#oc: sabina marie | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mobius-prime · 4 years

Text

175. Sonic the Hedgehog #107

Crouching Hedgehog, Hidden Dragon (臣人豪猪臧龍) (Part Two)

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Ron Lim Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Yes, those are the same Chinese characters as last time. I was kind of hoping they would have used different ones so we could have a second nonsense phrase to laugh over, but alas. The morning after the dragon's attack, Sonic and Tails are playing video games when they're called to a morning meeting with Station Square's president. Once in the meeting, the president begins to explain his strategy for taking on the dragon, but Sonic is less than interested.

Sonic suddenly realizes he recognizes the team as the one that captured him at the beginning of Sonic Adventure 2, and promptly bursts into hysterical laughter, remembering how easily he disarmed them last time. Sally is quick to salvage the situation by claiming that it's Mobian tradition to laugh at their allies as a show of respect, and a confused president and annoyed Paladin Team look on as every Mobian at the table howls with laughter to keep up the ruse. Sonic, however, is not pleased with the tough-guy, humorless attitude that every member of the team exudes, and Sally, Rotor, and Antoine stay behind in the city as Sonic, Tails, and Bunnie airdrop in with the team to Pyro Island, where the dragon is believed to be hiding out. The Mobians are cheery, singing and chatting with one another, but the leader of Paladin Team admonishes them for not taking things seriously. While everyone is distracted, two of the Paladin Team members lag behind everyone else, not realizing that there's a shadowy, snakelike figure stalking them from behind. As the Mobians and humans begin to argue, they suddenly notice the disappearance of two of their team members.

While the humans angrily head out to find their missing team members, Sonic, Tails and Bunnie press on into the trees, trying to figure out where a dragon might hide. Tails spots a cave behind a waterfall, and they duck inside, to be immediately greeted by… Dulcy! It's been a while since we've seen her! Her arm is in a sling, but otherwise she seems fine and happy to see them. Suddenly, the red dragon emerges from behind her, but Dulcy quickly explains that this is Zan, and she's in a relationship with him. However, he begins to act aggressive, insisting that the others are their enemies and shouldn't be here, to her dismay.

Well, that changes things a bit. Everyone tries to convince Zan to settle down so they can talk things out peacefully, but Zan becomes even angrier when Dulcy agrees. He's interrupted from scolding her for relying on them when a net entangles his mouth, shutting him up, and the humans all rush in with guns drawn, ready to kill both dragons. Sonic utilizes his super speed to take apart all their guns before they can fire, but then Zan breaks free of his muzzle, gloating that now that they're unarmed he can kill them easily. Sonic steps in the middle to prevent that from happening either, and then Dulcy, from the back, quietly speaks up.

So this isn't the only "surprise domestic abuse" plot in a Sonic canon. Anyone who's played Sonic and the Secret Rings knows that an abusive romantic relationship plays a big part in that game's plot as well. But it still does come as a big shock here. Sonic freaks out, infuriated that Zan would hurt his friend, and begins wailing on him, while Tails and Bunnie rush outside to check on Dulcy. She repeats certain stock phrases that are common of abuse victims, such as "he loves me" and "maybe it's my fault," while Bunnie reassures her that she's not at fault at all and deserves better than to be treated this way. It's honestly a decent portrayal of the guilt that abuse victims become stuck with, just very condensed, because this comic doesn't have time to throw in a whole long subplot about Dulcy's emotional recovery. Instead, it takes a fast-track approach, as while Sonic and Zan fight, Paladin Team sets up explosives and blows up the entire cave, with Sonic and Zan still in it! That'll solve it!

Everyone outside is horrified and rushes forward to try to dig them both out, but Sonic emerges safely, tunneling his way out from under the rock. However, Zan isn't so lucky. The team contacts the president, informing him that the dragon that menaced them is dead and the city is safe again, and he agrees formally to take in the Overlander refugees, while Sonic, Tails, and Bunnie stay with Dulcy at the ruins of the cave till nightfall, letting her mourn despite the abuse.

Fittingly, our character file for this issue is for Dulcy! She's an outlier in almost every way compared to the other characters so far. Since she's a dragon, you'd expect her to be bigger than the others, but I wasn't expecting her to be so massive. She's a whopping 240 cm or 7'10" tall, and weighs 111.8 kg or 245.9 lbs! That's easily taller than Big the Cat and E-102 Gamma, the tallest characters in the games (not counting bosses such as Iblis or Dark Gaia), though not nearly as heavy as either of them. Her wingspan also comes out to 169 cm or exactly five feet, which correspond well enough to how they're usually drawn as proportionately small. However, that's not the most interesting thing about her file. Based on her behavior and this recent relationship of hers, how old would you say Dulcy is? Seventeen? Eighteen?

She's thirteen.

I was honestly shocked when I found this out. This means that most of the previous times we've seen her, she was literally only twelve, not even a teenager yet. This actually puts a lot of her behavior into perspective - her somewhat crybaby attitude and nervousness in the face of danger, all that is due to literal immaturity. This means she was only about two years old when the war against Robotnik started, with her birthday being August 23. The file explains that when Robotnik began his coup, he heavily targeted dragons before any other creatures due to their sheer power. One such dragon, Sabina, sought protection for her daughter Dulcinea (Dulcy's real name) among the Kingdom of Acorn before she too was captured. Dulcy grew up over the years and helped the Freedom Fighters, though she mainly lived outside on her own due to her massive size. Interestingly enough, the file also attempts to provide a bit of a retcon for the whole "dragons can sense truth" plot hole that I pointed out all the way back during Endgame, instead suggesting that Dulcy in particular is just a very trustworthy individual who doesn't like telling lies and has an instinct for knowing when someone is being truthful, which I can accept. It's a lot better than the handwave from before, anyway.

Reunification (Part II)

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Dawn Best Colors: Robbie O'Quinn

Lien-Da is pissed. Apparently, she actually didn't expect Knuckles to be able to reverse the effects of the Quantum Beam, despite Dimitri not only promising Knuckles he'd do so himself, but even encouraging Knuckles to do so on his own. Dimitri is also shocked, though more at the sheer extent of Knuckles' power, which exceeds even his own when he was Enerjak.

What, Lien-Da? You think you're gonna recruit Remington or something? Remington's an upstanding guy, man, I think your chances are… uh… well, I suppose we mustn't forget about the time traveler girl who apparently thinks he's gonna murder Knuckles. Remington asks her for her name and she gives the name "Jani-Ca," though internally she notes that she's trying to hide her own identity, meaning this isn't her real name. Wynmacher and Lara-Le rush up, concernedly asking after Knuckles, and while Remington states he hasn't seen him, Jani-Ca hides her surprise at seeing a younger version of her grandmother. Wait - grandmother?! Then that means she's…

The Chaotix are back as well, having landed right back in the ruins of the Grand Conservatory, with their dialogue again suggesting that they haven't been away for long due to the slower time scale within the Twilight Zone. In Haven, the various members of the Brotherhood are dismayed to find the place trashed from Knuckles' earlier bursts of uncontrolled power, though they instead suspect the Legion's hand. They notice that Matthias and Hawking are no longer there, realizing that they've both died and headed on to the "next evolution," AKA echidna heaven. They sense one more soul with them, whom we know is Tobor, but they can't figure it out. Locke briefly worries that it might be Knuckles before hearing Knuckles' ghostly voice reassuring him that he's fine and currently in the city. Far from reassuring Locke, this only makes him worry that instead of his great plans for Knuckles to be a savior, instead his worst fears have come to pass. What, Locke, you starting to think that maybe genetically engineering and irradiating your unborn baby wasn't a good idea after all?

*sigh* So, yes, everyone, this is Knuckles' future daughter Lara-Su. Anyone who knows Penders and his whole lawsuit debacle will know exactly who this is. Now, she's kind of an unpopular character because of this (and because many people essentially dismiss her as Penders' Mary Sue OC), and there are definitely valid criticisms to be made about her inclusion into the comics, but I'm not going to immediately jump into hating her just because of the circumstances of her creation. After all, we still know basically nothing about her, not even how she came to be, and anyway you all know that I prefer to judge a character or story on its own merits and not on how likeable its creator is.

Everyone's conversations are interrupted by a flash of light, and Dimitri materializes in the middle of the group. Remington, of course, steps forward intending to arrest him, but Knuckles stops him much to his shock. Dimitri grins in a super-duper-not-an-evil-villain way and says that Knuckles has finally seen that he and his Legion only wish to rejoin the rest of echidna society, and that they're prepared to do whatever it takes to reintegrate…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 107 #writer: karl bollers #writer: ken penders #pencils: ron lim #pencils: dawn best #colors: frank gagliardo #colors: robbie o'quinn

4 notes · View notes

prismportrait · 7 years

Text

still wanna work on quick doodle refs of my Pokemon gijinka OCs from my rp with @anaislingmemory (yanno, returning to the point of why I made this blog)

but I have so many deciding who to do next is daunting?? let’s make a list I guess

Completed already:

Sayf

Marshall

Saucer

Aerion

Bee

Zzazz

Navi

Tsintsissi (/Elpis)

Tingle

Saga

Mag

Howie

Tiffa

Missing:

Lacroan Royal Knights (Rock, Batol, Nataku, Zero)

Ark fam (Baku, Teo, Lippti)

Winters fam (Chase, Zohra, Mahdi)

Strand fam (Des, Acacia, Maris, Mason)

Nextgen kiddos (Zephyr, Taylor, Aisling, Olive)

Cousins (Florin, Isabela, Elisa)

Lentilles hierarchy (Lutia, Zaedan, Apsara, Incus, Dyeus)

UMA sisters (Alessa, Matilda)

Firefighters (Ted, Mila, Armel)

Spouses (Reina, Treasach, Meilan, Janelle)

Court Assist (Nory, Payapa, Dr. Chiba, Dr. Tokita)

Court Foes (Milaya, TBA)

Koios

Nise

Oplot (Escade, Saffron, Rasa, Sabina)

Dark Axis (Zapper, Virseau)

Afterlife (Devoir, Eidolon)

Gods (Eshaton, Nobel, Noel)

Reoccurring NPCs (Pecha, Marco, Itsy/Bitsy, Chihiro, Tabbitha)

phewwww haha that’s just my most reoccuring/ used characters for our rp :’)

if anyone wants to see some of them sooner than later? just leave a comment??

#ocs #art ref

1 note · View note

sapropel · 3 years

Text

Being a DM is great because I can make my ultra powerful Mary Sue OCs and then force other people to interact with them. Sabina my beloved <3

1 note · View note

adarlingmess · 2 years

Photo

Ugnayan

Summary:

Filipino word, noun: connection between persons, groups, countries, etc.

A collection of works detailing a manananggal clan’s relations with the Treses, and their allies.

III: Hiraya

Summary:

Filipino word, noun: imagination, vision, illusion; the fruit of one’s dreams, wishes, and aspirations; a dream.

Basilio knows there’s a line he’s crossing, and he’s at the point of no return.

Words: 4144

Characters: Basilio, Sabina (OC), Crispin, Hank Sparrow, Alexandra Trese, Anton Trese, Reyna Manananggal, Dominic Villaceran (mentioned only), Mama Grande (mentioned only), Gog (mentioned only)

Relationships: Basilio/Original Female Character

Language: English, with a few Filipino words and phrases sprinkled in.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Strong language, sexual themes, discussion about past about non-con

Author’s Notes:

I am: back on my bullshit again (1)

Umagang kay kalat sa inyo, here’s part three of my Basilio x OC fic. Who knows, maybe I’ll write a proper story one day, but right now my Basilio brainrot is back with a vengeance. This was sitting in my hard drive since September and I thought maybe a day before Valentine’s day was a good day to finally post it in public. I couldn’t decide which scene to draw for the art tie-in so I ended up with a two-page comic 😩

Spoiler warning for Verdugo: Takutan because this story heavily references its lore and events! The comics are known to be darker in tone, and so is this fic, so heed the warnings above.

