#toh reader insert

"Hey, hey." (Y/N) said calmly with a hint of urgency.

Hunter felt a gentle touch on his shoulder, but it made his skin squirm. He gasped out softly and whipped his head to their face. He panted and took it in full excruciating detail. It at least made his lungs feel unblocked again as a wave of calm washed over him. (Y/N) was gazing at him with their sympathetic eyes that held a hint of concern behind them.

"It's okay." They began gently, removing their hand from his shoulder as they sensed his unease.

They held their hand placatingly at a short distance and began to breathe deeply. They were demonstrating how to breathe. Hunter followed almost automatically as his lungs craved oxygen. The deep breaths caused his head to feel airy at first, but (Y/N) continued to gently guide him even as he struggled to keep himself up.. on his hands. When did he get to the floor?

(Y/N) seemed to pick up on his confusion and slightly trembling limbs. "Just focus on breathing right now, nevermind that. Alright?"

They began to count with their fingers in between each deep breath since he couldn't seem to focus. Hunter followed weakly.

They had seen Gus demonstrate this to Hunter in times previous, but they didn't think their own hand would have the same effect as his friend's had before.

A few minutes went by and Hunter seemed to calm down rather quickly. He inhaled deeply and sighed. His limbs felt like lead; he attempted to move to a nearby cabinet with no progress. (Y/N) sensed the issue and swiftly sat him against the lower cabinets before he passed out again.

A beat of silence as they looked worriedly into one another's eyes.

"What.. what happened? Why can't I move?" Hunter asked, his voice creaking from the strain in his throat muscles.

"You had a panic attack I think. Just.. take it easy." (Y/N) said, sitting in front of him on the floor.

"You.. think?" Hunter said, panic seeping into his tone. "I don't.. I don't remember-"

"No no no, don't do that. Trust me." They warned gently.

They seemed to try grounding Hunter by putting a hand cautiously on his knee. He looked at them in confusion, trying to ignore the electricity at their connected limbs.

"Let's not.. go down that route again. That's what got you in this predicament in the first place. No thinking. Take a breather before you cause me to have a crisis too." (Y/N) chuckled nervously.

Hunter nodded and moved his leg onto the floor to rid of the horrible sensation. He's sure whatever happened, they would fill him in later. It seemed he really shook them up, and he didn't want to add to that any more than he already did.

"Alright." Hunter said.

He was happy to sit there for a moment. It's not like he really had a choice, seeing his limbs felt like jelly. But he couldn't help but ponder anyway, and it was clearly evident on his face.

"Hey, you promised." (Y/N) said firmly.

"Sorry, I just can't help it." Hunter said.

(Y/N) sighed and scooted next to him.

"If I tell you, will you promise to try and stay calm? I don't want you hurting yourself."

This worried Hunter. He hurt himself? He looked back to them, guilt written all over his face. He nodded. (Y/N) looked at his expression peculiarly but took a deep breath and continued anyway, shrugging it off for a later question.

"You... were hyperventilating and uh.." They paused, they had to be careful to not set him off again. "Something- something seemed wrong. I tried to snap you out of it, but you.. I don't know."

(Y/N) instantly knew they chose the wrong words when they looked back at Hunter. His eyes looked slightly haunted and he looked down at his hands like he did before he fell unconscious earlier. (Y/N) widened their eyes and hurriedly but gently took his hands into their own. They made sure to be firm in case he seemed to get lost again. Hunter looked up sadly, squirming his hands.

"You okay?" (Y/N) asked worriedly.

"Did I..? Did I hurt you..?" He asked, pulling his hands away.

Hunter looked like a kicked puppy just then, it broke their heart. They suddenly came to the realization of why Hunter looked at them like that before. Now they weren't sure if he was pulling away for self-preservation, or if something else was wrong.

"Hey, of course not. Sorry if I made you assume that. You were just having a rough time, okay? I think you were lost in your... thoughts, is all." (Y/N) said carefully.

"Do you promise? I'll never forgive myself if-"

"No, I promise. I just don't want whatever happened to happen again so I'm intentionally being.. choosy with my words."

This made Hunter calm down a bit. But then there was still one unanswered question.

"Is everything alright? Do you not want to be touched right now?" (Y/N) began.

"What happened? I can take it. Please, my head is spinning here." Hunter begged.

(Y/N) paused for a moment before deciding he deserved the truth, even if they thought he couldn't handle it right now. Their question could wait a moment.

