Their First Outing
"Hmm," Eda frowned as she watched the human girl flip lazily through some beast-keeping book.
It has been three days since Raine brought Camila to the Owl House. During that time, nothing really happened. However, both witches noted the human improved mood; Camila had steadily brightened until she was a near ray of sunshine.
There were still times when the human would stare off into the distance. Or she would suddenly start to cry for no reason. Camila was still having sleeping troubles and that was the worst Eda and Raine had to deal with by this point.
The wild witch's frown deepened ever so slightly as she thought back to the last few nights. Raine was still using their "no-dream" spell, but it was starting to lose steam. This concerned Eda, even when Raine informed her this tended to happen the longer those types of spells were used on someone.
"When is that boar going to get his horns in gear?" the wild witch muttered.
"Did you say something, Miss Clawthorne?" Camila asked curiously.
Eda looked at the human and offered her a casual smile.
"Just talking to myself like a crazy owl lady," she joked lightheartedly. "And I told you, it's Eda. Having you call me that makes me feel older than I really am."
Camila took that answer, nodded, and went back to her book.
Eda studied the human and took in her body language. She noticed small things, like how Camila would fidget after a few minutes of reading. There were also times when Eda caught Camila looking out a window.
The wild witch didn't need to be an oracle to realize what was wrong with the human and was planning on bringing this up with Raine later in the day.
Speaking of Raine…she looked towards the clock and saw it was quarter after three.
"Hoot, hoot," Hooty said as he swung the door open, "Guess who's home?"
Eda shook her head as her partner walked through the door. The wild witch got up and met them halfway. Rain put down the bags in their hands and embraced their girlfriend. The two witches then shared a kiss.
From her spot on the floor, Camila gagged but did have a slight redness to her cheeks.
The two witches parted a few seconds later, and Raine had on an easy smile with a hint of red on their cheeks. Eda, however, wore a big, flirty smile.
"Why, Raine Whispers, you always know what to do with," the wild witch flirtily.
The bard shook their head and let Eda go. Their eyes linger on their girlfriend for a second and then turn to Camila. As they picked up the bags, they offered her a warm, near-parental smile.
"And have been good for Eda today?" Raine asked softly.
"Yes, Mx. Whispers," Camila replied politely.
Raine chuckled as he got close to the human. They set the bag down and took something out from one of them. Camila curiously looked as Raine opened the padded box and showed her a green egg with yellow spots.
Camila studied the egg for a second and then gasped as she looked at up Raine with her eyes shining.
"Is this…" the human gasped.
"That's right, it's a spidog," Raine finished warmly. "I thought since you have taken such an interest in beast-keeping, I got you this beginner beast so you could raise it. I even got a care kit and a cage for it."
Camila squealed excitedly and tried to grab the egg from the bard. Raine, however, gently pulled it away from the human.
"Now, now," Raine said gently. "A Spidog's egg is very fragile. So you need to handle it with care."
Camila took a moment to calm down and smiled at Raine. The bard returned the smile and handed her the egg. The human was gentle with it as she grabbed the bag with the care kit and made her way to her room.
"You're going to spoil that kid before we get her home," Eda joked lightheartedly.
"I know," Rain replied with a sigh, looking Eda in the eyes. "But I know you've seen it too. She's getting restless, and I'm afraid if we don't keep her busy, she will want to go out soon."
Eda frowned as she looked away from Raine. The bard noticed the sudden change in Eda's demeanor but let their girlfriend tell them on her own terms.
"...then you're going to hate what I'm going to ask you, Raine," Eda said in a moment of seriousness.
Raine frowned as they watched Eda head towards the kitchen. They followed after their girlfriend.
"Okay, Rainestorm," Eda said seriously, "I don't want to freak out with what I'm going to say…but I think we should take the squirt out tomorrow."
Raine's eyes snapped open for a split second and then narrowed as they glared at their girlfriend. Eda didn't falter under their partner's glare.
"Edalyn," Raine said in a harsh whisper, "Tell you're just joking."
Eda gave her partner a defiant look and crossed her arms over her chest. Raine sighed and pinched the bridge of their nose.
