A/N:
It's been a minute, hasn't it?!
Welcome back!
First of all, my friend Britt30 aka optimistic-violinist on tumblr made me the most AMAZING animatic of Bruno and Lucía dancing at La Feria de las Flores - aka That Scene from Chapter 25. * heart eyes * You can see it at www dot tumblr dot com /16magnolias/ 704901509361680384 ?source=share
Just remove the spaces and change dot to . (fanfic, you are annoying for not allowing links. that is all.)
(I am still crying over this btw I love it so so so much. THANK YOU BRITT. A thousand thanks and a virtual hug.)
A quick recap of Chapters 23-31, since it's been - *checks calendar and cries* - a looooong time since an update, here:
La Feria de Las Flores - the festival of the flowers - happened. Lucía realized she was in love with Bruno, an awkward confession happened, and they agreed to court, with Josefina's persimmons! :D Mysterious motorcycle man Alonso Jimenez crashed the last night of the festival (in more ways than one) to take Selena home due to a family emergency, and Bruno's vision of it prevented a disaster. Dolores worked her chisme magic in an effort to help her tio with the rumors surrounding his vision, the family celebrated Isabela's birthday, and then the Madrigals went to the Big City and learned a LOT about how times have changed and how San Cristobal sees them and their Miracle.
Without further ado, I present to you: The Thursday after the Sunday Bruno and Lucía started courting. Featuring a council meeting and a girls night! :D
CW: There are some suggestive innuendos/people teasing in this chapter but I don't think it's any more suggestive than what would be, in, say Shrek. Lol
Lucía couldn't help it, she was grinning as she headed to Casita before going to Raquel's house for girls' night.
Papá was happy to watch Josefina, but Josefina had wanted to go play with her cousins and have her own 'girls night' with Gabriela and Emilia, and Sofia was more than willing to oblige. Lucía dropped Josefina off after school and, since she was still early for Raquel's get together and Casita was right there, she stopped by to say hello to Bruno and see how the trip into town had gone yesterday.
(She told herself it wasn't because she craved his company and more of his kisses. She wasn't a teenager anymore, for goodness sake. She was a grown woman. A strong, resilient single mother who ran more and more of her father's business with every passing year and…whose heart skipped a beat whenever she thought of a certain man with dark green eyes, a self-conscious grin, and gentle hands.
In other words - it was definitely because she craved his company and more of his kisses.)
When she arrived, Pepa answered the door, a cloud over her head, and welcomed her in. Pepa's cloud disappeared when she saw Lucía and she immediately turned and yelled up the stairs. "Bruno!" She shouted. "Casita, open his door for me, por favor. Bruno! Your novia's here looking for some company and if you aren't down here in five minutes I'm keeping her all to myself!"
Lucía blinked as Pepa turned back to her, golden rays of sun heating their skin. Pepa gave her a conspiratorial grin. "He teased me for many, many long years. It's payback time."
They heard Bruno's door open above them and the shifting of Casita's tiles and Pepa tossed her braid over her shoulder. "I'll give you a few minutes to yourselves. Those are hard to come by in this house. Get on Castia's good side, though, and she'll help you enough. But," she added, her grin growing - "there won't be time to shower today, I'm afraid."
Lucía's eyes widened and she felt her face flush. "Ah - "
Pepa laughed and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "I'm teasing you, too." Her expression sobered after a moment, and the light around her dimmed into something less intense, but still warm and bright. "In all seriousness, though - thank you for what you did for Dolores yesterday. If you hadn't been there – well. I might've been eighty before I had a single grandchild."
Lucía laughed, and Pepa waved her away as she turned back to the kitchen and Lucía turned to the stairs. Bruno was half-stumbling, half-riding down them. Whether Casita was the instigator of his rapid descent or was trying to keep him from accidentally hurting himself was anyone's guess.
Casita deposited Bruno in front of her, a few feet away. Bruno frowned in irritation and adjusted his ruana around him, untwisting himself from it and brushing it out. "Ah," he said, once his eyes alighted on her. "Hi."
He stopped fidgeting and smiled, and his eyes crinkled in the corners.
She didn't think she'd ever get enough of that smile.
Apparently, that wasn't enough of a greeting for Casita, because the house promptly shifted him two tiles forward so that he was directly before her, less than an arms length away.
"Hi," Lucía said softly, smiling right back.
Casita nudged her forward as well and she laughed. "Okay, okay – we get the idea." She leaned forward and gave Bruno a light peck on the lips. "Better?"
Casita clacked and Lucía looked to Bruno. "Is that a 'yes, that'll do' or a 'heck no, more tongue?'"
Bruno choked, as though trying to get both the laughter and the words out at the same time.
He shook his head and took her hands in his, stepping just a little closer. "The – the second, I think," he said. He set her hands on his chest, over his heart, and settled his own on her hips, and Lucía leaned forward –
"Time's up!" Pepa crowed from the kitchen. "Get in here, we've got coffee and fresh pandebono, courtesy of Mamá. She left with Mirabel as soon as she got home from school; they're preparing for the council meeting tonight. Julieta just got home as well and we've got a lot to tell you, Lucía."
A small cloud popped into existence over her head as Pepa moved to the doorway. "A lot to tell you," she repeated softly.
Bruno sighed.
Lucía pressed her forehead to his and laughed softly before pulling away. "Come on, Bruno. I want to hear what happened yesterday in San Cristobál."
Lucía sat at a table with the triplets, Félix, and Agustín, and her coffee cooled, untouched, as they related the events of the day before.
She nodded as they explained about the magical barrier that still existed at the river, relieved but also confused as to how it could offer protection when the rough road to the Encanto was growing clearer by the day.
Agustín shrugged. "It's magic," he said, his brows knitted together and a pensive smile on his face. "I don't think we've ever really…understood how it works. It just does."
"It's just…there." Pepa nodded in agreement. She blew on her coffee and hid a teasing smile with her mug. "And it let you in, Agustín, so who knows what its criteria are?"
" 'Grace and poise' probably aren't very high on the list," mumbled Bruno with a snicker.
They were sitting next to each other, Lucía on Bruno's one side and Pepa on the other, and Pepa gave him a subtle high-five below the table.
"Pepa!" Julieta reached over and pushed her arm and Pepa's coffee sloshed out of the cup and onto the table. "Bruno! Ay, what's gotten into you two today? You'd think you'd never met the business end of Mamá's stare down, the way you two behave."
Julieta looked at Lucía across the table and shook her head, trying not to smile. "This one," she nodded at Pepa, "won't stop teasing her brother about his love life and this one," she nodded to Bruno and rolled her eyes, "won't stop hiding and making his eyes glow green to scare her. And they both won't stop picking on my poor Agustín!"
Pepa snorted and rolled her eyes. "Ay, Juli, he knows we love him. Maybe grace and poise aren't high on the list, but a big heart most certainly is." She smiled warmly at her brother-in-law.
