Nah, I'm Too Loveable

Luz Breha Anguille-Noceda // 22 // she/her

[stiles626]

The Next Chapter || Seamstitch

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Ooooh yeah, it was not secretly bigger on the inside. British TV had lied to her.

Luz looked around the sitting room with a twist of her mouth, trying to imagine what it would look like as theirs and failing. God, it was tiny! And Stiles was not a small guy! Plus, Luz was enthusiastic with her body language at the best of time; she needed space to gesture without smacking someone in the face!!!

"I don't think we will fit in here," Luz murmured back out of the corner of her mouth, leading him through the sitting room into the kitchen. She immediately came to a halt and gaped in horror. The kitchen was practically the size of a closet!!!

Classic Sidney Princess films had LIED to her!!! Who could possibly bake a pie in a tiny space like this!!! No way they could host family dinners in a place like this.

"No way our family is fitting in here," she said, proving her point by stepping forward and stretching her arms out to either side of her body. Her fingertips touched opposite walls, and she glanced at Stiles with a wide-eyed look.

@stiles626

[stiles626]

Stepping into the kitchen, Stiles could not picture cooking in here with Luz. He liked to spread out and use way too many bowls and cutting boards when he cooked. And they could barely fit Luz’s family in here, much less their whole friend group.

‘Our family’ … The idea of bringing a child into the world was still pretty terrifying. He had no idea what to expect with his strange magic. Would they be Gifted? Sorcerers? Something else?

It was something he hadn’t given a lot of thought, because it made him anxious just thinking about it. But he tried to picture for a moment what one or two small children would look like in this house, and it just wouldn’t work. Especially if they had super strength.

“Yeah, you’re right. Should we just move on to the next one?”

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz could hear Stiles' reagents take that slight metallic tone that meant he was thinking too hard about something, but when she turned to look at him, his expression was unreadable. There was no way to ask without the agent overhearing them (another mark against the house), so Luz let it go.

She would ask later when they were back at home.

Pursing her lips, Luz hummed in thought before nodding. "Nah, let's take a look at the rest of it anyways! It'll help us to get a better idea of what we do and don't like," she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him closer to her. He didn't have far to go, and Luz pressed a quick kiss to his lips before smiling at him.

"Plus I'm nosy," she joked, scrunching her nose. "Let's go!"

@stiles626

[veeva-la-vida]

After-School Thoughts || Snake Sibs 🐍

[veeva-la-vida]

There's part of Vee that feels bad for confiding in Luz at all. Vee knows for a fact Luz was so kind and caring and protective when it came to Vee, saying all these things that Luz couldn't fix would be hard on both of them. Vee for having concerns and Luz for not being able to help with them.

Still, if Vee withdrew too much, it would worry Luz more.

What would their lives going in different directions be like? One day, Luz wouldn't be a few doors away. Panini would go with Luz and Mama would tell Vee to pursue their dreams. But what were Vee's dreams?

"I also owe you so much fabric glue," Vee says, recalling it for their 3D midterm project. So much. I don't know who I thought I was trying to do a sculpture that included layers of felt, but that past me has been thoroughly humbled."

Vee pauses.

"It's weird to think that we won't be students this time next year. Unless we go to grad school to avoid the real world but somehow I don't think I want to do that. Do you ever think about moving back to Gravesfield?"

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz had hopped off of the table, moving around the space and starting to pack up to leave in a nonsensical order. At the idea of more school, she shuddered dramatically.

College was bad enough! Sure, Luz liked her classes more and she was on way better meds for her ADHD than she had been in middle or high school, but she still had to worry about grades and papers and deadlines! And this time she was paying for the privilege! No sir, as soon as she was done here, she was DONE! Costuming was more of a 'learn as you go' kind of profession anyways.

Vee's question made her pause, and Luz hummed thoughtfully. Would she go back to Gravesfield? "... Not really?" Luz admitted, worried it was the wrong answer. "I mean, we have a ton of good memories there, and it's familiar, but... there's a lot of bad memories too. I don't know exactly where I'm going, but I don't think I'm going back."

