Previously on Calamitous Intervention
Time had passed since the incident with the toads. Sasha had learned about the existence of Luz, thinking it was likely either Anne or Marcy.
Meanwhile, in Wartwood, Luz had decided to introduce the Azura series to Maddie, who was intrigued and was allowed to borrow the second book of the series from the human, who had her mother on her mind, greatly missing her and not knowing if she would ever see her again, which was obvious when Luz went home to make quesadillas to cope with her troubles. Hop Pop found out the reason for her behavior and decided to reveal what happened to Anura and Jeremiah—Sprig and Polly's parents. Luz decided to also tell them what happened to her father.
Later that night, Luz snuck in to Hop Pop's study room, took the book containing info about the Calamity Box, and took it to Maddie, who was shocked to learn that her friend had something she thought only to be a myth. After entrusting Maddie with the box, Luz headed home, where she had a heart-to-heart discussion with Sprig about their mothers and learned more about each other on a personal level.
Chapter Twenty-Three - Sundew Serenade / Civil Wart
Quite a lot of time had passed since Luz first arrived in this world. She kind of lost track, but she felt it had been at least two months. However, that wasn't important to her at the moment, as Luz was at Felicia's tea shop, sitting at a table and conversing with one of her best friends, Ivy. The two had been conversing about their day so far, and Luz decided to bring up a certain book series she had loved so dearly.
"I'm telling you, Ivy, you should at least give Azura a try," Luz said. "It's sooo good!"
The young frog looked unsure about this idea. "Eh, maybe, but I'm not really a book fanatic. I'm more about adventure, y'know?"
"Azura has a lot of adventure in it. Most of the book is about going on adventures. I showed it to Maddie, and she liked it. You never know," Luz teased with a cheeky grin.
Before Ivy could make up her mind, the two of them heard the door chime and turned to see an elderly female frog with light green skin, white hair, large glasses, lipstick, and a pink dress walk into the tea shop with a bounce in her step. Luz had never seen her before, though she noticed that Ivy seemed to frown.
Ivy was surprised to see the old frog, but when she noticed Luz staring at her, she looked down and felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Before the human could ask what was wrong, the elderly frog approached their table with a happy expression.
"Oh, why, hello there, Ivy!" she greeted, pulling Ivy into a hug, much to the young frog's chagrin and Luz's amusement. "My, how you've grown since we last met!"
"Err… Hi, grandma," Ivy awkwardly replied, patting her shoulder to try to signal for her to let go, which took a moment longer to work than Ivy would've been comfortable with.
Shortly after they broke the hug, Felicia walked into the dining room, surprised to see her mother in Wartwood again. It had been many months since the elderly frog went on another voyage.
"I didn't know you were coming over, Mother," Felicia said, but she smiled regardless and hugged the old frog. "If you would at least send me a letter beforehand, I'd have prepared us a meal."
"Oh, sweetie, that isn't necessary," the elderly frog assured her daughter. She then turned toward Luz, just having noticed her. "Oh? Who might this be?"
"Her name's Luz," Ivy cut in. "She's my best friend. Long story."
"Luz, huh?" The elderly frog rubbed her chin, feeling like she had heard that name somewhere. "I've heard rumors of this town having an interestin' creature with gangly limbs. I suppose those stories are true then." She paused before blinking herself out of her thoughts. "Goodness, where are my manners? Name's Sylvia Sundew. It's a pleasure to meet you, Luz."
Sylvia held out her hand, which Luz eagerly shook. "I had no idea Ivy had a grandma," the human said. "She hadn't told me about you."
"Uh, I just haven't thought about it much since you've been gone for a while," Ivy lied, sweating a little. Both Luz and Sylvia noticed how oddly Ivy was acting, as if she wanted to get away from her grandma.
"Well, it was quite a pleasure to see you two again," the old frog told them, hugging Felicia once again. "I'll have that batch of tea ready for you soon."
As Sylvia left, Luz turned toward Ivy, who looked relieved. "So… why are you acting so weird around your grandma? Do you… not like her?"
Ivy's eyes widened when she said that, waving her hands frantically. "Oh, no, no, it's not that I don't like her; it's just that… errr… It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you another time."
The human really wanted to ask more, but seeing her friend's discomfort, she decided to drop the subject for now. "Alright. Thanks for the meal, Ms. Sundew!"
"Oh, it's no problem, Luz," Felicia replied with a smile. "It's the least I could do after you drove those nasty toads away. Feel free to come back anytime."
After saying goodbye to Ivy, Luz left the teashop and started heading back home. Ever since the whole tax incident, the residents of Wartwood treated her with a lot more respect than they had before. It was a nice change of pace to not be thought of as some kind of monster.
Before long, she had arrived home, where Sprig and Polly were, once again, playing Mushroom Dash on the Tindo Swap. Glancing at the battery level, Luz shook her head, still baffled as to how it was that ridiculously high.
How is the thing not fried? she wondered to herself.
"Ah, Luz, you're back," Hop Pop noticed, greeting her. "So, how'd your trip go?"
"It went pretty well," Luz replied. "Everybody's been much nicer. I hung out at the tea shop when this sweet old lady came in. She's Ivy's grandmother."
Hop Pop's eyes widened at the mention of this individual. "Wait, a Sundew? Could it be…? Luz, what was her name?"
"Her name is Sylvia," the human said, and Hop Pop's jaw dropped.
"S-S-Sylvia?!" he yelled, making Luz flinch and catching the attention of the other two children. "I thought she had moved away! I didn't know she was coming back!"
Luz had to suppress a chuckle. "Well, her own family didn't know either; I guess she likes to surprise people."
Hop Pop scratched his face in contemplation, and Luz noticed the blush growing on his face, and it didn't take long for her to realize why. "S-So, um… Where is she?"
The human's lips twitched, but she managed to keep her expression neutral. "Not sure. When I saw her, she was at the tea shop, but she did mention getting a batch of tea for Felicia."
Seeing Sprig and Polly staring at them with curiosity, Hop Pop cleared his throat and gestured for Luz to follow him to his study room, which she did. After closing the door behind him, he spoke. "Looks like Sylvia's coming back to supply her daughter, then. She does that every year or so to help out with the tea shop."
"That's so nice of her," Luz said, smiling widely. "But let's address the elephant in the room, Hop Pop."
Before she could continue, Hop Pop looked around the room with an alarmed and confused expression. "There's an elephant in the room?! … Wait, what's an elephant?"
He turned toward Luz, who was smirking at him. "Something tells me you like Sylvia, don't you? And not in the friend sort of way," she guessed.
Rather than becoming flustered, as Luz expected, Hop Pop sighed, knowing he couldn't deny it now. "Maybe a little…"
The human grinned, knowing she had guessed correctly. "That's so cute!" she gushed. "How long have you known her? Were you two childhood friends? How long have you had a crush on her?"
Before Luz could continue rambling, the old frog put his hands up placatingly to stop her. "Alright, alright, let's slow down, kiddo." He sighed again. "Look, I wish I could ask her out, but you don't even know how long I've had this longing for. Yes, I have known her since childhood, but even now, I have trouble putting sentences together. I… wish there was another way to let Sylvia know how I feel."
Luz gave him a sad smile before she thought of something, and she giggled, much to his annoyance. "This is serious, Luz," he scolded.
"No, no, it's not that," she said. "It's just that you remind me so much of how Sprig's been acting around Maddie."
Hop Pop's irritated expression was replaced with one of confusion. "Wait, Maddie? Maddie Flour? Why's he…" His jaw dropped. "Don't tell me…"
Luz grinned. "Yep. I think the two have a crush on one another."
"Guess Chervil is gonna get his wish after all," Hop Pop mused, referring to Maddie's father, before getting back on topic. "Anyway, it's as I said. I don't know what to say to Sylvia."
"First of all, you two should aim to know each other better." Luz suggested, which caused Hop Pop to perk up, so she continued. "I assume it's been a long time since you were friends, and that's why you're pretty nervous. Getting that new spark will help a lot!"
