Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Camila Noceda hadn’t seen her life going in the direction that it did. Sure, she had planned to become a veterinarian and was even thinking about eventually opening her own practice.

No, the thing that she wasn’t prepared for was to be a single mother.

Luz wasn’t planned, she was the result of a late night of post-exam partying and a one-night stand. Camila thought nothing of the night, just thinking of it as a wild, university experience. It wasn’t until she had gone to the doctor, complaining of various issues that she learned she was a month pregnant. To make matters worse, Camila had no idea who the father even was.

Despite how hard it would be, Camila completed her program, gaining her doctorate. A few months after that Luz was born.

She was everything to Camila; her soft chubby face, bright curious eyes, and a giggle that could melt the heart of even the fiercest monster. Camila’s family fortunately had been ok with her getting pregnant and were all very willing to help in any way they could. Luckily her family was very well off, meaning she didn’t have to worry about monetary issues when it came to Luz. This helped a lot as it meant she could give her daughter the best possible life she could, and she aimed to do that.

And now it’s been a little over three years since Luz was born. Camila was spending her time between working at a small vet clinic, taking care of Luz, and relaxing. This generally meant that there was very little time for stuff like dating, but Camila didn’t really mind that. She was happy with it just being her and Luz for now.

Luz in the short few years she’d been alive had proven to be a troublesome little hellion. Incredibly curious, deceptively clever for her age, and not to mention worrisomely quick for a fat little toddler. Camila knew that if she didn’t keep an eye on Luz while they were out, the little troublemaker would run off and make a mess.

That brings us to the more current situation. It’s a brisk summer day, the kind where you can tell that the talons of fall are preparing to sink in. Not quite chilly, still quite sunny, but the feeling is there.

Camila sat with Luz in the yard, watching her as she ran around playing excitedly. She was currently pretending to be Azura, The Good Witch. Camila had let Luz pick out a book for Camila to read to her, and she had picked out a graphic novel adaptation of the first book in the series. Camila could tell how much Luz loved the series and was sure that when the time came, Luz would want to get the actual novel.

So, Camila watched Luz play, taking not of the fact that the toddler had a surprising flair for the dramatic. It was at this moment that she felt her cell phone buzz. She only took her eyes off Luz for a few seconds, it was her work calling asking if she could come in on the weekend to discuss some stuff. After letting them know that she should be able to do that, she turned back to her daughter.

Except Luz wasn’t there…

Luz had disappeared.

In a panic, Camila shot up. She scanned the nearby surrounding area for any sign of her bebé.

After a moment of worried searching, she spotted the quick-footed tyke. She was currently running after something, her small legs toddling quickly in pursuit of whatever caught the kid’s attention.

As soon as Camila caught sight of Luz she was after her, sure Luz was fast, but she was also running with a pair of toddler legs. Unfortunately, this only meant that Camila could catch up to Luz but wasn’t able to grab her. So, Camila found herself chasing whatever had caught her daughters’ attention alongside her.

It was a small owl…

Carrying a sack…

Filled with various junk and trash…

Honest, that wasn’t that weird for Gravesfield. The town had always had a tendency for the weird and abnormal. Anyone that had grown up or lived here for more than a few years knew that stuff that could be considered supernatural lurked beneath the surface. But still, the little bird had caught Luz's attention and now they were following it. For some odd reason, Camila felt compelled to follow the bird regardless of Luz. It just gave her a gut feeling that doing so would lead to something…

Whether it be good for both she and Luz remained to be seen.

Eventually, the two chased the Owl to a small shack in the woods, only a couple minutes from their home. The building wasn’t dilapidated, but it wasn’t pristine either. It showed signs of wear and tear from the weather and time.

And against Camila's better judgment, she and Luz followed that Owl into the shack. As they ran through the door frame everything changed.

***

Eda was living a good life, sure she ran from the law constantly, and sure she was cursed. But you want to know what she had. She had complete freedom, not having to answer to anyone but herself.

And with that freedom meant she got to do whatever her heart desired, which in this instance was trying to sell some of the human trash she had collected to various folks in the market today. It was admittedly a slow day, Thursday usually was, but still. It had been hours and barely anyone was looking at her stuff. Though she guessed it wasn’t all bad, a slow day also meant the guards weren’t looking toward her with as much interest.

“Hoot”

She heard Owlbert return, dropping off a large bag filled with a mini treasure trove of various human artifacts to sell. Giving the small owl a light petting she twisted him back onto her staff.

That though wasn’t the only thing that she had brought with him…

It took Eda a second to register what was happening when she felt something run into her leg, then clamp itself onto said leg.

Looking down she was met with the face of an awestruck toddler. She had dark freckled skin, a round chubby face, messy curly hair, and two big curious eyes that stared at Eda with wonder. Eda had to admit the little rascal was kind of cute. Eda despite not thinking she’d be great with kids still genuinely had a soft spot for them.

“Luz!”

A voice caught Eda's attention, snapping her gave away from the small child clutching her leg to the person that had just spoken.

What she was met with caused her heart to stop.

She quickly surmised that this was probably the kids’ mom and that the kid was named Luz. What she wasn’t prepared for was the feeling she would get when she set eyes on the mysterious woman.

She was shorter than Eda, but the clear tell-tale signs of strength could be seen even under a healthy layer of fat. A soft gentle air surrounded her, giving her this feeling of warmth and comfort. She had dark freckled skin like her kid, and a cute button nose, that turned upwards slightly. Strong well defined laugh lines. Dark brown curly hair pulled into a messy ponytail. And eyes the colour of warm chocolate; the gaze of which sent a shiver down Eda's spine with a feeling she couldn’t quite place…

Camila on the other hand wasn’t prepared for what she was about to run into when she chased Luz who in turn had been chasing a tiny little owl. They stepped into a smallish tent, with various bits of junk and trash sorted into various piles. She quickly saw Luz dart out of the tent in pursuit of the owl. She followed suit.

As Camila did so she found herself in a place that was both fantastical and frightening. Where no matter where she looked her eyes found themselves gazing upon any manner of strange and bizarre creatures and individuals. And when she briefly glanced towards the sky, she found it not to be blue, but instead vibrant purples and oranges.

At that moment her mind went back to all the old stories her family would tell. Of a place of magic and wonder; of beasts and demons. A place that was both wondrous and dangerous. Over the years Camila gradually forgot about those old tales, letting them be pushed to the recesses of her mind. But now standing in this place she felt those stories flooding back. Had they been true this whole time? She would need to speak with her family about this…

And then she saw the woman in front of her.

She was taller than Camila, well over 6 feet even without the heels. Her face was sharp and angular with equally sharp features. She was incredibly foxy, both attractiveness-wise and in build. A look of speed and cunning, mixed with underlying strength despite the thin frame. Her skin was a pale white; decorated with laugh lines and distinguished crows’ feet, and heavy bags sat under her eyes. And those eyes, they were like nothing Camila had ever seen before. Stunning pools of rich vibrant gold that shone as the light hit them. And she had a golden fang to match the eyes. Her hair was bright orange with streaks of white and grey running through it, like streaks of lightning. And she held this air of excitement, danger, and something Camila couldn’t exactly place…

But both women couldn't help the odd sense of familiarity as they looked at the other. But that would be impossible, they would have remembered if they'd met before.

One thing was for certain, as both women fixed their eyes on the other the same thought flashed through their minds.

‘I need to know more about you.’  

“Mami! Mami!”

The sound of an excited toddler snapped the two out of the haze they had settled into. Looking down they saw Luz, bouncing up and down excitedly. She was pointing up towards Edas’ staff, whilst looking towards her Mami.

“Mami look! It’s that owl we were following!”

As Camila looked toward the staff, she realized that Luz was right, it was the same owl. But now it was made of wood and stood atop a tall wooden staff.

“Ok, who are you two?” Eda's voice cut through the air.

Started Camila did the first thing that came to her mind in the moment. “I’m so sorry,” which was to apologize. The two of them had sort of just wandered into here which was a little rude. Taking a deep breath, she introduced herself and her daughter. “I’m Camila and this is my daughter Luz!”

Eda, upon seeing how flustered Camila had flashed them a toothy grin. Looks like Owlbert inadvertently brought back something more interesting than the normal bits of junk. Sure, they had wandered into the back of her shop but hey, Eda wasn’t exactly the one to care. If nothing got taken at least.

It was at this moment she realized the little girl was staring intensely at her. She knelt to look them in the eye, “Something you want to say kiddo?” Eda asked the curious-looking child.

Kids had no real concept of filters, instead, just asking or saying whatever comes to mind. And Luz was that to an extreme. Camila often found herself answering any number of odd questions her Luz would ask. But even that wouldn’t prepare her for what her little girl would say next.

“Are you a witch?”

“Luz!” Camila quickly snatched up her daughter worried the little girl had said something to offend the tall mysterious woman.

To her surprise, the woman just snorted and let out a short laugh.

Wiping away a tear Eda shot Luz a smile. “You’re a perceptive little brat,” Eda ruffled Luz's hair. “Yep, I’m a witch.” Eda grabbed her staff and twirled it, striking a pose for a little flourish. “And not just any witch,” she held her staff up before slamming the but into the ground. “I’m Eda the Owl Lady! The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!”

Both Luz and Camila's eyes went wide, as streaks of lighting whipped around Eda. To Luz, she looked awesome, and luz wanted to spend time with her to learn how to be a witch. To Camila, she looked stunning and incredibly beautiful.

“Does that mean you have a witchy hut you live in?” Luz asked in that way excited children tend to. Bouncing on her heels as she stared up at Eda, with wide eyes and a smile.

“Well, not a hut but I do have a nice house in the woods.”

“I wanna see it!” Luz yelled out.

“Luz… cariño, that’s not polite.” Camila tried her best to teach Luz good manners but… well kids are kids you know. Truth be told, Camila was also interested in seeing Eda’s house, it was probably as interesting as the woman who owned it. Camila didn’t feel comfortable asking something like that though, afraid it would come off as too forward. Luckily, Luz had no concept of those sorts of social graces, which Camila silently thanked her for.

“Sorry, Mami…” Luz looked down dejectedly.

“It’s ok el cariño, just need to remember to say please when asking for stuff.” Eda was caught off guard by the way Camila talked to Luz. It was so warm and loving but held a sense of firmness. Like she cared for the little girl unconditionally and talked to her rather than at her. Like she saw her daughter not as a thing to take care of but as a full person, something a lot of people in Eda’s experience failed at doing. It was a small thing, but Eda admired it and found it unconsciously burrowing its way into her heart.

The little girl took a deep breath, lightly tapping the shoulder of her mami to be let down. She walked over to Eda, looking up at her. Eda couldn’t help but smile at how adorable the little tyke was, especially trying to look that serious. “Could we please come to see your witchy house, miss Eda?” Luz tried speaking with all the confidence and formal etiquette a three-and-a-half-year-old could manage. Which for the first part was quite a lot, and for the latter… not so much.

Eda looking down at the Luz couldn’t help giving them a warm smile, there as just something about this kid that Eda liked. Normally she wouldn’t even think of entertaining something like this, other than messy hook-ups Eda hadn’t had anyone over in a good while. But something about these two intrigued Eda. She wasn’t one to care about stuff like fate, but it felt like the two of them wandering through her portal was meant to happen. Plus, a small part of Eda did want to learn more about Camila, so inviting them over couldn’t hurt right? “You know what? Sure, why not. Be nice to have company over for once.”

“Yay!!!” Luz started jumping for joy. “We’re going to the Witchy House! ~ We’re going to the Witchy House! ~ We’re going to the Witchy House! ~….” Luz feeling incredibly exuberant started singing happily.

“Is she going to be doing that for a while?” Eda asked. Her eyebrow cocked as she pointed at Luz.

“No, she should try herself out in a little bit,” Camila let out a sigh as she gave her daughter a warm but tired smile. She would tell Luz to say thank you, but the little girl was far too caught up in her little tune at this point.

“Eda the Owl Lady!”

Everything happening at Eda’s stall started attracting more attention. No one was coming to buy anything, but people would stop to glance over and talk about what has happened, and the sound of a little girl singing happily had been the thing to drag the attention of the coven guards.

“Oh great, and here I was hoping to have a day where I didn’t have to deal with you chumps.” Eda gave her staff a twirl as she began to put things away. Hearing a click, Camila turned around to see the door closing before folding up. “Well, looks like you’re in luck. I can take you to my place right away.”

“Really?!” Luz asked excitedly. Her eyes were mesmerized by the fact she was seeing actual genuine magic.

“Yep, just need to take care of one thing…”

“Eda the Owl Lady, you are under arrest for the following. Selling without a license; thievery, vandalism, pick-pocketing, practicing wild magic-“

Before the guard could continue Eda slapped the top of her staff into his head. His legs bowed and they crumpled to the ground unconscious. Unfortunately, more guards were already on the way. Luckily Eda’s stall was all packed up.

Camila looked on in confusion and light horror. What had she gotten herself and Luz into? This was a wanted criminal, and they were about to go to her place. Though something gnawed at Camila, telly her that despite being a criminal Eda didn't feel dangerous.

“Alright, kiddo can you do me a favour and hold onto your mom?” Eda asked Luz who quickly ran to her Mami. As Camila picked up Luz, she felt Eda’s strong arms grab her. Eda hoisted the two of them onto her staff.

“Wait what are you doing-“

Once Eda thought they were settled enough, she leaped onto her staff. And in an instant, they were off.

The sounds of Camila's panic screams and Luz's giggles of joy and elation echoed down to the market square. As they flew over the town towards the dense forest.                                                                                                           

Chapter Text

The wind rushes past at an alarming speed.

The sounds of the world were distant, muffled, and indescribable. A soft background murmuring to Luz's joyful, exuberant laughter and Camila’s screams of terror.

A gentle yet callous hand touches Camila’s shoulder. The kind touch briefly shocked her out of her fear. “Don’t worry, I got you,” Camila hears Eda's voice. Its calm, reassuring tone helped to unhinge the grasp of terror that gripped her bones.

Slowly Camila opened her eyes. The sight was beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen before. It filled her with such awe and amazement.

Seeing the look on Camila's face, Eda couldn’t help letting out a low chuckle, “Maybe I should take you for a flight at night, let you see the Isle under the stars.” Eda Knew that sounded like a come-on for a date. She hoped that Camila wouldn’t have noticed; Eda was not ready for something like that. Those words had come out due to the strange feeling that Eda was still trying to figure out.

Luckily it seems Camila didn’t notice, or if she did, she was just very good at keeping her composure.

She noticed.

She absolutely noticed. And it was taking all her strength not to start blushing like a schoolyard child at that very moment. A part of her, though, smiled at the idea. For some odd reason, a flight under the stars with Eda seemed nice. She had no idea why she felt this way, just that she did. A warm smile crept across her face as the cool air billowed past them. “I’d like that. It sounds lovely,” Her voice was a low whisper, one she hoped didn’t betray her and give away her excitement at that idea.

It did, and Eda noticed but chose to say nothing. Though the hint that Camila was excited made the witch happy.

Luz, meanwhile, had noticed the way her Mami and Eda were acting, though she couldn’t tell what any of it meant. Kids are weirdly perceptive like that, and something about the way the two of them were acting stirred something in the curious child. It was just she could tell something about Eda that made her Mami happy, and something about her Mami made Eda happy.

They had only met not even an hour ago, which, to be fair, for a three-and-a-half-year-old is still a long time.

But…

The way her Mami was acting was different than how she normally did. She could just tell that her
Mami thought Miss Eda was special, maybe she liked Miss Eda…

The little girl gasped to herself. She loved her Mami and wanted to see her happy. Maybe she could somehow help her Mami and miss Eda out….

Luz started to formulate plans on how she could do such a thing. Such rigorous planning lasted less than 30 seconds when something caught the young child’s eyes.

In seconds Luz was pointing and asking those slightly confusing rambling questions young kids tend to ask. Eda spent the rest of the ride answering the little girls’ questions, the older witch liked kids but never thought she’d be any good with them, but she found herself enjoying this. Luz's excitement and curiosity were just infectious, and soon enough, Camila was also asking questions.

The rest of the ride was spent with Luz asking dozens of questions and Camila asking considerably less.

***

Eventually, they came to the Owl House.

As they got closer to the ground, Luz, unable to contain her energy, tried to jump off the staff. Unfortunately, she was still a few feet off the ground, and a fall from that height was sure to hurt.

In a panic, Eda whipped out her hand and caught the overly rambunctious toddler, both she and Camila letting out a sigh of relief as Luz dangled from Eda's grasp.

Eda brought Luz back to Camila, the older woman gently taking her child. Softly scolded her for being reckless and that she could have gotten hurt if she wasn’t careful. Again, she spoke in a tone that made Eda's heart go soft. It wasn’t cold or domineering like other parents, but gentle and warm. Not coming from a place of control but of concern and genuine love.

As they got closer to the ground, they finally got a good look at Eda's home.

Camila would call the place rustic, with a distinctive charm, from the ornate stained-glass windows to the vines and ivy that had grown along the sides of the house. It looked incredibly warm and inviting to say the least.

“Welcome back Eda! Hoot!”

Then what could only be described as a shrill, grating voice snapped her attention away from the rest of the house and toward the source of that noise. What Camila saw was no less than unsettling and could best be described as some sort of bird worm…

“Hey, Hooty, did anything happen while I was out?” Eda asked nonchalantly as she helped Camila, who was still holding Luz off the staff. The latter of which quickly wriggled out of her Mami’s grasp. Dropping to the ground and running towards the door, the allure of a witch’s house to strong of a pull for this tiny gremlin.

Hooty gasped as he saw Camila and Luz, immediately forgetting the question that Eda had just asked. “Eda did you bring guests! Hoot Hoot!” Hooty shot out, overly eager to potentially make new friends.

“Oh right, Camila and Luz this is my House Demon Hooty; think of them as both my security and a permanent roommate.”

Camila tentatively stuck out her hand to pet the strange creature. Was this, ok? Would it be considered rude? A dozen thoughts raced through her head. Luckily Hooty was a simple-minded bird worm, so he just saw the hand and nuzzled his feathery head into it. Camila was expecting Hooty to feel weird, but he surprisingly felt quite nice. His feathers gave him this general level of softness. “Hi Hooty, I’m Camila.”

“Hi Camila, Hoot!”

The voice, on the other hand...

That might take a bit to grow on her…

Luz had stopped in her tracks as Hooty approached them. She stared in awe at the weird bird tube.
Once Hooty finished getting introduced to Camila, he lowered himself toward the ground, closer to Luz.

Most kids would find Hooty unnerving. Heck, most adults did.

Luz isn’t like most kids.

Luz began to gently pet Hooty, eventually burying her face in his soft feathers. She let out a fit of giggles as the feathers tickled her face. With a bright smile on her face, she finally introduced herself, “I’m Luz!”

“Hi Luz, I’m Hooty!” He said in his same shrill tone, Luz wasn’t quite as annoyed by it as her Mami.

“Hooty, can you get the door and let us in please?” Eda asked the House Demon, that was still distracted by the new guests.

“Please wipe your shoes of on the way in!” Hooty opened the door, letting them finally see the inside of the Owl House. As they entered, Eda waved her hand, and dozens of candles lit up, basking the place in a warm orange glow.

It was a bit of a mess; Eda wasn’t one for keeping things tidy. It had a nice lived-in quality, which made the whole place feel very homely, with various trinkets lining the shelves and the walls adorned with pictures. The two most prominent are a large mural above the fireplace of some kind of giant bird. The other…

Was of Eda…

It was her wanted poster….

Camila knew that Eda wasn’t exactly the best person when it came to legal stuff, just based on the long list of crimes that the guard listed off earlier in the market. But seeing just how high her bounty was really put it all into perspective. But again, she couldn’t help but feel like there was something more to the story, more than what the number and guard were telling.

Seeing the way that Camila was gawking at the wanted poster Eda let out a soft chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. She wasn’t embarrassed by her lifestyle and even held her high bounty as a source of pride. But part of her was worried about how Camila would view it…

‘Why am I worried about that?!’

“I should probably explain that, shouldn’t I?”

Camila shook her head, feeling bad for staring at the poster for so long. “Only if you want to, I get the feeling that there’s more to it then at first glance.”

“Yeah, probably best not to beat around the bush. It’s just a bit complicated, is all…” Eda let out a sigh as she trailed off. She just met this woman and her daughter an hour ago. Why was she so worried about what they thought of her? “To put it simply, most of my ‘crimes’ were just things I did to get by. Life hasn’t been the best to me, you see.”

“What? But you’re so nice!” Luz interjected. She had only known Eda for an hour, but kids are good judges of character, and she had already taken a shine to the older witch. Alright, maybe part of her feelings was clouded by the fact that Eda was a cool witch, but the point still stood.

Eda ruffled Luz's hair, giving her a warm smile. This little kid had somehow wormed her way into Eda's heart in record time. That couldn’t be natural. Eda is either very weak to cute kids, or Luz is using some serious magic. And considering she’s human, it’s more likely the former.

“Thanks kiddo, unfortunately sometimes being nice doesn’t cut it.” Eda then walked to the kitchen, setting a kettle on the stove as she started to prepare some tea. Motioning for the two of them to take seats at the table as she prepared their drinks. She decided that it be a good idea to talk about this over some tea.

Eventually, the tea was made, and Eda handed a cup to Camila while handing Luz a smaller glass filled with some fruit juice that Eda kept on hand but only really drank occasionally.

“Now then where were we…”

“You were telling us about your bounty.” Camila reminded Eda as she took a sip of the tea. It had a slight bitterness to it but was all around a pleasant taste.

Luz had taken a few sips from her juice, trying to be extra careful not to spill it.

“Right, well I guess the easiest thing to explain is that most of my bounty is from one thing.”

“Wait! That high of a bounty for one thing? What did you do?”

“It’s what I didn’t do you see.” Eda took a long drink of her tea before continuing. “On the Isles we have a sort of system. All witches are required to be a part of one of the different covens.” Camila nodded her head; she would need to ask about things like what the covens were, but that could wait till later. “Well, I think the whole Coven system is corrupt and made it a personal choice to not conform and refused to join a coven,”

Wait! So you’re telling me that you're viewed as this big dangerous criminal all because you decided to live your life how you wanted?!”

“Yep.” Eda responded, matter-of-fact.

Camila felt her blood boil. In the short time she had known Eda, she felt like one of the kindest people imaginable. Sure, her list of crimes gave her this air of danger and recklessness. But the knowledge that most of those were; because she had to just to get by in a system that punished her for living her life on her terms. “That’s awful! Why should you get punished for something like that?!”

Eda felt a smile cross her lips; it had been a long time since she saw someone get this angry on her behalf. It made her feel warm, knowing that Camila didn’t think of her as a bad person cause of all this. “Because some people can’t stand the idea of someone not fitting into a system, if I’m not a part of a system then I can’t be controlled by it.”

It was at this point Eda felt something wrap around her leg. She looked down to see Luz, tears streaming down her chubby face. In a panic, Eda brought the crying child onto her lap, checking her over. Worried that she had somehow hurt herself.

“Oh no sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Eda asked as she gently cupped Luz's face, wiping away some of her tears with her thumb.

Luz was weirdly empathetic, and hearing how much Eda was getting hurt made the small child incredibly sad and distressed. Unfortunately, the small child didn’t have the means to properly express any of this. Luckily Eda had good intuition and was able to guess what was wrong. “Are you crying because of me?” Luz nodded her head before burying her head in Eda’s chest. Eda felt her heart stop. What was this feeling, and why did it feel so right? She carefully put a hand on Luz's head, petting her hair in a soothing motion.

Camila sat and watched this all unfold. Something about the way Eda handled Luz was nice, it made her trust the witch even more, admittedly.

“It’s alright babes, I’ll be ok.” Eda pulled Luz away from her chest but kept her on her lap.

“Really?” Luz asked in a slightly worried tone.

“Yep, I’m tougher than I look. And believe me I look pretty tough if I do say so myself.” Eda gave Luz a wink and a large grin. That helped alleviate any worry the tiny child had, causing her to giggle. Eda had that sort of endless charm and charisma about her. This bottomless well of confidence.

Once it was clear that Luz was ok, they began to talk about other things. Most of which involved Luz asking Eda questions about stuff around the house.

***

It had been a couple of hours at this point, Eda was in the process of showing Luz and Camila some potion things. It was at this point that Camila checked her phone.

Frowning, she saw that she had no service. This was bad since she needed to contact Luz's babysitter to see if she could watch her on Saturday.\

“Something wrong Cami?” Cami was the nickname that Eda had started calling her two hours ago, and it had stuck.

“I don’t have service here,” Camila responded, holding up her phone.

“Oh, sorry about that. You wouldn’t have service if the portal isn’t up.” Eda took out an ornate key before clicking the eye on the handle. Suddenly a box appeared. Folding out to reveal a doorway. Once it was up, Eda saw that she had full service again. She gave Eda a wordless look of thanks before going about her task.

….

This wasn’t good.

…

This was very not good!

Camila started pacing, her face etched with worry about what she was going to do.

“Is everything ok, Cami?” Eda got up to check on the woman, who was now quickly growing more and more distraught.

Luz's babysitter couldn’t watch her on Saturday, and she had no one else that could. And Camila needed to go to this meeting. She was hoping to get a better position and better pay. Better pay would mean more money to spend on Luz. She had been wanting to buy Luz something extra nice for her birthday.

“I need someone to watch Luz on Saturday for a few hours but I no one’s available.” Camila let out a long sigh as she finally slumped onto the couch.

“I could watch her!” Eda blurted out. Her mouth and brain spewed forth the words before she realized what she had done.

“Wait you would?!”

“Eda’s face was beat red at this. Why had she said that? “ I mean, sure, it would be nice to spend more time with the little munchkin.”

Camila thought out her options, her very limited options.

Luz gasped as she overheard all of this before running to her Mami. Looking up at her while clutching onto her pant leg. “Please Mami, I’ll be extra good for miss Eda! I promise!” Camila looked down at Luz, quickly realizing that she was powerless against the stare her daughter was utilizing on her.

“That be wonderful, thank you Eda.” Camila gave the witch a warm, gentle smile, grateful that she had someone to watch Luz.

Luz, meanwhile, was overly excited about the chance to spend more time with Eda. More time to check out all her cool witch stuff. Maybe Eda would let her brew some potions…

It had gotten late, though, and Camila needed to put Luz to bed. The little terror had started to grow tired and was beginning to nod off. Picking her up, the two made their way to the portal door.

“Oh, before you go, take this!” Eda tossed the portal key to Camila. “It’s so you can drop off Luz.” Camila looked down at the key, she immediately realized just how special it was. The fact that Eda had just given it to her felt even more special.

The two gave Eda and Hooty their goodbyes before finally leaving.

Once they were gone, the reality of what Eda had just agreed to had hit her like a ton of bricks.

Chapter Text

Eda ran her fingers through her mane of hair, pacing back and forth frantically; her mind going a mile a minute. “Why did I agree to that? Why did I even suggest that in the first place? Why did she agree to me watching her kid?!” She was now rambling, the stress and fear of what she had just agreed to do hitting her like a brick wall.

“What’s the matter, you seemed fine with Luz? I’m sure you’ll have no problem watching her for a couple of hours. Hoot!” Hooty asked as he coiled around the witch, stopping her in place. He loved Eda but at the pace, she was going, she was bound to make a hole in the floor with how much pacing she was doing.

“What’s the matter?!” She looked at her House Demon like he was out of his feathery mind. “I can’t watch a kid Hooty! I can barely take care of myself!” Eda shouted out, anger and fear lacing her words. “What if I mess up, what if she gets hurt? What if I somehow hurt her…” Eda trailed off, for a second.

The room sat in still silence, Hooty wanted to speak but despite being a mess of a bird worm he knew that Eda needed to finish her thought.

…. Or worse… Because you know... That…” Eda rubbed her arm, her body stiff and rigid. Stress and terror gripped her bones like a steel trap. Hooty knew exactly what she was referring to, he was one of the few people that fully knew the full extent of Eda’s condition. A side effect of her and him being magically bonded due to the nature of the house and its innate magic. Gently Hooty wrapped himself around his witch, carefully lifting her and moving her to the couch. As he did so he started to let off heat, hoping it would help Eda loosen up. Once she was on the couch he ducked into the kitchen for a quick second before bringing back a small bottle of Apple Blood.

He handed the bottle to the witch, before finally speaking. “Eda, I know I’m not the best House Demon…” He trailed off; this kind of stuff was never easy for Hooty. “But you should know that I won’t let anything like that happen. I promise! Hoot!” He puffed out his feathers in a show of pride.

Eda couldn’t help but snort at this display, “Oh yeah and what are you going to do huh?” She asked, raising an eyebrow as she sipped the apple blood.

Hooty looked at her with the closest look of confusion and hurt an owl could make. “You do realize that I basically take care of you every time you go on an apple blood binge night or you know… transform?...”

Eda looked shocked by this information, Hooty had never mentioned anything like this before. She always wondered if she woke up in her bed after some serious wild nights. “Wait! Hooty why didn’t you ever mention this before?” She looked at her House Demon in surprise, normally the overly talkative avian tube was more than eager for praise, so why not with this?

“I don’t know, just felt like something I should do without any fuss,” he wiggled his body in the closest movement he could make to a shrug.

Eda sat back, taking in what he had just said before smiling, “thanks Hooty.” She hadn’t remembered the last time she genuinely thanked her House Demon, but she needed to do it more often. “I need to remember to grab you something extra nice next time I’m out.”

“Like those packets of deluxe mixed berries, bugs, and rodents! Hooty Hoot!” He screeched out in excitement.

Eda chuckled seeing the demon become ecstatic in an instant at the prospect of getting one of his favorite snacks. “Sure, I’ll even get you the extra big bag.” She sighed, before taking another swig of her apple blood, “you sure everything will go alright? I don’t know why but I’d rather not mess this up…” Eda rubbed her hand against her temple, groaning as she tried to figure out why she was acting so odd. “What has gotten into me…”

Hooty gasped as his face lit up, maybe he could help with this too! “Maybe you like that nice lady!” He yelled out, barely able to contain his excitement over the possibility. Eda panicked, It took all of her strength to avoid either spitting out her apple blood or swallowing it wrong and choking on it. Slamming her hand against her chest she let a few deep breaths; after she had calmed down from almost dying, she glared at her house demon.

For a solid minute…

…

…

…

Finally, Eda let out a long groan, her face in her hands. Hooty just smiled at this, “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes Hooty, you’re right!” Eda shouted, throwing her hands in the air. Eda had no idea how it had happened but in record time she had become completely smitten by the human woman. From her kind warm face to her soft joyful laugh, to the way she handled her daughter, and to just her body… The last part made Eda blush a bit.

‘Titan help me…’

Eda had so many hook-ups over the years, so why was she feeling like this over this one person?

Eda took one last long drink of her apple blood before slamming it onto the table, “It doesn’t matter.” She stated. “I can’t possibly date when I have… That to deal with…” Eda looked towards the wall, but Hooty could tell that she was just trying to stare off into space. They both knew what she was talking about, the house's third permanent resident. “Besides, she’ll probably react like most people…”

Hooty gently nuzzled his witch, he genuinely hated seeing her like this. It hurt, even more, knowing that there was nothing he could really do. “You never know until you try…” He whispered softly.

Eda sat there, letting the demons’ words wash over her, “Maybe you’re right Hooty.” She got up from the couch, dusting herself off. “But… I think I might wait before saying anything…”

“Okay no worries," Hooty wrapped the witch up in a warm embrace. "And remember that if you need anything you can always ask me for help. Hooty Hoot.”

“I know, and thanks Hooty.” Eda waited for the demon to uncoil, then took a moment to stretch, feeling her joints crack; and her shoulders pop as she gradually rolled them. She was getting ready to give the place a once over, making sure it was safe for a small child. “Hey Hooty, mind giving me a hand tidying up, and checking to see if the place is safe for Saturday?”

“Sure!”

“Oh, also could you remember to remind me to make sure I have my elixir and that I remember to take it?”

“Sure but… Do you really want to trust me to remember all that…”

Eda stopped what she was doing, she had been organizing her potion ingredients. Putting anything that could be harmful to a small child if swallowed away. “Huh, yeah that’s a good point…” Both she and Hooty were never the best when it came to remembering things, even important stuff like that.

“Do you want to do that?”

Eda sighed running her hands through her hair, she typically didn’t like doing that kind of thing with Hooty, but she felt like she had no choice. “Fine, get over here.”

Hooty wormed his way over to the witch, coiling around her before stilling. His head was just a few inches above hers. The two closed their eyes, feeling the magic between them, the deep and powerful connection the two shared. There was one way to make sure Hooty remembered to do something, a way to magically bind him to a task. Eda never liked doing it though, the magic always made her feel icky. Plus, it felt rude to Hooty.

Then in tandem their eyes opened, shining a deep, cold blue, Eda’s hair flared up, bits of magical lightning flickering off it. The whole room dimmed, every source of light briefly extinguishing, before relighting with a cool purple flame that seemed to absorb light rather than give any off. Eventually, the only source of light was the glow of the magic surrounding the two.

Hooty spoke first, his voice devoid of its normal intonation.

“W̯ͤ̾ͣ͝ḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘t̲̂̓ͩ̑ ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑ ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑ y҉̃̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇ r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕q͉ͬ͋̇ͥư̡͕̭̇ỉ͔͖̜͌r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕?”

Eda shuddered, she hated how his voice sounded when they did this. So devoid of all the things that made Hooty… Well, Hooty.

“I̍̅̎̊ ṇ̤͛̒̍ẹ̿͋̒̕ẹ̿͋̒̕ḑ̴̞͛̒ y҉̃̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇ t̲̂̓ͩ̑o̯̱̊͊͢ m̬̏ͤͅā̤̓̍͘ḳ̯͍̑ͦẹ̿͋̒̕ s̠҉͍͊ͅư̡͕̭̇r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕ I̍̅̎̊ ḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘v͒̄ͭ̏̇ẹ̿͋̒̕ ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣỉ͔͖̜͌x̛̘̠̹͋ỉ͔͖̜͌r̴̨̦͕̝ f̵͖̜̉ͅo̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝ s̠҉͍͊ͅā̤̓̍͘t̲̂̓ͩ̑ư̡͕̭̇r̴̨̦͕̝ḑ̴̞͛̒ā̤̓̍͘y҉̃̋̑, ā̤̓̍͘ṇ̤͛̒̍ḑ̴̞͛̒ t̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘t̲̂̓ͩ̑ I̍̅̎̊ r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕m̬̏ͤͅẹ̿͋̒̕m̬̏ͤͅb̬͖̏́͢ẹ̿͋̒̕r̴̨̦͕̝ t̲̂̓ͩ̑o̯̱̊͊͢ t̲̂̓ͩ̑ā̤̓̍͘ḳ̯͍̑ͦẹ̿͋̒̕ ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑.”

Eda could feel the old magic of the house coursing its way through her entire being. Despite being the owner of the Owl House for quite a few years; she’d never get used to how unwell this always made her feel.

“V̘̪͆̂̅ẹ̿͋̒̕r̴̨̦͕̝y҉̃̋̑ w̦̺̐̐͟ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣ, t̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ẹ̿͋̒̕ t̲̂̓ͩ̑ā̤̓̍͘s̠҉͍͊ͅḳ̯͍̑ͦ ḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘s̠҉͍͊ͅ b̬͖̏́͢ẹ̿͋̒̕ẹ̿͋̒̕ṇ̤͛̒̍ ĝ̽̓͑ỉ͔͖̜͌v͒̄ͭ̏̇eṇ̤͛̒̍! A̷͙ͭͫ̕ṇ̤͛̒̍ḑ̴̞͛̒ tḣ̖̻͛̓ẹ̿͋̒̕ t̲̂̓ͩ̑as̠҉͍͊ͅk s̠҉͍͊ͅḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣ b̬͖̏́͢ẹ̿͋̒̕ f̵͖̜̉ͅư̡͕̭̇l̙͖̑̾ͣf̵͖̜̉ͅỉ͔͖̜͌l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣẹ̿͋̒̕ḑ̴̞͛̒!”

With that, magic enveloped the two, finalizing the temporary contract that had been created. Eda felt her whole-body shiver as the magic subsided, rippling outwards from the two and throughout the rest of the house. The two’s eyes returned to normal, as Eda’s hair came back down, and the candles went back to their normal state.

“Welp! Looks like that’s all set! Hooty Hoot Hoot!” Hooty gave Eda one last enthusiastic confirmation that the spell had worked. Eda smiled, just glad that that was taken care of and that she wouldn’t need to do that again anytime soon.

“Alright then!” Eda cracked her fingers, “Hooty let’s get down to brass tacks and get this place ready for Saturday!”

“Yeah!”

And so, the two would spend the next few days cleaning, and childproofing the whole house. A task made much easier when half of the duo had a full understanding of the house and could notice anything that they might have missed.

Eventually Saturday came, and with-it Eda waited worriedly. Hoping that this would go ok, and that she wouldn’t mess this up, or worse hurt Luz and Camila.

Chapter Text

Camila spent the morning preparing Luz's  bag for her stay with Eda. Even if it was only for a few hours Camila wanted to make sure her daughter had a few things with her. Mainly some snacks and a small meal in case she got hungry. Camila wasn’t sure how edible the food on the Boiling Isles would be for them, so it felt like packing Luz something to eat was a safe call. She had also packed her an extra change of clothes; actually, she was debating on packing a second pair just to be safe. Kids could get messy, and Luz was an extreme example of that. Camila felt like even if she only looked away for a second Luz would have some new stain on her outfit. So, the chance of her not messing up her clothes while at Edas felt like an inevitability rather than a possibility.

….

‘Yeah, a second extra pair is probably a good idea’

The pack didn’t contain much but Camila thought that Luz would be so enamoured with all the cool things at Edas that she wouldn’t notice. Now she just had to find Luz. Strangely, Camila thought for sure that Luz would be bouncing off the walls in anticipation to go to Edas, she had been so excited about it the last few days. But instead of her running around her moms’ feet, asking if it was time to leave yet she was nowhere in sight.

Camila set Luz pack on the counter and started heading down the hall to her daughters’ room. As she did so her mind started to wander, with her thinking about how weird this whole experience was. She was letting a witch in another dimension watch her kid. Sure, it was only for a few hours but still, if you told Camila that this was the direction her life would take, she’d think the whole idea absurd. But here she was, checking to see if her kids were ready to go and spend the afternoon at a witches’ house.

That same witch whom Camila admittedly wanted to spend more time with as well. She had no idea why, but she just felt drawn to Eda, something about her wild look, boisterous personality, and just general energy ensorcelled Camila. She had more often than not found her mind wandering back to Eda when doing monotonous tasks. Maybe if this all went well, she could invite her over for dinner sometime, it be the least she could do as thanks for watching Luz.

As Camila got to her daughters’ room she peered inside, seeing Luz with a serious look on her face. “¿Luz? ¿Cariño?’ She called out, breaking the toddler out of her intense focus. “What are you doing? We have to head to Edas soon to drop you off.”

“But I still need to figure out a way to bring all my stuffed animals!” The little girl cried out. Camila could tell that this was a big problem for Luz. Of course, she would want to bring her stuffies along to see a witches’ house. Camila also knew that there was no possible way for Luz to feasibly bring all of them, not without a couple of trips at least.

Camila sighed, she had to break the news that Luz could only bring one stuffed animal gently. “Luz, cariño,” Camila spoke softly as she knelt and gently placed a hand on Luz's shoulder. “I think it would be best if you picked one of your stuffed animals to bring with you this time.”

“But the others will get jealous that they aren’t able to go and see a witches’ house!” Luz stamped her foot, her little face red and her cheeks puffed out. The idea of potentially hurting her stuffed animals’ feelings which were a very real and frightening possibility for the three-and-a-half-year-old.

Camila kept her voice calm; she knew it was the best thing to do in this situation. “Well, then you pick one this time and then the next time you go and visit you can bring a different one, until eventually they’ve all gotten to go.”

Luz stopped what she was doing, looking at her Mami like she had just told her the answer to life’s biggest problem. “I can visit Eda more than once?”

“I think if you're good, then there’s a chance that Eda will let you visit her again.” Camila responded, she hoped this would be the case since she wouldn’t mind getting to visit Eda as well. “Now then, do you want help picking out which stuffed animal you want to bring with you?”

Luz nodded her head, and with that the two got to work quickly picking out which stuffy Luz would take with her. She eventually settled on a large, plush isopod that she had gotten when Camila had taken her to the aquarium. It was bigger than her, and she absolutely loved the thing. Even at a young age Luz was drawn to weirder things than most kids, and it was one of the things that Camila loved about her daughter. It was one of the things that made Luz, 'Luz'.

With that they grabbed Luz pack and headed off towards the small shack and the Owl House.

***

Eda was in the process of doing a few last-minute clean ups for when Luz arrived. Her and Hooty had done an incredibly thorough job and the place was as safe as it could be for a small child. They had just finished getting through the most strenuous of the tasks and decided to take a quick break before the two arrived. As she flopped onto the couch and let out a long sigh and stretched out the portal door appeared and opened. Looks like that break would be quicker than Eda thought.

Through the portal walked Camila carrying Luz, who in turn was carrying some sort of plush crustacean. Eda couldn’t help but stare for the briefest of moments as Camila looked incredibly good in the outfit she had on. It was a pair of dark high waisted jeans, a white short sleeve button up blouse, and a light grey jacket. Nothing to fancy but it looked good on her.

Luz on the other hand wore a brightly coloured shirt and a pair of denim overalls. The latter of which had all manner of stains and splotches. From grass to food and drinks to a couple from paint and other such things.

Just as Eda had been staring at Camila, Camila couldn’t help but stare at Eda. She was in the same outfit that she was in when they first met in addition to an apron, and she had her hair tied back and a bandana on. Camila could tell just by the way she was sitting and what she was wearing that she had just finished some intense cleaning. Camila couldn’t help but feel touched that Eda would take the time to clean her house in preparation to watch Luz.

After a few seconds both women realised that they had been staring and quickly darted their gazes towards something else in the room. For Eda it was to the plush bug that Luz was holding. It looked incredibly soft and the way the small child was clutching it was cute enough to melt the witches’ heart.

Camila on the other hand found her eyes just wandering. She started taking note of all the little changes from the last time they were here. From stuff put away in places that Luz couldn’t get to, to making sure anything especially dangerous was just out of the room all together. She even saw that Eda had taken the time to put away a bunch of her potion ingredients, probably things that would be way too dangerous to have laying around with a kid in the house. Camila couldn’t help the small smile that crept across her lips as her eyes looked over the room. Eda was very sweet for agreeing to watch Luz and even taking the time to make sure her house was safe for daughter. Camila needed to do something to repay the witch at some point.

“Hey Cami, hey Luz~!” Eda was the first to break the silence that had fallen onto the room. She quickly got up and took two quick strides as she got up to greet them.

“Hi Eda!” Luz enthusiastically greeted back, her free arm waving as the other clung to her oversized isopod plushie. She was so excited to see Eda that she started to try and wriggle out of her Mami’s hold. Realising that her options were to either hand Luz to Eda or to let her fall Camila quickly handed Luz to Eda.

Eda chuckled softly as she took the rambunctious kid. As she took Luz, she felt every lingering fear that this was a disaster waiting to happen just to wash away. She really hoped that if this went well Camila would let her watch Luz again. She also deep down hoped that Camila would be down to spend some time with her in the future. She was terrified of that though so for now it was just a hope and nothing more.

“Someone sure is excited~.” Eda had a wide grin as she looked at Luz. “And who’s this? She asked, pointing to the plushy.”

“My friend!” Luz responded quickly and presented the large plush isopod, excited to show them to Eda. “I was only bringing one of them with me this time though...” Eda could tell this was a big sacrifice for the kid with the way she briefly looked to the ground, with sadness in her eyes.

Camila let the two finish their conversation before jumping in. “I think she was saving all her energy for when we got here,” Camia gently ruffled Luz's hair. “We were almost late getting here cause she wanted to try and bring all her stuffies with her.”

“How many would that be?”

“More than we could feasibly carry, unless we took multiple trips each.”

“Was it difficult getting her to only bring one?”

“Surprisingly no, after I told her that there was a chance that if she was good, you’d let her visit again; she was ok with only bringing one,” as Camila finished speaking, she froze. She realised just how presumptuous she was at this moment. “I-I-I mean if you’d be ok with us coming over again!”

“Oh! I’d love it if you visited me after this,” Eda replied almost instantly. The tension in the room quickly dissipated as the two women sighed internally as they realised the other was also hoping to get the chance to keep seeing the other. “I was hoping that if this went well that it could become a regular thing.”

Camila could tell that the witch was clearly flustered in this moment, and even though she wanted to pry as to why she decided not to. Instead, she went and put Luz's  pack onto the coffee table before turning back to the two. “This has some food for Luz, since I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to eat stuff from this realm.”

“That was probably a good call,” Eda chimed in. “Some of the food on the isles can be hard for even witches to eat so best not to chance anything.”

“Other than that, it just has some changes of clothes for when she makes a mess.”

“I like how you say that, like it's  an inevitability rather than a possibility~.”

Camila gently kissed Luz's forehead, “trust me it is.”

“Anything else I should know before you go?”

“Just that she can’t have any dairy. And I’m extending that to whatever version of dairy you have on the isles just to be safe.”

“Got it.”

“Ok, now Luz you promise to be good for Eda?”

“Yes, I promise Mami.” Luz replied, giving Camila a big smile.

“Alright, I should get going. Have fun with Eda Luz,” Camila gave Luz one last kiss on the cheek. Before leaving she softly whispered to her daughter, “Te quiero mi pequeña luz~.”

“Bye Mami! Love you!”

“Bye cariño, bye Eda,” Camila started heading back through the portal. Quickly turning to address Eda. “I’ll be back to pick up Luz in a couple hours.”

“Got it.”

And with that Camila left, leaving Eda with a small bundle of energy, curiosity and untapped mischief. Eda hoped that the afternoon would go ok.

***

Soon after Camila left Eda flopped back onto the couch, still holding Luz. She took a few minutes to relax before the little gremlin made such a thing impossible. She finally gave the kid a warm smile while lightly messing up her hair, eliciting a fit of giggles from the little girl. “So then, anything you want to do sugar-bug?”

“Witchy stuff!” Luz exclaimed. Slipping out of the witches’ grasp as she started hopping around, in an ebullient manner. Eda quickly grabbed Luz, tucking her under her harm, as she started walking towards the kitchen.

Chuckling lightly, Eda placed Luz into a highchair she found in her junk pile that she fixed up. “I thought you’d say something like that.” As she spoke, she started pulling out various bowls, mortar and pestles, and potion ingredients. She was careful to only take out stuff that would be harmless to the small kid. As she did this, she made sure to keep an eye on Luz. Her brief talks with Camila, and moments she saw it for herself made her aware of how slippery Luz could get at times. Luckily Hooty was also here, and the bird worm made sure the doors and windows were locked tight so that the little scamp couldn’t wander outside.

“So then, how bout you help me with some potion stuff?”

Luz eyes light up at this, clapping her hands in excitement. “Yeah!” Eda quickly realised just how much she loved that look on Luz. The overflowing joy and curiosity at getting to learn something new. Maybe that was the thing that Eda liked about kids so much, and why she despised school. Since they crush that sort of stuff out of kids fast.

“Alright, first we need to prepare our ingredients.” Eda grabbed a handful of round speckled orbs before grabbing another chair and sliding in beside Luz. “These are kings-eyes, they’re important for any potion, brew, or salve that you want to have a long shelf life or effect.” Eda held up a handful of them, handing one to Luz to let her feel it. “Now, Kings-eyes are a type of legume native to the isles. They have a use both in cooking and potions, so a lot of homes have them. Their use varies depending on how you prepare them.

Luz looked at Eda with rapt engagement. Sure, the toddler didn’t fully understand everything Eda was saying. But she knew it was important, and that deep down it made her feel respected. Like Eda wasn’t treating her like a dumb kid and talking down to her, but rather as an actual person. Luz was far too young to understand any of these feelings or what they mean, but in some small way this experience would stick with her. Deep in her subconscious.

“You get all that kiddo?” Eda’s tone was warm and level-headed, with her stopping to make sure she wasn’t going to fast for Luz. Luz gave her a quick nod.

“That’s great! Now we need to prepare these in a specific way for what we need them for.” Eda grabbed the mortar and pestle, as she presented one of the kings-eyes to Luz. “Alright then, watch carefully sweetheart,” Eda carefully pierced the skin of the orb with her nails. Gently tearing it open and spilling the contents into the mortar. Luz watched with the same intensity and focus as when her Mami was reading Azura to her, or she saw a super cool bug when they went for walks back home.

Eda saw how engrossed Luz was as she watched Eda do this. Eda briefly wondered if her life had gone differently if she’d make a good teacher, as that look on this one kid's face made her heart swell with something akin to pride.

“You got that, or would you like me to show you again?”

Luz nodded her head rapidly, briefly getting lightheaded on accident. “Got it.”

“Now would you like to give it a try?”

“Yeah!” Luz shouted as she scrambled to grab some of the kings-eyes.

“Ok, ok. Hold onto your griffins. You’ll squish them if you’re not careful.” Eda brought a handful to Luz and placed the mortar in front of her.  She put one in Luz's hands and using her own carefully helped her peel it. Taking extra time to ensure Luz understood the whole process. “Now you try it by yourself sweetheart.”

Luz delicately picked one of the legumes up. Taking extra care as to not break it. Her tongue stuck out of her mouth as she was showcasing immense focus on the task at hand. Gently piercing the skin, and swiftly depositing the contents into the small bowl. Once the legume's insides plopped into the bowl Luz looked up. A wide smile on her face.

“I did it!”

“That’s amazing! Look at how smart you are babes!” Eda gently smooshed Luz's face as she gave her praise. Causing the little girl to break into a fit of giggles.

“Eda!!! Stop!!” Luz cried out eventually.

“Fine,” Eda reluctantly released Luz's face. “Now, do you want to help me finish preparing these; or do you want to see how to prepare other stuff first?”

“More stuff!”

“Yeah, I thought you’d go for that option,” Eda couldn’t help but smile at how cute but predictable this kid was. She quickly grabbed the next thing she needed to prep, before showing Luz how to handle it just like she did with the king's-eyes.

***

The two did this for around an hour, with Eda showing Luz cool and wild potion ingredients and how to prep them. Eventually once they had processed all the ingredients Eda showed Luz how to mix them.

“Ok, once you have your ingredients in the mortar you need to take the pestle and carefully grind them together.” Eda showed Luz what she was doing, before guiding her and then letting her try it on her own.

Eda looked at the clock and noticed how long they’d been doing this and decided it was time for a break. “Hey honey-bug, how about we take 15 and have some food. That sound like a good plan?”

“Sure!”

“Perfect, and afterwards we can actually start the brewing process. I can even grab you my old beginner cauldron for you.”

The sound of getting her very own cauldron made Luz happier than she ever thought possible. “I want to try making my own potion!”

“Want to pick your own ingredients and everything?”

“Yeah!”

Eda couldn’t help the smile that fell onto her face. This kid was going to rupture her heart with how cute she was. “Alright, but only the stuff I put out. Don’t want you messing with anything dangerous. Got that?”

“Mhmm!” Luz nodded, as Eda grabbed her pack and took out the snacks Camila packed. She wanted to grab a glass of apple blood but refrained. So instead put on a kettle for some tea as she grabbed Luz some juice.

Camila had packed Luz some fruit, a pb&J, and two cookies. There was also a second meal with a bit more food. Probably for when the two have lunch. Eda wondered if she could find stuff on the isles safe for Luz and Camila to eat. Griffin eggs were probably a safe bet, she’d make some later and let Luz try some. They weren’t poisonous and were fairly close to eggs from the human realm.

Grabbing herself a couple cookies from the cupboard, Eda sat back down with her tea. The two ate while Luz asked more questions which Eda patiently answered. Or Eda would occasionally ask Luz something, which the little girl would answer enthusiastically.

Luz was in the process of explaining something when she accidently knocked over her glass, spilling her juice all over herself. Eda immediately went into mom mode, “Oh dear, come on sweetheart. Let’s get you changed quickly.” Camila had been right about Luz needing those changes of clothes.

“I’m sorry Eda…”

“Hey, no need to apologise. Accidents happen.” Eda brought Luz up to the bathroom to clean her up. Quickly getting her changed and setting aside her clothes to wash. “Now how about we go finish that potion?”

“Ok!” Eda loved how quickly Luz perked up at the thought of working on more potions.

“Alright, we have all the dry and semi dry ingredients ready. Now we just must get all the wet ingredients. Then we can mix them all together.” Eda Casually explained the process as she brought Luz back to the kitchen. Tidied up the spilled juice and gathered the last couple ingredients.

Once everything was cleaned up Eda called out to Hooty.

“Yeah? What do you need?”

“Can you watch Luz while I grab some cauldrons?”

“Sure! Hoot!”

“Thank you,” Eda rushed to grab the two cauldrons, they were on the smaller size since they’d be easier for Luz to use. As she was grabbing them, she couldn’t help but smile wistfully as she thought about how great things were going. She was feeling slightly sad at the fact that they didn’t have a full day. Eda found the act of teaching Luz stuff to be nice.

As she came back up from the basement and back into the kitchen, she saw Luz petting Hooty. The two in an engrossing conversation, “Having fun, you two?”

“Me and Luz were discussing her putting some cute ribbons on me! Hoot!”

“Oh, you’re going to dress up my House-Demon huh?”

“If that’s ok…” The little girl looked worried that Eda would say no to her on this.

“Sure squirt, next time you come over we can give Hooty a whole make-over,” Eda shot the worried child a warm comforting grin as she placed the cauldrons onto the table. Grabbing the small burners and setting both up.

“Have fun you two, I’m going to go look for some bugs! Hooty Hoot!” Seeing as the two were about to get back to work Hooty quickly left.

“Have fun Hooty!” Luz called out to the demon, as she waved to him.

Eda quickly filled one of the cauldrons with some water. She turned the burner on and let the water come to a boil, before turning to Luz and Eda clapping her hands together. “Already to go?”

“Yep!”

“Alright, I’ll measure everything then I can show you how to go about mixing.”

“Ok!”

“Ok, give me a moment to measure all this out.” Eda hadn’t remembered the last time she measured out her ingredients when mixing potions. Like any witch confident in her potion skills, she tended to do things by eye. So, this was the first time actually using her measuring cups in a long while.

Eda got everything measured before tossing them all in. She quickly turned the heat down so that the water was just simmering since that was what this concoction caller for. Eda felt like this was safe enough for Luz to stir and mix.

“Ok, now watch carefully. You want to stir this nice and slowly. With large, smooth strokes,” Eda gently held Luz hands in her own as she helped guide her through the motion. Doing it a couple times before letting go.

“It looks so pretty….” Luz was just staring at the swirling mixture of colours. Seeing this, Eda made a note that she needed to get Luz her own set of potion tools when she was older. Provided Camila was okay with such a thing.

“Yeah, not all potions look this good but the ones that do are really something.” Eda had never taken the time to admire just how beautiful potion mixtures could really be. This kid had gone and made Eda see something she’d experience everyday for years in a completely new light. She was really something.

“You okay babes?” Eda checked to see if Luz was still good with mixing or if she needed a break.

“My arm is getting sore…” Luz looked defeated as she said that. Like she felt bad about it. She probably didn’t want to stop, but her small body was having other plans.

“Want me to finish stirring?”

“Mhmm…” Luz nodded as she let go of the mixing spoon, which Eda quickly grabbed.

“You did great, it’s almost entirely mixed.” Eda tried her best to emphasise just how good a job Luz had done. Hearing that she perked back up a little.

“Really?”

“Yep!” Eda shot the little tyke a comforting grin as she finished stirring the cauldrons contents. She grabbed the lid and with a quick spell circle locked the cauldron and its contents up tight. “Alright, now the boring part. We just need to let this thing sit in the basement on a low simmer for a few days.” Eda set it to the side. She’d take it down after Luz had gone home. It’ll be fine until then.

Luz turned her head to the side quizzically, “do you have to do that for all potions?”

“Not all, some require no time beyond what we just did. Others only need to simmer and ferment for a couple hours. Others it can be weeks or months. And some extreme examples can take years before they’re ready.”

“Wow…”

“Yep, luckily I’ve never had to brew something for that long. I’ve heard horror stories of concoctions like that messing up at the last minute. Not pretty.”

Eda then sat back down, gently rubbing Luz's shoulder. She let out a soft soothing purr as she started to hum. Hoping it would help ease the kid’s sore arm.

“You still want to make your own brew?”

“Yeah.”

“Want to help with prep and stuff? Or do you just want to watch and direct me?”

“I want to help!”

“You sure? If you want to take a break or have me do most of the work while you rest, that's perfectly fine kiddo.”

“I want to do it!” Luz lightly slammed her tiny hands onto the table, her face red and cheeks puffed out. An angry scowl on her far too cute face. It took all of Edas' willpower to not just coo and gasp at how adorable Luz was in this moment. It would be a huge blow to the kids’ pride, she wanted to be taken seriously right now.

“Okay, okay.” Eda put up her hands in defeat. “You pick the ingredients and how you want to prepare them.”

“Okay!” Luz small hands were frantically grasping at potential ingredients. Trying to figure out where to begin. Seeing this reminded Eda that she should get back into doing experiments without any set recipes, see what could happen.

The two picked out all the ingredients and began prepping them. Eda thought that this would go great, and everything would be fine.

***

Everything was not fine.

It was little over an hour later and Luz had somehow managed to create the stickiest concoction Eda had ever seen. It clung to everything, but was also surprising, nice smelling and even tasted a bit like berries. Eda figured that it might not be good for any medical needs, but it would make a nice snack. Maybe if they were lucky, it would even be safe for Luz to consume. Eda would store it and ask Camila about that later. Luckily, she had been taking notes of all the stuff Luz had done while making it. So, if it was, she knew how to make more and could test to perfect the recipe.

That was all fine but there was still a major issue.

Luz.

The little hellion had managed to create such a mess. There were bits of the sticky stuff all over. And she was covered in it. She had even managed to get some on her hands and had started to play with it. Even her stuffed isopod hadn’t been spared from the sticky fruity mess.

Eda silently thanked Camila for packing Luz two changes of clothes.

“Alright sweetheart. I think we're all done with potion making for today.” Eda gently lifted Luz out of the chair, as she placed a lid on the cauldron and locked it up. That one wouldn’t need any extra time.

“Aww…” Luz was clearly not ready to finish playing with her new mixture.

“I know you want to continue, but you’re a messy owlet and I should probably have you cleaned up before your mom picks you up.” Eda spoke to the small child in her arms with such a level of care and compassion. It was similar to the way Luz Mami would speak to her at times. It helped calm her down. “Next time you visit we can do more potion stuff, maybe your mom can even join us next time.”

“Really!”

“Promise!”

“Yay! Thank you, Eda!” Luz wrapped her small arms around the witch and gave her the biggest hug imaginable. Eda wasn’t sure what was happening, but it filled her body with such a level of warmth and love.

“You’re welcome, babes, and I love you~.”

“Love you.”

Once they had gotten to the bathroom for a second time, Eda quickly got to work cleaning up Luz. She’d need a full bath, so Eda filled the tub and got her out of her messy clothes and put her in the bathtub. She spun a spell circle to send Luz dirty clothes and stuffed isopod to go be washed while her pack with her clean clothing came upstairs.

Bath time would have been shorter, but Luz kept playing with the bubbles and splashing Eda. Once she was all clean Eda helped dry her off with a nice warm towel before helping her get dressed again.

“And there, now you’re all clean.”

“Yeah,” Luz responded with a cute grin. Her hair was a mess after Eda finished drying it.

“Ok, let's get you back downstairs.” Eda lifted Luz back up. “Want to eat your meal your mom packed for you? I can read something to you while you do so.”

“Sure.”

“Alright then.”

The two made their way into the kitchen where Eda cracked a few griffin eggs into a pan. “Hey kiddo I think these would be safe enough for you to eat. Would you want one along with what your mom packed for you?”

Luz's eyes light up at the chance to eat something from another world. “Yes please!”

Eda chuckled softly at the kid’s enthusiasm. It was honestly starting to feel infectious. “Alright, one griffin egg just for you coming right up.”

Eda quickly made the eggs, heated up the food Camila packed for Luz and brought her back to the living room. She placed their food down on the table before bringing Luz to the bookshelf.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much in the way of kids books…” Eda couldn’t help but rub the back of her neck as she said this. Like she felt bad about the fact.

Luz just looked at all the spines of the various tomes, books and grimoires. Her gaze filled with unbridled curiosity and wonder. All these books looked incredible to her. She eventually grabbed one. It was a book on various beasts on the isles.

“This the one you want to look at honey-bug?”

Luz nodded her head at the question.

“Alrighty then.” Eda took the book and Luz back to the couch. Where they sat back down. As they started eating, Eda popped open the book, reading about the isles' various beasts and showing Luz the drawings that accompanied the entries. Taking the time to answer any questions the inquisitive toddler brought up.

***

Camila walked through the portal into the Owl House. As she did so she was met with the sight of Luz all tuckered out. Barely able to stay awake as Eda gently rocked her. Seeing Camila come in, Eda just shot her warm smile.

“How’d the meeting go?”

“It went well, hope Luz didn’t cause too much trouble.”

“She was wonderful.”

“I see you had to use one of those changes of clothes I packed.

“Oh, we had to use both, even had to give this little mess maker a bath after the second incident.” Eda then pointed to the clothing and plush isopod that were currently hung up to dry.

“What did she get into that made such a mess?”

Rousing from her pseudo sleep, Luz tiredly answered. “I made my own potion, Mami.

“You made your own potion?”

“Here I’ll show you,” Eda did a spell circle and brought the cauldron into the room. She lifted the lid and took some of the contents out to give to Camila. The older woman took the substance tentatively at first. Though after smelling it she popped it into her mouth and started chewing.

Eda just watched slack jawed at how reckless that was. This was something she would do, so the fact Camila was doing it came as a surprise.

After chewing for a short bit, Camila started blowing a bubble. It grew until popping. “I think she made bubble-gum.”

“Bubble-gum?”

“It’s a thing from the human realm.”

“Ah, gotcha.”

“So, anything interesting happen?”

Eda realized that it would probably be a good idea to tell Camila she gave Luz a griffin egg. She could easily lie about it but doing so felt pointless in this situation. “I did some research and realised that griffin eggs were completely safe for humans to eat. They’re so similar to eggs from your world. So, I gave one to Luz!” Eda couldn’t help but slightly yell out the end of that ramble. She hoped Camila wouldn’t be made.

Camila wasn’t expecting to hear this but the knowledge that Eda didn’t just do it on a whim helped her from getting angry, “I wish you’d put something like that by me first but it’s ok.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

Camila looked to the side, realising how awkward things had just gotten. She quickly scoffed, before speaking again, “Could I maybe try some griffin eggs? We need to wait for Luz clothes and isopod to finish drying before we can go.”

“Sure! How would you like them?”

“Just sunny side up if you could please.”

“Want some toast with them?”

“Sure!”

“Ok I’ll get right on that.” Eda handed Luz to Camila, grabbing her a blanket to wrap the sleepy little owlet up with. “Want some tea too?”

“Yes please.”

Eda prepared the food for Camila, once she started eating her face brightened over how good it all tasted. The two quickly fell into comfortable conversation about how the day had gone. Luz swaddled in a blanket taking a nap on the couch, nestled between the two women.

All In all it had been a great day.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of months since that Saturday. Camila and Eda started to spend more and more time together. With Eda becoming Camila’s go-to when it came to watching Luz. The three even spent a whole day together to celebrate Luz's birthday. The birthday girl was overjoyed at the fact she got to have two birthday celebrations. One with her extended family, and the other with just her Mami, Eda, Hooty and Owlbert.

Eda had even figured out how to make it so Camila could receive calls and messages from her scroll. It took a bit of finagling but the two could semi-reliably communicate when not face to face. It wasn’t perfect though. For one Eda had to be in close proximity to where the portal was, and sometimes messages would fail to send or would take longer to go through. But t was nice, and it helped with stuff like when the two were planning dinner and the like. Or just making weekend arrangements.

The two had even started experimenting with foods on the isles. Seeing what Camila and Luz could safely consume, then combining those with stuff from the human realm. It got to the point where Camila started storing various ingredients in the witches’ ice-box and pantry. Eda didn’t mind since it felt like Camila leaving a lasting imprint on her home, even when she wasn’t there.

Speaking of experimenting, Luz had taken a shine to potion-making. Eda made it a point to teach Luz something at least once a month but sometimes they’d have their mini-lesson every other week or even weekly. Camila had gotten to watch the two together on a handful of occasions, and just the sight of Eda being so careful with Luz; while taking the time to teach her stirred something inside the woman.

Because of the potion-making and experimenting, Camila opted to just keep a handful of spare clothes at the Owl House. Eda thought this was a good idea; since it became an inevitability that Luz would make some sort of mess. Either on just herself or of her, Eda and Camila.

It had been a few weeks since Camila had seen the witch at this point though. Eda had told them that she would be away for a little bit and didn’t know exactly when she’d be back. This upset Luz immensely since she absolutely loved Eda. Camila started to expect that Luz started seeing Eda as a second parent, and honestly at this point she kind of was one to Luz. Camila wondered how Eda would react to that, how she’d react to Luz calling her mama. Camila didn’t realize it, but the thought caused a wispy smile to cross her lips unconsciously.

Camila had to also admit that Eda being gone had hurt. She had grown to also love the witch. Not just the loud, vibrant parts of her, like the way she seemingly lights up entire rooms when she entered them. No, Camila also missed all the small things. The way she’d made sure to have a full pitcher of juice for Luz. How she memorized Camila’s tea preferences and had a cup steeping when she came over. The fact that she took the time to keep her home safe for Luz. The way the two of them would get into a comfortable rhythm while cooking. How her whole body seemed to smile while teaching Luz, and how she’d always praise the little girl any chance possible.

Camila had started to consider even asking Eda out. But something always stopped her. Like there was something that Eda wasn’t telling. Camila didn’t want to pry though, it was a private matter, and she wanted to respect Eda’s privacy. The part that hurt though was that Camila could sense that Eda might have felt the same way. But whatever she was hiding made her scared.

Camila had been deep in thought on the couch in the Owl House. Before leaving Eda had given her the key. She valued that key immensely; it was her and Luz's tie to someone that they loved unconditionally. Eda had told the two that if they wanted, they could stop by to check up on the place. And to also visit Hooty while she was out. So that was what they had done.

The two would visit every day, hang out with Hooty. Camila would do a bit of cleaning, so the place would be nice for whenever Eda got back. Then they’d sit and hang out until Eda either came home; or, and this was what usually would happen, they’d head home.

Hooty and Luz were currently playing, his long-form coiled around her. Luz was in the process of playing dress-up with him. The Strigiformes straw still slightly unnerved the poor woman, but he had gradually grown on her. Luz on the other hand loved the House Demon. She made it a point to ask him how his day was anytime they visited.

“ooh~ I think you should put that on me next! Hoot!” Hooty motioned to a large feathery boa. Eda had found it in her junk piles and had set it aside after cleaning it. There was a lot of stuff that she set aside for Luz.

“Ooh how bout these glasses?” Luz held up a pair of reflective heart-shaped sunglasses as she wrapped the boa around the owl tubes' neck.

“Absolutely!”

Camila glanced at the clock; it had started to get late. She realized that she’d her and Luz would need to head home soon. “Luz, cariño.”

“Yes, Mami?”

“You need to start cleaning up and getting ready to go home soon.”

“Awww, but we just got here…”

“We’ve been here for a couple of hours already bebé.”

“But…”

Honestly, Camila also didn’t want to leave, something as just telling her to stay and wait for a bit longer. Just her intuition, saying to hold off on leaving.

She sighed, looking at her daughter's face, “Fine, we can stay thirty more minutes but then we need to head home. Is that, ok?”

“Yes! Yay, thank you, Mami!” Luz basically leaped onto her Mami to give her a hug.

“You’re welcome cariño, and you promise that you’ll be ok with leaving in thirty minutes?”

“Mhmm!”

“Good, now you get back to playing ok.”

“Okay! ~” Luz practically scrambled back to Hooty, where the two continued on with their game of dress-up.

And then, not ten minutes later the door flung open.

“Hooty! I’m home!” Through the door, with her wild hair, golden tooth and endless charm walked Eda.

“Eda!” Luz tackled the witches’ legs, wrapping her short arms around them. “Eda, I missed you so much!”

“Welcome back! Hooty Hoot!” Hooty came over to greet his witch. “Everything was fine while you were gone. Oh, I can tell you about all the bugs I saw!”

“That’s great Hooty, and maybe later,” Eda bent down and scooped her favourite little owlet into her arms. “Hey, sweet-flea! ~” Eda ruffled Luz's hair and gave her a kiss on the temple, eliciting a fit of giggles from the owlet. “I missed you as well.”

“She’s not the only one that missed you,” Camila was standing off to the side, a warm welcoming grin across her lips.

“Cami!” Eda rushed over to give the woman a hug. Luz still held in her one arm. It had only been a couple of weeks, but she had deeply missed the two.

“Mami, does this mean we can stay even longer?”

Camila gave her daughter an exasperated look, before smiling. “Sure, since this is a special occasion, we can stay even longer.”

“Yay!!!”

