A/N: Welcome back to The Owlcast! My muse seems to have picked up a bit since my last update, which is a little frustrating since things in my life have decided to take a nosedive. But I suppose it might have been because this is the episode where you guys finally get to see a little more of Xander and find out quite a bit about Lizzie's family, along with meeting other new OCs. I don't know if I'm going to be able to update as soon as I'd hoped with the next chapter, but I'll just have to see how things go.
In any case, as mentioned in the previous author's note, Chapter 37 will be the start of episode 13. Since the focus of this episode is Luz's first day at Hexside, Lizzie obviously won't be having any part in Plot A, nor the Plot B arc with King pretending to be a substitute teacher. Instead, she'll be going on her own little adventure to Bonesborough during this episode, with Xander coincidentally doing the same, where shenanigans shall ensue. I'll admit this chapter was really hard to write, because while I was attempting to mimic the parallels to the opening of Chapter 1 to show the contrasts between Xander's life and Lizzie's, I also had to be careful with what I revealed here. Because Season 2 is fairly plot heavy because of the restrictions Dana's had to undergo, I know I won't have the opportunity to expand much on Lizzie's backstory or my other OCs. So, I'll have to try to use the Season 1 episodes to do just that where I can, along with OC chapters that I plan to sprinkle in between the Season 2 episodes. Either way, these next three chapters are going to play out differently to the previous ones, so I do hope you enjoy it. Do stay tuned for my author's note at the bottom of the chapter, as I will be expanding on the revelations made during the first half of Chapter 37. Once again, non-canon explanations about magic will occur in these next three chapters, so please be wary of what the characters say about it.
Thank you to everyone who has been favouriting and reading this story. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. And a special thank you to the user who added my fanfic to a community. I'll admit, I was surprised to see that notification. Never had that happen before. XD Now, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the beginning to episode 13.
Chapter 37: Unrealistic Expectations
For many of the inhabitants of Bonesborough, the first sight they would be met with the moment they opened their eyes was the morning sun streaking into the comfy and homely rooms of their abodes, signalling the start of yet another new day on the archipelago they called the Boiling Isles. As per usual, the town's once quiet, abandoned and darkened cobbled roads slowly sprung to life with chatter from the residents who would eventually leave their homes and emerge into the sunny streaked streets, whether to head off to their day jobs, to school, or go about their morning routine as they usually would. Amongst the medieval and monster decorated residences of wood and stone lay winding and uphill paths leading to areas of the town elevated on higher and crumbling ground, looming over the buildings and areas that rested below it. While the elevated area of Bonesborough wasn't as populated or busy as its grounded counterpart, especially during the morning, its cobbled streets were still bustling with life as various creatures of different sizes, species, shapes or colours either entering the area or leaving it to go below, being alone, in pairs or small groups while smiling, laughing or chatting away without a care in the world.
Situated on the upper levels of Bonesborough were a row of two-story, white stone homes with brown tiled, slanted roofs and lattice styled, arched windows, placed alongside the pathway that winded down towards the town's ground level. But whereas the majority of the houses in the row remained still and void of activity towards the citizens who happened to be passing them by, the same couldn't be said about the home situated on the end of the row, right next to the corner where the path dipped.
From behind the glass of the right window of the house's second story, young witch Xander Blackwood watched the activity in the street below with his drooped right eye. He kept his green-eyed gaze focused outside while his hands busied themselves with his current attire using his faint reflection in the glass: tightening the knot of the white ribbon around his shirt collar, adjusting the cuffs of the sleeves of his white shirt at his wrists, smoothening out the creases of his black leather vest and long black trousers, and so on. He wasn't paying attention to what was going on outside, but it was a better view for him to stare at it while making himself presentable instead of looking at the same plain wooden floor and walls of his box-like bedroom.
"Okay, Bandit," Xander addressed his ferret palisman as he reached his fingers to tighten the low ponytail he'd put his hair in and then to the thin string keeping his white medical patch clung to his left eye. "Tell me how convincing this scenario sounds."
Xander twisted his body to face his bed pressed against the farthest corner of the wall to his right, where Bandit was sitting atop the black sheets. His beady eyes watched his witch companion place a fist close to his mouth and loudly clear his throat with an arched back.
"Ahem!" He closed his visible eye and tilted his chin up to the ceiling, clasping his hands behind his back while emulating a deep and rough voice. "Boy, as it's your one day off today, I think you should use this opportunity to bring that family-shaming cousin of yours to justice once and for all! Don't you agree?" Xander proceeded to open his eye and turn away from the window to stare at his small wooden book piled desk and wooden chest of drawers along the opposite wall, returning his voice to normal with added emphasis. "Of course, sir."—he placed a hand to his chest and furrowed his brow—"I am in complete agreement that Elisabeth needs to be brought to justice as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I have other important errands I need to take care of today. But don't you worry! I will keep my eyes peeled for her and listen out for anything I should hear about her!"
Xander cocked his head at Bandit and deepened his frown, giving a few seconds of pause before speaking up with the slight raise of his shoulders. "… Well? How was that?"
Bandit stared blankly at his owner for what felt like ages to Xander, eventually reacting with his usual giggle-like squeak and slapping his tiny paw against his forehead, as if to imitate a facepalm. Xander rolled his eyes and straightened out.
"Oh, come on! My answer doesn't sound that bad, surely!" When Bandit didn't respond further, Xander smirked faintly and tapped a hand against his sternum. "At least admit my impression of him is getting better!" He placed his hands to his hips and pushed his chest out. "And why wouldn't it, since I modelled my public face after him?"
Xander saw Bandit's right eye twitch with a low squeak and drooped body, causing the blonde witch to huff and turn his gaze towards the wooden wall.
"Yes, I know it sounds cringey. But you've lived with me long enough to learn these are the things that narcissistic man likes to hear." His visible eye drooped as his gaze took in his bare room and lack of belongings outside of the essentials, which eventually fixed on the spell books and other textbooks stacked messily upon his desk. His next words were spoken in a low voice. "If I could get him to stop obsessing over Elisabeth and my uncle and aunt, I would, Bandit, believe me."
Bandit twitched his nose and squeaked again with the tilt of his head, prompting Xander to move towards his bed and gently seat himself on the sheets beside his palisman companion, being mindful not to do so too quickly to avoid sending Bandit flying or tumbling off.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Xander answered while lifting his left foot to tighten the laces of his black boot, eventually repeating the same action for the other one. "I can make a pretty good assumption as to where his obsession stemmed from, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't care what dear little Elisabeth does with her life." He paused at feeling Bandit scamper up the back of his vest to climb and settle onto his right shoulder, to which he peeked over with a faint smile. "This is the only day off I get as a coven scout, and I'm not going to waste it chasing after my criminal cousin."
