It was just before lunch in the city of LA; people were chomping the bid to head out for break, resteraunts and vendors were prepping for the lunch rush and with the clear blue sky, there was no doubt people would try and eat outside.
One vendor was selling hot and corn dogs and even made a few of his regular's favorites to speed things up. He knelt to check on the cooler he stored his drinks in, finding it to be working just fine, when he suddenly felt a breeze.
Normally this wouldn't meant much, but today had been a scorcher of a day and the breeze was singular, which could mean that either those doomsday coots on the radio where right and global warming as happening…or someone had swiped what he'd just laid out!
It turned out to be the latter, it seemed; the dogs he'd prepped were nowhere to be seen…but a $50 bill was dropped where the dogs had once been, along with a few dollars for a tip, so the vendor paid the theft no mind.
OWLPHIBIA
High in the sky, Clawthorne mother and son finished their 'brunch' hot-dogs as Owlbert flew towards a certain location at top speed. You see, this had been a day Eda and Olivier been waiting for ever since that first night at Thai Go.
"I hope we're not too late." Olivier mused, his mouth full of food as he began his second dog.
"Chew and swallow before ya yap, little owl." Eda said as she wiped her mouth and flicked the condiments off her hand. "And no worries, we will….even if you did stay up super late watching TV."
"You did too!" Olivier retorted
"Baby, mama is a grown up and super strong, she can stay up all night long if she wants." Eda explained. "Its one of the perks that comes along with providing for rugrats."
"Maybe, but your shows are boring." Olivier conceded now wishing they'd snagged something to drink.
Eda would've normally teased her son and mocked the premises of his own cartoons, but considering what she usually did watch when he went to bed? She suddenly felt a twinge of worru and, depending on the answers, shame/disgust if her little boy's innocence was primised.
"um….w-which show in particular?"
"The two with pretty ladies complaining about life, the other show with older ladies….and that one with the puppet creature doing what Hooty and King do to us with a human family."
(A/N: Virtual cookie to anyone who guesses which shows I'm referring to)
Eda let out a sigh of relief. Okay, he HADN'T seen…those…
"And I didn't stay up too late." Olivier continued, stifling a yawn. "Altough I swear its like someone DOESN'T want anyone to watch Invader Zim."
"Honestly, I agree." Eda remarked.
The Owl Lady actually DID like that show; it was sort of therapeutic; envisioning either Lilith or a Coven Head in Zim's place and delighting at his failure while also praising how out of the box his scheming was; much like herself. Olivier was eating that show up; he'd already started doodling pictures, coming up with scheme ideas and waiting eagerly for any toys or books to be released.
"Ah, here we are!" Eda realized as Owlbert began yo descend. Then spying they were covered in condiments and had 'lunch' breath, Eda quickly spun a magic circle. Even as Owlebert dived towards the ground, the two witches were dosed in rain from a small cloud, then dried by a bolt of lightning and nearly knocked off the Palisman by a tornado.
Luckily for the last bit they'd already landed at that point and no one was around to see them. Unluckily for them, their hair was frizzled and upright, plus their eyes widened with the static shock.
"Mama, are you sure that there isn't a better spell…?" Olivier began, but he went ignored as his mother forced his hair down and dusted his clothes off before she made herself presentable. Besides, when he actually saw their destination?
"Finally here; Thai Temple itself." Eda smirked.
"Wow….It's like a castle!" her son awed.
He wasn't wrong; Eda thought the temple was probably even bigger than Belos' castle; and unlike the masked weirdo, they needed the space; with all the cars driving up and sounds she could make out from here alone; never mind the delicious smells.
"Ollie!"
The half witch turned to see Anne racing towards him, arms outsrecthed with a bag over her shoulder and her parents racing after here.
"Anne!"
The children hugged briefly before Anne pulled Olivier aside, answering his questions as he pointed to certain parts of the temple; mostly the statues.
"Say, where's King?" Anne whispered to her friend.
