed interested in perusing the booth, a Hexside student in a track Leal didn't recognize. They were also a dog. They seemed to be barking at the vendor, making Leal assume they were undergoing a transaction or something. She decided to take the opportunity to silently check out the wares, with her eye immediately catching onto a book with a big Abomination face on its cover. She flipped it the back blurb. "'Learn the basic ingredients of constructing and manifesting your Abomination! This book goes over the essential know-how on what an Abomination needs to remain sturdy but also to achieve its level of obedience and malleability of shape.' Huh," she pursed her lips, "kinda interesting to see how they get made."

"Ahh, another Hexside student are ya?" the one eyed demon asked, waggling their one brow at her. "What track are ya?"

She raised her brows at that. "Oh uh, I-I'm only just enrolling this coming semester," she set the book down back on the Abomination stack. "Just browsing, is all."

They nodded. "Well, getting a head start on the curriculum is a good effort regardless!" they gestured to their entire table, nine groupings of textbooks, each for every track as advertised.

Lealtad sheepishly smiled at the sight. Right, they were going to go to magic school soon. Between yesterday and the hype of two good book reads, it slipped her mind about being prepared. Leal was normally very attentive and disciplined when it came to school prep—her mom and teachers would say she was studious—but she simply wanted to be ahead and prepared for things. She slacked here and there of course, but with not much of a life going on… doing schoolwork was a good void to fill when her books were all read and anime was all caught up on.

She supposed doing some prep for this new school would be beneficial.

New slate, right?

"Ah well, I-I guess I'm kinda interested in doing something like that." She glanced over the stack and frowned a bit at the sight of the textbook-like designs. Judging a book by its cover was very prevalent in book buying, no matter how the old saying went. These books gave Lealtad the vibe they were academic, though she felt that being as new as she was to literally everything, even an entry level book would go over her head. "But I guess I'm also looking for a nice… narrative read?" she asked the vendor with a hopeful tone. "Do you have anything nonfiction or realistic fiction-like that centers around that kinda style?" The vendor bit their lip, clearly thinking over her request.

A bark then startled her attention to her right.

It was the dog. The dog was wearing glasses.

Okay then…

She realized they were staring at her. "Oh, uh, can I help you?"

They barked again, but Leal awkwardly looked to the vendor, shrugging and hoping they were actually talking to them instead.

"He says he knows a good book," the vendor explained, nodding toward the dog.

Leal's brows raised. "Oh!" She smiled at the dog. "You have a recommendation?"

He nodded. Another bark.

"He says he can take you to the stall," the vendor translated. Two more barks. "And that it's his favourite book that he's recommending," the vendor tacked on.

Leal nodded, smiling. A favourite book was always a nice touch to recommendations. "Is it a cheap buy?" she slyly asked him. The dog nodded again, winking. She chuckled at his expressionism. "Well, by all means, lead the way!" He drew up a magic circle, collecting his newly purchased Potions and Oracle track books in a bag before the bag poofed out of thin air. He gestured for Leal to follow, leaving her to thank the vendor for their helpful translating before following her new companion.

She of course realized how much of a struggle it would be to try to communicate with someone who she didn't really understand, but she figured she could find a work around. "So," she spoke, "sorry for the language barrier—"

He barked, waving a dismissive paw.

She chuckled. "Still, I'm curious," she pointed at his dark grey sleeves, "don't know if I've ever seen that track before. Is it new?"

His face fell a bit.

She wasn't sure what to make of that. "Uhh, is it not one of the main nine?"

He shook his head.

"Oh. uh, okay then," she awkwardly replied. "Well, seeing you at that stall back there, guess that means you're still a curious one, huh?" She shrugged. "Haven't run into many other witches who're in a track and still looking at others," she honestly admitted. Willow was the closest it came for her in that regard, but technically she wasn't exactly looking into the Plant track. This dog, however, looked like he was genuinely interested in the books he acquired. "Gotta commend a good work ethic, eh?" she smirked.

Strangely enough, it seemed like that was the right thing to say, as he smiled at that, nodding proudly.

She chalked that up as a small win.

After a couple seconds, he barked again, and she realized he was pointing at his own ears. She quickly pieced together what he was trying to say and ahh'd. "You asking if I'm Human?" He nodded. She grinned and raised her red-orange beanie a bit, exposing her earlobes. It was funny, she wasn't exactly hiding it anymore, but because of her hairstyle and how she wore her beanie it just kind of covered her ears like that regularly. "Was it that obvious I'm Human?"

He barked, waggling his paw in a so-so manner.

She decided to take another guess. "Or was it obvious that I just wasn't from around here?"

He nodded, barking with a smile.

Huh, a well educated guess from him then. She did suppose the way she walked and looked at things screamed outsider rather than conventional book fair goer. Still, needing to defend her nerd cred… "I'm more versed in Human book fairs," she explained. "Not to say your guys' fair ain't cool too!" she quickly tacked on.

The dog chuckled, which she never thought she'd ever hear a dog do.

Once they reached the stall, he grabbed the book off the table and handed it to her, no doubt prompting her to read the blurb on the back. It was called Peter Potionist, and apparently it was about a talentless witch named Peter—obviously—who had no knack for anything but big dreams about winning the Potion Brewing Contest in his hometown. Cheesy plot, but fairly decent goal for a story, with a sizable enough page count. And it fell into her ballpark of what she was looking for! She smiled and looked at the tag at the bottom. Fifteen snails, it was a fair deal.

"Perfect," she said as her transaction went underway with the vendor of the stall, "another book to my reading list!" She winked at the dog. He smiled back at her proudly. They then stepped away from the booth, making room for other patrons. She shot the dog with an awkward smile. "Thanks… dude?" she tried, not really sure how she could catch his name.

He barked, pulling up his paw and drawing up a spell circle. A scroll appeared next to him as he hovered it toward Leal. It was a Penstagram page, his page. A picture of his face with his tongue sticking out, but more importantly his name underneath it. She squinted at the handle and read it aloud, "Barcus?" He nodded. She smiled and held out her hand. "Well, cheers, Barcus!" He lifted his paw and shook her hand.

The two went their separate ways, and Lealtad chuckled, looking back at the dog as he merged within the crowd. It was nice being at the mercy of the kindness of strangers sometimes, but the exciting reality of running into him again was always a fun premise. But it wasn't just a possibility. Leal remembered that Barcus was Hexside student, and soon enough, would be her fellow peer. She could've dwelled over that idea a bit more, about what was to come. Instead, Lealtad clutched onto her newly bought book with a proud smile. This was her first new book of the Boiling Isles.

A new book meant new chapters.

::::

"Hey, Hooty," Lealtad greeted as she approached the Owl House.

"Hiiii Leal!" he chirped. "You buy anything at the fair?"

She nodded. "A fun little fiction novel," she quickly pulled it out from her bag to show off then tucked it back in, "Gonna read it after I finish the book Blight recommended for me."

Hooty's eyes widened with excitement. "Ooooh, you think you can read it to me?"

Leal's brows raised. She hadn't read a novel book with someone in well, ever. "Sure thing, ¡casa del búho!" she replied. "But you sure a novel ain't past your reading level? I mean, no offence, but do you even have a reading level?"

He spun his head around all the way upside down. "I dunno! I just like listening to people!"

She chuckled. "Fair enough, door-bird." She tapped her bat's grip. "We'll read later," she said as she opened the door and walked in. "You know where everyone is?" she asked him.

"Eda's in her room!" he announced, "And your sister and King are in your room writing! I asked if they wanted my help but they said they were a two man team!"

She smiled, knowing full well it was less about the team size and more Hooty himself. "Ah, thanks." She waved at Hooty as he closed himself shut. She saw through the window, his head slowly protruding out toward the forest. "Please don't bring in another vole!" she pleaded.

"No promises!" he shouted.

With a head shake and a sigh, Lealtad made her way up the stairs and toward her and her sister's room. She didn't hear anything from Eda down the hall, so Leal assumed the woman was napping. Yesterday really took it out of her. Lealtad hummed at the thought. She still hadn't heard much of the story from Eda's end—King's side was certainly styled up narratively—but she could assume the curse had some part to play in it. Seeing a woman around Eda's age act up like that health wise was a bit scary, almost like—she shook her head, not liking where that train was leading her. It wasn't the same thing. Not at all.

Lealtad decided she might have to get started on lunch on her own if the Owl Lady was out of commission.

Once she arrived at her and Luz's bedroom door, she gave it a head's up knock and opened it, sticking her head inside. "Sup… people…" her greeting trailed off, as her eyes widened at the sight of the room. Papers and notes were scattered everywhere, a bulletin board filled with sticky notes, and Luz and King sitting near a typewriter near the window. But most noticeably, a giant banner overhead titled, Luzura's Awakening. The neatfreak in her was practically dying. It had barely been a day and they went this far? Her presence was hardly noticed as Luz continued to type and King read. "I guess it's safe to say you guys already got started on your writing?" she mused.

Luz lifted her head from the typewriter and said, "Yup! Wanna read what we have so far?"

King beamed happily at her as he lifted the draft in his hands toward Leal.

She chuckled. "Uhh, I think I'll try one of the final rough drafts? 'Sides," she dug into her messenger bag and pulled out Peter Potionist and The Tale of a Good Child, "I've got my own reading list to get through!"

Luz's eyes lit up at the new addition. "Oooh, did you buy a book at the fair?"

She clicked her teeth and winked. "Got a recommendation from a Hexside kid, he was real nice 'bout it!"

"Nice!" Luz cheered.

"Ugh," King groaned, rolling his eyes as he placed his hands on his hips. "Forget that. Leal, read our draft! I need another opinion to tell Luz how unrealistic her story is!"

Her sister pouted at the demon. "I already told you some romantic tension is needed."

"Hey, there's more to life than shipping!" King shot back.

"Don't you dare insult shipping in my presence!" Luz exclaimed.

"Yeah, bold move, Scruffy," Leal jokingly chimed in, trying to alleviate some of the rising tones.

"Apprentice! Apprentice's sister!" came Eda's voice, "Living room!"

Leal furrowed a brow as she turned toward the door. What was it now? Regardless, it was opportune timing considering how close to bickering the two sounded. "Sounds like an immediate summons," she mused, already heading toward the door. "Coming, ¡Dama Búho!" she shouted back. Luz hung back to say something to King, but by the time Leal entered the hallway her sister was walking with her. "Whattya think it's 'bout?" she asked her.

Luz shrugged. "I dunno. I've been writing with King," she explained, "hardly seen Eda since we came back from the fair."

"I heard from Hooty she was holed up in her room—figured she was napping though."

Luz snorted. "She's not that old."

"Hey, age got nothin' to do with it, Sunshine," she defended as they descended the steps, "you heard how she sounded earlier this morning. Yesterday drained her." She shot her a warning look.

Luz blew a raspberry and waved her hand. "Relax, I'm sure she's fine!"

Leal certainly hoped so.

Once they entered the living room, Lealtad noticed the witch had her cloak on and was looking over some scroll emitting a blue hue. "Heeeey," Luz greeted, arms behind her back as she and Leal approached her. Eda closed the scroll as Luz swayed back and forth on her tippy toes. "What's up, boss lady!"

Eda pocketed the parchment behind her back and jerked her thumb toward the opened door. "I am popping out for a few days to an undisclosed place to do undisclosed things," she informed the two while waving her hand about.

Luz's lips pursed into an O while Lealtad furrowed a brow.

"Ooh, sounds fun!"

"Sounds illegal."

"No questions!" Eda shot back, narrowing her eyes at the two. Leal held up her hands in mock innocence. "Anyways, you're in charge of the house while I'm gone," she directed to Leal.

Her eyes widened. Her? "Whoa, wow, that's a biiiig step up from babysitting one night, Clawthorne." Lealtad awkwardly rubbed her head. "You, uh, sure about that? Considering how the last time went?"

Eda snorted. "Relax, Bean Head, I trust you! In fact, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't!" she said as she donned her cloak's hood and walked toward the door.

The assertion in her voice made Leal's heart swell a bit. It reminded her of the first time her mom trusted her to be alone with Luz. Even if Eda was a bit reckless at times, knowing that she trusted her still offered a bit of relief. "Then I'll do my best to not let ya down," she smiled back.

"Pfft, you? You could never." The witch glanced to Luz. "It's kind of an obvious point but listen to your sister," she ordered.

Luz smiled, nodding. "Okay! No ¡problema!"

She looked back to Leal. "And don't get too control freak on them."

Leal rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'll reign it in just enough so that the house is still standing."

Eda smiled at that, standing outside the house. "Great! Make sure to feed Hooty too—properly!" she said, pointing up at the door bird who was currently neck deep in the woods. "And I left the portal key in my room if ya need to hop over your realm and get emergency backup food! I don't think I stocked the fridge." She shrugged.

Given how drained she was yesterday and today, Leal could believe that. "It's fine, Clawthorne," she reasoned, "I know where to head into town for groceries anyways!"

"Well if ya do make sure you haggle too! Don't want ya spending—"

"Full price, I know, I know, I hear ya." She shot her a smirk, placing her hands behind her back. "Any chance we'll get an ETA on when you'll be back?"

The witch narrowed her eyes, flicking her two fingers forward. "I said no questions!" she shouted before the door shut behind her.

She glanced at her sister, who fondly rolled her eyes and shrugged, making her way out of the living room. Lealtad, however, pursued the witch. She opened the front door, catching Eda as she hopped on Owlbert. "It's probably a moot point, but try not to get into trouble!" she shouted at her.

Eda looked back and smirked. "I'd say the same to you, but we both know I'm taking all the trouble with me. Byyyye!"

Leal chuckled at the sight as she watched the old woman take off.

It wasn't long after that Hooty returned, suspiciously, angling his mouth in a strange way. His head gazed toward Eda's flight path as he retracted back into the door. "Hey, where's Eda going?"

