Day 3: Mother/Daughters' Time
Lilith sighed as she took in the slightly cool air of the Boiling Isles. She always did like this time of year, more soon now with everything going on.
"Enjoying the quiet, sister?" Camila asked as she exited the house.
"A little," Lilith admitted, smiling warmly as she looked at the Owl House. "But I wouldn't change the noise for anything."
Camila nodded and then frowned as she looked around. She figured Gwen would be front and center and ready to go. Lilith laughed, figuring out what her human sister was thinking.
"If I know mother, she tending to Edalyn," the historian explained.
Almost after saying that, the human and witch heard a crush coming from the upper floors of the Owh House. They looked in time to see Eda's window open, and Eda jumped out. The bard changed into her harpy form and tried to fly away.
Suddenly, Eda was covered in a blue glow and pulled back to her bedroom. Gwen was standing at the window, a dull look on her face as she used a spell to pull Eda back to her room.
"Honestly, dear," the elder witch said tiredly. "When you're like this, you're part beast."
"Back, back, vile creature!" Eda screeched, trying to fight her way free of her mother's spell.
The fight was in vain; as Gwen pointed out, Eda was part beast, and as a Beast-Keeper, the elder Clawthorne's magic was strong against Eda.
Gwen pulled her daughter back into her room and waved at Lilith and Camila. The two "knocked-down" mothers returned the gesture as Gwen closed the window. They heard a large screech soon after the window was closed.
"You'll think after all my time living here I would be used to such things?" Camila muttered offhandedly.
"When it comes to my sister and mother," Lilith replied, "You can't really get used to them."
Camila nodded and looked at the front of the house when she heard the door opening, and Dell's group came running out.
"MOMMY!" Amity and Luz happily screamed as they rushed their mothers.
Camila and Lilith smiled as they leaned down and scooped their daughters into their arms. The "knocked-down" human and witch nestled their cheeks against their mothers' faces as the two straightened up.
"Now, all we need to do is wait for Edalyn and your mother, and we can head out," Dell said cheerfully.
Camila frowned as she looked at her witch father with concern. "Papa Dell, are you sure you can handle watching the kids?" the human beast-keeper asked.
The retired carver chuckled and walked up to his human daughter. "Neither of you have anything to worry about. These bones aren't what they used, but I can handle some current children."
"That may be true, dear, but I still want to take it easy," Gwen piped in as she exited the house.
The group looked at the two Clawthorne girls and couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Eda was dressed in a red "Mary-Jane" dress, with white stockings and black Mary Jane shoes. The Bard's hair has been combed straight and put into a twin "Pigtail" style.
Strangely, Eda was also sporting a pair of red-framed glasses.
"Yeah, yeah," Eda grumbled, "chuckle it up and get out of your systems.
The Familia did just that and laughed a little harder. Eda, for her part, just crossed her arms and looked away, a hint of red on her cheeks.
"My, sister," Lilith said teasingly. "I never knew such a prim and proper lady was hiding behind that wild exterior."
"Si," Camila added, "I almost wish I could see how that outfit looked on you when you were eight."
Eda rolled her eyes at this and then looked at her sisters with a mischievous grin.
"At least I'm not going to be alone in this," she stated ominously.
Lilith and Camila looked at their sister in confusion. Before either could get some clarification, they were covered in a magical aura.
"Now, just need to get my other daughters ready, and we can head out," Gwen spoke with glee and looked at her husband. "Have a fun time with the kids, dear."
Dell frowned as he watched his daughters lift from the ground and float to the Owl House. Lilith and Camila tried to fight their mother's pull by grabbing the frame of the front door. Gwen's magic was simply too strong, and the two soon disappeared into the Owl House.
"JANE PORTER! STOP THIS CRAZY WOMAN!" Lilith screams bellowed from within the Owl House.
(SC)
"Ha! Serves you right for laughing at me," Eda snarked.
