Recentering Priorities

[a_cute_batata]

WHO: Luz & You
WHERE: Owlery and outside in Kaisou
WHEN: August 22
WHAT: Luz is doing various things!
WARNINGS: none



[Closed to Eda/Amity]

I. The Owlery

Between the dinosaur attacks, the fights she had with people ABOUT said dinosaurs, her injury and then people's reactions to all of that, Luz's feelings were already taking a turn. She felt the guilt of knowing people were hurt or killed because of the experimentation Varian had done taking a turn. She was frustrated that people thought Varian meant harm and was told in full ferocity how bad things had gotten. Luz had done her best to help, lost contact with people, was then injured and told after said injury that she needed to not get herself involved in dangerous situations.

And then? Amity Blight, her girlfriend, arrives, and all of that takes a backseat.

Because Amity has some stories of her own, and now? Luz knew exactly how bad things got back home. The spell Phillip casts almost kills everyone, narrowly stopped by the actual Collector, but now all of them were locked out of the Boiling Isles, stick on Earth.

Devastating to her? Certainly. But Amity, a witch who had lived her entire life on the isles? That had to be a blow she was doing her best to recover from. Right now Luz is watching her hermosa sleep, deep in thought. She barely looks up when Eda enters the room.

II. Undertown [Open to those affiliated with the paranormal]

The setback with the dinosaur and then with Fern had cemented something into her head: she had to get better. She had her full abilities now, but even still there was a chance that things that could hurt her. So Luz was now in deep reading, looking at ways to perfect her glyphs, ideas for protections with the glyphs she could use. She still couldn't used combined glyphs, she knew that well enough. But what about what she could do with the powers she had?

She was scanning books she could get her hands on right now, carefully leafing through what she could to get ideas on how she was going to give herself added protection. You could see around Luz there were scribbling of plan foliage protecting her, or pictures of her with fire surrounding her.

The time for Luz being idle was over. She had to start making plans for what happened the next time things got really bad.

III. Shopping Street

Luz may have been determined to get better at her magic and whatever spiritual craziness might happen, but she also knew something else: August was almost over. She was, against her better judgement, going to have to BE a kid: she was going to have to go to school again, and that meant preparing for all of the things that came with it. If you were a student (or teacher), she was going to say hi and probably pump you full of questions about what she can expect!

IV. Cemetery (Closed to Amity)

She hadn't told anyone about this, and she honestly wouldn't know how to anyway. Then here comes her girlfriend in tow, changing just about everything, and then comes the day she didn't expect would be creeping up on her, but here it is. So Luz leaves Amity a message, just a single one.

Be at the cemetery. Please? Need you.

And Luz is here already, with as big a bouquet of flowers she could make.

Comments

III

[findingways]

Oddly enough, Moana actually kind of liked back to school shopping. She liked going back to school as much as any other high school student, but there was something about having clean, new supplies that was fun to have, especially find supplies in styles to match her colorful personality.

It was only too bad that they would all get ruined in about a day or so back into school, but it was nice while it lasted.

As she is looking through some different things for sale, she catches sight of a familiar figure and waves. "Hey, Luz!" Moana hadn't actually seen the other girl since all of the dinosaur craziness, even though she'd been doing what she could to help and she had a feeling that Luz had too, so she is relieved to see her.

Re: III

[a_cute_batata]

Honestly? Luz liked the shopping part! Like Moana, she liked choosing all of the materials that reflected her, the smell of new notebooks and pens and pencils, even planners that she might or might not use. It was fun!

And then school would happen, which Luz would have to hope was better than it had been in the past.

After the absolutely not fun time of the dinosaurs though? Luz is actually pretty happy to see Moana, and gave the girl a heart wave back.

"Hi! Good to see you again, Moana! Getting stuff to start your new semester too?"

[findingways]

"Yeah, it's good to see you too. I'm glad to see you're okay after all that craziness."

At least, as far as she could see.

"Uh-huh. It's about that time of year again. I'm looking for some cute stuff to personalize."

[a_cute_batata]

"Not without lack of trying, that's for sure. I was blinded by one of those dinosaurs at one point. It was pretty scary."

And not something she wanted to relive again.

"You know, while I wasn't gung-ho on going to school, I am excited about this part! Also, some things have changed too, so I don't feel anywhere near as bad as I have been!"

Luz's cheeks are still red, and she's got a bit of a silly smile on her face. Clearly someone has gotten some good news.

[findingways]

"Oh geez, you were blinded? Was it one of those dinos with the frilly collar that spits stuff at you?"