"Honestly? No idea." Leal shrugged. "It's a few day errand supposedly, so we're on our own." She narrowed her eyes at the bird, noticing his puffy cheek. "You don't have a vole in your mouth do you?"

Hooty smirked impishly, turning his head sideways, causing his other cheek to puff up. "Maaaaaybe." Yeah there was definitely a vole rolling around in there.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Just… eat it out here, okay?" she asked, begged, opening the door. "Don't bring it inside!" she said, closing the door behind her. She took a deep breath as she made her way over to the couch, tossing her messenger bag onto it before sitting down and slumping lifelessly. "Well, shit, now I'm in charge," she muttered to herself in disbelief.

This was a massive step up from just watching over for a single night.

Aside from the obvious count going up, she was also watching out for King as well. She had to make sure everyone was fed and that nothing burned down. Lealtad felt a queasy feeling of anxiousness, causing her to sit up. Another deep breath escaped her as she fiddled with her thumbs together. She could do this. Hooty, as much of a goofball as he was, could be responsible enough to protect them. Both King and Luz, together, were enhanced agents of chaos but when it came down to it they both listened to her whenever she was stern.

She could do this.

She pulled out her phone and checked the time. 4 o'clock. They usually had late meals, so she had time to kill before needing to get started on dinner. She swiped over to her messages with her mom.

There was a photo sent about half an hour earlier: a selfie of her mother sitting on the couch, but she had her body turned so the television could be seen in the background. She was watching her usual animal documentary series, holding an exaggerated pout but most definitely not faking the redness of her eyes indicating she'd been crying.

Mami [3:32 PM]: These documentaries aren't the same without you two comforting me. :(

Lealtad smiled at the photo. Right, it was the weekend, she usually watched those with them if they were all free. Given her line of work, their mother found the genre to be both endearing to what she does but also sad because of the different kinds of stories told in the shows.

She texted her mother back.

Fave Bebé: [4:01 PM]: Sorry you're left all by your lonesome! XP

Fave Bebé: [4:01 PM]: Speaking of, lots of the head camp counselors are going to be busy these next couple days!

Fave Bebé: [4:01 PM]: Means volunteers like ME gotta step up!

Fave Bebé: [4:02 PM]: but don't worry, Mamá, I'll do you proud ᕦ( ò_ó)ᕤ

The reply was instant.

Mami [4:02 PM]: You always do, mija. ( ^‿^)

Mami [4:02 PM]: But make sure to look after those other kids too! Not just Luz!

Lealtad chuckled, shaking her head. God, their mom was such a sap. But honestly? She wasn't far off from relevant advice. Her eyes flew toward the door, where she could hear Hooty happily humming to himself. Eda put her in charge of everybody and everything. It wasn't like she was casually letting Leal know she was responsible—though in some ways she was—she was also telling Leal directly that she trusted her to do this. So Luz, King, Hooty, and the entire Owl House was under her care now. It was no different than back home. Which meant she should take it just as seriously.

She replied with a kiss emoji of her own before pocketing her phone. With time to kill, it was the best opportunity to continue her reading of The Tale of a Good Child. She raptly drew her attention back into her book the second she pulled it out. It wasn't long until she was sucked back in where she last left off. Kalen Vance had just run into a demon from their old town who was in desperate need of medical aid. Luckily, Kalen knew their healing magic pretty well thanks to Watcher. But now the awkward question had to commence with a stranger wondering where Kalen came from and how they knew such advanced magic.

It was strange how this story really highlighted the true dangers of being a wild witch.

Watcher, despite his great know-how, didn't care for society. He grew strong for the sake of wanting to be knowledgeable and capable on his own. Taking in Kalen, who had aspirations to join a coven one day, it seemed like the author was trying to paint Kalen's aspirations to be the morally right one. Nonetheless, Leal still found herself intrigued by how Kalen was beginning to learn about their hometown from the demon they just helped, and how the town was suffering terribly from lack of resources and protection. Kalen was determinedly set on their way to leaving behind their home in the woods to returning to their hometown's aid.

But an interesting dilemma arose with Watcher, who thought Kalen would be wasting their talents helping society and that they'd be better off staying with him in the woods. It seemed like the two were on the precipice of an argument, that might result in them going separate ways. Lealtad's invested interest in Watcher made her not want this to happen, which prompted her captivated attention for the next good ten minutes or so. She was nearing the chapter's close, where it unfortunately seemed the two were in fact splitting up, but then Luz walked into the room.

Lealtad spared a glance toward her but instantly pulled her attention away from her book when she noticed her sister's sullen expression. "Hey, Sunshine," she greeted her, offering a concerned smile, "what's with the look?"

"Nothing," she mumbled as she moved over to the other free couch. "King's just being… difficult." She slumped in her seat with a pout.

Leal's brows raised at that. "Writer problems?" She tilted her head. "You guys butting heads? Need me to step in?"

"No." She smiled a bit. "I can handle King too, you know?"

"Just offering, hermana," she politely defended, winking at her.

Her sister nodded, though Leal got the sense it was rather absentminded than anything else. Maybe she was still stewing from whatever happened with King? But she could ask, Luz already sat up, mustering a smile. "Sooo…" she looked to Leal, "how're you enjoying that book Amity recommended you?"

Lealtad smirked. She saw the obvious redirection, but figured it was harmless to pursue it, letting her sister have this. "I'm loving it so far," she honestly admitted, thumbing over the pages she's read. "It's kind of a pre-teen read, but I don't mind reading things that're a few reading levels below me."

Luz chuckled. "I know, you read to kids."

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously for my job."

"I dunno," her sister sing-songingly replied, "you weren't working yesterday!"

She sighed, rolling her eyes once more. After she told her sister about her day with Amity, Luz was over the moon happy that Lealtad was giving her a chance. She quickly amended that it was less of a chance and more so she wasn't holding as much animosity for the witch outright. "She still gave Park a hard time," she told Luz, "Just 'cause she said she'll, 'Think on it' that one time doesn't mean it's all good and dandy."

Luz was quick to agree, but held her stance that finding common interests helps broaden perspectives about perception of people. And Leal reluctantly agreed with that. After all, she saw a bit of herself and Luz in Amity yesterday. Lealtad told Luz that the Blight was pretty soft on kids, and that it felt like she saw the hidden side of Amity because of it.

"Exactly my point though," Lealtad countered her sister, quirking a brow, "I did it because while reading to kids is fun, reading children's books is pretty fun too." She lifted her book and returned to where she last left off. "Pretty sure you can attest to that, Miss Azura Fangirl," she teased.

Her sister shrugged. "Wasn't knocking it."

"I know, you were just trying to egg on the fact that I'm reading a book Blight recommended me," she bluntly pointed out.

"Okay, well, yeah," Luz sheepishly admitted. She scooted over to the edge of her seat. "I don't think you've ever read a book recommendation before!" Her brow furrowed a bit. "Come to think of it, do any of your friends read?"

Lealtad snorted. "Since when did you think I have friends?"

"Uhh… since always?" her sister confusedly replied.

She lowered the book, gauging her sister's genuinely perplexed expression. "Seriously?" She narrowed her brows. "When did I give off that impression?"

"I mean, all those school projects you've done after school, your softball team meetups, before and after school practices," her sister listed off. She shrugged. "I kinda just assumed you hung out with people."

"How have I ever hung out with anyone when I'm always with you?" Leal replied with a knowing smirk.

Luz's face fell there.

Shit.

"N-No, Sunshine, I mean like I choose to hang out with you," she hastily explained, setting her book aside. "I mean, you're way more fun than any of my classmates anyways," she proudly asserted. That was the honest truth. Her classmates and teammates paled in comparison to hanging out with her little sister!

Luz furrowed a brow while she tilted her head. "How do you know that if you're always ditching them to hang out with me?" she pointed out.

She blinked, taken a bit aback by that remark. "I'm not ditching—" she stopped herself and thought on that. Who was she kidding here? "Okay, I kinda am but I'd rather phrase it as 'avoiding'. But that's just my prerogative, Sunshine." She leaned back in her seat and raised a brow. "What's the matter with that anyhow?"

"I dunno," her sister shrugged. "But it's just weird that Mamá is always on my case about making friends when you don't have any either." Leal's eyes widened at that, as did her sister's. She threw up her hands as she stammered out, "I-I didn't mean it in a—"

"Relax, Sunshine," she smiled at her, "I know what you're saying. But honestly? Both Mamá and Papá had this kinda thinking too, but it was when you were younger 'cause I hung off of you a lot more back then." Her smile fell into a bit of nostalgia as she chuckled. "But I think after Dad passed Mom kinda eased on me… and well," she looked at her sister and smugly smirked, "You thought I had friends until recently too right?"

Luz's small frown lifted a bit, a smile now taking its place. "I guess."

"So she probably thought I was all good in the friends department and focused on you. But hey—you've got friends now!" Leal pointed out with a wink.

Luz chuckled. "Nah. We have friends now."

She laughed. "That's sweet, but Park and Porter are more your friends than mine—and don't bring Blight into this!" she immediately added, throwing a warning finger at her sister who was cheekily smiling at her. "I'm fine in my own lane, hermana. I've always thought your desire to make friends was overrated anyways," she honestly admitted, shrugging. "People are overrated after all."

Luz snorted. "Oh yeah? And what? You're not people?"

"¡Si! I'm your sister. And that's loads better than being with, ugh… people," she dramatically stated with visible disgust. It elicited the reaction she wanted, with her sister laughing amusedly in response. With a comfortable mood among them, Leal decided to finish her current chapter and then the next before starting on dinner. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but feel a bit queasy with her conversation.

Suddenly bringing up their dad with Luz—with no warning—was a bit of a sore spot, especially because Luz liked to pretend she was stronger than she let on. But when it came down to it, bringing up their father was sometimes a mixed bag of uncomfortable emotions for her sister. Rarely, mostly in circumstances where their mom was present, could they look back fondly in their memories together. Seeing her sister's face shift a bit, Lealtad hoped she wasn't downtrodden about the mention of their dad.

Yet there was still the possibility that she was still not over whatever happened between her and King, which she still didn't seem keen on mentioning. Luz resigned herself to pulling up some cat videos on her phone, so Leal was glad she was cheering herself up if anything else. The timing was very fortunate that by the time Leal finished her next chapter, an audible groan came from Luz's stomach, making the girl blush.

"How 'bout I get started on dinner?"

::::

The next morning, Leal got an early start on the day, which meant she had time to power through her book. Last night, after dinner's highly awkward affair—consisting of Luz and King not speaking to each other—Leal resigned herself to the living room to read but also to make sure Hooty was fed. She managed to clock in ten more chapters before hitting the hay, leaving off at a good place. Today, she realized she only had several more chapters to go, and figured she could either finish it before or after breakfast. But by the time she made that realization, the sun was bright and shining, indicating breakfast time was imminent.

After making scrambled griffin eggs and toasted Bitter Biter Bread for dinner, Leal realized she'd really needed to experiment with different types of foods in terms of full fledged meals. Sure, she learned a bit from Eda, but the only meal she ever really prepped was just the eggs and toast. She knew how to do sunny-side and even boiled, but she wanted to expand her menu even if it was for a couple days. So she started today's meal with some fried insects! She read in The Finding of a Home that Elm Everett and his family sometimes had that for breakfast. And considering that Venny's street meat was actually pretty good, the least Leal could do was try to emulate something similar.

That was how she learned how to cook after all.

It wasn't to copy or make exactly what her mom did, with the same expectations, but something adjacent. As she learned Luz would be satisfied and happy with whatever she made, it didn't need to be Camila Noceda's signature style. But Eda hadn't taught Leal anything about frying insects. Sure, she knew how to fry things but frying insects was a whole separate breed of difficulty. "Should… shouldn't it be browning?" she asked herself, poking the sizzling Crampy Crickets with her tongs. Well, she also didn't know if Boiling Isles food cooked differently either.

She frowned as she glanced over to the fridge. This was also the last of the insects in the fridge too. There wasn't much left she could make a meal with. Eda was right about the fridge not being stocked, though Leal also hadn't considered how she was going to do a grocery run. Eda wasn't exactly vocal about where she kept any rainy day snails, that is if she kept any at all! And her spending money from Eda wasn't much either. Maybe it would be best for her to deliver this week's batch of potions instead? Leal let out a sigh as she scraped the fried insects onto a large plate. She crouched down and turned down the burner, which also instantly dimmed the flames within the stove like a light switch.

Magic was pretty freaking cool and strange sometimes.

She stood back up and moved the plate to the dining table. Along with the fried Crampy Crickets, there was some toasted Bitter Biter Bread and mashed potatoes. Apparently potatoes were another constant between dimensions. It looked exactly like a potato, so Leal could only guess if they simply just coexisted or if one had travelled to the other dimension by accident at some point. Either way, mashing them worked the same. The meal hardly looked like anything worth advertising on a restaurant menu—at least by human standards—but she learned to not be a critic on the appearances of how her own food looked.

Deciding to test it herself, she grabbed fried cricket and popped it into her mouth. Within seconds, her face scrunched up as she felt the overwhelming amount of saltiness attacking her taste buds. It was really salty. "I think I didn't add enough seasoning," she grumbled to herself. This was her first brush with trying something new and because of that she worked with less rather than actually working on spicing up or properly flavouring the meal. She was too cautious this time.

But there was no time like the present. "Hey, ¡casa del búho!" she called out.

Instead of the bird tube flying his head from the living room entrance, he came in from the back door, beaming happily. "Morning Leaaal!"

She chuckled. "Morning, door-bird. You mind letting my sister and Scruffy know breakfast is ready?"

"You got it!" he eagerly replied before retracting back outside.

