*****Luz
Running... I've been running for so long... images passed Luz with incredible speed, barely allowing for a glance at the content before zipping by. She could make out certain themes, lots of flashes of light, stars, so many colours, strings, green, hallways, purple and she kept seeing a golden circle, amulet, no necklace. Why is it going by so fast! she shouted, causing her body to toss its equilibrium, sending her hurdling forward, rolling over her own body, landing harshly on her back. However, there was no pain, no huff from her chest as she landed, in fact when she opened her eyes, she was staring up at someone, they were close to her, as if she was laying on their lap but their face and features a blur. Who...? She struggled to speak, only able to ask in her mind. There was no answer, only the soft touch of someone's hand on her cheek causing her to close her eyes and lean into the touch, it was so strangely pleasant. Once her eyes were closed again, she was still on her back but transported to another place, another time, this time she knew for sure who was above her when she opened her eyes. Mami, es muy bueno verte. (Its so good to see you) Although she knew it was her mother, her vision allowed no details. As her hand reached up to touch her mother's face it all dissolved away from her, leaving her in a weightless space, floating, wondering where she was now. Softly in the distance, she could hear a familiar voice, King? The voice was soft and whispered, asking when she was going to come back. Feeling the sudden pull of her friend's sadness she closed her eyes and focused hard on the voice.
"I know it's only been a day and a bit, but everyone is really worried, you know even Francois is worried. Barely able to sleep, he uh, hasn't left your side since, and he feels like, like you might have been better off if he had slept here with you. You know." King was sitting on his human friend's stomach, holding Francois as he spoke softly to her, eyes downcast. I should have been here, some King I am. he repeated his pained thought as he fiddled with Francois' paw.
A hand reached up and gently touched the top of Kings head, causing him to jump at the contact and let out a small 'weh'. "Aww King... I missed you too" Luz said gently, her eyes just barely squinting open to look at him. She smiled fondly as the small demon hugged her hand to his head grabbing it with both paws. "How long did you say I was asleep for?" She questioned, groaning as she sat up, her body felt weak and her head was swimming with mixed emotions she couldn't even begin to grasp as she woke.
"Well... Like a day and a half. Wait! I have to go get Eda!" He suddenly broke away from Luz's hand, gently putting Francois into her arms. He scrambled down from his spot on her and ran out the bedroom door, yelling the whole time as he bounded down the hallway and downstairs to the living room. "Edaaa!" He hollered, "Luz is awake! She woke up!" He skid to a stop in the kitchen, chuckling as Eda spat out her apple blood and hastily wiped her lips, "Is she hungry? Or wait... Is she, I should." The woman's mind was reeling, What am I doing, just go ask you her you dummy! As if reading her mind King repeated the thought. "I'm going" she insisted and bolted up the stairs, leaving King behind causing him to utter a small 'weh' as he continued after her, cursing his small legs.
Luz was now sitting up, her hair was a tussled mess, her short hair all spiked up and the long strands that framed her face had curls to them. She was on her scroll; thankful nothing had happened to it and ignorant to the sound of Ed and King below. She made it a priority to message Willow; the night was a blur but she was certain her friend was there when she desperately needed her.
Luz: Guess who's awake, confused, sore and thankful for you! :3
Wills3: Luz! You're awake! Titan, I've been so worried about you, T_T I'm sorry I couldn't be there, I've been cramming for exams.
Luz: You used the emoji I taught you! Also, It's all good Wills. I'll be fine! Thank you again, I can't EXACTLY remember right meow but I know you were there for me.
Wills3: Always will be! If you feel up for it, when you're back, we can have a sleep over redo.
Luz: Uhh..Where am I going? :/
Wills3: Oh! Sorry, talk to Eda, I thought... You talked to her...
Wills3: Okay, well soooo busy with school. Bye!
Luz: What!? Willow!
Luz: Willow don't ignore me...
Luz: Aahhhhh … Titan, fine. TTYL. 3
Eda burst into her room, as she was finishing her message. "Kiddo! You're awake!" The sudden shout dragged Luz away from her phone, leaving her unable to message Gus or check with Emira about Amity. "How're you feeling?" The witch inquired as she made her way over to Luz, stifling a laugh as King pattered into the room cursing his little legs, huffing at Eda and making himself comfortable beside Luz, while also sliding Francois from his place in her arms.
Luz felt an incredible ease wash over her when Eda came in, startled however at the intensity emanating from her, usually she was a lot more relaxed and didn't really fuss over much. Even when I was hurt from going to the conformitorium she didn't act like this "I'm feeling... Alright, I think. I can't remember everything and I'm sore, I'm actually starving... and I need to go to the bathroom!" The last observation was like glass breaking in the human's mind, she quickly shot up from her place on her makeshift bed and bolted across the hall to the bathroom. "Sorry!" She yelled, knowing she cut Eda off and tossed her blankets over King. As she exited the bathroom, she couldn't help but notice how rough she looked, her hair was a mess, she had dirt still on her face, neck and arms from her fall. She returned sheepishly to her room, amused that King had only moved enough so that he was on top of the blankets rather than under them and Eda was leaning against one of her storage chests, looking deep in thought before she had spoken up.
"Alright, by the sounds of it you need to eat... Uhh probably shower too." Eda gave Luz a once over trying to be polite about her apprentice's appearance, she had some dirt still on her skin from her tumble and some dried blood from wounds that had happened when she fell into the cave, which was long since healed by Eda. She knew that Luz probably could tell but the witch knew there was a chance her ward was still in a bit of a shocked daze, "While you do that, I can make you something to eat and we can talk. I'm sure you have questions, uh maybe a lot more than I thought... Given the state of your memory." Eda tried her best to meet the need of the feeling in her gut, she wanted to provide a solution for Luz and make her feel better. She stopped wondering why and was trying to go with it, having felt the sting of potentially losing her last night. What that demon said... 'shes almost gone.' I can't stop it from playing over and over, even though Luz is right here and safe. Trying not to get lost in thought or drown by her emotions she refocused on the injured girl.