Camila was here. Vee was here. Her friends were here!

(Her papi was here, in a urn in the living room made of ivory from the Boiling Isles.)

"Do you?" she asked. "Like, if Jacob wasn't around. Because we can make that happen! Titi Raine knows a lot of badasses and I'm pretty sure if we called Willow up, she could find a plant that would swallow him right up!" Luz demonstrated as such with her hands, snapping her hand around a fist and then making a slurping sound as her hand slid down her arm.

@veeva-la-vida

[stiles626]

Aftershocks || Seamstitch

[stiles626]

It had been a while since Stiles had really spent time with his friends, with uni starting up again and people calling out sick at the shop. So when Luz asked him to come over to help take care of Camila, he had happily agreed.

Homemade chicken noodle soup was on the menu, and even though he had no real experience with the recipe, he was happy to keep Luz company and help out where he could. It sounded like a great way to spend the day, especially since Camila had been so kind to him in the past. He was happy to have an opportunity to repay some of that kindness.

He arrived at the house, carrying a paper bag with a few groceries Luz had been missing from the recipe. "Hey, Luz. How's she doing?"

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz answered the door, and when she saw Stiles with the paper bag from Moon Market, let out a dramatic gasp of relief. "You are a life saver!" she insisted, grabbing his free arm and tugging him inside out of the cold.

She and Vee had both come home for the weekend to find Camila bundled up in bed, sweating and shaking with fever, and immediately had sprung into action to take care of their ailing mama. They had cleaned and cooked and made medicine runs, all the while waiting on their mother hand and foot. Camila insisted it wasn't necessary, but it was nothing less than what she had done for them in the past!

Today, Vee had to work with Howl to help set up an event they were holding the next week, so Luz was holding down the fort. She'd set Camila up on the couch with the Puke Bucket ™️ and reruns of Deep Space Nine, and was working on lunch when she realized she was out of critical ingredients!

Thus, Stiles to the rescue.

"You're the best," Luz whispered, wrapping her arms around him to give him a quick hug before gesturing for him to follow her. They walked past the living room and Camila gave Stiles a tired wave.

"Hi Stiles," she said, voice raspy. "It's wonderful to see you again, nene."

@stiles626

[veeva-la-vida]

After-School Thoughts || Snake Sibs 🐍

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

'Not Magick-friendly' could sum up a lot of places, and not for the first time, she was mad that it was even a restriction Vee had to worry about. Vee should be able to do whatever they wanted wherever they wanted! They were an Anguille-Noceda, after all! They were supposed to laugh at limits!

Vee certainly had that trait in spades -- one only had to look at their planner to see that -- but their safety and identity were the exception. Not that Luz didn't understand why or blame them at all, it was just unfair! Vee would be a basilisk their whole life, those limits would exist that entire time too. Luz didn't want them giving up the things they wanted forever.

(She often forgot that technically, those limits existed for her too, now. She was human, but she was also undeniably more in a way she hadn't been before. Could she hide as well as Vee could? Maybe if she had as much practice, but she'd only been a sorcerer for a handful of years.)

"I still can't believe you work for the Howl Pendragon now!" Luz said with an excited squeal, trying not to be too loud right by Vee's ear as she excitedly kicked her legs. "Get him to update his app and my life is yours."

[veeva-la-vida]

The topic change is welcome and Vee latches onto it gratefully. "Right, isn't it great? I thought it would be more harrowing of a process, but they're really great. They even gave me a style guide, which is really amazing of them."

Vee knows that being Howl's assistant wouldn't get them through their entire life, but it was one more tether to town that Vee wanted to cling to for as long as they could. Sometimes, Vee thinks about Gravesfield with longing, for old friends and that high school camaraderie. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Pride U. The truth of it really was... the world was so much more open now. And that... that was scary.

