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One of the first things Hunter’s adrenaline-riddled mind noticed when the portal door closed was how cold and wet everything was. Yes, as expected, the rain in the human realm isn’t boiling. What Hunter didn’t anticipate was just how freezing it would be.
Now that he’s had a chance to get a good look, the trees passing by and the grass he and his friends were walking on—when did they start walking?— were, indeed, green. Just as Belos told him they would be.
Both the chill in his body and the unfamiliar scenery all felt so… Fake? Far away? It’s hard to really care or think about anything right now. The paralyzing agony that once emanated from his right side was now a dull and consistent throb.
He absent-mindedly wonders if his friends are experiencing the same floaty feeling right now, or maybe it’s just a Hunter thing… It wouldn’t be the first time Hunter found himself deviating from the norm.
The one thing currently tethering Hunter to the land of the living is Gus. Through the cotton in his ears, he can hear distant sobs coming from the youngest witch. He doesn’t recall getting up from the ground or protectively tucking Gus underneath his arm, but evidently, he must have done those things at some point. Good. He would’ve done just that if he wasn’t currently walking five paces behind his body.
Speaking of his body, it seems to be moving without any manual input, which is convenient! Because Hunter isn’t sure that he can handle manually operating his body right now. After that experience with the draining spell, he was feeling rather, well, hah, drained. Go figure.
Anyway, apparently they’re walking now.
Where to? Hunter can only assume Luz’s house. He can half-remember her saying it wasn’t far from here sometime after the portal closed. His mind is still catching up on the events that just transpired. How are we gonna get back? What is The Collector doing to the Isles right now? Darius, Eberwolf, Raine, The Owl Lady— Are there even any survivors?! Is Belos—
No. Belos is dead, he reminds himself. Yeah. Okay.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, Hunter is standing in front of the open door to Luz’s house.
He can feel all of his senses hit him at once. Only now does he appreciate how truly cold he is, and as he’s beholding the sight of a mother embracing her child, the thought suddenly occurs to him… Luz’s mother… Right… How could he have forgotten?!
Statistically speaking, there’s no way that everything Hunter ever knew was a lie. Uncle—Belos—was being truthful when he told him about the green foliage and cold rain. It’s true. He saw it. Belos wasn’t lying about that.
Yes, Belos was an evil man. A man who never loved him and who didn't even care if he lived or died. In fact, he had created Hunter with the very intention of killing him, as proven by the throbbing sigil on Hunter's wrist. And, every atrocity he told his followers to commit was all in preparation for the genocide of witches and demons alike, and—
Okay, most things were lies, but see? Because of the coven, Hunter has been taught so many indispensable life skills. He knows how to properly show respect to one’s superiors, the best tips and tricks to stay quiet while taking a punishment, the correct times and places to grovel, et cetera. Hunter has these teachings ingrained in his very soul—do grimwalkers have souls?— for circumstances like these.
Hunter didn’t seriously think they all would be able to just, what, have free lodging here, did he? Just how dense is he?! Things may be different here than in the demon realm, but surely humans have the concept of earning your keep and repaying debt. Hunter and the others will be but guests in the Noceda family’s home. They must do everything in their power to remain in Mrs. Noceda’s good favor.
Hunter knows very well that how he was raised was… different from the others. So they might not fully understand what is required of them in this situation. That’s okay. Hunter isn’t a child; he knows how these things work. Shelter, possibly food, in exchange for making oneself useful. Hunter is way more prepared for situations of this kind than his friends.
That is… If they’re even allowed to stay at all. Mrs. Noceda has absolutely zero obligation to accommodate their company. Which is totally fine, obviously! Hunter also just so happens to be extensively trained in wilderness survival. Take that, human realm!
The only one he can think of that might be similarly prepared for what’s to come is Amity Blight. Hunter saw how Blight’s parents treated her; he knows that the Blight family has (had?) a high social status in the Boiling Isles, so Amity most likely has had some parallels in her upbringing to what Hunter had in the Emperor’s Coven. So, she can probably keep her own footing. Okay. That’s one less person to worry about.
But, if he remembers correctly, Gus’s father seemed rather… lax with his disciplinary measures. The same goes for The Captain’s dads. Hunter never once saw either of them be physically punished by their parents. Although, it could be that it simply happened away from prying eyes. But Hunter didn’t see any bruises or the like, so it seems as if these parents just… don’t discipline their children? Or at least not in the way he’s used to.
That’s not to say that his friends’ parents are unfit or bad, not at all! There’s no way someone who’s a bad parent could produce such truly good people like The Captain and Gus, and the two always spoke highly of their guardians. It just… it just means that Hunter must now step up to shield them from any potential… castigation. Because for some reason, the thought of either of them having to experience such types of discipline makes Hunter’s galderstone heart drop all the way to his feet.
