**** Amity
It had been a few days since the incident at the library and strangely enough, the twins had been keeping to their word, no pranks or general mischief aimed at their younger sister. Although Amity was enjoying the peace to some degree, she couldn't help but feel like they were trying too hard to compensate for something she didn't understand, she tried to ignore it but it almost felt like pity. To better understand the amulet and the new boundaries, she spent a good amount of time over the last two days playing around with it, from removing it and walking away, to testing out general thoughts and actions. With trial and error, she discovered that the new amulet was – as she thought – almost entirely different, it caused significant pain in her chest and stomach when she wasn't wearing it, the severity depended heavily on how far away she was and for how long she was without it. She also discovered that thoughts about that human girl pained her, thinking about how much she hated their family business, pained her and finally, she found both days she woke up feeling as though her mind was not her own. As if in her sleep, something was whispering to her, expectations, feelings and thoughts . Her mother had n't made herself available to Amity at all, so today she decided to confront her, well at least speak with her. She had a lot of questions and had been preparing herself over the last two days on how to best get the answers she was after without upsetting her parents.
Amity sighed, sitting at the large desk in her room she was studying the materials for the entrance exam, typically she would be writing in her journal but with how foreign her body felt to her she couldn't bring up the courage to write anything that could be used against her. The safe spaces she had were all gone, her spot in the library, her room, the shower and even her own mind, were all places she truly no longer felt at peace with. Her family had already owned so much of her life, What's a little bit more? For the good of the family. these were the only thoughts that brought on some resemblance of peace. It was slow but the amulets conditioning was already working, her will to fight against or rebel in anyway was being buried deep within her. Like usual her hair was pulled into its half up style, the rest falling wildly down her back and shoulders, just like yesterday she had opted to simply wear a large black sweatshirt that had 'Hexside Pride' written across the back and arms in rainbow lettering. As well as matching black joggers, even though her mother always taught her to be always ready and presentable, she could barely bring herself to do basic activities, as if something was stealing her energy. Feeling a small vibrate in the front pocket of the sweater she flicked her finger, summoning her scroll, eyes still on the material in front of her. Once she had finished the paragraph she finally turned towards the scroll, slightly smiling as she saw a message had popped up. "Boscha" She muttered out loud, debating on if she should even open the message up. The two had been forced to be friends from a young age due to their parents' business ventures together and that Boscha's parents were stakeholders in Blight Industries. However, over the last four years or so they had actually grown rather close, Amity didn't always have the same hunger for chaos as her friend did but they had an understanding with one another that no one else did, they both had tyrant parents with high expectations for their children. Come on, I haven't spoken to her since school, I should just get it over with... the green haired witch hummed for a moment before finally swiping her finger again and opening their conversation, shaking her head at the insane number of messages over the last few days, deciding to only read the recent ones for now.
Boss-Babe3: It's been WAY TOO LONG Cap' if you don't answer soon, I will leave this vacation hell-scape and come find you, I swear to Titan.
Boss-Babe3: I am NOT above stealing one of my mom's staff's.
Boss-Babe3: Last chance.
Amity: Woah Bosch! I'm fine, I got all 15+ of your messages, just been dealing with some things.
Boss-Babe3: I hadn't heard from you since school ended, you can't blame me for being worried.
Boss-Babe3: No social posts, no messages or crow-calls.
Amity: I see your point.
Amity: I appreciate you checking in on me.
Boss-Babe3: Ah come on Cap' cut the crap, I thought we agreed messaging means less formality.
Amity: You don't need to call me Cap', the season is over and we are going to have to try out like all the others freshmen.
Boss-Babe3: Not worried.
Boss-Babe3: Anyways! Good to know you're alive, I guess.
Amity: Are you still traveling the Titan with your parents?
Boss-Babe3: Yep, we're just about to leave the toes and start to make our way back up.
Before Amity could reply she heard a small knock on her door, she jumped slightly as if she had been caught doing something wrong. "Come in" She called out to the door, putting her scroll away with a flick of her finger and turning in her chair to meet the eyes of her mother as she walked in, head held high. And here I thought I would have some more time to prepare myself... Odalia didn't make it a habit of entering her children's rooms, she knew that she could always call them to where she was, rather than waste time on the trip to their rooms herself. "How was your meeting Mother?" The young green haired witch tried to put some life into her voice but her tone still fell flat, thankfully her mother barely seemed to notice the low demeanor and internal struggle Amity was going through.