Luz's smile was timid, having seen herself in the mirror she knew Eda was being nice about the whole shower situation, plus she was positive that her odor couldn't have been pleasant. There was too much going on in her mind to allow for questioning her mentors sudden change in behavior, it felt nice to have this kind of attention, like she had been craving it for some time. "That would be... Really nice, Eda, thank you." She tried her best to show her appreciation, finding it oddly difficult to fully express how much she appreciated the witch's actions. "And uh... Yeeeaah. I'll shower first, save you having to look and smell me any longer than necessary." She let out a small laugh, walking by Eda to grab her things. She paused for a moment, she quickly grabbed Eda in a tight hug, "Thank you." She mumbled quietly, not waiting for Eda to hug her back before pulling away and continuing her hunt for clothes to wear after her shower.
The witch was stunned at the action, it was over a month now and these 'hugs' had happened a few times and yet it was hard for her to adjust. There was a great length of time where Eda had only ventured to have physical relationships with people, for gentle affection she had been starved of t for years, since a certain, incident. Eda had to force herself back from her thoughts and into the present situation, "Great, you stink. Doing the whole house a service you know." she teased, ruffling the kid's hair and walking to the doorway. "I'll wait for you downstairs, and, no need to thank anyone. We're just glad to see you safe." Eda nodded to King who was contently cuddling Francois on Luz's blankets, getting some extra shut eye. She watched for a moment as Luz picked some of her clean clothes from a basket on one of her trunks, Lets hope this talk brightens her spirits some... I can't imagine what she must be going thinking... With that thought Eda quietly walked back to the kitchen, contemplating what she could make for the kid, she could try something new or just keep to a favourite. Ugh hpw did I go from using her at the stand for get rich quick schemes to … whatever this is.
All Luz could do was smile at her mentor's minor teasing comment, trying to keep her thoughts focused on the present as she grabbed some comfy clothes. Selecting a purple short sleeve shirt and dark purple pajama pants that had crystal shapes on the bottom that were a lighter blue. "Going to shower King!" She called, not wanting to leave the room without letting him know. All she got was a small grumble in response, causing her to let out a small giggle, she couldn't believe how easy it was for him to sleep. Shower, food, gotta ask Eda about Willows comment and then I'll pack some potions in my bag... Study on some potions. Luz continued to make a list of things she wanted to do as she got the shower ready, Oh, have to message Gus and Emira, Amity must be home by now, right? she hummed to herself stepping inside the shower, letting out a soft sigh as the warm water touched her skin, slowly wearing away all the dirt and grime from a rough few days. As she watched the dirty circle the drain below her, her mind started to go blank, the darkness of the drain felt like it was pulling her in. All of this pain, because I'm not good enough... because I wasn't able to defend myself … the thought intruded her blank thoughts, causing an all too familiar lump to form in her throat. She could suddenly hear the whispers from the demon, "There is no running away from this Luz, this Is what you do to the people you love.", "You drove her to this...", "You can't enjoy magic, you don't deserve it, not when you d-" starting to hyperventilate Luz suddenly slammed her fist against the shower wall, wincing at the pain as she pulled her hand back, her eyes suddenly focused on her hand and her mind only able to focus on the pain that throbbed from her appendage. "It's not true... It was fake, that was a dream, uh... Nightmare and, they are all fine." She whispered to herself, cradling her hand for a moment, thankful for the pain pulling her out. I need to know its gone for good... It has to be... Luz swallowed hard trying not to dwell on it she returned to washing herself, needing something to keep herself busy from these intrusive thoughts. Titan... I used to like showers. she felt defeated as she turned the water off and got ready to go downstairs to meet Eda, letting out a small satisfied groan as she could already smell food being made. Despite the pit of hunger in her stomach she paused and pulled her scroll out, typing out a message to Gus, just letting him know she was safe. His reply was instant and elated, she'd have to look at it later, her mind was fully occupied now with the debate of messaging Emira through Pentstagram. She said we could talk... but, ugh, why does this need to feel so... weird. She groaned, losing her nerve to check on her apparent rival.
Luz left the bathroom and made her way back to her room, pausing in the doorway as if there was some sort of invisible field stopping her. Its fine, you're fine. Look, King is sleeping. You were JUST in there Luz! she scolded herself for her sudden struggle, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she pushed down an intense feeling of anxiety, as if crossing this threshold was going to cause the nightmares to start again. Trying to be reasonable, she closed her eyes and just took a step froward, letting out a held breath as she walked over to King. "Come on sleepy head, whatever I'm smelling, smells delicious!" She picked King up, laughing as he let his body go limp, only holding Francois as he dangled in Luz's hands. "Really?" she tried to muster as much attitude into that word as possible but couldn't help but smile through the accusing tone. "Carry me! Chariot!" He kept hanging loose in her hands as he commanded her forward, earning a giggle from the girl again as she cradled him and carried him downstairs. "I guess I need to carry a tote bag around." He shrugged, leaning slightly into his humans touch.
"Nah, I think this is a much more luxurious ride. Francois also likes to be up higher, better vantage point." The demon nodded to himself and pat Francois's head. "Woah Eda, why don't I get this kind of food when I sleep for a whole day!" He protested looking at the spread she had whipped up, it wasn't huge by any means but it had pancakes, omelets, what looked like a small bowl of hex mix for King and a bowl of Strawberries!? Luz was suddenly floored, as her mind reeled seeing human food for the first time in what felt like forever. He jumped from Luz's arms and curiously trotted over to the bowl of strawberries, "Those look weird..." He muttered, giving one a poke, staring at it with suspicion.
Luz immediately grabbed the bowl and took in the smell of the fresh strawberries, "Edaa" She groaned, closing her eyes as she let the smell linger. "When did you do this!?" she suddenly demanded, knowing she hadn't taken that long in the shower and if King didn't know what they were, its not like she just went out and grabbed some from a special vendor. Did I die or something... This is way too much. she couldn't help but get emotional as she waited on her mentors reply.
Eda put out a plate for everyone, hoping that she didn't go overboard, she knew that she needed to eat almost just as much as Luz did. Considering the last time she ate was also at the sleep over, despite making food for King the last day and a bit she hadn't been able to stomach anything, opting for an Apple Blood diet. "I made a small trip yesterday to the human realm, when King was passed out with you. No big deal! No need to make a thing of it." She waved Luz off, not wanting to make it an ordeal, she had just wanted the kid to have some good food when she woke up. "Come on, you're starving and so am I, mama needs her protein." She hummed, trying to get her apprentice off the topic and focused on the food.
