Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Human Soap Is Edible?
"I'm back," Luz stated through her tears, holding up one hand in greeting. Her mom stood in the doorway in shock, her gaze meeting her daughter's before resting on each of the other kids in turn, standing soaked and defeated in the downpour. She had a million questions but they couldn't be heard over the deafening rushing of her heart, the feeling that her veins were freezing over and then melting. Caught up in the turmoil of all her conflicting emotions, Camila swept Luz up in a hug, carefully tight, caressing her head softly. She didn't even notice when she began crying, the dampness soaking into Luz's already drenched shirt, and she didn't care- she pulled back from the hug, still holding her daughter firmly from her shoulders. It had been so long since she had felt her daughter's skin, tangible this time- real.
So much had changed. She looked so different now- a scar had formed on one of her eyebrows, her hair had grown longer, now pulled back in a small ponytail, and her clothes were unfamiliar. But the most shocking difference, and the one that hurt Camila most, was the expression on her daughter's tear-stained face. She look terrified and desperate, like a rabbit caught in a snare.
"What… happened," she glanced again at the other kids, noticing the same scrapes and frightened expressions.
"We tried to stop the day of unity but it didn't work but it didn't exactly not work either but it doesn't matter because now everything's still a mess and everyone is still in danger and I- I.. I have to help them" Luz opened her mouth to say more but had to catch her breath after the lengthy run-on sentence. Camila unsurprisingly didn't understand a word of this but she did understand shock- she was a veterinarian and animals would frequently come into the clinic in a state similar to this; shaken up so badly that they couldn't make sense of anything, couldn't even communicate their pain, until they, at the very least, felt safe.
"Here, come inside," she insisted, stepping to the side, out of the doorway to make room for them. "You must have all been through a lot by the looks of it," she added with an inviting look to the others, having picked up on their hesitancy. "Thank you," Hunter and Amity said as they dipped their heads to Camila, almost apologetic, and stepped into the house. Gus and Willow followed silently.
The house was warm and a savory scent wafted over the group. The enticing smell of food reminded the group that they hadn't exactly taken time to consider eating since early that morning. Vee had wandered over, curious about the commotion. She gasped in shock and recognition but didn't say anything, hoping to give them some room to talk. Luz looked back at her with a welcome expression of recognition and offered a weak greeting. Hunter's look of recognition, on the other hand, was one sided and unsettled Vee, who had no idea who this scrawny boy could be.
"I'm sorry we showed up so unexpectedly," Amity started the explanation with a sympathetic look at Luz, hoping it would be a look that said 'I'll handle this'. Luz nodded her encouragement.
"I'm Amity, and this is Gus, Willow, and-" she gestured to each of them in turn but was interrupted, "Caleb! Er… I'm Caleb, I mean. It's nice to meet you?" He didn't mean for that last sentence to come out as a question but it had. And it was a question, he wasn't sure Camila would be all too accepting of Hunter, The Golden Gaurd, after all the damage he'd done. His friends looked at him quizzically but went along with it. Caleb sighed in relief, content to leave that name behind him. He shuddered at the knowledge of his 'uncle's' true nature and of the likely meaning of the name he'd been given. A witch hunter.
"Basically we were trying to overthrow the corrupt government of the demon realm from the inside to prevent the emperor from killing everyone- er almost everyone-" she glanced quickly from Luz to her mother "we know and love but in the process we sort of may or may not have employed a little help from some weird child god with the power to bend reality to his will and-" it was impressive how long Amity could go without having to catch her breath but eventually she did, "and he killed the emperor but didn't really care if he killed us too or not and suddenly he started dematerializing the very large tower we were in and there was a portal and it was the only way out alive so we jumped. And uh… now we're stuck"
Amity looked down at her feet, awkwardly, hoping any of that made sense. "I guess it was a good thing though since Luz was… trying to get back anyway," she meant for the words to sound reassuring but they just came out sad, like they had only slipped out of her mouth because she couldn't even muster the strength to hold them in.
