"Amity, you're not still mad at me about last night, are you?"
The two are sitting on the couch together, with Luz trying to plead with Amity who is sitting with her arms crossed and staring forward.
"Maybe," she mutters.
"I won't do it again, I promise!" Luz shakes the girl's leg to get her attention, but even physical contact that normally would reduce Amity into a flustered mess has no effect. "You're not going to spend your last day here being angry at me, are you?"
"Watch me."
"Amityyy!"
"Would anyone mind explaining to me why I'm not smelling breakfast right now?" King comes down the stairs and lets out a loud yawn before joining the girls in the living room.
"Morning cutie." Luz waves. "Sorry, Eda said she was going to whip us up something last night."
"Okay, still doesn't answer my question." King points out the lack of anyone in the kitchen. "So, where's Eda then? Is she getting groceries?"
They had ransacked their food supply thanks to Geoffrey's binge eating, but Luz didn't recall seeing Eda coming through. Eda had taken to getting up early since Luz moved in, but was likely she slept in today.
"Maybe she's still in her room?" Luz shrugs.
"How could she be sleeping when we're starving down here!" King demands, his stomach growling taking full control of his behavior. "Someone needs to go up there and tell that lazy bones I like my eggs sunny-side up!"
The front door bursts open and Hooty pokes his head inside.
"Hoot hoot! I can help you guys!" he offers.
"Thanks, Hooty. You mind checking in on Eda for us?" Luz asks.
The Owl-Door-Thing-Neck-I-Don't-Know looks confused by the suggestion. "Oh, I meant I could help make breakfast for everyone!" he explains, "This might surprise you, but I make a killer omelet."
"It's true." King nods. "His omelet nearly killed one of Eda's ex-boyfriends she invited over."
"How?" Luz asks, incredulously. On second thought, it's probably best not to know. She shakes her head. "We're fine, Hooty. Can you just get Eda up for us?"
"Aw, okay..." The owl tube lowers his head before stretching his neck up to the second story, to where Eda's bedroom window is.
"If he makes me anything, I'll make him eat it first," Amity warns them.
It doesn't take even a minute for Hooty to come back to share the news.
"Sorry, ever since I threw that frog guy through Eda's window, she's had it all boarded up. Couldn't see anything."
"Ugh!" King groans. "You're so useless! Guess I'll have to do it myself!"
"You're welcome!" Hooty cheerfully responds.
"I'll go with him," Luz says, turning to Amity. "I'll be back soon, Ms. Frowny-pants."
Amity scowls as Luz climbs up the stairs after King. She stubbornly sits there as Hooty, ever so slowly, extends his face to rest next to her face.
"... You look mad about something. Want to talk about it?"
"Luz!" Amity gets off the couch and rushes towards the stairs. "I forgive you! Wait for me!"
Hooty watches her go and retreats to the door.
"Another relationship saved by me. Good work, Hooty." He nods to himself. "Thanks, Hooty!"
Luz runs up behind King and scoops the demon up in her arms to stop him just before he kicks Eda's bedroom door open.
"King, wait!" Luz warns him. "I don't think that's a good idea."
King looks up at her with his feet dangling in the air and his arms outstretched. He blinks at her and says, "You mean I should use my head? I got a mean dome but last time I did that I went double vision for an hour."
"No, I mean about Eda's you-know-what."
"Oh." King ceases his hunger rampage realizing that Eda might have succumbed to her curse and behind that door is an Owl Beast ready to have him for breakfast. "But didn't Eda just get more elixirs?"
Luz nods. Maybe Eda really was just sleeping in later than usual. She had been extra careful about it with Amity staying over.
Luz gingerly knocks on the door and calls out, "Eda? Are you in there? It's time to get up!"
"And make me breakfast!"
"King!"
"She knows what I'm about."
The sound of something heavy slamming against the floor made both of them jolt. Luz shouts out Eda's name again but receives no response. Only the sound of something moving about in her room.
"Luz, I'm starting to think we're not getting breakfast."
"It's the curse again. We got to get Amity out of the house first and-"
"What's this about a curse?"
King and Luz tense up as Amity approaches them. The two exchange unsure glances with each other before Luz spins around to face her.
"Did we say curse? No, no. Purse. We said Eda might have lost her purse," Luz explains. King nods his head, though a bit too vigorously.
