Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Luz placed the last box on the ground in her new room. The house she, her mother Camila, and her older sister Vee found themselves in was a little smaller than their old house, but had a cozy atmosphere that made her comfortable, at least to an extent. Without her father around anymore, it was tough for her family to afford their old home, but Gravesfield was promising for its cheaper housing and active community. This didn't stop Luz’s nerves, though, and she needed to do something about it, or she’d be stuck isolated again.

“Hey, mama!” Luz hurried downstairs as she put her sweatshirt on, “do you need any more help unpacking for today? I wanted to take my bike around town and see if I can find any cool places.”

Camila wiped the sweat from her brow as she took a seat on the couch she and Vee had just finished moving, “we should be good for today, mija. Are your things unpacked?”

“Yep!” they weren’t, but Luz needed to take her mind off the past.

“Go nuts, just please make sure to wear your helmet! Some of those drivers today were crazy,” Camila let out a sigh.”

“Can you see if there are any cute bookstores around?” Vee’s voice came from behind Luz, somewhat muffled from the fast food in her mouth as she sat at the counter in their new kitchen.

“Sure thing!” Luz turned. She stepped over to the counter and motioned her hand out for a french fry. Vee nodded and Luz ate two, then spoke also with food in her mouth, “I’m not sure if it’ll be anywhere near as nice as Terrace’s, but I’m sure they have something you’ll love.”

Vee gave Luz a big grin as Luz walked to the door and grabbed her orange beanie. The late March wind battered against Luz’s face and the afternoon sun was blinding, causing her eyes to tear up. Early Spring in the Northeast is never kind, but Luz wanted to be as optimistic as she could. She snapped on her helmet and put in her headphones. Her choice of music for this time of year was always the album Shed by Title Fight. She’d become very familiar with it, among many other angsty punk albums, over the last year thanks to her sister, and it fit the chilly, sharp weather to her. The opening riff to the title track of the album hit, and she was on her way.

Gravesfield is cute, Luz thought to herself as she sipped on the boba she acquired during the excursion, but I’m two hours into exploring this town and all I’ve found is trendy stores and coffee shops. I liked the historical society, and I found a good bookstore for Vee, but I don’t know how long I can keep going seeing the same stuff. Her phone buzzed. I also don’t know if I can handle a fourth “checking in” text from mom. The anxiety was high in the Noceda household, evidence of their unending care for each other.

Luz sipped the last of her boba and went out of her way to the trash can across the street. There, however, was where a sign caught her eye: “The Owl House: Cards & Games.” Had she not crossed the street, she would not have found this oasis in a desert of banal suburban sprawl. Luz’s eyes lit up and she felt herself gasp in excitement. She didn't care if someone saw her giggle and grin on her way to this new game store, what mattered was there could be somewhere she could indulge in her favorite hobby, Magic: the Gathering. Magic stood out among all of her hobbies, even if she wasn’t hyperfixating on it. Luz was always keeping up with new cards, decks, metagames, and was confident in her skills as a competitive player, so this could be a second home to her.

After locking her bike outside, Luz hurried into the store and was met with a wall lined with tons of sealed product behind the counter. Packs and boxes ranging from Alara block all the way to the recent Aetherdrift set caught her eye immediately among the rest of the store’s inventory. She could hear others in the store talking, it seemed to be a steady business day for a Saturday afternoon as they looked through binders of singles, took part in a Commander pod, or painted Warhammer minis, this was heaven.

“Pretty impressive, huh?” a woman slid down from behind the counter into Luz’s field of view and startled the teenager. She had fluffy, orange-red hair with some streaks of white, pale skin, and a sly smile. The woman chuckled, “you’re adorable, kiddo. You new here?”

“Y-...yeah,” Luz stammered, “new to Gravesfield too, actually. I was hoping to find a new LGS and I’m already in awe.”

“Well you’re in the right place! Welcome to the Owl House, kid! What’s your name?”

“Luz! Luz Noceda. I’m an aspiring competitive Magic player!” She reached her hand out for a handshake.

“Aspiring comp Magic player, huh?” the store owner shook her hand, “we’ve got plenty of those here, but you’ve got a spark of childlike wonder to it that I love! The name’s Edalyn Clawthorne, but you can just call me Eda.”

“Do you guys often have tournaments here?”

“Oh yeah! Check our calendar, we’ve got an event going on here almost every day. Not just for Magic, too.” Eda motioned behind her to a calendar to the right of the wall of sealed products.

Luz was in awe, this store did everything! Monday night Standard, Tuesday night Commander, Wednesday night Pauper, Thursday night Pre-Modern, and FNM Modern during the week. Even on the weekends the store held Dungeons & Dragons open play on Saturdays and Warhammer open play on Sundays. Her old game store had a calm, cozy vibe, but the abundance of events and people made Luz excited.

“This is the perfect store if you wanna be competitive,” Eda broke Luz’s trance, “not only are our Standard and Modern nights chock full of tournament grinders, but I myself have some professional experience as well.” The owner motioned to the wall once more, this time right above the sealed products behind her, revealing a picture of herself with 7 other individuals posed together smiling with the label “GP Providence, 2015, 4th place.”

“YOU TOP 8’ED A GRAND PRIX????” Luz shouted in excitement before covering her mouth with her hands, this was unreal.

Eda cackled, this kid was something else, “I did, I did! I opened up the shop shortly after. I wanted this place to become a hub for competitive players all throughout the northeast, and it looks like we’ve got another soon-to-be star,” she winked.

Luz blushed, “oh jeez, I’d love to but I’ve still got a long way to go.”

“Then what’s that Top 8 pin doing there on your backpack? Seems like you’re barrelling toward success already.”

Luz looked down at the pin on the arm of her backpack. It was the Top 8 pin depicting the Magic character Niv-Mizzet that was given during the most recent RCQ season, from an RCQ she won, too. “Oh, this?! Hahaa that’s…nothing.”

“Well, did you get the invite?”

“...yes.” Internally, Luz was ecstatic to be competing in a Regional Championship, especially one close to home in Hartford. She still had about 2 months to prepare, but her nerves were unending ever since. “It was a suuuuper small RCQ, though! Only, like, 12 people.”

“You got first place, Luz! That is not something to sneeze at. What deck did you play?”

“Mono-Red Aggro, bought my copies of Screaming Nemesis well before they spiked in price too!”

“An aggro girlie after my own heart, love it. I played Abzan Aggro at Providence. Oh, Siege Rhino, how I miss ye,” Eda’s melodrama made Luz giggle, “hey, King!”

“Weh?” A young boy stuck his head up from behind the counter, he seemed to be going through a bulk box of cards. His hair was dark black with a dyed streak of white that looked to match Eda’s.

“Can you help our new friend, Luz, here with whatever she needs? I have to make a phone call with our distributor real quick.”

“Sure, ma! Just finished collecting this order, too.” Eda ruffled his hair as she walked toward the back of the store. This King confused Luz, however, he looked like he could be in middle school, so why was he working? “How can I help, ya, miss?”

“Uh…how old are you?”

“14.” Silence. “Yes, yes I know I don’t look it but I am!! I’m in high school!!” Luz giggled again, he had the energy of a small puppy.

“I believe you, I believe you! Do you go to Gravesfield high? I’m starting there on Monday.”

“Nah, my mom and I live in the next town over. Nice to have more people my age here, though! There’s a few people our age that come by on Commander nights usually. Other than that I’m usually the youngest here. Well, there’s one high schooler that comes to FNM, though. I can’t remember her name. She’s always so stuck-up and bosses me around when she needs cards.”

“Sounds like a teenager alright. Don’t worry, I won’t boss you around! Can I see your binder of red cards, please?”

“Sure!” King reached under the counter, “you’re already a step ahead of her. She usually just walks up and goes ‘blue binder’ without saying please!” The sound of a Discord notification played from a computer nearby the register. “Oh! Another card order! I have to take care of this. When Eda gets back she can send you the link for our server, you can send in orders for singles any time you want and we pull them when the store is open. Just…don’t send orders with tons of cards in them…please.”

“No worries!” Luz laughed, “I’ll spare you guys.” Luz opened the binder and began browsing through, looking for matching card arts for her Modern Ruby Storm deck. She couldn’t believe she struck gold and was so excited to tell her family about this. Things were looking up.

The rest of Luz’s weekend was spent helping her mom unpack and decorate the new house. Vee had a job interview at the local library that afternoon, so the process took longer than expected, leaving her without time to stop by the Owl House again before she was too tired to go out. She wasn’t even sure what she would do there, honestly, she just wanted to talk to Eda more and learn what it’s like to play Magic at such a high level, but it would’ve been a good distraction from her anxiety about her first day at Gravesfield High.

Monday rolled around. Vee dropped Luz off as Camila was already working at the new veterinary hospital she’d been transferred to.

“You feeling alright, Luz?” Vee’s car idled as Luz stared at the front of the school, watching all of her new peers walk in. They were all clumped up in different friend groups, there was no way Luz could find a way to fit in.

“I’m just…nervous. I already barely had friends before, and I have a bad feeling it’s not gonna be different this time.”

Vee put a hand on her little sister’s shoulder. “I have faith in you. You’ve gotta see it like a blank slate. Plus, these things take time. It’s not gonna be a failure if you don’t find anyone today. Set your goals to at least talking to people. You always set unrealistic expectations on yourself that you would never put on anyone else, so give yourself the break you deserve!”

Luz smiled, Vee always knew what to say. “Thanks, sis,” she hugged Vee before getting out of the car. The overcast and light drizzle would’ve been a bad omen to Luz had her sister not given her the encouragement she needed, but now she thought of it as refreshing and washing away the hurt the past year put her through.

Luz was halfway through the school day and, unfortunately, hadn’t reached her goal yet. The nerves had frozen her up more than ever before, all she could do was try to follow along in her classes as best as she could. Her teachers were nice so far, though her math teacher was a little apathetic toward her new status. Principal Bump also made an effort to guide her around the school between classes, the students seemed to really like him.

“Unfortunately, this is the last time today I’ll be accompanying you between classes,” Principal Bump broke the news, “but, if you ever need any advice, feel free to stop by my office. I always want to make every student here as comfortable as possible!” The timbre of his voice was sharp but friendly. It was nice to have a school administrator on the older side be so kind to his students.

“Thanks, Mr. Bump. I really appreciate it. I like it here so far, I just gotta get over my nerves,” Luz smiled.

“No worries, Miss Noceda. I went through a similar situation when I was your age. The best thing to do is to take it one day at a time,” his watch buzzed, “ope, gotta go. Enjoy your lunch!”

Luz gave a small wave before turning back to the doors of the cafeteria. OK, Luz. You are a Noceda. You’ve come this far, you can’t let anything intimidate you. She gave a deep breath, stepped through the open double doors, and was greeted with a cafeteria full of students, already seated with their friends after half a school year. There was no way she could just sit anywhere without someone being confused. Once again, the nerves were hitting, and Luz couldn’t help but-

Oh my god, are those two kids playing Magic over there? All of Luz’s fear was out the window. Two students, a girl and a boy, were at a table playing a game of Magic across from each other. The decks were tall, so it looked to be a commander match. Luz was extremely thankful she brought one of her commander decks with her, she knew it would come in handy.

Luz powerwalked over to the table without any care for who saw her excitement. She slammed her hands down on the table in front of them. “Hi! I’m Luz Noceda! Can I join your commander pod?”

“Oh! Sure!” The girl responded excitedly. She had round glasses, pale skin, and dark hair in two braids that went down in front of her shoulders, “my name is Willow Park!” She pulled the chair next to her out for Luz to sit, to which she obliged.

“And I’m Augustus Porter! But you can just call me Gus,” Gus had short hair shaved on the sides, darker skin, and a demeanor just as excited as Willow to have a third person in their pod. “You’re new here, right? I think we have second period English together.”

“We do? That’s great!” Luz pulled out her playmat and deck box, “I’ll have to be sure to sit next to you, then!” Luz’s playmat was custom made, stitched-edge Good Witch Azura playmat featuring art of titular character and her love interest Hecate fighting some epic monster. Luz’s deck was Karador, Ghost Chieftan, a White-Black-Green, graveyard deck based around the card Birthing Pod. This deck was her baby and had been sleeved up in new, white Dragon Shield sleeves she picked up from her stop at The Owl House. “What deck are you guys playing?”

Gus picked up his commander to show it off, “I’m playing Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer, I looooove artifact decks! And tokens. And broken cards,” Gus and Willow laughed.

“And I’m playing Omnath, Locus of Rage. This one’s my favorite, I’ve had so many different landfall decks I don’t know what number this is,” Willow showed off her foil Omnath to Luz, who awed at the printing.

“Ooooo I love it!! This is my baby, Karador, Ghost Chieftan. I was gonna give a forewarning that this is a Birthing Pod combo deck, but it’s a lotta moving pieces, so it takes a bit to set up. Plus, I think we’re all doing different kinds of broken things. Say, do you two ever go to The Owl House for commander nights?”

“Oh yeah!” Willow responded, “We usually go every week right after school, that’s when the crowd rolls in so we like to get into a pod as soon as we can. Would you wanna join us tomorrow?”

“Absolutely!!” Luz beamed. Her two new friends scooped up their cards to start their new match. The adrenaline of achieving her goal for the day and a promising future in Gravesfield exhilarated Luz as she enjoyed her lunch. Willow and Gus were extremely skilled players too with a lot of knowledge of the game. Their decks were a great mix of optimized and jank that gave them an exciting twist compared to the cookie cutter commander decks Luz saw at her old game store.

Halfway through the match, as Willow and Gus were locked in an intense game interaction between each other, Luz took a moment to look around the cafeteria at the other students. Most of the students were minding their business, but she noticed a group of girls looking her way and giggling to themselves. “Hey,” she interrupted her pod, “who are those girls over that way?”

The two snapped out of the game to look over and their faces immediately turned to disgust. “Oh, that’s Boscha and her gang of gossips,” Willow responded. Her tone had been so kind and warm that it was surprising to hear her turn cold about someone. “She’s always making fun of us nerds, she’s really just jealous that I’m a better softball player than her, though. Best not to pay them any attention.”

Luz nodded, and noticed another girl in that group with very pale skin, black nail polish, and green hair who sat among them, but didn’t seem to indulge in the bullying. Instead, she sat in silence with a neutral expression, focused on studying a textbook. “And who’s that one right there? From how they’re seated she looks like the leader almost.”

“Amity Blight,” Gus moved a card to his graveyard, “she’s the top of our class. You’re right, to an extent. All those girls boast about being her friend, but Boscha is always the one antagonizing people. That whole posse is aggravating, to say the least.”

“Sheesh, what gives? You’d think with how popular nerd stuff is nowadays that bullies like that wouldn’t exist. It’s almost cliche.”

“That’s what makes it even more aggravating! Like, if you’re gonna make fun of me, at least do it where I can make fun of you for having bad takes about Star Wars or something! I like making fun of bad opinions!” Luz and Willow laughed at Gus’ statement.

Things are gonna be alright, Luz thought to herself.

Later in the week, Luz made her way to The Owl House for Modern FNM. She went to Tuesday Commander with Willow and Gus and had an amazing time. The vibes were great, and she even got to play a game with Eda in their pod! Many laughs were had, but now she was ready to get competitive.

Luz’s deck for the night was the same one she’d been playing most for the last few months, Ruby Storm. This was a Red combo deck based around playing as many cards as possible until you can play a final, game-ending card using the Storm mechanic, which copies a card an amount of times equal to the number of spells cast that turn. Usually, the win condition would be Grapeshot, which is a card with Storm that deals 1 damage to any target so she can burn down her opponent’s life total to zero. There was also Empty the Warrens in her deck’s sideboard, which can create tons of Goblin tokens to overtake the battlefield. She almost won an RCQ at her old game store with this deck back during Modern season in the fall, so she considered herself pretty good at the deck.

When she stepped inside, the Owl House was PACKED. Eda mentioned this was the store’s most popular weekly event, but she didn’t expect this many people.

“Woah, Eda, how come there’s so many people today? This could go to six rounds!”

“Well, did you hear there was the ban announcement this past Monday? They finally banned Underworld Breach, so everyone is excited to play in a new meta without a busted deck around.”

“Ohmigosh, I was so caught up with moving and school that I completely forgot to check the bans for Modern! Was anything unbanned? PLEASE tell me they unbanned Ponder!”

“They didn’t” Luz let out a groan at the bad news, “me too, kid. But what matters now is you don’t have to deal with turn 2 wins!”

“Wellllll, about that,” Luz smirked and showed Eda her deck box. The store owner peaked inside and saw the card Ruby Medallion peeking out. This card was critical in lowering the mana cost of her spells so she could cast even more during her winning turns.

Eda laughed as she handed Luz the deck back, “well, consistent turn 2 wins at least.” Luz handed her the ten dollar entry fee and began to enter the Companion code for the event. “By the way, some of the guys here run a livestream of our FNMs and post the videos onto YouTube during the week after. I’ll have to let them know you’re serious business so they can show off your skills.”

“Oh, jeez,” Luz shyly grabbed her sweatshirt, “I don’t know, I’m brand new here and they don’t know what I’m playing and-”

“ATTENTION MAGIC PLAYERS!” A loud, excited voice hollered out from Harry, another one of Eda’s employees. Eda and the regulars always referred to him as “Hooty,” though, as his voice sounded like a shrill, hooting owl when he made mid-event announcements. “THE FIRST ROUND HAS NOW BEGUN!”

Luz opened her phone to see her first opponent and waved to Eda as she walked toward the tables. She stopped her tracks in shock, though, as her phone said something she did not expect at all.

Table 1: Luz Noceda vs. Amity Blight.

Amity Blight?? Luz thought to herself, the popular mean girl??

“Hey, are you Luz?” A man at a computer at the back table asked Luz.

“Uh…yeah.”

“Eda told me you’re new and that you’re qualified for Hartford. We like to have the people listed as table 1 so we can show off the best players on stream, come on over!”

“S-...sure!” She stumbled nervously to the table, bumping at least two people with her backpack. When she got to the stream table, Amity was too busy looking at her deck, checking her sideboard and tokens, she was serious about this. This valedictorian is a tournament grinder? “Hi! I’m, uh-... Luz.”

Amity looked up and was about to say hello until her eyes widened in shock. “You?!”

Chapter Text

“You?!” the venom in Amity’s voice showed Luz that she was NOT happy about this.

“Heh…heh…nice to properly meet you?” Luz was very used to just up and leaving in awkward situations, but there was no running this time.

“Alright, ladies. Here are your mics,” the man at the computer handed both of them a small microphone with a clip. Amity was wearing an unbuttoned, dark green flannel with a t-shirt underneath and clipped the mic to the flannel. Luz had trouble finding a good spot on her striped sweatshirt until settling on a spot just below the hood. The stream table had a custom-made playmat that spanned both sides, a camera that hung over to give a full view of the battlefield, a stack of tokens (some of which seemed to be custom made), and a plethora of dice to track whatever the players needed to.

“Is this good…uh…what’s your name?” Luz asked the streamrunner.

“Oh I’m Steve! Sorry I never gave you my name, and that’s perfect. Just make sure to speak clearly.”

Luz nodded. She looked back to her opponent and saw Amity’s shock had faded, shifting her focus to the match at hand. She shuffled with ease too. Her black, matte Dragon Shield sleeves were in perfect condition. “So, uh, Amity! I think we have history class together? Seventh period, right?”

“Mhm,” she presented her deck for cuts and wrote down their life totals on her notepad.

Luz cut Amity’s deck, she felt like she was screwing this up royally. “I think it’s pretty cool you play Magic! Maybe you can join my friends and I for our commander games at lunch?” She gave a nervous grin.

“Odd or even?” Amity grabbed two of the dice next to the playmat.

Shoot, she’s completely ignoring me. “Uh…odds.” Amity rolled the dice and it totaled out to 7. “Looks like I’ll be on the play!”

Amity gave another grunt at Luz. The most popular girl in school reached for her deck, drew a perfect seven cards, and gave her opening hand a swift flick flick flick flick flick flick flick as she observed them.

I’m so screwed, aren’t I? Luz’s internal monologue was going at a hundred miles an hour as she drew her first seven, going nowhere near as fast and precise as her opponent. Since Luz was going first, she got to decide if she would keep this opening hand or mulligan for a new hand of only six cards. However, Luz got a perfect hand. Pyretic Ritual, Arid Mesa, Reckless Impulse, Basic Mountain, Ral, Monsoon Mage, Desperate Ritual, Reckless Impulse. Oh my god I can go off on turn 2!

“Hey, Luz,” Steve spoke up, “can you slide a card in your hand to me so I can put what deck you’re playing on the stream?” Luz flashed the Ral, Monsoon Mage toward him and he gave a thumbs up. “And Amity, what are you on?” Amity showed him her hand easily as she sat on the same side as him, and he gave a thumbs up as well.

“I’ll keep this,” Luz declared.

“Same,” Amity then placed a card down on the battlefield, “I’ll reveal this Devourer of Destiny in my hand as a pre-game action.”

“Sounds good!” Holy crap, Eldrazi is an amazing matchup for me.

Amity’s deck, Eldrazi Ramp, was a much slower deck than Luz’s and had very little options for counterplay for early Storm wins. Her game plan was focused on getting more cards in play that produce mana, whether it be lands, Talisman artifacts, or Eldrazi Spawn tokens, so she can play massive creatures such as Devourer, World Breaker, or Emrakul, the Promised End. It wasn’t impossible for Amity, but Luz had an insane advantage due to the nature of her deck.

“I’ll play Arid Mesa and pass the turn,” Luz started them off.

Amity’s Devourer ability resolved, allowing her to look at the top four cards of her deck at the beginning of her first upkeep, leaving up to one of them on top, and exiling the rest. “I’ll leave one on top, exiling Malevolent Rumble, Karn, the Great Creator, and Eldrazi Temple.” Her hand must’ve been great if she was exiling some of the best cards in her deck. “I’ll play an Ugin’s Labyrinth as land for turn, imprint trigger?” Luz let the trigger resolve. “I’ll imprint the Devourer, then play Talisman of Impulse. Pass to you,” Amity could have up to four mana on her second turn, Luz needed to commit to her turn 2 win.

“I’ll crack my Mesa to get an Elegant Parlor at your end step,” Luz was thankful that she was splashing White cards in this build of Storm. Amity likely would think she was playing the Boros Energy deck, which is a much better matchup for Eldrazi. Luz found a Ruby Medallion off of the surveil land and kept it on the top of her deck, which would reduce the cost of every Red spell she played by one mana.

When Luz started off her turn playing the Mountain into Pyretic Ritual, she saw the realization wash over Amity’s face as to what she was playing. Amity hesitated a moment, flicking her cards once again and looking them over before reluctantly allowing the Ritual to resolve. Luz’s attempt to Storm off went swimmingly. Her Ral stuck around and her Impulses kept exiling more cards from her deck that she could play until eventually she cast enough spells to win Ral’s coin flip ability and transform him into Ral, Leyline Prodigy, a planeswalker that can give her even more cards to play for free. Once Luz resolved Ral’s ultimate ability, exiling numerous spells as well as Grapeshot and Past in Flames from the top of her deck, Amity swiftly conceded, declaring she would go first in game 2.

Alright, Luz, she began to hype herself up as she added in her sideboard cards, don’t get too cocky. The chances of that happening again are slim. Just take it one turn at a time. The girls drew their opening hands and once again, Luz could potentially win super early. Wait, no, this time on turn ONE. Gemstone Caverns, Ruby Medallion, Desperate Ritual, Desperate Ritual, Manamorphose, Reckless Impulse, Sacred Foundry. “I’ll keep this as well!”

Amity didn’t have a pre-game Devourer this time, but Luz had her Gemstone Caverns. This land allowed her to put it into play at the start of the game if she was not going first in exchange for exiling another card from her hand so that it could produce one mana of any color. Luz was basically on the play now, and Amity’s frustration became visible. All Amity could do was play an Eldrazi Temple as her land for turn before Luz Stormed off again on her first turn, almost exactly the same as game one.

When Luz revealed the game-winning Grapeshot, Amity simply extended her hand for a handshake with an exhausted “you got it.” She sighed as they scooped up their cards and swiftly packed her things to leave the table and wander around the shop. Most if not all of the other matches were still going. There was still a whole half hour left in the round.

“Man, you really got her there!” Steve took back Luz’s mic.

“Thanks,” Luz laughed, “it was more the deck’s doing really.” She looked over to Amity, who was further down the shop watching another match, arms folded. “I hope I didn’t make her upset.”

Steve chuckled at Luz’s concern, “oh, teenagers. You’ll be just fine! She’s probably just salty ‘cuz she hadn’t lost any matches since she came back from Charlotte.”

“She competed at the RC??” RC Charlotte was about three weeks ago, meaning Amity was 15-0 at the last few FNMs.

“Oh yeah, she almost made the cutoff to qualify for the Pro Tour, too. I think she got 40th?”

Welp, she definitely hates my guts now.

Luz finished the night with a 4-1 record. She won two more favorable matchups against another Eldrazi deck and Boros Energy, lost a close match against Dimir Murktide, and won the last round against Domain Zoo. Murktide decks had always been tough since they can easily disrupt her Storm turns, but against decks with less interaction, she felt more comfortable taking risks. Luz spent most of her downtime between matches watching the other games and getting to know more of the competitive crowd, though she hadn’t tried talking to Amity since she demolished her in the first round. She overheard Amity talking with someone else, and thought maybe she could talk to her if she’s eventually alone.

“Jeskai Ascendancy is nowhere near as bad as Underworld Breach, Vince,” Amity had a chuckle in her voice as she discussed with another player, “sure it could be strong but it’s a whole extra mana AND it costs three different colors to play.”

“I don’t know,” this must’ve been the Vince she was talking to, “unbanning Mox Opal was a mistake, it’s such an enabler for broken decks.”

“This isn’t 2020 anymore. I’m fine with it being strong but it’s not gonna be bannable for a while.”

“Ugh, I just wanna be able to play some Nethergoyf midrange pile, that’s peak Magic.”

“You’re such an oldhead,” Amity and Vince laughed. Vince was dragged away from the conversation by someone else and Amity wandered over to the counter to look at the expensive cards in the topshelf toward the entrance.

Luz turned to Eda who sat at the computer closer to the tables, “hey, Eda, is Amity always pretty cold or is it just a matter of warming up to her?”

“Eh, she’s not exactly the most approachable,” Eda shrugged, “I did watch back the livestream after hearing you beat her, though. I doubt she’d wanna hold a conversation with you.”

“I don’t know why, but I’m sorta determined to befriend her. It’s not every day a popular girl like her is secretly a tournament grinder, there’s gotta be more to her!”

“You do you, kid. Can’t guarantee you’ll succeed.”

Nocedas were nothing if not stubborn, and this moment was no exception. “Hey Amity! How did you do tonight?” Luz strutted down to her classmate.

Amity’s expression hardened when she heard Luz’s voice, “4-1.”

“Me too!” A brief silence, “so uh…do you usually play Eldrazi?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Talking to me.”

“Oh, uh…’cuz we’re classmates. And I honestly wouldn’t have expected you to do this in a million years,” Luz let out an uncomfortable laugh.

“No one does, you’re not the first to say that.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“I don’t need your pity, are you trying to be my friend or something?”

How are you supposed to respond to something like that? “I mean…kinda? We’re the only high schoolers here I think, I’d feel weird really befriending anyone else. They’re all, like, in their 30s.”

“Just ‘cuz we’re both 15 doesn’t automatically make us friends, Luz. I’m keeping my mind focused on Magic when I’m here, you only got that match cuz nobody ever plays Storm at this shop so I wasn’t prepared, plus you got perfect opening hands both games. If you wanna be serious and focus on winning more, you can’t just be wandering around making friends, got it?”

Luz was shocked, there had to be something more to this. “Listen, I don’t know what the problem here is, but I guess I’m sorry I beat you? Storm is gambling sometimes, you’re right about that, but that doesn’t reflect me as a player.”

“Oh yeah? I bet you’re using that top 8 pin to cope with making top 8 then immediately losing 2-0 in quarterfinals.”

“I actually won this RCQ, thank you very much,” Luz straightened out her posture to a proud stance.

“Let’s not act like winning a Standard RCQ is some crowning achievement,” Amity retorted, “that format is so slow it feels like using training wheels. I won one on my first try with an undefeated record the whole day.”

“We’ll still be competing in the same room when Hartford rolls around, though, won’t we?”

“Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“MAGIC PLAYERS!” announced Hooty, “THE FINAL STANDINGS ARE UP! TOP 8 PLEASE COME TO ME TO COLLECT YOUR PRIZE!”

3rd: Luz Noceda.
4th: Amity Blight.

Luz gave Amity a smug smirk when she looked up at her after seeing the results. Amity swiftly hid her surprise with a “hmph!” and collected her store credit from Hooty.

“Don’t be shocked when I drag you through the mud next time we face each other, Luz,” Amity bumped into Luz, “and don’t you dare tell anyone at school that I do this.” All Luz could do was stare where Amity left.

What’s her deal? She felt so sad saying all she said, and yet I still wanna crush her. Ugh, this is so much harder than I thought it would be, Luz thought to herself. I wish I could just help her more than anything.

“Sheesh! What a jerk, am I right?” King popped out from under the counter, startling Luz and causing her to lose her balance.

“KING! Were you there the whole time?”

“Yup! I was collecting another order and had to listen in! This drama is spicy.”

Eda stepped forward and picked up King by the shirt collar, causing him to give out a small ‘weh!’ “King, listen, I LOVE drama. But that’s very rude.”

“Sorry ma, I got excited.”

“Don’t apologize to me, hon,” she nodded toward Luz.

“Sorry, Luz,” King gave a dejected look.

“I forgive you,” she gave King a soft smile then looked back to Eda, “Eda, I swear something’s up with Amity that’s made her all cold. I really feel like I can befriend her somehow.”

“Your stubbornness is admirable, but you’re probably getting ahead of yourself.”

“She told me not to tell anyone at school, that’s gotta mean something! She’s hiding things for a reason.”

Eda rubbed her chin and pondered for a moment. “Come closer kid,” Luz leaned in to listen, “I’ll give you a small bit of info. I haven’t gotten confirmation, but I’m pretty sure her dad is Alador Blight. We went to high school together and even learned how to play Magic around the same time. He was a big-time competitor like myself.” Eda pointed back to her top 8 picture on the wall, “brown hair, stubble, and purple shirt. That’s him.” Amity looked just like him, and while her hair was dyed green, there were visible brown roots. “Obviously don’t go poking at her saying ‘hey what’s your family history with Magic?’ Just keep that in mind instead so you don’t go too far, understand?”

“I see, thanks for letting me know.”

Luz spent her Saturday at home catching up on homework and organizing her cards. She had plans for Sunday to see Willow’s softball game with Gus, so today was her well-deserved break from a hectic week.

“Mija! Can you come down here for a moment?” Camila’s voice echoed up the stairs.

Luz hurried down, she didn’t like to keep her mom waiting. “Yes, mama?”

“So how was your first week of school? I haven’t gotten to talk with you about it yet.” Camila and Vee were all over the place the past week as well adapting to their new work schedules at the vet office and library respectively.

“It’s been great! I made two new friends that I’m gonna see again tomorrow, and The Owl House has been a perfect stop to play Magic! The owner and workers are super nice, I think you and Eda would get along well, she’s like the shop mom,” Luz laughed.

“That’s great! I’m happy to see you’re still playing you and your dad’s game. How’s your schoolwork coming along?” Camila loved seeing her daughter thrive, but still had to be a mother.

“It’s been fine, I’ve been given some grace by my teachers since I’m new, but I’m catching up!”

“Be sure to stay on top of that, OK? Like I said, I’m happy to see you enjoying your hobbies, but school’s important. Vee’s already looking into ending her gap year early in the summer at the community college, so don’t get too behind or spend the weekends slacking off.”

“Don’t worry, ma!”

“I’m your madre, Luz, it’s my job to worry,” that was basically Camila’s catchphrase to Luz. “It might be worth looking into extracurriculars at school, or maybe a weekend job.”

The thought of being in a club was agonizing to Luz. The last time she did that, she was relentlessly bullied by the cheerleading team at tryouts for talking about anime. However, a new idea popped in her head. “Oh! Maybe I can see if Eda needs a weekend employee at the Owl House!”

Camila hesitated, she was unsure if her daughter turning a hobby into a job was the best idea, but realized it might’ve been the only option. “You can try that, is your resume updated?”

“Oh, right, can you help me out with that?”

“Sure, mija,” Camila smiled.

An hour and one new resume later, Luz hopped onto her bike once again headed to The Owl House. She was determined to get there as they opened so she wouldn’t pester Eda with too many customers around. The weather was getting warmer as it turned to April, and Luz’s headphones played more songs from her punk playlist to get her in the spring mood. When she turned the street corner, Eda had just unlocked the front door, prompting Luz to yell out to her from about fifty feet away, “EDA! DO YOU HAVE A MINUTE?”

Eda flinched and almost dropped her cup of coffee at the teen’s excitement. When she turned around, she was visibly surprised, “Luz? I know you love playing Magic but what’re you doing here so early?”

“Oh I’m only stopping by to ask you something!” Luz was panting a bit from speeding up on her bike to catch up to Eda.

“Well, spit it out kid.”

“I was wondering,” Luz caught her breath, “if you guys needed another employee? I only ever see King and Hooty with you and the store seems really popular. I have my resume here too for you!” She pulled the folded up resume out of her sweatshirt pocket and handed it to Eda.

The store owner skimmed through the resume and looked back at Luz, who had a ridiculous but adorable grin on her face. “Well, you seem pretty responsible if you were working with kids at a summer camp, plus you have an almost freakish knowledge of Magic cards from our conversations…”

“Oh yeah, I sometimes play Judge’s Tower by myself if I’m bored!” Judge’s Tower was a style of playing Magic in which the players announce and abide by every tiny ruling in the game. No shortcuts, no unspoken game actions, everything had to be exact.

Eda looked at Luz in shock for a second before coming back down to earth, “y’know what, how about you help me out with some card orders today, and depending on how you do I’ll hire ya!”

“YES! I mean…uh…” Luz tried to collect herself, “of course ma’am!”

Eda went over how the store organized their bulk cards and which cards would be in binders, how they priced out their singles, and how the card ordering system on the shop’s discord server worked. Luz picked all of it up instantly. Over the course of two hours, Luz had finished double the amount of orders any of the current employees could in that time. Eda knew she was already going to hire this girl, but this solidified it even more. She almost reminded Eda of herself.

The next day, Luz met up with Gus at the bleachers of the softball field. It was another gorgeous April afternoon and perfect for a game. She had a pop in her step and yet another massive grin on her face when she saw her friend. “Luz! You’re looking awfully excited today,” Gus waved to her, “d’you just win the lottery?”

“I actually got hired at The Owl House yesterday! I really impressed Eda, she basically had me try out by collecting card orders for them and she said I was even faster than her! I start next weekend.”

“Hey, that’s great!” Gus chuckled, Luz’s enthusiasm was always pumped up to 11. “Oh, look! There’s Willow!” Gus pointed toward the field as the Gravesfield High softball team made their way to their positions for the first inning, Willow played first base.

“Wow, she honestly looks badass in a uniform.”

“Oh yeah, she’s an amazing player, too. She told me her coach wants to promote her to team captain, but can’t yet since only juniors and seniors can be captains. Next year she’ll have a slick ‘C’ on her jersey.”

Luz whistled in amazement, “get it, girl!” She screamed out to Willow. The first basemen turned to Luz and Gus and gave them a smile. “Say, Gus, we talk so much Magic I never got to ask you, what else do you do?”

“I’m part of the drama club! We finished our spring musical a few weeks before you moved here, but I’m gonna be auditioning for the student production coming up soon. You remember Amity Blight?”

Oh boy do I remember her, “yeah, why?”

“Her brother, Edric, is directing this year’s production. He’s pretty chill compared to Amity, and so his twin, Emira. Em’s actually the one pitching right now,” Gus motioned toward the mound and Luz saw a senior girl with long, green hair and a face similar to Amity’s.

Oh wow, she’s pretty. Wait, is her green hair natural? “Nice to know the whole family isn’t jerks. So what’s the show Edric’s putting on?”

“This is a fun one, it’s a gender-swapped version of Romeo & Juliet where Juliet is a man. A few other roles are gender-swapped too, like Mercutio is a woman from what I remember.”

“I adore gender-swaps!” Luz and Gus talked as they watched the rest of the game about fanfiction tropes, the school’s theatre productions, and the softball team, not without intermittently cheering as loud as they could for Willow. The Gravesfield Wolves won the game 3-0, Willow had two hits and made an amazing diving catch to end the game.

After the game, Luz and Gus waited by their bikes for Willow. “Thanks for coming, guys!” Willow approached with her bat bag, chugging her water after a great performance on the field.

“Of course!” Luz responded, “you were amazing out there! I can’t believe I’m friends with a total jock.” The three of them laughed at Luz’s quip.

“I’m not that much of a jock. Say, do you wanna come over to my place? We usually hang out Sunday nights, so you’re always welcome to join us if you’re available.”

“Agh, I have to help my mom and sister finish unpacking. We’ve all been so busy throughout the week that there’s still stuff sitting around in boxes. I should be free next week, though!”

“All good, bud!” It was really nice to have friends as sweet as these two, hearing Willow call her ‘bud’ made Luz light up, “we’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“For sure!” Willow and Gus made their way to the former’s house, which was just down the road. Luz readied herself to head out, her playlist started playing “All You Are Is History” by State Champs, but she could’ve sworn she heard a voice call out to her underneath the driving guitars.

“Hey, Noceda!” Luz took out her left earbud and turned to see Edric and Emira Blight calling to her out of a car window. “Come over here for a sec!” Edric waved his hand to her, he was sitting in the passenger seat and his twin was behind the wheel. “Our little sister told us about the ‘incident’ the other night.”

“Incident?!” What the hell could that ever mean?

“Yeah, she told us about how much you kicked her ass,” Emira responded and the twins began laughing, “keep doing it, she needs her ego to deflate somehow.”

“Oh…heh,” talking to upperclassmen always made Luz nervous, so the added layer of Amity Blight’s family was kinda terrifying, though they seemed much nicer. “So…you guys know about her playing Magic?”

“Oh yeah,” Edric’s smirk felt piercing, “we like to push her around, but we keep that secret at least. It means a lot to her, but we feel like she needs some better friends her age.”

“Is that so? I kinda was hoping to befriend her, but we didn’t get to the best start.”

“Plus the fact that you’re friends with Willow Park might throw a wrench in things,” Emira lowered the volume on her car’s radio, “unless they can make up somehow.”

“What did Willow do?”

“They used to be the best of friends as kids,” Edric explained, “but our mom isn’t exactly the most open to change, so she basically forced Amity to stop being friends with Willow.”

“Really?! Jeez, I’m so sorry your mom treats you guys that way.”

“We manage as best as we can, what matters more is that you might be onto something good for Mittens.”

“Mittens?” Luz giggled, “is that your nickname for Amity?”

“Yeah, it always makes her so mad, it’s hilarious.”

“We’ve gotta head out,” Emira leaned over, “but I’m sure this won’t be the last time we talk. See you around, cutie!” The twins drove off, their music blasting from the car.

Luz felt herself blush at Emira’s comment. More importantly, though, she was even more driven to befriend Amity. Maybe she could help fix Willow’s friendship with her? She didn’t want to push too much, but maybe this was the push her friends (and soon-to-be friends) needed.

Chapter Text

“Hello? Earth to Luz?” Willow waved her hand in front of Luz’s face. Luz had been zoning out the whole class. She enjoyed history, but had a hard time focusing today.

“AH! Sorry! I’m here! Long week, y’know?”

“Luz, it’s Monday,” Gus raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, guess I’m just exhausted.” Life was moving fast, her family had to unpack the rest of their things yesterday so her body was sore from moving so many boxes. Plus, Luz’s mind was stuck on Amity. Her cold demeanor, the venom in her voice, her unprompted anger, it perplexed Luz. She hadn’t thought much of their encounter the whole weekend, but now that she saw her around school, it all came flooding back. Luz wanted to tell her friends about the situation, but she couldn’t just out Amity like that, that would make her just as bad. Besides, she had to focus on helping with their group project for class. Like Camila said, she can’t lose track of her schooling.

“Oh guys! They revealed a few more cards for the new Tarkir set today!” Willow pulled out her phone out of sight from the teacher. Maybe Luz could afford to get a little bit distracted. “Everyone’s talking about this artifact, Cori-Steel Cutter, they say it’s like an even stronger Monastery Mentor.”

Cori-Steel Cutter {1R}
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped Creature gets +1/+1 and has trample and haste.
Flurry - Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, create a 1/1 white Monk creature token with prowess. You may attach this Equipment to it. (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this token gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Equip - {1R}

“Woah! I love this!” Gus pulled Willow’s phone closer to get a better look at the card.

Luz was quiet, she usually would have a similar reaction to card reveals, but hearing the details of this card struck a chord. She had fond memories of playing Temur Prowess in Modern about a year prior, just before Modern Horizons 3 came out. It was the deck she played the first time she ever went undefeated at FNM, and her dad was there to witness it. Maybe she could bring that back with this card.

“Why’s she staring off into nothing?” Luz snapped out of it as she heard Boscha whispering to her friend Skara, giggling at Luz. The bully and her group were toward the front of the class, but that didn’t stop them from poking fun at Luz and her friends in the back. Amity was among them, too. She wasn’t laughing, instead she was giving Luz a look that could pierce through bone.

The bell rang, much to Luz’s relief. She felt like Amity’s death stare could last for an entire class period. As the gang grabbed their things, Luz felt Willow’s hand on her shoulder.

“Why was Amity Blight staring at you like that?” Luz had never seen Willow this serious, “if she’s been giving you trouble behind our backs I can take care of it for you.”

“Woah! Woah, I appreciate it, but I promise there’s nothing going on,” Luz lifted Willow’s hand off her shoulder. Whatever happened to Willow and Amity must’ve been really bad. “She’s probably just eyeing me up ‘cuz I’m new and all that. I’ve dealt with worse, trust me.”

“Well, if she ever does cause any problems, we’ve got your back,” Gus winked, “mostly Willow, though. These noodle arms can’t do much.” Luz and Willow laughed. As they turned out into the hall, though, they were once again met with Boscha, Skara, and Amity.

“Luz!” Boscha heckled, “I’m surprised you made it out of the classroom, I was convinced you’d be stuck there like a statue, drooling all over yourself!”

“Hey! Back off, Boscha!” Willow stepped in front of Luz, “I already have to deal with your cocky attitude on the field, I’d rather not deal with it off the field as well.”

“Oh, please. Everyone on the team knows you’re only getting captain next year cuz you’re a suck-up to coach. You can drop the act when you’re not in front of her.”

Amity grabbed Boscha’s arm, “let’s not waste our time with these three, Boscha. We’ve gotta get to class.” Amity’s influence was undeniable as Boscha and Skara followed suit. The two exchanged nasty looks with Willow and Gus, but Amity simply turned away, which somehow hurt more for Luz. This coldness, this bitterness, surely it could melt away, right?

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POV: Eda

The Wednesday night crowd at The Owl House was always a hoot, pun intended. About 14 people came on a weekly basis to play Pauper, a 60-card format where all decks are built using only cards of common rarity. Eda was thankful for the group’s dedication as it helped stifle the midweek business lul. Plus, they were a consistent source of comedy.

“MORE MANA BABY LET’S GOOOO,” two players were laughing their asses off as one of them was playing a deck based around the newly unbanned High Tide. The deck’s goal was to produce as much Blue mana as possible until the deck’s pilot could cast and replicate Stream of Thought enough times to mill out their opponent’s deck, leaving them without any cards left. Eda smiled at the excitement, she felt nostalgic for her early days playing Magic and feeling so excited with every new deck she came across.

“HELLO LULU! How are YOU doing today?” Hooty’s voice startled Eda out of her daydreaming to the point where she didn’t even realize who was there. When she turned, she saw a face she hadn’t seen in months: her younger sister, Lilith.

“Hi, Hooty, please just call me Lilith,” Lilith was always good at keeping a smile in front of people that bothered her.

“Aunt Lilith!” King ran over from behind the counter to give her a hug.

“Aw, Gwendolyn! So good to see you!”

“Uh, it’s King, now. Remember?”

“Oh! Shoot, so sorry, King. How’s your first year of high school been?”

