#sera leclair

[sustraiii]

TEAM ZRCN ARC 4 - CHAPTER 8

Oh you thought there wouldn’t be a plan?

HELIA

Lunging forward, Helia performed a precise, downward strike against the blocks using her katana. As they slipped to one side, disturbed by the slash, she imagined that she had successfully dealt with a Grimm. One sure and precise cut, and the job was done.

Taking a step back, Helia wiped her brow and admired her work. Her form was getting better, and she seemed to be improving using just one katana. It had been some time since her second katana had been damaged back on Shizukana, but even now it still felt strange to no longer reach for two when jumping into battle.

"Impressive." A voice behind her commended.

“Oh, hello, Elio,” Helia smiled warmly as she turned to face the man. He was propped in the doorway to the training room watching her. “Have you been there long?”

“Only for a minute or two,” He responded. “I hope you don’t mind me watching you work.”

“Of course I don’t mind.”

Elio stepped further into the room. “You know, one day you and I ought to have a proper spar together,” He mused. “Though I confess I’d be a little scared of challenging you.”

“Scared?” Helia laughed. “Why would you be scared?”

“Because I’d think you’d kick my ass,” He confessed.

“Really?” Helia said, unable to hide her surprise. “Even with your tactical genius semblance?”

“Yes, even with my semblance.” Elio smirked, a flush of colour creeping over his cheeks. He cleared his throat with a cough. “I thought you were training with Calantha today?”

“I was supposed to be,” Helia confirmed. “The kids are still taking what happened to Parson pretty hard.”

“Can’t fault them for that,” Elio said. “What happened at Astrolabe, what they witnessed...it was rough.”

“It was rough for all of us,” Helia said, giving Elio a knowing glance. She reached out and touched him gently on the shoulder. “How are you and the rest of the Mob Ops holding up?”

“We’ve certainly been better,” Elio admitted. “However, given the circumstances, I’d say we’re doing pretty well. Admittedly, it probably helps that we've had work to keep us distracted.”

“Just don’t let it distract you forever,” Helia advised. Elio nodded his head but said nothing else, leaving Helia to gather together her things, and slip her jacket on before she left for the Oxford’s house again. She had nearly walked through the doorway when Elio’s voice drew her back.

“Do you think Wisteria would actually follow through on what she said?”

Helia stopped and turned back on her heel to look at Elio. He had a contemplative expression on his features - one which seemed out of place for someone who was usually so carefree and relaxed. “What do you mean?” She asked.

“Do you think she would truly help us and then willingly surrender if we let her help with the Rossis?”

“Honestly I can’t say for certain. To me it always felt like you have to take what she says with a grain of salt,” Helia responded. She glanced at Elio and raised a brow, curious why he had suddenly bought her up. “Why did you want to know?”

“Just curious, I guess,” Elio responded, shrugging slightly as he did.

Elio didn’t say much else after that, so Helia bid him farewell, leaving him alone in the training room. As she walked back to the Oxford’s house, her mind kept wandering back to what Elio had asked her. She couldn't understand why he brought Wisteria up. As far as she was aware, after the recent interview ZRCN had conducted, Wren was still awaiting confirmation from General Ironwood on how to proceed. Had something changed since then?

Helia continued to think about this all the way back to the Oxford's house. She hadn't been inside long, when Sera approached her.

"Hi, Helia," The young woman greeted, giving her a small wave. Helia returned the gesture, and then looked at the woman curiously. She hadn't seen much of Sera since they had all arrived some weeks ago. Prior to Mira's capture, she had spent most of her time with her, but since then she had been spending most of her time with her fiancé.

"I've been told to bring you to the others," Sera explained when she noted Helia's curious expression.

"The others?" Helia raised a brow. "Do I have time to get changed?" She gestured to the fact she was still wearing her athletic outfit.

"I don't think it'll take long," Sera said.