“Wow, if I knew this was the kind of welcome, I’d receive I’d more trips like that,” Eda let out a sharp chuckle as she spoke.

“No!”

“Please don’t!”

Eda was startled at the speed that mother and daughter reacted to her saying that. “Wow, you really missed me that much…” Eda did her best to hold back the tears, but pinpricks of water welled up at the corner of her eyes.

“Of course, we did!” Camila gave Eda a light punch on the arm, tears at the corner of her eyes. “You mean a lot to use, got that?”

Eda hadn’t remembered the last time she felt this amount of love. These two missed her, genuinely missed Eda Clawthorne. It took all her strength to choke back the sobs.

Something about that shook her to her core. She couldn’t remember the last time she cried, and here she was getting choked up over these two.

“Okay, okay!” Eda wiped her eyes on her free sleeve. “I promise to never leave for that long again, unless I have a good reason to.”

“Or maybe we can come with you next time?” Luz asked earning a look from the two women. They exchanged glances before sighing.

“we’ll see, okay?” That was all Camila could say to that.

It was at this point that Camila noticed the small sack on Eda’s back. Said sack was now squirming. “Eda, what’s that?”

“OH right, that!” The witch quickly took the bundle off her back and unwrapped it. The two humans were met with what they’d consider one of the cutest things in existence. It looked like a small dog with a skeletal head with one broken horn. He had a bright red collar around his neck with a golden tag. He had been sleeping and all the commotion had roused the little ball of fur.

“¡Oh, Dios mío! ¡Es tan lindo!” Camila almost felt her heart explode with how adorable the little guy was. Luz just let out an excited squeal. “Where did you find him? What even is he?”

“I found him in some ruins, looked like he was just abandoned,” Eda sat down on the couch. She held the little canine bud carefully in her arms, “I’m not entirely sure what he is, maybe some kind of dog, though he could be anything really.”

Luz and Camila sat on either side of them. Luz just stared at the fluffy bundle, like he was incredibly special. He looked so small. Hesitantly she tugged on Eda’s sleeve.

“What’s up kiddo?”

“Umm…. Could I try holding him?” Luz spoke softly as she asked her question. She was worried that Eda would say no.

“You sure you want to?”

“Mhmm.”

“Ok, be gentle alright.” Eda carefully handed the little bundle to Luz.

Luz just looked down at him, cradled in her arms. His large eyes starring back at her. “Hi there, my names Luz. What’s your name?” All her question was met with was a slight whine and tiny pawed hands papping her cheek. Seeing the face, she made as he did that, the tiny demon let out a fit of giggles. Luz in response decided to try and give his tummy a few gentle scritches, an act that was met with a happy sound from the demon.

“Huh, guess we know one thing the little guy likes,” Eda couldn’t help her smile as she looked at the pair. Looking at the clock and noticing the time she realized that it was almost supper. “Hey Cami, why don’t you and Luz stay for supper?”

“Sure, besides I don’t think Luz is ready to leave her knew friend.” Camila couldn’t help but laugh lightly at how adorable the two were at this moment. Luz almost looked like an older sister holding a sibling. “Want me to give you a hand?”

“I’d love that. You want to start chopping up some vegetables for me?”

“Already on it.” Camila looked at her daughter as she headed to the kitchen, “Luz, we’ll just be in the next room. You ok with watching him?”

“Sure!” Luz couldn’t help smiling as it felt nice for her Mami to trust her with something like this.

“Ok, just shout if something happens.”

Eda was looking in her icebox trying to figure out what to make. “Should we do poultry or beef?”

“Beef, we’ve done bird a bunch and I’d like a change.” Camila was in the process of chopping and dicing some onions, peppers, and a couple of vegetables from the isles that were safe for them to eat.

“Fair enough,” Eda gave Camila a playful hip check as she passed by her on the way to the spice rack. Camila just gave her an eye roll and smirk in response. Eda just hummed as she picked out a handful of herbs and seasonings. Some from the isles, others Camila gave her.

 “Oh, what about the little guy? What are you going to make him?”

“I was probably going to give him whatever we made Luz.” Eda responded as she started seasoning the meat.

The sounds of the two women’s conversation became slightly muffled over the sounds of knives and the sizzle of oil in a hot pan. Luz had managed to get herself and her new friend down onto the ground. Partially with the help of the House Demon. Once on the ground, Liz was shocked to see that the little guy could crawl and even walk somewhat.

She watched as he toddled around. As he moved around the room, he kept grabbing items and stacking them on top of each other. For a bit, she wondered what he was up to until she realized something. They all looked slightly like people. Luz seeing this looked around the room, she was certain it was around here somewhere….

There it is!

Quickly running over she picked up the object before heading over to the busy little guy. Seeing her approach, he stopped what he was doing and looked at her quizzically. Gently she pulled out the object and placed it on his head.

It was a small, slightly damaged, toy crown.

Seeing it on his head, around his one good horn; Luz couldn’t help her wide smile. “There now you looked like a King with all your subjects~!”

He just looked at her for a second, processing what he just heard. Then in a high pitch excited voice, he spoke his first words. “King! King!” He shouted, swinging his arms in excitement. In his excitement he lost his balance, tumbling onto the floor backwards.

Staring at him Luz was shocked. He just spoke. He just spoke!

“Mami! Eda! Mami! Eda!” She cried out. It was all she could think to do in response to what just happened.

“What happened?!” Eda rushed into the room, still holding a wooden spoon.

“Is everything ok?!”

Both women looked a mixture of frantic and worried. Slightly out of breath at the speed at which they stopped what they were doing and came running.

“He spoke!” Luz couldn’t help bouncing up and down as she pointed at the little canine pal. “He spoke Mami!”

“What?! Are you sere he spoke?” Eda asked shocked. Kneeling to their level, Camila followed suit.

“Yeah, watch,” Luz turned before speaking again. “Look at you, you little King.”

Once again, he cried out in joy, “King!” His tiny voice filled the air.

“Oh, Dios mío”

“Whoa, you can really talk. Well, aren’t you full of surprises?” Eda gently petted his head. “Maybe that should be your name? How do you feel about being called King?”

Her question was met with an excited giggle from the demon.

“I think he likes it, Eda!” Luz was still bouncing. She thought this would just be a dog to play with, but it was something even better. It was almost like getting a younger sibling.

“I think so too.”

Gently picking him up Eda softly cooed, “Guess it’s settled. Your name’s going to be King….” Eda felt a rush of emotions as she held him, from excitement and happiness; to fear and trepidation. “…And I guess that makes me almost like a mom….”

“Almost? I think you’re definitely a mom.”

“Okay….” Eda just looked down at King, still processing all of this.

Camila could sense the worry emanating from the witch, and she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You’re going to be fine.” She spoke those five words with such conviction because they were true. “Want to know how I know that?”

“How?”

“Because I see how you are with Luz, that’s how.”

Eda was still worried but still chose to have faith. “…Okay, I’ll believe you.” 

Eda could feel the Owl beast in her head and soul. For the first time, ever she and it had been on the same page. She could feel it cooing and purring at the sight of the small little demon. Their pup, their owlet. She could just tell that the beast just wanted to do nothing more than to preen and groom King.

Maybe she didn’t have to fear what it might do….

“Does this…. Feeling ever go away?” Eda turned to Camila, as she unconsciously rocked King in her arms.

“What feeling? The fear and worry that this is all going to go wrong; mixed with unending excitement, and love towards something so small and seemingly fragile?” Camila had also picked up Luz and just held her in her arms.

“Yeah, that feeling.”

“Well, considering that I’m still dealing with that feeling four years and a couple months later…. No, I don’t think they ever do.” Camila then pressed a soft kiss on the side of Luz temple, “But in my experience that’s not such a bad thing.” 

“I’ll trust you on that,” Eda was terrified right now but she chose to believe what Camila said because she trusted her. “Though would you be willing to give me advice?”

“Of course, after all the help you’ve been with Luz it be least, I can do.”

“Thanks Cami,” Eda then started walking back to the kitchen. “Now I believe we have some food to finish. How bout it, buddy? Ready to have a feast fit for a monarch?” Eda gave King a warm jovial grin as she asked him.

“Trust me, don’t set your expectations that high,” Camila just leaned over to King, shooting Eda a playful smirk.

“Hey, I won’t have you besmirching my good name in front of him! Or my cooking skills!” Eda returned Camila's smirk with a look of mock shock and hurt, waving her spoon threateningly.

Camila just cackled at the witch, loving their banter. She then noticed that Luz was squirming in her arms. She was trying to grab the key to the portal.

“Whoa, Luz what’s gotten into you?!”

Luz had gotten tunnel vision; all she could think about was getting that key. Luz took the key out and placed Luz on the ground, crouching to talk with her.

“Luz, what’s wrong? Why are you trying to take the key so badly?”

Luz just rocked back and forth; she had clearly gotten herself worked up over something.

“Do you want to go home?” Camila had experienced this with Luz a few times, she’d get into states where she’d refuse or would be unable to talk. Camila had gotten used to them and understood how to work around them; in a way that didn’t force Luz to talk if she didn’t want to.

Luz gave her Mami a look before shaking her head, she had started chewing on her bottom lip and had switched to bouncing in place.

Camila thought about why her daughter wanted the key so badly, “Is there something you want to grab from home to bring back here?”

Luz just nodded her head to that.

“Is it really important? Couldn’t you wait to bring it the next time we visit?”

“Luz just rapidly shook her head. Shaking it too fast that she almost fell over from making herself dizzy.

Camila just sighed; she was betting that in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t really important. But if it was important to Luz, she’d indulge her.

Gently scooping Luz up Camila called back into the kitchen, “Hey Eda we need to head back to our place quickly.”

“Something the matter? Are you heading home early after all?” Eda was in the process of sautéing some peppers and onions, King still nestled in her one arm. She lightly knocked his tiny paw back when he tried reaching for the hot stove, gently scolding him.

“No, we’ll be back quickly, Luz just wanted to grab something I think,” Camila took the key and pressed the eye causing the portal to pop up. “You good to finish cooking?”

“That depends, whether my cooking skills are good enough,” Eda being playful.

Camila just rolled her eyes at the overly dramatic witch, “you’re cooking is wonderful and it’s one of the reasons I love you.” Camila then took her and Luz through the door.

It took both women thirty seconds to process the end of that sentence.

“Did I just tell Eda I love her?!”

“One of the things she loves about me!? Just one of the things?!”

When Camila returned with Luz shortly after neither she nor Eda would bring any of that up. They would however spend the interim silently screaming internally.

Camila quickly got back to their house, slipping into the front door. “Alright bebé, where to? Your room?”

Luz only nodded, now shaking slightly in the arms of her Mami’.

“Okay,” Camila quickly strode to her daughters’ bedroom. Once there she put Luz on the ground so she could grab whatever it was she needed.

Luz looked around the room, her eyes searching for something in particular. Then she scrambled to a pile of stuffed animals, picking through it for a certain one. Finally, she found what she was looking for.

She pulled out a single stuffed animal.

Clutching onto the toy Luz rushed back to her Mami.

“You wanted to come back for this little guy Mija?” Camila picked her daughter back up, pointing to the toy.

Luz nodded. Camila had been right; it wasn’t majorly important, but it had been important to Luz so that’s what mattered.

“Alright then, why don’t we get the two of you back to Edas’.” The three left the house and made their way back to the old shack and portal.

When they returned, they were met with quite the sight; Eda was trying to wrangle King and contend with supper. Seeing them enter Eda just blew some loose hair out of her face and gave them a tired smile.

“You look like you’ve had an interesting time since we’ve been gone.”

Eda was about to begin talking before wincing slightly. King crawled up his new mom before half burying himself into her nest of hair. “Turns out the little goblin has got very sharp claws, and he’s very adept at climbing with them.”

“And that?” Camila just pointed at the demon who had claimed Edas’ hair.

“That is new,” Eda went to look up at King but before she could the little monster leapt out of her hair. Clinging to a cabinet he quickly crawled up to get on top of it.

Realizing what he was after Eda just gave him a stern look. The little rascal had spotted a thing of cookies and had decided to try and get some. She guessed that he saw them and despite having no context for what they were, just thought they looked good to eat. “King no!” Eda's voice was stern and maternal as she addressed him. “You can have cookies after supper but not before,” Eda was hoping that would work but unfortunately Eda's new son felt the need to be a troublemaker and a rule breaker.

Eda apparently having rules that could be broken was a shocker, but weirder things have happened.

Seeing that he was going to ignore his mom, King went to take a few cookies out of the jar. Before he could lift the lid off Eda spun two circles in the air. One lifting the jar up to a higher shelf, and the other lifting King back down to Eda.

King looked upset that his chance for something sweet was thwarted. He felt incredibly mad at this fact. Without realizing what he was doing King started wriggling in his moms’ grasp while letting out the highest pitched squeak imaginable. He sounded like a tiny angry tea kettle.

“Oh hey, looks like you’ve got a tantrum on your hands.” Camila was sympathetic as she spoke. She had dealt with Luz getting upset like this numerous times before.

“Any advice?” As Eda asked unsure of what to do as she held her tiny flailing kid.

“Wait it out, but also be ready to try and talk with him about it after.”

“Got it.” Eda started to take King out of the room to bring him upstairs to her nest. “You mind plating the food for us Cami?”

“Sure thing, and good luck~.”

“Thank you.” Eda yelled down, already halfway up the stairs.

As Eda went up the stairs Camila looked over at her daughter. She was sitting in a chair still clutching onto the plushy.

“Hey Luz, are you doing, ok?”

“I’m okay Mami.”

“Okay. You want to tell me why you had to get that guy so badly?”

“I can’t…”

Camila took a moment to process those words before responding, “Ah… I think I understand Mija.” Luz wanted to keep her reason for bringing the toy a secret and was afraid that her surprise would be blown.

Meanwhile, Eda sat with a King as he threw his tantrum. After a couple of minutes, he had tired himself out, plopping onto the floor.

“You get it out of your system buddy?”

King didn’t say anything but gave a small nod.

“Good to talk?”

No words just another small nod.

Eda sighed, barely an hour and already she was acting like a mom. “Look, I totally get it. Sometimes you just want to eat some cookies,” Eda rubbed his back in a comforting motion, the same kind her sister used on her and which she had begun to use on Luz. She could tell it was working as she saw his little body relax a bit more.

“But you should understand that me and Camila worked hard on supper, and it a shame if you spoilt your appetite by scarfing down some cookies.”

King just looked at the ground as she talked. He could tell he was in trouble and was starting to feel bad about what he’d done. He was startled when she spoke again, not sounding upset or anything.

“So how bout this, we head back down to eat. Then afterwards if you’re good you can have a few extra cookies tonight before we go to bed. That sound good?”

King shot his head up to look at her in disbelief. Shocked he just nodded his head. Reflexively he jumped up and rushed into Eda, nuzzling against her.

If you’d ask Eda, her rules on things like hugging and other affectionate gestures a few months back she’d tell you to back off. But after a few months with Luz Noceda and to a lesser extent Camila Noceda the Witch had gotten more used to such things. As her son nestled into her in a way to show he was sorry Eda just wrapped an arm around him, a low comforting purring reverberating from her chest.

“Huh I just realized something…” Eda looked down at King, “You still need a bed…”

King just stared back at her, turning his head to the side slightly.

“How bout you sleep with me tonight, and tomorrow we can get you a bed, does that sound good?”

“Yeah,” King's voice was soft as he answered. Finding Eda's voice to be comforting. Before Eda could pick him up, he swiftly climbed back up and nestled into her hair.

Eda just smiled as she stood back up. “Let’s get you back downstairs so we can eat. Oh, and hope you understand that before bed you’re getting a full bath.”

King just nodded to that, not understanding what fresh hell would be awaiting him with ‘bath time’

As they made their way down the stairs and rounded the corner back into the kitchen, they saw Luz bolt up out of her seat. Stumbling as she did so. Camila caught her daughter before she could fall.

“What’s up sugar-bun?”

“Umm could I see King?” Luz was now shifting back and forth on her heels, trying to hide something behind her back.

“Sure,” Eda placed King back on the ground. “Go on bud, I think Luz has something for you.”

Wondering what was going on King toddled over to the girl. Once he got there, Luz pulled out the stuffed animal she had brought.

King stared at the toy his eyes going wide.

Luz looked worried but tried her best to hide it. “Umm this is one of my friends….” Luz peered out from behind the plushy, trying to gauge King's reaction. “He’s really great at listening, and I thought you’d like him.”

In her hands was an old stuffed rabbit. Its fur had long since faded. Two mismatched eyes; one a bead and the other a blue button. It was the kind of toy that had seen years of love, had traded many hands. It was a toy that had been given to Luz by extended family when her cousins had outgrown their toys.

And now even though she had nowhere near outgrown him, she wanted to give him to King.

“Luz, Mija. You’re really giving one of your toys to king?” Camila just bent down and placed a loving kiss on Luz's head. “I’m really proud of you, you know that right.”

King just stared at the rabbit before taking it from Luz. He wrapped his tiny arms around it squeezing it in a hug. He just buried his face in the toy faded fur, trying to hide how much he loved his new friend.

After a second, he looked up back at Luz. In an instant, he had tackled her to the ground. His arms around her in a second hug. King has no frame of reference for big sisters or big sister-like figures but right now. At this very moment. Luz is topping all those lists.

Luz couldn’t help but laugh in joy and relief. “I’m glad you like him, oh his names Francois by the way.”

“Hey King, when someone gives you a gift you should say thank you,” Eda gently nudged her owlet. Camila and how she was with Luz certainty rubbed off on her. Prior to meeting them things like manners weren’t really her thing. But like a lot of aspects of her life, the two had a way of changing her.

“Thank you.” King's tiny voice was muffled by Luz shirt and Francois, but they could tell what he said.

“Now I think it’s time we eat!” Eda clapped her hands together before picking up king and placing him into a chair. Casting some magic to cause vines to grow to make it into a makeshift highchair. Camila placed Luz in her seat, before sitting down herself. With that, the four of them began eating.

The meal filled with laughs, conversation, and a tenacious King at one point deciding he wants to be a tiny little diva.

After Eating the four moved to the living room. Eda and Camila sat on the couch, nursing cups of tea. Luz and King sat on the floor, playing together. Eda every so often had to stop and tell King to not do something, like climb up the shelves. The little goblin tried to be sneaky, but he had yet to learn just how good his mom's hearing was.

“So how are you holding up?” Camila put her cup down before looking at Eda

“With what, being a new mom? It still feels unreal to be honest.” Eda couldn’t help the faint wispy smile on her face. “It’s barely been a few hours and I’m still worried.”

“Like I said before, you’ll be fine.”

“Ok.” Eda just sat back and watched their kids play. The two had started playing pretend with King as the powerful ruler and Luz his fearless knight, going to vanquish the fearsome dragon Hooty.

“I’ll be here if you need any advice,”

“Thanks Cami,” Eda was glad to have Camila in her life at this moment. “Any advice you can give me right now?”

“Well, there first thing that comes to mind would be to child proof the house.” Camila took a sip of her tea, looking around. “Though you’ve already gotten that pretty much done.” She could see all the ways that Eda had made the place safer for Luz.

“I’ll just need to figure out how to child proof the rest of the house for a kid who’s really good at climbing…” Eda's gaze washed over the room, silently dreading all the work that would be.

“Hey if you want, I can lend a hand.”

Eda's smile was soft, she really was lucky to have Camila in her life. “Thanks Cami, appreciate it.”

“No worries,” Camila wished the night could last longer. Just sitting here in Eda's comforting presence, with Luz and King playing happily.

As the night drove on Camila could tell Luz batteries were starting to run out. She was having trouble keeping her eyes awake and had started to nearly nod off. King wasn’t fairing much better.

Camila softly scooped her daughter back up, bouncing her lightly and combing her fingers through her hair. “You all tuckered out bebé?”

“Mmm… no not yet…” Luz was dead tired, but she still wanted to stay and play a bit more.

“I know how you feel, but unfortunately you look like your ready to pass out like a rock.”

Eda picked King up, his tired little body slumping in her arms. “I thin this little guy is about ready to hit the hay too.” She gently stroked his fur, a low purr coming from her chest. “Though not before he gets a bath.”

“Ooh let me know how that goes, Luz luckily is pretty good with bath time, but I’ve heard horror stories.”

“I will.”

Camila looked at the two in front of her, Eda looked good holding King. Like it was natural and comfortable. “I think we’re going to have to start scheduling play dates.”

“Is that any different from what we’ve been doing until now? I think now any visit could devolve into a playdate.”

“Not really,” Camila just shrugged her shoulders before clicking the portal key.

She made her way to the door, before turning back to the pair. “Luz, do you want to say bye to Eda and King before we go?”

Her short stubby arm waved at the two; her face pressed against the chest of her Mami, too tired to lift her head. “Bye King, Bye Eda. Love you.”

“See-ya sugar-bug.”

King clutching Francois took his one paw and waved it towards Luz, “Bye.” His voice was barely a tired whisper.

Both Eda and Camila could tell the two were upset Luz had to go. Maybe they could schedule a sleepover sometime the two pondered.

“Alright then, we’ll be going. Don’t cause your mom to much trouble King.” The little demon barely responded, now more asleep than awake.

“See you later Cami~.”

“Take care Eda~.”

With that Camila headed home with Luz, after an exciting and unexpected day.

Chapter Text

Luz and Camila walked through the portal door into the Owl House. Barely five seconds had passed before an overly excited King bowled over Luz. Tackling her to the ground in a big hug.

“Luz!”

“King!”

The two kids just smiled widely at each other, neither able to contain their giddiness over the reason behind today’s visit.

It had been another couple of weeks since King came into the picture. That time became another absolute whirlwind for them, with Eda and Camila working together to childproof the house for a kid who could climb. All this while Eda continued to teach Luz potions, her and Camila talking more and more, and Eda getting into the groove of raising King.

As for Luz and King, the two of them had become as close as siblings. The two were nigh inseparable when the Nocedas visited. The only thing capable of prying the two from each other was the chance to indulge in their own personal interests. Those things being potions and learning about demons, respectively.

And despite being so young, King already considered Francois one of his most treasured possessions. A large part of that was due to it being a gift from Luz. The little guy practically carried that bunny with him everywhere he went. Eda, at this point, has had to wash the tiny monarch’s right-hand half a dozen times already.

As for what the pair would do anytime Luz and Camila visited. The two would spend hours just playing together. Camila and Eda quickly learned that the duos playtime could verge into roughhousing very easily. So they made sure to keep a close eye on them in case either got seriously hurt.  Luckily the two had managed to avoid any major injuries during their playtime.

When not playing, the two would spend time just drawing. Eda’s fridge was now plastered with drawings from the two of them, and Camila’s was in much the same shape.

Now the reason the two of them were so amped up at the moment was twofold. The first was that the two of them were getting to have their first sleepover together. This was something that had been something that had been in the works for a hot minute and was finally happening.

The other was even more exciting.

The four of them were going to explore the isles!

Well, okay, maybe just the woods around the Owl House, but the point still stands.

Despite visiting multiple times, Camila and Luz had yet to venture outside of the yard of the Owl House. This was mainly due to Camila’s hesitancy since The Boiling Isles aren’t exactly the safest place. That, combined with Luz’s tendency to wander off, meant Camila wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to explore.

But after weeks of Luz asking and Eda ensuring that everything would be okay, Camila agreed.

Camila and Luz had arrived just a bit before supper time. The plan was to eat, hang out, get to bed early, then wake up early to explore the woods. Camila and Eda had spent the better part of the past two weeks hatching out the details. A long text conversation covering everything from what to bring to figuring out the best areas to go traipsing through and the things that Luz and King would be most excited for. This whole thing was mainly for the two of them, but the two older women would be lying if they weren’t also tangentially excited as well.

Eda was looking forward to potentially doing some foraging with Luz for potion ingredients. The kid had become Eda’s favourite potions helper, and she knew Luz would love looking for ingredients together. Eda was even going to let Luz keep anything she found herself, provided it wasn’t at all dangerous. Eda would then hang onto anything that was dangerous until Luz was old enough to handle it safely.

No doubt Luz would want to do all kinds of potion experiments with the stuff she’d find. Pretty much anytime she and Eda did any potion work together, she’d want to try some new wild combination. Eda loved indulging Luz in this aspect. Just seeing the unbridled creativity and thirst for knowledge brought the witch back to being a kid.

On the other hand, Camila was excited to look at the isle’s various fauna with King. She and King had bonded very much, in the same manner Eda and Luz did but with beasts and demons instead of potions. Camila loved animals; it was the main reason for her becoming a Veterinarian. So a chance to see some of the island’s wildlife was way too good a chance to pass up. King had turned out to be much the same way regarding demons’. He just seemed to want to know as much as he could about them.

The little demon had even taken a shine to Eda’s various books on demons and the various bestiaries that littered her house. He still couldn’t read very well due to being so young, so Eda tended to read them to him before bed. Eda wasn’t the only one that read to him, though. On a handful of times, Camila would be the one to sit down and read to both Luz and King. Camila had even started bringing books on various animals from the human realm when she and Luz visited. King loved them and would ask Camila all sorts of questions regarding human realm wildlife. So far, his favourite animal seemed to be the Komodo dragon. Camila had even started to secretly shop for a life-size plush version to give to the little scamp.

Camila carefully stepped over the two tangled kids. Placing a pack of stuff they’d be taking with them tomorrow on the coffee table. King and Luz quickly untangled themselves before both springing up to go run to see Eda. King was the first one-off, quickly scampering into the kitchen, his tiny claws clicking against the floor as he went. Luz was not far behind him.

….

“Hey!”

Eda’s voice could be heard not even a few seconds after the two of them ran into the room. It was loud and cut through any silence. As soon as the two heard her, they stopped immediately. Both could tell by her voice that she wasn’t necessarily mad, but she wasn’t pleased either.

“What have I told you two about running in the kitchen? Especially when I got stuff brewing in here?”

Luz looked down at the floor, scuffing her feet against it. “Not to…”

King was acting in much the same manner.

“That’s right,” Eda knelt as she placed a hand on both their shoulders. “Listen, I’m not mad okay; I just don’t want you getting hurt, is all,” She tousled some of Luz’s hair and King’s fur, “Look, I’m all for being wild and reckless, but part of that is knowing when to not do that. Got that?”

The two of them give short small nods.

“Good. Now then,” Eda quickly scooped the two of them up into her arms. “Are my two favourite hell-raisers ready for their first sleepover?” Eda asked as she carried them back into the living room.

The two kids in her arms just cheered out in response to the question.

Camila, who was now sitting on the couch, just chuckled as she heard the two of them yell in excitement. A smile washed over her face as she watched Eda carry the two into the room. The witch looked good carrying the kids like that. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. The sight made Camila realize that once again, she saw Eda as another parent to Luz. She quickly shook her head to try and get her mind off such topics.

Eda casually flopped onto the seat next to her as she did so. Luz and King still held in her arms.

Camila turned to the witch, a look of fondness across her face as she looked at Eda. “Everything all packed for tomorrow?” she asked Eda.

“Other than the stuff you’re bringing, yep.”

“Want to just double-check?”

“If it makes you feel better, sure.”

Eda spun a spell circle, causing a small sack of infinite holding to float over from the kitchen. Eda passed it over to Camila to let her check everything. After a couple minutes of double and triple-checking the contents against the list she and Eda made, Camila handed the bag back to Eda.

“Everything looking good, Cami?”

“Yep.”

“Still can’t believe you finally agreed to this.”

“I honestly can’t either, but we can’t spend all our visits couped up in your house,” Camila let out a short laugh as she responded. “oh should we keep the stuff I’m bringing separate or just toss it; in there?”

“Toss it in; it means less stuff to carry around.”

“Alright, I’ll let you take care of that then.”

Camila passed the bag containing her’s and Luz’s stuff to Eda, who went about putting it all in the sack of holding.

As Eda was busy moving Camila and Luz’s stuff, Luz turned around in Eda’s hold and gently smushed her tiny hands into the witch’s face. “Eda! Don’t forget your promise!”

“Mmm, promise sugar-bug?”

“Yeah! You promised that you’d start teaching me actual magic, remember!”

“Oh yeah, I did promise that didn’t I?”

“Could we try some tonight? Please!”

Eda was admittedly feeling pretty worn down at the moment. Between finishing half a dozen potion orders, preparing for this visit, and her curse, Eda was ready to drop dead for a couple hours. But the look on Luz’s face was impossible to say no to. Eda once again had suspicions of Luz using some powerful magic. The other option was that Eda had grown soft, which was just ridiculous.

“Sure, why don’t we do a bit before supper? How does that sound?”

“Yay!” Luz threw her hands in the air in a mini celebration. Her arms quickly wrapped around Eda in a tight hug. “Thank you! Thank you!”

Eda just chuckled as she ran her fingers through Luz’s hair. “No problem, babes.”

Once Luz had released Eda from the Hug, the witch turned the two kids to face her. “Before I forget, I have something for the both of you.” The two rascals started bouncing in her lap as she said that. The two watched in anticipation as she searched through her hair, tossing out all manner of objects as she did so. Eventually, she pulled out what she was looking for.

In her hands were two handcrafted tomes.

Luz and King looked at the two books in stunned silence; they were possibly the most beautiful books they’d ever seen. Eda let them look at the books for a few minutes before speaking again. “I love seeing you two learn, and I wanted to make you both something to help with that,” she carefully opened up the tome placed in front of Luz as she spoke. The pages were all high quality and looked handmade. Among the first few pages were all the various experiments Luz had tried with potion-making. Eda had taken the time to transpose all of them onto these pages. “Your’s is unfortunately blank, king, but I’m sure you’ll be filling it with pictures of demons in no time.”

Eda watched the pair’s reactions with worry, hoping they’d like their gifts.

Her worry was quickly alleviated as the two of them jumped onto her in a hug.

“Thank you, Eda!”

“Thank you, Mama!”

Both of them were ecstatic with their gifts. Eda was glad they liked them. Once the two had released her from their respective hugs, she went about showing them more about the books. Like how they weren’t just ordinary books but had numerous spells woven into them. Everything from spellwork to keep them from ageing, being damaged or destroyed. To magic designed to transcribe the author’s words or thoughts without the need to write them down. The best part was that all of that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of magic worked into their books. Eda opted not to tell them everything though. Wanting to let the two of them discover all the little surprises she worked amongst those pages.. The best part was that Eda had made sure to put in a spell that would allow them to add more pages while also ensuring the book wouldn’t get too cumbersome in the long run. Just judging by how many pages Luz’s experiments had taken up; titan knows that would undoubtedly be useful.

Eda was glad the two liked their gifts; she had been spending all her free time alone working on them. The hardest part was all the spellwork. Such a thing was already tricky enough, but her curse made it even harder. These two books were a large part of why she was so drained. Hopefully, a good night’s rest would help.

Camila watched as Eda showed the two of them their books. Camila had no idea that Eda had been working hard on them. Here Camila was trying her hardest to not fall for the witch even more, and then she turns around and does stuff like this. It just wasn’t fair. Camila couldn’t help but smile as she watched the three of them.

Eda told them they just needed to sign their books with their names. Neither were able to do that on their own, though. So the witch was helping the two write their names on the front cover. The final thing needed to bind the books to them and ensure they’d only work for them.

Once she had finished showing the two of them, their presents Eda checked her scroll. She saw a warning for boiling rainstorms were in effect as she did. She moved the two of them over to Camila before standing up. She hoped that she’d have enough juice to put up the barrier.

Camila watched as Eda walked towards the front door, “Something the matter?” Camila had gotten good at reading the witch and could tell when something was bothering her.

“Oh, it’s no big deal, just a weather warning for some rain,” Eda causally stated. Hearing that it was going to rain, Luz hopped off the couch. Running excitedly towards the door. Eda deftly caught her before she had a chance to slip out. “Sorry, kiddo, but it’s way too dangerous for you to go out.”

“Dangerous? But isn’t it just rain?” Camila asked curiously as she made her way off the couch and over to the duo.

“It’s boiling rain, to be exact. You do not want to get caught out when it starts coming down, trust me.” Eda responded as she handed Luz back to Camila.

“Will we be alright?” Camila was nervous after hearing about how deadly this boiling rain was.

“Oh yeah, we’ll be fine. I just need to step out to put up a barrier. It’ll just take a few minutes.”

“Mmm, if you say so.”

“It’ll be fine, trust me. Now, while I’m doing that, could you get started on supper?”

Camila just sighed; she needed to stop worrying and trust Eda on stuff like this. “Sure thing. Oh, you cut up the beef and got that sauce made?”

“The one we wanted to try out?”

“Yeah”

“Yep, and chopped up some veggies too. It’s all in the fridge~.” Eda was already out the door as she called back to Camila.

“You’re the best,” Camila just shouted back at the witch.

“I know I am.”

Camila just rolled her eyes and smiled as she turned towards the kitchen. She saw Luz and Kind sitting at the window watching Eda. “You two gonna watch Eda do some magic?”

The pair just nodded, not taking their gazes off the witch outside.

“Alright, have fun, you two.”

As Camila started to walk towards the kitchen, she could hear the two of them talking to one another.

“You’re Mama is the coolest King!”

“I know, right?!”

As Camila started getting supper made, she heard the faint pitter-patter of distant raindrops. It looked like Eda had gotten the barrier up just in time as Camila could see no droplets on the windows. As she heard the front door open back up, she called out, “All good?”

“Yep, nothing can get through that barrier, including rain,” Eda responded as she rolled her shoulders. Camila could tell that Eda was way more tired than she was letting on. The witch was a master of lying, but Camila had spent enough time to pick up on some of her tells. And despite how much she was trying to hide them, Eda’s were betraying her big time when it came to hiding her fatigue.

Camila wanted to say something, but part of her didn’t want to be rude or pushy. Though maybe she should be. She had no idea if Eda had been taken proper care of herself. She hoped Eda was, but the witch was wild, carefree and reckless. Not to mention all the stress of trying to raise a new son. There was a good chance Eda was letting her personal health and well-being fall to the wayside and was way too proud to admit she needed to rest.

“You alright?” Camila decided to test the waters, hoping it wouldn’t come off as too prying.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Eda just waved her hand, trying to brush off Camila’s worry.

“It’s fine if you’re not. Really it’s alright if you want to rest, I can get supper ready on my own.”

Eda went to speak, to try, but the stern look on Camila’s face stopped her. Eda could just tell that she had no chance of winning against this woman in this instant. Reluctantly she just sighed before giving Camila a wordless smile as thanks. This was just another part of Camila Noceda that Eda had become infatuated with. That ability to see past all of Eda’s smoke and casual misdirection. And her casual warmth, understanding and compassion. Camila Just shot back a similar look to tell Eda it was all good.

As Eda trudged back to the living room, her legs were almost immediately weighed down. As she looked down, she saw an over-eager Luz wrapped around her legs. “Something you need, kiddo?” Eda already had a pretty good hunch on what it was Luz wanted but decided to ask anyway.

“Can you teach me some magic now?”

Eda just stated down and the kids’ eyes. She wanted to say no, to tell Luz she was way too tired to do that at the moment. She tried to muster all her willpower to say no. She opened up her mouth, prepared to let Luz down gently…..

“Sure thing, Sugar-bug.”

Dammit

Eda just sighed internally at herself. She really had grown soft. She picked up Luz and brought her into the dining room. Camila would probably like to see her daughter perform her first act of magic.

Placing Luz down in a chair, Eda turned around to face her, “alright, I’m going to teach you a basic light spell, nothing fancy, just something nice and simple.” Eda lifted her hand, prepared to cast the spell. “Watch carefully, okay.”

Luz watched intently as Eda spun a spell circle; as she did so, a tiny ball of light appeared. Almost immediately, Luz tried down the same thing, but no matter how many times she tried, nothing happened. “It’s not working….” Eda had never seen the kid look more crushed than in that moment. She wanted to try anything to make her happy again.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, kiddo. I just assumed you’d be able to do it….”

“Is there something she’s missing? Like a special organ or something?” Camila asked as she dried off her hands, the food just simmering on low heat at the moment.

Eda’s brain stopped for a sec. She had somehow forgotten to mention a basic fact about witches. “Actually, yeah, she might,” saying that Eda created an illusion of a witch’s heart. “See right here,” She pointed to a weird-looking organ connected to the heart. “This is a bile-sac; it’s what stores all of a witch’s magic.”

Luz stared at the illusion. She looked like she was about to cry. She was still young, but she knew she didn’t have anything like that.

Seeing Luz about to cry, Eda rushed over to her, hoping to make her feel better. “Oh no, please don’t cry, kiddo.”

“B-B-But I can’t learn magic; I don’t have something like that, and that means I can’t be like you….” Luz was almost ready to burst into tears. Her dream of being a cool witch like Eda was crushed immediately.

Eda just pulled the emotional kid into her arms, gently petting her head and purring softly. “Oh, honey, I’m flattered you’d want to be like me.” Hearing that Luz wanted to learn magic so she could be like Eda almost made the witch start bawling; this kid was way too sweet. It was taking all her willpower to keep her composure. Eda used her thumb to brush away some of the kid’s tears from her eyes. “I’m sure we can figure out a way for you to use magic.”

“But how? Don’t I need that special organ?....” Luz’s voice had lost all of its energy. She looked so down and defeated at this moment.

“I don’t think so, cause I know witches in the past didn’t always have bile-sacs but could still do magic….” Eda trailed off, trying to remember anything that might help Luz at this moment.

“Does this mean I can’t use the book you made for me?”

“No, you should still be able to use it perfectly fine,” Eda quickly assured Luz that she could still use her gift. “I wasn’t sure if King would be able to use magic, so I kept that in mind when making them.”

Luz sighed in relief when she heard that. Though she was still quite sad.

“Maybe it would help if we took a video?” Camila had gone and grabbed her phone. “It might help you figure something out.”

Eda was really running on fumes at the moment and wanted to stop. But the sad, dejected look on Luz’s face meant she couldn’t do that. Just one more spell wouldn’t hurt, right? This was for Luz, after all. Besides, it was just a simple light spell. She could probably cast a dozen in this state.

“Sure, let’s take a quick video. Does that sound good, babes?” Eda glanced towards the glum kid, hoping this would give her some hope. Luz didn’t speak but gave a small nod. A small glimmer of hope that she might still have a shot at being a witch returned to her eyes.

Camila had opened up the camera on her phone and had started recording, “I’m all ready when you are, Eda.”

“Alright, here’s to hoping for the best.”

Eda spun another small spell circle. Like before, a small ball of light appeared.

It looked like it all went well.

Camila was about to stop the recording before noticing Eda teetering on her feet.

“Uhhh Eda, are y-“

*WHAM!*

Before Camila could finish her sentence, Eda passed out. Her body crashing hard into the dining room floor face-first as she fell forward.

“Eda!”

Luz jumped up out of her chair. She was so worried that Eda was dead. King was not far behind her as he scampered to his Mama’s side. Camila quickly rushed to Eda. She knelt down to check the witch’s pulse.

.

..

…

….

…..

……

Eda had a pulse! It came in such an irregular fashion that it took Camila a few seconds to register that she even found it. That was probably due to the Bile-sac, Eda mentioned earlier. Camila let out a long sigh. She had at that moment realized she had been holding her breath.

“Is Eda okay?” Luz broke the silence. She looked so worried that she had somehow hurt Eda. King looked equally stressed out, seeing his Mama on the floor like this.

Camila quickly brought the two into her arms before lifting them up. “Eda is fine. I think she just overworked herself. She probably just needs to rest.”

“It’s my fault this happened, isn’t it….” Luz looked like she was about to cry again. Cause of her, Eda got hurt.

“Oh, cariño. Of course, it isn’t your fault.” Camila quickly assured Luz that she wasn’t to blame for this. “You had no idea of how tired Eda was. She clearly just wanted to make up happy and pushed herself a little too far.”

“Okay….” Luz still wasn’t fully convinced she wasn’t partially responsible for this.

King let out a small whine, clearly wanting to help his Mama but unsure how.

“Don’t worry, you two, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Camila tried her best to calm the two of them down. That was proving difficult, though, since even she was worried. “Hooty!” Camila called out the House Demon.

Before she could finish calling his name, Hooty shot into the room. “What do you need! Hooty hoot hoot!”

“Could you take Eda to her bed, please?” Camila asked as she nodded her head towards the sleeping witch.

“Sure thing, I take it she passed out again?”

“Again?” Camila was slightly shocked by this news. Was this a regular occurrence with Eda?

“Yeah, it hasn’t happened in a while, but occasionally she drops like a rock.” Hooty had carefully wriggled his body under the witch and now carried her. “She should be fine, just needs to rest is all. Hoot.” With that, Hooty took Eda up to her nest.

Camila felt the two kids calm down after hearing hooty repeat the same sentiment she had earlier. She went to place both of them onto their chairs so she could go finish cooking. She found both just clung to her. Clearly not wanting to leave her.

‘Poor things, probably scared I’ll collapse as well.’

Camila let them cling to her as she walked back into the kitchen. It would be a little harder to cook like this, but she’ll manage. She already had practice with Luz, so adding a second kid shouldn’t be a problem. Luckily King crawled over her shoulder and hung onto her back like a baby koala.

Camila winced slightly as his claws dug into her skin, but the pain dissipated almost as soon as it arrived.

The three just stayed like that in silence as Camila cooked. The older woman could tell that the two kids were in no mood for anything fun. The sight of Eda collapsing and passing out souring their first sleepover. Camila hoped she could do something to lift their moods.

--------------------------------------------------

A little while later, supper was served. It was a stir fry recipe Eda and Camila came up with. Using a special sauce combining ingredients from both the human realm and the Isles.

Normally supper time was a loud and lively affair, with conversation flying through the air, laughter, and the occasional shout of panic when one of the kids knocked over their drinks. But tonight? Tonight the three occupants at the table just sat in silence. Luz and King looked particularly out of it. The former just picked at her food, taking the occasional small bite. And the latter not even bothering to pick out the vegetables like he normally did. The two looked like the definition of glum.

Once they had all finished eating, Camila got up to clear the table. She wrapped up whatever the two of them had failed to eat. Normally Camila would try and encourage the two of them to finish their food, but she knew this wasn’t the time for that. She put some into a bowl for Eda too. Tossing it all into the fridge before putting the dirty dishware into the sink. She would deal with that later. Right now, she had some kids to cheer up.

Bringing the two into the living room Camila sat on the couch. “I know you two are worried about Eda, but Hooty said she’d be fine,” Camila raked her fingers through her daughter’s hair and King’s fur as she spoke. The sensation seemed to help relieve some of the tension in their small bodies.

“Are you positive Mama will be okay?” King asked, clutching Francois for comfort as he did.

“I’m positive; Eda is tough, remember? She’ll be back on her feet tomorrow; just you wait and see.~”

 “Now, there’s no use just sitting here moping. So why don’t you two make something for Eda? I’m sure she’ll appreciate that when she wakes up.” Camila knew the two would like the idea of making something for Eda. Upon hearing that suggestion, the two kids perked right up.

“What should we make?” Luz was now rocking in Camila’s lap. Clearly excited by the possibility of making Eda a gift.

“Well, King could draw Eda something. I’m sure she’d love that.” Hearing the suggestion, King rushed to grab some crayons and paper. He’d make a masterpiece to give to his Mama.

“What should I do?” Luz had gotten antsy. She clearly wanted to make something special for Eda.

“Well, maybe we could study that video? I’m sure Eda would be over the moon to see you casting magic when she wakes up.”

Luz sat and thought about it for a minute. She still wanted to learn magic, but that also meant watching the video and seeing Eda collapsing….

Camila could tell Luz wanted to do this, but something held her back. “I can cut the video off before the end. Would that make it better?” Luz nodded at that.

A few moments later, Camila had cut the video down. Luz sat in her lap as she pressed play. The pair let the video run a couple of times. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to pop out that would help them. Camila was about to apologize to her daughter, the video still running when Luz tried to grab her phone.

“wha-“Startled by her daughter Camila almost threw her phone across the room. “What is it?!” Luz had clearly seen something because Camila could see a spark in her eyes. The same spark when the little girl found a new potion concoction or had declared her desire to learn magic.

“Slower!”

“What?”

Camila realized that Luz had gotten worked up again and that getting proper responses from her wouldn’t happen. She parsed what Luz had just said.

“Do you want me to slow down the video?”

Luz nodded, now fidgeting in her Mami’s lap. Clearly, she had managed to spot something. Camila slowed down the video playback rate. At first, nothing seemed out of place. But then Eda finished the spell circle. In the middle of the circle sat a strange-looking rune.

Camila looked dumbfounded at this, pausing the video just to stare at it. “H-H-How did you see this?” She looked downward to ask her daughter. The little girl just gave a shrug, clearly unsure how she managed to do that. “Well, in any case, this is amazing! Eda is going to be so proud of you when she wakes up!”

Luz just beamed at the mention of Eda being proud of her. Here she was, not even five years old and finding lost and ancient aspects of magic. Eda would be amazed by her.

“Now I wonder how this is going to help you cast magic….” Camila scratched her chin absentmindedly as she stared at the screen. Luz stared at the screen with her. It took Luz a second before coming up with a potential answer. Scrambling down off the couch, Luz went to grab some paper and a crayon from King.

The other two occupants of the living room just watched the little girl with bated breath. What was she about to do? Luz took another glance at the phone screen before going about the task at hand.

Camila watched as Luz carefully drew a perfect circle. Her tongue poked out the side of her mouth, and her brow furrowed in concentration. King had stopped what he was doing to come and watch his semi-adopted sister. Once the circle was complete, Luz went about drawing the sigil.

Once everything was complete, Luz tentatively touched the page.

As she did, the three watched as the paper crumpled up.

And from it, a small, bright ball of white light arose.

Luz just held the ball of light in her hands. It was so tiny and looked so fragile. Then she turned to her Mami, a huge smile plastered across her face.

“Mami! Mami! Look, I did magic!” Luz was practically hopping in ecstatic glee as she shouted in excitement.

In seconds Camila had swept her daughter up into a swift hug, twirling the little girl through the air. “That’s amazing! I knew you could do it! You’re amazing, bebé!” Luz just giggled as her Mami spun her through the air, showering her with praise. Once Camila had stopped spinning, King climbed his way up to Luz. To Give Luz a hug to celebrate her doing her first act of magic.

As Camila sat back down, Luz went and grabbed more paper. She wanted to surprise Eda with her new magic when she woke up. She also opened up her new book, flipping to an empty page. There she carefully drew the sigil, and with the help of her Mami, labelled the page with the word ‘Light.’.

--------------------------------------------------

Eda woke a few hours later with a start. She gasped for air in a panic. She tried to remember what had happened and how she ended up in her bed. She recalled trying to teach Luz magic, it not going well, something about a video….

It all felt like a weird haze in her mind. The last thing she could recall was the floor rapidly approaching before everything went dark.

Rubbing her temples, Eda stepped out of her nest. She assumed that she had passed out, and Hooty had brought her up here. She would need to thank that bird tube for that later. She hoped her passing out didn’t ruin the night for the kids.

As she made her way to the door, a sickening feeling crossed her mind.

‘I haven’t taken my elixir yet….’

Frantically Eda started to look for a bottle of her Elixir. But no matter where she looked, all she found were empty bottles.

Fear welled up inside her. She needed to find a full bottle and fast.

There! She spotted an unopened bottle nestled amongst various objects on her nightstand. Eda went to go and grab it.

She barely made it two steps before pure dread gripped her bones.

She was too late.

She ran out of time.

Cami, Luz, King, Owlbert, and Hooty…..

All of them were in grave danger now.

“Please…”

Her words were a mere whisper, to something she wasn’t even sure could hear her. As she spoke, she felt her bones snapping, cracking and reforming.

“Please don’t…..”

Her body lurched forward. Feathers sprouted all over her body as she grew larger and larger.

The witch now tried to choke back sobs. Terror filled every aspect of her being as her worst fear was on the verge of becoming a reality.

“Please don’t hurt them….” Tears cascaded down her face. She could do nothing now but pray to someone that her family would be safe. Hopefully, Cami could get out with Luz and King before Eda did something terrible.

Eda tried to fight for as long as possible, but the fear and curse eventually took her.

And with that.

Everything.

Went.

Black.

Chapter Text

It had gotten late, the sun now barely above the horizon as night began to fall. The boiling rainstorm still quietly raged outside. The only indication of it being the faint distant pitter-patter of raindrops against Eda’s barrier.

The original plan to head to bed early had been thrown out the window. Camila had decided to let the kids stay up a bit later. The pair had become so engrossed in the process of making gifts for Eda that Camila didn’t have the heart to tell them to pack it up. This was fine, as it just meant a slightly later start to tomorrow.

Camila looked towards the stairs, her mind periodically turning to Eda. She hoped the witch was alright. Camila was probably going to chew into her later about the importance of taking care of herself. Hopefully, the witch will take her words to heart and do just that.

As she turned her gaze back towards the kids, Camila couldn’t help but admire how peaceful everything felt. King had managed to amass a stack of drawings to give to his Mama. He kept making new ones cause he felt like he could do even better than the previous. He’d nearly worn out half his crayons working on all of those works of art.

Luz had filled the room with dozens upon dozens of tiny orbs of light. The ceiling now looked like a miniature night sky. She had even made a couple of glyphs in order to show to Eda later. ‘Glyph,’ that was the term Luz and Camila had settled on as a way to describe the symbol Luz had found. Luz thought the term made them seem extra cool and magicky.

Luz really was amazing. She was just learning how to read and write, and here she was. Rediscovering old and forgotten avenues of magic. Eda would be so proud of her little potion assistant. The witch would probably shower the poor kid in praises, tight hugs and pepper her with kisses till she was red in the face from giggling too hard.

Eda was going to love seeing all this in the morning.

Unfortunately, it was getting late, and the two of them should be in bed already. Getting up, Camila approached the pair, her voice a soft, gentle whisper, “Luz, King, it’s time to clean up and get to bed.”

“But-“

Luz tried to argue against bedtime, but Camila quickly stopped her, “I know you both want to stay up, but I’ve already let you stay up way past your bedtime. Plus, if you don’t go to sleep soon, you’ll be too tired for tomorrow.”

The duo, hearing that, begrudgingly agreed with the older woman. Camila picked them both up, ready to head upstairs to give them both a quick bath. It was at this moment she heard the sound of something scuttering around.

Camila then froze her foot on the first step. A bead of sweat fell down her forehead and onto her brow.

She gulped, was something in the house? How was that possible? Shouldn’t the barrier prevent something like that?

Thoughts raced through her mind as she tried to figure out a course of action.

The sound of glass shattering rang out through the house before she could formulate a plan. At this point, Camila felt her fight-or-flight instincts kick into overdrive. She turned to call back to Hooty. The House Demon should know how to keep them safe.

“He- WAIT WHAT ARE YOU DOI-“

All the colour left Camila’s face as she heard Hooty scream out. As his voice faltered, all the lights in the house snuffed out like Hooty breathing his last breath. Turning around, she was met with a grizzly sight. Instinctively she covered the children’s eyes, not wanting to see this.

There was Hooty, more importantly, his door. Laying on the ground, torn off its hinges. His eyes were now seemingly devoid of any life.

Camila wanted to scream.

Wanted to but didn’t. As she felt no sound come out.

As standing above Hooty was what Camila could only describe as a monster. It was huge, bigger than anything Camila had ever seen in person. It was cast in darkness, its features indicated by the strikes of lightning that backlit it. It had a pair of wings, razor-sharp talons that scratched into the floor, and fangs that looked as sharp as knives.

Meanwhile, the Owl Beast stared down at House Demons’ door. They let out a low, quiet whine, as they didn’t mean to be so rough. They were just excited to meet their hatchlings. As they concentrated their senses, they heard the rhythmic breathing of the house. It was faint, but it meant the witch’s house demon would be okay.

Camila held her breath. Maybe if she stayed still, the creature wouldn’t see them. But what if it did see her and the kids? What then? Should she use the portal Key and get out?

It was at this point Camila realized a grim reality. The portal Key wasn’t on her person….

She recalled leaving it on the kitchen counter. She cursed silently as she realized that meant their options became even more limited. She had to think of something. If she didn’t, they were all in danger.

‘They’

Camila’s mind flashed back to Eda. The witch was still asleep upstairs, with no idea of what was happening. Camila needed to go and wake Eda up. Even if she still had the Key on her, there was no way she’d just leave Eda.

Camila slowly tried to slide her foot back, not taking her eyes off the beast. Maybe if she moved slowly, it would all be fine.

It wasn’t fine.

The creature had been staring at them for some time. Seeming to just wait for something.

As Camila tried to move back up the stairs, the beast pounced after them. Camila yelped. She turned to now rush up the stairs. The loud thudding of the monster hitting the floor echoed through the house.

As Camila ran, she held Luz and King as tightly as possible. Maybe it was because she was scared at the moment, but right now, both of them looked downright terrified. She said nothing as she clutched them closer to her chest. Trying her hardest to convey that everything would be alright.

Camila was never much of a religious person, but at this moment, she silently prayed. She hoped that all of them would be safe. Finally, she reached the top of the stairs and the door to Eda’s bedroom.

Down at the bottom of the steps, the Owl beast searched around desperately.

‘Owlets?’

One moment the beast was ready to greet their babies, and the next, they were gone. The Owl Beast had wished the witch would have let them meet their owlets. They were their hatchlings to take care of as well. They needed to teach them how to hunt and how to be resourceful. As far as the Owl Beast was concerned, their witch had been incredibly rude, not letting them see their babies.

The Owl beast began to climb up the stairs, realizing that was the only direction they could have headed. After their babies and the one that had their witch smitten. They knew how much their witch fancied the woman that had been visiting for months. And the Owl Beast was starting to share those same feelings. The Owl Beast had no idea why the witch still hadn’t tried courting her, though. Maybe they could help with that.

Back at the top of the stairs, Camila burst into Eda’s room. Slamming the door, she briefly stopped to catch her breath. Looking around the room cast in shadow, Camila took note of how very much Eda it was. From the chaotic messiness of it all to the fact that her bed was a huge nest.

There was one problem, though.

Eda wasn’t here….

Camila started to panic. Had the beast eaten Eda?!

As Camila started looking around for any sign that Eda was okay, she felt her foot kick something. Looking down, she saw the floor littered with glass bottles, most of them with torn tags. Camila didn’t know why but she felt like these might tell her where Eda was.

Carefully she nudged King to climb onto her back, giving her a free hand to search with. After a couple of moments, she found one with a full tag.

‘An Elixir A Day Keeps the Curse at Bay’

As Camila read those words scrawled on the small piece of parchment, she began piecing together what was going on. But she still needed to make absolutely sure. Looking around, she spotted a full bottle sitting on Eda’s nightstand. Rushing over, she picked it up to save for later.

Then she heard the scratching of claws. The beast was making its way up to them. Camila breathed heavily.

“Luz, could you make some more of those lights for us?” Luz was still holding a couple of her glyphs when Camila picked her up. A fact the woman was grateful for at this moment. Luz tapped a couple, lighting up the room.

Deciding that it was time she needed to face this, Camila opened the door. As they swung open, she was met face to face with the ‘monster.’

Camila, at that moment, felt her heart sink. Standing before her wasn’t a monster.

It was Eda.

She stared at the witch, who looked like a cross between a large cat and an Owl. Camila thought about how painful turning into this must be for Eda. The way her bones must snap and break, just to reform into the form standing before Camila. Her face stretched over a skull that was far too big. Her body had reshaped to a quadrupedal form. Feathers covered her entire body. And her eyes, which were normally brilliant rings of fiery gold, were now these pools of inky blackness.

The two of them sat staring at each other. Camila realized that the Owl Beast wasn’t chasing her or the kids. At least not anymore. Hesitantly Camila stuck out a hand, bracing herself in case she was wrong and needed to move quickly.

To her surprise, she wasn’t attacked.

Instead, she felt Eda, or at least who she assumed to be Eda, gently press her face into Camila’s hand. Camila could hear a low rumbling purr reverberating out from Owl Beast. Seemingly content and happy.

“You know, for someone that scared half-to-death me not too long ago, you’re rather sweet.” Camila couldn’t help but laugh a little at how scared she was earlier. She could just tell by the looks of it, the beast before they could have turned her into mincemeat if it wanted to. But it hadn’t. Instead, it sat there rubbing its face into Camila’s hand. Like an overly needy cat enthused for pets.

The Owl Beast just seemed to let out a happy chirp.

‘They brought the hatchlings to our nest!’

“I should probably ask Eda if you are the same individual or if the two of you are separate entities,” Camila quietly pondered under her breath.

Luz and King, who had been hiding their faces in Camila’s shoulders, turned to look at the Owl Beast. Both softly gasped and the sight before them.

Eda looked so cool…..

The Owl Beast let out a soft cooing sound as they pulled their head away from Camila’s hand. They stared intensely at their hatchlings. The two looked so small, especially compared to the Owl Beast. Not to mention dirty. They would need to give the two of them a proper bath before bed.

Before Camila could understand what was happening, the Owl Beast had circled behind her. She stood stock-still, unsure of what was exactly happening. Turning her head, she could see the Owl Beast staring at King, still clutching onto her shoulder. Then she watched as they carefully used their teeth to grab him by the scruff on his neck gently.

“Weh!” The little demon cried out as he dangled from the beast’s jaws. Camila, at this moment, felt like she had made a terrible mistake. That she had been terribly wrong and that King was about to be eaten.

The little demon wasn’t eaten as a light snack. Instead, Camila watched the Owl Beast carry him into the nest and plop him down into a pile of blankets. Then they made their way back to Camila. Gently they nuzzled their face against Luz. A deep affectionate purring rumbling out from their chest. They delicately took the small girl from her mother’s arms using one of their paws. Camila, this time carefully handed Luz over. The Owl Beast let out a warm, vibrant trill as they carried their other hatchling into the nest.

Luz let out a small “oof” as they were dropped onto a pile of blankets beside King. Camila then watched as the Owl Beast crawled around the two of them. It was chirping, cooing and purring happily. It stopped, then plopped down and curled its large form around them.

Camila thought the sight before her was rather cute, if a bit absurd. Luz and King nested into the side of Eda in this form. She saw the Owl Beast looking over the two kids in the nest, wondering what they were going to do next.

To Camila’s surprise, they watched them carefully lick the top of King’s head. The tiny demon let out a startled “weh!” The fur on his head now slightly pushed in the direction their tongue had dragged in. The Owl Beast ignored King’s whine as they started to clean their one hatchling gently.

‘Calm down, Owlet, I’m just giving you a bath, okay.’

King tried to crawl away, but the Owl Beast merely used their one paw to hold him down. King tried to squirm out of their gentle grasp but realized it wasn’t happening. Finally, he resigned himself to his impromptu bath time. He was secretly hoping he’d managed to skip having to take a bath tonight.

Camila shouldn’t be surprised; cleaning young like this was typical animal behaviour. It was rather cute. She let out a soft laugh. The Owl Beast must have heard her because it then looked up, shooting her a look.

Camila stared at them, wondering what it was they were trying to tell her. Then it clicked. “Are you complaining about them being dirty?”

The Owl Beast let out a short shrill whine; their eyes still on Camila.

‘Of course, I mean, how are they this dirty anyhow?’

Camila could only describe the look they were given as incredulous. She let out a laugh, “I’m sorry. If I recall correctly, I was on my way to give them baths. Then you showed up and scared us half-to-death,” Camila had her hand on her hip, a playful smile on her face as she conversed with the Owl Beast.

The Owl Beast just huffed before returning to their work cleaning their babies. Camila gave them all one last look before she started to make her way out of the room. Before she could get far, she heard the Owl Beast let out a loud whine. Turning around, she saw them crawl out of the nest. When they reached her, they began trying to nudge and pull her towards the nest gently.

Camila just looked at them as they tugged at her shirt. “Do you want me to sleep in your nest tonight?”

The Owl Beast just looked at her before nodding.

Realizing that they’d probably not take no for an answer in this instant, Camila walked towards the nest before climbing in.

The Owl Beast looked happy now that all three of them were in their nest. Carefully they crawled back in behind Camila, laying back down by Luz and King. They then carefully pulled Camila towards them before curling around their family, draping their wings over them to protect them, keeping them all safe and warm.

Camila, luz and King quickly found themselves nuzzled into the Owl Beast’s warm, soft feathers. A soft, gentle purring lulling them all to sleep. Camila carefully tucked the elixir bottle into a pile of blankets before sleep took them.

They’d give it to the Owl Beast later. For Now, they would all sleep.

***

Eda awoke in a state of delirium. She tried to remember what had happened the previous night. She laid there, the gears of her mind grinding away. It all came back in pieces. Her memory was a vague, undefined haze, like a wild night with some apple blood but significantly worse.

Eventually, it started to form back into a much clearer picture.

Suddenly her mind snapped back to her last moment of consciousness. The feeling of terror flooded back into her. Sweat dripped down her brow as she feared the worst. What had she done? She put her family in danger. For all, she knew they were all dead.

Immediately she tried to jump up to assess the damage but found her body weighed down. Looking down, she was met with the sight of Luz and King. The pair of them clung to her as they slept. Tiny puddles of drool pooled on her chest.

She just stared at the two of them. How were they okay, and more importantly, why were they in her bed.

“Glad to see you’re finally awake.”

Eda still felt incredibly groggy. Was there someone else here with them?

Rubbing her eyes, she turned towards the source of the voice. There, laying beside her, was Cami. Instantly Eda felt a wave of relief wash over her. She stared at the woman beside her as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Eda felt her body moving before she could register what was even happening. Her arms wrapped around Camila, pulling her into the tightest hug possible. The kids were still clutching onto her as she hugged the woman. Apparently, they both had amazing grip strength. This was fine as it meant Eda could hug all of them at once.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re all okay!” Eda didn’t try to choke back her tears. She let them stream down her face as she held her loved ones close. Like they were the most important things to ever exist.

Camila grunted slightly at the bone-crushing hug Eda gave her but smiled at how relieved the witch looked.

“mmrphmph!” A muffled cry could be heard between the two of them. Pulling apart, they saw Luz and King now awake. Both looked incredibly groggy, neither expecting to be awoken in such a manner.

“Eda? Mami?”

“Weh?”

Both looked around as they spoke, still trying to get their barrings. Then in tandem, their eyes shot open.

“Eda!” They cried out as they leapt back onto the witch, clutching back onto her. Eda just hugged them tightly again, happy they were safe.

“You should have seen them last night. Both thought you had died when you passed out.” Camila spoke gently as she slid beside the witch, laying her head on her shoulder.

“W-W-What happened? How are you all still okay? How am I not still transformed?” Eda quickly rattled off a series of questions. Her mind was still trying to process how this was the scenario she found herself in, and not something far more gruesome.

“I was hoping you could explain some of that to us, actually? A lot happened last night, and I kind of pieced together some parts but would like to hear it from you.”

Eda scratched the back of her neck and bit the inside of her cheek. Her eyes looked around the room, trying her best to hold off on discussing her curse. Camila just sat beside the witch, waiting patiently for her to start. Eventually, Eda let out a long sigh. It would be better just to bite the bullet. Besides, they already know, so what’s the point of avoiding the topic? Eda handed King and Luz to Camila, so it would be easier to talk to all three of them at once.

“I haven’t been fully honest with you all,” Eda began her explanation, her gaze slightly downcast. She breathed in deeply, one last thing to help prepare herself before continuing. “I’m cursed. Just straight-up cursed. It sucks, but I’ve managed to live with it. Stuff like the elixirs’ help a ton with managing it.” Eda casually gestured to one of the dozens of empty elixir bottles. “Last night was the first time I’ve transformed in a long while, actually.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Camila interjected, wondering why Eda hid this from her and the kids.

Eda bit her lip as Camila asked her question. She knew exactly why she hid it, but finding the words to explain that was proving to be difficult. “I was scared….”

“Scared?”

“Yeah, scared.” Eda sat back as she looked at Camila, trying to relax her body as much as possible. Hoping it would help with her nerves. “I haven’t always been treated the best by others due to my curse.”

Camila watched as Eda’s whole body seemed to tense up as she spoke. The way her hand reflexively grasped her arm. How the normally loud and vibrant witch seemed to shrink in on herself, like a weight crushing her down, Camila now was starting to understand why Eda didn’t tell them.

“When folk hear you have a curse like mine, they tend to treat you differently,” Eda continued, a slight shakiness in her voice as she tried to keep her composure. “Even people that respect me as the most powerful witch on the isles. They look at me like I’m some ticking time bomb. Who at any moment could transform and wreak havoc.” Eda shook slightly, the memory of anger from the years of this treatment slowly coming back at this moment.

“That’s horrible….” Camila had no idea that Eda went through all of that. Her heart ached for the witch.

“It’s fine. Growing up, I got used to people seeing me a certain way and making assumptions,” Eda let out a dry, raspy chuckle. “It was the other part that hurt more.” Eda steadied herself. This was the part that would be the hardest to talk about. “It’s also the part that made me not tell you all.”

Camila just sat there patiently. She kept a firm grip on the kids as she could feel them squirming in her lap. No doubt wanting to go and hug Eda. Camila knew, though, that Eda had to get through this before that.

“I’ve lost people because of my curse,” Eda spoke slowly. Years of pain lined her words. “People I thought cared about me leaving cause they couldn’t handle that it was a part of me….”

“You thought we would leave if we found out….” Camila felt like she was now holding herself back from wrapping Eda in a hug.

“Yeah….” Eda just let her response hang in the air. “It’s funny, last night I thought that my worst fear was about to come true. That in some way, I’d lose you all.”

“We’d never leave you over something like that!” Camila just blurted out. “We care about you way too much to do something like that.” Luz and King just nodded, confirming Camila was right.

Eda was at a loss for words. She tried finding a lie in what Camila had just said. But no matter what, all she found was a declaration of unconditional love. “T-T-Thank you,” Eda stammered out. Shocked by the conviction behind Camila’s voice as she spoke. “I mean it. You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that.” Eda felt every part of her body relax, as her worst fear was proven wrong.

Camila smiled at how relieved Eda looked. She then noticed how antsy the kids had gotten. “I think I’ve held these two long enough,” she grinned as she released Luz and King. Letting them leap onto Eda.

“Oof!” Eda grunted as they crashed into her. She laughed as she felt them try and hug her as hard as possible. She just stared at them, warmth building in her chest. “I’m still confused. How are you all okay? I thought the Owl Beast would have torn you all to pieces.”

“Actually, they were actually rather sweet,” Camila responded nonchalantly. “Actually, I wanted to ask. Are you both one being, or are you separate entities?”

“The two of us are separate. We’re just sharing this body.”

“Okay, got it. Well, like I was saying, they were rather sweet. Even let me give you your elixir a little earlier in the night.”

“Wait, they just let you do that? No hassle?”

“Yeah, it was kind of surprising,” Camila recalled how the Owl Beast didn’t put up any fight when asked to take the elixir. “There was also the fact they got upset and tried pulling me to the nest when I tried to leave.”

Eda went bright red at that last part. She knew exactly why the Owl Beast had done such a thing. Did she try and brush it off, or just be fully honest. It took no time for Eda to come to a decision. “I think they were acting based on how I felt….”

“Mmm?” Camila had a hunch where this was going but wanted to hear Eda say it.

“Cami, I don’t know when I start to feel this way, but I need to be honest with you,” Eda took a deep breath. “I like you, alright. Like not even just like, I love you, Cami.” Eda had a feeling that Camila felt the same, but the witch still braced herself for the rejection.

To her shock, no such rejection came.

Instead, she felt Camila’s soft lips press against hers in a quick and gentle kiss.

Pulling away, Camila just smiled sweetly, “I love you too. You’re one of the most important people in my life, and I can’t imagine my life without you now.”

“Are you sure about this? I mean, my curse could make things dange-“

Camila cut Eda off as she let out a laugh, “Eda, I literally watched the Owl Beast carry King into the nest and start grooming him. I think they like us just as much as you do.”

“Oh…”

“Eda, I’m going, to be honest with you. I didn’t see myself dating at all until Luz was older,” Camila lazily traced her thumb over Eda’s hand. “I didn’t want to be with anyone that wouldn’t give her the time of day. Then you came into my life, and I ended up falling head over heels for you. I love how vibrant and chaotic you are. The way you make it feel like room light up when you enter them. I adore how you are with Luz. How you do stuff like make her that book, or make sure your house is safe for her.” Camila took a breath before continuing. “But it’s not just that. It’s small stuff like taking the time to teach her and spend time with her.”

Eda gulped, not expecting all this.

“You’re a witch, from another dimension. Despite that, I fell in love with you more than you can imagine. Nothing, not even your curse, will ever change that.”

Eda took all of what Camila said to her. Taking a deep breath, she said one thing, “Okay.”

“So, do you want to do this?” Camila asked as she grabbed Eda’s hand, her finger running along her knuckles. “Like the two of us dating?”

Instead of responding, Eda simply leaned forward. Her lips met Camila in another short, sweet kiss. Pulling away, she just had a wide grin on her face. “I think that answers your question, Cami.~”

Camila just stifled a laugh. “Yeah, I think it does,” Camila pulled Eda in for a longer kiss.

As the two broke apart, they saw King and Luz staring at them. Before either of them could speak, Luz asked them something neither expected. “Eda, if you and my Mami are together, does that make you my Mama now too?”

If Eda were drinking apple blood, she’d choke on it right about now. Camila was trying her best to hold back a fit of laughter.

