18. Campaign 3- Quinceañera Listening

"Can you take Mirabel out with you today?"

Dolores had nodded and smiled and told her mama that of course she could. It would be nice for the two of them to spend some time together. Honestly she was a little ashamed that it had taken this long for her to seek out her cousin. Not just since her return, either; Dolores had never been that close to Mirabel, truthfully. Of course she wasn't really close to anyone. Her and Isabella had played together when they were much younger but when their gifts had come in that had changed. Isabella focused on what she could do while Dolores struggled for a while to control her gift and when she did... well, it was too late. The gap had become too great.

And with Mirabel... she was just a noisy little girl. Not like some of the children in the village of course. She didn't scream or throw fits or go bellowing through casita. IT was more that Mirabel was always talking, always curious about the world, which was fine but when you heard that steady stream of questions day in and day out you didn't want to have it blasted at you directly.

But hearing her defend her against the charges her hermano and her primas made that she was nothing but a snitch? That had made her feel deep regret and decide that it was time to get to know her prima.

So she'd cornered Mirabel the night before and asked if she wanted to join her as she walked the far edges of the valley, seeking out if there were any dangers beyond the mountain attempting to get in. Mirabel had agreed at once, saying that she could help identify what Dolores was hearing and that would save them time.

Her prima had no idea the trip had a secondary reason for occurring and as they walked along the forests that sat at the foot of the mountains Dolores focused on what was going on back in the village...

~MC~ GF~MC~GF~

"Ready?" Bruno called out.

Luisa shot him a confident smirk. "Oh, I am ready!"

Camilo raised his hand. "Three... two... one... GO!"

Luisa grabbed the thick log, hefting it onto her shoulder before running towards the designated spot. Making sure she had the pointed head angling towards the ground she hefted the timber up before driving it into the earth with all her strength. It sank in two feet, right on the ribbon that she'd tied on there to make where it needed to go, and Luisa turned and began to run back to the pile, a bit surprised to see that her Tio Bruno was indeed keeping up with her. He looked bigger, with a flaring aura around his body and a ghostly set of extra arms that helped him lift the next log up.

"Come on Luisa!" Felix called out. "i have good money riding on you!"

"That is going to belong to me!" Pepa cheered. "Go Bruno!"

Off a little bit from the clearly behind Casita Isabella watched and shook her head. "I don't see why we can't have the party in casita?"

"We will," Julieta assured her. "But we thought it might be nice to have a bit more space. Bruno says that Mirabel loves star gazing and this way we can have the entire sky for her to enjoy." She looked down at the large carnival tent that Agustin had dug up from town. "And the tent will work well for those that don't want to be in the sun."

"Hmmm," Isabella said with a small huff but otherwise she didn't say another word.

"TIE!" Camilo called out as Bruno and Luisa finished slamming in the last of their timbers at the same time, forming the framework for the large tent they'd be holding much of the quinceañera in.

"You are quite good!" Luisa said. She was glad that Mirabel had convinced her to begin running each morning as she knew otherwise she'd have lost to Bruno easily. "Though maybe I should call you a cheat for using extra arms!" She smiled as she said that, to let him know it was all in good fun, and Bruno laughed.

"I can't help it, they just snow up! Same with me looking bigger... something about my magic taking me to what it feels is the peak of strength."

"Is it odd to turn your strength on and off?" Luisa asked.

Bruno bobbed his head back and forth. "Not really but then again I never was really strong so for me gaining it is the rush, not losing it." He walked over and slapped her on the shoulder. "Now, let's help your mama get that tent up. While we do I'll tell you about the time Mirabel and I competed against a rival team of adventurers to earn The Idol Of The Chaos Fox."

"Mirabel was telling me a bit about that!" Luisa said, growing excited. "That involved the dragon that could become a woman?"

"Yes... and how she wouldn't shut up about her butt," Bruno moaned. He leaned in and whispered, "If she ever comes by asking if I'm around... lie!"

~MC~ GF~MC~GF~

The plan was simple: keep Mirabel out while the family set up behind casita. That way if abuela changed her mind (and at this point after her rather dismissive actions no one trusted her not to) they would still be able to have the party. Dolores would lead her about until it was an hour or so before nightfall, so that by the time they got to casita Mirabel wouldn't be able to see a thing. Keep her busy at night; Luisa had suggested family bathhouse night and while Dolores had no idea what that was her mama had seen Bruno shifting nervously… and agreed.

Then, in the morning, Isabella would take Mirabel down for a day of being pampered and bring her back for the party.

But that was the future. Right now Dolores was focused on the present…

…and how Mirabel was surprising her so very much.

"What?" her prima whispered, noticing how Dolores kept glancing at her. "Something in my hair?"

"No… I'm just… surprised."

"About?"

"How quiet you are."

"Well… I remember how you are about loud noises so I didn't want to go screaming at the top of my lungs."

"You'd… be surprised how many people forget," Dolores said softly, ducking her head as she passed under a low hanging branch… and not for any other reason. Most certainly not. "But it's more than that. You changed your clothes."

Mirabel looked down at her shirt and pants. "Well, they're not that different-"

"I mean you didn't bring your armor. Or anything other than your hammer and bag."

"OH, right." She shrugged, softly saying, "I didn't want them to rattle and bug you. And Valeria is prowling around to protect us." She pointed in the distance and Dolores saw the metal cat slink by, startled by how quiet it was; She hadn't even heard it!

"And you are walking so lightly," Dolores whispered.

Mirabel looked down at her feet. "Well, you need to sneak past enough sleeping Perytons and you learn how to tip toe in boots."