"I suppose," the old frog replied, sounding a bit unsure. "I haven't really considered doing somethin' like that in a long time."
"Don't worry about it," Luz assured him, patting his back. "Maybe I could be your wingman and help you out; that way, things will be a little easier for you."
"The heck's a wingman?" Hop Pop asked, startled. "Humans have wings?! Do they grow when you're older?"
Luz rolled her eyes at him taking her words too seriously. "It means I'm going to be there to help and bail you out if you mess things up."
"Oh… Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a try," Hop Pop said. He really hoped it wouldn't go badly, because if it did, he could forget about ever talking to Sylvia again.
Satisfied with his answer, Luz left to ease her mind and join the others in Mushroom Dash. As Hop Pop was left alone, he paced back and forth, weighing his options. He started to brainstorm ways to approach Sylvia, and he swore to himself that he wouldn't give in to his nerves.
Before he knew it, it was already the next morning. As usual, he got out of bed, washed himself up, and made breakfast for the kids. As the others not-so-silently ate and spoke to each other, Hop Pop rehearsed the lines he had in his head for how he would greet and (hopefully) charm Sylvia.
Luz and Hop Pop got ready, with the former already planning out what Hop Pop would wear. Luz had tried different outfits on him, but none of them seemed to fit him as much as his original one, so she just settled for giving him a bowtie and combing his receding hairline. She knew it would be tricky, but he would have to look elegant in some way if he wanted to improve his chances.
The two of them headed into town, leaving the kids behind to tend to the crops and do their other daily chores. Hop Pop didn't have to worry about the stand as much thanks to their new tomato and potion sales. This left him more time to just relax, explore, and not worry about everything.
The old frog was so deep into thought that he didn't notice Sylvia approaching straight ahead until Luz playfully poked him on the cheek, briefly startling him. "Hop Pop, now's your chance."
Hop Pop was so surprised that he sputtered for a moment before forcing himself to recompose. After taking a few breaths, he took one step forward, and as soon as her eyes locked on him, he froze. All the confidence he had slowly built up was dusted away in a snap, and his mind went blank. He was awkwardly staring at Sylvia's wrinkly face, completely stuck on what to do or say. An extra elbow nudge from Luz didn't help too much.
Rather than continuing the staring contest, Sylvia laughed and approached them. "My, is that you, Hoppy?" she asked.
Hop Pop's face went red as he tried to form coherent words. "Erm… Yeah… Yep, it's me! It's been a while, S-S-Sylvia."
Luz decided to slowly back away to give the two some space as Sylvia pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, come here, you sweet potato!"
"I, um, heard from Luz that you came back to town," Hop Pop said, slowly regaining his composure.
"Yep, I'm back in town," Sylvia confirmed, finally letting him go. "I couldn't help but notice you're not runnin' the stand today. Did something happen?"
"Actually, thanks to Luz, who is officially part of the family now," Hop Pop started, not seeing Luz's flushed cheeks in the background. "Things have been a lot easier for us."
"Well, I'm happy to hear that!" Sylvia replied. "I couldn't help but notice you're dressed up as if you were on a date. Now, who's the lucky frog?"
"W-Well, um, you see…" Hop Pop tried to come up with an excuse, but Luz interjected.
"Hop Pop here wants to spend some time with you and get to know you better," Luz bluntly said, which left Hop Pop speechless.
"LUZ!" he yelled, feeling utterly embarrassed.
"Oh?" Sylvia raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. "I see what's going on here now. Is Hoppy asking me on a date?" she teased.
Before Hop Pop could further embarrass himself, they heard a hammering sound and noticed people approaching something from every direction. When they turned around, they saw Toadie standing on a step ladder in front of a crowd, hammering a poster labeled "Dance Fever!" on the town message board.
"Dance Fever!" Toadie announced to the crowd. "With family fun! Shenanigans! Romance! Tonight from six p.m. till… Hmmmmm?" He shrugged before hopping off and leaving.
Hop Pop squinted his eyes and read the poster alongside the other two, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…"
He glanced back to see Sylvia talking to Felicia, who had also come to see what the commotion was about. "Been a long time since I've danced with someone," she said wistfully, too distracted to focus on the earlier conversation. "Might be nice to feel the embrace of a man."
Felicia chuckled nervously before scowling, feeling a bit embarrassed by what her mother had just said. "Mom…"
Hop Pop was definitely not accounting for such an event to be announced today of all times. He had just hoped for a nice day with him and Sylvia exploring Wartwood, talking about farming, and possibly even going on a date, but now he had to worry about competition.
Speaking of which, he felt a finger tapping on his back, startling him. Hop Pop turned around, only to see nobody was there until it happened again from behind him. "Huh…?" He was completely confused now, thinking he was imagining things, until he turned once again to be harshly poked in the cheek by a blue frog slightly taller than Hop Pop, with a brown hat and small mustache. Hop Pop felt dread rising in his stomach when he saw who it was.
"Ha ha! Classic, gullible Hopediah!" the blue frog teased.
"Oh… Hey, Monroe," Hop Pop said, knowing where this was going. Luz, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes at the newcomer, getting an unpleasant vibe from him.
"You're not seriously thinking of going to this thing, are you?" Monroe asked smugly, poking him in the shoulder with his elbow. "Wouldn't want to embarrass yourself like last year's barn dance fiasco." He laughed before walking away. "See you around, old timer!"
"Oh, we'll see about that, Monroe," Hop Pop muttered, taking this as a challenge.
Luz approached him from behind, crossing her arms. "What a jerk!" she growled. "Who was that guy, Hop Pop?"
The old frog sighed. "He's Monroe, my rival since I was a teenager," he explained. "He's always held himself above me and beaten me in every activity, even farming, and that's my specialty!"
"Don't let him get into your head, Hop Pop," Luz said. "He's just trying to rile you up. I've seen those kinds of bullies back home. Has he seriously not changed at all?"
"Nope, he hasn't," Hop Pop confirmed. "It's because he's privileged and everybody has always praised him, giving him a superiority complex."
Sylvia approached them after talking with his daughter. "Sorry about that, Hoppy. Guess we both got sidetracked a little. So, you want to spend some time with me, from what I heard from Luz?"
Hop Pop gulped but nodded, and Sylvia smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea, though I'll be a bit busy for the next couple of hours. Will you be available this afternoon?"
"I don't see a problem with that," Hop Pop agreed, feeling his shoulders relax. "I'll be there."
After Sylvia left, Luz stared at the Dance Fever poster and then turned back to Hop Pop. "You're not actually thinking of participating because of Monroe, are you?"
"Well, I oughta," Hop Pop replied, as if it were obvious. "Someone's gotta put him in his place, after all."
"Yeah, no," Luz shot down. "I've seen enough movies to know that having a dance-off never ends well. We don't need a dance party to impress Sylvia. Besides, it's not like I could teach you how to dance anyway. Trust me, I have absolutely no rhythm." She didn't mention it, but she did not want Hop Pop to go through the same trauma she did when she went through the otter costume incident.
"B-But Monroe's gonna take Sylvia away from me!" Hop Pop protested, trying to get her to see reason.
"Hop Pop, no disrespect to Sylvia, but if she actually falls for that jerk, then you're too good for her," Luz said. As much as Hop Pop wanted to berate her for talking about his love interest that way, she had a point.
Luz and Hop Pop headed back home, where the latter headed into his study room to begin planning for his date with Sylvia. He knew going against Luz's advice wasn't a good idea, but he couldn't resist to at least try and see how his dancing skills were. He reached into a bookshelf and pulled out a book made for teaching one how to properly dance.
"Can't dance, huh? We'll see about that…" Hop Pop grumbled, walking up to a podium and setting the book on it before going through it and stopping on an illustration of two frogs dancing together. After carefully glancing at it, he believed he had the basic idea down. "Looks easy enough."
