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Luz twisted side to side, eyeing the new outfit from all possible angles in the full-length mirror. She wore a dark blue dress with ruffled edges and long sleeves. It was pretty, and fit her pretty well for something she dug out of Eda’s spare closet of clothes.
But it still wasn’t right.
With a groan, Luz began to strip, soon adding the dress to the towering pile of clothes she’d already dismissed as not good enough.
Why was this so hard?
Luz didn’t think she’d ever struggled this much to find an outfit before. Between her and Eda, she had a pretty extensive collection of clothes to choose from, but nothing was working!
Taking a few deep breaths, Luz began to mutter to herself as she dug through the smaller pile of clothes she hadn’t tried yet.
“Okay. It needs to be something classy. Something first date worthy. But still easy to move in, so nothing too extravagant.” Hunter hadn’t told her exactly what they would be doing, just that she should dress for outside and easy manoeuvrability. She ruled out dresses earlier on, but everything else just didn’t seem to match up to a first date standard, so she kept coming back to them.
Everything was either too much, or too little, and it was starting to stress her out.
Luz’s eyes drifted to the door, and she started gnawing on her lip. She really wanted some help with this, but did she dare ask Eda?
Looking between the piles of clothes and the clock that showed she had two hours to get ready, she made up her mind. Throwing on her normal clothes, she headed downstairs.
Eda was lounging in the living room, idly swiping between channels on their crystal ball as King slept on her stomach.
Luz hesitated at the doorway for several moments, biting her lip and rubbing her fingers together. “Eda?” She asked quietly. Her mentor hummed at her, eyes not leaving the crystal ball. “Can you come upstairs, please? I need your help with something.”
That made her finally look up, wide eyes blinking as she processed the request. “Sure thing kiddo. Just let me move this little fuzzball.” She lifted herself from the lounge, and carefully deposited King back down. He stirred once but quickly went back to sleep, and the two walked out of the room.
“Soooooo, whatcha need help with?” Eda asked as they climbed the stairs.
Luz took a deep breath, still nervous to share what she was doing. “Well, I’m going out a bit later, and I… kinda need help… finding something to wear?” Her voice faded out the longer she spoke.
“Mmmhmm.” Eda looked at her questioningly. “Not that I’m complaining, we all now I have a terrific fashion sense.” Eda flicked her hair and gestured to her dress, making Luz chuckle. “But why do you need help so bad? And where are you going anyway?”
Luz licked the inside of her lip as she thought of how to answer. “I don’t… exactly know where I’m going. It’s supposed to be a surprise. Kinda?” She chuckled nervously as Eda began scrutinising her again. Choosing to ignore the looks, she opened her door, revealing to Eda the absolute mess she had made in her quest for the perfect outfit.
Eda’s eyes widened at the state of her room, and then her face lit up as she realised what exactly was going on. “You’re going on a date!” She exclaimed.
Luz ducked her head, a blush rising on her cheeks as she played with her fingers again. “Am I that obvious?” She groaned.
Eda snorted at her, “No wonder you looked so nervous.” She slung an arm around her pupil, “So come on. Don’t hold back. Who’s it with? Do I know them? Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?”
Pressing her face into her hands, Luz let out a long, low groan, something which only made Eda laugh more. Deciding it would be okay to share a little, she lifted her head, but chose to stare at the piles of clothes rather than her mentor’s sparkling eyes.
“His name is Hunter. You’ve never met him.” Not as Hunter, at least. Eda had only met The Golden Guard, so it wasn’t technically a lie. “And it’s still a pretty new thing. This is our first date, and I really need your help finding something to wear.” She turned pleading eyes to Eda and the woman pat her on the shoulder encouragingly.
“Don’t you worry kid; we’ll have the perfect outfit ready in no time. Now.” She clapped her hands and faced Luz’s disaster of a room. “You said it was a surprise, but did he give you anything to be ready for?”
Luz nodded. “He said to dress warm for outside weather and wear something comfortable to move in.”
Eda began picking through the piles, nodding along, “So an outdoorsy date. Gotcha.” She pointed at Luz. “Start picking out all the sweaters, cardigans, jackets, any kind of top that’s meant for cold weather. We’ll use those as the centrepiece for your outfit.”
Grateful to have some direction, Luz did exactly that.
“When do you leave?” Eda asked.
“I’m meeting up with him at six.”
“Six!” Eda looked at the clock on her wall. “It’s 4:15!”
“I know!” Luz shouted back. “That’s why I need your help!”
Eda shook her head. “Alright, we can do this.”
