Camila softly hummed to herself as she got into the kitchen. Her little girl was off to make sure Amity would have somewhere comfortable to sleep tonight since Luz did not have Boscha’s sort of bed and they certainly weren’t used to guests staying overnight while she went to do the dishes. Amity had offered, and then insisted, that she help with them since the two had come unannounced before she’d run off to the backyard. The older woman had no idea why but at this point she was ready to trust the serious girl to have a reason behind her actions.

Lunch had been mostly spent talking about this place called Hexide as it was perhaps what Camila could understand the best, at least now. After all, the fact that her little girl loved school as much as she did was in and of itself comforting. She was still coping with everything else unique about the place but it had plenty of classes that were the same as over here, even if their laws of physics weren’t exactly the same. Amity had seemed to have, paradoxically, a better grasp on what would freak the older woman out than Luz and Camila was thankful for that. Someone had to wrangle in her daughter sometimes and…

Camila shook her head before rubbing her forehead. She needed to stop that. Luz’s eccentricities were fine. They were terrifying sometimes and she was still worried about the fact that she seemed to have become more out of control than before the trip but that could simply be chalked up to her having been able to be accepted as… her. Which was good. It made it even harder for her to expect her little girl to stay with her, or for her to think that was the best for her, but it was simply the truth.

“Miss Noceda?”

Camila turned to the side where Amity stood in the doorway. Amity had her hands folded in front of her and bowed her head slightly once they locked eyes. “I wanted to warn you that I went out back to check if some of my magic still worked as it normally does in my world. It did, and still didn’t take a hole out of your yard fortunately, but it does mean that I may scare you with what I have made to help us. I assure you though that it is entirely safe and under my control. In fact, you could probably have it disappear by a light punch with how weak I made it.”

The older woman tilted her head before asking, “You made something? Just out of magic?”

Amity nodded and it was only now that Camila noticed that the girl’s already pale skin looked even whiter and the drops of sweat on her skin. She had described that her magic appeared to be harder to use here and the older woman didn’t like the idea that she had exhausted herself just to help with something as simple as dishes.

Amity appeared to think it was no problem though as she walked deeper into the kitchen. “Indeed. I am what we call an Abominations Major. I specialize in creating creatures that can help in several ways such as combat, simple tasks, and even sometimes just to have as company at times.” Amity then paused as she took in a deep breath. It embarrassed her to need to use verbal commands in front of Luz’s mother, not when that was commonly something she only did as a force of habit when panicked. After all, true majors were supposed to be able to command them simply through their mind or, at most, with hand gestures. She knew she was having trouble keeping it together already though so using the simple mind that abominations had was for the best. “Now, abomination, enter.”

Camila’s eyes widened at the sight of the creature as it stepped through the door. Fortunately, she hadn’t picked up any of the plates she had to clean yet, which were far more than they had used for lunch. She’d simply not found the time or energy to do the dishes while Luz was missing. She did find the energy to screech and back up into the opposite corner of the room as before yelling, “What is that?”

Luz’s voice responded in time with, “Que paso?”

Amity frowned at not knowing what she meant. In fact, both Luz and her mother slipped into this second language more than the witch had ever heard her crush do so in the Isles. Luz said it was because she was more used to speaking Spanish with her mother and with how good it felt to be home it just kept kind of coming out. Of course, she was lacking the voices that told her not to do that but she didn’t know that. Still, logic and familiarity gave Amity some idea as she shouted back, “I’m introducing your mother to one of my abominations!”

“You’re what!?”

“I-It’s okay, mija.” Camila tried to even her breathing as she rested a hand on her chest. She needed something to grasp onto with it. Something rational. Or, rational to her as Luz kept reminding her. After all, a beast like this likely never made even a young witch ever flinch. A human though? It was a lot. She did find something though. “How is that going to help with the dishes?”

Amity swallowed hard before nodding. She knew this was going to be a touch far but as it was a part of her heritage and who she was, the serious girl had felt it would be best to introduce her sooner rather than later. It also emphasized that Amity had control over that which may harm Luz on the Isles, something she’d been trying to stress anytime the older woman had begun to panic. “Abomination, rinse!”

