Really Small Problems
Eda was busy in the kitchen, stirring something. Luz was wearing her Hexside costume and using a crystal ball to communicate with Jackie, Willow, and Gus at the kitchen table. Hazel is sitting by the window, eating a sandwich he just made. Bijou was sitting close in her school uniform, admiring the hat drawing the Golden Guard had given her and imagining a pin to match it.
"So they said I couldn't remove my thumb, but look at that," Luz said as she did the thumb trick to their surprise.
"You sliced it off! You sliced off your own thumb!" Gus began to stress out. Bijou looked over Luz's shoulder.
"Actually, it's because she-"
"Bij, don't ruin the surprise!" Luz murmured to her, holding up her palms with an amused smile.
"Okay, but don't let my student freak out for too long."
"I should really try doing that," Jackie replied.
Willow giggled at the two. "You make doing homework actually fun."
"And they say humans can't do magic," Luz commented, amused. She then saw the hat sketching song and became interested. "Ooh, that's a good drawing, you made it?"
"Yes and no," she said, taking the page away before Luz examined the Golden Guard's artistic style, which was radically different from her own. She has neater sketches than the Golden Guard, whose drawing featured visible smudges. That was a stretch, but Luz was not an idiot.
"Design?" Gus inquired, puzzled, and Bijou turned to face them.
"You didn't know? I draw clothes in my spare time; it's just...something I do, you know?" She shrugged, and Gus gasped, as Willow and Jackie looked on with interest.
"Why haven't you told me about this earlier?!"
"I will soon, promise," she said, waving her hand and smiling slightly.
"Guys..." King said, laying down on the table to catch their attention.
"You've been talking to them all morning. Don't forget about the Luz, Bijou, Hazel, and King Comedy Hour~!"
"Please, no," Eda said to herself with loathing. "Not the comedy hour."
"Oh, yeah. King and I decided to work on some new prop comedy skits this week," Hazel explained as he finished his meal.
King placed a toilet roll on his nose.
"Oh, dear. I've gotten a tube stuck on my nose. Will I ever eat again?" He rammed his face into a piece of bread from Luz's sandwich.
"I would say 'no' because you're toast," Hazel remarked. The two monsters laugh, and Luz and Bijou join in.
"It just goes on like this for an hour," Eda lamented nearby.
"Hey, you doughboy. Quit loafing around," Luz joked with King.
"Why don't you bake me?" The four chuckled, and the crystal ball's alarm went off, indicating that it was 8 a.m.
"School time! See you guys in class."
"Bye." "Meet you there." Willow and Jackie waved at her.
"But what about the thumb?" Gus inquired, and his concern was not addressed as Luz hung up. King sighed bitterly at this.
"Hey, don't worry," Luz said, as Bijou returned with her backpack. "We'll finish our comedy hour when Bij and I get home."
She kissed the top of his head, and Bijou patted him.
"Oh, you," He laughed at them as Bijou waved.
"Bye King!"
"Try not to miss us while we're gone~!" Luz exclaimed as she locked the door behind them. King sprang onto the ground and scratched it like a dog does when its owner leaves the house.
"You-you really think they're coming back this time?"
"Yes, they'll be back," Eda said, looking away. "They always come back. It's cute you miss 'em though."
"Yeah. The way you eagerly wait for them is like a dog excitingly waiting for its owner to return," Hazel added, snickering.
"The King of Demons-" He tore off his props before repeating himself. "The King of Demons doesn't miss anyone! I wouldn't mind if they came through this door right now."
The door opened, and he was shoved aside as the two girls stood in the threshold.
"Hey, you're-"
"You're back!" King interrupted the Owl Lady, crawling onto Luz's head. "I didn't miss you guys at all."
"What happened?" Hazel inquired, climbing on Bijou's shoulder.
"Apparently there's an infestation of pixies at Hexside, so school's been canceled," Luz smiled.
"I would've liked to know that in a message, but no complaints here," Bijou added, smiling.
"That sounds like a...crumby situation," King quipped, and the four laughed.
Hooty then appeared inside the house.
"Hey, guess what's been in my mouth that I'm about to throw up?" He retched, and the two humans watched, repulsed. He threw up a stack of letters, including a parcel. "The mail!"
Unfortunately, he acted as the mail carrier, which made sense given that he saw the mail all the time. But...sorting through it was nasty. Eda picked up all of the letters.
"Junk, junk, death-hex," she dropped the final one into a trash can, where it vanished. "Oh, there's a carnival in town today!"
She held out the flyer.
"A carnival?" Luz inquired eagerly, taking up King. "You know, I've been so busy with school lately, what do you say we take this comedy hour on tour? It'll be a day for the four of us!"
"That's my kind of day!"
"I want to see the fun there," Hazel said, nodding.
"Let's all five of us go!" Luz embraced Eda, King, and Bijou.
"An adventure with friends," Hooty interjected. "I'll go pack my stuff."
"Carnivals bring crowds, and crowds bring suckers. This could be the perfect chance to try out my new get-witch-quick scheme," she said, holding out her staff, which she was stirring the potion with for some reason. She flicked off the liquid, revealing Owlbert. "I'm in! To the carnival!"
"To the carnival!" the others exclaimed, running out the door.
"Good news," Hooty returned to the kitchen, donning a sun hat, sunglasses, a camera, and sunblock on his nose. "I'm bringing my knapsack full of games! Hello?"
He looked about in surprise until a fly appeared.
"Oh, a fly! Talk to me! Talk to me!" He rushed after it.
The quartet attended the Bonesborough Carnival. King was sporting a fanny pack.
"Well, here we are, kids. Look at all that fresh meat," Eda declared.
People passed by with cotton candy, meat on a stick with flies, and a child won a demon goldfish.
"And smell all the fresh meat," Luz inhaled the air, only to find an insect lodged in her nostril. She coughed it out. "Fun!"
