Dealing with some Aftermath
"There it is, that sound again..." Luz muttered as she crept along a dark and winding path, she felt like she had been walking for hours, her only guide was the strong pull she felt in her chest and the occasional sound of laughter. However, this last sound was different, it was a laugh, sure but it wasn't happy, and it certainly didn't bring Luz any joy to hear it. Despite a small shiver of fear her footsteps kept pace and she never slowed as she made her way down the dark path, "Hello?" She called out, the feeling in her chest was telling her she was close, but close to what? Again, the eerie laugh rang out, this time as if it was right next to her. She jumped in response, finally breaking her hypotonic stride. "What do you want?" It was strange, the feeling in her chest had felt so neutral until now, now it felt oddly tight and familiar. Backing away from the laugh and into the darkness, she could feel something was upon her, "Don't … Be... Scared... Child" The voice was like nails on a chalkboard, causing a deep chill to raddle through her bones. "I'm not!" She yelled back, gasping as the dark world around her started to swirl and bits of light started to emerge. The human girl closed her eyes as tightly as she could, feeling sick from watching the world spin around her and morph into something new. Once she felt stable again, she opened her eyes and took a subconscious step froward, before her now was a huge bedroom, covered in lavish décor, a huge bed in the middle with fluffy purple blankets. This space was foreign to her and yet it felt so familiar, before she could wonder who it belonged to a green haired witch entered the room. "Amity?" Luz was puzzled as to why she would be seeing this, what could this have to do with her? As she stared, fixated on the girl behind an invisible wall, she couldn't help but notice a shadow looming over her every move. The more Luz watched, the thicker the shadow got and before long the green haired girl who was sitting idly at her large desk was covered in the shadow, "I don't understand." She whispered into the nothingness and took a step forward, freezing with intense and sudden fear as the shadow covered witch turned and stared directly at her, Amity's beautiful golden eyes now piercing red, and her features muddled by the darkness.
Before she could convince her body to move again, the world went spinning out of control, this time it felt like she was being moved with force. Once the world steadied and she felt her feet touch the ground once again, she opened her eyes and tried to make out the images in front of her. The way the scenes flew by and came in and out of focus reminded her of a dream she had, but this time, even when things came into focus, she felt helpless to really understand the message. "Please... Explain! I don't understand!" Frustrated, the girl yelled into the abyss, eyes shut tightly, and her fists clenched in anger. As her words echoed back at her, the world she was in once again went black. "Get... AWAY! STAY AWAY!" Whatever shadow had been in there with Luz started to scream back at her frustration, everything about the scream sent a violent fear through the human and deep into her chest. Shocking her back into the waking world.
Luz gasped and shot up in her sleeping bag, she was covered in a cold sweat and struggled to level her breathing out even as she realized she was no longer stuck in that nightmare. What was that... why... Why did I see Amity? And... That shadow... That scream. She shivered as the scream echoed in her mind; tears suddenly started to roll down her cheeks as she tried to focus on calming herself from the intense nightmare. She shakily raised a hand to her face and wiped the sweat and tears from her face, taking one final deep breath to steady herself. As she came out of her panic, she could hear Eda doing something on the other side of her tent, judging by how bright her tent was, Luz knew her mentor had allowed her to sleep in unlike yesterday. I better get up... Still so much to do... she could barely remember last night's events, her mind still muddled with images of her dream and from her fight with Amity. Luz pulled off her old clothes from yesterday and switched into some clean and comfortable ones, struggling slightly as her fingers fumbled as if still numbed from the night before. After a few quiet grunts the human finally managed to get her thick black leggings on, along with a fitted grey long sleeve shirt – one of Liliths – that had a raven symbol on the front of it. Not wanting to risk freezing her butt off like yesterday she pulled on an additional layer, one of her favourite navy comfy sweaters and then her coat. Once she felt adequately bundled up she unzipped her tent and poked her head out, her long pieces of hair whipping to one side as the wind whistled by. Shes packed everything up? bewildered Luz stepped out of the tent and flopped onto her square cushion, startling her mentor who was deep in thought. "Are we moving the camp?" She casually inquired, trying to seem calm, Did I fail? Last night is foggy but...
