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The struggle with long term visions was you never knew exactly when they would happen. Especially when you didn’t have any kind of visual indicators.
When Bruno was outside and did fortune telling for money, he’d often play up his shaman or soothsayer persona. He’d even ‘prescribe’ his clients good luck charms that he’d instruct them to wear on a consistent schedule. He tried to use these as indicators to at least let his clients know when something might happen, even if all he could do was narrow it down to the day of the week.
But he couldn't exactly do that with his family.
For one he was still hiding from them.
He’d lived in the walls with his beloved rats for over a year now, he might have gone nuts if it weren’t for his foresight. He would have always been paranoid of getting found any time he had to leave, but with his trained ability it was easy to walk through Casita without running into any of his family members.
Bruno lived like a ghost, always slipping out of rooms before someone stepped in, or narrowly sidestepping just out of view. This particular skill set was honed over his years on the streets gathering information for heroes. Visions only gave you so much information after all. But one useful difference between a gang of villains and the Madrigal family was that the Madrigals weren’t looking for him.
Well, most of them. Poor Dolores was onto him but she never mentioned it to anyone because the mere whisper of his name was taboo. Any conversation involving him was quickly shut down with the words “ We don’t talk about Bruno. ”
Which, ouch.
In almost everyone’s eyes he abandoned Encanto during a time where they thought they needed him the most. He feels terrible about it, he really does, especially with how he hurt his sisters. His mother was the one to crack down on banning his name, but it was hard to see under that mask of perfection and family honor how much his disappearance affected her. Julieta and Pepa on the other hand… he could always read them like an open book.
He knows they miss him just as much as he misses them.
But even now that he’s home, he can’t go home . Not yet.
He’s used his foresight for the short term and even wandered far into the woods to set up a ritual for the long term. But no matter what he does, returning now just doesn't work.
Abuela will demand the vision for Mirabel from all those years ago and if she sees that too soon then Mirabel gets shut out completely. She can't help the family from the outside.
Of course Bruno can refuse, but that’s just more headaches for everyone.
Overall he’s better off living as a ghost until Mirabel starts looking for him first and that’s only after Casita's cracks start to become painfully obvious. And that all leads back to the original problem of not knowing when that would be.
Part of him had hoped it was before little Antonio’s gift ceremony. This’ll be the first one he couldn't attend… openly.
Because he wasn’t actually going to miss it.
Bruno had grabbed some clothes here and there for occasions when he wanted to venture beyond Casita. You’d think for a small town it would be harder to blend in, but nope! If you wear clothes of someone they think they know and only interact during very busy occasions and stay in the corner of peoples eye then you can do a lot.
A number of people were running in and out of Casita that day as they got ready for the party. So long as he avoided Abuela and Camilio he was fine. Abuela had the skill to spot any of her children in a crowd without a second thought, and Camilio naturally studied people. As carefree and laid back as that boy acted he was the most watchful. He had a standing record of being the one that caught him the most in the predictions of foresight.
At the very least it kept him on his toes. It made him feel less like a ghost since he had to pay attention and not just follow the predictions of the future.
Bruno was walking through town thinking of a good present for his nephew. It was moments like these that he wished he’d brought back souvenirs from outside, but those would have needed an explanation. If he got something from in town he could easily just sneak it into his room and place it somewhere the boy would find it. No one would question it, he’d be getting a lot of gifts today.
He walked by the carpenter’s booth and spotted a toucan woodcarving. He passed the booth as one of his rats distracted old man Diego. He swiped the woodcarving before dropping a handful of coins in its place. The man wouldn’t notice the transaction until Bruno was already around the corner.
As he walked back up to the Casita he examined the little carving more closely. It was very well made, one of Diego’s best works. The wings were stretched out as the bird practically bowed, but it wasn’t out of politeness. There was a playfulness in the open beak smile. He was glad he overpaid. Diego deserved it.