BACK AT THE CLAWTHORNE HOUSE
King watched the TV with glee as he munched on popcorn and apple slices.
"Yes, yes…feed me your propaganda so that I may use it against you!" He cackled as a new compliation of Looney Tunes began to air; already looking forward to using some of the tricks on either Sasha or Olivier.
Owlbert just rolled his eyes at the whole affair.
'Titan? …Whoever is the most powerful or in charge around here? What did I do deserve this?' He asked. '…Is this because of that time I fell asleep when I was supposed to be watching baby Olivier and he snuck into Eda's picnic basket for her second last date with Raine?...Or the time I swapped mine and the raven's bird seed and he ended up with really bad diarrhea? Oh, wait, no! I bet it was that time….'
BACK TO THE TEMPLE!
Anne and Olivier chuckled at the image of King plotting; a chuckle Eda recongized and still had mixed feelings about:
She'd nearly throttled the little monster when she learnt the girls now knew about King….somewhat. However, she decided to just tease him when Olivier assured her that Anne, Marcy and Sasha would keep him a secret. It had given her hope that in a few years, ,aybe she could reveal she was a witch to them.
But for now? The Owl lady was just happy her son had friends.
"Thanks again for the invite." Eda said to the Boonchuy adults, who'd settled for just having their daughter in eyesight instead of keeping her close. Eda even gave the Thai couple a 'wai' they returned before asking Oum: "You're sure its okay for us to come here? Last I checked, places of worship don't take too kindly to outsiders…."
"Of course!" The Thai woman assured her. "Eda, it's the 21st century, as long as no one causes problems and respects the rules? Anyone can come and visit."
"Besdies, Ollie helped Anne; a day at the Market is the least we could offer." Bee added. "On that note, how goes the job hunt?"
"Well, I took up a job at a local restaurant." Eda admitted as they adults marched towards their children.
"Oh, wonderful!" Oum cheered. "What is it?"
"Well, after Anne introduced me to that Pizza thing, I went to work at a Pizza Planet." Eda explained. "But the only job opening was the Graveyard shift as a Night Watchman."
"Hope it pays well." Bee cut in.
Eda shrugged.
" I won't get my paycheck until the end of the week. I honestly thought it would be boring, but..."
FLASHBACK TO THREE NIGHTS AGO
Eda was dressed in a Uniform in a small office, half listening to messages and munching on leftover pizza as she observed the screens on the wall.
"So just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh... something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was "The Bite of '87." Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"
"Wait... THESE THINGS COME TO LIFE!?" Eda gasped. That wasn't in the job description! Or mentioned in the interview! Then again, her boss seemed less interested in actually training her then he was admiring her the uniform….which she'd taken advantage of to nswipe some coupon books….
"Now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours, probably won't recognize you as a person." The recording continued. " They'll most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Pizza Planet, they'll probably try to... ..forcefully stuff you inside a Little Green Men suit."
"WHAT!?" Eda gasped. "How is this place not…?! Oh right. Media control."
"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."
Eda grimaced in stunned silence as the situation dawned on her: She had a job of authority in a kid's dream place, looked fine in the uniform…and was supposed to survive 7 hours with homicidal science fiction mascots trying to kill her?!
"What the hell kind of place is thi-DID THAT DUCK JUST MOVE!?"
PRESENT DAY
'Mental note; bring the exorcism gear tonight.' Eda mused to herself. '…Then again? Honestly it's not the worst job I ever had…'
She then spied Oum, holding her daughter in place as Bee set up their stand with some help from Olivier.
"Now Anne, remember…"
"I know, I know…the dance." The girl sighed.
Olivier's eyes widened.
"Wait, that's today?!"
Immediately, Anne's heart began to fill worry instead of indifference; with Ollie here, she didn't want to humiliate herself!
"Yup, in two hours." Oum announced, smiling warmly at the boy. "So, be back here for then."