"Her... purse?" Amity repeated. "That's what has you two suddenly acting all concerned?" She raises an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. This must be the Owl Lady's infamous 'purse.' The same rumored 'purse' everyone in the Boiling Isles talks about."
"I think she's buying it," King whispers.
Luz, taken aback, replies, "You knew about Eda's curse?"
"Not entirely at first. The rumors kept changing how the curse works. Stuff like being able to talk to owls or advanced aging. It wasn't until I went into your head did I realize the truth." Amity remembers how petrified Luz was upon encountering that Owl Beast pretending to be Eda. "That monster-creature we saw... that was Eda, wasn't it?"
There isn't any use in trying to hide it especially from someone as sharp as Amity, so Luz acquiesces, "Yeah, it is. But she's not as bad as they say she is! It's not her fault!"
"I know." Amity touches her hair, remembering all the times Eda was there for her when she needed help or a favor. "I wouldn't do that to her. Not after everything she's done for me. What happens to her now? Is it too late?"
"It can be reversed!" King reassures her. "The elixirs Eda bought can suppress it even if she already transformed!"
"But she keeps her stuff in her room," Luz adds. "If we want her to go back to normal, then we need to hold her off until we get it."
"Then let me help!" Amity summons forth her Abomination to her side. The golem groans and takes a linebacker stance in front of the door. "My abomination can try to hold her down. But if it's just as strong as it was in the dream, then we only have a few moments to spare."
"Don't worry," Luz puts King down and pulls out her glyphs. "With us working together, we're unstoppable! We'll bring her back to normal."
"Let's do this!" King says, taking the rear.
With a twirl of her finger, Amity orders her Abomination to charge through the door. Luz and Amity spring inside ready to fire off their spells with King behind them, wielding a frying pan he had quickly run downstairs to get.
But the group did not encounter the Owl Beast and instead found themselves in an empty bedroom.
"Huh." Luz looks around the room. "Well, that was anticlimactic."
Amity notices a toppled over bookshelf and frowns.
"But what could've caused that? Bookshelves don't just fall over. Does this house have ghosts?"
"Nah." King shakes his head. "Eda said ghosts don't like to inhabit places that are already haunted. It's one of the reasons we kept Hooty."
"But where is Eda?" Luz asks. She looks over and finds Eda's staff leaning against the wall with Owlbert dormant Luz picks up the staff and unscrews the palisman to wake him up. Her fingers feel the hard wood-like texture soften into the bristle of feathers. Owlbert stretches his wings and groggily opens his eyes.
"Hoot?" The palisman inclines his head in surprise to see it is Luz who woke him up.
"Hey, buddy. Sorry to wake you, since you're nocturnal and all, but have you seen Eda? We thought she'd be in her room but she's nowhere to be found."
"Hoot."
King speaks up to translate for the group, "He says he hasn't seen her since last night. That's odd. Eda never leaves without him, let alone without telling anyone."
Luz frowns and turns back to Owlbert.
"You wanna help us look for anything that could tell us where she went?"
Owlbert nods and flies up to scan the room.
Amity walks over to the bookshelf and inspects the base. Hooty was downstairs with them before it had fallen. Yet the structure looked to be solid and a bit heavy. Something had to knock it over.
Picking up the scattered books, Amity hears a distinct whimpering sound near her. She pauses, wondering if it was just her mind before the sound comes again from underneath the toppled bookshelf.
"Uh, Luz? King?" Amity whispers to them. They both turn to see her cautiously point at the bookshelf while mouthing, "It's under the shelf."
Whatever could have been small enough to be trapped underneath must be some sort of creature. Amity commands her Abomination to wait for the signal to lift the bookcase. The girls stand by with their spells prepped, King bravely hiding behind Luz's legs. Amity points towards the bookshelf.
"Now!"
With one lift, the Abomination flings the bookcase away like a paperweight. Luz readies herself to throw her plant spell but her eyes widen and her fingers let the paper slip from her grasp.
There was a small figure on the floor, tucked into a ball. A little girl with large, bright orange hair and familiar features raises her eyes to meet the stares of Luz, Amity and King.Amity is the first to come to her senses. "Is that-?"
"Eda!?" Luz slowly approaches the child who sits up to meet her. "Y-you're... you're so KYUUUTE! AHHHH!"