She placed her hands on her hips as she waited by the table. King's booster seat was prepped and ready, the food was… fresh, and plates and utensils were all set! She last recalled Luz wanting to sleep in, and King being busy writing, but she figured they'd both be up and eager to eat at this time. To her surprise, both begrudgingly trudged into the kitchen. Neither even greeted her as they made their way to their seats. Without a word as well, the two started to grab their utensils and begin eating.

Leal frowned at the sight as she half-heartedly gestured to the table of food. "By all means, dig in," she monotonously remarked while sliding into her seat.

After a couple minutes of eating, she expected some comments about breakfast or literally anything, but the two were silent. She cocked a brow as she glanced between them. King was glaring at his food, stabbing each bite with force and chewing with a pout. Luz had her face turned from the head of the table, purposefully avoiding King's gaze even though he made no effort to look at her. Lealtad continued to glance between the two with suspicion as she swallowed her food. Great, so whatever happened last night that they didn't tell her about, definitely had its residual effects.

Exhaling tiredly, Leal tilted her head and frowned. "Okay, what happened?"

"Nothing," they both said with a pout.

Really?

"I'm calling bull," she blankly stated. "Last night you two barely spoke and now you're hardly looking at each other." She placed her hand on the table and narrowed her eyes. "Now start talking."

"King threw my story in the trash!" her sister suddenly shouted, pointing at the demon.

"Yeah, well, Luz doesn't like my ideas!" King countered, throwing an accusatory finger of his own.

Ooookay, that seemed like a lot more than "butting heads."

"Guys, co-writing is a collaborative process," Lealtad pointed out, "you need to be open to each other's ideas or at least, respectful." She shot King a look. "You hear me, Scruffy?"

King frowned at that, turning his head away.

"King, if you won't play nice and work with others, no one's gonna play nice and work with you," she lightly chastised. He merely tutted, turning his head further. She sighed. "If you're not willing to collaborate on this, then you shouldn't be working together," she suggested, changing tactics.

"Hah! I already have my own stuff!" he smugly retorted.

"That's because it's my writing you're using," Luz muttered under her breath before taking another bite of her food.

Lealtad internally groaned. How was it day one with no Eda and she was already encountering several issues. She glanced over to Luz, feeling her heart pain a bit at her sister's pouting. Writing wasn't the biggest passion in Luz's life, but she still loved it nonetheless. Even if her stories were a bit… outlandish and indiscernible, the charm still fell on her desire to create. It may have been a spur of the moment thing, but Leal knew Luz was excited about this competition. And King was unfortunately being difficult.

"Scruffy," Leal said, looking back at him, "I think you owe Luz an—"

"Leal, it's fine," her sister chimed in, her cheeks flushed. "You don't need to baby us like that," she lightly mumbled.

Leal blinked. "I'm… I'm not?" She nodded toward King. "I was just trying to get King to—"

"Lealtad," Luz softly said, shooting a small smile, "It's fine."

"See?" King exclaimed, rising out of his seat. "Now if you excuse me, I have a book to staple together!" The little demon giggled to himself as he hopped off the chair and ran out of the room.

Leal sighed as she looked at Luz. Her sister pushed her empty plate and held her sad smile. She had half a mind to say something, but wasn't sure if her little sister would be upset by it or not. Was she babying Luz? Lealtad frowned as she looked down at her own finished plate. Or did it feel patronizing to have her come in and resolve everything?

"I can handle King too, you know?"

She leaned back in her seat and looked at Luz as her sister tapped her fingers on the table. Coming to think of the little demon brat as a little brother, Lealtad hadn't realized how much she started to hover over him too. The things she was doing and saying were things she had said either to the kids she worked with or Luz when they were younger. And that was when it hit her: Luz was likely feeling the same thing. And Lealtad coming in to settle things was probably the last thing Luz wanted. The reality of having shared a space with people other than their mom for a long period of time meant that Leal couldn't always mitigate every problem now.

Just like back home, there were some things Luz had to speak up about on her own.

Still, Leal could only hope that her sister really was up to handling it herself. With nothing left to comment on, Lealtad stood up from her seat, gathering Luz's attention. "I'm gonna head into town," she announced as she gathered up everyone's plates. "You think you and King will be okay without me for a bit?"

Luz furrowed a brow at her. "I guess… but why though?"

Leal sighed, moving to place the plates in the sink. "We don't have enough ingredients or frozens—especially for what I want to make." She turned on the faucet and began to scrub the dishes. "I'm gonna do a grocery run tomorrow but I don't exactly want to use up Eda's spending money. So I'm gonna deliver this week's batch of potions in town today, maybe sell some Human merch, so I have snails for tomorrow." She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Actually, if you want, you can tag along?"

Luz smiled appreciatively at her, recognizing the out she was offering. "I think I'll stay and work on my own story."

Leal's brows raised excitedly at that as she turned back to the dishes. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I still had some good ideas and even if I don't enter the competition, I wanna write them down!"

"Who am I to stand in the way of creativity," she mused. As she stacked the freshly cleaned plate onto the drying rack, she caught a glimpse of her sister sliding out of her seat. "Oh, Sunshine? You mind gathering up my stuff and leaving them on the living room table?"

"Sure thing!" her sister replied as she headed out the room. "Oh, ¡hermana!" The older Noceda turned her attention over to the entrance and raised a brow at her smiling sister who returned. "Breakfast tasted great. A little salty but… not bad at all! Thanks for making it!"

Lealtad beamed back. "No problem."

For short while, she dealt with the dirty dishes and remains of her cooking, cleaning up everything. Once finished, Leal moved away from the kitchen and into the living room. No one was around, which made her hope that Luz and King were once again working together in the same room. She quickly gathered her things from the living room table then moved to the corner, where the stack of Human merch and the sack of potions sat. "Hey Hooty!" she shouted.

The front door opened. "Yeeessss, Leal?" he sing-songingly greeted.

"You mind heading into the shed and grabbing that big red wagon for me?"

"You got it!" The door-bird slammed himself shut and seconds later, opened again. A red wagon now sat right at the entrance. "Special delivery, hoot-hoot!"

She chuckled. "Somethin' like that, yeah," she said to herself. "¡Gracias!" She grabbed the sack of potions and brought it to the wagon. It wasn't as packed as usual—Eda's sales were either dipping or people just didn't need potions these days—so that meant there was more room on the wagon. Moving back to the boxes of Human merch, Lealtad quickly sifted through what would be worth taking or not. Various things from shirts and sandals, to lampshades and air fresheners. She tried to expand her mind from things people would like to buy at a garage sale, toward what Eda would sell regardless.

With a full box, she asked Hooty for one last favour and got him to carry the box onto the wagon. With her camera, bat, and brown messenger bag all on her person, she gave the red wagon one good tug to test its weight. It was hefty. It'd be a bit of a workout, but she wasn't exactly planning on staying out of shape for the off-season softball anyways…

"You sure you can handle it Leal?" Hooty asked, tilting his head.

She smirked back at him. "I can sure try, casa del búho." She winked at him. "I'll probably be back later this afternoon. Try not to stray your head too far from the house, 'kay? In case Luz and King need you."

"I'll try!" he shouted.

Turning toward the forest path ahead, Lealtad let out a small sigh. Under her breath, she muttered, "Nada funcionará a menos que lo haga funcionar." And just like that, she set off.

::::

Selling potions was easy.

Or at least, for the most part. Handling the deliveries that needed to be done was a breeze considering how well Leal knew most of the routes by now. The speed was an issue with the weight she was dragging around. Because of that, most of the day had gone by well into the afternoon with this self-appointed task of hers. With only one more stop left, Lealtad hauled her little red wagon down the suburban neighbourhood that was Dayfilm Street. It was an Eel Splitter Potion meant for Doe John (yes, she laughed at the name the first time she'd seen it). As she made her way down the street, she noticed a group of toddlers playing on the sidewalk.

"Ah, excuse me kids!" she shouted, "Make way!"

"Wait, it's Miss Leal!"

She quirked her brow as she looked at the crowd of kids on the sidewalk once again, this time paying attention to their actual appearances. They were the kids from the library! Or at least, some were that she could recognize. They weren't wearing their uniforms after all. "Ah, hiya everyone!" she greeted.

"What're you doing Miss Leal?" a three eyed boy asked.

She smiled. "Delivering potions," she answered, nodding back to her wagon, "and selling some… Human collectibles."

"Is this part of your mission to impart stories to all the children of the Isles?" the blonde pigtailed girl asked her.

Lealtad chuckled. "Not quite, squirt. It's… more part of my mission to make sure I stay fed so I can go around spreading stories," she mused. The group of kids all awed at that explanation.

"Can we see?"

"What do Human cole-leck-tables look like?"

"I want one!"

She smiled at their excitement. "Ah well, I have a decent variety," she dramatically replied, gesturing back to her wagon. "I've got these fun… skirts!" she announced, grabbing a lampshade. "Perfect for kids your age!"

"That looks like a lampshade."

Okay so that was something they had here.

"Um, yes, but where I'm from little kids wear these kinds of shades, so when they grow older…" shit, what would Eda say here? Her eyes fell on the kids' collective awe and eyes of wonder, and it clicked. "The, uh, the magic of their youth would empower the light they cover and make them last even longer!"

"Whooaa!" the group of kids all cooed.

"Ooh, I want some!" The pigtailed girl walked a couple feet down the street and shouted, "Mom! Come outside!"

A minute later, Lealtad found herself swarmed by as many parents as there were kids. It seemed everyone was swept up in intrigue, so Leal had to put on a good show like Eda. Happily announcing the items on her wagon as she prattled off like they were wonders from the Human world. Part of her felt bad, scamming the kids, but another part of her rationalized two things: technically it was the parents getting scammed and also, people of the Boiling Isles seemed satisfied with Human things even if they didn't work. What she was selling here? It was at least genuine things she knew they'd have fun with!

She sold lampshades as skirts, sandals and crocs as feet warmers, tie dye shirts as luxurious rare fabrics, used air fresheners as warding charms, and even eyeglasses cases as coin purse wallets. Between this and the deliveries she's made, Leal was making a decent profit! The group of grownups and kids soon scattered as her wagon dipped into the half empty quantity. One last stop, and maybe she could try selling some of the last of the Human stuff around the book fair!

Walking up toward the giant claw shaped house, she left her wagon on the pathway as she approached the door, which was one the nails of the claw. Giving the doorbell a ring, Leal stepped back and patiently waited with the bottle of Eel Splitter Potion in her hands. "Coming!" came a voice from inside. Seconds later, the nail door slid open upward, revealing a blue skinned witch with six eyes. Doe smiled at her. "Ah, Lealtad! Yes! My potion's here!" the multi eyed witch cheered, clapping his hands together excitedly. He grabbed the potion from Lealtad and looked over her shoulder. "No sister today?" he asked as he reached over for something inside, returning with a wallet in hand.

"'Fraid not Mr. John," she replied. She shrugged. "Just me."

After handing her the snails owed, he tucked the bottle of Eel Splitter under his arm and pointed behind her. "What's with the wagon?"

Her grin grew at his innocent inquiry. "Ah, glad ya asked, Mr. John! I'm also selling some limited time only Human merch!" She stepped to the side and gestured to the red wagon. "Care to make a purchase?"

His multiple eyes lit up at that. "Oooh, depends on what ya got!"

Lealtad moved back toward her wagon and sifted through the remainder of her items. Mostly clothes—Shirts, socks, scarves—and a few random items like wristwatches and a wireless computer mouse. What would he like? Her eyes widened in realization as she grabbed the black scarf from her pile. "Ah, I have a feeling this would compliment you well!"

"Ain't that just a scarf?"

She clicked her teeth. "Not just a scarf, Mr. John. Back where I'm from, these are made from eels! Purified into cloth!" God, what the Hell was she even saying?

The witch's eyes furrowed at her words. "Dead eel skin? Why'd I want that?"

"Well," she smirked, "what better way to ward off eels than to wear their deceased brethren?"

Doe gasped at that. "You're right! How much for it?"

Another light bulb lit, and Leal internally smiled. "Ah, well, these usually are paired with Eel Splitter Potions as a bundle, so you might have to pay full price!" She let out a dramatic sigh. Shifting into nonchalance, she waved her hand. "For you? I can slack it from full to half—say, thirty snails?"

"Thirty? That's almost the same amount as the potion?"

Leal shrugged. "Well, if ya don't want the deal—"

"N-No, I'll take it!" he exclaimed, fishing out more snails from his wallet.

"Great!" she beamed, accepting the payment while exchanging it for the scarf. She put the snails into a small pouch where she had been collecting all the snails she earned, then tucked it into her messenger bag. Watching the witch happily reside back in his house with the scarf wrapped around his neck, she cast a two fingered salute as she walked away. "Have a nice, eelless day!"

"Hah, I will now!" he laughed, shutting the door. "Take care, Leal! Wish your sister the best from me!"

"Will do, Mr. John!" she shouted, picking up her wagon handle and lugging it off the lawn. Turning onto the sidewalk, Leal bid another wave to the group of kids down the way, a lesser amount than before. It was time to head to the book fair! Maybe she could even—

"Hey!"

She nearly jumped, turning her attention toward the source.

It was a coven guard, an angry looking coven guard, stomping toward her from down the block. "You! I heard you're selling things here! You got a permit?"

Leal gaped. Someone snitched? She felt a bead of sweat as she took a step back. What should she do?

The coven guard neared and his angry narrowed eyes were becoming clearer and clearer through his mask with each step. Suddenly, he stopped and loudly gasped, pointing at her in shock. "You're the same girl who was fraternizing with the Owl Lady!"

Seriously?

This was the same dude from when she and Luz first came here?

As that realization hit her, Lealtad hastily turned around. Because that encounter involved other kinds of hitting too. Maybe running was a good idea. "Ohhh, uhh, you must have confused me with a different girl! All the ladies I know are ravens!" she shouted, breaking into a sprint. She moved onto the street, avoiding the kids on the sidewalk as she picked up her pace.

