"You sure about this Nina?"
"All the other times didn't work, but maybe this will."
Luz was standing in the middle of her room. On her left hand she had the Twilight Style ring and had that same hand over her right hand. The Latina concentrated as the Twilight Style ring began to release its magenta glow. After a few seconds, a flash of light went off around Luz's right hand. When she pulled her left hand away, Luz gasped. There on her right middle finger was the Owl Re:Rise ring.
"I'll be it did work," said La Lechuza.
"Yeah, but wonder why I couldn't summon the Sin or Virtue rings?" Luz questioned.
"Considering how powerful those rings are, it's probably for the best that you cannot."
"But Oscura could. Although, she was using a Philosopher's Stone, so maybe that's it?" Luz shook her head. "Anyway, let's give this a try!"
"Very well. Wait? You mean you're going to use it now?!"
Unfortunately, Luz had already scanned the ring.
}{ Owl Re:Rise. Now, Please. }{
The dark magic circle appeared a couple of feet in front of Luz. And from the circle, La Lechuza flew out. Once she was out the circle disappeared. Luz watched as her Inner Phantom flew around the room before landing on a chest. La Lechuza looked at herself for a moment and then sighed in relief.
"Well, at least I didn't come out in my larger form. That was quite reckless, Niña," La Lechuza scolded.
"Sorry, but at least now we know that it works! Now you can at least fly around outside of my body," said Luz.
La Lechuza took a few test flaps and walked up and down the chest before giving a nod of approval of her new construct form.
"I can tell this form is temporary compared to when you summon me in your Rider form. How long is another story."
"Good thing is, I don't feel a drain on our mana, so it must be a one and done kind of spell." Luz cupped her chin as she looked upon La Lechuza's mechanical form for a moment. "Hmm, you know if you're going to fly around, you'll need a disguise. This is the Boiling Isles, but I think people might find it strange to see a metal owl flying around."
"Hmm, you do have a point. So, how shall we remedy this?"
Luz thought for a moment before she gasped, an idea striking her. The Latina took out her Illusion ring, after dismissing the Owl Re:Rise ring, she slipped the ring on and had her left-hand hover over the ring. A flash of magenta light went off around the ring, and when it faded, the Illusion ring's silver metal fittings were now gold colored. Once this was done, Luz scanned the ring and cast the spell.
}{ Illusion BURST! }{
}{ Now, Please! }{
Luz pointed her right hand at La Lechuza, and upon doing so, wrapped the Phantom in a sphere of azure colored light and sparkles. The sphere faded after a few seconds, and when it did, La Lechuza no longer looked like a metal owl, but now looked like a beautiful and slender sliver owl. She resembled something close to an Eastern Barn Owl, although just a tad bigger. Luz grabbed her phone and took a picture of La Lechuza before turning it around and showing it to her.
"Te superaste, Luz. Una forma elegante para una criatura elegante, como yo, (You outdid yourself, Luz. An elegant form for an elegant creature, such as myself)," said La Lechuza, admiring her disguise.
"Thanks, Lala. And let's just check one thing." Luz reached out and touched La Lechuza's feathers, and when she did, they felt real. "Great! Increasing the power of the Illusion ring made your disguise feel real to the touch! Now, nobody will be able to tell the difference."
"Smart thinking, Niña."
"Oh! Let's go show Eda and King!" Luz exclaimed as she held out her arm.
La Lechuza shrugged and hopped into the air where she landed on Luz's right forearm. Afterwards, the two went down the stairs, with Luz being careful not to show off La Lechuza just yet. She peeked around the corner and saw Eda playing Hexes Hold 'Em with Owlbert while King was napping on the trunk near the front window.
"Hey guys, I have an announcement!"
"Oh, did you finally manage to talk to Boots?" Eda asked.
"Eh…no…not yet. B-But I have something cool to show you and King!" Luz strolled into the living room and held out her right arm. "Presenting, live and in person, the newest addition to the Owl House. Lala!"
La Lechuza flew in from the other room, giving a little aerial performance before landing gracefully onto Luz's forearm, flaring her wings as she gave an equally graceful bow.
"It is nice to finally see you all in person, so to speak," La Lechuza greeted.
"Weh? That's La Lechuza? The Phantom that lives inside you?" King questioned.
"Well, yes, and no. This is a construct body I made for her, and I used the Illusion ring to create this disguise for her. So, now Lala can just fly around and interact with everyone without drawing suspicion," Luz explained.
Eda gave a whistle as she placed her cards down and said, "Impressive, kid."
La Lechuza flew off of Luz's arm and onto the coffee table to speak to Eda directly.
"I realize that our first encounter wasn't exactly on good terms. And I wasn't exactly the most hospitable of Phantoms at that time, but I hope we can move forward and continue to be there for Luz," said La Lechuza.
Eda crossed her arms as she shot a narrow gaze at the Phantom.
"Yeah, you took her body for a test drive, and nearly devoured her soul when you first emerged."
Luz rubbed the back of her head out of worry.
"But…" Eda leaned forward and smirked at the silver owl. "I know Luz would probably be in a heap of trouble without you in her head. So, water under the bridge. Just don't do anymore of those body takeovers and we'll be square."
"I assure you, that was a one-time thing. Unless this one over here does something crazy and gets herself hurt, then that's a different story." Just then, La Lechuza felt something tap against her right wing. La Lechuza glanced down and saw Owlbert looking up at her. "Yes?"
Owlbert cleared his throat, puffed out his chest, and then…he danced. Owlbert began bobbing his head to a beat only he could hear as he began to shimmy back and forth.
"W-What is – what am I witnessing right now?" La Lechuza asked.
Owlbert began hopping on one leg as he flared his wings, and then shifted to the other leg, still keeping his wings flared. The little Palisman did a spin before stopping and dabbed before giving La Lechuza a look as he wiggled his brow.
