#the hair poked out so I just clone stamped it out

[teddybearsims]

a soft bear in a big hoodie

[drabbles-of-writing]

Coming Home

AO3

third owl fight attack! This one’s prompt was “Hunter and Luz being siblings”, and I kinda ran with it

Summary: Saying that Hunter was worried for Luz would be an overstatement. He wasn't worried, he was just...vaguely curious. He knew that she'd take some time in the human realm, to be with her mother, but...well, it'd been almost two weeks, and nobody had heard a single thing from her. So, really, breaking and entering was an entirely reasonable reaction.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Now, Hunter knew, on some level, that Luz would be in the human realm for a while.

To be fair, he hadn’t had much time to think about it, what with  everything  going on. There was the Grimwalker revelation, which was also a kind-of clone revelation, and Luz offering an outstretched hand, and sitting on the ground in the human realm with the portal flickering and pulsing angrily, the dust settling as he held his uncles broken mask in his hands--

He’d been more than a little preoccupied, to say the least.

And Luz had gone through the portal the second it had all finally calmed, when there was nothing left to fight, with goodbyes he couldn’t remember. He wasn’t sure exactly when, everything had gone pretty numb by that point.

He just knew that after the first two days, when he was finally dragged out of his miserable wallowing in ditches by a very exasperated palisman and Owl Lady, Luz wasn’t there.

The others noticed her absence and the slight hole she left, he knew they did, but they never really commented on it. What with Bonesborough falling apart in a literal and metaphorical sense, everyone was kinda busy trying to patch all of it up. Like dealing with that one demon who kept talking about ancient magic, who was apparently the small rat demon's dad. And making sure Kikimora stopped escaping prison for five minutes. And dealing with the other Coven Heads. And apparently there was some people  mad  that the old wild witch ways were coming back--

Nobody really had the  time  to wonder about Luz off in the human realm, seeing her mother again.

And for the first week, he  didn’t  worry. He had an existential crisis and bothersome witches to avoid like the plague. His days were spent distracting himself by making everyone's lives miserable, since they kept insisting on holding him captive in the Owl House instead of letting him decompose in the woods for some reason. And honestly, Luz knew  way  too many people, because he’d stopped bothering to keep track of everyone by the fourth hour of being in that house. 

After he realized trying to run for it or annoying everyone into kicking him out wouldn’t work, he mostly hid in the dark corners where nobody would see him for hours at a time. Used to be for days, but apparently the Owl Lady was just as nocturnal as him, and they’d run into each other early in the morning when trying to grab a snack.

He had Rascal for company, at least. Say what you will about the little guy, but he was as loyal as he was stubborn.

But, after the first week, Hunter was starting to  really  notice a severe lack of annoying humans running around.

Apparently, so was the others, because he was noticing a few of them beginning to get a little antsy. He would’ve brushed it off, but he could hear a distinct influx of mutterings that sounded like ‘Luz’ and ‘portal’ and ‘human realm’ from his hiding places, when they thought no one else was around.

It was almost halfway through the second week before he knew it, and that was  far  too long for Luz to be away without so much as a note. 

And she was  probably  fine, he reasoned. But Luz being away without even a call was suspicious enough,  two  was downright concerning.

By then, Hunter was somewhat starting to recognize the faces that filtered in and out of the Owl House, and he began to plan. 

Somehow, he managed to wait until he saw a girl with familiar purple hair step in through the doorway, speaking words he didn’t bother to listen to as she sat on the couch he was hiding under. 

Rascal had, of course, chosen to perch himself on the head of a chair across the room, where barely anyone would care to notice him.

She was talking to some small illusionist he saw earlier (he may recognize faces, but names were a whole other matter. He’d never had to memorize names unless they were important to Belos, and if they weren’t, they were irrelevant. He should probably work on remembering their names), something about buildings and repairs or something, it wasn’t his problem. When the illusionist stepped away, off towards the kitchen to grab something, Hunter decided to poke his head out from underneath the couch.

“So what's the word on-- ow!”  He yelped, jerking back under the couch when he got a foot kicked into his nose.

“Titan,  don’t  do  that, you prick!” Amity snapped, inching a little further to the left as Hunter peeked out only one eye from under the couch this time, giving his best spiteful glare. “Why are you even  down  there?”

“Because nobody bothers me,” Hunter growled, holding his nose as he began to wiggle out. “Everyone’s so  clingy  in this house, it’s maddening.”

“Do you actually mean clingy, or are you referring to basic kindness?” Amity raised a brow, narrowing her eyes as he stood and brushed himself off from the dust bunnies that gathered under the couch.

“Irrelevant. Why hasn’t the human returned yet?” He demanded, leaning against the arm of the couch as Amity sat at the other end, giving a reasonable distance between them.

“Luz?” Amity blinked, clearly taken aback by the question.

“Yes, is there another, different human that you have to bring up every five minutes I should know about?” Hunter snapped, and got a curled lip and bared teeth from Amity in response.

“What, getting bored of the rest of us?” Amity snarked, crossing her arms. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, barely any of you were entertaining to begin with.” Hunter huffed. “Now do you know why the human is avoiding us or not?”

“Avoiding?” Amity frowned. “Luz’s not  avoiding  us, she’s just visiting her mom.”

“With radio silence for almost two weeks,” Hunter said, doing his best to stamp down his impatience. 

He  really  would have rathered asking the Owl Lady about this, but he’d learned from the last time he tried that she’d twist any conversation regarding Luz to be about him, so the next logical best bet would have to be her incessant, chattery, girlfriend. Titan, Luz had the weirdest tastes.

“She’s been away from her mom for four months.” Amity said, rolling her eyes like this was some concept he wasn't understanding. “She’s not gonna see her for a day and then come right back.”

“But still!” Hunter threw his hands in the air, ignoring Rascal’s minorly concerned chirp from across the room. “You think someone like  Luz  would go without contact for almost  two weeks?  She would’ve at least popped in to say hello, or go on some ramble about what’s going on in the human realm. She’d feel guilty about leaving you guys to repair everything on your own by the second hour.”

“It’s just...taking her a minute,” Amity said, and that was the first small crack in her resolve he saw. Had she not seen him at his lowest the first time they spoke, he would’ve been proud of the fact he could chip away at her far easier than she could at him. “Luz wouldn’t avoid anyone out of the  blue,  that’s not like her.”

And he  knew  she was right on that, as infuriating it was to admit it. Luz wouldn’t  abandon  people, she’d be more likely to keel over on the spot from spontaneously growing a bile sac. And perhaps a part of him  was  being a little over dramatic, but there was just this little twist in his chest that curled tighter when he considered going back to hiding in empty rooms and letting everything continue on,  waiting  to see if anything would change rather than  making  it change.

“Besides,” Amity continued. “As Luz’s girlfriend, I think that I would  know  if--”

“Oh  Titan,  just  forget it.”  Hunter groaned, tugging on his ears as he stepped away from the couch. “Whatever, you’re useless about this, anyway. If  you  don’t know when she’s coming back, and the  Owl Lady  doesn’t know, then nobody will.”

Amity stayed silent for a moment as Hunter stormed off towards the doorway that led to the staircase, Rascal flying off his perch to land on his shoulder with soft, almost melodic chirrups.

He contemplated if he could steal something from one of the spare rooms up there. Everyone was fluctuating between them the last few days, but they often left their stuff in there for him to take. It was fun watching them get so riled up about their missing junk.

“We,” Amity started, and Hunter paused in the doorway, one ear pricked. “We were planning on going into the human realm,” She admitted, voice quiet. “If we didn’t hear anything from Luz by the end of this week.”

Hunter turned around then, noting Amity had one hand bunched up on her leg, fisting the hem of her shirt and rubbing her fingers between it in a nervous tick. She avoided his gaze, and he saw, for just the briefest of moments, the uncertainty spilling off of her, possibly having been doing so for far longer than when he’d noticed the same signs from everyone else.

“Well,” He said, and she looked up at him then, and the vulnerability was gone in a snap, replaced by a curious, slightly accusatory, expression. It unnerved him how familiar it looked. “By all means, don’t go telling  me  about your super secret rescue missions, not like  I’d  want to join.” He muttered.

“Count it a blessing that I told you at all,” Amity hissed, ears flicking back. “Maybe if you promise to be nice, we’ll let you come along.” She taunted.

“Maybe if you people hadn’t  kidnapped  me, I wouldn’t be causing so many  problems.”  Hunter growled back through gritted teeth, breaking eye contact for only a moment when Rascal lightly bit and tugged on his ear, trying to urge him away.

“Like you need an excuse--”

“Uh, am-am I interrupting?”

The two turned their heads, realizing that the small illusionist, he’d figure out the kids name later, was standing in the living room again, a box of juice in his hands as his eyes flicked between them.

“No, Golden Boy was just leaving.” Amity waved him off, leaning back against the couch.

“You weren’t even clever with that one, Blight.” Hunter sneered, rolling his eyes as he turned to leave.

“Wittebane.”

“Call me that again and I’m ripping your teeth out.” Hunter threatened, pointing a finger at her as he backed out of the room.

“No name,” Amity amended, sticking her tongue out at him.

“You are on  thin ice.”

 ,

That night, Hunter was opening the window in Luz’s old room.

His escape attempts had never really worked before, the weird tube demon in the front door took his job of keeping him contained  very  seriously. Everyone else just liked watching the show and tapping in when needed.

However, he  also  knew, from the mutterings that Luz had told him in those few snatches of time in the days that they had talked before everything went wrong (or right, depending on who you asked), that she’d snuck out through her window  multiple  times without the demon realizing. Apparently she had bribed him once or twice, and now he barely reacted to the sound of her window opening, sort of like a reflex.

He’d meant to use it for his next escape attempt, just to see if it’d work for him, to run for the hills if it worked, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He’d be  damned  if they left him out of nabbing Luz from the human realm.

So Hunter tugged his cloak tighter across his shoulders, despite it being torn in many places, he had yet to rid it completely, and slowly opened Luz’s window.

He waited, tense, Rascal just as silent from within his hood. When there wasn’t the sound of a piercing voice after a few seconds, he cautiously poked his head out.

Nothing.

Either the bird really  had  grown to have no reaction to Luz’s window opening, or he was just as tired as everyone else. Or off eating bugs, that was plausible.

He slowly edged out, only having a moment to peer down at the ground below until he swung out of the window, hands gripping the windowsill as he edged himself down.

He hung in the air for a moment before releasing the windowsill, dropping to the ground below in a crouch. The perks of the Emperor’s Coven were few and far between, but hey, living there had made him an  expert  at being quiet.

He darted around the Owl House, crouching so as to avoid being seen through the first-floor windows, because there was always  someone  awake, no matter the hour. The portal to the human realm had been moved not too far away, but far enough that it couldn’t be, you know, automatically seen by anyone approaching the building.

He spared one last glance towards the house before he booked it off towards the woods, already mentally cursing himself for wearing a  white cloak  in the middle of the night. Why did he think that was a good idea,  why  did he think that was a good idea--

He made it to the cover of trees, somehow, without anyone sounding the alarm. He ducked behind a tree, catching his breath for a moment as he waited for shouting to arise.

Upon realizing he was in the clear, he pumped a fist in the air with a soft  “yes!”  and got an encouraging whistle from Rascal, who he gave a quick scratch on the head to.

He then hurried a bit further into the trees, soon faced with branches, vines, and bushes all stretched out across the beginning of a slope before him.

He reached out, grabbing one of the vines and yanking it aside, revealing the structure of the portal to the human realm, its soft humming mostly muffled by everything covering it. He ran his hand down the exterior of it for a second before pushing more vines aside, allowing a small enough space for him to crawl through.

He’d been to the human realm before, technically. Belos’s wrath had only just begun to reach into the human realm before he had managed to be stopped, and Hunter had a few moments out there, feeling the grass and seeing the trees. They really  were  green, and he couldn’t help but see it all and know with certainty that there was no magic within any of it. Hollow. It was a feeling he was familiar with.

But this time was different, and he inhaled for a moment before giving Rascal what he hoped was his best determined look.

“Alright,” He said. “Let’s see what’s been keeping her.”

 ,

He spent about half an hour in the woods of the human realm until he managed to find Luz’s house.

She’d never really said  where  she lived, just that it was the closest house to the forest. Nothing about directions, so he spent his time wandering about trying to find a house that wasn’t falling apart.

Rascal gave up and eventually flew off at some point, returning about five minutes later, chittering loudly and pulling on his hood. Hunter knew better to argue, and had followed until he came across a house that actually looked  lived  in, as opposed to the one he’d appeared in.

“If you led me to a random person's house, I  will  throw you into the sea.” Hunter warned, only getting a cheery whistle in return as he walked around the house.

He eventually found a window on the first floor, and pushing on it, was delighted to find that it was unlocked. He opened it, hoisting himself inside as Rascal darted in.

He realized the window was right over a kitchen sink, and lightly stepped a foot onto the counter beside it. He slowly swung himself inside, not even bothering to shut the window behind him as he dropped to the floor. He might need that escape route later.

