A/N: Hello again and a belated Happy New Year to you all! It's not too much of a surprise for me that I managed to get this chapter done so quickly. I've been indecisive about the events I've wanted to include in chapters 22 and 23, so prior to the upload of the former I actually had a lot of stuff already written out which I'd moved into other documents for editing and whatnot. The same is probably going to happen for Chapter 24 too, as there was a little bit included in this chapter that I ultimately decided to move to the next one instead. So, you can expect that I might manage to get Chapter 24 done fairly quickly too. But we'll have to see about that. As mentioned in my last author's note, Chapters 23 and 24 are going to revolve around what Lizzie's segment would be if she'd been included in the show, hence the title of this chapter being as it is. From the title alone, you can probably guess what Lizzie is going to be spending most of her time doing because of the antics of Eda, King, and Luz. But while Lizzie is ultimately suffering from the consequences of the trio's decision in this episode, the poor thing is spending most of her time trying to avoid her own problems on top of that. And if you pay extra attention, you'll notice I've started dropping little hints here. I wonder if anyone will notice~.

There are going to be diversions from canon here (especially in regards to potion making and spells, which I have also included in the previous chapter), so please be mindful of that when reading. Also, for clarification, I'm aware that in the episode the trio who body swap retain some of their original appearances and voices, assumingly for the benefit of the viewers so they can remember who is who. However, I've not stuck to this in this fanfic, as from a realistic point of view, I imagine the people who encountered the trio during their body swap heard and saw the voices and appearances of the body rather than who was occupying it. This is why when Lizzie encounters Luz, King, and Eda during the body swap, she obviously doesn't recognise who is who; they still sound and look the same despite the switch.

Thank you to everyone who has been favouriting, following, reviewing and reading this fanfiction. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. I'll answer some reviews here, as I've noticed a particular topic has been repeated by a different reviewer.

Von the Unstoppable: The lack of mention of Lizzie's parents have nothing to do with their attitude towards her. It's been done intentionally. You might have noticed over previous chapters that Lizzie isn't exactly open when it comes to her past, and it's going to be a while before the reason as to why is revealed (especially because the focus at present is on Lizzie's relative stalker). However, I have dropped a big hint in previous chapters which connects to her parents. But that's all I'm willing to say at present. I don't want to spoil anything.


Chapter 23: Lizzie's Chaotic Errand (Part 1)

Today had begun just like all the others for the lanky potion and elixir salesman of Mr Elixir: he'd woken up bright and early, checked on his current stock and then opened up shop in anticipation for the customers he'd hoped would be lining up to purchase his wares. With the skies above Bonesborough being clear that morning with only a few clouds scattered about, Morton had waited patiently underneath the raised grate and open wooden shutters for that moment to come, slumped forward against the counter with one arm supporting his cheek via his palm and his other arm resting in front of him, staring blankly at the crowds of creatures that gradually flooded the street. He had been so certain based on the nice weather that his luck was going to turn around today. And yet, by the time the afternoon began to roll around, Morton had not moved from his spot once for anybody. Aside from having watched the crowds lessen and grow over the course of the morning, nothing had changed for him. No one had been to his shop yet, a clear sign to him that this was going to be one of those days where he would lose out on business to his competitors again.

With his eyes drooping and his head lowered close to the counter, Morton released an exasperated sigh.

"Looks like no one wants to buy anything again," he mumbled to himself, turning his gaze downward and closing his eyes. "Maybe I should just close up shop for the day. It's not like anyone's going to bother now—"

"Hey, Morton."

The familiar voice immediately brought Morton out of his moping, forcing his eyes open and his posture to straighten with a wide blink. He was met with the welcoming sight of Lizzie approaching his window, her face partially concealed by her cloak hood and with her black satchel on her person. Morton was unable to suppress the smile that stretched across his face as he stood to full attention and offered the other witch a small wave, mentally thanking the Titan for bringing him one of his regulars to break the drizzly cycle.

"Lizzie, welcome!" He paused and leaned forward to give the street on either side of him a quick glance, eventually turning back to Lizzie when he couldn't see any sign of Eda or the other two companions that had been with them the last time. "No Eda this time, huh?"

Lizzie shook her head with a small huff when she came to a stop in front of the shop's window. "Thankfully. She's currently busy trying to sell her own wares." The blonde witch peeked over her shoulder to get a sneaky glance at the street. "Good to know the slow business hasn't just extended to her."

"So, are you out on errands again? That's usually the only time I see you out and about on the weekends."

"You know it."

Morton rubbed his hands together and glanced towards Lizzie's satchel, his body leaning forward slightly. "Does that mean you're looking to buy Eda's usual today?"

Lizzie responded by reaching into her satchel and pulling out the small sack of snails Eda had given her, which she proceeded to plonk onto the counter. "There's about seventy snails in there. Eda's looking to buy a week's supply. You got enough to cover that?"

Morton's smile widened into a grin as he collected the sack into his hand, his eyes lighting up at finally gaining some form of income. "Of course! Your timing is perfect, actually. My new shipment just came in."

Lizzie slowly nodded. "I remember you saying it'd be around this time."

"Let me get it for you," Morton said while turning away and ducking behind the counter, prompting Lizzie to face the street a bit and lean her side and an arm against the counter.

"Take your time. I'm in no rush."

'Because I dread to think of returning to whatever chaos Eda's about to unleash with that spell of hers…'

Clinking glass and an assortment of objects being opened and closed filled in the silence that fell between the shop keeper and his patron, but it wasn't long before Morton attempted to break through the noises and continue the chatter.

"You and Eda haven't been round here for a while. I take it your adventure to the night market was a success then?"