Luz gasped; she knew exactly what this was. She had seen enough nature documentary shows with her mother to know that what she just saw was Owlbert performing a courtship dance. Eda seemed to get what Owlbert was doing as well as she leaned back and grinned, noticing that the Phantom was feeling awkward. Maybe La Lechuza knew what Owlbert was doing, but her expression said otherwise.
"Um…What?"
"Lala! Owlbert just did a courtship dance! He's asking you out!" Luz gushed.
"W-W-What?! Me?!" La Lechuza looked down at the Palisman and asked, "You do know I'm a Phantom, right?"
Owlbert hooted a few times.
"Oh, well, I'm sorry, but I'm not looking for a romantic partner." La Lechuza pointed her left wing in Luz's direction. "That girl's love life provides me with enough entertainment as is."
Owlbert's shoulders fell as he lowered his head.
Luz walked over and petted the Palisman's head comfortingly as she said, "It's okay, Owlbert. There are other Palismen out there."
"While we're on the subject of romance, are you going to talk to Boots anytime soon? She's been avoiding you and ducking you at school from what Goops and Specs have told me. Couldn't you just, I don't know, portal to her?" Eda asked.
"Yeah." King hopped off his napping spot and climbed onto his big sister's head. "Just pop in on her! Surprise her! Demand answers!"
Luz sighed as she reached up and gently removed King from her head.
"Look, I know that picture was…sus…but I don't want to go and accuse Amity of something just because someone might've just taken a picture at a bad moment," Luz said. "I'm sure Amity's blaming herself and thinks I'm angry at her…"
The Latina sighed.
"I was hoping she would just come up and just explain it to me. But maybe it's better if I did talk to her myself," Luz suggested.
"Nothing's gonna get resolved if you just drag it out, kid. Trust me, I speak from experience."
"Oh, that I can believe."
"Hey!"
"Oops…I said that out loud."
"You're not in my head this time around, Lala. So, you better watch what you say," Luz warned as she chuckled.
Eda gave the silver owl a scrutinizing glare as she asked, "Pray tell, what else have you said about me in the privacy of Luz's head, Ms. Lechuza?"
La Lechuza turned her head to the side.
"Why, nothing of significance."
"Which implies there has been something said that was."
La Lechuza turned her head again.
"Hmmmm?"
La Lechuza kept turning her head until she was looking behind herself now.
"It's really nice to see you two finally talk to each other."
"Ten snails says Eda tries to catch her and eat her."
"HOOT! – I MEAN – WHAT?!"
Odalia was in her private office, it was enchanted a long time ago to prevent any sound from exiting. It was especially useful for when she had to hold private meetings that she didn't want to have eavesdroppers. And the doors had a spell on them that would prevent anyone from forcing them open unless she permitted entry. She wasn't a fool, though. There were contingencies in place in case she became incapacitated and unable to give the order, like a medical emergency for example.
But tonight, she wasn't having a meeting, at least in person. On her desk was her trusty crystal ball. A must have for any Oracle witch with their salt. And within the crystal ball, Odalia saw the image of the young triclops girl, Boscha. The teen witch was already dressed in her nightly attire but was conversing with Odalia as she gave a progress report.
"So, I take it things haven't been going so well for my daughter or the human?" Odalia asked.
{Heh, miserable. At least from what I can tell. Amity's been avoiding Luz for the last four days. Anytime Amity sees her, she bolts the other way. Or makes up some excuse to not be near her. I don't know what she's thinking, but it's definitely not helping her.}
"But it does help us my dear. That picture you posted was brilliant. I wasn't expecting something like that, but bravo all the same," Odalia praised.
Boscha blushed a little at the compliment.
{T-Thanks, Mrs. Blight.}
"On that note, where are we with driving our wedge further? You say that my daughter and the human haven't spoken in the last four days. But what else can you do to help facilitate it? We seem to have gained some ground, and I want to capitalize on it."
{R-Right, of course. I'm still trying to think of a way to get Amity alone. The sleepover was a good start. I think she knows I like her the same way she likes the human. Or at least has a feeling I do. I know I could get her to see me as the better choice of girlfriend if we had a longer moment together.}
"Indeed, it was a good start, but we need to isolate the two of you somehow. Put you in a situation where the only thing Amity will see is you," said Odalia as she pondered.
{Oh, what if you set up a retreat or something? Make it so that Amity and I are the only two people around? Like at one of the resorts?}
"Hmm, no, no. This sleepover of yours was suspicious enough. I was very accommodating." Then again, it's not as if I haven't done such things in the past, but she might become too suspicious and see right through us. "We'll keep that in our back pocket for the time being. But your idea of isolation does intrigue me."
{Oh, do you have an idea?}
"Perhaps but let me hammer out the details first before we make another move."
{That sounds good. By the way…how is Amity? I know she's looked kinda down, so I wanted to make sure she wasn't too down, you know?}
"Oh yes, yes. Don't worry. She'll get over it so long as you do your part in the end. For now, I'll bid you goodnight," said Odalia as she ended the connection. "Honestly, Amity, you just have to make me go through all this work to ensure that you follow the correct path."
It was dark in Amity's room as the twins looked on from the doorway. It had been nearly a week since the party and sleepover, and Amity had gotten a little depressed.
"Mittens, you need to snap out of this," said Emira.
"Yeah, you can't just lie here like this," Edric concurred.
"How can I face Luz after what she saw…?"
"Well, for one thing." Emira drew a spell circle and made the lights I the room turn on. "You start by explaining what happened at the sleepover."
Amity turned onto her back and sat up as she said, "How can I explain this?!"
The purple haired witchling had her Scroll in her left hand showed the incriminating picture that showed her almost kissing Boscha. And unfortunately, it had gotten a lot of hits and was causing a bit of a firestorm on Penstagram amongst their fellow Hexside classmates.
