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?

13. Adventures in the Elements

A/N: A high contender for one of the most anticipated chapters! Hopefully it'll live up to the anticipation?

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Chapter Summary: Luz needs to learn a new spell, so Eda takes her to the most magical place on the island to train. But with Eda taking her mentor role seriously, Lealtad is forced to step aside and watch her sister struggle all on her own!

Word Count: 15,929

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Adventures in the Elements

With the deadline of Hexside's enrolment coming up in a couple days, Luz's excitement had grown past eager to full blown, constant vibration of joy. The book fair was a nice, if brief, distraction from that energy but with it gone Luz was in full swing excited. So, doing her best to channel it, Leal suggested Luz look over the pamphlet they received about enrolling into Hexside. Neither Noceda hadn't actually gotten around to doing it yet, and Leal knew it was a great way to maintain her sister's excitement and satiate it simultaneously. So Luz had begun reading it, while King took to resting on her stomach as she laid down on the couch.

Lealtad, meanwhile, was sitting on the adjacent green couch, reading Peter Potionist. She had begun her reading yesterday night, but lagged a bit as she wasn't entirely pulled in yet. It was honestly a bit of a dull paced read, but still quite informative! She tried to pitch it to Luz but her sister seemed kind of bored by the blurb. She understood the sentiment, nonetheless, the things she was learning about potions were still pretty interesting. Though it also could've been jargon made up for the story too. In any case, Leal found a classic 90's underdog story within this novel, and even considered pondering what it'd be like if such a boy attended Hexside in real life.

"King, listen to this!" Luz exclaimed.

"Hey! Less ready, more scratchy!" King complained.

"Sorry!" Luz moved to sit up, bringing the pamphlet closer to her face. "Now that I'll be a student at Hexside, I wanna learn all about it! I've got a new crush, and her name is Education!" she proclaimed, shoving the pamphlet toward King's face.

Lealtad snorted, peeking over from her book to her sister. "Ah, least this one is less fictional than the rest."

Her sister turned to her with a scowl, leaving her blind side open to King taking a bite out of her pamphlet. "Hey, Hecate was the realization of many things for me as a kid!"

She laughed, smirking at her impishly. "Yeah… your type," she teased.

Before her sister could come up with a remark, the front door kicked open, startling them all. Of course, in came Eda with an excited expression and her staff in hand. "Hey, freeloaders!" she greeted. "Guess what today is?"

"Is it your birthday?" Luz cheerfully guessed.

"Is it my birthday?" King tried.

"It's my birthday!" Hooty happily announced.

Leal's brows furrowed as she sat up. "Wait really—"

"No!" Eda shouted, stepping in as she shut the door. As she twirled inside, Leal noticed the portal door was folded up in her hand. "It's Human Treasure Day!" the witched announced, throwing the door to the centre of the room. It unfolded within a second then swung open, and in came Owlbert—who Leal realized wasn't sitting on Eda's staff—with a giant knapsack no different than the one he had the first time they caught him. Though this one was larger than any batch he'd ever brought in the time they've been with Eda and…

It ripped the second it landed.

As the door folded back up, Eda swan dived onto the pile, comfortably lying atop it as though it were a mountain of pillows and not… junk. "Ahh, fresh garbage," she happily cooed. Leal's eyes flew down to the pile, noticing all kinds of random junk within it. Stuff that varied from actual trash to stuff she'd see at a garage sale or flea market.

King quickly darted toward the pile, proclaiming, "Oooh, gimme, gimme, gimme!" He proceeded to dig and pull out a small light tanned teddy bear with cute little blue eyes. "Yes!" the little demon exclaimed. "Another worthy addition to my army of terror!" he said as he pulled back on its string.

"I love cuddles and kisses," came its reply.

"Truly horrifying!" King said as he locked eyes with it.

Leal chuckled, putting her book down. "Ah yes, kissing," she nodded empathetically, "the most terrifying thing of all." Eda laughed at her joke, still content with petting her weird junk pile. "I'm assuming we have to help sort this?" she asked their guardian.

Eda nodded with a smile, which quickly fell into a frown as her gaze turned to Luz. "Yo, kid. Your trash pile's getting cold," she said temptingly as she kicked her feet around. "While mine's getting hot!" She pulled out a coat hanger with a look of wonder. "I have never seen such an extravagant earring!" she exclaimed, waving it around.

Lealtad snorted, not even bothering to correct the witch as she stood up, looking over the pile. Honestly, out of all the Owlbert hauls they've had the past month or so, this one had far better pickings. "First off, is that a Solid Snake body pillow?" she asked, pointing at the said item, "And second, can I call dibs?" When she received a curious look from Luz she shrugged. "What? That'd sell great online! C'mon, don't ya wanna get first dibs on things too?"

"Nah, you guys can have my trash," her sister denied, eyes returned to the Hexside pamphlet. She gasped as she straightened up. "Whoa! Did you know that Hexside was built on the bones of its rival school? One it literally conquered!" She turned the pamphlet towards them, showing a picture of what looked to be a young Bump standing atop a pile of bodies.

"Yes, I know all these things, I went there," Eda replied while looking at her reflection. Her "earrings" had now doubled. "It was the most harrowing period of my life." She chuckled to herself as she ran her hand through her hair. "Oh, hello."

Leal rolled her eyes as she looked back at the pamphlet and Luz, who was still continuing her read. Her eyes lit up as she caught a picture of the lobby on the next page. "Hey, that's one of my pics!" She rushed over, sitting beside her sister as she pointed at it.

Luz gasped as she looked closer at the picture. "It is! I remember you showing me this!"

It was one of her shots looking down to the lobby, taken from the top floor when Eda was cleaning the lockers. It looked really good next to the paragraph about student life and the school condition of its hallways and hygiene. She chuckled, assuming they were putting on airs of course, but it was still pretty cool to see her photo in an official promotional pamphlet. She never thought she'd see something of hers in this way before.

"As a teacher, I will say 'hobbies' are often the precipice to great potential."

Her photography was merely just a personal hobby… but right now this picture was probably helping someone like her sister get excited about school. Her eyes flew over to said sister, smiling at the way she lit up at the pamphlet.

"It looks sooo good!" Luz cooed. "The students all walking around, it's just so exciting! Can you imagine it! Me," her sister went on, squeezing the pamphlet together, "in the halls of Hexside, studying with Willow and Gus and maybe even Amity—Amity!" Her eyes widened, dropping the pamphlet on her lap. "Oh cramity! We're supposed to meet so I can get my Azura book back!" she shouted, bringing her hands to her cheeks.

Leal's brows raised as she dug into her pocket, pulling out her phone. "What? But my reminder…" her words died off as she checked her reminder app, realizing she set for tomorrow's date by mistake instead of today. Leal groaned, throwing her head up. "Ah ¡mierda!" she hissed, rushing toward her bag and camera, gathering her book things together. She snagged her bat up off the couch as she frantically slung on her camera, then her bag.

"C'mon!" her sister shouted, already at the door, "We gotta hurry, Leal!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted, chasing after her. She grabbed the door and turned back to Eda and King. "See ya later! Oh, I still call dibs on that body pillow!" Leal added. She last caught Eda's small peace sign as she shut the door.

She made a move to walk ahead but her sister quickly returned, whipping the door open as she poked her head in. "I love you guys!" she shouted.

"And I love you, Lu—ow!" Hooty whined as Luz slammed the door shut.

"Let's go!" Luz shouted as she ran ahead.

Lealtad laughed while shooting Hooty an apologetic look. "Don't worry, we love you too, casa del búho," she lightly teased.

Hooty beamed at that. "Aww, have a nice trip!"

She shot up a peace sign, rushing off to catch up with her sister. "Will do!" she shouted as they reached the tree line. As soon as she matched her pace, Leal bumped her elbow with her sister's shoulder. "Would a little patience kill ya?" she chastised.

Luz pouted. "I don't wanna make Amity wait!"

"Blight knows patience, Sunshine." She smirked. "Somethin' you could use." Her sister's pout deepened, making her laugh. She reached over and ruffled her hair, smiling. "Alright, let's go get your book back, eh?"

Her sister's face brightened at that. "And see Amity!"

And of course, her sister raced off, nearly leaving her in the dust.

::TITLE OPENING::

She thought by the time they reached Bonesborough, Luz's pace would lessen. Again, she was foolishly mistaken. Leal had to maintain a good pace behind her sister as she darted straight for the market. It kind of amazed her how eager she was. She hadn't even recalled her being this excited to see Gus and Willow. But then again, Azura was involved here. As predicted, Luz's pace hadn't slowed once they reached the market. If only momentarily, but only to double check her surroundings.

Lealtad let out a breath as she caught up with Luz. "Geez, hermana, at least wait up a little?" She's usually used to the consistent drills of her softball practices, but with summer in session Leal's months of slacking would begin. But considering how her sister was managing to nearly out pace her, Leal considered she might need to work on her stamina more. "Y'know, all those life threatening adventures you get wrapped in might've been good cardio for ya," she mused.

"Hah, so you're saying I'm faster for once?" her sister teased, looking over her shoulder.

Leal rolled her eyes. "Only reason why I don't leave you in the dust is 'cause I wanna make sure you're ahead of me, Sunshine."

Luz flushed at the response as she looked away, continuing her scanning as she jogged around. "Amity, Amity, Amity, Amity. Gotta find that—oh!" she stopped in her tracks, looking down another strip of the market. "There she is," she pointed as Leal caught up. But of course, the girl then broke into a sprint straight down the strip, heading right for Amity. The witch had some casual wear for once, as opposed to her usual Hexside uniform, consisting of orchid leggings with black shoes and a matching black shirt dress along with a necklace.

"Hey, Amity! Luz is finally here!" her sister shouted, waving her hand high.

As she made it halfway there, out from under her, two blue silhouettes materialized and suddenly Emira and Edric were in front of Luz. The two stood up with big smiles, greeting, "Hi, Luz!"

All amusement Leal had from watching her sister yelp vanished the second she saw her fall to the ground. "Whoa!" she shouted, racing over. "Heck of a way to greet someone, Blights." The two's laughter died at that, stepping aside as Amity ran up beside them.

"Habit, sorry," Edric sheepishly replied.

"Guys, stop bothering her," Amity hissed as she moved to Luz, offering a hand up. "Sorry Luz," she explained as she helped her up, "They insisted on coming for some reason." She shot the two a side eye.

