"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Phantom sneered as he started searching through the miniature island. His massive frame knocked a few of the trees down, which revealed nothing. Just trees, rocks, sand, dirt, but no witchlings. Neither a mother nor Dante's brat. Huh, now that I think about it... Phantom sniffed the air to try and pick up their sent, When I was throwing the brat around, he didn't smell much like Dante.
In fact, he smelled more like the other one.
Sense of smell's just about the only thing the boss didn't fuck up, Phantom grumbled, body aching at the reminder of his torment. After his failure on Mallet Island, King Mundus revived him in Hell, all just to torment him. He didn't know how long it lasted, only what he'd lost: eyes plucked, arm severed, abdomen crushed, and thousands of light spears impaling him every hour of every day. All while the King of Hell refused to let him die. And just to make matters worse, by the time he'd finished, King Mundus exiled him to the realm of Limbo.
A mercy, he'd called it, to live the rest of his miserable existence within this...backwater for parasites. But he knew it was the cruelest fate he could bestow, a crippling attack on Phantom's pride as a former general from the Fire Hell. He'd served proudly under the reign of Lord Berial for countless centuries, and this is what he was reduced to? Frankly, it would've been more merciful to just kill him. From what he'd heard, Griffon got off easy for his failures.
Oh well, I guess it isn't too bad. Got plenty of witchlings to take it out on. And now I can add a baby Sparda and mommy dearest to the list! Phantom felt a black joy at the very thought. Finally getting to make someone from that bloodline bleed out would make his predicament completely worth it. Sure, killing anyone who got close to his turf was fun and all, especially when they were little brats who screamed their lungs out as he crushed or burned them to death, but to kill a Sparda? Oh, that was a delight no demon had ever gotten the pleasure of.
Not even with Sparda himself, what with his sudden disappearance. Seriously, whatever happened to him? Meh, didn't really matter in the long run anyway, seeing as it gave Hell the opening they needed to try and kill off his bloodline. Speaking of which...
"Where are you?" Phantom stopped at the island's center and sniffed the air again, trying to pinpoint their location. Strange, he mused, not being able to pick up on the Sparda brat anymore. Almost like he'd vanished into thin air just like his gramps. Either that or Phantom's nose was more damaged from his torment than he realized. Then again, he was picking up on the mother, who-
"Phantom! Come and face me!" Phantom turned around and saw the diminutive, navy haired witchling with the low battery shirt. Her arms were crossed, staff in one hand and some papers in the other.
"Heh, finally decided to stop hiding?" Phantom sneered, "Where's your brat? Too much of a coward to fight me?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, you son of a bitch," the witch sneered back with that same annoying maternal protectiveness. Why couldn't all mothers just ditch their kids when shit got tough? It helped toughen them up! It's what Phantom's mother did for him after she laid the egg.
Phantom laughed, "Oh well, I'm sure burning you alive will send him running over." He prepared to attack, but the witch was faster, slamming the paper into the ground. Within seconds, the entire area was covered in a thick mist that his remaining eyes couldn't see through. "What the-" Phantom looked left and right, "Where did you go!?" Since he couldn't rely on his eyes, he shifted back to his sense of smell. Strangely, he could sense the Sparda brat somewhere in the area, but he couldn't get an exact read. The mother, however, he smelled just to his side. He turned, seeing her just standing there with a mocking smile as he lashed out with his tail, only to hit nothing but thin air. Smelling her just behind him, he turned to deliver a pincer strike, "ARGH! Hold still!"
Once again, he hit nothing. He tried again and again to hit her but was met with the same result: empty air and a sardonic smirk. The mist made it impossible to tell if she was teleporting or he was just seeing things, with his missing eyes making it worse. Topping it off, he could hear something echoing in the background, similar to every single time the witch activated one of those magic papers. But combined with the mist, the echo made it impossible to tell where it was coming from. Frustrated beyond belief, he roared and held his tail high, spinning it rapidly like a propeller. The act produced a powerful gale that dissipated the makeshift fog, finally clearing his vision.