"You were doing the dishes. And I was writing on my computer when you suddenly began to hyperventilate.."

----

(Y/N's) project was almost wrapped up. Only a couple more pages and they could send it in to the editor. They stroked the keys gracefully before a loud gasp brought them out of "the zone". They looked over to the noise. Hunter having done the dishes, had his back facing towards (Y/N). All they could see was that he was trembling with his head bent down, he was panting.

(Y/N) worriedly furrowed their brows and stood up slowly from the table to walk over to Hunter.

"..Hunter?" They asked.

No response, they were met with his rapid breathing.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong? What ha-"

They gently turned Hunter around and froze when they saw the gushing slash on his finger. Fuck. (Y/N) rushed to grab the nearest dry, clean towel, pressing down on the cut that extended from his finger to his palm. Hunter was still panting harshly after a moment; they looked up at him now.

"Hey, it's just a little cut. It'll be okay." They said with a warm smile.

Hunter seemed to look past them, his eyes glazed over. With tears? From being in a memory? (Y/N) couldn't tell. They gently raised a hand to his scarred right cheek.

"Hunter? You with me?"

His eyes seemed to focus on them, but also right through them. Like he wasn't actually seeing (Y/N), but someone else. They didn't like that look in his eyes, it gnawed at them from the inside as if they did something horribly wrong. Hunter started to go pale under his sweat-slicked skin. (Y/N)'s worry grew, and practically skyrocketed, upon seeing his eyes roll back into his head and seeing his knees bucle before their eyes.

"Hunter!" (Y/N) cried out.

They managed to catch him, just barely. His body was limp in their arms before guided down to the cold, linoleum floor

------

"You were out for a few minutes. I was close to calling an ambulance or something. When you came to, I had no idea what had happened, not exactly. But then you started hyperventilating again, and I realized it was probably just.. a really bad panic attack or something of the sort. You really gave me quite the scare there." (Y/N) finished.

Hunter blinked. Well that would explain why they were being cautious about the subject. He truly hadn't remembered it. Based on what they were saying though..

"I think it was a flashback." Hunter said.

"What?" They asked worriedly.

"That's the only thing that makes sense. You said you've had them before, right? I remember when you told me about them, and your extensive research on them for your peace of mind, and it seems like that." Hunter said.

"Wait.. you don't.. remember?" (Y/N) asked.

"Remember... what?" Hunter asked.

"What was going on in your head? What you were feeling or what I did? None of it?" They asked, voice laced with concern.

"No, not really. I remember.. clearing my plate and going to the sink. The rest is... black. Blank." He said.

(Y/N) frowned. They recalled their own fits like this as a kid. Well, not by their own account of course, but from loved ones. This was long before they knew what was happening in their small little body. Long before they knew they had experienced trauma, and what it did to a person.

"Then that's exactly what that was, Hunter. I only assume from experience." They said.

"I really don't want to remember... what that was." Hunter said.

"And you don't have to, not right now. But someday.. you will have to face those things whether you want to or not. I know that sounds scary, but you'll always have me. Probably your friends too. You won't have to face them alone." (Y/N) clarified.

Hunter was afraid, but he smiled gently at the thought. But then there was the fact that he probably was in his head, alone.

"But.. you aren't in here with me. Yeah you understand but, at the end of the day it's just me in here. You can't.. you can't be there." Hunter said anxiously.

(Y/N) sighed.

"That might be true. We might be trapped alone in our meatsuits, this little thing we call a cranium. But guess what else? That doesn't mean you're really alone. I will always be within reach. Always." They reassured.

He smiled and (Y/N) took his hand gently.

"Promise." They said.

He noticed his skin wasn't as sensitive for a moment, he rejoiced in not feeling like he was being struck by lightning. He looked away for a second but then back to (Y/N), after he realized.. they meant it.

----------------------

You liked to think you weren’t a jealous person. After all, they let you know every day how much they loved you and you did the same for them. But, when Eda showed up, the jealousy came nonetheless. 

It seemed pretty clear to you that there was still feelings between the two. You weren’t oblivious, after all. You saw the way they looked at each other. Raine gave her the same look they use to only give you, the one that told you they loved you. You tried, you really did, but it just hurt. 

