A/N: Damn. This was a hard chapter to write. But at last, I have completed the first trio of chapters for Season 1B's first episode. Unlike in canon, this one takes quite a turn due to Lizzie's presence, which is why you guys will find that Lilith and Eda are acting a little different here compared to the show. These two possess certain character traits that the show seems to imply that they always have but which are hidden behind their prideful behaviour. This is something I've attempted to explore in this chapter, especially since Lizzie being with Eda prior to the show would have probably influenced Eda's behaviour faster more so than Luz does when she arrives. Plus, as some of you will come to know in this chapter, you might find Lizzie and Lilith have some things in common... Chapter 34 will start episode 12, which I know some of you will be looking forward to. And you'll be pleased to know that for that one, Lizzie will be going with Eda and Luz to the knee, so you'll get to see her interaction with Eda and Luz here, as well as the Blights. In the meantime, please enjoy the final chapter for episode 11 and some of the changes it brings.

Also, I'd like to mention this just in case anyone questions it later: I know that Xander is technically breaking canon by being allowed to keep his palisman when coven scouts are supposed to give them up. I can't remember which episode this was established in, but I will say that I do have a loophole: the rule is going to be put in place, but this won't be done until Season 2. As far as I'm aware, there is no mention of when this rule was put in place in the show, so I'm using that to my advantage, especially seeing as Season 2 is where things start to get a bit rocky for our protagonists.

Thank you to everyone who has been favouriting, following, reviewing and reading this fanfiction (especially starrat: yes, I see you. XD I know you don't say much, but I appreciate you letting me know you're still there and following the story along).


Chapter 33: A Glutton for Punishment

Déjà vu was becoming a reoccurring theme for Lizzie today; a fact she realised as she dashed after Eda through the unfamiliar, overcast terrain of the Webbed Woods with Sigmund's staff in hand and her satchel consistently smacking against her side due to the added weight of her potion vials.

For a witch who'd she'd not long ago learned suffered with a curse that affected both her magic and her body's aging, it was hard for Lizzie to understand how Eda still possessed so much energy and speed in comparison to someone like her, who was younger and a little healthier. Last time she'd chased Eda from the Owl House to Hexside, she'd had the disadvantage of her lost magic exhausting her. But despite noting that she was managing to keep Eda in her sights with a smaller gap between them this time, it obviously still wasn't enough for Lizzie to catch up to her technical employer, and that was without factoring in her satchel (which she did suspect was possibly causing her to run slower, unlike Eda who had nothing except the flowing cloak on her back) and the possibility that Eda had become athletic through the amount of times she'd literally ran from the law. She had considered using the staff to keep up with the Owl Lady, yet her airsickness and lack of training in how to control a staff meant she was probably more likely to crash and lose Eda than keep up with her in the end.

On the plus side, while it appeared Lizzie wasn't as fast as Eda, it turned out she was just as fast as her sister. Yup. Despite Lilith's clumsiness and her long clothes weighing her down, it hadn't taken the coven leader long to catch up and join the blonde witch at her side, with the two witches running after the Owl Lady while being neck-and-neck. One quick glance over at Lilith was all Lizzie needed to see that unlike her sister, running was not a special skill for the dark-haired witch. The two Clawthornes were naturally skinny as it is, but although Lilith had seemingly led a more law-abiding life than her employer while showing tremendous magical capabilities back at the Covention, physical speed was clearly not a forte of this particular Clawthorne, as Lizzie came to know when a minute of the two running together left Lilith with a hint of pink on her pale skin. The more Lilith and Lizzie ran, the more their matching exhaustion became apparent, especially when their simultaneous heavy breathing and drooping bodies emerged. Meanwhile, Eda was still maintaining a steady pace and keeping a good distance ahead of her sister and her technical charge with her back as straight as a pole, which kept up even as the little light penetrating the gaps in the leaf canopies above them slowly faded overtime, putting the trio into further darkness and giving way to chilly air which did not help the already tense and creepy atmosphere courtesy of the silhouetted trees and shrubbery.

Evening was creeping upon the Boiling Isles, and it only added to Lizzie's list of problems. Before long the darkness engulfed the blonde witch's surroundings so much that she could no longer see Eda ahead of her and Lilith beside her, nor even her own arm in front of her face. Little streaks of moonlight that succeeded in giving the area some illumination failed to brighten up her surroundings enough for her to safely see where she was going, forcing Lizzie to draw a small spell circle with her empty hand to conjure forth a ball of light she kept close to her palm. On top of that, the blonde witch could feel her limbs shaking violently with persistent aches, her body practically screaming at her to stop because it couldn't take any more. She was sure based on the thudding of her pulse throughout her joints and ears that she was running on nothing but pure adrenaline rather than energy now, yet it did little to ease her body's clear discomfort.

"Eda! Huff!" Lizzie wheezed during her continued pursuit, just about managing to get her words out through her obvious exhaustion. Her makeshift light just about stretched far enough ahead to highlight Eda's cloak fluttering behind her. "Slow down!"

"Don't—huff—Don't waste your breath." Lizzie turned her head to Lilith slightly when the older witch attempted to speak through gasps for breath, with Lizzie's light source highlighting the older witch's eyes focusing on Eda with a faint scowl on her brow. "My sister has—huff—always been a stubborn one…"

"Already gathered that, thanks! Huff!"

Lizzie wasn't sure how close they were to the Bloom of Eternal Youth's location at this point, but it no longer mattered. Because the moment she felt her chest constrict, that was it. The blonde witch's speed reduced until she staggered to a stop and fell to her knees, throwing her head back with her eyes squeezed shut and her breathing erratic. Lilith quickly followed suit, slowing down and eventually wobbling to a halt a few steps ahead of Lizzie and lowered her head, only succeeding in staying on her feet by placing her hand against a nearby tree trunk to steady herself. With heaving chests, the pair resigned to their fates and greedily gasped for the oxygen their lungs lacked, being forced to listen to Eda's running footsteps die away into the night. By the time the noises were lost to the darkness, the blonde felt her shaking and aching limbs gradually settle, her breathing evening out to normal once more.

But it wasn't a moment she was grateful for, especially when their conversation from a moment ago rose to her mind again.