"That's because we love you baby sister!" Emira said in a baby voice, leaning close to her sister as she squished her cheeks and ruffled her hair.

Lealtad narrowed her eyes with suspicion. Based on Amity's casual remark of pushing her off, Leal gathered things seemed more amicable between the three now. But it was hard to sense any true animosity in all this.

Amity fixed up her hair as she added, "They've been extra protective and nice to me to make up for the library incident." She crossed her arms and scowled.

At that, Edric chimed in by poking his head forward and tilting it, cupping his hands together. Almost like a kicked puppy, which was kinda cute. "And we still apologize everyday," he lightly added before Amity pushed him back.

Leal's heart warmed a bit. Yeah, she's had a fair amount of squabbles with Luz in the past to know what a make up between siblings looks like. And these three were well off based on just how comfortable they seemed together. She shot the twins a smug smirk, which caused them to flush a bit, but she merely just shrugged and kept her mouth shut. There wasn't any need to make a comment, and she didn't want to embarrass any of them. But simply put: she was happy for them.

"I-In any case, here's your book," Amity said as she pulled the item from her bag, holding it toward her sister.

Luz's eyes lit up as she accepted it. "Sooo, what'd you think?" she softly asked, no doubt holding in her excitement. She held it close to her face, her fingers brushing against a piece of paper that stuck out from one of the pages.

"It was… fine," the witch answered, turning her head away.

Leal snorted at the girl's obvious dodge.

At the same time, Luz inspected the paper her fingers brushed against, finding a drawing of Amity and a character from the very same page it was bookmarked on. "So fine you drew yourself with Malingale the Mysterious Soothsayer?" her sister asked, holding the drawing up.

Leal bit back her smile as she walked up beside her sister. The witch's cheeks were a tad tinted as she glared at Luz and the drawing. Before Leal could inspect the drawing or make any further comments, Amity raised her finger and drew up a circle, causing the paper to crumble apart like it was cut into jigsaw puzzles. Leal then glanced to the siblings, who weren't do any better of a job at holding back their giggles. At least it wasn't just her then…

"This is great!" Luz exclaimed, holding the book close to her chest as she beamed at the witch. "Maybe we could even start an Azura club at school when we're classmates!"

"When we're what?" Amity raised a brow.

"Surprise!" Luz cheered, pumping her arms high. She quickly dug into her back pocket and brandished the pamphlet. "I'm enrolling into Hexside!"

Amity glanced over to Leal in alarm. "Wait, how come you didn't tell me?" she asked, making Leal blink in surprise.

"Oh, uh, sorry, it just slipped my mind," she shrugged. "Didn't really think it was big news." And honestly, it really did slip her mind both times. The last time, their conversation was much heavier and involved than something casual like this. She was more focused on answering Amity's questions too.

"Yeah, that's how Leal is," her sister joked, elbowing her. "Always downplaying things."

Edric awkwardly coughed, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked at her. "What, uh, what about you?" He smiled. "You enrolling too?"

Lealtad smirked. "You think I'd ever ditch her?" she quipped, elbowing her sister back.

"It's exciting," Luz cheerily said, "We might even be in the same class!" She looked to Amity and shook the pamphlet.

Amity awkwardly smiled. "Oh! Uh, sorry, but to be in my class, you need to take a placement exam and prove that you've mastered two spells," she explained as she grabbed the pamphlet and flipped to the back. Sure enough, under Advanced Requirements stated knowing 2 spells minimum. And basic runes. "I know you have your light thing," Amity lowered the pamphlet with a sympathetic look, "Uh, do you know anything else?"

Lealtad blinked in surprise.

"Placement exam?" Luz echoed.

"Spells?" Leal repeated.

That was crucial information to know.

"Quit giving her a hard time, Mittens," Emira chimed in as she and Edric rounded behind their little sister.

"Yeah, of course they know two spells, right guys?" Edric added, his hand placed on Amity's shoulder as he looked at them expectantly.

Leal furrowed a brow. Since when did they give off that impression? She opened her mouth to object, but her sister nervously chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "Yeah! Of course we know two spells!" her sister stated very stiltedly, smiling at the three.

Lealtad blinked. What.

Her sister's awkward laughing persisted.

"Because if you don't," Amity carried on, flipping the pamphlet to a photo of a baby witch, "they'll put you in the baby class."

Luz accepted the pamphlet back with a strained smile.

Leal sighed as she tapped against her bat's grip. She had to say something. "Uhh, Luz and I—"

"Think that's totally lame," her sister interjected, blowing a raspberry.

She shot her sister a blank look. Seriously?

"Oooh! Brain idea!" Edric exclaimed as he pointed to his head. He walked forward and crouched down in front of his sister, placing his hands on his knees.

"What if we all trained together?" Emira asked, leaning forward with her hand resting on Amity's head, trapping the girl between the two. "We could show off what we know!" she offered.

"What do you guys say?" Edric asked.

Ah ha!

Leal smiled at the realization hit her. A way out! "That might be cool," she replied, genuinely considering it. "And it'd be nice since Luz and I—"

"Have plans!" her sister chimed in once again, making Leal frown. Luz's finger held high as she went on, "To go training already. B-But since they're already set in motion we gotta go. Since it's a very faraway place." She began to awkwardly back away before glaring at Leal. "Right?"

Lealtad blinked at her.

"Right, Lealtad?"

She sighed, turning back to the Blights who stared at them confusedly. She then turned back to her sister, who looked at her pleadingly with her eyes. Goddammit. Her sister and those damn eyes. "Catch ya around, Blights," Leal dryly said with a peace sign, making a move to catch up with her sister.

"Bye!" Edric and Emira shouted.

Once they were out of their eyesight Lealtad shot her sister a judgemental stare, causing her to wither a bit. Unable to help herself, she smirked as she said, "Did I miss a week where you learned a second spell or—"

"No, no you did not," came Luz's flat response.

"Gotcha."

::::

Maybe it was a good thing they read the pamphlet when they did. Leal had half a mind to blame Eda for not telling them, but also considered that if the baby class was the default, maybe Eda and her sister were already put in it from the start and don't remember that experience. It kinda hit her then that Hexside was a school that taught from toddlers to late teenagers in terms of age. The twin Blights were only a year younger than her but from what Luz told her when Gus showed her around, they still all congregated in similar classes. With Gus skipping a couple "grades", Leal wagered age was hardly a factor when it came to studies.

Which meant a fourteen and seventeen year old chilling in the baby class was hardly improbable, but definitely something to laugh at. She wasn't exactly proud of Luz lying, but Leal understood the embarrassment. She just wished Luz hadn't defaulted to it so quickly. Or at the very least, considered taking the Blights' help.

"I just think they could've helped us. Heck, even Gus or Willow?" Lealtad suggested as the two ran.

"No! I don't need Gus or Willow knowing I just lied for Amity's sake!"

Lealtad stopped in her tracks as she cocked her head at her sister. "Wait, wait, since when was it just for Amity's sake?"

Her sister kept on running toward the Owl House clearing, shouting, "Seriously that's your problem right now?"

She scoffed and picked up her sprint, catching up with Luz. "No my problem is not just you lying, but roping me into your lying!"

"You could've said something!" her sister countered as they reached the clearing.

"I wasn't going to embarrass you after you made three interruptions lying your ass off," she shot back.

"How thoughtful," Luz dryly remarked. "Admit it, you think it'd be embarrassing too!"

Leal snorted. "Sure. But now I can't tell what's more embarrassing: ending up in that class or ending up in that class and the Blights knowing we lied." She shot a wave toward Hooty as they approached the door. "Any bright ideas?" she directed to her sister.

Luz smiled as she turned her head back to her. "Just one!" Breaking into a sprint, her sister ignored Hooty's greeting as she swung the door open loudly. "Eda!" she shouted as she ran inside.

Lealtad sighed and shook her head, trailing along inside. "Sorry 'bout that Hooty," she said as she passed by.

"It's okay! I'm used to it!" he chirped.

Uncomfortable with that sad reality, Leal shot him an apologetic smile before rushing over to the kitchen. Upon her entry, Luz was on the floor crawling toward Eda and a group of sentient vegetables passed by her screaming and running out the room. Leal just shrugged and walked in, watching Luz stand up on the other side of the table.

"But I need to know two spells to get into decent classes at Hexside," Luz explained.

"And thanks for that heads up, by the way," Leal snarked in, taking her seat on the other end of the table.

Eda shot her an annoyed look before turning back to Luz, who hurriedly pulled out a light glyph and tapped it angrily, flashing everyone. As the light dissipated, she slammed her hands on the table and said, "At the end of the day, that's the only spell I know!" Falling into despair, her sister slumped onto the floor.

"And whose fault is that?" the witch challenged, placing her hand on her hip (well, it would've been hands but her left one was currently holding up the book on the table).

Lealtad stared at her bewilderedly. "Yours?" she and Luz said at the same time.

"Hah!" Eda raised a finger. "Ya got me there!" she agreed.

The older Noceda rolled her eyes.

"Just teach me a spell now. Any spell!" her sister begged, rising up on the seat. Her eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on the table. "It can be the darkest evil."

Lealtad smirked at the thought. Considering that Luz's first spell was light, she wondered if there was anything that punned on her own name. "¿Cómo se hace la lealtad en la brujería?" she mused to Luz, earning a giggle in response.

"Ugh, what is that thing you two do?" Eda scowled.

"Inside joke, Dama Búho," Leal teased while throwing a wink.

The witch held her scowl before shrugging, turning back to her pot. "Anyways, I have been researching my texts on wild magic, but I'm much too busy right now," she said as she picked up the book off her hand and tossed it into the pot.

"Come on, Eda! You're the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. How would it look if your apprentice got thrown into the baby class?" Luz challenged, narrowing her brows.

Leal proudly grinned at that, and as did Eda.

"Hmm, weaponizing my pride," she said, cupping her chin thoughtfully. "Well played." She turned back to Luz as she screwed her left hand back on. "Well, in that case, this looks like a job for magic boot camp!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist into her recently attached palm.

Before her or Luz could make a comment, the backdoor swung open and in came King with his newly acquired teddy bear. "Did someone say boot camp?" he excitedly asked. "I agree to run it. We'll rise at dawn! You'll carry me on your back as I yell hateful things about your performance!" he ranted on, clearly pumped.

"Nooope," Eda shot down. "You'll have no part in this. Luz needs to focus, and I can't have her go all weird when you do something adorable."