He went to the middle of the room and picked up a mop from the floor, trying to imagine it being Sylvia herself. The way he was holding it made it look as if he were choking her. "Sorry, Sylvia," he muttered, before trying to get into the rhythm. "And a-one, and a-two and—"
As soon as Hop Pop leaned forward, the mop snapped in half, sending him flying across the room and knocking over books. He yelped and got up before sighing to himself, knowing deep down it was pointless to even try. He decided that it would be best to impress Sylvia another way.
Hop Pop waited until the afternoon, this time trying to think about how their date would start, where they would go, what they would talk about, and any backup plans he could think of. When it was time, Luz told him he'd be on his own for the most part, but she'd be his wingman when he needed it. That eased his nerves a little, but he still couldn't help but feel nervous. What if he messed it up? Sylvia wouldn't even look at him anymore.
This time, Hop Pop made sure he was ready and not caught off guard when he approached Sylvia, who was waiting for him in the park, with a bouquet of flowers. Behind her, in the bushes, he could see Luz peeking her head out, giving him a thumbs up. Hop Pop cleared his throat and got Sylvia's attention. "H-Hello, Sylvia," he greeted, silently cursing himself for his stuttering. "I brought these flowers for you."
He offered the bouquet to Sylvia, who gratefully took it with a smile. "Well, aren't you just a sweetheart?" she said. "Thank you, Hoppy. I wanted to show you something as well."
She gestured behind her to an old, worn-down wooden cart and headed toward it, which Hop Pop followed with curiosity. Sylvia hummed to herself as she opened a compartment, pulled out a steaming teapot she had just made, and poured them both a cup. "I've happily made a living by selling only my finest brew," she explained, offering him the cup, which he happily took.
Whatever else Sylvia said to Hop Pop was drowned out, as when he took a sip, he suddenly had to fight the urge to wheeze and form a disgusted face. It almost tasted like sweetened swamp water. The tea was really, really low quality, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. He had to fight his body's instincts to immediately spit it out. By the time he had swallowed it down, Sylvia's words started becoming coherent again.
"And that's how I brew my soon-to-be world-famous tea," she finished. "So, what did you think? Pretty good, ain't it?"
"It's… absolutely… It's the best tea I've ever had!" Hop Pop replied, his teeth clenched wide open in an artificial smile.
"I'm so happy to hear your approval," Sylvia said enthusiastically, and Hop Pop felt a twinge of guilt in his heart for lying to her. "Tea is actually why I came here," she continued. "Every year, I come to Wartwood to help my family and their tea shop by offering my splendid tea products."
Sylvia frowned a little. "There's only one issue: I can't grow my own tea leaves very well, which is another reason I had to leave Wartwood. I need to find or buy some to keep myself afloat."
Hop Pop's eyes widened as he had the perfect idea. Any other plans he had for the date were thrown out the window, as he knew how he could help her while also bonding with her. "Well, how about I help ya?" he offered.
Sylvia's expression lit up at his offer. "What do you mean, Hoppy?"
"I could help you grow more tea leaves than you'll know what to do with," he elaborated. "I'm a farmer, remember? It can't be that much more difficult than growing ordinary vegetables. Maybe you and I could collaborate!"
What he hadn't expected was to be nearly tackled in a hug by a grateful Sylvia. "Oh, Hoppy, you have no idea how much that would mean to me," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Who knows? Maybe I could make the tea even better."
The next day, Hop Pop took Sylvia to his front yard and asked her to show him how she attempted to grow tea leaves. Hop Pop made a mental note to ensure her tea was decently made. Whatever tea leaves she had been using were either low quality, rotten, incorrectly prepared, or just not ripe enough. He helped her do some corrections and gave her instructions on what to do and how to maintain them, and she was ecstatic, which warmed his heart.
An idea popped into Hop Pop's mind, and he went inside to talk to Luz, only to come back moments later with a strange potion Sylvia had never seen before. Ordinarily, tea leaves took around three years to grow, which made it more difficult for Sylvia to maintain a steady supply, but luckily, they had Luz.
Hop Pop approached the soil and was about to lean down and pour a few drops of the instant growth potion, but he tripped and the entire potion's contents spilled on the soil. Hop Pop and Luz were horrified, while Sylvia was confused, until gigantic tea leaves sprouted from the ground, almost covering the entire yard. That was a mess that was quite a chore to clean up, but it did leave them with enough to last for likely months.
Despite the mess they had created, Sylvia was absolutely amazed at how something like this was even possible. She had heard magic was real, but she never could've imagined it would've been this potent. When they went inside, they brewed a new batch of tea with the help of Hop Pop, who had a bit of tea knowledge but not much. Luckily, the batch ended up a lot better than the previous one. The tea was actually decent, and Sylvia was completely blown away by how good it was. Little had Hop Pop realized, he was slowly starting to develop a liking for tea himself.
Sylvia and Hop Pop decided to sell some of the tea they made, considering how many tea leaves they would have to burn through before they started to rot within the coming months. The former was surprised to see how many customers they were getting. It was mostly because of Hop Pop's positive reputation, but people genuinely liked the beverage. The only problem with this was the fact that it meant less traffic to Felicia's tea shop.
After they sold the last batch they had made for the day, they decided it was time to start packing up their things and prepare to head home. The sun was setting, and the marketplace had mostly cleared out by this time.
"It was quite lovely spending some time with you, Hoppy," Sylvia said in a flirtatious manner, making Hop Pop blush.
"It was nothing," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "Perhaps, um…" He paused, and Sylvia looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Hop Pop took a deep breath and spoke. "Would you like to go out for dinner tomorrow night?" he asked, scared of her response.
Thankfully, Sylvia's lips curled up into a smile. "I'd love to! What place did you have in mind?"
"Well, Stumpy's ain't exactly a nice place for a date," Hop Pop muttered, before glancing to the side and seeing Luz pointing in the direction of the tea shop with a wink. "Ah, I see… How's about we dine at the tea shop?" he suggested.
"Sounds like a plan, Hoppy," Sylvia replied, waving to him as she walked away while pushing her cart. "I'll see you there after sunset."
Hop Pop was hoping he had made the right decision by skipping last night's Dance Fever. He hadn't seen Monroe yet, who was probably going to tease him to the grave, but he figured the guy was too busy inflating his ego.
Later that night, when Felicia had closed the tea shop and prepared herself for bed, she heard Ivy approaching her from behind. "Ah, Ivy," she greeted, a little surprised. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Ivy rolled her eyes at this. "No, I couldn't really sleep," she admitted. "I wanted to ask you something, and I want the truth."
Felicia paused before turning toward her daughter, giving her full attention. "What is it, sweetheart?"
"It's just… been bothering me for a while, but…" Ivy looked up, anger flashing in her eyes. "Why are you so judgmental toward me for the slightest mistake every, single, day, but you don't even care about how bad grandma's tea is? And you know it too. The regulars aren't happy when their tea suddenly tastes like bog water."
"Ivy, I thought I raised you better than to speak about Mother like that," Felicia scolded with a frown. "I'm well aware of the tea's quality, but she has good intentions. I want to avoid conflict with her and not hurt her feelings. I don't want you sayin' anything about it, either."
"But—" Ivy protested, but Felicia cut her off.
"No but's," Felicia said, before her expression softened a bit and she kissed Ivy on top of the head. "Now, you need to get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."
Ivy locked eyes with her for a few moments before scowling at her. "Look, Mom, I get why you're doing what you're doing, but we both are suffering the consequences because of how dishonest you're being. You need to tell her the truth, or else it will tear the family apart."
Without another word, Ivy stormed back to her room, leaving Felicia speechless. Ordinarily, Felicia would immediately berate her for talking back to her, but she couldn't. Her daughter did have a point, even though she wouldn't admit it out loud.
It had already been two days since Hop Pop had reunited with Sylvia. Time sure did fly by fast, but the only thing that mattered to Hop Pop was making this dinner date the best it could possibly be. The sun had set, which meant it was time.
As Luz did before, she would be his wingman if he needed it by dining in a booth next to theirs. The diner was a bit packed, but Sylvia had gone ahead and made some reservations for the two of them, which Hop Pop hadn't considered and silently chastised himself for forgetting. Because the diner was packed, Felicia had to bring in a chef who had helped their family before.
