20. Campaign 3- Quinceañera Pampering

Isabella forced herself to smile. To be as charming and inviting as possible. She moved down the hill into the village proper with utter grace, every movement fluid like a dancer performing the biggest recital of their life. People noticed her and she made sure to great them, allowing her magic to create roses in the hair of little girls who called out her name and produce bouquets that she handed to the old women who asked her how she was.

How was she?

Perfect. Happy. Joyous. Thrilled to be out amongst them.

How was she really?

Stressed. Full of dread. Crushed under a horrible sense of utter foreboding doom.

But the former was what everyone wanted to hear and thus that is what she said.

That was what was most important. She needed to present the person that the villagers expected her to be. It was the only way to keep things the same, to protect her family from the vicious rumors, and ensure that life remained peaceful and happy.

"Oh, hi there Senora Lopez!" Mirabel said, once more darting to the side of the road to greet someone. "Its so good to see you again! Are you still running the bakery? Or did you finally get your son to take over-OOMF!" Mirabel let out a letting gasp as Isabella summoned a vine to drag her back and leave the poor woman alone. "Right, we're on a schedule! But I'll see you later, okay?"

"Tonight!" Senora Lopez called out, causing Isabella to flinch. The party was supposed to be a secret yet people KEPT referring to it when they saw Mirabel! Didn't they know how to keep quiet?

"oops, sorry Isa," Mirabel said with a bashful smile.

"Could you PLEASE keep moving? We are on a schedule here."

"Right, right... have to get your chores done." The way she said it, so casual and flippant, as if what Isabella did was just so utterly easy, set the young woman's teeth on edge until she forced herself to take a long breath. She had to remind herself that it wasn't Mirabel's fault; she'd been raised out in the wild outside world where apparently manners didn't exist and no one knew how to hold themselves with poise.

Even if this day was supposed to be about secretly pampering her sister Isabella planned to begin her work on fixing Mirabel.

Her mama and papa had been very clear that Isabella was to make it look like they were doing her tasks and chores but in reality they were relaxing and having fun, getting ready for the surprise party. Isabella... could understand that, as she herself had gotten such a day when she'd turned 15. Her mama had taken her into the village and the two of them had tried on dresses and ate a filling lunch and even gotten their hair done by Senorita Escarra instead of just simply getting it trimmed at casita.

It was one of her fondest memories.

Then, a few months later when it was Dolores' turn she had worked to prepare while Tia Pepa took her out. The same with Luisa. It should have been mama going with Mirabel but she'd argued that she had already spent time with Mirabel and Isabella hadn't gotten a chance.

She mentally scoffed; that was the point!

"So, what's first?" Mirabel asked as they walked along, two utter contrasts. Isabella the utterly poised and graceful elder... and Mirabel, the boisterous and thundering baby of the family. Isabella looked at Mirabel's outfit, yet another overall and shirt combo with thick soled boots and fought the urge to roll her eyes. At the very least her sister hadn't worn her armor today, thanks to Tio Bruno convincing her not to.

"We are headed to Senora Perez's shop to provide her with some flowers she can use to dye her cloths." In actuality Senora Perez had no need for the dyes but instead this would be a chance to get Mirabel fitted for her quinceañera dress. Mama and Tia Pepa had snuck down to give the seamstress their requests for design and color and now they just needed to make sure the dress fit. Mirabel would be asked to model it for another customer, not realizing that it was actually for her until they arrived home and surprised her; Tio Bruno had assured them that he was handling the actual giving of the dress.

"Oh good!" Mirabel said. "She really needs to work on what color options she has. I asked her for a particular shade of yellow and she looked at me like I had lost my mind."

Isabella fought the urge to groan. "Mirabel," she said, deciding that maybe if she just TALKED with her sister she could get her to see sense, "you can't just ask for a particular shade of yellow."

"Uh… why?"

"Because… because it isn't done!" Isabella complained. "You instead look at what she has and adjust what you wanted to fit what she provides."

"But what if she doesn't have something I want?"

"You still want it."

Mirabel screwed up her face. "So… just to be clear… you think that the best thing for me to do is to just accept whatever the world gives me and demand nothing for myself and pretend I'm happy about that."

"Exactly."

Her hermana blinked before bursting out into laughter.

"Uh, Mirabel?" Isabella said, looking around nervously as people began to look at them. "Everyone is staring. Mirabel… get a GRIP on yourself!" Isabella snarled. Before forcing a smile onto her lips and turning to the villagers that were gathering around her. "Oh, my dear sweet sister… she was just thinking of a lovely joke I told her."

"Just now!" Mirabel managed to get out.

Isabella waved her hand violently in her direction even as she moved to block her cackling sister from everyone's view. "It was a very funny joke. I believe it's the one you told me last week, Senor Timmons."

"Oh, was it now?" the man asked only for Mirabel to begin crying, she was laughing so hard. "I don't think so… even I didn't find it that funny."