Little Eda wasn't prepared to get scooped up into Luz's arms and have the life squeezed out of her. She whines and shakes her tiny fists but that only encourages Luz.
King, Amity, and Owlbert all watch in disbelief as Luz swings around the child.
"I've seen a lot of weird things in my time," King says. "But this takes the cake."
"Hoot," Owlbert agreed.
"Oh, who's my adorable little mentor?" Luz coos. "You are! You are!"
Amity calmly approaches them and clears her throat.
"Luz, as much as I love that optimism of yours. May I suggest that what you're doing is NOT the right reaction to seeing Eda turned into a child!?"
Luz snaps out of her trance and mutters, "Oh... good point." She carefully holds Eda away from her body, now nervous for how her mentor will react to being coddled like that. "E-eda? Do you remember me? If you do, then sorry about that. I'm weak when it comes to cute things."
The child responds by blowing a raspberry at her.
"Well... it still could be Eda..."
"How could this happen?" Amity asks. "Was she practicing some age reversal spell and it backfired? Was this an attempted attack from one of her enemies? Or could this also be a part of the curse?"
"That'd be news to us," Luz explains. "Eda was upfront to me and King about how her curse works. It wouldn't make sense for it to suddenly change, would it?"
"No, curses are set in stone when applied..." Amity ponders to herself and paces around the room. She comes to a stop, feeling her foot hit something on the floor. Looking down, she recognizes a bag from Eda's purchase of elixirs earlier.
"Ha!" King laughs, pointing at Eda. "Look who's the shorty now! Hey, Eda! How's the weather down there? Ahahahahaha-oh..." King stops himself as Luz lets Eda down to reveal her being slightly taller than him.
Eda carefully takes one step after another and outstretches her arms towards the small demon. "W-what are you doing? Get back! No! Luz! Take this creature away from me! Nooo!" King cries as the little girl pulls him into a hug.
"Dawww, I need to get my camera and capture this!" Luz swoons.
"Uh, Luz?" Amity calls out to her. "I think I may know what might be the cause of this."
Amity offers the paper she found to Luz, holding it out to her. Luz takes it and recognizes it as a receipt from the potion shop Eda goes to. Only the products listed on the paper weren't elixirs against curses.
"Cursed potions!?" Luz exclaims, staring at Amity in shock. "Eda's been cursed...! Again!"
"They must have mixed up the orders and she didn't notice until it was too late," Amity reckons.
"Oh no." Luz clutches her head feeling overwhelmed at the turn of events. "How am I supposed to learn magic from a kid I have to raise now!? I need to get a job. Learn how to write a check. Wait, does Eda have any debts?" She shakes her head frantically. "Oh, who am I kidding, of course she does!"
Amity takes Luz by the shoulder and shakes her.
"Luz! Snap out of it! We don't even know if this is permanent. All we need to do is contact the person who sold her the potions. Maybe they have a cure for it."
"Oh, good idea." Luz feels at ease with Amity holding onto her and grins. "Thanks, Mittens."
"Don't call me that," Amity scolds her. "Don't think I forgot about that little prank you pulled."
"But you're talking to me!" Luz teases.
Amity rolls her eyes and groans. To think she'd miss it when Luz was oblivious to her feelings.
"Owowow!" The girls hear King letting out a painful cry before looking back to see Eda laughing while pinning him to the floor and pulling at his arm.
King slaps the floor repeatedly while screaming, "Uncle! UNCLE!"
~/~
"Oh geez, I can't believe I made such a terrible mistake."
Amity, Luz, and King are huddling around the Crystal Ball in the living room with Eda secured in Luz's arms. The potions seller, Morton, lets out a nervous sigh at the sight of his customer trying to bite her way out of her captor's grasp. "It was a really busy day, but I thought I checked the order before handing it to Ms. Clawthorne." He runs a hand through his hair. "Oh, I could seriously lose my Potions License for this!"
"Maybe you should!" Amity snaps at him. "How could you mix an elixir to treat curses with an elixir that causes them!? That's like giving away a cheeseburger as heart medicine!"
"I ran out of labels and made a mistake! It's not my fault those two potions are the same color! Blame chemistry!"
Amity facepalms and turns to Luz.
"And this is why dyes should be a mandated practice in alchemy."
"Morton, is there any way for Eda to turn back to normal?" Luz asks, trying to ignore the damage that is being done on her arms.
