"Hey, fairy worshiper! These cookies you make are amazing!" King exclaimed as he scarfed down an entire plate. "You should invest your skills more in cooking than in magic, you would do great!"

Eda smiled at the young Titan's compliment. After the match was over and Luz left with her friends, she offered to take King back to her beach, but after a moment of hesitation he refused and instead asked to be put up at her house because he wanted to wait Luz to compliment her on the show she had given him. Eda knew that in reality the young Titan had simply gathered courage and had decided that, since he had already gone around by now, perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to see the Owl House that Luz had told him so much about. So she had taken him there and had prepared a comfortable bed for him to rest. Although for the first two or three hours King had remained very defensive, by the end of the evening he had completely settled into that place, to the point that he went to sleep without the slightest worry, and the next morning he snored until late and barely he had woken up and asked for some sweets, which Eda obviously gave him. It seemed like he had already taken it for granted that this was his new home, which was good.

Eda couldn't help but feel touched. The young Titan was truly adorable. Watching how she anxiously awaited Luz's return, she almost felt like she was seeing a little brother who wanted nothing more than to see his big teenage sister again.

Eda found herself giggling to herself. It was incredible that until just a few months before she had lived alone in the middle of the woods, and now instead she found herself almost playing the part of a mother in a family. A very strange family, it had to be said, but still a family.

Just then the door flew open and Hooty announced: "Hoot hoot! Luz is here!"

"Finally!" King exclaimed as he stood up and headed towards the door, where the puppet had just appeared. "I hope you know that keeping a noble Titan like me waiting isn't nice at all!"

"King! What are you doing here at the Owl House?" Luz asked, confused to see him there.

"I've been waiting for you" King replied regally. "Yesterday, what you gave me was a spectacle worthy of a Titan like me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and appreciated every part of what I saw. Therefore, it is only right that I offer you my praise"

It took Luz a moment to understand, then a smile appeared on her face. "Seriously? You stayed here at the Owl House all night... for me?"

"A good monarch knows when to thank his subordinates" King replied. "And your fairy has been a good host, and although this is a plebeian house, it is still large and sumptuous enough to accommodate my royal presence"

Luz grabbed him by the waist and lifted him up, rubbing him against her like a stuffed animal. "Oh, King, I'm so glad you came to the Owl House!"

"Ugh... fine, but respect personal space" the young Titan said.

Luz blushed. "Oh... sorry, I'll put you back on the floor right away..."

"Absolutely not, what did you understand?" King stopped her. "I like what you're doing, so keep doing it. Just ask my royal permission next time instead of taking such liberties"

Luz remained still for a moment, then she hugged the young Titan even tighter and almost started spinning around, and King was clearly enjoying that. It went on like this for a while, then he decided he'd had enough and had his feet put back on the floor, and he went back to binging on sweets.

Luz finally turned to Eda. The two of them didn't say anything about King, but their looks told them what they were both thinking. So Eda immediately moved on to another topic: "How was your evening at your friend's house? Did you have fun?"

"Oh, we had a lot of fun... although a few things happened" Luz replied with a strange note in her voice.

Eda raised an eyebrow. "Where are your little friends?" she asked, noticing the absence of the cricket, the spider and the crab.

"Willow is with Hunter. She told me she wanted to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't act recklessly, but I'm sure it was an excuse to stay with him" Luz replied. "Gus is with the Blight twins... he too felt that they should have some company for now so as to avoid making stupid moves. Skara, Boscha, and even Cat and Amelia are with Amity since it's better than she stays with some friends for now. And Matt... at the moment I actually don't know where he is, but I'm pretty sure he went with Gus, after all, even if he doesn't admit it, he's his best friend"

Eda thought there were too many strange things in Luz's words and her tone of voice. "Kiddo, is there something you need to tell me?"

Luz seemed somewhat undecided, as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how; in the end, she just asked: "Eda, hypothetically speaking, how do you think Lilith would react if she knew that Amity's mother is a witch and that Amity too has witch blood in her veins and that in just two months she will awaken her magic?"

