for as overwhelming as the carnival was, it was still preferable to being at home. there was nothing wrong with the santiago household, so to speak. it wasn't chaotic or unruly. if anything, it operated like a finely tuned machine: efficient, quiet, and effective. while it would have made a wonderful corporation, it was a shitty place to grow up. sometimes, it almost felt like it had to be that way in order to keep the family members sane. the outside was loud and overwhelming with the veil to the other side perpetually too thin. the shades and spirits were always begging for something that no one could give them, and it wore on the mind to hear their pleas. behind the fence of the santiago home, they were not welcome. it was a quiet reprieve. as a child, violeta had thought her home felt haunted. it wasn't until she actually saw the dead for herself that she had realized their halls were filled by a different kind of ghost.
lost in the lights, vi had been wandering aimlessly for hours. at one point there had been an oversized lemonade in her hand, at another a cotton candy. the sweetness was near acidic on her tongue, but the sugary sting was a nice distraction. it had, at some point, become too overwhelming. it always did eventually. it was at that point that she found herself hovering to the edge of the crowd to catch her breath. those living— and those who weren't— ambled around. some laughed, some looked sad. violeta tried to avoid eye contact with them indiscriminately. it wasn't until she heard a familiar voice call out that her shoulders tensed.
isabela was welcome to attend the carnival, obviously. vi was just surprised she had. didn't she have something to do? a spell to learn, a test to ace? a coven to eventually take over? it sounded resentful, and it was— but only to an extent. isa hadn't picked her role any more than vi had picked hers. after quickly debating ignoring her sister altogether, violeta slowly turned with a small smile. "...hey, isa." her sister looked impossibly put together, even in the sticky heat of the carnival. it had always been frustrating how she had always been able to float while vi felt like she was continually slogging along. spotting the joint, a brow raised. "okay, rebel. looks like someone has the night off. what're you doing here?"