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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | The Return P2

The whole family was a buzz of nervous energy as they settled into the dining room, Bruno gone for a vision which seemed prudent in both his and Abuela’s eyes. Mirabel could feel the same nervous flutter in her gut and it was more than just the sight of a new door.

Her mother’s door lit up.

Even if it was somehow connected to the new door, it still lit up.

Julieta’s door had died out a little over two years ago. She died. There was no way that she could still be alive… she wouldn’t have survived 2 years in the forest… certainly not if she had been pregnant. A fact Mirabel knew she hadn’t tried to process. And, even if by some miracle she had survived, the child would barely be over 1. Too young for a door. It didn’t make sense.

Bruno’s vision had been clear enough. Julieta drowned. Luisa found her apron. All the evidence they needed that they had truly lost her.

So what changed?

“Has anything happened in the last few hours or days that you can think of that could have triggered this?” Abuela was asking, “Dolores, a…. pregnancy by any chance?” There was an almost hopeful edge to it.

Dolores shook her head, her hand gripping Marino’s hand tightly. “Nothing. No one in the family is carrying, at least, not at a point where I can pick up a heart-beat.”

“Anyone adopt someone secretly?”

Mirabel knew that was the next possible option; while it wasn’t known if adopted children would get a gift, it was a possibility. A Madrigal was still a Madrigal; it didn’t matter where they originated from first.

“No, I mean, Bruno was thinking about it but he sure as hell wouldn’t have done it without talking to you, Abuela.”

“Bruno wants to adopt?” Abuela looked genuinely, and somewhat pleasantly surprised by the news. “That’s nice.”

“What could have triggered Julieta’s door? We know she’s….gone.” Agustín spoke, voice trending slowly over his wife’s fate but as much as her loss hurt, it was a fact he was living with. He had to use that door every day.

“I wish I knew.” Abuela spoke. “Maybe Bruno will give us more answers; somewhere to look maybe, a person or perhaps a place?”

“Odd place for a new door to form.” Felix remarked, mostly to himself though eyes turned to him regardless before he noticed, “Most cases, it’s either side of the courtyard. The Nursery is vacant now but there’s plenty of space of a door next to that, so why would Casita grow and adapt a door right next to Julieta’s? Abuela’s….Pepa, even Bruno’s door is still on that side of Casita. That’s a lot of doors on one side when there’s still plenty of space along the sides.”

“Perhaps it’s…connected to why Julieta’s door glowed?” Mariano suggested. “Just because we don’t understand now, there had to be a reason. It could take days more to understand it.”

It felt like fate that the attention shifted to see Tio Bruno return; pale faced but with a stack of emerald tablets in his hands though he looked both concerned and confused which did little to settle her anxieties.

“Bruno? Everything okay?”

Bruno nodded, if a little uncertain. “Yeah… just a little out of it.”

“Take a seat.” Abuela instructed softly. He complied and sunk into one of the chairs before he placed the stack down in front but didn’t let go for them to spread and take a look at each one.

“What did you see?”

Bruno’s face remained frowned before he began to look through the tablets before he pushed one to the table centre.

“The door belongs to a girl, just a bit younger than Mirabel.”

On the green tablet, there was the view of a girl from the profile reaching for the door handle. She was fairly short, her curly hair that was pinned back into a low bun but she was wearing tinted glasses so her eyes were obstructed from view. There was distinct…familiarity of her; Abuela didn’t know if it was the hair style but the girl looked creepily like Julieta but the girl looked displeased at the prospect of claiming the door.

“A teenager?” Felix was the first to move, “another Madrigal?”

“Unlikely,” Abuela denied, “We would have noticed if Pepa or Julieta got pregnant…and it’s unlikely there was infidelity given the magic isn’t passed down through in-laws way.” So she did doubt Agustín would cheat on Julieta. “The only explanation is…Bruno? Is there a slim chance you have a child or left someone pregnant?”

Bruno shrunk at the implication and shook his head. “As much as I’d like to say yes to make this make any sense, no.”

Abuela sighed, tiling the tablet; watching the image shift to the girl’s grasp on the handle; the glow that lit across the nob that indicated it was truly hers.

Abuela handed it to her right for Agustín to get a clearer look; see what he thought before Bruno handed her another tablet.

This time, it was of the same girl.

A tent set up in the woods, the girl was in front of a fire but in her hand she had a few blades, a holster of them strapped onto her, and a delicately crafted knife thrown and looked to be mid-way at a makeshift target where other blades were rested, heading towards a bull’s eye. The girl’s arms were exposed; showing she had more muscle than average for a girl her age. IN the background of the girl, aside form the tent and fire was….Mirabel.

Only this Mirabel had much longer hair, her clothes seemed to be different; no sewing or embroidery that Mirabel typically wore. Her hair was pinned back into a bun too, much like how Julieta wore it.

“Do you know her, Mirabel?”

Abuela turned the tablet to her youngest nieta who frowned at the question before she took the vision.

“No…. and I don’t think that’s me.” Mirabel denied.

“Of course it is, she looks like you...” Isabela pointed out over her shoulder.

“I know how it looks but… my hair is too short to be up like that and those clothes… I don’t own anything of that style.” Mirabel deflected. “If it is me, it’s not me of now or any time soon.”

“My visions aren’t always clear on dates.” Bruno pointed out, “There’s a chance this won’t happen for a good few years.”

“Well… I hate to break it to you but this Mirabel…she looks younger than 17 or older, even if it is a few years aged.” Camilo pointed out, but he shifted form, resembling Mirabel but there was a soft subtleties to how he looked as 15 year old Mirabel against the real life 17 year old one next to him. “Things aren’t making sense…but I know how old people are by their appearance. Both of those girls are the same age.”

“That’s…not the only thing that’s not going to make sense.” Bruno piped up and turned the last one to them.

This was of the camp sight but it was all wrecked, Mirabel held a sleek gun in her hands, aimed up to the mass of a large man wielding a similar weapon but from the…mess coming from the back of his head it looked like her aim was true but there was blood on her clothes. But the shadowed figure behind her suggested she was about to be tacked into the river’s edge

The other girl’s blades were also embedded into the back of a skull, another man but much slimmer but he was on top of another girl, bleeding from the head, who Abuela realised was Isabela, his hands around her neck but it was easy to see he’d be dead first. The Isabela’s arms were…covered in come protective armour.

“Dios mios!” Her hand came to her mouth in horror. “We should find them.” She’d keep Mirabel Isabela home… she couldn’t have them getting hurt. The other girl’s identify aside, they had to try right? Even if it didn’t make sense, she couldn’t have Mirabel or Isabela hurt. She already lost Julieta.

---

Rana exhaled deeply as she twirled the blade along her fingers, flexing her fingers on the handle before a quick flick and a…

Thump

And the spear-head of the blade buried into the soft trunk of the tree; the bullseye of the makeshift target she had drawn. Of all her weapons, throwing knives were her favourite. Not good for just throwing thrills but it allowed for a ranged weapon or a melee weapon in the event it was necessary.

Day one here was so boring, so she had to find her entertainment elsewhere beyond sparing with Wanderer and taking a swim in the river. Their end-point out hadn’t been to where they had found her mother all that time ago and Rana wasn’t sure if that was for better or worse but apparently they were just a little out of Encanto’s range to not be picked up by Dolores’s hearing—thank god—before they set down their tent for the next foreseeable future.

A part of her itched to throw her blade at an animal but they didn’t need to hunt for food yet…a dead animal would also attract predators which was another reason why she knew hunting animals for simply sport was unwise. So mutilating trees at variable degrees was her only form of entertainment until she got board of that and resorted to….reading and drawing.

“How long are you gonna do that?” Wanderer asked, prodding their fire with a stick, happily roasting a marshmallow on a stick in the other hand as their dinner heated up in a pan above.

Rana rolled her eyes, heading to the tree and began to collect them up again, slipping them back into her holsters but left one to twiddle between her fingers. “This world is boring. What do people do here?”

“Have lives.”

“Sounds awful.”

Wanderer smiled softly. “You’re far too used to technology and a systematic life of predictable expectation.”

“Civilian life lacks purpose.”

“Your mother spent 45 years as a working civilian.”

“Look where that got her now.” Rana bit back grumpily, earning herself a look of displeasure from the elder-teen. “I like purpose.”

Wanderer shook her head. “You’re gonna suffer from the biggest culture shock, I bet.” Her tone was dry before she pouted as the marshmallow caught fire.

Rana shook her head. “I was raised in a military like environment, trained very young to fight. My gift is designed to help in defence and offence…. I am a fighter and Mami said I popped out that jar wiggling like my little life depended in it! I need something more than to get soft in a world that doesn’t prioritise the risks or have fundamental lessons of how to defend themselves with or without gifts.”

Wanderer dropped her ruined marshmallow into the fire and said nothing which was unusual but Rana shook her head than focus onto that right now.

They has far too much time now. A topic for later.

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | Missing Beats of the heart | P1

Agustín new something was off in the moment he stepped into Casita, his arms ached as he carried the basket of wood with him, shadowed closely by Felix with his own basket but the quietness of the space reached him long before he entered the kitchen.

He had expected to see his wife in front of the oven, kneading her frustrations of the day into dough, expected to hear and smell the food cooking on heat. An unbreakable habit of the last few weeks, once he had coaxed her out of her room after the first few days.

Instead, he was met with a Julieta-less kitchen and no sign of meal preparations or warming oven. Julieta hadn’t been here for a while, it seemed.

“Julieta?” Agustín frowned lightly, placing the basket down onto the side. Casita began to wiggle it down the surface.

“Maybe she has a nap?” Felix suggested, “I’ll get dinner started.”

Agustín nodded, sounded good. Maybe Julieta needed time for herself, a well-earned break. He could always leave her a plate if she was conked out. Agustín’s knuckles echoed across his wife’s door.

“Juli? You asleep?” He carefully opened the door, poking his head around first and expected to see Julieta’s sleeping body on the bed. But the bed was empty, the sheets made and untouched. It looked…like she hadn’t been here for a while either.

“Julieta?” He moved inwards, poking his head into the closet, then around but it wasn’t overly big that he expected her to be hiding; a part of him thought that maybe she had fallen asleep in a curled up position. Wasn’t the first time and he defiantly didn’t want her back to hate her later on.

The room was empty.

He left the room, though he let himself head towards Mirabel’s room, knocking lightly.

“Mira?”

After a moment the door opened to Mirabel sitting on the floor, a mess of fabric and thread around her, her sewing machine in pieces and she looked a little flustered.

“You…have a disagreement with your sewing machine?”

“It’s the old one. I thought it’d work well despite having a building dropped on it.” Mirabel answered. At the side of Mirabel’s new room, was a collection of embroidery tools, including a new machine, so it wasn’t like she couldn’t do anything. “I liked this one.”

Agustín nodded with a soft smile. “I remember your mother choosing it.” He smiled, “I wanted to get you a purple one…she wore me down with the black one since they didn’t have a blue one that you likes. She let Isabela hand-paint it though.”

Mirabel’s 7th birthday. It took a lot to convince Julieta that Mirabel would be safe with a machine with supervision. The girl took to it faster than she had with manual learning. One of the last few times Isabela really put effort into presents.

Mirabel snorted, her finger trailing over the worn, damaged paint of golden vines and leaves. “Still, I love it. I don’t want to get rid of it.”

“Don’t. Why don’t you put it back into one piece and have it as décor or a trophy of it’s 8 years of service before its demise.”

He could see a good few spaces that it could work. It didn’t have to work but he hoped she’d like the suggestion.

“I’ll see.” She set down the wheel in her hands, pushing her glasses up her nose, “did you want something, pa?”

“Oh, Right.” His reason of being resurfaced quickly. “Have you seen your mother?”

Mirabel blinked in surprise, “No… not since breakfast. I left earlier to hang out with the town kids but came back to sort out Luisa’s new skirt. She wants donkeys put on along with the dumbbells.”

Agustín’s shoulders deflated but nodded with a false smile. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.” He departed quickly without another word and a confused look.

Pepa didn’t know where Julieta went.

Luisa didn’t know where Julieta went.

Bruno didn’t know where she went.

Abuela also didn’t know where her daughter went.

Agustín was feeling the anxiety now knowing that almost everyone didn’t know where his wife was and no one seemed worried about it even as dinner was set Agustín waited for Dolores and Isabela to arrive.

Only… Isabela seemed to sit down at the table.

“No Dolores?”

“She’s eating with Mariano and his mother tonight.” Isabela shrugged, “It’s much quieter there.”

Despite the fact it was a valid point, it frustrated Agustín and though Abuela mentioned briefly on Julieta’s absence, Agustín found no appetite as the others dug into their food. His eyes lingering on the darkening sky.

Something was wrong.

“isa, when was the last time you saw your mother?” Agustín asked, interrupting her conversation with Pepa who clouded over a little.

Isabela’s face pulled in but he gave her a hard stare to answer.

“She left to do some shopping just after lunch.”

“Alone?”

Isabela nodded but that was enough; something had happened when she had gone shopping. Why she hadn't left it to him, he didn’t know but she certainly would have been back by now if it was just that.

“Agustín?!” Abuela called as he jumped onto his feet and stormed from the table. His feet faster than his mind but he knew only one person now who could actually be useful. He should have just gone straight to Dolores. Not wait and wonder and hope for the best.

“Dolores!” He knocked on the Guzman’s door, his weight shifting from one leg to another impatiently in the following seconds before Mariano’s head appeared as the door swung open.

“Tio?” Dolores looked a little startled as he stepped around him; he had clearly interrupted but Agustín didn’t care.

“Your Tia. Can you locate her?”

“Agustín, can this wait?” Senora Guzman asked in mild frustration, setting down her cutlery.

“No.”

Dolores’s head tilted but after a moment her eyes widened before she rose to her feet, doing what he asked at the very least.

“I can’t hear her.” Her hands rose to her mouth. “I can’t hear her.”

Agustín felt his stomach drop and the ice form in his veins. In Encanto, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t hear.

“She’s not in Encanto.” Agustín realised out loud, feeling horrified at the idea. “That’s the only reason why you wouldn’t be able to hear her.”