"If this receipt is correct, then the curse should be temporary. The customer went for the cheaper option of minor curses instead of permanent ones. It should take no more than a day for Ms. Clawthorne to turn back to normal."
Luz, Amity and King feel a wave of collective relief wash over them.
"Oh, is that all? That's great!" Luz smiles.
"Course there's still the matter about her curse not being suppressed now because of the mixup."
A chill runs down Luz's spine.
"Oh... right." she gulps. "But Eda hasn't transformed yet and she doesn't seem to recognize us at all. Why?"
"The Age Reversal curse doesn't just affect appearance. It sets you back to a certain time in your life. All memories, magic, and even conditions like curses past the age of five are lifted. But only temporarily. Ms. Clawthorne will slowly age back to the time she took the potion. Meaning if she ages back to the point when she was cursed-"
"She'll immediately transform and attack us!" Luz places her hand on Eda's head to keep her from trying to jump out of her arms. Her adoration of Eda's child form is now overshadowed by the lingering fear of her turning at any moment.
"Do you have any more elixirs to give us?" Amity asks.
"Sorry, I had to expend more materials to create a stronger batch for Ms. Clawthorne. Those elixirs were all I could make until next week. Oh, but wait a second!" Morton ducks down from the crystal ball and rummages through his shop. He comes back with his copy of the receipt and holds it out for them to see. "This other customer who picked up an order was the one who requested those potions. Her name is Ms. Briar. If anyone took Ms. Clawthorne's order then it'd be her!"
"Great! Then just give us the address!" Luz takes out a pencil and writes down the location and directions to the witch's house. Now that they have all the information they need, she says goodbye to Morton and ends the call.
Luz hands Eda to Amity, who protests a bit before getting her hair pulled, and folds the paper up before handing it to King.
"Can you track down the lady and get Eda's elixirs back, little buddy?" she asks.
King frowns at the slip.
"What? Why do I have to do it?"
"Someone has to stay behind and watch over Eda. And that's a job suited for two. It should be quick! Just tell the lady there has been a misunderstanding and give her back the potions we got."
"But I'm in charge of the house now! The hierarchy has been passed down onto me!" King whines.
"Doesn't Eda usually put Luz in charge when she's gone?" Amity reminds him.
"Insubordination!"
"King, please! Eda needs your help! And we'll all be in danger if she turns."
King relents knowing that the girls or Eda could seriously get hurt. He also isn't eager to volunteer to stay behind and look over that monstrous form that is Eda's five year old self. He takes the directions from Luz and starts to head out.
"Fine... but I expect compensation in the form of eggs! Three, to be exact. Sunny side-up. With lots of bacon. And a slice of toasted sourdough bread." He calls over his shoulder. "But don't butter it! I want to try that apple butter that Eda puts in the top cabinets knowing I can't reach. Oh and be sure to-"
Hooty slams the door on him before stretching his neck through a window into the house.
"Man, what a chatterbox, am I right? So is Eda up yet?" Hooty looks between the girls before casting his eyes down at Eda.
"Oh, hey Eda!" Hooty cheerfully greets her. He takes another look up and down at the child form of his owner and frowns in suspicion. "Hmm... did you do something different with your hair? Ha! Just kidding! It's the new outfit, isn't it?"
"Hooty, can you keep watch in case King comes back?" Luz asks Hooty, moreso to just get rid of him.
"Will do!" he says while retracting back out before hitting his head on the window frame. "Ow!"
Amity lets Eda down for her to run around now and rubs at the bite marks on her arms. "Well, I figured something would happen on my last day here. But I have to admit, this was a surprise even for me." Amity sighs. "I guess it's too much to ask for us to do normal things."
"Hey, don't be like that! We can hang out while watching her. It'll be like playing House!" Luz reassures her.
"House?" Amity tenses a bit at the idea. "You mean us pretending to be parents? With an actual child?"
"Orrr just two-babysitters-who-happen-to-like-each-other!" Luz amends.
"Have you ever babysat a child before?" Amity asks, grabbing onto Eda's collar as she tries to run towards the wall adorned with weapons.
"No." Luz shakes her head. "But I had a babysitter before. It can't be that hard."
Amity chuckles, imagining child Luz being a nightmare to handle.
