Be careful out there
Toast and scream-cheese, check, cup of scoffee, check. Napkin folded in the shape of an owl, check... Obvious signs of anxiety! Check! Despite Edas warning of not waking up at the ass crack of dawn, Luz couldn't help herself, her body woke that morning with a jolt of anxious energy. Her dreams felt normal for the first time in a while, the usual oddities and reflections of her day-to-day life but nothing like what she had before. Maybe that's why I'm feeling so... refreshed? She hummed to herself as she waited anxiously for Eda, having sent King up to see if he could wake her. As the human girl began to tap her fingers on the table, she could hear footsteps from upstairs, drawing her full attention to the sound in anticipation. I know Eda is only doing this for me and she absolutely hates this place but lets goooo... Ugh, you'd think with age comes patience, but I think I got worse... Luz tried to reason with herself and calm down, knowing pushing her mentor would only cause more friction and agitation to the situation. "Hey King!" She chimed happily seeing him scurry into the kitchen, however, his eyes were wide and anxious, which was far from what she was expecting. "Was she that mad about us wa-" before she could finish her sentence the house shook with a long screech from upstairs. Oh.
When King had went upstairs to wake Eda, he was well versed in getting the older witch up and functioning, however, this time when his little paws opened the door to her room. Instead of his favourite witch sleeping peacefully in her nest bed, there was a semi asleep, large and frightening owl beast. He was frozen in shock in the opening of the door, never having seen her transform without provocation, like using magic or putting herself in a stressful situation. The Owl Beasts chest was heaving, and despite it laying down, nothing about it seemed calm. Was she that worked up about going back to Hexside...? King wondered, finally breaking out of his frozen statuesque state. "Eda...?" He whispered quietly, trying to see if she was at all in control of the beast. In a snap, it's large head was turned and it's blank dark eyes stared into his soul, causing King to let out a small 'weh' before turning tail and racing down to Luz, hoping they could find an elixir downstairs.
As the Owl House shook in response to the Owl Beast's cry, Hooty smashed his head through the kitchen window, throwing caution to the wind as he made sure his inhabitants were okay. "Okay... So, this must have … really stressed her out, ahh... Titan, Eda. I should have never put this stupid school thing on you." Both Hooty and King scoffed at Luz's comment, catching her off guard.
"Eda would do anything for us, Luz! She wants to go... She's just nervous... Now lets find her elixir before she gets down here and turns you into an art project" King grabbed his humans hand and pulled her to the living room, trying to keep his cool as he heard the loud stomping of Eda above them, clearly making her way to the stairs. Once in the living room he let go on Luz's hand and went to start searching the usual area's for the golden/yellow liquid.
It wasn't everyday that King was so put together, so seeing him take charge of correcting Eda's transformation warmed Luz. "Art Project?" she quietly whispered, letting King head her into the living room to begin their search. Her eyes going wide as she finally understood what he meant, Oh that's dark... And I don't want to be used as paint... so lets find this... Ah, Eda I hope you are doing okay... Luz pulled her beanie from her pocket and put it on her head, using it to keep some of her hair from falling into her face as she searched. Hooty has slunk his tube body through the house to assist in the search, giving a small wiggle and 'hoot' when he found some taped to the ceiling by the bookshelf. "Okay... Not where I would have looked first, but great job Hooty!" Knowing appreciation went a long way with Hooty, she made a conscious effort to compliment his actions, even if he occasionally disturbed her deeply or annoyed her to tears.
The Owl House inhabitants found the elixir just in time, there was a crash from above and suddenly Eda's Owl Beast form could be seen on the front lawn. "Hooty!" Luz suddenly screamed, her eyes wide, her words caught in her throat, causing her to only be able to wiggle a finger in the direction of the beast out front. "Eda!" She finally yelled and kicked herself into action, following behind both Hooty and King.
While Hooty slunk out the window he came from, King had whipped the door open and tried to get the Owl Beast attention, waving his arms and calling it names. "Dumb bird! Over here!" He finally yelled, shaking a fist as he ran adjacent to the house, drawing its attention. "I'm way more delicious than anything you can find out here!" He yelled, causing the beasts eyebrows to raise and it's nose to sniff harder, as if wanting to test the theory. It didn't take long after getting her attention for the silent plan to spring into action, from the opposite side of the Owl Beast, Hooty used his long body to tightly wrap all the way around the beast, a few times, completely constricting it. That sound is horrendous... Luz thought, wincing as the Owl screeched in protest. As it opened its large jaws again to screetch, the human girl uncorked the golden liquid and forced it into it's open mouth. It took longer than usual, but after a few agonizing moments the pupils of the Owl Beast cleared and Eda's beautiful golden ones came through, looking tortured and worried.