"I feel like I might be looking at this whole thing wrong, too. I mean, you know me. I always have some sort of plan but maybe I'm going into everything too narrow minded. I was thinking about asking some of our friends - maybe - what they were going to do for internships and what they planned on after uni. You know? Or see if any grad students had ideas?" Vee feels silly saying this. "I planned out my whole life without really considering if these things were possible. There must be something I'm missing. Some avenue that I can pursue in a Magick-friendly place."

Vee quiets for a moment as a door down the hall opens. Footsteps... and they disappear as another door opens and shuts.

It's awful to still be afraid. Ben would scold them. Ben was ten-times the survivalist that Vee was. Not that Vee would talk to Luz about that. Vee didn't need Luz to worry about another bask in town on top of literally everything else.

"Hey, I need some new paints actually. Maybe we can hit up that fabric shop too if you want to come with?"

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz had noticed a lot of people giving Vee style advice recently and felt a little weird about it, but Vee seemed happy so she didn't say anything. In Luz's opinion, there was nothing wrong with the way Vee dressed. If they were comfortable and happy, wasn't that the most important thing?

On the other hand, how many people could say they got styling tips from the Howl Pendragon?

Luz pushed the thoughts away as Vee began to talk again, listening intently when she heard her sibling's reagents hum in that way that meant they needed Luz's full attention. As they spoke, Luz's smile grew. "That's a great idea, Vee!" she said, nodding her head fast enough to threaten the structural integrity of her buns. "You should explore every possibilty! You-" Luz hushed herself when Vee did, hearing the same tap of feet and the heavy breathing of someone who was rushing without running. Luz listened to them go, but when she turned back to Vee, they changed the subject.

Luz pouted at them, but let Vee lead the conversation. Luz knew she could get ahead of herself with this stuff. But Luz would remember (probably) and would bring it up again.

Vee was so brilliant and talented. They deserved every opportunityu to show the world their talent!

"Yeah, I'm always down for a roadtrip! I need some lace for my new Azura jacket anyways."

@veeva-la-vida

[stiles626]

The Next Chapter || Seamstitch

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz squealed with excitement, bouncing up and down as she followed Stiles down the street. They would be looking at a few different houses today, mostly the ones closer to town. She had gotten so used to living right near downtown, and while no part of Swynlake was very far away, she liked being close to the action!

All of the houses on their list were absolutely adorable just by the nature of being in Swynlake -- the whole town (usually) looked like something you would only see on a postcard. This first house was the smallest on the list, only two bedrooms, but it was quintessential 'cute English cottage' vibes.

It was actually really small in person. Luz could already start listing potential problems with that, but she kept her mood up and her mind open. They could always add things on!

Or... well, add up. It was a small lot.

She spotted their realtor and gave them a bright smile and a wave. "We're here! Beautiful day to hunt some houses, 'innit!"

@stiles626

[stiles626]

Stiles couldn't stop smiling as they approached the small house. It was adorable. And it could be theirs for a pretty reasonable price! The other houses on the docket for today were a little more spendy, so starting here would hopefully give them a good idea of how much house they would actually need.

After they greeted the realtor, they were basically set loose in the house and allowed to roam. It opened right up onto a small sitting room, that would hardly fit all of their friends at once. He loved being surrounded by their people, so that would be a major strike against the house.

"Luz, I don't know if our stuff will fit in here." His tone was light, but it was a genuine concern. They would probably need a new couch, and to get rid of a lot of stuff honestly. He had quite a tendency to bring home random stuff he found, so that could be a pretty big task in and of itself.

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Ooooh yeah, it was not secretly bigger on the inside. British TV had lied to her.

Luz looked around the sitting room with a twist of her mouth, trying to imagine what it would look like as theirs and failing. God, it was tiny! And Stiles was not a small guy! Plus, Luz was enthusiastic with her body language at the best of time; she needed space to gesture without smacking someone in the face!!!

"I don't think we will fit in here," Luz murmured back out of the corner of her mouth, leading him through the sitting room into the kitchen. She immediately came to a halt and gaped in horror. The kitchen was practically the size of a closet!!!

Classic Sidney Princess films had LIED to her!!! Who could possibly bake a pie in a tiny space like this!!! No way they could host family dinners in a place like this.