Camila's mouth gaped open in shock and she wished she could convince herself one more time that it was just her daughter's powerful imagination running wild again. But no, this was proof enough. Especially after everything that happened with Vee, this was no time to suspend disbelief. She couldn't believe it no matter how hard she tried, but she decided she could accept it later. What was important now was helping these children.
Camila was just about to rush to her first aid kit when the blond boy with tired eyes suddenly spoke up, "Please," his voice cracked with emotion at first and he cleared his throat, embarrassment and fear tightening his throat, "Please don't be mad, Luz was doing everything she could. She- she couldn't do anything more. It was my fault the mission was unsuccessful, I put everyone in danger and I- I should have done more. But I hesitated." Caleb's voice wavered as he remembered the way Belos had been defeated, swatted, squashed effortlessly like a bug. The sound and sight of the sludge, his uncle's flesh, dripping from the walls to the stone floor, replayed again and again in his mind and wouldn't leave. "And now you might be in danger too," Caleb dipped his head, reverently, memorizing his shoes and the way their laces knotted up like his stomach. Beads of sweat formed on his neck as he prepared for the verdict.
"I'm just glad you guys are alright," Camila said, worry lining her voice. "Well," she took in the sorry state of the battle-worn children again and rephrased, "mostly alright. But I intend to help that, if I can."
"You… huh?" Caleb looked up, visibly confused. This was one verdict he hadn't anticipated. "You aren't mad? Even at Luz for disobeying orders?"
"Disobeying… orders?" What is he talking about? Camila raised an eyebrow in puzzlement and looked again at Caleb with new eyes, now taking in the subtle differences between him and the other children. He had many more scars, and older ones at that. Even he, himself, looked old despite his scrawny frame. His eyebrows furrowed tightly and everything about him was tense. His eyes were serious and frightened and the dark circles under them were so prominent she could almost believe he'd never slept before in his life. "How old are you, Caleb?"
"16, ma'am." He stood straighter, more stiff, as if expecting to be appraised by someone.
"Now, now," Camila's voice was soft and sympathetic. It felt so foreign to Caleb that it actually felt wrong. Painful even. "I'm not going to lie and say this isn't hard or overwhelming for me. Or pretend that I understand what you've been through. But I think you've all been through quite enough. I won't be mad as long as you guys don't go getting hurt anymore- I don't think my heart could take it."
Caleb just looked at her in shocked silence. He felt even more tense than before, somehow finding the reassurance unsettling.
Camilla bandaged up the kids wounds, handing ice packs- well, frozen vegetable packs- to those who needed them. Caleb refused, "I'm fine, thanks." He'd had worse in basic training. He grimaced thinking to himself now if only there were some type of ice pack for my brain.. but he did in a way feel that he had that cold numbness. Nothing felt real and he just sat there, thinking about those things that weren't real and feeling nothing except that he wanted to wake up. Hell, I'd like to sleep actually. It probably wasn't a secret Caleb didn't tend to sleep well, given his appearance. Despite the generous time the emperor's coven had allotted of sleeping in until 6 a.m. each morning, he never seemed to be able to fall asleep, or stay asleep for that matter.
Camila was handing out bowls of human food- something called soap (?). It smelled good but looked suspicious. I guess soap is edible in the human realm? Caleb's stomach was still in knots, at least the parts of it he could feel. He'd stopped paying attention to his body after the fog of unreality had set in.
He was going to say he wasn't hungry but he took the bowl silently, without really noticing until it warmed his hands, which he hadn't even realized were so cold until just now. He didn't feel like lifting the food into his mouth or even chewing or tasting it. He just peered into it, a soupy reflection looking back at him. His eyes were watery.
What a shame. Out of all the grimwalkers, you looked the most like him. Remembering Belos' words made his stomach, and by extension the rest of him, lurch unexpectedly in surprise and disgust. The soap and the bowl it had been in clattered to the ground, startling the others. Hot food seeped into Caleb's clothes and seared his skin but he didn't react at all. He just sort of sat there, simultaneously panicking and composed. "I… uhm-" the realization of his mistake started to sink in and he began reaching for the bowl, which had broken into ceramic shards.