Instead Odalia opted to ignore her childs question entirely, wanting to get to the point of why she came in here. "Dear, you'll be joining your siblings on a little training regimen on The Knee this afternoon, and for the next few days." She finally made eye contact with her daughter after taking in the state of Amitys room, the room was clean but since the last time Odalia had been in here there were a few more posters and books laying around on the shelves. "You need to reassure your brother and sister you are fine; they've been a pain in my ass since you've returned home and we have enough to deal with. So, as to avoid any scandals, you all will be leaving for The Knee and your father and I will be hosting our Gala and Banquet without your help. Now I moved your father's and I's lunch meeting to dinner tonight so I expect you to depart soon." Typically, the children would have done most of the heavy lifting for the events and just stay out of the way of the important people or speak when spoken to.
Amity knew better than to argue anything at this point, she was still in the dark about the change to her amulet and had a bad feeling about getting on her mother's bad side, more so than usual. "That's no problem mother, I can do that" She assured, swallowing hard as she mustered up the courage to continue, wondering why she was struggling so much more than she would previously. "Could you please tell me mother, why... my amulet is so different?" Her voice came out smaller than she had intended and she was struggling to maintain the eye contact her mother was using on her. Just some answers, just anything... There has to be a reason. She hoped deeply that the answer would help to fill the void she felt in her chest when she thought of her achievements and failures over the last few days.
Odalia takes the question in with little reaction on her face, just her usual stone-cold expression. Don't give her too much to go on, this is for the good of the whole family, she doesn't need to know all the details... Shes already played around with her boundaries. Simple answers. "Dear, you know how important our family's reputation is, given the events over the last month I thought it best to … Make some adjustments." As the words left her mouth she could see plain as day that this was not the answer her daughter had been seeking, rather than understanding however, annoyance and frustration grew in the older witch's chest. "You will do well to remember that your father and I do what's best for the family, do you not trust us and our judgement?" The woman touched her necklace for just a small moment, sending a pulse to her daughter's amulet that was to dig a deep understanding and trust. The book warned of using these techniques... but this is just what must be done. If she pushes too hard against it... Well, that won't happen.
Just as Amity was about to continue questioning her mother's intent a blank wave fell over her mind, silencing her thoughts and pushing all her concerns down, the only feeling that was able to recover was complacent understanding. Before she even realized it, her head was nodding in reply to her mother, "Of course I do, I apologize, my curiosity won't disrupt you again." What am I saying? She … That didn't answer anything? it was a struggle to get this thought together, it felt like she a huge fog had suddenly covered her mind, making it difficult to think and focus on anything but replying to her mother. "If you could excuse me mother, I will be packing my things for the trip to The Knee. Getting some additional practice in prior to the exam will be perfect." The words fell effortlessly from her lips despite the deep craving in the bottom of her chest that ached for answers. She watched behind clouded eyes as her mother simply nodded, a very small smirk twisted the corners of her lips up, breaking her stone expression for just a moment before she departed. The only thing that brought her slightly out of the fog was her scroll going off again in her pocket, instinctively she flicked her finger and summoned it, another small smile crossing her lips as she read the message from her friend.
Boss-Babe3: Em just posted you'll all be at The Knee for the rest of the week?
Boss-Babe3: You know this slow messaging thing is killing me Am...
Amity: You really have no resemblance of patience, do you?
Boss-Babe3: Finally! You should know that by now, and listen, I used to be a lot worse.
Amity: You got me there, anyways, I just found out we are headed to The Knee this afternoon for the next few days... Guess Mother told the twins first. They want to avoid any drama during their Gala.
Boss-Babe3: Haha nice! Well, I'll be meeting you there then, we're going to be stopping in at the usual lodge.
Amity pondered the idea of meeting up with Boscha, although she felt out of sorts from the interaction with her mother, she knew that it was probably for the best to try and get back into the groove of her life, just with some more, strict boundaries. Because I didn't have eno- the deprecating thought was cut off by an all too familiar pain poking into her chest, leaving her grasping for any positive feeling available. It will be good for her to be there; she can help convince the twins I'm fine. I'm fine. she repeated the last thought before finally giving a reply.
Amity: That's perfect, think your parents would let you accompany us back?
Boss-Babe3: And here I thought you didn't want anything to do with me.
Amity: I had some things to deal with, I told you.
Boss-Babe3: Alright, whatever you say. I'll ask them and let you know, should be at the lodge in an hour or two.
Amity: I'll be there later, knowing the twins we'll just happen to forget or misplace 'really important things'.
Boss-Babe3: All good Cap'. Let me know when you're there, and I'll keep you in the loop on staying.
Boss-Babe3: In all seriousness though, It is good to hear from you.
Amity: I didn't mean to worry you, sorry. I'll see you tonight.
