Learning Resources case is all about how the USA connects to the global fiscal environment.
https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/657-economic-corner-34-02202026/
PREFACE I had the content under the label ORIGINAL CONTENT before the supreme court decision 02/20/20206 . You can read the entire text in t
Auror! Sebastian Sallow x Fem! MACUSA Auror! Reader Series
Story Summary: To prevent a war between humans and wizards, you and Sebastian are tasked with your respective agencies to save the fate of the wizarding world from the hands of a dark wizard in the Philippines.
Chapter Summary: After almost getting yourself arrested and controlling the urge to strangle Sebastian Sallow, you try to remain civil by being the bigger person. More things happen and you meet more people as you set sail to the Philippines.
Chapter warnings: cursing, nothing much really again, plot groundwork, mentions of discrimination and colonization, seb likes to tease u, ominis being adorable and cat like, gladys being gladys i love her sm,
Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1
Notes: WOOHOO CHAPTER 2 BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6k words again enjoy this chapter. hiraya is my daughter i love her. if you want to be part of the tag list to get immediate updates on the next chapters just reply here or on my future posts on to be or not to be !!! see u on chapter 3 miluvs
It was a matter of a few hours before the head Auror would contact you once again to travel. You had already packed your things and made sure to check your necessities (checking your pocket for your wand constantly as a result of the altercation this morning). Now all you needed to do was wait.
Currently hauled in one of the suites provided by the ministry, you sat idling on your bed, eyes trained on the large windows showcasing London. Your hands found comfort in the soft duvet as you continue to admire the scenery in front of you. Gladys sits on one of the chairs against the wall positioned close to the window. Comfortable silence engulfs you both, with Gladys’s coin flicking and the London bustle as your background noise.
You allow yourself to be distracted as your eyes glance towards Gladys’s coin tricks; Watching as it twirls on her knuckles before flicking it up into the air and catching it effortlessly. You somehow get entranced by it that you weren’t able to notice that she stopped. Gladys clears her throat to get your attention.
“Yeah?” You look up at her, clearly still distracted by her previous actions. The woman blink slow like she was trying to access the deepest parts of your mind. You somehow get nervous under her watchful stare. “Are you trying to mind-control me or something?”
“Why do you always assume that I’m going to do something to you?” She raises an eyebrow in mild amusement as she crosses her leg over her knee. She begins to continue rolling her coin against her knuckles as she raises her elbow on the arm rest. You shrug at her question.
“… You’re quite intimidating.”
She lets out an amused scoff before flipping the coin in the air then catching with her other hand and flopping it against the back of her other hand. She lifts her hand off, assessing the coin before looking up at you. You furrow your eyebrows in confusion.
“Heads.” She comments offhandedly before resuming with her coin tricks. You raised your eyebrows to gesture for more explanation. “Heads, I leave you alone. Tails, I give in to the urge to smack you in the head.”
You gasp in horror. “You decide inflicting violence on me through a coin?!”
“I’m not intimidating.” She purses her lips as she becomes more and more entertained with your behavior. “Also it makes things… interesting. ‘Decided through a little game’. Doesn’t that make life more fun?”
“You’re evil, y’know that?” You sneer jokingly as you stand up from your seat on the bed. You head over to one of the coffee tables where a fresh pot of tea is placed. With a wave of wand, the tea pot levitates and pours you a cup of tea. You look back at Gladys who resumes her coin tricks as you wait for your drink. “What’s the coin for anyway?”
Gladys glances at you for a second before looking at the coin on her fingers. “Keeps the voices at bay. When I focus my mind on one thing, it’s the closest I have to silence.”
You nod in understanding. You were somewhat aware of how legilimency worked but you weren’t aware about how hard it was. Hearing different voices all at once can become quite an emotional stressor. You weren’t sure you would be able to handle it. You pour another cup of tea for your companion to help ease her down. Gladys turns to you in surprise, hand pausing with her coin as you pull the other chair to sit adjacent to her. You give her a cup of tea to which she receives gratefully. Taking a sip of your beverage, you decide to start another conversation regarding the case.
“Any deductions from the files you’ve received?” You start off as you take a sip from your cup of tea. Ooh, is that lavender? No wait—Chamomile?