Leal furrowed her brow at Eda's wording there, while King stomped his foot in anger. "I am not adorable!" he shouted.

"Awww," Luz cooed, bringing her hands together near her face, "He stamped his widdle foot!"

The little demon proceeded to screech before marching out, attempting to slam the door. Unfortunately, it creaked back open. The three of them awkwardly stared as he attempted to slam it once again, to no avail.

"Lift then pull, buddy!" Leal advised.

Then came one more attempt as King reached over for the handle and rushed back out, slamming it with him upon his exit. "Thank you," he shouted from the outside.

Lealtad turned to Eda with a worried look. "You sure it's safe to leave him and Hooty alone for a day?"

"Nope," the woman confidently answered, shrugging, "But we don't got many options."

She sighed back. "Fair enough."

It looked like it was time for another adventure.

::::

"I still don't know how to feel about these coats being made from your hair," Leal remarked with an uncomfortable shudder. And it wasn't from the cold.

"Hey, you're warm aren't ya?" Eda pointed out.

Leal frowned as she clutched her bat tightly. The witch wasn't wrong. Her and Luz sported a bit of a similar outfit in terms of design, with Leal's exception being longer of course. And her boots being bright yellow instead of Luz's black boots. Eda had a coat similar to Leal's but with more… hair(?) and a hat that had some weird eyes sticking out of it. Lealtad still opted with her red-orange beanie, but gladly accepted the mitts. Prepping for this excursion was a bit of a weird endeavour in that Eda didn't give them much to work off except "chilly." So when she let them loot her closets for gear—turning up empty on winter coats—Eda gave them a supply of nice warm ones… made from her hair.

Lealtad desperately hoped there was a reason for all of this because the thought of what she was wearing did not excite her as much as it did Luz. Still, flying over to the Titan's Knee was amazing in terms of scenic sights. Which of course meant bonuses for her photography: she easily got soaked up along the journey there. But once they landed and started the trek, a bitter sense of annoyance started to rise in her.

"Any reason why we're trudging up a snowy mountain?" she grumbled, nearly stepping on a patch of ice on the path.

Eda smirked over her shoulder. "The earliest witches came to the Knee to develop their magic, drawn to its natural power."

"Meaning this place just… emanates magic?" Leal asked.

Strangely enough, Eda held her smirk toward her, winking before turning forward.

The Nocedas paused for a moment, taking in the view of which the path led to. Right down into a clearing filled with castle-like ruins covered in snow. Without hesitation, Leal quickly powered on her camera and snapped a few picks of the view, silently agreeing with Luz's awe. "It's beautiful!" her sister gasped.

She nodded, looking down at her photos. "It's certainly a sight," she muttered, smiling at her work.

"Though it's not without its dangers," Eda addressed, turning her head over to the left. As the two followed her gaze, they were immediately greeted with the sight of a giant furry white beast. It expertly blended well with the snow. Leal probably wouldn't have even noticed it regardless of its slight breathing had Eda not pointed it out. "The Slitherbeast," the witch informed them as its growls began to grow louder.

In another light, one might've compared it to a docile cat just munching on its toy.

But from this distance? Leal thought it looked pretty terrifying.

And cool.

"Don't worry, if you don't mess with him, he won't mess with you," Eda added before walking ahead.

Leal turned to share a smile with her sister before lifting her viewfinder up to her face. Her flash was already off, so she adjusted her lens, zooming in on the giant beast. She took one photo, with plans to get another with a more wide angle, but Luz blew a raspberry beside her, startling both her and irritating the beast. The two yelped and sped off as they heard it crunch down on whatever was in its mouth. As they ran after Eda, Leal smacked her sister's shoulder, shooting her an admonishing look. Her sister barred it in stride as she just sheepishly smiled at her.

Luckily, it seemed that wasn't enough to piss the thing off, as by the time they caught up with Eda they hadn't heard it at all. The witch had stopped just on the edge of the ruins, soaking in the sight as she looked around. "Here's where we'll set up shop," she stated.

Lealtad stood next to Eda, following her gaze. "Definitely gives training arc vibes," she joked.

Her sister rushed ahead, spinning around excitedly as she said, "I'll definitely learn my second spell here!" She walked deeper into the ruins, scanning their surroundings as she went on, "Gorgeous views, magic in the air. And best of all, we're completely alone!"

Suddenly, a bright pink light emitted and before Leal knew anything Eda had dove forward and tackled Luz to the ground, shouting, "Watch out!" The pink light looked like a fireball, dispersing off the rock behind the two.

Leal crouched down and leaned up against a pillar. "You guys okay?" she whisper-shouted.

Eda nodded at her before raising her head up from cover, wielding Owlbert cautiously.

"Sorry, whoever's over there!" came Amity's voice.

Leal's eyes widened as she poked her head out. Of course, just a few dozen feet into the ruins, were the Blights. They were standing next to some makeshift hut, dressed in their own snowy jackets as well. And it seemed… Amity was holding a wand of some sort? Lealtad frowned as she glanced over to her sister, who was palming at her face and hiding behind the rock, and decidedly Leal dropped all pretense of stealth and blatantly walked over to Eda and Luz.

"Forget teaching me a spell, just make me disappear," Luz dramatically pleaded, hiding her eyes behind her hat's straps.

Lealtad rolled her eyes while Eda looked considerably at Luz. "Well, okay, but I've got a sixty/forty record of making you re-appear," the witch replied. Her eyes lit up. "Oh! You meant... ah, never mind." She waved her hand.

Leal leaned over and smirked at Eda. "Still think she'd take that chance, honestly."

Luz frowned up at her.

Okay sure, she should be a bit nicer but she didn't like when Luz lied about things. Especially over something as silly as this.

"Hey Nocedas!" Edric shouted, waving.

"Hi Luz! Hi Leal!" Emira greeted.

Leal lifted her head and waved, smiling at the three. "Sup!" she waved back.

Her sister finally managed the courage to rise up and waved back, straining her smile. "Hey guys!" she awkwardly replied.

"Who are they?" Eda asked, rising up as well.

Luz grabbed her jacket as she whispered, "Be cool!" She continued to wave as she explained, "If they know I haven't mastered two spells, they'll think I belong in the baby class!"

"What's that about the baby class?" Amity's voice appeared.

Leal turned back and realized the Blights were approaching, with Amity a few feet ahead from them. She kept her mouth shut as she glanced back to Luz. She wasn't going to rat out her sister, but she hoped she'd own up to her lie and come clean. Instead, Eda straightened up and replied, "Only that it's for babies," she patted her sister's head, "and Luz here clearly isn't a baby." The witch leaned over to Luz and whispered, "Nailed it," before walking off whistling.

She couldn't help but snort as she bit her lip, enjoying Luz's annoyed expression.

Okay maybe she was enjoying this a bit too much.

"Amity!" Luz greeted as she attempted to hop over the rock, slipping off the snow and landing on the ground. Leal winced but her sister was quick to recover, posing on the ground as she asked, "Wh-What are you doing here?"

Leal furrowed a brow at Luz's nervous behaviour. Was she really that stressed about the girl finding out about her lie?

"I'm here to train," Amity answered with a soft voice. Leal drew her attention back to the Blight, noticing the twins coming up behind her. She rubbed her arm as she sheepishly explained, "I'm trying to beat Ed and Em's highest score on the exam."

"Aww, Mittens, that's impossible!" Emira teased, popping up behind the girl.

Edric mirrored his twin. "She still needs to use a training wand to learn new spells," he smugly said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Training wand?" Leal asked, cocking her head. "Is that like some sort of guide or something?"

"It makes it easier to visualize and conjure the spells," Emira explained, holding up a finger.

"Very handy for trying out things that are definitely not in your skill set," Edric tacked on.

Leal nodded. "Hmm, neat!" Maybe they could use something like that?

The twins then stepped forward with eager faces. "So what are you workin' on? Something powerful?" Edric excitedly asked, glancing between Luz and Leal.

"Yup! Powerful spells!" Luz lied, smiling as she waved her arms about. "I'm workin' on one that's so crazy! Eda's a pretty incredible teacher," she proudly stated.

As if on cue, Eda returned with a bag of snowballs on one arm as she held up a finger with her free hand. "Luz! I shall now teach you how to identify different types of snow—by taste!" She grabbed one and held it out to her sister's face. Luz glared but Eda was undeterred, pushing it against her cheek as she said, "Well, go on, eat the snow."

Emira had her left hand up against her cheek, her arm resting on her right as she stared confusedly. "Is this some kind of... special magic?" she asked.

Lealtad shrugged with a blank face. "Beats me, honestly," she replied. She cringed at the sight of Eda shoving the entire bag of snowballs in her mouth like some chubby bunny challenge.

Amity cleared her throat, her arms crossed. "I don't think the Owl Lady wants to show us any of her… powerful spells." She turned and left, waving over her shoulder as she returned to their spot.

Eda pointed to her mouth eagerly, attempting to speak but failing on the account of a snow pile in her mouth. Then, she swallowed all the snow, her face understandably shivering afterwards. "Oooh. Brain freeze! Brain freeze!" she yelped.

Lealtad just gaped at the sight, but her sister seemed completely fed up.

How was Luz not marvelling at the fact Eda just swallowed all that?

Emira shifted her weight on her hip as she placed her left hand there. "See you around, humans! Good luck with your, uh, training."

Edric curiously crouched down and rolled up a snowball of his own. Leal's eyes widened as she watched him tentatively bring his tongue near it but his sister slapped it out of his hand. He elicited an, "Aw," as she pulled him away.

Watching them walk after Amity… she hadn't had much time to think on how much had changed since she last saw these three together.

She wasn't sure why she did it, but Leal chased after them. "Yo!" she shouted, causing the two to stop. "It's, um, nice of you guys to do this for her," she softly said.

Their faces lit up, cheeks flushed. And she was willing to bet it wasn't from the cold.

Edric awkwardly rubbed his neck as he shrugged. "Ah well, Mittens could always use the help."

Emira turned to her brother and the two shared a silent nod. "A-Also, now that we have you here, I guess…"

"We want to apologize. For the library incident," Edric stated shyly.

She furrowed a brow. But when they last spoke… "You already did?" she recalled.

"Well, we still want to," Edric expressed with a small smile.

"And to your sister," Emira added, glancing past Luz.