Boss-Babe3: Tonight? Ugh, this is going to drag...
Amity let out a small sigh layered in guilt, she had been avoiding people, it was easier this way, she didn't have to continuously work to be the perfect version of herself. She didn't have to live up to whatever expectations those individuals had, it wasn't healthy and she knew that but it was certainly easier. This will be good... For everyone. she rubbed her face, and started to pack up her desk, grabbing one of the many infinite bags she had at her disposal. She opted to carry her current favourite, a purple side bag that was compact and depicted a cute purple cat mascot on the one side, which she loved. The purple cat was leaning on the seam of the bag, yawning and giving a big stretch. It didn't take her long to pack up everything she would need, she brought her favourite blanket and pillow, as well as multiple sweaters, long sleeves, lined leggings, joggers and sweat pants. She would be sleeping in a warm cabin, so there was no need to pack anything more than the basics, as well as some school books, some books on advanced casting and like usual she carried a small amount of abomination mix with her. She had a particular mix she used that created in her opinion the most versatile abomination. She paused at her book shelf, staring at her Azura collection, debating with herself if she wanted to bring one of her comfort books to read. After some hesitation she finally grabbed number four, it was her personal favourite as it was when the two main women found themselves in a situation where it was impossible to move on without working together. From that event it sprouted a whole new kind of adventure, and a whole different world of possibilities which lead Amity to loving it the most, it had given her chills and thrills the first time she read it.
Once she was done, she pulled her bag over her shoulder and made her way down to the living room. Knowing she had a better shot of waiting for the twins there than waiting for them to come get her from her room, she could imagine that they weren't exactly keen on the idea, having made plans with friends for most of the break.
*** Edric & Emira (Yesterday – Same day Amity was healed by Emira.)
There had been a lot of weird changes and concerning events that took place over the last several days, not only the event at the library, or Amity going missing, but inside the typically quiet Blight household there were new altercations happening. The twins had a natural knack for mischief and often found themselves in the perfect position for gaining intel on their targets to further their pranks or gags, however, the last few days they've suddenly found themselves in the perfect positions to hear things that weren't meant for their ears. They knew their parents fought and argued like any couple, or business partner, but they were well versed in containing those disputes behind closed, secure doors. It started slowly over the last week or so, but became a real concern after the library incident when Amity went missing and their mother had, a sudden 'business matter' that didn't involve Alador.
Edric had been sneaking around in some of the interior walls of the Blight manor, something the twins had done since they were children, it afforded them the best intel with the least amount of risk. Though, he had to admit it was much easier to maneuver around in the walls when he was a child, and not so much now that he was an adult. He had instructions from his sister to see if Odalia had left any indication on where she went or if she had taken Amity with her for the days she was missing, so he was on his way to her study. On his way though, he was quickly side tracked, as he moved through the wall and passed by a spy hole – they made in their father's study – he stopped in his tracks at the sudden volume of his father's voice. Woah ... That was uncalled for. he couldn't help but pause, shuffling back towards their spy hole, struggling to kneel to meet the hole created in one of the buttons of the painting. As his eyes adjusted to the light and focused in on his father, he could see he had a scroll pulled up in front of him. Edric's eyebrows raised in surprise, it was rare to not only see their father visibly upset but to also be using a scroll, Em will understand... drawing a small spell circle he focused hard and was able to increase his hearing, wanting to make sure he didn't miss anything.
On the other side of the painting, in the confines of a large private study, well hidden within Blight Manor, Alador stood his thick brown eyebrows knit together and a deep frown on his face. He had two different looks, one for business and one for work, today he had been prepared to work in the lab being caught off guard by a message from his wife on his way to his lab. His hair was swept back, golden goggles with purple lenses assisting in holding it back from his face, he was wearing a clean dark lab coat with tan pants and black boots. It wouldn't take long in the lab to cause his hair to become disheveled, and his clothes dirty with abomination goo, ruining his current clean look. The only time he was clean and well clothed was when Odalia planned his outfits and they had Gala's or meetings to attend. She expects me to believe this? he thought in outrage, he knew that Odalia didn't always think he was the sharpest tool in the box but he was well aware of more than she gave him credit for. "She can't keep doing this!" he growled, slamming his hand down on his desk, causing some trinkets he kept to fall over. "Things are going too far..." He muttered, rubbing his tired eyes, the bags under them hardly budging lately no matter how much rest he was getting. "No amount of intervention from the emperors Coven is worth this..." the rate in which they have been reaching out the family and creating new orders for abominations was worrying, and he knew that although he wife often meant well, she struggled with boundaries. I need to talk to her, before this goes too far... He fixed himself up, straightening out his clothes and resmoothing his hair before he set out to find his wife.
