The next few days were mostly uneventful at the Boonchuy household. Anne and Marcy continued their early morning 'power' training with Luz and Caz, but after that they would separate for one on one training. While Amity taught Marcy the basics of channeling her powers into spell-like effects in preparation for their return to Amphibia, and using drawn glyphs, which they discovered worked as long as one or both Titaness's were close by, to practice her aim. Luz and Anne would spar. At first it was just bare knuckle, but after Anne manifested an energy sword to defend herself from one of Luz's attacks, they integrated sword play in as well. When they did, Anne got to see a different side of Luz as her 'mentor mask' slipped, and the giddy student took her place.
That's not to say Amity didn't get into sparring as well, and both younger girls were surprised to find that Amity knew the basics of sword and staff fighting, but like Luz neither really used melee weapons often. Preferring distance and magic like most witches. After a bet gone wrong, where Marcy and Luz got a bit too into a game of 'Brawl' on Luz's gamestation, the Titaness's had to give in and allow the younger duo to observe one of their spars, as embarrassing as that felt to the older pair.
Both girls still refused to show off what they called 'big magic', and after being told that the fire whirl they made actually qualified as 'intermediate' for them. The younger couple stopped pressing for the good of still having a place to live. Looking incredibly uncomfortable, since they were being watched, and unbeknownst to them recorded by Sprig on Anne's phone, the Titaness's got into a ready position still in their base forms with only their eyes revealing their readiness.
It started light, the duo circled, and as they did Luz's form flickered causing illusion after-images to form while every step Amity took she left behind a bit of goo that started to grow into life size Abom-ity's, with green eyes and serious expressions. As the real duo turned invisible, and looked for an opening the abominations attacked the images, who only danced away or multiplied when struck, but eventually Anne and Marcy noticed a shift as a few Abom-ity's would lock up and waver for a moment before collapsing into goo for no apparent reason. As the last image faded the multiple goo piles began to stir, and new figures took shape. A few took on a slightly more scandalous version of Amity's look with purple eyes, hair down, and a slight strut as they walked. Others were in the form of another girl, Willow as Marcy clarified, along with Eda's harpy form, and a few split into a pair of King's.
As soon as she saw Luz's Abom-ity's, Amity came into view looking embarrassed, irritated, and blushing hard as she spat and stammered, "LUZ NOCEDA. That is not funny. Get rid of those things or so help me I'm making you sleep on the couch."
Suddenly Luz appeared behind Amity as she ran a claw up Amity's back gently, and whispered in Amity's ear with a flirty lilt, "But why botata? Does it bother you that I see you that way? That even now I can't help but find you impossibly beautiful. By the way, point to me. In a real fight dropping your guard like that would get you killed."
To Luz's surprise Amity spun around to show a very irritated and hurt look with a couple tears visible, as her eyes glowed pink. Suddenly all of the remaining Abom-ity's under Amity's control merged into two new beastly forms as Esperanza and Alegria roared causing Camila and Hop pop to come running, but stand stunned as Amity's abomination beasts savagely ripped apart every Abom-ity in the room, and Amity's form began to grow and liquify. Thinking quickly, Luz's form and demeanor changed as all the playfulness drained away leaving only stone seriousness behind, something none of those in attendance had truly seen before. Around the room hidden glyphs flared to life as walls of magic took form one on top of the other, and streams of magic rushed out of all four girls like rivers causing Marcy to pass out, followed by Anne, and after a nerve racking minute Amity collapsed. Once Amity was out, Luz ended her spell, and dropped to a knee barely staying conscious until the strain proved too much and Luz joined them in unconsciousness.
When Luz woke up she found a disappointed Camila and Anne watching over her. Noticing Luz stirring Camila sighed, "Oh mija, are you ok?"
Anne stated flatly, "I'm guessing you had that spell in place since the beginning, but… Dude… a part of me is impressed at your preparations, while a much bigger part is seriously peeved. What would have happened if you knocked out first, or you couldn't shut it off? Luz, you created an anti-magic kill cage, and didn't bother to tell us. Why?"
Luz looked tired, but unbothered by their reactions, "Firstly, Mami I'll be fine. Second, of course I prepared that spell ahead of time. It's the active version of the spell I put in place to prevent any magic from leaking out while you learned control, and it's not a 'kill cage'. In the event that I blacked out first or Titan forbid I lost control, it activates, and drains until everyone is unconscious. It can't kill, literally. For the record, I hate that I even had to use it, but neither of you have any idea how destructive a mad Titan can be. We are literal world-ending threats if we completely lose it." Luz sighed as she looked away, and clutched her knees, "It's one of the first things P.T. drilled into me on the Knee. Before we got lucky that my beast form wanted to be left alone, and Belos never caught on to its existence."