Lealtad smiled proudly at that, turning back to her sister. She was currently in a bit of an argument with Eda from what she could tell on her expression. Maybe not the best time. She turned back and chuckled. "Honestly? It's not necessary." They furrowed their brows. "Mi hermana hardly minds. To her it was another 'fun adventure'. She knows you're good people too. And… she can see that clearly right now," Leal pointed out, nodding over to their sister, who had just cast a pink fireball and obliterated a tree. "Damn." She whistled.

"B-But she's really okay with us?" Emira worriedly clarified.

"Yeah," she nodded, "She's cool like that."

"And uh, what about you?" Edric asked.

Leal smiled. "Well… I guess I'm cool too."

"Yeah you are!" the boy abruptly shouted. His face quickly flushed as a mortified look fell across his face. "I-I mean—"

"We gotta go make sure our sister doesn't hurt herself," Emira interjected, tugging her brother back.

Leal chuckled, nodding. "Same." She turned away and waved, "Happy training!"

"You too!" the twins shouted back.

As soon as Leal returned, it seemed like Eda had just finished lecturing her sister… calmly? "—ou have to trust me, okay?" she softly said.

"Okay," Luz agreed with a smile, "I trust you."

Eda smiled back. "We've covered snow, so now it's on to smelling moss," she said as she pulled some moss out from her pocket. "Now the trick is," Leal cringed as she watched the witch shove it up her nose, "you really gotta get it up in there."

She gagged and shivered. "Dios mío I really hope there's a lesson in all this," she muttered to herself. She took a deep breath as she stepped forward, holding out her palm. "Moss me, Clawthorne."

Eda shook her head, causing the moss to fall out of her nose. "Nope. Just Luz."

"What?" the two asked.

Eda sighed, stepping forward and placing her hands on both their shoulders. "Luz is much more magically determined than you, Bean Head. No offence," she quickly added. "What we're trying here is essential for Luz to realize on her own."

Luz glanced toward her, pouting.

Lealtad sighed back. "C'mon, Clawthorne you know we're—"

"A packaged deal, yes. But even you've told me that your sister learns differently," she countered. "Sorry to say it, Leal, but it's not about you. I have a good feeling that if there's anyone who'll learn a spell today, it's Luz." Eda then turned and smiled at her sister. "I think you can really grasp it if you try," she told her.

Leal's heart ached a bit at that. Why did that… sting a bit? Eda wasn't entirely wrong. Lealtad looked at her sister and smiled a bit at the comfort expressed in her face by Eda's words. She was basically telling Luz she had faith. But… she had none for Leal herself, huh? "Go on twerp, collect three different types of moss," Eda told Luz, "your sister and I'll set up camp."

Luz glanced at her concernedly but Leal nodded at her to go on. Once she was out of an earshot, she couldn't help her tone as she said, "So she learns magic and I learn how to camp?"

"Aw c'mon, who's to say there ain't magic in camping?"

Leal shrugged. "I dunno. You're the teacher," she shot back.

Eda frowned at her and sighed, shaking her head. She motioned for Leal to follow her as she began walking. As she took them up to a bit of a hill with a couple rocks, she said, "I'm not doubting your skill, Leal." It surprised Leal how much she welcomed the relief that hit her with those words as she caught up to Eda. The witch turned around and smiled. "I know you pretty well, Bean Head. But your sister could stand to learn something on her own for once. Without your direct help or mine. Just like she did when she learned her first spell." She winked at her as she stuck her staff into the snow. "A guiding hand is all she needs."

"But, aren't I supposed to know too?" she asked the witch.

"Well, you can learn after. For now, Luz has to learn first," Eda casually replied.

Leal frowned at that. "That… doesn't seem fair. Luz is doing all the hard work understanding magic and I just get to use a spell because she learned it for me?"

Eda's smile remained undeterred as she stepped forward, placing her hands on Leal's shoulders. "What was the one thing you both stayed in this realm for?"

"For Luz to learn magic," she answered.

"Exactly. Luz," Eda softly addressed. "Your sister has the heart. You've got the brain," she poked Leal's temple. "You learn different. You'll understand in a way she won't, but eventually you both will understand. For now?" She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. "I want Luz to learn. And that means she understands it on her own. Without you or me." She waved her hand about as she said, "And besides, once you two are in Hexside how ya learn the rest of your stuff will be waaay different. This is only the basics—Hexside'll show you the rest of the way."

Leal let out a sigh, nodding. This… was hard to swallow. But if she thought about it, she didn't understand anything about magic. She could hardly draw a glyph as well as Luz. But she was curious. That was why she wanted to enroll. This… made sense to her. Eda had experience, and she was starting to sound competent for a change. If her instincts taught her anything this past month? It was that she could rely on Eda when it counted. "You're the teacher, Clawthorne," she affirmed, nodding more confidently.

Eda chuckled. "Thanks for trusting me, Bean Head."

Surprised by her sincerity, Leal just awkwardly smiled. "So, uh, what are we gonna do then while Luz is doing… whatever else you have in store for her?"

Eda drew up a spell circle, causing a fallen log to levitate and slice up in two portions. It floated toward them and landed near them. "Answering your questions of course!" she happily answered, drawing up another circle. A series of cloths appeared and began to form a tent as she looked at Leal. "Besides, you've been cracking on that Potions book of yours right?"

"Yeah?" she nodded.

"Well, lemme take a look!" Eda eagerly said, waving her hand over as she sat down on one of the logs. "I'll help ya identify some of the stuff they're talking about in there! Clear up some things!" Leal's eyes widened at that. Eda shifted a brow. "But first things first?" she said promptingly.

"We make a fire," Leal concluded.

She nodded. "Nailed it. You get the wood, leave your stuff here, I'll set up everything else."

As Lealtad walked away from the witch, she couldn't help but chuckle. It turned out Eda Clawthorne was not bad as a teacher after all.

::::

"And Fire Bee Honey is used as a heat accelerant?" Lealtad clarified, not looking up from her notepad. She carried her own around for light glyphs of course, but right now she was using it for study notes. Eda had asked her about things she learned from Peter Potionist, checking to see what was fact or fiction, then began quizzing her on the ingredients and functions of what she had read so far. It was an accurate book, all things considered, but had much more nuances toward ingredient uses and potion applications than they could really explore. Fortunately, Eda was willing to bridge that gap. Leal actually felt more eager to finish the book now, hoping more material would be available for Eda to educate her on.

"Correct!" Eda nodded, smiling as she lowered the book in her right hand—her left had been lost and neither knew when or how. "Peter using it to create a fire bomb is pretty accurate, considering he's not experienced enough to conjure a fireball himself."

Leal paused in her note taking, furrowing a brow at Eda. "How does that work anyways?"

"Whattya mean?"

"Well, you said once you enroll into a Coven of the main nine they strip away all your other abilities." Eda nodded, prompting her to go on. "But like, what category does like, a light spell or fire spell fall under?" she asked.

Her teacher smiled. "None really. A light spell is pretty simple to do actually, but hardly worth it considering the multitude of other spells we witches can do," she smugly stated.

Leal frowned. "Humble brag is humble," she dryly quipped.

The witch winked. "Anyways, fire is kind of an advanced spell. Not many can actually conjure the fireball itself. Takes a lot of energy and skill to actually do that. Some use just fire to ignite things then throw it." Her eyes flew down toward the area where the Blights were training. "Training wands help witches get the gist of the spell: the power, the feeling, the movements, the know-how! But it also helps amplify the spells they're trying to learn, the kind that don't come easy with tracks." She looked back to Leal. "Spells that don't fall under the Nine take practice to learn, sometimes lots of practice. But once you're in say, Abominations, your magic for that is more powerful—"

"Since it's limited to just Abominations?" Leal guessed.

Eda proudly smiled. "Bingo, Bean Head." She closed the book shut and placed it on the log. "See what I mean? You definitely have more of an inquisitive side. You can sleuth things out pretty well with that head of yours."

The flushed feeling in her ears made Leal grateful she had her beanie tugged down. That was like the ninth time Eda praised her in the past… hour or so. It was… weird how familiar it felt. It made Leal feel a bit proud. "So, uh," she glanced back down at her notepad, quickly trying to write down what Eda explained in jot form, "you're basically saying it's harder to do other non-categorical spells which is why coven track witches only use their designated covens?"

Eda nodded. "Got it one, kiddo." She chuckled. "You really are query oriented, huh?"

Leal shrugged, keeping her eyes down on her notepad. "I like… understanding things. It makes things quick and simple."

"To work it into your routine and lifestyle, eh?"

She looked up at Eda, surprised. "Um… yeah." This was… weird.

The witch smiled. "You remind me of well, both me and my sister that way. Lily had much more of a brainy thing going on but whatever I learned I always tried to mix it into my life," Eda explained with a touch of nostalgia leaking in.

It was weird how Leal would've once not cared for this story, even opting to joke that Eda should save it for Luz since she loved backstories. But for once, Leal found herself curious. "You both wanted to join the Emperor's Coven right?" she asked her.

Eda's smile fell.

Shit.

"S-Sorry," she quickly amended. "We can just—"

"Yup," Eda nodded. "But then I changed my mind. It wasn't anything serious. No fighting between us or anything," she told her, keeping her eyes on the campfire between them. "I just… realized covens kinda weren't my thing. I don't like the system. I don't like what it does witches and… I didn't want to be a part of it. When it came time for us to join… I didn't want to anymore." The witch fell silent after that, her eyes still on the fire.

Lealtad blinked in awe. This was… strangely comforting. It wasn't the first time she and Eda just spoke casually. But… she kind of liked seeing this side of Eda. "Thanks," she said, causing the woman to look across at her. "For telling me part of your 'mysterious backstory,'" she joked.

Eda snorted, nodding. "No problem, Bean Head." She drew up a spell circle and made her Peter Potionist book fly around the fire and onto Leal's log. "Now skim through what ya can and see if there's anything else you have to ask me about."

She furrowed a brow, confused about this approach.

Eda rolled her eyes. "It's called a break. Read."

Lealtad chuckled, opening her bookmarked page. "Sometimes you can shoot straight with me, y'know?"

The witch shrugged then moved to pick up a thermos filled with some of her hot chocolate, but Leal secretly guessed it was actually filled with Apple Blood.

"Ugh. Okay!" Luz's voice echoed out, startling her. Lealtad turned around and winced at the sight of her sister's annoyed expression. She dragged her feet and slumped her shoulders as she approached them. "I've identified the smells of three different rocks, sorted all the twigs from big to small," she tiredly listed off on her palm, "and found your glove," her sister said as she pulled out Eda's left hand from her back, "and your hand."