Helia hesitated for a moment before agreeing to follow, letting Sera lead her to where the others were waiting. They walked through a part of the house Helia had not been to as of yet, passing by portraits of members of the Oxford family both past and present. She recognised a younger Gorman and Nerissa painted on their wedding day, a full body portrait of an imperious looking man whose eyes seemed to follow her as she walked past, more portraits of Nerissa, and finally a large painting of a woman who at first glance Helia mistook for Neela on account of their similar appearances and they fact the woman was holding a trident. It was only on second glance that she recognised the woman in the painting was clearly meant to be someone else.

Sera eventually led her to a room that was tucked away through an alcove, which she explained was Gorman's office. Helia stepped inside and was surprised to find all of ZRCN, Calantha, and Caspian awaiting within.

"Well I'll leave you to it," Sera said, doing a little bow as backed out of the room. "I hope the conversation goes well."

“Why do I feel like I’ve just walked in on some top secret meeting?” Helia asked, looking around at the assembled faces once Sera had left.

“It’s not - “ Xanthos began to speak only to pause and reconsider his words. “Actually, no you’re right, that’s exactly what this is.”

"We needed to talk to you," Cordovan explained. "It's important."

"Okay..." Helia said warily, taking a seat opposite on the sofa opposite of where ZRCN and Calantha were squashed together. Helia cast a glance at Caspian who was pacing in front of his father's desk. "Do you know what this is about?" She asked him.

"Oh, I know and I'm not happy about it," Caspian responded sharply. Helia noted that Neela seemed to be the target of his ire rather than her.

"You're just mad because you can't come," Neela snarkily.

Caspian opened his mouth to say something back to his sister, but fearing an argument would derail the conversation before it had even begun, Helia was quick to intervene. "How about you all tell me what's going on before we start arguing with each other?" She suggested.

Caspian huffed a little at this, but for what it was worth, he remained quiet whilst Zelde and Cordovan took turns explaining why it was they had asked to speak with her. Once they had finished explaining everything and answering a few follow up questions Helia had, she found herself staring at them with a dumbfounded expression.

"So let me get this straight," Helia began, "you want to break Wisteria out of her cell and the six of you - including Cala - plan on escorting her to the Rossi's base to take them down by yourselves?"

"That about sums it up, yeah," Xanthos nodded.

"And you're doing this based on what - trusting Wisteria's word?"

Cordovan looked around hesitantly, before responding. "We were hoping the odd behaviour she displayed at the Porfirio's warehouse coupled with her reaction when we interviewed her implies she truly wants to help."

"That seems like a bit of a stretch.”.

"I told you so," Caspian said.

Neela glared at him. "Not the time, Cas."

"I don't see why I can't help you too," Caspian continued. "I can handle myself in a fight, Mira's my sister -"

"You're not a huntsman, Cas," Neela warned.

"If we're being technical the only person who is a licensed huntress in this room is Helia," Caspian said, gesturing towards her. "And considering she seems reluctant to go with you, you should take me in her place, as I think you’ll need all the help you can get."

"No, no, no," Helia cut him off with a wave of the hand. "I'll go."

"Despite what my brother says, you don't actually have to come with us," Neela said. "At most we'd need you to cover for us for a few hours whilst we get Wisteria out of here."

"I'll go." Helia repeated.

"Are you certain?" Cordovan pressed. "Like Neela said -"

"I'll go," Helia said for a third time, giving Cordovan a sharp glance which quickly cut him off. "I don't approve of this plan, if you can even call it that, but I'm not letting you go by yourselves. I saw what just two of them did to my team and we were graduated and fully trained - I don't want to see the five of you fall to a similar fate or worse."

"So where does that leave me?" Caspian asked.

Neela sighed. "Cas, I appreciate you wanting to help, but I think you'd be too much of a risk if you came with us," She said. "I don't deny you're a skilled fighter and can handle yourself in combat, but you've never experienced anything like this."

Caspian still seemed a little annoyed at being told he couldn't come, but he seemed to be cooling off. "I suppose if anyone comes asking, I could cover for you…" Caspian suggested. "I don't have much to do with the military myself, but I could keep our parents off your back for a while."

