Training Camp – Ch15
****Luz
Luz was sitting in the hot springs, her head tilted back as she enjoyed how the warm water seemed to ease not only her physical aches and pains but her mental ones as well. Her eyes were closed in content with the relaxation, had it not been for the sound of soft steps headed in her direction she would have surely fallen asleep. This feels... so good, so different than the last few days. Her mind thrummed happily as she realized that this was one of the few times in the last week, heck, month, that she has felt relaxed and at ease. Even as the soft steps got louder and closer to her, no anxiety rose in her body, just overall contentment. After all the brushes with death and danger, it felt almost ethereal to be this relaxed. "Hey" she said softly, opening her eyes to see golden ones staring back at her, just beyond the thick and heated steam. A smile crept over Luz's lips as she watched the woman, "What are you dreaming about?" the voice inquired, causing the human to tilt her head in confusion, "What do you mean? I'm here... with you" She replied softly, her hand now extending out to the woman, as if beckoning her closer, to join her, to reveal herself. "Ha! I don't think you are" the voice suddenly changed; she could recognize it now, a harsher tone.
Luz's eyes snapped open and she shot up into a sitting position, nearly colliding with her mentor as she did it. "Eda!?" she yelped, her face red with a mix of embarrassment and confusion. Holy Titan... That isn't how I wanted that dream to go... she rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the older witch cackling in front of her, nearly rolling on the floor of her tent from her reaction.
"Ah Kid, you have... no idea... Oh... HA!" Eda tried to calm herself again, only to recall how Luz had reached a hand out and answered the witch in her sleep. She wiped the tears that formed at the corner of her eyes and got to her feet, "Ahh... That was good... Oh Titan, Kings gonna love that... Phew, Okay, breakfast time!" She called, still breathing hard from the laughter, the witch pushed the flap of the tent open and exited.
Please tell me I didn't say anything out loud... The human groaned, further embarrassed by her mentor. She started to get dressed, making frustrated grumbling sounds as she pulled on lined black joggers that had red on the ankle and waist band. Considering how cold she was while still in her sweater she opted to add a white long sleeve under her current dark navy sweater, then pulling on her jacket, not buttoning it up just yet as she pulled her boots on. I wonder if I'll be able to go back out to the springs tonight... her mind was already wondering back to the dream she had, it felt so real, it felt so extremely relaxing, she started to crave it deep down, begging for that feeling of peace. Luz flinched as she exited her tent and was met with the early morning sun, "Ugh... Eda how early is it." She groaned, checking her scroll and blinking in shock, it was 6:16 in the morning, yet the sun felt higher than normal. "Oh... Duh... We're higher up." she shot Eda a glare as the older witch snorted a laugh at Luz's expense, as if able to read her mind. "Laugh it up..." She pouted and pulled out square cushion to sit on in the snow from her infinite bag, crossing her arms, her face still slightly red.
Eda shook her head at the human's reaction, "I just can't believe you answered!" She snorted again – confirming Luz's previous fear – almost having a fit all over again, "Oh, good morning so far." she sighed, reaching over and giving her apprentice an affectionate pat on her shoulder. "So, what's for breakfast?" She wondered, sitting on a tree stump she had pulled over using magic earlier that morning. She tried her best to keep a straight face as confusion settled in on Luz's face at the question, She really has no idea at what to expect out here... Time to teach, I guess. When Luz didn't answer, or at least give a cohesive answer, Eda cut her off with a wave of her hand and instead started to give her instructions. "You'll need to prepare your meal tonight and tomorrow, lucky for you I have something for this morning... But you'll need to gather more wood while I cook, we'll be out before your done eating!" She gestured to the small stock of wood Luz had piled up last night. She knew that Luz had been tired but couldn't help feel like she had a one-track mind right now, not thinking outside her human abilities.
I should have really prepared more; I have no idea what camping is beyond what I've seen on TV and I have no idea about this training situation, it's not like Eda is exactly conventional. Luz listened to her mentor's instructions, a slight ache of anxiety in her chest as she thought about what the day might hold. "Aye aye!" She hopped up trying to force her anxieties aside, saluting Eda as she set off to get more wood, not really giving Eda time to reply before she disappeared in the trees. I have to be on the ball... What's happening to me? I feel so scatter brained; this is like... my thing! Trying something new... Learning and proving myself... I need this... she was lost deep in thought, her body on autopilot as it picked up random pieces of wood, she felt like there was still a cloud hanging over her shoulder, despite all her efforts to ignore the feeling of existential dread from the events of the other night, it was right there, waiting for her to collapse and have to deal with it. The only thing that brought her out of the fog was Eda calling for her, she must have traveled farther in than she thought, as Eda's voice was echoing and far away. "Coming!" Luz called back, grabbing a few more final pieces of wood, thankful for her bag, she kicked herself into a light jog, sweating almost immediately from the activity mixed with the additional layers. It took much longer than she thought to reach the clearing and when she did, she was huffing and panting from the activity. "Don't... Say a word..." She huffed, placing the wood down between their tents and falling hard on her cushion.
"Your food is going to get cold Kid, you know, you didn't have to even go that far, you could have tried... I don't know, using a position or something to get some wood from the trees around here." The older witch shrugged her shoulders, she wanted to plant different approaches in her apprentice's head without directly instructing her to think on the big picture next time. This was usually Luz's whole thing, the girl had proven to think outside of the box with almost everything, but right now, she struggled, and Eda wasn't sure if her apprentice was even aware. Suddenly she was struggling to stifle a laugh as she passed over the plastic-like plate that had an omelet on it, Luz looked like a wet dog with her hair sticking to her face and her trapper hat fur mixing with her hair. Its going to be a long few days... Eda sighed steading herself from her laughter, sipping her apple blood and staring off at the thick fog. What to start her on first... She hummed deep in thought as she watched Luz finish her food, unsure if she even had a moment to taste it with how quickly she had inhaled it.
Luz swallowed the last of the omelet and gave a sigh of relief, it tasted great as always and was exactly what she needed after the spurt of exercise she had completed. "Alright, wise ol-err... Wise Owl Lady!" She smiled sheepishly, standing up and giving her body a good stretch. "You didn't give a lot of details! So, I am at your disposal. What's going to get me into that school?" She started to reach for her toes, and then stretched to the side, wincing at how tight she felt when she stretched out.