'After three years, I thought I was beginning to understand you, Eda. But the more I learn about you, the more frustrating your secrecy gets. You hid your curse from us, you're asking me to hide your worsening condition from Luz and King… And yet here you are, hiding the fact you're pursuing a scammer's lies!' The hand holding her light source briefly gripped at her chest at feeling that familiar ache return, with the déjà vu washing over her when she dug her fingers into her vest and she squeezed her eyes shut. 'Gosh, is this how Luz felt when we had that argument about Edric and Emira?! No wonder she was so frustrated with me! This is awful!'

Lizzie was the first of her and Lilith to recover, eventually gaining the necessary recuperation to grit her teeth and growl, leaning forward to harshly smack the fist wrapped round the staff against the hardened dirt with a loud thump and clatter.

"Darn it!" She shouted breathlessly, prompting Lilith's head to whip toward her with opened eyes. Of course, Lizzie remained oblivious to this, her own eyes opening to stare at the ground the moment she felt tears welling to the fore. "Why are you trying to push me away, Eda?! I'm just trying to help you, for Titan's sake!"

Lizzie heard a faint echo reply to her after she fell quiet, but other than that she was left to watch her tears loosen and trickle to the dirt in the silent darkness…

…until Lilith's low voice broke through like a knife slashing through glass.

"… You care about Edalyn very much, don't you?"

Lizzie swallowed thickly and slowly raised her head to meet Lilith's softened gaze with watery eyes, blinking a couple of times as if to make sure her ears were working right. Lilith had since moved away from the tree and was standing up without support, the colour returned to her face. Yet Lizzie was struggling to process if the Lilith she was seeing before her was the same Lilith she'd first met. She currently didn't look or sound like the strait-laced leader of the Emperor's Coven with the intimidating glares and smug smiles. Her partially agape mouth, her furrowed brows and her slumped posture, with her hands positioned against her front with her fingers barely touching instead had her resemble a wary but curious child, leaving Lizzie wondering if she was dreaming.

"… What?" A breathless whisper was all Lizzie could manage, which Lilith took as her cue to continue while gently lifting a finger to flick back a small strand of hair dangling on her forehead, her gaze turning to the ground.

"Since she was cursed, Edalyn has practically pushed everyone who was close to her out of her life. So, you can understand my surprise when she introduced me to you at the Covention." Lizzie dabbed a corner of her cloak against her eyes to rid them of her tears, prompting her gaze to follow Lilith's at catching her eyeing the exposed undersides of her wrist. "First impressions convinced me you were nothing more than a degenerate my sister had managed to brainwash with her anti-coven views. I assumed your relationship with her was similar to the bond she has with her human pet—"

"Luz," Lizzie corrected with a scowl. "She also has a name."

Lilith shook her head and waved Lizzie off with a hand. "Right. Whatever you call her."—Lizzie rolled her eyes at that and made a quiet noise of disgust at the dismissal—"But the more I saw the two of you interact, the more palpable your bond became." Lilith paused for a moment before returning her eyes to Lizzie's face, her own eyes squinting ever so slightly when she bit her lip. While it appeared Lilith was focusing on Lizzie, the blonde witch thought she saw the older witch's aquamarine orbs glisten with a faraway look to them, as if she was recalling a distant memory buried deep within the crevices of her mind. "I can't remember the last time I witnessed Edalyn be so protective. When I looked into her eyes the moment she realised you were hurt, I saw a raging fire behind her eyes." Lilith sighed quietly and rubbed a hand at her elbow, averting her eyes once more. "If looks could kill, I'm sure she would have smitten me where I stood…"

Lizzie's brows raised at this revelation, her head tilting with a forced blink.

'Wait. Is that why she attacked Lilith? Was it because she hurt me?'

The blonde witch was drawn away from her thoughts when she heard Lilith chuckle lowly, seeing the dark-haired witch raise her head to the sky.

"And don't even get me started on the similarities between you and that relative of yours: disobeying given orders, jumping in the way to the defence of your elders, displaying heartfelt compassion for those you care about…" Lilith gave Lizzie a sideways glance and a faint smile. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?"

Lizzie frowned at that and finally pushed herself to stand, setting the staff upright to pull herself to her feet. She didn't appreciate being compared to Xander of all people, especially considering she was sure Lilith was still unaware that he'd been manipulating her the whole time. But she decided this wasn't the time to comment on it, because she had a more pressing question she wanted to voice instead.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Lizzie asked with a slight squint, dusting off the front of her tights with a hand while maintaining eye contact with Lilith.

Lilith shrugged her shoulders with a bitter snort. "Who knows? Maybe I'm too mentally drained to keep up the poised charade at this point…" Her eyes drooped when she dared to fully face Lizzie, her next words nothing more than a whisper. "But perhaps it's my way of coming to terms with the fact that… you and I aren't that different where looking out for Edalyn is concerned."

Lizzie's eyes widened at this, her mouth opening ready to throw a string of queries at Lilith out of confusion over this sudden confession.

But then… a thick, white string was fired from the direction they'd just come from, circling twice round Lilith's ankles. Both witches blinked widely and looked down, yet neither of them had the time to process anything. Because before either Lizzie or Lilith knew what was happening, the former felt her joints freeze at witnessing the latter being yanked onto her front suddenly. Lizzie was left gaping and paralysed for a few seconds, with the situation not completely sinking in until she saw Lilith getting dragged towards the darkness shrouding a group of nearby trees.

"Lilith!"

By the time Lizzie found her voice and staggered forward with a hand outstretched toward the older witch, it was already too late. With loud screaming and her fingers clawing at the hardened dirt, a wide-eyed Lilith was consumed by the darkness of the forest, instantly disappearing from sight like she was the first character to be killed off in a horror movie.

But Lilith's screaming didn't stop, prompting Lizzie to move to where she'd left her ball of light and scoop it up into her palm when those screams became muffled, like something had been placed over her mouth. As Lizzie held out the ball of light in attempt to illuminate the area behind her, the location of Lilith's muffled cries for help moved above her head, with the blonde witch moving the light source in accordance with this. Yet when she did, the sight she was met with left her jaw almost dropping to the floor with a loud gasp and her eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

Looming over her close to the treetops was a giant round bodied crab-like creature hanging between the trunks of two trees almost upside down, staring down at her with two large orange-reddish sclera eyes with slit pupils and two tiny, black beady eyes placed in between them. It was coloured in different shades of green, with its body, claws (with its left claw being larger in size than its right claw), six feet (three on either side of the back of its body) and two feelers on either side of the top lip of its mouth being a dark green, its face and mouth being a lighter shade of green, and its arms and six thin legs coloured a brown and green mix. Lizzie could see Lilith entangled in something white and thick which she thought looked like web from a single strand hooked round the creature's smallest claw, with only the top half of her head, her hands and her feet exposed.