"That'd be great," Neela smiled.

"When were you thinking of going through with this?" Helia questioned.

ZRCN and Calantha shared a nervous look between them. 

"Tonight." Zelde answered.

"Tonight?" Helia repeated. "Are you serious?"

"You didn't tell me it would be so soon either," Caspian said with a shake of his head.

"The sooner we act the better," Zelde said. "We can't afford to wait for much longer. Callaway, Rosie, and Mira are depending on us. Highpoint is depending on us."

Helia considered Zelde's words for a long moment, before giving a determined nod. "Well, if we're doing this, we best get ready," She said. Helia slapped her hands against her thighs before rising to her feet. She still didn’t approve of this plan, but like hell would she let them do this alone. She would not have another fatal loss on her hands.

The time had come - the Rossis were going down.

[sustraiii]

TEAM ZRCN ARC 3 - CHAPTER 12

The team is taking a much needed rest after the battle in the previous chapter. Also, we’re introduced to another ZRCN family - the Oxfords!

Many thanks to @neopoliitan for proofreading again!

ZELDE

It had been a day since ZRCN and the Mob Ops had dealt with the herd of Karkadan and Krypterons threatening the town of Highpoint. Little had happened after the Grimm had been defeated, discounting three pages of paperwork the team were assigned to complete. In the early hours of the following morning the base was contacted by Councilman Oxford, extending an invitation for them to come speak with him about the attack and security measures that had previously been discussed with the Mob Ops.

The meeting proved to be a source of curiosity for ZRCN as Councilman Oxford was none other than Neela's father. Zelde had never met him in person, but had a rough idea of the sort of man he was based on the numerous calls Neela had often made to her family at the academy. 

Though the invitation had been extended to everyone at the base, not everyone would be attending. Team ZRCN was not required to attend in its entirety, but Neela had practically insisted as it meant she could formally introduce them to her family. Of the Mob Ops, only Wren and Elio would be attending, along with Helia.

Whilst waiting for some of the group to get ready, Zelde found herself sat with Cordovan in the comms room, fiddling with her gun; her weapon had taken a bit of a hit in the battle yesterday - and despite several attempts to fix the issue, it was still refusing to fire. 

"It's most likely going to be something internal." Cordovan advised politely, reiterating a point he had made the day before. Zelde grumbled in response, and continued to fiddle before setting it down with a huff, hiding her face in her hands.

"This is just what we need in a time like this," She sighed, lifting her head out of her hands. 

"I could take a look at it for you, if you'd like." 

A voice cut in from the opposite side of the room. The offer came from Morgan, who was sat with Calantha, inputting information into a file on the screen. Zelde hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have another pair of eyes take a look at it."

Morgan closed the screen and he and Calantha came over to join them. Morgan held out his hand, and Zelde gave her weapon to him. Cordovan and Zelde both watched as he examined the weapon carefully. “I think Cordovan is right...” He said after a moment, “Besides some minor scratches and general wear, the outside of your weapon appears to be fine, meaning the issue is something internal. Since you will be meeting with Councilman Oxford today, I could try and fix it for you if you like?”

“That would be great. Thank you.” Zelde smiled.

“If you like I could also look into adding an attachment for you too.” Morgan offered.

“You can do that? I didn’t even think my pistol was built to allow upgrades.”

“Of course.” Morgan nodded - Zelde could have swore the man seemed to puff his chest out proudly. “Your weapon was based off of a carcass produced by Hollyhock Weapons Manufacturing, they have a tendency to allow on-the-fly modular additions. Now, speaking of attachments, what do you think would benefit you most? Based on your fighting style, I feel like a scoped attachment would be useful.”

There was a pause for Zelde to respond, but  Calantha jumped in before she could. 

“I think a bladed attachment would be more beneficial, actually.” Although she had spoken confidently, she seemed to shrink back in on herself when the attention was shifted to her. Morgan gestured for her to continue, after which Calantha launched herself into a lengthy explanation as to why a bladed attachment would balance out the team, and be better suited for Zelde. 

