We just disagree (Bianca)

[Deleted]

Today tan had agreed to meet with the new head of law enforcement. Considering he was both a coucilmember and the high priest he held enough standing to be part of such required politics, although he despised the forced involvement of the Brits in their lands. He didn't see any reason their laws ought to apply on Hy-brasil, nor reasons to force their children into what they considered schooling. It really was more like a prison of supposed education, but did they learn what mattered? Stan had his doubts.

He hoped the new head of law enforcement was more open to the druid ways but his hopes were not exactly high. It was rare anybody understood their culture if they were not a part of it. So as he spied the woman on the docks he was far from excited. She looked straight laced to him and serious, but he didn't instantly see anything about her person that tief her to nature. Not the most promising start, but he was trying to keep an open mind. He walked up and smiled politely. "Miss Rivera? I'm Constellation, high priest of Hy-brasil." He bowed slightly as greeting. "Pleasure to meet you and a late congratulation on your promotion." He said kindly. Best to get this off to a decent start.

Bianca Alia Rivera

[Bianca Alia Rivera]

1 March 2026

The druid question was one that had plagued the Ministry for centuries, and Bianca had put off taking a stance on it. It was complicated, and there was a messy history that she didn’t fully understand. At first, there had been enough on her plate that Bianca could avoid the subject altogether. There was a matter of getting her department in order, then she’d been completely focused on establishing her task force. But now that things were beginning to run more smoothly, Bianca couldn’t ignore the topic any longer.

First she’d gone through every Ministry file available on the druids – not that she ever had any time at work for light reading, so she’d brought them home instead. Every detail of every interaction, every attempt to pass a law, every analysis of which had worked and which had provoked protests so widespread the motion had been defeated. After some weeks, Bianca thought she had a pretty full picture – at least from the Ministry’s point of view. Before she did anything as public as announce her position, or even attempt to pass new legislation, she needed to visit Hy-Brasil as well. After careful thought on the topic, she’d reached out to their High Priest, rather than the High Druid or one of their Elders. Many people underestimated the influence of religious leaders, especially in such a tightknit and isolated society. Speaking to this ‘Constellation’ would give Bianca a much better indication of where Hy-Brasil stood on sentiments toward the Ministry, and what could be done (if anything). She also couldn’t deny…she was intensely curious to visit the druid island. There were plenty of representations of druids in Muggle pop culture, although Bianca couldn’t imagine that any of them would hold a candle to the real thing. Her curiosity was even strong enough that she would willingly part from her phone for the occasion.

Bianca kept a cool expression on her face as she passed through customs, although her pulse raced a little quicker than normal at the overwhelming sensation of magic in the air. She stood off to one side, casting a wide gaze over the area, until she was finally approached. Bianca studied the High Priest with the same intent gaze she gave every stranger – what was he, threat or opportunity? His demeanor seemed polite, if not detached and doubtful. Fair enough, she felt the same way. “Nice to meet you. I hope my service will prove meaningful,” she responded neutrally. Her mother had always said that it was important to compliment the host’s home, so she continued, “Descriptions of Hy-Brasil don’t do it justice. Your island is beautiful.” Her language was careful – whether or not she would conclude that Ministry Law Enforcement should extend its jurisdiction to the druid island, it was first and foremost theirs. The question on her mind was the potential threats it might pose to maintaining law and order on the mainland. As the collapse of the barrier and subsequent creature escape had already shown, island affairs had the potential to spiral out of control and affect everyone. There were still too many unknowns.

@constellation

[Deleted]

Stan understood the need for political niceties, even if he absolutely hated them. It was often just the ministry trying to deceive them while taking away or compromising their autonomy while attempting to overwrite their laws over the ones already present. Stan, like most druids, was highly mistrustful of anyone that aligned themselves with the ministry. From what he understood one of their own from one of the settlements up north had joined the ministry here and he hoped that druid would actually prove an alley more than an adversary. From what he understood the druid in question was actually part of their version of law enforcement, which was one of the reasons he'd accepted the responsiblity. He was on the council and as High priest he had plenty of influence in the community. No doubt that was also part of why she'd chosen to speak to him over others on the council. He wasn't sure why she hadn't opten to talk to Fae, since she was actually the true leader of their people. All he did was safeguard their connection to the earth mother.