Rascal was off exploring without a second thought, so he allowed himself to stalk throughout the kitchen, eyes flickering over photos and magnets stuck to the fridge. He saw ones that looked like letters, colors, and even saw a photo of a woman and a young, crazy-looking child.

He peeked around corners as he darted through the house, cracking open doors before continuing through hallways. One of the doors he opened  looked  like a bedroom, but he saw something with a scaly tail poking out, so he let that room be. The human realm was bound to have its own oddities.

The other bedroom he saw did have a person sleeping in it, but she didn’t look like Luz, much too old, so he quietly shut that door again and tried a different one.

He opened the last one, at the end of the hallway, already preparing to snap back that Rascal had brought him to the  wrong house,  when he took in the bedroom.

He only needed to see it for half a second to see the immediate resemblance to the mess that was Luz’s room in the Owl House. He slipped inside, leaving the door open just a crack in case Rascal showed up.

He crouched, eyeing the posters along the walls, shelves full of random junk, books strewn across the room. The figure sleeping in the bed was practically twisted backwards, blankets already halfway on the floor. He approached it, slowly standing up as he loomed over them, searching their face.

“Oh thank the Titan,” Hunter breathed, stepping back as he pressed a hand to his chest. That was Luz, for sure.

She stirred, slightly, hand twitching as she mumbled incoherently in her sleep. At least she wasn’t actually kidnapped or something, he reasoned.

“Hey, human,” He said, a little louder, but enough that he hoped the others down the hallway wouldn’t hear, shoving at her shoulder. “Wakey wakey.”

Luz mumbled in her sleep again, one eye barely cracking open before she turned over and tried to bury further under her covers.

Hunter grabbed her leg poking out from the blankets and yanked her off.

Luz’s yelp was cut off as he smothered the blankets over her, pausing as she fumbled around trying to get it off, ears pricked as he waited to see if anyone had heard.

“I’m  awake,  Vee, I’m  awake--”  Luz pulled the blanket off her head, her glare almost immediately replaced with shock.

“Hey,” Hunter grinned, flashing fangs. “Miss me?”

“Hunter?”  Luz exclaimed, before immediately covering her mouth with her hands, eyes darting towards her door like she expected someone to be there.

“Oh don’t sound  so  surprised.” Hunter scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You oughta step up your game if you think you can escape me in another dimension.”

“What are you  doing  here?” Luz whisper-yelled, scrambling to her feet as she looked wildly around her room. “Did-did the  others  come?” She asked, giving him such a scared look he was a little put off by it.

“No? I mean, they  will  be, I just got ahead of the curve.” Hunter shrugged off her odd reactions. “Made sure I got to you before they did, didn’t feel like being left behind on the ‘let’s drag Luz back kicking and screaming’ plan.”

“Oh no, oh no,” Luz shook her head, one hand on her head as she began to pace. “Are-are the others  looking  for me?”

“Will be by the end of this week,” Hunter said, watching her curiously. “Why? This a bad time or something?”

“Yes! Yes, this is a  terrible  time!” Luz exclaimed, barely managing to keep her voice down as she whirled towards him.

“Did you get grounded?” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “Because if so, let me just say, I know about fifteen different ways to lessen the extent of the grounding, and twice as many ways to sneak out, this place isn’t even all that fortified--”

“No! Well, I mean, I kind of am,” Luz winced. “But that’s not--you can’t--you need to  go.”  Luz said, gesturing back towards the door. “You can’t be here.”

“Do you need a body disposed of? Because I also know a lot of ways to--”

“I’m touched, but no.” Luz gave him a withering look. “Don’t even wanna know why you know that. You have to  leave.”  She insisted, beginning to shove him towards the door.

“Aw, but I came all this way to see you,” Hunter whined in a dramatic tease, slowly leaning back, therefore putting more strain on Luz as she tried to push him out. “You don’t want to see me?”

“Believe me, I’m  very  happy to see you’re okay,” Luz assured through gritted teeth, offering the smallest of smiles. “And I’ll bother you later. But now is  not the time.”

Rascal took that moment to poke in through the crack in the doorway, landing on a shelf and eyeing the two with what felt like judgement. Hunter promptly dropped all his weight on Luz, nearly crushing her. 

“Damn,” He whistled when Luz’s knees refused to buckle. “You got some muscle hiding under those skinny bones?”

“That, and you weigh as much as a half-filled sack of lumpy potatoes.” Luz muttered, already pushing back up to her full height as she took Hunter with her.

“You’re  impossible.”  Hunter huffed, standing back up onto his feet and snickering as Luz stumbled with the lack of weight. “Seriously, what’s the hold up? Are you getting bored with us already?”

“No,  first of all, I’d never do that.” Luz pointed a finger at him. “And I’m offended you thought I ever would be.”

“It’s a reasonable assumption.”

“It’s not. And second of all,  I’m  serious, you  cannot be here.”  Luz stressed, grabbing his shoulders, a movement that instinctively caused him to flinch, just the tiniest bit. “If my  mom  sees you here, she’s going to  freak--”

“Luz?” A groggy voice called, and Luz stiffened so quickly with such  terror  crossing her face that Hunter tensed as well. “Creí haber escuchado algo, are you--?”

Hunter saw the door to Luz’s room open, and immediately threw an arm out in front of Luz, giving a quick whistle that Rascal had learned to recognize by now. In a flash, he was holding his staff in his other hand, Luz pushed behind him as he pointed his staff towards the figure in the doorway, ears pressed back and fangs bared in a low, warning growl.

The person froze, eyes going wide, one hand still clutching the door handle.

He recognized it as the older woman he saw in one of the bedrooms, hair still mussied from sleep, the glasses on her face smudged from someone having grabbed them clumsily. The sleep had vanished from her eyes the moment she saw him, a faintly glowing staff pointed only a foot away from her.

“Hunter, Hunter, no, stop!” Luz was quick to grab Hunter’s arm after barely a second of tense silence, shoving the staff down. “She’s my mom, she’s safe!”

Hunter paused at that. Granted, his experience with biological family (as biological as Belos could be) wasn’t the best, but he had heard a few stories, here and there, about Luz’s mom. And Luz would go into a Slitherbeast den for anyone who asked nicely, but hey, he still thought that if someone was willing to fight  Emperor Belos  for them, they had to be something special.

“Oh, sorry.” He said, all hostility evaporating as he drew his staff back, holding it at his side. “Reflexes.”

“Luz,” The woman said, slowly, and Hunter was so instantly reminded of when the adults dealing with him were trying so hard to not lose their shit that he halfway raised his arm to shield Luz again. “Por qué hay un chico extraño en tu habitación?”

“Puedo explicarlo!” Luz was quick to exclaim, clutching Hunter’s arm, and he looked blankly between them. He’d heard of other languages in the Isles before, often ones spoken by demons, but this was a new one on him.

“Oh estoy segura de que lo harás!” The woman snapped back, hands on her hips now, not bothering to keep her voice low. 

“What’s she saying?” Hunter whispered to Luz, eyes still darting between the two. “Is this a ‘we’re about to start fighting’ situation or a ‘you’re grounded for life’ situation?”

“No te puedo creer.” Luz's mom grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Okay, so, uh,” Luz clasped her hands together. “I promise, mami, this is  not  what it looks like.”

“What does it look like?” Hunter blinked, giving Luz a concerned expression now. “It doesn't look like I’m a robber, right? Because this place has nothing  near  worth stealing.”

“Please stop talking,” Luz hissed out of the corner of her mouth, never taking her eyes off her mother. “Mami, this is, uh,” She faltered for a moment. “This is Hunter.”

Her mother cracked open an eye from where she was rubbing the bridge of her nose, sending such a seething glare that both kids shuttered. 

“You know what,” Hunter said, letting Rascal transform out of a staff and back into his usual self, letting the bird land on his shoulder as he clapped his hands together. “I can see that you're busy, so I think I’ll just be--why is she staring at me like that?”

The woman was staring at him now, well, Rascal, eyes locked on the cardinal on his shoulder like it had suddenly grown five heads. He flicked an ear in confusion, turning to Luz to ask what her mom’s problem was, only to see Luz immediately face-palm.

“Estoy atascado con un idiota,” Luz mumbled under her breath, and Hunter could pretty easily guess what the last word had meant, and bristled at it.

“Hey--”

“Okay,  so, Hunter,” Luz kept her hands pressed together, using them both to point towards him. “Thank you for the visit, really, but I think we’re done here.”

“We,”  Luz’s mom finally managed to speak, and Luz cringed with a sheepish smile. “Are going to have a  talk.”  She growled, though it lacked any of the reverberating sounds an actual growl would have. He always wondered how humans ever got the last  hit  of their point across without growls or clicks or hisses. He realized now that tone had a  lot  to do with it.

“And that includes  you,  young man.” The woman added, turning her glare towards Hunter, and he wouldn’t be ashamed to admit he wilted a bit under it. She could’ve disintegrated Kikimora on the spot with a look like that.

“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter ducked his head, and ignored the quiet snickers from Luz that she quickly tried to smother.

The woman stepped to the side, allowing the two of them to shuffle out of the room. Luz went out first, giving Hunter an expression that was somehow both  ‘sorry’  and  ‘I told you so’  and  boy  did he want to punch it.

Hunter hurried out after her, one hand cupped over Rascal protectively, unable to fight back the urge to hide him from everyone and everything new, that he’d be broken in half the second anyone got close.

As he passed her, he knew she was staring at him with a far sharper gaze than she had Luz. He glanced out the corner of his eye, and she was staring at his ears, at Rascal, and just as he stepped into the hallway, her eyes narrowed in on the scar along the side of his face.

He’d had people stare at his scars before, it wasn’t new. Scars weren’t uncommon in the Boiling Isles, but ones as big and prominent as his were generally expected of witches far older than him, far more known for their battles and their victories.

He growled in the back of his throat, briefly twitching his lip to flash a fang. It was near-instinctive at this point, a quiet reminder of who he was, of who shadowed over him, and that it was impolite to stare, to mind your own business.

Luz’s mom jerked back at it, a far stronger reaction than the ones he was used to getting. He was used to a quick aversion of the eyes, hurrying to turn their heads the other way, a simple glance to elsewhere in the room. She stared at him with even more apprehension and worry than before, like she was confronted with a wild animal in her home.

His ears pressed down and he hurried off down the hallway, almost stepping on Luz’s heels from how close he walked behind her.

He noticed an eye peeking out of a room up ahead, and Luz gave a weak, almost teasing, salute to whoever was inside. He saw a flash of scales and what might've been a pitying look until they slipped out of view.

Luz stood off to the side as she exited the hallway, and Hunter stood next to her. He gave her a questioning look, one she nearly missed from how much she was staring at her feet. He nudged her shoulder, gaining her attention, and Luz gave a weak, nervous smile.

Alright, so he was  definitely  missing something here with his woman.

“Kitchen table,” Luz’s mom said, pointing, and the two obeyed. Hunter had no real reason to, he knew this. She was human, he could just leave, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him. But she was important to Luz, clearly, and he knew, tragically, that he’d feel guilty if he left Luz alone.

Luz sat in one of the chairs at the round table, and Hunter took the one next to her. Her mother eyed them for a moment before taking the one across from them.

“Can I just say, that I did  not  invite Hunter here--”

“Oh, so  that’s  how it's gonna be?” Hunter whirled his head to her. “Throwing  me  under the bus? Sorry I wanted to  check in.”

“I am telling it  as the truth.”  Luz insisted, glaring at him. “Would you rather I tell her that I purposefully invited you here at,” She turned towards the wall, squinting at a clock hanging there. “Two twenty-three? Why did you come here so  late?”  She demanded.

“Technically, it’s early.” Hunter corrected. 

“I’m actually going to punch your teeth out.”

Rascal cheeped from his shoulder, and Hunter nodded sagely like he had said something. Rascal  could  talk to him, of course, in words that only he could hear, but he often didn’t. And the best part was that he could never prove to anyone that Rascal wasn’t shit-talking them.

“Enough,  both of you  . ” Luz’s mother said firmly, hands placed on the table that had them both straightening to attention. “Luz,” She turned to her daughter, rubbing her temple with one hand as she gestured with the other towards Hunter. “Explain him, please.”

“Like, life story, or why he’s here, or what he is, or--”

“Just  please  tell me he’s not from where I think he’s from.”

“Oh,” Luz glanced between Hunter and her mother, gears turning in her head. “He’s...not?”

“Dios ayúdame,” Her mother groaned.

“You told me to say he wasn’t! Actually,” Luz frowned as she turned to Hunter.  “Do  you count as someone from the demon realm, biologically? I don’t know how that whole, er, Grimwalker thing worked, like are you a direct clone, or--”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, because I’ve been avoiding dealing with that whole situation for the past two weeks, and I’m not about to start now.” Hunter raised a hand to cut her off.

“You…” Luz narrowed her eyes at him. “You need a therapist, dude.”

“You’re the fifth person to say that in the last week.”

“Why,”  Luz’s mother cut in again, silencing their conversation. “Is there a  demon boy  in my house?”

“I’m a witch,” Hunter corrected.

“Don’t you count as, like,  half  a--”

“What did I  just  say, Luz?”

