James Innes: This week, alongside Jodi Baker Calamai, I had the distinct honor of hosting and facilitating Deloitte Canada's first-ever NextGen CHRO Academy at our offices in Toronto. We delved into meaty HR & Talent topics with an amazing group of HR executives from various industries, discussing the evolving role of the CHRO, generative AI, State of Performance, working with boards, and guiding executives towards the C-suite. It was an energizing and rewarding experience, with insights shared by current and past CHROs.
A special thank you to our speakers and supporters for making this inaugural academy a success. I want to shine a spotlight on the incredible team behind this event, including Margaret Durojaiye, Akanksha Rachel Saini, Fia A., Alex Quirke, Maria Roach, and Bryanna Mok. Their dedication and hard work, on top of their 'day jobs,' were instrumental in bringing this event to life.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting initiative! 😊 #HR #CHRO #TalentManagement #DeloitteCanada
Zabeen Hirji Pascal Occean Carolyn Hamer Erin McCowan Sandra Hewitt Tara Murphy Jas Jaaj Stephanie Hauck Rachinsky Alana Steinhauer, PhD, ACC Tessa Virtue Sophie Vézina Jonathan Goodman Karen Higgins Jane E. Kinney, FCPA, FCA Karen Spencer
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The Bargain | Chapter 3: Ku'ku'lkán
Pairing: Namor x Female Reader
Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance
Summary: To say you had a complicated relationship history was an understatement. Your ex was well…Not of this world? Yet he seemed to always find his way to you. One day he shows up with his new girlfriend asking for your help. You promise to assist if he never shows his face again. What is it he needs you for? And what are you all going to find when deep diving into the Atlantic Ocean?
Summary | Preview | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 (End) | Sequel
You were escorted by the man you knew now as Attuma. The woman with the orange feathers was Namora. The others you were told their names did not matter. You swam with them to a large whale, you watched them sit on top the animal. Attuma gestured you to follow and you sat on top of the whale.
Attuma still had a hold on you as the creature began to move. During your underwater trip, you looked at the sea surroundings and how different it was than your last trip. This time your emotions weren’t being manipulated. But also, this time, you were being taken to an unknown kingdom. Maybe it was this Talokan, Atlas was blabbing on about? After an hour the whale went deeper into the ocean and Attuma’s grip tightened on your arm.
“Beet a! (Brace yourself!)” He shouted to you. Your eyes grew wide when you felt the tidal current’s force push the whale deep down. You gripped onto Attuma and closed your eyes, you began to shake with fear at the strong force.
“Jaap wicho'ob. (Open your eyes.)” You heard Attuma say and you opened them slowly. You looked around and the whale was nowhere to be found. It was just the five of you floating around. You felt embarrassed that you nearly passed out in front of them but didn’t have time to dwell on it as Attuma guided you to the entrance of the kingdom. Your eyes grew wide at the sight of the mere entrance.
You quickly followed behind Attuma not wanting to dillydally even though you wanted to stay and study everything. You followed them into the throne room and was instructed to stay put. Attuma and Namora swam to float on either side of the throne.
“Ku. ku. lkán waye'! (Ku'ku'lkán is here!)” Attuma shouted and the room was filled with chanting. From above floated down what looked like a man in Aztec decorum. He had on a serpent crown with multi colored feathers, a cape that was attached to gold shoulder pieces, and various vibrant jewelry pieces. You saw his people bow to him as he floated down to his throne. The light from the sky reflected his throne perfectly. He looked like a god among his people, he probably was.
“Teech k taasik ti' le forastero. (We have brought you the outsider.)” Namora said to the king.
The king nodded and turned to look at you. “So...You are the one, the blonde buffoon keeps talking about it.” He spoke. You noticed how different he was than his people, he looked human from afar.
“Leti' ku t'aan k t'aano'. (She speaks our language.)” Attuma said and the king sounded intrigued.