Lilith and Camila glared at the ex-wild witch, then turned their attention to their outfits. They were wearing the same outfit as Eda, with only their colors being different. Lilith's outfit was black, and Camila's was orange.
They also had their hair stylized in the same way as Eda's and wore glasses just like hers.
Lilith ignored her sister's snark and looked at their mother. Gwen was busy window shipping, a soft smile on her lips as she looked over the different outfits on display.
"Mother?" Lilith asked calmly. "Why did you make us wear these outfits?"
Gwen stopped her window shipping, turned to her daughter, and shook her head good-naturedly.
"Dear, I don't think I need to explain the dresses to someone like you," Gwen replied warmly.
Lilith said, fixed her glasses, and joined her mother's side.
"No, you don't," Lilith replied, "But the question remains, why did you put in this illusion casting outfits? They're not really needed these days."
"Dear," Gwen replied sadly, "Just let me have this one."
Lilith sighed but decided to let his mother have this one. So, she nodded, and Gwen smiled warmly as she went back to window shipping.
From their spot, Eda and Camila had overheard most of Gwen and Lilith's conversation, and the "knocked-down" human couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Poor Mama Gwen," Camila moaned sadly.
"Er, she's just smilking it," Eda said with a shrug.
Camila looked at her sister in all but blood and saw the sadness clear as day in her eyes. She smiled at Eda and gave her a one-armed hug. Eda looked at the human with her eyes, smiled a half-smile, and wrapped an arm around her.
"Witchlet, Camila!" Gwen called, "I think this is the store we're visiting first!"
"Coming!" the two "knocked-down" mothers called.
The two broke apart and began walking toward Gwen and Lilith. Suddenly, a familiar pig demon appeared before the two, causing them to groan.
"Aha!" Tibbles exclaimed. "I have you-hey, don't walk away from me!"
Eda and Camila ignored the demon and joined their mother and sister. Tibbles didn't like being ignored and disappeared and reappeared in front of the Owl Familia's mothers and grandmother.
Lilith growled under her breath but said as politely as possible. "Mister Grimhammer. As you can see, my sisters and I are trying to have a day out with our mother. So, if you would be kind and leave us to our devices, that would be much appreciated."
"Yeah," Eda added. "And don't you have a fourth-rate scam to run?"
"I will have you know, Miss Seven-rate scam artist," Titbble said defiantly, "I'm in between scams at the moment, so I decided to FINALLY have my revenge- NOT AGAIN!"
Tibbles was interrupted when a spell circle formed under him, and a giant fist of an unknown beast came through it, punching him into the air.
The Owl Familia's mother watched as the demon disappeared into the sky. They turned their attention to Gwen and couldn't help but become a little afraid as they noted the state their mother was in.
The elder Beast-keeper's eyes were glowing slightly as she finished with her spell, and a green fire had somehow ignited behind her. Gwen watched until she couldn't see the demon anymore and then looked at her daughters, her demeanor returning to normal.
"Well, shall we, dears?" she asked warmly.
Gwen then headed into the store without a care in the room. The mothers followed after the elder Clawthorne, mildly unnerved by recent events.
The four entered the store, and a few seconds later, Tibbles came crashing down to the ground, his fall cushioned thanks to a potion he had.
With a Growl, Tibbles pulled himself to his feet and glared at the store where the Owl Familia members entered.
"That is it!" Tibbles proclaimed to the skies. I will have my revenge on these witches and humans if the last thing I do! And so help me, Titan, if I can't, I will sail the boiling seas!"
He then hurried into the store, cackling his head off, unaware of the scene he just caused because of his outburst.
(SC)
Lilith giggled as she looked at the outfit she was trying on, thanks to her illusion outfit. It was a Japanese school outfit called a sailor fuku, and she wouldn't deny she looked adorable in it.
She grabbed the skirt and twirled around playfully. She giggled again as she came to a stop and posed in what she hoped was a cute pose.
"Really getting into this, I see, dork," Eda teased playfully.
Lilith looked over at her sister and cocked an eyebrow at Eda's choice of attire.
