Boscha was sleeping, not caring that it was almost 10 AM, when Luz burst in.
"Boscha, there's babies!"
Boscha shot up in shock.
"WHAT!?" She yelled, then saw the books in Luz's hands, "Uh... what's with the books?"
"Oh, Eda wanted me to take these books back to the magic library while she and King babysit some mutant babies for a bat queen in exchange for treasure." Luz chipperly replied.
Boscha needed time to blink and process the fistful of information her sister had just shoved into her brain. "I... I need to see this for myself."
After getting ready for the day, Boscha came downstairs to see the situation unfolding just as Luz had told her. She looked at the sleeping bat children, then to the Owl Lady. "Geez, Eda, you'll just let anybody in this house, won't you?"
"Meh heh heh." Eda mocked. "Y'know, these kids might like to have a shiny new ball to play with."
"DIBS!" Luz excitedly interjected.
"... Luz... maybe not the best idea." Boscha said.
"She's got a point, kid." Eda agreed. "You were supposed to return those books for me. Matter of fact, Triclops, why don't you go with her, keep her out of trouble and such?"
"To a library?" Boscha freaked. "Are you high?"
"I can handle a few lousy books myself!" Luz loudly insisted.
The sisters' noisy protests woke up the little bat babies. Their cries shook the entire house. So much so that it began to crumble slightly.
"Then again, you can never be too careful these days." Boscha wasted no time heading for the front door.
"Yeah, parenting sure looks rewarding! Enjoy your life lesson!" Luz was right behind her.
They closed the door before Eda could protest.
'... Fuck.' Eda thought, regretting her decision.
"Are you sure you and your 'Weak nerd arms' can handle this?" Boscha asked, seeing Luz struggle to hold up the large stack of books.
"I got this... don't... worry." Luz said, vividly sweating while trying to carry them, "I'm... almost as strong as you are, aren't I?"
Boscha looked unimpressed and took the books. She held them with one hand.
"You have super strength, that's not fair." Luz said.
"Complain all you want, I don't know where I'm walking and you don't have the strength to carry these." Boscha said, "So lead the way, and I'll carry them."
Something would soon seem off about Boscha, and Luz was never one to stay quiet about it. "You okay, Hermana?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"You just don't seem like your usual, quick-tempered, aggressive self lately. You barely taunt Eda, and you're even oddly considerate to Hooty. You didn't get sick or anything, did you?"
Boscha understood her sister's underlying tone of concern. Thinking back to that night and seeing Luz's face frozen in fear caused her to shudder. "I'm fine."
"Mmm-hmm." Luz wasn't buying it.
"No, really. It's just been... I mean, making new friends, new demon powers... reconnecting with Skara... it's been a lot to take in."
"I guess." Luz still sounded a little skeptical.
Boscha would then try to redirect the trajectory of this conversation. "Oh! And how about Minty rampaging in her family factory?!"
"I KNOW, RIGHT?!" Attempt successful. "I have been SO worried about her after the Covention, but seeing her in action on that Penstagram thing was reassuring. She was just so amazing!"
"That girl is amazing... you should hit that." Boscha said, making Luz blush.
"What are you talking about!?" Luz said, her voice going a few octaves higher, "I don't think of Amity like that!"
"Luz... I have three eyes... I'm not blind." Boscha said.
"Only because you have contact lenses."
"... Okay, that's a low blow." Boscha said, "Just for that, you won't get any ball time."
"What!?" Luz was mortified at what she had heard, "C'mon, Bosch, it was only a little jab. No need to go overboard."
Boscha simply kept walking in the direction they were going.
"Boscha, you weren't serious, were you?"
Still she walked.
"Boschaaaaaa..."
At the Owl House, Eda was struggling with the kids, and as it turns out, King isn't good with kids either.
"Put me down at once!" The demon yelled to the bat child carrying him in its clutches as it flied around the room. "Your king commands it!"
"Ugh... I should've taken up Luz on that dibs thing." Eda said.
"Eda, help me!" King yelled, before the bat dropped him.
He landed on the couch thankfully.
"I hate this." He said.
Eda sighed as she was really out of her depth here, but then she saw something... Boscha's Phone.
'I... could call Camila.' Eda thought, 'She would know more about kids, plus she was a... something that deals with animals.'
She rushed to the phone in a futile attempt to navigate the myriad of apps while one of the bat babies rummaged around in her hair. "Come on... how the hell do you make a call on these things? And what's a "Netflix?!""
"Any time now, Eda!" King was fighting off the other two kids that apparently mistook him for a chew toy.
The Owl Lady swiped her finger every which way across the phone, praying to Titan that she can find the speaking function until... "Wait! There's a text option. Kinda like Penstagram."
"EEEEDAAAAAAAA!" King cried out as the kids dragged him into the shadows beneath the couch.
"Okayokayokay!" Eda hastily sent a text out. To her relief she got a reply saying to be ready with the portal in five minutes. She set it up inside the house, lest the kids fly off. Five minutes later, she flung open the portal. And through the door, satchel in hand, came...
"GABE?!" Eda was shocked to see Luz and Boscha's uncle instead of their mother, not to mention disappointed. "What are you doing here?! Where's Cami?!"
"Uhhh, hi?" Gabe responded. "I'm guessing Milly's at work. Now you said you need my help with some kids?"
"Noooooo!" Eda gave in to her despair. "I thought I texted Camila! I needed her help babysitting these bat kids! What can we do with you here instead?!"
"Okay, first, ow." Gabriel bemoaned. "Second, there's plenty I can do, seeing as how this kind of thing is right up my alley."
"Oh, right, because you're a... alchemist? No, biologist!"
The bat children that took King chased him back into the living room as the third emerged from Eda's hair. They took to the air, ready to swoop down at the new face. Gabe reached into his satchel and flung some unseen weapons at the three. Eda was startled by his action until she looked and saw the bat babies consuming yogurt tubes.
"No." Gabriel donned the shades that were on his head. "Because I'm an uncle."
Luz and Boscha arrived at the library, with Luz still trying to get Boscha to take back her threat.
"Luz, I really have to ask about your whole love of being turned into a ball. I can't stand it and you love it." Boscha said, holding the stack of books with a single finger, "Now would you please open the door?"
"Why, can't see it?" Luz asked, with a smirk... before being sent back down the stairs by a light kick from Boscha.
"Uh... sorry?" Boscha said, "Still not used to my strength... you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good... why are there three of you?" Luz asked.
"Oh, you know, it's just me, Boscha the triplet." Boscha said, helping Luz up, "Come on, let's go inside."
The two headed inside and the books started floating towards the front desk, seeing that it was the librarian that did it.
"Late, late, late." He said, before grabbing the book, "Coffee, grass, and Bloodstains... These are Eda's aren't they?"
"That obvious?" Boscha asked.
"OOOOH! Brainstorm!" Luz proclaimed. "Boscha, maybe we can find some info on Ifrits here!"
"Shhh!" Apparently, even demon realm librarians discourage noise.
"I... guess?" Boscha was reluctant to discover any more secret abilities of her kind, but perhaps she could better prepare for whatever's next.
Luz then began to drag Boscha into the library's shelves.
'Ugh... I hate libraries.' Boscha thought, 'I swear, Luz is going to get stuck in a book one day just because of how much she reads.'
The Noceda Sisters' trek through the library went as well as could be expected, given their track record in the Demon Realm. They were shocked by a flurry of papers when they tried to search the Demon Decimal System. Luz tried to catch a floating book only to be carried off by it. Then Boscha opened an ornithology book, releasing a flock of angry paper cranes that attacked her and Luz.
After evading the surprisingly dangerous cranes, the sisters' took a moment to catch their breath.
"Just when... I thought... I couldn't hate... libraries any more." Boscha wheezed.
"Don't... say that. " Luz sputtered. "Reading is... an adventure!"
"Uuuugh! You... call THIS an adventure?! Did Azura ever have to run from paper birds with sharp wings that excrete what I hope to God is white-out?" Boscha used a book to wipe the cranes' leavings off of her shirt.