Dolores did have a range and that covered at least a mile in all directions from Encanto from her current position. What worried him mostly was that… she had very little in the way of ability to leave and he knew she certainly didn’t pack anything. Not even a knife.

A woman, alone in the woods with no supplies…or water.

Dolores gasped sharply, “Excuse me,” She grabbed Agustín’s arm and tugged, leaving the Guzman’s staring after them as they ran back to Casita.

“Julieta’s missing!” Dolores called first, stopping all conversation at the table, “She’s not in Encanto and I can’t hear her!”

“Missing?” Abuela echoed first, standing up sharply “What? When?”

“Well, shopping and not coming back fills that criteria.” Agustín remarked back. “We need to find her now. If she’s been gone for the last 7 hours, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover”

Luisa stood up, wiping her hands down. “I’ll help.” Her face serious. “It’ll be complete darkness soon…I don’t want her to be out there alone.”

“Antonio, can you get your friends to help us?” Mirabel asked, her face pale and strong but he could see the silent terror in her eyes.

Antonio’s eyes flickered to his jaguar and nodded. “Parce has a good nose. He can follow her scent.”

“Good. We’ll need it, especially in the dark”

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | Birthday grief

“Happy Birthday, hermana.” Pepa whispered as she and Bruno sat in his room, a photo of their eldest lost third between them. The aching loss never feeling more real than now in the privacy of his walls from the family. Not that the rain didn’t give her tells away at the moment she had disappeared off with her sibling and no doubt everyone else knew as well but the fact they were humoured was enough to keep the charade going; that this was now what they had to do.

Pepa didn’t care and Bruno was doing a good job at keeping the photo and candle dry with an umbrella settled above it.

Loss like this, the pain made the celebration of their day feel hollow. She had grown accustomed to absence, like Bruno has in the last decade but it had never been this ache. They had never had a birthday together since their 40th. When Bruno had come back, Pepa had felt relief that they’d once be a proper triplet birthday.

Then Julieta had vanished… and died.

The real realisation was swift to follow was now that they’d never have a triplet birthday again with one missing…or dead. The inability to bury her didn’t help with closure. Mama hadn’t come out of her room and Pepa didn’t even try because there was no denying the grief this day meant for their mother; a reminder of their Papa’s loss and the loss of her home but now.. now it was the loss of Julieta was now a part of her grief…

“Think she’d watching down at us?” Bruno asked quietly, thumbing over his rosary beads slowly.

“No.” Pepa answered, not looking up as she felt his look. “Why’d she come down to see us grieve when she’s with Papi celebrating what she never could with him up there?” At least with him, she didn’t have to think about them; what she had left behind.

Pepa hated that. Hated that Julieta had died and left them alone. Left them a duo. Left them in a horrifying way. Left her husband and her daughters… left their mother. She hated that she hated that. Julieta’s death hadn’t been purposeful… the desperation for water

Pepa felt Bruno prod at her before she waved the snow away.

“Why did she have to die on us?”

Pariah Julieta say quietly against the pillar to their private room, most people now had taken up bean bags and passed out like Stray or in Decay’s case, found a lover for the night in her drinking and disappeared off.

Distort had also passed out drunk, which was odd to see given he was still physically aged 15, even by now he was twenty-two. Much like Wanderer in appearance in comparison to her real age. She too had also disappeared off but Pariah didn’t let herself over think if she had disappeared off with a guy or just got bored.

It was an odd day but Pariah was…one of the few that kept track of her birthday in her native world. Sure, she already celebrated her own birthday here already but this day, it was also October 17th in her native world. Two years had passed and by all accounts, she was now physically 52 years old, even though she was about 65 years old.

She had wanted to celebrate it and Hallow had worked wonders for a last-minute party. Hallow herself had long since dropped birthdays for herself; she didn’t care for them as much anymore.

The high of the party had worn off and Pariah was tucked in between Dweller and Hallow with the familiar buzzing and dryness in her mouth. Dweller was quiet though, his fingers tracing the metallic shell of her prothetic with curiosity.

Hallow was… mellow. Which was off for an emotionless woman but Pariah didn’t ponder on that too much as they all sat quietly.

“You okay?” Dweller asked after a moment. “You’ve gone all sad.”

Pariah offered him a soft look as he looked at her with those glowing eyes, a face so young but only a few years younger than herself.

“I keep thinking of my family…my Pepa and Bruno.” Pariah admitted, “their…second birthday without me.”

Dweller’s eyes turned down in understanding. “I’m sorry.”

“After…my Bruno went into the walls… the birthdays after that, we still celebrated with the family. Me and Pepa would sneak to his door and leave a cake… or a little present.” Her lips curled sadly, “But…. We hoped he was alive. They were always gone by morning.”

Dweller sighed out softly. “You still kept him in your life…even if you didn’t know how close he always was.”

“This day… this will be the hardest for them. Not as bad as…last year but again…” She knew how hard it was but… they had probably long thought she was dead. At least with Bruno they had hope. Not her. No, she was literally dead to the family at this point and… that was a new pain.

A part of her longed for her native siblings.

Dweller’s hand moved from tracing to grasping her metal hand softly. “Their grief in your absence is just a sign that they still love you.”

Pariah closed her eyes as she rested her head onto his shoulder. “I know. I…I do miss them…but I don’t think I’ll ever find the strength to face them.” Not with what had happened to her. She…was too different now. Less…human. How could she look them in the eye and all they’d see of what she’d become.

Agustín may not even want her; she could kill him with a touch…or worse accidently break him with her arm or leg. He was so delicate now; a loving, warm father that had done so much more in the last two years while she had become a soldier…a fighter and she was a hardened soul. She wasn’t what they needed anymore. She had ruined her family long before she had left, inflicted by her choices and they hated her for it.

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | Julieta ( miscarriage tw )

This is Verana Madrigal, known as Rana for short, if the fourth daughter of Julieta and Agustín of the Pariah AU, conceived 2 months before the Casita’s rebuild was completed after the Encanto found out via Camilo of Julieta’s actions to interfering with Mirabel’s ceremony, somewhat turning them more against Julieta as they came to the conclusion she had effectively destroyed the miracle that had protected them.

Things got difficult after the residence they had been at didn’t want Julieta there but thankfully, Agustin’s mother was quick to lend a hand, inviting them to stay. So they did.

Agustín came back to help comfort his wife, which did work for a small part of time but reality of the situation wasn’t different.

So for 9 weeks, Julieta didn’t notice the signs of pregnancy, assuming mostly the symptoms were a result of stress and depression she had been handling since the collapse.

After the magic returned, Dolores picked up the subtle sounds of fetal heartbeats but wasn’t sure if she should tell anyone, as she assumed that Julieta knew given her Tia had three other kids before.

Three weeks later, Julieta went MIA after a nasty spout of gossip pushed Julieta into a disassociated state to Encanto; which Dolores did hear initially but didn’t think Julieta would get far as she went to get help to bring her back.

As the family began to worry when Julieta didn’t return that night, Dolores did let slip that Julieta was carrying twins; given how many hearts she heard which only spurred the family to find her. Two and a half days later, Julieta’s door went dark which led to the grim assumption that Julieta had died out in the forests.

Julieta herself still hadn’t realised she was pregnant, even when she return back to reality to find herself lost in the woods, she tried to return, getting more lost and further away. As the hours without food and water, Julieta tried to forage as she went to stop the pangs.

it wasn’t until after she almost drowned that Hallow and her group had access to a proper scanner in the watcher AU, which picked up on one of the heartbeats; the stress of the ordeal causing Julieta to miscarry one of the babies that she had yet to pass, and the other one still at risk. She was medically bed ridden for a few days to ensure the surviving baby wasn’t at risk when she was discharged.

Because of this, The Watcher Casita had a suit prepped in the event of an early delivery to maximise the baby’s chances, at the suggestion of Watcher!Julieta. This came to save the Baby’s life, 3 months later, when Pariah!Juliet was about 5 months along where she was assisting the group navigate a Corrupt AU to get the corrupted magic candle where she was caught by Corrupt!Luisa and suffered the traumatic loss of her leg.

Because of that, the baby had to be delivered prematurely so Pariah had better survival chances with her leg. Fortunate, the Watcher AU was more technology advanced, and with magic and with close ties with a more advanced, tech AU, they were able to forge together an artificial womb for the baby to continue to grow in until she could breath independently.

Julieta was able to stay by her side in her own recovery and named the baby girl Verana, a name meaning Faith, as she needed something to believe in and to trust in during the difficult time.

#julieta madrigal #pariah julieta #pariah au #pariah verana #agustín madrigal #agustin madrigal #pariah madrgials #luisa madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores madrigal #mirabel madrigal #miscarriage tw #pregnancy tw #pepa madrigal #watcher mirabel #wanderer mirabel #hallow pepa

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | Missing Beats of the Heart | P2

The two days following was hell.

Agustín felt like he was piped up on caffeine and helpless as fear and anxiety never left. Day one had forced him back too early with an incident with a beehive and even now the pain and swelling was almost gone but Abuela refused to let him leave to help.

In his mind, he could only picture what state his wife was in because he could only assume that she had gotten lost; unable to return. If she had no food; she knew her plants well but he knew water… if she had no water than her chances were near too slim if she hadn’t found a pond or a puddle. He begged the gods that she found something.

Anything.

He dreaded the idea of her calling out for him in the wilderness…for the family. Only for no one to show up. How scared she must be to be out there alone. She could be hurt…or worse. That had been that nightmares of the last few nights, when he actually got sleep

Agustín held onto hope because… that was all he had. All that he could give to their daughters.

And the fact was Julieta’s door was still there, light and bright. Bruno had insisted that his door only went dark when he left the family instantly once he left it. There was no delay. No waiting. If her door went dark, that only left one conclusion so he hoped the door light stayed; giving them the indication of Julieta’s health.

People of the town did help, Antonio’s animals friends had ventured from out but Pepa hadn’t let her son go too far; the animals would return with news. Abuela ruled that all parties to turn back before they stray out of Encanto’s range. All parties had since returned on the second day, including the family.

They were all now waiting on animals.

His feet echoed as he once again was resorting to pacing along the hammocks at Casita’s; waiting to see any sign of fur through the shutters. It was early now and he was sure he had eaten something. The only methodical thing that casita was doing, probably their own version of pacing or trying to sooth him, he didn’t know, was the ripples of tiles beside him; turning when he turned and going down the same direction.

“Pa,” A voice of his youngest stopped him for a moment, turning to see Mirabel standing,” Abuela’s asked Bruno to do a vision, see if he can find her.”

Agustín’s attention peaked. “I want to sit in.”

“Go. I’ll wait for Parce and Pico and Antonio.” Mirabel said.

Agustín nodded, touching her arm as he passed and hurried up the steps and straight to Bruno’s door with a sharp knock. Agustín was idly surprised to see Abuela open the door but she just nodded him in.

Inside, Bruno’s room opened up to his living space; a bed, a closet; what appeared to be a little area with a miniature theatre set up.. there was more but Agustín’s attention was to the open door on the other side which opened to the distinct view of a vision cave.

Unlike before, this was now fairly light in colour; limestone with jade décor of inspirations along the sides with both green and white light.

Bruno looked to be setting up incense in the centre sandpit. Pepa stat off to the side, arms curled around herself, looking terrified and a cloud of snow decorating her in white. But she didn’t seem to notice.

“Inside or outside, your choice.” Bruno started, lighting up the center pile.

Agustín and Abuela didn’t hesitate to get inside, kneeling down but a moment later, Pepa joined, her hand grasping both his and Abuela’s hand, he could feel hers shaking. Bruno took his other hand and his mother.

“Remember, try and take in as much details of the background, is there’s a treeline, or mountain line.” Bruno started, eyes turning green before the sand began to ripple then swirl around as in an invisible wind before quite promptly lifting up into a dome….

Then images began to form in the sand, captivating the group in silent fear

Julieta hadn't left the woods. Dishevelled and struggling. Stumbling disorientated through the trees, clearly lost and dehydrated but she was walking towards a river.

“Juli…” Pepa’s breath caught, “Go on…get to the water…”

Rapid rivers. A flicker closer had her at the edge, leaning over the unstable surface, scooping water desperately into her mouth...

--Moment’s later after a second of rest, the bank edge caved and Julieta was thrown face-first into the white rapids.

“No!” the sound left all their lips and Agustín felt a deep terror settle in his chest.

A few flickers showed her struggle to reach the surface through the churning water until an almost audible thunk as a hard push of water shoved her mercilessly against a rock---

Julieta’s prone form was caught against a rock against a river bank, face down in the stream—

Agustín felt his hands shaking, his eyes unable to tear away from the nightmare of possibility….

Time had passed Julieta's muddy apron was caught on a rock without it's owner, caught downstream beside a familiar bridge before the familiar form of Luisa seemed to pluck it from the water's surface—

The dome burst, raining down onto them; Bruno shielding his face behind a new tablet.

Agustín couldn’t breathe; watching as the tablet was flipped over but Bruno’s face was pale and afraid before he turned and vomited up his lunch over the edge of the pit.

Abuela was the first to take it but her hands shook unsteadily, pale face and disbelieving at what she was seeing.

Pepa’s snow increased but the low thunder echoed before she took off out the door, face in her hands as she went.

Agustín felt frozen, unable to move…unable to think.

No. That wasn’t true. Julieta was fine. She was fine. She had to be fine! She had to come home.

“Agustín…”

Agustín couldn’t concentrate. Julieta was on her way back. Parce would be back…Antonio would share the news they had found her and she was waiting to be picked up….and he’s take care of her here at Casita like a good husband; make sure she had everything she needed.

“Agustín”

He didn’t just watch her di—

Slap!

Agustín gasped suddenly, his hand shooting to the sudden sharp pain that ripped through his face as he felt back onto his ass, his attention pulled to Abuela pulling her hand back.

“Go to her door.” Agustín numbly rose to his feet, not sure why he was complying but he did…

Stumbling out quickly and tripping up straight to Julieta’s door; the light still there… only signs of life.

Julieta was fine…

But the nagging voice in the back of his mind said ‘for now’

----

Mirabel’s eyes followed her father as he left to Bruno’s room, her hands feeling sweaty and for the third time, she wound up wiping them down onto her skirt.