Eda wore a pair of leather pants and knee-high boots with four-inch heels. She wore a leather jacket with spiked shoulder pads and tattered elbows over a pink crop top. The top had a picture of a goat eating a gremlin on it.
Lilith couldn't help but shake her head; the outfit was so her sister it wasn't funny.
"Oh my, dear, you're gorgeous!" the sister heard their mother say.
Curious, the sisters went to find their other family members. Unknown to the Clawthorne Sisters was Tibbles; the demon was hiding in a clothing rack, working on a spell. With a small cackle, the pig-like demon sent the spell at the "knocked-down" witches.
Lilith moved just as the spell was about to hit her, and the spell rebounded off the enhanced mirror. Tibbles didn't have time to react as his spell hit him square in the face with enough force to knock him on his back.
It didn't take long for Eda and Lilith to find their family, and couldn't help but agree with their mother's statement.
"Looking good, Cammi," Eda said flirty, doing finger guns. "If I wasn't going to be tied down soon, I would totally date you."
Lilith was silent but nodded her as she studied her sister in all but blood.
Camila was wearing a white evening gown with a gold accent. The right arm was completely bare, and the other arm was covered by a sleeve that went down to the elbow. The dress hugged her youthened figures enough to highlight them but still considered to be modest.
"Y-You really think so?" Camila asked bashfully. "I haven't worn anything like this since my wedding."
Gwen smiled warmly and walked up to her adopted daughter. She placed her hand on Camila's shoulder and stared lovingly into the human's eyes.
"Dear, trust me, you're beautiful," the elderly Beast-keeper said encouragingly.
The blush on Camila's face got just a bit redder, and she looked at the mirror. The last person who told her she was beautiful was her husband, and that was when she was six months pregnant with Luz.
Camila frowned as she thought about Manny, and part of her silently wished he was still here, enjoying this week with her.
"Mi Amor, I will always be with you and our light."
Camila blinked and looked around. Weird, she thought she heard the voice of her beloved Manny. But that was crazy! She looked around again; Eda and Lilith had started a conversation with their mother and didn't seem to hear anything.
She decided that her mind was playing tricks on her and went back to admiring herself in the mirror.
(SC)
Gwen and her daughter spend the next 40 minutes looking at and trying on outfits. The "knocked-down" mothers even brought a few new outfits for their next rejuvenated outing.
As the group was leaving, they failed to see a cluttering of clothing following them. That clutter was Tibbles. He tried to pull the clothing off of him, but the clothing would just fly back to him.
"Why did I use a time-release, static cling spell?" the scammer asked as he tried to run for the door. He reached it only to have the door shut, and alarms went off.
"Sir," a dull voice said, "You're going to need to pay for those."
Tibble turned around to throw an insult at the guy and stopped when he saw it was a rather large witch with muscles that looked like they could cut through solid rock.
Outside the store, the Owl Familia looked at the door when it closed.
"What do you think happened?" Camila wondered.
"Eh, probably just some kid thinking they could pocket some cheap bracelet," Eda replied with a shrug. "Now, about we get some grub? I need to shove something down my food hole."
Lilist rolled her eyes at her sister's choice of words but said, "Yes, I'm starting to feel hungry myself."
"Si," Camila agreed. "But where? Diablo's doesn't open for another hour, and I hear this having a special all this week."
"Hmm, I may know of a place," Gwen piped in.
The "knocked-down" mothers looked at their mother/mother figure, curious about this place. Gwen smiled warmly and led her daughters to a small outdoor cafe not too far from the store they were at.
"This's new," Eda quipped as she looked at the sign, which read "Delights across the Realms."
"Yes," Gwen replied, taking a seat. "It opened a few weeks ago, and a friend told me how their goreberry scorns are to die for."
The Owl Familia's mothers took a seat, and once they did, menus appeared in front of them with a poof of smoke. The four picked up their menus and began scanning the items.