"No way our family is fitting in here," she said, proving her point by stepping forward and stretching her arms out to either side of her body. Her fingertips touched opposite walls, and she glanced at Stiles with a wide-eyed look.

@stiles626

[veeva-la-vida]

After-School Thoughts || Snake Sibs 🐍

[veeva-la-vida]

At least Luz is optimistic about her prospects. It wasn't that Vee wasn't, but like. C'mon. Vee was trying to do arts management, which was good but also strange and a grey area because a lot of artists were being encouraged to market themselves and manage themselves.

Management was its own thing but it often got so conflated with marketing and stuff that many people didn't think they needed it. And... and it scared Vee.

Vee wanted to do art and help artists. They didn't want to totally rely on business talk to survive. They wanted to help, like, coordinate gallery shows. They wanted to help art be appreciated!

What job prospects were out there for Vee? Was it all going to be soulless in the end?

But enough about... all that. They're talking to Luz, and Big Sister Luz didn't need to take on Vee's stress, too. Big Sister Luz had been there for Vee through everything, the little things, yes. But also their night terrors after their encounter with Jacob. Their fears that the dreams would expose that they were a basilisk. The whole ordeal with Joanna... Big Sister Luz shouldn't have to worry about Vee anymore. Not like that.

The reagents threaten to re-emerge, but Vee silences them with a breath.

It's a good thing, too, as Luz comes to sit next to Vee. Luz was so tall now. When they were younger, they were just about the same height... Luz had sprung up over the summer in their... 2nd year of High School? Vee never felt like they grew enough to grow.

Luz rests her head on Vee's shoulder and Vee chuckles inwardly, hoping it wasn't hurting Luz's neck. Little Sibling Vee... much littler.

But then there's the question of 'out there' which is also 'how far,' and Vee tightens their smile. "Eh, doesn't matter. Not Magick-friendly anyways, so probably best I pass."

Kick it under the rug. Smother it with the rug. Stomp it into the rug.

Never mind that it's this up-and-coming art management center out in London or whatever... they mentioned satellite offices, and the owners seemed magick-okay... but that's not...

"I think I'm getting the accounting practice with Howl Pendragon, so it's no trouble to hang around." They grin. "Besides, more time to bother you."

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

'Not Magick-friendly' could sum up a lot of places, and not for the first time, she was mad that it was even a restriction Vee had to worry about. Vee should be able to do whatever they wanted wherever they wanted! They were an Anguille-Noceda, after all! They were supposed to laugh at limits!

Vee certainly had that trait in spades -- one only had to look at their planner to see that -- but their safety and identity were the exception. Not that Luz didn't understand why or blame them at all, it was just unfair! Vee would be a basilisk their whole life, those limits would exist that entire time too. Luz didn't want them giving up the things they wanted forever.

(She often forgot that technically, those limits existed for her too, now. She was human, but she was also undeniably more in a way she hadn't been before. Could she hide as well as Vee could? Maybe if she had as much practice, but she'd only been a sorcerer for a handful of years.)

"I still can't believe you work for the Howl Pendragon now!" Luz said with an excited squeal, trying not to be too loud right by Vee's ear as she excitedly kicked her legs. "Get him to update his app and my life is yours."

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Turner Classic Christmas 🪄 Sad Songs

[wintersselene]

"Yes! We should get the whole group together to play one of the nights." The best part of the holidays was always the people. Maybe being surrounded by her new friends would help fight the homesickness that came from not being with her parents.

"Perfect." The vision was clear and she was totally on board. She had had a feeling that Luz would want to go all out and was feeling pretty proud that she had gotten that right. She felt like she had a good sense of her roommate at this point, which was totally different than her last year back in the States.

"Well, they gave out disposable ones on campus, so I'm technically set. But if we see any cuter ones, I'd consider buying it." Back home, she had a beautiful menorah that had been a bat mitzvah gift, but she didn't want to risk it getting broken or lost. So it had stayed with her parents, at least for the time being, where it would be safely tucked away.