No one was talking. Not really. But the fear was palpable; the uncertainty of her mother’s disappearance left them with mountain of questions and no answers…and guilt.

Logically, Mirabel knew her mother didn’t disappear with intention of never coming back. She hadn’t meant to leave. If she was going to leave, she would have taken stuff. How could have a simple shopping trip turned into a missing person’s case? Why would Mama leave like that? Did someone take her for revenge?

“Is Papi going to Tio Bruno’s room?” Luisa’s voice asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

Luisa wasn’t alone, Isabela was behind her and Dolores appeared a few seconds later, all of them worried and Luisa looked to be on the brink of tears.

Mirabel swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Let’s hope Tio has a good vision.” Isabela croaked nervously.

“Mami and Abuela are there.” Dolores stated, eyeing the little snow cloud above Bruno’s tower; the common cloud in the last couple of days.

Mirabel knew when that cloud changes; that’d tell them what her mother’s fate was. A visual tell and as much as she hated the idea of…anything happening to her mama, she needed to know… had to do her best to help in any capacity she could for better or for worse.

“Where’s Camilo?”

“In his room. He’s…feeling bad.”

“Good.” Isabela snapped quietly, folding her arms. “He should.”

“Like you did any better, Isabela.” Dolores fired back. “I heard what you said.”

Isabela flinched, her teeth grinding together.

“Stop.” Luisa demanded. “Tio Bruno will have his vision and we will find out mother.”

Dolores’s head rose before she nodded, “Let’s hope, and quickly. I can’t imagine Tia Julieta’s physical strain of this will do well to the little heartbeats.”

Mirabel’ thoughts suddenly veered quite sharply to the left as her mind processed what Dolores had just said. Little heart beats.

Various plants seemed to erupt and Luisa seemed to freeze up.

“What?” Mirabel croaked out first, not sure if she heard her correctly. “Little heartbeats?”

Dolores’s eyes widened in alarm. “She didn’t tell you?” her hands came to her mouth. Swearing quietly under her breath.

“Mami’s pregnant?!” Mirabel exclaimed because… that would explain a lot. To why Mami’s mood shifted quickly, why she seemed ill…why she rejected Mirabel’s peace-offering; it wasn’t about the offer…it was the coffee.

She knew her mother had wanted her back; to re-forge their relationship as mother and daughter. Mami had been desperate for that for months. So the change… it had confused her more than offended her, she just thought Mami had hit a new low so she gave her mother that space to find her way back to them.

Little heartbeats. Plural.

“More than one baby,” Mirabel breathed, her mind not fully processing it all “I’m going to be a big sister…” to twins? Triplets? In all honesty, she didn’t think her mother was for having any more in both in age and capability; the risks were far higher the older the woman was; Tia Pepa struggled with Antonio and that was five years ago. The 15 year age gap… and issues after her impute onto her ceremony…

The idea of more…

Luisa seemed to waver before sitting heavily down onto the chair Casita seemed to get under her in time.

Then a crash of thunder made her jump to the sudden, sharp reality.

No rainbows. No clear skies.

Dark, Thunder and rain seemed to lay the facts that chilled Mirabel into a seat long before Tia Pepa ran out of Bruno’s room in clear devastation, her heart picking up in her chest and her throat felt like she was swallowed a ball, her eyes filling with tears.

“Don’t….” Mirabel croaked out, “We don’t…tell Papi,” She knew this was bad at the moment, but now… “Let’s keep the babies quiet.” He didn’t need to know; didn’t need to know more. He didn’t need to have that pain. “Please.”

Luisa seemed to be numb, Isabela looked to be closer to reality but nodded airily along.

Mirabel was the first to move as she saw her father stumble out the room, darting up the steps, throat in her mouth as he tripped at his and mami’s door before he just…stayed down, staring up at the door in fear.

“Papi…” Her hand come to his shoulder but he was miles away.

So she sat, wondering why he was staring so intently but didn’t ask.

One by one, Luisa and Isabela joined them, sitting in front of the door but Mirabel knew it was a waiting game of something. Even Abuela seemed to appear, clutching a glass tablet to her chest, not allowing any view but her tear- streaked face told enough that Mirabel found herself crying silently.

Mami wasn’t coming back.

It could have been minutes or hours before the door began to flicker… dimming at fist before rapidly blinking.

Sharp gasps pulled the family to alert, her hand clutching her papi’s…aware he was on the verge of breaking down.

Then quite abruptly after a few minutes, the light in the door flickered out completely.

It didn’t come back.

“No…”

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | To Uncover The Truth P1

Abuela stood back at the edge of the kitchen, tucked away to observe with both caution and confusion at the sight that lay on her kitchen.

The strange girl and the…Isabela. The latter was laid out on their dining room table and that was astonishing to see how alike the Isabela was and wasn’t but Abuela new her nieta was fine with the rest of the grandchildren she kept in their rooms; Her Isabela wasn’t the one lying down so she kept her focus to the girl, watching as she seemed to shine a light down the other girl’s through, touching along the bruises around the woman’s neck and checking over with… clear sense of experience of what she was looking for

Felix so far in the last ten minutes had been the one she looked to be most open for aid; Agustín was rejected and Abuela wasn’t sure why but she allowed it but she could feel Agustín shifting beside her as he too observes with a tense expression.

“She looks like her.”

Abuela pursed her lips but didn’t disagree. The girl did look like Julieta; she couldn’t deny that evidence but… from simple observation she looked to have a very hard and rough personality that was Julieta’s opposite; with the fact the girl carried throwing blades, as Luisa had mentioned, and the 7 dead men Abuela had to assume the girls did not live a simple, peaceful life.

No wonder there was distrust so she hoped that Felix would be their lead to…understanding this puzzle.

The girl was a Madrigal; she looked like Julieta and had a gift. Undeniable. Abuela could feel it in her gut.

But she just…didn’t make any sense.

“Did she give a name?”

“First name only, Verana.” Agustín signed, “So far, she’s single minded to care for her…sister. Apparently she’s called Decay.”

“Decay?” Abuela looked to him sharply, “Who calls a baby that?”

“I suspect it’s a nickname that’s… normalised. She mentioned another— I suspect the Mirabel look-alike—she called Wanderer.”

“I see.”

“We’ve got a few people searching the rivers. Bruno’s vision of her falling in was true.”

Abuela nodded. “What has she said?”

“Nothing beyond necessary. She’s not trusting us more than necessary either; probably only enough to care for her sister. She wouldn’t leave until she had stripped the remaining assailants of technology that we’re unfamiliar with and showed a few how to make hand-guns safe and left after that. She won’t let anyone near those bags.” He nodded down, where under the table was a bag that looked to have been taped down from bursting with…stuff.

“I see.”

The girl knew her weapons; she was trained and clearly from a young age. Which made it all the more difficult but Abuela knew she had to be the authority here; this was her home and family she had to protect.

“Her gift, I believe is in her eyes. She won’t take the glasses off.” Agustín added.

Abuela suspected as much. “Let’s not force them off until we know for certain what she can do. Luisa said she…effected a group at once which means she can easily subdue even her and the rest in a heartbeat. I’d rather not test that just yet.” Perhaps the girl’s gift was linked to the girl’s road-life. Easier to escape or defend…or worse attack.

“What do we do now?”

“Keep them in Casita, if we can. I want to know more about her…and her friends.”

“We have the nursery being sorted out; two beds in there for now. Mirabel said she was open for her duplicate to bunk in hers. She can fish for information as well.” Agustín carried on. “If you’ll let her.”

“I’ll keep it in mind. Go and talk to the men, Mariano is still sorting out their…camp. He might be able to find useful bits and pieces there. We’ll try and curry some favour here.”

Agustín paused but after a moment he nodded. “Okay.”

Abuela watched him leave before he took a steady breath and with her head held high swept fully into the kitchen. Felix looked up but sunk more to the background as she approached.

“Welcome to my home. I am Alma Madrigal, this family’s matriarch.” She introduced.

The girl’s head rose her to look at her but her expression didn’t change before she nodded softly, the girl’s sunglasses made it hard to see what sort of emotion the girl had though Abuela felt the… hard stare through the tinted glass and her lip pursing a fraction.

“I’m Verana. I apologise for this unusual night for you. Once I have her on the mend, I will gladly leave.”

“Nonsense.” Abuela shook her head, noting how the girl didn’t present a last name to her either. “She’s hardly in a state to go back to the woods. I will not allow that when there is plenty of space in my home. It would be careless of me to let you go.”

Verana looked…displeased but didn’t argue on her with that.

“How old are you?”

Verana again looked displeased but Abuela fixed her with a stern look.

Verana’s cheeks flushed a little though seemed to cave. “Just turned 15.”

“You’re left to go camping at…15 in the middle of the woods of nowhere?”

“I didn’t have a choice. I had to go.” Verana frowned at her oddly. “This is my punishment. I don’t want to be here.”

“You...mother left you here?” Did…Julieta abandon this girl here? Abuela was not for that idea but… nothing here made sense; maybe Julieta didn’t get to raise the baby at all but they clearly knew where the girl was from…if she was a ture Madrigal.

“No.” her expression turned soft, though seemed to focus more to the metal limbs with a fonder edge, “No.” With a few flicks, the girl seemed to detach the damaged stump from Decay’s frame, turning to place it on the counter side and wrap it up in a cloth.

Felix spoke next, softly with “Is…your mother alive? Is there a way to contact her to bring you home?”

Verana said nothing, tying up the broken limb intently.

Felix spared a look to her before Abuela shook her head to stop probing. Too close, it seemed and she didn’t think Verana here would cooperate much more. As much as she itched to know more. They had to treat carefully.

Abuela turned her focus to the Isabela—Decay—properly for the first time since standing here. There was no mistake; this girl looked almost like Isabela but… the differences were horrifyingly chilling.

Most prominently was the…metallic arms, or lack thereof; real arms. One looked to have been cut off; the metallic stump was… spuriously sharp in such damage; she could only imagine what had cut through metal. Verana had taken off the outer layer of the odd, leather and cotton jackets to expose the shoulders that… looked to be graphed onto metal. Like it was a part of her. There was some scarring around.

The woman’s face, her left side looked to have scars from the corner of her left eye that trailed up to her hairline but also down her cheek and towards her shoulder in a fashion similar to Lichtenberg scars but…deeper set.

But the scar across her throat, Abuela realised in horror that the girl here had had her throat slit in the past. Clearly there was more to the girl with the…tiny metal panels along her bruised skin but the idea that the girl had survived such horrors spoke a lot. Amputee. Scarred face, throat slit.

What sort of life did these two live?

“What happened to her?” Abuela asked faintly but the answer she got was far worse with how causal the teenager spoke.

“She didn’t fight well enough.” Verana shrugged, getting back to business, peering down the girl’s throat again “I’m making sure her vocal implants aren’t damaged; if they are, I can’t feed her and will have to remove the implants. She’ll lose the ability to speak until a proper replacement or until I can repair them myself.”

“Vocal implants?” Abuela echoed, the term sounded….technical. Unusual but it…seemed somewhat logical to what she assumed was important to the girl’s injury.

“Yes. Much like…these fake arms, she has a fake voice box to allow her to speak.”

Abuela swallowed uneasily, glacing to Felix who looked just as uncomfortable as she did. “May I ask how…she came to need such a replacement?”

Verana paused for a moment to consider. “Got stabbed in the neck.” She sighed out with a shake of her head. “Very messy. I would not recommend.” She snorted softly though looked a little content with her examination before she closed Decay’s mouth shut. “I can’t see she’s in any immediate danger of follow-ups from this sort of injury so it’ll be best for her to wake before she eats.” Verana twirled for the medical pack and opened it up before pulling out a…Arepa and quite promptly tucked it into the girl’s shirt.

Abuela’s breath caught.

Julieta’s food.

“We can take her to the nursery. It still has a bed in there you can use” Felix suggested, “It’s….getting late. I’m sure you need to rest.”

Verana paused, her head tiling towards the doors. “I suppose…”

“We’ll bring your friend here as soon as she’s found.”

“Dead or alive.” Verana added intently

“Sure.” Felix, on his part very well composed before Verana casually took off the other woman’s metal arm and wrapped that as well before a soft knock echoed.

Behind her, Abuela turned to see Luisa poking her head in a little awkwardly but clearly here by Dolores’s suggestion.

“Take these two to the nursery please and get your Tia and Tio from her room.”

Verana picked up all the bags though followed Luisa, calling back once before she was gone with a “have fun talking about us. Buenos noches.”

Felix was the only one to snort at that.

Rana knew she was being rude, or at least not as polite as she should but she was grateful for Decay as Luisa put her down before thankfully disappearing off to get Tio Bruno and Tia Pepa. Dios, Tia Pepa. How odd it was to think that. Rana only really knew Hallow Pepa… Her tia by technicality but not. But this Pepa… this Pepa was her true Tia.

It made her nose wrinkle.

Not that she was disgusted at the notion but… she knew Hallow. She loved Hallow. How could she be expected to love this version of her? This version of the family that had been the reason her mother had left.

Rana set the bags down onto the floor with a heavy sigh before she worked to make Decay more comfortable; taking off her shoes and socks, replatting her hair and tucked the Arepa for her on the side; hopefully in mouth-reach when she woke up.

The fact that the family was having a meeting about them… Rana didn’t care. Not really. They were probably planning to find ways to keep an eye on them; to try and find information on them as well…

She was going to have to leave a lot of skulls and hazard signs on her belongings if they wanted to avoid getting hurt with snooping. Unless snooping should have some punishment, then she’d leave the less lethal with nothing.

At least… well things were certainly awkward. She was sure she had some impression on the family and she knew for a doubt Decay brought up questions but… this was would be fully breaching contamination protocols if she blurted things out; even if Watcher Abuela knew and planned for that. How could she explain the concept of the Muli-verse well? She sure as well didn’t have the patience but...maybe Decay and Wanderer would. They were evidence to that point but… well they might be able to understand the multiverse better than the observe passages of time between Here and the watcher AU.