In hindsight, Sabina should’ve saved her last cigarette for later.

Now, she has nothing to calm her down except for the water flowing from the motel’s sink. Gingerly, she presses a finger on a bruised patch of skin on her neck. Even with her regenerative abilities, it’ll take a while to disappear. It’s been a while since her last feeding, too. She’ll need something substantial soon.

It’s fine. The bruises are nothing a little concealer couldn’t fix.

She steps out of the bathroom in nothing but the towel the motel staff provided. The air conditioner’s hum and the idle chatter on the television reached her ears.

The aroma of food reached her nose, and with her eyes, she saw her childhood friend sitting on the bed and helping himself to a chicken leg while watching TV.

“Chicken arrived while you were showering,” Basilio says, grinning at her. “They said the rest of the food will come soon.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rings and Sabina answers it. An order of La Paz batchoy arrived courtesy of room service. She sets it on the table, where more servings of food can be found, and soiled dishes piled up in the corner. Sabina gathers the dirty dishes and hands them over to housekeeping with a quiet thank you.

The kitchen staff wasn’t sure whether they should be grateful for the patronage or frustrated at the volume of orders they received.

Of course a war demigod with an insatiable appetite and a ravenous aswang agreed to order everything on the menu.

Aswang metabolism will burn through all those calories like its paper. Sabina isn’t quite sure why the Kambal requires so much food to function, though. Fond memories of bonding over Hank’s cooking resurfaced.

Maybe she should visit the Diabolical again, this time for pleasure. Hopefully she can still request a plate of spaghetti from Hank, even though the place is a bar now.

Basilio reaches for the other chicken leg and Sabina has no other choice but to swat his hand.

“That’s mine,” she warns him, playfully.

With a pout, Basilio settles on the crispy pata instead. “Ang daya.”

“Anong madaya?” Sab crosses her arms. “You already had the other leg. Takaw mo.” Sabina sits next to him in the bed and helps herself to the food. She finishes the chicken leg in no more than a few bites. Then, she made a quick trip to the table to retrieve the steaming bowl of soup.

Basilio nudges her playfully when she sits back down to eat. “You’re one to talk.”

Sabina laughs and playfully rolls her eyes. She was about to take her first sip when Basilio’s arm quickly shot out to stop her. “Wait, this has garlic in it.”

“Duh, I could smell it cooking from the kitchen while I was in the shower.”

“Isn’t garlic going to hurt you?”

Sabina hums and takes a sip of the broth to show him she’ll be fine. Her face turns red, and not from embarrassment. “See? I’m fine. I’m pretty sure you had spicy food before, right?”

Basilio remembers that time he bit into a slice of siling labuyo in the vinegar that came with Hank’s crispy beef tapa. He nods.

“It burns, right? Garlic’s spicy when I eat it. I’ve built a tolerance to it to blend in with the humans.”

“No wonder smearing crushed garlic on a manananggal’s lower half would kill her. That must be one hell of a burn.”

Sabina laughs at the morbid turn their conversation took. “I mean, if I took crushed sili and smeared it all over a human’s wound, it’s going to hurt too.”

“What about waving garlic around to repel aswang? Why does that work?”

“It’s the same principle as humans cutting onions. It irritates our eyes, but the effect is stronger due to our sharper senses. So yes, before you ask, I could smell your feet the moment you took your shoes off earlier and somehow I still decided to have fun with you.”

Basilio pouts. “Oy! My feet don't-” he takes his foot up to sniff it- “ok, fine, it’s a little funky.”

For the first time in years, Basilio witnesses Sabina roar with laughter, lively and unabashed. “And a little is a lot to us aswang!”

Despite the teasing, Basilio laughs with her.

She rests her chin on his shoulder as she calms down.

A few years ago, she would’ve been resting her chin on Basilio’s head. She used to loom over him; a weeping willow drawn to his more outgoing nature. Then, she stopped growing when she was twelve, while somewhere down the line, the Kambal got a growth spurt and they’re almost a foot taller than her.

Life is unfair.

Sabina finished the last of her soup, and popped a piece of candy in her mouth. Basilio notices it, interest piqued.

“Hey, isn’t that the same candy you used to bring us when we were kids? I missed those.”

“Yeah. This was the last piece I had with me though.”

Basilio smirks. “We could share it.”

“Hay nako, Bas, you…”

Her train of thought stops when a news report interrupts regular programming. News of the stunt they just pulled off reached the airwaves. From the studio, the broadcast transitions to the scene of the incident. Then, it cuts to an angry Gog, Mama Grande’s eldest son, pushing reporters gunning for a statement aside.

Basilio guessed that if her son was pissed, Mama Grande definitely was too.

Sabina grabs the remote and switches it to the music channel.

“Uy, I was watching that!”

“Sorry. Bad memories.”

With a questioning look, Basilio turns to her. “Ex boyfriend?”

Sabina scoffs, furrowing her eyebrows. “Wasn’t even a boyfriend. Send Verdugo my thanks for taking out his eye. I’d say thank you myself, but he might turn me into a leather coin purse.”

“This Gog guy really hurt you badly, huh?”

Basilio guessed that his lady friend was pushing back horrible memories, and he was right.

“Can we drop it? I just don’t wanna see his mug.”

“Okay,” Basilio shrugs. He finishes the rest of his meal and adds the plate to the pile. After washing his hands in the bathroom, he plops next to his playmate.

“Why don’t you look at my mug instead while I make you forget all about him?”

Basilio’s chuckle was almost cruel when he saw Sabina’s eyes widen. The aswang princess is bashful in person compared to her self-assured demeanor when she’s either crooning or shrieking into a mic on the stage, or a gun when she’s perched on a rooftop. She reminds him of the candy she used to give him and his Kuya Crispin when they were young; they impatiently bit through the hard peppermint snaps, only to find molten chocolate in the core.

He buries his nose at the crook of her neck. Sabina smells of soap and that same peppermint candy, layered with hints of vanilla and a floral note he couldn’t quite place.

Basilio wants to eat her all up.

“Wait, you wanna go again? You already finished, Bas. You made me finish twice. Not that I’m complaining...”

Taking the empty bowl from Sabina’s hand, Basilio sets it by the bedside table, and he cages his old friend between his arms.

“Let’s make it even then.” He leans in to croon in her ear. “I still have some fight in me. We can go for a few more rounds if you’re up for it, pillow princess.”

A warm tongue lapping at a darkening bruise on her collarbone makes Sabina shudder. “Brush your teeth before you put your mouth anywhere near my-”

Before they knew it, they’re laying on the bed, an exhausted pile of limbs tangled with each other. Basilio cradles his lady friend’s head on his bicep, and he buries his nose in her messy crown of hair.

There’s blood on the sheets from when Sabina had clawed her lover’s back to shreds. Thankfully, his back has already healed. On the other hand, the loving bruises his mouth left on her skin aren’t going away soon. She’s panting, one leg over his thigh.

“That was not a few more rounds,” Sabina mumbles, catching her breath.

Basilio licks his lips, and draws her closer to him. “Princess, the fact that you can still talk means those weren’t enough rounds.”

A breathless laugh escapes Sabina’s lips. “Ugh, you are an incorrigible pervert!”

Basilio raises an eyebrow at her, and he smirks. “You’re one to talk. Where did you even learn that trick with your tongue?”

“I can’t give away all of my secrets.” Sabina smiles, content and sleepy. “The first time I got with someone in years and it got this intense…”

“We lasted more rounds than Manuel’s last boxing match,” Basilio chuckles.

“We sure did, you perv. How long have you wanted to do this?” Sabina asks, lightly pressing on a tender bruise on her neck, one of the many marks he left on her skin. “Para kang mauubusan.”

Basilio doesn’t choose to respond, opting to bury his face in her hair. Sabina didn’t have to look at his face to know that he’s wearing a satisfied smile on his lips.

She checks the time on her phone. Almost five in the morning. As nocturnal creatures, it’s the equivalent of bedtime for most aswang. She sends a quick explanation and an apology to her bandmates for suddenly leaving them the night before, and tosses her phone aside. Then, she takes off her glasses.

Their activities made her desperate for sleep.

Turning back to her lover, she settles in his arms, and notices a pattern on his right shoulder, extending all the way to his chest. Sabina traces it with a feather-light touch. “So, where did you get this tattoo?”

“It’s not a tattoo. It’s a birthmark, I think.”

“I haven’t seen it when we were younger, though.”

Sabina eyes it with curiosity, letting her thoughts occupy her so sleep couldn’t. She should be getting dressed and going home. She wonders why Basilio isn’t moving either.

“Isn’t Alex-” she corrects herself, thinking that using the Lakan’s name is far too casual for an informant like her- “I mean Trese going to look for you?”

“Shhh, let’s not think about work for now. C’mon. Get some rest.”

Stretching as she yawns, Sabina closes her eyes. “If you say so.”

Minutes later, she feels that his eyes are still on her, and she sticks out a tongue.

“Close your eyes,” the aswang mumbles, groggy and a little irritated, eyes heavy with sleep.

“But I like you.”

“You can still like me with your eyes closed.”

Basilio began to play with her crown of wavy hair. Sabina huffs in amusement and snuggles closer to his chest.

When he pressed a kiss on her forehead, she felt warmth spread through her face. In response, she cranes her neck to look at him. Taken aback by the intimacy he’s showing her, her misty eyes search his pitch-black ones for an answer.

“Basilio, I…”

“I missed you, Sab.”

They share a sweet, drawn-out kiss as they lay entangled in each other’s arms.

It’s like the one she gave him the day she said goodbye, from a more innocent time.

“I missed you too,” she mumbles against his mouth.

Perhaps in the flurry of the night’s events and the haze of her feelings for the demigod, she had let her guard down.

They stopped being in each other’s lives all of a sudden, and just like that, reconnection was just as abrupt. However, the innocence from the days of playing tagu-taguan and bahay-bahayan is long gone. The warm camaraderie they shared grew to a smoldering fire.

The tension boiled over and neither of them stopped themselves from reacting to it.

Sabina had let him crawl under her skin, and Basilio knew this.

Basilio caresses her cheek, and her hand touches his arm. The princess’ eyes flutter shut, with tiny droplets of tears resting on her long eyelashes.

He reminisces about the day he and his kuya met her.

Peals of laughter echoed in the Diabolical Cafe as he ran from Crispin in a game of taya. Their footsteps pounded against the floor and the walls, which alerted Hank to their presence. He put his cleaver down and called them over.

A sutsot from Hank could mean one of two things: he needs to say something important to them, or he’s about to deliver a scolding.

The Kambal stops in their tracks, floating over to Hank.

“There’s someone taking a nap on the couch,” he tells them. “You two, be polite and keep the noise down.”

“A guest?” Basilio asks. “Why would a guest sleep on the couch?”

“Because they’re sleepy, duh,” Crispin retorts, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Before the two can squabble, Hank cuts them off with an explanation. “That’s the Reyna Manananggal’s kid. Don’t mess with her or you might end up as aswang chow.”

The two nod in unison, and float away from him to play somewhere else.

Curiosity gets the best of Basilio when he looks over his shoulder and sees wavy hair sticking out from the sofa. He sneaks away from his brother’s sight to investigate.

“A girl!”

Hank squints at him, an unamused look on his face. “Oy Basilio, I’m warning you!”

