A/N: Just so it's clear, this does not a mean a full year has passed in the Demon Realm.
From what I understand their calendar year is possibly longer than ours, so this isn't a year end event, just a holiday that's either in the middle of or close to the end of their year.
Also, special thanks to Dr. Exposition for the workshopping names for this holiday!
Luz returned from her adventure in the alternate Demon Realm. A place that was taken over by a Dark Rider named Oscura and made a lot of people suffer under her rule. Most of the people she knew, her friends in particular, were part of a rebellion, and Amity had turned into an assassin. Although, despite everything that did happen, Luz didn't tell everyone all the details regarding that adventure. She did mention the reappearance of Anne Boonchuy, the human friend she made when she was sucked into the world of Amphibia.
"Oh…you met her, again," said Amity with a slight hitch in her voice.
"Yeah, it's been months since I've seen her, but…our reunion hit a bit of a snag and we ended up fighting when we saw each other. Let me tell ya, she's gotten a lot stronger since the last time I saw her. She's got her Super and Final Forms already, and they're so cool," said Anne.
Amity's left eye twitched a bit as she listened to Luz go on about this Anne girl. A fact that did not go unnoticed by Willow or Eda. It wasn't like she was jealous or anything, Amity was genuinely happy that Luz made some human friends, considering how she had none back in the Human Realm. And it sounded like her Anne got along just so well. Especially after the first time she read about it through Gus' "fanfic" about Witch, only to later on discover that Luz was Witch, and the human girls it spoke about in the story were real as well as their interactions.
Willow moved close to Amity and patted her on the shoulder as she said, "Just breathe and release, Amity."
"So, what else happened?!" Gus asked.
"Oh, well…after we fought, Oscura appeared and revealed she set the whole thing up. She took part of Anne's power, and after she took me back to her palace, we talked. She was trying to make me doubt myself, and she kind of succeeded, and before she sent me away, she took my Wonder ring so I couldn't transform into my Final Form. Eventually I made it to the Owl House of that world and got taken to the resistance where I reunited with Anne and that world's versions of you guys," said Luz.
"Was I buff?! Did I have a cool beard?!" Gus asked again.
"I bet I was way taller, and more fearsome than ever," said King.
Luz chuckled as she said, "Actually, it wasn't like I was flung into the far distant future, more like present time, but with an altered timeline. So, everyone was pretty much the same age." The Latina gripped her hands as she recalled her time alone with Anne. "Anne and I managed to catch up after all this time and…"
The others noticed how solemn Luz was looking and began to worry.
"Luz, what's wrong, kid?" Eda asked.
"Sorry, it's just what Anne told me what happened after I left is still hard to grasp."
Luz told everyone about what happened to Anne Boonchuy after Luz returned to the Boiling Isles during their first meeting all those months ago. To say everyone was shocked would be an understatement. Amity scooted closer to Luz on the couch and wrapped her arms around her lover, trying to comfort her as Luz told them about how Marcy, Anne's lover, was killed in front of her, and that the fate of her other friend/ex-lover, Sasha, was unknown.
"Anne's working hard to get back to Amphibia and stop the invasion that's coming to Earth. If we're really from the same Human Realm, then that invasion is going to affect us both," said Luz.
"Well, I guess we need to start working harder on getting you back to the Human Realm," said Willow.
Luz nodded and continued her story, leading up to the final battle that pitted her and Anne against Oscura. The Latina painted a grand picture with her words of the fierce battle, and how she and Anne met the King of all Kamen Riders. Gus was particularly interested in that, especially when she told him how Zi-O summoned an army of Riders to clear the way for them to the castle. The young witch boy was jotting everything down so fast that the paper was almost was about to catch on fire. Then the fight with Oscura occurred, it was hard to tell this fight as she really didn't want to tell them that the ultimate evil of that world was really herself, so, the best she could, she reworked events and managed to wrap it up with the acquisition of the Twilight Style ring, and the defeat of Oscura.
"And then Mr. Tsukasa showed up and took us back to where we should be," said Luz.
Eda crossed her arms scoffed at that part. "If this guy can hop around dimensions so easily, then why the heck doesn't he just take you back home? Or, I don't know, give ya a hand with making the portal door work?"
Luz raised her right index finger up and said, "'Every Rider has their journey that they need to complete'. That's what Mr. Tsukasa told me when we met the first time. And basically, it means that him or other Riders helping us out on our own individual missions wouldn't allow us to grow both as a Rider and as a person. I can understand why, even if it is a bit frustrating knowing he could get me back easily. Anyway, take a look at my Twilight Style ring."
The Latina took out the ring in question and showed it off to the others. Gus, Willow, King, Eda, and Amity huddled around the new transformation item, still in awe at how powerful this one ring made Luz while fighting Oscura.
"Guess your Wonder Style has its flaws. Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness," said Amity.
"Found that out the hard way. But at least I have this to fall back on if that happens, but I doubt it," said Luz as she put the ring away. "Anyway, I'm going to head upstairs and get some rest, this whole thing was emotionally and physically exhausting from start to finish."
"Go on up, you've definitely earned a long nap after all that," said King.
Luz got up, petted King on the head, and walked upstairs to her room. She was still dressed in her WATs resistance outfit, a little souvenir from her time there, and also as a reminder. When Luz got to her room, she closed the door and slumped against it. So much happened in that alternate world, all because of one event that spiraled into one tragic event after the other. Literally, one bad day caused all that damage, and by her hands. Well, another version of herself, but still her.
"I can't let that happen to me…I can't become her. I'll make sure they know how much I care about them so that this never happens again…
Eda awoke that morning with a yawn and cracking of her back. She hopped out of her nest and went to her dresser to pop a bottle of elixir before going on about the rest of her morning routine. As she approached her dresser and pulled out said bottle, Eda noticed the calendar and smirked when she realized the date.
"Huh, wow, didn't know it was almost that time of the year," said Eda.
The Owl Lady popped open the cork and chugged the elixir in one gulp.
"Blgh! Years later and I still can't ever get used to this taste."
After doing that, Eda walked to the bedroom door to go down and get her morning cup of hard Apple Blood but jumped in surprise when she saw Luz standing there.
"Luz?! Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack and made the Owl Beast come out!" Eda exclaimed.
"Good morning, Eda!" Luz greeted.
Eda rolled her eyes and then smiled down at her ward as she replied, "Mornin', kiddo. Now, scooch back, mama needs her–"
"Apple Blood!" Luz quickly produced a mug of the bad smelling liquid that Eda liked to drink so much.
The Owl Lady blinked. "Uh, yeah. Thanks, Luz."
"I also cleaned Hooty, took out the trash, cleaned Hooty, and made breakfast for you and King! It's waiting downstairs! Oh, shoot! I should've just brought it up to your room instead!" Luz chastised.
"Uh…no…It's alright. Let's head down. Also, you said you cleaned Hooty twice."
