🌵💐First Bloom (A Very Awkward Arrival)

[senorita_perfecta]

WHO: Isabela and YOU
WHERE: Labyrinth and the streets of Kaisou
WHEN: 9/25-9/26
WHAT: Isa arrives via a suspiciously curated flower labyrinth and she is very disoriented and very scared
WARNINGS: Implied anxiety attacks and possible mentions of trans-generational traumas; Will update this if something else comes up


I. Disorienting Flower Labyrinth
(Things have gotten very weird for Isabela today. Just some time ago, she was pretty busy preparing a community garden for the town. It has been in her plans for quite a while now since finally getting to be herself and she is so happy to share it with her town mates. But as soon as she is about to bring out the gardening tools, she blacks out. It happened so suddenly that she didn’t have time to react or call for help.

Eventually after some time has passed, Isa wakes up to find an awfully terrifying sight: a perfectly manicured flower maze. Oh good heavens, she is not too happy to see something that would remind her of what she was pretending to be for most of her life. It looks too perfect for her own taste, the colors are too much of a color wheel match, and there is not a single cactus or anything that looks less than pretty to be found. This place might as well make her feel like suffocating for air. Plus there is no sighting of the gardening tools she was supposed to be carrying.

What is even more annoying is when she tries to use her gift to mess around with this utopian garden maze, she is horrified to discover that the thriving ability she has just awakened some time ago has been reduced to be the boring and basic version she had from before. Honestly, she doesn’t know which one is worse: her gift being laughably cut down in strength or being stuck in this sickeningly perfect looking maze?

Panic is slowly building up inside her as she desperately tries to find an exit out of this maze. There is no point of trying to hide her scared state of mind and she is not feeling fine.)

II. A Walk Around the City
(Eventually Isabela did found her way out of that ‘horrific’ labyrinth and into the streets of a big modern city after who knows how long it took her to leave: looking very tired but still very much alive. Looking at the modern buildings and billboards she is surrounded by, this is clearly not the town she has been living for her entire life, so Isabela is understandably in shock of seeing all the modern things she has never seen before.

As she tries to get a grip on this new reality, she feels her foot stepping on something sturdy, crouching down to find a instruction book and a strange rectangle device she has never seen before beside it. Now who would leave these behind? Wouldn’t they be vulnerable to stealing? Whoever left them here though, it seems to look like they are hers to keep now.

But the smartphone doesn’t seem to be within her priority right now as she has no clue on how to use one before she just simply wanders around the streets of Kaisou, hoping to find some answers and praying that someone can explain to her about why she has landed in here and why she is far away from home.)

Wildcard
(Want throw something else at me? Send them at me in the comments below. You can find me at mariscorner or on Discord at Mariposa21 #4257. I can match your tagging style, brackets or prose.)

Comments

II

[speaksanimal]

[Meanwhile, here Antonio was. He was wandering around the city in hopes of meeting some of his animal friends at the park. After everything that happened, all he wanted to was to spend some more time with friends. With Mirabel and other members of his "family" gone, he just didn't want to be alone.

That said, he could help but stare at a somewhat familiar person. He was certain that it was another one of his family members but he didn't want to ask. Instead, he lowered his head and didn't say anything.

And yet, it felt like he wanted to say something to her.]

[senorita_perfecta]

(Isabela has walked for a good amount of time by this point that she is looking more like she’s about to cry than attempting to put up a brave face. Despite asking every local she comes across, nobody has given her an answer or even her family’s whereabouts. It has left her heartbroken and feeling guilty of leaving her family, her town, and Casita behind even more.

But as she walks on the path towards the park all alone, she is surprised to find a familiar face. And no, she is not making things up or seeing visions: this young boy looks very familiar to her eyes. Isabela tries to say a word too but it seems as if words have failed her.)

[speaksanimal]

[The more that he stared at her, the more he wondered if he should say something. Carefully, he walked up to her before glancing downward at the ground. From the looks of it, it seemed like she recognizes him but why hasn't she said anything?

That said, he eventually did look up before giving a small frown. However, that didn't stop him from giving a wave toward her.]

[senorita_perfecta]

(It must be nerve wrecking to come face to face with someone from your world who doesn’t seem to recognize you in a place like this and she was quite tongue tied for a while now. She is wondering if the rest of her family may not recognize her in this world at all. And to say that Isabela is nervous about this moment would be an understatement.

After trying not to have another panicky moment like what she went through at the maze, she lets a very nervous grin for a smile and lets out a very meek greeting.)

Um, hi?

[speaksanimal]

[Did she not remember the last time she met him? From the looks of it, it seemed like she didn't. That's why Antonio kept his distance as he wondered how much she knew about his situation. As happy as he was to know that one of his "family" members was here, he didn't know how to approach this.

He didn't want to scare her off but he also wanted to talk to her! With that, he gave a small smile before walking up to her.]

Hi. Uh...do you know who I am?

[As in he's Antonio but not the "Antonio" she knew?]

I

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa hasn't been in a great state of mind ever since they discovered that Mirabel had disappeared, and it had been tough doing anything without thinking of her younger sister. The ache of missing her was still fresh, and it ran so deep, that it had taken a tremendous amount of effort to drag herself out of her room, knowing that she had responsibilities and things to do but hardly any drive to do them.