It could…answer why she was 15, not one and a half…why her mother was still alive but.. to them, they wouldn’t see that. They’d see Mami being gone for 15 years without looking back on them like she didn’t care! They’d hate her mother even more so how could she be the one to show them that? They didn’t understand so… how could she even start?

Rana pulled her glasses off, setting them onto the side though ignore the shifting of the floorboards as Casita made herself known; probably curious about her given it could probably feel her magic. This wasn’t her casita.

This Casita was a peanut. Not so grand or majestic like the Watcher Casita; that Casita was a castle of beauty and power under the light of the realms….

This place was pathetic and… she hoped to the architects that someone would come for Decay soon; she could see how her mother was; after all no doubts weeks has past by now and… maybe she could see how long she had to stay in this dementedly sad world.

so Verana’s got a warped perception but tbh, you can’t blame her; she doesn’t know her family or how they’ve been since they’ve been gone. ALl she knows is from her mother’s stories. She’s not for trusting but also...kinda needs the family help with Decay...and finding Wanderer

What do you think?

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | To Uncover the Truth P3

Decay knew this was going to be a very awkward breakfast but she was grateful that Felix was first to assist in getting a plate together for her as she sat though she held the gazes confidently, she knew her Pariah Counterpart was brimming with questions more than the rest… well. Pariah Abuela more so.

“Gracias.” She nodded to Felix through he seemed...the most relaxed out of everyone.

“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, after a moment “You…looked a little rough last night.”

“Better. Exhausted but better. Today’s…probably going to be an emotionally quiet day. Hopefully.” Sometimes denial was better to have and be a little happier for a little longer; she’d process the….failure when she was at the Watcher Casita, writing up her report. Maybe give it a cry… she’d see after she cuddled Dante and got a new arm.

Decay was a little glad that Felix picked up food that only required one hand than anything that needed to be cut up, and much quicker to eat; now she realised how hungry she was.

“What happened to your arm?” Antonio was the first to pop after the first few minutes of looks and cutlery against ceramics.

“Antonio!”

“What?” Antonio looked around, “We’re all thinking it.”

Decay sniggered, though she grimaced at the ratting echo it had that…made her sound much more sinister.

“It’s okay,” Decay interjected before Abuela could get involved, “I don’t mind that you’re curious. I know that…you’ve probably not encountered anyone with my….condition. Where I’m from, this isn’t uncommon so no one tends to care what’s happened to you, only if you’re functional to work.”

A few forks were placed down so Decay took a heavy sip and sat back now she had the table’s attention.

“So, like what happened to your arm? I… well I mean how you got the metals ones.” Antonio rephrased, stroking Parce’s head.

“Well, I lost them separately to each other” She knew she probably had to censor this, Antonio looked to be about seven…or eight so best not scar him. “I…lost my right after getting it trapped under a rock slide, it…cut off circulation to the limb so…to save me, they had to remove it.”

“That sounds nasty.”

“It wasn’t pleasant but…I got better. I got a new one when I got into my current line of work. I lost the other arm a few years later…” She paused, sparing a look to Pepa and Felix. “to a bad man with a chakram blade.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s an Indian throwing weapon, but… you’re a little too young to know those details.” The adults would put them together quicker than him to know what she’d mean soon enough. Bruno certainly did by how he seemed to wince; his hand coming to his arms.

“Aww.” Antonio pouted into her plate before grabbing an empanada.

“Still… like that sounds…hard.” Mirabel winced, “is your job…dangerous?”

Decay hummed, “It depends how old and how skilled they are that determines their missions. Us three, we work in a type of…military organisation—not a government run one” she added swiftly seeing Abuela’s alarm in her eyes. “Private organisation. We try and keep the peace between places… or provide aid to refugees of those of lost homes. We can be displaced ourselves but once my superiors realise me and my team are missing, they’ll investigate.”

Abuela still looked much more concerned, “But… they have gifts? Are you…made to join? Can you leave?”

“No. I will admit, this place does have it’s own magic. I was taken in to be healed but they gave me the option to return. I chose to stay and recruited into their service. Verana, actually was born into the service industry… that’s where her cultural differences come from. That life is all she knows.”

“They have magic too!” Mirabel blinked, “how?”

“That’s…not a story I can tell. It’s…too complicated.”

Abuela sucked in a heavy breath. “Do you have a gift?”

Decay set her fork down properly and lent forwards and laid out her palm up on the table before the magical glimmer along the sides flickered stronger before she watched the potato duo form in her hand, little wadding arms and legs formed too before she felt herself waver a little in strength as she finished up though she heard the gasp from her counterpart.

“You have my gift?!” Isabela gaped, though looked very uncertain at the implication.

Decay licked her lips though prodded one of the stationary potatoes. And for a moment there was nothing before it wiggled, falling flat onto its face.

Silence fell over the table, a few jaws dropping as the potato man wiggled again and managed to manoeuvre its limbs to set itself up…. Then let out this tiny, adorable whine and…walked straight into Felix’s glass, pinged off and began to roll around.

“Cool!” Antonio jumped off his chair, hurrying around, “it’s so small!”

Camilo looked very put off, leaning back in its chair as the second one moved and begrudgingly began its journey down the table top. Mirabel grinned down at it, leaning forwards.

“Are they safe?”

“Right now…they’re passive and probably going to be looking floor a pot of soil to settle in. they’ll get more adventurous once they’ve explores more of this world. They’ll eat dirt and absorb water… on and they’ll reproduce by burrowing into fertile soil when they’re ready.”

“They can reproduce?!” Isabela looked both astonished and amazed.

“I recommend eating them before that; they don’t feel pain… or care about each other that much. They’re still veg.”

“Why would you eat them?!” Antonio look offended at the idea, reaching forwards and plucked the one that was peering into Felix’s glass of orange juice and held it to his chest. “They’re little people!”

Isabela seemed to get more interested and picked up the one that had gotten at the end of the table. Abuela looked…uncertain, even as the girl picked it up and peered at it closely then produced a petal up for it.

The potato man cooed, reaching for both ‘hands’ and took it from her… then drooped it, holding it’s arms out again for more. So Isabela began to produce little planty things for it and waited on it’s reactions.

Bruno lent forwards to watch though it seemed most of the adults weren’t so thrilled, even as Isabela and Antonio went to take them to her room to get them settled… or to just investigate them more.

“Shame, they really are delicious…especially with salt and butter.”

Camilo sniggered into his plate. “You eat them?”

“No… my son did when he was two. I thought they’d be good pets…he though they were a snack.”

Mariano, up until that point had been quiet with Dolores, choked onto his drink. “S-Son?!”

Decay paused though she noticed the widening look on Agustín, Luisa and Mirabel’s faces than Abuela’s. This wasn’t easy but… she did find herself enjoying this far more than she expected. Their plain and honest reactions to things that were beyond them… it was fun.

“Si. Dante.” She smiled softly, though it saddened a little, “He’s at home… I left him with Abscond and Fracture so… he’s in good hands.”

“How old?” Mirabel lent forwards.

“He turned 5 four weeks ago.” Decay smiled with bride.

“Aw, such a cute age.” Mirabel smiled, “though… you had him young? How old are you? Twenty five like our…isabela?”

“No…” Decay paused as she realised the matter this presented, “It’s…hard to explain. I’m...older than I look. Time…doesn’t work the same way there than it does here.”

Bruno’s head perked up, “How?”

“Says the man who sees the future…” Decay gave him a look, before shaking her head. “Look… It’s complicated. Time out here is…slower. Time there is faster.”

“I don’t get it.” Camilo rubbed his head, “How? Time is…time. Nothing changes that.”

“Plants in the solar system are faster or slower depending on their orbit around the run; their concept of years are very different” Decay reasoned though looked to her plate for a moment. “It’s…that concept but with time. How long as your wife been gone?”

Agustín’s face was…oddly impassive, his breakfast abandoned in front of him like most at the table.

“Two years.”

Decay nodded though she did her best to run the numbers—though she knew them already from Pariah herself; she needed to look smart…and well versed.

“So,” she lent forwards. “here, it’s been two year but there it’s… been about sixteen years. People like me, to survive those obscure passages of time, we also granted a tattoo relic to bind our aging process to a stable reference. I’m 38.”

Mirabel gaped, “You’re almost 40! Wow!” she looked shocked, taking in her appearance “That’s so weird… you look just..” her eyes flickered to Casita. “Wait, how old is the other girl that looks like me?”

Decay supressed a smile “She’s 115.”

Mirabel’s jaw dropped, Abuela who had been taking a sip of coffee choked a little.

“Oh, come on! You honestly believe that?!” Camilo shook his head. “This is nonsense.” He shook his head, taking a handful of his food and walked off though Decay rolled her eyes.

“Camilo...” Pepa called after him.

“it’s okay, let him believe what he wants. I’m not asking any of you to believe me for that matter.” She added, “but, Dolores, you’d be able to tell is we were lying, right.”

Dolores’s hand tightened onto Mariano’s though gave a non-committal squeak and looked to Mariano.

“Excuse me,” Agustín spoke, setting his cutlery down and hurried away, no doubt to his room though Decay watched idly, he probably needed a break but… she had to get the family’s mind open…especially if Rana would be here for the long term. The family had to understand them before they, or Rana, needed to understand the family.

Wanderer’s arms were like a vice, wrapped around her and even her legs had joined in like she was some sort of trunk for a koala. Rana didn’t like it but she knew Wanderer needed this so, she bit her lip and became the tree. The holster with blades didn’t help and the added weight pressed in the rim into her skin. Her stomach grumbled unhappily for food but the whole idea of going down, she hated.

She could only hope Decay brought food up to them then she could avoid officially meeting the rest of the family. Looking after Wanderer gave her a purpose to lay in bed, even if she hated the inactivity.

A knock at the door pulled her attention before the house opened it for her to see…Luisa standing in the doorway. Her second oldest Hermana. Out of all her siblings, she did…preference a more affectionate thought towards her in comparison of the other two. Rana cared very little for Isabela. She had Wanderer to care more about her native counterpart. It was odd now to see her now given they had somewhat met last night but…she had been far too busy to notice.

“hola…” Luisa stepped in, a tray in hand though her eyes flickered to Rana’s clingy Kohala of a girl. “How is she?”

“Clingy.”

“I see,” Luisa smiled softly, “Are you hungry?”

“I’m fine,” Rana answered though the low growl of her stomach even seemed to stirrer Wanderer who groaned, her grip on her loosening before she rolled but Rana lurched as Wanderer seemed to roll off towards the side of the bed and she wasn’t the only one. Luisa was the first to reach and catch the eldered-teen and Wanderer’s eyes were wide and alarmed before Luisa was quick to adjust her back onto the bed though remained knelt.

“gracisas….” Wanderer’s lip quivered, “Rana…stop making weird notices…” She sniffled, “So loud…”

Rana gave her a look before rolling her eyes.

“Would you like something to eat, er… Wanderer, is it?” Luisa asked politely.

Wanderer seemed to really notice Luisa for a long moment before her lip curled down and eyes welled up. “yes… very much. You’re so thoughtful.”

“I’m happy to help.” Luisa brought over the bowl, where inside sat the typical breakfasts though held very little to what Mami ever really made; she could see this was read from a recipe book. Rana supposed she shouldn’t judge too much, they didn’t have Mami.

Wanderer’s hand shook as she took it and for a long moment stared down into the food.

“With cutlery, you’re not a baby” Rana intersected as Wanderer began to lift the bowl to her face.

“Aw…” Wanderer’s shoulders slumped and set the bowl onto her knee

Rana took the other bowl with a nod though was quick to eat it down in comparison. Wanderer glasses steamed up but that might have been somewhat of an improvement as she ate, one small spoonful at a time.

“Is…she always like this after…” Luisa asked hesitantly.

“Well, I suspect she was stuck in a death loop for a few hours if she was trapped underwater, her brain chemistry is…disorganised as her body tried to regenerate the damaged cells.” Rana answered. “Recovery…takes some time.”

“Oh…I think I get why.” Luisa winced. “Is there anything we should be made aware of when she’s like this?”

“Hm… She’ll be very huggy with everyone, mostly she might get confused with who you lot are, she might think you’re her family but… she has none but us.”

Luisa’s eyes widened. “Orphaned?”

Rana shrugged, though pondered how to explain it. “She watched her world and town turn to dust around her. Genocide. Her family might be alive but… she’s never been able to find them.”

It was no secret Wanderer hated the idea of pruning of worlds because that was essentially what it was; controlled genocide to balance the universes and to prevent mutual annihilation of timelines. Distort was in favour of pruning given he was a victim of a collided AU, the last Madrigal of his world. His world or at least his family might have been saved if his or the other world had been pruned. The fights between her and Distort were often very brutal.

“I’m…so sorry to hear that.” Luisa swallowed thickly.

Rana shrugged, setting the bowl back onto the tray. “Just don’t pity her. She hates that.” Though seeing Wanderer take too long, Rana decided to step in. “You know what this is painful to watch, Wanderer, slurp it; you’ll eat it quicker.”

There was no hesitation as Wanderer brought the bowl to her mouth.

#encanto #encanto au #pariah au #pariah verana #verana madrigal #luisa madrigal #isabela madrigal #agustín madrigal #agustin madrigal #alma madrigal #pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #dolores madrigal #mariano guzman #camilo madrigal #antonio madrigal #bruno madrigal #pariah madrgials #julieta madrigal

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | Starting of a disaster | P1

Julieta shouldn’t have been surprised when Mirabel vanished, and the hours searching had been painfully long; thousands of worries and concerns, the ever-growing feeling of dread that something could quite easily happen to her child… lost in the woods if she went too far.

No one had ever wandered too far and the sight of the mountain split… it was all to easy now for someone to slip away and she wasn’t sure if anyone would survive this far out. Abuela had said the landscape had shifted to the point that…leaving was easier then returning.

Magical design to keep out outside visitors.

Agustín’s hand remained enclosed as their steps crunched through the rubble of their home. Her home of 50 years; her entire life was in shambles.

This felt like her fault.

A domino effect.

“I need to tell her.” Julieta whispered as she sunk to rest onto a fallen pillar, her hands coming to her knees, fingers gripping the dusty blue fabric anxiously, the settled dust no longer weighing in her lungs but she felt the pressure of guilt press far more heavily, “She needs to know.”