Honestly, Luz was glad she decided to bite the bullet and ask for help. With Eda here, they were able to work together an amazing outfit in no time. Half an hour later, Luz stood in front of the mirror, admiring all angles once again, only this time, she was smiling brightly.
Eda had picked out a lavender, thick knit sweater from the original pile, and over the top she wore a light denim dress overall with thick straps and buttons all the way down the front. The sweater was a few sizes too large and almost covered her hands, the wide neckline showing off her collarbone and a single shoulder. Underneath, she wore full length black leggings and comfortable black boots.
“Well?” Eda asked.
Luz grinned at her, “I love it!”
Eda smiled, relieved and proud. “Good. Now, we have to work on everything else. Come along.” She crooked a finger at Luz as she left the room. “I can’t decide if gold or silver jewellery will work best on you, so we’ll see what I have. And I have an idea for your hair I think you’ll really like.”
Luz played with the ends of her hair as she followed Eda up to her room. She’d committed on growing it out now, but it was only half an inch longer so far. Still not much to work with, but she was excited to see what Eda had planned.
As Eda curled her hair from behind, Luz picked through her jewellery. She decided to go for gold, as it complimented her skin and eyes well. She picked out a pair of small gold hoops for her ears and found a necklace with a simple flat disk. The chain was a little long, so she wrapped it around her neck once, leaving two loops to hang.
Eda refused to let her see her hair until after she was done her makeup. Luz had protested at first, not being much of a makeup person, but conceded to something on her eyes and a bit of lip gloss.
There was twenty minutes left before she’d have to meet up with Hunter when Eda stood back to scrutinise her work. “Something’s missing.” She mused, looking around her room. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of something, and she gestured for Luz to stay still. “Wait here! I’ve got it!”
She rummaged through the papers on her desk, coming back with a single sheet that had a glyph Luz couldn’t see. “Hold still.” She said, steadying Luz’s chin with one hand while the other activated the glyph on the left side of her forehead.
Luz saw a green glow and felt something work its way into her hair, securing itself against her head.
This time, when Eda stood back, she wore a satisfied smile. “Perfect.”
Luz’s lips twitched. “Can I look now?”
Her mentor nodded excitedly, lifting Luz up and dragging her over to Eda’s own mirror.
A deep breath and a few steps later, Luz was staring at her reflection in awe. Brown and gold shadow lined her eyelids, with a touch of mascara and a light sheen of pink lip gloss. Her now wavy hair was swept to the right side with her fringe combed a bit lower over her forehead, altogether looking artfully mussed up. On the left side of her head, a collection of small purple blooms sat above and around her ear, completing the look.
Luz had to remind herself not to cry so she didn’t ruin her mentor’s hard work. “It’s perfect.” She whispered, looking at the one who made it possible, “Thank you so much Eda.”
Eda smiled, opening her arms for a hug that Luz practically ran into. She chuckled, squeezing back for just a moment. “Alright, come on. You don’t want to keep your boyfriend waiting.” Luz blushed. Eda had kept the teasing to a minimum as she helped her prepare, and she was honestly surprised she’d lasted so long, but it seemed that time was up.
Luz pulled back, “Okay. I’m ready. Just let me get my things.” She ran out of the room, hearing Eda call out to meet her downstairs. Luz grabbed some glyphs and her phone before rushing downstairs where she came across Eda, King and Hooty. King had crawled up to Eda’s shoulder and Hooty was coughing up a camera.
“Seriously, Eda?” Luz asked, knowing what was coming, but grinning all the same.
“I am taking photos, and you cannot stop me.” Luz chuckled, clearing the last of the steps.
“So, what’s going on here? Where are you going?” King asked.
“Luuuz, has a hot date tonight.” Eda grinned, her words making Luz blush.
“WHAAAT!?” King and Hooty both shrieked.
Luz rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, guys. There’s no need to sound so surprised.”
“Who is it?” King demanded. “Have I met them? Do they fear me?”
Hooty twirled up nice and close to Luz, “Are they coming to pick you up? I’d like to meet them.”
Eda stepped in, “Alright, calm down you hooligans. I’ll fill you in on the details later. Right now, we’ve got time for photos, and then you’ve gotta go.” She waved the camera at Luz. “But seriously though, is he picking you up? I would also like to meet him.”
Luz gave a shy smile and shook her nod. “No, we’ve got a meeting place.”
“Will he be dropping you off then?”
“Probably not.” Luz answered lightly. She may actually have to make sure Hunter isn’t with her when she comes back. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for everyone to meet just yet.
Eda hummed, narrowing her eyes at Luz. “Alright. Photo time then!”
