Oct 9, 2021
Can’t believe I forgot to post this here but @sthefbooh drew the Team HNSA girls last month! It’s great to finally have them all together!
from l-r: Helia, Leyla, Alcyone, and Anthea
seen from Brazil
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seen from Paraguay
seen from China
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seen from United States
Can’t believe I forgot to post this here but @sthefbooh drew the Team HNSA girls last month! It’s great to finally have them all together!
from l-r: Helia, Leyla, Alcyone, and Anthea
TEAM ZRCN ARC 3 - PROLOGUE
Five months on from the ending of arc 2, we return to events in the story. In this prologue, Belleze Rossi and her allies return to Shizukana to deliver a message.
BELLEZA
There was a small thud behind her, as the last of their little group jumped down to join them. Miho shifted slightly, allowing Wisteria enough room to squeeze past and squat beside her.
“Nobody else is in the area, we’re good to go,” She informed her. Belleza nodded her head, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see Wisteria had conflicted expression on her face and appeared as though she wanted to say more.
“Do you have anything else to add, Wisteria?” Belleza asked, raising a brow.
Most people wouldn’t have dared speaking back to her, but Wisteria wasn’t most people. Belleza found it annoying, but her dear father seemed to find it gave her character, and as such, she had fast become one of his favourite “assets”. If Belleza had her way, she would have disposed of her and that little bug the moment they had come to Olympia, winding up on their doorstep like a pair of pitiful strays.
“I just think - after everything that happened with Farron - this is taking a huge risk,” Wisteria said. “Like Bianca said this could potentially make a lot of noise.”
“Which is why we’re doing this at night,” Belleza pointed out, rolling her eyes. “Besides, we wouldn’t have to make so much noise if you would only tell us where our sweet little spider is.”
Wisteria stiffened. “I told you - I don’t know where she is,”
Belleza said nothing. If that was the story Wisteria wanted to stick with then so be it. Bianca and Calantha might have been quick to accept her word as truth, but Belleza had her suspicions, and she had her ways of finding out the truth.
“Let’s move,” Belleza instructed, gesturing with her hand for them to move forward. The three women would rise to their feet, walking slowly out from their hiding place, and began to approach the house of Leyla Noira. She would bring them to a halt a few metres in front of the house. “Miho, do your thing.”
“Yes, milady.”
The large muscular woman would come forward, a smirk already on her lips for the fun that was to come. She bumped past Wisteria roughly, making the other woman scowl, before stepping in front of the group. Miho moved her arms as though shaking them, readying her bracers into their offensive position, before holding them in front of her. In quick succession, she would punch the air four times, releasing a small blast in the direction of the house each time. Each blast met its mark. The house wasn’t completely destroyed, but it had certainly caused a considerable amount of damage to the house.
Belleza was quick to move forward, hopping over debris as she lead them inside.
“Ding dong!” She called out, glancing around at the confused occupants.
She had to give this little group of huntresses some credit; considering they just had part of their house blown up, they were already getting to their feet, with two moving to grab their weapons. Of the two she recognised one as one of their intended targets - Helia Vines.
She and Leyla Noire had ruined their little plan to take down Farron Hargrave along with a team of students. Bianca had forbidden her from directly dealing with the children, so sending a message to them via their allies would have to suffice. The appearance of Leyla and Helia’s former teammates, though a surprise, was just an added bonus.
The confusion was evident in the faces of Helia and the woman Belleza knew to be Anthea. However, Helia’s expression soon shifted when she noticed Wisteria.
“You!” She said, her voice trembling with rage.
Wisteria moved to go towards her, but Miho swatted her away. “She’s mine,” Miho grinned, giving Wisteria a wink when she returned the shove with an angry glare.
With Miho gunning for Helia, Wisteria turned her attentions to Leyla, and a flaxen-haired woman named Alcyone. Leyla seemed out for the count of this battle, judging by the moaning she was doing on the floor, clutching her arm which Belleza could see appeared to be broken.
Alcyone proved to be more of a threat than she realised, for even with her larger size, she was managing to hold off Wisteria thanks to her semblance. Belleza could have stood there admiring them for some time, had it not been for Anthea charging her like an angry bull.
Belleza drew her weapon out ready, snapping it into its spear form ready to clash with Anthea’s sword, but was caught off guard by a deafening screech instead. Ah, so that would be her semblance then. Lunick had mentioned it was vocal, he had just neglected to mention the specifics of it. Belleza would have to call him out on that.
Not wanting to get hit with another one of her cries again, Belleza was quick to retaliate, hitting her in the stomach with the butt of her spear. Then as she stumbled away, she spun the weapon in her hand and swung it at her head, catching her square in the jaw causing her pale blue aura to surge, and sending her toppling to the floor. She held her jaw with one hand and began shuffling back towards her sword, reaching for the hilt. Just as she grasped it, Belleza thrust her spear at her, careful not to directly strike her.
“Don’t.” Was Belleza’s one-word instruction to her. Unfortunately, the woman wasn’t reckless enough to continue their fight, so reluctantly released her hold on her weapon, before moving to tend to Leyla.