“Y’know, Lily,” Eda seemed pissed, “you wouldn’t have to ask these pointless questions nor would you forget your nephew’s name if you were around more often.”

King and Hooty fell silent at Eda’s remark. Lilith took a deep breath, “we can take our conversation outside, if you’d like.”

“Yeah, sure.” As Eda followed her sister, she felt King tug on her shirt sleeve.

“I’m sure she’ll have good news this time around, ma. Just…please be nice to her.”

“I’ll try, hon. I’ll try.” Lilith was waiting for Eda just outside the front door of the shop, looking out at the sunset that crested over the park by the river down the street. She was dressed in her usual button-down shirt and nice pants. A true professional, Eda hated it. “What do you want this time?”

“I’d really appreciate keeping the hostility when we’re away from your customers.”

“Oh, so the moment that you’re under duress is when you start caring about what our customers think. Got it.”

Lilith sighed, “Eda, I left the shop five years ago. They’re your customers. Not ours.”

“I have left the door open for you to come back ever since. Honestly, it still is. I know your place is here. Not some…shady commercial real estate business.”

“Belos Properties is not shady, Edalyn. I live comfortably, it’s good money. It’s also why I wanted to come to you today. I really think you should take up a job at the company at least part-time. It’ll help keep your shop afloat.”

“They are shady. I’d have more respect for you if you at least applied yourself better. You got a whole master’s degree in history! Why couldn’t you follow something you’re passionate about!” Eda sighed, “Besides, I can’t divest my time from this place. We put our blood, sweat, and tears into this! I’d be betraying everything I stand for.”

“You do understand that barely anyone runs a game store full-time, right? You’re not one of those big shot stores in New York City or New Jersey-”

“-but we ARE the top store in Connecticut.”

“By what metric?”

“Everyone in the state knows about us. The Pauper guys in there want to host an open tournament here this summer, it’ll be great for the store!”

“Listen, I’m very happy for you, I think you should do it, but that’s not gonna keep the lights on as long as you think.”

“That greedy capitalist Wittebane has gotten to your head, hasn’t he?”

“Can you stop acting like my boss is the spawn of the devil?”

“Not until you realize that he stole you away from me!” There was silence. Lilith had promised Eda all those years ago that she’d still run The Owl House with her after she took up the job at Belos, but once she became Philip Wittebane’s assistant, she had no time for the store. Eda was alone, and this was the first time Eda expressed her frustration like this.

“Stole me away from you?” Lilith’s face turned sad, “Edalyn, I love you dearly, but you can’t let your anger manifest this way. You’ve been a good role model for King ever since you took him in, he might be listening or watching. You also need to do it for yourself more than anything.”

“I just…” Eda felt herself begin to tear up. This was bad, much worse than any other confrontation they’ve had. Eda usually could keep her composure, but after so long it seemed like she reached her breaking point. “I just miss you, sis.”

“I miss you too. I know texting isn’t the same, but it’s the best I can do with my busy schedule most of the time. Maybe we can call sometimes, too?”

Lilith made that empty promise last time as well. “Sure,” Eda responded. She knew Lilith meant well and genuinely wanted to keep to her promise, but it looked more and more doubtful with each conversation. “I hope your faith in the store hasn’t completely wilted away. I hired a new kid to help out, she reminds me a lot of us in our heyday.” Eda smiled through the anger at the thought of Luz.

“I’m glad to hear you have a great new face around,” Lilith smiled through her regret. It pained Eda that every smile of Lilith’s was genuine. She wished her sister was faking it so she wouldn’t have to be reminded of what could’ve been. A text tone played from Lilith’s smart watch, “shoot, I have to take a call in a minute.”

“I’ll bring King out so you can say bye to him, I feel like I’ll be a blubbering mess if I see you hug him again.”

“Aw, Eda,” Lilith leaned in for a hug and Eda accepted it fully. Lilith’s hugs were always warm. “Please don’t forget, my offer to join me is always on the table. I’d love for this store to stay open, but sacrifices need to be made.”

The thought of it disgusted Eda. “I’ll get King,” she couldn’t bear to approach the subject again. Eda leaned into the doorway. “Hey, hon. Aunt Lilith has to go if you wanna give her another hug.”

King hopped down from the stool at the counter to see his aunt. “Everything alright, ma?”

Not really. “Yeah, we’re fine.”

King gave a soft smile. He knew his mom was lying. Eda watched him walk out, give his aunt a hug around the waist, and briefly tell her about how freshman year of high school was treating him.

“HEY EDA! Let’s play Flip It or Rip It with a collector booster! I’m sure that’ll cheer you up!” Hooty called out to Eda. She laughed at his ridiculous suggestion, breaking her out of her melancholy for a brief moment.

“Sure, Hooty, but we’ve gotta do it with a Double Masters pack. Gotta risk it all for a Mox Opal!”

Eda could never abandon these shenanigans.

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POV: Luz

The week went by fast as Luz anxiously waited for FNM, hoping to prove her skills once again and try to make some progress with Amity. That is, if Amity was going to be there. Luz’s anxiety kept flaring up the past week, and the most frequent thought was that Amity was going to stop showing up the store because of her. Thankfully, as she stepped through the door she could see Amity toward the back tables talking with other players. The girls made eye contact, and while Luz gave a friendly wave, Amity’s smile dropped to a stone-cold bitch face.

Remember Luz, baby steps, she thought to herself, these things take time. “Hey Eda! I’m excited to start working tomorrow”

“I’m excited for you, kid!” Eda collected Luz’s entry money, “on your usual Storm buffoonery tonight?”

“You bet! Though, I am gathering my Prowess cards back together. That Cori-Steel Cutter card has a lot of people talking online and I would kill to play that deck again!”

“Now that’s my style of Magic. Maybe I’ll pick Modern back up if you’re right about that,” Eda only ever played aggressive decks. Even when she joined Luz and her friends for some games of Commander, she never held back with going as fast as she could. “We’ll be having prerelease for Tarkir this time next week if you wanna participate. The store might be a little cramped, but it’ll be a helluva time.”

“OOOOO YES YES! I haven’t played in a prerelease in forever!”

“Invite those friends of yours too! I’ll have plenty of boxes available so we can get a full house.”

Oh crap, they’d wanna join too, but would totally find out about Amity’s secret. I’m not sure if she’d play in the prerelease, but there’s no way she wouldn’t be here for Modern at least. “I’ll let them know! I’m not sure what they’d be up to but maybe they can make it!” Luz spoke a little quieter so Amity wouldn’t hear.

Luz’s phone buzzed from the Companion notification as Hooty let out his trademark announcement at the top of his lungs to kick off the night’s event.

Table 5: Luz Noceda vs. Caleb Gold

“Hey, Eda. Who’s Caleb Gold?” She didn’t recognize the name from last week, she was good at remembering names.

Eda pointed toward the tables, “blonde kid with the white hoodie and black mask. He comes around once or twice every month. I hadn’t seen him since February, but rumor has it he almost got a Pro Tour invite in Charlotte too. At least that’s what Amity told us.” Luz saw her opponent set up at the table just underneath the TV with the match pairings displayed. Blonde, shaggy hair with a single strand just over his face, a black mask that fit snugly, and a white hoodie that seemed a little old, just as Eda said.

“He seems mysterious,” Luz whispered.

“Well, better hop to it, kiddo,” Eda patted the counter, “I ain’t giving any time extensions for talking.” Luz smiled at her soon-to-be boss as she made her way over.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Luz!” she took out her deck and playmat before extending a hand, “er, wait, do you not want a handshake? I just processed you’re wearing a mask.” She let out a nervous laugh, unsure if this Caleb was a germaphobe or just brooding.

“You’re fine,” Caleb reciprocated the handshake, “Caleb. High roll? Low roll?”

“High roll’s good with me.” He looks like a teenager, how old is this guy? And why is every teen Modern player I’ve met here so far so against small talk? Caleb rolled a 10, Luz rolled a 7, and so the former opted to take the play.

Luz tried to analyze what deck Caleb was playing from his sleeves, playmat, and deck box. His sleeves looked like red, Ultimate Guard Katanas (which she never liked the shuffle feel of) and his box was a plain red as well. Maybe Boros Energy? Maybe another Storm player? His playmat was beautiful, though, to say the least. It depicted the card art for Rebecca Guay’s iteration of Bitterblossom, one of Luz’s favorites.

“Say, I love your playmat!”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks. I’m gonna keep this hand, you?”

Well, I tried. “Same!”

“Plains, Guide, go.” Caleb slapped the cards down onto his mat at lightning speed before flicking his cards around and waiting for his next turn.

Alright, guess we’re REALLY not messing around. Seeing Guide of Souls meant that there was an 80% chance that Caleb was playing Boros Energy, the best deck in the format. Luz felt somewhat comfortable in this matchup. She could usually outpace the fast, wide aggression of Energy decks, provided they don’t have responses to her Storm enablers with cards like Galvanic Discharge to kill Ral or Static Prison to exile Ruby Medallion. The problem, though, was that she kept a hand that was nowhere near as fast as she’d like. Neither Ral nor Ruby were in her opener, but it had lands and spells that could dig further in her deck so she could find them.

The first game was rough. Despite playing almost three combined copies of Reckless Impulse and Wrenn’s Resolve, she couldn’t find her enablers, and Caleb wiped the floor with an onslaught of cat tokens from Ocelot Pride’s triggered ability and Guide of Souls’ lifegain and +1/+1 counters from all of the extra cat tokens entering the battlefield. Game two was a different story. Luz found her way to a Storm victory on turn four thanks to her sideboard card Prismatic Ending, which exiled a Static Prison that confiscated her Ral, Monsoon Mage.

The last game of the match was extremely tight and was carried by each players’ sideboard cards. Luz destroyed all of Caleb’s creatures with a timely Brotherhood’s End, and Caleb responded to her activation of Ral’s ultimate ability with an Orim’s Chant, preventing her from casting any more spells the rest of that turn. It had gotten to the point where both players were relying on the cards on top of their deck, but unfortunately, Boros Energy was much better at that. All Luz needed was one of her enablers, but Caleb managed to quickly rebuild his board with another Guide into Ajani, Ncatal Pariah.

About five minutes remained in the round. What a way to start the night, Luz thought as she declared no effects in Caleb’s combat step, taking the damage from the cat warrior token. He was still playing it safe, holding back his Ajani and Guide. She respected the discipline, but didn’t understand why he held back when he could have lethal next turn. Caleb reached a hand out, “can I see your graveyard?” Luz nodded and handed the pile of cards to him.

As he sifted through the cards, Luz took a brief glance at who was watching the match. Most everyone in the shop was watching, including Amity. The girls made eye contact for a split second, but Luz could feel Amity’s judgement upon her. She wasn’t sure if it was a look that tried to manifest her defeat, or maybe a “prove yourself” look. All I need is a Ral or a Ruby off the top, come on deck! Luz was lost in thought.

“Does that resolve?” Caleb asked.

“Huh?”

“My Goblin Bombardment.”

This meant lights out. If this enchantment spell resolves, Caleb would sacrifice the cat warrior token with Goblin Bombardment’s ability to deal 1 damage to Luz, triggering the Ajani’s ability to flip to its planeswalker side. He could then use one of its abilities to make another cat warrior, deal 2 damage to Luz, and then sacrifice the rest of his board to Bombardment for the win.

“Oh…” Luz couldn’t believe it, she should’ve expected a Boros Energy deck to be able to secure the win eventually, and she was too focused on what Amity thought to even realize what was happening. “Yeah, you got it, good game!” She offered a handshake and Caleb accepted. Luz still had time to catch her breath as another match was in its final turns as well, so she took her time scooping up her cards.

“You know you could’ve flashbacked the Past In Flames in your graveyard and probably dug for a win condition, right?” It was Amity. Luz didn’t see her walk up as the other spectators dispersed. Caleb already got up and left, too, so she couldn’t try to save herself from an awkward, one-on-one conversation by dragging someone else into the mix.

“What do you mean? I didn’t have any cost-reducers out,” Luz responded, referring to Ral and Ruby.

“You had enough Rituals in your yard and lands in play to make plenty of mana, and plenty of impulse effects or Manamorphose to dig for a Wish. You practically gave up by quickly passing the turn because you didn’t draw what you wanted.”

Luz felt her face become red with anger, “well, didn’t know Miss Straight A’s was a master at Storm decks!”

“I’m not,” Amity’s face was still, “I just know how to read my cards and analyze the gamestate.” She walked away after that. Luz wanted to give some kind of witty retort, but the only response her head could think of were grunts of frustration. Besides, she needed to focus on the next match

After a 0-1 start, Luz rallied to win the next two rounds against another Boros player and Yawgmoth combo. Amity’s comments still bothered her, so she took some time between rounds to talk to Eda.

“Eda, what do you do when someone is trying to tell you how to play your deck, even when they’re objectively right about it?” Luz leaned against the counter, resting her head on her hand.

“I usually tell them to kiss my ass and not tell them they were right, why?” Eda answered without hesitation.

“Well, that isn’t a bad idea. I’d probably do that if it was one of the weird neckbeards that come here on Commander nights, but it was Amity this time.”

“Oh yeah, I saw that exchange from afar. I don’t know how solid this ‘Befriend My Rival’ plan is, girlie. Believe me, sometimes your fellow competitors are just jerks, and there isn’t much you can do about it.”

“I know, ugh. There’s just something in my gut that’s pushing me forward. Plus, her twin siblings talked to me the other day. They said she needed better friends, but there’s so many layers to all of this! First I learn her dad used to compete from you, then apparently she and Willow used to be friends, but had a falling out because of Amity’s mom! It’s all so-...ugh!” Luz felt her phone buzz again, round four had begun.

Table 4: Amity Blight vs. Luz Noceda.

“Crap. Eda, what do I do?”

“Just play the match, kid! If she gets all uppity over losing again it’s on her.” Eda was right, Luz can’t throw away her hard work just to please someone who’s been nothing but mean to her. Luz sat across from Amity at a table close to the counter, her rival once again elegantly unpacking her deck and double-checking her sideboard. She did it so prim and proper like a princess, Luz felt like it was a pretentious display.

“So, Amity, what’s your record?”

“3-0.”

“Ah, so you got the pair down, then?”

Amity paused. She realized how this could affect her placing tonight if she lost this match. Luz saw some of the elegance wash away as Amity grabbed a die. “Odd or even?”

“Odds.”

Eight, Amity is on the play.

Luz was ready to kick some Eldrazi ass. Both kept their first seven cards, but Amity played a Polluted Delta and passed the turn. No way, Luz’s internal monologue began as she went through her first turn, did Amity switch to Murktide for this week just to beat me? As a deck in Blue, Murktide decks had access to counterspells that often gutted decks like Storm. Along with powerful threats like Psychic Frog to keep up tempo and late-game haymakers like the titular Murktide Regent, Luz’s chances of winning this match suddenly dropped tenfold.

Amity took game one. Even though it was nowhere near as quick of a win like in her first round against Caleb, it was still a decisive victory. Luz’s early combo pieces were countered by multiple copies of Spell Snare, and Amity’s Psychic Frog gave her plenty of card advantage to leave Luz in the dust. Pre-sideboard, Luz had zero response to Frog. She did bring in some copies of Prismatic Ending to remove the creature, but the main piece of tech was Orim’s Chant, which could leave Amity locked from counterspelling any of her combo pieces.

Game two was even more intense than her game three against Caleb. To Luz’s surprise, many of her Endings against Amity resolved. She has to be saving some Counterspells or Force of Negations for my big turns. Since she was on the play, though, Luz knew she had to be as fast as she could, even in the face of a wave of interaction. Amity struggled to draw the right cards at the right time, but so did Luz, leaving them in another back and forth game.

Luz’s life total was dwindling. Ral’s coinflip ability to flip him to his planeswalker side caused her to lose 1 life if she lost the flip, and in a hellbent attempt to Storm off, Luz bricked, leaving her without more spells to play and only 5 life. Of course, Amity played a massive, 8/8 Murktide Regent, her first major threat of the entire game, which presented lethal if it came back to her turn. Amity had three unknown cards left in her hand and three mana open. In Luz’s hand, a singular Orim’s Chant. If she drew a Past in Flames, she could Chant and force the last counter out of Amity’s hand, paving the way for a massive Past In Flames. That is, of course, if Amity didn’t have another counter after that. Force of Negation was critical in this matchup for Amity, as her ability to cast it for free by exiling another blue card from her hand allowed her to give her opponents a false sense of security.

Amity passed the turn. Luz reached for the top of her deck and time felt to slow down. Lo and behold, she drew Past In Flames. Luz felt herself break a smile and she quickly played the Orim’s Chant, which Amity countered with Counterspell. This is my chance, her Counterspell is gone. I can win here! As Luz presented Past In Flames, Amity cast Consider in response. This allowed her to surveil 1, in which she looked at the top card of her library and could either leave it on top or put it into her graveyard, and then draw a card after. She kept the card on top, drew it, and responded with a free Force of Negation, exiling Sink Into Stupor to pay for the cost. Since Force exiled the countered spell, Luz couldn’t flashback Past In Flames from her gravyard.

“Good games,” Luz gave a smile and offered a handshake, to which Amity accepted. She could’ve sworn she heard Amity breathe a sigh of relief.

“That was the most clutch Consider ever!” one of the spectators behind Amity laughed.

Hearing that was not a laughing matter for Amity, though, and seemed to trigger anger she was holding back. “Yep, sure,” her teeth were gritted as she stormed off after packing her things, “move, I have to take a phone call outside.”

“What happened? Did she not just win?” Luz was shocked.

“I’m not sure,” Steve was watching the match as well, “maybe she was self-conscious over getting the win off a topdeck?”

Luz packed up her things and moved past the crowd. She couldn’t stand seeing Amity lose her sanity from the sidelines anymore, something was wrong and she had to get to the bottom of it. When she stepped out the door, she was met with Amity sitting on the sidewalk, head in her hands and hyperventilating.

“Amity?” Luz approached, “are you OK?”

“What do you want?!” Tears were welling up in her eyes.

“I don’t wanna sound ignorant, but you won. What’s wrong?”

“Why does that matter to you, Luz?”

“I don’t know, maybe because I like to consider myself a nice person.”

“If you were such a nice person you’d stop showing up and messing everything up for me,” Amity turned her head away, burying it into her arms.

“I know you were on a winning streak, but just because you lost one match in the last month and won one off a topdeck doesn’t mean you should break down.”

“It’s not about just losing a winning streak!” she whipped her head back around, “losing my momentum is the last thing I need! And I can’t rely on chance to win games, either. I’ve been working for years to get to the spot I’m in now and it can all come crashing down at any moment, don’t you get it?!”

There was a pause. Amity’s distress concerned Luz. “Listen, being dedicated is important if you’re gonna be a competitive player, but this will eat away at you if you don’t give yourself a break. Sometimes you just get lucky, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“You think people respect the pros cuz of their luck? You’re so ridiculous.”

“It’s respect you’re looking for?” Some of the dots were being connected.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t psychoanalyze me, thanks.”

“No, I-...I’m sorry,” they sat in silence for a brief second, “I do respect you, Amity.”

Amity scoffed, “don’t patronize me.”

“Really, I do! As a Magic player, at least. I don’t like how you and your friends treat mine, but I can’t deny that you know your Magic. You were right, I should’ve tried to Storm off with the Past In Flames in my graveyard. Caleb had nothing to do about it, not even a Thraben Charm in hand. I’ve been playing this deck for months and I didn’t notice it, but you did!”

“Thanks. I guess.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Amity.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re doing this. What are you trying to gain?”

“Honestly, nothing really. At first I was determined to befriend you, my instincts were telling me there was something I could do to help you. Now that I’m learning more about you, though, it doesn’t matter what happens after this. I’m just happy I could hear you be honest, and in turn be honest to you.”

Amity’s eyes widened a bit. Luz could see that hit something close to home, but Amity shook it off and composed herself. “Your honesty is appreciated.”

Luz stood up and offered a hand to Amity to help her up, “they’re probably in turns in there, I haven’t felt my phone buzz yet, but we might wanna make our way inside just in case.”

Amity reluctantly took Luz’s hand. “Don’t think we’re friends now because of this. I just…dislike you less.”

“Fine by me!” Luz gave a grin, “we can be rivals! Like Azura and Hecate!”

“Oh, please,” Amity laughed, “I’d rather lose my entire collection of cards than find myself in a rivals to lovers story with you.”

“Wait, you read the Good Witch Azura series??” This popular girl was a total nerd after all.

Amity blushed, “uh…I haven’t read it since I was a kid, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“Azura and Hecate became lovers in book five, which was released, let’s see…four months ago?” Luz gave a smug look.

“Oh whatever! Let’s just head inside!”

The next round started shortly after their conversation ended. Luz’s round 5 opponent left early without dropping themself from the event on accident, so Luz ended the night with a free 3-2, hoping she would make top 8 for prize support. Amity and Caleb were the last two undefeated players, though, and were brought onto the stream for the last feature match of the night. Luz stayed to watch the match and she was amazed by their skill. It was exhilarating to watch two excellent players her age play each other, she felt like she was watching the finals of a Pro Tour. Caleb took the match 2-1, finishing off game three with a hasted Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury that Amity didn’t have a response for. Energy was favored in the matchup, but Amity held her own despite being on the draw for two of the games.

1st: Caleb Gold
2nd: Amity Blight
8th: Luz Noceda

“You played that last match well, Amity!” Luz approached her as they left the store.

“Thanks, that matchup is kinda play-draw dependent. I don’t think I’m gonna play Murktide for RCQ season, though.”

“What’re you thinking of instead? Eldrazi?”

“Nah, probably Orzhov Blink.”

“Aw!! The Phelia deck! I love that card.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty strong,” Amity wasn’t smiling, but Luz felt like there was a smile behind her eyes.

“Well, I’ve gotta get going before it gets later than it already is. See you in school on Monday!”

“See you.”

Luz was mentally exhausted on her bike ride home. She was content with doing a good job with reaching out to Amity, making friends was never her strong suit, but now her anxiety began to creep in again. What would Willow and Gus think? Luz never had to worry about all of this when she didn’t have friends, but at least she’s trying. Those worries were tomorrow 's problem.

Chapter Text

Luz’s first day working at The Owl House started off slow. After being shown around the intricacies of the store, Eda assigned her to organizing the bulk and collecting orders from the Discord server. It was definitely nice to be working in an environment so close to her special interests, but Luz couldn’t help but feel a bit exhausted at times as she sorted and sifted through a decade’s worth of bulk cards. It also wasn’t uncommon for some of the store’s customers to send massive card orders in, likely to build a 100-card Commander deck or bulk buying staples for 60-card formats.

“Hey, Hooty,” Luz turned to her coworker. Eda had to leave the store for the day so it was just the two of them, thankfully Saturdays were slower business days. “Am I valid to think it’s a little bit insane to put an entire Commander deck in an order or am I overreacting?”

Hooty turned toward Luz in his computer chair. He always had a smile on his face that was both welcoming and unsettling, “Oh, trust me, Luz, any time I see an order like that, it takes EVERYTHING in me not to indulge myself in a ferocious rage that could topple armies. Nothing makes me angrier than pulling an almost three digit amount of cards across multiple boxes, ONLY for the order to be edited or discarded just after I finished. That, Luz, is when you’ll understand true contempt and malice for the human condition we are all forced to experience.”

“...what?”

“I’m just kidding! Yeah, it’s annoying. I just grin and bear it, though. We’re getting business and that’s what matters.”

Luz slowly nodded in agreement. This Hooty guy is weird, but he sure seems like someone Eda would hire. Going back and forth between boxes of different rarities was tiring, it reminded her too much of how it felt to pack all her things to move to Gravesfield. She also wished people would stick to organizing their orders to how it’s recommended, but she made her own system in which she’d reorganize the cards in a list of her own and go from there.

The bell on the door rang and Luz heard a voice, “hey Hooty! Is Luz around?” Gus!

“HI GUS!” Luz raised her hand from below the counter, she didn’t want to lose her place in this box, “be up in a sec!” After grabbing another copy of Rakdos Signet, she popped up above the counter, much like how King does. “How are you, buddy?”

“I’m good! I wanted to stop by, say hi, and look through some stuff. Is the white binder down there?”

“Yup! Lemme grab that for ya. Whatcha building?”

“Well, I was looking more into Modern since you like it so much and wanted to see decks I could play with the cards I have. If I switch around some of the things from my commander decks I could probably play Humans, which seems like a lot of fun!”

“Ooooo that’s great! It’s just off-meta enough where you can throw off your opponents but still be competitive, in my opinion,” she was happy to hear her good friend was interested, however she had a sudden realization after she spoke. Oh crap, he would find out Amity goes here if he starts playing Modern. OH CRAP, WILLOW WOULD PROBABLY BE ALONG FOR THE RIDE, TOO. OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO.

“Another question, is there a prerelease happening for Tarkir here?”

“YUP!” Hooty answered, “next Friday at 6:30!”

“We should all play in that!” Gus turned back to Luz, “I love playing Limited formats on Arena, but haven’t gotten to play any in-person yet.”

“Oh! Hahaa, yeah!” Luz was trying to hide her anxiety, “there’s uh…also two other prerelease events that Saturday! One at 1 PM and one at 7 PM! It might be a little less crowded without the Modern crowd here.” Phew, close one.

“Ah, dang, I’m gonna be visiting some cousins Saturday into Sunday, and I think Willow has a game that day. We don’t mind, though! With how popular this set is, it might be fun to be part of a packed house.”

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! “I’ll be sure to go with you guys, then!” Luz thought she might as well be there to soften the blow of the inevitable. Even then, how much would that help? It’s not like her and Amity were friends at the moment. If anything, this might ruin everything. She had to find a way to let Amity know. Luz didn’t have her phone number, any social media, and talking to her in school would be near impossible.

“Hey Hooty,” Gus pulled a small box out of his bag, “I’m looking to trade some of these old cards I’m not using anymore in for store credit. Can you do that while I look through the binders?” Hooty nodded and began price-checking as Gus perused the wares some more, “no way! A World Cup Qualifier promo Thalia, Guardian of Thraben!” Gus was always pumped to find rare card printings.

What sucked the most is how excited Gus seemed about this. Luz couldn’t shoot down her friend’s feelings just for another person she barely knew. Luz would never admit it, but she’d always been too much of a people pleaser. She thought she could make up for her quirkiness that got her bullied as a child by being this beacon of kindness and reliability for others. Much like this moment, though, it always got her stuck. No matter what decision she made, it wasn’t the right one.

I need to compose myself, Luz thought as she watched Gus flip through the binder, I can’t afford to have a panic attack in the middle of my first day here. She felt her phone ring in her pocket, it was Vee. Thank god, a distraction, “hey, sis!” She moved to the corner of the counter.

“Hey! You forgot the sandwich you made for yourself at home, so I brought it with me to work if you wanna stop by and pick it up when you have time. I think I’m a few blocks downtown from you?” Vee was always looking out for her.

“Oh my gosh, thanks! I can head over there in a few minutes!” It was already 5 PM, so she might as well go soon.

“No problem! I should be at the front desk when you get here.”

“Sounds good, byee!” Luz hung up, “hey, Hooty. Can I stop by the library to pick something up? My sister has my dinner there.”

“That’s fine! Just watch out for the time in case it gets busy.”

“Will do! Gus, will you still be here when I get back?”

“Probably, yeah,” Gus responded.

“Great! Be back in a sec.” Alright, now time to think of a plan while I’m out.

Luz was exhausted once she got to the library. The Owl House and the other stores in downtown Gravesfield were closer to the riverfront and parks, while the library, museum, and municipal buildings were all uphill. It felt like she just biked across states when it was only a mile.

“Vee! I’m here!” Luz was panting like a dog, “thank goodness you’re right there, I would’ve had no idea where to go.”

“Oh man, those hills were not kind to you. I didn’t realize how rough the ride would be. Here-” Vee reached into her bag for Luz’s lunch, getting up from the desk and handing it off to her sister, “I’ll get you a chair too!”

“Thanks so much,” Luz took a massive swig of her water and immediately took a seat to rest her legs once Vee returned. The library wasn’t a large building, but the arrays of books along the walls made it seem much bigger than it was. “Wow, this library is awesome! Feels cozier than our old one, I need to stop by here more often. Say, do you guys have The Good Witch Azura Volume 3? I’ve been rereading the series but can’t find that one in my room for some reason.”

“I can check!” Vee turned to the computer as she kept talking to Luz, “so how’s your first day at work going?”

“It’s not bad, I was told weekends are usually slow, so it’s been nice to do simple work.” As Luz ate her sandwich, she heard a familiar voice just down the hall. Looking down that way, she saw what seemed to be a children’s section with plenty of decorations and the voice had the same sharpness as a certain someone, but with an unrecognizable smoothness to it. Amity? “Hey, Vee, who’s the voice in that room over there? It sounds like they’re doing some kind of story time.”

“Oh, that’s Amity! She’s one of our volunteers.”

“Amity Blight’s reading to kids, huh?”

“You know her?”

“Yeah, we-...” she almost let the secret slip, “have history class together.” Not a lie, but definitely not the full story.

“...got any strong feelings about her?” Vee raised her eyebrow, noticing the curiosity in Luz’s tone.

“She’s…she’s a popular girl at school. Mean Girls-type, y’know?”

“Really? She’s so sweet with the kids here, and she always makes conversation with me.”

Luz’s eyes widened, no way this is the same Amity, “I’ll be right back.” She made her way over to the room, sandwich still in hand, and peeked inside.

“...and into the night of his very own room, where Max found his supper waiting for him…and it was still hot! The end!” Amity’s reading of Where the Wild Things Are was met with applause from the children and their parents.

Why is this…kind of adorable? Luz shifted herself away from the door as some of the guests exited the room, keeping to her sandwich before heading on in.

“Fank you Miss Amity! I loved the stowy!” a young girl, no older than four years old, hugged Amity around the waist, her mother smiling as she watched her.

“Aw, thank you Julie! And thank you for the bracelet earlier! I’ll be sure to wear it,” the child had given Amity a small friendship bracelet that spelled something out. Once the two left, she went to grab her things before her rival caught her eye, “Luz?”

“Hello! Lookit you reading to kids! Didn’t know Miss Straight As had a soft spot,” Luz teased and nudged Amity with her elbow.

“Since when do you come to the library? Are you following me?” Amity’s confusion wasn’t as harsh as it would’ve been before, the previous night’s conversation caused a noticeable tone shift.

“Nooooo no,” Luz laughed, “my sister works here and I needed to pick something up from her. Did you know I work at The Owl House now, by the way?” She crossed her arms confidently.

“Huh, that’s nice. Guess we’ll be seeing each other a bit more often, then,” she began to walk past Luz before turning once more, “wait, is Vee your sister?” Dots were connecting in her head.

“Yep! And she was telling me you’re just the sweetest. Looks like you’ve got a secret shell to break, heh?” Luz’s teasing grin grew ten times.

“Alright, alright, let’s slow it down. Just because we had a heart to heart doesn’t mean you know everything about me.”

Luz paused, “ah, sorry. I was just…uh…” I need to stop trying to be funny, crap crap crap crap.

“You’re fine, Luz,” Amity was disgruntled. Even though their conversation didn’t make them friends, Luz could see that there was a bit more understanding in Amity’s words.

“I should still apologize. I’ll admit, I’m not that good at this.”

“This…?”

“Making friends. Willow and Gus took me into their little group because of Magic, so when that didn’t work with you I just…didn’t know what to do.”

“Willow and Gus are much different people than I am. They’re good friends for you, though. By the way, please don’t eat in here.”

Luz completely forgot she’d been taking massive bites of her sandwich the last five minutes. “Oh, shoot, sorry,” she packed the lunch away, “maybe you’re different, but I don’t think that means we can’t be friendly with each other. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the Azura series! I never had anyone to talk about it outside of Tumblr, so having a discussion with someone who isn’t chronically online sounds like a treat.”

“Maybe,” Amity chuckled, “though I’m sure my presence would be a problem. Willow and I don’t have the best history.”

“Oh, right.”

“You knew?” Amity shot a look, Luz had spoken without thinking once again.

“Uh…I…”

“My siblings told you, didn’t they?”

“...yes.”

“Ugh,” Amity rubbed her eyes, “they’re always butting into my personal business.”

“It seems like it comes from a place of care, at least.”

“Yeah, doesn’t make it any less aggravating, though.”

“I get it,” Luz rubbed her arm and shyly looked away. She had no idea what to say, but anything was better than nothing. If she thought too much, she would never get her thoughts out. “If things ever get better with you and Willow, I’m sure we’d have a lot of fun all playing Magic together!”

Amity cracked a smile, “maybe, yeah. Not sure how likely that is, but it’s a nice thought,” Amity’s phone buzzed, “I gotta head out. Say, are you working at the Owl House today?”

“Yeah, need anything?” Luz smiled.

“If you have any copies of Godless Shrine, I need two.”

“You got it!” Luz gave a salute, which got a giggle out of Amity.

“See you when I see you next,” Luz watched Amity leave the library, hoping to look around for Azura Vol. 3 but also curious as to what her conversations with Vee were like. “Hey Vee, I’m heading out for the day. Can you let Maria know I have to leave the presentation next Friday early? I have a friend’s birthday party that night.”

“Yeah, sure! Good seeing you.”

“Good seeing you, too!”

No way, Luz’s internal monologue started back up, Amity is busy this coming Friday? That means Gus and Willow can come to prerelease! YES! Thank god. The relief washed over Luz like a tidal wave. If she had to deal with an awkward encounter that night, it would definitely be the end for her and Amity’s potential friendship.

“Luz! There you are!” Vee spotted her from afar, projecting her voice a bit without yelling, “I found the book for you. I can keep it on hold for you since you have to get back to work soon.”

The realization hit Luz as she briskly walked back to her sister. “Shoot! I gotta go! Thank you for reminding me. Te amo, hermana!” She reached over for a hug.

“Te amo!” Vee’s hugs were the best.

Luz bolted once she got out the door. Good thing she wouldn't have to bike uphill this time around. However, she wasn’t watching where she was going as she bumped into someone. “Ough! So sorry!”

“Ow! It’s fine,” A boy a little older than her stumbled and rubbed his arm. He had short blonde hair with a strand that fell over his face, an old white hoodie, and a gap tooth. He looked at Luz, recognizing her, and Luz recognized him back.

“Say, have we met before?” Luz tried to unlock her bike and talk at the same time, “Caleb, right?”

“My, uh…no. My name’s Hunter.”

Luz raised an eyebrow, “so we haven’t met before?”

“...no,” he responded carefully. This Hunter definitely looked like he was lying, and definitely looked like Caleb as well.

“...alright, if you say so. Sorry again!” Luz didn’t have time to question it, she had two Godless Shrines to put aside for Amity. She didn’t notice Hunter watching her as she biked off, letting out an anxious sigh and heading inside the library.

The next week whizzed by. Luz’s excitement for prerelease occupied most of her thoughts except for when she hyper-focused on her schoolwork (which she only got done so she would be free for the event on Friday, of course.) Willow and Gus were just as ecstatic, too, Gus especially. He was showing off his limited decks on Arena during history class the day of the event.

“I played this Mardu aggro deck to an almost perfect record when they did the throwback Khans of Tarkir event a while ago. Lost the last match off a misplay. I would trade all of my undefeated records for this to have gone 7-0!” Gus languished, “say, which clan are you guys picking tonight?”

“I’m gonna play Sultai!” Willow responded excitedly, “I adore the new aesthetic they were given and the synergy with counters and the graveyard seems really cool! What about you, Luz?”

“Probably Temur,” Luz was pondering this all day, “I’m not that good at Limited, so playing big creatures seems simple enough for me to understand.”

“You’re so skilled, though! Aren’t you qualified for RC Hartford?” Willow asked.

“Eh, constructed and limited are so different. Last time I tried to build a Modern deck on my own I got crushed, and I can’t remember the last time I won more than one match at a prerelease.”

“Maybe it’ll be different this time! Don’t count yourself out, bud.”

Gus and Willow began talking deckbuilding strategy and Luz opted to just listen, hoping to gain something from it. Her eyes wandered once again to help keep her stimulated, but her focus was gone once she and Amity locked eyes. Luz gave her a small smile and Amity responded in kind, trying to keep it discreet from her friends. These small interactions seemed to mean a lot to Amity, so Luz kept things at an easy pace. If Amity wanted to be her friend, Amity should be the one to initiate that. Making friends like this is tough, but extremely rewarding.

After school that day, Luz and her friends hung out at the Noceda residence and planned to have a sleepover after prerelease. It was the first time they’d hosted people since moving, so Camila was a little overzealous to make sure things were perfect. Luz received multiple texts from her throughout the school day asking about any snacks they might want, but she assured her mom that they didn’t need much to help ease her nerves. Gus was the best distraction for Camila, though, as they were deep in conversation that afternoon bonding over their love of Star Trek.

For some reason, Luz found herself lost in thought. As she and Willow played Mario Kart on her switch, she wanted to see if she could learn more about the situation between her and Amity without directly asking about it. “So, Willow, question. That Emira girl you play softball with, that’s Amity’s sister? Gus mentioned it to me at the game we went to.”

“She is, yeah. Much nicer, though.”

“Is there, like, a reason Amity is like that? Or is she just like that?”

Willow giggled at Luz’s inflection, “I wish it was that simple. Amity’s a bit complicated. If I’m being honest…we have a history.”

“Really?” Luz didn’t want to ask too much, her feigned ignorance would lose its footing if she kept talking.

“Yeah, she was my best friend for a while. Things changed when we were 12, though. After all we went through, she slowly began to push herself away from me for her new friends. She even abandoned Magic.”

“Woah, Amity played Magic?” Keep it up, Luz.

“She introduced me to it when we were in elementary school. Her dad helped us learn, too. It was really nice.” Willow’s soft smile was wrought with pain over the memories. “I still never really got an answer as to why she distanced herself from me. All those people she hangs out with now are such bullies, and she just enables them! It’s honestly ridiculous.”

“I understand, maybe there could be some miraculous change of heart in the future?”

“Heh, I won't get my hopes up. Besides, I don’t know if I could bring myself to forgive her. It hurts to think about it.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Willow.”

“I’ll be alright. Time heals wounds slowly, but surely.”

Luz didn’t even come to think of how Willow felt. She felt terrible seeing the exhaustion on her friend’s face, maybe their reconnection wasn’t meant to be. Forgiving people wasn’t as easy as going through deadly battles against villains with a rival to help save the world (Azura & Hecate vs. Halyur the Vile, Good Witch Azura Vol. 4). It’s a process that has many stages that sometimes don’t work the way one hopes. Not all can be changed, and Luz slowly began to accept that.

“Yo! Guys! We gotta get going, prerelease starts in an hour!” Gus ran over to the two girls and they hastily gathered their things, making sure they could get there early enough to get a spot in the event.

“Have fun, mija!” Camila gave Luz a tight hug, “make sure you all go through the back door when you get home, I have to be up early tomorrow and that front door keeps making so many noises.”

“You got it! Te amo!”

It was a colder day out than it had been recently, but the sun felt great on Luz’s face as her group of friends biked to downtown. She played music from her phone to introduce them to her favorite punk bands, starting with “Easy” by Like Roses. As they got closer to The Owl House, they could see people entering the store from a distance, all excited for the new set’s release. The vibes today could not be any better, nothing could ruin this!

Once they entered the store, though, Luz was too busy looking and talking with her friends to notice what had caused Willow’s shock. “What is she doing here?!” Willow whispered to Gus and Luz.

Down toward the corner table, talking with the stream guys, was none other than Amity.

Wait.

NO.

WHAT?

Amity looked up and saw them enter the store, a fearful expression washed over.

“Shit,” Luz didn’t realize she said that out loud before it was too late.

“Did you know, Luz?” Willow turned to her. The shock on her face quickly turned to a feeling of betrayal.

“I…uh…,” before she could say anything, Willow stormed out, and Luz and Gus followed after. “Listen! I can explain!”

“Explain what?! Even after I told you about what happened, you still hid this from me?”

“I didn’t even think you would ever know! I overheard that she was attending a birthday party tonight, and since you guys rarely come on Fridays I thought you two would never cross paths here!”

“You still hid this from me!” Willow stepped toward Luz, her anger growing. “What has been going on? What have you not told us?”

“You also knew that I at least was getting into Modern,” Gus stepped in, “it would’ve been nice to have known ahead of time.”

Luz felt herself begin to hyperventilate. She was trying to stop herself from speaking too much, but now she couldn’t hold back. “I found out she’s a big time tournament grinder the first time I came here and we sorta became rivals after I beat her the first time because she’s the best player at the store and she was pissed about it and then last week we played again and she won but it was really close and she was really bitter about it and I tried to reach out to her and sort of did but she still was closed off about everything and then I saw her again recently and it seemed that a lot of what she’s hiding is because of how her mom treats her cuz Edric and Emira saw me after the softball game and told me that and I learned about how she used to be friends with you Willow and she told me not to tell anyone else that she plays Magic and she feels bad about everything that happened to you two and I didn’t know what to do because I thought things could turn out where we could all be friends and now I feel just STUPID and AWFUL and I’ve RUINED the whole night and I’m so so sorry and I can’t apologize enough and I just-”

“Hey,” Willow placed her hand on Luz’s shoulder, “take a second. Breathe with me.” Willow helped Luz take deep breaths with her, counting up and down to five on her fingers each time. It worked really well and Luz collected herself. “Now, Luz, now that we have this context, say what you really want to say.”

Luz took one more deep breath, “I’m sorry I never said anything. I hope you can understand, though. Even though Amity’s done a lot of bad things, it seems like her wanting to keep this secret wasn’t in bad faith against you, Willow. It seems like she was trying to hide it from her mom, or whoever is making her feel trapped in the mask she puts on at school. I only have half the story, honestly, but I want to be as optimistic as I can.”

“I understand, it’s a lot.”

“Not as much as what you’ve gone through, though! I should’ve asked you about it sooner, I don’t think I would’ve tried to befriend Amity if I knew the extent of it. All I knew was that there was a falling out.”

“Don’t act like your struggle doesn’t mean anything just because I’ve been through things, too, Luz,” Willow put her other hand on Luz, “what matters is you work on yourself from here. It’s not good to try and put so much on your plate like this, even if you’re just trying to look out for people.”

“I know, I just…I said this to Amity, I’m not good at making friends.”

“You’re friends with us, aren’t you?” Gus spoke up.

“Well, yeah, but you guys brought me in and we bonded over Magic. I couldn’t do the same with Amity because all she did was try her hardest to beat me and intimidate me at school.”

“You seem to forget that you were the one who approached us,” Willow’s anger had faded and a smile broke. Luz was about to respond, but Willow made a great point. Luz isn’t bad at making friends, she just has to make the right decisions, which she’s clearly capable of.

“Thank you guys for understanding,” Luz’s body relaxed, “I still feel terrible for all of this, though. I hope you still want to play tonight.”

“We talked it out! If anything happens, it’s me and Amity’s business, anyway. You’ve got plenty of other things to focus on.” Luz could sense Willow’s frustration lingered, but it seemed like it was no longer directed at her and instead at trying to navigate the situation in her mind. “Let’s head in and pay for our entry, keep our minds focused on Magic.”

Luz and Gus nodded and they made their way inside. After acquiring their prerelease kits and building their decks, the first round started.

Table 7: Willow Park vs. Amity Blight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POV: Amity Blight

Amity’s attempt at making her Abzan tokens deck was half-assed. Her mind was too focused on the fact that her ex-best friend had found out her secret and was now her first round opponent. Did Luz tell her? What the hell? She looked shocked, but how did she not know I would be here? It’s Friday freaking night! Her thoughts paused as she approached the table. Willow was already set up and shuffling her deck. She still used the same Nissa playmat they got together at the store a few years back, Amity noticed the edges were slightly curled from age.

“Hey,” Amity muttered as she laid out her playmat.

“Hey, Amity,” Willow whispered back. “I, uh, didn’t know you still played Magic.”

“I do, yeah,” Amity sighed as she spoke. There was silence as they shuffled and went through the motions of determining play-draw. Even in the silence, they knew what the other was going to do. They even began their game in silence, using hand motions and gestures to indicate what they were doing. The girls played against each other hundreds of times in the past and they picked back up as if no time passed. “I’m sorry, Willow.”

“I know. I heard a little from Luz, but I don’t know the full story, I guess.”

“Luz…she’s so in over her head.”

“She’s trying, but you’re right. Don’t be too hard on her, though.”