"For you, maybe."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Luz feigns a 'hmph' to Amity's giggles. She kneels down to Eda and pats her knees for her attention. "Hey, Eda! Are you hungry? You want something to eat?"
Eda beams and throws her tiny fists in the air in jubilation.
"Eggs!"
"Ooh! This will be a perfect moment to teach you how to cook, Amity! Eggs are really easy to make!" Luz suggests, thinking it's the perfect way for Amity to redeem herself from that first night.
"Oh, come on!" Amity scowls. "Anyone can make eggs, Luz. I'm not an idiot!"
The group moves into the kitchen. Luz takes Eda and sets her down on a chair before slapping a plant spell on the back of it. Vines sprout out and wrap themselves around the child to keep her in place.
"Just a precaution!" Luz says.
Amity fetches the carton of eggs from the refrigerator, and heats up the pan on the stove to the right temperature. She remembers how Luz and Eda operated the station the past few days. She just needs to let the pan heat up first before dropping them in.
"Well, look at you!" Luz calls from the table while playing with Eda by dangling a wooden spoon over her, similar to waving a stick over a dog. "You're already a natural!"
"Don't patronize me," Amity replies, narrowing her eyes in concentration. She takes one egg and carefully cracks it against the counter. She hesitantly pries the shells apart before watching the raw egg slip out and it plops onto the pan, with the yolk intact. Satisfied, Amity looks back with a proud grin. "I told you it was just a skill I hadn't practiced yet, didn't I?"
"Way to go!" Luz grins. "So what did you use to lubricate the pan with? Eda likes using oil but I think it tastes better with a little butter."
Amity lifts an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You know, to keep the eggs from sticking to the pan?" Luz watches the Amity's expression shift into one of horror
"What!?" Amity eyes widen, and she takes a spatula to gently push the egg, but the whites have firmly set onto the pan.
She tries again, nudging it to pry it loose but to no avail. Her temper sets in as she aggressively tries to scrap the egg off the pan. Luz rises out of her chair and tries to stop her but is too late as the egg tears right through the middle. The yolk spills out onto the hot surface of the pan, getting cooked solid.
Luz goes for damage control and guides Amity's arm to scramble the ruined egg.
"That's okay! The great thing about eggs is if you mess up then you can always rely on good ol' scrambled!"
"It looks terrible..." Amity mutters, disheartened.
"Oh don't worry about that! Kids will eat anything put in front of them!" Luz takes out a plate and pours the scrambled egg onto it. After adding a little seasoning she then takes it over to Eda and presents it before her. "Here you go, Eda!"
The child goes quiet as she stares at the mush before turning back to the girls.
"Eggs," she says with a frown.
"I know they look different but they're still eggs, Eda," Luz replies.
"No!" Eda takes the plate and tosses it aside. "I want eggs!"
"Eda!" Luz exclaims. "¡En esta casa no desperdiciamos comida, brujita! Even if this is your house and you... still do that as an adult sometimes, that is not how you treat someone when they make you something!"
Eda responds by blowing another raspberry.
"Has Eda ever told you what she was like as a kid?" Amity asks.
"Only about her school days," Luz answers. "She was uh... the number one delinquent."
"Lovely." Amity rolls up her sleeves and cracks her knuckles. "Fine, I wanted to give it another go anyways."
Amity sets the stove back on and prepares the pan this time with some butter. Luz can't help but to hover by the stove and watch Amity as she cracks another egg onto the pan. Egg whites sizzle and immediately solidify but as time passes the edges begin to brown before the center cooks.
"I think the pan is getting too hot," Luz nervously points out, and upon seeing Amity's expression darken she quickly adds, "But that's ok! Here's a trick I picked up!" Turning the temperature down, Luz takes a cup of cold water and splashes a bit into the pan before covering it with a lid.
"I see." Amity nods. "You're using the trapped water vapor to steam the top of the eggs because heat always rises."
"Uh, yeah! I guess there's a bit of science to it." Luz shrugs. "If I had to guess from Eda's usual breakfast, she probably likes her egg with a runny yolk as a kid too. Isn't that right, Ed-ah!" Luz looks around, but Eda is nowhere to be found. "Where'd she go!?"
Luz and Amity's eyes fall upon the empty chair, chewed up vines on the floor.
"Wow, she has some serious chompers for her age," Luz notes.