Elsewhere, Wisteria appeared to be victorious in her battle with Alcyone, as she got the woman on bended knee, seemingly defeated for now. Wisteria’s attentions - much like her own - were now focused on Helia and Miho. Unsurprisingly, the former champion was the one proving to put up more of a fight. She and Miho were matched in regards to height, but her speed and useful semblance gave her a slight advantage. But she seemed to be tiring now - most likely from the surprising way this whole battle had been instigated - and her slip-ups were costing her dearly.
Miho kicked Helia sharply in the gut forcing the other woman back. In the moment it took Helia to steady herself, Alcyone had already lifted her arm ready to deliver another blast. Helia didn’t have much time to respond, but could only hold up her two katanas as a way of defending herself as the blast came towards her.
Well, she was spared from any major physical damage at least, but getting thrown back as far as she did from the recoil certainly wouldn’t have helped. She hit the wall with a small thud and slid down to the floor. Belleza couldn’t help but smirk when she noticed one of her katanas had fractured from the blast.
With a smirk, Belleza practically danced into the living room, earning a wary glance from Wisteria, who reluctantly came to stand by her.
“Oh dear, oh dear! How the mighty have fallen!” Belleza laughed, glancing around at the downed huntresses. “This is what you -”
“No!” Alcyone interrupted, lifting her head. “It’s not over yet.”
Belleza threw her head back, forcing out a loud laugh. “Look around, Miss Sternberg. It’s over. You’re done”
She then proceeded to walk forward and kicked Alcyone sharply, knocking her down again. She was glad when she saw Alcyone moving to sit back up, eventually shifting onto her knees.
Good. This was just what Belleza wanted. “Stand up, I dare you,” She warned. Although she acted as though this was a warning, she was very subtle in making it appear to Alcyone as though she was egging her on.
“Ally...don’t,” Helia advised, outstretching a hand towards her teammate.
“Ally...” Anthea echoed.
But she didn’t listen to her teammates and stood up. And that was the invitation Belleza needed to send her message. She stamped her spear on the floor, before spinning it in her hand and catching it in a position to throw it. It took her only a few seconds to aim and throw it. With her aura depleted, she had little defence against it, and it speared her directly in the abdomen.
Anthea and Helia screamed, and whilst Leyla turned to look, she appeared too out of it to really comprehend what was going. Hearing the screams of anguish for their stricken teammate and the cries of anger directed towards her, Belleza could only smile. Oh, how she enjoyed moments like this.
Once again she walked towards Alcyone, whose hands were clutching at the shaft of the spear, but appeared too afraid to move it. Belleza however, was not afraid to do just that. She wrapped a hand around the shaft, and began to pull, causing the other woman to wince. Belleza would pause momentarily, and leant forward to whisper something to her. “I did warn you,” She pointed out, before sharply tugging the spear out. The woman cried out in pain, before falling to her knees.
Belleza squatted down in front of her and cupped her chin with her hand. “Does it hurt?” She asked mockingly, tilting her head to one side. Alcyone said nothing but stared back blankly. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”
Belleza rose back to her feet and looked around the room, her eyes settling on Helia in particular. “Consider this a warning.” She said, already beginning to move out of the house. As much as she would have liked to stand there gloating, they had done what they needed to do, and now they could return home to Atlas. She could only hope her message would make it to its intended targets. “Next time, it’ll be much worse.”
TEAM ZRCN ARC 2 - CHAPTER 10
It’s been days since the attack by Candy and Wisteria. With Neela missing, Cordovan injured, and Xanthos and Zelde struggling to deal with things in the wake of the event, will things ever get back to the way they were?
XANTHOS
Briiinnnngggggg!
The sound of the alarm clock echoed around the room. Where it usually might have jolted him awake, the young man had already been awake for some time. It was hard to waste hours sleeping the day away when his mind was preoccupied with other things.
Quickly hitting the snooze button, Xanthos rolled out of bed, threw on some casual clothes and made his way into the kitchen. Without the presence of his teammates, Leyla’s house was suddenly very quiet - too quiet. So much so that Xanthos was even beginning to miss the arguing between Leyla and Helia.
Speaking of the two women already appeared to have left that morning. With Leyla, it made sense, after the attack she had been heading into town early to help with repairs and maintenance, much like himself, but Helia had mostly remained at the house in the days following, feeling a little guilty over what had happened. Xanthos couldn’t really fault her for feeling that way, but it wasn’t like any of them knew what was going to come as the night drew to a close.
In the kitchen, Xanthos saw a note attached to one of the countertops. It had been written by Leyla and offered some information as to where everyone was.
‘Gone to help out in the village. Helia getting supplies and was planning to help out with Robyn at the inn. Zelde left for the clinic at 8. There are some breakfast frittatas in the fridge if you’re hungry. Or just make your own. See you later for dinner. - L’
Not feeling like cooking something himself, Xanthos would retrieve a portion of the mentioned frittatas and warmed them up. With nobody else in the house to talk to, he wasted no time in finishing his breakfast, before freshening up and heading out. It looked to be a pleasant enough day; devoid of sunshine, but with a sky too dappled with blue and grey to hint at rain or another storm; a light breeze served to take any stuffiness away that remained in the air.
