Chapter Text
Ever since Luz has made friends with the Coven Heads, her life has taken a turn for the better. Gravesfield's children don't try to treat her with disrespect anymore, the adults no longer see her as a freak thanks to understanding, most of the town likes her loved ones while the remainder usually avoid trouble. She's even made a friend, found herself a brother, a bunch of aunts and uncles, a grandma, and learned she has a second mother. Even Clara's been told to leave her alone, but now she no longer wants to be friends with kids. Part of her suspects the children who approach her are trying to be buddy-buddy to get access to her extended family; at least with her loved ones, she knows where she stands for certain.
As Luz shows her friends her theories on what the Glyphs might mean together, she knows it's only a matter of time before she too gets to use them. The screen shows Willow fascinated with the idea of symbols being used to create a new kind of magic, one nobody else has seen before, Hunter already curious as to what Glyph Magic could do. All they know for sure is Lilith and Eda are testing it out and little else.
"So, what do you think makes up bigger spells?" Hunter asks with growing curiosity. "There's only four, but they gotta make up other spells, right?"
"I think they need to be connected somehow. It's kina like baking soda and vinegar in a volcano, they do something when put together the right way," Luz tries to rationalize, though she still remains unsure how the two can work together. "If they work when drawn, maybe connecting them with lines or something will make them mix! Maybe. I dunno."
The curiosity of such a thing only continues to fascinate her friends, Willow already drawing the Plant Glyph on her end. All they know for sure is there's must be more to Glyph Magic, and without being allowed to mess with them without permission or simply being unable to, all they can do for now is speculate and leave their thoughts on things they should keep in mind, at least for now.
AbominationHead: Hunter's getting suspicious about the Emperor.
BeastHead: no kidding >:(
AbominationHead: I mean he's sure something isn't right. Terra told me something's wrong with his uncle, how he seems cold compared to us.
HealingHead: Children are often curious and can tell when they're being lied to. What did she tell her?
AbominationHead: All three kids are sure there's something wrong with him. Willow was scared of him after seeing him hesitate to go with the Latissa program. He wants thorough documentation and wants Willow to know everything she must before she can take on the role of Coven Head in the future. Hunter's training would only grow more intense had it not been for our interference. Terra claims he's growing suspicious thanks to how everything's being put together, but I'm not quite sure how everything's being put together as a result.
PotionHead: so it's not just us. if the kids are sure something's wrong, then it's no wonder they're starting to wonder whether or not the emperor is a good guy. i think luz was suspicious from the start, at least in some regard.
HealingHead: Vit, that's a stretch.
PotionHead: Hettie, think about it. her book describes a villainous empire that functions like the emperor's coven too closely for comfort, we all know there's something wrong with how things are now, latissa's people are being effectively audited in an attempt to make the coming changes look bad, most likely. if this doesn't scream bad guy, i don't know what does, and that's not even mentioning what's going on with hunter.
OracleHead: Stay the course. We don't drag Luz to the Boiling Isles until she's 14. Until then, we need to prepare both her and her friends.
AbominationHead: You think we haven't? The Emperor's abusing his nephew in all but name!
IllusionHead: Terra and Lilith are coming on
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PlantHead: I have some good news to share. Little Rose, Sprout, and Bud are doing fantastically! A little sewing here, a little lesson on tending there, and already they're looking great for their positions! There's too little to inform about Latissa though, it's too soon to determine if anything's truly underway for the city.
HealingHead: Always nice to hear. Lilith, is there anything we should know?
EmperorHead: I think I've found a suitable protégé. Understands things must change, dislikes being treated as lesser, wishes to become a better person, proof there's at least a few who seek a better future for the Boiling Isles. If not for the title of Emperor's Coven Head, then at least that of the Abomination Coven.
AbominationHead: You're making a bold claim. Only Hack would be worthy of the title, and you know where he works and who with.
EmperorHead: This isn't about your Alador disdain. Don't blame your generation for that of the next.
BeastHead: u got his kid?
PlantHead: So you can collect children, but when I do it it's strange.
PlantHead: That is a joke. Who's the sprout?
PotionHead: yeah, who's the tyke? and it's pretty presumptuous to think it's alador, darius. he's not even a big part of the coven system.
EmperorHead: I've not come to anything conclusive, but yes, Darius is right. Magic-wise, she's got great potential with magic in general, even though she's admittedly a specialist when it comes to Abomination Magic.
IllusionHead: I need to find a successor too
AbominationHead: Amity's your pick? I've heard good things about her, though I'd question anything coming out of the Blight Family if I were you.
EmperorHead: Again, it's not conclusive. She's simply the one I find the most worth given our recent update in criteria.
PotionHead: in other words, someone who'd be a good pick given what we know now.
PlantHead: Even assuming she's the best fit, and I agree a proper assessment would be necessary, we need to know if she'd be a good pick for Little Rose's friend group. She should be able to build trust at the very least and become friends ideally.
AbominationHead: Vit and Terra are right, she still needs to pass the final test. Does she know who she's going to interact with?