“I just-...this isn’t about her,” she wanted to vent her frustration with Luz, but that would make matters worse. “I feel terrible. For everything.”

“Then why didn’t you do anything about it?”

“Because I…I’m weak.”

“Don’t say that.”

“No, no, it’s true. My mom hated that we played Magic together. She always hated that my dad played it, too. He had a Pro Tour invite but they got into a terrible argument shortly before I left you that caused him to abandon it. They wanted to stay together for my siblings and I but it honestly made matters worse, and I was too afraid to defy her wishes.”

“Why did she care that much?”

“She’s always trying to mold me in her image. It’s atrocious and I hate it so much.” At this point in the game, Willow’s board presence was staggeringly better than Amity’s. She had two Sagu Wildlings on the field and had revealed other strong dragon cards that could evade Amity’s low-to-the-ground gameplan.

“I can 100% empathize with your situation. I’ve never been through the same, but I understand it’s difficult. I just…wish you would’ve treated me better is all.”

“I do too.” Amity scooped up her cards after Willow played a Marang River Regent that bounced her only blockers. Willow led 1-0.

“I was lonely, you know. Until I met Gus, I didn’t really have many friends.”

“To be honest, there were so many times where I wanted to reach out to you, but hearing the other girls make fun of you behind your back made me too nervous once again,” the next game began, “I defended you a lot behind your back.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. If it seemed like the bullying decreased over the years, it was because of that. I doubt they actually care about being nice, though. They just like using my house to hang out.”

Willow chuckled at that statement, “sounds about right. Thanks for that.”

“I wish I could’ve done more. Don’t deny the fact that I’m weak, please.”

“Stop that, Amity. You-”

“Don’t. If I wasn’t weak we would still be friends. You know that very well.” Amity resolved a Voice of Victory, this meant bad news for Willow as she played a lot of instant-speed interaction in her deck. Willow was speechless. “You’re the strong one between us. You endured all the bullying over the years and still made yourself out to be a great person. You start for the softball team, you’re good at Magic, you’ve got great friends. I’m not saying you should be grateful for what happened or whatever, but I need you to know it wasn’t your fault. It never was, it was all mine.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Willow removed the Voice of Victory with Caustic Exhale, “don’t beat yourself up for it, though.”

“Why shouldn’t I? I deserve to hate myself for it for as long as I hurt you.”

“Because I’d rather see you happy than wallow in your past mistakes.” The girls paused at that moment, especially Amity. Hearing Willow’s well-wishes hit Amity like a truck. Additionally, Willow’s Hundred-Battle Veteran became more threatening as Willow used Qarsi Revenant’s renew ability to give it a lifelink, deathtouch, and flying counter.

“I don’t know what would make me happy at this point. I’d be happy as your friend, for sure, but I can’t just thrust that on you. I don’t know if I’d be able to accept that reality, either.”

Willow broke a smile, “you’re friends with Luz right?”

“I-...not particularly.”

“Well, maybe she might be worth getting to know more. She’s pretty good at making friends.”

Amity smiled as well, “yeah, she is.” Willow's Veteran swung for lethal and Amity reached out her hand. “Good games, Willow.”

“Good games.” Willow wins 2-0. “I can’t say we’re friends at the moment, but I feel like we both needed this.”

“Yeah, I agree.” Amity picked up her cards slowly, taking in the conversation and the match.

“Don’t be too hard on Luz, by the way. She’s trying her best, and it seemed like it was a miscommunication on her end. You’d have to talk with her,” Willow had her things all packed up and began to step away from the table before turning back to Amity, “I hope things get better at home for you, too. Regardless of how you’ve treated people since, you don’t deserve it.”

It took everything in Amity to not break down in that moment, but over the years she perfected just barely keeping it in. Her breakdown last week was a fluke, plus Luz’s understanding helped her stay more calm than usual. The mere feeling of people saying “I understand your situation” was so foreign to her, not because she’d been ignored when she told people, but because she never told anyone. Her mother’s treatment became commonplace to the point she’d forgotten there was something truly wrong. There was a light once again. Light. Luz. “Thank you, Willow. I hope the rest of your prerelease goes well.”

“You too!”

Once Amity had cleared off her side of the table, she found Luz at the counter looking through binders. Luz looked very nervous and wasn’t good at hiding the fact that she could see Amity out of the corner of her eye approaching her. It was obvious she was trying to seem nonchalant.

“Amity! Haha, wooooah! What’re you doing he-,”

“I forgive you,” Amity interrupted Luz.

“...wha?” Luz was leaned up against the counter with a nervous grin on her face, sweating bullets.

“I’m guessing you overheard me tell your sister I was going to be at a birthday party.”

“...sorry.”

“You’re fine. I get too nervous to tell people I do this, even if they’ll never interact with any of my family.”

“Vee’s one of the nicest people ever, she wouldn’t tell a soul.”

“She is, I’m thankful for her kindness,” Amity rubbed the back of her neck, “Willow and I talked over our match. I don’t know what’ll happen, but we said what we needed to say.”

“I’m glad,” Luz straightened herself out, “thank you for forgiving me, too. Like I said, not good at this whole social thing.”

“No, you are. Things are just complicated,” Amity still felt strange complimenting Luz. She never thought she’d find herself admiring someone like her. She was so…rambunctious. A bit foolish, but the kind of foolishness that was endearing rather than unbearable. Amity was conditioned to hate people like her, to never associate with them, but she couldn’t help herself from being pulled toward her. There was still a fire of rivalry inside of her, but maybe that didn’t have to be born of hatred or spite.

“I know you said you’re not sure what will happen, but do you feel optimistic?”

“Sort of? Willow has always been so kind, but my behavior lasted for so long that I don’t know how willing she’d be to start over.”

“Something is better than nothing, though, right?” Luz’s signature smile was such a sweet light.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Amity felt herself smile with her teeth for the first time in a while.

The rest of the night wasn’t great for Amity. It was the first time she lost two matches at a store event in a while, but thankfully it was only three rounds, so she wouldn’t have to endure playing her half-baked deck for a full five rounds. She was happy with her pulls at least, maybe they could be useful for Modern. She was also happy to see Luz and her friends enjoying themselves. That Gus kid went 3-0, sweeping each one of his matches perfectly. He, too, was playing Abzan, maybe she could get some limited tips from him sometime soon.

1st: Gus Porter
7th: Willow Park
11th: Luz Noceda
15th: Amity Blight

Chapter Text

Part 1: Solitude (Hunter's POV)

As Hunter skateboarded toward the library, he went through different lines of play in his head with the Boros Energy deck. Goblin Bombardment should be played as early as I can, I shouldn’t have held onto it until turn 3 against Amity, the chance of her casting a Spell Snare was really high, especially after she kept a 7. There’s way more Ajanis in the deck that I could just draw into, or just good threats in general that she’d have to answer. Boros was very repetitive to Hunter, but getting reps in with the deck online helped show him new, exciting ways to play the deck. If he only played at FNM, it would feel a lot staler, and he can’t afford being bored of a deck he needs to win with.

Hunter hopped off his skateboard as he approached the library door, dropping off the book he borrowed on his way in. He just finished reading through All My Sons by Arthur Miller, hoping to find more of the playwright’s works on the shelves. Plays were his favorite, and he hoped to see one in person someda-

“OUGH! So sorry!” A girl’s voice called out to Hunter as she bumped into him.

“Ow! You’re fine,” he rubbed his arm, it felt like her shoulder collided with his funny bone. Did she hit his head with hers, too? If so, it thankfully wasn’t that bad. When he looked up, he recognized her instantly. Isn’t this the Ruby Storm girl? Was Lucy her name? Do I say hi?

“Say, have we met before?” She had a suspicious look on her face as she fumbled with her bike lock, “Caleb, right?”

Oh shit, I don’t have my mask on, now she knows my face! “My, uh…” quick, Hunter, think of something! “...no. My name’s Hunter.” NOT YOUR REAL NAME, IDIOT!

“...so we haven’t met before?”

“...no.” She totally sees through it. I’m screwed.

“Alright, if you say so. Sorry again!” She hopped onto her bike and sped off toward downtown.

Hunter let out a sigh, not realizing he was holding his breath the whole time. I hope her hurry makes her forget this. Stepping inside the library, he made his way to the nice library assistant he spoke to last time. “Hi there, what was your name again? I’m not good with names.”

“I’m Vee! Hunter, right?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you had any more of those Arthur Miller plays? I borrowed one that was on the display last week and wanted to read more.”

“Oh yes! Follow me this way,” Vee led him down a few aisles until he was surrounded by different books of plays from all different authors, he was blown away. “Did you like what you read? There’s a few more right up here, I remember reading these two in high school.” She handed him two more plays: Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.

“Nice, which one was your favorite?”

“Probably The Crucible, I remember it best. Have you not read it yet? That was like, freshman year, unless things at Gravesfield High are different. I’m not from here originally.”

“I don’t go to Gravesfield,” Hunter’s voice lowered.

“Ohhhh, St. Epiderm kid? Masha from the museum told me they went there.”

“No, I uh…don’t have time for school,” he noticed Vee’s face shift, about to ask something he didn’t want her to ask, “can I check these two out? I have to head out soon, sorry to rush you.”

“Sure!” Her smile returned. Hunter knew she had good intentions, but he didn’t want to explain his situation to yet another person. Once she finished checking out his books, he stuffed them into the backpack that wrapped around his torso and said goodbye, letting her know she’d see him again next week. The weekly library trip was one of his highlights of the week. He was excited to have two new books to read this time while on his breaks at work or at home.

It was a beautiful day, so Hunter decided to take the long way home. This led him to pass by the high school and all of the athletic fields. He was surprised, however, to see a game still happening at one of the fields. It seemed the softball game was in extra innings, he usually doesn’t get to see these. Maybe I should start leaving the house earlier to catch a game if they do them on Saturdays often, I miss getting to see the football games during the fall.

The visiting school seemed to be close to breaking the tie with a runner on first base. Emira Blight still pitches, huh? She was a year older than him, he vaguely remembers being in an elective class or two with her and her twin when he still attended Gravesfield, she’ll be graduating soon, it seems. His eyes wandered around the field, he didn’t recognize anyone else, really, but his attention was soon caught by a loud CLANK of a bat. The batter hit a line drive toward the first baseman, who made a diving catch, quickly got on her feet, and threw the ball to second to get the runner out. A double play, and the Gravesfield Wolves were out of the inning!

Hunter was in awe. Whoever that first baseman was, she was incredible. His eyes were locked on her as she jogged back to the dugout, her teammates hyping her up on the way. Her smile was infectious, and she had these sweet green eyes that almost sparkled in the sun. Hunter didn’t realize he was staring until they locked eyes for a brief moment. Should I wave? He waved. She waved back, confused, but smiling. Why did I do that?! I don’t even know this girl! He skated away from the spot he was standing in embarrassment and found a spot where he could watch the rest of the game in secret. Gravesfield won on a walk-off double. 5-3.

It was almost 7:00, and he had to hurry back home. There were a few shortcuts in the area he could take, not without almost eating shit a few times, but he made it back home before 7:00. However, his uncle’s car was in front of the house already. Crap, I need to find a way to make it seem like I was already home. After hopping the side fence, he snuck in through the door just behind it that led into the backyard. He could hear his uncle on the phone, so hopefully that would be a good enough distraction. Hunter managed to sneak to almost the top of the stairs, relieved he made it that far, but that was nothing but false hope.

“Hunter!” his Uncle Philip called up the stairs, “can you come down here?”

“One moment!” Hunter tried to hastily slip his shoes off and left his skateboard against the wall. “Yes, uncle?”

“Where were you?”

Shit, he heard me come in. “I was on my usual trip to the library.”

“And you came home this late?”

“I, uh…caught a game over by the school. It was fun.”

“Hm, I see,” his uncle’s gaze pierced through him. Even though he was younger than Hunter’s dad, there was age in his face that translated to a coarse, cold personality. “I set these curfews for a reason, you know. I was tasked to protect you and I don’t want to have to enforce it further.” Hunter had been living with uncle for almost two years now, and these felt like the longest two years of his life. His days with his father felt so warm and exciting, but now, with him gone, time moved slowly. Every day felt like he was waiting for something new to go wrong.

“I…I’m sorry.”

Uncle Philip slammed his fist on the counter. “What did I say about apologizing, boy?” he composed himself, “all you must do is say, ‘OK,’ and simply follow henceforth. Understood?” Hunter nodded, “good. Now, I have to meet with some business partners for the night. I will be home late, so make sure you’re asleep before I return and lock the doors before going to bed. I have a key on me.” Philip made his way toward the front door.

“What’s the plan for dinner?” Hunter shyly asked. He didn’t ask that question often, but he skipped lunch that day to save some money, so food was on his mind.

Philip slowly turned his head, “you have a job, yes?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you are, how old, 16?”

“Yes.”

“You are more than capable of taking care of yourself,” Philip exited the house without saying goodbye.

Hunter let out a long sigh as he heard his uncle’s car start, once again not realizing he was holding his breath. He wasn’t sure why he hoped maybe his uncle would’ve offered to make something for him. When he does, it’s great! It almost feels like a distraction tactic sometimes, though. It wasn’t time to wallow, though. At least he had a place to live, and he needed to figure out what to eat.

Part 2: Subtlety (Gus’ POV)

Gus was stressed at the lunch table on Monday. After placing first at prerelease that Friday, he rode the high too much to where he completely forgot about practicing his lines for the upcoming auditions. Edric Blight was putting on Romeo & Julius, a queer version of the Shakespeare classic, and Gus wanted one of the main roles badly. As a sophomore, he’d only been in ensemble or smaller supporting roles in plays and musicals, so a student production was good for underclassmen like him to get a chance in the spotlight.

Instead of playing Commander with Luz and Willow like usual, he forced himself to look over the lines for the audition sides at lunch. The girls played one-on-one, and it pained Gus not to join, the adrenaline from showing off his limited prowess still lingered, but he had to channel it into memorizing these lines.

“How are you holding up there, Gus?” Willow could sense his stress building.

“I’m trying my best, that’s for sure,” he buried his head into his hands, “ugh! I had even scheduled time to go over this once I got back from seeing my cousins Saturday night!”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Luz turned to Gus, “you were just excited. Plus, these auditions aren’t till Thursday, right?”

“I mean, yeah, but memorizing has never been my strong suit.”

“We can help you out!” Luz and Willow beamed, eager to help their friend.

“No offense,” he leaned against his hand, “but I’m not sure how much help you’d be. These lines are still in Shakespearean English, so I don’t even know when I’ll be even slightly used to the grammar. It’s picky of me, I know.”

“Nah, I get it,” Luz shrugged, “can I see the lines at least? Maybe I can find a way to help.” When Gus handed Luz the script, she read excitedly, but her brow furrowed as she continued reading, “oh jeez, yeah this is a lot. I’m understanding why they have us read it as a class when we do these now. I couldn’t imagine having to act on top of it.”

“Do you know any of your theatre friends that might be able to help? They might have better methods,” Willow asked.

Gus pondered for a moment and the conclusion he came to wasn’t one he was very fond of. “I think I do, though I’m not sure how much he’ll actually help.”

“Who’s he?” Luz was curious, “OH! Backstory?!”

“Not exactly backstory,” Gus picked up his phone and began texting someone, “just someone I always run into.”

“Got too caught up in your card games, huh Augustus?” Matt’s voice was always in a cocky, condescending tone. His arms were folded as he leaned against the wall of a hall just past the auditorium lobby.

“Listen, just because I’m asking for your help doesn’t give you a free pass to rag on me,” Gus flipped through the audition scripts as he sat against the wall. The hall was painted with a mural of past shows the school had done over the years and was a good spot for privacy. “Also, you can just call me Gus.”

“Augustus is your name, is it not?”

“You can stop calling people by their full first names just so we can call you ‘Mattholomule’ or whatever you say your full name is.”

“That is my name!”

“You’ve been saying that for years,” Gus threw his hands in the air, “are you gonna help me or not?”

“Desperate, huh? What’s in it for me?”

This was beyond aggravating, Matt was always like this. He and Gus were the two best actors in their grade, but Matt always had the upper hand. Gus, admittedly, let his hobbies get in the way at times, and Matt already decided he was going to study theatre in college. Gus wanted to make sure he could get this role so that the performing arts teachers could see his skill firsthand, it was time to play theatre kid politics. “You know those juniors that are always acting like they’re hot shit, right?”

“Of course, they give me no respect, even when I beat them out for a lead role this past spring musical.”

“Exactly! We need to work together if we wanna get the two leads. You can show up those snobs and I can finally show off my own talent so I can get better roles next year! What do you say?”

“You make a good argument, but I know very well you secretly wanna beat me out in the long run.”

“Then who will be your rival, huh? Don’t you love the competition, Mattholomule?” Gus gave a sly grin and Matt was speechless, blushing almost.

“I really hate how smart you are sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”

“Whatever! It’s a deal,” Matt reached out his hand and Gus shook, “remember, though: I’m the one with lead experience, so I’m the teacher.” Matt had been cast as Lefou in the school’s production of Beauty & the Beast just a month prior. It wasn’t a huge role, but his experience was undeniable.

“Of course, consider this a truce between us for this show,” Gus flipped through his script once more to find a good spot to start.

“Does that sweet, new girl know she’s friends with someone as conniving as you?” Matt was abusing this truce to really speak his mind.

“Heh, Luz, you mean?” Gus chuckled, “I just know how to play the field I’m in. Besides, playing Magic with her and Willow gives me a break from all these high school politics.”

Matt paused at Gus’ observation, “couldn’t be me.”

“Not a fan of trading card games?”

“More like…” another pause, “not a fan of losing focus.”

Gus could see Matt’s unwavering dedication to his craft had an effect, but that was a conversation for another day. “Well then, let’s not lose any focus. Why not start with Act 2, Scene 2. It’s what everyone’s gonna come to see, right? Some good ol’ ‘Wherefore art thou, Romeo?’”

“You read my mind, Augustus.” The two went to work.

Part 3: Grief (Eda’s POV)

Tarkir prerelease was a complete success. There were almost 45 people in the store, 33 playing prerelease and 12 playing Modern, and plenty of customers that came in throughout the day to buy booster boxes, collector boxes, and commander decks. As the last of the customers left and she, King, and Hooty closed up shop, she turned off the lights and locked the front doors.

“Well, I’ve gotta hit the hay! BYE YOU TWO! See you in the afternoon, Eda!” Hooty waved goodbye as he walked to his car, it was almost 12:30 AM and all three of them were exhausted.

“Later, Hoot, drive safe,” Eda twirled her keys and stretched her arms out. Suddenly a massive pang hit her body right below her stomach and in her upper legs. Her chronic pain held off for the whole day, thankfully, but now it was all hitting. “Gah! Shit. King, can you check if my cane is in my car?” She handed him her car keys.

King was right next to her helping her stand and slowly brought her to a ledge near some shrubbery on the sidewalk. “Of course, it should be in there,” he took her keys and scurried to the car. After digging in the back seat for a second, he made his way to the glove compartment up front to grab something else. “Found it! I also found an extra bottle of tylenol for you.”

“Thanks, hon,” she took the medicine and took her cane. The two waited on the sidewalk for the medicine to kick in. It was never able to stop the pain, but she could at least walk a little better. Eda tried to reflect on how great the day was, and just how good it’ll be for the upcoming Final Fantasy set in a few months, too. However, all that was on her mind was just how much everything hurt. Her body had been like this for almost a decade, just after she and Lilith opened the shop, and she couldn’t remember how or why this started. She closed her eyes, hoping it would help.

“Need anything, ma?”

“Just a second.” Eda looked up toward the sky, just barely seeing a cluster of stars through the light pollution. “Thanks for your help today, sweetie. You’re always doing such a good job,” Eda wrapped her arm around her son’s shoulder.

“Aw, of course! I quite literally get paid to do this, so…”

“Well, yeah, but you’re always there for me. It means a lot.”

King smiled, “it’s only right for how much you’ve for me, ma.” He rested his head on her shoulder. Eda smiled, too. This was such a peaceful moment. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What did Aunt Lilith say to you?”

Eda’s smile slowly faded. “It’s not a big deal, kid. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not a kid anymore, you can tell me,” King might’ve been a teenager, but he was still a child.

“I-...,” she was trying not to let her pain control her thoughts. There was a moment where she almost hit him with a “because I said so,” which she always hated as a kid. When she took King in as a baby, she promised to herself to always treat him with respect so that he would respect her back. It seemed like now, though, his empathy beat out his concept of privacy. “Adult things.”

“You looked so sad, though.”

Eda sighed, she couldn’t hide this much longer. “Your aunt has been trying to convince me to take up a job with her. This was try number…five maybe? She thinks it’ll help keep the store going with the extra money.”

“But-...but the store needs you around!”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her, but she’s trying so hard to be as practical as she can. Well, whatever her idea of practical is,” Eda rubbed her temple as she focused on resting her legs before driving.

“Why did she leave?”

“That…I don’t have an answer for.” She did and she didn’t. Lilith had said it was for better money, but was that what she believed. Eda had been pondering that for years. “I just realized, you’re wearing her old Wu-Tang shirt, aren’t you?” King's shirt featured the album cover for 36 Chambers by the Wu-Tang Clan. Lilith was a huge fan, but never wore that shirt out in public out of embarrassment. Eda could fondly picture her sister wearing that shirt to bed in the room they shared as teenagers.

“Oh, yeah! She actually gave it to me the other day. I…wanted to surprise you. Sorry if it was a bad time.”

“Nah, sweetheart, nah,” Eda tightened her grip around her son, “I think it’s cute. Shows she hasn’t lost all of her fun.” Enough time had passed where she felt good to drive. Her body still ached, but she could at least move. “Let’s get going, it’s late.”

Eda and King lived in a condo across the river in the next town over. The river across from the shop was actually the city limits, so while they could see their house from afar, they still had to make a 15-minute drive through downtown and over the bridge. Their home was small, but it was a perfect size for them. King tossed his bag of decks on the floor next to his shoes as he yawned, “I’m gonna go sleep, ma. Love you!”

“Love you, too,” she pulled him in for a hug and kissed him on the top of the head, “sleep tight.” While her son made his way to his room, she laid out on the couch to rest her legs some more. Even though her room was nearby, she was desperate to just sit down again, it was likely she’d fall asleep here by accident. Before that could happen, her phone buzzed. “Who the hell is texting me, this late?”

It was an unknown number. The first message had only a picture attached; an obituary for someone named Caleb Wittebane. Wittebane? She thought, like from Belos? Another text came through.

“You might see me soon, keep this under the hat. Trying to figure things out with this. - RW.”

“...Raine?”

Part 4: Fury (Amity's POV)

Amity was on edge the morning after prerelease. She snuck back into the house without waking anyone up, at least to her knowledge, but if her mom knew just how late FNM ran she would probably get an earful from her. Even though her mom allowed her to go to FNM, Amity was not exempt from endless judgement every time she did. Every week it was some new reason she’d be upset with her; not focusing on her schoolwork enough, staying out too late, wasting time when she could be doing something “productive” (she used that word often). Maybe this time she wouldn’t have to deal with her.

Things likely were fine this week, though. She vaguely remembered her mom and dad planning on attending some business meeting in the morning, so hopefully her mom would have forgotten if she did hear Amity. However, Amity opened her door to the smell of cooked breakfast. Shit. Her mom was still home.

Amity slowly made her way down the steps and saw her mother out of the corner of her eye eating her breakfast at the table and reading the newspaper. Odalia Blight had the same breakfast every morning: two eggs, a piece of toast, and a cup of coffee. Getting in the way of that was sacrilege. You could join her at the table, but if you spoke unless spoken to she would unleash her fury. There was another plate at the table with the same breakfast for Amity. Odalia always tried to shape her daughter in her image down to the smallest detail.

When Amity sat down to eat, her mother immediately shot her a look. “You came home rather late from your…outing last night, Amity.”

“Yes…I’m sorry, mom.”

“You’re very fortunate I allow you to go out and play those little games of yours. Your father doesn’t have that same privilege. If you take it for granted, that privilege can, and will, be taken away.”

He doesn’t have that privilege because you overwork him, “of course. I’ll be sure to be more aware of the time.” Amity’s parents ran a successful home security business in the area. Her dad was an excellent software engineer and her mom ran the financial side of things. Odalia’s ambition always ignored Alador’s needs, however. She’d always commit them to massive projects that would cause him to work well into the weekend, promising a massive profit out of it. The worst part about it was that they were, in fact, wildly successful, so it was increasingly difficult to try and roll things back, regardless of how much Amity and her siblings wanted it.

“What are your plans for today, Amity? Studying, I hope? You’re reaching the end of the school year.” It was always the same. Study, study, study, study, all Odalia saw her daughter for was an academic success to go off to college and take up the family business once she graduated. Just so she could have a quiet retirement. Amity saw through it all, her mother just treated her children as a means to an end. She needed to do something, but her fear always pulled her back.

“Yes. Thankfully, I’ll have a little time to relax this weekend. I don’t have any tests this coming week.”

Odalia paused, then slowly took a sip of her coffee. “Thankfully?”

Amity was a deer in headlights, she had no response.

“What do you mean by ‘thankfully,’ dear?”

“Well, I’ll get to-”

“Get to what? Waste away your day? How ridiculous.”

“...I’d hope to practice a little bit of Magic online.”

“Ha!” she laughed in Amity’s face, “please, spare me. There’s a reason I don’t push you to get a job or do something outside of classes like I do with your siblings. They don’t have the same skill as you do. You should be taking every waking moment as an opportunity to train yourself for your future. Not fooling around with cards,” Odalia stood up to clean up from her breakfast.

Amity barely touched her food and she could feel herself tightly gripping the fork in her hand, it felt like she could snap the metal in half. “...that is my future,” she mumbled under her breath. She hoped her mom wouldn’t hear it, but she saw Odalia turn her head toward her. Fuck, she heard me, she thought.

“Could you say that a little louder, dear?”

“...I didn’t say anything.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

Amity slowly picked at her breakfast. Only half of it was gone when she decided to head back upstairs, purposefully avoiding eye contact with her mother as she remained at the kitchen table. Every day felt like she was under 24/7 surveillance and her room was her only solace. This was where she could let out all the emotions she had to hide every day, in front of those who would judge her. Every day felt like she was wearing a mask designed for her that didn’t fit, it made her so angry that she’d often resort to slamming her fist into the pillow and letting the tears roll down her face.

Amity’s pillow was dented, bruised, misshapen. Much like herself. She’d been forced into so many boxes and roles. Magic was the only true escape she had, it allowed her to put her love of strategy and creativity into one place while experiencing the thrill of competition. Yet, all of her mother’s outlook rubbed off onto her, and this competition turned to isolation. To coldness. It was corny, but it was Magic the Gathering, and she never really felt like she got to experience the gathering part in so long, not since Willow was out of the picture.

She laid on her back, looking around her room and pondering what she was going to “study” today. Amity studied when she needed to, of course, she didn’t want to be a bad student, but a vast majority of this “studying” she’d do on the weekends was not that at all. She could finish sleeving up her Blink deck for next week’s FNM, then maybe try it out some more on MTGO. That, or she could organize the cards she got from prerelease.

She opted for the latter, hoping she’d find something worth quite a bit. Among the cards was a Cori-Steel Cutter. Amity had overheard Luz mention the card a lot at the prerelease event, the new girl was excited to try it in a Prowess deck shell. Maybe she’d need one. Amity booted up her computer to see if she could find Luz in the Owl House’s Discord server, but she wasn’t sure who was who. Instead, she messaged the store’s profile.

BlightedAgent52: Hey, could one of you guys let Luz know I have a copy of Cori-Steel Cutter in case she needs one?

She considered mentioning that she needed a fourth Thoughtseize she could trade the card for, but didn’t want to say too much. Luz still perplexed her. She didn’t hate her per se, but the girl gave her an uneasy vibe at times. Not that she was mean spirited, she was just…out there.

She heard a notification ring: GoodWitchLuz sent you a friend request. “Of course that’s her username,” Amity whispered. She accepted the friend request.

GoodWitchLuz: heyyyyy!! i’ll GLADLY take the Cutter, do you need anything too??
BlightedAgent52: Just a Thoughtseize, really.
GoodWitchLuz: i have a few extras! which printing do you prefer, Lorwyn, Theros, or OTJ?
BlightedAgent52: Lorwyn, please. Thanks.
GoodWitchLuz: no prob!
BlightedAgent52: Bring it to school Monday, I’ll pick it up from you at lunch.
GoodWitchLuz: :O !! you got it!!

Yeah, ‘out there’ was the best way to describe her for sure. Her dad would like Luz a lot. Amity turned her attention to MTGO after the messages to get some reps in with Blink, to which she swiftly 5-0’ed a Modern League with the deck. She had enough time to participate in the Challenge that day, too, and ran it back with the same list, reaching 7th place with a 5-2 record. This was her future.

Part 5: Endurance (Willow’s POV)

Willow spent her break at softball practice under the shade of a tree beyond the foul line in right field. As she ate her snack, she was watching a video of the Magic streamer Kanister playing the Amulet Titan deck. When she heard Gus was getting into Modern, she thought she’d might as well, too, but wasn’t sure if there’d be any land-based decks like she loves playing in commander. Luz told her about Titan, but also warned her that it was rather difficult. Watching these videos, though, she came to understand it pretty easily. There were a lot of convoluted lines of play, but she thought as long as she could remember her decklist well enough and understand the state of the game she’d be fine.

Just as Willow felt herself mutter a game-winning line of play to herself as she watched the video, a grating voice called out to her. “Hey! Willow!,” it was Boscha, “what’re you doing brooding out there?” The jock approached her, though oddly not accompanied by any of her crew.

“Why does it matter? I’m just relaxing.”

“You look so weird just by yourself.”

“What, you want me to sit in the dugout with you guys just so you can annoy me easier?”

“If you don’t like being around the rest of the team so much, why don’t you just quit?”

“Because I like playing softball. Simple as that,” Willow’s tone became sharp. It was taking everything in her to hold in every insult she wanted to hurl at Boscha.

“‘Simple as that!” Boscha mocked Willow, “don’t get all in my face when coach yells at you for being late from break.”

“I have my phone on me, I can keep time just fine. You’re really digging, huh?”

“Oh shut up, bitch,” Boscha put force into every word. Willow almost snapped, she felt her fist tighten when a voice intervened.

“HEY!” Emira Blight was right behind Boscha, “what did you just say?”

“Nothing,” Boscha lied. Her cocky demeanor vanished, but she was still stone-faced, hiding the nerves from being confronted by her team captain.

“Nothing?”

“Yeah.”

“Take a lap.”

“What?!”

“Want me to tell coach?”

Boscha paused, looked at Willow and Emira, and gave a heavy sigh before running a lap around the field. “Look who’s sucking up to coach now!” Willow yelled back at Boscha, who gave her a dirty look over her shoulder.

“If she ever does anything like that again, tell me immediately. I’ll get her off the team at light speed,” Emira put a hand on Willow’s back.

“Thanks, Em,” Willow was one of the few people Emira allowed to call her Em, “just when I thought I could enjoy the weather, she had to come and ruin it.”

“I don’t know why my sister hangs out with her. Well, I do, but I don’t get how she hasn’t strangled her yet.”

“Yeah, she told me about how those friends of hers basically just use her as an excuse to hang out at a nice house like yours.”

“Pretty much,” Emira finally realized after a second pause, “wait, you talked to her?!”

“Yup,” Willow had a small smile on her face.

“When? How? What?”

“I, heh, found out her secret last night. That she still plays Magic.”

“How’d that happen?!”

“You know Luz, the new girl?” Emira nodded yes to Willow’s question, “apparently the two of them had gotten to know each other a little bit. Luz didn’t think Amity would be at the event yesterday, she overheard she’d be at a birthday party, but I guess that was a cover for playing Magic. Gus and I went to the event with Luz and, well, one thing led to another, we got paired against each other and sorta…talked over our game.”

“So is…uh…everything good?”

Willow chuckled at her captain’s question. It was in good faith, all Emira wanted was the best for her sister, even if her version of that was pranking her from time to time, but asking if things being “good” was a loaded question. “It was only one conversation, so I’m not sure…”

“That’s fair.”

“...but I wouldn’t be opposed to things being ‘good’ with time. There’s a part of me that still hurts, but she’s hurting, too.”

Emira smiled, “you’re really kind, you know that?”

“Give kindness and you’ll receive kindness,” she motioned her hand toward Boscha, who just finished her lap, “something that one over there may never learn.” The girls laughed at Willow’s quip when the whistle blew, break was over. Emira jogged back as Willow grabbed her things.

The clouds were beautiful in the sky, like white mountains peaking over the suburban landscape of the school fields. Willow took it in as she jogged to the dugout, looking around beyond the fields as well when she noticed a familiar figure. A boy around her age with blonde hair on a skateboard. It felt like the two locked eyes once again, when suddenly the boy’s skateboard got caught in a crack in the parking lot, causing him to fall over. Willow gasped. He landed on his side and slowly got back up, nothing seemed broken, but Willow was still nervous. “You good out there?!” she called out to him.

“Um…yup! I’m fine!” He promptly skated away as fast as he could.

It was almost adorable. Willow hoped she’d see him watching a game again sometime soon, he seemed sweet.

Chapter Text

Hey everyone!

I've been having so much fun writing this fic. This last week was rather busy so I didn't have much time to write (had to work a lot, had orientation for a job I'll be working this summer, and even went to my first hardcore show over the weekend!) I do plan on having the next chapter out either this weekend or sometime next week, so be sure to keep an eye out. In the meantime, here's some of the Hexsquad's favorite bands/tunes! (Some of these will have explanations tacked on, if there's none it's purely vibes based.)

Luz: Luz, as we've seen, loves her punk music, but she's also a fan of some 90s/2000s alt rock. She's acquired a lot of her interests through her family members, and her music taste is a very big one. Vee got her into all of the pop punk bands she likes, and her love for the latter comes from her parents playing their favorite music in the car when she was young. Camila still plays a lot of the same as well. Here's some of Luz's favorite songs:

"Shed" by Title Fight - her favorite song ever at the moment. The riff to it is always playing in her mind.

"There, There" by The Wonder Years - she especially relates to this one. Lyrics such as "I know how it seems when I'm always staring off into nothing, I'm lost in my head again" speak to her undiagnosed ADHD quite a bit.

"Featuring Mark Hoppus" by Hot Mulligan

"Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind - a Manny Noceda BANGER. Luz's earliest memory is seeing her dad drum on the steering wheel to this song as she sat in the back seat when she was around 4. He never stopped drumming on the wheel.

"Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia - Camila's favorite, Luz has belted this in the car with her mother more times than she can count.

Amity: The day Amity discovered emo music and style changed her forever. She found music that spoke to her to such a level that made her feel seen, and if Odalia wasn't always hovering over her, she'd dress the way she wanted to as well. Her favorite band is Paramore and she often sings their songs to herself, pretending she could sound like Hayley Williams. Her favorite songs include:

"Pressure" by Paramore - her favorite song without a doubt, and one she relates to on a visceral level.

"Circle With Me" by Spiritbox - hearing a femme metal vocalist for the first time might have been her lesbian awakening.

"The Music or the Misery" by Fall Out Boy - she wrote "I wish I could look like a lesbian Pete Wentz" in her diary one time.

"Signals Over the Air" by Thursday

"Thank You for the Venom" by My Chemical Romance

Gus: Gus' taste is incredibly varied, but mostly leans toward pop and pop-adjacent music and indie rock. You can often expect these to be blaring from his phone in the dressing room for a show.

"Blame Brett" by The Beaches

"No Time to Explain" by Good Kid

"Taste" by Sabrina Carpenter

"Electric Feel" by MGMT - this is THE go-to pre-show hype track.

"One More Time" by Daft Punk

Willow: I feel like Willow doesn't listen a whole lot of music in her free time, I see her as a gamer who wants to appreciate the soundtrack to whatever she's playing (her favorite games are Deltarune and Metroid Prime). However, she does listen to music when either exercising, at practice, or before softball games. To me, it only makes sense that she LOVES rap and hip-hop.

"Family Ties" by Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar - the Gravesfield Wolves pump-up song on the bus ride to away games.

"Denial Is A River" by Doechii

"Check the Rhime" by A Tribe Called Quest

"Break Ya Neck" by Busta Rhymes

"Bleach" by Brockhampton

Hunter: Even though we've only got to see a little bit of him, I'm VERY excited for when he becomes a more prominent character in the story. What I can say, though, is that he has a lot of repressed emotions. He hides behind his mask, especially when he plays Magic, because he's constantly forced to hide everything he feels, especially around his uncle. The music he listens to, much like Amity, has helped him understand the emotions he feels, so a lot of it is rather angry. I'd say he's the metalhead of the group in this AU, much of his taste is in the metal/post-hardcore range.

"Rose of Sharyn" by Killswitch Engage - "It won't be long, we'll meet again"

"Still Burning" by Incendiary

"Gravedigger" by Architects

"Wires and the Concept of Breathing" by A Skylit Drive

"Ruby Leaf" by Royal Coda

Hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope this gets some of you hooked onto this music as a lot of the bands/songs listed are some of my favorites! I would make a spotify playlist but I forgot my account is linked to facebook and don't feel like giving out that much personal info lol. Also feel free to comment any additions you feel would be great! I really enjoy expanding on stories this way. See you all next chapter!

Chapter Text

POV: Amity

Monday morning was cold and rainy and Amity sat in the back of her sister’s car with her headphones in, starting out the window while the muffled sound of her twin siblings bickering impeded on her daydream. They were once again arguing over whose car it was. Emira always went with the point that she got her license first, while Edric was the one who picked out the car. To Amity, it was just some sedan with a push-to-start, what was so special about it?

Amity skipped a few songs on her phone, sifting through her mega playlist of songs until she came across one she forgot she added. When she’s bored, she’ll sometimes see what people in the Discord servers she’s in are up to, whether it be games they’re playing or music they’re listening to. She hated hanging out with her group of friends from school so the Discord activity bar became a suggestion box for her. The song that came up was one she found from none other than Luz: “Don’t Let Me Cave In” by The Wonder Years.

She wasn’t sure why the song caught her so off guard. The opening riff and vocals hit so differently in her headphones. There were no distractions on her computer, she wasn’t just aimlessly adding it to her Liked Songs, it was pure focus.

“There comes a day when you rectify
Who you are with who you wanna be with
And I can’t make the two things coexist
So don’t let me cave in…”

Was she…about to cry?

“Hey, Mittens! We’re here!” Edric interrupted Amity’s thoughts. She didn’t realize they parked and that her siblings were halfway out of the car already. Amity and the twins hastily ran to the school, not even bothering with their umbrellas with how hard it was coming down. She shook her hair out once inside, not realizing her siblings already said bye to her and were halfway down the hall.

Amity sighed, time for yet another day at school. She was proud of her achievements, but it felt suffocating to deal with the same routine every day. Today, though, there was the opportunity for it to be different. She looked to her left and found Luz, who was uncharacteristically early to school, organizing her locker. Amity remembered to bring the Cori-Steel Cutter, but was nervous about approaching her at lunch or any of the classes they had together because Willow and Gus would for sure be right there, so why not now?

“Hey,” Amity approached her classmate. She didn’t realize how focused Luz was, though, and Luz bumped her head on the shelf of the locker. “Oh my god! Are you OK?”

“Ough, yup! Just a lil’ clumsy, heh,” Luz looked down at Amity’s hand and the card activated the neurons in her brain, “OH! The Cutter! Thanks so much! I thought you were gonna bring it to me at lunch?”

“I saw you when I came in so I thought I might as well,” Amity rubbed her arm after handing off the card. Luz’s eyes beamed, looking at the full-art printing of the card.

“I love it!! I wish I had a full playset of this art, but I’m just glad I have it. Let me grab the Thoughtseize for you.” Luz pulled a small card binder out of her bag and pulled a foil Thoughtseize from Iconic Masters out, which shared the art from the original Lorwyn printing, “here ya go! I have a non-foil one actually from Lorwyn, but the foiling on that version is too good not to give as thanks.”

“Woah, wait, it’s foil? What’s the difference between the two cards, I can pay you that much,” Amity began to fumble in her backpack for her wallet.

“Oh, don’t worry about it! I’m not a fan of that art, to be honest, so I’d rather it be in the hands of someone who’ll appreciate it more.” Foil versions of the original printing of Thoughtseize were over $200, but the Iconic Masters reprint in front of Amity was only about $20, yet still more expensive than the Cutter. It may have only been a $5ish difference, but she wasn’t expecting to be given such a pretty card. Plus, Luz didn’t know that was her favorite card, so she was trying to hide her blushing.

“Huh, thanks. I appreciate it.”

“No problem!” Luz went back to organizing her locker as Amity stood there. Amity wanted to say more, but wasn’t sure why. Talking to Luz felt nice, she wouldn’t have thought she’d be feeling this way almost a month ago.

“Are you gonna compete at the RCQ at the Owl House this Saturday?”

“Oh crap, it’s Modern RCQ season already?”

“Yeah, it started a few weeks ago. It came up fast, honestly.”

“I’m glad your Cutter completed my playset then, now I just gotta find some good Prowess lists. Are you gonna play any new Tarkir cards?”

“I think Clarion Conqueror would work well as a sideboard piece. Shutting off activated abilities seems pretty strong. It’s like Null Rod on a stick.”

Luz chuckled at Amity’s analogy, “I didn’t think of it that way! I’ll have to tell Eda that one, she’ll find it funny.” The bell rang and Luz hurriedly grabbed the rest of her things. “I gotta bolt, sorry! My class is on the opposite side of the building. See you later!”

“See you…,” Amity’s voice trailed off as she watched Luz run off. She began to powerwalk to her first class, Amity Blight was never late. Unfortunately, another voice delayed her path.

“Why were you talking with the new girl? Still trying to hide your little card game from everyone?” Boscha was leaning against the wall, watching Amity with a judging glare.

“Why are you on my case, Boscha?”

“Well, Amity, I just don’t like fake friends. I thought you were over that nerd stuff. There’s way more important things, you should know that.”

“Fake…you’re so dramatic sometimes.”

Amity began to walk away before Boscha yelled back to her, “what, you want everyone in school to know your secret now? You know that’ll ruin your reputation.”

“My reputation?!” Amity’s neck snapped back to Boscha, she didn’t even feel herself say the next few words out of her mouth as the adrenaline rushed, “no, Boscha. You’re just worried that if people learn about it, you’ll also become ‘uncool’ by association. It’s a card game! Stop acting like you give a fuck and just let me be.” The cuss that rolled off her tongue had so much force behind it, it was almost as if it was what propelled her pivot back toward class. She didn’t see Boscha’s shocked expression, but she didn’t care. Amity Blight is never late to class.

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POV: Luz

“I’ll cast Cori-Steel Cutter,” Luz held out the new artifact card and Willow gave a thumbs up for the spell to resolve. It was the full art copy she got from Amity, too. “I’ll then cast Mishra’s Bauble, Cori trigger?” Willow gave another thumbs up. It was exciting to have a 2/2 Prowess creature on the field as early as turn 2. The two girls were practicing one-on-one; for Luz it was to practice for the store’s RCQ coming up that weekend, and for Willow it was to practice Titan in paper. Willow didn’t own the deck yet, but thankfully Eda always had decks aside in case anyone didn’t have one, so she was able to borrow it. It felt awkward being the only two people playing Modern while the store’s Tuesday Commander night was going on since Gus had to practice for his audition with Matt, but it was nice to get to introduce Willow to Modern.

When it got to Willow’s turn, she studied her cards for a moment. “Can I try to play this line out and then just take it back if it doesn’t work out? I think I might be able to win here,” she asked. It was only turn 2 for Willow as she was on the draw, so this was a pretty big deal if she could figure this out.

Luz’s face lit up, “sure! Let’s see it, girl!” She’d been ecstatic that her friends were getting into Modern.

Willow started out playing a second Amulet of Vigor to match the one she played turn 1. She then played a Gruul Turf, bouncing the basic Forest to her hand. With the Amulet triggers, she produced four mana total, two red and two green, then used two of it to cast Explore. She drew her card of Explore, then played a Simic Growth Chamber thanks to Explore giving her an extra land drop. Thanks to Amulet, Willow now had six mana to play Primeval Titan. With Titan’s search trigger, she got a Lotus Field and Mirrorpool onto the field. Lotus Field gave her another six red mana, and she made a colorless mana with the Mirrorpool, leaving it untapped. Before she had to sacrifice two lands to Lotus Field’s enter trigger, she used four of the red and the one colorless to use Mirrorpool’s ability to make a copy of her Titan.

