Video; UN: Beekeper

[pan_acea]

WHO: Julieta Madrigal and you
WHERE: Network
WHEN: Beginning of June
WHAT: One of Julieta's Gacha pulls was animal curse and it can't be controlled when she's emotional. Weeeelll it's been an emotional time for her.
WARNINGS: Swearing in Spanish

[When the video begins, those who have visited Caista will recognize the place where Julieta reigns supreme: the kitchen. That is not what is strange.

No, what is strange is the very beautiful but actually MASSIVE osprey hawk angrily pecking at the phone or attempting to claw it with her talons. The osprey flaps all five feet of her wingspan and screeches and chirps. Those who actually understand animals fluently may come to realize that the hawk is not only speaking in Spanish but, more precisely, swearing in Spanish. The words she uses are enough to make a sailor blush.

What the cherry on this stranger than strange sundae is, is that Julieta is nowhere to be seen as this large bird of prey keeps pecking away at HER phone using HER username.]

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[wedonttalkabout]

[There's a long pause.]

...Okay, maybe I should get Antonio?

[He's made his way into the kitchen, peering around nervously. As an afterthought, he grabs a broom, holding it between him and the bird.]

Juli? Are you in here?

Action

[pan_acea]

[Juli looks up and quickly flaps her wings, chirping to Bruno before hopping along the counter to flap her wings again.

She, of course IS a predator bird, if the rats are near, they're go8ng to be on edge at the sight of her.]

[wedonttalkabout]

[The constant rat presence in his ruana is definitely squeaking up a storm- while also unwittingly incriminating Bruno for actively bringing rats into the kitchen. Bruno himself is trying to look around the bird to find his sister. She isn't here.

He glances at the bird again, still keeping his broom up as if it'll protect him from potentially getting his eyes scratched out. Kaisou is pretty weird...but could it be that weird? Maybe he should get Antonio? ]

Uh. Hi? Angry bird? Orrrr potentially Juli?

[pan_acea]

[She nodded enthusiastically. Yes, Bruno! Juli! She bounced and chirped as she moved to sit atop his head.]

[wedonttalkabout]

...Well, this is a thing that's happening right now.

[He's just gonna stand here while he tries to process all of this.]

Um. Do you know how to turn back? [Then, slightly panicked:] This isn't like the girls is it? You didn't get cursed or- or whatever it is that happened to them?

[pan_acea]

[She flaps her wings and lets him do the panicking for the both of them. She doesn't know how this happened or why this happened. She doesn't know. She doesn't know and she doesn't know how to change out of it! Ay dios mio! What if it IS a curse! She can't be cursed! Not on top of everything else this family has to deal with! She's shaking, unable to hide her feelings as a bird and she just wants to hug her brother right now.]

[wedonttalkabout]

[He has no idea how to fix this at all. How does a person stop being a bird and go back to being a human again? Are there any guides for this? Hell if he knows.]

Okay, um um um. Maybe...try thinking...human thoughts?

[Flawless!]

[pan_acea]

[She smacks the top of his head with her talon, careful to keep it closed because she learned very quickly how sharp they were. She glanced over to the massive scratches in the wood she had caused.

But okay, sure, human thoughts, what else did she have to try. She closes her eyes and tries to take deep breaths, a bit hard to do when you have a beak instead of a nose. She's fine, it's fine, she will deal with this, all she has to do is just turn human again.

She takes several more deep breaths, trying to set aside her panic and anger and worry.

And blinks when she realizes three fundamental truths at the exact same time number 1. The shift from turning into a human into a bird and a bird into a human was a seamless transition that had no fanfare, no poofs of smoke or pain in her bones, no snaps or screams of pain, just one-moment bird, one moment human. Number 2. She had done this while as a bird sitting atop Bruno's head and well, being an osprey was still rather heavy, but it was not the equivalent to a 50-year-old woman and number 3. The ceiling, which she was now staring up at since she was now sprawled on the floor in a very undignified manner, needed to be dusted because there were cobwebs in every corner and then some.

She continued to stare up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened. It was a small blessing she was still dressed.]

So, human thoughts... apparently.

[wedonttalkabout]

[He takes this "assault" with a soft whining "hey ow quit it!" in the Mom she's touching me kind of tone. Just normal sibling shenanigans.

He definitely wasn't expecting her to stop being a bird on top of his head and definitely crumples because she's bigger than him and he's also just a weedy little nerd anyway. He groans from the floor, just planning on lying there for a bit.]

Yup. Definitely noticed. Congrats on the human parts?

[pan_acea]

[Casita helped her sit up, gently patting her hand with a tile while the rest of her went off to deal with the scratches from her talons. She moved to lean against the middle island of the kitchen, staying seated on the floor just like they used to when they were younger and Pepa and Bruno had convinced Julieta to take breaks from all the cooking and baking and everything for the Encanto and just sit and relax. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the familiar wood, trying to breathe, trying to take everything that just happened in.

She had every inch of the kitchen memorized, from tile to tile. This may as well be her actual room compared to the one Casita gave her since she had lost count of the times she had fallen asleep on her feet. She looks over to Bruno, pulling up to sit beside her and hugging onto his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder...

And quietly, just like when they were kids and Mamá would go on some of her rants about how Julieta was supposed to be the GOOD girl, she wasn't supposed to misbehave, couldn't you just behave, Julieta, couldn't you just make it easy on Mamá, she cried, silently.]

So, another curse in the family. [She whispered, wiping at her tears.]

[wedonttalkabout]

[Bruno hesitates as Julieta starts to cry, not expecting it. ]

Um, well, maybe it's not so bad? It's uh... well, you can probably learn to fly, right? That's...pretty neat. And you turned back once, so I'm sure you can figure out how to control it? You're pretty smart, y'know?

[He's trying his best. He'll even pat her on the back gently. There there.]

[pan_acea]

Prioridad número uno is to figure out the trigger and the return. [She uses her apron to wipe her eyes and takes a deep breath.]

Being able to fly is interesting, certainly.

[wedonttalkabout]

See? We'll figure it out, just like any of the rest of our Gifts. It's just...working out the ...moving parts?

And yeah! Flying would be pretty amazing, right? None of us have been able to do that before.

[pan_acea]

I can already hear mamá now and how useful it would be to the Encanto. Or I suppose, I can already think of it. [Because it's ingrained in them, being "useful." 45 years is a lot to undo.]

Your rats are safe, at least, pretty sure I was craving fish.

[wedonttalkabout]

[Bruno pulls a little face at that, displeased, uneasy.]

But we don't need to do that, right? You can just...have it and enjoy it for what it is.

[If he has to be the voice of reason to remind the rest of his family this, then so be it. ]

Hah, good to hear. If you ate my rats I would actually cry.

[pan_acea]

I can enjoy when I know what causes it and how to leave it. I suppose it's good to know my clothes transform with me. Imagine if I was naked every time I turned back.

[She smiles and holds his cheek.]

No tears, Brunito. Your rats are safe. I wouldn't take them away from you even if I turned into a snake or owl.

[wedonttalkabout]

I really don't want to imagine that, Juli. Not even for a second.

[They can all be glad for the clothes thing.]

Hah, thanks, I'm glad to hear that. I appreciate the self-control in not eating my rats.

[pan_acea]

[She shakes her head. They were triplets so there was next to nothing about their bodies that they didn't already know, puberty with Gifts was... well, there was a reason Mamá went gray quickly.]

It's not that hard, I assure you.