Eda's eyes widened and it took her a few seconds to accept everything she had just heard. When she succeeded, she realized that there was definitely trouble ahead. "Please, tell me this is really just a hypothetical question"

Luz bit her lip. "I would love to do it... but I don't want to make my nose grow up to the ceiling"

Eda massaged her temples. "Tell me everything from the beginning, please"

The puppet didn't have to be told again and explained everything that had happened the night before. By the time she was finished Eda looked like she had aged ten years. "So, to recap, Lilith is the fairy godmother of a future witch? Hm. Now I understand why that Odalia had been giving me bad vibes ever since I saw her for the first time"

Luz lowered her head slightly, not knowing what to say or do. She had made sure to point out that neither Odalia nor Amity were evil witches, and she was relieved to see that Eda hadn't reacted the same way as the Blight matriarch. At least this gave her hope. "Um... Eda, listen, I know fairies and witches aren't exactly on good terms, but... well, Amity is a good girl, you saw it! She is not evil even if she is a witch. And her mother... well, I find her unpleasant too, and surely she is not the person with whom I would spend my days, but she behaved that way because she wanted to protect her daughter... she made a mistake, of course, but in her defense I remind you that that woman practically grew up on her own, she had to hide her whole life, she didn't have no one to teach her how to deal with a daughter who would one day awaken dark magic, and her husband practically abandoned her and Amity as soon as he learned the truth... it can't be said that she had all the prerequisites to succeed in doing things well"

Eda couldn't exactly contradict the puppet; in fact if she had been in Odalia Blight's position she probably wouldn't have known what to do. Maybe she wouldn't have made the same mistakes, but she would definitely have made some others. After all, if being a white witch really required absolute mastery of body, mind and spirit, somehow Odalia had had to pass these qualities on to her daughter, and probably doing so in a way that seemed like normal everyday things seemed like the easiest way to her. Of course, she had exaggerated, but if she had really done it in good faith then she could be forgiven. Eda thought back to what she had seen in the woman's heart when she met her, and indeed everything matched: Odalia's desire for manipulation and control matched perfectly with what Luz had said, and when Amity had retired from the captaincy she seemed more irritated by her daughter's lack of perfection than by her lack of control over her; furthermore, that brief spark of affection that had appeared in the woman's heart when Amity had hugged her suggested that she actually cared about her daughter. Eda certainly wasn't about to lower her guard towards a witch, but she certainly couldn't help but give her the benefit of the doubt. However, she couldn't be too confident either. "She is still dangerous" she said. "Kiddo... witches aren't people you can trust easily. I'm sure your friend Amity is a good girl, but I don't trust her mother"

"But I already told you she's not a dark witch..." Luz tried to protest.

"First, you have no guarantee that she told the truth. She could have lied for all you know" Eda pointed out. "And second... being a white witch doesn't automatically mean you're good, it just means you're not necessarily evil. White witches can be just as dangerous as dark ones, in fact, in some ways they're even more so. Dark witches at least are chaotic, cruel, they don't hide their true nature; white witches, on the contrary, are totally unpredictable. This is their advantage, what makes them an even greater potential threat"

"Exactly, Eda: potential threat, not certain threat" Luz pointed out. "Eda... I know I'm a very naive and gullible person, but I didn't feel like Amity's mother was lying, and all my friends agree... even Hunter, and he has extraordinary skills, I mean, he understood on his own that Odalia was a witch just from one look! I don't know if she told us everything... but I don't think she lied to us"

Eda sighed. "Even if I pretended to believe Odalia right away, the danger remains. Witches hate fairies, and from what you told me Odalia is no exception. Now that she knows that her daughter is associating with fairies, and that you, her best friend, do the same... I don't know what she could do. As I told you, white witches are unpredictable". She paused for a moment and massaged her temples which were starting to ache. "I assume Amity hasn't told Lilith yet"

"Yeah... she asked me to come hers and take you to her. She thinks it'll be easier to explain if you're there to help her out" Luz replied.