"Hmm, so you're actually smart. Can't say I was expecting that," the witch's mocking voice called out from just behind him. Turning once again, he saw her lying flat on her back, arm held out with a white raven perched on her hand. She faced him with that same mocking glint, clearly not taking him seriously at all. Then she smirked again, making him see red as he lunged forward to wipe it off her face. His pincer slammed clean on her as a cruel smile dawned his face. He lifted his pincer to see what her mangled corpse looked like and-
"What the fuck!?" Phantom couldn't believe it. The witch was still there, lying in the same relaxed position as if she'd never been crushed, "How did you survive that?"
"Huh, guess you really are as dumb as you look, shit for brains," the witch mocked, sounding an awful lot like-
"Okay my little raven, I think we have him," the same voice came from behind the trees directly in front of him. Phantom looked up in time to see the witch walk out from behind them, staff still in hand and leaving his eyes darting between the two look-a-likes. Glaring at the nearest one (the one with the shit-eating grin), he slowly poked at her lying form with his pincer, only for it to go right through.
"An illusion!?" Phantom gaped as said illusion vanished in a puff of blue smoke. He glared at the real witch and sneered, "Why you little-"
"Hold that thought, please," the witch slammed her hand against the tree, removing it to reveal one of those magic sheets. In an instant, green veins sprouted from it and into the tree. The ground beneath it erupted a series of tendril-like vines that grabbed his pincer and tightened to hold it in place. Before he could react, he felt another series of vines from the trees behind him grab at his tail and restrain it. Then another, and another, and another all grabbing at his legs one by one. Suddenly, he couldn't move an inch. He could only struggle as the witch walked up to him, hands on her hips as the staff turned into that white raven, now perched on her shoulder.
"ARGH! This won't hold me forever, witch!" Phantom heated up, ready to burn his way through the vines. They seemed strong enough to handle his basic flames, so he'd have to crank it up a notch. Burn down everything else on this little island too, while he was at it.
"Trust me, I know," she said simply before placing a pair of fingers in her mouth, letting out a very loud whistle. Phantom could feel the earth beneath him shake as the witch took a few steps back and waved goodbye. That's when he realized where her brat had been this whole time.
Oh no, Phantom felt a massive punch toward his gut that sent him flying high into the air as he flailed about, feeling something latch onto one of his legs in the process. Daring to look down, he saw the spectral arm from before stretched out, latching onto him and pulling the brat up towards him. He leapt to Phantom's back as the former general continued to soar upwards, eventually reaching high enough that the Titan's corpse in its entirety could be seen. Right as they began to descend, the Sparda jumped off, another spectral arm grabbing Phantom's tail.
"Now for the spin cycle!" the Sparda began twisting in the air, forcing Phantom into a series of rapid rotations around him that turned the whole world into a giant, dark blue blur. After several seconds, Phantom was released and sent flying downward at a rapid pace. Amidst the spins he made whilst approaching the ground, he was able to make out the mother stepping away from something, followed by a giant, jagged spike of pure ice formed where she'd been.
"NONONONONONONONONO!" Phantom cried out as he reached it stomach first, the familiar sense of impalement becoming intoxicating, as did the absolute chill that overtook his body and hardened his internal magma. Well, guess this is it then, he felt his strength leave him in droves. Within an instant, he could only twitch and wait for the inevitable, At least things can't get any worse.
"Oof," the Sparda landed right in front of him and knocked a fist against his face, "Talk about a bad case of freezer burn."
Nope, it got worse.
"Yeah! It was ice to beat you!" the mother added, somehow sounding more irritating.
"Still a shit pun," her son said, despite laughing about it.
"Like yours was any better," she smirked and stared at the ice currently impaling Phantom, "But do you think this demon lord got the point?"
The kid shrugged, "Touche, and I don't know. Think we should run him through it one more time?"
Oh please sweet death, take me now.
