Two Sides of the Same Coin: An Owl and a Wolf

Chapter 3: Us Weirdos Stick Together

The three stood in the living room within the Owl House. Eda leaned her staff against the couch "Well, a deal's a deal. Let's get you home." She snapped her fingers and the portal key flew out of Luz's bag and into Eda's hand. She pressed the eye, and the portal door unfolds itself in front of the fireplace. Luz walked up to it, then hugs herself and turns back to look at Eda and King.

Eda grabbed the Azura book off the table and hands it to Luz "Oh, and don't forget this." Luz takes the book and looks at the cover, she walks toward the portal. She stares at the door, trying to think of something. She pauses in front of the door, looking at it. She looks back down at her book, then up, at a mirror above the fireplace an idea forming.

She turned back to Eda and King "Okay. I know you got your head cut off, and we started some kind of prison riot, but this was the most fun I've ever had." And it was true, she couldn't remember a time when she was just able to have fun. "I... don't think I really have anything to go back home to..." she trailed off, this was true as well.

The last time she saw her mother was when she was 7, she remembered bits and pieces of her childhood in the Human Realm, but who knows how much it changed since then.

"I don't fit in at home. You don't fit in here. If I stay, we could not fit in together." She didn't even really have anywhere to call home, except the Emperor's Castle and the Conformatorium, but she hated those places. She looked down at the book she was holding "I want to stay and become a witch. Like you. And Azura." She held the book up for Eda to see.

Eda had just been listening to the human, a small frown on her face. "What? All right, that's crazy." She laughed and pushed Luz's book down "Humans can't become witches." She stated, matter-of-factly.

"Maybe that's because they haven't tried. If you teach me to become a witch, I'll do anything you want." Luz tried to convince further. King pulled at Eda's dress "Let her stay! She can make us snacks." He whispered the last bit, but Luz still heard him, and she chuckled.

Eda smiled and picked King up "Well, I could use a hand keeping this goofball out of the cupboards. All right. I'll teach you how to be a witch. But you have to work for me before you learn any spells. Deal?" She held her hand out for Luz to shake, which she took while grinning happily.

Eda clicked the button on the key, getting the portal door to fold up again. "Well, let's get you a room then. If you're gonna stay here." Eda said, climbing up the stairs, Luz quickly following her up to the second floor.

Eda opened a door to a storage room, "it's not the best, but it's all we got. Make yourself comfortable, I'll get you something to sleep on." Eda then walked away, leaving Luz alone with her thoughts. She cleared the floor of junk, by moving it to the side or stuffing it into the chest that sat on the left side of the room.

After a few minutes, Luz put her bag on top of the small table. Eda came back and gave her a sleeping bag and some pillows she found and bid her goodnight. Luz watched as the door closed behind the Owl Lady, and waited a few minutes after hearing her footsteps fade away. Then she pulled out of her bag a small folded up mirror, opening it she pushed a button and the mirror fizzled before becoming a clear picture.

A demon of diminutive stature and childish proportions appeared on the mirror-screen. Her hands had three-pronged, taloned appendages similar to those of a fowl. Her left eye had a yellowish sclera and a red pupil, while her right eye is the opposite, with a red sclera and yellowish pupil. Like many of the creatures of the Boiling Isles, her ears were pointed. Her most defining feature, though, were the conjoined hands which make up her hair: one forms a fringe which hides one of her eyes from view, the other is clenched behind her head to form a bun. She wore a white tunic overtop a black ensemble, as well as a high-collared veil which shrouds the lower regions of her face. This veil is fastened by a triangular accessory, the Emperor's Coven symbol.

Kikimora watched the human for a moment before speaking "I assume you've finally completed the first part of your mission?" She tilted her head slightly as she asked, Luz nodded, glancing at the door to her new room before looking back at the mirror.

"Yes, the Owl Lady is allowing me to live with her under the impression that I had accidentally came through her portal today. I have convinced her to not send me to the Human Realm and let me stay with her for the time being." Luz reported, nervously. "I heard about what you did at the Conformatorium, was it really necessary to release all those prisoners?" Kikimora asked, narrowing her eyes "I... probably could have thought of something better, but in the moment it just happened." Luz winced, looking away.

Kikimora hummed "well thank you for the report human, I will inform Emperor Belos of your progress and I expect to hear of your continuing efforts in the coming weeks." And with that the mirror returned to normal as Kikimora hung up. Luz released a breath of relief and decided to get ready for bed.

Within the next few minutes Luz was settling into the sleeping bag when a thought struck her, she had the key, she could have left on Eda's staff right then and there and complete her mission. Why had she gone back? She frowned, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought.

The door slightly opened and King peaked his head in before opening the door a bit more, he held the stuffed rabbit he had stolen from the Conformatorium. "Your sleep cocoon looks fluffy." He noted, Luz chuckled and patted the spot next to her, King giddily ran over and curled up on the sleeping bag, quickly falling asleep. Luz smiled before going to sleep herself.

Maybe a part of her didn't want to complete her mission yet.