Chaper 11
Willow
When Willow touched down near Luz’s house Gus and Amity were already there and it looked like they were arguing she wanted to rush over to them since they hadn’t fought badly since the great cross-class debacle but it was always best to gather info first. She walked a bit closer and made out a couple of words and phrases.
“He might be them”,
“Luz”,
“What if”, and a very loud declaration of the words “keep her safe” from Amity before Gus comforted her with a hand on her shoulder. Willow sighed.
The person disguised as Luz had made a terrible impression on them from the sound of it and it seemed that Gus and Amity had guessed they might be the he that Luz mentioned. She was going to need to convince them to not go in staffs blazing.
“Hey guys, what are you talking about?” She walked towards them.
Amity’s head snapped up at Willow's words we suspect the mysterious person Luz mentioned might be the person disguised as her at school.
Her eyes widened “They might even be the one that texted us and this could be a trap.” She was pacing now and Willow wished she hadn’t said anything.
I suspected that was what you two were talking about. At their confusion, she explained I was hoping you weren't. I was hoping you might have been discussing something else.
Gus glared at her in mild annoyance “You're using your bring my friends to reason tone. That voice isn't called for right now.”
Willow told Gus “With the intensity you were talking with it does sound like my tone was called for and amity if he is them and this is a trap why would they call us to the owl house?”
“I don’t know,” Amity replied, “if they called us anywhere else it might be suspicious.”
“Amity, do you think they could beat the owl lady?” That shut Amity up. It was sometimes the end of the conversations about Amity worrying about Luz. Beating the owl lady was, understandably, an incredibly unlikely feat to all of them. Here is what I think we should do. Luz said she likes the boy she wants us to meet.
Willow realized those weren’t the best words to come out of her mouth after she said them but she started to continue "So–"
Gus butted in. "We were going to ask you when you came we were trying to decide if there was some sort of mind control or mind confusing spell you could have used if they are him." Willow thought, saying that every time was starting to get a bit long.”
“Mind control isn’t a thing Gus I know I did a project on it a couple of years ago" Amity sighed.
"but a plant might influence minds." Gus insisted
“Plants cannot control minds.” Some did confuse them; she didn’t want to tell them that. “Gus, Amity, I suggest we go in and hear everyone out, no attacking but calm logic. Don’t attack unless there is proof that Luz or another occupant of the house is in danger. Be the bigger people.”
That comment usually worked. Amity never wanted to be the smaller person and Gus’s powers were much more powerful with people to work off of. If she convinced Amity, Gus would likely relent. “Okay but if they show any sign of being dangerous you have to join us,” Amity told her.
“Okay,” Willow conceded she would join them if the person really was dangerous. She just hoped he wasn't.
Amity stepped up to the door and opened it.
Hunter
Luz had just finished showing him around the house. The entire house. Every room, every area, and even little things mentioning things like which floorboards creaked or when the owl demon slept.
Every single thing that's needed for an easy break-in. He needed to tell her that it was a terrible idea.
“Luz you shouldn’t be telling me this.” She blinked “Why shouldn’t I be telling you about what stains look like what animals? Is it dumb?”
“No, not about that. About every detail of the house. You are a security hazard. I could be dangerous for all you know.”
“What’s wrong with me telling you? I trust you”
Hunter ignored the chest warmth. “You do know I have more reason than most to want to catch the owl lady right? He went on before she could answer his question.
"You just told me everything I would need to catch the owl lady with only a couple of scouts.
Do you tell everyone who comes here this?” “I do tell everyone who comes here this–” Hunter opens his mouth to comment and she cuts him off. “But I don't bring many people here, just ones I can trust.” He starts to speak again and she continues again.
“I don’t necessarily trust that you won’t want to catch Eda but I do trust your intentions and that you will, even if you don’t like
Eda sees that she would never hurt anyone in your short time here.
Also, I think I know simply by virtue of the fact that you commented at all that you won’t be invading the house to catch her anytime soon. Anyway, you’ll be meeting my friends soon. Let's head to the meeting room.”
Meeting room? She turned expecting him to follow. He did. As he did he thought. So the Owl House had a meeting room? That was good, Familiar, the castle had a meeting room and the throne room also could be classified as that he supposed.
It was good they were going to something familiar to him but he was a bit surprised.
He would have thought she’d want an informal setting for their meeting but this was better… The room Luz led Hunter into was not a meeting room.
It was a… he wasn’t sure exactly what it was but it was the right room because before Hunter went to backtrack Luz plopped down into a chair. “They’ll be here any minute but before they get here I have to talk to you about something” A serious expression appeared on her face.
“You have to promise to be nice.” He had to promise to be nice? Who did she think he was?
“When am I not nice?” Before she could come up with what she thought were examples he continued “I’m nice.”
“You’re never polite and you always glare at people suspiciously, you look angry and act stiff, you always give off a vibe that says” She stood and put on a ridiculous screwed-up face
“I won’t ever trust you so why even bother’” She ended the statement with her arms crossed and her nose in the air for some reason.
“I don’t do that” He uncrosses his arms. “Anyway, why should I act like I trust someone when I don’t? “ “You specifically told me not, ‘to be fake".
