Chapter Text
It was the first week of October. Luz gave herself a once-over in the mirror as she placed her beanie atop her short, dark-brown hair. Two longer side-bangs that reached slightly past her shoulders dangled in front, while shorter tufts of hair swept to the right covered her forehead. Her uniform consisted of the classic white button-up dress shirt, a grey blazer, black pants, white socks, and standard leather shoes. She adjusted the lavender ribbon under an amethyst brooch embroidered with the golden crest of Hexside, leaving one slightly longer than the other.
Others may have thought it odd, but Lucia Noceda preferred adding some personal touches wherever she liked. Apparently, the Headmaster had insisted it was fine after some parents complained about her-- even changing the school regulations to allow one clothing accessory to the uniform to celebrate Bonesborough's diversity. This included scarves, hats, necklaces, bracelets, and all sorts of other cool items that her classmates had begun to wear.
The Latina made her way downstairs when a wolf-like creature called King leapt onto her head and stood atop it to declare his new throne as usual, before tumbling into her arms.
"Hey, how dare you throw me off my throne!" He pointed at her indignantly. "I will send my army for your head until you bow down to me!"
She laughed and gave him a little belly scratch before placing him into a nearby beanbag. "This is a chair fit for a 'King', don't you think?"
"Hmm. I must investigate this intriguing..." He patted at the fabric, digging his skull-like face into it for a second before continuing. "It accepts me!" King raised a triumphant fist in the air and curled up, swiftly falling sound asleep.
As Luz cooed, she felt a pat on her head and looked up at her mentor, Edalyn Clawthorne, holding a mug of apple blood in her left hand.
"Morning, Eda."
"Morning, kid." She chugged down the rest of her drink. "Alarm didn't sound?"
"Huh?" Her eyes traveled to the grandfather clock and gasped. 8:30. Luz stood up in alarm and heard her knees crack.
Eda snorted, heading for the kitchen to refill her mug. "I was just pullin' your leg!" She placed it on the counter and wheezed, slamming a fist down in hysterics.
"Eda!"
"Yeah, I'll fix the clock later. Also I'm going out of town for a few days, so watch the house for me, 'kay?"
"HOOT! Hooty is old enough to watch himself!" The house demon wormed through the window, swirling around its inhabitants until he met his own body. "Hey! What's this? Can I eat it? HOOT! Luuz, don't eat the furry brown cylinder! It's very staale." He coughed, the house demon's fit eventually turning into hacking before Luz's school bag came out of his throat.
Eda scrunched her nose. "And mind giving him a bath? Something reeks. "
"Uhh..." a lopsided grin tugged at Luz's lips as she picked up her leather strap bag, " ooh , look at the time!" She stepped over to the coffee table to stuff one egg and a piece of toast in her mouth. "I gortta go, harv fun on yur trip! Shee ya!"
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Luz had fifteen minutes to spare when she arrived at school, though many other students had already been trodding through the grounds for early-morning extracurriculars. However, this timing was almost perfect when the Headmaster spotted her and invited her into his office.
The Headmaster's hair was slicked back under his signature… hat? (Luz wasn't quite sure what that purple creature half-consuming his head was.) Signature black and gold robes hung over his shorter, hunched build, flowing as he strode along the hallways.
She ignored the generally judgmental stares directed at her as she followed him up the stairs. They probably thought the human had gotten into trouble again, though Luz was pretty confident that wasn't the case, because she hadn't orchestrated a single prank for the past year or so. Ever since she earned the title of Top Student, she had decided to make the most out of her education first, in hopes that it would strengthen her chances of making a living in the future.
The Boiling Isles was a mysterious place inhabited by witches and dangerous creatures alike, and obviously, a human couldn't be trusted to take on many jobs. Ever since Luz arrived one day through a portal, she held no intention of going back.
Back to the situation at hand, she entered the familiar office lain with various knick-knacks in case the Headmaster was ever bored. A portrait of him drawn by Luz and her friends during the first year she had been here was pinned on a board at the side of the room.
Before she knew it, Headmaster Hieronymus Bump was sitting behind his wooden desk, fingers laced together in a firm stare. He gestured at a chair next to her.
"Good morning, Headmaster," said Luz as she sat down. "What's up?"
"Miss Noceda, I have a favour to ask of you."
That ridded her of her morning daze. "For the Hallow's Eve party?" She grinned, crossing her legs. "Are you looking for input on costume ideas? How about an otter…" she leaned closer, "with a dark side?"
"No, no…" His brows furrowed under his 'hat' in deep thought. "You see, this matter has spanned long before your enrollment at Hexside."
A bead of sweat rolled down Luz's face. It couldn't be another creature living under Hexside, right?
Over the years she had gone to Hexside, other people have been in charge of exterminating beasts that held a great threat to the school. While she had once come across a basilisk in her first year, she had barely come out of that incident alive.
"I need you to tame a creature for me."
"...Huh?" was the eloquent reply that graced Luz's lips when the Headmaster voiced his request. While she was the Top Student in the school (also known as the Headmaster's favourite), and one of her courses involved beast-taming, she was nowhere near a professional or even the highest-scoring student in that particular course. This was because of her physical lack of an extra organ called a bile sack that supplied witches with magic.