Taking the pair’s silence as a yes, Luz got Excited. Before either woman could compose themselves enough to respond, Luz started chanting. “Two moms! Two moms!...” She chanted as she marched around the nest, King quickly joining her.

“Kiddo….” Eda tried to get Luz’s attention. Gently pinching the bridge of her nose but she couldn’t hide the smile on her face.

“Oh, let her have this. I mean, you’re already like a second mother to her.” Camila just snuggled up against the witch as she watched the two kids marching around.

Suddenly Luz stopped, King bumping into her and letting out a loud “Weh!”

“Wait, King, what about Owl Mama?”

The two just stared at each other before coming to a silent agreement. Luz turned back around, ready to start marching again.

“Three moms! Three moms! Three moms!....” The pair chanted, now pumping their fists in the air.

“Don’t worry, they should get tired eventually.” Camila just got comfortable, waiting for the kids to wear themselves out.

“I know, it’s just making me think of some stuff….”

“Like?”

“Like how Lily is going to react when she learns about all of this.”

“Who’s Lily?”

“She’s my sister. You probably won’t meet her for a while, though.”

“Ah, okay.” Camila turned back towards the kids. “So, What should we do until they get bored of this?”

Checking her scroll, Eda saw they still had some time to kill before exploring the woods. “I’d be fine to just stay here with you.”

“That sounds perfect,” Camila snuggled up next to Eda. Ready to have a lazy morning.

***

The lazy morning eventually came to an end. Camila and Eda taking Luz and King downstairs to the kitchen to have breakfast. They made a slightly larger breakfast to give them lots of energy to explore the woods.

Eda quickly went to work getting Hooty fixed up. She apologized profusely to the House Demon and promised to get him extra good snacks the next time she went to the market. He told her it was fine and that it was like taking a nap.

Some scrambled griffin eggs with peppers, onions, and honey ham mixed in. Nice fluffy pancakes. And a couple of pieces of maple bacon. The two women fell into a comfortable rhythm as they cooked.

Before eating, Luz and King rushed out of the room to go grab their gifts for Eda.

“What’s with them?” Eda asked, startled by the speed they ran out of the dining room.

“They were worried about you last night, so they made you some gifts,” Camila told her as she checked the bacon.

Eda was having the most emotional day ever. What did she do to deserve all this? She felt herself choke back tears at how sweet her kids were.

The two ran back into the room, both holding a bunch of papers. King presented his gift first. Eda took the stack of papers, a smile forming on her lips as she gasped.

“King! I love them!” Eda scooped the tiny demon into her arms. Nuzzling her nose against his cheek. “And you made so many. Were you that worried about me?”

The tiny demon nuzzled his Mama, “mhmm.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you, and I promise to take better care of myself,” Eda pressed a kiss into his cheek. “Now I need to figure what to do with all of these. Maybe I could get some corkboard, or maybe some frames…..”

Luz rocked back and forth on her heels. She was being patient and letting King give Eda his gift, but her excitement had steadily built up. When King was finished, she walked up to Eda, a glyph in hand.

“What is it, Sugar-bug?” Eda saw the paper in the kid’s hand and wondered what it was.

Luz said nothing. She simply held out the sheet of paper and gently tapped it. The sheet crumbled up, and from it, a small glowing ball of light remained. Luz gently cupped the orb before presenting it to Eda.

“Look, I figured out how to do magic!” Luz looked so proud as she showed Eda the tiny ball of light. To most witches, such a thing would have been nothing worth caring about. A simple spell almost any kid could do. But the tiny ball of light to Eda was the most amazing feat of magic she’d ever seen.

The witch scooped Luz up and twirled her around. “Babes! That’s amazing!” Eda felt immense pride seeing Luz do magic. “Did you figure this out all on your own?”

“Yeah!” The little girl declared triumphantly.

Eda began peppering Luz with kisses and words of praise. She was so proud of this kid. “Watch out, Boiling Isles. Cause in a few years, you’ll have a new 'Most Powerful Witch'.” Eda had the goofiest grin on her face as she said that. Luz just giggled under the barrage of love.

Camila watched all this as she set the table. She thought that she had made the right call in getting together with Eda.

***

After breakfast, they all decided it was time to head out for the day. It was a nice cool morning, and the grass still smelled nice from the rain. Eda stood near the edge of the woods with Luz. Camila was helping King with something in the house.

“You excited to go exploring, babes?” Eda asked Luz, who was hopping excitedly.

“Yeah!” The little girl cheered out. Nearly losing her balance as she did so. Eda just laughed softly and smiled at how adorable Luz was when she got this eager.

Eda briefly took her eyes off Luz to recheck the bag. As she did so, she failed to notice Luz looking at something far off into the treeline. As she looked stuff over, she felt the Owl Beast clawing at her mind.

Was it agitated by something? Was it trying to take control again?

She tried just to brush it off.

Big mistake.

The next thing Eda felt was unimaginable, searing pain. It was scorching through her head. She dropped the bag, letting it hit the ground with a soft thud. Her hands flew up to grab her head. Her skin began to feel clammy. Her vision began to go white, and bile slowly rose from her stomach. She could hear nothing, as a sharp ringing in her ears droned all the sound in the world out. All the while, she could feel the Owl Beast in her head. The Owl Beast was screeching, clawing, screaming out. Like they were trying to warn her of danger.

‘Owlet! Owlet Danger!’

Then almost as soon as the pain arrived, it began to fade. It wasn’t completely gone, though, as she could still feel the constant low drone of it in her head. The Owl Beast was now pacing back and forth in her mind.

As Eda got her bearings, dread fell over her.

Luz was gone.

In a panic, she began to scream out, “Luz! Luz!” Her eyes darted around frantically, trying to find the kid.

Overhearing Eda’s shouts, Camila rushed out King clutching onto her back. “Eda, where is Luz?” The woman looked around, trying to spot a trace of her daughter. A part of her told her that she had been wrong about Eda, that she was too dangerous and reckless. Camila shoved those thoughts out of her head as they went against all the things Eda had done for her and Luz. “Eda, what happened?” She tried her best to hide her fear. Her voice was as calm as it could be. She knew there was something more here and that Eda wouldn’t just act carelessly and lose Luz.

Eda heard the tone of Cami’s voice, and she knew she could be honest. “I don’t know. I went to check the bag again. The next thing I know, I feel a terrible pain in my head. I don’t know how long it lasted, but it was like I couldn’t sense anything other than the pain.”

“Wait, are you okay?” Camila asked, now concerned by what she had just heard.

“Yeah, it still hurts a bit, but it’s much more manageable now,” Eda assured Camila she was okay in that regard. “When it ended, I looked up, and Luz was just gone….”

Camila could hear the slight waver in Eda’s voice at the end. Like she felt like she fucked up in this instant. Camila clasped a hand onto her shoulder and looked her in the eye. “Hey, I know you would never let anything happen to Luz if you could help it. You had no idea that was going to happen, so don’t blame yourself.” Camila held Eda’s shoulder firmly as she spoke to her, trying to let the witch know that she wasn’t mad at her. “Besides, I shouldn’t have left Luz alone with you. We should have both been watching her. Knowing her, she wandered off into the woods.”

Eda breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Camila wasn’t mad. “Okay, I’ll take Owlbert, and I’ll look for her,” Eda let out a whistle summoning her staff.

“I’ll come too!” Camila was ready to charge into that forest.

“No, you should stay here. What would we do if you got lost as well? I know these woods well enough to search them.”

“But the forest is huge? There’s no way you can search it all with just the two of you!?” Camila was right. Even if she did know the forest, it was still too much ground to cover.

Eda groaned because she knew Camila was right. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she silently muttered to herself. “So, remember how I said you probably wouldn’t meet my sister for a bit?”

“Yeah?” Camila wasn’t sure where this was going.

“Well, looks like I lied,” as she talked, she summoned her scroll. “You stay here and explain stuff to Lily when she gets here, okay?”

“Wait, but I don’t even know what she looks like!” Camila called out to Eda

“She looks like the poster child for prim, prissy, and proper!” Eda yelled back as she dashed past the tree line and into the forest.

Chapter Text

A door to a small dingy apartment swung open. Through it walked an extremely sore and tired Witch. She struck an imposing figure with her straight jet black hair, gaunt but refined features, and an air of stiff regality. At least she would if she didn’t look like a walking cadaver. This walking corpse currently masquerading as a witch was Lilith Clawthorn.

Lilith’s face was set in a tense grimace as every movement sent shockwaves of pain through her body. She winced as she took off her cloak. Accidentally brushing it against a large bruise from when a slither-beast slammed her into a tree. She had been doing survey work up in there for Emperor Belos when she and her scouting party had disturbed a slither-beast den. Lilith just groaned as she tried not to think about how badly hurt she was. Knowing her luck, her ribs were probably in need of some serious attention. Not to mention dozens of scratches, cuts and nicks that would need to be disinfected. The worse one was a large gash on her other side. She’d have to stitch that up. Luckily she had experience with a thread and needle.

The scouts she had been with tried to urge her to go to the hospital, but she just shrugged their concerns off. She could take care of herself just fine. The spell she had done to keep herself from bleeding out was a perfect indicator of that. Said spell having kept up during the trip back from the Knee and could still go for another hour, probably.

Lilith would just do some rudimentary healing magic on the areas instead. She knew enough to at least numb the pain. Hopefully, they would heal on their own. This was how Lilith dealt with a lot of her injuries. Short of stuff sticking or spilling out when they weren’t supposed to, Lilith opted to treat her own wounds. Without even looking, she tossed her cloak over a chair while resting her staff against the wall. She wanted to do nothing more than eat something and just crash into her bed to sleep for as long as possible.

Lilith was beyond grateful that she didn’t have to work over the next few days. After the number of hours she’d been putting in, a break was beyond needed. She just hoped that Kikimora would do her damned job for once instead of leaving it all for Lilith. Like where does she even get the nerve to do something like that?

Lilith is the head of the Emperor’s Coven. Not just the head but the youngest coven head in history. She shouldn’t be doing other people’s work; she has better uses for her time.

But no, the diminutive demon felt the need to spend both her work and free time shmoozing up to Belos. Honestly, with how devoted to Belos Kikimora seemed to be, the fact she didn’t try and take on more work surprised Lilith. Lilith had noticed Kikimora wanting to please Belos to an almost fanatical degree. A trait that at first was fun to see the tiny demon get so worked up about but had quickly morphed into something deeply unsettling.

That desire to please the Emperor evidently didn’t transfer to any of the demon’s clerical duties, unfortunately.

Lilith just grumbled as she searched her cabinets for anything she could make quickly. She knew that regardless of how much she hoped, Kikimora would ignore all her work in favour of sucking up to Belos, then dump it all on Lilith when she got back. As she looked for anything to eat, Lilith took note of how barren her place was. Not just with food but in terms of furniture as well. Save for a beat-up old sofa, a small dining table, a couple chairs, her bed, and a nightstand. You’d never expect anyone to live here.

Most of the things that Lilith actually cared about were tucked away in her closet. She really didn’t feel the need to decorate the place since she usually only stayed long enough to rest for a day or two. Plus, it felt easier on Lilith, not having made any mark on her current residency. It meant that there was nothing tieing her to this place. It meant that if Lilith ever had to leave, she could just….

….Go.

It was easy on paper. It was not like Lilith needed to leave anything for people to remember her by. Not that anyone would actually care if she were ever gone.

Sure there’d be those that miss her on a para-social level. Those that only knew her from a distance due to her work in the Emperor’s Coven. But no one actually cared for Lilith on any deep or intimate level.

Well, maybe Steve would miss her. Honestly, she’d miss him as well if he ever left. They joined the Coven around the same time, and at this point, Lilith considered him one of her oldest; and, quite frankly, her only friend within the Coven.

So maybe she’d leave something behind just for him.

Other than that, who else was there….

A face briefly flashed through Lilith’s mind. Her sister’s set in a coy grin, her head tilted to the side. Her eyes sparkled just like they had always done so, ever since the two of them were just kids.

Lilith just shook her head. There was no way that Edalyn would ever miss her. Not after everything that had happened between them.

Not after everything Lilith had done. All the things Edalyn knew about and the mile-long list of things that she didn’t.

Eventually, Lilith moved to her ice-box. Rummaging through it before pulling out a small meal she could toss in the oven and just forget about. Turning on the oven to preheat, Lilith stepped into the washroom.

She quickly pulled out some healing supplies. Just some disinfecting alcohol, a needle and thread for stitches. Quickly Lilith got to work. She was barely wincing as she’d done this song and dance a few times at this point. After a few minutes, she finished the last stitch. Grabbing some bandages to cover the area until it fully healed. Knowing her luck, she’d have to go back on patrol before that, and it’s probably going to leave a nasty scar. She quickly set to work, taking care of all the other injuries, finishing off with some numbing gel on the large bruise that had since formed on the side of her ribs.

Lilith just sighs as she exits the washroom. Walking over to the living room, she just slumps onto the sofa. Careful to avoid any exposed springs or nails. She closes her eyes and just sits there, letting the blissful silence take her. Bringing her to a moment of pea-

*Brrrrring! Brrrrrring! Brrrring!*

Lilith’s eyes shoot open at the sound of her scroll going off. Begrudgingly she picks it up, expecting it to be Belos or Kikimora. She mentally prepares herself, putting on her best professional tone before answering.

“Hello, Lilith spea-“

“Lily!”

“Edalyn!” All of Lilith’s professionalism she had just put on was knocked out of her. Why was her sister calling her? She hadn’t called her in ages at this point.

“Lily, I need your help! My kid, she wandered into the woods, and I don’t know if I can find her before something bad happens to her!” Eda was talking a mile a minute and in a tone that Lilith had only heard a handful of times before. Her sister sounded well and truly scared in this instance.

“Edalyn, slow down, please! I can barely understand yo-“

“Just come to the Owl House, and Cami will explain everything! Please, Lily, I need your help!”

“Edalyn wai-“

Before she could stop her, Eda had ended the call. Lilith just sat there in stunned silence. She had so many questions in regards to what had just happened. First off, Eda, her reckless, wild sister, had a kid?! One that was old enough to accidentally wander into the woods. How had Lilith not known?

Well, Lilith had an idea as to why she didn’t know….

It’s not like Edalyn and her were close in the last few years. Though it meant a lot to Lilith that she was the first person her sister decided to call for help.

The other question she needed to answer was who Cami was? Apparently, Edalyn knew her in some capacity. To what end, Lilith hadn’t the foggiest clue. Though that question was easy to answer. Quickly turning off the oven, grabbing a cloak and her staff. Lilith headed out the door and towards the Owl House.

‘Maybe this will be my chance to patch things up with Edalyn….’ Lilith thought to herself as she began flying over the town’s streets towards the forest. She knew that there was a slim chance that this would change anything, but part of her silently hoped for the impossible.

________________________________________________________________________________

The flight to the Owl House wasn’t long. It lasted a little over 10 minutes. That gave Lilith enough time to ruminate over all the things she’d say to her sister when she saw her. Lilith was the type of person that liked to go into conversations as prepared as possible. Most of it was her planning on laying into Eda for managing to lose her kid.

Edalyn had always been careless, but somehow managing to lose a kid was a completely new one for her. How she even managed to get a kid she could lose was an even bigger mystery. Who in their right mind would trust Edalyn to take care of a child.

Her sister was reckless, irresponsible and seemingly had a complete disregard for any sort of rules or safety. The idea Edalyn could have a child was so bizarre that Lilith initially thought she was being pranked right now. The genuine fear in her sister’s voice when she called was the only reason she chose to squash that notion.

Eventually, Lilith came landed just outside that Owl House. She took a moment to look at the place her sister called home. Despite how different the two of them were, Lilith always thought Edalyn’s place was nice.

It was loud, vibrant, and seemingly radiating warmth and character, all from the décor on the outside and the brief glimpses through any of the windows. It briefly reminded her of her place and how absolutely barren it was.

Lilith just shook her head. She made her choices and was going to have to live with them. Besides, she has no idea how to go about decorating her place. Where would she even start with something like that? Maybe if she ever patched things up with Edalyn, she could ask her for tips or help.

“Umm…”

Suddenly Lilith heard a voice coming from a few feet behind her. She didn’t realize how lost in her own thoughts she had gotten till that very moment. Quickly she spun around to face whoever had just gotten her attention.

When she did so, Lilith felt herself freeze momentarily from shock.

Standing before her was a human woman.

A rather attractive human at that.

Said human just stared at her, fidgeting slightly. She was clearly waiting for Lilith to introduce herself. As she shifted from side to side, Lilith noticed the small baby demon clung onto the woman’s shoulder, also watching Lilith.

Lilith quickly got her barrings back before introducing herself. “Hello, I’m Lilith, Edalyn’s older sister. I got a call from Edalyn and was told that ‘Cami’ would be able to explain the situation to me?” As she spoke, Lilith eyed up the mysterious stranger in front of her. Humans were incredibly rare on the isles, though considering Edalyn had access to a portal, seeing one near her place wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“I’m Camila; Eda calls me Cami for short,” Camila quickly responded. “How much did she tell you when she called?”

“Just that her kid had wandered into the woods and that she needed my help.” Lilith was still trying to get a read on Camila and trying to figure out how someone like her fit in with Edalyn.

“Wait, did she really say ‘her kid?’” Camila looked slightly shocked by that fact. Lilith just looked at her in confusion.

“Yeah, she did; what’s so weird about that?” Lilith wasn’t sure what the big deal was about Edalyn saying they were her kid.

Camila just shook her head, a whisper of a smile gracing her lips for a moment. “Luz is actually my kid, you see.”

“Okay?” Lilith was still confused by this whole conversation. Not sure why both Edalyn and Camila couldn’t both be the parents of this Luz. She realized it would be better to ask Edalyn about it later. “Actually, before we continue, I want to know something.”

“Yes?” Camila responded

“What exactly is your relationship with my sister?” Lilith knew that she shouldn’t spend too much time here talking, but she felt a twinge in her gut. Telling her, she needed to know this information.

Camila wasn’t sure what to expect Lilith’s question to be, but it hadn’t been this. She furrowed her brow and shifted on the spot, trying to hide the growing stress she was feeling, “Is knowing that really necessary right now?”

Lilith could tell that the woman just wanted to see her kid, and all this talking wasn’t doing anything to help, “I apologize; I’m just trying to make sense of everything happening right now.”

Camila sighed. She understood that Lilith was just trying to get a grasp on everything. “I’m her girlfriend,” she responded.

Lilith looked dumbstruck by this response. She expected a lot of potential answers, but for Camila to say she was Edalyn’s girlfriend hadn’t been one of them. She immediately felt awkward about her initial thoughts over how attractive Camila was, a  light blush of embarrassment dusting her face. Despite how different she and her sister were, one of the things the two shared apparently was the kinds of people they were attracted to.

Lilith couldn’t believe that Edalyn would have a kid with someone out of wedlock. Not only that, but to also stick around to help raise them. That raised so many questions. Something like a kid meant a certain level of responsibility was needed, something she thought Edalyn didn’t have. “I-I-I see…” Lilith was trying so hard to wrap her head around all of this. Just another thing she would need to talk to her sister about. Regaining her composer, she started to get ready. “I should get searching. Do you have a picture of Luz I could see?”

“Oh yes, of course,” Camila pulled out what looked like a scroll from her pocket, but it was slightly thicker. Taking a moment to search through her pictures before settling on one to show Lilith.

Lilith was met with a picture of what might be one of the cutest things she’d ever seen. A smiling, chubby-faced little girl in the middle of mixing a potion in a small training cauldron. Her curly brown hair, dark tanned skin, and clothing were covered in bits of whatever she was making. Of too her side was Edalyn, clearly helping her with whatever she was making. There was a look on her sister’s face that she had never seen before. It wasn’t like her normal smile, which was loud and gave an air of confidence and reckless abandon. This was a softer and much more gentle smile, with the hint of something that Lilith couldn’t place.

Lilith took her scroll out to take a quick picture. She gave Camila and the small demon a quick nod letting the two know that they’d find Luz before rushing into the woods.

Camila just stood there as Lilith ran off. Her stance was restless as she could only wait for her daughter to be returned to her.

________________________________________________________________________________

Trees, shrubs, bushes and foilage passed by in a blur. Eda was moving as fast as she could, her legs seeming to be moving on double time at this moment. Owlbert flew to and from her periodically to let her know if he found Luz or at least a trace of her.

“LUZ!” Eda cried out, hoping desperately for the kid to answer her.

Her head still throbbed in pain, her lungs burned, and a growing stinging sensation was enveloping her legs. But she had to ignore all of that right now. She had to focus on finding Luz before anything happened to her. Eda didn’t know what she’d do if something happened to her kid. Luz and her mother had seemingly brought so much life and joy into the witch’s life. The pair came barrelling in and had changed it for the better. And to think that she might now lose one of them made her feel sick.

She swallowed the nauseous sensation that was building and continued on. She couldn’t stop, not till Luz was safe.

At least she wanted to keep going, but someone was making that harder and harder. Their screeches and cries never seemed to cease and gradually getting on Eda’s nerves. The stress from the situation and growing irritation built on each other. Until finally, Eda felt herself snap.

“WILL YOU SHUT UP!” Eda screamed out, her words laced with anger and frustration at the Owl Beast. “I finally had something good in my life, but like every other thing, you ruined it!” Eda felt herself let out years of anger and rage. It was as if every time the Owl Beasts presence affected her life, she bottled up a bit more of those feelings. And now, she felt the dam break and all that pain and resentment flood out. “And now, instead of being quiet so I could think, you just continue to screech!” Eda could now feel her whole body shake under all the stress and fury. Her fists clenched tight, her nails digging into other palms. “So, for once, could you just leave me alone before you cause more harm!”

Eda heaved, having to catch her breath now. She stood there braced against a tree. It took her a moment to notice everything growing quieter, the Owl Beast seeming to understand her. She could feel them in the back of her mind, still present but not imposing like they had before. Eda just breathed out a long sigh. Hopefully, being able to hear herself think would make searching for Luz easier.

“Edalyn!” Eda heard a voice call out to her. Spinning around, she saw her sister, Lily, running towards her.

“Lily!” Eda couldn’t remember the last time she felt happy to see her older sister. She felt a surge of relief that her sister had believed her and had come to help.

Lilith had been a little ways off when she heard her sister scream. As she came to a stop, she looked at her sister, who looked terrible at this moment. Lilith’s gut instinct to grill her sister over losing a child was now thrown out the window as she looked at the state she was in. It looked like Eda was barely keeping it together. She noticed the way that Edalyn kept clutching her head and wincing in pain. The way she looked like it was taking all her energy just to stay up. Her breathing was laboured, and her hair was in an even more unkempt wild state. And the look on her face. Lilith could remember the last time she saw Edalyn with that look. It was a look of genuine fear, the same as when she first transformed all those moons ago. She looked well and truly scared and distraught at this moment. “Edalyn, are you okay?” Lilith could already tell that she wasn’t, but she wanted to ask. Hoping that Edalyn would be honest with her and say she wasn’t.

“I’m fine, Lily. Besides, I can’t rest until Luz is safe,” Eda just brushed of Lilith’s concerns. Clearly, she had set her mind to the current task. Lilith could tell that there was nothing she could say to convince Edalyn to let her search on her own.

Lilith wanted to argue, to tell her sister to go rest and that she’d look for Luz on her own. But she knew how stubborn her sister could be and that nothing she could say would persuade her. Lilith was far too oblivious to her own issues to realize that stubbornness was another trait the pair shared.

She gritted her teeth and let out a sharp breath through her nose, hoping she was making the right choice, “Fine, I’ll trust your judgement on this, Edalyn,” Lilith tried to keep her voice and calm as possible, hoping it would help calm her sister down and all. “But promise that when we find her, you’ll rest,” as she spoke, Lilith looked at her sister, not with her cold and practiced gaze developed for working in the Emperor’s Coven but with something softer. It was an expression that Lilith didn’t think she could still make.

Eda was taken aback by the clear concern that her sister was displaying towards her. How long had it been since she saw her older sister? Not Coven Leader Clawthorn, who was seemingly perfect. Just a cold cog in a machine. But her actual sister. Kind and caring Lily who always knew how to cheer Eda up.

Eda stared into Lilith’s eyes, her voice barely above a soft whisper as her wavering voice muttered out two words. It was a simple “I promise.”

Maybe it was everything else happening, but those two small words seemed to carry so much weight to them. It was like every bit of the day was compounding on top of each other, and Eda was getting closer and closer to her emotional tipping point.

Happy with that answer, Lilith decided to get back to the task at hand. “What part of the forest have you covered so far?” She asked her sister. Wanting to make sure they split up the search area properly so they didn’t waste time searching the same parts.

“Me and Owlbert have been searching over in this direction,” Eda responded as she gestured towards the west.

“Okay, I’ll look over in this direction then,” Lilith said as she started heading towards the east. As the two of them started to part. As they did, Lilith briefly turned her head to look back  and address her sister, “Edalyn.”

Eda looked back and Lilith, not saying anything but just waiting for whatever Lilith needed to say to her.

“We’ll find her, I promise.” Lilith knew that she might not be able to keep that promise, but at this moment, she didn’t care. In this instance, all she wanted was to be a proper older sister and give Edalyn a modicum of comfort. “If I find her, I’ll send up a signal, okay?”

Eda didn’t respond. She simply nodded before heading deeper into the forest, Lilith heading in the opposite direction.

________________________________________________________________________________

  Luz couldn’t tell where she was anymore. She knew she was in the forest outside of the Owl House but other than that, she had no clue. She had chased something through the dense thickets and overgrowth. It had led her on a wild and twisting path.

And now, after losing sight of whatever had caught her eye, Luz realized that she was lost.

Now, most would start to panic in this situation, but  Luz wasn’t like most others. Luz was an overly bright and optimistic little girl. Always ready for an adventure or to go exploring. She was also smart for her age, and she knew that she couldn’t get scared right now. She had to make her way back before her Mami and Mama got too worried. At least she was trying to remain brave, but she was still only a child. Every strange sound or a brief glimpse of something in the corner of her eye just made her want to curl up and cry for someone to come and find her.

She tried to search for anything that would help her find her way back to her Mama and Mami, but she could find no such thing. She had stumbled into one of the older parts of the woods, where the trees grew close together, and the leaves barred all but the faintest bits of sunlight through their dense canopies. The trees here were ancient, gnarled and twisted. Their forms casting frightening shadows across the forest floor.

And then, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as goosebumps covered her whole body.

Something had found her.

She tried to turn around, to try and see whatever it was. But her body now felt stiff and rigid. Like her body refused to let her see the creature. As if it was trying to protect her mind. She tried to do anything, but it was like she had lost all control over her body.

She tried to cry out, to scream for someone to come and save her. She was no longer brave. Instead, she was just a scared small child deep within the woods. But no sound would escape her lips. All she could make were strained struggling gasps. She hoped desperately that one of her attempts would result in even a small sound. Hear silent pleas would fall on deaf ears and the old indifferent visages of the trees surrounding her.

She could feel the monster move closer to her. It made no sound as it silently glided across the ground, but she could sense its presence as it now loomed over her small, fragile form. Its body casting a shadow over her, as its mere presence leeched the warmth from her bones. Luz, at this moment, began to understand what true fear and terror really were. Things that no one should ever have to learn. Least of all, a small child like her. Who’s the biggest fear had been upsetting her plushies.

She could slowly feel her consciousness slipping. And no matter how hard she tried, she was helpless against the creature that had her. It never touched her. It’s mere presence enough to get the job done.

She felt her sense falling one by one as more and more of her strength left her.

First went her sense of smell. The once overwhelming fragrances of the earth and fauna slowly dulled to nothing. The distinct scents of various Boiling Isles flowers now smelled bland.

The next sense to go was her taste. It was subtle, but Luz could no longer taste the faint taste that hung in the forest air. It now felt like luz’s taste buds were coated in flavourless grey sludge.

The next sense to follow was her hearing. The vibrant and chaotic sounds that once surrounded her slowly faded away. Going from lively and messy music that seemed to bounce off every bit of bark, leaf, twig and stone; to a faint murmuring. Till finally, nothing but a deafening silence fell over the small girl. A silence that drowned out even the sound of her own sharp shallow breathing and the beating of her heart that had rung through her head moments prior.

Second, to last was her sight. At first, Luz’s vision seemed to swim and fade. Gradually those sensations grew much harsher. The world that was once so crisp to the girl was now a confusing mess. A cacophony of lights, colour and shapes. One’s that her brain could no longer make heads or tails out off.

Luz felt her eyelids grow heavy. The last of her strength finally left her body. Her legs had long since lost the ability to support her, and all that had been keeping her up was the beast that had trapped her in its clutches.

As Luz began to tumble forward, her eyes drifted shut. It was as if all the lights in existence were slowly fading and blinking out for this scared little girl. The once brilliant glow they had shone on her so many times before now is nowhere to be found. No light to guide her home or to keep her warms and safe.

No, all she would meet now was uncaring pitch-black darkness.

Finally, Luz’s last sense slowly faded. Her tiny body crashed into the forest floor in a heap. But this time, it didn’t go as fast as the other four. Her sensation of touch seemed to linger as life slipped through her fingers. As the last breath left her lips, and her body succumbed to its eternal slumber. Where her soul and mind would drift amidst the vast, uncaring void, a vague memory of the existence, they once had.

And with that, the last of her senses drifted away as.

Everything.

Grew.

Cold.

Chapter Text

Lilith had been scouring over every inch of the forest she passed through. Her eyes peeled for even the smallest trace of the small human child she was searching for. Tracking had become one of the many skills she had honed and developed while in the Emperor's Coven. One that she was now eternally grateful to have spent so many long nights developing during her time in the Coven Bootcamp.

She recalled When she and the other cadets in her year had been tasked with tracking down a superior as part of a training drill. Remembering how quickly she adapted to the situation back then.

Unfortunately, her training could only help so much in this instance. Tracking something like a human presented a unique set of challenges. The first one is their complete lack of any magical traces left behind.

You see, tracking magic is a subset of Oracle magic that uses traces of a target in order to get a read on where they've been. Witches who use it are less concerned with figuring out the future or anything grand like that. Instead, its use is more on the practical side, usually used by hunters and law enforcement on the Isles.

Lilith wished she could just fire up a tracking spell, but the complete lack of anything of Luz's on her person and the kid's complete lack of magic made that a complete non-starter. So she would have to use the skills she'd cultivated that didn't rely on any of her magic. She was really kicking herself for not asking Camila to give her something of Luz's before leaving. All she had was a photo, and despite how charmingly cute the kid in it was, it offered no actual magic for her to get a read on.

She had been going down this one path for a while now. She couldn't explain why but something in her gut was telling her that she was on the right track.

After a while, she could see a break in the trees that seemed to open up into a large open area. As she brushed aside the leaves and vines that had covered the entrance to a small grove, Lilith let out an excited gasp at the sight before her eyes.

***

Eda was slowly getting to the end of her rope. The growing despair that she might never see Luz becoming harder and harder to ignore. She had been looking for what was getting close to an hour at this point. Despite covering a good amount of forest, there was still no sign of Luz. As she continued to search, she could feel the Owl Beast in the back of her mind. It was different from all the other times she felt them, though. Like this time, they wanted to make their presence known but didn't want to intrude. Maybe it was the fact that they were also worried about Luz, but Eda thought that was unlikely since they'd probably be trying to break out, which would be easy for them to do in Eda's current state.

She thought about her previous outburst towards them and how today had just been a long line of them ruining her life. But something was different this time. All the times before, they had been acting on instinct, and they had been this time, but this time it was them trying to warn about Luz being in danger. Which, in hindsight, was actually rather sweet of them. Showing how much they had grown to care about the kids.

A heavy silence had fallen over the pair, the only sounds being Eda calling out for Luz and the background noises of the forest. Eda started to wonder if she and the Owl Beast could ever come to terms with each other. Maybe after Luz was safe, she could explore that avenue of thought.

Eda couldn't help but wince as her feet hit the ground a little too hard. Shocking her out of her head. There was no way around it; she needed to stop for a second. She hated this, hated that she couldn't keep going. As she leaned against a tree, breathing in sharp intakes of air, she scanned her surroundings for any sign of Luz. The overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that had wormed its way into her thoughts grew as she realized just how little of the woods she had even searched by this point.

Then Eda heard a sound like a crack of thunder splitting the sky apart.

Turning around, Eda spotted the source of the sound. It was a bird composed of brilliant white fire soaring into the sky. Suddenly Eda felt a grin wash across her face. She'd recognize that magic anywhere; it was Lily's! Which meant one thing.

She had found Luz!

A sense of relief and joy spread across her body. Overriding the feelings of pain that had just been present moments ago. The pain was still there, but Eda was far too happy to even care about any of that now.

She whistled for Owlbert to come back to her. Quickly hopping onto him and rocketing off towards her sister's flare. She was flying faster than she ever thought possible. As if the feelings of Seeing Luz urging her and Owlbert to go even faster than they had before.

She just hoped that her baby was okay in the back of her mind.

As she touched down in a small clearing, she saw her sister. Without a moment to let Lily speak, Eda rushed over, "Did you find her?!" She asked, voice slightly frantic as she gripped Lilith's shoulders.

Lilith let out a quiet chuckle at just how much of a mom Eda had become. "Yes, Edalyn, I found her," She gently grasped her sister's hands and lifted them from her shoulders. "Come on, I'll show you where she is," She said as she beckoned Eda to follow her.

"Wait, you found her and then just left her?!" Eda couldn't believe her sister would do something like that. Part of her was starting to worry that she made a mistake in trusting Lilith.

"Trust me, she's perfectly safe," Lilith waved a hand at her sister's concern. A small smirk across her lips as she couldn't wait to see Edalyn's reaction. Stepping aside, she pointed at where Luz currently was, "See, I told you she was safe."

Eda couldn't help but gawk at the sight before her. There stood the Bat Queen on a large stump, the demon's eyes quickly snapping to the wild witch before her expression softened. Nestled into the Bat Queen's wing sat Luz. The small girl snuggled up close to the demon, her tiny hands lightly clutching the Bat Queen's fur. The only sound that could be heard from Luz was her soft rhythmic breathing as she slept.

Eda felt her heart stop as she couldn't believe her eyes. There was Luz, safe and sound. Eda couldn't even see a scratch on the kid. The witch felt herself choke up as she went to talk, the words clumping in her throat. She took a moment to steady herself and try to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill forward. The Bat Queen and Lilith just watched her silently as she took a deep but shaky breath.

"B-babes?" Eda called out, her voice barely above a soft whisper. She waited for a moment to see if Luz had heard her. After seeing no response, Eda called out a second time, "Luz, kiddo!" this time, much louder and clearer.

Luz had no idea how she had gotten here. It felt like she was floating in a warm, inky blackness. Like something had enveloped her in a gentle embrace. It felt safe and protective. She couldn't remember anything, though; it was as if her consciousness had been submerged in a void.

"….Kiddo!" She heard a voice calling out to her. She recognized it, but her mind still felt like it was reeling. Trying to remember anything. She started to swim towards the source of the voice as it felt familiar and warm. As she felt herself breach the surface of the inky abyss, consciousness came back to her.

Eda waited for a sec as she saw Luz start to stir. Then Luz's eyes fluttered open as she took in her surroundings. The witch held her breath as Luz slowly woke up, not wanting to startle her. Eventually, Luz's gaze drifted to Eda, and the witch could see the kids' breath hitch. "L-L-Luz…" Eda took a hesitant step forward.

Luz practically lept out of the Bat Queen's wing and ran to her second mother. Jumping into the witch's arms. Suddenly, she felt a wave of emotions hit her as memories that she couldn't see clearly began to come to her in a wave. All of them vague, splotchy messes. All she could remember from them was a terrible sickly sense of terror and dread. As those memories and feelings flooded back to the small girl, she gripped Eda's dress like her life depended on it.

Eda was startled by how quickly her little Owlet lept into her arms. She held Luz close to her chest as she started purring softly. Eda felt her heart drop into her stomach as Luz started to sob into the crook of the witch's neck. She could feel Luz's whole body shake as her cries rocked through her tiny frame.

"Shh, it's okay, babes," Eda gently rocked Luz as she ran her fingers through her curly hair. Gently rubbing circles on her back like Lilith had done for her when they were kids. She could hear Luz trying to talk, but every time she opened her mouth, all that came out was more sobs and a mess of hiccups. "Let it all out. Don't worry, I got you," Eda wanted to cry seeing Luz in her arms like this. Whatever happened to her must have scared her terribly. Eda kept herself together since Luz needed her to be strong in this moment.

Eventually, Luz stopped crying, gradually slowing down to hiccups. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her voice felt hoarse. She could feel Eda rocking her, and as she finished crying, she felt Eda press a kiss into her temple. She leaned her whole body into the witch's chest, wanting to be as close to Eda as possible in this instance since she felt incredibly safe to Luz.

"There there sugar-bug, you feel better now?" Eda waited for Luz to respond, as it seemed like Luz was now a bit out of it. Luz only nodded slightly against Eda's chest. Eda was used to Luz getting like this, especially after intense emotional episodes. It was something she'd experienced after spending so much time with Luz and Camila. Camila was the one to teach Eda that it was better to let Luz communicate; however, she was comfortable with rather than forcing her to talk.

"Poor thing," the Bat Queen had flown over and sat down beside the two. Concern etched over her face. "These woods are no place for small children; I'm just glad she is unharmed.

"Thank you for looking after her," Eda turned her head to address the bat queen. She bit her lip as something was now bothering her. "Do you have any idea what has her so scared?" Eda could tell that there was something deeply wrong, but the complete lack of any markings on Luz to even indicate she'd been attacked was non-existent.

The Bat Queen simply shook her head, "I apologize. I found the child laying on the ground and decided to take her someplace safe," Eda could tell the Bat Queen was telling the truth. A being as powerful as she has little reason to lie about something like this. "How she got like that, I do not know."

"You found her passed out?" Eda furrowed her brow at this, and she could feel the Owl Beast stalking the corridors of her mind. Trying to hunt down the same thread she was chasing. 'Great,' she thought; I guess this proves we're on the same page with Luz.

"She had probably passed out then fallen asleep," Lilith interjected. She gulped as Eda's gaze washed over her, 'has Edalyn's gaze always been like that?' Her eyes looked almost animalistic but not wild like the look of a mother Slitherbeast protecting her Kits. Her eyes passed over Lilith as if she was now scanning the area for any threats to the girl resting in her arms. Lilith coughed as she cleared her throat before she continued, "Something must have frightened her, causing her to faint." beads of sweat now trailing down the back of her neck, "I did a quick once over with some healing magic before you arrived and found nothing wrong with her," Lilith eventually concluded, letting out a long silent breath as she felt the tension leave her body. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so stressed.

Hearing that, Eda relaxed her shoulders, but Lilith and the Bat Queen could still tell she was on high alert. Her hair had prickled up slightly, her ears perked and turning towards even the faintest sounds, her eye's shifting around as if scanning and faint bits of magic swirled around her. No spells were being cast, but the magic hung in the air as if trying to form a barrier around the pair. As the air crackled around the witch, she spoke, "Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Eda asked as she addressed the Bat Queen.

The Bat Queen simply shook her head at Eda, "But-"Eda tried to interject before the Bat Queen held up her wing to stop her.

"The child is safe with her mother, good enough for me." The Bat Queens' tone left no room for arguing. Eda just nodded at this. "I will come back with you; make sure child gets home."

Lilith put a hand on Eda's shoulder as she started pulling her along, "come on, let's get Luz home."

"Right…." Eda trailed off as the two started walking back. Lilith could tell her sister's mind was racing and wondered if she should ask Eda what had happened.

Lilith could feel the question gnawing at her and, despite her better judgement, decided she needed to know. "Edalyn, how did Luz end up in the woods?" Lilith tried to keep her tone calm; the last thing she wanted in this instance was for her sister to think she was blaming her. This past hour had given her enough evidence to see that Edalyn didn't intentionally endanger the girl in her arms.

"It was the Owl Beast," Eda took no time to respond to her sister's inquiry.

"Oh…." That was all Lilith could think to respond. Of course, it was the Owl Beast which meant that all of this was her fault by extension. She bit her lip as she waited for her sister to continue.

Eda explained what had happened to her sister, how the Owl Beast started to freak out, and the horrendous headache caused by that. All the while, Lilith didn't miss how Eda held Luz closer to her chest. As Eda finished explaining, a layer of silence fell onto the sisters, neither knowing how to continue the conversation.

"Thanks, Lily," Eda broke the silence as she looked at her sister. "It means a lot to me that you came when I called you."

Lilith was briefly stunned. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before responding, "It's nothing, Edalyn, I'm sure everyone else you called-"

"I didn't call anyone else," Eda cut her sister off.

"What!?" Lilith just looked at her sister with a bewildered look on her face. "What do you mean you didn't call anyone else?!"

"You were the only person I felt like I could trust," Eda said those words with such a casual air.

"Oh," Lilith honestly couldn't believe what Eda had just said to her. "I'm happy to hear that."

Eda took a deep breath, searching for the words she wanted to say. "I know things haven't been the best between us, but I want you to know that I have missed you." Eda looked at her sister with a small smile on her lips as she waited for Lilith to respond.

Lilith couldn't believe what she was hearing; she thought Eda absolutely hated her. She kept her composure as best she could as she responded, "I've missed you as well, Edalyn."

"I know we haven't been that close over the years, but I was hoping we could try to find time for each other again," Eda looked at her sister to gauge her reaction as she spoke. "It would mean a lot to me and probably Cami as well if you were a part of Luz's and King's lives."

Lilith took a moment to figure out who King was; she had a hunch but decided to ask Eda to clarify, "King was the little demon clung onto Cami, right?"

"Yeah, the little monster is my son," Eda looked so happy as she spoke about King. "You still haven't answered my question, Lily," Eda just gave her sister her trademark grin. Eda was just teasing, as she was familiar with Lilith's need for clarification on things.

"You should know how busy my work in the coven can get, and I barely have time for myself, but I'll see what I can do."

"I know you're always busy, but still, it means a lot that you're even considering it," Eda kept grinning, but it grew softer. The tension that once hung in the air seemed to have dissipated, and the two felt like they could talk more freely. "You’re going to love the two of them, especially Luz, trust me.”

“Mmm, any reason you say that?” Lilith asked, her eyebrow raised slightly.

“mmm, mainly cause she’s is a little nerd who loves learning just as much as you,” Eda gently stroked Luz’s hair as she spoke with nothing but love for the girl in her arms.

“Edalyn….” Lilith just shot her sister an exacerbated look.

“What? It’s true.” Eda looked slightly offended by the tone of her sister’s voice. “This kid is really smart, and I think she’d love to show you all the stuff she’s learned.”

Lilith just hummed in response as they continued walking. Her mind went back to the picture Camila had shown her. She thought about how excited Luz looked in that as she made a huge mess while mixing some sort of potion. “Camila showed me a pic of Luz; she really likes potion-making, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, she really loves it. Any time I see her, she’s hounding me to show her more and more of what I know,” Eda just let out a soft chuckle as she remembered just how voracious Luz’s appetite for learning was. “I’ve even had to start pulling out my old books from Hexside in order to refresh myself on some obscure things she’s asked about.”

“She doesn’t live with you?” Lilith was slightly shocked at this news. She assumed just by the way Eda was holding her that Luz lived with her.

“No, she lives with her mom in the human realm,” Eda responded casually. “Though the pair visit and spend so much time at the Owl House that they practically live there now, Cami even started storing some of their clothes there and everything.”

“I-I-I see…” Every time Lilith learned more and more about Eda and the family she seemed to have built for herself, she immediately started to have a dozen more questions. She considered asking about it but decided it was best to ask both Camila and Edalyn about it together.

As she looked at her sister, Lilith couldn’t help noticing just how happy Eda looked carrying Luz. And it wasn’t the normal chaotic look of happiness that Eda tended to have; this was softer. She cleared her throat as she looked at Eda, “ You look good like that.”

“Huh?”

“Carrying a kid, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but motherhood actually suites you, Edalyn.” Lilith couldn’t believe the words leaving her mouth. She would probably laugh at them if someone told her that her sister would be a mom.

“Oh,” was all Eda could think to respond with. “to tell you the truth, this is all super new to me still. I’m worried I’m going to mess up and hurt them… hell, I’ve already probably done that with Luz here…” Eda speaks the last part with a voice barely above a whisper.

‘Still new to her? How Luz is like at least four years old.’ Again, Lilith has questions but says nothing. “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Lilith places a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder, unsure of what else to do at this moment. “Honestly, you already seem like a natural.”

“I’ll take your word on that.”

They continue walking for a little longer until finally the tree;’s begin to thin out. As Eda steps out past the tree line, Camila wastes no time before bolting over, relief washing over her face as she sees Luz in Eda’s arms. Eda carefully started to hand Luz over to her mom as she started to assume that the kid had fallen asleep during the trek back. Luz had been unusually quiet the entire time she and Lilith talked and had spent the entirety of the walk with her face buried in Eda’s neck.

So it comes to everyone’s surprise that Luz had a death grip on the witch’s dress. As Eda tried to get Luz to let go, she heard a soft murmur coming from the kid. Her voice was barely above a soft whisper, muffled by her face pressed into Eda’s neck.

“Luz, Kiddo, we can’t hear you,” Eda spoke softly, not wanting to startle Luz.

The next words out of Luz’s mouth nearly broke the witch. The entire time she had kept herself together, even staying strong and composed as Luz sobbed into her chest. But those next words pushed Eda over the edge.

Luz moved her face away from Eda’s neck, eyes red and her face slightly puffy. She spoke quietly as the words fell from her lips. “Sorry, Mama….”

Eda tried to choke back the sobs, trying to keep herself together. But it was proving to be a losing battle. She was already emotionally exhausted at this point, and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face.

“W-W-Why are you apologizing….” Eda couldn’t understand why Luz was doing this. She instinctively hugged Luz closer to her chest. “I’m the one that should have kept a better eye on you; I should have kept you safe….”

Luz didn’t respond though Eda could feel her dress become damp as Luz started to cry again. As the pair wept, Camila wrapped her arms around Eda, cushioning Luz between the two of them, as King nestled up next to Luz. The four of them were in a gentle embrace as Eda and Luz cried together. None of them said anything, just letting their actions speak for themselves. That no matter what, they would be there for each other.

Lilith stood to the side with the Bat Queen, silently watching. She could now see just how much these people meant to her sister. This had been the first time she’d seen Eda cry so openly in years. She felt a pain in her chest over the fact that she hadn’t been a part of this, of her sister’s life, for so long. Wondering just how much she had missed out on.

Eventually, Luz and Eda stopped crying. Camila carefully asking if the two of them were good. Eda just gave a small nod as she wiped away her tears, Luz doing the same.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just standing in each other’s embraces silently. Luz broke that silence, her voice slightly louder than before but still soft. “love you, Mami, love you, Mama,” She mumbled out.

The two women shared a glance before Eda responded. “Oh, is that so? So I guess you’d be okay if we did this?” Eda planted a soft kiss on Luz's temple as she finished speaking.

“Or this?” Camila mirrored her girlfriend’s actions and planted a kiss on the opposite side of Luz’s head.

In seconds Eda and Camila were peppering Luz’s face with kisses, eliciting a fit of giggles from her. The pair were glad that had worked and happy to see a smile had returned to Luz’s face. Sometimes the best medicine is just a bombardment of kisses. Both women knew that they had tons to talk about but were just happy to see Luz feeling better.

As they finished, Eda glanced over to where her sister and the Bat Queen stood; she figured it was time to give everyone a proper introduction. She guided Camila and the kids over to the pair before clearing her throat.

“Cami, you’ve already met my sister Lilith,” Camila gave the witch a polite nod. “Luz, King, this is my sister; you can call her Lily,” the pair gave her big waves, eyes both sparkling at the new witch before them.

In response, Lilith gave a simple wave and a short “hello” back. Lilith felt a slight blush creep up her face. She wasn’t prepared to meet Edalyn’s family. Sure, she had met Camila already, but that was during a crisis. This was a proper, formal introduction. She silently cursed herself for not having anything better prepared for this.

It was at this moment Lilith realized something was off. She couldn’t see the tiny demon king anywhere. As she went to ask Eda about him, she was cut off.

The sound that emitted from Lilith’s lips was a combination of a shriek of pain and surprise.

Everyone stopped at Lilith’s sudden outburst. Then, after a few seconds, popping up behind the witch’s left shoulder was King.

“King!” Eda handed Camila Luz as she gave her son an exasperated look. “I’m sorry, Lils,” Eda carefully unlatched King’s claws from her sister, eliciting a short whine from King.

Once King was in her arms, Eda gave him a pointed look before speaking, “look, I’m not mad, okay, but it’s important to ask for permission before climbing someone you just met. You understand, right?”

King gave a small nod, a small frown finding its way onto his face, as he was just excited to meet someone new.

“you want to apologize to Lily now?” Eda asked him, her voice soft. Another small nod. Seeing that, Eda turned back to face Lilith.

King gave his aunt a look to see if she was mad at him. He saw her just waiting there patiently. “Sorry... ” King's voice was quiet, but Lilith heard him well enough.

 “It's okay, but please ask next time,” Lilith replied, rubbing her shoulder. She remembered that Camila had King clung to her back when she first arrived. “His claws are so sharp; how are you able to keep calm while he clings to you?”

“Honestly, I think we’ve just built a tolerance to it at this point,” Camila just shrugged as she responded.

“Ah, I see,” Lilith then looked at her sister, who had transferred King to her mane of hair where he had nestled into. “I still can't believe it; you’re the type of parent to have rules ….”

Eda just let out an annoyed huff, “what's that supposed to mean?”

Lilith just gave her sister a look, “Edalyn, you relished in breaking the rules our entire childhood. So sorry if I’m a little shocked by this,” Lilith didn’t miss the slight eye roll Eda gave her. “what caused this change anyway?”

It was Camila who responded to that, wrapping one of her arms around Eda's. “What can I say?” Camila had a slight smirk as she spoke. “I have a certain effect on Eda, I guess,” She let out a laugh as she saw how flustered Eda looked as she said that.

“Cami, please… not in front of Lily….” Eda tried to hide her blush, but it was a failing battle. Lilith turned her attention to Camila, slightly amazed the woman had this much of an effect on Eda.

Eda cleared her throat, clearly wanting to move on. She brought her family over to the Bat Queen, who had patiently waited.

“Cami, kids, this is the Bat Queen,” Eda gestured to the large demon. Hearing the title Queen Camila quickly bowed as King and Luz waved.

The Bat Queen gave a short chuckle, “No need to bow.”

Eda waited for Camila to stand back up before speaking again. “Cami, the Bat Queen found and watched over Luz till we found her.”

“Oh,” Camila looked at the Bat Queen with an expression of thankfulness. “We have to do something to repay you then-“

The Bat Queen raised her wing to cut her off like she had done so earlier with Eda. “No need, child is safe, which is good for me,” She gave Camila a look saying this wasn’t up for debate. “Feel free to bring your children to visit, though.”

“O-o-of course,” Camila couldn’t help but sputter at the invitation.

“Good, now, before I go.” With that, the Bat Queen produced a small whistle and handed it to Luz. “Child, if you are ever in need, use this, and I will come.”

Lilith and Eda just stared slack-jawed at this. Neither could believe what was happening at this moment. The Bat Queen ruffled Luz's hair as the little girl looked at her, eyes wide.

“I can tell that fate has much planned for you,” as she spoke, the Bat Queen let her gaze wash over all of them. “Fate has planned much for you all.”

With that, the Bat Queen spread her wings out, “I will go now, take care~.” And with that, the Bat Queen flew back into the forest.

Eda and Lilith just stood there stunned, eyes glued to the whistle now clutched in Luz's hands. Camila gently poked her girlfriend, breaking her out of her stupor. “Are you okay?” she asked as she poked Lilith and grabbed Eda's hand.

“Y-yeah…” Camila didn’t miss the way Eda's eyes were still trained on the whistle.

“Can you explain what’s so important about this whistle?” Camila asked, now slightly off-put by the sister's mannerisms.

“It’s not so much the whistle, but rather who it's from….” Lilith was the one to respond to the woman’s inquiry.

“You see, Cami, the Bat Queen is regarded as the riches demon on the isles,” Eda continued from where her sister left off.

Camila let out a short “oh,” as she was starting to grasp the reality of what Luz held.

“Not just the richest either,” Eda continued. “There are those that believe that the Bat Queen is one of if not the oldest creature on the isles.” Camila's eyes widened at that.

“Also, I’m assuming Eda explained to you who Belos was….”Lilith asked. Camila gave a short nod as she recalled that conversation with Eda, already seeing where this was headed. “Well, depending on who you ask, some believe the Bat Queen to be as strong, if not stronger than the Emperor….”

Camila was now stunned. She swallowed a lump in her throat before speaking, ”and she just gave Luz a way to call on her if she’s ever in danger….”

“Yep,” both sisters responded simultaneously, Eda popping her ‘p’ as she spoke.

"Oh, Dios mío..." Camila muttered as she wiped some sweat from her brow. “I think I need to sit down; let’s head inside, okay.”

“Yeah, I think our plans to explore the woods today are probably a wash anyway,” Eda honestly wanted to rest as well. Today had been tiring, and it wasn’t even past noon. “You probably have to go do work stuff anyway, Lily.”

“Actually, I have the next few days off for once,” Lilith told her sister.

“Oh. Well, since you’re here, you should stay for a bit,” Eda honestly couldn’t believe the words leaving her mouth. She was actually inviting Lily to stay.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose-“

Lilith was cut off by Luz reaching out and bapping her shoulder with her small hand. She looked at Lilith with a startling look of determination. “Please, tia Lily.”

“Tia?” Lilith gave the girl a slightly befuddled look.

“Tia means aunt,” Camila clarified for the witch. Slightly surprised that Luz knew to call Lilith that. In hindsight, it made sense considering ‘tia’ was one of the first words she learnt since they saw Camila’s siblings with some frequency.

Now knowing that Luz called her auntie, Lily brought the reality of the situation to Lilith. This was her niece, and King was her nephew. With everything happening, she hadn’t had a moment to process any of it.

Lilith tried to say no. She didn’t want to impose, and she could tell they’d already had a hectic day. As she went to say no, her eyes glanced over Luz’s. Before she could register what was happening, the words had already fallen past her lips.

“Sure, I can stay for a little while.”

‘Fuck’

Lilith silently cursed herself. How had a small girl managed to persuade her so easily? And now she couldn’t take it back. Luz and King looked so excited at the knowledge that they were going to spend time with her, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to break their hearts.

Lilith followed Edalyn and her family into the Owl House with a sigh. Now wondering how the next few hours were going to go.

Chapter Text

The Owl House was different than Lilith had expected. It still had that trademark Edalyn touch, but she could see touches of domesticity all over. The shelves of the living room were cluttered with a plethora of knickknacks. The bookshelf in the living room had a number of children's books, both from the human and demon realm. There was a large box of stuffed toys tucked into a corner, with some spilling out due to how full it was. A large wooden chest was pressed against the wall that Lilith could tell had been repurposed to hold blankets. And finally, Lilith could see that her sister had put anything dangerous out of reach of the kids.

The other thing that caught Lilith's attention was the smell of the home. The scents of herbs and spices seemed to hang in the air. Some she could place as being native to the isles, but others were an entirely new mystery to her. It gave the place an added level of coziness.

It all reminded Lilith of how bleak, cold, and empty her place was in comparison.

Eda walked over to the couch and placed King onto it with a slight grunt, Camila quickly doing the same with Luz. “Can you two wait here for a sec? I need to talk to Cami and Lily about something,” the pair stayed silent and just nodded. The look on their Mama’s face was one they’d never seen her wear before. Eda smiled and gave both of them a soft kiss on the head, “Okay, we'll just be a few minutes, so be good, and afterwards, Auntie Lily will play with you.” The pair got visually excited at that.

“Cami, Lily, could you come to the kitchen please,” Eda didn’t wait for a response and just headed into the other room. Camila and Lilith shared a glance as they followed.

As they entered the kitchen, they found Eda making tea. Though as Camila watched, she could tell Eda wasn’t fully there. She moved as if on autopilot, and her gaze seemed distant and unfocused. Camila walked behind her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around Eda's waist. “Something's bothering you, isn’t it?”

Eda placed down the kettle and sighed, “yeah, there’s some stuff,” Eda ran her fingers through her hair. “some of it’s related to us, and yes, I know you said I didn’t need to worry, but I can’t help it….”

“Hey, I understand, and we can talk about that later, alright,” Eda just gave a small nod. “But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?”

“No, it’s Luz,” Eda had replayed the moment they found Luz over and over. “When we found her, she started crying uncontrollably….” Eda trailed off, biting her lip. “And in the moment, I thought it was just cause she had been scared, but….”

“But you aren’t so sure of that?” Camila asked her, a look of concern on her face.

“Yeah,” Eda began pouring Camila's tea as she responded. “I know you checked her over, Lily, but I can’t shake this feeling that something isn’t right,” the witch looked at her sister as she grabbed some sippy cups for Luz and King.

“I only did a basic once over. There’s a possibility that I could have missed something,” Lilith said as she leaned against the doorframe. Lilith just watched the pair as they went about making tea and getting juice for their kids. Lilith was slightly surprised by how in sync Eda and her girlfriend were even while being slightly frazzled.

“She had no marks, though,” Eda gave her sister a questioning look in response.

“True, though it might be a good idea to take her to the healers, just in case,” Lilith said back.

“One, I don’t have money for tha-“

“I can help pay!” Lilith cut her sister off.

“Wait, what! Lily, you don’t have to do tha-“

“I don’t, but I’m going to Edalyn. Let me help you.” Lilith's tone gave no room for argument. Lilith wanted to make up for the time she wasn’t around for her niece.

Eda ran her fingers through her hair, working out some knots that had formed in her mane. “….Fine, but there’s the other issue. We don’t know if the healers can do anything since Luz is human.”

“Wait… has Luz never been to the healers before?” Lilith looked back and forth between Eda and Camila, waiting for an answer.

“She’s been to doctors in the human realm,” Camila responded, a slight look of confusion on her face. Unsure what the issue was.

“But Edalyn, she’s your daughter. Are you telling me you’ve never taken her for a check-up at the healer's office?”

“….” Camila and Eda both looked at Lilith, processing what she had just said.

“Lily, do you think Luz is my kid, like biologically?” Eda gave her sister a quizzical look as she tried to stifle a giggle.

“Yes! What else was I supposed to think!?” Lilith threw her hands up in agitation. She had been given no indication what she thought was wrong until now.

“Lily, I’ve only known Luz and Cami for like six months at best,” Eda said with a snort as she held back laughter. “Heck, me and Cami only started dating today.”

“But you seem so close? And Luz is just like you!” Lilith threw her hands up in frustration, “wondering into the woods was exactly something you’d do!”

“That might be because Eda basically watches Luz for me a lot,” Camila chimed in. “She’s basically become Luz’s second mom. And the two of us have been unofficially dating for a while.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it unofficially dating….”

“Eda, you gave me the portal key so I could visit you months ago,” Camila interjected with a playful smirk. Enjoying the flustered look on the witch's face.

“Ahem,” Lilith cleared her throat, getting their attention back. “In any case, it might be a good idea to take her for a checkup,” Lilith wasn’t fully convinced that Luz wasn’t Edalyns kid but said nothing more on that. “it might be a good idea to take King too and just do a family checkup.”

“You okay with that? Eda looked over at Camila.

“Yeah, I’m alright with that.”

“Okay, I’ll give them a call,” Eda fished out her scroll. “ Luckily, I still have our family healers' number.” As she began dialling the number, she softly muttered under her breath, “never thought I’d be calling this  number….”

Eda stood and waited while the scroll rang. After a few seconds, she heard a voice on the other end. “Healer. V! How are you!” Eda spoke into the phone with a large grin, probably to trick herself into not feeling nervous. “…Yes, I know I haven’t been in for a checkup…. Yes, I’ve been taking my Elixir….” Eda seemed to trail off as the doctor asked another question.

Camila watched Eda’s face shift into a small grimace. The same playful tone she’d been using seemingly gone as she answered, “….Yeah, she still comes around….”

Silence seemed to fall over the room until Eda shook her head, “Anyways. I was wondering if I could make an appointment…. Yes, for me, but I was also wondering if you could take a look at my son and my girlfriend's daughter….” Eda’s face flushed as the faint sound of teasing could be heard from the other line.  “Yeah, I’m dating again…. Yes, she knows about the curse.”

Camila didn’t miss the soft smile as Eda talked about her.

“I should let you know, her and her daughter are human- Oh, that won’t be a problem? That’s great! Would it be possible to come in today? Some stuff happened, and we’d like Luz checked out sooner than later- Your completely free? Fantastic! How bout we come around four?”

Eda began setting up the appointment over the phone. Lilith had started to tune out the conversation. It wasn’t until she heard Eda say something about her that her attention snapped back towards her.

“…Honestly, the only reason I’m doing this is cause Lily is helping me out,” Eda spoke softly and had a slight smile on her lips.  Lilith never thought Eda would have that sort of look when talking about her. “…Knowing Lily, she probably never misses a chec- …. Wait, by your tone, I’m guessing that’s wrong…. Really, goody-two-shoes Lily has been missing her checkups?”

Eda had a wild grin spread across her lips. Eyes sparkling with mischievous delight as she glances over at Lilith. Feeling a surge of panic, Lilith scrambled over to her sister and began to try and snatch the scroll away.

Eda held her sister back as she continued talking over the scroll. “She’s here with me right now, actually! Here let me put her on,” Lilith tried to back away but wasn’t fast enough. Eda shoved her scroll into Lilith's hand and brought it up to her ear.

Lilith glared at her sister as she spoke into the scroll.  “Hello, Healer Vesalius…” Lilith’s face paled as her doctor began to chew her out. “Yes, I know I’ve been missing appointments… I’ve been bus-  I’ll come in with Edalyn and her kids… I’ll try to do better… I’ll see you then…. I’ll just hand you back to Edalyn, have a good day.”

As Lilith gave Edalyn her scroll back, she gave her a look that said, ‘I’m going to kill you….’ Eda quickly Said goodbye before ending the call.

“Four is a bit late for a clinic appointment,” Camila pointed out.

“Healer V is an old family friend, and he tends to keep later hours than most places,” Eda explained quickly. Camila just gave a slight hum in response.

Looking at the clock, Eda noticed the time was just a bit past 11. “Well, looks like we have a few hours till we need to go to the healer's office.” Eda handed Lilith Luz and King’s cups of juice, “Mind taking these to the kids, Lily? There’s something I wanted to talk to Cami about.”

“S-sure…” Lilith took the drinks, not missing the Look on her sister's face.

Once Lilith was out of the room, Camila turned to Eda, “You wanted to talk to me in private? What for?”

Eda leant against the counter while she spun a spell circle. Magic spread over the room, stopping at the threshold to the living room. “It’s just a silence spell; I want to make sure we have some privacy,” Eda said, seeing the look Camila gave her.

“Hey, you doing alright? Is your head feeling better?” Camila asked the witch.

“There’s still a slight throbbing, but it’s a lot better now,” Eda quickly assured Camila.

Eda ran her fingers along her arm, her nails digging softly into her skin. “Thanks again for not just leaving. You didn’t have to stay and had every right to take Luz and leave-”

Camila gently took Eda's hand and pressed a finger to the witch's lips, cutting off her rambling. “Listen, I said this once, and I’ll say it again. You’re important to both Luz and me, and what happened was out of your control. Just promise me this, no more secrets, if there’s a problem, then we tell each other.”

Eda was shocked by how fierce the look Camila gave her was. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she nodded, “Yes, I promise,” Eda thought about what she was going to say next, brows furrowing in contemplation. “Can you promise that whatever is revealed at Luz’s checkup, if there is anything that you won’t just take Luz and leave me?” Eda was worried she was asking too much, that she was overstepping a boundary of some sort.

Camila took Eda's other hand. As she did, she gently traced her thumbs over them. She took in all the nicks and scars spattered across them. She took each one in slowly, letting her touch linger over every slight bump or change of the topography of the skin. Some she could tell were from kitchen accidents. Others she couldn’t tell how Eda could have gotten them.

She let her eyes wander over Eda, taking note of all the small flaws decorating the witch's skin. She understood that Eda had had less than a good life, but seeing her like this put it in perspective. But despite all she’s been through, the witch before is still kind and caring. That despite everything she’s been through, she still has this jovial confidence too her.

But there was something else that Camila was starting to understand about Eda as she took in the heavy bags under the witch's eyes. That Eda wore her confidence and pride like armour. Like if she let it waver, she’d get hurt. That behind the boisterous personality stood someone that has had to be strong and independent for so long. Someone who never gets to be vulnerable or ever given a chance to rest.

Camila knows why, though. It’s the same reason Eda was so scared to tell them about her curse. That every time she did, people used it against her when something went wrong. And Camila knew at this moment that Eda was trusting Camila.  Asking Camila to not hurt her, to not just see her as a disaster and to understand that she will mess up and to not hold those mistakes and messes against her. Asking Camila to be patient with her.

Camila looked straight into the witch's eyes and saw a glossy shine in them both. “I think this goes without saying. That was a given,” she said softly. Seeing the tension rise from Eda’s shoulders, she continued, “I know the isles can be dangerous, but the human realm can just be as dangerous.” Camila gave Eda's hands a small squeeze, “Things are going to be weird, but let’s  do our best to make it work.”

“Yeah, Let’s,” Eda nodded, feeling better about the whole situation.

“So, I can tell that wasn’t the only thing you wanted to talk about.”

“Right,” Eda took a deep breath as she tried to organize her thoughts and what she wanted to say. Camila waited patiently, giving Eda’s hand q small squeeze, letting her know she was here for her. “It’s about my curse.”

“Your curse?” Camila looked at the witch, a confused look forming across her features.

“Yeah, and before you ask, no, I’m not looking to cure it.”

“You aren’t?” Camila was slightly shocked by this. By what Eda had told her, it sounded like she would do anything to get rid of the Owl Beast.

Eda sighed. She had expected this response. “Yeah, I’m starting to see that the Owl Beast might not be so bad. Plus, I think the kids would be heartbroken if I got rid of their third mom….”

Camila couldn’t help giggle at that last part. Luz and King had only known the Owl Beast for a short while, but she could tell that they’d grown attached.

“Besides, I’m positive it can’t be cured anyhow,” the witch then closed her eyes. Taking a moment to remind herself that she didn’t need to do everything on her own and that she could ask Camila for help.

Eda took a deep breath, steeling herself. “I wanted to look into finding ways to help control it better,” Eda then looked at the human before her. And at that moment, Camila could see another flash of vulnerability in the witch's eyes.  “And if this isn’t too much to ask of you. When I find a way to help with it if you’d be here to make sure I get through it okay….” Eda trailed off as she diverted her eyes away from Camila.

Saying nothing, Camila wrapped her arms around the witch, pulling her into a small hug. “Of course, I’ll be here. Just let me know when and I’ll come.”

Burying her face into Camila’s hair, Eda let out a muffled, “thanks, Cami.”

The pair stayed like that for a few moments before breaking apart. Just enjoying the feeling of each other's presence. Camila took notice of the various scars that ran along the witch’s arms and the faint smell of apples and cinnamon that lingered around her. It felt like home.

“So,” Eda spoke with a slight grin as they broke apart, dragging the word out as she did do. “Want to see how Lily is handling the kids?”

“She’s probably fine,” Camila replied back, a slight eye roll at Eda’s expression.

“Ehhh,” Eda gave a slight hand wave. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think we have trouble dealing with those little monsters.”

“Eda!”

“Come on, Cami, I love them, but you have to agree that they can be a handful.”

Camila said nothing but just waved her hand as if to say, ‘fine, your right.’

As they entered the living room, they were met with the sight of a clearly overwhelmed Lilith. The witch was obviously unprepared to deal with the two overly excited kids. Luz and King were practically clambering over their aunt. Luz excitedly asked Lilith a million questions, and King tried to show her all his stuffed toys. The poor witch looked like she was struggling just to keep up with the two.

Lilith just gave her sister a look and mouthed, “help me.” Eda softly chuckled and gently nudged Camila playfully. The shorter woman said nothing as she bumped the witch back.

“Alright then,” Eda clapped her hands together, getting the kid's attention. “Kids, maybe give your aunt some breathing room,” hearing that, the pair backed away from Lilith. “King, how about you show Lily some of your drawings, and Luz, you can show her your book.” The two of them lit up, and both excitedly nodded in agreement. “Alright, stay put, and I’ll grab them for ya,” Eda called out as she went to grab the mentioned items.

“Book?” Lilith asked curiously, head cocked to the side as Eda brought a stack of parchment back with her.

“Here you go,” Eda handed King a stack of crayon drawings. “I’ll let you look through those while I get Luz’s book,” Eda called back.

Looking down at the stack that King had placed in her lap, she saw dozens of crayon drawings. She immediately recognized some of what was depicted in them; they were various beasts and demons native to the isles. They were bright and colourful. Despite the obvious inexperienced touch they had, Lilith felt engrossed in them.

She could tell just by looking at the sheer number that King just loved learning about stuff like this. Lilith wondered quietly if the small demon might keep this passion as he grows up. She certainly hopes he does. Even if it only remains a hobby, it’s obvious that it’s important to him. Lilith didn’t say anything, but the small smile on her lips kept growing slowly as she took each drawing in. Occasionally she’d gasp excitedly when she came across a piece that King had obviously spent extra time on.