“Mirabel, but what’s your gift?” He heard a child call in the distance.
He scooped up a pebble from the side of the path as he walked on and absently threw it over his shoulder. It knocked against a tree he’d passed and he heard a surprised yelp as Agustin jumped away from the agitated buzzing in the trunk.
“To think I almost made them angry,” the man laughed. “I’ll need to be careful with the axe.”
Julieta was still on her way back from the town so that means the kitchen is empty. He should be able to grab something to eat before helping with the decorations in there. She’s been busy in the kitchen all morning so there hadn’t been a moment for him to sneak in yet. Plus he was wanting to take a little bit of the load off and get those banners up.
Speaking of weight…
“You're doing great Luisa, amazing effort!” He said in a fake nasally tone as he patted her shoulder as she finished pushing fencing into the grounds for the donkey parking.
“Huh? Oh um, thanks? It’s nothing really…” She looked around to speak to him but he’d pat her opposite shoulder so she looked away from him as he used her confusion to hide behind the corner of Casita. She shrugged before going back to work.
Bruno stepped into the side entrance of the kitchen as he grabbed some bread and cheese from the cupboards. He munched on them as Casita helped him get the banners up.
Now that he was back in Encanto he only had a few rats on him. Most of them liked to relax in the walls. Blue and Stilton were the only two who stayed with him at all times, though he’s pretty sure it's because they won't get extra cheese otherwise. He made sure to drop some cheese in the pant pockets they were laying in.
They squeaked happily.
“I’m going to need one of you to make sure Mirabel doesn't set fire to Abuela’s place mat,” he said as he walked out of the kitchen. He looked away from people, keeping the hat he had on low to obscure his glowing eyes as he navigated through the atrium up to his painting.
Everyone was distracted by Isabela putting out the first set of flowers, and Camilio was still outside. Abuela would be working in the atrium soon so he could risk being out anymore.
One of the rats hopped out of his pocket just as he walked backwards through the painting. He seems to be volunteering for fire control.
“At least Blue has a work ethic, you’re just in it for the free cheese aren't you,” Bruno said amused as he reached into his pocket to pet the remaining rat. Stilton responded with a hard bit to his index finger, “you little-” Bruno hissed as he yanked his hands out of his pocket. He let out an annoyed sigh. Really he should expect this from Stiltion.
He blinked away the light in his eyes as he walked through the tunnels in the walls making sure to knock on wood and step over cracks as he passed. He slipped through a narrow passage and down a set of steps past his room and around the corner. There was a portion of the wall where the plaster was thinner.
“Pst… Casita move over,” Bruno whispered. The tiles blocking his view clanked as they shifted apart revealing the kitchen.
Bruno watched as his sister, Julieta, walked into the kitchen with an empty basket. She looked up at the decorations Bruno put up and made a surprised noise. “Casita, who put the banners up?” She asked curiously.
Using the tiles on the counter, Casita lifted two of them up in a shrug.
“If you recognize them later let me know, I want to thank them,” Julieta replied as she put the basket on the island.
Bruno just smiled as he lightly knocked on the plaster to quietly signal for Casita to move the tiles back.
There wasn’t a lot he could do to be involved right now, but he was happy to help where he could.
Bruno walked back toward his room. They still had a few hours until the ceremony, he was better off waiting there until then.
Lately the rats had been recreating drama’s from daytime television, he wonders what they’re putting on today. Their interpretations are quite amusing.
Bruno managed to sneak out of the walls just before the ceremony. All his rats came with him for this as they found places in his loose clothes to hide. He was still wearing a costume, so it wasn’t ideal for rat transport but they managed. As he made his way outside Casita to conceal himself in the crowds he could hear Pepa thundering in the distance.
He wanted to do something for her, maybe help calm her nerves. He used his foresight to glance later in the evening, wondering if there was a moment he could sneak her favorite cake to her.
But he froze at what he saw instead.