After Felicia had led them both to their table, they sat across from each other, relaxing in their seats. "So, how are you doing on this fine evening, Hoppy?" she asked, clasping her hands together while resting her elbows on the table.
"It's been pretty normal, actually," Hop Pop replied. "Ran the market a bit, but I had to get Luz to make a batch of night vision potions since those are almost always in high demand."
"That kid must've helped you a lot, hasn't she?" Sylvia asked.
"Yep, she's done nothing but good for us Plantars," Hop Pop replied. "She's been trying to find a way to get back home to her world."
"Her world?" Sylvia questioned, raising an eyebrow. Hop Pop clamped his hands over his mouth, realizing he had said too much. Seeing his reaction, Sylvia just laughed it off. "Hoppy, you don't need to worry. Your secret's safe with me, but I am curious what you mean."
Reluctantly, Hop Pop decided to explain the entire story to her. About Luz getting here, them taking her in, their adventures thus far, about Stringbean, and more. What he refused to bring up, however, was the existence of the music box, so he just mentioned the part where she came there through a portal, which, technically, was the truth.
"Wow, I never could've thought such a sweet young lady could be from another world, but it does make sense," Sylvia mused. "Haven't seen anyone like her, or I would've definitely said something about it."
Meanwhile, in the other booth, Luz was covering her blushing face, feeling giddy at the fact that Hop Pop thought so highly of her, as if she were part of his family.
Felicia approached the table, holding a small notebook. "What drink can I get for you two lovers?" she teased, making Hop Pop splutter and Sylvia laugh.
"I'll have the classic sun-brew tea," Sylvia said.
"I'll just, uh… have some water, thanks," Hop Pop told Felicia.
Felicia nodded, writing down their chosen drinks. "I'll have that and some sun beanies out for you shortly."
As she walked away, Luz noticed Ivy watching the couple converse from the other side of the diner with a skeptical expression. Of course, Ivy loved her grandmother, but she was a bit bitter about what Felicia was letting her get away with. She didn't know what to do at the moment, other than just watch how things were going to happen.
After Hop Pop and Sylvia had finished their appetizers, Felicia had come back to write down their orders. After she had done so, she gestured for Ivy to come over so she could hear the news she was about to drop.
"I just wanted to let you know that Sylvia will be movin' in the tea shop for the next few months to help us out," Felicia said, shocking her daughter. Ivy cringed at the thought before reluctantly nodding and walking over to Luz's booth and sitting down, sighing.
"What's so bad about your grandmother moving in?" Luz asked, munching on a piece of bread.
"It's just that I don't think it's a good idea," Ivy replied, drawing circles with her finger on the table.
Luz, as patient as a person she was, was starting to lose it with Ivy. "Ivy, seriously, Sylvia has good intentions," she said, frowning. "I really think you're being too negative about it."
This set Ivy off, who slammed her hands on the table. "Oh, really? Then how will we be able to stay afloat with her ruining our tea?!" she yelled, getting the attention of the other diners.
Seeing the commotion she was causing, Ivy's cheeks flushed, and she sat down, feeling ashamed of her outburst. "Sorry, Luz."
Before Luz could reply, they heard a familiar voice speaking up from the booth next to theirs. "Is it true?" Sylvia asked with a hurt expression on her face.
Ivy's face paled when she realized what she had done, but she didn't know how to fix it. Taking her silence as confirmation, Sylvia turned toward Felicia with a serious expression. "Felicia, tell me if it's true."
Felicia tried to play it off with a smile. "Oh, of course not, Mother. Your tea is—" She looked at her mother again, only to see her mother glaring at her, which surprised her. She hadn't seen her make an expression like that in a very long time.
Felicia's shoulders sagged as she knew she was caught. "I-I didn't want to tell you," she admitted. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. The tea isn't… Well, it's not really up to par." She winced at her bluntness.
Sylvia was silent for a full minute before Hop Pop stepped in to defend her. "Well, even if that was true before, perhaps you should try her new tea batch."
He pulled out a flask of tea he had brought with him. He had a feeling something like this would happen, which is why he wanted to prove it to Felicia. He had made sure to brew a fresh batch prior to coming, meaning it was still warm. He took out a tea cup and poured some tea into it before offering it to Felicia.
Felicia raised an eyebrow, but took it and sipped it, expecting a horrible flavor and having to lie as usual, but she paused when… it was pleasant. She didn't know what to say.
"What Sylvia needed was a little help," Hop Pop explained. "Only thing holding her back was the quality of the ingredients she was using. How else would you have gotten that natural talent for brewing tea?"
"Wow, it's actually quite nice," Felicia agreed, taking another sip before setting it down. "I'm… sorry, Mother. I should've told you sooner, but I just didn't want to hurt your feelings. You've always been kind to me and raised me well, even after…"
Felicia nodded. "After your father left, I know." She sighed. "I understand why you lied, but from now on, we'll only be honest with each other, okay?" Felicia nodded in understanding, hugging her.
Felicia then turned toward Ivy, who still looked ashamed of herself. "Ivy, I wanted to apologize to you as well. I shouldn't have waited so long before admitting it, and I would've been upset with myself if I were you, too."
Ivy's expression lit up, and Luz smiled. "I shouldn't have poked my nose in your business, either," Luz admitted.
"It's okay, really," Ivy said, raising her hands to ease their worries. "I was being a little negative, so I'm partly to blame as well."
"Oh, right, I have a batch of tea ready for you," Sylvia said, "and another surprise on top of that. I think you won't need to worry about tea leaves for quite a while."
Deciding to wait until after the date to show her daughter, the rest of the date went smoothly, with Hop Pop and Felicia occasionally flirting with each other and solidifying their bond. Just then, something unexpected happened. The front door to the shop burst open, and none other than Monroe himself stumbled into the dining room, a little buzzed from having some alcohol.
"The master of dancing has arrived!" he loudly proclaimed before hiccuping and turning toward Hop Pop, not noticing Sylvia yet. "Ha! Look who it is! The man who chickened out of the dance party because he was too scared I'd humiliate him again."
He then noticed somebody at the table across from him. "You dating someone? Hey, lady, why don't you and I have a drink and ditch this loser?" he asked, approaching the table.
Sylvia turned toward him, making him freeze. "I'll pass. After all…" She turned toward Hop Pop with a smirk. "I have a soft spot for the weird ones."
Hop Pop blushed while Monroe's jaw dropped, and his expression was absolutely priceless. Luz took the chance to snap a picture, happy to see that jerk finally one-upped by Hop Pop.
After Felicia had, quite literally, kicked Monroe out of the tea shop for causing a disruption, the dinner had finished, and Hop Pop and Sylvia headed outside, about to part ways.
"That was an amazing date, Hoppy," Sylvia said, kissing him on the cheek, making him freeze in place. "I need to stay here and get my stuff moved in. I'd come with you to your home, but I don't think we want to move things along too fast, do we?" She laughed, and Hop Pop didn't respond, his brain malfunctioning.
After Luz dragged Hop Pop home, she sighed and plopped down on the couch, feeling both relief and exhaustion that the date had gone smoothly. Hop Pop had already suffered enough throughout his life, so seeing him genuinely happy to be with somebody for once was nice to see.
Sprig came into the living room next to her, yawning. He was getting tired, but he stayed up a bit later since he was also curious about Sylvia. "So, how'd it go?" he asked.
"I'd say it went pretty well," Luz replied. "Gotta love karma."
Hearing this, Sprig tapped his foot, deep in thought. If Hop Pop had waited so long to confess to his love interest, then Sprig definitely wouldn't while he had the chance, but at the same time, he was nervous.
He hadn't admitted it to anybody, yet he had a feeling Luz knew that he had a crush on Maddie ever since the night Hop Pop attempted to marry him with Ivy. He knew he wouldn't have those feelings in the first place if he hadn't given Maddie a chance, but he was glad he did.