As Eda came back, Lilith spoke, “Edalyn, I had something I wanted to ask.” Eda gave a slight head tilt, indicating she was waiting for the question. “ I was wondering if you’d be interested in me grabbing some rare bestiaries and such from the Coven Libraries for King.”

Eda felt her eyes widen at the question her sister just dropped on her. It was no secret that the Coven Libraries had something impossible to get anywhere else. And Lilith was casually saying that she could just grab them for her kid. “A-a-are you sure? Won’t you get in trouble for something like that?” Eda knew how much a stickler for the rules and such Lily was.

Lilith just waved her hand at her sister's bewildered stare, “I’m the head of the Emperor's Coven, no one would care I’d I took a few books out.”

“Well, in that case, the answer is yes,” Eda couldn’t help the warm smile on her lips. She missed this side of her sister, the kind nurturing part, the same part that took care of Eda when the two were kids.

Once Lilith was done looking at King's drawings, Eda handed her a large handcrafted tome. As Lilith looked at it, she noticed Luz's name inscribed on the front. She could tell that a lot of complex and, quite frankly, powerful magic was worked into it.

“Did you make this, Edalyn?” Lilith asks as she lets her fingers graze over the spine.

Eda blushes slightly and scratches the back, turning away slightly, “Yeah, I did.”

“It’s amazing….”

Eda scoffed and let out a short snort in response to her sister's praise. “It’s alright. The real impressive stuff is the contents, though~,” Eda had a joyful grin as she motioned for her sister to take a look.

As Lilith opened the front cover, she found what looked like a recipe. On closer inspection, she quickly realized that it was a potion recipe, one that she’d never seen before. The writing was clean, if not a little scratchy, most likely her sister's handiwork,  but what really git her attention was the stickers. Colourful stickers littered the page, and as Lilith took a moment to flip through a few pages, she noticed that they all were. She recalled the photo Camila showed her, of Luz excitedly mixing a potion. Were these recipes one she came up with?

“Luz, did you come up with all of these?” Lilith asked though she was almost certain of the answer.

The little girl's face bloomed into a large smile, pride radiating off her, “Yeah!” Lilith could understand why her sister liked this kid so much in this instance. The pure joy that flowed off her made even the hardened Lilith soft, and the witch had to hold herself back from cooing over how adorable the girl was. “Mama is teaching me potions and magic.”

“Magic? But you’re a human; humans shouldn’t be able you do magi-”

“oh, you’re in for a treat, Lils,” Eda interjected, leaning against the door frame. “Go on, kiddo, show aunty Lily what you showed me.”

Lilith watched with bated breath as Luz pulled out a small piece of paper from her overalls. Lilith's eyes immediately zeroed in on the strange rune that had been drawn onto it. Luz carefully held the paper in her outstretched hand, then, with a surprising amount of flare, slammed her other hand onto it. As she parted her hands, she gave a small “ta-da.”

Lilith felt her mouth open in a breathless gasp at the sight unfolding in front of her. She watched as the paper crumpled up into a small mote of light. Lilith was speechless.

As the head of the Emperor's Coven, Lilith saw all kinds of amazing magical feats. She worked alongside some of the most seasoned witches who held mastery over their chosen field of magic. All of them achieving feats that few witches could dream of.

All of that seemed trivial to her now.

It was a light spell, a spell that every witch learns. A spell that was considered to not even be a novice or beginner spell. That’s how simple and basic it was.

But this tiny ball of light was the most amazing work of spellcraft that Lilith had ever seen. Maybe it was the way it was cast or the fact that Luz, this small human girl, managed to do magic. Nevertheless, Lilith was beyond impressed.

“Th-that’s amazing….” Lilith stuttered out, still recovering from her shock. “Are you able to do any other spells?” Lilith asked, eyes sparkling in newfound excitement. Eda was right when she called her sister a nerd, the elder Clawthorne sister loved nothing more than to learn and research, and this before her was a whole new form of magic.

Luz pursed her lips together and looked down, “no, I don’t,” she said meekly. A look of embarrassment covered her face, afraid that her tia would think less of her if she only knew one spell. “I only learned it yesterday….”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine!” Lilith quickly said, hoping to make her niece feel better. “Besides, even knowing one spell at your age is impressive.”

“It is?” Luz tilted her head, a curious look on her face

“Of course, most witchlets don’t learn their first spell till they're at least six,” Lilith explained. “So to know your first spell at four years old is something to be proud of~.” Luz couldn’t help the beaming smile that spread across her face at the praise.

Eda watched the pair interact, a warm feeling building in her chest. She was glad that Lily seemed to be just as good with kids as she was. Quickly she ushered Camila back into the kitchen. “Have fun with nerd time, you two!~” She called back teasingly, earning her a playful glare from her sister.

“So,” Lilith said as she clasped her hands together. “Why don’t we see just what you can do with your light spell?” Luz tilted her head in confusion, unsure of what her tia was getting at. “Can I see one of those symbols? It’ll help me explain what I mean.”

Luz grabbed her tome and flipped to the page she had recorded the glyph on, handing it over to her tia. “Thank you,” Lilith said as she took the book from her niece.  “Now, I thought we could take this symbol,” Lilith said as she pointed at the page, “and see what would happen if we altered it. How does that sound?”

“Okay!” Luz said enthusiastically, excited to do some magic experimentation with her aunt.

“perfect, now then where to start….” Lilith trailed off as her brow furrowed. A look of deep concentration on her face that Luz soon mimicked. Lilith honestly had no idea where to even begin with something like this. It was a completely new form of magic to her, and there was no telling what any small changes to the symbol could cause.

The pair sat like that for a few minutes, both raking their brains on where to start. Them suddenly, Luz's face lit up as she turned to her aunt. “Flip it!” She said excitedly. A far cry from her earlier, scholarly-looking expression.

Lilith looked at the girl, confused. Tilting her head trying to ascertain what in the Titan Luz met. A moment passed before a look of realization spread across the witch's features. She smiled just as excitedly as she asked, “oh, you meant invert it, right?” Luz nodded. Lilith was surprised at herself for not thinking of something so simple as that.

Lilith asked Luz for a card with a blank circle on it. Once in hand, she quickly cast a duplication spell on it to create a couple dozen copies. With those set-aside, the pair set to work. King sat off to the side, drawing as he watched the two.

It was half an hour later when they finally stumbled across something. Dozens of discarded pieces of paper were strewn across the floor, each with a different symbol on them. Lilith had just finished one that sadly didn’t work; she sighed as she set her pencil down.

Suddenly she heard a gasp and whipped her head around. Luz had just finished one and had tapped it. This time it reacted. The room's occupants watched as the paper crumbled in on itself, just like the light glyph. This time, however, a ball of light wasn’t left behind. Instead, the three stared at the small, black orb that hung in the air.

It wasn’t just black, though, no it was like looking at a small void. Lilith immediately noticed how it cast everything around it in shadow. It even seemed to devour the light from the nearby candles. It was as if it was giving off darkness like it was light.

“Fascinating…” Lilith mumbled. She watched as Luz grasped her book and flipped to a blank page. Quickly, she recorded the new symbol and then turned to Lily, a sheepish look on her face.

“Tia Lily, could you help me write the name for my new spell…” Lilith had forgotten that despite how smart Luz seemed, she was still only four and hadn’t learned how to write. It was also clear that Luz felt slightly embarrassed at that fact.

Lilith just smiled as she scootched over, pencil on hand. “Sure thing, hun,” she wrote down the word ‘Dark’ on the top of the page in beautiful script. A clear departure from the messy scratchy style of her sister. Luz had the biggest smile you’d ever see on her face as Lily handed the tome back to her. Before they continued their experimenting, Luz grabbed a nearby sticker sheet and placed a cartoon Raven sticker on the page.

Lilith cocked her head to the side, eyebrows drawn together in confusion, “what’s that for?”

Luz looked at her with that same smile. “It’s so I know which spells you helped me with,” Luz said as she flipped through the pages before stopping at one. “See, I mark potion recipes that mama helped me figure out with an owl sticker. Owl sticker for mama, and raven sticker for tia Lily.”

“Oh,” was all Lilith could think to say in response to that.

-----

Luz and Lilith spent the next few hours doing glyph experiments, and while most wielded no results, a couple did. They found a variant of the light glyph that allowed it to blink on and off. Though they weren’t able to figure out a way to control the timing of the blinks, nor how long it stays off.

The other variant was much more interesting and one that Lilith wanted to study much more closely. The easiest way to explain it would be a hard light spell. Normal light spells have no solid mass to them and would pop with the slightest bit of pressure applied. This spell, however, was much more sturdy, though with the trade-off that it produced less light than a normal light spell. It also completely blocked anything, be it a spell or otherwise, that had any significant amount of mass.

They also found that they could combine the modifications to an extent, though to many, and the spell would just fizzle out. So far, the variants for the light glyph seemed to work with the inverse ‘darkness’ glyph.

Luz was enjoying spending time with her tia Lily. She and mama were really different but also similar. For one, both seemed to enjoy teaching Luz, but their approaches differed. Eda had a much more loose and spontaneous way of doing things, letting Luz try things without real order or structure. While it usually resulted in a mess, it let Luz make mistakes and figure things out in a way that felt more like a game rather than learning.

On the other hand, Lilith had a more structured approach to how she taught. Luz liked it as it made her feel like Tia respected her. She still kept things simple when explaining the process they’d be using to figure out glyph variations, but never once did it feel like Lilith was talking down to her. Partway through, Luz asked her tia if she could make her look like a real witchy scientist, which Lilith graciously did. Using an illusion to change Luz's clothes to look like a researcher.

It was nearly two o’clock, and Luz was concentrating on the glyph she was drawing. The past few had turned out to be duds, but Luz went at every attempt with the same level of gumption.

Luz slapped her hand on the new glyph. No one was prepared for what occurred in the next thirty seconds.

Almost immediately, a force flung Luz back. Sending her rolling, her tia quickly caught her before she hit anything. Next, Eda walked back into the room. “Hey, how’re my favourite nerds-“ she was cut off when the same force that sent Luz flying launched a small ball with a surprising amount of force directly at her head.

Camila, who was only a few steps behind, watched as Eda's head was knocked clean off her neck. The scream that left her lips could be considered bloodcurdling by some. She immediately started to panic, fearing that Eda was dead.

“Cami, please stop screaming,” Eda's voice came from the sink.

Wide-eyed, Camila slowly walked over to the sink. Peering into it, they stared at the head of their girlfriend. “E-E-Eda, how are-“

“I’ll explain. Just bring my head back to my body, please,” Eda cut her off. Her head slightly throbbed from the impact of the ball and landing in the sink.

Camila picked up Eda’s head with shaky hands, carefully carrying it over to her body, gingerly placing it back on her neck. “Is this a witch thing?” Camila asked.

“Can I do that?” Luz asked, eyes wide in wonder.

Eda stretched, feeling a pop as she rolled her head. “To answer your questions, no, it’s not a witch thing, and maybe when your older kiddo,” Eda said, humouring Luz. Luz looked way too excited at the possibility of being able to detach her head like Eda’s

“What it is it then? A part of the curse?” Camila felt like there was a lot about the curse they’d still need to learn about.

Eda blinked owlishly at the question. “Oh, yeah, I guess it is,” Eda said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you; it’s just sort of something I tend to forget about. It’s not something I tend to think about, like with the Owl Beast.”

“It’s fine, but can we sit down later and you explain your curse?” Camila asked quietly.  Eda stared at Camila, seeing only understanding and someone that wanted to understand her better. She nodded, promising silently to explain her curse later. Camila gently pulled Eda down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek with a smile.

Eda stepped away with a grin as she made her way over to Lilith and Luz. Camila standing back with a slight blush on her face, “Además, voy a tener en cuenta el hecho de que puedes hacer eso para más adelante...” she muttered silently under her breath.

“So, either of you wants to explain what just happened?” Eda asked with her brow raised as she peered at her sister and Luz. Not bothering to speak, Lilith just pointed at the ‘light’ spell Luz just cast. Brow, still raised, Eda walked over to the orb and went to poke it.

“Huh…”

No matter how hard Eda pushed, she couldn’t bring her finger close to the light ball. After a few more tries, she threw her hands up in defeat.

“Okay, this is unexpected,” Eda said, wiping away some sweat from her brow. “You really cast this, kiddo?” Eda asked, turning to Luz, who nodded back.

“It’s a modified light spell, but it seems whatever Luz did made it give more than just light,” Lilith chimed in, observing the light ball more closely. “Though the force from when she cast the spell is a bit odd, a spell circle that size shouldn’t produce a force like that….” She trailed off.

“Anyway, it’s almost two, and Cami wants the kids to eat lunch before we head to the healers,” Eda finally remembered the reason she came into the room. “So time to clean up you two!” gesturing to Luz and King.

“Aw, but-“ Luz and King tried to argue, but Eda cut them off.

“Sorry you two, but Cami wants us to leave with enough time to get to the healers' office, so, unfortunately, you have to cut your time with Lily short.”

Seeing the sad look on their faces, Eda crouched down, “Hey, I’m sure Lily would love to spend more time with you in the future.”

Catching the look Eda gave her, Lilith spoke up, “of course. Honestly, this has been really great, and I’d love to do it again sometime.”

“Really?” Luz asked wide-eyed as she lightly grasped Lilith’s dress.

“Really,” Lilith replied, earning a smile and a hug from the young girl. Lilith couldn’t help the feeling of warmth worming its way through her as her niece hugged her.

After tidying up and helping Luz record the last glyph modification in her tome, Lilith went to talk to her sister. “Edalyn, I was curious to have you considered enrolling Luz at Hexside when she’s older?”

“No,” Eda honestly hadn’t even thought about that.

“Hexside?” Camila asked, carrying some plates to the table.

“It’s a school for magic and demonic,” Lilith explained. “Luz is smart, and I think Hexside be good for her.”

“Oh,” Camila hadn’t even considered something like school yet for Luz. But now that the fact that magic school existed made the whole situation more complicated. Though Luz would probably love a school where she could learn magic.

“She’s only four; it’s way too early to think about enrolling her at Hexside,” Eda chimed in.

“Mmm, you have a point, but still keep the idea in mind,” Lilith hummed while turning back towards the living room.

Camila noticed the way Eda’s posture changed at the mention of Hexside. She looked stiff and more on edge. Softly grasping the witch's hand, Camila looked at her. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, just less than pleasant memories when it comes to school.”

“I won't pry, but it means a lot if you gave enrolling Luz there though .”

“You’d be okay with enrolling her in a magic school?”

“I’m not opposed to the idea, though I’d still like her to get some sort of education in the human realm.”

Sighing and running a hand through her hair Eda replied, “I’ll think about it, and I’ll try to not let my own experiences cloud my answer.”

Gently pulling Eda down, camila softly pressed a quick kiss to her lips, “thank you, mi amore.” Eda smiled back at Camila when Lilith’s voice caught their attention.

“Umm, Edalyn, Luz is human right?”

Confused by what Lilith is asking about, Eda called back, “yeah?”

“Meaning no magic to speak of, other than with the symbols?”

“Yeah?”

“Ummm, you might want to come and see this…” sharing a look, Camila and Eda walked into the living room. Their jaws neatly hitting the floor at the sight before them.

Luz was floating in the air, surrounded by papers, pencils, and toys. The little girl rolled and flipped in place as she let out a fit of giggles. Upon seeing her moms, she gave them a big wave.

Suddenly whatever magic was keeping her up had suddenly ended, and Luz, along with everything, began falling to the floor.

Lilith and Eda nearly panicked as they went to cast spells. It wasn’t high by any means, but a fall from that height would still hurt Luz. But before either could finish their spell circles, they felt a rush of magic and saw Luz stop mid-fall.

Turning, both witches saw Camila with her arms outstretched, clearly panicking. “Eda, what’s happening!”

“I don’t know; I thought you and Luz were human!”

“I did, too! Apparently we're not!” Camila replied. Mouth dry and sweat falling down her brow. “Eda, what do I do?!” Camila had never experienced magic and was scared to do anything in case she hurt Luz.

“Okay, okay, stay calm and breath,” Eda gently placed a hand on Camila’s shoulder. “You should feel a slight tingling sensation, do you feel it?” after a second, Camila nodded. Feeling a tingling feeling along with her fingers. “okay, focus on that and imagine you’re slowly lowering it down.

Camila did her best to keep her breaths even as she slowly brought her arms down. Focusing on lowering the sensation of the magic she accidentally used at the same rate. Finally, Luz landed back on the ground without a scratch on her. Both Eda and Camila let out a sigh of relief. The latter leaned against the former, as their limbs now felt like jelly from all the stress.

“Hello Healer Vesalius, it’s Lilith. I’m calling in regards to that check-up with Edalyn and her kids. We might need to do more than just a simple check-up….”

Chapter Text

The group had decided to arrive at the clinic early, Lilith doing her best to explain the situation over the scroll to the Healer. When they arrived, a few of Vesalius’s assistants immediately took them to run various tests, with Luz going with Camila and King with Eda. It consisted of the typical things like checking blood pressure, drawing blood, etc. Camila wasn’t a fan of the leech-like creatures used to draw blood.

At some point, the witch looking over Camila and Luz did a spell circle, and Camila felt a wave of magic wash over her. When she asked what that was, the witch informed her that it was a simple scanning spell and she’d need to do a few more before they were finished. Camila hadn’t considered that despite the more medieval fantastical look of the boiling isles, they’d have things akin to MRIs, CAT scans and the like. The fact that they could do them just with magic and didn’t need large, complicated machines intrigued the human woman. Honestly, Camila wished they had something like that for human realm hospitals and the vet clinic she worked at. It would mean more space for other things like rooms for patients.

After a few minutes, the witch called out to her, breaking Camila out of her thoughts to inform her that they were all finished. The witch did one last spell circle and sent a ball of magic into some kind of strang have e runic device before sending Camila back out to wait for Healer Vesalius.

Lilith, Eda, Camila, and the kids were waiting in the small reception lobby as Healer Vesalius looked over their scans and other medical information. One of his assistants informed them that the Healer would see them shortly. Camila had been surprised by the quickness at which Vesalius could see them all. Though looking at the sparseness of other patients, Camila quickly understood why. Camila wondered how many visitors the clinic normally got, considering it seemed to be off the beaten path, tucked away in a small alleyway.

Healer Vesalius’s clinic was exactly how Camila thought it would look and completely opposite. It had all the typical things you’d see at a medical clinic, from the few racks of magazines in the waiting area to a crystal ball broadcasting some random medical ads. The normal sounds of medical machines were absent, replaced by the faint hums and twinkling of magic. The walls were a pleasant pink, blue and purple gradient with a small splattering of white near the ceiling. And the whole place had this comforting earthy scent, no traces of disinfectants to be found. That earthy scent mixed with the various incense and plants that littered the clinic’s waiting area.

 Luz had immediately become enamoured with the weird and eclectic way in which the waiting area was decorated. Her mind fixated on a large model showing some kind of demon’s skeletal structure and internal organs. Soon she was asking the spritely old demon woman at the front desk all kinds of questions about the model and the other things littering the clinic. Said demon was kind enough to answer as best she could.

Suddenly the sound of a door opening abruptly caught the group’s attention. Camila saw a figure step into the hall from an office down the hall, a stern scowl adorning their features. When the figure reached then, Camila realized that this was Healer Vesalius. Before they could say anything, the Healer held a hand, cutting the group off.

They pointed at Eda, “Silencing spell, now, please.” Sensing that the Healer was in no mood to argue, they quickly obliged. Camila was slightly stunned. Eda had brazenly knocked out a guard when they first met acquiesced to the Healer’s request almost immediately. “Lilith Abigail Clawthorne, do you want to explain the results of your check-up to me?” Vesalius asked, their tone cold, calm, and measured. Camila was shocked by them doing this, though it felt like saying anything would be akin to striking a hornet’s nest. It was clear that the Healer had a history with the two, given that Camila doubted this was a normal thing. Or maybe it was. Camila honestly wasn’t too sure if the Boiling Isles had things like doctor-patient confidentiality.

When Lilith said nothing as she was trying to find the right words, Eda cut in, “was it bad, doc?”

“Was it bad?!” Vesalius repeated Eda’s question back with an exacerbated energy. “As far as I’m concerned, bad would be a monumental improvement!” The Healer practically threw their hands up in frustration as they spoke. When Lilith didn’t say anything, Vesalius continued, “dozens upon dozens of hairline fractures, numerous repetitive stress injuries, multiple brakes and the like given the bare minimum of treatment with almost no time for recovery, and not to mention a whole bunch else!”

Lilith sank lower and lower into her seat as the Healer went on, silently wishing for a mole wrym to come through the ground and just eat her. How was she supposed to explain all those injuries? What was she supposed to say? That she’s lost any self-preservation? That she doesn’t think anyone would genuinely care if she died? She could feel her sister’s gaze turn towards her as the weight of what the Healer said hit her.

“Your sister is lucky she isn’t in traction,” Vesalius practically seethed. “She’s doubly lucky I took a personal oath to do no harm cause I’ve half a mind to put her there myself.” The witch pinched the bridge of their nose and let out a long sigh.

“Lilith, I’m not mad, but I’m worried, okay,” the Healer’s tone was calm, their face etched with concern. “This… reckless disregard for your health is something I’d expect from your sister.No offence Eda, but you do have a bit of history.”

“None taken. I know what I’m like.”

“Well, you see….” Lilith started off, and Eda could hear the faintest tremble in her voice. Lilith was always good at staying put together, but that seemed impossible in front of the elder Healer. “As you, I’m the head of the Emperor’s Coven, and so I don’t always have time for stu-“

“Ears!” Vesalius cut Lilith off, pointing to Luz and King, signalling for their parents to cover the kid’s ears. Almost immediately, the two women did as asked. “You’re the fucking head of the Emperors Coven Lilith! Are you expecting me to believe that you can’t get time off for medical emergencies?!” They waited for a response from the witch, who just sat there opening and closing her mouth, trying to think of a response. “I understand that you might not want to tell me why you neglected your health like this. But I’d appreciate it if you’d have a bit more respect for my intelligence and come up with a halfway decent lie. Or did you take me for some kind of slither-beast shit for brains, fool?”

“I-I I’m sorry,” Lilith stammered out. The way she was in this moment was a far cry from the cold, indifferent Coveness Clawthorne that the public saw on a daily basis. “I’ll try to do better about all this in the future-“

“You won’t. You will do better,” Vesalius said, pointing a finger at the witch. “I want to see you in my clinic once a month for a check-up, or if that isn’t possible, to at least have another Healer do it and send me a copy of the report. And if you miss one, then you better have a damn good reason,” Lilith understood that by ‘good reason,’ they meant that she was already in a Healers clinic or she was dead. “I’d ask for more, but I’m choosing to be lenient.” Lilith knew by their tone that the Healer wasn’t in the mood to argue about this, and even if they were, Lilith knew they wouldn’t win against that argument.

“Okay, thank you.“

“I am giving you the benefit of the doubt and trusting you on this and not having you make an everlasting oath. Don’t hang yourself with the good graces I choose to give to you, Lilith Clawthorne .”

“R-Right, that seems more than fair,” Lilith slumped farther into her chair.

Vesalius ran a hand through their hair, letting out a long sigh. Turning to Camila, they gave a small smile to who was now slightly wary of the Healer. “ You must be Camila. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Ogdin Vesalius,” They politely introduced themselves while extending a hand.

Hesitantly Camila took it and gave it a quick handshake. “The sentiments the same here.”

“Sorry you had to see… all that,”  the Healer motioned their hand towards Lilith. “Understand that I’ve known these two since before they could crawl, and well in my experience, sometimes I have to be a bit heavy-handed.”

“It’s alright,” Camila assured them.

“Are you almost ready to see us, V?” Eda asked. They’d been at the clinic for a while, and Eda and the kids were starting to get antsy. It didn’t help that she could actively feel the Owl Beast stalking through her mind, also on edge. She was glad that Camila had the foresight to grab some elixirs before they left.

“Unfortunately, some things have come up, and  we still have to run a couple more tests and scans.” Hearing that, the group went to get up before Vesalius stopped them. “We actually don’t need everyone this time. We only need to see Luz.” Hearing that, Camila picked up her daughter and followed behind a sheep-like demon to one of the examination rooms.

Eda sat in the waiting room in silence with King and Lilith while they waited for the two to return. The time seemed to drag on, and what was only 15 minutes felt like an eternity of waiting. All the while, Eda’s mind raced with thoughts of her sister. How long had she been neglecting her healthy like this? Was her job that important that she’d destroy her body? And Titan, how had Eda completely missed that her sister was basically killing herself. Sure they hadn’t seen each other for a while, but still, you’d think she would have noticed something.

Eventually, the excited chattering of Luz cut her out of her thoughts. The little girl was energetically talking to the demon, asking her all kinds of questions. Luz apparently wondered if the demon had ever considered weaving flowers into her wool or around her four horns.

“My older cousin did it with her hair once, and it looked super pretty,” Luz explained. By the look that Camila had, Luz had been chatting with the demon pretty much the whole time. Though by the look she had, the sheep demon apparently didn’t mind the overly chatty four-year-old.

“Ooh, I haven’t. Maybe I should, though. It’s never a bad time to try a new look,” the demon responded back chipperly.

“I’m sure it would look lovely. Maybe you could even try it with some flowers from the human realm,” Camila interjected. “And thank you again for indulging Luz and all her questions, Miss Sylvia.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal, hun. I absolutely adore kids. Grew up takin care of all my little siblings and cousins. I’m used to just about anything from them. And I’d love that, maybe if we see each other again, you could give me some recommendations,” the demon assured Camila with a gentle smile and a distinct whispy southern drawl.

“That be nice,” Camila said as she sat back down. “Now, Luz, What do we say?”

“Thank you, Miss Sylvia, bye-bye!”

“” Have a good day,” Camila said in turn.

“Seeya later, take care now!” Sylvia called back as she went back into one of the clinic rooms. The group fell back into silence as they waited for Vesalius to finally see them.

------

Eda wasn’t sure how long it had been, but it was long enough that they had zoned out. Sylvia informed them that Vesalius was now ready to see them all. She led them down towards the Healer’s office, letting them know that Vesalius would be back in a moment.

Camila immediately took note of the eccentric and, to be quite frank, eclectic way the place was decorated. It was like the waiting area but turned to 11. The only indication that this was close to a doctor’s office was the medical examination table and a handful of medical tools.

Vesalius soon entered, shrugging off the white doctors’ coat they were wearing and hanging it on the door. Camila hadn’t gotten a good look at the Healer before, too stunned at the moment. But now that they did, she realized that their taste in decore made sense given how their appearance.

The first thing that Camila took note of was just how tall they were. It was initially hard to tell as they were hunched down, but Camila guessed that they were nearing nearly 9 and a half feet by the looks of things. Eda was tall, but next to Vesalius, she would look tiny by comparison. Their skin was a pale, almost translucent white.

Next was their arms, four in total and all were long and gangly. Each was decorated with intricate tattoo work that, ln closer inspection, seemed to be of the witch’s own muscles, nerves, veins and bones. The tattoos seeming to shift to each layer thanks to some form of magic.

They wore straight black pants and a loose, airy top with open sides, giving their arms unrestrained movement. Camila could see four surgical looking scars near where the pectoral would be as they moved.

Then Camila looked at their face. In all accounts, it was fairly normal save for the extra set of eyes and two sets of tusks jutting out of their mouth. Heavy bags sat under their eyes, and their face was gaunt, with high cheekbones.

Last was their long hair. It was a brilliant white that trailed to grey, then finally black. They had styled it into a Pompadour, mullet-like combo, that trailed down their back. With a few strands hanging losely over their shoulders.

To be honest, despite how ridiculous said hairstyle was, Camila had to admit that they had somehow managed to make it work.

Clearing their throat, Vesalius Sat down, their legs sprawling out. They pulled out a pipe, stuffing some kind of mixture into the end before lighting it. Camila went to say something but stopped as she watched the smoke waft from the pipe before coalescing into floating opaque orbs that hung in the air.

“I’m sorry for the wait,” Vesalius finally spoke.

“It’s fine, V. Could you just tell us what’s up with Luz and Cami?” Eda asked impatiently.

Vesalius shot her a pointed look before responding, “I will get there, Eda, so please hold your rat worms.“ Taking another drag from their pipe, they leaned forward, giving Eda a teasing grin before continuing. “Though I’m shocked, it’s been how many years since you’ve been in my clinic? And not only that, but the first time you call for an appointment in ages, I get to learn you have a kid? What happened to that wild child, I remember?” Vesalius asked, hand ruffling up Eda’s hair even more than it already was.

Knocking their hand away, Eda scoffed at the Healer, though the slight upturn of the corners of her lips showed she wasn’t actually upset. “She’s still here, just a bit wiser, is all. Don’t worry, V. I can assure you that I’m going to be a cool mom for these two little rascals,” Eda exclaimed while gesturing to King and Luz.

“Oh, I thought you only had one kid?”

“Luz is mine, though Eda has sort of become a second mother to her,” Camila explained. “Us dating is probably solidifying that idea to her, to be honest.”

 “Ah, I see,” Vesalius had a look on their face as they turned back to Eda. “I think this goes without saying, but it’s nice to see you finally dating again,” Their tone was much softer as they said the last part.

“Alright, enough dawdling,” Vesalius clapped their hands before pulling up a series of charts, floating them into the air. ”Now, before anything else, I would like to say that you are all doing great in terms of nutritional levels. There are some things that could be better, like King’s vitamin levels being a bit lower than we’d like to see.”

“He’s not the biggest fan of vegetables,” Eda explained. The aforementioned bundle of fur had curled up in Eda’s mane of hair, snoring softly as he slept. Tuckered out from the busy day. “I’m trying to find ways to get him to eat them, but it’s been trial and error.”

“Mmm, just don’t force him, alright. That’s a sure-fire way to make sure he never eats them.” the Healer responded, to which Eda nodded to.

“Now, the one thing we need to discuss in terms of dietary topics is in regards to the two of you,” Vesalius stated as they motioned to Camila and Luz. “Before I get into it, a couple of questions, the first is, do either of you have any allergies?”

“Luz is lactose intolerant,” Camila answered.

“Got it. And how long have you two been visiting the isles?”

“It’s been roughly six months,” Camila responded as Vesalius began writing things down.

“And how long do you typically spend on the Isles?”

“Usually, it’s a couple of hours, though Luz has spent a bit more time than me,” Camila explained. “Last night is the first time we’ve spent the night here.”

“And this was planned?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I see’” Vesalius took a moment to look over something before proceeding. “And you both have been eating things from the isles while here, correct? Has there been any side effects from that?”

“Here,” Eda chimed in as she passed her scroll to the Healer. “Me and Cami have been keeping a record of everything that she and Luz have eaten from the isles and any side effects they encountered.” Vesalius looked over the list, which had been organized and colour-coded. “I’ve tried my best to keep them away from the more poisonous plants and meats, but there’s been a few hiccups.”

After a few moments of reading the list over, Vesalius spoke, “a lot of the things the two of them had trouble with are most likely a result of a lack of enzymes normally found in witches and demon digestive tracts. With that in mind, I’d like to prescribe you both an elixir that will allow your bodies to process some of the items on the list here.”

“Will that be safe for them?” Eda asked. On edge in regards to the health of the humans, she’d grown to love in such a short time.

“It’s one that witches and demons with digestive issues take for similar reasons, so the possibility of them having any adverse reaction should be slim. There will still be some things that the two should avoid, mostly things that contain more potent poison,” Vesalius explained. “You aren’t required to take them, but the option is there in case you want it. Though depending on whether or not they’ll need it, in the long run, is to be seen.”

“What do you mean by that?” Camila asked, wondering where the Healer was going with this.

“Well, it actually brings me to our first major point of discussion,” Vesalius then took a long drag from their pipe, giving the family a moment before continuing. “To put it simply, Camila, I would like to inform you that you and your daughter aren’t fully human.”

“What?!” Camila, Eda and Lilith asked in unison.

“What do you mean by that V? Are the two of them some sort of witch or demon?” Eda asked.

Vesalius waved their hand while giving an “ehhhh” sound. “Witch would be a good guess, but not in the way you’d think.”

After seeing the bewildered look, the group gave them, Vesalius began pulling out projection stones. “Here, it be easier to show you rather than trying to explain it,” With that, they turned on the first projection. It showed the outline of two witches, side by side. “Now here you have scans of an average witch around both your ages,” Vesalius allowed them to study the images before continuing. “Now what we’re interested in is this part” with that, the Healer brought up a new layer to the scans.

This layer revealed a series of brightly coloured lines running through the body, all emanating from the chest. “Now, do either of you want to take a guess on what this is?” Vesalius asked Luz and Camila.

Before Camila could answer, Luz excitedly blurted out, “Magic!” startling the whole room with how enthusiastic she was. Luz had been uncharacteristically quiet since entering Vesalius’s office, especially compared to how chatty she’d been earlier. Camila and Eda had begun to think that she’d started to grow tired and was ready to go to bed. But instead, here she was, full of energy still.

Camila hoped that her little light would be easy to put to bed after all the excitement from today.

Grinning, Vesalius nodded. “Exactly! This shows magic bile running through a witch’s body. I take it you have some understanding of how witch’s magic works then?”

“Just the basics, like we know it has to do with an organ called a bile-sac,” Camila replied. Still trying to calm her heart down.

“That’s correct. It’s important to understand that the bile-sac doesn’t create magic. What it does is it takes raw ambient magic that exists around us and turns it into something that we witches and some demons can use.”

As they spoke, Vesalius set up the other projection stones. They turned them on, revealing scans of both Camila and Luz. “Now, here we have scans of both of you. I’d like you to pay attention to this area,” Vesalius stated as they motioned near the pair’s chests. “As you can see, neither of you have bile-sacs. This is to be expected-“

“Come on, V, just get to the point, please,” Eda cut the Healer off as she held her arm. Wincing every few seconds. The Owl Beast had been seemingly on edge ever since Luz was taken for the last set of tests. Something was clearly bothering them, and they were making Eda painfully aware of this fact.

“Are you alright,” Camila touched Eda’s shoulder, looking concerned. “Is it the curse?” She whispered, to which Eda gave a nod to.

“Sorry, V, but my other half isn’t dealing well with all this tension and stress,” Eda said with a half-smile.

“Right, right, sorry I was getting there,” Vesalius said quickly. “Well, it be easier for you to see than spend time trying to explain,” as they said that, Vesalius started bringing up overlays onto both the scans.

As the Healer worked to show them what they had found, Camila leaned over to Eda. “Hey, are you going to be alright? I’d understand if you wanted to step out,” she spoke softly. Concern lacing her words as she looked at the witch besides her. Even Luz was quiet as she looked at Eda, worry for her surrogate mother lining her young features.

“I’ll be fine,” Eda whispered back. “Besides, I want to be here for the two of you, alright.”

Camila couldn’t help the feeling of warmth in her chest at those words. It wasn’t anything big, just Eda saying she’d put up with some discomfort to be there for Camila and Luz. But it was another small act upon all the others that Eda had done for the two. Camila gently took the witch’s hand and squeezed it. There was an unspoken conversation between the pair about how much this and every one of those other acts meant to Camila.

“Alright! Here you all go,” Vesalius’s voice brought Eda and Camila out of the silent moment the two had shared.

The group was honestly stunned by what they were looking at. Camila and Luz’s figures had been covered by a swirling mass of multiple colours. The masses took the general shapes of both their bodies. But seemed to radiate a bit outwards before gradually dissipating.

“is that what I think it is?” Lilith spoke up, still trying to process what she was seeing.

“If by that you mean processed magic surrounding the two of them? Then yes, that’s exactly what it is. To make this explanation short, it appears that the two of you are passively processing raw magic around you.”

“But how? Shouldn’t that be impossible without a bile-sac?” Camila asked. Eyes still glued to the mess of colours surrounding her and Luz’s scans. Luz, meanwhile, kept looking at her scan and then back at her body. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she did so.

“Normally, yes, but I believe I have an answer to that,” Vesalius set their pipe aside as they got ready to explain. “I take it you all have a basic understanding of the theory regarding witch evolution, correct?” The group all nodded, even Camila and Luz, who had gotten a truncated version from Eda.

“Well, there are some healers that think that version might not cover the full reality of the situation. So over time, a variety of different offshoot theories began to emerge in academic circles. Now, most of those theories held little water, but a small handful did.

One of those was the idea that witches could process the ambient magic around them without the use of a bile-sac. Now, this was based largely on examinations of certain fauna on the Isles that exhibit a similar trait. Plus, the examination of skeletal remains found in remote parts of the arm showed a large amount of non-ambient magic covering said remains.”

“Couldn’t the latter just be the result of a spell?” Lilith asked, clearly interested in where this was going. “Or a natural part of witch decomposition?”

“That’s what they initially thought until a further study showed that each trace of magic was unique. And to your second suggestion, no. because of how bile decomposes, only a small amount of residue is left during the decomposition. Specifically, on the area of the ribcage, the bile-sac rests over. These bones were covered in magic all over.”

“Now, Camila, I believe you and your daughter and what we see here,” Vesalius motioned to the floating projections of the pair. “To be potential proof of this theory.”

Camila looked stunned at this news. She was a witch or at least part, witch. This was so much to take in. “But how is that possible?”

Vesalius took a moment to think before they responded. “My guess? You had ancestors that lived in the isles during a point before witches developed bile-sacs. Who at some point found their way to the human realm. And while most of the normal witch traits like pointed ears and fangs were lost, one thing managed to stay.”

“The ability to process ambient magic, right?” Lilith asked.

“Exactly. This was most likely a survival measure intrinsic to this trait. It’s seen in certain beasts and plants during times when the level of magic in an area dips due to environmental and seasonal factors. which is why it never got lost even over countless generations.” Vesalius exclaimed as they leaned back in their chair. “Not only that, but I’m more than positive that if any of your family stepped foot in the isles, we’d see similar results.”

“But why hadn’t we noticed anything till now?” Camila was still trying to get her head around the whole situation

“ Well, chances are that you both have probably been passively processing magic around you since getting to the isles but never noticed. And something triggered your ability to use it. Tell me, did anything stressful happen recently?”

Eda and Camila took a moment to look at each other, thinking about the events leading up to a few hours ago. Eda spoke first after a beat.

“Well, there was the stress of the sleepover.”

“Eda passing out in the kitchen.”

“The whole scare with the Owl Beast.”

“Luz going missing in the woods.”

“My head getting knocked off in front of Cami-“

Eventually, Vesalius held their hand up, prompting them to stop. “And that all happened in the last day?” They asked, a bit stunned.

“Yep,” Eda stated, popping the p as she did so. “It’s been a bit of a weekend V.”

Vesalius took a moment to compose themselves. “Well, based on everything you just listed, I’m going to say that one of those triggered your ability to use your magic.”

“Though what about Luz? Did hers activate for similar reasons?” Camila asked as she held her daughter. Who was currently overly excited about having actual magic.

“I can’t say for certain,” Vesalius mused as they looked over Luz’s chart. “Luz is young enough that her ability to use magic could have just activated naturally.”

“And her floating in the air like she was? Is that something we should be worried about?” Camila wasn’t looking forward to anything worse than that.

“Oh, that’s completely normal for Luz’s age. Small bursts of magic like that are to be expected for growing and developing witchlets and are completely safe,” Vesalius assured Camila with a smile.

Camila took a moment to process this new information. This took everything she thought she knew about her family history and threw it out the window. A long conversation with her family had to happen regarding all this.

“What should we do about this?” Camila honestly wasn’t sure where to go from this point. She never thought about what it be like to have magic, and now that she did, she had no idea what to do.

“My recommendation is to spend some time practicing and getting a handle on  your magic,“ Vesalius said. “Though there’s something I’d like to see. It might help give you a jumping-off point on how to go about that.”

Luz was all but bouncing in Camila’s lap, eager to do more magic. Camila feeling a bit excited about having magic, due to her daughter’s infectious energy agreed to indulge Healer Vesalius' request.

“Perfect. First things first, could you both try and spin a spell circle for me.” The two of them tried, but like before, nothing happened. “Hmm, interesting. It appears that you both don’t channel your magic the same as regular witches. You’ll need to find another way to access and channel your magic.”

“They actually might have a way to already,” Lilith interjected. “Luz, do you have any of your glyphs with you?” Nodding, Luz pulled out a couple that she’d stuffed into her pockets.

Luz handed one to her Mami then tapped her own, Camila following suit. Vesalius watched as the pages crumbled into orbs of light. Camila felt a small rush as she did her first spell.

Fascinating,” Vesalius muttered as they watched the two of them do magic. “Could I ask you two to try something for me?” The pair nodded. “I want to see if you can influence the glyphs without having to physically touch them.”

“How would we do that?” Camila asked, unsure how to even go about something like that.

“Here, close your eyes and try to get a sensation for your magic,” Vesalius told them. Camila and Luz followed the Healer’s orders and closed their eyes. After a bit, Camila made a face. “Think you got a feel for it?”

Camila wasn’t entirely sure if she found the right thing, but she’d found something. It was similar to the sensation back at the Owl House when she first used magic. A distinct tingling sensation covering her body. “I’m not sure. I think I’ve gotten something at least.”

“Perfect, and Luz?”

Luz had started to look upset the longer she tried to get a hold of her magic. “I can’t feel it….” She finally muttered out, looking defeated. And on the verge of tears.

“Oh, that’s perfectly understandable! Nothing to feel ashamed about,” Vesalius quickly went to console the clearly upset child. “Witchlets normally aren’t able to get a feel for their magic until they’re at least six.”

Blinking away a few tears, Luz looked at the Healer, “really?”

 “Yep, so don’t feel bad if you can’t do it just yet.” Thankfully their words seemed to work, and Luz looked a bit better. “I apologize. I just wanted to see if you’d be able to do it a bit earlier cause of your unique circumstance.”

Turning back to Camila, Vesalius motioned for her to attempt what they had requested. Reaching her hand out, Camila focused on the glyph that had been placed a few feet in front of her. She couldn’t tell if anything was happening at first, but she started to feel that same sensation as before after a bit. Focusing, she tried to extend it out from her hand to the glyph. Unsure if it would lead to anything.

Then after a minute of intense concentration, Camila felt herself touch the piece of paper. Even though she hadn’t physically touched it, she still felt something flash in her brain telling her she had. The rest of the room saw the look of discovery flash across her face but remained quiet while she concentrated. Now that she knew she could extend her magic out from herself, Camila then tried to send her magic into the glyph.

Another couple of minutes passed, and Vesalius was about ready to move on. But then they and the rest of the room watched the glyph activate. Camila got another signal in her brain that she had done that. A small sense of accomplishment welled inside her as she watched the small ball of light float into the air.

Camila looked at the small orb of light hanging in the air. Amazed that she had managed to activate the glyph the way she had.

Suddenly she let out a small grunt as she felt Luz throw her full weight into an excited hug. “Mami, you did it!” looking down, she saw Luz smiling at her, stars in her eyes like she thought Camila was the most amazing person in the world.

“Mija! Did you see it! You’re Mami did magic!”

“Cami, that was amazing!”

“Very impressive.”

Vesalius couldn’t help the smile on their face from seeing the group’s excitement. They waited patiently for them to settle down before speaking. “How are you feeling?”

“A little weird, but in a good way, if that makes sense. Oh, and a bit more tired,” Camila hadn’t noticed how hard she had strained to do that.

“That’s understandable. Your magic is like a muscle that you’ve just learned existed. It’ll become easier to wield it the more often you train and use it,” Vesalius told Camila. Eagerly hoping she’d embrace this new part of herself. “Luz should do the same once she’s old enough.” Luz looked excited about the prospect of being able to do cool magic as she got older.

“Before we move on, there’s one last thing I want to try,” Vesalius turned to Camila, who, while tired, still felt up for a bit more testing of her magic. Seeing her eagerness, Vesalius smiled. “Could you try doing what you did before, but this time without the glyph?”

“I can try, but I’m not sure if it’ll work,” Camila then closed her eyes and refocused. Picturing the light glyph and trying to send magic into it activate it. It was considerably harder than the previous task.

After a couple minutes, she heard a gasp from Eda. Opening her eyes, she saw a second ball of light. Blinking a few times, she turned to look at everyone else. “Did I do that?” A series of nods were her answers.

“It was incredible, Cami. It just appeared from nowhere. No circle, no nothing.”

“Very impressive,” Lilith said calmly as she examined the ball of light. “Though somethings different,” the group waited for Lilith to elaborate. “Look here,” Lilith held out the two orbs of light Camila had made. “See, the one she did without the glyph is dimmer.”

Looking at it, Eda hummed, “huh, it really is. Wonder why that is?”

“We’d need to do more tests to figure that out. Unfortunately, I have more to discuss with you, so we need to move on,” Vesalius wished they could let this experimentation continue, but they still had things to cover.

Sensing the shift in their tone, Eda gave the Healer a look, “V, is everything alright?”

“Unfortunately, no, Edalyn,” Eda tensed at the use of her full first name. Vesalius never used Eda’s full first name unless it was serious. “Ms., Noceda,” And calling someone by their last name was the second sign that something was very bad. Vesalius seldom used last names, always saying that it felt too stuffy and formal to do so.

Camila also noticed the tonal shift. The whole room noticed, even Luz.

Vesalius shifted their pipe in their mouth. Trying to come up with the easiest way to break the next bit of news. This was always the thing they hated about their job. That even after decades, it never got easier.

Eventually, they figured they just needed to get it over with.

“I wanted to leave this for last. I wish there was an easier way to say this, but sadly there isn’t. I need to  inform you that your daughter has been cursed.”

With those words, the energy in the room shifted to shock and concern. Everyone just took in the words the Healer said, trying to process them to some level of success. Camila had immediately clutched Luz closer to herself in a protective embrace. Desperate that she had misheard the Healer or that they had made a mistake.

Gulping, Eda looked at Luz. “Are you certain that she’s cursed, V?” Her voice strained as she tried to hold herself together.

“Positive, I double, triple, and quadruple checked over the results myself. Luz has been cursed.” Turning towards Camila, the Healer went to reassure her that everything would  be okay. As they went to speak, an excited, bubbly voice cut them off.

“Does this mean I’m like Mama?”

No one was expecting the level of excitement behind those words. They all just looked at Luz, who didn’t look grim or worried. No, she had an expression of giddiness and awe.

Blinking Owlishly, Eda took a moment before responding, “I guess you are like me now, sugar-bug.” It was weird, but Luz being excited over being more like her made the whole thing easier to handle.

Seeing how overjoyed Luz was by the prospect of being more like Eda, Camila couldn’t help but smile. Sure her being cursed would introduce new issues into their lives. But the same could be said if she had suffered an accident in the human realm. They just needed to take things one day at a time now.

Seeing Camila relax after Luz’s outburst, Vesalius sighed. Glad that reassuring  her would be much easier. “I’m sure you’re aware that Curses can be challenging to live with. But understand that your daughter will be fine with the right support and resources. Got that?” Camila gave an affirmative nod. “Good, cause the worst thing you can do to your daughter is panic and think the world is ending.”

Camila didn’t miss the glance Vesalius gave Eda as they said the last part. She knew Eda had a complicated history when it came to her curse and was now wondering if this was a part of it. She wanted to know but, at the same time, didn’t want to pressure Eda into telling her.

“Now, I do have a question regarding Luz that I was hoping you could answer,” Vesalius waited for Camila to give them a look that said they were listening. “Do you know who Luz’s other parent is?

Camila’s face immediately scrunched up in confusion at the seemingly random question. “No, I don’t. Luz wasn’t planned, you see.”

“Hmmm, I see….” Vesalius muttered as the looked at medical charts.

“Is this relevant, V?”

“Yes, Eda, it is. Believe me, I wouldn’t ask something like this if it was not pertinent,” Vesalius calmly shot back. “Here, it be easier if I explained some things. Tell me, what level of knowledge do you all have when it comes to curses from a Healers standpoint?”

The group had varying levels of knowledge when it came to the topic. From Camila and Luz, whose understanding was almost nonexistent with the exception of a few things read from books Eda owned. To Lilith and Eda, who understood how to treat curses. But their knowledge of the more complicated parts of curses was lacking.

 “Allow me to explain some things then,” Vesalius immediately got ready to do a mini-lecture on curses. “Now, while I am trained in all manner of healing spells, techniques, and knowledge, my primary area of expertise and study is in curses. It’s part of why I was able to determine that Luz had been cursed so quickly,” they started to explain.

“One of the things that I and other healers that focus on curses do other than treat and cure them is to study them. We do this in various ways, but one of the main things we do is categorize them based on certain traits. We do this for several reasons, but the primary is to help with treatment, as curses that share traits tend to respond to similar treatments. It also means that when we are presented with a new curse, we aren’t starting from scratch every time we have to figure out how to cure or treat it, ” Vesalius looked at everyone to make sure they were following along. When it seemed like they were, they continued.

“Now, we put these traits into two groups when we do this. The first is what we call ‘Minor Traits.’ These aren’t the core parts of the curse but rather by-products of the other type of traits interacting with each other and/or a host.

The other kind of traits are what we refer to as ‘Major Traits.’ These are things like how long a curse lasts. If it is permanent or temporary. Whether it is physical, mental, or a combination. How a curse manifests. If it is always active or activates under certain conditions or triggers. If it-“

“V, we get it,” Eda’s voice broke Vesalius out of their excited rambling. They blinked and blushed when they realized they had gotten sidetracked. It was just that they so rarely got a chance to talk about their research like this.

Coughing, they rubbed the back of their neck. “Sorry, I think I got a bit excited when I got to explain all this without realizing….”

“It’s perfectly fine,” Camila assured Vesalius. “I’d love to hear more later, though, if you’d be willing to share, and I’m sure Luz would as well.” Luz nodded, desperate to hear more.

“That would be nice. Now, where was I….” Vesalius trailed off as they tried remembering the point they were trying to make. “Oh, right, that was it! Now the two things we really care about are the following. The first is that when curses share at least three major traits, we consider them to be within the same family taxonomically. And in most cases, certain major traits are more common in certain families of curses. The other is the trait related to what a curse affects specifically.

"Depending on what a curse affects dictates what some colloquially refer to as ‘The Infection Ark.’ This, to put it simply, refers to how many different kinds of creatures a curse could affect. Now, this gets complicated once you get into curses affecting different organisms but in different ways, but initially, we keep it relatively simple.

Still following along?” Again the group motioned that they were understanding Vesalius perfectly fine. “Good, just let me know if I need to explain anything better.

“based on what a curse affects, we separate them into two groups. The first is what we call ‘Universal Curses’ or ‘UCs’ for short. These are curses that affect things that pretty much all creatures would have. Things like cells, blood, the brain, cartilage, etc.”

“Would lycanthropy or vampirism be examples of ‘Universal Curses’?” Camila asked. Eda had explained that many of the myths and legends in the human realm were true and had originated in the demon realm. Including lycanthropy and vampirism, which were very much real, she learned.

Vesalius gave Camila a surprised smile, “yes, those two are perfect examples of ‘Universal Curses.’ ‘UCs’ are also usually, though not always ones that easily spread through a population. They were at one point given the nickname ‘Plague Curses’ for this very reason. Although that name has since fallen out of use.

"Now unfortunately for us, Luz’s curse isn’t a ‘Universal Curse.’ It’s the other type which we’d call a ‘Selective Curse.’ These are curses that affect things that only certain types of creatures might have. And in Luz’s case, that presents a problem. The curse Luz has belongs to the Metazoan family of curses.”

Camila’s brows furrowed at that name. She knew that term, having seen it enough times during studying for biology exams during college. But that would mean…

“My daughter’s curse is a beast curse….”

Vesalius looked mildly impressed that Camila figured that out. The rest of the room taking a moment to register what she had just said.

“It’s like my curse….”

“That’s right, and the issue is that beast curses should only affect creatures with a Bile-sac.”

“But that’s impossible. It’s already been established that my daughter doesn’t have a bile-sac….”

“And there in lies the conundrum we find ourselves with. Luckily I believe I figured out an answer. See, my theory is that if Luz had a parent with a similar curse, they could have passed it down to her somehow. The first would have been to just have her inherent it, which didn’t happen. What I did think happened was that it made her susceptible to curses she should have been unaffected by.”

“And that’s why you asked who my daughter’s other parent was.”

“Exactly. Though since you have no idea who it could be, I’m at a loss for where to even begin with that….”

“I mean, there’s the obvious answer….” Lilith piped up before trailing off. Vesalius and Camila followed her gaze towards Eda. Who took a second before scrunched up her face in slight annoyance.

“Lily, you can’t be serious….”

“Edalyn, think rationally for once. How many witches are not only cursed but have a curse in the exact same family and have a portal to the human realm?” Lilith retorted, eyebrow raised, waiting for a rebuttal from her sister.

Eda wanted to respond and deny the possibility. To just shut the whole conversation down and not even humour the idea for a second. Cause doing so would mean admitting that a part of her wants Luz to be hers. For her to be her daughter. But doing so would mean also grappling with the possibility that she could have inherited Eda’s curse. And that Eda could have destroyed her life before it even began.

And if it was true, what would that mean for her relationship with Luz and Camila. It had only been six months, and already things had changed so much for all of them.

And what if she wasn’t Eda’s? Eda isn’t sure how she’d handle that. Because deep down, Eda desperately wants Luz to be her daughter. And the possibility of checking only to be told that she isn’t filled Eda with an uncomfortable feeling.

Eda had dealt with disappointment and letdowns more times than she could count. But this time, it’s different. It feels more….

Terrifying.

And all the more tangible….

“It wouldn’t hurt to check, mi amor,” Camila’s voice called Eda out of her thoughts. Her hand had gently taken Eda’s. Her eyes meeting the witch’s with such warmth and compassion. “If we check and it’s revealed that you are her other biological parent, then that’s wonderful. And if you’re not?” Eda felt Camila squeeze her hand as she smiled at her. “Well, that doesn’t change a thing. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve both earned and have been given the right to call yourself Luz’s second mother. Both from me and, more importantly, from Luz herself.”

Luz responded by slipping out of Camila’s lap onto Eda’s and trying to slip her short arms around Eda in a hug. “You’ll be my Mama, no matter what,” Luz’s voice came out muffled. Her face is buried in the fabric of Eda’s red dress.

Eda didn’t know what to say or how to respond to any of this. She looked back and forth between Camila and Luz before eventually sighing. “Okay, let’s see if I’m Luz’s biological parent.”

Vesalius nodded and grabbed two of the leech-like creatures. Quickly drawing blood from Luz and Eda and adding another colourful Band-Aid to Luz’s arm and one onto to Eda’s. “I’ll have the results for this as quickly as possible,” and with that, they exited the room.

-----

It wasn’t long before Vesalius returned with results. The entire room, save for King’s sleeping noises, had been quiet. Though the silence was periodically broken by Luz excitedly exclaiming how she was going to be ‘An awesome Witch like Mama.’ Or by Camila asking Eda what they should do for dinner when they got home.

All the while, the two women knew that if Eda was Luz’s parent that they’d need to have a conversation about things. Stuff like living arrangements, where Luz would go to school, and what it meant for the two of them.

But the buzz of excitement and change could be felt from the small family.

As Vesalius entered their office, Eda could see them holding a sheet of paper. They said nothing as they handed Eda the paper and let her read what was on it.

Eda stared at the writing on the page for a few seconds, taking in what she was reading. Though for some reason, that simple task was becoming increasingly more difficult as her vision got blurry. And why were her cheeks wet? And the paper felt damp in places.

Rubbing her eyes, Eda looked at the results again. She had seen it right the first time. A smile on her lips as more tears threatened to spill.

Camila looked at the paper in Eda’s hands, the results causing her to gasp and look at the witch.

 “Cami, it’s a match….”

The pair stared at each other, and suddenly memories came back to both of them. Memories of loyd music, of drinking and partying.

Memories of a slightly lumpy matress. Of firm but gently caresses.

Of spending a night together.

“So that means that Luz is….” A smile spread on Camila’s face at the news.

Eda nodded excitedly, “Luz is my daughter!”

Camila practically threw her arms around Eda, overjoyed by the news. “This is wonderful!” Camila knew this would mean changes, but she was too happy to care right now. "Though how's that possible?"

"There are multiple ways for same-sex couples to conceive children on the Isles." Lilith quickly explained. "Though knowing my sister I can probably guess what kind she used."

"I do know a couple spells and probably used some of them recklessly while drunk...."

"Oh...." Camila’s cheeks flushed at the possible implications of what Eda and Lilith meant.

“So, does this mean you’re actually my Mama for real?” Luz’s question saved them from the awkward atmosphere that was trying to smother them.

Lifting Luz up, Eda spun her around before bringing her in for a hug. “That’s right, babes! How’s it feel having two of the coolest moms possible?”

Luz gasped excitedly before cheering. Then she got a look on her face before trying to wake her brother up. “King! King! Guess what?”

With a groggy “weh,” King looked at Luz, wondering why she woke him up.

“Mamas, my Mama!”

“Was mom not your mom already?”

“I mean, yeah. But now she’s my Mama for real!” Hearing that, King perked up, still tired but looking excited. “Which means we’re Siblings!” Now King was radiating the same excited energy as Luz.

Suddenly Luz’s eyes went wide before looking at King. “King, you know what this means for real?” King thought for a beat before realization dawned on him. The two got ready to start cheering.

“Three Moms! Three Moms! Three Moms!” The pair started chanting.

“Kids, now may not be the be the best time…..“ Eda tried to stop them. Which was a pointless endeavour. Camila just laughed softly, knowing they’d tire themselves out as Vesalius looked on amused.

“By the way, I know you said you study curses, but it’s honestly impressive just how knowledgeable you are,” Camila said to the Healer. “The way you talk about it feels like it goes beyond academic pursuits.”

“Why, thank you,” Vesalius shot Camila a proud smile. “I’ve been fascinated with curses all my life, you see. Plus, it helps to understand something when you deal with it in your day-to-day life,” Vesalius took another drag from their pipe as they finished talking.

Camila looked at the Healer, processing their words before looking at them wide-eyed. “You’re cursed?”

“Yep, been cursed for a hot minute.”

“And is that related?” Camila asked, gesturing to the pipe.

“Good eye! Yeah, I found taking my ‘elixir’ this way worked better for me.”

As Camila and Vesalius talked, Eda tried to wrangle the kids. Eda saw Lilith giving her a look with a knowing smirk as she did. Understanding what that look meant, Eda turned to her sister. “Okay, Lily, get it over with.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Edalyn. I’m just enjoying the amazing news with you all.”

“Sure….” By this time, Eda had managed to settle Luz snd King down.

“I am amazed that the two of you didn’t recognize each other.”

“It was three years ago, and I was drunk….”

“I was drunk, and my brain was fried from exams….”

Lilith sighed and just shook her head. ‘Well, at least they found each other….’

“I am curious as to why Luz doesn’t have a bile-sac or other witch features,” Lilith mused.

“Probably the sane reason Camila and her didn’t know they were witches. During development in the womb, lack of ambient magic in the environment meant the typical witch anatomy didn’t form,” Vesalius replied. “Though there is a possibility of Luz’s body changing due to the magic of the Isles. This should be fine except if her body decides to develop a bile-sac. And since this is unprecedented, we have no idea what might happen then.”

“What should we do,” Camila asked.

“Other than monitoring Luz and bringing her in once a month to see if a bile-sac has started growing? Not much, unfortunately. It’s the same with how her curse will affect her, “ Hearing this, Camila nodded.

“Now there’s one last thing to discuss, and it’s how Luz got cursed,” As Vesalius said this, everyone looked at them, intrigued. “Though there are some things that it might be better for Luz not to hear, Lilith, could you take Luz outside, please.” Hearing how serious Vesalius was, Lilith nodded and went to pick Luz up.

“Wait,” Eda stopped her sister and looked at Luz. “Luz, do you want to leave, or do you want to stay and hear what V had to say?”

“Eda…” Camila tried stopping her girlfriend, wondering what she was doing.

“Sorry, Cami, but I’m serious about this. For years I was treated as a conversation piece when it came to my own body and curse. Talked over like what I thought didn’t matter. I’m sorry if you disagree, but I can’t do the same to my own daughter.”

“Edalyn-“

“No, I agree with her. If something concerns our daughter, then she should be a part of the conversation. Otherwise, the conversation doesn’t happen.” Camila could tell how much this meant to Eda. That she didn’t want Luz to go through the same things she herself went through.

“Luz,” Eda addressed her daughter with a serious tone. “Do you want to hear what Healer Vesalius has to say, or would you like to have aunty Lily take you into the hallway?”

Luz looked at her moms and understood that this was a big deal. The way her moms wanted to make sure she was included in something like this made her feel respected. “I want to stay,” Luz answered.

Vesalius looked at the family in front of them before sighing. “Fine, if that’s your decision, I’ll respect it.” Vesalius then set their pipe down and ran a set of their fingers through their hair. The other pair steepled as they rested their elbows on their knees. “To understand how Luz got cursed, there is something you need to know.”

Everyone thought they were prepared for anything Vesalius might have said next. That after everything, they learned that nothing would faze them.

The next sentence out of the Healer’s lips proved them wrong.

“At some point during the last 24 hours, your daughter died.”

Chapter Text

‘Vesalius Sat in their office, their hand gripping a glass jar. Their eyes peering at the contents inside as they twisted and turned the container. The grey and blue, viscous smoke swirling around. Glancing over, Vesalius gnawed on their bottom lip as they looked at six more jars on their desk. All filled.

Their other hand tapped against the wood of the desk, a rhythmic ‘tak, tak, tak,’ as the dialling noise of their crow phone filled the still silence. They had found something deeply upsetting and were reaching out to someone. Someone that hopefully would be able to illuminate and answer to the evidence they had found.

Vesalius rarely got surprised by medical mysteries anymore. They’d been a healer for so long that they could figure out a solution or at least a working theory for most things thrown at them. A bit was experience; do something long enough and you can tackle new problems with some confidence. Some of it was intuition, trusting your gut after years of working and learning. And some was just pure confidence in one’s abilities.

Vesalius felt none of that at this moment. This was a problem fully outside their wheelhouse. This was a problem of beasts and fauna of claws and fangs and the things that prowled the isles.

The crow phone hopped around the desk, its beak knocking against the wood. Wholly oblivious to the tension of the elderly healer.

‘Caw-click’

Vesalius Sat up upon hearing the sound of the call being received. Their hand reached for the bird as a familiar voice sounded from the beak.

“Vesalius?” There was clear confusion in the gravely voice.

“Hello, Cerrit.”

“Hey, I love hearing from you, but we were about to have dinner. Is there a reason you’re calling me?” Vesalius could hear the concern in their old friend's words. “I know you wouldn’t call unless it was important.”

“Right, right, I’ll cut to the chase. I have a victim of harvest-reaper venom here-“

“Harvest-reaper venom? Why are you calling me for? You know how to handle that-“

“That’s not why I’m calling,” Vesalius's short tone cutting Cerrit off. “The patient is a four years old witchlet.”

“Four? Why would a Harvest-reaper attack a child? Are they alright?”

“For the most part, yes, but that’s not what I’m calling about,” Vesalius took a breath before relaying what they had found. “Based on the venom's residue, enough was put into this child to cause a full-grown witch to lose brain function.”

A chair scratched against the floor was heard as Cerrit stood up. Their tone was now full of worry. “What? Are you positive?”

“I have all the residue here, seven jars total.”

“Titan above…. What do you need me to do? And the witchlet, are they ok?” Vesalius could tell the concern about Luz was genuine. Next to beasts, Cerrit loved kids and always got distraught at the idea of one being hurt.

“They are fine. Not sure how, though. Still trying to figure that out. And I was hoping you might have some answers to why this kind of behaviour from a Harvest-reaper.”

Silence filled the call as Cerrit racked their brain for any kind of answer. A long sigh came through eventually.

“I have to apologize. I don’t have any explanation for this kind of behaviour. Honestly, I wish I could help more, as this news has left me worried….” Cerrit trailed off, the sound of his talons tapping against the hardwood floor as he paced, filling the call.

“It’s alright. I’m sorry for interrupting your dinner time.”

“No, no, it’s quite alright! I might not have any answers, but some colleagues of mine might. Let me reach out to some people.”

“That be great. Thanks, friend.”

“Don’t mention it. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. And maybe ask any other healers you know if they’ve had similar cases.”

“Good idea. I’ll make some calls this week. Thanks again, and have a good night.”

“No worries, and you too.”

With that, the call ended. Vesalius sitting at their desk, eyes studying the glass jars. They were unable to shake the uneasy feeling that settled in their stomach.

------

Everyone stared at Vesalius in stunned silence. Minds trying their best to process the news that the Healer had just presented them with.

Camila felt her stomach churn. A sickly feeling coiled in her gut as she reflexively clutched her daughter close. She was desperate to keep her safe but also to remind herself that Luz was here. That her daughter was living and breathing. That the warmth from her skin wasn’t a sick illusion.

For Eda, it felt like everything came crashing to a halt. The fear that something had happened to Luz had just become a reality. And not only that, but Eda knew that it had been her fault.

Eda barely noticed the feathers that had begun to sprout from her arm. It wasn’t until she felt the Owl-Beast screeching in her mind that she realized something was wrong. Upon hearing that their owlet had died, the Owl-Beast had gone into a frenzy. Scratching and clawing at the walls in Eda’s mind. Frantically trying to get at whatever had hurt their child.

“Cami!” Eda, in a panic, called out for Camila, hand out stretched.

Camila had been lost in her thoughts when Eda called for her. A cynical part of her told her that trusting Eda had been a terrible idea. Look where it had gotten them. Cause of the wild witch, her daughter had died.

‘Do you really think it’s a good idea to trust her with Luz?’ The voice in her mind asked her. And for a moment, Camila started to have doubts. Wondering if it would be better if she and Luz never saw Eda again.

“Cami!”

Hearing Eda’s voice, Camila snapped out of her head. Turning, she saw the witch grasping her arm, feathers sprouting all over her body. Something clicked in Camila’s mind upon seeing Eda like that. A reminder that Eda had loved Luz long before learning she was her kid. And that Eda would do anything for her daughter. Then she remembered the promise she had made to Eda. That no matter what was revealed at this appointment, she wouldn’t hold it against her.

Eda had been tossed aside so many times. Camila wasn’t going to let the ugly part of her make the same mistake.

Scrambling to open her purse, Camila fished out an Elixir. Eda wasted no time before slamming it back down the contents. Once the feathers subsided, Eda let out deep breaths, leaning against the shorter woman. The pair exchanged glances to make sure the other was okay and to reassure the other that they’d be there for the other.

Amidst the chaos, no one noticed the elder Clawthorne sister slipping out of the room.

Finally, having caught her breath, Eda frowned before glancing up. “What was that? We can’t just transform here?!” She could hear the Owl-Beast screeching and hooting in response. “There’s no danger against Luz here! Besides, you coming out would just cause more problems!”

After a couple seconds, Eda could feel the Owl-Beast huff before quieting down. Reluctantly agreeing with the grey-haired witch.

Vesalius looked at Eda as this interaction went on. This was an entirely new development, one that they’d need to talk about. One that would hopefully help Luz deal with her own curse in the future.

During all the commotion, Luz had worn an expression of deep concentration. Her brows furrowed, and her lips pursed in thought. “Does this…” Her tiny voice caused the rest of the room to look at her. Her tone held an inquisitive lilt, and her face scrunched up as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. “Does this mean I’m a zombie?”

A beat passed as everyone processed Luz’s question.

Before waiting for a response, Luz grabbed Eda’s arm. Barely hesitating, Luz gently chomped down onto the limb. A look of concentration on her face that quickly morphed into mild displeasure and slight disgust.

“Ow! babes….”

“Ptooie!” Luz grimaced as she tried to spit out the taste in her mouth. She grimaced as she spoke, her tone overly serious. “Either I’m not a zombie, or mama doesn’t taste good….”

The room fell dead silent. The only sounds were the soft, muffled snores of King.

‘Snrrk,’ Camila tried her best to stifle a laugh. The ridiculousness of her daughter's question and subsequent action having caught her off guard. Besides her, Eda wasn’t fairing much better. Though thanks to Luz, the mood in the room had seemed to bounce back significantly.

Smiling and holding back laughter, Vesalius waved their hands in front of them. “No, no. You’re definitely not a zombie. That’s an entirely different kind of curse.”

Finally, having calmed down, Camila looked at her daughter. Squinting her eyes, something dawned on her. “Luz… How do you know what zombies are?” upon hearing the question, Luz tried to divert her gaze in a poor attempt at dodging the question. “Luz Noceda.”

Luz looked at Eda, who just shook her head, “Sorry, kiddo, but you’re on your own.”

Trying to think back to when Luz could have learned about zombies, Camila’s eyes widened. “Luz, did you sneak out of bed when I watched those zombie movies recently?!” Luz looked down but nodded her head. “Dios mío, was that why you were having all those nightmares?” Again Luz could only nod in response.

Camila could only pinch the bridge of her nose in response. Shaking her head and muttered under her breath. “I’m not upset at you, young lady, but we’re going to have a talk when we get home. Got it.”

“Yes, Mami.”

“If I may interject, I’d like to try and get back on track,” Vesalius spoke up.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Please continue,” Camila responded.