Owlbert awoke and attempted to fly away, but Eda stopped him. "No games for you, Owlbert. We've got scams to run."
He hooted with displeasure, and Bijou nuzzled his chin with a fingertip.
"Don't worry, Owlbert." She whispered as she and Hazel leaned closer to the owl palisman. "I'll try and win you something later."
"We guarantee you that, my feathered friend," Hazel added.
"Friends, welcome!" Tibbles, the pig demon that defeated Eda in Hexes Hold 'Em, appeared in front of them dressed as a ringmaster. They all screamed and moved into protective stances.
"I see you got my postcard."
"Tibbles, you sent this?" She took up the poster, only to find the back, which had his picture on it, addressed to them, and signed by himself. It appeared to be one of those flyers that changed positions when moved.
"Mm-hmm," Tibbles rocked back and forth.
"I thought that pig on the poster looked familiar," Hazel said as he examined the picture.
"Aren't you mad at us for destroying your stand?" Luz inquired.
"Ooh, and for destroying his life," King added. "That was the best part."
"Yeah, and from what I heard, you swore revenge after that," Bijou said, suspicious of the entire situation.
"No, no, no. I should thank you. After my stand was destroyed, I reevaluated my life and found my true calling," he smiled as he returned to the carnival. "I'm now the ringmaster of..."
He cracks a whip. "Tibbles' Tent of Tiny Terrors."
"Aw!" said Luz, and Bijou and Hazel joined her. There were miniature copies of unicorns, manticores, and griffins.
"It's like a regular circus, but adorably small." The griffin hissed at her.
"You're my friends now," she said, pressing her face to the glass.
"What's your secret on catching these tiny animals?" Hazel asked Tibbles.
"Sorry, dear almiraj, but what I did to find them is confidential," the pig demon quipped as he spun his cane like a majorette's baton.
"I don't buy it," Eda said, prompting her staff to disappear. She then crossed her arms, giving a suspicious look. "What kind of con are you running?"
"No cons here, Owl Lady," he shook his head, and while he appeared glad, it wasn't enough to persuade her. "Only pros. In fact, why don't we toast our newfound friendship with this totally innocent bottle of water?"
He held up a tall bottle filled with purple liquid.
"Oh, yeah, sure," Eda took it from him. "Why don't I just-" Eda pretended to drink before throwing it at someone's head, knocking him down.
"I'm okay."
"I know poison when I see it," she said, accusingly pointing down at the pig demon. "You can't scam a scammer. Now, speaking of scams..."
She approached a stand.
"Beat it, loser!" she yelled, knocking over all of his belongings, and the stand owner fled in terror. She jumped directly behind the counter.
"Step right up to..." She cast a spell circle, which transformed into a human horror house stand. "Eda's Human Horror House."
Several individuals approached her. "Humans shed their skin, and I've got proof," she said, stretching out a pair of Luz's leggings and Bijou's black shirt.
"I don't really buy that," Hazel said, shaking his head.
"You should really put a lock on your closet," King told them.
"Eh, it's okay, that was just a hand-me-down from my mom that I didn't really like," Bijou said with a smirk. "But I will take that advice to heart."
"You know what, Eda can pick through my socks all she wants," Luz concurred with Bijou. "Because today is all about having a great time with my partners-in-crime."
"That's us," said King, his eyes widening. "And I love crime."
"We're right there with you guys," Bijou stated, her and Hazel smiling at them. Tibbles watched as the four laughed and went away.
"Have a good time, friends..." He waved before backing away with a nasty smirk. "While it lasts."
"Dunk the skeleton. Win a prize!" an Abominations pupil said, clutching a ball. Someone tossed it at the target, and skin developed on him.
"Aah, I'm covered in pores!"
"Huh...interesting dunk tank," Bijou said, relieved that she wouldn't have to view the lower part.
"Now this is my kinda weird," Luz exclaimed cheerfully as they strolled past a roller coaster with teeth for carts. "So, what do you wanna do first? We could brave the molar coaster or eat a mysterious blob..."
"I'm gonna win something for Owlbert," Bijou remarked.
"Ooh, what's that?" King raced over to a prize booth, where he noticed some bracelets on exhibit. "Huh, some kind of deadly string weapon."
"No, silly," Luz replied, placing a hand on his head. "That's a friendship bracelet."
"Is that a type of deadly weapon?" King inquired.
"An accessory, actually," Hazel replied.
"It's basically a declaration to the whole world that you're the best of friends," Bijou said, putting two pieces together to form a heart. "See?"
"Ho ho! That's way safer than becoming blood brothers. Guys, we must have those bracelets!" King was hollering at them.
"And...yoink!" The prize merchant took them from the girl. "Sorry, ma'am. If your bone son wants these bracelets, you have to play the games and win the tickets.
"You know, carnival rules."
"Beat up the man and steal his things for me!"" King pleaded with the two, pointing to himself.
"Or...let's just play the games," Luz replied, shrugging.
"You know, the safer option?" Bijou offered, crossing her arms.
"Oh, okay." He pulled them aside as they chuckled.
"Games! Games! Games!"
Then Luz ran into Willow, Jackie, and Gus. Bijou bumped into Edric by the shoulder.
"Friends!" Luz embraced the trio.
"Hey, Luz!"
"Edric?" Bijou asked, astonished to see Amity's brother at the carnival.
"Bijou, I didn't expect you to be here," he said sheepishly after stumbling into her.
"Er...same here, Ed..." she responded.
She was about to speak again when Luz, Willow, Jackie, and Gus embraced her.
"Gus, Willow, Jackie, hi!"
Edric simply smiled at how close they were.
"Oh, my gosh. I didn't think I'd see carniv-y'all here," Luz joked and Bijou chuckled.
"Boo," Gus stated at the lame joke.