With a crooked smile Eda placed her Apple blood down and stood up, patting Luz on her back, almost throwing her off balance as she did her stretching. "You need to get your own food for tonight, you need to at least have vegetables and meat, or uh... protein I guess." She pondered for a moment on how Luz would find a meat substitute up here but ultimately decided she could figure that out herself. She couldn't help but smile as she listed the activities for the day, Luz was staring at her with those large brown eyes with stars in them. "So, essentially, hunting with some magic practice, plant identification, climbing and scouting. For today." She nodded, crossing her arms, struggling internally with the memory of her, her father and Lilith doing these very activities together here, years ago. "We're going to go scout around... Well, I'll be around with Owlbert. I got you... this." She muttered the last part as she slipped a hand under her hat and pulled a pocket-sized green book out, 'Plants' was handwritten in beautiful writing on the front, and upon closer inspection the whole thing looked hand made. Take good care of it... Eda casually tossed it to the human, who fumbled for a moment before catching it and gazing at it fondly.
"Lets do it..." She mumbled, gazing at the book in her hand, it felt like it was just teeming with Eda's past. "Did you make this?" Luz opened the book to a random page, marveling at the detailed drawings of flowers, moss, mushrooms, and more. So much detail... her finger ran along the page affectionately, reading the entry she had opened to 'Do not attempt to consume the mushroom shown, its yellow spotted top and slightly fuzzy base are key indicators. Can cause tongue tickling, red eyes, red splotches and migraine, maybe also impair cognitive functions.' As she finished reading the passage, she couldn't help but let out a short laugh, the witch hadn't replied on if she created the book, however after reading that entry she found it very hard to imagine. "Ha! Never mind... Wait! Was this Liliths!?" For whatever reason she found the unintentional jab hilarious, she should have opened the book before assuming her mentor could create it. Eda's smart but... NOT this kind of smart.
Eda was red in the face by the time Luz got her last word out, her mouth in a tight frown, "Hey! I had every opportunity to make a book like that, I'll have you know I was the one that got her most of that information!" she yelled, turning her face away from Luz and crossing her arms. "Coward would barely even touch anything our father didn't signal as safe" She stuck her tongue out, memories were flooding back to her and although there was a lot of good, there was also a lot of bad. She was grumbling under her breath; just quiet enough Luz couldn't hear it with the wind howling around them. Some ungrateful-
Luz closed the book and rubbed her arm for a moment awkwardly, "I didn't mean it in a bad way! … Err... I guess, I mean, I'm sorry Eda!" She finally caved, taking a step towards her mentor with an apologetic smile on her face. "I bet this book with be suuuuper boring without your input... Plus, how would I ever know what NOT to eat without it? I mean, come on! If it wasn't in the book, I would just assume it was all good to go." She gave the older woman a small nudge and smiled victoriously as she saw a small crack of a smile appear on her lips. "Aahhh there's Eda!"
"See! That's what I said!" She finally broke her silence with the small smile Luz had caused, nudging her apprentice back and then summoning Owlbert as a staff. If she didn't get the show moving, she was sure Luz would lure her into answering questions about the book "No more questions, start scouting, look for monster tracks, evidence of plant life... maybe some other witches are hanging about." She wiggled her eyebrows at Luz, who immediately broke eye contact with a huff and started to walk in the opposite direction. "First lesson, higher the ground, the better vantage point you have!" She called, causing the human to turn around and make for the steep incline of the hills. She hopped on her staff and floated a few feet away and above the girl, she didn't want to literally hover over Luz but had a feeling in her gut that there was still something off about her. It was some serious trauma... Not sure she's even realized it. "Hey Kid, you know how to climb a tree?" She called down, getting Luz's attention as she walked.
The human girl shrugged her shoulders, "I mean, a little bit, I guess. When I was a kid, I broke my wrist falling out of one... So maybe not a great track record. Why?" She called up to her mentor, eyes still forward, trying to focus on trails and patterns, occasionally glancing at the green book in her hand. There are so many plants... How am I ever supposed to know which ones are what... and how the hell do I see them when they're buried under a couple feet of snow. she mentally groaned, flicking through pages for some kind of indication on central locations, almost gasping out loud as she finally found a chapter break that said 'The Knee Pt.1 of 6' 1 of 6!? What... could possibly be up here. before she could turn the page Eda had drawn her attention back with a reply.
"Well... I think this is a great opportunity to get some more practice in and cross something off your list. I see a nest up there. " Eda pointed to a nest that was about 16 feet up a tree, the tree was thick and full of pined branches, spots of sap leaking out of broken limbs of the tree. The nest belonged to a griffin for sure, with a small number of spider webs surrounding it, that was always a good indication. Nasty little shits spray some spiders out before they regurgitate for their young... yuck. She mentally gagged, not a fan of griffins in general, feeling like they were more of a pest than a majestic animal. Eda wouldn't admit it out loud to anyone, but she wasn't a fan of griffins due to one in particular that had decided her tent made for the perfect bathroom, as if seeking her out it happened over the course of a few years before Eda finally put an end to it. Finally, proficient with magic, she chased the griffin far away from her, and since that altercation she's never been bothered much, however, the bad taste was still in her mouth from those incidents as a child and teen.
Wanting to make sure she was looking at the right tree Luz stopped below Eda, scanning the large tree a couple of yards away from her. So... That's easily twice the size of the tree I fell out of... she gulped and glanced up towards Eda, trying to gauge if she was really suggesting the climb to her. "Uhh... Eda, that's a long way up." She called, her eyebrows furrowed together, giving away her concern for safety. She could see the edge of the nest, as well as the edge of some of the spider webs from it's spider breath.
The older witch chuckled and lowered herself down to be hovering close to Luz, trying to not to poke fun at the fear and be understanding instead. "Nothing here is going to be easy, especially for you. No offense. It has eggs you can eat and if you ask me, without them, you might not survive." The words came from her lips so casually, the potential demise of the girl caused a twisting knot in her stomach and chest, but this exercise was for her own good. I won't always be there... At least, not in the same capacity. she absentmindedly touched her necklace.