"Ah, I was wondering where that thing went," Eda appreciatively replied as she screwed it back on her wrist.

"So now what?" Luz flatly asked with a pout. Eda opened her mouth to respond but Luz's eyes immediately darted away from the woman. Leal tracked her sister's gaze and found her staring at the Blights, who were engaged in their training. Amity seemed to have a good bout against Edric and Emira's target practices, but stopped and waved at Luz with a smile. Her brother then capitalized on her distraction, drawing up a spell and causing Amity to sink into the snow with her waving hand sticking out.

Lealtad snorted at the dumb grin Edric had as Luz giggled, covering her mouth.

"Hey," Eda lightly spoke up, rising off her seat as she placed her hand on Luz's shoulder, "I know my lessons seem weird but this is what wild magic is all about!" She gestured around them. "Making a connection with nature." It was almost like excitement swept up in Eda's tone as she went on, "The earliest witches understood that. Human witches need to understand it too." She shot a brow at her.

Luz's head lowered a bit at that.

"You wanna learn a second spell?" Eda asked her.

Her sister determinedly smiled as she clenched her fist, bringing it to her chest. "With all my heart!" she responded.

"Then you have to learn from the island," Eda softly replied. She nodded for Luz to follow her as she turned around, heading toward another higher with a cliffside. They were getting pretty far from Lealtad, and with curiosity getting the better of her, she followed after them. The hill wasn't steep, but it was large and high enough to offer a sweet view of the ruins and the Titan's skull. She stood near the base, just within an earshot as Eda sat Luz down on a small rock atop the hill. Eda gestured toward the view and stated, "Now look."

A moment passed where the two stopped and stared, soaking the view. Then Eda stepped away, pointing at Luz. "And think about what the island is trying to tell you," she advised as she walked away. As her head came to face Leal, a smirk fell on her as she said, "No, you can't join her."

She chuckled, nodding as she turned and walked with Eda back to their campsite. "Actually wasn't going to ask," she muttered before stopping in her tracks. She casted a look back at her sister. Watching her sit there on her own was a sight to see. She lifted her camera and took a shot of Luz perched on the cliff, letting the backdrop of the dusk sky outline Luz's body. It was honestly amazing to look at.

But because it was just her.

Lealtad wanted to sit there with her. She wanted to help her sister. But… she kind of believed Eda on this one too. She didn't know much about magic, but she did know a lot about Luz. From all she had read and seen on this magic thing, there did seem to be an element that she and her sister didn't grasp at. Lealtad more so than any of them. What Luz needed was a connection. Leal doubted she'd be able to find one herself, but she had faith her sister could. So even though she had a bit of an impulse to go up there, her instincts told her to sit and wait.

And so she did. She turned around and returned to her seat. She took a look over her gallery of photos, smiling at the sight of her new entries. As a brisk breeze blew over them, Leal glanced toward her brown messenger bag, where her bat was tucked into. Maybe it was time to put her camera away… she wasn't sure if the distraction was helpful for her. She scooted over and unslung her Canon camera, sliding it into her bag along with her Peter Potionist book as she pulled out her bat. Resting her bat against her leg, Leal flipped open her notepad and began to read over her notes.

Her eyes flew toward the cliffside for a moment, but with her seat and the distance it was hard to really see Luz herself.

"She'll be fine," Eda softly spoke. Leal drew her gaze back to her mentor, who was smiling at her reassuringly. "But ya still can't help it, right?"

She nodded with a sheepish smile as her left hand found her bat's grip. As she tapped her knuckle against the grip, she continued to flip through her notes. It was really strange how good Eda was getting at reading her now. She felt the woman's gaze linger on her more as she read through her own notes. After about a minute of it, Leal raised a brow and met her gaze. "Nothin' else entertaining to do or…"

"Sorry," Eda replied, holding up her hand apologetically. Her smile shifted into one of fondness as she said, "You just… reminded me of someone."

Leal scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You can say your sister, y'know?"

Eda chuckled. "Excuse me for trying to regain some of my crypticness."

"Oh yes. I knew you were too out of character today," she dryly remarked, "Good to know you're still you, Clawthorne."

The woman winked back as she held her teasing smile. She adjusted her posture, folding her right leg over her left as she gestured her thermos toward Leal. "What is the deal with that weapon of yours?"

Leal furrowed a brow. "Ah, well, it's not supposed to be a weapon. But—"

"It can be used as one, yeah, yeah." Eda waved her hand dismissively. "I say that 'bout literally everything. Anything can be a weapon if you try hard enough."

Unable to help herself, Leal smirked. "Of course! Why do you think sarcasm is my default?"

Eda snorted, giggling lightly as she nodded. "And sass!"

"A Survivor's Guide to life," Leal mused.

Sobering up from her amusement, Eda's face coloured with curiosity as she nodded toward Leal's bat. "But no really—ya call that thing a bat but it doesn't look anything like one."

"Well, I dunno why it's called a bat—best guess is some etymology thing—but it's supposed to be for a sport," she explained. Eda's brows raised with interest at that. "It's a sport called softball and well, I'm on my high school's softball team. It's a pretty weird sport to explain I guess, but basically I use this," she lifted her bat for emphasis, "to hit a ball and how well I hit it basically helps my team score wins. I'm the best batter my team's got—according to my coach, anyway," she softly added.

Softball was already a difficult sport to explain to humans, so witches would be way past Lealtad's patience she suspected. But all things considered, she figured what she said wasn't a terrible summary of it. She didn't really like bringing up the last note, but it seemed relevant enough. And maybe seeing Eda's smile grow a bit made her feel a tiny bit compelled to share that.

"Well," Eda slapped her hand on her thigh, "judging on the swings I have seen from ya, I wouldn't doubt it! You pack a mean one, Bean Head!"

She felt her ears heat up at the woman's praise. About bodily harm. Man, what has her life become? "Well, like I said, it's not really something we're supposed to be using as a weapon back home anyways." She shrugged. "But it's handy to defend yourself with it," she smirked, twirling it in her hand.

"That why you bring it with you all the time?" Eda asked. "Self defence?"

"I dunno… I guess, well, my mo—" she stopped herself, letting a sad smile overtake her face, "My parents always told me I can be pretty sentimentally attached to objects and… stuff, sometimes." She looked down at the bat once again. "Camera aside, ya got my beanie." She glanced upward. "I like having it on my head because it feels comforting. And well, my bat? I guess fidgeting with my hands has always been a habit but—"

"It's comforting to have something hard like that to tap your knuckles against, huh?"

"You noticed that?"

"Hard not to," the woman amusedly replied. "Whenever you get nervous or embarrassed or just plain bored ya tend to do it."

"Habit, I guess." Leal shrugged, not even stopping herself from doing it presently. Her eyes fell back down at her red bat, with the memories pooling in her thoughts. "And well, this bat was a gift… in a way." Why was she sharing this? She had half a mind to stop herself but when she glanced up at Eda's eyes, she only found patience and intrigue. And then the rest slipped out. "Mi papá and I used to go to softball games during the days he was… well." She frowned, blanking on a better word. "It was hardly often, not even often now that I think about it. Maybe a couples times." She shook her head as a sad smile grew on her lips. "But it was the only sport he ever got into and he used to play it with me and Luz. But she was still really small for it. So it was really just him and I playing catch or batting in the backyard while she laughed and watched."

Those days, those rare and so few days, flashed in her mind for a moment. Moments she wished she had ingrained into a camera like every other memory afterward. Leal let out a sigh as she looked back down at her bat, massaging her thumb over the grip softly.

"That why ya joined your team?" Eda asked in a gentle voice.

She chuckled. "I'm not much of a fan of the sportside community or anything. It's just fun to play. Plus, joining a team's really the only way you can keep actively playing with people who like playing it regularly."

"Hah, I relate to ya with that." Eda sighed while a small scowl fell on her face. "Only ever joined Grudgby 'cause it was fun to play, the school side of it kinda dragged."

"You were on the Grudgby team?" Leal asked, her brows raised.

"Yuup. Star player too," the witch smugly stated.

"Guess we have that in common," she mused.

Eda winked at her. "Guess so, Bean Head." She tilted her head curiously. "But you joined 'cause soft-bawl was fun to play?"

Leal laughed a bit at the woman's enunciating before gesturing so-so with her hand. "Well, I only joined since my middle school had tryouts and my mom said clubs could be fun sometimes. After that I stuck with it to high school. Plus it'd look good for my college or uni applications—extracurriculars and all that." She continued to thumb over her bat's grip, chuckling to herself. Looking back, it dawned on her that all that encouragement was a bit of their mother just trying her best to lift Lealtad outside of her social comfort zone.

"I was eleven when I got onto the softball team. Two days after I told Luz and Mom I made it, Mamá got me this bat." She shook it for emphasis once again, turning it upward and letting the barrel peak near her head. "It's a really expensive and good bat too. Definitely above my height at the time, but Mamá said I'd grow into it." Her smile warmed as she recalled what her mother told her. "Apparently she used leftover rainy day money my dad had saved. Told me that he did it for, 'special gifts only'. This bat… it was technically the last gift he ever gave me." Her eyes widened as she looked over to Eda, whose face was riddled with sympathy and surprise.

Shit.

Lealtad hadn't realized the growing pit in her chest that threatened to sink further until now. Why… Why did she say all that? Her ears felt hot as she lowered her head and her bat, fiercely gripping at it now. But now Eda knew her well enough to know she was embarrassed. Dammit all. "¡Mierda!" she cursed, clicking her teeth. She let out a breath and picked up her notepad, forcing herself to look at it. "S-Sorry 'bout that. Oversharing, I know," she awkwardly joked.

She didn't want to look up.

She wouldn't.

But she could just feel Eda's stare.

Please don't bring it up.

Let it lie there.

Just don't.

"Hey," Eda said. And against Leal's better judgement, she hesitantly lift her head. She was greeted with a teasing smile. "I started it, didn't I?" Leal's eyes widened a tad as Eda chuckled, shrugging it off. "Anyways, been meaning to ask you, what is that whole thing you and your sister speak? It is a language, right?"

Lealtad blinked at her. She was really just gonna… leave it? Wow. She let out a small relieved sigh before putting her notepad back down. "Yeah," she softly answered, "it's called Español or 'Spanish'. But most people who don't speak it just call it Spanish."

Eda hummed her understanding. "I know humans have tons of them. Languages I mean. The few times I've been I felt like dozens of ya had some gibberish going on."