"Stop!"

One glance over her shoulder and the guard was sprinting after her.

Okay, so last time Owlbert was the getaway.

What was her—

Leal's eyes looked down at her wagon as she smirked.

Oh Hell yeah.

Slowing her pace a tad, she let the wagon catch up to her as she left its handle held up. And she hopped on. It shook a bit, but didn't topple. Maintaining the momentum, Leal used her bat as a makeshift land oar, pushing and propelling herself down the street. Zooming on ahead, pedestrians all froze and gaped at her as she shouted and warned them about her oncoming approach. Witches kept to the sidewalks out of fear and surpris while others randomly cheered for her speed.

She spared another glance back, finding the guard still chasing after her in a massive sprint. "You won't get away with this!" the guard shouted, "This time, I mean!" He drew up a spell circle and cast it, firing a straight beam of ice down at her. Leal yelped as she felt the wagon rattle—he cast it on the ground! With friction lost, the wagon kept sliding down the street, free from her albeit haphazard steering.

Looking ahead, the intersection leading into the street was coming up! Shit. If she kept her speed, she'd either fall over making the turn or just plain crash! Then she saw it. A streetlight! Another look back, and the guard was sliding after her, his control much better than hers as he gained speed toward her. With a smirk, Leal pushed her bat to the left against the ice, causing her to slide toward the streetlight. This was either gonna end with her crashing straight into a pole, or her dislodging her arm from her socket… best case scenarios, right? With her right arm extended, Leal zipped by the streetlight, catching it with her hand. Pushing off the wagon, Leal hopped and let the momentum take her, spinning her right around.

She loosened her grip and flew right at the Coven guard. "Here I am!" she shouted, arching up a swing with her bat.

The guard barely had time to react, sliding toward her as he yelped in shock. One clang later, and the guard was unconscious, barrelling after the wagon straight into the sidewalk. Leal landed on her side, skidding across the ice and onto the ground. "Mierda," she hissed, lifting her head up as she propped herself up on her elbows. Her gaze flew toward the end of the intersection and cringed at the sight of the guard passed out on her wagon.

She rubbed her arm and pulled up the sleeve, checking to see if she scraped or injured herself in any way. Then, she moved to her camera, hastily checking it over before relief flooded in, with no visible damages in sight—for her or her camera. Honestly, the things she got up to with this strapped around her neck! Clutching her camera carefully as she stood up, she heard the mutters of commotion nearing closer. She glanced behind her, and sure enough, the residents of this fine neighbourhood were wondering what in the Isles was going on.

"Whelp, better make like Eda and scram!" she muttered to herself, running down the street and into the busier parts of town. She had enough snails for groceries anyways; it was better to cut her losses than keep gambling.

After all, job well done, right?

::::

A tap.

Lealtad pulled her attention away from her reading and glanced down at her shoe, smiling at the softball up against it. She looked up from her spot against the front door and over a few dozen feet ahead of her.

Hooty had stretched himself over midway to the path, and was aimlessly looking for bugs by the time she came home. After getting a sitrep that both Luz and King were still inside writing, Leal put her stuff away inside the living room and fetched a softball. Over the weeks here, she occasionally found herself messing around with her softball in her and Luz's room. And King being King, he managed to get a hold of one of hers and played with it around the house. Evidently that meant there was stray softballs around the house here and there.

At first, Leal decided to act on her promise and try reading to Hooty for a bit. But it was obvious he couldn't stay still enough to do so and couldn't really grasp the story, especially with how far in Leal was. So, she thought the door-bird could use some other form of entertainment instead and tossed a softball over to him. Under the pretense that he wouldn't eat it, she let him play with it. Hooty seemed excited over a new toy, and Leal thought she'd sit out with him and read—both to watch over the bird, but also because she wanted to read outside for a bit.

She picked up the ball and shook it with her left hand, chuckling at how Hooty's eyes widened. "Ya want it, Hooty?"

"I do! I do! Hoot, hoot!" he cheered, shaking his head around.

Standing up, she tucked the softball against her right palm. Pulling her left hand out, Leal wound up a low arch and threw an underhand pitch. Hooty chirped excitedly as he received the ball off his body then continued to keep bouncing it around in the air. She laughed at the sight of the bird happily bouncing the softball as she sank back down to the bottom of the door. It was strange how before, seeing his body extend for more than a meter creeped her out. Yet now, she was sitting underneath his large seemingly endless tube of a body, watching it wriggle over one of her softballs.

And nothing about it seemed weird to her.

Following that line of thought, she continued reading her book, of which she was nearly done with.

The Tale of the Good Child was taking a rather… patriotically ideal route. Kalen had become their town's hometown hero, earning praise and acknowledgement from all around. But a strange twist occurred where it was apparently Watcher antagonizing the village with his advanced magic, utilizing his abilities to plunder them not even for resources, but for the sake of enjoyment. It was such a bizarre plot twist! Lealtad was familiar with the concept that characters could be two faced, that they could be capable of such last minute reveals...

But this was something she found to be entirely out of character!

She liked Watcher a lot for taking in Kalen, but also standing in as a semi father figure in their life. A teacher, mentor, guardian—he had his bits of tough love, but she never once had a hint that the man was malicious in any of his intentions. Yet now he's just the bad guy. Cartoonishly causing mahyem for the fun of it? She nearly wanted to put the book down as she read Kalen and Watcher exchange verbal and magical blows, attacking each other like a classic hero and villain routine.

A buzz from her phone pulled her out of the last chapter, which she was all too eager for, greatly accepting any kind of break she could from this twist of events. She pulled out her phone and smiled at the texts: it was from her mom. The first one was an image taken from the outside, looking into a window with a shirt on display. The graphic was Deku from My Hero Academia posing with a smile.

Mamí [4:31 PM]: This is the show you, like, no?

Leal furrowed a brow, wondering what her mom was doing during this hour, considering it was near closing for her at the clinic. But then again, she also occupied odd hours here and there. Glancing between her phone and book, Leal decided to finish the book first. There didn't seem to be any urgency in her mother's message regardless. So she opted to finish her last the chapter.

And it was a bit of a disappointment. Despite being a realistic fiction, Lealtad found the ending to be more propagandic if anything else. Sure, the character growth for Kalen and their arc was pretty nice, but ending with them joining the Emperor's Coven seemed so… cliché. They were recognized as town defender and recruited to help spread their gifts, through the will of the Emperor, as they now strived to make a better society for all. Thus, making sure another Watcher would never appear ever again. It honestly felt like Leal was getting slapped with a poster flyer ending if anything else.

"What a letdown," she muttered, putting her book down.

It was definitely one of those books she'd cringe at for having a large fandom or merch, mainly because there wasn't much substance to go off of. It then hit what her mom was implying! Quickly fishing out her phone, she sent out a text back to her mother.

Fave Bebé [4:45 PM]: YES. BUT ALSO NO.

Fave Bebé [4:45 PM]: Mamá, PLEASE tell me you didn't buy it?

Within seconds she saw her mother's chat bubble pop up.

Mamí [4:46 PM]: Why not? You like this show, no?

Leal softly chuckled. While she did like the show and such, she wasn't at all like Luz in terms of fandom love. She could appreciate a fandom's community and passion, and discuss things with other fans, but she hardly would jump at the chance to get merch. It wasn't even that she was embarrassed to wear merch or anything, she just… didn't like having or wearing anything like that. Most of the time it was because the designs were cheesy for her taste, like the one in her mom's recently sent photo.

Fave Bebé [4:46 PM]: I do! I just don't want a t-shirt is all

Mamí [4:46 PM]: oh they have beanies too!

She laughed at her mother's innocent addition.

Fave Bebé [4:46 PM]: No Mamá, I'm good! And hey is that Thrown Thrifters?

Fave Bebé [4:47 PM]: if they have any Azura stuff, Luz might want something!

Mamí [4:47 PM]: Was just window shopping but I'll go look and see if they have!

Smiling, Leal carried the flow of the moment toward her photo gallery. She sifted through to a few days old photo she took of Luz one night. It was right before they were going to bed, and she snapped a pic of Luz beaming a big grin at her.

Fave Bebé [4:48 PM]: SunshineBedtimeIMAGE.

Fave Bebé [4:48 PM]: Speaking of, caught a pic of some rare sunshine before bed the other night!

Immediately, her mom hearted the photo and replied with a laughing emoji.

Her chat bubble appeared, and as Leal waited eagerly for her mother's next text, another tap rolled up against her shoe. She looked down from her phone and smiled at the softball at her feet once again. "Getting excited, eh Hooty?"

The bird beamed at her as he wriggled around. "Leeaal, why don't you play with me?" He kept his head still as his body swung around like one of those inflatable balloon men at a car dealership or something. The sight made her laugh as he looked at her pleadingly with his eyes and pouted his lip. Her phone chimed as Leal already pocketed it, rising up from her seat.

"Eh, why not?" She smirked and picked up the ball. She rolled left shoulder around as she called out, "Be prepared, casa del búho, I can throw pretty far!" He eagerly spun around the clearing, waiting for Leal. With a quick breath, Lealtad tucked the ball into her right palm and threw up her right leg. In one swift motion, she launched a fastball, sending the ball further down the pathway and right over Hooty's head. Lealtad laughed as she watched Hooty zip after it, rapidly and repeatedly screaming, "I got it! I got it!"

All things considered, at least she was having a good day.

::::

Breakfast was strange. Neither of the two were coming down to join her, so in a rare instance, Leal let Hooty come inside the house to join her at the table. Giving him his slop of gruel (a strange coloured substance that Eda had a well stocked supply of with some weird vole-looking things inside it), she placed it in a big bowl and "sat" him across from her in Luz's usual seat. The gruel was one of the many weird things she found inside Eda's many closets, and apparently it was magicked to keep warm—not too hot or cold, just right. The day she learned it was essentially Hooty's food, it was the day she had almost cemented her belief that the door-bird was a strange pet.

Still, she accepted having his company for breakfast rather than nothing at all.

"Hey, casa del búho," she called out, lowering her fork of sunny-side eggs. Hooty lifted his beak from his bowl, revealing a large amount of slop around his face as he hummed at her. Well, she was gonna have to clean that later. "Do you know anything 'bout whatever Luz and King have going on?"

Hooty shook his head. "Noooope!"

She frowned. So did they make up or did things get worse? Last night's dinner was more of a grab and go deal, where she reheated her leftovers but it seemed no one was hankering to join her in the kitchen. She hoped that either Luz or King took the initiative to resolve their dispute, regardless if Luz was in the right or not, someone taking a step forward went a long way in terms of remedying things. If Luz didn't want her to step in, then she wouldn't. But Leal also didn't feel right knowing that she planned to get groceries later today, and if that meant leaving the two to themselves again? Leal wasn't sure if that was the best move.

She continued to eat her breakfast, lightly discussing The Tale of a Good Child with Hooty as per her not actually reading it to him. Of course he didn't have much talking points to add, but it felt nice to rant a bit about how she was sad with the book especially since it was fresh on her mind. Hooty conversed how he sometimes feels the same way about when he eats a bug and it doesn't taste good—so at least the sentiment was understood. After the two finished their meals, Leal made sure to leave leftovers for King and Luz in the fridge. She resigned to washing the dishes before heading out to town to get groceries.

Hooty yelped. "Oop! Someone's opening the door!" The door-bird proceeded to retract out the backdoor and all the way back to the front of the house.

Before Leal could even wonder if it was Eda, she heard King's voice echo out, "I'm baaaack!"

Her eyes widened in alarm as she raced out of the kitchen, rushing into the living room. "When did you—what are you wearing?" she stared at the demon in confusion, as he was now wearing a brown coat with a very noticeable turquoise scarf made of wool.

He smugly winked at her as he raised his red circular sunglasses. "Oh this? Just the clothing befitting of an established author."

Leal shook herself out of her confusion. "Where and when did you go!"

"Earlier this morning!"

"You got up earlier than me?" she remarked incredulously.

"Hey, authors like myself can get up when our publishers demand it!"

"When did you get a publisher?"

"Since yesterday!"

Leal sighed, facepalming. "When since yesterday!"

"Uhhh not long after you left to do errands?" he casually answered.

Leal glared at Hooty who turned himself into the living room. "You didn't know he left?"

Hooty frowned. "Hey, I was busy catching a vole!" He slammed himself shut after that.

She had a reply to that threatening her lips to shout, but bit back. It was her responsibility at the end of the day. There was a reason Eda put her in charge twice and not Hooty. She wasn't gonna go all control freak, not now. Sighing once again, Leal knelt down at King's level. "Scruffy," she softly spoke, "you mind telling me what you got up to while you were out?"

King innocently blinked. "Today or yesterday?"

She chuckled. "Both times, preferably."

And then he launched into a tale about how ysterday he went into town with his own story, wandering to a bar and managing to get a publisher who was invested in his work. Leal had several comments about King's aimless wandering and trust of strangers, but held her tongue in favour of hearing him out entirely. Apparently, King's encounter snowballed pretty well as the publisher, Piniet, took the marketing to a whole new level and had King as a best selling author almost immediately (she also learned that mass production was an easy concept within the Isles). But it blew her mind hearing this all took place yesterday.

"How did I not notice this when I was in town?" she exclaimed.

"These books sell fast, Leal, should've caught it when they were hot off the shelves!" King smugly stated.

Leal rolled her eyes. "That's… not what I meant, Scruffy." She sighed, deciding now would be a good time to hammer home her issues. "King, you should've told someone—me especially—that you were going to leave on your own yesterday. You shouldn't be out by yourself!"

King frowned while crossing his arms. "Hey, I know the town way more than you! I've lived here longer! I had to babysit you two on your first trip to Bonesborough back when you first got here, remember?" Hearing that reply made Leal flinch a bit. He was right. At the end of the day, this was his world they were in, not hers.