Weapons and Shop class had never been Zelde’s favourite subject at the academy, and so a lot of the terminology Calantha used seemed to fly right over her head. Even Cordovan - who always seemed to fare much better in that class - was looking lost. Only Morgan seemed to truly understand what was being said, as he was the only one to engage her in further questioning. By the time the rest of their group had readied themselves to meet with Councilman Oxford, Morgan and Calantha were still in a hearty discussion, though they had come to an agreement that a bladed attachment would be best, they were now locked in a debate over which type of blade would be best.

--

After reuniting with those who would be attending the meeting, Wren led them from the base and towards the heart of the town. As they walked, Zelde noted that there were a surprising amount of shops, restaurants, and bars lining the streets, which she deduced was in part due to the high density of college students who made their home in the town during the school year.

The group continued to walk through the town until they came to a stop at a bandstand, where a man was addressing a small audience.

It wasn’t hard to realise that the man speaking was Councilman Oxford. Even without the traits he shared with Neela - the same pale skin, and sky blue eyes - the neatly tailored suit, and the presence of two guards flanking his side were a dead giveaway. 

It seemed the current topic of conversation was the Grimm attack that had occured the day before, with Councilman Oxford calmly alleviating the concerns of the gathered citizens, who were clearly worked up at the growing threat.

“The rise of Grimm attacks is, of course, as much a concern to me as it is to anyone else. With resources from Atlas few and far between in recent months, we must continue to operate as we have for weeks now. It is not a pleasant thing to hear, but we will be continuing to triage supplies and resources to the most vulnerable parts of the city, at least until the agreed upon support from our Mistrali allies arrive.” He would explain to the crowd. “If any of you are in need of any further support, I request that you do not hesitate to seek help from me or my family. We have set aside a considerable amount of funds to help those less fortunate in this difficult time.”

Councilman Oxford paused to arrange some papers on the podium in front of him. When he lifted his head, he seemed to take notice of the group among those gathered. “I’m afraid that is where we will be wrapping it up for today everyone,” He said with a shy smile, “I thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any further queries, please feel free to reach out to me or my team. Thank you and goodbye.”

With a small wave, Councilman Oxford wrapped up the meeting and the crowds began to disperse. As he stepped down from the bandstand, a middle-aged woman hurried over to him, giving an affectionate kiss on the cheek. With the same blue hair as Neela, she was clearly the man’s wife and Neela’s mother.

The two of them walked hand-in-hand as they approached the group, only breaking apart when Neela rushed forward to be embraced by the two of them. It was touching seeing her teammate reunite with her parents, but Zelde couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy at the sight of them. 

When they broke apart, Wren stepped forward, offering out a hand in greeting. “That was a wonderful speech, Councilman Oxford.”

“Oh, there’s no need to be so formal,” Oxford grinned, as he returned the gesture, shaking her hand with vigour. “Gorman will do just fine.” Neela’s father then took the opportunity to introduce himself to the rest of the group, before introducing Neela’s mother, Nerissa to them.

In return, they all introduced themselves, save for Elio as they were already familiar with one another. When Cordovan introduced himself last and revealed he was Wren’s son, Gorman and his wife shared a surprised glance between themselves.

“I never would have guessed our children would be on the same team,” Gorman laughed after a moment. “I knew there was a reason I liked you when we first met. Besides, of course, the fact you are an excellent negotiator.”

“Please don’t mind my husband,” Nerissa said with a smile, giving her husband a playful smack on the arm. “He always was a charmer.”

“And my wife would know best, since we’ve been happily married nearly thirty years.”

Nerissa rolled her eyes playfully, earning another laugh. When he stopped laughing, he clapped his hands together. “So, shall we continue this conversation at my house?”

“If you wish,” Wren shrugged.

“What, did you think I would be conducting my business out in the cold?” He questioned.