"I see you got the same invite as us," Jackie said as she whipped up the same invite, but was addressed to 'you other three,' as in Jackie herself, Willow, and Gus.
"We figured it's a trap since we squashed his stand with a walking house," Gus went on to say.
"But who cares? This place has a Scaris wheel," Willow said cheerfully, although King appeared irritated by their presence.
"It's like a human Ferris wheel, but it gives you long-lasting nightmares," the shorter boy continued.
"Yes!" Luz exclaimed upon hearing this. "This mama is ready for trauma."
"Ahem," King cleared his throat to catch her attention.
"Oh, yeah. We're on a very important quest to win a special prize for King."
"Bijou and I are also planning to win something for Owlbert," Hazel explained.
Willow said, "Oh, we could help with that!"
"Aww," Gus said as he bent down slightly. "Does the little guy wanna win a prize? Uh, does he? Uh, does he?"
He made baby noises while wagging his finger at King, who swatted his hand away.
"What do you think, King?" Luz asked with a smile. "The more the merrier, huh?"
He didn't want to because it was meant to be a day just for him, Luz, Hazel, and Bijou, but he also didn't want to say no. They were his pals, after all. But something about it left him a little unsatisfied.
"Um, sure. Whatever you want, guys."
"All right. Approval!" Luz said, swinging her fists.
"Um," Edric cleared his throat, and everyone turned to him. "Actually, if it's okay with you guys, can Bij stay with me for a while so we can play other games?"
"Mm?" Bijou blinked, surprised. "Oh, uh...well, I'm keeping my eyes on Luz and the others, so-"
"What?! No, no, you guys go have your own fun," Luz pulled them away, her grin conveying the idea. "Don't worry about us, we'll stay out of trouble!"
"Pinky swear?" Bijou said, holding out her pinky finger.
"Pinky swear," Luz answered, touching Bijou's pinky with her own.
"Good. And this is what a pinky swear looks like, Gus," Bijou told him.
"Wow," Gus exclaimed in wonder.
"We're not going to get in the way of what's going on here," Willow winked, and Edric blushed, while Bijou glanced away in thinking. Well, it was a carnival, and she did trust them...looking back, she may have to worry about Eda more than them at times. After all, if she stole her black top, who knows what else she was looking to sell? But she really wanted to hang out with Edric...
"...Fine, you guys can go. Find us if you need anything."
"Yay!" they cheered, save for King.
Willow, Jackie, and Gus had already arrived, and Bijou was about to have some fun with Edric as well. Obviously, this made him even less happy.
"Um, but what about the bracelets?" he inquired, and she bent down to him.
"Don't worry, King, I won't be gone the entire day. You can just come find me when you guys win all those tickets! Besides, I'm sure you'll see me around anyway. Is that okay?"
"I guess..." he conceded to her.
"Alright, I'm all good from here on out," Bijou smiled to Edric, and the two waved as they went.
"Not getting in the way of love! Yeah!" Luz exclaimed as the five dashed away, cheering. King struggled to follow them because of his short legs.
They played skee-ball, which involves the machines simply eating the ball. The sextet left, and when King approached, the ball was spat at him.
Bijou and Edric played a ring-tossing game in which they had to toss rings onto slithering posts on a table. They smiled when they won some tickets.
Luz was speaking with everyone when they came upon a photo stand. They all smiled for the camera; the four teenagers and almiraj were clowns, and King was a rubbish can. It also felt like it to him because he wasn't as connected to them...
Edric led Bijou into a photo booth, where they took some photographs. They posed in amusing ways and smiled as they stepped out.
Luz presented a fried orb and took a mouthful. Willow, Hazel, and Jackie ate some, followed by Gus, who ate the whole thing in one bite, with purple slime pouring out of their lips with each bite. However, King was left with none, and he crossed his arms in anger.
Bijou paid for a cup of devil berry smoothie, which presumably appeared edible to her. The smoothie stand manager assumed she and Edric were together, so he filled up a cup large enough for them to split, much to their surprise.
Luz, Hazel, Jackie, Willow, and Gus were conversing at a balloon popping stand, or, rather, a polyp popping stand.
"So the pixie infestation was actually caused when Boscha's pet pixie escaped its cage..."
King couldn't see the balloons to hurl his dart. He couldn't do anything about his legs, and the others weren't paying attention enough to help. He eventually fell to his face.
"Curse these stubby legs!"
He sat up and noticed the five laughing together, looking melancholy. He moved away, sitting in front of a stand, holding his cheeks. Luz shifted her focus away from him and toward her friends...and Bijou abruptly left to go with someone else. He looked up at a poster and sighed.
"Oh, my, my, my. You seem troubled."
His eyes widened as he looked up at the unexpected voice.
"Huh? Who said that?"
He rose up and was confronted by a pig demon.
"It is I, Obvioso, the all-seeing psychic."
"Haven't I seen you somewhere?" King's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It's almost so..."
"Obvious?" the pig psychic interjected.
"That's exactly what I was going to say!" exclaimed the little horned demon, pointing up in amazement. "Wow! You really are psychic."
"You're right," he said, placing his hand on his cheek. "And Obvioso can see that something is bothering you, my friend."
King gave a sigh, looked away, and crossed his arms.
"You got my number, Obvioso. Today was supposed to be about me, Luz, Bijou, and Hazel, see? But now they're distracted by their cool new school friends."
"What if I were to tell you that there was a way to make all those problems disappear?"
He raised an eyebrow at the query. "I'd say that sounds illegal. I would also say go on."
The pig demon chuckled as he entered his booth, glancing at a spray bottle filled with purple liquid—the same hue as Eda's earlier purchase. He snatched it and faced King, holding it up.
"Behold!" He sprayed a monster nearby, which vanished in thin air.
"Holy bones!" King exclaimed in horror. "You poofed it! Call the cops! This guy's crazy!"
