Hello, this is another story I'll be starting along with the other I posted. I don't plan on doing anything smut related unlike my other story, but I will still put a warning: if you don't like the cuss words, don't read. I'm planning on making this a slow burn, emotional romance. So don't expect Lumity to happen immediately. This will be in the regular world, no witches or demons, no magic. And the main characters, at least, will be aged up, in or fresh out of college. Characters like Eda and Camila will stay the same though. Anyways, onto the story.
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
Yelling
Emphasized
xxx - scene transition
xxx
Luz opened her eyes looking at herself in the mirror, 'How did you even get here Noceda?' questioning herself. 'You're nervous all around, but you were able to do it, weren't you? You were able to fulfill the promise to mom and dad and after all these years, you kept that promise.' Luz leaned back in her chair and sighed, recalling the events that led her here on a night talk show with Bryan O. Conan.
Her first thought was when her popularity skyrocketed, self publishing her book The Owl House. It was a little bit over a month ago when she did, and word about the book quickly spread like wildfire. People were so enthralled with the book that she was honestly shocked by it. Fans raved about the book, loving the characters and how they could relate to any of them, especially Belos, the main antagonist. Critics praised Luz for the story structure and the surprising but satisfying pay off ending.
Luz only knew about the very positive feedback because of her younger sister. You see, Luz was never much of a social media junky, so 3 days after the book was published, her younger sister called her with great news.
xxx
Luz shot up at her desk, hitting her knee on one of the legs, hearing her phone go off. Picking it up after she rubbed her knee, she saw it was her sister calling. Luz quickly picked up the phone because Vee never called her out of the blue like this.
"Hello Vee, what's up," she said in a tired tone.
"LUZ!" hearing her name, she pulled back her phone from her ear, now ringing from the excited scream. "Have you heard the news?"
"No," she responded now in a more awake and attentive tone, "Is everything alright Vee?"
"Much better than alright actually. Amazing is more like it. I'm so proud of you Luz!"
"Vee, what is going on?" Luz was now more confused than she initially was when Vee woke her up from her nap just a moment ago.
"Did you not see the Penstagram and Hooter posts about your book? Let alone all the news channels talking about it as well?"
(Hooter will be the Twitter variation in this A/U, just like Penstagram is the Instagram equivalent. I decided to do that because it reminds me of Hooty and it seems fitting. Plus instead of "Tweets", it'll be Hoots. It's just funny to me thinking about it being Hoots. And no, I am not basing Hooter off of the restaurant chain Hooters)
"Vee, you know I don't keep up with Penstagram or Hooter, that's for famous people and people who Stan those famous people," Luz sighed, not expecting to wake up to a conversation like this. She was waiting for Vee to tell her to get the two mentioned apps, like she has countless times before.
"Really Luz? The writer and self published author of the now famous book, The Owl House, doesn't even know just how big her book has gotten? Plus, with what you just said, time to install both of them. Now being, as you call it, "famous"." Vee really knew how to push her buttons. She couldn't blame her though, it was fun for Luz because she knew her sister never had bad intentions when she got like this.
"Ugh, do I really have to install them?" Luz asked with as much sarcasm in her voice, "I'm not that "famous", I'm just Luz the author hoping to make it big."
"Luz, I know it was your dream to make it big, but you gotta wake up. You're living that dream now. Just install them and go and see what I'm saying, Please?"
Luz couldn't ignore the sincerity in Vee's voice, she knew her sister was just looking out for her.
"Fine Vee, but I will only make private accounts just to keep up with you, mom and my friends, got that?"
"NO!" Vee basically made Luz deaf, "You can't just do that. Here, let me send you a pic over text. God Luz, you know how lame that sounds saying that? You have to get with the times, now being famous and all."
A moment later Luz received a photo from Vee and looked it over, surprised at what she saw. "People are wondering and searching if I have any social media accounts?"
The photo was a screenshot of Hooter threads of people trying to see if Luz had an account so they could follow her. The comments ranged from possibly finding one and realizing it was an imposter (sus) to comments of people praising the book and Luz herself. She was taken back by this.
"Yes you nerd," Luz snapped back to reality after hearing her sister, "You gotta get yourself a public account as well, think about the clout you can get Luz!"
"First off, I don't know what clout is, and second, I'll consider it. I'll just make private ones for now, is that alright with you Vee?"
"You don't know what clout means, but you know what being a Stan is? Not surprised. You're so old Luz." Luz rolled her eyes, she was only 2 ½ older than Vee. "And that's ok, just make sure to follow mom and I, ok? And don't make a dumb username either, like something referencing Azura or something like that."
"I'll let you guys know when I make my accounts. I still can't believe you convinced mom to get both of them. Let alone convincing me to get them. And don't you dare talk about The Good Witch Azura like that," Luz said with a playful voice, "That book series is what got me into writing anyways. Without it, I probably wouldn't be, as you say, "getting clout" or whatever you youngins say these days."
"YES!" Okay, that was the loudest she's heard Vee scream over the phone. She sounded like she just won a Hexes Hold'em game against Eda.
