Chapter Text
Chapter 1 - The Day After
In which titles are conferred, talks are had and gifts are given.
Quiet breaths. A warm, soft weight across her stomach. Slanted sunlight, the tickle of soft, green hair. Luz steadily drifted towards consciousness.
Her eyes slowly creeped open as her fuzzy brain ticked over, registering sensation. Warm, morning light filled her room – she must have left her curtain open again. At least there was no school until tomorrow. Her mouth felt gummy. Bleh. I could use a drink of water. She let out a small, squeaky sound as she began shifting a little before freezing as her bed shifted right back. What. The covers next to her moved for another moment before settling. WHAT. She craned her head down, suddenly registering the warm weight pressed against her side and froze when she saw Amity’s relaxed, sleeping face tilted up at her, resting against the human’s shoulder. A huge, bright smile stretched Luz’s cheeks as memory came flooding back. Oh yeah!
The Messtival. The date. The games, the food, the flight, the fanfiction… the kiss. A shiver went through her at the last memory, and Amity stirred again, her smooth brow furrowing as she grew closer to waking. Luz immediately stilled until she relaxed again, not wanting the moment to end. Her arm was wrapped around Amity’s shoulders, and the witch’s arm rested across her stomach. She felt her face warm as she realised she could feel the heat of Amity’s skin through her singlet.
Wow. Wow Noceda. You did it. You did it! Look at you, waking up next to the cutest witch on the isles! After your date, after your sleepover, after KISSING her! Giddiness welled up in her; it was all she could do not to squeal in excitement. I can’t believe that it actually happened! If she weren’t right here I’d think it was a dream! Her eyes wandered over Amity’s face, the strands of hair trailing delicately over it. Her sharp nose, her soft lips, the gentle curve of her jaw. Luz swallowed, suddenly terrified. Oh cram, look at how pretty she is! I have to make sure nothing ruins this.
Lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice Amity slowly waking up, her eyes blinking gently open. There were a few moments of complete bafflement – Where am I? This isn’t my bed? LUZ?! – before Amity recalled the previous night, and a big, goofy smile spread across her face, a hot blush marching alongside it. “Hey.”
Luz just barely avoided starting in surprise, focusing back on the witch in her arms. The gorgeous, perfect, smiling witch. Her own smile grew to match. “Hey.”
They laid together for a few moments, saying nothing, basking in the moment. Their eyes slowly trailed along the other girls’ face; Amity taking in the soft freckles dotted over Luz’s nose, Luz in awe of Amity’s pale skin and the smooth line of her jaw. There was awkwardness to come. Questions, plans… uncertainty. But right now the sun was rising, they each had their girlfriend in their arms, and life was good. The witchling began softly purring, lost in the warmth and contentment.
After a couple of long, comfortable minutes Amity began moving, reluctantly untangling herself from Luz. Time was slipping away from them and being so close to Luz still made her feel a bit nervous. She sat up, running a hand through her hair.
Luz watched unashamedly, open wonder on her face. I could so get used to this. When Amity noticed she coloured further and turned away, quickly standing and hiding her nervous smile. “Do you know what time it is, Luz?”
The human flopped gracelessly over to check her phone before letting out a disappointed sigh. “Later than I wanted it to be. I didn’t…” I didn’t want you to leave yet. The words went unsaid, but the smile Amity flashed over her shoulder and the twitch of her ears said she knew.
Now that she’d stood, the Blight was fully awake. She moved around the room gathering her things into a neat pile and picked up her outfit from their date. “Back in a minute!” She moved off down the hallway to the bathroom, closing the door behind her and splashing some water on her face. She spent a long moment looking at herself in the mirror – first checking for bags under her eyes or blotches on her skin, but after a moment just staring off into space, her thoughts whirling.
I have no idea what to do. The thought was more wondering than scared, but there was a hint of unease to it. That was the best night of my life, without question. We kissed. She closed her eyes and bounced on her toes a few times, grinning as her ears wiggled. We kissed!! It was amazing! She said she’s my girlfriend! Her face grew flushed enough that she leant down and splashed cold water on it, turning aside to reach for her clothes. What comes next? Do we… do we go on dates? What’s the procedure? So used to plans, to organisation, she found that for all the stories she’d read she didn’t have a checklist for romance. Oh Titan, I need to do some research.
Slipping into her clothes, she let out a sigh as Emira’s words floated back to her. Get a hold of yourself Blight. You like Luz. She likes you – she LIKE likes you! You went on a date, kissed – a part of her mind butted in with ‘Actually you made out’ – and you both agreed to be girlfriends. Right now you’re going to wipe your face, walk down to talk with Luz and stop overthinking. She smiled at the thought, before gently patting her face with a towel and walking back down the hall, hands busy tying her hair back up and smoothly sliding her new favourite hair clip back into place. She could hear Eda and Lilith talking downstairs, and a commotion outside – a glance out a window showed King chasing Hooty around as the bird-tube held a spoon in his mouth. Rolling her eyes at the scene she knocked gently on Luz’s door, moving when she heard “Come in!”
Luz looked up and smiled at her as she walked in, dressed back in her casual clothes and putting her phone aside. She sprang to her feet. “Welcome back sleeping beauty!”