On the walk to the village, Xanthos saw signs of the attack wherever he looked. Closer to Leyla’s house the damage was barely noticeable, but the further you got to the centre of the village, the more the damage became apparent. Many of the buildings showed visible damage that included cracked or shattered windows, broken shutters, and outdoor furniture that had been strewn everywhere in the panic. For an island that was pretty quiet most of the time, the attack had understandably shaken up quite a few of the villagers. The first three days, many of the villagers had remained in their homes, too scared to venture out, leaving only those who defended the island to deal with the aftermath. So Xanthos was quite pleased to see more people out and about today.
He found Leyla in the centre of the village, helping with repairs to a fruit stand. With her was a middle-aged woman and retired huntress named Lucina, and Linus, who had remained on the island with the rest of his crew after they were. They might have been long gone by now, had the attack not kept them around for even longer.
Upon noticing Xanthos approach, Leyla waved him over, which Linus and Lucine took as their cue to leave. “Morning,” She greeted. She didn’t wait for a response, before turning back to her work.
“No ‘good morning’?” Xanthos asked, coming up the side of her to inspect her work.
Leyla made a small snort. “It hasn’t been a good morning so far. We were supposed to be making the repairs to Robyn’s inn today, but of course, Errol decided he wants to be difficult today and hasn’t been forthcoming in gathering together the supplies we needed.” She complained, hitting a nail into a wood panel with some force. “How Lucina can stand to be married to that oaf of a man is beyond me.”
“I mean I don’t even know who Errol is, but I agree that must be super annoying,” Xanthos said, giving her a faint smile in an effort to cheer her up. “Sorry Zelde ditched you. I really thought she might have helped out today, given that Atlas is finally coming to move Cordovan to a hospital back there.”
“It’s alright,” Leyla shrugged. “Your teammate was severely injured, it’s understandable she’d be more focused on him.”
“We have four people on our team though,” Xanthos pointed out, surprised at the bitterness in his voice. “I’d swear it’s almost like she’s forgotten Neela exists.”
“I’m sure that’s not the case,” Leyla murmured, setting the hammer she was wielding down, and turning to give him her full attention. “I mean she came with to speak with Juni on Tuesday to see if anyone had seen that red-haired woman around. What was her name again - Pepper Corn?” The older woman made another shrug. “No offence, but that doesn't sound like someone who’s forgotten or doesn’t care about their other teammate.”
“But she hasn’t done anything with that information!” Xanthos fired back. “He confirmed he’d seen Candy up by some northern fishing spot, but instead Zelde’s going around playing nursemaid! Meanwhile, those people could be out there hurting Neela, and we haven’t even made any progress to find her!”
He hadn’t intended on having a little outburst there and then, and it was clear that Leyla hadn’t been expecting it either, as she looked rather taken aback. A moment passed before she rather awkwardly placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey bud, you okay?”
“Sorry for that,” Xanthos was quick to apologise. “I probably came across like a really terrible person there.” He wouldn’t have blamed her if she did think that, even Xanthos thought he had come across a bit harsh. It wasn’t that he didn’t care for Cordovan’s wellbeing, because he did; you would be hard-pressed not to care after seeing one of your closest friends lying so still on the ground, surrounded by an ever-growing pool of his own blood. It was just Zelde’s apparent lack of motivation to tackle the issue with Neela that frustrated him. That and when Xanthos had offered to sit with her in the clinic she had gotten all huffy, insisting that they both didn’t need to be there. That had hurt. In a time when their team was being split apart, he didn’t like being pushed further away.
“You just went through an extremely stressful situation,” Leyla pointed out. “You are allowed to vent you know.”
“I know...it’s just...,” Xanthos trailed off, struggling to find the words to convey how he was feeling. “It just felt weird blurting that all out to you.”
“Please stop apologising,” Leyla insisted, more of a serious note to her voice now. She gripped him by both shoulders and bought him down a little closer to her own height. “You are allowed to vent, do you hear me? You’re allowed to be upset, you’re allowed to cry, and you’re allowed to be frustrated.” She eased her grip on him a little. “Look, have you actually talked to Zelde about this?”
Xanthos smiled nervously. “How would you feel if I said no?”
Leyla groaned. “Idiot.”
“Rude.”
The older woman finally relinquished her grasp on him, allowing him to stand straight again. “Then talk to her!” She insisted. “Be honest with her! Let her know how you’re feeling, and how she’s making you feel. Who knows, you might discover she’s feeling in a similar way to you.”
“I’ll try,” He vowed, giving Leyla an affirming nod. “It’s just hard, you know? I haven’t exactly had the time these past few days due to helping out around the village and what with Zelde spending most of her time at the clinic.”
“Then make time! It’s not hard to just pull her aside for one moment and let her know how you’re feeling!” Leyla said with a shake of her head. “Don’t be like…”
Leyla suddenly stopped herself from speaking after that, a flush of colour rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment.
“Like what?” Xanthos asked.
“Like us,” Leyla responded, making a vague gesture at herself, before throwing her arms out in a wild gesture. “Like me and Helia. Like our team. We weren’t honest with each other, and look what happened. It tore us apart and we all ended up hating each other for it.”
