Chapter 1

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by banyanyapie

by banyanyapie

"Can I get anything else for you, señora?" You inquire, taking up a plate from the table of 3 you were serving. The older woman who sat in front of you smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you though." You return the smile and head off to sit in the back for a few minutes before going out and taking care of your customers again.

A server at a small restaurante your parents ran, you were a young adult in their mid 20s. You lived in the Encanto, a village that appeared when your parents and their old village were burnt to the ground by colonizers. An event that caused a miracle to spark, giving magic abilities to a specific family, the Madrigals.

You hadn't been born yet, so you didn't know all of the details, just the ones mamá told you at storytime before bed as a child.

"Are you back here, Y/N?" You heard your father call from the kitchen. "Yes sir," You reply, peeking over a stack of cornmeal bags to show him where you were. "Could you head out to the market real quick? We ran out of eggs, apparently I forgot to do inventory last night." He laughed sheepishly at the last part. "What about our customers?" You ask, not really caring and actually wanting to get out of the restaurante for an hour or two. "Tu madre y yo can take care of it." He assured, but you were already halfway through the doorway to the main part of the lobby, taking off your server's apron that he made you wear. "I'll be back in an hour, bye papá!" You wave at him before leaving through the lobby, heading through the door of the restaurante.

You made your way through the village, heading for the market district. You and the farmer had become good pals, so you knew exactly where her stand was. "Fresh wheat! Ripe tomates! Healthy eggs, laid just this week!" You heard her familiar voice advertise to passersby. You walk up to the stand. "Hola, Lucía! Buenas tardes." You greet with a smile. "Buenas tardes, Y/N." She smiled back. "What did your dad run out of this week?" She asks playfully. "Eggs." You reply with a sigh. "I swear, he needs to start letting mamá take inventory." You laugh as Lucía picks out a dozen eggs, handing them to you in a small, handwoven basket. "How much do I owe you this time?" You ask, raising an eyebrow as you grab the pouch of money that was strung from your trousers. Lucía laughs and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Y/N, you're putting my kids through schooling with how often you buy from my stand. Don't worry about it this time, everything is free." She gives you a warm smile. You raise your eyebrows in shock. "Are– are you sure?" You still reach for your money pouch. She moves her hand to your own, pushing it down back to your side. "I'm sure, Y/N."

You smile and thank her. You make your way away from her stand with the basket held close to you, to make sure nothing broke on your commute between the market district and your parents' restaurante.

You decided you didn't want to go back yet, and since you had way more money than you'd expected to have, you decided to look around for something for your parents. A jewelry set, maybe, or some books; they were both avid readers. Books would be the safest option, you supposed. You made your way to the bookstore, on the opposite side of the market district from Lucía's shop. You kept to the sides of the streets, politely denying any stand keepers who advertised their services to you. You divert your attention from in front of you to ahead of you, searching for the sign that revealed the store's location. Just as you look back to the street, a body shoves forcefully into you.

You yelp in surprise, trying to balance the eggs as you look at who just bumped into you. You didn't recognize them, their face was covered by a hood casting a shadow on their face. You failed to notice the egg that was nearly thrown from the basket, and by the time you did it was already halfway to the ground. "Whoa!" The person said in shock, quickly catching the egg. They remove the hood.

Oh? It was a Madrigal. You didn't quite remember his name. Bruce? Brian? ...Bruno?

Bruno! Bruno Madrigal, the youngest of the triplets, yet still older than you were. He looked timid, hazel-green eyes darting around to scan for judging glances from the townspeople. His fluffy hair obscured part of his face. Man, it looked soft. Did he, like, wash it every day or something? You wished your hair looked that soft. "Hah– Sorry." He quickly apologized, placing the egg gently in the basket, patting it lightly before turning his attention back to you. "You're one of the Madrigals." You state. He nodded. "I'm sorry, I really didn't see you–" He began profusely apologizing. You cut him off. "You're fine, accidents happen." You smile. "But don't let it happen again." You warn, the smile fading to a scowl. His face turns to one of alarm before you put a hand up defensively. "Kidding, I'm kidding." You tell him quickly. The alarm fades to relief.

"Well, sorry, again. I'll– I'll see you around." He muttered before placing his hood back, the shadows returning and obscuring his face. Man, that was eerie.

"Yeah...see you around." You say, but he was already gone. How the hell did he do that?

You make your way to the bookstore and buy a set of books for your parents. The book keeper smiled and bid you farewell as you left, making your way back to the restaurante. Once you got there you headed to the back, setting the basket of eggs on the counter behind your father. "Papá, I got the eggs." You tell him. He thanked you and you made your way back to the back. You set the books down on a table and put your server apron back on. The bell rang at the front of the store and your mother asked if you could serve whoever just walked in. With a 'sure', you make your way to the front. The timid man you'd just seen stood at the front of the lobby, waiting to be seated. Your eyebrows shoot up in shock. What're the odds?

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señora - ma'am
restaurante - restaurant (how surprising lol)
mamá - mom
Tu madre y yo - Your mother and I
papá - dad
Tomates - Tomatoes
Buenas tardes - Good afternoon