Luz snatched the book from her and put it back. "Maybe not yet, but Mildred's not done writing the series so you never kn-"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
The mysterious voice startled the two, especially Luz. "Oh no! We're caught! Pretend to be a book!" She contorted her arms to assume a rectangular shape. Boscha just smiled and shook her head.
The Nocedas were then drawn to the sound of children's laughter. They looked around and discovered a "Kid's Corner" where the aforementioned children were all gathered listening to a story. And narrating that story...
"Amity?"
"Oh look, she's great with kids." Boscha said, "Again, you should hit that."
"Boscha, stop saying that." Luz said, blushing.
'Hhmm.. I wonder.'
Boscha took a step back and used the ball spell on Luz, except she did what Eda said and thought about something different. Luz was hit by said spell and a book titled, "Luzura" was in her place.
"You'll thank me for this later." Boscha said, kicking Luz over towards Amity.
""We just wanted to offer our help!" The poor little tin boy replied with a yelp." Amity kept reading, not noticing the Luz book kicked in her direction. One child with a face that looked like that Warden Wrath guy picked her up and started chewing on her spine.
"Ohhh, shit." Boscha cursed the lapse in her otherwise impeccable aim.
""We will assist you!"" The griffon said with a cluck. Otabin couldn't believe his luck. And so good Otabin, surrounded by friends sewed up his book, and that's the end." Amity closed her book as the children cheered. She dismissed the group, but noticed the kid with the giant maw chewing on a book.
"Hmm? Whatcha got there, Braxas?" Amity sweetly coaxed him into showing her the book. "Aw, Braxas, we already discussed this, didn't we? No chewing the books. Can I have it back, please?"
"SORRY, MISS AMITY." Braxas handed her the book.
"No harm done. I'll see you next time, okay?"
"YAAAYYYYY!" The demon child scampered off.
Amity looked at the book, wiping the drool off of it. "Huh, I've never seen this book before... "My Journey to Witchdom?" No author's name."
Boscha looked on from her hiding spot as the green-haired witch opened her... book-sister? Sistook? Novelluz? Whatever. She was about to start reading.
"It was another unremarkable day in the dreary town of Gravesfield, Con... Connect a cut? Hmm. My parents were alerted by the cries of an animal in pain. They found a rabbit in the woods caught in an illegal trap. Mom had gently cut the poor creature loose.
"What on eee-yarth is with all these traps lately?" My Mom asked, "I'm afraid to let our girl play outside at this rate, I don't need her to get hurt. She's too adventurous for a four-year-old."
"I know, and don't worry, I'll make sure no one hurts our little girl." Dad said.
Mom let out a small chuckle.
"Oh, please, you're a teddy bear." She teased. "You don't have a dangerous bone in your body. Come on, let's get home before our precocious daughter lets a rack-oon in... again."
"What can I say, she takes after me." Dad proudly stated.
"And that is both a blessing and a curse." Mom said.
The two walked back home, passing the old abandoned cabin. The two stopped when they heard small sobs, barely audible.
"Someone is crying." My Dad exclaimed. "We should go make sure they're okay."
"What if it's a trap?" Mom asked.
"Then I die doing the right thing." Dad wasn't deterred. "That's the only way I want to go.""
Amity seemed enthralled by the story that Luz inexplicably produced. She couldn't help but keep reading.
"Dad headed towards the cabin, with Mom following him. The two opened the door and saw a girl, no older than me, with their leg in a snare. The wire was digging into her skin, blood seeping from the wound. The girl also had a big black and blue mark on her head, roughly the size of a go-olf ball, indicating that she fell after getting stuck in the trap. Mom and Dad immediately went to help the girl.
"Sweetie, can you hear me?" Dad asked, kneeling in front of her.
The girl looked up, making the two parents surprised. The girl's skin was a light pink, her hair was a darker shade of pink, her ears were pointed, and most importantly, she had three eyes. The girl looked up and immediately got scared. She began pulling back from them, causing the trap to tighten and cause her more pain.
"G-g-get away!" The girl cried.
"It's okay, it's okay." Mom said, "We're not going to hurt you. We can help you.""
'Holy fuck.' Boscha thought as tears started to well up in her eyes. 'I didn't expect to hear the story of how Mom and Dad found me.'
Amity was still reading. ""She's clearly been through a lot." Mom comforted the strange girl. "Let's get her back home and see what she remembers."
"Good idea." Dad said, "Well... Luz always wanted a playmate."
"That's quite interesting- Wait, LUZ?! Shit! No wonder there's no author credited!"
Amity set the book on the floor and spun a golden spell circle, which reverted Luz back to her human self.
"Hey, Amity." Luz nervously waved to her.
"Luz! Are you okay?!" She already started coddling the human. "I am so, SO sorry! I didn't know you got hit with the book spell! I NEVER meant to violate your privacy like that! Who did this to you?!"
"Yo, Minty, don't get your leggings in a bunch." Boscha emerged from her hiding spot. "It was just a cute little way to get your attention."
"YOU?!" Amity stormed up to the three-eyed girl. "You did this to her?! Do you have ANY idea what that kind of spell does?"
Boscha's eyes wandered as she was thinking. "Uuuuhhhh, turn people into books?"
"And what do you think is in those books?!" Amity snapped at her. "When someone is hit with the book spell, the events of their life are written on the pages. Not to mention their deepest thoughts, secrets and fears! Anybody could have picked Luz up and stolen all her information! HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR OWN SISTER?!"
Boscha was flummoxed. She thought she would never hurt Luz so long as she didn't use her Ifrit abilities. It seemed like she couldn't do right by her sister at all. Maybe it was time to go.
"I didn't... forget it. I'm sorry. I'll see you back at the Owl House, Luz." With that, she sadly took her leave. She was dragging her feet down the hall when...
"You're not really gonna let her talk to you like that, are you?"
Boscha looked up and saw two teens, about a year or two older than her and Luz. They had dark green hair, skin the same color of Amity, and gold colored eyes.
'They are definitely twins.' Boscha thought.
"Can I help you?" Boscha asked.
"Sorry, we couldn't help but overhear Amity venting her spleen at you." The older girl explained.
"Yeah, the whole library couldn't help but overhear that." Her twin brother attested.
The older girl then made her introduction. "I'm Emira, and this is Edric."
"Oh, hi. I'm Boscha. Do you two work here?"
"Nah, we're just well-wishers on a mission. Check it." Edric pulled out a pink knapsack and held it up high. "HEY, MITTENS!"
Amity instantly cringed when she heard him.
"Who's Mittens?" Luz inquired.
"Mom said to stop forgetting your lunch at home!" Edric approached followed by Emira and Boscha. "And stop being such a bitch to your new friend."
Boscha started to fidget. "I don't think she considers me-"
"Never mind that." Amity ended that exchange on a purposefully vague note.
"Oh, so I'm guessing they are your siblings." Luz said.
"Yes we are." Emira said, "I'm Emira, this is Edric."
'Are their genes made of fucking snow, why does everyone in this family have the complexion of paper?' Boscha thought.
"I'm Luz. Luz Noceda." She cautiously shook their hands. "And Amity wasn't being... she was just being protective of me since I was under a book spell or something."
Amity looked away in embarrassment, but sported a tiny smile feeling flattered by Luz's words.
"Tell that to Mom." Emira groused. "Amity flat out destroyed Dad's inventions at last week's showcase."
Amity nervously tried to explain herself to Luz. "Well, you see... it wasn't like I... I'm not usually like th-"
"Yeah, we saw it on Penstagram." Luz addressed the twins. "It was totally awesome how she wrecked those robo-dogs."
"And I'd do it again." A sudden surge of confidence overcame Amity.
"Whatever. Just take your lunch." Edric tossed the knapsack at his little sister's feet."
"HEY!" Luz felt a little protective herself. "How is that attitude called for?!"
"Luz, don't bother, it's pointless to correct them, I've tried." Amity said.