Lizzie momentarily furrowed her brows at this before managing to find the words to respond, recalling the kafuffle she'd found herself involved in only a few nights ago in the marketplace. "Sort of. We got quite the bounty, but we may have also gained an enemy for life."—she lowered her voice for the next part—"Assuming that pig survived his stand collapsing on him…"

'I do wonder what happened to Tibbles, though. If he had been injured or worse from Luz's antics with Willow and Gus, it probably would have been spread around Bonesborough by now…'

"I heard there was quite a commotion involving Eda and the Emperor's Coven. One of the stall owners at the night market tried to hand her over, didn't they?"

Lizzie turned her head slightly to the shop window with a raised brow and a wide blink, her arm almost slipping from the surface of the counter as she avoided the urge to whip her body round. Her voice went up an octave when she spoke. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From the guards," Morton answered, oblivious to the shift in Lizzie's tone as he briefly paused to peek over the counter, only exposing his eyes. "They've been patrolling the streets with an Emperor's Coven scout recently, asking about Eda and any accomplices she's been seen with." He tilted his head to the side with a slight frown at spying the colour draining from Lizzie's face. "Didn't you know about that?"

But Lizzie didn't answer straight away, her mind immediately jumping to a certain stalker of hers.

'Emperor's Coven scout? Could he mean…?'

A hand waving in front of her face broke her train of thought, with Morton's voice forcing her to blink to bring her back to her senses. "Lizzie? You okay?"

The blonde witch shook her head and gently smacked her cheeks with both hands. "S-Sorry! Must have spaced out." She gave the street behind her a quick glance before returning her focus to Morton, who had since ducked back behind the counter. "I wasn't aware this was going on. Have they been around today?"

"Not yet from what I've seen. So, I'd be careful, if I were you."

Lizzie responded with a nod when Morton stood to full height again with seven vials of the curse-countering elixir in his arms.

"Right. Thanks for the heads up."

"Anything for a loyal customer."

'I didn't realise things had gotten this bad. I'll have to get back to Eda as soon as possible in case I end up running into any guards.'

As Morton carefully placed the seven vials on the counter and Lizzie opened her satchel in preparation to place them inside, she spied her own potion vials lingering at the bottom. She gasped quietly when they triggered her to recall the other reason she was here.

"Oh! That reminds me,"—Lizzie returned her gaze to Morton while speaking quietly, reaching for the nearest vial of elixir to put into her satchel as she did so—"You're a potionist, aren't you, Morton?"

Morton rested his arms against the counter with a blink, watching Lizzie load the elixirs into her satchel one-by-one. "I am."

"If I wanted to mix multiple spells together with the same magic type and similar effects into a potion, would they work well or are they likely to clash?"

Morton's eyes darted about the street behind the blonde witch before he leaned across the counter and lowered his voice, once Lizzie had put all seven vials into her satchel, of course. "But… isn't that mixing magic?"

"Yes."

"Which is illegal."

"Yes."

"Why would you want to do that?"

Lizzie let a small smirk slip onto her face with the slight tilt of her head. "You've known me and Eda for a while now, Morton. We're not ones to stick to the rules."

Morton silently stared at the younger witch for a few seconds before letting his shoulders slump at this, his head lowering a bit with a sigh. "I suppose that's true." His brow furrowed when he glanced up again, a hand of his reaching up to his 'hat' to adjust it properly on his head. "What kind of potion are you looking to make?"

"A healing potion to treat skin damage and minor wounds. I want to combine the separate recipes into one and strengthen their effects, and while it is possible for the ingredients to be mixed, I can't say the same for the spells. There isn't enough information for me to conclude if mixing them would be safe to do."

"So, the spells you're looking to combine are all healing spells whose effects revolve around treating surface injuries?"

"Uh-huh."

"Hm…" Morton's frown deepened, as he stroked his chin, his other hand tapping its fingers against the wood of the counter. "I've never mixed spells with concoctions myself. But as far as I'm aware, the logic is similar to mixing multiple potions."

"Meaning…?"

"If the spells come from the same magic type and cast similar effects, you can mix them together without repercussions, just like with potion ingredients."

Lizzie turned her gaze towards her satchel then, her own potions immediately coming to mind. "So, if I was to create the healing potions separately and then add each spell before mixing them together like regular potions, I should be okay?"

Morton gave a shrug and half-smile when Lizzie focused back to him, raising his shoulders a bit. "In theory, yeah."

'I suppose I'm not going to know unless I actually try, am I? That's how it was with my other potions, after all…'

"Got it." Pulling her satchel round to her side to conceal it under cloak, she flashed Morton a quick smile as she prepared to walk away with both hands gripping at the strap. "Thanks for the help, Morton. Hope business picks up for you."

"My pleasure! It was nice seeing you." Morton's smile widened, watching Lizzie go and waving after her. "Come back soon!" The blonde witch didn't look back, so she failed to see Morton's smile drop and his posture slump, along with the mumble under his breath. "Please…"

From underneath the nearby bench, a certain black furred ferret observed Lizzie's retreating back. But after a few seconds it twitched its nose and went scurrying off in the direction the blonde had gone, appearing intent on continuing its stalking.


The trek back to Eda's stand didn't take that long for Lizzie, yet that didn't stop her from dwelling into her thoughts now that Morton had given her a new lead for her potion making activities.

