“I really am glad you’re here.”
Bruno and Aya at 19 for Week 2 of @encanto-extended-edition
Bruno's reputation was deteriorating in his adolescence along with his mental health. With his sisters also struggling with their own gifts at this age, he turned to Aya for support.
By this point, Aya had long come to terms with her own loss and was continuing her family's work. This was the time that her earliest patients began to call her "la bruja." She didn't mind; she liked the idea that she was making her own kind of magic.
With this reignited sense of purpose, Aya helped anyone in need. People came to her for treatments that Julieta can't give. Some of these treatments include administering substances that would be classified as illicit drugs in most parts of the world. (I was inspired by the documentary Have a Good Trip and recent psychiatric research about the potential benefits of hallucinogenic substances for mental health management.)
But because some of these medicines are safer to give to adults, Bruno was actually too young to take them when he first came to Aya complaining about intrusive thoughts and reporting self-harm. So Aya made herself a safe place for Bruno, which did improve his moods. They became closer than before by age 18. By age 19, they were exchanging "I love you's". He shared with her his visions of his future sobrinos and told her how much he loved them.