Okay, and we're back, sorry about that, had to take it down for a bit
Boscha was snoring loudly as she slept in bed... until Luz slapped a light glyph on the ground next to her, waking her up and making her very angry.
"LUZ!" Boscha yelled.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" How Luz could be so damn cheery in the morning Boscha would never be able to discern. "I shall neither rise nor shine."
The older sister pulled her sleeping bag over her head. " Too early in the morning."
"But it's already two in the afternoon!"
Boscha's head poked out of the bag, her eyes wide in disbelief. She then sighed. "Nope. Not falling for that again."
She closed her eyes, hoping against hope that Luz would cut out her usual morning antics. She knows better, but maybe her sister would defy expectations as she did when she discovered the light glyph yesterday.
"OWW!"
Then she was struck in the forehead with what felt like a marble. She sat bolt upright, ready to exact her retribution. "What the hell did you hit me with?!"
Luz was playing around with little spheres of light that she created. Boscha watched in disbelief as she dropped a few on the floor, making clacking noises as they bounced across the wooden surface.
"How are you doing that?" Boscha asked. "Light shouldn't work that way."
Luz was all too happy to explain. "It's my patented super light! When I use a glyph, I just focus on what I want it to do. Like when I took on Eda, I wanted to make hard light like those hologram people in Mom's old space show that could interact with solid objects."
"So, like that Bose-Einstein condensate method in that one episode of "Val Frizz the Science Whiz?""
"I... guess? I don't remember tha- agh! Just stop... being good at science!"
"Make me- OWW!"
Luz chuckled after flicking another light marble at Boscha's forehead. "Ha! You said "meow.""
Boscha gave her patented death stare at her sister. "Just so you know, my joy at your learning of magic is all that's keeping me from straight-up mauling you right now."
"As I said before, you gotta pick your battles." Luz boasted.
"HEY, FREELOADERS, GET A MOVE ON!"
The reverie -such as it was- was interrupted when Eda called from downstairs. The girls went through their usual morning routines, then joined Eda and King in the kitchen.
"You bellowed?" Luz jokingly inquired.
Eda was filling huge duffle bags full of junk she recently acquired from the Human Realm. "Stuff your food holes and get ready for work!" The Owl Lady commanded. "I've got some quality trash to bestow upon Bonesborough and I want us ready ASAGDMFP!"
"It must be urgent if you're abbreviating swear words." Boscha quipped.
"To hell with profanity! The Day Market AWAITS!"
The streets of Bonesborough were empty, save for Eda's stand.
"Maybe the Day Market slept in?" Luz pondered as she looked across the barren boulevards
"Hmm... something isn't right." Eda said, spinning Ballscha on her finger... yes she did turn her into a ball out of boredom, "I have a feeling something terrible happened."
"Luz, something great has happened!" A voice said.
Luz looked over and saw Gus and Willow running up to the stand.
"Friends!" Luz said, jumping over the stand, "What's up?"
"It's the annual Covention today!" Willow said holding out a poster.
"The what?" Luz asked.
"The Covention, it let's you see all the different Covens so you can decide on what one you want to join." Gus said.
"It's a Job fair for witches!" Luz said, before looking at Eda, "Eda we have to go!"
Eda got a disgusted look on her face and stopped spinning Ballscha.
"Fat chance, that's just a ploy to get others in a crooked system!" Eda said, tossing Ballscha into a nearby trashcan, "I'm not letting my freeloaders go there to-"
She was cut off when Boscha crawled out of the trashcan, covered in garbage, and delivered a side kick to Eda's ribs.
"In the GARBAGE?! REALLY?!"
Eda readjusted her ribcage after she got back up. "Well in my defense, I forgot it was you I was spinning for a second."
"¡Desataré fuego sobre ti y tu casa!" Boscha had a fireball already in hand.
"Hi, Boscha."
"Oh..." The three-eyed girl immediately dispelled her fire when she heard Willow's greeting, "Hey, guys! So, Covention huh? I'm down to go, maybe I'll learn more about... whatever the fuck I am."
Willow and Luz covered Gus' ears.
"Boscha, he's a youngling!" Luz said, "He hasn't been tainted yet!"
"Not sorry, in a bad mood." Boscha said.
"Boscha." Luz said, like a disapproving parent.
Boscha just smirked, not giving a damn.
"Hey, cronies!" Eda shouted. "Who gave you permission to leave the stand?"
"We needed permission?" Boscha retorted.
Luz gave her trademark puppy-dog eyes. "C'mon, Eda, it's not like we're doing anything here. Besides, there are probably countless pockets to pick at this Covention."
"Hmmm... The doe-eyed one makes a tempting point." Eda mused. "Okay, what the heck?"
The four kids rejoiced at her decision. Gus, in particular, was doling out high fives to anything resembling a hand. Titan knows how long he would have kept going if his own hands didn't start to sting.
"So, which way to the Covention?" Luz eagerly asked.
Eda smiled a sinister smile. "Just follow Boscha."
"Wait, I don't know whe-?!"
Before Boscha could finish, The Owl Lady struck her with her favorite spell. And before anyone could react to that, she kicked poor Ballscha in the direction of the Covention, or so Luz hoped.
"EDA!" Luz berated her mentor. "Why would you do that?!"
"Practice?" Eda shrugged.
An exasperated Luz just gathered Willow, Gus and King. "C'mon guys, let's get my sister before some kid takes off with her... Again."
Boscha bounced down the street, coming to a gradual stop at a large building that a few signs indicated was the Covention Centre.
'Ugghhh... Dammit, Eda.' She thought. 'You were less rough as an owl beast.'
Just then, she felt a pair of hands lift her up. 'Oh, shit. What now?"
"Hey, Skara, whatcha got there?" A voice called from the distance.
"It looks like a grudgby ball... but... kind of too cute to be a regulation one." Skara said, "Here, Amelia, catch."
Ballscha was tossed to a pale girl with green hair.
"Huh, yeah, I don't any Grudgby balls that are pink." the girl, Amelia Ballscha presumed, said, "Cat, what do you think?"
Amelia tossed Ballscha to a dark skinned girl with glasses.
"Hmm, regardless of if it looks weird, it does seem to be a firm ball." Cat said, squeezing Ballscha a bit, "Want to have an impromptu practice drill to see how good it is?"
"Sure." Skara said.
Cat began dribbling Ballscha, ready to pass it to Skara.
The balled-up witch was tossed around for a while. Whoever these girls were, they passed her with a certain grace and style. It almost felt comfortable. She was being softly cradled in the hands of the one called Skara when Luz approached.
"Uhhh, excuse me!" The human called to the trio. "If it's not too much trouble, could I please have my sister back?"
"Sister?" No surprise that Skara was confused.
"Yeah, you're, uhhh, actually holding her." Luz pointed to the ball.
Skara took a good look at Ballscha, who in turn looked at the shockingly cute witch. That soft expression, the cool hairstyle, those impossibly crystalline eyes. Who knew irises could be so silver? Skara's facade turned to one of recognition when she noticed the ball begin to blush.