'Morton's confirmed my suspicions then: mixing spells is like mixing potions. Which means when I get back to the Owl House, I'll have to perfect those three spells before I can even think of starting the recipes.' Lizzie paused at feeling her satchel beginning to pull her body down, forcing her to straighten her back and tug at her strap to bring it round to her front; she didn't realise just how heavy Eda's elixir vials were in comparison to her potion vials, and was now regretting not bringing a second bag. 'I have the healing spell for bruises pretty much mastered now. But the spells for healing burns and gashes still need some… work…'

Lizzie's thoughts slowly trailed off as she rounded the corner into the street where Eda's stand was situated, her focus quickly switching to the sight she found herself instantly being met. Eda was currently stood in front of the metal table of her stand, which wasn't abnormal. However, Lizzie noticed a few things that were off about the scene. For one thing, Luz and King weren't with her. And two, Eda was doing awkward and slow strutting with her hands on her hips and her back bent at a weird angle, muttering to herself with each step.

"And strut, strut, strut— Whoa!"

After the third step, one of Eda's heels slipped, forcing the Owl Lady to stumble forward towards two stacked crates with a lamp atop. Lizzie winced and closed an eye at witnessing Eda's face make contact with the crate as she caught herself by wrapping her arms round it, causing the lamp to tumble off the top and land on the ground with a loud smash. Its base broke in half, with its shade tearing apart upon impact.

'What the…?'

The young witch took that as her cue to approach, all the while Eda continued to lean against the crate as she raised a foot to glance back at.

"How does she wear these all day? That's the third time I've fallen over!"

"Eda?" Lizzie addressed the older witch as she came to a stop before the broken lamp, prompting the Owl Lady to turn to her with a wide blink. "Is everything okay?"

A wide smile stretched across Eda's face, something that naturally had Lizzie's brows raising with a wide blink of her own.

"Liz, hey!" Eda pushed herself onto her knees and shuffled her way round the crates to be opposite the younger witch, her tone unusually chirpy. "How's it hanging?"

Lizzie briefly pressed her lips together to process what she was seeing right now, causing her to stay silent for a few seconds. The blonde witch had known Eda for three years now, so it was no surprise that she was quick to notice that something was wrong, even though she couldn't quite place what that something was…

"Uh…" Lizzie tried to ease her way into speaking, glancing her technical employer up and down with a furrowed brow. "Since when did you start calling me Liz? That's normally Luz's thing."

Lizzie's words seemed to jog something in Eda's brain, which is why she found herself witnessing the Owl Lady's eyes widening while slapping a palm against her forehead.

"Oh! That's right! You weren't here when Eda cast the spell! Oops." 'Eda' chuckled and slowly brought herself to stand up, grinning and placing a hand to her chest. "I'm not Eda. I'm Luz in her body."

Lizzie stared at 'Eda' in silence for a solid minute, with only the occasional blink indicating she hadn't been turned into a statue. But she did eventually break the silence with a loud laugh and loud clap of the hands, waving the other witch off in a dismissive manner.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Eda. Nice attempt at keeping me on my toes."

'Eda's' shoulders slumped at Lizzie's reaction, her grin immediately dropping to be replaced by a frown. "What? No, I'm serious." Giving her feet a quick look, 'Eda' took one long stride forward so she was closer to Lizzie, putting both hands against her chest. "I'm Luz— Whoa." 'Eda' cut herself off and gave a wide blink at realising the height difference between them, causing her to giggle and place a hand to the back of her head. "I forgot Eda towered over you! It's so weird. I'm used to looking up at you, not down!"

Lizzie snorted and shook her head. "Seriously, Eda. Quit with the jokes. Although, your Luz impression isn't half bad."

'Eda' scowled. "But I am Luz! Can't you tell by my voice?"

Lizzie returned 'Eda's' frown and squinted slightly. "Your voice? What are you talking about? You sound exactly the same as usual."

'Eda's' brows raised at this. "I do? Huh." She raised a hand close to her mouth. "I guess that means only I can hear my original voice. No wonder you didn't know it was me."

Lizzie still had no clue what was going on, yet as she folded her arms and gave the other witch a second glance over, an idea immediately popped into her head.

'I can't tell if this is a joke or not. But there's one way I can definitely confirm if what Eda is saying is true.' She let out a quiet huff. 'I guess I should be glad I can actually pay attention when Luz talks my ear off about that wretched book…'

"All right. The only way to resolve this is if I ask a question that only Luz would know the answer to." Lizzie leaned forward until she and 'Eda' were only a nose's inch apart. "In which book from 'The Good Witch Azura' series does the protagonist and her rival become allies?"

"Book five!" 'Eda' answered immediately while pointing her fingers at Lizzie, making the younger witch's jaw drop.

"Holy Titan…" Lizzie slowly backed up and held her hands up a little in front of her chest, even daring to rub at her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Eda always ignored Luz's rants about her book series and never knew anything about the characters or plot whenever it was brought up. Which meant… "… Luz?"

"Yes." But then 'Eda' let out an exaggerated gasp and straightened up, her golden eyes glistening as she covered her mouth with her hands. "Wait. You asked me a general knowledge question about 'The Good Witch Azura'?!" 'Eda' squealed and lightly knocked her hands together. "You do listen to me!"

Lizzie shuddered and stuck a finger in one of her ears at the squeal, even going so far as to twist it round to make sure her hearing was still fine.

'Yeesh. Luz's behaviour does not sound right in Eda's body…'

"Luz, focus!" Lizzie said with a scowl, moving forward to place her hands on both of 'Eda's' shoulders (which she could just about do, despite Eda's heels giving her an extra five inches to her normal height). "Why are you in Eda's body? Where are the others?"