He knew an apology wouldn't suffice for a mistake this dire. He'd 1) wasted the food Camila had graciously provided, 2) spilled said food all over her carpet, and 3) broken something of hers. In his frantic attempt, the shards of glass sliced open his fingers; he regretted taking off his usual work gloves now. Great, now you're getting blood on her floor too! Feeling past redemption, Caleb looked to the others for some sign of help but it seemed he'd grossly misjudged the situation. They didn't look at him nearly as horrified as he was looking back at them.
"Oh no, Caleb!" He winced, anticipating punishment which he promised to himself to accept with dignity. But Camila simply kneeled down with a rag and a broom to help clean up the mess. "Are you okay? That soup was really hot," ah, so it's called 'soup'... "I'm not sure if I'll have any clothes for you to change into but I'll look. You just go take care of those cuts and I'll bring you whatever clothes I can find and then we can get you some more soup, ok?"
Caleb was so shocked that he didn't say or do anything. Clothes? More food? What's happening...? His fear only rose, feeling that this must mean she was only going to reprimand him later in private, something so severe that she didn't even want the others to see. Go 'take care of my cuts'? Yeah, she's definitely mad about the blood I got on her floor. He swallowed and it felt like rocks were nestled in his throat.
He was lead by Luz to the bathroom, where the first aid kit had been returned to its place. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He asked, holding up a bandage. "What, you've never seen a bandage before?" Luz's usual amusement was shadowed by the weariness in her voice and painted all over her face. "Didn't you just watch my mom bandage the rest of us up? Oh, kind to think of it, we really should bandage your other wounds too. You might be a tough guy but you can't intimidate healing."
Caleb just looked at her, raising an eyebrow, clearly annoyed. "Tch- I... I know what a bandage is! These human ones just look different is all." He pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "Also in the emperor's coven, bandages would never be used for an injury this minor. If there was a training injury, it was just like extra training to keep your wounds from getting infected. Or at least from killing you when they did." Caleb chuckled, fondly remembering the time he nearly had to amputate his own finger to prevent the infection from spreading. Classic.
Luz was giving him that look again- the one that he'd learned meant he'd said something Not Normal or concerning. She opened her mouth, as if to say something and he expected her to tell him 'that's actually really messed up' or something but to his surprise, she actually shook her head, evidently changing her mind about whatever she had wanted to say. "Were you gonna say something?" Caleb asked. But Luz just looked away, "oh, it's nothing. I'll… tell you later."
He wasn't content with that response at all but he just left it, he was too tired to argue and still had more important things weighing on his mind. Like what her mom had in mind for him.
Luz had finished helping him with the bandages, despite his protests that he didn't need them. She towered over him, secrectly amused by the bad but sad boy™️ with Hello Kitty bandaids plastered on both his hands. "You are now an official boo-boo buddy!" She proclaimed, victoriously. "I have no idea what that means." Luz's eyes narrowed playfully, "fair." And he had no idea what that was supposed to mean either but, in typical Luz Noceda fashion, he just shrugged and went with it.
Camila was walking up the stairs just as him and Luz were walking down. "Oh, I was just about to come find you. Unfortunately there's no clothes that will even kind of fit you here. I'm really sorry, I'll take you all to get some proper clothes in the morning but I hope that one night in soupy clothes will be okay?"
She really did look apologetic, which was confusing. Caleb was still expecting a punishment of some kind, but with Belos, there was never an apologetic look. The closest thing Caleb had ever seen was pity.
"Y-yeah, that's fine. I honestly didn't expect you to find me clean clothes, I mean, I can live without them." He thought back to the weeks spent huddled away at Hexside with no clean clothes. Yeah, he'd had much worse.
"I'm really sorry I spilled your food…and broke your bowl. And made a mess on your floor. I really hope the blood doesn't stain. Sorry." Caleb felt uncomfortable, like he was in a tight closet with no room to move. "I should've been more careful" He really wasn't sure what to say, especially to someone with such a peculiar demeanor. The only person he'd ever met that was similar to her was Eda and she was still a complete mystery to him. She looked at him silently for a moment, contemplating, before sitting down on the top step and motioning for Caleb to do the same.