Luz was smiling like a proud parent watching their kid’s first baseball game. With the Titan copy’s enter trigger, she searched for Hanweir Battlements and another Gruul Turf. With the floating red mana from Lotus Field, she used Hanweir Battlements’ ability to give one her of Titans haste, then bounced it to her hand with Gruul Turf. She then cast Summoner’s Pact to put Dryad of the Ilysian Grove in her hand, which she then played with the mana from the second Turf. This allowed her to have another landrop, thus playing the Battlements again and giving the second Titan haste. “Hm,” she pondered over her cards again, “I can hit you for 12 damage, and I’ll have enough to pay for the Pact trigger once it comes back to my turn even after sacing lands to Lotus Field. That’s if you don’t have enough to kill me, of course.” She resolved the rest of her triggers, then moved to combat and attacking with both Titans, getting lands like Urza’s Saga and Otawara, Soaring City to her field. “Uh, you good there Luz?”

Luz was watching Willow play the deck with her hands on her cheeks all excited and giddy, “you’re doing such a great job!! I’m so happy.”

Willow giggled, “oh just declare if you have any effects!”

“Nope! I’m going to 4. You got me real good there.”

“You don’t have to hype me up all this much just ‘cuz I’m new to the format.”

“I know, I know. It’s just that’s a REALLY hard deck, I couldn’t pilot it even if it was the only thing I played. You’re picking it up really well. Did you wanna take it back since you didn’t win there?”

“Thanks, bud, but I think it’ll be better to keep playing,” Willow smiled, “now, let’s see if you can show off your turn 3 kill!”

Luz untapped and drew for turn. On her field was a monk token equipped with Cutter and a Monastery Swiftspear. In hand were the following: Wooded Foothills, Violent Urge, Preordain, Lightning Bolt, and now a second Mishra’s Bauble that she drew for turn. Luz’s graveyard had a land and an artifact, so with the sorcery and instant in her hand, she could turn on delirium for Violent Urge to give the creature she buffs double strike for tons of damage. With Willow at only 15 life, this was definitely a turn 3 kill.

Bauble, Prowess trigger 1. Crack the Bauble to look at Willow’s top card. Still only two types in yard.

Preordain, Prowess trigger 2, Cutter trigger. Now she had two monks and a Swiftspear. Three card types in yard. She kept a Lava Dart on top and put a basic Mountain on the bottom of her deck from scrying, then drew the Dart. After briefly doing some math, she didn’t even need the Dart, Bolt and Urge were just enough.

She swung with two 2/2 monks and a 3/4 Swiftspear. Before damage, she cast Bolt, bringing Willow down to 12. Prowess trigger 3.

Finally, with four card types in her graveyard, she cast Violent Urge targeting the Swiftspear. Prowess trigger 4. Two 5/5 Monks and a 6/6 Swiftspear with double strike was enough to deal a whopping 22 damage!! Prowess was back, and damn did Luz feel good playing the deck again.

Willow was in awe, “feels like this matchup is a ‘who can be the fastest,’ huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Luz scooped up her cards for the next game, “last time this deck was around I remember being the only deck that could be as fast as Titan, so I’m not surprised it was that quick. This will probably be a lot slower after we sideboard.”

“Sheesh, kid. That Cutter card has only been out for a weekend and you’re already finding ways to break it!” The girls didn’t notice Eda had been watching a bit over Willow’s shoulders, “and Willow, I’m amazed someone can pick up Titan lines that easily!”

“I’m shocked everyone’s saying it’s so hard, it feels like muscle memory.”

“Keep up that attitude, along with a lot of good practice, and you’ve got a promising competitive future ahead of you. Say, did you ever learn about the card Summer Bloom?”

“Eda’s OOOOLD!!” Hooty poked fun at the store owner from the counter.

“Oh, shut it, Hoot!”

“Say, Eda,” Luz interrupted as she laughed at Hooty’s joke, “can I come by again this week to practice with you for the RCQ this weekend?”

“With me? I’m not competing.”

“Well, yeah! Exactly! I thought I might as well ask someone who’s accomplished as much as you have to give me some pointers.”

Luz could see that Eda was surprised by this, “y’know what, sure! Willow, will you be joining this too?”

“Oh no,” Willow chuckled, “I don’t think I’m anywhere near that level yet. Maybe next time.”

“Well if you change your mind, you’re more than welcome to. How about tomorrow, Luz? I’ll play whatever you want to practice against.”

“Absolutely!!” Luz beamed, but just as she was about to ask Eda what decks she had, the owner had to step away to help a customer.

“How are you feeling for the RCQ, Luz?” Willow asked, “you already won one, think you can win this one, too?”

“Eugh, jeez, I’m not sure…” Luz rubbed the back of her neck. She’d still hadn’t gotten over the fact that she qualified for SCG Hartford, so much so she’d been barely preparing for the fact that she’d have to play Standard instead of Modern for it. “I’m just hoping I can make top 8 at least, the Ugin pin looks really cool.”

“You think Amity’s gonna be there?”

“Oh for sure, she told me she’s gonna play this Orzhov Blink deck probably. I bet Caleb will be there, too.”

“Caleb?”

“OH! I didn’t tell you? Some mysterious guy showed up in a black mask and wrecked shop a few weeks ago, he even beat Amity too. I could’ve sworn I saw him the other day. He was skateboarding to the library and I bumped into him, but he said his name was Hunter? They’ve got, like, blond hair, a bit of a strand of hair over their face. Totally mysterious vibe when he’s playing Magic but then Hunter was totally shy.”

“...I feel like I’ve seen him before,” Willow’s brow furrowed, “I saw a boy with blond hair skateboard by practice on Saturday. He got caught in a crack in the pavement and busted his ass, I felt so bad and he zoomed off.”

“Really?!” Luz was trying to stifle a laugh, “I feel bad but that’s really funny, sounds like something I’d do. I’d put money on them being the same person, though. Feels like a mysterious masked man sort of trope.”

“I’m just curious as to why he’d hide who he is.”

“Yeah…curious…,” Luz began to brew up a plan for the RCQ if this ‘Caleb’ showed up.

The next day, Luz patiently waited outside the Owl House after school let out. They didn’t open until 3 on Wednesdays, so it would be about 15 minutes until Eda would be around. For some reason, she was immeasurably bored and understimulated. The weather had been crappy the last few days, so standing outside in the cold April dampness left her tired. That is, until she noticed a familiar face walking down the street toward her. Vee!

“Hermana!!” Vee yelled from afar. She was walking next to another person with short, dark hair and gothic clothing.

“Ohmigosh!! Hi!!” Luz ran to her and gave her the biggest hug, then turned to the other person and reached out for a handshake, “hi there! I’m Luz, Vee’s sister.”

“Masha,” they smiled, “I’ve heard much about you from Vee.”

“Ohhhh Masha! Vee told me about you as well,” Luz had many late night conversations with her sister on the weekends and often heard about, to quote Vee, “this super pretty goth person at the museum.”

Masha chuckled, “is that so?”

“HAHA aaaaaaaanyway,” Vee blushed, “is that the store you play Magic at? I haven’t passed by it before, it’s cute!”

“Oh yeah! The store owner is actually gonna help me practice for an RCQ coming up this weekend!”

“I thought you won one of those already?”

“Well, this is for a different Regional Championship that’ll happen later in the year. Though honestly, I’m not sure if I wanna play for the invite because those two are out in Houston and Vegas, but the prize support is really cool! Plus it’ll be good experience for the RC in Hartford next month.”

“Wow, she really is this serious about this, huh?” Masha turned to Vee.

“I know, it’s so cute, and she’s so good too!” Vee’s praise for her sister made Luz blush as well. “I think I see someone waiting for you at the door of the store?” Luz turned around to see Eda unlocking the door, waving over to the three of them.

“Oh yes! Gotta go. I’ll see you at home, Vee, and really nice meeting you Masha!”

“I’m sure I’ll see you again,” Masha winked and interlocked their fingers into Vee’s. Luz gasped at that and smiled as Vee froze in lesbian panic.

“Aaaaaaaaa I’ll see you at home Luz!! Te amo!!” Vee waved bye and the two walked away.

Hehe, so cute, Luz watched the new couple head further downtown before meeting up with Eda. “That was my sister and her new partner,” she informed Eda.

“Aw, so sweet! Head on inside and set up your things. I’ve just gotta do a few things to open shop before Hooty gets here.” Eda turned the lights on and Luz claimed the first table she saw. Once she had laid out her playmat and deck, though, she heard Eda’s phone ring. Her ringtone was, surprisingly, the opening piano riff to “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, which made Luz giggle. “Oh shit, ringer was on for some reason, sorry about th-,” Eda looked at her phone in surprise, “sorry, I have to take this call. I’ll be out front if you need me.”

“No problem!” Luz was still smiling at Eda’s ringtone as she exited. “Let’s do some goldfishing, shall we?”

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POV: Eda

“Raine?” Eda was about to hang up after being surprised by her phone’s ringtone, but she thankfully looked at the caller ID.

“Yes ma’am,” their voice was silk. She hadn’t heard them speak in almost five years, maybe more.

“Sheesh, you sent me a cryptic text and didn't respond to my multiple messages until five days later,” she instinctively began busting their balls, but god she wanted to begin gushing about how excited she was to hear from them.

“I’m admittedly not that good with texting.”

“I could gather that from the fact that you signed your message like an email.”

“I’m more used to emails and phone calls.”

“So, no ‘how are you? What’re you up to? How’s King? Wanna go out to dinner?’ None of that?”

“I-...I’m sorry. Things have been hectic.”

“...I understand.”

There was a short pause before Raine spoke up again, “who’s King?”

“Oh, Gwen. He goes by King now.”

“Aw, good for him! That doesn’t surprise me honestly. I remember when he came home with short hair for the first time.”

Eda smiled, “he was so happy.” There was another pause. The two wanted to reminisce, reconnect, but the circumstances said otherwise.

“So, the screenshot I sent you-”

“Yeah, so isn’t that Philip’s brother? The guy who owns Belos?”

“Yes, exactly. His obituary is extremely vague about the cause and DOD, but I found an article on the Hartford Courant’s website published shortly before his obituary that reports of an overdose death that wasn’t found until almost a week later.”

“DOD?”

“Date of death.”

“You’re gonna have to slow down with the journalism speak with me.”

“Right, sorry. Anyway, the article reads ‘a male in his 40s was found dead in his home after a suspected overdose. Police suspect the deceased was dead for multiple days due to the conditions of his body and the smell in the home. Officers also found a young, teenage boy in the home with him in a perpetual state of shock. He was taken in to Gravesfield Medical and is in stable condition, but mentally drained. The family has asked for the identities of both individuals to remain anonymous.’ That’s when we then get a very eloquently written obituary for Mr. Caleb Wittebane. Date of death listed as five days prior to the article, vaguely says he passed away at home, in his sleep, and that he was survived by a 13 year-old son, Hunter.”

“Are you trying to say you found the culprit?”

“Well, I did an interview with Philip Wittebane at the Belos headquarters over some land dispute they got into with some town council by the coast, and he started to go on this emotional tangent about ‘how much he’s been through,’ and the ‘great losses he’s endured,’ to which he explained to me the tragedy of his brother, Caleb. He started saying things that he had this ‘soft exterior’ but secretly struggled with addiction that left his son, Hunter, in a depressed state. It all smelled, like a bunch of bullshit, though. This had to have been a murder somehow.”

“Raine, I really admire your ambition to solve this, it’s terrible, but I’m afraid this might put you in a dangerous situation. Philip’s full of bullshit, you’re right, but that sleazy attitude and money-hungry way of life could put your life at risk. You’re a reporter, not a private investigator,” Eda was getting more and more anxious at the thought of this. Images of Lilith in the same building as that scumbag flashed in her mind, and now Raine was flying too close to the sun.

“Well I’m calling you because Lilith could be at risk-”

“Please, for the love of god, don’t bring my sister into this.”

“You need to pull her out, Eda. Even outside of the interview, Philip is trying to pull off monopoly-level schemes that will effectively bankrupt some smaller towns so he can sap their tax money dry. We know damn well that her ‘changing things from the inside’ perspective has been flawed for years.”

Eda listened, but as Raine spoke their truth, she looked back inside to see how Luz was doing and saw her goldfishing with her deck. Not only did she see that, but she also saw herself. Goldfishing, or playing with Lilith, with Raine, with Alador, at the Pro Tour. “My god, she’s just like me.”

“...huh?” Raine’s confusion snapped Eda out of her trance.

“Shit, sorry, I-... I hired this kid a few weeks ago and, well, yeah.” Another silence. Eda and Raine could read each other’s thoughts through silence.

“Y’know for someone who talked about how much she hated kids the first time I met her, you seem to awfully love kids.”

“Shut up,” Eda laughed, “I can’t help it.”

“You have a kind heart, Eda. No matter how much of a bad girl you are, you’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” Raine’s sincerity cut through the barriers of cell service like a knife. Eda could feel herself tearing up.

“I’ll talk to Lilith, what else do you need from me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Philip is a fucking plague, I wanna see him taken down.”

“I know you tell me to be careful, but you’re really the one who needs to be careful. This isn’t your territory, so just do what you can, be on the lookout, and reach out to me with whatever you have. Don’t overreach, OK?”

“OK.”

“I have to go, but please call me if you have anything.”

“Wait, Raine, before you hang up,” Eda felt her heart jump, but in the silence as Raine waited, she couldn’t bring herself to say what she wanted to say. “Thanks for calling.” She wanted to say so much more.

“Of course. See you soon.” They hung up.

Eda felt herself hang there for a moment. People walked past her on the sidewalk, but they’d never know just how heavy the weight she carried was. She couldn’t keep Luz waiting in there, though. That kid could probably go for hours goldfishing and not realize what was happening around her. “Hey, kid, sorry that took a while.”

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, just…catching up with an old friend. Time to practice, though! I’ve got all the top decks on me, any you wanna battle against first?”

“Do you have Boros? I feel like almost everyone there is gonna be playing it.”

“You bet!” She grabbed her trusty playmat and got to work with her protege. It was her first time playing Modern against Luz, and she could see a fire in her eyes. It was the same fire Raine told her she had in her eyes when they first played against each other at GP Providence. This kid's going places.

Chapter Text

POV: Luz

Thursday night, the week of the RCQ. Luz was over at the Owl House after school the last two days getting reps in with Prowess against Eda. She felt pretty confident in most of her matchups, except for Boros. The lifegain from cards like Phlage and Guide of Souls were enough to help the deck stabilize against a glass cannon deck like Prowess, but with the right string of removal spells, Luz felt like she could conquer the matchup.

Luz was relaxing on the couch after dinner. Her mom made some excellent albóndingas guisados with some queso frito on the side. The days Camila was off from work were the best. Not only did she make some classic Dominican food, but Luz got to spend plenty of time with her. Camila’s late hours at the veterinary hospital meant they often caught each other shortly between school and work. Mixed with her new social life, Luz hadn’t seen her mom at all since Sunday. She didn’t realize how much she missed her until they were chit-chatting away in the living room that night.

“I’ve even seen some guys that look like scouts paying attention to Willow at these games,” Luz was talking about Willow’s softball games that she and Gus like to attend on the weekends when they can. Most of the conversation was Luz gushing about her new friends. “I keep telling her she should try to play softball in college, but it’s like she’s too humble for her own good!”

Camila laughed as her daughter threw her hands up in the air out of frustration, “sometimes people need a little push. I’m sure when those scouts approach her it’ll change her mind.”

“It better! I don’t wanna have to push her in front of them just for her to consider it,” Camila laughed again at her remark. “Her and Gus are great, though. They really helped me…what’s the word…accomodate?”

“Acclimate?” Camila corrected her.

“Acclimate! Yeah. Acclimate to everything. It definitely helps that they also play Magic.”

“Do they go to all the tournaments like you do?”

“Not really, though there is another girl my age who does! Her name’s Amity. She’s REALLY good, too. She was in Charlotte for the Regional Championship a few months ago and did so well that she almost made the Pro Tour! That’s like, the best of the best from all around the world.”

“Oh wow! Another friend of yours, I’m guessing?”

“Uh…” she wasn’t sure how to explain the complicated relationship they’ve had, but as of right now, Luz felt like she could give a positive answer, “yeah! She’s pretty competitive, so we didn’t get off on the right foot, but now we’re pretty friendly with each other.”

“And, just to make sure, you’ve been on top of your schoolwork, right?”

“Yup! I honestly was a little behind at first, but Willow and Gus have been helping me focus on getting things done.”

“You sure you’re not still behind?” Camila was able to read Luz like a book. Luz not only had trouble getting work done that didn’t speak to her hyperfixations for a long time, but she hated when her mom worried about her grades the most. If she could make it where no one would have to worry about her, it’d all be perfect.

“Mama, I’ll be fine, trust me.”

“I know you will be, but I need to have these kinds of talks with you to make sure of that, y’know?”

Luz sighed. “I-...,” whatever she’d say was bound to be met with a retort from her mom, and a correct one and that. “...it’s just been a lot.”

“Mija, I know life is moving fast. That’s all the more reason to slow yourself down.”

“But then how will I catch up on my schoolwork? Plus I’ve been on such a roll with Magic that I can’t just stop now!”

“I’m glad that’s going well for you, but you need to find a way to balance both, you-”

“I’m trying, ma!” She raised her voice and felt herself getting angry. Luz hated getting mad regardless of the situation, she’d always feel incredibly overstimulated from all the emotions rushing through, and this time was no exception. Luz simply laid her head against the couch and pulled her knees close to her chest. She felt her eyes water as her mom sat there in silence, letting Luz take in her emotions and try to process them. “How do other people do it? I feel like everyone has their life in order except for me.”

“You know that’s not true, Luz.”

It wasn’t true. Luz was always silently placing more and more expectations upon herself to just have it all together. Any time she saw another kid in school be successful, she couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing wrong. Her brain refused to let her understand that no one ever really has it together, but Luz was always the problem child, that’s what all the teachers said. That’s what all the report cards said. “Even when I’ve felt like I’ve been doing things right, things still somehow fall apart. Last Friday, I accidentally pushed too many boundaries and Willow had to be around Amity while Amity’s secret about playing Magic was out cuz the two of them had this HUGE falling out like YEARS ago,” she had to catch her breath, “It was horrible of me, ma!”

“Weren’t you just with Willow the other day?”

“...yeah, why?”

“And you said you’re friendly with Amity, too?”

“...yeah.”

“Now what happened with the two of them after?”

“I was told they talked for the first time in a while. Willow said it was a good conversation. They’re not, like, friends again, but they understand each other a bit more. They had a bad falling out a few years ago.”

“So things turned out alright, then?” Once again, Camila was right.

“But it happened in the first place! I can’t just be doing things like that!”

“First off,” Camila shifted over from the chair she was sitting in onto the couch next to Luz, “you said it was an accident. Second off, people make mistakes.”

“I’ve made too many mistakes, ma,” Luz began to bury her head in her knees as a tear fell.

“Luz, if you knew the amount of mistakes that everyone else has made in their lives, you’d realize they’ve made just as many as you. Plus, some of these ‘mistakes’ are not as bad as you think. Those girls seem to be on the right track to making amends with each other. If these mistakes have been resolved, it’s not an issue anymore,” she reached her arms out for a hug, to which Luz quickly accepted. “I wish I could’ve stepped in a bit more when you were younger, those teachers you used to have always made you focus too hard on if something was your fault. Blame and faults don’t matter more often than you think. What you have to do more than anything is keep moving forward.”

Luz sniffled, the tears were so close to breaking the dam in her eyes. She was quiet for a moment as her mom’s advice echoed, her mind especially mulled on “keep moving forward.” Even though it helped her when it came to what she was feeling at that moment, it hit somewhere else.

“Mama, I-...” she could feel herself begin to cry harder, “...I miss dad so much.” Luz felt her tears stain her mother’s shirt. The conversation didn’t even mention her father once, but for the past year his death always crossed her mind in emotional moments like this. Usually it was when she was alone in her room. Luz had been hiding this for a long time and she needed to let it out.

Luz couldn’t see it, but a tear ran down Camila’s face as well. “I miss him too, baby. He’s so proud of you, though. You’ve got that big tournament coming up next month and he’ll be watching over you, cheering you on.”

“Yeah,” Luz sniffled again, “you’re right. I’m sorry for getting worked up before.”

“It’s alright, mija. Like you said, it’s been a lot. You’re not alone when it comes to getting yourself on track, though. If there’s any way I can help, please let me know.”

“Te quiero mucho, mama.”

“Te quiero mucho.”

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POV: Gus

The night of auditions for Romeo & Julius was long. Edric wanted to have auditions and callbacks on the same night so they could begin rehearsals as soon as possible, but at the same time it left Gus exhausted once they were halfway through the callbacks. Having been called back for Romeo, Julius, and Mercutio, Gus was nothing short of ecstatic and nervous. He sat against the wall of the auditorium lobby watching a Commander match from the Scrybabies Youtube channel while the others around him continued to look over scripts. Gus preferred more laidback Commander channels like these and often had them on in the background while he did homework.

“I’m surprised you’re not studying more of your lines, Augusts,” Mattholomule approached him, “just cuz they don’t have to be memorized doesn’t mean you should just read it blind.”

“Trust me, I was doing that for almost 20 minutes before you came by. It’s just been taking so long, it’s almost 7!”

“I’d hope you were, I don’t want our practice going to waste.”

“Trust me, it won’t.” Gus looked back at his phone for a second before looking back to see Matt was still standing there against the wall, staring into nothing, “you’re allowed to take a seat, you know.”

“Alright, whatever,” Matt slide down the wall to sit next to Gus.

Weird, Gus thought to himself, but OK. At that moment, the door to the auditorium opened and everyone in the lobby shot their heads up to hear what Edric had to say.

“Can I have Gus Porter and Matt Tholomule in here, please?” Edric proclaimed. The two hurriedly gathered their things and made their way inside.

“Wait,” Gus whispered to Matt, “Tholomule is your last name?”

“Can it, Augustus!” Matt whispered back.

As the two approached the stage, Edric sat in the front row between two other senior theatre students, Katya and Amber. “Alrighty, can we see the two of you do the interaction between Romeo and Julius Act 1, Scene 5, where they first meet each other? I’d like to see Gus as Romeo and Matt as Julius. Feel free to improvise any stage directions so long as it’s not too much.”

The two prepared themselves, they’d already practiced this scene many times, so Gus felt his nerves suddenly wash away as he began reciting his lines:

GUS: “If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

MATT: “Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.”

GUS: “Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?”

MATT: “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.”

GUS: “O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.”

MATT: “Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.”

GUS: “Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take…”

Gus and Matt heard Edric speak out the stage direction of “he kisses him,” but little did the audition table know the two boys had been including the kiss in their practice. Before their eyes, Gus pulled Matt in and kissed him, hand on the cheek and everything. For the two actors, they had unanimously decided to do this when they practiced as a form of method acting. Needless to say, the audition panel was speechless as they continued to watch.

GUS: “Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.”

MATT: “Then have my lips the sin that they have took.”

GUS: “Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.”

They kissed again.

MATT: “You kiss by the book.”

They turned to the panel as they finished with smiles on their faces as they were infinitely pleased with their performance. There was a quiet in the air as those on the panel processed what they witnessed.

“Uh, wow! Great!” Edric smiled as well, beaming with excitement.

“I think we’ve seen all we needed,” Katya whispered in his ear with a grin on her face. Gus and Matt couldn’t hear her, but they could gauge that it was something good.

“For sure,” he whispered back, “you two can head back to the lobby while we discuss, thanks!”

Gus and Matt kept themselves composed until they went through the doors. Once back in the lobby, they let out all their excitement.

“We killed it out there, Matt!”

“Sure did! You’re not half bad, Augustus,” Matt folded his arms with a sly smile.

“Heh, even after all that you’re still tryna downplay me.”

“Gotta keep up our competition somehow!”

A knock was heard on the outer doors of the lobby. Gus turned and saw Willow being let in by an upperclassman with a bag in her hand. “Here ya go, Gus!”

“Oh my god, thank you!” He grabbed the bag and pulled out a sandwich Willow picked up for him so he wouldn’t starve, “how much do I need to pay you back?”

“Don’t worry about it! It wasn’t much.”

“Hey! You didn’t ask if I wanted anything!” Matt protested.

“Oh please, I saw you eating earlier, you’re fine!” Gus’ mouth was so full of food that what he said was barely intelligible.

“Hey, excuse me?” another student approached the three of them, specifically looking at Gus and Matt. This was Derwin, who usually stuck to himself in the tech booth as the head of the stage crew. “Just wanted to say that scene you guys did was the best of the night! That kiss looked so realistic!”

“Aw, thanks Derwin!” Gus still spoke with food in his mouth.

“Yeah! Thanks! We practiced that scene a lot together, you’re gonna see the two of us in those roles and absolutely blow everyone away!” Matt’s sly attitude radiated, powered by the compliments.

“Wait, you guys kissed in a scene just for an audition?” Willow cocked her head with an eyebrow raised.

“We’re very committed to this. Edric seemed to love it!” Gus finished his sandwich in record time.

Willow’s eyes narrowed at the two actors, “...I see.” This was something to question on a different day.

Gus and Matt impressed Edric beyond belief and, lo and behold, they found their names written on the cast list the next morning. Gus Porter as Romeo and Matt Tholomule as Julius.

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POV: Hunter

Hunter placed the window A/C unit on the windowsill and gently shimmied it through. Getting the window to close on the unit was always the hardest part since he had to do it by himself, but he managed this time around, just barely. Earlier this week was a lot chillier, which he enjoyed, but as the weekend approached it started to hit higher temperatures and the heat peaked at about 80 degrees. It was early for the A/C unit, but he thought he might as well put it in now so he doesn’t do nothing but sweat in his stuffy room all day. How can uncle not afford to make this house less cramped? he thought to himself.

Speaking of his uncle, Uncle Philip seemed to still be gone after leaving for another business meeting two nights ago. This wasn’t uncommon, Philip rarely ever told Hunter where he was actually going. He could be gone for a day, he could be gone for two weeks, it was always a total toss-up. Hunter often had to plan his schedules for weeks at a time to make sure he had enough money for whatever he needed, especially food. Even though it was stressful on that front, it was also a relief to not feel like he was walking on eggshells with his uncle around. Hunter often took advantage of this by blasting his music in his room, it was therapeutic and let him release the emotions and energy he never could with his uncle around. He wanted it nice and loud today, so he put on his playlist of hardcore bands like World of Pleasure and Incendiary.

As he banged his head to the music, he noticed on the clock that it was almost 12:30. His shift at the pet store started at 1, so he needed to get ready fast. Skateboarding over there took about half an hour, but he could get there in 20 with the shortcuts he knows. Hunter threw on a plain t-shirt and jeans to match the store’s dress code and grabbed one of the snack bars he had stashed in his room. Once out of the house, only five minutes passed, he’d timed it perfectly.

Hunter arrived at work with a few minutes to spare. Unfortunately, however, he didn’t get much time to rest as he was assigned to work the floor of the store for a majority of the shift, so his legs ached a bit. Especially after hauling ass on his skateboard. Thursdays were usually rather slow, too, so at that point he’d been aimlessly walking the floor of the store with an earbud in listening to music for a while. It wasn’t until two hours into his shift that he found a customer that was taking their time browsing the animal food section.

Hunter liked approaching customers that needed help in the store. It was some of the most social interaction he’d get during the week, even if it made him a little nervous. As he approached the customer, he didn’t notice until a few paces away that it was none other than Amity Blight, one of the girls from the Owl House that were around his age. Last time he saw her, they had an insane on-camera match that he just barely won with a hasted Phlage, there’s no way she wouldn’t remember that match and thus remember him as well. Shit, I don’t have my mask on, his mind raced, and I have a nametag on. Teenagers never come to this store, she’s probably the youngest customer in the past year! The store Hunter worked at, Wally’s Pet Mart, was much smaller than any corporate Petco and many of their customers were middle-aged or older, so he felt comfortable that he’d be able to avoid any kids he used to go to school with working here. With his boss nearby, though, he couldn’t just not help a customer. It seemed like his streak of anonymity was ending today. He clenched his fist for a second to ease his nerves and made his way over.

“Hi there!” Hunter put on his usual customer service voice, doing his best to hide its shakiness, “is there anything I can help you with today?”

Amity turned to him, “oh, hi, I’m just looking for a specific brand for my cat’s food. She has some allergies and the vet recommended it.”

“Do you know the name? I can look for it!” He could feel his smile twitch a little. Amity seemed unfazed by this encounter, though. Did she not recognize him? It almost felt more nerve-wracking as he anticipated her to connect the dots.

“I have a picture, let me find it,” she went to unlock her phone and Hunter caught a glimpse of a familiar image: her background was of the card art for Narset, Parter of Veils.

“Oh, that’s nice!”

“Pardon me?” Amity raised an eyebrow.

Holy shit, did I say that out loud? The artist for the card, Magali Villeneuve, was Hunter’s favorite Magic artist. He could recognize her art from a mile away and it always made him so excited to see it, but that excitement betrayed him today. “Oh...um, I liked your phone background,” WHY AM I JUST TALKING TO HER LIKE THIS? It felt like his mouth was moving on its own.

“Heh, thanks,” Amity smiled. She looked back up at him, studied him for a second, and tilted her head, “didn’t we play against each other two weeks ago?”

He was in too deep now, nothing left to lose.

“We did, yeah,” Hunter could feel himself shaking. Thankfully he’d perfected hiding his anxious shakes over the last few years.

“Your nametag seems to contradict your name in the Companion app.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he looked down and fixed his crooked nametag, “I don’t really like just giving my name out.”

“That’s fair,” Amity continued to look for the cat food on her phone, “I’m a little secretive when it comes to Magic, too.”

“Don’t you usually have your full name on there, though?”

“Yeah, it’s more just a secret from kids at school,” she caught herself, “don’t tell anyone else at school, by the way. I don’t know if you go to Gravesfield, but yeah.”

“Oh, I don’t,” he rubbed his arm, “I still won’t tell anyone, though.”

“Thanks…” she glanced at his nametag again, “Hunter.”

That sent an emotional shockwave through Hunter’s body. He hadn’t heard someone his age say his name in a long time. “No problem.”

Amity found the image of the food and Hunter brought her further down the aisle, grabbing a stepstool to pick the bag off the top shelf that Amity definitely would not have been able to see or reach. “It’s a little heavy, do you want me to help carry it to a cart for you?” Hunter offered.

“That’d be great, thanks,” Amity smiled. Once Hunter found a cart for her, she spoke up again, “do you plan on going to the RCQ at the Owl House this weekend?”

“I am, yeah. You?”

“Definitely. I’m a little upset that the RCs are all the way out in Houston and Las Vegas for this season, but I really want to play at one again.”

“Same,” Hunter was remembering the many times they’d played against each other in the past as she talked. Was she always this talkative, let alone friendly? I’ve never seen her with an expression more than a deadpan glare. “I remember seeing you at Charlotte at one point, we were toward the top tables. I was surprised it took me until day two to see you around.”

“It was a pretty hectic weekend for me,” Amity leaned against the cart, “I don’t remember seeing you, sorry.”

“No offense taken. Like you said, it was hectic. I still can’t believe we almost qualified for the Pro Tour, so it’s still all a blur.”

“Me too,” a tone from her watch rang, “I gotta get going, sorry. My mom’s waiting for me. See you Saturday?”

“Yeah, um…” he motioned his hand out to say something but hesitated.

“Yes?”

“If we play each other in the finals, I can scoop to you,” there was no way he’d be able to afford going to either RC. Uncle Philip already paid for his trip to Charlotte, but he’d been using that as leverage against Hunter for the past month. That was a common tactic of his uncle’s: spend a lot of money and act like that was guardianship so he could get away with barely being around.

Amity paused, her eyes widened but she then gave a small chuckle, “don’t, please.”

“How come?”

“I want to earn it. You’re a really skilled player, too. I’d hate to see you throw that away,” she smiled again as she walked away.

Hunter stood there in shock. Not only was Amity this nice, but he wasn’t shaking anymore. Talking to another teenager authentically as himself was…really nice. Maybe that Storm girl would have a nice conversation with him too.

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POV: Amity

Amity sat in the passenger seat of her dad’s car. Alador was the one that drove her to all her Magic events, he was the only one of her parents that actually supported her hobbies. She’d overheard her mom say something under her breath as the two were about to walk out of the house, so Alador told her to meet her in the car. This wasn’t the first time this happened. Before leaving for Charlotte, she was waiting in the car for almost half an hour, unsure of what was said between her parents. It had only been ten minutes this time, but as every second passed she became more and more worried that somehow she’d be forced back inside. Alador was stubborn when it came to getting Amity to her events, though. Rationally, she knew he’d never give in, but the fear Odalia struck in her heart was undeniable.

The front door opened. Alador walked over to the car, keys in hand. “Sorry about that, Mittens,” he said as he opened the door.

“It’s alright,” Amity replied, “thanks for driving me.”

“Of course, sweetie,” he gave her a relieved smile. Amity knew that smile translated too, ‘thank goodness you’re not like your mother.’ “Are you excited?”

“Yeah!” Amity felt safest in the car with her dad, talking about Magic. It was the only place she felt she could unmask completely, “I’m really confident with Orzhov Blink. White has such good sideboard cards
for this meta right now that I feel like I have a great matchup against a lot of decks! Well, except Eldrazi, really.”

“I think I saw some Blink decks splashing blue for that one card. What was it called? Consign?”

“Consign to Memory, yeah,” it always made Amity happy that her father still caught up with the meta for her, in spite of playing almost none of the time. “I’d love for there to be an Esper version that plays both Psychic Frog and Ketramose, the New Dawn, but I feel like the right list hasn’t come out for that yet. The moment it does, though, I’m on top of that for sure.”

Alador laughed to himself, “you truly are a midrange player like me. This Orzhov deck reminds me of 2015 Jund with Tarmogoyf and Liliana of the Veil.”

“There’s still Jund decks around!”

“It’s not the same,” Alador always joked about being a Magic boomer with his daughter, and it got Amity every time.

The Blights talked strategy the rest of the drive. As they approached The Owl House, Amity grabbed her things. “I know I already said it, but thanks again for driving me, dad.”

“No need to thank me, Mittens,” he ruffled Amity’s hair a bit. “The green dye in your hair is fading a bit, might want to touch that up at some point.”

“Ah, yeah,” she held a strand in front of her eye, “I was thinking of doing a different color next time, actually.”

“Really?” Alador was shocked, but he couldn’t keep his daughter waiting, “you head in, we can talk more about hair colors later. Have fun! Text me when you’re done.” Amity gave him a hug before exiting the car.

Amity watched her dad drive off and stood there for a moment. For some reason, this RCQ felt different. She’d played in so many before this day, but it felt like this was an entirely new experience. She wasn’t going into this tournament with an extremely focused, determined mindset where she was ready to destroy everyone in her path. She wasn’t obsessively going over lines of play and sideboard plans in her head. Amity’s mind was…clear. If this happened to her a few months ago, she’d be beyond nervous that it would affect her performance, but she felt even more prepared because of it. Let’s do this.

“Amity! Hey!” Luz was behind the counter when Amity walked in, handing one of the binders off to a customer. “How are you? Ready for today?”

“Yeah, I’d say so. Are you?”

“For sure! I was practicing all week with Eda. Boros is still kind of a crappy matchup, but I feel like I have most of the others down pat.”

“That quick? I keep seeing so many different Prowess lists, you seem awfully confident.”

“I don’t know what it is, but Prowess decks just click with me more than any other deck!”

Amity chuckled at Luz’s excitement as she entered the Companion code on the screen, “confidence can go a long way, you definitely seem like a Prowess girl.”

“I really am!” Luz beamed, “let’s just hope my draws will be in my favor too so I don't look like an idiot. Oh! Do you remember that Caleb guy that showed up here a bit ago?”

Amity paused. She realized Luz was talking about Hunter, “...yeah? Why?”

“Does he ever seem all mysterious to you?”

Amity wasn’t sure what to say. She felt herself open her mouth to tell Luz the details about her encounter at the pet store two days prior, but she remembered Hunter’s words about how he prefers anonymity. “I mean, kinda. I-”

“I have a perfect plan to unravel this mystery!” Luz interrupted, “if him and I get paired up against each other, I’m gonna-”

“Woah, woah. Slow down,” Amity put her hands up.

“Huh? How come?”

“Don’t you think that’s a little invasive?”

Luz went to say something before she came to her senses. Amity could see she was very excited about some kind of scenario playing out in her mind that she hadn’t thought it through completely, “...oh yeah.”

There was an awkward silence as Amity could see Luz shrink, “you alright, Luz?”

“Yeah, I-.”

Amity felt the breeze of the door open as Luz’s face dropped. Amity turned and saw Hunter walk in. He didn’t pay much mind to the other people in the store, but he did make eye contact with Amity. Not just any passing eye contact, but a soft, friendly one.

“You were saying?” Amity turned back to Luz.

“It’s…it’s nothing.” Luz wasn’t the best at hiding that something was wrong. Amity might’ve known her for only a month, but that was obvious here.

“MAGIC PLAYERS!” Hooty announced to the store, “JUDGE DENNIS WILL BE GOING OVER RULES FOR TODAY’S EVENT!” The judge in the blue button down shirt began to speak, but Amity had heard this spiel a thousand times before.

“Hey, Luz,” Amity whispered, “are you sure everything is alright?”

“I just…” Luz hesitated, “I’ve been everywhere mentally the last few days. I’ll be alright, though. It’s nothing I’ve never dealt with before.”

It was kind of heartbreaking to see Luz sad. From her experience with Luz, Amity could gather that she’d been trying to make an effort to prevent herself from overstepping people’s boundaries, especially considering how they started out. “I know I’m not as close with you as you are with Willow or Gus, but if you ever wanna talk about anything, I’m here for you, too.” It had been a long time since Amity said that to anyone.

“Thanks, Amity,” Luz smiled. Luz smiled often, but this smile felt so genuine. It felt good to reach out. Judge Dennis finished his announcements and Amity felt her phone buzz, the first round started. When she opened up Companion, she saw a familiar name:

Table 3: Amity Blight vs. Caleb Gold.

Chapter Text

POV: Luz

The Owl House didn’t use table numbers for FNMs, but that wasn’t the case today. Luz found herself over at Table 11, which was further back closer to where the livestream would record. She sat across from someone she’d never met, he looked to be around Eda’s age and was talking to her earlier, but Luz didn’t pick up on a name. Her Companion app said his name was Darius Deamonne.

“So, your Eda’s new worker? I haven’t been here in quite some time,” Darius broke the silence. Luz wanted to have the first word, but she was kind of intimidated. He wasn’t abrasive, but his gentle giant attitude carried an energy that said he was a veteran Magic player.

“Oh, uh…I am, yeah!” Luz was still in her head from her conversation with Amity as well, so her voice was a little shaky.

“Nice to see the younger generation playing Magic at this level, is this your first RCQ?”

“No, uh…I actually am qualified for Hartford.”

“Wow! Nice! I’ll be there as well playing in the LCQs.”

“What’s that?”

“Last Chance Qualifier, they fire an event every half hour and whoever goes 5-0 gets a spot in the RC.”

“Oh wow, that sounds tough.”

“It is, I’ve only gotten through one once in Denver last year. I was thankful to have been already qualified for the last few I’ve been to,” Darius picked up two six-sided dice, “odds or evens?”

“Um…” she pondered, she was so used to a simple high roll that she felt herself hesitate for much longer than Darius probably expected, “odds, please.”

Four, Luz was on the draw.

“Pleasure to meet you, Luz. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”

“Yeah!” Luz’s mood cleared up a little as she drew her first seven cards. Scalding Tarn, Lightning Bolt, Cori-Steel Cutter, Mishra’s Bauble, Dragon’s Rage Channeler, Preordain, Mountain. Luz kept her seven, as did Darius.

Game 1 went rather well for Luz, not only was her opening hand great, but Darius was playing Mono-Blue Belcher. A combo deck that, while interactive, was definitely slower than Prowess. Luz was able to kill her opponent on her third turn, but now the post-sideboard games presented the most trouble. She sided in three Consign to Memory, one Surgical Extraction, two Spell Pierce, and one Mystical Dispute while siding out two Lava Dart, one Violent Urge, two Expressive Iteration, and two Mutagenic Growth. Her sideboard plan was succinct. She would side the same five cards out for five cards from her sideboard, and then side out/in any extra cards depending on the matchup. As much as she loved the card, she had to side out some copies of Expressive Iteration against combo decks like Belcher or more aggressive decks like Boros Energy.

Game 2 was much different. Luz overvalued some of her sideboard cards instead of aggressive spells, thinking that Darius would have extra copies of counterspells in his land like Force of Negation or Disrupting Shoal. Instead, it gave him time to stock up on interaction until comboing off with Tameshi, Reality Architect and Lotus Bloom to draw into a Goblin Charbelcher and close out the game. The final game of the match was a blowout on Darius’ end, as he was able to counter most of Luz’s threats with Stern Scolding or remove the Cori-Steel Cutter tokens with Snapback, biding time to play and activate Charbelcher on his fourth turn. Luz began the day 0-1.

“You played well, Luz,” Darius smiled as they scooped up their cards.

“Thanks! Combo decks like this always make me so nervous, I never know what’s about to happen!”

That got a laugh out of Darius, “I know that feeling well, been playing this game for a long time.”

“So, you know Eda?” Luz popped the question, “I saw you two talking earlier.”

“Oh yeah. I hadn't seen her in a long time, so we were catching up. I work with her sister.”

“Eda has a sister??”

“You haven’t met Lilith yet?” Darius tilted his head, “nice woman. She used to run the store with Eda.”

Luz was eating up this backstory like a basket of sweets. She wanted to ask more, but knew she shouldn’t pry too much, “I hope I get to meet her soon! I’m sure anyone in Eda's family is a great person.”

“They’re very different people,” Darius smirked, “but I’m sure you’ll meet her soon.” Darius packed his deck box into a small quiver bag around his torso and rolled up his playmat into his hand. “Good games, I hope the rest of the tournament goes well for you.”

“You too!” Luz let out a sigh once Darius walked away. The match was intense. Competitive Modern was a completely different beast than Standard. She looked around the room and noticed that Amity was playing against Caleb. Now that was a match Luz would definitely want to watch. As she stood up, though, she noticed Amity say something to him. Once again, her curiosity piqued, but that was something she needed to keep to herself for right now.

She caught the third game of their match. Amity was playing Orzhov Blink and Caleb was still on Boros Energy. From what she gathered from the conversation around her, Caleb won game 1 and Amity got the second. Luz always felt like Orzhov had a better matchup against Boros, especially post-sideboard. Orzhov was able to continuously remove threats and create a strong wall with large creatures like Overlord of the Balemurk and Ketramose, both of which also give plenty of value.

As Luz expected, this was a close match. Amity just barely squeaked out victory with a clutch Wrath of the Skies into an Emperor of Bones that not only removed the Phlage from Caleb’s graveyard, but would later bring back an Overlord from her yard, providing more card advantage and answers. Luz gave the two of them space before approaching her friend.

“Nice work there!”

“Thanks,” Amity gave a relieved smile, “I thought I punted that match like twenty different times.” That remark got a laugh out of Luz, “how’d your match go, Luz?”

“I lost in three games, but it was a good match. I played against that Darius guy over there, the one talking to Eda. He was playing Belcher,” she nodded her head in the direction of the two,

Amity looked back to see the gentleman in question, “sounds like a wild matchup. Glad you got a game off him, though.” She turned back to Luz, “this is your first Modern RCQ, right?”

“Yup,” Luz leaned against the table, “this is definitely a lot more intense than I expected.”

“You get used to it after a while,” Amity leaned against the table as well, “it’s just such a faster format than Standard. The Modern tournament grinders are so much more…impatient at times, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, one time some guy started angleshooting ‘cuz I took more than ten seconds to think about something. It was at the RC and was just ridiculous. I beat him pretty badly.”

Luz chuckled, “damn right you did! It’s what he deserves.”

Amity looked back at Luz and smiled, “heh, for sure.” Amity’s smile was soft and sweet. Luz was pushing her away before when Amity asked how she was doing, and now she regretted that. She would never have thought that the girl who could’ve been her bully was now bonding with her over Magic.