Had the situation not been dire, Lizzie would have probably laughed at how ridiculous she looked dangling from the creature's claw; it looked like the beast was holding a handbag and not a victim who was likely about to be eaten.

"Oh, Titan…" Lizzie cursed under her breath as Lilith started squirming from side to side and continuing with her muffled screeching the moment her eyes locked with Lizzie's, the colour almost completely draining from her face as the danger of her current situation began to settle in.

She thought a spider-like creature was going to be the bane of her existence today and yet instead a crab-like creature that acted like a spider suddenly seemed so much worse. On top of that, Eda was busy with the scammer and Lilith was trapped in that creature's grasp, leaving her as the only witch to take on this thing alone. And yet…

'How can I when my magic is nowhere near on par with Lilith and Eda?! I can't fight that thing while it has Lilith in its grasp! Should I shout for Eda?! Will Eda even hear me?!'

At hearing the growl lowly after a moment of silent staring, Lizzie forced a laugh and a smile as she slowly started backing away, bringing both the ball of light and the staff close to her chest.

"Ha haYou must be where that potion ingredient comes from. I was wondering where you'd gotten to…"

The creature responded to this by releasing a roar and exposing its jagged set of teeth, loosening a bit of spit that the blonde witch only just about dodged when she stumbled to the side to dodge it with a brief shudder and a wince.

'Bleh!'

Lizzie continued to back up as far away from the creature as she could, all the while wracking her brains for an idea on how to handle this situation. However, that all changed when she felt her back hit the trunk of a tree, her shoulders raising with a flinch as she shrunk under the monster's four-eyed gaze. Clinking glass echoed from within the confines of her satchel as it hit against her side, causing Lizzie to gasp quietly and straighten up with a wide blink, her eyes locking with the claw holding Lilith hostage.

'That's it!'

The second she saw the creature's feelers move towards each other and start rubbing together to form a ring of white web, Lizzie frowned at her satchel and opened the flap, using her index finger to draw a small green spell circle that outlined one of her explosive potion vials in a faint green glow. After taking a moment to widen her stance and bend her right arm close to her front, Lizzie flicked her index finger up to raise the glowing vial from her satchel and have it hover beside her, suddenly throwing her hand forward to cut off the spell just as Eda's voice and hurried footsteps could be heard approaching.

"Lily! Lizzie!"

Unbeknownst to the blonde witch, Eda arrived to the scene just as she sent her explosive potion spiralling towards the creature's claw, prompting the older witch to skid to a halt and lean back with a gape at watching the creature's mouth drop as the potion collided with its body part, with Lilith whipping her head away and squeezing her eyes shut to try to avoid what was about to happen.

A loud bang and an explosion of red liquid and smoke erupted from the contact that was strong enough to snap the web wrapped round the creature's claw, causing the restrained Lilith to let out a muffled screech at the sudden drop towards the ground. Meanwhile, the force of the attack turned out to be stronger than Lizzie had anticipated, because not only did it free Lilith, but it also apparently threw the crab-like creature into the air, causing it to release a high-pitched squeal when it was propelled into the evening sky and sent spinning through the air towards the farthest stretches of the forest, leaving Eda and Lizzie to watch its form gradually get smaller the further away it went.

But Lizzie didn't stop there, because the second she saw and heard Lilith plummeting to the ground in her web bound state, she was quick to draw another spell circle and prompt a glowing green outline to envelop her body, managing to halt her descent and have her hover above a nearby bush, which Lilith grumbled at despite it being muffled.

"Lilith!"

Lizzie called out to the older witch as she darted to her side and grabbed her shoulders (bringing her ball of light with her and letting it hover by her side so she could see), tilting her body upwards headfirst to help her stand before flicking her index finger to cut off the spell, having the green outline fade in a small flash seconds after the coven leader's shoes rustled the bushes the moment her soles touched the ground. Eda, meanwhile, remained silent and stood where she was with her hands to her hips for the time being, choosing to observe her technical employee question her sister with a furrowed brow while tearing the web from around her mouth like it was soaked paper.

"Are you okay?"

Lilith switched her gaze between her arms with a twisted mouth before she responded, keeping still to allow Lizzie to rip away at the web binding them. Lizzie knew that Eda was there, having heard her approach and shout not too long ago. But she decided she needed to tend to Lilith first.

"Just about," she answered with a sigh.

With her arms free, Lilith used her hands to brush away at the web on the rest of her body, with Lizzie taking a step back when her assistance was no longer required. The entire time she purposely avoided further eye contact with the younger witch, eventually clearing her throat once most of the web was removed.

"Um…" Lilith hesitated at feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, which flushed a light pink while she kept her eyes averted and used her fingers to peel two tiny strips of web from her right cheek and forehead. "Thank you," she said quietly, gripping at her elbow with drooped eyes. "I wasn't expecting you to save me, especially after our last encounter…"

Lizzie's brows raised at this with a wide blink, obviously realising Lilith was referring to the attack she launched at Eda which began their duel. But after a few seconds, the younger blonde smiled and chuckled.

"Seriously?" Lizzie lightly knocked Lilith's closest shoulder with her knuckles, causing Lilith to flinch and blink widely herself at the sudden contact, as gentle as it was. "I was the one who pushed Eda out of the way. It wasn't like you were aiming directly at me. Plus, you are Eda's sister." Lizzie shrugged her shoulders, her smile dimming a little. "She'd probably kill me if I let you get eaten by that crab-spider."

Lilith's brows furrowed when she locked eyes with Lizzie, lightly flicking a thin strand of hair out of her eyes to tuck it close to her ear.

"You really believe that?"

"Of course!" Lizzie tucked her hands behind her back and raised her chin a bit, her smile widening again with the brief closing of her eyes. "You two might fight and be on opposing sides of the law, but it's clear you still care about her. That's more than enough for me to guess that she still cares about you too." It was here that Lizzie dared to peek back over her shoulder in Eda's general direction when a faint smile appeared on Lilith's face, unable to see the proud smile that crept on Eda's face as her posture straightened with the puffing out of her chest. "Also, she did just call out for you when she dashed here to our defence a few seconds ago."

Lilith's smile faded at this declaration, prompting her to peek round Lizzie's side with a raised brow just as Eda made her approach.

