I'm here

"Summary":

This is the continuation to Knockout and part seven of my The Owl House Lunar Eclipse AU series. Thank you RySenkari for the name suggestion!

I needed to write some fluff as a cool down from the last few parts in this series. Don't worry, there's some major angst as well. Got you covered, guys.

Please read the previous parts for context (in order: Own your narrative, Amity's calamity, Boiling drain, There's a Luz loose in my garden, Bless you and Knockout).

1

Amity's bladder woke her very early the next morning. She groaned, rolled over, then sat up. She looked around the room - this... wasn't her room. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

That's right, this is Lilith's room. I spent the night at her house. With... She turned around to see Luz laying spread-eagled across most of the bed, on top of the fluffy duvet. It looked like she was lying on a big marshmallow.

That's ridiculously cute... she thought with a drowsy smile.

A hard ache in Amity's belly brought her mind back to the here and now. She rubbed at her lower back and grimaced, then stood up to go to the bathroom. The way her nightdress stuck to her backside told her that putting down a towel had been the right move the night before. She pulled it off the bed - nothing had gotten on the sheets, thank goodness. She grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom. The old clock on the wall told her it was just after five in the morning.

She put the stained things in the sink to soak in cold water, then undressed. She let out a frustrated sigh at the sight of her underwear. Her moon cloth had a drop of blood at the very edge and everything else had ended up at the back of her underwear. And her nightdress. And the towel.

"Because why not," she muttered.

Usually, she stood in the shower, but today she felt... very tired. Exhausted even. And sore. She turned on the shower, then took a seat a little away from the tap. She would like to sit in the warm spray for several hours, then go back to bed. She didn't want to do anything today. But she had to get to school. She had missed an entire afternoon of lessons the day before yesterday. She didn't want any more absences. She rubbed at her back again, allowing herself to groan aloud. She leaned her head against the green tiled wall.

Going to school would be a good distraction, she knew. Then she wouldn't have to think about the last few days for a while. She was unsure what would happen this afternoon - didn't know where she'd sleep this evening. She'd like it to be here... Or at the Owl House. She wanted to be away from her family.

She sat in the shower and let her mind drift. The warm water and the rushing sound it made was soothing. Her tired eyes fell closed.

2

Luz drifted awake from a rather fun dream to a very not-fun reality. She was laying on her back on something very soft and squishy, but her entire front side was sore and stiff. Her skin felt uncomfortably tight on her face and chest.

"Ugh," she let out a long, quiet groan. "Eda said I'd be sore in the morning but dang."

She reached for her bag, hissing through her teeth. A few seconds digging around found her last sheet of painkillers. There were only four left now. She knew she was supposed to save the pills for her cramps, but this was an emergency. She had had bruises before, but never this big or this bad. She swallowed the little pink pill and tried to relax. It was worse when she moved, but when she just lay still, it was... still really bad. But slightly less up in your face.

Maybe I could get an ice pack or something? She thought as she lay there. I really have to pee. I'll wait til they kick in, think I might pee my pants if I stand up right now.

Despite the pain and the ever increasing need to go to the bathroom, she drifted in and out of sleep for a while. Then the sun fell across her face and stung her eyes.

That's as good a cue as any.

She sat up with great difficulty. It didn't hurt as much as before, but it still hurt a lot.

Come on, Luz, up we get. Go pee, then find some frozen peas. She giggled at the unintentional pun, then winced. Standing up was easier, and walking was okay as long as she walked slowly and didn't slam her heels into the floor. When she reached the bathroom door, she realized that the sound she had been hearing for a long time was actually the shower running.

Oh no - but she's been in there a while, she must be done soon. I can wait. A few minutes.

She looked up at the clock. It was just after six.

When a whole ten minutes had passed, Luz was getting desperate.

3

There was a knock at the door - Amity awoke with a start.

"Amity, can I come in? I really need to pee!" Luz asked from outside.

"Uh - I'm in the shower?"

"Okay, great, thanks!"

The door opened - Amity quickly covered herself, even though she was behind the very firmly closed shower curtain. She heard the clunk of the toilet lid - she was so shocked by Luz just coming into the bathroom - her brain felt like it was trying to think through treacle.

She's going to see my things in the sinks!Her heart plummeted.

Just as she was about to say something (what, she didn't know) there was the sound of the toilet flushing - the water pouring over her turned ice cold. She screamed out in pain and alarm and scrabbled away from the frigid cascade as quickly as she could.

"You okay?! What happened?!" Luz asked - Amity could see her shadow on the curtain.

"Shower went c-cold!" she panted.

"What? Oh - when I flushed, oh man, I'm so sorry - I didn't know it was going to do that!"

"M-me neither!"

"It should go back to warm soon? I think? The apartment my mom and I lived in a few years ago was tricky like that too."

Amity could feel the water become warm again as Luz spoke. She slid back under the spray, shivering.

There was another, much more intense knock at the door. Both girls jumped.

"Girls?! I heard someone scream!" It was Lilith's voice.

"Sorry, everything's okay, I think! I flushed the toilet, Amity's in the shower, the water went cold."

"Stars you gave me such a fright!"

"Sorry, Lilith!" Luz moved away from the curtain.

Oh no, is she going to - but Amity didn't have time to finish the thought before she heard the door opening again.

"Didn't mean to wake you, are you okay?"

"Give me a moment to catch my breath," Lilith said in a hoarse, tense voice. "My heart is going a mile a minute - my goodness - what's that in the sink?!"

Oh my god. Oh my god, please kill me now. Just end me. Right now. Amity covered her face.

"Oh my!" Luz gasped. "Oh... maybe um, maybe we should leave Amity alone?"

"Amity dear?" Lilith said uncertainly. "Do you... need anything?" Her voice had gone quite high pitched.

"I'm f-fine!" Amity squeaked. "P-p-please l-leave!"

"Right, leaving," Luz said firmly.

"Why did you open the door?" Lilith asked in a whisper.

"I didn't know! Let's just give her some privacy!"

There was the sound of two people hurrying to get out the door.

"See you downstairs, when you're ready, take your time, take care, bye!"

The door shut. Amity panted, blinking in shock. Everything had happened in less than a minute.

She groaned and covered her face with her hands. How in the name of Meserif was she going to face them downstairs?! They had seen everything!

4

"Aw man... Why didn't I just try to find another bathroom?" Luz said as she closed the door to the bedroom behind her. Lilith was still panting, holding a hand over her heart. "Do you think she's super upset? She's bound to be super upset - uuugh I didn't want to upset herrrr..." Luz rubbed her face a moment, winced, then slowly lowered her hands. "Ow..."

Lilith looked at Luz and made an inhalation hiss - Luz had managed to twist the bandage on her cheek.

"Careful," she said. "Oh dear..." She swayed where she stood - Luz took a quick step forward grabbed her by the arm.

"Whoa there - you okay?" Luz grimaced up at Lilith's face.

Lilith reached out a hand to steady herself against the wall.

"I should not... have run..." She closed her eyes and tried to will the rising nausea under control. Absolutely no part of her was ready to be up and about. She felt raw and maddeningly tender all over. Her hips, knees and feet felt like they were about to fall off. And as if even if they did, they'd still hurt, somehow.

"D'you want me to get you a chair or something?"

Lilith slowly shook her head - she was wearing a tight grimace.

"Just," she found Luz's shoulder. "Stand still, please."

"Okay, sure."

Lilith didn't put any weight on the hand on Luz's shoulder, just held it there to keep balance. After a minute or so, her fingers gripped a little tighter.

"Thank you," Lilith exhaled forcefully, then opened her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be right as rain... as soon as I take my potion. Are you... alright?"

"Kind of?" Luz smiled up at her uncertainly. "Could do with an ice pack, or something..."

Lilith gave a tired sigh, then straightened up.

"I'll get you one, let's... go downstairs."

"What about your potion?"

Lilith hesitated. The desire to take her potion battled with her sense of duty to take care of an injured child.

"Where is it? I could just go get it." Luz offered kindly.

Lilith let out a defeated breath. "On my sink. It's a tiny bottle. Please be careful with it."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Luz hurried off.

When she returned, Lilith had moved down the corridor a little. She was still holding on to the wall.

"Thank you," she said as Luz walked up to her. She took a drop of potion, then put it in the pocket of her dressing robe. "Now, let's... take care of that cheek."

They made their way down the stairs very slowly. Not for the first time, Lilith wished the Orcilae potion's effects were instantaneous. After a few steps, Luz offered Lilith her arm. Lilith sighed, swallowed her pride, then smiled and accepted it.

How very gallant, Lilith thought.

5

Eventually, Amity had to get out of the shower. She had to get to school after all.

She dried herself on a towel, put on fresh underwear, then set to the task of washing her things. She spent several frantic minutes scrubbing at them until were as clean as the day they had been purchased, then hung it all to dry on the towel racks. She cleaned the sinks, brushed her teeth, got dressed, but waited to put her makeup on. She wanted to hold off on that because there was a very good chance she might burst into tears at any moment. Maybe she could just go directly to school? Her stomach growled and demanded breakfast. And her uterus took that as the cue to step up its antics. She leaned on the sink and groaned. This was day four of her moon time - the cramps usually weren't so bad by this time. Maybe the events of the last few days had something to do with it. Of course it did.

Because why the heck not, right? As if things weren't bad enough, let's give Amity extra cramps, yeah that's what she needs. Also let's throw some ice cold water at her and make Luz and Lilith see her bloody clothes! Yeah! Fantastic!

She left the bathroom, picked up her school bag, then hesitated. Could she just leave her other things here? Should she just take everything now? If she wanted to avoid Luz and Lilith, she'd have to take everything with her. But where would she go after school? Where would she sleep? Would she have to go home?! She shook her head. No. She'd rather dance naked around town than go home today.

She sighed, straightened her tunic, then headed down to the kitchen.

It was very hard to take the final few steps toward the open door. She could hear that Luz and Lilith were talking, but she couldn't discern any words.

They're talking about me, she thought wretchedly. They're talking about what a disgusting person I am.

She walked through the door and was greeted by the smell of something burning.

"It's okay, just try again?" Luz said. She was standing next to Lilith at the stove. "And maybe open the door?"

"Oh goodness, this is a lot trickier than I thought. You make it look so easy."

"I had a lot of practice - I burnt like so many pancakes before I got it right - it's all about timing, really."

Lilith stepped away from the stove to open the door, then froze as she saw Amity.

"Oh, hello, I mean - good morning," she said in surprise. "There's... tea on the table for you. Why don't you have a seat, my dear?" She opened the door to the garden.

"I'm sorry about..." Amity mumbled, looking at the floor. She gripped the strap of her book bag tightly. She saw the toes of Lilith's slippers peeking out from under a long, dark blue nightdress. Her cheeks burned hotter and hotter.

"Amity, we're sorry for barging in like that."

Amity looked up in surprise. Lilith was looking at her with an expression of regret on her face.

"Yeah, sorry," Luz added, coming up from behind Lilith. "I waited for you to come out for a while, I should have just found another bathroom." She shook her head sadly.

Amity looked at Luz; she looked regretful too. And she seemed to have a bag of frozen vegetables tied onto her chest with a piece of string. She held another bag against her cheek. It confused Amity further.

"I..." Amity began, but she had no idea what to say, really.

"And sorry about the water, too." Luz looked down at the floor, looking ashamed now. Amity looked up at Lilith again - there was shame etched in her features too.

How are they feeling ashamed?

"I don't... understand..." Amity said slowly.

"What don't you understand?" Luz turned her head.

"How are you not... mocking me?"

"Why ever would we mock you?" Lilith asked in complete surprise - Luz's eyebrows drew together.

"Yeah, why would we do that?"

"Because you saw - " Amity simply could not continue that sentence.

"Oh..." Lilith exhaled softly. One of her hands stroked the back of the other. "Amity... I've had to deal with the same situation many... many times."

"Yeah, me too," Luz said in her gentle way.

"It's not something I would ever even consider mocking someone for," Lilith gave Amity a sad and understanding look. "That would be terribly unkind."

"Yeah," Luz agreed.

"Let's... let's sit, shall we?" Lilith waved a finger and three chairs slid out. They sat down in a triangle. "What happened earlier was unfortunate and not anyone's fault really, but we were the ones who invaded your privacy, and for that we're deeply sorry."

"We really are, querida." Luz nodded emphatically.

"You did all the right things - you asked for a towel to sleep on, then when you woke up you took care of everything, all by yourself. And I'm sure you cleaned everything and hung it up to dry before you came downstairs, didn't you?"