She'd seen the look of worry in her daughter's eyes; the sudden realization she NEEDED to do this right or look silly. And she cared! Oum loved Anne, she truly did. Was this selfish; using her baby girl's affection for a sweet boy to make her grow up just a pinch? Maybe…but she was certain Anne would thank her for this someday.
Olivier had saluted the Thai woman and, spying someone pushing what looked like books, he dashed off in pursuit.
"Ollie? Olivier wait! Stay with mommy!" She cried out in vain, but he was already out of her sight. "…Ah, who am I kidding; I was the same with mom."
Didn't mean she had to like or take it!
"Little Clawthorne, you get your cute little toosh back….here?"
Eda's rare 'mama mode' was disrupted when she spied several men and women with bandages on their hands and headbands crowning their heads swinging punches and kicks at each other, blocking and deflecting moves and then slamming knees and elbows.
"Oh hi there!" One of the fighters, a middle aged man, smiled. "You must be Miss Clawthorne, right?"
Eda, snapped out of her daze, smiled and shook his hand.
"I was looking for my boy and got distracted. Forgive my ignorance, but…well, were I came from fighting was reserved for either the rich's petty squabbles. What is this?"
"Muy Thai. A sport our ancestors created to protect the royal family." The apparent coach explained.
"Looks practical." Eda remarked, unimpressed for the reason of its existence before her eyes widenedonce she put the whole context together. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait a minute. You're telling me….taht ther'es a sport…based on fighting? With nothing but fists?"
"And kicks, elbows, knees and brute strength." One of fighters noted as he got knocked down but goit back up.
The Owl Lady's face blossomed into an elated grin.
"WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE AND WHERE CAN I SIGN UP?!"
One of the participants handed Eda a card with a smile on their face.
"We have a class on Wednesdays from 4-6 and again on Saturday from 10-12."
And with that? Eda now had a way to kill time. After all, magic is nice and near limitless, but there was just something…therapeutic about pummeling schmucks with your bare hands….
As she observed some of the fighters, she spied a portrait of someone who screamed 'important.'
"That there is a picture of King Naresuan, The Black Prince." Another fighter explained.
"He the creator?" Eda asked.
"No, but he IS touted as one of the greatest masters; he was once captured by enemy soldiers and told he'd be released if he bested their greatest fighter."
"….Did he?"
"They didn't have a choice; he beat the whole platoon."
And with that? Any lingering doubts Eda had were dashed.
'Darn shame we never met.' Eda mused, drawn out when she was offered the chance of a spar:
While the former Owl Lady didn't outright win, what with everyone, including her, held back? It was a great deal of fun.
COA
Olivier had already bought several books and taken quite a few brochures. Now he was walking around the temple, admiring the architecture, colors and occasionally, going off to the side to see if he could find out what a certain character or symbol meant. He'd also passed the Thai Language class, but with his knowledge being limited to the greeting Anne and Marcy taught him and the title of 'Ba' and some names? The Owlet decided to hang back on that for a moment; at least learn a few more 'basic' phrases.
Then there was the 'basketball….that was what it was called, right?
Anyways, there was the sport that some of the older kids were playing. He knew his mom would be interested in that (she was THE Grudgby star to end all Grudgby stars) and he would be too if his arms weren't full.
Besides, with Anne's dance coming up, he didn't want to look sweaty and tired; that'd be rude.
Deciding he'd seen enough for now and not wanting to get lost, Olivier began to make his way back to the market space before he saw a group in flashy clothing is seen dancing and playing ancient music.
"Ooh!" The boy cooed in awe. Putting his books down, he pulled on the leg of the nearest participant. "Excuse me, what's going on here?"
The man wore a mask some may have found scary, but to Olivier it was just a regular witch and or demon face; nothing he hadn't seen before.
"It's Khon dancing." The man explained while he danced a little. "A performance art where dancers tell a beautiful drama of epic scale through intricate movements and expressive gestures. Would you like to watch?"
Olivier, attention rapt, eagerly sat down.