The creature gave Amity a slight nod, Camila a wave, which got another small shriek out of the woman, before moving over to the left side of the sink. He then picked up the large plate that Camila had used to coat the churros she’d quickly made in cinnamon and honey. It spent a moment examining it before lifting it up and sliding it down it’s mouth. The older woman’s eyes widened before she whispered, “My favorite pan…”

Amity put a hand on Camila’s shoulder before saying, “I assure you, it’s fine.” As if on cue, the creature reached into its torso and pulled out the plate. There wasn’t a speck of food left on it and it gave the older woman a thumbs up and smile as Amity gave it a reaffirming nod. “It will still need to be washed as I didn’t use soap and disinfectants in its creation, but this way you won’t have to scrub them. Should make it much easier on you this way.”

“Oh mi.” Camila took the plate from the abomination and looked it over. It was indeed spotless, even void of the infamous abomination goo that looked like it should be leaving behind on everything it touched. She then looked up at the creature before looking back at Amity as she asked, “Does it understand if I compliment it?”

Amity nodded as she sat on the counter. It was in part to let her rest after using so much magic had summoned even this simple version of her creations. “It does. It theoretically doesn’t matter how you treat it but I personally would appreciate it if you were kind to them.”

Camila nodded before looking back to the creature as it picked up a plate. “Then thank you for the help.”

The abomination gave her a bright smile before lifting its arms in triumph where it promptly shattered the plate against the ceiling. Amity’s eyes widened before she forced the abomination to shrink some and she said in a panic, “I’m so sorry, Miss Noceda! I promise that I didn’t mean for it to do that.

Camila only laughed at the mistake though, especially as the abomination slammed into the floor to pick up the shards of ceramic. “It was simply excited.” She then turned to Amity and added, “Which I assume means you were too about the compliment.”

Amity’s cheeks burned slightly before she glanced away. “Um, yes ma’am.”

Camila shook her head while she smiled. The serious girl had been trying so hard ever since she got here to appear unflappable. Supposedly how her family was supposed to act and that she claimed was simply how she normally acted. Her little girl had done a good job at showing how flustered and nervous Amity was though. How human she was. That was how Camila saw it anyways. “What have I said about being so formal?”

Amity’s cheeks only burned more as the heat spread to her ears. Both Luz and Camila had tried to make her stop calling the older woman by her last name but it seemed to almost comfort Amity to fall back on her manners around her as each time she tried she would become quieter for a little bit until she was able to say something that made her feel like she was in a position of strength again. She knew she should calm down and listen but she was still simply thankful that Camila liked her. She didn’t want to mess that up by becoming too relaxed and saying something she shouldn’t. “I’m sorry, Ms… Camila.”

The older woman giggled for a moment before properly getting to the dishes. Amity kicked her legs lightly now that she wasn’t visible to the older woman, or thought she wasn’t, before asking, “I’m surprised you didn’t ask Luz to do this while I made my own space. I’m quite capable of it and you two have catching up to do.”

Camila shook her head before saying in a stern tone, “You’re our guest. I will not have you taking care of your own bed while I can have my daughter help her friend. And,” she said with a sigh, “I’m still struggling to know what to say to my mija.”

Amity glanced away at the statement. The older woman had cried several times since the two had come in and seemingly at random times it felt like at times. Of course, the two younger girls knew it wasn’t simply random. But Camila was acting almost like she was avoiding spending one on one time with Luz. “I promise you that Luz won’t get mad at you, no matter what you do. In fact, I can only think of maybe one time she said anything bad about you but otherwise she always sounded excited to come home. At least, until she remembered each time she couldn’t.”

Camila smiled a little at that before quietly whispering, “Luz.” She knew the water would drown out her voice but it still made her feel better. She then took in a long breath and properly said, “I simply know that she’s changed. I can feel it. And I don’t want to risk pushing her away just because it’s all so strange to me.”

Amity nodded at that before pausing. “Um, I don’t mean to be rude, Miss Noceda, but why are you being so open with me? We barely knew each other.”