You tried talking to them about it. You told them later that day about how you felt. (Open communication was very important in your relationship.) They’re face and ears got red and they apologized profusely, telling you over and over how much they loved you and kissing your face, but it didn’t really help. It didn’t matter how much they loved you if they still loved her, too.

But, Eda was helpful to the cause, so you weren’t about to force her to leave the group or something. And despite everything, you trusted Raine not to do anything stupid. You had to. 

Then, the group was ambushed. You were taken with the kids, only Raine and Eda managing to get away. The last thing you saw was Raine, looking broken and reaching for you, but Eda was dragging them away. You were grateful for that. 

You were usually downstairs by now. In fact, you were nearly always before Eda herself, obnoxiously bright and bubbly for such an early time in the morning. It was just something else that Eda loved about you. No matter how grumpy she acted when you woke her up every morning, she couldn’t wipe the smirk off her face. 

But today, you didn’t wake her up, and by the time Eda was ready and heading downstairs you had been in the bathroom. It has been quite some time since then and you still weren’t downstairs. 

Eda put her mug and the sink, already deciding that she needed to check on you. 

You were still in the bathroom when Eda had returned, the door closed tightly. For a moment, she hesitated, debating whether or not she should just open the door or knock and let you open it. Before she could decide, she thought she heard something odd. Were you … laughing? Or crying? Either way, something was off and she wasn’t having it.

At the very least she knocked on the door before she opened it.

For a moment, you didn’t even respond to her presence. You just continued to make that sound, that odd laugh-cry, as you stared at yourself in the mirror.

“Hey, hun. You doing okay?”

You shook your head, letting out another strangled chuckle, and turned to her. Her heart broke at the sight of you. You were smiling but it looked closer to a grimace and didn’t reach your eyes, which were red and puffy from crying, the tears still streaming down your cheeks. When you spoke, it was with a wavering voice, filled with false cheerfulness that couldn’t hide the grief underneath.

“Hey, Eda.” You greeted her. “I’m sorry, I’m just …” You let out another chuckle and turned back to the mirror. “I’m so ugly.”

For a moment, Eda didn’t do anything. That was fine. Perhaps she had finally realized just how gross you really were and was going to leave you. You wouldn’t blame her. 

She didn’t, of course. Eda would never do that. Instead, she wrapped her arms around, placing a kiss against your cheek.

“Is that what you think?” She asked, a smirk playing at her lips. You frowned. You couldn’t for the life of you understand why she was smirking. “Maybe we should see a healer, then. I think your eyes might be broken.”

“What?”

She shrugged.

“They must be. Cause all I see is the best looking witch in the Boiling Isles!” She gave her words as much grandeur as she could, making you smile even if it was just a doubtful one. 

“Are you sure you’re not the one with bad eyes?”

Eda laughed and your cheeks heated up, a genuine smile hinted at in the twitch of your lips. 

“Nah, I know they’re not, and we both know I’m always right.”

“No you’re not …” But still, she was making you feel a bit better just by being … Eda. 

“Of course I am!” She waved a hand idly, as if brushing your comment off. “Now come on, I know just how to make you feel better!” She let you go only long enough to  drag you out of the bathroom and that lying mirror and over to the nest. Eda had added all kinds of blankets and pillows to it just to make sure you were more comfortable sleeping there. Not everyone was fond of the sticks, after all. 

Once she made sure you were settled, she wrapped her arms back around you, peppering your face with kisses, forcing a most undignified giggle from you. 

“Eda, stop!” 

Eda pouted and shook her head.

“Absolutely not. You are exquisite and I’m not leaving until you know it’s true.”

And there your face went heating up again. Eda always did this to you. She knew no chill once she started flirting with you. She kissed you again, her lips soft against yours, and when she pulled away she gave you the most adoring look, like you truly were the best thing she had ever seen. You were sure you were as red as a tomato by now. You tried hiding it by burying your face in her shoulder.

“I love you, Eda.” You mumbled. Eda stroked your hair, chuckling gently.

“I love you, too. More than you could possibly know.”

“Alright, first thing first, we DON’T wake her up. No one is going to react well being startled awake like that. Can you handle that?”

“Of course! That I can do! I just won’t go inside. Ever.”

Niliana just looked at him for a moment.

“That… seems unreasonable, but okay. I’m going to sit inside with Eda. When Luz gets back, make sure you warn her and tell her to be quiet.”