Amity – firmly putting the thought that she could have accidentally walked in on Luz when she was changing out of mind – smiled right back. “Good morning.” She stood awkwardly on the other side of the room for a moment, neither of them really knowing what to do, before a buzz from Amity’s bag distracted them. Grateful for the break in tension Amity quickly knelt down and checked her buzzing scroll, a frown growing on her face before she let out a sigh. “I have to head home. There were a few things I put off yesterday that I need to get done.”
Luz gasped. “Oh no, I didn’t get you in trouble or anything with our date, did I?”
Amity felt her heart skip a beat – our date – but she waved off Luz’s concern with a smile. “No, these are just from Ed and Em teasing me about it. I do have to get them done though…” She trailed off sadly. This would be popping the bubble the two had been living in since last night, allowing reality back in.
Luz seemed just as crestfallen but forged on. “Aw, I wish you could stay more but I understand.”
Amity smiled at her gratefully, slipping her shoes and bag on. “I know. So do I.”
Once she was ready Luz lead Amity downstairs, the pair of them awkwardly quiet. Neither had any idea what to say, and desperately wanted the other to say something, to hold their hand, anything! Amity ducked her head into the kitchen upon hearing Eda’s voice, politely thanking her for letting her stay over.
“No problem kid.” Her eyes shifted between both girls, something odd in her tone. “You’re welcome here anytime. Luz, can you come help me with something once Amity’s gone home?”
The human nodded. “Always happy to help Eda!”
The witch nodded, giving them another unreadable look before smiling. “Good. See ya next time Amity.”
King bustled into the kitchen, drool-covered spoon in hand as he cursed Hooty for some reason or another, and the pair made their escape. Lilith was quietly sitting on the living room couch, sipping at a steaming mug of something. She gave them an even more considering look than Eda, but still smiled and wished the pair a polite good morning, and Amity a pleasant trip home. Once outside, the only other obstacle was –
“GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! BOY, SURE IS A LOT OF LEAVES ON THE GROUND TODAY!” Hooty pushed himself directly between them, smooshing his face up against Luz’s. “Do you wanna know which kind of leaf is my favourite! Most people think it’s about colour, but that’s a mistake! No sir, a good leaf has to be nice and crunchy, with hints of-“
Luz quickly pushed him away. “Hooty! Personal space, geez!”
Hooty retracted himself to the door. “Okay, but if you have a tasty leaf problem you’re on your own!”
The pair moved off into the treeline across the clearing, making it just out of sight of the Owl House before Amity turned. Feeling herself flush, she reached out for both of Luz’s hands, but the human happily gripped hers in return, smiling. “I can make it myself from here Luz.”
Luz’s smile dimmed. “Are you sure? I’m happy to walk you the rest of the way.”
Amity was sorely tempted by the offer but stood firm. “No, it’s fine. Eda sounded like she needed your help anyway.” While being around the human was intoxicating, a few minutes of quiet to clear her head before she got home was just what she needed.
“Oh.” Luz looked down a bit, peeking up at Amity shyly through her lashes. “I guess I’ll… see you tomorrow then?” There was just a hint of question at the end, and Amity smiled fondly.
“Definitely.” She stood there unmoving for a moment, clinging to Luz’s hands, before she moved jerkily forward a little. Luz’s eyes widened and she quickly reciprocated, leaning forward as well to press her lips to Amity’s to share a gentle kiss, a reminder to themselves that last night happened, that this was not just in their heads. They lingered for long moments before Luz pulled back, out of breath with a beatific expression on her face.
“See you later… girlfriend.”
Amity’s ears wiggled madly upon hearing it, and she flushed heavily. She still smiled though. “You too, girlfriend.”
After seeing Amity off Luz stumbled back inside, her feet barely touching the ground and a goofy grin on her face. Eda was sitting calmly on the couch, Lilith conspicuously absent, but the big grin on the Owl Lady’s face said she knew exactly what Luz was thinking. “Okay there kiddo?”
Luz nodded dreamily. “Never better.”
The older witch snorted into her drink. “Hold on to that thought for now Luz. Come over here and sit down, I want to talk to you.” She shifted in place.
Luz, her mental alarm bells firmly silenced after the perfect night she had, happily came over and sat down. “Sure, what’s up?”
Eda looked at her uncomfortably for a moment, weighing her words. “You… You’re… how do I put this?” She leant back and looked up at the ceiling, resting an arm over the back of the couch. “You’re fourteen years old Luz. It’s a weird age – you’re a child in some ways, but an adult in others.”
The oddness of the topic had Luz focused again, curiousity plain on her features. The Owl Lady continued, “Because of that I try to look out for you, you know?” She smiled. “Us weirdos gotta stick together, and I do my best to make sure you’re okay.” She hesitated again, clearly weighing her words as Luz’s curiousity shifted to suspicion. “Look, I’m not really certain on how it works for humans, it’s probably pretty similar, but… Well, when witches reach a certain age they start to think new things and their bodies change.” Luz stiffened in place, eyes widening as she flushed crimson. Eda didn’t fail to notice, and she grinned crookedly. “I take it you know what I’m talking about. So the first thing I wanted to ask you – do you have any questions for me? Do we need to talk?”