"I'll look for her. Eda!" Amity calls, entering the living room. She can't have gone outside yet or they would've heard the door opening. "Eda, come out here right now, young lady! Your breakfast is ready!"
"Need some help?" Hooty asks as he stretches his neck too close to her face.
"I didn't ask."
"Don't worry, we'll find her!" Hooty bobs his head up and down. "In order for us to catch the Eda, we must think like the Eda. For the Eda is a crafty creature. A cunning predator who rebels against the laws of nature. She must be waiting for us to lower our guard and-" He cuts himself off mid-ramble, glancing upwards. "Oh, there she is."
"What!?" Amity looks up at the giggling child clinging to the ceiling rafters. "Eda! How did you- I don't- get down from there!"
"No!"
"Ooh, she got you there, Amity," Hooty says.
"You wanna make yourself useful and get her down?" Amity snaps at him.
"I do like being helpful." Hooty stretches up to the child and bends the lower part of his neck as a makeshift seat for her. "Come on, Eda. There's a free seat on the Hooty Express™!"
"Noo!" Eda whines. "You're weird and your face is dumb!"
"That's easily your worst insult yet," Hooty replies, before tears well up in his eyes. "But man does it cut deep."
"What's going on here?" Luz asks as she ducks under his neck with a plate of eggs.
"Oh you know," Amity shrugs, "Kids being kids." She pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration watching Eda make no move to climb on Hooty. "Hooty, just grab her with your beak!"
"Okay, mini Eda." Hooty straightens out and inclines his head towards Eda. "I'm just going to calmly approach you and bite onto that shirt of yours so I can gently lower you to the-"
"Rawr!" Eda leaps onto Hooty's face and attacks his face in a barrage of scratches. The house demon screeches in pain as he tries to shake the girl off. His head slams against the wall, knocking some pictures and adornments to the ground.
"Hooty, be careful! You're gonna hurt Eda!" Luz exclaims.
Amity tries to hide her satisfaction in seeing the owl tube get beat up but can't refrain from smiling. "I don't think it's her we need to worry about." Then, her eyes widen. "Luz, watch out!"
Hooty's head slams against the wall causing his elongated neck to snap back towards them. Luz tries to back away carefully to not spill the food but her foot gets caught and she's swept off her feet. Fortunately, Amity slides in to catch her by the arms while conjuring her Abomination to grab the plate.
Luz takes a moment to recollect her thoughts before looking up at Amity who is still holding her up. "Come here often?" she asks.
"You invited me here."
"That I did."
"I win!" Eda cries in victory as she jumps up and down on Hooty's head.
"Con- ow- grats...!" Hooty groans between every bounce.
"Alright, you little fireball. Stop playing with Hooty for a minute and eat your food." Luz sets the plate on the floor in front of Eda for her to dig in. The child hops off of Hooty, and walks up to the plate. She stares down at it, not saying anything for a moment.
Luz is about to ask if there's something wrong before the girl stretches out her arms and falls flat onto the plate. Egg and yolk are spilled across the floor, with Luz unfortunately caught in the splash zone.
"We'll... work on those table manners," Luz says as she cleans off bits of egg from her face.
"At this rate, she'll destroy the house before she even gets to transform." Amity takes out some wipes to help clean Luz up. "Not that we got a choice, but I guess we'll have to keep her in the Owl House all day until she goes back to normal..."
Luz hears the disappointment in Amity's voice and can't help but feel guilty. Spending their last day together cooped up in The Owl House isn't a good way to end their week off together. What can she do to give Amity the best time while watching over her toddler-size mentor?
An idea comes to Luz as Amity just finishes getting the eggs off her.
"Well... we don't have to stay just to look after her, do we?" she smiles.
Amity gives her a confused look before she recognizes that glint in her eye as yet another of Luz's harebrained plans.
"Luz, no! No!" Amity jabs a finger into her chest. "You said it yourself! Eda could transform at any moment and start attacking anything in sight! If we drag her outside, we'll just be putting people's lives in danger!"
"Hear me out! The Owl Beast is only as strong as Eda. If she was cursed as a child then it would stand to reason that her transformation would just be something smaller, right?"
Amity tries to think of a counter argument but is admittedly pressed to find anything to deny that claim.
"I guess... but what if-"
"King and I managed to stop her on our own when she was all big and scary. And that was when I only knew one spell!" Luz insists. "I'm way stronger than before and this time I have one of the greatest witches in the Boiling Isles with me. Who I'm dating!"
