Kamen Rider SideRide Chronicles: Oscura's Encore
Reprise V: Family Vacation
Willow was in her room, wiping off her sweat after her workout when her Spider Phone rang. Putting down her towel, she picked it up and answered.
"Hello-?"
{WE'RE ENGAGED!}
Willow had to hold the phone away from her ear since Luz was screaming so loud. After her ears recovered, Willow put the phone to her ear.
"Luz, what do you mean you're 'engaged'? Engaged to who?"
{I mean me and Amity! The both of us! I proposed! Well, technically, she proposed first, but whatever! We're engaged! I can't believe it!}
"I see..." Willow smiled awkwardly. "That's great, Luz. Congratulations."
{I just wanted to tell you the good news! We're going out to celebrate later! Oh, I should tell Marcy! Talk to ya later!}
"Right...later..." Luz cut off the call and Willow sighed. She plopped down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Four years ago, Luz came to their world. Willow had befriended the human and, thanks to her, she managed to get transferred to the Plant track at Hexside. No longer would Willow embarrass herself in the Abomination track after finding her true calling in Plant magic. Willow had not realized it then, but that was the moment she started to develop a crush on the human girl known as Luz Noceda. However, things went wrong in the worst way possible for Luz, and it all happened on the day of the Covention.
Amity cast the Everlasting Oath spell and after their duel, made Luz yell to the crowd that she was not a witch, humiliating her before everyone. Willow was ready to fight Amity after she heard what happened. She did not care if she got in trouble for it. She was not about to let Amity get away with hurting the person who gave her a new lease on her magical life. The girl who helped her embrace her full potential as a Plant witch. But Luz stopped her. Despite what Amity had done to her, she showed just how kind she was and made her stop.
To this day, Willow wished she had pushed Luz aside and fought Amity and her friends. Maybe then she could've forced Amity to remove the spell. If she knew then what she knew now, that would've been it. There would be no Oscura, no deaths, and no Phantoms. It would just be Luz learning magic and the two of them, maybe becoming something more than just friends. But that was not what happened. Luz became scarred every time she attempted to cast her light glyph. The Everlasting Oath punished her for even trying to use magic.
Willow raised her left forearm and looked at the scar. It had been four years, but she could still make out the faint bite mark that Luz had given her. In a way, she wore it as a badge of honour. She had gotten it when she attempted to save Luz from hurting herself again and again. It was then that she decided to be there for her friend, for her crush. But she was afraid that being more than just a friend would only hurt Luz, and ruin whatever relationship they could have because it would just be based on Willow's need to comfort her rather than love. How she wished she had just taken that leap back then. Yet another moment in time where she could have stopped the rise of Oscura.
Even when Luz changed and became older after enacting the ritual that gave her powers, Willow still felt the same way. Luz even confessed to her that she had the same feelings but was reluctant to act on them as well. At the time, Luz had aged into a twenty-one-year-old woman even if she still had the mind of a fourteen-year-old girl. Honestly, Willow did not care. Her body may have aged, but it was still Luz on the inside. But Willow respected Luz's wish to wait until she was older. Willow didn't mind waiting if it meant being together with the girl who changed her life.
Then…it all went dark.
Luz started to use her new powers to fight back against the Emperor's Coven. The first time she transformed into a Kamen Rider, Luz ended the lives of several Coven Scouts right in front of herself, Gus, King, and Hooty. While Willow was horrified by the deaths of so many Scouts, she knew that Luz did not have a choice. And after that, Luz did bring Eda back to life after Lilith accidentally killed her and broke the Owl Lady's curse. From there, Willow witnessed as her crush kept slipping further and further down a dark path that she would not be able to return from.
Then, the penultimate moment came, when Luz ended Belos' life and his rule. When she came back to the Owl House after freeing the Boiling Isles from his rule, an angry mob came to punish her. What did Willow do?
Nothing.
When Luz needed her friends and her newfound family the most, the moment when Willow could have defended Luz from the screaming mob, she did nothing.
Nothing except turning her back on Luz.
Willow could have placed herself between Luz and the mob and defended the girl she loved. But no, she did not do that. Instead, she condemned Luz the same as they all did. The last chance Willow had at possibly stopping the coming tragedy was gone and she had to deal with the consequences of her inaction as well as her cowardice. Luz took over the Boiling Isles, taking the Emperor's throne for herself, and renamed herself 'Empress Oscura'.
Willow's failures were made even more apparent when she and the others went to see the girl she loved. She felt that, perhaps, if she spoke from the heart then and there, if she told Luz just how much she loved her, maybe things could still change. But Oscura cut her off and told her that any feelings she had for Willow were no more. Willow's heart broke at that very moment. When she returned home, she cried bitter tears and yelled into her pillows, blaming herself for everything that happened. Amity may have set things in motion but Willow had multiple changes to help and heal Luz. Together, they might have found a solution or maybe convinced Amity to uncast the Everlasting Oath.
But that was all in the past. All the maybes and what-ifs no longer mattered.
Now, Luz was engaged to Amity, the girl who practically ruined Luz's life in the first place. The girl whose pride and stubbornness made Luz suffer and forced Willow's former crush to resort to extreme measures to get back the magic that was taken from her. Part of Willow wondered if this engagement was all a sick joke to Amity.
Some dark part of Willow's mind believed the real reason Amity banished herself was so that she did not have to face the consequences of her actions. Even though Lilith was the main cause of it, Amity was the one who kept it going. Amity was probably staying with Luz as a way of either controlling her or playing some sick game with her feelings to torture her.