"What? No!" Luz became even more indignant as she turned back to the twins. "It's just like Amity said before, you shouldn't treat your sister that way! Boscha and I made our mistakes, but we ALWAYS watch out for each other. You two keep letting Amity get hurt from those stupid weapon exhibits!"
"Well, we didn't exactly let her." Emira shrugged.
"And yet you didn't do anything to help." Luz said, giving her best disappointed mom tone.
"You don't know that." Edric argued.
"But she is right." Amity was quick to point out.
"I haven't even seen her without an injury from those stupid showcases!" Luz's words made Amity conscious of the bandages on her right arm. "What gives you two the fucking right to act all high and mighty to her?!"
"I think it's time we break this up, yeah?" It's not often Boscha had to be the voice of reason. She felt incredibly awkward standing between everyone.
Emira was the first to concede. "Okay then, Cutie." She said to Luz, whose blushing belied her anger. "We've finished our errand, anyway."
"I guess." Edric followed suit. The twins took their leave, and Boscha chose to escort them out of the library. This left Luz and Amity by themselves.
"Thank you, Luz, for standing up for me." Amity softly spoke. "You really didn't need to go that far for me."
"The hell I didn't." Luz was angrily staring in the direction the twins left from. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people piling on like that."
"You know, I don't think I've ever heard you swear before."
"Yeah, Boscha pretty much swears enough for the both of us." Luz's mood brightened as she turned back to Amity. "Plus, I refrain from it so that on the occasion I do curse, it'll have some significant impact."
Amity chuckled a bit. That sounded so much like something done in a story or something.
"I hope Boscha can handle them." Amity said.
"Boscha is tough as nails and puts up with basically nothing, she'll be fine." Luz said.
"I am SO, so, so sorry about Luz." Boscha practically groveled before Edric and Emira. "She's not always like that... She's actually never been like that. I've never seen her stand up to anybody like that before."
Ed had a bit of a laugh at that. "Hear that, Em? We're the first."
"Yeah, don't lose any sleep over it - Boscha, was it? - We've heard worse." Emira professed.
"Younger siblings can just be a pain at times, can't they?" Edric asked.
"Being an older sibling is the best thing that ever happened to me." Boscha said.
"Come on, isn't there times you just... wish you didn't have to watch over her?"
"I mean, sure it can be difficult at times." Boscha couldn't believe how timid she was acting. "But she, Mom and Dad have been there for me ever since I got lost in the Human Realm."
"She's human?" The twins were surprised at the notion.
Boscha started to sweat a little.
"So they're not a myth after all." Edric exclaimed.
"Are all humans that cute": Emira pondered.
The three-eyed girl then breathed a sigh of relief. "You guys have got to be the most easygoing people I've met in either realm"
"Life's too short to sweat other people's shit." Edric espoused. "Wanna hang with us tonight for the Wailing Star? Your sister can come, too."
"The what now?"
"The wailing star meteor shower, it's said to have a special effect on the library when it happens." Emira said.
"And we're going to see if that's true." Edric said.
"The library?" Boscha pondered. "Does it stay open at night?"
"Wellll..." Emira acted coy. "...there's a certain turn of phrase in the Demon Realm known as "break and enter.""
The three-eyed girl laughed at her naivete. "Yeah, we have a similar saying in the Human Realm. Luz and I aren't strangers to a little trespassing. I'm up for it, and I'm sure Luz will say "yes.""
"No."
"Oh, come on!" Boscha didn't anticipate having to badger her sister on their walk back to the Owl House. "I know we got off on the wrong foot with Ed and Em, but they're not all that bad."
""Ed and Em?"" Luz gave an incredulous sigh. "Since when do you sidle up to people like that?"
"Apparently, around the time you started confronting groups of older teens. What was that about?"
"You saw how they were treating Amity. How could I just let that shit slide?"
Boscha was starting to think they were in some kind of Freaky Friday situation. "I guess they had that coming. But ask yourself: W.W.A.D.?"
"Really?"
"You're the forgiving type, aren't you?"
"What? When did we establish this? When was this ever brought up in the entire series..." Luz paused to clear her throat. "...of events in our lives?"
"W.W.A.D.?" Boscha meekly rejoined.
"Well, she wouldn't just pass out forgiveness like free candy! I don't even recall those two apologizing to Amity for what they did. I'm not forgiving them until they earn it. THAT'S what Azura would do."
"All the more reason to come to the bawling star thingy. Maybe by then, they'll have had time to reflect on their actions and feel bad about them. And you can't tell me with a straight face that you're not interested in finding out if the star magic is real."
"You have just been fangirling over those two the whole time, haven't you?"
"No, I have some self respect." Boscha said, before changing the subject, "So... how badly do you think Eda is handling those babies?"
"Boscha, it's Eda... we both know she's probably drunk and letting the babies do whatever they want." Luz said, causing both of them to laugh, "Kind of feel bad for her in a way... if it wasn't for the fact that she's getting paid for this."
They had finally arrived at the Owl House, where they were faced with something unusual. The door was shaking, and the house demon's head was buried in the ground.
"Hooty?!" Luz called out. "What's going on?"
"DON'T SAY MY NAME!" Hooty re-emerged in front of them. "He's back! He's torturing the kids! HE'LL KILL US ALL... HOOOOOOT!"
Despite his warning, the Nocedas rushed to the door. When they opened it, they were surprised to see the bat babies darting all over the place. One of them started chasing their uncle, who ran for... wait, uncle?
"Tío?" The sisters were shocked to see Gabriel. No sooner had they noticed him than he was struck to the ground by one of the babies.
"TÍO!" They were even more shocked to see their uncle's body splayed out on the floor.
"HAHAHA! Now you're it!" King chortled from behind the couch.
"I'll get you for that!" Gabriel opened his eyes and spotted his nieces gawking at him. "Oh. Hey, chicas! How's your day been?"
"Good, we took books to the library." Luz said.
"I might've made some new friends." Boscha said.
"They're a bad influence on you." Luz said, turning her nose to the air, "Boscha I am very disappointed in you. I can't even look at you."
"Oh no... I might finally get my own room." Boscha said, with mock sadness.
"So, these kids..." Gabe cut to the chase. "Good-bad influence or BAD-bad?"
"Eeeehhh..." Luz had yet to make up her mind about the twins.
"Well, we only just met them, so we shouldn't jump to conclusions." Boscha uttered.
"Uh, you okay, Boscha?" Her uncle looked concerned. "I've never seen you go gaga for anybody like this."
The three-eyed girl had come to hate how easily Gabriel managed to see past her many facades over the years. "PFFT! I so am NOT going gaga."
"She's totally gaga." Luz butted in.
"Luz swore."
Before anyone could react to that, King ran up to the group "Hey, Uncle Human! What happened to our game?!"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." Gabe tapped his finger on the little demon's skull. "You're it!"
"WEH?!"
"No tag-backs."
"How do I ALWAYS fall for that?!" King moaned as he chased after the bat kids.
"Aw, so cute." Boscha said, "So, let's go get ready for our little night trip!"
"Boscha, no, you are not going to go hang out with them." Luz said.
Boscha gave Luz a look.
"1, You aren't mom. 2, I'm older. 3, I do not need your permission to go somewhere. 4..." Boscha said, performing the ball spell, "A ball isn't going to stop me."
Boscha lightly kicked Luz away and headed upstairs. The only two people that could turn Luz back was Eda and Boscha, and since Boscha wasn't going to, Eda was the only option, which wouldn't happen since she was currently MIA.
'I knew those two were a bad influence on her!' Luz thought, 'I can't even enjoy this because I'm angry!'
Gabriel could only watch in stunned silence as Luz rolled across the floor. For a while, at least.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Boscha headed back to the library after getting ready. When she got there she noticed that the Blights hadn't arrived yet.
"Huh, guess I have a minute to myself." Boscha said, "Wonder how Luz is doing. I feel a bit bad for doing that to her, but she shouldn't have tried to tell me what to do."
"You didn't kill her, did you?"
"BWAAAHHH!"
