Amity's footsteps creak lightly on the wooden floors as she walks down the hallway. The morning is still young, and shards of orange light from dawn are cascaded onto the walls and floor of the Noceda's home. In the kitchen, Amity can hear the sound of frying oil, and as she continues down the hallway, she catches a whiff of whatever is being cooked. She's still getting used to all these human terms, but after a week of eating Mrs. Noceda's cooking, she can at least recognize the scent of onions, and—she lifts her nose to catch another whiff—tomatoes, she realizes.

Turning the corner, Amity quickly notices Mrs. Noceda and Vee standing side-by-side in the kitchen. Vee is in her basilisk form, stirring something on the stovetop while Mrs. Noceda drops something into a pan of frying oil. Watching them hand ingredients to each other and chat quietly, Amity imagines they've grown used to cooking together by now in the months since Luz left for the demon realm. Briefly, Amity images Luz standing in the basilisk's place, helping her mother cook with the same smile on her face as Vee.

As quiet as Amity attempts to be, her foot lands on a particularly creaky floorboard, and Mrs. Noceda's head spins around.

"Ah, Amity, dear. You're awake early," she says. "Did the nighttime tea not make you sleepy enough?

Amity clutches a hand to her arm and awkwardly steps out into the kitchen.

"I fell asleep okay," she says. She keeps her tone quiet, seeing that Hunter, Willow, and Gus are still passed out in the living room. "I just have a hard time staying asleep," she admits.

How could she, Amity thinks, when Luz is tossing and turning all night above her in the bunk bed, leaving Amity to lay awake wondering if her brother and her sister, her father, and even her mother, are doing okay back in the Boiling Isles.

"Too bad, we were going to surprise you all with breakfast," Vee says.

Amity manages a weak smile in response. Breakfast isn't much of a surprise these days. The first few days that Luz's mother took them in, she was constantly in and out of sleep, trying to recover from the sheer exhaustion of escaping from the demon realm. Whenever Amity awoke, there was always a meal waiting for her, whether she was hungry or not.

"Thank you," Amity says. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asks.

"No, no. You've all been through enough," Mrs. Noceda assures her. "Vee, why don't you make Amity some hot cocoa?"

"On it," Vee says, navigating toward the cupboards to grab a mug.

As a kettle of hot water heats on the stove, Amity looks down at the kitchen table and traces her fingers into the wooden grooves. She remembers also sitting here the first morning at the Noceda's home. Her heart was pounding out of her chest as Luz explained to her mother that Amity was more than a friend. Once the initial shock wore off on Mrs. Noceda's face, Luz's mother had swept Amity up into a big hug, and Amity had sighed a big breath of relief. Since then, Mrs. Noceda had been nothing but kind and comforting toward her, making Amity grieve the relationship she had never had with her own mother.

Amity is almost too lost in her thoughts to notice Vee setting a warm cup of cocoa next to her on the table.

"Drink up," Vee says.

Amity thanks the basilisk and takes a sip. The chocolate beverage leaves her feeling warm and content. However, as she watches Mrs. Noceda and Vee cook, she wishes she could be more of help. Lately, she's felt nothing but useless.

"Is Luz awake?" Camila asks.

"I don't think so, Mrs. Noceda," Amity says. "And if she is, she probably wants to be alone."

"Please, call me Camila," Mrs. Noceda says to Amity.

Despite being in a house of six others, Amity hasn't felt this much solitude since before she met Luz. Hunter, Gus, and Willow have been distanced, barely talking to each other. Amity doesn't blame them. When they aren't catching up on sleep or sitting in silence, coping with their new reality, she only ever hears them whispering to each other, sharing their grief at leaving their families in the Boiling Isles behind.

Vee and Mrs. Noceda are kind, but despite all their hospitality, they cannot provide Amity the comfort she so desperately needs given their inability to understand all the pain they've been through.

And Luz...