Amity nodded slowly. Lilith gave her a sad (and slightly proud?) smile; her hands drew into fists for a moment, as if she had to restrain herself from something.

"You have nothing to be ashamed about," Lilith said in a calm, soothing voice.

"Yeah, we've all been there. Remember the thing I told you about bleeding all over my sleeping bag a while back?"

"But no one saw that," Amity said before she could stop herself.

"You're right," Luz admitted. "But it happened, and I was super afraid Eda was going to see it - and I think she knew what was going on and she left me alone when I asked her to - you didn't get that choice and I'm so sorry, querida."

Lilith was looking at Luz in slight amazement.

"We understand it's embarrassing and that you feel uncomfortable - but we're the ones who should apologize, not you." Luz reached out a hand, then closed it and lowered it to her lap. That made Amity feel guilty. "We're the ones who invaded your space."

Lilith and Luz looked at Amity and Amity looked between them.

"I... um..." Amity began - the ache in her belly grew suddenly sharp and intense. Her eyes crossed before she could close them - her hands gripped the strap of her book bag.

"Lilith where did you put the hot water bottle?" Luz asked in a whisper.

"By the bread box."

"I'll get it." A chair scraped.

"Hang on, my dear," Lilith said in a soft voice.

Amity almost forgot to breathe, it was hurting so bad.

"Here you go."

Amity opened one eye and took the hot water bottle from Luz's hands, then pressed it to her tummy - she couldn't hold in the groan of relief as the pain quickly dulled. She heard both Luz and Lilith let out a breath. The chair scraped again and Amity assumed Luz had resumed her seat. Amity opened her eyes and was astonished to find both Lilith and Luz looking away.

They... remembered I don't like people to look at me when I'm in pain, she thought in amazement. Now the tears welled up, really, really fast. She sniffed - Lilith closed her eyes and her hand clenched. Seeing that made Amity's heart do the inside out thing.

Luz reached for the roll of paper towels on the table and held it out to Amity without a word. Amity took it and tore off a piece and wiped her face.

She swallowed, took a deep breath, then said:

"Thank you."

Both Luz and Lilith breathed out again.

They care about me. They really do. Why is that so hard to remember?

"Luz, could you pass me the tea?"

"Yeah, sure," Luz picked up the cup and held it out to her. Amity took it and raised it to her lips - it was a little cold, but that would make it easier to swallow. She drank the entire thing down in one go - she was extremely ready for the cramps to go away for a while.

"Luz, Lilith," she began after she had swallowed the last mouthful. They looked round at her. "Thank you for saying sorry. It um... it means a lot to me that you did." Now she held out a hand to each of them - the smiles of relief on their faces was enough to bring the tears back. They grasped one hand each. Amity had to close her eyes again. Lilith stroked her knuckles and Luz squeezed her other hand gently.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Lilith asked in the soft way Amity... loved so much.

"I'm... a little overwhelmed by this morning," Amity said in a slightly choked voice.

"I would be, too," Luz said quickly. "How's the cramps, getting any better?"

Amity let out a breath of laughter.

So bold...

"They're... less awful, with the heat."

"Good!" Luz squeezed her hand again. "Want something to eat? We're making pancakes."

"Trying to make pancakes. I have yet to succeed," Lilith added in a defeated sounding voice.

"You got one that was only a little burned," Luz said in an encouraging tone. "What do you say, Amity, wanna try some pancakes?"

"Um... s-sure."

Luz stood up and hurried over to the stove again. She grabbed the spatula and the heavy cast iron pan, but before she could lift it, Lilith stood up.

"Luz you should take it easy," she said in a slightly admonishing tone. "I appreciate you trying to teach me how to make pancakes, but porridge would just be quicker. We have to leave for school in a little while."

"I'm okay, the ice pack is helping," Luz said, lowering the spatula.

"That's good," Lilith held out her hand for the utensil. "Go sit down."

"I'll just make you guys some lunch to bring - " Luz turned toward the fridge.

"No, please have a seat, I insist. I usually eat the cafeteria food in any case, but thank you for offering."

"But there's plenty of leftovers," Luz tried.

"I was hoping to save those for tonight, if I'm to be completely honest," Lilith admitted. Her cheeks grew a bit pink.

"Oh, okay." Luz went over to the table and sat down, looking a little morose. "Just wanted to make you lunch again," she said in a slightly hurt voice. "Did you like the one from yesterday?"

Amity nodded quickly and blushed.

"It was lovely!"

Luz beamed.

The girls chatted as Lilith made the porridge. It was so strange for her to make enough for three people that she had to remind herself to triple everything with each ingredient. Eventually, porridge was achieved and she set down a steaming bowl in front of each girl.

"Do you want sugar? Cinnamon?" she asked.

"Yes please," Amity said.

"What kind of porridge is this?" Luz asked curiously.

"Bowt grain. It's very simple. And quick."

Luz bent over and smelled her bowl. "It smells like semolina, I haven't had that since I was a kid!" She dug in with enthusiasm and shoved a big spoonful into her mouth. "Hot hot hot!" She grabbed her glass of milk and took a long sip, then poured some over her porridge. Lilith looked at her with raised eyebrows. Amity smiled and shook her head.

"Yes, you might want to let it cool for a minute," Lilith said. "Sugar, cinnamon?"

"No thanks, I like it with just milk," Luz smiled at her. She had a milk mustache.

"Luz," Amity pointed to her upper lip. Luz quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand.

After breakfast, Luz and Lilith went to get dressed. Amity took the opportunity to work on an assignment in the mean time.

They decided they would all walk to school together (Lilith usually flew) and made arrangements for Eda to come pick Luz up there.

"Oh, Amity, do you want to come over after school? We could do some more homework!" Luz smiled at Amity brightly.

"Um... I don't... know what's happening this afternoon... And evening." Amity glanced up at Lilith, blushing.

"How about... you go with Luz this afternoon and I'll come by in the evening and either pick you up, or drop off your bag?" Lilith said with a calm, warm smile. Amity let out a breath and gave her a grateful look.

"Eda said I had to spend the night at home today, but that you were welcome to as well, if you want."

Amity looked a little put on the spot.

"You can decide later on, my dear. We had better get going - I need to be there a little earlier to set up for my lesson."

Amity and Luz nodded.

They walked sedately through town, Amity and Luz arm in arm. They talked about a book series they both enjoyed and Lilith let her mind drift.

It had been a long time since she had actually walked to work. It made her think back to when she and Eda had walked to school together as children. They took the same route and used the same shortcuts. The only difference Lilith could see was that the path was a little wider and that the gnarled tree roots stretching across it had gone shiny from being trodden on.

"If you need a cup of tea after lunch, drop by my office," Lilith said as they arrived at the gates to the school grounds. "My afternoon lesson doesn't start until three."

Amity nodded and smiled gratefully.

"See you later, then, girls."

"Bye Lilith!" Luz waved at her. "Have a good day!" She turned to Amity. "And you have a good day at school, too, okay?"

"You too, uh - you know what I mean," Amity blushed.

"I'll see you later!" Luz gave her a tight hug and pressed her cheek to Amity's - Amity wasn't sure if she felt Luz's lips brush her skin - if that was it, had it been on purpose? Her cheek tingled.

"S-see you later," she walked away before the blush could spread all the way to her ears. But she couldn't help but turn around a few times - Luz waved at her enthusiastically every time she did. She entered school with butterflies in her tummy.

6

Luz waited by the gate for a few minutes before she saw Eda appear over the trees. She soared unsteadily out of the sky, still wearing her house clothes.

"Good morning, Eda?" Luz said with a smile.

"Meh," Eda waved a hand at her grumpily. "You drive."

"Yes!" Luz hopped on the staff.

"Go slow, mind you. I am not awake yet."

"You got it!"

They made it home in one piece and landed pretty well in front of the house.

King flung the door open. "I missed you so much!" He ran up to Luz and cuddled her leg.

"Ohmygosh, precious baby boy!" she squeaked and bent to pick him up. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek bone.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Eda said in a grouchy tone.

"She missed you too!" King cuddled up under Luz's chin. "Last night she was all like 'the house feels so empty' and 'Luz would have laughed at my joke'."

Luz turned to Eda, her lower lip visibly trembling. "You did?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

"Maybe," Eda gave King a dirty look.

"You love me!"

"Yeah, yeah," Eda waved a hand and slouched past Luz - but Luz caught the pink tint to her cheeks.

"I love you too!" Luz bounded after her with King still in her arms. "And you too, my little guy!"

"And I love all of you!" Hooty exclaimed excitedly. "I'm so glad to - " but Luz had closed the door. "Aw."

"Let's take a look at your bruise, kid," Eda said as they entered the kitchen. "Got an ointment that'll help speed up the healing process."

Luz put down her bag.

"Okay, promise you won't freak out," she said carefully.

"... Why?" Eda turned to her with narrowed eyes.

Luz took off her shirt. Eda grimaced and hissed.

"Holy crap, kid," she said after a second. The vivid bruise lay like an arm-thick band across her chest - the skin looked swollen and tight.

"Those Blighties will rue the day they messed with my boo-boo-buddy!" King declared fiercely. "I'll fetch my cuddliest minion for you!" He scampered up the stairs.

"Sit down." Eda went to wash her hands.

"I took a painkiller when I got up," Luz said tentatively.

Eda looked round sharply, frowning.

"Shouldn't you be saving those for your cramps?"

"It hurt real bad this morning?" Luz shrugged in an uncomfortable way.

"Did you tell Lily?" Eda inquired sternly.

"No, there... wasn't really a good moment. She gave me an ice pack though, that helped too."

"Kid," Eda sighed. "I get that you want to give Amity all your attention or whatever because she's going through some pretty serious stuff right now, but you gotta take care of yourself too."

"I know!" Luz said quickly. "There was just... a little embarrassing incident this morning."

"What do you mean?"

"I really had to pee and Amity was having a shower, when I flushed the water went all cold - she screamed, then Lilith came running all worried and stuff, then we both saw Amity was cleaning things in the sinks and - " Luz sighed. "I don't think she meant 'come in' when I asked if I could come in. She just said she was in the shower, so I thought..."

"Ah, yeah, that happened to me and Lilith a bunch of times. The cold water thing I mean. Well. The other stuff too."

"We left her alone and went to the kitchen - Lilith was all... Unsteady and stuff. But she fixed me up. Then I started trying to teach her how to make pancakes, because Amity was taking a while."

"Sheesh, you tried to teach Lily to cook something? You're lucky the house didn't burn down." Eda chuckled. Luz gave her a slightly hurt look.

"She did her best... But we ended up having porridge. After we apologized to Amity."

Eda gave her a knowing smile. "You could have still said something to Lily."

"Yeah, I know... I just thought it was more important to not upset Amity again? Yesterday was so hard for her."

"It was hard for you too, kid," Eda said firmly, looking Luz up and down. "You're gonna have a tough time when the painkiller wears off. Wanna try some willow bark tea later?"

Luz grimaced but nodded.

"You tried it before?" Eda's eyebrows raised.

"I took a sip of Amity's the other day."

"Did you get an upset tummy or anything?"

"No."

"Okay, good!" Eda bent to take a little jar out of a cupboard. "Let's test this ointment on your arm first. It should feel a little cold, but not itchy or burning or something like that. Or wriggly. Just cold. It'll help with the swelling, too."

"Wriggly?"

"There is a small chance that it'll make you sprout a... vaguely tentacle like thing," Eda waved her hands slowly.

"I want a tentacle!" Luz held out her arm eagerly. "Do I get to choose where? I'd love a tentacle tail, then I could swing in the trees like a spider monkey!"

Eda snorted with laughter. "Well, you'd better put it on your lower back then, but I would still recommend starting with your arm."

"Okiday."

Eda unscrewed the jar and dabbed one finger into the gray-green goop, then rubbed it into the skin on Luz's forearm.

"When does the tentacle thing happen?" Luz asked in an excited voice.

"If it happens it would happen more or less immediately. Feeling any wriggling sensations?"

"No, it's just a little cold."

They waited a few minutes. To Luz's disappointment, she didn't grow a tentacle on her arm. Or anywhere else.

"Wash everything first, then take a little on your fingers and rub it gently into your skin until it doesn't feel sticky anymore." Eda handed Luz the jar. "Let's take a look at your cheek, too."

Eda washed the gash on Luz's cheek carefully. It had already started healing.

Well, that's young bodies for you, Eda thought.

"You might get a scar from this," she said conversationally.

