The Owl House- Amity one-shots (Requests open)

Limitations

"Well, well, well..."

"O-Owl Lady!" Amity almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden intrusion, dropping her book on the dirt-covered ground in surprise. She scrambled to pick it back up and swiped the dust off of the aged cover, holding it close to her chest in comfort. The moonlight was barely enough to make out the figure of the renowned criminal, but she could recognise that voice from anywhere. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing missy, last time I checked it was past your bedtime." Folding her arms across her torso, Eda raised her eyebrow and stepped closer to the girl, fully revealing herself in the beams poking through the treetops. She was only there because she could hear the ruckus all the way from her house, and as intriguing as it was, it was also slowly getting on her last nerve. "I came to check out what was disturbing my beauty sleep, and I found you. So, what's your excuse?"

"I'm... training."

"In the middle of the night? In the middle of the woods? And here I thought you were the smart one." Eda couldn't help but chuckle at the young witch, memories of a younger Lilith flashing in the forefront of her mind. Amity was more like her sister than she had initially realised; she had the drive, the stubbornness, and her tunnel vision. She noticed the training wand clenched in the girl's hand, the scuffed book curled up in the other. "Still using the wand?"

"Yes, I know that I should be above it, but it helps." Amity spoke back in a softer tone, her hazel eyes glancing down at her safety net that rested in the palm of her hand. She had dropped the defensive attitude by now, but her posture still remained as stiff and uptight as ever. "But I don't see why you would care exactly."

"Trust me, I've seen this all before. Witches like you have great potential and want to be special, and you're willing to ruin yourself to get there." It was almost humourous watching Amity gasp in offense, the girl immediately taken aback by the abrupt comment. She didn't know whether to be complimented of insulted, but eventually settled for neither. Eda watched her try to turn away and carry on with her business, but the criminal knew better than to just let her get on with it. "You should be asleep and not interrupting mine, you'll reach your limit and tire the both of us out."

"Limits are made to be pushed. They're just things that hold you back." Those words were recited with form and precision, like a rehearsed speech with no one to listen. Amity narrowed her eyes at the mentor, standing her ground and standing by what she said. While she maintained her composure and seriousness, her statement was only met with a hearty cackle. "What are you laughing at?"

Eda took a deep breath and calmed her jovial outburst, wiping the nonexistent tears from her eyes. This kid cracked her up, she could see why Luz like her so much. Crossing her arms once more, she looked back at the young witch with a snide smile, occasional chuckles still slipping out. "Who in the Boiling Isles taught you that? Hexside? My sister?"

"My parents."

"Well your parents must be delusional idiots, because that is ridiculous."

"Hey! We're Blights, y'know?"

"Names mean nothing to me kid." Both witches stood face-to-face in the night, looking as though they were about to challenge each other. Eda could tell that this girl wasn't going to budge without a good shove, so she released an audible sigh and rested her hands on her hips. This isn't what she expected to do on the weekend. "Everyone has limitations, that's a part of life. Limits aren't meant to be pushed or ignored, they're there for a reason, to make sure we don't do anything stupid. They're meant to be worked with."

Amity tilted her head to the side, brushing her neat, seafoam locks behind her ear. She relaxed her grip on the wand and book, instead trying to find the sense behind the Owl Lady's sentiment. It surprised her to see the older witch be so heartfelt, only used to being met with wit and sarcasm from what she had seen. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that there are ways to work around them. Respect your limits and treat them like a friend, they're there for your benefit. I didn't get to where I am by trying to ignore what makes me a witch." Finally. The girl was listening to her- it was about time. With every passing second, the night only grew and it only got increasingly darker, the moonlight struggling to keep the scene illuminated. Eda offered the young witch an encouraging smile, hoping that she was finally getting through to her. "I know that you're smart enough to find your way around them, Luz wouldn't shut up about you're 'amazing brain'."

Amity found herself pondering on her advise, amazed by how easily it all made sense to her... while also trying to ignore the blush that crept across her pale cheeks. Her entire life she had tried so hard to push herself, only to be met with crashes. She had always wondered why, just thinking that it was a part of the process, and now she understood. On top of that, any compliment from the Owl Lady was high praise, while she was an outlaw, she was still one of the most powerful witches here, so that also meant that she knew what she was doing. "I um... I'll take it into consideration."

"Good." Eda sighed in relief, thankful that the girl was listening to a voice of reason. Just as she was about to turn away from her, she noticed the young witch shivering in the chilled air of the night, a hidden fatigue behind her darkened eyes. Something inside of her stopped her from leaving... a voice... what was it called again? A cons-cie-nce? Was that what Luz called it? Curse having a conscience. "Come on kid."

"Where are we going?" Amity slowly followed behind the older witch with a slight hesitation, not seeing much of a choice in the matter. The decaying leaves broke through the silence of the forest, the young witch hugging her book and wand like some sort of blanket. It was either she go with the Owl Lady, or stay in the woods by herself- and she preferred the first option.

"Well I don't have Owlbert with me, and I'm too lazy to walk you home myself." Eda quipped back nonchalantly, waving her hand to add to her lack of care and mask her softening heart. She would never admit it, but she had a soft-spot for the young witch ever since Grom Night. The girl jumped in without thinking just to protect Luz, and she had to respect her for that at least. Glancing back over her shoulder, she rolled her eyes and continued playing up her façade. "And if I left you to get eaten, Luz would be mad at me, so it looks like you're staying the night. Besides, I'm sure she would enjoy the company."

"Well... thank you." Pleasantly surprised, Amity continued weaving through the trees with the older witch, now much more confident in her strides. That same blush returned to her cheeks at the mention of her friend, the girl being thankful that it was too dark to be noticeable. Even then, she couldn't help but glance up at the outlaw with a hint of curiosity. She knew deception, she was a master of it. With a small smirk, she challenged Eda at her own game, quickly coming back with her own retort. "You know what Owl Lady? I don't think you're as much of a criminal as they say you are."

"Please, the only 'criminal' I am is criminally good-looking- that and some other illegal stuff."