Chapter Text
It was over. It was finally over. Belos was dead! And the collector had left the Boiling Isles. Everyone was so relieved that things could finally return to normal. Except, they couldn't ever go back to normal. The "normal" that people had come to know would never come back. There would be no "emperor" and no coven system. Everyone's entire way of life would change. Along with making the Boiling Isles livable again, the school system needed to be updated, guards needed a new protocol (if there would even be guards), and it would take some time to allow everyone to get used to how things would be from now on. Not to mention how the entire Isles now currently not under any leader or system.
A lot of work had to be done, but with everyone working together, we came up with a checklist. First, we needed to fix up and rebuild places for people to live. Until we could make a way to undo the sigils, everyone was still stuck to their one way of magic for now. However, thanks to those who haven't gotten a coven sigil and those in the construction coven, building houses for everyone on the isles took only a couple of months. Everyone else who couldn't help with housing went to work with the marketplace, the school, and the means of getting food. Until food could become plentiful again, witches and demons were introduced to food from the human realm thanks to the now-permanent portal. Unfortunately, the portal was positioned in place of the Owl House's front door, which meant that if anyone wanted to enter without using the portal, they would have to use the back door which was a little annoying.
Everyone was given temporary places to stay that were stable, such as the school and other public buildings that weren't at risk of collapsing or being constructed on. However, there weren't that many places available to house all of the residents of the Boiling Isles, so Camila offered up her house to Amity, Gus, Willow, and me again. I felt incredibly grateful that she would do something like that again, especially because this time she didn't have to.
But, eventually, after months, there was enough housing for EVERYONE on the Boiling Isles, plus some, to ensure that there would be as little homelessness as possible in the future. So, of course, that included me. I never really asked where I would be staying, and nobody really told me or talked about it. So, I just figured that I would be staying in one of the new small apartments that were built. Honestly, I wouldn't mind living on my own; it would be pretty similar to what I was used to anyway. The only thing that would be different would be finding a job that would pay enough to feed me. But even then, nothing could be as bad as the Emperor's Coven with him. However, when people began moving into their new places, nobody really told me what apartment I would have. I began to think that people had forgotten about me, which would be fine; I could probably just sneak into Hexside when it was finished and stay there again.
Although, a few days after everyone was moving in, Darius and Eberwolf showed up at Camila's house asking for me to follow them. I figured that they were showing me where I would be living, however, when I began to pack up my things, they told me to keep them here. Confused, I obeyed and followed behind them. Walking through the portal, I continued to follow the two of them through the freshly built town. Eventually, they arrived at an apartment complex and began walking into one of the rooms. Looking around, it was clear that someone had already moved into this one. I prepared to apologize to whoever was living there until I realized that the belongings decorated the place were clearly Darius's and Eber's. Confused, I looked back toward Darius and just looked at him as I thought of what to say. Before I could, he spoke up, "Ah, did nobody tell you? You're living with us. Sorry, I thought you knew." "Oh." I knew that people had forgotten about me, but I didn't know that they considered a place for me. At least this way, I would have time to do things that I like instead of finding a job for money.
After only a few seconds of silence, I remembered something. "Wait, so then why did you make me leave my stuff at Camila's?" Darius stopped in his place as he turned to look at me. His face only showed confusion before saying, "Wow, we really forgot to tell you everything." Darius then proceeded to sit down next to me. I felt my heart rate instantly spike; whenever anyone sat down to tell me anything, I was either in trouble or someone had died. I stiffened as I prepared for whatever he was about to announce. "So, as you know, the human is going to spend her time mainly in the human realm with her mother, but she does have a room at the Owl House for small visits. However, when she is finished with high school, she will be moving here for college." Not expecting the conversation to be about this, I slowly nod as I wait for the news to drop. Darius looks down as he mutters out, "I really thought someone else would have told you this," before he looks back up at me and continues, "So, similarly, we arranged for you to have a space here with me and one in the human realm with Camila. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the human and the Owl Lady also created a small spot for you at the Owl House as well for when you will be with Dell." Oh. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that. I was fully prepared for nobody to consider me, but instead, 3 different people opened their homes to me. Before I could ask anything, Darius continued, "Although, the human is going to stay most of the nights in the human realm with occasional nights with the Owl Lady. However, you can stay at whichever one you would like to. Camila had said that in the human realm, some families make their children switch between parents every few days and that can have a negative impact on them. So she didn't want to make you move around a bunch after you got used to things. So, the option will be there for you, but you can stay at whichever you want. None of us will be mad if you stay at one more often than the others; we just want you to be comfortable."
When Darius finally finished speaking, I opened my mouth to ask, "And, who's Dell?" Darius then slaps his face before muttering, "Oh, my Titan, guys! Was no one going to tell him anything?" He then looks back up at me and states, "Dell is Eda's father. He is- or at least, was a palisman carver. He heard about how you're interested in the craft and would like to educate you." As soon as he finished speaking, I processed what he had said. "Wait, seriously! I'm going to learn how to carve palisman!?" Darius only nodded and smiled as my body slowly began bouncing. This used to happen all the time, but Belos made sure that I broke the annoying habit. Although, sometimes it's hard to keep it restrained, and can't help but move my hands or wrists in some way. As soon as I noticed what I was doing, I stopped. Instead of moving, it seemed that the only other response that my body could give was to cry.