Of course... I know it's true but... Harsh reality Luz let out a small sigh of defeat, nodding to herself before finally stalking off towards the large tree. "I got this... "She grumbled, trying to steel herself for the crazy activity she was about to try. She made it up a handful of branches, internally thanking her thick gloves for protecting her from the splinters and chips on the tree. As she made it about halfway, she took a break and grabbed her back from her side, something had clicked in her when her gloved hand made contact with some of the sticky sap in the cracks of the tree. I don't know if I packed it... but-Ah! Yes! She pulled out a dark gray substance in a long-corked tube, on the long potion tube in poor handwriting were the words 'Sticky trap'. Now I just need another set of gloves... She hummed a happy tune as she searched around in her bag for another pair, sighing in relief as she pulled them out and pocketed them for later. "Here we go" She stood and took a deep breath, pouring the liquid on her gloves and splashing it up the side of the tree. Just as she hoped, it was sticky enough to hold some of her weight, making it easier to climb as she was no longer reaching awkwardly for hand holds. With a sly grin she peeked over the top of the nest and grabbed two of the eggs, still leaving some behind. Before she could partake in her victory, a loud screech brought her back to reality and her struggle began again.
The rest of the day went on like this, Luz didn't have an easy time completing any of the planned activities. She was successful in grabbing the eggs from the next but having mama come home mid swipe made for a difficult descent, the mama griffin almost pushed her right out of the tree, thankfully the hand on the tree had a good grip due to the sticky potion. When the griffin came around again to knock her out of the tree, she was ready, she used her light glyph on a piece of stored paper and stunned the enemy. To both Eda and Luzs' surprise, the human girl was able to track down a few small pray animals from the isles, although they were a little bit too small by the time Luz was done with them, Eda was happy to take care of the remains. Some of her potions would need to be tweaked, as some of her more lethal potions were much more volatile and explosive, leaving one poor deer-like animal in literal pieces. After the second attempt she opted to stay with the two eggs she was able to get. It was a great victory when she noticed as she scaled the side of a 12-foot cliff face, a small green tendril, having used her photographic memory to connect the look and location to an entry in the book. It had been 'Moutain Floss' consumable once boiled at high temperatures and left to dry, going from soft and wiggly to almost jerky like. Even though Eda hadn't planned on sticking around the whole first day, she did, watching as Luz broke through challenges and found success in using her sister's book to identify a cliffside plant. Even though watching Luz battle the griffin was difficult she was proud to see her able to deflect and shoo the bird away, creatively using her light glyph.
As it got later, Eda instructed Luz to find her way back to camp and if she still felt up to it, she could return to relax at the hot springs after making dinner for herself and showing Eda what she thought her progress was that day. After hours of being one another's companions, it felt odd to separate, Eda flying back to camp and Luz suddenly walking alone in the creeping woods. Eda had led Luz towards the cabins of the Hot Springs but gave a very large distance, wanting to give Luz the experience of the climb whilst not alarming anyone who might be staying.
Luz was making her way down one of the last cliff faces when she felt a sudden chill down her spine, it had been happening on and off all day, one moment she would be fine and then the next, there was a painfully heavy weight on her chest. Like the world was closing in on her, giving her a sense of impending doom, or like she had just been told catastrophic news. Whatever it was, it was starting to wear her down. … I can't keep doing this... What's wrong with me? Why am I like this? she beat herself up mentally, using her long sleeve cuff to wipe the sweat off her face and pull her hat down, feeling the cold suddenly settling in. I'm fine... Eda's here and... I know how to defend myself. she mentally muttered votes of confidence to herself, ranging from her small accomplished in the isles to getting herself hyped that she had 'the freaking strongest witch' to be her mentor. However, being lost in thought when it's hard to see isn't always ideal, before Luz could even understand what was happening, she was tumbling headfirst down a steep hill. Gaining violent speed as she tumbled, her arms covering her head and her body tucking into itself to avoid injury. "Argh! Ooff..." She gasped and groaned, almost as if she had been caught by a clothesline all the wind was knocked out of her. The feeling was sudden and crude, but it caused her to start spinning out of the headfirst tumble and onto her side where she lost almost all the momentum from the fall. She slowly coasted to a stop and found herself laying on her back, clothes twisted, hat nearly pulled off, and her hair, well, it was a write off, she couldn't help her mind from going blank as she stared at the haze covered sky above her. Her chest was heaving with the effort to get and keep her breathing steady again, trying to avoid blacking out.
It took a few minutes before she was able to snap herself out of the hazy daze she was in, her mind felt like it was still spinning. Everything hurts... she finally managed to think, closing her eyes and turning her face away from the hazy but beautiful cloud covered sky. "This is why I'm weak... and useless and constantly need saving..." the words fell bitterly from her lips, her mind bringing her back to the library dream, seeing the twins, seeing Amity torn up like that, all because of her. "No!" She yelled out, hoping no one heard her cry, tears flowing freely from her eyes now. "Why would she leave me alone... I'm... Not cut out for this." She sniffled, pushing the heel of her hand into her eyes to wipe the tears away. It was a struggle, but she finally sat herself up, crossing her legs and staring down at them. She was freezing, her body ached from not only the fall, but the activities of the day and she didn't feel any closer to the magic of the boiling isles. Eda said it takes time... It was hard to reason, even sound things like that felt wrong and like a big lie to her now, a conspiracy. She didn't have time, she didn't have the luxury of time or being born to do magic, she was constantly fighting for it. "What was that..." She whispered unconsciously as she heard soft footsteps crunching in the distance. Just as suddenly as the steps had started, they disappeared, with her mind in its current state Luz couldn't fathom how it was possible. Not considering a staff, a spell to silence the individuals' steps, nothing, she just let herself drown in the feeling of failure and loneliness, ignoring the feeling of potentially being watched.
Finally, when her pants were soaked from the melting snow beneath her and the cold had numbed her emotions as much as they numbed her hands, she was able to stand, shakily making her way through the trees. It was still a far walk to camp, but there was nothing in this damaged girl's mind as she stumbled her way down the side of the mountain and to their personal clearing. The walk had taken at least an hour and a half, almost a full hour longer than Eda had been expecting. After having hovered for the whole day, she thought it best to give the human some space, only regretting her choice when she saw the state Luz was in when she got back to the clearing. "Luz? What happened!" Eda jumped from the seat on her stump spilling the mug in her hand, running to her apprentice's side, not saying another word as the girl just grabbed her tightly around the waist and cried into her shoulder, stunned. … This was... Not what I was expecting... Even while stunned Eda put her arms around the human, trying to follow what she remembered her mother doing for her when she was young, her mother might have not been the best at times, but she was loved. She gently patted her back, trying her best to stay still and quiet, this part proved to be the hardest, wanting desperately to know what the cause of this was. I should have stayed... What was I thinking!? After the last few days... Titan.