Embarrassed by this continued admission, Leyla turned around sharply and quickly began hammering away absently at the planks of wood. Acting oblivious to the fact she wasn’t even striking any nails. Xanthos watched her for a moment, before loudly coughing to get her attention, and passing her some nails.
“These might help,” He said with a wink.
“I know what I’m doing, I’m not stupid,” Leyla chided, rolling her eyes as she spoke, A moment passed before she hurriedly picked up the nails he had given her, and gave him a wide smile, the most genuine he had ever seen from her. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” Xanthos said. He would hold another panel in place for her to nail down. “Gotta make sure the villagers have something decent to come back to. If I just left you to it, I’m pretty sure it’d look even worse than before.”
She shook her head. “Ass.”
“Bigger ass,” Xanthos quipped.
And they both broke out in a fit of laughter. It was the first time in days Xanthos had heard genuine laughter, and the sound was like music to his ears.
TEAM ZRCN ARC 2 - CHAPTER 5
Ayyy we back boys. Just a little slow one while I work into getting more active with this.
In this chapter the group finally arrive at Shizukana following their ordeal on the boat, and Helia reunites with an old friend.
XANTHOS
Shizukana was turning out to be a surprisingly nice place.
From what Helia had told them about the island, Xanthos had been expecting the team to land at a virtually abandoned village, homes shuttered and boarded up, the only signs of life being a handful of residents who had no other option but to remain behind. Truthfully, he expected it to be, well...a dump.
To his surprise, though, the island of Shizukana was far more lively than expected. When the disembarked the cargo liner, a large wooden sign proudly welcomed them to the island -- as did an influx of islanders.
“Ah, here come my adoring fans!” Xanthos quipped, seeing the group of strangers approach the ship, but they weren’t rushing to see him; they were instead coming to collect supplies from the boat.
Turning to Neela, he frowned, and she gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “I’m afraid you’re just not that famous yet, Ravi,” She laughed. “Besides - if they were coming to see anyone we all know it would be Helia.”
“I hope not.”
Stood a little to the side of the group, Helia stood with her arms crossed, a neutral expression playing on her features.
“Trying to go incognito, eh?” Xanthos asked with a light tone.
She shot him a glance from the corner of her eye, before her lips curved into a soft smile. “It’s not that,” She began, unfolding her arms before continuing, “I just don’t want it to be too obvious that we’re here. If word travels around too much and Leyla hears of it, she might be less likely to help us.”
From what Xanthos had heard about Helia’s former teammate it didn’t seem likely she’d be much help at all - according to Helia she’d become something of a recluse after their team had split up, and mostly kept to her home on Shizukana.
As they walked through the main village of Shizukana, it was Cordovan who dared to ask more about Helia’s relationship with her former teammate.
“I know your team split up a few years ago now, but what actually happened between the two of you?”
For a while it seemed as though she had not heard his question, or was more likely ignoring it. It was only as they began to approach the raised quarter of the village that she finally responded.
“It was my fault.” Was her initial vague answer.
“What was your fault?” Zelde pressed.
“My team splitting up. After I won the Vytal tournament, it opened a rift between the four of us. It wasn’t too bad while we were still at Haven, but after we graduated it became more obvious. When we went on missions people only ever seemed to care about me - and how great it was that someone famous like myself had taken the job, often ignoring the contributions my teammates made.” Helia explained, “After a while it just became too much. I can’t recall who bought it up first - either Ally or Anthea - but it was suggested that maybe, for all four of us to get fair recognition for our actions, it might have been better if we split up. I was hesitant at first. My mother had gone solo in her youth, and without her team by her side it soured her opinion of being a huntress. I didn’t want to go down that same route, but I didn’t want to keep seeing my teammates ignored the way they were, so I agreed to it as well. Leyla didn’t really take it very well. I believe her favourite line from that night was to call me a “fame hungry bitch.””
Zelde scoffed, and Cordovan flashed the older woman a sympathetic look.
“No offense, but you’re, like, the farthest thing from that statement,” Neela told her. “I think your teammate was clearly in the wrong there, and you shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened.”
“Yeah!” Xanthos chimed in enthusiastically, “for someone as famous as yourself, you’re surprisingly chill. Definitely a good example of why you should meet your heroes!”
Helia grinned at that. “Thank you, that means a lot.”
--
The group remained silent for the remainder of the short journey to Leyla’s home. While most of the village had been built around the docks, part of the village sloped upwards, with a handful of houses built here and there, becoming more distant as they grew closer to the village border with the forest.
The home of Leyla Noire was the closest to this border, and the furthest away from the centre of the village. It was a small, single-floored building, styled in typical Mistrali fashion. Like most of the buildings in the village, it had that faded, weather-beaten look to it; the only pop of colour came from the sunflowers that bloomed at the front of the house.
As the five of them approached, a woman appeared from around the side of the house. Helia’s expression informed them that she was Leyla, but as they hurried to reach her house, she had already slipped inside without noticing them.
Helia knocked on the door as she arrived on the porch, and it was opened moments after by Leyla. She had a neutral expression on her face until she spotted Helia and frowned. Helia had been in the process of saying hello, when she slammed the door in their faces.
“How polite,” Zelde commented bitterly.
Undeterred, Helia knocked again.