Luz deadpanned. "He wouldn't stop rolling in the dirt."
"I'm filthy!" Hooty exclaimed from outside.
"Coming, Hooty!" Luz happily replied as she turned to leave. "Just head into the kitchen and help yourself!"
Before Eda could inquire further, Luz ran down the hallway and down the stairs. The Owl Lady was confused, to say the least. But she shrugged it off and drank her Apple Blood as she headed downstairs and entered the kitchen. It was there she spotted King, who was in his highchair, wolfing down a plate of food. And from what she could see, Luz had put out a spread all along the island countertop.
"Whoa…"
"Eda! Luz made us a feast fit for a king! Eat up!" King exclaimed.
Eda turned her head towards the living room and watched as Luz was busy wrangling Hooty as he wiggled up and down, with Luz hanging on for dear life as she tried to clean the house demon. And then she looked back at the buffet and deadpanned.
"Yeah, something's up," said Eda. "But first, food."
Eda pulled up a chair and started eating. As she did, she looked over at King and asked, "Is Luz acting stranger than usual to you?"
After swallowing his meal, King replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Although she did greet me as the King of Demons, and bowed to me as she carried me, in a royal, dignified way, to my chair and filled my plate before coming to get you."
"Wait, you're saying she already prepared this before either of us were up?" Eda asked.
"Guess so, but it must've not been that long ago, because it's still nice and warm!"
The front door closed, and Luz huffed as she entered the kitchen. "Okay, so, Hooty is clean for the third time. Oh, Eda, are you low on Apple Blood! One sec!"
Before Eda could say anything, Luz rushed to the fridge and pulled out the bottle of Apple Blood. She then zipped over to Eda and topped off her mug.
"There you go!" Luz chirped happily.
"Uh, thanks." Eda took a sip while eyeing the human girl. "You feelin' alright today, Luz."
Luz looked back at Eda with a smiling face and said, "Of course! I just want to show you guys how much I appreciate you!"
"Okay…Well, anyway, I wanted to let you guys know that in a few days it will be Krampmus Day," Eda announced
"Wow! Almost forgot it was almost Krampmus!" King exclaimed.
Luz blinked. "Um, what's 'Krampmus' and why does it sound suspiciously close to my human holiday of Christmas?"
Eda sipped from her mug again before responding. "Krampmus is a holiday that dates back to the Savage Ages. It's actually one of the few holidays that Belos allows us all to celebrate from those times. Once a year, families on the Boiling Isles come together and celebrate the joy of Krampmus, where we forget about our petty little squabbles and relish in the joy of family, friendship, and love."
"Awwwwww~" Luz gushed. "It's just like Christmas back home! You mean I'll get to celebrate Christmas on the Boiling Isles?!"
The Latina paused for a moment as she thought about something.
"Hold up, what's the catch?" Luz asked.
"What do you mean?" King asked back.
"When it comes to the Boiling Isles, no offense, but it feels like there's always a dark twist to everything you guys do that even slightly mirrors what my world does. So, what's the dark edge to Krampmus?"
"Nothing. We go out and find a Krampmus tree. Have a Krampmus feast. And sing a few songs here and there, and come Krampmus morning we open gifts," Eda explained.
Luz was still waiting for the shoe to drop. "So far it sounds almost exactly like Christmas from my world. Great! So, do we leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus?!"
Eda and King looked at each other and asked, "Who's that?"
"Santa Claus. You know, wears a red and white suit, has a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly when he laughs. Flies around in his magic sleigh pulled by eight magical reindeer as he delivers toys to all the good boys and girls of the world, and gives lumps of coal to the naughty kids," said Luz.
"Ooooh! You mean Krampus!" Eda and King said at the same time.
Luz's eye twitched. Being the fan of myth and fantasy as she was, she was very aware of the one known as the antithesis of Santa Claus, his archenemy, Krampus. If anything, he was Santa to the extreme. He would give presents, but if you were a bad kid, he would throw you in his sack and whisk you away to be punished for your bad deeds. Sometimes to never be heard from again.
"Y-You mean Krampus is real?! And he's here in the Demon Realm?!…I don't know why that surprises me?"
"Yep, no one knows where he goes every year after he's done delivering presents, but he only comes during Krampmus Eve night, and you had better be good, at least leading up to Krampmus Day," said Eda.
"Otherwise, he'll throw you into his sack and take you to his secret lair to punish you," said King.
Luz gulped. "Oh, uh, okay. B-But he brings them back, right? He doesn't keep them forever?"
"Nah, he'll keeps them for a couple of weeks and then they'll just suddenly reappear back in their rooms."
Luz was starting to get a little nervous for some reason. "So, um, h-how does Krampus tell if you've been bad or good?"
Eda smirked as she said, "Some say he uses magic long since forgotten from the Savage Ages, or even further back than that. Some also think that Krampus might be a Titan from a long time ago, who sacrificed his enormous height for magical power to see the good and evil of the world. Really, no one knows, but it has been said that Krampus not only takes into account what you do leading up to his day, but sometimes what you've done in the past and what you may do in the future."
Something shattered on the floor, and when Eda looked she saw that Luz was holding a plate, but had lost her grip on it. Luz panicked when she saw this and quickly went down on her knees to clean it up. "S-Sorry, Eda! I'll clean it up and replace it after school later!"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Luz. If there's one person on this whole island who doesn't need to worry about Krampus, it's you," said Eda.
"Seriously, you've helped everyone on the Boiling Isles as Witch! You've saved everyone's lives! Heck, even before that you were way good! So, what Eda said, you're safe," King added.
Luz didn't seem to share the sentiment.
"Maybe you should skip school today, kiddo. I told them you had a bad case of the Common Mold. Thankfully Bumpy-poo bought it considering you're a human and he wasn't sure how it'd affect you," said Eda.
Luz shook her head at the notion. "No! No! I'm fine, Eda! Really! Oops! I should get ready!"
Eda watched Luz run out of the kitchen, and listened as she ascended the stairs.
"Something ain't right here."
Gus, Willow, and Skara were waiting at the front of Hexside, they heard the Luz was coming to school today, but Gus and Willow were not sure if that was a good idea considering all the stuff, she went through back in the Alternate Boiling Isles.
"Hope Luz is feeling better. I know the Common Mold isn't anything serious when it comes to us, but she's human. And she's been gone for like three days now," said Skara.
"Don't worry, Skara. She's gotten better, she even told us that she'd come today," said Willow as she gave her girlfriend a light peck on the cheek.
"By the way, how's that new book you're writing for the Kamen Rider Club?" Skara asked.
"Oh-ho-ho! So good! It's going to be epic when I'm done with it! Luz gave me some ideas before she got sick, and after she got better, she gave me a few more details so I'm writing like a madman!" Gus exclaimed.