"Perhaps we should," she cleared her throat, "Let this be a lesson, Phantom..." she raised both her hands and, alongside her son, proceeded to flip him off, "Don't fuck with the Clawthornes!" The mother then proceeded to...dance? She was doing this really weird shimmy that was making even her kid look embarrassed, "~That's right! Who's awesome? We are! You're not~!"
Yup. This is somehow worse than Mundus.
"Mom, please stop," the kid said, right hand almost welded to his face.
Huh, actually agreeing with a Sparda, Phantom mused before his remaining eyes went wide, Oh shit, my last moments in life are gonna be me agreeing with a Sparda.
"I mean, she's right either way. Same goes for Spardas while we're at it," the kid knelt down again and poked Phantom's unmoving face, "The guy killed the Titans, so you think demon lords wouldn't underestimate his family, but here we are."
Phantom blinked, the last echo of strength abandoning him as the world went dark.
Wait, do these idiots seriously believe that? They actually think Sparda killed...the...Titans...
"Not buying it."
"Not buying it!? Your bounty poster said to bring back proof of the kill, and we did!" Nero yelled indignantly at the bounty stand's cashier while pointing to the severed tip of Phantom's scorpion tail as well as the slashed off pincer claw. Unlike the four-eyed, pig-snouted cashier from the last few times, this one was a smaller, beige skinned pig demon with circle-rimmed glasses and a purple vest. Introduced himself as "Tibbles" when they got there.
"We even brought back photos of it! That's more than sufficient evidence!" Mom added, slamming the many pictures she'd taken of the deceased, impaled Phantom on the counter.
"Sorry, but there's no way a little kid and his mother could've killed the thing haunting Lake Lacuna for years. I've seen enough convincing fakes to know what I'm talking about," Tibbles said with all the confidence of a cheapskate who clearly wanted the money for himself, "Tell you what though, for the claw and tail, I can give you, say..." he clapped his hands together in a particularly devious fashion, "500 snails! How 'bout it?"
"Now you listen here, sir," Lilith sneered, leaning down to meet him at eye level, "My son and I worked very hard to kill this thing, so would you be so kind as to give us our owed 5,000,000 snails before I personally-"
"You'll what? Last I checked, you're powerless. And a powerless witch is a worthless witch. Now move along. I have others to sucker-I mean, give their bounties," Tibbles sneered back with a smug expression.
That's it! Nero brought the Devil Bringer forth, grabbing Tibbles' head before Mom could pull out a glyph. He held the screaming cheapskate high in the air and snarled, "Listen here, bacon bitch. Like it or not, we did our job, so do your damn job and pay up!" lowering the large, ghostly arm down, he brought Tibbles to eye level, "Oh, and if you insult my mom again, I'm throwing you over the horizon. Wanna place bets on if you'll land in the Boiling Sea?"
"W-Wait!" Tibbles glanced at Lilith, "You wouldn't let your kid do that, would you?"
"..."
"...uh, m-ma'am?"
"I'm thinking about it," Lilith crossed her arms with a bemused expression, causing Nero to grin at the squirming pig demon.
"W-What about 501 snails!?"
"..."
"502!?"
"..."
"499?"
"You just went down," Nero said, flat tone betraying his frustration.
Tibbles just chuckled awkwardly, "Heh, I-I'm a haggler?"
Lilith briefly put her index finger in her mouth before holding it high as the wind blew, "Nero, try aiming about 57 degrees to the right. Less wind resistance, so you'll be able to throw him much farther."
"Wait, this isn't even my-"
"What's going on?"
Everyone turned to the new voice to the old cashier, standing with an exhausted look in his four eyes and a nasty bruise on his face. Everyone turned to Tibbles, who let out an awkward laugh, "Heh, did I mention that I don't actually work here? I was just helping out since he was on break."
"Think I remember something hitting me in the head," the demon clutched at his face, "Woke up behind a trash can."
