Shedding light
It was more difficult than Luz would have thought when it came to explaining the situation to her friends, she had decided while waiting it would be best to avoid mentioning Amity too much and her situation. It was something she might just talk to Willow about on their next sleep over, I love Gus, but I don't know if it's the best idea to bring him into all that... He really worries about Willow and Amitys past. She had to repeat the thought a few times as she skimmed over select pieces of information, ultimately opting to tell them about Eda's training and then just get to the 'good part' where she discovers her latest glyph. The pair of witches were outside with Luz, listening patiently to her story and inquiring here and there about some of her more vigorous trials, tree climbing, etc. When it was finally time for the big reveal, she got a touch more animated and there was a visible shift in her demeanor. "Now to the main event!" She finally called out, puffing out her chest slightly as she leaned down and drew a medium sized spell circle in the dirt. The pair of witches at this point were more than intrigued, both moving from their seated position on the grass to Luz's side. With a wide grin the human girl slammed her palm down on the glyph and watched in amazement with her friends as a pillar of ice shot up from the ground, the pillar was sharp and had a thick base, almost what Luz had been picturing in her mind. Closer …
"What!?" Gus was the first to pipe up and yell at the realization, he was confused, enamored and excited all at once. He quickly fell to his knees beside Luz and started to grip her sleeve giving her a shake, "Why would you bury the lead like that!?" he yelled, still shaking her back and forth, only stopping when Willow put a gentle yet firm hand on his shoulder, easing him back down to reality. Willow could see that Luz was in a mild daze at the slightly more violent reaction, "He's right though. This whole time I was waiting for you to get to the 'sorrow' part and tell us despite all your crazy training and tree climbing you didn't find a glyph and you were just putting up a front for us!" The dark-haired witch took in a deep breath after her long-winded scolding.
Oop... I didn't really even see it like that. Luz offered her friends a sheepish smile, leaning away from them to slowly stand up, offering an apology for not getting to the point. "A lot of stuff happened! I had a whole story planned out in my head and then, well, you know. I sort of messed that all up too, but look! I can do the exam!" She put her hands out towards the pillar and did jazz hands towards it, trying to amplify their excitement. Her eyes were wide and sparkling with joy at the prospect of joining her friends for more than a few hours a week, not to mention all she would learn about the demon realm in general. Gus gave a simple twist of his finger and out popped a large sparkling magical banner; it was bright and beautiful with little animations on either side of Gus and Willow with flags. "Better luck next time?" Luz questioned, immediately raising an eyebrow at her friend and pulling her hands back to rest on her hips. She could see the confusion in both her friends' eyes as they turned to look at the lit-up banner.
With an awkward laugh Gus waved his hand dispelling the magic before giving it another try, "Well you see... I just wanted to be prepared! Haha... Ahhh..." He gave another twist of his finger, this time the circle was slightly larger and out popped another banner into thin air above the group. This one had sparks flying in all directions, and fake fireworks going up into the evening sky, showing them in different coloured lights. "Taadaa! You did it!" He yelled, pointing above his head happily, trying to ignore the previous mistake.
Willow let out a small groan, Gus always meant well but could be a little bit overprepared and that wasn't always the answer to everything. "Oh Gus..." She laughed with him when he gave that awkward chuckle, giving Luz an apologetic smile at the same time. The dark-haired witch could see that even with the mishap, her human friend was more than happy to have a small meaningful celebration between them. Her story did seem a little... choppy though... The thought lingered in the witches mind as she watched Luz and Gus join hands and dance around in a circle, chanting 'exam time. Exam time! Hexside pride, Hexside pride!' while the banner above them slowly faded out of existence. Maybe I'll ask her later... not wanting to ruin the fun, Willow hopped over to their position and took their offered hands, joining in the excited chanting, only stopping when Eda pushed her bedroom window open to tell them to 'zip it up before I zip it up for you!'. Despite the real threat the group laughed and gave one final cheer before darting in three different directions to avoid Eda.