Xander glanced at Bandit when he squeaked again and swished his tail in the direction of his bedroom window, prompting the young witch to chuckle and shake his head in response.
"As good of an idea as that is, Bandit, there is little point of me avoiding the interaction altogether by flying out of the window on my staff. If he finds I'm missing, Brutus will be scouring the streets for us both. It's better to just go the normal way and face the music."
Bandit's ears drooped with a small whimper at this, yet Xander merely responded with a gentle tap of the finger against the top of his head. He shared his palisman's fears and concerns, but he knew there was no point in avoiding the inevitable. The longer he did, the worse it would get, as he had come to know.
As Xander stood to approach the white cloak hung on a peg behind his bedroom door, Bandit continued to communicate with him through a string of squeaks, eventually lowering his ears when the blonde witch collected his cloak from the peg and opened the door to step out into the hallway.
"I don't blame you for not understanding. Elisabeth isn't the terrible person you thought she was. Of course you don't get why he despises her and her parents so much."
Bandit squeaked again as Xander pulled his cloak over his shoulders and pulled his door closed behind him, pausing to stare at the plain wooden walls and dark green carpeted flooring of the narrow and long hallway he was stood at the end of.
"Hm?" Xander blinked widely and turned to Bandit still perched on his hind legs on his shoulder. "Do I despise Elisabeth also?" Bandit nodded, prompting Xander's brow to furrow, a hand subconsciously reaching for his medical patch to give it a stroke. "Hmph. The answer to that is fairly complicated…"
Bandit barked and squinted at his answer, causing Xander to chuckle bitterly and shake his head. "Well, you don't know my full history with her, so you've got no right to judge me, have you?"
Bandit relaxed his expression and squeaked yet again with the tilt of his head, to which Xander responded by smiling and gently stroking his finger along the ferret's head and down his back. "Perhaps I'll tell you that story another time."
Bandit pouted and lowered his body to lie down flat on his owner's shoulder, making Xander chuckle again as he started to walk to the other end of the hallway, his initial destination being the stairs.
"If I was free to speak without fear of repercussions, little buddy, I would spill my guts to you right now." His lips, once curled into a smile, soon fell straight and thin at his next words, a shudder rippling down his spine at the cold chill he swore was in the air. "But you should know I currently don't have such a luxury…"
That seemed to pacify Bandit when the little ferret chose to stay quiet and not make any further noises, leaving their walk from one end of the hallway to the other in an eerie silence. There were no windows to bring light to wooden walls, after all, hence why Xander always found the short trip to the lower floors of the home to be uncomfortable. But considering this house had once belonged to his late decrepit grandfather, the young witch was certain that was the feeling he'd wanted to instil in his household. Not that Xander had ever met the man, of course, but the stories he'd heard were enough to go off regarding what kind of witch he was.
Halfway through, his visible eye caught a small, square, wooden framed photograph hanging lopsided on its nail on the right wall, a photograph he was so familiar with he could mentally imagine it in his sleep, which is why he gave it little heed in passing. Depicted within its wooden confines behind the safety of glass were three people standing in front of a white background—a young Xander looking no older than four years old (dressed in a black suit, cream woollen vest, white shirt and red tie) attempting to stand as straight as he could with his arms pinned to his sides and his lips pressed into a thin line, his blonde hair appearing shorter and messier around the front of his head. To his left stood an indifferent male adult witch with short and neat blonde hair styled similarly to Xander's (ponytail and all) and matching green eyes, wearing a black suit with blue outlines, a blue tie, and a white shirt. He stood tall with his hands behind his back and his chin raised, giving off a rather 'prideful' air about him. To Xander's right was a female witch wearing a long-sleeved, flowing white dress with a black upper-half and collar, standing with her hands clasped together at her front. However, there was a round, soot charred hole where her face was supposed to be, leaving her unrecognisable to those who saw the picture.
There were four rooms located on the top floor of the home, with one room being opposite Xander's at the end of the hallway, while two others stood opposite each other close to where the stairs were (located to the right of the door along the right wall). It was the door along the left wall that Xander and Bandit couldn't help glancing at in passing, even prompting the young blonde to slow to a stop as he reached the top of the stairs to peek back at the wood and golden doorknob. He knew the room was currently occupied, yet he and his palisman companion failed to hear any movement from the other side (not that they ever did whenever he happened to pass it by).
Bandit quietly squeaked and turned to look at Xander's face after a moment of silent staring, to which Xander responded with the slight shake of his head before turning away and continuing down the stairs.
"No. We should leave them be. It's not as if they're planning on leaving that room anytime soon…"
Bandit whimpered at that, but otherwise he stayed quiet. Xander sucked in a deep breath and stiffened his shoulders with each slow step he took down the wooden stairs, raising his head a bit to prepare for the scene he was expected to be greeted with.
The young witch emerged from the bottom of the stairs to the wide, rectangular room that made up the ground floor of the home, exposing the same plain wooden floors and walls Xander had come to recognise over the years. His visible eye immediately locked with the front door on the opposite side of the room, where a grey furred coyote lay curled on the black mat with its eyes closed. Its ears twitched at hearing Xander enter the room, one of its brown eyes opening to look directly at him and the little ferret on his shoulder. Out of instinct, Bandit whimpered and dug his way under Xander's cloak, while Xander clenched his jaw and continued to keep up eye contact with the palisman blocking his way out.
He knew he was there on purpose, further proven when a familiar cold and gravelly voice addressed him from his left.
"… Alexander."
Xander's hidden eye twitched at hearing that name, his clenched jaw tightening as he resisted the urge to hiss. Slowly, the blonde turned his head towards the long, white clothed, covered table situated in the bottom left corner of the room, surrounded by six wooden armless chairs on all sides (two pairs on the long sides and one chair each at the heads of the table). A familiar-looking middle-aged blonde haired male witch was sat at the head of the table with his back to Xander, his low ponytail draped over one of the shoulders of his black jacket.
Xander momentarily shut his eyes and counted to ten in his head before opening them and responding in a monotone voice, putting his shoulders back with a faint scowl.
"With all due respect, sir, I no longer go by that name. I had it legally changed when I was eighteen, remember?"
The silence that fell between the pair was so tense, Xander swore he heard the coyote palisman release a low growl on his owner's behalf, as if vocally expressing the anger he likely felt at his apparent disrespect. And apparently Bandit felt the same way, if the poor ferret's violent shaking he could feel from underneath his cloak was any indication. After a moment, though, the man raised a hand in the coyote's direction and waved it off with a stern tone.