“MAGIC PLAYERS,” announced Hooty, “ROUND 2 PAIRINGS ARE GOING OUT!”

Table 7: Amity Blight vs. Luz Noceda.

How’d I get the pair-up? Luz thought to herself.

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POV: Amity

How’d I get the pair-down? Amity thought to herself.

“Well, looks like we better find our table!” Luz confidently turned to find their designated spot. Amity, honestly, was nervous. There was something about Luz that gave her this nonchalant confidence, like she didn’t even know the confidence existed. Amity was just happy to see she was feeling better.

Wait, Amity was feeling happy about that?

Amity was confused by these feelings, but once she sat down she felt her focus return. She didn’t like to get too confident in a matchup, but Orzhov had been notably favored against Prowess from the times she played against it online. The only problem, though, was that she’s seen almost four different decklists floating around. Thankfully, her deck was prepared to handily deal with single-creature threats as opposed to a go-wide strategy like Boros. The question, though, was if she could keep up with Prowess’ speed.

Speed was the name of the game in game 1. Amity kept an opening hand whose only piece of interaction was a Fatal Push, and while it helped remove an early Monastery Swiftspear, Luz’s Cori-Steel Cutter gave her deck a go-wide approach similar to Boros that was tougher to deal with than she expected. When it came time to sideboard, Amity knew for sure to remove the three copies of Thoughtseize from her mainboard. Two spots were devoted to Wrath of the Skies, while the third was given to Deafening Silence. The enchantment was mainly her failsafe for the surprise Storm player, but it could help maneuver around Cori-Steel Cutter well.

Amity drew a lot more interaction in game two. Once they’d passed turn five or six, she felt a lot more comfortable that she could force a game three. Luz was only down to 1-2 cards in hand at a time as well. Amity was a little concerned with how Ketramose fared against a deck with burn spells, as the lifeloss from his card draw ability was a very notable detriment. Amity found herself at 12 life, while Luz remained at 18 thanks to the lifegain from Solitude’s ability.

Amity had played an Overlord for its impending cost on an earlier turn and was debating playing the Flickerwisp she drew last turn so she could have a strong blocker. She wasn’t trying to hold up one of her three lands for another Fatal Push this time around, so why not tap out for it? However, she drew into a different solution: Deafening Silence. Luz already had a Cutter out, but no monk tokens attached to it. This could potentially slow her down even more, but the only problem was that there were not seven cards in exile yet to allow Ketramose to attack or block if Luz draws the right cards. Only two remained in exile from when Amity evoked Solitude twice. After a moment of contemplation, Amity played the Deafening Silence. Her opponent had already seen plenty of creature cards, so the likelihood of seeing more wasn’t as big as it could be. Deafening Silence resolved, she played a Boggart Bog tapped, and Amity passed the turn.

Luz drew for turn and fidgeted with her cards for a second. She didn’t flick her cards like Amity or other tournament grinders did, but rather she’d have them in a pile in her hand and lightly tap the table with them, as well as swap cards around places in her hands. Amity was lost in watching Luz’s motions for a moment until she cast Expressive Iteration. This was definitely one of the best draws for Luz, not only because Cutter could trigger soon, but it also gave Luz so much more card advantage for the next two turns. Luz put a card to the bottom of her deck, one in her hand, and exiled a Monastery Swiftspear. She played the creature, and thus got another monk as part of it. She swung in for 3, and Amity was down to 9 life. Pass turn from Luz.

Amity had to play the Flickerwisp this turn. All she drew was another land, so this was the only true gameplan. The only issue was that Luz still had two cards in hand, whatever those could be, Amity was opening they were just lands she could do nothing with and was just bluffing. Flickerwisp resolved, and Overlord returned to the field at her end step. Most of the cards from the mill trigger were irrelevant, so she returned one of the Solitudes that was evoked earlier to her hand, but unfortunately didn’t have another white card for the Evoke cost. Luz hesitated during Amity’s end step, staring at the Overlord and the Deafening Silence. She eventually played Into the Flood Maw targeting the Overlord, returning it to Amity’s hand and giving her a tapped fish token. Amity’s board state was looking a lot more bare.

Luz seemed to have the perfect draw as she immediately played a Slickshot Show-Off and used her third land to play Lava Dart to kill the Flickerwisp. With all the Prowess triggers on the stack on top of the Cutter trigger, Luz sent her board in for a total of 9 damage. Exactly lethal.

“Good games, Luz,” Amity gracefully extended her hand in concession. Luz reciprocated with a smile, and after shaking gave a deep sigh of relief. If this was a month ago, Amity would’ve been fuming, but today she was happy to see her friend win.

She saw her as her friend.

But there was something more behind this.

“I was thinking about playing the Boggart Trawler, I’ve seen a lot of delirium cards in Prowess lists,” Amity began to converse about the game. She always saw other people at FNMs do so, but she never responded much when it was to her. She always saw her opponents as lesser, it was especially worse if she had beaten them. They were just trying to cope with their loss.

“I did side in a few Unholy Heat, it’s like one of the only ways to deal with Overlord,” Luz removed her sideboard cards from her deck. “There’s also Violent Urge to watch out for, it’s like a better Temur Battle Rage.”

Amity began to pick up on the way Luz talked as she analyzed her decklist for Amity. Amity wasn’t bored. She wasn’t feeling like she was wasting her time listening. She was interested.

“Say, did you wanna hang outside while we wait for the next round to start?” Luz asked, “We still have almost half an hour and it’s kinda cramped in here.”

Knowing an RCQ, it would likely go well over time. “Y-yeah sure,” Amity stammered and smiled. Why am I feeling this way?

Their conversation continued on the bricks next to the curb that some shrubs had been planted in outside of the store. Cars whizzed past them intermittently as the cool April air gave them relief from the stuffy game store. Luz continued on about her Prowess decklist, she was so excited to give Amity her explanations for each card she selected for the list, her sideboard plans, everything.

And Amity was eating it up.

Listening intently.

Luz beamed.

Amity was in awe.

Am I…?

“You have really pretty eyes, Luz,” the words slipped out of Amity’s mouth. She didn’t mean to say it out loud. Hell, she didn’t even feel herself say it, but she heard it for sure. Luz stared for a second doe-eyed, unsure of what to make of it as Amity froze. “Sorry, I don’t know why I said that.” She looked away, grabbing the bottom of her shirt tightly.

“No, it’s OK! You do too!” Luz smiled. Amity looked back, Luz’s brown eyes shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. They reminded her of Tiger’s Eye crystals. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but wasn’t sure if it was too weird, but what color are yours? They look almost golden in the light, I love it!”

“Oh, they’re uh…” Amity cracked a smile at the compliment, “they’re a sort of light green. They used to be blue when I was a lot younger.”

“Well, I’m gonna consider them golden, that’s how I see them now! Plus, that fits you best!”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re probably the best Magic player I know. You deserve to be golden like a gold star, or a first place medal.”

The only accomplishments of Amity’s that ever got truly recognized were those in her academics, but they were all hollow to her. Hearing this from Luz, though, it felt like her talent was truly being seen. Sure, she almost made the Pro Tour, and she had her father’s support by her side at all times. However, Luz said it with such compassion and kindness that Amity was being seen as a strong Magic player beyond the cold exterior she created. Amity Blight was a strong Magic player, not just the rich high school girl that inherited her father’s cards. Luz understood her. She’d been trying to understand Amity ever since they met, even when Amity had been nothing but mean. Luz saw right through it.

It was true. Amity Blight was catching feelings for Luz Noceda.

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POV: Eda

“She’s definitely Alador’s kid,” Darius whispered to Eda. The two of them noticed Luz and Amity talking outside. The way Amity excitedly spoke about the game was the spit and image of her father, all the way down to the hand motions. “Has she even talked to you, by the way?”

“What do you mean?” Eda replied. She was still surprised Darius showed up for the event. He hadn’t shown up at an RCQ since last summer, so she just presumed he’d become too busy working for Belos that he couldn’t keep up.

“Well, you’ve got a picture of most of our old crew on your wall there,” Darius pointed at the top 8 picture from GP Providence. Eda, Darius, Alador, and Raine made up half of the top 8 at the event. Along with Lilith, the five of them were inseparable for a good five years. “I’d imagine she’d recognize you from all the days we spent at Alador’s home.”

“She was only five,” Eda crossed her arms, “let’s not pretend like she remembers.”

“Well, you know about what happened with Odalia, right?”

“That she became a raging bitch?”

“Well, yeah,” Darius rolled his eyes at Eda’s blunt attitude, “but she’s become so obsessed with shaping Amity in her own image that she’s probably conditioned the girl not to talk to you.”

“Why the hell is she playing Magic, then?” Eda raised an eyebrow, “I’d expect her to be locked away in her room doing whatever the woman demands of her like Rapunzel from what I’ve heard about her.”

“Apparently her and Alador made a deal,” Darius leaned in against the counter.

“What kind of deal?” King popped up from behind the counter next to Eda.

“King! This is an adults-only conversation, please,” Eda hollered. King jumped at his mother’s will and scurried off to go watch the ongoing matches so that he wouldn’t hear the conversation.

“It’s impressive how much he takes from you, right down to your nosiness,” Darius laughed at the teenager’s escapades.

“It’s even more impressive that he’s not biologically related to me,” Eda sighed, “so this ‘deal’ you mentioned?”

Darius straightened himself out, “to put it briefly, he and Odalia agreed that Amity would be able to pursue competitive Magic so long as he didn’t. She’s taken advantage of that and now overworks him, keeping him away from his children aside from when he’s assigned himself to bring Amity to these events. Days like this and FNMs are really the only true bonding time they have. I’m sure she’s seen the picture and very easily connected the dots. Just because she might not remember the days we’d be at their home doesn’t mean she can’t put two and two together.”

Eda sighed, “how do you know all this?”

“Alador and I met for coffee in Charlotte. I was visiting family when he and Amity travelled down that way for the RC. It was a busy weekend for both of us, but it was an hour well spent.”

Eda was honestly jealous. Darius was Alador’s best friend, and Eda could barely get a call out of Lilith most of the time. What was it that she was doing wrong?

“You alright there, Edalyn?” Darius noticed Eda was lost in thought. She didn’t notice she’d zoned out, so she jumped a bit at Darius’ question.

“Yeah, I’m…fine.”

“Lilith?”

“...yeah.”

“I want you know I try to talk to her as often as I can around the office,” Darius’ comment made Eda shift her eyes back to him, “Philip has her under constant duress with the workload he gives her. She thinks she’s good at hiding it, but she clearly needs to be out of that job.”

“Why are you still there?”

“I’ve been trying to leave for about half a year. The job market is a hollow void that won’t let me escape Belos.”

Darius’ words gave Eda an idea, “can you do me a big favor?”

“What might that be?”

“I need you to help me convince Lily to get out of there. I’ll be honest, I’ve been pestering her, but only because I’m so worried. There’s no way it doesn’t remind her of the way our mother would be over our shoulders when we were kids, especially when whatever I have going on with my pain first started developing,” she paused to gather herself back on topic, “point is: I can’t have my sister trapped in a CEO’s chokehold. He already got to us a year ago, and I don’t think she knows.”

“What do you mean?”

“He owns this building,” she moved her finger back and forth, “the whole block, even. You didn’t know either?”

“Not at all,” Darius clenched his fist, “this is why I want out! There’s been countless purchases, rentals, foreclosures that we have no idea about! He just sends us whatever legal or financial paperwork to take care of like we’re little worker ants.”

“Do you think Lilith might know? Assistant and all?”

“Lilith is barely even his assistant,” Eda’s eyes widened at Darius’ comment, “his secretary, Kiki, does the true assistant work. Lilith was just given the title and pay so he can give an excuse to give the greatest mountain of busy work to someone that would get it done.”

“You mean to tell me that bastard is abusing my sister’s diligence?” Eda was fuming. Not only that, but she’d still been reeling from Raine’s call earlier in the week. She hadn’t told anyone, not even her son, and she couldn’t keep it under the hat any longer. “Darius, you gotta promise me not to tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.” Darius raised an eyebrow, beckoning Eda to continue. “Raine called me.”

“Really? They’re impossible to reach,” there was a brief silence, “was the last time you talked to them…”

The day we broke up, Eda answered in her head. She knew Darius knew, but she reminded herself of that day often. Too often. “...yeah, it was that day.”

“An apology?”

“A lead.” Eda didn’t know how to process how Raine was so easily able to call her. Even though they were the one to suggest splitting, it was Eda’s actions that caused it. Raine never fell out of love, they were just pushed away. They were the most hurt. To be honest, Eda took it as a sign of care that Raine contacted her about a way to help Lilith, so it was nice to know they didn’t hate her guts. “Philip Wittebane seems to be a lot shadier than he already is, and they told me to keep an eye out for certain things. I can’t spread it, but just know they’re still Raine.”

Darius wanted to ask a million questions, but one was more important than any other at this moment, “are you holding up alright?”

“I…I don’t know. All I know is that both you and my sister need to get out of there. I’m glad you’ve got one foot out the door, but Lily’s feet are too firmly planted,” Eda spun a pen in her hand. Darius’ eyes were sad, but full of warmth for Eda. She was grateful to have him around out of their old crew, they shared a similar, hot-headed disposition. The other three kept them grounded in reality, though. Alador was the voice of reason, Lilith was the smart one, and Raine kept everyone’s spirits up. Without all of them together, things didn’t feel right.

“I’ll try my best, Eda.” Another silence, but Darius let Eda sit in it for a moment.

“Hey, uh, Darius? You forgot to report your match,” another participant crept up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. This person was miniscule in comparison to Darius’ strong stature that they almost looked intimidated to approach him. Darius thanked them and inputted his match result, which was conveniently the last match to be reported for the first round. Eda swiftly confirmed the round results to start the next one.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Darius turned to his friend before heading to his next match.

“Of course, have fun, bud.” There was a part of Eda that wished she played, but the spark that pushed her to play at the competitive level hadn’t been there for a while. Coincidentally, it started to fade those years ago when her friends slowly drifted apart. Though, she wasn’t sure how much of a coincidence that actually was at this point.

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POV: Hunter

After his loss in round 1, Hunter won out the rest of his matches without dropping a single game. He wished he could’ve drawn into top 8 in round 5, but he got the pair down against someone who was 2-2, so there was no way they’d want to draw. Thankfully, the match ended up being quick, giving him some time to rest before top 8 began. He carefully watched the other matches when he wasn’t resting his eyes and he witnessed both Amity and Luz (he finally remembered the Storm girl’s name) snag spots in the top 8 as well. Amity shared a 4-1 record with Hunter, but Luz was able to squeak in at 3-2 thanks to her breakers. Aside from Amity and Luz, the other top 8 players didn’t impress him, except for the tall, purple-haired man on Mono-Blue Belcher. Hunter watched some of his earlier games and was amazed at how calm he was and how efficiently he could think through lines of play. Darius was his name, and he was the only one to go 5-0.

Hunter continued to breeze through, once again winning 2-0 in both quarter and semifinals against Zoo and Murktide respectively. The Murktide player beat Luz in his quarterfinal match which disappointed Hunter, he’d hoped to play against Luz again sometime soon. The other semifinal match, though, was a great match to watch. Somehow, Amity defeated Darius 2-1. Orzhov had a tough matchup against a combo deck like Belcher, but Thoughtseize overperformed every game for her, including a significantly foil copy that mismatched the nonfoil ones that filled out the rest of her deck. While Hunter was excited to play against Amity, he knew this would be an uphill battle.

The two teenagers sat down across from each other at table 1. Judge Dennis sat down next to them, watching them shuffle intently. “Any last negotiations of prize support before we begin the match?” the judge asked.

Hunter looked at Amity, “you sure you don’t want me to scoop?”

“Nah,” Amity gave a nervous sigh, “I want to earn this.”

Hunter nodded, “we’re all good.” The judge nodded back and their match began.

Game 1 of the match took almost 20 minutes. Even though Orzhov was the grindy deck between the two, Hunter’s draws continued to give him exactly what he needed to close out the game. He’d brought her close to 5 life well early into the game, but with a slew of Solitude blinking and beats from Phelia, Amity continued to remove his boardstate. She’d eventually whittle away his life total slowly, putting her up 1-0. Hunter took game 2 with ease by removing an early Overlord with Wear//Tear and flipping Ajani, Ncatal Pariah with help from Goblin Bombardment, increasing his presence on the battlefield as well as his damage output.

Now on the draw in game 3, Hunter needed as fast of a start as he possibly could. Amity swiftly kept her opening seven but with an air of reluctance. Hunter’s hand was Guide of Souls, Ocelot Pride, Guide of Souls, Plains, Arid Mesa, Seasoned Pyromancer, Galvanic Discharge. He had to keep this, it was aggressive enough and could curve into his larger plays and interaction with the right draws. Thankfully, Amity’s start was on the slower side as she didn’t blink the Overlord with Flickerwisp until multiple turns later than usual. The Overlord couldn’t find any Solitudes, either, allowing Hunter to continue to gain life as he drew more and more creatures to pump up the lifegain and buffs from Guide.

Hunter gained the City’s Blessing from Pride and had cat tokens galore on the field, but the hope had faded when Amity cast a gutting Wrath of the Skies, wiping his entire board. I don’t think I’m gonna win this one, he thought to himself. It was deja vu from round 1, but the lack of an Emperor as follow-up play didn’t have the same punch. As he moved the cards over to his graveyard, he was reminded of an extremely important detail: around turn 3, he surveilled a Phlage into his graveyard off an Elegant Parlor AND had an Arena of Glory in play. It wasn’t until that moment that he finally had enough cards in the graveyard to cast the Phlage. There was no way Amity didn’t catch it, but the Wrath wasn’t a bad play. In the end, it seemed that Hunter’s Phlage was inevitable: all that remained for Amity was an Overlord that Hunter could easily kill and her low life total at 10. She had three cards in hand, the chances of one of them being a Solitude or a Fatal Push was high, but Hunter needed to take chances.

“I’ll exert Arena and escape Phlage,” the last time Hunter said this, he’d defeated Amity. Now, even when she was on a different deck, even when she had beaten him earlier in the day, history was repeating itself.

Amity stared intently at the card Hunter held out on the stack, eyeing up cards both in her hand and in her graveyard to try to find some sort of out. She thought for about twenty seconds until giving a “sure” that gave way to two Phlage triggers, a dead Overlord, and her life total now at 4. With the titan on the battlefield, Amity picked up the card she’d drawn for turn, but hesitated before putting it into her hand to see what it was. Once again, she hesitated, assessing every one of her options.

A good Magic player does not scoop too early. A game like this does not have outcomes that are 100% certain often. Many times, a person who concedes early will soon realize what they could’ve done to change the outcome. However, there are times where a Magic player must know when to concede, when all hope is lost and they must accept the reality in front of them. Especially when their opponent has earned the victory they’ve achieved. A good Magic player must play to their outs, but cannot dwell on what they can’t change. Magic: the Gathering is a game of both chance and strategy, a contradictory balance that, if a player leaned to one side too much, they would lose their ability to truly become great at the game. Accepting chance while embracing strategy and skill: that was the key to Magic.

A good Magic player does not scoop too early. A great Magic player accepts what they cannot change. They opt to learn from the lessons of the match sooner so that they can continue to be a student of the game that no one can truly master.

“Congrats, Hunter,” Amity reached her hand out to Hunter with a smile. He couldn’t believe it. Hunter was, once again, in possession of an RC invite. He accepted the handshake and the crowd around him applauded. The smile he had on his face hid behind his black mask, but everyone could see from his upturned eyes just how happy he was. Even Amity joined in on the applause once she had scooped her cards up.

Hunter’s mind both raced with excitement and was empty with relief, but deep in his conscience he thought, why would I ever want to give this up?

Hunter was presented with his top 8 pin and his champion’s kit, complete with a lanyard, badge, and the paper with his RC invite. The store owner got a picture of him as well for the store’s social medias, a tradition she made sure of continuing so that the big winners could get their flowers beyond the event participants. After the picture was taken, Eda motioned him toward the front counter so she could input his information to submit for the RC organizers. “Does this info look right?” she turned the monitor as much as she could, “I’ll just need you to put in your email address.”

She had put his name in as “Caleb Gold,” which wasn’t her fault, it was what was in Companion, so Hunter felt bad having to correct it. He also had to keep his name on the down-low, so he slightly lowered his mask to whisper. “My name isn’t actually Caleb, can I change it?”

Eda raised an eyebrow, “sure, kid.” Hunter swiftly raised his mask back up as Eda handed him the keyboard. Slowly, but surely, he typed in “Hunter Wittebane” and his email address before handing the keyboard back. Eda stared at it for a moment with a furrowed brow.

God, she probably recognizes my uncle's name. I hope she doesn’t say anything about it like the guy from the last RCQ I won. “Do you need anything else?”

“Nah…” she studied the name one more time, “nah you’re good. Congrats again, kid.” She smiled at Hunter. Not just the store-owner-smile she usually gave, but one that had a specific emotion behind it. Hunter couldn’t place it. It felt like both gratitude and empathy at the same time. It was strange, but kind.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it,” he raised his hand to the owner and she took it, giving him a firm shake.

It was about 6 PM, Hunter needed to start heading home in case his uncle came back somehow. Even though it had been a while, there was a looming feeling in his gut Uncle Philip would return tonight, and his gut was usually right. After leaving the store, he readied himself to set off on his skateboard, but was stopped in his tracks by a pair of voices calling his name. Well, his ‘name,’ to be exact.

“Caleb!!” It was Amity and Luz. He turned back and Luz yelled out first as they ran toward him. “Congrats dude! You played amazingly today! I really enjoyed watching your matches.”

“Thanks for a great final, too,” Amity grinned, “that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing Magic. I’m gonna try to get an invite at the next RCQ here in June, so I’ll be sure to meet you wherever you go.” Amity wasn’t as bouncy as Luz, but her smile had a friendly attitude that had freshly bloomed.

Hunter paused, his mask still hid his smile, but his smile was once again big enough to reach his eyes. “Thank you, both of you. I’d love to talk but I have to rush home, see you next FNM!” The girls waved goodbye as he took off.

I’ll never give this up.

Chapter Text

POV: Darius

Darius watched as the two girls waved goodbye to the RCQ winner, waiting for them to enjoy the moment before approaching them. He was smiling at this scene, it was sweet to see teenagers connect over a hobby that he’s been dedicated to for years. Darius Deamonne was a regular on the Pro Tour from 2015-2019 (and arguably the best player out of his old team with Eda and company). Even though competitive Magic had changed a lot over the last decade, the one thing that never changed was how it could energize and impassion people.

“Good games today, girls,” Darius approached Luz and Amity with a proud smile on his face, “you both put up an impressive performance today!”

“Thanks Mr. Darius!” Luz beamed, “I learned a lot from our match. I hope we get to play against each other again at some point.”

“Me as well!” He smiled at Luz before turning to Amity, “and you, young Blight, you’re playing more and more like your father every day.”

Amity gave a soft smile, “thanks, Uncle Darius, sorry I didn’t really talk to you all that much.”

Darius chuckled at the apology. He could hear the nerves swell in Amity’s voice as she spoke to him for the first time in about five years. “No worries, Amity! It’s been a while. Plus, you seemed to be deep in the zone. I didn’t want to have our little reunion in the middle of an intense tournament.”

“I appreciate that. Our games were really good, do you have any advice on how I played?”

“Not that I can think of,” Darius rubbed his chin in thought, “although, you certainly committed very early to blinking your Overlord in game 2. Since you were on the draw, a more defensive gameplan might’ve helped you out.”

Amity gave a determined nod, but before she could say anything, Luz spoke up, “you two know each other??” She had a wide-eyed expression having not expected more and more backstory to be placed before her like a three-course meal at a restaurant. Darius could see the lights in Luz’s eyes. It was honestly adorable.

“Oh yes, quite well,” Darius laughed, “her father and I are very good friends. I remember not only the day Amity was born, but also the day she first started playing Magic.”

Amity blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, “my dad told me you guys saw each other in Charlotte, I’m sorry I didn’t get to join him.”

“You were busy with objectively more important things, I didn’t want to interrupt your stellar performance at the RC.” Darius could sense Amity was still nervous. She wasn’t intimidated by Darius, per se, she never could be. These deserves had to have been from something else. Having known Alador (and Eda and Lilith, for that matter) since they were in high school, he was a very frequent presence in Amity’s life for many years, before Odalia became who she is now. Darius even had fond memories of picking her up and gliding her around the house on his shoulders when she was a toddler.

A car pulled up to the curb beside the three of them. The driver didn’t even bother turning off the car and instead turned on their hazard lights, hastily exiting the vehicle and running over to the sidewalk. “Darius!” Alador.

“There you are, you hack!” Darius reached his hand out and Alador and Darius clasped hands before bringing themselves in for a fluid bro-hug. “Your daughter was fantastic today, you should be very proud of her.”

“Oh I very much so am, believe me,” Alador turned to Amity, “did you have fun?”

“I did,” Amity stuttered over something she was about to say before remembering something else, “oh, dad, this is Luz Noceda. She’s new to town and has been coming to Modern as well.” Amity gestured her hands toward Luz and the latter reached out her hand to Mr. Blight.

“A pleasure to meet you!” Luz grinned.

“A pleasure to meet you, too,” Alador shook her hand.

“She put up quite a fight as well,” Darius nodded toward Luz, “the next generation of Magic players have a very bright future ahead of them. The Owl House will be sending Luz off to Hartford in a few weeks, too.”

“Ooooooo it’s like we’re on a team!” Luz’s grin widened at Darius’ remark. He was amazed she could smile even wider. “Say, Amity, we should get together sometime to get some reps in for Hartford!”

“Oh! Yeah! Totally! We should!” Amity stuttered as she agreed to Luz’s proposal. It was hard not to notice her cheeks getting redder by the second, “y’know! Us! Practicing! Together!” She let out a nervous chuckle.

Darius observed as Luz spoke with Alador. Even though she was asking him about the Top 8 from GP Providence their friend group partook in, Darius was focused on Amity’s gaze. The youngest Blight was fixated on Luz, watching every minute, ADHD-ridden movement of her hands, face, and eyes. Darius knew the look and feeling well, it was precious to watch young love bloom.

Alador peeked at the watch on his wrist, “oh! Mi-... I mean, Amity, we’ve got to head home. It was nice meeting you, Luz,” the girl reciprocated the well wishes to Alador as he approached Darius. “Sorry we didn’t get to talk much,” he whispered as they gave another bro-hug.

“It’s not a problem, not like I don’t have your phone number,” Darius smiled.

“I know, I know. I just feel like we get too busy nowadays,” Alador was right. Both of them were overworked, tired, and just wanted to have a little bit of free time again. Darius was inching closer to it, but the rut that Alador was stuck in was much deeper.

“We’ll see each other again soon, I’m sure.” For people their age, Darius’ wish would’ve sounded like another passing comment that would mean something like ‘I have no idea when I’ll see you next, don’t get your hopes up,’ but it felt serious this time. Thankfully, Alador picked up on what Darius was putting down and gave a confident nod before walking his daughter back to his car. Darius turned to Luz as the two drove away, “so, you and Amity are familiar with each other?”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah!” she didn’t seem to expect that kind of a question, “I’d say we’re friends now.”

“Now?”

“Well, uh…we didn’t get off to the best of starts,” she rubbed the back of her neck. He could sense Luz felt like she was being analyzed, to which he fixed his stance so that he leaned against the glass of the store window to make her feel more comfortable.

“No need to share the details if it’s too personal, I’m just glad the girl is in good company.”

“I certainly try to be the best company I can be!”

Darius gave a small chuckle, this girl was adorable. She felt like the protagonist of some kind of anime, like she was destined to go far with the power of friendship. “Keep up that attitude, kid. Especially if you’ll be working with Eda for a while,” Darius began to walk away. He unfortunately didn’t have all the time to be a mentor for this girl.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just good to have that kind of positivity around. Not that Eda’s some kind of downer, but a lot of these people have been around for a long time. People can get jaded, lose track of the love they have for their hobbies, or just become disinterested,” Darius put his hands in the pockets of his jacket, “your presence is invigorating. Don’t forget that.” He turned to walk away once again, but almost as if it was scripted, Luz called out for him to wait.

“To be honest,” she spoke as he turned back around, “I’ve been really trying to find out where my place is in all of this. I’ve been wanting to go pro, or at least semi-pro, for a few years now. I guess it just means a lot to hear someone say that about me. So, thanks.” The smile on Luz’s face wasn’t wide, baring her teeth. It was small, one-sided, yet sincere.

“Of course,” Darius returned the smile, “see you in Hartford, Luz Noceda.” He turned one final time. To Darius’ surprise, that smile remained on his face for a while.

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POV: Willow

With another game won, the Gravesfield Wolves moved to 8-2 for the season. It was one of their best records to start out the season in the past decade and, needless to say, Willow and the team were excited. Willow also wasn’t on the receiving end of Boscha’s bullying recently, mostly due to Emira confronting the outfielder the other day at practice, so both Willow and Boscha have been able to focus on the games more. They may still not like each other at all, but the latter has at least swallowed her pride and held back when they were in uniform.

After seeing her dads for a few minutes, Willow hugged them goodbye and made her way to her bike to begin the trek to Gus’. Her and her friends were going to meet there to hear all about Luz’s experience at the RCQ. She had gotten some texts during the game as Luz updated her and Gus in their group chat and read through them:

Luz!: lost 1-2 against this older guy for round 1, dude was GOOD, but it was a really close match. he’s apparently Eda’s friend, also Eda has a sister?? it’s crazy
Gusssss: woah!!!! what a way to start the day

Luz!: me and Amity made top 8! i just barely got in omg
Gusssss: go Luz go!!

Luz!: lost first round of top 8 :( it was a good match tho. been watching the other matches, they’re about to go to finals. it’s Amity vs that mysterious Caleb kid :0
Gusssss: oh dang, let’s see if Amity can clutch this

Luz!: just finished up here! gonna head over soon Gus
Gusssss: results??
Luz!: oh yeah! Caleb won, it was a really good match. Amity’s also like super chill about it?? will give deets later, I met her dad too
Gusssss: HER DAD? insane omgg can’t wait to hear it. my dad is getting pizza btw
Luz!: MR. PORTER MY GOAT
Willow: Oh wow! Sounds like you had fun! I’ll be there soon, too. We won 3-0! Can’t wait to see you guys :)
Gusssss: niceeeeeee
Luz!: WEEEEEEE YAYAY WILLOW

As Willow giggled at her friends’ excitement, she suddenly heard a warning from her right and felt someone on a skateboard breeze past her, just barely missing her. The blonde boy stumbled a bit and hopped off his board, frantically grabbing it and rushing to her. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Did I hit you?” The boy reached a hand out to Willow.

Willow brushed at the shoulder he grazed, “oh no no! You’re alright! You just missed me, thank you, though!”

“OK, good, it felt like I knocked you over for a second. I was going too fast,” the boy took a deep breath.

“Thanks for checking in,” Willow smiled, “haven’t I seen you before?”

The boy was bent over for a second as he caught his breath, but Willow’s question shot his head back up to her, “uh…yeah, I’ve um…rode past before. Oh jeez um, I’m not stalking, I promise!” he stammered.

“I didn’t think you were stalking!” his hands were up defensively, but Willow’s reassurance lowered them, “I honestly just wanted to learn your name. You seem nice.” There was a long pause. The boy stared blankly for a second, then to the ground. “Hello?” Willow asked him again, “are you alright?”

“What? Yeah! Sorry, um…my name’s…Hunter.”

“You seem a little unsure about that,” Willow chuckled.

“Nono, it is! I promise! I’m sorry, I can show you my ID too to prove it,” Hunter reached into his pocket.

“Oh, you’re fine,” Hunter’s nerves were endearing to Willow, “I’m just messing with you, I trust you. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Willow.”

Willow put out her hand and Hunter slowly accepted the handshake, “it’s really nice to properly meet you. You’re…a really good softball player.”
“Aw, thanks! I appreciate you coming out to see our games. I’ve spotted you often.” Even though Willow and Hunter only made eye contact twice, she could usually spot him in more obscure spots to watch their Saturday home games. He was still in the crowd, but out of the way of the more condensed areas of the bleachers.

“Oh, jeez, you have? Ahhhh I promise I’m not stalking! I just…really enjoy baseball and such.”

“I trust you, you’re fine,” Willow hung on her words to help ease Hunter’s anxiety, “I’d love to see you still come out. I’d hate to see someone so invested stop coming just ‘cuz he doesn’t wanna seem creepy.”

“It’s not creepy?”

“Not at all! It’s sweet, honestly.”

“Oh…sweet,” Hunter blushed.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to catch today’s game, it honestly went by quickly.”

“It’s alright, I ended up being busy earlier. When’s the next one?”

“Next Saturday! We’ll be playing Glandis Prep. It should be a good one!”

“Have you played against them yet this season?”

“Yeah, it was a tough loss. They’re the best team in the state, but I feel like we’ve improved a lot since.”

“Ah, bad beats. I’m sure you’ve got this next one!” Hunter’s words stood out to Willow. She hadn’t really heard any other teenagers use the phrase ‘bad beats’ unless they were her friends. That’s when it all came back to her. She remembered her conversation with Luz where they speculated about the blonde boy with the strand of hair in front of his face. Was Hunter this ‘Caleb’ Luz talked about?

“Thanks, Hunter!” Willow caught herself before she paused for too long, “I’ve gotta get going, unfortunately. But I hope to see you next weekend! Do you have Instagram? This way you can message me to look out for you!”

Hunter blushed again, “oh, uh…yeah! I don’t really use it, though. Not much of a social media guy.” The two exchanged usernames, “I’ll let you go, I gotta head home too. Nice properly meeting you, Willow.”

“You too!” Willow waved as Hunter skated off and she unlocked her bike. Before she hopped on, though, something caught her eye. Hunter wore a backpack that slung across his torso, and on the backpack itself there were two pins that glistened in the sunlight. Willow’s eyesight wasn’t the best, but she got a glimpse of a design that looked awfully similar to pins that she’s seen on Luz’s playmat. It looked slightly different, but she could make out the words “Top 8.” Willow opened her phone and sent a message:

Willow: Got some updates, too. I think the “Caleb” mystery has unraveled a bit!

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POV: Luz

“I KNEW IT!!” Luz hollered as she stuffed a slice of pizza in her mouth. Crumbs flew out of her mouth that she hastily picked up, frantically apologizing to Gus in the process. “It’s so crazy how much of a different person he becomes,” she continued after swallowing her food, “but after he won the RCQ, his entire demeanor loosened! The pitch of his voice raised a bit, he was a lot less stiff, it was like he’d just won a million bucks! And ‘cuz of that, he sounded and acted so much more like the Hunter I met at the library.”

“We should still be cautious with this, though,” Willow responded, “it wouldn’t be right to get up in his personal space and use a name he’s kept hidden out of the blue.”

“Well, clearly he doesn’t want it that hidden if he’s giving it to people outside of The Owl House,” Gus retorted. Willow gave him a disapproving look at that comment, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I haven’t met the guy yet, so maybe I’m just a little skeeved out by this whole ‘hidden identity’ thing. It’s not like how Amity just kept her hobby a secret.”

“I’m curious too,” Luz put a hand on her cheek, resting her elbow against the table. “He also just seems like a really nice guy. At first, I thought he was some brooding tournament grinder, but his total change in attitude really shows that he’s just a kid.”

“If we’re gonna be his friend, we should do it to authentically be his friend,” Willow added, “not just to figure out his life story.”

“Oh, for sure!” Luz agreed, “my curiosity is just always piqued, I’ll admit it.”

“Good,” Willow had a stern tone coupled with a friendly smile. It was her mom-friend way of making sure her friends weren’t making stupid decisions. “I got his Insta earlier today, maybe I can message him sometime asking if he wants to hang with us?”

“That’d be great! Though, I’m not sure if he knows I know, y’know?”

“That you know about his secret identity?” Gus responded.

“Yeah! I’d feel weird being all like ‘hey there Hunter ol’ boy! How’re you doing person I know nothing about?’” Luz rested her chin on her hand in thought. She’d love to befriend him, but after the Amity fiasco and overly ambitious plotting to try and reveal Hunter’s identity, she’d become a lot more cautious. It didn’t matter that she had made friends here in Gravesfield, she wasn’t exactly going about it in the most conventional ways.

“I don’t think there’s any harm in just hanging out with him all together,” Willow suggested, “as long as you’re not going ‘I KNOW WHO YOU ARE’ and just treating him like another new friend, there’s nothing wrong. It’s only awkward if you make it awkward.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Luz pondered, “I did notice him say something to Amity at one point when they played against each other, so he might be getting a little more sociable.” She thought back to hearing him whisper something to her just before the final match started. She was just out of earshot, but she remembered Amity’s response: ‘no, I want to earn it.’

“Speaking ooooof,” Gus hummed, “you met Mr. Blight??”

“OH YEAH! He was suuuuper nice. I also played against a friend of his in that first round. I think Darius was his name? Long, purple hair.”

“Mr. Deamonne?” Willow asked, surprised.

“That’s how you pronounce it? Anyways, he was super nice too, gentle giant kinda vibe.”

“I don’t know if this is an awkward question,” Willow interrupted, “but how has Amity been? I haven’t gotten much of a chance to talk with her since prerelease.”

“She’s really nice! She’s lost that sort of, like, uncaring vibe she had? We were just talking about our decks and I could see her really paying attention to what I was saying, and when she spoke, I could feel she was comfortable, too!”

“That’s great!”

“Yeah! She also told me my eyes were pretty, it was sweet.”

Willow and Gus paused, looked at each other, then turned back to Luz, “she did?” Gus asked.

“Yeah, why?” Once again, Willow and Gus paused, looked at each other, then turned back to Luz. It was then Luz picked up on what her friends were trying to imply. “WOAH! WHAT? There’s NO WAY Amity has a crush on me!! I mean, look at me! Look at her! We’re two different people! Besides, who knows if she even likes girls?!” Luz could feel herself blushing as the shock set in.

“You haven’t noticed the lesbian flag pin on her backpack?” Willow stifled a laugh.

“...no,” this was such a foreign prospect to Luz. She didn’t want to admit it, but she’d never been in a relationship before. She’d never kissed anyone, either, so if this was true, it was terrifying. “I think you guys are just tryna mess with me!” she laughed as well.

“I don’t know, telling someone their eyes are pretty isn’t just something you do if you don’t have a crush!” Gus smirked.

“You’re one to talk,” Willow poked fun at him.

“Oh, now what’s THIIIS mean?” Luz was excited to hear more.

“Willow is convinced that, ‘cuz Matt and I kissed as part of our callback scene, that that means something more,” Gus crossed his arms, “we’re trying to get into the mood of the scene! We’re committed to these roles!”

“Like, for real for real kiss?”

“Yes! What’s the matter with that!” Luz and Willow paused, looked at each other, then looked back at Gus, “oh, don’t go using my own move on me!” Gus pointed at his friends. The girls belly-laughed at his reaction and finished discussing Gus’ callbacks over the rest of the pizza.

The three played two rounds of Commander after finishing their food before Luz and Willow had to leave. As they said their goodbyes to Gus, they were surprised with just how cold it was outside. Their phones read 61 degrees, but with the wind it was near 55. Luz’s jacket wasn’t enough to keep her warm when her legs were freezing.

“I’d stay and talk, but it’s way too cold. Text in the group chat when you get home, Willow!” Luz unlocked her bike as swiftly as she could.

“You too, bud!” Willow hopped on her bike and rode off.

Luz hastily got out her phone to put on her playlist of songs. Even though she needed to get moving to warm herself up, the thought of biking home in complete silence was too creepy. The shuffle function started playing “She’s Quiet” by The Home Team from her playlist and, as she rode home, the lyrics popped out to her more than usual.

“Maybe I’ll stay this time
Whether you had asked me to I’m back into it
Ready your hand in mine
I can only get so far without your guide”

The vocalist’s passionate belting resonated with Luz more than usual as the prospect of someone having a crush on her lingered in her head. Surely her friends were just joking, right? How, of all people, would Amity Blight have a crush on her? Just a month ago, they were practically mortal enemies! However, it’s not like she hadn’t seen this before, even if it was in her Azura books. Nah, there’s no way, Luz stayed in denial for the rest of the ride. When she arrived home, however, she noticed something odd. Where’s Vee’s car?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POV: Vee

Vee worked at the Gravesfield Public Library from 1-9 on Saturdays which coincided with Masha’s shift at the museum. They decided to start carpooling together this week and Vee got a text from Masha, letting her know they were waiting for her outside of the library entrance. She, admittedly, rushed through some of her end of day tasks so she could see her partner.

As Vee skimmed through the study desks on the adult level upstairs, she came across someone sleeping. Ugh, I hope this doesn’t end up taking too long. “Excuse me? The library’s closing soon,” Vee approached the person, but they were still asleep. She slowly but surely nudged them, “excuse me?” The person jolted up and startled Vee, but when she saw their face, relief washed over her. “Aw, Hunter! Hi! I’m sorry, buddy, but the library’s closing up.”

Hunter looked exhausted behind his startled eyes, “oh, jeez, I’m really sorry.” He looked exhausted when he arrived just an hour prior, too. Vee was surprised he didn’t come around until 8 instead of in the afternoon like usual nor did he ask her for any book recommendations this time around.

“It’s alright! Just grab your things and follow me so the security guard can lock up behind us.” Vee led the teenager downstairs and said her goodbyes to her fellow staff members. Once they got outside, she saw Masha waiting outside nursing a Monster energy drink. “I’m glad I found you up there, I would’ve hated to see you trapped here overnight,” she smiled at Hunter.

“Heh…yeah. Um, see you around,” Hunter gave a small smile and wave.

“See you!” Vee turned to their partner and excitedly hopped over, “hi, darling!”

“Hi, beautiful!” The two wrapped their arms around each other, “who’s that kid over there?”

“Oh, that’s Hunter!” Vee kept her voice down in case he was still around, “he likes to come by on the weekends and always asks me for recommendations. He’s really sweet. Shy, though.”

“And why’s he just lingering over there?” Masha pointed toward the library entrance. Vee turned and saw him slowly sauntering around, phone in hand and looking very unsure of himself.

Good thing I kept my voice down. Vee was concerned and called out to him, “you OK over there, Hunter?”

“Huh? Um…yeah, I’m fine!”

“He seems to be pretty shit at hiding things,” Masha sipped on their Monster.

“Oh, be nice!” Vee whispered to Masha before taking a few steps over to Hunter, “say, Masha and I were gonna get some food, wanna join us?”

“We are?” Masha asked as Vee gave them a look of ‘just follow what I’m doing.’

Hunter hesitated before answering, “yeah, sure, thanks!” The smile he gave seemed to be all his face could muster. This boy was tired.

“We can just stop by Pizza Junction or something,” Vee whispered to Masha again, “they’re open until 12, right?”

That caught Masha’s attention, “oh, yeah! Good call.”

The trio hopped into Vee’s decade-old Sedan to escape from the nighttime chill. “If it gets too hot in here, Hunter, let me know,” Vee began cranking the heat. She got cold way too easily, and the fluctuating northeast weather wasn’t her friend. Masha took up the aux cord in the car and began to play music from their phone, to which their playlist gave them “Ruby Leaf” by Royal Coda. Usually, Masha would be blasting the music, but with another person in the car they had to lower the volume a bit more than they would like to.

“I should be alright, thanks,” Hunter responded to Vee. As the music played and Vee began driving, he spoke up for the first time, “this is a really good song. I like this band.”

This excited Masha, “nice! You don’t mind if I turn it up a little then, right?”

“Not at all,” Vee could see Hunter’s gap-toothed smile through the rear view mirror. The bags under his eyes made it seem like he hadn’t slept in days, but his smile looked brand new.

The three decided to eat in at the pizzeria as the restaurant was used to teens and college students coming in at late hours to hang out. Plus, it seemed like Hunter was really happy, they wanted to indulge in this. He was quiet most of the time, but liked listening in on Vee and Masha’s banter while driving. Hunter broke the silence after they ordered and sat down, “so, are you two together?”

“Yup!” Vee responded with a smile.

“Aw, I love it,” Hunter smiled as well, “you guys are really cute.”

“Thanks! Tell us more about yourself, though! You’ve barely talked this whole time!”

“Oh, I’m not that interesting.”

“Everyone’s interesting in their own way,” Masha replied.

“Um…I work at a pet store.”

“Wally’s?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Aw, I love animals!” Vee chimed in.