EmperorHead: It's the final test. If all goes well, she'll at the very least be on the same page as the rest of Owlet's friends.
Amity sits with her hands in her lap and sitting before her potential mentor. This is everything she's been trained for and all she needs to do is say the right things and go from there. Everything will turn out alright if all goes well; the sooner everything ends, the sooner she can get back to work. Lilith can see the desire to do her best, though she can see there's more to it than she's letting on. She's sure the girl's family is involved in some manner, thus adding to what she's seen earlier, regretful she can't force anything without a proper warrant or approval from the Emperor himself given the Blight Family's reputation.
”There is a certain criteria I’m looking for, and it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re Odalia and Alador’s child,” Lilith starts, her voice firm but even. “The times are changing, and I’m not entirely sure what that will entail for the Boiling Isles. All I know is that I won’t be here to guide my loved ones forever, neither you nor the current members of the Coven Heads, so it’s imperative I find the right candidate.”
The youngest Blight knows of such details to an extent, but she didn’t know the witch would be so stern about such a system. Being a Coven Head is an immense responsibility, all the more reason not to pick the wrong protégé, and she knows being the wrong choice will bode nothing but trouble.
"Your first order of business is simple, just tell me your thoughts on what I'm asking one at a time. I want to know how you think and why," Lilith states simply, refusing to overcomplicate matters. "Once I've determined your thoughts, we can move onto the next step, depending on how you answer."
Amity nods once, making it clear she both understands and understands clearly, keeping her attention on her possible predecessor at all times. Just one misstep could be the difference between complete failure and a total success, though the confirmation she simply has to tell the truth seems right, even if contrary to what her parents claim would be required in the long run.
"First and foremost, how well do you take the idea of working with multiple peers who will be of equal rank to you?" Lilith asks, keeping watch over the girl's reactions.
"As long as they're not causing any trouble without a good reason, I'll work with a thousand of them if I have to," the youngest Blight confirms, confused yet sincere about such a question. "There's ten Coven Head positions, it's inevitable I'm going to run into at least a few, right?"
"That's right. Even if there's one or two who will be a bother to you, you must at the very least learn to cooperate with them for a duration between a few minutes to potentially days depending on the project at hand," the Coven Heads' leader states, impressed by such an answer and noticing no signs of deception. "However, it's inevitable one of your peers will cause some form of trouble. You can always discipline them given your higher position should you reach it, but you must be careful not to overstep your role, no matter how tempting. What do you do?"
"A discussion between myself and the Coven Heads who might be causing trouble. If nothing good comes out of it, then I inform someone of higher rank, specifically the Golden Guard or Emperor Belos," the gold-eyed girl states immediately, clarifying, "They're the highest legal authority of the Boiling Isles; if anyone can handle a dispute, it should be brought to them so long as there's reasonable concern to be brought up, such as suspicions of sabotage and possible treachery."
The words are larger than Lilith expected in spite of being both correct and honest, continuing by asking, "That would be correct, and with an attempt at de-escalation as well. Now, imagine you made a mistake; whether it's something minor or potentially disastrous, something that might cause an issue in the long run, perhaps you hurt someone or even betrayed them, at least in your eyes. If you were to make amends, what would you do?"
The comment is the first time Lilith sees Amity hesitate to answer. Her eyes widen before she looks down, her ears slightly drooping to indicate sorrow. The elder Clawthorne Sister can see the hurt in her eyes, remorse for having done something in the past.
"...I don't know. Can you really make things better even if you screw up so bad?" she nearly whimpers, forcing herself to remain steady.
Such words somehow sound more honest than anything before, all the more reason to ensure she doesn't snap under the pressure. Lilith knows the girl shouldn't be forced to hold onto a burden, not when she's barely even three monthsolder than her favorite niece. The subtle shivers, how she's trying to keep herself focused, the way she manages to look away in what looks like a mixture of shame and fear. It all points to something.
"Admittedly, you won't always manage to fix something in a day, week, month, or even year, even multiple years. Circumstances change over time and details either become clearer or muddled, but there's always one thing you can do: try," Lilith assures her, gently offering a hand to hold, a gesture the girl is hesitant to accept.
"But... what if you don't make things right?" the girl whimpers, noticing how sad the older witch seems to become, her voice softer than before.
'Sometimes it's not up to you to decide, but making an earnest effort shows you're not a bad person, that at the end of the day it's still possible for things to go right," Lilith affirms, never pulling her hand away. "Ask yourself one thing: if you were to try to make things right between a loved one and yourself, even if it's not perfect or even guaranteed to do so, would it hurt less knowing you made a genuine effort?"
The girl thinks hard for a second before nodding, believing there should at least be an attempt. Circumstances mean she likely won't be able to atone for something she's done, but it doesn't mean her principal of trying to mend should be disregarded. She doesn't know what she'd do if she were to stay silent for however long.
"That's the spirit. I believe there's one more question," the woman states with less sadness, proud the girl truly does seem capable of something good after all. "It's about some of your future peers..."
"What are your thoughts on unusual candidates and the possible emergence of an eleventh main Coven?"