We sat in the kitchen, with Dakota polishing some swords. I was watching him, wondering why he was doing that. Eda is stirring something on the stove while King is watching Luz talk to Willow and Gus on a crystal ball.

"So they said I couldn't remove my thumb, but look at that!" Luz said, where she pretends to remove her thumb.

"You sliced it off! You sliced off your own thumb!" The boy, Gus, said in shock.

Willow, the girl, chuckles. "You make doing homework actually fun."

"And they say humans can't do magic." Luz said, with me clearing my throat.

"That's not true." I said, with everyone looking at me. "Anyone can use magic, it just requires access to reference materials and artifacts. Most spend their entire lives trying to learn how." I said as I looked at Luz. "Take Doctor Strange for example, he was all about science up until he lost the proper use of his hands. He traveled the world in search for Medical knowledge to help him regain control over them. That was when he encountered the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme at the time. Strange learned everything he could, and with the help of his photographic memory. Years of learning was done in days. After that, he became Sorcerer Supreme himself. Humans have the potential to learn magic, but with how long you would have to learn, you would most likely lose most of your life to get up to his level."

"Way to break a kids dreams." Dakota said as he went back to playing with his food, with me looking at him.

I was about to say something before looking back at Luz, who looked down in defeat. "The path you are on, you will surpass them." I said as I reached over and rubbed Luz's head. "From the time you started, most magicians haven't even started learning magic, just learning what it is." I informed, getting a smile from her.

"Luz... King said as he climbs onto table. "You've been talking to them all morning. Don't forget about the Luz and King comedy hour!" King said, with me groaning as I hated puns. Dakota found them amusing, and always made him laugh.

"Please, no. Not the comedy hour..." Eda said in horror, with me agreeing with her.

"This week I've been working with props!" King said as he turns around to show a cardboard tube on his nose. "Oh dear, I've gotten a tube stuck on my nose! Will I ever eat again?" He said before he slams a piece of bread on his face. "Looks like I'm toast!" He said, making Dakota snicker while Luz and King laughed.

"It just goes on like this for an hour!" Eda said as she facepalmed.

"Heyo, dough boy, quit loafing around!" Luz said while poking King.

"Why don't you bake me?" King said, with me looking at Dakota as he tried to hide his face while they laughed.

The crystal ball buzzes with an alarm and flashes red. The time, 8:00, flashes below Willow and Gus. "School time! See you guys in class!" Luz said as she stood up.

"Bye!" Willow said as she hung up.

"But what about the thumb?!" Gus questioned as he was still stuck on that. Luz ends the call, where King sighs disappointedly.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll finish our comedy hour when I get home." Luz said before she kisses King's skull and heads for the door.

"Hee hee, oh, you!" King said as he waved her off.

Try not to miss me while I'm gone! Luz said as she closes the door as she leaves.

Kingscrambles over to the door, waiting for her. "You... you really think she's coming back this time?" King asked as he looked back at us.

"Yes, she'll be back; she always comes back." Eda said as she continued to stir the pot.

"It's cute you miss her, though." I said, with Dakota looking at King, his smile gone.

"The King of Demons!" King started before stopping to take the bread and tube off. "The King of Demons misses nobody! I wouldn't care if she came through this door right now! Wha!" King said as he crossed his arms.

Luz comes through the door, surprising everyone. "Hey, you're—"

"You're back! Kind interrupts as he climbs up onto Luz's head. "I didn't miss you at all." He said, making me smile. Looking at Dakota, he just had a raised eyebrow at her.

"Apparently there's an infestation of pixies at Hexside, so school's been canceled." Luz informed, with Dakota thinking to himself. He got a knowing look on his face and went back to eating.

"That sounds like a crumby situation." King said, where the three started laughing again.

"Hey! Guess what's been in my mouth that I'm about to throw up!" Hooty said as he entered the room. We watched in disgust as Hooty gags for several long moments. He finally throws up letters and a box. "The mail!" He said as Eda started going through it.