"Brutus…" The coyote, 'Brutus', fell quiet at his companion's words, allowing him to return his focus to Xander with the shake of his head, his tone mocking. "Yes, of course. I am well aware of that. But if I recall correctly…" He lowered his hand to the table again, continuing to keep his back to Xander. "…you only got away with it on the condition that I could continue to use that name within this household, correct?" Xander gritted his teeth instead of answering, prompting the older blonde witch to lower his head and rest his chin on his knuckles, taking his silence as a 'yes'. "Please don't forget whose roof you're currently under. As long as you stay here… that name won't be going anywhere. Understood?"
Xander's nostrils flared as he sucked in a sharp breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, doing everything in his mental power not to blow a casket right there and then. He knew it wouldn't end well for himself and Bandit if he did. It never ended well.
"… Yes, sir," Xander answered evenly after a moment of silence, hiding one of his hands under his cloak so he could dig his fingernails into his palm. He raised the other one to the shaking lump still on his shoulder to give it a gentle pat, doing his best to offer reassurance despite the situation.
"Good." The sound of a clinking cup followed as Xander saw the older witch's hand move in a lifting motion, along with a small slurp that suggested he'd paused to have a drink of whatever beverage was currently in front of him. "With that out of the way…" He trailed off to peek over his shoulder at the younger blonde, his green eyes looking him up and down once with a faint frown. "…do you mind telling me where you're heading off to, seeing as you're not in uniform?"
Xander showed no reaction to this, keeping direct eye contact at the expected question. His reply was immediate and abrupt. "It's my day off. I have errands I need to run, so I thought using today to catch up on them would be ideal."
Both witches stared at each other indifferently, with Xander choosing to focus solely on the older blonde's fair complexion. There was not a single dent in his mask to prove that he was upset or angry with Xander's reply, yet the younger witch knew he'd always been good at hiding his true feelings—a trick his grandfather had taught him, apparently. One look into the older male's eyes was all he needed to see the littlest of sparks ready to ignite.
He did not like that answer.
"Oh?" The older witch said with fake surprise. He turned away again to face the wall, raising his cup to lips while continuing to talk. "So, you're not going to use this opportunity to look for Elisabeth then?"
"Sadly, no," Xander answered as he watched the older witch take another sip of his beverage.
"How unfortunate," was the uttered response through gritted teeth, followed by the repeated dull tapping of multiple fingers against the clothed surface of the table. "You argued last time that your current position as a lowly coven scout made it difficult for you to pursue your cousin without getting into trouble. Personally, I would have used my day off to get around that issue."
Xander gave a roll of his eyes and slowly started his walk towards the front door, taking his eyes off the older witch as he did so.
"Yes, well, I would have done the same had I not had other things that are of more importance. But I'll be sure to keep a lookout for her and let you know if I hear or see anything. So, if you will kindly excuse me, sir."
Xander picked up the pace in his stride then, intent on getting out of the door before the older witch behind him could resume the conversation. And yet his efforts were soon proven to be in vain when the resounding click of fingers prompted Brutus to rise from the floor and take a wide stance before the door, forcing Xander to an abrupt stop. Brutus released a low growl and lowered his body close to the floor while facing Xander, with the latter taking a step or two back with his palms raised. Bandit, meanwhile, was whimpering and screeching from underneath Xander's cloak, his trembling having yet to cease.
"There are more important things than family? Is that right?" The older witch questioned with a hint of venom in his tone.
Xander gulped thickly at hearing chair legs scrapping loudly against the wooden floor, his eyes widening a little at realising his slip up.
"T-That's not what I—" Xander started with a stutter, only to be quickly cut off from forming an explanation.
"Do I need to remind you, Alexander, of the humiliation brought upon this family because of your uncle and aunt? Of how their daughter injured you because she was raised to be a product of their silly ideals?!"
Xander winced at the footsteps slowly stomping up to him along with the raise in volume of the older witch's voice, a hand reaching to cover his medical plaster at the last thing he said. The lecture had barely begun, but Xander swore he could feel his chest tighten with every step closer the older witch got, along with his breathing growing quick and heavy.
"N-No, but—"
A pair of hands clamping down on his shoulders interrupted him, causing them to stiffen the moment he was whipped around to face the vein-pulsing witch who stood at least four inches taller than him. Bandit continued to screech and curl up into a ball under Xander's cloak, while all poor Xander could do was gaze into the narrowed green eyes of the male witch looming over him like he was a statue.
"When will you understand that everything I'm telling you—that everything I'm pushing you to do—is for the good of your future as a Blackwood?" He questioned sternly, making Xander shrink under the older witch's gaze. "I currently have your uncle and aunt under control, but as long as Elisabeth remains at large, she is a threat to this family." Xander recoiled when the older witch took a hold on his wrist and pulled his hand away from his eye patch, his voice slowly lowering in volume. "She needs to be in the Conformatorium and you have to be the one to do it. It's the least you can do to absolve yourself from what you allowed her to do to you."
Xander furrowed his brows at this and tilted his head, feeling a strange spark within him in the form of the warmth flooding to his chest. His chin jutted, his trapped hand shook and before he knew it, he was leaning close to the older witch's face and screeching at the top of his lungs.
"And why should it be me?!" The older witch took a step back and loosened his grip on Xander at this, his eyes growing wide. "Uncle and aunt have never wanted anything to do with us, and it's been the same with you for them! Heck, I never even knew I had a cousin until we both started attending Hexside!" He slapped a hand against his chest with a snarl. "So just because we happened to encounter each other and she hurt my face, that suddenly makes me responsible for her?! Since when?!" Xander held his hands out with bulged eyes, his reddened veins clearly visible. "Plus, if we're going by your logic, then why are you just having me focus on them? If family is so important, then why aren't you having me go after Mo—?!"
Xander never got to finish the word he wanted to say, because he stopped himself the moment he saw the other witch's eyes narrow and his face flush a bright scarlet. The fire within the younger witch extinguished as quickly as it had ignited, being replaced by the feeling of his stomach dropping and his breath hitching in his throat.
He'd screwed up. He'd gone too far.
A tight grip was taken on his wrist, and Xander's instinctive reaction was to reach out to try to pry his hand free, already expecting what was going to come next. However, before anything between the two witches could escalate further, a small brown blur darted between them.
The older blonde witch released a loud gasp and stumbled backwards out of surprise, his grip on Xander's wrist becoming non-existent. Xander, meanwhile, was left blinking widely and following the brown blur as it swiftly turned and nose-dived towards Brutus. The coyote released a loud yelp out of shock and leapt back to avoid the attack, only to growl and give chase when the brown blur slowed down enough to flap its tiny wings to change direction back up into the air, revealing itself to be a brown feathered nightingale.