Willow leaned close to Skara and said, "Mr. Porter had to use sleeping needles to make him stop since he had school today."
Skara giggled as she could totally see Gus doing that.
"HEY GUYS!"
The trio watched as Luz came running up the stone pathway, and in her arms she was carrying an assortment of goods. The Latina walked up to her friends and smiled as she panted.
"Sorry, I'm running a little late! I had to go and find you guys a little something since just found out it was almost…Krampmus," said Luz, still not entirely sold on this holiday yet.
"Oh yeah! I can't wait! Say, what 'cha got there, Luz?" Skara asked.
Luz quickly dispensed her goods. "I got a little something for you. Gus! I jotted down a lot of additional notes for you because I figured you might need some references or might not remember everything."
"Seriously?! Luz you're the best!" Gus exclaimed as he happily took the notes.
She then went to Willow. "For Willow, it took me a minute – and some other means – but I found that Swizzle Wood seed that you wanted to try and grow!"
Willow gasped. "No way! Those are so hard to find! H-How did you do it?!"
"Shh, it's a secret," Luz whispered. "And for Skara. Boom!"
Luz brought out an MP3 player that she managed to get working.
"I made copies of all my anime and Kamen Rider music files and downloaded them into this little player. I'll show you how to use it later, but now you can listen to it whenever you want!"
Now it was Skara's turn to gasp, squealing excitedly as she happily took the item in her hand and danced around in place. "Luz this is amazing! I wanted to ask you if I could listen to more of your human music, but I didn't want to bother you! Thank you!"
"No problem, that's what friends do, Skara," said Luz.
"Luz!"
The Latina looked up and watched as Amity came flying in from around the corner of the school and floated gently to the ground. Once there, Amity brought her girlfriend into a hug.
"Sorry, I had to help out Mr. Hermoculus set up for a presentation in class today," said Amity.
"Ah, no problem hermosa! Oh! Got something for you, too!" Luz exclaimed.
"Wait, what? For me?" Amity questioned.
"Luz has turned into Krampus or something today," said Skara.
Luz turned her back to the group as she seemed to fiddle with something out of sight. Then she turned around and struck a pose as she showed off a ribbon pinned to her shirt. "Ta-da~! I'm your present! Today, I'll do whatever I can to make you happy, Amity!"
Amity blushed but smiled as she said, "Luz, you don't have to anything like that. I love just having you around."
Luz shook her head. "Nope! Today, Amity Blight, I, Luz Noceda, shall personally attend to all of my awesome girlfriend's wants and needs! Call me Maid Luz for today if you want!"
Amity's eye left eye twitched the moment Luz uttered those words. Her mind flashed an image of Luz in a cute maid outfit for a moment, and she nearly had a nosebleed as her face turned a bright shade of red. It didn't help any that Skara scooted closer to Amity and poked her in the side as she smirked at her friend.
"Thinking something a little naughty, didn't ya Ams?" Skara teased.
"I DID NOT!" Amity shook her head of totally innocent thoughts in her head and replied, "Luz, you really don't have to."
"Nope, made up my mind! I know I can't be there all the time, but for the classes we have together, I want to help you out as much as possible! So, let's get you to class!"
Luz ran up the stairs to the doors of the school and waited happily for her friends to come and join her.
"Does anyone else feel like Luz is going a bit…overboard?" Amity asked.
"Maybe a bit?" Willow agreed.
"She did go through a lot these past three days, so maybe she's overcompensating a bit?" Gus pondered.
"Wow, the Common Mold really hit Luz hard, huh? Did she, like, nearly die or something? 'Cause she's kinda acting like someone who survived a near death experience," Skara questioned.
Amity, Gus, and Willow glanced her asked in unison, "What makes you say that?!"
"Well, she's more chipper than usual, and she's trying really hard to show how much she cares about us. Kinda the stuff that happens when someone almost kicks the bucket." Skara glanced at Willow and asked, "Did she? You can tell me if she did, I don't want anything bad happening to Luz either."
Willow put on a smile and said, "N-No, she didn't. I promise. I think she may've had a bad fever dream at some point and it might've rattled her a bit."
"Oh, okay, if you say so."
What started out as some simple gestures of goodwill and appreciation, slowly started to spiral into some over the top things. Luz's gestures were okay, at first, but over the last six days they were escalating to the ridiculous. It was the day before Krampmus Eve, and all the schools would be closed starting tomorrow until next week. But for the two witches currently sitting at the lunch table, they looked exhausted and ready for the long weekend.
Skara walked over to the usual table and saw her girlfriend and Gus but worn out. "Hey, you guys okay? You look a little tired."
"Hey, Skara…y-yeah, something like that," said Willow.
"What happened?"
"Luz. Luz has been happening," Gus answered.
Skara sat down as a confused expression befell her face. "Not quite following."
"Do you remember when she came back, she gave us presents?" Willow asked.
Skara nodded.
"Yeah, well, she hasn't stopped. It was the presents, first. Then she started to do everything she could to help us!" Gus exclaimed.
"Okay, now I'm really confused. Isn't that, like, Luz's thing? Helping her friend out," said Kara.
"For example, the day before yesterday, we were in the Plant Track homeroom and…"
~!~
Willow was given the assignment to water the plants in the greenhouse, it wasn't a task she disliked, as she was able to spend time with her plant friends. However, she was a little disappointed that she wasn't going to meet up with Skara.
"Oh well, she'll understand," said Willow as she grabbed the canteen.
Just then the door to the greenhouse was kicked open, and out of the door Luz burst into the greenhouse. The human girl ran up to her best friend with wide eyes and exclaimed, "Hey Willow! I heard from Skara you had to cancel your date with Skara!"
"Oh, well, yes, I did. But it's okay, Skara said she understands," said Willow.
"Nuh-uh! I'm not letting my best friend miss out on a date! Leave it to me!"
Luz stepped away from Willow and took out the Fire Glyph and Ice Glyph papers. She then tapped into her mana and infused it into the two papers as they glowed bright.
"Luz what are you–?!"
"Rainstorm combo! GO!"
Luz slapped the two glyph papers together.
Outside of the greenhouse, and explosion could be heard. And a few seconds after, the door to the greenhouse burst open, again, as a deluge of water came spilling out of it. Luz and Willow came out with the water, floating on it until they were deposited onto the ground, both soaking wet.
~!~
"Ooooh, so that's why you were soaking wet you met up with me," said Skara.
"And that was just one incident, she spent all that day helping me and it did not go as well as she had hoped," said Willow.
"Then yesterday came and, well…it was my turn," Gus spoke.
~!~
"Thanks for drawing out illustrations for my latest fic about Witch, Luz. I know it's a little weird to have you do this, since, you know, you actually had this stuff happen to you," said Gus.
Luz was busy drawing up the pictures of her Rider character, the alternate versions of her friends from the Alternate Demon Realm. "It's no problem! I mean, I was there. So, who better than me to draw them!"