Moana had a close run in with one, though she'd been pretty lucky to get away relatively unharmed.

She does notice that Luz seemed particularly cheerful today, and she couldn't help a curious smile of her own. "Yeah? I take it something good happened then?"

[a_cute_batata]

"It was that, yeah! I didn't even know they could do that, did you?!"

Luz was still pretty grouchy about that encounter. It seemed like a cute, friendly dinosaur, how was she to know that it was going to go all frilled lizard but with POISON SPIT?

"Despite that being awful, someone from my world arrived! It's my girlfriend Amity!"

[findingways]

"I mean, I'd seen it a couple times in movies, but it's hard to tell how much of that is real or not, y'know? But geez, are you okay?"

The other girl looked okay now, but something like that really must have hurt. And the damage wasn't necessarily all physical either.

Moana couldn't help blinking a little. "Amity? The girl with purple hair? She's your girlfriend? That's great! I mean, not great that she had to go through a maze and everything, and being stuck here and all, but that you guys get to see each other again."

[a_cute_batata]

"Oh, sure. I can see again, so that's good! It was just...unexpected, and I'm kinda mad at myself for not knowing they could do that. Losing my eyesight because of poison was a totally new experience for me."

She didn't love it and she had almost died, but she couldn't be TOO mad, not when it had been counterbalanced by Amity appearing!

"Yeah, so you've met! No, of course not, but I'm really happy to see her! I'm trying to be upset about everything that's happened, and I am, but I didn't realize how badly I missed her until the moment I saw she was here. I would have fought ten dinosaurs if they'd come between us!"

Luz was NOT joking.

[findingways]

"I can't really blame you. That definitely sounds like a made up thing, and I mean c'mon! Why spit acid, really? I probably would've been pretty freaked out myself."

Dealing with the bigger dinosaurs had been bad enough. She couldn't imagine having to do that while also blinded.

"Yeah, I met her when she first got here. It was...a bit of bad timing, with all the dinos roaming around, but she didn't seem hurt when I found her. I'm glad she at least has someone here that she knows."

And all the more fortunate that it was her girlfriend.

[bossy_boots]

She doesn’t need to be told. Even with the time differential, there’s no reason for Luz to want to meet her in a graveyard other than…well.

She comes up to Luz quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“The flowers are really nice.”

[a_cute_batata]

She hadn't known time would go so fast, but when it did and she had no choice but to observe its passage, this is where it came to. There was no way for her to forget this day, and when Amity is here, her heart swells.

Of course she'd come. She knew. Her girlfriend was that girl who understood. She might have had Odalia's stubbornness in her, but there was compassion and gentleness Odalia would never possess. Luz had always understood the day she fell for Amity Blight. It was the day she decided her life and her decisions were more important than her mothers'.

And somehow, that involved her too.

"Thanks," she said, smiling, "but these aren't just for dad."

She looked around her, placing the bouquet on the floor.

"It's for the dinosaur victims too."

[bossy_boots]

She let there be a moment of silence for that, knowing without being told that Luz undoubtedly could have been among that number. It's her nature. So she says nothing, just lets her hand drift into Luz's, fingers entwining with hers.

"Of course it is," she said, finally. Because Luz cared. About everyone. Luz, who never let an injustice pass her by, never turned her head. It was really, really easy to fall for someone like that, it turned out.

[a_cute_batata]

Considering that dinosaur that blinded her? Yes, that absolutely could have been her. It a combination of Owlbert and Mal the Jedi that she was able to get away in one piece. She does take Amity's hands though, and heaves a sigh.

"When I first got here, I have to admit, I was freaking out. I went through a labyrinth which looked like that place inbetween when I tried to make a portal. This was just after I just found out what Philip was trying to do, and what Hunter actually was. Then I show up HERE. Eda is not my Eda, Hunter still hasn't gone to that memory yet. So I was pretty desperate to get back."

She swallowed. "Have you met a boy named Varian?"

[bossy_boots]

"That's a lot to freak out about," she replied, giving her hand a squeeze. "Now I'm glad I got dragged here. You needed somebody who could help."

But she nodded about the latter.

"I've met him, yeah."

[a_cute_batata]

"Maybe too much. There are lots of people here who have their own stuff to deal with, but that was how things were going on my end. I'm not the only one who has someone from their world that's somehow born HERE."

Luz sighed.

"He's made portals before. He's a guy of science, though he's behind some of the stuff in my world. Still, he was the guy we trusted and hoped would be able to make the portal to take us back home. But something went wrong, and somehow, he let dinosaurs into this world."

She could still hear Bakogou's voice and his accusations.

