It had been almost a week since the incident with the inspector, although the school seems well on its way to being repaired 'with interest', the same couldn't be said for the faculty and students that were still scared from the incident. The first few days back had nearly empty hallways and even emptier classrooms, despite Principal Bump making an announcement over the news, with the support of the Emperors coven, parents still hesitated to allow their children to return. Additional measures were now being reviewed openly. Amity, Luz, Jerbo, Barcus and Viney were all given awards for their bravery "The Ghouls Grit Award" and excellent strategy in crisis, "The Banshees Brilliance Badge". Luz certainly had the respect of many more students, even those who completely avoided her before seemed to be starting to warm to her after such a large conflict. On the flip side, while Luz felt the positive effects of such an act of bravery, Amity was feeling its wrath.
The accolades were happily accepted, and Amity's mother had even seemed pleased at first, however, her wrath was potent and her belief of the Emporers Coven intentional involvement meant she was even less pleased to have Amity anywhere near the human girl. em Obviously it had something to do with her... /em The crow call to the Covens current leader, Lilith Hawthorne was less than cordial, spittle flew from the green haired womans mouth as she hollered into the phone demanding an explanation of events. To which the very calm woman on the other side of the crow dismissed, insisting that it was simply their envoy that had been captured and it was just 'unfortunate', so glad Amity was fine, and more babble Odalia was convinced was just cover after cover. She would get to the bottom of it, one way or another, there strong wasn't anything /strong that her money couldn't buy.
Despite the split attention, Odalia had made enough time to refocus her energies across more of her pawns and players, meaning Amity's small respite was over and just in time to ensure she didn't mess up this latest Grudgby match.
Amity could clearly remember the feeling of completely deflating as her mother went from fake pride to berating her, em "A proper Blight would have never needed the help of such... Such trash! I raised you better than this, I raised you to be STRONGER than this Amity Blight. I-I I don't know what to say to you anymore!"/em Amity could see her mother's jaw flexing, her eyes flashing with unbridled fear mingling with rage. "If you continue this weakness, I will be forced to extend additional oversight." she could remember how quickly her posture straightened and her chest constricted with the threat, she hated herself for the reaction, but she never wanted to feel so controlled again. The small instances of clarity and freedom had felt so good, especially the last one with Luz, however dazed she was, it was still her and the warmth they shared that lingered still causing a different kind of tightness in her chest and stomach. One she was convinced she didn't understand or think relevant. "Yes mother." Was the only reply to Odalia that Amity could muster in the moment.
Now, only a few days later, she could feel the difference in her body again, as if she had a body double attached to her, someone else sitting in the back of her mind, just waiting to filter in again. To strong Control... /strong That heaviness on her shoulders started to feel physical as of late, but she ignored it, she had to, the weight of it must simply be taking its toll. She sat in the locker room, the last one out as usual now, with her helmet in her hands staring down at it intently, like it was going to spill its secrets to her. Going over their strategy, em Boschas strategy. /em the light bitterness in her thoughts made her mouth taste sour, em I just didn't work hard enough, and it was her time. /em The green haired witch tried to reason with herself between the plays in her head. In the distance she heard the first warning whistle, signaling for the players to gear up and gather, the previous captain sighed heavily, tying her wild hair back and dawning her helmet as she exited the locker room to meet up with her team. As she set foot out into the crisp air, she was surprised to nearly run into Emira, who was now mirroring Amitys surprised expression.
"I know its been a bit, I just wanted to wish you good luck and... Check in on you after the incident." Emira's usual sarcastic or joking tone was gone, instead was a soft familial tone that Amity was only used to when her sister was healing bumps, bruises or something else that made her little sister cry. "I just heard the whistle so I uh... was going to wait until after the game, so, good luck. You're going to kill it, like usual." The older sibling finally put her mask back up and gave a little playful smirk to her sister, not able to leave without teasing her somehow. "Looks like I'm not the only fan either." She gave a playful wink and patted Amitys padded shoulders as she walked by, not giving the younger sibling a moment to react.
em The only fan...? /em In a moment of innocent confusion Amity watched her sister find her seat on the bustling bleachers, at first catching a glimpse of Viney, which only stoked the confusion further until finally she saw em her /em, Luz, sitting with Gus – plus his many flags and theatrics – and Willow. The pit of her stomach dropped as they made brief eye contact and Luz gave a quick, yet somehow dazzling smile, one that crinkled the corners of her eyes and brought a thick lump to Amitys throat. Unsure of the appropriate reaction, or scared of it, she gave a sharp nod and what she could only picture as a grimace instead of a smile. em Dumb, idiot, fogheaded! /em she scolded herself and winced as the all too familiar pain contracted her chest and old voices echoed in her mind. Finally, she found herself in a circle with her teammates, Boscha, Skara, Cat, and Diamon were the first set, while their second set would consist of Boscha, Amelia, Juni, Ergo, and Sylvey. She was used to being the double player but wouldn't argue with Boscha about this as the new captain. The pep talk was short and sweet, well, short and bloody by all standards. They were about to face St. Epiderm, and although they didn't look like much, Amity knew that the team was far more focused on their technical and magical skills than their brute force.