Gus put the finishing touches on as he typed, but he did notice that Luz had a strange look on her face as she drew the main villain of the story. She drew several different iterations of the character, some of which she crumbled up, tore up, and threw away.
"You okay, Luz?" Gus asked.
"Oh – uh – yeah! Sorry. It's taking me a minute to get Oscura's character right! Trying to convey her evilness is not as easy as it looks!"
"You don't have to push yourself to draw that character right now. I'm not going to publish this for a bit, so you take your time on it."
Luz's eyes lowered back to the blank paper as she said, "Thanks, Gus. But at least I finished the drawings for Anne, me, and the rest of you guys from that world."
"Yep, and this 'Anne' girl, I like her Rider form, and…uh…Luz, what happened to the drawings?"
Luz's eyebrow rose as she looked at Gus. "What do you mean? They're over there on the table."
"Yeah, the paper is there, but the characters on them are not," Gus clarified.
The Latina looked across to the other table and saw what Gus was talking about. The illustrations she drew were no longer there, it was as if they had been neatly cut out without either of them noticing. Luz got a bad feeling about this and looked at the pencil she was using to draw them with, and that's when her eyes went wide.
"Uh-oh…"
"Luz, what do you mean by 'uh-oh'?" Gus asked nervously.
"Um…t-turns out I was not paying attention, and I maaaaaaay've…used a cursed pencil that brings the drawings to life!"
"WHAT?!"
Suddenly, the character drawings that Luz did sprang up out of nowhere and began ransacking the room, some of which grabbed scissors and were coming straight for the duo.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
"AAAAAAAH!"
~!~
"I can never forget, nor should I ever forget, the atrocities I committed in getting rid of those things," said Gus with a hollow voice.
Skara winced as she said, "Oooh, that sounds rough. But it sounds like she's just trying to show how much she cares about you guys."
Gus let out a sigh as he said, "We get that, but…"
"It's starting to be a little much," Willow finished.
"By the way, where's Amity?"
As if on cue, the lilac haired witch plopped down next to Skara, her face bright red for some reason.
"Um, Ams, you okay?" Skara asked.
"I…I don't know. But there's definitely something going on with Luz!" Amity exclaimed.
Gus and Willow turned to Amity, concerned as to what she might be speaking of.
"What did Luz do?" Willow and Gus asked.
"Yesterday…after school…"
~!~
Amity was a little disappointed that she had to stay after school, the extra credit work wasn't bad, but she was hoping to spend some more time with Luz. Now that there weren't anymore Phantoms to worry about, and hopefully there weren't going to be any mysterious portals opening up to snatch her away, she was looking forward to spending more time with her girlfriend. Heck, they haven't even had a proper date since they became a couple.
"Maybe I should call her later? Maybe get an idea of what she might want as a Krampmus Day gift?" Amity thought aloud.
Amity landed in her front yard and dismissed Ghost before walking up to the front door of her home. Although when she did, Amity immediately closed it.
"What did I just see…? No, no. I must seeing things. That's it."
The witchling reopened the door and paused.
There, just a couple of feet from the door, was Luz. Although, she was not dressed in her usual casual attire nor her school attire. Instead, the Latina was dressed in a black vest with a white, sleeveless shirt underneath, and a black bowtie. A black, pleated skirt with white ruffles around the edge, and an apron tied around the front of it, with the straps tied into a cute bow in the back. Her arms had white gloves that reached up to her biceps, and her legs had black stockings, along with a pair of white shoes.
The Latina before her gave a slight bow to Amity and said, "Welcome home, Mistress Amity!"
"…Okay, it's official. I need to cut back on the extra credit work. I'm hallucinating Luz in a butler/maid outfit."
"Um, you're not hallucinating. I really am in a butler-maid outfit," Luz corrected.
"Ah. I see. In that case…" Amity took a deep breath, "WHY ARE YOU DRESSED LIKE THAT?! AND WHY ARE YOU DRESSED LIKE THAT IN MY HOUSE, LUZ?!"
Luz struck a pose and said, "For the rest of the afternoon and night, I, Luz Noceda, will be my awesome girlfriend's butler-maid! Ask for anything, and I'll get it for you! Anything you want me to do, I will gladly do it my Mistress!"
Amity didn't know what to say to that, she honestly didn't. Seeing Luz like this was making her face heat up and putting all kinds of thoughts in her mind that she wasn't sure she was ready to think about regarding the two of them.
"Luz?"
The young witch girl flinched, she turned her head to look over her shoulder, and that's when she saw her brother and sister standing behind her with a shocked expression mirrored on each other's faces.
"Woah, Mittens, I didn't think you and Luz were that far ahead in your relationship," said Edric.
"Gotta admit, though, loving that outfit. You got yourself a good one, little sis," Emira teased.
And as if that didn't make things worse, her mother happened to stroll on by and see Luz in said outfit. Although, her reaction was not what she was expecting it to be.
"Oh, what have we here?" Odalia looked Luz up and down and…nodded with approval. "Not a conventional servant's attire, but considering the subject, it's strangely suits her. Nicely done, Mittens. A human personal servant is unique and rare. Provided she's properly trained, she'll be quite the thing to show off to others."
Amity's face was now both red out of embarrassment and anger as she yelled at the top of her lungs, "AAAAAAAAHHHH!"
~!~
"I immediately sent her back to the Owl House, but not before changing out of that outfit. Titan, I did NOT want anyone else seeing her like that! And how dare my Mom think I bought Luz and made her my servant like she was just some object! I was both embarrassed and angry at the same time," said Amity.
Skara was blushing, Willow was blushing, and Gus was not blushing as he tilted his head to the side.
"I don't get it. What's so bad about Luz being dressed up as a butler-maid?" Gus asked.
Amity drew a spell circle and summoned her scroll. She flipped through her pictures and then floated the scroll to Gus. Skara and Willow huddled around him and that's when they saw the outfit that Luz was wearing. Now Gus was blushing.
"Ooookay, y-yeah, I can see what you mean," said Gus as he quickly floated the scroll back to Amity.
Skara lightly elbowed Amity as she teased, "Blight, didn't know you and Luz were into that kind of stuff. You're getting ahead of me and Willow."
"Skara!" Willow groused.
"I didn't plan that! I didn't ask her to do that! She just showed up at my house and was like that! I swear!" Amity defended. "How she managed to get inside without Mom noticing is another story?"
Although I have a good idea of how she did it.
"Says the girl who has a pic of your girlfriend in said outfit," Skara teased again.
"I just…I…don't judge me, Skara! A-Anyway, I think Luz is going overboard with all this," said Amity.
"Join the club," Gus and Willow moaned.
"Maybe you guys should talk to her or something? And possibly soon before it's my turn."
"Hey guys!"
"AAAAH!" the four went before realizing they screamed and went back to acting casual.
