Chapter 24
Amity
Luz had dragged all three of them to her house right after school. Amity was almost annoyed at how enthusiastic Luz was to get home. Usually, Luz loved school. Well, it wasn’t like she didn’t love it today but she loved it less.
Luz ran up to the Owl House. “Hooty can you warn everyone inside we’re back”
“Eda, Blondie King! Luz, Willow Gus and Amity are here!” Hooty screched.
Luz winced. “Thanks, Hooty.”
“No problem.” He exclaimed.
Luz pushed open the door.
She took a few steps inside and suddenly in a flash of yellow the golden guard appeared before them.
Amity dropped into a fighting stance but Luz ran forward and hugged him.
He tensed and then relaxed.
“Luz you're hugging me so that I can’t move again”
“Sorry”
She bounced back a little still vibrating with energy
“How was your day?”
“Not too bad. Not great but better than I was expecting.”
Luz froze completely. Amity couldn’t see her eyes but it was clear she was staring at the guard.”
“She was still for several seconds before unfreezing.
“That’s great Hunter! My day was pretty good too.”
“It was? Nothing happened?”
Amity could see his eyes narrow.
“I don’t do stupid things every day Hunter." Luz rolled her eyes. "Just like once a week on average.
“I doubt that. I mean the amount of things that go wrong usually ranges from 0 to 2 on our nights and that is only a few hours of your week it is incredibly unlikely that those are the only two hours you get in trouble.”
“The trouble usually just happens because of bad luck. That really isn’t my fault!” Luz whined.
“You consistently provoke people and start fights” The golden guard crossed his arms.
“That’s where you're wrong. I don’t start fights, they start fights I just finish them.” Luz countered
“Then you need to stop finishing fights. Let other people do it.” His expression was steely.
“Who would stop them if not me? Is there anyone else going around and thinking 'Hey this person is a jerk. I should stop them'?” Luz was waving her hands a bit now.
“No, there isn't anyone doing that. But that still doesn't make it your job.”
“Ooo but what if it was my job? I could get hired and paid to stop bullies. That would be awesome."
“Yeah that would be pretty cool but the collateral damage you cause would probably stop you from getting hired.”
“You’re right I really need to work on minimising property damage.”
“You needed to work on that years ago but now is okay too. Anyway, what kind of person would hire you for that?” He looked like he was sort of considering this hypothetical situation. "They probably wouldn’t be crown-sanctioned.” He frowned.
"A lot of jobs aren’t directly sanctioned by the crown. They are still worthwhile. It probably wouldn’t even be super illegal." Luz shrugged.
“I don’t want you to do anything illegal!”
"But less illegal is better than super illegal. Luz pointed out.
He slumped and rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, it is.”
“Good then I just need to work on not damaging property and I can get hired to protect the city.” Luz stood up straighter.
I’ve already offered you a job protecting the city.” He reminded her.
“I can get a non-coven job protecting the city.” She clarified.
"Okay. Should we head upstairs?" He seemed to know he wouldn't win this one.
"Sure! I have more game ideas now to play."
"More human games?” Gus squealed
“Sort of” Luz see-sawed her hand "We're going to do a slumber party thing. “Remember how I told you slumber parties I don't think I really described them"- she turned to Amity and Hunter. They are sort of like moonlight conjuring except they don't happen only once a year and you don't animate objects. You just stay over at each other's houses and hang out."
Amity nodded that made sense. "So like a weird moonlight conjuring."
Luz shrugged. "Sure."
"When Gus, Willow, and I have slumber parties we usually just do usual stuff we'd do at a not slumber party, but this time I want us to play slumber party games”
"But this isn't a slumber party." Hunter pointed out.
She shrugged. "Close enough"
Amity smiled. "I still remember that time you animated the owl house."
“How did you know about that?” Luz exclaimed.
“It was decently big on penstagram.”
“Really!” Willow looked happy at that
When Amity looked at her she blushed. “That’s cool.”
Luz paused and when she seemed to decide the conversation was over she yelled “Now upstairs” and charged away.
The guard made a move to follow. She tried to get in front of him but with her starting position in the doorway she didn’t move fast enough the only way she could get up there first was if she shoved and 'a lady doesn’t shove'.
She remembered that she didn’t have to be a sophisticated lady here too late and he was up the stairs and in the room with Luz first. She was a close second with Gus and Willow coming in behind them.
What game do you want to play first? She got blank stares from the rest of them. “Right you don’t have any idea about the human games maybe we should play would you rather first.
Hunter raised a hand. “What are the rules”
"Yeah" Gus chimed in "I think I've heard of that but I don't know what it is"
"It’s simple. I give you two items and you have to say which you’d rather do, be, have, etc."