"Oh, I'd love that... Facial scars are so cool," Luz sighed. "The ones that go over one eye are the absolute coolest."

Eda chuckled. "Then you should meet Ingalill Grönvall, she's got one of those."

"Who's that?"

"An old friend."

"Ooh, mysterious past..."

"There," Eda taped down the final corner of the new bandage, then stepped back. "Go and put the salve on - don't put it on the scrapes, you'll regret it."

"What do I do if I do get it in the scrapes?"

"Suffer." Eda gave her a serious look.

"Okay... I'll be careful."

Luz went upstairs to apply the salve in the bathroom. Once she was done, she went back to the kitchen.

"Didn't get it in my scrapes!" Luz said proudly.

"Good for you, kid," Eda yawned hugely. "Right, tea... Iiiit's... In this cupboard, I think. Ah, here." She took out a tin and opened the lid. "Hm, I should make some more."

"You make it yourself?" Luz asked.

"Yeah, it's super easy," Eda scoffed. "Just gimme a willow tree and I'll make you some tea. Well. And some trigull root. And ginger. And thyme."

"Thyme or time?" Luz leaned forward curiously.

"Hah! Well, good to be specific. The herb type thyme."

"Oh, so no moving yourself forward in time until you're not in pain anymore?" Luz looked disappointed. Eda shook her head with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"Works like any other tea, but you knew that. Right. I'm gonna take one heck of a nap. And you should think about one too. You need to rest. You'll heal faster."

"But lying still is so boring..." Luz complained.

Eda ruffled Luz's hair carefully. "Trust me, kid, you'll be feeling this a lot longer if you push yourself. The heaviest thing I want you to carry for the next few days is a blanket. Go read a book or something."

"Fine," Luz sighed. "Oh yeah. Amity's coming over later - was it okay for her to spend the night? I'm not sure she'll want to. Lilith said she could decide later."

"Yeah, yeah," Eda waved a hand. "Wait is today Friday?"

"Yeah?" Luz's eyebrows drew together.

Eda groaned and covered her face with a hand. "I gotta go into town and pick up the groceries."

"I could do that!" Luz volunteered.

"No, kid, it's like three boxes. Even if you were a hundred percent, you couldn't carry them all at once."

Luz pouted. "Can I at least come with you when you go? I could steer again?"

Eda closed one eye as she thought. "Yeah, okay, if - " she held up a finger. "You go lie down while I nap and you promise to have a cup of tea and reapply the salve before we go."

"Deal!" Luz snapped her fingers and pointed at Eda, then turned around and ran up the stairs. Eda let out a breath of laughter, then sighed and shook her head.

"Dang it kid, I love you too," she muttered as she followed the sound of Luz's running footsteps with her eyes.

7

Luz woke up to her cheek vibrating.

"Fznwht?" she grunted. It took a moment for her to realize she had fallen asleep with her phone lying next to her on the pillow. She blinked at the screen. It was another notification saying she was running out of storage space. She looked at the time - it was now ten past twelve. "Oh man, I really fell asleep," she said, then yawned and stretched - the soreness in her chest made her stop halfway through the movement and her yawn turned into a whine. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..."

She rolled to the side, then sat up slowly. The pain was worse than this morning. She groaned as she stood up.

"Edaaa..." she whined, then shuffled into the hallway and toward the bathroom.

It was agony to take off her shirt and sports bra to reapply the ointment, but the cool sensation eased the soreness slightly - she was sure it was less swollen than before. She wanted to take another painkiller, but she was running very low on them. She felt sore all over, not just in the bruise. She took a breath, held it, then quickly put her sports bra back on, then the shirt.

"Me cago en - fssshhhrrrraaaahahahowwww!" Luz hissed miserably. She washed her hands, then headed downstairs to make herself a cup of tea. She swore a long yellow, pink and blue streak as she had to lift the kettle full of water.

"I understood some of that," Eda said with a chuckle. She was just coming down the stairs. "I'd say that'll be about fifteen snails for the swear jar. Those were some bad words, Luz."

"Don't," Luz whined. "I'm so. Sore..."

"I believe you. Sit down, kid, I'll do it." Eda walked past her, then turned on the stove and moved the kettle to the right place.

"Thanks..." Luz was very grateful for the help.

"Chin up, champ," Eda reached out to pat her on the shoulder, but decided against it. Instead she pointed at Luz and said: "Shoulder pat."

"'Champ'?" Luz laughed. "Guess I kinda lost the battle, but won the war, yeah."

"Yeah, you did!" Eda tipped an imaginary hat to Luz. "That was some quick thinking with that phone. Or did you plan it from the start?"

"I thought of it the night before."

"That's my girl," Eda chuckled. "And don't think I missed the crotch kick threat, that was gold."

"Aww, thank you?"

"But, next time - "

"Next time?"

"There'll be a next time - probably not against the smargly twins - that's smarmy and smug combined by the way - but you'll be in plenty of other fights, I promise - " Eda got a wicked look in her eye. "Always keep your guard up and remember everything is a weapon - everything."

"Everything?" Luz asked doubtfully.

"Heck yes! This," Eda lifted a saucepan. "Classic weapon. This dish cloth? Shove it in someone's face, they'll never see it coming. Fruit? Throw it on the floor to make people slip. And when in doubt, bite."

"Bite?"

"Bite!" Eda clapped her teeth together. "There's a lot of force in a jaw. And! People don't expect it. That's another great thing - do the unexpected, it'll confuse the heck out of people. Acting crazy? Might get people to back off completely, to be honest. Oh! There was this one time in Shincity - a couple witches had got a situation completely the wrong way round," Eda rolled her eyes impressively. "Came at me with staffs all raised. Had me backed up against a corner. I just started arguing with the painting on the wall - it got real nasty, real quick. The looks on their faces when I turned around and demanded they defend me from the guy in the painting - priceless! And then I set their hats on fire and ran away."

"Whoa..."

"And that's another thing - there's no shame in running away. Live to fight another day. And if you come home dead, kid, I'll be very disappointed in you." Eda gave her a wink and a grin.

"I'll do my best," Luz smiled a moment, then a look of sadness took over her features. "You were so worried yesterday..."

"Well, yeah." Eda rolled her eyes, as if that was obvious.

"I don't want to worry you."

"Tough cheese! You're a kid, you're gonna get hurt. You're gonna do more or less stupid, brave stuff all the time, I know that - that doesn't mean I won't encourage you to do it. I get to do that and worry about you. And patch you up afterward. And send you back out there with some hopefully solid advice. And or swear unending vengeance against the cockroaches who decided to mess with my kid. And repeat, forever." She waved a hand as if this was all perfectly clear.

"I love you too!" Luz sniffed.

"I know," Eda said, trying to suppress a grin. "Now, let's get some tea in you."

8

The tea helped with the pain, but didn't make it all go away. Luz judged it to maybe be reduced by seventy five percent or so, which was pretty good for just tea. It made it easier to move around, but she still felt quite sore.

They landed in the alley behind the shop - Luz was a bit more unsteady now compared to earlier.

"Good work, kid!" Eda said in an encouraging tone of voice. "Learning to fly while you're compromised in some way, that's a valuable skill."

"Thanks!"

They dismounted and walked to the door around the corner.

"Hey Jim, how's the kids?" Eda greeted a large man in an apron.

"Many and full of sass," Jim responded tiredly. "Here for a pick up order, are we? Who's this twig?" He pointed to Luz.

"Hi, I'm Luz!" Luz said brightly.

"She's my kid," Eda grinned. "Luz, this is Jim, Jim, Luz. He's the guy to talk to if you want a good deal."

"Flatterer," Jim gave a rough little laugh. "Your kid, huh? Doesn't look like you."

"What are you talking about, she's got my eyes," Eda waggled her finger at Jim.

"Whatever you say, Eda," Jim held up his hands in surrender. "Got your order ready to go. Need any last minute things, as usual?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Eda dug into her hair and pulled out a note. "'One pack of red gummy pebras, toilet paper, shank of volt goat' and... Luz what does this say?" she held out the note for Luz to read.

"... Eppl blud?"

"Apple blood! Three bottles."

"Alright, be right back." Jim turned and lumbered off.

"What are gummy pebras?" Luz asked curiously.

"Oh, they're the best! It's a seasonal candy. Pebras migrate every year and drop their antlers, people collect them and make the. Best. Gummy. Treats. All the colors of the painbow, but the red ones are my favorite. The green ones taste like moss, totally gross."

Jim returned carrying three wooden crates and one paper bag.

"Whoa, you're so strong!" Luz said in amazement.

"I like this one," Jim said with an approving frown. "That'll be six hundred and twenty three snails."

"Let's call it six hundred, even," Eda insisted. "And I'll throw in this little number." She reached in her hair and pulled out a little bottle of bright blue potion. Jim's eyebrows twitched up.

"Herk berry and engel wood?"

"From the finest trees and bushes in deepest Shatterthorn."

"Deal."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Eda handed over the potion and a pouch that jingled merrily. Jim waved a finger and the pouch flew through the created spell circle. A number appeared in mid air, counting up. It ended on six hundred and two. "And apparently a little tip?"

Jim reached into the pouch and pinched out two coins.

"A deal's a deal," he said gruffly.

"This guy!" Eda nodded at him. "The best. Alright, Luz, let's get this all home shall we?" Eda put her staff down horizontally, then waved her finger. Yellow light appeared around all the boxes and the bag.

"Here you go, Luz, was it?" Jim held out a purple fruit on a little stick.

"Oh, thank you!" Luz said and took it.

"See you next month."

"See ya, Jim."

Eda mounted up.

"He's a sweetheart," she chuckled.

"What is this?" Luz asked as she sat down on the staff.

"A terque plum - they're in season now. I'll take it if you don't want it."

"No, I want it!" Luz gave it a little sniff. "That was very nice of him."

"See? The best."

"What was that potion you gave him?"

"Cologne. Let's get home. I want to put the eggs away before they hatch. Watch out for that clothes line up there."

9

They arrived home and Eda magicked all the things inside. She called for King to help her unpack and made Luz sit down at the kitchen table.

"Did you get the crayons?" King asked.

"Yes, I got you the crayons."

"Where are they?!"

"No idea, gotta dig 'em out. First unpack, then draw."

"Fine."

"Can I do anything?" Luz asked.

"Yes - sit there and take it easy."

Luz pouted.

After a few minutes chaotic unpacking, Eda handed Luz a package wrapped in brown paper.

"Here."

"What's this?" Luz ripped it open without waiting for a response. "'Mx Jay's 'Merry Moon' Moon Cloth'? Hah! Moon Moon!" she giggled.

"Why's that funny?" Eda asked.

"Oh, it's this old meme thing. A wolf named Moon Moon, who just fails at being a wolf all the time, oh, that's hilarious... You got me moon cloth?"

"Gotta run out of those pad things at some point, right? That brand is the best. No chafing."

"Thank you, Eda," Luz looked up at her sincerely. "Down to my last few ones, yeah."

"Figured you might need them soon, since you tend to start right after mine's finished. Which it pretty much is."

Luz looked at her app. It told her she was on day twenty seven of her cycle.

"Any day, I guess. You don't throw these away, right?" Luz held up the package.

"No. There's washing instructions on the back. Wash them before you use them the first time."

"So you... take the used ones with you...?"

"Yeah, it comes with a pouch. Just put them in there 'til you get home, then throw them in the wash. Bing bong boof."

"Bing bong boof! Bing bong boof!" Kin chanted.

"Can I open it?" Luz asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Eda gave her a grin. "Mine have different colored buttons, but yours are purple I think. Yeah purple."

"Aww, like my hoodie."

"Yeah." Eda smiled again. "I don't mind if you use mine, just to make that clear - as long as you wash them," she held up a finger. "But people like to keep them separate. Comes down to the person and the relationship you have, I guess. Some families just share. Some don't. Depends on the person who owns them. Never take without asking."

"Got it." Luz nodded, a serious look on her face.

"I usually wait to wash them 'til my moon time is over, but you can do it whenever the heck you want."

"You can't go swimming with them, can you?"

"You could, but I wouldn't recommend it."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"When you're done with one - they generally last a few years, but if you have to get rid of one for whatever reason, burn it. Don't just throw it away. Blood can be used for some serious magic, so keep track of your cloth."

"Ooh, blood magic. Is that like, bad magic?"

"Not necessarily. But it makes very targeted magic. If you have someone's blood - or hair or nails or whatever - you could cast all sorts of spells over them, or yourself. So. Keep track."

"Got it."

Eda and King finished putting away all the groceries and things, then Eda threw together some sandwiches for a late lunch.