"She's not wrong," Eda said in agreement. "And besides…" The Owl Lady stopped between Lilith and Lizzie with a wide grin, proceeding to elbow Lilith in the ribs a couple of times. "if anyone is gonna put you six feet under, it's gonna be me. Ha!"

Lilith's back stiffened at the snort that followed that statement, only for her shoulders to relax at seeing Eda's attention switch to Lizzie, whom she harshly slapped on the closest shoulder, causing the younger witch to gasp and stumble forward a bit.

"Not bad, Redwood! You're slowly getting over your fears of using your magic-mixed potions for fights! Good on ya!"

"Hold on," Lilith interjected with a slight gape, turning to Lizzie while pointing over her shoulder in the direction of where the creature had formerly been. "You made that potion?"

"She sure did!" Eda didn't give Lizzie a chance to answer as she hooked an arm round Lizzie's shoulder and pulled her into her side, smirking widely at her sister. "You got a taster of her talent back at Covention! Had it not been for the Everlasting Oath between Blight and Luz, you would have gotten to see my student wipe the floor with that prissy little blue blood like I'd originally planned!"

Lizzie bowed her head to avoid eye contact with Lilith, but not before catching the coven leader gripping at her chin with a hand and frowning in thought.

"Ah, yes. That flashing potion you used to escape the arena. I do recall that young coven scout remarking it was one of her creations..."

Lizzie scowled at this, her mind immediately going to Xander despite the pink flush her cheeks had taken from embarrassment.

'Of course he tattled on me to the leader of the emperor's coven. Little snitch.'

But then her attention was drawn to Lilith when she heard the older witch gasp softly, lifting her head again to see her pupils shrinking a little at something behind her and Eda.

"Is that…?"

Lizzie and Eda followed Lilith as she started to walk towards the clearing ahead of them once the former of the three grabbed her ball of light (which was conveniently in the same direction Eda had just come from), leading to the trio of witches heading towards a dense clearing that housed a faint pink glow amongst the moonlight streaking through the canopies of the inwardly bent trees.

Dispelling her light source with the click of her fingers upon stepping into the clearing, Lizzie and the Clawthorne sisters stopped at the edge upon sighting a cracked, stone fountain settled at the other end, with some areas covered in strange dark blue splotches and the fountain's base being filled with pink, thorny, tentacle like vines tangled together. The back of the fountain depicted the upper body of a woman with her eyes closed and her arms crossed in front of her in an 'x' like shape, her palms facing away from each other. She appeared to have long hair and a strange headwear that enveloped her whole head, while the backs of her hands appeared to possess gem shaped objects attached. But it was the glowing wide-trumpet and pink petaled flower growing in the middle of the vines atop a thick green stalk that caught Lizzie's and Lilith's eyes, their brows raising.

Eda, meanwhile, had her hands to her hips and a bit of a squint on her face, not seeming as impressed by the sight as the other two were, a fact further proven when she spoke up. "Yes, Lily. It's the Bloom of Eternal Youth. Supposedly."

"So, we weren't that far away from it," Lizzie commented with a furrowed brow, her gaze slowly turning to Eda. "Which means you found it when Lilith and I fell behind..."

Eda looked to Lizzie with a raised brow at seeing her expression, with Lilith blinking widely at Lizzie's comments yet chose to stay quiet. "What? What's with that look?"

"You ran ahead of us so you could nab it first. You had more than enough time while Lilith and I were talking and then dealing with that creature." Lizzie's mouth twisted a bit. "So, why didn't you take it?"

At first, Eda didn't answer. A red flush overtook her cheeks as her gaze darted off to the side to avoid eye contact, with Lilith eventually squinting at her sister and slowly nodding in agreement.

"She's right, Edalyn. That was the reason why you ran away from us before."

It was Lilith's words that finally prompted Eda to answer. The Owl Lady groaned and threw her head back with slumped shoulders.

"I know, I know," she said in a tight tone, only to release an exasperated sigh and lower her head again to look Lizzie in the eyes. "But to be honest…" She tilted her hand back and forth a couple of times. "I suspected there was a 50/50 chance this was a scam from the beginning."

"Even though you were originally targeting the flower to cure your curse?" Lilith said, prompting Eda to look at her with her body partly drooped forward.

"… Yes,"—she grumbled, only to raise her voice a little and point a finger at Lilith and scowled—"But also to prove I'm not frail by stopping you pro-coven jerks from taking it for yourselves!"

"Aha!" Lizzie said triumphantly, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms. "So, we were right!"

Eda rolled her eyes at this and waved Lizzie off with a hand, looking away from her again when she responded sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and gloat. It's not like I get enough of that from my sister or anything."

Lilith briefly scowled at the comment, but when Eda didn't say anything more, Lizzie sighed and dared to step closer to Eda, relaxing her expression as she placed a hand to the older witch's shoulder. Eda didn't react to the younger witch's touch, yet that didn't stop Lizzie from frowning faintly and questioning her.

"Why did you do it, Eda?" Lizzie's voice grew quiet and cracked a bit, prompting her to gulp to try to even it out again, to no avail. "Why did you go through all of this trouble, despite suspecting that something was wrong?"

There was a brief moment of silence in the clearing before Eda finally mustered up the courage to speak in a low voice, placing a hand to her forehead and running it down her face with her eyes squeezed shut.

"… I'm sorry," Lizzie raised both brows at the apology, staying silent when Eda bowed her head and balled her hands into fists against her front, her own voice straining. "I just wanted so badly for a potential cure to be real, I convinced myself it was worth the risk. This curse has been nothing but a nightmare for me and everyone close to me. I thought taking that flower for myself meant we wouldn't have had to worry anymore."

Lizzie frowned deeply, her grip tightening on Eda's shoulder at the tears that welled in her own eyes. "Then why didn't you just say that in the beginning? Why would you lie, even after you said you'd learnt your lesson about hiding your curse from me?"

There was a momentary pause when Eda opened her eyes and relaxed her hands, bringing herself to look Lizzie in the eyes despite hers beginning to glisten with tears too. "This curse has made me hurt those close to me in the past and…" Eda trailed off when she broke her gaze to stare at Lizzie's side, specifically the one where she recalled the younger witch had been injured before. "…I wanted to avoid putting you, Luz and King in harm's way again."

Lizzie gaped at this and subconsciously moved her hand from Eda's shoulder to hold her side, allowing the tears to loosen from her eyes and trickle down her face when her mouth quivered. Meanwhile, the two witches remained unaware of Lilith putting a hand over her mouth at the revelation, yet the older witch did the right thing in staying quiet.

