㥾⃞⃟ ⃟Six!💧

The fresh morning air was amazing, the decay of the Titan a plethora of scents mixing with the colossal tress and mosses. Something about the Boiling Isles always smelled... spiced, as if someone was brewing a potion in the distance. In this case, that would make sense.

The market was bustling, sunlight no less a deterrent than the flashy vendors pitching their eye-catching sales.

The best bet to find a place for supplies would be Mr. Elixir, even if Morton didn't have the things you needed he would certainly know where to find them. Wandering through the streets in broad daylight almost felt foreign, moments like this were quite rare. Almost always you got your supplies from the night market, since daylight was needed for foraging in the woods. It had been months since you had been to Bonesborough when it was bustling like this. Monsters of all kinds were out and about, cheering and laughing. The strangest thing about it all was probably the large prescense of youth. Children didn't exactly run the gambling tables at the night market, and the only one you really interacted with was Hunter who... while a teenager, certainly not your average school kid.

Winding through the food stands and other vendors, you eventually made your way to the window in the wall that held Mr. Elixir's shop. There seemed to be a small line, but you had time to kill. Best to just enjoy the sun while you waited.

And... maybe eavesdrop. There was all kinds of gossip at the market, and that certainly didn't end when the darker shops boarded up at dawn. You couldn't help but take notice of the teenager at the front of the line.

Something about her seemed quite... normal. But not the Bonesborough normal, no. Something about them reminded you of your old home.

"Hey, Morton! Eda's kind of in the middle of something, so I've stopped by for the elixir today," the girl chirped. Morton held a casual smile, turning to the back cabinets to get an order for 'Eda.' The name was familiar but... you just couldn't place it.

"No problem, Luz! You know you can stop by anytime on her behalf." Hoisting a large satchel of bottles over the counter, the teen did her best to grab the sack. It took some fumbling, but eventually the bag was hoisted over her shoulder and she was on her way. Turning to the right, she began to head back to wherever she came from.

And that's when you caught notice of her jean shorts and, well, very very round ears. Everything around you slowed to a stop at seeing her. Some random human girl. But... how did she get here? Can she go back? Can you go back? If she crawled out of some portal like you did, maybe she knows how to return to it. It seems impossible. It is impossible.

"What is?" Startled, you glanced down. Some random gnome drinking coffee apparently decided to butt into your life.

You flushed. "Nothing! Shut up." Glancing up however, the girl was gone. "Shit! Where'd she go?" You couldn't lose her now! This was everything.

"Step right up to see the odds and ends, the secrets and stories, of the Human Realm!" Bingo.

You turned and bolted to the right, following whatever loud sales pitch was going on about the human world. Quickly you came upon a little stand with a very infamous criminal under its dodgy signage. Right. That's where the name was from. Eda. As in Edalyn Clawthorne, the Owl Lady. The wanted posters had recently disappeared for some reason, so you just assumed she had been caught.

You had never actually met the Owl Lady, but just a glance at the booth told you she was not worth the bounty that had been placed on her head for so many years. She seemed to just... be minding her own business, really. With a short glance the tall woman looked your way, grey and yellow eyes raking over you. Something in your gut twisted and you looked away, trying not to gain her attention too much.

"Eda! I got your order from Morton." Aha! There she was, stumbling up to the stand with that comically large bag. You had to speak to her.

But... how were you to manage that? Just walk up and start talking about the human realm? Real charming. You were much older than her, it would be strange to approach and demand information. By the looks of it, she also had a protector. Even if the Owl Lady wasn't worth the bounty, there was no denying her skill. She was the last person you wanted to mess with. It would be creepy, but waiting to follow the human to speak in private wasn't the worst idea. It's not like you were going to hurt her—the exact opposite really. 

"Catch you later!" Popping out of your daydream you snapped your head up.

"Huh?" She was out of sight. You smacked yourself in the face. Stupid! Now what were you supposed to do? You looked around, hoping to find any trace of the human before she got too far. Left, right, up, down, left again-

And face to face with the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. You jumped as the woman stood in front of you, smirking.

"Looking for someone?" Fuck. She knows. She so knows. Don't be creepy.

"No! Just uhm... watching the crowds." That was so creepy.

"Really? Cause it looked more like you were watching my pupil," again, her eyes looked you over. Your stomach knotted as she observed, walking a slow circle around you. "Now that I think about it, I don't recognize you much. You're not from around here, are you?" There was a lilt to her tone. You bit your tongue.

Don't say too much. "No, I live quite far out. I don't come into town often but I'm out looking for supplies. Had a mishap back home and am in need of a few things." She smiled at you, so you did your best to smile back. It seemed to work for a minute, and then she cocked her head to the side and asked the one question you didn't want to answer. It filled you with dread.

"Out of town, huh? That's odd for a witch, usually it's good to stay nearby incase your coven needs you. Which one are you with?" Fuckfuckfuck uh, coven names. What are the coven names?

"The Emperor's Coven, I live to serve Emperor Belos," you lied. Badly, at that, it was hard not to puke at praising him. However, it was the only coven you could name. She snorted.

"Uh-huh."

"Yup." Yup?! Be formal, you just said you're apart of witch royalty. "Yes." You were sweating. If she turned you in you'd be killed by Belos himself, especially if he found out you've been teaching his star student wild magic. Eda stared at you for a minute, snaggletooth poking out over her bottom lip.

And then she burst out laughing. You smiled nervously as she gave your shoulder a shove, still giggling to herself.

"Relax, rogue. I'm not gonna turn you in," she winked. Cute. "Us wild ones gotta stick together. Now!" An arm hooked around your shoulder, guiding you to her booth. "I don't just sell human junk. What was it you were looking for?"

-

The inside of the booth was quite cozy, a large tent filled with all kinds of trinkets and junk. Eda tossed through it casually, searching for her potion supplies to help you out. A kind of comfortable silence settled as you looked around. A skull here, a throw blanket there, most common things for a witch home.

"So, where are you from really?" You looked back over to Eda, who was now elbows deep in an old wooden chest. She shot you a small, knowing smile.

"I'm sorry?" You responded. She just moved back to searching.

"You look at the market the way Luz does, with this kind of disbelief in reality. Whether you realize it or not you scream human, but I can't help but wonder how that is when you look just like any other witch." Am I really that obvious? So she could tell you were from the human realm. Instinctively you called a few spells to mind.

"I uh,... that's personal, I'm afraid." Pulling an arm out of the junk box Eda only gave a passing wave.

"I get it, I won't pry. We all have our secrets." And we literally just met. "But if you're ever looking for more information our door is always open. I think Luz would like to meet you. Any-who," with many scabs and scrapes, she pulled a series of vials out from the bottom of the case. "Is this what you had in mind?"

-

With armfuls of ingredients and Eda's pockets quite full, you were on your way back home with everything you needed and more. She mentioned that the shop would be closing up soon, but if you were in need of anything to happily enlist her services... for a price, of course. Edalyn certainly didn't seem like much of a criminal. A thief, sure, but no ruthless beast.

With the sun beginning to set on Bonesborough you were just reaching the edge of town. Safe to say you caught a glimpse of gold armor on your way, but it was better to ignore him when he was in uniform. It kept you both safer.

By the time you got home your palisman was peacefully asleep at the mouth of the cave. Around this time the Bat Queen would most likely be making her rounds, but it was rare to have her stop by your home unless there was trouble with the palismans in the forest.

Which, apparently, there was.

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