"And - I turned around this morning and he'd wedged himself in between the bookshelves in the living room! Bruno, not Agustín," Pepa clarified at Lucía's confused look. "I'd been in there for hours! How long was he watching me read and fold laundry, just so he could stare at me from the shadows and laugh like el Coco the moment I noticed him?"
Beside her, Bruno ducked his head. "It wasn't hours," he protested, embarrassed. "More like thirty minutes. You were so busy muttering under your breath about how Camilo better come right home after school that you didn't even notice me slip in there. Serves you right for the way you -" he seemed to notice Lucía beside him again and clamped his mouth shut.
Agustín just laughed and went to hand Pepa a napkin to mop up the spill, inadvertently spilling his much fuller cup across the table at the same time. Pepa shrieked and pushed back from the table, letting out a startled burst of thunder. "Evidence!" She gestured to the spill, giving Julieta a triumphant look. "Evidence, Señora!"
Agustín just shrugged and laughed along, and Lucía helped mop up the spill and piled the napkins in the center of the table to be washed later.
She stared between them all, slightly uncertain, very amused, and a little overwhelmed. She'd never seen them all act this way before – so outright silly. She wasn't expecting it but whatever had happened in town must have put them in a good mood. Or else – it had been so bad they needed to lighten the mood with some very spirited humor to compensate. She felt a little out of her element, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't entertained.
Félix leaned back around Pepa and caught her eye. He grinned at her. "Welcome to the family, Lucía. You get used to it. The things we get up to when the kids aren't around and we have a few moments to ourselves!" He waggled his eyebrows and Lucía giggled.
"Gross! I heard that!" Camilo shouted as he walked by the kitchen.
"Grounded!" Pepa and Félix said in tandem.
"Bathroom break!" He shouted back.
"What did you do?" Lucía asked curiously, looking at Pepa. "What was that – 'serves you right for the way you - ' what was that?"
"What did I do?" Pepa covered her heart with her hand and sniffed in mock outrage. "Of course you'd take his side."
Bruno flipped up the hood of his ruana and groaned into his hands, elbows on the table. "Nothing! Forget I said anything!"
Lucía attempted not to smile. "Oh, but I have to know, now!"
Pepa laughed, and the light around her grew hot and dry. "Oh," she said with a wave of her hand. "It was very tame in comparison to what he used to say to me when Félix and I first started courting."
"What did - "
"He used to mumble very crude weather-related innuendos about dry spells and that the wind wasn't the only thing - ah - blowing - "
Lucía gasped and burst out laughing, completely scandalized. "Bruno!"
"They were all over each other and the amount of times I covered for her when she came in late or when Félix snuck out is frankly embarrassing - " Bruno lifted his face from his hands and wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"But that was nothing compared to Julieta and Agustín!" Pepa interjected.
Lucía turned to them, eyes wide with disbelief. "No!"
Agustín turned bright red but Julieta smiled smugly. "Pepa and Félix," she said primly, "were amateurs. We never needed Bruno to make any excuses for us."
Pepa gasped in offense. "Amateurs?! You take that back!"
"Ay, Juli," Félix laughed. "We're in trouble if you join in. Who'll lay down the law then, ey?"
"Oh, that'll be Lucía's job. She can take over for a while." Julieta smiled at her from across the table.
Lucía shook her head and smiled back. "I wouldn't count on it. I can barely keep up as it is."
"Besides," Pepa said affectionately. "Look at her. She's not the kind of person who lays into anyone."
"A gentle soul," Julieta agreed. "They make a good pair."
"Eh, they'll learn into lay into each other," Félix laughed. "If you know what I mean." He winked at them across the table.
Lucía choked on her coffee and Bruno stared at him, completely mortified, before narrowing his eyes at him.
"Too soon?" Félix said innocently as his wife thundered at him.
"Too soon and too much! They haven't even been courting a week! Don't scare her away!"
"My apologies, Lucía."
Lucía patted her chest as she finished coughing and wiped her mouth. It took a moment before she could speak again. "It's - " she cleared her throat. "It's fine. Just – took me off guard." She laughed.
"I am sorry for making you uncomfortable. It must just be that I already consider you one of us." Félix turned and grabbed his wife's hand and kissed it with a smile. "I'll leave the teasing to you, then, mi vida."
"Again, gross!" Camilo yelled as he walked back by the kitchen.
"Again, grounded!" Pepa and Félix yelled after him.
"Going back to my room, thanks for the reminder! I almost forgot!"
"Sorry," Bruno muttered to Lucía, his face back in his hands on the kitchen table and his hood still over his head. "About them." He turned his head slightly to peek at her and gauge her reaction.
Lucía tugged on his ruana, pulling him back upright. She linked her arm through his and threaded their fingers together and squeezed his hand to reassure him. "It's okay," she said, smiling. "I like your family."
Bruno snorted, a small, grateful smile on his face. "I don't know why."
Pepa smacked his shoulder playfully. "You love us too, tonto. (1) And we like her. And it's a good thing she likes us because we're a package deal. You get one Madrigal, you get us all. But enough teasing. She can say she came for you or for information all she wants, but I know she came for chisme, and chisme she is going to get. Julieta, tell her about Selena."
Julieta told her.
"What?!" Lucía exclaimed. She sat back from the table and clenched her hands into fists. It wasn't – it wasn't fair. That girl had worked harder in one weekend than Tatiana probably did in an entire month, and Tatiana had the gall to underpay her.
They all reassured her Mamá – Alma – was going to bring it up at the council meeting that evening.
"Unfortunately it seems that Selena agreed to the pricing beforehand, so there's not much they can do besides shame her," Julieta said evenly, her own mouth mirroring Lucía's, lips pursed in anger.
"Well," muttered Lucía, "For Señora Valencia, shame and humiliation might be worse than being forced to pay the difference."
They all hummed in agreement.
"But – Selenawill be paid, right?" Lucía asked.
Julieta nodded firmly. "We will make sure of it."
They told her about Selena and her brothers, especially Daniel, and how Julieta immediately loved him – "It was hard not too, Lucía. He was a sweetheart."
And they told Lucía about everything afterward – about how Camilo and Mirabel and Pepa and Félix got involved, about Señor González and how the history of San Cristobál was woven with the history of the Encanto, and about the modern technology they'd witnessed.
She laughed at Camilo and Mirabel's escapades and shook her head in sympathy as Pepa ranted, a cloud growing over her head, interspersed with thunder, wind, and a little snow. When Julieta quietly repeated the story of the night the miracle was born from the perspective of the opposite side of the river, Lucía tightened her grip on Bruno's hand. He squeezed it in return, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.
When they got to the point where Senor González explained the legend of the Miracle and the magical beings associated with it, she leaned forward and slammed her hands on the table, her mouth dropping open in shock.
"No!" She said.
"Yes!" Pepa insisted, her mouth turned up in a wry, nervous grin. Her hands stroked her braid out of habit.
Lucía covered her mouth with her hands and stared at them all with wide eyes. "You're – you're living legends. You're - "
"La Bruja del Clima, apparently," Pepa said, tossing her braid over her shoulder. (2) Her cloud let out a little grumble of thunder in irritation.