“First one—lavender,” Gladys nonchalantly says, referring to your guess of flavor. You pause for a moment, not yet used to her abilities to access the mind before nodding. She takes a sip first before resuming on continuing her response. “Regina Salazar is of pure blood ancestry. From what I’ve learned of wizardry lineage in the Philippines, originally sectioned in tribes, these pure-bloods would use marriage to have tribal connections and to form united fronts. Naturally, after the colonization of Spain, they had to adapt and took different surnames influenced by Spanish culture to avoid being detected by No-Majs.”
You nod in understanding, watching as Gladys pulls out the folder with a flick of her wand and settling it on the coffee table in front of you. The page flicks to the suspect’s main information and intel. You lick your lips as you assess the information in front of you. Gladys continues her collection of background information. “Overall, because of the whole colonization thing, Philippines has to be one of the—if not the strictest regarding No-Maj wizards or half-bloods. Half-bloods take long processes and series of interviews and checkups before they’re approved by the office. Like a fucking criminal taking parole.”
“Must be a discrimination fest in there.” You scrunch your nose at the insinuation. No-Maj discrimination was already quite severe in the wizarding world. You couldn’t even imagine the severity of it in a place that publicly declares its hate for their kind. Gladys shakes her head in agreement. Your eyebrows then furrow as a question comes into mind. “But Regina has a friendly relationship with No-Majs? That contradicts the whole motive, no?”
“Certainly,” Gladys huffs in frustration as she raises her hand to pick at the dry skin on her lips. She then turns a page to a partially filled page with only the information of the area discovered north of the Philippines. Gladys motions to the page with a light knock of her knuckles against the surface. “It has something to do with this, definitely.”
You tilt your head in confusion as you analyze the vague information. “How are you certain it’s connected?”
Gladys takes a sip of her tea, licking her lips for any lingering residue. “I don’t. It’s just something we’d have to find out.”
_
“What’s up, old man? On your coffee break?” You smile at your former mentor who quietly sips his coffee in the wee hours of the morning. You had spotted the man lingering in one of the ministry’s large empty rooms (presumably used for large events). You assumed this would be the place of traveling with the equipment and size of it all. It could definitely fit a portkey large enough to travel multiple people. You couldn’t help but approach the man and ruin his solitude. Your mentor breaks into a grin at your arrival and he immediately welcomes your presence with a raised arm, inviting you to a hug.
You run like it’s innate for you to immediately dive into his arms, hugging his waist with glee as he squeezes you to his side. The silence is comfortable as you allow yourself a moment of peace. Elliot releases you with two pats on the back before pulling away. He tilts his head, certainly not expecting you to be this early. “Still resorting to that damned nickname, kid?”
“You literally still call me kid.”
“Touché,” He chuckles as he takes a sip of his beverage. “What’re you doing up? Finally exhausted Joanne’s mind-reader?”
“Mhm, literally face-planted on the bed. Had to deal with me yapping both physically and mentally. I think I killed her. Also don’t call her that, she just might haunt you back from the dead.” You scrunch your nose as you joked. Elliot laughs at your jesting.
There’s a lapse of silence before Elliot starts a conversation once more.
“How’s the Sallow boy so far?” He asks with a glance towards you, assessing your body language at the prompt of his question. Your former mentor had the knack of observing first before proceeding on which course to take. A habit that he, unfortunately, brings everywhere even outside of work. The mans was a detective even in his own personal relationship that it was considered annoying. You had learned to deal with it though. Elliot often joked that by the time he was 70, you would be the only person who could tolerate him.
Elliot immediately knew from the way your shoulders fell and the down direction of your facial features that you didn’t have a good impression of Britain’s representative. You huff a sigh as you tuck your hands inside your pockets. “… He’s okay, I guess.”
“Liar.”
“You and your damned eyes. Have you ever considered not noticing every detail?” You deadpanned. Elliot smiles in amusement at your behavior.
“He was following protocol though. Nothing to blame on a man following rules.”
“Oh, I will be the reason you die someday.”
“Oh! The fear! How could I live now!” Elliot dramatically yells to which you smack his arm at. The man giggles like a fucking school girl and you had to remind yourself that this was a grown ass man and not an 11-year-old kid. You wonder if the nicknames should be switched.