"...Nero, throw him," Lilith turned to the actual bounty stand attendant.
"Wait wait wai-" was all Tibbles got out as Nero nonchalantly tossed him away, retracting his spectral arm as a loud crash sounded somewhere in the background. Meanwhile, the attendant got back to his usual spot, still rubbing at his aching face. Recalling how he treated Eda way back when, as well as the last few times Nero and Luz came here to deliver bounties, the young Clawthorne prepared for the off chance he had to punch the bastard. Only reason he didn't do so before was because Luz held him back. Now? Well, if the guy said some shit, it was doubtful Mom would step in, assuming she didn't do the deed herself.
"Okay, what do you guys want now-" just as the attendant finished rubbing his eyes, he saw the large claw and tail sitting just behind mother and son, "Holy..." wide-eyed, he looked at the counter and saw the photos of Phantom's corpse, as well as the Lake Lacuna bounty, "Is...i-is that really...?"
"Yes," Nero and Lilith both nodded.
"And you two actually managed to-"
"Yes."
Wordlessly, the attendant cast a spell circle, telekinetically lifting the claw and tail behind the stand before taking the photos and bounty poster. He then placed five massive bags, each about as large as Nero and Lilith were tall, down in front of his workstation. Before anything could be said, he slammed the doors of the stand closed and ran out the side in fear.
"He was smart to run," Lilith proudly said as Nero nodded. After both of them finished checking to make sure the snails were legit (perks of living with a master con artist), he summoned the Devil Bringer's ghostly apparition again to carry the five sacks with them home. By the time they were halfway through Bonesborough, however, Nero started to feel something eat away at him. That same guilt from back at the lake...
"Mom," Nero began as he and Lilith walked side by side, "I'm sorry for pushing you away."
Lilith turned to him as they continued walking, "I already told you, my little raven, it's fine. Unpleasant as getting slammed into trees was, I understand that you were just-"
"No, that's not what I...I don't mean-" he sighed, briefly looking up at the night sky, "Can we sit down for a sec?" His mother froze, looking at him in surprise before cautiously nodding. Nero took a seat on the sidewalk, Lilith joining beside him as he twiddled his thumbs in an effort to find the right words. Come on, just get the words out, Nero opened his mouth, only to close it, whatever he was about to say having died on his tongue, Dammit. I thought this would've gotten easier after telling her about the demon hunting. Guess I really haven't gotten any better, huh? taking a deep breath, he managed, "I...haven't been letting you in lately, have I?"
Mom went quiet for a second, making Nero worry before she drummed her fingers against her knees, "I...Nero, you've..." she reluctantly sighed, "No, I guess you haven't."
"Yeah. Yeah, I figured."
"If it means anything, I don't blame you for that either, given how I can be," Lilith admitted, and something about her answer just left him more frustrated with himself. Why wasn't she angry with him?
"At least it feels like you're trying," Nero admitted, staring at the ground, "Me? I don't know. I want to think I've been trying, but after today, it doesn't feel like I've been doing that. I honestly don't want to push you out Mom, it's just..." he sighed, once again struggling to find the words, "I don't know, maybe I'm just scared of you getting hurt? But at the same time, I'm also scared you're gonna end up treating me like a helpless little kid again." Lilith looked worried and a bit hurt, to which Nero clarified, "I mean, you lapse sometimes, but again, you try. Definitely more than me."
Mom relaxed and chuckled a bit, "I'd hope so, my little raven. But you're trying more than you think. We wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't."
Nero felt a brief warmth in his heart at that, smiling, "Thanks, but I still don't know why I'm having a hard time with this," he looked at the night sky again, "This whole devil hunting's always been a me thing since I was a kid. I think a part of me wanted it to stay that way, but like you said, I don't have a problem letting some people in," his head hung in shame as he wrung his hands together, "I don't want you to be some exception to the rule. But I keep making you one and I just don't know why."