"Yes, I thought so" Eda murmured thinking intensely about what to do. Oh, Lilith definitely wasn't going to take that news very well. "Let's go to your friend immediately, and then we all go to Lilith together. Better to deal with the matter immediately"

For once Luz totally agreed, so they left the house immediately leaving King in the care of Hooty (who had assured them of ensuring the young Titan had a constant supply of sweets) and headed towards Bonesborough. Luz had half an idea where to find Amity, and in fact they found her and her friends hiding not far from Lilith's house, clearly waiting for her and Eda to enter. The girl was sweating so much it was a miracle she hadn't yet become dehydrated. "Hey, is everything okay?" Luz asked seeing her so hesitant.

Amity shook her head. "I'm scared" she confessed. "You heard Hunter, fairies and witches are enemies. What if Lilith doesn't take it well after finding out that I'm technically a witch? What if she's disgusted by me? What if she reacts like..." she didn't finish the sentence, but the puppet could still hear the words 'my father' ringing in her ears, almost as if Amity's devastated expression had spoken on its own.

"Lilith loves you. You'll see, it won't make a difference to her what you are" Luz told her, then grabbed her hand firmly. "She won't hate you. I promise"

Amity felt a little heartened, then she looked down and remembered that the puppet was holding her hand. Suddenly all her touch receptors seemed to focus on that single spot, her heart seemed to ride the waves and she could feel her face heating up. She quickly broke that contact and looked in another direction. "Thank you. I needed to hear that"

Luz found herself smiling without knowing why. She didn't know the reason, but seeing Amity act that way made her think she was incredibly cute.

The two entered Lilith's house, followed by Eda. The fairy welcomed them warmly. "Welcome! Oh, Amity, you look great with that hair" she said. "Sorry, I don't have anything ready to offer you, but if you wait a minute..."

"Fairy godmother... ehm... Lilith" Amity stopped her. "I have to tell you something"

Lilith was confused by Amity's behavior. Normally if a kid spoke to her like that she would think she was confessing to some mischief, but she could clearly see that there was no trace of guilt in Amity's heart, on the contrary there was a lot of fear. "Okay. Just tell me everything you... hey! Eda, what are you doing?"

Eda had wrapped her right arm around her sister's neck. "Lilith" she said with a forced smile. "Do you remember when I confessed to you about the connection between me and Luz and you didn't get too angry?"

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"Nothing... it's just that I've noticed that lately you've become much better at managing emotions than when we were teenagers... which is good, because we have to give you a news that will destabilize you a little..." Eda replied.

Lilith was liking the situation less and less. "Eda, if you have something to say to me, do it now, if you've made some mess I assure you that I won't..."

"My mother is a witch!" Amity screamed, no longer able to hold the tension. "And so am I... please don't hate me!"

Silence fell in the house. If they had been in any other context Eda would probably have magically immortalized Lilith's image, as the face she was making was priceless, but luckily she had enough sense to avoid doing such a thing at such a time. "WHAT!?" Lilith slurred as soon as she could think again.

"Lilith... deep breaths..." Eda whispered in her ear.

Lilith glared at her sister, but she forced herself to calm down when she realized that Amity had lowered her head and was looking nervously at the floor. She felt guilty; perhaps she should have reacted with less emphasis, especially after the last sentence the girl had said. She quickly said: "Hey... hey, it's okay. I don't hate you, Amity, I could never hate you"

Amity looked up sharply; she seemed relieved like few times in her life. "R-Really?"

Lilith caressed her cheek. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday? I will always be with you, no matter what happens... and no matter who you are. I don't hate you and I will never hate you"

Amity stood still for a moment, then she grabbed the fairy by the waist and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, fai... Lilith. You are wonderful"

Lilith rubbed her hair. Amity must have really feared that she would abandon her if she had reacted like that. She had to know what had happened. "Look… do you want to tell me exactly what happened?"