Eventually Luz just nodded, she had been trying to get a better grip on Eda's actions, feeling as though there was some kind of change that she just couldn't put her finger on. "You don't need to tell me twice" the girl picked up her plate and fork, immediately going for the pancakes, serving everyone while she was at it. Distributing the other food as well, King was clearly hesitant on the strawberries, still staring at them with suspicion as Eda went to town on her plate. "Come on King, look, they're amazing!" the human insisted, cutting off the green stem and happily eating the whole berry, sighing happily at the sweet and juicy taste. "I promise, if you don't like them, you'll never even have to look at them again! Plus, you can throw it at me." The small act of violence piqued Kings interest and he eventually agreed. "Perfect, here, I'll cut it up." Luz was visibly excited, cutting the stem and then sectioning it in half again. "Open wide!" She sang, barely giving King time to think about the action when he opened his mouth wide.
It took a moment for the taste to settle in, but once it had, King jumped up in his chair eyes wide and a finger pointing accusingly at the bowl. "These are delicious! Eda, how have you kept these from me for so long!? This almost treason!" he shouted, opening his mouth again letting Luz feed him the other half of the strawberry.
Eda chuckled, and scoffed at King, "Hey, I've given you plenty of stuff from the human realm, remember the cake? Or how about those croissants?" She wiggled her eye brows, finishing off her meal and beginning to sip her apple blook again. Alright, just be casual, ask if she has questions... Do what you practiced, wait, did I practice? Well... I meant to practice, so that's almost the same thing. the witch crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair, lost in her thoughts and ignoring the idle chatter of King going on and on to Luz about the 'cresent' (croissant).
After finally finishing her large breakfast Luz had come up with a list of questions for Eda, despite her mentor telling her earlier she could ask questions she still felt unsure about how to approach the topic. She knew deep down that whatever happened to her was severe, considering Eda's actions, how long I was asleep and just that dreadful feeling... She shook her head, and cleared her throat hoping to get her attention. After the second failed attempt she internally groaned and quietly murmured "Eda?" which seemed to at least get the witch to look in her direction, "I have some questions about the other day, and I don't want anything sugar coated." She stated this firmly, watching for a reaction in Eda, however it never came, the witch simply focused her eyes on Luz and nodded. Using her free hand to motion for Luz to ask, already throwing Luz off. "Err... Well... Can you explain to me exactly what happened? I remember the feeling... the nightmares themselves... I remember, oh! I was in the BatQueens cave! She did something and... uh, there was something else she said." Luz started to go on her own tangent, as if trying to answer her own question by walking herself in a circle of memories from that night.
"Woah, woah alright Kid" Eda laughed, setting her Apple Blood down and leaning forward to rest an elbow on the table. Sliding King the bowl of Hex Mix he had been reaching for, his eyes on both of them as if watching some kind of reality TV show. "No need to hurt yourself, memory is a tricky thing sometimes." She took a deep breath and launched into the highlights of that night. "Willow said you had bolted, there wasn't really a precursor to it, but I guess you weren't kidding around when you had mentioned bad dreams to me..." She struggled with that sentence, about to apologize when Luz put a hand up and shook her head, "It's okay Eda... So, what was it?" She encouraged her mentor to continue, trying to ignore the darkness she felt swirling in her chest, causing a pit in her stomach to form as she got the details. "While King and Flowers went after you, I needed to figure out what was going on, there was something here that was giving that demon access to you, and I felt it for a few days but there wasn't a real trace to track." The older witch sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingers for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "There was a demonic stone hidden in your room, with an incredibly powerful nightmare demon attached to it. They can be used for all kinds of things, had Bat Queen not banished the demon when she did, we might be having a different conversation or, not having one at all." That sentence caused Luz to visibly swallow hard, but she didn't interrupt. "I couldn't trace the magic, I got... I crushed it. I couldn't use the pieces to find anything out, all I know is its powerful magic and it was very specifically attached to you." she sighed again tapping her fingers on the table, "I thought maybe it was meant for me, but the demon wanted you, it wasn't going to give up." Continuing was starting to get difficult, she couldn't bring herself to repeat what it had said like she was going to originally, opting now to open the floor back to Luz.
I knew... Bat Queen was being honest when she said I could have died but... hearing it from Eda is like a different reality. Luz was chilled to the bone with the idea that she had really barely made it out alive, "So it didn't want anything but my life... Haa... That's a lot darker than I hoped." She tried her best to sound light hearted about it but she struggled to remove the fear from her voice, she wanted to know more and she had a lot of questions but she wasn't ready, she needed more time than she thought. Desperate to hear something else she decided to ask about what Willow had said, praying to the Titan it was some kind of good news. "Now... Second thing, I messaged Willow this morning and she said something about me 'getting back from somewhere' and that I should ask you about it... So you know, here I am, asking!" She gave her best attempt at a grin, and had to break it to laugh at Eda's clearly annoyed reaction. Her eyebrows had furrowed together, her lip was raised showing her golden tooth off even more.
"Flowers!" She grunted bitterly, feeling betrayed Way to force my hand on this one, not even giving me time! Eda knew she couldn't push this one off, with a small sigh and a big gulp of her Apple Blood she refocused on Luz, causing the girl to slightly waver under her intense stare. "I'm taking you on a training trip up to the knee, have to work on those 'nerd arms' as you put it." She prepared herself for the next part, crossing her arms in front of her. "If while we're there you can learn a second spell, second glyph, I'll get you enrolled into the exam. I can't say if you'll be enrolled bu-" The speed in which Luz jumped on the woman was shocking, she had nearly knocked the woman backwards and out of the chair.
Luz wasted no time on hugging Eda, she knew that this wasn't something she would have ever recommended, she hated school and hated the system it prepared you for. "Thank you Eda!" She tried not to shout but her excitement caused a big uptick in her volume, earning her a small groan from her mentor who took a good few seconds to return the hug. I can't believe it... This is my shot, I found the one glyph, if I dedicate some time to this, I can do it, that's all I need! the human girl was beside herself with excitement, the previous feelings of darkness and that pit in her stomach had almost completely vanished.