Amity grips her mug tighter when she thinks of Luz. Though they've been sharing the same bedroom for the past week, their conversation has been almost entirely nonexistent. Luz barely speaks, wasting away in her bed. The only times Amity sees Luz out of her bedroom is when Mrs. Noceda insists Luz take a shower or eat a meal with the others. Watching Mrs. Noceda's persistence, Amity has already noticed the similarities between Luz and her mother. Both are equally stubborn.

Mrs. Noceda begins plating dishes and gingerly sets Amity's breakfast in front of her. Amity glances down at what appears to be fried tortillas covered generously in a red sauce.

"Eat up. I made chilaquiles. Have you tried them before?" Mrs. Noceda asks.

Amity shakes her head. Her mouth opens to relate to Mrs. Noceda that everything in the human realm is a new experience to her, but she quickly closes it, grateful instead for Mrs. Noceda agreeing to feed five extra mouths.

"It's Luz's favorite," Mrs. Noceda says.

"Thank you," Amity replies. Her appetite has been mild this past week, but as soon as the first forkful of food passes her lips, her appetite seems to return in full force, and she begins to eat vivaciously.

Camila sees her eating from afar and chuckles. "Is it that delicious?" she asks.

Amity nods her head eagerly, once again grateful for another home-cooked meal. As she swallows, she taps her fingers against the kitchen table nervously before gathering the courage to speak up.

"Um, Mrs. Noceda—er, Camila?" she asks.

"Everything okay, Amity?" Camila asks, seemingly already sensing Amity's anxiety.

"Is there anything that would cheer Luz up?" Amity wonders.

She knows Mrs. Noceda isn't ignorant of Luz's emotional state. In fact, Camila appears to be trying the hardest to break Luz out of her shell, from making her favorite dishes to even trying to coax Luz into the living room by suggesting they watch an episode of her favorite anime together. However, just as Luz has been indifferent to Amity's requests to speak to her, she's been giving her mother the same treatment.

Camila's face become sullen. "I'm not too sure. I've tried everything I can, but I don't know what she did for fun in the demon realm. Only you and her other friends know that. And I think—" Amity hears Camila's voice catch in her throat, "that you all know her better than I do right now. Sorry I can't be more helpful."

"No, no!" Amity exclaims. "You've been nothing but helpful. Thank you." She quickly finishes her breakfast and carries her empty plate to the sink, but Vee stops her from washing it, offering to do so herself. Behind her, Amity can hear the others beginning to stir. She hopes her conversation didn't wake them.

"Would you mind taking Luz's breakfast to her?" Camila asks, handing a plate to Amity.

Amity nods. "Of course. Thanks again for breakfast."

Leaving the kitchen, Amity carries Luz's breakfast back down the hallway until she reaches Luz's bedroom. She twists the doorknob slowly, quickly finding herself trapped in the darkness of Luz's room once more. She's fairly certain Luz hasn't pulled back the curtains once since they came to the human realm.

"Luz, batata," Amity calls. "Your mom made you breakfast."

She hears Luz twist in her bedsheets, but she receives no reply.

Amity sighs and sets Luz's breakfast on the desk near her bed. She carefully grabs ahold of the metal bars leading up to Luz's bed. "I'm coming up," she announces, beginning to ascend the ladder.

As Amity comes up to the top of Luz's bunkbed, she finds Luz lying in bed, her covers drawn tightly to her body. Though Luz feigns sleep, Amity knows better.

"Your mom made chilaquilas, you know," Amity says. "She says it's your favorite."

Luz makes a grunt in response. An acknowledgment, at least.

Amity crawls on all fours to the head of Luz's bed and takes a seat beside Luz's still form. Luz's head is turned from her, facing her closet doors instead. Tentatively, Amity reaches her fingers out and strokes Luz's soft, dark hair. Luz says nothing as she does so, but Amity is quick to notice the way her body relaxes more deeply into the mattress the longer Amity continues her ministrations.

"Your hair's grown out," Amity thinks out loud. When Luz says nothing in response, Amity sighs. "Luz, will you at least eat your breakfast? It's really good."