They ended up taking several photos, most with just Luz, some with her and Eda, and a couple with everyone. But then, it was time for Luz to leave, or she would be late.
“Bye everyone.” She called as she left the Owl House.
“Bye Luz.”
“Have fun.”
“Be back by midnight or I’m hunting you down!” Eda called gleefully.
“I will!” Luz chuckled.
After a short walk, Luz entered a small clearing. It was one of their meeting places and Hunter had asked for her to be there specifically. She ended up being just a few minutes late and found her boyfriend already waiting by a tree. He was rubbing his hands together as he bounced on his feet, and Luz was glad to see she wasn’t the only one who was a little nervous.
Hunter looked up as she walked in, his eyes widening when he caught sight of her. She smiled shyly at his attention and took in his own outfit. He was wearing charcoal grey pants, knee-high black lace-up boots, and a pressed black button up with sleeves folded above the elbow.
Luz had to remind herself not to bite her lip, because damn did he look good.
He joined her on the last few steps, and they met in the middle.
“Hiya.” She grinned, giddy elation filling her to the brim. She felt like she could start vibrating at any second.
“Hi.” He breathed, lifting a hand to touch her cheek. His fingertips felt cold on her flaming cheeks. “You look beautiful.”
She giggled a little, pressing further into his hand to avoid his sparkling eyes. “Thanks.” She reached up to tug on his collar, noticing the first button was undone. “So do you.” She sighed, looking up into his eyes. He seemed taller than usual, and Luz wondered if he chose to wear taller heeled boots on purpose or not.
Hunter blushed, a beautiful, genuine smile lighting up his face. Luz loved that smile. It made his face glow.
He cleared his throat, stepping back and bowing towards her with a hand outstretched. “M’lady.” He lifted his head to grin at her just as his staff appeared in his hand. Luz giggled at the showmanship, cheeks already hurting from how much she’d been smiling so far. “Would you care to join me for a flight?”
Luz placed her hand in his, holding her head high. “It would be my honour.”
They both ended the seriousness with a giggle. Climbing aboard the staff, they rose into the air, and Hunter guided them in a direction further east. The ride was slow, both of them taking in the sights. Hunter would change between weaving through the trees and flying high enough to see everything. Throughout it all, Luz maintained a tight grip around his midsection, less for fear of falling, and more for a desire to be close to him. Hunter didn’t object, and when they were gliding high in the sky, he leaned back against her, placing a hand over hers and turning just enough to smile at her.
Luz felt like her entire body had turned into warm goo, and the night had only just begun. Honestly, if this was all Hunter had planned, Luz would already count it a fantastic success. It was already everything she could have wanted and every part of her felt content.
But Hunter did have something else planned, and soon they were landing in yet another clearing. This one was quite a bit smaller than theirs, but it worked as a safe place to land.
Once they were safe on the ground again, and Rascal had turned back into a bird that rested on Hunter’s shoulder, Hunter extended his hand out to Luz with a shy smile. She took it gently, rubbing her thumb across the back of it, and it only clicked then that this was one of the few times she’d seen him without gloves. Feeling the skin of his hand on hers suddenly felt more intimate, and Luz couldn’t help the blush as they both walked into the woods.
Hunter led them through a barely used path, slowing a few times to make sure she was safely making it over the various roots sticking out of the ground and playfully batting away any of her questions about where they were going.
“I haven’t heard of any tourist destinations around these parts.”
“That’s because you won’t find it on any maps.”
“Ooh, a secret destination. But what is it?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
Luz giggled, enjoying every second of their date so far. After a few minutes, they came across a rock wall covered in various flora.
“We’re almost there.” Hunter walked up to the wall, peeling back some thick vines to reveal a dark hole in the wall. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and Luz admired the perfectly drawn light glyph before he activated it. He turned to her with a grin, barely containing his excitement. “Come on!” He urged, tugging her along with him.
Luz laughed at his enthusiasm, feeling his excitement bleed into her as he led her down the dark, secret passageway.
A short walk later, a new light at the end of the tunnel came into view. As they got closer, Luz could see it was a myriad of different colours and they seemed to be shifting. She leaned forward, intrigued, and saw Hunter grin at her from the corner of her eye. She returned it, and they kept moving forward, both eager to reach the end.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, Luz let out a loud gasp. It was beautiful. A huge cavern, tall and wide, with plants of all kinds growing everywhere. Bushes, trees, and flowers lined the walls and branches and vines hung from the ceiling. They were in all shades of colours, mostly oranges and reds as per the usual in the Boiling Isles, but there were also dots of purple, pink, yellow, blue, and green. A small waterfall in the back fed a river that cut through the centre, and on the other side stood one of the biggest trees Luz had ever seen. Its warped trunk looked like a mixture of black with deep purple and blue, the leaves showing lighter shades. A small breeze from various cracks in the rocky ceiling made the branches wave and scatter leaves about. Moonlight streamed through the cracks but the main source of light in the cave came from the various bobbing lights.