"Uh…" 'Eda' hesitated and reached a hand to the back of her neck, giving it a rub with the slight raising of her shoulders. "Let's just say it's a… Freaky Fraturday like situation." When Lizzie reacted with a tilted head and a deepened scowl, 'Eda' sighed at realising she needed to spell it out for the other witch, crossing her arms while pointing off in separate directions. "Eda used a body swap spell on the three of us after you left."

"A body swap spell?!" Lizzie nearly shrieked, her hands releasing 'Eda' in favour of gripping at the roots of her hair instead. "That was her solution to your little argument?!"

'Eda' nodded. "I did have doubts about the idea, but…" She forced a smile and gave a shrug. "…Eda used it before we could talk about it."

"Of all the times Eda had to do something crazy, why was it when I'm here?" Lizzie grumbled under her breath before shaking her head and releasing her hair, giving the stand behind 'Eda' a quick glance. "Well, where's Eda now? Are she and King still here?"

'Eda' shook her head. "Nope!" She held up a finger. "Eda struck up a bet that whoever proves their new body has the easiest life gets out of cleaning duty. So, she and King left me alone to tend to the stand."

Lizzie groaned and smacked both palms to her forehead, looking about ready to disappear into the ground. "Are you kidding me?"

'I am so regretting leaving those three behind without hearing out Eda's crazy plan. I could have stopped it before she went too far.'

'Eda' raised a brow at this and reached a hand out to place on Lizzie's closest shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. Eda and King will be back by the end of the day. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"No, Luz, you don't understand." Lizzie gave the area behind her a quick look over her shoulder for any guards before facing 'Eda' again, feeling her body beginning to tremble slightly. "They've increased guard searches around Bonesborough because of what happened at the night market the other night. We need to leave asap."

"Have they?" 'Eda' scratched the side of her head and dared to face the street before them, which was still empty from the last time she looked. "I haven't seen anything. Are you sure you're not being paranoid—?"

"I don't have time to debate this again," Lizzie cut 'Eda' off sternly, reaching forward to grip at the sides of the older witch's shoulders. 'Eda's' shoulders stiffened at the action, but other than that she didn't show much of a reaction. "Eda's at risk of being arrested and she doesn't have any snails for bail. So, we've gotta go. Whose bodies are King and Eda in?"

"King's in mine. Eda's in his."

"And do you know where they went?"

"I don't." 'Eda' pointed behind Lizzie. "But I did see them both leave in that direction."

Lizzie's eye and mouth twitched at this, her eyes momentarily closing along with the slight tightening of her grip on 'Eda'. But after taking a sharp breath through her nose, she opened her eyes, released 'Eda' and roughly ran her fingers through her fringe.

"Okay. Okay. There's no need to panic, Elisabeth. You can fix this." She placed her hands together in front of her mouth and locked eyes with 'Eda', who was watching Lizzie with a raised brow. "According to Morton, the guards haven't been around yet, which means we still have time to get out of here before we're caught. So, I'll go find King and Eda and bring them back here. In the meantime,"—she bent her index fingers towards 'Eda'—"watch the stand and Eda's staff. We'll need the latter to make our escape."

"Aw." 'Eda' pouted and looked down at her hands. "I wanted an opportunity to use real magic. I still haven't got the hang of it in Eda's body yet."

"Yeah, well, if we make it back to the Owl House in one piece, I'm sure Eda will let you try to use some before you have to switch back. For now, just hold down the fort and pack away Eda's stuff." Lizzie adjusted her cloak hood with her hands before squinting at 'Eda', pointing two fingers at her eyes and then moving them to point towards the older witch. "Don't do anything to attract unnecessary attention to yourself. Including using Eda's magic. Am I clear?"

Lizzie saw 'Eda's' lip quiver, yet she eventually responded with a slow and stiff nod, her tone low and hiding a hint of disappointment. "Yes."

"Thank you." Lizzie sighed quietly in relief and swivelled on her heels to jog off in the direction 'Eda' had pointed in. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Without looking back, Lizzie made her way away from the stand and into the streets of Bonesborough once more, gripping tightly at her satchel strap to ignore the rising palpitations in her chest.

'I don't know what I was expecting. It seems like whenever I leave the Owl House with these three these days, something always has to go wrong…' She eventually frowned after a moment or so, though, pulling her satchel round to her front. 'But even if Luz won't take me seriously, I know Eda will. Once I tell her what's going on, she'll hasten things up.' Her eyes drooped. 'I just wish it hadn't become part of my errand list…'


Trying to find King and Eda in two different bodies was already a difficult task on its own. But trying to find King and Eda in two different bodies while wading through crowds of people beginning to fill the streets? That was about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. Yet Lizzie knew she didn't have much of a choice in the matter, which was why she kept her satchel close to her front underneath her cloak as she made her way through the scattered people around her. She allowed her eyes to wander between the street, the stalls, and the buildings for any sign of King's signature skull head or Luz's signature hoody, all the while going over what little information she could use to help her search within the confines of her head.

'If I remember what happened from the argument correctly, Eda was complaining about King's problems, while King was complaining about Luz's. Since Eda's in King's body and King's in Luz's, they've probably gone off somewhere related to those problems, especially since they'll both be trying to win this stupid bet.' Lizzie wrapped an arm around her middle and rested her other elbow on it so she could support her chin, her gaze briefly turning to the ground. 'But that could be anywhere. Luz doesn't frequent anywhere specific in Bonesborough because of the dangers, and as far as I know, King doesn't have favourite spots in the town. Which means Eda and King are likely just walking around out in the open…'

Lizzie slumped her body forward with a loud groan, allowing the weight from her satchel to pull her down a bit with her arms dangling towards the floor. 'Well, that doesn't narrow it down, does it?' She gave herself a few seconds before straightening out again, fiddling with her satchel strap and giving the street in front of her another scan. 'I can't spend my whole day walking through every street until I see them. There has to be a way I can—'

Hiss!