"One, Two, Thee, Chimera's!" Boscha yelled putting her hand in the middle of their huddle to signal their chant and break, in reply the team 'roared' in varying pitch. "With strength and speed we'll win the fight!" Boscha yelled again, rocking side to side from foot to foot causing the rest of the circle to do the same. "For Hexside's honour, with all our might!" the team yelled again, "Go Chimera's" one final yell from the captain before the team broke apart with a final collective and powerful roar.
Amity jogged out onto the live field and patted Boscha's shoulder as she went by, they hadn't spoken much or addressed some of the changes between them, but on the field, both knew with a glance or nod what the other was thinking. On the field they were comrades, and nothing could shake them, feeling a small slap in return caused a small sense of relief to flood Amity. She might be losing part of herself in the depths of her mind to her mother, but certain things would always be the same, and in this, in Grudgby she could lose herself while being herself. Taking a position to the far left, she noted the position of Boscha in the middle with the rest of the team fanned out in a rush position. On the opposite side of the team, it was clear that they were facing their best first, all very clean, blank expressions that would only serve to spike Boscha's annoyance, she liked a good reaction. From their demeanors and positions Amity could tell that they had a similar team composition, abominations, plant, illusions, healing and the last one the Gray/green-haired witch couldn't tell.
Once the flag was waved and the ball was dropped into the arena, the team exploded into action. Boscha used her levitation expertise to drive herself up and away from the other team in one slick move. Tucking the angry ball under her arm, she got her footing behind her defensive line, which consisted of Skara and Diamon with Cat bringing up the rear. With the ball secured and well-guarded, Amity saw it was her moment to make an opening. Without thought, she summoned a medium-sized thick abomination. While the other team was trying to form up to make a rush of their own, Amity sent the purple goo into them, expanding its arms out as it ran in, causing a thin sticky film to cover the team, slowing them down and making it harder for them to dissipate her abomination, let alone defend themselves.
Just like Amity, the opposing team had a teammate on the outskirts to open the field. Their inexperience showed in their hesitation, but the green-haired witch was surprised when they did put themselves into action. The individual used their voice to disrupt the composition of the abomination, causing it to explode and dissipate off their teammates. In the same breath, they turned their attention to the building rush of Boscha, Skara, and Diamon now seeking to distract or cripple them. Cat, seeing the explosion of the abomination, quickly cast an illusion spell to create multiple images of Boscha with the ball, confusing the opponents and giving their team the advantage back. Boscha took the opportunity to dodge past the defenders, her levitation keeping her agile and swift as her feet barely touched the ground.
Diamon, from his position, summoned thick vines from the ground, tripping up two of the opposing players who were closing in on the real Boscha. The vines held firm, their magical strength proving difficult to break free from. Seeing the opening, Boscha passed the ball to Skara, who immediately had to redirected it to Amity as the field opened up under her and sucked a leg down into quick sand like substance, with a powerful throw she barely made it to Amity. The co-captain caught the ball effortlessly, but just as she was making her move towards the goal, an opposing player charged at her from the side. Using her levitation Boscha intercepted the opponent with a well-timed tackle, creating the perfect moment for Amity to sprint towards the goal. With a final burst of speed, magic surging through her legs, she dodged left, and right, between attacks from players and field alike. Straining to keep her pace she finally had an opening, with a powerful arm she threw the ball into the goal, scoring the first point for the Chimera's team.
The crowd erupted in cheers as the Hexside College Chimera's team regrouped. However, the opposing team was quick to recover and initiated their next move with incredible technical skills. Their lead strategist, a skilled healing magic user, summoned a large spell circle to pump up their fastest player, sending them forward. With impressive speed, the player dodged past Amity's fire, the fields defiant cracks and shakes, vines and flames, and seemed to see right through Cat's illusions, making an impressive beeline for the Chimera's goal.
Shocked by the sudden momentum and coordination of their opponents, the Chimera's found themselves in a scramble to recover from the swift players accuracy. em How in the hell /em Amity swore and pivoted on her heels, narrowly missing the tendrils of vines coming from one of the attackers, which was followed up by a quake from the field. Before either Boscha or Amity could get to the goal, the ball was slammed in, evening the score and causing a loud outpouring of 'boos' from the crowd.
There was an alarming amount of back and forth between the teams, their exchanges were getting longer and more labored, however as their first set was coming to a close. Amity could tell the younger players now from the more experienced, as it was clear the bile sac of some were sputtering and struggling to keep up. Knowing her time was coming to a close on the field, she signaled Boscha for a niche play, unsure if the captain would be willing to risk it in the final moments of their first set where they were barely breaking even. She could see the contemplation going on behind her friends' eyes before she saw the sharp nod and eyes of pure determination set. em Lets do this /em she took in a deep breath; this was a risk move but it was never something the other team could ever expect.
Switching places from the outer left, Amity took the center position and stared the captain of the other team down with cold golden eyes, and for the first time this match she saw their composure fracture. em Gotcha /em as the ball was dropped into the arena for the last time this set, she made a faint towards the captain causing them to flinch and draw a step back instead of coming in close like they had in the last few plays. She could see the anger on their face once they realized she had never intended to rush them, only give them a hairs breath of space. Using the small additional space, Amity leapt high, grabbing the angry ball and landing in a crouching position on Diamon's well-placed vine. With a flick of the thick stock, Amity was tossed up into the air, soaring over the team as they scrambled to get away from her teammates to pursuit.