“No worries, honestly. I think Luz’s question was just what we needed to lift the mood. now, as I was saying, your daughter passed away.”

“Right, how could you tell that? Or, more importantly, how is she alive?” Eda tried to think of what could have hurt her daughter but left no physical trace. “ Lily already did a full scan and found nothing wrong.”

“I’ll explain how she’s alive after,” Vesalius knew they had to tackle this bit by bit. “As for how I found out, understand that a regular scan wouldn’t have picked up what we found,” Vesalius answered, holding up a small glass jar filled with smoke. The jar had intricate runes and sigils carved into the glass, almost pulsed and thrummed.

“This,” Vesalius spoke clearly as the family looked at the jar. “Is residue left by harvest-reaper venom.”

Camila’s face quickly morphed into a look of confusion and horror upon hearing that name. Her mind rapidly pictured a revolting, inhuman monster looming over the still lifeless body of her daughter. Camila gulped, tasting bile on her tongue as she fought back the urge to vomit.

Eda, on the other hand, had an entirely different reaction. “But, that doesn’t make any sense….” She muttered. Camila turned to her with a look of confusion.

“What? What do you mean?!” Camila’s horror quickly turned into confusion.

“It doesn’t make any sense since harvest-reapers don’t kill,” Eda explained simply.

“Normally, they don’t, but when we find seven jars of venom residue, the evidence speaks for itself,” Vesalius interjected. Eda whipped her head when they mentioned how much residue they had found.

“Is that abnormal?” Camila wanted a proper explanation at this point. Her initial reaction to the name harvest-reaper faded away.

“Extremely, despite the name, harvest-reapers are one of the most docile creatures on the isles. So seeing something like this is cause for alarm,” Vesalius began to explain. “Most are extremely skittish around witches and demons and tend to avoid them.”

“Then why the macabre name?”

“It’s because of the unique property of their venom and what they do. The harvest part of the name comes from the way they take things from other creatures. Usually, bits of fur, drool, shedding scales, or anything that won’t cause what they’re harvesting from long-term harm. The reaper part is due to the way their venom causes those affected to enter a death-like state. Their bodies' various functions slow down briefly to the point where they appear dead,” Vesalius spoke clearly. Not missing the Look of wonder on Luz’s face as they explained. “A little bit of their venom is extremely potent, and only a small amount would be needed to incapacitate someone of Luz’s size. The amount of residue we found indicates that there was enough put into her system to kill a full-grown witch. Luz would have been dead in mere moments.”

“How could this happen?” Eda was trying to wrap her head around all this. She’d been around harvest-reapers, and had even gathered some of their venoms for potions. This kind of behaviour made no sense.

“No clue, a spike in aggressive behaviour from them when new offspring are born is typical, but that’s not for months. And never to this degree,” Vesalius did their best to answer. “I have a friend in the beast-keeping coven looking into it for me, but for now, it’s a complete mystery.”

Hearing this, Camila and Eda both sighed, silently agreeing that worrying about something like this wasn’t worth the energy. Besides, they had more pressing matters, like their daughter's return from the dead.

“Moving on, can you try and explain how Luz is alive?” Eda asked.

Vesalius began floating various books over while beginning their explanation. This would be a bit to go over. “Well, the first thing we need to establish is something we didn’t find. In the last few years, a new facet of curses has come to light. A sort of link between someone suffering from a curse and who or what cursed them. Now this ‘curse tether’ as it has been named fades over time, and in cases where the thing used to curse an individual is destroyed, the tether will be nearly all gone as well,” Vesalius began to explain. “I found no sign of a curse tether. What I did find, however, was a high concentration of unprocessed raw magic around the area of Luz’s lungs and heart.”

“From what?” Camila couldn’t help but lean in, enraptured in the healer's explanation.

Vesalius smiled as they began to flip through the pages of one of the books. “Simple, from a ghost,” the stated like it was an obvious answer.

“A ghost?” Eda and Camila replied in unison, clearly not expecting the conversation to take this turn.

“Yep,” Vesalius continued while displaying the page of the book to Camila. “See, curses are a broad facet of magic, and part of that is naturally occurring curses. Curses are not brought on by an individual witch or demon but by the raw magic of a place reacting to things such as strong emotions. Ghosts are an example of those kinds of curses. The bit of unprocessed raw magic found on Luz has the same properties as that of the various spectres that haunt the isles.”

“So my daughter was possessed? How does that explain how she’s alive?” Camila glanced down at Luz as she asked her questions. She was still trying to process the reality of her daughter having died and come back to life.

“I believe that Luz getting possessed may have resuscitated her,” seeing the bewildered looks the two mothers gave them, the healer began to elaborate. “This line of reasoning is based on research records from pre-savage ages. Most likely from the mid to late deadwardian era. Now part of these documents discusses a theory on using the magic of spectres commanded by oracles to help revive the recently deceased. Using a bit of the magic of the ghost to help Kickstart the witch's own magic.”

“That’s wild magic,” Eda had never thought of using oracle and healing magic together. So hearing that Vesalius had research talking about mixing the two intrigued her. Having to spend most of her focus on surviving daily meant she didn’t have as much time for her study of mixing magic. “how do you have those documents? I thought any records from that era were destroyed?”

“I have my sources. Now, this next bit is more speculation than anything. See, while Luz getting possessed revived her, I also believe it triggered her getting cursed. Even getting resuscitated, the venom would have left Luz extremely weak. I think whatever possessed your daughter sensed this and, in the act of compassion, chose to bond with your daughter.”

Eda began to speak as Vesalius finished their explanation. “The fact that was able to happen is rather-“

“Lucky? Very much so. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know if it would have worked if your daughter wasn’t susceptible to that kind of curse. But try not to dwell on what-ifs. Your daughter is here, and that’s what matters. Oh, and Edalyn.”

“Yeah?”

“You still have your hexes-Holdem cards?”

“Of course? Why….”

“Burn them 'cause I think your daughter being right now used up any luck you might have had for the next decade,” Vesalius teased. Trying their best to bring some levity to the moment.

Camila looked stunned. Barely paying attention to the healer and her girlfriends back and forth. The entire trip had been a roller-coaster of emotions, and right now, she didn’t know whether to weep from joy or stress from the whole accord. The idea that something saw her little girl and decided to forgo themselves to help her was too much. “Th-Th-They decided to save my Luz…. Why?” Camila managed to choke out as she tried to hold back tears. Eda rubbed her back as Luz tried to hug her.

Hearing the “I don’t know. Maybe it’s an innate aspect of being alive. The instinct to protect young,” Vesalius leaned back as the spoke. Pipe twirling between their fingers. “What I do know is that whatever bonded with your daughter did so willingly. And in a needless act of selfless compassion, they gave your daughter a second chance. I know the irony of this statement, but I think your daughter getting cursed may have been a small blessing.”

The family sat there, processing everything that they had learned. Camila and Eda were both emotionally exhausted and needed to just lay down while their minds dealt with all the new information. Luz was beginning to lose steam, and King had fully passed out in the nest he made in Eda’s hair.

“What now?” Eda was the one to break the silence. “Will this affect her curse differently than mine?”

“I’m not sure. This is entirely unprecedented, and there’s no way of knowing how Luz’s curse will manifest. All you can do is have her take the prescribed elixir and bring her in for routine check-ups. Otherwise, we just have to wait and see.” Vesalius saw the lingering signs of worry and stress on the two women’s faces, leaning forward the gently placing their hands on top of theirs. “I know this is a lot, but you’ll get through this. Trust me.”

Giving them a weak smile, Eda sighed as the lingering stress started to ease off her body. The healer had always had that calming presence in these kinds of moments. And right now, she was grateful for it. Looking at Camila, she saw her girlfriend looking noticeably less tense as well. “Alright, V, we’ll take your word for it.”

“Any other things you needed to go over with us?” Camila was now holding Luz as the girl's head rested against her shoulder. Her eyes, heavy with sleep, drooped farther down with each passing moment.

Seeing this, Vesalius got ready to wrap up. “There’s only one last thing I wanted to ask about. Does Luz know any withlets or baby-demons around her age? Other than King?”

“No, why?” Camila asked as she gently held her daughter. Swaying slightly to further lul Luz to sleep. An easy bedtime after everything today would be welcomed.

“Being around other witches and demons her age would help her learn more about her own magic. It’s easier for witchlets to learn from each other, and Liz could benefit from being in such an environment. If you’d be interested, I know Hexside runs a preschool in conjunction with the Bonesborough library. It might be worth the time to enroll Luz In it.”

Camila quickly looked over at Eda and saw her tense up. She knew Eda had a history with school but also knew that she wouldn’t let that cloud her judgment for Luz. “W-We’ll think about it.”

“Well, if you want any first-hand info, talk to Sylvia. I know she has a handful of nibblings go through that preschool” Vesalius began to tidy up as the meeting had come to a close. “Anything else you needed?”

Looking at Eda, Camila gently nudged her. “Do you want to talk about what we discussed?” She asked gently. Voice low to keep the conversation between her and Eda. She knew this was a big thing for the witch and wanted to make sure she was comfortable.

Eda thought for a moment before nodding. This was probably the best chance to talk about getting a better handle on her curse. Turning to the healer, she spoke. “V, I wanted to know if there’s any way for me to get my curse under better control? Other than the elixirs.”

Vesalius thought for a moment before answering. The look on their face showed that they weren’t expecting this question and had to take a second to think. “It’s possible, but I’d have to do some research. Why the desire all of a sudden? I don’t mean to pry, but you never brought this up on the odd occasions you came to see me in the past.”

Eda briefly glanced at Luz and Camila and then at King. Her gaze softened as her eyes fell over her kids. “It just feels like something I want to do,” Vesalius didn’t miss the small shine in Eda’s eyes. It was different from the look of mischief she wore. Vesalius knew exactly why she was doing this.

“I’ll look into it, and if I find something, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks, V.”

“No problem Edalyn,” Vesalius spoke with a softness. They were glad to see Eda doing better after all she’d been through. “And if you ever need anything for you, Camila, or the kids, give me a call. I’ve known you long enough that I’d consider us family.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Eda replied as she fished King out of her hair. A sleep squeak coming from the baby demon before falling back asleep as Eda swaddled him into a blanket she pulled from her hair. The demon mumbled as he slept.

Vesalius chuckled at the sight. They never thought Edalyn and mother would be in the same thought, but right now, the wild witch had a look that looked good on her. They hoped they saw Eda like this more often. Turning to Camila, they saw Luz not fairing any better than her brother. Her head rested against her mother’s shoulder, a small trail of drool falling from her mouth as she tried to fight sleep.

“Thank you again for seeing us on such short notice,” Camila thanked the healer as she stood up to leave. She is doing her best to readjust her hold on her daughter.

“It’s nothing,” Vesalius waved their hand but smiled nonetheless. “You all have a safe trip home. And talk to Sylvia on your way out about the Hexside preschool and setting Luz for another appointment down the line.”

“Got it, V,” Eda replied as she opened the door. Letting Camila pass before giving the healer a wave as she followed. The door closing behind her with a soft click.

Looking around, Eda frowned. She had noticed that Lilith had left after the brief scare from the Owl-Beast. But she hadn’t come back yet. As she went to take her scroll out to message Lilith, her scroll chimed with a message.

■Prissy_Lily■: Something came up. Sorry I had to leave. Tell Camila and the kids that I’m sorry for not saying good by properly.

EDA: sure. Is everything okay?

■Prissy_Lily■: Everything is perfectly okay. Tell the others that I’ll miss them and can’t wait to see the kids again.

Camila saw Eda’s face morph between expressions. From concern to confusion. “Is everything alright?” She asked, shaking Eda from her focus on her scroll.

“Y-Yeah just got a message from Lily. She said she had to leave and was sorry for not saying goodbye.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Camila replied as she placed a hand on Eda’s shoulder. “Are you alright? You seem worried.”

Eda thought before responding. “I’m… fine, I think….” After everything that had been revealed about her sister during this trip to the healers, she didn’t know how she felt. Lilith apparently had become so consumed with work that she couldn’t even take care of herself. Eda couldn’t help but wonder just how long it had gone on for.

Camila could hear the uncertainty in Eda’s voice but decided not to press. They’d both been through enough today, and discussions like that could wait.

Camila looked down at Eda’s hand, thinking for a split second. Before gently tapping her own against it. Eda looked at her, silently asking if Camila was sure about this. Okay, with staying with Eda after everything that’s happened. That she didn’t think of Eda like a monster.

“I made you a promise, didn’t I?” Camila asked with a tilt of her head. Immediately Eda’s eyes widened. She swallowed thickly and already could feel herself fighting back a small wave of tears.

Eda thought that after learning that Luz had died cause of her, Camila would want nothing to do with her again. With shaking hands, she laced her fingers with Camila’s. She shot the shorter woman a thankful smile.

The family made their way out of the clinic. Camila grabbed Sylvia’s scroll info on her way. Enrolling Luz in preschool didn’t seem like a bad idea, especially since it meant Luz meeting kids her age.

“Oh, the Hexside preschool is wonderful!” Sylvia had enthusiastically told her when Camila asked. “I’m sure Luz will Love it. And just give me a holler if you want to meet up to talk, always like making some new friends.”

“Will do,  and thanks again for being so good with Luz earlier.”

“Oh, again, it was nothing. And let the little angel know that if she ever wanted to, she has an open invite to braid my wool.”

“I’m sure she’ll love that. Bye now.”

“Seeya, you folks, take care, and get home safe, ya hear!”

Camila and Eda waved as they exited the clinic. Immediately the two felt a slight nipping at their skin from the cold evening air. Their breath formed into little puffs of fog, and shivers ran through their bodies.

Summoning Owlbert, Eda helped Camila onto her staff. Rummaging through her hair once the shorter woman was seated comfortably. After a bit of searching, Eda pulled out a second blanket and threw it over Camila and Luz. Bundling them up so they’d be warm during the ride back.

Camila gave the witch a warm smile as she snuggled into the blanket. Luz making happy little sleep sounds as well. Enjoying the comfort the blanket brought.

Once everyone else was seated, Eda got on to her staff. Her one arm cradled King as she gently motioned Owlbert to begin flying. The Palisman flew slower this time in order to not wake the sleeping passengers.

The flight was silent save for the low whistling of the wind and the distant murmurs of the city below. Witches and demons heading to taverns, bars and clubs; leaving shifts or closing up shops for the night; or whitchlets, witchlings, and young demons that were out late. The sound of a city humming with low energy. That sound gradually faded out as they made their way over past the city limits and into the forest and countryside.

Camila had never had a chance to see the isles like this. The first time flying, she’d been terrified and the time before getting to the owl house when she did look had been so short. And this last time, she’d been panicking about her daughter during the flight to the healers. But now, looking at it at night, she could appreciate the isles more.

Before, she thought the isles were beautiful, but now?

Calling them beautiful felt like a disservice, like the word didn’t fully capture just how breathtaking they really were. Even only a few hundred miles above the ground, Camila could tell that she was only getting a glimpse of things, but that glimpse? It felt like a few strokes to a much more impressive piece of work.

Flying over the forest, Camila took note of how the woods gradually faded into rolling hills. Some of which Camila could see were dotted with small farmsteads. Fields of crops or animals. Coops for fowl or other egg-laying beasts the isles might home. And large barns or sheds.

Camila tried to note where the farms were in relation to the Owl House. If only so she could go and check out the kinds of beasts they might have.

Eda must have noticed Camila staring off into the distance. Her eyes moved in their sockets as she made mental notes of everything she saw. Cause she broke Camila out of her concentration as she spoke up, voice low so as to not wake the kids. “It’s amazing, right? Seeing the isles at this time of day,” Eda gave Camila a warm grin as she waited for a response.

“Yeah, it’s honestly breathtaking,” was Camila’s response. “I thought I got a good look the last time I was up here, but I can see I was wrong. I’d love to just make this a regular thing, to be completely honest.”

Eda was taken by slight shock by how sincere Camila sounded as she said the last part. “ We could if you’d like. Maybe I could even teach you if you ever got your own staff?” Eda said the last part like a question. Slight hesitation as she wasn’t sure if she was stepping too far or not. Maybe Camila wouldn’t want a staff.

Camila also didn’t know how to respond to that. She had just learned she was part witch, so the idea of maybe having a staff one day hadn’t occurred to her. Would she want one? If so, what sort of Palisman would she get? Would a Palisman even like her? Owlbert seemed to, but maybe that was cause Eda liked her.

Shaking her head, Camila decided to focus on the first thing Eda said. She could unpack the other stuff at a later date. “ Flying over the isles with you would be lovely,” she said as she leaned against the witch. Eda couldn’t help but shudder at how warm and honest those words were.

“Thanks, by the way,” Eda said as they continued to fly.

“Why? What for?”

“For not, you know. Leaving and taking Luz with you. For not seeing me as some sort of monster.”

“Well,” Camila started in a sing-song voice. Aiming to bring a little levity to the situation. “I did need you to give us a ride back home.” Eda couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Plus, well, like I told you before, I made you a promise, didn’t I?”

“ Yeah, well,” Eda started with a sigh. “Sometimes promises get broken. And you learn to expect that, so it hurts less when it inevitably happens….”

Camila let those words sink in. “inevitably happens.” Eda had made promises before, only to have them shatter.

Deciding to try and squash those fears, Camila gently grasped Eda’s face. Turning her head to look at her. “Eda, I promise you. Unless you do something to intentionally endanger our daughter, I will not leave you when you mess up. Got that?” Rich gold peered into warm brown. Eda searched Camila’s for any sign of deceit, a hidden lie, a secret caveat. She’d spent years perfecting the cart of lying and could easily see one. But on Camila, she found no lies, just honesty.

Eyes still locked with Camila’s, Eda gave a small nod. Satisfied, Camila pulled Eda down. Giving her a small peck before speaking. “Perfect. Also, I think this goes without saying, but I don’t think it be right for you to learn you have a daughter. Only to then have her taken from you.”

“Right, still can’t believe I have a daughter,” Eda said as she looked down at Luz sleeping. “I can’t wait to teach her everything I know. Like how to pickpocket or pick locks.”

“You’re not teaching our child how to pickpocket or lock-pick,” Camila said flatly. And neither of them commented on how casually she had said “our daughter” cause it was a fact. Luz was their daughter. And not just cause they shared genes.

“What, but why? Learning to pickpocket will teach her hand-eye coordination and good hand Dexterity. And lock-picking will be useful if she ever gets locked out of your house,” Eda stated.

Camila sat there, actually thinking about Eda’s reasoning. After a bit, she came to a decision. “She can learn how to pick locks, but not how to pickpocket.” Eda nodded, a fair compromise if she’d ever heard one. Plus, if Luz was anything like her, she’d teach herself how to pickpocket on her own.

They continued to fly in comfortable silence. Just enjoying each other’s company as the kids slept soundly. Every so often, King or Luz would fidget in their sleep and say something nonsensical, earning a quiet giggle from the two moms. Though eventually, Camila decided to ask another question. “Eda, I know this is sudden, but would you be willing to meet the rest of my family.”

Eda swore that if they were going any faster, she would have flown off her staff along with everyone else as she stopped it. Instead, they merely rocked a little. Turning to look at Camila with wide eyes, like she’d asked Eda something inconceivable.

Because Eda ‘The Owl Lady’ Clawthorne was not someone people took home to meet the family. Eda was someone you dated secretly or saw as a fling. Eda was something to be kept in a closet. A thing meant to be ashamed of. Never brought out into the light of the public eye.

Eda was someone you dated cause it would be fun. Not because you thought it would last and definitely not because you thought she was someone to introduce the family to.

Eda had known that truth for years. A life time of one night stands and patchy relationships had told her so. 

Eda wasn't worthy of such love.

But here she was, mind still taking in the once unthinkable question that Camila had asked her. The complete sincerity of whether she'd be willing to meet Camila’s family having caught Eda completely off guard.

Camila had popped the question like it was the most obvious thing to ask someone. Like she truly felt like Eda was worth the time. Eda couldn’t remember the last time a partner felt about her like that.

No, one witch would have seen her in such a way. Memories of kind eyes, mint-grin hair, and the sounds of whistling flashed through Eda’s mind. Reminders of a witch that had truly and unapologetically been in love with Eda.

Until Eda destroyed that love and trust…

Realizing she’d gotten lost in her thoughts, Eda shook her head. She could see Camila staring at her, head tilted in concern but still waiting patiently for a response. “Are you sure you want them to meet me? I mean, I’m not exactly someone you take home.”

“Yeah, I’m positive about this. I want you to be a part of my life, including things like that. Plus, I think it be good for them to meet the other mother of Luz. So will you?”

Part of Eda wanted to say no, but the other could see how much this mattered to Camila.Giving the nod, she answered, “sure, just give me a heads up. Want to make sure I look good for them.”

“I’m sure you’ll look great, and you can come to our next family get-together. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds great.”

“And maybe I can meet your family sometime?” At that, Eda froze. Camila could see her looking uncomfortable, trying to figure out a response.

“I’m not really close with my family.” Camila could tell there was something more there but decided not to press.

------

After a bit more flying, they landed outside the Owl-House. The two women now feeling exhaustion taking hold. It had been a long day, and they both could use some sleep. Both were slightly jealous that their kids had gotten to sleep during the flight home.

“Well, I guess you’ll be taking Luz home,” Eda said as she went to grab the portal key. But before she could, Camila stopped her.

“Actually, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to spend a few more days here.”

“What about work?” Camila had explained to Eda just how important her work as a vet was to her.

“I may have taken a couple weeks of paid vacation time off that I had banked. Since I might have wanted more time to spend with you. More than a single weekend,” Camila stated bashfully. Hoping she wasn’t putting Eda out or anything.

“Oh. Well, in that case, I’d love to spend more time with you and Luz,” Eda stepped back from the key. Motioning for Camila to follow her. “And should we put the kids in their own room or?...”

“Or maybe we should keep them with us,” Camila could tell where Eda was going with this. “After today, I’m not too keen on leaving them, you know?” Camila gestured vaguely with her free hand.

“Alone? Yeah, I’m feeling the same way,” Eda responded as the two made their way to the stairs. “Well, in that case, would you like to head up to my nest?” Eda made a big dramatic gesture. Earning a soft fit of laughter from Camila.

Once she’d composed herself, Camila took Eda’s hand. “I’d love to~.”

Chapter Text

The sound of clicking heels on the polished floors could be heard through the empty halls. Lilith could feel knots forming in her stomach as her brain screamed at her. Legs moved as quickly as possible to carry the rest of her to the nearest bathroom. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as hives began to form along her arms.

Finally coming to her destination, Lilith felt herself stumble. The Covenhead, normally a figure of grace and poise, barely managed to stop herself from toppling to the ground. The reality of what had happened to her niece now beginning to settle in. And with it came the cold understanding that she had been partially responsible in some way.

Lilith felt a brief but sharp pinch at the base of her neck as she pushed open the bathroom door. Reaching a hand up to check the area, Lilith found nothing there. Not even the indication that anything had even been there.

‘It’s just a muscle spasm. From all the stress and I’ve been working too hard,’ Lilith tried her best to reassure herself.

Turning the sink on, Lilith let the water run as she got lost in her thoughts. Luz had died. Her niece had died. And all because of her. If she had never cursed her sister, then Luz wouldn’t have been able to wander into the woods like she had.

She was a monster. A coward that couldn’t bear the possibility of her sister beating her. No, not a possibility but a fact. Eda had always been the better of the two, and Lilith knew that to her core. So like a coward, she had done the one thing she should have never done.

And what had that gotten her? A position that no longer filled her with a sense of accomplishment? Hollow praise from witches who clamoured to be in her good graces, many with less than good intentions. Merely hungry for power and status. Colleagues that she could barely stand, let alone work with? Endless hours of demanding work? And the reality that she’d harmed more than just her sister.

Lilith gripped the edge of the sink tighter, knuckles turning white as she watched the water. Tears welled in her eyes, and her breath became sharp. Images of her sweet little niece lying on the cold forest floor. Skin ashy and eyes dull and lifeless. She could feel herself becoming sick, her stomach twisting and turning violently as the images became more vivid.

She had to leave. She couldn’t stay and face her sister, not after everything that had happened. Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself. Lilith did her best to straighten herself out by splashing the cold water onto her face.

As she raised her head, Lilith felt her breath get caught in her throat as her two stomachs dropped. Before, the witch wasn’t her reflection but an image of a forest. The leaves were deadly still, and all the colour was sucked out. Save for one.

Red.

Bright, crimson red that thickly pooled on the forest floor. Lilith knew she shouldn’t look, to just turn away and leave. But she had always had trouble with things like that. Curiosity was one of the few things she and her sister shared. Lilith moved her head slightly and followed the red liquid until she found the source.

She wished she hadn’t.

Lying on the forest floor was Luz. Limbs twisted into horrific angles, body lying limp amidst what Lilith now knew was blood. Lilith let out a horrified gasp and immediately wished she hadn’t. As Luz’s head snapped towards her direction.

Using her mutilated arms, the grotesque vision of her niece began to drag herself closer to Lilith. Choked gurgling sounds fell from her lips as she inched closer and closer.

‘Look at what could have been? Look at what you caused. No wonder everyone leaves you. You taint and destroy everything you touch. You’re nothing but a disease,” Lilith could hear a voice in the back of her head speaking to her. The words rang true as she stood there, shocked.

Every part of Lilith told her to run. But her legs felt like lead, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move. Fear weighing down her muscles, trapping her there. Sweat dripped down her skin as she stared into her niece's dead, lifeless eyes as she moved closer to her. Blood bubbled up in the tear ducts and cascaded down her ashy skin, a desperate pleading look in them.

After what felt like an eternity, ‘Luz’ reached the edge of the glass. Her arm reached out past the threshold. And now Lilith could hear the unnatural cracks and pops as the limb moved. Gut-wrenching, squelching noises filled the air as muscles moved in ways they never should. She felt herself becoming sick, but she remained still. Unable to do anything but stand there.

She felt ‘Luz’s’ cold, clammy hand grip her wrist. And suddenly, she could feel herself being pulled forward. Her face came inches away from ‘Luz’s.’ But no matter what Lilith tried, she couldn’t stop it.

Nose millimetres from her nieces. Cold, unnatural breath against her skin. Lilith was helpless to do anything.

Then, nothing. Like a waking nightmare, Lilith felt herself blink. The mirrors were back to normal, and nothing odd in sight. Just her now laboured breathing and the sound of running water.

Swallowing thickly, Lilith shut the water off, pulling her scroll put with her free hand. Shooting her sister a hext, she rushed out of the clinic. Racing home as fast as her palisman could fly.

-----

A crystalline table sits in the middle of a large chamber. The floor, walls and ceiling were a shifting and flowing inky blackness. Doted by an uncountable number of stars. Surrounding the table sit nine chairs. Each was different from the others. And at the head of the table, a giant horned skull. Its massive presence solidifying its importance. The eye sockets peered down at the table, not with malice or ill intent, but instead silently watching. Observing.

The sounds of splashing could be heard, steadily getting closer and closer. Until finally, a figure appeared from the void. The soft silvery blue light from the table illuminated their features.

Their large form was imposing. A hulking body was a mismatched amalgamation of fur, feathers, and claws. Numerous braying, squawking and howling animal heads shifted across their body. The features shifted and changed as they moved across the surface of the figure's form. Amidst the beastly faces sat a pair of piercing golden eyes shrouded in darkness.

Turning to the skull, the figure bowed before pulling out one of the chairs. As they dat down, the area of the table before them began to change. The once opaque white crystal surface shifted to a bright, vibrant orange that gradually bled into neighbouring areas.

Hunkering down, they waited for the arrival of the others.

“Ah, I was certain I’d be the first one here,” The first figure turned their head to see who had arrived. Their eyes met a tall witch. Blindfold wrapped around their eyes, and three pairs of arms extended out of a long flowing robe.

From four of the hands, an item was held. From one, grains of sand seemed to fall from an outstretched palm. Cascading endlessly, never leaving a trail, merely fading into the ether. The next held delicately held a glass orb, swirling clouds inside. In the third sat a deck of cards, one lifting off the top every so often before sliding back into the middle. Lastly was a gilded scale, both sides falling or rising periodically. The other two hands were clasped in front of the witch as they walked forward.

“Did the fates tell you that Delmos?” the first said towards them. Delmos pulled out a chair and sat down. Like before, the area before them sifted to a deep purple.

“Sadly, no, I merely assumed I’d get here first. An educated guess, if you may. And good to see you as well, Tiberius,” Delmos shot back.

The first figure, now known as Tiberius, huffed but decided to move on. “I assume you know what this is about.”

“I do not, actually. No matter what I try, the fates refuse to show me anything. It is quite troubling, and I do not know what to do about it,” they turned their head to the skull before continuing. “What I do know is that the All-Father has never been this worried. I only wish we could directly do something.”

“You know just as well as I do that we gave up that right when we took up our posts,” Tiberius responded dryly. A pig-like head snorting to punctuate their words.

“Yes, yes, I’m well aware. I knew exactly what the terms were when I took my post as one of the nine keepers of a Dominium Magicae. But you can’t blame me for getting restless,” Delmos responded with a sigh. Slumping into their seat. “Plus, you're not doing much better judging by the sounds coming from you.”

The beasts that made up Tiberius’s form continued to cry out during the entire time. Sounds of distress coming from them all. “I do not know the cause, but many of my children have slowly begun to lose themselves. I fear if something is not done soon, then it will bring ruin to not just what I watch over but the rest of the Isles.”

“Perhaps it is related to what All-Father has called us for,” Delmos tried to look at their companion's trouble from the best angle. If it was related, then it would hopefully make everything easier. “Though I am worried by them summoning us out of the blue. Especially after centuries of barely a peep from them….”

“As much as I hate to agree, you have a point. Though we can’t do much until the others arrive.”

“Right, we’d be doing nothing more than speculation.”

The two continued to chat, waiting for their other seven colleagues and companions.

-----

Luz’s eyes fluttered open to an expanse of an endless sea. Deep rolling blue waves stretched out far beyond the horizon, and a sky of soft magenta and pinks, with a hint of orange that kissed that horizon. Luz surveyed it all, miles upon miles above the surface of the water. Her small body was suspended far above the water's surface, floating in the air.

Then as if gradually remembering the concept of gravity her body began to descend slowly. Gradually dropping until finally, her feet touched a solid surface. She looked around. Whatever she had landed on was gigantic. With deep ridges and canyons, and sloping peaks and hills. The surface was rough, with jagged gashes and scars that seemed to litter the surface. No longer could she see the horizon beyond the edge of whatever she had landed on.

Then the ground beneath her feet began to tremble, sending her toppling to the ground. Looking around Luz could see the sky begin to change from orange and purple to a rich and deep black, decorated by bits of brilliant white. After a bit, the shaking stopped, and Luz looked around. She was now much higher, having been raised far into the sky.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” A deep rumbling voice spoke, causing Luz to turn to the source. There, standing taller than a continent, stood a figure. Stars whirled and danced through their horns and limbs longer than anything Luz had ever seen before. The sounds of waves crashing into the figure's legs could be heard faintly in the distance. It was then that she realized that the surface she stood on wasn’t ground but a massive hand.

Moving carefully, the figure began to sit down, their form displacing seas' worth of water as they did so. Legs sprawled out, their knees peaking out from the waters, creating islands far off in the distance to Luz.

They held her so gently, cradling her minuscule body in their palm as if she were made of glass. To them, she was barely a spec, but they looked at her as if she were the most important thing in creation. Eyes peering down at her with such warmth and compassion that the little witchlet knew that the colossus being, despite their size, would never do her harm.

Trying to respond, Luz quickly found that her mouth refused to move. Sensing her panic, the figure spoke again. “Do not fret, Wild Daughter. You do not need to speak here. Merely think something, and I shall know,” their voice was soothing, quickly pushing out the panic that Luz felt. “Though I must apologize for we have but a sparse few moments to speak, and I have much to tell you.”

Hearing the urgency in their words, Luz sat down and gave the being her undivided attention. Chuckling at that, the figure continued. “Thank you, little one. Now I wish I spoke to you in better circumstances, but alas, I do not.”

Luz watched their eyes move, staring off far into the distance. Their gaze searching for something far off beyond the horizon. Their chest rose and fell, and their face shifted to a deep frown as they picked their words carefully.

 “I will not mince words, a great Calamity is coming, and you will play a role in stopping it. A disease infects the isles, tainting and twisting all it touches. And now I must turn to you to heal this Plague,” Luz could hear the pain in their voice. The harsh reality was that they did not want to burden them with something of such magnitude.

“I wish there were some other way, but fate has deemed you necessary for what is to come. My only desire is that you, in time, will learn to forgive me, even though I know I will never deserve such a courtesy,” Their voice broke as they spoke.

Taking a deep breath, they continued. “When you awake, you will remember non of this. It is better that way. Enjoy your childhood witchlet, and know that you walk under my protection.”

With that, they being began to crumble, and Luz was left plummeting to the waters below. The images faded till only warm darkness was left.

-----

Chattering, clicking, cawing. A cacophony noise filled Camila’s ears. Air thick with the howling, squeals, and growls of all manner of beasts. Camila opened her eyes and saw she stood in a deep, dense forest. Where the underbrush had overgrown, and a canopy of leaves barred all but the most determined rays of light.

Through the trees, Camila could see eyes, animalistic eyes. Eyes that watched from the safety of the trees, not daring to get any closer. They looked at Camila not with a predatory hunger but with an innate curiosity.

It was at this point Camila realized they were looking at her with a sense of respect. The feeling of them

The deep, intoxicating smells of the forest hit her senses. Scents of blooming flowers, damp tree bark, and decaying leaves. She could feel the damp forest floor beneath her feet. The gentle feeling of leaves, fungus, and moss as they brushed against her legs.

A part of Camila understood that this was a dream, but at the same time, it wasn’t. This was far too vivid to be any mere dream. Every part of it felt like she was here for a reason.

As she tried to focus on her surroundings, the sounds of the beasts fell into the background. Though the more she listened to them, the more she began to understand them on some level.

“Is….her..”

“She….  Ion….”

The phrases were choppy, and she only got every other word or so. But what Camila could tell was that everything they said seemed to be directed at her.

Suddenly a rustling could be heard. Snapping her head towards the source Camila watched as the leaves and branches parted, and something stepped into the clearing. Still shrouded in darkness, it slinked its way towards Camila.

A massive, bestial body wrapping around the edge of the grove. Larger than anything that Camila had ever seen before. With limbs thicker and longer than redwoods, Its multiple legs splayed out. And a body that could stretch across valleys. And yet, at times, Camila felt it was no larger than a mouse. So small and delicate that Camila wondered if she could hold the creature. Wondered what it would be like to cradle it in the palm of her hand.

Would it allow her to?

Camila felt herself staring at it, watching how its features shifted and changed. Fluid and morphic. From antlers to horns, to glittering scales to thick woolly fur. Camila watched, transfixed, as the majestic chimeric beast's body flowed like water.

And then there were its eyes. Amidst a mass of shifting and changing features shrouded in darkness sat two sets of piercing golden and blue eyes. Its head held high as it looked down at Camila, and she felt herself shrink under the intense gaze.

Then something incredible happened. The beasts grew silent, and the air filled with the now deafening sounds of wind rustling through the leaves. Camila could hear the blood in her ears as her heart hammered away in her chest. Her mouth was dry despite how much she was salivating from nerves. Camila couldn’t help but fear that the beast before her had grown tired of studying her and now aimed to simply eat her. Though the vicious snapping of razor-like jaws never came, instead Camila watched as the beast bowed its head to her.

Its head hung low, eyes closed as a feeling of serenity washed over the clearing. Camila spun around and behind the beast's body, and through the trees, Camila could see faint outlines of more beasts. All bowing their heads to her. And as she looked around, a warm, tingling sensation slowly began to envelop her. The same sensation she got when she had used her magic before.

But this was different, filled with an animalistic primal sensation. One that caused the hairs on her neck and arms to stand on end. She had no idea what to make of any of what was happening. But she knew that the feeling felt more than right to her.

The ever-shifting beast let out a low rumbling growl that seemed to shake the very earth, and Camila, as if on instinct quickly understood that it was directed at her. This time, however, she could understand them perfectly. The words hung in her mind as she realized that what they had said to her wasn’t merely a phrase but a title.

“Den Mother.”

Chapter Text

Rays of sunlight streamed in through the window. Particles of dust illuminated as they danced in the morning air. The calm, still morning silence was only broken by the sounds of a sleeping demon child.

As a beam of light crossed Camila’s eyes, she let out a small grunt. Rubbing her eyes, she began to stir. Blinking a few times to fight back the claws of sleep.

With a yawn, she turned to face Eda. She smiled at the sight of the still sleeping witch’s face. Giggling softly at the string of drool and the absolute mess her hair had become.

Realizing she hadn’t seen Luz, Camila began rifling through the blankets and seeking on the other side of Eda and all but tearing the bed apart, looking for her daughter. Feeling panic settling over her, Camila went to get out of the nest. But before she did so, she stopped as she caught sight of something above her.

Looking up, Camila felt her breath catch in her throat. Frantically she began to shake Eda awake. “Eda, get up! It’s an emergency!”

Grumbling Eda opened her eyes, turning to look at Camila. “What’s wrong,” Eda slurred out. Still not fully awake. Camila grabbed her face, turned it towards the ceiling, and pulled her eyes open.

After a moment, Eda’s eyes focused on what was above her. Upon seeing it, her mouth began to open and close. Unsure of what to say or do.

Hanging above them upside down from the rafters was Luz. A blanket wrapped around her as she continued to sleep soundly. Eda looked at Camila, looking for some kind of answer as to how their daughter got up there. Camila just gave her a bewildered look back, gesturing that she hadn’t the foggiest clue how she’d managed that.

Before either of them could do anything, a voice cut through the air. “Mami? Mama? Why are you upside down?”

Looking back up, the two mothers saw their daughter awake. Her head tilted back as she let out a yawn. She wrapped the blanket even tighter around herself as she gave her moms’ a sleepy half-lidded smile.

Trying to figure out how to explain to her daughter that she was the one upside down and not her mothers Eda made her way out of her nest. “Uh, kiddo, we’re right side up. Take a closer look around you,” Eda said hesitantly. Hoping she wouldn’t cause her daughter to panic or freak out.

Blinking a few times Luz began to look around the room. Lips pursed as she took in her surroundings, brain taking a moment to fully process them. After a couple seconds her mouth parted slightly and the two women could hear her let out a soft “oh.”

Realizing where she was, Luz didn’t start to panic, much to her relief of her mother’s. Instead she began to swing back and forth, which was somehow worse. Arms stretched wide spreading the cover put behind her and giving her the appearance of having wings. Cheerful giggles filling the morning air.

“Luz don’t do that!” Camila called out as she frantically got to her feet. “Eda, get her down Before she hurts herself!”

Eda had already begun the spell circle halfway through her girlfriend’s panic. A soft golden glow had begun to surround their daughter. The sensation of the magic only caused Luz to laugh even harder. Arms clutching her stomach as tears sprung from her eyes and kicking her legs energetically

Then Luz kicked one of her legs out too hard, and in an instant her body had gotten loose from the rafter beam. The two mothers watched as their daughter began to fall from the ceiling. Eda was still part way through the spell, now trying to finish it in a rushed panic. And Camila, arms outstretched as she got ready to catch her daughter.

“Good morning Hoot Hoot!” Hooty burst through the window at that exact moment. Luz landed onto his outstretched body part way through her fall. Feeling something land on him Hooty looked back, letting out a sound of excitement at the sight of Luz. “Luz! What are you doing up here?" Hooty then gasped, eyes sparkling as he looked at Luz. “Did you want to play with me?! Oh I’d love to play with you, Hoot Hoot!”

“ She’s not playing Hooty!” Eda called up to the house demon as she tried to help calm down Camila’s breathing. “She was falling from the ceiling when you caught her. Now can you please bring her down to us.”

“Oh, okay! Hoot!,” Hooty extended his neck down in response, allowing Luz to slide down to her two moms. The young girl leapt into their waiting arms, giggling with excitement. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief once Luz wasn’t in immediate danger.

“Luz, what were you doing up there like that? You could have gotten hurt,” Camila asked her daughter.

“I dunno,” Luz responded with a shrug. “I just woke up there.”

“Wait, you got up there in your sleep? How?” Camila had sat back down in the nest, as she tried to figure out how her daughter got into the rafters. “Is this a witchling thing?” She turned to Eda as she asked.

“No I don’t think so- Oh!” Eda loudly exclaimed as realization dawned on her.

“What, what is it?” Camila had jumped in surprise.

“Her curse!”

Camila in the panic of the morning, had briefly forgotten that her daughter had been recently cursed. Blink a few times Camila tilted her head inquisitively wondering where Eda meant by that.

Realizing she needed to explain took a breath. “I think babes ended up there because of her curse. Like while she’s sleeping the curse halfs basic instincts take over.”

Looking around Camila then realized something. “Is that why you sleep in a nest?” At this point she hadn’t given her girlfriend’s sleeping arrangement much thought, but hearing this now put it into a new light.

“Yeah, whenever I fall asleep I’d wake up like this. In a weird makeshift nest. After a while I just accepted it. Honestly, after I did, I started having the best sleep I’ve ever had.”

Eyes scanning up to the rafters Camila gave a tired hum of acknowledgment. Thinking about their home in the human realm Camila didn’t think there’d be anywhere for Luz to hang from. Would that mean her daughter would unconsciously search such places out? Or would she sleep in a normal bed?

Would that impact her sleep? What if not letting her sleep in such a way actually impacts her health? Does this mean she’d need to build a place for Luz to hang from at night?

Questions and concerns raced through Camila’s mind as she rubbed her temples. A tired groan slipped past her lips as she tried to process the new information. The small realities of what Luz being cursed actually meant for the two of them.

Deciding it was too early to worry about any of this Camila slumped against Eda. Giving off a grunt as she felt witch embrace her with a soft hum. Pale fingers working through her messy bed head. Their daughter sandwiched between the two of them, and their son sleeping soundly sprawled in-between their pillows.

“You good Cami?” Eda asked with a half chuckle. Her tone was gentle and teasing.

“Just a lot to think about is all,” Camila responded. Her words were briefly cut off by a yawn. The initial panic of the morning had dissipated. Leaving the early morning grogginess in its stead.

Smiling Eda wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, head resting on top of her head. “Anything you want to do today?”

“Mmm, not really?” Camila just wanted a stress free week after everything that happened yesterday.

“I wanna practice magic!” Luz excitedly interjected. Her young enthusiasm and energy earned a tired smile from the two women. Camila already was aware of her daughter's boundless energy when setting her sight on something and by the looks of it Eda was starting to realize it as well.

“Sure thing kiddo, we can do some practice later tonight alright?” Seeing the nod Eda shut her eyes. Enjoying the now peaceful morning.

“Do you need to do anything?” Camila asked.

“A few things, but we can wait till later to go do them.”

“good cause,” as she spoke Camila gently guided the three of them back down. “I’d prefer spending a bit more time here if that would be fine with you.”

Smiling Eda just pulled Camila closer. Lips meeting for a short, chaste kiss before the witch let out a tired, content sigh. “Sounds good to me.”

Before either could settle back in, Eda felt a small hand bap her in the face. Her cheek partially smooshed as she turned her head slightly meeting her daughter's gaze. Her daughter who looked far too energetic and raring to go considering how early it was.

Raising an eyebrow she gave Luz a grunt of acknowledgment 

“Are you really going back to sleep?” Luz asked with a tilt of her head. Her whole body rocking back and forth as she bounced in place.

“Yep,” Eda said through a yawn.

“Why?”

“Cause me and your mama are old and tired,” Camila replied with a cheeky grin. Ruffling her daughter's hair as she did so.

The pair watched Luz’s face scrunch up in confusion. “You’re not old, Abuela is old.”

“Really now?” Camila asked with a hum, as she heard Eda breath in sharply. A hand quickly moving to cover her mouth.

“Yeah, she’s like, ancient! You both are young! You two are like my age!” Luz’s small arms waved around as she explained her reasoning. Her moms did their best to stifle laughter at how absurd but oddly compelling her argument was.

“Well, right now we are. We are very old and tired,” Eda picked up from where Camila left off. Stopping momentarily to fight back a yawn. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Tiny hands gently smacking her mothers’ faces, Luz looked at the two of them, a frown on her lips. “But I want to play with you both!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Camila asked.

“Yeah…” Luz mumbled out. Her hands balled into fists, and cheeks puffed out in a pout.

Sharing a look, both women debated how they wanted to handle this. After a few moments Camila gave a silent nod before turning back to Luz.

“Well, while me and Eda take a quick, extra bit of sleep, you can think of all the things you want to do,” Camila explained to her daughter. Gently repositioning her so she was nested between her and Eda.

Squirming her body to get comfortable, Luz gave a hum as she thought the idea over. “Mmm, I guess that’s fine.”

Both kissing temples her moms laid back down. Closing their eyes, as their daughter started planning all the things she wanted to do with them. 

***

The two women only managed an extra fourth-five minutes of sleep. Their overly energetic and excited daughter had decided that had been long enough. And with King waking up the two quickly found themselves up against two kids who weren’t going to wait any longer.

Eda had slipped downstairs ahead of Camila to begin making breakfast. Putting on a coffee pot onto the stove for Camila. A sharp hiss could be heard as she tossed several strips of tremboar bacon into a large skillet. The crackling and popping of the meat's greases and the sweet savory scent quickly made Eda’s mouth begin to water. Stomach letting out a growl, stirred on by the eventual promise of food.

Titan, Eda hadn’t realized how hungry she’d been till now. They’d barely had time to eat the night before, and had gone to bed as soon as they had gotten home.

Flipping a few pieces Eda trained her ear to listen for Camila and the kids. The faint sounds of two pairs of quick tiny steps, followed by a heavier set coming down the hall told Eda they were close. A smile on her lips at how nice the sound was.

Eda never thought she’d be a fan of domesticity, but now? After the numerous times she’d gotten to experience it during the past several months Eda had grown attached to the feeling. Of the sounds of Luz or King playing in the next room over. To those quiet nights, listening to King's soft snores as she put him down for bed. To the energy and rhythm that her and Camila had found while working together in the kitchen.

So many bits and pieces coalescing into something that Eda didn’t think she’d trade for anything.

It wasn’t like she disliked her old life of being a reckless, wild witch, living outside the confines of the law and society. It’s just that, after a while, that life had gotten lonely. And don’t get her wrong, she made no plans to become a law-abiding witch, not when the law was corrupt at least. It was just that, after years of being on her own, with the exception of Hooty, it was nice to finally have others she could share her life with.

Eda took a drink of her morning apple-blood as she turned back to the stove. Quickly plating the strips of Bacon before cracking a few griffin eggs into the hot skillet. Season them with some salt and pepper. 

Eda stretched her back as the eggs began to cook, letting out a blissful sigh as she felt a satisfying crack. Rolling her neck and shoulders, trying to out the lingering bits of tension.

As Eda continued with breakfast she thought about Luz and what Vesalius had told them in regards to Luz’s development. The healer unfortunately was right, Luz needed a chance to be around other kids and witchlets her own age. And with them not knowing how her curse would affect her, the demon realm felt like the better option over the human realm.

Eda hated to admit it, but actually enrolling Luz into Hexsides preschool program might be the best option. It wasn’t like she knew any other parents who she could make plans for play dates after all. And there was no way in hell she’d ever consider enrolling Luz into anything involving Glandus and St. Epiderm.

Plus it felt wrong to force Luz into something because of her own history.

Eda began going over the loose plan she had for the day. There wasn’t a whole lot planned luckily so this was mostly her trying to figure out the best time to stop by Hexside. With any luck they could stop by before classes let out.

The sound of Luz and King rushing down the stairs brought Eda out of her thoughts. She turned in time to see Camila close behind the two of them, panting slightly.

”Alright you two, you can play after you have breakfast,” Camila said between breaths. Quickly picking the pair up and setting them at the table. Wiping a few beads of sweat off her brow, as she caught Eda grinning at her.

“Trouble with them Cammibuns?” Eda asked with a grin as she began plating breakfast. Tossing some slices of bread into the skillet to quickly toast them.

As Camila went to respond she momentarily stopped. A look of confusion hit her as she fully took in what Eda had just called her.

"Cammiebuns?"

"Yep," Eda replied. Not at all elaborating on the name or where it came from.

Huffing Camila just shook her head. Not the weirdest or worst nickname someone had given her. 

“Next time, you get the kids ready, and I make breakfast,” Camila responds without another word. But the smile threatening against her lips told Eda the words had no bite.

"I think I'll be able to handle them just fine ," Eda quipped back. Dropping the plates of breakfast down. Before going to pour Camila her morning cup of coffee.

Almost immediately, King began to attack his bacon. His little paws gripped a strip of meat as he tugged on it with his tiny fangs. Head whipping back and forth as he attempted to tear it apart. Meat crumbs and bits of grease began to stain his skull and fur.

Seeing her brother, Luz grasped a piece of bacon as well. Mirroring King's actions. Ripping the piece of meat in half. Trails of grease staining her chin. The little girl even imitated the little growls that her brother was making.

Seeing the mess the duo were making Camila just blinked a few times. She took a slow sip of her coffee, humming happily as the caffeine did its work.

Turning Camila gave Eda a grin. "Well seeing as you're so confident you can handle the two of them, you can help them wash up afterwards."

Eda, seeing there was no way out of this, just sighed. "Fine, I guess I set myself up for this."

"Perfect," Camila replied as she took a bite of her eggs and toast. "And thank you for breakfast, it's delicious." Eda just smiled at the compliment, as she scarfed down her own food.

"So, you said you had things to take care of today?" Camila asked between bites. Reaching over to wipe a bit of egg yolk off Luz’s face.

"Nothing major, mainly go and get Luz’s prescriptions set up. That and going to Hexside."

"Wait, does that mean you're okay with sending Luz to school there?" Camila was honestly surprised by this. She thought Eda would take even longer to come around to the idea.

"Yeah, I realised that my issues shouldn't affect Luz. Besides, for all I know, all the people that made me want to leave are gone," Eda replied as she brushed a few bread crumbs out of King's fur.

Camila could tell that there was more to that but could tell that Eda didn't want to get into it. Deciding to wait till later she just nodded.

"Well I'm glad you're okay with it, should we go this afternoon?"

"That sounds good." Eda stretched in her chair as she turned to Luz. "How about it kiddo, want to go see my old stomping grounds?" Eda asked Luz with a grin. 

Luz’s eyes sparkled at the opportunity to see more of the Isles. "Yeah!" Throwing her hands into the air and flinging a piece of bacon away. Sending it flying through the air and landing on Kings head. Causing him to let out a smalll 'weh' in shock.

Eda just smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. Camila was just laughing at the whole scene. The small family looked forward to the day.

Chapter Text

Luz stared at the scene before her with a sense of awe. Her eyes filled with stars as she looked around, taking in all the sights and sounds.

Looking back at her mama and Mami she began to hop impatiently. They were taking too long and Luz was getting restless. All the while she had an excited smile was stretched across her face. Her little brother toddled up next to her, a similar look in his eyes.

“Come on!” Luz cried out, not even trying to hide her impatience or excitement. King hopped in place and punctuated her cry for their moms to go faster with a few insistent hops.

Eda just rolled her eyes at her kids, reaching a hand down to ruffle Luz’s messy mop of brown hair and pat King’s skull. They weren't even that far behind, Eda making sure to not let the two stray too far ahead.

Camila just laughed softly. Having long since gotten used to how Luz got in situations like this. Though she couldn’t deny that she was also excited about what they were doing. This was the first time they’d be seeing the market, and no, the brief bits when they first arrived or went to the healers didn’t count.

“Kids, trust me, the market isn’t going anywhere. We have no reason to rush.”

Luz just looked at her mama like she had said something incomprehensible. “But I want to see all the cool witchy stuff!” Stamping her feet into the ground. "What if I miss something!?” She then let out a small gasp, “what if King wants to see something!?" She added as she pulled King into her side. The tiny demon let out a squeak of surprise, though quickly looked up at Eda with the same expression Luz wore.

Trying to hold back a laugh, Eda snorted. "Babes, how big do you think the marketplace is? And I doubt King even knows enough about the market to know of anything he’d want to get."

Holding her arms out Luz shrugged. Making an ‘I don't know' sound. Though did add on after with a, “he wants toys!” which the small demon confirmed with a rapid nod of his head.

"There’s no way to see every part of the market in one trip, it's way too big," Eda explained. "And we can maybe stop at a toy store after-”

Eda stopped as the kids began to cheer. Though quickly cut them off as she continued, “I said ‘maybe.’ We’ll only go if you’re good, okay?” Hearing that the two kids nodded.

“Oh?” A teasing voice came up behind Eda, surprisingly strong arms pulling her down into a half squat. “Don’t I get a say on where we go?” Camila’s voice came next to her ear, sending a surprised shiver down the witch's spine. Eda’s pale complexion quickly turned a light pink at the teasing lilt of Camila’s tone.

Turning around to meet her girlfriend, Eda began to stammer out a response, “C-Cami, of course, you have a say on where we go!” She had no idea why she was acting like this, old quick flings had tried similar things in the past to little success, but here was Camila who had thrown her completely off balance.

Camila just let out a giggle at the flustered state she’d sent Eda into, hiding her mouth behind her hand as she did so. Looking at Eda with a bemused smile. Eda feared that her heart would give out right then and there with how hard it was hammering in her chest

King and Luz watched the whole interaction. Noting their mama’s flustered look and giggling to themselves. If Eda had noticed she would have said something but her mind was preoccupied at the moment.

“Did you have any places in mind?” Eda asked, completely forgetting that Camila also had no idea of what could be in the marketplace. her voice was almost as quick as the rapid beating of her heart.

“Mmm, I can’t say I do,” Camila replied with a tilt of her head. “But I’ll let you know if anything catches my eye, alright?” The teasing smile faded slightly, the only hint being the slight upturn to the corners of her lips.

“Right, okay!” With that Eda shook her head, clearing her thoughts and refocusing. “But, before we do anything, we gotta go meet a witch about some Elixirs!"

Eda led her family through the bustling marketplace. Weaving in and around the various demons and witches that populated it. Luz stared in amazement at the wonderful and wild variety of the demons. Camila didn't stare, knowing how uncomfortable it could be. But she would still sneak quick glances. Each time having to double-take as what she saw was wilder than her craziest dreams.

The Bonesborough market held an air of liveliness and surprisingly controlled chaos. While not overly packed, it held this indescribable energy that made it seem like it had a life of its own. One that Camila could feel herself becoming drawn into.

Everywhere She looked Camila found something new that would catch her eye. A fantastical cacophony of sight and sound. The constant hum and murmuring of shoppers were background noise to it all.

Realizing she'd fallen behind Camila did a quick jog to catch back up. Once she was next to Eda she asked, "is it always like this?"

"The market? Yeah more or less," Eda answered. "It really depends on the time of year and what's going on. During hiems and aestas it can get downright wild," Eda continued with a small reminiscent chuckle. Remembering some especially hectic and fun years.

"The isles use Latin for things like that?" Camila asked with rapt attention, Luz mirroring her as she stared at Eda.

"Latin? We've always just known it as old savage script," Eda answered with a shrug. "But yeah, we use it for a lot of stuff."

The conversation continued on like that. Eda, doing her best to explain something about the Demon Realm, or Isles as Camila and Luz asked her questions. With Eda every so often stopping to point out points of interest, such as particularly good places to eat out, or the odd corner that working-class Bards would sometimes play at. The pair hung off her every word, as Eda spoke about each place with a sense of love and familiarity.

Camila couldn’t wait till they had time to actually explore the market, not to mention the city. The way that Eda described every place painted a picture of a place with a rich and vibrant history. And knowing Eda and her past, no doubt a number of those stories would involve her in some way or another.

Camila wondered if Eda would react the same way if she tried showing her around Gravesfield. Gravesfield was nice, don’t get her wrong, but she doubted it would hold the same kind of star power that a place like Bonesborough had, let alone the Boiling Isles.

Well, maybe they could check out the old Historic District of Gravesfield, but Camila doubted Eda would enjoy that. She didn’t seem like the kind of person that would find dusty old history interesting. Plus there was the fact that the town's history was built on witch hunting….

Camila doubted Eda would enjoy that part.

‘Then again, Eda does seem like the person to get a kick out of something like that. Knowing her she’d probably spend the whole time making fun of the witch hunters.’

Camila found herself smiling at the thought. The picture of Eda laying into some dead jerks who used their fear and prejudices to hurt innocent people. Honestly, Camila found the idea oddly cathartic. Besides, now that she’s met and known a real-life witch, she can say that the witch hunters were wrong about them being evil.

Though Camila considered the fact that she was now dating a witch that she might be a bit biased. For all she knew, she managed to pick the best witch there was to date.

As Eda talked Camila found herself becoming less interested in their surroundings and more in the orange-haired witch. She knew she cared about Eda, there was no doubt about it, but as she watched Eda that love began to grow stronger with each passing moment.

The way that Eda’s eyes would crease as she half laughed at an old memory. Only to stop herself and promise to tell the story when she showed them the place that had sparked the memory. Or the way her hands seemed to move a mile a minute, half flailing wildly as she gestured enthusiastically at some small detail. A laugh, seemingly ready at a moment's notice.

Eda was someone that moved and breathed with an unmistakable love and joy for the world around her.

Here was someone that loved with her entire being. A bright and brilliantly vibrant love that radiated off her in waves. And Camila wished for nothing more than to stay within the vicinity of that aura.

Part of Camila wondered if she was falling too fast. Though would she even care if she was? Being with Eda made her happy.

Part of Camila wondered if Eda would have even cared about someone like her if it wasn't for Luz. It was clear to anyone that looked at Eda that she had lived a rich life. One filled with vibrancy, and countless amazing things.

Camila on the other hand had never done anything worthwhile or of note. And until meeting Eda her life had been mundane, and repetitive. The most exciting thing that ever happened to her in the last few years was the party that resulted in Luz. And now she wondered if that even counted as Eda was also a part of that.

Before that the last time her life could be considered anything of interest was during High School, and truthfully that was a time that Camila preferred to try and not think about. The whole experience, while more than a decade in the past had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Next to Eda, Camila couldn’t help but feel this sickly sense of inadequacy.

Apparently, Camila had made a face as she had gotten lost in thought. As Eda had stopped and turned to face her. Concern lining her face as she spoke, “you okay, cami?” Luz and King looked at her with similar expressions.

Wanting to not worry them Camila waved her hand, quickly putting a small back on her face. “Sorry, I’m all good. Just got lost in thought, nothing to worry about.” Camila hoped that Eda would buy that, she had enough things to worry about. The last thing she needed on her mind was Camila’s pointless worrying.

Eda stared at her for a moment, an indescribable expression on her face, though in the end, she said nothing. Turning her focus back towards showing off the city around them.

Though every so often Camila would catch Eda glancing at her, with the same expression from before.

As they walked Camila felt something brush against her hand, and as she looked down she saw Eda reaching her own out towards her. Eda still had that look of concern, but softer now. Like she was asking if Camila wanted to talk later.

Smiling at her girlfriend's apparent concern Camila gave the tiniest nod. Wordlessly threading her fingers between Eda’s and clasping their hands together.

***
After a bit, Eda stopped in front of a small hole-in-the-wall shop. With old wooden shutters, and chipped yellow paint. The name 'Mr. ELIXIR' was displayed above the store window, in swooping script against a light blue backdrop.

Through the window, Camila could spot shelves stocked with flasks, vials, and bottles. All holding some manner of colourful liquid. And farther back a few miniature cauldrons could be seen.

Without even waiting Eda walked up to the counter, and called out into the store. "Hey, Mortan!" Her knuckles knocked against the wooden counter. Eda waited for only a second before adding on an "I need to see you!"

The sound of someone knocking things over, and half cursing could be heard behind some shelves. After a beat of silence a scrawny-looking witch with long brown hair, and a funnel on his head appeared. Panting slightly before shooting Eda a look, though his expression quickly softened into a tired smile.

"What do you need, Eda?" He asked as he began reorganizing a few over-the-counter potions that were on display. His attention was half split between his task and talking to Eda. “You’re not due to refill your prescription for another week.”

“Hey Funnel-boy, your pops not in today? And I’m here for some other stuff,” Eda replied. She gestured to Camila to hand her the prescriptions that V had given them.

As Camila handed Eda the papers she looked at Morton, raising an eyebrow as she said, “Funnel-boy?”

Morton just looked at Camila tiredly, blinking a few times as he sighed. “Yep, that’s what Eda calls me,” he replied as he reached a hand out in a greeting. Camila took it, giving it a firm handshake. “Mortan Lavo, and you are? And how do you know Eda?”

“I’m Camila, and…” Camila looked at Eda for an answer. They hadn’t exactly discussed whether or not they were ready to make the fact they were dating publicly known. She had no issues, but didn’t know how Eda would feel.

Eda beat her to the punch as she draped an arm over Camila’s shoulder. “She’s my girlfriend~,” Eda stated with a cool grin.

Mortan looked at the two of them slightly shocked before shifting into a smile. “Wow, that’s amazing! I’m happy to hear that.”

Mortan then turned towards Eda, as he took the papers from her. “And dads out dealing with business related matters. So he left me in charge while he’s gone.”

Eda hummed in acknowledgement as Mortan started to look over the prescriptions. “Wow, can’t believe he’s letting you handle the shop while he’s away…” Eda had a tiny expression of shock at that. Before half grinning and wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.

“I remember when I first saw you here, like a little witchlet playing dress-up~,” Eda cooed jokingly.

“I was fifteen!” Mortan shot back. His face flushed red with embarrassment, as he Almost threw the papers back at Eda. “You make it sound like I was five when I started here!”

Eda just cackled at that.

Camila watched the two go back and forth like this, with playful banter and familiar teasing. Turning to Eda she quietly asked, “how do you know him?”

A small wistful smile crossed Eda’s face as she heard the question. “When things first got bad for me, the Lavos' were one of the few witches or demons that offered me any help."

Mortan just huffed in annoyance as he finished looking over the prescriptions. His eyebrows raised with mild concern as he noticed the curse targeting elixir. "Eda, this curse Elixir is for a witchlet, what do you need it for?"

Eda stopped laughing as she heard Mortan ask his question. Looking around she leaned in, levelling a glare at the young potioneer. "It's for my kid, okay, that's all you need to know, 'Funnel boy'.

Mortan could tell that Eda wasn't messing around. He'd never heard her use his nickname in such a way. For a moment He'd felt actual genuine fear when talking to the wild witch. Something he'd not felt since he first met Eda.

That fear was quickly taken over by a sensation of bewilderment as he quickly registered what Eda had just said. "Wait, you have a kid?!" Mortan looked at Eda flabbergasted.

Wordlessly Eda just pointed over to her girlfriend and daughter.

Mortan's gaze shifted over to Camila who had at this point picked up Luz. Mortan blinked a few times, his brain still not fully grasping this reality where Eda Clawthorne apparently had a kid.

Luz just looked at him with her big brown eyes. Her Head tilted with a quizzical expression on her face that quickly shifted into a smile. Her one free arm waved at him excitedly.

Okay, make that an extremely cute kid, Mortan noted to himself.

Mortan gave Luz a small wave and a smile in return. “Sorry for not noticing you till now.” Luz apparently wasn’t that bothered as she just gave him an even bigger smile.

Chuckling at Luz’s enthusiasm, Mortan went about gathering the things needed for the family's order. Speaking to them as he grabbed ingredients, flasks, and other items. "Let me tell you, I do not envy you," he said to Luz.

"Why?" Luz asked, confused.

Mortan went to reply but stopped as he could feel golden eyes boring holes into him. His own eyes flickered to the side as he saw Eda giving him a withering glare.

Mortan swallowed the growing lump in his throat, his hands were clammy and he'd nearly broken into a cold sweat. He stopped to pick his next words carefully. Though He doubted that Eda would actually do anything.

Though he wasn't entirely sure about that, and didn't feel like testing the wild Witch's patience like that.

"Because elixirs like yours always taste funny," Mortan responded with a dry, nervous laugh. Luz and Camila just looked at him confused.

Clearing his throat Mortan looked at the three of them. "I should be able to get almost everything brewed and ready within the next few hours," Mortan started. Using a spell circle to begin placing things onto the counter behind him. "Unfortunately the curse suppressant elixir will take a little more time. Luckily since it's the same as yours, Eda, we can start brewing it in larger batches.

Eda nodded at this. Turning to Camila and Luz as Mortan dipped into the back of the store. Now fully focused on brewing up their potions.

"Well, it sounds like we have some time to kill. Did any of you want to check anything out?" Eda asked her family. Even King who at this point had sequestered a portion of her hair and fallen back asleep. "We still got some time before going to see Hexside."

Before Camila could respond Luz cried out excitedly, "toy store!" Causing the two women to jump in shock.

Laughing at her daughter’s enthusiasm Camila replied, "I think we got one place to check out. And I have some places I wanted to take a look at if we had the chance."

Eda nodded with a smile as she began guiding her family back through the market. Golden eyes searching for the nearest toy store.

***

A small chime could be heard as Camila entered a rather large shop. She was carrying Luz, who was clutching a large, plush, skeletal canine. Eda entered soon after them, with a bag containing some toys for King, and the tiny demon sleeping in her hair.

Camila looked around with an expression of momentary awe on her face. Everywhere she looked she could see some kind of strange or fantastical creature. Some she could vaguely recognize as things related to animals on earth. Other ones she couldn’t even dream of.

Mammal-like critters scampered and scurried around in their enclosures. From a pile of what looked like sleeping ferrets. Each with two heads and an extra half a dozen sets of legs. To large hellish-looking felines with sharp, dripping tusks, no eyes, and large bristly manes. The bristles of their manes subtly shifted as things moved around them.

There were even a few canine-looking beasts lazing about and play-fighting. Though the ones that had caught Camila’s attention seemed to hide in the darker corners of the store. Basking in the shade laying on their sides.

As the light passed through the windows Camila swore she could see what looked like fungus growing out of a few.

Camila had asked if they could check out a Boiling Isles pet shop or shelter. Interested in what kinds of things would be considered suitable as pets in a place so filled with danger.

They'd barely even entered but Already Camila felt like she was in heaven. It was everything she could dream of and more.

Camila had always loved animals; it was part of the reason why she had become a veterinarian. Though she especially loved and adored the kinds that others would have considered weird, or off-putting. Viewing the snakes, rats and all the others that society would call gross with a sense of fondness.

Camila understood why she felt this way when looking at those kinds of animals. A feeling of kinship over being seen as weird or undesirable. To be misjudged, labelled as something that you weren’t just for how you looked or the ways you acted when taken out of context.

“I think I saw some rats behind the school earlier!”

“What? Oh my god, that’s so disgusting!”

“Right, and get this, apparently Noceda hangs out there. Gross right?”

“I mean, that’s not surprising. It’s not like she has anywhere else to spend her time~.”

“Yeah, and let's be honest here, is there really any difference between her and those rats?”

Yeah, Camila was far too familiar with such a feeling.

Not wanting to let the sudden influx of bad memories ruin her good mood Camila grabbed Eda by the wrist. Dragging the other woman along as she headed deeper into the store. “Come on! I want to see what else they have!”

Eda followed the shorter woman with slightly stumbling feet. Only able to partially keep up with Camila’s pace. Eda didn’t mind it that much though as she was too busy enjoying the view she was seeing.

Camila looked beyond ecstatic as she went through the aisles. Stopping every few feet to stop and stare at something new. Her eyes held this warm sparkle, and a smile never left her face. Laughing and letting out soft cooes of affection at even the weirdest of beasts the store had to offer.

All the while giving off this feeling of awe and this infectious giddiness that seemed to well up around her.

As Eda watched Camila wave to some gluttoads with Luz she felt a warm sensation blooming in her chest.

Here was a woman that loved undeniably. Who saw beauty and worthiness in creatures that even some on the isles would consider pests, or undesirable. Who looked at the weirdness, quirky and bizarre and flocked to it. Embracing it with this undeniable, and unmistakable warmth, and compassion.

Camila was made of love. That was a fact that Eda felt was undeniable as she stared at her. Every part of Camila, from her smile to the gentleness in which she cared for Luz, or the way she would do a sharp intake of air before bursting into a fit of childish giggling. All that and so much more showed a woman that breathed and moved with love.

And as Eda watched her girlfriend she couldn’t help but feel that warm feeling grow even stronger. As she realized that part of Camila had looked at her, and decided that a portion of that love was for Eda. This small but incredibly intimate and personal part of that seemingly infinite pool was meant for her. Was meant for someone like Eda.

Eda swallowed a lump in her throat that had built up, and wiped a few tears that were threatening to break as Camila turned to look at a few of the isles birds. She didn’t know who she was meant to thank for bringing her and Camila together, but Eda could thank them every day and that still wouldn’t be enough to express how much she loved Camila.

Camila at this point had stopped to look at a few terrariums with Luz. The two of them peered into the glass as they tried to spot whatever was kept inside. As she did she excitedly ushered Eda over with a frantic wave of her hand. “Come here and check this out!” Camila’s excitement was infectious as even though Eda knew most of the isles beasts she still went over to look.

As the three of them peered into the glass a smooth but gravelly voice called out to them. “You folks find anything you like?”