"Okay, enough parallel arm thing! You have a ton of work to do and I'm only willing to help you so much, the rest is on you and Flowers." She let Luz go and pushed her away, shaking her head at the stupid grin that was plastered all over her face. "We're going to leave once you feel better, it's a bit of a trek and we'll be gone for at least 3 or 4 days, it's a great spot for training, there are some hot springs up there for when you're done training for the day and you're sore. Secluded enough this time of year, perfect if you plan on accidentally blowing anything up." Luz was hanging on Eda's every word, staring at her mentor with stars in her eyes, thinking about all the possibilities. "Are you hearing any of this?" The witch asked, waving a hand in front of the girl's face, getting an enthusiastic nod in reply.
"I don't want to waste any time, Eda! Let's get a move on, King! Lets go pack!" She turned around and started to head over to the other side of the table where King was munching on his mix and watching the two intently. I wonder when the exams are, this is like my own anime training montage coming up!
Eda shook her head, despite getting a nod in reply she felt like Luz was just hearing the bare minimum, "You just woke up today, Kid, I don't think it-" She was cut off by her apprentice's large puppy dog eyes staring at her from behind King, "Dang, those eyes. Your funeral kid, I won't go easy on you." She sighed, Man you are going soft! She barely even needed to argue... but she does seem happy. "Small thing, King is staying here. He doesn't do well in the cold and someone needs to watch over the Owl House." Eda knew had she not mentioned the cold King would have been protesting heavily, but despite all his fur he hated the cold and would want no part in any harsh conditions.
King shrugged his shoulders and got up from his chair, giving Luz a small pat on her arm, "You'll need to do this alone soldier, but it will make you a better knight." King nodded solemnly, "I will protect the house with... my …. life!" He held his tiny fur first to his chest, enjoying the dramatic dialog. "And by that, I mean the lives of all my subjects first and then if I have to my own and even then, I'm a great bargainer." The quick turn around on his conviction caused both Eda and Luz to laugh, not at all surprised by his choice to sacrifice some of his many followers. (Stuffed animals)
"You sure know how to rule King" Luz teased, petting his head and focusing her attention back on Eda. "I don't want you to go easy on me, I want to get stronger, so this never happens again. I'll prove to everyone that I have what it takes to become a witch!" that same stupid grin from earlier returned, showing just how excited she was at this opportunity. "I'll get ready, I gotta pack up some potions up and some clothes... Er... Clothes!" she suddenly shouted, causing both Eda and King to flinch. "I only have summer clothes; I mean they sort of pass for fall and spring but not winter." She put a thoughtful hand on her hip and scratched her head, trying to think of anything she had in her bag for the prep camp that was good for winter, she had sweaters but even then, they were just comfy not necessarily warm.
Huh... I didn't exactly think of that, maybe she will fit into some of my stuff? Or I wonder if I have some of Lilly's... She contemplated for a moment before she scooped King up with little protest and motioned for Luz to follow her. "I guess freezing to death isn't exactly training..." She joked and nudged Luz who made an exaggerated frown in reply. Going into Luz's room she went right for the truck at the back of the room, it was by far one of the oldest trucks in the room. "Should have no problem fitting into this stuff, stole it from home when I left." Instead of using her magic she roughly pushed the stuff that was on top of the truck and it collapsed behind it in a cloud of dust, ignoring the cloud she pulled the truck to the center of the room, pushing the makeshift bed slightly out of the way. "Let's see..." Eda opened the truck, ignoring the small pit of sadness she felt as she read the side of the truck 'Lilith Clawthorne'. "Before you ask, yes this was my sister's, when I left, I wanted her to come. So, I packed some stuff for her but, well, you see our relationship."
"Eda, this is like, the best day ever. Training trip, learning more magic, potentially college, now Eda's mysterious origin story?" She stared her at her in awe, happy that Eda knew she would inquire about the trunk and had decided to answer ahead, hoping to avoid the peppering of questions. "Buuut... I have to know, what happened between the two of you, if you packed up stuff for her to come with you... you must have been close." I should have thought that through, that is a lot sadder of a question than I thought it would be... Ugh. She mentally chastised herself and knelt to look in the truck with Eda, looking more at her mentor's face than the clothes that were being searched through and pulled out.
King suddenly pipped up from beside the two, causing Luz to jump slightly after him having been so quiet through this interaction. "Ahh who cares, now you get to steal her stuff and use it to go on an adventure!" he chimed in, waving his paw in the air as if to push away the question.
Eda glanced down at King and smiled, knowing he had jumped in because he knew how much of a sore subject her family was. "Maybe I'll tell you about it on the trip, but no more questions, if you want to go, we need to pack and get a move on. Can only fly so far before we need to hike the rest of the way, and you don't want to set up a tent in the dark." She had pulled out a good number of winter pieces, just about the side of Luz, some would be a little bit short on the human while other articles too long, due to their varying body types. "Try this stuff on, I have to make some arrangements too." She gave Luz a small pat on the shoulder, barely letting her get a reply out before she left.
I will get some more back story out of her on this trip, no doubt about it! Luz was confident that while it was just the two of them, she would be able to get her mentor to talk, selfishly she hoped Eda brought some Apple Blood with her, knowing she was more open to talking a couple of drinks in. "Hey wait, tent!?" She called after Eda, the realization suddenly hitting her, "Jeez, maybe I should have opted to go camping as a kid." she muttered, picking up the clothes that Eda put out and trying some of them all, not bothering with all of them. "Man, Lilith was a lot different back then than I thought." A few of the articles of clothing were on the 'rebellious side', while others were conservative and plain, one of the darker pieces had the name of a band she couldn't even make out due to the stylized letters. I'll ask Eda... she nodded and grabbed her bag, tossing the clothes inside, enjoying the taste the young Clawthorne sister had, even if everything wasn't necessarily her style, pulling out her notebook she started to make a list of things. Clothes, hat, jacket, pajamas, blankets, sleeping bag? Potions; spark, fire, ice, cloaking, energizer, elixir (for Eda, juuust in case), sleep aid. She wrote everything down, tapping her lip as she debated on anything else she may need, suddenly snapping her fingers she opened a small box on a shelf in the room, smiling at a few leaves and berries in the box. "Good for heating my hands!" she hummed, tossing the box into her bag, thankful for Willows little trick. She said hot springs... so a towel, but... do you wear a swim suit? the thought quickly disappeared from her mind as she suddenly felt pressure on her leg. Looking down, King was attached to her leg, hugging to it tightly. "King?" she asked softly, kneeling.