Eda waved a hand in front of Luz cutting off her thought and bringing her attention to the older woman, "Did that Blight girl hit you that hard in the head?" She let out a single laugh before fully turning to face Luz, an eyebrow raised in confusion as she studied her apprentice. "I made my own conclusions on the events, but you should give me your side of things, how'd you do it?" After Luz was tucked into her tent and safe Eda had gone back to the location, she picked her apprentice up from the green haired witch. It was easy for her to track the girls' steps back to the cave and sleeping slitherbeast; the slitherbeast alone was enough to shock the older witch but what she was really curious about was the pillars of ice jutting out randomly from the ground.
"The... Blight Gi-Oh! Amity!" Luz quickly caught on, eyes going wide in understanding, but her eyebrows furrowed together still confused about what the witch was ultimately asking. "Err.. She didn't hurt me, she just... You know, yelled at me, for uhh... Trying to be a hero all the time and … Potentially getting myself killed. A lot." As she spoke the words got more mumbled together and quieter, her mind suddenly sending her back to the altercation last night and her walk.
The older witch shook her head, folding her arms and giving Luz an accusing look. "You are really dancing around this huh? I thought for sure you would be more pumped about it... Unless does minty fresh know ice magic?" Eda couldn't help but make fun of Odalias offspring, knowing the youngest Blight was also the only one who had their hair specifically dyed to fit in. Is she playing coy? OR did she really knock her head? Worry was starting to brew in the witch's mind as Luz struggled to recall the incident.
As if a ton of bricks had landed on her toe Luz shot up, arms and legs outstretched in a starfish pose as she stared at her mentor. "I remember!" She yelled, unapologetic about the volume as she finally started to recall last night and how she found the glyph. Had she not been so excited she probably would have taken more note of the odd nickname for her 'not' green haired witch friend. "Oh ho! Eda, you should be soooo proud of me! Even freezing solid, I sent that Slitherbeast flying! Haha!" Luz excitedly acted out the interaction, pretending to watch as the beast flew through the air away from their campsite. "Amity came just in time to give me my bag-" Crap, I didn't mean to tell her I left it... and uh, I used my sleeping nettle potion to knock it out." Her voice quickly went from excited to slightly sheepish as she waited for her mentor to scold her for leaving behind her bag. Trying to distract from abandoning her bag, Luz put a hand up to get her mentor's full attention and leaned down to the snow and drew out the new glyph, momentarily struggling to get all the details right. Thankful for that photographic memory now she hummed and tapped the snow circle, smiling even wider as a small ice pillar slid out of the glowing center of the glyph.
"Finally! I was worried your brain got scrambled." Eda let out a small chuckle as she watched Luz act out the whole scene, although still leaving out an important detail, how she found it. As the ice pillar appeared from the ground Eda couldn't help but gawk, "Colour me impressed! Now I know for sure it wasn't mintys doing." She tried to tease as she recovered from the mild shock, "Now! As much as I love that my Apple Blood is always chilled up here, I think I'd be a lot happier to go home." She stood up and gave Luz a once over, even though she seemed much happier than she had been this whole trip, she couldn't help but worry. She looked infinitely better than she had last night when the youngest Blight handed her over. I need to be more careful, starting to sound like my mother and ugh... think like her. But she is a human and titan they can be so fragile
Luz wasn't going to dwell on her mentor passing over chastising her about the bag, she flashed Eda a wide grin, using it to hide the bubbling feels in her stomach at the continued mention of Amity. "I like the sound of that!" She said in a sing song voice, running a hand through her hair and sighing, happy to hopefully feel her ears and fingers again soon. Maybe Eda is feeling nervous too now that I've actually found another glyph, she seems a bit off. Then again, I have probably made her nervous with how much I've struggled this last week or so... She knew that even if Eda didn't say it all the time, she worried for her human apprentice. "You know, I found this glyph in a snowflake." Luz said absentmindedly as she did a quick tear down of her tent, leaving her blankets inside to extract later. "I thought I was going to die, for SURE, and I noticed in every single one they had the same symbol! Just, you know, really tiny." She gave an affirming nod, glancing over her shoulder at Eda who was now standing close by with her arms crossed, a look of shock evident on her face.