"Well, I'm una hada de la camida – one taste of my food and I'll curse you to a life in the Encanto forever," Julieta said, attempting to console her. (3)
"That's…new." Lucía said with wide eyes.
"Well," Julieta shrugged, looking down at her own cup of coffee. "I admit people wanting to eat less of my cooking is certainly different – but it's not something I'm going to complain about."
They were all acting like it wasn't a big concern, and Lucía smiled, uncertain. She looked to Bruno. His hands were back in his lap, twisted in his ruana, and his shoulders were tense.
The topic of conversation moved on to the modern conveniences they'd seen in the city, and everyone seemed to grow more animated at that. Pepa and Julieta carried the conversation, and Félix added his own splash of humor and insight to it. Agustín seemed content to nod along and raise his eyebrows pointedly when he agreed with anyone's assessments. They'd shared the events of the day with the entire family when they'd all returned home last night, and they were still processing the large amount of events that had happened and the very interesting things they had learned about the outside world – and its perception of their town and family - in the span of a day.
While Lucía thoroughly enjoyed the telling of the story and the feeling of being included in the triplets' meeting with their spouses, she also felt that she was missing…something. They were all relatively relaxed and they laughed and sighed and were somber in all the right places, but there was an underlying tension in the room as well.
Soon, Agustín got up to help Félix prepare dinner and the rest of the family began descending on the kitchen and courtyard. Bruno walked with Lucía to the front door of Casita.
"Bruno," Lucía said softly. "Bruno – is everything all right?"
Bruno sighed and lifted his hand. She thought he might be reaching to touch her face, but – he balled his hand into a fist and rapped his knuckles in quick succession on the doorframe behind her, the final knock going to his head.
She blinked. Okay, now she was definitely a little concerned.
"Everything's – everything's fine. It all went well, yesterday. Pepa wasn't mad about the – the delivery thing, with Dolores. My visions came true but they all – they went fine, despite half my family blatantly disregarding them and doing their own thing instead of listening to me. Everyone was okay. And the town seems – nice. Enough. I just don't – I don't like the idea that they – see us as – something to be afraid of." He whispered.
"Oh. You think – there might be a problem?" Lucía asked carefully.
Bruno shook his head. "I don't – I don't think so. I looked, last night – when I – heard. About Señor González wanting us to keep our gifts a secret."
Lucía held her breath. Knowing the Madrigals, she didn't think that would be an easy task. It wasn't that they flaunted their gifts, but their gifts were such a part of their everyday lives she didn't think any one of them would think twice about using them if the situation called for it. It would be like someone suddenly telling her she wasn't allowed to use her left arm – she'd try, but the second someone tossed her a ball, both hands would go up to catch it and that would be that.
Bruno swallowed and looked up at her. "I didn't see anything. Nothing – nothing all that bad. No – no pitchforks or torches or anything like that. And according to the family there's still magic protecting the road into the Encanto, at the river. But I just – I know – how it feels to be…feared. And I don't – I don't want that. For any of them."
She reached out and took his hand. "Bruno, you didn't see anything bad, right?"
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean that - "
"Then why are you worrying about something good? You didn't see anything bad happening to your family. That's good, isn't it?"
"Because I can't see everything and good things can change, Lucía." His shoulders slumped and he pulled away, rubbing his arm. "For the worse."
"That's true," Lucía said. "But - so can bad. Just look at how Mirabel turned your family around, eh? Look at how you all turned – all of it around. Casita falling, and living with me, and getting your gifts back – you've all worked so hard through all of that, and look where you are now. Bad – ah – family situation to good."
When his lips stayed pressed into a thin line, obviously still contemplating all the myriad ways that this could go horribly wrong, she felt her heart sink. She shook her head to fight it off. "You know, what's the absolute worst thing you're imagining right now? What's the worst thing you are worried might happen to your family? And not the pitchforks and torches, because you've just confirmed that won't happen."
He blew out a slow breath and rocked back on his heels, ticking things off of his fingers as he spoke. "Rejection. Betrayal. Mockery. Mistrust. Rumors. Contempt. A total loss of sense of self and confidence. A good punch to the nose or gut. Maybe they won't face pitchforks, torches, and death…but I never want them to get to the point where they wish they had."
Lucia was quiet for a moment, contemplating. That made her heart ache.
"Well," she said softly. "We can't prevent every hard thing."
Bruno shook his head, glum.
"And I think – we're not meant to. We'll just - we'll have to make sure their roots are so deep down in the love and acceptance of this family that even if they're cut off at the trunk because of – of rejection or rumors or – anything else – even if they're cut off in that way, they'll grow new shoots from the roots. Like - like a yucca! Or – or spring onions."
Bruno snorted.
"I'm serious!" Lucía smiled, and then sobered. "Even here, in the Encanto, life delights in mixing heartache and pain right in with the joy and the love. Even if the mountains hadn't opened up – there'd still be sorrow, here. You and I – we both know that very well, mmm?"
"Mmmm." He hummed in quiet agreement, biting his lip and rubbing the nail of his thumb slowly over the top of his clasped hands, pressing into the skin. "You're not going to tell me I'm stupid and to stop worrying?"
"Did someone say that to you?" She asked, putting her hands over his.
He looked up at her tone. "No," he said. "Not – not this time. Not in a long time. No."
"Well," she said. "First of all – loving your family and caring about their future is not stupid. Second – I would like to tell you to stop worrying: Stop worrying."
He snorted.
"But I also think that just telling you to stop isn't going to help. So – talk to me about it. Talk to your sisters or – someone about it. Me. My father. Anyone you trust. Okay? We can't prevent every hard thing, but we can try to prevent any of your sobrinos from ever feeling so - so alone. I'll help you love and support your family however we can, okay? I'll love and support you however I can."
He sighed and looked up at her. "Gracias, Lucía. And - maybe I'll take you up on that, uh, talking thing. Later. But ah – don't you have some dinner to get to? I don't want to keep you from your – from your friends."
She smiled at him. "You're right."
And she stood there smiling at him.
"Go!" He said, making little shoo-ing motions with his fingers. "Go! Visit! Talk!"
"Mmmhmmm. Shall I tell them all about my handsome, kind, brave, selfless suitor?"
"Oh, he sounds great. Have I met him?" Bruno gave her a crooked grin.
She wrinkled her nose at him. "You know very well it's you, you insufferable man!"
"Oh, so you're going to add 'insufferable' to the list now?"
"Mmm, maybe."
"Well, then you'd better also add 'weird' and - "
"Stop that!" She frowned at him.
"Lucía, I see the future, carry loose salt and sugar in my pockets, and use my pet rats to tell telenovelas. You might as well face it. I'm – I'm weird."
He sounded tired, but least he was smiling.
"All right," she sighed in defeat, matching his smile. "You're weird. But you're my kind of weird and I happen to like you the way you are, future-seeing hombre de rata and all."
"I like you too."
"I'd very much like to kiss you again." She fiddled with the collar of his shirt peeking out from his ruana.
