The Owl House: Emperors and Thorns

Escape of the Palisman

Eda, Cerise, and Luz were sitting on the bench in the Slayground.

"What if he gets hurt? What if the kids are mean to him?" Luz gasps, "My parental instincts are freaking out, man."

"Now you know how I felt whenever I was looking after him." Cerise smiles.

"He's fine. Look at him." Eda looks over to see King trying to climb the slide.

"It does look like he's having fun." Luz says, "Aw. I wonder what cute wittle game he's playing."

"Stand back, cretins." King grunts as he reaches the top, "Yes! Yes! This is a throne worthy of a tyrant. Bow to me you snotty underlings. Bow!"

A pair of kids share a look, "Okay!" one does a handstand while the other does a backbend.

"Yes, appease your master!"

Another kid, Usurper, stands behind him, "This isn't for standing, it's for sliding. You try." he shoves him down the slide.

"Whoa, whoa!" King tumbles down the slide, "Eda! Cece!" he runs over and clings to Cerise's leg, "That monster took my throne!"

"You mean the baby?" Eda points smugly.

"No, the usurper! I want you to go over there and blow him up! Kaboom!"

Usurper, who was riding a spring rider, repeats, "Kaboom!"

Eda unscrews Owlbert from her staff, "Yeah, I'm not using Owlbert to blow up a five-year-old." the bird hoots, "He's got better things to do. Like this..." she pets him, making him warble.

"Aw, what a sweetie!" Luz comments, "How did you get him?"

"Palisman aren't something you can usually obtain. Usually you adopted one." Cerise told her.

"I made Owlbert from the branch of an ancient tree." Eda explains as Owlbert hops onto her hand and hoots, "Oh, he's my palisman and we're bonded for life." he hops to her shoulder and nuzzles her cheek, "I'd annihilate anyone who'd hurt him."

"Fine. Don't help. Revenge will taste all the sweeter if they fall by my hand alone." King laughs evilly.

Usurper walks over and shoves him, "Tag, you're it!" he laughs and runs off.

"Oh, man. Here we go. King's squeak of rage."

"Ooh! I love the squeak of rage!" Cerise grins.

King stands, "Nyeh...nyeh..." he squeals while wriggling and punching on the air, pauses, then continues squealing as he charges after his rival.

Eda laughs, snorting, "He is like a little teakettle."

Owlbert scratches at his face, Luz noticing some kind of hole on his foot.

"Hey, what's that?"

"That's his interlock. So he only fits on to my staff. Every palisman has one." As Eda speaks, everything but her, her staff, and the bench disappears. She gasps, "Cece? Luz?" she stands and looks around the void, both her staff and the bench disappearing, "Hello?"