Cat, seeing Amity airborne, quickly created an illusion to distract the defenders, causing them to hesitate and misjudge Amity's trajectory. The illusion was passing the ball between each other and covering the green-haired witch's approach. Boscha and Skara took advantage of the confusion, blocking any attempts from the other team to intercept. Now with a clear path to the goal, she twisted her body mid-air and hurled the ball with all her strength, lighting the ball with dark blue fire. The ball sailed through the air, but just before it reached the goal, the opposing team's plant magic user summoned the largest Venus fly trap they possibly could to intercept. The ball faded through the plant without much hesitation and the illusion was broken. Seeing their trap end too early from her vantage point, Amity growled and instead of landing with grace she landed like a loaded spring just barely in time to kick an opposing player out of the line of the actual ball.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw their captain break through an abomination wall, Boscha in her haste to get to the goal sooner had used a powerful potion to cloud the field, something they only did in a desperate moment. Without any signals Amity was panicked, em Shit, what does she want me to do? Did I miss something? /em Her teeth were clamped tight together and despite her uncertainty she ran into the thickening fog to buy Boscha time, narrowly missing both a giant vine and super-heated hole that started to appear on the surface of the field. "Skara" The bard crouched on the ground, using the ground to feel the vibrations of everyones footsteps, and seek the opponents' positions. There was a surprised look on her face when Amity knelt next to her and pointed towards Boscha's back, "Can you boost her?" Her voice was hushed, and she could tell that Skara was hesitant, but the opponents were obviously and fast now, with a nod she used her finger to circle the air in front of her and cast a boosting spell on their distant captain.
The next few moments felt like a blur. Amity drew up multiple small abominations that littered the ground, below the fog line, planting them as a trap. The fog started to disappear, leaving both Skara and Amity open, the opponent sprinted towards them, shouting and pointing their own purple magic circle at them, dodging Diamon's vines and Cat's illusions as they did so. Boscha was in the home stretch now after dodging attack from opponent and field alike, the boost from Skara had been unexpected and yet welcomed. It was in these final moments that Boscha used the last of her reserves, slamming the ball into the opposing team's goal.
With a few final tricks up their sleeves, they did little to avoid giving the other team a clear shot of both Skara and Amity, the opponent threw themself at Amity, their abomination ripping the 'ball' from the Blight heir's hands as they went tumbling hard to the ground. The crowd roared, and the confusion on the opposing players face was too much for Amity now. She gave a small chuckle and pushed them away, the illusion breaking now and showing that it was truly a ball of compact dirt they had tackled her for. The match now tied with both teams giving it their all.
After helping the opposing attacker to their feet, Amity jogged back to her team's bench, giving slaps of approval and compliments on the various plays. em Wasn't so bad, theyre good though... Really good. Illusions don't seem to capture them as much as other teams... /em As the team discussed the next set and both Ergo and Skara healed the team up. Amity found herself lost in her own thoughts of what would work against them, the team was obviously good with coordination and hid a lot of their talents until necessary. She couldn't help but find that her ideas and considerations were very far off from what Boscha was viewing and how she wanted to handle the match. em Gotta let it go. You can offer advice but... It's not your call. /em Clearing her throat she tried to interject but Boscha was quick to cut her off with a raised hand and shoo her to the bench, "You aren't playing this set, go relax." The words were simple enough and yet a deep burning rage was ignited by them, under her helmet she felt her face burning. em Fine, burn for all I care. /em It wasn't long into the second set before she regreted not pushing harder, the team was down by 2, em no 3 /em, and struggling to keep up with the other, physically smaller team.
Her hand was on the side of her face or covering her mouth for most of the match, not wanting to mimic the boos and disappointed sounds of the crowd around her. There was no joy in watching her team lose, the flame that was lit earlier was now long gone and replaced by a cold dread, not even bitterness crept into her thoughts now as she watched the struggle, it was like Boscha was battling with indecision at every turn. Finally, during the most recent play Juni went down hard after being caught by the fields vines, now with only a few plays left, Amity called for a time out, a right she wasn't fully sure she had as an assistant / co-captain of the team. Either way the ref called the time out and allowed her to jog out to the team, calling for a replacement.
Boscha was clearly mad about the injury or her calling for a timeout she wasn't sure yet, but as everyone gathered in the circle the pink haired woman let the expression slip from her features, replacing it with a mostly blank, if not slightly impatient look. "I know each and every one of you are giving it your all, but everyone can see that we are struggling out there. They have a lot of technical skills and what looks like a lot of experience working together... We just, don't have that, and there is nothing wrong with that, we'll get there. For now though, we need to play to our own strengths and I think I have some idea's to get us there, Bosch, are you in?" She tried to play it cool, avoid stepping on anyone's toes – Boscha's toes – and causing further strife. The only answer she got in reply was a stiff shrug, but she took it anyways.