"Oh, hi Luz, what's up?" Willow asked.
"Ta-da~!" Luz pulled out four letters and handed them to each of her friends. "I'm inviting you all to the Owl House for a Krampmus Eve party!" Luz announced.
Willow, Gus, and Amity glanced between themselves, looking a bit worried about this. But that's when Skara handed back her invitation, much to Luz's disappointment.
"Sorry, Luz, but my family is actually going on vacation to Palm Stings for the holiday break. It does kinda suck. I wanted to spend time with Willow," said Skara.
"Oh, well, that's okay! Family's important Skara, and I hope you have fun! Guess it's just us four for the party!"
Willow shot her girlfriend a look that translated to, "How dare you leave me to suffer alone". Skara looked back at Willow and shot her an apologetic expression. The Plant witch knew about the vacation, but it still stung that her girlfriend was going to leave her to go through whatever Luz had planned.
"Party starts promptly at five! And don't worry! I'll be hosting and serving, so you guys don't have to lift a finger!" Luz stated.
"Heh-heh…greeeeeeaat…!"
"Sounds…awesome…!"
"I'm excited to have been invited to this wonderful celebration…!"
That's what they said, but what they were thinking was different.
Something's going to explode.
Someone's probably going to get eaten…probably me.
Please don't wear any thought-provoking outfits!
"Oh, Titan help me…" Amity moaned.
"Ta-da~! The return of Butler-Maid Luz!"
Indeed, when Amity, Gus, and Willow arrived the next day, Luz was there, in her Butler-Maid outfit. There was a banner hanging across the ceiling that read, "Merry Krampmus Everyone!" There were small tables set up with various foods and drinks, of which King and Eda were happily partaking of. There was a tree in the off to the side that was decorated with the usual Boiling Isles related things, some small animal skulls, some candy on strings, some ornaments that resembled the ones Luz typically saw on a tree, and the topper was of a recreation of the Titan's skull. The one thing, besides the outfit, that the others noticed, was that Luz had some bags under her eyes and looked a bit tired for some reason.
"Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make this the best party for all of you!" Luz announced.
Amity moved close to Eda and looked up at the Owl Lady with wide eyes. "What is going on?! Why is she in that outfit, again?! And why does she look so tired?!"
"She was up earlier this morning, like, ridiculously early, getting things set up for the party. King, Hooty, and I tried to help her out, but every time we did, she kept saying, 'This party is for you guys, too! You leave everything to me and don't lift a finger!' That's what she said," Eda explained.
"So, you've noticed her acting strange too, huh?" Gus asked.
"Oh, yeah. She's been like this at home, too. Waiting on us hand and foot. I mean, it's fitting for a king, but…this is bordering creepy territory," said King.
"Was this what it was like when I tried to help everyone? Wow, weird seeing this from a different perspective," Hooty commented.
"Let's just try and do as little as possible, and not work Luz up," Willow suggested.
It was a solid plan, at least that's what they thought. If they could do the least amount, eat a little, drink a little, make sure Luz doesn't have the chance to do any kind of actual waiting on them. Of course, that did not stop her from zipping around her friends and found family, asking if they needed anything, to which they smiled and told her they didn't. But they also noticed that she was a little saddened by it, but her expression would quickly change to one of merriment as she went around inspecting everything.
"Hooty! Need anything?! Another rat? A refill? Want me to message your neck?" Luz asked.
Normally it was Hooty creeping people out, but this was new experience for the house demon, as he was the one getting disturbed by Luz's overzealous helpfulness.
"No, I'm good! Hoot!"
Luz smiled and went away, darting from the living room to the kitchen in a frantic manner to restock on drinks and food, even if they were barely even low at all. When she got into the kitchen, she checked the oven as she had put a cake to rise inside of it. After making sure it was baking perfectly, Luz peeked around the corner and frowned a little. Her friends and family didn't look like they were having that good a time. They had barely touched any of the food she made and haven't once asked her to do anything for them.
"Oh no, did I not cook it right? Does it taste terrible? I followed the instructions in the cookbook, though. But then again, I can't taste any of it or it'll make me sick. Still, it shouldn't taste that bad, I think. And they've barely drank that much of the Apple Blood," Luz worried aloud.
"Okay, I have to say something. Luz, enough. You're doing too much, and you're starting to worry me. Why are you going overboard with these gestures? It's starting to honestly disturb me."
Lala, I…I just…I have my reasons, okay.
"Do any of those reasons have to do with what happened in the other Demon Realm? With Oscura?"
Luz fell silent as she clutched at her heart.
"Talk to them Luz, you haven't told them everything and I know it's gnawing at you deep inside. The longer you hold this in, the worse it's going to affect you and your friends."
Luz shook her head as if dismissing the notion.
No! It'll be okay! I need to show them just how much they mean to me! I need them to know that I would never hurt them! That they mean everything to me!
"I know!" Luz headed inside of the living room. "Pardon me, but would Mistress Amity please come with me? I have something special I would like to do for her. Privately."
Amity face turned red all the way up to her pointed ears. Eda shot the young witch girl a saucy smirk, which Amity knew the Owl Lady was thinking something inappropriate. Although, given the way Luz phrased that, it was hard not to think that's what she meant. Amity glanced to her childhood friend, looking for some help or just any excuse not to be alone with Luz, at least in her current state of mind. Willow was also blushing due to the phrasing, but unfortunately, she was not going to be of much help as she had no idea how to get Amity out of this. The lilac haired witch turned to Gus and King, and the two of them were suddenly very interested in the food they were eating. And Hooty, well, Hooty just blinked and said, "I don't get it."
"S-Sure, Luz," said Amity with a nervous hitch in her voice.
Amity got off the couch and walked with Luz out of the living room and up the stairs. The young witch girl gulped when she was brought to Luz's bedroom, and her worries only grew when her girlfriend opened the door and ushered her inside. Nervously, Amity walked in, against her better judgement. A myriad of things were racing through Amity's mind concerning Luz's reason for bringing her up here, alone, in that outfit, so many thoughts that Amity believed her nose was going to gush blood at any second if she didn't focus on something else.
"Okay, Amity! Are you ready for your personal maid to give you the personal touch?" Luz asked in a conspiratorial fashion.
"L-Luz, I-I don't know about this," said Amity, nervously.
"It's okay, hermosa. You'll like what I'm going to do to you, I guarantee it," Luz responded.
Amity's left eye was twitching as she gripped the hem of her blouse to the point that she was about to tear the hem itself off. Luz gently guided her girlfriend over to her sleeping bag, which was the softest thing in the room, and had her sit down cross legged.
"Okay mi amor, I want you to close your eyes," Luz instructed.