Frantically, Luz waved her arms in front of her. “No, cualquier cosa menos eso! Eda my mom is a nurse, a human healer! I know all about this!” She recalled one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, a long, quiet talk with her mother on her birthday a few years ago. She was grateful for the information but was more than happy to let the talk itself fade away into memory, never to be relived.
Though privately relieved, Eda let out a laugh. “Dang, and here I was hoping to enjoy your reaction.” The mortified look on the human’s face would have to do for now. “Anyway, that’s good. I’m glad you know what you need to. Just remember that you can ask me anything, okay?” At Luz’s nod, Eda grew a little more serious again. “Now, this is the harder part. I’ve seen the way you and Amity look at each other. Don’t give me that look, I’m not an idiot. I don’t know what you two are to each other, but what I do know is that I had two teenagers alone in a room last night after giving each other that look.”
Luz stammered over her words, her brain working overtime to assure Eda that – that wasn’t what she – she didn’t have to –
The Owl Lady kept speaking, “What I want you to know first and foremost is that I’m on your side, okay sweetie?” The endearment just slipped out but she didn’t regret it, leaning forward to place a comforting hand on Luz’s shoulder. “I just want to support you and for you to be happy. Part of that is not getting yourself into anything you’re not ready for. Whether it’s with Amity now or maybe someone else later on – I know, I know, but sometimes things don’t work out – I don’t want you to do anything you’re going to regret.”
Quite aside from the offhanded implication she and Amity weren’t going to ‘work out’, Luz was at a complete loss for words. She hadn’t seen this conversation coming at all and was at Eda’s mercy until the older witch was done.
“So here’s how things are going to work.” Eda’s voice took on the firm, lecturing tone she used when trying to teach something. “I’m not going to ask you two to keep apart when I’m around, or even to keep doors open or anything like that. What I am doing is offering you my trust, Luz.” She caught the human’s eye and held it. “I mean it. Amity is welcome here, but I expect you two to be mature and not to get yourselves into anything you can’t handle. I’m not old enough to have forgotten what it’s like to be your age, and sometimes your brain is a million miles away from your hands-“
“Too much information!” choked out Luz, in a strangled, high-pitched tone.
Smiling openly, Eda went on, “But you two are good kids. Be careful, don’t rush into things, come to me with any questions whenever you want, and by the Titan don’t do anything where I might see it.” She smiled warmly down at her apprentice. “Sound good?”
Luz nodded faintly, at a complete loss for words, but it was good enough for Eda. “Good. Now why don’t you head upstairs and get your glyph stuff ready? I haven’t forgotten you promised Lily and I a lesson this morning.”
Thankful for any excuse to leave the room and this conversation behind her, Luz rushed off the couch and up the stairs, nearly bowling Lilith over in the process. The older witch smoothly sidestepped the frantic teenager, raising an eyebrow before she made the connection and smirked. She continued on into the living room with some papers and pens in hand, taking a seat across from Eda on the couch as the Owl Lady sipped at her Apple Blood. “Luz nearly broke my neck on the stairs just now. Laying down the law, dear sister?”
Eda grinned. “Something like that. I’m honestly not all that worried, but it gave me a good reason to be serious with her. I don’t want those two rushing into anything.”
“I never thought to see this side of you Edalyn.” Lilith’s tone was teasing as she tucked her legs comfortably up beside her, reclining back against the cushions. “Giving relationship advice, helping two girls explore their feelings. It’s almost maternal.” She grinned wickedly.
The Owl Lady quietly grumbled into her cup before taking a long sip. “Well, don’t get used to it. Being too sentimental makes me sick, literally.” She deliberately cleared her throat before reaching down beside the couch and coming back up with a pencil and pad of her own. “Besides, I’d much rather talk about how much better my glyphs are than yours!”
Gracefully going along with the subject change, Lilith scoffed. “Please Edalyn, I recall you telling me when we were witchlings that your handwriting was as good as it ever needed to be. I’m impressed you kept your word this long!”
“Oh, my handwriting was the bane of every professor I had and you better believe I’m proud it still is, but that’s got nothing to do with it Lily!” Smirking, the Owl Lady opened her pad and took up her pencil. “Because the great thing about glyphs is that I don’t need perfect handwriting.” She managed to put an impressive amount of scorn into the word, and quickly ran her pencil over the page, easily producing a near-perfect circle; just what was needed for glyph work. “All I need to do is be able to draw, and we both know I was always the more artistic one.”
Frowning sourly, Lilith grumbled under her breath. Though neither could match Luz’s speed – the human had apparently always been a skilled artist and had taken to glyph writing with almost unnatural speed – there was no denying that Edalyn was quicker on the draw. In this case Lilith’s perfectionism was holding her back. She recalled the girl leaning over her work in one of their first sessions, her tone still frosty after the recent troubles. “You’re taking too long to draw the circle. It needs to be clear and precise, but it doesn’t need to be exact. Go with the flow more.”
‘Going with the flow’ was not a skill Lilith had ever really honed, that had always been more Edalyn’s thing. Still, she’d made an effort to loosen up during these sessions and her progress had improved. Both the Clawthornes had taken Luz up on her offer to teach them glyphs, even if it was extended to one of them only begrudgingly, though Eda was perhaps a touch more desperate. Lilith wasn’t sure if the human had noticed, but there had been a tightness around Edalyn’s eyes, a tension in her posture that had begun to ease as she learned Luz’s glyphs. She couldn’t blame her younger sister for the worry; she’d at least retained some magical ability, but Edalyn’s powers were completely gone.