The next 5 minutes of the time out were used to strategize the team, move players around and pick flaws in the opponent's previous plays. Nothing was concrete, they didn't have enough time for that, and that worried Amity, but they needed to make it work. As they broke apart, she felt a heavy and stiff hand pull her shoulder pad back. Boscha, with her helmet back on and expression set in cold determination, held her in place. For a moment, Amity was positive Boscha was going to pull her from the plays but to her surprise, she pulled the green-haired witch in for a short one-armed hug, "I know I haven't been myself... I..." The pause was thick with indecision and emotions Amity wasn't prepared for. "We need to win this Blight, so lets do what were best at." With that Boscha let the short embrace break and went to take her position. em I know somethings been going on... Have I been so focused on myself ... My issues, I promise I'll look into it Bosch. /em Before the echo of agreement came from the darkness within her – the darkness her of her mother's doing – she managed to shake herself and push her body into action. This after all was something for her, something she was good at and loved.
The tension in the arena was palpable as the Chimera's team prepared for their next move. Boscha and Amity exchanged a determined glance, ready to execute their first plan, both eager to prove themselves. As the ball was dropped into the arena, Boscha quickly uncorked a fog brew potion and tossed it into the center. Thick, swirling fog enveloped the field, obscuring the Chimera's movements from the opposing team, allowing them to fan out unopposed, only dodging the fields attempts to thwart them. Now well hidden within the fog, Amity summoned her fire magic, launching fireballs from various angles as she ran the width of the field. The fiery projectiles whizzed past the opposing players, forcing them to dodge and disrupting their well thought out formation. One of the opponents, caught both off guard and in the shoulder by her fire, fumbled the ball, causing it to drop.
Seizing the opportunity, Amelia summoned a monstrous plant from the ground. The monsters vines shot out, grabbing the ball and launching it into its awaiting maw. With a powerful toss of its massive head, the plant spat the ball towards Juni, who stood ready and energized with a construction glyph. The opposing team was scrambling now, the ball had changed from one side of the field to the other so fluidly they were finding it difficult to track. Despite their efforts, Juni was able to dodge and weave through the magical onslaught, jumping over searching vines, pivoting out of the way of fire balls and grabby abominations alike. The construction glyph glowing brightly on their arm, signaling its steady decrease in power was imminent. Using the enhanced strength and agility granted by the glyph, Juni sprinted towards the goal with incredible speed mimicking the opposing teams previous play. The opposing team tried to close in, but Cat and Amity's continued assault with both fake and real fireballs from the fading fog which served to keep them at bay.
Just as Juni reached the goal, they leapt into the air, propelled by a final burst of energy from the construction glyph, and slammed the ball into the goal with a powerful throw. The crowd erupted in cheers as the Hexside College Chimera's team celebrated their brilliantly executed play, showcasing their unparalleled teamwork and magical prowess. With the score now closer to being in their favor, they prepared for the next challenge.
The Chimera's team regrouped; their spirits cautiously high from the previous successful play. The team eagerly exchanged confident nods and a quick signal to one another to confirm the next play as they started to see the other team's formation, all were now ready to take on this next challenge. Cat, Juni, and Amelia positioned themselves strategically to provide support. As the ball was dropped into the arena, Amity and Boscha sprang into action, the pink-haired captain was quick, she used her levitation magic on Amity giving her a prime view above the field, scanning for openings. With her keen eye for faults, the green-haired witch was able to spot a weak point in the opposing team's formation and directed Boscha with a swift hand signal as she glided down. With Boscha's attention elsewhere the danger of decending was apparent to Amity as she was forced into a hard landing, rolling to narrowly avoid bundles of searching vines.
Cat, seeing the plan unfold and the signals that would put her into action, cast an illusion to create multiple images of Amity and Boscha, confusing the opposing team and buying time for the real players to maneuver. Juni, powered up with another construction glyph, positioned themselves as a strong defensive line, using their enhanced power they used the scattered boulders, plant pieces and other debris on the field to keep the charging players back. Amity summoned her fire magic first, launching controlled fireballs that forced the opponents to scatter, creating chaos on the field. Once the players were broken out of formation and unable to choose their targets, the green-haired witch unleashed three abominations onto the field. Boscha, taking advantage of the disruption, swooped down and grabbed the ball from a fire and vine covered player, narrowly missing a charging beast Illusion that was being conjured.
Meanwhile, Amelia kept a watchful eye on the opposing team, dodging vines, fire and abominations as she assisted Juni in creating the best defensive line. How ever clever the Chimera's felt in this moment, the opposing team's strategist executed a cunning and even conniving plan that they would never have been able to expect. Just like Boscha saw when she grabbed the ball, they cast an illusion spell, making it appear as though a massive, terrifying creature was charging towards Amelia. Trusting her instincts, Amelia saw through the illusion with what she felt like was practiced ease, but what she didn't realize was that there was a real threat concealed beneath it. As she braced herself for the illusion to harmlessly pass over, a real opponent struck, supercharged with a construction glyph like Juni's. This knocked her clean off her feet and sent her sprawling across the angry field, causing both dust and debris up into the air. She landed and clutched both her arm and side in pain, now on her front, face covered in dirt, she faced death as the field opened up under her, ready to suck her into its quick sand like pit. If not for Juni's watchful eye, she was sure to have been consumed and knowing the field, potentially dead. Juni had her by the shoulders and dropped her in a safe spot near Cat. The impact from their opponent, however, resulted in a fractured arm and bruised, if not broken ribs, meaning she wouldn't be able to continue in this play other the next, if there was one.