"Tch!" The older witch clicked his tongue and whirled round to face the stairs, shouting as loudly as he could with a hand close to the side of his mouth. "Marigold! You know your palisman isn't allowed outside of your room! Get it back in there this instant!"
A familiar teasing adult female voice shouted back from the top of the stairs, which Xander took as his cue to face the front door. He saw Brutus was no longer in front of it and was occupied chasing the nightingale round the wide room with occasional vicious barks and growls, dashing around by the table.
"Sorry, Ul-retch! Looks like she slipped out! Must have left the door open by accident!"
"Ulritch!" The older blonde witch yelled with a hint of annoyance, stamping his foot against the wooden floor. "My name is Ulritch! Why must you always be so childish?!"
The front door slamming shut behind him caused 'Ulritch' to swirl round so fast he almost fell over, stumbling a little to the left. He was met with the sight of Brutus skidding to a clumsy stop where the front door was, with no sign of Xander or the nightingale palisman.
"Ugh!" Ulritch grunted and stomped his foot against the floor again, balling his hands into fists. "I swear, when that wretched son of mine gets home…"
Meanwhile, Xander had moved away from his home and dashed a small distance down the street, eventually coming to a halt just on the point where the path sloped towards the ground levels of Bonesborough. With heaving breaths and sweat trickling down the sides of his face, the young blonde hunched over with his hands on his thighs, attempting to restore the loss of oxygen to his lungs amidst the pounding of his pulse in his ears.
"Whoo…" He muttered breathlessly, initially ignoring Bandit at feeling the ferret palisman creep his way from underneath his cloak. "That was close…"
He fell quiet again to give himself sometime to catch his breath, only to feel something fluffy and soft brush against his right cheek. He released a faint chuckle and finally brought himself to stand straight again, wiping his sleeve against his sweaty brow.
"It's all right. I'm not panicking. He just struck a nerve, is all." He reached a hand over to give Bandit a gentle pat on the head with his palm, forcing a small smile. "But thank you. The gesture is appreciated."
High-pitched and melodious tweeting brought Xander's attention towards his left, where the nightingale was currently hovering and staring at him with her tiny black eyes. Xander's smile widened out of amusement as he placed a hand to his hip.
"Let me guess: she heard Father's screeching and purposely opened the door to send you after Brutus, didn't she?" The nightingale nodded without hesitation, making Xander laugh and wrap an arm round his stomach. "Oh dear. I can see where Elisabeth gets it from…"
Xander dared to turn his gaze in the direction of the house for a few seconds then. The second-floor window on the left side of the building was open ajar, revealing a gap that was big enough for the nightingale palisman to slip through to return to the room. That further confirmed the act had been done on purpose.
"Thanks for the help, Caprice," he said to the palisman, his smile fading as he faced the nightingale once more. "Be sure to give Aunt my regards when you return."
'Caprice' tweeted again with another slight nod of the head, taking that as her cue to flap her wings and fly towards the house. Xander and Bandit silently watched Caprice go until they saw her tiny figure slip through the shadowed hole between the window and frame, with the window soon being pulled closed by a dainty-looking hand.
Xander released a loud sigh he hadn't realised he'd been holding and turned to glance at the early morning sky that stretched over Bonesborough, taking a minute of respite to pull himself together. He couldn't deny that things had gotten overly heated back there, and that it was only going to remain when he walked through that door later…
He was brought back to reality at Bandit's squeaking and gentle nudging against his right cheek, prompting a huff to escape the young witch as he closed his eye and placed a hand to his forehead.
"I know, Bandit. Aunt has only delayed the inevitable lecture I'll get when I waltz on back through that door." He opened his eye and lowered his head to his palisman companion with a forced smile. "But that's why we need to make our current freedom count. Let's just focus on having fun, okay?"
Bandit nodded in agreement, which Xander took as his cue to walk off down the path in the direction of the lowest parts of Bonesborough. But the ferret palisman was soon tilting his head and squeaking at him as he adjusted himself to sit on Xander's shoulder, with Xander turning to look at Bandit with a wide blink, all the while the pair remained unaware of the blue hooded cloak figure spying on them from where they were peeking round the wall of a nearby house.
"What? No. Of course I don't actually have any errands to run. I made it up as an excuse to get him off my back." Bandit released a chirp-like bark at this and dropped onto his front to roll onto his side, making Xander laugh and shake his head. "Geez, Bandit. I wonder what I'd do if I didn't have you by my side most days…"
The hooded figure watched the young witch and his ferret palisman disappear towards the lower parts of the town before righting themselves. They removed their skinny, dark-green scaled skinned arm and claw-like nailed fingers from underneath their cloak, silently watching it morph into the white sleeve of a shirt and a pale skinned hand.
On the outskirts of Bonesborough, the mid-morning sun paved the way for yet another day for the residential weirdos in the Owl House. Although for a certain Luz Noceda, this day was supposed to be a special one, which was why she currently wasn't present with the others gathered outside at the front of the cottage.
Eda was sat in the white wooden chair she'd dragged from inside the Owl House, leaning back with her arms resting on the chair's arms and one leg crossed over the other as she focused on the front door where Hooty was in his usual spot. King was sat on the ground next to her with his legs spread apart and François hugged against his chest, his gaze also focused on Hooty. And then there was Lizzie, who was stood a small distance away from the door opposite Hooty, frowning with her eyes closed and her palms pressed together before her chest while the owl demon observed her with occasional blinks.
"Okay," Lizzie eventually said through a huff, opening her eyes and rolling her shoulders. "This time I've got it. I think."
"You've said that the last four times too and they didn't work," King replied matter-of-factly, only to yelp and close his eyes with a slight flinch when Eda proceeded to lean over the side of her chair to give the little demon a light flick in the middle of his forehead.
"Hey! Give her a break! She's doesn't have a lot of self-confidence as is!"
Lizzie's shoulders slumped at Eda's comment, with the blonde rolling her eyes and responding sarcastically. "Thanks for the reminder."
Eda smirked at the younger witch and returned to her original sitting position, waving off her comments with a hand. "Oh, stow the sarcasm! Just relax and concentrate on what I just showed you! You've got this, kid!"
Lizzie sucked in a deep breath through her nostrils and nodded with a quick exhale from her mouth, returning her gaze to Hooty (who was being surprisingly quiet and still for once, she noted).
"Yeah, I've got this," she repeated Eda's words like a quiet mantra, mentally recalling Eda's movements at the Knee when she cast that sleep spell.
'Just remember what Eda did, Elisabeth. No pressure.'
Eda and King fell quiet and kept their eyes trained on Lizzie, neither of them daring to do or say anything that would potentially throw Lizzie off her game. Even Hooty was following in their example, going so far as to close his eyes to avoid putting any extra pressure on the blonde witch.
