Chapter Text
For Camila Noceda, life on the Boiling Isles wasn't too rough. In the many months since she arrived here, Camila found a decent job selling produce at the Marketplace. Not only did this put bread on the table, but it paid for night classes where she learned about healing magic. It would be another few years before she earned her degree, but with Luz, Eda, and Lilith learning more glyphs by the day, Camila used their help to improve her knowledge of magical medicine.
On the other hand, life on the Boiling Isles was incredibly strange for the Hispanic mother. As a nurse, Camila saw many awful sights, including the deaths of various patients. That was normal: people were supposed to look sick in hospitals. Here, however, Camila could sell vegetables to a flaming skeleton, and she just had to accept that. And somewhere deep in her brain, some part of her still rejected this as some sort of stress-induced coma after losing her one-and-only daughter.
It never reflected well whenever Camila shrieked at an eyeball-covered demon, or when she had a panic attack about the dozens of monsters that streamed past her every day at work. It only made her job more stressful, and some days Camila wondered what she was doing with her life.
Thankfully, whenever she had these episodes, the other members of the Owl House did their best to console Camila, to tell her that yes, this was all real, and she wasn't in the middle of a mental breakdown. During these times, they often helped ground Camila in reality by sitting her down, giving her a warm cup of tea, and distracting her with a jigsaw puzzle, her favorite soapbox drama on the Crystal Ball, or simply talking.
Today, Camila had a particularly rough episode after a harpy flew down and snatched a customer before she could give him a basket of squash, and with everyone else at work or school, it fell to Eda to soothe Camila’s nerves. Camila found herself being led by the hand to the sofa by Eda, who pressed a warm mug into her hands and promised it wasn’t spiked with hard Appleblood. Eda then spent the past hour sharing tales from her childhood.
Camila was too shell-shocked to hear most of the conversation, but at some point, Eda pulled a scrapbook out of her wild mane of hair and showed photographs of her and Lilith as children.
“I never realized you were a carrot top,” said Camila, speaking for the first time since she got home. Her voice was hoarse from shrieking earlier, but the Hispanic mother roused herself as she pointed at a photograph of Eda, who held aloft a Grudgby trophy.
While Camilia knew that Lilith was a ginger, her black hair dye almost entirely faded, exposing her orange-and-gray locks, it never occurred to her that Eda shared the same color. She looked between the Owl Lady’s gray mane and the little girl in the photograph, smiling so confidently with her trophy and bright orange hair.
Eda blinked and glanced at Camila. Her heart twinged with gratitude that the woman who had become one of her closest friends was on the upswing.
The Owl Lady gave a casual shrug, trying to hide her relief. “Well, yeah? Everyone in my family does. Or did. This was way before the curse turned my hair gray, but I pulled it off pretty well, don't you think?”
She fluffed her hair up with one hand, giving Camila a coy grin. As gray as it was, Eda’s hair certainly had volume.
Camila silently nodded her head. When she flipped the page, she found a photograph of Eda and Lilith in an arm wrestling match. Although her face was red from the effort, Lilith nearly forced Eda’s arm down while the young girl gritted her teeth desperately. It wasn’t often that Camila saw Eda so vulnerable, even in an act of play.
“It never occurred to me that your curse affected your hair.” Camila admitted. “I just thought you were, uh, getting on in the years?”
“Gee, way to flatter a girl, Cam. Do you sweet talk all the pretty ladies, or just me?” said Eda in a deadpan tone. Her vanity bruised, the Owl Lady crossed her arms and let out a sharp snort.
“Oh, no no no!” said Camila, holding her hands up defensively. “I didn’t mean any offense! Gray looks good on you too, very good. It really matches your, uh, eye?”
“... thanks, Cam.”
The two women looked at several more photographs in silence. There was a photo of Eda and Lilith’s fifth/sixth grade graduation, a photo of Eda casting her first spell and the massive firestorm that promptly ensued, and a photo of Lilith playing the clarinet. Judging by the music teacher wincing in the background, she wasn’t very good at it.
Despite her better judgment, Camila felt another question bubble to the surface, and she spoke before she could stop herself.
“Is that why Lilith's hair is going gray? I thought she looked a little young to be graying.”
Eda gave another shrug. “Yup, she's gonna end up gray just like me. That’s part of the cost of splitting the curse in two.”