Lizzie was brought out of her train of thought by a loud hiss; however, she failed to register where it came from before feeling a sudden and sharp pull against her satchel, forcing her to stumble a bit and look down with a wide blink.

"Huh?"

A black furred ferret clung to the flap of her satchel by its claws, glaring up at the young witch with its teeth bared and further hissing sounds. Lizzie's eyes immediately narrowed at the creature, as for a moment she swore she'd seen something like it somewhere before. Yet that familiarity was overshadowed by the fact it had seemingly come out of nowhere and was clinging to her satchel, forcing her to react instinctively by shaking her satchel around in attempt to get it off.

"Oi! Get off!"

The ferret barked ferociously in response and lurched off the front of the satchel, going straight for Lizzie's face. The blonde gritted her teeth and swatted her arm out to repel the creature, managing to connect with its face and sending it spiralling to the ground. Lizzie took a deep breath and a step backwards to collect herself as the ferret landed flat on its front, a hand going to her heaving chest.

'What in Titan's name is up with that thing?!'

Unfortunately for Lizzie, however, it didn't appear that the ferret was done with her, because after a few seconds it sprung to its feet and exposed its teeth towards her again, letting out another bark.

'Wuh-oh.'

Lizzie swirled on her heels and started running the moment the ferret scurried towards her, deciding not to waste another second standing around. She'd barely started her run, though, before she quickly discovered she wasn't running as fast as she usually was. Her gaze flitted to her satchel swinging round at her front, the loud clinking of glass vials rattling inside of it failing to drown out the barks of the ferret that sounded close behind her.

'As much as I want to chase it off with my magic, it's not worth it. Running away is the easier option, even with Eda's elixirs weighing me down…' She shoved her satchel round until it was against her back to try to increase her speed, returning her gaze ahead to resist the urge to glance behind her. 'I probably should have left the elixirs with Luz, but it's too late for regrets now. I just need to lose this thing in a crowd.'

But even Lizzie knew that was easier said than done. Because despite having increased her speed and continued to resist the urge to look back as she charged towards the other end of the street, she swore the scurrying and barking of the ferret was getting louder and closer to her. And that was despite the thudding of her pulse in her ears and her loud and heavy breathing. Her adrenaline was helping to give her an edge, but even she knew that wasn't going to last.

'I don't know what that thing's problem is, but I need a miracle.'

And, as if on cue to her internal thought, a miracle did occur. Just as Lizzie went to round the corner into the neighbouring street, a blue blur plummeted to the ground behind her, which the blonde caught out of the corner of her eyes. She skidded to a sudden stop just in time to whip her body round to where she'd passed through, her eyes widening at witnessing a small gathering of water balloons of varying colours fall in a cluster towards the middle of the street, exploding in a small burst of water upon making impact. She knew what kind of water balloons those were and what was about to happen, which is why she quickly backed up when the ground nearby started to shake a little.

'Oh, boy.'

Seconds after this thought was said, a large gathering of giant purple tentacles with light undersides and single claws attached to their ends emerged from the puddle left in the aftermath, stretching as high as the tall buildings within the town. Lizzie cringed and hunched her shoulders as she listened to the screams of the creatures who were lingering in the street she'd just passed through, even closing an eye at witnessing the crowds scattering in a panic and a couple finding themselves getting wrapped up in the tentacles' grasps (literally).

"Oooh…" was all Lizzie could mutter as she witnessed the tentacles wildly lashing out and smacking into most of the objects in their paths, naturally causing structural damage and either leaving them crumbled into millions of pieces or marked with large cracks.

On the plus side, there was no sign of the rabid ferret and she was at a safe enough distance to avoid the carnage, allowing her a moment to catch her breath with a heavy sigh and a hand to her chest.

'Look at that. I was saved by a horde of water balloons. No doubt they were thrown by some delinquent teenagers—' Lizzie paused with a wide blink at processing her own words, her gaze immediately turning to the sky with a squint. 'Wait. Teenagers! That's it! King was complaining about Luz being unable to handle teenage drama. Which means that wherever there are teenagers, there must be…'

Lizzie didn't even need to finish her thought there, because it didn't take long before she spied four humanoid figures flying high above the chaos that had erupted below them, heading down the street she'd just run into. And although it was difficult to clearly see who was up there from her current angle, she could just about make out the familiar purple and white hoody that belonged to Luz at the head of the group, making Lizzie grin in triumph.

'King! There you are!'

Lizzie wasted no time in darting off after the group of four away from the panicked screams and the flailing tentacles trapping various citizens, remaining unaware of the ferret poking its head round the wall of the street corner, watching her go with narrowed eyes and a quiet hiss.


Despite the fact that she was following 'Luz' and 'her' new posse of teenagers from the ground, Lizzie did well to keep her eyes on the group hovering in the sky, even through having to occasionally avert her gaze to avoid tripping over into objects or people in her way (with quiet apologies towards anyone she inconvenienced). However, it was times like this where Lizzie found herself being reminded of her maze-like Bonesborough's streets were with the amount of times she'd keep turning a corner or find her direction changing to try to stay on the path that 'Luz' was leading the teens on. Yet that didn't stop her from dwelling on the internal question that plagued her mind.