After what felt like a while of silence, Lizzie frowned and spread her legs apart, crossing her arms and bending her index fingers on either hand to alight their tips with a glowing green light. She slowly moved her arms in a circular motion in opposite directions to form the spell circle, touching her two fingertips together. Eda and King both leaned forward in anticipation for what they were expecting to happen when Lizzie swept her hands off to the sides, conjuring a green spell circle whose transparent insides encompassed her entire body. Bringing her hands back quickly, the blonde shoved them forward in Hooty's direction and yelled as loudly as she could.
"Sleep spell!"
The spell circle propelled forward as a result of Lizzie's movement; however, seconds after it began to travel through the air, the circle's structure wobbled and dispersed with a loud pop, ending the spell before it even had a chance to properly form. Hooty opened an eye when it got quiet and gave the area around him a quick glance from side-to-side, eventually speaking when it looked like no one else was going to.
"Um… Was it supposed to do that? Hoot."
Eda's and King's shoulders slumped with disappointment when the situation finally settled in, with Lizzie groaning loudly and drooping her body forward towards the floor like she was one of King's stuffed toys.
"Ugh! That was so close! And I even copied Eda's movements exactly!"
"I can agree with that," Eda muttered and sat up straight, rubbing a hand against her chin. "You did the steps exactly as I showed you."
"Then where am I going wrong? I thought that was the problem, but if I did it right then…"
Eda's brows furrowed as she stared at the twisted mouth and creased brows of the disbelieved younger witch as she trailed off and hung her head, deciding not to say anything else for the moment.
It was hard for Eda to not feel just as disappointed as Lizzie was at the spell's failure for the fifth time. Despite Lizzie finally making some progress with her forcefield spell at the Knee, the young witch had resolved to finally start taking her magic training a little more seriously by learning another new spell, specifically the sleep spell. She'd decided to do some practice with Eda while the latter waited for Luz to come out of the cottage for her 'special day', as it not only gave Eda something to do to kill a bit of time, but it was also the chance to give Lizzie some one-on-one teaching and attention. The first few times Lizzie had tried casting the spell, she'd either gotten one or two movements mixed up or had struggled to remember some of the exact movements Eda had done, which the Owl Lady had then showed her under the belief that was the reason for the spell's failure. Yet Lizzie had managed to do the moves correctly this time, but the spell still hadn't worked. She could understand why the poor witch was getting so frustrated.
The blonde held her hands palm up to stare at them, her next words coming out quiet and almost cracked. "Could it be me? Is there something wrong with me?"
"C'mon, kid! Don't start talking like that!" Eda quickly answered and stood from her seat, approaching Lizzie and giving her a rough pat on the shoulder (which she flinched at). "Magic is a complicated thing. You know you can't learn every spell just as quickly as the others you already have. This spell isn't any different."
"I know," Lizzie said through a huff, running her fingers through her fringe with her cheeks puffed out a bit. "But the fact I formed the spell circle and it stayed intact until I tried to cast it proves that I can do it. The capability is there. So, why didn't it work?"
Eda opened her mouth to prepare to answer Lizzie's question along with the raise of her index finger. But before the Owl Lady even had a chance to form a single word, the front door to the Owl House partially creaked open, followed by the timid voice of Luz as the trio caught her side stepping into view.
"Hey, guys," she said with a hint of a smile and a weak wave, eventually putting her hands together behind her back with a slight bounce on her toes. "So… how do I look?"
Lizzie found herself clutching at her chest with a hand at feeling the breath leave her lungs, her eyes repeatedly looking Luz's current attire up and down with repeated blinks, trying to process what she was seeing. Luz was dressed in a dark grey cowl and a grey tunic with light grey sleeves and leggings, complete with her usual white slip-on shoes and a dark blue rucksack on her back. Lizzie immediately recognised the current outfit as one new students wore upon their induction to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, at least until they'd chosen which magical track they were going to study.
'Wow…' Lizzie swallowed thickly at the lump she felt form in her throat, finding herself to be speechless and unable to say anything aloud for the moment. 'Doesn't this take me back. It actually suits Luz nicely…'
Eda let out a low whistle and gave Luz the finger-gun motion with both hands, along with a wink and wide smile to match.
"You look like a bad witch ready to show them chumps what a member of the bad girl coven can do!"
Luz's cheeks flushed a faint pink at this as she turned to Lizzie, tilting her head in anticipation for the older witch's answer.
"Liz? What do you think?"
It took Lizzie a moment before she could finally feel the words she wanted to say spring to life on the tip of her tongue, giving Luz a smile and placing a hand on her hip.
"You look fine, Luz, just like any old student of Hexside."
Luz's smile widened a bit at this, prompting her to raise her head and straighten herself out with a darker flush appearing.
"Thanks. That's a relief to hear." The Latina teen moved closer to where the two witches were stood as Hooty gently swung the door closed, giving the house demon in question a quick glance. "How's the spell casting going?"
"Not so good," Lizzie answered sullenly, reaching her fingers to her temples to give them a rub as Luz turned to her with raised brows. "I've finally managed to get the hang of Eda's movements and form the spell circle properly. But for some reason, I still can't cast it."
"Maybe you're putting too much pressure on yourself," Luz remarked with a shrug of her shoulders, prompting Lizzie to blink widely and tilt her head while processing the younger girl's words.
"Do you think so?"
"Uh-huh…" Luz chuckled awkwardly and looked off to the side, rubbing a hand against the back of her head. "Seems that way to me, seeing as I did that exact thing during my entrance exam…"
Lizzie furrowed her brows at Luz's words at first, failing to understand what the younger girl was getting at. But one look at Eda when she snorted and turned her head away with a hand over her mouth caused the explanation to come flying back with a slight gape.
'Oh. Right. Luz's entrance exam into Hexside. I nearly forgot she'd had that happen a week or two ago.'
Lizzie recalled she hadn't been able to attend Luz's Hexside entrance exam because of her expulsion, as while Principal Bump no longer deemed her a threat to school grounds, her status as an expelled student still made her a target to the school's newly appointed guards and prevented her from lingering on school property unless it was for a specific reason. Although part of her had eventually seen it as a good thing in the end, as she remembered prior to Luz leaving with Eda to head to the school that Luz had been a nervous wreck. She'd paced back and forth within the living room of the Owl House with her hands gripping at strands of her hair, asking silly questions like 'What if I mess up?', 'What if I accidentally hurt someone?' or 'What if I die?' while being on the verge of tearing it out. Having Eda there as support was already pressuring enough, but Lizzie felt despite her attempts to reassure the teenager at the time that her presence in the auditorium (where the exams took place) would have only made Luz feel worse and distracted her.