“Right,” Luz snapped her mouth shut. “Uh, so, I’m assuming he broke in--”

Hunter groaned, gripping his head in his hands as he slouched over the table. Rascal chittered gently as he hopped off his shoulder and onto the table, nudging his arm.

“--but he wasn’t going to cause any trouble!” Luz added quickly, seeing her mothers expression continue to sour. “He just-he wanted to make sure I was alright.”

The woman eyed the two of them for a moment, and Hunter refused to look up and meet her gaze.

“Hunter, is it?” The woman said slowly, cautious, suspicious, but not accusatory. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter sighed, relenting to lift his head, messy hair hanging in his face.

“How old are you, exactly?”

“Mami…”

“Sixteen, ma’am.” He mumbled, resting his cheek in his hand.

“And…” She hesitated for a moment.  “How  old is that in witch years…?”

“...sixteen?” Hunter gave her a perplexed look.

“They age the same as us.” Luz assured, and her mother seemed to relax just a bit.

“Gracias a Dios por eso,” Her mother mumbled. “Alright, and how did you get in?”

“Window,” He tilted his head off towards the one in question, still open over the sink.

“Of course,” The woman muttered under her breath. “The  one  time I didn’t lock it. Okay, now what is  that?”  She gestured towards Rascal on his shoulder, and he raised his hand to let the palisman hop onto his hand.

“My palisman,” He said, settling the bird down on the table, but keeping him a far enough distance from Luz’s mom that she wouldn’t be able to grab him. “I call him Rascal. Which reminds me,” He nudged Luz’s shoulder. “Where do you keep those seeds you have for your palisman? She keeps screaming at everyone and the Owl Lady doesn’t know how to make her shut up.”

“Is she okay?” Luz straightened.

“Yeah, little jays fine, she’s just being a pain in the ass.” Hunter grimaced.

“Watch your language, young man.” Luz’s mom leveled a finger at him, and he eyed it for a moment. “Now what do you mean ‘Luz’s pailsman?’ What in the  world  is a palisman?”

“Oh, uh, nothing! Nothing important, really. Just, like, staff things.” Luz said quickly, and Hunter and Rascal shared a look. Luz loved her palisman, as bratty as she was. And he knew from experience that Luz didn’t think of palismans as ‘nothing important.’

He drew a hand around Rascal and scooted him a little closer towards himself.

“Okay, okay,” Luz’s mother inhaled a steadying breath, as though to keep her cool. “And you are breaking into my house, early in the morning, to see my daughter.”

“Really just to make sure she didn’t, like, get kidnapped on the way up here.” Hunter shrugged. “Everyone's worried about her, so I took one for the team, and all that.”

“Everyone?” Her mother frowned.

“Her...friends?” Hunter gave Luz a sideways look, and she avoided his gaze.

“Mija, you have friends in the  demon realm?”  Luz’s mom balked, with the tone of someone who didn’t quite believe it, who almost felt as though they were being tricked.

“I told you a bit about them…” Luz mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

“You,” Her mother chuckled, shaking her head, the first sign of anything lighter than what they’d had so far. “You really can’t help but be friendly to everyone, huh?” 

“It’s how she got stuck with me, it’s a real problem.” Hunter said, and got an elbow jabbed into him for his troubles, wheezing as he clutched his side. 

“Well, you certainly are an...interesting acquaintance,” Her mother said slowly, eyeing him, and he barely resisted the urge to briefly flash sharpened teeth when her gaze lingered on the scar across his face again. “And you showed up, by breaking in...just to check in on Luz?”

“Yeah?” Hunter managed to cough out, cracking open an eye to give the woman a confused look compared to her suspicious, searching one. “Why else?”

“...alright.” She said, and her gaze went back to her daughter. “I wasn’t aware that there would be... situations  where the demon realm followed you  back.”

“Neither did I, really.” Luz was quick to assure, hands raised.  “Hunter  of all people being worried about me is the most confusing and touching thing that’s happened so far.”

“I was not  worried.”  Hunter whirled to her. “I only came here because everyone  else  was, and they were going to leave me out of the rescue party.”

“Rescue party?” Luz’s mother startled, and he should really learn her name.

“Aha, he doesn't mean that.” Luz waved her hands quickly. 

“I do?” Hunter narrowed his eyes. “The others were planning on busting out of the portal to come find you by the end of this week. I didn’t want to be left out, so I broke in ahead of time.”

“There are demons coming  here?”  The woman exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

“Pretty sure the little rat dog is the only demon coming along.” Hunter corrected. “The others are witches.”

“You  know  his name is King.” Luz grumbled.

“Yeah, but it's way more fun to call him a rat.”

“Luz, cariño, are we going to have  more  witches breaking in?” Her mother stressed, stepping away from the table and already beginning to pace.

“Not-not when Hunter gets back to them!” Luz said, also standing. “He can tell them to hold off, that I’m fine, and all that.”

“And deal with them getting all pissy I broke out?” Hunter demanded, scooping Rascal up in his hands as he, too, stood.  “Hell  no, either they hear from me with you there, or I don’t tell them shit.”

“Watch it,” Luz’s mother warned him again, this time only giving a quick glare. “And Luz is  not  going back there.”

“Then you have two to twenty witches, plus one demon, knocking on your door.” Hunter shrugged. “What’s the big deal?”

“Luz, what did you get  into  while you were in the demon realm?” Her mother groaned, rubbing her temples.

“I mean, you didn’t ask a  lot... ” Luz tried, hovering about two feet from her mom.

“You have two to  twenty  magical demon people ready to break into our home to make sure you’re okay,” Her mother said, turning towards her daughter. “You didn’t...you didn’t tell me you had  friends  there.”

“I feel like I just said this,” Hunter squinted. “I told you Luz has friends in the Boiling Isles, isn’t that expected? She makes friends with  everyone.”

Luz rubbed her arm and looked down at the ground, and her mother’s mouth twitched downwards for a brief moment. He felt like he was missing something.

“Are all of your friends like him?” Her mother said after a moment, gesturing with a hand off towards Hunter.

“I resent what that implies,” Hunter huffed, ears pressed down as he tucked Rascal between his neck and cloak.

“I mean, personality wise? No, he’s the biggest brat of them all.” Luz assured, and Hunter visibly took offence. “Well, Matt was  also  a brat, but he’s a friend of a friend, and I think he’s calmer now.”

“They  are  annoying, though.” Hunter piped up, and prided on barely reacting under Luz’s seething glare.

“Well they can’t come  here,  your first friend has already caused enough trouble.” Her mother said firmly, and Hunter rolled his eyes at that.

“Please, breaking and entering is tame for me.” Hunter scoffed, and got an even more worried, and possibly judging, look from the woman.

“You're not helping.” Luz whispered, immediately turning back to her mother. “I’m sure we can figure this whole thing out. I can probably get Hunter to tell them to calm them down without me having to go back, Rascal can bully him into it, he likes me.”

“That’s a  low blow,  human!” Hunter hissed, a low, drawn-out sound that had the woman tensing and Luz only rolling her eyes. “I do so much for you, and  this  is the thanks I get?” He ignored Rascal’s gleeful chitters that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

“We’re  even  on that front and you  know it.” 

“Debatable,”

“This is  serious,  Luz.” Her mother said, and Luz’s mouth clicked shut. “Christ,” She sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d made  friends  in the demon realm?”

“You didn’t ask…?” Luz said slowly.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Hunter said, leaning against the island counter. “I drag Luz back, she hangs for a day or two to calm everyone down, and she comes right back to have quality family time, or whatever you guys call it, until you’re all finished.”

“Absolutely not,” Her mother said instantly. “Luz will not go anywhere  near  that portal.”

“It’s not gonna blow up, it’s stable.” Hunter raised a brow, not noticing Luz freezing up. 

“Luz is  not  going back to that demon realm,” She insisted, and he was sure she would be growling if she could. “Listen, could you please just tell the other witches to stay back? I don’t want any trouble from that realm coming through here.”

“Ouch,” Hunter said dryly, twitching an ear as he crossed his arms. “Why’s this got you in a tizzy? I came here to bring back Luz anyway, why is this an issue?”

Luz and her mother met eyes for a brief second, and Hunter knew then he was missing something, because it felt like a conversation passed between their eyes and Luz ducked her head again, ashamed.

“Luz,” Her mother spoke in soft tones, though she was rubbing at her face. “You didn’t tell your  friends--”

“I was going to--”

“Luz, honey, you can’t  omit details  from people--”

“I know, I swear I was just busy trying to see you--”

Hunter set Rascal down on the island counter and gestured towards him. The palisman fluffed his wings before proceeding to peck incessantly on the counter, making a loud clinking noise. It got both humans mingling words to come to a stop as they both turned towards him.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but I’m still here.” Hunter said, scratching his bird's head to get him to cease once he had their full attention. “What am I missing?” He asked, pointing between the two.

“I apologize Luz hadn’t informed you earlier,” Her mother started, and Luz gripped her arms and looked away from them both, shoulders hunched. “But she won’t be going back to the demon realm.”

He stared. He blinked once, twice. He could see Rascal staring too, just barely in his line of sight.

“Come again?”

“Luz had been trapped there for so long,” Her mother went on. “And-and she was surrounded by  demons  and rain that scalded skin and-and Vee told me of Emperor’s and experiments,” 

Hunter flinched at that, ears pressing flat as he turned his head to the side.

“It’s clearly not a safe place,” She continued, and her eyes dropped to his notched ear. “And...there’s much to catch up on, to talk about.” She said, in a polite tone that told him not to press that particular matter. “Surely, you can explain this to them?”

Hunter stayed silent for a moment, aware of Luz peeking at him with guilt across her features. He didn’t meet it, he knew he’d get more riled up if he did.

“Yeah, so,” Hunter said calmly, clasping his hands together. “That’s  not  happening.” 

“Excuse me?” Her mother reeled back a bit.

“Listen, Miss...what are your last names again?” He asked Luz, though he still didn’t let himself fully look at her.

“Noceda,” She said, sounding confused now.

“Ms. Noceda,” He continued. “I can speak from personal experience when I tell you that the Emperor and any experiments he had are  far  beyond gone,” He said, bitterness dripping from his words. “And I--  we  have your daughter to thank for that.”

Her mother startled for a moment, opening her mouth to speak, but he plowed on.

“Half the things that made the Isles dangerous, including the very reason your daughter was late coming home, are either burnt to a crisp or in the ground.” He said, holding her gaze. “And I can tell you this, with one hundred percent sincerity, that if I go back and tell Luz’s friends that she won’t ever be coming back, you’ll have witches and demons in numbers nearing the thirties knocking on your front door.” 

“Is that a threat?” The woman managed to get out first. 

“With all due respect, Ms. Noceda, it’s a promise.” 

“Thank you,  Hunter.” Luz was suddenly at his side, seizing his arm in a grip that felt like he was losing circulation. “That’s  enough,”  She said, giving him a warning look. “I think she gets the message.”

“Luz, what in the world is he talking about?” Her mother asked, eyes back to her child.

“It-it’s a long story, but he’s right about the Emperor!” Luz added quickly. “He’s...he’s gone, and-and I don’t think he’s coming back.”

“He won’t.” Hunter said, and left it at that.

“Luz, cariño, I’m sure we could work something out with your friends.” Her mother assured. “I’m glad a man like Vee had described is gone, but I’m sure they would understand.”

“That her mom won’t let her come back?” Hunter scoffed, and Luz tugged forcefully on his arm.

“Hunter,”  She hissed, and he looked at her then, and saw the fear practically  radiating  off her. He wondered if it was something she’d picked up from Amity or vice versa, to be brimming with emotions, but leaving them largely unnoticed until someone actually  focused.

“Look, I…” Luz hesitated for a moment. “I  promised  that I’d stay with her…” She mumbled, and the last piece clicked in his mind.

Luz had promised she’d stay, to a likely terrified mother, and Luz was never one to skimp out on promises. She either kept them or agonized over trying. And it’d make sense why she wouldn’t want to tell anyone, she promised she’d  leave forever,  and no plans or compromises from the residents of the Owl House could sate a mother worried for her daughter. 

Also made sense why she wanted him to leave. Her mom did  not  seem to like the place, and him being there had to be somewhat breaking the little ‘promise’ of interacting with someone from the demon realm at all.

“Oh,” He said, instead of all that, ears pricking slightly. 

“I’m sorry to have it all sprung on you without warning,” He heard her mother saying, though he wasn’t looking at her much in that moment, but she sounded genuine. “But the demon realm doesn’t necessarily seem to be...the  safest  of places.”

“It’s not,” Hunter confirmed, slowly straightening to face the woman again. “But hey,” He shrugged, feeling Luz letting up her grip on his arm. “It’s home.”

Her eyes dropped to his scar again, just for a moment, and he didn’t bother to hide his eye roll this time.

“Trust me, I’m an outlier in how deadly the place  actually  is.” He muttered. “These,” He gestured broadly to his face, not quite feeling the satisfaction he assumed he’d feel when he saw her wince. “Were caused by something  outside  the Boiling Isles, something that never should have been there in the first place. He’s gone now.” He rumbled a growl. “We made sure of it.”