"...Edalyn and I once spoke about this," Mom reminisced with a chuckle, "Actually, it was less speaking and more just yelling over each other. She said that the more I tried to hold onto you, the more you'd push away, and that I need to acknowledge that you're not a child anymore. Obviously, I didn't listen back then, but..." she bit her lip, "Sometimes I feel like you've grown up too fast. Combined with everything from Belos to the demon lords coming down on our heads, it's...hard, for me to accept. A lot of things are hard for me to accept, really." Lilith turned to her son with an apologetic look in her eyes, "Still too stubborn for my own good, I suppose."
"Guess that makes two of us," Nero muttered loud enough for her to hear, eliciting a chuckle. Apparently, between his own bout of overprotectiveness and his stubbornness, he was more like his mom than he wanted to admit. His brief mirth died down as they sat in silence, just letting everything continue around them in the moment. Unconsciously, Nero felt himself lean to the side, his head landing on Mom's shoulder. Without a word, she wrapped her arm around him and gently stroked his hair.
Fuck, maybe he really did want to be treated like a little kid.
"It happened to me too," Lilith whispered, "As I got older, my parents and I became more...distant. I wanted their attention more than anything, but after what happened with Edalyn, I was scared they'd find out what I'd done. With father's injuries and mother focusing all her efforts on my sister, I buried myself in work just to get away from it all. Hadn't been in contact with them since I was your age."
"...is that gonna happen to us?" Nero asked, feeling the start of tears pricking at his eyes, "We're just gonna grow distant and never talk to each other? I...I don't want that. I don't want you out of my life. I just want...I want you to accept me. I want you to be proud of me and what I like doing."
Nero heard a sniffle, not knowing if it came from him or his mother. But then Mom spoke, sounding like she was fighting back her own tears, "Nero, I am proud of you. I know I haven't been the best at showing it, but I've always been proud of you. I always will be proud of you, no matter what you choose to do with your life," Lilith ceased her stroking and embraced him, a dampness trickling onto his shoulder, "Please, just let me be part of it."
Now Nero felt his tears escape to Mom's shoulder as he returned the embrace. He didn't know what else to say, or if he could even say anything amidst his weeping. Yet despite it, something did escape his lips, consciously or otherwise, and he smiled as the words came out.
"I love you, mom."
He felt his mother freeze at the words, once more making him realize how much distance he'd put between them. Those words were...rare, coming from him when they shouldn't have been. Mom never failed to express how much she loved him, yet only now was he realizing that he hadn't really done the same. Amidst his turbulent emotional state, he began to worry if his mother would realize that too and-
Suddenly, Lilith tightened her embrace and kissed the side of his head, "I love you too, my son."
Tears falling again, Nero let out another smile, imagining how goofy the display must've looked to an outside observer. A mother and son, crying and hugging on the sidewalk like a pair of sad saps. But Nero couldn't bring himself to care, just happily accepting the hug and feeling the weight of the entire day rolling off him. If he was a sap, then he was proud to be a sap, and nothing was going to change that.
Then he heard what sounded like the rustling of coins and struggled grunts in the background, "Mom?"
"Yes, my little raven."
"Some assholes are trying to steal the bounty, aren't they?"
"Quite."
"They making any progress?" Nero felt his mother look over his shoulder to see the assailants try and pry it out of his spectral arm's grip. Lilith shook her head as Nero chuckled, "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Are you going to teach them a lesson?"
"Honestly, I'm emotionally beat," Nero retracted from the hug and wiped away his remaining tears, "Want to do the honors?"
Without a word, Lilith smiled and pulled out a glyph, summoning a large ball of fire in her hand. She stood up and turned to the would-be thieves, who only just now realized how fucked they were. As he watched her kick their asses, he found himself accepting an easy-to-forget reality.
His mom, no matter how embarrassing she could be, was actually pretty cool.
The moon hung directly above them, not a single cloud in the sky by the time Lilith and her son returned to the Owl House. She greeted Hootcifer, giving him a gentle pat on the head as he opened his door, and said goodnight to him.