"Gonna need me a second nap today, I think," Eda said with a sigh. She looked over at Luz - the kid was looking troubled. "Did ya eat too fast?"

"Mmmdon't know, maybe?" Luz rubbed her tummy slowly. "Oh dear... I'll be right back - could you maybe put the kettle on?" She grabbed her bag and got to her feet.

"Sure."

Luz hurried upstairs and into the bathroom. When she pulled down her shorts and leggings she didn't see anything, but when she wiped after going to pee, the paper had a bright red streak. She let out a long sigh. Would her painkillers be able to work on her bruise and her uterus at the same time? Did that matter? She didn't know.

She put on a pad and dry swallowed a pink pill. The cramps were just in the grumbly stage now, hopefully she had caught them early enough to prevent them from reaching the rabid wolverine stage.

She slouched morosely downstairs and took a seat at the table. She put her head down on it, suddenly feeling oh, so very tired.

"Here you go, kid," Eda said. Luz turned her head and took the proffered hot water bottle.

"Thanks..." A sad sigh left her.

Eda gave Luz's shoulder a careful squeeze.

"Did you take a pill?"

"Mhm..."

"Okay, good. When were you going to pick Amity up?"

"Oh no..." Luz groaned.

Eda sank down into a crouch next to Luz's chair.

"Don't worry, I'll go get her," she gave Luz a half smile and a wink.

"But you were going to take a nap..."

"I can still take a little nap. When does school let out?"

"Three thirty."

"How about... We move this to the couch in the living room, you set an alarm on that nifty phone of yours, and we watch cute animal videos for a bit."

"What about your nap?"

"Eh," Eda shrugged. "If I fall asleep, I fall asleep."

"Aww, Eda..." Luz's lower lip trembled.

"I'll take that as a yes?" Eda raised her eyebrows and smiled tiredly. Luz nodded, sniffing.

"I wanna cuddle too!" King piped up.

"Come here you," Eda stood up - her knees clicked. She picked King up and carried him with one arm.

They moved into the living room and Eda sat down in the couch, then put a pillow in her lap.

"Come on, lie down," she said and patted the pillow. Luz sniffled and gave her a tearful look, then lay down and got comfortable. "Set the alarm for three, should give me enough time."

"Okay," Luz smiled and set the alarm. King snuggled up under her chin.

"I want to see the hiccuping and farting cat again!"

"Luz gets to pick," Eda said, tapping King's skull.

"I don't mind..." Luz pulled her knees up, adjusted the hot water bottle, then put one arm around King. She held her phone with her other hand and opened the Youtube app. Eda let out a little sigh and stroked Luz's hair.

"You good, kid?"

"Yeah," Luz looked up at Eda with a soft smile.

10

Amity walked quickly outside, eager to see Luz. When she reached the stairs however, Luz wasn't there.

"Howdy," Eda said with a little wave.

"Oh, uh... hello Eda. Is... Luz coming?" She looked around.

"Nope. Come on, this place makes my brain itch."

Amity hesitated.

"Let's go, kid!" Eda beckoned to her.

"Why isn't Luz here?" Amity asked. Her heart was starting to beat faster.

Eda sighed. "She wanted to be here, but mother nature had other plans."

Amity gave her a slightly confused look. Eda shook her head and tutted.

"She still wants you to come over, I just had to stop her from walking more than an hour with idiot level cramps to come get you."

"O-oh." Amity grabbed the strap of her book bag.

"Let's get going, I don't like leaving her alone when she's like this."

When she's like what? Amity wondered. She started to walk down the stairs.

"I-is she okay?"

"More or less. She has a rough time of it, but seeing you will cheer her up."

Amity blushed and Eda chuckled.

"H-how do you mean, 'rough'?"

"She hasn't told you?"

"No?" Amity felt her cheeks burn. "We haven't really, um..."

"Ah. Well... She gets really bad cramps. And she gets a bit emotional. I get that you're not super comfortable with talking about the whole moon time thing, but Luz is in a bad way today so... Let her take up space, if you get what I mean."

"... I'm not sure I do."

Eda rolled her lips over her teeth. "I mean... If she's telling you it hurts, don't change the subject. Stuff like that."

"Okay?" Amity glanced at Eda uncertainly.

Do I do that?

"I'm trying," Eda screwed her eyes up, trying to think of how to put herself. "I'm trying to get her to understand that her needs are just as important as other peoples'. 'Cause she tends to try to help everyone with everything. I love that about her, don't get me wrong, it's a great character trait, but she tends to forget about herself."

Like getting really hurt trying to defend me from my brother and sister, Amity thought. Her heart filled with guilt.

Eda noticed Amity's ears drooping.

Ugh, I'm not good with this one, Eda thought.

"Listen, kid... Yesterday was a shit show on so many levels - you have every reason to feel like crap, I'm not saying you have to pretend to be all happy-go-lucky just because Luz has a rough day - you can both be in a bad way and still be together, you know? Help each other feel better by being kind and listening and all that stuff."

"I'm really sorry I got her hurt."

"You didn't get her hurt," Eda said, looking down at Amity with a troubled expression. "That was your brother and sister. You carried her to safety. Got pretty close to draining yourself, too, if I'm any judge. Two abominations at the same time at your age is pushing it - it's also damn impressive."

Amity looked up at Eda in surprise. She had never encountered an adult like her - she was so direct. And apparently also very observant.

"Couldn't let my dad just... arrest her," Amity said, shrugging.

"You did good, kid," Eda gave her a half smile, then looked ahead down the path.

"Th-thanks..."

"Just out of curiosity... is there a specific garden feature of Blight manor that your parents are particularly fond of?"

"Uh... I guess the roses by the east gate? Why do you ask?"

"Oh I don't know..."

Amity glanced up at Eda - Eda didn't meet her gaze. She thought a moment, feeling the family wound crack open slightly. She remembered the seven word note.

"Ed and Em forget to close the gate sometimes... Something might wander in and eat them."

"... Like a herd of very hungry pebras. Wouldn't that be unfortunate."

"Very unfortunate indeed."

They exchanged a little nod.

11

"Amity, hi..." Luz turned her head to look at the door. She was lying on the sofa in the living room, under a pile of stuffed animals.

"Ugh, King, that's enough toys now," Eda muttered, waving a finger to lift the little demon into the air; he was just coming into the room with another armful of plushies.

"But Luz needs them!" King protested. "They'll make her feel better!"

"Any more and she'll drown." She tucked him under her arm. "You need anything Luz?"

"Glass of water?"

"Coming right up."

Amity stood in the doorway, not really sure how to act now.

"A-are you okay?" she asked tentatively.

"Not as okay as I'd want to be?" Luz said with a half smile. "These cramps are really kicking my butt..."

"C-can I do... something?"

"Come sit with me?"

Amity hurried over and sat down by Luz's feet. Now what? She looked over at Luz.

"Gosh darn it, Amity, stop being so cute..." Luz smiled, sniffed, then started crying. Amity felt confused and completely out of her depth (and a bit flattered somewhere in the mix). She didn't know what to do? Luz hid her face behind a green teddy bear. Eda shuffled back into the room, wearing her bunny slippers now. She looked from the almost frantic Amity to the mound that was Luz, then sighed.

"Got your water, kid," she said in her grentle (gruff but gentle) way. She put it down on the floor, then took a seat on the table in front of the sofa. "What's the matter, hm?"

"Amity is s-so cute whe-en she's fl-u-ustered!" Luz cried helplessly. Amity looked at Eda, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.

"Sure," Eda chuckled, then looked over at Amity and gave her a crooked half-grin. She turned back and reached into the pile of toys and stroked Luz's hair. "Keep doing your thing kid, let it out. I'll get you a tissue."

"I'm a hecking mess!" Luz whimpered from behind the bear.

"And?" Eda said in a tired but encouraging voice.

"I-I'm allowed to be a hecking mess..."

"That's right, kid," Eda stroked her hair again. "In this house we cry whenever the heck we please, for whatever reason. And we don't judge ourselves or others for it. Moon time can make you really sensitive to things. Cute things make you cry. Fun things make you cry. Seeing little animals taking care of their babies make you cry." Luz's sobs increased in intensity now. "Talking about seeing little animals taking care of their babies make you cry. And it's all okay."

"C-could I have that t-tissue?" Luz panted. Eda took a few from the box on the table and handed them to her. There was the sound of a very wet nose blow.

Amity looked nervously from the pile of toys to Eda. She didn't know what to say. She really wanted to say something. She had to try.

"Uh... there's this, um... account that I follow on Pintstagram? It's this three legged cat called Mister Bootsie, um... Do you... want to see?" Her shoulders rose higher and higher. The mound of plushies trembled and Luz's head appeared. She sniffed loudly and nodded. "Okay, um, so his owner has all these silly little outfits for him - "

"He has outfits? Oh my gosh, please show me right now."

"Oh, okay, sure," Amity pulled out her Pinstagram scroll while Luz waded through the stuffed animals to sit closer to her.

"Look at his widdle feetsies!" Luz cooed, pointing at the top picture. "Pink toe beans, aww..." She sniffed, then leaned on Amity's shoulder.

Eda turned her head and raised her eyebrows approvingly at Amity - Amity blushed and made a grimace that might have been intended to be a smile. Eda let out a breath of laughter.

"I'll get started on dinner, shall I? You want mashed potatoes with the volt goat?"

"Mmmmyeah mashed potatoes," Luz said distractedly. "Oh my gosh, is that a little mermaid costume?!"

Eda smiled and shook her head. "You want a hot water bottle, Amity?"

"Oh, uh... yeah. Yes, yes please."

"Alright. Don't overdose on cute, kids."

When Eda returned she found Luz cuddled up close to Amity with King in her lap - all three of them were looking at Amity's Pinstagram now.

"Here ya go," Eda handed Amity the warm bundle.

"Oh my goodness, thank you." Amity gave her a grateful look.

"Want a cup of tea?"

"No, um, I think I'm fine like this? But thank you."

"Eda can we have snacks?" Luz asked. She looked up at her mentor and sniffed.

"Ugh, kid, yes, yes you can have snacks," Eda had to rub her chest - Luz's expression and tone of voice had made her heart grow at least two sizes.

You'll be the death of me, she thought. Edalyn Clawthorne found dead, suspected cause of death: cuteness.

"I want something with sprinkles!" King demanded.

12

The sound of the closing door echoed through the empty house. The sound itself hadn't changed in the last twenty four hours, but somehow it felt different to Lilith.

Now she was completely alone. She could do anything she wanted, technically. She could run around naked and listen to music at top volume, if she liked. Even though that was more Eda's style - she could still do that. Because she was completely alone. Again.

Lilith sighed as she remembered the sound of laughter coming from upstairs last night. It filled her heart with a pleasant sort of ache. Like when you could finally stretch a sore muscle after a long time in the same position - it hurt, but in a good way.

She took off her heels before she walked to her study, she could not abide the pain of them anymore. The cool stone floor was soothing on the soles of her feet.

"Bury yourself in work, Lilith," she told herself. "Wait for Eda to send a message. Don't be clingy."

She sat down at her desk. Now she had defined a time frame for herself. It would be a few hours at least, so she could make a dent in the work that had been piling up over the last week. She took a deep breath, then picked up a pen.

13

Amity tried to think of other cute accounts they could look at. She didn't really share these with her other friends, but Luz's face had lit up when she showed her Mister Bootsie, so she was sure she'd like the other ones. The initial nervousness of having Luz so close had faded - it was still rather hard to concentrate, but she didn't feel as tense anymore. Luz still had her head leaning on her shoulder. They were reaching the end of Mister Bootsie's posts and Amity was just about to suggest HugstableStar (an account dedicated to a small and very goofy dog) when Luz started to breathe heavily.

"Y-you okay?" Amity asked, trying to look at Luz's face without disturbing her friend. Luz's eyes were half closed and completely out of focus. "... Luz?"

Luz didn't react at all.

What... what do I do? Amity thought in a panic.

"Luz?" Amity tapped the back of Luz's hand - no reaction to that either. "Um, uh... uh - " She raised her voice. "Eda?"

"Yeah?" came from somewhere.

"Um, could you come here?" Amity called uncertainly. Eda appeared in the doorway after a few seconds. "She's - she's breathing weird and she's not answering?"

Eda sighed wearily, then came over.

"She gets this way when it really hurts," she explained as she took a seat in front of Luz. "You just gotta wait for her to come back on her own."

"Oh," Amity looked at her friend with such a sad expression, Eda had to smile. "Can't we do something to help?"