Still, despite the Owl Lady’s nigh desperation, Lilith wasn’t being left in the dust. They actually balanced each other out, after a fashion. Luz had taught each of them all four of the glyphs she knew and Lilith had been the quickest to replicate them, an eye for detail and perfectionism assisting her in those first steps. Eda still hadn’t quite managed a plant glyph just yet. But the younger Clawthorne had her victories as well. Though initially she wasn’t quite as fast, once she had figured out the glyph she could replicate it rapidly, and her control over them seemed finer. This had been of great interest to Luz – she had told them that during her duel with Belos she had managed to change the shape of her ice pillar into a spike with nothing but intent. Trying firmly to forget the casual mention of duelling the emperor of the Boiling Isles, Eda had leapt into a discussion of magical theory as Lilith kept drawing her circles, telling Luz about magical intent, and how the will of the caster shaped the form of the magic. There must have been some overlap with glyphs, but it was a very unknown field and even with Luz’s predilection for them and the combined near century of magical knowledge of the sisters it was slow going.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Lilith was surprised to see the first few pages of her notebook already filled with scribbles and scrawls, half-formed circles and glyphs here and there. Across from her Eda was frowning at her own pages, comparing a plant glyph she had drawn to one provided by Luz. King had joined them, lying down on his stomach on the floor and kicking his feet like a child as he coloured something in. Even he had absorbed some knowledge from those lessons. Though the ice and plant glyphs held no interest for him, and there seemed to have been a silent, mutual understanding that teaching him the fire glyph was just a poor idea, he had learned the light glyph readily enough. Amusingly he seemed to be drawn to the little light orbs, as every time he activated a glyph he watched the small sphere rise in wonder for a few moments before his brow drew down, his tail wagged slightly back and forth and he launched himself at it in a fury, often with a small “Nyeh!” to accompany him. The confused and vaguely suspicious look he wore every time he managed to pop the light orb never failed to entertain.
A loud clatter from the stairwell preceded their teacher, the human bounding into the room with her arms laden with supplies. More pencils of every colour, notepads and loose papers, a water bottle held under one arm and a light blush lingering. Lilith smothered a smile – clearly the girl had not fully put the conversation out of mind.
It seemed however that Eda had. “There she is! Professor Noceda herself.” The teenager dumped her belongings over the table before the couch and held up an admonishing finger, grinning.
“That’s Miss Professor Noceda to you, student!” Lilith snorted into her hand at Eda’s flat look. “And today we’re finally going to get you that plant glyph! And you!” She turned on Lilith, causing the older Clawthorne to stiffen slightly. “We’ve got to improve your drawing speed! Sometimes you won’t just have prepared glyphs lying around.” She was smiling as she said it, and for a wonder it seemed fully genuine. Tentatively Lilith smiled back – Luz seemed ready to give her another chance today, and she was most certainly going to make the most of it. “By the end of today you’re going to be cranking out glyphs as quickly as Eda does, or my name isn’t Miss Doctor Professor Noceda!”
“Hang on kid, just a minute ago-
“Esquire.”
Amity found herself in her room, a dreamy smile on her face and only the vaguest recollection of a peaceful, giddy walk through the woods and her entrance into Blight Manor. She’d flopped down on her bed, tightly hugging a pillow without even bothering to get changed. Her dress was a little rumpled and a shower wouldn’t hurt, but they were the furthest things from her mind at the moment. Almost reverently she reached up and slowly slid her glowing hairclip out, turning it over in her fingers as she mentally replayed the events of the night. Her smile only grew as she reminisced, and when her thoughts floated back to their private moments in Luz’s room her ears started wiggling again and she kicked her feet with a happy little squeal of excitement. She’d had a date with Luz! She’d kissed Luz! Luz was her GIRLFRIEND!
She simply lay in bed for a while, feeling pleasantly tired even though it was still the morning. Some homework sat untouched on her desk but she simply couldn’t bring herself to worry about it right now. Her parents weren’t due back until this evening, the twins were out somewhere, and she had a perfect night to engrave into her memory. Slowly the morning passed her by, sunlight shifting through her tall windows. She took a long, relaxing shower, enjoying the hot water and steam like she hadn’t for a long while. Finally back in her room, damp hair down and back in some comfortable, clean clothing, she settled down at her desk to do some schoolwork. She found herself toying with her hairclip absently and reluctantly decided to store it away in her keepsakes box, tenderly placing it next to her Grom tiara. Even then she couldn’t seem to focus and soon found herself with her work pushed aside and her diary front and centre, trying to write down every single detail of the night. If the margins were filled with doodles of Luz’s smiling face or her name and Amity’s in a heart, that was no one else’s business.
As the morning bled into the afternoon, the echoing sound of a door opening made Amity’s ears prick up. Good timing – she had only just finished getting her thoughts down on the pages, and her diary was quickly tucked away. Laughter echoed down the hallway as her siblings chattered back and forth, steadily moving upstairs. Amity found herself fondly thinking of Emira. She owed her sister for some of the advice and help she had given, and without her last night would never have happened. She looked up with a smile as she heard her door swing open, determined to hug the elder Blight then and there, but her face fell when she saw it was Edric, smug expression firmly in place. Still, she didn’t have it in her to be upset today.