"They've killed and hurt people and wrecked a lot of things. I supported Varian and I've tried to help him so...that makes me responsible for some of that destruction. Maybe not directly, but Varian had help from several of us, so that's no excuse."

[bossy_boots]

She had drawn very different conclusions, from what she'd heard, and her own perspective.

"I don't think it's either of your faults. Especially not you." She turned Luz a bit to look at her. "You supported a plan to get everybody home. It went wrong, but that's not your fault. Honestly, I'd put any blame at Hunter's feet for it."

She shook her head. "He knows how powerful such a substance is, and encouraged its use? For what reason? This isn't the good Hunter - this is the one that still wants to get back to Belos...wouldn't put it at all past him to risk all our lives to do that."

[a_cute_batata]

Ah, so she'd been listening to people. That's honestly a very good idea. Luz can sometimes only get part of the story.

"Amity, I wanted to get back to the Isles! Badly, I mean, so badly, and now people are hurt! I never wanted-if I knew this would happen, I'd never have told Varian to continue doing what he was doing!"

She sighed. "Hunter was never bad, Amity, that's the thing. It's more like something King said to me that day: you don't want to believe you've been lied to your whole life, and that's why I've never told Hunter what happened that day. It's not right. More importantly, there's no way he'd believe me even if I did."

III

[keyofelde]

Souta was out getting the last of his school shopping done, a task that had been delayed due to his dad's schedule and then the dinosaur invasion. He wasn't thrilled with putting it off this late, but at least they got better deals this way.

His father had stepped away to get some other items from the shopping list, leaving Souta in the school supplies aisle with the cart. He has two boxes of pencils in his hands, seemingly weighting them back and forth.

...Hmm, would getting a third box be too much?

Re: III

[a_cute_batata]

"You sure you need more than two boxes?"

Luz was doing this by herself (she asked Eda, she said it was OK) and had decided to make sure to get stuff she needed with stuff she wanted. The end result was a modest take of what she needed along with several artbooks and pencils to go with them along with several pain sets.

Luz brought out her hand. "New student?"

[keyofelde]

Souta looks up at the question, then smiles, even as he shakes his head no.

"I'm not sure. A teacher told me I should get at least two, and I want to be prepared."

Where does he think all those pencils will go? It's a mystery, but Souta would rather look a little silly than not have enough supplies for the school year. At the offer, he gives her hand a gentle handshake.

"You could say that. I'm starting high school this fall. My name's Souta Suzukaze."

[a_cute_batata]

"Ah. I see. Good plan. Maybe I should do the same. Actually, I should probably get more than just art stuff."

She was being pretty forward without giving her name, but Luz was sometimes like this: curiosity first, pleasantries afterward. Besides, he seemed nice enough.

Luz would totally have lost those pencils the first week, so honestly, it was a good plan.

She does shake his hand with a pretty friendly smile.

"Nice to meet to Souta! I'm Luz, Luz Noceda! Have you always lived here, or were you brought here too?"

[keyofelde]

"Art is good too. Are you getting the art supplies for school or personal projects?"

Souta might not be particularly forward, but he is very open for talking with someone he just met.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Luz! I've only lived in Kaisou for a year, but I wasn't brought here like others on the Libra app. My dad and I just moved here from out of state."

[a_cute_batata]

Luz laughed. "Both! I know I need some specific things for class, but I also wanted to be prepared to do some in my spare time. I'm kinda not used to having that spare time to begin with, if I'm honest about it."

He doesn't have to worry: Luz is very eager to talk someone's ear off.

"Oh, good for you! It sure sounds like a nicer way to get here! Where did you live before?"

[keyofelde]

Oh, that's good. He's glad to get to know another student! Especially as he's making this big step up into the world of high school.

He nods. "Things can get pretty busy, especially during the school year. Did you have extracurriculars?"

He's... a little less enthused about talking about his own past, but Souta does a good job hiding it. He smiles politely.

"California. We lived in Tokyo before that."

[a_cute_batata]

It was certainly going to be new for Luz, who'd been a high school student at a magical school not that long ago. Still, she'd also never attended school in Kaisou, so that would be new!

"Honestly, I haven't thought about that yet. I guess I should, but for right now I'm helping Eda with the shop, and now my girlfriend is here. I probably will need the free time!"

Because she wanted to be with them, and THEN deal with whatever strange thing would happen the next month and then there'd be ALL that studying. Would she even have that kind of free time?

"Whoa, really?! That's got to be a bit of jump, right? Where in California do you live? Is it nice?"

Luz, the suburbanite in Connecticut, was very curious.