"Have you seen these comments?!" Amity scrolled through a few. "The first one was 'OMT, Amity Blight dumped the human for Boscha?!' And this, 'Sweet, my OTP is coming true! #BoschAmi'! Oh, and this one's my favorite, 'Wow, can't believe you kissed Boscha when you're dating Luz. #CheaterBlight'!"
The twins hissed when they saw the comments.
"Okay, soooo those do sting a bit, but it's not like you actually kissed Boscha," said Emira.
"Just to make sure, you didn't, did you?" Edric asked.
"NO!" Amity yelled. "It was a game of Lie or Challenge! I was challenged to kiss Boscha, and I refused to!"
The twins blinked.
"Wait, hold up, you refused, and you didn't kiss her? But the spell compels you to complete the challenge if you refuse. How did you not end up kissing her?" Emira asked.
"It was thanks to Bast. She lent me some of her mana to help me break free of the spell before I could kiss her. That picture was taken just before I broke free…bad timing on their part," Amity complained.
"Well, then, that's a good thing." Edric and Emira sat down on Amity's bed as Edric continued, "You can just tell Luz that you were challenged and you had no choice but to do it, but broke free before you could actually do it."
Amity fell back onto her bed as she said, "But Luz doesn't know about Lie or Challenge! She might think I'm making up an excuse to get out of trouble!"
"C'mon, Amity, you know Luz isn't like that. She's not the suspicious type," said Emira.
"Unlike a couple of other girls in this room I could mention," Edric commented.
Both Blight sisters blushed, remembering their little failed attempt at spying on their girlfriends during their egg sitting assignment.
"I regret telling you that," said Emira.
Edric stuck out his tongue.
"Well, I haven't exactly helped my case any. I haven't spoken to Luz for the last four days," Amity admitted. "That's definitely suspicious."
"Perhaps it might help if I said something. It may add to your credibility if Luz heard the events from a third party, like myself."
"Thanks, Bast, but I need to fix this on my own. I need to show Luz that I do love her. That I'm not cheating on her," said Amity.
The twins glanced at each other and asked in unison, "Well, what are you going to do?"
Amity thought hard on what she could do to show the girl she loved that she wasn't some cheater. That she was a loyal and awesome girlfriend that just so happened to get tricked into a challenge to kiss Boscha. Unfortunately, that triclops was occupying her mind as well. There was just something about the way Boscha was acting that made her think that her former friend might actually like her in a romantic way. But that couldn't be true, Boscha hadn't shown any signs of attraction towards her. Then again, perhaps she wasn't paying attention? Maybe she was oblivious to the signs? Or maybe Boscha was hiding her true feelings because she was afraid of ruining their friendship?
The irony being that that was ruined a long time ago.
Regardless of Boscha's possible romantic feelings, Amity needed to focus on Luz and how she could make her realize that that almost-kiss wasn't a kiss she wanted to do.
"You could just tell her. That's an option."
Shush.
That's when an idea struck her.
"I got it!"
Emira and Edric watched as, suddenly, Amity dashed out of the room and came back with a crystal ball, some paper, and some snails. The purple haired witchling quickly drew a circle and placed a call. After a few seconds the person she called picked up, and much to the twins' surprise, it was Gus.
{Amity? Uh, wow, this is new. You don't usually call me. Did you try to call Luz and miscalled?}
"No, I'm calling you for something very important that I need you to keep quiet about! But trust me, it'll be worth it in the end!" Amity assured.
"This is going to turn into something extremely elaborate and over the top…Let the show begin!"
It was Friday, and Luz was outside of Hexside with Willow and Skara waiting for her there. The two girlfriends could tell that Luz was trying to be an understanding girlfriend, but even they knew that this couldn't go on for much longer.
"Luz, do you want me to hunt down Amity, tie her up, and bring her to you? 'Cause I will," Willow offered.
"She totally will," Skara confirmed.
Luz chuckled as she said, "No, it's alright. I actually decided that I'm going to talk to her directly today."
"Good," Willow and Skara said.
As Luz, Willow, and Skara entered the school, they saw that Gus was waiting in the rotunda, just standing there with a tired look on his face.
"Hey, Gus, what's up?" Luz asked.
"For the record, I'm an unwilling participant."
"Huh?" the girls collectively uttered.
The young Illusionist drew a large spell circle with both of his hands, and then a blast of light went off within the rotunda. Gus disappeared as the light faded and the room became very dark. And that's when fireworks explosions went off inside, creating Luz's name in bright neon flames before disappearing. A red carpet suddenly appeared and extended out in front of her, whereupon it stopped before someone at the other end. Looking carefully, it appeared to be…
"Amity?"
The youngest Blight child was dressed in a mauve colored tuxedo, with a black bowtie, and a white buttoned up shirt underneath. In her left hand she held her staff, which she twirled around with practiced grace and skill before slamming the butt of it against the floor. Suddenly, several Abominations appeared, lining either side of the red carpet as Amity strutted towards her. Luz couldn't lie, she was feeling a bit hot under the collar with how Amity looked, plus the sway in her hips as she walked towards her was too hypnotic not to look at. There was some jazzy music being played in the background as darkness started to get filled with twinkling lights that were possibly meant to represent stars. Just then, a spotlight shined down on Amity as the Abominations went into a whole routine that made Luz remember back to some of the cheerleading stunts she saw at the tryouts.
W-What is happening right now…?
"Something unnecessarily elaborate, and I'm loving it."
Amity started to do a little dance routine herself as some of the Abominations mashed together, forming a stage that got bigger and bigger as more of them joined the mix.
"LUZ NOCEDA!" Amity cried out. "As your awesome girlfriend! I'm inviting you! To the best luxury spa on the Boiling Isles!"