“I tried to make amends okay! Technically, he was the one who didn’t scale his puny little ego down so why should I make the effort?” You complain as you lean against the wall he’s leaning at. Elliot leans against your side to which you return the small affection with the rest of your head against his arm.
“Did you say it nicely?” He responds.
“Nicely? What do you mean nicely?”
“You tend to…” He trails off as he makes absurd gestures with his free hand. “Sound not so nice when you make amends.”
You give him an incredulous stare to which he tries to avoid with a sip of his coffee.
“I don’t do that?”
“Yes you do, Y/N.” He smiles innocently. “Remember that time when I had to not only mentally but physically convince you to apologize to that witness just because he was rude to me? You were basically ripping that man apart in your head and I don’t need to be a legilimens to know that.”
Elliot raises his eyebrows to further emphasize his point. You stare him down, trying to challenge the older man before giving up as you turn your gaze to the other side of the wall with a cross of your arms. He stares at you for a few moments before chuckling. That case was ages ago but it had been quite an annoying one. The witness had been difficult to deal with and considered Elliot to be a wizard of low standing because of his lineage. He had refused to cooperate at first but was eventually convinced with the help of another Auror present at the scene. You had almost tried to strangle the man if it weren’t for the old man’s jokes of reassurance. They were jests to lighten up the mood but you knew better. Be the bigger person, kid.
You had to suck it up and apologize with gritted teeth. A regret you continue to have until this day. A shame you weren’t able to curse that man without losing your job.
Elliot pats your back once more to lighten up the mood. “You’ll get along, kid. You’re a presence is a force to be reckoned with. We just hope it doesn’t clash with his.”
Elliot smiles before finishing his coffee beside you. You sigh as a vague response. Just as the old man says, be the bigger person.
-
“Alright! This portkey holds quite a distance as its built for intercontinental travel. The travel time will take a few minutes but it should be fairly short enough to not cause any sort of pain or dissonance with the mind and body.” Ryona Bassett discusses as rotating door is presented in front of you. You take a glance around the room to assess the people expected on the trip. Gladys Hale stands to your left, suitcase in hand as she rolls her coin on her knuckles. Ominis Gaunt, a relations officer you had been introduced shortly a few minutes ago, standing on your far right. Then Sebastian Sallow, the man who had saved you from your imminent death from the hooves of a horse, to trying to obliviate you then and there, then arresting you, to finally be revealed to be your partner in the span of a few hours, stands to your right. The four of you would be heading first while your mentors will wait for the assessment of the situation before following you out into the field.
You let out the sigh as this is considered to be the nth time you had travelled using a portkey. You hope the weirdness of the experience only lessens the more you get used to it.
“You will be greeted by your division captain who will guide you inside the governing office of the wizarding community. Things after that will be debriefed to you by the head of the office. Are we clear?” Ryona finishes as her eyes assess the four of you. You all answer with curt and firm responses. Howard and Ryona turn to each other with a look, some sort of telepathic message only communicated through their eyes. You could almost feel an unspeakable tension before the minister steps forward to address one more thing.
“The fate of the wizarding word rests in your hands. I hope you’ll be able to deliver well, Aurors.” He nods with a smile before motioning the door with his hand. You watch as a bright light emits from the other side. You exchange looks with Gladys before you feel the brush of a finger against your arm. You turn your head towards the culprit with an apprehensive glare. Sebastian peers down at you with a seemingly innocent smile.
“I’ve thought about your offer,” He says your last name with such gentleness it makes you feel uncomfortable for a moment. You lock eyes with him as his eyes never seem to leave from yours. It made your palms sweat from how piercing his stare is. “I’ve decided to give it a chance…”
“Really?” Your facial features relax in relief that it almost makes Sebastian coo at your adorable decision to let your guard down for a moment. He lets a sliver of mischievousness bleed into his smirk.
“Mhm,” He hums as he assesses your face. It almost looks like he’s looking at your lips with the way he’s staring you down. He scrunches his nose before continuing his response. “If you admit that I’m right.”
Your face falls as soon as you hear the words and the brunette erupts into a heap of chuckles before he walks away from your side then walking over to Ominis with a pat on his back. The poor blonde only furrows his eyebrows at him, chastising him for his poor cooperation. Sebastian only shrugs before he casts one last look at you then entering the rotating doors with a push against it. Ominis follows after.