"I didn't hurt you did I?" The older witch croaked out as her body painfully shifted back into it's normal form, leaving her loosly in Hootys grip in her Pj's, pink bunny slippers and all. this is getting out of control... I was just a little – maybe a lot – anxious about today and boom... I let it overwhelm me.
"No, you didn't hurt any of us." Luz sighed, slipping under Hootys body and giving her mentor a big hug, which was briefly returned before they broke apart, giving Eda some space. "You should have told me... I mean, I knew you were worried about it, but not... THIS worried." She patted Hooty and mentally thanked him for how smoothly he was able to make his move.
Eda shook her head and sighed, picking up a worried looking King at the same time. "I'm fine" She reassured Luz but was also answering a silent question she knew King was asking. His large, concerned eyes often betrayed him, despite him scolding Eda for making them worry and not sharing, he was just worried, not angry. "I know, I know... Listen, we have tons of elixir, and I can stock up on more later." Lets hope mort comes through on this one, I don't have enough ingredients to brew more myself. "Now, no more of this... Whatever this is, I smelled food when I was in there. Food that wasn't King" She teased, earning a small 'weh' in response from King, "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that... But, let's be honest Eda, I am obviously much more delicious than anything that beast has had." He crossed his arm in a huff, letting the older witch carry him back inside.
Luz hung back for a moment and watched the pair go back inside, I know she doesn't want to admit anything but... It is getting worse. Maybe I can figure something out when I get enrolled... There has to be some new and improved spells or potions since Eda attended. she knew it wasn't healthy to put so much pressure on her attending the school, but it felt like the achievement she was truly striving for since getting to the boiling isles and she was so close to actually achieving it. I just need to be there for Eda... Alright, lets do it, the good witch Luzura is on the job! This quest shall further prove my dedication to my mentor! A small smile crept up onto Luz's lips as she thought about her witch persona actually turning into reality, living the magical school dream.
It didn't take long for the inhabitants of the Owl House to get back to normal, from their typical bickering to Hooty annoying everyone with his constant chattering as they try to eat. Finally, everything was ready for them to depart to the school, despite Luz begging for King to come along he had stood firm on not wanting any part in that 'horrible place', as he put it. She knew that he would want to come along when things were more finalized, that was just how his curiosity worked, she was surpised she couldn't convince him otherwise.
Blight Siblings
It was far easier to sneak into the building than either was worried about, the individual guard who had come out for some air when they were approaching seemed to have much higher priorities than shutting the door behind them. In fact, up close, the Emperors guard was either intense and uptight or arrogant, lazy, abusers of power. Once the twins crossed the threshold and started into the warehouse, they got a sudden weird sensation that coursed through them both, causing them to share concerned glances. The inside of the warehouse was plain, pale beige walls, cheap drop ceiling with pipes exposed and coursing through the whole building, as Odalia put it 'cost effective'. The only part of the warehouse that had any kind of upscaling was the laboratories and sales offices that are at the front of the building. Despite neither having ever really having gone this far back they both felt a sense of familiarity, which only made the unease they felt earlier sink in deeper.
Having memorized the important landmarks on the map, Edric was leading the way – for once – and was doing all he could to be quick, yet cautious, knowing they were far from alone. Odalia finding them was one thing, she would be angry but the guards, depending on their mission here may have a far more serious reaction. Or so the twins conjectured. As they crept further in, keeping close to the walls and watching each hallway they crept through for guards Ed couldn't help but whisper words of concern "Em... The halls should stop here..." the words fell from his lips dripping in fear, fear that he failed his one job, and fear that their parents were hiding far more from them they then had thought.
As Emira took in the words of concern shared with her, her ear twitched with the sudden sound of guards starting down the hallway to their rear. The potions!... Wait.. No, these are so we can ESCAPE... Ah, for the love of Titan! Even with her inner thoughts battling and debating for the best course of action, her body reacted, pulling Edric towards the hallway that was off the map. "We can figure this out once were clear again" she hastily whispered back, grasping her brothers hand in comfort. Together they rounded the final corner at the end of the hall and waited, the steps became louder as the guards turned down the hall they were just in, by the sound of murmuring voices and boots there had to be at least 5 total. The two cringed at one another as the steps got louder and louder, Are they really going to do the whole friggen perimeter! Em held her breath, shadows appeared on the floor in the entrance of the unmapped hall.