'Stop it, Willow! Luz never said that Amity has ever done anything like that to her. If anything, it sounds like the two of them have been helping each other…'
Still, the jealousy, the anger, the envy, all those feelings were telling her that it should have been her. It should have been Willow who helped Luz heal, it should have been Willow who brought Luz out of the darkness, and it should have been Willow who Luz was engaged to marry!
Willow growled in frustration and struck a pillow, practically making it burst at the seams as feathers flew about in the air.
"She sounds so happy…And all I can feel is anger because it's not me…" Willow took off her glasses and pressed her hands against her face. "I want to feel happy for Luz. She deserves to be happy after everything! So…why can't I?" Willow clicked her tongue. "Tch, you know why, you jealous bitch! You want Luz for yourself! You're so hung up on her even after four damn years! She's…She's moved on…and you can't take it! UGH!"
Willow thought she had moved on but seeing Luz again had brought back the feelings she had for her best friend. After four years, Luz looked just like she had when she made the Philosopher's Stone and turned into an adult, sans the scars that marred her skin. She looked beautiful too. Sadly, Willow would have no chance to be with Luz since she was with Amity. It made Willow feel guilty about the wish she had written down on her Desire Card.
She was happy that Luz was happy, and yet part of her was jealous of Amity. It just did not seem fair. Amity was the one who had hurt Luz with the Everlasting Oath, the one who forced her best friend to perform a forbidden ritual, and the one who caused her to fall into the darkness.
No, it was not fair to just blame Amity. A lot of people had failed Luz, including Willow herself. Putting the blame solely on Amity was unfair.
And yet, Luz fell in love with Amity, Luz started dating Amity, and now Luz and Amity were engaged!
Willow grabbed her pillow and screamed into it. Tossing the pillow away, she picked up her Spider Phone and tapped on the app to take her to the Desire Temple. She needed to let off some steam and the temple had the facilities to vent her frustration.
"Wow, you're engaged, huh?" Marcy smiled as she sat on her bed and listened to Luz.
{Yeah, I proposed and everything,} Luz answered. {I mean, Amity did propose to me first. But, I did my proposal in response to her proposal…does that make sense?}
"Heh-heh. Since it's you, it makes perfect sense to me. So, how did it go? What did you do? Deets! Deets!" Marcy asked, interested.
{Well, since we both love Azura, I decided to take a page from book seven. God, it was so cheesy but it was romantic as heck! I got the same rings that Azura and Hecate got at the end of the book and had our names inscribed in both of them. Amity's ring has my name, and my ring has Amity's name. It's not a traditional engagement ring, and it's not a diamond, but I think it's better this way. Plus, I could always get a job and buy one later on down the road.}
Marcy gushed as she made little squealing and giggling sounds as she kicked her feet up and down. Hearing this news made her so happy. She had seen such proposals on reality TV shows, but she never thought she'd know someone who did something like that.
"Kyaah! I'm so happy for you, Luz. Maybe later, you, Willow and I could get together at the temple and celebrate."
{That's a great idea! Say...how's Sasha doing?}
"Sasha is, well, Sasha," Marcy sighed. "We did talk a bit after the last round. Unfortunately, she still hasn't gotten off her 'final battle duel' thing with you. I was hoping that after everything we went through during that last game, she would have seen the light. Although, I think there may be hope…maybe."
{It'll be okay, Marcy. I understand how much she's hurting. She saw someone she cared about die in her arms…and was powerless to save her…}
"You're OK, right?" Marcy asked worriedly. "I mean…I'm still not one hundred percent after what I saw…But I can't imagine how you're feeling right now."
{I'm alright, for the most part. I had nightmares after that last round, but I'm over it already. 'Coz Amity and I are engaged!}
"I doubt I'll be able to watch another horror movie after living in one like that."
{Amén a eso, amiga. (Amen to that, my friend.)}
"Well, I hope these happy memories will keep those bad ones from creeping up on you."
{Oh, believe me, I made sure of that. Let's just say, Amity and I 'consummated' our engagement. Over, and over, and over again. Sexy cosplay and everything! Damn she is so hot!}
Marcy's face became beet red as images started to form in her head of Luz and Amity engaging in lewd activities with each other, and the cosplay bit didn't help either.
"LUZ! TMI!"
{Oh, c'mon, let me brag about my sexy fiancee! Hey, did you know that if you touch right around–}
"Okay! Cool! We'll celebrate later! Bye!" Marcy immediately hung up.
The Taiwanese teen panted. Her imagination had already created so many images of what Luz was vaguely describing that it was practically playing out like a hentai in front of her eyes. Marcy sighed as she leaned against her headboard and dragged her hand down her face. She was happy for Luz. After everything she and Amity had gone through, those two deserved to be happy together.
Marcy swung her legs over her bed and walked to her desk. She pulled open one of the drawers and brought out one of her sketchbooks. She flipped through some of the pages and stopped on one of them. It was a drawing of herself, Anne, and Sasha. The three of them were adults in the drawing, or what she imagined them to look like when they were older. It wasn't anything raunchy or explicit. It was just the three of them hanging out. She flipped to another drawing that showed the three of them lying in bed together, peacefully sleeping and cuddling each other.
After flipping through several pages, she found the one she was looking for. It was the three of them standing before a wedding altar. Marcy had drawn herself and Anne in wedding dresses while Sasha wore a white suit.
'I remember drawing these when I was fifteen…I missed them a lot. And I cared about them just as much. Even back then, I never stopped crushing on them. Despite being hundreds of miles away.'