Sudden realization dawned on Camila and Anne's faces, and Anne asked, "Just how bad are we talking here?"
Luz snorted, with a tear rolling out, "A single adult Titan can terraform a planet, if they so choose, and that takes a significant amount more power then burning one down. I might be at only half strength, but… what do you think?" Luz sniffed loudly, "P.T. chose ME. He trained ME. I love Amity, but she never got the chance to receive the same. I am the eldest Titan in existence. It is my responsibility to train Amity, and later King to use their powers responsibly. I hold the lives of every life on Earth in my hands every second we are here, and that doesn't change when we go back to the Demon realm, or Amphibia, or anywhere else we go. Anne, one of the reasons I was so interested in training you girls, beyond it being the right thing to do, was because… once you three are done. I can finally take a breath. If I'm right you three could get strong enough to put me down if I lose it, or Titan forbid I go tyrant like Belos."
This revelation shocked Camila and Anne, but after a moment they wrapped Luz in a hug. "Mija I never realized how heavy this burden was on you. I'm so sorry. Have you discussed this with Amity?"
Luz sighed, "Some, but Amity grew up understanding how powerful Titan's are. We are literally revered as gods, but I don't know if I've hammered in how much my position as 'eldest' weighs on me, and that's on me." After taking a minute to free herself and regain her composure, Luz let out a calming breath as she gave a determined expression, "I am not an irresponsible child anymore. I am the Matriarch of the second coming of the Titan race. I may choose to put on a happy face most of the time, but I never forget what that title means. Judge me as much as you like, but in the end… My every breath has the potential to devastate worlds, and I accepted that fact a long time ago. I'm going for a walk. Don't look for me." With that Luz was gone. Whether she teleported, or just turned invisible and dashed away was purely academic, and for the first time both just sat and wondered if Luz was actually ok.
Up in Anne's room a different conversation was going on. "Amity, are you ok? I know that spell Luz triggered took a lot out of me, but I didn't have much magic to take. I can only imagine how you must be feeling," asked Marcy as she side hugged Amity, and tried to comfort her.
Amity was silent for a while as she continued to hug her knees, until she finally whispered in a voice dripping with shame, "I'm sorry." Marcy tried to tell her she didn't need to apologize, but Amity just pulled away and sat with her back to the wall across the room from Marcy and a concerned Polly. "You don't get it. I lost control. If Luz hadn't triggered our safety measure it could have been bad. I could have killed everyone. I know that Luz will always have my back, but… Titan dammit why did I let such a small thing bother me so much? I love Luz, and I love how much she thinks and cares about me. Normally her flirting is cute, and I love it, but something about others seeing 'that'... it just felt too far. Maybe she made a mistake when she saved me." Amity was starting to cry.
Marcy was horrified, "Amity… how could you ever say that? Much less think it? Look at your right hand, and tell me what you see." Amity looked and saw the ring Luz gave her when they agreed to be partners. Amity just stared at it, unable to answer, so Marcy continued, "I see a symbol of complete trust and love. Amity, Luz loves you with her entire being. She couldn't live without you, and I'll admit, I'm jealous. I love Anne and Sasha, but before the love that you two share… it just seems so… weak. Watching you two together is what gave me the strength to tell Anne how I felt. Your love was so powerful it rippled across the multiverse, and saved my life. Was that a mistake too?"
Amity immediately yelled, "No of course not, Marcy, but… am I really worthy of this power? I wasn't chosen for it like Luz, and despite being raised with an understanding of how powerful Titans are, this is still so overwhelming." Amity continued to stare at her ring until a small smile appeared on her face, "But through it all, Luz has never left my side. When I was fading away, she pulled me back. When I woke up, she was right there waiting for me. When I was an idiot, and allowed myself to doubt how much she loved me, she created a one of a kind symbol for me so that I would never be able to doubt it again." Amity chuckled, "Guano, I'm being a moron again, aren't I? I thought I was past all the vile things Odalia used to fill my head with, but I guess I'm not. I forgot the first thing my Luz taught me. I forgot that I deserve to be happy and loved like everyone else. I just… I don't know what to do."