“Can do!” King gave a mock salute before running off. He sat underneath one of the nearby trees. Once he was settled he gave Nily a little wave. She sighed through her nose, turning away so he wouldn’t see the look of exasperation on her face. Once again, she opened the door, closing it behind her softly.

She took in the room for a moment, taking note of anything that looked important and fragile. She didn’t want anything of Eda’s to break. Thankfully, nothing of the sort was in sight. She decided it was best to take her boots off at the door, putting them to the side neatly. She left her staff by the door as well, leaning against the wall. Her footsteps were padded by the dense carpet as she made her way to the couch, having to scoot around the giant feathery being that took up quite a bit of the room. She sat with a sigh, propping her elbow on her leg and resting her chin in her hand. For a moment she just watched Eda sleep, thinking.

She didn’t know a lot about Edalyn Clawthorne. Sure, they went to school together and were in the same track, but their interactions were minimal. At the time she was definitely one of the quiet kids. She largely kept to herself and was honestly afraid of being noticed, especially by her fellow students. To her, Eda was the most confusing person. Who would ever want to cause that much trouble on purpose? Who would want to have so many eyes on her, constantly watching and judging? She acted like it was nothing! Like it didn’t even matter what others thought of her. All she cared about was having fun and enjoying herself.

When she was younger, Niliana almost hated her for it. She went through her days doing everything within her power to avoid the other girl, actively taking routes through the halls that she was least likely to be in, walking away whenever she spotted the familiar splash of orange hair, all of that. She cringes now just thinking about it. She regretted so much of her childhood and one of her greatest regrets was not realizing just how much she actually admired Eda until she had already left. She regretted not reaching out and at least trying to be her friend.

Well, her Mama always said it’s better late than never.

She froze when the beast let out an odd sound, a soft chirping of some sort. She shifted in her spot, curling up a little more, before going still once more. It was a few more minutes before Niliana let herself relax. She realized it may be some time before Eda actually woke up. Owls were nocturnal creatures, after all, and she looked rather comfortable.

She waved her hand, forming a teal circle in the air. From the circle materialized a wooden box, settling in her lap. She opened it, rummaging through till she found what she was searching for, a large piece of fabric, one of the ones. Eda had gotten for her from the human realm. She found the needle she had also stashed away and got to work.

Sure, she could have made her stuffed animals with magic. She knew how well enough. But there was something about making something with her hands that relaxed her, the repeated motion of the needle moving through the fabric, watching something form from nothing but pieces of cloth. It made her swell to see the final product come out well, and she loved it even more to see others enjoy her cute little animals. It was the thought that something she so enjoyed making could bring joy to others as well.

It was a couple of hours later when she heard the front door open again. Luz poked her head through cautiously, looking uncertain. King was close behind her, looking just as uncertain. Nily sighed, putting her work away. She’d have to come back to it later. She got to her feet and made her way to the door, ushering the two away so she could actually get through the door.

“Is Eda really stuck like that for FIVE DAYS?!” Luz said almost immediately, clinging onto the witch’s arm. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, just staring up at Nily with her big brown eyes. The witch smiled kindly at her, giving the girl a hug. She clung to her shoulders, body shaking.

“Yes, she is,” Nily admitted. “But it’s not forever. Only a few days and she’ll be back. Until then, I know we can figure it out.” Luz nodded, stepping back and wiping at her eyes. “Hey.” The girl looked up to her again. “It’s going to be okay.” The girl smiled, reassured. Nily smiled back, ruffling her hair.

“Alright, you two.” Nily said, standing up a bit straighter with her hands on her hips. “Eda is still sleeping and probably will be till night. It’s probably best if we don’t wake her, so you can either stay outside or come inside and be very quiet. Once she does wake up, we’ll need to be very careful until we’re sure she’s not going to be attacking anybody. If she does try something, then I’ll … I’ll just have to trap her with my magic until we find a way to calm her down. Sound good?”

They both nodded, looking determined. She nodded back.

“Alright. I’m going back inside for now. I’ll probably be starting dinner soon, too, so don’t go too far.”

She headed back to the house, two pairs of footsteps following her a moment later. They all entered the house quietly. Nily sat back on the couch, taking out her wooden box once more. While she did that, King and Luz quietly watched the sleeping form of Eda’s owl form. A was a bit before they seemed to gain the courage to walk past her and head for the hallway past the far end of the couch.