About five minutes later, a waitress came to collect their orders. "Hey, dearies," she said with southern drawn. "Name's Bella and I will be your server today. Y'all ready to order?"
They nodded, and Bella made a pen and pad appear.
"I will have your Goreberry special," Gwen said, handing the waitress her menu.
"I will take a Sulkidmous Fin soup and Black tea," Lilith informed the waitress.
"And I want the Death-by-depth sub and some apple blood," was Eda's order.
"I will also have the Boreberry Special. But can I have Rotbloom tea instead of Jinnamon tea?" Camila asked.
"You certainly can, Dearie," Bella replied chirpily.
Bella finished collecting the Familia's order and their menus and then headed into the cafe to get the orders ready. The mothers and grandmother made small talk as they waited for their food.
(SC)
Tibbles, now free of the clothing that once clung to him, smiled as he stealthily made his way into the kitchen. Luck was finally with the pig demon; he had managed to overhear what the Familia had ordered and had the perfect foolproof-can't-fail-because-no-basilisk-was-here plan.
He found a nice hiding spot and watched as the cook began making the meals. Tibbles grinned when he saw Eda's order and went to work.
With a quick spell, he sent a hypnotizing light at the cook. The cook froze the second he saw the light. Tibbles knew the effect of his light would last only a minute and jumped onto the cook's shoulder.
He did another spell circle, and a vial appeared in his hands. "Concentrated ghost pepper extract. Whoever eats this will burn at both ends… literally!"
Tibbles cackled as he finished emptying his potion and jumped off the cook. He then made his exit without anyone seeing him.
(SC)
Once their lunches had arrived, Familia dug in. The four ate in silence as they each gauged the meals.
"What do you think, dear?" Gwen asked Camila.
"Not bad," the human replied positively.
Gwen nodded and turned to ask how Eda's lunch was.
From his spot near the Familia, Tibbles watched gleefully as the ex-wild witch took one, second, three, four bites. He scowled when he saw the bard go in for another bite without reacting one bit.
"And what do you think of your lunch, witchlet?"
"Eh, could use some hot sauce," the bard said nonchalantly.
"WHAT!" Tibbles screamed, jumping out of his hiding spot and storming up to the group. "Give me that!"
In fury, the pig demon jumped onto the table and snatched the sub from Eda. He took one big bite, and almost immediately, his entire face turned red. With a squeak, a jet of flames burst from his behind and rocketed him forward.
The pig demon screamed as he flew past Drake, who was pushing a crate with his family.
The "knocked-down" mothers and one grandmother watched as Tibbles rocketed over the horizon.
"Oh, Lily," Eda sang, looking at her sister with a grin.
Lilith just sighed and stirred her soup, refusing to look her sister in the eye.
"Yes," She muttered in defeat, "Next time we're rejuvenated, I will become an eight-year-old, and you can dress me up in silly outfits."
Eda continued to grin as she took her sub and gave it a quick look over.
"I take it this is a thing?" Gwen whispered to her human daughter.
"Lately? Si," Camila replied and looked to the sky as she wondered where Tibbles would land.
(SC)
Flora D'splora was not a happy witch. "When can we leave, captain?" she asked impatiently. "I need to get to those Islands before anyone else does."
Captain Salty sighed as he looked at the bad girl historian dully. "Until we get another crewmate for this three-month sea venture, I ain't moving me ship."
The captain and the bad-girl historian looked up when they heard a noise and saw Tibble falling toward their ship, more specifically, Flora.
The historian realized where the pig was going to land and tried to move. She was too slow, and Tibble collided with her as flame erupted from his mouth. The sea captain watched as the door fell to the floor and Flora rolled around trying to put the flames out.
Salty rubbed his head and sighed. "Looks like I got more times before we ship off."
(G Corner)
Well, this doesn't happen often, but I struggled with this chapter a bit. I was wondering if I should make Flora the BBEG for this chapter or have her work with the pig. Oh, well, I bet even the great had off days.
Up next, the last story of the third day, and you finally get to see what's happening with Drake.