Getting a mischievous smile Polly spoke up, "It sounds to me like you need a distraction, and I think it's time that the three of us bond a bit. Marcy, you might be the smartest person I've ever met, and Amity, according to what we saw the other day you might know something about how to help us. Frobo has been waiting long enough, I say we put our heads together and get him working again. What do you say?"
Amity and Marcy share a look before they smile at their 'little sister', "You know what Polly, you're right."
"And I know just where to start. I'm guessing none of us has built a robot before, so let's check the internet for how to proceed. Luz told me that anything you could ever want to know can be found there, so it's probably our best chance at doing this right," suggested Amity, as the other two nodded, and Marcy grabbed Anne's laptop.
For the next hour, Polly, Amity, and Marcy watched videos from a popular mewtube channel, and after getting prepared the trio got to work. It was kind of awkward at first since Amity and Polly hadn't really spent much time interacting, but finally Polly's uncomfortableness won out. "So Amity, I've heard about your magic, and I don't think anyone hasn't heard you gush about Luz, but that's really all I know about ya. At first I thought you were a nerd like Marcy… no offense," started Polly, with a frustrated groan.
"None taken. I wave my nerd flag proudly," chirped Marcy.
"Sure. Anyway, what's your story? We saw a few things during Luz's story, but not much. What's life like where you come from? What's your family like?" pressed Polly.
As soon as Amity heard Polly ask about her family she looked away, and focused on some wiring, but after a minute she sighed, "Well the Isles are dangerous, and beautiful much like Amphibia from what I've seen." Spinning a circle over her shoulder Amity created an illusion that changed as she spoke, "Luz and I are half-Titans, but King, Luz's little brother, is the real deal. He's a couple years older than you Polly, and he might only have the faintest grasp of his magic, but… honestly I love the little guy like a brother too. I think you two would get along actually. He's also a chaotic tyrannical cutie like you, and he's always going on about becoming the 'King of Demons', but deep down he's very soft and caring."
Amity didn't see it, because she was facing away from the others, but Polly blushed faintly when she was King. "Ya… cute," whispered Polly, hoping nobody heard.
"Anyway the Isles are actually made up of King's Dad's decaying corpse. It's kind of odd to think about, but P.T. gave us magic and a safe place to live, and we take care of his son like our little brother. Despite thousands of years of separation we still managed to return his gift even if unintentionally." Amity took a long deep breath before she continued, "As for my family and story… it's really painful to talk about, but… Ok. If I'm being honest I only have one mother, and that's Camila. She didn't give birth to me, and I've only known her since we got stranded here, but she has shown me more love, respect, and care than my…birther gave me in fourteen years." Not feeling strong enough yet to continue about her Amity shifted her focus. "I have two older twin siblings, Edric and Emira. Their sixteen, and their specialty is illusions, but Em also dabbles in healing behind Odalia's back, and Ed studies potions and beast keeping the same way."
"What are they like? As a fellow younger sister, I'm guessing you have to keep them in line," groaned Polly, in faux frustration.
Amity laughed, "Kinda. They love pulling pranks, and never used to take anything seriously. I used to hate them, because of all the pressure they ended up forcing onto me, and they used to prank and tease me constantly. Luz set them straight though, and we ended up having a heart to heart. Nowadays I look back and despite the pain, I love those pains in my butt. They aren't perfect, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. All their teasing was just them trying to help me, and be near me, but I was too angry to notice, and they didn't realize they were hurting me."
"So how about your dad, or do you have one? After our discussion the other night about all the different ways for people to have kids on the Isles, I hope I'm not being too presumptive in asking," pressed Marcy, with a bit of awkwardness.
Amity turned and gave Marcy a smile, "No, I have a dad, but good job remembering that it isn't always the case. I knew a guy at Hexside that had a single parent, and his dad was cool." Amity got a conflicted look, but pressed on, "Alador is… complicated. Much like the twins I used to have a lot of disdain toward him, but recently I think I understand him better. Growing up he was always in his lab, and never a part of our lives. When he was around he just parroted whatever Odalia told him to say, and it hurt. When Luz and I started hanging out she told us about how she's got ADHD or attention deficit hyper disorder. It's not something you can catch, but It does mean that her mind works differently than most others. While we discussed her situation she told me about similar conditions, and… I think my dad might be Autistic."
Suddenly Marcy turned around in shock, "What makes you think that?"
