Blue Flames and Black Candles

A First Date To Remember

The festival was in full swing: people were dancing in the streets, candles sat on every windowsill, and bright colored decorations were everywhere. Flowers and ferns grow wild, Isabela keeping her promise, and the children were highly entertained with fireworks and puppet shows. Everything was perfect.

Well, almost everything.

"The encanto truly went all out, don't you think, Baltasar?" Abuela had decided to supervise their 'date' herself. "Though Isabela's new plants leave a little to be desired."

Mirabel had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from saying anything insulting. Isabela had finally been able to grow whatever plants she so desired; she was currently on a desert plant kick. Mira was really proud that her older sister was able to be who she wanted to be now.

"I think Isabela expanding her horizons is good for it. She never seemed quite as happy as she pretended to be."

"Oh yeah! She has been experimenting with growing fruit and vegetables! She made strawberries yesterday and they were amazing! Mama made them into a jam and they are surprisingly delicious on arepas! Camilo made me try it."

"Really? I'll have to try it. In front of Mama! She'll be horrified!"

The two teens were determined to have a good day at the festival, Abuela would just have to get over herself. They had already gotten a disapproving look for holding hands, mostly so they don't get separated in the crowd. The two continued to make the old woman regret going with them: talking about odd topics, quietly joking about different people, and eating the weirdest food they could find.

"Mira! Please tell me you're not on your date dressed in regular clothes!"

"Is there something else I should have worn?"

"Oh Dios Mio! Ok, Gabriela and I can get you situated. Tas, you go with Nicolas. We'll make sure you two look the part! This'll be so much fun!"

Isa dragged Mira away, while Tas tried to make a break for it but was caught incredibly fast. The two were dragged to different houses to get dressed properly.

The two older girls ransacked Gabriela's closet, eventually throwing a lovely dark blue dress at her. She changed quickly, not wanting to incur the wrath of either girl. Once on, she could see the light blue detailing that looked like flames as she moved around. She was urged onto a stool where they did her make-up, nothing much just eyeliner and mascara that a woman in the encanto made.

She was given a pair of blue sandals and a small intricate tiara before being shoved out of the house. She was now stuck outside, with no way of finding Tas in the crowd. Lovely. Hoping for the best, she plunged into the crowd, deciding to enjoy her time until she finds Tas or he finds her.

A group of villagers had started up a dance in the middle of the village. They were grabbing people from the crowd to dance. Mira happened to get a smidge too close and was pulled into the dance. She went with the flow, dancing with different people as they spun around. With each spin, the accents looked more like flames. Her laughter joined the cheering as partners switched again. The song was almost over when they did the final partner switch and Tas almost knocked her down when he hurtled into her.

"Well, it seems like I found you!" Tas was wearing a clean white shirt and black dress pants with his normal brown sandals. He looked rather dashing. "My luck must be amazing to have found a princesa!"

"Does that make you a picaro here to steal me away?"

"Of course!"

The two finished the dance joyfully, spinning around. The two quickly pushed into the crowd, so they wouldn't be swept up into another dance. They moved to find a nice spot to sit and rest. Mira had bought two honey cakes for them to enjoy. They sat on a small bench nearby, not wanting to leave the festivities, but not wanting to be in the middle of them. They ate their honey cakes and listened to the chatter of everyone around them, just enjoying being together.

"Good to know you two aren't getting into any trouble," Adella stood nearby, a soft grin on her face. "Though I can't say the same for myself!"

"What did you do? You're almost never this giddy!"

"I may have 'accidentally' bumped into your abuela and knocked her into the stream. She had to go home!"

"At least you didn't hit her."

Adella stayed to chat for a short while longer before ruffling Tas's hair and heading home. They would only be staying out for a little longer themselves. The whole village would soon retire, as was tradition. They moved to listen to Camilo's story for a time.

"The woman was so overcome with grief and rage that she picked up a sword of a fallen warrior and held it aloft at the witch king! The foul creature laughed and reminded her that he could not be killed by a man! She whipped off her helmet and lunged at him, yelling that she was no man!"

"The witch king didn't stand a chance as a sword was driven into his chest! She had defeated him! She whirled around to dive back into the fight. They would not rest until this war had been won!"

The children and adults went wild as Camilo finished up his story. He grinned at their excited chattering as he moved towards his cousin, having caught sight of the two while perched on a windowsill. He easily slipped through the crowd to the two of them, smiling brightly.

"You look amazing Mira!" Camilo hugged her before turning to Tas. "You look nice too, but if you try anything, you'll lose a hand, got it?"

"I understand, though you have nothing to worry about."

"Really Cami? I can handle myself!"

"I know! I was warning him about you! You're crazy!" Mira smacked his shoulder, laughing lightly.

"You know Isa would get to him first and I pity the man who annoys her. She could probably poison someone without them knowing!"

"As lovely as this conversation is, we should probably get you two home. I'd rather not have you abuela try to ban us from spending time together. I'll walk you two home."

The trio walked back up the hill, chatting about how their night went and plans for the upcoming days. They had plans to spend another day with all the grand kids playing games again. This time Isa would be coming along! Adella would be invited, mostly to keep Abuela in check. Bruno would be forced to actually play the games as well.

When they finally got back to Casita, Camilo rushed inside to check in on Antonio, who had only been allowed to stay at the festival for a short time. Tas and Mira stayed outside for a few minutes, finalizing their plans before Tas went home. Right before the door closed, Mira slipped back outside, kissed Tas's cheek, and dashed back inside. Tas stood there for a few minutes, completely shell-shocked, before stumbling home.

The rest of the night winded down quickly, the villagers heading inside to eat dinner. The final tradition was lighting a candle and placing it on the outside windowsill. The candles would burn all night, or until they were blown out by the wind. A tradition that honors the miracle that protected them. All the candles were lit and resting on their windowsills. All except one.