“Me too, I like birds a lot.”

“That I knew!” Hunter chuckled at Vee’s comment. He’d checked out a few books on species of birds and bird watching the last time he was there.

Hunter pondered more on what else to say, “I skateboard too. Not, like, tricks and stuff, but it’s how I’ve gotten around since I was little.”

“I was curious, where was it today? Did you walk?”

“Yeah, I just didn’t feel like it today for some reason,” Hunter answered the question awkwardly, almost like he rehearsed it. The worker at the counter called out that the trio’s order was ready, to which Masha retrieved the slices. After a minute or two of silence as they ate, Hunter spoke up again, “I, um…also play Magic: the Gathering. It’s like, my main hobby.”

“Really?” Vee looked up from her slice, “my sister does too! She works at the Owl House!”

“...Luz?”

“Yeah! I’ll have to tell her I met a friend of hers.” Vee took another bite as Hunter paused, almost as if he was zoning out.

“You OK there?” Masha noticed his eyes wander as the sauce from his pizza dripped onto his hand.

“Uh, yeah, I’m good,” he grabbed a napkin and wiped the sauce off his hand, “just…a coincidence I wasn’t expecting. I don’t know many people.”

“You new to town?”

“Not particularly. I just…,” he hesitated again, “don’t go to school, so…”

Masha nodded their head, “you’re all good. You don’t have to get into anything personal if you don’t want to.” Hunter nodded back, appreciating the gesture. He continued talking about Magic, though, explaining how he’d won an RCQ tournament earlier in the day and how excited he was about it.

“That’s so cool!” Vee’s eyes were wide, “are you going to the big one in Hartford next month? My sister will be there, too!”

“Oh, no, unfortunately,” Hunter swallowed his food before finishing his sentence, “there’s different formats where it’s like, different cards are legal. The one in Hartford is for a format I don’t usually play.”

“Well, it’s a big convention, right?” Vee asked, “maybe you could still go to do other stuff! It’s so close by, y’know?”

“Maybe, I just don’t have much time,” Hunter answered sheepishly, “I wanna work more so I can save up for the RC.”

“That’s fair, plus you gotta train! Or practice, or whatever you do for the game,” Vee chuckled, “Magic is more of my sister and dad’s thing, my mom and I never got into it.” Almost as if she willed her sister’s presence into existence, Vee felt her phone buzz as she received a text from Luz.

Butthead: wya??
Vee: getting food with Masha, will be home soon
Vee: do you know someone named Hunter btw?
Butthead: 0_0
Butthead: yeah why?
Vee: with him rn
Vee: is he not cool or something?
Butthead: no he’s cool, just the last thing i was expecting lmao
Butthead: i’ll explain more when you get home

It was almost midnight when Vee and Masha dropped Hunter off at home. Their conversation at the pizzeria continued for a while, and Hunter seemed like a really nice kid! Even though Luz said he was ‘cool,’ Vee was very curious as to why Luz was so shocked, rather than her bubbly self. After driving to the outskirts of town, Vee pulled up to the address Hunter put into his GPS. The house was large and in a much quieter neighborhood with minimal streetlamps. Even in the darkness, she could see the stone and brick that made up Hunter’s home.

“Sheesh, kid. Is this your house or Dracula’s castle?” Masha quipped, Vee gave them a light punch on the arm for it. Thankfully, Hunter chuckled as well.

“Nah, this is the right house,” Hunter opened the car door, but didn’t step out just yet, “thanks again for taking me out. I honestly needed the food in my system.” It was true, he looked much better after eating.

“Of course!” Vee smiled back at him, “I’ll see you around!” Hunter smiled as he stepped out of the car and closed the door behind him. Vee took a moment as her and her partner watched him step back inside his house, and drove off once he was inside.

There was a silence as the radio played “Tomorrow Will be Fine” by Kurt Travis. Masha and Vee vibed to the music, enjoying the silence. Masha broke the silence as the song finished, though. “Hey, so did the GPS say we drove about 4 miles to get to his house? Or did I hallucinate that?”

“Yeah, why?” Vee answered, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“And Hunter said he walked to the library tonight?”

“...oh shit, he did.”

“There were also, like, no cars in the driveway of his house. Where are his parents?” Vee shrugged, making a noise that sounded like ‘Idunno.’ “I don’t mean to be paranoid, but I’m worried about the kid,” Masha tried not to sound too serious, but the concern came through to Vee. They might’ve only been dating for a few weeks, but they were comfortable enough with each other to have conversations like this.

“Honestly, same,” Vee shifted in the driver’s seat a little to try and quell her anxiety, “Luz texted me asking where I was and I asked her if she knew him since he knew her. You can check my messages to see what she said.”

Masha grabbed the phone, closing the GPS app. Vee knew where she was going at this point anyway. When they got to reading the texts, Vee heard them make a ‘hm’ sound. “Seems like we’re not the only ones who know something is up.”

“Maybe,” Vee pulled up to Masha’s house at that moment and parked her car, “I’ll let you know what she says. I’ll keep an eye out for him too when he comes to the library next week. Maybe we can take him out again, he seemed to really enjoy it.” When Vee turned to look at Masha, they were resting their arm on the car door, hand on their cheek, and smiling at her. “What?” Vee chuckled.

“You’re just so pretty and sweet!” Masha answered.

“Oh shu-” before Vee could finish her sentence, Masha leaned in and kissed her for the first time. It wasn’t Vee’s first kiss, but it felt magical like one. “Oh, wow, haha,” the lesbian panic settled in again.

“You get home safe, alright beautiful?”

“I will, darling,” Vee leaned in and kissed Masha again. After their lips broke, Masha exited the car and gave a wave goodbye as they walked up to their house. Vee made sure they got in before driving off, just as she did with Hunter, though she stared longingly at her partner this time. She touched her lips, making sure it was real, and it for sure was. Sheesh, what a night.

Chapter Text

POV: Eda

Eda took the day off after the RCQ. The store had a crazy busy few weeks, so this little weekend she gave herself was well needed and deserved. King was also out of the house for the day hanging out with some friends from school, leaving Eda with complete peace and quiet. She only sent one text to Hooty checking in on how he and Luz were holding up at the store, but it was rather slow in usual Sunday fashion.

It was a bit warmer that day, feeling a lot more like Spring, so Eda decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to get some exercise in. In the warmer months, you can always see Eda Clawthorne out and about on some new adventure, making the mundane always seem a lot more fun than it actually was. Chronic pain be damned, she wanted fresh air. She packed her phone, a bottle of water, and a retractable cane in her bag and she was on her way.

The condos Eda and King lived in overlooked the river that separated their town, Glastonbury, and Gravesfield. Even though Eda was born and raised in Gravesfield, it was easier to find a place for her to raise King comfortably across the water. As much as she would’ve loved for King to attend Gravesfield High and terrorize Principal Bump like she did, being a single mom isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do financially. Besides, the view of her hometown from her apartment was beautiful in the right sunlight as the light glistened off the water.

Eda got about half an hour into her walk before her body began to ache. Thankfully, she’d planned out her route well so that she could rest on a bench in a small park that was usually empty. Even as a mom, she wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of screaming children, so being here meant she could contemplate and take in the fresh air.

She closed her eyes and reflected on the past month. She was grateful for the store’s success, but so much had been happening in her own life that her stress over her business was replaced by the stress of…whatever the fuck was happening. Why did Raine call her of all people? Well, she knew why, but why? After everything she’d done to them, after five years, they still reached out to her…

Practically out of impulse, she took out her phone and immediately dialed Lilith. She’d mostly given up on calling her sister, but she tried at least once a month. Eda was fully expecting for it to ring all the way till it went to voicemail. That’s what had happened the last six months, the last time Lily picked up.

“Hello?” Lilith answered.

“Oh, holy shit,” Eda’s jaw dropped, “I didn’t think you’d pick up.”

Lilith let out a small chuckle, “the first true day off I’ve had in a while. How are you?”

“Been better. Sorry to ask this kind of a favor, but are you around?”

“Just pulling out of the house to run some errands, why?”

“I’m at that tiny park close to my place, know the one?”

“I’m familiar, want me to meet you there?”

“Please,” Eda felt pretty bad she was asking for this. This was probably the first day Lilith had to relax in half a year.

“Sure, be there soon,” Lilith hung up as they exchanged ‘love you’s.

Eda put her phone in her bag to keep away any distractions. She needed time to really think through what she wanted to say to her sister. These opportunities are extremely rare and she’d barely been processing how she felt about Raine contacting her. Every time it came to mind it felt like things were crashing around her.

Ten minutes flew by as Eda was lost in the scenery. “Hey, Edalyn,” Lilith’s raven-blue hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore casual clothes for what looked to be the first time in forever. Her usual stiffness was traded in for a relaxed posture, almost slouching, as she joined Eda on the bench. “What’s wrong?” She could sense Eda’s demeanor.

Eda was undeniably happy to see Lilith, but her sad eyes countered the smile she put on for her sister. “Raine called me,” there was no point in beating around the bush.

“Oh, goodness,” Lilith put a hand on Eda’s shoulder, “about what?”

“Not us, that’s for sure.”

“Was it…amicable at least?”

“It was,” Eda sighed, “and that honestly made it harder to handle.” She rubbed her temple with her hand, gripping onto her hip as she had a small flare of pain. It felt like any time she thought about Raine her muscles would tighten even more than they already do.

Lilith’s brow furrowed as she searched for the best thing to say. “Well, it shows that there’s at least a chance for your friendship to be good as new. Just because you’re not together, doesn’t mean you don’t care about each other.”

The word ‘friendship’ stung. Lilith wouldn’t have been able to gauge that Eda’s wince was directed at that word, rather than at her pain. “I was just…such a shit person, Lily.” Darius and Alador had a vague idea of what happened between Eda and Raine, but Lilith knew the full story.

“You can’t act like you’re innately a terrible person for having a very human response to what you were going through,” Lilith shifted her body to face toward her sister, “I can only imagine how it felt to deal with the pains you experienced. Hell, even the pains you experience now! Constantly having it haunt you, it’s brutal.”

“I’m not trying to tell myself to suck it up, but I could’ve been less stubborn.”

“Well, yes, but that’s not the point-”

“It sort of is, Lily,” Lilith’s face dropped at Eda’s remark. Eda knew Lilith would always be honest, whether it be to confirm her feelings or put in her place, and this time it was the former. “Look, I don’t wanna just sit here and languish. I’d hate to spend the one shred of alone time I’ve had with my sister in almost a year like this, but fuck. How am I supposed to feel about any of this?”

Lilith pondered for a moment, “if I may ask again, what did they call you about?”

Eda had completely forgotten this was about Belos. Lilith would probably think this was some kind of elaborate plan to get her out of the job she was in, there was no way she could mention it. “That’s not really important,” Eda answered.

“Well, with the context I have, I feel like Raine should’ve been a bit more conscious of how they’d come across doing something like this. Nothing against them, but it seems a little rude,” Lilith’s honesty was center stage again. Even though Eda felt so conflicted about the situation, she didn’t want Raine to be portrayed as a bad person either. What they called her about was important, and especially important to Lilith.

“If I tell you, will you believe me?” Eda asked.

Lilith chuckled, not realizing Eda was being serious, “sure? I don’t see what the problem is.”

Eda sighed once again before explaining, “Raine is trying to investigate someone's death, a fella named Caleb. They believe his death had some sort of foul play involved. It was reported as a suicide by overdose, but when Raine had to interview the guy’s brother about it, the brother seemed to be hella suspicious.”

“Hm, I see,” Lilith nodded, “I still don’t understand why they felt the need to call you about it. Do they not have any other contacts in the news world? You run a game store, not a true crime website.”

Lilith needed to know. “The thing is…” Eda’s words hung in the air for a second, “the suspicious brother is your boss, Lily.” Silence. Lilith pressed her lips and looked out to the water. Her left leg was crossed over the other and Eda could see it nervously bouncing. This was the sign that Lilith was either anxious about something or pissed. “I promise, this isn’t me trying to start another conversation of ‘I don’t like your boss, come back to the store, yadda yadda,’ but Raine also isn’t an idiot. Their intuition is godly, and if this ends up being legit, I don’t want you to be in the same space as a potential killer. I’ve already read up on how he’s extorting a lot of smaller towns, those charges just keep getting dropped, and-”

“Stick to the Raine thing, please,” Lilith interrupted, “I already know well about the legal problems from work. That isn’t going to help your case, Edalyn.”

Eda paused, picking her next words carefully. “Like I said, this conversation wasn’t meant to be another one about your job. I didn’t really wanna bring it up, but I know you always want the full story, I can’t just deprive you of that.”

“That I understand, and trust me, if my boss was a murderer, I would probably be out of a job since that company will go down with him.”

“I’d love that, for sure,” Eda commented. Lilith tried to hide it, but that side comment made her laugh a tiny bit. Even though Eda was glad her sister found the humor in her snide remarks about Belos and Philip Wittebane, the fact that Lilith did find it funny hurt at times. Though, right now, she saw it as her slowly cracking the shell around Lilith to let her break free. “Raine did specifically call me with the intention of talking to you about it, though.” There wasn’t any point in hiding the truth.

Lilith was silent again. “It’s just…difficult.” Eda knew very well how well Lilith was being paid. Even though Lilith had gotten her master’s in history and had always dreamed of working in a museum, times were tough, and she had to do what she had to do. There would always be a part of her holding out that things could work out again like they did a decade ago, with both Lilith and all of their friends. She nodded her head in understanding before Lilith continued, “I do still wish Raine reached out to you in a…different way. Not sure how to describe it, but reaching out for the first time in five years in such an abrupt manner is so odd. Relationships aren’t my thing.”

“No, you’re right,” Eda responded, “for Raine, though, being direct was always their thing. They could never really stay in one place, no matter how much we all wanted to.”

“Would you…” Lilith began to speak before stopping herself.

“You can go ahead.”

“Would you go back with them if they asked?”

Eda turned to look at the water and ponder her sister’s question. The downfall of their relationship was because of her. At least, that’s what she always told herself. Even in the years before, Raine was around the least, despite their relationship with Eda. They’d been a writer, journalist, you name it, well before meeting their group of friends. Late nights and traveling back and forth was commonplace. The times they were around made the relationship worth it, but when they weren’t around for days at a time, it always pained Eda. Once her chronic pain developed, her frustrations were let out in all the wrong directions. She could never be as mobile as her partner, she could never catch up, she’d just be at the Owl House, and thus she pushed away the person that cared about her the most. The question of ‘do you want to settle down?’ was something she could never bring herself to ask. She couldn’t bring herself to be an anchor. “I would,” Eda finally answered.

Lilith simply nodded and let her sister sit with her answer before speaking up again. “If you’d like to join me on my errands today, I could use the company. Will Gw-...King be alright on his own?” Lilith let out a small ‘sorry’ under her breath for almost deadnaming her nephew again, which cracked a smile from Eda.

“Sure, sis,” she braced herself and unfolded her cane as the two walked over to Lilith’s car. When they entered the car and Lilith turned the engine on, she began to turn on some music. “Y’know,” Eda interrupted, “King has been wearing that Wu-Tang shirt you gave him the other day. Seems like a new favorite of his.”

Lilith smiled, “good, it’s in good hands now. Though, I’ll never forget my roots. You should know that.” Lilith promptly put on “Duel of the Iron Mic” by GZA. Even though she couldn’t completely convince her, Eda learned that Lilith wasn’t a lost cause.

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POV: Luz

Camila was on the night shift at the clinic, so Vee took care of making dinner for her and Luz. When Luz arrived home after work, she was met with the smell of cooked pasta and veggies with all different kinds of spices. Even though Camila was definitely the best cook among the three, Vee knew how to make simple dishes taste amazing. Not only would the food be good, but it also meant Luz got the chance to just talk on and on with her sister.

The topic of the night’s conversation: Vee’s outing with Hunter the night before. Luz had crashed before Vee came home and then had to hurry out of the house in the morning, so she’d been waiting almost a day for the details. Vee told all: finding Hunter asleep, inviting him out, learning about him over pizza, and the barrenness of his house.

As Luz listened, she began to theorize in her mind. Hunter had been so excited when he left the Owl House yesterday, so why was he suddenly so exhausted and shy? Granted, it was a long day, but going to take a nap at the library wasn’t exactly Luz’s ideal celebration. “So you mentioned that he knows me? How’d you find out?”

“When he mentioned he plays Magic, I said you worked at the Owl House and the dots connected for him from there.”

Luz nodded as Vee explained, she had more questions but knew they were ones that Vee couldn’t answer. So instead, she quickly switched the conversation to one that she definitely knew Vee could give answers for: “hey, how do you know if a girl likes you?”

Vee was mid-sip of her drink when Luz asked it, causing her to almost spit out her drink in shock. Once she got her soda down, she coughed before responding, “hold on, what?! Does someone like you?!”

“W-well, my friends think this other girl is into me and…well I don’t really see it and-,” Luz stammered on, not sure how to explain the prospect of Amity Blight having a crush on her to her sister. This was all a total guessing game to her. Luz was nervous that she would be considered vain if she believed Amity had a crush on her, or people would call her oblivious if she paid no mind to it. Not having that verbal confirmation was painful.

“Lemme ask this then,” Vee cleared her throat, “what’s making you suspicious?”

“The big one was she told me my eyes were pretty and, now that I think about it, she was really looking at me, and I mean looking at me when she said it.”

“Like…longingly?”

“Maybe? Gah! I feel so self-centered saying that! What if I’m actually crazy and I end up ruining my friendship with her?”

“Is this Willow?”

“No…Amity.”

Vee gasped, “the girl who volunteers at the library?!”

“Yeah…that’s another thing too, if it was someone I was closer with I’d feel more comfortable just directly asking. But considering me and Amity’s history, I feel like it could all come crashing down!”

“You’ve gotta take it one step at a time then, hermana. So your friends feel like she’s got a crush on you?”

“Dique, but I feel like they’re just teasing, y’know? Pals being pals!”

Vee sighed, “you’re nervous, aren’t you?”

“...yeah,” Luz looked down at her food as she picked at the last bits of pasta and veggies she hadn’t finished, “I also want it to feel real, y’know? And on top of that, I’d hate to hurt Amity’s feelings by rejecting her.”

“Well, think of it outside of her wants and needs. What do you want, Luz?”

The conversation took an unexpectedly deep turn. Luz pondered for a moment, her sister waiting patiently across from her. Vee was always very patient and willing to hear Luz out, even if it was some crazy idea that would get them in trouble. “I guess…someone I can really enjoy my life with. Someone who’ll listen to me, and I’ll listen to them in turn. I know I’m only 15, but I feel like people never really look at the big picture with that kinda stuff. So many kids my age just care about who’s the cutest or whose parents have money. I don’t even care that Amity’s parents are well off! I’d be dating her, not the money!”

Vee chuckled, “do you feel like Amity could meet all that for you?”

“That’s kinda tough,” Luz looked down, “she’s already going through a lot at home it seems. Her mom seems like an asshole, so I wouldn’t wanna thrust the concept of dating when she’s trying to work out her own emotions.”

“Sometimes a partner can help in that respect, though,” Vee replied, “Masha’s been struggling with their gender crisis for a hot minute, well before I met them, and they said to me ‘I’d rather struggle next to someone who’ll pick me up than by myself,’” Vee’s words resonated deeply with Luz there. “I don’t know if Amity will feel the same way at all, but it’s worth considering. When it comes to a relationship, you’re most likely not gonna be each other’s therapist. Loving someone is tough, but you’ve gotta hold onto what makes it worth it, and make sure that the two of you can help make each other the best versions of yourselves. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah…,” Luz smiled, “I’m gonna be seeing her in a few days, I think. Maybe we’ll see if anything’s changed then. She’s actually gonna be coming here.”

Vee gasped again, “does mama know?!”

“Oh yeah, I asked her before I did anything else,” Luz and Amity made plans to prep for the RC together on Monday after school, which was… “Oh goodness, that’s tomorrow!”

“What, when Amity’s coming over?”

“Yeah! I have to get my deck ready!” Luz hurriedly cleaned her dish and thanked her sister for the food, giving Vee a big hug before bolting up to her room. Izzet Prowess was not only making waves in Modern, but it was the deck to play in Standard. Slowly but surely, it was becoming the most played deck in tournaments in-person and online, so Luz had to make sure she could have all the cards together (or at least proxies printed out to practice with).

The next two hours Luz spent in her room consisted of sifting through her bulk cards. The Owl House had plenty of the random commons and uncommons she needed such as Opt and Burst Lightning, but she realized she was missing some crucial rares and the store’s stock had been depleted by the other tournament grinders. Maybe she had misplaced some copies of Stock Up among her Aetherdrift bulk?

After finding a singular Stock Up and an extra Stormchaser’s Talent (she’d been using two in her Modern deck), she realized she had one option left before she’d have to make some proxies.

GoodWitchLuz: hey amity! do you have any extra copies of Stock Up or Stormchaser’s Talent? i can’t find anyyyyyy

Amity wasn’t online on Discord, but she thought she might as well message her just in case. Admittedly, she was nervous to message Amity after her conversation with her sister earlier, but lo and behold, Amity came online and began typing soon after it was sent.

BlightedAgent52: I should, yeah. Stocked up on both a bit ago. How many do you need?
GoodWitchLuz: 3 Stock Up and a Talent if possible it’s totally alright if not tho!!
BlightedAgent52: Got you covered. Am I still good to come over tomorrow after school?
GoodWitchLuz: you’re awesome!! and yis :3
BlightedAgent52: Thanks haha. See you then.

This was an eggshell Luz never expected to crack. She would be hanging out with Amity Blight, playing Magic.

On her desk, she had a picture of her, Vee, and her parents from a trip to the beach that she held dearly. Nothing was very extravagant about the picture, no special poses or costumes, but what was special about it was just how happy they all looked. Luz grabbed the picture frame to analyze it more closely, inspecting every detail in her family’s smiles. “Ay papá, en qué me he metido?”

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POV: Hunter

Monday mornings at Wally’s were slower than any other day, but Hunter didn’t mind. Being paid to stand around and mind his own business was relieving and, at the moment, anything was better than being at home. The weekend didn’t turn out the way he thought it would after the RCQ, though. He didn’t want to dwell on all of it too much, so he began to aimlessly stock and organize shelves to refocus his mind.

“Hey there, Hunter!” A low, booming voice startled Hunter. His boss, Scott, was a middle-aged man whose specialty wasn’t subtlety. Thankfully, Hunter didn’t have anything in his hands. Had Scott approached him a few seconds earlier, the floor of the store likely would’ve been covered in bird seed from the bag Hunter just placed on the shelf. “Woah! Sorry kid, jumpy fella, aren’t ya?”

“Heh…yeah, you could, uh…say that,” Hunter never knew how to talk to this guy. Scott only ever spoke in small talk or conversations about topics such as his new boat or his kids that are off in college playing sports. All things Hunter had zero interest or stake in.

“How was your weekend?”

“It was fine. Didn’t do much Saturday, worked here yesterday. Keeping it simple.”

“I heard from Becky yesterday that you came in half an hour late?” Becky was the supervisor under Scott who ran the store on weekends. She was around Scott’s age, but not anywhere near as friendly. Hunter at least appreciated that Scott tried to talk to him man to man, but Becky seemed like she was always annoyed by people’s existence.

“Right, yes. Sorry, sir.”

“No need to give me the ‘sir’ treatment, kid. To be honest, I usually would give you a gentle ‘don’t let that be a common occurrence,’ but what she told me after that stuck out,” Becky was always talking about other people, what could she have possibly been saying about Hunter? He barely talked to anyone, if she was trying to talk shit, there was a very good chance she was just making shit up. “She started going on about how you ‘looked like a mess’ and ‘hadn’t slept in days.’ I had to scold her a bit for talking about my employees that way. It made me want to ask, though, are you alright? You’ve never been late before to my knowledge.”

It was true, Hunter was rarely late to work. It was also true that Hunter had barely slept the Saturday night after Vee dropped him off, that he looked like shit the day before. Slowly, everything came barreling back into his mind…

Hunter’s head was held high as he skated home. He was an RCQ champ once more, a pretty girl noticed him, today was incredible! Taking in all the scenery of outer Gravesfield, Hunter could see the first signs of real Spring poking through as some flowers bloomed and cherry blossom trees turned pink. Everything felt so new and freeing.

That feeling washed away once his home was in sight, though. His uncle’s car was parked outside. Shit, he thought to himself, of course he’s home before I could get back. As Hunter skated toward the side of his house, he heard the front door open as none other than Uncle Philip was watching him, motioning him to come inside through the front. Daggers shot through Hunter as he knew his uncle was going to berate him for whatever he saw fit. As badly as Hunter wanted to just skate away, his body was conditioned to follow whatever orders his uncle gave him out of sheer fear.

Inside, Uncle Philip rummaged through a stack of paperwork. He barely looked like the neat, clean Philip Wittebane, CEO of Belos Properties that all the pictures made him out to be. At home, Philip looked like he’d age about ten years as all of the hate in his heart poured out within those walls, often directed at Hunter. “And why the hell are you home after me, again? This is the second time in the last month.”

“I…,” Hunter looked down at his feet.

“Look at me in the eyes, dammit!” He had to have been drinking, his breath reeked of whiskey.

Hunter shot his head up at his uncle’s demand, “Sorry, I-”

“Again with the apologies!” Philip slammed his fist on the counter, “answer my damn question!”

Hunter felt himself begin to say ‘sorry’ before he quickly pulled back, “the tournament I went to ran longer than I expected, and I ran into a…friend on the way home.”

“This ‘friend’ of yours was so important that you had to be almost an hour past your curfew?”

Hunter didn’t know how to answer the question, so he thought he might as well change the conversation topic to something that would grab his uncle’s attention, “well, I do have some good news.”

“Really?”

“I…won another RCQ! Just like back in the fall!”

Philip paused, blinking at his nephew with a blank expression, “And?”

“That means I…get to go to Houston or Vegas to compete with a lot of great players again! I could potentially make the Pro Tour this time with how well I did back in Charlotte!” Hunter tried to put on a smile to maybe sway his uncle’s feelings, but all he got back was the same blank, uncaring expression. Last time this happened, his uncle was a lot warmer to Hunter’s success and offered to pay for his expenses for the trip. Ever since then, though, his cold demeanor and aggression had increased. This was a gamble.

“So, what, you want to drain more of my money so you can go off to some ridiculous convention again?”

Shit, Hunter thought, I should’ve known he was just giving me false hope, “well, I-”

“You what, Hunter? You want to try and convince me your card game addiction is worth dropping all this money again?” There it was. Addiction. Uncle Philip had been hanging that word in Hunter’s face for the last few years.

“I…I actually wanted to save up a lot from work so I could pay for most of it.”

“So now you’re wasting money you need to be saving, is it?” There was no winning with Uncle Philip. “First, you disobey my rules. Now, you’re making horrendous financial decisions for yourself. Do you want to end up like your father?!”

That was what did it. Hunter froze and the images of his father’s lifeless body on the bathroom floor flashed in his mind. The rest of his uncle’s tirade was muffled by the sound of his own sobs, the images of the empty pill bottle, the police and his uncle finding him in perpetual shock. The only thing that knocked him out of his dissociation was his uncle pushing him out of the way.

“I’ll be gone for a while, I have another important business trip,” Philip put on his suit jacket and effortlessly cleaned himself up. When business was involved, Philip could put on a mask expertly.

“But…” Hunter turned toward his uncle, eyes still wide, “you were just gone for a week…” The door closed behind Philip as he left his nephew with no response. Hunter stood there, recovering from his episode and listening to Philip’s car leave the driveway. He needed to leave this house for a while, the library should still be open at this time. Hunter couldn’t bring himself to skateboard, though, nor to bring his bag. All he kept on his person was his phone, wallet, and house key. He needed to rest…

“Hunter? Why is Blueberry in your pocket?”

The trance Hunter was in felt like it lasted for an hour, but it seemed like only a few seconds passed. Scott was about to ask if the boy was feeling alright, but was distracted by the young hamster in the pocket of Hunter’s work shirt. Blueberry squeaked and raised his little paws up.

“Oh, I’m just getting him acclimated to people,” Hunter took the hamster out and gently pet him, “I do this with all of the younger hamsters. A lot of the customers have told me it’s helped them a lot.”
Scott paused and looked at the hamster, impressed with Hunter’s methods. “Well, if that’s the case,” he crossed his arms and smiled, “keep doing it!”

“Will do,” Hunter gave a soft smile back. Scott turned and walked away shortly after, leaving Hunter grateful for Blueberry’s distraction. He probably would’ve had to explain what happened that night. Remembering it was already painful, he could only imagine the consequences it’d have on him if he’d have to recount it to someone.

Hunter placed Blueberry back in his shirt pocket and continued his work, making sure the hamster was safe and sound the rest of the day.

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POV: Amity

Edric stayed behind at school for the first of his show’s rehearsals, so Amity got to sit in the front seat as Emira drove her to Luz’s. It was also the first time in a while that she didn’t have her headphones in on a ride in her sister’s car. She felt it’d be rude to do so with it being just her and Emira, but as Emira’ blasted her generic pop music, Amity couldn’t help but wish she’d put in her headphones anyway.

“So, Mittens,” Emira lowered the radio volume. Amity was also grateful Emira stopped singing along, she couldn’t carry a tune anywhere near as well as Edric could. “Who’s this girl you’re seeing again?”

“Luz Noceda,” Amity replied, “she’s new, though I believe the two of you have already met.”

“Oh yeah!” Emira paused after responding, “wait, did she rat Ed and I out to you?”

“Oh calm down,” as much as Ed and Em bothered Amity, they were pretty funny at times, causing Amity to break a small smile at Em’s exaggeration.

“I remember that conversation. She’d, like, just moved here I think when that happened. I’m glad the two of you are seeing each other more often. She seems really sweet!”

Amity wanted to agree, but she knew her sister would start to suspect her crush instantly, “Why’d you tell her about mom, though? I never really learned much about that conversation. Seems like a lot for having just met someone.”

“Oh, you know,” Emira waved her hand, “Ed and I can just go on and on with people.” She wasn’t wrong, but Amity didn’t believe it. “Is this the house?” Em asked before Amity could have time to respond.

Amity double checked the house number she’d jotted down in her phone, “it is, yeah. Thanks, Em.”

“No prob, Mittens! I think dad’s gonna pick you up, have fuuuun!” Emira hummed.

“Thanks, love you,” Amity closed the door and made her way up the walkway to Luz’s front door, hearing the sound of Emira’s car pulling away. It’d been a while since Amity played paper Magic at someone’s house, it was only ever at The Owl House or online in her room the last few years. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, nervous about so many different things.

“Hey!!” The door swung open only a few seconds later. It was Luz, the thing Amity was most nervous about. Amity’s heart fluttered the same way it did at the RCQ. She’d hoped she could suppress it a little bit since it was going to be the two of them, but that only made it worse.

“Hi, Luz! Uh…how are you?” Amity gave a nervous grin.

“I’m great!” Luz’s obliviousness to Amity’s expressions saved the latter, “come on in, my mom is making tacos for us.” The smell of the food cooking was incredible. Amity felt like she was truly in a home, and she’d only just arrived! A woman with curly, brown hair, tan skin, and glasses stood in the kitchen cooking the beef for the tacos. She looked just like Luz, just with glasses.

“Hola, Amity! Luz has told me much about you,” SHE HAS?! “Please, make yourself at home!” That wasn’t a difficult thing for Amity to do. Her house hadn’t felt like home in years, but this place felt so inviting.

“Hola, Mrs. Noceda,” Amity gave a very cautious (and Caucasian) attempt at Spanish along with a small, polite wave, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Please, just call me Camila,” her smile was warm and made Amity feel like she was being given a motherly hug. “You can put your shoes and bookbag right by the door there.” Amity obliged, she began to feel weightless in the best way.

“I’ve got the table in the living room set up for us,” Luz interjected, “I just need to grab a few more things and we can jam some games!”

“Sounds good!” Amity smiled. Luz rushed up the stairs past the kitchen and Amity collected her things, neatly setting up her deck and playmat in the living room to her right. The Noceda household was covered in pictures and antiques, but the one that caught Amity’s eye the most was the light brown guitar that hung on the living room wall. Amity knew some guitar. She wasn’t an expert, but knew how to play for quite a while. About once a week, she’d take some time to learn riffs to a song she was into and it’d stay in her head forever. The guitar on the wall looked so finely made. She desperately wanted to play it, but she knew better not to just start playing someone’s possibly important heirloom.

When Luz returned, the girls got straight to business. After Amity helped Luz sleeve up the spare copies of Stock Up and Stormchaser’s Talent she’d let her borrow, they played almost three whole matches, each going to three games. The girls didn’t have access to any other Standard decks aside from Izzet Prowess, unfortunately, but according to tournament data it wasn’t unlikely they’d have to play this matchup quite a bit in Hartford.

“It’s so weird playing a deck with these cards that’s so much slower than the Modern version of Prowess. It’s definitely fast on Standard levels, but not having fetchlands or Mishra’s Bauble makes such a difference,” Luz made her observations as she shuffled her deck.

“Yeah, I’m definitely not used to playing with Cutter in general, so this is already much faster for me. I can only imagine what it’s like for you,” Amity could feel her brain getting a little tired from playing three back to back matches with a type of deck that she was not used to in the slightest. Thankfully, Camila had entered the room with tacos ready for the girls, just what Amity needed to refresh her brainpower.

The food, needless to say, was ASTOUNDING. It felt nice to have tacos made by someone who wasn’t white for once. Though Amity's palette did need to adapt to some of the spices a bit more than she expected, it still was incredible!

“Please tell your mom I say thank you for the food, she’s a great cook.”

“Of course! She’s the best,” Luz grinned. This was the best home cooked meal Amity had in years, if only this could be every day.

“Can I ask you something?” Amity wiped her face as she finished one of the tacos.

“For sure! What is it?”

“That guitar,” Amity pointed to the beautiful guitar on the wall, “is it alright if I play it for a moment? I wasn’t sure if it was, like, expensive or anything.”

That managed to catch Luz off guard, “oh! Probably! Let me ask my mom real quick,” Luz poked her head out to the hallway so she could yell toward the kitchen. “Mama! Can Amity play something on dad’s old guitar?”

Even though Amity heard Luz’s mom respond with a yes, she suddenly felt embarrassed for some reason. Hearing it referred to that way made it seem like something fragile, “oh…if it’s, uh, too much I don’t have to.”

“Not at all! My dad would’ve wanted it, he loved music.”

Amity smiled and stood up to reach for the guitar. Halfway there, though, that’s when it clicked. “Oh, my god. I’m so sorry…” she felt even worse now.

“Hm?” Luz looked up from her food.

“I didn’t know your dad…wasn’t with us anymore,” Amity rubbed her arm, giving Luz a pensive and empathetic look.

“It’s alright,” Luz gave a smile that very clearly had a lot of grief behind it, “like I said, if you wanna play something, then that’s what he’d want!” Her familiar grin returned. To Amity, she felt like this could help her new friend more than anything. She couldn’t let her fear of messing things up dictate her forever.

Amity tuned the guitar and pondered what to play as she strummed a few major chords. There was a part of her that wanted to impress Luz, but was it too cheesy to play something Luz knew? Or would it be awkward to play something she’d never heard before? Amity, admittedly, had been acquiring more new music from Luz’s Discord activity, and she’d spent some time on the day before learning a song she heard for the first time the night of the RCQ. She wanted to do something cool before playing, like asking ‘do you know this one?’ to Luz, but instead she just felt herself begin strumming the chords, ready to play. There was no turning back from this now, she was actually playing guitar for Luz, and she was about to sing too! Oh fuck, I’m really doing this, huh?

“I’m better off saying nothing
But I get so caught up in it, so caught up in you
So here’s to the first time I’ve arrived
With nothing left to lose

You should see what I’ve become
So obsessively lost in the way I love
It isn’t like me, though, oh no
To just lose control

Maybe I’ll stay this time
Whether you had asked me to, I’m back into it
Ready your hand in mine
I can only get so far without your guide.”

Amity effortlessly played through the rest of “She’s Quiet” by The Home Team for Luz. She was honestly amazed she remembered the lyrics and chords as well as she did, though it definitely helped that she listened to the song numerous times over the last few days. She was obsessed with it, to be frank, and had been listening to more of the band’s songs as she organized her cards and studied the day before. Playing the song felt so…natural, and she loved the lyrics and melody.

When she finished, she opened her eyes for the first time since she started strumming the guitar and was met with Luz’s eyes staring deeply into hers. The girl looked like she was in awe, her mouth slightly agape. “That was amazing!!” Luz began to clap her hands, “I had no idea you knew The Home Team, or just pop punk music in general!! What music do you listen to?”

Amity chuckled, “a lot of punk and emo, actually. I can show you my playlist.”

“Wow! That was impressive, girl!” Amity heard Camila’s voice as she hung the guitar back up. She didn’t realize Luz’s mother was standing in the doorframe having watched most of the performance. “Manny’s guitar hasn’t been played like that in quite a while, you should come over more often and be our personal entertainment!”

Amity laughed harder this time, she felt so vulnerable but it felt amazing. She didn’t feel like she had to force anything here. “Thanks Mrs.-...I mean, Camila. I don’t get to play as much as I did when I was a kid, so it felt good to have a little performance.”

Camila hummed and smiled, “any more food for you?”

“Oh, I’m alright, thank you! It was excellent, thanks so much for making it!”

“Any time, hon.” Camila retired into a different section of the house, leaving Amity and Luz alone again. When Amity turned back to face Luz, the latter was still wide-eyed, bewitched by Amity’s talent.

“I still can’t believe how good that was! Your voice is amazing, too!”

Amity could feel her cheeks getting hotter by the second, “oh, goodness, thanks…heheh…” she looked around to try to think of a new topic of conversation. If it wasn’t obvious to Luz that Amity had some sort of feelings for her before, it sure as hell was now. Her eyes drifted toward the decks, “say, maybe we could do one or two more matches? I think I have some time before my dad picks me up.”

“Absolutely! You’re on!” Luz gave a determined look. She was more and more endearing by the second.

Amity won three of the five matches that night and the two shared plenty of insight about both the deck and their styles of play. Despite her silly and naive demeanor, Luz was incredibly knowledgeable of the game. The past few days proved to Amity that Luz very well could surpass her in time. It felt so strange to not feel challenged by that possibility, but it was a strange feeling that Amity welcomed.

Needless to say, Amity would be coming back to the Noceda residence for sure.

Chapter Text

POV: Luz

April turned into May, the weather was warming up more often, and RC Hartford was next weekend. Luz, if we’re being honest, was freaking out a little bit! Sure, she and Amity had met up about twice more to practice since, once at her house again and currently at The Owl House during a slower Wednesday night shift, but that wasn’t a lot of time. Eda sat in as their impromptu judge, so this third session was taken pretty seriously. It was also nice to have easy access to the store’s resources to proxy other decks they’d face off against such as Blue-White Omniscience Combo, Domain Control, Orzhov Pixie, and Mono-Red Aggro. Luz was on Prowess playing against Amity piloting Omniscience, which was definitely the toughest matchup for the deck. Its complicated lines of play and game-winning combo was tough to interact with, but the girls were hoping that, with enough understanding of the deck, they’d find its weaknesses and the right sideboard plan.

“Eugh, my head hurts,” Luz rubbed her temples after finishing another match. Even though she lost 1-2, she was learning something each game.

“Did you wanna switch decks?” Amity had barely been burnt out by their practice, not realizing just how drained Luz was.

“Nah, I think I just need to take a few minutes,” she slumped in her chair and turned to the store owner, “hey, Eda, how’d you do it?”

“What do you mean, kid?” She sat backwards on her chair, intently reading some of the newer cards she didn’t recognize.

“Like, how’d you get top 8 at a GP? How’d you prepare for the Pro Tour you got to play in? Stuff like that.”

Eda gave a heavy sigh, “I can tell you one thing for sure: it ain’t easy. You kids are very fortunate to have all these youtube videos out there now, and the knowledge of veterans like me,” she snickered, “The key that helped me the most, though, was pacing myself. Which you’re already doing, Luz. Lil’ Blight over here, though…”

“Hey!” Amity whipped her head, “I’m just not as tired!”

“Trust me, I’ve known you’re dad for a while. I know how a Blight approaches this kind of stuff,” despite Eda’s playful smirk, Luz could see Amity was a little perturbed by that statement, but still brushed it off.

Amity looked out of the corner of her eye at her phone as it buzzed, giving a solemn expression as she responded to a text, “my ride’s gonna be here soon, I don’t think I’ll be able to play another match. Sorry, Luz.”

“Aw, nah, that’s alright!” Luz said weakly, still recovering mentally, “I need to just veg for a few…”

“While you’re on the clock?” Eda raised an eyebrow.

“Aren’t you on the clock, too?!” The owner and employee laughed. Luz shot back up in her chair as she seemed to realize something, “I can, um…wait with you outside, Amity!”

“Oh! That’d be nice, thanks!” Amity’s face lit up at the suggestion. Luz helped her gather her things into her backpack and followed her out, not without noticing the wink and double thumbs-up Eda gave her. The two girls made it a point to sit on the concrete planter just outside of the store where the shrubbery was whenever they waited for someone or needed a break from the inside on hectic nights.

“This is probably random, but thanks for practicing with me for this, Amity,” Luz rubbed the back of her neck.

“It’s no problem! I really needed it, I barely pay much attention to Standard. I’ve been cramming youtube videos and streams the past week, too,” Amity sighed.

“Same. It’s a lot, but I think we have a shot!” Luz grinned. She knew it was gonna be tough, but wanted to keep up as much of an optimistic attitude as she could. Amity needed it after being so deep in the trenches of isolation most of her competitive Magic career.

Amity smiled and blushed, “me too.” Luz had been noticing Amity was blushing a lot around her. After all the time they’ve been spending together, especially that first night she came over, Luz had become more and more convinced that Willow and Gus were right. Now, she was just nervous about ruining anything good, whether it be asking Amity out the perfect way or trying to avoid a relationship hurting their friendship. “This is off topic, but…” Amity trailed off.

“What is it?”

“What do you think would be the best way to talk to Willow?”

“You haven’t talked to her since prerelease?”

“Not really, aside from some minimal social media interaction.”

“Hmmmm,” Luz stroked her invisible wizard beard in thought, “honestly, just meeting up casually with her might not be a bad idea. She’s a very minimalistic person, doesn’t like things to be too flashy or serious, y’know?”

“Yeah, she was the same way when we were kids,” Luz could see Amity’s nerves in her eyes. Their light green-tint didn’t give off the same shade of gold that they usually did. “It’s hard to keep things casual when I want to talk about such serious things. I know we said a lot to each other at prerelease, but it still feels like there’s so much more to be said.”

“Maybe it’ll just…all come naturally?”

“What do you mean?”

“It might be worth trying to just…talk. And just hang out. Things might just all come back naturally, it’s not like she doesn’t want to see you at all. She knows you’re trying your best.”

A bit of gold returned to Amity’s eyes. “Yeah, you make a good point.”

“I know what it’s like to stress out about making friends,” Luz pulled her right knee up to her chest and rested her chin on it, “I’m sure you remember it well.”

Amity chuckled, “for sure.” There was a brief silence, “I never…formally apologized for how I treated you, Luz.”

“Don’t sweat it! I feel like we-”

“No,” Amity interrupted. Luz was very surprised, the insistence of Amity’s voice wasn’t like her coarse tone she remembered when they first met. This time, it had sincerity and honesty behind it. “I’ve gone a very long time feeling like I never needed to apologize to the people I didn’t treat fairly. Not everything needs an apology, but in order to really move past who I was, I need to do it. I hope that’s alright with you, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable either.”

Luz really wanted to say how pretty Amity’s eyes looked at that moment. The gold-green shade burned with a light that signaled a deep connection. “Go ahead, do what you need to do, Amity.”

Amity took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry for treating you like some lesser being to me. I was so worried about being challenged in some way when, in reality, I had forgotten why I loved this game in the first place. I was so caught up in being “the best” at Magic to try to convince my own mom that it wasn’t a waste that I… became so cold. My condescending attitude was inexcusable, and taking out my frustrations with my own life out on you and other people just was plain wrong. You don’t know how much it means to me that you still reached out to me the way you did.”