It was too late. Crispin comes over to investigate too.

The younger Kambal kneels in front of the sofa to get a closer look. The girl clinging onto a pillow, pressing it close to her chest. She wore her hair in low pigtails, the waves cascading down her shoulders. On the bridge of her nose, her glasses perched askew. Behind the glasses, Basilio could see that her eyelashes were long. She snored lightly. On her school ID, whose lanyard was tied to her purple school trolley, it says that she goes to “St. Agnes’ Academy for Girls”. In capital letters, her name is spelled out for Basilio: Sabina Marie A. Evasco.

“She’s pretty!” Basilio didn’t modulate his voice at all, and his excitement was to blame. “She doesn’t look like a manananggal… or even an aswang. If her mama’s a reyna, does that make her a prinsesa?”

Crispin puts a forefinger against his own lips and hushes his little brother. “Shh! We can ask her later when she wakes up! Let’s get out of here!”

Awakened by the chatter, the girl stirs and stretches her arms. She takes off her glasses and rubs the sleep from her eyes. There’s a small, blurry figure in front of her.

A kid like her. Finally, she was waiting for a playmate!

Hank said there’s a girl a few years older than her that she can play with when the grownups’ meeting is over. Maybe they can braid each other’s hair. Sabina Marie thinks she’s small for someone older though.

When she put on her glasses, however, she found out that playmate wasn’t a girl at all. Hank had told her about two brothers who were around her age too.

She blinks a few times. Her sleepiness turns into surprise. “Ah! A boy!”

Crispin tsked. “Yan tuloy! Basilio woke her up!”

Basilio flashes a winning grin. “Hehe. Sorry I woke you up, Sleeping Beauty.”

From the kitchen, Hank couldn’t help but laugh. “Oy, tama na ang pick-up line. Magpakilala ka ng ayos.”

“Hi, I’m Basilio.”

“I’m Crispin. I’m his kuya.”

The girl looks at them back and forth, fascinated by the fact that they’re twins. Their features are identical, save for the lengths of their hair. The one more eager to talk to her, Basilio, had longer hair tied to a ponytail. The older, quieter one, Crispin, had his hair cut short and neat.

She decides that they’re nice and gives them a shy smile.

“Hi. I’m Sabina Marie.”

“Your name’s too long. Can I call you Sab?” Basilio asks her, scooting closer.

“Um, sure!”

Gregarious little Basilio sits next to her on the couch, and the more reserved Crispin joins them. They chat idly, and not long after, they’re off to play a game of taya.

Hearing about their plan, Hank calls out. “Oy, you two, she’s not used to playing with boys so treat her gently.”

The younger of the two interjects defensively. “We’re not gonna hit her!”

“Promise!” Crispin adds.

Little Sabina Marie giggles as her new playmates grab her by the hand to lead her outside. “C’mon, let’s play!”

“Let me comb your hair later!”

“Whatever makes you happy, princess!”

The afternoon came and went, and by the end of it, they’re sitting on the table, red-faced, sweaty, and hungry from an afternoon of play. Each of them enjoyed a plate of Hank’s spaghetti with hotdogs and a tall glass of cold orange juice for merienda. Crispin is sitting next to his brother, while Basilio is sitting next to their new friend.

They finished their meal and Sabina digs around her uniform’s skirt pocket. She brings out individually wrapped pieces of candy.

“Do you want some?” she asks the Kambal, and smiles sweep across their faces.

“Uy, candy!” the two almost say in unison. Their grabby hands were more than eager to take them off Sabina Marie’s. They eagerly wolfed the peppermint snaps down.

“Oy, leave some for her,” Hank scolded them, chuckling.

“It’s okay, they can have it. My new mama- I mean, Inang Reyna has more in her office.”

Hank turns to the boys. “At least thank her for the candy.”

“Thanks Sab,” Crispin says with a mouthful of sweets, and his brother follows suit. “Yeah, thanks for the candy!”

At least the attempts to instill some good manners in the boys are working, and Hank helps the children clear the table.

“Are you gonna be back again to play tomorrow?” Crispin asks, passing a plate to his new friend.

“If Inang Reyna lets me, sure.”

“We could ask permission from her if you want,” Basilio suggests. “I’m sure she’ll let us!”

All Hank could do was rub the back of his neck.

They are Talagbusao’s children, for crying out loud. Everyone in the council is a little fearful of them, but the proud, clannish aswang were especially spooked.

Sabina hesitated. “Um…”

Multiple footsteps are approaching. Before the Kambal’s new friend can give her answer, all the children turn and see various members of the council emerging from the library. Among them was a tall, regal woman in a red business suit. Without saying a word, little Sabina Marie gets off her stool to greet her.

The lady in red crinkles her nose. “Ugh, Sabina Marie, what happened to you? Amoy araw ka. Did you play under the sun?” She made no effort to wipe her sweat off. Instead, a teenage girl comes forth to tend to her.

“I made new friends. We played a game of taya outside,” Sabina tells her, motioning to the Kambal. For a brief moment, the Reyna Manananggal’s composure wavers, lips twitching into a deep frown, before she clears her throat and places a hand on Sabina’s head. On the other hand, the teenage girl beside the queen wasn’t as subtle with her disapproval, eyeing the brothers warily and pressing her younger sister closer to herself.

“Maria Rowena,” the queen addresses the teenager, “go take your little sister to the car. I’ll follow shortly after.”

“Opo, Inang Reyna.”

Rowena ushers Sabina, grabbing her by the forearm. “Wait, Ate Weng. I haven’t said goodbye to them yet.”

“Those boys are dangerous, Sabina. Let’s. Go.”

Little Sabina Marie gives her new pals a haphazard wave goodbye, confused by the entire situation. “Huh? But they’ve been nice to me. Why are they dangerous, Ate?”

“I’ll explain in the car! Stop. Asking. Questions.”

“I will if you give me an answer that makes sense!”

The sisters squabble on their way out, and Crispin and Basilio are just as confused as to why their new playmate is suddenly being whisked away.

Being the bolder of the two, Basilio dares to ask the queen a question. “Can she come back to play with us?”

The queen of the Manananggal clan turns to him, crossing her arms. “No.”

“Why not?” Basilio asks. His Kuya Crispin comes forward, taking his place at his brother’s side in his defense; the Reyna Manananggal wasn’t looking at Basilio with kindness.

“Little boy, do you know what you are?”

The Kambal gave each other confused looks. Leaving the kitchen, Hank approaches them, ready to smooth talk the kids’ way out of trouble.

Thankfully, he won’t need to.

Anton approaches with Alexandra in tow. “That’s enough. Children should be allowed to play and live normal lives. That includes your new daughter, as agreed upon in the council’s emergency meeting.”

The Reyna Manananggal narrows her eyes. “Talagbusao’s half-breeds are a danger to everyone they meet and you know it. I didn’t adopt a new daughter just for her to become these warchildren’s plaything.”

“I can assure you that they’re being taught how to treat others with kindness and respect.”

“Is that so? Don’t take me for a fool, Lakan. I have my own connections. I’ve heard about their mother’s fate. What makes you say that these brats won’t grow up to take after their father?”

Anton’s gaze hardens to a glare. “Let’s not talk about that in front of the children,” he cuts her off. “I don’t like what you’re implying, Reyna.”

Crispin and Basilio looked at the adults back and forth the whole time, unable to make sense of what they really meant. Even with the violent ways they were exposed to, the innocence of childhood somehow remained.

The Reyna Manananggal glares back in response. “Don’t tell me it never crossed your mind, that any attempts at taming their desire for bloodlust and domination will not work.”

“I’ve made it clear in the past that I will be held responsible when they go out of control. Worry not about how I raise Crispin and Basilio. It’s Sabina you should worry about.”

“Are you questioning my parenting? I thought we already settled in the meeting that I’m more than capable of taking Sabina Marie under my wing. I’ve even agreed to postponing her initiation to the manananggal clan until she’s sixteen years old.”

“I’m not. I’m simply reminding you of what these children need. Family. Friends.”

The queen sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. She crosses her arms again, taking one last nervous glance at the warchildren. “Fine. As long as you don’t meddle with how I raise my children, Lakan, I’ll allow their little playdates with my daughter.”

“As long as the stipulations are upheld, there’s no meddling to be done.”

“And if they lay a finger even on a single lock of her hair-”

“They will be disciplined. I’ll personally see to that.”

Conceding, the Reyna Manananggal uncrosses her arms and gives the Lakan’s lot one last look. “Hmph.”

Heels clacking against the cafe’s floor, she walks away, ready to be done with this sordid affair.

Once all of the guests leave, the Trese household settles down. Alex sat with Hank and they discussed what happened in the council meeting, while Anton tended to the boys. They were sitting on the couch, not a sound from the normally rambunctious pair. At the moment, they look like kicked puppies.

“Are we really a danger to anyone we meet?” the older of the two asks, frowning.

His little brother was affected by the queen’s treatment more deeply, pouting and looking forlorn. What she said got under his skin, horribly so. “Sir, what are we? Why are so many people afraid of us?”

Anton looks at Hank, then his daughter, and back to the twins. They all share a look of understanding. “Boys, I think it’s time that we talk.”

At that point, the now adult Basilio stops reminiscing. He didn’t want to reopen that wound.

He focuses on Sabina instead, who’s now fast asleep. She almost looked the same the day he found her on the couch. Sleep is the only time her face looks relaxed.

The realization sinks in, and so does the guilt.

Basilio just got intimate with his childhood friend, maybe his first love, if he can call what he felt for her back then love. Worse, she happens to be an aswang, the Reyna Manananggal’s daughter. Worst of all, Sabina is their informant; their informant for aswang activity, no less.

Bossing is going to kill him.

He closes his eyes. He’ll deal with that after some sleep.

Sabina’s soft breaths kisses his skin, and he thinks this was totally worth the scolding he’ll receive.

Crossing paths with his childhood friend again was a pleasant surprise. Holding her like this is a dream come true.

Basilio kisses her temple, and he holds her as slumber takes hold of him.

Translations:

La Paz batchoy - a local Filipino noodle dish with pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles/miki

Ang daya. - That’s unfair.

Anong madaya? - What do you mean unfair?

Takaw mo. - You glutton.

Siling labuyo - a small chili pepper cultivar developed in the Philippines.

Hay nako - an expression similar to “Oh my”; some linguists say it comes from “Nanay ko po!” which means “Oh my Mother!”. Used to express frustration or exasperation.

Para kang mauubusan. - Lit. “It’s like you’ll run out (of me)”. Another way to translate this is “It’s like you can’t get enough.”

tagu-taguan - hide and seek

bahay-bahayan - playing house

taya - tag

sutsot - a hiss; a psst sound

Yan tuloy! - an expression when something unfortunate happens; can be translated as “Now look at what happened!”

Oy, tama na ang pick-up line. Magpakilala ka ng ayos. - Hey, enough with the pick-up lines. Introduce yourself properly.

Inang Reyna - lit. Queen Mother.

56 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 3 years

Photo

Ugnayan

Summary:

Filipino word, noun: connection between persons, groups, countries, etc.

A collection of works detailing a manananggal clan’s relations with the Treses, and their allies.

II: Bad Habits

Summary: After disrupting one of House of Arko’s operations, one of the Kambal meets up with their informant.

Words: 4540

Characters: Basilio, Crispin, Sabina (OC), Alexandra Trese (mentioned only), Ammie (mentioned only), Reyna Manananggal (mentioned only), Dominic Villaceran (mentioned only), Mama Grande (mentioned only)

Relationships: Basilio/Original Female Character

Language: English, with a few Filipino words and phrases sprinkled in.