“Mi Amor…” Agustín sat down beside her, an arm enveloping around her that tugged her close.

Julieta shifted against him, her head coming to his shoulder. The soft breeze of the early morning air tickling at her cheeks as her eyes fluttered shut.

“She’ll hate me.” Julieta feared because… how could she not after what she had been through. Sparing her daughter a gift had landed her into a much more complex situation. If Mirabel had been spared a gift naturally, she didn’t see her mother changing because she didn’t even know.

“Mi vida, you know our daughter; she’s a forgiving girl.”

Julieta licked her dry lips, fingers unknotting and knotting into her apron, feeling the weight of the candle’s remains in her pocket still. “I robbed her of a gift, Agustín… how can she forgive me for that?” She whispered “I thought I was sparing her the weight of expectations… now look where that’s gotten us. Homeless. Giftless.”

Neither of them noticed Camilo slinking away with a frown on his face with furiously pink cheeks.

Agustín’s touch rubbed at her arm soothingly, his lips pressing against her forehead. “It…won’t be easy but you know I’ll help you through it. Once it’s out in the open… you don’t have to carry it anymore.”

Julieta inhaled deeply. “I hope so. I have a lot to make up for.”

“Talk to your mother first… if anything that’s a good place to start before we tell Mirabel.”

“Dolores knows.” Julieta reminded, “She…. She heard me that night.” It hadn’t occurred to her until after by Dolores’s expression but the girl had never said anything. Julieta had told herself many times that Dolores understood her reasoning; understood the weight that came with gifts.

“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Agustín mused.

Julieta’s eyes flickered open, peering up at him with a dry look.

“I mean, she can probably… mention it to Pepa and Felix about the concept; might make their responses a bit easier.”

“Hm..” He wasn’t wrong, Julieta realised but Dolores’s filter was always dodgy if dinner had been anything to prove…. But the girl had kept her secret for the last ten years so she wasn’t going to judge too sharply on a slip-up. Maybe it was best to leave Dolores to her side of the family and Julieta could handle hers.

Julieta had been reluctant to stand around so they had begun to look through the rubble of anything of salvage. Abuelo’s portrait had been damaged but Julieta felt relief to see the majority of the damage was to the frame and background canvas; her mother would be pleased.

A small portion of Clothes, food; the kitchen table was as solid as ever. Mirabel’s sewing machine took a beating but it stood on the table with their salvaged belongings.

Slowly, the family began to trickle back to Casita but Julieta’s heart dropped to see each one come back without her daughter.

“She’ll come back.” Felix assured, patting her arm as she led him and Pepa to a small table where someone had dropped off some food. “Your mother’s still out there.”

“Alone?”

“Mama’s not going to wander off too far.” Pepa spoke, picking up a few of the arepas. “Camilo, Antonio. Come get food.” She called out sharply.

The two were standing around; not sure what to so with themselves, well Antonio was while Camilo was looking downright furious, arms folded across his chest and cheeks flushed , kicking one of the pebble. This seemed to make Antonio look more confused at his brother but thankfully both came when called.

Julieta offered them a plate with a smile.

Antonio happily took but Camilo downright snatched with a glare her way.

“Camilo!” Pepa was quick to jump on his attitude with a look of thunder given the lack of her cloud. “You do not snatch!”

Camilo’s eyes lingered in Julieta before his jaw tightened. “Sorry.” His tone seemed to suggest otherwise that seemed…targeted as his gaze lingered onto her.

Julieta frowned, her eyes flickering to Pepa in confusion at his sudden attitude. Pepa set her plate down, Felix following after but both converged onto their son and led him away with hushed voices

“What’s that all about?” Antonio wondered.

Julieta swallowed but frowned as both her sister and Felix looked to her sharply with confused looks. It made her mouth feel dry and her stomach feel queasy; like they knew something but… no Dolores wouldn’t have told them. Camilo wasn’t the one to be trusted to know secrets so Dolores wouldn’t have told him; they hadn’t even asked Dolores yet…

Agustín’s hands pulled her attention away, pushing an arepa into her hands. “You should eat, Corazon.”

Her eyes flickered to the baked good before gingerly taking it, offering her husband a tight smile and took a nervous nibble but it only seemed to dry her mouth out more. Her appetite disappearing quickly with each chew.

“She’s back!”

The calls were distant but Julieta zoned in immediately and abandoned Agustín and the half-eaten arepa. The low haze of anxiety lifting with hope that burst into happiness as she set her gaze onto her daughter’s face.

“Mirabel!” her feet carrying her and before she knew it Mirabel was in her arms; her breathing ticking at her skin, seeping warmth into her shirt and arms locking around her middle;

Mirabel was back.

Safe.

“Ma, I’m fine.”

“I was so worried.” Julieta swallowed, pulling away, her fingers coming to cup her cheeks. “We couldn’t find you.”

Mirabel looked…tried but she was unhurt. Nothing had appeared since and now she was back. But her eyes looked lighter. Julieta’s hand dropped to clutch Mirabel’s hands, scared for a moment that she might disappear

“I’m sorry Mama.” Mirabel replied, squeezing her hand back. “I shouldn’t have run.”

“It’s okay.” She lent forwards, kissing her daughter’s cheeks. “As long as you’re okay, that’s all what matters.”

Mirabel nodded though they were interrupted as a new figure moved into view.

A second relief to see her mother well and looking far happier, despite their circumstances. Their family was almost as whole as it had been. Minus one important figure but she had no time to unpack those thoughts.

“The Guzman’s had dropped us some food while we were searching.” Julieta spoke, “we should eat and… and think of what we should do next.”

There was mutual agreement towards the table but Julieta’s good mood changed as Camilo beelined straight to Abuela as the groups moved; Felix seeing him last second but the world seemed to fade into slow motion as Camilo whispered to Abuela.

Abuela’s face morphed from her calm, relieved demeanour into confusion but that didn’t last long before her face turned stony, expression firming to mask the welt of emotion that shone in her eyes.

“Camilo!” Felix’s voice pulled Camilo away but the damage was done in his echo.

Abuela’s eyes rose and Julieta felt her inside coil as she met her gaze and for a moment, she felt like a little girl again, facing down her mother’s wrath for accidently knocking down her papa’s portrait that almost got torn when she was four. Small and alone. Her blood was the loudest thing in her ears and her breath second as she tried to breathe.

“Is this true?” Abuela didn’t shout, but she may as well have from the lack of emotion in her voice.

Julieta felt the gazes of her family, of Mirabel’s hands in hers, which seemed to ground her back to reality and she blinked, coming back to her body. Her mouth remained dry and her stomach filled with butterflies, she was sure her hands were shaking.

“Go eat food. Now.” Julieta let her go, Agustin stepping in and pulling their confused daughter away but Julieta stayed still not meeting her mother’s eye as Abuela got closer, her breath seething and she could already picture the smoke.

“Is this true?”

“Is what true?” Julieta swallowed. She didn’t know what Camilo did but… she had to make sure they were going to argue about the same thing. Was she stalling? Probably.

“You interfered with Mirabel’s gift ceremony.” This was not spoken hardly, but it was sharp. Leaving no room for loopholes that Julieta could see.

She swallowed thickly, taking a breath that seemed to waver in her inhale, her fingers gripping her apron again. “I… I didn’t want her to be overworked like the rest of us. I… made a decision for her best interest.”

Abuela’s face morphed from neutral to furious in a heartbeat. “Her best interest? Look around, Julieta! Our home is gone!”

“We can rebuild, Mama.” Julieta spoke back, “The Magic shouldn’t have been at the expense of our family. I couldn’t stop the weight on Luisa is Isabela but I thought I could spare Mirabel that weight.” But reality wasn’t kind to allow her that; not with how her mother saw it.

“Ma? What’s going on?” Mirabel’s voice was quiet but now, with no walls it occurred that now their conversations had carried.

“Tia Julieta is the reason you didn’t get your gift, Mirabel!” Camilo called, his face less pink and furious but there was a displeased glint in his eye. “She must have done something to the magic.”

Pepa grabbed Camilo by the ear, hissing angrily at him as she began to pull him away again, this time Pepa didn’t stop a few meters away but onwards through the town.

“Mami?” Mirabel blinked, “What did…what did you do?”

Julieta felt adrift in the haze of silence the ranged, Agustín’s hand coming to Mirabel’s shoulder but his face was lit with caution and concern. It took a moment to find her voice, drifting away from the furious figure of her mother to her youngest.

Mirabel’s face had lost colour, brown eyes wide and glistening but there was a sense of…need.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Mirabel.” Julieta spoke, “All I did was…talk to the candle. I didn’t want you to have the burden that comes with gifts. I didn’t know if it’d work…”

“I… I was supposed to have a gift.” Mirabel realised, eyes widening. “I… I would have gotten a gift that night if—“ She stopped sharply, inhaling deeply.

“Corazon…” Julieta reached forwards but Mirabel stepped back, looking like she had been winded with this information, the movement; the clear rejection piecing into her chest and heart but Julieta ignored that icy feeling “I didn’t do it to hurt you, Mi Vida. Never to hurt you.”

Mirabel’s eyes welled up but shook her head at her, stepping away as she tried again to comfort her baby. “I was supposed to have a gift…” that was what Mirabel was fixated on, but another, pollen covered hand pushed her away.

Isabela’s expression looked shocked but took control in pulling Mirabel away from her and Agustín and began to lead her away and Julieta didn’t have the strength of will to fight her on that.

“What’s going on?” Antonio’s small voice echoed but no one could answer him. Julieta wanted nothing more than the ground to swallow her up as Abuela seemed to straighten up with a new expression.

Disappointment.

Which was worse than anger. Julieta wanted anger because that burned out quickly. Disappointment was long-lasting and Julieta felt sick to her stomach to be at the end of it; to being the cause of it.

She was a terrible mother, wasn’t she?

Okay, so i decided to drabble further back to Pariah’s actions coming to light to the family. Hope you enjoy and I’ll maybe put a masterlist of which order these drabbles are in?

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Masterlist ( do not reblog )

The family become aware of Julieta’s actions in Mirabel’s failed gift ceremony and how that changes her life for the worst.

Overview

Starting of Disaster P1

Starting of Disaster P2

Starting of Disaster P3

Julieta following, in the aftermath of Casita’s rebuild tries to carry on. It gets too much that Julieta is lost more ways than one without her family’s support.

A Small spark of Warmth P1

A Small Spark of Warmth P2 (smutty)

A Small Spark of Warmth P3

Julieta snaps as the last bridge is burned.

Fall from Grace P1

Fall from Grace P2

Fall from Grace P3

The family realise Julieta’s missing.

Missing Beats of the heart P1

Missing Beats of the heart P2

Julieta realised the potential of her choices now she no longer is held to her own Encanto, when there’s whole other worlds to see and explore...

A new way Forwards | short drabble

Rana’s ‘Offical’ Birth

Little cuddles | short drabble

Small talks | short drabble

Talking with Decay | Short drabble

The return to the AU isn’t as simple as it seems.

Tampering Consequences P1

Tampering Consequences P2

The Return P1

The Return P2

The Return P3

Rana’s first few days time with her true family and how they soon learn who she truly is.

To uncover the truth P1

To Uncover the Truth P2

To Uncover the Truth P3

To Uncover the Truth P4

(more to be added)

Headcanons

Julieta’s protheses X X

Implant

Mood board X

Final form

Verana X

Gift

Moodboard X

Please don’t reblog this, as this is a masterlist I plan to keep updating once I have drabbles posted and I don’t want outdated ones floating around. If you folks wants a list, then I can post a separate one but i’d love for this to remain unreblogged. Thank you

#julieta madrigal #encanto #encanto au #pariah julieta #pariah au #pariah madrgials #agustin madrigal #agustín madrigal #mirabel madrigal #pepa madrigal #luisa madrigal #isabela madrigal #antonio madrigal #felix madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores madrigal #bruno madrigal #alma madrigal

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | Rana Madrigal

By the age of 15, Rana Madrigal does mostly resemble her mother but shares her father’s eye colour and hair colour. Of coruse, with she’s wearing her glasses, she does look more like Agustin.

She typically doesn’t wear classic Colombian clothes, favouring jeans over skirts and a leather jacket over a ruana. she has combat boots on and a few concealed weapons. like her mother, she does wear her hair up in a bun, just not as high as her mother’s

Rana keeps to her parents colours, favouring her father’s colours, despite never having met him yet. The glasses on the left leg, has a small button to darken the lenses since it’s more than just a metal frame.

Her personality is very unlike her parents, though she is caring for her family, it’s fairly limited to the people she knows, She’s quick to temper but her years of training and work life with her mother and friends has change her outbursts from tantrums to internalising as outbursts did often result to an accidental whammy to people around her with her gift, Wanderer and Pariah the most accidental victims.

She’s a highly trained combatant and willing to kill to protect her family and friends, though to help feel balanced she often visits a church to light a candle. She’s curious about the family her mother left, told when she was 7 of what happened and why they weren’t in their world.

Rana grew up with a hate for her primo, Camilo, reasoning that he had huge impact; to why her mother was pushed to the edge by gossip; that he started the domino effect that leg her mother to leave, miscarry her twin-brother and why her mother’s terrified to return. She does plan to paralyze him often when they do return.

[[ while Rana may be about 14-15 when they do return, only 2-3 years have passed in the Pariah AU; time is fluid between worlds and the watcher AU is more exposed to that so that world runs ahead faster))

#pariah julieta #pariah au #pariah madrgials #pariah verana #verana madrigal #julieta madrigal #agustin madrigal #agustín madrigal #pariah agustín #encanto #encanto au #camilo madrigal #pariah camilo #miscarry mention tw

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | A Small Spark of Warmth | P1

Julieta had gotten used to the change of pace as the rebuild continued; the work was delayed as heavy rain had forced the halting of the foundation levels and waiting on the sun to dry before the work could continue safely.

That had been three days ago.

With prepping food for the builders and free rein of the kitchens, Julieta had found her happy place. At least, a place she could be less sad in with her hands working. She did her best to pack her family’s lunches more personalised and it was a relief to see the baskets empty at the end of the day.