"Senseless?" Bruno perked up a little. He looked almost hopeful.
Lucía giggled. "…maybe."
He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. "I'm okay with that."
True to Pepa's word, Casita shifted a few plants around them and a confused Antonio away from the foyer until they were done saying good-bye.
Lucía knocked on the door and when Raquel's monotone 'come in' sounded from behind it, she floated right in.
Raquel looked up, took one look at her, and – once she was done swallowing the bite of filling she'd been testing for her empanadas, turned to Ana and said – "Pay up."
"What?" Ana looked at Lucía. "Oh, come on. You can't tell just by her expression."
"Yes I can. That is the look of a woman who's been kissed – very well and very recently."
Lucía's eyes widened.
Ana sighed. "Are you and Bruno are courting now?"
"How - how did you - "
Ana sighed again, wiped the flour from her hands on the towel nearby, reached into her pocket, and put a single, carefully wrapped bocadillo into Raquel's waiting, open palm. Raquel smirked and set it carefully to the side, saving it for later. Ana's family ran the lone confectionary shop in the Encanto – they made the candies in Osvaldo's gift baskets, among other things, and their bocadillos de guayaba – made of guava paste and panela – were Raquel's favorite.
"You bet on me?!"
"…and Bruno." Raquel pointed out.
"Lucía. Cariño. See these?" Ana waved her fingers before her eyes. "These are a little thing we call eyes. And anyone with eyes at the festival could see you two were smitten."
Raquel frowned as she pressed her fork tines around the edges of the stuffed and folded empanada. "When Ana pointed you out, sitting together by that wall sharing food, it was so sweet I thought I might barf."
"Raquel!" Lucía laughed, washed her hands, and sat down to join them. Lucía took a piece of dough and began rolling it out before handing it to Ana, falling right back into the routine of making dinner with her two best friends.
Raquel made a little noise that sounded like a sneeze but Lucía recognized as the snort she made when she was trying not to laugh. "No, I'm serious. I saw you dancing - "
Lucía gave her an incredulous look. "You were watching us dance? We weren't even on the main floor! We were -"
"You're with a Madrigal," Ana said, raising an eyebrow at her as she went back to filling and folding the empanadas Lucía rolled out. "They sort of stick out. It would be harder not to notice the two of you dancing."
Lucía inclined her head, pursed her lips, and shrugged. It was a fair point.
"Anyway." Raquel continued in her typical bored monotone. "I saw you dancing and even I was internally screaming 'just kiss already' -"
Ana and Lucía both raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Internally," She repeated at their looks. "If there was anymore romantic tension between the two of you one of you would have exploded." She raised her eyebrow and her eyes flicked between the empanadas she was finishing and Lucía's face.
Lucía groaned. "I know that now. I'm an idiot."
"…and then you left." Ana said evenly.
Lucia tensed up and stopped rolling the dough. "You…saw that too?"
Ana nodded. "We saw it all. That moment you looked all dreamy-eyed like you might be willing to eat his face off and the moment that look turned to outright heartbreak, cariño. We saw you walk away and get Josefina and high-tail it out of there."
"Bruno left too." Raquel added. "He was not okay."
Lucia sighed. "I know. We've talked about that. I apologized."
"So," Ana said, leaning forward. They'd just finished up the very last of the empanadas. Raquel heated oil and began frying them. "Spill. How'd you go from heartbreaker to heart-eyes and hickeys in less than a week?"
Lucia leaned back in mock horror and her hand went self-consciously to her neck. There was no way –
Ana giggled. "I was teasing. You don't actually have - "
"Or does she?" Raquel said, raising her eyebrows slightly.
"I do not!" Lucía protested.
"Focus, chicas! Focus!" Ana laughed. "Tell all, amiga. You know I love a good slow burn but you were so deep in denial the last time we saw you I thought you'd be burnt to a crisp by the time you realized your feelings and confessed them."
"Obviously she was wrong." Raquel said over her shoulder. "And I was right."
"You only saw us twice!" Lucía said, her face burning - but she was laughing as well. It had been too long. They all had so much to catch up on.
"Twice was enough." Ana said. "Trust me. Now – talk."
"Thank you, Señora Madrigal. The fact that the magic is still protecting the town at the river – though we are still uncertain just what that entails - will be taken under advisement when considering further road improvements and bridge building. Señora Villanueva?" Señor Ruiz made a note on the paper before him and deferred to the council's secretary for the next item on the evening's itinerary.
Mirabel sat beside Abuela at the table in the town hall and rolled her shoulders back, subtly adjusting her posture and trying not to fidget. There was an unusually large amount of people present at the council meeting tonight, and she felt as though their eyes were mainly focused on her and her abuela. They'd already moved through the opening remarks, the review of last meeting's minutes, the agenda for the evening, and the first point on said agenda – further construction on the road out of town.
Abuela had explained – briefly – that they had traveled to San Cristobál to return items to Selena de Leon and that they'd discovered the existence of the magical barrier on their way. Mirabel had to admit she was impressed with the way the council members made note of her explanation and quickly moved on, as the murmurs of the villagers present grew. They weren't going to let a few indiscrete whispers disrupt the focus of the meeting.
"Next on the agenda for this evening – the approval of the general contract for Bruno Madrigal regarding vision requests." Señora Villanueva announced.
"Qué pena, Señors y Señoras, but what, exactly, does this contract entail?" One member of the audience raised his hand and shouted out.
Mirabel squinted in the direction of the question-asker and blinked. It was Señor Luis Rojas, one of Lorenzo's relatives – he owned the smithy and his son was a farrier.
"We were getting to that, Señor Rojas," a younger member of the council stated matter-of-factly. Señor Muñoz was the second son of a prominent vineyard owner in the valley, and at twenty-five, the youngest official member of the council.
Mirabel was unofficially still…'in training'. And she hoped she would be for quite a few more years.
Carlos Muñoz nodded to Abuela. "Please, continue."
Abuela sighed and stood and looked expectantly to Mirabel.
"Oh! Right! The contract. Um – here," Mirabel fumbled with the stack of papers in front of her, and then stood to pass out a copy of the contract to everyone on the council – eight members, plus her and Abuela. Señor Hernandez had printed them up for the family shortly after Bruno began doing visions again.
"Read it out loud, por favor!" Another person in the crowd called out. There were a few shouts of agreement as several people in the audience stirred.
Mirabel blinked out at the crowd and frowned. They were restless and this was…very different from the way things usually went. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry and her hands suddenly felt very sweaty.
"Uh - "
"Gracias, Mirabel," Abuela said, inclining her head toward her. Mirabel swallowed. Abuela had that mask on – the one of complete unflappability, complete stoicism. She was a rock and Mirabel wanted to be reassured by it and yet - it made her even more nervous.
What was Abuela hardening herself for?
"You may have a seat, Mirabel. I shall read the contract for the village, mija," she said, and Mirabel looked into her eyes.
They crinkled just a bit at the corners, and her tone was the same she used when they sat together in her room at Casita, sewing. Mirabel felt reassured, and she sat. She discreetly wiped her palms on her skirt.