Marcy stroked Anne's face as she felt a pang of sadness in her heart. The Taiwanese teen brought the sketchbook close to her chest as she hugged it and felt her eyes sting with tears.
'I miss you so much, Anne. I just…I just want us to be together, all three of us…Sasha, why can't we just work together, you idiot…!?'
A few weeks had passed since the last DGP game took place and without any updates or news about another round, at least for now. It was both a relief and also nerve-racking. This was the longest that Luz could remember since playing this game that nothing happened. She kept waiting for her Spider Phone to go off, but there was nothing. Luz even resorted to calling Tsumuri to ask if there had been any Jyamato activity, but the navigator had informed her, as well as the others, that there was none to report so far.
'I know I should be happy that I don't have to fight after that FUBAR game, but it just makes me think that what's coming next is going to be way worse.'
The Noceda family sat down for dinner that night, and Masha was invited since, at this point, they were practically family.
"You two are the talk of the town, you know that?" Masha asked. "The way you proposed right there in front of everyone went viral."
Luz and Amity both blushed red. They didn't think that Luz's proposal was that noteworthy.
"It's true, the Flitter feed for our class is all saying the same thing," Vee confirmed.
"And that is…?" Amity inquired.
"'It's about damn time'!" Vee exclaimed as she chuckled. "So, Mash, when are you going to make an honest basilisk out of me?"
Masha smirked coyly at their girlfriend.
"I'm not really into making you an honest anything. Now, corrupted, that's a different story."
"¡Ay! Not in front of Mamá!" Vee hissed.
"Vee, mija, at this point, I'm not even fazed anymore," Camila informed her. "Just so long as I don't see both of you on the six o'clock news."
"Can do, Cam," Masha replied with a mock salute.
"Anyway, girls, I have a surprise for you all," Camila smiled and then she took out and fanned a set of tickets. "Wollah! We're going to Disneyland!"
"Mom, how can you afford these?" Luz asked, eyes wide as she stared at the tickets. Disneyland, like in California? How could her mom afford tickets for all of them? And plane tickets too? She remembered it being a struggle for her mom when she suddenly became a single mother of three, the amount of overtime Camila had to do, the penny-pinching, and the coupons she had to collect. Amity even took up a part-time job to help lighten the load.
Masha stood up, crossing their arms across their chest proudly.
"Do not underestimate my methods, my dear Luz. I'm sure Vee's told you by now that my family's pretty loaded. So, I told them about the engagement, and I said I wanted to do something special for my girlfriend's big sister and her family. And, after talking with Cam, we came up with this little trip! Consider it my pre-wedding present to you. And don't worry, I'm not cheap. I'll get you guys something good on your wedding day. Something long, rubbery, vibrates, and is shaped like a–"
"THANK YOU, MASHA!" Camila hastily interrupted.
"Masha, I am so going to owe you for this," Luz said. "Big time."
Masha walked around the table and stopped when they were right between the two girls. They leaned down and patted their shoulders.
"Hey, you guys are like family to me. Buuuuut, if you're really keen on repaying me…" The enby placed their right hand on Luz's head, and their left on Amity's head. Masha brought their heads closer so that their ears were close enough so that they could whisper to them. Every single word she spoke made the pair's eyes widen and their faces brighten red. "I'm also sure that Vee told you about my birthday wish for next month. We'll call it even after that."
"Uh…w-we'll think about it," said Amity, blushing red like a goremato.
"Y-Yeah…definitely. Soft maybe," Luz added, equally red in the face.
Masha smiled and went back to their seat.
"Did you just ask them what I think you just asked them?" Vee whispered to them.
"If I did, would you be mad?" Masha whispered back.
Vee glanced at Amity and Luz for a moment, thought about it, and then shrugged.
"I can pretend for one night."
"I love you so much, babe," Masha replied.
Camila was sure she didn't want to know what kind of conversation they had, so she stuck to the topic at hand.
"Anyway, yes, thanks to Masha's family, we can all go to California, and spend a whole week in Disneyland. We'll stay at one of the resorts, go on rides, and eat at themed restaurants." Camila let out a girlish squeal as she thought about it. "It'll be so much fun! We haven't had a family vacation for so long."
"I remember when we took that trip to visit Abuela, and how Amity was both freaked out and fascinated with how the planes worked," Luz remarked, chuckling as she glanced at her girlfriend.
"Can we not talk about that, it was so embarrassing," Amity pleaded as she groaned and slumped in her seat.
"Oooh, embarrassing Amity story? Dish," Masha insisted.
"Well…" Luz started as Amity covered her face in embarrassment. "It happened when we were fifteen..."
A year had passed since Luz's return to the Human Realm, a year since Amity exiled herself from the Demon Realm and a year since Camila openly accepted both Amity and Vee into their family. The Latina woman decided that it would probably be a good idea for Luz to get out of town for a while. So, during that summer, they would pay a visit to visit Luz's grandmother back in the Dominican Republic.
Thanks to the funds that Tsukasa had set up for them, Camila was able to provide for all of them. Not only that, but through whatever strange powers he had, Tsukasa had created forged birth certificates, medical records, and other documents that would show that Camila was Amity's legal guardian and that Vee was officially adopted into the Noceda family. Thanks to all of this, the trip was not a far-fetched thing, but very possible. And after saving up some extra money, the family of four headed to the airport.
Amity was very anxious, to say the least. She had been in the Human Realm for about a year, but most of that time was spent in Gravesfield. Amity had grown familiar with the town, but places outside of that were still scary for her. However, Luz made sure that she would be by her side throughout the entire trip.