"Oh, I see you've got a mythology book." Another dancer noted. "If you turn to page….64, I think? That's the story we're currently doing."
Olivier grabbed the book and did just that; his excitement growing as the story began to play out…before he spied the clock.
"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt but, could you maybe do a short version?" He grimaced; the dance had just started and already his attention was wrapped. "I have a friend dancing in an hour."
The Khon dancers all smiled knowingly and began to regale him with a tale…..
COA
Suddenly, it came time for Anne's dance. Most of the temple gathered to watch; a crowd amassing. Poor little Olivier nearly got trampled before he found himself hoisted up, his books landing in a duffel bag and a familiar face greeting him.
"Baby, did you spend ALL your money on books?" Eda asked knowingly.
"No, I still have $5." Olivier smirked proudly.
His mother shook her head knowingly with a smile. Oh well, at least she could use some of these books to give that bird-brained noble some reports….
She then spied that there appeared to be some drama backstage, and her need for chaos, or even just simple gossip to share with Mrs. Wu and the other moms at the next café meeting overwhelmed her need to be a good guest ever so slightly.
"Everything okay?"
"N-nothing too, too big. Just….." One of the adults began before another cut in.
"One of the kids is sick and…well, while the dance can flow we have an extra uniform and there will be a hole in the movement…"
"I could cover."
Everyone turned to Oliver who jumped from his mother's arms and began to dance….perfectly.
"I've watched Anne do it and saw some Khon dancing earlier." Olivier explained.
"You could call it thanks for letting us come here, if need be." Eda suggested.
The adults looked over and spoke briefly, before motioning Olivier to follow. Eda joined in.
"I like you all, but no mom leaves her son alone with people she barely knows."
It took a few minutes, and the crowd was getting restless, but eventually?
Music suddenly filled the area as Eda made her way over to Oum and Bee. She'd waved at the,m just as the children came out, all dressed in the proper attire….
Except for the one volunteer, even if he didn't seem to realize or care; smiling brightly alongside Anne, whose annoyace in this whole affair was lessened by him being there.
See, in the rush/obsession with making the whole affair look as nice as possible? The planners had neglected to check what TYPE of costume Olivier would be wear and Olivier, going off the example of the Khon dancers (and that Peter Pan play his mother had watched) assumed the costumes were unisex.
Some people laughed at the sight of the boy with mismatched eyes in the girl's dance attire; laughter Olivier picked up on. His smile lessened and tears began to sting his eyes….
Anne would not stand for such. Ollie was her friend and he'd helped her, Marcy and Sasha; a frown was not allowed on his face. So she stepped forward, took his hand pulled him forward as the music began playing.
With Anne close by and knowing he had a show to do, Olivier turned out everything else to move in sync with the others. And just as he'd promised, aside from superficial features, Olivier blended in smoothly with the dancers, Anne shooting him a smile whenever she could and even blowing a raspberry at some of her fellow dancers when they chuckled at Olivier.
As it turned out? That exact moment was when as the picture was taken and Olivier wouldn't be seen in it. And because the Internet and uploading pictures to it where still works in progress, the whole affair would fade into obscurity.
But the picture sent a clear message: Some of the older folks/future newcomers would see a spoiled girl, dishonoring her heritage and traditions. But to those who were there/knew the full details; Anne was loyal and unafraid to stand up for her friends. Besides, there had been other photos taken, that one was chosen because it made many people smile and giggle; and gave the Thai Temple a sense of humor.
When the dance ended, everyone applauded and Eda let out many cheers.
"That's my boy! That's my little Ollie up there with his best friend!"
Oum and Bee were proud of Anne; she'd performed well after all and stood by her friend. And they were happy Olivier didn't seem too bothered by what had happened.
But all the same….
"Eda, I am so sorry for…" Oum began.
"Whats to apologize for?" Eda began, genuinely confused. "Ollie had a great time and he looked great."
That was not the reaction Oum or Bee were expecting.