You let out a sigh, deciding to not let yourself get annoyed by his little act but the woman beside you think it’s quite amusing. You hear her low chuckle as she flips her coin into the air and catching it effortlessly as she steps forward to make her way to the rotating doors. She casts one last glance at you as she pulls her hat down with a smirk. “Really? You’re just going to let him have that?”
Your jaw clenches in amusement as your hatred and urge to kick Sebastian Sallow off his high horse doubles over the last few minutes. You would try and plan your revenge now but a cough from Elliot and a nudge of his head immediately reminded you of your current situation. You nod with haste as you grab your case before making your way to the doors. You send one last smile at the old man as he sends you off with a short wave. You push the glass doors, letting the light engulf you.
Then suddenly, everything was black.
-
The world is a blur.
Your senses are in a disarray and you couldn’t sense where you were exactly with the fogginess your brain was currently in. You try to will yourself to blink or move any part of your body, trying to get a feel your current situation.
It was certainly a bit warmer than London, windier as well. Ryona said there won’t be any dissonance. Goddamn liar.
You could feel a presence on your side, a weight keeping you up. Then a voice.
“Y/N?”
It was faint but it was there.
Mom?
“Y/N, wake up. Fuck.”
No wait, it’s Gladys.
“Don’t tell me she can’t take portkey travels?”
Is that the annoying fuck?
“Do you ever plan on keeping your mouth shut, Sebastian?”
The other guy. Blonde? What was his name… Ominous? Something like that.
“Move.”
Now this was unfamiliar. You feel yourself sit upright with a few set of hands. Your eyes seem to not be cooperating as it remained shut. You suddenly smell something strong and pungent. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it but it creates a sudden shock in your system causing you to jolt awake. Your body is forced to move and a cramp forms on your leg as you groan in pain. Gladys, seated beside you, sighs in relief. You take a second to process your environment.
It seems that you’re in some sort scenic view, with the ocean in front of you. Rocks crackle beneath your weight as sand trickles down on the elevated surface from where you’re seating. It almost seems like a calm and refreshing view to see during a vacation but then you’re aware of the 4 piercing stares directed at you.
You recognized the three; Sebastian stands a few meters in front of you with arms crossed, Ominis kneeling on your right and Gladys on your left. That leaves this other guy who’s kneeling in front of you. You furrow your eyebrows in confusion at the sudden addition to the group.
“Good, the herbs worked.” He smiles like a teacher praising a student’s work. “Must’ve hit quite hard, no? Filipino healing potions tend to have strong effects.”
He pockets the vial of questionable liquid and herbs before he raises his wand and casts a dimmed ‘lumos.’ “Follow the light with your eyes, senora. I need to check your responsiveness.”
You follow without questions as he moves his wand left to right. He then asks you to grip his hand with both your hands then try to push his palm towards him. You were able to do them, albeit weakly. It seems to satisfy the man enough though. The man nods in understanding before the wand quickly apparates away. “Your responsiveness seems okay enough. Long distance travels like these leave wizards in a weakened state. I suppose you don’t get that much portkey travel? Your body seemed to shut down on its own. Alright, let’s get you standing.”
Gladys and the man help you in putting your weight on your feet. Still confused by the whole ordeal and the silence from your colleagues, you blink in confusion as you allow yourself to rest some of your weight in Gladys’s hands. “I-I’m sorry… But who are you?”
“Elias Alcantara. Your Division Captain.” He answers with a smile, charming enough to swoon you but not enough to distract you. Christ. This was the officer that the minister and head Auror was talking about. You nod in understanding, slowly pulling yourself from Gladys’s grasp and allowing yourself to stand on your own two feet. “It’s understandable. Most maharlikas get the same symptoms as you on their first travel. We often use portkeys to visit magical tribes due to distance of their locations from the PhilMaj.”
“Maharlikas? Like Aurors?” Sebastian chimes in, body leaning towards the conversation. Elias places his hands on his hips as he turns to look at the young man.
“Precisely. Although, our Aurors do vary in terms of magic.” Elias turns to assess his surroundings. He seems to be looking for something.
“Are you waiting for someone, Captain?” Gladys says with a raised eyebrow. Elias turns to her for a moment before going back to looking. It’s not long before a call of his name catches your attention. A woman rushes towards you with great speed, apparent excitement evident on her face. You notice their similarities in terms of clothing. A uniform.