Nero walked in first, "Hey guys, we're back!"
"Hey Nero!" Luz said just as Lilith followed in after him. But as she entered, a second, all too familiar voice also greeted her son, and she looked to see the source was Amity Blight. The minute the girl saw her, the pleasant, greeting smile on her face shifted into a steely, cold frown. Combined with how she was wearing her hair down, it reminded Lilith so much of the cold glare she had most of the time during her Coven days. After the emotional high earlier in the night, the sight certainly brought down her mood a few pegs.
"Oh, it's you," Amity all but sneered, which bought her mood down even lower, though she kept that hidden. With how she'd hurt Miss Blight, it was deserved. However, Luz gently held Amity's shoulder, making Miss Blight look to the human with a light blush as the scowl slowly faded. A splash in the room drew Lilith's eyes further downward, and she saw Selki swimming in a small, inflatable pool. Based on the bubbles in the tub, as well as the towels on the floor, the two had been giving her a bath.
How did I miss that? Lilith wondered.
"Hey Luz," Nero called out as his spectral arm dissipated, dropping the five colossal bags of snails on the living room floor, "I'm kinda beat right now. Think you could help me carry these things to the storage room?"
For a split second, Lilith assumed her son was trying to get her and Amity alone in the same room. Something to force them to work through the blatant tension in the air...and then he yawned. She realized that, no, he was genuinely tired and actually asking for help with the bounty.
"Sure thing, Nero!" Luz replied in a very forced tone, not getting the memo, "Lilith, why don't you help Amity with Selki until I get back?"
"I...of course," Lilith replied as the two witches picked the bags up: Nero lifting three while Luz carried the final two with surprising ease. It still impressed her, how someone she'd once deemed weak had grown so strong. Though now that she was left alone with one of her former students, all she could do was awkwardly cough and wave, "Greetings, Miss Blight."
"...Lilith," Amity almost sounded somewhat welcoming. Almost, anyway.
Nodding, she looked down at the still bathing Selki, who seemed much happier to see her. Gesturing to the baby Selkidomus, Amity reluctantly nodded and knelt back down beside the kiddie pool, letting Lilith kneel across from her as she grabbed a cloth and affectionately scrubbed the top of Selki's scalp. In response, Selki cooed, making Lilith smile before looking up at Amity, who also had a brief smile to her face before it just as quickly vanished. The former coven head sighed, knowing this wouldn't be easy.
"So...how are things?"
"I have been improving in my magical studies and am currently excelling in all my classes, if that's what you're wondering about," Amity said with all the emotional investment of someone getting a root canal, which made Lilith wince. She tried to think of a way to lighten the mood, but she was coming up empty on that front. While she may have taught several students, she'd never actually been personally close to any of them, not even Amity. As such, she knew nothing of Miss Blight's interests, nor how to ease things along.
Scrubbing at Selki's side, Lilith decided to start there and asked, "Has Selki been behaving?"
"She's been a sweetheart, mostly," Amity slowly gained her smile back as she spoke, "Luz and I have been playing a lot of games with her, which was a lot of fun, especially when we all tried rolling into balls and just...well, rolling around," she started blushing, "Miiiiight've landed on top of Luz in the middle of that. Heh, and it was...nice." Amity blinked and had a look of realization, "H-Having fun with her, I mean. Selki, of course! I-I'm referring to Selki."
Lilith ceased scrubbing Selki before she looked down at her. Sure enough, Selki somehow had the same knowing expression she did. It was pretty obvious just how strong Amity's infatuation with Luz was, reminding Lilith of Edalyn and her romance with Raine Whispers back in the day. And just like with them, the display was adorable to watch. Seeing the opening, she prepared to ask Amity about Luz in the hope that it would lighten the mood and allow them to work out the wedge she'd created...