Seeing Amelia fall, Cat quickly moved to her side, cursing under her breath as she looked over her injured teammate, wishing she had multitracked into healing after all. Boscha, angered by what she felt was a foul play, intensified her efforts, using a reserve of strength to break free of the vines she had found herself tangled in as she approached the goal. Two witches controlled the vines and struggled against her. Once an arm was free she passed the ball to Amity, who was already in position near the goal, her abominations at the ready to flatten the other team's defensive attempts. With determination blazing in her golden eyes, Amity launched the ball towards the goal with all her strength. The opposing team's goalkeeper tried to block it, but the combined force of Amity's throw and Boscha's levitation magic guiding it proved too powerful. The ball soared through the goalkeepers slightly parted hands and into the goal, scoring another point for the Chimera's team.
The crowd erupted in applause, but the Chimera's team's victory truly felt bittersweet. They gathered around Amelia, ensuring she was okay, while the referees paused the game to allow her to be taken off the field for medical attention. Checking the time, Amity and Boscha internally groaned, there was only a few minutes left on the clock and they were still down a point, this next play had to not only be a good one but a fast one if they wanted to take the win.
With Amelia being taken out of the game, Sylvey subbed in for her, the upper classman was a tall broad-shouldered woman with a 'take no shit' kind of attitude, it's what made Boscha immediately respect her. Her utility was as unique as her appearance, bright green eyes often lined with dark makeup, her head was half shaved allowing scars to be easily seen on the side of her scalp. She wasn't shy about the accident and instead of letting it scare her, it made her simply revere beasts more. Sylvey dyed her hair on a whim, for this match she chose a blood red, and for her bard weapon, a simple resonance fork. She practiced beast and bard magics, but most of the team had only ever seen her use beasts in matches such as this.
Boscha and Amity brought their latest addition up to speed, let her know what the goal was and how they figured they could work her into the plan. It wasn't anything solid but like usual Sylvey was ready to wing it and see, another reason Boscha liked her, easy to go with the flow. Boscha and Amity took point, Cat and Juni were on either side with Sylvey in the middle back of the formation, making her position flexible. At the drop of the ball, no one hesitated to see what the other team would do, each person on point launched for the ball and if not for Boscha's keen ability to manipulate objects they would have certainly missed the drop.
While the ball was being secured Cat was quick to multiply her team, even duplicating the ball as it was passed to Amity from Boscha and then from Amity to Juni. The last pass was a faint but that didn't stop the opposing team from taking action against it, knowing now that Juni had stellar control and didn't deflate as quickly as other construction witches when using a glyph. To save Juni some sore muscles and potential issues Cat used her illusion to fake the glyph activating on Juni. While half the other team aimed for Juni, Boscha and Amity took the open and started their charge forward, hoping to scatter the remaining team. To their surprise the other team looked frozen, their eyes wide and mouths agape as Boscha and Amity ran past them, exchanging the ball as necessary. em Sylvey! /em Amity suddenly realized that soft humming in her ear was the tuning fork, she didn't know how the bard was making it not affect them, but she didn't care, she simply marveled at the accomplishment it must have been.
Keeping her golden eyes forward, Amity jumped over waves of vines, and spikes of rock from the fearsome field. After only a few more leaps and bounds they were within shot, at this range the forks effect was far less and both players found themselves working harder to stay out of the opposing teams' magic and traps. "Bosch!" The green-haired witch suddenly yelled the captains name as she felt her leg get fully enveloped in the grasps of a vine, had it been a normal vine it wouldn't be a problem to break free, but she could already feel the cool dirt and thorns working their way around it. Meaning she wouldn't be able to burn them up or wiggle them out, unless she didn't mind having strings for legs. The ball landed in Boscha's open hands, and the look of determination on the captain's face seemed to flash for a moment, "Boscha go!" Amity yelled again, waving her arm as she winced in pain from the magic constricting her, she couldn't understand what was going on or even really see the face of her friend under the helmet.
Boscha couldn't have given an account of what happened herself, even if she wanted to, it was like she was suddenly another person, someone who was indifferent to the whole situation. She felt weaker, like she didn't belong where she was. em Who am I anyways? A puppet in a scheme? My own person, or am I my parents project? /em The small well of thoughts and feelings felt like it was growing deeper and deeper, darker and – Finally, she snapped out of it. In control of her whole being again she barely missed being tackled to the ground by a large abomination, her hearing came back with a roar, her teammates were calling to her, the crowd, even the other team. The weight of it, usually comforting, was now crushing as she narrowly avoided attacks, hardly making any moves forward towards the goal she started to get frustrated. em Fuck! /em her thoughts now echoed angry, as they usually did after what shes been calling 'episodes'. Using a fog brew she tried to conceal her position to make up for her delay, although it worked for a moment and gave her such much needed time to regroup, it was ultimately her undoing. As she weaved around traps and opponents in the end zone, the moment she emerged from the fog, she knew it was too late, she could see from the corner of her eye the count down. em 3... /em her body pivoted, and she wound her arm up to launch the ball. em 2... /em she let the ball fly from her hand, magic trailing with it as a hopeful guide. em 1... /em The ball made contact. em 0... Times up! /em The ball ricocheted off the edge of the metal boundary for the goal and shot off into the field, that was it, she missed it, by a fraction both in terms of time and space.