I’m not asking you to be fake, I'm asking you to give them a civil chance. Avoid glaring and try and keep an open mind. Try and remember that I’ve seen something in all of them and that since you trust me you can trust me.”
"I trust you but I trust your judgement 75% 25% percent of the time.”
“The serious expression falls off her face 75% of the time. That's fairly good.“
“The time I trust your judgment was the 25% percent.” He hadn’t had to disappoint her on that. “It's more like 30 or 35%. Your judgment is far more trustworthy now than it was when you were younger. But you're still an optimist and a Luz.” He would trust Luz with his life but not with any situations that had anything to do with her trust in others.
Luz seemed to consider his words. “I partly resent your opinion but partly agree also I originally guessed it was 20/ 80% favoring not trusting my judgment.
“But remember Hunter" She looked at him seriously she stepped forward and placed her hands on his shoulders looking seriously into his eyes.
“Repeat after me.” He was fairly sure there was no way he was going to repeat what Luz wanted him to repeat.”
“No matter how little I trust people” She paused, seeming to want him to join her but he didn’t, she continued “The long game doesn’t last seven years”. After he didn’t repeat after her she sighed, removed her hands from his shoulder, and stepped back.
"I know you don’t believe that, you're weird that way.–" she seemed to want to undo her words for a reason unknown to him but she continued. I know you think “I’m too trusting” but I’m somewhat decent with people”
“You're pretty good with people'' Hunter interrupted her. She was. She was decent at understanding people at least better than he was.
Luz smiled at that and continued “And I’m around them most days and a lot of the time I’ve seen their good parts and bad parts and I know the good parts of them outweigh the bad parts by an infinite margin”
Hunter interrupted I’m fairly sure that’s not possible margins are gain vs expenditure and infinite margins would mean gain always being more than expenditures if you put that into terms of people it would be good actions outweigh bad that wouldn’t always happen, meaning the margin could not be stable meaning it could not be infinite.”
He added as an afterthought “Also margins would have to be in numbers and making people numbers is wrong.”
Luz frowned a little then smiled.
“I think you're right, I think I heard something like that in class, I was being figurative though. I just mean that my friends are awesome and I know they are more good than bad. No one is flawless but my friends are pretty close to it. I can't wait for you to meet them. By the way, I have something to show you I’m gonna grab it.”
Hunter was a little worried about meeting these people if any of her friends were the ones from the school things could go south quickly and if Luz defended him which was almost certain to happen and they thought she was taking his side he did not know enough about them to know what they would do.
He hoped if that was the case they were friends more with Luz than each other (though if Blight had been informed by the illusion boy that was unlikely). He could fight a couple at least for a while but not that many. How many– Luz had not told him how many of her friends were coming over that was not a good sign.
“Luz, how many of your friends are coming over?”
He heard all the sound stop at that which raised a lot of warning bells. “Luz?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Luz.” He tries to add command to his tone.
“I’m sorry but I’m not telling you. It could make things worse I don’t know how many people you’d be okay with so I would make the situation better or worse by telling you”
“Luz “
I’ve already made up my mind. You can’t change it.
“Luz”
“No, at least this way I can’t make you worry more. This way if it worries you you won’t have time to run away. It is not too many people for the majority of people. I can’t tell you more.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. I'm going to only worry more this way.” “Could he guess the number from the time it took for her to send the texts.?” No, he couldn’t if they were longish it couldn’t be more than five. If they were shorter it could have been twenty if they were a word or two there could have been around fifty.
“No that isn’t right. If the amount will stress you out and I tell you it your fear will be confirmed at least this way you can’t be sure.”
“At least give me a cap number.” He had to have some idea of what to expect.
“No”
“why?”
I don’t remember but I’m pretty sure I had a good reason a couple of minutes ago but forgot it since I’m stressed”
Why are you stressed?”
“SINCE WE'RE YELLING”
Hunter hadn’t readied they were yelling until she said it so he lowered his voice. “Luz, I understand that you're worried I’ll freak out but I’d prefer to know”
“I can’t tell you.”
“JUST SAY IT”! He hadn’t meant to yell but he had anyway.
“You” Hunter turned at the growled word and saw three individuals standing in the doorway.
At least now he had a number. (he hoped) He surveyed his opponents. The Blight’s hands were firmly wrapped around her staff, her feet planted firmly, and her face was filled with rage.
A definite threat if not quickly neutralized. She looked like she’d fight him almost no matter what happened next. The illusion boy was similar but different. His feet were less planted but his grip on his staff was similar. His eyes were narrowed but his face was not so angry. He still looked upset and suspicious.
Hunter could be imagining it but it seemed that every second nothing happened he relaxed a minuscule amount more. He seemed like he might be a threat but he could be convinced (unlike the abomination witch) If Hunter didn’t make any more threatening moves he would remain only passively hostile.
The third individual was the plant witch and she looked far different than her companions. She looked like she wanted to take a step forward but she didn't. She had a hand on her staff but her other hand was nowhere near it.
She looked slightly wary but not malicious. He was pretty sure that unless he made a particularly malicious move his yelling at Luz would not be enough to make her a hostile presence. He thought his chances were pretty high before the abomination witch spoke.
“You” The abomination witch growled again. “I recognize you” Hunter was fairly sure that wasn’t good.”