She looked apologetic, and he’d give her that. But she shook her head with a sigh all the same.

“I’m sorry, truly, but Luz and I agreed, it’s not safe. I’m glad she could make friends there, I really am,” She said, and he wondered what kind of friends Luz had had in the past, because she said the word ‘friends’ like it could have five different meanings. “But it’s not safe for her.”

“And?” Hunter threw a hand out in a broad gesture. “It was never completely safe, no place is. You gonna look me in the eyes and tell me Luz would never sneak back out? I’m giving her another week at best.”

“Hunter!”

“Look, I’m  really  just trying to wrap this whole complication up,” Hunter sighed unsympathetically, aware of Rascal chirping and head-butting his arm. “Unfortunately, I  know  you, and I know you’d rather wallow in a chasm for eternity than never go back to the Isles. And as entertaining as watching a whole drama unfold would be when your mom would eventually find out, I  really  don't want to deal with that headache.” He grumbled.

Luz looked to her mother then, and her mother looked back. Luz’s hand was still clutched in his sleeve, watching her mother worriedly as she met her confused gaze.

“Luz?” Her mother said slowly, and Luz fiddled with Hunter’s sleeve.

“Mami, I...look, I didn’t...my friends, they...I don’t…”

“Hi, sorry, can-can I butt-in?”

The three whirled around, Hunter automatically putting an arm in front of Luz and taking a step back at the sight.

A basilisk lay in the doorway to the kitchen, tail curled somewhere out of sight. It was a young one, about the size of Luz. That’d work, he’d taken on bigger before, not like he had any magic for a basilisk to steal--

“Vee,” Luz’s mother breathed. “What are you doing up?”

And of  course  she was someone they knew. Amazing, wonderful, he loved being out of the loop that there was a  basilisk  casually within the house, that wasn’t unnerving at all.

“You guys aren’t very quiet,” The basilisk--Vee--shrugged as she slithered in, and Hunter took another step back, his arm in front of Luz causing her to be pushed back as well. “Hey there, uh, new guy.” She offered a small, shy wave to Hunter, and he eyed her before hesitantly returning it.

“Vee, I think you should go back to bed, we were discussing--”

“I know, I heard.” Vee brushed off Luz’s mom. “I actually have an idea for, y’know, this predicament. No offence, but I can't really sleep with you guys arguing.” She said, the wringing of her clawed hands the only sign she was nervous, stopping only when she was between them, with Luz and Hunter on one side, Ms. Noceda on the other.

“Should I be worried about this?” Hunter whispered to Luz.

“Nah, she’s cool.” Luz whispered back.

“What if, and hear me out...we all sleep on this,” Vee said, palms pressed together. “We think it over during the night, and when it's actually  light  out, we talk about Luz wanting to go back to the Isles and the rules that would have to be put in place. And also nobody breaks in.” She tacked on quickly.

“So you  do  want to go back?” Luz’s mother turned to her, and he saw the hurt and shock in her eyes.

“I…” Luz looked like she had a ‘no,’ at the back of her throat, and he truly did believe she would’ve said all her mom wanted to say. But he nudged her side, and she looked up at him, and clearly he was doing  something  with his face, because the empty assurances died out.

“Y-yeah, I do.” She mumbled, looking back to her mom. “I...really,  really  want to see them again, back in their realm.”

And he avoided looking at Ms. Noceda’s face, because the shock and pain increased significantly.

“Well, I, for one,” He said, ducking around Luz. “Agree with the lizard's plan. Sleep on it, talk in the morning with Ms. Noceda, yadda yadda, all that fun stuff.”

“Camila is fine,” The woman murmured, sounding a little dazed.

“Lizard?”  Vee hissed, tongue flickering out as she narrowed her eyes on him.

“Right, sorry, snake fits better.” Hunter said before he could stop himself.

“You have permission to beat him up.” Luz said casually, ignoring Hunter’s indignant shout of “traitor!”

“I, yes, yes,” Luz’s mother--Camila--sighed, stepping back and bracing herself against the kitchen counter. “Tonight has been...a hectic one. It’s far too late to be talking about things like this.”

“Does this mean I can go?” Hunter asked, pointing with his thumb behind him. “Preferably without alerting everyone that I snuck out?”

“I don’t know  how  you got past Hooty,” Luz sighed, tilting her head and beginning to walk towards the front door with a quick, affirming glance with her mother that both had barely managed to make, Hunter immediately following.

“I escaped through your window.” Hunter said simply, and he noted Camila looking up slightly at that, until Vee approached her, murmuring in soft words he knew better than to try and eavesdrop on.

“Of course you did,” Luz grumbled, opening the front door and practically shoving Hunter outside. 

“Alright, alright, I get it, I’m leaving--”

Luz stepped out onto the front porch with him, leaving the front door open just a crack, enough so that she could be seen through it, and in turn could see Camila and Vee talking back by the kitchen.

“Am I going to get a personal lecture?” Hunter asked cautiously, crossing his arms as his ears flicked down. “Look, in my defense, you didn’t exactly explain a lot of things to  me--”

Luz lunged, and he stepped back and raised his hands defensively. Instead of a mean left hook he was expecting, he got arms wrapped around his sides, squeezing the air out of him.

Hunter wheezed, and would’ve doubled over if Luz wasn’t in the way. She didn’t let up on her hug, and after a moment of trying to get his thoughts in order, he slowly drew his arms around Luz, chin tucked against her head pressed into his chest.

“I’m glad you're okay,” Luz muffled into his shirt, and Hunter may have clung on a little tighter, aware of Rascal watching this all from his shoulder.

“Feel like you said this already.” He managed to get out.

“I know, I just wanted you to know I meant it.”

And if Hunter tilted his head down to press his face into Luz’s hair then, she didn’t say anything.

“Good to see you still kickin’, too.” He mumbled. 

“Miss me?” Luz teased, throwing his words back at him as she pulled her head back slightly, and Hunter quickly did the same to look down at her.

“Hardly,” He huffed, clearing his throat to hide how it cracked halfway through. “I just didn’t want everyone leaving me out of all the fun.”

“Uh huh,” Luz raised a brow. “So you just  happened  to drop by to make sure I was alright on the one night you  actually  managed to escape the Owl House without being caught?”

“...listen--”

Luz laughed, and Hunter sputtered over his words. He growled and pushed her back and off him, knowing his face was flushing as he turned away and crossed his arms. Luz’s laughter didn’t stop at that, and Rascal sounded like he was laughing, too.

His ears drooped down and he half-heartedly bared teeth, in what may have been an attempt to hide a smile.

“You’re such a massive pain, you know that?” He growled. 

“I do,” Luz grinned, laughter calming down to giggles. “I learned from the best.”

“That, you did. That Owl Lady couldn’t be more overbearing if she tried.” Hunter muttered.

“She’s got a bit of an empty nest syndrome, you get used to it.” Luz lightly nudged his shoulder. “It’s her way of welcoming you to the family.”

And he didn’t even have the time to process  that  whole sentence, because Rascal was fluttering onto Luz’s shoulder, cheeping as Luz raised a hand to scratch at his head.

“Make sure they know not to worry too much, okay?” She continued, looking up at him. “I’ll try and sort this out.”

“Does that mean you’re coming back soon?” Hunter paused, tilting his head. And maybe there was a tone of hopefulness in his tone, maybe.

Luz hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly in thought. She looked back towards the front door, though he couldn’t see if Camila or Vee were anywhere near it, what with the angle being off and Luz blocking most of it. He wondered if they could hear their conversation.

“I think so,” She said, quieter this time as she turned back to him with a small smile. “I... hope  so.”

“So do I, they’ll be insufferable without you.” Hunter teased. “Have fun thinking up how to explain to them your apparent promise.”

“Don’t remind me,” Luz groaned, throwing her head back. “Look, it was a panicked situation, and I didn’t want her any more scared than she--”

“Save it,” Hunter said, not unkindly, raising a hand to silence her. “I’ve made worse spur-of-the-moment decisions. Contrary to popular belief, I know you well enough that you’d never stay away for long. You have a habit of being a people-pleaser.”

Luz relaxed, and raised her hand to let Rascal hop onto it. She offered him back to Hunter, and he took the bird into his hands.

“Still, I’m sorry.” She said, wringing her hands together. “For all of this.”

“If all goes well, you’ll get to tell them that yourself.” He said, and attempted a smile.

“Hopefully,” Luz said, glancing back towards the door. “So, that means you’re willing to tell them what happened?” She asked, a pleading note to her voice.

“As in, I tell them that I broke out of the Owl House in the middle of the night, escaped to the human realm, found you when I  knew  they were going to do the same thing, and then came back to the demon realm  without  you, just to tell them you’ll  probably  be back soon, but I don’t know when?” Hunter said, ears lowering more and more as he spoke, raising a brow.

“...yes?” Luz tried, hands clasped behind her back as she looked up at him with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

“...I don’t know  why  I put up with you.” Hunter groaned, relenting as his shoulders slumped, letting Rascal fly up onto his shoulder.

“Because you care about me,” Luz teased in a singsong tone, her relief immediate.

“Unfortunately,” He muttered unthinkingly, before the words processed in his head. He tensed right after, eyes locked on the wall behind Luz.

She looked surprised for about half a second before she practically  lit up,  beaming excitedly at him.

“Anyway,”  He said quickly, voice higher than normal,  knowing  he was flushed up to his ears. “I should be off before your mom gets even more pissed at me.” He said, sharply turning on his heel.

Rascal was most definitely laughing at him now, and he pulled up his hood before shoving the bird into it, silencing him. He leapt down the stairs leading up to the porch, instead of walking down them like a normal person.

“Well, in her defense, you  did  break in.” Luz reminded, though there was a certain giddiness to her tone as she watched him leave.

“Like you  haven’t  done it!” Hunter scoffed behind him, beginning to hurry back towards the forest, head ducked low.

“Yes, but we don’t need to  tell  her that!” Luz hissed, voice notably quieter as she fearfully glanced back. 

“No promises!” He called back, a grin forming as he picked up the pace. “Call it compensation for throwing me to the wolves!”

“Wh--Hunter!” Luz squawked indignantly.

He turned on his heel for just a moment, giving Luz a mocking salute before ducking between the trees of the forest, cackling as Luz’s calls of “don’t you  dare!”  faded behind him.

“Alright, Rascal, prepare yourself.” He said, hearing his palisman chitter from within his hood, with a hint of annoyance to it. “We’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

[hewwocopter]

As Fate Would Have It

MK has doubts about his soulmate, but he’s certain that it’ll work out for the best.

Until he meets him.

On Ao3 (2112 words)

Soulmates were thought highly of in society.

Their customs were normally respected. If one wanted to cover their soulmark with an article of clothing, so be it. It was for the owner’s eyes only.

It had led MK to cover his right wrist with a bandana not unlike his headband.

He knew what it said. Many nights had his fingers traced over the words, longing to hear his soulmate’s voice. Even if they were to yell at him.

Because, he presumed, that was probably what they were going to do, considering the nature of his sentence.

He laid in his bed, fiddling with the bandana. It had been a long day at work today, and it was still slightly damp from the sweat his arms had accumulated from noodle deliveries.

Ah, well.

MK slipped the band off, already knowing what he would see.

Get off me, you idiot!

What gratifying first words, right?

It seemed as though their relationship would have a rocky start. MK knew this, he was fine with it.

He was good at getting people to open up, Pigsy proved that fact. What once was a grumpy pig who nearly called the cops on MK for being too rambunctious in the streets…

Well…

Now he was a grumpy pig man who had hired that rambunctious street child. When the man saw that MK needed a place, he took him in.

So yeah, MK could probably handle his soulmate. Plus, they were his soulmate- the one destined for him. So they would eventually like each other, even if they started off hating each other, right?

There was always that small voice in the back of his head that told him to doubt. That no matter what, his soulmate would reject him. They would hate him. That his strength was also his weakness. MK’s energy was just too much, he was way too over the top.

But he had to keep hope. He seared that sentence into his brain, knowing that they were out there. That they were alive, and that there was hope.

…Probably.

A yawn edged its way up his throat, causing MK to stretch and fall back into his bed.

He’d just have to see how it went, he supposed. MK had no way of knowing for certain.

Deciding that his energy was best spent on sleeping instead of debating with himself, he set his Monkey King themed alarm clock to its usual time and slipped under the blankets, his eyes quickly sliding shut.

—

Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK.

MK’s arms wobbled dangerously as he balanced precariously on the pipes of the sewer system.

Maniacal laughter echoed from beneath him, as green smoke erupted from the mountain. The Demon Bull King had been freed.

Son of a…

If his life were a show, this definitely would qualify as one of those record-scratch-freeze-frame moments, saying ‘hey, you’re probably wondering how I got here’.

He knew damn well how he got here. He was delivering noodles like a good delivery boy, although he was supposed to be on his break, which also begged the question:

Who ordered noodles in a sewer?! Where were the construction workers?!

How was he holding on this long?!

Although MK was surprised he hadn’t lost his grip yet.