Actually, Lilith shook her head, deciding against such a decision. She'd already used Amity once as a means to one-up Edalyn in petty jealousy, now she was considering doing so again? Using Amity's feelings for Luz as an avenue to apologize just wouldn't be right. What if Luz overheard and the conversation? Sure, Lilith had eavesdropped on Luz loudly gushing about Miss Blight, so it was very likely she returned those affections, but even she, in all her nonexistent wisdom regarding romance, knew that there was a time and place for these things, and this most certainly wasn't it. What if it just made things awkward between them and destroyed whatever potential relationship they could have?
She wouldn't take that chance. She'd ruined enough lives already.
Instead, she opted to just take the plunge, "Amity, I...I know you don't want to hear this, but I just want to say that I'm sorry for what I did to you." Sure enough, Amity looked away and crossed her arms, not wanting to listen. Despite this, Lilith pressed on, feeling Selki's head nuzzle against her palm to help her forward, "I was selfish, petty, and used you for my own ends. I humiliated you, I lied to you, and...and I'm sorry. I hurt you, I hurt my son, I hurt my sister, and I hurt Luz. Almost got those last two killed because of my selfishness." Amity bristled at that last one as Lilith went further, "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, or anyone's for that matter. I know I can never take what I've done back, but-"
"It's not that," Amity interrupted, still refusing to look at her, "I mean, it is all those things, but...there's more to it."
"What do you mean?" Lilith couldn't help but tilt her head. Selki did the same, making a confused sound as well.
"Growing up, I wanted to become part of the Emperor's Coven more than anything. Or at least, I thought I did," Amity went quiet for a moment before sighing, "But then so much happened: I met Luz, you hurt and used me, and you tried to kill her. And because of everything, I wanted to be part of the coven less and less. First just because you were there, then because I started looking more into things and started taking a look at the whole system. There's just so much..." she clenched her fists in anger, "The whole thing's just so shitty and-" her frustration began to peak as she reached into her hair and started pulling, "UGH! You messed up everything, okay! That's what's pissing me off! I had my whole life set out, now I have all these fucking questions I never wanted and I don't know what to do anymore!"
Silenced followed, for what could Lilith say or do after that outburst? Even Selki had completely frozen in shock as Amity curled into herself, forehead rested on her knees. With a tentative gulp, Lilith stuttered, "A-Amity, I-I-"
"And you want to know what's really fucked up?" Amity mumbled, cutting Lilith off, "There's this weird part of me that's almost...glad for the questions, and I don't know how to feel about that. Like, if I hadn't started asking them, I could've ended up like-" she raised her head, glaring at the ex-coven leader. Lilith tried to think of something to say, but any words she could muster died on her tongue. She blinked and, for a brief second, Amity was gone. In her place, Lilith saw a young, glasses wearing teenager with fluffy, orange-red hair, glaring at her with such malice that she almost came apart at the seams. She blinked again, and Amity was back, still leveling that same glare before it slowly dwindled. Sighing again, Amity spoke more clearly, "Look, I don't want to be this angry. You're trying, I know, but...you were everything I wanted to be. Now? Now I don't know anymore."
Another uncomfortable silence passed over them as Lilith looked down in shame, wordlessly scrubbing the soap off Selki. "If it means anything, I'd rather be anyone but myself," she began, which seemed to get Amity's attention and, with a nurturing chirp from Selki, Lilith continued, "When I was first inducted into the Coven, I started seeing the faults in Belos' system and reign overtime. But despite my growing concerns, I...I chose to ignore them. In my selfishness, my cowardice, and my obsession with undoing my greatest mistake, I pressed onward, committing countless more mistakes that I'll never be able to undo. At any point, I could have done the right thing, but I didn't until it was too late. And after everything, I didn't know what to do with myself. Even now, I'm still not sure."
Once all the soap was off, Lilith lifted Selki out of the tub and grabbed a towel to start drying her off, "Knowing what that's like, I'm sorry I forced it on you. No one should have their future thrown into such disarray like that. If I could go back in time and undo my mistakes, and believe me, I've been looking into it for a while, then I would. But I can't. I'll learn to live with it. And I'll learn to live with the hate, yours and mine."