Once the stage had reached about twelve feet in height, Amity spun her staff around and thrust it into the air. That's when another explosion of light went off and revealed the name:
CAGILE SPA & RESORT
"It is here that you and I will enjoy a weekend full of relaxation!" Amity pointed at her staff to the right, where an explosion of light created neon images of Amity and Luz being waited on by people. "And fun!" She pointed to the left where another explosion of light created a neon construct of Amity and Luz on a waterslide. "Just you and me, batata!"
With a wave of her staff, Amity commanded the Abomination stage to form a ramp. Amity hopped onto that ramp, sliding down it all the way until it curved up, launched her into the air where she performed a somersault, and then landed on the ground with the same grace and ease right in front of Luz. The purple haired witch gently reached out and took Luz's right hand as she looked up at her with her golden eyes.
"What do you say? Do you want to go on a date with me, Luz?" Amity asked.
Luz was kind of speechless right now. Amity had just asked her out on a date. In an over-the-top, absurdly elaborate, and cheesiest way possible. What other answer could she give her?
"YES!" Luz exclaimed.
More fireworks explosions went off in the dark space, creating words that said, "SHE SAID YES!".
"Whew, thank Titan. Okay, Gus, cut!" Amity stated.
The dark space suddenly disappeared, revealing the rotunda and a plethora of students, and some teachers, who were at a loss for words after seeing that whole spectacle in action. Willow and Skara were stunned, they did not expect to see something like that this early in the morning, Gus, however, looked relieved and collapsed onto his back in exhaustion.
"Okay, Luz, let's go!"
"Go? Go where?" Luz asked.
"On our date of course! To the Cagile Spa & Resort!" Amity answered.
"Now?"
"Right now."
"Like, now-now?"
"Yes, now-now! Well…" Amity pulled out an Abomination pocket watch. "Actually, more like in the next ten minutes or we'll miss our flight."
Luz shook her head in shock as she said, "Whoa, whoa! Wait, you mean, you want us to go on a date. To a spa/resort. On a school day? I-I didn't even pack anything, a-and what about school?"
"Clothes can be bought at the resort; we have plenty of snails for that. And the school situation's all taken care of! Oop, now we have nine minutes. Time to fly!"
Without much of a warning, Luz was taken by the wrist and swiftly pulled onto Amity's staff. Afterwards, Amity and Luz lifted off the floor and flew straight towards the school's main doors and out into the sky where they disappeared from sight. Willow, Gus, and Skara had run after them, but stopped at the entrance and watched them until they were too far away to see.
"Gus…what the heck was that?" Willow asked.
"Amity called me last night and came up with some elaborate plan to apologize or explain to Luz what that picture was about. I'm not sure anymore, I'm dead tired…"
"You mean she set this all up last night?" Skara asked.
"Yeeeep…"
"Uh, should we be worried? I mean, never mind the fact that Amity just whisked Luz away to some island resort, but what about Principal Bump?" Willow inquired.
"Principal Bump is right here."
"AAAH!" Skara, Gus, and Willow cried out in surprise.
After getting over this sudden appearance, Willow asked, "You're allowing Luz and Amity to skip today?"
Principal Bump, who had a cup of tea in his hands, took a sip and answered, "I'm not about to let that ship sink."
Since Amity made a show of that, it was not long before Boscha got wind of what happened. The triclops found a classroom that was not in use, took out her necklace, and immediately called Odalia Blight to update her on the situation. The crystal pendant glowed, establishing the connection to Odalia.
"Mrs. Blight! Mrs. Blight!" Boscha called out.
{Boscha, child, what is it? I'm about to go into a meeting, so this better be–}
"Amity is taking Luz out on a date to Cagile Spa & Resort, right now!"
{WHAAT?! WHEN?!}
"Right now! They just left to take an airship to the island! Amity just put on some cheesy presentation and asked the human out on a date! And when she said yes, Amity whisked them away to the port!" Boscha explained.
{H-How did – When did – UGH! Doesn't matter. I must applaud Amity for getting all this done under my nose and on such short notice. As her mother, I am impressed, but right now I am perturbed. Boscha, I NEED you to go to Cagile island and do something about this! Anything!}
"Uh…yeah…slight problem, I don't think my Moms are going to like the idea of me just suddenly up and skipping school like that. Especially to go to a resort miles away off the mainland," said Boscha.
{Ugh…fine. I hate that we'll lose a day here, but I'll talk to your parents as soon as I'm done with this meeting. I'll make up some excuse for you to go there, but for now, I need you to think of how to sabotage them as soon you get there!}
"Yes, ma'am!"
The pendant's glow faded, and once it had, Boscha struck one of the desks in anger.
"Mother of Titan, Amity. What do I have to do to make you realize that I'm the better witch?!"
It was about a four-hour flight from the mainland to Cagile island, but they eventually touched down on the airship port. Luz hadn't been to this part of the Boiling Isles, well, to be honest, there was a LOT of the Boiling Isles she hadn't been too, mostly due to being enrolled in Hexside, and fighting the Phantoms which seemed to always pop up near, in, or around Bonesborough.
Huh, wonder why it's always there and not everywhere else? Eh, doesn't matter, look at this place!
The island of Cagile was a few miles from the mainland but was still under the control of Emperor Belos and the Emperor's Coven, despite its distance. The island itself was one big spa and resort, catering to many. As soon as they arrived, they passed through a huge barrier that had been erected around the entire island. When Luz asked what it was, Amity explained that it was a special barrier that extended about five miles beyond the island, and that it was used to keep the Boiling Sea at an even temperature so that the people coming to the island could swim in the waters without the fear of getting boiled alive.
"But what about riptides? What if someone gets swept up out of the barrier?" Luz asked.