The strange bird glanced over at him again, with a mischievous glint in its golden eyes.

His luck had been pushed to the limit with that last thought, it seemed.

He glowered, but wasn’t about to give up yet. MK waved the bird off. “No, shoo, go away!”

It hopped closer despite his warnings.

MK’s eyes only widened as what happened before him transpired in slow motion. The bird bent down and began to peck.

The incessant poking at his hand causing his grip to falter, and MK to become more panicked. Before he could shoo the bird away, he finally lost his grip and-

“No, no, no- aaaaaaaaugh!”

MK slipped.

Luckily his twenty to thirty foot fall was softened by his landing, which was on top of- oh, oh shit. He was going to die.

Before he could properly process that reaction, the giant Demon Bull King stomped up to him.

Their eyes gleamed an eerie green, casting a dark shadow onto his surroundings.

In this sort of situation, seeming it was a live or die one of the sort, MK decided he should probably de-escalate it. He let out a nervous chuckle, and lifted the noodle bag.

“Someone ordered some noodles?”

There was an awkward pause, as the villains stared at him, seemingly not expecting that reaction- they probably thought he’d be terrified- which he was, but sometimes his stupidity outweighed his sensibility.

A low growling rumbled from beneath, and MK flinched as the boy under him began to struggle, his hair flickering with flames.

“Get off me, you idiot!”

MK’s heart stopped, but only for a moment as he was sent flying and it was thumping wildly once more. While it was because of the actions occurring at the moment, what the boy- Red- had said also had a part in it.

Did he just-?

The boy tumbled to the ground, grunting.

“Do you know what you just did?” He turned to face MK fully, snarling. “You ruined my moment!”

MK could hardly process what the family was saying. Red Son- that was his name, probably- he had said what was on his wrist.

That right there was his soulmate.

He blinked, as a shadow was suddenly cast over him. MK visibly shrunk back as he saw that DBK was about to squish him, oh dear gods. All because he had zoned out over…

Speaking of. The boy slid in front of him, halting his father’s murder in progress. Thank goodness.

“Wait, father.” Red Son placed a hand on DBK’s heel, nudging him away.

MK’s eyes widened at the sight. Was he sparing him?

Then another stuttering thought.

Did he know?

He hadn’t said anything to the boy, had he? All he had done was scream so far.

“What is this?”

“Waste not your energy on this peasant. Please, allow me to show you how powerful I have become in your absence!”

MK drooped, and he nearly face-palmed. Great, so now my soulmate is going to kill me!

“As you wish.”

Well, fuck this. MK was going to escape, call the cops, then buy ice cream and cry over the fact that his soulmate was a villain. That probably hated him, considering the fact he was going to kill him.

MK turned away slowly, and began crawling away. Only halting at the sound of Red Son’s voice, internally cursing himself that he was caught.

“In some ways, you’re very fortunate, noodle boy.” Now Red Son was smiling, and were those fangs?

Oh gods, that was hot.

The thought ran through his mind a few more times before MK realized what it was, his face flaring red before he could stop it.

Are you kidding me?! Evil soulmate who hates me, and now I go and think he’s hot?!

No, no, he could not let himself get attracted to that. MK rapidly accelerated his inching away, only backwards now, only to bump into a pole, now lying discarded on the concrete.

A voice in the back of his mind whispered the truth of what it really was.

Monkey King’s staff…?

“Not many insects are lucky to be stamped out by the Demon Bull family-“ His eyes narrowed, probably at the boy’s expression which by now was a deep cherry red. “Are you even listening to me?!”

Yes and no. Red Son’s voice had no right being that hot, smoky yet matter of fact. But MK was too distracted by the staff, as well as escaping to properly pay attention to what he was articulating.

Where had these feelings even come from…?

The boy growled. “I, Red Son, will not be disrespected! You’re history!”

He raised his gauntlet, igniting it with his flames and rushed towards the delivery boy who was still stuck in his internal panic. MK’s eyes snapped up as he realized just what was going on.

Oh fuck-

MK instinctively grabbed the first thing near him- the staff- and raised it in front of him as his defense.

A loud clanging noise echoed throughout the chambers, along with a huge gust of wind.

“N-no way.” MK’s eyes peeked open upon hearing the other’s disbelief at him not being dead. “How could you possibly lift Monkey King’s staff?!” Red Son backed away from him, eyes wary but wide.

MK could only stare at the staff in awe, nothing else registering in his brain.

Red Son stammered. “I- I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m about to end it! That staff is mine!”

MK was snapped out of his trance at the appearance of the Bull clones and DBK. He let out a little whimper- one villain he could take on but fifty?! “I’m supposed to be on my breeEEEAAK!”

He swung the staff in a wide arc, a golden light erupting from the motion towards the enemies.

Through the brightness, MK saw Red Son’s expression pale, although that could have been the light. His mouth was slack jawed, eyes wide, and then he was struck with the incredible power of the staff, sent flying.

The bull clones retreated, but the superiors managed to stay standing. Oh crap, I just managed to piss off a bunch of powerful villains. I’m so dead.

“Aah,” He stumbled for an explanation, “That was way more explosive than I expected.” He then coughed, some of the soot (?) from the explosion (?!) having found its way onto his face.

A thud from Princess Iron Fan’s weapon caused the boy to jump. From her expression, he could tell that the woman was not happy.

MK gulped, and began to thrust the staff around wildly, hoping to scare her off. “Stay back! I don’t know how I’m doing this stuff!”

“That staff doesn’t belong to you, little boy. Hand it over.” Like a chiding mother to her child, the woman then held her hand out expectantly. Like she was expecting him to comply.

For a split-second, he considered it. Then promptly threw that thought out the window, because one- these people were villains, two- they were probably going to kill him either way, and three- it was Monkey King’s staff, how could he give it away?!

So MK wasn’t going to comply.

He grasped the staff protectively, holding it up against his cheek. “Mmm… no…?”

That was the moment when the staff chose to wobble, sticking itself into the ground which was absolutely not of MK’s volition that time. “Okay, I didn’t even move that ti-“

The next moment he was up in the air, the staff carrying him away, and all he could do was scream.

—

Red Son pushed some rubble off of himself, his mind still reeling.

“I’m supposed to be on my breeEEEAAK!”

The words replayed in his mind, although they were uttered only a few seconds ago. As Red rubbed at his head, still sore from where he had hit it against the wall, his eyes narrowed in thought.

He couldn’t believe it. The one who plagued his thoughts, the one whose words were written on his left shoulder… it was that stupid noodle boy?!

Son of a bitch.

Fate would have it be this way.

Red had to go after him. One, to beat the everloving shit out of the boy and get the staff. Two, to demand to know why it was him. Why the gods had chosen that stupid idiot for him.

Red Son didn’t need anyone. He had himself and his intelligence, and he deemed that enough. It would get him where he needed to be.

Red Son also wasn’t an idiot. He was a facts person, that much was true. He ran on logic, feelings were just icky and out of place. Predetermined love? Yeah, fuck that. He was his own person, Red Son didn’t need anyone to tell him who to love.

But he had to know.

Noodle Boy had answers.

He halted his father once more, who was in the middle of intensely describing how he would skin the noodle boy alive. “Father, allow me. I won’t fail you a second time.”

“See that you don’t.” He snarled. “My patience is past its end!”

“Of course, father.” Red Son vanished into a plume of fire, only to appear at his vehicle. He quickly hopped in and sped after the boy, already getting a reading on him on his radar.

He was going to get his answers, one way or another.

[mysticmedusa26]

Tony Stark Yes Iron Man Not Recommended

After Ultron the avengers had moved to the compound and Tony had all but quit the superhero game. He still had his suits and updated them often or built new ones. The avengers didn’t even contact him anymore and somehow that hurt a lot because he had thought they were friends. Tony had tried to call twice but each time Steve had been too busy to talk to him. Rhodey at least stayed in contact and Tony found himself thankful for his long time friend. Alone in the tower Tony realized that he could finally do what he wanted. No one was there to be offended by how he wanted to be in his own house. With a grin Tony rushed to his penthouse to get what he wanted.

So this was how Tony Stark, superhero, iron man, and the man with horrible impulses found himself standing in the common room's living room a cup of coffee half way to his lips frozen as Loki stared at him.

“Well shit, can we please forget you saw this and you just kill me after I change my clothes?” He asked with wishful thinking.

Tony was many things but among them was a dark secret of being a secret fanboy of several super-villains. Steve would be so disappointed and Pepper would probably kill him with her heels if she knew. So in his secret desire to drool over and fanboy over some villains along with his own perversion of loving to wear sexy women’s lingerie he found himself dressed to his heart’s desire of fanboying over Loki.

The god stood there eyes dilated and licking his lips as he looked over the corset top in his colors, the sexy lace panties in black with green that matched the top spiked heeled boots, and a fashionable golden crown with small horns like Loki’s helmet.

“You’re wearing my colors.”

Tony studied the god a moment willing his racing heart that told him he should kneel for the god to calm long enough for him to either die with grace or pray to whatever god he didn’t believe in that the avengers never found his body.

“Well I’m kind of a fan boy and you’re smoking hot and smart as hell to the point I would kneel before you if I could just poke that beautiful brain of yours for even a moment…damn brain to mouth filter why don’t you exist?” He cursed himself realizing he was telling Thor’s insane little brother he had a boner for him.

“Fan boy?” Loki said stepping closer his armor and staff vanishing.

“Ah yeah…”

“You’d kneel before me?”

Tony felt his heart race as he nodded.

“What would you do for me on your knees?” Loki asked lust dripping from his voice as he licked his lips.

“Fuck, anything you want.” Tony answered dropping to his knees in front of the god.

“Good, I have a very long list of what I want from you my dear.” Loki said grabbing the mortal’s head and pressing him to his crotch where a very impressive piece was waiting for his attention.

Tony was certain he would die but he was going to enjoy the path that led to his grave.

~

2

Tony probably should have taken the random appearance of Loki as a sign that he shouldn’t go around fanboying or stark naked(pun fully intended) but he was Tony Stark and he did what he wanted. So that was how he found himself another day doing what he wanted and in the common room again naked staring down the winter soldier. His dick showed his attention within moments and he looked down before meeting the soldier’s eyes.

“Well fuck, can you just ignore the fact that I find you ridiculously hot as hell and just let me put on some clothes before you kill me?”

The soldier looked down at his hard cock and began removing his gear.

“Ah soldier?”

The soldier closed the distance between them and grabbed his hair to pull his head back and seal his lips with his own. The kiss was deep and passionate and shut off Tony’s brain for the two hours the solider had him in any and every position he wanted him in.

When he woke up still alive, alone, and unable to walk Tony wondered if he just attracted villains. Not that Bucky Barnes was a villain but he wasn’t exactly a good guy with all the winter soldier programming in his head. The pain in his lower back was a familiar one and he sighed content with the fact the soldier had used him for his own desires before leaving. He should probably wonder why the soldier was even there but he was to happy to at the moment.

~

3

Tony decided he wanted pie and it had been years since he’d baked anything. While most believed he couldn’t cook to save his life the reality was he was actually really good at baking. He had just pulled a pie out of the oven when he turned to find his tower had an unexpected visitor. That wasn’t the worst part though as Tony was naked other than the apron that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Yes he still went around naked, it was his house and no sudden arrival of villains was changing that.

“So before you kill me can we please sit down and eat this pie? It would be a shame for it to go to waste.”

Magneto knowing his suit was useless to him actually sat down with him not commenting on his lack of clothes. He saw the mutant’s eyes widened at the taste of the pie and without a word when he was finished he picked up the rest of the pie and took his leave.

Tony wasn’t sure how he was still alive but he was beginning to wonder if his charm was what was saving him.

~

4

Tony had been in his workshop for nearly a week without sleep. He was in that state of sleepiness that Clint had described as cute as a basket full of kittens. He stumbled out of his workshop with his hair a mess in a way that always made even Natasha want to pet him like a kitten. Surprisingly enough Tony could purr and would snuggle up to the first person he came into contact with.

So when he stepped onto the common floor he didn’t hesitate to go over to the stranger in his home and snuggle up to him. He buried his face in his clothes and wrapped his arms around him. If he had at least had some sleep perhaps he would have realized he was cuddling Doom and would have called for the suit. Instead Doom was much like Natasha and unable to stop himself from petting him. The sound he made in his sleepy state had Doom picking him up and carrying him to the couch to let the inventor get comfortable and cuddle up to him.

It was only later when he woke up to JARVIS telling him what happened and showing him the footage that Tony thanked whatever god was watching out for him that he was adorable and loved cuddles.

~

5

Loki had arrived again making himself at home without asking. Tony had come up from the lab to find Loki there sitting on the couch naked.

“I desire your mouth to pleasure me.”

Tony didn’t even question it as he settled between Loki’s legs and began sucking the god off. He only realized they weren’t alone when Loki spoke.

“You can stand there all day or you can fuck this beautiful little creature while he has his way with my cock.”

Tony didn’t even stop what he was doing as he felt the familiar feeling of a flesh and metal hand gripping his hips. He was deep throating Loki when the soldier thrust into him with a force that was both painful and pleasurable. Loki was petting him as he managed to continue skillfully sucking the god while being pounded into by the soldier.