"Hey," Obvioso laughed at him. "The spray is only temporary. I just give my cheeks a tap and then," he said, as the thing reappeared. "It returns safe and sound."
The creature then laid an egg with a baby inside.
"Take this," He handed King the spray. "Enjoy the carnival without the problems. Luz, Bijou, Hazel, Jackie, Willow, Gus, and Edric will be none the wiser."
"Whoa! You even know their names. Guess there's no use arguing with a fortune-teller. Thanks, Obvioso!" He smiled and went.
The pig demon laughed evilly as he removed his mustache, revealing himself as Tibbles.
"Hey," King returned, hurriedly reapplying the mustache. "Side note, in the future do I ever find love?"
"Uhh...yes."
He giggled and then went, leaving Tibbles relieved.
"Hmm," said King, looking down at the bottle. "Maybe I should think about this first."
"King!" Luz exclaimed as the five approached, with Hazel on her shoulder. He hastily concealed the bottle. "Sorry we lost you back there, little dude."
"Hey, it's okay," King said, shrugging. "Let's go back to the games and win those bracelets," he said, yanking her hand away...but Gus grabbed her other arm.
"But we haven't gone on any rides and there's no line for the bumper carcasses."
"Games!" King said, tugging Luz's arm.
"Carcasses!"
"Games!"
"Carcasses!"
"Hey, no tugging," Hazel demanded.
Luz's stomach suddenly rumbled, prompting her to release herself. "Food! I'm gonna grab some rotten candy and some fruit for Hazel while you guys figure this out. Bye!"
She and Hazel raced away, and Willow looked to Gus.
"When Luz and Hazel come back, let's go on the five-man cauldron spinner."
"Or the quintuple swing!"
"Oh, and that's close to those photo booths that can fit exactly five people," Jackie remarked, and King felt left out once more.
"But...today was me, Bij, Hazel, and Luz's day," he added, disappointed.
"Aww," Gus said, reaching over to take him up. "Does the little baby boo miss his buddies Luz, Hazel, and Bijou?" Willow asked, stepping forward with a chuckle. "Does he? Uh, does he?"
"The King of Demons misses nobody!" he declared as he attempted to get free. The zipper came undone on his fanny pack. "I demand you put me down!" The spray bottle fell, splashing Willow, Jackie, and Gus' legs.
"What?"
The three then vanished, much like the beast, and King slumped to the ground.
"Oh, no! What have I done?" King gripped his head in terror.
"Huh? Gone already?" Hazel asked, as he and Luz returned with cotton candy and fruit.
"Wow," Luz replied. "I guess they really wanted to ride those bumper carcasses."
King returned the bottle. "Actually, Luz, Hazel, there's something I gotta tell you."
"No," she said, bending down to him and pointing her finger. "We have something to tell you, King," she said, smiling at him. "I said we'd help you win those friendship bracelets. So win them we shall, okay? We can even look for Bijou on the way, too. I know she wants time alone with Edric, but I know she'd wanna help."
"Uhh..." He looked away, unwilling to pass up this opportunity. "Willow, Jackie, and Gus will be okay for a little while, right?"
"What was that?" Hazel inquired.
"Nothing!" King grasped Luz's hand. "Now, let's go!" he exclaimed cheerfully.
"Ready or not, here we crumb," Luz laughed with him.
"Yes! Ha ha!"
Jackie, Willow, and Gus did not vanish, but rather shrank to the size of ants!
"First, I'm growing out of my clothes," Gus said to himself. "Now I'm shrinking? Dang, puberty. You're the craziest coaster of them all."
Willow groaned at this.
"You don't say," Jackie answered dryly.
Gus then screamed as others walked past, warning them to be careful. "What happened to us? Did I black out on the molar coaster again?"
"Sketchy carnival rides are not to blame this time," Willow frowned and tightened her fists. "King had something in his pouch that made us small."
"And I just got tall enough for the rides!" Gus exclaimed, squatting and cradling his head.
"It must be some kind of shrinking formula," Jackie deduced.
A big shadow appeared over them, and Willow and Jackie looked up.
"Gus..." they said cautiously, pointing skyward. He looked up and saw the baby that had hatched previously. Willow grabbed Gus' hand, and they rushed away before it could consume them.
"In here!" Jackie said as they came upon a cup, and Willow jumped to bring it down on them.
"I think we're safe now."
Except that the creature used its mouth to poke through the styrofoam. They both shouted out in terror.
"Ew," Gus embraced Willow, who was frustrated.
"Enough of this!" she growled, her eyes flashing green. Vines sprang from the ground and grabbed the tongue. The beast sat up, the cup stuck in his mouth, and they raced away. "Quick!"
They paused beside some fallen cotton candy.
"We have to find Luz and get her attention before any more carnival animals hunt us down." She grabbed some cotton candy and jumped up and down, whistling.
A fly flew over to them, and she flung the piece into the dirt.
"Eat up, my steed!" she urged as they watched. "Lead us to safety."
She and Jackie then jumped atop the fly's back, leaving Gus appalled.
"It's so hairy," he said, cautiously taking a step forward. "Why is it so hairy?"
"Because everything is hairy up close," Jackie replied before scooping him and placed the youngster behind her as they took off. "And this is the only ride we have."
Meanwhile, with Eda...
"Round as the moon, their ears are," Eda said to numerous people in front of the stand. "With mood swings as terrifying as night itself." She then reached behind the store, clutching a fidget spinner and a slinky spring.
"Now, who wants to touch some outdated human references?" she asked, spinning the fidget spinner with a tiny chuckle.
"I do!"
"Me!"
"Okay, the show's over," They looked up to see someone standing there, a clown in a white and black suit. "This witch doesn't have a license."
The consumers instantly departed. "I can't do time again!"
"Run!"
"Uh, what are you?" Eda asked, glaring at him. "The Fun Police?"
