𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥『↬』The Owl House fanfiction (𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗦)

𝐱𝐯: 𝗮𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸!!! :𝟏𝟓

"No, I don't see anything," they replied.

"Well, maybe we should look inside the cave in case this thing or person is hiding there?" Annika offered, hoping the scout would take the bait.

"Of course, Your Highness."

The moment the coven scout stepped into the cave, they were launched far away from there by a swarm of plants—causing Annika to widen her eyes and step back.

She looked in the direction where the scout was flung away. "Well, I hope they didn't die."

The heir skulked inside when she heard hushed noises from inside. She looked around to find no one, but Sikrish Moss was creeping into every possible corner of the cave.

Annika couldn't help but continue to collect the moss and store it inside her suit until she felt something hard bump into her back—she raised her arms in surrender.

"Try anything, and you won't see the light of day again," a voice the brunette recognized in a heartbeat spoke in a menacing tone.

Annika chuckled and turned to face the duo she never thought she would bump into. "Well, hello to you too, Owl Lady," she greeted the two and directed the owl palisman away from her. "As much as I'd enjoy staying here and play this game of back and forth, I have no intentions of arresting you."

"Lies!" King yelled out.

"Sorry, but my words aren't lies."

"Then how did you know we were here?" The Owl Lady inquired.

Annika raised a brow. "I didn't..."

"Liar! You were going to arrest us with that coven scout," King pointed at the crown princess.

"Ha! You wish. I'm only here to get this lovely moss," Annika replied as she yanked more of the Sikrish Moss.

Eda let out a long exhale before she lowered her staff. "Did anything bad happen to Raine?"

"Nothing of the sort, and that's all the information I can give," Annika ended her sentence with a beam.

Eda knitted her brows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, Owl Lady. Some things I must keep confidential for... valid reasons," the brunette explained and strode toward more of the moss she had spotted.

Eda raised a brow and looked the girl up and down. "Aren't you hot in that suit?"

"No," she lied—her armpits profusely sweating. "Anyway, I think I've got enough moss, and you probably have important business, so I'll leave you to it," Annika informed and was about to step away from the cave but was stopped by the Owl Lady.

"Not so fast. Is Raine really okay?"

Annika paused—she knew she couldn't give her a simple yes if she wanted to sound dismissive, and letting vulnerability take over was hard for the girl to do. However, Raine made it relatively clear how significant the Owl Lady was to them, so the least she could do was bring some honesty to the table.

"Yes. Truly," the teenager answered as she stared into the Owl Lady's eyes.

Eda stepped out of the girl's way and let her pass.

"Thank you for understanding, Owl Lady," Annika returned her a slight smile. "By the way, is Noceda doing well?"

King squinted his eyes at the girl. "You mean Luz?"

"Well, I'm sure we all know which Noceda I'm talking about."

"Yes, she's okay," the Owl Lady replied. "Are you two friends?"