She grinned "I have an app for it on my phone."
Luz grabbed her phone and pulled up the app. She grinned after a few seconds. "This is a good one. Would you rather have a muscular body or a pretty/ handsome face?"
Willow raised a hand and grinned. "I think my answer is kinda obvious." She flexed.
“Yeah, it is but you do have both,” Hunter said. “Thanks!” Willow smiled at him and brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
Amity squinted at him for a moment. Why did he say that? It was true but still.
Hunter spoke up next "I’d obviously rather have muscles. A handsome face won’t do you any good in a fight."
“Well, that’s true enough.” Luz shrugged
Willow spoke up. You have both too. The guard flushed at that and looked down.
That was surprising. It was probably nothing.
Luz looked between them with a slight smile.
"Gus?" She asked after a moment.
Gus thought for a few seconds. “A handsome face. I’ve got to go with a pretty face I want to be an ambassador. Muscles will do me less good than a handsome face.
Luz went next “Well I’d rather have muscles. Think how cool it would be.”
Luz smiled at Amity and she flushed “You're already strong I mean remember when you carried me after grudgby? And you’re obviously already gorgeous."
Luz flushed. "So are you batata. I mean you're already so pretty and you’re amazing at grugby. You’ve got all the sports muscles."
“But anyway, what do you choose?”
All the eyes were on her.
“I don’t know” Both would be useful. A face for business and a body for mechanics. I guess I’d go with face. No muscles no face”
Amity would stay with that one. She let go of the bottom of her shirt. She was twisting too hard.
“Okay, batata." Luz smiled "Whichever you choose your personality would still be gorgeous and even if you aren't strong physically you'd still be super strong mentally.
Amity blushed. "Do you want to do another?" Everyone nodded.
"Oh, this one isn’t applicable to us being able to teleport or be able to be invisible. "
She saw the next one and smiled "This one is cool be 2 inches tall and really strong or ten feet tall and super weak"
"Huh, that’s kinda tough." Gus considered “I’m already short and it would be nice to be strong but it would also be nice to be tall. I think I’d go for 10 feet tall and weak. You can’t do anything at 2 inches."
“10 feet tall and weak” Hunter said quickly "If I’m weak I can get stronger. I can't do my job if I’m 2 inches tall."
"Probably 2 inches tall and strong“ Willow disagreed. "If you have a little perseverance I’m sure you could do a lot like that. I mean that’s not too much smaller than a fairy and those are terrifying."
Amity nodded so did the others. When fairies were alive they were scary.
I’d also like to be 2 inches tall and strong. I'd have a bit more trouble with my glyphs but with a custom pen and some perseverance like Willow said I could do pretty well at that height.
10 feet tall and weak. I don’t want to be weak but I can’t do anything at 2 inches tall.
After a second of contemplative silence, Luz cut in. “That one was fun. Another?”
Everyone agreed
Would you rather have to sing instead of speaking or dance everywhere?
“I’d like to dance everywhere, that sounds like fun!” Luz exclaimed.
“Dance everywhere I could hide it better” Hunter agreed
“Ancing everywhere I agree with Luz it sounds like fun” Willow chimed in
“I agree with Willow and Luz” Gus chimed in
“I think I’d go with singing if I ever have trouble or it gets bad I can just stop talking.” Amity decided. It could be bad for business but she could find a way to make it good for business.
Luz looked down at her phone again.
"Would you rather have very small feet or very large hands?"
“Very small feet. I like the gloves I have now and don’t want to get new ones," Hunter told her.
Luz looked confused “But you’d have to change your boots”
He shrugged. “I still will go with the feet option. I'd rather get new boots.
Amity considered it. “Either one would be embarrassing but I think hands would be worse so I’ll go with feet"
“I think overly large hands would be cool! I’ll go with that” Gus chimed in
“I’m cool with overly large hands” Willow added.
"I think hands too." Luz said at last "It might be cool and I don’t wear gloves."
Luz read off another.
"Would you rather never lose a sports game or never lose an argument? I don’t ever want to lose an argument” Luz told them.
I haven't played sports for a while so I’d say an argument" Amity agreed with Luz on that one, Never losing an argument would make her life a lot easier.
"Me too" Gus waved a hand
“I don’t have sports games so me too,” Hunter added.
“Sports game,” Willow told them
"I was thinking of starting my own team soon so that would be helpful”
“Yeah it probably would” Hunter agreed
"Anyway, Willow continued "it doesn’t mean you’ll never win an argument again it just means sometimes you will lose the some and win some. Same as normal. I’m okay with that.”