"Junk, junk, death hex." Eda said as she tossed the death hex letter into a trashcan, which condenses into a dark purple ball before disappearing entirely. "Oh, a carnival's in town today!" Eda said, with me getting excited.

"A carnival?" Luz and I said at the same time, where Luz takes King off her head.

"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 Luz and King day!" Luz said as she looked at King.

"That's my kinda day!" King said as he cheered.

"Let's all three of us go!" I said as I reached for Dakota's hand, with him pulling it away.

"Don't touch me." He said as he finished eating and got up, where he walked over to the sink and placed his dishes down and faced everyone. "I don't do crowds, the risk of touching someone is too high." He said, with me standing up.

"I got that covered!" I said as I cast a spell on him. He glowed blue much like the last time. With him looking over himself. "I made that spell to take away my father's powers, but it works as well on you." I said as I smiled.

"That's right, you wanted to kill your father." He said as he grabbed his head. "That was our goal. Take your father out, and then we would be free." He said, with me frowning at that. "Did you do it? Did you kill him?" He asked as he looked up at me.

"No... I was caught... and he had my memories erased." I said as I looked down as I didn't know that I wanted him dead. My sister wants him dead for making that machine to end her. She had people to help her, has people to help her. I had Dakota... and I forgot about him. Did I go after Magneto to kill him on my own? Or did I go after him for help. I don't know... and I might not ever know.

"Shame." He said, with me looking up at him. "He caused you so much pain." He said as he looked away from me.

"Carnivals bring crowds and crowds bring suckers."Eda said, changing subjects. "This could be the perfect chance to try out my new get-witch-quick scheme." Eda said a la she takes the staff out of pot, knocking the goop off of Owlbert. "I'm in! And so are you two! To the carnival!" Eda said as she pointed towards us, with Dakota just nodding his head.

To the carnival! King and Luz said as we all left the building, with Eda dragging Dakota with her.

Later, Bonesborough Carnival

"Well, here we are, kids. Look at all that fresh meat." Eda said as she held her hands out to the stands. Flies buzz around a fried chicken on a stick, and the person still eats it.

"And smell all the fresh meat!" Luz said as she sniffs, and a fly goes up her nose; making her cough it out her mouth. "Fun!" Luz said, where I looked at her in disgust.

Owlbert hoots, starts to twist off the staff before Eda stops him. "No games for you, Owlbert, we've got scams to run." Eda told him, where Owlbert hoots sadly.

"Friends!" A pig person said as he lands in front of s. "Welcome!" He said, where everyone jumps into defensive poses, all except Dakota and I. "I see you got my postcard." He said as he took off his hat and bowed.

"Tibbles? You sent this?" Eda questioned as she held up the flier. Eda looks on the back of the flier. It reads: "To my Owl House Pals, From Tibbles," and has a picture of Tibbles dancing when Eda tilts it. She lowers it and Tibbles is doing the same dance.

"Aren't you mad at us for destroying your stand?" Luz asked, with Dakota looking at her.

"When did we do that?" He asked in confusion.

"When you were out of it for a few days." Luz answered as she kept her eyes on him, getting an oh from Dakota.

"Ooh, and destroying his life! That was the best part!" King said with a laugh.

"No, no, no. I should thank you. After my stand was destroyed, I reevaluated my life and found my true calling! I'm now ringmaster of!" He said as he snaps his fingers. "Tibbles's Tent of Tiny Terrors!" He said, making Dakota yawn.

Luz approaches the terrarium containing tiny unicorns, a tiny manticore, and a tiny griffin. "Aww. It's like a regular circus but adorably small!" Luz said as she presses her face to the glass. "You're my friends now."

"I don't buy it." Eda said as she sends away her staff. "What kind of con are you running?" Eda questioned as I was still lost on what was going on.

"No cons here, Owl Lady, only pros. In fact, why don't we toast our newfound friendship with this totally innocent bottle of water." Tibbles said as he pulled out a potion.

Eda took it from him. "Oh yeah, sure! Why don't I just!" Eda started before she throws the bottle. It lands on someone's head and knocks them on their back.