And Luz… Luz and Mrs. Noceda appear to have a loving connection if the current scene that is taking place in front of him is anything to go off of. Both Luz and Mrs. Noceda are crying, which is something Hunter seldom sees adults do, so this must be a very emotional experience for them. Hunter knows he has issues reading people’s emotions, but even an eyeless trash slug could probably gauge the poignancy of this moment. It seems they both missed each other dearly, which is a good sign. Mrs. Noceda will probably go easy on Luz, at least for the first few days, seeing as her daughter just arrived home after a brush with death, so he probably doesn’t have to worry about Luz right now.
Alright. Okay. This is manageable. This, he can do. He was quite literally made for this.
It appears that while Hunter was forming his tactical approach, Luz’s mother had already started to usher the small group into the house.
“Come, come. Let’s get you all inside before one of you catches a cold!” Mrs. Noceda said, draping a protective arm over Luz.
And as Hunter carefully steps into the house’s threshold, he realizes that he significantly underestimated how much of a far cry this humble home would be compared to what he’s used to.
Hunter had foolishly assumed things in the Noceda household would be the same as in the castle. Of course, they wouldn’t be, stupid. Of course, a small suburban home would greatly differ from the literal Emperor’s place of residence and the primary base of operations for the Emperor’s Coven.
The differences came in all forms. Firstly, the actual building itself. Some areas of the house have carpets on the floor, and there are no long empty expanses of maze-like hallways. The ceilings here can’t have been more than eight feet tall, and the building is small enough that you could probably hear someone yell from the other side of the house. And then there’s the atmosphere. The warm lighting and smell of home-cooked food were in stark contrast to the dark and cold expanse that was the throne room. This house has been… Lived-in. Loved.
Hunter has just enough presence of mind to feel a small glow in his heart, knowing that Luz had the opportunity to grow up in a place like this. That’s good. She deserves every bit of comfort this world can provide her.
Luz’s mother looks very frazzled, running her fingers through her hair. “Vee, mija! Can you please grab the first aid kit? And some towels?” she ordered. It was then Hunter noticed the adolescent basilisk watching quietly from the sidelines. What in the Titan’s name is a basilisk doing here? That’s a whole can of worms that we will NOT be opening right now; thank you very much. Mrs. Noceda seems okay with their presence, and It’s not like he’d dare question her anyway.
The young basilisk, Vee, nods her head and quickly slithers out of sight.
“Is anybody injured? Open wounds, fractures? Oh, Dios mío, I don’t even know all your names yet!” Mrs. Noceda exclaimed.
Currently, Hunter has two options. He could either try to stay as quiet and unobtrusive as possible (always a pretty good choice, in his opinion), or he could offer his assistance in treating the group’s injuries. This could be a chance to show his value as an asset to Mrs. Noceda’s household should she permit him to stay. If she finds him useful, she’ll have a reason to keep him! Or, at the very least, avoid breaking too many bones.
But on the other hand, Hunter doesn’t want to come across as presumptuous or to give the impression that he thinks she doesn’t know how to do the job properly. Stepping on your superiors’ toes by speaking out of turn is essentially a fast track to a good ol’ fashioned beating. And without healing magic to quickly get his body back in working order, he may be out of commission for too long to redeem himself, and then he would get kicked out, and then Gus and The Captain and Luz and Amity would be left to fend for themselves, and he’d never ever be able to forgive himself if anything happened to them and he wasn’t there to prevent it—
Great, now he’s gone and worked himself into a tizzy over nothing. Way to go, Hunter! Always so mature and competent. Please note the sarcasm.
He ultimately decides that it’s better to try to remain under the radar and silently keep watch from the sidelines. Being the center of attention means there’s the opportunity for criticism. Hunter isn’t sure he can manage to steady his trembling hands enough to adequately suture a wound shut right now, anyway.
Amity holds out her hand and respectfully ducks her head, “Mrs. Noceda, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Luz’s… Uh–”
“Friend! Haha, yup!” Luz nervously interrupts, “This is my friend, Amity, and uh… This is Willow–” Luz gestures toward The Captain’s general direction (who waves her hand with a small ‘hi’), “That’s Gus, and the tall one there is Hunter,” Luz says as she points to where the two of them are standing, by the door. So much for not being the center of attention.
Hunter cordially bows at the appropriate depth and utters a humble “Ma’am.” Pro tip: fewer words means fewer opportunities to fuck up.
“As for physical injuries, umm, I think Amity banged up her knee pretty bad back there…” Luz trails off, glancing at Amity for approval.
Mrs. Noceda’s gaze shifts across the group, concern etched on her face, “I see... It’s nice to finally meet all of you,” she begins cautiously, “Everyone take a seat. We’ll get you all patched up, get some food in your bellies, and then you can tell me everything,” she says warmly, as she puts a hand on Luz’s shoulder, “For as long as you kids are here, I promise to keep you safe.”
Hunter doesn’t have to be reminded that this sentiment doesn’t apply to him.