"Not a problem, see those buoys." Amity pointed to some buoys that remained stationary at the edge of the barrier, they flashed green and seemed to go all around the barrier in a complete circle. "Those buoys are armed with a special spell that detects if someone's getting too close to the barrier. They'll flash red and blare out a warning siren loud enough to reach the island. And if all else fails, they'll deploy a net that will wrap around whoever's getting pulled out and reel them in. My Dad told me about them when we visited awhile back."
"Wow," Luz gasped. "So, that means this is the only place where you can dive into the waters and not get boiled alive. What about boiling rain?"
"Barrier blocks that too. It allows only gentle breezes to come through, and blocks waves from storms. They wanted this place to be the ultimate, worry-free vacation spot. So, no plagues to ruin your days. Of course, because of its protections and hospitality, it's pretty pricey. And it's normally booked up year-round. But you're awesome girlfriend managed to snag a last-minute weekend spot for two!"
"Amity this is…wow…I mean, this is going to be hard to trump when I have to plan a date," said Luz, nervously.
Amity took her lover's hands into her own and shook her head.
"Uh-uh. You don't have to worry about that, Luz. This is just something special I wanted to do. I'm not going to throw my money around all the time and expect you to do the same for our dates. I don't even care if it's the most mundane date you can think of. So long as it's with you, I'll be more than happy."
Luz couldn't help but blush at Amity's words, and that it did ease her mind knowing that she didn't have to make their future dates as extravagant as what Amity brought them to.
"Thanks, hermosa."
"Of course, batata. Now, shall we?"
The two lovers disembarked with the rest of the guests. The entire island was a resort, which meant it was nothing but hotels, fine dining, amusement parks, beaches, and other such activities. The island itself had a giant bone jutting out from the middle, with the town sprawled out from the center. There was a huge stone wall with a gate that had a large banner hanging from it that read, "Welcome to Cagile Spa & Resort! Enjoy your stay!" Once they had past the main gate, Luz and Amity, along with the other guests, were greeted by the many staff members of the resort. Some of the female staff had grass skirts and red wrap around their chests, the male staffers had grass skirts as well, and both wore a crown of flowers that resembled lies around their heads. Luz couldn't help but make comparisons to Hawaii, she had never been, but all the TV shows and movies she had seen looked similar to this, if the people were witches and demons.
The staffers were handing out lies-like flower necklaces out to everyone who arrived, with Luz getting a purple colored one, and Amity getting a pink one.
"So, what should we do first?" Luz asked.
"Well, first, we should head to the hotel and get checked in. And from there, we'll hit up one of the stores and get you some vacation wear. Just enough for the next three days or so," said Amity.
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Amity took out her staff and had Luz hop on. The two girls flew through the air with Amity spotting the hotel she had booked as they made their descent. Once they were at the entrance, Amity dismissed her staff and led Luz by the hand into the Sombila Hotel. The doors opened automatically, and Luz gasped once again. The lobby was very big, with most of the inside looking like it was made of polished redwood or mahogany, or something close to those types of trees. There were gold metal accents that formed wispy patterns on different columns and spots on the walls. There were portraits of, what appeared to be, past famous witches and demons who had visited the island as well. There were stairs that led to the second level of the hotel where the rooms were, which was one of several as the building stretched upwards to around fifteen stories. They had a lift that went to each floor, several of them as it seemed the staff used separate ones to go to the floors aside from the ones used by the guests.
There were lots of demons and witches walking about in their vacation clothes, in some instances, there were female and male demons and witches dressed in their bikinis and swim trunks, ready to hit the beach. Luz wasn't proud of it, but she stole a glance or two, they looked really attractive. The poor girl was being assaulted from both sides.
No, no! Bad Luz! Bad! Don't get flustered from seeing strangers like this! You only have eyes for Amity! Luz thought, resolutely. Plus, it'll make Amity feel bad if she thinks I'm eyeing other people when we're together.
Incidentally, Amity was facing forward, so Luz couldn't see that Amity was in much the same boat as Luz was. The young witchling was having a hard time herself, stealing glances at some of the attractive witch women in their bathing suits.
Bad Amity! Bad! Do not ogle the other girls here! You're faithful to Luz! This whole trip is about showing that to her! So, stop getting flustered about every little – HOLY TITAN THAT CAN'T BE LEGAL TO WEAR HERE!
"Uh…Luz…I'd just like to tell you that I think you're pretty, and cute," said Amity.
Luz gulped as she replied, "Y-Yeah, me too. I mean, about you – No – I meant you're pretty, and cute, too!"
"T-Thank you."
Finally, the two girls made it to the reception desk, and thankfully Amity's face had returned to its original hue by that time as well. Once there, Amity rang the bell twice, whereupon a demon receptionist that looked like a kraken turned to face them. His tentacles were busy arranging the different room keys, and other items in his workspace, and even their face had tentacles.
I've seen enough anime to know to stay away from this person.
"May I help you?" they asked.
"Yes, I have a reservation under Blight, party of two for the weekend."
"Ah! Miss Blight, we've been expecting you. Wait a moment, please."
Luz and Amity watched as the kraken demon used one of his tentacles to grab something that looked like an old timey phone, using one tentacle to bring the receiver close to his mouth and the other to his ear. "Hello, Muwara, I have the Blight party here at the front desk…Uh-huh…thank you. He'll be here momentarily."
Amity raised an eyebrow in confusion as she replied, "Um, okay?"
"Something wrong, Amity?" Luz asked.
"Don't know, I hope not."
About two minutes later, a demon appeared in a flash of yellow light. He wore a long robe, with an ornate headdress. But upon closer inspection, the headdress was actually a mane made of several scales that extended outwards. The demon was scaly, like a fish, to be more specific, he reminded Luz of a lionfish. She was hoping that the resemblance was just that, because, if she remembered correctly, lionfish were poisonous. His robe was green with ornate designs to contrast his yellow scales. His blue eyes were piercing, and he had rows of sharp teeth, but was smiling the whole time.