Amity did so. She explained everything to her in detail, leaving absolutely nothing out. Although Lilith tried to keep her expression neutral, she couldn't help but frown when Amity explained the reasons behind her mother's actions, and it took all of her self-control to avoid showing a furious face when she told her what her father had told her. "And that's all" Amity finished when she was done. "Now mom wants to meet you to… well… check that you aren't a danger to me"

Lilith was pretty sure that the opposite was more likely, meaning that Odalia was a danger to Amity, but she refrained from saying it out loud. "Did you tell her I'm a fairy?"

"Actually, I am the one who told her" Luz intervened with a lot of embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I was trying to cheer Amity up and it just slipped out"

Lilith sighed. That situation could have ended very badly. Revealing her fairy nature would have been a huge problem even if Odalia had been a normal mother, let alone a witch. "Okay, I'll talk to your mother... although I can't guarantee that I won't have some... qualms about her"

Amity smiled. "That's enough for me! I'm sure that by talking to each other you will settle any differences!"

She had said so, but she was feeling more tension in her heart than she had ever had in the last fourteen years. And when the four of them returned to Blight Manor and found her mother already there waiting for them with a less than reassuring expression on her face, she felt like she had just walked into a lion's den. "Hello" Odalia greeted Lilith. "So you are a fairy"

"And you're a witch" Lilith replied. "Who knows why, it doesn't surprise me at all"

The two women glared at each other for a moment, and Amity felt as if the air in the room had solidified and was threatening to crush her. Noticing this, Luz grabbed her arm and dragged her away: "Um... let's let the adults talk! Come on, Amity, let's go to your room! We still have to... well, I'm sure we'll find something we have to do!" and while she walked away she cast a pleading look at Eda, begging her with her eyes to make everything go well, and the fairy returned a very uncertain look.

Luz didn't stop until they were back upstairs. Only then did she let go of Amity, who finally asked: "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave them alone?"

"Of course they are. They're adults, let them fend for themselves" Luz replied. "Unless you still wanted to tell them something..."

Amity thought about it and had to admit that even if she had stayed with the three women she wouldn't have known what to say to them. She had already done everything she could do to try to resolve the conflicts; for the rest, she could only feel the tension about how that meeting would end. "So... what do we do in the meantime?"

"Well, whatever you want! This is your house after all" Luz replied. "And then... yesterday you were complaining that you couldn't decide about anything in your life, even if that wasn't true. So... this time, you make the choice. You have to start with the little things, right?"

Amity smiled. Luz was truly adorable in every way. "Well... would you like to... come with me to mom's private study?"

Luz was surprised, "Why?"

"Mom gave me permission to read those books. She told me that now that I know I can come into her study whenever I want, and she took away the key. Only, she ordered me not to try any spells without her present... and I can imagine why" Amity replied. "Since... well, I'm a witch, I'd like to try to find out more about myself and my magic. And then... who knows... maybe we could find something that'll be useful to you too... you know, for the problem of becoming a real girl"

Luz shook her head. "I doubt it, Eda has already told me that I won't find the answer in books. I have to understand what it means to be a real girl on my own... even if it seems to me that every time I take a step forward the road becomes a hundred kilometers longer" she answered. "But if I can help you better understand your nature, then count on me!"

Amity was a little sad that Luz was having such a hard time achieving her dream, but she was happy that she still wanted to help her. "Thank you"

"Don't thank me! That's what friends do" Luz replied, though strangely when she said those words she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

The two girls thus headed back to Odalia's private study, where now the secret room was always open since there was no longer any reason to hide it. When they arrived, they looked indecisively at the shelf full of strange witchcraft tools and books. Amity felt mixed emotions at that sight: on the one hand the books had covers that resembled fanged faces and gave her shivers, on the other she felt a strange affinity with those objects, as if it were natural for her to handle them. She tried to take one and opened it, which turned out to be written in a strange language; fortunately at least the characters were normal, a sign that it was probably a 'modern' version, but the words were still very complicated. "Damn! What language is this?" Luz murmured as she stood next to her and looked at him.

Amity felt her heart quicken at having her so close, but she still tried to stay clear: "I think it's Grimorian, the dark language. Let's see... 'by moonlight'... 'using a feather of'... black crow? No, wait... maybe it's chicken? A black chicken? Maybe I'm a little rusty"

"Wait, you can read this language?" Luz asked in surprise.