After a few minutes the trio regrouped by the cliff facing the boiling sea's, "I appreciate you guys coming... My next thing was to uhh... ask if maybe you'd have some free time before the exam starts to help me train. I don't even know what this entrance exam will be." In a fluid motion Luz dropped down and crossed her legs, staring out at the sea and watching the sunset on the far side of the Titan. Her hands anxiously holding one another in her lap as she waited for their replies, she was sure she could prepare on her own, but it would be ideal to have someone who actually knows whats going on there as well to help narrow down the specifics. She could feel a weight in her chest lift as her friends plopped down beside her, both putting a comforting arm around her shoulders to bring them all tight together. Man, what did I do to deserve these guys...
Willow and Gus exchanged a silent look and nod as they sat down with Luz, pulling her into the three way side hug. "Gus is gone until the exams an-", "And I have a high enough grade point average to not require an entrance exam, but I'll be back in time to attend if you want and root for you. You know my flags are always itching for an event!" The younger boy absentmindedly interrupted Willow, earning him a small glare that he didn't seem to notice. The dark-haired witch quickly continued, not wanting to linger on that news for too long, "However! Because I switched tracks so late and did summer school, I'll need to take the exam too, I'll be getting a letter today or tomorrow that gives some details about the exam. You should get one too once Eda enrolls you." She said confidently, giving Luz's shoulder a small squeeze.
There was a moment of silence before Luz spoke up again, leaning side to side to bump shoulders with the two "You guys are the best, I'd love to have you there boy genius. I'll have to make sure Eda goes in ASAP, for now though, Wills if you do get that letter, you're okay with helping me out?" She hummed in contemplation as she decided to get Eda to go tomorrow, knowing that she will want to push it out for as long as she can. I don't want her to leave it till last minute, I need to be as ready as possible and make a good impression.
"Of course, it will help me a lot too, but don't think I'm going to go easy on you." Willow teased and squeezed Luz in tighter again, getting a small laugh and nod in reply. As the sun got lower, she cleared her throat and pulled away from the group. "My dads asked that I be home before it gets too dark. I'll send you a message when I'm home and let you know when I get the letter." She reached a hand down to her friends and helped to pull them both up, internally happy that she was able to do it with such ease, she had been training hard these last few weeks to be in better shape for college. Flyer derby here I come... As she was pulling her hand away from the two, Luz gave a soft pull and pulled her into a gentle hug before letting her go, allowing her to start her trip back home.
Gus took the same opportunity as Willow, knowing his dad would be worried if he wasn't home soon and he really needed to find that itinerary if he wanted to be at all prepared. "I'll make sure I send a lot of photos of wherever it is we go, and you let me know when your exam is, I'll be there!" He called happily, offering Luz a fist bump to which she returned knowing he wasn't the biggest hugger. He gave another wave and quickly followed Willow, as their walk would be the same until they hit the middle of Bonesburough.
Luz stood by the door of the Owl House, relieved Hooty was inside hanging out inside with Eda, even if the witch was obviously not as overjoyed at his presence and remarks. She stared after her friends until she couldn't see them anymore, sighing with a mixture of relief and sadness, despite having worked out what she was going to say before seeing them she still managed to mess the story up. I'm surprised neither of them pointed it out... or asked about it, but I feel like they will... Especially Wills, she is way too perceptive. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes for a moment, there was so much she had skipped and so much she wanted to say, knowing the moment she talked about it, the weight would dissipate just enough for her to potentially think about the situation rationally. Before entering the Owl House again, she took a deep breath, preparing herself to ask Eda about going to the college tomorrow for registration. As she opened the door and ducked under Hootys extended body to enter, she was immediately met with the delicious aroma of Eda's cooking. The pair had only been camping for a few days and yet smelling seasoned food made Luz's stomach growl and grumble excitedly. "Smells amazing Eda!" She called, kicking her shoes off by the door and walking into the kitchen, smiling with a swell of happiness at the sight of Eda cooking, King sitting on the counter, feet happily dangling as he waited for his food and even Hooty content to take both the witch and small demons abuse as he waited for a treat to be tossed his way.