The compliment makes Amity's resolve waver and she can't help but run a hand through her hair bashfully. "I-I mean, I'm not that great yet but-"
Going for the finishing move, Luz takes Amity's hand and squeezes it.
"Come on, Ami. Let's not waste our day on this. I'll let you choose where we can go aslong as I get to spend some more time with you."
Amity averts her eyes from Luz. She turns to see Eda standing to her other side with her face and clothes covered in eggs. Eda sticks her tongue out and blows yet another rasberry, causing Amity to recoil in disgust as saliva hits her face.
"... the library," Amity mutters.
Luz wasn't sure if she heard her right, "Huh?"
"We're going to the library," Amity repeats, wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt. " A nice, quiet, and clean place. We'll stay there for a couple of hours and then we leave. Got it?"
"Yay!" Luz pulls Amity and Eda in for a hug, accidentally getting some of Eda's mess onto Amity's clothes. The witch winces, and draws a spell circle to brush the food off her clothing before it stains.
"We'll have to leave a note for King in case he comes back before we do," Luz says. "Hopefully, he's already on his way with the elixirs."
~/~
"This must be the place." King strolls up to the small home stuck between two larger buildings. Judging from its old design and the weathered paint this house must have been here before the city expanded.
He pulls on the strap of the bag with the remaining bottled curses and crosses the road. Hopefully, the owner is still home so he can just get the stuff he needs and get back before Eda turns. And then she can make them brunch as promised.
King steps up to the door and gives it a few good knocks.
"Hey, lady! Come on out! There's been a mix-up with our orders at the potion shop! I got your stuff here! Hurry up, I'm getting hungry!"
He waits for someone to come and answer the door, but after a minute of waiting King continues knocking on the door with his fist.
"Are you deaf or something!? I said get out here!" he shouts.
"Is something wrong?"
King turns his head to the man stepping out from the apartment next to the house.
"I'm looking for the lady who lives here," he explains. "She didn't kick the bucket, did she?"
"Oh, you're looking for Ms. Briar? She stepped out just shortly before you got here."
King hangs his head back and lets out a guttural groan.
"Of course she did. Any idea where she went?"
The man points over his shoulder.
"Last I saw she was heading towards the park wearing a dark cloak with a basket in her hand."
A basket? It doesn't sound like something one would use to carry a bunch of elixirs. But who knows? He can just break into her house and search for the elixirs himself if that's not the case.
King gives the man his thanks and runs over to the area where the park is located. It wasn't going to be hard to find someone matching the description he was given but he does find it a little strange. Something tells him it might not be a simple picnic trip.
He arrives at the entrance to the park grounds and looks around. Since it's still a few hours before noon, the area isn't occupied with many people besides a few joggers and a couple of kids playing. King looks around and spots the old lady matching the description quickly making her way to the tree next to the path the joggers are taking.
King had initially planned to confront the lady as soon as he could but he's admittedly curious about what she's planning. If it's anything of concern or at least boring he'll interfere. For now, the demon takes cover behind a park bench and keeps his eyes on her.
Ms. Briar opens her closed basket and inside is a bundle of apples. She takes a cautious look around to see if anyone is paying her attention, not noticing King behind the bench, before reaching into her cloak to pull out the familiar elixir.
Taking one apple from the basket, she uncorks the bottle with her thumb and dribbles a bit of its contents on the fruit. Briar cackles maliciously before tucking the potion away and placing her basket on the ground.
"Ha, classic witch hobby," King notes.
He could confront her now but it's clear she doesn't have the rest of the potions with her. And he doesn't want to pass up a chance to watch some old hag pull the old, poisoned apple trick. Especially since it's not even a real curse to begin with.
The old lady waits by the tree as the rest of the joggers pass through without notice. A young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, was following behind before the old lady called out to her.
"Excuse me, young miss?" The old lady politely greets her as she steps out. "I can't help but notice you've been working hard. A young witch like you deserves something sweet. How about an apple?"
The jogger takes a moment to steady her breathing and smiles back to her.
"Oh, you're so kind! Thank you! Is it organic?"
"Yes, it's-" The old lady stops and blinks. "What? Organic...? It's an apple."
"Yeah, but is it locally grown?"
"I don't know, I just got it from a grocery store. Maybe?"