Just as the guards were going to hit the end of the hall and make the march up or down the corridor the twins were in, one of the guards stopped "This hallway is off limits, the Blights were pretty clear" The voice was gruff with authority and seniority, leaving no room for the others to protest. "If you insist, less of a walk in this heavy stuff... Besides, I want to swap shifts already, see these 'super' abominations" A clearly younger and more undisciplined guard commented, earning a sigh from at least two of their colleagues. The group was silent as they made their way back.
Neither of the Blight siblings had realized they were holding their breath until their lungs started to burn in protest, causing them to simultaneously let their held breath go in long sighs. "That was too close..." Ed muttered, putting a hand through his perfectly styled green locks, his eyes going from the mouth of the hallway to behind him to finally examine his surroundings. I wonder why they said this was off limits... sounded pretty serious too.
"I agree, but lets get moving... " Emira didn't take her eyes off the mouth of the hallway, going as far as to peer around the corner to make sure the hall way clear for them to try and find their way to the offices and lab. Not hearing an immediate response from Ed she finally turned and trained her eyes on her younger twin, not understanding the odd blank stare he had on his face, as she approached, she started to follow his gaze. Once her eyes locked on the same scene as his, understanding and weird feelings flooded her. This is... Why is this so familiar... Before them was a long hallway that was very different from the others, it was dimly lit and had heavy wooden doors with symbols on each, even the air felt thicker than anywhere else they had been.
Finally, Edric snapped out of his daze, he couldn't believe his eyes, the oddity before him was surprising even for his family. "Em... Does this place feel … Familiar to you too?" He asked quietly, leaning into her slightly to bring their heads closer together, all he got in response was a muted nod. "There has to be something really important down here..." The younger Twin took a deep breath, grasping his sister's hand again before starting down the hallway, forcing her to snap back to their reality. He couldn't deny the terrible feeling he felt in his gut, the oddly familiar everything and how his body wanted to run but his mind couldn't tell him why. As they passed door after door, the symbols changed and seemed to get... fresher? As if they had been recently carved into the wood in the last few years, whereas the others they went by seemed to be years, at least. I need to take photos of this... No way I'm going to remember... Apparently, I can't even remember blueprints for Titan's sake. Pausing and releasing Em's hand, Ed pulled his scroll from his back pocket with a flick of his finger and took snapshots of the last few doors.
"I'm really not enjoying that you seem to be right..." The eldest Blight sibling sighed her reply as she continued without Edric, letting him take photos of the last few doors. They were nearing the end of the hall of doors when she suddenly got a sharp tingle up her spine, turning on her heel she saw that Edric had a similar experience. He had reached out to one of the familiar doors and touched it, before Em could even react to the experience of the shared feeling, it almost caused a small blackout. As she felt like she was going to pass out, random flashes of pictures slammed into her mind with vigor, however, despite all her best effort she could hardly understand what she was seeing. The flurry of mental images finally stopped, allowing her to regain her vision and catch her balance on the nearby wall. "Ed?" She asked, her voice suddenly raspy, as if she had been crying.
The feeling of familiarity had gripped Edric tightly and caused him to crave more of this truth, he struggled with the blots in his memory and perhaps this was the time for him to get more information, even though he was aware it couldn't be good. He opened his mouth to speak as his hand reached out to the familiar door, but before any words could come out to beckon his sister to his side, he was stunned with an on slot of feelings, of … memories. The images were blurred, he struggled to understand what he was seeing but the feelings came through crystal clear, terror, helplessness, disappointment, envy, rage and deep, deep sadness. In a flash it was all over, he was left gasping for breath as his hand fell limp to his side and his mind cleared, unaware of the tears streaming down his face. "Did... Y-you feel that..." He asked in reply to hearing his sister call to him. Is this... I know I've been here, but... We're here for Amity. Can't let this go on with Amity...
"Did I feel that" The older witch scoffed, clearing her throat, trying to regain control. "This door has the freshest symbol... I'm going to open it." She finally said, closing her eyes to steady herself from the experience, still reeling. I have to move on, if I focus too much on what just happened.. I-I … I'll just... Thankfully Edric joined her before her mind could spin out into dismal thoughts. Emira twisted the handle of the door while Edric gave the door a push, the heavy wooden door creaked loudly and echoed down the empty hallway, causing both to flinch, hoping no one heard them.
The two had thought what they felt was going to pale in comparison to the inside of this room, but they were severely mistaken. Before them lay the room Odalia had brought Amity into, the walls were lined with theorized spells, ancient text, large warnings and concerns. On the large wooden table to the side of the room, a few feet away from both the chair in the center of the room and the chalk board lay multiple texts, scrolls, tomes, far too many to count. "What... IS this?" They asked in unison, their stomachs both forming large pits that made them feel as if they were hollow. Emira took a shaky step forward, approaching the journal that lay at the edge of the large wooden table, without a word she cast a small ball of light to better illuminate the room, only adding to the horror. "Ed..." She whispered, finger trembling as it touched the last entry in the journal.