And it was...difficult, talking about this with anyone. She knows the rest of her family would be hurting as well, but as much as she wanted to be there for them, this...this hurt a lot more than she thought it ever could. It was different too, from when Isabela and Dolores and Camilo had left. Those had hurt as well, but Mirabel...through everything they've been through here in the city, her younger sister had also been like her best friend, and she honestly isn't sure what she was going to do without her.

But she knows that she has to be strong, for her family's sake. They would need her, especially now during a time like this. She could only hope that she'll be able to work through her own grief so she could help them.

And maybe coming to the Spirit World wasn't the best way to clear her head. She'd only really meant to get out of the house, to take a walk and go somewhere that didn't require her to do anything. How she ended up here, she isn't sure, but she recognizes that it's a maze signaling that someone new has arrived. And she feels a bit terrible, because she doesn't feel like helping some stranger, really. Which is why she forces herself to do it anyway.

The maze though, it's...it's definitely something. The flowers are pretty, at least, but it only makes the ache in her heart worse. Because this whole maze does remind her of Isa, at least how she used to be before everything changed. As pretty as it looks, she knows that her sister would probably dislike it here. ]

...Hello? Is anyone here?

[senorita_perfecta]

(For a while, it looks like Isa has seemed to lose her way and the feeling of breaking down is starting to creep in on her. Everything about this maze has made her feel understandably stressed out beyond what words can describe from the years of self sacrificing and not giving herself some room to tap into her rebellious streak. She was nearing to possibly giving up when she hears a voice calling out from one path in the maze. While she hasn’t registered who it could be from, it sounds so familiar that it kicks in the instinct to run towards the voice immediately.

Wondering where the source of the voice is coming from, she makes a quick mad dash towards where she first heard it. As she makes more progress in hopefully getting out of this awful maze, she decides to make some sounds to let whoever is calling to her to know where she is.)

Yes! I’m here and I want to get out of this maze now.

[neverbreaks]

[ Something about that voice...but no, her mind is just playing tricks on her, right? She's just missing her sisters too much, that has to be it.

But the voice helps at least, and Luisa quickly starts heading in the direction where it sounds like its coming from. ]

Okay! Just, uh...keep talking so I can find you! Are you hurt or anything?

[senorita_perfecta]

Thankfully, I didn’t got hurt upon arriving. Although my head is still spinning figuratively at the moment. This entire maze is just too matchy for my own taste and it’s driving me a bit crazy.

(Isabela is doing her best to talk as much as possible so the person on the other side could help her out. While her head is still spinning around from being overwhelmed, she is able to move forward as she continues listening to the voice on the other side.)

[neverbreaks]

[ It was getting tougher to deny who the voice sounded like, the closer she got to where it sounded like it was coming from. But Luisa still prepared herself for it to be someone else, that it couldn't be who she was thinking...

Until she finally rounds a corner and comes upon the - painfully familiar - figure, and comes to a sudden stop. ]

...Isa?

II

[laminae]

[It's a perfectly normal normal day in Kaisou and one (1) boy made entirely out of grass is loitering around a store that's gotten its Halloween decor up. Despite having tangled with zombies multiple times before human holidays in general were never a thing in Ooo so this is all new to him, and he's here for it. He doesn't get all the orange and black and pumpkins, but the spooky vibes are cool.

The display he's looking at is made up of a particularly scary-looking scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head strung up, surrounded by fake crows, plastic bats and jack-o-lanterns. There's even an orange and black banner that reads HAPPY HALLOWEEN!]

Wow, whatever this holiday is it's gonna be sick.

[senorita_perfecta]

(As she walks down the street, Isa begins to notice that there is something else she hasn’t found out about until now upon her escape from the labyrinth: the celebration of a holiday she is not familiar with in her world. The decorations look really intriguing to the eye as she makes a stop for the very same decor shop the grass boy is checking out.

Granted, the realistic fake bats and crows and the scarecrow would have not look good for her golden child facade back then but there is something about the decor that has gotten her attention as well. Maybe is the curiosity and intrigue of this new holiday, or the blacks and oranges got her attention, or maybe she just likes the aesthetics a little more than she is letting on?

Whatever it is, she soon finds herself admiring the spooky decor. If he gets a glimpse, he could see that she looks like she has paint all over in a dark bluish purple dress with splashes of yellow, green, orange, and pink.)

I have no idea what this holiday is these are for either, but I will admit that the decorations on display look amazing.

[laminae]

[Fern nods in agreement.]

Yeah? Maybe it's a thing specific to this world instead of being a general human deal.

[He straightens up, then looks over at her.]

Sick dress. Uh - if dresses can be sick? I don't really know girl's clothing. [It just looks cool, is all, which is perfectly normal. A weird grass kid complimenting her dress.]

[senorita_perfecta]

It could be possible that it is a holiday exclusive to this world. I never got to celebrate it in Colombia before, so it could be a lot of fun to see what activities this holiday has to offer.