They rode a cab to the nearest international airport and upon arrival, Amity's jaw dropped. There were so many flying machines coming in and out of the huge complex, winding roads that led to different 'terminals' and 'parking garages' filled with the vehicles that Luz, Vee, and Camila called 'cars'.
The sound of the planes taking off and coming in for landing made Amity jump several times. It got to the point that she drew a spell circle, thinking that those flying machines were going to come crashing down on their heads with how close and loud they were.
"Mija, it's okay, they're not going to fall on us," Camila assured.
"A-Are you sure? D-Do you know what kind of magic they use to stay in the air? What if the person casting the spell can't lift that off? Honestly, what is even keeping them up like that?! An airship I get, but those things!" Amity pointed to a visible runway where a plane was taxiing. "That thing has no balloon and no propellers! My staff lets us fly in the air for long distances, but airships are used for very long travels since we can carry more cargo! But what's keeping that thing in the air?!"
As she was saying this, Amity watched as the plane she pointed to began increasing speed until it eventually took off into the air, the engines roaring as it ascended higher into the sky.
"That! How is it doing that?!" Amity asked, frantically.
"It's…complicated. Like, really complicated. To the point that it would take too long to explain and because I'm not smart enough to explain it in a way that would make sense," Luz admitted.
Amity looked to Camila for the answers.
"Um…Sorry, Amity, I-I know a little bit about how it works, but I don't think it would ease your mind that much," Camila admitted.
Vee, who had adopted an original human form, took out her cellphone, searched the internet, and brought up a website that had an article that read, 'The Basics of Aerodynamics: How Airplanes Fly'.
"Here, read this. It might help you understand and feel less afraid," Vee offered.
Amity took the phone and began reading the article as they made their way into the airport. The pink-haired witch teen voraciously read through the article. It was a simplified version for kids, that much she understood. While she knew Vee showed that one to help her understand, Amity was still learning about the Human Realm and some of the things that were basic knowledge to humans were still brand new to her. So, while humans did have a basic understanding of how the flying machines worked, Amity had to learn from grade one, more or less.
But there was yet another hurdle she had to get past before they could even board the plane…Airport Security. Amity had seen long lines before, but this was on another level. From where she stood, she could see people taking off their shoes, emptying their pockets, and placing their bags and belongings into bins that were then placed on a conveyor belt before they went into a large metal contraption. While that happened, the people passed through an erected archway one at a time. There were humans wearing uniforms, some looked friendly enough, but others looked a little intense, and seemed to keep a vigilant eye on the people passing through.
"Um…Luz, is this place on alert or something?" Amity asked.
"Uh, not that I know of, why?" Luz responded.
"Well, those people in uniforms are watching everyone carefully."
"Oh, that's just airport security." Luz rubbed the back of her head as she thought of the best way to explain this to Amity. "While travelling through the air is very convenient for humans, it can also be…dangerous."
Amity's pulse quickened.
"Dangerous, how?"
"Um…oh boy…Well, from what Mamá told me, and from what I read in history books, security wasn't always this tight. But…ahem…something really, really bad happened some years ago before I was born, and it involved bad people taking over planes and well…crashing them…into buildings…full of people…"
Amity's eyes flew wide open as she gasped.
"Luz, that's horrible!"
"I know…but ever since then, security at airports, especially ones that take you to other countries, has been tight. That machine over there, the one that people are putting their stuff on, scans their bags to make sure they're not bringing anything dangerous onto the plane by seeing through them."
"I…I can understand why the bags and maybe the jewellery need to be checked. But, why the shoes?" Amity asked.
"Unfortunately, humans can get real creative with how they sneak stuff onto a plane, so even shoes have to be scanned. That archway, it's a metal detector. It scans your body to make sure you don't have anything metal on you, and if you do, then you need to take it out and show it to them."
Amity was a bit scared now. There were actually people who were crazy enough to take over a flying machine and crash them into buildings. Now Amity understood why Camila and Luz were being careful with the items they all packed. They also double-checked Amity and Vee's bags. Amity had seen a sign that listed a bunch of things that were prohibited on a plane, and it looked very specific.
Vee looked worried too. She had a metal ring piercing on her tail. The metal was enchanted so whenever she shapeshifted, it would be absorbed into whatever form she assumed. Since it was hidden inside of her, she was worried that the metal detectors would pick up on it.
Eventually, their turn came, Camila had Vee come up with her and showed her what to do. At the same time, Luz guided Amity. After putting their things on the scanner's conveyor belt, each one of them walked through the metal detector. Camila didn't set it off, but now it was Vee's turn. With a gulp, she walked through the detector and, thankfully, she did not set it off. They released a sigh of relief. After Luz went through, it was Amity's turn. Slowly, and carefully, she walked through the device, thinking it would release some unseen magic the moment she did. But, there was nothing.
"That's it?" Amity asked.
"Yep, that's it," Luz confirmed.
"Whew," Vee sighed in relief.
After collecting their things, they made their way to the terminal. Along the way, they saw a man and a woman getting irate with one of the workers at the desk, to the point of yelling, making threats, and throwing things like a couple of misbehaving children. The Noceda family witnessed as airport security came in and subdued them.
"Amity, observe the creatures known as the 'Wild Airport Karens'," Luz pointed out.
"Why did they even do that?" Amity asked.
"Why do Karens do anything? Trust me when I say, you'll live longer not thinking about it."