“You’re so wise, Willow.” Luz hugged her.
Luz popped back to her seat and smiled. Until she looked at the next one the smile slowly dropped off her face. “Oh this is -”
“What?” Gus asked
Luz's smile strained a little too tight at the corners of her mouth. “Nothing much”
“It’s just a difficult question”
“The point of the game is to give difficult choices right?” Hunter asked.
“I haven’t had any difficult ones yet. Show it to me!” Gus cheered
"Okay," Luz relented. “Would you rather work for a dystopian government and be completely safe yourself but most likely hurt people or work for a rebellion against the government and not be completely safe yourself but most likely save people?"
The room was silent. Then the guard spoke. "How is that even a question? The government doesn’t hurt people. Why would anything say something like that?”
“Technically it said a dystopian government, not a normal one which is kind of different from here.” Luz placated
The guard shot up and paced around the room. They waited for a moment but he was silent.
Willow went first. “I would rather have some chance of dying and saving people than no chance of dying and hurting people. I choose the rebellion option.
“Me too, I'd rather save people than hurt them even if I risk my life.” Luz agreed.
“Luz! Willow!” Hunter cried out looking between them.
“I’d rather choose the rebellion. I don't want to hurt people plus it would look cool.” Gus agreed. "I love the idea of taking my place among heroes."
“The rebellion” Amity offered no qualifier. She looked him in the eye. She knew what he would say he was already part of a government that hurt people after all.
“What! Why? The coven wouldn’t hurt people! Why is this even a thing?" His voice got louder and louder and his pacing went faster.
“Hunter- the hurtful government is part of the question, you can’t exclude it just because you want to it isn’t saying it’s this government,” Luz explained in a far softer voice than she usually talked in.
“Besides you haven’t answered the question” Gus added.
“I wouldn’t hurt people but I’d never join the rebellion. The coven are the good guys they wouldn’t hurt people." He grabbed at his hair he was shaking slightly.
“Woah woah woah. Hey Hunter.” Luz approached him.
“He grabbed her and Amity stood. She needed to get to Luz but Luz motioned her off. Amity stood down a bit. Luz probably knew what she was doing. Probably.
"Hunter, it was just a theoretical question. It’s just a game no one is claiming the coven is hurting anyone."
“They aren’t”
“Alright”
"You’re loyal to the government, that's okay." Maybe your answer can be you join the corrupt government and change it from the inside." He hesitated but then nodded a little." She led him to sit back down. "Let’s play another game."
"What about never have I ever?"
"Oh, I've heard of that one" Gus' eyes were wide. "Isn't it a little dangerous?"
"What?" Luz asked.
Amity looked at him in confusion. Luz wouldn't ask them to do something dangerous! One look around the room at all the other faces changed her mind. Scratch that Luz might ask them to do something dangerous.
"You hold five fingers up and lose one every time you have done something the asker said."
"That's not what happens" She shook her head vehemently.
Gus slumped and let out a groan. "Did I learn something completely incorrect again"?
"You're closer than usual. How you play is you are asked a question and if someone has done it they put down a finger if not then they keep the finger up. The first person with all fingers down loses. This might be pretty fun since we all have a pretty big range of life experience so who knows what will happen.
I have an app for this on my phone.
"How do you have an app for all of this?" Willow asked.
"I downloaded them this morning before Hunter woke up".
Luz looked down at her phone. "Oh, this is a good first one. Never have I ever snuck out without permission
“Do we have to put down a finger for every time it happened?" Hunter asked. He snuck out more than once? Amity looked at him curiously. Was that a good thing or a bad one?
“No just one.”
“Do you think that time we snuck off on the field trip counts? Gus asked “Maybe? You had permission for the trip.” but not the detour "Okay" Gus shrugged "finger down"
Amity considered “I think the times I came to see you or maybe the times I snuck off with Willow as a kid count”
“Yeah, probably so four fingers for all of us” Luz declared.
Passed notes in class
Amity and Luz put a finger down “That didn’t go very well, don't ask.” Luz muttered. Amity sort of disagreed it had been bad but she thought it had been totally worth it. Luz got in trouble more so Amity could see why she thought that.
Acted in a play? No one put a finger down.
"I auditioned but I didn’t make it to callbacks" Luz muttered. "Something similar happened to me i did a couple of rehearsals for a play but got removed before it actually happened". Gus agreed.
“I was in some and almost in some CB commercials when I was younger but no plays” Amity added. Some had been fun, some had been terrible. She might like trying to again in the future.
“I worked set crew for a play but didn’t participate” Willow mentioned.
