Luz’s First Days

The kids all fell asleep after the story had been time. Well, mostly.

Froast, Luz and Apollo had started trying to come up with ideas to try and free Marcy and deal with/when Amphibia invaded while Ben plotted brutal revenge on Cloakbot for Domino (whever not making sure Specter was safe).

Willow and Olivier had caught up, with the boy apologizing profusely for how he'd acted and swearing to make things right. Willow assured him this wasn't necessary, but Ollie remained adamant…and even had some ideas that his auntie came to share;

When he learned Mr. and Mr. Bark had signed Willow up for the Abomination Coven due to more opportunities, the boy had been OUTRAGED for a myriad of reasons, but mostly on how Willow was a prodigy at and enjoyed the Plant coven.

Liiith made a mental note to keep and eye on the bespecled girl and add another stipulation for Bump to enact when she next saw him

Lilith honestly hated having to leave; but she did need to try and rest before returning to her duties. At least by morning, the Orphan Ayslum would be fized up for the boys. And given Eda's knowing look, the boys wouldn't be hurting for Snails for much longer, even with the fortune Karma had gotten.

Eda was just elated Lilith didn't once suggest joining the Emperor's Coven.

OWLPHIBIA

"Hi sweetie, how'd it go?" Bee asked his daughter as she stepped through the portal that had popped into existence in the middle of the kitchen the next day.

"Anne! Anne!" Sprig and Polly rushed forward, hugging the Thai Girl, who hugged them back as Hop-Pop gave her some juice.

"Well, after the shock? Pretty fun actually…minus seeing the more dystopian parts of the Isles…" Anne admitted, too tired to remember how Ollie had begged her NOT to tell Sprig of the Conformatorium adventure.

It was then that Sprig noticed something

"Um…Where's Maddie?"

"She stayed behind to help Luz get used to things." Anne said.

"…Oh." Sprig said, forcing a smile. Normally Anne would've teased him for this, but she was still tired, judging by the next yawn she let out.

"Go and take a nap, dear." Oum cooed, walking her daughter to her room, the frogs following.

"I dunno how to feel about another kid being alone in the Isles." Hop-Pop announced. "I mean, yeah, this…Luz girl seems to have a good head on her shoulders and some idea as to what to expect, and Ollie, Eda and King can handle almost anything, but…"

"Hop-pop. Nobody cares." Polly said, the pointed to Anne's room. "Besides…"

"Oh, right!" The elderly frog said.

As Oum helped her lay down, Anne saw a piece of wood shaped like a cat, and a small envelope on her bed.

"What the…?"

She the opened the envelope, revealing a glowing crystal that for some reason, she got the idea seemed to be…alive?

"Olivier went and saved some Palistrom wood to carve a Palisman in Domino's image." Hop-Pop explained, unable to help himself.

"Hop-pop!" His grandchildren lambasted

"I lost Charlie Bigbottom forever but Anne can get Domino back! Let her and I enjoy this!" he sobbed.

Anne needed a second to process all this, then spied a note attached top the wood:

"It can be the hardest thing to realize you can't hold on to something forever. Sometimes, you have to let it go. but of the things you let go...you'd be surprised what makes it's way back to you.

When you're ready, we'll start trying."

Anne didn't have to have Marcy's smarts to know what this meant. And she was so overcome with the possibility of seeing Domino again, along with the lengths Ollie had gone, that she fell into a happy, restful sleep.

Oum smiled for her daughter as she gently pushed the Frogs back, before a thought came to her:

"Wait, Olivier and Eda brought some of this Palisstrom wood with them and never told us?"

"No, the tree he planted grew super fast." Polly explained.

"I… Might have dropped a vial of that purple goop in his room on it…" Sprig confessed

"Classic Sprig." Polly eyerolled, which Oum chuckled warmly at

"Thank you, Sprig." She smiled, making the pink frog boy beam in delight

OWLPHIBIA

Back in the Boiling Isles, Luz's summer of adventure had gone…less than she had been expecting.

Much of what she had picked up from Azura didn't carry over to the isles; witch and demon attire was much more colorful and very, very, very few wore the iconic witch hat.

"…Why do you even have a traffic cone?" Luz had asked Olivier, who had tensed and simply responded:

"Eh….It's better you don't ask."

"…Hooty?" Luz guessed.

"Hooty." Olivier replied.

It also turned out that Eda's teaching methods were….seemingly lackluster, try as Olivier might to convince her otherwise

"It's like that one movie; 'The Krava Maga Chid.'" Olivier had started. "Yeah they don't seem to make sense, but trust me, they do help."

In the Owl Lady's defense, she was preoccupied with the last few bits of work needed to open up her new business, and she HAD taught Luz about where magic came from; the Bile sac. This had lead to the conversation in which Olivier was revealed to not have one, which had dampened the day until King gave a lecture on demons…inaccurate as it may have been.

Seeing Luz coo at his brother made Olivier smile a bit. Heck, he was even a little jealous King had opted to sleep at the foot of Luz's sleeping bag instead of his room; he was getting used to it.

Maddie, in place of Eda, had tried teaching Luz about Amphibia magic, much like she had with Marcy. Luz was a little more distractable than Marcy had been, but she ate up every word the blue frog girl said and asked amazing questions.

OWLPHIBIA

Luz also had to be reminded that this was NOT a PG rated fantasy world; and learnt all too quickly not to so easily trust folks on the Isles, but also not to doubt herself.

"I just wanted to be special." She'd confessed to Olivier as they walked home after one of Eda's enem ies had tried to scam and or kill them. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't sweat it." Olivier had smiled at her. "You're new here; Annie and I made a our share of mistakes in Amphibia, ya know: Not trusting, caring what the wrong people thought…abandoning what mom taught us out of desperation to get home…"

"I think you're both forgetting you fixed and fought back your mistakes." Maddie had added her own two cents, which earned her headpats from the two teens. "And like Eda said; if you wait, you're late for everything, right?"

"Not exactly what I said, but glad you;'re learning!" Eda had beamed.

So, yeah. Not exactly what Luz had envisioned, but with two friends at her side helpoing her? This was still the best Summer she'd had in a while.

And whether Olivier and Eda liked it or not, Luz's fantasies would be getting closer very, VERY soon…which would lead to a reunion three years in the making.