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz's whole face screwed up in distaste at the idea of a disposable menorah. Not that there was anything wrong with using one, but Selene deserved much better than settling for anything! You could walk into literally any store right now and find a billion Christmas things. They should be able to find at least one nice menorah!!!

Luz added it to the top of her list of priorities. She was going to find her roommate a menorah or get very sore feet trying!

"We should absolutely get together with everyone to play! When's the first night this year?"

@wintersselene

[superhiro-hamada]

Snow Day || Open

Hiro didn't like the cold much anymore; it caused a distinct ache in his leg and his prosthetic always lagged just a hint when exposed to damp or chilly air.

He'd opted to go to the Lucky Cat that day before the Comic Barn, Mochi joining him perched on his shoulder, ready to hang out there until Hiro's shift was over. And that was all fine except the cybercat was curiously watching the snow falling, reaching out to try to catch the flakes with his paws, upsetting Hiro's scarf as he grabbed.

And then jumped onto a nearby limb of a tree along the sidewalks, shaking the snow off and pouching on it, fully ignoring the protests from below.

"Mochi...come on, seriously?" Hiro groaned, his bots were also laggy in the cold, not an issue with Mochi though given he was insulated by synthetic fur and quite pleased with smacking the snow around.

Hiro was not going to try to climb up there to retrieve the cat.

[superhiro-hamada]

Mochi didn't look terribly enthusiastic about the grumbling creature; plus that would have required being in the ground where it was wet. Very little appeal to that idea. Instead he stretched and went to drying his paws off while he sat there.

"Aunt Cass is going to start thinking we got kidnapped," Hiro pointed out, because it was likely true; she worried quite a bit about things, but it was probably pretty valid given their history. "She'll send Boba out after us."

Clearly a fate Mochi didn't care for; being tracked down by the rowdy robotic kitten. He might have rolled his eyes if that were possible. He also finally relented to climbing down the trunk of the tree, gingerly stepping on the snow because he could feel the cold through the sensors in his paw pads.

He purpose ignored Hiro to wander over to Luz instead, fluffing himself up a bit in the chilly air.

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz ducked down with a stifled giggle as Mochi approached her instead of Hiro. Despite knowing that Mochi wasn't a quote-unquote "real" cat, she still offered her gloved hand first before reaching out to scratch between his ears.

"Aww, is it too cold, querido?" she crooned. She gently scooped the cat up into her arms, holding him against her chest so he could drape himself over her shoulder. "There, that's better! If you want to curl up in my hood, you can! Panini's not using it right now."

Panifilo looked mortally offended that his favorite spot was being offered to someone else, but only curled up on top of Luz's boot and huffed. "I offered it to you earlier," Luz told him with a laugh. "You wanted the exercise." She looked up at Hiro with a grin. "When they're out they want to be in, and when they're in they want to be out; am I right?"

@superhiro-hamada

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Turner Classic Christmas 🪄 Sad Songs

[wintersselene]

Going through the fall holidays without her parents for the first time had left Selene in a bit of a funk. She’d wound up not doing much of anything, which had probably made it worse. So when Luz had asked to go shopping for winter holiday decorations for the dorm, Selene happily agreed.

“Ooh, I love that. Like New York 1900s Christmas?” So many of those classic movies were set in the city, and nothing compared to Rockefeller Center in December. It was such a beautiful sight.

“I also wanna try to find some gelt so I can teach you guys how to play dreidel.” They could always play for real money, but the chocolate coins were so nostalgic. She really hoped they’d be able to find it.

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

"Oooh yes!!! I love dreidel!"

One of the few friends she'd had in Gravesfield, Masha, was Jewish and had taught Luz all that she knew about how to celebrate their holidays. They had also taught Luz most of what they knew about radical feminism and tarot, and when they had graduated and left Gravesfield behind, Luz had wanted to cry for a week.

(Last time she checked, Masha was doing some sort of humanitarian work in Central America. They had been one of the first people Luz had told about her magic when she'd finally discovered it.)