Finally, they arrived at the terminal just in time for them to hear the boarding call. Amity felt her heart race as she followed Luz through the tunnel. She looked out one of the windows and saw that they were essentially walking through an enclosed bridge that led to the plane. Once inside, Amity gasped again. This was nothing like an airship. There were rows upon rows of seats as far as her eyes could see. There were men and women dressed in fancy uniforms that were going around and assisting the other passengers, and there were little TVs in the back of the seats. Camila had them all walk down the aisle until they arrived at their designated seats. Luz and Amity took the seats closest to the window, while Camila and Vee took the seats in the middle row.
After storing their carry-ons in the overhead compartments, it was time to decide where they were going to sit.
"Do you want the window seat?" Luz asked.
"Uh…I-I don't know…" Amity answered, nervously.
"It's okay, mija, you don't have to. Luz, why don't you take the window seat this time?" Camila suggested.
"Si, Mamá."
Luz slid into her seat and Amity took the one next to her. Vee took the seat closest to the aisle, while Camila sat to Vee's left. Both Demon Realm girls looked incredibly nervous right now. This was their first time flying in a plane. They were about to be in the sky, in this huge metal bird, which honestly had no right to be able to lift off the ground, much less fly. Amity and Vee were gripping their armrests to the point that their knuckles turned white, and Amity's pupils were dilated, same with Vee's.
Camila and Luz shared a glance, realizing that if they didn't do something soon, both girls were going to have a panic attack. In Vee's case, that would mean having her revert to her true form. That would not go over well.
"Amiga, it's alright, we're going to be alright, I promise," Luz assured Amity.
"I-I k-know y-you're r-right. B-But a-at t-the same t-time I-I'm really scared r-right now," Amity admitted.
"S-Same," Vee squeaked.
Their nerves were further jumbled when the plane began to move. The flight attendants instructed everyone to fasten their seatbelts, and when Vee and Amity tried, they messed up every attempt due to their shaking hands. Luz and Camila did it for them, but then the plane's engines kicked on.
Luz placed her left hand into Amity's right and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"Amity, I'm right here, I won't let you go," Luz promised.
"Don't let me go! P-Please, don't let go of my hand," Amity pleaded.
"I won't."
Camila pushed up the armrest separating her and Vee and brought the basilisk into a hug as she rubbed her adoptive daughter's head.
"Estaremos bien. Te lo prometo, no pasará nada malo. (We'll be okay. I promise, nothing bad will happen.)"
"¡Por favor, sigue abrazándome, mamá! (Please keep holding me, Mom!)"
Vee and Amity had screwed their eyes shut throughout the entire takeoff. At the same time, Luz's hand was having the life squeezed out of it, to the point that she thought her bones would crack, but she wasn't about to let go. Amity and Vee were scared, and it was up to her and her mother to keep them calm.
"Amity, it's okay, we're in the air now. Take a look," said Luz.
Amity slowly opened her eyes and released Luz's hand. She moved closer to the window and gasped for the third time today. She could see the vast landscape of the human world below her while clouds passed them by in the blue sky. They were extremely high up, higher than any witch or airship could fly, and Amity and Vee were the first Demon Realm denizens to experience this.
"Vee! Vee you have to see this!" Amity exclaimed giddily.
Vee reluctantly unbuckled her seatbelt and walked over to where Luz and Amity were. Once she was there, she too gasped in awe and wondered at the sight of being thirty-thousand feet in the air.
"After that, they were like a couple of curious kids and were asking the flight attendants a million questions about how the plane worked, and were looking up everything they could about how planes flew," Luz finished.
"How adorable," Masha cooed. "I would've loved to see that."
"Masha..." Vee whined. It was so embarrassing when she looked back at it but how could she not be fascinated by planes? Before that, she had only seen them on TV but flying in one was a whole other experience.
"I'm still amazed by how much humans have accomplished without magic," Amity remarked.
"I guess to you guys, what we humans have accomplished does seem impossible, even by magic standards," Luz stated. "But that's human ingenuity for you. When we run into an obstacle, we find a way around."
"Huh, it makes me wonder. What would the Boiling Isles look like if we advanced our technology alongside our magic?" Amity pondered aloud.
Luz could already see the gears turning in Amity's head. She knew her father was a tech genius. He could build things that were, honestly, advanced for a society that was built on magic. That started to make Luz wonder if Amity could be an engineer here in their world. She could just see her girlfriend, toiling in a workshop, sweat dripping down her brow and body as she hammered away at sheets of metal, pulled chains, and quenched hot metal in water, creating new and fantastic machines that no one on Earth could even dream about.
"Mmmm," Luz hummed as she stared at Amity.
"What?" Amity asked with a chuckle.
"Oh, I was just imagining you in a tank top, with some thick work pants, sweating in a forge somewhere as your muscles glistened with your sweat as you hammered away at a piece of metal. Maybe an oil stain or two on your face and arms," Luz admitted.
Amity blushed bright red once again as she looked down and fiddled with her hands.
Camila glanced at Vee.
"Mija, promise me you will use protection. I think it's too late for those two," Camila said.
"MOM! C'mon!" Vee whined.
"Eh, I make no promise, Cam," Masha replied as they reached over and hugged Vee with one arm. "But I'll try my hardest not to."
"Thank you, Masha, but that wasn't directed at you," Camila corrected.
"Huh?"
"You didn't know?" Luz inquired. "I thought…with all you two getting up to…you figured that Vee could get you, uh, pregnant."
Masha's head slowly turned to look Vee straight in the eyes, and a chill ran up the basilisk's spine.
"You can do that?"
" …Yes…"
Masha snapped their head towards Camila.
"Cam-Cam, can Vee and I be excused to test out if she can?" Masha asked.
"NO!"
"NO!"
"NO!"