"Ah, welcome young Miss Blight! And this must be your paramour, yes?" Muwara asked.
Amity blushed but answered, "Ahem, y-yes. This is my girlfriend, Luz Noceda. She's human."
"I see, I see. Quite unique! We're so happy to have you here! Now, per the engagement package, you two will be staying in our honeymoon suite on the top floor, which will give you the best view of the island and the Boiling Sea," Muwara explained.
Luz and Amity paused. Did they hear him right? Honeymoon suite? Engagement package?
"Uh, excuse me, Muwara, did you say, 'engagement package'? What is that exactly?" Amity asked.
Muwara blinked and responded, "Why, the package that you bought when you made the reservation, Miss Blight, and soon-to-be Misses Blight. It is our special package for two lovers who are wishing to deepen their love before committing fully to their marriage."
"SOON-TO-BE MISSES?!" Amity exclaimed.
Luz's brain was still trying to process what Muwara said, thankfully, Amity was quicker on the uptake.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I did NOT order that! I just made a reservation for the weekend, for two! Not…Not that!" Amity corrected.
Muwara drew a spell circle and summoned a list.
"Hmm, nope. It says right here." Muwara turned the paper around and on it had Amity's name with the reservation package she had bought. "I believe your exact words were, ahem, 'I don't care what it is, so long as it's for two people!'"
Amity's mind flashed back to that moment.
Amity had been late night calling every hotel on Cagile island, and each time they were booked, one after the other. Her eyes were bloodshot, but her frustration was growing, along with her impatience. She needed to get something booked, no matter how much it cost, no matter what it was, she just needed one of those many hotels to have a spot open for this weekend so that she could show Luz just how awesome a girlfriend she was and explain what happened in a relaxing environment. Finally, one of the hotels picked up, the Sombila Hotel.
"Hello, this is the Sombila Hotel, this is Muwara, how may I help you?"
"Yes! Thank Titan! Look, I need a reservation for two for this weekend! Do you have any openings right now?!" Amity asked in a desperate tone.
"Hmm, let me check…" the demon in the crystal ball looked off to his right and the sounds of papers flapping could be heard. "Sorry, young miss, but we have no available openings at this time. If you check back within…hmm…two months, we should have some by then."
"NO! Please! Money is no obstacle! I'll pay whatever you want for a reservation!" Amity begged.
"I am sorry, young miss. But we are one of the more popular hotels on the island. Even during the off season, we are very busy and full."
"Please! You don't understand! I need this! I need to…to…I need to show my girlfriend that she's the only one for me! That I would never abandon her or cheat on her! I will do or pay anything so make up with her! Please!"
Demon on the crystal ball sniffled, he almost looked on the verge of bawling.
"Your words move Muwara's heart. Let me check one more thing." The demon, once again, looked off to the side. After about a minute and a half, Muwara came back into view. "Ah-ha! Muwara has found something!"
"Great! Whatever it is, I want it! Right now!" Amity insisted.
"Now, are you sure? This is the Engagement Package, and it is usually reserved for–"
"I don't care what it is, so long as it's for two people!"
"Very well! It is done! Please check in this Friday, if you please."
"Thank you!"
"Oh…I did say that…" Amity, still blushing, then said, "B-But, w-we can't! I-I mean, yes, Luz and I are a couple, b-b-but we're a long way off from even thinking about m-m-marriage!"
Muwara glanced between the two girls and said, "I do not see the problem. Even I can sense the love between you two is strong. Why not take advantage of this and deepen your love, yeah?"
"I…" Amity glanced at Luz, who was also blushing. "Luz, we don't have to, I mean…this could be a little awkward."
"N-No, Amity!" You already paid a lot for this whole little vacation! It'd be bad if we didn't take advantage of it after all that money you spent," said Luz.
"This is true. All sales are final, no refunds," Muwara confirmed.
"See! Plus…" Luz began rubbing the back of her head nervously. "I-I know thinking about marriage is, like, thinking waaaay too far ahead. But, I mean, it wouldn't be so bad to act like a married couple for the weekend. Right?"
Amity's heart was racing, she had not intended for any of this to happen. And yet, somehow, things turned out this way. Maybe this was for the best. Perhaps using this package was better than anything she was going to plan out. Plus, Amity hadn't really thought much further than coming to the hotel, and just spending some time doing some fun things here before eventually getting to the root cause of why she brought them out here.
"I-If you're okay with this, Luz, then okay. Muwara, we'll continue with the engagement package," said Amity.
"AH-HA! Excellent! Excellent!" Muwara cheered as he clapped his hands. "You will have a wonderful time here, Miss and Misses Blight!"
The girls blushed again.
"Uh, c-could you just use my last name for now? It's Noceda," said Luz.
"Oh, are you hyphenating? Or is it Miss and Misses Noceda?"
Amity blushed harder as she quickly said, "J-Just–!"
"Ah, we shall go with Noceda-Blight for now!" Muwara interrupted. "Come, Miss and Misses Noceda-Blight! Allow me to bring you to your honeymoon suite!"
Both girls felt like they wanted to correct him, but it was pointless one way or the other. So, without further delay, the two girls followed Muwara to the nearest lift where they were taken to the top floor.
Muwara brought them before a pair of double doors, opening both of them with a flare as he announced, "Welcome to the Honeymoon Suite, my dears!"
Luz and Amity gawked at the inside of the room. It was huge, with hues of red and pink, with velvet-like furniture, a fireplace at one end of the room, and a Slitherbeast fur rug set up in front of it. A couch that was just long enough for a person to sleep on, or rather, for one person to sit on and the other to lay out. Muwara drew a spell circle and had the large curtains pull back, revealing the backwall to actually be a wide balcony that allowed for a beautiful view of the landscape and sea.
