A Perfect Disaster
Chapter 18 - A Perfect Diaster
The mood at this dinner was going downhill pretty fast, which is evident even to those who don't know the reason for Pentious's brewing storm cloud. If anything, those in the dark are more unsettled than those in the know. Naturally, this was something the Madrigal matriarch couldn't let happen.
“Pentious,” Vaggie voiced sternly, especially at seeing the Knolastnames become wary. “The cloud.”
The weather manipulator was left stroking his hair while repeating his mantra over and over. “Clear skies, clear skies, clear skies…”
But then Pentious was all ‘screw that’ and whispered into Mimzy’s ear about what he was told, when she was walking by to bring more bread rolls. Then seeing the healing chef cast her eyes in her direction, Charlie just looked down and tried sipping her drink. However, cracks were forming from underneath and the blue bow blonde got curious. She ducked her head under the covers for a better, closer look.
“Charlie?” Moxxie voiced, surprising the girl in question and making her bonk her head on the table.
Charlie groaned and rubbed her head, before turning to the freckled blonde talking to her.
“Is everything alright?” Moxxie asked, clearly worried.
Husk let out a laugh, which was rather strained. “Everything is great. She’s just excited! For you to propose. Which you should do.”
“Yes!” Charlie agreed.
“As fast as you can!”
Moxxie was surprised and said, “Oh, but… I was actually going to-“
“You were actually going to,” the anxious girl interrupted. “Great!”
Then Charlie turned Verosika’s chair around to face Moxxie, fixing her sister’s translucent sleeves.
Alastor decided to chime in. “Well, since everyone here has a talent, my Moxxie wanted to begin the proposal with a song!” Then turning to Ozzie, “Ozzie, my good man! Will you bring over the piano for my son to play with?”
The muscle-bound Madrigal, who was seated at the furthest end of the table, had his lips trembling before he answered. Of course, his voice was breaking. “Okay…”
Charlie chuckled nervously and got up from her seat, behind Moxxie's. “Uh, it’s actually family tradition to sing after.”
Then she had titled the seat with the freckled blonde still on it, making him fall down on his knee like how one does when proposing. The guy was momentarily confused but then went along with it, taking out a little velvet box that was in his pocket.
“Verosika, the most graceful of all the Madrigals…”
Charlie would have let Moxxie continue but panicked when she saw cracks to the side. She jumped on them as fast as she could, taking an unnatural pose.
The freckled blonde couldn’t help but notice. “Um…”
“You’re doing great!” The blue bow blonde assured.
Moxxie hesitantly turned back, as did the rest of the family when they saw how not normal Charlie was being, too.
“The most perfect flower…”
The blue bow blonde gasped quietly at seeing a lemur get curious at the vision pieces in Husk’s pocket.
“…in this entire Encanto…”
“No!” Charlie cried out softly, seeing the animal run off with it. Then she turned to see her brother come in, struggling to lift and carry the piano.
Ozzie gave up and bonked face first on the instrument, sobbing and getting everyone’s attention. Moxxie started to get up, with the intention of putting the proposal on hold and console his would-be brother-in-law about whatever is causing him such distress.
But then Moxxie felt a nudge on his foot. He turned to see that Verosika was waiting for him with a strained smile and pleading eyes. So, upon catching the message, the freckled blonde decided to not disappoint, getting ready to open the box. “Will you marry-?“
Then Charlie couldn’t keep it in, seeing that the lemurs had pieced the vision together, and so jumped under the table. “NO!”
Ozzie tried again to pull the piano, still crying heavily as he did. Then he fell on his back on the floor and still cried. Pentious could see how bad things were getting and so created a thunderstorm again. Of course, the lightning had spooked the toucan that’s been sitting on Collin’s chair and caused the bird to fly around like crazy. Alastor yelped when he was almost hit by that bird, prompting Rosie to stand up and try defending him by flailing around her purse, which she still had around her shoulder this whole time.
The Knolastname father demanded, “Just what is happening!?”
Finally, Arackniss had cracked, screaming, “Charlie found Blitzo’s last vision and she’s in it! She’s gonna destroy the magic and now, we’re all doomed! ”
Vaggie gasped, then turning to some chittering lemurs who had lifted up and placed the restored vision on the table, which was easy to do when it was on a serving tray. Charlie tried grabbing it but accidentally pushed it right in front of her grandmother.
The Madrigal matriarch had lifted up her head to look at the blue bow blonde, who wasn’t sure on what to do with the attention. All the family, including the Knolastnames, looking at her didn’t help.
However, that was when the cracks had formed all over the walls and floors. Angel was spooked into turning his head into that of a baby’s, with a mustache, and Verosika accidentally made a flower spring up from some floor cracks. The flower had sprung up so fast, it was an effective punch to Moxxie’s face and just as effectively gave him a bruised nose. A bleeding nose came after that.
To cap off the whole encounter, Pentious has made it windy in the room and slammed open the doors. It revealed a crowd led by Baxter and they were shouting congratulations in Spanish. However, upon seeing that it wasn’t exactly a joyous mood, especially when the weather manipulator was making it rain, the priest made the holy cross gesture.
At this point, Alastor and Rosie has had enough and dragged their son out of there. Of course, Vaggie was following after them.
“Senor, por favor!” The Madrigal matriarch called out.
“Abuela Vaggie, please! There’s gotta be an explanation,” Charlie pleaded, following after her grandmother.
However, Verosika ran out and told her off. “I hate you!”
Then Ozzie was running out and crying. “I’m a loser!”
“Ozzie, wait!” Husk yelled, going after his son.
After the accident-prone man rushed out, it was Pentious who came next. He turned to his niece and asked, “what did you do!?”
“I’m not doing anything! It’s Blitzo’s vision! It’s-!”
The weather manipulator tutted to cut her off. Then, “My niece. My well-meaning little sunflower… while I do love you… stop mentioning his name!!!! And in case you haven't noticed, this has clearly been a taxing night, my raincloud is evident of that, so let’s just take a break tonight and we’ll bring this up again at tomorrow morning’s meeting. PLEASE!”
Then Pentious left before Charlie could say another word. Well, that and the girl of the two noticed the rats at her feet, the little rodents carrying bits of the vision in their mouths.
The Knolastnames were still running out of the house and through the crowd, the son holding onto his nose and the mother trying to treat as best as they could while they're moving as quickly as they are.
Vaggie insists, “the magic is strong! Everything is fine! We are the Madrigals!” Then she slammed the doors shut. “CHARLOTTE!”
Lightning flashed throughout the whole house right then and there. However, the girl in trouble wasn't around to feel the magnitude or the added effect provided by Pentious's weather.