"Yes, 1900's New York holidays! I'm talking boughs of holly, I'm talking candy canes, I'm talking-" Luz paused, looking at Selene with her head tilted like a curious puppy's. "Do we need to get you a menorah or are you already set?"

@wintersselene

[superhiro-hamada]

Snow Day || Open

Hiro didn't like the cold much anymore; it caused a distinct ache in his leg and his prosthetic always lagged just a hint when exposed to damp or chilly air.

He'd opted to go to the Lucky Cat that day before the Comic Barn, Mochi joining him perched on his shoulder, ready to hang out there until Hiro's shift was over. And that was all fine except the cybercat was curiously watching the snow falling, reaching out to try to catch the flakes with his paws, upsetting Hiro's scarf as he grabbed.

And then jumped onto a nearby limb of a tree along the sidewalks, shaking the snow off and pouching on it, fully ignoring the protests from below.

"Mochi...come on, seriously?" Hiro groaned, his bots were also laggy in the cold, not an issue with Mochi though given he was insulated by synthetic fur and quite pleased with smacking the snow around.

Hiro was not going to try to climb up there to retrieve the cat.

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

If there was one thing the cold winter months in Swynlake was good for, it was getting to wear her fancy Azura jacket out in public all the time. It had been her senior project in her tailoring class in freshman year, and was based off of the description of Azura's fur-lined coat from book 3. It went down to her knees, swished like a dream, and even had book-accurate embroidery on the sleeves.

Walking down the snow-lined streets with her papi's palisman trotting along in front of her and her witch's staff in one hand, Luz felt like a proper sorceress!

She was meant to be collecting reagents for Nemo's show, but the sight of Hiro and Mochi under/in a tree respectively brought her to a halt. Panifilo looked up and sniffed towards Mochi.

"Awww, Mochi," Luz cooed, coming up to stand next to Hiro. "Are you giving poor Hiro a hard time?" She was pretty familiar with them both from hanging out at the Lucky Cat during Vee's shifts.

@superhiro-hamada

[superhiro-hamada]

"When isn't he giving me a hard time?" Hiro replied, although it was a shallow complaint at best; that stubborn robot was one of his closest friends. And equally one of the most frustrating creatures in his life.

Mochi simply sat on the branch, ears twitching as he took in the scene below him; he recognized the woman of course, his memory banks were very well maintained and there were far fewer people to remember in that town anyway. Luz's phone pinged a message of Hello! Are you enjoying the snow? 🐱 in greeting as the feline flicked a bit of it off the branch with his paw.

"Aunt Cass is going to be sad that we're late," Hiro reminded the cat, before glancing at the creature next to Luz, and he was used to seeing all sorts of strange things around town but that was a new one. "

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz checked her phone and laughed out loud, looking back up at Mochi and waggling her finger in mock chastisement. "You silly cat," she said with a wide smile. As the snow from the branch fell down, Luz stepped under it and laughed again, spinning as the snowflakes danced around her. She was plenty used to snow and the cold after spending most of her life in Connecticut, but something about a Swynlake Winter was just better!

The snow was always perfectly fluffy and white, with none of that muddy sludge that came from people simply living their lives in winter. It was kind of like living in a Hallmark movie.

"Wouldn't you rather play in the snow down here, Moch'?" Luz asked. "You could play with Panini!"

Panifilo huffed as if to protest being volunteered. He was an older palisman, after all! And his hot blood meant for the Isles did not care for the snow.

Luz rolled her eyes. "Okay, you could play with me! I love the snow, we could play on the way to Ms. Cass!"

@superhiro-hamada

[superhiro-hamada]

Snow Day || Open

Hiro didn't like the cold much anymore; it caused a distinct ache in his leg and his prosthetic always lagged just a hint when exposed to damp or chilly air.

He'd opted to go to the Lucky Cat that day before the Comic Barn, Mochi joining him perched on his shoulder, ready to hang out there until Hiro's shift was over. And that was all fine except the cybercat was curiously watching the snow falling, reaching out to try to catch the flakes with his paws, upsetting Hiro's scarf as he grabbed.