Abuela turned to address the rest of those present at the meeting – council members and audience – and she was no longer Abuela. She was Señora Alma Madrigal, Miracle Holder, Council Member, Town Leader, and Founding Member of the Encanto.
She snapped the contract in her hands and raised her voice. "The contract," she announced. "For seeking a vision from Bruno Madrigal: Provision One: Anyone seeking a vision must witness the vision with Bruno…"
"And it turns out that it was one ofBruno's rats and I was absolutely mortified," Lucía said, her cheeks still warm as she related the memory of finding a rat in her kitchen the first morning after the Madrigals stayed with her. She'd started at the very beginning – finding Bruno outside her sister's stables and loaning him Itziar – and she'd taken Ana's instructions to 'tell all' seriously. She'd had to stop to refill her glass twice so that her voice wouldn't get hoarse.
"Her name is Lareina. She's a total diva - " she started giggling at Raquel's sputtering as her friend attempted to avoid a round of her little sneeze-snort laughter. "Stop that, Raquel!" Lucía started laughing harder. "I'm being serious!"
"Of course, Lucía, how dare I find humor in a rat diva." Raquel cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. Go on."
There was silence for a moment as the three friends pressed their lips into thin lines, eyes wide, attempting to swallow their giggles so Lucía could finish her story.
"Rat diva," whispered Ana with wide eyes.
Raquel lost the battle and snorted, and all three of them dissolved into laughter.
Mirabel bit her lip and straightened the few papers in front of her as Abuela finished answering all the questions related to the contract for Tío Bruno's visions. She'd read the contract in its entirety and then opened the floor for questions.
There had been a lot.
People wanted to know if Bruno would be added to the Madrigal family's schedule (no, his vision schedule would be left to his discretion), if he would accept anyone (again, that would be left to his discretion), if they'd have to walk up seven stories of stairs to have one (no, just one set of stairs), and if he still handed out vision tablets at the end (tentatively - yes).
The revelation in the contract that there could possibly be two outcomes for a vision – but that nothing was guaranteed – led to a whole other set of questions about how his gift had changed (marginally), what the butterflies meant (there was the possibility of a second outcome), and whether that meant he could control the future (solid no).
Señor Rojas – the blacksmith - raised his hand again, his jaw working as he struggled to put into words his doubts and frustrations. "But…if he sees two outcomes…does that not mean he affects the future? Even if he did not…before, he has the power now to affect the future, yes?"
Murmurs spread around the room and Mirabel felt a little trickle of sweat trail down her back. She clenched her hands into fists and bit her cheek in an effort not to start lecturing everyone on her tío, his powers, his past, and personality. This was not –
She looked up at Abuela.
Abuela stared at Señor Rojas. She held the contract in her hand at arm's length once again, peering at it, and began to reread the provisions in it, loud and clear. "Provision Two: The vision seeker is responsible for paying attention to the vision and looking for golden butterflies to indicate a possible second outcome. Provision - "
"But - "
"Provision Five: If the vision has two outcomes – a reminder here that none are guaranteed – the vision seeker bears sole responsibility for making the choices that lead them to their desired outcome. Bruno Madrigal will not be held accountable for the choices anyone makes of their own free will."
"Señora - "
"It seems to me," Abuela continued, fixing an impersonal, severe stare at the man, "that it is very clear that rather than Bruno affecting the future, his gift enables the vision seeker to affect his or her own future. You are in control of your own future, Señor."
He held her stare, his brows drawn together.
"And," she repeated, her voice as deceptively smooth as the flat of a knife, "because it is apparent to me that some members of the audience were not listening, I will reread two other provisions as well in an effort to make things as clear as possible."
She moved her gaze out to scan the crowd present at the meeting. "Provision Four: If the vision and its outcome(s) are not to the vision seekers liking, they will not hold Bruno Madrigal accountable for the things they see. He is the messenger, not the manager. Provision Six: Any vision seeker caught slandering Bruno Madrigal for a vision they do not like will permanently lose the privilege of seeking any visions of the future. Depending on the severity of the slander, they may also loose the services of other members of la Familia Madrigal for a set period of time as well."
"So if he curses us to a miserable future we're not even allowed to say anything about it or we'll be cut off?!" A woman burst out from the audience, sounding nearly hysterical.
At that moment, Mirabel locked eyes with Tatiana Valencia, seated in the middle of the room, in the center of the crowd. The woman had a very small, very smug smile on her face.
Mirabel felt her face flame with anger and her vision blur with tears.
"Tío Bruno never cursed anyone!" Mirabel cried, exploding up from her seat, her palms pressed to the table in front of her. Tío wasn't even here to defend himself – though she wasn't sure he'd even try, even if he was here. She was shaking. Why was she shaking?
She felt a reassuring weight on her shoulder and looked up to see the kind eyes of her Abuela once again. She leaned forward and whispered into Mirabel's ear. "Are you all right, mija? I can handle this, but - do you need a recess?"
Mirabel took a deep breath through her nose and grit her teeth. She swallowed and shook her head. "No, Abuela. I don't – I can handle this, too."
"Mirabel," Abuela said, her voice remaining soft and hesitant, "it's okay if - "
"Congratulations, Señora Velasquez, you have earned yourself a spot on the list of people who are barred from seeking a vision. Thank you for making our job that much easier," Señora Villanueva said, pursing her lips and making a note on the paper before her.
"What?!" Señora Velasquez shouted, her voice shriller by the minute. "I - "
Señora Ruiz twisted in her seat in the front row, annoyance plain on her face. "Pipe down, Estefania. It's not like you wanted one, anyway. No one's forcing anyone to get a vision. If you're going to behave like a child crying about el Coco then stay out of his hair and out of his life. You're afraid of the trouble the future could bring? Don't go seeking it out, then. Live your life in ignorance and be content."
Abuela sat down beside Mirabel, hiding her shock and amusement with a well-timed cough.
"But – we can't even – say anything about a bad vision - "
"The definition of slander, Estefania, is making false and damaging claims about someone. You don't like a vision, you can cry and be sad about it. You can complain to your esposo and your best friend. You can wail and sit around in sackcloth and ashes and mourn your fate, if you so desire. You just can't tell the world that it's Bruno Madrigal's fault. Because – in case you've got bananas in your ears – your future is not his fault. No one's is. You have a problem with your life, take it up with God. He'll probably tell you to take a look in the mirror before you go pointing a finger at his prophet."
Señora Velasquez shut her mouth with a small squeak.
Abuela leaned toward Mirabel, reaching for a glass of water, and murmured "Oh, I like her," under her breath.
Mirabel snorted.
Señor Ruiz sighed and massaged his temples for a moment. "Simone, would you care to share your experience seeking a vision from Señor Madrigal with the council and those present?"
She harrumphed, adjusting her cardigan as she stood. "I would care, and I will share, and the lot of you better listen up. Simone Ruiz, addressing the council and the rest of the busybodies looking for chisme here tonight."