Sprig's eyes slowly closed as he leaned his head on Luz's shoulder, drifting off to sleep. He knew he would have to confess to Maddie sooner or later, even if she didn't reciprocate.
Lightning struck outside as a huge downpour was making its way through Wartwood. Its citizens had seen a lot of harsh weather over the years, but this was especially dangerous. Strong winds were blowing and threatening to suck anyone who dared venture outside, so it's no surprise that nearly everyone wanted to stay inside at the moment.
Meanwhile, Luz was hanging out inside the town hall, carrying her backpack. She had originally gone out for a walk earlier that day, but on her way back, the weather suddenly turned nasty, so she hastily ran inside along with a dozen other citizens, who were also inside for the time being. For the human, she didn't mind too much as she comfortably rested on a window, leaning back against the thick glass, and with one of her Azura books to keep her company. Just one of those books was enough to keep her mind at ease and not stress too much about what was going on outside.
As she had previously given Maddie one of her books, she was only left with book 3 for the time being, but as she had known pretty much all the series to heart, this didn't bother her too much. She was only mildly worried about how long it may take for the storm to clear out, as she didn't keep track of how long it was taking. She didn't worry too much about how everyone else was doing at the moment, though some complaining and groaning eventually made it to her ears, and she could hear someone yelling about the unbearable wait.
"This is insanity!" Wally could be heard screaming within the crowd. "I once got caught in a storm, but it's like a volcano in here!"
This got Luz thinking. She briefly stopped reading and closed her book, glancing at its front cover momentarily. She wondered if this could be her chance to introduce new readers to the Azura series and perhaps lighten the mood, as she could tell the aura all around her wasn't too serene.
She shut her eyes and took a small breath before propping her knees up in a defiant stand, holding up her Azura book for all to see. "Well, if you're all suffering from boredom, may I introduce you to the complex and mysterious lore of the good witch Azura?" she confidently announced as, in a snap, everyone momentarily glanced at her, the boredom interrupted for the moment.
"It's an epic saga of romance, adventure, and betrayal!" she finished shouting dramatically, filling in the awkward silence as best as she could.
Luz was clearly expecting some kind of positive reaction out of this, but to her slight devastation, everyone silently stared for about two seconds before going back to their business and continuing to ramble and complain about life. The human's enthusiastic smile faded quickly as she sighed quietly before kneeling and returning to her tired slump. As she wistfully looked at the front cover of her book, she heard someone walking up to her and glanced up to see a familiar figure that lifted her spirits.
"Oh, hey, Luz!" A smiling Ivy greeted her,
"Ivy! Come on, are you willing to give Azura a try?" asked Luz.
"I guess since the weather's not going away anytime soon, I may as well," answered Ivy. "I assume you have good taste in books."
Luz's eyes lit up as she finally had the opportunity to share and nerd out about Azura, and the more people she could suck into her fandom, the better! She still reigned in her impulse instincts, though. "Ooh, yeah! I'm warning ya, though," she started. "I'm so immersed in Azura that my recap will take like 5 hours." She had to suppress a chuckle. "Sure you're ready?"
Ivy simply nodded with a smile as she slightly shrugged her arms, ready for whatever would come next.
The human promptly began explaining how the books were first conceived, who the main characters are, the whole shebang with Hecate and Azura, and how many books were made. Even though she anticipated getting some weird looks from strangers, she felt at peace being able to talk about her obsession with the series, even if it was pretty much one-sided, and Luz just spit out a waterfall of info like a wiki page. It felt almost therapeutic to her.
"... But they changed so much in The Field of Deadly Fates that it really wasn't worth the theater trip!" Luz remarked. "Anyway, last I heard of the series, they were gonna make book six, but ya know, since I'm stuck here…" She shrugged, looking to the side and deciding to change the topic. "Anyway, that concludes my info dump of books 1 and 2 of Azura. I only got book 3 for the time being, so if y'all want, I can read a bit of it!" she finished as she stood up, looking at a small crowd that had gathered around her.
As she scanned the whole room, she noticed only a small group had gathered around her while she was speaking, with most of the people inside just going on with business as usual. She didn't worry too much about it, though, as she figured something like this wouldn't appeal to everyone, and just letting all that information out made her feel better and more comfortable. However, she wasn't prepared to hear what would come out of the crowd next.
"That's nice, but have you read Cynthia Coven?" an old woman's voice emitted from the crowd. "The books are selling like hotcakes, and they're the peak of all fiction!" A jumble of indistinct voices followed up, agreeing with her.
Luz was surprised to hear that name, but quickly and instinctively wanting to defend Azura, she didn't think too much about it. "Look, Cynthia Coven may be pretty big and a huge deal," she began with a sigh, "but there's simply no comparison to the masterful storytelling and lore Azura brings."
Luz's face suddenly turned skeptical as she took a small breath, but she was interrupted by Wally, who was yelling and pointing out the windows. "Ey, y'all, the dang weather's clearin' up! We're free!"
The mood inside the town hall instantly flipped as everyone began bolting toward the large front doors, clearly exhausted from being trapped inside for a good while. Ivy hopped down and began walking away from Luz before the human blocked her path by lowering her arm down like a toll booth gate.
When she heard a frog mention the Cynthia books, she initially didn't think much about it but found it increasingly strange that they'd know about the series here, when the books were supposedly only available on earth. Perhaps asking her friend could clear up something.
"Just a quick question, Ivy…" she began as she kneeled to Ivy's level, knowing they would otherwise be drowned out by the loud commotion and business going on. "How do people know about Cynthia Coven? I never expected those books to show up here of all places."
"Oh, those books have been a huge hit all across Wartwood!" Ivy casually responded, not having read them, unlike many others. "All the stores are getting new copies, and I've heard they're spreading all across Amphibia."
Luz remembered reading a few of those books back on Earth during summer break and didn't find them too interesting or remarkable. But what really surprised her was that somehow , those books existed in a small otherworldly town like Wartwood, even though they were written by a human back on Earth. And her claim that they were selling like hotcakes couldn't mean someone brought their copy on their way here…
Luz raised her arm, satisfied with Ivy's answer. The adventurous frog continued to hop away, soon blending into the crowd. "Gotta zip out now, but I'll see ya in a bit!"
Luz stood in place for a little longer, now knowing the answer lay close by. Perhaps she could stop by the local grocery store and see if they have any copies of the book. It could even be an opportunity to revisit old memories and see if those stories really held up over time, or if she just dismissed them because they weren't Azura.
As she headed out of the building, spilling away from the crowd and onto the large dirt path she used to head home and other places in Wartwood, she figured heading to the Grub & Go could possibly have some copies. She sometimes went there in the past to pick up groceries and knew the store had everything you could imagine. It was a sure bet they'd have a decent book selection in there.
After around five or so minutes of walking in the cold weather, now free of rain or stormy clouds but still eerily humid with the ground all wet, she stopped right in front of the Grub & Go store.
Opening the front door, she scanned the halls backed by worn, rustic wood overflowing with ropes, leaves, and random spills of different colors for the books section. She'd sworn she had seen it in the past, but never thought to really look there until now. Heading into the depths of the aisles, away from the busy front sections like food and glue, a trio of golden bookshelves with a red sign titled "BOOKS" crudely hammered to the top awaited her, and she found the book right away. There were lots of them!
Greeting Luz was a copy of Cynthia Coven and the Sorcerer's Step Ladder —a book whose cover instantly flashed her back to her early summer memories of trying the series out. Its red cover depicted a long black-haired girl wearing round glasses so reflective that you couldn't see her eyes beneath. She also wore a red and black striped sweater and held a wooden stick with one knee on a stepladder. With around a dozen copies of the book spread all across the shelves, she could quickly tell they were printed, anticipating pretty high demand.
This only stirred up her intrigue and confusion even further. Unless a truck carrying copies of the book was somehow transported to Amphibia (and even by Luz's standards, she knew the odds were microscopic), why were there so many copies of the book in Wartwood of all places? Why did they only have that one book in stock? Were these even original copies?