Edric internally groans as he follows his father around the room, Way to be cryptic … He watched in silence, trying to digest this information, he didn't get as much as he was hoping but there were a lot of different implications. I... want to assume he means Mom... What's going too far? He tried to wrack his brain for a better understanding, ultimately deciding that he should just bring this to Emira before he forgets the details, their other venture could wait. Hearing mention of the emperor's coven caused Edric's mind to blank for a moment, he knew that had done business in the past but the way his father spoke just then had brought a harsh chill down the green haired witches' spine. As Alador left the study – headed most likely to his lab based on his clothing –, Edric took a moment to recover from the chill and shuffle back through the wall to a hidden entrance in his room's large walk-in closet. As he emerged from the wall in his closet, he could see Emira was sitting on the floor in his room, mindlessly scrolling through Penstagram by the look of it. He stood and dusted himself off, a cough and sneeze giving him away.
The older Blight twin wouldn't ever admit it but Edric had caused her to jump and nearly toss her scroll from the sudden noise behind her, she turned and couldn't help but chuckle at how dusty and gross Ed looked as he emerged from the walls. His red vest and long black sleeves now almost looked the same grey tone, matching the dark grey track pants he decided to sport on this venture. "Looking a little grey there Ed, feeling okay?" she joked, getting a solid eye roll from her brother. She stood up and strode over to her brother's spot in his closet, "Not even a smile? Harsh." she stated teasingly before casting a small spell circle that pulled the dirty and dust from Edric's clothes, leaving it all in a ball on the floor for him to pick up later. The lack of reaction to her comments was starting to cause mild concern, he had been going into the wall after all to get details from their mother's study, Did he find something?
Before Emira could launch into an inquiry Edric finally was able to speak up, worried about getting more nasty dust in his mouth, "Didn't get into Mom's study, something else came up, don't be mad but it's way more interesting and well, maybe more worrying too." He said quickly, able to feel that his sister was mixed with worry and doubt, considering he wasn't acting himself. "Just gonna get it all out before I forget." He stated, walking by his sister and grabbing her around her shoulders to lead her into the rest of his room, surprised at how easily she was letting him guide her. "I was almost at moms' study when I heard Dad sort of … losing it? He yelled at his scroll, something about 'she can do this!' and 'This is going to far!'" He tapped his foot, already forgetting some of the finer details of the interaction, it all felt surreal. "OH! And he said … err... something about how no matter how involved the emperor's coven gets into the business, it isn't worth, whatever." He parted from Emira and offered a small apologetic smile, having tried to get the details to her before he started to lose them. She knew he often had issues with focusing, so she didn't typically get upset but he knew it was difficult not to when it was about something important, and it wasn't like he wasn't trying to pay attention. I hope I got that out right... It's messed up on a different level... I haven't seen him so out of sorts for a long time. He sighed, putting a hand through his hair as he waited on his sister's reply, feeling her increased anxiety.
It took a few moments for the information to sink in, there were a lot of different feelings behind her brothers discover. She hadn't heard or seen her father really be upset about anything in what felt like years, and the last time he was upset it was about Odalia's social control issues. "Okay... A lot to unpack here." she said thoughtfully, glancing at Edric who looked like he was relieved when she wasn't upset about him making a change of plans. "So clearly Mom is up to something... I haven't seen her at all today and she was missing basically for the same amount of time as Mittens..." She crossed her arms and looked down, "It was weird that at the library mom made us bring Amity her Amulet, she never wears it at the library, then she tells Luz who she clearly clicks with, that they can't be friends... even after saving her all night and risking her ass! She goes missing for two days, same amount of time we don't see Mother dearest, and Mittens can't even remember how she got here, Ed." Emira groaned, flopping on her back on Edrics bed. She had spent the afternoon with Amity trying to cheer her up, even pranking Ed, but nothing really seemed to move the needle on her little sister's mood.
Edric watched as his sister flopped back, he knew that Em had spent the better part of the afternoon with Amity attempting anything to cheer her up, and the fact that now we have all this information just makes it all the more painful. "I know... you don't really like talking about this but, do you remember us wearing those amulets when we were younger?" He asked, a little more quietly than he intended as he made his way over to his bed, plunking down beside his sister in a sitting position. They had worn the amulets for years, they all did, however when they hit 18 or so Odalia had opted to allow them to remove them, the worst part about it however was there was this cloud that lingered in their mind when they tried to remember exactly why they had worn them for years. As if there was a mental block in their mind on it, when either one of the twins had attempted to really focus on it and try to remember they would be stuck with this feeling or dread for days after. "I think, whatever mom did to us with those things is happening to Amity, and honestly, I don't want to remember why we wore them but I know it was bad."