"The bathroom is over here to you right." Muwara walked over to the door that led them to the bathroom and opened it.
Amity and Luz gasped again, the tub was wide and spacious, enough for two people to use. There was also a standing shower, again, big enough for two people to shower at the same time.
"And your bed is right over here," said Muwara.
Luz and Amity followed his hand and saw that he was pointing to a large bed, which was in the shape of a heart. There was a minifridge to the left and right of the bed, where Muwara shuffled over to and looked inside.
"Oh, yes, this will not do. Sorry young misses, but Muwara will have to confiscate the alcoholic beverages as you are not of legal age, yet," said Muwara as he drew a spell circle and levitated the many different types of alcoholic drinks from the minifridges. "I'll will have room service stock it with Apple Blood lite for the two of you, if that is okay, yes?"
"Uh…y-yes, that's fine. Um, Muwara, the bed…there's only one, right?" Amity asked.
"Oh, yes, only one." Muwara thought for a moment and went to one of the drawers. He opened it, looked at the girls and then back at whatever was inside there. "Hmm…probably fine to leave these. Probably." Muwara walked back to the two girls and asked, "Pardon, but where is your luggage? I did not see any when you arrived."
"Oh, uh, we didn't pack anything," said Amity.
"This was kind of spur of the moment, so that's why we're only here in our school uniforms," Luz explained.
"I see. I see. Such is the passion of young love! But this will not do. You cannot enjoy your stay in school uniforms!" Muwara made a gesture with his right hand and suddenly produced a gold card. "Please take this, a special gift for the young couple."
Amity's jaw dropped as she took the gold card into her hands.
"What's that?" Luz asked.
"A gold card, Luz! You can pretty much buy and do whatever you want with this!" Amity exclaimed.
"What?!"
"Muwara, w-we can't accept this! I'm more than willing to pay for whatever we need here," said Amity.
The lionfish demon wagged his talon back and forth as he clicked his tongue and said, "No, no, no. Muwara insists! You were very generous with your purchase – also, Muwara is a sucker for young love – so, this is for you. Buy what you need, and what you cannot carry, have the shop send it to the hotel and our staff will bring up to your room while you are out!"
"T-Thank you, Muwara," said Luz.
"Not a problem! Now, I must away! I have much work to do for your weekend of love!"
Muwara left the room quickly, with the doors closing behind him.
The girls were feeling awkward right now. There was only one bed, big as it was, which meant that they were going to have to sleep together, in that big bed, together.
"I-I'll sleep on the couch," Luz offered.
"W-What? Why?" Amity asked.
"I mean…it's going to be weird for us, right? Sleeping in the same bed."
Amity unconsciously gripped the hem of her tunic and said, "I…I don't mind sharing a bed with you, Luz. B-But only if you're comfortable with it."
"Only if you are, too."
Amity nodded.
"Cool. So, I guess we should go shopping. Like Muwara said, we can't enjoy this whole trip in just our uniforms, right?"
Amity chuckled.
"Yeah, it would be weird. Let's go and hit up one of the shops."
After leaving the hotel, Amity took Luz to one of the island's best shops. Of course, upon entry and flashing of the gold card, the staff in the shop were more than willing to accommodate them to the best of their ability, and then some. Luz and Amity had gone through different areas, buying vacation clothes, just enough for their weekend stay. At Amity's insistence, she also had them try on some formal wear.
"Do you really think we'll need this?" Luz asked.
"Considering I bought a package deal for engaged couples, I can only presume that one of the amenities is going to be some kind of fancy dinner or something later on. So, might as well cover our bases, right?" Amity suggested.
"True, better safe than sorry."
After getting their formal and informal wear out of the way, they got down to the nitty gritty, the swimsuits. There was not a lack of options, there were plenty of different styles. Some that were very modest, halfway modest, revealing to a degree, and ones that made Luz and Amity think thoughts. For modesty's sake, they decided to stick to modest to halfway modest.
Amity tried on various styles, some designer one-piece swimsuits that ranged from fauxkinis, some that had no straps, and others that had a sweetheart neckline. She tried on a trikini, it covered her back, but it left her sides exposed, and the neckline was cut low down towards the middle of her chest. Of course, she wasn't just trying them on in the privacy of the changing booth. Whenever she was done, she would draw back the curtain and let Luz get a full view of her in the swimwear, making the Latina stare at her with a red glowing face. Amity had to admit, she was embarrassed by doing this, but at the same time, she was enjoying seeing Luz's reactions. It really did feel nice to know that her girlfriend liked seeing her. In the end, Amity decided on a halter bikini top that was bright pink, and a matching swim skirt.
Amity really looks beautiful. She's like a model, Luz thought.
Amity exited the booth and said, "Okay, it's your turn, Luz."
"What? Oh no, I'm good. I already know what I'm going to wear."
"Really?"
"Yep." Luz brought out a swimsuit that was a purple fauxkini that had a snake pattern on it. "Figured this work best for me."
"Luz, we're on vacation, and it's just us. Why don't you try to wear something a little different?" Amity suggested.
"Different? How different?" Luz asked.
"How about…" Amity drew a spell circle and moved a rack of swimwear closer to them. After looking through some of them, Amity pulled out a set. "Something like this?!"
"Eep!"
The swimsuit in question consisted of a bandeau bikini top, also with a snake image on it, and a pair of swim briefs. The bottoms weren't that bad, but the bandeau made Luz feel uncomfortable, especially since it would expose a lot of her sides, stomach, shoulders, and neck. It would cover the important bits, and while that was important, it wasn't her chief concern.
"I-I don't think that'll work, Ams," Luz said.
"Why not? I think you'll great in this," said Amity.
"No…I-I won't."
"Again, why not?"
"Because I won't."
"Luz, c'mon, just try it out once and–"
"I'm not like you, Amity!" Luz exclaimed.