“A'al ti' teen, forastero, ka na'atiko' ba'ax táan in wa'alik? (Tell me, outsider, do you understand what I am saying?)” The king leaned forward on his throne.
“Je'el u majestad, meetej. (Yes, your majesty, I do.)” You said feeling small under his intense gaze. There were awes in the room and the king stood up and swam over to you. Even though you were underwater, he still seemed to tower over you. You looked up at him, noting his pointed ears.
“And where did you learn to speak our language?” He asked watching you closely.
“From books.”
“Books...Why? Just for fun? Hm? Or perhaps you are learning so you can infiltrate my kingdom!” He glared at you.
“Oh please, do I look like someone who is capable of infiltrating? I almost passed out getting here.” You retorted.
“Jach jaaj. (It’s true.)” Attuma said.
The king smirked and floated behind you, looking you over. “I’m not so sure about that...The buffoon told me all about you. You venture into lost cities to uncover artifacts and take them. You fought his brother when he tried to take over his kingdom.” The king now swam back in front of you, “Am I correct?”
Well shit...So much for the innocent woman act.
“...Yes.” You said slowly.
“Then perhaps I have some use for you after all.”
“And what would that use be King-”
“My people call me Ku'ku'lkán...My enemies call me Namor. Time will tell what you will be allowed to call me.” The king stared you down and gestured for Attuma to come toward you. “Bis le superficie. Ti' le murales. Ka taasik ti' le yaano'ob. (Take her to the surface. To the murals. And bring the others.)” Namor ordered and swam back to his throne. Attuma grabbed you by the arm and escorted you.
You now found yourself in a room with the walls covered in murals. You stood by the torch that was lit to warm up, the blue mask was now off of your mouth. You moved to take your hair tie out and let your hair loose. No point in tying it up right now. You approached the wall and gently traced one of the paintings of the winged serpent or Ku'ku'lkán.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?” You heard a voice say behind you. You turned around and saw the king himself standing across from you. He removed his crown and set it to the side. He walked toward you and stood a few inches from you. “I suppose you want to know why you are here.”
"Does it have anything to do with the Atlantean scepter?”
Namor looked over at you and nodded, “What do you know of it?”
“Just that dumbass came to my museum last night saying it belonged to his lineage.”
“Dumbass?”
“Sorry Atlas...King Atlas...Still can’t believe that bastard is a king.” You scoffed.
“I see you have a distaste for him.”
“Little more than distaste...Anyway, he asked me to come with him to look at it and determine if it really did belong to his lineage...Like I’m some kind of authenticator.” You rolled your eyes.
“If you had it presented to you, would you be able to?” Namor asked you, now facing you. His expression was earnest and hopeful.
You sighed in defeat and nodded, “Yes.”
“Get me back my scepter and I will grant you whatever you wish!” He said enthusiastically. You nodded and he gently put his hands on your shoulders. “Thank you...What is your name?” He asked you softly.
Before you answered, the two of you were interrupted by Attuma and Namora bringing in two people. “Ah...King Atlas and his queen Sypha.” Namor smirked seeing the two royals walking into the room.
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” You groaned and rolled your eyes.
Author’s Note: So I only tagged the reblogs and replies because there are SOOO many of you who liked the summary and preview uwu, so continuing on you can either reblog or reply to be added or just keep an eye out for the fic under the ‘Namor x Reader’ tag! Thank you all for the support and love!
Dividers By: @firefly-graphics
Tagging: @clea-strange-is-the-way, @bontensbabygirl, @deputy-videogamer, @anthonyedwinstark, @fangirlingbookworm1, @theyluvremi, @bbylime, @redcrayonsforwanda, @sidefanficaccounttohidemyshame, @missbeverlyhills, @bluskyy30, @sonadowloverf-blog, @spctorstrnge, @justanotherfanhere, @britty443, @lilithskywalker, @tzurue, @lego0city123, @livingdeadgirl7, @bl6o6dy, @didneyworld13, @bookfrog247, @thicc101q, @lost-in-the-stars03
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