"Vee, keep it down in here, I'm trying to focus on making dinner right now and you're louder than the video I'm trying to follow," Luz heard her mom on the other end of the line. "I'm trying out a new recipe."
"Sorry mom, I'm just trying to tell Luz the amazing news about her book," Vee responded.
"Oh," Luz heard her mother more clearly. Vee put her phone on speaker. "Hola mija, I'm so proud of you Luz!"
"Thank you so much mom," Luz now getting emotional, "How are you doing?"
"Doing great. I'm so glad your book is getting so much attention, how do you feel about it?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't seen or heard much about the book's feedback. You guys probably know more about how it's doing. From what you guys are saying though, it seems like it's doing well. That reminds me, I should talk to Willow about the book. She hasn't talked or texted me since the book was published and released."
"She may be busy with everything going on with your book, she is your agent and part of your team after all. You did hire your best friends to help you out with this. How's Gus doing by the way?" She heard her mom ask.
"Gus is doing alright, all three of us were going to meet today to see how the book was going. We agreed on waiting three days to see what we needed to do so it could become bigger. But you guys have already let me know." Luz looked at her phone for the time and realized she had the meet up with Gus and Willow in 20 minutes. "Oh shoot, I gotta go guys, I have to meet with them soon! Thanks for calling Vee, and thanks for talking as well mom. It means a lot, I love you guys!"
"See ya!" Vee replied.
"Call us on how your meeting goes," her mom said, "Love you mija.
xxx
Still in the chair, Luz smiled at the memory. She was very grateful for her family, she dearly loved her mom and Vee. She looked up, past the ceiling as if she was looking into heaven itself, and shed a tear, "Gracias papa… para todo."
She closed her eyes and got a hold of herself again. Luz didn't want to think that far in the past. Taking a deep breath, she looked at herself again in the mirror and smiled again, another recent memory popping up for her.
xxx
Gus and Willow both hugged Luz, both congratulating her about the news. They pulled back and Gus, one of her two best friends and editor, started the conversation, "So what do you think about this possible idea? It seems like they'd both like to have you on their shows, and both are on the same day!"
Willow, her other best friend and agent, chimed in after, "It'd be a great opportunity for you and the book to get bigger."
Luz looked at her friends and thought that she couldn't ask for anyone else to be a part of this team. Gus was a theater and screenplay major, which was a lot. He had a few lowkey roles under his belt, both on stage and on t.v., and was planning on going back for a directing degree. But he was the perfect person for this small team because of his writing and choreography skills. So when action came up within her book, he was able to bounce ideas off of her and he would make sure it made sense in the book. Plus he was recognized at the university he was at for his writing for plays and theater stories.
Willow got a minor in business as well as a major in botany. But she ended up using her business minor much more because of what she wanted to do. Her dad and father owned a plant shop, and she helped out a lot with them, especially with flowers. And she was damned good at selling anything and everything within their small business. Willow was a natural business woman who had an interest in plants. When Luz approached her to be her agent, she immediately took it, knowing her dad and father would be fine at the shop. Not only was this within her realm of selling stuff, especially a person and making them appealing to anyone and everyone, but Willow was able to spend more time with her best friends.
Luz put both of her hands on them and started, "I think it'd be a great idea to do both of their shows. Man, it'll be intimidating to meet Oprah Humphrey and Bryan O. Conan, especially on the same day. Thank you Willow for finding both of these opportunities for me. And Gus, you're going to have to prepare me for this. You know I get mad stage fright."
"You got it," both of them said in unison as well as giving her a thumbs up.
It was silent for a moment and then they all bursted out into laughter. Luz really couldn't ask for better friends.
xxx
'That was only a couple weeks ago,' Luz thought to herself. She still wasn't able to comprehend everything going on with her current life. How was she able to? She published a book with a small team of three people and was lucky enough to have so many people read it and enjoy it. Plus, two of the biggest talk show hosts wanted to bring her onto their shows, not to just show off and sell the book further, but to get to know her. Luz Noceda was still processing all of this.
Like her sister said, Luz needed to wake up because she was finally living her dream. Luz started to regulate her breathing, something Gus had emphasized to her because of how much of a destressor it could be. She really needed to thank him for his exercises he taught her for the upcoming moment with Mr. Conan.
Hell, his exercises helped earlier today when she went to see Oprah Humphrey. Luz was captivated at how amazing Ms. Humphrey was that she almost lost her composure. But with Gus's exercises, she was able to go through the interview with no hiccups at all.
Luz also had to thank Willow for even finding both of these opportunities. Not just one interview, not just two interviews, but with the biggest names in show time television. And Luz was the first guest for both of the shows, which further boggled her mind. Willow was able to find the day talk show with Oprah Humphrey and the night talk show with Bryan O. Conan. With how big these shows were on their own, Luz knew that her book would go from national popularity to international popularity after this second interview. Not just with the book either, her own popularity would as well.
How Willow was able to find these opportunities, Luz would never know. She had been told by Willow that she didn't need to know how Willow did her job, she just needed to do her job and sell her book and make sure she was herself. 'Thank you guys for everything,' Luz thought as she waited in the green room of the Bryan O. Conan Show.