"I… sorry King," she sincerely replied. He wasn't her little brother. Right. She needed to remember that, actually. She sheepishly admitted, "It's just… I worry 'bout you too, 'kay?" His eyes softened at that as she smiled at him. "I guess I'm kinda amazed your book did well! Just, let me know when you have other solo plans next time, please?"

"Will do Leal!" King smiled as he reached into his coat and pulled out a ticket, showing it to her. It talked about a party at the library tonight? "By the way, the reason I left this morning was because they were announcing that I won the contest today! So I had to collect all the praise and acclaim, you know how that goes," he smugly remarked, waving his paw about.

At that, Leal's brow raised. She wasn't exactly keeping up with the writing competition, but did that mean Luz also snuck off to submit her story? Or did she not get to?

Or choose not to?

King carried on, "And well, Piniet wanted to celebrate my book, sooo I have a meet and greet tonight!" Leal blinked in surprise. "I could only get the one ticket and was hoping to get Luz to come. You think she'd want to?"

Leal chuckled. "I dunno, Scruffy. You'll have to ask her yourself." She rose up from the floor and smiled. "I don't think I can take you because of the groceries I have to do today but I honestly doubt that'd stop you, so just please try to come back before it's late? Or else I'm gonna come searching for you," she said in a warning tone.

The demon chuckled at that. "You got it, Leal. I'll even ask Piniet if I can get you a signed copy!"

The door opened again with a smiling Hooty. "I'd like a signed copy!"

King rolled his eyes as he started to walk away. "Ugh, wasn't talking to you."

Leal looked at Hooty and winked. "Don't worry door-bird, you can have my copy."

King groaned again as he exited the living room. "Then neither of you are getting signed copies!"

"Sheesh, what a snob," Hooty bitterly muttered. "Being an author really changes you."

Leal snorted. "Think that's just King being King—the author part's just the shtick."

"Oh, he has a stick!" Hooty excitedly shouted.

"I… no, Hooty, he doesn't," she dryly replied before walking back into the kitchen.

It wasn't long until Lealtad finished the dishes and began drying and placing everything back in their cupboards. She then started to jot down a list of what she needed to buy today in her Notes app. Crampy Crickets, Bitter Biter Bread, some milk, Apple Blood, Griffin eggs and meat. Leal smiled at the last addition, thinking about her plan. Knowing Eda's vagueness, there was a chance that tonight or tomorrow morning Eda would return, considering a "few days" could also account for possible fleeing from authorities, ex-partners that may want to kill her, or other.

Either way, Leal's thinking was that she would prepare a meal for Eda that she vaguely recalled the woman stating that she liked once. And if she didn't show tonight, then it'd sit in the fridge for reheating tomorrow. It was some deep fried Griffin with mashed Mincers (something Leal thought looked like potatoes but were definitely too sentient for her taste) and a glass of Apple Blood. Lealtad had cooked her mom's favourite meals countless times. And Luz's. She could handle Eda's! She just needed the ingredients... and guesswork.

A series of rapid stomping coming from the stairs pulled her away from her phone and over to the kitchen entrance, where she found King angrily marching. "Buddy, you—"

"I'm meeting with my publisher!" he announced. "We have many… uh, author-y things to discuss!"

Leal raced after the demon as he stomped over to the door. "Hey Scruffy, maybe you could use a break and all—wanna head to the Slayground?" He stopped and turned, looking at her curiously. "We could probably find that brat who pushed you the other day and give 'em a stern talking to!" she temptingly offered.

"What? Sorry, Leal, I'm an author now," he puffed his chest, spinning his scarf around, "I don't have time for such things."

"What? Every author has time to have fun and take a break."

"But I found someone who plays nice and works well with me! Just like you said!" he happily pointed out.

Leal scrunched her face. "Uh, well, I more so said if you didn't do that no one else would. Not to… look for someone who would…" she awkwardly corrected. King simply turned away, continuing his march. "C-Can it at least wait until I'm ready to go into town? I-I'll drop you off before I get groceries just let me—"

"I can walk to town on my own Leal!" King barked as he opened the door and slammed it. A brief, "ow" could be heard from Hooty and Leal rushed to open the door, watching King stomp down the path.

"Please be safe?" she tried. Ugh, who was she kidding? He was not listening to her.

"Yeesh, if this is how author's act then it's a good thing I don't read!" Hooty remarked, hooting proudly.

Leal snorted, rolling her eyes as she stepped back in.

"You're not going after him?"

She sighed. "I… I'd love to but it'd only push him away more. Same thing happened with Luz back home," she explained to Hooty as she walked further inside. "We have a forest behind our house and the more I followed if she was in a mood, sometimes, the deeper she'd go. Then she'd get lost and it'd be harder to find her so I stopped pushing. I eventually gathered she just needed space." She pocketed her phone and smiled at Hooty. "King and you know this place better than we do so the last thing I want is to chase him and lose him. If he's in town, I'll find him before I go home. If not, then I'll search for him."

It wasn't the best solution but right now, she had another person to worry about.

"Ooooh, I can help with that!" Hooty shouted. "I can sniff him out!"

Leal hummed her acknowledgement. How far could he stretch? "Noted, door-bird. Now if you excuse me, I gotta check on mi hermana."

"Okay! I'll keep an eye out for King!"

She quickly hurried up to their room and slowed her approach as she noticed the door was wide open. Peeking her head around the corner, she knocked and poked her head inside. Luz was still writing on the typewriter by the window and that invitation ticket King had was on the floor beside the table. But the first thing Leal caught was Luz's pouty face. "Hey," she greeted her. "Scruffy seemed pretty upset before he left—I take it you declined?"

"Declined going to an event that celebrates half my work? Yeah," her sister bitterly replied.

Leal's brows raised at that. "Hold up. King used the copy you both collaborated on?"

Luz stared at her blankly. "You think he could've written a nice book on his own?" she flatly countered.

In another instance, Leal would've laughed at her sister making a sarcastic remark like that. Instead, she just shrugged sheepishly. "Honestly? Kinda?" Luz furrowed a brow. "Let's just say I've read some books that definitely have… interesting turnabouts." She couldn't help the frown on her face as she thought of The Tale of a Good Child.

Luz smirked. "Amity's recommendation ended badly?" she guessed.

Leal sighed, leaning against the doorframe as she tucked her hands into her pockets. "Mierda, it was soooo bad, Sunshine."

Her sister's smile grew as she pulled out her paper from the typewriter. "Well maybe this can cure your aching heart?" She stacked the paper into her pile beside the typewriter and held it out for Lealtad.

"You're still writing?" She moved over and grabbed the paper, beginning her quick skim. Luzura and the Shimmering Tears of Love + Hate. The hate part was added in red text, no doubt King's old addition.

"Yeah, well," Luz shrugged as she tapped the typewriter, "I still felt inspired. And I wanted to get my ideas down to paper. Felt like a waste not to."

Leal nodded as she read through. She could skim pretty quickly but from what she was noticing so far… "Hmm… very… Azura inspired?" she tried. The prose was basically Azura.

"C'mon, I'm taking creative liberties!" her sister pouted.

"Well, you're lucky Mildred Featherwhyle doesn't have any copyright here," she teased, handing the paper back. "Was this not an excuse to just write more Azura fanfic?"

"It's called an OC, Leal," Luz countered.

She snorted, holding her hands up placatingly. "Read ya loud and clear, Sunshine." Luz began to read through her draft, her pout still up and noticeable. Leal sighed as she sat down on the storage chest. Writing was a pastime for Luz. No matter how she sliced it, she knew this was supposed to be a fun thing for her. And King upstaging her—heck, stealing her work too—definitely had to sting. But this was also the first time she ever really collaborated with someone over a passion project.

She let Luz sift through a couple pages before speaking up again. "So… you wanna talk 'bout it?"

Luz sighed. "About how King stole my work?" She set the papers down.

"That, or how he wasn't exactly being the most cooperative partner," Leal tried.

"Am I unreasonable to work with?" Luz frowned as she slumped over the typewriter, looking at Leal.

She chuckled. "You want an honest answer or my big sister answer?"

Her sister's frown dipped into a smirk. "Aren't those both biased in the same way?"

Leal laughed. "Got me there, hermana." She leaned back and shrugged. "Honestly, you have a right to be upset 'bout this. If you don't want to go, you shouldn't."

"But that's the thing," Luz argued, lifting her head, "I don't want to be mad at him either. Even if he took half my work, he managed to become a success!" she waved her arms about as she ranted. "I wanna support him," she softly said.

Lealtad smiled at her sister. Classic Sunshine. She hardly had it in her to be upset about something like this even if she was in the right. Leal could step in too, but she still got the sense Luz didn't want her involved. If this was between her and King, then Luz wanted to resolve it between them too. She reminded herself that if Luz did want help she'd ask for it. Her sister was mature enough to do that, especially for something like this.

She had faith she could work things out.

Luz moved to pick up the invitation and looked it over once again, now standing in front of her. Leal knew her sister still had her own feelings to consider too of course. And, like all creative endeavours, maybe she could benefit from space too. "If you want, you can come with me into town?" Leal offered. "I think my errands will probably end early, but you can decide then if you want to catch King's meet and greet or not." She chuckled. "And I'm totally not saying this 'cause I want a hand in getting groceries," she joked.

In all honesty, Luz going would be a stress reliever if she went to the party tonight because then someone would be there to look after King and make sure he gets home safely. Even if he knew the Isles better than them, Leal still worried. Sure, the worry of Luz being out late was still very real, but her sister fought off the Bat Queen! She also had faith Luz could handle walking King back home.

"I'll go Lealtad. Later tonight," Luz finally said, smiling at her. "I do wanna show my support too. I'll also make sure he's safe too," she added, shooting her a knowing look.

Okay so maybe that part was obvious to her sister.

Leal still let out a relieved sigh. "That's great, hermana." She leaned over and gave her sister a quick hug. "Maybe then you can also work it out with him too. Just… make sure you both get home before it's late?"

"No promises," her sister mused.

"Oye, she's a comedian, everyone!" Lealtad sarcastically announced, stepping away. "Make sure to put back your writing stuff 'kay? Everything as you found it and all that." Luz nodded as she waved her hand about, expressing her understanding. Leal stopped at the doorway and raised a brow at her sister. "I'll see you when I see you?"

"You're doing groceries now?" Luz exclaimed.

"Eh, the sooner the better, ¿no?" She smirked. "Also, gotta catch the sales!" she shouted before rushing out, leaving her sister's laughter to echo in throughout the house. Letting Luz take initiative with King, it was also important knowing those two could handle themselves—or at the very least, one could handle the other. As much as Leal wanted to help out and mitigate this albeit childish dispute, there was truth to what Leal said too…

The best deals were midday, and if she wanted a steal, now would be the time.

::::

Getting groceries wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be.

She was at first worried about the quantity, but when she went to get the Apple Blood first, the vendor gave her a Nearly Endless Bag that apparently all, if not most, residents of the Isles shop with. It could seemingly carry a finite amount of items and was a small black tote bag—the kind she'd see at a grocery store promoting the reusable recyclable brand. But Leal quickly realized from the tag on the strap that it had a one day life expectancy. And sure enough, she poked the back on the side and felt it shake. So… the bag was sentient. Because of course.

She did not want to think of the implications between a sentient bag and a life expectancy warning so she resolved to just throw it in the trash when she was done.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Regardless, it was a handy buy since she lost the wagon from yesterday's chase (an incident she knew also had to explain to Eda when she got back). It was times like these that the Boiling Isles magic really did come in clutch for her. After that, it was only a matter of going from stall to stall. Haggling wasn't much of an issue as anyone would expect from Leal. In fact, she had her own cards to play to get cheaper and better deals. As she played the smart card of actually acting like a lost new cook. She didn't have a clue about most things, but being earnest in trying things could seem like an easy mark for vendors.

"Ah jeez," she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She pretended to inspect the packet of Crampy Crickets, cocking her head slightly. "I've heard these are good, but could never get 'round to trying 'em."

The demon vendor with a wolf-like physique barked a laugh, leaning on their counter. "You hear right! My stall happens to have the best Crampy Crickets in all of Bonesborough!"

She feigned a gasp. "Wow! But… I don't think I could ever afford it." She pouted as she picked a packet up. "I wanted to get at least two, but guess I'll have to save for next time." She sighed again. "Whenever that'll be," she sadly added.

The vendor frowned. "Hey, how about I give ya a three-for-one deal?" they suggested.

Leal smiled widely. "Really?"

"Why not!" they proceeded to give Leal two more packets as they smiled. "Long as ya promise to return again!"

She nodded. "Definitely will pay full next time!" she asserted, collecting the three packets as she paid the demon. "Appreciate it!" she shouted as she departed from the stand, shovelling the crickets into her bag.

A rumble from the bag was all she needed to know that it was three quarters full.

Good thing she just wrapped up anyways. With a smile, Leal made her way out the market district, taking a quick trip down to the book fair. Getting vendors to slash their own prices for customer investment only worked because of their kindness and her feigned disappointment. Her strategy really was a one time use kind of thing, but it assured two things: she still had extra spending money and that she got good, cheap deals. Of course, she didn't need to tell Eda about the extra snails if she bought another book or two. So maybe there was a bit of a selfish pursuit in this task, but Lealtad figured Eda of all people would respect the move.

Not that she'd tell her of course.

She also didn't need to worry about the food or drinks spoiling or whatever. Magic from the bag, magic within Eda's fridge—magic in general, food just didn't spoil or go bad the way it would back home. Of course that didn't mean she could just relax all day, only that the need to hurry wasn't a priority. Leal smiled as she took a casual stroll into the book fair, enjoying her prediction coming true. Newer book vendors had arrived and like she guessed, older ones slacked prices at least two-thirds cheaper than before.