The demon pulled away slightly and looked at her with tears in his big yellow eyes, not quite sad but frustrated that Luz was already planning to leave when she 'just got back'. "When you come back, you owe me book time, and at least 2 comedy hours to torture Eda with." he sniffled, causing Luz to pick him up and hug him tight. Despite all his big talk about being a demon king and ruling, he was soft and childlike still on the inside.
"Ah King... I'll be back before you know it! I promise when I get back, we can do both of those things, no problem, maybe even Francois will want to join." Luz cradled King again, pulling him up to her face she started to tickle him and pepper his head with kisses. "Who's my cutie pie? Huh? Who?" As she did this King couldn't help but laugh, his tears turning from ones of frustration and sadness to joy.
Pushing her hands away and struggling against her, "Noooo! I am your supreme leader!" he yelled, "You will obey me! An-and! Un-hand me!" He could barely get the demand out as he cried from laughter, typically he hated being treated like a baby but when it was just him and Luz, he couldn't help but allow himself the ability to feel vulnerable. Luz doubled down, knowing he was close to cracking, after that it didn't take much longer before he shouted "Me! … It's ME! I'm your cutie pie!" Once her victory was secured, she pulled away letting him breathe glad to see that the frustration he had prior had melted away.
Eda filled her own bag with essentials, as well as storing stuff in her hair for emergencies. The knee at this time of year wasn't much of a threat but there was definitely enough that went on that she wanted to make sure she could counter most anything. It had been some time since she was there last, but she had heard that they had expanded some of the camp grounds, which could cause certain wildlife issues. We'll just be careful to stay closer to the spring, and the old camp ground... besides, its slow season there. The witch mentally reassured herself, feeling some nerves bubbling up in her gut from her last visit there. Thankfully, the two on the floor below pulled her out of her mind and anxiety, she couldn't help but smile hearing the two laughing, it was refreshing and something that genuinely brought joy to her day. Now to make sure that King is good for a few days... She grabbed her bag, mentally checking off everything she needed from clothes to potions to oddities she thought may help. "Hooty!" she called, making her way to the living room. The bird tube made his typical entry, sliding through the window into the home.
"Hoot! You raaaang?" He inquired, twisting his head around and getting right up to Eda's face, earning him a sigh and to his surprise, only a sigh.
"I need you to make sure that King doesn't do anything stupid for the next few days, I'm taking Luz to the knee. There is lots to eat, I stocked up yesterday, if you do this without incident, I'll make sure there are a lot of voles in your future buddy." Eda barely finished the request before Hooty excitedly started to wiggle his body, she cringed watching the bird 'dance'. Trying to ignore his shrill voice and excitement she grabbed some additional blankets, the two tents leaving Luz's out for her to pack, her personal sleeping bag and some basic food. To bring Apple Blood or to no- HA, who am I kidding, get in here. She tossed a jug of Apple Blood into the bag, hardly even contemplating adding it to her mental list of essentials. Once she felt she had everything packed up she called for Luz to get a move on, it was already the afternoon and even though a lot of the trip was going to be on Owlbert they had a decent hike ahead of them too.
Luz gasped hearing that Eda was already done and good to go, "How is she already done, how is she ready before me!?" King shook his head at the human, sill catching his breath from the assault. "Alright King, I have the winter clothes, I guess I should just put the boots on now. Uh, potions all check... blankets and stuff, check. Oh!" she reached back into her bag and pulled out her red beanie, staring at it for a moment before she offered it to King. "Could you hold onto this for me?" The demon quickly snatched the hat and popped Francois into it. "Perfect" Luz laughed, grabbing her bag and picking King up as she went downstairs to meet Eda, quirking an eyebrow up as she saw how prepared she looked, already in her winter gear. She had a trapper style winter hat on, along with a long gray coat covering most of her body that had a fur covered hood, her boots matched completing the look. "Damn Eda! Look at you!" She laughed, putting King down so she could get her boots on, almost falling over as Eda put a matching gray trapper winter hat on her head.
"It might be a couple hour flight but you'll be thankful to have all this on when we start to get close! So, get changed and we'll head out." She slapped the matching hat on Luz's head and resisted the urge to push the wobbling human over. Lots of time to bul- teach! Teach her lessons the next few days
The human quickly nodded and made her way to the bathroom, changing into a black long sleeve sweater keeping her t-shirt on under it, she pulled on some lined dark gray joggers laughing to herself at the size difference. Lilith had clearly had longer legs than Luz ever would, they were baggy at the bottom so she tucked the excess into her brown fur topped boots. She put the hat back on and went to meet with Eda and say goodbye to King and Hooty, she would pull the winter coat on when they were a bit closer, already feeling like she was going to be sweating buckets in this. "Ready!" She cheered, giving King a kiss at the top of his head and walking out of the house, her bag slung over her shoulder. She paused, staring at Hooty who had come out of the door and right up into her personal space, she hesitated for a moment before she finally kissed her hand and tapped Hooty on the side of his face. "Bye Hooty! Take care of King!" She called, getting a small 'weh' in protest from King who insisted he was the one taking care of the house.
Eda had summoned Owlbert and they were ready to go, as Luz got on behind her mentor the witch pulled out a pair of gloves and handed them over. "Almost forgot to give you these. Now, hold on." The witch sang the last part as she kicked off from the ground, sending them high up into the sky. I hope to Titan that some of what I was taught up there helps her... Eda sighed, glancing behind her at Luz who seemed like she was in a better mood overall, just smiling as they flew over the isles. hell, she has the drive, no question, I should be worried about how FAR she's willing to go. she knew that the human was driven, it was evident in all her actions up to this point, but this trip is what essentially decides if she attends the school she wants and there will be little to stop her from that goal. Eda hated the thought but she needed to prepare herself for the potential that Luz could fail, and that would be hard on them both.
The flight was long and uneventful, and if Luz's thighs hadn't been burning from the journey, she was positive she would have fallen asleep from the peaceful ride. The girl was thankful that Eda had stuck to flying over the land rather than shaving some time off going over the boiling water, although it was nice not to have to worry about a potential mishap and going down, she really just wanted to get the chance to see all the different land marks on the isles. What better way to do that than the sky? We passed all the towns Eda had mentioned, so we should be there shortly... Luz thought to herself feeling as though they had to be nearing there mark, as she tried to peer around her mentor to get a look at where they were, she stifled a gasp as she took in just how gigantic the knee was when they got this close. Not sure I'm ever going to be able to grasp that this was alive , whatever killed it wouldn't be something I'd want to deal with. her thoughts kept wondering to the titan and the different theories she had, however before she could get too into her head about it a blast of cold air shook the staff. Causing them to dip and shift in the wind, feeling the intense shift Luz grabbed Eda tighter and closed her eyes focusing on not being sick from the sudden jostling.