"Ohhhh, I see."
"Now we know why this grudgby ball looks so unusual." Amelia noted.
"Eda the Owl Lady strikes again." Cat rolled her eyes.
Luz was quite surprised to hear that. "You know Eda?"
"Let's just say we're... familiar with her work." Skara seemed rather embarrassed to admit that as she set Ballscha down. "Don't worry, we know how to fix this."
With a spell circle, Skara reverted Boscha to normal with ease. The three-eyed witch was sitting in place, still blushing and transfixed on her savior.
"Thank you guys very much." Luz praised her possible new friends.
"No problem." Amelia replied. "If it happens again, just look us up."
Cat concurred. "Yeah, hopefully she'll build up a tolerance to that spell."
"She... kinda already has, though." Luz was befuddled by her sister's behavior, especially when Skara gave her a hand back to her feet.
"Are you okay?" The nice witch asked Boscha. "I'm sorry for us tossing you around like that."
"Ohh, no... yeah, I'm... I'm okay" Boscha appeared to be in a daze as her blushing intensified.
"Well, we're gonna get some good seats for Lilith's performance. Hope to see you guys there!" Skara waved as she and her friends went inside the building.
"Looks like it's safe to come out."
Luz was startled when a puff of light blue smoke appeared next to her. Gus and Willow emerged from the haze.
"What's with the tactical espionage action?" Luz asked them.
"Those are the few friends that Amity's mother allows her to have." Willow groused as she pointed in the direction in which they left. "We didn't want them to see us all together, otherwise our reputations would drag you and your sister down. Maybe you guys could have a decent shot at being friends with Amity if we don't."
Luz was infuriated at what she just heard. "I don't give a dang about your reputations! You guys are the first friends I've ever made. There's no way I'm gonna pretend otherwise. And if Amity's mom doesn't like it, Boscha and I will be happy to discuss the matter with her. Right, Sis?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, sure... gonna... gonna... with the wrath 'n fire and... stuff..." Boscha still hadn't moved after Skara helped her up. The blushing had subsided somewhat, at least.
Luz waved her hand in front of her sister's face. "Bo? You okay?"
"Yep! Totally!" Boscha said, "I... I'm going to go take a look around."
Boscha quickly walked inside, looking at the hand Skara held.
'... It should be illegal to be that beautiful.' Boscha thought, before she had a sudden headache.
"Ugh!"
She heard voices.
"Come on, Boscha, let's go play!"
"Wait up, Skara!"
She started breathing heavily as she looked around. She ran to the bathroom as fast as she could and looked in the mirror.
"... What... was that?" Boscha said, before splashing water in her face.
"Uh, Skara? Are you okay?" Amelia asked, seeing how tense Skara looked, "I mean, yeah, we did spend 15 minutes throwing and dribbling a person, but that shouldn't make you act all... like this."
"It's not that!" Skara said, "It's... you guys remember how I told you about my first friend that went missing when we were kids? Well that girl looks exactly like her!"
Amelia and Cat sighed.
"Come on, girl, we've talked about this." Cat said, "You need to her go, it's been ten years since she disappeared."
"I know what I saw!" Skara said, "Maybe the Owl Lady turned her into a ball and sold her to that girl she was with!"
Amelia face palmed.
"Then why would she say she was her sister?" Amelia asked, "Come on, let's go look around for a bit, that'll take your mind off this."
Amelia and Cat led Skara away, but Skara wouldn't forget this... that was Boscha, she knew it.
Boscha came out of the bathroom and Luz ran up to her.
"Boscha, where have you been! I've seen so many cool things here!" Luz said, "The Illusion Coven is really cool!"
"Luz... I... I... I saw something." Boscha said, "It was like... a memory."
"Memory?" Luz's eyes grew wide. "Like a Baby Boscha Memory?!"
Boscha rubbed at her temples to alleviate her headache. "I... think so. That girl... Skara... I think we were friends before I was stuck in the Human Realm."
"Yowza Wowza!" Luz exclaimed.
"Yowza Wowza!" Luz also exclaimed.
"WHAT THE SHIT?!" Boscha clearly didn't anticipate seeing her sister in stereo.
The second Luz disappeared in a similarly blue puff of smoke like the one she saw earlier. And just as before, Gus emerged from the smoke. "It's like Luz said, the Illusion Coven is where it's at! We like our magic with a hint..."
The smaller witch disappeared in yet another light blue cloud of smoke. Luz and Boscha both looked around the room for where he could possibly be. It felt like minutes had passed, and yet, no sign of hi-
"...of showmanship!"
"GAHHHH!" Boscha was taken by surprise again as Gus and some accompanying illusion students appeared behind her and struck a pose. Though she was agitated, her sister was most impressed as indicated by her applause.
"Gus, stop picking on her." Willow came to check on Boscha. "Sorry about Gus. For what it's worth, he only puts on that level of performance for people he likes."
Willow's friendly demeanor put Boscha at ease. "Oh... no, that's okay. Thanks. I was just dealing with some old memories. It was a bit much."
"Well, maybe watching the Construction Coven's demonstration will make you feel better. It can be oddly satisfying to watch Construction Magic in action."
Willow pointed to a burly, bearded witch wearing a construction hat standing on a small stage. He picked up a pallet of wood with one hand and a pallet of bricks with the other. With little effort, he tossed them both into the air. The materials fell next to him to form a perfectly built house.
"That was awesome!" Luz cheered. "Do all witches grow up to be that strong?"
"Not exactly. Construction witches actually use specialized glyphs to boost their strength." Willow explained.
The bearded witch pulled out a piece of paper, not unlike the kind Luz would come to use her own magic for. He then approached a familiar albino creature.
"Boscha look!" Luz excitedly pointed the creature out. "It's that Tiny Nose we met at the Conformatorium!"
"You were in the what now?!" Gus wasn't expecting her to say that.
The Construction witch placed the glyph on the bridge of the creature's very nose. In an instant, the Tiny Nose's pupils constricted as she was enveloped in a violent torrent of energy.
"HAAAAAAAA! I AM DESTWOYER OF WOWLDS!"
She picked up and tossed the witch with ease.
"Stop! That's the opposite of construction!"
Other witches from the Construction Coven tried to subdue the Tiny Nose, but she quickly overpowered them. Bodies were flung around and much property damage ensued. Most of the spectators ran for safety. After viewing such carnage, Boscha had but one reaction.
"Ha ha ha! You were right, Willow. This is pretty satisfying."
"Told ya." The plant witch concurred.
"There you two are!"
The foursome noticed Eda approaching, inexplicably sporting a cowl over her head and round sunglasses.
"Speaking of espionage." Boscha remarked.
Eda wiped sweat from her brow. "I was worried I kicked you too far this time."
"Yeah, thanks for that." Boscha's snark was noticeably weaker. "So what's up with the disguise, anyway?"
"Uh, duh!" Eda's snark was as powerful as it's ever been. She pointed to the wanted poster of her on the wall next to them. And the poster on the wall to the other side of them. And the ones next to that poster. And the ones on the nearby pillars. And the ones on the ceiling.