"Eda. I know you haven't forgotten that Camila is the target of a cult," the bard said lowly. "And you want to take her out tomorrow? What are you even planning?"
Eda shrugged and then went to the cupboard to get things to begin dinner.
"I figured she could help at my stand," the wild witch replied nonchalantly. "That way, I can work, and she could do some people-watching."
Raine stared at their girlfriend as they felt their blood start to boil. They tried to calm themselves by taking several deep breaths. It did little to stay off their anger, and they looked at Eda with a sharp glare.
"I know you know tomorrow is the start of the month," Raine stated slowly. "So. I got to know. How do you plan to keep an eye on Camila in a crowded market? Better yet, how would you keep Camila safe when cultists could be lurking around any corner?"
Eda was cutting meat for dinner, jabbed the knife into the cutting board, and glared at her partner. She grabbed a towel and wiped her hand as stormed up to Raine.
"And what are you doing, buster?" she asked sharply. "A spidog? Ha! Those things are the tamest creatures on the Isles. Once it hatches and imprints on the squirt, it would take no effort to care for it. Titan, it could clean its own sh-"
"I know!" Raine said, nearly screaming. "I had one when I was growing up!"
Eda scowled deeply and jabbed a finger into Raine's chest.
"I thought we were to keep our voices down so we don't unset the squirt again?" she asked pointedly.
Raine growled and took a step back. Eda, her point made, returned to making dinner. The bard walked over to the kitchen's island, took a seat, and stared out the window.
For nearly five minutes, neither witch spoke or looked at each other. Finally, Raine sighed and looked at their girlfriend.
"Please, Eda," they spoke softly. "You're smart enough to know better, so why take this risk?"
Eda was silent as she dumped some chopped veggies into a pot to boil. She went over to a cabinet and took out some booth cubes. She threw them into a pot and began stirring.
"Raine," Eda finally said, "I know what I'm asking is a bit much. But we can't keep that kid locked up. Wouldn't that make us just like those dorks that are after her?"
Raine opened their mouth to say something and closed it. They frowned as they chewed over their girlfriend's words. Yes, they were keeping Camila inside, but they were doing it to keep her safe.
But how was that any different from the cultists keeping the human hidden?
They sighed with defeat, unable to find fault with Eda's logic.
"Eda," Raine said softly, "If we do this, can I have your word that you would watch Camila?"
Eda stopped making dinner and walked over to Raine. She gave Raine an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"For once, Rainestorm, I wouldn't dream of letting you down," the wild witch said seriously.
Raine frowned at their girlfriend's words, which weren't all that reassuring. Still, they realized that Eda would probably take Camila out no matter what they said.
So, they decided to hold Eda to her word, no matter how transparent it appeared.
"I would hold you to that, Calamity," they said softly.
Eda smiled and then grabbed Raine by the hand. She pulled them to their feet and dragged them to the stove.
"Good," Eda said. "Now that that drama show is over, you can help me finish dinner."
Raine shook their head but began helping out with dinner.
(The Next day)
"Do I have to wear this?" Camila groaned as she looked at the cloak was wearing.
Eda looked at the human and offered her a grin.
"Sorry, squirt, I know the cloak isn't the highest fashion item out there, but it is needed," the wild witch explained lightheartedly.
Camila scowled at this but kept the cloak on as she looked away from the witch. Eda chuckled under her breath. She admitted, even if only to herself, the child was cute, especially when she got flustered.
The two reached the Bonesborough marketplace, and the witch and the human scanned the area.
Camila looked at the different witches and demons with curiosity and a bit of fear. There were so many of them, and she could feel some of her anxieties returning. She got a little closer to Eda and grabbed a handful of her dress.
Eda noticed this and gave the human child a pat on the pat, telling Camila she was there for her. She could feel the hold on her dress loosen a bit, and she took that as a win.
With the child's needs taken care of, she went back to looking for the ideal spot to set up her stand.
"A-ha!" Eda exclaimed when she found said spot.
She grabbed Camila by the hand and hurried over to the space. She growled when she saw someone else approaching the spot and made a quick spell.
A banner over the witch's head leaped off the bar it was hanging from and covered the witch. Eda grinned at this as they reached the spot. Eda next made another spell circle, and with a poof, an entire stand emerged from the bag she was carrying.