"Bit of a late dinner never hurt anyone!" Eda happily remarked as she flipped the unknown meat and veggies in the pan, glancing over her shoulder to acknowledge her presence in the kitchen. She had her reservations about the events over the last few days and how her apprentice wasn't exactly forthcoming with information, but since showing off her latest glyph she seems the closest to normal she has been since the incident with the oracle demon. Speaking of that Oracle demon... There were traces of magic up there that felt very similar... I wonde- "EDA! Hellooo the food!" Both King and Luz suddenly called out, breaking the witch away from her thoughts and pulling her back down to reality. "Ahh gremlin balls!" the older woman yelled pulling the pan off the stove as smoke rose from the pan, after some careful inspection the food was thankfully not too badly burned, "Should still be edible, doubt it can be worse than blank camp food." She stuck her tongue out as she finished off a small side dish of what looked like rice, consciously making an effort not to slip back into her thoughts.
Luz quickly took a seat by King, hopping up onto the island counter with him and letting her feet dandle, giving him a playful shove as she got comfortable. She watched as Eda carefully finished preparing their food, wondering what could have possibly had her so intwined in her thoughts that she couldn't smell the burning food. Huh, maybe I can ask when we talk about going to the school... I'll wait until we get some decent food in us. She kicked her feet idly, her mind mainly focused on Eda and her potential reaction to going to the school, remembering her stories of school making her sick, and her dramatic exits when dropping her off to see Willow. "Ouch!" She suddenly yelped, pulling her arm closest to King into herself and twisting to face the small demon. As she twisted around to see him better she let out a fake and exaggerated gasp, King was fully on the counter now, a small fork in hand as he held it threatening towards her. "You would wound me so? I was unprepared" She whined, holding her arm tenderly, as if he had incapacitated her arm.
"You were given a chance to defend yourself! Not my fault you were in la la land, now, on guard!" He kicked a larger more Luz sized fork over to the human, side stepping while still holding the fork out ,waiting for Luz to dawn her weapon. "If these last few day taught me anything, it's needing to be prepared for the unexpected!" King lunged as Luz went for her own fork, barely missing her as she pulled her hand back and held out her new weapon. Although Hooty had come to the rescue, it was a pretty close call with the sentient food and minions, he'd have to be more prepared to defend himself next time. Err hopefully never a next time.. He suddenly thought, realizing he really didn't want to have to go through that again.
Before Luz could even get into the play fight, Hooty wiggled his body between them and took Luz's first stab towards King right in his cheek, causing all three to yell. "Hooty! What in the Titan!?" Luz yelled, carefully pulling her fork from his face, allowing him to dramatically flail all around the kitchen, narrowly avoiding knocking things over before finally slamming down hard in front of King. Tongue lolling from the side of his beaked mouth, "My lord... I have done all I can to defend you... Remember me." He whispered, tears welling up in his eyes as he faked his death in front of King. To Luz's surprise King dropped to his knees and dropped his fork, grabbing Hootys head and shouting "Noooo, my loyal subject... You mon-"
Eda had a lot of patience for the three when they got like this, but knew if she didn't put an end to it soon it would carry on into their already late dinner time. "Foods done! King of demons is probably hungry... from all your tyrany." She teased, setting plate down in front of his usual seat at the table.
King didn't skip a beat, as soon as his food was set down he roughly dropped Hootys head back down onto the counter, enough force to cause a small thud and shake. "Food calls! Can't fight on an empty stomach, sorry about your death, ahh I'll avenge you or whatever" He waved Hooty off with a roll of his hand, jumping down and over to the dinner table without so much as a glance back at his loyal subject.