Luz had already gone on so it was just him and Camila. "It's going to be okay."
"You're… not going to punish me?"
She looked sad, as if having to say the words hurt her, "No. No, I won't." She was suddenly very serious. "Caleb. I don't know what exactly happened to you back home but it wasn't normal. Things are going to be different from now on though: you shouldn't know what it's like to go without clean clothes and warm food and a safe place to sleep." She looked at her hands almost wistfully, as if remembering something. "And no one will punish you for being hurt anymore."
"What are you talking about? I didn't mind those things, they made me stronger. That's why I chose to stay in the emperor's coven-" Caleb gasped as he realized he had made a grave mistake, "I- uh… I mean.." stop stuttering! You sound like an idiot. If she wasnt mad before, she certainly is now.
"It's alright, I already knew."
"You knew? Why didn't you say anything?"
"Well, not exactly. I mean, I'm not even sure what a coven is," she chuckled good-naturedly. "But I could tell you haven't ever had it easy and you're not going easy on yourself about it either." There was a pause.
"You must be mad at me."
"I'm not. Anger is weird like that, you don't always feel it when you think you should. Sometimes you feel it much later or not at all."
What is she even talking about?
"Sometimes you feel it directed towards the wrong people. Sometimes you even feel it towards yourself." She looked at him as if prompting him to speak.
"...what?" He thought his voice sounded pathetic and annoying as he said it.
"Are you mad at yourself?"
"..."
"Because I don't think you should be. I honestly think you deserve a break from all that anger." Camila sensed he was feeling defensive still and decided this could be the end of the conversation. "Here, let's go get you that soup."
He followed her lead to the kitchen, his heart beat refusing to quiet, even as he sat awkwardly eating alone. The others had all finished eating already and they were in the next room over, something the humans endearingly called the 'living room'. This was mildly disconcerting, implying the possibility of a dying room as well but Caleb tried not to think about that. Human things. Nonetheless, they were discussing sleeping arrangements. Finally, sleep. Caleb felt as if his limbs were made of lead and the comfort of warm food in his stomach only made them feel heavier. He still hoped he'd lay down and discover this was just a dream and nothing more but he was doubtful.
"Mama, is it okay if me and Amity share my bed? Vee already insisted she'd sleep in the living room so I could have my room back." She glanced appreciatively at the shy basilisk. "Oh also do we still have the air mattress? I was thinking Gus and Willow could use that if they wanted."
"Of course, I'm sure you and your friends could really use each other's company right now."
There was an apprehensive look exchanged between Luz and Amity as Camila said the word 'friends' and they blushed, both realizing at the same exact moment that they were holding hands this whole time. Evidently, they hadn't broken the news that they were more than friends just yet.
"Oo, this will be just like the moonlight conjuring!" Willow piped up, excitedly. "Except Amity gets to join us this time!" She smiled and grabbed Amity's hand as if to emphasize that hand holding was a normal friend thing to do.
"I seem to recall a certain amount of unintentionally mobile homes on that night," Amity teased.
"Haha, yeah, I could do with a little less Hooty and a little more actually sleeping this time," Gus adds, fondly remembering, "I'm exhausted."
Perfectly on cue, Luz widened her mouth in a yawn at the same time he said that. They were all in agreance. It was time for some rest finally.
"Oh wait, Caleb, what about you?" Vee asks, smoothing out a blanket on her makeshift couch bed.
"Oh, I was just gonna sleep on the floor."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's no problem. This floor is probably more comfortable than my old bed back at the emp- erm, back at home anyways." Caleb saved the sentence at the last moment, thinking to himself how it was a good thing he'd never been interrogated. Well, not by an enemy at least.
He remembered the basilisk expirements... he had helped Belos carry them out. The thought of Vee discovering he had been the face under the mysterious golden guard mask all that time made him feel unbearably nauseous and dizzy.
Camila brought them both a plethora of blankets and pillows and kind words. Yet as Caleb sank down onto the blankets strewn on the hard floor, he was anything but comfortable. He felt his body melting away and his thoughts racing as he simply laid there, too tired to move but unable to sleep.