(Despite never hearing this particular use of the term sick before, Isabela surprisingly didn’t give Fern dagger eyes for saying that to her. Instead, she actually got quite a chuckle. She honestly thought it was a compliment of how her dress now looks these days: being so perfect is so overrated.

Also sorry Fern, Isa has come from a time period where most humans don’t usually say hip colloquial terms to each other but she is trying her best to play catch up.)

Perhaps dresses can be, um, sick perhaps. As in looking very amazing, unique even.

[laminae]

Cool. No idea where Colombia is, but I'm guessing it's not a place that exists back home.

[Because she's human and all. It's cool, he's picked up on the fact that Ooo is an odd duck out in having like, practically no humans existing in it.

It takes him a second but this isn't the first person he's run into who is new to his slang before, so he's quick to clarify.]

Oh - oh yeah, that's what I mean. 'Sick' means cool. Or neat. [It's all good, he knows Ooo slang doesn't cross universes.] Your dress is... neat?

II

[wedonttalkabout]

[Bruno's been in the city for a long time at this point. He's used to people just...appearing and looking confused as all hell about their new surroundings. He's seen plenty of his family come and go, too- though they've been going more than coming, these days.

He clears his throat, awkwardly as he approaches his niece, raising a hand in greeting. He can never be sure if this is an Antonio Situation and she might not actually know him. ]

Um- h-hey. Random question, weird question- but do you recognise me?

[senorita_perfecta]

(For a while it seems as if she hasn’t payed any attention to the voice asking her about recognizing him. Isabela just barely escaped the flower maze and was still in shock for a good while, maybe a few hours at most.

But it wasn’t until when she turns around to find Bruno raising a hand to her that she is horrified to learn that she didn’t immediately recognize him the moment he spoke to her.)

Huh, what?!? Tío Bruno! You’re here as well? Oh gee, I am so sorry that I didn’t response back to you very quickly. I am just trying to recover from that awful maze. I almost got lost for what felt like hours.

[wedonttalkabout]

[Well, she calls him by name and he will take that. That is so much better than Antonio. After losing Mirabel so soon, having Isabela be someone without memories of her family would have crushed Julieta, he's pretty sure of it.]

A-yeup. That's me. And it's okay, this place is pretty- well~ it's a lot.

[He's gotten used to it by now, the noise and scale of it all- but he remembers the absolute confusion from coming from their tiny little encanto to his giant city.]

Those mazes are pretty unfun. But hey! You only have to go through them once, at least! Anyway uh...welcome to Kaisou. It's [he hesitates, trying to find the best way to let her down easily on this] it's literally another dimension we're trapped in now.

[Flawless. ]

[senorita_perfecta]

Oh phew, I thought for a moment that I would never get out of that maze alive. But at least I managed to get out of there in the end.

(As long as she doesn’t go near any ridiculously perfect flower stuff or unfun mazes for the foreseeable future, the better her sanity can stay intact.)

Another dimension we’re stuck in? That is all new to me, but I am going to try to get used to this setting. Hey Tío Bruno, are there anyone else in our family who are in here too?

[wedonttalkabout]

Yeah, it takes a while sometimes. Did you have anyone help you through it? That- that sometimes helps.

[No one wants that, no sir!]

Hmm, a whole other world. I don't really understand it- there's smarter people than me around here who really get it. But yeah, there's...some of us. Also Casita. Somehow.

A Walk Around The City

[weatherforecast]

[When Pepa spies a familiar face she's walking around with a couple of shopping bags. Shopping bags that get dropped when she spies Isabella. Luckily there was nothing breakable in them. Just a few things they needed for the restaurant that she offered to go pick up. But she moves quickly towards her niece, stopping just short of her. Her hands reach out towards her niece, but she leaves it to Isabella to decide if she'll come close enough for her to take her hands. Things have been... complicated here in Kaisou. And she's not sure if she's really looking at her niece or someone who looks like her.]

Isa? Por favor! Tell me that's really you!

[senorita_perfecta]

(While the future shock did got her mind scrambled to the point of not responding Pepa’s gesture immediately, it didn’t take long for Isabela to immediately hug her aunt in sheer relief and happiness.)

Tía Pepa! Yes, it is really me, I am so sorry that it took me a while to recover from the maze ordeal! But I am so happy to see you today!

[weatherforecast]

Ah, yes. The mazes... When I arrived, I was in an empty town in the middle of a hurricane. Just like my wedding day. But I was all alone.

[She hugs Isabella tight.]

If I knew you were there, if I knew how to find you, I would have come to look for you. Are you okay? Were you hurt at all?

[Pulling back to assess her niece.]

[senorita_perfecta]

I’m mostly alright, Tía. I haven’t gotten injured while in there thankfully except I got lost for a good amount of time and then there is also my gift, um, it has been reduced in strength upon waking up in the maze.

My head went into a hazy state from the confusion and the feeling of being lost.

[weatherforecast]

Si. Our gifts are for some reason a little less... powerful when we arrive here. Mine still has not fully returned.

[She's honestly a little relieved? It's been nice not completely drowning a whole city in torrential downpour when she's sad.]

But I think your Mami and your Tio Bruno have theirs at full strength.