Stilton quickly bit him, knocking him out of the vision and Blue squeaked in his ear warning him of bumping into someone. Blinking back to the present he was a little disoriented as he followed the rats' direction out of the crowd. He hid safely behind some of the flower decorations Isabela put up outside.
“I didn’t realize it was starting tonight,” Bruno whispered to the rats.
They squeaked in response, Blue grabbed his ear motioning towards the house.
“I don’t want to miss this though,” he sighed. “We should be fine until later. Nothing happens until after the party starts.” He scurried back into the crowd as Casita’s doors were open. He couldn't help looking up at the candle in Abuela’s window as he found a shadow to watch the ceremony from.
He gave a quiet ‘good luck’ to Mirabel as he crossed his fingers.
She was the only one that could save the magic… That could save their family.
-
Mirabel was a little nervous about entering Bruno’s room.
Abuela had long ago put several thick currents up blocking stairway to his door. She’d never dared to look past them until now, though Camilo claimed to and he said that the door glowed with green magic. She didn’t expect him to be right.
What she also didn’t expect was the arid desert theme, or the ungodly amount of stairs. At least she wasn’t alone, Casita was happy to help were it could, though that only amounted to stopping the sand waterfall and bridging the gap at the top of the stairs.
Mirabel didn’t know what a vision was when she was looking for it, and she hadn’t the faintest idea how their families magic worked or how to save it, but even after she pierced together the green glass platter she was too determined to figure out what everything meant to stop now.
She just wished she had a little more time to figure it out before Abuela saw the vision. Mirabel will admit… It looked pretty bad. The worry in her chest grew as everything pointed to her being the problem.
That couldn't be right, Mirabel would never want to hurt her family like that.
She wished she could ask Bruno about his vision.
It seemed the rats heard her plea.
After the dinner disaster she followed a few of the rats that grabbed the vision during the chaos. She followed them to the almost inconspicuous painting on the second floor. It was one she’d walked past hundreds of times in her life, she never even gave it a second thought.
But now the rats revealed that it opened like a door.
She stepped through cautiously. The rats she was following would have blended into the dark wooden tunnels if it weren’t for the glowing glass pieces. The painting closed behind her but she ignored that as she hurried to follow the creatures. At the very least she needed that vision back, but she got the strangest feeling they were leading her somewhere.
As Mirabel followed, she noticed that the cracks in the house weren't just exclusive to the outside. In fact they were much more prominent in the walls, with the only difference being someone seemed to be making an effort to repair them. She got distracted looking at the masonry tools scattered about. Mirabel didn’t expect the rats she was following to get impatient.
One of them squeaked at her from around the next corner, it rolled it’s eyes and waved the glass piece it had in the air as if to remind her.
“Oh, um, sorry…” She quickly apologized. “... and now I’m talking to rats,” she muttered.
Eventually, she saw them crawl through a few holes in a makeshift door. Light bled around the edges and he could hear additional squeaking as well as talking from within.
“Oh good! She’s almost here?” A man said.
There was a squeak.
“What are you talking about, these are my clothes.”
Another squeak, this one sounding disapproving?
“ Those are costumes. I’m not wearing a costume if I’m meeting my niece for the first time.”
Niece?
“Tio Bruno,” Mirabel whispered. Suddenly she found herself bursting through the crooked door. She looked on wide eyed at the man before her.
He wasn’t much taller than herself, but many of his facial feathers reminded her immediately of the portrait of Abuelo Pedro. But that’s where the familiarity ended. His clothing was strange, he wore a long dark coat with a ripped up warm green ruana underneath it. Everything except the ruana looked foreign with the materials and style nothing like what in Encanto.
“Mirabel!” The man grinned widely as he opened his arms, it reminded her of Camilo’s grins. But that thought was distracted as a bunch of rats turned in unison to face her.
“Tio Bruno?” She said again, this time to the man himself as he suddenly hugged her.