As Leal wandered near the writing competition section, she finally caught wind of King's promotional work. He was all over the place. Posters, cardboard cutouts, and his book on sale at every other booth. She supposed marketing on the Isles was much faster in terms of production because that was insane how quickly it had spread about. Seeing people get so excited and invested, Leal could only wonder what it was about his (and Luz's) writing that made everyone so giddy. To each their own of course, but she had to wonder if culturally the witches and demons of the Isles had different tastes in "good" books compared to her.

It wasn't like she had a high end taste or critique. Or even that The Tale of a Good Child left a bad mark on her. Lealtad simply found books to be interesting insights and how people responded to them to be even greater insights. If Ruler's Reach was the Bonesborough Best Seller in a matter of days, the factors of reading speed and comprehension, media literacy, and even fandom culture came to her mind. Then again, she didn't have much firsthand experience when it came to people. Book wise, she'd dipped in a bit, but in terms of knowing other readers all she had were a bunch of kids, her sister, and—

"Amity?" the teen stopped in her tracks as she caught the familiar head of green hair just down the strip from her, at the intersection. The crowd between them was just barely condensed, but for a fleeting second the girl's hair stood out. She was dressed in her Hexside uniform once again, standing at a booth and perusing the books around, but from the brief profile Leal caught she looked… disinterested.

Lealtad observed her own situation first.

She was doing groceries—no, she just finished doing groceries. She was here to satiate her own interests and pass the time. She had to get home to get a head start on putting everything away and prepping the meal she wanted to make Eda. But…

"I don't think you've ever read a book recommendation before!"

The unspoken "from a friend" was what her sister meant back then.

She didn't want talk about the book at all actually. Though, call it her inner curiosity or just big sister senses, Leal got the idea Amity was… upset about something. Something about her shrunken and closed off stance, to her distant look: she seemed... off. Well, if Luz was going to be a big girl and solve her own issues, maybe it was time for Lealtad to employ some of her own growth too. She stalked toward the younger girl, gently calling out, "Hey, Blight!"

Watching the girl stiffen at that nearly made Leal's pace falter but she reminded herself the girl was just probably startled. Amity turned around and awkwardly waved at her. "Hi… Leal."

"Just caught ya in this crowd," she nonchalantly explained, jerking her thumb off to the side, "thought I'd just say thanks for the book recommendation! I enjoyed it! Well, for the most part."

Amity's lips turned into a small smile as she raised a brow. "You… already finished?"

"Well, it was a short novel and I had time to spare." She shrugged. She bit her lip as she looked around, feeling weird at this situation she put herself in. What could she—wait, books! "Got, uh, any other recommendations?" she asked.

Amity's face lit up a bit at that. "Um, sure." She pointed down the left strip. "I-I could show you some stalls?"

Leal smiled, she gestured. "Lead the way!"

A couple minutes of awkward brushing against strangers, Amity and her sharing brief glances, and nothing else. Eventually Amity pointed to her black tote bag. "You shopping?"

"Ah, just finished," she answered. "Figured I'd hit the fair before I head home. Thought the deals would be better." She raised a brow at the girl. "What about you? What brings you to the fair? Browsing or looking for somethin' specific or—"

"Hiding," the witch muttered.

Leal bit her lip.

Okay then.

Despite Amity beginning this whole scenario with her showing Leal some stalls, none of that was happening… at all. The witch seemed more occupied with staring ahead and down at her feet, almost dragging each step. Alright, maybe it was better if she just got the girl's mind off of whatever was bothering her instead. Right, books. Duh. Lealtad dug into her messenger bag and handed the book back to Amity, getting the girl's attention. "Since I'm already done and all… or should I give it back to you another time?"

Amity shook her head. "Now's fine," she quietly said as she took the book. She gave it a look over the cover, smiling at the artwork of Watcher's house in the forest. She then tucked it under her arm, looking back at Leal with a small smile. "So… who, uh, who was your favourite character?"

Lealtad chuckled. "It would've been Watcher, but his whole bad guy route was so jarring to me. Felt like the author really just wanted to twist it for no damn reason."

"Well, he is a wild witch," Amity pointed out.

Leal furrowed a brow. "So?"

"The magic he knows is dangerous?"

"But Kalen was able to become a Coven Scout because of Watcher's teachings. Doesn't that basically prove that they aren't all bad?" Leal argued. "That there's some merit to what they do?" Watching Amity wilt a bit at that made Leal realize the girl hadn't considered that point. She felt a bit bad, knowing the book was a favourite of hers, and so she backpedalled with a half-hearted shrug. "Might be a witch thing I just don't get yet," she brushed off. "Still, I liked his character in the beginning. But I guess Kalen himself wasn't so bad." She looked at Amity with a smile. "How 'bout you?"

"Kalen as well," she softly said.

"They are a pretty cool dude. I'm kinda proud of them for growing into a good person in spite of the Watcher—even with their close bond." The speed at which the smile on Amity's face fell made Lealtad sigh. "Okay, Blight," she stopped in her tracks, and Amity followed immediately, confusion across her face. "Ya wanna sit and talk?" There was apprehension, but Leal nodded over to a reading area. It was actually just an open eating area but since it was a book fair of course nerds would just use it to read. "Least I can do is just be a listening ear," she offered.

Amity seemed to consider that point, nodding slowly. With that, the two sat down at a small sort of coffee table. Leal hung her bags on the back of her chair as she still kept her bat in her left hand, resting the barrel on the ground as she gave herself something to fiddle with. Amity had The Tale of a Good Child sitting in front of her, the blurb staring back at her face. For a good few seconds, Leal knew the witch was thinking about what she wanted to say. So she stayed patient. She honestly doubted the girl was gonna speak up first, but she figured it was polite to at least prompt an open floor and leading start so Amity felt in control.

But after a minute, Lealtad took the plunge. "So… hiding," she brought up, raising a brow. "From?"

"My brother and sister," Amity grumbled.

Leal's stomach flared a bit as she uncomfortably clenched her bat. "They're not bothering you are they?" she worriedly asked.

Amity sighed. "No… well yes. But it's sort of no which makes it yes." She groaned, slamming her hands on the table.

"Ookay, kinda lost now," Leal said, tilting her head. She shifted into a smirk as she mused, "Sounds like you are too." Still, it didn't sound like it was anything bad so far. Or at least, not anything Leal was thinking.

"Yeah," she agreed, chuckling. Taking a deep breath, Amity looked up and found Leal's eyes. "Maybe about a week ago? Or I guess, after the library incident, they've been following me. They just… kept trying to make sure I was okay and it just—ugh," she clenched her fists, looking down at her hands. "Then they stopped hovering around me outside, but bother me more at home! And it's like, I can sometimes feel like they're watching or following me even when I leave but it's not as persistent anymore and I just want a moment away 'cause it's either them, my parents, or both and—" she stopped, letting herself catch her breath as she shook her head.

So it sounded like the twins were still trying their best, albeit non-communicatively. God, did that sound familiar…

"So you came here?" the older teen surmised.

"It's a book fair," Amity mused, "I thought it was the last place they'd be."

Lealtad giggled. Okay, that was a pretty good dig. "Well," she shrugged, "hate to break it to ya Blight, but siblings like yours seem like the kind to be determined when they're really set on somethin'. So I don't think some allergy to books'll keep 'em from checking here."

She groaned, slumping her arms onto the table as she rested her head on them.

"It bothers you," Leal observed, "because they're invading your privacy and not respecting your boundaries."

Amity lifted her head as her eyes widened. "Exactly!"

She hummed her understanding, nodding as she rested her right hand on the table. Leal wasn't sure what exactly to say here. The twins wanted to make up for it, but Amity also wanted her own space. She was rooting for the twins too. Though in the end, she supposed Amity had a right to her boundaries since the twins first violated it completely. She could only wonder what it was like to be trapped in the same household with people you just didn't trust… and to have those people be part of your family.

"How are you and your sister?" Amity suddenly asked.

Leal raised a brow. "What's with the curiosity?"

The witch shrugged. "That's like, twice now I've seen you without her. You're usually joined at the hip—you avoiding each other?"

She chuckled. "Not a bad guess, Blight, but nah." She shook her head. "Past couple days she's just been busy with the whole writing competition thing and hanging out with King," she casually explained, jerking her thumb absentmindedly toward the fair.

Amity's brows raised. "She entered that?"

"Well, not really," she amended. "She and King entered together but King went solo—they kind of butted heads." Leal sighed, shaking her head. "I hope they make things up tonight though, at his party." She furrowed a brow at the girl. "Speaking of, you're not needed there? I know it's being held at the library."

"I took the time off," she replied, looking away.

"Didn't need the 'extra credit' or just needed time to yourself?" Leal teased. As the witch glared at her, Lealtad bit her lip. "Sorry, just a joke," she muttered while raising placating hand.

"That's what my siblings say," Amity bitterly countered.

"Well maybe you three should establish boundaries in what a 'joke' really is," she suggested with a half-hearted shrug. She cringed a bit at her tone, realizing how it may have sounded, but Amity's face looked… contemplative.

"Does… Does Luz ever get... bothered by you?"

Lealtad nearly had whiplash from the sudden inquiry. On a bad day she might've misinterpreted the witch's words, ready to chew her out for whatever she was implying. But today? Leal knew what Amity was trying to get at. "I mean, sometimes," she honestly answered, "Though I'd like to say the feeling can be mutual sometimes, recently I think it's more that she just doesn't want me constantly over her shoulder, nagging."

"And… she told you this?"

"More or less, but essentially yeah." Leal nodded.

"So you're listening to her?"

"Well, I'm here with you, aren't I?" she sarcastically quipped. "But yeah, I try my best to listen to her. Sometimes Sunshine gets in over her head and I do my best to help, other times I let her handle it 'cause I know she can—it's bit of playing it by ear, I guess."

Amity chuckled humourlessly, holding a frown as she looked down at the book again. "Can't even understand that," she muttered. Lealtad furrowed a brow, confused by what Amity was saying, and the witch must've sensed her stare as she looked up at her. She shrugged as she elaborated, "I mean, you're an older sister."

"I am, last I checked," Leal joked.

Amity sighed. "I mean, you have the perspective of being the older sibling. Yet you talk about your and your sister's relationship so… casually and act like it's mutual."

"Well, it is," Leal argued, "or at least I'd like to think so. But communication and boundaries are how Luz and I work so well. We trust each other, plain and simple."

Amity bit her lip as a pensive look crossed her face. "Boundaries…" she echoed. "How… How did you and Luz establish them?"

"How do you mean?"

"I don't know, like… your camera!" the girl pointed at her chest. "You take photos of her all the time—I-I assume—what if she doesn't want you to all of sudden? What then?" she frantically proposed.

"Then I stop," Leal flatly and honestly answered. Amity seemed to be baffled by that reply so she just shrugged. "I've always assured mi hermana that she has a right to tell me to delete or get rid of any photo I've taken of her if she wants or even tell me if she feels like I've invaded her space. Heck, just a week ago she confronted me about how I was getting too hover-y for her taste."

"An-And how'd that go?"

"Well, we talked it out," Leal explained, "In the end, she was right but knew I meant well. And I promised I would try to reign it in a bit, because I listen and respect her wishes. Because I love her." She smiled a bit, proud of her statement.

"You're respecting her boundaries," Amity stated.

Leal nodded. "Always have. And will," she replied without any hesitation.

A pause hung for a few seconds, with Amity staring at her observingly. Leal felt weird about it, but got the idea the girl was just trying to place her thoughts into words. She settled for tapping her knuckles on her bat's grip. Though she desperately wished she had a drink or something to occupy herself to lessen the awkwardness. Being patient was a hard skill Leal attributed, but it wasn't something she could do with just about anyone. Today she was being generous, so Amity was lucky. Thankfully, the witch finally looked like she was about to say something, as she opened her mouth and hesitantly stared at her.

"Do you always look after her?" she softly asked.

Leal blew out a breath at that inquiry. It was a bit of a loaded question. "It wasn't always an, 'always' thing," she answered, "But it became that way when we grew up." That was the best way to put it, she supposed. Turning it around to Amity, she furrowed a brow and asked, "Do your siblings look after you?"

"Sometimes… in their own way," Amity's face shifted into a sheepish frown, "At least, I think."

Well, she acknowledged their effort at least. That was a good sign. Leal smiled. "Sometimes Luz does the same for me. She tries the little things, like helping me when I'm doing my own laundry or cleaning my room. It's a small effort, but I appreciate it. Because sometimes it's the effort that's all that's needed."

She wistfully sighed. "You make it sound so easy."

Leal frowned at that. "It wasn't. It still isn't. Some days she and I butt heads, others we need to sit down and really express our thoughts. Trust is earned, Blight. And well… Luz and I earned each other's trust throughout all our lives. It's just how things worked out. Maintaining it is all 'bout boundaries and communication," she softly reiterated. She shot the girl a smirk. "Doesn't mean it can't ever be earned…"

Amity smiled at that but her eyes looked distant. It wasn't until she spoke that Lealtad realized she was thinking about her past. "Ed and Em never got the hazing from my parents," she suddenly said, eyes now downcast, "so they got to goof off more. I hardly got to hang out with them much since they saw me as their little sister and since my parents wanted me to be more. More studies and clubs, opportunities to train with the Lilith Clawthorne, Abomination practice, etcetera." She thumbed over the book's blurb, scoffing. "It's always upset me that they got to mess around but I had to be the good kid."

Unable to help herself, Leal teased, "Well, 'good', seems kind of relative these days apparently." The girl shot her a glare but Leal held her smug smile. She wasn't gonna give her all the passes. "Sounds like the three of you need a sit down on what 'good' really means to you," she pointed out, half honestly. Amity seemed like a good kid, but influences like Edric and Emira (even if not direct) could still be hard to grow up with. Even with just that in mind, Leal could see why the girl was so bitter and mean.