"Yes!" He literally had a badge that said 'Fun Police,' and it squeaked. "And you're coming with me,"
"Uh, excuse me, sir. I'd like to have a word with your...staff!" She pointed her witch's staff at him, but Owlbert was not on top of it. "Owlbert? Owlbert! Where are you?"
She peered around to saw him playing Whack-a-Giraffe with his feet. He hooted cheerfully.
"Owlbert, you're lucky I can't be mad at your adorable antics," she said before running away and colliding with a rotten candy stand.
"Hey, I caught her," the vendor said cheerfully, gesturing to his stand.
The clown cast a charm circle and lifted Eda out of the cotton candy that was covering her hair.
"I hate carnivals," she moaned.
With Bijou and Edric...
"Just a couple more games before we get a prize of your choice," Edric smiled at Bijou as they walked around the fair.
"Besides the bracelets, I'm going to buy something for Owlbert," she explained before asking. "You sure you don't want anything, Ed?"
"Even if I did, my sisters might take it away," he said, pouting. "They already wouldn't let me keep a bat."
"Still, it won't matter to me; whatever you want, Ed, I'm fine with it," she assured.
He blushed at her remarks, feeling free to be himself with her. "You really think so?"
"I know so. By the way, where are Amity and Emira. Were they always with you?"
"Uhh... they're busy with important stuff to have fun... so I guess this is a perfect opportunity for me to see you again...heh"
She smiled gently at him. She had no idea what it was, but once he made amends for his first impression at the library, he was like a completely new person. And she appreciated how he'd stopped being so apathetic.
"I like being spending time with you, too. After all, that's what friends are for."
He looked up and grinned before feeling his heartbeat.
With the other teens, as well as Hazel, and King...
Luz, Hazel, and King were having a good time as he dragged them around, determined to win the bracelets. Willow, Jackie, and Gus took off from the stand, with them following. Luz threw her ball at the skee-ball but missed. She immediately had an idea and tickled the robots, allowing King to throw the ball into one of their mouths, disappointing them. Luz, Hazel, and King earned a lot of tickets.
Gus poked the fly's hair and hugged Jackie, disgusted. She and Willow discovered the trio at a cotton candy stand, with King pushing Luz and Hazel forward. The trio landed in the cotton candy machine and were spun around.
Luz tossed a ring for the ring toss game, but the bottle she was aiming for came to life and moved by itself. The seller only shrugged, but Hazel inserted a ring into the seller's body. In exchange, he gave them a bundle of tickets.
Willow stepped out of the machine, panting and covered in cotton candy. Jackie followed suit.
"We can't keep doing this," Gus said behind her. The girl gasped when she noticed the House of Mirrors ahead.
"We won't have to for much longer," she massaged her chin, sparking an idea.
"Ah, I see where you're going there, Willow," Jackie realized what Willow was up to.
Back to Eda...
Eda was tied up at the Fun Police Office with yellow rope.
"Just when I thought I couldn't respect the law any less..." She narrowed her eyes as two clown shoes were placed on the table. "It surprises me."
"So, I heard you're running scams at my carnival?" the clown asked, pointing to her. "That's my job, and I take it very seriously."
His bow tie twirled about, which irritated Eda even more.
"Spare me the yuks. What do you want?" She cut to the chase.
"Since I'm a forgiving demon, I'll give you two options," he rubbed his mustache, looking up at the wall of wanted posters he had up. Of course, her own was on it, as were Bijou and Hazel's. "I can pass you along to the Emperor's Coven who'll throw you in the Conformatorium along with your other associates, wherever they are now. Or you can scam for me."
He jerked a thumb to a caramel crab apple stand...and a goofy dress for her to wear.
Back to Luz, Hazel, and King...
"1,230," the prize merchant counted all of the tickets Luz, Hazel, and King had earned. "1,231."
King made a joyful noise as he glanced at the friendship bracelets.
"Now, King, before you spend your tickets," Luz said, bending down to pick him up. "Are you sure you want those friendship bracelets and not this bad boy?" she asked, pointing to a skull on display.
"I am the King of Night," he hissed. "And every breath you take brings you closer to darkness..."
They stared at it for a few seconds.
"Okay, that's disturbing," Hazel replied, alarmed by the skull's blazing eyes and sinister speech.
"This guy's a riot," Luz said with a smile.
"Yes, Luz. I want the bracelets! It's...kind of important to me, okay?"
"I can be important to you," the skull said again. "I, who have seen the birth and death of countless nations..."
"Sir?" Hazel queried the prize vendor, who slapped the skull with his broom.
"Hey! Stop it. No, no. Stop it. Yes, where was I? Well, I lost count. Okay, one, two..." He resumed collecting tickets as a fly sprinkled cotton candy on Luz's hair. "Three, four, five, six."
Luz looked up and noticed it, then lowered King. "Ugh, gross. I'm gonna need a mirror. I'll be right back, you two."
The two creatures only gazed back at the merchant, who was still counting. "12, 13, 14..."
"Count faster!" said King, pointing up at him.
"Shh!" Hazel shushed him.
Luz noticed a cluster of cotton candy arrows pointing to the House of Mirrors.
"Huh. There we go."
She opened the curtain and stepped inside. She followed the trail as several versions of herself appeared in the mirrors. She came to a stop when she noticed a message.
"You made it. Aw, what a supportive sign." She smiled as she gazed up. "Wait a sec."
She noticed Jackie, Gus, and Willow in the mirror's reflection. "Supportive friends!" she exclaimed, rushing up to hug them.
"No, Luz. Don't do it!"
Her face crashed with the mirror, and she fell to the floor, holding the back of her head.
"Huh?"
"Look down," Jackie instructed as they revealed themselves to her. "Oh, my gosh."
"One million. Yep, I just counted to one million," the prize vendor reflected. "The bracelets are all yours," he said before handing them to King.
"Yes. Yes! Now Luz, Bijou, and we will form a bond as strong as these trinkets!" He laughed and he and Hazel walked away to locate her.