Boscha nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard that familiar voice. She turned around to see Edric and Emira standing by the library door.
"So, is Cutie not joining us?" Emira playfully mewled.
"No! And, uh, no. Luz couldn't make it. She had to... bounce. Heh heh." Boscha cringed internally. "So, how are we getting in?"
"Oh, we may have swiped something from our mother's office." Emira said, pulling out a scroll and unfurling it.
She walked up to it and put it against the lock. The paper disintegrated and the lock grew big enough to walk through.
And walk through they did. Once inside, Boscha shivered at the sight of the dark, cavernous library. She became jittery at the realization that she and the twins were alone in the building.
"Uhh guys..." She nervously reached out. "...could you excuse me a moment?"
Edric and Emira looked at each other in confusion, then gave her a nod.
With her thanks, Boscha took a few steps back, then a deep breath, then...
"FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
Her shout seemed to echo throughout the halls indefinitely. The Blights were understandably rattled by the sudden outburst. "Did you and Luz have some big fight today or something?" Edric wondered.
Boscha broke out of her cathartic haze. "Huh? Oh, that's not it. I always hated getting shushed in libraries back in Gravesfield. I wanted to do that for years."
"I get it." Edric sympathized. "I'm also incredibly allergic to the rules."
"And dairy." Emira added.
"Okay, so just... expose me."
"Luz is the same way." Boscha said.
That's when Edric pointed up.
"Hey look, I think that's the wailing star!"
"Are you sure?" Emira asked.
At that moment, a green, star-shaped celestial body shot across the sky outside the library, shedding stardust and emitting a melancholy sobbing noise.
"Pretty sure."
Boscha then noticed that the books started to glow green.
"Hey, check it out." She said, opening a book of extinct birds which made birds fly out.
"OH SHIT! The paper cranes! They tracked me down somehow!"
One of the birds perched itself on Emira's shoulder. "I think these are real flesh-and-blood birds." She deduced.
"Cool!" Edric exclaimed. "I wanna keep some of these as pets!"
His enthusiasm would come crashing down as Boscha closed the book, causing the birds that emerged from it to disappear.
"Hmmm... Let's see if..." Boscha wandered to another shelf and picked out a book titled "Splatterday the 14th." She opened it up, and a disheveled behemoth with a sports mask brandishing an axe burst out of the pages. She slammed the tome shut before they could bury the axe in her skull.
"Whoa-ho-ho-hooo." Adrenaline was racing through Boscha's vital organs. "I almost died."
"Looks like the Wailing Star's magic brings the books' contents to life." Edric pointed out.
Emira looked concerned. "Yeah. Opening any more of these things could be dangerous."
The three exchanged looks for a moment, then rushed off in different directions to find another book. For the first time in her life... Boscha was happy to be in the library.
Luz was played with by the babies, and while normally she would be happy about this, she needed to go to that library and... give Boscha a stern talking to... what? You think she was going to do something physical... Boscha can break someone's bones without trying and that was BEFORE she got super strength.
"I'm tiiirrrrred." King whined. "How long does it take for Eda to pick up some fanging rings?"
Gabriel chuckled as he passed the Luz-ball back to the babies. "How would I know? Ahhh, we gotta face facts, buddy, we've been played."
"Ugh. That sounds about Eda." The little demon flopped on the floor.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Gabriel answered rather impatiently. "Well, Eda you'd better have a good reason to uuuuhhhhh..." He was surprised to see that instead of the grey-haired witch, it was a shorter, green-haired witch that was at the door. "Wait, who are you?"
"Who are you?" Amity shot back. "This is the Owl House, isn't it?"
"Depends. Who wants to know?" Gabe still had a certain phobia about answering doors ever since Jacob Hopkins came knocking.
"Can I just speak to Luz, please?" Amity sounded urgent. "It's a bit of an emergency."
"Heard that one before."
"I'm a friend of hers."
"I don't remember seeing you at that Moonlight Conjuring."
"Just forget it!" Amity had clearly had enough. "If you see her, could you tell her that Amity Blight needs her help at the library?"
"Wait, as in... you?"
"Ugh, yes."
"Ohohooo." Gabe smiled mischievously. "So YOU'RE the girl that Luz can't stop talking about."
Despite still being a ball, Luz's embarrassment was great enough that her muffled scream could be heard by the other two.
"Luz?!" Amity ran up to the human ball, then swapped her out for an abomination ball that the bat children could play with instead. "Don't tell me Boscha did this to you!"
Luz did her level best to nod.
"Son of a lich!" for the second time today, Amity freed the human from her sister's enchantment.
Luz stood up and cracked her back.
"I'm more delicate than a basketball, Tio, there was no need to hold me so tightly." Luz said, before remembering, "Oh, shoot, the library! Amity, we need to get there!"
Before Amity could say something, Luz grabbed her wrist and started running in the direction of Bonesborough.
Boscha was looking at a fashion magazine, before looking at the twins open one and their clothes change to fancy clothes. Edric was in a dark teal vest over a white shirt with reddish purple pants, black books, a large white hat, yellowish orange belt and gloves, and a cape. Emira was in a dress that alternated between teal, dark teal, and yellowish orange, with white feathering collar along to top of the dress that covered her neck, along with reddish purple gloves that nearly covered her arms, black tights, and teal ballerina shoes with white balls on them, along with her hair being tied into a bun.
'Not bad.' Boscha thought, opening the magazine, 'My turn.'
She opened it and her clothes changed. She looked and saw herself in a pink and frilly princess dress that looks like something out of a Disney movie.
"Nope. Nope. Nope!" Boscha closing the magazine, returning her clothes to normal, "Tomboy. I don't do pink and frilly!"
"Too bad, it looked nice on you." Emira's remark caused Boscha to blush a bright red. Fortunately, a snowball would hit her in the face to cool her off. Now to find the jerk that threw it at her. Then to find out how the hell a snowball could hit her when it's still summertime.
It turned out Edric had a book titled "Mayhem on Snow Day." He opened it wider to fire a volley of snowballs at the girls.
Some evasive maneuvers later, Emira found a book with "Blizzard in Bonesborough" emblazoned on the cover. The second Edric walked into firing range, she opened her book, unleashing the eponymous blizzard. Both Edric and Boscha were blown back by the storm.
Boscha scrambled to her feet, then she searched for any winter-themed book she could find. Seeing a book with the vague title "Snowman's Land," she grabbed it and opened it up towards the twins. Apparently, the book was about surviving an avalanche, as evidenced by the enormous avalanche that buried the Blights. Luckily, Boscha had the presence of mind to shut the book, making the snow vanish. The three were panting heavily from their snow battle, then started laughing out loud before preparing for round two.
Boscha retreated to the Kids' Corner, thinking it made for a good choke point to defend against the twins, when she spotted the Otabin storybook that Amity was reading to those kids earlier.
She couldn't be bothered with that nonsense now. And yet, she felt compelled to read it.
"MAMA'S HOME EVERYBODY!"
The bat children began to cry as Eda announced her return. Kicking the door open didn't help matters, either.
"Agh! I had just gotten them to sleep!" Gabriel lamented.
"Way to go, "Mama."" King covered his ears as he stared angrily at the Owl Lady
"Well sorry, wasn't expecting them to be sleeping." Eda said, "Where are Luz and the other one?"
"Well, Boscha turned Luz into a ball, then left, then a girl named Amity came by and took
Luz with her to the library." Gabe said.
"Ah, so just another normal day here." Eda said, "Man, Bonesborough was a pain to get through, everyone wanted to get a look at the wailing star meteor shower tonight. Did you know my sister and I went to the library once during it, trying to get to the roof? Turns out it can affect the books."
"Affect them how?" Gabe wondered.
"It makes the books come alive." Eda explained.
Gabriel started to snicker. "Aw, you sound like Luz when she learned how to read."
"No, you dingus!" Eda berated. "The magic from the Wailing Star literally bring the contents of a book to life."
King came to a sudden realization. "And Luz and Boscha are there? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me."
