Luz didn't know exactly how she got back to the Owl House; her mind seemed shrouded in a veil of fog and her body was moving on its own. Every time she tried to think of something Amity's beautiful lips appeared before her eyes, and she felt her wooden insides twisting and her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. An emotional storm was going on inside her, and every time she tried to understand something about it she felt like she was caught in a hurricane.

Only when she was in front of the door of the Owl House she regained a bit of clarity, and she entered in a not exactly silent way, and in fact she wasn't surprised when Eda popped her head out of the living room and said to her: "Oh, good, you're back! I wasn't expecting that you were doing it so quickly. Did you perhaps run?"

Luz wasn't sure how to respond; in reality she didn't remember it at all. In the end she chose to ignore the question and fall back on something else: "Gus and Willow...?"

"They went to sleep, and so did Matt and King. I prepared some sleeping bags for them, tomorrow I'll think of a better arrangement" Eda answered her, then she raised an eyebrow: "Is everything okay, kiddo? You seem... strange to me"

Luz opened her mouth to respond, but she quickly closed it again. Part of her wanted to talk to Eda about what had happened and get some advice, but another part wanted to take that secret with her to the grave. In the end, knowing that the fairy would have insisted and that she certainly didn't have an innocent expression on her face at that moment, she chose the first option: "Eda... can I talk to you for a moment? Maybe after having something hot to drink?"

Eda nodded. "Of course. Come, let's go to the kitchen"

And so they did; they entered the kitchen and closed the door behind them, and then Eda prepared some herbal tea and handed it to Luz; she offered her to sit, but the puppet wasn't sure if she would be able to keep her balance on a chair, so she preferred to remain standing. Eda waited until Luz drank all the herbal tea, then she asked her: "So, what happened?"

"Um..." Luz had no idea how to even start the . "It's about... Amity"

"Oh... did you argue?" Eda asked her with a regretful voice, even if it seemed strange to her given that the two girls had seemed quite close until less than half an hour before.

"No! No, it's nothing like that. We're on very good terms... I think" Luz was quick to respond. "It's just that... well... how can I explain it... lately Amity has been acting... well... in a strange way..."

"In a strange way, hm?" Eda gave a small smile. "And tell me, does this make you uncomfortable?"

"No! Well... I don't know" Luz replied. "I mean... the attitudes she has now are quite nice... I love the fact that she has become more... well... loose, free, let's say... also enterprising..."

Eda's smile widened. "You really like her, don't you?"

"Huh? Of course, she's a very good friend" Luz replied, even though those words left a bitter taste on her tongue.

"A very good friend, hm? So you think of her like you would think of Willow, or Gus, or any of your other friends?" Eda asked her in such a sarcastic tone of voice that it was clear she already knew the answer.

Luz felt her cheeks heat up and her heart speed up. "Um... yes? GH!" she replied without thinking, but she let out a whimper when she saw her nose grow five centimeters longer. She quickly grabbed her hat and put it in front of her face to hide, trying to appear casual and hoping the fairy hadn't noticed.

Eda, who obviously had totally noticed it (it was such an obvious lie that she would have noticed it even if she were blind), still pretended not to see it: "Okay, I understand. But, if you really like how Amity behaves now, why would that be a problem?"

"It is not a problem! It's just... weird" Luz replied. "I mean... recently I've seen her blush often, and almost always because of something I had said or done... every time I touched her, even by mistake, I felt her breathing quicken... and every now and then it happened that he lost the ability to speak correctly, and personally in those moments I found her adorable... and she was easily embarrassed, in that cute way of hers..."

"And you?" Eda interrupted her. "Have you ever done these things with her?"

Luz blushed even more. "O-Obviously not! Only Amity did it!" she replied, and she gritted her teeth as she saw her nose grow longer with every word she said. "W-Well... maybe it happened to me sometimes too... but I'm not sure... and after that kiss I wanted to..."

"Kiss!?" Eda's eyes seemed to light up. "Did you two kiss? This is interesting"

"No! You misunderstood, I never talked about a kiss!" Luz screamed in a shrill voice, and her nose became so long that she could barely keep it in her big hat. "Pleasepleaseplease, stop growing!" she begged softly.