"I know poison when I see it; you can't scam a scammer! Now speaking of scams!" Eda said as she walks up to a stand. "Beat it loser!" Eda ordered as she knocks the vendor's stuff to the ground. "Step right up to!" Eda started before turning the stand into her own. "Eda's Human Horror House! Humans shed their skin and I've got proof." Eda said as she pulls out fishnet stockings and stretched them.

"You should really put a lock on your closet." King said, with me blushing as I knew that pair of fishnets.

"Those are mine!" I said with a blush, doing my best to hide my face. 'Hopefully she didn't go through my underwear!' I thought as I didn't want to have them on display.

"You know what, Eda can pick through my socks all she wants. Because today is all about having a great time with my partner in crime." Luz said, with me grabbing Dakota before he could join Eda.

"And I will be spending the day with Dakota!" I said as I started dragging him off. 'Maybe a normal day like this will help him forgive me.' I thought as I could hear him grumbling.

Later

The afternoon sun shone brightly as they we walked the carnival grounds, the air filled with the enticing smell of stale popcorn and spiderweb cotton candy. I tried to find something fun for us to do, something easy. Dakota, on the other hand, shuffled along, his unease apparent.

The first game I found for us was a for of Ring Toss. We had to throw rings on one eyes bottle monsters that popped up and down like moles. "Six rings per person, five slugs." The person running the stand said, where I remembered I didn't have money. But if it was slugs, I could easily get through this situation. Reaching into my coat pocket, I used my magic to create fake slugs. I handed him five in total, where he handed me twelve rings.

"Here, you're going to need this!" I said as I started tossing the rings. I made two of them, the others missing or coming close. Looking at Dakota, I saw he had yet to toss one. "You toss them!" I said, where he held up a finger at me.

I watched as he put three in his left hand and three in his right. With a simple throw, he tossed all six at once. They didn't hit each other, and even landed on six bottle monsters at the same time. This caused the man to spit up his drink in shock, with Dakota taking the giant demon rabbit and walking away with it.

"How did you do that!?" I asked as I followed, as that was impressive.

"I studied his movements. His foot bounced every now and then and it caused the bottles to move. At first glance it seemed random but studying it, it showed that it wasn't. I waited for the right time and acted." He said with a shrug.

"Are you a secret genius?" I asked, with him looking at me.

"I've... always wanted to be a teacher." He said as he looked at his hands. "With my Mutation, that became impossible." He said, where I felt for him.

Later

Next was a game similar to Water Blaster. Instead of water, it was a potion of unknown origin. Our target was shrunken heads, with their mouths opened wide. "This seems fun!" I said as I sat down, with Dakota doing the same. "How much?" I asked, where the person in charge held up six fingers. I passed him three fake slugs using my magic, with him collecting from the kids next to us.

Once everyone was as ready, we started spraying the shrunken head with the potion. It was growing, but not fast enough. Looking over at Dakota, I saw him shooting the potion into the mouth like me, but his was growing faster than mine. After a bit, his popped, with the owner blowing a whistle, meaning that it was over.

Dakota took the Owl off the hook and walked away, with me following him. "What's the trick?" I asked, with him shrugging.

"There isn't one, just luck." He said, with me accepting that answer.

Later

Next came something similar to Milk Cans. We had to throw base balls, which was surprising to see in this world, into trash can demons mouths. They weren't facing us, but upwards, and they had small mouths so it was going to be hard to hit the target. "How much?" I asked as this one held up three fingers. I gave him six and he passed over six in turn.

Taking aim, I tossed it over hand at the trashcan, with it blowing it to the side. I was stunned at this as I didn't expect that. Trying again, I threw it like normal, with the trashcan tilting to the side to dodge. Getting mad, I put magic into the ball and threw it, where the trashcan bit and tossed it aside, shocking me.

"No magic!" The owner said as he pointed to the sign. Dakota took his turn, where he threw the ball not at the trash cans but at the ground. We watched as it bounced up and hit the roof, then coming straight down onto his target. It went in, and it shocked us. He did it again and again and scored. "The heck was that?!" He yelled as he stood up from his seat, where Dakota took the Bat and walked away, with me following him.