As Luz went into explaining how she had found the glyph, Eda couldn't help but let her face give away her surprise, part of her had thought the light glyph was just a happy accident mixed with ancient magic. However, with a confirmed second glyph, the possibilities were endless These glyphs have been around us all along and it took a human wanna be witch to find them... Titan, she was worried about not being special. Eda mentally mocked her apprentice as she watched her tear the tent down, sticking her tongue out at her when the human looked over her shoulder. "Leave it to you kid to find it, now hurry those little human hands." She gestured back to the tent struggling to fold back into a nice enough package to put back in her bag. "This is painful..." She groaned, dramatically dragging her hands down either side of her face before finally casting a small spell circle that scrunched the tent up and slammed it into Luz's bag.
"Err... That's one way to do it, Thanks Eda!" Luz tossed her bag over her shoulder and cheekily gestured to the sky, signaling Eda to summon Owlbert to fly them home. She could see her mentor roll her eyes in response, summoning Owlbert for them and hopping on. She climbed on behind her mentor, a feeling of relief sinking in as she realized she would soon be nice and toasty at home. Home... Luz sighed and pushed the thought of the human realm to the back of her mind, trying to focus on the present. As Eda kicked off and they started their journey back home, the human girl made mental notes of what she needed to work on when they landed, she had to perfect the glyph, or at least discover all she could about it, then how to use it in combat, Maybe Willow would be willing to help me out... She hummed at the endless possibilities, only pausing these thoughts when Amity had once again crossed her mind, having suddenly wondered if she would be around during the exam or if she needed to wait until school started to see her again. If I get in... Psshhh I'll get in! She tried to boost her confidence up, even if she had basically passed out last night, she had accomplished a lot. I wonder why she brought back my bag... After everything we said, and how hard she has been working to push everyone away. Well, 'everyone' Emira, Willow and I, more like it. She sighed and tightened her grip on the staff, her stomach had a weird pit in it she couldn't place. I don't remember her carrying me but... I do remember being warm and she sounded so kind. I know Willow says she had some issues and pushed her away, but, what if it isn't really her? Luz knew she needed to get to the bottom of this feeling and maybe even address her dreams too, maybe Willow can make sense of them...
Amity
=The walk back the the cabin was quiet and peaceful, the only storm raging was the one in her mind, Those thoughts... Couldn't have been mine. They felt so foreign, an-and violent. I've never thought those things about L-Ah... Them before, I mean, anyone! Anyone who hasn't crossed me. She let out a small groan, she was exhausted and frustrated, she could barely think straight let alone work through the complexities of the magic surrounding her right now. Those thoughts might have been terrible and sickening but the pain was nowhere near the usual level... I wonder if only so many actions can happen at once... Ugh. I need to figure this out... despite all her best-efforts Amity struggled to get more in depth, leaving it for later. As she walked back, the depths of her mind were swirling subconsciously around the Owl Lady and how Luz was doing. It didn't take much longer before she arrived at the cabin, the moon high in the night sky at this point, meaning everyone should be asleep. The green haired witch very quietly entered the cabin, being sure to close the door softly and remove her winter gear with as much tact as possible. "Shit" She muttered as she turned around and was met with her three eyed friend leaning on the kitchen counter, arms crossed with an accusing look.
"Shit is right" Boscha mocked, closing her eyes for a moment while shaking her head, she had waited up for almost 3 hours now while the twins slept. "I was worried, you could have called or messaged. That's what your scrolls for you know" The triclops laid into Amity about her poor actions, getting a nod and grunt in response, not the one she wanted but she would accept it for now. "What have you been doing?" she inquired, pushing off the counter to walk over to Amity.
