Encanto: After

Tension Break

Time: 11:53 AM

Heavy sweats flared in the sizzle of the morning, baking hard grits and steel grunts; saliva was frolicking like foam, eventually to be spat out for the gleaning glades — and his skin blushing under the sun.

Still, Sebastián's patience hadn't eroded thin just yet.

But for a moment, he'd get a break.

"Morning, Seb!"

He stabbed the wood stump he was working at with his axe and ran his fingers through his hair, slick with the sweat from his hands. Every breath he took shook the humid air, "Oh, hey, Mirabel! How's the casa?"

Mirabel clicked her teeth, pointing a double finger gun at him, "Casita's great! La familia-!", she wandered around the idea, the lie, of saying they were great also, but it wouldn't sit right - would it? She rubbed her arm, "Could be better. It's Álvaro versus Alma right now, but it really feels like Álvaro versus the world. They'll get through it (hopefully). Anyways, how's the farm doing?"

"Just okay. Feels like we're on our last breath here.", Sebastián took a deep breath, "Not that we the farm is in decline or anything! Some days it feels like we put our everything and all we get is nothing. Farming is not getting any more fun."

Mirabel took a slight step forward, reaching for his wrist, "Please tell me you haven't been here all morning."

"Yeah, I've been here since 00:01—", he jokingly retorted, before dragging his body up straight and crossing his arms, "Of course I haven't been here all morning. Went to check on my OG girls, and now I'm..", as he made his remark, he edged closer, but faltered and stumbled on the fourth step. Seb got back up though with no repercussions, "...Here! Here! Sorry."

Mirabel nodded, blowing out a few sighs in-between giggles, "Sounds about right! I think you'renext task should be getting some sleep!"

Seb lifted his head to the skies, his nails gripping at his pores, "Y'know, this place just is a thing I have to deal with. Can't really escape the farm, can I? I mean, besides living here—"

"Hermano mayor? You kinda needa-!", Mirabel gave him a quick tap and pointed behind him.

Seb turned his head to (one of) his sister(s), who had this...corrosive aura that almost felt as if it only affected him for some odd reason. Great, he was screwed.

"Señor Benítez-Madrigal — I thought you said you'd leave the farm an hour ago!", she marched down, clutching the brim of her hat, and tiptoed to reach him, flicking his forehead. She then quickly averted her eyes off him and onto Mirabel, and gave her a warm smile, "Oh, hey, Mira! Anything you need? Panela again? Rice? Corn? Your yarn is coming later! Where's Luisa?"

Mira leaned back warily. That was a dizzying amount of questions for her to process. Mirabel returned with a smile and a contorted face, "Hi, Mirian. Luisa back home! Yeah, I'm just here to drag Seb back to the casa before Luisa has a panic attack. He's all I need."

Seb raised his slit brow, "A panic attack? Don't you think that's a bit extreme?"

Mirian gripped onto her hermano's ao po'i, "What do you think? Isn't it not kind of extreme leaving your poor wife helpless early in the morning just to chop some wood?"

No. It never was; it never will — and it was evident in Seb's expression: he was frankly unbothered. "I wouldn't say helpless. Luisa knows I'm always here, and she has tía Pepa and tío Félix, Mirabel here, and the others to keep her company."

"You give her company yourself!", Mirian shoved Seb with all her might, all her ferocity and all her strength, which was something to tremble at. Mirian had moved Sebastián a whole centimetre!