It gave her hope.

It was a spark and that was all she needed, even with contact with her own children was less than what she had hoped, Julieta had bargained it all on the fact that they were simply busy and had seen them all work to validate that excuse.

Julieta finished up the small basket of Arepa and Empanadas for Camilo, tucking in the covering before she collected up the other baskets while Agustín helped.

“You know, if I grab a blanket, we could have a picnic,” Agustín suggested as they headed up towards the end; the scaffolding now in place, very much visible and would be weeks before they’d be taken down. “It’ll be nice; I could light a candle, make it romantic.”

“That does sound nice. We could sit by the river.”

Agustín hummed in agreement. “Candles?”

“No, I don’t want to owe someone a blanket,” Julieta replied swiftly, ignoring the mildly offended look her husband sent her.

Her eyes ran over the front; the porch looking somewhat intact; the blue support beams salvageable and looked to be set in a concrete mould, stone masons were examining the archway and jotting down notes and sketches.

All in all looked like a good start.

Julieta set the baskets down at the table, turning them all to face the edge.

“I think the rest of Encanto might get jealous,” Agustín whispered, sliding an arm around her, their basket still on his side.

“Too bad. This is one of the few things I can do for my family at this point.” She dropped her hands from Luisa’s basket, which was bigger than the others but it was well known her daughter had to have a bigger lunch to upkeep with her exercise and muscle mass. Even without her gift, she put work into herself with pride and it made her happy to see Luisa get a little bit accepting of her loss; she was more than her gift.

“Why don’t you go and let them know lunch is here. I’ll set up by the river.” She smiled, taking their basket.

He lent down, pecking her on the lips. “I’ll see you there, Mi Amor”

“Julieta!” A voice called behind Julieta, knocking her from her thoughts as she headed through town, mulling on what sort of blanket to buy.

Julieta turned, surprised to see the familiar face of Agustín’s mother walking quickly towards her. Senora Rojas was by no means as intimated as her own mother and she was a surprisingly tall woman for her age. Her grey hair was pulled back into a coiled bun with a few light decorations from their past life in the city. Her expression was tense, lips pursed and very like how Agustín got when anxious about something

“Senora Rojas,” she greeted, not fully able to mask the surprise. “Can I help you with something?” it wasn’t often she saw her suegra like this; mostly in passing when Agustin visited his parents.

“Por Pavor, walk with me.”

Julieta wasn’t left much as a choice as Senora Rojas took her arm and began to lead her back the way she had come, but took a sharp left through a short-cut alleyway.

“What’s going on?”

“Agustín told me what happened years ago.” Senora Rojas spoke, going straight to the point. “I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed but I’m happy you two were able to get back together”

“Oh?” Where she was going with this, Julieta had no idea but she should have guessed that Senora Rojas knew; Agustín was a bad liar. Some things he probably had to share...

Midway down, she was tugged to a stop, Senora Rojas’s posture sagging.

“I don’t know how much you are aware, Julieta but people are now talking.”

“Our home collapsed, I’m not shocked.”

Senora Rojas shook her head. “Word’s spread today, at least the last hour, that you had a hand in it. True as that may be, I know you Madrigals wanted to keep that private.”

Julieta blinked in shock, her breath hitching in her throat but she knew there was only one person willing to spread that. Senora Rojas was right, the family didn’t want the news to spread… because they all knew how the townspeople got with fresh gossip.

“Camilo…” She groaned, her hands coming to her face. God, why did he do this? He had no right… Julieta could only anticipate that the rumour would only grow and spread; everyone would know by the sun touched down. Her pulse spiked, mouth running dry and she could distantly feel her grip on the basket shaking. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen.

“I…. I need to go.” She needed to get back to her room; she damn well wasn’t going to be wandering around to be on display. She needed to keep to a low profile…

“I’ll walk with you.” Senora Rojas decided, “You’re staying with the Rios familiar, Si?”

Her head bobbed swiftly, wordlessly.

Senora Rojas took her by the elbow and led the way out but now, Julieta felt like her senses had been turned on; passing glances seemed to be lingering stares but the looks, no she could now see how one woman turned to the next, a loud talk on food harvests turned to hush whispers.

Why hadn’t she noticed? Why didn’t she see this before?

The answer was simple, she was too focused thinking on what sort of blanket to buy.

Her grip on the basket tightened, but she fought down the anxiety as they went. It was only a few minutes before they reached the house.

But Julieta flinched back as Senor Rios beat them to the door, opening it before she had reached for the handle but to her surprise, a bag was dropped at her feet.

A look of pure astonishment crossed her face.

“As much as we regret this, we will not have anyone who had brought down the miracle stay with us.”

Julieta felt too shocked to say anything as she stared at the bag, pulse in her ears and she was distantly aware of Senora Rojas loudly arguing but Julieta felt a numbness in her head cloud everything out, distant from reality and her own body. She turned, and hazily began to walk away; some part of her needed the escape from that.

“Julieta?!” the voice of her in-law echoing but she didn’t take it in through the fogginess.

Julieta didn’t remember Senora Rojas catching her by the shoulders.

Julieta didn’t remember being led away, not hearing the woman’s concerns.

Julieta didn’t remember being let into a house, passing her suegro, and into a room. Senora Rojas’s pushing her to sit down.

“Julieta?”

“Hm?” Her voice was faint to her own ears.

Senora Rojas’s face swam into view before Julieta felt reality snap back as a low stinging pain echoed across her cheek, the pain was barely there and was replaced quickly with a low burning.

Julieta blinked, her hand coming to her face.

“Oh good, you’re back.” Senora Rojas replied, “I was worried.” She shook her hand. “Stay here, I don’t think it’s best to have you wandering.”

Julieta nodded, her hands coming to her hair, pulling the pins to allow her hair to drop to her shoulders but she felt the world of emotion begin to seep in, the heat spreading to her eyes that welled up, clouding her vision again, her throat felt tight and the ache in her chest felt heavier than before.

They had been kicked out.

Because of her.

#julieta madrigal #agustin madrigal #agustín madrigal #pariah julieta #pariah madrgials #pariah agustín #encanto #encanto au #pariah au #la familia madrigal #disassociation tw #luisa madrigal #camilo madrigal #mirabel madrigal

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | Prosthetics Limb Expansion

Julieta, has two sets of prosthetics, the second set was designed by Rana and Pariah Mirabel after they returned to their AU to reconnect with the family. Julieta became self-conscious about her limb prosthetics and felt out of place with them, despite the fact she needed them.

So Rana asked Mirabel, as a way for them to bond as siblings, to get help get a good design to not only give Julieta new prosthetics but one that fit-in more with their world to feel comfortable.

Mirabel gave the floral-like aesthetic touches to the shell design, giving her a more human foot than the typical boot-design so allow her mother to wear her old espadrilles and to feel less less clunky. She chose a smooth, teal-tinted white shell with a off-silver accent panels with a light pattens over it’s surface.

Rana also showed how the prophecies worked, as she build them incase Mirabel needed to know easy ways to remove or put on, or help with any repairs.

The new set was known as ‘Doll-Prosthetics’ as the design was to be sleek and beautiful but this was far weaker than her previous, as it’s aesthetics was prioritised over durability and strength.

So, Julieta compromised her usage; depending on her activities on which to wear. If she was working way from her AU, she’s used her original prosthetics, as theses were designed to take a beating and still work. She’d use her Doll Prosthetics in her Encanto, unless she plants to get into a fight.

Julieta still can’t really wear skirts in either one, as the loose fabric carried too much of a risk getting caught into the shell or workings of the prosthetics, if it didn’t get caught then the fabric would ride up her leg at the top joint that’d catch and tug with each step. Julieta did try though she favoured trousers as they were secured more to above the hip and at the ankle when she wore full-length pants.

(the other colour represents the remaining limb inside the prosthetics)

#julieta madrigal #pariah julieta #verana madrigal #pariah verana #mirabel madrigal #pariah mirabel #encanto #encanto au #pariah au #pariah madrgials

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | The Return P1

Rana glowered as she was dressed down from her jeans and leather to a black skirt, a plain teal shirt and she chose a simple wrap ruana of dark blue with the imprint of long lings that broke into swirls that for her, represented the multiverse. Underneath her clothes and sleeves, she still had her throwing blades and knifes holstered on her; they were ‘simple’ technology so she hadn’t been told to remove then either.

Her glasses were switched out with a set of simple shades with the arms will side covers so no one could see her glowing pupils. Her eye-sight was fine without glasses but she needed them to cover her eyes at the end of the day for those who knew nothing of magic, even if her eyes were safe exposed. Her regular set were ‘too advanced’ for her native AU given how it switched between normal glass and tint with a click of a button.

What she had wanted to bring, she was forced to keep in her bed room, again for being ‘too advanced’ which meant she had…very little to take that was acceptable. Rana was pleased to learn she got to keep some of her simpler engineering tools for crafting, a few books, a photo alum Wanderer and the others had put together, journals and art supplies for her designs. At least she’d be occupied; and she could always rebuild her more advanced tools as well, so it wasn’t a total loss. Rana was suddenly grateful for Tek’s tedious exercises for tool study.

With her bag packed with her limited personal items, Rana bid her room good-bye and let Watcher Mirabel lead her down.

“Look, I know this is going to be hard for you.” Watcher started, “punishments are not meant to be something to be walked off like they never happened and I’m sure you’ll be back in no time.”

“Cut the crap, Watcher.” Rana grumbled, “You’re not the one being stripped down to basics and left to a world your mother actively avoids out of fear.”

Watcher’s hand came to her shoulder. “You’re not with nothing. Look. I asked Abuela about giving you this.”

From behind a pot along the balcony, Watcher Mirabel held out a small box. Curious, Rana opened it up to see…a small dated radio.

“I know you love your music, so this is the best I could do. Self-sustaining battery, I did download all your songs from your phone. No screen so you just have to tap the buttons to change song but still, it’s something. If anyone opens it up, it looks like a simple mechanical set of a mini gramophone so it’s safe.”

Rana’s eyes widened a little as she turned the little radio with new-found respect before she secured it into her leather bag in between her sleeping bag.

“Thank you.”

Watcher smiled softly. “There’s also another surprise as well.”

“A last moment of me not being sent away?” Rana joked, abet hopefully but Watcher just laughed and led on down to the porch where… Wanderer Mirabel was standing next to her bag and an axe.

But Wanderer wasn’t wearing her typical hand-embroidered, half-done dungarees and typically decorated undershirt but instead she was now wearing a bottle-green skirt, a cream short and slightly puffy sleeved shirt and an maroon coat drabbled over her shoulder and her long curls were put up into a bun that looked hidden under the large hat she more. But what stood out was the typical green frames of her glasses were now a yellow frame. None of her clothes had any personalise touch to it either which Rana found odd.

“Wanderer?” Rana had to check, “What are you wearing?”

Wander twirled and smiled, “a new look while I’m with you.”

“Wait, you’re coming with me?” Rana wasn’t going to turn the company down at all but…of all people to come, Wanderer was typically the last one to volunteer. She hated boring shit and getting stranded in one Au was the definition of boring. “Why?”

“I want to and out of everyone, I’m the normal one.”

“Hey!” Watcher Mirabel scoffed indignantly at Wanderer’s side.

“Hey, you grow a belly button then we can discuss.” Wanderer fired back, pointing to her watcher counter part’s belly with venom.

Rana sniggered at the look on her face but reached for her arm. “Thank you.”

Wander’s look to Watcher disappeared before smiling at her, “Plus, I enjoy making trouble so let’s make the best of it. Stray and Hallow are waiting by the portal”

“What about Mami?”

“She’s had the implant replaced so… she’d kinda out of it.”

Rana’s face fell with the reminder but she could accept that. She knew her mother would be here for her if it was possible…she wanted to hear her assurances that they’d be coming back. Suspension wasn’t a dismissal from Watcher Services. She wanted her support…

“I left her a video note in my room. She’s welcome to go in if she wants.” Rana informed, not doubted it for a moment because…why wouldn’t she? To feel some closeness to her; her room was her best option.

Watcher Mirabel nodded, patting her arm before they headed down as a group, their bags trailing though Rana’s shoulders sagged at the slight of the portal.

It wasn’t a smooth shape for a portal as one would expect but oddly shaped like a piece of broken glass and at least a foot thick in it’s edges, which weren’t smooth but roughly shaped and energy currents crackled around it in purples and blues but you could see straight through it to the other side with only a faint protective barrier.

On the other side was a forest view… it looked right beside a river as well. Was this the same spot they had found her mother all that time ago?

Hallow stepped into her view, her face passive of emotion as ever, her violet gaze sharp nonetheless as she took her hands. “I will help your mother while she recovers. I hope you take the return as a lesson. As much as I condone the desire to make your mother more independent, your methods, I cannot.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I am dependant on my bracers to use my own gift and to choose when to feel. If I had my own emotions constantly, I do believe I would express worrying behaviour. My AU…not quite like the other Pepa’s who found emotional stability. The stations are complex on dependencies and how to recover from ill-times.”

Rana knew what Hallow was getting at. Just because she had no emotions now, it didn’t mean she wasn’t at risk of doing something stupid again. Perhaps it was the fact she had none unless needed that Hallow wondered about herself and her own mental health. Rana had been told enough to know how the woman lost her emotions to start with. It didn’t surprise her that Hallow favoured towards her Mami’s needs for the technology.

Rana stepped forwards and hugged her surrogate tia with a sigh. Awkwardly, Hallow returned though she seemed to pause as her hands brushed her sides, catching the rim of one of her throwing blades before she pinged the holster through her shirt with approval

“Good girl.” She whispered in approval, pulling back. “Don’t go soft on me, practice and spar with each other. When you get back, I want to get a game of laser tag going.”

Rana chuckled softly, “With this AU, it’s going to be boring as hell. Of course we’re going to fight.”

“No need to sound so excited.” Wanderer piped in, “Without your gift, I still beat your ass.”

“You’re 100 years older than me. You’re a goal to beat.”

With a final pat on the arm, Hallow dropped her arm then quite promptly walked off with little interest to see her off. Very on brand for her, so Rana didn’t give it a moment’s thought before Stray reached forwards and pulled her into a hug.