"Yes, when I was ten years old my mother had me take a private course so that I could learn it. It was the only course where she came to attend the lessons and sometimes even questioned me in person. She didn't stop making me do it until I learned it very well" Amity replied. "Now I understand why... even though I should have practiced every now and then like she told me to do"

Luz looked somewhat surprised, but then she giggled. "Look, look. So even the perfect old Amity was transgressive sometimes, huh?"

Amity blushed. "I... I just had other things to do! I didn't think it was important..."

"Hey, hey, you don't have to justify yourself to me about these things. In fact, I'd probably encourage you to do so!" Luz stopped her immediately. "Come on, keep reading. You just need to practice a little, you'll see, everything you learned will soon come back to you! In the meantime, I'll look at this stuff" she said pointing to the various herbs, feathers, hairs and amulets that were scattered on the shelf. Her gaze obviously immediately fell on the cat statue in the case. "Oh, look how cute this is!"

"Luz, wait, I don't think this is a good idea..." Amity tried to stop her, but Luz had already removed the display case. As soon as the glass was no longer there, the statue shuddered and then opened its eyelids, revealing two lively blue eyes. The cat stood on its paws and jumped off the shelf, walking in an elegant and regal manner.

"Wow! It's alive? I thought it was fake!" Luz exclaimed as she reached down to pet the cat, but the feline immediately hissed at her; it didn't seem to be very comfortable with people. However, as soon as its gaze fell on Amity, it immediately seemed to quiver with joy and ran between her legs, rubbing itself on them and letting out a loud purr. "Hey, that isn't fair! Why does it like you and not me?" the puppet protested.

"Well, it must have its own tastes too" Amity reached down, petting the cat on the head, and she felt with surprise that it was not fluffy and soft as cats' fur normally was, but rather had a hard and almost sharp hair... it seemed almost... "Wood? Wait... maybe it's a Palisman?"

"That?" Luz asked confused. In fact it wasn't so far-fetched that that cat was a Palisman like Flapjack, Owlbert or Mike Socks... but she doubted that a witch would keep a magic wand with her. "Are you sure?"

"Well... I don't know. Lilith's Palisman was different... and Flapjack was too" Amity replied taking the cat in her hands. "He looks like a Palisman, but... it's different somehow. Like he's made of the same wood as them, but created differently". The cat let out a loud meow, and Amity raised an eyebrow. "Uh... what did you say?"

"How do you know that it is a he? Wait... can you understand what it says!?" Luz exclaimed excitedly. "Could he have chosen you as his master, like Flapjack did with Hunter?"

Amity seemed to realize this only then. "I actually don't know... I don't know how it's possible, but I know that this cat is a he. And yes, I hear him talking... but it's strange, I barely understand a few syllables. It's as if there was a continuous interference" she replied. "Ghi... osk... ti? Ghost? Is that your name?"

The cat mewed in response. It looked like Amity had nailed it. "F... le... i? Fly? Do you want to fly?" Amity murmured. "What does that mean? Can Palismen who don't have wings fly?"

Luz shrugged. She wasn't sure what the answer was. Flapjack, Mike and Owlbert could fly, but they were modeled after birds; she wasn't sure if those modeled into the shape of other animals could do that. But she didn't have time to answer anyway because a sharp crash could be heard coming from downstairs, as if someone had just broken a cup. Amity and Luz froze at the sound. "Maybe... someone just accidentally dropped a cup..." Luz tried to say unsure.

"I doubt it" Amity said. "Let's go back down and check, I have a bad feeling". And so the two girls rushed downstairs, with the strange cat named Ghost at their heels.

Luz: "Don't worry Amity, I'm sure your mother and your fairy godmother will be able to discuss with harmony, calmness and diplomacy..."

Meanwhile:

Odalia: "Do I attack first or do you attack first?"

Lilith: "Let's attack together"

Eda: "Wait, I'll get the popcorn"