"Aw, King, don't be so cynical." Gabriel then turned to Eda. "But, yeah, that could be a major problem. Not to mention we got these little guys to look after." He gestured to the three bat kids... and King.
"WEH?!"
"I know just how to handle these three..." Eda grinned somewhat menacingly as she pulled out a knife.
Gabe and King hugged each other in sheer terror. Eda flung an apple into the air, then with a glint in her eye and quick swings of the blade, it was cut into perfectly symmetrical pieces that fell perfectly onto the inexplicable plate in her hand.
"Apple slices and story time!"
Eda sat on the couch and opened the book.
"Okay, ya bunch of little freaks, sit down and shut up." Eda said.
'… What a woman.' Gabe thought.
Using her magic, Eda levitated a book into her hand. A little floppy-eared gremlin graced the cover.
"Otabin the Book Maker." She opened the book and started to read. "Otabin the Book Maker with needle and thread, loved to sew books, as he often said..."
"... He claimed there was no tear that he could not mend, save the one in his heart, as he longed for a friend." Boscha was reading the book on the table when suddenly, the eponymous Otabin rose from the pages with a timid but friendly "Friend?""
"Aw, aren't you a cute little shit." Boscha smiled softly. "Luz is gonna be sorry she missed this."
"Hey, Boscha!" Emira called out as she entered the Kid's Corner.
Boscha slammed the book she was reading. "None of your business! Get of my back!"
"Huh?"
"I mean, what can I do for you?"
Edric caught up, holding a book and pencil. "Check out what we just discovered!" He opened the book to a page with a picture of a duck, summoning said duck before him.
"Ehhh, coooool. A duck." Boscha tried her best to sound supportive.
"But wait, there's more!" Edric drew a pair of giant, thick, hairy legs on the picture in the book, resulting in the "real" duck gaining a similar pair of its own. The poor little water fowl was understandably agitated.
"Whoa! Okay, now that is cool!" Boscha enjoyed the spectacle.
Edric ran up to her, handing her the pencil. "Now you try!"
"Eeehhhh..." The pink-haired witch opened the book to see the innocent visage of Otabin. It made her think of Amity, as well as Luz's reaction to her reading the very story she held in her hands. She couldn't bring herself to deface the little guy. Now she had to play it cool. "I can't think of anything. This guy's giving me zilch to work with."
"Here, let me!" Edric scribbled some monstrous features on Otabin. As soon as he finished, a giant clawed hand surged from the book. Who knows what would have followed if Boscha didn't immediately close the book.
"Yeah, one surprise monstrosity is enough for me tonight." She picked up another book when a sudden burst of inspiration struck her. Thinking of a certain someone, she lovingly drew a picture of Skara. Lovingly, but not skillfully, as when she set the open-faced book down, what emerged wasn't Skara, but a hideously-twisted, anatomically-skewed version of her. Everyone screamed in terror as it crawled its way towards them.
"Dear Titan, what have you done?!" Emira screamed.
"HHHRRRGGHH...GAAAARRRRRGLLLLLE..." The work of what could loosely be described as art attempted to speak. "K...I...L...L...M...E..."
"KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Edric sobbed as it reached its hand out.
Boscha snapped out of her hysteria at the sound of the F-word. "Now there's an idea." One spell circle later, the book was immolated and the tortured existence of the distorted Skara came to a merciful end.
"Oh, man..." Edric tried to catch his breath. "I think I just shat out my heart!"
"I'll certainly have some interesting stories for my therapist next week." Emira added.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Boscha awkwardly blurted. "Luz is the real artist in the family."
"Whatever. It's time to get to the real reason we're here. C'mon" Emira ushered Boscha away from the Kid's Corner,
Unbeknownst to anybody, the Otabin book was knocked over in the altercation, and that clawed hand reached out once more.
(Line Break)
Amity practically kicked the library doors open. She was MAD... and Luz kinda liked it.
'It's lust not love, it's lust not love, it's lust not love.' Luz kept thinking.
She was Bisexual, honestly it was obvious to anyone reading this story, but she didn't think someone as cool as Amity could love someone like her. She was knocked out of her thoughts as Amity started to get further ahead of her.
"Fucking book and ball spell, she's not the only one that knows transformation magic." Amity mumbled, "Going to turn her into a doormat and my siblings into something far worse."
Luz took time from observing how cute Amity is when she's angry. "Should we split up and search for them?"
"I suppose we could-" Upon venturing further into the library, the young Blight looked on in horror at the mess that Boscha and the twins had made. "Those motherfuckers! Forget transformation, I'm going to fill their stomachs with abomination and use it to floss their digestive tracts!"
"Count me in on that. These innocent books will be avenged!"
Amity couldn't help but admire Luz's enthusiasm for books. The two agreed to split up and search.
Boscha and co. arrived to a shelf in the romance section. Boscha reminisced about her and Luz's trips to the library back in Gravesfield and how Luz would sneak a peek at the romance novels when she thought no one was looking. Emira tilted a particular book in the shelf, causing it to open up and reveal a secret room.
"Jinkies." Boscha said almost unconsciously. "You guys have a hideout in the library of all places?"
Edric laughed at the notion. "Yeah, right! "Uhhh, teacher? I'm in love with a dictionary!""
""I practice the dork arts!"" Emira mocked. "No, this is Amity's secret room."
"For real?" Boscha looked around the room until she noticed a familiar but unwelcome sight. "Oh, no. "Good Witch Azura?" you guys get these here, too?!" She took a closer look. "Huh, no volume five. Still, Luz'd probably propose to Minty on the spot if she knew about this."
"Well, that's not the book we're interested in." Emira confessed.
"Hm?"
"Somewhere in this room is where Mittens keeps her diary." Edric had already begun looking.
"And we're going to post its pages all over Hexside." Emira added.
Boscha was surprised at them. "Wait, isn't that a bit much?"
"That's the idea." Edric checked book after book, discarding them on the floor. "Amity's always taken herself too seriously, but lately, she's gotten really full of herself."
"You saw the damage she did to our parents' factory." Emira implored. "And she wasn't exactly courteous to you today."
"I don't know..." Was Boscha seriously considering helping them?
Edric took a moment to "reason" with her. "We admit, it sounds cruel, but this is for her own good. We gotta do this to keep her in check, otherwise she could go haywire and cause even more destruction. You don't want Luz-Luz to get caught up in that, do you?"
Ordinarily, Boscha would go up to anyone who would drag Luz into a conversation like that and slap her sister's name out of their mouths, but the new, subdued Boscha was becoming far too amenable to the suggestions of others. "I... guess not."
"Where would Mittens keep her diary in here?" Emira pondered.
Boscha looked back at the Azura book collection. "Well, if she's anything like Luz..." Boscha looked at the enshrined collection when she noticed something that seemed out of place. She pulled out a book with Azura on the cover, only drawn in a different style.
"You think this is it?" She asked the twins.
Emira smirked maliciously. "Oh, I do indeed."
"BOSCHA!"
"Shit! We're busted! Pretend to be a book!" The three-eyed girl was so startled that she flung the diary in the air, spilling its pages all over the room.
As each page hit the floor, a small version of Amity emerged dictating the words written upon them.
"I saw the human again today. I should be keeping my distance, keeping her away from my family's baggage, but there's something about her..."
"Why can't I stop thinking about Luz? What is wrong with my brain?!"
"Edric and Emira are such assholes!"
"I can't put my finger on it, but there's something familiar about Boscha."
"I got sent to the principal's office for cursing at Hermonculous again."
"Sorry I haven't written in a while. Wait, why am I apologizing?"
Boscha scrambled to gather the pages when she caught sight of her sister standing in the doorway, furiously glowering at her.
"Luz?!"
"The book spell incident was one thing, you didn't know what you were doing..." Luz's fury built up with each word. "But now you're stealing other people's diaries? Do you have ANY respect for the privacy of others!?"