Rating: 16+

Warnings: Strong language, violence, mentions of abortion, references to human trafficking + sexual trafficking, sexual themes

Author’s Notes:

I am: back on my bullshit again

People were looking for a part 2 so have more Basilio x OC stuff. Spoiler warning for Verdugo: Takutan because this story heavily references its lore and events! The comics are known to be darker in tone, and so is this fic, so heed the warnings above. No Taglish version this time, Darling niyo pagod na 😩

This was supposed to be a simple job.

Get in, rough up House of Arko’s operation while Bossing is paying them a visit in their mansion, get out, and watch as Bossing confronts them about it at the next social gathering they’ll host.

But nothing was ever simple about the aswang, right?

Now there’s a huge one trying to eat Basilio alive.

“Damn it, Basilio. Your recklessness is a bad habit that’ll bite us in the ass later!” his older brother berates him.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever! Now might be the right time to call for backup kuya,” he strains, attempting to pull the magubat’s jaw apart with his superhuman strength. His fingers slip from the drool and it almost bites his hands off.

Crispin’s busy with a horde of mailap, taking turns in taking pot shots from him in the shadows. “We should’ve taken a page from Carlos’ book and brought palm fronds. Who should we call?”

“What about Maliksi?” Basilio suggests.

“What’s one tikbalang to all these aswangs? We need something bigger, maybe a higante to take on that magubat!”

“Gago, a higante can’t get here as fast as a tikbalang!” Basilio snaps.

“Mas gago ka! What about that playmate of ours from when we were kids, y’know, the one that tipped Bossing off about this whole trafficking operation anyway? Think she can fly her way here?” Crispin growls, shooting down a mailap who was foolish enough to ambush the more cautious twin from above.

Ah, yes. Sabina.

Boyish, intimidating, hard to figure out- but still hot enough to flirt with, despite being aswang; that’s how Basilio would describe her. This Sab was a far cry from the Sabina Marie he once knew years ago, the one who used to wear an all-girl Catholic school uniform, shyly shared her snacks and books with him, and kissed him farewell when her mama told her she’ll not be coming with her to meetings with the lakan anymore.

A few days after they caught up with each other, she turned up at the Diabolical not too long ago with a flash drive for Alex’s eyes only. She didn’t even breathe a word to him, much less look at his direction, but Basilio could only surmise that it’s his fault.

“Sabina? Well, manananggals who follow the queen can shoot. It’s- ungh- worth the shot!” Basilio answers back, straining as he gets swatted to the side with one gigantic claw. “You make the call, my hands are full!”

“Give me your phone, I don’t have her Facespace.”

Basilio looks down from several feet, and gives his brother a sheepish smile. “Uhhh, okay, but she’s been seenzoning me.”

From behind his mask, Crispin frowns. “What did you do?”

“She might’ve seen me tagged in Ammie’s story when I was supposed to watch her gig. I got there when her set was ending, and she was pissed.”

Grumbling, Crispin takes his frustrations off on a mabangis charging towards him, a flurry of bullets raining upon its body. “What did Bossing say about getting personal with informants?”

“What? It’s Sab. She’s-”

“An aswang who might have an ulterior motive in helping us. Tangina Basilio, think with your head sometimes! The one between your shoulders!”

Distracted, Basilio failed to stop the jaws of the magubat from closing in on him. As quickly as his reflexes allow, he tosses his brother his phone.

“Just call already! Tell her it’s an emergency.”

The older Kambal flies up and extends his free hand to catch it. Crispin launches Basilio’s Facespace app and begins to search for their informant. He found her under the name Sab Evasco. Crispin pretended not to see the string of messages Basilio left for her, all left on read.

Her phone rings. One time. Two times. Three times. Crispin dials again. Twice. Thrice.

Someone picks up. He puts the call on the loudspeaker.

There’s someone strumming a guitar in the background, accompanied by a drumset’s cymbals. They come to a halt and Crispin hears a frustrated woman’s voice from the other end of the line.

“Ulol gago, fuck you Basilio, you can tell me if you’d rather go on Starbreaks coffee dates with a wind girl than watch me play. I’m a grown woman, I can handle a simple ‘no’. I’m not in the mood for your games! Now fuck off, I don’t want to hear from you. I have a gig to practice for.”

Basilio cringes as he listens to Sabina’s tirade. Crispin guns a charging mabangis down, and his mask dematerializes for a brief moment, just enough for him to mouth to his brother “Gago ka talaga.”

“Sabina, it’s Crispin. We could use some backup here. We’re being swarmed by aswang.”

The sound of a guitar being unceremoniously dropped and the mad shuffle to catch it can be heard from Sabina’s line, followed by quick footsteps. Sabina talks again, calmer this time. “What? Couldn’t Basilio get his own ass on the phone and tell me himself?”

With an exasperated expression, Crispin turns on the camera, and points the phone at Basilio, who’s caught between the magubat’s jaws. “He said you were ignoring him, and he can’t get on the phone right now, as you can see.”

The Kambal heard her fumbling with more equipment, which sounded like a guitar case being zipped up and carried. A brief argument with her bandmates follows, then Sabina talks again.

“I’ll be there. Stay on the line.”

Now they wait.

As much as Crispin wanted to help his little brother, his hands were full with the wave after wave of aswang coming after them. They’re relentless. This is their food supply the Kambal are cutting off, after all.

“Any luck with Sab?” Basilio asks, attempting to shoot the roof of the mabangis’ mouth.

The bullets barely penetrate the thick membrane. He’ll need to transform the Armas Infinitum into a more powerful weapon to lobotomize the gigantic aswang, but seeing how he’s separated from his twin, it’s impossible at the moment.

“She said she’s on the way. She’s still on the phone. Here!”

Crispin throws the phone back to Basilio, who catches it with one hand, while his other arm continues to struggle with the magubat trying to swallow him whole. He tucks it in his breast pocket, and he jumps near the row of the magubat’s front teeth, prying it open with both arms.

Through the aswangs’ growls, Basilio could faintly hear a woman cursing and the jingling of keys from the other side of the line.

“Hey Sab! It’s Basilio. Sorry again about missing your gig.”

“Shut up and hang tight. If I didn’t care for you at all...” Sabina snaps. Basilio could barely make out the words Sabina was saying due to the wind and sound of traffic. “I’m on my way.”

“Ngh, can’t you come any sooner? I heard that aswang intestines are nasty.” Basilio pauses, realizing his mistake. “No offense.”

“I said zip it. Isn’t it enough that I went out of hiding and agreed to be Trese’s informant? Now I have to be your backup too?”

“Working with Bossing has its risks. We made that clear, princess.”

“Don’t call me that.”

There’s more turbulence and wind from Sabina’s line. If Basilio guessed, she’s now flying to the scene. The Kambal’s struggle with the aswang continued until they heard their informant’s voice through the speakers again.

“Big bad war demigods can’t handle a single fucking magubat?” Sabina deadpans, the turbulence and noise no longer accompanying her voice. “Open the fucker’s mouth wide. Make sure he’s facing east.”

“Kuya! She’s in the area, help me pry the jaws open!” the younger Kambal shouts to his older brother, who dodges a leaping mailap and quickly flies up to his aid.

“What’s the plan?” Crispin asks, and Basilio shrugs.

“I don’t know, she just asked me to do it!”

Before Crispin could question Basilio, a shot rings throughout the building, and the magubat collapses. The Kambal let go of the heavy jaws and flew away, watching the near-twenty foot aswang crush a few of its regular-sized kind. Upon closer inspection, a bullet has torn its way through the roof of its mouth. It’s a clean shot. The magubat isn’t regenerating, much to the Kambal’s surprise.

It’s a pleasant surprise, nonetheless.

“That’s for trying to eat my brother,” Crispin spits, kicking the dead aswang’s head.

Soon, more of the aswang started dropping like flies, too. Razed by bullets from an unknown assailant, the House of Arko aswangs started to panic.

“Wait a minute, I know manananggals who follow the queen can shoot, but Sabina is a sniper? Do you know about this, Bas?” Crispin exclaims, tearing his eyes away from the dead magubat to face yet another wave of mabangis.

“No! Damn, she’s using special bullets too. Where’d she get those?” Basilio mutters. A mailap attempts an ambush attack, and before he could react, Basilio watches it get shot mid-air as it attempts to jump him.

“You’re mine,” Sabina hisses, her voice crackling through Basilio’s phone speaker, smooth through the static.

Her emphasis on the word “mine” made goosebumps ripple through Basilio’s arm.

“Hot. Could you say that again?”

What he got instead was a groan. “Fuck, don’t distract me Basilio. I’m not here for fun.”

“You seem to be having fun shooting House of Arko’s minions though.”

“Fair. You two better look for the hostages. I have a bone to pick with this lot.”

The Kambal looks at each other, and nods. Glass shatters as they fly out the building’s windows, to the upper floors. After taking care of the guards, they saw them. Men and women in cages, all naked, and herded like livestock.

“Please, help us,” one of them whimpers, crawling to the front of the cage and grabbing Crispin by the arm. She’s dirty, and her belly is swollen. Basilio turned on the lights and they saw it clear as day: most of these women are pregnant. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.

House of Arko farms their food, breeding humans like livestock, and harvesting fetuses from them.

Sirens are blaring outside, both from police cars and ambulances, waiting for the hostages to be rescued.

All is well, or so they thought.

“Fuck!”

The cry came from their informant’s line.

“Everything alright?” Basilio asks her after fishing his phone out of his breast pocket.

“There are a few of them who found my vantage point. They’re heading towards my position.”

“Get out of there already, the hostages are secure.”

“They saw me. I can’t let them report back to Mama Grande and her sons that a manananggal is helping you. Suspicion would fall on my clan.”

Crispin nudges his younger brother. “I’ll handle the hostages and wait for Bossing. You make sure our informant’s alright.”

“Way ahead of you kuya,” Basilio replies, taking his guns out and flying out the window.

Under the pale moonlight and the city’s lights, Basilio spots a group of aswang scaling a dilapidated building east of him. On the rooftop, he sees it. Wings black as night, flattened against the concrete. Sabina lies prone and is aiming her scoped hunting rifle downwards, picking off the advancing horde one by one.

“Time to play.” The demigod rushes in and makes bullets rain on the hostiles.

He takes out a mabangis approaching their sniper from her blind spot. Those who didn’t die from being shot fell to their death, regeneration halted either by his or Sabina’s doing.

Basilio descends on the rooftop, and he walks his way towards the manananggal. His mask dematerialized, and the wind tousled his long hair. Just to be safe, he kept a pistol in one hand.

Across him, Sabina takes out her wireless earbuds and puts them away. Then, she slings her rifle on her shoulder, safety on. With her wings, she crawled towards his direction, like how a bat would move. Then, uses her wings’ sharp claws to plant herself on the concrete, a feat regular bats couldn’t do.

“Thanks for the help, Sab. About that gig…”

Before any more words could come out of his mouth, Sabina holds up her forefinger and presses it against his lips. “Shh. No more apologizing about the missed gig. Just make up for it. You owe me.”

Basilio nods, smiling at her. He watches as Sabina fishes out a box of cigarettes and a lighter from her vest. She’s wearing a black, long-sleeved polo shirt underneath it, and its sleeves are rolled up. Her shirt was unbuttoned just enough for him to catch a glimpse of lace peeking through. For all her boyish, edgy posturing, her choice of underclothes is girlier than what Basilio expected.

It almost makes him want to unwrap her like a Christmas present, but he’ll keep that thought to himself.

“Nice outfit. You were rehearsing in that?”

“We had a presentation for a class. No time to get changed. Now there’s a hole in the back, so I might as well wear this more often on future operations,” Sabina replies, placing a stick of Marlborough Reds between her lips.