The thin sheer fabric with exquisite designing on the center of their upper clothing gives a symbolic nature to it. You were sure it held some sort of meaning with the way the pattern and the swirls was formed. The woman wore a black ankle length skirt while Elias wore black slacks. The only difference in showcasing their rank was the color of the upper apparel and the pin on the collar.
You began to sense this magical community’s levels of strictness bleeding through the uniforms of these officers in front of you. Having enough with analyzing the new addition to the group, you focus just in time for Elias to introduce the woman. “This is Hiraya Rivera; she’s assigned as Philippines’ representative on this case.”
“Yes … That’s me … Or just Raya for short. I already… uhm, know you all, so...” She says with much enthusiasm to the point that it makes her awkwardly adorable. Your group only returns the introductions with stiff smiles. It doesn’t seem to bother her however as she clasps her hands together. “Oh! They must be tired. We should go now.”
Elias nods in agreement before following with his response. “Of course. A final debrief will be done shortly on our arrival to the base. This will allow us to proceed with field assessment and investigation.”
The two share looks of approval before moving along and motioning for the others to follow them. The four of you stare at their backs as they move closer to the bay. Normally, wizardry governing offices were meant to be hidden in plain sight and only wizards should be able to see them but so far, all the four of you have seen is a blank scenery of what is supposedly the Philippines’ wizarding governing office.
“Um, to where exactly?” Ominis inquires for the benefit of the group. Hiraya turns around, assessing your confused expressions before smiling as she nudges her head towards the captain who walks towards the shallow parts of the water.
The four of you follow begrudgingly, letting the cold waters seep into your shoes. Ominis clings to Sebastian’s arm, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden change of temperature as he grips his wand tightly within his other hand. Gladys seems to not mind the cold at all as she lets out a sigh and picks up her pace to match with Captain Alcantara. The wind blows against your hair, ruffling your robes as you try to pull them closer against you. The waves pull you closer to Sebastian’s side.
“Not expecting this kind of entrance!” Sebastian tries to shout over the loud splashing of waves against the shallow waters. The waters have already reached to your thighs.
You allow yourself to be slightly pushed by an incoming wave. “Certainly has to be one of the most unique ones I’ve seen.”
Sebastian glances at you with a smirk. “Thought about what I said, Y/L/N?”
You let out an annoyed huff as you faced him with a deadpan stare, giving him no answer as you move towards the front, leaving the two boys to their own. You could faintly hear Sebastian’s light chuckle over the harsh winds. You’d rather be dead than give him the satisfaction of hearing what he wanted to hear.
Okay, maybe…. It was on his jurisdiction to arrest you.
But was it really your fault? He could’ve handled it in a more civil way after he had found out you were a witch. You could’ve been nice and understanding as you were an Auror yourself. But the day had not been the best one and dealing with a man who has now made it his mission to piss you off by not taking you seriously because of your little altercation, has definitely started to put you in a not so civil mood. But of course.
You have to be the bigger person.
Curse you Elliot Fontaine for being a shitty fucking role model. Too imperfectly perfect to be one. The right amount as others would say.
The trio in front of you suddenly stops in their tracks as the water had now reached your hips. It was silent at first. The type of silence that made you unnerved. It was like you were expecting something to jump out of nowhere.
You should’ve held your tongue on that one.
You feel the ripples of water cease into a calm and the sudden eeriness of it all tripled by a dozen. Elias and Hiraya draw up their wands but as the three of you (with the exception of Ominis who is still clinging quite tightly on Sebastian’s arm) follow their movements, Hiraya only stares back with a shake of her head. Gladys turns to you with an apprehensive stare as the three of you slowly lower your wands.
Then the ripples start again. This time more chaotic and aggressive.
A sign of aggression and power. You could almost cower in fear as high pitched noises fill the air. Ominis and Sebastian clutches their ears in response at the howling noise. You see shadows in the water, circling your little group then it jumps. It was hard trying to make a figure out of it as it somehow manages to control the waters as they jump into the air.
Sebastian could make out three creatures circling them. He wasn’t sure if this was part of an initiation but the calm demeanors of the local Aurors at the front seemed to be his last thread of sanity in this very disturbing and panic-inducing moment. The circling stops as the creatures finally end their laps by surrounding them on each side.