Mirabel focused on calming her racing heart with deep, measured breaths as she listened to Señora Ruiz lecture those present at the meeting about her experience with Bruno Madrigal and his visions. When she was finished with her own experience, brandishing her vision tablet as evidence, she went on to list the people she knew for a fact got visions and benefitted from them – Señor García, at the school, and Félix's primos Juan Carlos and Andrea and little Marisol, and Lucía Moreno.
"…perhaps we should let them speak for themselves," another man in the audience spoke, hesitantly, when she was done.
"I can vouch for my own vision," Señor García stood and spoke. "Paulo García, addressing the council." He gave his own testimony supporting Bruno and the vision process and sat down again.
"Juan Carlos and Andrea are mis primos as well," Señora Álvarez stood from her seat on the council. She was in her mid-thirties and was also a cousin of Félix. "So I can attest to their experience seeking a vision."
"Why don't they 'attest' themselves?" Someone called out.
"They left and took Marisol with them - "
"So the vision was so bad they left the Encanto?!"
"Enough!" Barked Señor Ruiz, and the buzzing of the crowd died down. "Enough interruptions. We are civilized people and will continue this meeting in a civilized fashion. If you cannot keep silent when someone has the floor, please see yourself out now and save us the trouble of having you escorted out." Silence reigned as he glared at the audience. "Please, Señora Álvarez, continue."
"I would like to emphasize the fact that before Juan Carlos and Andrea ever sought out Señor Madrigal, they knew Marisol would die here. It was not a question of if, but when. When Señora Ruiz returned with tales of advancements in medicine, they thought, perhaps – that they might have a chance to save her if they left. They saw Bruno Madrigal, he helped them see what would happen if they stayed and what would happen if they left, and they made their choice. They chose to leave to save Marisol, and they were grateful to Bruno Madrigal for his assistance in making a difficult choice."
"Gracias, Señora Álvarez."
She returned to her seat.
"Now," Señor Ruiz said. "After hearing several testimonies about the way Bruno Madrigal conducts his visions, I move to - "
"And what about Sunday night?" A familiar voice called out. "Who sought out a vision then? And if he was so innocent – if he is such a messenger and not a manager - what was he doing rolling around on the ground mumbling 'I'm sorry' when a – a foreign machine crashed into the crowd and disrupted our festival and ruined our evening?"
Mirabel could not hide the look of utter disgust on her face as Tatiana Valencia stood. "Tatiana Valencia," she announced, "Addressing the council. On behalf of several concerned citizens of the Encanto."
"Bruno Madrigal is not on trial here tonight!" Señor Ruiz said, his voice dangerously close to a bellow. "This is a council meeting, and at the moment, we are discussing approval and official council endorsement of a contract that clearly defines his role and the role of the vision seeker as they pertain to his gift, and that would protect him from slander and harm. Based on the reactions of the public in this meeting so far and the testimony of three separate clients supporting their experience with it, I move for immediate approval of this contract."
"I second the motion," Señora Álvarez said.
The motion passed, though it wasn't unanimous - and yet, Tatiana stood, still, in the center of the room. Her smug smile twisted into something neutral and – in Mirabel's opinion – a bit scarier.
"You have not answered my question, Señor Ruiz," she said calmly.
"And you interrupted me, after I specifically requested respect for those that have the floor." Señor Ruiz said. "Now I must ask you to leave."
Abuela stood once more, before Tatiana could protest. "Señor Ruiz, I would ask that Señora Valencia be allowed to stay. I have something to say that I would prefer she be present for."
He looked surprised, but nodded.
Abuela turned toward Tatiana. "But first, I will answer your question, Señora Valencia," she said with dangerous calm. "On Sunday evening, my son Bruno had a vision." She paused. "What he saw is his business. He used what he saw to help the village. As you know, no one was harmed. Nothing was ruined. Fireworks can be rescheduled."
"I knew it!" Osvaldo Ortíz shouted, throwing his hands up in the air and then clapping his hands to his knees, turning to those beside him with a triumphant expression. "I knew I heard him telling Isabela to use her vines to save me! I knew it!"
Osvaldo's eyes suddenly grew wide and his brows drew together. He mouthed something silently to himself that looked suspiciously to Mirabel like 'I owe him my life'.
"Señor Ortíz, an interruption to celebrate is still an interruption," Señor Ruiz said sternly.
Osvaldo shrank back just a bit and smiled sheepishly.
Abuela took a deep breath in through her nose. "In this case, Bruno was the vision seer and the vision seeker, and he acted on what he saw. He made a choice to help, and he helped."
She hesitated a moment, and then added softly – "I think – what he saw, and what he had to do - it was a traumatic experience. And based on the way I - and many people in this village - treated him prior to his disappearance and return, I think he was afraid he would be unfairly blamed, once again, for what he saw. I am ashamed to see that he was proven right tonight."
Several of the people who had been vocally antagonistic before – including Señor Rojas – had the decency to look ashamed.
Tatiana Valencia, among several others, did not. She lifted her chin so high she was looking down her nose at the council. "Where did he go when he disappeared, by the way? And why did the Casita collapse on the day he returned?"
Mirabel's heart sank as the audience began to murmur again, but Abuela did not hesitate in her response.
"The Casita collapsed because - of me. Not my son. And Casita – and the miracle - were returned to us because of mi nieta, Mirabel. This is common knowledge, Señora. And as for the rest," Abuela answered with a smile, "it is absolutely none of your business, Señora Valencia."
Lucía wiped her eyes after yet another round of laughter with Ana and Raquel.
It felt so good to laugh with them again, to share with them again. She'd missed this. She'd missed them.
Ana and Raquel exchanged a look, sobering, and Lucía swallowed her mouthful of wine with a gulp.
"Lucía, cariño," Ana said softly, fiddling with the lace on her sleeves, "I know – we haven't talked in a long time, but we've been best friends since we could recognize each other's faces and babble 'hola'. I have to ask - "
Lucía's stomach clenched with worry.
"Are you sure about this?"
Lucía's smile faded completely. "What?"
"Not about – I just mean – based on what you've told us – Bruno is a wonderful man. A little odd, but – sweet. Good. You both love your stories and seem to have plenty in common. The fact that he's a Madrigal is a nice bonus. I'm happy for you, really. It's just – you told us you realized you were in love with him and confessed the next day. Not a lot of turn around, there, amor. And it took you so long to realize you were in love with him because you were still mourning Alejandro. All this – it all happened in the span of a few months."
Lucía's heart faltered and she sat there, blinking.
"And there's the shower." Raquel added in her quiet monotone. She looked entirely unperturbed and continued swirling her wine in her glass before sipping it.
Lucía frowned. "What shower?"
"We know it was just a shower," Ana reassured her.
"Half the town doesn't even know you're together and the other half only suspects. But you did come out of Bruno Madrigal's home with wet hair wearing someone else's clothes. You marched across town and then held one of your story times for the kids. People talk." Raquel shrugged and took another sip of wine.