Then she heard a knock on her door and a voice as well, "Ms. Noceda, are you in there?"
'Oh shit, that's Mr. Conan,' Luz thought as she started making sure she was presentable. "Yes I am Mr. Conan."
"May I come in?"
"Yes you can," Luz said as she finished up prepping herself.
The tall red head man opened the door with a genuine smile on his face and walked over to greet her. Luz got up from her seat and returned the handshake he offered, "It's good to finally meet you, how are you doing?"
"I'm doing alright, and I am surprised I'm even shaking your hand Mr. Conan. I have watched your show growing up since junior high!"
"Really? That long, huh? It's an honor to hear that. And you can just call me Bryan," he said as their handshake ended.
"Alright then, you can just call me Luz," she said with a smirk.
"How'd you watch me since junior high? Are you implying I'm old Ms. Noceda," Bryan said in a mischievous tone. "And isn't that a bit young for someone to watch a late night talk show?"
"You're not old, Mr. Conan," Luz returned the mischief, "You still look young. And I watched it with my parents. I have loved your show ever since, and when I learned you were a writer on both The Homers and Friday Night Live, I was hooked."
"You really pay attention to work, don't you Luz? Well I've got to say, I really enjoyed your book as well. I think it's for everyone, even an old geezer like myself," chuckling at his own joke. "Anyways, I've got a question for you," Bryan said as he pulled a book from his side bag he had, "I was wondering if you'd sign this copy of The Owl House for me? I read this copy to my family when we had our family time together, and everyone really loved it."
With the hardcover book being handed to her, she looked back at him with a smile, "I'd love to, Bryan. Now, what should I write in it? Or should I just sign the cover?"
xxx
The two talked for a while, about the book, shows and how the interview would go. Luz was glad she was able to meet Bryan O. Conan, he was a great guy and an even better person when you actually meet him. She was glad as well when she met Oprah Humphrey, she too was a courteous show host who also met up with Luz before the show started.
The show was going to start in 10 minutes, so Bryan personally escorted her out of the room to the stage. On their way, Bryan asked "did the staff and crew take care of you in the green room?"
"Yes they did, you and Oprah Humphrey have great teams. No wonder why you guys are so successful."
Conan stopped in his tracks and turned to Luz, "Oh Oprah, she's such a lovely lady. I actually did see the interview she had with her earlier today, and I couldn't wait to meet you today. But I have a serious question for you," He really did seem serious with the way he said it. After a few seconds of silence he asked, "Who has a better team? And who is a better host?"
Luz laughed at his awkwardness, this the Bryan O. Conan envisioned of meeting. "First off, that was two questions you asked. Second, I haven't had my interview with you yet, so we'll have to see after this."
Bryan scoffed in playful offense, "Fine Luz, I'll make sure you come back to my show first before Oprahs." With that, he turned on his heel and let out a hearty laugh.
They made it to the back of the stage with a couple minutes to spare before the show started. "Alright Luz, remember what I told you?"
"That you'll have me back on your show before Oprahs?" Luz said smugly.
"Yes, but not that. I'll go out and do the opening monologue, introduce your book and greet you out onto the stage. After that, it'll be a breeze of an interview. Remember?" he questioned with an exaggerated look.
"Oh yeah, that one. Wanna tell me again?" she said again with all the smug in the world.
"Nope Ms. Noceda, I am going on in five." he said as he readied himself.
Luz was caught off guard from this, and she saw him walk through the large velvet curtains. She then turned to the screen that was behind the stage and watched intently.
There was loud clapping and cheers for Bryan O. Conan and he started off the night with a special monologue. It went on for a few minutes before he walked over to his desk with his co host Andrew Richt in his usual seat. Then Luz heard a crew member call for her to get ready to go out.
"Alright," She heard Bryan start as she got to her place behind the velvet curtain, "we have a very special guest tonight. An author actually, from Gravesfield Connecticut. Her self published book came out a little over a month ago, but it's been getting rave reviews from fans and critics alike. It's full of magic and mystery, but also has suspense for an adventure book. At first you may think it's just a kids book, but it's gotten the young and old, like me, reading it. I myself have read it to my family and my wife and kids enjoy the heck out of it. I think everyone can agree with me when I say I'm already waiting for another book to come out." When Bryan said that, the crowd cheered in agreement, then settled down. "It seems you guys already know the book I'm talking about. Well, everyone please give a big round of applause for the author of The Owl House, Luz Noceda."
The crowd went absolutely wild with hoots and hollers, praise and screams of excitement. Luz could hear them and was filled with nervousness. But she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'You got this Noceda,' she internally told herself. She looked up with a smile, ready to go. The curtains pulled back revealing bright lights to her and louder cheers.
xxx
Amity Blight came back to her LA penthouse from her nightly workout. She was exhausted and started to get her dinner ready, so she decided she'd get her shower done later. Plus her favorite night show host was going to be on soon. She loved the Late Night Show With Bryan O. Conan, she watched it since junior high and she thought no other host could compare.