That thought had remained when an ecstatic Luz came charging through the door and excitedly announced to her, King and Hooty that she'd managed to get in; however, the Owl Lady soon burst her bubble when she revealed that even without Lizzie there, Luz had gotten so worked up part way through her demonstration that she wound up slipping off the stage because of her ice spell, unintentionally being caught by the shirt as it was snagged on a glyph she accidentally slapped her hand against. That had given Lizzie something to laugh about, but she was glad that despite her slip up, Bump had still let Luz in. Not that Lizzie had been too surprised by that. For all his strictness and school pride, the young witch could acknowledge that Bump didn't let a student's mistakes define their magic capabilities or themselves as a person. It was for that reason she'd come to respect him as a principal outside of the occasions where she'd feared him.
"She does have a point, though," King remarked, prompting heads to turn to him as he walked his way over to where the two witches and teenage human were. He pointed up at Lizzie. "You have a knack for working yourself up and getting stressed when you shouldn't."
"And you have been putting a lot of focus on your magic training lately," Eda added, turning her gaze to the sky and lowering her voice when she hid her mouth behind a curled fist. "And on other things which have probably stressed you out…"
Lizzie sighed heavily and turned her gaze to her boots for a moment, running a hand through the fringe of her hair. She wanted to object to the trio's suggestions, but…
'They're not wrong. Between me trying to learn new spells, worrying about Eda's curse and trying to stop Luz, King and Hooty from finding out about the problem with Eda's curse, I have been under a lot of stress and pressure. That could probably be why I'm struggling…'
Lizzie flinched at feeling an arm wrap round her shoulders and pull her close to Eda's side, with the blonde witch seeing the Owl Lady smiling widely at her as she went to poke her harshly in the middle of the forehead, earning her a second flinch. "You know what you need?"
"If the answer involves apple blood, I don't want to know," Lizzie answered sarcastically, making Eda roll her eyes and shake her head a little.
"Oh, hardy-har-har, wisecrack. I meant a break."
Lizzie squinted a bit and cocked her head to the side. "A break?"
"Yeah!" Eda gestured with a hand towards the trees surrounding the Owl House. "You've had magic on the brain just as much as Luz has, and that's outside of anything related to work. A change of scenery and a distraction could help give your noggin' a much-needed rest."
Lizzie furrowed her brows at this and rubbed a hand against her chin, seriously considering Eda's suggestion for a moment. After a moment of silent thought, she hummed and twisted her lips. "Well, it's not a bad idea. I don't do myself any favours staying cooped up at the Owl House twenty-four-seven." She glanced at Eda with her brows furrowing further. "But if I were to go somewhere else, where would I go?"
Eda tapped her chin with her claw-like nail and pursed her lips, taking a minute or two to think of something. Eventually she peeked over her shoulder towards the cliff edge that overlooked the Boiling Sea and the lower land where Bonesborough could be seen in the distance, her brows raising with a slight gape as she faced Lizzie again.
"Why don't you spend the day in Bonesborough? Been a while since you last went there. Not including your potion deliveries."
Lizzie's shoulders stiffened at the suggestion. "Bonesborough? Oh, no, no, no!" She slipped out of Eda's hold and waved her palms about in front of her, eventually crossing her arms into an 'x' shape before her chest. "Absolutely not!"
Eda placed a hand to her hip and raised a brow, clearly unimpressed by Lizzie's apparent overreaction. "Yeesh. What's gotten you so worked up?"
"Did you forget about Xander, Eda?" She pointed in the direction of Bonesborough in the distance. "If you remember, he's still on the prowl for me because of our last encounter there!"
"Xander?" Luz repeated with narrowed eyes and a faint frown, prompting King to clear his throat and lean over in her direction to reply in a low voice.
"That Emperor's Coven scout who's been stalking Lizzie and claiming they're related."
"Oh…" Luz slowly nodded in understanding, only for her frown to deepen when she looked to Lizzie for further explanation. "I thought you didn't know his name."
Lizzie huffed and ran a hand down her face, stretching her skin a bit as she did so. "I found out by accident. It's a long story. Remind me to explain some other time."
"Pfft!" Eda waved a hand in dismissal. "Spare me the excuses, Redwood! The last couple of times we've been in Bonesborough, I haven't heard a peep about him or you. I'm sure that whole mess has calmed down now."
Lizzie stared at Eda with a narrow-eyed glare. "I recall you reassuring me last time about something similar, only for me to run into him because his palisman stalked you."
"Didn't you make friends with his palisman, though?" King questioned while scratching a claw against the side of his skull. "I'm pretty sure its attitude changed during that whole mess with the demon hunters, didn't it?"
"Doesn't mean his owner's attitude has…" Lizzie grumbled.
"But there's still places in Bonesborough you can go where he won't look for you," Luz chimed in while rocking back and forth on the soles of her shoes. "Like the library! You've been wanting to get back into reading fiction, haven't you? You could go there."
Lizzie scrunched her face up and looked off to the side with a hand gripping at her elbow, eventually turning her gaze downward. She couldn't deny that the trio made good points. During the brief times she'd been into Bonesborough for her potion deliveries, she hadn't encountered any issues or heard anything in relation to herself or Xander. It did make her wonder if, for once, Eda was right about everything having calmed down. And yet…
'Do you honestly think I care you're a criminal now? All that's done is give me ammo to ruin your life like you ruined mine!'
The blonde shuddered at the chill that trickled down her spine when Xander's words sounded inside her head, quickly shaking her head to rid herself of the reminder.
'No. There's no way he's given up that easily. I wouldn't be surprised if this is just another way to lure me into a trap. He has come across as a crafty one in the last few encounters I've had with him.'
When the blonde witch didn't say anything else, Eda sighed and smacked a palm to her forehead.
"Well, we tried." The Owl Lady swirled on her heels to approach the white chair she'd dragged outside, where her staff could be seen leaning against it. "Looks like that's our cue to get you to school, Luz. Can't have you being late on your first day waiting around for Lizzie to make up her mind, can we?"
Lizzie pressed her lips together and glared at the grey-haired witch's back at the comment, yet she didn't say anything else. As Eda collected her staff and prepared to set it to levitate with the tap of the staff's bottom against the ground and the flick of her wrist, Lizzie dared to peek at Luz with a sideways glance when the human teenager never responded to Eda's rhetorical question. She saw Luz twiddling her thumbs and looking down at the ground with a twitching foot, her head bent a little.
'Huh? What's gotten into Luz all of a sudden?'