They rise from the waters and you could only stare in awe as green scales with fish like heads emerge from the waters.
“What’s happening?” Ominis whispers in Sebastian’s ear. The brunette is entranced in fear by the presence of these domineering creatures.
“You don’t wanna know.” He replies, quietly. The silence is tense and uncomfortable as these creatures with large fins and predatory stares guard your group in a circle.
It’s Captain Alcantara who breaks the silence. “We’re expected. Bisita sila ng Datu.”
(“They are visitors of the Datu”)
The creatures make gurgling and chirping sounds before the so called leader, standing in front of Captain Alcantara, nods its head.
“Very well, Maharlika. Ibigay ang daan.” The leader says in a low and deep voice. It almost sounds too inhuman. Nevertheless, the group of creatures then swim once again underwater. Their figures form in a blur as they began to swim fast into circles in front of your group. A small whirlpool begins to form before the creatures swam back and then towards the whirlpool, using some sort of pressure that bursts the moving waters up. You had expected it to explode into your face, but the waters remain still above you forming an archway to a tunnel pathway. The waters beneath you slowly descend as they put you down slowly onto the sandy path. You see the creatures on standby in the walls of water. They send you a bow of respect before moving along.
(“Lead the way”)
“C’mon, the tunnel closes fast. The longer it stays up, the longer the risk for exposure.” Elias motions the four of you still stuck in a trance. Hiraya smiles as she pulls on your arm, encouraging you to walk with her. Just as Ominis and Sebastian enter the depths, the entrance immediately merges into what it once was. Sebastian lets out a huff of amusement before leaning close to whisper what just happened in Ominis’s ear.
You would think of the gesture endearing if it weren’t for the constant reminder of your dislike for him in your head.
“Apologies for the short freight, that was their main purpose to scare intruders. The Siyokoy tribe can be quite aggressive. Anyways, this way,” Captain Alcantara leads as whisps of blue flames light up as they trudge through a sandy path. You follow the officer, admiring the blues of the tunnel in awe. You watch as school of fishes pass by and numerous sea creatures appear above you. This was marvelous.
Silence lapses once more as the only sounds of the trek below was the sea life surrounding you and the crunch of your shoes against the sandy pathway.
It’s Hiraya who breaks your short solitude. “You’re Y/N Y/L/N right? Elliot Fontaine’s protégé?”
You turn to her with a smile. Her overall demeanor and personality seems too bright for your taste. It definitely is too blinding whenever she smiles. “Yeah—Well, was his protégé. Got promoted.”
You sheepishly reply to which she gasps in surprise. Eyes widening and mouthing forming a wide smile. God, she’s expressive too. “Congratulations! That’s incredible. I’m happy for you, senora.”
It’s awkward once again. The urge to say something back gets lost in your thoughts of thinking of another topic to start. This sends you in a spiral of trying to make your social relations skills work. It seems that Gladys has noticed your inner turmoil as she sends a look of amusement back at you from her position with Captain Alcantara. Your eyes widen at her as a glare to which she only chuckles at.
Thank Isolt Sayre that the gal broke the silence once more.
“I’ve seen your cases a few times on the transmission.” Hiraya timidly comments as she fiddles with her fingers, arm still intertwined with yours. You’ve never met an awkwardly introvert extrovert before. Was that even a thing?
She locks eyes with you in what you could say was pure admiration. “I admire you as an Auror is what I wanted to say… Both you and uh… Senor Fontaine.”
“… Thank you.” You nod shyly. “I’ll make sure to let him know.”
Hiraya bites her lip to control her excitement. You can deduce that this young girl had only been accepted recently. Talk about huge potential. Immediately placed as an Auror representative for a case that could indefinitely mean a war against humans and wizards? What kind of skills and capabilities is this girl hiding?
You decide to find it out yourself.
“Have you only graduated recently? Seems like a pretty big case to start off.” You say with genuine curiosity. Hiraya blows a raspberry as she guides you away from a protruding rock sprouting from the ground.