The witch let out a sigh, lowering her head. She then raised it, locking eyes with Leal apprehensively. "Leal, I… I am sorry about how I treated you and your sister," Amity whispered.

Lealtad's eyes widened. Well… shit. She definitely didn't expect that right now.

"I… I have been thinking on it, and seeing you the other day it's just, ugh!" Amity clenched her fists as her face flushed, but Leal couldn't tell if it was rage or embarrassment. "I just wish my siblings acted like you did."

Wow.

That… was a lot to hear.

Leal didn't even know what to say to that. This poor girl had a lot going on right now, and she was now talking with someone who should be considered a stranger and admitting she found them to be a better sister than her actual blood. Leal couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she ever heard Luz say she wished someone else was her sister. Heck, she couldn't even imagine another sister in their family. But maybe that wasn't what she should focus on right now.

Same with Willow, maybe it was important that… Amity just let her feelings mend.

Lealtad took a deep breath. She gripped on her bat as she looked at Amity, sadly smiling. "I'm sorry too," she said, startling the girl into a wide eyed expression. "I said some pretty nasty things. Like a lot of threatening was involved. I… I know I scared you—"

Amity scoffed. "I-I wasn't scared," she interjected, crossing her arms.

The older girl blankly stared. "Blight."

She sighed, shrinking a bit as she uncrossed her arms. "Okay… I kinda still am afraid of you…"

In the beginning Leal would've thrived at hearing that, but now that just made her feel guilty. She ignored the pit in her stomach as she continued, "I… I don't think I regret my intent or stance, but I am sorry that my impression left a bad mark." Amity furrowed a brow, no doubt a bit confused. "I mean that, it sucks that you still have a fearful look of me, when I hope we can let what happened just flow under the bridge. But when it comes to my sister? I mean what I say to protect her. I know how it sounds but… it's just the honest truth."

The witch blew out a breath. "Wow… you really love her, huh?" she stated, almost as if in awe.

Leal chuckled. "My anger can get the better of my judgement sometimes, but it mainly happens when Luz is under fire. I put all I can to douse it out and make sure she's bright and shining." God, she sounded so cheesy right now. "And… 'cause of that, I get carried away. Luz does pull me back and I listen to her, but when she was younger she used to hide behind me and I got really into that habit. Or I guess, I used to get in front of her so she could hide behind me."

"How do you mean?"

She sighed, leaning back in her chair as she thought back. What was the best way to describe this? "Ah." She clicked her teeth, shaking her head. "When we were little, like back when I was ten and Sunshine was seven, Luz got this new haircut. She did it herself, and it was actually kinda cute." She smiled, remembering Luz's excitement about giving herself a cut, followed by the sheer panic of her coming out of her bedroom and neither Leal or their mother realizing Luz meant she was doing it that day by herself with a sword. "Mamá and I touched it up a bit, and it eventually kinda turned into the style she has today. But when photo day came out our middle school—"

"Photo day?" Amity echoed, cocking her head confusedly.

"Oh, uh, it's basically this yearly thing in our schools where a photographer comes in and takes our photos for our yearbook, which is a booklet of school memories," she quickly explained. "It has a profile shot of every student, and almost everyone wants to look good for 'em, especially since some parents like to get copies to frame them or look at them. And well, Luz thought she was okay with her haircut until some twerp made fun of her when we were all lining up outside our school to take our photos. She told everyone she did it herself and some brat said it sucked our parents had to look at her 'sorry excuse' of a haircut for the yearbook." Leal scoffed, rolling her tongue around in her cheek. "I pushed the kid to the dirt and told him it sucked that his parents had to look at his dumb mophead hair when he didn't have an excuse."

Amity snorted, quickly covering her mouth as her face flushed.

Lealtad laughed earnestly. Okay, maybe she was still a bit proud of that one. "Luz laughed after I said what I said." She shrugged, releasing her grip on her bat and letting her fingers slowly tap against it. "I think about that day a lot 'cause…" it was just when things were starting to brighten up for them, and she did not want anyone to dim the mood for her sister and mom. "I remember thinking if I could just make her smile and feel better, then it was okay." She sighed. "Of course I got in trouble for it afterward."

It wasn't that long after their dad died when that happened. Maybe time wise it was, but the rawness from healing, it was still recent. It was actually fresh from the day Leal took that About the Author photo, maybe a couple days or a less than a week after. It was why she worked so hard for the photo. She wanted Luz to feel good about her haircut and seeing her get excited about something like a photo seemed important then. Moving onto Photo Day carried the same kind of weight. Leal just snapped when she saw the tears pooling in Luz's eyes.

"It just… it wasn't a good time for u—for her to hear stuff like that. Or for my mom to see Luz be even sadder," she added. "But… Luz got upset with me afterwards for making things physical and worse. She felt bad about it, 'bout how everyone in line was laughing at him but I couldn't see the big deal. We got into a bit of a fight about it. Heck, we still disagree about stuff like that to this day." She sighed, shaking her head. "From then on people stopped saying stuff, well, not as much, but most people just knew I was next to her ready to deal with anyone who made her sad. I… I carry that role a lot today too. 'Cause I want it known that nobody can mess with my sister."

The girl wilted a bit at that, a frown forming on her lips.

Leal looked at her and smiled. "I know I can be… brash. It's no excuse though. What I was trying to get at with all that, is that I just can't really see my effect on people sometimes 'cause Sunshine is my tunnel vision. So I'm sorry I got carried away." She let her smile relax a bit. "But I want you to know, well, as long as you're not actively making Park and Porter's lives miserable, I've got no animosity towards ya." She shrugged and chuckled. "Not anymore, I suppose. Long as you keep at it. This nice streak of yours."

The witch stared up at her, baffled. "But… how can you just be so… cool with me?" She gestured at herself. "After everything?"

Leal snorted. "Don't take offense, but you remind me of Luz." The girl blinked perplexedly. "Difference is Luz has good people pushing her, backing her corner. My mom, sure, but Eda, King, Hooty? Gus and Willow? They're good people." Amity looked back down. Leal leaned forward, placing her hand on the table to grab the girl's attention once again. "I think your siblings are good people too, or at least are trying to be, like you are." She offered a sympathetic smile. "As an older sister, I can recognize the struggle of just trying. They seem like invasive idiots, but they are coming from a place of love."

Amity let out a breath at that, slowly nodding. It almost sounded like relief flooded her in an instant. She must've really needed to hear that, huh?

Not done yet, Leal levelled a stern look. "And I don't know about your past with her—and I'm not prying for it—but I know Willow's a good person too." The witch flinched at that. "I know that's all it takes. Having good people give you a chance? Well, here's me looking at you." She then chuckled, shaking her head. "I mean, I hardly consider myself a good person, so I guess it's more here's me imparting what my sister would do for you."

Amity let out a brief laugh, smiling back at her. "Lealtad, you're a really cool sister."

"Well, Amity, you're a pretty sweet girl," she countered, "And I mean that in the way I've seen how you care about things. Like reading and Azura. It's honestly pretty adorable."

"Oh I—those aren't really, I just—" she stammered, her cheeks reddening a tinge from embarrassment.

"Blight, ¡cálmate!" Leal laughed. "You're a nerd, we both are," she gestured between them. "You're allowed nerd out about things. And to enjoy reading to kids," she added, smirking. "I certainly do—as you've seen."

"Yeah," she nodded, "it is pretty fun."

"Reading to kids, reading in general," her smirk grew more teasingly as she added, "or reading Azura?" She waggled her brows. Credit to the witch, she simply rolled her eyes, flushed cheeks all gone as a blank expression took over. Wow, credit to her for maintaining cool. "Speaking of, how's your read of Azura going?" she asked, genuinely curious. And for two reasons: it had been a while since Luz lent it, so she was wondering how the girl was doing with the book and also Leal had never really spoken about Azura with someone other than Luz (and maybe their mom) before.

"O-Oh. I um, actually already finished." She jerked her thumb behind her. "I could run home and get it now if you—"

"How many times did you re-read it?" Leal inquired, raising a brow.

"T-Twice?"

She frowned. That was it? "Nah," she shook her head disapprovingly, "you gotta re-read it a bunch. If you like it like Luz—which I think you do—you deserve to really soak it in and make all your notes and stuff." Her third re-read of both The Outsiders and Stranger in the Woods, she had several tabs and notes for herself. It made reading more fun honestly! And considering this girl's week so far and her nerd status, she definitely could use some more nerding out. "How about we meet up again, say, the day after the book fair wraps up? So two days! Plenty of time for you to re-read and really get into it."

"Are you sure your sister would be okay with that?" Amity asked as concern filled her face.

"Blight, she lent it to you over two weeks ago and she's hardly talked about that book since," she replied with deadpan. It was the truth though. While they had talked about Azura here and there, Luz hardly ever brought up her own copy since the library incident. Normally Leal would've been concerned she was trying to ignore it but she knew her sister was just genuinely invested and busy with other things. "I think she's gonna be good to hold off a couple more days. 'Sides, any excuse to spare myself from more of that flowery jargon," she mused.

"H-Hey, it's good writing!" Amity weakly defended.

"For ages six to eleven, yeah," she dryly retorted. Seeing the girl's smile, Lealtad smiled back. It was probably time to call it. "Well, this has been a nice talk," she announced, rising out of her seat, "But I think it's time I head home and get to work on these groceries. Maybe even get a head start on dinner."

Amity straightened up as she stood as well. "Right, and I better…" her smile grew. "I better go home too. I do have a book to re-read." She looked at Leal as her smile softened. "And some siblings to talk to."

Leal grinned, shouldering on her messenger bag and grabbing her black tote bag in her free hand. "Glad to hear it, Blight." She slid the straps of her bag onto her arm, extending her right hand to the witch. "See you after the fair?"

Amity's smile persisted as she eagerly nodded, accepting her hand and shaking it. "I'll have the book by then. Meet in the market?"

Lealtad nodded back. "Luz and I'll see ya then." She turned away and waved, making her way out of the eating area. "Take care!"

Watching the girl wave back before running away, with a noticeable pep in her step, Leal chuckled. Luz was definitely onto something with those instincts of hers, that was for certain. Well… that was her sister after all.

::::

It was getting late.

As the threat of dusk began, Leal asked Hooty to focus up and keep an eye and ear out for Luz and King. That sadly meant telling him to stop playing with his softball because she at least wanted a heads up that they were coming home. The poor guy seemed sad about it but she said she'd play with him again tomorrow. She told herself she would only go out the second it started getting darker. But then reminded herself they were capable. She trusted them to go home on their own just two days ago, so why not now? So she did the only thing she could do and started cooking. It was the most reasonable distraction and if not for her sister and King, she at least wanted a head start in case Eda did arrive tonight.

Cooking deep fried Griffin with mashed Mincers was a challenge. Eda's stovetop had enough burners to cook the Mincers and fry the Griffin meat, but Leal quickly learned that mixing Mincers was different from mixing potatoes. The fact that the Mincers squealed when it was in the pot hurt Leal's ears a lot. They were sort of sentient, more like a plant that just… makes noise if anything. Or at least that's what Eda had told her. After dealing with that hurdle, she had to mash them with a masher and it turned out they were surprisingly more viscous than potatoes were when mixed and mashed.

Her wrist was getting tired, but she also had to keep an eye on the Griffin meat to make sure it was evening out with the seasoning. And on the third burner she had a few portions of scrambled Griffin eggs mixed with sliced Mincers cooking. It was faster to cook and she figured she could have it done in time so that King and Luz had something to eat. But she was definitely putting in more work for herself.

"Dios mío," she exclaimed, switching back to the pan as she pulled it off the burner. "No wonder Mamá tries to keep it to two pans on the stove max." It was a damn minefield! She shifted over to the dining table, scraping the eggs onto a serving plate before rushing back to the stove. She turned the burner off and set the pan down, reasserting her attention back to the meat for a few seconds before continuing her mashing.

"Leaaaaal!" Hooty called out from the living room. "I saw Luz and King in the distance!"

She laughed, letting the relief flood her. "Thanks for the heads up!"

"No problem!" he cheerily replied. "Speaking of heads, I waved at them with mine! I don't think they saw me though!"

"That's nice, Hooty!" she shouted back with a smile.

"Right? I thought so! Hoot, hoot!" he replied. "Oh, they're gonna be here by—right now! Oooo—" the sound of the door shutting made her snort.

"Leal?" Luz called out. "We're home!"

"Kitchen, ¡hermana!" she replied. "I have some fresh eggs ready for y'all!"

Footsteps neared and the two walked into the kitchen, King now without his author attire, but both looking noticeably exhausted. And it may have been her big sister senses, or just the fact that she had been on a few adventures herself, but she suspected that exhaustion was less, "wow meet and greets are tiring" and more "we just got into some hi-jinx."

She narrowed her eyes at them, causing the two to avert her gaze. "Everything okay? It was getting kinda late…" she knew she sounded like she was hovering and hazing, but she also wanted to prod because they would definitely try hiding it from her.

They both nervously chuckled, with Luz immediately slinking into her cat hoodie and tightening it while King rubbed the back of his head and kicked his feet at the floor.

"Ya know how Bonesborough gets at night," Luz brushed off, fiddling with her straps.

"Yeah, lots of busyness!" King added, nodding his head eagerly.

She raised a brow, but Luz stepped forward pointing at the pot. "What's the occasion?" she asked as she slinked out of her hood. "Seems like a lot to cook for just the three of us."

Leal wasn't letting her get away with this one, she'd loop back later when they thought they were in the clear. "I'm also cooking Clawthorne a meal," she answered. King seemed bored with that answer, making his way over to the table. "She said a 'few days', and knowing her, she probably meant she'd be back late too. I figured I might as well have somethin' ready for her." She flipped the meat over on the pan. "Curse or not, I know she'd like a meal ready to eat the second she gets back, especially after a long trip!"