Without even thinking twice about it, the human reached out, grabbed a copy off the shelf, and examined it closely. Flipping open the cover and through the pages, she quickly realized something was off. The artwork and text seemed to be out of focus, the colors weren't as sharp as she usually saw, and most tellingly, some pages had a slight stain of some strange pink slime. Luz bit her tongue as those were all the tell-tale signs of a bootleg copy that she had researched so much on the internet in the past, and she began wondering if perhaps these books were being printed somewhere in Amphibia.
"Ey, thin creature!" a deep, hoarse voice startled her as she quickly looked behind to see a short, lime-green frog wearing overalls but no shoes staring up at her. His hands were on his hips, and he was gesturing towards the book Luz was holding.
"If you ain't gonna buy the book, you should leave! These are gettin' so popular, we can't take any risks!" he snapped as the human quickly formed a nervous smile, all while clutching the book up to her chest.
"Yeaaahh, almost forgot. Sorry!" Luz remarked as she headed away towards the front of the store, figuring buying a copy for herself wouldn't hurt too much. It could also be the perfect opportunity for her to revisit the story and perhaps really wonder about the mystery behind Cynthia somehow showing up in Amphibia.
A half-hour later, Luz finally made it home after what felt like an eternity. Almost immediately after she opened the large front door, a concerned Hop Pop's voice greeted her. "Ohh, Luz! Thank heavens you survived that awful storm!" His voice echoed as he quickly ran up to the human and clutched her arm, to her bewildered surprise.
She chuckled a bit and looked upwards to the right as she muttered, "Yeah… It got pretty nasty out there." She deliberately left out the whole thing with her and the Azura/Cynthia books. Luz quickly headed down towards the basement, as she wanted a quiet spot to read and revisit some childhood memories.
Before she knew it, she plopped down on her bed and opened her copy of the book, finally ready to reevaluate it. It wasn't like there were many other choices for entertainment at the moment, as Sprig and Polly were basically addicted to the Tindo Swap in their free time. Even though Luz felt slightly bad about reading an unofficial copy of the book, she was more curious to know exactly how those copies came to be.
When she finally put the book down, a rush of accomplishment and disappointment flew over her head. Luz already foresaw the story not living up to her old childhood memories, but even from an older point of view, nothing really stood out to her. Even though it was inevitable that she would compare it to the Azura books she had known by heart, it couldn't stop her from realizing the characters and writing were cliche, and there wasn't much good representation. All she saw were white teens and a disappointing obsession with the patriarchy.
With the dull and boring story out of the way, it was now time to consider how those books ended up here. As Luz held up the closed book and glanced at its front cover some more, she could only wonder how this copy originated. Since there were so many copies of the same used book, judging by the wear marks and scratches being in the same spot on all of them, this likely meant there was some master copy out there somewhere.
To make things more confusing, the human briefly wondered why anyone would want to print this book of all things. The only people who could possibly be obsessed with these books would be young teens like her who were obsessed with fantasy and convoluted lore. Luz briefly hypothesized that this belonged to a human at some point, but this meant the possibility that another human somehow ended up in Amphibia too, perhaps not too far from her!
She shook her head, realizing it was probably too much of a stretch. Already wanting to take her mind somewhere else, she figured doing some housework upstairs could help her unwind.
As the sun set later that evening, Luz was cleaning up the kitchen, putting away pots and washing (pretty slimy) trays, when Sprig suddenly went up to her side and hopped onto the table, startling the human in the process. He looked very eager and excited over something…
"Luz! Luz! I just read your Cynthia Coven book, and oh my Frog, it's SO popular right now!" the young frog belted out with excitement and energy. "It's almost as good as Monster Slayer Academia!"
"Yeah, I've seen people go crazy over it for some reason, but I don't get the hype," Luz responded indifferently as she went back to scrubbing a ladle. "It's just an old, cliched book that doesn't innovate or try anything special."
Sprig wasn't gonna back down that easily as he crept up closer to her face, clearly making her uncomfortable. "Come on, Luz! The writing and story are awesome and beautiful! It's crazy if you don't like it!
Luz's patience started to break down a bit as she dipped her head slightly to focus exclusively on cleaning the dishes—the biggest priority in her mind right now. "Look, I'm just fine with Azura. I've read the Cynthia Coven book, and it's nothing special. Alright?" she calmly fired back while still trying to keep things reasonable.
"Well, fine," Sprig grumbled as he crossed his arms with clear indifference. "But just you wait! Cynthia-mania is sweeping the world!" he finished as he gradually walked away, glaring at Luz the whole time while pointing his finger from his eyes to hers. She, on the other hand, simply brushed it off and went back to her business, wishing the last two minutes never happened.
The next morning, Luz was hanging out with Ivy and Maddie over at the tea shop, with all three bonding together and just having fun.. They were sitting around a table inside the shop, shielded from the rather harsh early morning sun, and at the moment, nothing felt better than this.
"You know, everyone seems to be obsessed with those weird Cynthia Coven books, but I really don't know why," Luz remarked as she held a glass of tea in her right hand. "They gotta know how good Azura is too, if they just gave it a chance," she muttered weakly as she looked down momentarily before looking back up at Ivy and Maddie. "You'll still back me up on Azura, right?" she wishfully mentioned.
"Definitely," Maddie remarked as her face suddenly lit up in realization before glancing to her side, her arms reaching out to grab something. "Speaking of Azura, I'd like to return this to you."
She grabbed a familiar, thick book from underneath her seat and presented it to Luz, whose eyes immediately lit up once she recognized the cover. It was Book 2 of Azura that she previously entrusted Maddie with back when they were working on some potions not too long ago.
"I read the whole thing and it was a pretty fun adventure!" she expressed as a happy Luz quickly snatched the book out of her hands. "Since I know those books mean a lot to you, I only figured it was appropriate for you to get them back."
"Ohh, thank you, Maddie!" Luz nearly squealed in delight as she held the book with both hands, looking at it like an old friend. "Sprig and everyone else may be into Cynthia, but I'll support Azura 'til I no longer can!"
Ivy stepped into the conversation with a chuckle. "Well, if you say Azura is pretty good and Maddie likes it, then I'm on your side, Luz!" She showed her support as she slightly leaned back on the stiff wooden chairs provided.
The carefree and optimistic air was suddenly cut short by the sound of a large door suddenly opening, and at an instant, the three girls' heads turned toward the source, almost befitting a western.
An evilly grinning Sprig and Polly were standing in the large door opening, both looking as if they had just won the lottery. The bright sky from outside made them ominously stand out as dark, muted figures.
"Well well… It looks like we caught you Azura fangirls red handed!" the male frog boasted as Polly hopped beside him.
Luz was visibly surprised for a moment before her face quickly turned more questioning and skeptical. "Sprig!" she greeted beneath a gasp. "How'd you find us here?"
"That doesn't matter right now," he said, deflecting the topic as he and Polly began walking inside, up to the table where the three were seated. "I assume you three would like to learn about Cynthia Coven and how it's the superior story."
"Don't listen to what he says, no matter how tough it gets," Luz whispered to Ivy and Maddie as they looked on with concerned faces.
"How about you, Maddie?" Sprig yelled as he suddenly got up close to her, making her lean back in visible surprise, with her cheeks dusted a light pink. "Wouldn't you want to join the fun and hop aboard the Cynthia train?"
"Ehhhh, I'm good, thank you," she responded, clearly not too convinced as of yet. "Azura means a lot to Luz, and I really don't feel like diving into something else that quickly." Her arms instinctively pulled back as she briefly glanced at Ivy and Luz, everyone pretty much thinking, "This is gonna suck".
"Come on, Sprig." Luz tried to defuse the situation as she stood up from her chair, looking at everyone else as she did so. "Don't you think you're getting a bit too in-their-face with your obsession? It may be pretty popular, but not everyone needs to get into it."
"I will not accept your treacherous opinion!" Sprig yelled out as he hopped right beside Luz, pretty much also putting him in the spotlight. "There is only one way to settle this debate between Azura and Cynthia: a fierce, serious war! " he ominously declared as he stretched both his arms out, screaming to the heavens.