“I’m in the mood for a smoke and maybe a chat,” she continues. “Join me?”

Basilio nods.

“How did you know about House of Arko’s human trafficking thing, anway?”

“Believe it or not, it was a hunch,” Sabina explains, black fingernails scratching the sparkwheel several times. “Ugh, fucking lighter dying on me again. I just had it refilled… must be the wind,” she growls.

Basilio couldn’t help but chuckle at her frustration. “A hunch?”

“Hmm… maybe hunch isn’t the right word. It’s an educated guess. Mama Grande loved serving boiled fetuses to her house guests, correct?”

Basilio nods, waiting for Sabina to continue her explanation.

“I suppose that it’s my place to judge if their mothers didn’t want to raise them… I’m a manananggal, for fuck’s sake. But there’s one red flag House of Arko failed to hide. From what I can tell, those fetuses are around five to eight months old.”

Sabina’s lighter finally lit up, and with a triumphant laugh, she lit her cigarette. Then, she carries on with her explanation.

“Most abortions happen during the first three months of pregnancy. It’s rare to see expecting parents get rid of them that late.”

“So? What does that have to do with the whole thing?”

“House of Arko serving older fetuses could mean one of two things: either all, and I mean all of the abortions they performed are from those who are truly in need of one that late, or they’re getting them from another source, possibly an illicit one. They don’t have the most benevolent reputation, so my intuition tells me it was the latter. So, I paid the place a visit and recorded what I could. I guess I should be thankful that your bossing found that blurry video trustworthy enough,” Sabina concluded, watching as the victims were clothed and herded into ambulances.

Dumbfounded, Basilio scratches his head. “Wow. Glad you’re on our side. How did you know that three month thing anyway?”

“Research and personal accounts.” Sabina’s response is clipped. Cold. Abrupt. It only raised more questions than answers.

“Personal accounts? You’ve met people who got them?”

There’s a flash of regret in Sabina’s eyes; regret that she opened her mouth and let him know more than needed. She cuts him off. “I can’t put my informants’ identities in jeopardy either now, can I?”

Per his older twin’s advice, Basilio’s finally using the head between his shoulders. “No offense, but you’re a manananggal. Y’know, known for eating babies? Hearing that from you is suspicious.”

“Yes, I am,” Sabina says through gritted teeth, glaring at him. “I can assure you, I’m following the accords and I’m not exploiting loopholes like what House of Arko is doing. I’ll reveal everything in due time.”

“Alright, keep your secrets. For now.”

A tense silence has befallen them.

“So- '' the manananggal blows a cloud of smoke away from Basilio, “-is this going to be a regular thing? Because if it is, I might finally quit smoking. Nicotine makes my hands shaky. Can’t risk accidentally shooting your ass.” She pauses, looking at him in jest. “ I’d rather do that intentionally.”

“You’re breaking my heart, Sabina Marie,” Basilio retorts, clutching his chest in mock pain.

They share a laugh over it, the mood lightening up.

Basilio looks in the distance, taking in the view of the cityscape. “Maybe you should quit. Singers shouldn’t be smoking in the first place.”

“The tar helps me belt out raspy screams, but yeah, you’re right,” Sabina chuckles.

“So, when is this next gig?”

“Next week. In Ilocos Norte. All the way up in House of Arko’s ancestral home.”

“Should I take that info to Bossing?”

“Yep. It’s open to the supernatural public anyway, so it's not like I’m giving you top secret info. Even the wind tribe is invited, despite their bad blood with my clan. Hopefully things won’t get physical. Most of my sisters are still bitter over how they blew us away when my mom- I mean, Inang Reyna decided to side against the Treses.”

So that explains some things.

“I dunno, maybe I should bring Ammie so I can watch the two of you in a catfight.”

Sabina elbows him in the chest, hard.

“Not funny at all, Basilio. I don’t even know her personally! It’s you I was pissed at.”

Now he grabs his chest in genuine pain as he croaks out an apology. “Sorry.”

“Whatever. Bring whoever the hell you want, just keep your distance from me when you decide to go. Even my father’s going to be there. I need to be on my best behavior.”

The demigod turns to their aswang informant, interest piqued. She’s divulging a lot of information. Perhaps he can sway her to spill more secrets.

“Didn’t know that the Reyna Manananggal had a king.”

“Oh, no. She’s not the type to share her power with a man.” Sabina pauses to take another hit of her cigarette. “I meant my biological father. Villaceran.”

Now that was unexpected.

“You drop bombshell after bombshell whenever we meet. Tomas Dominic Villaceran’s your old man?”

“Look at me. I’m almost the splitting image of the guy. If there’s one thing I’m grateful for, it’s inheriting his good looks.”

Basilio grins. “Can’t deny that. Most of the manananggal kuya Crispin and I encountered look...”

“Hideous, I know,” Sabina says outright. “You still haven’t seen that side of me, so don’t be too quick to judge my sisters.”

Basilio treads carefully, knowing that he might be prying on a sensitive subject. “So, about Villaceran…”

“I’d rather not talk about him. Our relationship is… strained.”

Giving her a sympathetic, understanding look, Basilio nods. “Right. Never mind.”

Another interval of silence passes between them. This time, it’s a little somber.

“So, does this party have a dress code?”

“Yeah. Filipiniana. Wear a barong. It’s one of those pretentious events that attempts to make House of Arko more appealing to the masses or whatever. Manipulative assholes.”

“You can just refuse to go, Sab.”

“I could, but being Trese’s mole among the aswang means I have to attend clan activities to supply more information. That also means attending every single party those Arko fucks throw.”

“You really hate House of Arko, huh?”

Looking towards his direction to meet his gaze, Sabina’s eyes are filled with a sea of emotions. Hatred, indignation, and something Basilio couldn’t quite place.

“Why wouldn’t I? Mama Grande raised boys who can’t take no for an answer. The Arko brothers have no respect for us manananggal. As if we weren’t fetishized enough in Manong Karma’s stupid aswang dating book...”

Sabina clears her throat and calms herself down. Bad blood between aswang clans could mean war. Basilio knows he should take that to the boss. His gears are turning tonight. He asks Sabina questions that could risk her support.

“Is that why you agreed to be an informant? You wanna bring House of Arko down? Then what, your clan will fill the space they’ll leave?”

“What? No, I have no desire for power, not like how Mama Grande or my own mother does anyway. My personal gripes with them aside, the House of Arko wants to ‘unite the aswang under one banner’ with no respect to the other clans’ autonomy and customs.”

“So you wanna protect your clan?”

“That’s one of the reasons, yes. Mama Grande’s been trying to play kumare with mom- I mean Inang Reyna-” This is the second time Sabina slipped and called her mom. She clears her throat and composes herself. “And I need to stop that. Inang Reyna already made the mistake of going against the Accords once. Allying with the House of Arko will ruin us further.”

Basilio leans in closer. “And what are your other reasons?”

Sabina looks at him for a few, quiet seconds, and looks away. “I’ll reveal them-”

“In due time. Yeah, yeah, I can take that as an answer. So, making you sing in that event is a result of them being magkumare?”

A defeated laugh bubbles from Sabina’s chest. “You got it.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t invite sirena to sing.”

Sabina rolls her eyes and tosses the butt of her expended cigarette on the concrete. Basilio took it upon himself to crush the embers under his heel, seeing how her lower half is hidden someplace else.

“Oh please, this is House of Arko we’re talking about, Bas. They believe aswang are superior. Letting them shine would take away the spotlight from the aswang. Mama Grande asked for me from Inang Reyna so they can gloat that even aswang can make better singers than the famed sirena. Ugh, I doubt my singing style even matches the performance they want from me.”

“Oh yeah? What kind of performance are they going for?” he asks her.

“Now that’s another secret. You have to show up to find out,” she hums in response.

Turning away from him, Sabina checks how many sticks are left in the box. Two. She takes one and lights it up.

“Screw it, I’m going cold turkey. I guess this will be my final box. Maybe for tonight. Maybe forever.”

“Then maybe you should stop with the stick you’re smoking and throw the last one away,” Basilio suggests.

“Are you mad? That’s a waste of money!”

“Still counting your blessings even with your mama’s wealth huh?”

“Old habits die hard.”

Sabina blows smoke away from Basilio’s direction. The wind made it waft to his face anyway, and she mumbles a quick apology. He shrugs it off. Not like the adverse effects of secondhand smoke affected him anyway. Hank smoked and was polite enough to turn away too, but Basilio can still smell it. He didn’t mind it. Still, Hank had told him and Crispin that it was a tough habit to break, so he never touched a cigarette.

Not until now.

Basilio takes the box from Sabina and picks up the last stick with his lips. Then, he inches closer to her.

Ironically, in an attempt to help an old friend quit her smoking habit, Basilio engages in it himself.

Little did he know, a new bad habit was forming between him and the little lady before him.

“I’ll make sure it won’t go to waste then. Light me.”

Sabina raises an eyebrow. “Just don’t start at all. Give it back.”

“One smoke isn’t going to get me hooked, princess.”

Brows knitted together, Sabina chastises him. “Take it from me, bad habits start with just one little taste, Bas.”

“One little taste never hurts anyone...”

“One little taste could leave you wanting for more.”

Basilio can feel himself getting hot under the collar. He’d never thought an aswang of all creatures could make him feel all bothered, yet there he was, getting turned on by her choice of words.

“Princess, are we still talking about cigarettes, or something else?”

Hearing his question, Sabina exhales sharply through her nose, cheeks dusted pink. “Maybe both. Whatever. Come here.”

Black fingernails scratched at the sparkwheel. Sparks were flying, but there was no flame. The cigarette remained unlit.

“Well, it looks like fate isn’t letting you smoke, so better just give me the damn cigarette back, Basilio.”

With a sly look, Basilio closes in on her, and presses the end of his cigarette to the embers at the end of hers, linking them together.

To his surprise, Sabina is neither backing away nor babbling defensively like she usually does whenever he gets close. Instead, she presses her chest to his, a challenging look in her half-lidded eyes. She wasn’t wearing her glasses like usual, giving Basilio an unobstructed view of her heated gaze. Was it bloodlust or desire? Either way, it got his blood pumping.

“You’re chattier than usual tonight,” Basilio comments. “Bolder too. I like that.”

In the form she’s in now, Sabina’s eyes glowed an eerie white, and aside from the wings sprouting from her back, little horns sprouted from her scalp, the root concealed by her crown of short, wavy hair. Basilio didn’t pay mind to her dangling guts, instead, his eyes were transfixed on that cute little lace bra again.

Through the layers of cloth between them, he can feel her heart beating. Basilio faintly remembers the taste of human and sigbin hearts.

Now, what does aswang heart taste like?

A dark part of his psyche- perhaps from being Datu Talagbusao’s son- wanted to tear it out of her chest and eat it to find out.

Basilio felt the urge to taste all the battles she fought through her blood, and possess her heart in a way no other person can.

The memory of seeing his father tasting his mother’s blood inserts itself in the present, and the fear of turning into the monster he was is enough for him to shake that thought away.

Basilio tries to focus on something else.

His eyes wander to Sabina’s mouth. He might’ve imagined something else between her dark lips, in place of the cigarette. Something bigger.

Something of his.

Sabina’s been pliable tonight. Perhaps he’ll push his luck with her one last time.

“So, any plans tonight, dear princess?”

“Unless you intend to treat me like one, don’t call me that.”

“I’m done with work, so if you want me to make good on that and make up for my mistake…”

Giggling, Sabina flies a few feet away from him. The black wings on her back are translucent against the pale moonlight. They almost looked like a dark shade of red.