“And just where have you been all day young man?” She spoke in the affected tones of their mother when she was grilling the twins over their latest misadventure, only the smile on her face lessening the sting.
Edric pulled a face and laid a hand over his chest. “Oof, so cruel Mittens! And here I was just coming to ask how things went with Luz!”
Amity’s jaw dropped, and she felt herself flush red to the roots of her hair. Her gaze swung to her sister as Emira pushed the door even wider, a chagrined expression on her face. “You told him?!” Her voice was a strangled squeak.
Emira stepped forward but Edric put an arm in front of her, speaking up quickly. “Actually, I figured it out.” He raised an eyebrow at her look. “Come on Mittens, you might have hidden how you felt about Luz from those mooks at Hexside, but I’m your brother. I know you inside and out. When Em wouldn’t say a word about what was going down at the Messtival yesterday it wasn’t hard to put it together.”
“I’m sorry Amity,” said Emira quietly. She truly did look contrite, frowning and looking down. “I thought it would be better for him to know the full story rather than to figure out half and maybe ruin things.”
Amity did her best to let out a long, ragged breath. That… was actually pretty reasonable. She cleared her throat, still flushed crimson but trying to compose herself. “I… I see. Well, uh… I guess that’s okay then.” Emira still looked wretched, and she added, “You did the right thing Emira. Thank you.” The older Blight perked up, sharing a smile with her little sister.
Their brother barged into their sororal moment like a Slitherbeast. “And I totally forgive you for not telling me everything you told Emira. I’ll be honest – I probably wouldn’t have been as much help, and I guess you felt more comfortable with it being a just girls thing, or whatever.” He shrugged uncomfortably, and for a wonder did seem to be making an effort. Amity felt a surge of affection for him. “But enough of that! Now I know, and Em spilled the rest, so it’s your turn! What happened with Luz? How did things go?”
Amity, unable to help herself, looked shyly away and smiled as a flush spread across her cheeks. Her ears twitched, and Ed let out a laugh as Em gasped. The pair bustled into the room, ushering Amity over to her bed to sit her down and bracket her on either side.
“Tell us everything,” Em insisted.
“Yeah! How did the Messtival go?”
“Was Luz dressed all cutely?”
“Did you go on any rides?”
“Did you two talk about anything?”
“Did you kiss her?”
Leaning away from the intense questioning of her siblings, Amity recounted the night through a smile, simply unable to hold in her happiness. Ed let out a gross snort of laughter at the story of the Grumpus, and Em sighed dreamily as she talked about sharing Luz’s ice scream. She glossed over parts of the night – some of the things they said to each other and especially their moments in the alley could stay strictly between the pair of them. Both the older Blights seemed genuinely envious of her flight from mob justice on Lilith’s staff, and laughed aloud at the recounting of Eda and Lilith’s bickering over witches’ brew. Finally she got to the part where she and Luz had left the Clawthornes to their pilfered goods and retreated upstairs, and she cleared her throat under the curious gazes of the twins.
“And, um… the rest of the night is private.” She paused a moment. “Sorry.”
Emira let out a groan of disappointment, complaining that “it was only just getting to the good bits!”, but Edric took the rejection gracefully, merely nodding. “Fair enough, we don’t need to know every private moment.” He locked eyes with Emira for a moment, before both leaned in close, smirking. “But did you kiss?”
Amity stiffened, refusing to answer, but it was no use. The heat creeping up from her neck was as loud a “YES!” as the twins could hope for and they both leaned back, satisfied.
To their credit, neither of them laughed. “Good for you, sis,” said Emira.
“Yeah, way to go Mittens.” Edric smiled and ruffled her hair, grinning at her offended expression.
Sitting quietly between them with her hands folded in her lap, Amity managed a whispered “Thank you,” through her mortification.
After teasing her for another couple of minutes the pair clambered to their feet, making their way back to their rooms. “Let us know if there’s any way we can help out, okay?” asked Emira, and Edric nodded firmly beside her. “Luz is really nice, we want you two to be happy.”
Moving back to her desk Amity opened her mouth to thank them before a thought occurred to her and she paused mid-stride. “Actually… there is something you could do, if it’s okay?”
The twins exchanged a curious glance before Edric shrugged. “Sure, name it.”
Amity smiled. This is a great idea! “You know how you guys just got new scrolls?”
Luz sat curled up in her room, her knees drawn up to her chest and a book from school laid upon them, humming to herself as she got through some homework. Her earphones were in and the dim light of her phone’s cracked screen glowed next to her as it worked through her favourite playlist. Sure, half the lyrics were in Japanese, but that didn’t stop her enjoying them!
Her window and door were wide open, letting a nice breeze blow through the room. The afternoon sunlight lit up the far wall, sparkling off a few of the fairy lights wound around the ceiling beams. There had been a smile on Luz’s face all day, and even now as she untangled a frustrating potions problem she couldn’t stop herself from grinning. She’d gotten up on the right side of the bed this morning – well any side that had Amity near it was a good side, as far as she was concerned – and her good cheer had rolled off her all day.
