We Need a Little Christmas
Disclaimer: I do not own the Owl House and make no profit of any kind from this story.
Prologue
A strong wind blew across the Boiling Isles, carrying with it a vessel. It was a craft of metal, wood, and goo, piloted by a solitary witch. A young woman who's powerful mind was only outmatched by her caring heart. The clever, talented, and innovative Amity Blight.
Amity circled around the Titan's left arm, keeping a close eye out for her target. She saw the now long abandoned city of Ulnaton, its buildings beginning to crumble after the years. Thankfully, construction magic had been set in place to reinforce the structures down to their foundations, so damage on some of them was still very minor. And the museum she was seeking was easy enough to see, given its size compared to some of the other buildings in the same area.
Turning the wheel slightly, Amity guided her ship to starboard. She slowed to a stop and pulled a lever by the wheel. A click sounded as it was locked into place and Amity then quickly went to the side of her ship and spun a large spell circle. From the goo that was making up the balloon, a long tether stretched out. Continuing to spin her circle, Amity lowered the tether until it reached a large tree sticking out at an almost horizontal angle from the street. A quick twirl of her finger and the tether securely fastened around the trunk of the tree and solidified.
She watched a moment, waiting to see if the tree would give under the tension of the tether. Amity tugged on the tether, her eyes on the tree the entire time. Satisfied it would hold, she brought out her staff and slung a large canister over her shoulder, tightening a strap which secured it to her back.
After double checking to make sure her ship's wheel was locked, Amity hopped onto her staff and flew towards the museum. The front of the building was conveniently facing directly upwards, so she opened the doors with her magic and descended inside. She then cast a light spell to illuminate the dim interior of the building.
As to be expected, there were signs and banners set up, or rather sideways, inside to advertise what had been the last big exhibition the museum had been doing before the Day of Unity. Amity followed the signs to the exhibit and kept her eyes peeled for her quarry. She saw it in a display case to the far side of the exhibit hall, sitting on what was once the wall, thankfully intact.
Drawing another spell circle, Amity conjured a tiny, pink flame. She approached the glass of the display, a thick and shatterproof shield to deter any vandals or potential thieves. Focusing on her flame, she increased the flow of magic to it and with that, increased the intensity of the spell. The flame extended and roared with power, almost as if alive. Amity touched the flame to the glass, cutting through it easily. She drew a medium-sized circle, both cutting the piece of the glass out and simultaneously levitating it to the side.
"Okay, Ghoul, you're up! Fetch!" She commanded.
The canister on her back opened, a lump of red flesh and bones launching out. It took the shape of a cat, the eyeholes in the exposed skull of its head glowing with two pinpoints of violet light. The fleshy monstrosity leapt through the hold Amity had cut, landing gracefully on the wall. It then walked down to a rusty scrap of metal, no larger than a training wand. Carefully picking it up in its teeth, Ghoul leapt up and then out of the display case, landing on Amity's shoulder.
"Thank you." Amity said, taking the item and patting her creation on the head. "That will be all."
Ghoul returned to the canister, Amity sealing it up again. She put the object into a piece of enchanted cloth and gently wrapped it up, tucking it into her bag. After double checking to make sure it was secure, Amity turned her staff around and started for the exit. On the way, she spotted something which she hadn't seen before. The museum gift shop, and through the windows she saw something that made her stop. Something she instantly knew she had to grab before leaving.
A couple minutes later, Amity was back on her ship. She undid the tether and unlocked the ship's wheel, starting to spin it so her vessel would turn towards her next destination, home. Once the ship was on course, she engaged the autopilot and checked the altimeter and the airspeed coordinator. Confident that things were ship-shape, Amity went inside and settled down in her captain's chair.
Amity took out the items she had retrieved from the museum. It would be a while until she got back, so she opted to spend the time until then working on cleaning up and inspecting her acquisitions. While the thing she had gotten out of the old display took priority, she was a little more excited for what she had gotten out of the gift shop. A little something for a little someone she was very excited to see.
"She is just going to love this!" Amity said to herself with a smile. "It just needs a little TLC."
Using her magic to open a cabinet, Amity levitated a set of tools over to herself. She set to work on the items, humming softly all the while. Her tasks would eat up most of the return trip, Amity taking quick breaks to go and check on things at the control panel here and there. Before long, Bonesborough was on the horizon and Amity took the wheel again to guide her ship down.
-T-O-H-
After setting down at the hangar she had in town, Amity deflated the balloon on her ship and disembarked. She hurried along, securing the hangar door on the way out and getting onto her staff again. She booked it towards the downtown area, bound for a large structure not unlike the one she had just been in at Ulnaton.
Amity stepped into the museum of Demonic History, showing her pass to a guard at the front desk. After a quick look at her identification, they nodded and stepped over to open a door marked 'Authorized Personnel Only'. Making sure that her package was still secure, Amity thanked them and stepped through into the narrow corridor beyond.
Three doors down, Amity arrived at Lilith's office. She knocked twice, getting permission to enter shortly afterwards. The door creaked a bit as she turned the handle, the sound echoing down the hall.
Lilith's office was lined on every wall with shelves full of books. In the center of the room was a long desk, also covered in books which were stacked up high enough that Amity could barely see Lilith at all. Only the orange locks on the top of her head were not blocked off from sight.
"Where should I put our latest addition to the collection?" She asked, stepping around the desk.