Luz was quiet. It pained her to see Amity so hard on herself, even if she was owning up to her mistakes, but she felt like her own words couldn’t be enough to show her how proud she was of Amity. When Amity looked up at her after a few seconds of silence, she was met with Luz’s soft smile. Luz hoped the look on her face could communicate enough of that, but she came up with a new idea shortly after.

“What are you doing?” Amity asked as Luz connected her earbuds to her phone.

“Put this in,” Luz handed Amity an earbud. The girl hesitated, but she took it anyway. “All I can really say in response is that I’m really happy you’ve been able to come this far. I felt like you’d relate to this song quite a bit. I know this is such, like, a cheesy thing to do, but I hope you understand once you listen.”

The opening riff to “I Don’t Like Who I Was Then” by The Wonder Years played and Luz witnessed Amity’s eyes light up once more. Luz jammed along how she usually did, whether it be drumming in the air or pretending like she could play guitar, but partway through she looked back at Amity. Her friend was in awe, smiling and even becoming teary-eyed as she listened to the lyrics.

“I think I’m growing into someone you could trust
I wanna shoulder the weight ‘til my back breaks
I wanna run ‘til my lungs give up
If I could manage not to fuck this up
If I could manage not to fuck this up, I think enough is enough”

Amity became more and more emotional as the song continued, but she had a smile on her face. It looked like she was being understood on a visceral level. Luz gently placed her hand on Amity’s shoulder to comfort her and, as soon as the song ended, Amity pulled Luz in for a hug. Luz felt herself blush, Amity’s grasp was so soft, and the emotional intensity as she tried to hold back her tears was so raw and…beautiful? Luz didn’t realize just how touch-starved she was, either. She hesitated for a moment, but she slowly moved her hand onto Amity’s head, gently rubbing her hair to comfort her. She was worried it’d freak Amity out, but her friend only buried her head deeper into her shoulder.

Luz let Amity cry it out for another minute before Amity broke their embrace and wiped at her eyes. “God, sorry, I think I might’ve gotten some makeup on your shirt,” Amity laughed a bit at her emotional state.

When Luz looked at her shirt, she found a small blotch of black from Amity’s eyeliner that left a stain. “It’s alright! Are you feeling OK? Sorry the song really got to you,” she was hoping these were in fact cathartic tears and not wrought by some terrible memory.

“No, no, I needed that. I, um…” Amity paused, “had heard of that band before. I like to look at what people are listening to on Discord and saw you were listening to them one time. ‘Don’t Let Me Cave In’ I think it was?”

“Oh, that’s a great song!”

“Yeah, that one got me in the same way. I should listen to more of their music.” The girls didn’t realize that, even though they weren’t hugging, their hands were still gently touching. They both looked down and noticed, quickly moving their hands away. “Jeez, sorry about that,” Amity’s cheeks became beet red.

“It’s alright,” Luz’s face was just as red, but she could feel her smile reaching from ear to ear. Her heart was fluttering, there was no denying she had a crush on Amity now. Ever since she watched Amity play her dad’s guitar and sing for her, these feelings have been swelling inside of her. All of these emotions were eager to burst and spill in front of Amity so Luz could show her how much she respected her, admired her even. That would be too much, though, but Luz was too lost in Amity’s beauty to really be downtrodden by it. She was just fortunate enough to be this close to her.

The sound of a car pulling up murmured from behind the bushes on the street. “There’s my ride,” Amity stood up, “I’ll have to listen to some more of The Wonder Years when I get home.”

“Let me know what you think!” Luz beamed.

“I definitely will,” Amity returned the grin.

Luz gave a small wave, still smiling wide with her eyes closed so all of her teeth were showing. Since her eyes were closed, though, she didn’t see what was about to rock her world. Suddenly, she felt Amity’s fingers interlock with hers and a small kiss was placed on her cheek. Luz’s eyes shot open as her and Amity looked at each other, their faces closer than ever before. Both were in complete disbelief.

“Haha OK bye see you when I see you next!” Amity scurried over to her dad’s car. Luz could hear her crush mumble ‘why did I do that?!’ to herself.

Wow, thought Luz, I really like Amity.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POV: Gus

Two weeks into the rehearsals for Romeo & Julius, Edric scheduled a day to have what he called “One-on-Ones” with the actors. He described them as “conversations between actor and director to understand their roles and the show better,” to which Gus was very skeptical. To Gus, this felt extremely pretentious. He’d enjoyed the rehearsal process so far, but he gathered that Edric was one of those types of theatre nerds who took it a little too seriously. Gus wanted the show to turn out well, but didn’t want to waste his time talking about method acting or whatever other “techniques” Edric might be trying out.

As the lead role, Gus was first. On this quiet Thursday afternoon, he found himself in the acting classroom with Edric, seating themselves on one of the higher levels of seats. This wasn’t a usual classroom setup. The room was a large, open space, with three raised levels that was home to the chairs for the students. Instead of having Gus sit by himself in the open space, they were right next to each other, giving the vibe of a conversation between friends. At least he’s not trying to make himself seem better than me, Gus became a little more hopeful.

“So,” Edric started, he had his usual clipboard, script, and iced coffee with him, but it was off to the side as he talked. “How do you feel the rehearsals have been going so far?”

“Pretty good! Matt and I already have done so much with each other that when we rehearse our scenes it comes naturally. I like a lot of the people in the show, too. It’s more just trying to get over my own personal hurdles, I guess.”

“What would you say those are?” Edric sounded like a therapist, but Gus was picking up on what he was trying to do.

“I guess…” Gus thought for a moment, “memorizing my lines? I’ve never been the best at it.”

“Sure, I can imagine. This is your first lead role, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s gonna be an issue for everyone in your position. What do you feel like is something you specifically need to overcome, though?”

“Um…” Gus knew Ed was going to try something like this. Did he really have anything to hide, though? It was obvious from how much he dedicated himself to the auditions, how much he’d been applying himself in rehearsal. Why not just be honest? “If I’m being real, I wanna prove myself.”

“How so?”

“This is just…something I love doing. I feel like I can prove to everyone just how capable I am of being such a solid actor and really take this seriously. Between you and me, there’s a lot of people in this department that I’ve always felt like are just…taking things for granted?”

“Nah, I know exactly what you mean,” Edric chuckled at Gus’ comment.

“You do?”

“Sure! I’m sure you saw it during Beauty & the Beast, but Cara basically had none of her lines memorized until the week before the show,” Cara was Belle in the production and a year older than Gus. It wasn’t exactly a secret that she had no idea what she was doing half the time, but she definitely succeeded in making it seem like nothing happened once showtime came around, as if she wasn’t stressing day in and day out.

“Is that why you didn’t cast her?”

“Between you and me…” Edric echoed Gus, “yes.”

“Seriously?!” Gus couldn’t help but laugh, as did Edric.

“Yeah! There’s no way I’m taking that chance with her. Apparently, the last time they did a student production at this school, like, ten years ago? There was a whole shitshow about people not memorizing their lines. I practically had to beg to do this ‘cuz the teachers were convinced it was gonna happen again.”

“I hope we’re not on the same track!”

“No, definitely not,” Edric took a sip of his iced coffee. Gus caught a glimpse of the label, and the order name said “Emira.” He could easily predict Ed had Em pick something up for him while she was out, the twins were always having the other do something for them. “Let’s get back to you: aside from spite, is there any other reason you really want to ‘prove yourself’ as you call it?”

“Like I said, this is just something I love doing. I want people to know I’m good at it, y’know?”

Edric switched which leg was crossed over the other, “what’s something you like doing? You play Magic, like my sister, right?”

“I do, yeah." Gus was surprised Edric mentioned his sister so casually, but it seemed that Amity's secret was slowly unraveling for the rest of the school, which was a good thing.

“How would you describe the things you love about the game?”

“Well,” Gus was nervous about nerding out too hard in front of a senior, but this wasn’t the right time to worry about appearances, “I love playing what they call Limited formats. Instead of making a deck of cards you already have, you have to make one out of a pool of cards you’re given. There’s, like, a whole added layer of thinking on top of it.”

“What’s that process look like?”

“You can’t really just slap a deck together of cards, it’s a pretty specific process,” even though he felt comfortable nerding out, he couldn’t take a whole hour on this. There were a few other one-on-ones Ed was having that day, including Matt who was right after him. “To put it simply, you need to make sure your mana curve is low enough so you can play your cards, but not too low where all you have is weak cards. You need what’s called ‘bombs,’ which are basically these cards that can have a massive impact and help win the game easily. There’s also interaction, which is crucial to removing your opponent’s cards. I always feel like interaction is the most important. You can’t get ahead if you’re not able to pull your opponent back. You also have to be sure the colors of your deck are suitable enough for it to be playable. Most decks want to be in two colors, but some sets will encourage you to build a deck in three colors. You have to make sure you’re able to get all colors of mana, though. You can’t do anything if you only have Islands out but a hand full of black and red cards. Does any of that make sense?”

“Vaguely,” Ed waved his hand, “I picked up what I needed to.”

“Sorry if I went on for too long.”

“No, I want this! It helps me understand what perspective you tackle things, and I feel like you can apply all of this strategy you’ve told me about to your acting.”

“Really?”

“For sure! Think about it: every card is a line of dialogue or a series of blocking. All together, they make the framework of your performance. Like you said, though, some of these cards are ‘bombs.’ You could view that as the moments of the show in which you’re showing your truest emotion, the climax of the story, the moment that will make everyone remember your performance. This ‘interaction’ you mention can be your chemistry with the other actors. Instead of trying to pull them down, though, you’re using it to get all of you on an equal footing to make this one great performance. Does that make any sense?”

It did, sort of. Ed definitely was grasping at straws in some areas, but it was a mostly good metaphor. “Yeah, I see what you mean.” Even though the metaphor didn’t completely land, Gus understood the point. These perspectives can overlap. Gus was incredibly good at Limited Magic, so why not try to use the same philosophies for that to his other passions?

“Ah, shoot, we’re already a bit over time,” Ed checked his watch, “I hope this helped a bit! I’m excited to see how rehearsals go from here.” Even if Edric Blight was a bit ambitious, he was optimistic and eager (at times to a fault).

“Me too! Thanks again for the advice,” Gus gave a warm smile as he exited the acting room. It was nice to get home early on a rehearsal day, but he felt like he practiced better in rehearsals than on his own. At least he had Ed’s advice to ponder over the weekend.

“How was it, Augustus?” Matt waited just outside the door, scrolling aimlessly on his phone.

“Not bad, actually!” Gus still had a bit of a smile on his face, “I thought he was gonna go into some artsy tangent, but he gave me some pretty good advice. He combined my interest in Magic with theatre into this weird metaphor, but the message was good!”

Matt raised an eyebrow, “really? Well, as long as it helps ya…”

“You really find it so strange that I play Magic, huh?” Gus smirked, he found his co-lead’s confusion humorous.

“It’s just so…mega-nerd. My brother plays it, too. I never understood his obsession.”

“Your brother plays Magic? What’s his name?”

“Steve. Every time he visits me and my parents, he’s always talking about this livestream he and some friends run over at that Owl Shack store, or whatever it’s called.”

“He’s one of those guys?! I’ll have to get to know him next time I’m there,” Gus nudged his elbow into Matt.

“Ugh, I don’t need more Magic nerds in my life,” Matt rolled his eyes. Gus could see him stifle a laugh, though. As much as Matt didn’t want to admit it, Gus could gather he found the nerdiness a bit endearing. “I gotta get in there, don’t wanna keep the director himself waiting. See you tomorrow, Augustus.”

“See you, Mattholomule.” It was surprising to Gus to see how down-to-earth Matt could be at times. Everyone’s got a softer side, it seemed. It was just a matter of who could unlock it.

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POV: Willow

Softball practice was getting more intense as the season heated up, both literally and figuratively. Willow was exhausted once she pulled up to her house on her bike, grateful that she could relax for the rest of the day as she’d finished her schoolwork early this week. The smell of freshly cooked chicken and vegetables welcomed her home.

“Hey, sweetie!” Her Papa Harvey’s face lit up at his daughter’s arrival, “perfect timing, dinner’s just about ready!”

“Thanks, papa! I’d give you a hug right now, but I’m far too gross from practice,” her papa chuckled, “where’s dad?”

“He had to stay late at the flower shop to take care of some inventory stuff. He should be home soon, though!” Her dads were the owners of Flora Park, Gravesfield’s go-to florist.

Willow nodded as she wiped her brow, “I’m gonna shower and then come back down to eat.”

“Don’t take too long! You don’t want your food getting cold.”

Willow showered at lightning speed, she was starving and the smell of her papa’s cooking only made her hungrier. Once she stepped back out of the bathroom to grab her phone from her room, she was met with an unexpected text.

Amity Blight: Hey, would you wanna get some ice cream later? I know you have softball practice today, but I’m around if you’re up for it.

Willow forgot she’d kept Amity’s number this whole time. In that moment, though, she remembered young Willow hesitating to delete it and holding onto the hope that someday Amity would come back around. It seemed that young Willow’s wishes were granted. Why not? Willow thought to herself.

Willow: Sure! I just got back from practice actually, gonna eat dinner in a sec. Where and when?
Amity Blight: I was thinking Vitmir’s? I can meet you there around 7.
Willow: Sounds good!
Amity Blight: Cool, see you then. :)

Young Willow would’ve been ecstatic, but current, 16-year old Willow felt a pit open in her stomach. Regardless of how well their talk at prerelease went, it had been almost 4 years since the two of them actually did anything together. Would they even be able to hold a conversation? Would they just sit awkwardly the whole time?

Willow was quieter than usual at dinner, but thankfully her dads were talking enough with each other that she could stay quiet. At least, that was the case until she was halfway done eating.

“Everything alright Willow?” Gilbert asked.

“Oh! Yeah, just tired from practice,” Willow wasn’t good at lying, but that wasn’t a lie either. “The heat’s been getting to me.”

“Make sure you’re staying hydrated! Gotta take care of yourself as well as you take care of your plants.”

Willow smirked at her dad’s remark as she sipped her lemonade. “I’m gonna be going out to get some ice cream at Vitmir’s after dinner, either of you want me to bring you anything?”

“Oh, I’m go-”

“Small cup of cookies and cream, please!” Willow’s papa interrupted his husband.

“Sure thing, papa,” Willow chuckled at Harvey’s enthusiasm.

“Tell your friends we say hi, too!” Harvey added.

Willow felt herself pause. Once again, Willow wasn’t good at lying, and the same went for hiding things. “I’ll actually…be seeing Amity Blight there.”

Her dads were silent for a moment as both looked at her in shock. “Really?” asked Gilbert.

“Yeah,” she hadn’t told her dads much about what happened between them. She was too confused on how she truly felt to really talk to anyone about it. “We had a conversation a bit ago for the first time in a while. She apologized about what happened, so it seems like things may be looking up for her and I.”

“Make sure you’re careful, Willow,” Harvey leaned in, “don’t be afraid to stand your ground if she tries to put you down!” Harvey was a bit overprotective, even if he was well intentioned.

“I’m sure it won’t have to come to that. She’s honestly changed a lot in the last month.”

“What happened, exactly?” Gilbert asked.

“Well, you remember my friend Luz, right?” her parents nodded, “she’s got this energy to her that’s very…forward, but in a good way! She honestly pushes people to be their best selves, and it seems that even reached as far as Amity.”

“Wow, I sure hope that’s the case. Amity was such a kind girl when you would see each other all those years ago. I’d love to see her again.”

“Yeah, hopefully that’ll happen…”

Willow waited outside the ice cream parlor on a small stone structure that patrons could sit on as they ate their ice cream, her bike parked right next to her. She’d been watching some Magic content, specifically a new deck brew from Aspiringspike, on her phone when she heard a voice call out to her. “Hey, Willow!” Amity rode up on her bike and braked uneasily, but managed to get off safely. “Sorry I took a bit longer than I expected, it’s been a while since I’ve ridden my bike somewhere. Braking is a lot harder than I remember.”

“You’re alright!” Willow smiled and waved, “I’m happy to see you.”

“Me too.” The girls didn’t say that as just some common formality, even if they were incredibly nervous about what conversation might occur. There was a part of them that was being healed just by indulging in things being alright with them.

Willow got herself a scoop of strawberry ice cream while Amity opted for some very chocolate-y flavor. Sitting back down on the ledge, the girls excitedly ate their ice cream for a minute before Amity broke the silence.

“Man, I haven’t had ice cream in so long. This was so needed,”

Willow was surprised at how much Amity was devouring her ice cream. “It’s like you haven’t eaten in days,” Willow chuckled, “me too, though. Athlete diets are always so strict.”

“Tell me about it, I couldn’t imagine eating all the stuff Emira does. She’s, like, super into fitness stuff as of late. Sometimes I’m skeptical if half the stuff works.”

This was wild, Amity felt so…loose. No uptight attitude, no resting bitch face, her eyes were lit up unlike ever before. After a bit more small talk, Willow thought she might as well talk about what brought them together when they were younger. “I think I might start going to Modern Fridays at the Owl House soon!”

“Really?!” Amity smiled, “that’s great! Do you need a deck?”

“I’ve been slowly getting the pieces for Amulet Titan together. It turns out I had a lot of it from old commander decks and other bulk.”

“Oh good! If you ever need a card, just let me know, there’s a good chance I’ll have it. My dad has so much bulk from over the years.”

“Thanks! I appreciate it.”

“You said you wanted to play Titan?” Amity took another bite of her ice cream, “I have a lot of respect for that.”

Willow smiled at Amity’s comment, “I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s tough, but when I watch people play it online, it feels like something I can get the hang of.”

“It honestly does feel like a you deck. Anything involving lands or landfall is right up your alley.”

“Oh yeah, plus I like how complicated it is. It sounds weird, but it feels exciting that I could have a game-winning line out of nothing sometimes.”

“Modern’s like that a lot of the time,” Amity wiped her mouth as she finished her ice cream, “it’s so fast that you never know what to expect, but that’s the really invigorating part about it. Though, sometimes it can get too fast. Having to play against the Underworld Breach deck at Charlotte was brutal.”

“What did you play there?”

“Gruul Eldrazi. Felt like the best pick at the time, and it certainly got me close to getting to the Pro Tour.”

“Luz told me about how you almost qualified,” Willow could’ve sworn she saw the tiniest of neurons activate in Amity’s brain the second she said Luz’s name. “How many spots away were you to qualifying?”

“One, I placed 33rd.”

Willow whistled in disbelief, “there’s no way you won’t qualify in Hartford, then.”

“We’ll see what happens,” Amity shrugged and leaned back, digesting her ice cream.

Willow looked out for a moment as she finished her cup as well. The breeze was nice as the sun slowly set over Gravesfield. Seeing Amity Blight next to her was still so surreal. She could see the images of them as kids flashing through her mind and she thought she might as well get the uncomfortable part of their meeting started. “I’ve…been thinking about our conversation the last few weeks. When we talked at prerelease,” Willow saw Amity turn her head back to face her, but held back whatever she wanted to say to let Willow speak. “You kept calling yourself ‘weak,’ and it honestly broke my heart. I know the way you treated me was wrong, and you’ve made it very clear that you know it, too. I just don’t think you deserve to be so hard on yourself when you clearly want to get better.”

Amity sighed, “Luz was saying something similar to me yesterday, but I kind of brushed it off. I just don’t understand how either of you could so easily forgive me, especially in your case.”

“Well, that’s exactly it,” Willow turned her body slightly to face Amity, “we’re not ‘easily’ forgiving you. You’ve shown us enough that you’re willing to change how you treat people by changing how you treat us. You don’t need to dig yourself into a hole of apologies.”

“If I may,” Amity’s eyes begin to visibly tear up, “can I give you one last apology?”

“Of course.”

Amity took a long, deep breath. “I am so sorry for ruining what was such a wonderful friendship, Willow Park. I told you all about how my mom had basically influenced me into isolating myself from people she saw as lesser than us, but it really, really doesn’t excuse any of what I did. No matter how much I tried to do from the other side of everything, I couldn’t just cross over and reach out to you again. It’s so frustrating looking back on how afraid I was, how afraid I still am. I’ve been wanting to do something like this with you for a while, but I only actually did it today because my parents are away for the week, so my mom wouldn’t be asking a million questions as to why I’m going out instead of doing more damn studying. You needed me, and I simply wasn’t there. I don’t want to be afraid anymore, Willow. Not just for myself, but for you and for so many other people I wronged…” Amity grabbed the bottom of her shirt tightly to calm herself down, “I know this all sounds like a mess, but I hope it’s good enough.”

“The fact that you went to this length to apologize is more than enough, Amity,” Willow placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “no one has this whole laundry list of expectations for you like your mom does. You don’t have to check off all these different boxes to make everyone happy. You just have to show you’re being honest with yourself.”

“I…really admire you, Willow,” Amity smiled, “I want to be there for you when times are tough. Not just to make up for the times I wasn’t, but because it’s the right thing to do. For my friend.”

Willow brought Amity in for a hug, “it’s so nice to hear that from you again, y’know?”

“Heh,” Amity chuckled, “two cathartic hugs in two days. This feels nice.”

“What was the first one?”

“Um…” the girls broke their hug, and Willow could see Amity blush, “we can talk about that a different time. Maybe at lunch tomorrow?”

“Sure!” Knew it!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POV: Lilith

“Miss Clawthorne? Are you listening?” Kiki’s shrill voice interrupted her brief daydreaming. The blinds in Kiki’s office were open for the first time in a while and Lilith, admittedly, got distracted by how nice it was out.

“I am, yes,” she’d been paying attention a majority of the time, but Kiki was beyond uptight. Kiki Mora was the true personal assistant to Philip Wittebane and was known around the office for being a pain in the ass and a suckup to the CEO. Lilith’s “assistant” title was purely so she could be handed off all different kinds of paperwork that no one else could do. Regardless of how well it paid, it became banal and frustrating quickly for Lily.

“Last question, then,” Kiki looked back at the stack of papers for Lilith’s quarterly review. No one was sure who made the protocol for these “reviews,” but all they boiled down to was Kiki grilling whichever employee was unfortunate enough to be picked that day. These questions ranged from their own performance to their happiness with the job. “How do you feel at Belos Properties?”

“Just…how do I feel?” What a strange way of phrasing that.

“Yes,” Kiki stood up to pour herself some more coffee. Even though she was a whole foot shorter than Lilith, her stature and well-tailored, professional clothing made herself seem much taller than she was. “Do you feel this position is up to your standard?” Some people would ask this sort of question with genuine concern about meeting their employee’s expectations. People like Kiki, however, ask it as a test of loyalty.

“I feel like I get paid very handsomely for the work that I do and that I’m able to contribute a lot to the company.” Lilith did a good job of appealing to what Kiki wanted to hear without sounding like a total brown-noser.

“Great,” Kiki sat back down and jotted something down, trying to give off some semblance of impressive professionalism. “That concludes our review for you, we’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Right, it’s only Thursday. “See you then,” Lilith gave a fake smile and walked out of the office with her jacket and briefcase in hand.

Belos Properties HQ was the pinnacle of horrid, corporate minimalism. Greys and whites splattered the walls with barely any windows in the main office space. It felt more like solitary confinement than a workplace. The kind security guard on the first floor of the complex wished her a good day with a smile, to which she reciprocated. He was one of the only people in the entire building she actually was happy to see sometimes.

The setting sun briefly blinded her and she reached for her sunglasses. Once her vision cleared, she saw a familiar face placing a box into the backseat of their car: Darius Deamonne. It was tough to see her friend around the office as they worked in different departments, so Lilith wanted to take advantage of this moment.

“Hey! Darius! How are you?” Lilith waved from across the parking lot, checking for any cars passing by.

“Oh, I’m great! You?” Darius wiped his hands and gave an unexpectedly wide smile.

“I’m alright, I just finished my review with Kiki. I’m thankful I can leave a bit early,” she glanced at the cardboard box full of office supplies and other miscellaneous items poking out of the backseat of his car. “Speaking of, how come you’re getting out so early?” It was about 4:00, a whole hour before their shifts usually ended.

Darius closed the car door after sliding the box in, “I’m donezo here.”

“You quit?!”

“Yup!” He let out an excited laugh, “my cousin, Wolf, has a position open at his event planning company to help with their finances, so I can safely slide out of here!”

Lilith didn’t know how to feel. The very infrequent times she got to see Darius helped invigorate her to stay with the job, making it feel like she could have some sort of safety net if she ever felt too burnt out. This was like a betrayal. “That’s…great! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it there.”

“Can’t wait to see when you head to the other side, it’s about time we got out of this mess,” Darius motioned to the driver door of his car, but paused as he noticed Lilith’s silence. “What’s the glum expression for?” He asked after turning his head to look at his friend.

“I…don’t know if or when that’ll happen, Darius.”

“Lily, c’mon. We know-”

“Don’t.” Lilith didn’t expect to snap, but after years of Eda’s pestering, she’d finally felt herself begin to really break. The sisters didn’t continue any discussion of Raine’s investigations or Eda’s further pleas when they met a few weeks ago, for better or for worse. Even though Lily finally had a relaxing day to herself, it came at the cost of not confronting what was in front of her.

Darius huffed, “you know I can’t just let you stay here, Lilith.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” she put her arms out in frustration. “Should I just leave this job that would be idiotic to give up? Do you know how much I get paid, Darius?!”

“Money doesn’t matter. What matters is your own sanity.”

“I’m completely sane. I’m not running around praising Philip’s every move, stop acting like I’m insane.”

“I don’t mean that kind of sanity,” Darius put his hands out this time, “I’m trying to help you from becoming complacent! You can’t settle for something that drains you of your joy. There has to be other opportunities out there for you.”

“I can’t do what I must if I’m not here. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Darius, but that’s just the truth,” Lilith pivoted and began to walk to her car.

“What do you mean by ‘what you must?’” Lilith stopped in her tracks as Darius called out to her. She didn’t realize what she said to him, and for the first time the cracks began to really show. “What are you not telling me?”

Lilith sighed, there was no point in hiding it anymore. “I took up this job so that, in the case that the Owl House begins to completely go under, I could help fund it back to safety. If my predictions were right, it might happen soon, too.”

“...what?”

“With how things were going, there was no way the store could survive another five years. Now we’re getting close, Darius. I saw the opening at Belos and took it, and when I told Eda, she didn’t even want to hear my reason. I…should’ve expected it from my own sister of all people. Whether she likes it or not, she’s a lot like our mother. She’ll do whatever she can to make sure things can be ‘perfect.’ She’d rather suffer with me beside her than have me gone.”

“It’s noble of her, is it not?” Darius’s tone switched from anger to empathy.

“Very, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that that store stays. Not just for Eda, but for everyone there,” Lilith looked down in disappointment, primarily at herself.

“Math be damned, Lilith,” Darius put his hand on her shoulder, “you can’t sell your soul for the sake of others.”

“We all have to make sacrifices, though. Is what I’m doing not just as noble?”

She could see Darius’ expression change as he realized she, too, was right. “It is…but there can’t not be another way.”

“I don’t have all the answers.” Lilith desperately wished she did. Every time she saw something was wrong, she so badly wanted to fix it. It was like that when her and Eda were kids and hasn’t stopped. She’d gladly give all she could to make sure that the community her sister has harbored can stay.

“You know,” Darius continued, “you were also a major part of the store. You were there for half a decade. Another has passed and your absence is still noticeable.” He ran his hand through his hair, thinking of what to say next. “I was there for the first RCQ a few weeks back. It was still as lively as ever, and a teenager even won the whole thing. Eda’s got another teenager working for her, too. It’s all so alive and well, and-”

“I don’t want you to act like I’m some…emotional rock, or whatever. That’s never been my strong suit,” Lilith folded her arms as a slight breeze chilled her.

“And sacrificing your own happiness is?” Lilith was silent. Slowly, she began to realize how right everyone was. Including Eda. “It’s not exactly fun seeing multiple people slowly wane out of your life, you know.”

Lilith knew exactly what Darius was talking about at that moment. He’d been good friends with Philip Wittebane’s brother, Caleb, before his passing. Old college friends that reconnected many years later after Caleb’s wife died in childbirth. Darius didn’t talk much about it, but Caleb was someone he held dear. “I…” Lilith began speaking, but she wasn’t sure where she was going with it, “...will have to think on it.”

“I know siblings bicker and argue all the time, so I hope that hearing this from someone other than Eda or her kid for once will make a bit of a difference.” Darius opened the door of his car, but paused as he thought of something. “What are you doing next weekend, Lily?”

“I’m…not sure. Why?”

“Let’s hit up SCG Hartford together, just like old times. Your sister told me she was able to get a vendor booth. Everyone will be there, even the new blood. Some of those kids are qualified for the Standard RC, too.” Lilith’s eyes widened at Darius’ suggestion. It’d been over five years since she last went to a Magic event and over that time she’d been barely keeping herself caught up on new cards. She’d play on either Arena or MTGO very infrequently, but a lot of it was interrupted when she’d be forced to deal with a work issue outside of the office.

“Really?” She wasn’t surprised Eda managed to get a spot as a vendor. Star City rarely held conventions this close to home unless it was Boston or Philadelphia, it was a once in a blue moon opportunity for The Owl House.

“For old times’ sake?” Darius had a way of being the glue that held their old group of friends together. As the dictionary definition of “gentle giant,” it was hard not to fold when he wore his heart on his sleeve. He knew when to be stern, but he especially knew when to be sweet.

“If we do, I’m sure as hell going to need some practice,” Lilith chuckled. Whatever event she played in, she was probably going to get her ass kicked.

“Come by this weekend if you can, you have my number,” Darius winked, hopping into his car and starting the engine. Lilith stepped aside and put her sunglasses back on, waving goodbye to Darius as he drove off.

Darius was right, hearing these same arguments made by another person for the first time made a difference. She felt terrible because of it, though. All those years ignoring Eda’s pleas, especially as she struggled with her breakup, her chronic pain, and raising a child. Lily began to realize: how much was I really sacrificing, when Eda was the one sacrificing her own self all along? All for the store and the people there.

Lilith pulled out her phone to send a quick text to her now former coworker.

Lilith: Don’t tell Eda I’ll be there, btw
Darius: No problem ;)
Lilith: Don’t text and drive, either
Darius: :(

A smirk reached Lilith’s face at their banter. Maybe, just maybe, things could change for the better. Eda was right, she needed to start looking for someplace to work that she’d actually enjoy. She might’ve been good with numbers and paperwork, but she was also a frequent visitor at the Gravesfield Historical Society. Looking there might be a good start…

Chapter Text

POV: Eda

SCG Hartford, Day 1! Eda was ecstatic to have the chance to be a vendor at an SCGCon for the first time in the Owl House’s decade-long run. She’d designed a nice banner with King’s help for the booth that wrapped nicely around the folding tables and acquired a large glass case to hold the store’s top-shelf product. For a few months, years even, Eda was saving certain cards for this moment, including a graded Mox Jet she’d won at a regional Legacy tournament back in 2014. The Owl House’s table was right across from the Tales of Adventure booth, a popular game store from Pennsylvania known for having a huge stock for people to order cards they need at cons like this. This was both a blessing and a curse. She’d likely have a good amount of people stopping by to look at her goods, but most will probably be in that area just to pick up orders from ToA. That was fine, though, Eda and King were good enough salespeople to really get people’s attention. Plus, she had a special someone helping man the booth for this first day.

“Hola, Eda!!” Luz’ voice echoed across the convention hall. She was followed by another woman who looked much like her, but around Eda’s age. “My mom wanted to meet you today! Eda, Camila. Camila, Eda!”

“Hey, kid! And so nice to meet you, Camila!” Eda put a hand out and let her golden tooth shine, “your daughter’s been a great help around the shop.”

“So good to meet you,” Camila accepted the handshake, “it’s so good to hear that as well. I was just about to ask. Her dad got her into this game when she was little, so it’s heartwarming to see she has a great place to work and enjoy her hobby.”

“Of course, it’s our goal!” Eda grinned, “everyone is welcome here regardless of who they are.”

Camila smiled and noticed King standing next to his mom, watching the two grown-ups talk. “Oh, hi mijo! What’s your name?”

“This is my lil guy, King,” Eda ruffled his shaggy, black hair, “funnily enough, I didn’t even notice he was right there.”

“Hi, ma’am!” King gave a small wave before slinking back to organize some more of the booth with Luz, who’d already made her way around to start setting up with them.

“I say ‘lil’ as if he isn’t in high school,” Eda chortled.

“Does he go to Gravesfield with Luz?” asked Camila.

“Oh, no, we live across the water in Glastonbury. I went to Gravesfield when I was a kid, though.”

“Very nice! We’ve been liking it there a lot. My older daughter started working at the library about a month ago, so we’ve been settling well.”

“I’m glad to hear that!”

Camila turned to her daughter behind the booth, “let me know when you need to get picked up, mija. It’ll probably be Vee getting you today.”

“Sounds good, mama! Te quiero!” the teenager reached over the table to give her mom a hug.

“Nice meeting you again, Eda. I hope the convention goes well!”

“Oh, I’m sure it will,” Eda folded her arms confidently, “it might be our first time doing something like this, but your kid here is the definition of a people person.” Camila laughed and gave a final wave goodbye before exiting the hall. Eda turned to the two teenagers, “hey, kids! Bring it in for a sec!” The three got into a small huddle. “Now remember,” Eda began in a coach-like voice, “be welcoming, be helpful, and give a nice smile to our customers. Interact with them too, even if they’re just looking at the stuff in the cases! It’ll help get our name out there, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Luz and King said in unison.

“Great! Let’s finish up here, we gotta make sure it looks good.”

The first few hours of the convention had Eda thrilled. Business was fine, but the thing that had her in awe was bearing witness to a convention like this for the first time in years. She’d gone to a few conventions after opening The Owl House, specifically because Lilith would be able to watch over the store while she was gone, but after Lily left it was harder to travel and compete. Seeing people play in all the different events and excitedly browse the vendors and artist booths brought her back to simpler times. Her nostalgia was overflowing and she kept feeling herself getting lost in it.

Around noon was when Luz took a break to hang out with her friends. Gus and Willow arrived to try competing in the Modern Oversized Card event, but it seemed like Amity would only be attending the next day for the RC. It was cute to see them gush over the oversized cards and discuss which one they’d pick if they won the event.

“Hey, ma!” King tugged at Eda’s shirt, “are you gonna play in any events today?”

“Oh, no no,” Eda waved her hand, “Standard is too much to keep up with.”

“Not even the oversized events? I can keep watch here!”

“King, I love you dearly, but I don’t trust you with that just yet,” her son gave a dejected sigh at that comment, “you’ll definitely reach that point in a year or two, though. There’s gonna be more people filing in and I wouldn’t want you to be bombarded with nerds.”

“Ah, yeah, I would probably freak out,” Eda chuckled at her son’s observation. He had such a way with words.

“You should try playing, though. Need a deck? I can handle the rush by myself.”

“Um…” King hesitated, Eda could see the nerves on his face at the prospect of playing on such a level like this. He wasn’t the best Magic player, but he did love playing it. “I don’t think so…sorry.”

“What’re you saying sorry for, kiddo?”

“I don’t know,” King looked down at his feet, “sometimes I wish I could be as good as you were, but the game is really hard at times. I see Luz and all her friends and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, really.”

“Hey, sweetie,” Eda put her arm around King, “just cuz you’re not qualified for an RC doesn’t mean you aren’t a good Magic player! I’ve lost more matches than I’ve won, trust me. You’ll play at your own pace and find the fun where you find it.”

King gave a soft smile, “thanks, mom.” Eda pulled her son in for a hug and heard him in her ear as he looked past her toward the hall entrance. “Is that Aunt Lily?”

“Let’s be real here, kid,” Eda chuckled, “she’s probably off doing more paperwork.”

“No, mom, that’s Aunt Lilith!” King exclaimed, pointing toward the entrance.

Lo and behold, Eda saw Darius Deamonne walk in alongside none other than her sister.

POV: Lilith

Lilith’s favorite part of SCG Cons were the artist alleys. Seeing everyone’s incredible artwork in full print form or sprawled out on playmats made her appreciate the time and effort that was put into visualizing the game she knew and loved. Richard Kane Ferguson was among them at this convention, but had a huge line already. “Damn,” she whispered to Darius, “I’d love to get my full art Force of Will signed by him, but that line is too long.”

“It's not like you can’t bring it tomorrow or Sunday!” Darius smirked, trying to convince her to come to the rest of the convention.

Lilith sighed with a smile, “yeah, yeah. We’ll see.” Her eyes continued wandering at the art, not realizing that her sister was approaching her as quickly as she could until it was right before the moment Eda wrapped her arms around her in a tight, loving hug. “Ough!” Lilith grunted. Eda was oddly quiet, but this was a quiet she was familiar with, one that only appeared when Eda was truly feeling something. Based on how tightly she held onto her, this was joy.

“Holy fucking shit,” Eda whispered into Lilith’s ear, “you’re fucking here!” Lilith could hear Darius laugh at this display of sisterly love.

“I am! Now please loosen your grip, you’re choking me,” Lily and Eda had the widest smiles on their faces. The disbelief in Eda’s eyes was almost comical as she pulled in her sister to kiss her forehead, a common sign of affection for her. “...surprise!” Lilith gave small jazz hands.

“How’d you manage to get here? Don’t you work on Fridays? Philip Wittebane doesn’t seem like a four-day work week kind of CEO.”

“Called in sick,” Lilith gave a fake cough and Eda laughed hysterically. Her sister’s laugh was infectious.

“Come on over,” she waved Lilith and Darius toward the direction of her booth, “you’ve gotta see what we’ve got going on!”

Lilith was impressed with her sister’s displays and product. Even more so was she impressed by King’s ability to hop over the table (away from the cards, of course) to run and give her a hug. “Aunt Lily!!” He wrapped his arms around her torso. Even though he’d never inherit anything from his family genetically, he sure modeled his excitability off of his adoptive mother.

“So good to see you, King,” she hugged him back.

“I wish I knew you were gonna be here! I would’ve worn the Wu-Tang shirt you gave me!”

“You’ll know for next time!” Lily giggled, “did you listen to the album, too?”

“Oh yeah!”

“Perfect,” she ruffled King’s hair, “just make sure you don’t play it when your mom’s around.” Lilith loved playing up the ‘cool aunt’ persona.

“Oh c’mon!” Eda laughed, “I’m a mom, not a killjoy!”

As Lilith eyed up her sister’s wares, she noticed a particular card and gave a surprised whistle, “You’re selling the Mox Jet you won?” That’d been Eda’s prized possession for years to the point where she kept it in a secret box in her house. She didn’t trust the idea of it being in the store.

“There’s so many collectors out there that I feel like they’d make better use of it than I would,” Eda placed a hand on her hip and leaned against the table, “besides, if I were to play Vintage, I’d just proxy the whole deck. No point in damaging a card like that.” Eda hated double-sleeving her cards, so the Mox would’ve dropped in quality in due time shortly after she won it.

As Lilith continued perusing the cards, her sister went over some of the big sales from the day. Someone had bought a retro foil Force of Negation and a foil, Apocalypse printing of Fire//Ice. Eda was also surprised no one had bought either of the two retro frame Ocelot Prides she had in stock, but considering the fact that it was a Standard event and they weren’t the most ‘collector’ pieces in stock, it wasn’t too surprising. As Eda spoke, however, Lilith’s eyes did wander the convention hall intermittently. The nostalgia flowed through her as well. Crowds of Magic players buying and selling cards, talking about matches and the metagame, playing their hearts out in LCQs to try and qualify for the main event. It’d been far too long.

“You alright, sis?” Eda asked, noticing her sister’s fleeting gaze.

“Yeah…I’m great,” the right side of her mouth raised into a smile, “this is really nice.” Eda gave a half-smile as well. Lilith noticed her chin shake a little bit, it was clear Eda was holding back tears at that. “Oh, don’t cry. You’ll make me cry, too.”

Eda pulled Lily in and gave another hug. “I can’t put into words how much this moment means to me, sis.”

“It means a lot to me, too. By the way,” Lilith continued as they broke their hug, “you’ll have to introduce me to that new employee of yours today.”

“For sure! Let me find her, she’s wandering a bit I think.” Eda stepped away to search for Luz.

Darius put a hand on Lilith’s shoulder to get her attention. “The next LCQ is firing soon, so I’m going to head over there. Are you playing in anything?”

“Probably the Oversized card event in an hour. I want to spend some time with Eda and play in something not too competitive.”

“Well, you kicked my ass a few times when we practiced, so I’m sure you’ll do well.”

“Thanks, Darius,” Lilith shifted her big to rest more comfortably on her shoulder. “Boros Energy kind of plays itself at times, so hopefully it’ll come through for me today.”

Darius chuckled, “remember, if you see Guide into Pride or Ajani and two lands, it’s a keep.” He strutted off to the next LCQ after giving Lily a pat on the shoulder.

Lilith spent another minute admiring the cards on display as King told her about each one: who traded it in, which ones he thought people were going to buy, he was just as excited for the convention as his mother. King was interrupted, however, as Eda returned with the Owl House’s newest employee. “Lilith, Luz! Luz, Lilith!” Eda gestured to each of them to formally introduce each other.

“An absolute pleasure, ma’am!” Luz extended her hand out, to which Lilith graciously accepted. Her wide-eyed expression was hard to resist smiling at. Lilith knew this was the perfect employee for her sister.

“So nice to meet you, too! I’ve heard quite a bit from my sister, she told me you’re playing in the main event tomorrow, yes?”

“Oh yeah! I’m, uh…very nervous,” Luz gave a nervous giggle.

“You’ve just got to take it one match at a time,” Lilith gestured with her hands some sort of reassuring motion, “going through different things in my head like good or bad matches, keepable hands, and sideboard plans helped keep me focused when I would play in Grand Prixs back in the day. Even though I never got to the level like Eda here, I still won cash at a few. Staying grounded is the key, you can’t change any of your past plays or hands kept, y’know?”

“For sure. It’s definitely been a little tough to not get lost in thought, but my friend and I have been practicing a lot and trying to stay in that kind of mindset!”

“Her ‘friend,’ is Alador’s youngest,” Eda nudged Luz as she said “friend.”

“Oh! Amity! Yes!” Lilith vaguely remembered her sister telling her about the blossoming teenage romance at her store, “tell her Aunt Lilith says hello when you see her next,” she asked of Luz.

“Awwww, Aunt Lilith!” Luz put both hands on each cheek like a fangirl. She was obviously eating all of this up.

“Luz, can you watch the booth with King for a few minutes? I wanted to take a walk with my sister,” Eda patted on the table.

“Sure thing!” Luz shimmied to the back as Lilith and Eda stepped away from the Owl House’s booth.

Eda led Lilith out of the convention hall to a hallway just outside. The rest of the building was rather empty, but she found a quieter spot that was away from where other people would be walking to give them some privacy. “I’ve gotta ask, what made you wanna come here?” Eda was visibly happy to see her sister, but that didn’t stop her curiosity behind the reasons why. Lilith knew her sister was convinced that she’d never be around again, these kinds of changes don’t happen over night.

“Darius left Belos,” Lilith explained, “we spoke the day he left and, well, he’d been saying a lot of the same things you were. I admit, it really changed my perspective knowing that people beyond you felt the way you do-”

“Then why’d I never get through to you earlier, Lily?” Eda interjected, “You’re already having so much fun today! I don’t wanna put a damper on anything, but I love you dearly and want to be honest.”

Lilith took a deep sigh as she was already ready to explain, “I was stubborn. Darius said it best to me where the bickering nature of siblings can have an impact, and boy did it ever. I never got to explain to you why I left in the first place: it was so I could save up money to help keep the store afloat if things went under.”

Eda’s eyes widened, Lilith so confidently revealed the truth that she didn’t even have time to interrupt when she was ready to. “...seriously?”

“Yes. Albeit, it’s not the greatest solution, but I wanted there to be a cushion for you. I couldn’t bear to see that store ever fade away. I wish I told you sooner, but again, I was too stubborn. I was convinced you’d never believe me or that you wouldn’t want to hear me out, but I should’ve trusted you.”

Eda folded her arms as she pondered what to say. “I was stubborn, too. I felt so betrayed that I never gave any thought that you might have a legitimate reason. Mom definitely rubbed off on me a bit too much,” she chortled.

“Oh yeah,” Lilith laughed in agreement, “us Clawthornes are nothing if not stubborn, though. We’re always going to be us, regardless of where we are.”

“Ain’t that the truth, sis,” Eda leaned against the wall and shifted some of her weight onto her cane. “What about Belos?”