"I'm no closer to finding another glyph..." Luz finally whispered, her head still down so her forehead was resting on the Owl Lady's shoulder. "I'm never going to be able to get into that school... I don't even know why I tried, this whole place... I wanted to belong somewhere, but look at me... I'm a freak here too. The only human, no magic, not physically fit, I can barely eat anything here..." Her list was threatening to be very long, longer than Eda had the patience to allow.
The older witch pushed Luz away from her body, earning her a look into Luz's shocked big brown, blood shot eyes, "I don't want to hear it. You belong here just as much as anyone else; we are all freaks, and you should be proud to be a freak or a weirdo. You're unique!" She shook her head, finally breaking their intense eye contact. "You discovered a way of magic, that hasn't existed either ever OR at least in the last hundreds of years. You've had some bad experiences, uh... Real bad ones, but look, Luz. You're still here." She gave the girl a small shake by her shoulders, squeezing them a little tighter than she was meaning to, but she was trying to get her point across. Eda didn't exactly know what to expect from her words and was confused when Luz simply pushed to hug the older witch again, still sobbing. … Okay... So next time, King or Hooty does the pep talk...
Luz couldn't express in words, at least not right away, how meaningful it was to hear those words come from her mentor and role model. Although she didn't exactly believe all of it, she knew Eda wasn't one to lie about these things – selling broken human things as treasure, sure – even though she probably could with no problem. "Eda..." She mumbled against the witch's shoulder, taking a deep breath before speaking again, still letting tears fall. "I'm so sore... I-I fell down a hill... and, and, m-my clothes are all wet." She finally whispered with a stutter, a small, choked laugh following the end of her sentence, pulling away on her own accord to look at her mentor's expression. How did I get so lucky...
"Yep... Still a weirdo!" Eda confirmed with a laugh, shaking her head with a smile on her lips, Luz was a strange one and she was happy to see that the human was still seeming to bounce back quickly. "One second" She backed up and drew a circle with her finger to cast a spell, using the same magic as yesterday to pull the moisture from the girls' clothes, leaving her dry and hopefully warmer. "Can't help with whatever you did to your hair though..." She teased, trying to put a smile on her face, her apprentice's hair was a bit of a fluffy mess, due to being suddenly dry. Thankfully her mission was accomplished as Luz cracked a small smile and reached up and started to comb her longer sides with her fingers, wincing as she pulled her fingers through knots. "Can't help with being sore... that's just a part of the process but let's get you some food, maybe tell me what happened and then you can hobble your way to the springs... that will help." She reassured Luz, gesturing with her thumb backwards towards the fire she had created.
Luz didn't protest at all as she made her way over to her little square cushion, sighing in relief as the pressure left her sore legs. She put her bag in her lap and pulled out one of the eggs she had stolen earlier, giving it an unsure look and then looking at the fire, trying to imagine the best way to cook it. I really need to give this more thought... Mama would be disappointed to see I wasn't ready to cook for myself. Ella tendría mi cabeza. (She would have my head.) She didn't have spices or anything to work with, she had only been able to find that mountain floss plant, which took time to boil and dry. Before she could get too deep into thought about it, Eda plucked it from her hands and started to prepare it, like she usually did.
Before Luz could protest, Eda put a hand up towards her to cut her off, shaking her head at the same time. "You can learn to cook anywhere... Tomorrow morning is on you, so pay attention." Just tonight... Can't go too soft. She took a large round pan, tossed some snow into it and swished it around, letting it melt down to almost nothing before she cracked the egg and put it in. Humming to herself as she watched the egg cook, ignoring the hungered look of the girl sitting next to her, eyes fixated on the pan. It only took a few minutes before she grabbed the plastic like plate and slid the egg off, it was what Luz had called 'Sunny side up', the large dark orange yolk still intact.
Luz's mouth was slightly ajar as she waited for Eda to hand the plate to her, drool was threatening to overtake and drip from her mouth, but she quickly swallowed as the plate came to her. "Yes... Eda. Thank you!" She cheered, it was plain and had no spices unlike the omelet this morning, but it was exactly what her body needed. The warmth from the food flowed happily through her and her stomach went from feeling the pinch of hunger to working hard to digest this realm's food. This is … Amazing. Yeesh ... How hungry was I? She finished it off in a matter of a couple minutes, Eda had remained quiet, only staying here and not retreating to her tent to make sure Luz had some company. "Thank you, Eda... Again, but I don't know if I'm ready to talk about... stuff." She struggled to get the words out, feeling guilty about keeping herself shut in despite Eda's kindness.
"Don't sweat it! I think you should take some time at the Springs tonight; I know... I know, you had some kind of weird experience last night, came flying back here, but it will be good for you. Could have been that bad right?" Eda was insistent that they would help, spending some real time there to relax would allow her body to bounce back, witch or human. I still feel like I don't want to know what happened, but it couldn't be nearly as bad as the last few days... or high school... She wouldn't go back if it was either. "I'm going to turn in, but if you need me..." She pulled out Luz's scroll with a twist of her finger, and input her scrolls digits, causing a confused look to hang over Luz's face, her eyes squinting in confusion and her mouth slightly open.
What is she... Luz jumped up from her spot on the ground, pointing an accusing finger at Eda, the woman only gave her a knowing smile before sending the scroll away to Luz's pocket again. "You've had... a scroll... this. Whole. Time!" She was almost yelling, hurting her head and Eda's sensitive ears. She couldn't believe that her mentor had gone so long without so much as hinting towards having one.
"And this is why I didn't say anything, making a big deal of it, I have it, so what?" Eda shook her head and rose from her spot on the stump, shoulders shrugged and her palms up. "Besides, bad girl coven has to have some social presence." She gave Luz a playful poke and went to head towards her tent, "Call if it's an emergency" She glanced back over her shoulder, making sure she saw Luz nod her head before she got into her tent, pulling the bottle of Apple blood she brought with her from the snow as she entered. She knew Luz was going to have words for her later, leaving with such little details.
