Two Sides of the Same Coin: An Owl and a Wolf

Chapter 14: When Escaping Requires Parkour

It was another weekend selling human junk at Eda's Human Collectables Stand. King was jumping on the table, trying to grab a flag that was hanging above him. "Weh!" He fell off of the table. "Stupid flag!"

Luz wasn't really paying attention, drawing a light glyph on her notepad. She paused for a moment and looked up "it's been a little slow around here." She commented and after a moment went back to her drawing.

She tapped the glyph and it crumpled into a winking face of Eda. "Heh. Look King." King scrambled back onto the table, but before he could comment on it Boscha came up to the stand. "Ew, what's that supposed to be? A trash slug?"

Luz rolled her eyes "obviously it's the Owl Lady's face. Do you need a forth eye to see clearly? I thought three would've been enough." Luz commented as Boscha fumed and her friends covered their mouths to hide their snickers.

"No. I'm just here to take an ironic Penstagram next to your weird flashing trash sign. Round ears." Boscha replied, summoning her scroll and taking a few pictures. Luz pulled a face in the background. "That wasn't even a good insult. Kinda lame."

"What are you going to do? Spit your human venom on me?" Boscha teased. "You have venom? Quick, Luz, start melting faces!" King commanded, pointing in Boscha's direction. Luz snickered "I don't have any venom, but..." she paused for a moment, turning to Boscha "I will kick your butt so hard your vertebrae will pop out of your mouth one by one like a pez dispenser." She replied with an easygoing smile.

It was silent for a moment as they processed the threat. "What's a pez dispenser?" Boscha finally asked. Luz shrugged, deciding not to reply. Eda suddenly leaped out from the tent, startling the three teens. "Hey, kid! Can I offer you the latest fashions from..." she paused, drawing a spell circle and dressing herself in horribly clashing clothes. "The Human Realm?" Luz face palmed at the sight.

Boscha scoffed "yeah, no." The three stalked off as Eda returned to her normal outfit. "Well. I hate her." Eda crossed her arms, Luz hummed in agreement. "Anyways, look what I did!" Luz did jazz hands in the direction of the illuminated, winking Eda face.

Eda smiled "good work kid. You've been practicing those, huh?" She said, ruffling Luz's hair. Luz's nose wrinkled and she shooed Eda's hand away, fixing her ruffled hair. She still wasn't used to physical affection.

"Yeah, practicing when I could." Luz replied, waving the light away and watching it fade out. King climbed up onto her shoulder "weh!" He jumped up from her shoulder to the flags above them. He grabbed the flag, dangling from it. Eda snorted as Luz looked up at him "what are you doing?" Luz asked. "Revenge!" He shouted as the flag ripped and he fell with another "weh!" Luckily Luz caught him before he hit the table and she set him down.

King slammed the flag down onto the table and pointed at it "not so high and mighty now, ha!" He then proceeded to stomp on it multiple times. Eda laughed, wiping a tear from her eye then sighed. She looked around for a moment "kinda slow today, hmm?" Eda said looking back to Luz, who nodded. "It's been slow all morning."

Not much else happened over the next couple hours. Luz was practicing her light glyph while Eda sat in a chair petting King who was sleeping on her lap. "Edalyn." A voice said, coolly. Luz looked up to see Lilith, staff at her side ready to use if needed. At this point Eda was already standing, King on her shoulder complaining about his nap being interrupted. Luz backed away from the table and moved closer to Eda, ready for attack.

"Lilith." Eda replied with a glare. Lilith cleared her throat and summoned a long piece of paper. "You are hereby under arrest for operating a stand without a permit, having a hocus without a pocus-" Eda blew a raspberry as she twirled her finger, causing the paper to roll up and smack Lilith in the face before disappearing. Luz chuckled at Lilith's annoyed expression "really, these charges are serious. There's no more running away, Edalyn."