Finishing cooking, she got a bowl for her hearty meal, a grilled chicken salad with a glass of juice. She walked into her living area over to the couch in front of her 8K LED plasma screen t.v. She grabbed the remote from the arm of the long couch, turned on the t.v., and sat down. Her whole wall lit up when she did. She just made it time for the Bryan O. Conan show, the intro music just started. She took a couple bites of her salad, took a sip of her juice, put the bowl on the coffee table in front of her, and laid back with her juice still in her hand.
Over the years, the Bryan O. Conan show just got better and better, Amity thought. She continued watching as he was getting through his monologue, and leaned back forward with her elbows on her knees. She always did this whenever his show was on, no one else's. Not Edric and Emira's show, not even her own show and commercials. The Blights weren't talk show hosts, but actors. Amity just felt welcomed to the show with how Bryan ran things. There was just something about it that was just a gem, and a lot of other people thought it was as well. That's why his show is so successful.
"Alright," this caught Amity's attention back from her previous thoughts. She realized he was back at his desk with Andrew Richt, his right hand man and Co Host, in his usual spot. "We have a very special guest tonight. An author actually, from Gravesfield Connecticut."
Amity caught that part in pure shock, who could it be, she thought. You see, that's where she is from as well. Her family, the Blights, are very well known there, one of the better off families in the small town. With their success, they were able to branch out into other states. Not only that, but Odalia and Alador were able to send all of their kids to whatever college they wanted to. All three went to CalArts for acting, hence why she is living in LA now. She was doing quite well for herself, but not as well as whoever Bryan O. Conan was talking about. Amity was trying to figure out who it could possibly be from her home town on a big LA show like this. She couldn't think of anyone who was as big as her family back home. Hell, she would do anything to be interviewed by Bryan O. Conan.
Don't get her wrong, she's been on several talk shows with the help of her team and parent's connections. Her parent's at this point are national with Blight Industries, and it helps her being one of the three kids of theirs. But Amity just needed one more breakthrough role in a movie or show to finally be recognized and invited by him.
"Her self published book came out a little over a month ago, but it's been getting rave reviews from fans and critics alike. It's full of magic and mystery, but also has suspense for an adventure book," Bryan said as Amity continued to listen.
'Is it The Owl House? It was released recently and I still need to get around to reading it. I've heard that the book is inspired by The Good Witch Azura,' Amity thought to herself, 'but very different enough to make it a stand alone and unique series. Man, I need to reread the Azura books again. I love those books. Maybe I can pick up a copy of The Owl House and read it, then see how it compares to Azura.'
"At first you may think it's just a kids book, but it's gotten the young and old, like me, reading it. I myself have read it to my family and my wife and kids enjoy the heck out of it. I think everyone can agree with me when I say I'm already waiting for another book to come out," Amity was surprised to hear this. 'Damn, if THE Bryan O. Conan is praising this book, I've got to get myself a copy and read it,' Amity thought to herself.
"It seems you guys already know the book I'm talking about. Well, everyone please give a big round of applause for the author of The Owl House, Luz Noceda."
…
Luz Noceda.
That name just rang in Amity's ears.
Amity Blight dropped her glass of juice from her hands from the revelation.
"WHAT!"
That's all Amity could say as she saw Luz walk out. Luz was wearing a black tuxedo top with purple cuffs at the ends of the sleeves. She also had a purple flutter skirt with matching purple leggings under it. She had black boots on and to top it off, her pixie hair was slicked back. Amity was drooling, and not because of her grilled chicken salad.
(I'm basing Luz's outfit on the one she wore in the Grom episode, with a skirt color change)
Amity saw the other girl wave to the crowd and walk over to Bryans desk. She saw her elegant hand shake his and she took a seat. Now was the time to listen, not to clean up the juice on her floor.
Amity took out her hair band from her dyed green hair, with the brown roots showing, letting it drop to her shoulders. She was feeling hot, and that was odd to her because her air conditioning was currently on.
xxx
"Thank you Luz for coming to the show," Bryan started, "I've been looking forward to this interview. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing great Bryan, I'm so excited to be here," Luz responded with a bright smile.
'Just her usual self,' Amity thought, 'I can't believe Luz is there right now. How'd she do it?' Hearing the crowd laughing, Amity's focus was back on the show.
"Anyways, you know why you're here, and it's because of your book," Bryan said as he pulled out his copy. "And as all of you can see, Luz signed my copy because I'm her favorite."
The camera zoomed in on Bryan holding his copy showing Luz's signature. Everyone watching, in the audience, viewing on t.v. and streaming it on their devices, gasped. As far as everyone knew, that was the only signed copy in existence. Luz hasn't done any form of a meet and greet anywhere, and it has yet to be announced.
Amity's jaw hit the floor, both out of shock and jealousy. From Gravesfield Connecticut, her family was the best at everything. Especially anyone else her age, which Luz was. So why was Luz in the spotlight and not her?