'Eda's still been feeling guilty about that?'

"It's not easy for me to be open about my curse. I thought I was protecting you by keeping you in the dark on some things, but I've clearly just repeated the same mistake." Eda's eyes drooped as she locked her gaze with her shoes, lightly scrapping her sole against the hardened dirt. "I realised that just now when I was standing here staring at that flower. I didn't take it because deep down… I knew you were right." She squeezed her eyes shut when her voice started to fade out, trying to keep the tears from spilling from her eyes. "So, go ahead and be mad at me, Redwood. I won't blame you if you—"

Eda was interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her shoulders, followed by a face burying itself between her shoulder blades. The Owl Lady's body stiffened at the contact, blinking widely at hearing Lizzie's muffled and whiny voice from her cloak.

"I'm still mad at you for lying. But thank you for listening to me. And for being honest."

The Owl Lady's reaction was delayed by a few seconds, with the older witch staying still as she stared back at her technical charge with repeated blinks. Eventually, though, Eda chuckled weakly and wiped an arm across her eyes to rid herself of her tears, eventually reaching her hand over her shoulder to give the younger witch a pat on the head despite her cloak hood being up.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, kid. I can't say it'll happen straight away, but I promise I'll work on being more upfront with you in future."

"You'd better!"

Lizzie pulled away from Eda with a sniffle and a smile while she dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, an action that soon had Eda's smile fading and being replaced with a raised brow.

"Wait. How did you know this whole thing was a scam?"

Lizzie's nose crinkled when her shoulders slumped at the question, already holding up her hand in preparation to begin counting off her fingers.

"C'mon, Eda. Do I need to remind you that you're the one who taught me what to look for?" For each item she listed, she held up a finger. "He was selling scrolls at a book fair, there were multiple in the drawer of his desk, he didn't charge me, and, like you've constantly told me—"

"—never trust a man in casual drapery," Eda finished as she spoke at the same time Lizzie did word for word, prompting the Owl Lady to wrap her arm round her middle and throw her head back with a loud cackle. "Ha! Would you look at that! My words are finally starting to stick!" Lilith was still silently observing the interaction between Lizzie and Eda, a faint smile eventually appearing on her face when Eda gave Lizzie a rough pat on the back. "Good sleuthing, Redwood. I've taught you well, it seems."

With her smile widening a little, Lilith stepped closer to her sister and prepared to speak. However, a sudden burst of light blue caught the trio's attention, prompting their heads to whip towards the fountain. The witches blinked simultaneously at the Bloom of Eternal Youth becoming engulfed in light blue flames before flashing out of existence, leaving behind a stalk that was partially scorched at the top.

'Huh?'

The three witches stayed silent and exchanged wide-eyed glances, none of them sure of what was going on, even though by now they could all probably guess what was happening. But their suspicions were soon confirmed at the loud cackling that sounded from behind the fountain, drawing their attention to the top of the fountain's stone back when a familiar, smug voice resounded.

"Well, well, well! Looks like the little witchlet is smarter than I gave her credit for!"

With the large, crater holed moon blaring its light so brightly the witches were forced to squint to see properly, a shadowy figure climbed to the top of the fountain and loomed upon it on all-fours, with the moon's glow eventually exposing the brown fur and blue and white robes swaying in the gentle breeze that swept through the clearing. Both Lilith and Eda narrowed their eyes at the glowing red ones staring back at them, instinctively taking on wide stances. But Lizzie was the only one who gritted her teeth and gripped her empty hand at her satchel strap, scowling up at the creature with such vitriol she could have burnt holes through him.

'The merchant. Just as I thought.'

Lizzie and the two Clawthornes stayed where they were, keeping their gazes fixated on the merchant as he slowly crawled his way down the front of the fountain, his mouth contorted into an unnaturally wide grin that exposed his jagged teeth.

"It's a shame you ruined my little ruse for everybody, but your worry for your friend still led you to my nest as planned~." Lizzie growled and tightened her grip on her satchel strap and the staff as the merchant eventually perched himself on the fountain's edge, sitting up and tapping his fingers together under his chin. His eyes focused on the blonde witch, looking her up and down once with a smirk, an action both Lilith and Eda narrowed their eyes further at. "I was looking forward to devouring the leader of the emperor's coven and the Owl Lady together. But having you fall straight into my lap too was such a treat!"

"Eh?" Lizzie said with the tilt of her head, leaving Lilith folding her arms with a scowl and Eda's expression copying her sister's when she placed her hands to her hips, the pair exchanging quick glances as the merchant giggled and rubbed his hands together.

"The older generation are always the most filling, but they often taste the dullest; too many years spent having come to terms with their pain and suffering." The merchant licked his lips and tilted his head. "Yet I can sense the rampant and confusing emotions running round inside of you, child. So much pain and suffering unresolved… Purely delectable!"

Lizzie couldn't help gulping at this, already feeling her face growing moist with what she assumed was probably sweat.

'I'm not scared of this guy, but I will admit he's making me very uncomfortable with this 'I'm-gonna-eat-you' nonsense…'

The merchant held his arms out on either side of him and bent his fingers as if they were claws, giving Lizzie a toothy grin. "Your companions will surely help to temporarily satisfy my never-ending hunger, but I'll be sure to savour the taste that'll come from stealing your life, little witch~!"

Lizzie didn't need to look at her face to know that the colour had probably drained from it. The uncomfortable churning in her gut that forced her to take a step back indicated that's likely what had happened. Yet before she even had a chance to do or say anything, Eda snorted and hooked an arm round Lizzie's shoulder, causing her to squeak in surprise at finding herself pressed against the older witch's side.

"Hey, c'mon, kid! No need to be put off by this chump!" Eda jabbed a thumb in the merchant's direction, who had since frozen in place and lost his smile with a blink or two. "You gotta admire his tenacity, considering he doesn't know who he's dealing with outside of the two of us." Eda glanced at Lilith and winked. "Right, Lily?"

"Wha…?" That was all Lizzie managed to get out as she looked at Eda with a wide blink.

"Agreed," Lilith said as she moved to Lizzie's empty side with an amused smile, holding an elbow with her palm. "You had a good entrance and speech, but you've clearly underestimated young Elisabeth." She pointed towards the merchant's robes, while Lizzie gaped a little at realising Lilith had spoken her actual name. "Had it not been for your ridiculous little outfit, she probably would have been more fearful for her life."