"Dang!" Gus was quite impressed. "Just how many laws did you break."
Eda nodded. "Lost count. But mostly I broke the bullshit rule of not joining a coven."
"Maybe you could find a coven to join here." Luz suggested. "I mean, acceptance? Comradery? A sense of belonging? What's not to like?"
"Clearly, you girls haven't read the fine print." The Owl Lady gestured to an Illusion witch in the distance holding out his wrist. Another witch wearing a special glove applied it to his wrist, leaving what looked like a tattoo of a mirror. The insignia glowed as blue lines of magic crept up the witch's wrist.
"That kid will never be able to do anything but Illusions for the rest of his life." Eda said.
Boscha looked at this and felt... disgusted.
"Why is that a thing?" Boscha asked.
"Because of Belos." Eda said, "He claimed to be a messenger of the Titan, that only he and his little coven can use all types of magic."
"Sounds like propaganda." Boscha mumbled, remembering all the government leaders in the human realm that have done similar things.
"That's why I never joined a coven, and why I can do all kinds of magic!" Eda summoned spheres of earth, air, water and fire around her to illustrate her point. "which, of course, makes me the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, and- Wait, where'd everyone go?"
Boscha had noticed that Luz, Gus and Willow had left as well. "Oh, they went to stand in that line over there with the medieval stormtroopers."
"UGH! The Emperor's Coven!" Eda sneered at the sight of the scouts in their masks and cloaks. "Those sons of liches are the worst of the worst. They're allowed to use all kinds of magic, but they tend to lord it over members of different covens."
"The snooty, privileged kids, huh?" Boscha grimaced. "I was hoping we wouldn't encounter that kind of thing in the Demon Realm."
Eda suddenly looked concerned. "Speaking of which, have you been feeling okay? You haven't reacted much to King telling you about your demon heritage. You didn't even punch me."
"I'm just as surprised as you." Boscha replied. "I thought it would distance me further from Mom and Luz. But the more I think about it, the better I feel about myself. Like I make more sense. I wonder if this is what Mom was talking about by self-discovery."
"Yeah, she's something, all right." Eda smiled.
Boscha had to think fast to stop her mentor from elaborating on that thought. That's when she noticed something. "Hey, didn't King come here with us?"
"YES! MORE OFFERINGS! MORE FREE SWAG FOR THE KING OF DEMONS!"
It was then that they noticed the small demon practically buried in free shirts, scarves, flags and hats as he scuttled by.
"Well, looks like I'll have more dust traps for the house." Eda lamented.
Boscha looked back to the line-up as Luz and her friends walked through a door. "I think I'll check out this Emperor Coven shit. Keep an eye out for Luz, mostly. You coming, Eda?"
"Tch! Hardest of passes."
She suddenly heard whispering in the distance. A random witch was speaking with a coven scout. He held one of Eda's wanted posters and pointed in her direction.
"Actually, the thought just became less revolting. Let's go!"
Luz sat down near Gus and Willow, while Boscha and Eda sat a distance away from them.
'Alright, let's see what this is all about.' Luz thought.
She noticed Boscha sitting a few aisles up. She waved to get her attention. Boscha saw her point to Gus who had "Emperor's Coven" autographed on his forehead. She then noticed Luz had the signature of someone named "Steve" on her own forehead. Her feelings about the coven system notwithstanding, Boscha smiled at her sister's antics.
The lights in the auditorium dimmed, and a spotlight directed everyone's attention to the center stage. Yet another plume of smoke burst from the platform. Only this time, the person to emerge was Principal Bump.
Eda couldn't help but chuckle. "Bumpykins? Really?"
"Who?" Boscha naturally had no clue what she was talking about.
Bump summoned a mic to address the audience. "Hello, Bonesborough! Students ask me all the time, "Principal Bump, what's the height of magical achievement?"
"Is it THIS?" A random kid in the audience cast a spell to make his head grow ten times its size. Unfortunately, his body couldn't support the added weight and his head crushed the poor kid sitting next to him.
Bump shuddered at the display. "Wow. I failed you as a principal. It's being selected to join the best of the best. And there are none better than the jewel of the coven system and the enforcers of his will, the Emperor's Coven."
Three of the Coven Scouts appeared on stage as the principal continued. "Feast your eyes on this elite force, each member handpicked to help usher in a new age of controlled magic!"
The scouts all drew spell circles, respectively casting skyward blasts of fire, water and lightning. The spells collided in midair, exploding in a maelstrom of confetti. Luz grabbed as much of it as she could.
Eda nudged Boscha. " So when does this "elite force" get here? HA!"
Boscha was surprised to find herself laughing with her.
Bump kept orating. "Members of the Emperor's Coven have access to all—yes, all forms of magic. Ooh. Aah."
The crowd ooh-ed and aah-ed with him.
"But... only the best can ascend these ranks. Some day that could be one of you!" Principal Bump pointed to a member of the audience. Luz looked over Gus and Willow to see where he was pointing. She saw a familiar green-haired girl squealing with joy at being the one Bump acknowledged.
"Amity!" Luz was just as elated to see her again. She sat down too quickly for Amity to notice and just kept watching the presentation.
The three guards disappeared, allowing the next arrival to have her grand entrance.
"I am now pleased to welcome, the esteemed leader of the Emperor's Coven... Lilith Clawthorne!"
Eda went stiff, and Boscha looked at Eda.
"Clawthorne?" Boscha asked.
"I'll tell you about it later." Eda said, as a giant blue raven appeared at the ceiling.
It came down and spread out, covering the arena in blue glow. When the glow settled, a woman in a black dress, white cloak, and white bird mask. She raised her arms and the mask floated off her face. The crowd cheered.
"Thank you all." Lilith said, making a spell circle and having her cloak come off, and that and the mask go into Bump's arms, "It wasn't easy for me to rise to the top, I had to work hard and climb my way through challenges and struggles."
Eda growled.
'Struggles? You wouldn't even be in there if it wasn't for me.' Eda thought.
"I now have the privilege of enforcing the Emperor's will." Lilith continued, "So be more, the Emperor's Coven awaits you!"
She created the raven against and sent it to the sky, making it explode and release confetti onto the crowd.
Eda, Boscha, and Luz walked out of the room.
"Okay, I've had enough of this." Eda said, walking away.
"Eda, where are you going?" Luz asked.
"Home where the sane people are."
"Wait, how come we've never met them?" Boscha asked, having a shit eating grin on her face.
"... Make a joke like that again, and I will let that stand sell you both." Eda said, pointing a stand that has sports gear.
"Jokes on you, being a ball is fun!" Luz said.
"Grudgby." Boscha said, walking over to the stand.
"Guess I'll go find King, then." Luz muttered to herself.
She began to look for him, but was soon distracted by all the signs and banners in the area. It wasn't long at all before she bumped into Amity of all people, causing them both to stagger.
"Hey! Watch where you- LUZ!" Amity blurted. "I mean... Luz. It's good to see you again. What-what are you... uh, what brings you to the Covention?"