Lizzie had noticed that Luz had seemed a little nervous when she'd emerged from the cottage a moment ago, but she'd initially chalked that down as normal. After all, she was going to a place she wasn't familiar with and interacting with more creature from the Boiling Isles than normal. Who wouldn't be nervous by that, especially as a human from another realm? But Luz didn't move even when Eda was seated at the head of the staff and looking over to her expectantly, patting the area beside her with a hand and jerking her head to the side.
"C'mon, kid! Let's go!"
It took Luz a moment before she swallowed thickly and gathered the courage to raise her head, her brow furrowing and her shoulders hunching.
"A-Actually, Eda… I've changed my mind," she began slowly, stuttering a bit as she tried to get her words. "I-I don't want to go anymore."
Lizzie, King and Eda stared at Luz with wide blinks, obviously having not expected that answer to come out of her.
'What?'
"Why not?" Eda asked with the crinkling of her nose, taking the words right out of Lizzie's mouth. "You haven't stopped raving about attending Hexside since you passed the entrance exam."
Luz wrapped her arms round her middle and bit her lower lip, looking as if she was trying to curl up into a ball with how small she appeared to be making herself. "It's like I said: I've changed my mind. This was a mistake."
Eda huffed and leaned back on her staff with one leg crossed over the other, her golden eyes narrowing as she gave the young human a look over from head to toe. Lizzie could tell by her posture that she didn't believe Luz one bit and was trying to figure out what was running through her head; not that she wasn't trying to figure it out either…
"I'd like to remind you that I got wrist cramp signing that mountain of paperwork to get you into that dweebus factory." Eda pointed a finger to the empty space beside her on the staff a couple of times. "So, if you don't park your backside on this staff soon, I'll happily do it for you. And you don't want me to, kid, believe me."
Luz responded to the 'threat' by pulling her arms away from her front to reach for the hood of her cowl, which she proceeded to yank over her head. The Owl Lady shook her head at this and straightened up, while Lizzie was left furrowing her brow for a moment.
'Luz's anxiety with attending Hexside originally was because she wasn't going to be with her friends. But she seemed to be a little more confident once she got her second spell. I wonder if what happened at her entrance exam gave her cold feet…'
"All right. You asked for it."
Eda closed an eye and stuck her tongue out as she lifted her index finger, her fingertip alighting with a golden glow. However, before she could even begin to draw a spell circle, Lizzie held up a palm in the older witch's direction.
"Hang on, Eda."
The glow on Eda's finger dimmed out when Lizzie lowered her hand and approached Luz, who was keeping her gaze averted behind the shadows provided by the hood. The young human didn't react until she felt the blonde witch's hands on her shoulders, raising her head to meet Lizzie's green-eyed gaze.
"What's going on with you, Luz?"
"Nothing," she immediately responded in a low voice, to which Lizzie twisted her lips and shook her head once.
"Nu-uh. I'm not buying it. Considering you've been talking non-stop about forming that Good Witch Azura book club with Amity, I know there's something going on with you." At feeling Luz raise her shoulders some more, Lizzie lowered herself so she and Luz were on eye level. "So, lay it on me: what's happening inside that little noggin' of yours? You know you can be honest with me."
She didn't know if Luz was going to be honest with her about what she was thinking and feeling. Yet Lizzie had noticed that since she'd made the effort to be a little more open with her at the Knee, Luz had been a little more open with her in turn. Lizzie saw this as a sign that Luz was finally acknowledging the effort she was making to stick to her word from that day at the library, so she was hoping that doing the same thing would help encourage Luz to open up with her again.
Eventually, Luz closed her eyes and released a huge sigh, acting like she'd been holding it in without realising. Her feet and fingers twitched, but it didn't stop her from opening her hazel eyes and making eye contact when she answered in a croaky voice.
"I didn't make a good first impression at my human school. I messed up and was seen as nothing but a screw up by the other kids." She turned her eyes down to her shoes, pausing to swallow the lump in her throat. "I'm scared that I'm gonna mess up like I did during my entrance exam."—she squeezed her eyes shut tight, her breathing quickening as she started spewing her words out in a hurried mess—"And then everyone's gonna see it happen and they'll think I'm a screw up too—"
"Hey," Lizzie interrupted in a hushed tone, giving Luz's shoulders a small rub in attempt to calm her down. "You're not a screw up. And who cares what the other kids think? You have Gus, Willow and Amity, remember? They think you're cool."
"Lizzie's right!" Eda called out from behind the blonde witch. "Who cares what those dorks think of you?! But if you want to back out, I've got a Bad Girl Coven patch right here for quitting!"
"No!" King interjected while waving Eda off dismissively. "Luz just needs to establish dominance. You want my advice?" He pumped a clenched paw into the air above his head. "Punch the first heathen you see! That'll show 'em you deserve respect!"
But Lizzie's words, and neither King's and Eda's for that matter, did nothing to change Luz's demeanour, despite succeeding in easing her discomfort when the human took a deep breath in through her mouth and released it to slow her breathing rate down again. Lizzie glanced back at Eda and King with her eyes narrowed into slits.
"Not helping," she hissed, prompting Eda and King to raise their hands (or paws) in surrender and King to back away a couple of steps.
When she was sure the Owl Lady and little demon weren't going to say anything else, Lizzie faced Luz with a quiet huff, already getting an idea forming in her head on how to ease Luz's nerves.
'It's not ideal. But Luz and I are obviously having issues with anxiety right now about going somewhere we don't want to. If it's going to help ease her discomfort, then I suppose it's worth the risk.'
"Look, Luz. I'm not the best person to give you advice, seeing as I was pretty much a school outcast. But you and I are clearly having cold feet with our respective problems today. So, how about we make a deal?"
Luz opened her eyes and perked up at this, her head tilting to the side to show Lizzie had managed to grab her interest.
"What kind of deal?"
Lizzie pulled a hand away to place to her chest. "If you go to Hexside, I'll go to Bonesborough's library, just as you've suggested. And if you manage to get through the first day,"—she smiled—"I'll tell you one personal fact about myself."
Luz's eyes widened a little at this, with Eda and King gaping and exchanging glances behind the young witch. "Really?"
"Really," Lizzie confirmed with a widened smile. "Anything you want to know about me, you can name it and I'll tell you." Her smile was quickly replaced with a faint frown. "But only if you go to school and make it until the end of the day." Lizzie let Luz go and held out her hand towards the younger girl. "Do we have a deal?"
Luz glanced between Lizzie's outstretched hand, then her still smiling face, then back to her outstretched hand again. After a moment of what Lizzie assumed was silent contemplation, the Latina girl grinned widely and grabbed Lizzie's hand with her own with a resounding slap, giving it a firm shake.
"Deal!"