"I helped deliver a baby!" Lucía said hotly, choosing, for now, to focus on the piece of the conversation she could most easily contest. "I was a mess and didn't have time to clean up at my house; I'd have had to heat the water and I would've had to cancel story time! Sofia and Dolores were at Casita, too, and they both showered! It wasn't like I shared a shower with him, for goodness' sake! He was a perfect gentleman! And even if I had, I - santo cielos, you can ask Señora Cabrera and the Herreras, what on earth - " (4)
"Let it all out," Raquel lifted her glass to her. "You deserve a good vent."
"And maybe – maybe I – I did move a bit fast once I realized I was in love with him," Lucía admitted quietly, threading her fingers together in her lap. "But I didn't – I wasn't just looking for a replacement for Alejandro, if that's what you're implying."
"I'm not saying that at all!" Ana said, leaning forward. "I just – want to make sure that this is what you really want. That this is what's best for you and Josefina. And that – you're taking this slowly. I don't want to see any of you get hurt."
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, Lucía told herself as she closed her eyes. (5) It hurt to have these questions directed at her, but better now, from friends she'd known and trusted for years, than by someone like Tatiana Valencia on the street. If she knew the questions were coming she could prepare herself and her responses.
"I might have – rushed into confessing how I felt about him, once I realized there was attraction and – and romantic feelings involved as well. But I had loved him, as a person and friend, for quite a while before then." Lucía smoothed her palms across her skirts and bit her lip.
"I don't love him because I think I need him to – to take care of me or Josefina or fill this – hole in my life left by Alejandro, Ana. No one could do that, and I've been taking care of Josefina and myself with – with Sofia's help and Papá's help - long before Bruno came back. I love him because I want him, Ana. I want to be with him. I know being with a Madrigal will be different. I know we've both got plenty of our own problems and a past that leaves us broken in the eyes of most of the village. But I want him. I want to be there for him and I want to be with him and I - "
She paused suddenly and thought for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was low. "Did – did I tell you about how he thanked Itziar, for bringing him and Mirabel and Alma home? Because he did. He's – he thanked her, and he talks to Josefina like she's – like she's so important, and – there's just – there are so many things I need to tell you. I've barely scratched the surface with the summary of how we met and how we went from 'mysterious hooded figure demanding Sofia's fastest steed' to 'courtship'."
Raquel sat back against the couch. "Well, I've got nowhere else to be tonight."
Ana smiled at her in encouragement. "We're listening, cariño. We'll always be here to listen."
Mirabel watched with wide eyes as Abuela expertly deflected or vaguely answered all the pointed questions about Tío Bruno, his visions, and the family that Tatiana Valencia shot her way. As soon as an opening made itself available, Abuela took it.
"Now, if we are done wasting time with pointlessly invasive questions, I have a matter of some concern to discuss with the council," Abuela said. "As you know, I traveled with several members of my family to San Cristobál yesterday to return the possessions the artist left behind due to emergency circumstances within her family. I must petition the council to approve extra funds for Selena de Leon. It has come to my attention that she was underpaid for her work on the new murales in town."
Mirabel's brows drew together in confusion. She hadn't even mentioned Tatiana Valencia's name. She looked between Abuela and the crowd. Tatiana narrowed her eyes at Abuela but said nothing.
Señor Ruiz spoke from Mirabel's other side. "And the amount you are requesting, Señora Madrigal?"
"Seventy pesos."
Señora Villanueva paused, her pen touching the paper in front of her. She turned and looked at Abuela with a shocked expression on her face. "Seventy pesos?" She repeated.
Startled murmurs spread throughout the audience as well. Seventy pesos was no laughing matter.
"Just…how much was she paid, Señora Madrigal?" Señor Ruiz asked, once he recovered as well.
"Thirty pesos."
"Which was more than she agreed to work for!" Tatiana Valencia finally seemed to have found her voice again.
Mirabel thought it might have been a mistake, as now everyone in the both the audience and on the council was staring at her.
Tatiana straightened her back and lifted her chin once again. "I generously gave more than the agreed upon sum of twenty pesos."
Señor Muñoz leaned forward from his seat at the table and cocked his head. "Are you telling me, Señora Valencia, that Señorita de Leon agreed to work for five days painting the entire wall of a building for twenty pesos?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "That is exactly what I am telling you, Señor Muñoz. I paid her what we agreed upon and, as I said before, generously a bit extra."
"What dimensions did you describe the building as having, Señora Valencia?" Abuela asked.
Tatiana blinked at her. "…dimensions?"
"Did you describe the building she was to paint, at all?" Señora Villanueva said.
Señora Valencia sniffed. "Only to say that the building was much less impressive than the ones she was accustomed to and that it would be a simple task if she was as skilled as she claimed to be."
Mirabel's eyes darted around the room. Some of the people that had seemed to agree with Tatiana before were physically distancing themselves from her now, looking or shifting away from her.
Apparently, it was one thing to question Bruno Madrigal and his gift, it was quite another to sneakily cheat a hardworking visitor out of hard-earned money.
"It seems to me," Señor Ruiz said, "that you deliberately mislead Señorita de Leon in an effort to save money while receiving credit for paying for the new murales."
There was silence in the room for a moment, and then Tatiana snapped. "Excuse me, Señor, but it seems to me that you are the one twisting the facts to benefit yourself and your friend, Señora Madrigal! I was attacked and berated for defending my son from a 'lesson' carefully designed to make him feel guilty for taking advantage of la familia Madrigal – something he has never done! I was the one made to make amends to the – the – the mastermind behind said lesson! I was the one forced to offer to pay for the murales in an effort to save face and 'make it up' to the family and that – that – that fraud of a librarian, Señora Moreno! She can't even keep her own wild daughter within the town's borders, and somehow I'm the bad mother?! I helped her find her daughter, despite everything she'd done to me! And I paid to redo her husband's stupid mural, besides!"
Mirabel clenched her hands into fists beneath the table, her eyes wide. She chewed on the inside of her cheek in an effort not to explode out of her seat again. She darted a look to her Abuela, who was sitting, completely still, as though she was carved from stone.
Why wasn't she saying anything?!
Tatiana turned to address the crowd around her, gesturing earnestly, placing her hands over her chest. "I was the one who worked hard to pay for it, and offered up extra for the artist's service, besides! And apparently, I am the only one who sees this council for what it truly is – a sham of a government designed to prop up the family gifted with magical powers, who've abandoned their service to the community and have decided to use their gifts to benefit themselves and protect that – that – sorry excuse for a man and the woman who at this moment is probably doing things with him that are inappropriate to mention in polite company!"
Mirabel gasped along with the crowd.
"You saw her leave his home yesterday!" Tatiana pointed to Señora Velasquez. "You saw her leave, in clothes she hadn't worn inside! She's not fit to teach our children, to read them stories that affect their impressionable young minds! She was a perfectly good woman before she began associating with Bruno Madrigal - but no more! He has returned and brought a maldición upon our Encanto. He is un hijo del diablo - "
"I would consider very carefully how you proceed, Señora," Alma Madrigal stood and interrupted, her voice low and powerful. "I told you once what would happen if you ever insulted my son in such a way again."