'How did King manage to convince a group of teenagers to follow him around? Then again, the little guy has a thirst for destruction and rebellion. I can see why that might have appealed to them…' A certain pair of Blight twins popped into her head at that, prompting Lizzie to shake it stiffly to rid herself of the image. 'I was hoping to find Eda first, since she's able to convince King to stop his antics better than I can. But I suppose I'll have to make do with—'

Lizzie cut herself off when she saw 'Luz' and 'her' posse swerve sharply to the left and then down, causing her to frown and pick up the pace in preparation to catch up to them.

'Looks like they're landing. Good. This gives me the chance to finally speak to King.'

However, just as Lizzie went to round the corner into the next street, she felt something heavy clutch at her left shoulder, bringing her to a halt and her body to stiffen out of instinct. A deep, throaty voice sounded from behind her.

"Hold it right there."

Lizzie slowly turned to peek over her shoulder at this, finding herself coming to face-to-face with the grey uniform and pointed mask of the lone guard currently keeping her in place. She recognised the uniform that belonged to the guards of the town and the Conformatorium, prompting a quiet gulp at the sweat she was beginning to feel gathering on her forehead.

'… Oh, Titan.'

When the guard didn't say anything to her, Lizzie loudly cleared her throat and tried to speak, even despite the palpitations she could feel thumping in her chest.

"Uh… C-Can I help you?"

The guard's blue eyes narrowed, with the young witch catching sight of his empty hand reaching towards his belt. "Oh, I think you can."

'Oh, no. He's going to arrest me, isn't he?'

The blonde kept her eyes on the guard and stretched her hand under her cloak towards her satchel still against her back, preparing to open it in case she had to use a light potion in his face. However, when the guard's eyes relaxed and he held up the scroll for one of Eda's wanted posters, Lizzie's hand froze, her fingers inches away from flipping the flap of her satchel open.

"Have you seen this witch?" The guard asked, tilting his head in the direction of the poster. "She and her accomplices robbed and destroyed a stall owner's business in the night market."

Lizzie lowered her hand from her satchel at feeling her shoulders visibly drop, taking a quick glance at the wanted poster before shaking her head without hesitation. The wanted poster still hadn't changed since she'd last seen it, continuing to depict both Eda and King in a rather malicious light.

'He doesn't know who I am. Phew.' "I haven't." She shrugged her shoulders and forced a small smile. "Sorry."

Obviously, Lizzie wasn't about to do anything that was going to sabotage the freedom of her technical employer, even lie. It was a dangerous game at the moment, especially with the stakes being high and Eda currently not being in her original body. She didn't want to inadvertently put Luz in danger, so playing dumb was her best bet to avoid accountability.

The guard sighed heavily and let Lizzie's shoulder go, rolling the scroll up and slipping it back into his belt while grumbling under his breath, but not quietly enough that Lizzie could still make out what he was saying. "That's the sixteenth civilian today with nothing useful to give. I'd be better off searching the streets of Bonesborough for the Owl Lady myself…" Eventually the guard focused on Lizzie and gave her a small salute and nod. "Thank you, Ma'am. Sorry to bother you. Have a nice day."

Lizzie returned the nod and wasted no time in turning away, letting out a quiet huff and wiping her forehead with her sleeve to rid herself of the sweat that had built up as she started to walk off.

'That was a close one. Though I will say I am surprised that my face isn't on Eda's wanted poster yet, considering he appears to have been put in charge of the search—'

"Hey… Wait a second!" Lizzie stopped and looked back at hearing the guard's cry, seeing him staring at her with a gloved hand under his chin, which he was meticulously stroking. "You look familiar."

Lizzie's brows raised at this, prompting her to turn around fully to face the guard with a wide blink. "… Do I?"

"Yeah." He leaned forward and squinted at the young witch, causing Lizzie to move a hand close to her satchel again. "I'm sure I know you from somewhere…"

'How can that be? Rarely anyone in Bonesborough is able to recognise my face unless I know them.' That's what she wanted to say out loud, but Lizzie did the wise thing in keeping that to herself, her gaze staying fixed on the guard currently scrutinising her appearance with his own eyes. 'I'm not a high-profile criminal. If anything, I'd argue I'm quite forgettable. So, how would a guard think they know who I am?'

Yet even that reassurance didn't stop the palpitations from rising to her chest, which she rubbed at with her other hand. A tense silence fell between the guard and witch until the former finally broke it with the loud snap of his fingers, followed by a loud laugh as he stood up straight and put his hands to his stomach.

"Aha! I remember now!" The guard pointed at Lizzie, his voice taking on a cheery tone that suggested he was probably smiling behind that mask of his. "You're that witch I was hired to stalk and capture!"

The words had barely left the guard's mouth before Lizzie found her jaw dropping, an immediate sense of déjà vu washing over her at instantly recalling part of the conversation her stalker had had with a guard that day…

'There you are. What happened?'

'I-I'm sorry. I was stalking the witch and her two accomplices like you'd asked, but then she created a bright flash and sped off. She disappeared into thin air down that alley.'

'Oh, Titan. He's that guard?!'

Lizzie was already trying to mentally question the odds of running into this specific guard a second time, all the while remaining frozen in place when said guard let out a gleeful giggle and rubbed his hands together in front of his face.

"Oho! This is great! If I turn you in to Sir Xander, he'll have to reward me for capturing you!" The guard spun away from Lizzie to the street behind him, which the blonde witch took as her cue to back up one slow step at a time until she'd disappeared behind the wall into the next street. "I don't know where he is right now, but I can still arrest you and take you down to the—" He stopped and blinked at seeing Lizzie was no longer there, raising a hand to the side of his head and turning it from side-to-side to look for her. "Huh?! Where'd she go?!"