“You’ve grown so much! Well, not since the last time I've seen you, I saw you this morning but- heh, I was still hiding so you didn’t see me so…” He trailed off awkwardly before clearing his throat. “Anyways, you’re here for the vision right?”
“Um, yeah, how did you…?” Mirabel was surprised as Bruno’s eyes suddenly flashed green. Suddenly he screwed his eyes shut and shook his head as he turned away from her.
“No, stop it, I’m not doing that with family,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stay in the present…” he muttered before glancing back at her sheepishly, “Sorry, bad habit.”
“What just happened?” She couldn't help but ask.
“I usually use my qu-… gift to navigate conversations before they happen. It’s very useful when dealing with vill- people . But, you're not people, your family. So I wanted to have this conversation in the present!” he gave a nervous laugh. “But this isn’t the time for chit chat. You have questions about my vision right?” Bruno said as he picked up a tray the rats had reconstructed the vision on.
Mirabel finally took the moment to look around. There was a chair, a little bed even, clothes hanging up, and dishes stacked on the shelves in the walls. Bruno was living there, was he behind the walls this whole time?
“How long have you been back here?” She almost whispered out.
“Oh… I guess it will be over a year now?” He answered, he seemed to be taking this reunion much more casually then Mirabel was.
“Just a year?” She asked surprised, “Wait, where were you before that? Everyone said you left?”
“I did, but I came back.”
“But why? Was it because…” She glanced at the vision.
Bruno looked down at the vision of her, “This? No, no, no! Of course not!” he said quickly. Then paused in thought “Ok… that’s not entirely true, but there’s more to it.” He walked over to her showing her the vision. Like before it was of her standing in front of Casita as it cracked, but then he shifted it, and Casita was intact. “I had this vision the night you didn’t get your door, Abuela wanted me to check on the magic. So I did… but your vision was strange. Like it was undecided but there was hope for good. There is hope for good. But rarely did anyone see good in my visions. I feared what they might do to you if they found out, and I needed to discover if destiny could be changed.” He set the tray down and rubbed his hands together nervously.
“Years before that I had a vision of the far future, one where Encanto would have been destroyed because of something on the outside. I decided to leave to try to stop that. To prove to myself that destiny could be changed… for you.” he said with a faint smile.
“And did you?” Mirabel held her breath for the answer.
“I did,” Bruno said with a soft smile. “I learned more about my gift than I ever could in Encanto. I found that it’s… more of a road map than a fate set in stone. Course I can’t stop a goldfish from dying but I can help navigate rocky futures.”
“So can you help me with my future?” She asked hopefully, a weight on her shoulders started to roll off.
“Of course!” He said happily. “This here,” he said, waving to the fractured vision. “Is an absolute tragedy in quality, I swear I can provide less cryptic visions nowadays. But, well, after that the rest is up to you… think you can handle it?”
Mirabel took in a breath then nodded. “Yeah, I think with my family's help I can do anything.”
“That a girl,” Bruno said as he patted her shoulder and hurried past her out the door. “Now come on! The rats are already asking Antonio if we can borrow his room.”
With a new surge of energy and hope, Mirabel ran to follow.
-
After Casita collapsed Bruno felt it immediately.
The future was like an open window, the vision like a wind. He could always glance out and feel the wind on his face, sometimes it came to him as he sat unexpecting in his room and the breeze brushed against him.
But all that ended with an abrupt slam.
He was now stuck in the stale room of the present, blind to everything outside this moment. The box was shut and he was trapped with an unknowing future.
As dramatic as that sounded he really wasn't that bothered. He had faith in Mirabel, and even if they didn’t fix their magic then she’d still help the family. Bruno knew he had nothing to worry about when he rode up to the river that morning… and hugged his mother for the first time in decades.
He was almost happy to have lost his gift as they met back up with the family. He was nervous, so much so that he would have forgotten to live in the present as he talked with everyone.
He was happy to be home. For real this time.