"Ouch, harsh..." Luz mumbled, having cringed at the sound of Hootys hard head hitting the table. "Sorry about … you know, stabbing you. Ha ha... "She awakrdly gave the still dead looking Owl Tube finger guns as she hopped off the counter and backed up towards the dinner table, curious to see if he was going to keep playing it off or not. Somehow both options are in character for him... The human girl mentally chuckled, it was hard to know what Hooty was going to do next but whatever it was, it was usually at least a little bit entertaining. As she took her seat, she could finally see that Hooty was coming back to reality, blinking the tears from his eyes and let out another scream like when she first stabbed him and started to retract.
As Hootys body retracted back towards the window, over exaggerated tears falling from his large black eyes he also made sure to yell about being avenged, how its what his parents would have wanted, and more dramatic nonsense. Before his tube-like body could fully disapear out the window and back to his hole in the door, Eda effortlessly tossed him what looked like a dead mouse, which seemed to somehow lift his spirits in a split second. "Today has been a good day!" He yelled in his usual shrill voice as he gobbled the dead thing and slid out the window, now seeming just as happy as when they first all came home.
The Owl House occupants mostly ate in silence, Luz scarfing her food down so fast she could barely taste it, but it certainly was better than bland egg and had much more substance than it as well. Plus one meal a day for a few days … WAS NOT ENOUGH As she finished her last bite of the mystery food she leaned back in her chair with a content sigh, closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling of being full for a moment. When she finally had come down from her food high, she noticed that King and Eda had exchanged looks with one another, almost seeming to be having a silent conversation. "Soo... That was delicious! Thanks Eda!" The human girl pushed the odd exchange off and thanked her mentor, knowing she really didn't have to feed her at all, let alone so late in the evening.
"Titan, finally, the silence was killing me" The gray-haired witch let out an exasperated sigh, her silent exchange with King had mostly been a silent effort between the two to convince the other to break the silence first. Neither had ever really done well with silence to begin with, let alone silence when everyone knew there was something to talk about. She leaned back in her chair, putting her feet up on the table, trying to get comfortable – and prepared – for the inevitable conversation about school, something of a sore subject for her. "No problem Kid" she finally replied as she relaxed into her seat, crossing her arms she took a deep breath. "Alright, hit me with it. You want me to go tomorrow, right?"
Luz was taken aback at how direct Eda was being, not wanting to lose any of her mentors' open and direct attitude, she quickly launched into her request. "You got me! Willow told me that to get an exam slot I have to be registered first, given a letter with details, and complete the exam. Then, if I do pass – and I will – I'll be fully enrolled with all the classes/track I registered for." As her voice trailed off and she could see the witch was taking her in words, she quickly realized she hadn't made her request but rather simply nervously babbled about the process. "Uh, now, that being said. The sooner, the better, so I can prepare! So, yes, can we go tomorrow?" As she finished, she could see Eda cringe slightly and shift in her chair. "I know this isn't... something you like, and a sore topic, but I want to learn all I can about the boiling isles, and magic and this is a great opportunity." I hope she understands, I just want to make the most of my time here... It has nothing to do with her teaching methods... subconsciously Luz had leaned forward, arms folded on the table and giving Eda all her attention, to the point she hadn't even noticed that King had patted his way over and into her lap, curling up.
So worried about what I think... I mean, she isn't wrong it's a soul sucking vampire of an institution that indoctrinates children into societal normality's, ugh, but this is Luz, she won't fall for their garbage. She teetered her chair back slightly, thinking on what to say carefully before shrugging her shoulders as casually as she could. "Listen, I made a deal with you and I'll keep it, I still think it's a waste of time and potential but, its not up to me." She inwardly scolded herself when her voice betrayed her casual act near the end, giving away a bit more emotion than she meant. Not wanting to come off as overbearing she cleared her throat and looked away, towards the entrance to the living room. "I'll go tomorrow with you, but you owe me a breakfast and don't expect me to be jumping outta bed early for this, got it?" Titan strike me down now... Tomorrow is going to be an awful day. Mentally groaning at the idea of going back to her old stomping grounds, and truth be told she had no idea just how much of a trying day it would be for her and her apprentice.