Amity pauses, noticing the intensity in Marcy's question, which wasn't odd for her, but this felt different. Deciding to answer Amity admitted, "It's only a guess since the Isles doesn't really have a test for it yet, but from what Luz told me, and her own interactions with him we think he might be on the spectrum. He's always had a hard time focusing on anything that doesn't interest him, and his mind wanders all the time at the smallest distraction. One time Odalia and him were having a discussion when suddenly he just wandered off to follow a butterknife fly. He's brilliant when it comes to abominations, but completely lost when it comes to social cues. He admitted once that he doesn't understand emotions very well, and he said he never really experienced love except for the days his kids were born. He's very literal and often talks at people instead of to them. Regardless of if it's true, it doesn't give him a pass on what he did, but it could help explain why it happened, and it helps to forgive him. After all, the things he did are bad, but if they occurred because of something he couldn't help it softens the blow, if only a bit. Why do you ask?"
Marcy wrung her hands a bit before she answered, "Because a lot of what you just described apply to me too. Not all of it obviously, but a lot, and… I am on the spectrum. I'm Autistic. Anne, Sasha, and the Boonchuy's already know. It's a part of who I am, but it doesn't define me anymore than it could your dad. Maybe I could talk to him when we get a portal working. It might help. Does knowing change anything between us, Amity?"
Amity reached out to take Marcy's hand, but stopped herself, "I've heard that 'touch sensitivity' can be a thing. It's not for my dad, but is it something you have an issue with?"
Marcy shook her head, "No, but thank you for asking."
Taking Marcy's hand Amity stated firmly, "This changes nothing beyond me having a better idea of how your mind works, and maybe being more aware of things that could bother you. You were Marcy Wu an hour ago, and you are Marcy Wu now. Much like my Luz, it's only a small part of the beautiful person that you are."
Marcy pulled Amity toward her and gave her a hug, "Thanks. It feels nice to know you understand. So, what exactly did he do?"
Amity sat back, and turned away, "After looking over every interaction I had with my dad that I can remember, I can't really pin much on him beyond being distant." Amity takes a deep breath to center herself, "No I blame almost everything that happened on Odalia. She manipulated all of us into being puppets on her strings. Dad might have been awkward, but she's the one who encouraged him to work nonstop, and convinced him to never take a break. She made him work despite having the Fire Flu. She made me stop being friends with Willow on my eighth birthday. Because of her I almost…" Amity stopped before she could finish that thought as she felt a wrench bend in her grip, and the room got very quiet.
"Amity? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but… what did you almost do?" asked Polly, looking worried at the sudden shift.
Amity looked into the pollywogs eyes and she couldn't lie to her, "Before I met Luz… I was a bully. I was a cold, heartless, vindictive bully. I was 'Amity the Ice Queen' with a temper that intimidated almost everyone, or that's what everyone saw me as. Odalia pushed me to surpass everyone around me… to be perfect in every possible observable way. Any slip resulted in punishment. Day's without food, extra classes, she even used her oracle magic to invade my mind. Marcy, when we faced your darkness, your Darcy, we told you we had experience with terrible parents, and you've met Camila. She's… oh, she's so kind, and loving, so by series of elimination the one we were talking about was Odalia." Amity started fidgeting with her crescent moon necklace, "She gave me a pendent when I was seven that allowed her to enter my mind from anywhere, anytime she wanted, and talk to me despite any distance. It was my collar until Luz finally gave me the courage to crush it."
"Amity, I'm so…" tried to interject Marcy, but Amity didn't stop.
"When she made me abandon Willow she threatened to ruin Willow's life if I didn't do it, and she would have done it. When she found out I was hanging out with Willow, Gus, and Luz she used her position on the PCA to get them expelled, and when Luz made a deal with her to get Willow and Gus re-enrolled she tried to have her killed in front of a room full of potential investors as a publicity stunt. Luz was only human back at that point so she almost succeeded. She found out that Belos was going to commit genocide on the Isles, and she kept quiet as she continued to support him. She didn't care if thousands would die as long as she got her power and status," Amity roared, her hands shifting back and forth and tears rushed out.
"Amity, stop before you lose control again," insisted Polly.
"It wouldn't be the first time she made me do something dumb, so why stop now? Titan, I still remember looking over the edge of those cliffs. If Luz hadn't come into my life when she did…" Amity stopped, and her shifting receded and stopped as she sank to the ground, and admitted, "I was being smothered under the pressure, and I was planning to jump. Another couple months, and I would have done it." Amity let out a long breath, but she wasn't crying anymore, "Titan. That's the first time I've admitted that out loud."