Taking a closer look at the book, Amity had to admit the cover art was pretty amazing. Luz's signature on the other hand was something else, better than a work of art, something to be cherished. Amity shook her head from the thought and continued to watch in interest.
Luz chuckled and bumped Bryan with her fist, "Oh you don't know that. Who really knows how many signed copies are out there in the world."
"Wait, there's more?" Bryan asked with shock in his voice.
"Not yet," she said in defeat, "But I really should really set up meet and greets for that, shouldn't I?" The crowd responded with a cheer, agreeing with her. "Oh thanks, I'm not used to this kind of feedback," Luz said with a surprised look.
"Well you know what you need to do now," Andrew Richt looked at her expectantly, "don't you?"
Luz shook her head, not sure what he was talking about.
"You need to do your first one here," he said with a playful tone, "your fans came out here and I think they don't want Bryan to be the only one with a signed book."
The crowd went absolutely wild at this. After dying down, Luz smiled and said "Alright, I'll do a meet and greet here after the show. I'll do my best to sign all your books as well." Again, the crowd lost it with excitement.
Bryan asked Luz a question after the crowd went silent again, "So who does all of the cover art and the art within the book?"
"Oh, I did all of that," Luz said, "I didn't just want the book to be all words, so I put visuals into it so people could see what I was writing."
"Really?" Bryan responded with shock, "It's amazing."
"Nah, It's just me doodling." Luz scratched the back of her neck from the praise she was getting.
"WHAT!" he said turning to the crowd, "Guys, you can't tell me this is just a doodle." Bryan then opened to a random page, showing a detailed art piece of 'The Collector'.
The crowd agreed with him.
"I mean look at the collector, I know we don't know much about who they are, but they just visually look intimidating. And that's just in one of the many art pieces of the characters in this book."
Luz sighed in defeat, "Okay okay, I did my best on these drawings. I'm just surprised by the praise everyone has given this book."
Amity had to admit, the drawing of the collector looked awesome. She planned on getting the book first thing after she woke up the next day.
"Really?" Andrew asked, as if in shock at hearing Luz's words.
"Well, this is my first book, self published and I wasn't expecting it to blow up this fast." Andrew and Bryan nodded in understanding from her perspective.
Bryan put the book down on his desk to continue the conversations, "Well I don't want to spoil anymore of the story or art for those who haven't read it. Which anyone who hasn't really should," he said looking into the camera for a second, then back to his guest. "Anyways, I saw that you dedicated this book to your family. Where are they now? Are they watching you right now?"
"Well, I did get a text from my mom ,about an hour before this interview started, telling me good luck tonight. I'm assuming she's watching this with my sister right now." Then she sighed and paused for a moment. "As far as my dad… I know he's watching over me, ever since he passed."
Everyone watching was taken back by this, not expecting it to get sad. "I'm very sorry to hear about your father," Andrew sincerely said.
"Oh it's alright," Luz wiped a tear from her eye, her voice continued to shake, "I'm just glad that I was able to make something to honor him."
"If it's alright for me to ask," Bryan started cautiously, "did he know that you were going to an author?"
Luz was slowly cheering up and smiled, "Um no actually. I'll try and get through this because it's still hard for me to think about," she said with a hitch in her voice. "In my junior year of high school, my father passed away… But leading up to his final moments, I held his right hand in the ER room and I promised him that "I'd make something of my life and be someone he would be proud of.""
Amity sat there with guilt rising up in her. 'How did you do any of that to her,' Amity internally scolded herself. 'You put her down everyday since elementary school, and even with her dramatic change after junior year, you didn't let up with it.' Amity looked back up at the screen.
Luz did her best to wipe away the tears and Bryan got up, walked around his desk and opened his arms. Luz gladly accepted his comforting embrace. After the heartfelt moment, Luz gathered herself and they both disconnected from the hug sitting down.
There was a silent moment, then Luz continued, "But no, my dad didn't know I'd be an author. Honestly, I didn't know what I'd be, at the time. Besides my family and friends, books helped me get through that difficult time in my life, especially one book series."
"What would that be?" both hosts said in unison.
"You guys probably don't know what it is, but it's The Good Witch Azura."
"Oh, by Raine Whispers, correct?" Bryan asked.
"Yes! They really got me into the world of magic, witches and wizards. I'm surprised you know about it, Bryan," Luz responded.
"Me too," Andrew chimed in.
"Really Andrew? You have to do more research on our upcoming guests," Bryan jokingly said. "But yes, I looked into it, and I saw that there was another book that came out of Gravesfield that involves magic, so I decided to read it as well."
"What'd you think of it," Luz nudged Bryan.
"I think it's amazing, I can definitely see the influence it had on you," he said with a smile. "But I definitely see a clear difference between both of your books though. You two have very different writing styles and storytelling, but still captures my attention regardless."
"I wish more people knew about it," Luz started, "I don't think it ever got as big as The Owl House, but I feel like it's just as good, if not better. But I'm glad it has a good amount of people who love the book."
Bryan nodded in agreement, "Azura's and Hacate's rivalry, in the first book, adds a great dynamic to an already enchanting world. I too was surprised that the series didn't get as much of a reaction as yours."