"Yes! Haha, thank you Eda!" Luz hadn't noticed any hint of emotional baggage in Eda's words, far too focused on the answer to be worried about the tone of voice. "I mean, thank you, oh great Wild Witch." The human girl dropped her voice as low as it would go and gave a poor impression of an old timey recruit, or at least how she imagined that it would be, even going as far as saluting Eda. The excited jostling caused King to let out a small grumble, finally alerting Luz to his presence in her lap. "Sorry" she whispered in reply, giving him a gentle pet along his back and skull, struggling to contain all her questions and concerns.
Knowing the expression Luz had on her face, all too well, she sighed and pulled her feet down from the table. "Tomorrow you can ask all the questions you want, I'll even tell you a bit about my school days, but you should get some sleep. You get to put up with my cranky ass tomorrow while were there." She gave a fake exaggerated shutter before finally giving Luz a playful wink, enjoying the look of surprise and joy that filled the girl's face. Before Luz could launch into anything else, she pushed herself up from the table, clearing the few dishes as she went, hoping to signal her exit as a time to go to bed.
I can't believe this... School, backstory, answers! The Wild Witches over excited apprentice stared in awe, not sure what to say, her mind was racing with the questions she had. There was so much she still felt like she was in the dark about, details about Eda's past, her family, and King. Not to mention how she came to be the Wild Witch of the boiling isles and so famous, sure, being one of the few to go ahead the emperor... OH! In her school days, she absolutely had a crush, she had to, and why isn't she dating now? Wait... She did say- Only as her mentor pushed from the table did Luz's mind slow down for a moment, "You won't regret it! Or... Maybe you will but tomorrow will be an awesome day! Don't you worry about it. Hahaaa I'll keep those spirits of yours high." As she finished her excited chatter she very gingerly picked the sleeping demon up, his legs falling limp as she held him like a cat under his arms before cradling him. "Demon overlord, Pfft, one day" She couldn't help but silently chuckle, all his rage and fighting against his stature, only to sleep and look so cute. "I'll take him to bed, Ahhh thank you again Eda" She let out a small squeel, feeling really herself for the first time in a while as she nudged her mentor and headed to her room to turn in.
"Night Kid" Eda called after her, rubbing the spot on her arm Luz had just excitedly bumped her. She makes it hard not to believe her, but... I just have a feeling. Not wanting to dwell on tomorrow's potential problems, Eda made for her room as well, smiling as she walked by Luz's room and saw her putting King to bed with her. Careful King, she's making her both soft. the grey-haired witch let out a small laugh as she entered her room, surprised at just how much the two had changed since Luz arrived. With a snap of her fingers, she was in her comfy clothes, ready for bed with her bunny slippers waiting for her at the side of her nest bed for tomorrow morning. "Just a shot before bed keeps the beast at bay" the words left her lips in a whisper, a hint of sadness behind them as she took a gulp of her thick golden elixir and crawled into bed. There was a calm that settled over the house as everyone turned in for the night, who knew their lives would turn upside down in the coming weeks, just as they were adjusting.
Amity
Amity woke with a sudden gasp, her hand reaching out in front of her, gasping thin air. Ever since they got home last night, she had been feeling weird, well weirder than usual, the feeling of being home was unusually tense. Despite her parents not arriving home until later today, from the moment she and the twins walked through the large doors to the manor, there had been a strange weight. Thoughts from her talk with Boscha were well faded away at this point, as if a fog was falling over her and any thoughts connected to questioning her place, or her family were being blanketed as well. These dreams are starting to feel more and more realistic... before the spell was placed over Amity, it was rare for her to have provocative or memorable dreams, but now, it seems to be the norm and all with similar trends of obedience, business ventures, family success and so on. The mint haired witch stared at her hand in wonder, for whatever reason she couldn't place why she had reached out or what she was even reaching for, but even now while awake it felt important.