"You sure it just wasn't you not understanding local jargon?" she quipped.

"Hardy har," came the dry response. "But no really," Eda smiled at her, "I don't understand everything you two say but it sounds beautiful."

Leal mirrored the woman's smile. "Thanks. I think it does too."

"Context clues aside for most of 'em, what does that nickname you call me mean?"

"Ahh. Dama Búho. It means 'Lady Owl'," she explained. "Figured it was fitting enough to call ya. Especially since before I learned your last name." She shrugged.

Eda cocked her head. "Hey, yeah, why did you start calling me by my last name?"

"Because I didn't know you had one?"

"Wait, you didn't know?"

"Uhh, no?" Leal answered as though it were obvious. "Heck, when we first met, Luz and I were calling you 'Miss Eda' and 'Miss Owl Lady.' I figured Dama Búho rolls of the tongue better than either of those anyways." She smirked at the witch. "Plus it's respectful or I guess in your case, more ego inflating."

Eda's curiosity still remained as she hunched forward, cupping her thermos with both hands. "Why do you like calling people by their last names anyways? You do it a lot, and you call me old but barely any old farts do that 'round here." She snorted before taking a sip of her drink. "Kinda old fashioned, ain't it? Or that another human thing?"

Great. Another simple question she just couldn't… well, she just couldn't. Not now. "I… I dunno," she muttered, looking back down, "Just a—"

"Habit?" Eda softly guessed.

Leal closed her eyes.

"If you're respectful and nice, maybe they'll let you have more!"

"But, how do I do that ¿Papá?"

"Mind your manners! Say 'Please' and 'Thank you', and try addressing them by their last names!"

God, she was like seven years old back then… it felt like a lifetime ago. Or more accurately, a decade ago.

It was respectful. Polite. Right? She was hardly the kind of person to be nice to people though. Maybe it was a moot point. After all, it was unnecessary to keep doing. Like Eda said, no one—especially kids her age—addressed people like that anymore. And even if she did, she barely maintained any sense of decorum or pleasantry through conversation alone. Luz was better than her in that regard sometimes. So it was pointless. Or maybe…

"Yeah… habit," she finally replied, slowly nodding. She lifted her head more confidently. "I picked up on it when I was younger. 'Sides, it's respectful." She smirked impishly as she winked at Eda, making her laugh. "Why? Ya want me to stop? 'Cause if it bothers you I don't mind…"

"Nah, I like it." She smugly grinned while straightening up. "Like ya say, it's respectful."

She rolled her eyes. "Aaand I might take it back now if it only inflates your ego more."

"Ah, ah, too late!" Eda hastily replied. "You already gave me… Dama Boo-ho," she poorly pronounced, "so I think I'm entitled to some more praise."

Lealtad snorted. "Búho, not Booho. And you could've just stopped at, 'I think I'm entitled,'" she teased.

Eda cackled, slapping her knee. "Good one!"

As the witch laughed, Leal's smile shifted into one of fondness. She almost forgot for a moment why they were here. As that reminder hit her, her gaze flew back toward the cliffside for a moment. It was really hard to see Luz from where they were. "You sure I can't go check on her?" Leal hesitantly asked.

Eda let out a sigh, pulling Leal's attention back to her. "Especially you. She'd eat ya up as a distraction immediately."

Leal nodded with a chuckle. "True." And Eda knew that well. Like she knew… both of them well.

"Hey." The witch's stern voice startled her for a second. Eda's face was suddenly more serious. "You trust me to look after her, right?"

She was nearly taken aback by the witch's sincerity.

That… was a loaded question. A month ago Lealtad would've scoffed at such an inquiry. But now she found herself sitting across from the witch as an equal. She was someone worth respecting. And in some cases, was someone Leal knew she could count on sometimes. Today was no exception. She was really pulling it together for both her and Luz. Lealtad honestly felt very reassured in attending Hexside now because of all this. It was like studying before a test; the confidence that surged from preparation and practice excited her. And all of that was possible because of this measly hour or so she shared with Eda.

Because of The Owl Lady.

"I trust that we both can look after her," she proudly answered, smiling at her.

"That's a promise, Bean Head," Eda nodded, winking. She set her drink down next to her log as she stood up, stretching her body. "Whelp, regardless, I should check on her. Maybe see where her head's at. You should go for a stretch too. Collect some more firewood or maybe take more photos," she casually suggested as she walked off.

Leal clicked her tongue. "Aye, aye, Teach," she said before stretching herself. She wasn't sure about the firewood thing, but the photos did interest her. Not that she actually felt inclined to, but the idea of taking a look around brought something else forward: the Blights. They were nearby. She wondered if she could maybe ask to see them cast spells so she could see how they learn it. For curiosity's sake.

She let out a sigh as she picked up her bat and walked off. "Nope, can't do that," she said to herself, "They'd be wondering why or some shit and it'd ruin Luz's stupid lie." She scoffed, kicking at a mound of snow as she descended the hill and into the treeline. She still wasn't a big fan of Luz's lies, and now even more so since she could've asked them about pointers or something!

"Maybe there's a way to spin it," she muttered thoughtfully as she looked around the base of some trees. She found some nice wood earlier near here, so maybe—

An explosion boomed in the distance, making Leal yelp as she looked forward.

She only saw a brief flash of fire just ahead, deep within the woods. Leal gripped at her bat as she stepped away from the treeline and back out into the clearing. Before she could even wonder what that was, a distant roar bellowed out, making her gulp. Please don't be the Slitherbeast. Please don't be the Slitherbeast. Please—the ground shook and Leal gasped as a giant white blur landed in front of her, causing her to stumble back a bit.

Shit.

The giant creature stood before her, exposing its large teeth as it roared with anger. The left side of its face was scorched, revealing a sizeable amount of fur burned off. Lealtad slowly stepped back and held her right hand out placatingly as she gripped her bat with her left. "E-Easy there, big guy." Eda did say it wouldn't be upset if it wasn't bothered right? Well maybe if she made herself seem non-threatening, then—

Another roar shook her body.

"Nope, fuck that," she muttered, jumping out of the way of its oncoming swipe. Leal rolled to the side and quickly stood up, readying her bat for a swing to the creature's knee.

And then all she saw was white.

What was… anything?

Where was she?

What… why was she hurting?

Then suddenly, a strange sensation glossed over her and her senses started to return: her whole body felt numb and sore. A second later, a weird chill overcame her and she somehow felt both groggy and rejuvenated. Lealtad slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes, only to be greeted with Eda's concerned face. "Take it easy, Leal," she smiled at her reassuringly, "I just used a healing spell on ya but it'll make ya feel doozy for a bit." Lealtad furrowed a brow. Wait, what? "You took a nasty one." A giant claw came fast approaching behind the woman's silhouette.

Her voice still feeling groggy, Leal raised a finger and pointed at the danger, and once again Eda acted immediately. She picked up Leal and chucked her aside. As Leal rolled around and landed face first into the snow, her consciousness fast returned. Like a wake up call. Right, the Slitherbeast! Shaking off the white powder, Lealtad turned around and gasped as she realized Eda was suddenly in the monster's clutches. "Eda!" she shouted, rushing and grabbing her bat off the ground. She prepared herself to evade the beast's next attack. One good dodge and maybe she could—

"No, Leal!" Eda shouted, looking at her seriously. "Take Luz and run!"

Leal froze at that.

What?

But—

"Leal look out!"

Her sister's warning came too late, as the beast swiped at her once again. Lealtad cursed at herself as she felt her body ache from the squeezing. The beast tucked her into its left hand, smushing her up against Eda. Between Owlbert and Leal's bat, they were stuck in an uncomfortable bind where neither could wiggle a limb free. Not with the vice grip the Slitherbeast had.

"Luz!" Lealtad seized her struggling as she realized the Blights had arrived, with both Edric and Emira casting some sort of restraining rope to keep the beast grounded. And it worked! The Slitherbeast fell to the ground, with both its arms restrained, though the twins were being dragged forward.

"You got it!" Eda shouted. "Now finish it off!"

Leal groaned as she reeled her head away from the woman's shouting. "Preferably soon!" she begged.

"I'm on it!" Amity shouted, pointing her wand at the beast. Leal's heart dropped as she watched the young Blight's fire spell flop like goop. She desperately smacked her wand before whipping her head back toward Luz as she angrily shouted, "Did you use this all up?"

Lealtad's heart fell further. No… did Luz…

"I-I didn't know!" her sister shouted.

Shit.

"Come on, Luz!" Emira gritted out.

"Do those powerful spells you were talking about!" Edric shouted.

Was everything really falling apart because of Luz's lying?

Seriously?

"¡Mierda! We don't know any!" Leal shouted. "One of you needs to do somethin—ah fuck!" she winced, feeling more pressure around her body as the beast yanked its arms inward. The twins fell forward and the restraints were lost. Lealtad felt like her consciousness was about to go out soon with all this squeezing and before she knew it, the twins were smushed up against her and Eda. She groaned at the added pressure, and shakily yelped as she felt more rigid jostling and speed in the air.

She forced her eyes to stay open and was greeted by the horrific realization that the creature was taking them away. She turned her head back, craning her neck and nearly straining it as she shouted, "Luz!" She looked forward, bonking her head against Edric's nose. "Argh."

"Owie," Edric groaned, shutting his eyes.

"S-Sorry," Leal hissed. She felt a stabbing pain jab at her stomach and bit back another curse as she glared at Emira. "Don't bother squirming, we're too bunched up in here anyway." The girl sighed as she seized her efforts. Leal glanced to Eda exhaustively. "Clawthorne, you know where it's taking us?"

The woman seemed nonplussed about their situation as her expression was blank. "Probably its cave. Where it'll eat us."

Well, that was comforting.

Lealtad leaned her head upward and sighed.

It was all on Luz and Amity now…

::::

Once they got to the cave, Lealtad nearly gagged from the stench roaming within as they went deeper inside. They were definitely not its first meal recently. The sight of the numerous bones scattered about the cave was proof enough. The Slitherbeast marched over to a mound and placed its free hand on it, bracing itself as its mouth opened wide. Being so close to it, a wave of bad breath flew over their noses and Leal actually gagged this time. She coughed and turned her ahead away, granting Edric and Emira a small courtesy in not spewing all over their faces. Thankfully nothing came out.

Of her.