"I… I just wanted to thank you for being so considerate."

"It's nothing!" Mirabel assured her, still keeping her voice utterly low.

"No… it's everything," Dolores said softly. "I… heard you defend me to Camilo."

"What… oh, that." She chuckled. "He was being… okay, don't tell him I said this but he was being a big dumb donkey." Dolores pressed her lips together and smiled, eyes twinkling. "Come on, Dolores, you love this family. I remember how you would tell me what every scary noise was so I wouldn't be afraid to sleep with the lights off."

She'd forgotten she'd done that. Mirabel had been having little panic attacks for a week ever since she'd decided she wanted to be a big girl and not sleep with the lights on and finally Dolores had come to her room and had her explain every sound she was hearing so she, in turn, could time her prima what they actually were. Mirabel had ended up falling asleep in her lap and why hadn't she realized how important that was?

"You don't spy on people," Mirabel said, not realizing that Dolores did just that… only not to family. Even though she wondered how long it would be before abuela demanded that of her. "Its unfair of Camilo to talk like that and I won't have it in my presence. A few wrong words… listen, I don't want to get into it but I've been to towns that are filled with bigots. Where Bruno and Ernesto and Anton were the only ones that could go in because if they saw an orc or a dragonborn or anything like that they would freak out and begin pitching fits. All because someone in the past made some stupid claim that elves can steal your souls or that Warforged are just heartless. I don't want that to happen with our family, okay?"

"…okay," Dolores said, voice trembling slightly.

"Good."

They walked on for several minutes in utter silence.

"I should learn sign language."

Dolores blinked. "Huh?"

"Sign language." Mirabel made some gestures. "Talking with your hands. If you and I learned I could talk to you without making a sound. Well, other than my hands flopping about but I'd be careful about that-"

"You'd… you'd do that for me?"

"Of course. I learned Ancient Capricron… I can learn that for-OOMPF!"

Dolores hugged her prima tightly. "Thank you."

"No… problem!" Mirabel squeaked. Finally Dolores let go and they continued on. "By the way, I am curious… I've been thinking about your hearing a lot… if you can't tell… and I was curious if it is that everything is loud or is it that the closer you are to something the louder is it. Is it you just hear everything all at once or you just as REALLY good hearing."

"Uh… really good hearing, I think."

Mirabel nodded and they lapsed into silence for several minutes, Dolores scanning beyond the mountains but only hearing the noises of the jungle. Honestly it amazed her that she made more sounds than Mirabel. She would occasionally step on a twig and the snap would be like thunder… but Mirabel was light on her feet and seemed to sense anything that could trip her up-

"Of course!" Mirabel exclaimed. Still quietly but louder than she had been. "That… oh, just twist it and reverse it."

"Mirabel?"

"Okay… okay I don't want to explain in case this doesn't work and I only get your hopes up for nothing so just… stay right here, okay?" She held up her hands. "Stay. Stay."

Dolores watched as Mirabel backed away before darting off, leaving her all by herself. She twisted her head about, trying to hear any threats but all she got was that there was an ant who had a sore leg and was limping-

SCRAPE! SCRAPE! SCRAPE!

The sound of metal tearing metal filled her ears and caused her to jump. She looked about before realizing it was coming from the direction that Mirabel had gone and she took a step forward only to hear Mirabel say in her normal tone, "Okay, all set! Just follow my voice, okay?"

She did and Dolores was startled to realize just how far away Mirabel had gone. It took her nearly 5 minutes to make the trek but when she did she found her cousin beaming as she reached up and pulled her scarf off.

"Hey," Dolores hissed in surprise but Mirabel held up a finger, silently shushing her… something honestly Dolores didn't think she'd had someone do to her since she was 4. It was… odd.

"One moment… just need to attach these… alright, if I did this right this should work." She reached up and carefully tied the fabric back around her forehead, though Dolores noticed that it was a bit lower than normal and there was a touch of cold metal on the sides of her head. "Think quiet."

"I don't-"

"Just try it, okay? Think the word quiet?"

Dolores just stared at her prima. "Qu-"

She froze.

The birds that had been singing two miles away were gone.

Her family was no longer talking about what kind of cake to have.

The bugs had stopped buzzing.

She couldn't hear anyone in the village.

She… could only hear her own breathing and it was so quiet…

"Don't panic, okay?" Mirabel said, reaching up and taking Dolores' hands. "I'm going to begin raising my voice…" Dolores realized that she could barely hear Mirabel whispering… and then she began to talk, voice growing louder. "There are rangers who use runic discs to enhance their senses. Smell, hearing, so on. So I realized I could reverse the runes and do the opposite: mute your senses, or in this case your hearing, until-"

Dolores swallowed. "It… it doesn't hurt anymore. The sounds… they are there but they don't hurt. No headaches. No aching ears. Nothing."

"Nope," Mirabel said. "Assuming I did it right and I think I did. And if you want to go back to normal just think loud. I bet if we work on it you can even dial it up or down-"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Mirabel stumbled back as Dolores threw back her head and let out a warcry.

"Uh… are you okay?"

"I… I can yell!" Dolores exclaimed, raising her voice for the first time in nearly 2 decades to normal levels. "I can yell Mirabel!" She grabbed her hands and began to hop up and down. "My heart isn't thundering! The birds aren't making me cringe. You… you can actually talk to me…"

"Yeah, " Mirabel said with a grin. "I'll have to work out how to make sure the discs done fall out and maybe improve upon it to grant you better control but-

Dolores wrapped Mirabel up in a hug, sobbing 'thank you' over and over.