“Leyla -- I know you probably aren’t very happy to see me, but I want you hear me out for a moment, alright?” She spoke through the door, clearly hoping her former teammate was still nearby.
“Some things have been happening in Atlas, and we think it might tie in to Shizukana, or at least this seems like the best lead. I know you won’t want to help me, and that’s fine, but don’t turn ZRCN away at least. You’ve lived here most of your life, and if anyone can help them or point them in the right direction it’s you.” When there was no response to this, Helia leaned against the door again, to something more to her words. “And if you won’t do it for the five of us, would you at least do it for Shizukana?”
Xanthos was honestly not expecting anything to come of Helia’s words, as rousing as they were, but to his surprise the door opened, and with a silent gesture she invited them inside. Lilac eyes studied them carefully as they all stepped into the hallway, though she remained most focused on Helia. While seemed wary of the most of the group, she seemed openly hostile towards Helia, a scowl forming on her features whenever she happened to glance in her direction.
“I don’t see why you want my help,” She said, folding her arms as she spoke. “I’m not exactly your typical huntress anymore.”
“You retired?” Helia asked innocently.
“No, of course not,” Leyla snapped, glaring at Helia. “But Shizukana is a small island, I don’t exactly have a lot in the way of work.”
Helia shrugged. “Well, if you’re not up for helping us, could we ask Veronica? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
Almost as soon as the words fell out of her mouth, the tension in the room only seemed to grow. Clearly the mention of this “Veronica” had rifled Leyla quite a bit, as she seemed set to launch herself at Helia. Perhaps sensing a fight was due to break out, Zelde was quick to jump in.
“Are you familiar with the Hargrave name at all?” She asked, drawing the other woman’s attention to her.
“Unfortunately, I am,” She answered, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Do the Hargraves have something to do with whatever’s going down in Atlas?”
“We believe so, yes.”
Leyla groaned and rolled her eyes. Slowly she unfolded her arms, and let them hang loosely by her side. “If the Hargraves are involved, then I’ll help as best I can. Not promising it’ll be what you’re hoping for, but I figure I’m more qualified to help you with them than she is.” She gestured with her head towards Helia, who flushed slightly.
“Any help is greatly appreciated, I assure you,” Zelde responded with a short smile. “We know very little about them so-”
“Look that’s great and all, but could we discuss this later? I had an early start this morning, and I don’t think I’m really in the right headspace to bounce ideas around right now,” Leyla cut in. “I’d be happy to discuss things more tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Zelde nodded eagerly.
“Great,” Leyla mustered a small smile. “Glad we’re on the same page. We’ll come back together tomorrow and tackle things with fresh minds.” Suddenly she clapped her hands together. “I suppose you’ll be needing somewhere to stay while you’re here? Well, you’d better follow me, and I can get you set up in our spare bedroom. I won’t have it be known I was inhospitable to my guests, regardless of how much of a surprise you all were.”
TEAM ZRCN ARC 2 - CHAPTER 6
Progress is made on the hunt for information, Cordovan and Neela get to know Leyla better, and a familiar face makes their return.
Many thanks to @neopoliitan for proofreading for me again! It’s very appreciated!
NEELA
Ever since the team had arrived at Shizukana, any attempt at progress had been stalled by a bout of bad weather. According to Leyla, these sorts of storms were not uncommon at this time of the year, but nor were they too frequent, and she mused that they had chosen the right day to arrive at least.
Zelde had initially been determined to make some progress with their mission to find out more about the Hargraves despite the poor weather until Leyla talked her out of doing so. Although this frustrated Zelde at first, Leyla did seem to win her back over again, by offering to show them around so that she could point out the right people to ask.
Four days after arriving on Shizukana, the storms finally cleared enough for them to finally make their enquiries. The morning had started pleasant enough, with the four of them being woken up by sunlight filtering in through the windows, and the sound of gulls crying. However, the peaceful morning was soon shattered by the sound of arguing between Helia and Leyla elsewhere in the house.
“I knew the peace wouldn’t last too long,” Xanthos said, followed by a long yawn. Unlike the rest of his teammates, he was still lying in his bedroll, propped up on his side, with the sheets covering the lower half of his body, as he was only wearing a thin bed shirt and shorts.
“At least they’re talking more,” Neela was quick to say, earning a nod of agreement from Cordovan. “That’s definitely an improvement from how it was when we arrived.”
There was a sound of fabric ruffling slightly, as Zelde shifted by the side of her, in her improbably long nightgown. It was a high-necked, frilly number, very old fashioned, and reminded Neela of something she was certain her grandmother might have owned. “I’m not sure if I’d consider arguing as talking,” She said, glancing between Cordovan and Neela. “Truth be told, I can’t say I’m surprised they’re arguing. Did none of you notice how the atmosphere changed when we started pressing them for information and we ended up bringing up that ‘Veronica’ name again? The tension in the air was palpable.”
“I wonder who she is.” Xanthos mused. There was something of a conspiratorial expression on his face as he sat up. “A jilted lover perhaps?”
Zelde scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to come out with the most scandalous suggestions, Ravi?”
“Because it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t,” He responded with a wink.