And then jumped onto a nearby limb of a tree along the sidewalks, shaking the snow off and pouching on it, fully ignoring the protests from below.

"Mochi...come on, seriously?" Hiro groaned, his bots were also laggy in the cold, not an issue with Mochi though given he was insulated by synthetic fur and quite pleased with smacking the snow around.

Hiro was not going to try to climb up there to retrieve the cat.

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

If there was one thing the cold winter months in Swynlake was good for, it was getting to wear her fancy Azura jacket out in public all the time. It had been her senior project in her tailoring class in freshman year, and was based off of the description of Azura's fur-lined coat from book 3. It went down to her knees, swished like a dream, and even had book-accurate embroidery on the sleeves.

Walking down the snow-lined streets with her papi's palisman trotting along in front of her and her witch's staff in one hand, Luz felt like a proper sorceress!

She was meant to be collecting reagents for Nemo's show, but the sight of Hiro and Mochi under/in a tree respectively brought her to a halt. Panifilo looked up and sniffed towards Mochi.

"Awww, Mochi," Luz cooed, coming up to stand next to Hiro. "Are you giving poor Hiro a hard time?" She was pretty familiar with them both from hanging out at the Lucky Cat during Vee's shifts.

@superhiro-hamada

[veeva-la-vida]

After-School Thoughts || Snake Sibs 🐍

[veeva-la-vida]

Vee flips their sketchbook page, tries again to capture Luz's general essence as they work. That chaotic twister of a sister who was also their most sturdy and constant person. Vee owed so much to Luz, but apparently not the Truth. Not what they'd learned about Ben. And that guilt rips into them before Luz replies.

The thought of Luz going away was sort of sad, so Vee is glad that Luz isn't going. But, at the same time, "but don't you need the experience?" Vee asks. "I could drive you. You know I'd do it, I'm dropping to part time next semester because of the credit hours."

Vee would take Luz anywhere, really. There was always the joke about the car -- Vee could drive, Luz could navigate. But Vee would have done anything for Luz.

And besides, it would give Vee time to think on the drive. About what they were doing, about why they were doing it? About why they picked up another job and were panicking and what if everything wasn't--- The reagents around Vee are kicking up and while Luz's back is turned, Vee inhales them. Tries to smother the anxiety that began to crawl up their neck.

"Oh, me? Uh-- Well, I'm waiting to hear back about this art internship -- it's just helping someone run reports, really -- but I don't know. It's also kind of out there but it's a good org, I guess. I think.... I wanted something more local for mama. And then, you know, with this other job..." They trail off. "I guess I didn't really think now would be a thing. They don't teach you how to be This [read: human] when You were once That [read: basilisk]."

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

"Honestly, Swynlake's theater program is so robust that I'm probably better off hanging out around here anyways," Luz joked. The summer production was the biggest one, but not the only; the theater department did shows throughout the whole school year and there were the high school (secondary???) shows too.

There was a really good opportunity in NTO, with the bigger theater there where all the touring shows went, but Luz had gotten lost on public transit way too many times to trust herself to take the train. And there was no way she was going to ask Vee to add another task to their slampacked schedule. Even with the part-time hours.

There was a small commotion behind her, like a cell phone going oof unexpectantly, but when Luz turned to look she just saw Vee sitting there looking too innocent.

"Hey, if anyone can handle it, it's you!" Luz reassured, popping all of her needles and pins into the mannequin so she could go sit next to Vee and give them a tight sidehug. She left her head resting on Vee's shoulder. "You're the most productive and on-top-of-it person I know. Anyone would be lucky to have you!"

"How 'out there' are we talking?" Luz asked curiously, making sure to sound encouraging.

@veeva-la-vida

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Turner Classic Christmas 🪄 Sad Songs

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Despite it being Luz’s second holiday season in Swynlake, she still found herself unaccustomed to all of the ways a UK Christmas season differed from an American one. In a lot of ways, it was the same! But just when she found her footing, someone would mention some strange tradition or holiday dish and Luz would be stumbling again. 