"Where we battle to see which one will win! Only one survives…" he finished with an ominous whisper as he clenched his hands together, wiggling his fingers. His squinted eyes proved he was serious about this and determined to prove Cynthia was the best book, at all costs.
"So basically a 'witch's duel' from Azura?" Maddie replied skeptically as Sprig nodded silently, no one else saying anything for the moment.
"Yeah, you go do what you want. I don't even know where you're gonna hold it, but I already know this isn't gonna end well," Luz said with a slight wince, genuinely concerned about Sprig.
Almost immediately afterward, Polly hopped right beside him, stopping right next to Sprig, all with a scheming look on her face. "I'm on team Cynthia, if only to enjoy the war and brutality that I will love!" she screamed in a high but cackling tone.
"You haven't even read the book!" Sprig pointed out immediately, glaring at Polly. He lightened up, however, as he pointed his hand ominously at Luz. "But Team Cynthia is already growing, faster than you can imagine!" Right after he finished, the two of them made a beeline toward the exit, his voice echoing into nothing. "See y'all at the bugball field!"
Luz took a deep breath for a moment before glancing at Ivy and Maddie, who were visibly conflicted over what just happened. "Look, I don't really wanna dive into this war and get into lots of trouble. What about you two?"
"We'll fight for you, Luz!" Ivy exclaimed proudly as Maddie looked at her, nodding in approval. "Even if it makes us the oddballs, we'll proudly represent Azura!"
"Thank you both," the human responded sincerely as a smile formed on her face, one that hadn't shown up in quite a while. "I know I may be chickening out, but I don't feel too comfortable participating in a war over something as ridiculous as this. But I respect you both for sticking by my side."
The following night, as everyone seemingly went to sleep and was all but certain Hop Pop was deep into his odd slumber, Sprig and Polly stopped pretending to be asleep and got up and out of the bedroom. They both tiptoed across the living room and jumped out of a double-paned window overlooking a red couch, doing it all as stealthily as possible.
Despite their attempts to be sneaky, Luz heard several faint footsteps, even down there in the basement, which convinced her it was time to sneak out as well. She slowly flipped up the gate leading out of the basement and wound up in the dark living room, illuminated only by the red moonlight from outside. Noticing the open window, the human promptly headed out through there as well.
As Sprig and Polly were snickering and walking to a place quite a bit away, little did they know Luz was following them too. She kept a very good distance to avoid any suspicion, plus, the nighttime meant she would be pretty hard to see anyway. As the trek went on for minutes, she started to feel unsafe, with no clear path on how to get back home, but the safety of the young frogs was above everything else in her mind.
They finally arrived at a large rectangular patch of dirt and sand, with lines and markings suspiciously looking exactly like a basketball court. On both sides were two sets of bleachers for an audience to sit and observe, but due to the circumstances, they were all empty and devoid of life. The lights around the field were off, but if anything, it only made things scarier and more shrouded in mystery. Luz could tell there were already a small handful of frogs waiting for Sprig, but she still had to keep her guard down.
"Alright, the moment has finally come!" the frog boy announced as everyone got into battle stances. "It's time to determine who will come out on top—Cynthia… or Azura!"
Luz looked more carefully at the scene, all while crouching behind a large rock a good distance away to remain unnoticed. On one side, she saw Maddie, Ivy, and a light blue tadpole kneeling in a straight line, glancing at Sprig, Polly, and a young male orange black-haired frog wearing glasses on the other side. An empty space of around a dozen feet separated the two groups, thirsting for war.
"Combatants, prepare… GO!" Sprig yelled as everyone left their starting positions and hastily ran towards each other, screaming animalistically.
A determined Maddie grabbed a small bottle containing a purple potion from her waist and crouched, throwing it towards the orange frog on Cynthia's team. A small pink poof later, and he was suddenly high up in the air. He could only scream as he fell down to a rather nasty impact.
Luz felt a bit guilty about not intervening and leaving all the action to her friends, but she knew it was the right choice to make ethics-wise. Any punishment she would get by sneaking out at this time would certainly be less than if she were caught orchestrating the whole ordeal. As her face gradually became more conflicted over whether she should step up and call off the war, she changed her tune and stayed in her hiding spot. She couldn't help but keep watching the chaos unfold.
"I'm the main character from Cynthia, and it's your turn to DIEEEEEEEEEEE!" Polly shrieked out as she grabbed an orange vegetable and charged straight at a nervous looking Ivy, who gestured at Maddie for backup.
"You and your cult may be obsessed with Cynthia, but I'll support Azura 'til the end of time!" Ivy fired back as she jumped toward the orange frog and kicked him with her foot, knocking him back and bruising him with dirt.
Luz could only wince as all the action kept going on. She honestly found it pretty stupid with everyone attempting to roleplay as characters she knew and loved, and she found the whole thing unintentionally hilarious. Still, she knew she had to intervene before things got really nasty.
The human stood up and proceeded to march toward the field where Sprig was fending off the tadpole with his slingshot. He was athletically hopping around, his small size making him pretty difficult to capture, but he briefly froze when he spun around and saw Luz with her arms crossed, looking pretty unimpressed and standing right in front of him.
"Ohh… Heyyy, Luz…" The frog nervously waved at her, knowing what might happen would not be pretty.
"Don't you think this going to war thing is pretty dumb?" Luz questioned him sincerely. "I mean… At the end of the day, you're just throwing food around and acting like idiots, all for a hollow sense of accomplishment."
Sprig's face appeared to gradually turn to realization as he clutched both of his hands tightly behind his back and tilted his head forward, looking down at the dirt floor. "I guess you're right, and you know what I feel about all this?" he teased as the human leaned forward, looking slightly worrisome.
"That Cynthia is the best book, and Azura stinks!" he abruptly yelled as his behavior instantly flipped, revealing a tomato he was holding behind him. Without any hesitation, he leaped into the air, fiercely clenching his improvised grenade in his right arm, and with a sharp glare, vaulted it right toward Luz's face, completely blindsiding her.
Sprig chuckled for a few moments at his hilarious prank before quickly realizing things were pretty serious. He expected Luz to get right back up and perhaps join in the fun, but seeing her lying on the ground face down for an uncomfortably long time really worried him.
As he slowly approached the human, he was startled by a muffled shriek that came from within her. When she finally got up to a kneeling stance, her eyes were completely covered by a large red splat, and her hands were lying in front, just trying to lessen the pain in any way possible.
"I can't see at all!" she suddenly blurted out. "You're really taking this way too far! What would Hop Pop feel about this? I've been blinded for who knows how long, and all of this over a stupid war?!"
"Are you gonna be alright? I didn't wanna actually go out and hurt anyone," Sprig muttered in concern. What he hoped to just be a fun little war ended up with surprisingly real consequences, and if anything else, he really worried what Luz would think about him after all this was said and done.
Luz's energy quickly faded as she could only kneel on the ground, unable to see for perhaps a good while. "I'm okay… but it really, really hurts," she weakly muttered.
Sprig quickly debated whether he should keep this thing going or just put a halt to it, since that huge sudden sense of guilt overpowered any satisfaction or joy he had built up until now. He made his decision pretty quickly, as he figured it was the only right thing to do.
"Everyone!" he suddenly yelled as he glanced at everyone around him, who happened to stop fighting once they saw Sprig near a motionless Luz. "We're calling this war off! It's over!" He could hear a few disappointed and worried voices in the background but also saw many concerned looks, so at least he knew people wouldn't just simply hate him for putting the war to a halt.
Maddie walked up to Sprig and glanced at Luz before looking at him, looking slightly disappointed, before sighing. "I know you have a good heart deep down and just wanted to do this for fun, but you kinda went overboard with all this."
"I know. Let's forget about it in a week," he mumbled in regret as he quickly hid his face away from her out of embarrassment. Not knowing what to think of it, the female frog agreed, before she headed off and joined everyone else who was already starting to walk away at this time.