Luz managed to keep a straight face despite seeing the witch so flustered. "Well, being new to the Demon Realm, my sister and I have never been to one of these before. We kinda wanted to see what this was all about, y'know?"
"Oh yeah! That makes sense." Amity nervously laughed.
"So... how have you been doing?" Luz gave a look of concern that shook Amity to her core. The human's irises sparkled as they bored their way into her very soul.
"I'm... okay. Really."
"That's good to hear. When your mom was talking about that Blight showcase stuff, it made me think about your wrist injury. It scared me."
Amity was taken aback by a relative stranger worrying about her. It stirred these feelings that were equal parts nice and alien to her. Luz was still looking at her, though. She'd better answer.
"Oh, don't worry. My wrist has gotten a lot better since the last time we met. See?" Amity lifted her left arm to show the faint discoloration in her wrist.
Luz only grew more concerned. "I thought it was your right wrist that was hurt."
"Wha- no, it's... it was definitely the left!" Amity awkwardly backed away. "Really, I'm fine. Thank you for asking, though."
Unfortunately, not watching where she was going, the young witch failed to notice a certain diminutive demon in her path.
"Cupcakes in my tummy-tum makes the King say-WEH!"
The two toppled over each other. King's free gifts fell all over the place.
"Ohmigosh! Are you two okay?" Luz ran up to check on them.
Amity struggled to get to her feet. "Yeah. Still okay. I can-"
"NOOOOOO!"
King cried to the heavens as his precious cupcake was crushed under the cruel hand of the green-haired monster.
"OH! Oh no!" Amity sprang to her feet and tried to shake the remnants of the cupcake from her hand. "I am SO sorry! That was an accident!"
"Amity, it's okay." Luz tried to calm her down. "It's not a big deal."
King's brow scrunched in fury. "Of course it is! This atrocity will not go unpunished! Glyph her, Luz!"
"King, it was just a cupcake. Let it go!" Luz snapped back.
"I... need to go meet with someone. I'll see you later!" Amity ran off.
Luz looked down at King. "I hope you're proud of yourself."
"Always am." The little demon replied as he ate the crushed cupcake from the floor.
'Hopefully Boscha is doing better.' Luz thought, figuring Eda turned her into Ballscha by now.
Boscha was looking at gear when she heard something. It sounded like music and it was... beautiful. Boscha looked around the corner of the stands.
'It's her.' Boscha thought, seeing Skara playing the harp.
In front of her was a girl, who looked to be about 4 or 5 years old, thought Boscha couldn't get a good look at her as she was looking at Skara. Skara stopped playing and looked at the girl with a smile.
"Did you like that, Seraphina?" Skara asked.
"That was incredible!" Seraphina said, hugging Skara's legs, "I want to be a great Bard like you one day!"
Skara patted her head.
"I'm sure you will." Skara said.
'... God... why do I feel like this?' Boscha thought.
"You know you can talk to her." A voice said.
Boscha got startled and turned to punch whoever said that, but a vine stopped her.
"... Okay, don't sneak up on you, got it." Amelia said, as her vine stopped Boscha from punching Cat.
"S-s-sorry!" Boscha said.
"Well, in your defense, we did throw you, dribble you, kick you... hip check you-"
"Yeah, that one was entirely uncalled for." Boscha said.
"I had to show off." Amelia said.
"Anyway, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot." Cat said, "I'm Catrina Medicus, but you can call me Cat, and this is Amelia Bellflower, my girlfriend."
Cat put an arm around Amelia's waist and pulled her close.
"Boscha Noceda, or Ballscha as I'm referred to sometimes." Boscha said, "It's... nice to meet you... officially at least."
"Yeah... we have experience with the Owl Lady and that spell." Amelia said.
"Three... fucking... weeks." Cat said, very annoyed, "All so she could use us as a distraction for the cops!"
Amelia gave Cat a kiss to the cheek.
"Calm down, Kitty." Amelia said, "Anyway, we noticed you checking out Skara and her baby sister."
Boscha blushed.
"I... what... I would... Never... I just-"
"Trust me, I can tell you have feelings for her." Cat said, before tapping her head, "Lesbian intuition."
"I mean... I..."
Boscha didn't know what to think, she was so confused with her feelings and sexuality.
"What, have you not come out yet?" Amelia asked.
"In the human realm, people think it's wrong to think like that."
"The Human realm?" Cat asked.
"I mean... did you not see my sister's ears?" Boscha asked.
Amelia laughed awkwardly. "I mean, we didn't want to call attention to them. It seemed rude."
"I always thought the Human Realm was a myth." Cat confessed.
"Nope." Boscha informed them. "Trust me, it's all too real. I was lost there when I was little. The Nocedas -Luz's family - rescued me and took me in. Been a Noceda ever since. No regrets."
"That's so sweet." Cat was moved.
"Wait wait wait." Amelia interrupted. "Can we circle back to when you said that it's wrong to think "that" in the Human Realm? What exactly did you mean?"
Boscha always tried her best not to dwell on the homophobic mentality all too common in the realm she called home. Did these two really need to hear about it? What good would it do them? Boscha didn't think it was a good idea, but she felt a strange compulsion to reach out to her newfound friends.
"It's... relationships like yours... any relationship that isn't heteronormative is seen as unnatural and... wrong in the Human Realm."
"What?!" Amelia was bewildered.
"Why?!" As was Cat.
"That's the million-dollar question." Boscha sighed.
"Oh, there you are."
Everyone looked to see Luz and King approaching.
"Maybe Boscha will help!" King pointed to the three-eyed girl. "Minion! Your King commands you to avenge the loss of my confectionary offerings!"
Boscha just looked at Luz. "He what now?"
"Don't mind him." Luz assured her. "He's just upset because he dropped some treats."
"Easy for you to say..." King contested. "... but when you reach over and put your hand into a pile of goo that was your favorite cupcake, you'll know what to do!"
"OMT! He's so cuuuuuute!" Amelia cooed.
"Can we pet him?" Cat pleaded.
Boscha and Luz looked at each other, then back to the girls and nodded approvingly. Cat and Amelia picked the little demon up and cuddled him incessantly. His squeals of protest went unheeded, but did garner someone's attention.
"Hey cronies!" Eda bellowed. "I thought I told you we were leaving."
"You said YOU were leaving." Luz corrected her.
"No, I-"
"Edalyn?"
"Ffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" That prissy voice reverberated throughout Eda's brain. "Lily."
Everyone turned around to see Lilith saunter up to them. "Sister." She smirked at the sight of Eda. "It has been too long."
""Sister?!"" Luz's excitement skyrocketed. "Mysterious paaassssst!"
This worried Boscha a little. "Luz, you're drooling."
"Just look at you." Lilith took no notice of the Nocedas. "Still collecting trash for a living, or have you finally moved on to an occupation that somewhat approaches respectability?"
"Meh meh meh meh meh mehhhh!" Eda used her hand as a puppet for her mock impression of her sister. "That's you. That's what you sound like."
"Well, at least your witticisms have improved." Lilith scoffed.