“Go tell your brother about the information I gave you for now, then meet up with me afterwards. I hid my lower half in an alleyway behind that motel,” she tells him, pointing to the building’s direction.

“If you’re lucky, you’ll get to rearrange my guts. Literally and figuratively.” Sabina continues, a naughty smirk blooming on her lips.

Taken aback by the pun, Basilio laughs. “I didn’t think you were capable of dirty jokes.”

“You should know by now that I’m full of secrets and surprises.”

Grinning darkly, Basilio finishes the rest of his cigarette as he watches her fly away.

“And I’ll uncover them all, dear princess.”

Translations:

ulol - crazy; Filipino profanity

gago/gaga - foolish or stupid; Filipino profanity

tangina - contraction of putang ina, lit. whore mother. Used as an expression to express irritation, anger, or astonishment

Inang Reyna - lit. Queen Mother.

mare/kumare - derived from the Spanish word madre/comadre; kumare a reciprocal appellation for the godmother or for the child's mother. In a more modern and colloquial context, it’s used to refer to a female friend. Magkumare means women who are friends with each other.

Filipiniana - Philippine related book and non-book material

barong - also known as Barong Tagalog. An embroidered long-sleeved formal shirt for men and a national dress of the Philippines.

94 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 3 years

Photo

Momma-nanggal from Trese plus three manananggal OCs, and they're her adoptive daughters! I call them the Tres Marias/Three Marys. 🦇🦇🦇🦇 I've been catching up on the comics and I feel that the Netflix manananggal is based off of the Reyna Manananggal character in the comics. I hope we see more of her in season 2. Saw her with other manananggals in the comics, and I put my own twist on it.

From top to bottom, we have our Reyna Manananggal herself, followed by Maria Rowena AKA "Weng", Sabina Marie AKA "Sab", and Mary Elizabeth AKA "Izzie".

182 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 2 years

Photo

Enough angst, time for all-out kalat UP doesn't even have a uniform but witnessing Sab attending one of Enrique's classes was enough to feed Basilio's schoolgirl fetish. One thing led to another, and they snuck into the classroom where Rick's classes are held to roleplay. I might write something out of this.

👁U👁 Full view on twitter darlingaftrdark (minors DNI), as always.

#trese #trese komiks #trese netflix #kambal #basilio #basilio trese #oc: sabina marie #oc: sab #tresesona #trese oc #art #digital art #illustration #digital illustration #canon x oc #artPH #artists on tumblr #artists of SEA

34 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 2 years

Photo

Vent art. Finally drew Basilio x my OC/Tresesona Sabina again to cope with personal frustrations 👁_👁

Full view on my twitter darlingaftrdark (18+), as always.

#trese #trese komiks #trese netflix #kambal #basilio #basilio trese #trese oc #tresesona #oc: sabina marie #canon x oc #art #illustration #digital illustration #digital art #artPH #artists of SEA

38 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 2 years

Photo

Art vs. Artist, 2021 edition.

Cheers to more art this 2022!

26 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 3 years

Photo

Screw it, dropping all my current WIPs at 3 in the morning. I put captions but tumblr isn’t displaying them

And they’re all Trese-related content or Trese OC stuff

The brainrot is real HUHU

78 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 3 years

Photo

Happy WIP Wednesday. This was just supposed to be a kiss, but I had too much Red Horse and Tanduay last night and I-

Alam niyo, garantisado nang may one-way ticket ako papuntang impyerno HAHAHAHA

#if this gets more notes than when it gets finished I'll be pissed AHAHAH but I wanna share it #wip wednesday #nsft #trese #basilio #basilio trese #kambal #trese kambal #the kambal #trese oc #oc: sabina marie #oc: sab #y/n #basilio x oc #basilio x reader #basilio x y/n

73 notes · View notes

adarlingmess · 3 years

Photo

Ugnayan

Summary:

Filipino word, noun: connection between persons, groups, countries, etc.

A collection of works detailing a manananggal clan’s relations with the Treses, and their allies.

I: Ang Suhol / The Bribe

Summary: Basilio visits an old friend.

Words: 3087 (Taglish), 3154 (English)

Characters: Basilio, Sabina (OC), Boots (OC), Agnes (OC), Jango (OC), Lukas (OC, mentioned only), Crispin (mentioned only), Alexandra Trese (mentioned only), Hank (mentioned only), Anton Trese (mentioned only), Reyna Manananggal (mentioned only), Dominic Villaceran (mentioned only)

Relationships: Basilio/Original Female Character

Language: Filipino-English/Taglish, English

Warnings: Strong language, crude humor, sexual themes

Author’s Notes:

I couldn’t help myself and made a redo of this previous piece because I was so discontent with the composition lol. I added a thousand more words to the fic as well and expanded into Sab’s childhood experiences, more details about her band, a new band member, and more OC lore. English version of the dialogue and translations are also available for international readers below. I was planning to releas this alongside Weng and Izzie’s stories, but it’s taking too much time and I wanna publish this now!!!

Have some excerpts from a possible future fic I might write. I blame my mutuals on insta for urging me to ship them HAHAHAHA

TAGLISH DIALOGUE:

There are two words to describe this Tuesday afternoon: slow and relaxed.

White plastic tables line up on the gravel, each one hosting an assortment of goodies for sale. Some have stickers and prints, while some have old books, clothes, and other knick knacks. A few tables even sell food and refreshments. Siomai and pandan tea, which the locals affectionately call “pantea” are selling fast, and so did the isaw, betamax, and other grilled laman-loob served with spiced vinegar, their smoky aroma wafting throughout the college grounds.

The golden hour is passing at a sluggish pace, and the crisp February air made the afternoon even slower. Students, professors, and guests alike browsed at their own leisure in the cold weather. With class hours almost over, members of the local student council, dressed in black polo shirts with their organization’s logo on the breast, are going around inviting people to attend the benefit concert to be held Friday night at the parking lot.

It’s that time of the year again in Sabina Marie’s college: Fine Arts Month.

For some, like Sabina and company, it’s an opportunity to earn more money by signing up for the booths. They got invited to play at the college’s concert too, and they managed to score a spot on the last day of the university's annual fair. On the bottom of the concert’s promotional post on Facespace is their band name: Gabi ng Kasalanan.

None of them could remember if Sabina’s social media handle inspired the name, or the reverse. It just happened.

Jango’s strumming his guitar, practicing for Friday's set, while Agnes is in charge of the sales. Lukas still isn’t done with his photography class… which he had taken twice now, much to his professor’s dismay. Boots is uncharacteristically quiet as she works on the band’s promotional materials on her laptop; yesterday’s events might have something to do with it. Sabina’s unpacking the boxes of their comics, unsold leftovers from the last convention they attended months ago. She shakes the dust off of her hands after the last box has been emptied, and excuses herself to wash her hands.

While scrubbing the dirt from underneath her black fingernails, she thinks back to yesterday’s events.

Boots came running to her, looking distressed, saying that some folks from one of her part-time jobs are looking for her. Much to Sabina’s surprise, Boots’ employers are some distant friends… if she can still call them that after the incident at the Great Balete Tree.

It’s been years since she was involved in aswang activities with her clan, so a visit from Alexandra Trese and the Kambal was the last thing the rogue aswang expected.

Worse, they were working on a case involving aswang, and she’s a suspect. Trese interrogated her on university grounds too, drawing the wrong kind of attention to her. Had they brought a cop with them, she would’ve called her out for upholding her clan’s accords, but not the university’s. Sabina’s fellow band members tried to keep the mood light, especially Boots, but the encounter left them all spooked.

The rogue aswang would’ve been happy to see their faces again after so many years, if it wasn’t for her mother, the Reyna Manananggal, deciding to betray the Trese clan and side with House Villaceran.

Now she feels that she carries the weight of her mother’s decision too, despite being too young to have any say in it back then.

Sabina grimaces and decides not to dwell on it further.

On the way back, she sees Agnes speaking to a familiar figure, clad in black, and her heart rate skyrockets. Agnes turns to Sabina’s direction, searching for her friend, and her face lights up when she sees her.

“Sab! Manliligaw mo!” Agnes jokes, shouting loud enough for the other tables to hear.

Upon seeing Basilio, the Kambal with long hair, waving at her with that stupid, boyish smile on his face, Sabina’s shoulders tenses up. Much to her dismay, she feels her blood rushing to the apples of her cheeks.

“Why is he back? What the fuck, seryoso ba?” she mutters under her breath. She stomps her way back to their table. “Ulol gaga,” she says with humorous emphasis, “di ko yan manliligaw. Di ako naniniwala sa ligaw-ligaw.”

“There’s the Cynical Sab we know,” Boots comments offhand, chuckling.

Basilio greets her with a bright smile and hands behind his back. “Uy Sabina! Musta? Di tayo nakapag-usap ng ayos kahapon.”

“Basilio, bakit ka andito? Hindi ba sinabi ko na sa inyo, tahimik na buhay ko dito sa Epey,” she starts, craning her neck to look him in the eye. Sabina didn’t get the chance to look at them properly yesterday, not when Alexandra Trese’s interrogating her. His eyes are still as black as she remembers. “Bakit pa ako gagawa ng kalokohang ikakapahamak ko?”

“Uy chill, hindi to tungkol doon. Di ba pwedeng gusto ko lang mag catch-up sa kababata ko?”

Overhearing their conversation, Agnes and Boots lean in, while Jango scowls. Seeing Jango’s reaction, Boots swats at his shoulder, a warning for him to behave.

“Wait, childhood friends kayo?’’ Boots asks, curiosity piqued.

“Oo,” Basilio answers, while Sabina says a flat “Hindi” at the same time.

The younger Kambal gives her a look of mock hurt, while Sabina rolls her eyes at him.

“Di mo man lang nakwento sa akin, Bas. Pati ikaw Sab! Uy, kwentohan niyo naman kami,” Boots pleads, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Sabina gulps.

Boots is a fast one. Physically agile. Cat-like. Observant. Above all, quick at picking up cues and reading people. No wonder she’s The Diabolical’s female bouncer, at least on the nights she shows up to work anyways.

Unfortunately for the rogue aswang, the way her eyes occasionally flitted to Basilio during Trese’s interrogation gave Boots a clue. Basilio outright ogling her adds another piece to the puzzle. And now, Sabina, who’s usually laid-back and confident, is doing her best not to blush like a schoolgirl. It’s enough for her to come to a conclusion.

Cynical Sab, as Boots fondly calls her, has a crush. And on a notorious lady-killer too.

Oh, the irony.

“Naging kalaro ko lang siya at one point noong sinasama ako ni Mommy sa mga meeting nila ng papa ni Alex,” Sabina tells them, sounding almost bashful. “Tas salbahe pa sila ng kuya Crispin niya. Pinahiram ko paboritong libro ko tas napunit nila.”

“Grabe ka naman Sab, inayos naman namin tapos nagbati naman tayo diba?”

Engaged in the story, Agnes discreetly lights a cigarette with the tip of her forefinger. She puffs a few clouds of smoke while listening to the two bicker.

“So… childhood friends nga?” the fire elemental asks, giving Basilio a cheeky smile.

Before Sabina can deny it again, Basilio cuts in. “Oo nga! Eleven or twelve years old ata kami ni kuya noon, tapos tinuruan niya ako kung paano mag-drawing ng tao. Reyna manananggal daw mama niya kaya ‘prinsesa’ tawag ko sa kanya,” he tells them, prompting Sab to run her hands through her hair in frustration. “Tapos madalas kami maglaro ng tagu-taguan. One time siya yung taya tas di niya ako mahanap. Umiyak siya eh.”