Amity Blight, Age: 18, Conditioning started at age 14. The subject is showing increased obedience, in the last few weeks there have been less incidents and an increase in focus. Last spell update was a success despite potential side effects, warnings can be dismissed, results outweigh the risk. Will keep updating and assessing the situation. New ability: Able to attach oracle demons at will, increasing overall obedience, using them to contort dreams and passive thoughts. Multiple tests completed and once again, success. Now able to connect directly into thoughts at will with no mental strain on my end, active thoughts come in clear, passive and subconscious thoughts still allude me, but that matters little in this case. Some minor defects when it comes to the human, small anomalies, nothing unexpected and clearly fixable. Update: Additional note, small blip in connection when releasing active thought control either myself or oracle demon, however, it's a small insignificant amount of time. Update: Amity is showing incredible magical growth despite potential leaching side effects. The rest of the entry was all spell related and barely made sense to either as they read the entry in horror, their throats tight with a mix of intense emotions.
"This whole time... She's been dealing with this, since... Since 14?" Em whispered, her hand touching her forehead in confusion, straining to fully understand the scope of their discovery. All this magic... I have no idea; how do we even help... I can't even... I don't... tears started to well up in the older witches' eyes as she tried to work her way through the problem, before the tears could spill over, Ed was quick to clasp her arm in a reassuring manner.
Ed was far from understanding any of what was happening, he knew it was bad and he could see that his mother had apparently jumped off the deep end. "We'll figure out how to help her, help me take some photos of this stuff and we can get out of here." Being the voice of reason felt foeign, usually Emira was always the one to bring him back down from his panic and worries. This is all we can do for now... I don't understand any of this, it's way beyond anything I've ever seen and... I know I'm 'dumb' sometimes, but I have my talents and yet... this is just... too much right now. he took a deep breath and flicked his finger to summon his scroll again, silently snapping photos as Emira calmed down and did the same.
Once Emira was finished with the photos she hesitantly walked over to the chair in the center of the room, wiping her tears away as she stared at the straps and restraints. "We'll figure this out" She assured, not sure to whom but it felt better to say it out loud. "Lets go Ed" She said, verbally pulling him away from taking photos of the board. With a small thud they closed the door back up and started back up the hallway, although Em suddenly halted as she reached the next large door, suddenly wondering what each room was really for.
"Em, we can't snoop in every room, we'll get caught... We are already pushing out luck" The green haired boy hissed, eyes darting up the hallway where the light was much brighter in connecting halls. He knew that Emira would see reason despite her curiosity, they only had so much time and they still needed to sneak back out past the guards.
"Yeah, yeah, I know... But this one is weird... Let's be reasonable. First door is probably Dad- Er... Alador." She said her father's name awkwardly, unsure how involved he was in all of this. "Then there is us... the one you touched. Then this one, and then Amity?" She questioned, her eyebrows knitting together as they rose in curiosity. Seeing Edric shuffle closer, she took that as a sign to go ahead, even if that wasn't his intention it was too late to deny her. As the door swung open, it was far emptier than Amity's room, it looked like it hadn't been used in a couple of years, the symbol on the door was still new but more faded than their little sisters. "Who..." She whispered into the empty room before a small gasp left her parted lips.
Edric was about to protest but as he entered the room after his sister, he could tell right away that she was right, the room was different, more than just being emptier. "Is this..." He subconsciously stepped forward, not believing his eyes anymore after the surprises he just experienced. As the words settled in for the second time, he uttered the name at the same time as his older sister. "Boscha" they whispered in unison, confusion thick in their voices.
The athletic three eyed girl had been forced friends with Amity for years, and it seemed that her stubborn rebelliousness was too much for her mothers to handle. Judging by the notes left on the board, Boscha had been conditioned by Odalia when she entered her second year of High school, leaving her more levelheaded, less cold, and more open to team-oriented tasks. It was like it had clicked for the twins, she had went away for a good length of time on that summer vacation, not staying with her parents and traveling like usual. When she came back she said she had just felt like she would excel in Grudgby and school if she worked together with her team mates instead of trying to be the best no matter the cost, the revelation made sense and yet shocked them all the same. Was there mother trying to corrupt everyone, did this need upkeep, was there a reason that the twins had been released. They had many questions but ultimately needed to focus on getting out of there with their information and bodies intact.