"Have you read the other three books, Bryan?"
"No I haven't, but I was able to get the whole set of books when I researched The Good Witch Azura. I'll probably finish them within the week. I wonder if Raine will make a fifth book. I've heard that there was a cliffhanger at the end of the fourth."
"There is a cliffhanger," Luz confirmed, "But as far as the fifth book, Raine is probably too wrapped up in their music right now." This caught Bryan O. Conan's attention. There was just something about how Luz talked about Raine in such a familiar way.
"Speaking of Raine, have you met them? From what I've seen, they have written the four books in the Azura series, so far, and have a music career playing violin."
"Oh yeah, funny thing that you bring that up," Luz sheepishly said, "Raine is actually a family member."
"WHAT!" Bryan O. Conan said with visible shock. His suspicions were right about Luz being familiar with Raine, but he didn't think a family member was that confirmation.
"WHAT!" Amity said with the same amount of shock, but dread as well. If Amity didn't already feel guilty enough, she now loathed herself.
"How is Raine related to you?" Andrew asked, bringing Bryan back out of his shock.
"Raine is my mom's sibling, two peas in a pod they are," Luz responded.
"I wouldn't have thought that, especially with the last names being different, Noceda and Whispers," Bryan said.
"Well, that's their middle name, and everyone just calls them that anyways. They may be known as Raine Whispsers, but still a Noceda no less. Plus, I think they like Whispers more because it sounds cool," Luz said with a chuckle.
"Well, what a family. Did they help you with the book at all, like reviewing it or helping with the process of making it?" Andrew asked.
"Actually no they didn't, I didn't tell Raine anything about the book. I wanted it to be a surprise for them as well. They didn't know I was writing one for the past few years. I did dedicate this book to my family, and Raine is a part of my family," Luz turned to a camera, looking at it, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Raine, if you're watching this."
Raine was watching and had a small blush on their face. "I've got to talk to Luz when she comes back home," Raine said with a fluster.
"Just make sure to congratulate her first," Eda said to her partner, smiling as she did.
"That's cool to have a family member as a fellow author. Anyways," Bryan started, getting everyone's attention again, "I heard a rumor about you Luz."
Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, she asked "What is it about?"
"There's an account floating around, both on Penstagram and Hooter, that people think is you. Can you confirm here that it is in fact you?" Bryan asked.
"Now which accounts are you talking about? Are you talking about the fake accounts claiming to be me?" Luz asked with a smug smile, "Or are you talking about my only account GoodWitchLuzura on both of them?"
Bryan smiled in glee and pulled out two photos of one Hooter screenshot and one Penstagram screenshot, showing the same image. "So it is you!" Bryan showed the same picture of Luz doing a selfie, while smiling and giving a peace sign, with her handle at the bottom left of both photos. "This was the only photo people could find of you that weren't visibly photoshopped. So people speculated if it was you or not, since they could only compare it to your own photo on the back of your book," Bryan said, referencing the small 'About Luz Noceda' section on the back of her own book.
"Yes, those are the only two social media accounts I have, under the same handle. I got both recently actually, like last week."
"Why wait so long to actually get those accounts knowing you've been blowing up with popularity?" Andrew asked.
"Well," she started with a sigh, "My sister finally convinced me to "get with the times" and start interacting with my fans."
"Are you going to announce anything on the different platforms, or are you going to post pictures and videos?" Bryan asked this time.
"Actually, I am planning on doing a live stream on Penstagram in a couple days actually." She heard the crowd cheer, "I wanted to thank my fans and apparently there's a feature where I can interact with my fans while they also have a video of themselves on the same stream. My sister told me about it, but I still need to learn how the app works. I'll start it around 7pm and go until I'm tired."
Bryan turned to the main camera, "You heard it here first folks, for those who want to interact with Luz Noceda, you will have a chance in a couple of days to do so. We'll be going on break, but stick around because we'll have many more questions for her."
xxx
Amity turned off her t.v. and just sat in silence. She couldn't believe what she just watched, trying to recall all the information she absorbed.
First she turned on her favorite late night talk show, then saw that Luz Noceda was the guest. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact Luz was popular, more than her. Second, Luz talked about her family, and Amity had learned two big things. Raine Whispers, her favorite author, was related to Luz. And Luz's father died during their junior year of highschool.
Amity knew Luz Noceda very well, hell she tried her best to interact with her everyday. But Amity was not proud of how she went about doing so. Memories of putting Luz down verbally and sometimes physically harming her arose. Amity felt guilty about it, she tried to push those thoughts down.
She knew that it was not a high school exclusive thing either. Amity and Luz met in preschool, both were born and raised in Gravesfield Connecticut, and went to the same elementary, junior high, and high school. They actually got along and became good friends. Well, that's how it was until her mother forced her to find people who fit her mothers standards. Amity still regrets ever listening to her mom.
If she could, she'd go back to high school and apologize to all those she hurt, especially Luz. Hell, she'd go back to preschool and ignore her mother. She could celebrate Luz's success with her now, if Amity weren't shitty toward her.
