Work Text:
Mirabel was walking down the hall taking a break from working on projects in her room when she spotted movement in Bruno’s stairwell. She backtracked so she could get a better look and saw her uncle crouched in front of his door. It looked like he was scribbling in one of his journals, occasionally glancing up and muttering to himself.
“Heya Bruno, whatcha doin?” She cheerfully asked. A bucket looked back at her as the seer startled. “Oh, h-hey Mirabel. I wasn’t doing anything.” Jorge replied as he hugged the book to his chest. Mirabel raised a brow and walked up a few steps. “You sure? You looked pretty focused.” The alter backed up against the door as the girl approached. “It’s nothing, it’s dumb. Sorry I bothered you.” “You’re not bothering me, Jorge.” Mirabel shook her head. “And I’m certain whatever it isn’t dumb.”
The girl took a seat on one of the steps so she wasn’t looming over the seer. She slowly extended a hand toward the object. “Mind if I see?” Jorge’s bucket shifted as he looked between her palm and the book in his grasp. After a moment of hesitation, he shyly opened the sketchbook and handed it over. “Here.”
Mirabel accepted the object and looked down at the page. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked at the sketch. She fully expected it to be another drawing of the family, or some of the rats, or perhaps a new storyboard. Instead, it was a copy of Bruno’s door, albeit slightly different. “Jorge, what were you drawing?” The alter shrunk in on himself as he hugged his knees. “I was wondering what it would be like if I had a door too.” Mirabel looked back at the numerous sketches of different designs. “I told you it was dumb,” Jorge muttered from under his bucket. “I know I’ll never get one. Neither will the others, we’re not real after all…”
Mirabel shut the sketchbook with a loud slam. “Who says!” She jumped to her feet with determination in her eyes. “If you want a door then we’ll get you a door!” “But, how?” Jorge tilted his head. “I have some chalk in my room we can use to draw on the wood. And it won’t be permanent so we don't have to worry about getting in trouble.” Mirabel held out her hand for the alter to take. “What do you say, Jorge, wanna make a door with me?” The young seer grabbed her hand and bounced up with the same energy “yes!”
The two grabbed their supplies from Mirabel’s room and set to work on customizing the wood. Jorge set his sketchbook on the ground so they could use it as a reference and get every detail right. Mirabel worked on the background and extra elements as Jorge drew the main art. He took inspiration from Camilo’s door, fitting the four figures in the center of the wood.
Jorge drew himself first, just under Bruno’s carved form. His arms were outstretched the same as the original’s but sand was added pouring from the fingers. Some particles swirled around Jorge’s form as well, a show of his ability to manipulate the substance. His bucket was added and covered his face except for the joyous smile he wore.
The next figure to be drawn was Hernando above Bruno’s head. His hood was pulled over his eyes and his mouth was pressed into a neutral line. In his hands, he held a vision tablet that was colored in. Mirabel added some sparkling diamonds next to him to fit the style of Bruno’s original door.
Behind Hernando was the tallest of the alters. Diego wasn’t drawn with the same flowing ruana the others were but instead had the outline of his vest. His gloved hands matched Jorge’s outstretched arms and Mirabel drew an hourglass over each palm. His eyes remained closed and a small smirk was his chosen expression.
Satisfied with their work the two Madrigals stepped back to examine their art. “So, what do you think?” Mirabel turned her head towards her uncle. “I love it!” Jorge replied, crushing the girl in a hug. “All that’s left is to put your name on it.” The alter shook his head as he pulled back. “No, this was nice but, it’s still Bruno’s door. I shouldn’t add my name.” “Nonsense,” Mirabel argued. She plucked up a new piece of chalk and stood on her toes to reach the top of the door. “Besides, we can always clean it off if it’s a problem.” The girl wrote a neat ‘Jorge’ under the first name and stepped back.
“Congratulations Jorge Madrigal, you now have your very own door.”
As Mirabel said these words there was a bright glow behind her. She looked back at the wood in surprise as she watched it start to change.
The chalk that made up the new drawings was indented into the door as permanent carvings. The figures morphed into the foreground as they matched the first clairvoyant’s solid appearance. Speaking of which, Bruno’s figure seemed to change as well. His forlorn expression shifted to something more peaceful, with a small smile and relaxed brow. Bruno’s arms drew inwards to match Hernando’s pose and rested on his cheeks, highlighting his bright eyes. The letter at the top of the door disappeared and was replaced with the youngest alter’s name.
Jorge crouched down to pick up his sketchbook and looked between the pages and the wood in front of him. He shoved the object into his niece's arms as he pointed at the most detailed drawing. “They match Mira! You changed our door!” Mirabel took the book into her hands one final time and checked the door against the art. “You’re right, they’re exactly the same.”
“Uhhh, I hope Bruno doesn’t mind,” Mirabel said with a sheepish look. “Because I have no idea how to change it.”
The seer stood for a moment before slowly removing the bucket from his head. He tucked it under his arm as he looked at the glowing wood.
“No, I don’t mind Mariposa,” Bruno responded. He took in the new expression on the door and smiled “I’ve hated that image of me for years, always thought I looked sad.” Mirabel followed his gaze before glancing back up at the top. She nudged her uncle and pointed at the name. “It says Bruno again.” The clairvoyant lifted his eyes to read the word. “Huh, I wonder.” He muttered to himself before letting one of his brothers take over. The name changed again as Hernando fronted, then once more as Diego took control. Finally, it settled on the original as Bruno looked at his niece. “That’s new.”
“We didn’t mean to change it this much.” Mirabel laughed. “I’m glad you did kid, it looks amazing,” Bruno replied as he wrapped an arm around her and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Muchas gracias.”