"Hey, why are you making all this noise?" Willow asked as she entered the kitchen, followed by Gus; judging by their doughy eyes they must have just woken up from the noise Luz was making. Not that it was difficult: with all those shrill screams that would have made an opera singer envious, it was practically impossible not to wake up... if you weren't Matt or King, who wouldn't have woken up even with the cannon shots, and in fact they didn't show up. As soon as Willow saw Luz and the way she was trying to hide her face, a stern look came over her eyes: "Are you lying again!?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Luz tried to say, and of course her nose grew even longer. By now it had become basically impossible for her to hide it, but nevertheless she continued to keep her hat in front of it in the vain hope that no one would notice.

Willow was about to scold her, but Eda said suddenly: "Luz was telling me about how she and Amity kissed"

"WHAT!?" Immediately all severity vanished and both Gus and Willow put on expressions that to describe as interested would be an understatement. "Did you kiss Amity?"

"I didn't kiss Amity, she kissed me!" Luz exclaimed, realizing too late what she had just said. "Um... that is... well... what I meant was that..."

"Luz, stop for a moment" Eda said in a serious tone, bringing the attention back to herself. "Just answer this question honestly: did you dislike it?"

Luz turned so red that even her hair was starting to change color, but she steeled herself and admitted: "No… I didn't dislike at all… and that's what… well, it scares me, I guess..."

"Oh, I know. These things are scary... more than you think" Eda told her. "But tell me, forgetting about the kiss for a moment, what do you think of Amity?"

"What do I think of Amity?" Luz repeated a little confused, then she tried to find an answer; it wasn't easy for her since every time she tried to think about Amity, only that kiss came back to her mind, but she tried not to consider that detail and focus on everything else. "Well... I think Amity is smart, cool, and classy... and she's really cute when she blushes like that and... and that lavender hair of hers is adorable, and I'd love to dip my face in it... and that she's super brave given everything she's going through... and that I love that she's always there ready to support me, and that she believes in my dream, and that she always knows what to say to cheer me up... and when she is with me I felt better and more courageous, even in the worst moments... as if she could somehow watch over me... like... like a cotton candy hair goddess and... and...". With each word her face became less and less confused and more and more shocked, and her eyes got wider and her voice got shriller and more trembling. Finally she paused for a moment, then she whispered: "Oh..."

Eda, Willow, and Gus smiled encouragingly back at her. "I'd say you figured it out on your own" Gus said, clapping his hands. "Luz, welcome to the world of love!"

Luz made a noise so high-pitched that she sounded like a bat. "M-M-Me!? In love!? With... Amity!? No! No, it's not possible! I'm sure you're wrong, there's definitely another explanation, I'm absolutely not in love with Amity, I don't... AAAAGH!"

She didn't even have time to finish her sentence before her nose began to grow so dramatically that she lost her balance and her wooden body fell to the floor. Luz backed away quickly, crawling across the floor until she reached the wall, but her nose continued to grow so much that it spanned the entire kitchen; luckily Willow was quick enough to open the window, otherwise she would have broken the glass. Her nose didn't stop until it was at least three meters outside said window. "NO! PLEASE! NOT AGAIN!" Luz screamed, tears already forming in her eyes. "HOOTY! HELP!"

"Ugh... what's going on?" the owl murmured, peeking into the kitchen, but as soon as he noticed her long nose his gaze became furious: "Ah, no, that's enough! I refuse to do it this time! Help yourself on your own!"

"Hooty, please!" Luz begged. "It's not fair! This time I didn't say any..."

"Luz, I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you" Eda warned her.

Luz fell silent, and then she hid her face in her hands. "Don't... don't look at me, please" she whispered, and then she started sobbing.

Eda approached her and knelt beside her, and she moved her hands away from her face despite the puppet's resistance. "Luz, you don't have to be ashamed of these things. Being afraid of your feelings is normal" she told her.

"Yeah! Don't you remember how Willow was with Hunter the first few times?" Gus exclaimed, receiving a punch in the stomach from his friend which made him fall to the ground in pain.

Luz let out a sob. "I... I don't know what to do... it's all so... strange and confusing... and scary too!" she confessed. "I... If I'm in love with Amity, what should I do? How should I behave? What should I say to her? And did she expect my reaction after that kiss? What if I was wrong? What if..."

"Hey, hey, slow down" Eda said to her, then she giggled: "You are really in love, huh?"