She paused and shot Camila a look. “... Lilith is my older sister, by the way. If you thought she was the younger one, how old do I really look?”
“Er…”
Casting an eye across the scrapbook again, Camila noticed something: in many of the photographs, Lilith was always a class grade ahead of her sister, or engaging in older teenage activities instead of Eda, like getting her braces or attending Grom. Camila assumed that the rebellious Eda was simply held back a grade or she didn’t care for such pastimes; she never realized that it was because Lilith was the older of the two.
With the scrapbook in front of her, it was pretty obvious, and Camila felt her cheeks burn for not realizing it sooner.
“... I always assumed you were, I dunno, a decade or two older than Lilith? Late 50s, early 60s, maybe?” said Camila in a sheepish voice. She gave an apologetic grin. “Spry for your age, don't get me wrong, but I’d never peg you for the baby in the family.”
A grimace crossed the Owl Lady’s face. At this rate, her pride would have more dents than a car at those ‘monster truck rallies’ Luz told her about.
“Wow, you really took me for such an old geezer? I might not be a spring chick, but I’m flexible where it counts. I’d like to see witches half my age accomplish what I’ve done, which is a respectable forty-four years by the way.” Eda wavered a hand in the air and gave a small frown. “Eh, give or take a year. I may have lied so much about my age that I forgot the exact number…”
A snort escaped Camila, and she gave Eda a gentle shove. “This is the first time I've heard anything respectable about you, bruja .”
Camila glanced at the photos again and her mirth melted into a sigh. “You're still so young, Eda. Just a few years older than me…”
She reached out and cupped Eda's cheek, studying the wrinkles under the witch's eyes, her sallow skin, the frayed, gray hair. If Eda was in her mid-sixties, Camila would have thought her good for her age, but forty-four? And for as much as she cracked jokes about being flexible, Camila heard Eda’s joints creak in ways that no one under seventy should experience.
This curse really did a number on the poor witch.
Gently, Eda placed a hand over Camila's, which still rested on the witch’s cheek. The touch lingered and Eda drew small circles across the back of Camila’s hand. The two women looked deeply into each other’s eyes, bark brown meeting gold and gray. Not a word was uttered, but it felt as if some quiet understanding was shared.
The moment ended when Eda suddenly blinked, and shaking her head, she gave a devil-may-care grin.
“Look, the past is the past. I've learned to live with it. Don't worry so much, Cam!” The Owl Lady winked at Camila and patted her on the shoulder. “The changes are only skin deep! So long as I can live true to my crazy self, I’ll be fine!”
Camila's gaze remained locked onto the gray-haired witch. Inside her mind, something clicked, and Camila remembered seeing something in her room that could improve this whole situation. The Hispanic mother shook her head vigorously.
“No no, you've spent the whole afternoon by my side, getting me back on my feet. It’s about time I return the favor.” She gave Eda’s cheek a light tap and took the Owl Lady by the hand.
As they reached the stairs and ascended to the second floor of the Owl House, Eda shrugged herself and thought, “What the hay, what have I got to lose ?”
Later that afternoon, Luz stumbled into the Owl House, her arms and backpack overflowing with school books from all nine courses she alone took at Hexside. Today, her mom was supposed to pick her up from school, but when she didn't show up, Luz knew it must have been a bad day, so she ran home as quickly as possible, weighed down and nearly tripping over herself every few feet the entire way there from the educational burden she had to carry..
Throwing her books and backpack onto the couch, Luz took a moment to catch her breath and brushed a hand through her bangs, which had grown long enough to obscure her vision. Luz considered getting her hair cut short again, but with all the sweet compliments Amity gave about her looks, Luz felt pretty for practically the first time ever.
Maybe she could wear a hat instead? Luz could have sworn she saw a beanie in Eda’s collection of discarded human clothes she’d recently gone through because of a sudden growth spurt. Maybe she should fish that out in the future?
Those thoughts could come later though, because right now, her mom’s mental state was the more pressing matter. Not seeing Camila anywhere downstairs, Luz quickly raced up to the second floor of the Owl House, climbing two steps at a time. This was made even harder than it should have been because of her growth spurt, her longer-than-she-was-used-to legs making her nearly trip over her own feet with every bound.
