This one-shot came into my head this morning. Meet Aisa's daughter, everybody!
Miguel Rivera, age 38, returned home after a long day of work. Though he was the one that paid bills in the family, "putting food on the table" was a different story. That honor went to his wife. She had a very traditional way of doing things, namely when it came to her food. As Miguel sat on the balcony, alone at his house, he knew his wife was at "work" already. Though she wasn't the only one.
He heard somebody climbing the wall, and it wasn't long before a girl's head popped up from beneath. "Papá!" Isabelle beamed, both shocked and happy to find him up here.
"Welcome home, Isabelle." Miguel greeted with a smile. "I thought your mom was doing the hunting today?"
"Well, she was, but I was a bit hungry and wanted a snack. I saved the tail if you want it." She held up a severed squirrel's tail.
"You know we have crackers in the cabinet, right?" he asked awkwardly.
"Bleck. Well, might as well eat while it's fresh!" Isabelle stuffed the tail in her mouth and swallowed with one strong gulp.
Though Isabelle wore her father's tan skin and could speak with a Spanish tongue, she had the blood and heart of a Shandian. This was also evidenced by the flightless angel wings on her back. Her lush black hair was in a ponytail, hanging by her legs, and she wore a traditional light-brown Indian's dress. By 13 years old, she had never known footwear, even after traveling to and fro the forest several times, for her mother wished for her to be in touch with nature with each and every step.
Miguel sometimes accompanied them to the forest, where he would watch his daughter in action: she was as swift as an animal and could cross land or climb mountains and trees more naturally than any human. Whether outside or at the dinner table, Isabelle had no need for knives or forks, for her teeth could get the job done in a heartbeat. Their family never goes to restaurants, for her ill-mannered way of eating would earn nasty looks from the commonfolk.
But it was then Miguel noticed a trail of dry blood on Isabelle's sturdy leg, and a leaf glued to the wound via sap. "Isa, you're hurt!"
"Oh, yeah… bad tree branch." The girl flushed. "Squirrel got one last attack before I choked him."
"Ugh, I can't believe you ran all the way back here with that injury. Come inside, we need to treat it."
Miguel cleaned the blood off and rubbed medicine over the wound, Isa biting her tongue from the stinging pain. However, it went away after her father wrapped a bandage over it. "There. You really should've been with your mother if you were going hunting."
"Papá, I'm 13 now. I know how to hunt for myself."
"I just wish you knew how to hunt in a grocery store."
"Ew. Well, gracias, Papá. Call me when Mamá gets home." She pressed her feet to the floor and walked out of the bathroom, smiling as the pain in her leg was all gone.
Miguel watched as she entered her room, the door open just a crack. What followed was the tranquil rhythm of a harp. A stream of musical notes flowed out of the room: Music Chi was another gift she borrowed from her father.
Miguel peeked into her room, seeing Isabelle resting on her hammock, playing the instrument as she gazed at the ceiling. The forest wallpaper provided the illusion of being outdoors, as did the smooth wood floor. Yet, Isabelle's room wasn't completely abnormal. She had posters of her favorite Disney heroines, Pocahontas and Moana, stacks of music CDs with a stereo, and even a few dolls she wove herself. She was completely different at this point: outdoors, she was a hungry predator who choked animals with her bare hands, her feet equal to the speed of a squirrel, but in the safety and comfort of her home, she was as chill and relaxed as any teenage girl who got lost in her own hobbies.
There had been a question weighing on Miguel's mind, and knowing that his daughter was becoming a mature and capable woman, he felt now was the time to ask. He knocked and called, "Isabelle?" His daughter stopped playing, looking up as her father entered. "Isa, I wanted to ask you something. …Do you like this tribal stuff? The hunting and the tattoos and… y'know, the injuries?"
"What do you mean? Of course I like it. Why would I do it if I didn't like it?"
"It's just… when I was your age, my family forced me to hide my musicbending. It was all part of some stupid tradition to hate music. And I just thought… do you only do all this because your mom wants you to?"
"Papá, it doesn't matter if Mom wants me to or not." She sat up, sporting a grin that brimmed with confidence in her answer (and rotten with squirrel). "I'm a Shandian! This is what we do!"
"I know, but… I feel kind of bad. When you were born, Aisa was so happy to see your wings. As soon as she saw them, she was so excited to teach you about her culture, and how to hunt. I feel like… if we didn't influence you that way, you would've chosen your own path."
"But Mamá told me that, even if I didn't have my wings, I'm still a Shandian at heart."
"No, you're missing the point, Isa!"
"Hee hee hee! You've been watching too many movies, Papa! If people don't like the way they were raised, that's their problem!"
"Uh…" Miguel was at a loss as Isabelle hopped out of the hammock.
"As for me," she did a twirl, the ponytail whipping like a chopper, "I love who I am! I love feeling the soil, the trees, and I love my culture! Even when I get hurt or people tease me, everything I do just feels so natural. I couldn't picture it as any way else."
That had always been something Miguel admired about his wife. She was so proud of her origins and her traditions, whereas he was forced into a life he didn't enjoy. Still, after watching how Aisa raised their daughter, ensuring she would be completely adapted to Shandian lifestyle, he couldn't help but see himself. "…Do you really feel that way?"
"Of course I do, Papá. Is there something bad about being a Shandian?"
Her dark eyes glimmered with only confidence and truth in her answer, and her smile showed no sign of faltering or regret. His worries had been misplaced, it seems. "…Nothing at all." He smiled, ruffling her hair. "I've been watching too many movies."
"Oi, Miguel! Isa! Help me cut your dinner up!" a voice called from outside.
"Oop, sounds like Mama's home!" Isa jumped. "Don't worry, I'll keep this talk a secret~" She winked.
"You want extra allowance?"
"You know it. Now, let's go eat!" The Shandian eagerly raced downstairs, Miguel following. As soon as they stepped outside-
"UUUAAAAAH?!" The husband was not expecting to see the corpse of a giant bear. Isabelle's mouth was already drooling at the mass of meat.
"I thought my family deserved a feast today." Aisa proclaimed. "I hope you brought empty stomachs."
"Let me have taste test!" Isa jumped on the bear and tore off a chunk of flesh, which vanished down her throat.
"I was kind of in the mood for vegetable soup…" Miguel sighed.
I feel like Isabelle will be one of the leading candidates for "best girl" in the Third Gen. She would make a good protagonist in her own story! This was also kind of a nod to that whole Disney cliché where the protagonist is tired of their everyday life or traditions (including Miguel), so Isa serves to break that tradition. XD Later on, I'll whip up quick one-shots for other Third Gen Kids, to give people a better idea of their characteristics or relationships. And yes, Coco is canon to the Gameverse, just add musicbending.