"Forget it... It's useless to try and remember." She let out a small, annoyed huff and pushed herself out of bed, her purple comforter in a bunch on her bed, something she'd either deal with later or get a maid to handle. She didn't like using household staff, but she was feeling run down, and sluggish, and the last thing she wanted to worry about was something so mundane. Stretching her body she made her way from her bed to her large desk, putting a finger down on her oversized calendar to see what today had planned Hm... Library today, then banquet dinner... She sighed as she ran her finger along the rest of the week and saw a pattern emerging, it was a flurry of charity dinners, a welcome banquet to a new investor and a demonstration. "Only one day free before the start of college and grudgby try outs... Boscha won't be happy." Flicking her finger to the side, she summoned her scroll and typed out a simple message:
Amity: Morning Bosch, I have charity dinners all week and some new investor business to attend next week as well, I put aside the only free day I have to train with you, apologies that it can't be more. You know how things are right now.
She hesitated for a moment to send the message, cringing at her struggle to be more casual and relaxed with her messages tone. Knowing the longer she stared at the plain and toneless message the worse it would seem, she sent it off and cast the thought from her mind, knowing Boscha wouldn't be up for a while yet. Checking the time again, she made her way to the bathroom, doing her typical routine before headed out to the library. The witch had made a very simple outfit choice, her usual half-up hairstyle and then donning a pair of sharp looking black dress pants, with a single line down the left side of purple that stylized them a bit more. Her top was simple, a burgundy blouse, with short sleeves and a tasteful dip down into her cleavage. The blouse fit snug in her midsection, almost like a less oxygen depriving corset. Just as she was about to slip her feet into her usual pair of boots, her mother's voice echoed in her head causing her to flitch, A Blight woman must always look the part and dear, flats are your friends, you don't want to tower over the company... The echo was so clear it almost didn't feel like a memory but an active thought. Without much consideration or questioning, she pulled out a pair of burgundy flats. She planned the simple outfit, so it was appropriate for both work and dinner tonight. As she left the manor, she could see her sibling's lights were just coming on, signaling their late wake up. I'll see them tonight hopefully... Be nice if I wasn't the only Blight child there.
Emira and Edric
The whole trip felt like one big scam, there was no believability in the transactions that took place leading up to their departure to their 'vacation' on the knee, the twins weren't sure how stupid Odalia thought they were, but it was evident she didn't think much of them. It was a series of events that really just came with being a Blight, that eventually turned into whatever this was, this corrupt, unjust, unfair, and malevolent thing. Blights could get away with murder, with memory wiping experiences from their children's minds, controlling their children, selecting friends and lovers for the sake of the bloodline and business, but whatever this was... Whatever Odalia turned this into with their sister, was different and certainly not expected. Which is why they had come up with a plan, obviously their attempt at the knee was a failure, they only created a rift between them and Amity. However, now they were going to take it into a different direction all together, they were going to turn it into a covert operation – something they weren't particularly great at, yet – and see what they can uncover, even if they don't necessarily want to uncover it. To start, their father spent all his time in his lab and their mother most of her time in the back office, which meant that between the two locations they had to keep some records of the family they don't keep in the house. Edric had spent the whole night trying to find the schematics in the family library, knowing they were hidden somewhere among the historical texts and blueprints. While at the same time, Emira was working on invisibility illusion spells and distractions, in case they did end up getting caught.
The late night had caused both Blight twins to sleep in and in general they were no match for Amity's early-to-rise personality, they were just starting to roll out of bed when their sister had left for the day. Leaving them alone with the manors staff to start their day, and their operation. As always Emira was the first of the two to start her day, her long emerald green hair in a tight braid to avoid unwanted bedhead. Everyone loved her long hair, she received compliments from her parents, their business partners and even suitors, but it was days like today when she despised it. Once I'm out of this house for good, that's it, no more long hair... the eldest Blight huffed as she pulled her hair from the braid just to smooth it out and put it back, it was messy but thanks for her concealment stone, it made her look much more put together. In the blink of an eye, she went from a young adult just out of her teens, to a woman in her prime, no more red marks from pimples and scars, no more dark circles under her eyes or misplaced hairs on her head. Despite wanting to be casual and comfortable, she knew with their plans she needed to dress for functionality, with that in mind she pulled on a pair of burgundy shorts that came to just above her knee, for her top she grabbed out a long sleeve purple shirt that had leather stitched elbows, and cuffs that sat tightly on her wrist. Once she was satisfied, the witch pulled on her usual black boots and headed out into the manor, on her way to Edrics room.