She's right... I should have messaged her, I'm sure Em told her we had a fight. Amity sighed, "I snapped at Em, I'm sure she told you." She didn't believe all the fault was with her but knew there were better ways to handle the situation than snapping at her sister. Boscha nodded as she approached, a neutral expression on her face, waiting for an explanation. "I also snapped at the human, she left her bag so I uh... I returned it, it took a bit of an unexpected turn. Nothing to worry about." Amity struggled to control the heat that rose to her face at the mention of Luz, remembering vividly – for just a moment – how she looked in the hot springs.
Boscha put an arm around Amitys shoulders, pulling her into a small side hug as she led her to the living room so they could sit down and chat. Had she not been so close she might have missed the flustered expression on the youngest Blights face, her interest was at its peak now, she needed all the details and she would be relentless. "Nothing to worry about huh? Your face says otherwise!" She hummed the words out in a quiet sing song voice, teasing her close friend. I don't think I've seen Amity flustered about... Well, almost anyone. Maybe Scara for a split second when we were younger...
As the pair walked to the living room Amity couldn't help as a second wave of heat washed over her body, sending confusing and conflicting signals all over her body. If not for the slow radiating pain coursing through her body with it, she was positive her face would be tomato red. Once they reached the couches, Amity gave a small shove away from her pink haired friend and flopped down, sighing as her sore muscles finally relaxed. "My face says … I'm tired and cold." She did her best to have a flat tone but knew Boscha knew her better than that. I've seen plenty of naked woman, this is ridiculous and I didn't even get a good look... She internally groaned, moving to sit up and lean against the arm of the couch staring at the small fire that was heating the cabin.
"Oh ho ho, I've seen this face before cap', can't fool me." Boscha took a seat opposite Amity, giving her the best view of her friend's face. "You don't have to tell me but, I'm sure what I'm thinking is much worse than the reality" She teased, glad to be having a normal conversation. While Amity was out, the twins had sat her down again and really tried to get her to understand the gravity of the situation and what they thought was happening. Boscha believed them but knowing her parents and the Blight's there was very little she could do but be there for her friend, this was just what their life was, they were puppets to their families. Neither twin appreciated her outlook, but she promised to let them know if Amity was giving off any major red flags or in danger. I'm not an idiot, if shes in danger, I'm right here...
Seen this face before? Wha- Oh no The green haired witch put a palm to her face, realizing that Boscha had meant her brief thing for Skara when they were just getting into high school. "Okay, that's... This isn't." This is just making it worse! Why is this so hard She let out an audible groan and glared at her friend who had an amused grin on her face. "It's not like that, I barely even know this person, it's just a weird situation came up." Amity did her best to regain her composure, knowing it had little effect on the pink haired witches outlook. Even with the night she had and the looming threat of her mother over her shoulder, she couldn't help but admit that it was nice to feel normal again, to have regular conversations with her friend.
Boscha gave a large and dramatic eyeroll, complete with an exasperated sigh, "What. Ever." She let her words drag out before chuckling, "fIne if you don't want to tell me, I know you will break eventually." She stuck her tongue out at Amity, getting an eye roll in response. "Listen uhh... Not to ruin this great vibe and all." Regardless of her efforts to stay relaxed while bringing the twins up, she could still feel how ridged and uncomfortable she was, which would be obvious to Amity. "They are really worried about you, took me aside today and … Well, doesn't really matter, but they're worried that you are hiding something big, you know, too big for one person." Her hand absentmindedly fiddled with her sleeve, and she avoided all eye contact with her friend, able to see the shift in her demenor from the corner of her eyes.
Ah... Of course. Amity let out a small sigh, just quiet enough that it was lost to the crackling of the flames. "They're just being paranoid, you know what the pressure is like... Mother has just been a bit extreme lately but nothing I can't handle, I'm a Blight after all." The witch internally cringed as the mantra left her lips, struggling to really understand what that even meant after all that's happened these last few days. "Speaking of expectation" She sharply continued, cutting off any reply Boscha had to what she said. "How have you been training for the upcoming grudgby try outs, this isn't some low stakes high school team, there will be scouts and challenges." I hate to shift the conversation like this but... Its for the best, and really, what answers do I have. She positioned herself to face Boscha, trying to be more engaged in the conversation and display genuine care even if this wasn't a top priority for her.