Once Luz reached the second floor, she heard the sound of giggling drift from the hallway bathroom. Relief flooded throughout Luz’s body: if her mom found reason to laugh, then her episode had passed. Every time her mom had a panic attack, Luz felt a twinge of guilt; after all, if she had waited a while longer, maybe Belos would have completely fixed the portal and her mom wouldn’t be trapped in a magical world of demons and witches.
Still, Luz wanted to be extra sure her mom was okay, and seeing that the bathroom door was slightly ajar, Luz didn’t hesitate to throw it open.
“Hi, Mamá ! How are– buuuh whaaa!?”
Luz’s jaw dropped. In front of her, sitting on a crooked stool with a towel draped over her shoulders, was Eda the Owl Lady. Beside Eda was Luz’s mother, who held an eyelash curler in one hand and Eda’s chin in the other. Camila’s head turned when she heard her daughter’s voice.
“Oh, mija ! Welcome home!” said Camila, a smile still on her lips from Eda’s joke. She returned her focus on the Owl Lady, carefully curling her eyelashes. “Sorry I didn’t pick you up from school, we lost track of time.”
Once Camila finished up, the Owl Lady rose to her feet, cast aside the towel, and stretched out her body. There were a few noisy creaks, but Eda hadn’t felt this energized in months.
“Sorry for stealing your mom for the afternoon, kid,” said Eda. She gave a wink. “Well, how do I look?”
Luz continued to gape like a dying fish. While she'd like to blame her bright red face and shortness of breath on the run home with all those books, Luz knew that was only an excuse.
When she finally found her tongue, Luz said, “Y-you dyed your hair!?”
Luz felt a tad dumb for stating the obvious, but it was true: standing before her was a very red-haired Eda. While her mane wasn’t the same pumpkin orange Luz had seen in photographs, Eda’s hair was still vibrant like a tangerine. The tangles were gone as well as the split ends, giving it a cleaner look. Luz could only imagine how long it took to remove the knick knacks Eda stored in her hair to perform such a herculean task, but without a doubt, the Owl Lady looked more empowered than ever before.
That wasn’t the only thing different about Eda. With the help of the mountain of beauty care products on the counter, Eda’s face was positively aglow: a layer of foundation downplayed her wrinkles while some blush brought color back to her cheeks. Mascara and eyeliner framed Eda’s mismatched eyes, and some glossy lipstick made her face truly pop.
The rest of Eda had received attention as well: her nails, usually long and uneven, were meticulously manicured with a fresh coat of nail polish. Her skin was properly moisturized, giving the Owl Lady a more youthful complexion, and her gold fang was polished and shiny.
To top it all off, Eda wore a tight red dress that hugged her curves beautifully. It was clearly from a box of human clothing based on its size, causing the hem to end halfway down Eda’s thighs, exposing her long pale legs because of her impressive, near seven feet of height. She wore a black lace jacket over the dress, which nearly met in the middle and was secured with a red belt. The dress made the magicless black gem worn on Eda’s chest pop while the black lace made it feel a part of the outfit, both pretty and normal.
All in all, Eda the Owl Lady looked positively fantastic. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she had style and grace, poise and confidence, a true beauty of a woman. Her eyes brimmed with a wily intelligence, and her grin was the downfall of angels. And the more Luz stared at her mentor, the more her heart raced.
Luz wasn't blind. She knew Eda was foxy for her age, but there was a difference between knowing someone was attractive, and personally finding them attractive. Luz suddenly felt uncomfortably hot under the collar, and she felt the urge to cover her eyes, as if she was peering into a mysterious and forbidden part of adulthood she wasn’t ready to confront yet.
“ Dios mio .”
The moment the words slipped out of Luz’s mouth, she clamped her hands over her guilty lips. Her face flushed in mortification, and Eda’s subsequent laughter only made her blush harder.
“Ahahaha! Seems you did a great job dolling me up, Cammy, if Luz's reaction is anything to go by.”
After putting away the nail polish, Camila chuckled and playfully ruffled Luz's hair.
“Aw, you don’t need to be embarrassed, Luz! There’s nothing wrong with appreciating a woman’s beauty, so long as you remain kind and respectful.” She gave Luz a wink. “I might not be a fancy stylist, but I sure shined up this diamond in the rough, eh?”