"MAYBE!"
Everyone turned to look at Vee who covered her mouth after what she just blurted out.
"I mean...No?"
Masha smirked. Oh, they would have their chance to test that theory.
After dinner, Luz went and texted both Marcy and Willow about their upcoming trip to Disneyland. Willow needed an explanation about what 'Disneyland' was, of course. After she heard it, she was excited and also jealous that she could not be there. It sounded like a fun place.
Marcy was doubly excited for Luz, and also jealous as well since the Latina was going to her old stomping grounds in California. She did, however, inform Luz of the best rides to get on, and some trivia about the park that might come in handy when they got there. She also warned her to beware of Sasha since the park and resorts were located in the Los Angeles area, where the blonde lived.
"Oh…well…that could be a problem," Luz realised. Her and Sasha's relationship had not improved, even after the last game. While she sympathized with her over Amity's death, the blonde was still determined to beat her to have her wish granted.
{No, no! Don't worry! You guys will be at the resort anyway, and Sasha hasn't been there in ages. Sasha and Anne would sometimes visit during the summer break when they had the money saved, but I doubt she'd be in the mood to go there.}
"True…Maybe I should look her up?" Luz suggested. "Talk to her face-to-face outside of the DGP and clear the air with her."
{Luz, as much as I would like that, and as much I would hope that would work, you're not going to Cali to talk to Sasha. You're going to spend time with your beautiful fiancée and your family. For this next week, just forget about the DGP, forget about the Jyamatos, and forget about Sasha's grudge match. Just go and have fun! The moment you step off that plane, leave all that baggage at the airport!} Marcy insisted.
Luz had to admit, Marcy made a good point. It had been a long time since her family had gone to Disneyland. The last time she recalled going was when she was little and when her father was alive, before his cancer diagnosis. That was a fun week the three of them had together. Now, she was going to have another fun week with her mother, fiancée, little sister, and her little sister's enbyfriend.
"You're right. I should forget about all of that and just let my hair down. Forget I'm a grown woman, and be a kid for a week!" Luz exclaimed happily. "But I will be an adult when Amity and I are alone."
{Luz, I'm really starting to think you might be a nympho.}
"Pfft. Please, I have a healthy libido for my age, and I have a hot witch fiancée – I love saying that – so can you blame me? I mean, considering that you have the hots for two girls, you better have a good sex drive to keep up with them," Luz stated. There were some spluttering noises, babbling, and unintelligible words coming out of Marcy's mouth from the other end of the Spider Phone. "I'll leave you with that lovely thought in your head for tonight. Talk to ya later, Marce."
Luz hung up the Spider Phone and placed it back in her hiding place just as Vee slithered on into their bedroom.
"You know, maybe we should change things now that I'm thinking about it?" Vee thought aloud as she looked at their bunk beds.
"Change what exactly?" Luz asked.
"Well…" Vee rubbed the back of her head. "You and Amity are engaged. Wouldn't it be better if you slept in the same room?"
Luz hadn't really thought about that. They were now officially engaged with every intention of getting married later on down the road. They have slept together more than once, and in each other's beds, so would it really be that much of a stretch to start moving into each other's room?
"Huh, I never thought about that, Vee. But if we did, I mean, do I move into Amity's room or do I have her move into mine? I mean, we have bunk beds in here, but I'd honestly rather be in the same bed with her. Hmmm, but these things don't have a lot of space for two people…" Luz glanced at her little sister and noticed a small frown on her face. "Vee, do you want me to move out of our room? I know we've shared this room for four years and you probably want your own space now."
Vee rubbed her left arm as she slithered up next to Luz and leaned her head against her big sister's shoulder.
"Can I tell you a secret, Luz?"
"Of course."
"I don't like being alone," Vee confessed. "We were kept in cages, far from each other. Sometimes, we were separated for long periods of time, never hearing or seeing the other for…Titan…I don't know. It felt like months sometimes. But since they never bothered to tell us the date or time, it just felt like forever."
"Vee…"
"I know it must've been difficult to share a room with a creature like me and not have much privacy anymore, but I liked it. I liked knowing that, just below me, there was someone close by. I didn't realize how much I liked it until you came back to the Human Realm. And…I realised, after this proposal and engagement…I wouldn't have you here with me anymore. I have a sister, but soon, I won't have her around as much, and I only got to be around you for four years…"
Luz's expression softened as she brought the basilisk into a hug and Vee reciprocated.
"Vee, I don't have to move out of this room right away. Amity lives in the same house. I love being around her but I love spending time with you, too. I always wanted a sibling and you're right, four years doesn't seem like a lot of time. So, if you want to be my clingy little sister for a little longer, I'm totally okay with it," said Luz.
"Titan, I'm such a baby…I want to keep my big sis around, even though she's going to have her own life."
"That's part of growing up, Vee. But that shouldn't stop us from being close. And, besides, you won't ever be alone again. Someday, you'll marry Masha, and both of you can have baby basilisks together."
"Wow, you didn't turn that into a sex pun? It must be serious," Vee chuckled.
"Contrary to popular belief, I can say the occasional nice thing without turning it into a dirty joke." Luz nuzzled the top of Vee's head. "I love you, Vee. You can always count on me to protect you, and be there for you. That's what family does."
The Noceda party, which included Masha, arrived at the airport. It had been a while since they all had been on a plane and, of course, Luz and Masha couldn't resist having a little bit of fun teasing their girlfriends.
"Amity, remember, the big metal bird is not going to hurt us," Luz assured Amity while gently patting her hand.