"No. Just gotta wait."

"How long?"

"It varies. Usually not that long."

As Eda said that, Luz let out a long breath, then inhaled deeply. Her eyes came back into focus. Amity felt Luz's body relax against her.

"There she is," Eda said gently.

"You okay, Luz?" Amity asked in a timid voice.

"Ow..." Luz whined.

"Here - it's - it's got to be warmer than yours," Amity held out the hot water bottle Eda had leant her.

"Thanks, Amity," Luz's voice sounded very weak. She took the bottle and put it behind her back.

"I'll reheat the other one in a jiffy," Eda offered and Luz nodded quickly, then held up the bottle that had been in her lap. Eda drew three spell circles in the air - the bottle unscrewed its cork, the water flew out and a ball of fire appeared. With a look of concentration, the fire turned white hot and the water fizzed as it flash boiled. Amity felt the heat of it bleed into the air. The steaming water slid back into the bottle and the cork flew back in. It landed in Eda's hands and she gave it back to Luz.

"Oh, thank you," Luz sniffed as she sat back. Tears slid down her cheeks as she relaxed and closed her eyes.

"Hey. Maybe you should go to bed?" Eda suggested in a gentle voice. Usually Luz's eyes sparkled with joy when she saw magic being cast - her lack of reaction had Eda worried.

"I feel awful," Luz sniffled. "My chest really hurts, too..."

"When was the last time you put on the salve?"

"Before we went to get groceries?"

Eda glanced at the clock.

"That was kind of a long time ago now."

"Hurts to take everything off..."

Eda gave Luz a troubled look. "Might be time to take something stronger than tea. How many pills do you have left?"

"Two."

"If I were you, I'd take one. I'm working on some potions for you you to try but I'd rather not experiment with 'em when you're in this much pain."

Luz wiped her cheeks with her sleeve, then nodded. "They're in my bag, I think it's in the bathroom."

"Okay, I'll go get it." Eda got to her feet and hurried off.

Seeing Eda practically run out of the room made Amity's stomach clench up with worry.

"Are you okay?" she asked, trying not to blush.

Luz took a breath. "Eda says I can show when it hurts, but it's kinda hard to unlearn to hide it, you know?" Luz gave Amity an uncertain, tired smile. "I-it's not usually this bad - I think my body's just... trying to do too many things right now..."

Guilt slammed into Amity's chest. She was just about to say sorry when Luz started to pant again. It made her feel terrible to just sit there and watch her friend be in so much pain - her own cramps seemed insignificant by comparison. She got to her feet and started to pace to burn off the anxious energy. When Eda returned she gave Amity a confused look, then sat down in front of Luz again.

"Here you go," she said as Luz returned to the here and now. Amity hurried back to the couch.

Luz took her pill and swallowed it with a drink of water, then slumped down onto the pile of stuffed animals with a sad little groan.

"You sure there isn't a potion that can just skip ahead to when it doesn't hurt anymore?" she asked as she sank into the fluffy pile. Now Amity was the one to feel confused.

Eda chuckled and shook her head. "Sorry, kid."

"Can we look at more cute animals?" Luz turned on her side and looked up at Amity.

"You sure we shouldn't get you up to bed?" Eda patted her on the knee.

Luz shook her head. "I don't wanna be alone."

Amity swallowed and nodded - there was a determined look on her face. She took a seat on the floor in front of Luz, then pulled out her Pinstagram again. Eda got to her feet then bent to ruffle Luz's hair.

"Alright. Call if you need me."

"'kay."

Eda shuffled back toward the kitchen. When she was out of earshot of the girls, she allowed herself to let out a long, weary sigh. She had to stop and rub her temples, jaw muscles and neck to get rid of some of the tension. She rolled her shoulders and pressed at the left one until it clicked, then she proceeded to the kitchen. The half finished note to Lilith lay where she had left it, but the pen had mysteriously disappeared. She scratched her head and found it behind her ear. She read through the note.

Hey Lily. Could you bring: 20 Hermit berries (dried fine, fresh best), 3 4 Lumquat twigs (20cm each), 15 20 Ternblat seeds, 2 hfs of StreanecaStrane the purple stinky moss by the big snake nest, 3 umbra cling wort leaves when you come over - thanks, Eda. P.S. Dinner's at eight-ish. P.P.S hfs = handfuls. Eda

She read it through a few more times to make sure it had all the necessary ingredients, then rolled the paper up and called for Owlbert.

"Take this to Lily, would ya?"

Owlbert raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't give me that look, mister. Get on with it."

14

"Finally," Lilith sighed as the little owl soared in through her open window. "Did she forget she was going to send a message?"

The bird shrugged and held out the little note.

Eda, who taught you to write letters? She thought in frustration. This is a mess. And is that a dinner invitation? She was unsure. The list of ingredients was also pretty general - they could all be used for a hundred different things. Lilith was sure she had them all, which was good. But she wasn't sure if she should bring them. She could bring them, ask what they were for, then decide whether she wanted to part with them or not. If it was for some sort of crime, she wouldn't. She looked at the time - it was seven o'clock now. That meant she could stop working at least - it would take her a while to gather all the things from the garden.

Eda hadn't thought to include whether or not Amity was going to spend the night at her house. She should bring the girl's things just in case. It was just one bag.

Living out of one little bag, Lilith thought with a sigh. They hadn't really had time to talk about how Amity was doing today - they had had tea together during one of Amity's breaks, but people had kept knocking on Lilith's door and interrupting the conversation. Then the girl had to get to her lessons.

Lilith went upstairs to get Amity's things. When she entered her former bedroom, she found the bed neatly made and Amity's bag just inside the door, already packed. She nipped into the bathroom to check on the things the girl had washed this morning - she folded the dry things and went to put them in the bag. When she opened it, a book lay on top of everything.

"'Undertow'," she read aloud. She picked up the thick book and looked at the back. "'Mirabelle knew her heart belonged on the open seas, she had known it since she was a little girl. But the sea is cruel. Our hero is left shipwrecked in an unknown land full of strange sights and stranger creatures. Will she make it home? Or will the sea claim her, like it did her crew?'" She gave the book an approving frown, then turned it around again - a piece of paper slipped out.

Whoops - wait that's not a bookmark?

She bent to pick up the note, then hesitated. It couldn't be another trick from her siblings, surely. She waved her finger over it - the conjured sphere shimmered, then dinged and turned green. No enchantments, no hidden text, no strange substances; it was just a note. She picked it up and read the smudged words.

'Please come home soon, sweetheart. Love, Mom'.

She frowned. Had someone cried while writing it? Or maybe cried while reading it? Probably the latter... Her heart twinged and the worry about Amity flared up again. She put the note back in the book, then put it and the dried clothes into the bag. She noticed a tear at the neck of the nightdress - had she ripped it when she took it off the rack? She hadn't heard anything... She'd just have to mention it to Amity and apologize. She sighed and rubbed her cheek - she really didn't want to bring the girl any more upset.

Lilith put on gloves and grabbed a basket, a pair secateurs and a face shield from the shed, then headed into the garden to hunt down the herbs from Eda's list. The Ternblat bush fought back, but the rest of the things were easily gathered. Once she was finished, she went back to the kitchen, picked up Amity's bag, then set off for The Owl House.

She landed lightly and slipped off her staff, then went to knock on the door. To her surprise, Amity answered it.

"Oh, good evening," Lilith said.

"Good evening," Amity gave her a slightly worried smile. "Please come in."

"Eda, your sister's here!" King shouted from over to the right.

Lilith's eyebrows rose at the sight of the enormous pile of toys occupying most of the couch. In the middle of it sat a miserable looking Luz.

"Hey Lilith," Luz greeted in a tired voice.

"Good... evening, Luz. What's... going on?" Lilith asked Amity in a whisper.

"Um..." Amity's cheeks flushed.

"Hey Lily, did ya bring the herbs and stuff?" Eda asked from the door leading to the rest of the house. She dusted off her hands as she approached.

"What are you going to use them for?" Lilith's grip tightened on the handle of the basket.

"... Vosker's analgesic draft." Eda gave her a 'isn't it obvious' look, then she frowned. "Did you bring them or not?"

Lilith held out the basket.

"You could have written a tidier list."

"Sure, maybe," Eda admitted. "Been kinda busy here today. Thanks." She took the basket, then turned to Luz. "You need anything, kid? Refresh on the hot water bottles?"

Luz nodded mutely.

"Right," Eda sighed. "Lily, could you take a look at her bruise after dinner maybe? I've given her some salve but maybe it's spreading out? The bruise I mean."

"'Spreading out'?" Lilith frowned, then looked over at Luz. "Sure, I can take a look. What's with - " she waved a hand at the sofa. "... the toys?"

"They're medicinal!" King said pompously.

"I gotta get back to the kitchen, c'mon," Eda gestured for Lilith to follow her.

Lilith put down the bag, went to follow Eda, stopped, turned around and held out her arms toward Amity. Amity, who's heart had sunk at everyone interrupting their greeting, smiled with relief, then stepped into her mentor's embrace.

"My apologies, my dear," Lilith said quietly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," Amity said back.

"Good, we'll talk more in a moment, please excuse me." Lilith gave her a warm smile, then went to follow Eda.

They kitchen was in complete chaos. Eda entered it effortlessly, picking up this and that and putting them down in new, seemingly random places.

"Luz got her moon time," she said over her shoulder. "She's having an especially tough time of it this time around, for obvious reasons. King's trying to cheer her up with his stuffed animals because Luz loves cute things, hence the pile. Think Amity's been showing her cute animal posts on that social media thing too, pin-a-flan or whatever. I'm trying to make dinner and brew three different kinds of potions because Luz is running out of her human medicine and I'm not entirely sure if my potions are going to work on her the same way they work on you or me - but I think so - it's all a bit of a mess."

"I see." Lilith scratched her arm uncomfortably. This level of chaos was making her skin and mind itch. "I assume you would prefer if Amity spent the night at my house, then?"

"Yeah, could you talk to her about it? Don't want to make her feel unwelcome here. I think Luz is in for a rough night as it is and your kid doesn't need more things to make her feel like she has no control."

Lilith's eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"

Eda stopped what she was doing. "She doesn't exactly have a lot of control in this situation with her parents, right? And her body doing all the random bleeding and stuff," she waved her hands. "She doesn't seem like a kid who likes giving up control. Really makes sense she's trying so hard to be in control all the time, if she feels like she has none at home. Or over her body, or whatever."

Lilith stared at Eda.

"Am I wrong?" Eda dug a finger into her ear and wiggled it around.

"I'm not quite sure how to answer that," Lilith said slowly.

Eda rolled her lips over her teeth, took a breath, then said:

"She burned her clothes. Last time she was here. After the cafeteria thing. In the middle of the night. Alone."

"She... what?"

"I caught her at it - I thought the house was on fire at first, but she used the fire pit. The fire was a bit big but it wasn't, hah, out of control. It would have been fine without me, but I stayed til it went out. Not sure if she told Luz about it, but I don't think so. And I take it she didn't tell you either."

"... No." Lilith sank down on a chair.

"She was taking control of what she could control in that situation. My point is - if she's here and she can't do anything for Luz, it's going to make her feel worse, I think. Or push her to try to take control of something else..." She gave Lilith a serious look. "And also... It'll be easier for Luz to focus on herself if she doesn't have someone else to take care of. Has your kid talked to you about how she's feeling?"

"Not in so many words..." Lilith rubbed her temple. "I've... tried to be reassuring."

"Think you've succeeded in that," Eda gave her a 'look at you go' look. "Never seen you hug anyone, period."

"I care about her."

"I know."

There was a little pause.

"I fear that if I ask her to talk to me, she's going to. Not because she wants to, necessarily, but because it's... me asking her to," Lilith said it slowly, as if she was afraid to say it aloud. "I do not want to abuse my position with her ever again."

"Say what?" Eda gave her a confused look, then picked up the kettle and filled the two water bottles on the counter.

Lilith sighed. "At the covention. I used her. To get at you. With the power glyph. I have apologized for what I did and she said she forgave me - she hasn't really come to me, mostly I've been the one to seek her out - it's..." she trailed off.

"Difficult to try to help someone who internalizes everything, who doesn't think they can trust you, but you kind of know they want to, but they don't really dare to take the first step?" Eda suggested, trying (although not very hard) to suppress a smile. "Sounds like somebody else I know."

"Are you suggesting I behave like that?" Lilith demanded, feeling put on the spot.

"More or less," Eda said simply. "Frustrating, isn't it?"

