"Tio Ernesto?"

Isabella instantly grimaced as she heard her voice bounce about the empty dining room. It sounded so raw and yet also so squeaky, like a mouse's cry. She had always prided herself on her voice, how she was able to all at once sound demur and soft yet also confident and strong. She'd practiced often when she'd hit puberty, wanting to make sure that it sounded just right, to the point that she wasn't even sure if she remembered what her real voice sounded like. Isabella couldn't help but wonder if her real voice was gone and she'd never find it again...

She shuts her eyes for just a moment, mentally telling herself to FOCUS.

Her tio was busy, she coud tell that, though she wasnt sure with what. He and the rest of the adults had been moving about like crazy ever since Isabella had finally come out of her room. It had been two days since she'd barricaded herself in, surviving on the fruits and vegetables she grew, but eventually she'd gained her courage and decided to head out into the world again... only to find things crazy and hectic and she honestly couldn't make sense of it all.

"I... I know you probably don't want to talk to me-" she begins only for Ernesto to spin around on his stool, Anton catching the book he dropped, and leapt to his feet before giving her a hug that lifted her off the ground.

"Sobrina!" he cried out happily. "Oh, I am so glad you are out of your room! You had everyone worried."

"I'm sorry," she said automatically before shaking her head as he set her down. "And... you are?"

"Of course I am! Casita let Bureau know you were okay but that didn't stop me from worrying." He looked her over, brow crinkled in a way that reminded her of her father. "Why would you think I wouldn't?"

Isabella forces herself not to fidget. Despite how she was feeling she would not be lapse in maintaining her manners and grace. "I thought... with Mirabel and I fighting... and you being so close to her-"

"I am close to Mirabel," Ernesto informed her. "How could I not be? We spent 10 years together, dealing with all sorts of chaos-"

"A lot of it caused by you!" Anton said cheekily.

"-there is simply no way one doesn't become close with another person when dealing with that." He reached out and lifted her chin so her eyes met his. "But that doesn't mean for a moment that I don't care about you."

"Oh." She knew she should say something else but honestly her mind blanked at that moment.

"So," Ernesto said, patting the stool next to his, "what is on your mind?"

"I… you know about the fight…?" she huffed. "Of course you do, everybody does. And… I know I was wrong. I know I made mistakes. Not… not just with Mirabel but with a lot of people. I want to make up for it all but… I don't… know how?" She grimaced, hating how weak she sounded. She was supposed to be strong. Confident. Always knowing what she should do, what came next. That was who she was! Who she was supposed to be…

…who everyone expected her to be.

But… Isabella had no idea how to be that person anymore.

"Talking to her would help," Anton said with a shrug. "Sorry, know you asked for this old man's help but that's my suggestion: talk with her."

"You make it sound so easy."

Anton blinked. "I did? I thought that sounded very hard. Talking is the hardest thing in the world. Fighting? Easy. You understand a fight. You are against someone or something else and you have to win. Black and white. There is a ton of gray when it comes to talking though."

"Understand," Isabella murmured. "Maybe that's my problem. I don't understand Mirabel. I don't get her at all."

"What do you mean?" Ernesto pressed.

"She's… she's Mirabel! Always getting in the way and asking a million questions! And yet she's someone completely else!"

"Maybe because who you are thinking of is a 5 year old?" Ernesto asked. "And Mirabel isn't?"

"…maybe?" Isabella said weakly. "I just… I'm trying to understand her because nothing she does makes sense to me! I mean… how is it that warriors and machine men and a prince care so much about… her?"

It went unsaid but even Isabella could hear the words "over me" hanging in the air and knew the others could too.

Ernesto sighed. "That is… hard to explain. You've missed out on ten years with her. She's far different than you remember."

"But I want to know about Mirabel!"

"oh… do you?" Ernesto said with a sudden smirk. "We should talk about Mira?"

Anton suddenly laughed, wrapping an arm around Isabella as he pulled her from the stool. "We should talk about Mira, ya ya ya. We should talk about Mira... so-" He spun her around as he sang and in her dizzy path it looked as if casita and the lands around it had suddenly turned into a large city where every building was painted a different color and all manner of banners were hanging from lines that stretched across the street. "-It was festival day."

"It was festival day," Ernesto chimed in.

"We were getting ready, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky."

"No clouds allowed in the sky," Ernesto agreed.

"Mira walks in with a mischievous grin-"

"Surprise!" Ernesto cried out, throwing his arms wide.

Anton glared at him. "You telling this story, or am I?"

Isabella's uncle grimaced. "I'm sorry, mi amigo, go on."

Satisfied Anton continued. "Mira says, "It looks like rain"."