"I'll be right beside you the whole time, Vee. We'll be flying in the sky with no problems unless the engine blows and then we'll all go down in a big screaming metal death trap," Masha teased.
"Har-har," Amity groaned.
"Very funny, guys," Vee retorted in annoyance.
Luz and Masha chuckled good-naturedly as they helped Camila take the bags out of the cab's trunk.
"Our partners are real pieces of work, huh?" Amity asked.
"Yep, but I guess we are too, seeing as how we fell in love with them," Vee pointed.
Amity thought about that for a moment and then nodded her head.
"Can't argue with that logic."
Carrying their bags, the group of five headed into the airport. Going through security was still a little scary for Amity and Vee. Yes, they knew that the machines weren't going to do anything to them, but it was still a bit worrying that those things might find them out somehow. The knowledge that they were beings from another realm never left their minds, and they knew that if they weren't careful, they could be discovered and cause problems for their loved ones. Once they reached the metal detectors, Camila, Masha, Amity, and Vee passed through with no problem. However, once Luz got through, the TSA agent nodded to one of their colleagues.
"Ma'am, would you mind stepping over here please?" the agent asked.
Luz was a little worried, but she managed to keep her cool as she walked over to the agent. The man brought her bag onto a table and opened it. Amity watched from afar, her pulse quickening as she wondered what it was they saw in Luz's baggage that had her taken aside to speak with one of the TSA people. After some digging, the agent found the object that the X-Ray scanner found and held it up to Luz.
"Ma'am, what's this?" he asked.
The Latina inwardly cursed; it was her Desire Driver.
"Oh, that's just a toy," Luz claimed. "I'm really into cosplay and there's a convention in LA I was hoping to hit up. The rest of my costume is in my check-in luggage. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for this piece."
While packing, Luz had debated whether or not she should bring along her DGP gear. She knew the current season was still active and a Jyamato attack could occur at any time, so she thought she should be prepared. Hopefully, she did not have to play a round while on vacation with her family.
The TSA agent scrutinized the Desire Driver, carefully looking over every inch of the device to ensure that it didn't contain a hidden weapon or was secretly a bomb. Luz was on pins and needles inside. Despite her cool exterior, she was biting her nails. Bringing the Driver could derail their entire vacation if the TSA agent thought it was a suspicious device, or worse, he could have her mail it to the hotel they were staying at. That would be even worse if a Jyamato attack occurred and she had no means to fight back. After about the longest ninety seconds of Luz's life, the agent shrugged and placed it back into her bag.
"I see. It's very well made. My daughter's into that stuff too. Be careful next time, kid. You might not get an agent who's as understanding about that kind of stuff. Make sure you leave enough room in your check-in luggage on your trip back, understand?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Luz said as she retrieved her bag.
What a relief.
"Why did they stop you, Luz?" Amity asked as she rejoined the group.
"Oh, they thought one of my toys was a suspicious item," Luz answered.
"'Toys', you say?" Masha smirked. "Is it the special kind you play with when you're with Amity?"
"Masha!" Vee, Amity and Luz cried, blushing red.
"Please tell me you didn't, mija," Camila sighed.
"Mom! You know I don't have those kinds of things!" Luz denied. Camila raised her eyebrow as her daughter blushed bright red.
"If you say so, Luz."
As Camila walked on, Luz turned to Masha.
"Did you have to turn that into a dirty joke?!" Luz whispered.
"Yes, yes I did," Masha stated, plainly. "You set it up too well for me not to."
"Dios mío. Just…try and tamp that down when we're there. There's going to be a lot of kids, and I don't want us getting kicked out because of your 'Mashaness'."
"Hey, Vee enjoys my 'Mashaness', don't you, Vee?" Masha grinned.
Luz glanced at Vee, who blushed.
"No comment."
As they made their way to the boarding area for their plane, the group of five just so happened to hear some commotion coming from another terminal. It was two belligerent people yelling something stupid and getting in everyone's faces.
"Ugh, Airport Karens," Luz complained.
"Again," Vee groaned. "They are just the worst."
Masha clapped their hands excitedly as they took out their phone and began recording.
"Aw, sweet! My first airport Karen video! Think they'll tase them?" Masha asked.
"If they continue being stupid, maybe," Luz answered.
No sooner had they mentioned it, two airport police officers came in and fired their tasers into the two Karens, making them drop to the floor.
"Ha, they're twitching like fish out of water," Masha mocked.
"Well, that was…something, let's go kids. Vamanos," Camila instructed.
After an uneventful six-hour flight, they landed in California and took a taxi to their hotel. Camila sat in the front while the kids sat in the back, which was a tight squeeze. Vee did not like cramped spaces but she did not mind as she sat between Masha and Luz.
The party arrived at their accommodations, Disneyland Hotel, and checked in. They had booked two rooms for the five of them.
"So, who wants to room with me?" Masha asked, holding their keycard. "Coz I know who I want as my roomie." They winked at Vee. " Whaddya say, babe? Roomies?"
"Sure!" Vee smiled, blushing. "Can we, Mom?"
"Vee, I trust you, mija." Camila eyes Masha. "You, on the other hand..."
"Don't worry, Cam-Cam. Vee and I won't get into any funny business, I swear," Masha promised.
"I know you have your fingers crossed, Masha," Camila deadpanned.
"Oh, would you look at that," Masha took their hand out from behind their back. They indeed had their fingers crossed.
"Please, just try not to make me a grandmother while we're here," Camila requested. "Amity, Luz, you two will share a room with me."
"Hey, if you and Amity ever need privacy, you can use our room," Masha whispered.