Even though Boscha was happy to answer the question, she knew the forceful shift wasn't a good sign and spoke volumes about the situation, giving away more than any explanation she's offered to anyone thus far. She settled back into the couch, content to talk about her training strategies and what her mother's had taken the time to teach her over the break. The two carried on like this until sleep was the only thing on their minds, helping one another shuffle back to the room, they both felt appreciative of the other, even if they didn't necessarily say it out right all the time. As Amity laid her head back on her pillow, all she could think about was how uncertain she had become over the last few days, about her place, the expectations of her family and those important to her had. Was this a corrected course, or was this punishment, was it her future or a temporary band aid, she had too many questions and no way to get real answers. As the youngest Blight closed her eyes, a whispering darkness started to creep in, ready to bend Amitys subconscious mind to Odalias will.
Luz
As the Owl House came into view Luz could feel a calm wash over her, she was only gone for few days and yet seeing it felt like going home. Home... For a moment the relief faltered, filling her with brief dread of the time ticking away. Before the thought got too far, and the feelings too deep, she suddenly noticed the door was wide open. She could tell with the way Eda suddenly pushed Owlbert into a dive that she had realized something was wrong too, I hope they're alright... The human girl grabbed the staff in front of her tighter and held her breath as they dove, her stomach flipping uncomfortably the whole time, still not used to the aerial acrobatics. Luz landed hard on her feet, stumbling as Eda was swiftly making her move towards the door, both flattened themselves to the side of the house before peering in, Eda taking the high ground as Luz knelt and took the low ground looking in on the scene.
To both womans surprise there were no invaders, or at least, no human invaders. Before them was a scene they weren't sure they were ever going to be able to properly explain or, want to explain for that matter. Inside was a massacre of unparalleled proportions – for the inside of the Owl House – and in the center of it all was a very fluffed up, cotton and food covered Hooty. Surrounding the angry bird tube was just under a dozen stuffed animal bodies, all ripped to shreds, little buttons eyes scattered and there was no way to tell what belonged to who at this point. Beyond the massacre was King, sitting with his legs crossed on the couch, holding a small box of apple blood – Nonalcoholic – in his paws, one arm casually behind his head, sipping as Hooty did... whatever this was. "What in the name of Titan happened here!?" Eda broke the silence and startled both Hooty and King.
=Hootys feathered immediately softened back down to his body and his angered, exasperated expression softened at her return. "I was serving as an imperial guard to the King! The insurgents had to be disposed of! Hoot! And I was the bird for the job, King said he needed me!" His shrill voice was as happy as ever and yet somehow still contained a bit of a threatening tone when he spoke of murdering the 'insurgents'. The juice box King had been sipping just a moment ago came flying at Hooty, who used his tube body to bounce it away, not even slightly bothered by the action of his apparent 'King'.
"Imperial guards don't spill all the beans Hooty!" King yelled, jumping to his feet and pointing an accusing claw at his defender. "It's so good to have you both back! We had some... Trouble, won't bother you with the details now, you look tired... I'll just let you relax and talk to you both in a bit! Okay, buh-bye" Seeing the unimpressed look Eda had on her face and the look of utter confusion Luz had, he was hoping to slip away, trouble free. Which was obviously not going to happen, before King could even set himself into motion to exit Eda had cast a spell that pushed him back into the couch.
"Oh it's not going to be that easy. You're going to tell me exactly what happened, while you clean this up." The witch raised her hand and shook her head as King protested with a 'rage squeal', slamming his fists down on the couch, insisting the mess had been Hootys doing. "A good King takes responsibility for the mess of his subjects, now hop to it, I smell some rotten magic around here." Hooty was quick to take the hint and slither back into his spot in the door.
=Luz gave Hooty a small pat on his head as he slid by, she had missed them both a lot over the last couple of days and knew that if she got into school, she would be much busier than she had since she got there. "Sooo as much as I would love to hear this thrilling tale of insurgency, but I really have to talk to Willow! I'll see you guys in a bit!" She scooped King up as he went to jump down and begin his rigorous cleaning duties.