Back to Bijou and Edric...
Edric and Bijou came just as he left, carrying a slew of tickets. They turned to the stand, where Edric examined the numerous prizes. He needed to find something that wouldn't consume or attack her later on.
"Hmm..." He looked around at the various items before pointing to a cute cat plush. He slapped the tickets down, and the prize merchant collected them to count.
"This was fun, Bij," he said as they waited. "We should do this again for our next date."
"What? Date?" Bijou questioned in surprise, raising a hand. "Sorry, Ed, but this wasn't a date."
She liked him, but she didn't see their time together as a date. Nothing against Edric (this time), yet she still considers him a friend.
"So then can we do a real one?"
She was speechless. She didn't expect he would do that! "Um...uh..."
Before she could respond, a voice shouted out to her.
"Bijou!"
She turned to see Luz rush up to her from the House of Mirrors. And, while she was hesitant to answer the question, she also did not want to be interrupted. "Luz, what's going—"
"You have to help me! Willow, Jackie, and Gus...they somehow shrunk!" She showed the three in her palms, and the girl gasped, alarming Edric.
"Oh my goodness, are they okay?!" she asked, looking down at them.
"It all happened so quickly," Jackie explained.
"Things were trying to eat us!" Gus pouted at her.
"King had something from his pouch, it fell, and we were suddenly small," Willow said her, Luz looking worried as she gazed at Edric and Bijou.
"Do you two know how to reverse this?"
"I-I don't know how to fix this, and I don't know what he used on them; do you know how he did it?" Bijou said anxiously.
"No, but we have to talk to him now!"
"It must've been a shrinking potion," Edric interjected, capturing their attention. "That's kind of an advanced one for him, though. I wonder how he learned it."
"He didn't," Bijou told him. "I'm guessing he didn't use it on purpose but maybe he has a motivation that resulted in our friends getting shrunk to the size of ants."
"And I know why," Luz said, narrowing her eyes. "Let's go, Bij."
Bijou glanced to Edric and bit her lip. "Ed, I'm so sorry about this, but—"
"No, no, I get it, Bijou. You've gotta help your friends, and...that's kinda one of the things I like about you," He stroked the back of his head, and Luz would comment on how sweet it was, but she had other priorities right now. "Uh, is it okay if I go with you? I wanna help."
"Umm..." She looked at Luz and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Let's move it, guys!"
King and Hazel entered the House of Mirrors, looking around for their buddies.
"Luz? Luuuuuz?" King exclaimed.
When the gang stepped in, he noticed their reflections, this time of their voice actors in cartoon form. He yelped a little and turned around to see that they were unhappy.
"Hey, guys. Good news. We got the bracelets!"
"King..." Luz extended her hands to reveal what had transpired. King and Hazel both gasped. Jackie, Willow, and Gus glared at him.
"This is all your fault, King," Jackie said, pointing an accusing finger at the offender.
"You splashed us with a shrinking potion to make us small," she stated, hands on her hips.
"And now I can't go on the big-boy rides!" Gus exclaimed, jumping up and down. "You monster."
"Y-you weren't supposed to shrink. Y-you were supposed to disappear, and Edric too!" His eyes widened as he realized what he had spoken, alarming everyone. "No, wait!"
"What?!"
"You intend to make them disappear?" Hazel shouted aloud. "King, no matter what it was supposed to do, Jackie, Gus, and Willow could've gotten seriously hurt with the size they're at right now!"
"Whoever gave you that thing, you gotta reverse this," Edric said, crossing his arms, outraged that King had planned for him to vanish as well.
"No, no, no. No, guys. I can explain. I wanted to win the bracelets and there was this psychic, see," he told them, holding out the potion.
"That must've been what did it," Luz said, lowering the tiny couple to the ground and putting out her hand. "Give me the spray bottle, King."
"No, wait!" He hugged it away from her. "I-I gotta explain."
"There's nothing to explain," Luz grabbed it from him, while the other three took hold of it.
"Give it back, we have to figure out who made this!" Bijou grumbled.
"I-I was just trying to-"
"Shrink our friends?" Luz said fiercely.
"I was trying to solve my problems!"
"For the last time, King, you can't solve your problems with magic!" Bijou firmly stated as the bottle was wrenched open and sprayed all over the five.
"Uh-oh," they all said in unison before shrinking. They looked to Jackie, Gus, and Willow, who waved at them.
"Hi," the three said, unamused. Bijou and Hazel crossed their arms (or front paws, in Hazel's case) and stared down at King.
"Wait, I can fix it! Obvioso showed me how. Behold," he tapped his cheek, but nothing occurred. He tried again, but they remained little. "Why isn't it working?!"
"I'd say it's working quite well," Tibbles said as he approached them with a wicked smirk, leaving Bijou and Hazel in shock.
He escorted all eight of them to his tent, and King kept touching his cheeks. "Um, Luz, I think King is broken."
"The psychic told me that tapping my cheeks would make us normal," King said hastily.
"Oh, did he?" Tibbles asked, his eyes filled with hate. "But what if he...lied to you from the start?" he waved a spell circle, putting on a mustache.
"Hold on," he said, pausing to put on his hat. "Lied to you from the start? It's different."
"You fiend!" said King, pointing up at him. "When Obvioso finds out you stole his mustache-"
"King, he is the psychic," Hazel interjected.
"Oh..."
Gus grimaced at this.
"The potion was designed by me," Tibbles told them. "Guess whose cheeks control it?"
"You uncultured swine!" Bijou growled at him.
"Why are you doing this?" Luz questioned the pig demon.
"Can't say that my sisters won't hurt you when they find out," Edric growled at Tibbles.
"Ah, Edric...they're not gonna know we're here, remember?" Bijou closed her eyes because the two were at home.
"Dang it."