"L-Luz, w-wait, I-I don't think I'm ready for this! I-I mean, it's not as if I don't want to! I think your beautiful and I would, do, those things, with you. B-But I-I think we're too young to be doing those things! P-Plus, the others are downstairs, a-and if they heard us or Titan forbid saw us, it would be too embarrassing for me! C-Can you wait u-until I am? P-Please?" Amity blurted out.
Luz blinked once, twice, and then asked, "Um, what are you talking about, Ams?"
"W-What do you mean? Y-You wanted to do something special for me. Give me the personal touch, up here, alone, in your room," said Amity.
"Yeah, I wanted to give you a massage," Luz replied.
The world felt like it came to a grinding halt just then.
"Say what?"
"A massage, you know, I rub your shoulders, your back, for relaxation."
Amity facepalmed herself so hard that the smacking sound echoed throughout the forest. "Why would you say it like that, Luz?! I got the wrong idea!"
"Why?! I just said I wanted to do something special for you up here in my room…away from everyone else…alone with you…" Luz's face started to change to the same red color as Amity's as all the pieces finally fell into place. "¡OH DIOS MÍO! A-Amity I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it to sound like that! A-And, of course, I would never force you into doing anything that you weren't comfortable with! A-Actually, now that I think about it, this is probably uncomfortable! I-I'll just leave! No, this is my room, uh, you can leave! You can go ahead and go I've probably made this whole thing too awkward for you to even–!"
"LUZ!" Amity interrupted.
The Latina stopped her rambling and allowed silence to overtake the room. After a minute of silence, Amity took a calming breath.
"Luz, it's okay. I was reading too much into what you were saying, it's partly my fault for blowing it out of proportion. And no, it's not awkward. And…if you still want to…I wouldn't mind a massage."
Luz's eyes sparkled with joy as she said, "Of course!"
Amity remained seated as Luz got down on her knees behind Amity and placed her hands on the witch's shoulders. Luz gently began kneading Amity's shoulder muscles and applying a bit of pressure here and there. Amity let out content moaning sounds as she felt her awesome girlfriend's hands work out the tension in her shoulders.
"Wow, Amity, your shoulders are really tense," said Luz.
"Well, we've had a lot of things happen. I'm sure you're just as tense in the shoulders, too," Amity replied.
Luz chuckled. "Yeah, more than likely…Amity, you know I care about you, right?"
"Mmm, of course I do," she answered.
"A-And you know I'd never ever hurt you on purpose, right?" Luz asked.
Amity's eyebrow rose a smidge as she said, "Of course I do. Luz, why are you asking me these things?"
"N-No reason, I just wanted to make sure you know that."
Amity was growing concerned. It was as if Luz expected Amity to believe that she was capable of hurting her on purpose. Sure, Luz did a few things in the past that nearly got them hurt, but they were accidents, or a byproduct of Amity being the person she used to be before she changed for the better. Amity couldn't shake the feeling that something else happened in that Alternate Demon Realm, since Luz didn't start acting this way until after she came back.
Something definitely happened to Luz. She saw something or experienced something there that made her feel and act like this, thought Amity.
"Luz, are you hiding something?" Amity asked bluntly.
"W-W-What?! N-N-No!" Luz denied.
"Luz, please just tell me the truth." Amity gently pulled away and turned around to face Luz. "You've been acting strange ever since you got back from the Alternate Demon Realm."
"Strange how?" Luz lied.
"You've been overly helpful to the point it's gotten chaotic. You're dressing up in this outfit that's honestly making me have impure thoughts. Trying to be my servant." Amity reached with her left hand and held Luz's right in it. "Luz, please, just talk to us. Something's rattled you so bad over there that you're acting this way."
"I'm fine, Amity!" Luz pulled her hand away and began pacing the room as she said, "I'm just trying to show my appreciation for my friends, found family, and my girlfriend! Have I gone a bit overboard? Okay, yes. B-But I'll fix it! A-And I'll tone it down! I-I just want you guys to know how much I care about you and wouldn't leave you if I had any other choice and–!"
"Whoa, wait. What do you mean by wouldn't leave us?" Amity interjected.
Luz slapped her right hand over her mouth, realizing that she had just let that slip out. However, before any other questions could be asked, Amity sniffed the air.
"Um, do you smell something burning?"
Luz sniffed the air as well and said, "I do. Why – THE CAKE!"
Amity watched as Luz threw open the door and made a mad dash out of the room. The young witchling followed after Luz as everyone heard her frantic footfalls against the stairs and against the hardwood floor. Gus, Willow, King, Eda, and Hooty saw Luz rush down the hallway and disappear into the kitchen, with Amity following behind her as they met up at the stairwell.
"What's going on?!" Eda asked.
Before Amity could say a word, an explosion went off in the kitchen, followed by a huge "SPLAT" sound. The wall across from the kitchen was splattered with cake batter, and when the group got to the kitchen, they saw that everything was covered in it. Amongst the batter smeared kitchen was Luz, standing in the middle of said kitchen with her body covered in the mess.
"Luz are you alright?!" Amity asked as she approached her girlfriend.
The Latina slowly dropped low and hugged her legs to her chest as she pressed her forehead against her knees. "I'm sorry…"
"Hey, hey, it's alright," Eda assured. "Not the first time something that was cooked in here blew up in my face, and now the tradition stays alive with you, kid."
"Not just this…everything…I was trying to show you guys how much you mean to me…but I only ended up annoying you and overdoing it…"
"Luz, we know we mean a lot to you, and you mean a lot to us, too," said Gus.
"Exactly, so, why did you feel like you needed to do this much?" Willow asked.
Amity placed her hand on Luz's shoulder and asked, "This does have something to do with what happened in the Alternate Demon Realm. Please, be honest with us, Luz."
Luz looked up at Amity's eyes, and to the sympathetic expressions in her friends' faces. With a heavy sigh, Luz said, "Okay…let's clean this up first."
It took several minutes to clean up the mess, but it was done. Afterwards, Luz had everyone sit in the living room, and once dressed in her regular attire, she took out her Illusion ring and scanned it with the Hand Author buckle.
[Illusion, Please.]
"…What I told about my adventure in the Alternate Demon Realm was only half the truth. I left out a lot because…well…you'll see in a minute. First off, I want you to see the person Anne and I fought there, the person who called herself Empress Oscura."
Luz used the Illusion ring to conjure a full body replica of the woman known as Empress Oscura. The others gasped when they saw the scar ridden woman, and next to Oscura was her Rider form as well.
"Woah, you didn't mention she was a bombshell, Luz. Serious bad girl energy, mama like," said Eda.
"…Why does that Rider form look familiar?" Gus asked.
"Why does Oscura look familiar?" Amity inquired.
Ignoring the cringe remark from Eda, Luz answered, "They look familiar because they are."
Luz waved her hand and conjured another image alongside the one of Oscura and her Rider form. Everyone gasped when they saw an image of Luz, but with the same types of scars as Oscura, even the placement was the same.