As the wind whipped around the staff both women were having a hard time keeping their eyes open, Eda reached under her hat and into her hair, pulling out some goggles and slapping them on her face. "Alright! Owlbert lets head on down." She commanded her staff audibly to let Luz know as well that they were going to be descending, able to feel from the girls tight grip her panic. She tried to get them as close to where they needed to be but the wind was far too strong to get them closer than about another hour walk, the landing was rockier than usual and although Eda landed with little issue Luz went sideways into the snow with a small shout. "No time to be playing in the snow kid, the sun is getting pretty low already and we have a good walk ahead of us, plus putting up the tents and fire! You can make snow devils later and I thought I told you to get your jacket on too." The older witch gave Luz a comedically disapproving look, shaking her head as Luz struggled to get herself up in the snow.
"Hey now, I-" Luz shifted and groaned as her foot pushed deeper into the snow causing her to lose her balance and almost fall over again. "Like I was saying. I am, so serious. No snow anything." She scoffed at Eda and looked away from her, crossing her arms as she began to walk, instantly regretting it. Tripping once again only a few feet away, having her hands free would have at least partially saved her, now she was face first in the snow. She let out a grunt and pushed herself up, her hat was tilted and her face was red with bits of snow on it and without her jacket on yet her regular long sleeve was already damp. It was clear that Eda was having a blast watching Luz make a fool of herself, she was howling with laughter now after the fall, slapping her knee and wheezing.
The witch put the goggles back in her hair and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as drew a spell circle with her finger, an invisible force picked Luz up out of the snow and placed her down gently, before she could open her mouth for a thank you, Eda quickly cast another spell and had the snow removed from the girls clothes and all the moisture that had soaked in removed with it. "Okay, shall we start this over again? The spot we want to be is up there." She pointed to a small peak, it was mixed among different hills and peaks that were spotted with trees, however that peak in particular had a bit of a fog to it. "If we can get there early enough you might just be able to have a relaxing bath before your magic bootcamp starts tomorrow."
As the water was pulled from her clothes, she instantly felt warmer, incredibly thankful for Eda's magic, I have to learn how to do that... or something similar, I can't always rely on her and, I want her to be able to rely on me. "Thats... a little farther than I thought but, let's get cracking!" She called with joy, trying to keep her spirits up, she was about to start her march when the cold air quickly reminded her to grab out her jacket. Finally, with it on and her body warming up, she started the march with Eda just a few steps behind her. The Knee was just as harsh as Luz thought it would be, as they got higher the wind hurt her face and she was positive that if not for the additional layers she put under the coat she would be a human popsicle. They weren't too far off the target now, maybe just a couple more minutes, as they came over one of the last hills Eda pulled the girl to a stop. Gesturing for her to be quiet, pointing at what looked like a giant pile of snow under a tree. I don't... Understand. she quirked an eyebrow up at the older woman and lifted her shoulders to express her confusion.
Eda rolled her eyes at Luz, struggling to understand how she had survived this long if she couldn't tell from here that it was a large beast. She leaned close to Luz, "Thats a slitherbeast, it's not particularly hostile, but it can be if it feels it's babies are in danger OR you do provoke it." She said in a hushed tone, the words struggled against the wind but Luz got the idea, her eyes going wide and her head just nodding as she examined the beast from afar, now able to make out amongst the snow. After a moment Eda gestured with her hand for Luz to continue, taking them on a slightly wider path to give the beast lots of room, they could only see the one but with all this wind kicking up snow there could be lots more relaxing in the area. Now let's see... Big stupid tree, weird shaped rock... Eda mentally followed signs from when she was younger, Huh, some of the trees have come down... I guess it HAS been a while. she cringed thinking just how long ago she had done this, hoping the area was at least similar, she was glad that she had done a little bit of research into the changes of the area. Relief quickly flowed through the witch as they came over the final hill, and through a chunk of trees, the clearing had gotten smaller and the trees were much thicker and more densely packed together. "Haha alright, not bad" She clapped her gloved hands together, "smaller but these trees are the perfect cover from the wind." She turned to look at Luz, shaking her head as she watched the girl lean against a tree for support, huffing from that last steep hill.
"I'm good, I can feel you looking at me... Bootcamp is tomorrow, let me be tired!" She was already mid argument without Eda having said a word on it, she was all too aware of her body still wanting rest from both the library and run, "This does look perfect though, ahh! Eda, I'm so excited, what do we have planned huh? 5K run? I'll probably puke after 2 but I'll do it! Oh, maybe kick a tree until it busts down, punching a tree until I wear a whole into it!" She cheered out some cliches, only earning her a concerned look from her mentor.
Jeez, out of breath and still somehow yelling about tomorrow. "Whats your deal with wanting to hurt the trees kid, is that some kind of weird human thing?" Eda knew some of the cliches from her time in the human realm but loved to see the face Luz made when she made small jabs like that. She could see the horror in Luz's eyes as she got mock offended by the witch's ignorance.
"I will have you know, that trees are the ultimate training tool, Eda." She did her best to put a bit of a snap to her voice, but it only caused her to break her character and laugh. "Alright, I have no idea but they are tough and I gotta be tougher!" She did a few fake karate moves, swiping her hand through the air earning a chuckle from Eda.
Her mentor had clearly decided that enough was enough and turned away from her, grabbing her satchel she brought and pulling out the tent she had packed for herself. With a small hum Eda used a spell to pull together the simple tent, it was just big enough for two people if they squeezed together, but perfect for one. It was a thick canvas material making it ideal for the winter, as it set itself up seamlessly the witch casually tossed her bag inside, gently placing Owlbert in his statue form inside as well. "Alright kid, pull that tent of your out and get working on it." Her voice was so casual but Luz could tell there was something behind it.