"You never told Luz about it," asked Marcy as she wrapped Amity in a hug.
"No, I never told anyone. Not my siblings, the Clawthorn's, our friends, or Luz. I couldn't burden them like that, and Luz dragged me out of that dark place, so I didn't think it mattered anymore. I was wrong. Clearly it's still affecting me. I'm sorry girls. I'm supposed to be the big sister here, and be a strong example for you, but… I don't know how. How can I be strong when I've only ever been weak?" asked Amity, defeated.
Marcy held Amity for a minute before she said, "I get it. You saw how my parents treated me. I never went to that dark place, but that's probably only because I had Anne and Sasha. I had the Boonchuy's as real parents, like you have Camila. Amity, I'm pretty sure my parents abandoned me when I escaped to Amphibia. The Boonchuy's looked for Anne, and despite being as toxic as she is Mrs. Waybright still wants Sasha to come home. I checked… my parents just left, and never looked back. They didn't search for me. My school and the Boonchuy's were the ones who reported me missing, not my parents. Amity, after hearing what you went through, and seeing you now… I want to be as strong as you are. You're pretty, smart, and confident… all the time." Marcy chuckled dryly, "I think you might be my idol."
Amity was in shock from Marcy's words, but then they heard Polly sniff, "Ya Amity. You're plenty strong. I'm sorry to disappoint, but Sprig and I had great parents… or so I've been told. Shortly after I was born Wartwood was attacked by a pair of Herons. Hop pop saved us, but our parents got eaten. I… I don't even know what their voices sounded like, or have any memories of them. It's always only been Hop pop, Sprig, and I until Anne came into our lives. So don't worry about me. I'm perfect, and if you need help… I'll be here. Just like Anne taught me." Getting up the older pair of girls embraced Polly who tried to act like she didn't care, but she couldn't lie, it felt nice.
Feeling somehow… lighter, the trio got to work finishing Frobo's new body. It was a bit cobbled together since they had been limited in what they could use, but it didn't look too bad, and once he was up and moving they could work on upgrading him over time. Together the older two handed Polly the remote they made to start Frobo up again, since it only felt right that she have the honors. As soon as the button was pressed the lights dimmed and Amity got light headed, but only for a moment. The trio heard parts of the body activate and a couple pieces light up, but sadly Frobo didn't stir.
After a minute everything stopped again as a bit of smoke started to rise, but they quickly put it out, and managed to save most of the wiring in that section from melting. Polly looked crushed, but the other two were quick to reassure her that it was ok. Sometimes it takes some trial and error, but they wouldn't stop until Frobo was back. It helped a bit, but Polly didn't want to wait. She wanted her little brother back now. While Amity and Marcy went to get some food and spitball some ideas, Polly hopped over to Anne's laptop to see if they missed something, and discover that the I.T Gals, the pair they had been using as a guide, had a link to reach out to them and ask questions. Without another thought Polly hit the link.
A few seconds later a window popped up, and a video call started. "Hey there, future Roboticist. What can we help ya with?" asked Jess, a heavier set african american woman with hair buns in the shape of panda ears, and covered in oil stains.
Polly smiled before looking sad, "Well my… sisters and I have been working on repairing a robot, but he won't initialize. Please, I'm worried we might be over our heads, and we might need your help."
Ally, an asian woman that had black hair with hot pink highlights and grease stained overalls, looked at Jess and they started to shoot ideas back and forth that Polly only understood every third word of before the duo turned back to Polly. "An initialization issue can be tricky to track down, so how's about this. It looks like you're only a short trip away from us. Why don't we stop by and see what we can do? I'm sure we can get them up and going again by the end of the night if we work together. What do you say?"
Polly was practically bouncing in excitement, "That's great. Me and Frobo really appreciate this gals." After giving the I.T. Gals an exact address they hung up, and Polly smiled wide. A couple minutes later Marcy and Amity returned with some sandwiches and blueberry lemonade for all of them and as soon as Polly saw them she ran over, "Guess what? I managed to get in contact with the I.T. Gals and they offered to come help us. Isn't that great?"
Marcy almost dropped the pitcher of lemonade, but Amity caught it, and after setting their lunch aside Amity kneeled down and gave Polly a disappointed look. "Polly, I need you to tell me what you were thinking? We aren't mad, but… did you think we couldn't do this on our own? I thought we were bonding. I know we aren't experts, but I thought… I thought we were enough? Why would you want to replace us?"