“I’m going to do some homework.” Luz whispered. Nily nodded and watched the girl vanish into the hall. King looked like he was about to follow but stopped, glancing back to Eda, then to Nily, then back to the hall. In the end, he climbed onto the couch, curling up next to the witch for a good nap. She smiled softly at that, petting his back before taking out her project.

----------------------------------

Eda stirred, giving a big yawn and stretching, her wings brushing against the sealing and claws digging into the carpet. She shook out her feathers, letting out a humming sound, and looked around, sniffing the air.

Home.

But there was a sound, odd and unfamiliar. There was an odd smell in the air, meaty and hot, and underneath the smell of another creature. She started growling.

Not safe! Intruder! Protect my home! Leave!

She followed the smell through the dark house, her fangs bared and a snarl in her throat. It was nearby, so close, but the room was shrouded in light, far too bright for her to see properly. She screeched at the bright light, shutting her eyes and shaking her head, but she refused to back up. She may not be able to see, but she could still smell the intruder easy enough and hear them move. They were backing up from her and she could almost taste the fear.

She snarled at them, taking a step forward. There wasn’t enough room in her current spot to attack properly. She could feel the walls against her wings even when they pressed close to her body. The intruder made a sound, soft and non-threatening, but Eda didn’t care. She just wanted them out!

She squeezed her way out of her tiny spot, into the open room where she could move better. It still wasn’t ideal, she couldn’t stretch her wings out properly, but she was in a much better position. She could easily pounce or swipe at them and that was enough.

For a moment she stayed frozen, body tense as she listened intently. She tried opening her eyes, just enough to squint at her surroundings. It was difficult, but she could just make out a dark shape that moved slightly. She lunged, hands coming down on the empty floor. She whipped around, searching. She could hear the stumbling footsteps to her side and swiped at the sound, snarling and screeching at it. She heard them stumble back with a yelp. They were moving farther away, towards the darker room.

She kept pushing them back. If she could get them in the dark, she could see her target better. It was almost too easy, but she was finally able to open her eyes without them burning. The room she had woken up in was covered in cool darkness and she could see the invader clearly. They were one of those two-legged creatures, the ones that seemed incapable of just leaving her alone.

Her ears twitched. She could hear more footsteps nearby, stomping and loud. She screeched, whipping around to face the new intruders, another slightly smaller two-legged creature and a tiny demon. It only took her a quick look over for her to decide they weren’t as much of a threat as the first intruder. So she turned back to them, body tensing to pounce.

There was a flash of light, a circle in the air and instinct told her that wasn’t good, that the circle spelled her doom. So she tried to pounce, to stop them, only to abruptly run into a wall. She growled and huffed, shaking her head, ready to attack again.

But she couldn’t.

Around her was an orb of light, tinting the world a shade of teal. She was trapped.

-------------------------

Niliana let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Well, that was certainly something.

“Nily!”

Luz and King ran to her, wrapping their arms around her. Well, King did his best but ended up hugging her leg instead. She hugged them back.

“It’s okay guys, I’m fine.” She reassured them. “Eda’s fine, too.”

On cue, they heard the owl beast screech and turned to see her trying to fight against her bubble prison. She stopped struggling after a few moments, glaring at them with her big black eyes.

“I think I’ll just leave her in there for a little bit. We can see if she’s calmed down after dinner.”

“We can try feeding her!” Luz offered, eyes shining.

“Mmmm, maybe. We’ll see if she’s calmed down first.”

“Is something burning?” King interrupted them. Nily sighed.

“Probably. I left dinner on the stove.”

She left to finish that, leaving the other two to do whatever they chose to do. They ended up staying in the living room for only a few moments before following her into the kitchen. The owl beast in a bubble was definitely an odd sight, one King was more than happy to poke fun at, but ultimately they decided her best chance at calming down would be leaving her alone for now.

Dinner that night was probably the best they had in quite a while. As much as they loved Eda, she was not much of a cook. King was shoveling the food, some sort of meat and vegetable concoction, straight into his mouth, the fork lying forgotten on the table. Luz wasn’t much better, but at least she used utensils. The girl went on and on about her day at school, excitedly recounting an incident where an abomination went rogue. Her arms flung about as she retold the story, almost hitting King in her excitement several times. Each time he made a noise of annoyance.