Lizzie didn't realise how fast she was capable of running until this very moment, even with her satchel currently weighing her down. Yet apparently it was quite fast, because her limbs were persistently aching like they were screaming at her stop, with her heart thudding hard enough against her chest that it looked prepared to make a jailbreak from her body. She wanted to look back to see if she was being followed, but she resisted the urge with the clenching of her jaw. She couldn't hear the guard's voice or footsteps coming after her, yet she couldn't risk slowing herself down by checking.

'Great. Just as I was one step closer to getting everyone out of here, I had to run into that guard.'

Lizzie continued to focus on her thoughts as she sharply turned towards an obscured alleyway between two shops on the street she'd run into, failing to register where she was heading when she became distracted by a sudden recollection.

'Wait a sec. That guard mentioned turning me in to 'Sir Xander'. Which means he must have been talking about—'

Clang!

"Ah!"

Lizzie cried out in surprise when one of her feet hit something in her path, completely derailing her thoughts at tripping forward and faceplanting the ground with a small thud. Despite being startled out of her mind, it only took a few seconds for Lizzie to come to her senses with the raise of her head and a brief blink; it was a miracle her cloak hood hadn't dropped in the chaos.

"Ugh." The blonde recovered with a groan and slowly pushed herself to her knees, turning to look behind her with a frown and a hand rubbing at her forehead. "What did I just trip over—?" A brow raised at the sight of a silver paint bucket lying on its side, its orange paint guts leaving a thick stream in its wake. "What the…?"

This seemed to finally prompt the blonde witch to take a look at the location she'd apparently fallen in front of, forcing her gaze upwards to find a small, green house-like building with a brown pointed and slanted roof and white wooden structure supports on the outside. On the left side was a small fenced off soil area, where various foliage and plants appeared to be in bloom, while on the right side was a tall wall that blocked off the end of the alleyway, along with a dumpster.

"Where am I…?" Lizzie muttered as she stood up and dusted the front of her cloak and clothes off with her hands, her green eyes wandering to the various writing she could see decorating the front of the building.

Lizzie made the assumption that this was supposed to be a business of some kind for two reasons: firstly, there was a sign with pointed ears and feet shaped onto it hanging on the arched green door that gave entry to the building from the right side that said 'Open' in white capitals. And secondly, at the top part of the house in between the point where the roof raised in the middle, the word 'Café' was written in white capital letters, with a strange dark pink drawing of a creature's round head with a pair tiny horns, a single tiny eye, and a pointed mouth that appeared to resemble a beak. But what gave Lizzie her answer was the big pink sign with pointed ears and shaped like a cat's face that read 'Kitty Café' in the same white writing, which was stuck to the outside of the oval shaped window that allowed a peek inside the building. It followed the same theme with brown cat ears painted above it.

"Kitty Café?" Lizzie repeated the words from the sign and dared to step closer to the window, tilting her head as she stepped over the paint stream she'd left on the ground from her recent tumble. "I don't think I've ever seen this here before. Is this new?"

When she was stood in front of the window, the young witch crouched and went to lean forward to peek past the sign into the shop, squinting at noticing that it seemed to be dark on the inside for some reason. However, she paused at catching the orange painted writing scrawled across the bottom half of the window, which she proceeded to read aloud.

"'See our newest baby'? What kind of whack job place are they running here?"

But no sooner had the words left Lizzie's mouth, a loud thump came from the glass right in front of her face, causing the blonde to lean back with wide eyes and recoil her arm to her front at seeing a small black blur suddenly move in front of her face.

"Lizzie!"

The relieved, high-pitched, muffled voice of King erupted from behind the glass, causing Lizzie to perk up and relax at the familiarity when she was addressed. Had she not run into Luz earlier, she would have naturally assumed this was King in front of her, apparently dressed in what looked like a sleeveless and legless bee costume with fake feelers stuck to 'his' skull (from what Lizzie could gather from the way 'King' had pushed 'himself' flat against the window). Of course, she knew better.

"Eda!" Lizzie exclaimed with a breathless sigh, a smile immediately coming to her face as she adjusted her position to kneel in front of the window. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Same here!" 'King' relaxed 'his' stance and pushed 'himself' away from the glass, placing 'his' hands to 'his' hips; Lizzie had to briefly puff her cheeks out to stop herself from laughing at how ridiculous 'he' looked, and the costume certainly wasn't helping. "Good to know you recognised my voice too."

Lizzie's eyes drooped at that. "Actually, you sound like King to everyone else but yourself. I ran into Luz first. She told me everything."

'King' blinked widely at that. "You did, huh?" 'He' forced a chuckle and rubbed a paw against the back of 'his' head, averting 'his' gaze to the left. "Oooh boy…"

The blonde witch folded her arms and scowled, her tone turning stern. "I can't believe you used a body swapping spell to resolve your argument. Even you should have known that wasn't going to end well!"

'King' shook 'his' head and rolled 'his' eyes, waving the young witch's words off with a paw. "Yeah, yeah. You can scold me later."—'He' peeked back over 'his' shoulder at the inside of the shop before facing Lizzie again—"Right now, I need you to get me away from this crazy place and back to my original body."

"Oh, really?" Lizzie smirked and tapped a finger against her chin, tilting her head slightly to the side while holding her other hand out to gesture to 'King's' current attire. "Does that mean you've learnt your lesson the hard way about King's life being tough too~?"

'King' narrowed 'his' eyes at Lizzie's playful tone, yet eventually relented with a small groan and drooped shoulders, responding to the young witch in monotone. "Yes. I've learned my lesson." 'He' dropped the act and lightly pounded 'his' paws against the glass. "Now get me out of here!"