Polly's eyes widened in horror, "Nonononono. I'm not trying to replace you two, and working with you two has been fun, but… I just miss Frobo so much. He sacrificed his life for me, and every second he stays the way he is feels like I'm betraying him. He was my responsibility, and I failed him. You said that it might take a while to fix him, so I thought getting some expert help might speed us up a bit."
Hearing that Amity sighed, but Marcy still looked hurt as she stammered, "I-I didn't realize that spending time with us was such a burden that you wanted it sped up. Don't worry about it. I get it. After all it's my fault Frobo is broken anyway. I should have known you were just putting up with me cuz I'm your sister's girlfriend. Don't worry, I know how it is now. I'll help finish up, and then I'll leave you alone." Marcy grabbed her sandwich and walked off to eat somewhere else with a few tears present at the corners of her eyes.
Polly looked devastated, so Amity tousled her bow as she forced a smile, "I know you didn't mean to hurt us, but not talking to us first did. I understand where you're coming from, but… we were really looking forward to spending a lot more time with you. Not just repairing, but maybe helping make Frobo better than ever before. With all the time we spent together training Marcy and I had our thing, but we were excited when we thought this could be ours… just the three of us. I guess not." Amity just walked away, leaving Polly behind to think about what she'd done.
When the I.T. Gals arrived twenty minutes later they found a much more subdued Polly waiting for them. Feeling confused by this shift in attitude they just followed Polly into the garage where they both started to geek out over the robot that awaited them. "This is amazing! When you mentioned a robot we expected something palm sized, but this… this is outstanding," gushed Ally.
From behind the gals they heard a sigh, "Thanks, we… we put a lot of effort into him."
Turning around the gals saw two depressed looking teens, and from their postures they could tell the one with lilac hair had been the one to speak. Coming over Jess tried to be as warm and reassuring as possible. "It shows. Although given his size and your set up I think it might be easier and safer if you three move him to our shop. We are no strangers to what can go wrong during a project like this, and we have a collection of more specialized tools that could make the process easier. What do you say girls?"
The raven haired girl scoffed, "Sure. Whatever."
Starting to feel like they had done something wrong the I.T. Gals took a step back before leaving to move their truck around. After carefully loading up Frobo, the five got on their way. The ride was awkward, and the girls didn't say much. All the gals really got were the girls' names and Frobo's. Beyond that it was mostly just nods or grunts in response. When they arrived Ally helped Marcy and Amity move Frobo inside and get set up while Jess pulled Polly aside, "Ok Polly, I gotta admit this whole thing seems off. You were so happy when we spoke earlier, but now all we're getting from you and your sisters is sadness and thinly veiled anger. Spill it. What are we missing?"
Polly sighed and looked away, "Sorry about that. All this is my fault. We spent all morning working on Frobo, but we hit a snag so they went to take a break and get some food to reset. It was while they were gone that I called you two. I was excited to get your help and get to see my friend again, but I didn't talk to them about it first. Now they think I'm trying to replace them on our project, but I'm not." Polly sniffed, "This is kinda the first thing we have done together, and hanging out as a group is still new to us. Marcy is my sister Anne's girlfriend, and Amity and her girlfriend are new friends, but honestly I look up to all four of them in different ways. They're so strong, confident, caring, and smart… I just… I messed up, so please don't take it personally. They aren't really mad at either of you. Just me." Jess smiled, and nodded that she understood.
Inside Ally was doing much the same after getting the duo to finally explain, "Ok, I agree that calling us was messed up, but can you really blame her. She's what… eight? She didn't realize she'd hurt you. She just wanted her friend back. Can you two say you wouldn't have done something similar?"
Amity remembered how much it hurt when she had gotten separated from Willow, and Marcy thought about how she had reacted when her births told her they were moving. Sharing a look they agreed that they could see Ally's point. When Polly came in with Jess, she tried to apologize, but Marcy and Amity just scooped her up as they all hugged it out as the I.T. Gals smiled and fist bumped at a successful first step. Once the girls were done apologizing, the change was night and day. All three were smiling and open now, and proceeded to impress with ever increasing frequency. Polly took full advantage of her size to get into places nobody else could, Marcy thought in such a meticulous way that the gals could almost see the things she was describing as she droned on, and when they started removing panels to get a look inside they saw Amity's contribution, carefully inlaid symbols where etched inside, and intricate crystal matrices were embedded within the normal wiring.