"This is Alt Luz…in that Alternate Demon Realm, she used the Sabbath Ritual to forge a Philosopher's Stone. And as a result, it turned her into the woman standing behind her. Of course, I'm oversimplifying the cause for now until I get more into it," Luz explained.
Eda threw up in her mouth a little, realizing that she just admitted to finding the older version of the girl she regarded as a daughter attractive. Gus, Willow, Hooty, and King were in shock upon seeing this. Amity got up from her seat and walked over to the scarred version of Luz, the expression on the illusion's face was one of deep sorrow, and her face and arms, they were covered in painful looking scars.
Amity turned to Luz and asked, "Luz…how did this happen?"
From there, Luz began to tell the sad tale of Oscura. How one small change managed to cascade into a series of unfortunate events that eventually drove that Luz Noceda to turning to desperate measures in order to regain what was taken from her. Luz gauged the reactions of everyone, but paid particular attention to Amity, because she knew that this knowledge would hit her hard, and it did. Amity's eyes had welled up with tears as she heard the part she played in Luz's downfall into darkness and despair, how she begged to break the Oath but never did so.
Of course, she looked upon her friends and family as well. Gus and Willow weren't any better as they heard what happened to Alt Luz, and how Alt Willow tried as hard as she could to be a pillar of support for her friend and got a scar of her own to show for it. Eda was biting her lower lip as she listened to Luz's story, hearing this made her realize just how badly things could've gone wrong in the past by not teaching Luz proper magic or helping her to discover the Glyph Magic sooner. Perhaps a lot of outcomes could've turned out differently, but Eda just got an idea of how bad things could've gotten because she did not initially fulfill her promise to Luz.
Luz continued the story, using her Illusion ring to create the scenes, recreating them the best she could based on what the alternate versions of her friends and herself told her. The Latina gritted her teeth when she recreated the moment that Oscura killed Amity's mother, she argued with herself about whether or not to include what Alt Amity learned her mother thought about their family, but at this point, things were already bad, it wasn't going to get any better. So, she included it, also because she wanted to show that Oscura had a reason to do what she did. It was not a good reason, there were different ways to have punished Odalia that didn't need to result in her death. But her death was the outcome, nonetheless.
The story continued with Amity learning that she became an assassin just like she told them initially, but now with the added context of why. And the messed-up bargain/game that Oscura played with Amity, and the vow that Amity made if she ever managed to kill Oscura. And so, it went on, with Luz sharing as much detail and showing everything that she could through her magic, all the way up to when she and Anne left with Tsukasa, knowing that Alt Luz was banished from the Demon Realm, forever.
"That's it…now you know…I accepted the darkness that's inside me, but…at the same time…I'm scared. I know I'm different from that version of me. But we're also alike. The Phantoms are gone, and I'm technically the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. Belos could barely stand a chance against me when I first got my Super Form, and now with all my powers, he wouldn't stand a chance against me. I'm dangerous…and I know it. It took only one bad day in Alt Luz's life for everything bad that happened afterwards…how far off am I from having one bad day that sends me into a spiral like that?" Luz confessed.
The Latina dismissed the illusions, returning the living room back to normal. Luz collapsed onto her rear as she cried, letting the tears fall from her face and onto the floor.
"I don't want to hurt any of you…I wanted you guys to know just how much you mean to me…and that I would never hurt you like that. But…Alt Luz thought the same way, and she became Oscura…how can I be sure that that won't happen to me, too?"
Amity rose from her chair, again, and walked until she was standing in front of Luz. She sat on her knees and then drew Luz in for a tight hug. "You won't. You're not her."
"Amity…How can you say that after everything I showed you?"
"Because, in the end, the real Luz won. You freed your other self from that darkness, but only because the other you accepted that help. And unlike her, we've been through a lot more together. You have all of us here to support you, and you have me," said Amity.
Luz began to sniffle as she added, "I don't know how long that will be true."
"What do you mean?" Amity asked.
Luz explained what happened during the portal door experiment. How she entered an In-Between Realm that allowed her to communicate with the Demon Realm and Human Realm via reflective surfaces. And it was through this method that she discovered the basilisk Vee, and how she was living her life and keeping her mother unaware of her missing presence. However, the façade had to be dropped when Vee was captured, and thanks to Luz confessing to her mother about everything she had been through in the Demon Realm, her mother was able to save Vee on her behalf. And of course, she told them about the promise that her mother made her keep of staying in the Human Realm when she managed to return.
"I don't want to leave you guys…I'm so happy here with you…but I don't want my Mom to think I'm abandoning her for you all…she's a good Mom and…"
Now it was Eda's turn to stand and kneel next to Luz. "Well then, I guess we'll need to have a talk with your mom when we figure out how to get you back."
"Eda…"
"She's right, Luz. I'm sure she's just afraid for you, worried that you'll get hurt. I know how she feels," said Amity.
"Ditto, Boots. It's a hard pill to swallow, but when I accepted that you had the power and ability to fight and keep yourself safe, I knew I had to trust you to do just that. It just might take your mom a bit more time to come around to the idea," said Eda.
Gus, Willow, Hooty, and King approached as well, now gathering around Luz.
"It doesn't matter what happened to the other you, Luz, because we won't let that happen," said Gus.
"We'll be right here with you. Some of us may not have the power to help you like Amity can with Rider stuff, but we can still be there to help you in any way we can," Willow assured.
"And don't forget," King moved closer to Luz and put his two hands on her knees, "you have us. Me, Eda, and Hooty, too. We're your family, too, Luz. You can count on family. Um, mi familia? That right?"
Luz smiled as she brought King in for a hug. "Perfecto. Thank you, King. Thank you, everyone."
Eda sighed as she smiled and said, "Alright, everyone bring it in."
Gus, Amity, Willow, King, Eda, and Hooty hugged Luz tight, affirming to her that no matter what happens, they would always be there to help her. Luz was so happy to hear them say all that, and even more happy to know that they would stick by her through all the good and bad. After all these days, the tension and fear she felt in her heart and soul about becoming a dark being like her alternate self finally seemed to fade away amongst the warmth and love of these wonderful people around her.
"WAHAHAHAHAHA! This is so emotional! Hoot!" Hooty bawled.
"Oh, Willow?"
"Yes, Amity?"
"Please don't kiss my girlfriend, ever."
Willow smirked as she said, "Hmm, I don't know. Luz is cute. I might be tempted one day."
"Oh Willow, my dear childhood friend…it will be the last thing you do on this mortal plane of existence," Amity threatened.
Luz chuckled at the banter between her friend and girlfriend. And also wondered if it was the wisest of decisions to tell Amity about that kiss.
"By the way, that kiss doesn't count as your first," said Amity.
Luz patted Amity on the head as she replied, "I know. I know."