Luz was still reeling at the idea of Eda having a scroll, well not only a scroll but a social presence at all, she had picked her as someone who despised new technologies. A stickler for the old ways, the crow-calls, and so on. I guess I really had her pinned wrong... Need. More. Information! she snapped herself out of the daze, determined to find the 'Bad Girl Coven' content that Eda was talking about, however, right now she needed to find her way to the springs. Her body was a new level of soreness she hadn't experienced before, even back in the human realm with the occasional fights she got into. The one time she was jumped, heck even the library incident, it didn't' hurt like this. With a lot more effort than she she'd ever admit, she secured her bag around her shoulder and made her way up to where the fog was thick from the hot water, the whole way only able to think about how good it will feel to relax and how to handle herself if there are others there again. Be cool... They told me to ignore them, I'm the one that freaked and left... she repeated the idea a few times, trying to really reinforce it before she attempted to live it. Just like last time, there wasn't a soul around, she was able to freely walk into the springs, through the hall to the lockers and out into the pools. She did a careful scan, despite not seeing clothes or a full locker monster, she wanted to be cautious, not being the most comfortable person in her own skin currently made her even more self-conscious. She also had an anxious pit in her stomach at the idea of people seeing her cuts, scars and bruises. With a small gasp and a sigh, she lowered herself into the same pool as last night, finding it was the perfect temperature for her to relax and feel the benefit of the intense heat. She floated around in the pool, her eyes closed as she just enjoyed the peace, surprised that not even her mind was racing like it had been earlier. Eda was right... This is perfect. Wonder if it really is magic. She let out a small content hum, thankful for her mind's kindness in this quiet moment.
***Amity
Amity had woken up significantly earlier than everyone else in the cabin, she was the only real morning person there and was going to take full advantage of the alone time. She pulled on a black turtleneck long sleeve, and thick black lined leggings, leaving on her purple fuzzy socks from the day before. Sneaking out of her shared room she made her way to the kitchen of the cabin, taking some time to make herself some scoffee and have some minced pixie, silver back and griffin egg omelet. The whole time using her free hand to cast a spell circle that created a small wind tunnel towards the open cabin window, wanting to avoid waking her siblings or Boscha with the smell. She didn't have a lot of cooking experience, most of what she knew was from watching servants at the manor cook, the few cooking classes Hexide offered and reading. Pleased with the way it turned out she made her way to the large bay window, the cabin itself was modest compared to their home but to normal people, it was still massive. The cabin boasted 5 bedrooms, 3 full sized bathrooms, and a sunroom at the front and rear. The part Amity often enjoyed the most as the sunk in Livingroom, it gave a cozy vibe while offering plenty of warmth and space. She often found peace however up in the attic, originally it was going to be a star gazing room, but Odalia thought it was pointless and scrapped the idea after only having one large skylight created and installed. However, it was perfect for Amity, it gave her a secluded spot to read or write, while gazing up at the stars. All in all, the space was at least 3700 Square feet (360 Square Meters), and even though it was heated by a fireplace, Alador had rigged a system to have the heat spread throughout the cabin, creating a central system. It didn't take Amity long to finish her breakfast, simply staring into the snow and fog covered horizon, marveling at how crystalized everything looked. If only every day were this peaceful... a small sigh escaped her lips before she finished her scoffee and rinsed her plate in the kitchen, leaving it for later to wash.
While they're still out of it I should get some practice in... Some peace... The green haired witch walked over to the front door and grabbed her long coat from the hanger, pulling it tightly around her and buttoning it up. Rather than her usual ear muffs she searched through the small closet and pulled out a lilac winter beanie, not having pulled her hair into its usual half up style made it easy to pull the beanie on and give her ears some cover. Haven't worn this in a while... this had been something she had worn more when she was younger but was forced to change when earmuffs made her look more, 'presentable'. Finally with her matching lilac finger gloves, small infinite bag and thick boots on she made her way out of the cabin, being sure to close the door gently. Just gonna send Bosch a message... as she made her way down the walkway of the cabin to the trails, she thumbed out a message on her scroll and sent it, giving a small relaxed sigh as she was finally able to just focus on being outside and alone, or at least alone as she could be.
She made her way up to another peak on the mountain, it was well above the springs and would give a great view of the sun coming up and a nice area for her to practice some higher risk magic. It didn't take her long to arrive, the girl had been training for grudgby for years now and her body was well exercised and athletic, her only notable struggle was the difference in the air pressure at such heights. "Ahh... Wow, titan this is … Beautiful." She breathed, coming up to the crest of the last hill before a large clearing and the cliff that oversees the springs. Normal eyes wouldn't be able to make anything out between how far down it was and the thick fog, but Amity could image if not for the layer of magically protected fog there would be some, 'select' individuals trying to sneak a peek down. The sun was now well into the sky and shining on the white glossy surface, from Amity's current vantage point she could make out most of the Knee below, only struggling to see some of the cabins and just beyond the springs. She could even see Slitherbeast trails from here, which gave her relief to see they were still doing their usual migration. Alright... Enough sightseeing. she took a deep breath, bringing her hands up from her sides to eye level and then pushing them down towards the ground as she breathed out. "Lets do this..."
Amity spent the next few hours tirelessly testing spells, she had burned her gloves to pieces at this point after a few initial miss fires from her fire spells. Despite these errors she found a few new spells that she could command, nothing she would claim as fancy but certainly a level above her current magic use. The first fire spell she ever learned was a simple finger snap, this small trick seemed like it was only useful as a light or parlor trick. However, as Amity studied it further and tried to test its boundaries, she discovered she could concentrate more heat into it and use it like a torch to weld, cut or gravely wound someone. The second was to use the principals of the first, spreading the fire across her hands to throw fire punches and like in the library roast her enemies she gets a grip on. This time, she took it a step further and learned to command the heat in her hands to new heights, she wasn't sure the exact temperature, but she was sure it was getting close to 1300° Celsius as she was close to melting a steel pipe she had taken from her bag. Getting to such a high temperature was one of the most difficult things however, as the spell phlegm used in the fire magic from her bile sac had to be very consistent and miss steps or overuse, could cause internal damage. She was lucky to be able to use such consistent streams of the phlegm used in fire spells, as it takes a long time to build up sufficient supply for high level spells.