When both still remained there after they’d had their fun Tony wondered if the two were going to become permanent residents of his tower. Either way he knew he could still be naked whenever he wanted so he didn’t really care either way.

~

+1

Tony wasn’t sure how this was his life now but here he was in the common room of his tower at the table with Loki, Bucky, Magneto, Doom, and oddly enough Mystique. They were playing a variety of games like poker and black jack which had resulted in it turning into strip poker with the added twist of allowing cheating as long as you didn’t get caught.

Their game of course had come after a very extensive prank war which had Bucky currently with neon pink hair with far too bright orange highlights, Loki was currently stuck in his Jotun form because Doom had some magic, Mystique had clothes spelled onto her and could only be removed when she lost enough games, Tony had been spelled by both Loki and Doom to have cat ears and a tail to match his odd ability to purr, and Doom currently had a tramp stamp that read ‘Property of Tony Stark’ which wasn’t a prank pulled by Tony but by Loki and Bucky who were a terror when teamed up.

At their table they had beers(or in Tony’s case a smoothie because Loki and Bucky didn’t want him drinking anymore because Loki had seen his liver and threatened to do terrible things if he ever undid the damage that he heal) and homemade pie. It was apparently world saving pie which Tony didn’t believe until Magneto and Mystique had threatened to destroy the city if there wasn’t pie waiting for them when they visited which was oddly often.

During their visits of course prank wars happened, weirdly enough science happened because Doom and Loki were both smart as hell and Tony was tempted to clone them, and game nights happened with the added bonus of pie and occasionally a movie.

So this was how the avengers found them when they suddenly decided to make a visit. Doom was almost completely naked because he sucked at poker and was only wearing his underwear, Loki was topless but still had his pants and boots, Bucky was in a similar state, Mystique was naked which she seemed happy about because she didn’t like clothes, Magneto the bastard was a master of poker and had only lost his cape, and Tony was half way bent over trying to remove his underwear when the group stopped by.

“Well shit, I don’t suppose you guys will not shoot me so I can finish my game night?”

“They try and shoot you and I’m going to kill them. Remove the underwear Stark, you lost this round and you know the rules.” Bucky said already dealing the new game.

“Yes do hurry, I wish to be the victor yet again tonight.” Magneto said clear humor in his voice.

“I do not understand how you keep winning, I’ve been cheating this entire time.” Loki said taking the hand given to him.

“Well Lokes maybe you should try skill.” Tony said making the god stick his tongue out at him.

“I think I’m still winning seeing as you’ve lost enough to be naked.”

“Tony what the hell?” Clint snapped.

“Game night, also I stopped the major villains from terrorizing the city.” He said returning to his seat to see his cards.

“Bucky? Wh-what did they do to you?” Steve asked looking like someone kicked his puppy.

“Prank wars punk, don’t worry I got Doom back by giving him a tramp stamp.”

As though proud of it Doom showed off the tattoo.

“It was a glorious war and I shall have my vengeance later.”

“Just remember no more trying to remove and hide Bucky’s metal arm from him. Last time I was almost certain he’d throw Mystique through a window.” Tony said as he looked over his cards.

“I would have to if Loki hadn’t teleported me to your lab for cuddle time.” Bucky said a faint grin on his face.

“Tony you want to explain why villains and the winter soldier are in your home?” Natasha asked while Thor was just staring at his brother who was sitting comfortably in his Jotun form.

“Well it’s a long story but I kind of stop them all from being villains with pie, cuddles, and sex.”

“Don’t forget the hint of fanboying.” Loki said as they continued their game.

“Yeah maybe a bit of fanboying but they don’t need to know that. Anyways come join us, grab a beer and some pie.”

All eyes looked up glaring at the avengers.

“You get no pie or I shall destroy the city.” Magneto said pulling the pie closer to him to protect it.

“Hey Magneto there’s plenty of pie. I made like five today so you could take some home.”

To the utter horror of the avengers the mutant pulled Tony into a hug not even seeming to mind the fact he was naked.

“Let go of my fella or I’m going to put a knife in your skull.” Bucky warned glaring daggers at the mutant.

“Oh let our darling inventor be hugged for a bit, it will make it so much more worth it when we punish him for allowing another to touch him. I say we chain him in our bedchambers until he learns his lesson.” Loki hummed as he revealed his hand thinking he’d won.

“I like how you think but you still lose.” Bucky said revealing his cards.

“Damn you mortal, how have I lost again?”

The others revealed their hands and Bucky did indeed win that hand.

“Awe yeah babe time to strip!” Tony cheered.

“You just wish to see me naked darling.”

“Oh yeah I do you sexy blue god.”

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Rhodey cried out to weirded out by the scene.

“World peace in progress is what’s going on Rhodey. Now go grab some pie.” Tony scolded.

“Brother?” Thor asked confused.

Loki raised a brow.

“If you are to ask a question brother you will need more words.”

Thor didn’t add more words because Loki had called him brother. He claimed a pie for himself earning some glares but with the promise of more pies baked later the group didn’t kill the thunder god. The others finally gave in and after trying the pie Clint moaned at the taste.

“Oh god no wonder they’re no longer villains. I would turn into a villain if meant getting more pie.”

There were hums of agreement and soon the others joined their game. Steve had a terrible poker face and was naked within a few rounds. Natasha was eyeing the super soldier and soon Clint was also outright staring.

“Stevie you might want to watch out, looks like two spies are eyeing you.” Bucky warned Steve.

Tony leaned over to the duo and whispered, “Loki is bigger.

Loki smirked having heard them.

“They do not get to touch me darling. Only you and our beautiful one armed assassin.”

Tony grinned until it was clear Natasha was just going to keep wiping the floor with them. Even Magneto who was all around champion of card games was left naked by the end of the night.

Like with every game night Doom, Magneto, and Mystique left afterwards stealing the pie as they went. The avengers however stayed and Loki turned Bucky’s hair back to normal.

“So this is a thing you do?” Wanda asked curious.

“Yep, no set time they just show up. Anyways I’ll give you guys time to talk or whatever.” Tony said intending to leave Bucky to Steve and Loki to his brother.

“Are you intending to leave us dear kitten?” Loki asked with that unbelievably sexy pout that Tony couldn’t say no to.

“Put the pout away I’m staying.” He said already curling up to the god.

Loki smiled as he hugged the inventor. This was his life now apparently. Game nights with former villains, sleeping with the enemy, and the avengers realizing his file should have said Tony Stark yes Iron Man not recommended.

[witchypupil]

Practicing Witchcraft: What You Should Know About Blood Magic

Blood Magic

‘Blood magic’. conjures up all kinds of gothic images, doesn’t it? The very word ‘blood’ is a real attention-grabber. Combine it with words like ‘magic’, ‘ritual’, ‘spell’ or ‘rite’, and usually thoughts fly to human sacrifices on a stone altar dripping with dark red and other images that look like something straight out of a horror movie.  

As usual, the fiction is much darker and more stirring than the reality of it. Yes, blood can be dangerous— both magically and mundanely. But fire can also be dangerous, no one would think to tell you not to use it to cook your meals. You just have to learn how to use it safely and properly.

The truth is, blood magic can be quite potent if you’re inclined to do it, and if you know what you’re doing. It should not be undertaken lightly, or carelessly; but it doesn’t deserve the ‘taboo’ stamp that many are quick to give it.

Using Blood in Magic and Spells

The Power of Blood

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that blood is a powerful thing. This is something that is so embedded in us that we all understand it. Fear and awe of blood goes way back to our earliest human ancestors. The sight of that bright red fluid -- whether it was coming from an enemy or friend, your prey or yourself – got immediate attention. Blood is associated with such powerful concepts that some people can’t stand the sight of it, and might faint away if presented with too much. Hemophobia is the fear of blood.

Blood is associated with death: the slain warriors on the field, the victim of violence, the hunter’s prey all lay bloody in their final state. Blood is also associated with life: it’s part of the cycle of fertility that perpetuates life. If you lost too much blood, you would grow weak and die. If your blood is tainted, you will wither.

Blood is associated with pain: you see it when you stumble and fall, have an accident, or fight. Blood is also associated with passion: when you love doing something, when you are good at it, it’s ‘in your blood’. Someone you love, particularly family members, are your ‘blood’. Blood connects you to things, or others. Even if you don’t know someone, you can empathize with them, your ‘heart bleeds for them’. Blood is passion, it’s connection, it’s raw emotion.

Blood is life. It courses through your body delivering oxygen and nutrients to every part of you. Blood is energy—when you push yourself, your heart pounds and your pulse races as your blood flows even faster.  A woman bleeds during her menstrual cycle, she bleeds when her hymen breaks, there’s blood at childbirth. If you donate blood you might be saving someone’s life.

Whatever little microscopic bits are floating around in there contain the very essence for all that you are. A scientists can (illegally) clone you if they had just a drop of your blood. Your blood contains your DNA—a blueprint not just for you, but your complete ancestral line.

Something that contains this much power is naturally powerful in magic. Perhaps some would say it’s too powerful.

Blood Magic is Not Blood Sacrifice

Blood Magic: No Harm Necessary

Blood magic is not magic that involves killing people or animals in ritual sacrifice. Let’s just make that clear. We’re not talking about laying some innocent creature out on an altar or in the center of a pentagram and killing it, or wounding it. This would be all kinds of wrong, not to mention illegal, and is not at all what I mean when I talk about blood magic.

Blood magic is the use of a few drops of blood during a spell or ritual—usually your own blood, but if you are casting for someone else you could use theirs (with caution and permission, of course).  Those few drops can add power to a magical working in any number of ways.

Is Blood Magic Evil?

The first thing you need to learn about blood magic is that it’s not inherently evil. Blood isn’t evil, is it? Does it make you ‘evil’ or desire to do malicious deeds just because it’s currently inside your body? If not, why do you think it would it become ‘evil’ outside of your body? Some people mistakenly think that using blood in magic is ‘dark’ or somehow only associated with malevolent intentions. This is simply not true.

The negative connotations stem back to that fear of blood I spoke about earlier: fear of our own mortality, fear of power, etc., are the kind of driving factors behind a fear of blood. Indeed, if you are hemophobic, you might want to avoid blood altogether. It’s not for everyone.

But I come from a more objective perspective. I see blood – like any object or component you would use in magic – as simply a tool. It’s a very powerful tool, but a tool nonetheless. It’s neither benevolent nor malevolent in its own right. You could use it for any number of purposes, though like any other tool it’s not advised to use it for unethical purposes.

Going back to the fire analogy—I could use fire to burn down my neighbor’s home when they piss me off. I have access to fire, which can be a very powerful destructive choice if I choose. So what stops me? The fact that I am an ethical person who has no interest in hurting others. Just because I don’t want to hurt someone with fire doesn’t mean I shouldn’t use it. By the same logic, I don’t want to hurt someone with blood magic; just because I don’t want to cause harm with it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t feel free to utilize this powerful tool.

A good implement to have for blood magic is the prickers that diabetics use to test their blood sugar.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Practicing Safe Blood Magic

Before I begin discussing ways to use blood in magic, let’s discuss ways to use it safely. First, there are a few don’ts to keep in mind:

Don’t ever take more than a few drops

Don’t ever take blood from an unwilling participant (this includes animals because they cannot give consent)

Do not smear your blood on people, let people smear blood on you, or try to exchange blood in any way; remember that many diseases can be transferred through blood

Do not ever consume blood, either directly or by putting it into a drink; aside from the fact that you can catch diseases, blood itself is toxic to human beings. More than a couple of teaspoons can cause haemochromatosis and potentially do some serious organ damage.

Don’t let others drink your blood, either directly raw or by putting it into food or drinks; this is essentially giving your power over to that person, and not in a good way.

The correct way to perform blood magic safely would be:

Sanitize the area of skin with an alcohol pad or sanitizing gel.

Sanitize a small poking implement, such as a pin.

Poke only enough to break the skin.

Squeeze out your few drops to collect for your use

Clean the wound immediately and put some antibiotic ointment on it. If it’s still bleeding, put a bandage on it.

Handle and dispose of anything that has been touched with blood with extreme caution until the end of your ritual or spell.

Disinfect surfaces (of your skin and your work space), implements and any other tools after performing blood magic.

Keep the wound clean as it heals.

If you are a woman and you prefer, you can use your menstrual blood (moon blood, blood of the moon) rather than pricking yourself. You can catch menstrual blood easily with a diva cup if you need to temporarily preserve it for ritual—just don’t hang onto it very long, and all the same sanitary practices regarding care and clean-up also applies.

When (and When Not) to Use Blood Magic

I can't tell you exactly when and where blood magic is your best option, but I can tell you my reasoning: I use it only in extreme need for the most important circumstances.

I’ll use it for protection— not minor protection, such as if my co-worker is a nuisance I’m not going to use blood magic to keep her out way; but major protection, when there is a potential for serious life-changing threats (accident, crime, etc.)

I’ll use it for health and wellness—not minor issues like sore throats or skinned knees, but big health issues like disease, injuries, surgery or breaking unhealthy addictions.