“Maybe she was one of her other teammates?” Neela pondered out loud. This prompted Zelde, Xanthos, and herself to all glance towards Cordovan.
“Sadly, no,” He responded, giving Neela a small smile. “Their other teammates were Alcyone Sternberg and Anthea Garland.”
The three of them nodded their heads to show they understood before Xanthos’ feature dropped. “Well, that’s annoying,” He grumbled, frowning slightly as he spoke. “Guess that means her identity will remain secret for even longer.”
--
After a small breakfast, Leyla finally offered to show them around, and introduce them to some of the islanders who might be better equipped to help with their enquiries. The six of them had planned to head into the main village initially, but following the earlier fight and the growing tension between the two women Zelde had preemptively opted to split up.
When pressed for her reasoning for splitting them by Xanthos, she expressed a desire to avoid any further altercation between the two women, fearing another argument would affect their progress. With everyone on board with the idea, she charged herself and Xanthos with keeping Helia occupied, whilst Neela and Cordovan were to accompany Leyla into town and report back with any information once they returned.
If Leyla was bothered by the lack of involvement from those staying behind she didn’t show it, and when Cordovan explained their made-up reasoning, she merely shrugged.
That morning Leyla was wearing a similar outfit to what she had worn when they first arrived - dark purple-black trousers which formed seamlessly into boots, a jacket in a similar purple-black colour, and a white shirt underneath. The only difference to her outfit today was that she had the jacket tied around her waist, and wore her jet black hair in a loose ponytail, as opposed to a tight bun. It suited her better, in Neela’s opinion, helping to soften her sharp facial features. The most appealing feature she had was her eyes, lilac in colour which worked well in contrast to her dark hair and tan skin.
To Neela and Cordovan’s surprise, rather than walking the short distance to the village centre, Leyla seemed insistent on taking the beat-up jeep she owned.
“Is this really necessary?” Cordovan quizzed, as they all got inside, echoing Neela’s thoughts.
Leyla shrugged as she put the key in the ignition. “I need to pick up some supplies while I’m there,” she explained, “it's easier for me to take the car, rather than carrying an unknown quantity of bags back home.”
It took a while for the car to start, Leyla clearly having some difficulty in getting the engine to turn over. After a third attempt, it eventually roared into life, and they were able to leave. They had only just pulled away from the house when Leyla apologised for the struggles with the car.
“Sorry about that. She’s an old girl, a bit temperamental at times, especially if she hasn’t moved in a couple of days,” Leyla explained, giving an almost affectionate pat to the dashboard. “I should consider upgrading at some point, but she was my sister’s car, and I can’t stand to part with her.”
“You have a sister?” Neela asked.
“Yes,” Leyla confirmed with a nod. “Veronica Noire.”
“Oh!” Neela exclaimed loudly. “We were wondering who she was.”
Leyla glanced at the two of them in the rearview mirror. “You were?”
Neela flinched suddenly. Something about the look Leyla gave the two of them, filled her with a quiet sense of unease. “Yeah, we’ve heard you and Helia mention her name a couple of times these past few days, and we were curious who she was. We’re sorry if we offended you by asking about her.”
Leyla chuckled slightly, though her expression remained fairly neutral. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. It’s only natural you’d be curious.”
“What was she like?” Cordovan asked politely.
“My sister was the hero of the family. She was an inspiration not only to myself but many others on the island. She was kind and brave, and strong, and a little vulnerable too. Always determined to help others, no matter the cost.” A silence filled the car. Neela and Cordovan exchanged a brief look before Neela leaned forward. “What happened to her?” Leyla’s hand gripped the wheel tightly. She turned her head to look out the window, jaw clenching and unclenching before she spoke again. “She went missing. Most likely dead.”
“You don’t think there’s a possibility she’s alive?” “No,” Leyla was quick to say. “They’ve never confirmed it officially, but I know, I can feel it in my bones.” They were ominous words, but she sounded so certain of her sister’s fate, that it was hard to argue with her. That and with neither Neela or Cordovan barely knowing anything about the Noire family, it didn’t seem right to pry further.
The car journey went by in silence after that, and with the village centre not very far from the Noire home, it did not take long at all for them to reach their destination. After parking up, Leyla walked them to the centre of the village. Being only a small settlement, the village wasn’t very big, and most of the “shops” were, in fact, various market stalls offering a wide variety of items.
Leyla was quick to point out a few vendors who were worth talking to; those who generally seemed to attract the most newcomers or saw the most customers.
“You’ll want to speak with Mr Caswell too,” Leyla suggested, pointing to a larger building in the village. “He keeps track of all the records on the island after Leonie died. He might be able to give you better information on the Hargraves than I ever could. You could also try Lucina. And perhaps Robyn? They run the sole inn on the island.”
--
As Neela, Cordovan, and Leyla made their way through the village, they were unaware they had caught the attention of someone.
Sat at a cafe, quietly sipping a fruity beverage, a woman had recognised their voices - two of them at least. Lifting her head, it did not take her long for her gaze to fall upon the three. Her brow creased in annoyance, and she gripped her cup harder, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Grumbling in annoyance, she would retrieve some Lien from a back pocket, before making her exit. It was an underpayment, but it would take them a long time to realise that, and by that point, she would be long gone - long gone and already plotting to get rid of these children who seemed intent on ruining their hard work. They had gotten the better of her once, but she would not let that happen again. It was time for her revenge, and this time she would not play so nicely.