"Yeah!" Eda smirked and jerked her head towards the merchant's feet, prompting the merchant to give them a quick glance. "I mean, look at his weird little shoes!"

"And what's up with that hat?" Lilith tutted and shook her head. "Strange style choice, I must say."

When both Eda and Lilith started laughing, the merchant used one hand to pull his robes down and cover his feet, while his other hand gripped onto his hat. His cheeks flushed a faint pink when he hunched his shoulders, leaving Lizzie to gasp at catching on to what was happening.

'Oh. They're making light of the situation to comfort me and intimidate him…'

Eventually the merchant growled and swished his tail back and forth behind him, his gaze switching between the two older witches with a squint.

"You know, normal people usually respond with—" He spoke his next words in a high-pitched voice and hunched his shoulders with his hands curled to his chest. "—'Ah, no! Spare us!'—" He returned his voice to normal and straightened out again. "—when led into a lethal trap!"

Lizzie saw Eda and Lilith give each other a quick sideways glance and smirk to match before the former of the Clawthornes leaned in close to Lizzie's ear and whispered with her hand close to her mouth.

"Leave him to us, Lizzie. You deserve a show after coming all the way out here chasing after me." Lizzie raised a brow at this, only to stay silent when Eda pulled away from her and then walked towards the fountain with Lilith in tow, with the Owl Lady placing her hands to her hips while responding to the merchant sarcastically. "Oh, sure. Where are my manners?" Eda approached the fountain and slammed her boot down on the stone, causing both the merchant and Lizzie to flinch at seeing her hold her fists at her front and loudly crack her knuckles, her smirk remaining. "Oh, no. Spare us, please."

The merchant shrunk back a little when Lilith joined her sister's side with a matching smirk and sense of sarcasm, placing the sides of her fists together at her own front and then pulling them apart diagonally to materialise her staff out of thin air. "Oh, woe to us whose fates have been sealed."

Despite being a good distance away and with Lilith and Eda partially blocking her vision, Lizzie thought she saw sweat starting to gather along the sides of the merchant's face. With his body hunched and his hands pulled close to his front, he forced a smile and attempted to speak up, his tone shaky and his sentences full of stutters.

"T-That's right! N-Now, c-cower, witches!" When neither Eda nor Lilith reacted, the merchant thickly gulped and leaned away a little, his smile dropping as his voice went up an octave. "P-Please…?"

The next thing Lizzie knew, she was closing an eye and turning her head away at the array of sounds she heard collide with the merchant's body all at once. With each howl and cry of pain or plea for mercy being sprinkled in from the victim, the young blonde continually winced in time with them all. She didn't know what Lilith and Eda were doing to the merchant, as evidenced by the cacophony of sounds (some sounds she guessed were flames, splashes of water, maybe a punch or two, and possibly ice shattering…?), but she could at least recognise that what was happening wasn't good in the slightest.

Lizzie kept her gaze averted until the sounds died away with a loud thump and a pained grunt from the merchant, which she took as her cue to slowly swivel her head back to the current scene: Lilith and Eda standing in front of the fountain, with the former of the sisters dusting her hands off with a straight face (her staff had since disappeared, Lizzie noted) and Eda crossing her arms with a wide smile on her face. At their feet was the merchant lying on his right side, with his arms sprawled out in awkward positions and one of his legs bent. His furry body was littered in bruises and oozing cuts, parts of his robes were in tatters, and then there was his face, where his left eye was swollen shut and his mouth was agape, exposing his chipped right fang.

Lizzie involuntarily shuddered at the sorry sight of this scammer, despite his proud declaration that he was going to devour her soul only mere seconds ago. It was clear the Clawthorne sisters had done quite the number on him, which made Lizzie almost feel sorry for him. That's almost.

"Yeesh," Lizzie muttered as she approached the two sisters and moved to Eda's right side, her eyes never leaving the merchant's battered body. "You two did a real number on him, huh?"

Eda snorted at this and nudged Lizzie's shoulder with her own. "That's what happens when me and Lily get together. You should have seen us back in the day. We were quite the formidable pair,"—Eda shot Lilith a glance and a wink— "weren't we?"

Lilith smiled faintly and nodded. "Quite." But then Lilith's smile fell when she cleared her throat and placed her hand close to her mouth, furrowing her brow at Eda. "Edalyn, I…" She hesitated when Eda tilted her head and raised a brow, waiting a few seconds before taking a deep breath and trying again with the aversion of her gaze to her shoes. "I… believe I owe you an apology."

Eda placed a hand to her hip and waved Lilith off with her other hand. "If this is about calling me 'frail', stow it! We're sisters. Of course we're gonna fight!"

"Well… yes, there was that." Lilith's eyes drooped as she willed the courage to raise her head, her aquamarine eyes locking with Eda's. "But I'm actually apologising for what happened at Covention." Eda and Lizzie blinked widely at this revelation. "I naturally assumed I was the better teacher because I obeyed the law, yet I see now that's not true." Lilith turned her gaze to Lizzie then, prompting the younger witch to lean back when the older witch's gaze softened. "If it wasn't for you passing on your knowledge to Elisabeth, things could have turned out much worse than they did. You've got a talented young witch with good instincts under your wing." She narrowed her eyes a little. "Even though I don't approve of her mixing magic."

Lizzie forced a chuckle and looked off to the side with her hand rubbing at the back of her neck, feeling her cheeks heat up as they flushed a faint pink. She tried to put her attention on Sigmund for the time being, whom she could see had slipped off his staff and had curled himself round her arm, with the staff itself vanishing in a brief burst of red light.

'Had a feeling she'd comment on the magic mixing eventually…'

Lilith relaxed her expression at this, returning her focus to Eda when the Owl Lady didn't say anything and continued to stare at her sister with repeated blinks and a slight gape.

"So, if it's any consolation, Edalyn… I don't think you're a terrible teacher. Nor do I think you're frail."

"… Really?" Eda eventually managed to say with the tilt of her head, prompting Lilith to nod.

"Really." Lilith smirked and put a hand to her hip, closing her eyes and turning her chin to the sky with her other hand pointing to her chest. "If that were true, I'm sure I would have caught you by now."

Eda's shock was immediately wiped away when Lilith's last comment registered, prompting the Owl Lady to roll her eyes and release an exasperated sigh.

"Here we go." She side-stepped behind Lizzie and took the younger witch by the shoulders, scowling at Lilith as she brought the blonde closer to her front. "You're gonna try and cart us both off to the coven now, aren't you?"