Towards the end of third grade is when Amity started to cut Luz off. Her mother determined who to keep and who to let go. And her life since that point did not seem to get any better from it. It only got worse when she met Boscha. Boschas family was well off and moved to Gravesfield the summer after fourth grade.
Boscha was a tyrant and was ruthless, but she had to keep her as a friend because both of their mothers got along. So Amity couldn't screw up their friendship in fear of her mother punishing her. After a year of silence between Luz and Amity, fifth grade started. And with Boscha starting at her school, she made a name for herself by relentlessly bullying others in the same grade. And she started with Luz.
Amity didn't want to get involved, especially after leaving Luz with no word. But alas, Boscha somehow got her involved, and it got worse ever since. 'How could I be so dumb?' Amity thought to herself. Every day, Amity wondered if Luz ever hated her for everything she has done. Especially in junior and senior year.
Amity pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged herself, shrinking into the couch. How could Luz not hate her after that? Amity just learned about what she had to go through part way through junior year, she lost her dad and made a promise to him. She knew she was utterly relentless during the last two years of high school, but with the new information, it put a whole new perspective on the whole situation.
Not only that, but her favorite author was directly related to Luz. How could Amity live with herself knowing she most likely hurt Raine Whispers as well. She knew Luz's family was close, and there was no way that the family didn't know about what happened. She knew she couldn't apologize now, not after all she's done.
Amity was internally suffering from self loathing and hate. But she knew it was nothing compared to what Luz had to go through. Amity couldn't even begin to wonder what it was like for Luz. She got up and sighed, cleaning up her mess in the room.
Finishing up her dinner, Amity walks to the kitchen and washes the dishes. She then grabs her phone that she forgot in there and checks it briefly. She looks through the notifications and sees several messages from Boscha. It seems the messages are about Luz and how she's on t.v. with Bryan O. Conan. Rolling her eyes, Amity deletes the messages from her lock screen and sits back on the couch.
She opens up Penstagram and clicks the search button. 'Is it even right for me to follow Luz,' Amity thinks. 'Sigh, I at least shouldn't do it with my public account, I think she'd freak out.' Amity signs out of her public account, and signs into her private one. Only Emira and Edric know about it, not even her parents or Boscha know about it.
She goes to the search section again and looks up GoodWitchLuzura and contemplates following or not. She notices the followers just keep increasing. Luz is closing in on half a million followers. 'Holy shit,' Amity thinks, 'I'm just barely above her, at this rate she'll pass me.' Amity has about 650k followers on her public profile on Penstagram. On Hooter, Amity has about 400k.
Amity then pushes on the follow button and turns on the notifications coming from the account. She switches to Hooter and follows Luz again on her private profile, turning on notifications as well. She notices Luz's Hooter account has passed 200k.
Amity then looks at the only photo posted to Luz's account and scans the image. She lingers for too long and thinks 'She has always been kind of cute.' She sighs in disappointment knowing that she can't really do anything to get in contact with Luz anymore. She won't be able to apologize to her. And that tears Amity up inside.
xxx
Amity's POV
Alright, the two days have passed and I've been stuck at rehearsal all day. I can't believe it's already 10pm. I've got to hop onto Luz's stream, if it's still up. She did say that she'd finish her stream when she got tired. I hope she isn't.
I close and lock my door and proceed to lay down onto the couch. I know I should shower, but I can't miss the live stream. Pulling out my phone, I swipe over to Penstagram and open it, switching to my private profile. My feed takes a moment to load, waiting in anticipation to see if Luz is still live.
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Squealing in excitement, I immediately click on Luz's icon seeing she's currently live. Thank Titan.
"But yeah, that's why I think Hacate is stronger in the magical aspect. Yes, Azura is more well rounded in her different skills, but for raw magic power, Hacate has got to take the cake for that." Damn it, I missed her explanation on why. Azura is stronger though, no argument.
"Thanks for the question AzuraFan327," I hear Luz say with a pretty smile, "alright onto the next question. And remember guys, a couple more questions, then I'll pick someone at random to video chat with."
That caught my ear. Maybe I may have a way to interact with Luz after all. I hope she is willing to talk so I can apologize to her. While thinking about that, I hear Luz say she's on her last question. SHIT.
I know how these things go, people usually pay to be at the top of the queue for being a part of the video stream. And the person who pays the most within a certain amount of time, will be the lucky one to actually interact with the streamer. Well, that's how the system works whenever I stream and people want to join the video portion of it. And I've got more than enough money to guarantee my spot to talk to Luz
"Okay guys, thanks for all the questions. Now it's time to move on, I've got to choose someone to join me on this stream. And for those new to the stream, I'll let you guys know how I'm running it. I'm not going to be using Snails, Penstagrams in app currency, for this stream. I'll just choose someone at random who is able to catch my attention with a message they send with their submission to talk."
Well shit, this just got a lot harder for me. Amity, you better think of something that'd get Luz's attention, so you can at least have her consider you to join her.