Just as Edric had thought Emira found it difficult to approach the topic of their own amulets, having tried so many times in the past to remember the potentially shared struggle. "I really was hoping to avoid that line of thinking Ed, but I think you're right. Let's see if we can figure anything out, I know there was more to what father said... but right now, I think we need to make sure that nothing bad happens to Amity" The older green haired witch found conviction in this thought, she knew that she had to get her sister out of whatever situation she was in, and she planned to do whatever was in her power.
However, what neither expected was how prepared Odalia was for their potential intrusion, around every corner they looked she had some kind of way to block them, find them or remove them without necessarily causing suspicion.
*** Current Edirc & Emira
Despite the twins best efforts over the last 24 hours they were coming up short, unable to find any morsel of information they might help them better assist their sister in her struggles, even Amity herself was being distant compared to how open she was when Emira was healing her. They had begrudgingly packed up their things for their trip, at first finding that it was another blockade but as they went back and forth on it, the twins agreed that the time with Amity alone may actually be to their advantage, they might be able to make some kind of impact. "You at the very least Ed, we need to confirm that something is happening and not just Mittens letting mother bully her into things she doesn't want." She knew better, considering in recent years Amity has had tried a few times to become her own person and been pushed back into place. Edric was silent and slightly bitter looking; he wasn't a huge fan of the cold and was struggling with the idea of not only not being able to have fun up at the cabin but struggling with not having gotten answers from Alador. When Edric had gone to confront Alador earlier that morning he not only didn't get any answers, but he's pretty sure that he was the one that got them sent away, he was pressing hard for answers and could see he was getting under his father skin but before there was any answers or blow up. Odalia swooped on in, his mother had a way of making him feel like a joke, never to be taken seriously.
The Blight children were all packed up and despite all the protesting drivers were specifically hired for each of them, another way for Odalia to know 100% that they have reached their destination.
*** Amity
The youngest Blight was rightfully surprised and mildly concerned about her sibling's sudden readiness, she knew any other trip like this they would have put up a much larger fuss, however for the sake of timing she didn't press them on it. It was already well into the afternoon and the trip itself was a few hours, they would need to hike for part of the trip and get the cabin situated. She also didn't want to leave Boscha hanging too long, the young witch couldn't tell if she was excited to see a friendly face for the first time in a while or if she was just excited to get a small chance to relax, on her mother's orders. "I'll see you in a few days Mother, Father." She gave them a short and curt goodbye, climbing on behind the driver, stuffing her ear muffs into her jacket until they landed for the hike. She decided to fully dress for the weather, unlike last time when she opted to change as they landed, even with magic the cold still caused her discomfort. She put on her long knee length dark lilac coat, it had tuffs of grey fur that hung off the shoulders and wrapped around not only her wrists but the bottom of her coat as well. She was sporting a long sleeve dark red turtle neck, with black lined leggings and dark lilac boots that had the same tuffs of fur around the top. Despite the long coat, it still caught her hourglass shape with the black blet centered around the smallest part of her waist, hanging from her belt was her usual container of her favourite abomination mix. Her siblings were dressed similarly, only having shorter coats on with dark green turtle necks under their coat.
The drivers all kicked off from the ground, Amity knew that if not for their infinite bags slung over each of their shoulders there would have been a driver specifically to carry their assorted luggage. The ride itself was uneventful, Amity tried to make it as simple as possible for her driver, whilst shaking her head and groaning internally at her sibling's actions. Occasionally using their illusion magic to cause their driver to steer off course to avoid their fake dragons, falling witches, and random objects. She was positive after watching all their antics over the two-hour ride that these drivers must be getting paid top snail to put up with these two. There it is … she let out a small sigh as the cold mountain air hit her, a small shiver going down her spine as her body adjusted. "We'll need to land shortly! We'll get you as close as possible!" The driver called out to the respective rider, only getting nods in reply as they maneuvered their way down, keeping steady as possible despite the wicked winds. It only took a few moments but the Blights were dropped off and left to make their way up to the rest of the way, without a second thought Amity cast a spell circle, larger than usual, summoning a rather large abomination. She had created this one specifically to do well in colder climates, it wouldn't freeze unless it was well below anything they would be seeing on The Knee or point-blank ice attacks. "Come on" She gestured to Emira and Edric, creating a seat-like object on the back of the abomination for them all to relax in while the abomination did the work.