Team ZRCN would rue the day they made an enemy of Candy Cornel.
TEAM ZRCN ARC 2 - CHAPTER 8
Team ZRCN’s plans are thwarted once more by the arrival of Candy and Wisteria. Look out for the next chapter - it’s going to be a big one.
Many thanks to @neopoliitan who proofread for me again!
ZELDE
“So, how did it go?”
The Sewick woman had barely rounded a corner when her teammates directed a slew of questions her way. The four of them - six, if you counted Helia and Leyla’s supportive presence - had spent the day asking around the island for any information on the Hargrave family, and whether they had seen any new arrivals recently.
It was repetitive work, reminding Zelde of when the team had raided Verdant Storage and had to read through several months of bills and other paperwork -- at least the questioning of the Shizukana islanders came with the benefit of face-to-face interaction.
“Mr Caswell was happy to help, and procured a number of documents for me to read over, but unfortunately if it didn’t give us anything new, at least nothing new of value,” Zelde admitted, with a defeated shrug. “As the custodian of the village records, I was honestly hoping for something more.”
“I’m sorry he wasn’t able to offer much.” Leyla said in way of apology.
“It’s not your fault,” Zelde was quick to say, giving the woman an appreciative glance regardless. “We didn’t even know for certain whether we’d find a solid lead here, so you’re hardly to blame for when that came true.”
Xanthos held a contemplative expression as he stood opposite her. “It does seem a bit strange, there isn’t much about the family given their ties to the mine. It’s almost like someone was trying to cover things up, don’t you think?”
“Ravi, this is hardly the time for a conspiracy theory.” Zelde warned.
“I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to be honest,” Leyla admitted. When everyone looked at her in surprise she merely shrugged. “There were always rumours but never any solid proof. A lot of people began to suspect there was a big cover up going on, when those of us who lost family in the explosion were heavily compensated. Matters weren’t helped when someone noted that barely anyone on the mainland knew of what happened either, only that the mine had been “closed” indefinitely.”
“Well, that’s an unexpected angle to this story.” Cordovan mused.
“Could be worth looking into?” Neela suggested, glancing at Zelde to gauge her opinion on the matter.
“It’s an interesting theory, I’ll give you that. But like Leyla said, it’s just rumours.” Zelde said. It was true that it made for an interesting hypothesis - made even more plausible given the lack of detailed information on the Hargraves specifically. “We already have enough on our plates as it, trying to track down Farron and his men, I don’t want to waste any time chasing after rumours, at least not now anyways.”
A moment passed as Zelde gave the five people stood opposite her some time to digest her words. As she was about to speak again, she noticed the attention of Cordovan drawn to something behind her, followed by Xanthos and Neela, and lastly Leyla and Helia. Curious, Zelde turned, albeit slower than the others. Stood at the opposite end of the street was none other than Candy Cornell.
“I hear you’ve been looking for me?” Candy spoke, tilting her head to one side inquisitively. “Well, look no further, for here I am.” In her right hand, she held her weapon, which Zelde recognised from their warehouse battle weeks prior. Her lips curved into a smile, as she lifted her gun, and the first spray of bullets came.
Zelde narrowly avoided barreling into Leyla, as she, and the rest of her little group scrambled to avoid the attack. Cordovan used his semblance to throw up a small shield, but oddly, Candy didn’t seem to be aiming directly at them. Instead, she was aiming around them, at the houses and stalls still left out from earlier in the day, causing panic among the villagers who were outside at the time.
Despite this odd pattern of shooting, it did not stop her from chasing after them with a violent fury, when they attempted to run away. A return of fire from Cordovan and Zelde held her off for a moment, just long enough for the rest of their group to get into cover. Cordovan’s Braveheart - more powerful than Candy’s own weapon - quickly aimed a shot at the wall next to the woman, sending a shower of rubble down on her and giving the two of them to get into cover with the others. Of all the places they could have hid, they had chosen to hide behind the bar of one of those open front restaurants.
As the two of them vaulted over the counter, Xanthos gave a relieved sigh, pleased to see they were unharmed. His grey-yellow eyes snapped to Cordovan in particular. “Her gun seems faster than the last time, huh?”
“Hardly the time for chatting when we’re being shot at, Ravi,” Neela pointed out with a nervous laugh.
“Oh, but that’s the best time,” He said with a wink, though his voice betrayed the air of confidence he was aiming to give off. “Is she still out there?”
No sooner had he said that, the sound of gunfire could be heard again.
Cordovan shot him a look. “Does that answer your question?”
“I’ve got a plan,” Leyla suddenly declared, “Helia, you’re going to have to get them out of here and back to the house, okay?”
Helia looked uncertain. “And what about you? You’re not going to take her on are you? She has a gun, Leyla! You only have Valravn…”
“I have my semblance too,” Leyla pointed out, a trace of annoyance in her voice. She then gave Helia a light shove, urging her and the ZRCN towards the back door. “Go! I’ve got this.”