Peeling her face away from the glass, Camila looked up to see a stocky-looking elderly witch. Her skin was pale and decorated with numerous scars, sunspots, and freckles. She had thick, greying brown hair. Kept out of her face by a monstrous-looking hair clip that reminded Camila of the jaws of a horror movie monster. With messy bangs falling over her forehead.

The woman wore simple clothes. A plain long sleeve black top, casual light brown slacks, and simple shoes. All tied together with a plain grey apron and well-worn brown gloves.

Camila could almost swear she could see tattoos under the witch's sleeves, but every time she looked closer it felt like they moved.

The most striking part of her was the fact that she had what looked like crossbow bolts pierced through the lobes of her ears.

Looking closer Camila noticed the clearly hand-stitched logo that resembled the shop's logo on the shirt.

Giving a small wave of her hands Camila answered the witch, “oh so many things I can’t even begin to count!” Camila was practically bouncing on her feet as she spoke.

The woman seemed to find Camila’s response infectious as her tone shifted slightly to match Camila’s energy. “Well I’m glad to hear that! Are you here for anything in particular? Or are you just doing some general browsing?”

“Oh we were just looking,” Camila replied with a slightly disappointed look in her eyes. A look that Eda picked up on far too quickly.

“We could get something if you wanted!” Eda cut in. Her words had left her mouth before she had any real time to think them through.

Camila just looked at her with a brief expression of shock before a smile found her face again. Lightly swatting at Eda’s shoulder as she let out a small laugh. “Thank you but I’d rather wait before committing to taking care of something from here.”

“But-”

“It’s fine, I’ll manage to live without one of these adorable babies okay,” Camila had cut Eda off before she could continue. “And don’t pout, you’re acting more upset about this then I am,” she couldn’t help the affectionate teasing tone in her voice.

“Fine, but if you ever change your mind let me know okay.”

“I will remember that, and thank you for offering it was very sweet of you,” Camila replied. “But I’d rather just focus on getting accustomed to the isles before committing to something like this, okay?”

“Yeah okay that’s a good point. Plus we’ll probably have a lot to handle just with these two little hell-raisers,” Eda replied as she pointed to Luz and King before placing a kiss on Luz’s forehead with a comically exaggerated “Mwah!” Earning a small fit of giggles from Luz.

Camila just smiled and shook her head at Eda’s charming theatrics.

“Well don’t you all look sweet,” The elderly witch said as she rested her chin on her hand. Her other arm was used to carry a large, reptilian, slug-like beast. Barely even breaking a sweat as she effortlessly supported the massive creature with only one arm.

As she walked closer her eyes widened as she got a better look at Camila and Luz.

The witch’s face split into a surprised grin before she spoke, “well I’ll be a Slither-beasts nanny, you folks are human!” She looked at Luz and Camila with reserved excitement.

“Is that okay?” Camila asked with mild hesitation. The witch seemed nice but she still felt it would be better to be safe.

The witch just gave a nod of her head as she ushered them to follow her further into the store. Leading them to a section filled with larger reptilian and amphibious beasts. All the while the beast rested its head on her shoulder. Sleepily gazing at Luz from over the witch's shoulder as it let its long, barbed tongue unfurl out of its mouth.

Luz stared back smiling. Sticking her tongue out in response.

“Oh, that’s perfectly alright with me. I was just surprised is all,” the witch replied as she placed the lizard slug into a large enclosure. Letting it drag itself to an outcropping of rocks near a small pond.

Dusting her hands off the witch turned to the four of them, “so what brought you into my humble little shelter? Cause I’m flattered but I can’t help but feel like there’d be more interesting places for you to check out.”

Eda couldn’t help but snort at that. Covering her mouth as she tried and failed to stifle a laugh. Collecting herself Eda wrapped her arm around Camila as she pulled her into her side. Giving the shorter woman's shoulder a small squeeze as she spoke. “This was the first place she wanted to see.”

“Wait? Really?” The witch’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as Eda explained the situation to her. She looked at Camila as she waited for a response. Seeing Camila give a nod the witch’s face shifted to a small smile.

“This was our first time exploring Bonesborough and the sign caught my attention,” Camila began to explain. “I just love animals you see. I even work with them in the human realm. So When I couldn’t help but want to see what kinds of animals the demon realm had.”

“Well ain’t that rather sweet of ya! Well come on, and let me show you around,” The witch ushered Camila and the rest to follow her. “I got some absolute darlings that I think you’d love to meet!”

Following behind Camila asked a follow-up question, “you said this was your shelter. Do you run all of this yourself?”

“Yep. I built every part of this shelter, manage it, and take care of every beast here.” The witch said with pride.

Suddenly she stopped abruptly and spun on her heels. Her hands were raised and a flustered look spread across her face. “Oh, where are my manners? I haven’t even introduced myself! Names Elizabeth dracroal,” Elizabeth introduced herself as she held her hand out for a handshake.

“I’m Camila,” Camila replied as she returned the handshake. “And this is our daughter Luz and son King,” she continued gesturing to the two of them.

“HI!” Luz waved her free arm ecstatically at Elizabeth. Almost squirming out of Camila’s arms with how hard she was moving. King just continued to sleep in Eda’s hair, seemingly undisturbed by everything going on around them.

“Well, aren't they both adorable?” Elizabeth smiled as she looked at the two kids “And energetic by the looks of it,” she said with a laugh as Camila corrected her hold on Luz.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Eda added as she tussled Luz’s messy hair. “And I’m Eda, but I’m sure you know that already,” Eda added with a lopsided grin. Striking a pose.

Elizabeth looked at Eda and returned the grin as she spoke, “oh I’m more than familiar with you and your work.”

As Elizabeth continued to lead them she stopped suddenly. Turning to check on a random enclosure. Frowning as she opened it. Reaching in she gently pulled out a sickly beast that looked like a mixture of a seal, and a mole. It let out a shallow wheezing breath as she held it.

Camila looked at the creature with worry and shock. She was positive that they were sick just by looking at them.

“I’m so sorry, but I have to try and deal with this,” Elizabeth apologized as she began carrying the beast to a small section at the back of the shelter. Her voice and pace were now frantic, and her eyes were rapidly looking back down at the beast every few seconds.

Before Eda could stop her Camila grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Following Elizabeth. The look of worry had shifted to determination.

As they entered behind Elizabeth she looked up at them in shock. She had laid the sick beast onto a small table. “What are you still doing here?!”

“I wanted to help okay. I wasn’t just going to leave .”

“But how can you help?” Elizabeth

“I told you I work with Animals right? Well I’m a Vet, an animal doctor.”

Elizabeth's eyes seemed to light up at that news. “Really?” Seeing Camila nod she looked like she was trying to choke back tears. A smile of relief broke across her face at that.

“Thank you! My partner normally takes care of this sort of stuff but she’s out right now and I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

“I can’t promise I’ll be much help,” Camila said as she felt the beast's forehead. Pulling her hand away almost immediately as she felt how hot it was. Since I’m not familiar with their biology, but I’ll try to do my best to help.”

“Just having another set of hands is more than enough,” Elizabeth replied. Gratitude in her voice. “Just until my wife returns from running errands. I just sent her a quick emergency hext so she won’t be long”

“Could you help me rub this onto them?” Elizabeth asked as she pulled out a tub filled with mud mixed with various herbs. “It won’t fix what’s wrong, but it’ll help ease their fever.”

Camila handed Luz over to Eda and rolled up her sleeves. Eda went to say something but stopped as she saw the fierce, determined expression on Camila’s face. She could tell that there was nothing she could say or do to persuade Camila from helping out.

Checking her scroll Eda saw that they still had plenty of time to make it to Hexside.

Sighing, Eda found a nearby chair and plopped down into it. She didn’t let herself get too comfy just in case they needed her, but by the looks of it, the two of them had things covered.

Eda stared at her girlfriend with a smile as she began lathering mud onto the terralion. “She really is made of love huh?” Eda muttered fondly under her breath.

Luz meanwhile stared at her mom with stars in her eyes. She knew that her Mami helped animals but this was the first time she’d ever really seen her in action.

“Mami is so cool!”

The room fell into silence as Elizabeth and Camila worked together. Both Eda and Luz were completely enraptured as they watched Camila work. Camila despite not knowing about the terralion's biology had managed to help out tremendously. By the time Elizabeth’s wife came bursting in they had gotten the terralion's fever down to manageable levels.

Elizabeth and her wife thanked Camila immensely for her help and told her to come by anytime. Especially if she ever wanted to learn more about the isles' various fauna.

As they excited the shop Camila couldn’t help but feel a swelling of pride. She had just helped a sick animal from another dimension. She wondered what she could have done if she had her vet equipment, or knew more about their biology.

“You good Cami?” Eda's voice called out to her. Looking up Camila gave Eda a look of confusion.

“You had this look in your eye.”

“Oh, yeah I’m okay,” Camila replied a bit flustered at apparently having gotten lost in thought like that. “I was just thinking about how nice it was to help out is all.”

“Well, you were amazing in there,” Eda said matter of fact. Luz cheered the same sentiment. Camila blushed slightly at the praise.

Checking her scroll again Eda saw how late it had gotten. “Come on, if we’re fast we can make it to Hexside right before classes let out.” Eda whipped out Owlbert and ushered Camila to get on. Camila quickly complied and soon they were flying off towards Hexside.

The entire flight there was a small inkling of an idea forming in Camila’s mind. Wondering if she could start learning more about the beasts of the isles.

Chapter Text

A pale, bony hand dutifully wiped a cloth along the surfaces of a few glass orbs. Its long black nails tapped gently against each one as if checking them for something. Pleased with the results of the tests the witch the hand was attached to let out a satisfied hum. Placing the cloth onto a nearby hook, before heading back to a nearby desk and chair.

Bump let himself let out a blissful sigh as he laid back in his chair, as he took a moment to bask in the peaceful afternoon air. These past few weeks had been some of the best he’d had in years. With so many things seeming to go amazing for him, and the school.

The thing that he was most happy the most about was the new bit of funding that Hexside had gotten recently. With those extra snails, they were finally able to take care of so many things. From finally being able to replace the old bard instruments, oracle tools, and healing track equipment; That wasn’t counting the number of generous donations from several of the coven heads on top of all that.

Bump was more than certain that these were nothing more than ‘bribes’ from the coven heads. Enticing Bump to try and push students into certain tracks over others. Unfortunately for them, Bump was not one to be bought in such a way.

He would make sure their contributions were put to good use though.

Vitmir gifting new brewing equipment, and a stock of rare potion reagents; the current Beast Keeping Head, Auberon gifting a small menagerie of beginner-friendly beasts; and so much more. The most surprising of them all was a donation of a dozen unique kinds of seeds to the plant track, from Terra Snapdragon of all witches.

Not to mention the fact that the school's varsity team, the ‘Hexside Banshees’ had just played their best game of the season so far. Crushing Their rival school’s team the ‘Glandus Terror Serpents’ In an overwhelmingly decisive victory. All but cementing Hexsides place at this year's Grudgeball school tournament, and putting Glandus dangerously close to not ‘making the cut’.

Yep, life was good as far as Bump was concerned, and while he should have stopped to question why the universe was being so kind, he honestly didn’t want to do so in case things started to go wrong. Who was he to question good fortune?

It turned out that his questioning or not questioning did little to change things as a split second later a loud crack rang out through his office.

Bump sat there, every muscle in his body tensed as he waited for something to happen. His eyes were now trained on the shelf of crystal balls, watching them like a turtle-hawk. Beads of sweat trailed down his face and his eyes began to sting after a bit. After a few moments another cracking noise was heard, then another, and another, till a long continuous crackling filled the air.

Suddenly one of the crystal balls shattered! The once intact orb scattered bits of glass all over Bumps' once neat and tidy office. Bump felt himself become stunned from the sudden shock of the thing breaking so suddenly that it took him a moment to act. He knew it was coming, he just didn’t think it would be so violent.

Tiny bits of glass dust still hung in the air as Bump got up, and spun a spell circle to summon a broom and dustpan. He stalked around the room watching closely, and making sure that every bit of glass was gotten. The last thing he needed was to slice his own foot open while pacing.

After a few minutes, and a thorough inspection Bump sat back down on his desk. Ready to forget about that freak occurrence and to get back to the peaceful afternoon.

The universe had other plans it turned out as the moment Bump decided to close his eyes, his internal Crow began to caw. Filling his office with its low, guttural squawking. Bump sat there, waiting for a second, hoping that it was just his imagination and that no one was actually calling for him. After another few seconds, he realized that unfortunately, it wasn’t his imagination.

Letting out a low grumble, and a series of swears under his breath Bump slowly sat up in his seat. Cracking his eyes open he went to answer the call. The feelings of annoyance shifted as he saw that it was an internal call.

Hopefully, it would just be a teacher letting him know of a student being sent to detention, and nothing more.

However, before he could even answer, Bump felt something tug at the back of his mind. A quiet but pleading voice urging him desperately to suddenly stop, and to not answer. He sat there frozen as a feeling of unexplainable dread washed over him. His normally cold skin now felt gross and clammy as his hand hovered over the crow. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and even Frewin was in Edge.

A beat passed and Bump could feel a lump forming in his throat, and his tongue heavy in his mouth. He took a moment to swallow the growing mass, feeling it slowly go down. With each passing second, the lump felt heavier, and the sense of impending dread grew stronger. Until the lump was fully gone, replaced by the feeling of something curdling in his stomach.

Every part of his being was warning him to not answer. To just ignore it and go back to relaxing. Whoever it was would hopefully leave and not come back.

Bump shook his head, and tried to push back that sense of dread. He was the principal for Titans sake! He was supposed to be professional. What would it say about Hexside if the Principal didn’t answer his internal crowline?

The moment he answered he heard the voice of his secretary, miss Crawline on the other end. “H-H-Headmaster Bump, y-y-you h-have some new p-p-parents here to see you,” the secretaries voice was shaky, a far cry from the normal confidence in which she held herself verbally. “They wish to speak to you about enrolling their child at hexside.”

Bump, surprised by this, replied as calmly as possible. “Very well miss Crawline, please send them in.” Bump took a moment to collect himself after ending the call. Taking a few deep breaths and doing his best to remind himself that he was just being overly dramatic.

Honestly, out of all the things it could have been, the chance to meet the parents of a new Hexside pupil sounded downright pleasant. It was a little into the academic year, but that didn’t matter all that much to Bump. Transfers from Glandus and Saint Epiderm happened all the time, and the elderly witch was no stranger to helping young witches catch up to their new peers.

Before Bump could even start to pull out the necessary paperwork for a new student his office door swung open. Slamming into the wall, and causing a few crystal balls to fall off the shelf and crash into the floor. Objects on his desk wobbled, and His eyes snapped to the door. That same feeling as before was now back in full force.

Bump's eyes narrowed as he waited for whoever it was to enter his office, only for them to widen in stunned disbelief a moment later.

Striding into his office like she owned the entire school, and a confident grin spread across her lips as she did so, was Edalyn Clawthorne. The last witch he thought he’d never see again at Hexside.

Considering the fact that he was still dealing with a number of her ‘pranks’ over a decade and a half later, part of him wished he would never have to. Unfortunately the universe had decided he had been given too many good things, and in an act of karma had apparently sent Edalyn to balance things out.

Nevertheless, Bump was a fair witch and wouldn’t let Eda’s history impact her kids shot at getting into Hexside. Besides, as much of a hassle Eda had been, you’d be a fool to not recognize how much of a genius she was with magic. Any kid of hers would no doubt be a fine addition to Hexside.

And honestly, Bump would be lying if he didn’t miss the particular brand of chaos that seemed to follow those of the Clawthorne line. These past few years had started to feel a little dull at times.

Besides, he might be meeting the future captain of the Banshee’s in a few moments.

Bump then watched as another figure followed in behind Edalyn and immediately Bump's eyebrows raised at the sight of them. The first thing he noticed was the child she carried in her arms. They were small and by the looks of it, no older than five if Bump had to guess.

He was expecting someone a bit older, but it was never too early to start a young witchlets education in his opinion.

The other thing that caught his attention was the pair's appearance. The two looked similar enough that Bump felt confident in guessing that the woman was the child's mother. Their ears however had caught his attention, causing him to stare for a brief moment.

He couldn’t believe it, the two of them were human. Did Edalyn have a child with a human? Would they even be able to do magic?

Questions raced through Bump's head and he sat there slightly slack-jawed. The reality of Edalyn having a kid somehow just catching up to him.

After several seconds Bump finally collected himself as he shook his head. He quickly got out of his chair and gestured to Edalyn and the other woman to come forward. Spinning a spell circle to summon two chairs for the pair.

“Hello, and welcome to Hexside,” He said as he introduced himself to the woman and child beside Eda. “I am Headmaster Hieronymus Bump.”

“Hi Bumpkins~” Eda replied back as she slouched slightly in her chair, and immediately Bump felt immensely tired from this meeting

“Don’t call me that,” he replied dryly.

Taking a breath, Bump looked at Eda. “Now, while it's… nice to see you, Edalyn I can't help being surprised. I mean, you were the last person I expected to see at Hexside. Not to mention this," he said as he gestured to Camila and Luz. "Just who might you two be?” He asked as he turned towards Camila and Luz.

“I’m Camila, and this is mine and Eda’s daughter, Luz,” Camila replied as Luz waved her hand in an excited greeting.

"Eda, don't you have someone else to introduce?" Camila asked.

"Oh right," Eda quickly remembered that Bump couldn’t exactly see King. "And this goblin here is King," Eda said as she turned her head. Bump just blinked, slightly stunned at the tiny demon nested in Eda’s wild mane of hair. "My son."

Bump couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did they just say that these two kids were Edalyn’s children? The idea of Edalyn raising kids was such a surreal notion that Bump's mind almost wanted to reject it.

Shaking his head Bump got back to the task at hand. “Ah, well it is a pleasure to meet you all, I assume you are here to enroll Luz into Hexside then? Miss Crawline mentioned something along those lines." Bump began gathering up papers and pulling out quills as he spoke.

"While she might be a bit young, we can still start her enrollment papers early. I'm always of the mindset that it's never too early to think of a witchlet's educa-”

“Woah, slow down Bump!” Eda interjected. “We’re here to enroll Luz into Hexsides and the libraries joint preschool program, not at Hexside itself,” Eda explained with a small laugh. “We wouldn’t be enrolling her into hexside proper for at least another year or two.”

Bump just looked at her, blinking slowly as her words hit him. “But, you can do that at the Hexside library…. You had no reason to come all this way for that!” Bump threw his hands up in disbelief as he leaned back in his chair.

“Is he telling the truth?” Camila asked Eda, who just shrugged.

Eda made an 'ehhhh' motion with her hand as she squinted her eyes. “Maybe…. Honestly, how was I supposed to know? This was kind of a split second decision after all."

Bump dragged a hand down his face as he let out a small groan. Why was he even surprised that Edalyn would do something like this?

Eda grabbed an enrolment paper off of Bump's desk and began to scan it over. Doing her best to ignore the stares from Bump and Camila. Unfortunately for her, she could only ignore them for so long.

"Okay, maybe I wanted to check the old place out. I mean, I wasn't just going to let my daughter enroll at a school without checking it out. What kind of parent would I be then!" Eda said a little forcefully, and Camila couldn't help but cringe at the way her tone sounded.

There was also something else that bothered Camila about the way Eda was acting. Something about her lackadaisical smile just felt… off…

Eda cleared her throat as she continued, speaking through a dry laugh. "Not gonna lie, having learnt that Old Bumpy is now principal has made the choice a little easier.”

Hearing that last part Bump sat up a little straighter. Something about the way Eda said that caught him off guard. For a brief moment, Bump was years back, watching a younger Eda leave Hexside for the last time. And suddenly a bitter taste filled his mouth.

While he was mulling those words over he missed the small look that Camila gave Eda.One equally filled with worry and concern.

Spinning a spell circle Bump gathered up the sheets of paper and placed them back into his desk. As he went to close the drawer something caught his eye. Realizing what it was he smiled and began to pull it out along with another set of papers.

"Well even if we can't do all of Luzs enrollment papers here, we can at least start on them," Bump said as he dropped a folder onto the desk. The thick bundle of paper hitting the desk with a dense 'thud.'

"Afterwards I can give you a tour of the school before sending the beginning of the paperwork to the Bonesborough Library."

Looking at the massive stack of papers Camila spoke, "I-Is that the enrollment paperwork?" She asked. Gently holding back Luz as she kept trying to climb onto the desk and touch the stack.

Blinking a few times Bump let out a laugh. " No that's unrelated, these are the enrollment papers," he replied as he handed a copy to both Camila and Eda.

"What’s that then?" Luz asked as she kept staring at the folder.

With a wide grin, Bump turned to Eda as he pushed the folder forward. "Why, Edalyn, maybe you should tell them? It is technically yours after all."

Eda got a bewildered look on her face as she heard Bump. "What on Titan do you mean by that?"

"It's your permanent record Edalyn," Bump explained with a deadpan look. "It's a record of every prank or stunt you pulled while you graced our halls. Honestly I thought you’d recognize it."

"Wait! That's what this is?!" Eda asked, shocked. "...huh… I thought it would be bigger…"

Luz and Camila looked at the folder with wide eyes. Going back and forth between it and Eda.

"This was all mama’s?"

"What did you even do?!"

The two of them asked at the same time, earning another laugh from Bump. Eda just sat there, arms crossed and gave an eye roll. Trying to act like the whole thing wasn't that impressive. Unfortunately, the small grin threatening her face had other plans.

"It would be easier to list the things Edalyn didn't do."

"There were pranks I didn't do?" Eda asked, smiling. "Huh that's a surprise."

"Amazingly even you had some level of restraint," Bump responded as he put the file off to the side. "You at least had the decency to leave the school relatively standing."

"Is there any reason why you're showing us Eda’s file?" Camila asked, still slightly stunned.

"Oh, I just thought it would be nice to give you all a bit more of a personal tour," Bump explained in a straightforward manner. "Let Luz get an idea of the Clawthorne legacy she'll become a part of once she graces our halls."

"Legacy?" Luz asked curiously.

Bump just hummed as he responded. "Why of course, the Clawthornes have been coming to Hexside for generations. They're a clan of witches that are equal parts brilliant with magic, and notorious for causing trouble."

"You won't hold anything in her against Luz right?" Eda asked warily. Out of everyone at this school, she trusted Bump but she still felt like she had to be safe just in case.

"Of course not, your daughter will get her own file like every other student," Bump replied. “Though I won’t lie, I’d be willing to overlook a few minor infractions if you’d do a little something for me.” Bump’s eye’s flashed with a sly gleam as he spoke.

“What sort of things?” Eda looked at Bump with squinted eyes.
“Nothing major, just for you to come and remove your more resilient pranks.Like removing the banshees in the girls changing room, cleaning the moving graffiti of the lockers, and apologizing for stealing Miss Jenkinmeyer’s teeth, just to name a few,” Bump listed off a few of Eda’s pranks from the top of his head. “Just a little ‘quid pro quo’ if you will.”

Hearing this Eda’s first reaction was to say no, but as she went to speak she felt Camila’s eyes on her. She could just tell the slightly disapproving look that Camila had on her face at what Eda was about to say.

Telling herself that this was all for Luz Eda relented. Letting out a sigh she replied. “Fine, but it’ll be on my time.” If Eda was going to spend her time cleaning then she’d at least do it on her own time.

“Perfect, I’ll let the staff know to expect you on school grounds periodically,” Bump replied with a clap of his hands and a grin, Eda just let out a small grumble of annoyance but said nothing more on the matter. Though a small blush could be seen on her face as she caught the proud look that Camila gave her.

Cracking his boney knuckles Bump set the enrollment paper out in front of him. "Now then, let's start filling these out."

***
Bump sat back in his chair as he looked over the mostly completed forms. There was a small handful of administrative work he would have to do on his end, but for the most part, Luz was all set to start preschool.

"We're almost through with paperwork there's just a few things I need to ask," Bump said as he pulled another thing of paper from his desk. "These are mainly for both our healers and the preschool. As well as a few other basic things."

"Great," Eda said as she rolled her wrist and tried to stretch out. She had started to become restless and by the looks of things, Luz wasn’t faring any better. She had severely underestimated how long this would take. "We're getting close to lunch time for these two gremlins, and for us to hopefully grab this one's potions." Eda ruffled Luz's hair.

Bump stopped at the mention of potions as he then stared at Luz for a half-second. Taking a quill he prepared himself to start writing. Spinning a spell circle to have another two sets of quills prepare to mimic his motions with similar forms.

“Now just a few quick questions,” Bump began. “Do you two have primary custody of your daughter?”

Hearing this Camila and Eda looked at each other. They wanted to say yes but due to the nature of being from two different realms that felt difficult to answer. After a silent back and forth Camila answered for the two of them.

“Yes we have custody of Luz together.” A half-truth that the two would hopefully be able to figure out the specifics of and fix soon.

Bump nodded as he continued to write “Who should be contacted in the instance of an emergency?”

“Me,” Eda said, raising her hand. “Cami currently lives and works in the human realm. So any attempts at contact should be done through me.” Jotting that down Bump continued on.

“And in the instance that you are unavailable, Edalyn, who should be contacted?”

Eda hesitated for a second before responding. “My sister Lilith Clawthorne, and if she is unavailable then our family healer, Ogdin Vesalius.” Bumps eyebrows rose at the mention of the eldest Clawthorne child. Last he had heard the two sisters hadn’t spoken nor even seen the other in years. He wondered what had happened to bring the two back into each other's lives.

Dipping the quills into their inkwells Bump got to filling out the next section. “You mentioned earlier that Luz has potions she needs to take? Could you give me more information on those?”

Camila, fishing a shortened copy of the prescriptions out of her bag handed it over to the Principal, letting him look them over. “Luz has to take a digestive potion before consuming most things from the isles,” She began explaining to Bump who nodded as he looked the paper over. “She should take it before any major meal.”

Bumped hummed as he made a note of that in the file. Making a separate note to speak to any healers on staff, and to set up scheduled times for Luz to take her potion. “Are there any foods that Luz should not eat even after taking her potion?” Bump asked as he continued to write. By the looks of it, the potion was no different to similar ones he had seen. Meant for helping with processing complex poisons found in a variety of the isle’s food sources.

“I have a list here that I can give you,” Eda said as she pulled another thing of paper from her hair. Bump carefully took the list and looked it over. “That’s all the things that babes is able to eat. The stuff near the top like griffin eggs she can have without the potion no problem. Anything that the list has in red should be strictly avoided.”

“We’re using this list as a basis of what she can and can’t eat for now, but we don’t know exactly how her or my body will react to things even while taking our potions,” Camila said. hearing this Bump made another note to advise healing staff to keep on hand extra antidotes and poison cures. In the instance that Miss Noceda-Clawthorne had an unforeseen reaction to anything. “Oh, and Luz shouldn’t be allowed any form of dairy,” Camila added on. “She can’t handle human realm dairy, and while it isn’t on the list, we felt it best to just avoid any isles versions just to be safe.”

Bump quickly got another couple of sets of paper and quill to copy down the contents of the list he had just been handed. Nodding as he looked it over one last time. Most of the things on the avoid section would be easy enough to avoid. Others might be trickier but he would speak to both school and preschool staff about ensuring the young Noceda-Clawthorne would be taken care of dietarily.

“Now you mentioned potions, as in plural. Are they both meant to help her with the isles food?” Bump asked and Immediately Eda tensed up. Looking around for a moment Eda leaned forward. Any trace of humour or carefreeness was replaced with stark seriousness.

Bump swallowed another lump in his throat at the sight of the expression his old student wore. Even Camila and Luz looked taken aback by the look Eda had on her face.

Taking a breath Eda spoke as calmly as she could. “Babes has a curse suppressant she needs to take now,” She started, and immediately Bump's attention was piqued. Luz was such a small child that them needing a curse suppressant felt absurd to him. “She recently gained a curse similar to my own, you see.” Bump's eyes went wide as the reality of what Eda was saying hit him.

Still slightly stunned, Bump took a moment to reply. “I-I see….” Bump looked at Eda from the corner of his eye. Trying his best to try and read her expression, but he simply couldn’t. She just had that serious look on her face. “Do you have any idea on how her curse will manifest, and what is her dosage schedule?”

“Right now she needs to take it in the morning and before she goes to sleep, but that may change. As for how it will show, we don’t know yet,” Eda replied. “We’re still playing it by ear you see. We aren’t even sure if the suppressants will work the same way as they have with mine.” Bump frowned as he heard this. A voice in the back of his mind told him that allowing Luz to attend preschool, or Hexside would be too dangerous. He did his best to beat back that feeling.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Silence hung in the air as Eda took a moment to then collect her thoughts. Her expression was softer but still bearing this wild intensity as she looked back at Bump. “I also want to make something clear, unless Luz decides to tell others about her curse, no one other than you and your staff should know about it.” Bump nodded as he felt Eda’s eyes boring into him. The weight of her words and where they came from hitting him harder than he could imagine.

“Right…” Bump replied. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as he felt Eda’s terrifyingly intense gaze levied against him. If you had told him that Edalyn Clawthorne would be a mother and a frighteningly terrifying one he would have called you a liar. But here he was seeing it for himself.

Collecting the forms Bump cleared his throat. “I believe that should be everything. I will send copies to the preschools faculty head as soon as possible.” Bump spun a spell circle sending a few of the forms off to somewhere.

Looking at the time Bump frowned as he had realized just how long that had taken. “I must apologize but we will have to schedule a tour for another time. I unfortunately have administrative duties that I must attend to you see.”

"Ah, that's a shame!" Eda exclaimed as she started standing up. Her tone shifted back to her casual carefree attitude. "We'll need to come back and take that tour. Need to show these three all the cool stuff I got up to as a kid," she finished with a confident grin.

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Camila added as she stood up. Balancing a now droopy Luz in her one arm. "Luz, do you want to say goodbye?" Camila asked gently. It seemed like all the waiting had tuckered Luz out into a slightly early nap.

Blinking tired eyes, Luz lifted her hand and gave Bump a half wave. As soon as she was done her head slumped against Camila and tiny snores could be heard. Camila just smiled at her daughter, knowing that this would just be a short power nap. Luz would wake up in an hour, filled with energy.

As the family got ready to leave Bump spoke up. "Edalyn, could I speak to you for a moment before you go?"

Hearing the request Eda hesitated before giving a small nod. She carefully fished King out of her hair and handed him to Camila, making sure to not wake him up from his nap. As Camila slipped out of the office Eda turned back to Bump, his expression now unreadable to her.

Leaning against his desk Eda shot him a grin, trying to ease the tension that had quickly become palpable. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Eda let out a small cough. “So you wanted to talk? Don’t tell me you wanted to spend time with your favourite student off all time?” Eda eventually asked jokingly.

“You were technically one of my students, you are correct,” Bump replied in a deadpan tone. “Maybe if you ever come back and clean up your pranks I might even get rid of that ‘technical part’.”

Eda just let out a barking laugh as she heard that. Wiping a tear from her eye. “Sorry Bumpkin but I’d rather not spend too much time at this nerd house.” As she said that Eda started to head to the door. “It was…” Eda stopped as she picked out her words. “Nice to see you again Bump, but I don’t want to keep Cami waiting too long. Did you have something you wanted to talk to me abo-”

“I’m sorry!”

Eda stood there stunned. Her brain was still processing what Bump had just blurted out at her. “What? Why are you apologizing to me?” Eda asked with a nervous laugh. Her one hand reached for her arm, instinctually searching for any signs of feathers.

The last thing she needed was Bird-brain trashing everything.

“I should have done something, back when you were still at Hexside,” Bump replied. He looked at Eda with a face she still could barely read. It was this mix of regret, grief, and what Eda could only describe as shame. Seeing Bump about to continue Eda cut in.

“Woah, it’s all right! All that’s in the past,” Eda responded. “I haven’t even thought about that in years.” Eda hoped that she had been convincing enough, but unfortunately the look on Bump’s face told her otherwise. Though by the looks of things it seemed like he wasn’t about to pry any further.

“But it wasn’t alright!” Bump’s voice was sharp, filled with years of regret. “I believed that no student was beyond help, but I failed to uphold that when it came to you!”

Eda felt herself wince at his tone. She never imagined she’d ever hear Bump sounding like this. Voice slightly shaky, she spoke. “Really, it’s ok. I’ve put all that behind me.”

If there was one thing Bump loved and hated about the Clawthornes it was their damned pride. Realizing that Eda had made up her mind he let out a long sigh. “If you say so,” Bump said. His voice was heavy with guilt that had lingered, untouched for years.

“You’re free to go now.” With that Bump waved Eda out of his office. Now prepared to start on the work he needed to do.

As Eda got to the door she stopped. Gnawing on her bottom lip she thought for the briefest moment before turning back to her former principal. “While I’ve ‘moved on’ from what happened, could I make a request of you? As your favourite student that is,” Eda added the last bit on with a slight grin.

Returning the grin, Bump looked at her as he replied. “Of course, what would you need?”

“Just, promise me that you won’t let what happened to me happen to Luz,” Eda’s tone was sombre but held an incredible weight. Bump could practically feel each word as it lived in the air for only a short few seconds.

Nodding Bump looked Eda right in the eyes as he responded. “What you went through will not happen to your daughter. You have my word.” As he finished speaking Bump paused for a brief moment to think, before spinning a spell circle and sticking his hand through it. His eyes never leaving Eda’s.

Seeing this Eda looked slightly flabbergasted. She felt herself beginning to get choked up at the implications of Bump’s gesture.

Eda fought back a few tears as she let out a small, watery laugh. She never thought she’d be in a situation like this but here she was. She waved her hands and shook her head at her old principal. “You don’t have to do that. I trust you ok.” The corners of her eye’s creased slightly as she gave the older witch a grateful smile.

Hearing that Bump dispelled the incomplete Oath spell. “I appreciate the gesture though,” Eda said softly.

“Well I better get going. I guess I’ll see you around then,” Eda said as she started to leave again. “Take care Bumpster~.”

“You as well Edalyn,” Bump replied. “I look forward to when young Luz graces our halls.”

With that Eda slipped out the door, rejoining Camila and her kids.

Chapter Text

It turned out Camila had been generous with assuming Luz would be out napping for an hour. The little ball of energy had popped back up, ready and raring to go in only thirty minutes. They’d barely gotten back to Bonesborough before she was starting to stir.

With Luz awake and King looking to be not too far behind her, Camila and Eda had elected to find a place in the city to eat. Neither of them felt like cooking after how busy the day had been, plus it gave Camila and Luz a chance to see more of Bonesborough.

Eda had found a small, hole-in-the-wall diner for them to eat at. It wasn’t too big and had a rather warm and cozy atmosphere. It reminded Camila of a diner she’d seen out east while taking a trip during spring break, with a soda bar, soft booth seats, and what looked like a joke box tucked away in the corner. 

Well, Camila assumed it was a jukebox. She was still getting the hang of identifying some of the things around her. Should she ask Eda about it?

All in all, it looked like your typical hometown American diner. Well, if she looked past the eyes, teeth, bones, and other unsettling bits of body parts that made up the decorum of the establishment. Though honestly, Camila didn’t mind it as much as she thought she would have. Maybe it was because of how much she’d seen while they were out in the market.

After seeing an eye or two growing out of a building or a bench trying to eat a bird, Camila had found herself growing desensitized to a lot. This diner was rather tame compared to a few places they’d passed by.

Plus the place looked to be family owned, as the tired teenage demon greeted them, bore a striking resemblance to the older-looking demon they could spot through a window to the back. A perfect place for the four of them to unwind and relax as they ate.

Well, unwinding might have been a lofty dream as Eda had to stop every few minutes to wrangle King as he tried to fight his bacon. The nearby demons cheered him on and occasionally cooed as he tried to dominate the inert piece of meat. All the while Luz spent most of the time asking Eda, the staff and just basically everyone she could find all manner of questions. Luckily the diner hadn’t been too busy, and those there had been more than happy to indulge the four-year-old curiosity. It just meant that either Camila or Eda had to keep a close eye on Luz. Which was fine as long as she stayed at the table, but they knew she’d try to slip away to go explore the moment they looked away.

Well, it could be worse, Camila had unfortunately seen her fair share of young kids whose parents didn’t even bother trying to keep an eye on them. Letting them scream and run around to their heart's content.

So sure Luz might be a little chatty, but honestly, Camila loved that about her daughter. She was sweet, kind, and surprisingly personable for a little girl. As long as Luz was being respectful and the other patrons didn’t mind, then Camila wasn’t going to stop her.

It wasn’t like the diner was particularly busy anyhow. Besides them, there were only a handful of other tables, most of which were either just nursing drinks or part way through their meals.

The only real downside was the fact that Luz was taking longer to get through her food, and when she did remember it she spent half that time trying to play with it. Like right now.

“Luz, you shouldn’t play with your food like that,” Camila tried to explain to her daughter who had been trying to build something out of her whipped dream pancakes, and crystal berries. She loved seeing Luz be creative, but not when she was making a mess of herself in the process.

“Why?” Luz asked with a tilt of her head.

“Cause someone spent a lot of time on it and it would be rude to waste it.”

“But what if I don’t like my food?”

Sitting at the table nearest to them were a pair of elderly witches who had been talking to Luz for the past ten minutes. The first of the pair, a witch named Elyza, was short and stout, with a pair of tusks jutting down from her top jaw and a face covered in short, bristly whiskers. Her body language was gentle and reserved at all times, keeping her two sets of hands resting below her sternum as she slumped down in her own seat. 

The other, named Verina, was tall and gangly, with gnarled, calloused hands covered in liver spots. Her movements were much more expressive when compared to her companion. As she moved her hand, Camila could see webbing between her fingers. 

The pair had been incredibly sweet, listening to and talking to Luz. Neither even missed a beat as the four-year-old asked the one a question completely unprompted. They’d even given Camila a list of hidden gems around the city and isles to check out.

A few places, in particular, caught Camila’s eye, and more than a handful she knew Luz would love herself.

The two of them had been listening to the back and forth for a few minutes and hearing that Elyza chimed in.

“She does make a good point.” Her voice was rough and gravelly as spoke. Camila just sighed as Luz looked at her with the biggest grin imaginable.

“Do you not like your pancakes?” Camila asked as Luz took a bite of her food. Luz’s brows furrowed as she thought for a moment. Absent-mindedly resting her fork against her face and smearing berry juices all over her cheek.

“No, I like them,” Luz eventually responded, before squishing one of her berries with her fingers, getting juice all over her hands.

“Well If you don’t enjoy something then you won’t have to eat it,” Camila tried explaining to Luz as she went to grab a few napkins, to clean Luz up. She hadn’t expected to have this kind of conversation but she was glad that Luz was learning this now.  “But since you like your pancakes then that’s not an issue, is it,” Camila continued as she tried her best to wipe  the sticky mess off Luz’s face.

“Can I avoid other stuff if I don’t like them?” Luz had apparently chosen to fixate on the idea that she could just avoid stuff if she didn't care for them. “Like can I avoid having to take naps?”

“Sorry kiddo, but somethings you can’t avoid,” Eda chimed in as she snatched a bite of berries and pancake from Luz’s plate. “Besides why would you want to skip naps, being able to nap is great.” Eda stretched her arms behind her head as she yawned. A few pops could be heard as she rolled her shoulders and neck. “Frankly, I wish I could sleep more.”

“But What about all the stuff I want to do!”

“Oh, what’s so important that you have to skip taking naps?” Camila asked, interested in what sort of things her daughter would come up with.

“Ummm, playing with King, witchy stuff, Azura…" Luz trailed off as she tried to think of more ultra-important reasons for her to forgo napping.

"I'm sorry mija, but none of those are important enough for you to miss nap time," Camila explained gently, doing her best to ignore the cute way that Luz pouted at that.

"That's not fair!" Luz sunk down in her seat, her face sinking into a deeper pout over this perceived injustice.

"Unfortunately, you sometimes have to do things you don't like," Camila explained, hiding her smile at how cute Luz looked right now. Camila wasn’t about to hurt her daughter's pride like that.

 “Like having to wake up in the morning, or dealing with people you don’t like ‘cause of needing to be ‘polite’," Eda added between bites of her own food, waving her fork around as she listed off things.

The diner grew silent as Luz started to think after hearing that. Without Luz’s constant questions and energetic voice filling out the air, the space felt smaller somehow. As if her passion and energy made everything feel so much bigger and more vibrant. Now the quiet hum of the jukebox, a faint hiss of a fire in the back, and the sound of cutlery scraping against plates slowly reclaimed that space.

The brief and fleeting moment of respite to silence was nice, even if Camila knew she preferred Luz’s chattiness in the long run. That lull in the conversation didn’t last long as Luz asked something Camila could never predict. 

“What if you both stopped loving me, what would you do then?” Now, on the one hand, Luz had just asked an incredibly loaded question that on a bad day Camila couldn’t even imagine having to answer, didn’t even want to consider the possibility of her not wanting Luz in her life, But she knew that just because she didn’t want to think about it, didn’t mean it never happened. ‘Cause Camila knew for a fact that there were kids who had to deal with that unfortunate but all too real reality. The simple truth was that some children’s parents just didn’t want them.

On the other hand, Luz had asked it with such genuine curiosity and sincerity that it had somehow looped around from mildly horrifying to being comedic. And it turns out that Camila wasn’t the only one to think so as she could hear at least three other diners sputter laugh into their drinks, and the teen minding the front to what they were doing to try and contain a laugh. Those that weren’t laughing like Eda, or the two elderly witches nevertheless were trying to hide their smiles to various degrees of success.

Camila had begun to make an attempt at an answer but Eda beat her to it. “Mmm, depends on where we go but I’m certain we could find a place that would buy you for at least a quarter of a snail, maybe even half a snail if we’re lucky.”

“Eda!” Camila cut in. She’d tried to sound more serious but Eda’s deadpan, straight-faced delivery to something so outrageous had Camila trying her best not to laugh. “You can’t sell our daughter, and especially not for so cheap!”

Apparently, Luz saw no problem with being sold, or for such a low amount as she looked at Eda with genuine wonder. “You’d sell me for that much!?” Luz replied without missing a beat. Camila couldn’t fault her daughter though, at that age even half a dollar had felt like so much.

Camilla knew she had to jump in and attempt to steer the conversation back to being semi-coherent. At this pace, she couldn’t begin to predict where the conversation would head if she didn’t. Plus Camila couldn’t help but feel her heart slowly shatter as she heard Luz equate her personal worth to so little. 

Sure she was young and didn’t know any better. Camila reasoned with herself that Luz lacked the real-life experience to properly understand the worth of most things so it wasn’t worth time to look into it too far. Despite all of that reasoning, hearing Luz say that still hurt. As Camila could feel the sting of old wounds, ones which she’d thought had long since healed.

“Can you believe Noceda actually came? Who even bothered to invite her in the first place?”

“Oh, it’s not so bad. Watching her make a fool of herself out there is more than entertaining.”

“I can’t believe Noceda is even wasting her time bothering to even try.”

“Miss Noceda don’t you think it would be in your best interest to settle for something, else? Something more attainable for someone like you?”

Camila could feel herself starting to silently spiral as the memories kept coming. She could feel her breathing starting to become shallower as she tried to keep her composure. Steeling herself so as to not let her emotions show through.

It wouldn't do anyone any good for her to ruin the mood with something so trivial. Luz didn’t need to see her like that.

Besides, it had been years since she even saw any of those people. She had no reason to worry about what any of them thought of her.

What they'd no doubt think of her daughter.

But if that was the case, why did all the wounds still feel fresh?

Luckily, or mayhaps unluckily the rest of the diner was so invested in their own business or Luz and her questions that no one even spared her a passing glance. She was glad, no one needed to worry about her trivial problems anyhow.

All but one, however. A cold but gentle hand placed atop her own, squeezing ever so softly. Camila looked at Eda who smiled down at her but looked mildly concerned. Smiling at the gesture Camila interlocked their fingers together. Giving Eda’s hand a small squeeze back to reassure her that she was alright and that they’d talk about it later.

“Oh, I wouldn’t even bother trying to waste your time on something like that,” Verina chimed in before Camila even had a chance to speak. “This one already tried to leave me in the market earlier this week, but unfortunately for her, no one wanted to take me.” Verina leaned back in her chair, as she calmly sipped on her tea. The corners of her eyes creased just the slightest at the phantom of a shit-eating grin. Tilting her head and shifting her gaze to look at Elyza sitting beside her.

Elyza, hearing this, stares at Verina stunned before erupting into a short, shrill shriek that tumbles into a fit of laughter. Her stubby fingers gripping the fabric of Verina’s blouse as she jostled her around. “I did not leave you! I saw that there was a deal on ingredients for witch’s wool and in excitement got separated from you when I went to check it out!”

“Oh, so are you saying the witch’s wool was more important than me?” Verina asked slyly. Her eyebrow cocked and Camila couldn’t help but sit back and watch the exchange. The two older women had such playfulness and familiarity that she couldn’t help but admire them.

Elyza hearing that shook the other witch harder. "I was planning you a shawl with it! You and I both know this!" A smile stretched across her face as she tried her best to keep from laughing.

"Okay, okay!" Verina held her hands up to stop the shorter woman from shaking her any longer. Elyza releasing her grip slumped back into her seat, with a short ' hmph'. Verina just rolled her eyes and leaned over, placing a quick kiss just on Elyza's temple. "And I can't wait for you to finish the shawl, I'll wear it every day."

As Verina moved her arm Camila could see what looked like a beautiful golden tattoo wrapped around her wrist. With intricate looping patterns and fine details. The ink almost shimmered as the late afternoon light caught it through the window. It might have been one of the most beautiful things Camila had ever seen.

Luz must have thought so as well, as she gasped excitedly as she saw it. She wasted no time as she quickly started asking about it. “What’s that!” She asked as she pointed to the ring of gold.

"This?" Verina held up her arm, pointing at the tattoo. "Oh it's just our wedding band, nothing too special about it."

"It's beautiful," Camila said, still slightly mesmerized. As the witch set her hand back down Camila caught a glimpse of her other wrist, spotting a similar-looking bit of gold.

"Wow," Eda said in slight awe. "Can't even remember the last time I saw wedding bands like that."

"Wait, these aren't commonplace?" Camila hadn’t been paying that much attention to the wrists of those she’d been passing all day but the way Eda was talking made it sound like this was a rare occurrence.

“Mmm, it’s one of the few trends that was kept from the savage ages, though nowadays it’s become a bit of a rarity. Due to its connotations, it’s rare to see it outside of wild witches or those from remote communities out by the knee and ankle,” Eda explained as she continued to admire the intricate detailing. “It’s nice to see old traditions like this still around.” Camila couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat pick up at the soft tone in Eda’s voice. Her eyes momentarily flickered down to her own wrist, imagining it with a weaving band of gold, set against her warm brown skin.

“It was a surprise gift for our wonderful wife Alice,” Elyza said, showing off two bands matching Verina’s. “She misses a lot from her home on the lower ankle, so we got this done for her. Since we know how much those traditions meant to her.”

“Wait-” Camila stopped as she heard the word ‘our’. “Marriages between more than two people are a thing on the isles?”

“Of course dear,” Verina replied with a tilt of her head. “They’ve always been a thing for as long as anyone could really remember. Are they not common in the human realm?” Elyza had a similar look of confusion on her face as her wife, as did most of the other witches who had overheard the conversation.

Camila felt an unfamiliar sensation upon hearing that something like polyamorous relationships wasn’t just seen as perfectly fine, but also so commonplace that they weren’t even worth commenting on. It wasn’t a bad feeling necessarily, but rather one filled with more confusion than anything else.

She was happy for them, but if that was the case why did she feel like this upon hearing that news?

“Cami?” Camila hearing her name called suddenly realized that she had zoned out while concentrating. “You are alright?” Eda asked with that comfortable smile and for a moment Camila could feel that prior sensation abating for a time. She could figure that all out another time.

“Sorry, sorry.” Camila held her hands up, showing she was fine to everyone. Save for the feeling of embarrassment from zoning out as she had. “I’m alright, don’t worry about me just got lost in my head is all.” Camila really was fine, if now dealing with new ideas she’d never even thought of before.

Turning to the two older witches Camila responded, not expecting the hint of disappointment within her own tone. “Polyamory is seen by many in the human realm to be wrong, not even getting into the idea of marriage between more than two people.”

'Wait, why do I sound so bitter over that?' Camila thought to herself.

Meanwhile, the other witches save for Eda looked at her with a mixture of shock, anger, and annoyance. Elyza's face had gone into a deep-set frown as she responded to the new information. "Well, that seems rather stupid if you asked me," her words came out with a 'huff'. "It's just consenting folks loving each other, what's so wrong about that?!"

Camila shrugged at the others with a frown. She’d never actively thought about the idea of Polyamory before so she had no real answers. 

"Some places are just different dear," Verina placed a hand on Elyza's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "No use throwing yourself into a tizzy over something you can't change, regardless of how odd or wrong it seems."

Elyza didn't respond verbally but just gave another 'huff' followed by a small nod. Seeing this her wife just rolled her eyes and smiled.

Verina's eyes then widened as she saw the time. While her wife simmered in her discontent Verina quickly started to gather up their belongings. Reaching into her bag and dropping a handful of snails onto their bill. "Come on, Alice is probably wondering where we've been, it's almost time for her stories." Verina lightly shook the shorter witch's shoulder who jumped at the mention of the time.

The two witches quickly gave their goodbyes and wished Luz good luck with starting preschool. Verina stopped briefly to give Camila a few last-minute suggestions of places to check out that she’d forgotten about till now.

Soon the only one still eating was Luz, as Camila and Eda nursed their drinks, and King slept soundly in Eda’s lap. The tiny demon had worn himself out from wrestling with his inanimate meal. All the while Eda and Camila chatted idly as they waited for their daughter to finish her food.

“We still have a few hours before it gets dark. Are there any places you’d want to go before heading home?” Eda asked.

“Playground!” Luz had said a bit forcefully before Camila had a chance to say anything. Her tiny hands pressed firmly onto the table as she propped herself up. “I wanna go to the playground!” Luz was practically vibrating with energy. Her plate was nearly picked clean save for a handful of crumbs and berry bits.

Camila looked at Eda, her eyebrows raising in a silent question. ‘ I’m fine with going to the playground if you are’ . Eda just laughed at Luz’s enthusiasm and gave a nod.

“Alright, guess we’re heading to the slayground. Can’t imagine it’ll be too busy this late,” Eda said as she signalled for their bill.

“Who knows, maybe Luz will make a new friend before even starting preschool. Would that be exciting mija?” Camila asked her daughter as she cleaned her up. Having to go through a handful of napkins as Luz had somehow managed to get whipped cream and berry juice all over herself again somehow.

“Like my dog friends at the park?” Luz asked. Growing more excited over the prospect of making more friends.

“Luz, sweety, those weren’t dogs. Those were raccoons…” Camila replied. Her face wore a tired smile that revealed this wasn't the first nor the last time she’d have this conversation with Luz. Eda, hearing this just looked at Camila, clearly wanting to know more about this story. Seeing this Camila gave Eda a look and sighed as she helped Luz put her jacket back on and picked her up. “I’ll explain the story on our way over okay?”

“Deal,” Eda replied as she carefully set King back into her hair. Letting the demon get comfy before moving.

With that Eda placed a handful of snails on their bill, and they quickly headed off to the nearby slayground.

Chapter Text

 As Eda suspected, the slayground was all but deserted, save for a few witchlets and witchlings. Some in pairs and others that Eda recognized as belonging to witches she’d seen working late hours at the market. Witches that, by Eda’s guess, had most likely only gotten off of work not too long ago. Their tired expressions, accompanied by small smiles, were a stark contrast to the young witchlets and demons dragging them every which way. 

The rest were what Eda could guess to be older students that seemed to be watching their younger siblings. Most of them followed the much younger kids around to-and-fro as they bolted around the slayground. Though Eda could tell a few of the older witchlings clearly had no younger siblings and had instead chosen to use the slayground as a place to hang out amongst themselves. 

Eda could smell the faint but pungent scent of Dragon-moss and pilfered Apple blood off some of the older witchlings and demons. Though Eda could tell by the faintness of the scent that none of them had none on them at the moment.

Eda spotting one of the older witchlings with their younger siblings, gently nudged Camila and pointed them out. The two women giggled as they watched half a dozen witchlets use a tall demon teenager as a makeshift jungle gym. The teenage demon half successfully managed to wrangle half the kids while the other half climbed all over them. After a few minutes, they gave up and let the kids climb them to their heart’s content, letting out a sigh as they did so.

Camila turned to check on Luz, making sure she’d not gone too far in the brief moment she and Eda had looked away. She’d been making sure to keep Luz in her peripheral vision but knew to remain vigilant in the instance that Luz managed to slip away unnoticed. Luckily Luz was still close by, currently interested in a handful of insects she’d found under a rock. Laying her body flat against the red grass and allowing the bugs to crawl over her hands and arms. Her eyes shone as she watched each one skitter across her skin, letting out fits of giggles as they brushed against ticklish areas.

Camila had initially been wary of letting Luz play with the strange insects, but Eda had assured her that none of the ones Luz had found warranted any alarm. Most of them were herbivores and quite docile by isles' standards. Meaning Luz was free to make friends with all the different types of worms, beetles, and other insects that decided she was a good place to investigate.

And making friends was exactly what Luz was doing as she’d spent the past ten minutes meticulously trying to come up with names for each one. “Your names gonna be….” Luz trailed off for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Her tongue sticking out from her mouth as she tried to think of the perfect name for a tiny, jewelled-looking beetle that had perched on the tip of Luz’s knuckle. Patiently munching on a piece of a leaf that Luz had given to it.

Camila swore she heard Eda let out a small “aww” at that, but when pressed, Eda denied any of it. Camila wouldn’t press. Besides, she knew what she had heard.

“I’m still not sure I understand how she’s managed to get that many,” Eda said as she watched another beetle join the rest. “I’d get one or two, but they just keep coming...”

“I thought that time with the raccoons was a one-time thing….” Camila was beginning to be equally stunned as Eda. Completely unsure how to process what she was seeing before her eyes.

Neither noticed a small shape scuttle up Camila’s back and settle into her curly brown hair.

“Izy!” Luz exclaimed excitedly. Raising her hand and looking into the eyes of the jewelled beetle. (or as ‘into’ one could look into the eyes of a beetle) “I’m gonna call you Izzy!” Luz looked incredibly happy with the name she’d chosen and waited patiently for a response.

Izy just kept munching on her leaf, seemingly oblivious that they’d been bestowed with a name. Luz, despite the lack of response, apparently decided this was good enough and gently coaxed Izzy off her hand. Setting the newly christened beetle onto the ground before allowing a multi-headed black and green worm to take its place.

Deciding that she’d found enough new friends, Luz went to go show her moms. Carefully picking each one up and letting them rest in her hand before clumsily trying to stand up. At least that was the plan, but as Luz tried to move, she felt something weighing her down. 

Seeing Luz struggle to get up, Camila went over to see what was wrong. "Luz, are you okay?" Reaching a hand out to help her daughter, Camila felt her hand brush against something. The air shimmered as slowly a large shape began to form, hanging off Luz’s back. With a jolt, Camila pulled her hand back as a large millipede revealed itself to be lying on top of Luz. Eda quickly jumped up in shock at the sight.

Before either of them could react any further, the millipede slowly slinked off of Luz. Causing Luz to giggle as it crawled over her head before settling down in front of her. The air around them grew silent as no one even made an attempt to move. The sole sound being the ruffling of wind through the grass.

Camila couldn’t believe her eyes, the ‘millipede’ was massive by conventional standards, being nearly as large as Luz. Its multi-segmented body, at first glance, seemed to be just a solid black shiny black colour, covering itself in what looked like thick armour plating. As she looked closer at it, however, she soon realized that it had an almost watery quality as sunlight seemed to not only reflect off it but also through it, creating a beautiful array of colours across the grass.

Camila might have thought it as being one of the most marvellous things she’d ever seen if it wasn’t for the fact that it had just been laying across her daughter not 30 seconds ago. Without even stopping to tear her eyes off Luz, Camila blindly tried to touch Eda’s arm. Too afraid to make any sudden movements lest she scares the arthropod and causes it to attack Luz.

“Eda!” Camila said in a harsh whisper. “What do we do!” 

Finally able to get a good look at the millipede, Eda felt that rush of adrenaline subside as she calmed down, letting out a breath that she’d been holding unconsciously. “We’re fine. Out of all the insect-like beasts, it’s probably one of the tamest and docile you could find on the isles.” Eda slowly began guiding Camila over to Luz and the millipede, taking careful steps to avoid spooking it. 

“How’d it get on Luz like that? We didn’t hear or see anything,” Camila asked, having now moved on from shock and fear for her daughter's safety to a pure curiosity about the unique traits of this strange new organism that had suddenly appeared as if out of thin air.

As they reached Luz, Eda guided Camila down onto the grass, taking extra care to avoid any of the bugs Luz had named. Luckily, the majority had taken momentary residence in her arms. Luz barely even registered the arrival of her two moms, her focus solely on the massive millipede. Her eyes shone as she just stared into the gigantic arthropod's beady eyes with an unmistakable sense of child-like wonder.

“It’s a rib-forest millipede,” Eda explained to Camila quietly. “It has the ability to use a sort of illusion magic to hide itself. See how its shell looks like it’s made of water?” Camila, hearing that nodded. “It uses that quality to manipulate light and render itself invisible.”

“That’s amazing,” Camila was in complete awe. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she’d see the creatures she’d seen today. And to think that she’d only seen a small handful at that.

As Luz held out her hand, she watched as the millipede slowly inched closer to her. Cautious at first, as if judging her and what she might do to it. As if trying to figure out if this weird-looking creature would be a threat to its life.

Sensing that Luz meant no harm, the giant Millipede thoroughly inspected her hand with its antenna. Luz couldn’t help but start giggling at the sensation of the antenna sweeping against her skin. The giant millipede, in response, let out short clicking chirps as it raised its front half up, waving it excitedly in the air.

“Does that mean you like me!?” Luz, by this point, was vibrating with excitement. With every word, she hopped in place, and her hands clenched at her side. “Do you wanna be friends?!” The millipede, as if somehow understanding Luz, quickly wrapped its long body around her, resting its top half on her head as it let out a series of happy-sounding clicks and trills.

Luz, unable to believe what had just happened, spun on her feet to face her moms. “Mama! Mami! Look, I made new friends!” Luz’s face beamed at her mom's as she showed them the giant millipede wrapped around her body, and other tinier bugs she was carrying. 

That’s amazing, Mija,” Camila was the first to congratulate her daughter.

“Yeah, nice one, kiddo.” Eda was not far behind with her own praise.

Luz couldn’t have looked happier and, in her excitement, asked something that both women should have seen coming a mile away. “Can I keep them!?”

Both women, not expecting this, gave each other a look. Camila didn’t exactly know what to say to that. ‘ Technically ’ speaking, you weren’t supposed to take wild animals home as pets, but this technically wasn’t an animal, so she wasn’t certain if that still applied. Plus, she knew for a fact that a lot of people kept insects and other invertebrates as pets.

At the same time, Camila was fairly confident that those insects were not the size of a four-year-old little girl. So ‘cause of that, Camila was uncertain if the two points would counteract each other.

Wait, did the Boiling Isles have different rules for that sort of thing?

Camila could already feel her head start to spin as she tried to wrestle with the logistics of a situation she had never imagined having to contend with.

Eda, seeing Camila trying to wrap her head around a possible response, decided to try and answer on her own. Eda turned to Luz and tried to give her an apologetic look, hoping it would lessen the blow. “Kiddo I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Caring for something like that is a lot of responsibility.”

Eda hearing the words leave her mouth, had to stop herself from stopping abruptly and giving herself mental whiplash. The idea of her even caring about responsibility was still something that she was certain she’d never get used to.

“I’ll take care of them!” Luz tried to counter.

“Hooty might try to eat them,” Eda responded in kind. She loved her house demon but knew that he’d try eating that thing the moment he saw it.

“He won’t eat it if I tell him not to!” Luz clearly wasn’t backing down on this. 

“I don’t know if that’ll work Luz. Hooty can be kind of scatterbrained at times.”

“No, he won't!” Eda watched Luz puff out her cheeks and squared herself against her moms. Her face had a deep-set determination worn across it, the kind that only little kids could manage to pull off.  “I’ll tell him that I’d be mad at him if he did!”

“Kiddo I-”

Please!” Cutting her mama off, Luz gave Eda the biggest puppy dog eyes possible. The giant millipede, somehow sensing what Luz was doing and joined in. Eda tried to stay strong and avert her gaze. She wouldn’t fall for such an attack again. The last time it was a moment of weakness, but now she was stronger, immune to such things.

Testing the waters, Eda opened her one eye a smidge, a decision she would soon regret.

Eda felt her resolve break almost immediately as somehow Luz had increased the strength of her puppy-dog eyes. “Fine, you can keep them!” She barely noticed as Luz started celebrating, too ashamed at having been beaten by such a look a second time. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t strong enough.” Eda gave Camila an apologetic look.

Sighing, Camila placed a comforting hand on the witch’s shoulder, an understanding smile on her lips as she looked at Eda. “It’s alright. You, at the very least, tried. Though I should have probably seen something like this happening….”

“Cause of the raccoon incident?” Eda asked.

“Cause of the raccoon incident,” Camila replied. “It’s always been like this, animals just seem to gravitate towards Luz and I could never understand why.”

“If that’s the case I’m gonna need to start getting used to that look of hers.” Eda rubbed the bridge of her nose as she started to think of Luz bringing more wild creatures home as pets. “I’d rather the Owl House didn’t turn into a menagerie.”

As the two women were talking, Luz finished her celebration with her new arthropod friend. The giant Millipede had draped itself across her neck like a feathered boa and had begun to inspect more parts of Luz with its antenna.

Luz, excited to properly introduce her new companion, walked up to Camila and gently but insistently began to tap her on the shoulder. As Camila turned to Luz, she could see her rocking on her feet excitedly as she used her arms to hold up the millipede's front half. “Mami, meet princess!” Luz presented Princess like she was showing Camila a cat or dog she’d found rather than a gigantic millipede.

“Oh.” Camila hadn’t expected her daughter to come up with a name so fast or that she’d want to introduce Camila to them. Unsure of what to do, Camila slowly held her hand out like she’d seen Luz do earlier. She didn’t hate insects or creepy crawlies, but she still found herself unaccustomed to one so big. “Hello, Princess.”

Princess, like before, looked at the hand questioningly at first. Hesitantly inching closer as if debating on what to do with it. Cautiously they began to sweep their antenna over Camila’s hand, stopping and starting abruptly as they did so. Camila could swear she could see the gears in the creature's head turn, and it tried to make sense of something.

Suddenly as if something had clicked for them, Princess perked up and began to excitedly run their antenna all over Camila’s hand and even up their arm. The gigantic arthropod wiggled its entire body as it let out a string of happy chirps and clicks.

Not expecting them to become so excited, Camila couldn’t help but start to giggle as Princess unintentionally began to tickle her. As she went to try and stop them, however, Camila suddenly swore she heard something. Like a voice faint and distant but at the same time crisp and clear.

“H–l- n– fr–n-!”

Not expecting to hear such a thing, Camila jerked her hand back as time seemed to slow down. Her heart thudded in her chest as she tried to process what she'd just heard. Sounds became muffled as she stared in wide-eyed shock, and all she could hear was the same sounds repeating over and over again in her mind. Sounds that, even with letters muffled as they were, still left enough for her to understand what she had heard.

Words, not clicks or chittering, but well and proper words. Words that she thought, no, swore came from Princess.

Camila suddenly felt all eyes on her. Quickly she saw Princess draw themselves back as their antenna dropped, and Luz looked at Camila like she’d just hurt Princess. Camila, seeing this, suddenly realized what she’d just done and quickly tried to apologize.

“Princess, Luz, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that! Something startled me, and I reacted on reflex!” As she spoke, Camila slowly extended her hand out to Princess again. Part of her felt hesitant, afraid that the same thing would happen again. Another part of her wanted such a thing to happen. She wanted to understand what it was she’d just experienced.

Because, whatever it was, it didn’t feel wrong. Camila knew when something wasn’t right. Those odd moments where everything just felt off, or jank, as if alarm bells would go off in one's head. Telling you that a situation, person, or a place was bad. They’d never tell you why those things were bad. They’d just tell you to get out of whatever it was without any context as to why. It was a skill she was pretty sure most people developed over the course of their life. That intuitive sense of when something should be avoided.

Camila knew that feeling incredibly well, and she often trusted it even when it went off unexpectedly. Her gut instincts and intuition rarely lead her wrong in most cases.

This ‘thing,’ or whatever you wanted to call it, while new and partially terrifying, didn’t feel wrong. And Camila, even in this moment, could feel a part of herself wanting to push deeper, despite the part of her that felt hesitant.

Maybe it was a small part of her, the bits left over from when she was a little girl. The part that always wished she could talk to animals was the part that urged her to push forward into this unknown.

Princess looked at Camila’s hand warily at first, then slowly began to feel it with their antenna. As they did, Camila could hear the same sound as before. Now partially expecting it, she merely felt herself reflexively tense before relaxing.

“F–g-v-”

Smiling softly, Camila bowed her head to the giant millipede and replied back respectfully and graciously. “Thank you for forgiving me.”

As she raised her head, Camila was suddenly aware of the eyes on her. She could practically feel Eda and Luz staring at her, their eyes boring into her with a mixture of confusion and amazement.

"Why are you two looking at me like that?" Camila could feel herself grow increasingly self-conscious as they just kept on staring.

"You were talking to them?" Eda’s voice was filled with a sense of disbelief but also pride. "You could understand them!"

Luz, while not speaking, just kept on staring up at Camila. Her eyes were wide with a sense of wonder, and pride. That kind of pride that young children have for their parents when they see them do something incredible. 

"Wait, you didn't hear them?!" Camila, till that moment, hadn't even considered that only she could have heard Princess. The sound, while hard to make out at first, hadn't sounded like it had come from inside her brain. 

"No, none of us heard them!" Eda couldn't help the excited and proud look on her face as she looked at Camila. "That’s honestly incredible Cami!"

"What no it's not, I bet tons of witches could do something like that. You could probably do it with your eyes closed," Camila had tried to brush off the praise, believing what she had done to be of little worth or note. "Besides I could only understand half of what had been said."

To Camila’s surprise, Eda just shook her head at her. "No Cami it actually is. Even amongst highly skilled Beast-Keepers, the ability to talk to, and understand beasts in such a manner is considered to be incredibly rare. It is almost so uncommon it's practically considered a myth in most circles."

"How’d you do that!?" Luz, fully letting curiosity and excitement overtake her body, frantically scrambled into her Mami's lap. So caught up in the sense of wonder overseeing her mami do something magical that she barely notices the soft 'oof' Camila lets out as her tiny hand presses against her stomach just a little too hard.

What Luz did notice as she got closer to her mami was a strange taste and smell in the air. A soft but rich scent of loamy, fertile soil seemed to hang in the air, like that of the forest near her home. Overtop that scent but never overpowering it, Luz can taste the faint hints of cool, refreshing spring water; the mixture of warm honey and ginger; and the faint but unmistakable mixture of freshly ground cinnamon and cacao.

It was a warm and comforting sensation that Luz could feel wrapping around her body in a soft and gentle embrace, like the feeling of being tucked safely in bed while rain pelted softly against her bedroom window.

Then, before Luz could begin to question the sensation, it was gone. All that was left was the faint, lingering memory that Luz quickly forgot about as her mind refocused on more important manners.

Specifically, the fact her Mami did magic!

Camila just frantically looked back and forth between her daughter and girlfriend. Her mouth opening and closing as she tried to stammer out any semblance of an answer. "I- I- don't know!" Camila tried to reply. Now getting hit with the sudden realization that she’d just dome magic without even trying.

Correction, she was currently doing magic without trying, Camila quickly reminded herself.

"Should I be worried!? Can I turn it off!? Will it still work in the human realm if I can't?!" Camila threw out a frantic string of questions at Eda, barely giving the witch any time to answer between any of them. However, before she could spiral out into more questions and the stress of what all this could mean, Eda firmly grasped her shoulder, doing her best to ground her.

 "Cami, breath!" Eda said in a firm but comforting voice. Camila, hearing that took a deep breath and, with Eda, spent a minute breathing together in sync. As she did, she could feel her heart rate settling and her nerves beginning to unwind.

Seeing Camila slowly relaxing, Eda gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before speaking. "Better now?"

Still catching her breath Camila just gave a small nod. After a few more seconds, she spoke. "Yeah, I think I'm good now." Camila took more deep breaths between sentences as she flexed and relaxed her hands. "Sorry, I just wasn't prepared to suddenly be doing magic again. Like, I know I did some yesterday, but this felt different than that."

Eda watched as Camila played with a loose piece of thread on her jacket. Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she thought through her words.

"Like suddenly it felt more real, if that makes any sense."

"Yeah, I can get where you're coming from," Eda replied. "Did you not like it?"

"I-" Camila went to reply but quickly cut herself off, taking a second longer to answer. "I don't think so… it's just, kinda jarring I guess. Though truth be told, it was actually kind of nice once I got used to it."

"Oh? Well that's good to hear." As Eda spoke, Camila could see gears turning in her head. Before she could ask what she was thinking about, she spoke up again.

Eda slowly dragged a hand through her hair. She could feel a younger part of her gagging and dying at what she was about to say. She ignored those feelings as this was for Camila.