Edric and Emira couldn't help but give Amity a small clap, "Good stuff Mittens, really taking after Mr. Blight himself" Ed joked as he hopped up with the abomination's assistance, turning to help Emira, while Amity opted to be lifted by the abomination. Even though she made a spot to sit with the twins on the abomination's back, she opted to sit on its shoulder, enjoying the view it gave her as they made their way up to the cabin. Even though the abomination made short work of the distance from their landing spot to where the cabins were, it was already getting dark out. She could see the usual fog that covered the grouped cabins, shrouded in thick fog from the active hot springs just down from the building.
To Amity's surprise their cabin light was already on and it looked like smoke was already billowing from their chimney, the siblings all shrugged to each other as they arrived and walked in, trying to be ready for anything but also non-threatening. "Titan! It took you all long enough to get here!" the group jumped slightly at the loud intruder, however relaxing immediately as it settled in who it was. In front of them in casual clothes was a pink haired teenager, her hair was parted in the middle in a pony-tail that cascaded down her back, she had three piercing blue eyes which made her part triclopse, even with the smile on her lips she had an intimidating air around her. She also had no problem exuding confidence. "So much for 'afternoon'" she mocked Amity's time estimate.
The young green haired witch laughed in reply, "Listen, we're only a little bit later than I said alright? It could have been much worse, you know these two" The twins replied with a loud 'hey' in unison before scoffing and making their way to their rooms, thanking Boscha for heating the place as they walked by. Amity couldn't deny it was nice to see her friend, they had both done a lot of growing in the last few years and she knew without her some of the last couple of years would have proven difficult and lonely. "The twins were right, this is great. Nice and toasty" She made her way over to Boscha and gave her a soft nudge with her elbow, the two were the same height and both had athletic builds with two very different purposes. Amity had a powerful back, core and upper body, often being the offensive for their grudgby team, whilst Boscha sported thicker legs and a strong back, taking no shit when she made a drive for the team's goal or protecting their own. The green haired witch let out a small gasp as she was grabbed into a strong hug by her pink haired friend, they very rarely displayed this kind of affection to one another, not that it wasn't welcome. "You okay?" She couldn't help but inquire as she returned the hug, patting the pink haired girl's back.
Boscha let out a small sigh, there had been a pit in her stomach when Amity didn't arrive when she said they would. She couldn't place it but for the last week she felt like something was different, they could go a long time without talking but it all just felt strange this time, so seeing her in person felt like a weight off her shoulders. She hated to admit feelings or weakness of any kind, but couldn't help herself right now. Years ago, this wasn't something that would have been possible for her, and it was still a struggle despite her personal growth. "I'm good, you just looked like you needed a hug Blight" the girl joked, pulling away and giving the green haired witch a small shove. "Would it kill you to smile?" Even though Amity had laughed earlier, she had noticed that she hadn't genuinely cracked a smile yet.
"Oh sorry" Amity muttered, giving Boscha an awkward smile that slowly turned into a real one as her friend mocked the horrid attempt. "Alright, I get it!" she groaned, pushing away from Boscha and headed towards her room, tilting her head in confusion as she saw Boscha's stuff sprawled out over her usual spot. "So... Is this you telling me your staying with us...?" She turned with her eyebrows still up, giving her friend a quizzical look. She didn't mind of course, but there were more than enough rooms in the cabin to accommodate Boscha if she wanted to stay.
The pink haired witch raised her shoulders in an all too casual shrug, "I thought there was a bunk bed in there, can't blame me for the changes your family makes." She walked by the surprised witch and went to jump on the bed, yelping when abomination goo had stopped her and let her fall to the floor with a loud thump. "Hey!" She shouted, rubbing her backside as she got up. "Not cool, where's your team spirit!" She gave Amity a joking pout, starting to collect her things off the bed.
"I have a lot of team spirit, but you know, it's not my fault you don't know boundaries." She tried to lay on a serious tone but could tell Boscha knew she was joking from the continued use of that stupid pout. "No way that still works on your mom's Bosch" she mocked, walking over to the far side of the room, looking for a latch or mechanism on the wall. After a few moments of searching, she finally found it, a small circular tab poking out of the wall. Giving it a hard pull, a bed basically popped into existence, it wasn't the bunk bed Boscha had remembered but it was a way for them to share a room if Boscha was going to be insistent.
"You know, you would be surprised at what that pout can get me sometimes" Boscha wiggled her eyebrows at Amity, earning her a small gag in response. "Ahh Ami, you do love me. Score." she tossed her bag onto the newly populated bed, trying her best not to make a face a she saw the amount of dust that popped into the air on impact. Instead, she casually cast a small spell circle, it acted almost like a vacuum, putting all the dust in a neat spot on the floor. Just as she was about to lay down and get comfortable, Emira poked her head into the room, raising an eyebrow at the extra bed but ignoring it for her question.