“Oo, paborito akong paiyakin ng demonyong to,” Sabina murmurs, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“Pero aminin mo, napapatawa din kita.”

Agnes watches the interaction unfold, and she couldn’t help but giggle. “Yiee, ang cute niyo naman! Kakameet niyo lang ulit after so many years pero you bicker like an old married couple.”

“Asa,” Sabina says flatly, but her flushed face tells another story.

On the other hand, Basilio is enjoying all the teasing, taking it all in stride. He’s looking down and beaming at the girl who was once taller than him and his brother.

“Maka ‘asa’ ka akala mo di tayo naglaro ng bahay-bahayan noon,” Basilio croons.

A mix of irritation and possessiveness made Jango come so close to jumping the half-breed, but Boots stomping his foot is enough to make him back down.

Their encounter with the Treses yesterday left a bad taste in the male sigbin’s mouth, and he’s wary of any dangers to the pack. The pack in question is their band. Yes, that includes Boots, who despite being a cat sigbin that he never got along with, is still someone he views as his own.

“Kung alam ko lang na magkakilala pala kayo noon pa-” Boots smirks at her ever so cynical friend- “edi sana matagal na kitang sinama sa The Diabolical. Edi sana ikaw ang kumakandong sa malanding tarantadong yan.”

Basilio defends himself, crossing his arms. “Anong malanding tarantado? Oy Boots, di ko kasalanan kung lapitin ako ng babae.”

Sabina snorts at his defense, trying not to giggle. She can’t give him that satisfaction.

“Tsaka gustong-gusto mo din naman matulog sa dibdib ko diba?” Basilio adds.

“Oo, pero pag pusa lang ako. Never akong papatol sa katrabaho, no.”

As she watches her childhood friend and one of her current best friends bicker, Sabina flushes a deep red, and she finds herself nursing a twinge of jealousy in her chest. Granted, Boots is the type who loves to shift into her cat form to get food and pets from anyone, but still…

Instead of saying anything else about that, Sabina excused herself and dragged Basilio away from the table before her bandmates got any more wrong ideas.

Leading him to a secluded area near the old washrooms and the dilapidated room that used to be the college’s dark room, the rogue aswang leans against a wall, and pats her pockets for her lighter and cigarettes.

“Dito nga tayo mag-usap,” Sabina grunts. Her eyes flick towards the tie around Basilio’s muscular neck. “...talagang naka-suit ka pa? I mean, andami naming nakaitim dito sa college, pero mukha kang prof na magse-seminar.”

“At least mukha akong poging prof. Sa tingin mo, may kolehiyala kayang matitipuhan ako?”

The rogue aswang didn’t even dignify him with a verbal response, opting to give him a sour look.

“Joke lang. Napadaan lang ako. May inimbestigahan kami ni bossing sa may city hall kanina.”

“Nagyoyosi ka ba?” Sabina asks him, tilting her carton of Marlborough Reds.

“Di ko trip.”

Sabina shrugs. She tries to light the cigarette a few times, but her lighter’s failing her. “Ugh. Papasindi nalang ako kay Agnes mamaya. So, bakit ka nga napadaan dito?”

“Di ba pwedeng nangangamusta lang? Bakit ba ang sungit mo? Di mo rin ba ako na-miss, prinsesa?”

Sabina remains quiet for some time. Thanks to Agnes’ connections and social media stalking skills, plus Boots’personal accounts about her co-workers, she had heard some… questionable things about the Kambal. Especially Basilio.

Still, she can’t help but think back to that goofy little boy who sported a messy ponytail and a monobrow from her youth. Despite all the times he made her cry, he did make her laugh more.

That same boy is a man now, a tall and handsome one at that, and he’s asking her if she missed him. He’s calling her an embarrassing nickname too.

It’s as if the scene came straight out of a cheesy cash cow flick. Sabina wanted to gag.

“Namiss din.”

The usually teasing smile on the half-breed’s lips softens into a genuine one.

“I think magegets mo naman kung bakit ganito ako ngayon,” the manananggal princess starts, putting her lighter away. “Masaya na ako sa buhay ko kasama ang mga tao, at yung banda. Si Ate Weng and si Izzie nalang nakakausap ko sa angkan. Siyempre magagambala ako kung bigla nalang kayo pupunta dito ng bossing mo para i-interrogate ako, no.”

“Sorry pala doon, pero baka pwede mong tulungan si bossing kung may nalalaman ka.”

With suspicion, Sabina squints her eyes.

“Sabi ko na nga ba may iba kang pakay sa pagpunta mo dito. Pinadala ka ng bossing mo no? Eto ah, di ko haharangin ang pag-iimbestiga niyo sa angkan, basta wag niyo lang sasaktan si Ate Weng at si Iz. Pero hindi ako tutulong. Sana maintindihan ng bossing niyo.”

Basilio leans in with his hands behind his back and that infuriating smile on his face, and Sab finds it sexier the more she looks at him. She will never admit it though.

“Kaya nga may suhol ako para mapa-oo ka eh.”

Eyebrows perking up, she gives him a questioning look. Did Trese put him up to this?

Boots had told her about Trese’s race with a tikbalang, and how she used the Kambal as trophies for the wind girls who helped her win the race. Agnes, who’s friends with one of the girls, confirmed it by showing a Photogram story of her and Crispin. They can imagine that Basilio spent the night with the other wind girl as well.

Shaking the memory from her head to focus on the present, Sabina dares to look at him, eyes flitting to the broad expanse of his shoulders and chest, then slowly back up. Her gaze passes through his neck, a single drop of sweat rolling down his pale skin and disappearing into the collar of his dress shirt. At the thought of tasting the salt off of his skin, Sabina’s stomach growls- she still has an aswang’s hunger after all, despite her relatively ascetic lifestyle for one- and a different kind of hunger grows somewhere lower than her belly as well.

She wants another taste.

Little Sabina knew the taste of him when she bit off and ate his finger as a child, when his teasing had gone too far. In his anger, little Basilio (and Crispin) screamed about eating her heart as payback before Anton Trese broke up the fight.

Now, instead of fingers, grown up Sabina wanted to sink her teeth in her grown up childhood friend’s neck, and she’ll let him do whatever the hell he wants, her black heart be damned.

Sabina tucks the sick thoughts away and puts a hand on her hip instead.

“Anong akala mo sa akin? Sabihin mo sa bossing mo na wag niya akong itulad sa mga taong hanging nakakantutan niyo ni Crispin. Wag niya akong insultuhin,” Sabina scowls, irises turning into an eerie glowing white. “Aswang pa rin ako. Pag may gusto kaming premyo, hindi kami makikipag-kasunduan para makuha namin. Inaangkin namin.”

This time, it’s Basilio’s turn to be flustered. Sabina’s choice of words made it worse. Who knew his bespectacled, nerdy, crybaby kalaro in his youth would grow up to have such a filthy mouth?

“Teka, paano mo nalaman ang tungkol kay Ammie?! Nagf-flirt kami nila Ammie bago kami- uy, mali ata iniisip mo, hindi kami-”

Not giving him any opportunities to explain, Sabina keeps talking. “Kung sa tingin ni Trese mapapapayag niya ako kung ibubugaw ka niya sa akin, yikes. Grabe, ang lala! Hindi kita hinuhusgahan. Di ko lang akalaing kaya yun gawin ng Lakan, eh para na kayong magkapatid.”

Upon hearing Sabina’s accusations, it’s Basilio’s turn to ask “Anong akala mo sa akin?!”

Sweat starts to form on Sabina’s forehead. “Di ba ginawa kayong pamabayad ni Trese sa mga taong hangin na tumulong sa kanya sa karera niya kay Mal Armanaz? Tapos ginawa na daw bar ngayon yung The Diabolical- shit, mali ba ako ng basa?”

The long-haired Kambal looks at her in silence for a few moments, then bursts into laughter.

“Aaminin ko, mukha akong macho dancer, pero di bugaw si bossing, loko. Tsaka di ganoong klaseng bar yung Diabolical. Eto kasi yung suhol na sinasabi ko,” Basilio explains, handing her a plastic bag.

There are several sticks of hot, freshly grilled isaw inside. “Kala mo makakalimutan ko favorite mo?”

Sabina’s face is red with embarrassment, and she graciously accepts the snack.

“Fuck. Buti naman, kasi kung bumisita ako uli sa Diabolical at nakita ko kayo ni Crispin na gumigiling, tatawag ako ng pulis tas lalaklak ako ng isang liter ng Pulang Tikbalang para mabura sa isip ko yung nakita ko.”

The manananggal princess closes her eyes, bites into one of the sticks, and sighs. When she opens them, she sees that Basilio is looking at her with that mischievous look on his face.

She nearly chokes on the isaw.

“Tangina naman, Bas! Ano yang tingin na yan?”

He laughs at her, then he claps her back with an open palm, and puts his arms around her shoulders like they used to as preteens.

Internally, she thinks, “Nakakatunaw naman.”

Too dazed from their conversation to shrug him off, Sabina gives in to the touch. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Basilio spoke up.

“Naalala mo yung huling beses tayo nagkita noong mga bata pa tayo? Mga one week yun bago ng birthday mo tas may pa-Valentine’s party si Hank sa The Diabolical noon.”

Sabina relents and reminisces with him, a soft laugh escaping her burgundy lips. “Oo. Umiyak ako kasi sabi ni mommy di na daw ako babalik pagkatapos noon.”

Basilio smiles. Genuine. Sweet. Rare. “Tas kiniss mo ko kasi akala mo di na tayo magkikita.”

The aswang’s eyes widen, remembering that moment of childhood innocence and puppy love, then she moves away from Basilio, cheeks burning.

“Luh. Hindi kaya. Walang nangyaring ganoon.”

“First kiss ko yun tapos hindi ko maaalala?”

“Mali ka ata ng pagkaalala.”

“Tanungin mo pa si kuya Crispin. Pikon pa nga siya noon kasi siya walang kiss eh.”

“Ewan ko sayo, Bas. Kung sa tingin mo mapapapayag mo akong tumulong dahil lang sa isaw at sa pagpapacute mo, nagkakamali ka.”

“Edi tara, kung ayaw mo talaga kami tulungan, bonding nalang tayo.”

The manananggal princess ponders for a moment. “Tutugtog kami ng banda sa Friday, tapos next week uli sa fair ng Saturday. Bili ka ng tickets. Panoorin niyo kami. Para na din makampante yung bossing mo na wala talaga akong ginagawang kahina-hinala.”

Basilio smiles at her. “Game. Sabihan ko si bossing. May mga kailangan din kaming manmanan sa area na to.”

“Tsaka libre mo pa ako ng isaw,” Sabina adds, motioning to the now bare barbecue sticks in the plastic bag she’s holding.

“Sige ba.”

“Bilhan mo din ako ng pantea.”

The words die on Basilio’s lips, and he blinks a few times, unsure if he heard Sabina right. Then, he smiles like the devil, and goes for the kill.

“Ahhh. Sige, saan ka ba usually bumibili ng lingerie, and pwede ko ba piliin yung kulay?”

Realizing her mistake, Sabina gives him a mortified glare.

“Shit, di ka nga pala taga-” turning around, she sees the downright scandalous grin on Basilio’s lips- “dito. Ano yang ngiting yan?!”

He leans a little closer and Sabina loses what’s left of her composure.

“Gago, pandan tea kasi!”

ENGLISH DIALOGUE:

There are two words to describe this Tuesday afternoon: slow and relaxed.

It’s that time of the year again in Sabina Marie’s college: Fine Arts Month.

None of them could remember if Sabina’s social media handle inspired the name, or the reverse. It just happened.

While scrubbing the dirt from underneath her black fingernails, she thinks back to yesterday’s events.