This was the magic that had caused her gloves to burn off and she was positive if she hadn't cut the magic when she did, she could have done some damage to her hands, which was always a risk with elemental magic. The third spell, the one she truly felt she perfected, was the fire spear, this is one she had been working on for years in secret, it was from one of her favourite book series and she was desperate to learn it. She had been working from a fire ball to more narrow shapes and now, when she drew her spell circle and clapped her hands together, it almost looked as though she summoned a spear or javelin right from her palms. Had she not mastered the second spell though, she would never be able to truly hold and throw the spear like she can now.
By the end of the few hours, she was dripping in sweat, tired and much sorer than she thought possible considering she was only practicing. Err... I guess... When I was literally on fire, I ran a bit. And when I set those trees on fire... the more thought the green haired witch put into it, the more she realized she had been running around this clearing for the last few hours. "I'm sure if someone was watching that would have been quite the site..." She said out loud and gave a small chuckle to herself before nearly jumping out of her skin as a voice called from the edge of the clearing to her.
"I mean, we've only been here for a few minutes and I am thoroughly entertained." Boscha had called back to Amity, dressed in a heavy puffy dark red jacket, she had what looked like her grudgby pants on, knee pads and all. It looked a bit out of the ordinary with her calf high thick fur cuffed winter boots but Boscha still managed to pull the look off without a problem. "How the hell did you get up so early... and leave us behind!" She joked, starting to make her way to the other side of the clearing where Amity stood, only now recovering from looking as though she had seen a ghost.
The twins were in the clearing with Boscha, deciding this was the perfect opportunity to observe the situation rather than try to butt in and try to pry a reaction from their sister. They had stayed up later than planned, talking about different plans of attack to get something from Amity, they both knew something was wrong, they knew there were things their mother was hiding and all they needed now was the final bit of info. They wanted to help, and they could only do that when they knew what they were up against. The two hummed to one another, nodding in unison with the same thought, they started to build up a snowbank part with magic part with their hands.
"Boscha, you scared me! Holy Titan... At least your entertained, I guess." Amity sighed with a hand on her chest, she had been so focused on her spells and not messing up she had hardly considered the time or fact the others would come to get her, rather than call for her to come back. "Some warning would be nice; I was practicing some higher levels spells out here... Uhh. If you couldn't tell..." She had finally taken a moment to gesture around her, only then realizing the extent of the damage she had done to the area. Singed trees, holes in trees ranging from the size of her finger to the size of her fist and a lot of melted snow, showing exposed ground.
With a roll of her three eyes Boscha flicked a finger and pulled both her Scroll and Amity's, ignoring the green haired witches' protests as she turned the scrolls to the green haired witch and showed her the messages that had been sent. Several went undelivered due to signal, but the ones sent from the cabin had given Amity a lot of time to see they were on their way, had she realized. "We did. We messaged when we got up and ate, then when we left, and then when we followed what we hoped was your trail... Come on. Where's your head?" She flicked her finger and let the scrolls go back to their homes in the girls' pockets, it wasn't like Amity to miss so many notifications, she was always able to pull herself out of focus for something, always aware of her surroundings. Maybe its an off morning... Boscha tried her best to stick to the positive and not instantly give credit to the ideas that she heard the twins rhyming off last night and this morning. Odalia is crazy and has done some questionable business but... This is her family; she does anything to preserve her family...
Amity watched the messages on her scroll go by and felt a small heat rise to her neck and face, they had reached out and she was somehow so absorbed she didn't notice. This... She's right. This isn't like me... she swallowed her slightly damaged pride, knowing it was stupid to feel this way and to be embarrassed on top of it. "A lot on my mi-" Her sentence was interrupted without remorse, as a snowball came flying fast at the green witch's face. Her cat like reflex's kicked in and she slapped the ball from the air, following the trajectory to trace where it had come from. "Seriously?" She shouted, seeing that Emira and Edric had created a small wall of snow and were hiding behind it holding snowballs, ready to launch.
"Maybe too serious, sister!" Edric called with a wicked smirk on his face, tossing a nicely rounded snowball up in the air before catching it and whipping it at the two witches in their currently defenseless state. "You'll never take us alive!" He called, throwing a few more from his stockpile, loving the sight of Amity and Boscha scrambling to push snow up into a mound for them to hide behind. Hehe! Good plan sis. Edric silently thanked his twin for her great idea as he knelt and started to create more ammo for the next round of attacks.
Both Amity and Boscha dodged the next round of fire, pointing to a slightly built-up pile of snow a few feet from them. They quickly heaved snow onto it and started to create their own barrier, cursing as more snowballs flew at their heads, just nearly missing them. Their wall wouldn't be nearly as perfect, but it would do, "Alright, I'm making the ammo, you give them your best shot!" Amity instructed Boscha, taking the lead on the attack, something she had just become accustomed to with their grudgby games. Just like that the green haired witch could hear her siblings yelp from the sudden pelting, she doubled down on creating the snowballs, trying to pack them tight so they would get better distance and stay together. "You'll regret messing with us!" she yelled, peering over the edge of their snow mound, laughing as she saw Edric wiping snow from his face while Emira laughed barely crouching low enough to avoid being hit by Boscha.
The game went on for a good hour, both teams getting shots at the other, Boscha had been a harder target than expected due to the third eye giving her the ability to see over the edge of the snowbank without risk of being hit. Amity was having a great time, she was nailed in the head a few times, knocking her beanie off and releasing her wild green hair, which only aided in the twin's attack as she scrambled to get it back and move her hair from her face so she could see. However, she opened her eyes just in time to get hit square in the face, knocking her on her back, laughing from the absurdity of it all. Finally, when the twins were busy reloading their snowball supply, Boscha and Amity army crawled their way through the field of snow, staying deep enough that they wouldn't be recognizable right away. Once they were close, they gathered up two large snowballs and jumped over the barrier. All four witches were yelling at this point, two were yelling in victory as they slammed their jumbo snowballs down on their opponents, while the twins were screaming in shock from the cold and from sneak attack.