Boscha's head was spinning from Luz's admonishment. "I-I-I know how this looks, but Ed and Em said-"
"And YOU two!" Luz turned her anger on the twins. "I heard the bullshit you were filling Boscha's head with. After everything she's been put through, you'd still do something so mean to your own sister?!"
Emira tried to placate her. "Look, Cutie, what goes on in our family is none of y-"
"DON'T "CUTIE" ME!" Luz's blush couldn't mask her disdain this time. "You two think you're such hot stuff, but you're no better than the jerks at my old school. It's a genuine wonder why Boscha hasn't put you in the ground yet. Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves!"
"Wait, how did you break the ball spell?" Boscha asked.
"That would be where I came in." Amity walked up next to Luz. "I should've known you'd try to get in here, but I guess I had a small hope that you two had some sense of decency. Shows what I know, huh?"
"Oh, get off your high snorse, Mittens." Edric chided. "The way you've been acting, you could stand to be knocked down a peg or two."
Amity chuckled. "You'd have to build me up a peg to accomplish that. Y'know, I was thinking of ways to punish you, but you wouldn't learn anything. You never do. So what's the point?" She was fighting back tears at that point. "Now get the hell out of my room. ALL of you!"
"Once again, Amity ruins the fun. Let's go." Emira walked out in a huff, followed by Edric, Boscha and Lu- hang on.
"Oh, not you, Luz. You stay." Amity lightly held Luz's shoulder before she realized what she had just said. "I mean, only if you want to, of course. You can stay or go... Not-not that you need me to tell you that... I... I'm so very sorry."
"Sorry? For what?" Luz asked.
"You keep getting pulled into my family's drama. I wanted so badly to not let that happen, but no matter hard I try, you always seem to get caught in the crossfire."
"So, stop trying."
"What?!"
"If I'm gonna get roped into your family's biz no matter what, you should at least get a friend out of the deal."
"Luz..." Amity tried once more to keep from crying.
Suddenly, the two heard heavy breathing in the distance. They left the room to see what was happening. That was when they noticed a pair of glowing eyes staring right at them.
Boscha and the twins made their way the library entrance feeling somewhat deflated.
"Titan, Amity can be a buzzkill." Emira griped.
"Maybe some goblin tipping would soothe our nerves." Edric suggested. "You in, Boscha?"
Boscha looked back at the library. "I... No. I should get back to Luz. I can't leave things like this."
Emira was taken aback. "You really want to go back there just to get screamed at by our psycho sister?"
"Maybe she'd be less... "psycho" if you guys... kind of... didn't, uh, pull this kind of stuff on her? I mean, before today I've known her to be pretty nice to me and Luz."
"She just puts on that performance for the sake of her popularity." Edric pointed out. "If she really was that nice, she would've stayed friends with Willow."
"She is friends with Willow." Boscha blurted out.
The twins were shocked at first, but quickly became skeptical. "Wait, how would you know that?" Emira asked.
"When Luz and I first saw them, they were hanging out and enjoying themselves. Then some kids came along, and they pretended to fight each other."
"Wait, all those times she bullied her were just an act?!"
"Yeah, and honestly, it's concerning how many people here can't see through it."
But why would they?" Edric wondered. "If they're still friends, why go to so much trouble to hide it?"
Boscha became a little more sympathetic towards the two. "Because your mom told Minty to cut ties with Willow by threatening the plant girl's family."
"There's no way!" Edric said.
"And yet..." Emira was starting to put the pieces together. "We should go home, Ed. There's a lot we need to mull over."
"Yeah. Later, Boscha."
The trio then heard a scream.
"That's Luz!" Boscha said, running back towards her and Amity.
Boscha ran through the library, until she came upon the secret room... which was now empty.
"Where did they go!?" Boscha yelled, throwing the discard diary pages around, as if they were somehow under them, "LUZ!?"
She heard another faint scream, coming from the children's area.
"Don't worry, Luz, I'm coming!"
In the children's area, Amity and Luz were nearly completely sewn into a book, with just their heads being the only things that wasn't sewn in yet.
"Let me go!" Luz said, "I like being a ball, not a book!"
"Betrayed by my childhood hero." Amity bemoaned. "I always imagined Otabin would be my friend."
"FRIENDSHIP IS WHAT I ,TOO, HAVE SOUGHT." The monstrous Otabin exclaimed. "AND NOW, TWO FRIENDS MY CLAWS HAVE CAUGHT."
Luz was angered by his boasting. "You can't just force people to be your friends! I mean, we all deserve love, but none of us are entitled to it."
"Aww, that was kinda nice." Even in mortal danger, Amity's kind words couldn't stop Luz from blushing.
"LUZ! MINTY!"
"BOSCHA!" Luz responded to her sister's cry. "WE'RE IN THE KIDS' CORNER!"
Boscha, Edric and Emira all showed up to see the scene unfolding, as well as the monstrous Otabin.
"What in the... Isn't that the Oat-bin guy?" Boscha asked in equal parts fear and confusion. "How'd he get so damn big?!"
"Some jerk drew over him in his book." Amity gestured to said book resting in a cavity in Otabin's torso featuring the offending drawing in question.
"Edric did it!" Boscha and Emira were quick to point that out.
"WHA-?!" Edric reeled from the betrayal.
Luz's patience was running out. "Hey! Never mind who did it! Let's focus on undoing it!"
"Right!" Boscha turned to Edric and Emira. "Hey, Teal Twins, cover me! I'll free the others!"
She didn't wait for an answer, as she already dashed for the giant book. The twins conjured some giant shackles to hold Otabin in place. Boscha looked at the girls stuck in the book and how the parts of them sewn into the pages were two-dimensional. After a moment of contemplation, she started pulling on the threads holding Amity to the page.
"You're freeing me first?" Amity asked. "I thought you'd get Luz out before me."
Boscha kept pulling the thread as she answered. "I gotta make sure it's safe to do this. It could kill you for all I know."
"WHAT?!
Fortunately, it didn't kill Amity and actually set her free. The two then practically had a race to get to Luz, but before they could free her completely, Otabin had overpowered the twins and flung them by the shackles they tried to hold him with. Edric and Emira crashed into everyone else, knocking them into a bookshelf and burying them in a giant pile of literature.
Otabin retrieved his book, Luz still trapped within. He had also seen the incapacitated twins, then decided two Blights were better than one and took them as well. Luz could see Boscha getting to her feet and called to her.
"BOSCHA! Help us!"
The Ifrit witch didn't need to be told twice. With the spin of her finger, she took aim, then she saw her sister. Her face frozen in fear. That look in her eyes. The look that Boscha had caused too many times. She couldn't finish the spell circle before her finger started to shake.
"Boscha? BOSCHAAAA!"
Luz watched her sister standing in place with a look of shock on her face as Otabin carried her away.
"LUZ!"
Amity had also recovered and tried to catch up, but couldn't see where Otabin had went. She then turned to the paralyzed Boscha.
"What the hell is your problem?!" Amity snapped at her. "You just let your sister get taken! Where was that witch who took me on at the Covention? The one who'd do anything to-"
Upon closer inspection, she noticed the haunted look in Boscha's eyes as well as her shortness of breath. "I... can't." Was all the three-eyed girl could muster.
"What...are... " Amity was caught off guard, to say the least. "What happened to you? Why are you so afraid of Otabin of all things?"
Boscha seemed to collect herself as she lowered her arm. "No. Not Otabin. I'm... I'm scared of accidentally hurting Luz?"
"What do you mean?"
"Since I grew up in the Human Realm, I've had to learn my magic the hard way. It scared Luz when I first used a fire spell, so much so that she wouldn't get too close to me. Now that my Ifrit powers are developing, I'm more of a danger to her. She burned her damn hands on my arm when she was trying to help me. I don't want to get her hurt again, but I don't know what to do."
Amity was moved by Boscha's confession. She wanted to help her help Luz -mainly just help Luz- and she needed an edge against Otabin. That's when she remembered their altercation earlier in the day and got a dangerous and stupid idea.
"Hit me with the book spell."
Boscha stared at her dumbfoundedly.