"Alright, I'm going to be putting a fifteen person limit for this, I do need to go to sleep after this. So the first fifteen people to click the accept button will be able to be in the queue to talk to me." FUCK, I BETTER GET THIS CHANCE TO TALK TO HER, "Sorry for those who had more questions or those who wanted to join me. I really need to sleep after this, and my phone is about to die as well. So let's get this done."
She sounds genuinely sorry that she can't talk to everyone, that's how she always is. I'm glad that part of her hasn't changed.
"Alright, three… two… one… ACCEPT THE INVITATION!" I hear her say in excitement.
xxx
Luz's POV
I click the send button for the invitation to the fifteen lucky people who may be able to talk to me. I'm excited I get this opportunity to talk to people, it's a nice feeling. Especially when people genuinely enjoy your work and personality.
Sighing, I just think about the times people have come to "interact" with me to only ruin my day. But I refuse to think about that right now, I need to pick someone to video chat with me. I look at my phone again and see the spots have been filled. Not surprised, five thousand people are watching my live stream right now.
"Now for those who made it in, you guys have to send me a message and get my attention with it. The person who piques my interest the most will be the one to video stream with me before I go to sleep."
It takes a few seconds before I start receiving messages. I see a message from saying "You got to video chat with me, I'm your best friend." I roll my eyes when I realize it's Gus. How'd he get in the top fifteen?
Another one pops up from PlantGirl67 saying "Don't listen to Gus, I'm your best friend." Okay, how did Willow make it as well. I deleted both of their entries so there are only thirteen people left. I'm so glad no one watching can see who got in and the messages sent. At least Gus and Willow can still watch the stream though.
I then receive a text from Gus and Willow, probably asking why I didn't accept their video entries. But I can't accept them, I basically see them everyday, they know that. Plus I'm busy trying to talk to my new fans, they should know I'm busy and stop messing around. Oh well, I'm not surprised. I love them though.
I look back at some of the other messages that came in, and none really caught my interest. Kind of generic ones saying that 'they would love to talk to me, or meet me, or would be excited to get a chance to talk'. I understand that they want to meet me and I'd love to meet them, but I asked for something to catch my eye.
That's when I see a message from BadWitchAmate that says "You're wrong, Hacate is weaker than Azura in magical powers." Interesting. Did this person riff on my own username?
I click on their profile and proceed to inspect it. I notice the profile is private, but I see that their account has been active for a few years. Alrighty BadWitchAmate, seems like I'll talk to you.
I go back to the live stream and start talking to my audience, "Alright everyone, I found someone who piqued my interest. Just give me a moment and choose them." I click on BadWitchAmate's message and click the 'accept' option so they can join the stream.
xxx
Reader POV
Gus and Willow were watching Luz's stream, happy for her that there were so many people giving their good friend attention. They were sitting on a three person couch, Gus on the Left and Willow in the middle holding her phone, in their shared apartment. They then felt a third person join them on the right side of the couch, "How's Luz's stream going?"
Both Gus and Willow look over at Hunter and Willow responds, "It's going good. Luz is deciding on the last person to video chat with for the night."
"Oh, that's cool," Hunter replied, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend, "Didn't you guys try and join it?"
"Yes, but she immediately rejected our entries," Gus said in a sarcastic tone.
"I'm not surprised," Willow chimed in.
"Alright everyone, I found someone who piqued my interest. Just give me a moment and choose them." The trio's full attention was back to the live stream, waiting in anticipation at who it could be.
The screen went black after Luz accepted the person, then a moment later, Luz was on the left side of the screen. The right side was still black waiting for the other person to load. It took a few seconds for the other person to load, but everyone on the couch was shocked at who it was.
"Hello Luz!" Amity said genuinely with a bright smile, excited she was able to talk to Luz.
"AMITY?!" Luz squeaked with shock in her voice as well as on her face.
xxx
Luz closed Penstagram as quickly as she could. She was not talking to Amity, she did not want to. That was the last person she would've thought would even come back up in her life.
The dread and fear that filled her when she not only heard her voice, but saw her as well, got to her. Luz started to hyperventilate in her hotel room, not sure of what to do now.
'Why was Amity there? Why did she seem excited to talk to me? What does she want?,' these thoughts started to fill her head, 'Doesn't she know we are not friends? Doesn't she know what SHE DID?'
xxx
A/N - Hello guys, I hope you enjoyed the story so far. Once again, I'll be updating this along with my other story. I have plans for both of them.
Sorry if the talk show stuff was weird, I tried my best to write how Conan's show goes. Yes, I made parody versions of Oprah Winfrey and Conan O'Brien for this story. I don't think I'll be doing it again, I was trying to set up the different POV's of Luz and Amity. But I don't plan on writing like that again.
Another thing, Raine will be Camilas sibling in this A/U story. With how I want to continue with the story, I think it'll be fitting and will help me better write how Eda and Lilith will be used in the story. I'm planning on having the Noceda family pretty tightly knit into this story, that means having Raine, Eda, Lilith, Camila, and Vee involved. I just love these side characters in The Owl House.
Anyways, leave feedback if you want, cya.
-100%RT