"Well played!" Emira laughed wiping the snow from her head and brushing her shoulders off as she laughed, "This was way more fun than I thought!" she exclaimed, helping Edric brush the remainder of the snow off his shoulders and head. "I thought for sure, one of you were just going to burn us down." Boscha and Amity exchanged a look and shrugged, both suddenly grinning, "So, I feel like maybe that was on the table still." She teased, assuming from the shared look one of them must have gotten annoyed and suggested the plan. "Well, now that we're done... How about a real duel?" She raised her eyebrows and wiggled them, wanting to see what her sister was capable of and see if the activity could potentially bring something out.
They... want to duel? Like... Witches duel? Amity's mind was reeling, she wasn't prepared for her siblings to ask for a fight of any kind, they had never even dueled at home for practice before. The thought was giving her a sudden spike of anxiety, and the more she thought about it, potentially hurting them, causing injury of any kind, her chest felt like it was caving in on her. "O-oh... Uh-n-no" She stammered her answer out, damn it, calm down! She cursed at her weak reaction, upset by the way she sounded but unable to correct it, the pain in her chest and stomach was far too much to deal with already. "How about you... show off?" She clenched her jaw as she spoke this time, trying her best to speak level, praying the twins let this go quickly before she passed out from the sudden and striking pain. This had been a boundary she had never played into; she knew bad mouthing the Blight name out loud caused pain and discomfort, but she hadn't tested even thoughts of violence in the family.
Having the invitation so quickly declined shocked more than just the twins, Boscha was used to Amity being someone that was always up for some kind of adventure, new action and a new way to challenge herself. This seemed out of character, causing her to give a weary glance at the twins. "Er... I" Edric tried to give an answer or at least circle back to the initial request but he was so caught off guard by the sudden change in his younger sister's demeanor he sort of froze, stuck looking between the three women. "No problem!" Emira suddenly chimed in, sounding just as level and cheery as when she had asked for the duel a moment ago. "I'd love to see the spells that caused this kind of damage, right Edric?" she asked, giving him a hard nudge, pulling him from his frozen state with a wince. "Right!" He nearly yelled, nodding his head with intense eye contact with Amity.
As Emira finished her sentence the terrible pain and knot slowly subsided, the only thing she could compare it to was being struck with a dull object in her chest or stomach but instead of it being a single blow it was as if it sat weighing her down. "Great... You guys should go first. I-I'm still a bit tired." She tried to give everyone a small smile but based on the reaction she got; it only made the concern between them grow. Trying to get out of the awkward situation she had created she started marching towards a boulder she had earlier cleaned off, deciding to use it as a spot to watch. When her back was to the three other witches, her eyes went wide, and her thoughts started to spiral. So, hurting the twins is off the table, or the family? Is that what this is? … I would never have! she pushed the heel of her hands into her eyes, trying to prevent the hot tears she felt welling up from spilling over. After a few deep breaths she managed to pull her hands away, glad to see she was close to the bolder, she could hopefully just focus on the demonstrations. I've never hurt anyone in the family before... Why...? Why would she do this? Is she afraid? this was a consistent thought in her mind as she got situated on the rock and ready to watch, no matter how much active thinking she did, this thought remained.
"Okay... that was weird." Boscha finally broke her silence on the situation, she had been a mix of shocked and upset by the sudden change in her friend, it was very unlike her. "No offense, but the Amity I know would do anything to give you two a small taste of pain." She rubbed her gloved hand over her face, trying to understand what had just happened, she was still in denial about the accusations the twins were making but the more she saw the more she was starting to lean into it. "I'll go first... I think I need more time to think on this one." She sighed and took a deep breath, patting the twins hard on their shoulders, "Get lost or get fucked up" Her air of arrogant confidence returned and she strut her way into the middle of the clearing, Letting loose a bit might be just what I need to clear my mind... She hummed as she thought, trying to put pieces together while she started her demonstration. Not wanting to overheat or risk her new jacket, she pulled the puffy jacket off and tossed it aside. Under her jacket, she had on a short sleeve shirt with her favourite grudgby team on it, she wore a black belt with a small pack on the side that had one pocket and a button to clip it shut. She grabbed countless objects from her small pouch, ranging from a mace to various potions. "Enjoy" she said casually, levitating the objects into the air and around her with ease, one of her magical talents. The same way Amity was gifted with fire and Abomination magic, Boscha had learned levitation magic was incredible ease and perfected many potions at a young age. Using only her levitation magic she used the mace to hit multiple potions, letting them mix mid-air which caused many different chemical reactions. Some were large burst of bubbles, other mixes caused explosions, once satisfied with her demonstration on her levitating she got rid of the mace and sent the other items left flying high into the air. She took a deep breath, allowing the objects to fall and with what looked like minimal effort the pink-haired girl drew a small spell circle and shot fire from her finger tip, exploding each object before it had the chance to hit the ground. Once the final item was broken, she turned towards the three other witches and bowed, using her one hand to wave at them for better applause, smiling and giving a small chuckle as Edric used his illusion magic to make copies of himself and clap for her.
"Great work Bosch." Amity tried her best to put some enthusiasm into her tone, although it was much better than the apathetic tone that threatened to come out, she knew it still fell flat. Maybe I should have her show me how she does the fire from her fingers trick... the green haired girl was happy to get her mind focused on other things but struggled to keep it clear of deprecating thoughts. She thought I was enough of a threat to the family name... To the family! That … That. Before Amity could continue her spiral her sister pulled her out of it by giving a small clap with her hand, announcing that the twins would perform together and to be prepared to be 'amazed'. Even with her sister's bright attitude, the youngest Blight found it was getting harder and harder to truly stop these intrusive thoughts when they start.
Emira handed Boscha her jacket and made her way into the center of the clearing with her brother, the two of them had come up with this plan while watching Boscha's demonstration. They weren't going to give up on getting something from their sister, Amity was important to them and even if she didn't want help with whatever was going on, they weren't going to let up. The twins grabbed hold of each other's hands and using their free hands drew a massive circle, a large screen like rectangle appeared and took up a large portion of the free space, immediately amazing both Amity and Boscha. Within the rectangle images started to appear, foggy at first but slowly clearing up, the first part of their demonstration was a memory of Amity's elementary school graduation. Amity had short cropped green hair with an under cut, that hung just above her shoulders, and still in her usual half up style. Even without sound Amity could hear the music that was played when she walked across the stage and gave her speech, having been the top student. The twins continued the memory well into the after party that took place at the Blights Manor, most of the school was there, apart from a select few 'lessor' families.