Camila couldn't help but be amazed by this as Eda ushered her into the back of the stand and gently placed her on a chair. The wild witch did spell circle, and a magical tether came out from it. The tether tied itself around one of Camila's wrists, and then the other end did the same for one of Eda's wrists.
The human scowled at the witch as Eda gave the tether a quick tug. She nodded at her work and then looked at the crowd.
Nothing happened for the first few minutes, and Camila quickly got bored. She looked over some of Eda's wares and frowned; she knew something of them, like an old radio. But thanks to the gasp in her memories, she couldn't place most of them.
"What do you sell?" the human asked her witch caretaker.
Eda gave the human a grin as she proudly proclaimed, "I sell human treasure!" She grabbed the radio and nearly shoved it into Camila's face. "Like this human box of mysteries! What could a human have hidden in this, and how do you open it to solve the mystery."
To emphasize her point, Eda tried to open the radio. Camila giggled as she watched the witch struggle in vain to open the human item.
"See!" Eda proclaimed.
"Can I see that?" Camila asked after another quick giggle.
Eda handed the radio over without much fuss, and Camila looked over the stand. She grabbed two pieces of the "human Candy?" and looked at the radio's back. She opened the battery slot and placed the batteries where they needed to go.
She put the object on the table and pushed up the antenna. She turned on the radio and began turning the dial. She was doubtful that she would find a radio station but was surprised when a voice came through the radio.
[This is Kenny-GX at BBWNS with the Morning Scare! And in honor of this time of mouth, how about a truly scarcely tone?]
Soon, the classic "Monster Mush" began playing, stunning the witch and human. However, it was long before the noise began to draw a crowd, with many inquiring about the uplifting melody.
Eda didn't waste time and went into "sellwitch" mode; she quickly and with a silver tongue began to push her wares. Camila didn't want to be left out of something that looked so fun, jumped in. She began telling the witches and demons about the items, with some of the descriptions more accurate than others.
With the human realm music adding a bit of an atmosphere, the human and witch tag-teamed the crowd, and soon most of the stand's items were sold.
"Well, I call that a good morning!" Eda proclaimed, grinning proudly at the human.
"It was fun!" the human agreed, smiling brightly.
Eda nodded and then looked at her stand. Looked like she needed to close the shop for a quick restock. She was about to put up her closed sigh when two witches came up to her.
"Oh, I heard this was a pretty mushing store, and just have to see it," one of the witches said in an upbeat tone. "Got anything smashing?"
Eda narrowed her eyes as the witch that just spoke began to look over the items, despite how few there were at the moment.
The wild witch was getting a weird feeling from these two and went to work. She put her hands behind her back and began making circles. The first spell she cast reinforced the tether that bonded Camila and herself together.
The next spell she made, she kept in the wings as the witch's eyes landed on Camila.
"What about this one," the witch said, pointing at Camila.
Eda cocked an eyebrow and exchanged looked with a confused Camila. She then looked back at the witch as she slowly brought the hand with the spell to her front.
"I may be a dirty con artist," Eda said in a rather casual manner, "But I put my foot down on witchling-trafficking."
Eda gauged the witch's reactions to her words and was surprised when he continued to have a casual air about him. That caused the wild witch's warning bells to blast at full power and, with a flick of a finger, sent the spell she had been keeping in waiting at the witch.
The witch didn't even notice the spell as he said condescendingly, "Oh, c'mon. You sell human junk, so why not sell the human to us?"
The witch quickly realized what he said and covered his mouth. The second witch looked at their friend with scorn and then turned to the Owl Lady. The witch started to make a circle, but Eda was quicker.
She slammed her hand on her table. The cloth covering the table jumped up and wrapped the two witches. Eda used this time to grab the human and bolted in a random direction. Suddenly, many cult witches appeared and quickly surrounded Eda.
"...I'm not going to hear the end of this from Raine," Eda growled as she readied herself for a fight.
(G Cover)
If you're wondering about the spell Eda used on the witch, it was a minor truth-telling spell. The way it works the one who had the spell on them would tell the truth the next time they speak.