Ernesto frowned at that. "What did she mean?"

"Said so dancing along the lane." And Isabella swore she could now see Mirabel happily dancing along the street, the town's children watching her.

"What could she have seen?" Ernesto wondered.

"Then candies fell as plentiful as grain." He pointed and Isabella saw brightly wrapped treats parachuting down, Mirabel grinning as the children raced to grab them, her metal animals tossing more down for the kids.

"Cherry, grape, and tangerine!"

"We should talk about Mira, ya ya ya," the two sang, "We should talk about Mira!"

Before Isabella could react she was suddenly spun again and now found herself standing with Dryft who began to dance, tapping his hooves against the hardwood floor of a sandstone castle they were suddenly in. "Hey! Grew up with plenty of siblings at home. Playing in the surf and the seaform. Then hurrying to the shore and lay in the sand. ch-ch-ch!"

Isabella found herself dancing along with the capricorn, her steps matching his as she lifted up her dress. As they did so she saw her sister, much younger, smiling as she reached up and grabbed another Dryft's hand, the capricorn clearly scared and nervous, and motioned for him to join her outside.

"When I left I was afraid to roam. But Mirabel made me feel at home. For her I would face threats from any land." He paused. "Do you understand?"

And then the ground turned to sand, giving out beneath her and Isabella cried out only to land in Ulika's arms. The orc cradled her close, Isabella panting from the fall, clinging to the female. Around them was darkness and as Isabella peered through it she cringed as she saw Mirabel step forward, glaring at her and wielding her hammer before she lashed out, shattering a shambling skeleton Isabella hadn't even noticed coming at them with outstretched arms.

"A five-foot frame, steel upon her back," Ulika said as Mirabel began to clear out the shambling dead. "We call out her name and she'll lead the attack. She can craft your dreams, or make our enemies scream." Ulika threw Isabella back up and she saw Dryft, Ernesto, and Anton watching as she rushed back up to the surface.

"We should talk about Mira, ya ya ya," the three sang, "We should talk about Mira!"

Isabella landed on the street of a different city, finding Bruno standing there, his hand offered to help her up.

"She swore to help star-crossed lovers. The next week: wed! (Yeah yeah!)"

He turned her towards Nocci who bowed to her. "Saw I was missing my home, so that's where we next tread! (Yeah yeah!)"

He spun away, revealing Gahoole who was lounging in a tree. "An old enemy challenge me, she fought in my stead! (Yeah yeah! Hey!)"

The three surrounded her, lifting her up as they sang as one. "We knew she'd be beside us no matter where our path led!"

Suddenly the music grew soft and Isabella looked up to see Saharah sitting on a large swing, playing her lute as she was lowered down to the ground. "When we met I was in a bad place, didn't want to live and was ready die. But Mirabel approached me and gave me love, assured me that it all would be fine!"

"Óye, that's just Mira's way!" Ulika proclaimed.

Dryft was lifted up into the air by a spout of water, signing, "She swore not mattered what we faced she would stand beside me, friends to the end. It's the same for me too."

"Hey Isa," Ulika said, coming up behind her, "there is still time to fix this."

"Same for her too," Dryft quietly sang. "Same for us all!"

Isabella whipped around, so confused by what was happening. "Um Mira. Yeah, is that really Mira? Is that my little sis Mira? Could that really be my Mira?"

"Isabella, have you been listening?" Ulika called out.

"Pay attention!" the entire party sang.

Isabella began to whip around as they all danced about her, leaving her feel dizzy, their words blending together until it was hard to tell who was singing.

"A five foot frame"/"It was the festival day! It was festival day!""Steel upon her back"

"We were getting ready""Call out her name""There wasn't a cloud in the sky"

"She'll lead the attack""No clouds allowed in the sky!""But Mirabel approached me"

"Made me feel at home""And gave me love""No matter where I roam!"

"How can I match up to Mira?" Isabella cried out. "How could I compete with Mira? How could I ever hate Mira?!"

And then in a blink Isabella realized she was back in the kitchen, the entire party looking at her.

"You okay?" Gahoole asked, looking up from the sandwich she'd been making. "You zoned out there for a few minutes. Ernesto thought you might be sick."

"I brought my bag," Dryft said, holding out a medical bag. "Do you need an enema? That sometimes helps."

"Stop offering that!" Anton hissed.

"Why, you prefer doing it yourself?" Saharah snarked.

Isabella looked at them all. "Uh… were we all just singing?"

"No," Fibanocci said. "I was telling you about Mirabel. Warforged aren't allowed to sing… not since our forefather B.B. Rodriguez became a convicted felon."