"When you destroyed my stand," he threw off his mustache. "You destroyed generations of Grimm Hammer history; now it's time to pay."
He vanished behind the curtain, flinging them into the terrarium.
"Welcome to..." He turned to face the audience, a spotlight shining on them. "The greatest show on the Boiling Isles!"
The audience cheered as they all gasped. "Will these witches and demons survive feeding time? Let's find out!"
He rang a small bell, and a growl could be heard from the tiny tent. They glanced around as other tiny animals came, including the unicorn.
"Aw," Luz said, placing her hands on her cheeks. "At least he's still my friend." It hissed violently, revealing fangs. "That's how friends react."
The little animals approached them, Tibbles hovering over them with a wicked smile.
"You ruined my livelihood, so now you'll feed it," he said, spinning a spell finger and creating a screen. "Place your bets and enjoy the show!"
Bijou and Edric stood protectively in front of the four. Bijou created her sword and shield while Edric readied a spell.
"Well, if I have to go, at least I'm with my best friends," Gus said with a laugh. "And King."
"Look out!" Bijou yelled, and they all ducked out of the way as the unicorn pounced at them.
"Caramel Crab Apples," Eda shouted out reluctantly, oblivious of the danger that the others faced. "Get 'em hot and pinchy."
"Hey, over here!" someone exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah," She was pinched by one of the crab apples. "Hold your spider-horses."
Gus created the illusion of a vacuum cleaner, which irritated the animals. Jackie vocalized to keep them at a safe distance. The others dashed by, and Willow used her plant power to topple the drinker. When one of the animals quit believing the deception, Luz threw King behind the drinker. Bijou and Edric guided the other two into hiding, and one of the animals rammed the drinker.
"We've gotta..." Luz hesitated as the thumping began again. "Find a way out of here!"
King looked to the side, watching the unicorn open and close its mouth near Willow and Hazel. He then looked at Gus and Jackie, who are clinging to each other and just as terrified. He looked up at Bijou and Edric, who were attempting to divert the animals by standing on the drinker. Finally, he gazed at Luz, who bent her head to avoid being clawed. He whacked himself in the head.
"Ah, King, you idiot! This is all your fault. But I think I know how to fix it," he said, holding out the friendship bracelets. He then ran away, confusing everyone. The animals spotted him and began chasing him.
"King?" Luz asked in surprise as the youngsters emerged from hiding.
Bijou asked, "What is he doing?"
"He's onto something," Edric told her.
"Willow, Gus, Jackie, I'm sorry for poofing you," King said. "And Edric, I'm sorry that I planned to do the same thing to you."
The boy in question blinked in astonishment as King cornered him. "And Luz, I'm sorry for taking you away from your friends and I'm sorry that I got you angry at me, Bijou and Hazel."
As the animals approached, he became increasingly concerned.
"I know you two will eventually go home and now you're both spending more time at school. I just...wanna be around you!"
The three looked at each other, surprised.
The animals leaped at him, but he jumped twice and they missed. He reached the top of the cage.
Hazel immediately figured out what King was about to do: throw the bracelets at Tibbles to make him undo the shrinking spell.
The audience began booing as Tibbles lifted a penny from his eye.
"No refunds."
He heard sobbing and looked at the screen, where King stood at the edge.
"All right. I only have one shot," he said, twirling and throwing the bracelets. They hit Tibbles' cheeks, and he tapped them.
"Darn flies," His eyes widened as he understood what he had done. "Oh no..."
A purple aura shone around the eight.
"Hey, hey. No discounts, buddy," Eda told a shopper as others booed.
"You guys owe me! There's nothing happening in this show!"
"Not a single one of those dumb kids have gotten hurt yet."
"Dumb kids?" she wondered, eventually staring at the television.
"Wait," her eyes widened, then narrowed. "Those are my dumb kids!"
The eight began to grow , finally breaking free the cage and returning to their normal size. King looked up at them, and they all sighed with relief. The animals grew in size, as well, and Luz knew something.
"You shrunk the animals too?" she said angrily.
"It's the Tent of Tiny Terrors," Tibbles stated matter of factly. "Something needed to be tiny."
"For once, you make sense," Hazel said with a little sneer. "But you're still a mean porcine."
"Finish the job!" the audience yelled at the animals, who appeared perplexed by what was happening. "Get them kids."
"Feast!"
Someone threw a crab apple at one, and he ate it. His eyes shone as he relished the flavor, and they all hissed at the audience. They looked at their apples, with the largest one declaring war on them. The audience yelled as they fled, with the animals after them to get their apples.
"They foiled my plans," Tibbles said angrily. "You will pay for this!" he said, holding out the shrinking potion. "This time I'm gonna personally squash you."
Eda approached from behind and seized the spray bottle from him.
"Oh no, Tibbles. That's not how entertainment works," Eda said, tossing it into Lucila's hands. She smirked as Edric gave her a knowing glance. She took a step back and hurled the bottle into the air. Edric poked his finger at it and shattered the bottle.
"The bad guy always gets his just desserts," the woman poured her crab apples on him.
"Oh, no! Not desserts!" he said.
"Hey, girls," Eda announced to the animals. "This one's on the house."
They took one glance at him and he knew he was in trouble.
"It's curtains for you, Tibbles," Edric muttered, and he shouted before turning around and sprinting away.
"Looks like we ruined his life for the second time," Willow said as the others watched.
"Probably forever," Jackie concluded.
"We're on a roll," Gus said with a cheeky expression.
"Serves him right," Bijou huffed at Tibbles. "If I ever see that pig again, I'll turn him into bacon strips."
"Yeah, I still can't stand that fiend," Hazel remarked, stroking his cheeks.
"Gus, Jackie, Willow, you're okay!" King cried with relief, and Edric gave him a look. "A-And you too, Edric."
"All thanks to you, King," Luz said, as Bijou and Hazel joined her.
