Intro Log

[neverbreaks]

WHO: Luisa and you
WHERE: The Labyrinth, then the city
WHEN: Feb. 12
WHAT: A new arrival, and she happens to be a Madrigal!
WARNINGS: Possibly some anxiety

Labyrinth

[ Luisa had no idea what was going on.

She didn't remember ever falling asleep, but when she woke she suddenly found herself in this strange place. It kind of reminded her of a Roman coliseum, like the ones she'd read about in a few books she'd picked up before. There didn't seem to be any obvious way out, though, and after wandering around while trying to find an exit, she'd come across some kind of strange creature that tried to attack her.

It wasn't like she'd never had this dream before, of encountering some monster that she needed to fight, so she wasn't entirely surprised to find a sword and shield nearby as well. But she knew something was wrong as soon as she picked them up - while they weren't necessarily heavy, she could definitely feel the weight of them. And as she blocked a blow from the monster with the shield, she felt the strain in her muscles, just trying to keep from being crushed under it.

And yeah, she's had this dream before too - even before all the trouble with the magic, she'd have nightmares of losing her strength, of not being able to do what she needed to. But while dodging another of the monster's attacks, she felt the sharp sting of its claws as it grazed her arm, leaving dark red lines on her skin.

This wasn't a dream. It was all real, and she was actually fighting a monster without her usual strength. But if all this was real, then did that mean her family could also be here somewhere?

She wasn't entirely sure how she managed to beat the monster, but it probably had something to do with the sudden rush of adrenaline with the need to find her family. She called out for each of them, searching through the twists and turns of the maze while encountering more beasts. Some where animals that she'd heard about, some were creatures of myth she'd read about, but all were tough and difficult to beat.

She somehow manages to push on, even though the fights wear down on her. She isn't sure how long she can keep this up, but she has to keep trying. If her family was here, she needed to find them. ]

The City

[ After eventually getting out of the labyrinth, and with some explanation later, Luisa takes a little time to explore this strange new city. It's a weird feeling; she'd never even left the Encanto before, and suddenly in some huge city in who-knows-where. Even with the mountains surrounding their home, she had never felt quite as...small as she does now.

She tries not to dwell on that too much, though, as she takes in all the stores and shops along the street. And she can't help a puzzled frown. ]

Why is everything so...red?

Comments

[neverbreaks]

Uh...no? [ If they're trying to sneak past anything, the raised incredulous pitch in her voice certainly won't help that. But this doesn't make any sense! ]

The last thing I remember was celebrating back home after rebuilding Casita, and the magic coming back? We had just taken that family picture, and I guess I nodded off while the party was still going. [ She shakes her head. ] The next thing I know, I wake up here.

[nonmagical]

That’s what I remember too! But I’ve been here for a month?

None of this makes any sense…

[She can hear heavy footsteps now. They must be getting close to the dog monster… unless it’s something else.]

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa does too, and gently pushes Mirabel to stand behind her as she raises the shield up. ]

We better get out of here first, then we can try figuring this out.

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel does as she's directed, trying her best to not make this any harder on Luisa than it has to be. She points to a corridor and drops her voice to a whisper.]

I came through that way!

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa follows where Mirabel is indicating, then peers around the corner. The beast is there, but it's facing the other way, so hopefully they could get by him. ]

Okay...let's head over really slow.

[ She stood so that she'd always be between the beast and Mirabel, at least from where it's standing. Her first priority was always to keep her sister safe. ]

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel nods, and slowly... slowly... they make their way across. Mirabel is holding her breath the entire time.]

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa kept the shield as they inched their way slowly - painfully so - towards the corridor on the other side of the room.

All the while she keeps her eyes on the dog beast, so she notices when its ears perk up, and it begins to sniff the air. Her grip on the hilt of the sword tightens. ]

...run. Now!

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel doesn’t argue - she books it, knowing the entrance to the Labyrinth was close by. They just had to push through a little more to reach it!]

[neverbreaks]

[ She makes sure Mirabel is ahead of her, still standing between her sister and the beast as it turns around completely. It roars, the sound reverberating against the stone walls and shaking the ground under their feet.