“Well, it’s been 4 years actually? So I guess that’s still fairly new. So um, off topic but um… Marahuyo en Mahika is a school led by Aurors, well babaylans to be specific.” She lists off. Your eyebrows must’ve furrowed in confusion as she leans in to continue. “Babaylans are shamans, most of them are women. They also wield magic quite differently. Instead of wands, they use weapons. Fascinating, right?”
Your eyebrows widen in amusement. “Weapons?”
“Yep. Well, originally Maharlikas or y’know our Aurors were like that too but they eventually had to adapt to the use of wands. Babaylans are old old. They keep the ancestral culture alive which makes them very important figures in the community.” Hiraya nonchalantly continues. “When you get praised and recommended to the Datu by a Babaylan—Datu is, what do you guys call your… The um… head?”
“Overall?” You suggest. From your peripheral, you see Ominis and Sebastian lean closer to listen in on the conversation. Hiraya nods then you continue. “It’s either President or Minister. Depends on the community.”
“Right. So basically, when the overall head gets a recommendation from a Babaylan. It means big,” Hiraya glances at you to assess your reaction. “They have inner connection to Bathala. They recognize your innate capabilities for magic and your potential for something greater…. Not to brag but yeah, it was mostly why I reached the higher ranks faster. Why I’m being mentored by PhilMaj’s greatest captain.”
Elias hears this. “That better be genuine.”
Hiraya giggles. “Why would I lie?”
You huff in amusement at the girl beside you. Techinically, you didn’t know exactly which field she was recommended for but to have a reliable witch beside you definitely eased your worries. Before you could further admire the literal sunshine hanging off your arm, you were suddenly aware of the large waterfall like entrance in front of you. Too distracted by Hiraya’s chatter, you had failed to realize that you were already at the entrance of the community.
Hiraya turns to you with a giddy smile as Elias pulls out his wand and waves it in a pattern before the waterfalls part gracefully and a whole new scenery is laid in front of you. You enter the place, watching as children flutter around, squealing as they chased one another. You eyed the Spanish influenced architecture and the stone pavements to the dome structure that protects the whole town. It seems to portray a version of day and night. Wizards and witches roam the streets as vendors selling levitating egg waffle balls (the closest thing you could describe it as) and many kinds of delicacies.
“The air is pristine and clean.” Ominis observes to which Gladys hums in agreement. He allows himself to be led by his wand. The waterfall doors immediately led to a small version of a town square. You would immediately be bombarded by the town’s festive nature by the time you enter place. Street lights decorate the place and you watch in amusement as a horse-man? Man-horse? Basically, A horse for an upper body and a man for a lower dressed in formal clothing walks on the other side of the street.
“Senor Cardel!” Hiraya calls at the same horse-man who looks up at the call of his name.
“Senora! Sigues siendo hermosa como siempre!” Senor Cardel greets with motion of the tip of his cigar before chuckling as Hiraya giggles at his compliments.
(Milady! You look beautiful as always!)
Hiraya turns around to see 4 sets of eyes looking at her in confusion.
“Was that a … horse?” Gladys asks, hesitant. Captain Alcantara laughs.
“That was Senor Cardel. A local here in Manila. He’s from the tikbalang tribe.” Elias comments. Gladys sounds a hum of disbelief before continuing to follow the young officer.
As you reach the main town hall, a large path then leads to a large building with grandiose architecture. Gladys glances at you with a knowing look as the four of you alongside Hiraya stand alongside each other.
“This is it right? The governing office?” Sebastian mumbles as the 6 of you watch three people exit the building. There were 2 women and a goblin approaching your little group. One wore a Spanish influenced type of traditional clothing while the other was covered in sleek black with golden jewelry adorning her neck, wrists, and even a form of headband around her forehead. A cloth in exquisite pattern surround her from the shoulder to her hip. A blade is rested on one side of her hip, hands resting on the handle. The goblin, in similar fashion to that of the first lady, approaches behind the two.
“You’re here just as our resident babaylan, Ysmeria predicted.” The woman dressed in beige traditional clothing walks forward. Ysmeria, the woman in black only stares as she analyzes the group before her. Eventually, her eyes landed on you. You couldn’t handle the heaviness of her stare and so you look away.
“Capitan Alacantara, salamat. You have served well and will continue to do so.” The woman praises the young man who nods in respect before taking a step back. The woman then takes a few steps closer to where you four are, kind gaze trained on each one of you.