There was little protest from King, he had missed his human a great deal over the last few days even if he wasn't going to admit it out loud. "You're abandoning me too!? You just got back." As he was cradled in Luz's arms, he found himself leaning into her with his arms crossed and his red eyes avoiding eye contact, wanting to avoid giving himself away. "It kind of sounds like you missed me!" Luz said in a sing song voice as she hugged the small demon close to her, her long hair brushing against his stomach, earning a small chuckle. "Insolence! I said no such thing!" He whined through his bit of laughter, pushing the long strands out of the way and trying to push Luz's face away as she peppered him with small kisses on his skull and horns. "Yeeaaah but I know you... But I guess I'll let you get to your Kingly duties. See you in a bit, sire!" the human girl exaggerated her tone and added a hint of a British accent as she set King down, smiling with content at his fake annoyance to her behaviour. With that Luz gave Eda a small wave and carried her bag up the stairs to her room, sighing as she flopped down on her makeshift bed. Looks like he slept in here after all Her blankets were pulled into a bundle at the head of her makeshift bed right below her pillow, perfect size for King to snooze. "Alright, hope you have some time for me Wills" She hummed happily, pulling her scroll from her pocket and navigating to her messages.
Luz: I have returned! With tales of ADVENTURE, SORROW AND … MORE ADVENTURE!
Willow 3: Good to have you back!
Willow 3: I hope it's the good kind of adventure and you didn't get yourself into trouble.
Luz: Wah, Willow, you wound me! I thought you would be waaay more excited to hear about the ADVENTURE!
Willow 3: Oh! I am! Just have my worries, you know me.
Willow 3: Wait, Sorrow? What happened?
Luz: Wills, are you even reading these messages? 0 _ 0
Willow 3: Ah you caught me; I'm messaging during dinner. I saw you message and didn't want to NOT reply.
Luz: OH!
Luz: Message after dinner, it's all good, or... You can come over? _ '
Willow 3: I'll come over when I'm done!
Willow 3: Also... What does _ mean?
Willow 3: Wait! I see it, It's a face... Duh... See you in a bit.
Luz: LOL!
With a content sigh Luz repositioned her blankets to make herself more comfortable, setting her phone down for a moment before she realized that she should see if Gus was free to come over as well. The three of them hadn't hung out together in far too long and with all the excitement she had had over the last few days – if she can even call it that – it would be nice to get together. Should I even tell them everything... I mean, I think it would be okay, right? Willow had been friends with Amity before... but, this sounded sort of private... Ugh. Gotta decide soon.
Luz: Gus! Gusto! Gustarino, my man!
Gus ;D: You're back!
Luz: And I am hoping you might be free to come over for some tales of... ADVENTURE! Sorrow... AND MORE ADVENTURE!
Gus ;D: Am I? Of course! I'm packing a few things for a trip with my dad tomorrow but it's just a small thing before schools back in session.
Luz: Oh that's awesome, where are you off to?
Gus ;D: It's a surprise every year! (Kinda) My dad makes a detailed itinerary – that I'll find tonight when I get home – and we spend a few days together there, having some fun. It's good. Last year was Palm Stings.
Luz: I need to know everything, when you get back, then I'll be up to date. These vacations sound stellar.
Gus ;D: I'll fill you in for sure! See you in a bit! Willows gonna be there too?
Luz: You know it!
I've never really met Mr. Porter but he sounds like a good dad... Luz closed her eyes, content to lay in her thoughts for a while as she waited for her friends to arrive. Our last trip as a family … seems so long ago but it was amazing. I just wish it could have lasted... a bit longer. She let herself drift into deep thought, her mind swirling with memories of her father and their last family vacation. It wasn't anything too exciting, the family was tight on money at that point as her father had been in and out of the hospital so much, he couldn't sustain many working hours. However, to Luz it was magical, a trip to the large carnival in Boston, they watched live music, rode on rides, ate so much candy she was sick, and she could remember not wanting it to end. But I guess we never want good things to end... To stave off her spiraling thoughts, Luz rolled onto her side and started to formulate the best way to explain her weekend to her friends, what to leave out and how to cover those for those holes.