"Look, I'm really, really sorry for doing all this." The frog got back close to Luz's ear and expressed his sincere regret. "I tend to get pretty overactive and bold over everything, but blinding you wasn't something I wanted to see. It was just supposed to be a fun little duel."
Polly hopped over to the two, clearly still in her blissful state of mayhem and schemery. "When are we gonna resume our war?" she impatiently cried out with an angry expression. "I'm just aching to—"
When she saw a clearly upset Sprig next to Luz, her cackling spirit instantly dropped out. Even if she was always one to create destruction and not conform to the rules, she still knew when the line was crossed. All she could do was look down in disappointment.
"We're gonna be in real hot water tomorrow," she remarked with a cold tone as sharp as her improvised weapons.
"I gotta admit, I messed up real hard," Sprig sighed before turning towards the human, who was breathing more steadily by now but still unable to see. "Ready to go home?" he asked.
"Mhmm," Luz replied weakly. "Just make sure I arrive safe and sound; no pranks."
They promptly agreed as Sprig held out his hand to support Luz and bring her up to a standing position. With their help, they began heading their way back to the Plantars' farm.
As they headed onto the main unpaved dirt road, all they could muster was an uncomfortable silence, only amplified by the crickets in the far distance and the uncomfortably red moonlight that pretty much summed up everyone's mood at the moment.
Sprig couldn't bear to look at Luz's face, as it would only further remind him of all the problems he caused, thanks to his recklessness. Still, the three kept heading down the road, making sure to hold her hand and keep things safe for her.
It was only a few more minutes before they finally arrived home. Normally, they would feel relieved and free of any worries, but everyone felt uncomfortable and dreadful about how Hop Pop would react the following morning. As they headed back inside through the same window they used to sneak out earlier, Polly immediately hopped up to her bedroom, while Sprig kept holding Luz's hand, ready to lead her into the basement.
With the door propped open, he carefully led the human down the steps leading to her makeshift bed. It was pretty challenging to make sure she kept her balance and not fall over, but he got her tucked in pretty easily.
"We're home now, you're in bed now, and you can finally rest," the frog comforted her. "And again, I'm really sorry for getting way too obsessed over those books. Now that I think of it, Cynthia wasn't as good as I first thought."
"It's alright, Sprig," Luz replied, still unable to open her eyes but finally feeling safe and with the whole morning ahead to recover. "What matters is that you learn from this and don't make these mistakes again."
"And you know," she added. "I've been wondering about how exactly those Cynthia books got here. I used to think that since it's likely a human would've read this book, perhaps there may be another human here in Amphibia! It's probably too much of a stretch, though."
"Ooooooh, creepy!" the frog remarked as he started tiptoeing away from Luz's bed. "Yeah, if you're not the only human around here, it's gonna be a LOT to process."
"Yeah," she responded. "I'm pretty sure the book just ended up in here by itself, through a portal or something; I don't know," she finished as she began trailing away from consciousness.
"Well, it's a mystery waiting to be cracked!" the frog remarked as he began heading up the stairs and out of Luz's room in no time. "Good night!"
By the following morning, Luz's eyesight had come back a bit, enough to partially see her surroundings but still very visibly red, and she was in no state to head outside without getting some really weird looks.
As the three young perpetrators were sitting around the table eating breakfast, Hop Pop felt very suspicious at how quiet everyone was. He hadn't seen them this depressed or tense in a good while, but especially looking at Luz's face, he knew they were up to no good.
"My golly heavens! What happened to you, Luz?" the old frog remarked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You look like a vovocada sucked the life and energy all out of you!"
"Well, to put a long story short," she began as she plainly looked down at her plate, clearly wanting to get things over with. "Sprig got obsessed with holding a war over whether the Azura or Cynthia books were better; it got pretty violent, lots of food was thrown, and he hit me in the face."
Sprig added on with unquestionable guilt. "I didn't think of my actions too much and briefly blinded Luz."
Unsurprisingly, Hop Pop got pretty upset now knowing the truth. After a long, drawn-out gasp, he laid both hands on the table, glaring at all three youngsters. "Do you have any idea how reckless and irresponsible you three were? People have gotten killed over stupid things like this!"
"Wait!" Luz pleaded, wanting to explain her side of the story. "I only went out with them because I was worried about their safety, and even I didn't escape unharmed," she finished as she crossed her arms on the table, looking dejectedly to the side. "I didn't personally participate in the war."
"Is that so…" Hop Pop questioned as he got close to Luz's spot, while Sprig and Polly could only look on in nervous anticipation.
The human winced for a moment, as, having seen how strict and paranoid Hop Pop could get, anything could happen right this instant. To her surprise, though, his face quickly mellowed out as he leaned away, appearing to put trust in her.
"Well then, since you were lookin' out for Sprig and Polly, and you're a hard worker, I'm lettin' you off," the old frog explained before quickly glaring at the other two frogs, both of them knowing they couldn't get out of it this time.
"Extra house work for the next three weeks," Hop Pop bluntly said with precision and finality before getting up with a sigh. He proceeded to head away into his study room without saying another word before slamming his door shut.
The three looked in his direction for a brief moment before turning back to look at each other. Everyone looked regretful, and Luz, in particular, had her teeth clenched, really summing up all the craziness and pain they've undergone for the last twelve hours.
"Boy, I could really use some tea right now," Sprig vented out, and Luz could only silently nod, unable to shake off the feeling that she didn't deserve to avoid punishment.
In a secluded location far, far from Wartwood, a large school-sized building sat surrounded by many other smaller structures, all made out of white marble and decked with multicolored shingle roofs. Red and orange corals crept up alongside the outer walls, with small dome-shaped windows adorning every wall. It was as far away as one could get from Wartwood's naturalistic and swampy setting.
The building was closed to outsiders; its dark windows and loud machinery noises from inside only gave a vague hint of its nature. Inside, many mechanical arms raised and lowered many times per second onto conveyor belts, seamlessly whizzing small stacks of paper by. The mood was dark and mechanical, and the lighting was only provided by the sunlight leaking from outside.
As the books kept moving on the conveyor belts, a binding apparatus took each stack of paper and bound them to a thin red-colored book backing. Each book would then be folded before zooming in a bit more, finally dropping into a large blue bucket containing the pressed books. All of the books were copies of Cynthia Coven—the same book Luz had wondered about earlier on. The bucket could fit a whole horse inside and was quickly filling up with hundreds of copies.
A thin purple hand reached into the bucket and grabbed a book before clutching it onto their arm. The figure was a purple-skinned female newt decked out in a white uniform and a gold belt. She was holding a roll of paper in her other arm, and it clearly looked like she was anticipating something big.
The newt headed up a small metal pile of stairs that led out into a wide balcony, providing a great view of the whole interior, still set inside the dark building. A railing kept observers from falling, causing unimaginable damage to the delicate machinery.
An aquamarine newt with long, navy blue hair partially tied into a bun and wearing a majestic wave-patterned dress was leaning on the rails and observing the whole factory. As she heard some footsteps, she turned around to see the female newt holding the book and scroll. Judging by her facial expression, there was some big, good news to witness.
"M'lady, these Cynthia Coven books have proved to be immensely popular all around Amphibia!" the purple newt explained as she unfurled the rolled paper to show many statistics and charts that an average person would faint at seeing. "Everyone keeps asking for more, but we can only do so much with one book!"
The aquamarine newt paused for a moment, looking sideways and unsure, before regaining her composure. "Well, that girl's gotta have more of those books, I'm pretty sure. If not, perhaps we could hire a writer to make our own books. Just a thought."
"I'll look into it for now, but man…" the purple newt responded. "I don't think any of us could predict how popular those books are right now!" she finished before walking away and down the stairs, off to continue examining the newly pressed books.
To Be Continued in Chapter Twenty-Four
Thank you all so much for your continued support, and I very much hope you enjoyed this lighthearted chapter to start the new year. We were hoping we could get this chapter done by Christmas, but we realized it would've been better to ensure it lived up to the same high standards as the rest of the story.
Happy 2024!
~ Scruffy