The stands, which were mostly Hexside students, broke into many different emotions, there were gasps, boos, yippies for the winning team and so on, but Boscha couldn't hear it. There was simply a ringing in her ear, like she had been hit on the head by the ball or deafened by Sylveys fork. The end of the game went by in a blur, she was as cordial with the other team as she needed to be and nothing more, she shook hands, patted shoulders and left without a shower or words to anyone, even Amity.
It was hard for Amity to watch from her spot on the field, her friend that was usually full of intense fire sputtered out, em We can't win them all... this just felt different. /em With that last whistle, her leg was released, mostly unscathed and followed the same cordial protocols, she gave her friend all the space she could. There would be time to figure out later, for now, she needed to get back to - "Amity!" Suddenly her thought was broken, and her attention snapped to her name being called, em Not up for it right now Emria... /em Although her mind groaned at the thought of her sister demanding a slice of her time, it was like her body already knew, well before her brain caught up. In front of her, in full Hexside supporter gear – from face paint to celebratory pom poms – was Luz, Willow and Ag-Gus – who was idly twirling a flag. She could still see the indifferent look on Willows face, not that she deserved anything else, and looking at Gus, however briefly, she could tell the flag twirling was an anxious distraction, only Luz wanted to be here, talking to her.
Tucking her helmet under her arm, Amity inclined her head – her sweaty green locks falling into her face with the action – in a gesture that suggested her shame, "Not the best game to attend, but we're just getting used to working with each oth-" Before she could finish, she heard a loud scoff, from more than just Luz. She tossed her sweat covered hair back, tucking some of the wild loose strands behind her ear as she met the guffaw on the trios faces.
"Are you kidding me! That was intense, that was a truly back and forth battle, a show for the ages. Winning isn't everything!" Luz exclaimed, her eyes alight with excitement, "You reminded me of Azura when she faces the forces of 'Bhal the cruels' forces, they could adapt to her magic and so she had to come up with all these different ways to use her magic and that of her companio-." The excitement was briefly replaced by a look of horror and embracement as she realized she had started to geek out, only stopping because Willow had placed a very kind yet pointed elbow in her side. Even with her face painted Hexside colours, Luz was positive Amity could see the slight addition of red to her cheeks.
em Talking to this welp again ... Tsk, tsk, you just don't learn. Mommy's going to be mad... So very Angry. You make your family look weak by interacting with these nothings, you make yourself weaker! /em Amity's back stiffened as the voice in her head overtook that of Luz's, the voice wasn't her mother's, and it wasn't the mocking echos that haunted her with pain previously. This was new, this was a fully realized voice in her head, where her mother's used to be. This new voice felt like a claw, dragging hot nails down her body as it spoke. Although the pain wasn't as severe, she could feel it like a reservoir, only held back by the whim of the voice that now etched itself into her throbbing mind. Her free hand went to hold the side of her head as she winced, a thick tightening was starting in her chest, like a warning with no words. em What are you? Who? /em before she could have this mental argument, she needed to be alone, and no matter how much she wanted to stay and she wanted it more and more lately, she just couldn't. "Too kind as always Luuuuz" It was nearly impossible to get her name out, instead it came out like a strangled squeak rather than a name. Clearing her throat she continued, as if she didn't notice the struggle or see that they noticed the struggle ensuing. "If you'll excuse me, I have to hit the showers and attend to some matters... I." She fumbled again, so formal, but it was needed, right? "I'll see you in class tomorrow." She concluded quickly, cutting the trio's chatter off abruptly as she interjected. Pained, she gave them a nod and smile, or what she hoped was a smile. Turning on her heels, she stalked off into the locker room not waiting to hear the humans reply. Her head turned down, her hand still on the side of her head, as she grappled with this sudden mental shift.
**** LUZ
The almost week since the incident felt like a whirlwind to Luz, from being awarded to being recruited to help with the reconstruction efforts, it felt like she had been plunged into a whole new world. Students and faculty that had given her the cold shoulder or skirted around her were now treating her with respect and warmth. Some of the younger students had even gone as far as to thank her personally for her part in defeating the basilisk, they gave her hugs, high fives, fours and threes. Some of the more enthusiastic youngsters had even gone as far as to pledge their allegiance to her cause, had this been children from the human realm it would have been adorable but here, it was terrifying emand/em adorable.
When Gus and Willow had told her about the upcoming game, she had to fight to contain her excitement and maintain her composure. Luz had obviously developed a love for the brutal game, but this also gave her an opportunity. The only thing she hadn't been able to address at all the last few days was what had happened with Amity, em Unless of course I hullucinated it all and which case, I'll just seem like a weirdo basket case... /em she hadn't even really had the chance to thank her properly, the last time they were in close proximity was the award ceremony, and that certainly wasn't the place to talk about everything she wanted to. It had been difficult not to talk to Willow or Gus about what had happened either, she was constantly at odds with herself, sometimes so sure that she was blowing it out of proportion due to her head injury and yet the thought of those few moments caused a heat to flood her face that she couldn't fight.