The Blight brother had a rough sleep, riddled with nightmares about the twins' past with the amulets, and Amity's potential future demise by the hands of their mother. When his alarm went off, it was evident he had zero internal motivation to get up, only spurred into action by the thought of what they planned to accomplish today. Don't get anything twisted, the twins were very well accustomed to trouble and mischief, but the lab and office was something even they stayed far away from. However, the risks were worth the potential reward, they always gave Amity a hard time growing up, but over the last couple of years they had eased up, really seeing the weight of Odalia's constant badgering and perfectionism had. You can do this... You are useful, and good at taking care of your siblings, good at witchcraft. You are a Blight, but that doesn't need to define me. As he rolled out of bed, grumbling he mentally gave himself words of affirmation. He'd never admit it out loud but the years of 'not being good enough' for the Blight name wore him down. As soon as he steadied himself, he took his wild bedhead and clipped it back, grabbing his glasses and concealment stone off his desk at the same time. Edric hummed softly to himself as he raided his closet, looking for the perfect heist outfit, "Gotta look good, sneaking around... Hmm hm hmm, Edric super spy-AH!" While looking for his dark red cuffed pants, he had pulled down a pile of clean linen from his closet, effectively burying himself. "Okay... Good start" He grumbled, the incent almost got to him but as he pushed his way out of the linen his pants were laying before him. Before the Blight brother could get out of the mess he created, his twin appeared in his closet doorway, giving him yet another scare. "Em! What if I was NAKED , you need to knock!"
Emira listed at her brother's door for a few minutes before hearing his humming fade into his closet, knowing he was occupied she snuk in and made her way to the closet. Only giving away her position when she had to stifle a laugh at the ridiculous incident before her, her brother with his messy short hair pinned back and his glasses on, covered in an avalanche of clean linen. "Oh, come on! It' nothing I haven't seen before; besides, the risk was worth seeing whatever... THIS is." Leaning on the inside of the doorway she snickered at her brother's morning misfortune. Gotta put that super spy Edric in my pocket for later... that, was hilarious
Rolling his eyes, Edric finally got up and picked out the last of his clothes. Opting for a simple elbow length button up black shirt with a gray t-shirt underneath, "Alright, get out of here, shows over" The green haired boy waved his clothes at his sister to shoo her away whilst he changed. The action in turn earned him an eye roll from his sister and a dragged out 'hurrrry uuup'. "I'm hurrying! You're the one making me take longer!" He faked a whiney voice in reply as he struggled to get changed, once he was finished, he quickly activated his concealment stone, all blemishes and wild hair faded away behind this veil of perfection. "Okay! Sis- oh! You found it, okay, cool. That's the only plan I found, and honestly, it doesn't seem big enough to be the whole factory and office space..." Upon exiting the closet, he could see Emira leaned over his desk, studying the blueprints he had found late last night. "I'm thinking, if we go in before they return this afternoon, we should be able to get to the spots that aren't on this map... If its hidden, it's probably important, right?" With that he placed a hand on his hip and leaned with his other hand on the desk, waiting for his sisters reply, she was certainly better at planning.
"That's a great point Ed!" Emira tried to hide the surprise in her voice as she complimented her brother, he had great ideas, just sometimes not well thought out. "Now, we will just need to make sure we keep track of time and avoid any of the staff, Dad might be the primary manufacturer but there is still a force to be reckoned with in there... which is where, this come in handy." from a pouch attached to her waist, she pulled out a palm sized potion bottle, with clear liquid. "It took some research but I think I nailed it, when we drink this, we will become 'invisible' for 10 minutes at a time. Now, it does apparently have side effects like making you nauseous, itchy or anxious or all of the above but, I think its worth the risk if it means moving around freely." As she finished her sentence and placed the substance on the desk beside the plans, she could feel Edrics anxiety rise, clearly worried about the selected potion. "I mean, we could do it with regular illusion magic but then we risk burning ourselves out."