This morning’s glyph session had been much smoother than normal, with the sisters keeping their bickering to friendly levels, and both of them making more progress for it. Eda had finally mastered the plant glyph, the fresh flowers in the front gardens evidence of her smirking success. Lilith had increased her speed significantly after loosening up a bit, mainly due to Luz’s guidance. She’d spent more time with the elder sister today while Eda grumbled and groaned over getting the lines of the plant glyph just right, and it felt like they had broken down a wall between them. There was still a bit of distance there, and there might always be, but for now the two had managed to reach what finally felt like friendship. To her surprise Luz had even found herself laughing along with a few of Lilith’s jokes, the elder witch’s drier, more subtle taste of humour rearing its head.
With both of her students having learned all her glyphs there was little for Luz left to teach, and the three had broken off to their own devices shortly after, each promising to think of how they could improve their glyph skills. King had quickly accosted Luz, showing off what he had been colouring in. The little demon had created a brand new entry to his book of demonology and was eager to discuss his terrifying new knowledge. The pair had quickly gone on to a discussion about demons, especially those of the human world. King had seemed completely dismissive of the idea of a boogeyman – “Honestly Luz, that guy is a hack,” – but utterly fascinated with the concept of the Tooth Fairy.
“And she… she just comes in and takes your discarded bones? For SNAILS?!” His eyes were wide with shock, staring at Luz in what almost seemed horror.
“Yup. Of course, after a while you lose all your baby human bones and she stops coming. You see, she only wants baby bones.”
“That is terrifying.”
Afterwards the two had gotten into a comedy pun throwdown, wearing capes made from curtains and declaiming pun insults at each other. The contest ended in a draw when Eda chased them out of the house with a broom, almost grazing Luz as the girl laughed at the idea of a witch with a broom. A glimpse of Lilith’s satisfied expression from a window roused the pair’s suspicions, and she later quietly admitted she’d used a minor spell to carry their voices straight into Eda’s bedroom. The fun didn’t stop there though – out in the front yard Hooty was as excitable as ever, and for once Luz found herself indulging the house demon. They had chased bugs alongside him, brought him especially crunchy looking leaves, and even put up with his non-stop chatter… somewhat.
Luz had left the two to their playtime, retreating upstairs to get a handle on the schoolwork she’d neglected. She smiled as her potions problem finally fell apart and started to make sense, writing the answer before continuing on to the next problem, when more laughter from outside caught her attention even through her music. Unable to help herself she put her things aside and dashed back out with a broad grin, scooping King up by surprise as they chased Hooty around the clearing.
The afternoon sunlight was beginning to slant through the trees when the trio finally slowed down, Luz sitting on the front porch as the shadows of the trees lengthened. King was passed out next to her, flat on his back with all four little limbs splayed and snoozing his way through his afternoon nap. Hooty was still extended, his face shoved into a pile of leaves they’d gathered for him and eager crunching sounds coming from inside. The young girl leant back against the door, a soft smile on her face as she idly rubbed King’s belly and gazed far off into the distance. Her last twenty-four hours had been just about the best in her life, and she’d been in a great mood all day. It was almost a shame to see the sun setting, but tomorrow was a school day and school meant Amity. Mentally, she hurried it up.
The wind shifted and she caught a snatch of chatter on the air, her eyes lazily panning the tree line. No beast would speak like that, and no witch or demon with ill intentions would have been dumb enough to speak so loudly. The sound carried to her again, this time clear enough to distinguish two separate speakers – a male and a female. King stirred next to her, sitting up groggily and looking straight into the woods. “Ugh, do those two have to be so loud?”
Luz sat up a bit, stretching her arms overhead. “You can tell who it is?”
King tilted his nose into the air regally, the gesture spoiled by the small paw scratching at his rear. “A royal king of demons like myself has hearing far beyond you lowly mortals. Now I’m gonna go inside and sleep more. See that I am not disturbed!” He threw a dramatic arm out at the last proclamation, before shuffling sleepily into the house. Luz turned back towards the voices, now making out a few words.
“…not lost… know where we are!” said the female voice.
“Isn’t… same thing?” replied the male.
“…you… lead the way?”
“We’ve only been here once!”
Finally pushing into the clearing surrounding the Owl House, Edric and Emira let out matching sighs of relief. Both were far too proud to ask for directions and didn’t realise how much they’d relied on their sister’s guidance the last time they came here. Conveniently for them, their reason for coming was relaxing on the front step.
“Edric, Emira!” Luz sprang to her feet, a bright smile in place. She quickly rushed over to the twins. “Well isn’t this a nice surprise! What brings you to the Owl House today?” Her eyes quickly shifted back and forth. “Is, um, Amity with you?”
The Blights shared an amused look at that, but shook their heads. Edric spoke up, “No, sorry. Mittens couldn’t make it, she had to put in some time at home. You know, schoolwork, chores, be seen by Mom and Dad, that kinda stuff.”
“Oh, makes sense!” Luz hid her disappointment well, but not quite well enough and Emira couldn’t help herself.
“Why do you ask Luz? Didn’t you get enough Mittens-time last night?”
“I- Well, I mean… She’s really, uh…” Luz sputtered, struggling to string a sentence together as both the older witches smirked at her spreading blush.
Edric took pity on her, laughing as he waved a hand. “Easy, easy! Don’t worry about it Luz, Amity told us everything.”