"Right, I must be mistaken." Isabella created some vines and yanked Mirabel away, snatching one herself as she pulled them to rooftop. "Must go! Goodbye!" She gave a wave and everyone else wished her well as she flew into the sky… and landed beside Mirabel who was clutching her sides as she laughed. "What is WRONG with you!?" Isabella hissed in rage. "You were braying like a donkey down there!"

"I'm… I'm sorry," Mirabel got out, wiping the tears away. "I really am. It was just… come on, Isabella, you must realize how ridiculous you sound!"

"How… I am NOT ridiculous!"

"Come on, you so are!" Mirabel said, finally getting control of herself. "Just accepting whatever people give you? Only smiling and never finding things that make YOU happy! No one lives like that. Certainly not our family!"

"Maybe not you-" Isabella muttered even as her sister began to do a little dance. "What… what are you doing?"

"Sun!" Mirabel sang, throwing her hands out wide. "Run!" She grabbed Isabella by the air and darted across the roof, causing the floral manipulator's eyes to go wide as they neared the edge only for Mirabel to yank them both across to the next roof. "Fun! Let's go!"

"Mirabel!" Isabella said in a panic as they began to leap from roof to roof, finally stopping at one that allowed them both a good view of castia.

"That is our home/We've got every generation/So full of music/A rhythm of its own design!" She grinned and pointed down at Tio Felix and Tia Pepa who had been going to collect some last minute supplies for the party, the two letting out yelps and trying to hide so Mirabel didn't realize what was planned. Isabella looked the other way and saw Luisa and Camilo walking below her, making quick gestures with her hands to try and get them to dart away. "This is my family/A perfect constellation/So many stars and everybody gets to shine/Whoa!"

Mirabel looked at Castia and Isabella followed her gaze… and could see abuela watching them, her face stern. Isabella tried to yank Mirabel down but her hermana kept popping up to wave to their less than pleased grandmother.

"If you have a question/Abeula's in the know/ whoa/She led us here so many years ago, whoa/And every year our family blessings grow/While we are so gifted there is far more to show, so!"

Mirabel leapt onto the ledge of the roof, dancing happily, Isabella frantically trying to pull her down with vines only for them to snag everything BUT her hermana. Pots, bird houses, a toilet seat oddly enough…

"Welcome to the Family Madrigal/The home of the Family Madrigal (we're on our way)/Where all the people are fantastical and magical/I'm part of the Family Madrigal!"

"Please stop this!" Isabella begged.

"Stop what? This?" Mirabel playfully did an even more outrageous dance.

"I'm begging you to stop…" Isabella whimpered, seeing everyone staring up at them.

Mirabel sighed. "Alright, alright, relax."

"Thank you."

"Just kidding! HA!" She leapt off the roof and Isabella screamed… only for her hermana's damn metal Jaugar to pop up, carrying Mirabel back onto the roof as she sang. "Our family is so wild and so different! But those difference make us who we are!" She gestured towards Tia Pepa who was still trying to hide. "Our tía Pepa/so gifted in music/give her an instrument/and she has it down pat!/our Tio Bruno-"

Isabella jerked back as everyone in the village sang, "We don't talk about Bruno!"

Mirabel seemed just as startled. "…not sure where that came from/ but must do something about that!" Mirabel scanned the village only to spot their mama leaving to get supplies for the cake she was making for the party, eyes going wide when she realized Mirabel had spotted her. "Oh! And that's my mom Julieta, here's her deal, whoa/She loves to barter, can always get a steal, whoa!/She can spot a fake and she can spot a real/Has an eye for color, her preferred of course is teal!"

Isabella frowned as Mirabel began to sing the reframe again. "I didn't know mama liked to bargain hunt…"

"So yeah, Tío Félix married Pepa, king of the dance!" Isabella watched Felix do a little move only for Pepa to yank him back into hiding. "While papa loves to read/his favorites are romance! Sure we try to/Help those around us/ But we're more than the miracle/That somehow found us" Mirabel threw her arms out again and Isabella stopped trying to get her with her vines, just starting at her sister.

More… than the miracle?

"Dolores' trying darts, Camilo's into arts/Antonio still learning, he's really smart!" Mirabel suddenly grinned and began to wave as she spotted Luisia who, while not wanting to be spotted, couldn't help but wave back. "There's our sister/ the amazing Luisa/ So hungry to hear of stories, I'm almost running out!"

"Mirabel," Isabella tried again.

"Me I love swimming and hiking/but that is not all/embroidery and knitting/its really quite the ball!"

"Mirabel!"

"And then there's you Isa/So lovely and refine/ Tell-"

"MIRABEL!"

Mirabel stopped singing and dnaicng, looking at her hermana.

"Yes?" she said… SAID, not sang.

"We need to go. Now." Isabella fumed.

"Oh… okay," Mirabel hoped down and shrugged. "Sorry, got carried away there but-"

"Mmmhmm," Isabella muttered.

"…not in the mood to talk. Can respect that. Lot on your mind."

And Isabella DID have a lot on her mind… like how her sister was wrong.

All SHE was… was her gift.