“Hey, I heard that!” said Eda. “I appreciate the makeover, Cam, but I’m a five star knockout with or without makeup!”
After a few more rubs, Luz pushed her mom's hand away and fixed the hair that had fallen over her eyes. “I’m n-not embarrassed! I-I'm just surprised is all, it's not every day I walk in on my mom and Eda putting on makeup like a sleepover.”
Once her hair was properly set, Luz raised an eyebrow as Camila continued cleaning up after the mess. Eda leaned to one side and folded her arms as she began the explanation.
“Well, if you recall, most makeup in the Boiling Isles is made with magic ingredients.” Eda raised a finger for each item she rattled off. “Beetle’s blood, dragonwort, mandrake leaves…”
Luz nodded her head. Right before Grom Night, Luz remembered how King helped Eda apply her makeup. At the start of the night, the Owl Lady looked quite dapper with her oversized suit, pink blush, and eyeliner, if not downright handsome. By the end of Grom, however, all the makeup had mysteriously vanished.
“Well, in addition to turning me into an Owl-Beast, the curse feeds off magic. That includes any magic applied to my body.” Eda gestured to her dolled up face and colorful hair. “You know how I said I prefer my natural beauty over putting on fancy-schmancy makeup? Well… that’s only half-true.”
Eda gave a shrug.
“Doesn’t matter if it’s hair dye or plain ol’ lipstick, as long as there is magic in it the curse drains them away in a couple of hours. So I figure, why buy it? I save what little I have for special occasions and cons” The Owl Lady gave a tired chuckle and shook her head. “I even remember this one time… I got a tattoo to spite my parents. Except by the time they noticed, the magic was all gone and the ink nearly vanished.”
Eda smacked her face with a sigh of exasperation.
“What a waste of 100 Snails…”
“Eda, your makeup isn’t done drying yet!”
“Oh, right. Sorry, Cam!”
Luz let out a soft gasp. She didn’t know any of this! Why didn’t Eda tell her sooner? If Luz had known, perhaps she could have given Eda a makeover herself, though Luz was even less qualified for the job than her mother. But now wasn’t the time to scold Eda for keeping secrets from her yet again, so Luz let out a playful laugh instead.
“Wow, that's so neat! We just use needles to put the ink into our skin!”
“Hah, gross! And you say the Boiling Isles is a scary place. Earth sounds way more hardcore!”
Pumping her fist for emphasis, Eda wrapped up her little story.
“Well, turns out I had a box full of human makeup someone tossed out, which was apparently stored inside your mom’s room. The stuff isn't made with magic, so it shouldn’t fade after a handful of hours.” With a cheeky grin, Eda threw an arm around Camila's shoulder and pulled her in close. Camila let out a surprised squeak, but she didn’t complain either.
“Your mother is one hell of a lady, Luz. I'm glad I kept you two freeloaders, I haven't felt this great in months!”
Camila chuckled again, wrapped her own arm around Eda, and patted her on the back, “It's not a problem, Eda. You’ve done so much for Luz and me, I just did what I could. There is plenty of this stuff left, and I'll be happy to teach you how to use it too.”
“Yeah, this stuff seems like a pain; it doesn't even fix itself when you make a mistake. And the mascara bottle says ‘no-run.’ Does that mean it used to be runny, or did it run away from you?” Eda let out a chuckle and playfully nuzzled Camila’s neck. “Ah, whatever! Thanks a lot, Cammy, you’re the best. I won't even charge you rent this month!”
“You don't charge us rent at all, Bruja .”
“And aren’t I just the sweetest for that?”
Luz chuckled as her two favorite women in the world get along like old friends. If someone told her a year ago that her mom would get along with a real life witch, she’d...
well, she'd probably be super jazzed by the idea, as silly and unrealistic as it was!
Then something clicked. Did Eda just call her mom ‘Cammy?’ And they still had their arms around each other. Eda wasn't exactly a touchy-feely person, she only rarely hugged her and King, but she kept holding Camila close without any sign of discomfort.
Luz’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the two women. They kept chatting about makeup, magic, their plans for dinner, and a hundred other things that flew over Luz’s head. Camila and Eda were lost in their own little world, and they were happier than Luz had ever seen them before.
Wait… were her Mom... and Eda...?