Luz let out a shudder and shrugged. She wanted to turn away, but her long nose prevented her from even moving her head. "I didn't realize that" she whispered. "I saw that there was something strange... I knew that Amity wasn't a friend like all the others, and that I felt something stronger for her, but I still tried to ignore it... and then she continued to support me, and she always gave me courage, even in bad moments, and I realized that I wanted to see her always smile... she was like an angel whose smile gave me light when I was sad... and then Skara helped me to understand talking about how she felt about Boscha, and I felt it was very familiar... and then again tonight she helped me make the right choice with that lamp, and she made me a promise that I'm sure she'll keep even though I don't know why, and then... and then she kissed me on the cheek and..."

"Oh, it was on the cheek? Damn, I was hoping it was on the lips" Gus muttered, but he shut up as soon as Willow glared at him.

Luz gave no sign of having heard him. "It's all so... new. I can't think, I can't figure out what to do. I feel like I'm in the middle of a terrifying situation, and yet at the same time I like it... I feel so... lost"

"It's normal, Luz. It happens when you're in love" Eda told her. "Trust me, the first time I realized I was in love with Raine I ran away from my home... for half an hour, then I came back because I forgot to bring some supplies with me, and my mother gave me a long speech like I'm doing to you... even though afterwards she gave me a few slaps too for going out through the window in the middle of the night"

Despite the situation, Luz still giggled at the fairy's words. "It must not have been a good time"

"Nah, my mother was good with words. She gave me the courage I needed. The pain on the back of my neck only served to remind me that it's not nice to try to run away from home" Eda replied with a small grin, then she added with more seriousness: "Luz, you don't have to be embarrassed about these feelings, and you don't need to hide them from us. And you certainly don't have to tell so many lies that your nose sticks out the window"

"Yeah. We're on your side, Luz" Willow said with an encouraging smile. "It's in times like this that friends are needed, right?"

"That's right. Despite we'll probably tease you at least a little… we did it with Willow after all, it would be unfair not to do it with you too" Gus told her, and Willow looked like she was about to throw another punch to him.

Luz giggled again, and a smile finally formed on her face. "Thanks, guys… you are the best". Then she asked with a little fear in the voice: "What should I do now?"

"Only you can decide this" Eda replied. "What do you want to do?"

"Well... I don't know" Luz said truthfully. "I don't think I understand..."

"Oh, come on, it's easy!" Gus exclaimed in exasperation. "Did you like that kiss?"

"Huh? I already said yes..." Luz replied.

"And would you like to be able to reciprocate, maybe experience several more, and maybe this time have one on your lips instead of your cheek?" Willow added.

Luz bit her tongue and turned red at the prospect, and she felt the urge to deny again, but she forced herself to remain sincere: "Yes..."

"So you already know what you want to do, right?" Eda concluded with a broad smile.

Luz's eyes trembled. "Ask to go out with her? Is that what you mean? Yes, I would, but... how do I do it?" she whispered. "I mean... Amity is on a whole other level than me. She's an amazing girl, smart, brave, strong, proud, intelligent... and I'm none of those things. I'm not even a real girl, I'm just a puppet... how can I date her?"

Both Eda, Gus and Willow seemed to want to say something to her, but Hooty was the one who spoke first: "Luz, can I say a word?"

The puppet was a little surprised; it was the first time since the beginning of that conversation that the owl had spoken, and he seemed more serious than usual. "Uh... okay, I'm listening"

Hooty walked up to her, and she looked her straight in the eyes: "Luz, when a person is in love with another, they must love everything about that person, including the flaws... or what the other person deems to be flaws. Tell me, has Amity had any problems until now that the person she had a crush on was an exuberant puppet, excessively inclined to speak and act before thinking, and with a marked ability to get into trouble?"

Luz felt quite offended by that description of her, but she couldn't deny that it wasn't absolutely accurate. "Well... no, I don't think so..."

"And you really think Amity is foolish enough to kiss someone without loving them in their entirety? Do you think she would have kissed you anyway if she only knew you superficially, or if she didn't appreciate certain traits about you?" Hooty asked her again. "Do you think she would be so blind that she wouldn't see every part of you, and would have kissed you anyway if she didn't love all of them?"

"What? No! Amity would never do that!" Luz immediately exclaimed. It took her a few seconds to put the pieces together and figure out what the owl meant. "Oh..."