Now, standing in front of Amity, Luz was struggling with her words. em Focus on her face you absolute dork! /em She internally scolded herself as her eyes struggled not to wonder over the green-haired witches' sweat stained and roughed up uniform. Up close it was a different experience, the human-witch was able to see toned muscles, and where the uniform stuck tight due to sweat. However, hearing Amity' tough criticism of the game pulled her from any wondering and launched her mouth into action before her brain could truly catch up, "Are you kidding me! That was intense, that was a truly back and forth battle, a show for the ages. Winning isn't everything!" Luz exclaimed, her eyes alight with excitement now as she tried to not only convey her excitement but cheer the troubled witch up, "You reminded me of Azura when she faced the forces of 'Bhal the cruels' forces, they could adapt to her magic and so she had to come up with all these different ways to use her magic and that of her companio-." Her voice came to a skittering halt as she got an elbow in the side from Willow and realized in horror, she was not only rambling but geeking out, hard. em Come on, you got this! Stop being so anxious, just be you, er okay maybe not exactly you, but- you know what I – me, we mean. /em With her mind reeling she hardly realized the odd elongation of her name. Hearing Amity's reply, she gave a tentative smile, ready to truly thank her and ask, em ask what? Don't be weird... Easier said than done... /em before she could open her mouth again, Amity had already bid the trio goodbye and turned on her heels, it all felt way too fast, and em Forced? /em
The plunge her stomach took made her feel nauseous – like a pit had formed and all her innards were dropping into it – at the clipped interaction, "See you." Was all the brunette could muster to the green-haired witches retreating form. Not wanting to alarm her friends she spun around to them with a wide smile on her face, so wide it was cracking the dried face paint. At first, she was met with confused and skeptical looks, but as she wiggled her eyebrows trying to exude that silly aura of hers, her friend's faces broke out into smiles. "Phew, my cheeks were already starting to ache." She let out a tentative laugh, putting a hand on both Willow and Gus's shoulders. "Still on for some Witches Brewshakes? New place opened up right?" It was tiresome to hide some of herself from her friends, but when it came to Amity, it just felt like something she needed to do, till she figured things out. em Just until I ... Get a chance to talk with her... /em
At this Willow jumped in with a new gleam in her eyes, "Sinister Sips! Best Brewshakes in town, or so they claim, I think we'll be the judge of that." With a conspiratorial look on her face, she gave Luz a small clap on the shoulder before turning so they could start their trek into town. As they made their way, Gus had popped open the new shops menu on his phone and was listing the different items he was now developing a craving for. Everything from their Phantom Pancakes, Werewolf Waffles to Chilling Chili, and Specter Scones.
Luz was eternally thankful for both Gus and Willow, it was so easy to lose herself with them, spending hours talking about random things they'd seen on the crystal ball lately. Or discussing the opportunities they had with helping to rebuild sections of the school, with faculty being so thin after the incident, the amount of supervision in some area's was very relaxed and that meant fun passageways and magic shenanigans to be had. While she was with them it felt like there wasn't anything they couldn't do, it gave her the courage that night to plan what she was going to say to Amity in class, and although it was baseless courage she kept it close as she fell asleep.
It wasn't until the light of the next day shone into Luz's eyes that she started to rethink the bold and courageous plan she had put together the night before. em Let just start with a thank you... /em Today was the first official return for the majority of the students and faculty, with 90% of the damage fixed and a new group of 'hall monitors' set to arrive anytime now, it felt like the right time. For the first time in a long time Luz stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a conflicted expression, "I can't have stooped this low." She groaned; her voice still hoarse with sleep. In the mirror she was holding up two different shirts, a simple slim fitted sweater with large L on it from Lilliths clothes and a 'fake' short sleeve shirt that was over a long sleeve, the under shirt was white and the short sleeve was a tie-dye of colour with cats randomly plotted, one of her favourites. After what was certain to be an eternity the brunette human felt foolish and ultimately paired the fake short sleeve/long sleeve with her dark cargo pants that hung loose on her hips, giving her a better figure that what she really felt she had. After hastily brushing out her hair, she popped her beanie back on her head and looked herself up and down, em Ugh... We talked about this... You try hard. /em she pulled her beanie down, to cover her eyes and groaned loudly into it. In her wallowing she jumped and scrabled to uncover her face as she heard Willow knock and enter. "Err I uh... Coming" She yelled, scooping her scroll off the counter, nearly tripping when she saw that Willow had tried to call and message her to let her know they were going to be late if she didn't hurry up.
As the two witches flew down the empty dorm stairs and made their way across the courtyard it was evident they were going to be a few minutes late, despite their run. As they neared the stairs of the school, little Gus' popped up onto their arms, fainting hanging on for dear life as their arms pumped from running. The tiny Gus's squeaked, and it almost seemed like they were trying to protest or avert them from entering the school, Willow and Luz were both far too used to his antics to really pay attention to the warnings. As they entered into the newly built school foyer and the mini witches on their arms vanished, they both strongly wished they had spent a moment to heed the warnings. Barring the entrance to the multitude of hallways were creatures Luz had never seen before, "Uhh... Wills?" Her voice was still horse from sleep and now dry from running.