Lizzie's eyes widened when her body stiffened at Eda's reminder, a hand subconsciously reaching for the flap of her satchel.

'Ah, right. Almost forgot Lilith's with the Emperor's Coven. And thanks to Xander revealing I'm a criminal in front of her, she's not going to let me go free despite focusing on Eda. She'll probably have me sent off to the Conformatorium.'

Lilith's smug expression faltered at Eda's words, prompting the teal haired witch to shake her head. "I'm not. On the contrary…" She furrowed her brow and stepped closer to the two witches, holding out a hand towards them. "…I want to give you both the opportunity to make this decision on your own."

Both Eda and Lizzie gaped and exchanged sideways glances with wide blinks, unable to believe their ears at what Lilith had just said.

'Is… Is she serious?'

As if hearing Lizzie's internal question, Lilith stared at Eda pleadingly. "Edalyn, please join me in the Emperor's Coven. We can finally be together and reignite the dream we had as girls." Lilith's gaze briefly drifted to the golden gem hidden behind the front of her cloak, her eyes squinting a bit. "The emperor could even give you a real cure for your curse."

Lizzie looked to Eda to see the Owl Lady staring back at her sister with wide eyes for a few seconds. But when Eda didn't answer and averted her eyes to the side, Lilith switched her focus to the blonde witch, which Lizzie raised a brow at. "And you don't have to worry about Elisabeth either. With my influence, I'll ensure she doesn't end up in the Conformatorium, so long as she joins a coven, of course." Lizzie gaped a bit when Lilith gave her closest arm a gentle pat. "With a talent like yours, I can see you thriving in the Potions Coven. And you and your relative can finally be together again as well…"

Lizzie frowned faintly at this, her eyes drifting to Lilith's hand for the moment. She understood that the older witch was trying to be considerate and was probably coming from a good place, but…

'Xander doesn't care about me. And even if I did join a coven, I'd be betraying myself. What I'm doing isn't wrong, and it's the same for Eda too.' She snuck the Owl Lady a sideways glance, seeing her eyes glazed over, as if she was somewhere else. 'I don't know what Eda was like in her youth, but the Eda I know isn't going to give her happiness up, that's for sure.'

Lizzie wanted to say that to Lilith, but for some reason no words came out of her mouth when she opened it. Luckily for the younger witch, the Owl Lady could read her as well as any old spell book, which is why she forced a smile as she reached out to place a hand on Lilith's shoulder.

"I appreciate the consideration, Lily, but Lizzie and I are happy as we are." Lizzie felt Eda give her shoulder a gentle squeeze before she retracted from both her and her sister. "As for my curse… I'll heal that on my own terms." She scowled and turned away with a fist clenched to her chest, with Lilith's eyes and posture slumping a little at Eda's response. "I don't want to owe that tyrant anything."

Lizzie smiled a bit while Eda copied Lilith's earlier actions by materialising her staff out of thin air by tapping the sides of her fists together, giving a slight raise of her shoulders. "Eda's right. As much as I hate my criminal status, I'm quite happy doing what I am now. Still, thanks for the offer."

Lilith didn't say anything to that, instead choosing to nod a little. Lizzie couldn't help furrowing her brow at the glistening she thought she saw in Lilith's aquamarine eyes, as if she looked like she was about to break down crying.

'I guess I misjudged Lilith before: she really does care about Eda, doesn't she?'

Eda set her staff diagonally and sat on it sideways, turning her head to Lizzie and briefly beckoning her with a hand.

"C'mon, Redwood. Let's go home." Lizzie wasted no time in sitting on the back of Eda's staff with her legs on either side and her hands gripping tightly at the wood, preparing for take-off as she watched Eda give Lilith a sad smile, her next words spoken solemnly. "I'll catch you later, sis."

And Lilith was soon responding in kind, her verbal response and smile mirroring Eda's expression and tone as she placed a hand to her chest. "Not if I catch you first."

Lizzie's reaction was delayed as the two sisters stared at each other for a few seconds longer. But by the time Owlbert's wings flapped and caused the staff to ascend from the ground, the blonde witch released a loud gasp, her eyes looking close to bulging from her sockets.

"Hey! Is that where you got our farewell from?!"

The only response Lizzie got from the older witch was a loud cackle when she threw her head back and closed her eyes. The younger witch ended up shaking her head and huffing, daring to glance back towards the Webbed Woods as it started to get smaller and smaller the higher they went.

'Oh well. At least I was successful in what I set out to do. I just hope Luz, King and Hooty are okay.'

As she found her eyes locking with the clearing where Lilith remained, however, she thought she saw the older witch looking at the ground with closed eyes and a slumped posture. Lizzie swore Lilith looked defeated, as if Eda's answer had been expected…


As with the journey to the Webbed Woods, the journey back to the Owl House was only a small trip. Yet unlike Lizzie's trip there, which had been filled with the sounds of whipping wind as she'd flown above the trees and winding paths of the isles below under the dim sunlight offered by the mid-afternoon, the gentle gusts of the dark evening air were accompanied by the occasional chatter of Eda, who was intent on getting an explanation out of Lizzie regarding whose staff she'd borrowed to chase after her, which Lizzie was happy to divulge about to occupy the silence. It was only fair, given Eda had been upfront and honest with her about her whole escapade eventually. By the time Lizzie had finished her explanation about the day's events, the two witches were slowly gaining upon the cottage's bright lights and tower that made up the Owl House, with time having flied as quickly as Lizzie had intended.

"Huh," Eda said as she stared at the large red snake coiled around her technical employee's arm, with Sigmund staring back with a single blink and a hiss while the staff slowly descended towards the edge of the forest—Lizzie had purposely asked Eda to land there to avoid another confrontation between Hooty and Sigmund. "I thought this little guy looked familiar." She scratched the side of her head. "I didn't realise those palismen had witches to return to."

"Well, apparently, Sigmund does," Lizzie replied, reaching up a hand to stroke Sigmund's head while Eda's staff slowed to a hover. "Do you honestly not know any wild witches with the initials 'V.S'?"

Eda shook her head as she and Lizzie dismounted from the staff, with the former taking it up into her left hand while tilting her head to the sky. "No. It doesn't ring a bell." She faced Lizzie again with the shrug of her shoulders. "But it might be worth seeing what they want. They say they know the Bat Queen and she doesn't associate herself with just anyone." Eda smirked then and elbowed Lizzie in the ribs. "Also, she owes you a favour. Maybe you can use it to find out more about this witch if you're still unsure."