Amity was a little surprised by the outburst, and it seemed like Luz was too.
"I…I'm sorry. I…Amity, I'm not like you. I mean, look at me." Luz took a step back to let Amity have an obstructed view of her. "You look way better in those kinds of swimsuits. And me? Don't have the figure you do."
Amity lowered the swimsuit as she furrowed her brow a bit. She wasn't mad at Luz; she was mad at whoever made her feel like this. The person who made Luz feel like she wasn't beautiful, wasn't attractive, who made her feel like not even hearing own girlfriend say she was beautiful was enough to make her think otherwise. That she was less than. Amity could feel Bast's mind touching on her own, isolating them from Luz and La Lechuza so that they could not overhear.
"Now you see what I mean, Kitten?" Bast asked.
I do.
"Then, it's time to remedy this, don't you think?"
Amity felt the isolation end as she put the swimsuit down on the chair. The witch girl walked up to her girlfriend and gently took Luz's hands into her own, making the Latina look up into the eyes of Amity Blight.
"Luz, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are beautiful, Luz Noceda. I don't care what anyone else says, and you shouldn't either. I don't know what or who put these ideas in your head, or why you think you're not attractive enough, but you are. True, I didn't fall in love with you for your looks, I fell in love with you for who you are. That includes all of you. Mind and body."
"A-Amity…" Luz sounded as if she was about to cry.
"I love you, Luz Noceda. You're beautiful, and I want to see you in that. Your girlfriend wants to see you in that swimsuit because I know you'll look great in it. But I'm not going to force you. I just want you to know that, Luz. I want you know that you are attractive to me, physically, as well as mentally," said Amity with all sincerity.
Luz was smiling, despite the tears that were running down her face. She gave the swimsuit one more look and timidly said, "I…I-I want to try it."
"You don't have to, Luz. Like I said, it's still your choice."
"I know. But my awesome girlfriend wants to see me in it. And…I want to see myself in it, too."
Amity nodded and stepped aside as Luz tentatively grabbed the swimsuit and walked into the changing booth while Amity sat down and waited. Ten minutes past, but Amity remained in her seat. She knew that this was something that Luz was struggling with and was no doubt nervous about pulling that curtain back.
"I…I think I'm ready."
"Whenever you are, Luz. Don't rush yourself."
"O-Okay…on three. One…two…three!"
Luz swiftly pulled back the curtain and revealed herself. She was shyly, and nervously, hugging her stomach with her left arm as she kept her right arm down and made a fist. She kept her gaze averted, staring at a spot on the floor and not daring to meet Amity's eyes, fearing that her girlfriend really might not like what she sees. It wasn't that she felt overweight, Titan knows with all the fighting and life-threatening situations she's been in, it's kept her in good physical shape. But before this she was a scrawny little nerd girl with barely any muscle to speak of, and nothing in the form of curves like Amity had.
"I…I look stupid, don't I?" Luz asked.
Amity stood up from the chair and gently took Luz by the hand. She led the Latina to a body length mirror and had her stand in front of it.
"What do you see, Luz?"
Luz dared to look at the mirror for a moment before averting her gaze again.
"A scrawny nerd," said Luz.
"Look again, Luz. Please."
Amity used her hands to carefully turn Luz's head back to the mirror, and when she did, Luz paused. Yeah, she was thin, but she had also developed muscles. Her build was lean, not overly muscular, but you could definitely make out the curvature of them here and there. There were even the faint beginnings of a sixpack forming.
"W-What? T-That's not me, right? The mirror's enchanted, right?"
Amity chuckled as she said, "No, Luz. It's not enchanted, what you're seeing is you." The purple haired witch girl placed her left hand against Luz's stomach, feeling the muscles under the skin. "This is you."
Luz took a step forward and began to feel her body, realizing that the muscles were indeed there, and not a trick of the mirror.
"I've…I've looked at myself in the mirror before, but…I…"
"Because you still saw yourself as you were months ago. You've changed a lot since then, Luz. Not just up here," Amity poked the side of Luz's head, "but also out here. You've been fighting, running, and getting into all kinds of crazy situations that have pushed your mind and body. You've been changing, Luz. And without realizing it, your body's changed with you. Whatever was in your head, holding onto that past image of yourself, that past shame and feelings of being less than, was keeping you from seeing who you are now."
Luz was still amazed at how much she had physically changed since coming to the Boiling Isles. When she first got here, she couldn't throw the switch to release the prisoners from the Conformatorium without Eda's help. But now…
"And don't forget," Amity placed her hands on Luz's right arm, "these are the arms that scooped me off the Grudgby field and carried me to the nurse's office, and around school for a bit."
Luz blushed as she replied, "Oh, yeah. I-I did do that."
"I've said before, and I'll say it again. You are beautiful, Luz Noceda."
Luz turned towards Amity and gave her girlfriend a tight hug as she whispered, "Thank you" into her ear. Amity hugged Luz back, happy to have helped Luz get over this negative body image she had in her head. After a minute of hugging, Luz released Amity.
"Okay, well…as nice I look in this, I'm going to have to say no."
"Really? But I thought–"
"I feel more comfortable showing off bit more, with this." Luz walked over to the rack and perused through it for a moment. Afterwards, she pulled out a halter top and boy shorts combo. "But I'd be okay with this."
Amity smiled and replied, "Whatever makes you feel good, Luz."
"Awesome! Let's check out…" Luz fidgeted a little and added, "Um, do you think we can buy this one too?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Thanks. I don't feel quite confident enough to wear it, but…maybe…in private. At a pool, when it's just us, I'd feel better about it."
Amity walked up and gave Luz a kiss on the cheek.
"Whatever you want, Luz."
A/N: Sorry for the delay folks, I am out of town right now for a family event. I am editing the second chapter, so that will either be up by today or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.