"That was the plan." Lizzie shot a quick glance towards the entrance to the alleyway, her brow furrowing. "I can't go into detail right now, but we need to get out of Bonesborough asap. The guards are on the prowl for you."

"Oh, no." 'King' slapped a paw to the middle of 'his' skull. "Don't tell me Luz did something to get their attention."

Lizzie shook her head as she returned her gaze to the little demon in the window. "It wasn't because of Luz. Doesn't change the fact we all need to go. What do you need me to do?"

'King' jabbed a claw towards the door to the shop. "Hold the door open. The ladies who run this place are in the back. We can leave without making too much noise."

Lizzie raised a brow and gave the building before her another scan over, eventually squinting a little. "How did you even wind up getting stuck in a place like this?"

"Leave the explanations for later, Redwood. Escape plan first."

Lizzie nodded to that and brought herself to stand, moving towards the door just as 'King' turned from the window and seemed to disappear into the darkness of the shop. "Right."

Gently pulling at the handle on the door, Lizzie opened it slowly and hunched her shoulders in anticipation of any creaks that should sound from the action, leaving a gap wide enough for 'King' to slip out of. It only took a few seconds for the little demon to dash outside though, allowing Lizzie to push the door closed with careful and precise movements to avoid making any noises. The moment the door and the frame touched with barely a sound, Lizzie released the handle, sighing loudly in time with 'King' as the pair hunched forward.

"Whew!" 'King' stretched 'his' arms above 'his' head. "Freedom has never tasted so sweet!"

Lizzie chuckled and gave 'King's' outfit another glance, her eyes briefly darting to the door of the shop. "What in the Boiling Isles did they do to you in there?"

"I'll tell ya later— Whoa." 'King' cut 'himself' off when 'he' gazed up at the taller blonde, causing Lizzie to raise a brow.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just not used to looking up at you." Lizzie stayed still and watched 'King' approach her and then climb up her clothes and cloak. 'His' claws slipped a couple of times and forced 'him' to drop a bit, but eventually 'he' managed to pull 'himself' under Lizzie's hood and sit on her shoulder, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Ah! That's better!" 'He' pointed to the alley's entrance with a frown, with Lizzie already walking her way towards it without any prompting. "Now, let's bounce before those old hags realise I'm gone!"

Seconds after that was said, however, a light flicked on from inside the shop, causing Lizzie and 'King' to momentarily freeze in place in front of the window. A shrill, muffled, elderly voice that Lizzie could only assume belonged to a woman loudly gasped and shouted from inside shortly after.

"Dottie! Someone's stolen our newest baby!"

Lizzie and 'King' exchanged glances and wide blinks at this, but at hearing an inhuman, high-pitched roar follow the first voice, 'King' became the first to turn away with a loud gulp.

"Uh-oh."

Before Lizzie could process what was happening, two pairs of footsteps hurried towards the door of the shop, only for said door to suddenly swing open with enough force to almost knock it off its hinges. The blonde witch whipped around and held her hands up close to her chest when two elderly women made themselves known, leaving Lizzie to furrow her brow at the pair. The two women were wearing similar uniforms which Lizzie could only guess was related to the building nearby, consisting of a sleeveless pink collared shirt under a pastel pink and blue striped long sleeved top and a yellow apron with a similar design printed on it to what she'd seen on the top of the building. However, it was their appearances that drew Lizzie's attention the most.

The tallest woman had brown-grey spiked hair, innocent-looking blue eyes, pointed ears and pale skin, with the small round darkened patch of skin on her chin appearing to resemble a birthmark. The shortest woman also had pointed ears, but unlike her taller 'counterpart' she had a hair net covering her head and a pair of blue glasses with pink rims hiding her eyes, yet Lizzie could still see tufts of light brown hair peeking out above her forehead. Her cheeks were chubby and drooped, with one of them even possessing a wart.

Outwardly, the two women didn't look like they could hurt a fly. But Lizzie had learnt since Tibbles that looks could be deceiving, which quickly proved to be right in this case when the two women's gazes locked with hers.

"There you are!" The tallest woman shrieked, with Lizzie recognising the voice to be the one she'd heard inside the building first. "How dare you steal our precious baby!"

"Your precious baby?" Lizzie repeated, placing a hand to her hip with a glare. "You're the ones who kidnapped my friend. If anyone stole anything, it was you."

The tall elderly woman shuddered and raised her shoulders, her lip curling with a squint. "Ugh. Such attitude. Didn't your parents teach you manners, you rotten teen?"

"Only to polite people, lady!" Lizzie jabbed a finger into her chest. "And I'm not a teen. I'm eighteen." She wagged her finger about out of disapproval. "Legally, I am an adult!"

"Is that so…" The tall woman replied, an eerie smile stretching onto her face as she held up her index finger and thumb. "Well, it doesn't matter how old you are. Because when we're finished with you, you'll be crying for your mother!" She clicked her fingers and addressed the smaller woman at her side. "Dottie!"

The smaller elderly woman, Dottie, grinned widely and exposed her two rows of sharp fangs with a small growl, prompting Lizzie to hunch her shoulders and take a couple of steps backwards out of alarm.

"Whoa…! What's up with that one?!"

"Beats me," 'King' answered with a slight shrug. "She hasn't said a word since I was in there."

When Dottie raised her head to the sky and spread her arms wide with a monstrous roar, Lizzie took that as her cue to whip around and start darting off in the opposite direction, prompting 'King' to cling to the back of Lizzie's shoulder to avoid falling off.

"After them!" The taller woman commanded, with Dottie obeying and sprinting after the fleeing demon and witch on all-fours.