"I'll think about it," Luz whispered back.
Camila fell on the bed, exhausted from jetlag. Amity and Luz just wanted to relax too. They could just hang out at the hotel but tomorrow was when the real fun began.
There was a knock on their hotel room door and Luz answered. When she opened the door, she saw Vee in a one-piece bathing suit that was teal-coloured and had a silver stripe running across it. Masha was wearing a pair of white and black swim trunks with a white flame decoration around the legs, and a bikini top that sported the colours of the nonbinary flag.
When Vee learned the hotel pool had water slides, she was like a little kid on Christmas morning. Speaking of the holiday, Camila and Luz remembered when Amity and Vee celebrated their first Christmas with them. That was when the Nocedas learned that the Demon Realm had their own version of the holiday called 'Krampmus' and that, instead of Santa Claus, they had Krampus.
Luz was not surprised to hear that Krampus was real.
Camila made sure that all four kids packed modest swimwear. It was one thing if they were just going to some random beach somewhere where there were usually more adults than there were kids, but here it was a fifty-fifty split. Camila didn't want Luz, Amity, Vee, or Masha to get in trouble with the staff for wearing something too revealing or inappropriate.
"So, Masha and I are headed to the pool. Wanna join?" Vee asked.
"Nah, we're good," Luz smiled. "You go enjoy yourselves."
"Have fun, you two," Camila said to Vee and Masha.
"See you guys for dinner," Masha said before they left together with Vee.
After bidding them farewell, the older Latina let herself relax in bed. They would have dinner at the restaurant later but tomorrow morning they would begin their one week of fun. While Camila was relaxing, Luz and Amity were busy going over what attractions and rides they would be going on and visiting come tomorrow.
"Wow, there are a lot of attractions," Amity observed as she saw all the stuff that was listed on the brochure.
"And so much to do!" Luz smiled. "I can't wait for us to have fun tomorrow."
Amity looked forward to that too. It felt nice to be on an actual family vacation. Whenever the Blights went on vacation, it was always extravagant but Amity rarely got to have fun. Often, it was a business vacation where Odalia met with potential clients and she would tell Amity to avoid the 'riff raff' that were at their vacation spot. Fortunately, Edric and Emira were able to make the best of it but Amity failed to make any new friends on these vacations.
Speaking of mothers, Camila was nothing like Odalia. Odalia was ambitious, materialistic, elitist and always trying to mould Amity into her image of the perfect, proper and powerful witch, pushing her to join the Emperor's Coven. She broke up Amity and Willow's friendship because she thought her best friend would hold her back. She did not even love her family and treated them as tools for her ambition.
Camila, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was kind, humble, warm, and always thinking about what was best for her children. Sure, she had tried to send Luz to Reality Check Summer Camp, but it was all to help Luz. Camila did not even think twice about taking Amity in or accepting Vee into the family. It had been awkward in the beginning, but Camila eventually accepted Amity into the family.
From what Luz told her about Disneyland, it was a magical place. Amity had watched Disney movies with Luz after they came back to the Human Realm together. They watched classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Amity cried when she watched Bambi. She hated watching Hocus Pocus since it was offensive with its depiction of witches. But, overall, Disney movies were just nice to watch as everyone got their happy ending.
'A happily ever after…' Amity thought. 'It feels like it was so far away for us. That we'd never really be happy. Not with the looming shadow of Oscura cast on us.'
While Amity was happy that they were engaged, she was still worried about their future. What would it be like? What kind of challenges would they face? They were going to be married in a few years, but was that it? No, it would be the beginning of something new, and that scared Amity. Amity feared that she might become something similar to Odalia and, as much as she hated to admit it, she sometimes found herself falling back on her mother's teachings. She had to deal with a lot of rowdy and sometimes inconsiderate people at her library job so she needed to be firm or stern with them. And when she needed to negotiate with some book lenders, the business skills Odalia drilled into her from an early age became very helpful to the public library.
But if there was one thing she did worry about, even if this was something that would happen probably further down the road, it was what kind of mother she would be. To date, her only role models were Odalia and Camila. It was a no-brainer who Amity was going to emulate. However, at the same time, she worried that she might unintentionally channel her birth mother and do or say something that could hurt their child.
'…Honestly, am I even fit to be a mother? Am I even fit to be a good wife? After everything I've done…'
"Amity?"
The pink-haired witch snapped herself out of her inner thoughts and glanced at Luz.
"Y-Yeah?"
"You alright, batata? You looked like you were deep in thought about something."
"Oh, just trying to figure out what we're going to do first. I've never been to a place like this, so I'm trying to plan carefully," Amity lied.
Luz chuckled as she stretched out and let herself plop onto the bed back-first.
"We don't need to think that hard. We're just here to have fun. Hakuna Matata," Luz said.
Amity rolled her eyes as she put the brochure down and lay next to her girlfriend.
"Do you ever not quote that movie?"
"Best. Disney movie. Ever! And I'm allowed to quote it all I want, especially here and now in Disneyland," Luz retorted.
Amity chuckled as she snuggled closer to Luz.
"Okay, okay. Hakuna Matata. No worries. Just fun for a whole week."
"I hope we can be adults from time to time," Luz suggested.
"Hmm, I don't mind being an adult for a few minutes here and there."
"Ahem!"
Luz and Amity paused as they turned their gazes to Camila, whose eyes were still shut, but she had a look on her face that made them know she was listening to them.
"When I said I don't want to end up a grandmother by the end of this trip, that went double for you two. ¿Comprende?"
Both girls gulped.
"Si, Mamá."
"Sí, Camila."