"Maybe I can try and-” ‘Titan’s tits, was she really going to suggest something like this?’ “-help you research your new magic. Like at the library sometime, when we drop Luz off for preschool."

Camila listened as Eda brought forth the idea of them researching her magic together. The idea actually sounded rather nice in Camila’s eyes, and she wouldn’t mind spending an afternoon with Eda doing just that. Though as Eda put the idea forward, Camila couldn’t help but notice things about the witch’s body language. Eda had made it no secret that she had a history with school, though Camila had decided to be respectful and not pry unless Eda felt comfortable enough to open up about it. However, Camila had a feeling that whatever it was had to have been severe enough to get such a reaction out of her. Camila couldn’t help but wonder if Eda felt similar to things, even tangentially related to school, like the library and learning in general.

Though if that was the case, then Camila found it sweet she’d offer to do something like that for her. Smiling, Camila gave a reply. “That would be really nice, actually. Plus, I can try and get some other books while we’re there.”

“Does this mean you can talk to my friends at the park?!” Luz had suddenly asked excitedly.

Camila had wondered that as well, like would this ‘spell’ still work even in the human realm? Was it even a spell, or was it something else? Looking at Eda for any sort of answer, all Camila got was a shrug from the witch.

“I don’t know, part of me hopes so.” Camila would like to know why animals seemed to flock to her daughter like they did. “Honestly, it would probably make my job a lot easier if my patients could tell me what was wrong half the time.” Camila could just imagine the time and headaches that she could avoid just from that. Not having to deal with pet owners that just saw their pets as little more than accessories and just being able to ask what was wrong directly. Oh, that would be the dream.

Hearing this, Luz made a face like she understood what her mami was talking about. She didn’t fully understand everything her mami did, but she knew she helped animals, meaning that being able to talk to them would be useful. Luz would like that, as that would mean her mami would be able to help even more animals!

As Luz thought about all the animals, her mami could help; she felt her ear twitch slightly. Turning her head to the side, she tried to figure out what had caused her ear to do that. Staying completely still and silent, Luz listened carefully for a few seconds. Suddenly her eyes went wide, and she began to look around the slayground, searching for something.

“Luz, kiddo is something-” Before Eda could finish her question, Luz clumsily clambered to her feet. Her one arm supporting Princess as she did so. Luz, without waiting, quickly began to run off towards another section of the slayground, leaving the rest of her family behind.

“Luz!” Camila cried out as she frantically got to her feet and began rushing after Luz. With Eda not that far behind her. Luckily it seemed like Luz was keeping to the area near the slayground, and it had barely taken them any time to catch up to her much shorter strides.

“What’s gotten into her?” Eda asked as she kept a brisk pace to keep up with Luz. Their daughter was small, but that didn’t mean that they could just take a leisurely pace at a time like this.

“I don’t know, it’s like she heard a noise or something.” Camila couldn’t understand how her daughter could be so fast for someone so, so small.

Suddenly Luz came to a complete stop, and her moms having to stop themselves from tripping over her, had to make a less-than-graceful attempt at a stumbling stop. Wondering what had caused luz to rush all the way over her, Camila and Eda looked at the scene before them.

A pair of male witches sat on a bench not too far from them. The first had lighter skin and short, dark green hair that was brushed back. His build was fairly average looking. He wore a simple button-up shirt with what looked like comfortable pants, and a pair of rectangular framed glasses sat on his face.

The other witch had brown skin, dark brown hair that looked starting to thin and a large bushy beard. He had a strong-looking frame under a healthy layer of fat and well-defined arms that were covered in hair. He had on a cozy-looking sweater vest over a simple pair of slacks.

Luz barely noticed either of them as her focus was instead on the young witchlet a few feet away from them. Sitting in the grass, surrounded by a bed of flowers, was a female witchlet that looked to be around Luz’s age. She had light, fair skin and dark blue hair that was done in a simple braid. She had a pair of large round glasses that framed her face and a simple green dress over a warm yellow top.

After a few seconds, the young witchlet noticed Luz standing there, and as their eyes met, Luz gave her a big toothy smile and, without waiting any longer, rushed over to her.

Chapter Text

  Luz could barely contain her excitement over getting to meet another kid her age. So much so that as she was running, she momentarily lost her footing, stumbling and one hand held out as she tried to keep herself from falling.

"Wah!" Luz cried out as she nearly toppled over. Princess let out a string of frantic clicks on chittering noises as the person they were currently wrapped around nearly fell onto the hard ground.  The giant millipede fruitlessly attempted to coil higher onto Luz in a futile effort to avoid hitting the earth with her.

Before either of them could fall, a pair of arms caught them. Looking up through strands of hair that had fallen over her face, Luz was met with the concerned expression of the other girl. She’d managed to catch Luz before the smaller girl had completely lost her footing and now held Luz up as she balanced on the ball of her foot.

Luz, completely forgetting the position she was in, looked at the other girl with a wide smile and warm brown eyes staring up into green ones. "Hi!" Luz said cheerfully, not making any attempt to right her stance or regain her balance.

"Um, hi?" The other girl looked at her with her head cocked to the side and a small,  albeit confused, smile on her face. "Are you okay?"

Luz made a face of contemplation before responding. "My leg is starting to hurt a little."

"Do you want me to help you?"

"Mhmm." Luz gave a small nod. "Yes, please."

Soon they had gotten both of Luz’s feet planted firmly on the ground, Luz giving a small hop once she was sure her footing was stable enough. As Luz jumped, the other girl looked at her with a curious look on her face, eyes scanning her and taking in her appearance.

"Hi!" Luz, now no longer at risk of falling, repeated her earlier greeting. This time with just as much enthusiasm as before. "My name's Luz!"

"Um, hi again?" The other girl, who had started to find Luz’s energy infectious, gave a small smile back. "I'm Willow, and um, you know that there’s a bug on you, right?” Willow found it hard to ignore the large millipede wrapped around the shorter girl, nor how unbothered by it she was.

“Oh,” Luz, somehow suddenly realizing she hadn’t introduced them yet, held out Princesses front half, smiling happily as she did so. “This is Princess. They’re my friend!” Princess, for what it was worth, just let Luz hold them like a sack of potatoes. Willow just stared at the two for a moment, unsure of what to do.

“H-Hi?” Willow gave the giant millipede a slightly confused greeting. In response, Princess let out a series of chitters before extending her antenna to Willow’s hand.  Not seeing Luz trying to stop them, Willow held out her hand, letting the giant insect inspect it. After thoroughly inspecting the hand, Princess let out a series of excited clicks, their antenna rubbing Willow’s arm more excitedly.

“Aww, she likes you!” Luz was practically beaming as Willow let out a fit of giggles as Princess unintentionally tickled her. Despite having just met Willow, Luz could feel her soul filling with warmth as she listened to her laugh. The way her giggles gave way to joy-filled squealing and how she’d sometimes break into tiny snorting noises.

Luz had just met Willow, but a part of her knew one thing for certain. The sound of her laughing was now one of Luz’s favourite sounds.

Once Luz had managed to get Princess to calm down, she looked at Willow. The other girl's face was beet red, tears forming at the corner of her eyes, and she took deep, panting breaths. Despite all that, a huge smile was spread across her face.

As Willow caught her breath, her eye’s wandered over Luz, taking in her smile and finding herself, despite her face hurting, smiling right back. As she looked at Luz, Willow found herself catching a glimpse of the strange girl's ears. Blinking once to make sure she wasn’t mistaken and finding there to be no change, Willow let out a small gasp of surprise before moving closer to get a better look at what she’d just seen.

“You’re ears are round!” Willow exclaimed with wonder in her voice. Her hand moved but stopped short of touching Luz’s ear. “Can I?” Her voice was soft as if, for some reason, she was afraid of upsetting Luz by her merely asking. Her Dad and Papa had taught her to be respectful of other witches and not to touch someone unless given permission, a rule that Willow, for the most part, tried to abide by.

But something about this interaction felt different, and for the first time in her long four-year life, Willow was struck with a feeling she could not begin to understand, let alone describe.

As if completely unaware of Willow’s own personal conflict, Luz just smiled at the witchlet as she moved her hair out of the way. Tilting her head and leaning in close as to give Willow a better look. “Is it that cool?” Luz asked, not having ever considered her ears something to be worthy of interest. As Willow ran a finger along the edge of her ear, Luz found herself squirming slightly, trying her hardest not to laugh from the ticklish sensation.

“Mm, it’s just, I don’t, different, I guess,” Willow replied as she finished inspecting Luz’s ear, though her touch lingered on it for half a second longer than needed. “Wait, does that mean your human?”

“Um….” Luz thought back to the trip to the healers and everything she remembered. She tried her hardest to parse everything into anything something that Willow could understand. “It’s compl- compli- compli- It’s a long story,” Luz said after finding herself unable to break down all the information that she’d managed to remember. As if understanding the meaning behind those words, Willow just gave a nod.

As the conversation trailed off, the two found themselves unsure of what to do. Sticking to her original plan for coming over to Willow, Luz found herself full of excitement and nerves. Her whole body felt like it could pop with the slightest bit of pressure. “Um, could we play together?” Luz tried to ask as confidently as she could, though her nerves betrayed her.

Willow, not expecting this, looked startled for half a second before replying. “You want to play with me?” Willow wasn’t used to other kids other than her friend Amity paying her any mind, so to have Luz, this girl she’d never met before, come and ask her out of the blue had thrown her for a loop.

“Yeah!” Luz spoke with a bit more confidence this time. Standing firmly and responding with her entire chest. It was a stance she saw Eda make earlier that day while dealing with a witch at the market. Though it slowly faltered after a sparse few seconds. “Umm, if that’s okay with you….”

Willow gave Luz one more look over before nodding her head, still smiling. "Sure!" Willow could tell that Luz was nice just by looking at her. Plus, the way the smaller girl's whole body visibly brightened when she said yes certainly made the choice better.

Luz felt her whole body fill with giddiness and excitement over the chance to play with a potential new friend. She could feel it building up in her bones, like bolts of energy coursing through the marrow. An overwhelming tingling sensation overtook every ounce of her being until it felt like she’d burst, like a balloon filled with happiness and joy.

Luz, Unable to contain her rising enthusiasm, began to rapidly flap her one free arm at her side till it was all but a blur, all while hoping up and down in place at a swiftly rising pace. Her boots knocking up small dust and dirt every time she landed. Not expecting to be jostled around so quickly, Princess began to let out a series of distressed chittering cries. Their long serpentine body coiling around Luz in a frantic attempt at removing themself from her.

Feeling Princess trying to leave, Luz looked at Willow, her entire body still moving as she spoke. “I’ll be right back!” Luz exclaimed as she quickly ran over to Eda and Camila, momentarily losing her footing again as she ran to them. 

Her moms were now standing by the two male witches, conversing with them quietly as the four of them watched her and Willow, one of the male witches, the one with the beard laughing at something Eda had just said. 

“Mami! Mama!” Luz called out as she reached her mom's. By this point, Princess was fully coiling onto her head, and half her vision had become obstructed.

“What’s up, sugar-bug?” Eda asked, trying to contain the creeping smile on her lips at how goofy her daughter looked with Princess on her head. The poor millipede looked like a poor attempt at a hat by this point, then a giant bug.

“Can you watch Princess while I play with my friend Willow?” Luz asked as she attempted to wrangle Princess with little success.

Camila, without saying anything, held her arm out, and Princess sensing the lifeline, quickly found their way off of Luz. Princess, now no longer attached to a constantly moving four-year-old and instead a significantly less mobile Camila, let out a low, fading trill. Their long Serpentine body now loosely coiled around the woman's neck and shoulders, like a chitinous boa, with their head hung loosely onto Camila’s shoulder.

Blinking a few times, Camila looked down at Princess. She was simply going to offer and take the insect, but before she even had gotten a chance to utter a word, they’d moved onto her. “I was going to say sure, but I think Princess already made that decision for us.”

“Th-n-”

Hearing the now familiar voice, Camila just gave Princess a smile and reached a hand up to lightly scratch her head. “You’re welcome, princess.”

Turning her attention back to Luz, Camila spoke. “Did you make a new friend Luz?” Seeing her daughter nodding, Camila couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah! We’re gonna go play!” Luz exclaimed as she threw her fists into the air. Before Camila or Eda could say anything else, she’d already started running back to Willow.

“Okay, but make sure to stay where we can see you, okay!” Eda called out to Luz, who waved a hand to signal that she’d heard her. Shaking her head, Eda just let out a breathless sigh. “That girl is going to be such a handful when she gets older.”

“Well, considering who she has for a mom,” Gilbert, the witch without the beard, commented with a slight grin.

Gasping with mock offence, Eda swiftly grabbed Camila by the shoulder, bringing her in close. “I can’t believe you’d say something like that about my girlfriend!” Eda’s tone had almost sounded hurt, and it would have almost been convincing had it not been for the grin on her face. “And after having only just met her!”

“Oh no, however, will I recover,” Camila said in a dry, monotone voice. She had a small smile on her face as she let Eda jostle her around gently.

Eda just chuckled at that as she let Camila go, allowing her to return to the conversation she and Gilbert had fallen into. On the other hand, Eda had opted to keep an eye on Luz, smiling warmly as she watched her daughter and the Parks kid, Willow, play together. Even from a distance, Eda could practically sense how much energy Luz had. The kid felt like this beacon of joy and positivity, one that you couldn’t help but be swept up in the energy she let off.

“What do you reckon they’re talking about?” Harvey, the dark-skinned witch with the beard, Willow's other father, asked with a cheerful lilt. His head cocked to the side, and a questioning smile on his face.

Eda watched her daughter and Willow for a few seconds, and by the looks of it, the two had been trying to figure out what they wanted to do. “Knowing Luz, listing off a thousand things the two of them could do together,” Eda replied, fondness for her daughter's creativity and spontaneity in her voice. Eda adored how creative and off-the-cuff Luz could be. It was one of the reasons she cherished the time she got to experiment with potion brewing with her.

"Regardless, it looks like the two of them are already having fun," Harvey said with a small laugh.

Eda watched the two kids play with a smile, but as she did, she couldn't help but feel this pit growing in her gut. This gnawing sense of worry, with an unpleasant but all too familiar taste, rising in her throat. Despite having just met, Luz and Willow looked to have clicked almost immediately, but her eyes couldn't help but glance over at Harvey and Gilbert as if gauging their reaction.

In an attempt to hide her nerves, Eda leaned against the bench. Her casual, laid-back stance was hopefully a decent cover for that gnawing sense of worry. "So, you’re okay with your kid and mine being friends?" Eda had hoped that only Harvey would hear her, but the sound of Camila and Gilbert’s conversation petering out had meant they obviously overheard Eda’s question. Seeing the questioning look Harvey was giving her, Eda added onto her earlier question. "Cause I know that you know who I am, and of my 'reputation.'" Eda waved her hand like she was speaking of something unimportant.

Harvey didn’t say anything immediately, letting the question hang in the air for a few moments. Eda watched as his eyes moved, and his mustache shifted ever so slightly with the minor movements of his face. After several seconds Harvey let out a deep breath while giving Eda the kind of shrug that told her that the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. “Far as we’re concerned, Willow can be friends with whatever kid she wants to. So if she wants to be friends with Luz and the two make each other happy, then that’s good enough for us.”

“Huh,” Eda, for the briefest moment, looked stunned but happy to hear such an answer. “That’s actually really great of you. Your daughter is lucky to have you two as her parents.”

“Don’t mention it, and it’s really not that big a deal,” Harvey responded with a wave of his hand and a shake of his head. “Plus-” Harvey leaned over to Eda and beckoned her closer. His voice dropping to just above a whisper. “We think some of the stuff folks say about you is just tall tales and fear-mongering. Besides, kind of hard to take any of those stories seriously when the witch they’re about has a demon child sleeping in her hair,” Harvey said, his voice trailing off into a low chuckle.

Eda just rolled her eyes but still took a moment to check on King. Laughing softly to herself as she adjusted her sleeping son. “I swear, he sleeps so much during the day. It’s a miracle that he isn’t wide awake when I have to put him down for the night.”

“He really sleep that much?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe it. I swear this little goblin could sleep through a slither-beast attack.” As Eda finished adjusting King, her eye’s caught Luz and Willow a few feet away. Smiling, she motioned her head towards them as she spoke to Harvey. “I think they might have decided on something to do.”

Eda seemed to be right as, after a rather animated back and forth, the two girls had put their attention towards the bed of flowers that Willow had been sitting in earlier.

“Huh, wonder what they have planned?” Harvey mused as he watched Willow inspecting various flowers closely.

“Whatever it is, Luz seems focused,” Eda replied. “That kid looks like she’s on a mission.”

“I think I have an idea of what they might be doing,” Camila had briefly paused her conversation with Gilbert to chime in.

“You do?” Eda asked Camila, who just hummed and nodded. “Well, what do you think they’re doing?”

“Mmm, I think it might be better for you to wait and see,” Camila replied as she sat down on the bench. Unhappy with having to wait to see what Luz and Willow had planned, Eda just let out an impatient huff. Though she said nothing more and the four adults fell back into casual conversation. Though their eyes never left the two girls playing a few yards away for longer than a few seconds.

Back to Willow and Luz, the two were currently rummaging through the bed of flowers that Willow had been playing in earlier. Both of them looked through all the flowers, and by some undecided system, they judged and picked the ones they thought were the best. Luz was on her hands and knees, face close to the ground, as she stared intently at a particular flower. Her eye was inches away from it as her face settled into the most intense expression a four-year-old could muster.

That expression of intensity lasted not but a half a second longer as before one could even blink, and it morphed into an excited smile. Her chubby little hands had deftly and carefully plucked the flower from the ground, placing it within her open jacket that they two had laid on the ground within arms reach. “I found another!” Luz exclaimed excitedly as she turned to Willow.

“That’s great!” Willow replied back as she placed a few flowers she’d picked into the open jacket. Looking down at the slowly growing pile, Willow turned to Luz. “How many do you think we’ll need?”

Luz looked down at the slowly accumulating pile of flowers, her eyes studying the pile for a few seconds. Turning to Willow, Luz held her hands out in front of her, holding them apart and slowly widening and closing the gap between them. As she did, her eyes darted between the pile of flowers, her hands, and Willow. “Um, we need….” After a few seconds of this, Luz looked at Willow, her voice as clear as possible. “A lot.”

***

It had been getting close to an hour since they'd first arrived at the park. Camila and Eda idly conversed with Gilbert and Harvey as Luz and Willow played nearby. Eda and the other two witches had attempted to go and see what the kids were up to on more than one occasion, but every time Camila would stop them.

"Trust me, it'll be better as a surprise," was Camila’s response the first few times Eda or one of the Parks tried to ask why. After a few times, the three begrudgingly accepted. Though they still tried to catch a glimpse from a distance. Unfortunately for them, the girls had unintentionally positioned themselves so that it was impossible to tell what they were doing.

"Wait, you were at that thing!?" Eda asked Gilbert and Harvey when asking where the two of them had met.

Yep, believe it or not, we met at IFWOT the same year you were there," Harvey replied.

"Huh, guess it really is a small world," Eda said, slightly stunned by the odd coincidence of it all. "Still, I find it hard to believe that the two of you got together, you know, considering one of you was at Glandus and the other at Epiderm. Like, can't get much more polar opposite than that."

"Ugh, don't remind me I went to Glandus," Harvey groaned as he hid his face in his hands. "I have no idea why my parents thought it would be a good idea to send me there."

"Well, if it gives you any comfort, I think you made it out of that place pretty alright." Eda placed a comforting hand on the witch’s shoulder. "Trust me. There was far worse to come out of those places."

Sighing, Harvey just looked forward. "Yeah, suppose you're right. Just glad that's all behind me."

"Luckily, we still have photos to remind us of the few good times," Gilbert interjected. Giving his husband a grin as he held up his wallet.

"Gil, no, you can't show them that…." Harvey spoke with palpable fear in his voice. Eda swore it looked like he'd seen something truly harrowing.

Gilbert, in response, dropped his face into a disappointed frown. "Aw, but Harv~, it's one of my favourite pics of you. Won't you let me show them, just for a moment?"

Camila and Eda watched as the two men became locked in a silent battle of wills. Neither seemed to want to back down, determined to hold his ground and not buckle under the rising tension. Then, it happened, the first sign that Harvey was cracking. It was almost missable, but the subtle movement of his throat as he swallowed a lump gave him away. With that, Gilbert redoubled his efforts, locking eyes with his husband and leaning forward.

Eda thought that Harvey looked like a rather strong and resolute guy, but once that first crack appeared, more followed, and soon enough, he gave in.

"Fine," Harvey finally relented.

"Perfect.” Leaning over, Gilbert gave Harvey a peck on the cheek, a pleased grin on his face as he did so. “Thank you, dear.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Harvey just rolled his eyes, but the small smile on his face betrayed his real emotions. “Still don’t know why I haven’t burned that photo….” He muttered under his breath, though Gilbert heard him nonetheless.

“Because it makes me happy, and you love me.~” Gilbert started fishing through his wallet, trying to locate the photo in question. After several seconds of searching, he pulled it out triumphantly. “Aha, found it!”

Leaning close to look at the photo, Eda and Camila immediately had to immediately stifle a laugh upon seeing the contents. The two were met with a photo of a younger Gilbert and Harvey, both in their respective school uniforms. Gilbert looked mostly the same, save for gaining a pair of glasses and general signs of getting older. But Harvey, on the other hand, neither of them was at all prepared for just how different he could have looked.

It was hard to believe that the same balding witch with the full beard and eyes that even at rest creased up from a phantom smile was the same one in the picture. The young witchling in the photo’s face held such an intense glare with the deepest frown that Eda or Camila had ever seen. None of that has even taken into account the whole hair situation, which, no matter what, Eda and Camila found their eyes drawn back to that particular portion of the photo. What Camila could only guess to have been more than a foot of thick and wild hair, coifed into an impressive and no doubt intimidating attempt at a pompadour. Reminding Camila of the crests that certain species of birds possessed.

“Wow, can’t believe you had all that hair back then. Now look at you,” Eda said, amazed as she looked back and forth between Harvey in the photo and the same man sitting beside her. Her hand hovered about her head as she tried to figure out just how much hair Harvey most of had back then.

“I still can’t believe my parents thought that was a good idea. Why didn’t they say anything!?” Harvey asked as he stared at the photo. “Like Glandus was one thing, but to let me go around like that!?”

“I think you’re overreacting, dear,” Gilbert said as he put the photo away. Leaning over and silently placing a kiss on the side of Harvey’s face as he started to grumble. “I, for one, think you looked very nice back then and that you’ve only gotten more handsome with age.”

Upon hearing that, Harvey said nothing at first but then quietly, under his breath, spoke with an impossible-to-hide smile. “Charmer.” Gilbert said nothing, just smiled as he got more comfortable next to his husband.

“Hey Harvey, if it’s any consolation, I’m pretty sure we all have embarrassing photos of our time back in school,” Eda said with a look in her eye like she was filtering through memories. “I know I could probably find a couple that would make me question so many of my choices.”

“Oh, definitely,” Gilbert added. “Like Harv, you’ve never seen some of my old school photos, like the ones from before we met.” Gilbert shuddered slightly, then let out a small laugh as he thought back on memories he’d tucked away.

As the three witches started to think about those embarrassing things that they’d done as teenagers and kids, Camila momentarily felt herself drift away from the conversation back into her own mind and memory. Camila could hear the blood rushing to her ears and could feel the palpitations in her heart as the sickeningly familiar taste of bile crawled up her throat. She felt her entire body become clammy as memories came back to her in vivid and visceral detail. Words echoed in the back of her mind with a clarity that one could mistake them for having just been spoken.

Soon the pounding of her heart and the voices gave way to an overwhelming sensation of static as Camila found herself once again drawn back in on herself.

“Cami… Cami… Cami!” Suddenly Eda’s voice tore through the ever-deepening spiral of memories, and suddenly, Camila found herself back in her own body. Taking in a sharp breath as she blinked and felt her whole body tremble as if trying to return itself to some kind of normalcy. “You ok?” Eda asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

 "Wha- Oh, sorry, sorry!" Camila apologized frantically. "I was just, uh, trying to remember if I had any good stories from my time as a teenager!" Camila could feel the lingering cold sweat trailing down the back of her neck as she spoke, and her fingers fidgeting at her side, tapping against her leg.

Harvey gave her a look that she couldn't quite place, Gilbert wearing a similar one. Were they looks of concern? The two clearly looked like they'd had a lot to ask suddenly, but Harvey, clearly not wanting to pry, instead opted to ask a more safer option.

“Well, it looked like you were thinking pretty hard there. Bet you came up with a bunch of interesting stories?” Harvey asked.

“Oh! Uh,” Camila stammered out, wringing her hands together nervously. “Nope, couldn’t think of a thing! My teenage years were honestly really boring! No way as interesting as what you all got up to, ha!” Camila swallowed thickly, hoping for something to come and change the current topic of conversation to something else. She could feel herself beginning to bend under the unbearable weight of the other’s eyes on her. If it had been someone that thought they could be cruel, and she’d roll over and take it, that was something that she could handle.

But there was something so much worse when it came to the looks of concern. 

Before Anyone had a chance to ask her if she was ok, Camila spotted Luz rushing up to them, dragging Willow behind her as she did so. Almost instantly, Camila could feel that uncomfortable gnawing sensation abating from her mind and soul, being replaced with warmth and fondness for her daughter's enthusiasm and antics. Barely hiding a growing smile behind her hand Camila wordlessly gestured to the approaching kids and waited for the others to see them.

She was glad that she had kept them unaware of what Luz had planned, as their reactions to what she and Willow had done were everything she could have asked for. Harvey immediately turned his head, stifling a laugh while Gilbert stared at the two with wide eyes and a growing smile. Eda might have been her favourite, though, as it looked like she’d gone through about several different expressions in the span of a few seconds. From wide eye shock and bewilderment all the way to a warm grin.

By the time Luz and Willow had reached them, the four adults had managed to school their expressions. Luz practically barreled up to them, nearly sending her and Willow toppling over as her feet came out from beneath her, being saved by Eda before either of them hit the earth. Blinking, Luz looked up at Eda as she helped get Willow back onto her feet. “Thank you, mama!” Luz said excitedly, her hand still clasped in Willow’s as she waved it around.

“You’re welcome, you little helion,” Eda said fondly as she ruffled Luz’s hair, causing the young girl to giggle and playfully bat at Eda’s hand. Eda let her eyes wander to Willow and had to stop for a moment to keep herself from laughing. It was clear that the two of them had tried their best, and it would probably hurt if any of them laughed.

There were flowers sticking out of Willow’s hair basically everywhere that Eda looked. Some were stuck in randomly, and others half looped through in an attempt at keeping them securely in place. Luz had more or less tried to braid flowers into Willow’s hair and to be fair, some of the attempts weren’t half bad. However, the majority had clearly been done with an experienced hand.

Still, Eda couldn’t deny how cute it all was, and judging by the look on Luz’s face, she was beyond proud of her handiwork, and Eda couldn’t help but adore that face on her daughter the most. Smiling, Eda gestured to Willow as she looked at Luz. “So, would you mind introducing your mom and me to your new friend?”

Smiling, Luz tugged Willow closer as she leaned into the bigger witchlet. “This is Willow, my new friend!” Luz had the biggest smile as she introduced Willow.

“Um, hi,” Willow said, a bit more reserved though she still smiled and gave a small wave.

“It’s nice to meet you, Willow. Have you and Luz been having fun?” Camila asked.

“Yeah!” Willow replied with enthusiasm. Letting go over Luz’s hand, she did a small twirl, fully showing off all the flowers ‘braided’ into her hair. As she did so, a few flew out. “Look, isn’t it pretty!~”

“It looks amazing, honey,” Gilbert said, Harvey, nodding in agreement.

Willow gasped as she heard her fathers and, with a less than graceful motion, pulled Luz towards them. “Dad, Papa, this is Luz. She’s my new friend.” Willow smiled as she introduced Luz.

Harvey held his hand out, waiting for Luz to extend hers out in return. Once Luz did, he grasped her’s carefully in his hand and gave it a small shake before letting Gilbert follow suit. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Harvey said as he shook her hand.

“This your work?” Gilbert asked as he looked at all the flowers in Willow’s hair.

“Mhmm, I helped my mami and tia do it with my cousin one time!” Luz said proudly. As she spoke, she began to teeter on her feet, and her eyes began to droop as she leaned more into Willow. Looking up, Eda could see the sun now rapidly descending out of the sky and the moon slowly rising over the horizon. Nighttime was still a fair bit away, but they still needed to deal with dinner and getting the kids ready for bed. Dinner wouldn’t be too bad, they still had some leftovers, plus they’d eaten at the diner not that long ago.

“You getting tired, kiddo?” Eda asked gently, holding her arms out as she did. “I think it might be time for us to get going.”

“Mmm, not tired,” Luz mumbled out, her eyes getting even heavier and leaning more of her weight onto Willow. Willow, in turn, looked to be getting rather tired herself and was now leaning into Luz in return.

“Luz, Eda is right. I think it’s time you said bye to Willow,” Camila said gently.

“But we’re not tired yet, see, we can still pla-” As Luz tried to show that she wasn’t tired, she let out a long yawn, and her whole body wobbled on her feet as she looked through bleary, sleep-laden eyes. “We ca-” Luz tried a second time with even worse results than the first. Willow had also been affected as she let out a yawn as well.

Smiling, Eda just held out her arms, and Luz, clearly too tired to argue, sleepily stumbled into them. Lifting her up, Eda gave a small chuckle at Luz’s tiny, sleepy grumblings. “Sorry, kiddo, but little witchlets like you need their sleep.”

“Can I play with Willow again?” Luz asked as she nuzzled her head into the crook of Eda’s neck.

“If her parents are ok with it I don’t see why not,” Eda said as she looked at Harvey and Gilbert, who had started exchanging contract info with Camila. Eda pulled a pen and paper from her hair and jotted her own scroll runes down to give to them as well.

“Want to say bye, Luz?” Eda asked as Luz blindly waved her hand out towards Willow. Luz didn’t give a verbal response but just nodded her head. Once Eda had made her way over to Harvey, who was holding Willow, Luz tried to lean over and give her a hug. Her arms flailing half blind as exhaustion was fully starting to settle. Willow, in return, tried to meet Luz in the middle with about as equal of results.

Laughing softly, Eda and Harvey got a little closer and let the two girls wrap each other in a big hug. Luz mumbling into Willow's shoulder a sleepy, “Bye, Willow.”

After detangling the two from each other, both Luz and Willow rested their heads on their parent’s shoulders, having finally fallen into a light slumber. Eda just smiled as she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. “The way they’re acting, you’d think that they’re never going to see each other again.”

“At that age, I think everything feels like that,” Harvey said in response. Eda said nothing in return but just nodded. “But enough chatter. We should really get going.”

The two families quickly gave their goodbyes, and before long, Camila and Eda were flying through the air on Owlbert. Luz was held safely in Camila’s arms and King in Eda’s hair as they soared peacefully through the early dusk sky.

Though none noticed the small shape fluttering out of Camila’s hair, nor did they see it landing in her purse. Burying itself into a rarely used portion till all that could be seen were its two beady eyes at the end of stalks peering out at landscapes moving rapidly below.

Chapter Text

'Upside, inside out

She's livin' la vida loca'

Camila leaned against their Eda’s Kitchen counter, her eyes glancing around at everything and nothing as she waited patiently for her call to connect. The now comforting hum of the portal just a few feet away was the only other sound within the space. Camila let out a small yawn as she looked over at the calendar, a single date circled, the space filled with stickers.

Luz’s First Day of PreSchool

It had only been a few days since submitting the paperwork to enroll Luz into Hexsides and the Bonesborough Library joint preschool program before they had gotten a response back. They had received a beautifully handwritten letter, That informed them that the program would be more than honoured to accept Luz. Luz, of course, had been more than overjoyed when she’d received the news, excited at the prospect of making more friends like Willow.

When they’d told the news to the Parks, they told them that Willow attended the same preschool, meaning Luz had another reason to be excited. Camila swore that during the days leading up to this one, Luz was almost vibrating with energy and excitement. Almost every single day, without fail, Luz would ask the same exact thing.

“Is it the day yet?”

And every time, Camila or Eda had to sadly inform her that it was sadly not her first day of preschool yet. However, Camila couldn't really blame her daughter for being so persistent in asking. The past few days had been beyond hectic, with them doing everything to make sure they'd have everything Luz might need. All that meant that to the Luz, it must have felt like an entire week had gone by with how much stuff was happening.

Plus, she and Eda still needed to figure out several things. The biggest being where Luz would be staying if she was going to be attending school in the demon realm long term. Would it be better if she and Luz moved into the demon realm in a more permanent manner? Camila wondered if she could even make that work with her job and everything.

Maybe it would be worth looking into buying the house the portal links to. Heck, maybe if they were lucky, they could just move the portal door inside her house.

Camila rubbed the bridge of her nose. There was now so much to think about and nowhere near enough time to cover it all. Hell, she and Eda still hadn't had a chance to sit down properly and talk about stuff. Both were too busy with everything going on.

Suddenly her call connected, and Camila was met with a gruff but boisterous voice on the other end. "Cam-cake!"

Camila rolled her eyes at the childish nickname before replying. "Hola Bruno, glad to see you doing well."

"I am now that my favourite baby sis is calling," Bruno said his voice light with a laugh.

"I'm your only younger sister, remember."

"And that's why you're my favourite," Bruno replied, his voice shifting to a sweet and cheesy tone. He then laughed as he could just picture the exasperated but warm smile on his little sister's face. "Anyway, you call for something, or you just wanted to talk to your cool older brother?"

"Oh, are Marco or Anthony around?"

"Hey!"

Camila felt herself stifling a laugh as her brother's voice rose an octave. Managing to contain it to just a small, airy chuckle.

"Yes I'm calling for something specific," Camila answered his initial question.

"Awww, so you didn't call just to chat? You wound me dear sister!~" Camila just sighed, imagining her brothers' dramatics.

"Sorry but as much as I like chatting with you, don't really have a ton of time right now," Camila explained. "It's Luz’s first day of preschool you see, and-"

"Oh that's so exciting! Where's she going? Is it a local place? Is it that place Elly recommended? Are you going to take pics of her first day outfit?"

Before Camila could finish, her brother hit her with a wave of rapid-fire questions.

"Bruno, what did I just say?!"

"Right, right! No time for quality sibling chit-chat." Camila could just picture her brother holding up a hand and shrugging, an apologetic grin on his face. “So for real, what do you need?”

“It’s fine, honestly should of been prepared for you to ask so many questions,” Camila replied. “Anyway, do you think it be possible to schedule a family get together sometime in the future?” Camila asked, finally able to get to the reason as to why she’d called in the first place.

“I mean, I don’t see why not? You know how much Mami loves when we visit, and most everyone’s schedules are fairly easy to work around.” 

“Mami likes it when I visit cause she gets to see her nieta,” Camila clarified for her brother.

“She likes seeing you to,” Bruno retorted back. “And can you blame her? Your daughter is quite adorable.” Camila said nothing but just hummed in agreement in regards to Luz being cute.

Camila could hear her brother shuffling on the other side of the phone, most likely going to the small calendar hung by his fridge. “When would you want to hold it though?”

“Uh, this weekend….” Camila, despite her brother being unable to see her gave a small shrug, like she knew what she’d just asked was significant enough to warrant a reaction.

“Shit, kinda dropping this out of nowhere,” Bruno gave a small chuckle as he replied. “Your not one for spontaneous events like this? Something happen?”

Now was the moment for Camila to reveal the reason for such short notice. Stealing herself for her brother's reaction, she spoke. “I might of met some one-”

“Oh, so this is so you can introduce your new partner! Why didn’t you just say so? Could of just been like, ‘Hey bro, seeing someone new, want the family to meet them. Could we maybe get together sometime? Yes? Great, how’s this weekend sound? Good? Perfect.’ See way easier than whatever you were trying to do.”

Camila stood there stunned for a moment before responding. “Wait, you aren’t going to make any jokes about me seeing someone? Not even a little bit of teasing?” Camila had honestly been prepared for her brother to go full ham and start making fake kissing noises and everything.

“Camila, I thought you’d have more respect for me then that! I will have you know that I am a mature adult and I can’t believe you’d think so low of me.” Bruno replied with a hurt tone.

“You’re waiting till the family gathering to make any jokes aren’t you?” Camila replied dryly.

“I mean, of course, that’s the plan~,” Bruno replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You think just because we're grown adults, that I’m not going to take any opportunity to try and playfully embarrass my little sister, who, as I reminder, I love and cherish deeply, when the opportunity arises?”

“You never change, do you?” Camila sighed as she felt herself already preparing for whatever her brother had planned. He wasn’t bad per-say, but that didn’t change the fact that it was sometimes hard to know how far he’d go with something. Though, as Camila thought about it, she couldn’t imagine Eda being phased by anything her brother might try.

Actually, knowing Eda and how sly, crafty, and not to mention eccentric she could be, Camila felt like her girlfriend might be more than even her brother could handle. She’d watched Eda, during a trip to the market, expertly use her words and ability to read others to turn the flow of conversations, deals, and other interactions in her favour. Honestly, it might have been one of the most impressive things Camila had seen Eda do, how effortlessly she navigated through social interactions.

One moment at a store selling potion ingredients came to mind quite clearly.

“ Hey bud, how much for the jars of fairy mucus, splatter-nats, and pickled treble-newts?” Eda had asked as she leaned over the counter. Her eyes scanned the area around her before settling on the shop owner. At first, it seemed like she’d just been absentmindedly letting her eyes wander, but the way she would stop and linger on details told Camila otherwise.

Eda was getting a read for the place, and as she did so, Camila watched her posture shift ever so slightly. Her eyes locked onto the owner as the finally took notice of Eda and turned to answer her question.

“Each of them individually is 500 snails starting at the smallest jars,” The shopkeeper replied with a well-practiced smile.  Camila's eyes widened at the mention of the price. 500 felt like a lot, especially with the prices of other things they’d seen that day. Dinner was barely over 100 snails, and that was for all four of them.

Eda seemed barely phased as the price was presented to her, a calm, easy-going smile still on her face like she’d been told they were only five snails. Or at least she looked calm on the surface. In actuality, she was giving the shopkeeper one last once over, getting as much information as she could before getting to work.

“Really? That much? Man, stuff must be going bad; very bad for you to have to charge so much.~” Eda’s tone was one that, at first glance, sounded genuinely shocked and concerned through the way she moved her body and the cadence of her voice told a different story. Camila watched as the shopkeeper’s posture shifted ever so slightly, and that look of professionalism cracked ever so slightly as a twinge looks of nervousness and panic flashed across their face.

Eda had already begun to unravel the lie they had created before they had even the chance to spin it.

“Y-Y-Yes, your exactly right, things have been a bit hard lately and I’ve needed to up the prices of many of my items to help offset the financial burdens.” The shopkeeper had begun to play with a snail, moving along their fingers, while their other hand moved to hold a satchel at the side, Readjusting and grabbing it, holding it close to their side. Camila could hear the sound of tiny bits of metal moving against each other as they did so. Camila hadn’t paid the satchel much attention, but Eda clearly had as her eyes darted down to it, taking into account its size and just how full it seemed to be. It looked like it was beginning to struggle with staying closed, and as the shopkeep shifted, Camila could swear she heard something small and hard fall and hit the floor.

“Well, then, I can only guess that what you are selling is made here. I mean, you wouldn’t charge that much for something I could get at any old store.” Eda leaned farther in, golden eyes now locked with nervous teal ones as she spoke. Her voice was calm and collected, but Camila could feel a shiver run up her skin as she heard Eda’s voice, something sharp and dangerous behind her words. The store owner had looked panicked before, but now the had a look of genuine mounting fear as Eda got to work. “So tell me, what sort of solution are the gnats kept in? I usually go for diluted fire-cracker bee honey myself, but I would love to know your recipe.”

Camila watched the poor witch squirm as Eda lopped what Camila could only assume were easy-to-answer questions. “Well, umm, you see-”

“And the pickled treble-newts, are those in a homemade brine solution? Apple-blood and vinegar? Oh, just got to tell me your secret. I bet it’s amazing~.”

“Y-Yes, of course, I can tell you what I used. It’s quite, well, the thing about it is-”

“Oh, and the fairy mucus, is that pure, or has it been cut with anything? Cause you must understand what it’s like to be working on a potion brew, and the recipe calls for pure fairy mucus, but the stuff you grab has been cut bone-mite dust and then ruins a whole batch.”

Something about the last part caught Camila’s attention, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Right, well you see, it’s cut with um-”

Camila swore it was like watching a wolf lean in to devour its prey the way Eda cut the poor witch off and delivered the final blow. Leading them helplessly down the path she wanted till they had no hope of escaping from the trap she’d laid out for them. “You didn’t prepare any of these ingredients, did you?” Eda asked, her voice already making it obvious that she knew the answer, and the Witch just gave a slow, nervous nod, not even attempting to spin a lie to protect themselves. “Let me guess, you bought up from all the nearby suppliers, so other places wouldn’t have any stock, all in the hopes of making even more snails off some poor unsuspecting sucker who didn’t know better.” Again the witch nodded in response

Eda, at this point, had practically slipped behind the counter, slinging her arm over the shoulder of the witch and pulling them in close. “And hey, listen, I can respect what you're doing here. Any poor coven sap that comes here should pay whatever outlandish price you want to set. But you and I both know that you know exactly who I am, and you knew that whatever you were going to pull was never going to work on me.”

“W-What d-d-do y-you want?”

“You sell them all to me for 500 snails total, and in return, I don’t expose what you're doing here. Cause, believe me, I could think of a few people that would just love to learn about your whole setup here. Though I can’t promise they’ll be as ‘impressed as I am.”

“You promise not to say anything?”

“Yep, Bad-Girl-Coven honour, well, just as long as you promise to give me a similar discount if I ever decide to stop by again, consider it a standing fee for my silence.”

“Of course! I’d be more than happy to give you whatever kind of discount you want!~” The shopowner replied with a frantic laugh.

“Perfect. I’m so glad we could come to an understanding and work out a deal that works for both of us~.”

Soon they left the shop, Eda’s ingredients in hand and a proud smile on her face.

That witch had at least made an attempt at hiding behind some kind of lie, as ill-prepared as it was. On the other hand, Bruno would be like an open children's colouring book to Eda. She’d be able to read him before he could even get a word in.

Camila felt a grin spread across her face as she pictured the two’s first interactions. “Oh, believe me, I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“Ooo, so it’s a lovely lady you’re bringing to meet the family,” Bruno said, not noticing the shift in his sister’s tone.

“Yes, Bruno, she’s a very lovely lady, any other comments you want to throw in while you’re at it?” Camila, at this point, was looking through her bag, making sure she hadn’t misplaced any of the things they’d need to bring for Luz’s first day. Most of them were extra preschool forms that she and Eda had needed to fill out, an unsettling amount of wavers for Camila’s liking, but she’d also grabbed a couple for library cards.

“You planning on coming here to study, Cami?”

“Yeah, want to check out some of the bestiaries and a few other things sometime.”

Bruno just gave a small laugh before replying. “Nah, I think I’m good. I want to save the rest for when you introduce her anyway.” Camila could then hear her brother stop for a moment before letting out a small sigh. “But really, Cam, I joke, but that’s only because I care, ya know?”

Camila said nothing other than giving a questioning hum. She had an idea of what her brother was getting at but wanted him to try and explain his reasoning himself.

“Ugh you’re gonna make me explain myself, aren’t you?” Again, Camila just gave an affirmative hum in response. “Ugh, I hate you sometimes, you know that,” despite the words, Camila could hear the smile and familial affection in her brother’s voice. 

“Ok, so the way I see it is this, anyone that wants to date you should be able to handle whatever I can throw at them, cause if they can’t, then I don’t trust them to stay by you if things actually get bad.”

“Aww, that’s actually kind of sweet, though I feel like we're well past the age for you to be pulling the protective older brother Shtick,” Camila replied with a smile.

“Yeah, but most older brothers don’t have a sister as great as you, so I think it’s warranted. Only the best for mi hermanita!~.”

Camila just shook her head but let out a laugh as she could just imagine her brother striking a pose as he said that. Throwing his chest out and everything. “You’re something else, you know that, right.” As Camila spoke, she continued looking through her purse, trying to make sure she hadn’t put something important in it only to forget about it. “So, when are you going to bring one of your many boyfriends to a family gathering?~.”

“Hey, uh, what happened to you not having any time for idle chit-chat?” Bruno replied with a nervous laugh.

“I suddenly found some time,” Camila replied with a smirk and a playful laugh. As Camila did so, she felt her hand brush against one of her purse's inner pockets, and as she did so, she felt something shift inside it. A look of confusion crossed her face as she hadn’t used this pocket that much, usually tossing useless bits of junk into it. 

Had it always been this open, now that she thought about it?

As Camila reached a hand in to try and see whatever was inside, she suddenly felt something strong clamp down onto her fingers. “¡Mierda!” Camila practically yelled as she ripped her hand out of her purse. Whatever had clamped onto her fingers was flung into the air before landing on the ceiling. Through her brother’s frantic voice over the phone, she could faintly hear whatever it was scurrying off into a corner.

“Cam! What happened?! Are you all right!?” Bruno spoke frantically into the phone.

“Calm down, I’m okay,” Camila responded through the slight stinging pain. She unclenched her hand and saw that she was thankfully not bleeding too badly, most of the wounds just being superficial, nothing that required immediate attention at the very least. Most of the harm admittedly was from the mess her blood was beginning to make. She’d need to see if Eda had any first aid supplies. “Just cut myself on accident, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? I can, like, call you doctor in case it’s bad and you're just in shock-”

“I’m sure,” Camila replied. She could hear shuffling upstairs and just knew that Eda no doubt heard her and was coming to check to see if she was ok. “Sorry, but I really need to go, I’ll call or text you later ok.”

“Right, you go make sure you don’t need to amputate anything.”

“It’s not that bad, you drama queen.” Camila had begun to make her way towards the stairs as she spoke. “Anyway, tell Mami and the other’s that I can’t wait to see them, okay.” Camila had made it to the stairs just in time to see Eda’s mane of orange and grey hair approaching the top landing. “But really need to go, Te quiero.”

“Don’t worry, I will. And don’t forget to take pictures of Luz’s outfit for her big day, you know Mami and the rest of the family will want to see them.” Bruno managed to get in one last thing before the call ended. “Yo también te quiero.” Camila heard him faintly as she ended the call.

She’d barely had a moment to put her phone down before Eda had rushed down the stairs in a flurry of movement. “Cami what happened?!” Eda asked, her voice frantic as her eyes finally saw the state of Camila’s hand. “You’re bleeding!”

“It’s fine, nothing to worry about,” Camila had tried to reply but still winced as she felt the wounds begin to sting. By this point, the blood coming from the wound had started to accumulate, pooling in the small pocket between her fingers and hand and had begun dripping onto the floor. Okay, maybe it was a bit worse than Camila had initially thought, but still, nothing to get worked up over. “Can you grab me some bandages, please, and thank you.”

“Right, stay right there!” With that, Eda ran back up the stairs, ducking into the bathroom. From where Camila was standing, she could hear the sound of Eda tossing things around and her frantic half-cursing as she looked for where she’d put the medical supplies. Camila was glad that Luz hadn’t come to see what was going on. The last thing she needed to see was her mom holding her bleeding hand, especially on a day like today.

Soon enough, Eda had come back with some bandages and gauze. "Here, let me see." Eda held her hand out, and Camila realizing that trying to bandage her own hand would be difficult, quickly obliged. Eda spun a spell circle, and Camila’s hand glowed a cool blue. Most of the minor cuts and wounds healed in no time with the aid of magic, leaving just the larger ones to contend with. "What happened anyway?"

"Something was in my purse, I think it went into one of the spaces above the cabinets after I threw it onto the ceiling," Camila responded as Eda began to wrap and bandage her fingers. "But we can worry about that later, is Luz all ready?"

Eda gave her a look like she wanted to ask about whatever had been in Camila’s purse but, thankfully, seemed to drop it for now. Instead, she called out for Luz. “Luz, come here and show Cami your outfit!”

Almost immediately, Camila could hear the sound of small feet running down the hall, and soon, her daughter skidded to a stop. Luz threw her arms into the air as she let an excited “Ta-da!” She had on a pair of dark blue, almost to the point of almost looking black overalls. Along the legs were depictions of sea monsters, and the straps resembling the tentacles of some kind of squid or octopus. Underneath, she had on what was once a bright yellow shirt, but enough potion, craft and painting mishaps had instead turned it into a multicoloured mess after becoming stained so many times.

Camila thought it might be better for her daughter to wear a different shirt, but Luz looked so excited that she didn’t have the heart to tell her to change.

Then there was her hair, put into two short pigtails that framed her face perfectly. And with her hair pulled into the two pigtails, Camila could spot a few spots in her daughters hair that she could swear had begun to shift to a more orange hue at the roots.

Hue, maybe the magic of the isles was causing some of the traits she’d inherited from Eda to show through finally. Or maybe this was just a quirk of biology.

Camila ignored all that, though, as instead, pure affection overtook her body. “Oh, look at you!” Camila couldn’t help but coo affectionately as she saw her daughter. She began making her way up the stairs to get a better look at Luz. Eda quickly taped the last few bandages before Camila got too far. “Oh, mi preciosa bebé ¡mírate! ¡qué niña tan bonita eres!”

Camila had begun to pepper the girl's face in kisses, causing Luz to let out a squeal of laughter. “Mami no!” Luz exclaimed as she tried to push Camila away, though her smile showed that she was in no way upset. “You're gonna ruin my hair!”

“Oh I’m so sorry,” Camila replied though not before pressing one last kiss into Luz’s temple. “Did Eda help do your hair for you?”

“Yeah!” Luz exclaimed as she did a little spin. “Isn’t it pretty!?”

“It looks wonderful,” Camila replied as she fished a camera out of her bag. “Now stay still, need to get some photos of you to show your Abuela and the rest of the family.” Luz gave the biggest, brightest smile as Camila proceeded to take a dozen photos. Luz had gotten so into having her photo taken that, at one point, she’d rushed to grab King just so she could have some photos of the two of them together, and Camila even managed to convince Eda to let her take a few of the witch holding Luz.

After taking more than a couple of dozen photos, with Eda taking some just so Camila would have a few of her and Luz together, Camila had decided that she’d taken enough. Putting the camera into her bag, she checked the time and seeing that it was getting close to them having to go, she picked Luz up. “You all ready to go to your first day of preschool?”

“Yeah!” Luz threw her arms out in excitement.

“Okay, then let's get going,” Camila replied as she started grabbing Luz’s lunch and other things from the kitchen. From there, she could hear Eda run upstairs before coming back down.

“Not so fast kiddo, got something you need to take before you head out.” Eda then handed Luz a small, uncapped vial filled with a golden amber liquid, the witch holding a small bottle carrying a similar liquid. Luz made a slight face but nevertheless downed her elixir as Eda downed her own. The two had gotten into taking their morning elixirs together. Almost immediately, Luz’s entire face scrunched up as the bitter-tasting liquid touched her tongue, and she fought the urge to gag. Eda looked a bit better though the slight shudder she had told Camila that she’d only gotten tolerant of the taste, not that she’d gotten used to it. “I know it tastes bad babes, but unfortunately we have to take our elixirs.”

Camila just laughed at the cute little grumble Luz let out. Readjusting Luz and checking her purse one last time, she turned to Eda. “You have everything?”

Eda quickly checked to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything important before they left. Even making sure to pat King a few times just to make sure the tiny demon was securely nestled into her hair. The tiny demon let out a small ‘weh’ as he was jostled slightly. “After a moment of checking, Eda gave Camila a smile. “Yep, all good. Oh wait, do you want to try to find whatever did that?” Eda asked, pointing to Camila’s bandaged-up hand.

“We can worry about that later, and besides, I think it attacked me out of fear more than anything else. Besides, I’m pretty sure it’s still hiding up by the cabinets since I didn’t hear it moving around again. With any luck, it’ll still be there when we get back later.”

Eda gave a hum but just nodded. “Okay, if you say so.”

“Great, then lets get going, wouldn’t want Luz to late and miss making any new friends,” Camila said as she made her way to the door, Luz cheering excitedly in her arms. Eda just chuckled as she grabbed Owlbert and followed behind.

Chapter Text

Camila had only gotten to fly on Eda’s staff a handful of times and, as such, still felt uneasy while flying. Despite that, she was growing used to the sensation of being in the air like this. Finding strange comfort in the slight rush of wind on her skin and the way the scenery below passed by in a blur of shapes and colour. Part of Camila honestly couldn’t wait until she’d gotten over her lingering innate fears of being in the sky like this and could fully enjoy these trips.

Luz certainly seemed to enjoy them if the way her eyes filled with stars anytime she got to fly was any indicator. Honestly, Camila couldn’t begin to imagine how excited Luz would be if she ever got her own staff. Camila would probably need to lay down a slew of rules just for that alone.

Honestly, Camila welcomed the much-needed distraction for her brain, as it meant she wasn’t thinking about the upcoming family gathering. Something that she knew she’d brought on to herself but still felt a twinge of panic anytime she thought of it. She hoped that her family would get along with Eda. Well, that and the whole, “Hey, my girlfriend is a witch! And hey that’s not all, we’re all technically witches too!” part that she’d have to explain to all of them.

But them accepting Eda was the more important part of the upcoming family gathering. At least that’s what the part of Camila’s brain that she used to compartmentalize her problems was telling her. Sure, that bit of her brain may have led to a now chronic habit of pushing certain problems aside and subsequently forgetting about them. Usually, things that she didn’t know how to nor want to deal with, but that was completely normal! Everyone did that! Why should she start doubting that bit of internal guidance now? After all, that part of herself helped her survive high school.

Well, for the most part….

Camila took a deep breath, letting it fill her lungs and move through her body. There was nothing she could do about any of that until she saw her family. Until then, there was no use worrying over something she couldn’t deal with in the present. So instead, she turned her focus towards the flight, Eda, and their kids.

The flight from the Owl House to the Bonesborough public library was, for all intents and purposes, fairly short and uneventful. With everyone flying in peace and quiet, enjoying the crisp morning air. While Eda and Camila idly talked about their various plans for the week.

Well, that was what they were trying to do. In all actuality, they were spending half that time just dealing with Luz and her rising energy. Her tiny body was bouncing and bopping in place as she got increasingly excited. Humming a simple tune to herself as she swung her legs under her.

"Mija, settle down," Camila tried to tell her daughter. Afraid that her constant movement would lead to her falling off the staff. “I know you’re excited, but if you move around like that you’re going to end up hurt.”

“Sorry, mami!” Luz replied back as she leaned back into her mom. She still swayed and moved to her own internal rhythm, but it was now, at least for the time being, toned down a tad. Though Camila could just tell by the way Luz was fidgeting and the way she unconsciously kept trying to increase the tempo of her humming that Luz was no doubt bursting with energy. Sighing, Camila just gave a soft, maternal laugh as she brushed some of Luz’s hair behind her ears. Her dark curly locks now with her hand. “Oh, the Preschool workers are going to have their hands full with you, aren’t they mija?” Camila pressed a kiss into the crown of Luz’s head. Taking a moment to take in the fact that this was no doubt a big step for Luz.

An almost tangible silence seemed to fall over everyone as they let their minds wander, each of them falling into their own headspaces.

For Camila, she found herself thinking about how things would go for Luz. Trying to process and deal with what she and Eda would do for Luz if things didn’t go well. What if the other kids don’t like her? What if she struggles to make friends beyond Willow?

Camila could feel fear and worry creeping into her thoughts. She knew that on paper that she had little to worry about. Luz was practically the definition of a social butterfly, bright, cheerful, and radiating with boundless optimism and charisma. Though Camila also understood that sometimes that didn’t always matter and that kids, even kids as young as Luz, could no doubt be cruel. Though Camila also understood that at that age, it was rarely the kids' fault, more often than not just mimicking and parroting the actions and words of their parents, older siblings, and authority figures in their life. None of them fully understood the reason or even the lasting impact behind their words or choices. Often their decisions coming down to their emotions rather than any hard, deliberate choices.

That didn’t change the fact that Camila was worried, nor did it do much to abate the stress of sending her daughter to some place where she had no idea how things would go. Sure, she’d left her with family and babysitters countless times, and those times had always turned out ok. Though in those cases, Camila had, at the very least, known and trusted those people. Not just that, but Luz had also known them, so it wasn’t like she was getting thrown into a whole new environment.

Camila guessed that the first afternoon that Luz spent with Eda might have counted, but even in that case, Luz had practically latched onto Eda. She was beyond enamoured with the witch from the moment she first met her and had been so excited to spend time with Eda that Camila was positive that there was no way for Luz to feel nervous during that first afternoon with the witch.

This, however? It all felt like a blind shot in the dark.

Despite trying to fight against it, Eda found her mind wandering in the same direction. She at least had the fact that she was flying to help distract her thoughts, though that only helped do much, as at this point, flying was second nature to her. Meaning that eventually, her thoughts would catch up to her.

Eda could feel pinpricks of anxiety wash over her and goosebumps form along her arms. The latter, no doubt from her curse, tried to sprout a new coat of fresh feathers. Eda was grateful that she had her elixir in times like these, even if it tasted how she imagined what fermented slither-beast piss to taste like. The wild witch did not need to deal with her other half right now, even for a moment.

Even if that other half was screaming in her head, frantically trying to keep her from letting their hatchling wander away from the nest. A sentiment that Eda found herself agreeing with on some level. She just wished that bird-brain would understand that there wasn’t something they could just attack and kill, neutralizing the threat to their owlet.

Well, there were technically things they could hunt, but Eda doubted Camila or Luz would be that okay with her letting the Owlbeast have their way with the library and preschool. 

Eda knew this would be good for Luz, that she needed a chance to meet other kids. That objective fact did nothing to quell the wave of thoughts and worry that she was trying to fight back. 

What if she gets ostracised by the other kids? Eda had spent most of her youth on her own, save for Lily and a mint-haired witch with a charming smile, and she'd been fine. Luz was different, though, and Eda couldn’t bear the idea of her kid, who seemed to love making friends going through life alone, save for their small family.

Eda was grateful that Luz, at the very least, had Willow as a friend, and the Parks, on some level, seemed to like her as well. Though Eda also knew that could very easily change if Luz’s statue being cursed got out. Gilbert and Harvey seemed nice, and Eda, on paper, had no reason to believe they'd discriminate like that or view Eda or Luz differently. Unfortunately for Eda, a witch's true colours and your initial assumptions don't always line up, for better or for worse.

Eda hoped that her worries were just baseless and that the Parks wouldn't tear their daughter away from Luz if they learned about her curse. Eda couldn't bear the idea of seeing Luz hurt like that. She doubted the Owl Beast could either and would no doubt seek retribution from whatever or whoever hurt their hatchling.

Eda found her mind wandering to the day her curse had been revealed. Out there on the grudgby pitch during the Emperor’s Coven tryouts. The way that her body was forcibly transformed, scared and confused in front of all those spectators.

As if what had happened to her was some kind of sick show.

Eda remembered the aftermath vividly.

"You can't let that…. that…. That thing stay in the school with the rest of our children!"

"Principal Faust, how are the other kids safe with such a monster freely walking the halls?"

"Edalyn Clawthorne has always been a problem, let's just use this as an excuse to be rid of her!"

"Finally, a reason to get rid of that Clawthorne trash."

"Do you think it's contagious? Do you think if she touches you, you'll turn into a gross monster too?"

"Eeew, I have gym with her! They're not going to make us use the same changing room as her, right!?

Eda shook her head, trying to push back the memories and voices worming their way out of her brain. The last thing that anyone needed was for Luz to pick up on her mood and be affected by it. Eda knew for a fact that her daughter was far too perceptive not to notice when something was wrong.

Eda had just finished taking them down to the ground, landing Owlbert just a short walk to the library. As Camila got off the staff, she set Luz down on the ground, letting her walk in front of her and Eda. The two older women fell back into their previous conversation, though lapsing into small pockets of silence as they looked at Luz. Neither one dared to even touch on their worries or fears.

Luz, meanwhile, had been in her own head, thinking about how excited she was for her first day of magic school. Well, not quite ‘magic school,’ but the point still stood. Though Luz didn’t really have any idea of what school actually meant, let alone what it was. Just that it was a place that she heard her older cousins and family talk about from time to time. The few things that she did know about school was that you got to learn and see your friends, which to Luz sounded like the best thing she could ever imagine. Why would anyone ever not want to go there? 

The other thing that had her so full of energy was the fact that she was going to see Willow again. She'd barely spent an hour with the other girl, but Luz was already certain that the two of them would be best friends. Luz could just tell from a feeling in her gut. Maybe if she was lucky, she could convince her moms to let her invite Willow over to play sometime.

Wait, she could ask them now!

“Mami! Mama!” Luz went to ask. Her voice was loud, as she didn’t bother checking her volume. For too caught up in her own energy to even care about something like that, Though as Luz glanced up at her moms, some of that energy wavered. She found both her mothers with almost neutral frowns on their faces -the kind that almost felt more subconscious, as if it would be so much worse if one was actively thinking about whatever was causing the expression.-  as both stared off into the distance absentmindedly. “Mami, mama….” Luz repeated, though this time in a much softer voice.

For a second, Camila and Eda said nothing before the former blinked a few times as her daughter’s voice registered in her head. “Luz? What’s the matter, mija?” Camila asked, now aware of how small and worried Luz sounded and looked.

"Yeah sunshine, why do you look so down?" Eda asked as she knelt down to Luz’s level.

“Why do you look sad?” Luz felt a twisting in her stomach as she tried to figure out why her mami and mama had looked the way they had. “I thought you were excited for me….” Luz had begun to fiddle with the strap on her overalls nervously.

“Oh, cariño~." Camila said in a soothing tone. "Of course we're happy for you, this is a big day for you, after all.” She picked Luz up as she spoke before taking her to a nearby bench. Setting Luz between her and Eda. Camila pressed a kiss onto Luz’s temple, holding it there for a few seconds before letting off with a deep sigh.

“But if you are happy, then why don’t you look like it?” 

Eda and Camila shared a look, both wincing as they heard their daughters' words. "We promise you, kiddo, we aren't sad or upset. We're just a little worried, is all. Nothing to fret over," Eda had tried to console her daughter. Hearing that, Luz went from looking distraught to instead a mixture of confusion and distraught.

"Are you worried because of me?"

The two mothers looked at each other, debating on how open they should be with their daughter right now. They both knew they should tell her something, but neither wanted to tell her too much and freak her out. Biting the bullet, Eda decided to go for the middle approach, be honest but not too honest.

"Yes we're worried because of you, but it's nothing you need to concern yourself with. Today is a big day for you, and me and your mom can't help but get a little nervous when we think about how it might go." Eda gently ruffled Luz’s hair as she tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"But if you're worried, isn't that a bad thing?" Luz asked, still looking confused.

"Just because we're worried doesn't mean that it's because of something bad," Camila tried to explain to Luz. Doing her best to smooth out the few strands of hair that had gotten out of place from Eda ruffling it. 

“I don’t want you to be sad though….” At this point, Luz had tears forming in her eyes, the idea of her parents being sad because of her legitimately causing her strife.

“We’re going to worry no matter what because it’s our job to worry about you. It’s part of being a parent.” Camila found it sweet that her daughter cared that much, but she didn’t want it to ruin her first day. She gently tapped her lap before waiting for Luz to crawl onto it, where she then rested her body against Camila’s. Camila carefully wiped away a few tears from her eyes as she did. As Camila did that, Eda scootched over to be closer to the two of them. 

“I don’t have to go….” Luz responded, voice small like she didn’t want to say the words but felt like she had to.

“Hun, would you really be ok with that?” Eda retorted. “We know how excited you've been for this, don’t you want to see Willow or to make new friends?” Luz said nothing at first, just giving a small, wordless nod before shaking her head.

"No, Wanna see Willow…." Luz replied.

"Then you're going to see Willow, and you're going to make a ton of friends," Camila encouraged her daughter. "Don't worry about me or your mom okay, we'll be fine, I promise."

"Trust us, kiddo," Eda began as she joined the conversation again. "We can stomach whatever unpleasant feelings we have if it's for you."

Rubbing her eyes, Luz gave a small, shaky smile. "Promise?"

Instead of saying anything, both women leaned over to place a kiss on their daughter's forehead, causing Luz to let out a small giggle as a few strands of Eda’s hair tickled her nose. Peeling away, Eda spoke. "We promise Sunshine."

"Oh, and King can make sure you don't get sad while I'm gone!" Luz said as the realization dawned on her.

"Oh, well I hope he understands what an important job he has now," Camila replied with some mirth in her voice. King stirred in Eda’s hair as the two of them mentioned the tiny demon by name. Letting out a few grumbles before sitting up and looking out at the world through heavy, sleep-laden eyes. Blinking a few times before letting out a yawn before settling back into the nest of hair.

Seeing this, the other three let out small laughs, with Camila cooing over how cute King was.

“I wonder if he’ll even be awake long enough to deal with his oh so important task….” Eda threw out as she felt King shift a little in her hair as he got comfortable. Though he only partially closed his eyes as he did so.

"You good to go mija?" Camila asked her daughter once they'd all calmed down. With a bright, cheerful smile, Luz gave an enthusiastic nod that made both Eda and Camila’s necks hurt just looking at it. "Good, I still wanted to talk to the Preschool workers before we dropped you off."

Before they got up, Luz remembered what she had planned to ask her moms originally. As Camila started to stand, Luz began to pat her on the shoulder, hoping to get her attention. “I wanna invite Willow over!” Luz exclaimed a bit louder than needed. “Can I?!”

“We’d need to ask her dads about it, but if they and Willow are okay with it then  don’t see why not,” Camila replied to her daughter's request. “Were you planning on inviting her over today?”

“Mhmmm!” Luz replied with an enthusiastic hum.

Carrying Luz, Camila, alongside Eda, began to head towards the Bonesborough Library, “Well I’m certain that she’ll be overjoyed to get your invitation,” Eda told Luz, who looked even more excited after hearing that.

As the small family made their way over to the library, Luz filled the air with all the things she wanted to show her new friend and ideas for all the things she wanted to do together with her.

***

Soon they arrived at the Bonesborough public library, Camila still not over how grand and imposing the building actually felt. With its high spires, intricate detailing, and beautiful glass work the place felt more like a monument than a public service building. The most eye-catching feature was the complex stained glass window on the central portion of the building.

Like most things on the Boiling Isles, the place looked like a mixture of something ripped out of a fairytale but with a macabre or sinister feeling twist to it.

.As they entered, Camila began searching for someone to help guide them where they needed to go. They'd only seen where Luz’s Preschool room would be once before, and this place felt like an impossible maze to her and Eda. Though judging by a few witches and demons aimlessly wandering the shelves, Camila doubted the difficulty of navigating this place wasn’t entirely a problem unique to them. Unfortunately for them, the front desk was currently unoccupied, so there was no one there who they could immediately ask for assistance. 

Camila and Eda looked around for a few seconds, searching for anyone, before hearing a voice behind them. "Um, could I help you with anything?" Turning around, they were met with a young witchling, probably no older than fifteen if Eda had to guess. She was noticeably tall for her age, with her gaze just barely coming to below Eda's eye level. Her skin was a pale, almost alabaster white that was decorated with freckles and a few scars. She had sharpish features that seemed to just be coming out of their youthful roundness. Her eyes were a cool and striking amber gold, complemented by their winged, cattail eyeliner. Finally, her hair, a massive mane of auburn hair trailing down their back, with a bit tied off at the top in a small ponytail.

Eda could swear that the girl looked familiar, but she couldn’t place how or why. There was just something about this kid that struck a chord with Eda, plucking at a memory that she could not place for the life of her. However, the part that caught her attention the most was the girl's bored, blasé attitude.

"We were just looking for the Preschool," Camila responded. "Sorry, but could you maybe point us towards it? This place still feels like a maze."

At the mention of the Preschool and finally noticing Luz, the girl seemed to light up. " Oh sure, I can show you where it is. Come on, it's just over here!" The witchling began guiding them through a section of the library. As she did, she began chatting with them, that look of aloofness from before seemingly melted away.

"Sorry if you had to wait long; we're a bit understaffed today in the main library. Half the staff got hit with a horrible case of food poisoning, a bad batch of sulphur claims at a recent staff party," The young witch explained as she pulled a scrap of paper from her hair. "I was dealing with a nest of paper drakes before finding you at the front desk."

"Do you work in the library regularly?" Camila asked. “Sorry, it’s just that you seem a bit young, is all.”

“It's all good,” The young witch waved off Camila’s apology. "And, ehhhhh, I guess I sorta work here.” The witch waved her hand in front of her in a so-so motion, shoulders raising in a shrug. ”Malphas, the head librarian, gave me a job a while back once he realized how much time I was spending here. I tried to tell him he didn't need to, but he insisted. So now I help around the library proper and at the Preschool." The witch got a small, almost jovial grin on her face as she said the next part. “Plus, I have an excuse I can use to skip out on classes whenever I want. Oh, but don’t tell Malphas that last part.~”

“Oh, so you must think very highly of this place,” Camila replied with a bit of intrigue. Honestly, she hoped the rest of the staff, particularly the preschool staff, had as much joy for their work as this young witch seemed to have.