Nily did her best to listen, but truthfully her mind was elsewhere. She could still hear Eda in the other room, huffing and chittering to herself, probably still attempting to escape her confinement. She had absolutely no idea how she was supposed to get through to her. She had thought she would have at least the vaguest of ideas when she saw how exactly Eda acted in this form, but nope. In this moment she really wished she had bothered at least a little bit of beast keeping. Maybe she should visit the library tomorrow and check out a few books. Of course, that didn’t help with tonight.

King finished first, but he was determined not to go into the living room alone, so he waited until Luz was done. And Luz didn’t want to go until Niliana was done and could go with them. So, they all went in together. The lights turned on as they entered the room.

Eda laid still in her bubble, looking rather downtrodden. It appeared that she had given up on the whole escape thing. Her eyes were on them the moment they left the kitchen, her fangs bared at them. Niliana sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. She really hadn’t expected her day to turn out like this. She stared at the creature who stared right back. She seemed to dislike her the most, which was at least a little comforting. It meant that she wouldn’t go after Luz or King first.

“She’s not calm enough yet.” Nily decided.

“So, what do we do? Eda can’t just stay in a bubble for five days!” Luz looked up to her for answers. So, she thought. They needed Eda to at least withstand their presence.

“Maybe we should try … just spending some time around her.” Niliana said. “Maybe if she just got use to us being around then she can just ignore us.”

“I had some glyphs I wanted to practice! Hold on!” She rushed off, stumbling up the stairs, no doubt to collect her work. Thankfully, Niliana had her own stuff to work on as well. She sat on the couch and got her box back out. King jumped onto the couch by her side, watching her get all her supplies out.

“Soooo…” He piped up. “Whatcha making? A minion of evil?!”

“It’s going to be an owl.”

King scoffed.

“That doesn’t look anything like an owl! Where's its wings? Or its feet?”

“I’m not yet. This is just the head. I just need to finish attaching the beak then I can sew on the eyes.”

“Wait, that’s just the head!” King said, astonished. The bundle of fabric she had was almost as big as King’s own head! Nily just nodded.

“I haven’t made something this big in a while.” She admitted.

It was around then that they could hear Luz stomping back down the stairs, running into the living room with a bright smile and her arms full of papers. She dropped them on the floor, plopping herself next to the couch.

“Watch this!” She said, grabbing a piece of paper and drawing a glyph on it. She gave it a tap and the paper crumbled into itself, morphing into a ball of light. Nily gave an impressed “huh”. She didn’t even know humans could do magic. Though, it made sense. Eda wouldn’t have taken her on as an apprentice if she didn’t think it was possible.

King tugged on Nily’s shirt.

“Hey, hey, look at Eda!” he said, giggling to himself.

Eda was staring intently at the ball of light, enraptured by the shiny orb. She gave a curious little chirp, squishing her face into her bubble to try and get closer. Luz laughed at the sight and Nily couldn’t help but let out her own little chuckle.

“Do owls like shiny things?” She pondered. King just shrugged.

“I don’t know, but Eda does!”

She thought that over as Luz made a few more balls of lights, looking delighted as Eda chirped and followed each orb with her black eyes, their light reflected in the inky depths. Finally, she nodded to herself.

“I think I’m gonna let her go now.” She warned the others as she drew a circle in the air. They didn’t really have time to respond before the bubble silently popped, dropping the owl beast to the floor with a soft thump. For a moment, they all tensed up, waiting to see what Eda would do.

She let out a coo, ruffling her feathers and shaking her head. She turned those inky black eyes to the three of them, head tilted to the side. It looked like she was thinking, face scrunching up. She got to her feet, taking a step towards them and sniffing the air. For a moment she just stared, eyes roaming from one to the next. Finally, what seemed like hours later but was probably just seconds, she turned away from them, her attention drawn back to the balls of light. She batted at one of them, letting out a little coo.

Everyone relaxed, the tension in the air dissolving. Luz smiled up at Niliana, eyes shimmering with the threat of tears. She didn’t say anything but the witch understood, smiling back.

“Eda, can I walk to school with Gus and Willow today?”

She hummed thoughtfully, looking over to the clock, then shrugged.

“I don’t see why not, kiddo.”

But before she had even finished the sentence, Luz was already grabbing her bag to leave. She paused at the door a moment, before running back over to the kitchen and giving her mentor a big hug. It took a moment for Eda to process, but when she did she hugged the girl back. Soon enough, she was rushing for the door again.

“Thanks for breakfast, Eda! Have a good day!” The door slammed shut before Eda could give her own goodbye.