"Good." Lizzie reached up to Luz's head to pull her hood down and ruffle her hair, prompting Luz to close an eye and raise her shoulders a bit until the older witch pulled away and righted her posture. "Now, go on." Lizzie jabbed a thumb over her shoulder in Eda's direction. "Keep stalling and you will be late."
"Yes, ma'am," Luz replied through a chuckle, already moving past her and beginning to dash to where Eda was.
Lizzie failed to stop her smile widening with a sense of pride at watching Luz remove her rucksack and place it on the back of Eda's staff, with Eda adjusting her position to have herself sitting horizontally ready for take off. The blonde witch couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she swore the warmth she felt swelling in her chest was making her feel like a proud parent watching their child start their first day of school.
Just as Luz had bent her body to sit behind Eda on the staff, though, the young human let out a loud gasp and smacked her hands to her cheeks, her eyes widening a little.
"Oh! Almost forgot!" Luz leapt to her feet and ran back to Lizzie as fast as her legs would allow, giving the older witch no time to react as she flung her arms round her neck and pulled her into a tight hug. "Quick hug for courage!"
The blonde initially reacted by taking a step back to steady herself and stare down at the shorter human with a wide blink, her shoulders stiffening at the contact. Staring down at Luz had her thoughts drifting back to the moment the two of them had locked eyes in the living room of the Owl House the first day she'd arrived, one that had the witch quietly snorting and eventually relaxing her posture to wrap an arm loosely around Luz's shoulders. It was still hard for Lizzie to believe she'd been terrified of Luz's round ears and discovering from Eda that she was human, and that Luz had been so fascinated by her pointed ones upon realising she was a witch that she'd been brave enough to get up in her face and poke them. She never would have imagined that either of them would be here now sharing a hug before Luz was about to head off to magic school. She had to admit… it was funny how everything had turned out.
'Heh. And to think, not that long ago you were just a human enthusiastic at the opportunity to fulfil a fantastical dream of being like your fictional idol. Time really does fly, huh?'
"Ahem!" Eda loudly clearing her throat finally brought Lizzie and Luz to part from the hug, with the pair turning to see a scowling Owl Lady tapping her wrist with her finger as if she was wearing a wristwatch. "Chop, chop, Luz!"
"Coming!" Luz called out.
Lizzie watched Luz dash to Eda's staff for a second time and seat herself behind the Owl Lady with both legs on either side, gripping at the base with both hands. As Owlbert spread his wings wide and flapped them in preparation to raise the staff into the air, Luz looked back over her shoulder at Lizzie one more time with a wide smile, appearing to be a little more at ease now compared to a moment ago.
"Bye, Liz!" She shouted and gave a small wave as the staff levitated into the air and began its ascent. "Enjoy your break!"
Lizzie returned the wave as Eda and Luz took off towards the sky, placing the side of her other hand close to her mouth to shout back. "Take care, Luz! Good luck with your first day of school!"
"Thank you!"
Lizzie kept her eyes on her technical employer and roommate until they dispersed as a tiny black speck against the sky. Though the further away they got from the Owl House, the more Lizzie found the warmth in her chest slowly being replaced with a dull ache slithering its way through. It wasn't until Eda and Luz had completely disappeared from sight that Lizzie felt the stinging sensation of tears pricking at her eyes, which she promptly dabbed at with her arm.
'Gosh. What's gotten into me? Don't tell me I'm missing Luz already.' Lizzie sucked in a deep breath and exhaled at lowering her arm from her eyes, adjusting her sleeves round by her elbows. 'She's going to be fine. She has Gus and Willow there, along with Amity. And possibly the twins if they see her.'
Lizzie eventually cleared her throat and turned to the spot where she recalled King was stood, already addressing the little demon without checking to see if he was still standing there. "Okay, King. Looks like I'll be heading out for today, so—" She cut herself off at seeing no sign of King, prompting her to frown and do a full spin of her heels to give the front of the Owl House a quick scan. "King?"
She ended up facing the cliff with a wide blink when she couldn't see any sign of King's skull head, his red collar with the golden nametag or his fluffy tail anywhere in the area, causing her frown to deepen with the quick scratch of her head.
"Huh. That's weird. I swore he was here a second ago." Placing her hand flat to the side of her forehead, Lizzie turned to face the front door with the intention of speaking to Hooty instead, whom she mentally noted had been unusually quiet during their entire conversation. "Hey, Hooty, have you seen—?"
Lizzie cut herself off for a second time when she was met with the sight of Hooty still in the front door with puffed cheeks and his beak shut tightly, along with a tiny blue feather hanging off his lower beak. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes drooped after a few seconds, her mind already forming an answer to what had happened to Hooty which she wasted no time in vocalising.
"… You're trying to eat a sparrow, aren't you?"
Hooty nodded stiffly and answered with a muffled 'Mhm!', prompting Lizzie to sigh loudly and smack her palm to her forehead.
'Well, that explains why he's been so quiet…'
"Never mind then," Lizzie said through a groan, moving towards the door and reaching out for the handle. She needed to collect her cloak and potions before she went anywhere, after all. "If you see King, let him know I've headed to Bonesborough and to behave himself until Eda returns, okay?"
Hooty responded with another nod and a muffled response that was inaudible, with Lizzie muttering a quiet 'thank you' as she opened the door and stepped inside the cottage. Hooty waited until the door closed behind the blonde witch before he released a loud and sharp cough, the opening of his maw allowing a small, blue feathered bird to dive out and escape into the air with the quick flap of its wings. Hooty silently watched it go before shaking his head a bit to loosen the blue feather from his beak, which gently floated to the ground.
"Oh, well! Better luck next time! Hoot hoot!"
A/N: Well... bet that was quite a bit to unpack there, huh? XD
I had a lot of fun writing the section with Xander, honestly. I originally wasn't planning on going into so much detail because I was worried it would wind up giving too much away. But then I realised that due to the limit I had on what I could fit into the Season 2 episodes without it being cluttered due to plot related events... I could afford to expose a little bit here. I can imagine that you're pretty curious about Ulritch and Marigold now that they've been revealed, amongst other little tidbits I've littered in that particular section. If you guys want to learn a little more about these characters before I start revealing further secrets about them, here's a little hint for you: pay close attention to their palismen. They provide some hints alluding to specific revelations about their characters. For instance (which I can reveal now since this has officially been established in this story), Xander's palisman 'Bandit' was purposely chosen to be a ferret and have that name because I was alluding to Xander being Lizzie's Hexside bully. The Latin derivation of ferret translates to 'little thief', as well as 'Bandit' being... well, you know. XD Hopefully, this should help you guys begin to put the pieces together without me outright telling you. I wonder if anyone will guess things about Ulritch and Marigold before the next chapter... I'll be looking forward to seeing if that happens.