"You know, so we can use the Wailing Star magic!"
"I... don't get..."
"If I'm under the book spell, all my deepest thoughts and feelings will be written on the pages. Then we can use the Wailing Star's magic to manifest those thoughts into something that can help Luz... and Ed and Em if we have time."
"But, you said it's a serious invasion of privacy."
"ARGH! Forget what I said and do what I say!"
Time was running out for Luz, and Boscha didn't really have any better ideas, so here went nothing. With the twirl of her finger, Boscha cast the book spell on Amity, and in her place sat a book titled "Let the Blight One In." As Amity predicted, her book self was affected by the Wailing Star's magic as it began to glow green.
Boscha carefully opened the book, but was knocked back when a giant arm emerged from it's pages. The floor was then imbued with that same green glow, and what arose was a colossal and powerful Amity, adorned in the attire of a supreme witch (Or her best interpretation as such. The cat pauldrons were a weird touch.) Boscha couldn't believe what she was witnessing.
"Holy shit... Big Gay." Boscha said.
Amity rolled her glowing magenta eyes.
"Pick me up and don't close me, we have to find Otabin." Super Amity said.
Boscha picked up the book and got onto Super Amity's shoulder.
"Okay, let's go!" Boscha said.
Otabin had stopped by the entrance to the Library, with his book in hand. He reopened it and looked at his victims. As he was fleeing, he had sewn most of Emira and Edric into the book and was looking to finish his job.
"W... we can talk about this, right?" Luz asked, "... Please?"
"Or could you at least put me and Ed on separate pages?" Emira complained as she saw Edric's arm stitched over her own. "I'd rather not be stuck to him forever."
"NO!" Edric cried out. "I don't want to be alone forever!"
"OTABIN IS FRIEND TO ALL GIRLS AND BOYS..." The fictional monstrosity addressed the twins, "...BUT I'LL TEAR YOU APART IF YOU KEEP MAKING NOISE."
Everybody remained quiet as Otabin resumed his work. Fortunately, the awkward silence didn't last long as it was broken by a booming noise that thundered throughout the building.
"Hey, don't look at me." Edric contested.
Another thud reverberated across the halls. Then another, and another, and another. Each one becoming progressively louder. Before long, the foursome beheld the colossal Super Amity standing before them.
"Be still my two-dimensional heart." Needless to say that Luz was in awe of her friend's new form.
Otabin was not as impressed. He immediately went on the offensive, hurling his giant needle with thread still attached at Amity. But with a gesture, the giant witch redirected the needle and thread. She used the thread to bind Otabin, and the needle to anchor him to the wall.
"Amity, that was awesome! You're the coolest!" Luz's praise caused Amity to pull the brim of her giant witch's hat over her face to hide her blushing.
Emira's patience was starting to run out by that point. "Hey, Mittens! Knock off the flirting and get us out already."
Her little - albeit gigantic - sister scowled at her for an uncomfortable amount of time, then picked up the book that Luz and her siblings were sewn into.
"Or, y'know, whenever you're ready." Emira's tone improved dramatically.
Edric began to freak out when Amity's hand reached out to them. "Mi- Uh, Amity? I know you're well within your rights to kill us, but PLEASE don't kill us!"
The twins shut their eyes, preparing for the worst. Amity, meanwhile, pulled the thread that held Luz to the book and held out her giant hand for her friend to climb on to.
"Third dimension, how I've missed you." Luz looked over her arms and legs to make sure everything was still working.
"Luz, are you okay?" Amity softly spoke to her.
"Am I ever." Luz blurted out as she reached out and touched the super witch's nose. "How the heck did you manage to pull this off?"
Amity smiled at the human's reaction. "It's a long story. Literally. But for now, let's get you out of the library while I take care of Otabin."
"Wait, what about the twins?" Boscha interjected. "You're gonna free them too, right?"
Super Amity stared impassively at her siblings, relishing in their wretched state. But one pleading look from Luz was enough to move her. "Oh, all right. Hold still, you two."
As Amity was busy freeing the twins, Otabin had freed himself. Noticing some spilled ink on the ground, he dipped his clawed finger in it and etched a "x2" next to his defaced picture in the book he still held. This caused him to double in size, putting him on even ground with Amity.
Boscha noticed the hulking Otabin heading for them. "Oh, shit! Minty, we have a new problem!"
Amity noticed just too late as she was tackled by the enormous fictional character. She accidentally dropped the giant book, but had the wherewithal to put Luz on the brim of her hat.
"Hold on tight, Luz, this is gonna get rough!" Amity told her friend as she started to grapple with Otabin.
Boscha meanwhile rushed to the book.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" Boscha said, bringing her claws out.
The twins looked scared.
"Uh... in one piece, right?" Emira asked.
"... Sure."
Amity had gotten up and threw a punch at Otabin, knocking him back. Amity then grabbed him by the ears and did what could only be described as a Judo throw.
"Woah, that's awesome!" Luz said, "I really wish I joined Boscha's martial arts class now!"
"Luz, not that I don't love you geeking out over this, I am trying to focus." Amity said, as Otabin got back up, "We have to find way to get rid of the drawing."
"Like an eraser?" Luz tried her damnedest not to sound like a complete smartass.
Amity groaned as she was caught in another grappling match with Otabin. "I mean, yeah, but how can we get him to hold still long enough to use one."
"WHILE THERE IS NO TEAR I CANNOT MEND..." Otabin spotted Luz atop Amity's hat, "...SCREW IT! YOUR LIVES ARE AT AN END!"
He took a deep breath and blew a gust of wind strong enough to knock Luz back. She barely had time to grab on to the edge of the brim before she could fall off the hat entirely. Amity saw her dangling from the corner of her eye.
"LUZ!"
She pushed Otabin back to buy time to rescue the hapless human. And while she did, she gave the gargantuan bookmaker the opening he needed to knock her down. With a punch to the head, Amity fell back, but had the presence of mind to cup her hands around Luz to keep her safe.
The shockwave of the fall rattled Boscha and knocked her down before she could finish freeing the twin Blights.
"Come on, Bosch, you're almost there!" Emira cheered. "Just tear the thread holding our arms together!"
Boscha was more concerned with Luz and Amity knocked down and Otabin moving in for the kill. That old fear of accidently hurting her sister weighed on her mind, but she powered through and found something to arm herself.
"MAKING FRIENDS, TAKING FRIENDS, RENDING, TEARING, BREAKING FRIENDS!" Otabin savored his encroaching victory as he slowly raised his clawed hand.
Luz's head popped out from a gap between Amity's fingers. "You fiend! You can't rhyme "friends" with "friends!""
Otabin just sneered as he was about to claw his victims.
"HEY, OATMEAL TIN!"
"?!"
"CHECK YOUR-SHELF!"
Boscha armed herself with an entire bookshelf, which she hurled like a shot put. The shelf broke over Otabin's face and fazed him enough for Amity to get back on the offensive.
"¡Gracias Hermana!" Luz waved to Boscha from the palm of Amity's hand.
The super witch waved her free hand, summoning stalagmites jutting diagonally from the floor to keep Otabin trapped. "Titan... Malphas is gonna kill me."
"Who?" Luz wondered. "I mean, I've got an idea! Amity! When I say, can you carry me to his book?"
"But how can I get you over there if I'm tangling with Otabin?"
"Leave it to me!" Luz took out a glyph. "I've got a bright idea."
"I think I can help with that." Amity put her other hand over the one holding Luz, then cupped them together, making an opening through her fingertips aimed right at the fictional monstrosity.
"Nice!" Luz slapped her hands together, activating the light glyph. "Say cheese, you fart-catcher!"
Light poured from her and Amity's hands creating a luminous beam that nailed Otabin in the eyes. The monster staggered as he rubbed his eyes.
"Amity! Now!"
Amity's hand surged forward, putting Luz within reach of the book. Never without a pencil, she fished one from her pocket. She noticed the "x2" that Otabin wrote on his book. With a simple stroke of the pencil, Luz changed it to a "x-2," which reduced the bookmaker to half his original size.