"Yeah, well how do you like this retort?!" The Owl Lady fired a spell at her, but Lilith reflected it with ease right back at her. Everyone present was astonished at what they had just witnessed. Boscha in particular burst out laughing.
"Holy shit! Somebody finally balled Eda!"
"This day has been full of surprises." Amelia noted.
"I never thought I'd see the day." Luz exclaimed.
"Eda the Ball Lady!" Boscha was still laughing.
Lilith finally took a moment to address the Nocedas. "I've never seen you two in Bonesborough before. What's your connection to my sister?"
Luz struck a heroic pose. "We happen to be the dutiful apprentices of Eda the Ball - err - Owl Lady."
"Edalyn, a mentor? Titan help you both." Lilith examined Luz's face. "And what is with those ears? Is this a human?! Where did you even find one of these?"
"Hey, Eda at-home!" Boscha's mood instantly soured. "Stop messing around with my sister!"
Lilith nearly doubled over with laughter. ""Sister?" Of that? Oh, witchling. Apparently, Edalyn managed to pass on her lack of self-respect."
Mocking Luz was her first mistake. Her second was shaking her head. Otherwise, she might have seen Boscha march up to her to punch her in the face. As it was, the force of that punch actually sent her rolling a fair distance. Everybody in the immediate area collectively gasped at the sight. Lilith could already feel the swelling beneath her right eye as well as the trickle of blood from her nose.
"You miserable little brat!"
"Stay mad." Boscha hoped that really hurt "Talk like that to my sister again and I WILL stop holding back."
Boscha glared at Lilith. She picked up Eda and tossed her to Cat.
"Fix her, I've had enough of this place." Boscha said, "Come on Luz, let's go before the Government Goth decides to arrest me."
Lilith stood up and grabbed Boscha's arm, only for something in her to react and turn around. Lilith pushed away and held her bleeding side.
"AHHH!" She yelled.
Boscha looked at her blood stained hand and got confused.
'Claws?' Boscha though as her claws returned to normal nails.
"WHOA, BOSCHA!" Luz was even more surprised.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Boscha panicked. "I honestly didn't mean to do that! I had no idea I could..."
She managed to extend and retract her newfound claws a few times, which captivated Luz. "Ohmigosh! You've got cat claws!" Luz pulled her cat-eared hood over her head in a show of solidarity. "Meow-meow!"
Boscha was amused by her sister's display, which put her at ease. Unfortunately, Lilith was going to put a stop to that as soon as she finished casting a healing spell on her face.
"If this scars, I swear to Titan I will come at you with the full force of the Emperor's Coven!" The raven-haired witch seethed.
"I can scratch the other side to even them out if you prefer." Boscha taunted.
"Hold it, hold it, hold it!" Eda re-entered the fray, having been turned back to normal.
Lilith only smirked in a condescending fashion. "Well, Edalyn, it's good to see you in... better shape."
Everyone in a ten-meter radius cringed at that line.
"Uh-huh." Eda powered through. "Anyway, Boscha, there's no need to resort to such frantic violence... when we could be resorting to SANCTIONED violence!"
That definitely got Boscha's attention.
"Ugh, Sister, please tell me you don't mean-
"That's right, Lily! We challenge you to a WITCH'S DUEL!" The Owl Lady pointed dramatically. "My bad girl student versus the prissiest of your little blue bloods!"
"Witch's duel?!" Luz and Boscha both were shocked to know that there was such a thing in the Boiling Isles. To think that something out of the Azura book series was plausible enough to really exist.
"Put me in, Eda!" Luz insisted. "I've been dreaming for a chance like this for YEARS!"
"Huh? How could you-?!" Eda tried to keep focused. "Sorry, kid, but your sister's better suited. I don't know what you think witch's duels are, but I gotta put my snails on the one who's least likely to try to be nice and befriend their opponent."
"I don't... always do that!"
"Well then, if your mind is set on this..." Lilith had no inclination to let the inane banter continue. with the twirls of her fingers, every one of Eda's wanted posters in the building disintegrated. "You can stop worrying about the Emperor's Coven for today and prepare the last rites for your poor, misguided fosterling. I'm going to have my best disciple teach this one a painful and lasting lesson."
Boscha wasn't perturbed. ""This one" doesn't scare easy, Wednesday! Bring on any witch you got!"
"Ms. Lilith?"
All eyes in the room turned to a very bewildered Amity.
"What perfect timing." Lilith smirked. "Here comes my top student now."
"Hi, Amity!" Luz waved to her friend.
"Minty?!" Boscha exclaimed. "Y'know what, Eda? Maybe let Luz take this one. This doesn't feel right."
"What's going on here?" Amity looked to Lilith for an explanation.
The dark-haired witch maintained her smug exterior. "You'll have the honor of demonstrating your magical prowess in a witch's duel against, ehhh... the pink one."
"WHAT?!"
"Think of it as an impromptu tryout for the Emperor's Coven. A victory here could be propitious for your future."
"But we never discussed anything like this! Why are we picking fights with random witches?!"
"Amity..." Lilith's pleasant smile did little to hide her cold stare. "... your parents have paid me top snail to ensure your successful training. I would hate very much to let them down. You won't let that happen... will you?"
"N-n-no." Amity said.
"Good." Lilith said, before turning back to Boscha, "You have one hour to prepare."
Not only did Boscha glare at Lilith, but so did Luz. If it wasn't for the fact that she would make things worse, she would've broken Lilith's nose... again. After the goth-like witch left, Luz had only one immediate concern.
"Amity, I am so sorry!" She groveled to her friend. "We never meant to get you roped into this!"
Boscha concurred with her sister. "Yeah, don't worry about it, I'll just forfeit or whatever."
"Right, about that..." Eda had all the awkward mannerisms of a little kid that spilled Ghoul-Aid on the carpet. "... I mean, you could quit, but then you might get thrown in the conformatorium."
"WHAT?!" Boscha, Luz and Amity were aghast at what they heard.
Boscha in particular was quite incensed. "What the hell did you just get me into?!"
"It's what I got you out of, smartass!" Eda didn't back down. "You do realize that what you did to my sister constitutes a high crime!"
"Since when do you care about the law?"
"Since one of my girls assaulted the head of the Emperor's Coven!"
"You WHAT?!" Amity clearly had some catching up to do.
"If I hadn't intervened, you'd be hauled out of here in chains." Eda emphasized. "Appealing to her ego was the only thing I could think of to change her mind. And if you drop out now, she'll go back to plan A!"
Boscha groaned. "Well, shit."
"I-It'll be okay." Amity assured her. "Witch's duels aren't necessarily to the death. It'll just be a friendly exhibition match."
"Oh, so destroying your opponents is against the rules, then?" Luz asked.
"I didn't say that." Amity sulked. "I should probably catch up with Ms. Lilith. She'll be expecting me to warm up for the duel. Good luck!"
Eda and her wards watched as the green-haired witch run off. Luz could have sworn she saw her shed a tear before she turned away.
"Y'know, I gotta ask her where she got those boots. I'd like to steal myself a pair." Eda mused to herself before addressing Boscha. "Well, kid, let's prep for the fight of your life. That Amity's no pushover."