Lilith huffed and crossed her arms and legs defensively. She did not like the knowing smirk Eda was giving her.

"Hold that thought." Eda picked up the hot water bottles and wound her way out of the kitchen. She returned a minute later.

"What do I do?" Lilith asked. Her tone was a peace offering.

"You let her know she can talk to you."

"I have told her she can talk to me."

"Tell her again. You never know what's going to make her actually believe you. I wouldn't be surprised if she needs to hear it a bunch of times, with her family being the way it is." Eda leaned on the counter and let out a sigh.

"How do you do it with Luz?" Lilith asked after an awkward moment. She didn't want to get sidetracked.

"Luz is different. She's a lot more... open. Then it's just... 'talk to me, kid' and she generally tells me what's up. Or I say it's fine to talk about a thing, then I give an example and then she feels more comfortable telling me about whatever it is."

"An example?"

"Yeah, you know... When she had a little moon time related whoopsie a while back, I told her some of my whoopsies." Eda shrugged and leaned back on her hands. "Then she opened up. She wasn't very comfortable talking about it at the start, but she's gotten a lot better at it."

"She certainly hasn't come across as uncomfortable, in regards to that subject," Lilith commented.

"Yeah?" Eda smiled. "That's good to hear."

"She helped Amity deal with a... 'whoopsie' on Tuesday, or so I gather." Lilith closed her eyes a moment. "Did Luz tell you about this morning?"

"Yeah," Eda let out a breath of laughter. "Well done, no, really. Sounds like you handled that well, after putting your whole leg in it."

Lilith sighed and rubbed her temple again.

"First time someone spends the night in I don't know how long, and I wake up to them screaming - the things that went through my mind..."

"Yeah, oof," Eda chuckled, then turned around to continue working on dinner. "Do me a favor and mash up these seeds?" She waved a finger and a mortar and pestle soared over to Lilith. "Nice and fine."

"Alright."

"Are you prepared for what might come out?"

"Of the seeds?" Lilith asked in confusion.

"No, out of Amity. If and when she opens up."

"I hope so."

"Would you let her stay with you indefinitely?"

Lilith thought a moment. "Yes," she answered slowly.

"Where do you draw the line?"

"How do you mean?"

"What's a thing you wouldn't do for her, or for her sake?" Eda didn't turn around, but she stopped doing whatever she was doing again.

Lilith had to think for a long time, but found to her surprise that she couldn't really think of anything she wouldn't do for Amity, or for her sake.

"I... can't think of anything..." she said eventually.

"Well, there you go."

Lilith cheeks grew very warm. And so did her heart. It was a... powerful feeling.

"Do you... feel the same way about Luz?" Lilith asked carefully.

"It's not for nothing I call her my kid, you know." Eda resumed her work. Now Lilith could hear the sound of chopping.

"What about Luz's mother?" Lilith asked, amazed by her own boldness.

"Far as I'm concerned, you can have more than one." Eda shrugged. "It's not about taking over for her mom, I'm like... Extra. A bonus mom type deal, or mentor, call it what you like. You done with the seeds?"

Lilith looked down - she hadn't even started.

"No."

"Well hurry up."

I'll never understand how she can be so casual about such serious things. It all seems perfectly straight forward to her...

"So you'll talk to her?" Eda asked after a moment.

"What?" Lilith had been lost in thought. She still hadn't started grinding the seeds. She shook her head and started doing so.

"Will you. Talk to Amity. About not sleeping here." Eda said it slowly and clearly. She grinned in a knowing way.

"Yes, I will."

"Okay, good. What's your plans for this weekend?"

"I need to catch up on some work. This week has been... a little much."

"I hear you. I want to keep Luz home for a day or two, depending on how she responds to the potions. I don't mind if Amity comes over, I just want Luz to be well enough to handle company."

"Of course," Lilith worked harder at crushing the seeds. Luz needed time to heal.

"I'll need to nip out after dinner. For less than an hour, probably - would you mind staying here with the kids?"

Lilith looked up at Eda. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get the last ingredients for the potions. Gotta pick the star ferns and lum berries at night, you know that."

"Fine. I'll watch them."

"Great! King doesn't get any sugary snacks after nine, no matter what. And he will test you."

"Fantastic."

15

They had dinner in the living room. The volt goat shank and mashed potatoes was appreciated by all, though Luz didn't manage to finish her entire portion.

"I'm just going to step out for a little while. See you in a bit," Eda said after she had carried all the plates to the kitchen.

"You're leaving?" Luz asked in a hurt voice.

"Won't be gone long, squirt," Eda ruffled Luz's hair affectionately. "Lily's gonna stay with you 'til I come back. If there's a problem, she'll send me a message."

"Okay..." Luz looked reassured.

Lilith nodded and gave Luz a little smile. "Why don't we play a game?"

"Demons and demi gods!" King said eagerly. "It's my turn to pick!"

"Just make sure you clean up all the pieces this time, King - I don't want to step on another of those pointy things." Eda put on her cloak as she spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, promise," King scampered over to a cupboard and wrenched it open.

"If you set up the game, Amity and I can do some dishes in the mean time," Lilith suggested.

"Oh, s-sure," Amity got to her feet.

Lilith had to take a deep breath before entering the cluttered kitchen.

"Would you like to wash or dry?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter," Amity responded.

"Then I'll wash."

They set to work.

"Seeing as Luz isn't too well... I would suggest you spend the night at my house," Lilith said, hoping she sounded casual.

"Oh... yeah." Amity looked toward the living room. "She could use some rest. Are we... going to walk home? I mean - to your house - " Amity fumbled the plate she was drying, but caught it before it hit the floor. Her face went bright red.

Lilith's heart skipped several beats - both because Amity had said home when referring to Lilith's house and because of the narrowly avoided broken plate.

"We will fly... home," Lilith said, feeling her own cheeks heat up. "I'm sure you can spend some time with Luz this weekend, when she's feeling a little better. Probably not... tomorrow."

Amity swallowed and nodded.

"Just... to say it again - if you want to talk... about the events of the week, or... anything else... know that I am," Lilith took a breath. "Most willing. To listen."

Now Amity looked up at her mentor. There was a faint, sad smile on her face. She nodded again. She put the plate down, then moved a little closer to Lilith to pick up the next one. Just half a step, but Lilith's heart bloomed with warmth at the sign of trust.

"I will have to devote some time to work this weekend - it has piled up a tad."

"I understand," Amity said, taking the next plate. "I haven't... really been able to do my homework, either."

"I dare say both of us could do with a quiet day," Lilith suggested with a calm, warm smile. Amity nodded with a heartfelt sigh. "Maybe, after we're done with work... we could... take a little walk? I could... show you the rest of the garden?"

"I'd... really like that." Amity slowly dried another plate.

"Good, good." Lilith glanced at the girl and saw another faint smile. She closed her eyes a moment and let out a breath.

16

"Now, let's take a look at that bruise, shall we?" Lilith said as she slid the cushion with the sleeping King on it to the side. He had conked out after setting up the game.

"I'll um - go wait outside?" Amity stood up quickly.

"I don't mind if you stay, Amity," Luz looked at her friend with tired eyes.

"Oh, okay." Amity sat down again slowly.

Luz took her shirt off with difficulty. Her movements were stiff and her face betrayed the effort it took.

"Oh goodness," Lilith sighed as she saw the vivid blue mark on the girl's chest. It looked more swollen than this morning. "How does it feel?"

"Super tender and kind of... tight?" Luz stroked over her collar bone. "Does it look bigger?"

"Bruises can spread a little, that's fine. It does look more swollen than this morning - probably not helped by your moon time."

"My mom complains about being bloated sometimes? " Luz said, touching her tummy gingerly.

"It should go away in a few days. How do the edges feel?" Lilith touched her own chest on the same place where Luz's bruise turned into normal skin. Luz mimicked her, grimacing slightly.

"Less sore than the middle."

"The salve Eda gave you, did she tell you what it's called?"

"I... don't think so? It makes the skin feel cool in a nice way. But it didn't make me grow tentacles."

Lilith's eyebrows raised. "Sounds like elderton salve... It will speed up the healing process by a fair amount. When was the last time you used it?"

"A few hours ago?"

"Might be time for some more then. Do you need help with applying it?"

"No, it just hurts to take off my sports bra."

Lilith raised her eyebrows inquiringly.

"This," Luz pointed to her undergarment.

"Ah. Maybe it would be a good idea to... not wear that for a few... days?" Lilith fell silent as the girl in front of her began to pant. Her eyes had suddenly gone glassy. "... Luz?"

The girl's eyes fell closed. Her breath found a heavy, steady rhythm - sweat began to bead on her forehead and upper lip. There was a deep crease between her eyebrows.

"Luz?" Lilith reached out to shake the girl by the shoulder, but Amity put a hand up.

"She's um... b-breathing through... the um..." Amity's cheeks flushed. She gestured toward her tummy, then closed her hand and turned her wrist. She looked back at her friend. "She'll come back..."

"Alright..." Lilith said uncertainly. "Does... this happen a lot?"

"I'm not sure?" She shrugged, her blush deepening. The worry was clear in her expression. It made Lilith remember what Eda had said in the kitchen earlier.

After half a minute, Luz drew in a deep, shaky breath and exhaled forcefully, then she slumped against the back of the sofa with a little groan.

"Sorry, what... what were you saying?" she asked, sounding exhausted.

"I was saying you should maybe leave your undergarment off for a few days - Luz," Lilith looked at the girl with a concerned expression. "Is this level of pain... normal for you?"

"Kind of?" she wiped her forehead and lip with the back of her hand. "It's a bit worse than usual maybe. Or... it's harder to... get through?" She closed one eye as she tried to describe it.

"Maybe a warm bath or shower and an early bedtime would be appropriate?" Lilith suggested in a soft voice. To her surprise, Luz's lower lip started to tremble and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry to upset you, what um..."

Luz shook her head and fanned her face with one hand.

"You did n-nothing wrong," she drew in a shaky breath. "This is j-just me on the f-first day." Luz shrugged and gave her a strained sort of smile. "You t-talked to me like you t-talk to Amity and it's jus-st - s-so sweet? Could you please pass me a tissue?"

Lilith felt her cheeks go warm, but reached for the box of tissues.

"Eda said you're running out of your pain medicine - do you have any left?"

"One pill... I was hoping to save it for tomorrow," Luz wiped her cheeks with a couple of tissues. "Can I put my shirt back on now?"

"You should reapply the salve first."

"Um... Could you, um..." Luz glanced at Amity. Both girls blushed.

"Would you like some help?" Lilith asked in a very gentle tone.

Luz nodded. Amity got to her feet.

"I'll go get you a glass of water," she said - her voice cracked on the last word. She cleared her throat awkwardly as she left the room.

"Does it unhook in the back?" Lilith asked. Her voice was even more gentle now.

"No, I just... pull it over my head."

"Alright. Arms up."

Lilith carefully lifted the garment up and over Luz's head and arms, then shifted around in her seat so her back was toward the girl.

"Take your time," Lilith said when she heard a sharp hiss. "When was the last time you took the medicine?"

"Around seven?" Luz glanced up at the clock. It was nine thirty now. "I can take another in a few hours."

Lilith frowned.

"I'd really like to play the game," Luz said in an uncertain voice. "It's... distracting."

Lilith exhaled softly. "... I understand." She knew that sometimes, distraction was the only thing you could do. "Thirty more minutes, and a cup of tea, then it's time for you to rest."

"Okay," Luz nodded and sniffed.

When she was done with the salve, Lilith helped put her shirt back on.

"Are you guys going home?" Luz asked once she was dressed.

"Yes," Lilith stood up. "Everyone wants you to get some rest." She gave Luz a soft, warm smile. "Would you like me to reheat the hot water bottles?"

"Yes please," Luz sighed and held them out.

17

Eda dropped the empty spray can into her bag, then backed away to look at the result. The broad, vivid blue line stretched from the roof of Blight manor all the way down to ground level, crossing several windows.

"Listen up," Eda said to the paint. "Tomorrow night you're purple, then you fade into green, then yellow - then you start over at blue again." A hand with a thumb up appeared on the wall, then it melted back into the line. "Good! Now it's time for a little late night snack."

She soared over to the gate and found it already open.

"So irresponsible," she chuckled as she rose high and headed out over the forest.

She had located the pebra herd on her way to Blight manor, now it was just a matter of driving it close enough to the trail of Bothery roots she had laid out earlier, and the rest would sort itself out nicely. Pebras couldn't resist the juicy roots - they'd trample through barbed wire to get at them. One little noise should get them moving.