"Yeah. So stop making excuses. Amity loves you and she proved it tonight; if you feel the same way too, be brave and tell her" Hooty told her satisfied.

"Trust me, kiddo, it's worth it" Eda said. "Love is always scary at first... but what comes next totally makes that fear totally worthy"

"Yeah. Trust me, being in love with someone is great... and dating them is even better" Willow confirmed.

"Sorry, but how do you know it? You've never went out with Hunter" Gus pointed out.

"Of course I went out with him!" Willow protested.

"Yes, but did he know it was a date or did you forget to tell him that detail?" Gus asked her, and the only response he got was another punch in the stomach.

Luz burst out laughing. Even though she still had many thoughts in her head, her heart felt decidedly lighter. "Thanks, guys. And... thanks, Hooty. You're wise sometimes"

"Eh eh! Modestly" the owl replied twisting his neck in a clear sign of satisfaction. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I think I'll take your advice. I'll ask her out… let's try this thing" Luz replied.

"Excellent! That's what you have to do!" Hooty exclaimed happily. "You'll see, everything will be fine! You and that girl are adorable, and I'm sure you'll achieve nothing but happiness together!"

Luz blushed slightly and smiled back, then her expression darkened and her eyes trembled slightly, "Can... can you please make my nose go back to the size it was before now?"

The owl's jovial expression was immediately replaced by an annoyed one. "I told you no! Don't count on my help today. I warned you last time!"

"Hooty, please!" Luz begged, clasping her hands together as if praying. "With this nose I will never have the courage to let Amity see me!"

"It's not my problem! You wanted to be a liar, now pay the price!" Hooty responded without the slightest hint of compassion. "You brought this misfortune on yourself, now you find a way to..."

"Hooty" Eda stopped him. "This is no time for sermons. Poor Luz, take that horrible nose away from her"

Hooty was clearly annoyed, but he didn't object to his mistress's order. "Sgrunt! Fine. But in my opinion you are too lenient with her, Eda. I don't think it would have hurt her to be left like that at least for an hour or two, in this way perhaps she would have finally kicked this bad habit!"

But despite the obvious irritation, the owl still got to work and started pecking Luz's nose, although he did it more slowly than usual as if he wanted to leave her in that state for as long as possible. In any case, in the end Luz's nose was completely restored to normal size; as soon as Hooty stopped pecking it, Luz touched it several times and then asked: "Did you get the measurements right? If I have to ask Amity out I want my nose exactly as it was before!"

Hooty gave her a rather dirty look. "No, please, miss, go ahead and make other requests! I'll even bring you a coffee while I'm busy at serving you!" he grumbled, making her lower her head in shame, but then he added anyway: "Anyway, yes, it's exactly the same as before"

Luz breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the owl by the neck, thanking him in at least ten different ways, and Hooty seemed a little less angry, but still retreated to the door of the house warning everyone not to disturb him again that night, and that if Luz told a lie again she would have to deal with it on her own. "I think I'll talk to Amity tomorrow" the puppet finally decided. "When we all get to the beach... I'll tell you what I fell"

"Sounds like a good idea to me" Eda told her.

"Yeah. And in case you need a hand, just give a shout and we'll be there to help you" Willow stated with a small fist on her shoulder, and Gus nodded at those words.

Luz smiled tenderly, but then she said: "Thanks, guys, but... don't worry about me, just think about having fun tomorrow"

"Uh, so you want to be alone with her right from the start? You are really enterprising" Gus said with a wink of his eyes, making Willow giggle.

Luz blushed visibly: "It's not because of that! It's just that... I have to do this thing alone. It's right that I solve my problems on my own... and face my fears... and maybe try to reciprocate that kiss... and maybe sink my hands into that magnificent colored hair... ARGH!" The puppet seemed to realize only then what she was saying and put a hand over her mouth in embarrassment.

Such action just made her friends smile more. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Come on, let's go to sleep now" they told her, and they dragged her into the room. As soon as her wooden body rested on the bed, Luz felt all the accumulated tiredness fall on her and although she was trying to resist thinking about what to say to Amity the next day she sank into the world of dreams within a few seconds.

Just as in canon it is thanks to Hooty that Luz and Amity get together, here he is the one who gives her the right advice to understand her feelings and take courage