Listening to his sister talk about the invisibility potion caused a stir of anxiety to spark in his stomach, he was already a bit of a nervous wreck – even if it tried to hide it – and having something potentially make it worse could be disastrous for the twins. "I hear you..." He said weakly, rubbing his chin as he stared down at the map, avoiding his sister's probing gaze. "Lets just hope we don't have to use it, eh?" finally he looked from the map to Emira, who at first looked at him with deep scrutiny before finally letting her eyes soften, a hand slapping the Blight brother hard on the shoulder as a sign of comfort. Not wanting any more attention on him or the potential issues of the plan, he rolled the blueprint up and stuffed it into a bag hanging from the side of his chair.
Emira let the feeling go, seeing as her brother was clearly not open to talking at the moment and she couldn't blame him, he had a rough go when it came to Blight expectations growing up. "Alright, fingers crossed I guess. Now, lets head down and use the back entrance, I noticed yesterday some of the staff use that door as a break door – even though they aren't supposed to – to have a smoke or get some fresh air." The eldest Blight sibling lead them out of Edrics room and down the long quiet hallways of the Manor, cringing as they immediately ran into the staff. Trying to avoid any suspicion or questions, Emira laughed into a request for the staff, not even giving them enough time for a proper greeting. "OH! Great to run into you... Good morning, I mean, worm for brains here accidentally toppled over some clean linen in his closet and, I hate to bother anyone, but I've been too busy to clean up my room." Her request wasn't entirely out of the ordinary, but it definitely seemed to catch a few of the staff members off guard with how open she was being, usually she would skirt around the request. "Of course Miss Blight, we will get to it right away. It's a pleasure to be of service." One of the more tenured maids replied for the small group, quickly giving a bow and starting to provide direction to the others on location and duties. Now with them occupied the twins slipped out the side door of the Manor and started their trek across the large piece of Blight industries land. Ugh... I could have done that with more grace... They probably think I'm being weird or somethings wrong...
Edric followed Emira's lead, giving an apologetic smile to the maids as she poked fun at his mishap that morning. Way to make it believable, 'worm for brains', nice. the boy stayed silent for the interaction, only nodding to them before disappearing with Emira outside the side door. "Nice one" He hummed, complimenting Emira, who gave a curt 'hm' in response, obviously still beating herself up. "Uhh... Em... I think maybe we need to rethink todays plan..." As the twins came over the hill that faced the side of the factory, they were greeted with the unexpected sight of the Emperors coven ships. They seemed to just be the small cruiser style but there was a handful of them at least, all parked along the side of the factory, guards constantly streaming in and out of the factory in uniform fashion. It looked as though they were carrying supplied in, and small crate out.
"Okay... So, we can adapt. This is the last time they are gone for the next week and the sooner we get information, the better. Plus, I want to know what the hell they are doing here..." Emira wasn't the type to let a snag in her plan deter her, she would adapt and keep going, as long as she could. I know we do business with them... We sell weapons, but... This seems different somehow. The green haired witch pulled her brothers sleeve and ushered him along, sneaking along the tree line and down to where they could get a better idea of the best entrance. "Alright Ed, this is it. Let's get in there and find what we came for." The twins were knelt by the last line of trees, surveying the area, they would sneak in the propped open back door and make a b-line for the office area, as it seemed to have the least amount of traffic.
The twins were aware of the dangers this plan had, even though the original plan was risky, adding in the Emperor's coven made this operation all the more perilous, the twins would need to rely on one another and trust in their instincts if they want to get through the upcoming challenges. With what they were about to uncover, they would need each other more than ever.