I’ll use it for desperate needs—not minor things like saving money for a Disney trip, but big things like if I were on the verge of being homeless or starving I would use it to draw what I need to survive

That’s about it. I have more rules about when to never use it:

I never use blood magic unless I’m (or the person I’m doing it on behalf of is) fully prepared to accept whatever the consequences may be (which means thinking them through very carefully).

I never use it to target other people without their permission (unless, of course, it’s deadly necessary for protection; I had no issue banishing a violent family member who refused to leave my mother’s home and threatened my life with a gun)

I never use it in love or relationship magic; bonds between people need to be naturally developed, not forced. Blood magic turns a potential bond into a chain: emotional slavery.

I never use it to gain power; if you can’t earn it naturally, you don’t deserve it and probably won’t know how to wield it.

I never use it to bring harm to anyone or anything.

I never use it for vengeance or retaliation

Spell Casting with Blood

Using Blood in Magic

Now that you know the correct way to safely use blood in magic, let’s talk about how you might put it to use. There are countless ways, actually, limited only by your imagination. But here are a few ideas to get you started.

In candle magic, mix blood drops with oil to dress and charge your candle.

Use a small drop or two to anoint and charge any talisman or amulet.

In jar or container magic, add a few drops of blood to the container.

In petition magic, smear some blood on the paper the petition is written on.

Place a drop of blood in a mojo bag before tying it up.

Alternatives to Blood

Though not entirely as powerful as blood, there are other things you can use to personalize a spell and lend it a boost: urine, saliva, semen, nail and hair clippings, for example. These are all effective options that will lend power to minor workings, or workings when blood magic wouldn't be appropriate or advised.

When you're first learning magic, it's advised that you work with these first before graduating on to blood. Take some time, experiment with these things. You'll begin to get a sense of how much putting 'part of yourself' into a spell affects your magic.

Once again, nothing is inherently good or bad—it all depends on how you choose to utilize it. So practice ‘safe magic’ and you'll be okay.

-Mackenzie Sage Wright  

https://exemplore.com/wicca-witchcraft/Witchcraft-for-Beginners-What-You-Should-Know-about-Blood-Magic

artwork: http://evil.wikia.com/wiki/File:The_Blood_Magic.jpg

[evabellasworld]

Death of Mandalore

Chapter 12

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

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Summary:  After murdering Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic, Vanya Doyvesky joined leagues with both Death Watch and Darth Maul, hoping to reclaim her Mandalorian warrior heritage. But with broken promises and betrayal against Death Watch and Maul’s crime syndicate, the former Mandalorian Jedi had to choose the right path not only for her but for Clan Doyvesky as well.

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“I46,” Cinta read aloud the bingo ball, making Obi-Wan groan in frustration. Arin, on the other hand, was smiling as she stamped her card. “I am definitely winning this game.”

“Shall I say the next number?”

“Yes, please,” the red Twi’lek gave a thumbs up, prompting the pink Togruta to roll the cage, letting the numbers fall out of the flap on its own. Picking them up with her fingers, she read the next one. ‘O64,” she announced. “Do we have an O64 here?”

Obi-Wan and Arin shook their heads. “Nope, we don’t,” said Obi-Wan as he gazed at his own cards, with barely any numbers stamped at all. “Move on to the next number.”

Cinta’s eyes narrowed at the auburn-haired Jedi Master and turned to Arin, who was tapping her fingers on the table. “What about you, General? Do you have an O64 on your card?”

“I don’t have an O64, unfortunately,” she replied, sighing. “You can move on to the next number.”

He rolled his eyes as Cinta spun the cage again, picking up another number. “You don’t trust me, do you?”

“What are you saying?” she let out a chuckle, avoiding his glance. “I do trust you.”

“Do you, really? I asked a moment ago the same question as General Sallis and you answered her instead.”

“Well, I was just making sure, that’s all,” shrugged Cinta. “Besides, you have a habit of cheating in games like these.”

“Master Kenobi, you cheated in games?” Arin snorted, waving her fingers. “That’s very naughty of you.”

“I never cheat,” he insisted, showing his palms. “I just used the Force to my advantage, that’s all.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Master Kenobi, do you realise that you just described the definition of cheating?”

“No, actually, I just described my Force-sensitivity. Why do you ask?”

Cinta blinked as she crossed her arms and exchanged a wink with Arin. “Just ignore him, General. Cheaters never admit that they play dirty in games like bingo.”

“Maybe you should admit that you hardly pay attention,” Obi-Wan poked her left arm. “After all, I’m just better at games than you are.”

She simpered at her friend as she said aloud the number, predicting the end of the game. “O66.”

“Bingo!” Arin frenzied, showing her card to the Togruta. “I’ve won! I’ve won!”

Obi-Wan’s lips were sealed as his head hung low, clasping his hands together on the table. Cinta smirked at him, her hands rested on his shoulder. “You were saying, Kenobi?”

“Well,” he stammered, lifting his fingers. “You must have used the Force to let Arin win, am I right?”

“You’re such a sore loser,” she bared her fangs, slapping his shoulders in a playful manner. “Just admit that you weren’t paying attention the whole time.”

He softly laughed as he stroked his beard, his eyes focused at Arin. “It was a good game,” Obi-Wan offered his hand towards her. “I’m happy for you.”

“It’s not a big fuss for me,” grinned Arin. “After all, to win a game of bingo, you need Lady Luck by your side, if she feels like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Basically, you need to pray that luck is on your side and then you can win the game,” she simplified as she composed herself, putting on her poker face. “After all, bingo is full of unpredictability, just like life itself.”

Obi-Wan chortled and nodded, realising what she said was true, based on his experiences. “That’s actually precise, if you think about it” he leaned against his seat, slurping a glass of water. “So far, the Chancellor was murdered, Eva and her sister went missing, and currently, we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, so yes, life is full of uncertainty.”

“Yeah,” Cinta sighed, sitting next to him. “I kept having frequent headaches because too many are dying every single day, which is taking a toll on my health.”

“Using the Force to heal someone is difficult, even if you’ve trained long enough to handle the pain.”

“I can understand why there aren’t many Jedi Healers around,” she massaged her own neck. “The responsibilities are far too great and plus, do you have any idea how many pills I have to take?”

“I feel that,” Arin validated her feelings, rubbing Cinta’s back. “Medics and Healers are the most stressful jobs in wars, since they either risk getting themselves killed or die of infection since they’re too focused on their patients.”

Obi-Wan’s head drooped as he took a deep breath, reminiscing about the sudden death of his apprentice, whom he never got to say goodbye. “You know, it’s funny. It’s like yesterday we met them and then the next day, they’re not here anymore, you know. Never realise that life is too short until you see it with your very own eyes.”

Cinta hands him a handkerchief and pats his back as Obi-Wan sniffles when Anakin and Ahsoka walk into their tent. Noticing their presence, he cleared his throat and glanced at them, returning Cinta’s handkerchief frantically. “Anakin, Ahsoka,” he forced himself to smile. “Is there anything you need?”

“Master Yoda and Master Mundi want you in the briefing room,” his former apprentice informed him, sensing his grief. “Also, are you alright

“I’m alright, that you, Anakin,” he bowed, as headed out of the medbay, much to their worries.

Passing by the clones who were preoccupied with their duties, the base on the Anaxes was crowded, with the remaining Republic officers pacing back and forth, ordering their soldiers to carry some crates which stores ammunition, rations, and spare parts for ships and vehicles. Tents and barracks were set up in rows just to house whatever is left of the Jedi, clones, and officers alike.

Obi-Wan felt that the Republic remnants were lucky that they could gather as many soldiers as they could get to fight against the Separatists, which were reorganised into the first Galactic Empire under the leadership of Count Dooku. After what happened on Coruscant, which burned to the ground, he’s uncertain about the future of the galaxy.

Entering the briefing room, he bowed to Yoda and Ki-Adi-Mundi, who were waiting for him. “You summoned me, Masters?”

Both of them were silenced as they stepped away from the holotable, revealing a familiar face from his past. His eyes beamed as he saw his distressed lover again, prompting him to play her message that was delivered. “This is a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Obi-Wan listened to her voice. I've lost Mandalore. My people have been massacred, and Almec is now the prime minister. I can't explain everything now but Almec has the support of the crime families.”

“Obi-Wan, I need your help.”

The message stopped playing, leaving him stunned. The last time he met her, Obi-Wan had to protect her from her enemies on her homeworld. Vizsla was there too, who eventually revealed himself as the one behind the attacks against her. He wonders if it’s the same case all over again. “Your thoughts on this, Master Kenobi?” Mundi asked, sensing his distress.

“Satine has been at odds with the Death Watch for years,” he recalled. “And according to a report from Eva Bella Young, they're no longer in league with the Separatists.”

He paused for a moment after mentioning her name, before continuing his words. “If there was a takeover on Mandalore, it was most likely an independent act caused by the Death Watch alone.”

The Cerean Jedi sighed. “Without involvement from the Separatists, this is an internal affair for the Mandalorians. I'm afraid we cannot help.”

“We cannot just hand Mandalore over to these crime families and let Satine become a martyr,” argued Obi-Wan.

“I'm afraid her decision to keep Mandalore neutral makes this situation difficult.”

“Understand your feelings I do, Obi-Wan,” Yoda spoke, in a calming voice. “But to take action, support from the admirals, we will need.”

“You know what the admirals will decide,” grumbled Obi-Wan. “They will not send aid to a neutral system.”

“At this time, nothing more can we do.”

“I understand, master,” he tightened his lips as he walked out of the tent, only to find Cinta and Anakin standing there, waiting.

“Is everything alright, master?” asked Anakin, holding his hands.

“It's Satine,” he answered, swallowing a lump of saliva. “Her planet had been taken over by Death Watch again.”

“That's awful,” Cinta pitied, tugging on her shawl around her two-piece dress. “Are you going to rescue her? Surely you can’t just let her face her troubles all on her own.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Unfortunately, Mandalore is a neutral system. Since this isn't a Separatist takeover, we can't do anything at all."

“Well that sucks,” commented Anakin, placing his hands on his hips. “Someone has to do something about it.”

“I agree,” she nodded. “Neutral system or not, we should do something to help her. Is there anything we can do for you, Obi-Wan? I know that you and Satine were close to each other.”

She’s right, he pondered, formulating a plan to rescue his lover who is imprisoned on Mandalore. If he could find a ship around the base, he could fly there in his own disguise and get her out of there. But he cannot do it with Anakin and Cinta, since this is personal between him and the Duchess and also, someone needs to cover-up for him. Besides, Eva would approve this plan anyways.

“Anakin, is there a ship you could lend me for a while?” Obi-Wan made up his mind.

“Yeah, I still have the Twilight left,” Anakin replied, his head held high. “Why do you ask?”

“Great,” he thanked the Maker. “I need you both to vouch for me while I’m gone. No one must know that I’m heading to Mandalore. Is that clear?”

The brown-haired man smiled along with Cinta, pleased with his decision. “Now you're talking.”

[jessicakehoe]

In the Midst of a ’90s Revival, a Veteran Fashion Journalist Looks Back on the Era

The perennially sooty Milanese air was alive with electricity on the spring night that Tom Ford exploded a sex bomb on the runway. It was the show—low-key in a black room at a men’s club (unlike the blowout spectacles to follow years later)—for his Fall 1995 collection, when he put Gucci back on the map. It wasn’t just the bedhead (a new idea at the time) or the smoky eye (also fresh) or the satin blouses worn open to the navel. It was the swagger: Amber, Shalom, Kate and then Helena in perilously low-cut jewel-tone velvet bell bottoms, horsebit pumps, nonchalant chubby furs and sassy mohair coats. Channelling the howling youth of Jagger and Morrison, Ford cranked the volume up to 11. 

We like to poke fun at the ’90s, reducing the decade to Rachel hair and plaid shirts, but I cut my fashion teeth then (and that show still blows my socks off). I was a kid from Pickering, Ont., learning on my feet how to be the fashion reporter for a national newspaper. Runway news was brought back from the front lines then, with a six-month time lag, by just a handful of photographers and reporters. We still wore Levi’s and combat boots to fashion shows—because we were working and it was kind of a war. There were no celebs in the front row. Cellphones were not yet commonplace, so we filed copy from Europe by sticking suction cups to the receivers of land lines at hotels in a complicated prototype of dial-up. 

Yes, things were slower, but that meant big ideas cut through, and in the thick of a ’90s revival, there’s something to be learned from going back briefly to what happened then. Just one season later, for Prada’s Spring 1996 show, Miuccia Prada—who began back in the ’80s as a strict adherent of minimalism—laid down her fresh, intellectually charged vision of jolie laide, or “ugly-pretty.” The stiff clothes with clashing patterns, like awkward schoolgirl uniforms wrought in sallow shades of mud and snot, were a revelation—and I loved them. In their perversity and confidence, they spoke to me (then in my mid-20s) much more than the slick Versace vixens or stern Sander and Lang clones. Earlier this year, Prada presented a Resort collection that recalled those defining ugly prints of the past and was styled with scholarly turtlenecks under wide-collar polo shirts that one might expect to find in a Wes Anderson film. 