With some reluctance, the five of them fled, Helia lingering a moment longer to watch as Leyla vaulted back over the counter, and called out for Candy to come to her. They made their way down a back alley, before ending up on one of the main streets, Helia insistent that she knew the way back to Leyla’s home. They continued on their way until they were stopped by a curious sight. A woman was calmly walking in front of them, seemingly undeterred by the panic. She wore a purple floral print camisole, white trousers, and white sandals. An oversized straw hat sat atop her head shielding her from the late afternoon sun, and she was sipping at a blue drink in one hand.
Nearly, all of the other villagers had fled by now and returned to the safety of their homes by now, so it was curious to see someone still out and about, and walking so calmly at that.
“Miss, I think it would be better for you if you got off the street and got somewhere safe.” Cordovan implored, taking a step towards her.
The woman laughed. “I don’t think I will.” she said, tossing the drink to one side, and removing her hat making her identity all the more clear.
“Wisteria.” Zelde breathed, her voice barely audible.
“Stay behind me.” Helia took a step forward, ushering the team behind her with a wave of her hand. Zelde was the most reluctant to do so, but eventually relented. The green-haired woman calmly withdrew her katanas, eyes never once leaving the woman stood opposite. “You must be Wisteria.”
“Well isn’t this my lucky day,” Wisteria quipped, lips tugging into a playful smile. “The famous Helia Vines knows who I am. My reputation must precede me.” Green eyes studies Helia for a long moment. “You would not fight an unarmed woman would you, Helia?” She questioned, making a gesture to her lack of weapons. When Helia hesitated at this, Wisteria’s smile only grew. That was what she wanted.
And suddenly Wisteria was on her. It did not matter that she lacked a weapon, she was a gifted enough fighter to dance around Helia and her blades. The two women were fairly evenly matched, though Helia had a slight advantage due to her height and weapons. This might have been a problem for most people, but it actually seemed like Wisteria was enjoying the challenge, as her grin never seemed to leave her.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though Helia had the upper hand, especially when she made a sudden lunge for Wisteria, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Wisteria squirmed beneath her, lifted off the ground for a moment due to the height difference, until a well timed elbow to Helia’s gut, released her. The two women stepped apart, with Wisteria doing a front roll to get away from Helia’s grasp. But when she turned, Helia had seemingly disappeared having used her semblance to temporarily turn herself invisible and get away.
When Helia appeared once more, stood further back with ZRCN, the lilac haired woman seemed genuinely impressed. “Cute trick.”
It seemed as though she was set to lunge again until footsteps could be heard behind her and a rather battered-looking Candy appeared. Leyla was nowhere to be seen, however. “You still haven’t dealt with them yet?” Candy asked, casting her a withering look. “No matter, it seems it has fallen to me to end this instead.”
Wisteria flipped a bird at her, and the red-haired woman only rolled her eyes. The red-haired woman then reached for something she had concealed in one of her belt pouches - something which looked distinctly like a whistle. She gave the group a look before raising it to her lips.
“Let’s see how you fare against this!”
can I ask if you have any allusions for wlow or hnsa?
Hey, I sure do!
WLOW
Wren - Alludes to the Jenny Wren from ‘The Wedding of Robin Redbreast and Jenny Wren’ short story.
Lorelei - Based on the Germanic folklore character of the same name.
Olive - Alludes to the Greek titaness Theia.
Stanford - Alludes to Bernez from ‘The Stones of Plouhinec’ short story.
HNSA
Helia - Alludes to Helios, the god/personification of the sun in Greek myth. In myth he is said to be the son of Theia. Helia’s dual katanas also take their names from two of the horses who pulled Helios’s chariot.
Leyla - Alludes to Nyx, the goddess of the night in Greek myth.
Alcyone - Alludes to Bia, the personification of force, anger, and raw energy in Greek myth.
Anthea - Alludes to Alala, the personification of the war cry in Greek myth.
what happened to the members of wlow and hnsa?
Figured I'll start with HNSA since they've been mentioned more times in the fic.
HNSA
We know how Helia is doing so I'll leave her out for now
Leyla and Anthea are recovering following the attack on Shizukana. Like Helia, they're still broken up about what happened to Alcyone but they have each other to lean on so that helps - discounting their brief relationship they were always close. Anthea has taken to looking after Leyla as she was in a better state following the attack due to you know...not having a broken arm.
WLOW
Much like Helia, we know what happened to Wren as she appears frequently in the fic.
Lorelei is currently the only deceased member of WLOW, having died back in 64 AV. She didn't exactly have a very notable life but remained a huntress up until her death. She was briefly in a proper relationship with Stanford which resulted in triplets (they're around the same age as Helia) but ultimately the relationship broke apart because Lorelei wasn't that interested in maintaining it to be honest.
We've seen Olive in the fic before but little is known about what happened to her after WLOW split. She enjoyed a mildly successful career as a huntress as all her teammates did. She eventually took early retirement to focus on building a family with Chen, and now does odd jobs around Apex or helps her husband with his artwork.
Stanford is the lesser-known member of WLOW. Like his teammates he enjoyed a successful career as a huntsman, somehow managing to balance raising three kids by himself at the same time. Currently, Stan works as a professor at a combat school.