Willow and her little friend

A violent introduction

TW: Light mentions of blood. Nothing too gory.

"All right, memory melon, let's pick another juicy one." Her enthusiasm is infectious.

"Be careful with my brain." Willow responds happily.

She shivered slightly as Luz gently picked into her memories. It wasn't painful per say but it still felt weird. She rubbed her ear gently after Luz had finished pulling out the memory, smiling as she watched Luz look at the blank memory in awe. Luz was a strange girl; even after removing several memories already she still regarded the process with such awe and excitement. She was glad Gus introduced them to each other. Especially since she helped her change to the plant track. Willow's smile grew as Luz happily put the freshly pulled memory up, making some comment about easy brain surgery. She enjoyed the energy Luz had about literally everything.

"As you work, note that some prints have greater clarity than others." Ms. Ruse called. "These are moments that evoke a strong emotional response."

"All the colors of the rainbow," Willow heard her partner whisper. Luz gently reached her hand towards the still blank photo, mesmerized. Before she could make contact however, A bright ghostly hand stopped her advances. The word 'Halt' written in bold across the palm. "But if you damage the prints, you'll damage the memories themselves." The Illusionist teacher reprimanded. "Be extremely careful." She glared at the two students to make sure she got her point across. She slowly walked away while maintaining eye contact.

"Whoa, photo class is intense." Luz turned back once she heard a light sparkle coming from the hanging string. Willow blushed in embarrassment when she saw which picture had been pulled from her head. The picture showed a young willow park on picture day. Her Navy-hair absolutely frazzled in every direction. She wore a simple yellow dress with a green long sleeve. A small awkward smile present on her tiny face. Her necklace hung low against her chest; it seems too large to be for a child of her age. Her ears reddened further as she heard Luz fawn over her "Awkward hair phase", as she put it. "I knew we were meant to be friends." Willow giggled as Luz proudly brought up her own photo of her awkward hair phase, comparing both photos. She smiled as more and more of her photos began materializing. One showing her feeding a large spider-like creature, the others showing her dads having fun at the park and at home.

They're smiles turned confused as the last 2 photos started to fade in and out. They both leaned in closer, curiosity clear on their faces. Willow's curiosity turned bitter immediately after the first photo became clear. A photo of a young amity happily embracing a young willow after receiving Willow's gift. The last pleasant memory she had of amity. She turned with a huff, not wanting to remember that moment again. Her tail shook against her waist, just as irritated at the memories.

Her tail stiffened as she felt a hand gently grasp her shoulder. "Hey. I know you and amity have a history. Wouldn't you feel better talking about it?" She wished the comforting smile Luz gave her was enough to calm her down enough to talk out her feelings.

"No, I'd rather do this." She flipped the memory around. Willow appreciated the offer, but she had a better idea in mind. "That's my motto after all. 'Out of sight, out of mind'." As she finishes her motto, they both notice the last photo began to finally clear up. This picture seemed even older than the amity one, showing a slightly younger willow and boy standing side-by-side. The boy had short brown and dark blue eyes. He was taller than willow by a full head. They were holding sticks and pointing them towards the sky triumphantly. Small animals crudely carved onto the sticks ends. Large smiles beaming on both their faces.