When asked about them Amity paled, but Marcy chuckled, "Amity is something of a wicca, and her dad taught her some cool stuff she can do with crystals such as using them as oscillators, transistors, heat sinks, and the like. Integrating her witchy idea's with the more common approaches that we learned from you, we managed to create our current approach. Sadly this is the best we could do. This is kind of our first day at robotics. Sorry."
Polly started bouncing, "Oh I know. Let's call it Hextech. A perfect fusion of magic and science."
Marcy and Amity patted her head, "Sure. That sounds perfect."
The I.T. Gals were speechless. They had assumed that the older girls at least had been working with machines for a while, but for this to be their first project, much less their first day, was unbelievable, and they seemed to be picking it all up like it was second nature. After only the first hour the five were having discussions that would sound like gibberish to anyone else, but that's not all they noticed. Some of the things they did seemed nonsensical or random, and Amity was insistent that none of her inlays be damaged in any way, but somehow every time the gals tested something it worked as well or better then expected. It was all miraculous, and as they worked they also opened up a bit about themselves, some more than others.
When Ally heard about how 'difficult' the girls parents were she couldn't help feeling a sense of kinship with them. Sure her parents had been mostly supportive her whole life, but their reactions to her coming out had soured their relationship to a severe degree, and both gals were ecstatic to learn that both older girls were now a part of families that loved and appreciated them. Amity never gave names as she talked, but her 'upper crust' background was fairly obvious, and it confused them. Eventually they had recognized Marcy from her history of awards, but for a girl as talented as Amity to come out of nowhere seemed odd.
It took a while, but not nearly as long as it should have in the I.T. Gals opinion, they were ready to give firing up Frobo another shot. Once more Polly was given the honors, and they all watched as Frobo came online without any noticeable issues. They did see Amity pale for a moment though which was odd. Luckily Marcy had thought ahead, and one of their earlier tests had been booting up only Frobo's head to make sure his personality was still intact, and thankfully Polly had been able to reawaken him. As they tested his new body Frobo lost control for a moment of his jets and ended up rocketing off a few miles straight up. In the process they learned that a number of his 'arcane' functions stopped working or started to malfunction after getting a certain distance away, only to correct themselves once he returned to a closer position aka while he fell.
Noticing this Amity smacked her forehead and grabbed a small vial they had used to demonstrate some unique properties of the crystals Amity pulled from her bag. After disappearing for a couple minutes, Amity returned with the vial full of a blueish purple fluid, and carefully placed it within Frobo's chest in a secure position. Noticing their confused looks Amity looked around and after getting a supportive nod from Marcy and Polly she sighed, "So remember when Marcy said I was something of a wicca… well she wasn't exaggerating. I'm not human. I'm a witch, more specifically I'm half-Titan. The crystals and runes inside Frobo need magic to work, and without a steady flow they start to act up. The vial is full of my blood." Amity cuts her palm to show the same substance before healing herself. "The blood will act as a backup when there isn't magic around."
The gals were having a hard time processing, so Polly just continued, "Thanks to her magic, Frobo can do something's that would be impossible otherwise like this…" Polly asked Frobo to get 'fun sized' and after a flash they all saw Frobo had become the size of a pocket sized action figure. With another request he turned into a toy car, but before Polly could have him size up Marcy stopped her."
"Ok. I think they get it. I know you're excited, but there isn't really room in here for the Fro-mobile. Also… you're draining Amity," pointed out Marcy, as everyone noticed her leaning on the table for support. Polly blushed in embarrassment before nodding.
Suddenly Amity's eyes shifted as she heard a roar. Her head shot up and she looked scared. They all watched as Amity's form shifted, and she was suddenly gone after speaking a single word in terror, "Luz…"
The I.T. Gals were now completely stunned so the remaining duo led them to chairs as they explained, and after a while the older couple were enraptured and full of questions, but before they could do more than tell their new friends they would help however they could a new robot flew into the lab. "Parameters met. Capture protocols engaged." The black lanky frog-like Cloakbot began to rush toward Marcy when suddenly Frobo appeared between them much to Cloakbot's surprise. As they grappled, Cloakbot tried to access its opponent's mind through their mental network, but found it completely removed from it and inaccessible.