The Slitherbeast on the other hand? Shot out a purple goop that looked somewhat like Abomination goop, but more of a solid singular colour. It splat against the cave wall like gum. And was getting closer? "Oh Hell no—" her words cut off as the beast stuck the four of them right against the goop, cocooning them like webs for a spider. It felt gross. It wasn't as wet as she thought it'd be, but it was definitely sticky and smelly. Lealtad gave one attempt to struggle free and was evidently met with lots of resistance. She let out a frustrated sigh as she sunk her head.

"Don't worry," Emira softly said, "We'll be fine!"

And as though Fate wanted to prove the girl wrong, a pile of goop fell from the ceiling and landed before them, revealing several more skeletons as some slid off the mound.

"Nope, we're gonna die," Edric flatly declared.

"That's right." The four looked toward Luz's voice as a skull popped over the mound. "Death is here." Luz removed the skull and grinned at them. "Just kidding! Luz is here!" she cheerily greeted.

Despite the situation, Leal found herself chuckling a bit. How did she get here so fast?

"Kid, get outta here!" Eda barked. "I'm just gonna grab your sister and slip away once the thing starts eating the twins." The two gasped at that as Leal kicked the woman's shin. "Agh! What! You see any other way out?"

Lealtad held her glare at the witch.

"Don't worry, Eda, I get it now," Luz affirmed as she stood tall before them. "I was so obsessed with learning my second spell, I didn't listen to you. But now I'm gonna save you!" Her eyes locked onto Leal's with confidence. "All of you!" Hearing her say it, with that expression on her face, Lealtad smiled with relief. With that, her sister turned away and hopped excitedly down the mound, pumping her fists as she chanted, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

As Luz disappeared from sight, Eda let out a sigh. "Well, at least I got to see her misplaced confidence one last time…"

"No!" Leal hissed. "I have faith in my sister. She'll get us out of this!" She meant that wholeheartedly too.

"Didn't she lie about knowing a second spell?" Emira asked.

"And you guys accidentally unleashed a book beast onto your little sister—nobody's perfect!" she shot back. She turned toward the Blights with a serious face. "But she's great in a crisis! Especially when the time to step up counts." She smiled proudly as she looked off deeper into the cave, where she assumed Luz had gone. "I'd trust her with my life more than I'd trust myself," she admitted.

A silence fell after that, and Leal soon realized it was because everyone was taken in by her words.

But Lealtad made no qualms about reacting to her honesty. Even though she'd fight for and look after Luz, she also trusted her sister to be cunning and creative. A couple minutes passed and Leal concluded some sort of plan or trap was in play, which was just in time as the Slitherbeast returned with a handful of assorted plants and nuts. It raised its claw over them and began carefully seasoning their heads. Leal shuddered as the flora gathered atop her beanie, with few going down her back. "Whelp, definitely still gonna be picking those out tomorrow," she muttered.

Eda let out an aggressive sneeze, followed by a loud sniffle as she frowned. "I hate garlic," she stated.

"Hey! You big idiot!" both the beast and their collective attention flew toward the other side of the cavern, where stood Luz. She waved her arms as she shouted, "Over here!"

Within seconds the Slitherbeast pounced, causing Luz to yelp and turn, darting right out the cage. In a well timed succession, Amity climbed up onto the mound. "Amity!" her siblings exclaimed with relief.

"Use that fire spell I taught you!" Emira advised.

The girl stood before them with worry. "But I-I can't do it without the wand!" Amity argued, shaking her head.

"Yes, you can," her sister asserted confidently, "Just focus."

For a second, Amity's eyes darted toward Leal's. In turn, Leal merely smiled at the girl, nodding with silent agreement. Despite all the stress and tenseness of the situation, despite her literally knowing nothing about magic, Lealtad believed Amity could do it. And that seemed to be all the encouragement Amity needed, as she took a breath and nodded. "Okay." She raised her finger and drew the circle, then once completed, raised her hands near the spell. She began to strain as her fingers flexed, causing the circle to flicker and warp. Leal could only imagine what strength it took to perform such a feat.

Then it happened: a little ball of pink flame ignited in thin air, hovering above the little witch's head.

Leal gasped with delight.

"Cool!" Emira exclaimed. "I didn't think you could actually do it!"

Amity seemed to be too busy swept up in her excitement to notice her sister's comment as she brought the flame close to them, melting the goop and setting them free from their captivity. As Leal fell forward, she propped herself up with her bat and fixed a quick glare toward Emira. "Some comments are worth keeping to yourself, Blight," she advised.

The girl simply smiled at her as she cleaned herself off of some of the seasoning.

Leal turned to Eda and quickly helped the witch up. But a familiar wail grabbed all their attention. "Luz!" she and Amity shouted.

Eda hurriedly tossed out Owlbert and jumped on the very front. "Hop on!" she ordered. Immediately, the four of them piled onto the staff after Eda and they took off. "Yuuup," the woman hissed as they kept low to the ground, "definitely more weight than normal!" Though the haste was still marginally better than just running. As they arrived at the mouth of the cave's exit, they were met with the sight of a huge ice pillar emerging from the ground, which sent the Slitherbeast straight into the sky!

Leal gaped at the sight as the creature fell back down. Once it landed flat on its back, the beast quickly rolled over, turning towards the five with an angry roar. Leal instinctively readied her bat but Eda stepped forward, holding her staff out to her with a smug smile. And, as though it were reflex, Leal's fear and worry dropped. She simply accepted the staff as the woman asked the Blights, "Want me to teach you kids something cool?"

"Yes!" the sisters shouted while Edric pleaded, "Yes, please!"

Leal just smiled in excitement as Eda ran straight at the beast, using both her fingers to draw one giant circle as she announced, "Sleep spell!" She launched the ring toward the beast as it readied to pounce, hitting it just before. With that, the Slitherbeast fell forward into the snow, snoring soundly.

Lealtad whistled in awe. "Clawthorne, you are a badass."

"Don't I know it," the witch winked back at her.

"Now that's my mentor!" Luz shouted from the other side of the pillar, pumping her arms as she ran toward Eda. Lealtad quickly rushed over as well, reaching the two just as Luz began rambling. "Did you guys see? I—oof!" Leal cut off her sister by enclosing both her and Eda with a hug.

She embraced the warmth of the two together, not caring for the obvious awkward stiffness that stirred within Eda as she let the moment last for a second longer. They were fine. They were all okay. Pulling away, she smiled at Luz then to Eda, who looked a bit stunned for some reason. Leal just chuckled as she handed the woman's staff back. "Gracias a dios," she softly said, "I'm just glad we're all okay."

Luz grinned cheekily. "More than that, Leal—I learned my second spell!" She turned to Eda excitedly. "Did ya see! I made the connection!"

"I saw," Eda nodded. She ruffled the girl's hair, moving her hat around as she said, "Nice work, kiddo."

Lealtad's heart swelled at the excited and proud grin her sister had. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "You never cease to amaze me, Sunshine." She winked at her. "Thanks for saving my life."

She sheepishly tilted her head. "Sorry for putting it danger in the first place?"

"Say it less like a question, and maybe I'll consider forgiving you," she joked, already moving in for a second hug. As they shared another embrace, Leal heard Emira sigh and turned around to face the Blights.

"You showed some real bravery in there, sis," Emira commended.

"Yeah," Edric exaggeratedly added while ruffling his little sister's head, "nice work, kiddo."

Leal snorted at the sight of Amity irritably removing her brother's hand. "Ugh, stop!" she hissed, pulling back. As the girl turned toward Leal and Luz, she noticed she was quick to adjust her appearance as she shot Luz a smile. "So, it looks like we'll be in the same class!" she happily pointed out.

The older Noceda raised her brow at that. It was kind of an obvious detail, but weird how she felt the need to bring it up. Though her sister eagerly stepped forward before Leal could make a comment, clenching her fists with a wide smile. "Azura Book Club? Azura Book Club!" she shouted excitedly, startling Leal a bit.

Amity's cheeks flushed a bit as her eyes glanced toward her siblings. Her voice fell to a hush as she said, "As long as it's a secret club, okay?"

"It's not a secret!" Edric shouted, waving his hand.

"We're gonna tell everyone!" Emira added, with her hand cupped to her face.

Hearing Amity sigh, watching the twins' devious smiles, this was something Leal recognized as playful. She liked the look of it on the three of them (but maybe that was her older sibling bias coming in).

Lealtad giggled. "Heh, neeerrrrrds," she teased, pointing her finger at both Luz and Amity. Seeing the younger Blight's cheeks redden further, she couldn't help but feel a bit bad though. "Hey," she smiled at her, "thanks for helping save us."

She straightened up with a confident smile. "It was no problem."

"I mean, ya had to put up with mi hermana—"

"Hey!" her sister hissed, slapping her elbow.

"So I doubt there was exactly no problem," she mused.

"I did just save your life, y'know?" Luz grumbled, crossing her arms.

Lealtad chuckled as she bumped her arm against Luz's shoulder, shooting her a smile. "I'm always grateful to you, Sunshine."

"But hey," Luz turned to Amity, "we made a great team, huh?"

Amity's brows raised. "Um. Yeah," she smiled, nodding a bit, "we did."

And to ruin the moment, Eda appeared beside the three, sneezing very loudly without covering her mouth. "Alright, your adorable banter is literally making me sick. Let's go home already," she complained, hugging herself.

"On it, Teach!" Luz shouted, pointing her finger to the sky. "Leal, get a good angle of this, I'm about to show you the new glyph!"

"Camera's back at the camp," she replied, though Luz was already drawing in the snow. Halfway through her process, she asked, "Wouldn't it be easier to just use a stick?"

Her sister ignored her, seemingly too caught up in her glyph drawing to even realize she was needlessly using her finger. And after a few more seconds, the glyph was done. Luz stepped back and gestured toward it all showmanship-like. Lealtad took a moment to observe the glyph, drinking in the sight of the new spell before rushing atop it with her sister and Eda. She glanced down at the glyph, then toward the giant ice pillar. With a gulp, she turned to Eda with a serious face. "Please tell me you're catching us with Owlbert," she flatly asked.

Eda snorted, twirling her staff in her hand. "Relaaaaax." She slapped Luz's shoulder. "Hit it!"

With no time to brace, Luz bent down and slammed her hand on the glyph, causing it to illuminate blue and spawn a platform of ice. It immediately grew upward at an angle, propelling them into the air and over the trees. With their hands and bodies free in the air, Eda and Luz shouted with glee as Leal yelled, "A catch would be great any day now!"