For what felt like the millionth time tonight, another wave of silence hit, the only sound coming from Lilith's towel scrubs and Selki's cooing. But then the sound of rustling carpet joined in the air as Lilith looked to see Amity stand and walk around the kiddie pool, grabbing a towel along the way. Kneeling down in front of her, she proceeded to help her in cleaning the baby Selkidomus, who nuzzled into the cloths like they were blankets. Surprised by the act at first, Lilith couldn't help but smile just a bit as she continued. Perhaps she needed new contacts, but she could've sworn she saw the smallest ghost of a smile on Amity's face as well.
"You know, bad as it was, I'd like to think some good came out of the Covention fiasco," Amity commented, making Lilith stop as the Blight girl continued drying Selki off, "After what you did, after I ran off, Luz followed me. She..." the teen's smile grew as a bright blush reached her face, "She comforted me, showed me the kind of magic she was learning. She was kind to me, even though I didn't deserve it," she regained her normal hue, finishing the drying process, "And thanks to her, a lot of things in my life have been changing for the better, even with all the confusing stuff coming hand in hand."
"She certainly seems to have that affect," Lilith commented, having seen how her uncouth, reckless sister had grown more responsible (more so than she ever was), as well as how her son had grown more cheerful and open around her.
"Yeah, she really does," Amity hugged the now dry, chirping Selki before looking up at Lilith with a serious expression, "I'm still mad at you, and I don't know if that'll ever stop. But you're trying to do better, just like me. So, I'd like to try and meet you halfway," she sighed, "If everyone else's willing to give you a chance, I guess it couldn't hurt."
Lilith went wide eyed for a moment, almost unbelieving that Amity would even entertain such an idea. Yet here Amity was, willing to try and let go of her anger for everyone's sake, including her own. A tinge of envy crept its way into her heart, but an even stronger admiration followed as she began to smile at the girl, so much like her yet not at the same time.
Perhaps your fears of turning out like me are unfounded, Amity. You're already a better witch than I ever was, Lilith felt a warmth and, as Selki crawled over to her lap, she nodded. The two witches shook hands on it, and as Lilith was about to stand up and take the baby Selkidomus to bed...
"AW! Nice to see you guys making up!" Luz's voice called out as Lilith and her former student looked to see the human leaning in from the hall. Amity and Lilith found themselves looking to each other and raising an eyebrow. Luz's tone and posture were just far too knowing.
"Luz, were you eavesdropping?" Lilith asked, unable to help the amused smirk on her face.
"Uh...kinda-ish?" Luz looked right at Amity, her face blushing bright.
"How much did you hear?" Amity covered her own, currently crimson face.
"...most of it, maybe?"
Lilith couldn't help but laugh while Amity looked like she wanted to melt into the floor right then and there. With her growing skill and immense talent for Abomination magic, maybe she'd develop the ability someday. Standing up with Selki in tow, the former coven head yawned, "I'd better get Selki to bed so I can get some sleep too."
"Good night," Luz said while Amity simply waved. As she left, she overheard Luz and Amity talk for a bit before the latter said goodbye in a quick tone, followed by the sound of tripping and another, more awkward farewell from Miss Blight as the house's front door closed. It seemed in her haste, she tripped over herself.
Ah, to be young and in love, Lilith mused happily, remembering how Eda and Raine occasionally tripped over themselves around each other. Sure, romance wasn't for her, nor would it ever be, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy watching it unfold for others.
After placing Selki on her makeshift bed, she petted her goodnight and proceeded to her son's room. She gently opened the door to find Nero flopped down, face first, on his bed, snoring louder than Phantom's roars. Smiling, she stepped in and kissed the back of his head goodnight before exiting into the halls for her own room. After everything that happened today, she actually felt...good? She ended the day feeling honestly good about herself.
And that for once, just once, she'd finally managed something right.