Luz breathes more deeply, and for a moment, Amity wonders if she really has gone back to sleep, but instead, Luz finally rolls over to face her. Her eyes are faintly red and puffy.

She's been crying again, Amity thinks.

"Luz," Amity says softly.

"Sweet potato," Luz murmurs, eyes filling with tears. She sits up slowly, letting the covers fall from her shoulders, and immediately, Amity buries her in a hug. As Luz stifles sobs against Amity's shoulder, Amity only squeezes her tighter, trying to ignore the way tears are stinging her own eyes. They sit like that for a while until Luz's body stops shaking and her tears begin to dissipate. Amity pulls them apart slowly and rests her hands on Luz's shoulder. Luz appears confused at first, but Amity watches the way Luz flusters when Amity leans forward to press her lips to Luz's cheek.

"I'm sorry," Luz says, sorrow evident in her tone, as Amity pulls apart from her.

"For what?" Amity asks. Luz sucks in a breath, but Amity quickly interrupts her, anticipating already what Luz will say. "No one expects you to be your fun, dorky-self right now, Luz. We're all struggling. I have no idea if my family is alive. I might never see them again. And I'm sure you're feeling the same about King and Eda. But," – she places her hand over Luz's and squeezes tightly – "Can you at least talk to me? I'm still your awesome girlfriend, in case you forgot."

The corners of Luz's mouth twitch at these words, letting Amity see the ghost of a smile.

"Okay, okay," Luz says.

"But, before we talk, you need to eat something," Amity says, briefly leaving Luz to retrieve her breakfast from the desk below.

Luz appears hesitant at first looking at her plate of food, but after she takes a first bite, Amity smiles in relief as Luz goes in for a second, third, fourth bite.

As Luz eats, they sit together, and after what feels like forever, they talk. The grief they've both held in for the past week flows easily out of their lips. They share their sorrow over leaving the Boiling Isles, their fear over what the Collector will do to their loved ones, and most of all, they voice their hopelessness in trying to find a way back to the demon realm without a portal. They keep their voices hush as they speak; their thoughts too heavy to proclaim loudly. Despite the pain it brings the both of them to admit their fears, Amity thinks of how good it is to hear Luz talking and conversing again. While there is sadness in Luz's voice that Amity hopes she'll never have to hear again, Amity decides she prefers a talking Luz to a silent one. When Luz's breakfast plate has been licked clean and they've both plowed through a box of tissues from their tears, they sit against Luz's wall at the head of her bed, fingers interlaced and legs just barely brushing against each other.

"We'll figure something out," Amity says. She brushes her thumb against the softness of Luz's hand. "I'm sure we will."

Luz sighs. "I just don't even know where to start. How do we even create a portal from the human realm? It's not like we have any titan's blood lying around."

Amity frowns. She wishes she had an answer.

"We're still getting back on our feet," Amity says, her eyes scanning the bandage on her arm and the cuts healing on Luz's face. "It might take some time."

Amity feels Luz let go of her hand. She watches Luz draw her knees to her chest and hug them to her body. Worried that Luz will sink back into her sorrow, Amity thinks of something.

"You know," Amity says, staring ahead. "You did promise to take me on a date in the human realm."

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Luz twist her head to look at her.

"I know we said it'd be something when this was all over, but...if we're going to be here for a little while, maybe we should try to enjoy ourselves," Amity says. "It won't be any good if we sit and mope around forever."

Luz lets out a laugh. Amity's heart leaps at the sound of her voice. It's been too long since she's heard Luz laugh.

"What?" Amity asks, her face suddenly burning in embarrassment. "Was that too stupid of a request? I'm sorry!" For the past week she's felt she's done her best in maintaining her cool composure. She thinks it's funny how quickly Luz can undo it in an instant.

"No, no," Luz says, still giggling. "I mean, I was supposed to be the cool one asking you out. But you beat me to it...again."

"Sorry, sorry," Amity says, though it's hard to hide the smile on her face. "I'll let you ask me, okay?"

Luz nods and turns to face her. "Amity Blight, do you want to go on a date with me tomorrow?"