As always Constellation was dressed in simple garbs from fully natural materials. Cotton and Dragon hide were his favourites to wear and he cared for his clothes, repairing them where needed and ensuring they lasted. Fast fashion wasn't really much of a thing on Hy-brasil. They were a lot more aware of their resources and how not to waste them, unlike most mainlanders. She had fixed him with an intent look as they met and he'd returned her gaze with a very calm expression. It was that or harbour resentment this early on, which seemed rather pointless. It didn't really help him gain trust though, as she clearly was here with a purpose and that wasn't often a good thing in mainlanders to his experience. Her greeting was generic and manufactured, but still very polite. The fact she called her intrusion a service was common, but no less bothersome because of it. He smiled politely but did not yet speak. He was very reserved by nature and hardly spoke before considering all this thoughts first. As he priest he served his people, not himself, and politics were troublesome enough as it was. He didn't to take risks that unintentionally only added fuel to the fire.

Just as though from a hand book, she complimented the island and he couldn't help but smile slightly. She was right of course. The druid home was beautiful and full of life and only seeing it could truly hammer home just how exceptional their home was. "The earth mother has been kind of late." He replied simply, as if that statement explained everything she needed to know. Their lands flourished and bloomed and he was sure this spring would truly be exceptional. "Spring has begun to surface over the last weeks and it comes with a promise of beauty and life." He looked at her calmly as he motioned for her to walk along. "Druids share a love for nature and her many bounties. It's at the heart of our people. We are not conquerors or adventurers by nature, although a few among our numbers do seek to explore the world. Most of us simply live in peace with the lands we grew up in. We don't seek trouble, not complications that would make the life we cherish more difficult to lead." He said, wanting to make it clear right off the bat that they would never welcome the jurisdiction of the ministry with open arms, as there was a lack of understanding from them for the way of his people. They lacked that connection to nature and unless a druid convert would take a seat of power he saw little option for change. There were many possiblities, but it was difficult to determine their outcome before the result was there.

Bianca Alia Rivera

[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Immediately from the start, it became clear that the druids were going to be unlike anything Bianca had ever encountered before. She was familiar with other cultures, yes – born and raised in Latin America, but with a strong Italian influence from her mother. Then she had moved to the United Kingdom and it had been like starting over from scratch, learning everything again in English and a foreign culture. Bianca wasn’t unused to change, and despite her rigid personality she knew how to weather challenges and survive them. Most importantly, she knew how to do it without losing herself, or any of the things that made her different from everyone else. Still…as Constellation spoke, Bianca kept a carefully blank face, intently listening to his descriptions of the druids and their religion. She kept his pace, although her gaze kept wandering over the scenery – the sea of redheads (with her own dark features standing out rather prominently) and the sheer overwhelming sense of magic in the air.

Constellation’s words seemed mild, but they held a hint of subtle criticism as well. They seemed innocent enough on the surface-level, only a simple description of the druid culture and their belief system, but there was a deeper message present as well. If Bianca had been more weak-willed, she would have accepted it as her answer that the druids would never submit to any form of additional Ministry oversight. There might be individual druids who wouldn’t care, or who might see some measures as poison they were willing to take, but Constellation wasn’t just any druid. His opinion mattered, and she needed to take it into account. Bianca turned over his last words in her head – that the druids weren’t seeking any complications in their isolated lifestyle. “That’s understandable,” she finally said after a few moments of silence, “but it seems that trouble has already found you.” Bianca let her gaze move pointedly upwards to stare critically at the temporary barrier – a weak-looking thing that didn’t have any of the brilliance or beauty that had been described of the old one. “This is still the temporary barrier, isn’t it? I understand that your leadership hasn’t found a way to bring back the one that was destroyed.” That had been in the files provided by the Ministry's permanent representative to Hy-Brasil. His additional insight had been that the Council appeared quite lost in explaining what had happened to their own people, and that the High Druid looked perpetually worried these days. The appearance of Yrisle probably didn't help, either.

Bianca turned back towards the High Priest, traces of skepticism evident on her face. She had never met any other member of the Druid Council, but it was clear enough that they hadn’t discovered what exactly had happened to the old barrier or how to bring it back. There was no other reason they would have left such a weak, flimsy barrier standing otherwise. That was a security risk, and judging the severity of security risks and the appropriate response to take was her job. “It can be difficult to keep one’s problems away from other people,” Bianca observed neutrally. She didn’t like vague language much, or the political games that most other Department Heads liked to play. So she stopped beating around the bush and told Constellation frankly, “Your creatures escaping has been a headache for us too. They threaten the Statute of Secrecy and have the potential to reveal magic to Muggles. That can put the safety of the entire magical community at risk, which is my job to worry about. It’s been months...so it's becoming more difficult to tell the Minister that you druids only need more time to handle it.”

@constellation