Lizzie eventually sighed and nodded, lowering her arm to allow Sigmund to slither off it and onto the ground again. "I suppose you're right. Plus, Sigmund did help us with Tibbles, so… I doubt this wild witch is in cahoots with anyone who'd want to turn me in."

"Considering these were palismen from arrested witches, I have to agree."

Lizzie chuckled before turning to look at Sigmund, who had since stretched himself out along the ground to stare at the blonde witch calmly. "Thanks for the help today, Sigmund. Tell your owner I'd be happy to speak with them if we cross paths again."

Sigmund hissed in response and bowed his head for a few seconds before twisting his body round and slithering off towards the darkness covered trees and away from the streaks of light offered from the cottage behind them. Lizzie smiled and waved after Sigmund while watching him go, remaining unaware of Eda staring at her back with a hand cupping her chin and a slight squint.

"Take care, Sigmund! Be careful on the way back!"

Lizzie's eyes remained on Sigmund until the snake's entire body disappeared into the shadowy outlines of the shrubbery littering the edge of the forest, her waving hand limply falling to her side with the confirmation that Sigmund was gone. She didn't completely look away, though, until she heard Eda address her from behind.

"Say, Lizzie?"

"Hm?" Lizzie peeked back at Eda over her shoulder with a blink.

"Remind me again: why did you never get a palisman of your own while you were at Hexside?"

Lizzie raised a brow and turned to fully face Eda, her hands gripping at her satchel strap. "I already told you, didn't I? I didn't get far enough through school to make one."

"But you were expelled when you were fifteen, weren't you?" Lizzie nodded, prompting Eda's brows to knit together, her head tilting to the side. "Students at Hexside usually make their palismen when they're fourteen. And Mister Tool got to make his and he was in the year above you. So, what gives? Did ol' Bumpikins raise the age or something?"

"No." Lizzie tapped a finger against her chin and briefly looked up at the cloudless, darkened sky, taking a few seconds to answer. "You're right: I should have gotten my staff when I started high school. But if I recall right, we never got the opportunity because there was a lack of resources." Lizzie glanced at Eda again with a small smile and her finger lightly scratching at her cheek. "Apparently, the school couldn't procure any palistrom wood, so we were put off for a year."

"Is that so…?" Eda mumbled with narrowed eyes, only for her expression to quickly relax when she sighed and held her hands out on either side of her. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. But you know…" The Owl Lady stepped closer to the younger witch and lowered her voice, a faint smirk appearing on her face. "…if you ever decide you want a staff, I could get my hands on some palistrom wood and show you how to carve."

Lizzie squinted and folded her arms at this, already sensing what Eda was trying to slyly suggest. "Please don't tell me it involves stealing."

"… There's a chance it does." Eda's smirk melted into a lop-sided grin as she stepped away again and held up her hands, swirling on her heels and walking towards the Owl House. "But you don't have to decide now. The offer's there if you ever decide you want a staff of your own. I just wanted to make you aware of that."

Lizzie allowed Eda to walk on ahead for the moment as she took the time to process Eda's words, her lips pressing together when she turned her gaze to her shoes.

'A staff of my own…' Images of Sigmund, the fox palisman and the other palismen she'd rescued from the demon hunters sprung to the forefront of her mind as she made to follow the Owl Lady, her eyes drooping a little while a hand subconsciously rubbed at her chest. 'I can't deny the thought has flitted across my mind now and again. I suppose it's something I could give some thinking about.'

"I appreciate that, Eda," Lizzie eventually said as she settled her gaze on the Owl Lady once more. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Eda was the first to approach the front door as Hooty swung it open (with the house demon himself staying unusually quiet when he did so), walking inside with her body drooped forward and Lizzie silently trailing after her. The Owl Lady paused by the coffee table while her technical employee gave the living room a small scan, looking for any signs of Luz or King; however, she couldn't see them anywhere in the living room, not that she'd expected them to be there.

'They're probably asleep.' Lizzie found herself yawning at that thought, prompting her to raise a hand to her mouth to muffle it. 'It is pretty late.'

"Oof!" Lizzie was pulled from her thoughts by Eda as the Owl Lady arched her back out and steadied herself with her hands on her lower back, flinching at the crack that sounded from the movement. "That was a rough day. But it's nothing a bit of apple blood and a good book can't fix." It wasn't until Eda straightened out that Lizzie saw the older witch's shoulders stiffen, followed by a small gasp, as if she'd just remembered something. "Oh! Speaking of books, that reminds me…"

Eda trailed off and turned to Lizzie while digging a hand into her hair. She approached the younger witch with her hand fishing through her bushy locks and her tongue sticking out to the side until she perked up and stopped her arm's movement, proceeding to pull her arm out with what looked like a green covered book clutched in her hand.

"Luz wanted to give you this when we left the market earlier." Eda shoved the book into Lizzie's chest with drooped eyes, already turning around and walking off without waiting for the blonde witch to answer her, with said blonde clumsily catching the book by pressing her arms against the back cover to hold it in place. "She insisted I hide it in my hair until we got back to the Owl House, something about wanting to surprise you."

"W-Wait, what do you—?"

Lizzie stuttered as she tried to get her question out, but Eda was disappearing into the hallway towards the kitchen before she had chance to complete her sentence. The blonde witch sighed and allowed her shoulders to slump as she took a proper grip on the book she'd been given, her mind already spawning questions as she recalled what Luz had told her prior to her departure from the Owl House.

'At least I know how Luz managed to sneak it out of the market without me seeing it…' Lizzie shook her head and pulled the book away from her front to get a look at it. 'I wonder—'

Lizzie's eyes lingered on the book's cover for a few seconds, yet it was still long enough for her to catch the cloud-styled writing of the book's title, causing her whole body to freeze over as if she'd just been hit with an ice spell.

'The Tricky Tale of Todd and Tawny…' Lizzie's lip quivered, a thick gulp soon following at the realisation that slowly dawned on her. 'Luz bought the book for me…'

A quiet sniffle escaped the young witch as she squeezed her eyes and hugged the book close to her chest at the warm feeling that suddenly sprung up there, trying her hardest not to cry despite the urge to do so slowly overwhelming her. A lot had happened today that she needed to process, yet she knew that when it came down to Luz's act of kindness, she was going to be giving the young human her gratitude in the morning.