"You're….not…?"
"Look, as long as he's happy, healthy and keeps me in the loop? I'm a-okay. Sides, this serves as a lesson for us; a quick reference never hurts!"
A light chuckle was shared among the trio before Oum decided to cut to her concern.
"But aren't you concerned about how people will treat him if he's…well…?"
"What's wrong with what happened? He helped out his friend and paid you guys back for being so nice to us? What mama wouldn't be proud?"
For once, she didn't choke on bile saying that; a proud con-artist Edalyn Clawthorne was, but she had moved to earth specifically SO her baby boy could be something greater than whatever the Isles had in store for him. And as she'd stated; what mother wouldn't be proud to call such a kind kid her own?
"…You're okay that he's gay?" Bee asked.
"Honey?!" Oum snapped, but her worry seemed unfounded, as Eda looked more confused and...almost hurt by that question.
"Why wouldn't I be? My baby boy's smiling face has got me through hard times and he deserves to be happy."
"No, he meant...I'm sorry." Oum said, embarrssed but needing to say this. "What we mean is...are you okay that he might like boys instead of girls Or like wearing clothing for girls?"
"Well to be honest, not sure if he's gay, straight or two way or no way. But again, all that matters to me is that he's hap…."
Eda paused and then groaned as she finally realized what Oum was trying to say.
"…Ya gotta be kidding me."
Dear Titan, was LOVE of all things really something Belos did better than humans? She'd expected there would be something, but still! LOVE?! Certain versions of freaking LOVE were frowned upon?!
And she wasn't alone in being confused, Oum and Bee were surprised by Eda's reaction. Spying this and not wanting to dampen the mood, Eda summarized as she massaged her annoyed noggin:
"Lemme put it this way; where Ollie and I came from? Love was freer than Woodstock."
Eda kept to herself that she found both Boonchuy parents attractive; always more fun to tease first and reveal later…plus she could tell their marriage was a happy one and she was NOT a homewrecker, regardless of the propaganda those skanks and Odalia tried to push!
COA
While all that been happening, most of the kids changed and headed to their parents. But Anne stayed in her uniform and waited outside the boy's room; with her own experiences with bullies, as much as she didn't want to, she didn't trust the other kids not to make fun of Olivier, and planned to be there for him.
She had forgotten about him and Sasha repelling bullies, it seemed.
"Oh, hi Anne!"
Evidentially, if there was any teasing in the changing room? Olivier paid it no mind and he didn't look at all beat up or hurt.
"You okay, Ollie?" Anne asked in concern.
"Yup." Olivier smiled. "…Hope I didn't stick out too much."
"I think you were a cool addition." Anne smiled, lightly punching his shoulder.
"Really?"
"Yeah, dude!"
"Well, I think your attitude was cool." Olivier replied, following in kind and making Anne laugh; proud to see SOMEBODY appritated her mindset.
"So, the temple bored ya?" Anne guessed.
"Nah, not really." The half-witch replied. "Bought a few books, saw a bit of a dance…You're lucky to have this. Back where we came from? All it was 'work, obey and never question' or…"
He paused, not wanting to reveal the Petrification. Luckily, any questions Anne had were cut off:
"Bracelet?" A vendor who was packing up for the day, smiled offered a heart shaped bracelet. "Last few in my stock, make the day memorable?"
"…How much for two?" Olivier asked, least partly to move on from revealing something he shouldn't. "I have $5."
The vendor grimaced
"I'm afraid that'll only get you one…"
"Okay." Olivier beamed, handing the vendor his money and giving it to Anne. "Here."
Anne was surprised at this, but soon that was switched to Olivier when she, after taking the braclet pulled it in two; revealing a second one.
"Here, you have half, I have half." Anne explained as she handed half back, then her eyes widened "Hey, mister? Does the heart open up to store something small?"
"Indeed-a-roni!" The vendor smiled as he headed towards his car. "Have a great night you two! Stay safe!"