It’s been years since she was involved in aswang activities with her clan, so a visit from Alexandra Trese and the Kambal was the last thing the rogue aswang expected.

Now she feels that she carries the weight of her mother’s decision too, despite being too young to have any say in it back then.

Sabina grimaces and decides not to dwell on it further.

“Sab! Your suitor is here!” Agnes jokes, shouting loud enough for the other tables to hear.

“Why is he back? What the fuck, is this for real?” she mutters under her breath. She stomps her way back to their table. “Ulol gaga,” she says with humorous emphasis, “he’s not my suitor. I don’t believe in courtship.”

“There’s the Cynical Sab we know,” Boots comments offhand, chuckling.

Basilio greets her with a bright smile and hands behind his back. “Hey Sabina! What’s up? We didn’t get to chat properly yesterday.”

“Basilio, why are you here? Didn’t I tell you people that my life’s peaceful here in FA now,” she starts, craning her neck to look him in the eye. Sabina didn’t get the chance to look at them properly yesterday, not when Alexandra Trese’s interrogating her. His eyes are still as black as she remembers. “Why would I do something stupid that would ruin all that?”

“Hey chill, this isn’t about that. Can’t I catch up with a childhood friend?”

Overhearing their conversation, Agnes and Boots lean in, while Jango scowls. Seeing Jango’s reaction, Boots swats at his shoulder, a warning for him to behave.

“Wait, you two are childhood friends?” Boots asks, curiosity piqued.

“Yes,” Basilio answers, while Sabina says a flat “No” at the same time.

The younger Kambal gives her a look of mock hurt, while Sabina rolls her eyes at him.

“You didn��t even tell me about it, Bas. You too, Sab! Hey, tell us about your friendship a little,” Boots pleads, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Sabina gulps.

Cynical Sab, as Boots fondly calls her, has a crush. And on a notorious lady-killer too.

Oh, the irony.

“We just became playmates at one point only because Mommy used to bring me along when she had meetings with Alex’s papa,” Sabina tells them, sounding almost bashful. “And he and his Kuya Crispin were jerks. I lended them my favorite book, and they managed to rip it apart.”

“That’s so harsh Sab. We patched it up and we all kissed and made up after that, remember?”

Engaged in the story, Agnes discreetly lights a cigarette with the tip of her forefinger. She puffs a few clouds of smoke while listening to the two bicker.

“So… you really are childhood friends?” the fire elemental asks, giving Basilio a cheeky smile.

Before Sabina can deny it again, Basilio cuts in. “I’m telling you! I think kuya and I were about eleven or twelve years old back then, and she taught me how to draw people. She said her mother was the queen of the manananggals, so I called her ‘princess’,” he tells them, prompting Sab to run her hands through her hair in frustration. “We used to play hide and seek a lot too. One time she was it and she couldn’t find me. She started crying.”

“Yes, making me cry was this demon’s favorite pastime,” Sabina murmurs, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“But admit it, I made you laugh too.”

Agnes watches the interaction unfold, and she couldn’t help but giggle. “Aww, you’re so cute! You just met again after so many years yet you bicker like an old married couple.”

“Not a chance,” Sabina says flatly, but her flushed face tells another story.

On the other hand, Basilio is enjoying all the teasing, taking it all in stride. He’s looking down and beaming at the girl who was once taller than him and his brother.

“You say that as if we didn’t play house back then,” Basilio croons.

A mix of irritation and possessiveness made Jango come so close to jumping the half-breed, but Boots stomping his foot is enough to make him back down.

“If I only knew you two knew each other back then-” Boots smirks at her ever so cynical friend- “I should’ve brought Sabina to the Diabolical long ago. Maybe you would’ve sat on this flirty motherfucker’s lap instead”

Basilio defends himself, crossing his arms. “Me? A flirty motherfucker? Hey Boots, it’s not my fault that I’m a chick magnet.”

Sabina snorts at his defense, trying not to giggle. She can’t give him that satisfaction.

“And didn’t you like sleeping on my chest too?” Basilio adds.

“Yes, but only in my cat form. Relationships with co-workers are not my thing.”

Instead of saying anything else about that, Sabina excused herself and dragged Basilio away from the table before her bandmates got any more wrong ideas.

“Let’s talk here,” Sabina grunts. Her eyes flick towards the tie around Basilio’s muscular neck. “...you really went here in a suit? I mean, lots of people in the college wear black, but you look like a professor about to deliver a seminar.”

“At least I look like a handsome one. Think some college girls might find me their type?”

The rogue aswang didn’t even dignify him with a verbal response, opting to give him a sour look.

“Just kidding. I’m just passing through. There was something Bossing needed to investigate in the city hall earlier.”

“Do you smoke?” Sabina asks him, tilting her carton of Marlborough Reds.

“Not my thing.”

Sabina shrugs. She tries to light the cigarette a few times, but her lighter’s failing her. “Ugh. I’ll just ask Agnes later. So, why did you pass through here?”

“Can’t I just check up on you? Why are you being so hostile? Don’t you miss me, princess?”

Sabina remains quiet for some time. Thanks to Agnes’ connections and social media stalking skills, plus Boots’ personal accounts about her co-workers, she had heard some… questionable things about the Kambal. Especially Basilio.

Still, she can’t help but think back to that goofy little boy who sported a messy ponytail and a monobrow from her youth. Despite all the times he made her cry, he did make her laugh more.

That same boy is a man now, a tall and handsome one at that, and he’s asking her if she missed him. He’s calling her an embarrassing nickname too.

It’s as if the scene came straight out of a cheesy cash cow flick. Sabina wanted to gag.

“I missed you too.”

The usually teasing smile on the half-breed’s lips softens into a genuine one.

“I think you would get why I’m like this now,” the manananggal princess starts, putting her lighter away. “I’m content with my life with the band, among humans. Ate Weng and Izzie are the only ones I have contact with in the clan. Of course I’d be spooked if you and your bossing suddenly showed up to interrogate me, duh.”

“Sorry about that, but maybe you can help bossing out if you know something.”

With suspicion, Sabina squints her eyes.

“I just knew you had an ulterior motive for going here. Your bossing sent you, didn’t she? Look, I won’t hinder your investigation on the clan, just don’t hurt Ate Weng and Iz. But I won’t participate. I hope your bossing understands.”

Basilio leans in with his hands behind his back and that infuriating smile on his face, and Sab finds it sexier the more she looks at him. She will never admit it though.

“That’s why I brought a bribe so I can make you say yes.”

Eyebrows perking up, she gives him a questioning look. Did Trese put him up to this?

She wants another taste.

Now, instead of fingers, grown up Sabina wanted to sink her teeth in her grown up childhood friend’s neck, and she’ll let him do whatever the hell he wants, her black heart be damned.

Sabina tucks the sick thoughts away and puts a hand on her hip instead.

“What do you take me for? Tell your bossing not to treat me like those wind girls you and Crispin fucked. Don’t she dare insult me,” Sabina scowls, irises turning into an eerie glowing white. “I’m still aswang. If we wanted a prize, we wouldn't negotiate to have it. We claim it.”

This time, it’s Basilio’s turn to be flustered. Sabina’s choice of words made it worse. Who knew his bespectacled, nerdy, crybaby kalaro in his youth would grow up to have such a filthy mouth?

“Wait, how did you know about Ammie?! She and I were flirting before we- hey, I think you’ve got the wrong information, we didn’t-”

Not giving him any opportunities to explain, Sabina keeps talking. “If Trese thinks she can bribe me by pimping you out, yikes. That’s so fucked up! I’m not judging you. I just can’t believe the Lakan is capable of that when you three are almost like siblings.”

Upon hearing Sabina’s accusations, it’s Basilio’s turn to ask “What do you take me for?!”

Sweat starts to form on Sabina’s forehead. “Didn’t Trese make trophies out of you for the wind girls who helped her win her race against Mal Armanaz? And I heard The Diabolical is a bar now too- shit, did I get it wrong?”

The long-haired Kambal looks at her in silence for a few moments, then bursts into laughter.

“I admit, I do look like a gigolo, but bossing is not a pimp, damn. And The Diabolical isn’t that kind of bar. This is the bribe I was talking about,” Basilio explains, handing her a plastic bag.

There are several sticks of hot, freshly grilled isaw inside. “Thought I’d forget about your favorite?”

Sabina’s face is red with embarrassment, and she graciously accepts the snack.

“Fuck. Good, because if I visit The Diabolical again and I see you and Crispin doing body rolls, I’ll call the police and down a bottle of Pulang Tikbalang so I can burn the sight from my mind.”

The manananggal princess closes her eyes, bites into one of the sticks, and sighs. When she opens them, she sees that Basilio is looking at her with that mischievous look on his face.

She nearly chokes on the isaw.

“What the fuck, Bas! What’s with that look?”

He laughs at her, then he claps her back with an open palm, and puts his arms around her shoulders like they used to as preteens.

Internally, she thinks, “You’re going to make me melt.”

Too dazed from their conversation to shrug him off, Sabina gives in to the touch. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Basilio spoke up.

“Remember the last time we saw each other as kids? That’s around a week before your birthday and Hank threw a Valentine’s Day party in The Diabolical.”

Sabina relents and reminisces with him, a soft laugh escaping her burgundy lips. “Yeah. I cried because mommy said I wasn’t coming back after that.”

Basilio smiles. Genuine. Sweet. Rare. “Then you kissed me because you thought we’d never see each other again.”

The aswang’s eyes widen, remembering that moment of childhood innocence and puppy love, then she moves away from Basilio, cheeks burning.

“Huh? Nope. Nothing like that happened.”

“How could I forget my first kiss?”

“I think you’re remembering things wrong.”

“Hell, ask kuya Crispin. He was huffing because he didn’t get a kiss.”

“Whatever, Bas. If you think you can get me to help you just by bribing me with isaw and acting all cute, you’re mistaken.”

“Well, if you're really not helping us, let’s just hang out.”

“The band’s going to play on Friday, then next week during the fair on Saturday. Buy some tickets. Watch us play. Consider it as reassurance for your bossing that I’m not doing anything suspicious.”

Basilio smiles at her. “I’m game. I’ll go tell bossing. There’s some areas we need to observe here, too.”

“And treat me to more isaw,” Sabina adds, motioning to the now bare barbecue sticks in the plastic bag she’s holding.

“Sure”

“Buy me a pantea too.”

The words die on Basilio’s lips, and he blinks a few times, unsure if he heard Sabina right. Then, he smiles like the devil, and goes for the kill.

“Ohhh. Sure, where do you usually buy your lingerie, and I can pick the color for you?”

Realizing her mistake, Sabina gives him a mortified glare.

“Shit, I forgot you’re not from around-” turning around, she sees the downright scandalous grin on Basilio’s lips- “here. What’s with that smile?!”

He leans a little closer and Sabina loses what’s left of her composure.

“Gago, I meant pandan tea!”

Translations:

siomai - Filipino spelling for shumai, a type of Chinese dumpling.

pandan - Pandanus amaryllifolius, a plant with culinary uses in Southeast Asian cuisine

isaw - grilled chicken or pork intestines served on a stick, popular Filipino street food

betamax - chicken or pork blood coagulated into squares served on a stick, another popular Filipino street food

laman loob - or lamang loob - internal organs, usually referring to chicken and pork innards

Gabi ng Kasalanan - lit. Night of Sin

ulol - crazy; Filipino profanity

gago/gaga - foolish or stupid; Filipino profanity

Epey - localized pronunciation of the letters F and A.

Pulang Tikbalang - lit. Red Horse. A pun on a local beer brand.

61 notes · View notes