“I’m…not sure.” Lilith heard Eda give a small “hmph” at her uncertainty. “It’s not that I like the job, obviously, I do want to save a bit more for our store. There’s also-”

“Hold on,” Eda put a hand out, “did you just say our store?”

“Yes, is that alright?”

Eda smiled, her gold tooth peaking out, “that’s more than alright, continue.”

“You doofus,” the sisters laughed together for a moment before Lilith continued on. “I…thought more about what you told me about when I saw you by the river, about Raine.”

“What about it?” Eda’s smile dropped a bit.

“You mentioned they were looking into Philip’s past, right?”

“Yeah…”

“I was thinking of contacting them, maybe I could help them out somehow. I may not be the CEO’s personal assistant, but I have clearance for a lot of stuff. Maybe I could find something, crack the case, y’know? What do you think?”

“Lily, Philip is dangerous. I don’t want you to get caught up in-”

“That’s not what I’m asking permission for, Eda. We know what I’m getting myself into, but that I’ll be fine somehow. Us Clawthornes are stubborn, remember?”

Eda nodded. Lilith knew her sister had full faith in her for something like that. “What are you asking permission for, then?”

“To contact Raine,” there was a brief silence. “I know it sounds silly, but I don’t want to overstep into a very fragile situation for you. You said it yourself: you’d go back to them. The last thing I should be doing is shoving myself in between any of that.”

Eda paused, “you should do it. This is the best chance they have, and there’s nothing I’d love more than to see a greedy shithead like Philip Wittebane get what he deserves.” A smile crept onto her face at the prospect of sweet, sweet justice.

“There’s the Eda I know and love,” Lilith wrapped her arms around Eda’s shoulders in a big, sisterly hug. The two shared the hug for a few seconds, holding onto each other tightly. Once their hug broke, Lilith fixed the strap of her bag once more, “well, I’ve gotta go play some Magic in a few minutes. Let’s see if I still have my old spark.”

The sisters arrived back in the convention hall and, before going their separate ways for the next few hours, Eda spoke up. “Remember: it’s all like riding a bike, you’ll never truly forget it.”

Lilith smiled back at her sister. “There’s no way I could ever forget this, not as long as I’m your sister.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POV: Luz

The Oversized Modern event went into its third round. Willow was 2-0 on Amulet Titan, but Gus dropped after going 0-2 with 5-Color Humans. Luz shared lunch with her friend at an empty table, letting him languish over his deck’s performance while she pondered over her decklist for the RC.

“I don’t know, man,” Gus sifted through his cards, “I know this deck isn’t meta, but it feels like I’m so far behind everything.”

“You shouldn’t let that discourage you!” Luz looked up from her phone, “the way you judge your deck on paper versus your experience actually playing it is always gonna be completely different. I can’t tell you how many times I tried out a random brew I saw online that seemed like fun and ended up getting totally stomped.”

“Yeah, it’s just more annoying that I can't think of what I want to play out of the more meta decks, y’know?”

“I understand, you’ll find something in time, though! I’ll keep an eye out for something I think you’d enjoy!” Gus smiled at her offer as he began chowing down on his food. Suddenly, Luz’s phone began ringing: a call from Amity. She felt herself blush, but didn’t know if it’d be right to just leave her friend who she sat with to comfort. It was probably important, though, considering their decklists for the main event were due in about two hours.

“I’m so sorry, but Amity’s calling me. We have to finalize our decklists for tomorrow soon, is it alright if I go take this?” Luz winced, hoping Gus wouldn’t be upset.

“Go for it! Don’t feel like you have to stay here, I’m being dramatic,” Gus always kept it real, which was something Luz greatly appreciated.

“Thanks, I’ll be back soon! Keep an eye on how Willow does for me,” Luz stumbled off as she saw Gus give her a thumbs up mid-chew. She answered the phone call just before it would send her crush to voicemail. “Heyyyyyy Amity!” even over the phone she felt her heart flutter, “how’s it hangin’?” Her nerves made her dorkiness increase tenfold.

“I’m alright, yourself?” Luz heard Amity giggle over the phone.

“Not bad! Day one is going well so far, Willow and Gus were playing in the Oversized event. Willow’s 2-0 right now I think Gus said? So I’d love to see them bring home one of those.”

“That’s awesome, I-...hold on,” Amity paused for a moment.

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, Boscha keeps texting me.”

“Eugh,” Luz let out a noise of disgust.

“I feel like she’s just…misguided. That doesn’t excuse what she’s said to Willow, though. Em told me a bit about it.”

“Well, I wish you the best if you try bringing her to her senses,” Luz wasn’t keen on the idea, but she knew Amity meant well.

“Let’s hope,” another pause, “so, our decklist…”

“Oh, yes! What are we thinking?”

“I like the 2-2 split between Drake Hatcher and Slickshot Show-off, the former is too good in the mirror.”

“Yeah,” Luz agreed, “when we tested the card out it felt like if you were on the play and played it first you would kinda just win.”

“Exactly. Also, I’m looking at your list you sent me, it seems like our mainboards are the same, but the sideboards vary.”

“How so?”

“Well, I’m running one Torch the Tower main, while you just have the two in the sideboard,”

“I wanna be prepared for the mirror, but not too prepared if that makes sense,” even though she couldn’t see her, Luz could exactly picture Amity’s thinking face, “it’s like…uh…” She then began to think about Amity kissing her cheek again.

“You there?” Amity asked.

“Yeah! Yeah, totes here. Uh…what was I saying?”

“We were talking about Torch the Tower,” Amity’s giggle was so cute, even over the phone.

“Right, I just don’t wanna get screwed over facing too many decks where a card like that will be dead, y’know?”

“That’s fair, I just see it is another thing to board out. The only choice of yours I have real thoughts about is Witchstalker Frenzy over Rebel Salvo. Why Frenzy?”

“I feel like having a bunch of attacking creatures is gonna be way more common than having two or more Cori-Steel Cutters out.”

“I get that, but at least Salvo can cost 3 mana instead of 4 if you need to cast it for its full cost,” Amity sounded serious. The last couple times the girls had gotten together, she’d been hyper-analyzing a lot of very minute moves in their games. It was great that she was committed, but Luz was worried about how much her stress was consuming her.

“It feels like a super situational thing, I feel like the chances of that being an issue are really small,” Luz tried to reassure her crush, but she was nervous she’d come off as condescending.

“I understand,” Luz could hear Amity try to stifle a sigh on the other end, “I’m just gonna submit my list now so I don’t forget.”

“Me too, can you direct me through that again?” Luz put her phone on speaker so the girls could submit their decklists at the same time. Once they finished, Luz felt a pang of anxiety as her decklist was now 100% locked in for the next day. “Why do I feel so…shaky all of a sudden.”

“It’s not like this is a small tournament, but we’ll be alright,” even though Amity was more stressed as a whole than Luz, her voice had a softness to it that helped calm Luz down a little. There was another silence as Luz took in the sound of Amity’s reassurance. “Um, I wanted to…ask you about something, by the way,” suddenly Amity sounded like the anxious one.

“Sure, is everything alright?”

“I…don’t know if this is the right thing to say, but sorry for kissing you on the cheek the other day.”

“...why are you apologizing?”

“I just,” Luz could hear Amity struggle to form words on the other end, “don’t want you to think of me differently. I don’t know if you feel the same way I do and-...and if you don’t, that’s OK. I’m not exactly good at this.”

“Well…how do you feel, Amity? Cuz I know for sure how I do, but you can be honest with me.”

“Promise?” The way Amity asked was almost precious. Luz knew only a bit of what Amity had gone through in her life, but she understood almost all of it just from the tone of her voice. Amity was afraid of letting herself get too close to people, but dammit Luz wanted to be as close as she could. Neither girl was going to let anything get in the way of them at this moment, even through a phone call.

“I promise.”

Luz heard a deep breath as Amity prepared herself. “I…really like you, Luz. I think I have feelings for you.”

“I have feelings for you too, Amity,” Luz responded almost instantly. She’d been wanting to say it ever since Amity first kissed her, and now she could finally pour her emotions out to her.

“Really?” Amity asked in an almost desperate tone. Not that Luz was getting further from her, but she tried to ground herself and convince herself this was reality.

“Yeah, really!”

If only Amity could see the smile on Luz’s face. If only Luz could see the tears welling in Amity’s eyes. They felt it, though. That was what mattered.

Amity chuckled a bit through her tears. Luz didn’t see the joy on her crush’s face, but she could picture it exactly. “Sorry, I’m just…so happy right now.”

“I am too,” Luz was grinning like a total doofus. A girl liked her! A girl liked her!!!!

“Let’s, um…” Amity started, “let’s talk about this a bit more after the weekend is done. My mind is racing right now.”

“Yeah, of course! I’m just happy you felt comfortable telling me.”

“Same to you, Luz,” a muffled voice could be heard through Amity’s phone, “shit, I’m being called down to dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” The phone call ended and Luz held her phone up to her heart. Standing against the wall, she slid slowly down and sighed dreamily. Her phone suddenly buzzed with a text from Amity:

Amity: Btw, what do you think of this for tomorrow?
Amity: Attachment, 1 Image:

Luz was sent a mirror selfie of Amity in a brand new black and purple dress. She wore dark tights that matched her dark Vans sneakers, and the shirt of the dress had an adorable collar and top button that gave both goth and studious. The biggest thing that popped out to Luz, however, wasn’t what Amity asked about. Her hair was completely different. Not only did she wear it down, her hair swooping to the right over her eyes, but it was also a beautiful shade of purple. It made it feel like her green was never really meant for her; it fit so perfectly.

Luz: YOUR HAIR PRUPLE NOW???????

Luz was such a bisexual mess. She barely had any time to proofread her message before her hands hit send.

Amity: Hahahaha, you’re cute :) it is!
Amity: Thoughts on the fit? (Glad you like the hair, hehe)
Luz: i love it!! it’s soooooo you!!
Amity: Thanks :)

Luz could hardly contain herself. She was supposed to just go into that conventional hall now and pretend like she didn’t just experience an earth-shattering moment in her love life? Well, if she and Amity are to be a couple, she might as well get herself used to being witness to the radiance of a cotton candy-haired goddess on a regular basis.

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POV: Willow

Willow was 4-0 going into the final round of the Oversized event, she couldn’t believe she was one win away from winning a big card! She and Gus were hyping themselves up on the ride to the convention, manifesting into the aether that one of them would win it. It was truly surreal that it could actually happen now, though! The fourth round ended shortly after she won a close match against Orzhov Blink. Willow took a breather and updated her friends, but time flew past and the pairings for the last round were already up. Her round 5 opponent was someone named…

…Lilith Clawthorne.

Clawthorne? Willow thought to herself, like Eda the store owner? She made her way over to the designated table and was met with a woman with dark, blue hair and a face glaringly similar to Eda Clawthorne’s. This woman’s face was a bit softer, but still had the same edge that gave Eda her stark appearance.

“Hi there!” the woman smiled as she gave Willow a much more formal greeting than any customer at The Owl House would ever receive, “you’re Willow, yes?”

“That’s me!” Willow set down her playmat and shook her opponent’s hand. “I have to ask, just curious, are you…”

“Yes,” the woman chuckled to herself, “I am Eda’s sister.”

“Huh…you guys look a lot alike.”

“Oh yeah, a lot of people thought we were twins when we were younger,” she opened her deckbox and began shuffling. “You’ll have to forgive me, by the way, this is my first time playing paper Magic in almost five years.”

“You’re 5-0 too, right?” Willow asked and Lilith nodded yes, “then you’ll have to forgive me for my nerves. I wasn’t expecting to get this far.”

“Aw, don’t let your impostor syndrome get to you, sweetie!” Lilith seemed very excited to be playing against another woman, let alone a teenage girl, in a top-table match. “I used to be the same at your age, not sure how I’d get as far as I did. Don’t count out your own hard work and skill, alright?”

“For sure,” Willow smiled, “thank you, ma’am.”

“Please, just call me Lilith,” the raven-haired woman picked up two dice, “odd or even?”

Willow won the die roll, but lost the first game. Even though Boros Energy was a good matchup for Titan, it wasn’t exactly what she expected to face off against. After playing against Boros twice before in this event, she’d expect a bit more variety. It made sense, though, it was the easiest deck to understand in the meta for a new or returning player. The synergy between Guide of Souls and almost all the other creatures was too strong. Game two was a different story, however. The girls had a lot of back and forth interaction until eventually Willow was able to remove Lilith’s Blood Moon (the second one of the game after the first one was destroyed) and play out a Titan to haste and copy that same turn.

When game three came around, Willow knew she had to mulligan aggressively to some kind of combo line. Seeing a Scapeshift and two copies of Amulet of Vigor, she felt comfortable trying out the lines with Scapeshift and Aftermath Analyst she usually would feel nervous trying to execute. Lilith’s words rang out to her, though, it wasn’t worth letting her impostor syndrome get to her. She knew how the line worked and could explain it: she just had to commit.

Lilith’s aggressive start was not as damaging as it could’ve been, mainly due to the lack of Goblin Bombardment, so Willow decided to go for it once turn 4 came around. As she first cast the Scapeshift, she began to explain: “so, I don’t want to sound condescending, but there’s a bit of a loop I have to explain here…”

“Are you not searching for a Valakut and some Mountains?” Lilith asked, to which Willow placed down two copies of Lotus Field, a Simic Growth Chamber, and a Tolaria West, “oh, woah, what’s happening here?”

Willow explained to Lilith as she continuously floated mana thanks to her Amulets, got an Aftermath Analyst off of Summoner’s Pact, returned her lands from her graveyard to float even more mana, and transmute Tolaria West to Pact again for a Primeval Titan, that she could more or less loop through her deck. This convoluted way of achieving practically infinite copies of Titan dumbfounded Willow’s opponent.

“I have to ask, Willow,” Lilith put her hand out as Willow made her third Titan copy.

“Sorry, was I slowplaying?” Willow winced. She knew Titan players had a reputation in the Magic community for being slowplayers, and Willow had taken a lot of time to goldfish in her room with the deck so that she’d be able to avoid the slowplay allegations as much as she could.

“No, not at all!” Lilith reassured the teenager, “I wanted to ask: is this deterministic?”

“I’m pretty sure, yeah. Though, I think I do have enough on board to kill you with three Titans, but I didn’t want to get too cocky.”

Lilith placed a few of her creatures in front of Willow’s, doing combat and trample damage math in her head. She was rather quick with it, too. Impressively quick. “Yup, you’ve got me! Good games!” Lilith held her hand out in concession with a smile.

Willow couldn’t believe it, she went 5-0! “Thanks so much, good games, Lilith!”

As they scooped up their cards, Lilith continued the conversation. “I have to ask, what made you want to play Titan?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a pretty complicated deck, I could never bring myself to completely understand it and, from what I just saw, it seems like it’s evolved tenfold. When you cast Scapeshift, I was expecting a whole Valakut combo kill, but it was so much harder to interact with! I guess I just have a lot of respect for someone your age willing to commit to this.”

Willow smiled, it felt so good to know her hard work didn’t just show in results, but also in the respect of others. “When I first played Magic, I fell in love with land decks. Most of my Commander decks have some sort of land synergy or subtheme ‘cuz it’s just so fun. So when my friend, Luz, told me about this deck, there was no way I couldn't try it. The deck just…clicks, y’know?”

Lilith nodded and listened intently, “keep up that attitude. You’re gonna go a long way with it.”

“Thank you, Lilith! I-”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I really need to emphasize that to you…”

“Emphasize what?” Willow tilted her head. Lilith suddenly had a very serious look on her face. Not as if she was mad at Willow for something, but rather that what she was saying was straight from the heart.

“That it’s imperative to stick with what you love. Don’t let yourself try to settle for what you think is best. If you know that what you’re good at will get you wins, or at the very least make you happy, then that’s what matters the most.”

Willow nodded as she finished packing her things, “for sure. Thank you again.”

“No, thank you for such a fun match!” Lilith slung her bag around her shoulder, “enough of the serious adult talk, enjoy your card!” Just as she was about to walk away, she turned back around, “are you a regular at the Owl House, by the way?”

“I’d say so!”

“Good, I’ll see you around then.”

Willow watched Lilith walk away with a smile on her face. She was very different from her sister, but they matched the same passion for the game. Eda had given her plenty of advice on her play, so it was great to get an outlook from a different perspective on the game. All of what Lilith said rang true, and Willow’s victory only solidified her love for Amulet Titan.

Shortly after, she gathered her friends to inform them of her victory, to which Luz, Gus, and even King began to start a “Willow! Willow!” chant across the convention hall as she walked to the prize booth to collect her winnings. The selection was plentiful since it was only the first day, so Willow took her time debating which one she’d want. She decided on the borderless Teval, Arbiter of Virtue to fit with her love of the Sultai clan on Tarkir, especially since she picked them for Tarkir prerelease. The card was bafflingly large, standing all the way up to her waist. Willow had no idea where she’d put this in her house, but it was 100% worth it!

Day 1 of SCG Hartford was over. The real challenge came tomorrow morning at 9 AM sharp: the Regional Championship.

Chapter Text

POV: Darius

Darius managed to qualify for the RC in the very first LCQ he played in. Settling with Mono-Red Aggro, he felt like it was the best-positioned deck to handle with the other two major players: Izzet Prowess and Azorius Omniscience. He enjoyed fast and efficient decks, whether it be an aggressive deck meant to go all in or combo decks with a formidable framework like Belcher in Modern. Darius wasn’t sure if he’d get very far this time around, Standard wasn’t exactly his forte, but he felt that he was a decent enough Magic player in general to get at least another RC invite.

Approaching the convention center, Darius found two familiar faces from afar: Alador and Amity Blight. Alador put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, giving some words of encouragement, and the two exchanged a hug before she headed inside. “Hey! Blight!” Darius called out before Alador could walk away in the opposite direction.

“Wow! Twice in one month, this is a rarity.” Alador’s face beamed at his friend’s appearance. The men hugged as well, “you qualified yesterday?”

“Oh yeah. One shot, one kill,” Darius gave Alador a pair of finger guns.

“Heh, I’m impressed,” Alador chuckled and put his hands on his hips, “sure you didn’t need any cards explained to you?”

“Oh, c’mon. With how many sets they print nowadays I had to read about half of the cards my opponents played. I didn't have to pay too much attention, though. All I knew was I needed to get in fast and kill them quickly.”

“Amity was showing me her deck, it’s nice to see aggro being good in Standard again. That’s all I know about this format, though. It’s already hard to keep up with Modern for her.”

Darius laughed at Alador’s remark, but felt sad knowing just exactly why Alador was so out of the loop. “How’s she holding up?”

“Amity? She’s…nervous, to say the least. Much more nervous than before Charlotte.”

“Why’s that?”

“There’s a lot of expectations she’s put on herself. She was one spot away from making it to the Pro Tour, so she’s been cracking down extra hard to try and get better results this time.”

“Oh, well, a Modern grinder like her should have no problem in Standard. I may have been playing a fast deck yesterday but I could feel everything was so much slower,” Darius laughed thinking about the vast differences between the two formats.

“Sure, there’s also…other factors,” Alador gave a look that he was trying to hint at something.

“...such as?”

Alador rolled his eyes at Darius’ ignorance, “Odalia.”

“Oh, shit. Right,” Darius saw Alador put a hand over his face. Darius might’ve been a very kind person and very knowledgeable of the game of Magic, but he often had a bit of a one-track mind. “You’ve really got to do something about that, by the way.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Well, you do. But it’s been going on for too long,” he looked Alador up and down. The engineer’s frame had become much thinner over the years. “You’re exhausted, Alador.”

“I know I am, can we not-”

“If you’re going to soon say that you might be able to convince your wife to…not be a terrible person, for lack of a kinder term, then I can’t emphasize enough that that’s just not going to happen.”

Alador frowned, then gave a frustrated huff. “I know that, Darius.”

“Then why not start sooner than later? If it’s getting to both you and your daughter like this, who knows what it will do in the future? Hell, I don’t even know how bad your twins have it. They must feel invisible to her in spite of everything they’ve accomplished.”

“It’s a process, Darius. You can only tell me to do it so much.”

“What kind of process are you talking about?” Alador had always been a very cautious man. Many times in his Magic career he slipped up with the very minor misplay that costed him the game and then, in turn, was punished for not committing enough in a different match. These same experiences translated to his personal life.

“I know you don’t have a family, but this is a much different beast than just breaking up with some…four month-long relationship, I guess? We’ve got kids, a business. I’m trying to make this as easy as I can, but I couldn’t have predicted it becoming like this.”

It was true, no one could’ve predicted it. Odalia was such a kind woman and a caring mother for so long, but the last five years it felt like any shred of empathy she had was gone. Darius never really knew the reason, if there was one. People just change like that sometimes. “I’m sorry for pressing. I just know you all deserve better.” Darius had been riding the high of convincing Lilith to leave Belos Properties that, once again, his one-track mind had overstepped.

“It’s fine,” Alador sighed, “I appreciate your concern and empathy, but believe me, if it was easy I’d be long gone by now.”

“I’m just glad your head’s in the right place.”

Alador gave a shrug, “I’m doing my best.”

“If it’s any consolation, you’re a great father. Your kindness and willingness to be there for your kids in spite of…everything is very admirable.”

“Thanks,” Alador gave a smirk, “I’ve gotta get going, sorry to cut the conversation short.”

“It wasn’t short, trust me. Anything is good at this point.” The men hugged once more as Darius entered the convention hall. Looking out the large glass doors once more, he saw Alador drive off, wishing his friend could be joining him like the old days. Soon, he thought to himself, we’ll all be together again.

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POV: Luz

Twenty minutes remained until the player meeting. Luz waited patiently by The Owl House’s booth for Amity before she’d go find her seat. Even though there was plenty of time, she was anxious to not only start the event, but also to see her crush. Her mind was racing thinking of keepable hands, Amity’s purple hair, sideboard plans, Amity’s purple hair…

“Gah! Focus, Luz!” she grumbled to herself. This wasn’t the time to be plagued by romantic thoughts, it was almost game time!

“You good there, kid?” Eda leaned over the table to Luz.

“Yeah, yeah…I’m just insanely nervous in more ways than one. I don’t know if my nerves are making me queasy, or if I ate something dairy by accident.”

“Likely the nerves,” Eda rested her hand on her cheek, “I can’t tell you how many times I had the nervous vomits before a big event, it happened during my first Pro Tour, too!”
Luz giggled at Eda’s gross anecdote, but just as she went to say something else, she saw exactly what she was waiting for from afar. Amity’s bright, purple hair could be spotted in a crowd of thousands and…wow…she looked beautiful! “I uh…” Luz stammered, “I see Amity! I’m gonna go talk with her! Byeeeeee!”

“Kill it out there, kid!” Luz just barely heard Eda’s good wishes as she power-walked over to her crush.

After almost bumping into numerous other competitors through the sea of people, Luz finally reached her destination. “Heyy Amity!!” she gave an excited wave, “how are you feeling?”

“Hi Luz!” Amity gave a smile bigger than Luz had ever seen before, “I’m definitely feeling. Not sure if I’m nervous, or afraid, or excited, but I’m ready to get started at least!”

“Me too, let’s go find our seats.” The girls searched around the tables to find their player badges and decklists. The tables were lined with all of the printed out decklists for the competitors which Luz took glances at. Plenty of Izzet Prowess, Omniscience, Mono-Red, some Domain, some Jeskai Oculus, some Orzhov Pixie, even a Jund Roots deck. It suddenly felt like she was facing down an army, this was so much bigger than any RCQ or FNM!

“Oh, here’s me!” Amity found her decklist lodged between two people probably a whole decade and a half older than the girls. “I’ll see you around, OK? I’ll try to find you whenever my matches finish.”

“Sounds good!” Before Luz knew it, Amity had fallen into her for a hug, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Luz felt herself blush and squeezed back. Amity had a kind of warmth to her that made her feel so safe. She ventured off as they parted ways, eventually finding her decklist with five minutes to spare. On top of it was a metal badge with a Star City Games lanyard attached to it. The badge depicted the Phyrexian praetor Sheoldred from the Magic canon in a similar pose to the art from Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. “Luz Noceda, competitor…” she whispered, reading the words on the badge. Luz could only imagine how her dad would feel seeing that badge. She held it close to her heart for a second and closed her eyes, hoping that her dad would be there next to her to help her get far.

“First time?” the man next to her asked. He was a bit older, greying in some areas with a large beard, but not too old. He seemed to be around Eda’s age.

“Yeah! My friend and I are both here. She’s a veteran at this stuff, but this is my first.”

“That’s great! It's really cool to see kids playing at these high levels.”

Luz smiled, then perked up when she heard the head judge speak on the microphone. Going over the rules of the tournament, Luz felt her leg shake while waiting patiently. Before she knew it, the first round pairings were up. Regional Championship Hartford was a go!!

To advance to the second day of the RC, Luz and Amity would have to acquire at least 18 match points, which more or less meant they’d have to win six matches. However, there were only nine rounds on the first day, so this meant that the moment either girl hit four losses, their chances were gone. After three rounds, Luz started the day off 1-2. Both girls won their first match, but lost the next two in similar fashion: both against the mirror match and in turns. Thankfully, there were still a few other matches going due to time extensions from judge calls, so Luz had time to confide in Amity. “This is so much, I feel like my brain is all goop right now,” Luz rubbed her head.

“Here, take this,” Amity handed Luz an extra bottle of water she packed for herself, “wanna make sure you don’t get a headache today of all days.”

“Thanks,” Luz took a swig as the girls watched a match between Orzhov Pixie and Jeskai Control. She also saw from the other side of the table none other than Darius Deamonne from the RCQ, who gave them a wave as he noticed them. “Oh hey! It’s that Darius guy!” Luz waved back, “by the way, your Aunt Lilith says hi.”

“My Aunt Lilith?!” Amity was shocked.

“Yeah, I met her yesterday! I knew Eda had a sister, but I hadn’t met her until then.”

“Was she here?” Luz nodded at Amity’s question, taking another sip of water, “I think I’m more shocked she showed up. She hasn’t played the game in years as far as I know.”

“I think it’s adorable you call her Aunt Lilith,” Luz chuckled and Amity, once again, blushed. “How’d that start? I don’t see you calling Eda Aunt Eda.”

“I mean…I do when there isn’t a whole game store of people around.”

“Awwww!!”

“Stop that,” Amity giggled, “you already know they’re good friends with my dad. It shows they’re really close.”

“Is it the same for Uncle Darius?”

“Yes, yes, it is…” she giggled once again. “And then there’s Uncle Raine…”

“Raine? Who’s he?”

“They,” Amity corrected Luz, “they’re another friend of my dad’s, but it’s been a long while since they’ve been around. Even longer than Aunt Lilith. I also switch between uncle and aunt for them, it’s like a long-running bit.”

“Oh my god, a nonbinary icon!” Luz smiled, “did they play Magic, too?”

“Of course. They were the best one out of all of them.”

“Really?!”

“Mhm,” Amity didn’t take her eyes off the match, but her facial expressions showed her interest in the conversation, “I don’t remember the exact number, but they’ve competed in the most Pro Tours out of the whole group and competed in a World Championship back in 2017.”

“Holy cow, that’s crazy!” Luz was in awe, “I hope I get to meet them soon, too.”

“I’d love for you to meet Raine, they’re so fun. It’s a shame they haven’t been around much…” It was at that moment the match they were watching ended. From the looks of it, it was the last match of the round, so the girls anxiously refreshed the web page for the tournament on their phones waiting for the next pairings. Even though they both had two losses, there was still a whole six rounds to go. If they won the next round, it would give them a lot more grace and the momentum they’d need to get to day two.

However, the RNG gods decided to throw a wrench in their plans…

Table 245:
Amity Blight
vs.
Luz Noceda

A gasp left Luz’s mouth as she looked up to Amity, her face filled with horror and staring at her phone in disbelief. Regardless of who won, they’d put the other at their very last chance of advancing. The chances of this happening were minimal. Of all people, they got paired against each other!!

“Well,” Amity gave a heavy sigh, “let’s do this, Luz.”

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POV: Amity

Amity could feel her head spinning. Her ears rang, too, as she walked to the table. Luz was trying to say something to her, but her shock left her unable to process any of the words her crush said. The girls laid out their playmats and began shuffling up. Amity kept her head down, but could feel Luz looking at her.

“Amity?” Luz’s words finally went through.

“Yes?” Amity looked at her crush. It was so hard to speak.

“Did you hear what I said just before?”

“...no, I didn’t.”

Luz looked around, then pulled out her phone to text Amity, presumably so any wandering floor judges wouldn’t overhear their conversation:

Luz: i really don’t mind scooping to you, are you sure you wanna play this out?

Amity stared at the message. It would be so easy to just accept Luz’s offer. To make her trip to the Pro Tour easier. After all, she was the one who was one spot away last time. Wouldn’t that make her more deserving?

Amity: Yes, I need to earn this

It was the same words she uttered to Hunter at the RCQ. If she took Luz’s offer, she’d feel like she was no better than who she used to be. She didn’t like who she was then, and she was not going to let her pride ruin her friend, her crush, her love’s chance at advancing either. Luz let out a heavy sigh and shuffled.

In their playtesting sessions, it was almost routine for Amity to win game 1, especially if she was on the play. Even though she, once again, was on the play in this match, Luz completely hosed her. A swift turn 2 plotted Slickshot Show-Off into a turn 3 Cori-Steel Cutter left Luz’s board infinitely larger. Amity’s opening hand was barely prepared for the onslaught. It’s not that it wasn’t good, but it lacked Cutter and only had a Monastery Swiftspear as its creature presence, which Luz killed turn 1 with a decisive Burst Lightning. By turn 4, Luz had brought Amity down well past 0 life thanks to a string of non-creature spells that turn, and the girls moved to game 2.

Amity was on the play once again, but she felt even more nervous. Even if she won this game, she’d be on the draw in game 3, putting her at a significant disadvantage. There was a bigger problem, though: her opening hand had zero lands. Amity hated taking mulligans on the play. It wasn’t like she’d see a new card to add to her hand if she was on the draw, so she had to trust that this next hand would be better.

The next seven she drew were almost all lands except for a single Stormchaser’s Talent. The prospect of going down to five made her nauseous, especially because Luz kept her first seven, but she couldn’t just put a land back and hope the Talent would be enough. Finally, the next seven cards were actually playable. With four lands, a Talent, Swiftspear, and Torch the Tower, she settled with putting two lands back and hoping her draws were actually something.

Amity and Luz opened the game with matching Swiftspears, and while Amity removed the monk creature with Torch the turn after, the rest of her draws were rather mediocre. One too many lands, and one too many creatures that Luz, in turn removed. The nail in the coffin was Luz’s early Cutter and Drake Hatcher. While the game was a lot more interactive, it felt as though Amity’s deck was losing steam fast. She only had so many removal spells in her deck and Luz kept drawing into card advantage spells like Stock Up and Sleight of Hand. By about turn 7 or 8, Amity found herself staring down a whole board of Monk and Drake tokens.

“I’ll cast Stock Up,” Luz held out the sorcery card, “Prowess triggers?” Amity was at only 10 life and Luz was about to chain even more Prowess triggers. All she had in her hand was a single Burst Lightning. Even if she could cast it for its kicker cost, it would only remove one creature, and Luz was bound to create another Monk with Cutter. She let Luz play out the onslaught of noncreature spells until she declared her attacks, sending in the whole team. Amity removed one of the creatures, but as she did the math in her head, there was no way out of this defeat.

Amity sat there, looking at the board of tapped and attacking creatures compared to her measly board of two Otter tokens from Talent. Her head was pounding, trying to desperately find some kind of out available to her. There was no way this could be happening, right? Why couldn’t they be matched against each other in round 1? Amity was incredibly grateful that Luz waited patiently, recognizing the state she was in. “Yeah, you’ve got it,” Amity and Luz shook hands and scooped their cards up. There was dead silence between them. Amity’s heart was racing, one more loss and her chances were gone. All her hard work, out the window. Maybe she wasn’t meant to get as far as she did in Charlotte again. She took out her phone to send a quick text:

Amity: Can we step outside? I don’t feel good

Luz nodded and gave an “of course” under her breath. There was about 20 minutes left in the round, but with the multiple judge calls she overheard, it’d probably be about 40. Once the girls had packed their bags, they found a quiet spot just outside the hall. If it wasn’t a hike to go outside the building, Amity would be out for some fresh air, but that wasn’t a smart move unless she wants a game loss next round.

The moment they were alone, Amity felt herself break. She slumped up against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest. Tears streamed down her face, her hands twitched and grasped at her hair. She could barely say anything aside from various expletives all directed at herself. Images flashed in her mind of all the doubts she had about herself. Maybe all she was good for was the future her mom planned out for her. Was anything of this worth it at all? What was the point of trying to be good at a card game of all things? She might as well quit…

…but one person was not letting that happen.

“Hey, Amity,” Luz’s voice called to her. Amity looked up and saw Luz’s expression soften as her crush saw the absolutely horrid state she was in. “You can talk to me if you need to, but just know I’m so sor-”

“Don’t,” Amity gritted her teeth, “don’t apologize. I’m begging you. You won fair and square, I didn’t earn the win. I didn’t win the RCQ. I didn’t make it to the Pro Tour in Charlotte. I’m never fucking going to-”

“Amity,” Luz spoke in a much different tone than Amity ever thought she’d hear from her. She said her name with such sincerity. “Look at me,” Amity made eye contact, “what’s our best matchup?”

“What?”

“Answer the question.”

“...probably one of the control decks. Maybe Oculus, too.”

“Our worst matchup?”

“Omniscience, and Mono-Red to an extent.”

“What’s the sideboard plan against Omni?”

“In: two Ghost Vacuum, two Spell Pierce, one Disdainful Stroke. Out: 3 Into the Flood Maw, 1 Torch the Tower, 1 Drake Hatcher.”

“Against Mono-Red?”

“Why are you-”

“Answer. The. Question.” Luz’s eyes had a fiery determination to them. Amity couldn’t help but be entranced.

“In: 1 Flood Maw, 2 Torch, 1 Salvo. Out: 4 Stock Up.”

“These are the things you need to be focusing on,” Luz held her hands out to Amity, to which the latter held onto them. “None of the past tournaments matter at this moment and neither do any of the last matches. You need to win five matches, got it? How many times have you gone 5-0 at FNM? Or online?”

“A good amount…”

“Exactly. Going 5-0 isn’t foreign to you, right?” Amity nodded, “you can do this. You are more than capable of doing this. You are Amity. Not just Amity Blight, you are Amity. You have the chance to do what some people might call impossible. There are so many people here that drop after going 0-2, they don’t understand that anyone has the chance to come back! You are included in that anyone! You’re not going to get there if you let the past or anyone else define you. When that next round gets posted, you’re gonna go in there and start your win streak. There’s a reason you are where you are and you’re gonna go further! Got it?”

Amity looked in Luz’s eyes for a moment. She couldn’t believe this girl was saying all of this. A girl whose existence made her so livid two months ago was now pulling her out of one of her worst moments. And for what? Did she have anything to gain out of this? No, this was purely out of love and care for Amity as a person. For the past five years, Amity had felt like she always needed to prove herself to appease others, that would be the only way she could show her worth. Here, she realized that no one could define her. This was her path to forge, and the people that cared about her would be right next to her. Luz, her dad, her aunts and uncles, Willow, Gus, everyone.

Amity leaned forward and grabbed the back of Luz’s head, planting a kiss right on the lips. Her desire to kiss her was instinctual, it was the only way she could show her gratitude in that moment. Luz was so understanding and shone such a bright and beautiful light on her life. She was in love and she needed to show that.

When their lips parted, the girls looked each other in the eyes. “Woah, crikey!” Luz muttered under her breath as she smiled in amazement.

“Thank you, Luz. I know we said we’d talk about this whole thing later…but I needed to do that.”

“No, it’s…it’s quite alright!”

“I need you to know that, without you, I’d still be the cold and awful person I was when we met. Thank you for everything, Luz.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Amity,” Luz smiled and wiped a tear from Amity’s cheek, “I’m just doing what a friend should do.”

“I-...” Amity paused, unsure if she should commit to what she’d been wanting to do for weeks. If Luz taught her anything, though, it was to not be afraid. “Would you want to be my girlfriend, Luz?”

Luz’s eyes widened. Her brown eyes sparkled and shone like stars to Amity. “Absolutely!” Luz fell into Amity’s arms, giving her the tightest hug imaginable. Amity could stay in her arms forever. She’d never been in a relationship before, but she knew for sure that Luz was the right one for her.

“By the way,” Amity let their hug linger for a moment before speaking again, “did you say ‘crikey’ just now?”

“...fuck,” Luz whispered.

Amity couldn’t help but giggle, “it was honestly adorable. I love that about you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, it’s my favorite part about you! You’re always just so excited about everything. Magic, music, the pizza you definitely shouldn’t eat, but eat anyway. You’re one big ball of light!”

Amity saw Luz’s eyes begin to water, “no one’s ever really told me they love all of that about me aside from my family. Thanks, Amity.” The girls hugged again before letting themselves sit in silence, holding hands as Luz checked on the time in the round. She looked down at their hands, “this feels so…nice.”

“It does. I hope I can be a good partner for you. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Neither have I, I’m sure you’re gonna be an awesome girlfriend, though!”

“Awesome girlfriend…yeah!” Amity gave a wide smile. It felt so genuine to smile now that she was ready to make her life her own.

The round finished and the girls hurried back into the hall for the next. All Amity needed was to win five in a row. Just like FNM, just like online. This was her time to show everyone what she was made of.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POV: Hunter

Cards scattered around Hunter’s desk as he had the livestream for SCG Hartford up on his computer. Even though he didn’t have a clue about the Standard metagame aside from Prowess, it was good background noise to have on. Hunter was sleeving up his new playset of the full art Ajani, Nacatl Pariah he bought online recently so he could bling out his Boros Energy deck. He was especially thankful they came in two days early, too. If his uncle saw the package arrive when he got back from the business trip he was on, he’d probably give him another drunken scolding.

At the same time, Hunter was organizing cards to try and have as many Modern decks together as he could. He’d been wanting to reach out to Willow, Luz, and all of their friends to try and play more Modern with them, so he thought that having a few decks ready to go might help make it easier for them to play on their own, much like how Eda had her stash of decks. Not all of the decks were completed, but he had the beginnings of Azorius Control and Neoform Combo together. It was something, at least.

The thought of getting to know Willow and her friends better ruminated in his mind the last few weeks. He had some conversations with her over text, but felt bad that his work schedule never allowed him to hang out with her when she was available. She’d told him that the end of softball season would make things easier, but he really wanted to get to know her more. She’d bewitched Hunter, and he was determined to make a move somehow.

He’d still had some social interaction the last few weeks, though. After another weekly trip to the library, Vee gave him her phone number so that he could spend time with her and Masha again. They had another late night adventure together as they spent time at a park nearby the riverfront just talking for almost two hours. Hunter was eager to have another adventure like that soon. Almost exactly on cue, his phone rang. It was Vee!

“Hello?” Hunter picked up almost immediately.

“Hey, bud!” Vee’s raspy voice was so kind, even over the phone, “what’re you up to tomorrow?”

“I’m free all day!” Even though he was extremely excited, he was nervous that it would come across as too corny. He instantly regretted his eager response.

“D’you wanna hang out with Masha and I again? We’re both off work.”

“Sure! Want me to meet you at the park?”

“We can pick you up if you want! I don’t want you to have to skate all the way out again.”

It felt almost wrong to accept her offer. His uncle would probably call him a freeloader for doing so, but Uncle Philip wasn’t there. “Yeah, sure! Thanks, Vee.”

“No problem!” Hunter could visualize Vee’s smile, “I’ll swing by around 1. I thought we could do some shopping downtown.”

“Sounds fun! See you then, dude.” The two exchanged goodbyes and hung up, but Hunter was mortified at his words. “Why the hell did I just call her ‘dude’?” he said to the aether, “gah! Stupid, stupid!”

“For our last feature match of the day, we’ve got a competitor on a hot-streak: Amity Blight!” The words from the commentator caught Hunter’s attention. The commentators for this round were Magic pro Jim Davis and streamer/commentator Corey Baumeister, two prolific figures of the community, and they were talking about someone Hunter knew. Amity was about to be in the feature match!

“Even though we’re trying to show as many new decks as we can,” Jim Davis explained, “we just had to get Izzet Prowess on for this girl right here. Not only is she just 15 years old, she’s also the daughter of Alador Blight, who was a regular in the Grand Prix scene a little over 10 years ago. The most exciting part, though, is that she is one win away from getting to day two after starting out the day on the brink of elimination!” Hunter quickly went to the tournament page on Melee and found Amity’s match results. She finished round 4 with a 1-3 record, then managed to win four straight matches without dropping a single game!

“Yeah, Amity has been on a tear since round 4,” Corey Baumeister continued, “I caught a glimpse of one of her matches when Carmen and Mason were in the booth and I was so impressed with her play. She has such a precise, calculated approach to her playstyle that reminds me a lot of her father, but it still has her own flair to it.” It was surreal to hear these people talking about his…friend? Acquaintance? Something. It was even more surreal to see her with a completely new hair color. The purple suited her, though!

The stream was merely background noise before, but now Hunter was completely dialed in to see how Amity would do. She was up against a deck called Azorius Omniscience, but Hunter had no clue what the standard metagame was like. For all he knew, this was some kind of control deck she was playing against just based off of the colors. It definitely felt control-esque as it seeked to deal with her aggressive strategy with plenty of interaction, but it was also to set up a combo? At least he heard one of the commentators mention a combo. Game 1 was fast, though. In spite of Amity’s opponents efforts to slow her down, her overpowering Prowess gameplan beat the brakes off of him and then continued onto game 2.

“Y’know Jim,” Corey began as the players sideboarded between games, “I forgot to mention that The Owl House has a booth at this year’s event!”

“Really?!” Jim responded, “I haven’t gotten the chance to stop by there, but I remember talking with and playing against the Clawthorne sisters a lot back in the day.”

“Oh yeah! Turns out, Amity and another girl in the competition, Luz Noceda, are supposedly Eda Clawthorne’s prodigies. Luz clinched her spot in day 2 last round, so it’ll be exciting if both make it. I absolutely love seeing the new and older generations take on a student-mentor relationship when it comes to the game. It really emphasizes what this is all about!”

Hunter could see the confidence radiating off of Amity on the livestream. Her first seven cards were a snap-keep and she started off with a turn 2 Cutter. Even on the draw, she looked determined to end the game as swiftly as she could. Hunter was in awe at her play in this game. Even though she didn't have an insane board presence this time around, she was able to masterfully cast her spells in the right order so that she could continuously make more Monk tokens while keeping up mana to interact with her opponent’s combo plan. Amity knew exactly when to go on the offensive, this was someone deserving of a Pro Tour spot. Around turn 8, her opponent tried to cast Get Lost on her Cutter, which she surprisingly let resolve. It was because she perfectly telegraphed his attempt to play his game-winning combo with Abuelo’s Awakening, to which she slapped her foil Zendikar printing of Spell Pierce confidently onto the table, prompting a concession from her opponent.

Hunter cheered in his room. It was so exciting to see someone he knew reach such a huge achievement live, and with an insane comeback, nonetheless! The livestream camera showed the relief on her face as she smiled and followed as she stood up and hugged Luz, who picked Amity up and spun her around.

“Holy shit…” Hunter said to himself. After beating her at the RCQ, the words she said to him echoed. He thought about what would’ve been different if he insisted on scooping to her, but she wanted to earn it. She wasn’t interested in winning, she was interested in proving herself. “...she earned it!”

The teen’s awe was interrupted by the sound of a mail truck outside. It wasn’t odd to receive mail on a Saturday, but his uncle’s mail always came during the week, so what this could be was beyond Hunter. Stepping outside into the May sun, Hunter opened the mailbox to find a lonely letter addressed to…him? And from an insurance company?

Hunter swiftly went back inside and up to his room. The chance of his uncle making a surprise appearance back home was small, but non-zero. He carefully opened the letter which revealed a check made out to him. He became increasingly anxious, seeing the amount on the check slowly increase, to which he shoved the check back inside, not wanting to see the full contents. If he knew exactly what he was in possession of, it would probably make his anxiety worse. The main goal was to keep this away from his uncle. It was commonplace for Uncle Philip to snoop through his mail, which annoyed him quite a bit. This, though, was far too fragile to risk. Hunter stuffed the envelope into a drawer under his desk under a pile of bulk cards.

There was no way Uncle Philip would stick his nose into his cards, right?