"Boo!"

The herd bleated and stirred - soon they were all scampering away from the cackling Eda. She flew above them, clapping her hands occasionally to keep them on track. After a while, the herd veered toward the trail of roots. Eda sat back on her staff and watched the carnage with a satisfied smile.

18

When Eda returned to the house, she found Lilith and Amity in the living room.

"Where's Luz?" she asked as she took off her cloak.

"She's taking a bath before bed." Lilith stood up and walked over to Eda. "I gave her a cup of tea."

"Okay, good, thanks," Eda hung up her cloak, then headed toward the back of the house. "How's the bruise?" Lilith followed her.

"It's healing, it might spread a little more before the swelling subsides, but... it's healing. I'm more concerned with her cramps. They seem... quite severe."

"Yeah," Eda let out a troubled sigh. "Got the last ingredients for my potions." She patted the bag over her shoulder.

"You might want to take her to a healer," Lilith said, looking at Eda with a serious expression. "She was in so much pain she was unresponsive."

"Did you ever see a healer about it?"

"... What?"

"You get like that, too."

"I do?" Lilith's eyebrows raised.

"Uh, yeah."

"Mine... aren't... that bad."

Now Eda's eyebrows rose. Her expression said 'Are you kidding me?'.

"You're a terrible liar, Lily."

"We're not talking about me now," Lilith said, shaking her head in frustration. "Please take her to a healer. A licensed one."

Eda scoffed. "As if I could get an appointment with Snooty McSnooterson at the sanatorium."

"Then I'll take her," Lilith looked at Eda seriously. "Healer Stonewood is a personal friend."

"Roan Stonewood?"

"... Yes?"

"Weren't the two of you?" Eda waggled her eyebrows. "An item?"

"We were. We're still on good terms."

"Brag."

Lilith tutted. "It is possible to end a relationship and still remain friends."

"Sure, whatever you say," Eda looked Lilith up and down. "Fine - I'll talk to Luz about it. If she wants to, I'll let you know."

"Eda - "

"Hey, it's her body," Eda said very firmly.

"I know," Lilith gave her a look that said 'what am I - stupid?'.

"You might think about getting checked out too."

Lilith's mouth went thin.

"I don't want to risk... anything getting out," she said in a quiet, tense voice.

"Your ex wouldn't keep your secret?" Eda raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound very friendly."

Lilith gave her an angry look. She was just about to retort when Luz spoke from the stairs.

"Um I'm-I'm coming down?" she said in a loud voice. "Or do you need a minute?"

"It's fine, Luz," Eda called over her shoulder. "How you doing, kid?"

"I'm okay-ish? The bath helped." Luz came down the stairs slowly. "I just wanted to say goodbye and get some warm milk before bed."

"It is getting kinda late," Eda said, looking at Lilith meaningfully.

"Think about what I said," Lilith gave Eda a meaningful look of her own.

"Yes, Lily."

19

"Have a good night," Lilith said as she mounted up. She sat down at the back end of the staff and Amity took a seat in front of her.

"Nighty night," Eda said from the door. Luz leaned on Eda's shoulder and waved sadly up at them as they rose into the air. Amity had to fight the urge to jump off the staff and run and hug Luz - seeing her friend so subdued was painful in a way she couldn't quite describe. She waved back with a lot more vigor than she normally would. Luz smiled and sniffed, then wiped her cheek while Eda chuckled.

When the house had disappeared behind the trees, Amity let out a long breath. Lilith watched her shoulders sag and her head droop. She wanted to put a hand on her back, but she was afraid to startle the girl.

"You will see her again soon," she said instead. Amity turned her head, gave her mentor a weak smile, then nodded.

"She's going to be alright, right?"

"Yes. Yes she will."

The last time they had flown together, Lilith had been slumped against Amity's back as they tried to outrun a storm. Now the wind was pleasant and cool, the skies were clear and the moon bathed the world below them in its gentle silver light. It was a beautiful night.

Lilith let her gaze sweep over the rolling hills. Dotted among the myriad of trees were the lights of lonely homesteads and inns. Straight ahead, the main town of Bonesborough shone like the moon reflected in a pond.

"Oh, look!" Amity pointed over to their left - Lilith turned her head, she had to squint to catch the shadows passing over the trees below. "Perytons!"

"Oh my goodness," she gasped.

The half deer, half bird creatures passed beneath them, skimming just above the tree tops. Amity turned to follow them with her eyes - the expression on her face was so genuinely happy and surprised, Lilith hoped she would remember it forever. Despite everything that had happened to this girl, she still had joy inside her. It warmed some deep part of Lilith's soul.

"Would you like to take a closer look?" Lilith asked with a smile.

"Can we? I've never seen them outside of a book!"

Lilith smiled wider, then shifted her weight - the staff turned in a lazy curve, circling back toward the little herd. They kept their distance not to spook the shy creatures. Lilith herself had only seen them a few times - it was a rare and lovely sight.

"Look, there are fawns!" Amity whispered. Lilith had to squint to see the smaller shapes. "Can I take pictures?"

"By all means," Lilith smiled and sat back.

Amity brought out her scroll and took a few pictures. After a minute she turned around and raised it up, then froze and blushed. She glanced at Lilith.

"Would, um... would you like to take a picture with me?" she asked tentatively.

Lilith's eyebrows rose - she had not expected that.

"Oh," she saw the darker tint to Amity's cheeks. It would be lovely to have a picture of this night, she thought. "Yes," she smiled at the girl. "What... do I do?"

"Just lean in and... smile? If you like?" Amity scooted a little closer to her and adjusted the height and angle of the scroll with her finger. Lilith moved her hand around to the other side of Amity to keep balance. Their heads ended up being very close to each other.

"Is this alright?" Lilith asked.

"Mhm." Amity nodded. She was trying to concentrate on including the perytons in the picture and not just making it about Lilith and her. She snapped a few shots, but really she wanted to take fifty. She knew she could never post them anywhere, but she would treasure them all the more for it.

Amity put her scroll away and turned to look at the creatures again. She shivered and rubbed her arms. The perytons were grazing the tree tops peacefully. It was a wonderful sight... Luz would love to see them. .

"Maybe we should start heading off again," Lilith said, seeing the girl try to warm herself. "It's getting a little cold."

"S-sure."

They sped off toward Clawthorne manor, giving the perytons a wide birth to not disturb them.

When they landed in the back garden, Lilith had to take a moment to stretch. She really should have brought her cloak. She knew she was going to feel it in the morning.

"Are you okay?" Amity asked timidly. She rubbed her arms again.

Lilith's automatic 'Yes, of course' got caught up in her brain. If she wanted Amity to be more open with her, maybe she should lead by example, like Eda had said earlier.

"I am... a little stiff and sore," she said slowly. "I could do with a warm bath."

"That... that sounds nice," Amity blushed faintly.

"I was planning on going to bed quite soon. I am... tired." Lilith sighed out the last word and waved her staff away. "Is there something you need before I retire for the evening?"

"Um..." Amity didn't want to be a bother. "No, I don't think so. Do you mind if I make some warm milk?"

Lilith gave Amity a weary smile full of warmth.

"Not at all, my dear. Let's... go make some."

They walked into the kitchen. Lilith yawned as she took the milk out of the fridge.

"I can do it myself if you want to go have that bath," Amity said, hoping Lilith would stay.

"It's not a problem." Lilith lifted down a pot and put it on the stove. "It'll be ready in just a minute."

With the milk in hand, they made their way upstairs. The clock in the hallway struck eleven as they passed it.

"If you need... anything during the night... you know where to find me." Lilith put her hand on Amity's shoulder lightly. The girl nodded up at her.

"Goodnight, Lilith."

"Goodnight, my dear."

They walked in opposite directions. Amity had to put down her bag to open the door to Lilith's childhood bedroom. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lilith just reaching out a hand to steady herself against the wall as she walked.

I bet she's in a lot of pain, Amity thought. She drained herself a week ago today. She's so strong... Her chest filled with admiration. And sadness. And guilt. She knew it must have cost her mentor a lot to be there for her as much as she had over the week.

Amity was deep in thought as she undressed and got ready for bed. The room felt very different without Luz in it.

When she crept into bed, she looked over at the other side. Last night, Luz's brown locks had adorned that pillow. And tonight... she was in a lot of pain. Both because of the fight yesterday and because of her getting her moon time. A knot of worry tightened in Amity's chest. Logically, she knew Luz would be okay - Eda would take care of her - she just wished she could do something for Luz, because Luz had helped her so much and because... she just wanted to be there for her, period. Luz had been so incredibly kind and generous. Again, Amity wished she could make soup. Then she could make soup for both Luz and Lilith. But warming milk on the stove was basically all she knew how to do. That, and sandwiches.

She lay back in bed and sighed.

Maybe I could draw them something? Her eyebrows rose. That she could do. She got out of bed and looked through her bag - but her mom hadn't thought to pack her sketch pad and colored pencils. She went to get her school bag instead.

20

Lilith undressed and hung up her clothes while the tub filled with water. The scent of the lavender and honeysuckle oils permeated the air. When she slid down into the all but scalding water, she let out a long, exhausted groan. She felt the heat flash over her, then she was able to relax into its gentle embrace. She wanted to take another drop of Orcilae, but this was not an emergency - she should save it for just emergencies. Like this morning. She let out a tired breath. It had been terrible to be woken up by a scream. She shook her head - much nicer things had happened today. Like the perytons.

Yes, think about that instead. Think about her face. Think about her happy expression. Think about the fawns... Think about the pictures she took of the two of you together.

She put a hand over her heart and closed her eyes.

21

Eda jerked awake to the sound of a scream coming from above. She had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. The chair scraped loudly against the floor when she jumped to her feet. She sprinted up the stairs three at a time, bolted down the corridor, then flung open Luz's door with her staff raised.

"Whesse fire!" she panted, aiming her staff into the corners and the ceiling, looking for demons, spiders, fire, assassins, monsters, dragons, old boyfriends -

"Mh!" Luz whimpered.

"Whassamatter kid?!" Eda lowered her staff, then hurried into the room. She knelt down and took Luz by the shoulders, searching the kid's sweaty face for answers.

"I - I had a bad dream," Luz panted, covering her heart with both hands.

"Hassabah..." Eda closed her eyes and sat back on her heels, leaning on her thighs with both hands. She exhaled forcefully, then looked at Luz again. "Ya - y'okay?"

Luz slowly shook her head, her lower lip trembling.

"'s alright, kid, was just a dream... C'mere." Eda shuffled forward, then patted her thighs. Luz sniffed and moved her head into Eda's lap. "'s okay, I'mere, gotchu..."

"It was so scary - something was chasing me - I don't know what it was - and then there were all these little - little babies and I had to get them to safety because of the thing, but I couldn't carry them all and then it caught me!" Luz curled into a ball and shivered.

Eda stroked her hair. "'s alright, I'm here. I got you, kid. Was a dream, a bad dream."

"Ugh, it felt so real..."

"Yeah, they do that, don't they... Dreams are weird things. Once I dreamed I was a spoon."

"A... a spoon?" Luz sniffed.

"Yeah, it was... really boring." Eda rubbed her cheek. "D'you ever just have a super boring dream?"

"No, I don't think I've... ever had a boring dream."

"Dunno if I should call that lucky or what," Eda shrugged and gave Luz a tired half-grin. "I'd rather have an exciting dream. Even if it's scary. I can not... with boredom."

"I'd rather be a spoon then a monster's dinner," Luz shivered again.

"What's your weirdest dream?"

"Mmmm... It's kinda gross..."

"Well, now you've got my attention," Eda chuckled.

"I'm in school and... everyone is a zombie except for me. Then the light turns pink and everyone starts making out? But not with each other, like, with the furniture? And then the furniture turn into furniture zombies and I just feel... really left out?"

"'Furniture zombies'?" Eda looked down at Luz with her eyebrows raised. "What the heck... is a furniture zombie?"

"I don't know, kinda hard to explain? They look like they've been in a swamp?" Luz screwed up her face, trying to describe it. "All mossy and damp and icky."

"Yeah, that's a weird dream alright."

"What's your weirdest dream?"

"Ugh, where do I even begin?" Eda chuckled and rolled her eyes. "There's one where I'm covered in bread crumbs and birds keep trying to eat me, that's pretty weird. There's another where I'm trying to find a treasure but there's a demon that turns everything he touches into bricks? And he keeps touching all the treasures. I hate that guy." Eda narrowed her eyes. "Then there's the one where my hair is trying to divorce me - don't even ask about that one, I have no idea."