Mirabel shivered. Abuela looked scary.
Tatiana stared at her for a moment, then at the fellow council members. She waited in silence for a moment, and then burst out laughing.
"See?!" She said, righteous indignation in her eyes. "You see?! She interrupted me! She interrupted someone who had the floor and what – nothing! And she threatened me here, in public! None of them lifted a finger or said word to chastise her."
"Señora Valencia, my son does his best to serve the community, both with and without his gift. If anyone despises his gift, I would suggest they refrain from interacting with it by seeking any visions. If anyone despises my son, as you so plainly do, I suggest you refrain from interacting with him at all. He has never wished you harm and his life will be better without your presence in it. You have called my son a curse before, in the presence of mi nieta Dolores and Señora Moreno. I plainly told you that to do so again would result in a loss of services for you and your family. You are allowed to have opinions about our family, Señora. You are allowed to dislike and disagree with us. You are not allowed to abuse us."
Mirabel gasped. She'd never – she never thought she would see the day when Abuela would bar someone from their family's gifts. It went against everything she'd ever taught them about earning the miracle and sharing it with the community. Having it in the contract was one thing, but – actually enforcing it?
She looked up at her Abuela with wide, shining eyes.
"Beginning this evening, you are ineligible for assistance from la familia Madrigal for the next three months. Exceptions will be made for life or death emergencies that require Julieta's food."
"About time," muttered Señora Ruiz from the front row.
Mirabel whipped her head back around to stare at her.
"This is blatant nepotism!" Shrieked Tatiana. "You - "
"Motion to bar Tatiana Valencia from council meetings for the next six months on the grounds of malicious disruption," Señora Villanueva interrupted.
Mirabel's eyes darted from person to person as the events unfolded, in a sort of awe.
Tatiana's mouth dropped open. "You can't do that!"
"I second the motion," Señor Muñoz said matter-of-factly.
"I abstain from voting," Abuela said, eyes locked on Tatiana Valencia's.
"Noted. All those in favor?" Señora Villanueva asked.
The rest of the council voted unanimously.
"Tatiana Valencia, you are barred from council meetings for the next six months. Your participation is obviously a strain on your self-control. In the meantime, if you have an issue you would like to present to the council for consideration, you shall have to find a mediator to present your case. I wish you luck in finding one. Señor Bartolo, if you wouldn't mind seeing Señora Valencia to the door?"
The man in question stepped forward from the wall.
Señora Valencia let out a sound like a tea-kettle, her mouth clenched shut as she screamed.
The council ignored her. "All those in favor of using the general community funds to pay the balance of seventy pesos owed to Selena de Leon for her public service to the people of the Encanto?"
Only Señor Muñoz disagreed, on the principle that while it was unfortunate, technically Selena de Leon had agreed to the original price, completed the work, and accepted the payment Tatiana offered. He argued that she should have contested the payment herself, much earlier. Despite his noted dissent, the vote still passed.
By that time, Señor Bartolo had reached Señora Valencia and put a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Don't you dare touch me," she hissed, jerking away from him. "I will see myself out."
She picked her way from the center of the audience, her head held high, glaring at the lot of them.
Señor Bartolo followed her to the door, shut it with a resounding click, and resumed his post at the wall.
Abuela returned to her seat by Mirabel.
"Abuela," Mirabel leaned toward her, her voice little more than a whisper. "What – how - "
"Sometimes, querida," Abuela said, just as softly, "Giving someone leave to expose themselves is better than outright accusing them of anything. I just – allowed her to weave enough rope to hang herself, so to speak."
Mirabel nodded, filing this strategy away for use in the future. "You didn't vote?" She asked.
"She cannot blame me for barring her from meetings if I did not vote to do so," Abuela replied.
"You're a genius," Mirabel said, equal parts awed and a little intimidated.
"No," Abuela responded with a small smile. "I am old and experienced."
"Well," said Señor Ruiz, clearing his throat and regaining their attention. "I've had enough excitement for one night. Next item on the agenda, Señora Villanueva?"
"La Feria de las Flores. We have a report here from the vendors, both local and from San Cristobál, and Señora Madrigal has some additional information to share regarding her experience there yesterday."
"Please, give us your impression of San Cristobál," Señor Ruiz gestured for Abuela to take the floor once again.
"Well," Abuela took a sip of her water, smoothed her skirts, and stood once again. "It is not so much a matter of our impression of San Cristobál, but of their impression of us…"
"…and I wish – I wish you could have heard him, Ana, Raquel. He was just – so kind, and sweet, and unassuming, and he – he said 'I just didn't want you to be sad, alone.' And I – I lost it. He let me cry and cry into his shoulder and he held me and he never complained about Josefina blowing her nose in his ruana and there's just – there are so many things – big things and little things. How happy I was working with him on our play, how – how he helped me find Josefina, how he was there for me and for her and – how it felt to dance with him, and – the way he looks at me and the way he talks to me and the way his eyes – and his hair – and his hands – and I can't even tell you everything in one night, because he just – he just – he's so - " to her chagrin, Lucía's eyes began tearing up again just thinking about Bruno. She laughed at herself and blinked rapidly, wiping the tears away. "He's very - "
"No me digas," Ana whispered, one hand over her mouth, the other resting lightly on Lucía's arm. Her expression was soft and surprised. "This - you really love him, Luci."
Lucía sniffed and smiled at her friend. "I really do, Ana. I really do."
Ana teared up and threw her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh, Luci. And he loves you too?"
Lucía hugged her right back. "He does."
They smiled and cried and laughed at each other and pulled apart, and Lucía looked at Raquel. "Want a hug, too Raquel?"
Raquel put her glass down and leaned forward, patting her lightly on the shoulder. "And there's my quota for the day," she said.
Lucía laughed and dried her eyes. "How about you, Raquel? Any questions? Comments? Concerns I can alleviate?"
Raquel crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "Nope." She tapped her toe on the floor and looked expectantly at Ana, her voice carefully neutral once again. "I told you so."
Ana rolled her eyes and groaned and draped herself dramatically over the back of the couch she and Lucía shared. "Ugh," she said. "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"
"Oh," Raquel said, her face perfectly impassive. "You'll hear the end of it - "
Ana lifted her arm from her eyes and peered at her. "…is there a time frame attached to that statement?"
Raquel smirked. " - when I die."
A/N:
1) tonto – dummy
2) la Bruja del Clima – the weather witch
3) una hada de la camida – food fairy
4) santo cielos – good heavens/oh my gosh
5) wounds from a friend can be trusted – from Proverbs 27:6
6) un hijo del diablo – a son of the devil
Thanks for reading! Brace yourselves, Encanto Big Bang is coming tomorrow on tumblr, AO3, twitter, instagram, etc., and I'm so excited to see what everyone has done!
Hoping to have a regular updating schedule again soon. Thanks guest reviewer for checking in, a polite 'hey I miss this story, hope you're well and that it updates soon!' is always welcome.