"Care to take a dip in the hot springs?" she asked, raising her eyebrows a few times to try and make the offer enticing. Boscha happily replied "For sure, looks like the Blights have it reserved for the next several days. My moms went earlier." Amity and Emira looked at each other in confusion, as if it wasn't enough to book them time up here in general but privatizing the large hot springs was surprising.
Before the Boscha and Emira could get into the debate of privatizing the spring, Amity jumped in "I think it'll do us all some good." Ever since they arrived, she had this small sparking pain in her chest that she was desperate to get rid of, hoping that it was just some residual pain from yesterday. She wanted to relax for a bit and try to forget about the constant fear and anxiety that seemed to always be threatening to overtake her, even though she came off as mostly herself, she was struggling severely to act 'normal'. Both witches seemed to acknowledge Amity's request as they gathered up their bags and pulled the youngest Blight along to the door, giving her no time to change her mind. "Err.. We'll be back Ed, don't burn the place down!" Amity called out, getting a laugh from Emira who was usually the one to issue the warning to Ed.
When the three arrived they could already feel the heat sinking into their bodies, causing them all to sigh in relief, the difference between the building that housed the springs and outside was intense. Emira walked over to the sign in book, they didn't need to use it but she liked to leave some gag names for the next people, her eyes going wide in surprise at the last name written in, 'Luz N.'. Strange... She never replied to me about Amity... she discreetly pulled her scroll out and checked her Pentstagram messages, almost groaning out loud when she saw the status of the message was still in 'drafts' Way to go... I'll need to send this later. Well, no need to panic Amity... This might be good for her. Oh Luz... What a cutie, actually filling the guest book in correctly... she giggled quietly, reading that Luz had put an answer in all the fields, even the duration of her stay, which was 3 days. Maybe I can get them to talk... Emira closed the book over, not wanting anyone else to see. "Which side are you going into?" She called as she watched Boscha select the middle archway, selecting to go for a hotter base temperature pool selection, whereas Amity did her usual and selected the starter pools.
To Amity's surprise she saw evidence of another person being in the hot springs with them, although none of the locker monsters seemed to be occupied on her side, "Someone in there with you Bosch?" She called to the other row of lockers; all the lockers were connected in rows with small wooden patricians someone could climb over if they wanted. She got a confused no in reply, surprised that Emira was being so casual about it as she pulled Amity along to their usual lockers. "Alright, alright... I guess booking a place off doesn't mean anything." She grumbled, starting to strip, she had nothing to hide from her sister and as she got older, she was a lot more confident in her appearance than she was when she was younger. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun, not wanting to get it wet. As she walked out with Emira, she could see a pile of clothes and a bag by the usual pool she liked to use, although not clearly, she debated for a few moments unsure if she should go to another or stay her course. She didn't get much of a choice as Emira nudged her in that direction.
Boscha was confused on why there would be someone else here, she knew from her parents that there was no way to book into the hot springs and it was rare someone would risk getting caught just to enjoy them. "I thought you booked this off for the next few days?" She called over the high wooden wall, rolling her eyes at the simple 'meh' she seemed to get in reply from Emira, expecting her to have cared more. Not wanting to cause a scene, especially from over the wall she grumbled a few curses under her breath and made her way into the pool, sighing as the heat felt like it washed away all her aches and pains.
Emira smiled deviously, not believing her luck with the situation, if she could somehow make them talk it would be perfect. If something is up with her amulet, she doesn't wear it while bathing, so she can speak easily here. Oh come on Bocha... Don't ruin this. she internally groaned, replying to her question with a casual 'meh' as she strode over to the far pool, trying to give Amity and Luz as much privacy as possible, if they did end up talking. She sunk into the pool, sighing happily, "Just ignore us!" she called, her tone surprisingly relaxed, she guessed the water really was working wonders already.