Amity watched the demonstration with amazement, in awe of their talent with illusions and how easily they worked together and could mesh their illusions together. They really are... Amazing. the thought was sincere and yet somehow still bitter. It didn't take long for the green haired witch to suddenly start feeling the buzz of depression, seeing herself, Amulet free able to be 'carefree', not that she felt that way when she was in the moment, but looking back, she felt jealous. Why... This memory. before she could wander into the context too much, the scene changed, morphing into something new.
This time the twins had picked one of the last high school Grudby matches Amity had played in, this one in particular was what took them to the championship. This time it was shown from a more personal perspective, visiting Amity in the hall just outside of the locker room, to watching the match from the sidelines. The twins showed off some of Amity's expert maneuvers, Boscha and her had worked tirelessly to make sure that they were on the top of their game. Both girls were dodging violent plants that erupted from the ground, jumping over other players, rolling under blasts of water or fire. The life in Amity's eyes was burning bright, the determination, the passion, and will to do whatever it took to win evident in them.
The scene before the youngest Blight was harder to watch than she thought, seeing herself in action and in the state of mind that she craved was shaking her to her core. After this game... Amity was drifting in and out of the scene, a thick lump in her throat as she sat stunned, waiting and hoping for it to change. This was one of the last times I felt... free. the thought caused a stabbing sensation to rock her body, even with the pain she stayed still and bared it. The pain she was feeling might be partly from the amulet, but she knew it was from the deep craving she felt for normalcy and going back. Finally, as if the twins had read their sister's mind, the scene was changing again, morphing into something extremely familiar.
Before them in the large rectangle was the Bones Burrough Library, it looked like just any regular day, but after a few moments Amity could tell she was sorely mistaken. The comfort she felt seeing the library faded, and she was again struck with a lump in her throat, Do … Do they know what they're doing? Amity tried to swallow the lump in her throat but failed, feeling nearly frozen to her spot, just waiting to see what they had planned. The perspective brought the scene into the reading room, where Amity was happily sitting on the floor with the children. Flashing forward to the end of the book, Amity watched one of her last interactions with Luz unfold before her.
"Ouch Ams, haven't seen you that worked up since the beginning of high school..." Boscha broke Amity from her thoughts for a moment, the pink haired girl was right, Amity hadn't been so outwardly cold to someone in a long time. Aside from trying to keep Willow at arm's length, she had been much kinder in her teenage years than her tween years.
Amity didn't bother with a reply to Boscha, she didn't know what to say, she could have agreed but that wouldn't change anything. As she watched the brunette girl in front of her, the painful aching and shooting pain started to dig her attention from reminiscing or thinking on the twins' motives. She had had enough, it was clear that they were up to something, there was no way each and every moment they chose to show just happened to be one that caused an ill effect. "Enough!" She finally shouted, causing Boscha to yelp and stumble forward away from her leaning position on the boulder. The green haired witch stood up and shook her head, one hand on her hip as the other touched her aching head. The twins suddenly appeared, and the illusion faded, their faces didn't give anything away, just looking blank or mildly confused at best. "I won't put up with this!" She yelled, swiping her hand down from her head in a cutting motion.
The confusion was evident on the twins' faces; they had wanted to get a response, but this felt much angrier than they were expecting. "Listen, sis." Emira started to walk forward, putting her palms forward to show she didn't mean any harm. "Nothing was to upset you! We're just worried... You've been acting weird, and we just want to help." She offered this explanation, trying to give enough information but keep that they believe they know whats happening under wraps, so as not to really set her off.
"No." Amity said flatly, shaking her head, she felt tears threatening her eyes but continued her statement, unable to stop herself now as all these emotions came flooding in. "You have no idea what I go through! You got passed over! You get the benefit of the name, the wealth, the status, everything ! While I-I... work myself to the bone. Defending your stupid antics and for what!?" She had gone from a reasonable volume to shouting again, cursing internally as sharp pains brust through her body in hot throbs, almost taking her breath away. "I need a walk... and some time, alone." she suddenly said, jumping from her place on the boulder and towards the trail down. "Do not follow me!" She yelled behind her; she couldn't have a conversation right now and she couldn't face the reality of what she had just said.
The twins and Boscha were speechless from the explosion, it was rare to have Amity fly off the handle like that, she had grown incredibly guarded with her emotions and temperament over the last few years. The three nodded to one another, silently agreeing to give her some space, "I think maybe I need some time to think... that was heavy." Boscha muttered and turned to go farther along this peak, into the slightly singed forest. The twins opted to stay and talk, hoping to better understand Amity's blow up, and like good siblings they were going to listen but only for so long. Emira would give Amity alone time, but had plenty of plans to follow up with her soon.
Amity made her way down the hill, making quick work of the steep incline by leaping down over and over. Her legs were powerful but eventually when her steam from the fight wore off, she couldn't keep going at her current pace. Slowing down, she leaned against a tree for a while, eyes closed trying to take the peace and quiet in. Why did I have to blow up... A loud sigh escaped her, Mother will not take kindly to it... I'm sure of t- What was that? before her thought could be completed, a blur tumbled by her a few feet away, normally her body would have allowed whatever it was to continue on its way but before she could think she had cast a spell to try and stop the thing. She quickly lost it in the mess of trees, both her eyebrows were raised in surprise at not only her actions but that someone was still out there. She carefully made her way down, sliding down the sharper incline and peering through the trees, taking a few steps she paused and tilted her head. So it was a person... Should be more careful. she didn't give any thought to the snow covered individual, barely able to make out details with how snow covered they were, if they weren't flying head over heel it didn't matter. I just … Need some space. she pushed the thought of the snow-covered person from her mind and continued her journey back to the cabin, taking a few small steps before giving a leap down the side of a small cliff face.
The green haired girl took her time at the cabin when she got back, she made herself a small snack and changed her clothes into something more comfortable. A thick burgundy tunic with elbow length sleeves, keeping her warm turtleneck on under it with the sleeves rolled up to match the top layer. She also kept her black lined leggings on, one of the warmest things she owed, and only brought a few pairs of. It didn't take long for her mind to begin its unkind thoughts, and for her body to remind her of how sore she was from her earlier training. Once she realized her body's condition, she packed up her bag and made for the springs again, this time planning on staying long enough to truly relax and enjoy herself.