“We have awaited your arrival. I am Corazon Del Rosario, the ruling Datu. Welcome to the Philippine Bureau of Magic and Wizardry.”
_
A/N: and that is chapter 2 WHWHHWHEHEHEH WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES MWA MWA <3 as u can see from this chapter, magical creatures are v much intertwined with society nyehe. More lore explained hihi AND THE INTRODUCTION OF FOUR MORE CHARACTERS!!! Will update the face claims nyehehe lmk your feedback as always!! It always makes my heart warm when I read your responses J
Datu – rulers, chiefs and monarchs in precolonial ph
Babaylan- shamans, often female, who use connect to the spirits and nature to heal and protect. Can also be warriors or leaders.
Siyokoy – underwater creatures depicted to have fish like features
Tikbalang – creatures who guard the mountains. Depicted to have a horse for a head and a human body.
To be, or not to be ~ that is the question 💀🥀 Fun fact: I was born on the same day as William Shakespeare. Happy Halloween 👻🎃 I do hope you’ve enjoyed my darker posts this week? It’s been fun revealing more of my personality with you 🖤 I have more photos from all sets so let me know what you think & I’ll probably share more. What are you up to this All Hallows’ Eve? 🍭🎃🧟♂️ I’m going to be binge watching horror films! Halloween hugs 🤗 x #CharlotteinEngland #tobeornottobe #gothic #countess #vamp #vampire #skull #redlips #goth #gothgirl #halloween2021 #fishnets #spookyseason #halloweenvibes #halloweenmakeup #halloweenphotoshoot #samhain #witchy #dark #spookyhalloween #legs #stockings #holdups #suspenders #vintagevibes #styledwithas #blackjacket #scorpio #blackandred #trickortreat (at England) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVs7hNVsjFV/?utm_medium=tumblr
Fare la finta gnocca con 500 filtri antirughe antiocchiaie antinasone, o fare la scema au naturel? Un po' e un pó! * * * #selfie #bothsides #tobeornottobe (silly) #myself #selfienation #tongue #tongueout #tonguegirls #allthefilters #undereyes #iamapanda #blondie #over40 #blackandwhite #moldiv #biancoenero #igerstrieste #igersfvg https://www.instagram.com/p/CLQ-HOklX-7/?igshid=xhowfyjeyqyk
They say that one of the hardest characters to play on stage or celluloid is William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Yet, the portrayal of Haider by @shahidkapoor inspired by Hamlet is a character we cannot forget. @deep_sarbadhikari shares an article of the top 40 characters inspired by Hamlet played by actors from around the world however how Haider touched his heart the most. Be it the troubled lands of Kashmir, the complicated relationship with his mom Ghazala (inspired from Gertrude) played by the wonderful @tabutiful, the inner angst of losing his father, his lack of love for his country or his sense of revenge that drove him crazy- every note was perfect and every emotion flowed. He further pens his gratitude to filmmaker @vishalrbhardwaj who has woven the magic of the movie. He says - "In 2014, Vishal Bhardwaj made the stupendous Haider which was adapted from the life and events of Shakespeare's Hamlet. It wasn't the first time he was foraying into this territory of adaptation as he had already done a wonderful job of adapting Macbeth (Maqbool) and Othello (Omkara) which were largely acclaimed movies of his. He is known to keep the conflicts of the character alive while completely changing the backdrop and syntax of the stories. So, none of his stories are taking place in 17th century England. These are stories of heartland India and its issues but the fact the essence of Shakespeare's characters are very much alive." Do you also feel Haider was an excellent adaptation of Hamlet? Original article by @literaryhub. Read the full article and join the discussion- link in bio! . . . You too can share awesome books and articles across various topics with our community and get featured - checkout merrative.com . . . Read something awesome? Have conversations around books, articles or newsletters you've enjoyed reading with like minded readers at: . merrative.com . . . #merrative #shahidkapoor #williamshakespeare #poetry #shakespearequotes #hamlet #bollywood #hollywood #shakespearememes #kashmir #indianculture #bibliophile #tobeornottobe #philosophy #readersofig #bookclub #bookish #bookrecommendations #literaryhub #virtualbookclub #booklove #bookstagram (at Shakespeare's Globe) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFOc7rhguXC/?igshid=1b3vplb3807sm