"Explain!" I demanded as I walked beside him.

"He was cheating and in his shock I took advantage of him before he could say anything about rules." Dakota explained as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Aren't you enjoying the carnival at all?" I asked, my voice brimming with concern. "I know it's not similar to our world, but it's close." I said as I looked at the other games.

"It's not my kind of fun, Wanda." He said, where I looked back at him. He didn't like the carnival, so dragging him with me was a waist of time. "But... seeing you enjoy yourself, that's a win in itself for me." He said, making me blush at his words. He didn't care about the games, he cared if I was having fun!

Later

As we strolled through the bustling carnival, I got hungry. Sitting down, Dakota leaned up against one of his arms. "What's your favorite carnival food?" I asked, curious about who he was before all of this.

He paused, a wistful expression crossing his face. "I honestly can't remember. It's been so long since I've had carnival food." He replied, his voice tinged with a hint of longing.

In that moment, my heart ached for him. I remembered that for years, Dakota had been deprived of the simple pleasures of life, including the enjoyment of delicious, comforting food. An idea began to form in my mind, a spark of hope and determination to get him to open up.

Before our eyes, a glorious funnel cake materialized in my hands, its golden, sugary spirals glistening. I presented it to Dakota with a warm smile. He hesitated, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Wanda, you made this... with your magic?" He asked, his voice filled with shock.

I nodded, my gaze tender. "I wanted you to experience the joy of carnival food again, even if just for a moment." I said softly.

Tentatively, Dakota took a bite of the funnel cake. As the sweet, crispy pastry melted on his tongue, I could tell that memories flooded back to him. He closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the rush of flavors and emotions. Tears welled up in his eyes as he savored the long-forgotten taste.

Getting up, I moved over and sat next to him and gently placed a hand on Dakota's shoulder, offering him comfort and understanding. I knew his pain, the loss, and in that moment, I shared in his bittersweet recollection.

Later

As we strolled through the park, the sound of laughter and music filling the air. I stopped once I saw something similar to that of a merry-go-round. It had Unicorns instead of horses, and they seemed to be alive, fused with the poles that kept them in place.

As we reached the carousel, my heart skipped a beat. There was only one seat left, and my mind raced with thoughts of what this could mean. Would we share it? Would Dakota walk away? Taking a deep breath, I couldn't help but smile as I gestured toward the seat.

"Shall we share the last seat?" I asked, my voice betraying me.

Dakota shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not." He replied, walking past me and taking my hand in his. His real hand, not the wooden one. He had taken them off, because he knew he could touch again.

As we climbed onto the carousel, I could feel my cheeks flush with warmth. Sitting closely together, our bodies brushed against each other, and a gentle shiver ran down my spine. The world around us seemed to fade away as the merry-go-round began to spin.

Our surroundings transformed into a whimsical blur of lights and colors. I watched as Dakota kept his eyes forward, but I couldn't take mine off of him. With each rotation, my connection towards him deepened, and my heart soared.

In that moment, I realized something. Somewhere don't the line... I had fallen for him. We were intertwined, our lives spinning together in chaotic harmony. I couldn't help but feel grateful for this beautiful chance to be close to Dakota.

As the ride came to an end, the carousel slowly came to a stop. We stepped off, our hands still entwined. Our eyes met, and he let me go.

With a soft smile, I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, getting a blush from him. "Thank you for sharing this magical moment with me." I whispered in his ear, watching his face light up like a Christmas tree.

"Not a word." He replied, their voice betraying him this time.

Later

Passing the Tiny Tent of Terror, we watched as Eda, dressed as a show girl, and the other walked out before it collapsed. "Good news! We're going home!" Eda said with a grin. "Bad news, we probably won't ever come back!" Eda said as she started running a clown police chased her, with us following suit.

Later

Opening the door, we looked inside and saw Hooty talking to a bug. "Sure feel sorry for anyone that missed seeing us two rabble-rousers getting into scrapes." Hooty said, where we all duck back out with uneasy faces, closing the door silently.