“I was on some flyers but not in a play” Hunter added.
Stolen someone’s vehicle “Does me taking Owlbert that one time count?”
"Yeah" Gus nodded
You also took the hand dragon and my staff. All of those together definitely count.” Hunter told her.
“Oh yeah you’re right Hunter” She shrugged and put another finger down
“What about the time with Hooty and the house?" Gus asked Luz considered "No, it’s a house, not a vehicle. You’re good" She decided unless you guys disagree. She looked at Amity. Amity shook her head. That didn't really seem to count.
Amity remembered the other day all of a sudden. “You stole that cart at Eclipse Lake,” she said pointing in accusation.
”I don’t think it really belonged to anyone so no” He shrugged. Everyone else seemed to agree. Amity tried not to seethe.
“Oh, been arrested, "Luz said. "She put a finger down. She looked around at the rest of them. Hunter is the government so no. Willow? Gus?"
“Gotten close a couple of times, we've been captured but not arrested.” Gus shrugged.
Amity? “Never been arrested.” She told her. That would look very bad for her family though some part of her doubted she could be arrested. Her family probably had a lot of people paid off. It was rather easy with the salaries the guards were paid.
"When were you arrested, Luz?" The older boy questioned.
"A couple of times," Luz admitted. He glared.
She threw her hands up "To be fair one of the times it was because I looked like Eda,"
"Why did you look like the owl Lady?
"Long story tell you some other time."
She read the next one before he had room to say anything else.
"What about shouted from the top of a mountain?"
Amity put a finger down and so did Hunter. "I yelled at you on the knee." Amity shrugged. She was pretty sure that counted.
"I yelled some on the mountain test." Everyone stared at him. He didn't elaborate.
Luz put her last finger down. "I yelled a bit on the mountain too. Now it’s between you."
Watched a horror movie alone?
Gus hesitated. I watched half a horror movie alone then got my dad. Does that count?
Will considered "I think it’s the principle of making the choice to watch a horror movie alone not the act so yes."
That sounds reasonable, Hunter agreed.
Lied to my friends?
Gus, Hunter, and Amity put a finger down
“When I told Willow I didn’t want to be friends with her anymore.” Amity shrugged. She met eyes with Willow and Willow smiled warmly at her. It warmed Amity to the bone.
"When I told Luz I didn’t want to see her anymore."
Gus smirked. Great, I have to follow those amazing statements. “When I told you that you could come back to Hexside,” Gus said. Sorry again.
It's okay Gus and I love you guys. Luz smiled.
Never have I even searched myself.
Everyone put a finger down slowly.
“I need to know my reputation if I’ll be representing the demon realm,” Gus stated
“I wanted to know what damage control I needed to do if my dad or papa ever searched me,” Willow admitted
“I wanted to know what respect I had in the demon realm,” Hunter said
“I needed to know how I looked,” Amity told them. She couldn't imagine how bad it would be if her reputation was stained.
Amity scowled at her hand with no fingers up. She really didn't like losing. "I’m out."
"It’s okay batata" Luz scooched to sit next to her "I’ll keep you company."
Luz sitting next to her was way better than winning.
Cheated on an assignment Willow put a finger down and the rest stared at her. “When Luz pretended to be my abomination. I feel bad for it now but I did do it."
Luz admitted, "I considered it a lot back in human school but I never did." She brightened.
"Stayed in pajamas all day?" She asked next. Gus and Willow put a finger down. Hunter frowned at them.
“You can seriously do that?”
“Yeah on weekends sometimes.” Not too often but occasionally Willow said.
“Huh”
Aww, I’m out now. Gus whined
“It’s okay Gus. Sorry. Now between Willow and Hunter."
"Googled abbreviations to find out their meanings.
Hunter put a finger down with a blush “You win”
“I have to be home early today." Gus cut in. "Are there any other games?”
“Yeah, but would you rather seems like a better bet.”
"Why? I actually remember hearing about another game it was called Truthfulness or Daring I think?”
Luz squinted for a second before the idea clicked “Truth or dare?” Gus smiled "Yeah let’s play that”
Luz looked nervous but then the look cleared off her face.
"Okay, but you can’t make Hunter say anything that's outside of his legal rights to say. The rules will go like this. I'll go first and Gus will tell me what to do or say and once I've gone I'll pick a person to say truth or dare to then that person will pick someone. No one can go back and forth too much.
Hunter raised a hand. "Who will decide what is too much?"
"The group can. Does everyone agree?"
“Okay, Gus smiled” Everyone else nodded. Luz's smile was still a little shakey.
"Let the game begin."