As he and Anne waved goodbye to the nice vendor and made their way to the cars to head home, Olivier marvelled at the bracelet and when he touched the heart, was surprised when it did open up.
"Wow…." He mused. "What do you think you'll put in yours?"
"I…I dunno." Anne admitted. "Maybe a picture of Domino, or me with you, Marcy and Sasha. You got any ideas?"
Olivier, seeing the photo stand, picked up and stuck a copy of the photo of Anne sticking out her tongue into his half of the bracelet.
"A memory of what I hope will be my first or many days here." He smiled warmly.
Anne felt a warmth in her stomach; to be honest she'd been expecting Olivier to put a picture of Eda, or maybe King in his bracelet's heart. Maybe a grandparent or superhero he admired. But her? Just her?
Unfortunately, Olivier went back to admiring the bracelet and Anne was so busy trying to figure out the funny feeling, that they bumped into someone.
"HEY!" shouted a large man with bad teeth and who smelt funny. "WATCH IT, SMALL FRIES!"
Olivier, snapped out of his thoughts and Anne, startled by the volume, backed away.
"S-sorry mister…!" Olivier began.
"We I didn't mean to…!" Anne began
The man didn't look very satisfied. In fact, he looked very crazy and stumbled, yet still somehow remained on his feet
"Do you know what I DO to little shrimps like YOU!?"
"…ignore and forget?" Anne weakly suggested.
"lecture and then leave be?" Olivier followed.
The man's glare turned to a smile.
"No."
His face then became one of maddned rage.
"I PUMMELTHEM."
"EEP!" the two five year olds gasped as the man raised his fist high, hugging and trying to shield each other….
But the blow never came.
At that moment, a blur shot over Olivier and Anne's heads, delivering a brutal punch square in the man's mouth, sending him flying into the bark of a tree. A few apples fell on his already dazed head, knocking him out sooner. He'd be picked up by the police shortly and spend the night in the drunk tank.
Shocked but relieved, the children looked up to see a figure towering in front of them: a woman with dark hair that matched her robes, and icy stare, and, carrying a white staff with the carving of a Raven at the top.
"Are you alright, little ones?" the woman asked, her angry face turning into one of concern.
Anne and Olivier, too shocked for words, nodded.
"Good to hear." The woman smiled. "Now, how about we get you two…"
"LILY?!"
OWLPHIBIA
. This wasn't how she'd wanted this to go; she'd meant to just observe today and swing by the house tomorrow; it seemed that earth children had two days without school (how scandalous!) and she figured Eda's night job at that haunted eatery would leave her too tired to argue.
But, as she realized now again, the Titan and higher powers work in mysterious ways.
"…Hello Edalyn." Lilith sheepishly, yes, sheepishly, managed to say.
Normally Eda would make some sarcastic remark to tease her sister, however, all the Owl Witch could think about was Olivier and Anne's safety.
"MAMA!" exclaimed Olivier, who ran over to Eda, Anne right behind him and racing to her own parents.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Oum asked. "We were getting worried."
"Why aren't you changed?" Bee asked, the spied the knocked out drunk and began to fill with rage. "Did he…?"
"No, no! Dad, we're okay!" Anne assured her parents. "I didn't change cause I wanted to make sure Ollie wasn't bullied and then that lady saved us."
"Mama..do you know this lady?" spoke Olivier, innocently
There was a very long, uncomfortable silence.
"I did..ONCE." said Eda, finally. "Let's get to the bus stop, Olivier. Anne, Oum, Bee. Thank you again…"
"SISTER, WAIT!"
Eda froze midstep, cursing under her breath.
'WHY?! WHY did she have to say that in front of Olivier?!'
"sister?" spoke Olivier, ever confused.
"wait..She's your sister?!" Anne gasped
With no other choice and seeing a crowd gathering, Eda sighed, put the children down and composed herself.
"Ollie?…this is your auntie. My big sister, Lilith Clawthorne."