I tried desperately to hold in the tears because guys can't cry (something Belos told me that I'm realizing may not be true). Instead of making me respond, Darius seemed to understand as he stood up from where he was sitting. Before he walked away, he ruffled my hair, something that he's always somewhat done. Only now is when I am starting to realize that it may not be condescending like I originally thought. Darius then proceeded to show me around the apartment. It was a decent size with 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. Originally, I figured that the bedrooms would be for each of us but instead, one of them is an office while Darius and Eber are sharing a room. I know from overhearing a few coven scouts that their relationship definitely isn't romantic and they have their own beds, but they are still really close. However, I have no idea how they met or how they got to be so close.
In the room that was assigned to me, there was furniture and decorations already inside. I was confused at first but then I started to look at the items. A newly assembled bed, new clothes from the human realm with the tag still on them, old plushies of mine that I had stolen from the night market years ago. I was never allowed to buy things or even have decorations in my room back in the Emporer's Coven, but my room was never checked so if I got my hands on things, I would just hide them in places like under my pillow and on high shelves. Now that the entire castle was destroyed, I'm surprised some of my old things stayed intact. Kind of. I would definitely have to patch them up, but it was nice that they survived.
In regards to how the castle is gone, I remembered that Darius would probably not be home most of the day. Just because things like housing and schools were fixed, didn't mean that everything was. Darius and Eber were one of the few people that took charge of tasks and projects. Because of that, they had to be present almost everywhere to help out with rebuilding, and plan what buildings would go where, and to just oversee all important or new procedures. Basically, what that all means is that I would be home alone most of the time at this house, especially when I wasn't allowed to help out with rebuilding because I was "too young", even though I've definitely done worse before. There were certain projects that children were allowed to help out with for extra muscle, but there were some that were too dangerous, so I wasn't allowed to be there all the time. But I wasn't disappointed about it; honestly, I was kind of looking forward to having some alone time. Ever since the Clawthrones and the Nocedas began hanging out with me and becoming a part of my life, things have been pretty hectic and all over the place. Don't get me wrong, I really like being around them. They bring fun, freedom, growth, and smothering into my life but it's just a lot so quickly. At this moment, I think that familiarity and security are what can be the most comfortable for me. And they said that I get to choose out of my comfort, so it's okay, right?
I spent quite a bit of time putting clothes away and organizing my room in a way that I liked. When I was finished, I decided that I wanted to visit Luz at the Owl House. At the moment Luz and Amity were cleaning the spare room for Luz and King to have more space and less garbage. Meanwhile, Willow and Gus were helping Camila get rid of old things in the attic and basement now that Luz and Vee would be there permanently, so I would have to visit them next. As I leave, Darius reminds me that whenever I leave one of the places I would be staying, I need to give a text to let the others know so that they don't think that I'm missing. I wouldn't say it out loud, but I really liked that idea because that meant that others were worried about me.
At the Owl House, things were still very hectic. To be honest, I wasn't surprised. Not only was the Owl House graffitied and ransacked, but half of the building was in shambles when they first started construction. Once that was done, Eda was forced to get rid of over half the stuff she hoarded because Raine was moving in (and me and Luz some days, I guess). Once I got inside, Luz instantly came running down the hallway to greet me. "Hunter! You're here!" She threw herself at me in what she called a "hug" but I still didn't understand it. It was basically just an attack that was too weak to harm, but too strong to escape from. Pretty quickly, she let go of me a began dragging me down the hall. "C'mon! You have to see the new room!" she said as we bypassed all the other main rooms. From what I could see, not much was different but it was a lot tidier. I had a feeling that that would change pretty quickly once Eda settled down here again.
Once we made it to the spare room, it was clear that there was a big difference from before. The first being that it was no longer a junk room with just a sleeping bag in the middle. All of the junk was either moved to the basement, moved to the tower, or gotten rid of. (Apparently, plans were written down that King would move into the tower when he got bigger.) Construction was done and a closet was added to the left side of the room, right next to the door against the side wall. To the right of the door, there was a pretty big dresser that was split into two sections. There were two beds, one in the left corner with the long side running along the side wall, and the other in the right corner with the long side running along the back wall. Above the bed on the right, there was a hammock-looking space hanging against the two walls. I could only assume that it was a small bed for Stringbean, but curiosity got the best of me and I decided to ask, "What's that mess in the corner?" If it was anyone else, I would have asked in a nicer way, but this was Luz. Where was the fun if I couldn't tease her? I turn to look at her and realize that she and Amity have these big, dopey grins on their faces. "That's King's bed, but he also likes to sleep at the foot of my bed sometimes." I raise an eyebrow at them as I ask, "Then where is Stringbean staying?" Silently, Luz points to the closet. Confused, I open the closet doors and see that the top half of the closet is clearly dedicated for a palisman's space. I then point to the beds in the room and ask, "Then whose beds are those?" Luz skips over to the right bed and jumps on it, "Well, this is my bed, and that's yours."