Luz felt a horrible swooping sensation in her stomach and suppressed a shiver running down her back. “She… told you everything?” she asked quietly.
“Edric!” hissed Emira, glaring at her brother. It never failed to annoy her how dumb he could be about some things. She turned to Luz with a much warmer expression. “Don’t worry, she didn’t actually tell us everything. She told us most of how your night went and said that some parts were between just you and her. All we know is that you two had a really nice date together.”
Immense relief washing over her, Luz let out a sigh, a smile blooming on her face. “Oh, okay! Yeah, we did!” She giggled softly, her blush not fading. “It was… it was really, really good. Amazing even.”
Edric chimed back in. “I’ll bet it was, the parts Amity told us about sounded great. I wish I’d been there for the Grumpus.”
Luz laughed at the memory, and just like that the tension was completely gone. “Next year! We can have a Grump-off and see who makes him laugh hardest!”
Edric grinned. “You’re on!”
“Anyway Luz, we came here for a reason.” Emira brought the conversation back on track. “At Amity’s request we’ve brought a present for you! Though honestly, if we’d thought of it ourselves we probably would have done it anyway.”
“A present?!” Excited but vaguely embarrassed, Luz tried to protest. “That’s crazy, you guys didn’t have to get me anything!”
“A-bup-bup!” Emira shushed the younger girl. “No complaints! This is a special order from Mittens herself, and backed by the full power of three-fifths of House Blight.” She grinned at the mock seriousness, Edric trying to look solemn beside her. “Now, close your eyes and hold out your hands!”
Instantly Luz’s eyes snapped shut and her hands shot out, her speed belying her excitement. She fidgeted on the spot, curiosity running rampant through her. After a long moment she suspected the twins drew out for their own amusement, a small, sturdy-feeling weight dropped into her palms. “Okay!” said Edric, “You can open your eyes now!”
Luz quickly turned her gaze to her hands, uncertain what she was looking at for a moment. It seemed to be… two small purple cylinders? Each was about the length of her finger, and they were connected by a small sheet of parchment, rolled tightly… around….
She gasped hugely. This was a personal scroll.
“Ed, Em, this is…? I can’t accept this, these things are worth so much!” Even a cursory glance revealed that this was definitely one of the more upmarket scrolls, packed with features.
But the Blights seemed utterly unconcerned, Emira waving a hand casually through the air. “Luz, seriously, it’s nothing. To be trendy and up to date, our parents get the newest scrolls every year. Look.” She twirled her finger, summoning a scroll fractionally different from the one resting in Luz’s hands. “We got into the habit of hanging on to an old model or two for emergencies, and we figured you not having a scroll at all counted as one! So that one is all yours.”
The twins spent a few minutes talking Luz through the use of her new scroll. It wasn’t entirely dissimilar to how her smartphone worked, but there were just enough differences to throw her off. They’d helped by setting up a few things in advance for her – after resetting it, Emira had put in their own runes and Amity’s and created a basic Penstagram account. Luz snorted in amusement at the name, ‘I_neva_Luz’. The question of how to carry it came up as neither Edric nor Emira had considered that Luz couldn’t just poof the scroll to her or away when done, but the human settled the matter by shrugging and sliding the rolled up scroll into her pocket.
“No problems there! Fits like a glove.”
Emira nodded. “Well, if that works for you then problem solved.” The sun had crept lower and lower as they spoke, and she glanced up at it briefly. “We should probably get going anyway, it’s getting a bit late.”
“Sure. I’ll see you guys soon, and thanks again for this!” Luz pulled the scroll out and waved it in the air. “I really appreciate it, this was so nice of you!”
Edric smiled back at her. “Hey, no sweat. We were happy to help out.” He paused for a moment. “We’re really happy for both of you.” Emira nodded beside him, the same warm smile on her face. “We haven’t seen Mittens happy like this for a long time, and you’ve seemed in a pretty good mood this whole time.”
“Oh!” Luz laughed and looked away, a bit embarrassed. “I, uh, guess I have been!”
“If you two need any help or want us to cover for you, just ask okay?” said Emira.
Luz, touched by the show of support, nodded firmly. “I will. Thank you both.”
“Happy to do it,” said Edric, turning and beginning to walk off. “You two are good for each other!”
Emira waved goodbye and moved off after him, the pair quickly resuming their last discussion.
“Ten snails you get us lost on the way back.”
“What, like you did on the way here?”
“You were leading the way here!”
Luz didn’t hear a word, lost in the shininess of a new gadget. Her legs moved her automatically back inside as she tapped away, checking out this, adjusting that, adding this. In moments a comatose King became the victim of her first photo, and her background was created. She fell back on to the couch, looking into anything that caught her eye and scrolling down Penstagram, following anyone interesting. Amity – or “Witchchick128” – was at the top of her list, but Emira was a close second, then Willow, Gus, Viney, the list went on! She found herself scrolling aimlessly, the oddly soothing act reminding her of staying up late and hiding under her covers back on Earth. After a while she found herself just browsing some artworks, and the sheer familiarity of it made her feel a pang of homesickness that surprised her with its strength.
Like she could sense discomfort in her little witchling, Eda wandered into the room. “Hey Luz, whatcha got there?” She raised an eyebrow. Where the heck did the girl get a scroll from, and a fancy one at that? Ohhh, please tell me she stole it!