Very similar competing tensions are at play in fashion right now: edge and irony, soft and hard, slick versus authentic. The ’90s are indeed back with a vengeance. The first volleys came via social media, of course, captured off duty with the current crop of supermodels—specifically the Hadid sisters, who became the foremost proponents of this ’90s revival: Bella of spaghetti-strap tops and army boots with miniskirts, Gigi in her crop tops and embellished jean jackets. It is also worth noting that the breathtakingly young and fresh Kaia Gerber looks so much like her mom, Cindy Crawford, in the ’90s that the trappings of the decade seem preternaturally suited to her. 

Photography via Imaxtree

Photography via Imaxtree

Photography via Imaxtree

Photography via Imaxtree

Photography via Imaxtree

1/5

’90s Nostalgia on the Runway

Kaia Gerber in Versace

2/5

’90s Nostalgia on the Runway

Tom Ford F/W 2018

3/5

’90s Nostalgia on the Runway

Prada Resort 2019

4/5

’90s Nostalgia on the Runway

Saint Laurent F/W 2018

5/5

’90s Nostalgia on the Runway

Kaia Gerber in Off-White

Like then, our current mood is a scattered, emotional hangover born of perpetual crises, and fashion is a reactive medium: The spectacle of Anita Hill’s brave testimony being ignored in the Senate Caucus room has been echoed by Christine Blasey Ford’s painful experience; No Means No has been updated with the #MeToo movement; Dubya has been superseded by Trump; and Y2K paranoia has been replaced by surveillance paranoia. Thus, it is no surprise that there is a riot of ’90s vibes out there, mashed up with wit and irony because, well, there is comfort to be found in revisiting familiar shapes and ideas. The ’90s was when thrifting really took hold as a cultural force, and that was the phenomenon that Prada was tapping into for that seminal ’96 show (except she was creating from scratch; she is a genius, after all). Meanwhile, on the higher end, designers were exploring minimalism and silhouette deconstruction carried over from the Japanese and Belgian avant-garde movements of the decade before it. Complicating matters, subcultural moments were emerging from the darkness of the club and into the daylight. The biggest were goth and grunge, both of which were co-opted on the runways by Olivier Theyskens and Marc Jacobs at Perry Ellis respectively. Streetwear, hip-hop, oversized and logo love competed loudly for our attention. These were the nascent signs of athleisure in the guise of matching track suits, which we see coming back so hard right now. It was a time to break rules and mix up sequins for day and to don jeans for evening or wear your slip out as a dress.

Those after-dark influences vibe today with Ben Taverniti’s Unravel Project’s gorgeous lace-up pants and silk hoodies that showcase the label’s Los Angeles origins, with hits of Paris via Milan along the way. It feels like the gang from Kids all grown up—and with money. The label takes the layering and edge of the ’90s and pumps it up with volume and luxe texture play and is perhaps a shining example of how streetwear can actually work for evening. Nineties decadence is key to the Saint Laurent aesthetic under Anthony Vaccarello; the Belgian designer deftly melded sparkly, super-short, big-shouldered evening dresses with LBDs made fresh with scalloped necklines. And he rammed home the message of legs-legs-legs with shorts suits in a palette of familiar yet meaningful black. 

As for the designer who grabbed fashion by the throat back in the ’90s, Tom Ford is also refining his own territory as he revisits the decade of his rise. However, he’s not repeating his work from back then; he perhaps realizes he was too self-serious back in the day and has embraced irony as a vehicle that stands the test of time. For his re-energized eponymous label, Ford offered liquefied metallic leggings, black iridescent leggings and even more leggings—stamped with skin prints from zebra to snake. The old rules, Ford suggests, are boring. He offers modern sexy clothes with a playful element because he understands that wit is what is really in fashion right now. 

Designers pluck moods from the ether. They stare down sensory overload and carve a sense of calm out of it. But it is really the cool kids who are still charting the course of fashion. The same nerdy fashion diehards digging through by-the-pound bins today inspired Prada all those years ago. They are fashion’s foot soldiers, gathering up the leopard print and the leggings, the bike shorts and the hoop earrings and plugging them back into the larger fashion engine. There is a machine hard at work that we don’t see. But the upshot is this: We can turn to either the ’90s role models of yesteryear for inspiration or, if not them, maybe their children.

The post In the Midst of a ’90s Revival, a Veteran Fashion Journalist Looks Back on the Era appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

In the Midst of a ’90s Revival, a Veteran Fashion Journalist Looks Back on the Era published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[tbehartoo]

Summer Days pt 5

Characters: Levy McGarden x Lisanna Strauss (Levanna)- Characters from Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima

Rating: General? Teen? I don’t know, where do you stand on fluff?

Summary: Modern AU vignettes where Lisanna and Levy spend a summer together for @filiadcorblog

on AO3

*Lockser’s Water World- Local water park, wave pool, lazy river, sunscreen and sunburns

Lisanna looked at the view in front of her, looked at Levy, and then looked back at the view. The sight that greeted her was slightly … sad. Water slides that had been bleached colorless from obviously spending too many years in the sun, a wave pool that boasted six inch waves, a kiddie pool that seemed to be half the size of one that was easily purchased at the local supermarket, and a slow moving moat running around it all were all that she could see.

“Remind me again why we are going to a water park when there is a perfectly good beach just ten minutes away,” she said.

“Lisanna, I promised you an authentic Magnolia experience,” Levy said as she led her toward a bank of lockers. “Which means you get the bad along with the good.” She was looking for a free locker that wasn’t broken. “And when you’re in high school your first summer job is either here or the fast food places, if all the college students have gone home.” She found one that suited her and started putting their bag and towels in it. She pulled out the spray on sunblock and applied another layer offering it to Lisanna as she continued, “And if the college kids haven’t gone home you’re babysitting and doing yard work hoping to have the money to be able to come here to hang out with your friends once in awhile.” She put the sunblock away and pulled out a padlock and key. She checked that the key did indeed open the lock, then secured their items as well as could be hoped and strung the key around her wrist. “And don’t let the look fool you. They might not be the highest slides in the world, but they’re still fun, and the Black Hole gives me chills every time.”

“So you started out as a lifeguard?” Lisanna asked, curious.

“Oh no,” Levy said perfectly seriously, “I started out on the clean up crew and managed to make it to the snack shack by the end of my first summer. I had to get CPR and some other special training before I could do the lifeguard position.”

Lisanna was surprised to hear that, but she hadn’t given pool cops much consideration before. “What was your favorite position to work here?”

“That’s hard to say,” Levy said as she showed Lisanna where to pick up one of the mats needed to slide on the first ride, “because each area has it’s own unique, soul-sucking boredom associated with it. Being lifeguard at the wave pool is just a lot of counting heads over and over again, and an occasional whistle blow to make everyone get out while the pool has to be decontaminated.” Levy shivered at a particularly nasty memory. “The kiddie pool is just a constant repetition of the phrase ‘No running!’ while the little imps continue to dash around the place.” They’d finally reached the end of the line and now had to wait patiently as people moved one space at a time. “Doing refreshments wasn’t too bad, except when the patrons are complaining about slow service or the price of the food. Did you know most people don’t realize that servers don’t actually set the price of the food? And that they aren’t the ones to have instituted the No Outside Food or Drink policy?”

Lisanna giggled. “Really?” she asked in mock surprise, “I am shocked to hear it.”

“Yeah,” Levy said dryly, “you’d think more people would have figured it out.”

“So, you didn’t have anything that you liked to do when you worked here?” Lisanna asked. “That sounds like a lot of bleak summers.”

“No it wasn’t bleak,” Levy hastily said, “but it was work, and sometimes all you can say is that it was work.” She smiled and added, “I think I enjoyed working the slides the best. Especially the ones the littles would go on. When you could see that they were so scared to go on their own, but then they work up their courage, and they scream all the way down you think you’ll never see that one again, but then here they come right back and sometimes it’s the whole scared-courage-scream cycle and other times they have a fire or are ready to take on the bigger slides. That’s really the best.”

Lisanna looked carefully at the line they had been shunted into and noticed that they were at least a foot taller than most of the rest of the line. “Levy, are we in the line for the little kids’ slide?”

Levy smirked mischievously. “You have to start at the bottom and work your way to the top before you’re ready for,” she paused and then dramatically said, “The Black Hole.”

Lisanna laughed but stopped when she heard the child next to them gasp.

“You’re going on the Black Hole?” he asked with widened eyes.

“Uh, yes?” she answered.

“Have you gone on it before?” the girl next to him asked. She looked almost like a smaller clone of the boy, leading Lisanna to think she must be his younger sister.

“Um, no,” Lisanna was wondering about the awe she heard in the little girl’s voice.

“Wow!” the girl said, “You’re so brave.” She turned to the woman who was obviously with them. “Mommy she’s going on the Black Hole!” The girl looked back at Lisanna in admiration. “Isn’t she brave?”

The woman laughed. “Yes she’s very brave,” her eyes twinkled as she looked at the two young women, “but I think she’s probably old enough to- survive the Black Hole.”

Lisanna heard similar statements from everyone at the park. In line for the slides, lounging in the lazy river, or making small talk with the cashier at lunch the infamous slide was spoken of with reverence, awe, and in some cases unabashed dread. The unbridled fear seemed to be catching, especially as they stood in line waiting for their turn to go down the tube of terror.

“Levy, what have you gotten me into?” Lisanna wailed as they neared the top.

“Lissie, I promise you won’t die from going on this ride,” she answered with a wicked grin. “And if your heart stops,” she continued on, “I know exactly where they keep the AED.”

“Somehow, that’s not really comforting,” she eyed the nervous girl in front of them. One more rider and it would be her turn.

“Look Lissie, I’ll go first and meet you at the bottom. Okay?”

Lisanna looked relieved at the small reprieve from her impending doom. “Okay.”

The last sighting she had of Levy was her blue hair disappearing into the murky shadows with a scream torn from her throat.

Levy waited with great anticipation at the bottom of the slide. When Lisanna shot out from the bottom her eyes were squeezed shut and her arms firmly clutched across her chest. It took a moment for her to realize that she had stopped moving. She stood up looking around wildly.

“You!” she pointed a finger at Levy when she finally found her. “You devious,” she started in Levy’s direction, “cunning,” she finally made it out of the pool, “horrible, beguiling she-devil!” She had finally reached where Levy waited, tears running down her cheeks from laughter. “All day you tormented me with this,” she accused waving in the direction of the water slide, and Levy merely nodded. “I’ve been hearing the horror stories from every man, woman,and child in this park!” Again Levy could only nod. “You let me believe that this was going to be the most thrilling, heart stopping, terrifying ride I’ve ever been on!” she stamped her bare foot on the pavement. “All!” she poked Levy’s side, “Day!” she poked her other side as the giggling woman squirmed away from her finger, “Long!” a poke to her midsection. “When really it’s just-”

Levy threw a hand over her mouth, abruptly stopping her tirade, her other arm supporting her back so that she didn’t accidentally push Lisanna over.

“Shhhhhh!” she whispered in her ear. “This is all a part of the fun! Don’t spoil it!” Levy suddenly seemed to realize how close she was holding Lisanna and, recognizing that Lisanna wasn’t going to interrupt, she let her go and stood back. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t let you finish that sentence out loud where everyone could hear you.” She looked around then quietly offered as she leaned back in, “It’s like Fight Club. No one talks about the Black Hole after they’ve been on the Black Hole.”

Understanding bloomed across Lisanna’s face. She was trying to maintain her righteous indignation but it lost to her natural disposition for fun. She let out a little chuckle. “Oh, you got me. You got me good Ms. Levy Aloysius McGarden.”

“Aloysius?” Levy was clearly confused.

“Give me a break it’s the worst name I could think of in the heat of the moment,” Lisanna said with a grin. “Make no mistake, I will be getting you back for this.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Levy said. “So...uh...Do you want to go again?”

“Are you kidding?!” Lisanna scowled and Levy looked worried. “Of course I want to go again! And this time I’m keeping my eyes wide open.”

As they stood in line a nervous voice cut into their conversation.

“Excuse me, but have you gone on this slide before?” the young man, who couldn’t have been more than twelve, asked.

“Yeah,” Lisanna said with a friendly smile.

“How bad was it?” he asked clearly worried.

“Well I know it’s different for everyone,” Lisanna said, “but I hear that they have lifeguards with defibrillators at the bottom just in case your heart stops.”

He moaned and closed his eyes at her words while Lisanna turned back to move forward in line.

Levy put her arm around Lisanna’s shoulder and gave her a hug. “That's my girl. You were perfect,” she whispered into her ear.

They moved forward again. Levy looked closely at Lisanna and put a hand to her face. There was definitely a lot of heat there, and Lisanna had paled, like she might faint soon. Levy began to worry since heat stroke was nothing to take lightly. She declared, “We’d better get in the shade and maybe apply more sunblock after this ride. Your cheeks are starting to turn pink.”

Lisanna knew it wasn’t the sun that was heating her up, but merely nodded in agreement.

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