She’d had to stream the Thanksgiving day parade with her mom and sibling over streaming instead of just going to the right channel, and it made her feel so removed that she’d had a weird feeling at the back of her chest for the rest of the day.

Luckily, her roommate was also American! So Selene totally got that weird feeling. Which is why they were out on the streets of Swynlake, bundled up against the cold and linked arm in arm as they hunted for some Christmas decorations for their dorm that might make them feel a little less homesick. 

“We’re going full Turner Classic Movie Christmas,” Luz said, gesturing widely with her free arm and almost smacking a passing tourist. She cringed, calling out an apology. “Man, I always forget how crowded Swynlake is during the holidays.”

[Song that inspired the title!]

@wintersselene

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Turner Classic Christmas 🪄 Sad Songs

[justkeepdancing-nemo]

Starring...YOU! || OPEN

[justkeepdancing-nemo]

Nemo nodded, though some pressure was building up in his chest walls as he thought about doing all that-- researching, finding people, asking questions, making decisions, UGHHHHH...

It was just so much. And right now, the to-do list was the longest it had ever been. Nemo knew that if tackled each item one by one, it wouldn't feel so stressful. But he'd always struggled with staying calm. He whipped himself up in a frenzy. And as exciting as what Luz said was, the opposite of excitement was often panic.

At least, for Nemo.

Chill, dude!! I mean, that's why you're asking for help, though, right? Just... ask Luz for more help! He urged himself.

"Uh... yeah! Would you... know who those people were? Is that something you could do?" he asked sheepishly. "I mean, obviously you're just volunteering to help me out, so if that's something I should do, totally, heard, I could-- I could do that!"

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

"Oh, totally!" Luz agreed easily, stepping forward with the line before giving Nemo a big grin. "Give me an excuse to chat someone's ear off about sorcery? Twist my arm, why don't you," she joked.

Aside from the whole 'friends who accepted her for how she was because frankly, There Was Weirder Shit In Town' thing, the abundunce of magic everywhere was the other thing about Swynlake that Luz just couldn't get over! Back in Gravesfield, there was a handful of sorcerers around, but they mostly worked in different tourist spots educating people on the witch hunts and all the various ways they had been horrible. They didn't really want to talk shop with some random townie -- especially not one who couldn't see reagents like them.

By the time Luz realized she was a sorcerer too, she was on her last strike with the Historical Society and they were moving anyways.

"I can talk to Luca and let you know what we think of!"

@justkeepdancing-nemo

[stiles626]

The Next Chapter || Seamstitch

[stiles626]

"Terrified in a good way?" Her ability to leave him absolutely flummoxed with just a few words was one thing that hadn't changed since the day they met. He couldn't believe that was ten years ago. It simultaneously felt like yesterday and like he had known her his whole life. Well, he sort of had.

Stiles laughed a little as she started walking backwards, potentially a recipe for disaster, but he at least was watching where they were going. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

"Yeah, we are." He grinned, running his thumb over her ring. As they approached their meeting location, he nodded his head down the next street. "C'mon, I think the first one is right over here."

@thegoodvvitch-luz

[thegoodvvitch-luz]

Luz squealed with excitement, bouncing up and down as she followed Stiles down the street. They would be looking at a few different houses today, mostly the ones closer to town. She had gotten so used to living right near downtown, and while no part of Swynlake was very far away, she liked being close to the action!

All of the houses on their list were absolutely adorable just by the nature of being in Swynlake -- the whole town (usually) looked like something you would only see on a postcard. This first house was the smallest on the list, only two bedrooms, but it was quintessential 'cute English cottage' vibes.

It was actually really small in person. Luz could already start listing potential problems with that, but she kept her mood up and her mind open. They could always add things on!

Or... well, add up. It was a small lot.

She spotted their realtor and gave them a bright smile and a wave. "We're here! Beautiful day to hunt some houses, 'innit!"

@stiles626

[itwasallaydream]

Melii