Luz pulled her tent from her bag, laying the pieces out on the ground in front of her, the tents were about 6 feet apart and formed a small semi-circle so the fire they would later build would reach them evenly. "Alright, tent is out. Eda, if you would." The girl gestured with her hands down to the tent and its many pieces, not aware in the slightest that Eda had never planned to help her with the tent from the start. The realization only set in when the witch started to laugh and shake her head, she didn't even give the girl a real response just laughing, shaking her head and entering her magically created tent. "Eda no! I've never camped before!" she called to the woman and went to go open the flap to the womans tent, but found that it was sealed with magic from the inside, leaving her no choice but to try and figure this out on her own. Taking a deep and steadying breath she stared at all the pieces, trying to identify the best place to start, I don't even have instructions... How does this make me better with magic? Wait... Maybe this the make me tougher part... Ugh. she whined to herself and started to create the base of the tent, pulling the side out and pinning them down with stakes wishing she had watched Eda's tent being made a little bit more closely.
The sun was well below the horizon now and the already cold air of The Knee had dropped significantly, leaving the human to shiver as she finished the last few adjustments on her tent. It had taken her about an hour and a half to get the tent this far, it wasn't perfect but without instructions it was the best Luz could do. She had to use a tree as an anchor to keep the tent upright and stable, but other than that it was built and looked mostly like Eda's. Just as she was about to climb into her tent and relax when Eda popped her head out of her tent, smiling a big grin at her, making her golden tooth stand out even more.
"I see you've finally done it! Good for you. Now, if you could be a good apprentice and make a fire that would be great, I'll be here if you need me, but don't need me." Before Luz could protest the woman had pulled her head back into the tent with an elongated 'bye'.
Ugh, my legs are so sore and this stupid tent took forever! she let out a loud groan, jumping as she heard Eda laughing at her from within the confines of her well-built tent. "hey!" she snapped and kicked some snow at the woman's tent, only egging the woman on to laugh at her more. "Ahh.. Whatever, I'll be back with firewood." she grumbled, reaching into her bag and pulling out a hatchet, Eda had let her take it from the Owl House, knowing they didn't need it there. Okay... kindling, wood... she repeated the two items a few times as she walked into the forest, shivering at the silence surrounding her. After a few feet the forest seemed to get incredibly dense, she using this opportunity to draw the light glyph in the snow with the hatchet, giving it a small tap. Just as she thought, it slowly formed and started to float into the air, illuminating a few feet in each direction as it went higher. The activity didn't take a long time, there was a lot of wood just laying around for her to take, the challenge was now creating a pit for the fire that wouldn't just melt the snow. Scratching her head through the thick hat, she considered a few options before finally reaching into her bag and pulling out her fire potion, this mix in wasn't made to be a bomb but to be more like a temporary heat source or like she enjoyed calling it, a liquid fire. She uncorked it and poured the liquid fire in a circle, smiling as her potion wore away all the snow around the circle and within it. "Alright" she whispered the victory to herself, corking the potion and putting the remains away for later. It was almost a foot of snow that it had melted away to give access to the frozen ground.
She built the fire how she always saw in comics, with the dirt squared off, the kindling all over the bottom and the wood stacked in a pyramid shape over it. "Looks good!" Eda complimented, giving Luz a scare, causing her to yelp in response. "Ah! Titan, Eda! Ughh... Would you care to do the honours?" She offered trying to recover from the scare, pointing down at the kindling with one hand as the other clutched her chest. The witch chuckled, kneeling beside Luz and drawing a small spell circle that spat a very small flame onto the kindling. The spread was slow but eventually the small tower the human had created was in flames, emanating warmth and a soft glow into their little clearing.
"Are you up to me showing you the hot springs?" Eda inquired, lifting her eyebrows as she studied her tired-looking apprentice, she was positive that the spring would do wonders for her considering how sore she must be from the last couple of days. I doubt she even knows just how tired she is... I should probably push her to go, it will be good for her.
Just as the witch was about to insist on taking Luz, for her own good, the girl shot up from her spot beside the fire and stretched her body towards the sky, giving her mentor a large grin when she looked back down at her. "Lets do it, I'm freezing to death!" She called out; her happy tone completely mismatched to her words. She secured her bag over her shoulder and followed Eda out of the clearing.
Eda had let out a snorting laugh at the girl's tone, "Alright Kid, this way." She hauled herself up from her spot close to the fire and began making her way to the edge of the clearing, headed towards where there was a solid layer of fog in the distance. "It's not far, you'll have no problem getting back now with the smoke from the fire, and make sure you test the water out, there are a few different pools you don't need to jump into the first one you see. You might cook." she glanced back at Luz, seeing the look of confusion she sighed "No way I'm getting in those hot springs, I'll turn into a cooked bird!" she joked, well half joked, It's been a long time... but last time didn't go so well... she shuddered remembering how the Owl Beast freaked out at the high temp and caused her to do some serious damage. It was a good thing no one was around... Wouldn't want to risk it. she offered Luz a small smile but could see that the girl was a little bit iffy on being left alone.
The witch was correct in her thought, Luz had a deep pit of worry in her stomach at the idea of being left alone here. This feeling was new, she had always loved the idea of adventure and trying new things, this sudden feelings of anxiety around separation gave her some internal pause. She's only going to be a few minutes away... Besides, this time of year there is hardly anyone out here. Luz stayed silent, trying to calm these rather new and sudden nerves. Her chest felt tight and a lump was forming in her throat, before she could fall prey to the anxiety Eda pulled her out by pointing to the springs. They were beautiful, the main building was old looking but well kept, made of cobble stone looking pieces and large glistening granite slabs. "Woah..." was all she could come up with as she admired the lay out, there were high wooden walls that looked to separate pools. She turned to look at Eda and couldn't help but let out a short laugh, seeing that the woman expression wasn't far from her own. "Different?" She inquired, nudging her mentor.
Eda knew it had been some time, but the changes were drastic, the main building was easily twice the size and the wooden walls were much more solid looking, along with being much taller. As she felt Luz nudge her, she was brought back to the present, "You can say that again... Come on, let's check it out." She made her way to the door, pulling it open with much less effort than she was expecting. The inside was just as beautiful, the flooring was polished and looked stylized, there was a desk at the back of the room with a large sign in book and three arching entry ways. The top of the doorways indicated only the temps of the pools on the other side. "So, kid... Enjoy." Not wanting to get too invested in the changes she gave Luz a small pat on her shoulder and started to make her way back to camp.