“Eda!” Luz bounced to her feet in excitement. “Check it out, it’s a magical scroll! Amity’s brother and sister came to drop it off, they said it was one of their old ones and they didn’t need it anymore.” The Owl Lady nodded. It made sense considering the money those kids came from. “I’ve just been setting it up now! I was going to send out some messages to people to let them know I have a scroll.”
Eda smiled and reached out to tousle the girl’s hair. “Sounds like a good time kiddo. Remember not to… stay…” She trailed off, her eyes widening. Oh Titan. I just… I almost told her to not stay up late so she won’t be tired for school. What’s happening to me?! She cleared her throat and continued. “That is, remember to keep it charged! Dang things are useless when they’re out of juice.” Nice save girl.
Luz nodded. “Oh, good call. I just… huh.” She tilted the device this way and that, confusion growing. “You know, I don’t actually know how to do that.”
Grinning crookedly, Eda rolled her eyes. “They have an internal magical charge. Just zap it once in a while and it’ll be fine. Or, get Lily to do it I guess, whatever works. Heck, you’ll probably figure out a glyph for it one of these days. Speaking of…” She ambled over to the couch and dug between two of the cushions, pulling out her battered glyph notepad. “Ah, there we go. Okay, back to the nest. Have fun Luz.” She pulled the girl into a hug before she left, the once unnatural embrace feeling more and more right. Just before she turned the corner, the girl spoke up again.
“Oh! Um, Eda?”
She paused. “Yeah sweetie?” Again, the little endearment just came to her naturally.
“Is it true that witches’ ears wiggle when they’re excited?”
The Owl Lady stared at her for a long moment before snorting out a laugh. “Ahhh, I take it itty bitty Blight got a little excited on your date last night?” Her grin was smug and knowing, and Luz coloured deeply, nodding. “Well don’t you worry, it’s true. You get better at it as you get older. If Belos danced in here, gave up the throne and gave me a billion snails then yeah, my girls would probably go off.” She hiked a thumb up at her own ears. “But short of that, ya learn how to do ‘em the old fashioned way.” With a grin, she made both long, pointed ears wiggle back and forth, laughing at the look on Luz’s face. “Sorry kiddo, but that’s one secret witch technique I don’t think I can teach you!” With that she turned and went on upstairs, quietly laughing to herself.
Luz followed after her, turning the other way down the hall and throwing herself down on the blankets in her room. She pulled out her scroll and got right to work, bringing up her contacts. Her mental battle over who to message first was over before it began and she quickly brought up Amity’s rune. She hesitated for a moment – something didn’t seem right. One quick edit later and Amity’s name now had a little heart symbol next to it, complete with attached bile sac. A shy little blush on her cheeks, Luz quickly committed the lines of Amity’s personal rune to memory, before typing out her first message.
Guess who was lucky enough
to get a new scroll from their
girlfriend? 😉
She put the scroll aside with a big smile on her face, her heart pounding in excitement. It was almost strange, she’d only talked to Amity this morning – After I woke up next to her ahhhh! – but the chance to message her freely, all hours of the day and night… it was so exciting! She reached out for her schoolwork, intending to get back on track where she’d left off earlier, only for a buzz and a soft chiming sound to get her attention. She looked back at her now gently glowing scroll and scrambled for it, smile growing.
Surprise! I couldn’t have my
girlfriend not be contactable,
could I? =p
Oh my gosh she texted me back right away! Luz bounced happily in place. Was she just waiting for me to message her? Ahhhh that’s so cute!
This was so nice of you, of all
three of you. I’ll have to think
of something I can do to repay
you!
Luz seriously, do NOT worry
about it. Em had it sitting
in a drawer. She was happy to
do it!
Nope, no buts! I’m gonna do
something nice and you Blights
just have to accept it! =D
Haha, okay okay, but nothing
too crazy!
Deal! I can’t wait to stay
connected with everyone with
this, I’ve already checked out
Penstagram. Time to do some
deep diving of Witchchick128
Oh Titan Luz, do NOT
Oh I’m gonna
I am serious! Please? You
know I used to be a lot… less
nice. I don’t want to delete
them all but some of those old
posts aren’t great
Ah geez I’m sorry Amity
=/ Forget I ever mentioned
it! I’ll stick to the recent stuff
Luz hesitated over sending a little heart symbol, but hastily backspaced it.
Thank you! So um, how was
your day?
The pair texted back and forth, talking as the sun set, as they did their homework, pausing only briefly to have dinner. Luz brought her scroll to the table and made a hesitant motion to grab it when it buzzed but resisted the temptation and waited until after dinner. She smiled when she saw Eda’s approving nod. After dashing back upstairs, brushing her teeth and flinging herself to bed she picked right back up where she left off, giggling and smiling with every other message. Eventually the day caught up with her and she let out a big yawn.
Aw man, this is so much fun but
I have to go to sleep >.<
Your scroll isn’t going
anywhere, we can keep
talking tomorrow!
I guessssss. See you tomorrow
girlfriend! =3
Her fingers hesitated over the heart symbol again.
See you then you dork
She had no idea Amity’s did the same.
Coming next week, Chapter 2 - Studies
In which a book is decidedly not read.