She was putting her mug in the sink when she heard little footsteps running upstairs, then an odd series of thuds that sounded suspiciously like someone falling down the stairs, punctuated by a little squeak. She snorted out a laugh and smirked when King came stumbling into the kitchen, looking around frantically. After a moment of searching, he looked disappointed, body sagging.

“Did Luz leave already?”

“Yeah, she had to leave early.”

“Oh… I wanted to say goodbye before she left.”

He bowed his head, sadly walking to the kitchen table, only struggling a little to get up onto a chair.

“Don’t worry, you have the whole weekend to spend time with her.” Eda tried to encourage him, giving him his own plate of eggs for breakfast. It seemed to help a little bit. At the very least he wasn’t slouching while he ate. Good enough.

Eda gave another yawn.

“Well, I’m gonna go take a nap.”

King looked up at her as she left the room, a look of concern on his face.

“Already?” He asked, hopping off the chair to dash to her side. He clutched at the skirt of her dress, stopping her retreat. “But it’s still early! Are you feeling okay? Is it the curse? Did you take your elixir today?”

Eda huffed, pushing the small demon off herself, forceful but not hard enough to hurt him.

“I’m fine. I took my elixir already and I’m gonna head to the market later to get more. I just..” She gave another yawn. “I just need to nap first.”

She walked on despite King’s protests, collapsing onto the couch and promptly falling asleep. King gave an indignant noise, crossing his arms.

“Fine then! I have my own things to do anyway.” He stomped off only to return a moment later with a blanket. He draped it over Eda, making sure it covered her up. “Okay, now I’m going!” He ran off again.

----------------------------

Morning turned into afternoon without much fuss. Everything was quiet and peaceful, the only sound being King as he assembled his army of stuffed soldiers upstairs and acted the wars to come when he regained his power the occasional annoying sound from Hooty. King found it suspicious. Eda should have made some sort of sound by now, maybe yell about going to the market or bumping around in the kitchen. He should probably go check on her.

He tried to be quiet as he walked downstairs, peering into the living room.

“Oh."

In the middle of the living room was what at first looked like a giant pile of gray feathers. But of course, King quickly realized it wasn’t since it was breathing, it’s massive side rising and falling slowly. That was Eda! She had turned into her owl form after all. Well, at the very least she was still sleeping.

King inched forward ever so slowly, now more than ever needed to keep as quiet as physically possible. He hid behind the couch, trying to get control of his breathing. When he had calmed down at least a little peered out at the giant beast in the middle of the living room. She still slept soundly, so he tried scooting a little closer. Then a little closer. Then even a little more. He managed to get all the way to her face without waking her up.

“Eda?” He asked, voice barely above a whisper. He had to actively restrain himself from bapping her face. As much as it would make him feel better, it would also probably get him killed. The only response to his whisper was a loud snore.

Alright, this was no problem! He just had to get some of her elixirs! Then she would turn back to normal!

He tiptoed out of the room, ever so careful, but once he was in the hallway he ran up the stairs to Eda’s room.

“Alright,” he said to himself, looking around the slightly messy room. “If I was an elixir, where would I be?”

He remembered Eda opening a chest before, so he looked through a couple of chests she had around the room. He gave an irritated huff at every chest that held nothing but books and junk. Then there was only one left. He opened it with a triumphant “Ah-ha!”

It held nothing but empty bottles.

“Oh. That’s not good.”

Looked like Eda was out of her elixir. He remembers she did mention having to go to the market for more earlier. Well, he guessed he would just have to get it for her. It wasn’t like she was in any state to get it herself.

He snuck back downstairs, peering back over the couch at where Eda still slept. She hadn’t moved an inch, snoring away. Maybe he could get to the market and back before she woke up. He definitely needed to get back before Luz returned from school. So, he snuck out the front door, trying to open it without a squeak and close it without a slam.

“Watcha doin’, hoot hoot!”

Hooty’s screech nearly made King jump out of his skin. He turned on the door with a glare and a loud “Sshhhhhh!”

“Eda’s sleeping, don’t wake her up! She turned into her owl form again. I’m heading to the market to get her more of that elixir. Can you keep her in the house?”

“You got it, hoot hoot!”

And as annoying as the owl was, at least he lowered his voice. That would have to do.