"Was it naturally grown or was it raised by magic?"
"What difference does that make?" Briar shakes her head. "Look, are you going to take the apple or-"
"Mmm, could I get another one?" The jogger frowns. "This one looks a little bruised."
"Oh, would you just take the stupid fruit, you harlot!"
"Excuse me?"
This was getting too sad for King to watch any longer. He jumps out and calls to them:
"Hey lady! Drop the poison apple!"
"Poison!?" The jogger screams and runs away before the old witch is able to stop her.
"No, wait! It's not poison! I was just trying to inflict a curse on you! A curse!" Briar watches the jogger disappear from the park and lets out a groan. Anger fills her veins as she turns and points at King. "You! I almost had her! What do you think you're doing!?"
"Saving a life," King answers. "My life. From starvation. Because I want breakfast. I was looking for you because the potion seller gave you my friend's order. The potion you poured on that apple isn't going to do anything, unless that lady also randomly turns into a giant owl beast..."
"What?" Briar drops the apple in surprise and pulls out the flask to inspect it. "No! You gotta be kidding me! How am I supposed to do this again? My plan's ruined!"
King kicks the apple up and catches it with his paw. Giving it a little polish against his fur he takes a bite and shrugs at Ms. Briar. "You can just curse other people who are younger and more fortunate than you. I have your stuff here, so I just need my friend's elixirs back."
"I'm not inflicting curses on random women!" Ms. Briar snaps. "I'm trying to put a curse on my son's fiancee!"
King drops the apple.
"What?"
Briar slumps with a sad expression on her face.
"It's my son. Ever since he's been engaged with that woman, he's been spending less time with me! He stopped calling. He doesn't respond to my letters. I even tried visiting him in person but he's never home! We were supposed to have breakfast together yesterday but he had to cancel it."
King sympathizes with that last part.
"I feel your pain. But what does this have to do with cursing his future wife?"
"Everything!" The old witch springs to life with rage. "That harlot stole his heart and is trying to get him to forget about me! I knew the moment I laid eyes on her, that she was up to no good! Her kind is always like that."
"Whoa there-"
"Those Bard Coven members with their noisy sounds and dainty paintings! They're nothing but snotty brats! He deserves someone who specializes in plant magic like I did when I was young!"
"Oh, good." King breathes a sigh of relief. "Thought it was going to get awkward there. Anyways, sorry for ruining your shot of revenge but I seriously need those elixirs back. You can take your potions back and uh... I dunno, put it in a super soaker and shoot her with it?"
The old witch stares at the elixir in her hand with her eyes lost in thought. She looks back to the demon and holds out the flask before him. But before King can take it from her, she let go of the bottle. It falls and shatters, spilling golden elixir on the ground.
"Hey! You did that on purpose!" King accuses her.
"I did." Briar sniffs. "Thanks to you, I need to find another way to punish that harlot. And you're going to help me."
King lets out another groan even more dragged out than before.
"Oh, come on! I'm not looking for a side adventure here, lady! One of these stupid potions you ordered turn my friend into a kid!"
"And she'll stay that way if you don't help me!" Briar reaches into her cloak and pulls out a key attached to a string around her neck. "I always keep my supplies locked in the cellar. So unless you prefer to come back empty handed, then you better help me come up with a plan to get that woman to leave my son alone!"
King scowls. Either he helps this witch ruin a marriage or lets Eda turn into a monster and eat Luz and Amity alive. King hunches over in defeat and noise of disapproval.
"Fine, I'll help you with your stupid revenge. But you better hold up your end of the bargain!"
"Deal. Now hand that bag over, I could still make use of those curses."
King is happy to finally be rid of the extra weight and tosses the bag to her feet.
"By the way, what the heck kind of revenge is that? Turning someone into a baby? What were you going to do? Put her in a basket and leave her on a doorstep of some random family?"
Ms. Briar shakes her head.
"Oh, no I was gonna put her in a sack and toss her into a river."
"Ah good." King nods. "For a second there I thought I was going to help out some nutcase."
"You can keep those sarcastic remarks to yourself!" Ms. Briar snaps. "Now follow me! She should be making her way home to change for her afternoon date with my son right about now. I have been following them for weeks to develop a schedule to carry out my plan."
King facepalms and drags his hand down in utter disbelief.
"And the red flags now have a siren to go with them..."