Can't believe Em... Usually she's the one with the problem on this sort of stuff... But I mean, no harm. There are three of us and one of them if anything were to happen. Amity shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath, holding her hand to her chest, unhappy with the way her chest keeps aching. She silently got into the pool, holding in the happy sigh as the water crept higher onto her body, as the water rose over her bare chest, she could finally feel the ache slightly dissipating into something dull and manageable. Perfect... she closed her eyes and went to the edge of the pool, farthest from the person on the other side of the pool, she leaned her arms on the pool's cool edge letting herself relax into the pool. She almost jumped when there was sudden movement from the other side of the pool, We must have spooked... her she suddenly realized it was another woman as the figure got out of the pool and started to gather their things, she couldn't help but stare and try to gather more details. The other woman was slim, and although they weren't curvy, they still had an appealing silhouette, as she stared, she felt like there was a grip slowly rising to her throat, making it difficult to breath. Whats... Happening? she stared in confusion, her golden eyes piercing through the wavering fog. Just for a moment she met the girl's eyes, the large brown eyes from across the pool connect with hers and suddenly it felt like the world went silent. She could feel her heart beat in her chest and hear it in her ears, but before any positive feeling could bubble up in her gut that grip on her throat tightened and a painful spike entered her chest. Had she been able to breathe freely she certainly would have let out a gasp from the sudden pain, No... she closed her eyes tightly and tried to stay her reeling thoughts. After an excruciating minute of calming herself the pain and grip slowly faded her away, however upon opening her eyes she made direct eye contact with Emira who was only a few inches away in the other pool. "Ah!" She pushed backwards and lost her footing in the pool, sliding into the deeper section of the pool, her head going under.
As Amity' head popped back up, her green hair soaked and sticking to her face, she could finally hear Emira speaking. "Mittens? What was that?" she asked, concern thick in her voice as she scanned Amity's expression for some kind of understanding. "You didn't answer anything we we're saying..." She continued, hoping to coax her younger sibling into talking.
With how worried Emira sounded and how quiet Amity was being Boscha made her way over to their set of pools, a small towel around her waist as she jumped into Amity's pool, just in case something happened she was at least right there now. "Ami?" she asked, not wanting to corner her with questions but the sudden reaction was out of character for her friend. Amity was one of the steadiest and level headed people she knew.
"I'm fine... Just think maybe I got in too fast. Felt really light headed, you know?" Amity's voice was slightly horse, and had a sharp annoyed tone to it as well, although that was due to her hair getting soaked and not her companions worry. "I didn't mean to worry either of you, sorry." she sighed, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes and rubbing her face, splashing some more water on it. "I know I just got in, but I'm going to head back... You two stay. Please." She insisted, knowing that they would want nothing more than to follow her back, given her strange behavior.
Emira was going to protest but considered for a moment what Amity could be feeling, there was no way to know what happened if she didn't tell them but if she was speculating, maybe she realized that was Luz? she tried to think of different scenarios, but ultimately knew she would want to harass her sister for more answers as soon as she could. "If you insist..." She muttered, unsure how to approach this strange behavior. It would take some consideration on her part, or maybe some coaxing to get them back in the same pool together, Huh... Maybe that's all it is... Panic? The oldest Blight sibling couldn't help but ponder the different possibilities, there wasn't a lot of information for her to go on from what just happened.
Amity got out of the pool, not bothering with a towel as she made her way to the locker room, giving a short goodbye to the two witches as she left. Knowing for sure that they would both be asking her later or tomorrow what had happened and why she was acting the way she was. As she got dry, and got dressed there was instant relief when she pulled the necklace with the amulet back over her head, I just wish things were... like before. she thought carefully, sighing as she pulled her jacket on and picked bag up. There was a lot she needed to think about, and she needed to come up with some kind of excuse not to worry everyone, that was the main point of this trip. Stay out of trouble, and convince the twins there isn't anything to be concerned about. easier said than done at this rate...
Boscha let Amity leave, not saying much as the witch passed her by and went to get dressed. So there is something going on... I knew she was being weird, but whatever that was... She sighed, sinking into the pool Amity had just left, her eyes on Emira who seemed to be deep in thought. "You know something." She stated plainly, her eyes narrow as she watched Emira's surprised and calculated reaction.
"Perceptive as always!" Emira hummed, turning to better face Boscha in the other pool. "I don't know for sure, but I do know that ever since the library incident she hasn't been the same... and neither has our mother." She closed her eyes in concentration, trying to piece together what could realistically be different. Her eyes snapped open when Boscha questioned her about the 'incident' Uhhh... I shouldn't have just assumed she told her. Crap. "Well, Uhh... She should probably tell you!" She avoided the interaction and pretended to be dying of heat suddenly, "Ooop well, I think that's it for my fragile body..." she joked, pulling herself from the pool, only earning a groan from Boscha in response, Emira knew the triclopes lacked patience, so this was torture.
Amity made her way back to the cabin, slipping in past Ed, not wanting to confront him about leaving the pools so early. She got into a pair of dark purple short-shorts and a white tank top for sleep, the cabin was well heated and she needed to avoid feeling constricted, as she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help but picture those brown eyes from the pool. "Wonder if I'll see them again..." she whispered into the darkness, letting sleep slowly come over her.