"What do you mean that's my bed? I thought 'a space for me' was going to be, like, a blanket on a couch or something." I tried to rationalize why they would waste space on a bed for me when they already knew that I had other places to stay. Luz scoffs and replies, "Well, we know that Darius isn't going to be home a lot and we didn't want you to be too lonely. So, I talked to Matt and he was able to make an extra bed for you. Of course, you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. I know that I'm pretty annoying and King and Eda can be loud and Hooty is in a whole other category, but it will be here if you would like." I was in complete disbelief. When Darius said that there would be a space for me here, I wasn't expecting something like this. I could feel my eyes start to blur with the telltale signs of crying. I tried to quickly wipe them away before anyone saw, but of course, Luz did. She stood up and walked closer as she started rambling on saying, "Oh shoot! I didn't expect you to cry! If you don't like it we can get a different bed for you or you don't have to use it or anything. We just didn't want you to be lonely all by yourself and we thought that you could stay here so it would be faster for you to-" She cut herself off when I looked at her and she saw that I was just overjoyed. "thanks, Luz."
It took a few minutes to regain my composure and I completely forgot that Amity was still there, but I was eventually shown how I would fit into the room. The dresser was split in half for the both of us but wasn't that big knowing that we both had another house for the majority of our clothes. The usable part of the closet was also shared but had more room on Luz's side since she had more clothes. At one point Eda had walked in asking if I was told whose room this was yet. I smiled as I nodded, "Yeah, and I wanted to thank you! I hope I don't become too much of a burden when I'm here." Eda crossed her hand with half of her other arm, clearly still new to it being gone. "Kid, you could never be a burden to anyone. You're too awkward and self-conscious. That's why you're here! We gotta get you some backbone and confidence!" "Don't make me regret this already."
After a quick tour of the rest of the Owl House, I spent a few minutes asking how things would work. Would Luz and I need to knock when we came over? What chores would we be required to do each day? What time should we report to you? At some of my questions, Eda just gave me a confused look and didn't respond. When I asked "What time do we have to get up?" she just responded, "In time." which didn't give me any help at all. However, I already felt like I was asking too much to request more clarification.
At one point Willow and Gus arrived stating that Camila's house was all cleaned up for Luz and Vee to both stay and Camila invited us all over for dinner tonight. They also stated that Luz and Vee's room was ready if we wanted to go see it. Walking through the portal, I am still very much in shock at what had just happened. "Is everything alright?" I heard from my left. I turn to see Gus there with a concerned look. At the same time, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I didn't have to look to know that it was Willow, but I looked anyway because I wanted to see what she was thinking. I smiled at them and responded, "Yeah, I'm alright. Just a little overwhelmed I guess. I didn't expect anyone to want me to stay with them, let alone three!" Gus and Willow smiled at each other as Willow noted, "I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You're a good person and fun to be around! Anyone would be happy to have you with them!" I felt my face heat up as I mumbled my thanks to her.
When we arrived at Camila's house, Vee was there to greet us at the door. She goes in for a hug with Luz and nods at me as she excitedly leads everyone to their room. I was silently grateful that I didn't have to force myself to hug someone else today, and Vee probably knew that. However, it could also be because Vee was cautious around me still. A part of me was hoping to see another extra bed in the room for myself, but I knew that I was pushing it. After all, I already had two beds at the other places where I was staying. Having my spot on the basement floor would be just fine here! Just as I thought, when the door opened, there was no third bed, just the bunkbed that Luz and Vee had. Since Vee could shapeshift clothes on, there was no need for another dresser, but there was still the closet and there were tables for knickknacks and such. After the two had gushed to everyone about how cool their room looked, Camila had called us from downstairs to come help make dinner. We weren't much help, especially when we didn't know what we were doing, but Camila appreciated it. Once it was almost finished, Camila turned to me and said, "Mijo, can you grab mas platos, por favor? They should be in the basement," I stood up and responded, "Of course, Camila."
Walking down to the basement, I didn't look up at first since I was on a mission. Besides, I had begun to know where everything is down here since I had kind of thought it to be "my" space. Although, where there were supposed to be shelves, there was a mostly empty bookcase. Remembering that the basement was cleaned, I looked around to see where the storage was moved. There was a bed in the corner with Cosmic Frontier covers on it. The sewing machine was moved onto a table with more space and the couch was now in front of an old TV. I couldn't help myself anymore as I fell to my knees and sobbed. No one was around anyway.
However, I heard a muffled voice from upstairs saying, "I told you he would cry." And I didn't even care that I was embarrassing myself, because I felt wanted, for once in my life. I had three different families and a handful of friends who all loved me.