The creatures were tall, slim and gangly, their limbs stretched further than any human, witch or demon Luz had seen in her boiling isle travels. Their bodies were hidden under dark blue cloaks that hid most of their body, the only parts that gave away their ghoulish bodies were their sickly skinny arms, long bony fingers and pointed nails. Despite how slight and skinny their arms were, the muscle was layered on in defined and sinewy layers. The worst part about these creatures weren't their extremely pointed weapons or the way they seemed to float just centimeters above the ground, but their masked faces. They were adorned with black headdresses covered the backs of their head and left jeweled tassels to hang behind their ears where the masks seemed to be fused to skin beside their – longer than the average witches' – ears. The puckered and angry skin where the mask fused only paid tribute to the overall horrible look of the masks, they were bony masks, elongated like an animal and twisted upside down. The sewn eyes were level with where the mouth would be, the nose one joined crater where the eyes should be, and the fang like teeth hung well above, peaking over the headdress.
The words had only just left Luz's lips but those em things /em were already upon them, two seemed to appear from nowhere and circle the girls, sniffing the air around them with vigor. Odd chants coming from under their masked faces. They were frozen in place, whether by fear, shock, or something animalistic they couldn't know. Before either could will their bodies into action Principal Bump appeared from one of the corridors and snapped his fingers twice, like a spell broken the creatures skittered to their places on either side of the corridors. "Apologies Girls. These hall monitors were only just installed, they need some time to get used to the smell of all the students you see." He refolded his arms within his robes like usual and gave them an apprising look. "I'll be turning a blind eye to your lateness today but... Do be careful, these hall monitors are trained to take all rule breakers to detention rather than ask questions."
Luz wasn't used to fearing the different, weird or other wordly but there was something about those 'hall monitors' that gave her the creeps, "You got it PB." Her words came out casually, and for the sake of both time and her mental health she hauled Willow through the corridors and towards their classes. em Are they cursed? Or is that a job? /em She had far too many questions about those creatures and was doubtful about the amount of answers she would be getting anytime soon. Patting Willows back she could see her friend was finally snapping out of the odd daze she had been in, em I wonder if that was their magic... Do they have magic? Why haven't I seen them anywhere else. /em
"Thanks Luz" Willow said in a struggling voice, hearing her thick and monotone voice she cleared her throat and adjusted her bag. "Looks like Eda's filling in!" There was a pinch of ease in her voice now at the idea of The Owl Lady being close by, a familiar and friendly witch, more than likely capable of handling those creatures with ease. "From what I heard our usual teacher is a bit more than spooked to come back..." She gave a weak laugh and glanced over at Luz who had now picked up the pace to get to the classroom. Many teachers had either quit or taken some time away due to the incident, she could understand the fear but lost a lot of respect for those that left or took extended leave, especially when all their students were starting to return. Seeing that Eda was still getting ready the two witches snuck in and took their spots, trying to be as quiet as possible.
A multitude of teachers had called out for the first official day back and although Eda loved the snails it would bring in, she found herself cursing their names all throughout her morning routine. There would be no way to coast through the day or have an apple blood afternoon, though she couldn't tell if she was more pissed off about the teachers calling in, the modified homunculus 'hall monitors' or that she had to have a class with greenie em and /em pinkie. em Easy Mama Owl-Bear, that Blight probably has enough issues, just, fingers crossed no surprise Odalia. Yuck. /em Finally seeing her kid and Willow sneak in she wrote on the large chalk board, "Your Teachers Suck", below it, poorly erased 'and left us without a plan' and then below that, "An impromptu Oracle Lesson – Memory Tweezers". "Alright kiddies, before anyone says anything, yes, this is supposed to be a potions time slot and we've moved up Oracle studies." Seeing Pinkies hand go up, she rolled her eyes "I don't care where the other teacher left off, were going to make some memory tweezers and learn about memory related magic." Wiping her hand down her face she turned and wrote on the board again, "Group work", "None of this can be done alone, so lets pair you up." Seeing that Willow and Luz weren't sitting together, she decided to be a cool teacher and pair them up, unknowingly throwing Luz's plans to talk with Amity out the window. With a twist of her finger and a glowing spell circle the chairs in the room started to whip around, causing gasps and whoops alike from the students, once the chairs settled, Luz and Willow were paired together, along with Amity and Boscha. em Whats that look for? /em She saw a brief flicker of an emotion on Luz's face before that all to easy smile came back and softened her face. "Alright, I'm not repeating myself so pay attention."
The class worked diligently to keep up with the legendary Owl Lady, working with their heads down, someone scribbling instructions while the others grabbed what would be necessary for the construction. Occasionally Luz's eyes would drift and linger on the green-haired witch across from her, she couldn't be mad at Eda but there was a level of frustration that came with her plans to talk being thwarted more than once. Finally, halfway through the first period Willow and Luz beheld their very first pair of Memory Tweezers, the second half of the class would be the fun part, digging through each other's memories and testing the boundaries of perspective. "Oh lets compare how we saw the basilisk, and ..."
Willow cut in with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a coy look, "We should compare some of the grudgby games" her voice was both teasing and baiting, Luz could tell by the satisfied look on her friends face that the heat she felt in her stomach had rose to colour her cheeks.
"Are you ready?" Luz asked Willow, her eyes alight with excitement and joy at this new kind of magic, excited at the possibilities.