This worked for Amity as she then grabbed him by the head and lifted him up, before slamming him down into the floor. This seemed to knock him out for a bit, which allowed Luz to jumped down and start erasing the drawing that Edric did.
'Please work, please work, please work.' Luz thought.
Luz managed to erase the drawing and Otabin returned to normal. Luz then fell to her knees, the adrenaline having worn off.
"Oh, thank Christ... I am very tired." Luz said, "I think I'm... just going to... lay here."
Luz fell onto her back and started snoring. Boscha went up to her, carrying Amity.
"Well, Blight, looks like she's out for a bit." Boscha said, as she started closing Amity.
Before she could, however, the book flew out of her hands and into Amity's, who tucked it under her hat.
"Hey, Mega Minty, fight's over." Boscha had a sinking feeling things were going to go south.
Amity gently scooped the slumbering Luz into her giant hand. She then spun the smallest spell circle to conjure up a cushion and blanket for the human to sleep in. She nearly melted at the adorable sight. After a while, she walked over to the library doors -nearly stepping on her siblings along the way- and sat down, blocking the exit.
"Watch where you're going, Mittens!" Emira yelled.
"Didn't you close the Otabin book?" Edric asked as he lifted his arm that was still sewn to that of his sister. "Why isn't this going away?"
"I'm keeping the magic going." Amity informed them. She lifted her finger, which began to glow red, then pressed it on the floor. The crimson light crept across the inside of the building. Edric and Emira recognized this spell all too well.
Edric had to confirm his suspicion. "Isn't that-?"
"Yup." Amity smirked. "I'm sealing you all inside. You have a hell of a lot to answer for. ALL of you."
"Ah, shit." Boscha had already submitted herself to her fate.
Emira hadn't. "What are you doing? You need to zap this mess clean or whatever before we're caught!"
Amity leaned forward, nearly meeting the three face-to-face. "No. You do it."
"WHAT?!" The twins were shocked, to say the least.
The super witch sat back up and lifted her hand. Lightning erupted from it, barely avoiding her siblings and Boscha.
"Did I stutter?" Amity was enjoying lording her power over the two that had antagonized her for so long. "You'd better clean this whole mess if you don't want to be stuck like that forever. And no illusion magic covering everything up, or I'll know."
"Oh, come on!" Emira just wouldn't stop with the protests.
She would reconsider when a huge noise got her attention. She turned to see Boscha lifting an entire shelf. "Just do it already. After what we did, it's the least we can do."
Arguing with a giant super witch was one thing, but the twins weren't going to quarrel with a super-strong Ifrit-witch on top of that. And so, they began cleaning.
"And try not to make too much noise, would you?" Amity taunted. "Luz is trying to sleep."
The night sky was receding, welcoming the new day. Edric and Emira lurched down the library steps as they were feeling a sense of exhaustion they could never have conceived before today. At the very least, they were no longer stuck together.
Amity, Luz and Boscha exited the library as well, with the former locking up behind them. Boscha was dead tired as well, but her natural athleticism wouldn't allow her to fall to the ground.
"Man, what a crazy night, huh, Boscha?" Luz, on the other hand was fresh as a daisy. "Didn't I tell you that reading was an adventure?"
"Uhhh-huh..." Boscha groaned. "Never wanna go on a ffffuckin' adventure again."
Amity simply smiled. "Well, the unfathomable power was nice while it lasted."
"And seriously, Minty, I'm really sorry for acting like the dumb kid in an after-school special. Can't believe I let those two talk me into this shit."
"Well, at least you owned up to it, which is more than can be said for Ed and Em."
"Still, if there's anything I can do to make it up t-" Boscha suddenly remembered what she saw in Amity's secret room and got an idea. "Hey, Luz, you got your bag with you?"
"Yyyyeahhh." Luz held her bag out. Boscha rummaged around in it until she found what she wanted.
"Hey, Mi- er, Amity, I saw that one book collection you had in your hideout and I noticed it was missing something," Boscha held up the fifth volume of the Good Witch Azura series.
"There's a fifth book?!" Amity geeked out.
"YOU like "Good Witch Azura," too?!" Luz also geeked out.
Boscha looked to her sister. "Hey, Luz, can she borrow this for a while?"
"YES! Yesyesyesyesyes!" Luz excessively nodded her head.
Amity took the book into her hands. "Thank you. Both of you."
Amity walked away with the book.
"You had character development." Luz said, excitedly.
"No, I almost had my own room." Boscha said, "I know I joke about you getting trapped in the books you read... I don't EVER want to see you end up as an actual drawing in a book!"
"Not like I chose to." Luz said, "Hey, if I actually got trapped in there, do you think I would change if someone wrote in that book?"
Boscha grabbed Luz by her cat hood and started pulling her away.
"We're not going to test that." Boscha said, "It'll be a cold day in hell before I come back here."
The Noceda sisters arrived back at the Owl House, where it was clear that the others had their own character development, as Eda was sleeping on the couch with the bat babies sleeping in her arms, with King sleeping next to her.
"Aw, look at that." Luz said, "Wonder if Tio went home."
"Probably, I don't think he'd stay and watch people sleep." Boscha said, "... You know, after Mom smacked him for doing that before."
"If he wasn't a biologist, that'd be very creepy." Luz said, before the door opened with a loud thud, "Hooty, quiet!"
Then a large... bat creature... came through the door.
'Holy fuck.' Boscha thought, 'This world just keeps getting stranger and stranger.'
"Woah, you must be mama." Luz said.
"Yi Yi. Mama is I. And I is the Bat Queen." Bat Queen said, before whistling.
The baby bats woke up and flew at Bat Queen, going into her hair.
"Aah! Snuggle dumplings." She said before throwing up a chest, "For Troubles. Eda is owed one."
The Bat Queen left the house and flew away. Boscha waited a few seconds before stuffing some of the gold coins into her pockets.
"Boscha!" Luz said.
"Luz, we just went through hell, we can take a bit." Boscha said.
Eda began to wake up, making Boscha book it upstairs with her pockets filled.
"Hm, sweet babies." Eda said, before looking and seeing them gone, "Babies? Where are the babies?"
Luz made a flying away motion with her hand. Before going towards the chest.
"But hey, at least you got a bunch of money." She said, before picking up a whistle, "And this cool whistle... should probably wash it first."
"Yeah." Eda said, clearly a bit sad, "How was your night?"
"Eh, I nearly got trapped in a book by a giant sewing monster." Luz said, "Just part of the Boiling Isles I guess."
"And the pink one?"
"Pretty sure she's sleeping." Luz said, before yawning, "And I think I'm going to go join her."
Luz went up the stairs, still feeling tired after her "Nap" at the library.
'I hope Amity likes the book.'
Some time after the Nocedas fell asleep -and contrary to what they presumed- Gabe had descended the stairs.
"Finally." King muttered. "How long does it take for humans to use the bathroom."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Gabe nervously chuckled. "Boiling Isles food doesn't seem to agree with me. Hey, did Boscha and Luz come home?"
Eda stretched her back as she sat up. "Yeah, you just missed'em. They're asleep now."
"It's almost ten in the morning, though." Gabe sighed. "I miss high school summers." He then noticed the treasure chest by the door. "When did that get here?"
In an instant, Eda had opened the portal door and was ushering Gabriel through it. "Oh, that's nothing thanks for your help we're forever indebted to you byyyyeeeee!"
She was about to close the door before she was hit with a pang of guilt. With the twirl of a finger, she levitated a hefty bag of gold coins into her hand. "Hey, Tio Guy!"
"Hm?" Gabe turned back to the door.
"Thanks for your help. You really came through for us." Eda single-handedly tossed the money bag to him. And though he caught it, the weight of the bag knocked him over."
"Okay, bye for real this time." And so, she gently closed the door.
Gabriel just laid where he fell with a smile on his face. "Damn, what a woman."
This was a fun chapter to write, but it's the next chapter that I'm looking forward to the most. Follow, Favorite, and Review for more.