As the two walked off, Luz noticed that Amelia and Cat were still cuddling with King.
"So, can we have him back now?"
In an empty corner of the Covention Centre, Eda donned a sweatband, indicating to Boscha that it was time to begin their training. "All right, let's go over some basic duel etiquette." She extended her arms forward in an offensive position. "Now, I'm coming at you with a blast of fire. Whattaya do?"
"HAAAAIIII!"
Without thinking, Boscha had grabbed Eda by the arm and flipped her over her shoulder, slamming her against the floor with enough force to break her body apart. Despite not being attached to her lungs at the moment, Eda needed a moment to catch her breath.
"WHAT THE HELL, KID?!"
"Shit! Shit shit shit! Sorry, Eda!" Boscha stammered. "My brain went back to karate class and I just reacted on instinct. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry. Let's just focus on training for now. I'll add this little incident to your ball tab."
"Oh, what if you threw a ball of light at her and temporarily blind her!" Luz said, putting Eda back together, "It would make this go by fast and no one gets any serious injury."
Boscha simply looked at Luz and made a spell circle, creating a ball of light, and then attempting to grab it, only for it break apart.
"While you are able to do that for some reason, I am not able to." Boscha said, before getting an idea, "Eda... teach me that ball spell."
Eda smirked.
"I think I know where this is going." Eda said.
The witches walked into the arena. Lilith and Amity on one side, Boscha, Eda, and a Luz Ball in Eda's hands on the other.
"You ready for this Kid?" Eda asked.
"Born ready." Boscha said, taking Luz from Eda's hands.
"I'd feel a bit better if we set up some hidden traps beforehand."
"YOU would." Boscha pointed out. "When I win this, I don't want your stuck-up sister to have any room for excuses. I want her to know it was all me."
Eda could only concede. She felt more of a kinship with the three-eyed girl with each passing day and couldn't help but be proud of her.
"Beloved citizens..." Lilith was eager to get things started. "...the Emperor's Coven proudly presents an impromptu demonstration of the sort of witch we seek every year. Introducing Amity Blight!"
As the crowd cheered, Amity felt more at ease. She didn't like being strong-armed into this match, but Boscha didn't seem all that willing, either. What harm could a simple exhibition match be?
"Versus... Bow-scher or something." Lilith gestured to Amity's opponent.
""Bowscher?"" Skara was watching from the front row alongside Seraphina, Cat and Amelia. "Did I misremember her?"
Boscha and Amity stepped forward to face each other. "You're looking more confident now." Boscha noticed. "You really feeling up to this?"
Amity's eyes narrowed as she smiled. "Well, if I'm stuck doing this, I might as well enjoy it. I'll be sure to go easy on you."
"Guess you took those acting lessons, after all." Boscha cracked her knuckles. "Don't let our first encounter give you the wrong impression. You'd better come at me with EVERYTHING."
"If you insist. Abomination, RISE!"
The ground began to rumble, and a gargantuan abomination rose from the earth to the shock of everyone. Even Amity was surprised, but she didn't let that throw her off.
"Y'know, when I told you to come at me with everything, I didn't necessarily mean all at once." Boscha began to suspect she bit off a little more than she could chew.
The abomination raised its leg to stomp on its target. Fortunately, Boscha was far too quick for it. Or was Amity taking it easy on her? That wouldn't do.
"Ready, Luz?"
The ball shook slightly in her grasp."
Hope that was a yes." She began to wind up. "Okay, Minty, say hello to the Boiling Isles' new grudgby prodigy!"
Boscha hurled Luz with all her might and precision towards the towering golem standing between her and her opponent. It looked as if her attack would plow a hole straight through that monster, but shockingly, the abomination made a hole in its own body wide enough for the attack to pass through. Even more surprising was the fact that Amity jumped up to intercept the ball. Luz felt an odd sense of comfort in her hands. Almost like she was safe in the midst of this chaos. Sadly, that feeling left too soon. Right after catching Luz, Amity spun in midair and threw her right back through her abomination. Boscha could barely register what was happening before the Luz ball collided with her face. The sisters' eyes met briefly before Luz ricocheted right into the crowd behind them. As luck would have it, Luz fell into the hands of none other than Willow.
"Nice to meet you, prodigy." Amity had already resealed the hole in her abomination. "I'm Hexside's former Grudgby captain. Led the team to three consecutive BIGL championships."
"Guess I had that coming." Boscha fished a tissue out of her pocket for her bloody nose. "Still, when in doubt..."
After stuffing a wad of tissue into her bleeding nostril, Boscha began to lob a volley of fireballs at the abomination. Meanwhile, in the bleachers, Boscha's initial spell on Luz had worn off, reverting her back to normal in Willow's lap.
"Hey, friends!" The human awkwardly waved to her and Gus. "I got to take part in a witch's duel!"
"Wait, isn't that against the rules?" Gus asked.
"Not exactly." Willow explained. "That's only if Luz fought under her own volition. Using spectators as weapons or shields is within the rules to a point."
"But why would you let her?" Gus was still confused.
Luz looked at her sister in the match and softly smiled. "She knew how badly I wanted to be in a witch's duel and found a way for me to take part in hers. She's the best big sister I could ever ask for."
"... I think you got spun to much." Willow said.
Back on the battlefield, Boscha had not let up with the fire, some people were nervous she would burn the place down. Amity wasn't letting up either, ordering the abomination to grab Boscha... sadly, if there was one thing Boscha was... apart from hot headed, stubborn, athletic, and short tempered... it was slippery. She was easily dodging any move the abomination tried to do to grab her.
'Okay, glad balls don't have lips or that would've been awkward... plan A failed... but...'
Boscha had a plan. It'll end this and stop the abomination. After all... can't fight if you can't move.
'If she's so good with a grudgby ball... then she can BE the ball!'
Boscha just had to line the spell up and hit her with it. Boscha formed a fireball in her hand and threw it at the abomination, but that didn't do much. Boscha did it again, and again, and again, but it was the same story... nothing stopped it. Sadly, she tripped over her feet and the abomination stepped on her, making the crowd, and Amity gasp in shock. Luz felt her heart stop... until there was a growl coming from under the foot... as well as the foot being lifted.
'She has Super strength!?' Luz thought.
Boscha pushed the abomination off her, much to Amity's shock. Boscha looked at her hands, very shocked. She closed her fist and looked at the abomination, starting to get up. Boscha wasted no time, making a spell circle and hitting a distracted Amity with the spell. The Amity ball hit the ground and Boscha just picked her up victoriously, and spun her on her finger... when she noticed something.
"Hold on." Boscha said, stopping Amity on her finger, "What's this?"
She pulled something off of Amity and showed it to the crowd. That's when Eda came over and looked at it.
"A power glyph from the Construction Coven!" Eda said, holding it up, "Got anything to admit, Lily?"
The crowd looked at Lilith, who visibly looked nervous. Boscha tossed Amity and undid her spell.
"What the hell, Minty? I never had you pegged for a cheater."