“Do you know how long?”

“They’ll assign the time period to Pariah’s time, not the watcher so no short cuts.” Stray sighed, rubbing her back, “I’m sorry, I don’t know much more than that.”

“I’m not surprised.” Rana had hoped it was to the Watcher AU’s time. It had been 2 years since Mami had left, but 15 in the watcher AU. She didn’t want her mother to be without her for 7 years if it was a year’s suspension in the Pariah AU… Her mother didn’t need that punishment.

“If I’m in danger, can I be pulled out? I am entitled to that extraction”

“That’ll be to Wanderer’s discretion.” Stray pulled back. “Now, if you do meet with your family….please be civil. No killing them, no maiming and don’t drag any of them of what happened.”

“Camilo deserves it.” Her tone filled with venom.

“Probably but… they’ve suffered Pariah’s loss just as traumatically as she did. Helpless to find her, guilt on how they left things with her and they’ve never had closure because they never found her body. They are hurting and… I know you are too in regards to them and what they did.”

“I wish you were my Papi…if I was conceived here with you and Mami, then I wouldn’t have to go through with this.” Rana glowered at the portal. “I might actually have my brother, you know.”

Stray sighed. “Given I was 33 and your mother was 50 when we met, I wasn’t for that age gap, even if I do like an older woman. And, as I said before, your mother doesn’t need me as a husband, she needs me as a friend.”

Rana blew out a disinterested raspberry.

Stray stepped back, his fingers scratching lightly at his facial scars. “Wanderer will keep me apprised of the situation. So, good luck.”

Watcher Mirabel handed over another case with the tent as Wanderer hugged her though Rana glowered as she slipped her sun glasses on before stepping through the portal to th heat of the jungle.

Behind her, the crackling continued before rana felt it close up but didn’t turn to look, wrinkling her nose but she couldn’t deny the…feel of this was…nice. Like home.

As much as she hated it.

“Ugh. Let’s go.”

Unknown to the duo, back at Casita, Abuela’s eyes turned as a flickering caught her eye, her head turning in alarm to see Julieta’s dark door flicker on for a moment. The bowl she was carrying dropped and she felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs but to her surprise, the glow only brightened before light shivered through Casita’s building before a low groan as if the very foundations were adapting.

“Dolores! Get the family here now!”

Abuela hurried up the steps, her eyes starting at her lost child’s door but her attention turned to see her door moving across the smooth surface of the wall. Julieta’s following the same motion. The casita seemed to shiver but there was no mistake that Casita was expanding to make room.

Soon enough, she hard patters of feet and her being called. Pepa’s rain thundered.

“Mama?!”

But Abuela had no words before Pepa gasped as she reached the top of the steps with the rest of the family in tow.

“What’s going on?” Mirabel pushed through before she froze.

They waited in baited breath before Abuela’s door stopped moving, Julieta’s too but now, they could all see a new door forming until it was bright and swirling like any pre-claimed door they were all familiar with.

The light in Julieta’s door faded again once the door was formed ready but… it left a huge question.

Whose door was that?!

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | The Return P3

blood tw death tw

It took three days before Rana found a solid routine though the vast boredness of her own AU; wake up- exercise, train, food, swim, draw, and train some more then to annoy Wanderer…. Maybe sleep.

It was growing into twilight when Wanderer returned from the river, orderly and clean before she stocked the fire up. Rana watched as the girl pulled out some thread and got to work on her spare skirt by sewing in the basic and temporary lines given it was getting too dark for her to draw on it directly. Tomorrow-Wanderer would no doubt get her machine out to make it work.

“What designs are you doing for? The Mirabel-typical? Or something more adventurous?” Rana asked, shoving the magazine back into the gun she had been cleaning and set the loaded weapon back into the side.

Normal cases, she’d keep it safe but out in the woods, she’d not let Wanderer be as defenceless to wildlife given the 115 year old teen didn’t carry throwing blades like she did. Of course, Rana couldn’t best Wanderer well in hand-to-hand so sparing with her elder variant sister had been useful. Hand-to-hand wasn’t going to best a jaguar…

Wanderer smiled softly, pausing with the needle before she plucked up a sheet of paper with a few scrawling designs. On it there were a few butterflies, , three rugged scratch lines, a cloud outline with mismatching with clashing colours and rough outlines of metal limbs…

“You got prostheses going on your clothes?” Rana laughed, taking the sheet for closure inspection with a smile.

Wanderer smiled, “Pariah and Decay, they’re part of this family we’ve got going for the last 15 years.”

Her eyes touched along the three markings. “Stray too…Hallow.”

“I want to add you too, so I was deciding between eyes, like for your gift or your throwing blades.”

Her heart felt all warm and tingly as she heard that, Rana blinked a little though didn’t answer in favour of pulling her variant sister’s head into her stomach for a hug.

Wanderer laughed against her shirt before she felt her face burry in before—

“Oh fuck you!” Rana let go and danced away from the girl’s attempts to blow a raspberry into her belly.

Wanderer laughed heavily. “What? You use to love it when I did that.”

“When I was a baby.” Rana scoffed, “I am not a baby anymore.”

Wanderer let out a dramatic sigh. “I know, you were so cute and cuddly…used to fart on my lap at any opportunity.”

“Ah, nice to know I kept you in check young” Rana poked her tongue out.

But the fun air changed as the familiar tearing sound of a portal opening before the thudded echos and gun shots.

Her hand went for her blades, ducking behind the nearest tree as Wanderer went for her guns.

“That’s not ours!” Wanderer called.

But Rana knew that already by the gunshots alone, this wasn’t a warzone AU nor one that was prone to crossings. The Watchers wouldn’t have come this soon and certainly not her mother. This was a deliberate target

Let’s just hope the intruders weren’t for the Encanto.

Then a figure burst through the trees; too small and deshelled which stopped her launching her knife and just about registering it was Decay with a bleeding head wound and one of her prosthetics arms had been severed off at the elbow but the fact was she was persuaded by twelve armed intruders said a lot before they jumped into action.

Two of her blades hit true as they reached their camp, Wanderer covering to Decay first before firing off as Rana exposed her paralytic gaze; four went down in that shot at once to the forest floor before one got too close before Rana twirled the man’s wrist and flipped the grunt from his hand, pulling a blade him his holster this time and it only took a quick nick to his jugular artery for nature to take care of the rest.

Wanderer dodged a few bullets, interrupting one meant for Decay to the back with a grunt before she drove towards the bastard and a shot to the chest put him down and turned and fired again.

A sharp yelp pulled Rana from her next man, turning to see Decay wheezing, struggling as one had her pinned to the floor, his mass and weight his advantage over a weakened woman.

“NO!” She threw her blade, watching as it embedded into the man’s head and dove forwards to keep him from falling onto Decay and onto the floor instead.

“Hey!”

Wanderer yelped as she was tackled back into the river; the darkness swallowing the two away but Rana couldn’t give her a moment’s pause as the two remaining advanced. Rana didn’t even hesitate to use her gift to watch as they too stiffened and dropped, but this time, one fell face-first into the fire; the other would catch as well once the fire caught his clothes; Rana would let that happen because…she didn’t care.

Her hear sung in her chest and she felt for her last two blades before she padded to Decay’s side, pushing her to sit up though Decay’s eyes rolled, her mouth hung open heaving for breath and Rana could see the moss already forming along her throat and up her cheeks; trying to take in any light for oxygen.

“Decay?” She knew the woman had been on assignment, but this was new; a mission had never been a failure like this; she could only assume Decay’s tactical team didn’t make it if she took an emergency portal out; one that wasn’t calibrated correctly with a Portal Anchor; a delayed close which explained the followers.

Her head turned as she heard voices call, her fingers coming to pull her second to last blade out before she caught sight of the white and blue skirt of a tall muscular figure that stopped her from throwing it but she damn well knew who it was.

Luisa Madrigal.

Her true elder sister in every way now. Not some variant sister like Abscond Luisa or Hazard Luisa, but Pariah Luisa. Her sister.

Others behind her; she noted the armed Felix and a few others of the villagers also armed and ready before it clocked with Rana; they had taken off their Bruno Madrigal must have seen them here and Dolores…

Her jaw tightened before she straightened up and threw herself to stand in front of Decay, shoving her shades back on to cover her eyes before they caught sight of her; the sight of a human burning was more for their attention before Luisa spotted her first and directed the group towards her.

“Are you okay?”

Rana stared at her for a moment but forced herself to nod. “I am.” Her eyes flickered to the other faces; Tio Felix… Mariano, her own Papi even stood among the group of ten men of the Encanto though she could see the wide-eyes of them taking in the scene and the bodies and the weary eyes to her.

“Can you…put the knife down?” Felix spoke, handing his weapon to Luisa though took a few cautious steps towards her with raised hands, “we’re not here to hurt you.”

Rana debated her options; her camp was ruined. Wanderer could handle herself so she wasn’t too concerned on her.. Decay… she could hear her rasped breaths behind her. She clearly couldn’t talk her way out either; 7 bodies left an impression and the 4 frozen on the floor would need to be contained…

With a flick, Rana slipped her blade back into her holster but there was no doubt the distrustful tension between her and the group that began to spread to the bodies and the men and check them over. “My sister needs help.”

“Okay. We’ll take her to our home and we can get a doctor to see to her. Luisa can take her.” Felix suggested, nodding to Luisa. “Is that okay?”

Rana spared a look to Decay before stepping aside to let Luisa come forwards, bending down herself to pull her knife from the body of the man that had hurt her variant sister and put that way but she pulled her medical pack from the remnants of her tent and paused as she heard Luisa gasp.

“Isabela?!”

Agustín moved forwards at this point, gasping too when he saw her.

“Dios Mios…”

“That’s not your Isabela.” Rana called sharply. “She’s my sister.” She dropped the pack into Luisa’s lap. “You said you’d get her to your home. Do so, please. If she turns into a tree, drop her and let her do so. Do not touch the moss”

Luisa moved first, slipping her mass of muscle so carefully under Decay and picked her up and with that, carried her off swiftly.

“Let’s get you there as well,” Tio Felix suggested softly.

“No, I need to help; four are still alive and armed. I know their weapons, you do not and you could get hurt.” She needed to make sure none of these people picked up the wrong thing; technology can be dangerous and the last thing she needed to be responsible for is setting off a wrong beacon or having one of the groups of these men hone in and attack Encanto.

“Señorita, These men can—“

“No. I will disarm the men, you can deal with them after.”

It took ten minutes to pull out all the weapons from the men, the four alive were taken and restrained and to be locked into a barn until their fate was decided. Mariano was sent down river to search for Wanderer but Rana tried to ignore the awkward questions but she had managed to reclaim her knives before they could take them away from her. Her Tio felix hadn’t left nor her Papi until she found herself walking with them away, her bag filled with remains of her camp; the technology and she could feel their questions but they knew better than to ask right now.

Okay, not 100% thrilled but it needed to end here to change to the new vibe; Rana at Casita and meeting the rest of the family; knowing that have questions; more so about Decay given her likeness to their Isabela lol

#encanto #encanto au #drabble #verana madrigal #pariah verana #pariah au #pariah madrgials #agustín madrigal #agustin madrigal #felix madrigal #luisa madrigal #isabela madrigal #decay isabela #pariah isabela #blood tw #death tw

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Fall From Grace | P3 | Pariah Julieta’s start

“She’s the divergence point.”

“I figured. Julieta never winds herself up in that situation without a reason, let alone 24 miles away from Encanto.”

The voices were hushed but Julieta woke to them first before she really felt the weight of her body return to her presence of mind. Her mind clouded in darkness, barely light touching through her eyelids.

Warmth pressed around her, soothing against the delicate areas under her back where some of the aches were most present, lingering a stinging sensation at the base of her skull. Her arms and feet felt like led…or as if someone had restrained them to the surface bellow. Pain throbbed at the base of her feet each beat of her heart.

Her throat no longer had the same dryness but new pangs seemed to rise through her gut, very different to her longing for water. Julieta dimly realised she had forgotten about food in the desperation for water. As her stomach growled, it was accompanied by pain through her abdomen, much higher than the lingering pain further down that ached differently.

Either way, enough to make her groan out.

“She’s awake.” Mirabel’s voice echoed before suddenly light seemed to press against her eyelids as the sound of fabric seemed to flutter suddenly. “We’ve given you some water through an IV since…well you clearly needed it and it looks like you’re hydration levels are more acceptable. You’ve been quite battered so you’re feeling that.”

It took a lot of effort to move, rolling her head away from the light, mirabel’s sound echoing through her brain.

“Ow.”

“Step back, Wanderer. It’s been four hours. She’d barely going to follow anything your saying.” The voice echoed rang a bell, one that made her frown but couldn’t open her eyes to see…

“Pe…Pepa?”

The woman sighed. “Of course she picks up on me.” There was a dull thump before the sounds of steps echo before Pepa tittered and two steps moves back.

Julieta rolled her head, groaning as pain ran down her skull and down her spine but she forced herself to keep going, eyes fluttering until she finally peeked through her lashes to see the face of her triplet leaning over her.

Only… Pepa looked so different.

Orange curls were in it’s usual braid. Once warm green eyes had become prominent purple hues with a cool distance in them which was very confusing.. Julieta frowned softly, hazily noticing that…the woman was wearing very weird clothing and two highly coloured, blue and yellowish bracers on each of her wrists with two purple gems on each one’s centre.

Julieta wanted to reach up, to see more closely but she couldn’t find the will to move.

“I am not your sister, Julieta. It’s…complicated.”

“She’s seen two of already.”

“That opens more questions than answers, dear.” Pepa spoke, turning towards Mirabel’s voice. “She’s went from drowning to…well us.”

Mirabel snorted. “I’ll get the Arepa. That should speed up the process.”

Pepa turned back to her. “Don’t panic. I’m just sitting you up.”

“I heard.” Julieta mumbled out, last thing she wanted was to choke… she swallowed as she felt the vague sensation in her throat; the inability to breath. Her hand came to her chest, feeling her chest rise and fall a comfort as she heard something unzip before Pepa lent towards her.