Lights about as big as her fist flew around the cave, some gliding lazily, others zipping about in excitement. They came in all kinds of colours, a rainbow scattered across the cavern. A few of them came close to the two people at the entrance to this hidden wonderland, and Luz could see up close that they were actually insects of some kind.
“Woah.” She breathed.
“So you like it?” Hunter asked.
“I love it!” She exclaimed, “It’s so beautiful! How did you know this was here?” She looked at him with wide eyes.
Her boyfriend grinned at her excitement, “I found it by accident a few years ago. I never told anyone about it, and it became my best kept secret.” He sent her a shy look, “You’re actually the first person I’ve brought here.”
Luz looked at him full of awe, beyond touched at Hunter’s actions. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, trying to express her gratitude through the hug. “Thank you.” She whispered into his shoulder, “It means a lot that you wanted to share this with me.”
Hunter held her back, cradling her in a way that made her feel surrounded by his touch. She loved hugs from Hunter. They were her favourite kind of hug.
“You mean a lot to me, Luz.” He murmured into her hair, “When I was trying to think of a place to go for our first date, I couldn’t think of anything better than here.” He pulled back to hold her face, staring deep into her eyes, “A special place in my heart that feels like home.”
Luz felt her heart skip a beat from the look in his eyes. It felt like he wasn’t just talking about this cave. Hunter placed his forehead on hers, never once looking away. She squeezed his waist and slid her hands up his chest and behind his neck. They were so close. She could feel his breath on her face. Minty fresh. She wondered if he spent as much time brushing his teeth as she did, agonising over whether or not it was clean enough in anticipation for something that made her heart race.
She rose on her toes, both cursing and loving his heeled boots. One of his hands cupped her face, while the other came to rest on her hip, steadying her. Her eyes slid shut as their faces drew closer. There was a single, breathless moment before they made contact, and then…
His lips were so warm.
Chapped from the wind, yet their pressure was so soft. She savoured the contact, pulling on his neck to get just a little bit closer. He responded with a firmer touch, tilting her head ever so slightly and brushing her cheek with his thumb.
When they broke apart, her eyes remained closed. A few seconds later, she opened them and saw Hunter staring at her with a soft smile. She smiled back, and soon they were giggling together, faces burning red and unable to stop smiling.
He pulled back, still holding her hand, and slowly led her to the water. “Come on. There’s one more thing I want to show you.”
She followed him to the river, where he showed her some steppingstones. They crossed them carefully, Hunter never letting go of her hand, and walked up to the tree. Hidden behind some low hanging branches so that she hadn’t seen it before, a picnic rug and basket sat on the grass.
“Oh my Titan.” Luz gasped, lifting a hand to her smile. “Hunter, you really went all out, didn’t you?”
Her boyfriend grinned, proud and excited. “Of course I did. And here,” They both sat on the rug as he pulled out the food he brought from the basket. “I made sure it was all stuff you could eat.” He laid out a smorgasbord of human digestible food. Bread with several spreads, her favourite Isles fruits and various juice boxes.
Luz threw herself at him, unable to handle the sheer sweetness of this boy. They spent the next few hours eating, talking, snuggling, and yeah, there was some more kissing done too. It was the best time of her life, and Luz was still floating on Cloud 9 by the time she was walking back to the Owl House.
Hunter had said goodbye to her in their clearing, and she was still high off their last kiss. As she stumbled forward with a wide, dopey grin on her face, Luz didn’t notice Hooty until he was right in front of her. He was scrutinising her with narrowed eyes, and for once, completely silent on her arrival. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but before she could ask, he was suddenly letting out a long and loud gasp as he quickly backtracked to the Owl House and back inside. Still in too much of a good mood, Luz shrugged it off as Hooty being Hooty and kept walking home.
Until she heard the house demon’s voice shout from inside, “Eda! Come quick! Luz’s lip gloss is smudged! You know what that means.” He sang the last sentence teasingly.
“WHAT!”
Even the sound of running footsteps couldn’t quell her joy, and Eda came out to the sight of her student and charge giggling with the most lovestruck look on her face.
And yeah, her lip gloss was smudged.