In truth, Luz had always been better with the theoretical components of her classes, just barely managing to keep up with the magical aspects with increasingly creative glyph combinations.
So she glanced around the room-- at the trophies, photographs, globe, books, binders, anywhere but the Headmaster as though it would bring his attention to a more capable representative.
"You see, it doesn't get along with anyone. It picks fights with students and teachers alike, climbs to places it shouldn't be in, and overall, it has been a 'Blight' to the reputation of Hexside Academy for far too long."
Just what is this 'creature', anyway?
Luz had heard of tons of organisms like that, though most creatures tended to flaunt their power and danger in front of the entire school like they fed off the screams of teenagers and teachers alike. This one, however, had not been mentioned once by her two friends who have gone to school here much longer than the Latina herself. And apparently it's been a blight to the school's reputation for a long time.
Did she really live under a rock?
"Can you do it, Lucia?" he asked, supporting his chin with the back of his hands. "I'm afraid that, if this goes on any longer…" she awkwardly looked between the Headmaster's covered eyebrows, "it will be expelled." The last word echoed through the office, and the sun peeked out from behind the large purple curtains.
So 'it' was a student of Hexside Academy.
The Top Student planned to book it out of there as soon as there was a chance, yet her conscience began prickling at her chest when she realized she would be leaving a peer to their demise. Ugh, she and her kind, warm, bile-less heart!
"I know you have no obligation to do so, but…"
"I'll do it," said Luz with a new conviction, "but why was I chosen for this task?"
"Hm." The Headmaster furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, you have bonded quite well with many of our students and other residents of Bonesborough, it seems, and as a human, I feel that you would offer a fresh solution to this situation. I figured you needed the extra credit for Beast-Keeping."
That sent her practically barreling out of the office with glee after a quick, "You betcha, 'Head!"
She slowed down in the hallways and made her way down to the first floor through the bustling students, her bag strung across her shoulder. That was when she realized she didn't even know the student's appearance.
Maybe they were a shapeshifter?
Nevertheless, Luz headed to her first class of the day. She wasn't able to put her new mission aside, however, and a shadow of hesitation enveloped her when she reached her desk. How long would it take to 'tame' a 'creature' that definitely had more sentience than any beast she'd seen in class? Did the 'creature' even know how to talk?
Of course they did. There must've been a reason they had been accepted into this prestigious school, after all.
But isn't addressing a student as 'it' a little too dehumanizing? Who could possibly be that… bad?
Luz still held that same thought close to her as she went through the school day, occasionally asking around about the 'blight' of Hexside Academy. One of her friends, a bespectacled girl named Willow, simply tilted her head with her all-knowing grin and ruffled her short, dark grey-blue hair.
"Are you looking for a challenge, Luz? You could always practice with me," she offered, sticking her hands into the pockets of her blazers. "While I would love to see how humans burn to death, I don't feel like losing a friend today."
"So you know who they are?" Luz responded cheerily, until Willow's last sentence dawned on her. "Oh. Fire. I'll just make up some water glyphs--"
Willow cackled, adjusting her round spectacles. "This 'Blight' you're talking about is one of the most gifted witches in fire magic. You do remember our duel, right?"
The Noceda laughed nervously at the memory of her Witches' Duel one year ago, in which almost hundreds of green, thorny tendrils reached up from below to pull her six feet under. None of her upgraded fire glyphs could defeat them, because two vines replaced each one she destroyed. She shuddered.
"Exactly. You can't face her if you can't even defeat me."
"Erm… I mean, Headmaster Bump said I only needed to 'tame' whoever it is, so to speak."
That nearly made Willow choke on her food until Luz handed her a cup of tea. " Tame? You're saying you're gonna try... taming a witch?" She raised her hands to her head to simulate animalistic ears and smiled. "I don't know what Bump's thinking, but just like humans, witches can't be tamed."
"Hmm..." She stroked her chin, looking around for some inspiration. "What if I use my bat and..." Luz lifted her arms and slammed an invisible pole into the table. They shared a silent glance and snickered, shaking that idea off. Soon, Luz's eyes traveled to the large posters at the end of the cafeteria depicting various covens. "What if I become her friend instead?"
"Sorry, she only becomes friends with the best of the best, apparently." A hint of venom snuck into her voice, quickly washing away as she continued. "I mean, no one's stopping you. But personally, I don't see a need to try and 'tame' or 'fix' anyone."
"Even when she picks fights with people?"
As Willow proceeded to raise an eyebrow at her, the agonizing scream of the school bell ended their conversation.
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Luz was devising a plan to complete her mission after school when she caught sight of the 'creature' in question sleeping peacefully under a tree near the school entrance. Long, fluffy mint-green hair cascaded down her shoulders like a lion's mane under pointed ears pierced with black triangles. Leaves were tangled inside it like a comfortable nest, though her scowl would scare anything from the mere thought of resting inside it.
Her uniform was ripped in some places, splattered with mud, and a little stained with an unknown red substance. Considering her resting scowl, she couldn't possibly be patient enough to be a painter…
She gingerly walked closer.
Two bloodshot eyes shot open as soon as Luz stepped on a branch.
And she pounced.
'Creature' was an understatement.