Luisa skids to a sudden stop, sword and shield raised as she turns to face the beast again. If she can just give her some time... ]

¡Vamos! Keep going, Mirabel!

[nonmagical]

O-okay! It’s this way!

[Is her sister going to be okay though. She keeps going, just a little further-!]

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa really doesn't know if she will. She's still tired from all the other monsters she's fought already, and she really isn't sure she could take another. But it's her job to keep her sister safe!

But as the beast charges towards her, time seems to slow as another thought fills her mind. Mirabel had said she'd come in from that way, but what if another monster had appeared there since then? What if her sister ran into another one while she was here fighting this? What if Mirabel needed her?

She had to make a decision, and she only had a moment to do so.

The beast is almost on top of her, so she takes the sword and throws it as hard as she can at it. Though the point of the blade land, the blade itself hitting the creature's face is enough of a distraction for Luisa to get away, quickly following after Mirabel. ]

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel is already a little further ahead, so she misses her sister being a total badass.

Luckily there doesn’t seem to be anything blocking their path ahead. Mirabel remembers taking a left, then a right, and then going straight for a while when she came through the labyrinth’s entrance.]

[neverbreaks]

[ Luckily she's still able to see Mirabel, so she's able to follow easily enough. She does take a quick glance behind her, though, and while she's relieved to see that the dog beast isn't following her, she still keeps her guard up in case something else appears. ]

[nonmagical]

[And Mirabel manages to find the exit! She breathes a heavy sigh of relief, as the entrance leads out into a huge city.]

We’re out of here.

[neverbreaks]

[ She only a few steps behind Mirabel, and as soon as she steps out she feels like she can finally breathe properly again. ]

Gracias a dios...I don't know how much more of that I could take.

[ The change was almost immediate; without the threat of the monsters or being lost in the labyrinth, knowing that she and her sister were safe, Luisa could feel the strain and aches in her muscles. The adrenaline was quickly fading, and she could barely stay on her feet. ]

[nonmagical]

[Once the danger is over, Mirabel goes to hug her sister. Part emotional support, the other part that it looks like Luisa is going to fall over.]

Maybe it’s time to sit down for a little bit.

[neverbreaks]

[ She releases a shaky breath, hugging her sister as tight as she could manage without hurting her. Nothing scares her more than the thought of her family being in some kind of trouble.

She does hesitate a moment at the suggestion, though. ] ...I think I'd rather rest up in Casita.

[ Mirabel did mention that their house was here. And despite feeling like she might pass out at any moment, being somewhere more familiar felt much more comforting right now. ]

[nonmagical]

[She appreciates the hug. She missed her sisters. Though she wishes this place hadn’t dropped Luisa in such a rough situation.

But she’s here now. They’re both okay. Mirabel wraps her arm around Luisa the best she can - in reality, she probably isn’t strong enough to offer much support, but she’s gonna try anyway. They’ll just take it slow.]

Okay. Casita wasn’t too far from here anyway.

[neverbreaks]

[ Honestly, just having her sister there with her helps a lot, especially since it seemed to be so cold. As they slowly made their way along, Luisa glanced at the tall buildings surrounding them. ]

Is this the city you mentioned before?

[nonmagical]

Yeah, this is it.

… Looks a lot different than home, doesn’t it? I had a hard time getting used to it.

[neverbreaks]

[ She nods, the cold-looking buildings, so tall and imposing, felt much different than the warm houses and fields of the Encanto. ]

And you said you've been here a month? [ She can hardly imagine it. ] Were you dropped in one of those mazes too?

[nonmagical]

Yeah, a month. And… yeah, I was.

[She didn’t like hers. Not that it was as dangerous as Luisa’s, but…]

[neverbreaks]

[ She frowns, worried, and lightly grips Mirabel's shoulder. ] That bad?

[nonmagical]

Ah, it was… a lot of glowing doors that faded when you touched them, that’s all.

[So her Gift ceremony on repeat.]

I was lucky enough to not have monsters in mine.

[neverbreaks]

What do you mean, "that's all"? That's terrible. [ Sure Luisa had to fight monsters, but physical injuries would heal just fine (even without their mother's cooking). But having to relive a painful memory like that was just cruel.

What was up with this place? ]