Something Went Wrong...Again {Mateo, Riveras, Ian?}

[Barley Lightfoot]

{I'm going to put a tag for Ian into this too if you want, Sage, for after the big...event of the thread.}

Barley Lightfoot was not usually nervous, in fact he made a habit of...well if not never being so, not showing it...but this was big. Partly for the fact that it had before not worked...or not fully.

"And you're pondering all of this without having mentioned it to Ian...that's bad...", he scolded himself. Yet that was also the point, and why he wasn't asking his brother to help with this. They had been down that Quest before! Not that Barley anticipated this turning into a quest (and not that he would be fully disappointed if it did!)

Still, even the grand Game Master and Quest Lover could admit simple did sometimes work and the easy path was the good one at times. He just also advocated for not always thinking like that. But in this...

Maybe start off Simple, at least with the crucial point, and then they could introduce flair once the 'main start to the campaign' was done.

He still wasn't fully clear how Mateo's spells worked, they broke the laws he was used to, but if the wizard was worth his less than impressive wand (and not that he would bring that and traditional wands up when asking for this favor) he should have something that would help...Barley hoped.

Making up his mind, or at the very least stopping his overthinking, something that was usually Ian's department, Barley stopped pacing before Mateo de Alva's door and knocked, while also keeping an eye out for Ian. Him and his brother living on the same hallway meant that his brother coming back earlier than he had anticipated could ruin his whole stealth.

"Mateo?", he called to the still closed door, then checked to make sure he wasn't giving up said stealth by doing so, "Are you in there? Can I ask you for some...help?".

That didn't begin to describe what he would be asking, but if the Human-Bean Wizard was in he would explain in more detail in person.

[Mateo de Alva]

The Riveras had asked him to come with them to their Ofrenda in the Mexico Pavilion, and for their own Dia de los Muertos celebration.

It was the mark that you were trusted by a family, in both Avalor and within the Rivera's culture also it seemed, being asked to take part in such a personal ritual.

Of course there were other options too, such as being taken pity on by either Héctor or even Coco (poor boy without his own family here) or even Héctor trying to get him more comfortable around them because of those ideas of him and Rosa that both teens knew he still held. They thankfully didn't let it hinder their friendship and ignored the paternal skeleton for the most part. Mateo would put Rosa on the same level of friendship as Elena and Naomi though (perhaps proven when he aided in both Naomi and Rosa's Quinceañeras)

Thinking on that, he hoped both of the girls back home were still doing alright, and Gabe, and that nothing had happened to the kingdom in his time away.

It was a common concern for many of them stuck here, it seemed, and they all took comfort in the theory of time not continuing without them. Something other arrivals, like some of the Riveras, did seem to corroborate, and in comparing their stories.

Mateo couldn't go as all out as he usually did, back home, for Dia de los Muertos and adding his festive hat, but had managed to find a vest and seamstress Cast Member who took commissions to recreate the vest and pants from back home. He was straightening said vest when a knock came at the door. Was it the Riveras? Was he late? He didn't think so.

Then he heard the voice and realized it was Barley. He arguably knew him more as Ian's brother, and since both himself and Ian were wizards and often shared spells between them, but recalled the older Elf's lore knowledge also; something that wasn't always given the credit it deserved.

Walking over, Mateo opened the door. "Oh, Barley! Hi", he greeted, then pondered what had been asked, though he also had to make sure he had heard correctly. "Help did you say? Uh, sure! I was going to meet up with the Riveras but, well the walk's not a problem", he gave a small smile, "So come on in, I'll see what I have", he opened the door wider, "What...sort of trouble is it?". Or maybe trouble was too big a descriptor. He would only know once Barley told him.

If he recalled how Magic Requests had gone on another Dia de los Muertos in the Parks...well he tried not to.

[Rosa Rivera]

In talking with Mateo, Rosa had enjoyed finding out about all of the varying ways Dia de los Muertos was celebrated in Avalor, where Mateo was from. It was so fascinating how the important things, like the Ofrendas, were the same but small flairs and differences were throw in. Face paint wasn't unheard of, but Avalor seemed to rely more on their clothing to express the style. As Mateo had explained. Then he had mentioned how one of the Cast Members in the merchandise store of the Mexico Pavilion had also been interested and even taken the design he explained as a challenge and remade his vest for him this year!

She had only expressed how cool that sounded, and when he explained about the Princesses, Elena and Isabel's, own dress designs of a similar tradition. She didn't expect him to ask said Cast Member about a whole other outfit!

She took care of repaying her own commission herself, and really between her payback of playing her violin, and Mateo's magic tricks, the Cast Member's daughter received a very nice birthday party all in all! Rosa was now dressed in the dress, with the same orange and black design as the one Mateo had explained that Princess Isabel wore. Though the dress was nice looking, it was practical also and all of the fashion seemed to lend itself to still allowing the wearer the ability to carry fruit, baked goods and anything else needed for family Ofrendas.

She wasn't planning to test the easily cleaned feature of the fabric, but had hopes she shouldn't have to worry over spills, so rushed over to where Papá Héctor stood and held her hands out eagerly for decorations or baked goods or whatever he needed her to take off of his hands, There was small doubt Mamá Imelda would find something else for him to carry or do! "Oh here, I've go that".