"I... I..." Amity was at a complete loss for words.
Gus sure wasn't, though. "Amity cheated? And she still lost?! What of our lives is even real anymore?!"
"Your sister has some serious skills." Willow confessed to Luz. "I'd sure hate to get on her bad side."
Meanwhile, Lilith was still fumbling to answer her sister. "Well... I knew YOU'D cheat... so... I compensated for-"
"Don't bullshit us!" Boscha cut her off. "I was winning fair and square without any special glyphs or traps!"
"And believe me, Lily, I'm just as surprised as you." Eda pointed out.
"You and Minty were the only cheaters here!"
"NO!" Amity blurted out. "No... I wouldn't! I didn't know. I never took that... Ms. Lilith?"
Lilith faltered even more under Amity's sorrowful gaze. "A-Amity... You don't know my sister! She-!"
"I thought I knew YOU."
"No! This was different! Edalyn is willing to use every underhanded tactic to try and come out on top!"
"Guess that runs in the family, huh?" Boscha quipped.
"Stay out of this!" Lilith was quick to turn her anger on Boscha. "Nobody asked for your smart-mouthed opinion, you-!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Amity cut Lilith off this time. "Don't turn this on them! They didn't break any rules."
"And yet, I feel so dirty." Eda grumbled to herself.
"Why, Ms. L- Why did you do this to me, Lilith?!" Amity implored. "Did you really have that little faith in me?"
The lack of honorifics cut deeper than Lilith dared let on. "Of course I had faith in your abilities! I just didn't want to risk Eda embarrassing you!"
Amity took the power glyph from Boscha to wave it in her mentor's face. "And what did you think THIS would do?! Is this supposed to get me into the Emperor's Coven? You know what Mom will do to- what she'll say when she hears about this! And all just to settle some stupid score? How could you do this to me?!"
Lilith was close to breaking down. "Amity, please..."
"FUCK YOU!"
The young witch pushed her way past Lilith and stormed out of the auditorium.
"AMITY!" Luz became worried and made her own way out to try and catch up with her.
Lilith froze on the spot, not knowing what to do. Eda would soon change that.
"WEEEOOOWEEEOOOWEEEOOO! Healing Coven emergency! We have a burn victim in the auditorium!"
"I am not in the mood, Edalyn."
And Boscha was about to make that mood worse. "Yeah, c'mon, Eda. Can't you see she's too busy wallowing in her own hypocrisy?" She and Eda both laughed as they heard Lilith growling.
"But seriously, Lily, is the view always this nice from the high ground?" The Owl Lady jested. "Hot damn, I love coventions!"
"Edalyn..." Lilith's face turned a furious red as she gritted her teeth.
"Hey, where's the rhyming coven? What's a good rhyme for "cheated?""
"STOP. ACTING. LIKE A CHILD!"
"Don't get so heated.
You got no right to be conceited,
since you're the one who cheated.
So keep your stank ass seated."
Lilith didn't think she could get any angrier at that point. But then, Boscha got in on the rhyming.
"Yeah, you just got defeated
and your protégé retreated.
All because I succeeded
in finding out you cheated."
"RHYME ONE MORE THING! I DARE YOU!"
"It's fine. We're all done." Eda assured her.
"..."
"...
"..."
"Also, you're a total bitch!" Eda proceeded to razz her sister while flipping her off.
"THAT'S IT!"
Lilith summoned her staff and charged at Eda, knocking her into the wall, making it crack. Eda smirked.
"There she is." Eda said, summoning her staff, "You may want to move, Boscha."
"Uh, yeah, I think I left my phone in the bathroom." Boscha said.
Boscha quickly ran to catch up with Luz... unaware that someone was following her.
"AMITY? Amity!"
Luz was combing the grounds of the Covention Centre in a frantic search for her friend. She wasn't a hundred percent sure what she'd say to her, but she will fight any ghosts carrying magic mirrors that happen to show up. It felt like she was looking for hours until she was lured to a dark section of the building by the sound of shaky breathing.
"Thank god I found you!" Luz cautiously approached Amity, who was curled up in the corner with her face buried in her arms. "I got so scared."
"NO! Stay away!" Amity curled up even tighter. "Please. I'm just dealing with so much right now. Lilith using me like that. Mom... she'll... oh, Titan..."
Amity's breathing turned sharp and erratic, which scared Luz further. "Amity! Amity, stay with me, okay? Look at me. Deep breaths, now..."
Luz kneeled down next to Amity and demonstrated her breathing technique to guide her. Inhaling for four seconds. Holding the breath for for seconds more. Exhaling for another four seconds. Hold for a final four seconds before inhaling again. She coached the young witch throughout the whole process. In, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. They repeated the exercise until Amity started breathing normally again.
"There. Feeling better, now?" Luz asked.
"Not really." Amity resumed sulking. "Of all the adults in my life, Lilith was the one I trusted the most. I looked up to her. I never would have believed she was capable of... She humiliated me in front of the Emperor's Coven, which I'll never get in now. And when Mom finds out, I'll be working those Blight Industries showcases for a year!"
Luz was unsettled by that last sentence. "These showcases... what even are they?"
"My parents own a kind of home security company. Mom makes me demonstrate some of the more experimental products to her investors as a punishment."
"Is that how you hurt your arm?"
Amity instinctively hid her right arm, forgetting that she showed Luz the injury on her left arm earlier. "It's not that bad, really."
"How can it not be bad if you keep getting hurt?"
"Please, just drop it. I don't want to get you in trouble too. I'm not worth-!"
"DON'T!" Luz slammed her hands on the ground. "Don't EVER say you're not worth anyone caring about you! You don't deserve to be treated this way! NO ONE DOES!"
Luz didn't realize she had started to cry, but it came as no surprise to her. How many times had she told Boscha the very same thing that Amity just told her? That she wasn't worth all the trouble her sister got into for defending her against the bullies of Gravesfield High? It was no wonder she felt so strongly about her friend's plight.
"Luz... are you okay?"
"Yeah... yeah." Luz sniffled a bit. "Sorry. I just hate seeing people going through this kind of thing believing that they deserve it."
"There isn't much anyone can do about it. Not with my parents' wealth and influence. The day that changes is the day a human learns magic." It took a few seconds to realize exactly who Amity was talking to. "Oh, shoot! Sorry. It's an old turn of phrase, I didn't mean to insult you like that."
While Amity turned away in shame, Luz took out a sheet of paper and started drawing on it. "Hey, if that saying is true, then I've got some good news."
Without looking, Amity heard a tap. A light surged in the periphery of her vision. Then, a warm touch. She turned to see a weird being of light. A kitten of light held in the palm of Luz's hand. It reached out a paw and touched the tip of Amity's nose.
"Boop."
"What is that? Some kind of ghost?"
Luz giggled as she set the kitten of light on the floor. "No, just a little magic trick I picked up. I saw an image a while back from watching Boscha. I drew the image, and then..."
Luz tapped another glyph, and a ball of light emerged.
"Ta-daaaa!"
Amity couldn't believe her eyes. "You really did it. You learned magic."