"You can set it in the workshop to be cleaned and inspected." Lilith replied, shutting the book she had been reading and turning to Amity with an excited smile. "Right after I see it. I am so happy you were able to recover it for us!"
"It was no trouble at all. Pretty easy, in fact."
She handed over the item to Lilith, who eagerly, yet cautiously unwrapped the cloth. Within was the old piece of metal, which Lilith looked at in admiration. Handling it with the care one would use with a newborn, Lilith picked it up out of the cloth and looked it over more closely.
"Lady Freyja's spatula. She used this to harvest scalding algae off the Titan's toes!"
"And it's in the same condition as when it was last seen in the Ulnaton museum too." Amity informed her. "I took the liberty of checking it on the way back. A little cleaning and polishing should be all it will need before going on display again."
"Thank you for going out of your way to get this, Amity. Now, I believe that you mentioned that you wanted to take some time off starting this week? Planning on spending time with your family?"
Amity nodded, smiling brightly. "Yes, I am! I am long overdue for quality time with my wife and our beautiful baby girl! I hope you don't mind letting me have so many days off…"
"Perish the thought." Lilith politely cut in, waving her hand dismissively. "You've more than earned it. In fact, you can start as soon as we've finished up here today, if you like…"
"I would love that!" Amity exclaimed, throwing her arms around Lilith. "Thank you so much!"
Lilith chuckled and returned the embrace. She had to keep it short as they were going to set right to work handling their recent reacquisition. Amity handled the task of making the piece more presentable while Lilith prepared plans for its place in a display in the main museum. It would also require a little writing to explain the significance of the relic, which would be etched into a metal plate set onto the display window.
The work was done quickly, not even taking an hour between the two of them. Amity lent a hand with a few other things in Lilith's office afterwards to help pass the remaining time in her work day. Before she knew it, the sun had begun setting and she gave Lilith another hug before heading out for the short trip back home.
On her way back to her house, Amity made a little detour. There was a bakery not too far out of her way and she stopped by there to pick up a little surprise. Taking into account it was almost dinnertime, she also swung by the market to get a few things, just in case Luz hadn't already started cooking. Although knowing her wife's busy schedule, she knew the woman was more likely too preoccupied to have gotten a chance to do that just yet.
It made her a little sad, knowing her wife handled so much at home while she got to go off and travel all the time. Between her job, taking care of chores and raising their child, Luz had so much on her plate. A big part of why she wanted to take a vacation was so Luz could take it a bit easier for a while. She just knew that Luz was burning herself out, slowly perhaps, but it was high time something was done. And her vacation was going to be a big help with that, allowing her to put into motion a plan she had been working on for some time.
Feeling a wave of pure elation, Amity got back onto her staff again and took off. Her house was only a few more minutes away, the long wait to hold and kiss her wife and child nearly over. The thought of it made Amity feel all the more eager, already able to see the excited look on Luz's face when she got home.
-T-O-H-
Luz felt drained, both mentally and physically. She had endured a trying day at work, her job as a teacher proving not to be the fulfilling life she had wanted it to be. Added to that, she had been falling behind on chores that week and finally managed to get started on them, powering through the entire list as soon as she had gotten home. The dishes were clean, the laundry was done and the bathroom looked pristine, as did the kitchen.
Dragging her feet over to the icebox, Luz grabbed an energy potion. There were days when she didn't think she could get by without the stuff, keeping as much in stock as Eda did her elixir. And they were healthier for her than any energy drinks from back in the Human Realm, so long as she followed the very strict limitation of one per day.
After downing her potion and catching her second wind, Luz went upstairs. There was still a little bit of work for her to do, planning out the upcoming quiz she'd be giving to her classes. Since glyph magic had been made an elective at Hexside, she had to fill up the rest of the day by taking position as the Potions teacher. Meaning she needed double the lesson plans and had more than double the papers to grade.
Before she went to her office, Luz stopped by her daughter's bedroom to check in on her. Her four-year-old, Analise Azura Noceda-Blight, was sitting on the floor, playing with her toys. She had a strong resemblance to Luz, including round ears and the same complexion. Her eyes were like Amity's and her hair was the same shade of brown as Camila's, but was straight instead of curly. Although she liked to change her hair color, given that even at her young age, she was already proving talented with magic.
"Ana." Luz softly said, gently knocking on the doorframe. "Mamá is going to her office to do some work. If you need to go downstairs, you come and let me know, okay?"
"Kay! Good luck with your work, Mamá!"
Luz couldn't help but smile. Her baby was just too cute. Even if she had skipped the energy potion, that would have perked her back up in a heartbeat. After allowing herself a moment longer to adore her child, Luz stepped away from the door and went down the hall. The last room on the right was her office, a small space where she spent too much of her time at home.
The inside of the room consisted of a desk with an office chair, a bookshelf, and a filing cabinet, but little else of use. Her desk across from the doorway, facing the window so she could enjoy some fresh air while stuck inside on nice days. There was even a little bed for Stringbean, so she could keep her company while she was stuck with a stack of papers.
Reluctantly taking her seat, Luz reached into one of the desk drawers and took out a big, three-ring binder. Setting it on the desk and opening it, she grabbed a pen and set to work. She quickly became immersed in planning out lessons for the next week, so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't notice the familiar figure zipping past the window outside.
To Be Continued