Luz was in awe; she had never seen something like this in person and even when she had seen spas on TV back in the human realm, they were nothing compared to this. She hesitated with Eda's goodbye but ultimately made no protest, only offering a timid smile "I'll do my best..." she tried to sound more confident but knew it fell flat when Eda shot her a slightly concerned look on her way out. Even the temperature difference in here is crazy... Luz pulled her jacket off, sighing as the warmth settled in. She stared at the three different archways that seemed to depict temperatures and decided to go for the lowest, figuring it was best to start out like this and build herself up if she wanted to. As she signed the book, she noticed that the number of visitors dropped off over the last two days, she shrugged and signed herself in, happy to be here when it was quiet. When she passed through the archway the room on the other side was lined with cubbies and locker like creatures? not understanding fully, Luz opted to keep her stuff with her as she made her way out to the pools, taking in all the sights and giving a lot of room to the strange creatures. In this section of the pool there were three different options, she knelt and tested the water with her hand, happy she made the choice she did. Any of these pools would be perfect, they were hot but not scalding. She took a weary peek around finding comfort that even if someone was in the pool next to the pool she chose, they wouldn't be able to make out any details. She sighed and pulled her clothes off, there was a sign inside the locker room and out by the pools indicating no articles of clothing should be in the pool at any time. Beside each pool they offered 'modesty' towels, but as suggested they only cover the 'essentials'.
Leaving her clothes close to the pool and towels Luz made her way into the pool, letting out a sigh of complete relief, the warm water felt like magic. It felt like all her aches and pains were literally being washed away, now that she was in the pool, she realized just how high the walls were that separated the sections, and just how thick the fog could get from the temperature difference from the pools to the air. Luz soaked for at least thirty minutes, just floating and relaxing, on the far side of the pool was a slightly shallower area that had rocks positioned for you to sit on. Just as she was relaxing into the side of the pool, she could suddenly hear voices, not loud enough to make out the words but loud enough she knew they were headed in her direction. No, no, no! It's so late, why? Eda, you scammer, you probably knew and that's why you left me! the girl internally groaned, and tried to quickly make her way out of the pool, however before she could even get close, she could see two silhouettes appear in the fog, one headed for the pool farthest from her, and closest to the high wall and the other Holy Titan, no! Come on! Luz felt a sudden thumping of anxiety in her chest as this other person, made their way towards the pool she was in. "I thought you booked this off for the next few days?" A voice she could finally make out called over the high wall, it sounded so familiar yet she couldn't place it. All the individual in the far pool could say was a casual "meh" before they sank into the pool, effectively disappearing to Luz.
Whoever had entered the pool with Luz was silent, their hair was up in a tight bun and they held themselves with clear confidence as they got in. "Just ignore us" the voice called from the far pool, sending a chill down Luz's spine, it was foolish of her to think they didn't know she was there and yet she still hoped. As the person in her pool fully entered Luz could finlly see, it was a woman, probably close to her age with a well-toned body and an eye-catching hourglass shape. Luz! Are you INSANE. Stop looking. She scolded herself and struggled to rip her eyes away from the body, if not for her face being red from the heat it would be from the thoughts she just had about the mystery woman. Ah you sick... Just let her enjoy the pool. She hasn't even remotely looked your way. she groaned in mild disgust with herself but knew it was natural to be curious, and the woman had a very eye-catching body, even if Luz was missing details her imagination happily filled in the blanks. I need to get out of here, I can't... Be here. she wiped her face and gave a small splash as if to knock some sense into her before she went to the edge of the pool and pulled herself out, quickly grabbing the modesty towel and covering what she could. An excited chill ran down her spine as she saw from the corner of her eye, the woman she was sharing the pool with had peered over to look at her, Luz swallowed hard and grabbed up her things, bolting into the locker room. She didn't wait to dry off before pulling her clothes on, hoping Eda would understand and be willing to do the same as what she did when she fell in the snow earlier. The human didn't give herself any time to dwell on the interaction, she knew with the pit in her stomach she would be caught replaying the embarrassing moment for the next few nights.
The trip to their camp was quick and uneventful, Luz had basically ran the whole way, startling Eda when she burst through into the clearing, hair frozen and stuck to her face. "Do I want to know...?" Eda asked slowly, eyeing Luz to see what else was out of place, in general her apprentice looked distraught and out of sorts but the look on her face read 'I don't want to talk about it'. The witch gestured for Luz to come sit by the fire, a cup of apple blood in her hands.
Do I tell her? What would that even sound like? Luz sighed, rubbing her face shivering heavily as her adrenaline started to take a dive. Hey Eda, I thought I was alone but three strangers showed up and I completely ogled one of them, and made solid eye contact before literally running back here full speed... Nope, No. as she thought of different ways to potentially phrase her encounter she ultimately decided to hold off, she was too frazzled to think clearly. "No... I don't think you do and … I don't know what to say... Sooo..." she made her way over to where Eda had gestured for her to sit, sitting down to face her rather than the fire. "Could you please dry me off? I know this is probably another lesson, maybe, but I'm fre-" Eda didn't even let her finish her sentence before she cast a spell circle and dried the human off, causing her hair to fluff in the hat from the sudden drying. "Thank you" Luz sighed, combing a hand through the long locks sticking out, trying to use her two gloved fingers to straighten the hair out, only for it to spring back into a curl. "I think I need to hit the hay..." she finally muttered, surprised at how quiet Eda was being with her.
There was a lot going through the witch's mind, a lot she wanted to share and a lot she was positive was bubbling to the surface simply from being here, or being here and drinking at least. She sighed and turned her attention to Luz, smiling as she watched her play with her now dry hair before excusing herself to bed. "Good night, Kid, hope you're ready for tomorrow!" She tried her best to put a light spin on her tone, not wanting to worry her, seeing she clearly had her own things to be dealing with.
"Oh, Eda, I was born ready for this!" As she got up, she made some exaggerated flexing poses, "ugh... Okay, too much." She was far too tired to be trying to joke around, as much as she thought it could brighten Eda's mood. "Good night, Eda, I'll see you in the morning." She gave a hesitant pat to her mentor's shoulder and climbed into her tent, pulling her sleeping bag, blankets and pajamas from her bag. Finally... as Luz laid down, staring at the dark ceiling of her tent she allowed her mind and body to fully relax, despite the cold, her anxiety and worries, sleep took her quickly.