“Oh, absolutely! Are you kidding? I love this place!” The witch was now not even trying to put on an air of professionalism. Speaking to the four of them completely casually. Though Eda did catch a point where she paused, where Eda knew for certain the girl had to censor herself due to the kids being around.

Eda felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. She could tell that she liked this kid and hoped that she’d be around the Preschool a lot more. Especially with how enthralled Luz seemed to be by her.

After a few minutes, they eventually found themselves at a small door tucked in a small corner of the library. From it, one could spot the kid's reading corner just through a gap in a few shelves, but for the most part, the door was hidden surprisingly well.

"Well, here you are!" The Witchling exclaimed as she showed them the door. “Sorry it’s so hard to find. We recently had to move the Preschool from its old location, and this was the only part of the library big enough for it ....” She explained as she scratched the back of her neck.

“It’s all good, I’m sure we’ll be able to find it next time.” Eda brushed off the girl's apology with an understanding smile.

“Hopefully, I can convince Malphas to reorganize the shelves to make it a bit easier to find,” The auburn-haired witch said to herself more than anyone else. “Well, I should get back to work. Hope I see you folks around the library!” With a wave, the witchling faded back into the maze of bookshelves before any of them even had a moment to reply or ask for her name.

"Well, here goes nothing," Camila spoke as she turned to the door as she set Luz down onto the floor. "You ready mija?" Camila asked as she did one last look over Luz’s appearance, smoothing out any wrinkles in her outfit as she did so.

"Yeah!" Luz replied with a small hop. Her arms flapped at her sides as she turned towards the door.

 Not wasting another moment, Eda opened the door, and the four of them entered. Camila and Eda having to wait so as not to trip over Luz as she practically ran into the room. The two of them already felt sympathetic for the teacher that had Luz in their class and, as such, had to deal with her energy.

The space was as one would expect. A quaint reception area sat against the wall at the far end of the room. Complete with a small curving desk, filing cabinet, and what Camila could only guess were the Isles versions of office machines. (She was positive that the thing that just blinked at her was some kind of fax machine.) There were various office supplies strewn across the desk, giving it a cluttered but welcoming feeling, as if to say the owner of the space was easy to approach. Behind the desk, a series of shelves could be seen, each one decorated with dozens of tiny ceramic figures.

From where they stood, two doors could be seen. The first was a large set of double doors that were this stunningly beautiful purple wood with these rich earthy red undertones. Though near the bottom was an explosive mess of colours that, when looked at more closely, revealed to be dozens upon dozens of children's handprints. All overlapping each other to make something chaotic and fun.

The other door sat beside the small office space. It was a fairly plain, dark wood door that, based on the nearby window, most likely led outside.

Finally, next to the entrance was a tiny, nearly spotless little nook for the kids to store their boots, coats and other belongings. The space, for the most part, was seemingly barren of any items, though come the colder seasons, there would, without a doubt, be small puddles of melted snow as the kids hastily shook off their winter coats and kicked their boots onto the rack. With tiny cubbies close to the ground, each with a cute monster face on the front and coat hooks right above each one. Lastly, a mostly empty shoe rack was sitting right next to the entrance of the boot room. 

Though on closer inspection, Camila noticed that the cubbies all seemed to be moving slightly, and did she imagine things, or did those tiny fangs on the front look a lot more real?

Light poured into the left side of the room from a large, wall-to-wall window. With the shadows of the leaves dancing across the floor and creating a mesmerizing dappling effect as they did so. Making the whole space feel warm and inviting.

After only a few seconds, the door to the outside opened up, and in walked an older-looking demon carrying a small box under her arm. Her face brightened as she saw the small family.

 "Oh, well hello there!~" The demon said in a deep and cheerful voice.

The demon was tall and rail thin. Even with all the folds and drapery of her billowing floral dress, it was impossible not to notice how gaunt this demon was. Her long gangly limbs reminded Camila of the branches of an old and sickly tree. As she moved, One could see her legs, which were digitigrade that ended in a pair of ungulate hooves.

She had dark skin decorated with long, healed scars and liver spots. Her skin contrasted with silvery, almost moon-light-white, incredibly curly hair that was done up in two buns. The fur on her legs was the exact same silvery white that ended at her hooves in beautiful, almost smoke-like wisps of fur that trailed behind her. Finally, she had these long spiralling horns that came out of her forehead and curved back slightly.

Luz immediately responded by giving the demon a big wave, the kind that moved her entire body as she did it, a huge smile on her face as she did so. 'Hi!"

"Well ain't someone excited~," the demon replied as she set the box onto the desk. "Say, I pride myself on recognizing the faces of all the young-ins that come here, and I can't help but notice that your face is new to me. Gasp, is this your first day joining us?" 

"Yeah!" Luz replied with an energetic nod.

“Well, ain't that so wonderful! Oh, trust me, hun, you are gonna have a great time here,~” The demon replied with that same warm, welcoming tone. 

“She’s been so excited for her first day that she’s asked about it every single day since she learned she was getting to come here.” Camila said as she made her way over to the demon. 

“Oh, and you must be her parents!” The demon turned to address Camila and Eda. “It’s so nice to meet you both.” The demon then let out a small shocked gasp with a smile. “Oh dear, where are my manners? I never even got your names, let alone gave you mine! I’m Lena,” Lena said as she got behind the desk where a small name placard could be seen with her name. Once fully seated, she began to start sorting through papers.

“I’m Eda, this is Camila, and this is our daughter Luz and youngest King,” Eda stated to the secretary demon. Who made a sound of acknowledgment as she heard the names. Though after a second, she stopped for a moment as if her brain had fully registered what Eda had said. Then looking up as she found the paperwork for Luz’s enrollment, which confirmed what she’d initially thought.

“Well, Titan, bless me! I thought I recognized you. You’re Edalyn, Dell's little Witchlet,” the demon stated with a smile on her face. “Oh, he talks about you all the time, misses you a great deal.”  Upon hearing the name Eda seemed to tense up before letting out a strained laugh.

“Yep, that’s me, alright!”

Seemingly sensing the tension coming from Eda, the demon mercifully changed the subject away from Eda and Dell. Though that didn’t stop the sad smile tugging at her lips every time she glanced up from the paper to look at Eda. Camila meanwhile took note of the way Eda reacted to the name. Part of her wondered if it would be ok to ask about it later.

“Well, looking over the paperwork, it seems like Luz is all set,” Lena said after doing two quick rounds of double-checking to make sure everything was good. “Was there anything else you folks needed?”

“We just wanted to talk to Luz’s teacher before she starts,” Camila replied. “If that wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“Oh, that won’t be any trouble at all! Miss Fulweaver should just be getting ready to start the day, so she should have more than enough time to see you before lessons begin.” Lena got out of her chair and began making her way over to the set of double doors. “Just gimme a quick sec, and I’ll have her out here in a jiffy.”

Soon the doors opened again, and from them slipped out a young, arachnid-looking demon with a face like a wolf spider, three sets of black chitinous-looking arms, and a long scorpion-like tail with a pincer at the end. This was Miss Del'voi Fulweaver, Luz’s preschool teacher, who would have looked downright terrifying if not for the fact that she had on a bright yellow top, black coveralls with flowers sewn along the seams, and glasses that somehow remained perched on her face. That wasn't even getting into her personality and how she seemed to hold herself. Just her countenance alone seemed to hold this air of bubbly enthusiasm that, nevertheless, gave way to a sense of duty and wisened generosity. The kind of person whom the very idea of teaching and of helping young minds being almost intrinsic to who they are as a person.

The young instructor quickly made her way over to them. "Oh, it's so nice to see you all again! I take it you're here to drop little Luz off?" Del'voi asked with a chipper voice. She'd talked with Camila and Eda before about Luz and had been eagerly awaiting the day the young witchlet joined her class.

"Yep, and to just go over some stuff with you if that's ok," Eda replied as Camila set Luz onto the ground.

"No worries, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"The main one was Luz’s dietary needs, we've packed her a lunch with stuff she should be able to eat no problem," Camila explained as she handed a small container to the Preschool teacher. "And a single dose of her digestive potion in case any treats are brought and she wants to have some."

"Perfect, I'll set both of those aside for her, and I've also made sure that a file with all of her dietary restrictions is on hand and ready," Del'voi explained as she took the lunch. "Oh and before you ask, both me and the rest of the staff have been informed of Luz's 'other' condition," the Preschool teacher added when she saw Eda about to speak up. "Needless to say, we are all prepared to handle any issues that might arise from that. Now, with all that said, is there anything else you need?"

Camila and Eda looked at each other, both of them shaking their heads as neither had anything else to add. The only thing left was to ask Luz.

"Well, kiddo, are you all ready to start your first day?" Eda asked Luz, who was practically bouncing in place.

"Yeah!" Luz exclaimed excitedly before beginning to run to the door to the classroom when suddenly she stopped. Turning around, she came back to her mom's and held her arms up, making grabby hands and beckoning them both down. When both of them knelt down, she leapt into their arms, giving both of them a long hug, nuzzling her face into the crook of their necks as she did.

"Love you both…" She said in a much smaller voice.

Both women paused for a second before smiling softly. Eda softly tousled Luz’s hair while Camila placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Love you too sugar-bug."

"Have fun mija."

As Luz pulled away from Eda, she saw her brother staring at her with his large yellow and pink eyes. His head turned to the side as he uttered a small, confused "weh?" Seeing that, Luz let out a small giggle.

"You want to say buy to Luz on her first day, too, King? Eda asked as she pulled her son from her hair and set him on the ground. The tiny demon blinked a few times before toddling over to Luz for a hug. Luz letting his smaller frame lean into hers, wrapped her arms around King as she carefully lifted him off the ground. Letting his feet dangle a few feet off the ground as she held her younger brother in her arms.

As Luz set King down, she turned toward the classroom door and began to follow her new preschool teacher before suddenly feeling a tug at her sleeve that caused her to stop in her tracks. King's body stumbling into hers before she could even register what had happened. Luz just stared down at her brother, a curious look in his eyes as he tilted his head to the side.

That look didn’t last long as Eda quickly came to scoop King back up. As she did, King’s expression changed from confusion to a realization that something wasn’t right. Before anyone could do anything, King began to cry and scream, his small body letting out a wailing cry as tears poured from his eyes in globs. Desperately trying to claw his way out of his mom's hold on him.

There had barely been more than a day where the two of them had not been together since the day they met, and if she ever left, it was only ever with their mami. So then, why was she going with this strange person? Why wasn’t either their moms doing anything? He had to get to her!

Eda found herself trying her best to keep King from falling to the floor as he tried to fight his way out of her arms. His sharp claws raked across her skin, leaving behind angry red scratches. As she fought to keep her thrashing child under control, Eda tried to somehow wrap her head around what had caused King to react in such a manner. Unfortunately, his cries had begun to increase in pitch, and soon it was becoming harder and harder to even hear herself think. There was no doubt about the rest of the library hearing him. Hell, she’d be surprised if the rest of the neighbourhood couldn’t hear him.

When she finally had a better hold on, King Eda began to sway her body from side to side. “It’s alright, it’s okay. Rock, rock rock. Maternal gesture,” Eda began to say. Her voice was awkward and stilted, like a part of her couldn’t fathom that she was the one saying these things. A small bit that, even after all these weeks and months, was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was a mom and that this was her son she was trying to console.

At first, King barely registered the rocking motion, too caught up in trying to get to Luz. But as it continues and his voice begins to give out from crying momentarily, he finally hears his mom’s voice. And gradually, it seemed like he was starting to settle down, at least for the moment. Though his eyes are still locked on Luz, that look of fear and confusion, having not yet found fit to leave.

“I wonder if this has something to do with Luz?” Camila asks. Though the way she speaks the words makes it come out like a question, there is something in the cadence of her voice that portrays the fact that she had already come to that conclusion before she’d finished speaking.

As she hears that, Eda feels guilt congealing in her gut, forming into a ball no larger than her fist but feeling like the weight of a bowling ball. She feels it rest, hovering just above the bottom of her stomach, threatening to drop at a moment's notice. Of course, this was because of Luz. What else could it have been? “King, Luz is perfectly fine, see?” Eda said in the softest voice possible, hoping to help further calm him down. Her one hand was at the base of his skull, gently scritching the fur in a soothing motion as she brought herself and King closer to the ground. As she does so, that realization and sense of shame continues to build upon itself. Amidst all the excitement and changes, at no point did she ever think to sit down and explain to King what was going on. A part of her probably just thought he was too young to fully understand anything or that he was asleep enough that he wouldn’t notice any changes.

Of course, he would notice if something changed. Why would he not have noticed something? He and Luz had spent countless weeks, if not months, together at this point. The only days he didn’t see her were normally the days that Eda had to work her stand, and with her now raising King, those days had been cut down to biweekly.

Could she have even explained things to him? Would he have understood it if she even tried to? Even if he couldn’t, shouldn’t she have, at the very least, tried? Those questions, those coulda, woulda, shoulda, just sat in Eda with no real answer. All she knew was that she had to do better, that King deserved better.

King Feels his mom pull him closer, and as she does, he feels the faint beating of her heart as his back is pressed against her chest. His mom’s breath against his skeletal head as she just leans her head down and whispers an apology. “I’m sorry,” her voice barely came out as more than a breath, the words for him and him alone. And those words hit King in ways that he does not understand, nor will he understand them for years. All he can tell is that, for some reason alien to him, his mom feels that she has done something wrong and hurt him.

As Eda lifted her head, she felt King shifting in her grasp before something small and furry, with a few hard bits, forcefully bapped against her face. As she looked down through her partially obstructed vision, she saw her son staring up at her with a vague look of concern in his eyes. Before she could even say anything, his tiny paw reeled back before bapping her on the face again. At this moment, Eda realized what King was trying to do, and with a slight laugh.

“I’m okay, King, I promise,” Eda tried her best to reassure her son. Wiping a few of the tears still lingering on his skull, she took a shot and asked him if what Camila had suggested earlier was why he had gotten him so worked up. “Are you upset because Luz is going to be gone?” King only really understood part of what Eda was asking, though he got enough and just gave a small nod as his eyes darted back over to his sister, his one free arm reaching out for her, still trying to grab onto her.

“I’m sorry, squirt, but starting today, Luz won’t be around to play with you as much,” Eda tried to explain to King. Unfortunately, King didn’t seem to like or agree with that fact as he started to move around a lot more, once again trying to get out of Eda’s hold.

“No! Want Luz!” King cried out in a fit of frustration. Eda could feel her patience growing thin but took a deep breath. The last thing either of them needed was for her to get upset and do something she’d regret. She just wished there was a way to explain things to him and for him to get it. At this rate, she’d have to take him out of the library, screaming and crying, something no one would want to experience.

As Eda tried to deal with King, Luz had stopped, concerned for her little brother. Without saying anything, Luz retraced the few steps back to meet with her mama and younger brother. From behind Eda, Camila just mouths a silent ‘sorry.’ to Miss Del’voi, who took it without fuss, smiling and shaking her head as she waved off Camila’s apology. There were still a few minutes before she had to start the day's lesson, and the kids would be fine while Lena watched them.

As Luz reached her mama and brother, she gently pulled on Eda’s dress. Looking down, Eda saw Luz looking up at her, holding her arms up and gesturing to King. Wondering what her daughter was planning to do, she carefully lowered King back to the ground and watched. The moment King’s feet touched the floor, Luz wrapped him in a big hug, patting his back as she lifted him off his feet and swung him back and forth.

“Is okay, King. I’ll only be gone for a little bit. I promise,” Luz told her brother as she pulled away from him. Giving him a wide, reassuring smile as she did so. That seemed to calm King down as he didn’t try to stop her this time as she started to head back to her new preschool teacher. Luz only got a few steps before letting out a gasp and whipping back around, suddenly remembering something. “Plus, you have a super important job!” Luz loudly whispered to King. Though she didn’t say what the job was right away, instead looking at her moms every few seconds. After about the third time, Camila rolled her eyes and, while smiling, just nudged Eda as she covered her ears, Eda quickly catching on and following suit. 

Once both her moms had covered their ears, and she was certain they couldn’t hear her, Luz turned back to King. “I think Mami and Mama are going to get sad while I’m gone,” Luz said in a worried tone. “That’s why I need you there to make sure they don’t get too sad! Can you do that?” King, seeming to understand the request, gives Luz a nod before giving her a playful, childlike salute. Luz let out a giggle as she gives him one back.

With that, Luz, with nothing else stopping her, finally heads toward her first day of preschool. Only stopping a few brief moments to give each of her family members one last hug. Her small arm waved at them excitedly. Even as she moves past the threshold of the door, her eyes never turn away from them. By the time those purple doors close, her family can still see her waving at them, an excited, beaming, and hopeful smile still on her face.

Chapter Text

As soon as Luz entered her new classroom, she was met by a wave of noise. Young witchlets and demon-lings were running everywhere as they laughed and yelled with their friends. A few of them were rolling on the floor as they got into bouts of play fighting with each other. Scrapping and roughing housing as each of them tried their hardest to pin the other kid to the ground though no matter who won, both kids got up with bright beaming smiles, and their faces flushed before running off together. At the same time, the other kids that were not play-fighting sat by themselves or with their friends, talking about what they'd done over the weekend. Though a few would cheer for one of the kids that was play fighting from time to time.

The whole space was filled with bright, welcoming colours. From the shelves lining the walls, each one filled with items from toys, paints and art supplies, blankets, and books, to even beginner potion ingredients and mini cauldrons. There was even a wall-to-wall glass enclosure that was filled with a variety of colourful reptilian demons. Near the back of the room was a long countertop, with cabinets beneath it and a large window above. With open blinds so light could pour into the room, making everything feel more welcoming and inviting.

Miss Del'voi walked to the front of the room before clapping two of her hands together. Almost immediately, most of the children stopped what they were doing to look at her, though a few were still caught up in playing. Clearing her throat before speaking, Miss Del'voi spoke, her soft but resonant voice cutting through the noise of the few children still playing. "Okay, everyone, I know you’re all enjoying free time, but I need everyone to find stop and listen for a moment. I have an important announcement!" As they heard her, all the kids began racing to the brightly coloured chairs situated around the various tables or separating and sitting on the floor where they were. Most of the kids that had gone to the chairs beelined for specific ones, while others waited to see where their friends would go.

It was at this point that Luz could see just how many kids she'd be sharing the class with. It was way more than she could even count, and possibly more kids than she'd ever seen before. Most of them looked similar to the human kids she saw at the park sometimes, save for their ears, but then there were those with fangs, horns, fur, and so much more. All of them looked so cool, and Luz couldn’t wait to meet them all and make friends with everyone.

It was by this point that the other kids started to notice Luz standing near the front. Most of them just tilted their heads in confusion at the new face, but one looked at Luz with a huge smile on her face as she gave Luz a small wave.

Willow, the first kid she met in the demon realm besides King, and her first-ever friend. It was then that Luz noticed a space beside Willow that she’d placed her stuff on as soon as she saw Luz. Willow then turned towards a girl with auburn hair sitting next to her who currently had her face buried in a picture book. Luz watched as Willow gently nudged the other girl, and after a few nudges, the auburn-haired girl lifted her head from the book with a jolt. Her eyes were wide as she looked around, confused, clearly having gotten way too into whatever she'd been looking at.

Luz could understand that, sometimes, she gets so into looking at the art in her Azura books that she doesn't even hear her mami calling her.

Luz could hear Willow giggle softly at the girl before directing her attention toward Luz. Willow spoke in a hushed but excited tone as she gestured towards Luz. The entire time the new mystery girl just stared at Luz.

“Good morning, everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!” Miss Del’voi began, finally getting the day underway. “Now, before I begin, I have an important announcement to make! We have a new witchlet joining our class!” Miss Del’voi stated with a clap of her hands before gesturing towards Luz. “Would you like to introduce yourself to everyone and tell us three of your favourite things?”

“Hi, my name is Luz!” Luz introduced herself cheerfully as she hopped in place. A few of the students couldn’t help but move slightly in their seats. Luz’s energy was far too infectious. “I love Azura, learning witchy stuff, and my Mami, Mama, and little brother.”

“Thank you, Luz.” Miss Del’voi then turned to address the class. “Now, I know this goes without saying, but I hope you all do your best to give Luz a warm welcome and to make her feel accepted,” Miss Del’voi stated to the rest of the kids. Many were excited to meet this new witchlet, though most were still just looking at Luz with slight confusion, mainly at her ears.

Luz then felt a gentle nudge at her back as Miss Del’voi ushered her forward.“Now Luz, feel free to pick any of the open seats and get to know the other kids.” With that, the teacher began to pull out things for today's lesson.

Almost immediately, Luz made a beeline for the spot next to Willow, barely even taking a moment to think before her feet took her to where she needed to be. The moment she sat down, she threw her arms around Willow, giving her a quick hug. “Willow!”

“Luz!” Willow hugged her friend back before letting Luz take her seat. “Are you excited for your first day?” Willow asked.

“Yeah!” Luz threw her arms up as she kicked her legs out in excitement. Unfortunately, she kicked off the ground too hard, lifting the front legs of her chair up and causing her to lose her balance. “Wah!” Luz let out a startled cry as she began to fall. Before she could fully fall backwards, her chair was caught and put back on two feet. Looking over, she saw Willow removing a hand from the back of her chair.

“Thanks, Willow….” Luz said sheepishly, now aware that this was the second time Willow had saved her from falling over.

“You’re welcome!” Willow replied chipperly.

It was at this point that Luz realized that she had no idea what she was supposed to do. She was so excited for her first day at a witchy school that she hadn’t thought to ask what sort of things she would be doing. It didn’t help that Miss Del’voi seemed to be doing something else, letting most of the kids do whatever they wanted.

“Ummm, Willow, what do I do now?” Luz asked, slightly embarrassed due to having just shown how excited she was.

“Oh!” Willow looked surprised by the question like she hadn’t ever even thought about it. “Right now, we just have free time, so you can kind of just do whatever you want.”

“Anything?”

“Well, I think there are a few things that Miss Del’voi will try and stop you from doing.” 

Luz could hardly believe it. She was suddenly told that she had the freedom to do whatever she wanted. That was so much power and choice. How was she even supposed to pick one thing to do? She wanted to do everything!

As Luz felt herself getting restless over the sheer number of possible things to do, she felt someone staring at her. It was then that Luz noticed the girl on the other side of Willow staring at her from over the edge of the book she was holding. Luz had momentarily forgotten about her on the account that she’d gone right back to reading the moment Luz sat down. Now though, she was staring at Luz, so it was hard to forget she was there. 

Luz couldn’t get a good look at her, unfortunately, on account of the large book covering most of her face. The most Luz could see was her auburn hair, soft golden eyes, and splattering of freckles that covered her complexion. The other girl was looking at Luz with her brow pinched and the slightest tilt of her head like she was studying Luz.

“Hi!” Luz decided to break the silence, giving the girl a small wave and a smile. “I’m Luz!”

The other girl said nothing for a moment before lowering the book and responding. “I’m Amity.” Amity’s mouth was turned downwards, though not in a frown, just in a questioning expression. “Your ears are weird…” Amity finally voiced the thought that had been on the tip of her tongue since first seeing Luz.

“Amity, Luz was the kid I was telling you about!” Willow cut in excitedly. She had been looking forward to her two friends' meeting, though she knew it wouldn't go great if she tried to force Amity to meet Luz.

Willow knew how much Amity hated being forced to meet entirely new people.

Hearing that, Amity let out a small gasp as her eyes went wide as she turned her face towards Luz. “Wait, are you the human that Willow met?” Luz couldn’t help but notice the way that Amity’s ears flipped up as she made the connection.

“Umm yeah? Well, I’m more like half human,” Luz replied, unsure of where this was going and still not sure she fully understood what she was exactly. All she knew was that she was part witch and that her mami was sorta like a witch, but not in the same way her mama was.

It was then that Luz realized the other thing that Amity had said. “You talked about me?” She asked as she turned to Willow.

“I only mentioned you briefly and told Amity that you were joining our class,” Willow replied.

Luz felt her face get warm at the idea that Willow had thought she was worth mentioning to her other friend.

It was now that Luz was starting to feel uncomfortable with all the attention and wanted to find something to change the topic of discussion away from her. She then noticed the book that Amity had placed on the table. “What’s that?” She asked, pointing to the book.

“This?” Amity asked as she picked up the book, showing the cover to Luz. “This is Otabin!” Amity proudly declared as she presented the clearly well-loved book to Luz. “It’s only one of the best books and my favourite ever!”

“Ooh, could I read it?” Luz asked, slowly reaching forward to try and grab hold of the book. Before she could touch it, though, Amity pulled it back.

“No, what if you wreck it?!” Amity cried out. This was her favourite book. What if this complete stranger accidentally destroyed it by ripping one of the pages?

Luz felt taken aback by how quickly Amity had snatched the book away but quickly recovered. It wasn’t like she couldn’t understand how Amity was feeling. If something happened to her Azura books, she’d be devastated.

Suddenly a light went off in Luz’s head, and she quickly got to her feet. Amity and Willow watched as she rushed over to Miss Del’Voi. The two of them watched as Luz tugged at their teacher's pants leg, getting her attention. Once she’d acknowledged Luz, Miss Del’voi knelt down, and by the way she was moving her body, it was clear that she was asking Luz what it was that she needed. Even from across the room, Luz remained just as animated, her ars going wide as she began to gesticulate to herself and then back towards the table where Amity and Willow still sat. Amity could hardly believe how much Luz was moving while seeming to stay so still.

“She makes me tired just watching her….” Amity muttered out loud, though her voice held no disdain for Luz, and in fact, her voice even raising with the hint of welcomed amusement.

“Is that bad?” Willow asked, wondering if Amity was already turned off of Luz. Willow understood how Amity felt about meeting new people and knew that most of the time, Amity preferred to keep to herself and Willow. When asked why Amity would always give the same response.

“My mom makes me meet new people at parties, and I get tired after doing it so much. I don’t want to do that when I’m with you. You make me happy and that’s all I need.”

Willow knew this and still hoped that Luz and Amity could become friends because if they did, then that meant that they’d all be friends together.

Amity pondered Willow’s question for a moment, turning it over in her head as she did so. “No, its not bad, just weird I think….” Amity honestly couldn’t describe the feeling that Luz was giving her. She had barely been near the girl for more than a few minutes, and already Amity could feel the effect she’d have on her. 

Luz made Amity feel tired but not exhausted, like the feeling one gets while basking in the warm sun. Not a crushing weight that made one's limbs feel like lead, but something gentle that rested on the body and held close to it. Paradoxically, however, Amity could also feel her energy rise while near the smaller girl. All the while, her mood seemingly brightened, and every part of her felt invigorated.

Fancy parties, proper manners, having to watch every single little thing she said or did. Those kinds of things made Amity feel exhausted. They sucked the life out of every part of her and made her feel as time dragged and her bones were made of cast iron.

But reading Otabin, playing with Willow, Being with the twins, and spending time with her dad in his workshop? Those are the things that made Amity feel tired. The things that filled Amity with warmth and happiness.

And Luz? This strange girl that Amity had barely even met?

Luz seemingly just gave off that same kind of energy and so much more. Luz made Amity feel like she could instinctually just relax and let her worries slip away, but at the same time, she also wanted to do everything and anything she could put her mind to. 

This strange conflict had Amity so intrigued and wanting to know Luz better. In her later years, Amity would explain this strange combination of feelings as ‘The Luz Paradox.’

Luz didn’t feel bad. Sure, she was weird and confusing, and part of her made Amity’s head spin. But she wasn’t bad.

Plus, someone that showed such an interest in Otabin clearly had to be good. Not to mention that Luz just seemed so nice and genuine in her enthusiasm that Amity couldn’t help but be drawn into that as well.

Amity and Willow watched Luz and Miss Del’voi talk for a few short minutes before the two of them went over to where everyone's bags were, Miss Del’voi trailing after Luz as she ran ahead. Almost as quickly as she’d left, Luz came running back. A book clutched tightly against her chest and a big, bright smile across her face.

Luz had barely even sat down in her seat before shoving the book she’d grabbed into Amity’s face. Amity reeled back slightly, blinking harshly as she tried to adjust her eyes to focus on the cover. 

“The Good Witch Azura?....” Amity muttered out loud as the letters came into focus. She tried to make sense of whatever it was that she was looking at. The cover had what looked like a witch with dark skin, long, beautiful green hair, wearing a white cloak, pointed hat and gown standing on the tip of a cliff. The witch had a white staff clasped in one hand as she raised it triumphantly over her head. Amity had to admit. Whatever this was, it looked kind of fun. Plus, The character on the front had to be one of the coolest witches that Amity had ever seen.

Tentatively she reached up to grab the book but stopped just before touching it. Warily she looked at Luz but found her still just staring at her, that same smile on her face. After a few more seconds, she carefully took the book in her hands, taking extra care as she did so. It was clear to Amity as she held it in her hands that this book was well-loved. The spine was slightly cracked, and the corner of some pages had clear creases where they’d been bent. Despite all of that, Amity could tell that Luz loved this book, and something about that made Amity feel as if she was holding something so very important, like it was something beautiful and fragile.

“I thought we could trade,” Luz’s voice cut through the air, still chipper and excited but now with the slightest hint of uncertainty. “ You can read my Azura book while I read Otabin.”

Amity thought about the idea as she looked down at the books in her hands. First to Otabin, then to Azura, then back to Otabin. Luz had offered to share her book with Amity, so it only made sense that Amity should do the same.

“.....You promise not to ruin it?” Amity didn’t know what she’d do if her copy of Otabin got damaged or destroyed.

“Remember to take extra care of that, okay, Ami?” Amity stared down at the book in her hands, the soft pink rabbit-like demon on the cover staring back at her. She could feel the colourful wrapping paper that she had yet to fully remove as it crinkled under her touch.

Amity then looked back at the witchling standing before her. Whose sharp golden eyes, lopsided grin, wild mane of faded green hair with soft brown roots, and the lingering hints of citrus and smoke which seemed to follow her no matter where she went. Things that had long since become synonymous with the ideas of safety and warmth to the young witchlet.

The witchling was Amelia Blight, Amity’s older cousin and one of the most important people in her life.

Amity stared back at that older witchling before giving the tiniest but most confident nod she could manage. Her new copy of Otabin the Bookmaker was now clutched tight against her chest like it was the most important thing in the world to her now. Amity could even smell the faintest hints of that same citrusy and smokey scent, like it had been infused into the book itself.

Amelia reaches out a hand, ruffling Amity’s hair, loosening it out of the neat and tidy half ponytail that it had been meticulously put into. Amity half-heartedly swatted at the hand as a small childlike scowl spread across her face. Despite that, she didn’t bother to pull away from the touch.

 Soft laughter, not harsh or loud, but warm and gentle, the same kind that Amity had heard so many times before, spilled from the witchlings lips before trailing off as she spoke again. “And Amity, if you ever feel down, remember that you can look at Otabin and know that no matter what happens, I will always love you.” 

As she listens to those words, Amity can feel those same hands that just messed up her hair a few mere moments prior, now carefully and gently coaxing the wild strands back into place. Amity turns without a thought as she feels a nudge on her shoulder, and everything seems just to fall away. Those same hands that she’d so often found comfort in now combed through her hair, pulling the strands back into that same familiar ponytail. They’d been through these motions so many times that neither of them had to even say anything, instead letting the quiet air settle.

But this time, something felt different. Maybe it’s the way that those same hands seem to linger at times or the way that Amity can feel the slightest tremor as the fingers brush against her scalp. Maybe it’s the book in Amity’s arms, how it seemingly becomes more and more real every time she runs her thumb along the edge of the cover. Whatever it is, Amity can’t help but notice it, and in doing so, she feels something uncomfortable but also understandable settle within her.

“There, all fixed.” Before long, though, Amity’s hair was set back into place. The witchling stepped back to check her work, making sure that she’d not missed an errant strand or that the whole thing wasn’t off-center. Amity knew that Amela didn’t really think she’d actually fixed Amity’s hair. Knowing that she thought Amity looked best with her hair messy. Amelia always made sure to tell Amity that she always looked the happiest when she let it get out of control. That, in the witchling's words, Amity looked like how witchlet should, ‘carefree and without worry.’ But they both knew that Amity’s mom had other plans, so ‘fixed’ hair it was.

Amity, with her set hair back into place, turns back around and, as she does so, looks back up. This time, however, when Amity lifts her head, she isn’t met with that familiar grin that she’d grown accustomed to. What greets her instead is the faintest hints of a smile and eyes that can only hope to convey an apology left unsaid. And suddenly

Suddenly.

Suddenly Amity can feel the book in her arms, with its pristine, untouched pages and glossy cover. Feels the way that wrapping paper, which she still had not yet fully removed, shifts under her touch, threatening to tear as she rubs against it at an odd angle. She feels the way the book seemingly grows heavier the longer she holds it. And suddenly, it feels like more than just a simple Witchlet storybook.

“Promise!” Luz replied with a confident smile as she held out her hands. 

With slight apprehension, Amity carefully placed her treasured book into Luz’s hands. Holding in a breath until it finally left her grasp.

Almost immediately, Luz let out a high pitch squeal of excitement as she dropped right back into her seat. She kicked her legs out in front of her for a few seconds, hugging the new book before setting it down on the table. The rest of the class stopped what they were doing to look at the source of the sound they’d just heard.

Luz had the biggest smile that Amity had ever seen on someone. Her face was cradled in her hands as she rested her elbows on the table. Her focus was completely on the book before her, a soft hum escaping from her lips as she began to get lost in the pages. Upon seeing just how happy Luz was while reading her book, Amity could feel something warm swelling up within her chest. 

That feeling didn’t fade as she placed Luz’s book down and opened it to the first page. A strangle-tingling sensation, which then moved slowly from her heart and down her arms as she lightly traced her fingers across the beautiful illustration that greeted her. It was of Azura, seated by a window, done in breathtaking watercolour washes and delicate line work. Her vibrant green hair was done up in a messy bun, strands falling across her face as she leaned forward. Chin rested upon her hand as she stared out the window at a pitch-black sky decorated with stars. Her expression was somehow soft yet determined. Tired eyes gazed out into the night, seemingly searching for something, wanting, wondering for something more.

This was only emphasized by the rest of the image. The desk that Azura was sitting at was a mess of books and pages covered with writing. Amity could only guess that whatever she was looking at was some strange version of magic. A kind of magic that she had never seen, not even within the uncountable tomes and pages housed in any of her family's libraries. Strange runes and archaic symbols that the more Amity stared at them, the more entranced she became. However, it wasn’t like it was something that gripped her attention, refusing to let her look away. Just….

A nudge, if you will, maybe cause she thinks they’ll be important to remember for the story. Or maybe cause she thinks they’ll look cool.

Yeah, it was probably cause she thought they looked cool.

As she saw how faded this front page was, Amity could tell that Luz had stared at it more times than Amity could even count. And something about that made Amity even more excited to read this new book. She could tell that it had been loved just as much as she loved her copy of Otabin.

“Um, th-thanks,” Amity stammered out in a hushed voice. She’d said it so quietly that she barely heard it herself. Not even Willow had seemed to hear her. Miss Delvoi seemed to have noticed as she turned her attention slightly toward Amity but quickly returned to what she was doing when it came clear that nothing was wrong.

Luz, though, somehow heard Amity, despite being on the opposite side of Willow from her. Her head popped up, and a look of confusion on her face as she looked at Amity. Head cocked to the side, with a curious sparkle in her eyes. “Huh?”

Amity felt a sense of embarrassment rush over her as she realized that Luz must have heard her. Not sure what to do, she just repeated what she’d said before. “Th-Thanks for sharing your book with me….” Amity trailed off, unsure if she was being silly for thanking Luz like this or not. Her parents taught her that it was important to be courteous, well-spoken and polite, so that was what she was doing, right? Though the way that Luz was looking at her made Amity seemingly regret all her choices up until that now.

Would her mom hear about this? Oh, she’d be so disappointed in Amity if she did!

Before an all-too-familiar sense of panic could encompass Amity’s heart, Luz’s expression changed back to that bright, warm smile. And, as if by magic, Amity could feel that tension ease away.

“You are welcome!” Luz replied back. Then Amity watched as her cheery expression fell to a much more bashful one. The other girl fiddled with her hands as she tried to find the right words for what she wanted to say.  “Um, could we do this more?”

“Like trade books?” Amity asked back, a bit of excitement in her voice. If Luz was from the human realm, that meant that there were bound to be tons of books that she’d have access to that Amity could never even dream of.

“Yeah!” Luz replied, her volume earning her some stares from some of the other kids. Though her expression shifted to a more sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Um, I only have the first volume of Azura, but I have a bunch of other books that I could show you.”

Now feeling completely comfortable with Luz, Amity just gave back a small smile. “That be great!”

Willow had been doing her own thing and stopped to listen to the two’s conversation. As she did, her gaze moved to the book Luz had brought over and now with a look of curiosity. Noticing this, Amity slid the book over slightly so it would be in front of both of them. “You want to read it to Wils?” Amity asked, enthusiasm palpable in her voice.

“Willow, you should totally ready it too!” Luz added. Her hands slammed gently against the table as she half stood up from her seat.

“You sure?” Willow replied. She wasn’t as good at reading as Amity was and didn’t want to slow her down by taking too long.

“I offered, didn’t I?” Amity retorted, no bite in her voice, just a genuine desire to include her friend.

Rather than say anything, Willow scooted her chair closer to Amity and began reading the new book alongside her. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they started to read, only letting out small gasps and other sounds of surprise or excitement as they did so. Luz quickly followed suit as she read through Otabin.

And throughout their free time, the three young witchlets found themselves shifting ever closer to one another till they were squished, shoulder to shoulder. None of them minded, though, as the three of them could tell that this would not be the last time they’d end up in such a situation. And not one of them was going to complain about that.

Chapter Text

The preschool day to Luz had felt like it had passed in the blink of an eye. One moment, she was reading with Willow and Amity; the next, she was enjoying free time, shoving cherry fruit gummies into her mouth as the midday sun shone down on her. The young witchlet had learnt so many new and exciting things in such a short amount of time that it had felt like her head was spinning at times. From how to identify certain kinds of beast demons to simple tunes to help memorize basic potion ingredients and their effects.

Luz was particularly excited for the latter, as it meant she’d be able to remember what certain ingredients did far easier. Her mama was going to be so impressed the next time they made potions together!

Maybe this would be the time when she wouldn’t make a huge mess! Well, maybe less of a mess. The best part of potion-making was the mess, after all. Well, maybe her mami would disagree, but Luz was pretty sure she was right, and her mama would super agree with her!

Adults, from Luz’s perspective, seemed to dislike messes. Something that Luz could never seem to understand. How were you supposed to have fun if you weren’t going to end up covered in dirt and stuff? Or the area around her feeling utterly chaotic with her toys strewn about. Like, any play time where she and the area she was in had to remain perfectly clean sounded like the absolute most boring play time in the history of playtimes! And even if she was technically learning while helping her mama with potion-making, Luz still considered it playtime. Luckily, her mama seemed okay with that.

At least, the little girl thought her mama was okay with that. If she wasn’t, then she hadn’t said anything about it.

But Luz wasn’t worried about any of that right now. Right now, Luz was being a lazy little lump. Luz let out a little content sigh as she stretched out onto the grass. Chest rising and falling in slow rhythmic fashion as she let her fingers pass over a dozen blades of grass. Willow had informed her that their second bit of free time each day was spent outside in the spacious courtyard behind their preschool classroom. The area wasn’t particularly big, but it seemed absolutely massive to Luz. It was so big that Luz was certain that it would take the entirety of free play just to run around it once. The only thing preventing the area from expanding off into forever were three brick walls and the library itself. The idea that this whole area was just for them to play in had left her completely stunned. That was the most amazing thing she’d heard all day.

Plus, the whole area was filled with so many amazing places to play and explore in the young witchlet’s eyes. Like the large, castle-like play structure that seemed to tower over the courtyard. The sounds of children yelling and screaming as they climbed all over it, carrying through the air to where Luz and her friend were.

Then, there was an area enclosed by chicken wire along the leftmost wall. A small coop tucked into the corner, with a strange scaley pig-like bird roaming around the enclosure. Letting out squeals and clucks as they picked food off the ground. Children could be seen sitting by the chicken wire fence as they watched the weird half-bird half-pig roaming around the enclosure.

Lastly was all the foliage that filled the space, making the whole space feel incredibly vibrant with lush, flowering berry bushes lining the wall of the library, to a large and very clearly ancient tree with thick twisting branches that scratched against the library’s fading bricks. The tree was so old and gnarled that Luz could swear she saw a face within the ridges of the bark. So many places that one could use for hide and seek!

There was even an area that looked like a small garden near the one wall. One that reminded Luz of the one at her Abuela and Tia Lola’s houses. However, from what Luz could tell, this one didn’t seem to have anything growing in it.

“What’s that area over there for?” Luz had asked Miss Del’voi as she pointed to the area of turned dirt when they had first gone outside.

“Oh, we use that area to grow fruits and vegetables,” the arachnoid preschool teacher explained.

Luz's eyes had gone wide at that. Her Abuela and Tia’s gardens had been mostly for flowers. In Luz’s experience, fruits and vegetables were things that here Mami got at the grocery store or the farmer's market. “You can grow your own veggies?!” Luz’s mind was blown by this news. “Could I grow something?”

The preschool teacher just smiled at the question. “Mmm, I’m sure we can ask your parents, and if they’re okay with it, we could set something up.” Hearing that, Luz couldn’t wait to ask her mama and mami. Maybe she could grow something for when she saw the rest of her family!

So Luz just laid there, head filled with ideas of things to do. All while listening to Amity talk about books and magic. The auburn-haired witchlet was currently looking at a large tome. One that she’d gotten from the teacher before they had headed outside. When asked, Amity had told Luz that it was about the kind of magic her dad specialized in. Amity explained that she couldn’t really understand all the complicated formulas and that she just liked looking at the pictures.

“Don’t they just look cute!” Amity practically squealed as she showed Luz and Willow what looked like a large, goopy, drippy person. The features slightly melted, and their face pulled down into a frown.

Luz and Willow had just looked at the image for a few seconds before Willow looked at her friend. “I think our ideas of cute are different, Ami….” Willow's voice trailed off. Hearing that, Amity had started to look a little dejected before Willow spoke up again. “But it’s cool that you like them!”

“Yeah!” Luz agreed with Willow. “Plus, I bet their goopyness would let you give them things like cat ears. Then they would be extra cute!”

At that suggestion, Amity looked like she’d just had a revelation. “Maybe I could convince my dad to give his abominations kitty ears…..” The young witchlet muttered to herself. Stars in her eyes as she did so.

“You’re papa works with them, what’s that like?” Luz asked, curious to learn more about her new friend. She flipped over onto her stomach, sidling up next to Willow. The entire time they’d been outside, Willow had been intensely focusing on this one particular patch of grass, and it had gotten to the point where even Luz was starting to get curious. With one ear open to listen to Amity, she tried to see what had caught Willow's Attention. 

Willow stayed lounging where she was even as Luz gently bumped into her. The shorter girl squished against Willow to see what she had been looking at this entire time. Their little group friendship was still young, but already, each of them felt more than comfortable around the other two. Willow smiled as she saw Luz looking around from the corner of her eye. Brown eyes scanned the grass for anything out of the ordinary or of even minor note.

 “Mmm, he spends a lot of time in his workshop. It’s super messy in there, like cool metal stuff everywhere, and all the surfaces are stained purple,” Amity responded with a finger on her chin. “Sometimes he lets me mess around with stuff, but most of the time, he tells me that I’m too little to be around the stuff he’s messing with.”

“Amity’s dad always looks super tired anytime I see him,” Willow added to the conversation. “One time, I think I saw him falling asleep standing up…”

“Somedays I'll go into his workshop to spend time with him and find him passed out,” Amity’s voice got a little sad as she said that. She rubbed her hands uncomfortably Like this was more than just an odd occurrence she’d witnessed. "One time he fell asleep and his face was just laying in the thing he'd been working on...."

“I don’t think that would feel good….” Luz responded. Her body already starting to feel sore just imagining sleeping at a table. One time, her mami fell asleep in their living room chair, and the next day, she was extra cranky, like the kind of cranky old people get when they don’t have their bitter juice in the morning, but worse!

“Yeah, sometimes I hear him making these painful cracky sounds when he moves.” Amity shuddered, just thinking about all the times she’d heard her dad move, only to hear a series of pops and cracks immediately following. “I try to force him to take breaks, but I don’t think he takes me seriously. He always says he has too much work to do.”

Luz could completely imagine Amity doing that sort of thing. Just her marching up to her dad and ordering him to go to sleep. Her just standing there, hands on her hips and a stern, no-nonsense frown on her face, as she tries to convince her dad not to work. Sure, Luz had just met the other girl, but she considered herself a pretty good judge of character if she said so herself. She probably got it from one of her moms, if she had to guess.

“That sucks...” Luz frowned as she heard how sad talking about this was making Amity. “Is he at least having fun?” Luz asked. She sometimes heard the older people in her family talk about not working if you do something you love. An idea that Luz absolutely did not understand. Why would someone do something if they didn’t love it? That just felt like it would make you super sad! No one would want that!

“I think so,” Amity replied, though with noticeable uncertainty in her voice. “But sometimes it’s hard to tell….” It was clear that talking about this was starting to stress Amity out, as she had a death-like grip on the hem of her dress. Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she gnawed at it.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Luz asked, her delivery somewhat stilted as she had no idea how to help comfort her new friend. It was a similar feeling to how she felt whenever her mami or mama were worried about something. There was only so much a hug or her wisened words could really do. It wasn’t like with King, where a kiss to a boo-boo could solve so many problems.

In short, Luz, for the first time in her young life, was acutely aware of how little she could really do to help. A realization that made her feel insignificant and oh so terrifyingly small.

Luz watched as Amity shook her head as she held onto her dress with a white knuckle grip. Luz’s heart sank, and part of her wanted to insist Amity tell her more. If she knew more, maybe she could help. Maybe she could give Amity an idea of how to help her dad. The idea of just doing nothing while her friend was clearly hurting caused Luz’s skin to feel prickly. Her whole body began to fidget and twitch as she became more and more antsy. Just as she was about to open her mouth, trying to insist that Amity at least tell them a little bit more, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Looking over, Luz met Willow’s gaze, the spectacled girl taking a break from staring at the thing that had caught her attention to look back at her with a frown. Before Luz could even say anything, Willow shook her head, cutting off anything that Luz might have wanted to say before she even got a word in. “Luz, drop it,” Willow's words were soft yet stern. “Ami doesn’t want to talk about this anymore.” There was something in the way that Willow said those words that struck Luz in a way she couldn’t understand. Any semblance of trying to argue dying on Luz’s tongue as she saw just how serious Willow looked. Instead, Luz could only give a small, slightly timid nod. Unable to find any sort of words to respond with. 

Seeing that Luz was dropping the subject, Willow went back to admiring the thing she’d found, and at first, Luz joined her. But as she lay in the grass, she couldn’t help but feel as if she could do more to help Amity.

Maybe there was something she could do, actually.

Luz reached out a hand, a determined look on her face as she did so. She grabbed Amity’s dress, gently tugging on the fabric as she did so. Feeling the pull on her dress, Amity turned to look at Luz. Neither said nor did anything as bright gold meet warm, comforting brown as the two locked eyes. Luz could see the pinpricks of tears at the corner of Amity’s eyes, solidifying the idea that she had to do something. Even if all she could do felt like it might offer Amity little actual help.

Without saying anything, Luz just gently patted to patch of grass beside her as she tugged at Amity’s dress. If she couldn’t find a solution to Amity’s problem, then fine, Luz would distract Amity from said problem instead.

Slowly, Amity lay down beside Luz, leaving a small bit of space between the two of them. As she got comfortable, she could already tell that the grass and dirt would stain her clean dress something fierce. Part of her knew that her mom wouldn’t be happy seeing her clothes dirtied in such a manner, chiding her for not acting like a proper Blight. A proper Blight, always having to look presentable, no matter the situation, something that Amity had learned through ~~harsh~~ rigorous lessons the moment she could barely walk. But despite how ingrained such things felt, for the first time in her life, Amity couldn’t seem to care about any of that at the moment. Instead, she simply allowed her body to relax as she got comfortable beside Luz, letting the bits of tension that had wound up inside her slowly unfurl.

Amity let out a few deep breaths as she closed her eyes. Letting the warmth and comfort from being with her friends overtake her. She had even tried to open her mouth with the intention of giving Luz her gratitude for being here like this.

At least, that was what Amity had tried to do, but it turned out Luz had other plans. Instead of letting the space between the two of them exist, Luz pulled Amity closer to her so that the sides of their bodies were flushed together. Sandwiching the shortest of the three between Amity and Willow. Any words that Amity might of been about to say died as she felt Luz put an arm around her, holding her close. The fierce look that met Amity as she looked at Luz caught her further off guard. Up to this point, Luz had been bright and cheerful, as if joy had been incarnated into a mortal body. But here, Luz had this admittedly goofy determination about her. It was as if she were trying her hardest to protect Amity in the moment.

It didn’t exactly help Amity that despite only knowing the other girl for less than a day, Luz’s arm around her felt incredibly comforting. It was the kind of embrace that could be felt through your whole body. Reaching deep and enveloping the very marrow of Amity’s soul. Where even the tiniest squeeze of a hand would inexplicably feel like home. Like an anchor that would keep Amity tethered, even through the roughest of times. These and so many other emotions swirled deep within Amity’s gut, mixing and settling to ferment. She couldn’t even begin to explain the feeling in her stomach or why her face suddenly flushed with warmth, at least not yet.

That was fine, though. She would figure out what all this meant later. All she could tell was that no matter what, there was no other place she’d rather be than this bit of grass with Luz and Willow. No doubt covered in grass and dirt stains and with tiny bugs crawling on and around her. It was calm, messy, and above all else, it felt like home.

Amity did a little shimmy as she nestled in closer to Luz. She could feel the subtle rise and fall of the shorter girl's shoulders as she breathed. At first, it took her a second to even register what it was, as Luz seemed to take a second to release each breath. In all actuality, it was rather cute, especially with how it seemed as if her attention was so split that part of her had to remember to breathe out each time consciously. The part of her focus not on holding Amity close was instead directed at trying to find the thing Willow had been so fiercely enamoured by.

Actually, now Amity was curious, what had Willow been so entranced by? And like that, Amity had joined Luz in trying to scour through the grass. The two of them squinted and swept their gazes over the patch of grass in front of them with all the scrutiny the two witchlets could possibly muster in their tiny bodies. Now, both hellbent on at least catching a glimpse of this thing.

At least, that was what the two had told themselves, but after a while, it felt like an impossible task. It felt like they were looking forever, but no matter how hard they searched, all they could see was grass. An indistinguishable sea of leafy green, with not a spec of variation except the occasional dead or yellowing blade of grass. After several sweeps, the pair were both about to call it quits when suddenly Luz spotted something. Her eyes widened when she finally saw what Willow had been so fixated on. Tucked between a few blades of grass was probably the smallest flower that Luz had ever seen in her entire life. The head itself looked to be no bigger than her fingernail, with these stunning iridescent petals and a stem that was almost translucent. The light passed through it, casting a rainbow strip through the grass.

It was quite possibly one the most mesmerizing things either Amity or Luz had ever seen. Something so small and seemingly fragile nestled her in the grass behind their preschool classroom.

“Woah….” Luz couldn’t believe her eyes. She wondered if her mama would know what kind of flower this was. Would it have any use if she tossed into a potion?

“How has it not been crushed?” Amity asked, equally entranced. She had a good point, with how often witchlets played back here, it was a marvel that anything other than grass and the heartiest of weeds could survive.

“I dunno, maybe-” Willow had begun to try and throw out a potential answer, but before she could finish, a ball crashed into the ground with a heavy thud! All three girls jumped as the ball hit the ground, not one of them having even noticed it sailing through the air. It was at this point that they all realized where exactly the ball had landed, or rather on what it had landed on.

It was sitting squarely in the space where their tiny little flower had been growing.

Frantically, Willow went to push the ball out of the way as Amity and Luz looked around, trying to figure out where the ball had even come from. At least, that had been the plan, but before any of them could even act, an annoyed-sounding voice stopped them. “Don’t touch my ball!”

All three girls snapped their heads to the direction the voice had come from. There, they saw a three-eyed witchlet running over to them. She had pink hair pulled into a ponytail and a deep scowl across her face.

“Oh great, it’s her…” Amity mumbled under her breath. “We weren’t going to take your ball, Boscha. We were just moving it,” Amity called out to the approaching witchlet as Willow went to knock the ball away.

“I don’t care! You aren’t allowed to touch it!” Boscha snarled as she snatched the ball away. She held it close to her body like she was afraid that one of them was going to try and take it from her. When it was clear that none of them were even thinking of doing that, she relaxed a little, though Luz couldn’t help but notice that she kept her guard up. After checking to make sure her ball was okay, Boscha looked at Amity, giving her a look of confusion. “Why are you over here anyway, Amity? Shouldn’t you be with hanging out with better witchlets?” She asked as she gave Willow a small side-eye sneer while not even noticing Luz in the slightest.

“Cause they’re my friends!” Amity retorted, clearly not willing to put up with whatever Boscha was going on about.

Boscha rolled her eyes before going back to inspect her ball. “Why?” She scoffed. Luz couldn’t help but be annoyed by how Boscha had looked at Willow, not to mention the way she just completely ignored her! Like she decided that this whole conversation wasn’t even worth her time.

“Come on, let's just go….” Willow tugged at Amity and Luz’s clothes. She was already tired of whatever Bocha’s issue was.

“Stay out of this Willow,” Boscha snapped. “I wasn’t talking to you!”

“Don’t talk to her like that!” Amity snarled. “Willow is way better than you!”

“I doubt that,” Boscha snarked. Luz had just about enough with the three-eyed witchlet, but what Boscha said next pushed her over the edge. “What could that crybaby have over me?” 

“Why are you so mean?!” Luz yelled as she scrambled to her feet before shoving Boscha away and putting herself between her friends and the bully. She squared her stance and clenched her fists at her side. It was plainly obvious that Luz was much shorter than Boscha, but despite this, she stared the bully down. “We didn’t do anything to you!”

For a moment, boscha looked stunned, like she hadn’t even noticed that Luz was there. It only took one look at Luz from her for that to be confirmed. “Uh, who are you?” She asked, like Luz was something seemingly beneath her. 

“She’s the new kid. Weren’t you paying attention this morning?!” Amity threw her hands up. She couldn’t begin to believe how Boscha was acting towards Luz. “Don’t you care about anything other than yourself!?”

Boscha squinted as she stared at Luz, taking her appearance in. Then her eyes widened as her eyes passed over one detail. “What’s wrong with your ears?” She asked with a look of disgust. “Wait, are you human?” Boscha's shocked disgust quickly shifted to an accusatory sneer.

“Uh, kinda?” Luz replied, clearly not expecting such a question from the bully. Up to this point, no one had even batted so much as an eye at her or her mami’s ears or them being human, at least in a way that sounded so overtly negative. For the first time since standing up to the bully, Luz started to fidget, not sure how to respond.

“Why are you here then? This is a preschool for witchlets.” Boscha shoved Luz back, jabbing a finger in her chest.  “Don’t tell me that you think you can be a real Witch?”

“I uh….” Luz knew exactly how she wanted to respond, but Boscha’s tone and aggressive nature had turned any attempt at finding her words into an impossible task. “Because I’m part witch -”

“That doesn’t mean you can be a real witch!” Boscha cut Luz off. “I bet you couldn’t even learn one spell.”

“Yes, she could!” Amity yelled at Boscha. By this point, a number of the other kids had heard the commotion and had begun to come over to see what all the fuss was about. Their teacher, tending to a few kids a ways off, still hadn’t noticed the commotion.

Boscha turned her nose up at them as she let out a huff, her posture still as standoffish and angry seeming as ever. “I don’t believe you, prove it.”

“How?!” Amity gave Boscha the most exasperated look imaginable. She couldn’t begin to understand where Boscha was even coming from by asking them something like that. “None of us are going to be able to use our magic for another two years! Besides, what if you can’t use magic-”

“I’ll have magic!” Boscha snapped before Amity could even finish her sentence. “I’ll have the strongest magic out of everyone here! And I’ll get it before everyone else!” Boscha’s tone had shifted slightly. Up till this point, Luz had found the three-eyed witchlet to seem overtly aggressive, but something about her response felt far too personal and defensive.

For a moment, Luz swore she saw a look of panic flash across other witchlets face. Boscha looked almost scared at the idea of her not having magic.

However, those thoughts only stayed for so long as another one quickly took its place. With how hectic everything had been, she hadn’t fully registered what Amity had said about them not getting magic till they were older. Realizing that she was an outlier, Luz sheepishly spoke up. “Actually, uh, I already know a spell…”

Almost instantly, everyone's eyes snapped to her, even Miss Del’voi, who had started making her way over once she’d noticed the large gathering stopped as she heard Luz say that. For a second, not a sound could be heard as everyone just took the time to register what Luz had just said. Some of them were now looking at her with these indescribable expressions of shock and awe, while others had much more skeptical looks. Amongst the latter was Boscha, who, while stunned alongside Amity and Willow, quickly recovered.

“How do you know a spell!?

“When did you learn it?!

“What?!”

Boscha, Amity and Willow all immediately started asking her questions, with various levels of shock, aggression and interest. Not to mention all the other kids clambering to ask her how on earth she knew a spell already. Luz couldn’t help but become overwhelmed, slowly backing away until her back hit a wall. Her eyes darted around, trying to find a way out. The idea of just showing everyone her magic completely slipped her mind with how pushy everyone was being.

The amount of attention now felt suffocating, as Luz could feel the eyes of everyone bearing down on her. It wasn’t even the idea of showing them that was the issue, but rather the sheer number of those asking her to show them, alongside the seemingly endless barrage of questions.

Luz could feel her pulse rising and her breathing growing sharp, her field of vision slowly shrinking as her lungs burned from the diminishing oxygen. Her skin was uncomfortably clammy as beads of sweat trailed down her neck, all while pinpricks and an unbearable itching sensation raced up her arms. Then there was the way that every single question felt like it was being screamed at her. Creating this untenable mess of noise and chaos that she couldn’t begin to make sense of. The tension and pressure grew beyond anything that Luz had ever felt before. Leaving the young girl to feel like she was rapidly drowning, unable to cope or handle the level of attention. 

But despite all that, a part of Luz couldn’t help but feel partially excited by the attention. This push and pull inside her where it unclear if she hated every part of what was happening or if there was some part that she genuinely enjoyed.

The first day of preschool had been a seemingly endless amount of ‘firsts’ for Luz. Some had been exciting, others were strange, and more introduced Luz’s emotions and feelings that she did not have the words to describe. Luz couldn’t describe what she was feeling now, though it wasn’t fear as there was this undercurrent of spine-tingling excitement. Besides, Luz had experienced genuine terror.

A memory of towering trees, of helplessness, and of the world slowly growing cold nestled somewhere in her mind. Luz had experienced fear in a way that few of the kids in class would ever understand.

By this point, Luz wanted to run and hide, unable to handle having everything and everyone bearing down on her. Tears started to well in her eyes, and her chest began to heave as all the sound slowly began to distort and fade. It was now impossibly loud, but also like everything was miles away. It felt like time had slowed to a crawl and that ages had passed since the questions had started to bombard her. In all actuality, it had barely been half a minute. Still, it was all too much for her. 

Then, her saviours came. Willow and Amity quickly snapped to attention as they saw Luz bending under the sheer pressure. The two of them push the other kids back and place themselves between Luz and everyone else, creating a barrier for their new friend.

“Stop it! You’re crowding her!” Amity barked out as she shoved a few of the other witchlets back, Willow following suit. For the first time in what felt like forever, Luz could no longer feel the gazes of all the other students bearing down on her. The amount of noise had almost cut in half as almost everyone near the forefront of the crowd had been stunned completely silent by Amity and Willow.

Neither of them was particularly threatening, but even the most hardened of witches would have found speaking difficult if they saw the no-nonsense look Amity and Willow had on their faces.

Still, there was still a number of kids that simply weren’t as easily deterred. Among them, of course, was Boscha. Thankfully, their teacher, Miss Del’voi, had come in to wrangle the rest of the pack. “Ok, let's all settle down!” She called out the kids. She spun a spell circle, causing the ground under everyone to shift back, giving Luz even more space. “I know we are all excited to see what Luz has to show us, but we shouldn’t crowd someone like that, okay?”

All the kids who had been crowding Luz immediately looked incredibly apologetic, many of them looking down at the drown with expressions of shame on their faces. The sudden rush of guilt was clearly gnawing at their faces. Some of them turned to see Luz huddled down behind Amity and Willow. The two of them were now trying to calm her racing heart and dry her tears.

“What do you all say to Luz?” Miss Del’voi asked the class. Her hands on her hips as she gave them all a soft but still stern look.

“We’re sorry, Luz!” most of the kids called out to Luz together. The few that didn’t still gave Luz a collection of apologetic looks. The few that didn’t, such as Boscha, simply diverted their gazes from her. However, a few of them still have expressions of shame on their faces.

It took Amity and Willow a few moments to calm Luz down, but eventually, they did. The young human witchlet blinked a few times as she dried her eyes. Her breathing slowly came down till her lungs no longer hurt. As everything became clearer, she heard the tail end of the other kid's apology. She peered past Amity to see the majority of them looking at her, as well as Miss Del’voi now approaching her.

As Miss Del’voi got to Luz, she knelt down, giving her a quick look over to see if she was okay. “Luz, are you ok to stay here, or should I call your parents?” The preschool teacher gently asked Luz. Luz thought it over for a moment before giving a small shake of her head. She didn’t feel like she needed to go home yet. Smiling, Del’voi continued. “Do you want to stay out here, or would you like to go inside till our next lesson?”

At first, the two witchlets in question had started to look sad at the prospect of their friend not wanting to stay outside for playtime. However, the two of them had made the same decision independently of the other. If Luz decided she didn’t want to stay out anymore, the two of them would go inside with her to keep her company. 

Again, Luz just shook her head, trying to put on the bravest face she could. “I wanna keep playing with my friends…” That earned a pair of shocked expressions from Amity and Willow that quickly changed to a small but bright set of smiles. The two of them were excited that they could still show Luz more cool stuff.

Luckily, Luz looked almost entirely alright, save for seeming a bit frazzled. In fact, now it seemed like it wasn’t taking long for that same energetic feeling that radiated off her to come back slowly. The teacher and the other students would no doubt become incredibly familiar with the chaotic sensation that seemed to linger around the human witchlet by the end of her first week. Though for now, they were all happy to see Luz seemingly returning to normal or at least what normal seemed for her.

“That’s wonderful, Luz!” Miss Del’voi clapped her hands together as her bottom set of eyes all squinted with a look of pleased delight. “I’m so glad to hear that you’re staying out here, it would be such a shame to waste this beautiful weather after all.”

“Hey!” Boscha chimed in as she stamped her foot, a scowl on her face. “She still needs to show us her spell!” Boscha pointed at Luz. “If she even has one!”

“Boscha!” Miss Del’voi rose to her full height, a disappointed frown on her face as she did so. Immediately, all the kids let out a series of ‘ooohs’ at the way their teacher looked at Boscha. “We do not speak to other witchlets in such a manner! Now, apologize to Luz.”

“But-” Boscha tried to argue, stamping her foot again as she shook her fists at her sides.

“Now, Boscha, or you can stay in timeout with me for the rest of free time,” the teacher cut any argument Boscha had off. 

Realizing that being stuck in time-out would mean not getting to play with her ball, boscha decided to swallow her pride and apologize. The three-eyed witchlet let out a series of grumbles as she turned towards Luz, not even looking her in the eyes as she did so. “I’m sorry for yelling at you…”

Even Luz could tell that Boscha didn’t really mean it, but at the same time, she didn’t have the energy to argue with her about it. “Um, that’s ok…”

“Whatever, I’m done with this.” Boscha huffed as she turned and started to leave, not even bothering to stay around and see /Luz’s magic.

“Boscha, don’t go too far, we still need to talk,” Miss Del’voi called out to Boscha, stopping the triclops before she could wander off. “And understand that I’m going to have a talk with your parents about your behaviour.”

As the mention of her parents came up, Luz watched Boscha’s body reflexively tense for a moment before immediately relaxing. At first, Luz was expecting Boscha to turn around and beg their teacher not to call her parents. Even Luz could understand not wanting her mami or mama to know she’d gotten into trouble cause then they’d be disappointed in her, or worse! But Boscha did none of that. Instead, she just stood there, taking a deep breath before giving a single-word response. “Okay.” With that, she went and sat down on the stairs, holding her ball close to her chest as she looked out over the playground.

Luz couldn’t help but frown as she saw the way Boscha had left. Sure, the other girl hadn’t been nice to them, but something about all of this just didn’t sit right with her. Maybe she should ask her parents about it. After all, it wasn’t like she could do much of anything at the moment. Besides, Amity, Willow, and the others were all waiting to see her do magic, and her mami taught her that keeping people waiting was rude. 

“Come on Luz, we wanna see your magic!” Amity shook Luz slightly, an over-eager smile across her face as she bounced in place.

“Yeah Luz, let us see!” Willow added on with equal amounts of enthusiasm.

“Okay, okay!” Luz replied with a laugh as she pushed both of them back. Patting down her pockets, Luz tried to see if she had her notepad on her, but after a few seconds of searching, it was clear she did not. So Luz started to look around, trying to see if she could find anything she could use. Then she saw it. Over by Boscha was a small pail of chalk. Rushing over to the pail, Luz reached in and pulled out a piece of bright purple chalk, holding it between her fingers as she knelt down on the ground.

Everyone, including Boscha, watched with bated breath as Luz drew out a perfect circle on the asphalt. Then they watched as she started to fill that circle with what looked like a complex sigil, though this step took a little longer as it seemed like she had to keep stopping to think before continuing. But despite the numerous times she had to stop,  eventually, she’d managed to complete the whole thing, and with a satisfied smile, sat back as she placed the chalk by her side, giving her work one last once over.

Almost everyone watching couldn’t help but admire the intricacies and complexity of the design that Luz had drawn. It wasn’t so simple that any of them could get it right on their first time, but it also didn’t look and feel so complex that it was something that none of them could dream of doing. In fact, most of them wondered if they could do something like that, though they were also wondering what any of this had to do with casting magic.

Turns out, none of them had to wait that long as without any warning, Luz slammed her hands down against the glyph. Immediately, the whole thing began to glow brightly as tiny orbs of white light began to float up from the ground. Everyone watched as the amount of tiny light multiplied until they eventually coalesced into one massive ball of light hovering a few feet off the ground.

At first, no one said anything. All the kids stood there with their mouths agape as they stared at the ball of light. It wasn’t overly big, maybe a little bigger than a few grudby balls, and it gave off a cool white light that washed over the playground and students.  All of the kids had seen their parents do magic countless times. They understood that the basis of casting any spell was a spell circle. But this? None of them had ever seen anything like this. Even Boscha, who had tried her best to ignore the whole ordeal, couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows with mild interest as she saw the giant ball of light forming.

Amity was the first to approach the light, reaching a hand out to try and touch it and finding a little resistance as she did so. “Woah…” She said as she felt her hand being gently pushed back. “I’ve never seen magic done like this. Where’d you learn it?” She asked as she turned to Luz, eager to learn how her friend learned to cast a spell like this.

“Um, I dunno how to explain it….” Luz honestly didn’t know how to explain how she found her first spell. “I found it in a video my mami took of my mama casting a spell, but other than that I don’t really know…” Luz trailed off. She hadn’t ever thought about how she’d find other spells, but now she was wondering if she’d even be able to.

“Do you think you’ll be able to use magic without them?” One of the other kids asked, clearly not meaning any harm by it. Nevertheless, Luz seemed to pause at that, as if she hadn’t thought about that before.

“I don’t know,” was all Luz could respond with. “When my mami and mama took me to the healer, they said they didn’t know how my magic would turn out.” This was the first time Luz had to wonder if she’d even be able to use magic like the other kids.

“That’s ok, maybe we can figure it out together!” Willow had chimed in enthusiastically.

“Yeah! I’m sure if we work together we could find all kinds of cool spells!” Amity, matching Willow’s energy, added on.

Luz just looked at her friends with wide eyes, trying to process whatever this feeling was at the moment. Was it happiness? Excitement? Or something else? Whatever it was, the fact that her new friends wanted to help her with this filled Luz with a sensation that she couldn’t place. But it didn’t feel bad, and in fact, she wanted more of this feeling. “Are you sure?” She asked.

A loud shriek echoed throughout the playground before Amity or Willow got a chance to say anything more. “Oh dear, is it that time already?” Miss Del’voi asked as she pulled out a pocket watch. “I’m so sorry, everyone, but it’s time to head back inside! Grab your stuff and join me by the doors, okay?” With that, she, along with some help from the secretary, began herding the kids back inside.

As they made their way back to the classroom, Amity and Willow had decided on something. Even if they weren’t exactly sure how, the two of them would help Luz find more spells. Both of them wordlessly took one of their shorter friend's hands into their own and gave it a little squeeze as they both gave Luz a look. None of them said anything more than that, content to leave this promise unspoken. And with that, they all headed back in for the rest of the school day.