Camila shut her eyes as she tried to make sure she didn’t burst into tears again. She was right after all. Amity was Luz’s best friend after all. It was all too likely that she’d tell her daughter at least parts of this. It was hard for her to stop though with how much she needed an outlet for these thoughts. Besides, there was also the fact that, “I see how Luz looks at you and how you look at her. If anyone can tell me I’m doing things right, I’m hoping it’s you.”

Amity’s face turned bright red before she said, “Oh, no, I think you’ve gotten the wrong idea. Luz and I are just friends!”

Camila looked over with a coy smile and a set of tears coming down her face as she whispered, “Who said I was saying you were anything more?” Her body then shook, which she played off as her laughing, while Amity’s head began to steam. “But I do know what it was like to be your age and having a ‘best friend’ like her, even if mine was a boy.”

Why? Why did even Luz’s mom have to think there was more to the two of them? “Miss Noceda, please, there’s nothing there.”

“Are you happy about that?”

Amity blinked a few times before simply staring at Camila as she asked, “What?” She’d never heard it put that way after all. She’d been asked a bunch of times if she wished that they were more than that but something about her statement put her off balance.

More tears came down Camila’s face as her mind flashed to her late husband. He passed away two years ago but she still remembered their high school days so vividly. The fear. The confusion. The love. “I know what it’s like to be there. To think that the person you like doesn’t have a speck of interest in you. That your thoughts are all your own. To have the words catch in your throat because they seem impossible to say. That the time is never right. That there’s simply nothing there.” She then took in a long breath before saying calmly, “And I’m asking if you’re happy with that.”

Amity opened her mouth, then closed it, then hung her head as she barely said, “We’re just friends,” loud enough for Camila to hear.

The older woman simply walked over and placed a hand on Amity’s shoulder. “Okay, mija.”

Amity swiped an arm across her eyes before looking into Camila’s brown eyes. Something about her soft touch made her want to burst into tears, especially with how gentle she was being about this. “Y-You call Luz that a lot. What does it mean?”

Camila patted Amity’s head as she said, “It means literally ‘my daughter’ but can be used for general affection to a girl, like one may say to a close friend.”

There was something about that that just broke something in Amity as tears began to stream down her cheeks. “How? How can you be like… this? How can you be so okay that I’m interested in Luz? That I’m a witch who summons monsters? Who is supposed to act properly but instead is breaking down like this?”

Camila slowly wrapped her arms around the scared girl and squeezed her tight before whispering, “I may not always be perfect in how I put it, but I mean it when I say I love how my Luz is. She’s the most unique child I’ve ever met but I struggle to always make her feel that way. You seem to. How could I not accept you then?”

A sob wracked Amity’s body as she buried her face into Camila’s chest. She then opened her mouth, stopped to sniffle back some snot, and then finally whispered, “And if… If I… If I…”

Camila leaned in and placed Amity’s head closer to her ear. “Don’t say it if you can’t. It can help to say it, to let it out to even one person, but don’t say it. Whisper it. Like a secret, not a confession. I promise to keep it, no matter what.”

Amity’s breathing slowed for a little bit before finally she whispered, “And if I love Luz? If… If it’s becoming harder everyday not to just tell her that?”

Camila stood back up and placed a hand on Amity’s cheek before she whispered back, “Then I would be overjoyed and hope you find that perfect moment you want soon to make it easier.”

Amity slowly nodded before Camila finally stepped away. “Now, why don’t you go clean up your face and then go see Luz? She should be mostly done by now and your, um, abomination can help me down here.”

Amity glanced over at her creation before making a large circle in the air to restabilize it before it collapsed from her having lost so much of her focus during all of… that. She then slid off of the counter but paused before she left. “Um, thank you, Camila. For everything.”

Camila giggled for a moment before smiling at Amity. “I’m a mom. It’s what we do. At least when we’re doing our jobs properly.”

Amity smiled back before turning away to go see her crush, a thought that was indeed easier to have now that she’d said it. She only hoped that she did in fact get that perfect moment. Though… maybe she could make it? No, no. She’d need to have the first clue of what she was doing to do that.

But, when she looked at Luz, she wanted to be able to at least pretend that she did.