"Yup!" Luz beamed. "So, by your own imposed logic, that means you don't have to put up with this, and you ARE worth the effort."
"I mean, it was just an idiom..."
Amity's train of thought was interrupted when the kitten of light purred against her leg.
"How are you making the light do that?" Amity pet the kitten, astonished at how real it felt. "I've never seen a light spell you could touch before."
"It's a kind of hard light." Luz explained as she cupped her hands over the ball of light she created. She wrung her hands tightly to condense it into a small sphere, like the "marbles" she flicked at Boscha earlier. "I concentrate it like so, and it becomes solid. I'm not entirely sure about the how. Boscha the science whiz could explain the science behind it better than me."
"Science, huh?" Amity looked at the sphere with an unusual curiosity. "It's no wonder your sister outclassed me considering the kind of things you've both learned."
Luz could detect the sense of self-loathing a mile away, and Amity's was overpowering. "Hey, don't sell yourself short. From what I've seen, you've got some mad skills, especially when it comes to grudgby."
"But how much of that was me and not that power glyph?"
"I'm gonna guess that power glyphs don't enhance skill. The way you passed the ball back at Boscha took agility and a kind of gentle touch. Can a power glyph help with that?"
"No, I don't think so. But how could you know about how gentle I was with the ball?"
"Oh, right! I WAS the ball."
Amity was nowhere near ready to process that information, but Luz continued. "The point is that Lilith was a jerk and an idiot to not trust in you. And she certainly doesn't deserve your trust."
"You know, I think you're right. Maybe there's something to that "I'm worth the trouble" theory of yours."
"That's the spirit!" Luz got to her feet and helped Amity to hers.
"But there's still so much I need to think about after today. I have some serious reassessments to make."
"I understand. But if you ever need a hand or a shoulder to cry on, just call us or drop by the Owl House. I don't know how much longer we'll be around, but we'll do whatever it takes to help."
Amity smiled warmly. "I will. Thank you, Luz."
She waved her sheepish little wave and walked away. As Luz watched this, Boscha caught up with her.
"Ah, there you are." Boscha said, putting Luz in a headlock and giving her a noogie, "What are you doing here by yourself?"
"Boscha, quit it!" Luz complained.
"Uh... excuse me?"
Boscha went pale and let go of Luz. Luz looked and saw Skara. Being the irritating little shit of a sister she is, Luz patted Boscha on her cheek and gave her a look.
"I'll you two alone." Luz said, walking away... just enough so they couldn't see her but she could see and hear them.
'... I'm asking Eda if it's just a ball or if I can turn her into other things, because a garbage can is exactly what I plan on making her into!' Boscha thought.
Boscha turned around and faced Skara.
"H-h-hi." Boscha said.
Lilith had knocked Eda against the wall, which seemed to take out the rest of Eda's energy. Lilith smirked as she walked over.
"Well sister, it would seem I've bested you." Lilith said.
"Don't look so smug... you beat a cursed woman who is suffering the effects of it... that's like beating someone with one leg in a race." Eda said, "Do you know what it's like suffering from this? Not knowing whether or not it'll be your last day?"
Lilith felt any anger towards Eda dissipate and be replaced with shame and guilt.
"Edalyn, I-"
With Lilith distracted, Eda hit her with the ever so iconic ball spell, leaving a Lilith colored Grudgby ball in her place.
"Ha!" Eda said, "See you later Lily!"
Eda gave Lilith a hard kick, sending her to the other side of the arena, before running out to catch up with her girls.
The awkward tension between Skara and Boscha was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Do... do you remember me?" Skara asked.
"... Vaguely." Boscha said, "When I... ended up in the human realm, I got stuck in a snare trap and hit my head hard enough that I got amnesia."
Skara looked down a little, not sure if her first friend remembers her or not.
"I see... well, we were-"
"Friends." Boscha said, "I... I had a memory come back, nothing much, but I remember you and I playing."
Skara smiled.
"Yep... we were best friends." Skara said, "When you went missing, I... I was hurt, it was the first time I ever felt true heartbreak."
"Well... maybe we can try and be friends again?" Boscha asked.
Skara looked like she was about to cry out of happiness.
"I would love that." Skara said, "I have to give you my number!"
"... You have phones here?" Boscha asked.
"What's a... Phoon?"
"Okay, well, this might be a bit hard." Boscha said, "How about we just agree to meet up later this week?"
"Okay, uh... where are you staying?"
"With the Owl Lady."
Skara had flashbacks to the ball incident.
"Uh... okay, I'll see you later this week." Skara said, "It was nice to see you again Boscha."
Skara quickly rushed away from sight, but you could hear her squeal. Luz then came out and practically tackled Boscha.
"You have a connection to your past!" Luz said.
"Luz, get off me before your shouting makes me go deaf." Boscha said.
"Hmm... Nope! I'm too happy right now!" Luz said.
"I'll use you as my basketball if you do."
"Deal!"
Luz helped Boscha up and then hugged her.
"I'm so happy my sister is getting to learn about where she came from!" Luz said.
"Luz, I'm just talking to someone that might know a bit about me, it's nothing major." Boscha said, "It's not like I found out that I'm some lost heiress to some kind of estate."
"Hey, if you are, remember who's taken care of you." Eda said, as she walked up to them, with King at her side, "Come on, let's go before Lily finds out that I set a timer on the spell."
"You can do that!?" Boscha and Luz said, with very OPPOSITE reactions.
"Yep, now let's go." Eda said, "I think there's been enough excitement for today."
"For once, I agree." Boscha said.
'Though I will admit... some good came from today.' Boscha thought as they left the place, ignoring the conversation that Eda and Luz were having about Eda's family.
"Damn it, Edalyn! Why must you be so stubborn?!"
Lilith busted her way into a greenroom lent to her by the proprietors of the Covention Centre, holding the spot Eda kicked her at. "And now I've been humiliated, Amity is upset with me and AAAHHH!"
She soon found herself face down on the floor after slipping on what appeared to be a glowing marble.
"AND WHO KEEPS DROPPING THIS SHIT EVERYWHERE?!"
In her anger, she flung the bauble against the wall. It burst in a flash of light, adding to Lilith's irritation. Before she could vent her anger, the compact on the dresser lit up, which set her off even more.
"And on top of everything else, that stuck-up goblin is probably going to berate me for no damn reason. Measly little sycophant!" She grumbled before answering her compact, whose mirror contained the image of a demon. "Kikimora. To what do I owe the honor of your call?"
"I'm told that you let the Owl Lady get the best of you, Lilith." Kikimora bluntly stated.
Lilith had to swallow her pride to answer. "She may have escaped this time, but her curse is progressing. It will only be a matter of time before she can no longer resist us."
"Well, for your sake, I hope that time comes soon. Don't forget what the Emperor promised you."
Lilith's eye began to twitch. "Rest assured, Kiki, I haven't forgotten. Edalyn will be brought in."
"See that she is." Kikimora cut off the communication.
"Sooner or later, Edalyn..." Lilith growled. "...you will be brought to justice."
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