"Here," she revealed eight pieces of the remaining friendship bracelets. "It was all that was left."
He held them in his hands, slightly sorrowful. "It's...it's okay. Because now there's a piece for everybody," he said, holding out two pieces to Jackie, Gus, and Willow. They appeared apprehensive, but the expression on his face revealed that he meant this gesture. "I-If you'll accept it, that is?"
The two grinned, Willow taking hers. "Thank you, King."
"Yeah. I've always wanted to own a jagged piece of cheap metal."
"It's not real gold but at least it's doable and sincere."
Edric was also given one. And he was well aware that, aside from her sketching, Bijou's relationships with family and friends were quite important.
"That's very sweet," Luz took him up, Bijou stroked his head tenderly.
"You did the right thing. Giving up the friendship bracelets for us," she added.
"I'm sorry, you guys," he said. "Demons do crazy things when they've been missing somebody."
"It's okay. Nothing I haven't gotten through before...well, not exactly like this, but you get the point," Hazel said to King.
"And can we tell you a secret?" Luz inquired. "We've been missing you too," she said, kissing his skull and hearing a giggle. The three hugged together.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to get the bracelets, though; that was a low blow," Bijou acknowledged, scratching her nape.
"It's okay. Hey, we still have a few hours of carnival left. Wanna hit those bumper carcasses?"
"You bread my mind," Luz quipped in response, and he, Bijou, and Hazel chuckled.
"Yes! Bread puns. Bread puns forever!"
Luz set him down and turned around. "You coming, Eda?"
"Nah. I think I got everything I wanted," Eda said as she lay down on Tibbles' coins. The audience seats had all broken into bits. "Yep. Another great year at the carnival."
"Bijou?" Edric spoke up to her. "Um, about earlier-"
"Earlier? What happened earlier?" Luz inquired with interest.
"This is just a conversation between me and Edric," Bijou explained as she and Edric stepped outdoors. They went behind the tent and looked around for her pals. "Okay, quick tip: Never ask questions like that around Luz again. You know how curious she is about juicy stuff."
"Y-Yeah, I got that," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "So...how about that date?"
She clenched her mouth tight and inhaled nervously. "...Wow! Um...Well...I honestly don't know what to say. This is only the first time I've been asked out... and no one has asked me before."
"That's because they don't know what they're missing out on. You're beautiful just the way you are," He hastily covered his mouth as she opened her mouth in disbelief. He quickly looked away. "Ed, you idiot!"
"No, no," she said, waving her hand, and he turned back to see her smiling. "It's fine. It's just that...no one's ever told me that before. Um..." She bit her lip uncomfortably. It wasn't that she would say no, but she felt that something was preventing her from saying yes.
"I know that you are back in my good graces but the way you asked me out...it kinda caught me by surprise?"
She didn't think he'd see her romantically based solely on her appearance and personality, but she assumed she was incorrect. But now that she knew, she wasn't sure what to do. She had no idea what it was, but something in her heart told her that something else was whispering to her.
"I just needed some time to think about this." She stroked her cheek.
"Yeah...I understand," He sounded saddened, but he understood her response. "I'll see you soon, Bij."
"Bye..." She waved as he left, giving out a deep sigh. That was definitely something she would be thinking about for the rest of the day.
And with that, she decided to spend the rest of the day with Luz and the others. She even bought some sticky gems for Owlbert and a cool notebook for her brother Quinton.
"Boy, fly, we sure get into some wacky hijinks, don't we?" Hooty was still talking to the fly when the others arrived home. "Sure feel sorry for anyone that missed seeing us two rabble-rousers getting scrapes."
Bijou, Eda, Hazel, Luz, and King carefully closed the door since they did not want to deal with this right now...or talk to Hooty while he was like this.
"Good thing I brought a camera. Yep. Hooty and fly. Together forever. You and me. Every single day-" He swallowed the fly accidently. "Now I know what friendship tastes like. Yum...tastes like a bug."
During her next private meeting with the Golden Guard tonight, she was listening and going over his directions, but she had mostly remained silent. Her thoughts were focused on Edric asking her out. It had only been a week since she last saw him, yet he had already asked her out on a date. She was honestly at a dead end, and Edric wasn't a nasty guy anymore. And he was quite sweet, yet something felt odd.
The Golden Guard stared at the girl as she seemed focused, but her eyes betrayed her. Clearly she had something else in mind.
The Golden Guard stared at the girl, who appeared concentrated, but her eyes betrayed her. She clearly had something different in mind.
"Is there something wrong?" he inquired.
She blinked in disbelief and shook her head. "Uh...no? Why... Why do you ask?"
"Well, it seems that something has been bothering you."
Bijou looked away, unsure of what she needed to say. "...I'm not sure if you can relate to this, but if a guy asks a girl out, and he's only known her for a short while, should she say yes or no?"
"Has that happened to you before?" He inquired, arms crossed. Already, he was wary of her question.
"Not really. This is the first time someone asked me out."
"Uh huh..." He looked at her, and she just confirmed that she was talking about her. "And who is this supposed guy?"
"Edric." She replied cautiously, and he was surprised. He had no notion she knew Edric or that they'd spent time together. But then again, she was heading to Hexside with him, so she was bound to run into him.
"Are you sure this is the first time someone asked you out?"
"Yes. No guy before him had the chance to ask me out on a date so it kinda came to me as a surprise."
This made the Golden Guard even more curious, "And what was your answer to him?"
"I told him I need some time to think about it. After all, he asked that question so suddenly."
"Oh," the Golden Guard finally realized. "Well, that's good, Bijou. I may not know a lot about romance but take this from me. If you feel unsure about what is needed to be said, you just need to give yourself time to comprehend his words before give him a proper answer."
Those words surprised Bijou. These were words of understanding from the same guy who belonged to the coven that was targeting her and Eda. Overall, she grinned at her secret pal in response.