cards and daggers (lumity)

[1]

Clouds of thunder rolled through the Boiling Isles, wrecking havoc along their path. Most people would be staying inside during such a storm, cuddling under bedsheets with hot cocoa and fluffy sweaters. But that wasn't Amity's work, nor was it the poor man's walking down the forest. Strikes of lightning reflected in her eyes as she quietly sat in a tree, dagger in hand, observing a clearing where two lovers just parted ways. The man was smiling wide, moving slowly, seemingly unaffected by the chaos above. With one finger swoop, she started levitating the dagger only to find her tired and drenched reflection staring back, taunting her. "Lovesickness.. Convenient, but also tragic," she mumbled to herself before landing on the ground and slashing the dagger through the air at the perfect angle of his throat. An ominous growl filled the atmosphere around them, sending chills on Amity's spine. She took a few shaky steps backwards as the man who was lying unconscious on the ground started moving. His form shifted into a crawling pandemonium of mouths and eyes sown together, almost crying out to her in pain. Almost, for that was just enough time for her to draw a banishment circle and send his ass to hell. Or heaven, for all she knew, most angels looked like twisted nightmares.

The moody air around her was lit up by burning violet embers, floating up and fading away. Amity looked up at the sky, vision finally unclouded. Death is beautiful, in her own way, she thought to herself before packing up and walking down a muddy path. Travelling a different way each time but to the same place, that's all she's known ever since she became the Emperor's loyal assassin. Work like this was the usual, the routine she's held up flawlessly for two years, in hopes of finding clues and answers to a mess thicker than the clouds above. Her thoughts raced through memories, only to get lost somewhere in the Isles, between tall trees and the long way home.

.

Meanwhile, seas and mountains away, a rebellion was brewing up. A hidden village in the woods was forming and bustling with energy, all around good ol' Eda's Owl House. Monsters and witches alike were training and exchanging knowledge, creating a space of comfort and homeliness. As well as one curious human, called Luz Noseda.

"I'll give you 20 snails for that amulet." She proclaimed smugly. The cat-like merchant looked at her like she was out of her mind.

"That's.. way too much. I'll give it away in exchange for that dish you call nakous."

"First of all, it's nachos! Second of all, I insist. Take at least 15, and the nacho recipe." Slamming the table with her snails, Luz glared at them with a glint of stubborness.

"M-maybe 5 snails?" The merchant looked away shyly, unable to hold eye contact.

Gus and Willow were observing the exchange, grinning at the chaotic good energy radiating from those two. They were stopping by the rebellion's marketplace for some potion ingredients, but the whole procedure took way longer than expected. The fault? Willow's mentorship towards the plant magic booth, Gus's obsession with illusion crystals, and ofcourse, Luz. She practically knew everyone there and couldn't breeze by without a greeting. It felt comfortable, knowing everyone that came and went through the magic barrier of this place. Creating a safe space for the biggest "outlaws" and witches who genuinelly wanted to help rebel against the Emperor's reign was Luz's number one priority. The second one being..

"I thought khajiit were supposed to be fluent in trading!" Luz spilled out, chuckling, "I'll give you 8,5 snails and the recipe."

"What's a kha-" The merchant couldn't even finish as Luz was being dragged away by her annoyed friends.

"I'll come back with fresh nachos!! I swear!" She shouted through bursts of laughter, waving the amulet in her grasp. Gus and Willow were laughing now as well, letting go of her and finally making their way into The Owl Residence™. They rarely had the chance to hang out, or just have a breather in between the pressure of the rebellion's duties. But when they did meet, they made sure to stop by Eda's house and drink some apple blood. Or did the house stop by them, because Hooty greeted them first.