"Your hair is trying to divorce you?" Luz giggled up at Eda.

"Yeah! And I take such good care of it in real life, like, what's that even about?" Eda ran her fingers through her mane. A ball of twine, a confused lizard and a pair of dice fell out and bounced across the floor. The lizard flicked out its tongue, gave Eda a reproachful look, then skittered off behind a box. "Okay, maybe that one isn't so hard to figure out..."

Luz looked up at Eda with a soft expression on her face.

"Thanks, Eda..."

"Hm?" Eda tried to see where the lizard had gone.

"I don't feel scared anymore."

Eda gave her a smile and a wink. "Got you, kid." She tousled Luz's hair gently. "Want me to stay around 'til you go back to sleep?"

Luz nodded.

"Alright, scooch over."

Luz made some room and Eda lay down next to her.

"Yeah, we really gotta get you a proper bed, kid," she chuckled. "You need the hot water bottles reheated?"

"Yeah, that'd be good."

"And how's the bruise?"

"Sore, but okay. Not wearing my bra is really helping."

Eda lay back and drew a few spell circles. She was relieved to see the sparkle in Luz's eyes this time around. Soon the hot water bottles were returned to Luz's tummy and back.

Luz fell asleep within a few minutes, her head leaning against Eda's arm.

I'll just rest my eyes for a second, Eda thought. Then I'll go back downstairs and finish cleaning up.

22

Amity awoke with a gasp. The dream - closing doors, people with their backs turned, the walls covered in eyes - she was so scared she was shaking. The last thing that had happened in the dream was her mother suddenly turning around - she didn't have eyes! Everyone and everything had eyes, but not her! Then the floor had just disappeared. She had thought she was going to die... She got out of bed, panting. She found the door in the darkness, then headed right - she counted the steps in her mind. When she reached twenty, she reached for the handle to Em's door, but she couldn't find it. She looked around in confusion, running her hands over the cool wall. Where was Em's door? Was this another nightmare? She stepped back - this wasn't...

She wasn't home. This wasn't Blight manor. This was Lilith's house.

"If you need... anything during the night... you know where to find me."

Eyes. Walls covered in eyes.

She put her head in her hands and tried to quash the fear that rippled through her. She didn't want to be a bother. She shouldn't be a bother. She didn't want to be seen. But she didn't want to be alone either -

Empty sockets. Gone. All gone.

If she had been at home, she would have gone into Em's room -

Staring. Everyone staring.

Her mind kept skipping.

She had done that when she was little... Em would always let her sleep in her bed if she'd had a nightmare. But she hadn't done that in years. Amity shook her head again. Her body had reacted by itself. She hadn't decided to get out of bed... The thought of sleeping next to her big sister filled her shaking chest with a deep, heavy sorrow. She stopped in her tracks.

The sister that had once meant protection from nightmares was now... no longer that. She turned and hurried back to her room. Only when she was back inside it did she allow herself to let out the sobs.

Don't look at the walls, they'll look back.

She stumbled back into bed and buried her face in a pillow, trembling from head to toe. The wound in her chest creaked and ached terribly - everything was so overwhelming. She felt so alone and she wanted to go to Lilith, but she just couldn't - she couldn't ask more of her, especially in the middle of the night! She wanted -

No, I don't want -

Her defenses were crumbling. There was no energy to spare for denial.

I want...

She wanted... she wanted - desperately - to go to Em's room. It hurt terribly to admit it.

It's safe in there - no it's not. Yes it is!

She - wanted - her sister! She - she wanted her mom to make her soup! She wanted her dad to bounce her on his knee in his study and tell her she was a clever little Blight! She wanted her brother to blow bubbles for her to chase in the garden! She wanted her family...

They're not like that anymore!

She didn't want the sister that always tricked her. She didn't want the brother that always mocked her. She didn't want the mom that always ignored her. She didn't want the dad that always dismissed her. The multiple versions of her family clashed horribly inside her. The good memories hurt, oh how they hurt. Somehow theyhurt more than the bad ones. Her chest was so tight. Her breath was shallow. She tried to keep herself from flying apart.

23

Lilith opened her eyes. She didn't know what had woken her up. She blinked at the clock - it was almost three in the morning. She groaned and closed her eyes again and tried to go back to sleep.

Creak.

It came from the corridor. She turned to look at her bedroom door. She waited for... something. A knock?

Cree-akT.

It sounded further away. She furrowed her brow in confusion. It couldn't be an intruder - the protective spells on the house were powerful. Had... Amity walked to her door, then changed her mind? The worry welled up inside her. She sat up slowly, grimacing as her body objected. She just had to go check on the girl. Maybe something had happened? What could have happened in the middle of the night? Another moon time related 'whoopsie' perhaps? Or a nightmare?

Lilith gritted her teeth as she pulled on her bathrobe over her nightdress and stepped into her slippers. She opened her door and steadied herself against the wall as she walked down the corridor, wincing with every other step. As she got closer to her former bedroom, she could hear something. She walked a little faster. The door was ajar. Lilith raised her hand to knock, then she saw the shape of Amity on the bed - and heard the ragged, desperate breathing. Lilith drew in a sharp breath of her own - fear and surprise battled for supremacy over her heart. Before she knew it, she had strode into the room.

"Amity... What's - what's the matter?" She sat down on the edge of the bed, then reached out for the girl's shaking shoulder. In the same movement, she brushed her own hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. The girl froze and Lilith quickly retracted her hand from her shoulder.

Amity emerged from the pillow, her breathing shallow and rapid. She took one look at the expression of deep concern on her mentor's face, then another wave of confusing grief crashed over her. That look, that expression - that was something that she had never seen on her mom's face, or her dad's face - or Ed or Em's - it hurt so much she didn't know what to do with herself. She had no defenses. No defenses at all. She didn't know what to do with all the nameless, powerful emotions that ripped through her. She reached out for her mentor feebly - she felt as if she was about to shatter into a million pieces.

Lilith saw the acute distress in the girl's face - saw her arms raise, asking for comfort. Without pausing to think, she scooped Amity up, put the girl's legs over her own, then hugged her close. There was practically no weight to her - or perhaps it was the adrenaline that made her seem light as a feather.

"Did - did you have a bad dream?"

The girl nodded against her chest, then all the dams seemed to burst. The poor thing was trembling with sobs.

"Shh, shh, shh, it's alright. I'm here, I've got you. Shh, shh, shhhh, it's alright, it's alright. I'm here, I've got you." She rocked back and forth, repeating the words over and over, her entire being focused on soothing the crying child in her arms.

And Amity... cried. She had permission to be upset, somehow. The tears boiled out of her and there was nothing she could do to stop it, but she knew somewhere thatit was going to be alright, because Lilith was there. Lilith had found her.

Something inside her drank in every shush, every reassuring word, every stroke of her hair and back, every gentle rock back and forth.

She's here, she's got me... She's here, she's got me... She found me... She came...

After a really, really long time, Amity calmed. Lilith still held her just as tightly and kept stroking her hair and back, even though she was in a lot of pain now. She did not care. She was so fiercely proud to have succeeded in calming the girl. And so amazingly relieved her gamble had worked.

"Amity, my dear..." Lilith whispered. "Do you want to tell me what happened in the dream?"

Amity sat slumped against her mentor's chest, sniffling. Tears were still leaking down her cheeks, but it was a trickle now, not a torrent.

"People... had their backs turned, I couldn't see their faces... Doors slammed... There were walls with eyes - my mom turned around w-without e-eyes... then the floor was just gone and I fell..."

Lilith had to let out a controlled breath - she knew Amity had... a thing about people looking at her sometimes. Walls with eyes... She had to suppress a shudder.

"That sounds terribly frightening, my dear." Lilith hugged Amity tighter - she felt the girl tense up.

"When I had nightmares when I was little, I u-used to go sleep n-next to my sssssister..."

Oh - oh dear... Lilith exhaled softly as she pieced it all together.

"I went l-looking for her room but i-it's the wrong house," Amity sniffed loudly. "I remembered what you said before bed - but y-you looked to be i-in so much pain and I didn't want to a-ask more of you today an-nd I w-wanted my family? Like they were before but they're not like that anymore, but my stupid brain doesn't get that - i-it just wants them but they don't - they don't make me feel safe anymore and - it's just - I can't - I don't... understand..." She knew she was rambling.

"Shh, shh, shh... Of course you want your family... Nothing strange about that. It's natural to want to turn to the people who are supposed to care for us - and it's... heartbreaking when they disappoint us... But know that you can always, always come to me - in the middle of the night, too. No matter how much pain I'm in, I will always listen..."

The breath caught in Amity's chest, then a new wave of tears claimed her.

"Why do they hate me?" she sobbed. "W-what did I do?"

Lilith's heart threatened to shatter at Amity's words. She hugged the girl to her desperately.

"Nothing. Oh, sweet child, they don't hate you..."

"Then why are they s-so mean?"

"I don't know, my dear..." Lilith wanted to be able to answer that question, and hated that she couldn't.

"M-my family is - is broken and I'm broken!" Amity sobbed, not able to stop the words from tumbling out. Her shoulders shook helplessly.

Lilith began rocking and shushing her again.

"You are not broken," Lilith's voice was soft. "You are a bright, wonderful girl... How your siblings act, how your parents act - how they treat you - that is not on you - they are all much older than you, they are supposed to protect you - and they did not. And they have not. That is a choice they made - it's not - your fault."

"But Ed and Em said this wouldn't have happened if I'd only been a better little sister to them," Amity sniffed.

Lilith felt a thrill of rage lash at her insides. "That is exactly the kind of thing people say when they do not want to take responsibility for their own actions. They put the blame on someone or something else. They lie. They twist your words. They tell you you're not remembering things correctly."

"They s-spin the truth..."

"Yes, yes they do."

"But you believed me... a-about the prank. About the fight..." Amity's voice begged for reassurance.

"Of course I believed you, Amity. Why in the world would you make something like that up? That just isn't you..."

Amity drew in a shaky breath. Her hands gripped the front of her nightdress.

"Y-you make me feel s-safe," she panted.

Lilith exhaled and inhaled sharply, her fingers tightening their hold on the back of Amity's head and lower back a moment. With a slightly choked voice, she said; "It means the world to me to hear you say that, my dear."

"I-it does?"

Lilith let out a soft breath. "Yes. Yes it does. Of course it does..."

Amity made a little squeak, then moved one hand to grip Lilith's bathrobe. Lilith felt the little pull on her clothes - but in her heart it was a powerful tug.

She's reaching out for me... Lilith closed her eyes and wished fervently that she could protect her from every hurt and every bad dream. She felt Amity tremble with renewed sobs.

"You are very dear to me, Amity," Lilith said in a shaky voice. "I'm... here. I've got you. Shh, shh, shh..."

Amity pressed her head into her mentor's chest, unable to form words - but Lilith heard the words that Amity couldn't say. The trust was loud and clear to her.

"I'm here... Shh, shh, shh..."

Eventually, Lilith felt the girl's breathing steady and slow.

She must be exhausted, she thought.

"Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep?" she asked in a whisper.

Amity, who was already drifting off, nodded wordlessly.

Lilith tucked her in, then sat back and wiped her cheeks. Within thirty seconds, the girl had fallen asleep.

Lilith's jaw muscles ached. All of her ached - but her mind was relieved the girl had calmed down. She waved a finger and the armchair in the corner lifted up and floated over. She didn't want to leave for a while yet - what if Amity had another nightmare? The chair would be a little more comfortable. She moved seats quietly, then let out a long, exhausted sigh and leaned her head on the wing. She knew she wasn't going to move from this spot for the rest of the night.

"I'm... here," she whispered into the darkness. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Notes:

This turned out very long. Funnily enough I don't have any long notes for this one.

Can you tell I love found family stuff? Ahaha... ha. As you may have noticed, I've renamed this series to The Owl House 'Lunar Eclipse' AU. The name was suggested by RySenkari! Thanks! Cred for Eda using cursed graffiti to get back at the Blights goes to KanadianWriter (on Ao3). Thanks for the suggestion :)

Who was it that suggested for Eda to comfort Luz after a nightmare? I'm sorry, I can't recall your name at this moment, but it was in a comment or review on one of the earlier parts. I really liked that idea, as you might have figured from this installment of the story.

Edit: Yes I've seen the new trailer and I'M VERY EXCITED! And yes, I will continue this story until it's planned ending, no matter what the canon says.

I'd love to hear what you guys thought about this part. Please leave a comment or review.