Everyone went back home that night, Luz was kind of emotionally exhausted from telling the full story of her adventure in the Alternate Boiling Isles so she went to bed early, also because Eda warned her that kids who aren't in bed before midnight during Krampmus night will be snatched away. Luz wasn't sure if Eda was just saying that to be scary, or if it was true. But considering it's the Boiling Isles, Luz didn't take any chances and promptly went to bed.
The following morning was Krampmus Day, and Luz yawned and stretched as she happily greeted the new day, happy that a bit of weight had been lifted off her shoulders. A knock came at her door and Luz got out of her sleeping bag to answer it. When she did, she saw Eda standing there with a smile on her face.
"Rise and shine, Luz, glad to see you're still with us," said Eda.
"Of course, I am." Luz stuck her head outside her room and looked around for a certain someone. "Uh, where's King?"
Eda sighed in dismay as she said, "I regret to inform you that our little guy was naughty, and Krampus came and took him away…"
"WHAT?! Eda, we have to go after him! I'll transform right now and find this 'Krampus' and–!"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Eda laugh-snorted as she held her sides.
"Eda!"
"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't pass up the chance. Ah, but, nah, he's downstairs waiting for you so he can open up his presents," said Eda.
Luz breathed a sigh of relief, exited her room, and followed Eda downstairs. "I'm sorry I didn't get you or King anything. I was…well…"
"Hey, don't worry about it. As far we're concerned, having you here with us is a present we get every day. And don't ever expect me to say that out loud again," Eda stated.
The Latina chuckled, knowing Eda meant it, both what she said and about not saying that out loud again. When they got downstairs, King was circling a couple of boxes, and on top of one was card.
"Great! You're here! Can I please open mine now?!" King whined.
"You cool with that, Luz?" Eda asked.
"Tear it up, King!" Luz cheered.
King wasted little time digging his claws into the medium sized box, and when he was done with that, King found himself holding a new plush toy.
"Yes! Yet another addition to my dark army!" King exclaimed.
"Merry Krampmus, King," said Eda.
King placed his new plushie down as he picked up a second box and envelope, he then walked it over to Luz and said, "This is for you!"
"Aw, you guys didn't have to get me anything, really," said Luz.
"Eh, not for a lack of trying. We tried to find you a new one of those, ugh, Azura books, but the bookseller says he hasn't gotten any new ones, yet. But I think you'll like this one."
Luz opened the box and inside she saw a variety of carving tools inside.
"I used those very same carving tools to make Owlbert. They've been passed down from parent to child in the Clawthorne family for generations. And now, I'm giving them to you. Whenever you're ready to carve your Palisman, you can use these. And one day, when you're older, and have a kid of your own, you can pass them onto them," said Eda.
Luz teared up as she looked up at her mentor and said, "Thank you, Eda. I promise, I'll take good care of them. But I'll give them back once I'm done, I mean, you're more likely to have a baby before me."
"Maybe, maybe not. But, kiddo, I already consider you the daughter I never had, so, as far as I'm concerned, you're a Clawthorne. And I'm sure my Mom agrees with me on that and wouldn't mind it one bit if you had 'em."
Luz wiped her eyes and said, "I'll treasure them and keep them safe. I promise, Eda."
"You got a letter, too," said King as he held up the letter, which was red in color.
Before Luz could ask who it was from, the door swung open and Hooty stretched inside.
"Merry Krampmus, Hoot House! Luz, I got a special delivery for you that just arrived!" Hooty announced "BLGH! AHACK! AAAUGH!"
"Oh no, Hooty, you really don't need to–!"
"Hang on, almost got it. BLAAAAAGGHHAAGGHH!"
Everyone watched in mild disgust as Hooty coughed up a Krampmus Day gift.
"There ya go," said Hooty.
"Uh…thanks…" Luz placed her first gift and the letter on the coffee table and carefully picked up the tag to see who it was from. To her surprise, it was from Amity. "She sent me a gift?!"
Luz quickly tore it open and when she did, she saw a Scroll lying inside, along with a letter. The Latina opened the letter and read it to herself.
"Dear Luz,
I love that we have our little human toys to communicate with, but I thought you deserved a Boiling Isles method of communication as well.
So, inside you'll find a Scroll. If you're wondering how I can afford this, well, in case you forgot, my family's rich.
I had Dad come with me to our service provider and added you to our service. While I used my own allowance to buy for the Scroll itself.
And before you say or think anything, no, you don't have to pay me back, the addition of yourself onto our plan will go supremely unnoticed by Mom, compared to everything else, it's barely a drop in the bucket as far as cost goes.
I'll come by later today and help you set it up, and to also help you create your own Penstagram account.
Be thinking about what you're going to call yourself by the time I get there.
You're awesome girlfriend,
Amity Blight
P. S.: Taped to the back of this letter…you'll find a coupon. I'll leave it you to decide when you want to use it."
Luz turned the letter round and took off the coupon. It was hand drawn, hand cut out coupon that read, "Good for 1 massage from Amity Blight". Luz's face went red for a moment, she didn't think she'd ever get to do little things like this with someone she liked, but now she was it was really cool.
"Amity got me a Scroll! And she'll be by later to help me setup a Penstagram account, too!" Luz announced.
"Ha! Well, I'll be, looks like there're advantages to having a rich girlfriend. Way to snatch up a good one, Luz," Eda teased.
"Eda, stop. Oh, I almost forgot about the other letter!"
Luz went back to the coffee table and opened the other letter she got. After opening it, she paused.
"Dear Luz Noceda,
This is Krampus.
I know you are aware of me, I have been to the Human Realm many a time myself, but my counterpart has more domain over the Human Realm, so I only pop in once in a while.
But I digress. I have heard the worries of your heart, and as a being who sees into the hearts of many to find the naughty and bad, I feel as if I need to address you personally.
I will assure you, Luz Noceda, while all beings have light and darkness in their hearts and souls, yours is mostly all light. The creature inside of you notwithstanding. But no being aside from gods and devils can claim to be all good or all evil, you are what you are.
A hero, and one who's light shines bright enough to make others want to shine as well.
I know not if this letter will dispel any lingering doubts, but know that if a being such as myself acknowledges your good, then you must be doing something right.
Continue to be yourself, and shine on.
Your Punisher and Gift Giver,
Krampus
P. S.: If you're worried about the kids I might've taken last night, I assure you my punishments are not lethal in any way shape or form, and does not maim, scar, or otherwise leave any long lasting or permanent injury. But it does get the point across, most of the time. And those I have taken will be returned in two weeks' time before the start of school.
P. S. S.: Boscha's among them."
Luz lowered the letter and had only one word to say to that, "Whoa…"
A/N: Heyo, just in case you want another Dark Rider, well, dark fic that's going to be plot relevant later on, like WAY later on.
Then take a look at Kamen Rider Amp Alternative: The Broken Hearted
Fair warning now, if you thought Oscura's story was dark...well...let's just say the age rating is there for a reason.