King ran all the way to the market. Well, he mostly ran. He had very short legs, after all, so he needed a few breaks. Still, he managed to make good time all things considered. He was at the market within the half-hour. Now he just needed to remember where the elixir stand was…

He spent more time than he would have liked just wandering. He knew what the stand looked like, he even knew what the guy running it looked like. Still, there were a lot of stands, even if he knew the general area.

Finally, he saw the familiar stand not far away. He dashed over, taking a few hops before managing to grab the edge of the counter and climbing up.

“Hey! Potion man! I need your help!”

A young man on the other side of the counter jumped at King’s shouting.

“I’m sorry! Can I help you?”

“Yeah, you can give me Eda’s elixir now before I send my dark armies to destroy you!”

He looked at King for a moment, confused, before something seemed to click into place.

“Oh! You’re Eda’s pet, aren’t you?”

“I am no pet! I am her close friend and confidant! And I’m here to pick up her elixir.”

The man looked upset, glancing to the side before looking back at King.

“I already told Eda, it won’t be ready for another five days!”

“What!!”

“She ordered more two days ago and I told her then that it would be ready in a week. I still need five more days to finish it.”

“But she needs it now!” King said, definitely not whining. The King of Demons did not whine.

“I’m sorry, my hands are tied! You can’t rush these things or the elixir won’t even work.”

King huffed and puffed, stomping his feet before devolving into his scream of rage, a high pitched squeak that made everyone in the nearby area stare and snicker. His tantrum was only stopped when unfamiliar hands picked him up. He struggled in their arms, hitting and kicking anything he could reach.

“Unhand me, fiend! I must destroy this potion man!”

“Why? What’s going on here?”

King calmed down a little bit when he heard the familiar voice, turning in the arms to glare up at their face. Niliana looked down at him, a look of concern and confusion on her face. Perfect! She and Eda were friends or business partners or something, right? She could help!

“I need to get Eda’s elixir from this guy, but he won’t give it to me!” He shouted, crossing his arms and glaring at the man. HE looked and sounded every part a grumpy child not getting his way. At least it was about something important.

“I can’t give it to you, it’s not done yet.” He replied, words slow and emphasized in an attempt to get it across to the small demon.

The older witch looked between the two, took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh.

“Okay, Eda needs this elixir of hers, but it’s not ready yet.”

The man nodded.

“When will it be ready?”

“Five days.”

“Okay. Then we’ll be back in five days.”

“But-” King tried to speak up.

“We’ll be back in five days, right King?”

He huffed and looked away, still very aggravated with the turn of events. Finally, he gave a resigned nod.

“Fine. But it better be ready!”

Niliana gave a little bow to the man and walked away, the grumbling demon still held in one arm. She climbed onto the staff in her other hand and flew off, headed to the forest King had come from. He was thinking so hard he hadn’t even noticed they were flying right away.

“Where’s the house?”

King pointed at the general direction. The few minutes it took to get there were spent in silence.

King had no idea what he was going to do now. Eda had been taken over by her curse. She was an angry monster now with no way to turn her back. What was he going to tell Luz? How were they supposed to handle this over the next five days? He really didn’t know what to think. He wished this had never happened. He just wanted Eda back.

They landed a few feet from the house. King gave a sad little thank, dropping off the staff. For a moment, he just sat there before forcing himself to his feet. Still, he didn’t walk to the house, just looked at it as his worries grew.

He heard the witch behind him shuffle about before sitting next to him.

“King, what’s going on? What does Eda need the elixir for?”

He tried to look angry when he looked up to her, but that was hard to do when he was also trying to fight back tears. He debated whether or not it was even a good idea to tell her, but they really good use her help. He really didn’t want to go back into that house alone.

“Okay, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise not to tell anyone else!”

“I promise.”

“Pinky promise!”

She did so, and that was enough reassurance for King. He told her everything he knew about Eda’s curse, which granted wasn’t much. She was cursed when she was younger and if she doesn’t drink her elixirs she turns into a giant owl monster that attacks anything that moves.

“Which is why I was at the market.” He finished. “Eda’s out so I thought I’d get her some more. Now she’s stuck as a monster and I don’t know what to do!”

Niliana hummed thoughtfully, looking over to the house. After some time she got up, hand clenched around her staff tightly.

“Alright, we can handle this.”

“We can?” King asked, shocked. “You’re going to help us?”

“Of course. I’m not about to just leave you all like this. Someone’s going to get hurt.”