And a second later, Eda spun Owlbert forward with her at the helm, and swooped by to collect the two. She turned and smirked at Lealtad as the two adjusted in their seats. "Spoilsport," the witch taunted, making Luz giggle.

Leal ignored the blush in her ears as she scowled. "I've had enough exciting thrill for one day. I'm capped out one day at a time." She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Remember that okay?"

Luz fought back a smirk as she bit her lip, nodding. "Mmhmm."

She could only sigh.

It wasn't long until they were back at the campsite, with Eda using her magic to gather up everything into one pouch. Which she then proceeded to magick out of existence or something to that effect. Luz made a comment about wanting to go back to the spot Amity kept her in since that was were she first learned the spell and wanting to take a picture of it. But Leal wasn't keen on that. Luckily, Luz seemed content with using her own phone to do that so she rushed off, promising to return quickly. With the moment to themselves once again, Leal stepped toward Eda.

She cleared her throat. "Hey, Clawthorne?"

"Yeesss, Bean Head?" the witch replied, smiling at her.

"Thanks for well… protecting me," she said sheepishly.

Eda chuckled as she walked by her, ruffling her head and shifting her beanie a bit. "It was no problem, kiddo." This time, Leal showed no annoyance with the gesture. She simply just readjusted her beanie as she smiled at the woman. The witch threw out Owlbert and hopped on. "Ready to head home?"

Leal nodded. "Definitely. I could use a shower."

::::

When they arrived at the Owl House, two things immediately alerted and concerned them. One: Hooty was inside the house. Two: there were knives and arrows outside, all pitched into the ground like they were thrown. As they landed at the door and hopped onto their feet, they were greeted with the sight of a completely wrecked living room. It was even worse than the time they animated the whole house! Torn up couches and cushions, scratched floors and carpet, and a bloodbath of stuffed animal stuffing all over the place.

And the strangest thing of all?

King and Hooty sharing an embrace at the centre of everything.

Eda cleared her throat, pulling the two out of their moment. "What the heck did you two get into?" she angrily asked.

"Um, excuse me," King annoyedly replied, placing his little paws on his hips as he turned toward them. "We're having a moment here," he pointed out, gesturing between himself and Hooty.

"You'll never understand what we've been through together!" Hooty exclaimed. He waved his head back and forth as he asserted, "Never, never!"

King's sentiment didn't seem to match, as he pulled away and scoffed. "Moment ruined," he declared, walking away to pick up Francois off the floor.

"I will be haunted by my actions forever. Hoot hoot!" Hooty announced with a big grin.

Lealtad blinked at that while her sister just shrugged. "Whelp! I'll be in my room!" Luz shouted, running past Hooty and up the stairs. But Leal could tell the excitement of the new glyph was welled up in her.

"Okay! Goodnight!" Hooty shouted after her.

"Dios mío, Hooty," Leal asked, "ya ever think you'll dial down from an eleven?"

"Noooope! Mostly because I don't know what that means!" he replied as he snaked back into his spot at the door, shutting himself.

"And just like that, neither of them is taking responsibility for the mess," Lealtad said disappointedly.

"You honestly expect them to?" Eda snorted, shooting King a look as he sat down to cuddle with his stuffed toy. He remainded quiet as he fell over, pretending to sleep (though she bet it wouldn't be long after that became real).

She turned to Eda with an amused smile. "Guess that answers the question of whether or not we can leave them alone going forward."

"Y'know, I did do that before you two entered my life, right?" she replied with a raised brow.

Leal snorted. "Yeah, and you also were on top of that elixir thing too—look how that worked out." She laughed as she walked toward the flipped couch. "Routines change, Clawthorne!"

She heard the witch chuckle fondly, which made Leal turn and furrow a confused brow. But the woman was just smiling at her. "They do indeed, Bean Head." She clicked her tongue and nodded toward the stairs. "Go on and get some rest with your sister. Clean up and all that. I can handle this mess. I'll also whip us up something quick so we can knock out and sleep in."

Leal frowned a bit. "You sure? I can help you know?"

"Yes, yes," Eda asserted, already moving to push her toward the stairs, "I do have magic after all. And you know your sister is already dying to talk to you about the spell. Besides," she stopped and smirked at her temptingly, "Now it's time to brush up on your notes, right?"

Lealtad smiled at that. Well, when she put it like that… "Fair enough," she shrugged. She ascended the steps, shouting, "Lemme know if you need my help!"

"I won't, but thanks!"

She just laughed as she rushed over to their room. Upon opening the door, she was met with a plethora of ice glyph paper all over the floor. Her sister was sat cross legged in the middle, with the Hexside pamphlet in her hands. "Leal! C'mon!" she motioned for her to come over. "We gotta practice this spell!" She turned the pamphlet forward and pointed at the last info block on the last page. "There's an entrance exam and we have to demonstrate what we know!"

Leal chuckled, shaking her head as she carefully walked over to Luz, avoiding the glyphs on the floor. "Whelp, how 'bout for starters, we talk 'bout you learning the spell?" she asked as she sat in front of her sister, smiling. "I know it sucks that you had to do all the heavy lifting, but I can share with you what I learned about potions and stuff from Eda," she offered, pulling out her notepad and handing it to Luz. As her sister accepted it, she leaned forward and placed her hand on Luz's knee. "Also, I do wanna say I'm proud of you for figuring it out, Luz." She awkwardly pulled back, rubbing her neck. "I-I don't think I could ever figure it out. Heck, Clawthorne kinda admitted you're more geared for this than me so…"

"Leal," Luz softly spoke, staring at her with a smile. "I can do this," she gestured all around them, "because of you."

"Sunshine, c'mon—"

"No really," her sister affirmed, eyes filled with determination. "You're always an inspiration to me. So even when you're not with me, I have you helping me." She grabbed one of the glyphs, holding it out for Leal. "I might not have learned a spell for Lealtad, but I do think Ice is still pretty fitting." Her sister's lips upturned into a mischievous grin. "Because you are pretty cool."

Leal sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're a dork," she flatly stated as she grabbed the glyph from her.

Luz just smiled.

"So, you wanna tell me what you learned?"

"Yes!" Luz eagerly exclaimed. She scooted closer to her, pointing at the glyph. "Oh wait, so does this mean we're gonna stay up and play around with this?" she asked.

Leal smiled at her. "I mean… we do have to prepare for an entrance exam."

Her sister gasped. "We do. Oh! We can do a presentation! Together!" Luz shouted, hopping onto her feet. "This is gonna be so cool!"

"Then let's get started on a routine, as soon as we can, Sunshine." She shot her a playful smirk. "And no fireworks."

---

A/N: I get that not having Leal be a part of the learning process doesn't make much sense as she will also be enrolling, but Eda recognizes that Lealtad isn't as passionately interested or motivated as Luz is with magic. Leal doesn't really invest a lot of interest about the bare bones of how it all works and Eda also knows Luz would only get the lesson if she learned on her own. At the end of the day, it's Luz's experience and it's only enhanced if SHE learns it by herself, like canon expresses. I know it seems all convenient, but in the grand scheme of things, it's on par for Leal to default to Eda's guide here especially with how Eda was presenting herself both this chap and in canon. She was really reliable! And for that reason, Leal shows that she trusts her.

On other topics of canon: there's no REAL establishment of how long Luz was left alone for, so I decided to give her the benefit of a doubt in this story and wagered she was actually sitting on the rock for well, the duration for most of Leal and Eda's conversation before she snuck off (so about ten minutes or so). I made this avenue long ago because I wanted to create a breeding ground for Leal and Eda's relationship to develop. Now if you've seen my posts and such on Tumblr, you know that I spoke about how when it came to finally publishing the first batch of chaps, I was surprised by how synergetic Leal and Eda's relationship was.

It wasn't that I never planned for them to get along, but how they banter and quip evolved very naturally in my writing, which honestly hastened a lot of ideas and talking points. Which means, their relationship grew faster than even I anticipated. This chap always featured a bit of, "I share, you share," but it's obvious with season 3, I decided to add more elements toward Leal's history with Manny. Given her age, as I have mentioned before, she has more memories with Manny and thus has a bit more discussion to offer. Of course, she isn't the type to usually do that (that's all Luz) but what happened with Eda this chap was just very... raw.

I wanted that impression to stick.

And speaking of impressions... Blights! That was cool, eh? I always wanted to establish the Blights' growth from the last time they're seen in canon because it was a bit surprising how amicable everything turned out when we saw them again. Here in this story—of course we've seen more growth and development toward how both the twins and Amity felt—highlighting the fact that it's the first time Leal's seen them all together since the library incident AND in canon's case, the first time we've seen them again just brings forward how nice it is that they're getting along now. But it's also a cool way of showing Leal's "Luz side" has impacted them a bit, and they definitely talked some more.

---

Review Responses:

Thomas Holmes II: Haha, well I guess you've already seen when she has "let her off the hook"!

MarauderPrime12: Glad to hear it! ( ^‿^)

starrat: no u ( ^‿^)

LostKagamiWitchInTheIsles: Hehe, word count DEFINITELY shoots up with these chapters! I definitely concur in that Hooty's underrated for a lot of character moments. I mean, he's comic relief, of course. Yet I don't think Lilith would be so quick to befriend someone like Hooty if he wasn't without some of his wise moments. I think he's a good balance, and I try to maintain that feeling here as well! Yeah, the show kinda just mentions Eda's criminal behaviour whenever it suits gags or the plot, but doesn't really hamper their overall day to day life on the Isles (which is weird).

I do try to maintain the PG humour and aspects of gags, but at the same time, given the dark tones of the show AND the fact that we have a teenager, I lend the dialogue to also more "mature" vocab to fit Leal's characterization. I'm glad you also liked how I handled Leal and Amity's talk. I didn't want it to come off as insincere or cliché with all the heartfelt speaking, but I alwas wanted it to be purposeful in that they're BOTH learning from this conversation. Thanks for the comment about Tale of the Good Child! I found it was the most subtle way I could mention Amity's background and belief in the Coven system WITHOUT taking away from any effort on Luz's part. Thanks again!

Thomas Holmes II: Yuuup. You could say it's a bit obsessive too! Though, given the loss of their father, it's no surprise why she values time well spent so much. Exactly. Poor shame since it was a nice book as well. It'd say the hatchet is well buried now, but more so water under the bridge. Thanks for the comment!

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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: September 13th, 2023

Stay safe, and stay lovely y'all.

Until next time,

- Bleh