As they fought, Polly cheered on Frobo, and he began to show off his capabilities in the form of eye beams, heated razor claws, and a 'lightning gun' that came out of his palm port. As the four gearheads gushed and cooed at how cool Frobo was, Frobo noticed a problem… he was running out of power. Acknowledging the fact that if he let up his enemy would hurt this family, Frobo apologized, "Sorry Polly. I loved this body, but your safety comes first… goodbye." Polly looked on in horror as Frobo unlocked his head and threw it towards them, his body detonating. When the smoke cleared they saw a mangled Cloakbot with most of its body missing and only a single arm still attached. With its single working eye and while barely remaining 'functional' it retreated, likely to make repairs. From the ground they saw Frobo's head smile at them, "Mission accomplished. Family safe. Sorry Polly."
Polly just hugged him, "Ya, good job Frob's, but did you have to blow yourself up. Now we have to start all over." After a minute Polly sighed, "Well at least you can comment this time. It is your body so you should get a say in how it looks."
Deciding it was late, the I.T. Gals decided to take the girls back home with promises to get to work on Frobo's 2.0 body later. As they all piled into their truck though they couldn't help, but worry if Amity was ok, and why she had suddenly disappeared. The younger duo assured them though that Amity would be fine. She was a Titan after all…
Author's Notes: Ok, I had to rush it a bit toward the end, but it's done (Sorry if it's a bit rougher than normal I only had time for a single pass off editing). Probably no updates for this story for a bit again because it takes a lot out of me, but fear not I've got one more surprise to release on New Years for my Wattpad crew. I hope everyone enjoyed this little end of year gift. On to the actual notes.
So here we have the first signs of Lumity learning from Marcanne, and some more building of the bonds between our heroes, and ya Luz has been channeling her Owl Mom and Aunt a lot during training so getting to finally see Luz being Luz is a big step. Writing the Lumity spar without it getting too steamy was ROUGH, and I made it short for that reason. Having two fourteen year old girls basically 'dirty dancing' with each other would have gotten 'uncomfortable' quickly, but I wanted to show something. Thankfully I was able to keep it 'light'. For the record, summoning the Boiling Rains in the Human realm would be 'big magic' since they would have to manifest it from almost nothing, but it's intermediate in the Demon realm. TLDR they can do it, but… no.
I know Amity getting embarrassed at this point might be odd but she was uncomfortable before they even started so it didn't take much to push her over the edge. As surprise, Luz knows a draining spell after studying how to try to counter Belos's. Also the introduction of Luz's path forward is finally shown as we get the first hints of what she's dealing with. We'll get a better picture next chapter though.
Fun fact: self doubt is eternal, but in all seriousness it doesn't just go away especially when it's been drilled into you for as long as it was in Amity's case. Don't get me wrong, Lumity and Sashannarcy are equal in terms of love to me, but Lumity has been battle tested so from the outside it seems stronger, and canonical one isn't even really in effect yet officially. I can not stress how important the first gift Luz gave Amity is. Teaching her that she DESERVED to be loved and happy was the turning point of her whole character arc.
Calling Alador 'complicated' is an understatement. Yes I have him as heavily Autistic in terms of his ability to socialize, by which I mean he has none, but like Marcy his character is more than that condition, and yes I'm implying Odalia knowingly manipulated and took advantage of Alador and his difficulties. She made him believe she would help him, and then used him like a tool. She is scum, and finding out that Marcy could be going in a similar direction with 'toxic' Sasha… it's something Amity is now aware of, despite Sasha not being that person anymore. Also Amity does not share that trait. She has PTSD from her upbringing. It presents similarly in some respects, but that's like calling soccer and baseball the same thing just because they're sports that involve balls.
OK time to address this. There are distinct signs in Owl House that lead me to believe that Amity could have developed certain 'tendencies' if not for the events that occured. It isn't uncommon for kids under that much stress to start cutting or worse. Add to that the fact that Odalia constantly demeaned her and didn't allow Amity any safe place, not even her own mind, and we have a perfect storm of negative thoughts. I am not glorifying them, but they happen. Amity's story has always been one of showing just how much good one friend/relationship can do to save someone. Life is hard, and showing characters stumble, but not fall is important.
I couldn't help making a Fro-mobile reference, and don't worry Frobo will be up and going again shortly. I just wanted to show his first redesign so nobody feels cheated when he comes back later from off screen.
And with Lumity's status up in the air I'll say… Shine on beautiful readers. Shine on.