Julieta tried to help, slumping weakly into her side, the woman quick to support her, an arm slipping under her and pressing against her ribs that ached in particular spots. A glance down showed she was…in some sort of sleeveless nightgown, through the fuzz even she could see the purple splodges and tiny scratches at her skin.

Looking around, her hazy gaze noted the small set up of a sleeping bag she had been in, a few bags but there was a lot of…machinery she saw.

The figure of Mirabel swam into focus but Julieta found herself staring in confusion to this glasses-less version of her daughter to…the one that simply had her long mass of curls tied back who was looking through one of her bags before pulling out a paper bag.

“Okay, got them!” she declared, opening it and Julieta flinched as it was suddenly shoved into her face.

“Hold it, Wanderer.” Pepa pulled her hand back, “Let me.”

“I can do it.”

“Be civilised then.”

The Mirabel glowered then blew a raspberry then handed her the entire bag.

Julieta’s stomach growled painfully again, turning her focus away from her double-daughter confusion to the bag; her mouth-watering but it only took a few mouthfuls before the whole arepa was done a second one was handed and it took nearly all her energy to not scoff down quicker; not wanting to choke the prime reason at the forefront of her mind.

All too toon the bag was pulled away, leaving Julieta to whine out.

“Not too much at one time.” Pepa tisked softly. “let your body digest what it has first then we’ll give you more.”

The fact she was a healer, Julieta didn’t disagree with the logic but the starving-human part of her wanted more; to feel her belly full.

“What do we do with her now?” Mirabels, the one without glasses asked, “Leave her? Send her back?”

The Mirabel with her glasses rolled her eyes, taking a seat.

“We could take her with us?”

Both Pepa and the other Mirabel snorted as if to say ‘really?’

Julieta felt mildly insulted, but she knew she was deadweight in her current condition; she literally couldn’t look after herself and that was…embarrassing. The food though, she could feel her mind sharpening up, processing more of the weird doubles of her family.

“Look, we all can’t just appear back in her Encanto. Leaving her will… just kill her. The woman’s still half-dead so I don’t think her chances are any better than her forced bath-time out there.” Nodding to the riverside. “It might take some recovery time and…the fact your mother’s food hasn’t healed her opens up questions…”

“What?”

Both Mirabel and Pepa seemed to look at her, before the other Mirabel lent forwards and pulled her arm into sight. Julieta hissed out, the muscles burning under her skin which were looking far more horrendous as ever in her cleared-vision.

“Ow.”

“I thought Watcher Julieta’s food is more powerful than the other Julieta’s food.”

“It is.” The glassesless one spoke, tracing one of the bruises with a curious look, “Why aren’t you healing?!”

Julieta licked her lips. “My food….doesn’t work on me.”

The glassessless Mirabel sat back, nose wrinking. “I did not see that coming.”

“Ironic, for a Watcher.” Pepa sniped, earning a sharp look.

“What… what’s going on?” Julieta spoke up this time, licking her lips again, “Why… do you…look the same? Why…like my family?”

Both Mirabel’s look to each other then to Pepa before she felt her odd-sister inhaled deeply.

“We’re from different versions of Encanto. When we make choices that differ from each other, a new world is created. I am Pepa Madrigal, but from a world where I lost my ability to feel, thus my gift and so I left a few weeks after Antonio was born. If I had to guess, your Pepa Madrigal is still in Encanto.”

Julieta felt like her mind was spinning with new information but…she could follow the train of logic but there was a lot of things missing.

“I think you’re leaving out a few crustal aspects, Hallow.” The glassessless Mira spoke.

“Irrelevant right now. I don’t want to overwhelm her more than she already is.”

Julieta gestured to the other two tiredly, “how…you to different?”

“My world got….deleted.” The one with glasses spoke, her face falling. “My….family are scattered throughout the worlds. You can call me Wanderer Mirabel, or just Wanderer; we all get a nickname depending on the divergences. This Pepa is called Hallow”

“I’m Watcher Mirabel.” The glassesless Mirabel spoke next swiftly; impatiently “My world is…like a hub for travellers like us. We travel the Multiverse of Encanto’s, for fun mostly but it’s typical to catalogue worlds if we need to quarantine it from interference or recommend deletion, or to see how magic interacts with the choices made; or just explore. We can’t have too many people traveling constantly through the Encanto’s; it’s disruptive.”

Julieta wanted to think was all part of some fevered dream, that the toll of her travels were playing tricks on her mind and she was really dying on the forest floor somewhere, or this was some sort of purgatory.

But she drew a line that…. Not even her subconscious would draw up anything to do with…other Encantos; the thought could never had occurred to her before; too crazy to be a figment of her imagination.

“Sounds…crazy.” But not impossible. Magic did exist so who was she to dismiss this either. “What do you plan…to do with me?”

“We’ll, you’re going to have to heal naturally which will take a few days. If we leave you here, you’re dead. We could take you closer to your Encanto be to found, but that doesn’t change much for you.” Wanderer spoke up, elbowing Watcher sharply, “If Watcher agrees, you could come with us? You’d…still take a while to heal but I think…you’re up for more in life than where you come from.”

“Wanderer, we don’t know how she’s divergent from the original universe.”

“So? Clearly she’s out here for a reason.”

The two began to bicker back and forth faster than Julieta could follow so she settled her head back onto her Alternate sister’s shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut as she weighed her options.

She was exhausted; her body ached her for to go back to sleep; to rest and feel better now she had food in her. Would they wake her or leave her to sleep before they made their choices.

Staying, no—going to Encanto was her only way to live in that scenario. She couldn’t find her way back; she didn’t want to die out here. What would she be returning to?

Julieta could almost picture the family’s reaction; they’d keep her in casita. Nurse her back to health and worry. But… would she even be trusted to leave Casita again? Would they...think she did this on purpose or that she intended to…die? Her heart clenched at the thought. Would she be allowed to be alone again?

Did she lose all their trust in her now?

That was just her family.

The entire Encanto would know; god only new the gossip that came if one person thought she was suicidal then… that’d spread. Julieta could imagine the looks already and it made her queasy. She’d never live this down.

What sort of a life was that?

“I… I can’t stay here.” She mumbled, feeling the ebbs of sleep tugging at her. “Not… not this Encanto…” though she couldn’t say much more before fate decided it was time for her to rest before she succumbed to her body’s needs.

#pariah au #julieta madrigal #pariah julieta #encanto #encanto au #pepa madrigal #la familia madrigal #mirabel madrigal #wanderer mirabel #watcher mirabel #pariah madrgials #hallow pepa #drabble

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casitafallz-a · 2 years

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Pariah AU | A Small Spark of Warmth | P3

Agustín didn’t leave his mother’s house until after Julieta had dropped off to sleep, leaving a few hours before he was required to have dinner with them so he didn’t hesitate to head straight to Casita where he saw Camilo walking ahead with a skip in his step

It wasn’t often he felt anger, let alone directed at anyone, let alone at his own Sobrino… but now he felt justified because how dare he do this to his own Tia. She didn’t deserve that.

“Camilo Madrigal.” He called sharply, not caring with the pulls of attention to those helping or any one of their family who was in range; all he saw was Camilo.

The teen froze in surprise before turning to face him, his eyes widening in alarm but that didn’t stop him as he took long, surprisingly graceful matching steps towards him.

“How dare you!”

“Agustín.” Felix appeared alarmed, slipping out of one of the houses with an empanada in hand. “What did he do now?” There were no other questions ‘what was wrong', ‘what happened?’ Nope, Felix was smart to jump straight to a very correct assumption.

Agustín glared heavily, his hands clenching but he forced himself to take a breath; to be an adult here.

“Camilo here thought it would be a good idea to share our family’s situation of what happened to topple Casita with the rest of Encanto.” He stated coolly, “Gossip and rumours are already spreading and where do you think the blame of it all is being landed on now?”

As he spoke, Felix’s face lost all light-heartedness, replace with a serious look of quiet anger as he turned his gaze to his middle child.

Camilo’s face remained pale, but he didn’t make a run for it, which was smart despite Felix grabbing him by the arm and like the other day, leading him away for the privacy of what was going to be a very loud conversation. Agustín wanted to follow; wanted to shout and say his peace.

But… Camilo wasn’t his son. Camilo wasn’t his responsibility.

Which was unfortunate because he certainly was going to drag him for his behaviour... Not impossible but he sure as hell that he was going to make sure Julieta wasn’t left alone with him. Given his own mother had concerns about his wife’s mental wellbeing, he wasn’t going to make her go through ordeals every time she left the house and not from her family.

“Pepa!” Felix’s voice carried before he heard Camilo whine but then they were gone.

Agustín remained standing there fuming before He forced himself to take another breath, then head further into Casita’s frame.

“Tio?”

Dolores was the first to greet him, shadowed by Mirabel and Luisa.

“Is she okay?”

“What happened?”

Luisa was the only one to not say anything. Agustín reached forwards, his hand coming to touch his daughter’s arms though gave a nod at Dolores.

“We’re no longer at the Rios’s home. We’ll be staying at your Abuela further down the plaza by the church.”

“What?”

“They were kicked out.” Dolores piped up to the other two. “You two were elsewhere when your Abuela raved at our Abuela about town behaviour, then she shamed the family mostly.”

“Ay, Mi Mama has her way with words.” Agustín agreed.

“Si, but I doubt she’ll have much of an impact in the long run. From what I could see, other families may have done the same thing.”

Mirabel frowned. “Why are they taking this so personally? I was the one most affected here.” She had no bitterness to her voice, more confused than anything.

“They’ve concluded your mother brought down the miracle,” Agustín spoke, frowning but he hated how those words left his lips… because that didn’t feel entirely true, there are a lot of factors here that had a hand in this.

“The Miracle gave Encanto protection and us lot as their tools” Dolores added, “They feel robbed.”

“They should mind their own business!” Mirabel cried, scoffing and shaking her head. “My issues with Mami aside here, it’s not like Mami knew what was going to happen.”

“Irrelevant.” Dolores shrugged, “People believe what they want to believe to justify their actions.”

“I don’t want a witch hunt to happen!”

“It won’t.” Luisa jumped in first, “I certainly won’t let that happen.”

“It’s careful treading.” Agustín squeezed their arms assuringly, “Right now, your mother’s sleeping. I don’t want to disturb her.” He knew Julieta wasn’t sleeping well but he also knew Julieta wanted him to keep that…private. Not worry them more than necessary. Julieta didn’t want Mirabel or their daughters to feel guilty about their need for space from her. He didn’t fully agree but he could respect the wishes of both his children and his wife, even if it pained him to see both pulled away from each other like this. Right now, any rest Julieta would get was better than none.

Mirabel nodded, sparing a look with Luisa. “As long as she’s okay…” There was no mistake the conflict across her face, it itched at him to suggest for her to go see her. Perhaps Mirabel would…but she was holding herself back?

“When you’re ready to see her, you know where she’ll be.” He went with. “She won’t be making appearances up at Casita anymore until the gossip dies down or until Casita is complete. I’ll bring you lunches up instead.” He had to let his mother know to stock up; Julieta was probably going to stress bake and fill their cupboards.

“Do you know where Abuela is?”

Mirabel shook her head and opened her mouth only to be interrupted by Pepa’s voice bellowing, enough to stop the construction around them; the only thing missing now was the thunder and lightning to really make a scene.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE!!?”

Dolores winced in pity but relived. At least, Agustín realised, she wasn’t suffering from her enhanced hearing. The part that wanted justice was partly satisfied; Pepa was not a woman to cross… this time, Agustín hoped the kid would finally listen.

“Tio,” Dolores started, “I think it’d be best for Tia to stop making Camilo’s lunches too. He’s…” She hesitated, but carried on as he raised his eyebrow at her to continue, “he’s been tossing his lunches of food over the bridge then buying his from a local stall.”

“Oh come on!” Mirabel groaned in frustration, “Why is he being such a jerk!”

“He has issues.” Dolores replied, “Can we not tell Tia about that, please?”

“Agreed.” God knew how she’d react knowing that. She made food to feel useful; she didn’t need this on top of today and her current foreseeable future.

Mirabel didn’t answer, looking more conflicted than anything before she turned and stormed into the house Felix had dragged Camilo into.

There was a lowering of voices before a heavy thunk. Ten seconds later, Mirabel reappeared, shaking out a fist with a hiss. Blood seemed to be on her knuckles too but she looked remarkably better with even a smirk on her lips

“Did you punch my brother?”

“Yes I did,” Mirabel answered with no regrets.

“In the nose?”

“I think I broke it. Worth it.”

“Did you punch him in front of his parents?” He could feel his lips twitch in amusement. Mirabel didn’t need to be told off for this.

“Yes.”

“They let you?” Dolores’s eyebrows raised

“I told them what else he did so… I’m perfectly justified in their eyes no doubt.” Mirabel wiped her hands onto her skirt. “I’m going to get ice. I think I still bruised a knuckle. I didn’t think it’d hurt me.”

Agustín nodded, watching her go with Dolores before he turned to attention back to his middle child.

“Is Mama really alright, Pa?” Luisa asked, “I… I don’t want her to feel ashamed to come to us…I do miss her.”

Agustín’s mood deflated, expression falling. “No.”

Luisa’s shoulders sagged. “What can I do to help? I don’t mind taking a day off…to see her.”

Agustín reached back for her, pulling her into a hug, which was off given how much taller she was but her arms wrapped around him soon enough.

“I think… your mother needs to know you’re there. This…experience for her now is going to be extremely isolating. You don’t have to forgive her or anything but she needs us in the long run.”

Luisa pulled back with a nod, swallowing back tears. “I can do that. I just… I want her to be okay. I don’t want…something to happen.”

“It won’t.” Agustín felt the fear Luisa had and it made his heart thud. He had only entertained the darker actions Julieta might do before he pushed that away because he damn well intended to make sure she wouldn’t follow through. He’d not let her hurt herself or worse.

#pariah au #pariah madrgials #encanto #encanto au #pariah julieta #agustín madrigal #agustin madrigal #julieta madrigal #luisa madrigal #dolores madrigal #mirabel madrigal #pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #pariah agustín #pariah mirabel #camilo madrigal #pariah camilo #blood tw

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