"Aww," her sister cooed. "It's kinda like what you do for Mom when she has late shifts!" Luz pointed out while moving to the table.

Lealtad pondered the thought. "Hmm, guess so?" She shrugged. "Anyways," she said with deadpan, "how'd your meet-n-greet go King?"

The two didn't reply. Her big sister senses were picking up something mischievous, no doubt the two exchanging silent glances with each other. Heck, she could hear the frantic movements behind her. Evidently, the only response they could get out was, "Uhhhhh…"

She turned her head around and narrowed her eyes. "Alright, spill." Their bodies went stiff, making her sigh. "Who's it easier to explain this to? Me? Or Clawthorne?"

And they started to sing like no tomorrow.

It didn't help that they also started eating their eggs and Mincers, so there was a mixture of eating and trying to talk. What she managed to gather was that Piniet was actually a scumbag and tried to hold Luz hostage in order for King to produce a sequel story. But it was more a jumbled rambling of, "Piniet was a toxic publisher who threatened literal crunch time" and "saving the day with cringe flowery romance fiction". How did this stuff just happen when she wasn't around? Lealtad stopped and stared at the two. "So your publisher threatened to squish you two?" she recapped.

They nodded.

"Into making a sequel," King explained.

"Yeah," Luz eagerly nodded, "he had this contract magic that—"

"He tricked me into signing!" King interrupted. He nervously laughed. The two sisters shot him a glare. He sighed. "I know, I know," he grumbled, "read the fine print."

"And maybe don't go hanging out with strangers?" Leal offered. She shook her head, sighing as she turned back to the pan. "So how did you two manage to get out of this one?"

"With teamwork!" Luz proudly exclaimed. "I tricked him using my light glyph and it blinded him like a flashbang! Then King yanked the contract out of his hands and we got the jump on him!" Her tone died down a bit as she added, "Then after that, that nose girl from the Conformatorium showed up with her own story and Piniet really seemed to like it. So we left."

"Yeah, and he took my jacket and gave it to her!" King whined. "My jacket!"

Lealtad blinked in confusion as she looked back at the two, who were now sitting down and eating. "So that asshole is still scamming people?"

The two shared a shrug, seemingly nonplussed about it. "He's not bothering us, that's for sure," King remarked.

She shook her head, sighing as she turned back to the stove. It looked like the Mincers were just about done, so she turned the burner off. "Dios mío, I really can't leave you two out of my sight, can I?" she said as she moved the pot off the burner and toward the table. She scraped the pot's contents onto a serving bowl. "I swear the amount of shit you get into." She clicked her teeth disapprovingly.

"Hey, we handled it!" Luz defended after swallowing her mouthful of eggs.

"Yeah, 'cause you're also a capable badass," Lealtad quipped, winking at her sister. Luz's smile grew at that. "It's also why I knew you could take care of King," she added, making Luz straighten up out of pride. "You two are square, right?" she asked, as she walked back to the stove, shooting a curious brow at the two. "No need for me to force a group hug?" she clarified.

"I think a group hug should just happen anyways!" Luz excitedly replied. King hopped off his chair as Luz sprung from her seat. Flanked by her sister and King, Lealtad resigned herself to being hugged by the two. King had her right shin in his embrace while Luz wrapped herself around her waist.

"I am cooking, you two," she dryly remarked.

"Ah shush, you love this," Luz teased. Leal rolled her eyes, subjecting herself to the hug for a couple more seconds before telling them to get off, because she really did need her space to check the meat. As the two retreated back to their meals, Luz asked, "So how was your day? Grocery run go alright?"

Lealtad chuckled, nodding. "Yup! Got all I needed, managed to snag some really good deals that'd make even Eda proud!" She turned over her shoulder, smirking, knowing her sister would like her last bit of information. "And I ran into little Blight when I stopped by the book fair!" Luz's eyes widened at that. "We talked some book talk and oh yeah! I even worked out a day for you to collect your book back from her." She turned back to the fried Griffin, it was thoroughly cooked. She hoped at least.

"Ooooh, really?" her sister exclaimed.

"Yup. In two days, after the book fair is done," Leal explained, "We're gonna meet up at the market!"

"No, not that!" Luz dismissed. "Okay, actually that is good to know but I mean you hanging out with Amity!" She cooed excitedly as she swayed in her seat.

Leal rolled her eyes before turning the burner off and taking the pan off. She moved over to the empty plate on the other end of the table and dropped the meat straight onto it. "Okay, 'hanging out' is a very loose term," she clarified. Though to be honest, she was hardly an expert on that concept either. "But yeah, we chatted for a bit."

Luz beamed at her as she sat down beside her. "What'd you talk about!"

"I just told you!" Lealtad laughed.

Luz pouted. "Aww, c'mon, I need more details than that!"

"It was book talk, Sunshine, very boring for ya if you haven't read it," she countered. "'Sides, Blight deserves some confidentiality," she added before she began digging into her meal, "some talks are private."

Luz's eyes widened. "Wow! Never thought I'd hear the day you would vouch for Amity!"

Lealtad laughed as she shoved a scoop of her mashed Mincers into her mouth. It was pretty good! Scalding hot, but good nonetheless!

"Well, I heard that some people are worth a second chance once if they have the option," she smugly replied, winking at her sister. Luz proudly beamed back at her, before the moment was interrupted with a loud burp from King. The three shared a laugh as they continued their dinners.

Dinner was great tonight.

::::

She still had Eda's meal ready for her.

A plate of fried griffin meat with a side of mashed Mincers and a glass of Apple Blood. Leal performed the dutiful task of cleaning up the dishes and such while King and Luz resigned themselves to the living room. About fifteen minutes into her task, she heard snoring echoing out and smiled to herself. In Leal's book, it was a good compliment if people were hit with food fatigue after eating your food. Of course they could've also been drained from their brief adventure earlier but Lealtad decided to chalk that up as a win for herself.

"—Good night!" she heard Luz shout. As she leaned back to get a peek into the hallway, she caught her sister darting up the stairs frantically. What was that about? The girl was running like she needed to hide or—

"Hey, Bean Head?"

Ah.

That was why.

Lealtad chuckled to herself as she replied, "Kitchen, ¡Dama Búho!" The woman walked in, holding a copy of Ruler's Reach in her hand as she furrowed a brow at her. The silent inquiry was understood but all Leal could only laugh. "Would you believe me if I said King became a Bonesborough Best Selling author overnight?"

Eda groaned. "Ugh, I don't think I can hear this now." She tossed the book into the air and twirled her finger, magicking the book and levitating it back to the living room. She walked over to the fridge. "I think I'll just have some… Apple Blood?" she locked onto the meal at the end of the table. "What's this?" she asked, looking back at Leal.

Lealtad sheepishly shrugged. "A home cooked meal," she meekly answered. God, why was this so nerve wracking all of a sudden? She dried off her hands and crossed them across her chest while leaning against the counter.

"Aw, gee," Eda offered a small smile as she rubbed the back of her head, moving over to her food, "Bean Head, ya didn't have to do all this."

"Eh, I figured whatever the Hell you were doing would be exhausting so I wanted to cover your return." She smiled more confidently as the words came out. The more she thought about it, Luz was actually right about what she said earlier. "I know from experience with mi mamá coming home from errands and having to do chores can be so stressful."

Eda chuckled as she sat down. She took a sip of her drink and released a satisfied sigh. "Something tells me this is also a way of you getting things you want—with bribes." The woman drew up a spell circle and the food started to steam a bit. Did she just reheat it with magic? Now that was handy.

She tilted her head back and smirked at the witch. "Sometimes generosity has ulterior motives, sure, but I'd like to think this is just the kindness of my heart for now," Leal happily said.

"'For now', huh?" Eda quirked a brow.

"You wanna eat and drink, or should I just give this to Hooty?" she flatly replied.

"I'm eating, I'm eating," the witch conceded, grabbing her utensils. "Why don't ya sit down and tell me what you got up to while I was away."

"Can I hear 'bout what you got up to too?" Leal countered, raising a brow as she moved away from the sink. "Or will it forever remain 'undisclosed'," she joked.

Eda chuckled. "Depends on how interesting your stories are," she replied. "And, what kinda shenanigans ya got up too."

Her excitement exploded at that segue. "Oh you would not believe this awesome getaway I had with a coven guard!" Lealtad began, causing Eda's brows to raise in surprise. "Ended up losing that red little wagon of yours and a couple bits of Human junk." As the witch's eyes narrowed, Leal scoffed. "Relax, I sold over two-thirds of it and delivered this week's batch of potions!"

"And where'd this profit go, exactly?" the woman skeptically inquired.

"To groceries. And well," she smugly smirked as she tilted her head up a bit, "I believe some compensation was earned…"

"Doing what you're told earns ya money?" Eda remarked sarcastically. "Well, I'll be!"

"Yeah, Clawthorne, it's called a 'job'," Leal teased. "Never had one, huh?"

The witch laughed. "Very funny, Bean Head." She sat back in her seat as began to cut into her fried Griffin. "Now tell me how'd ya get out of that chase of yours."

Leal opened her mouth but hesitated, making Eda cock her head. Her eyes darted toward the food before meeting the woman's eyes. "I… can you try the Griffin first?" she awkwardly asked, highly aware how small her voice sounded.

Eda grinned, taking a stab with her fork and plopping it into her mouth. She wasn't sure why she felt so much anxiety from watching the witch chew for a couple seconds, but the anticipation was eating at her a bit. But then, Eda's thoughtful chewing shifted into a big grin. "Not bad, Bean Head!"

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Little salty, but eh," Eda cleared her throat before taking a sip of her Apple Blood, "Sometimes I like it extra salty."

Leal frowned a bit as she narrowed her eyes. "You're not just saying that right?"

The witch rolled her eyes. "Relax, Lealtad, it tastes fine." She put her hand down on the table as she winked at her. "Ya did good," she softly said.

Hearing those words… it was really validating to hear.

She wasn't sure how, but she knew Eda wasn't just talking about the food. Letting herself sigh out of relief, Lealtad then launched into her story, catching Eda up on all the drama and fun she missed the past few days. Even the bits she knew the witch would find boring like talking about her finishing her book. Then Eda shared her trip, and her race with her sister. Their conversation of laughter and stories carried them away well into the night, time all but forgotten. It wasn't just a good day, but a good few days. Though, strangely enough, Lealtad couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting to do something tonight.

She shrugged it off, knowing if it was important, it would've come back to her.

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A/N: Camila's message last message has been left unread, ( ^‿^)

This was also hard in terms of Leal's place within the narrative because during early production, I still had yet to really grasp Leal's relationship with King and wasn't sure if I wanted to place her in that narrative between Luz and King. As established, Lealtad isn't as creatively out there as Luz is, so I don't think she'd be the type to write a book but she would definitely be the first to read a draft (as long as it's not Azura, lol).

That aside of course, this was definitely a good way to make up for the lack of content in the episode "Once Upon a Swap". Lealtad getting involved with her day-to-day routine is something not even SHE is aware of and that's how it works! You don't often realize you've fallen into habits and sometimes they become your comfort. In Leal's case, she's fallen in love with this place A LOT more than she'd like to admit. So much to the point that she's taken a BIT of a step back in regards to Luz and actually carving out time for herself for a change instead of revolving it around Luz or reactively because something happened in relation to Luz.

This taking place RIGHT after chapter 11 allows for an interesting follow up off screen, as Eda's whole "tired old bitty" grudge is definitely in relation to her curse issue she had with King in their side adventure. Just a fun little connection to make is all, 'cause it can't really be mentioned within the story.

I also wanted to tie in a bit of background lore/development toward the Isles and its idealization with Belos. Having one of Amity's favourite fictional novels revolve around the happy ending of joining the Emperor's Coven and defeating a wild witch, is another just a fun way of subtly rehashing how idolized Belos' reign is among the people. As well as for Amity, who had previously aspired to join them at one point as well. And for Leal, who's obsessed with books, it also gives a bit of insight to the culture she's within.

And of course, while it may not be clear because of how little I mention it, Lealtad's attachment to Watcher as a character is DEFINITELY rooted to her admiration for Eda. The parallels are there alright!

Also, I wanna admit something, this WHOLE chapter's structure and plot came about because I wanted to establish a setup for how and when Luz and Amity arranged a day to return Luz's book. It was a small part, but I wanted to include that bit in this chap, and that eventually snowballed into what we have today.

Minor note to clarify: based off events mentioned here, Luz was indeed seven when Manny died meaning Lealtad was ten years old. I can't recall if I've stated this in only a comment/review/PM reply, or if it was a Tumblr DM, but in case it wasn't cleared up now it is! All official and all that! I guess giving y'all a timeline's a good way of understanding the "when" of events and such based off age.

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Review Responses:

Galfin3745: Hah, glad you liked it! I wonder if you meant by this chapter being boring because of the canon episode's content, in that case, I hope I surprised your expectations!

starrat: Thanks so much! ( ^‿^)

bloodlust002: Well, it's late to address this now but in case ya missed it TMUT updated last week! Thanks for following both my stories!

LostKagamiWitchInTheIsles: No worries! I appreciate you taking out time to review regardless! Leal's softball background is definitely something that's casually mentioned throughout season 1a, with only chapter 1 going into it as she was interacting with her classmates. The rest of season 1b actually mentions it quite a bit moving forward! I can see that LWA love by the Diana profile! It's one of my all time favourite animes and Diakko is one of my favourite ships. She ran into Braxus back in chapter 9 (he wasn't named then, because she didn't know him) when she and Venny were hanging out at the Slayground. Really glad to hear you're enjoying the development of things so far!

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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: August 30th, 2023

Stay safe, and stay lovely y'all.

Until next time,

- Bleh