“Doesn’t feel that cold to me,” Xanthos chimed in. “Which is surprising since you don’t appear to have any generators warming the town like Atlas does.”

“Highpoint was built over a giant fire dust mine,” Gorman explained. “So it’s naturally a bit warmer here. It’s been closed since I was a young boy as it couldn’t keep up with the competition from the Schnees. Not that it ever stopped teenagers from sneaking inside and trying to break off small crystals as a test of worth when I was growing up.”

“Not that you would know anything about that, right Gorman?” Nerissa prompted.

“No, of course not,” Gorman responded - but the sheepish expression he gave his wife told Zelde it was very likely that Gorman had taken part in such hazing.

Not long after, transport was hailed to their location, and everyone piled inside before heading out to the Oxford manor. Neela's home was an impressive, three storied building, sitting within the shadow of Astrolabe University - with which the Oxford family were so closely linked. Zelde had believed her own home was large and decadent, but Neela's home put her own to shame, being close to two or three times the size of hers.

Much like when they first arrived at Zelde's home, Xanthos was quick to exclaim his awe at the size of the place, a feeling that was shared by Elio. Unlike her own parents - or at the very least, her mother - the Oxfords found the comments quite amusing.

"You'd be surprised how many times we hear such things," Gorman explained, when Wren gave them an apologetic glance for Elio's outburst.

"Neela, dear, why don't you go and find your brother whilst we have some food and drinks prepared for all of you?" Nerissa suggested. "If he's anywhere, he'll be in the training room."

Neela nodded her head in agreement, and with a wave of her hand, gestured for ZRCN to follow her. As she led them through the house, Zelde took note of numerous portraits of blue haired individuals lining the walls, and the exquisitely decorated rooms.

Eventually they came to a pair of finely carved wooden doors, which opened into what could only be described as an indoor training room. It was a large and expansive room, with sparse decor, save for a small seating area opposite the entrance. The whole room was illuminated by natural light pouring in from a glass rooftop. 

Currently, a young man and woman were sparring on the floor. Both were wearing similarly designed athletic outfits, but were as different from each other in appearance wise as you could get. The man was very obviously Neela’s brother. He had choppy blue hair the same colour as Neela, as well as the same sky blue eyes. The woman sparring with him was tall and slender, with light brown skin, darker brown hair she wore in a long ponytail, and hazel coloured eyes. The woman fought with a sabre, whereas Neela’s brother fought with a pair of thin bladed weapons, which curved into hooks at the end. 

There was one other person in the room with them too. Although the resemblance was obvious, Zelde was certain she had to be Neela’s sister, based on the same dark blue-black she shared with Gorman. She appeared to be acting as a referee of sorts, judging by how intently she watched the two sparring. She was also the first to notice the group in the doorway and interrupted the fight by announcing their presence.

“It seems we have some guests.”

At her words, the two of them ceased their fighting and looked over in the group’s direction. Whilst the young woman appeared curious, she didn’t hurry to approach them. Neela’s brother practically darted across the room, and headed straight for Neela, who he proceeded to envelop her into a tight hug that lifted her off her feet.

“Oh, Harebell, it’s good to see you again!” He smiled warmly.

“Ugh, Cas, don’t call me ‘Harebell’, I’m not five anymore,” Neela said with a small groan. 

“Mhm, we’ll see,” He said with a wink, before letting her down and stepping aside. “So, are you going to introduce us all?”

Neela turned back to her team. “Everyone, this is my brother, Caspian Oxford.”

When Xanthos began to introduce himself, Caspian quickly waved him off, already explaining he knew who everyone was from the calls he had shared with Neela. Regrettably, Zelde did not know as much about Neela’s brother as he seemed to know about them. In fact, she hadn’t even known his name until now. The only thing she did know was that he had once aspired to be a huntsman himself before dropping out.

At that point, the two women had come over to join them, and from being this close to her, Zelde could see the girl she believed to Neela and Caspian’s sister had the same indigo coloured eyes as their mother.

She gave Neela a short hug, but it seemed less warm and inviting than Caspian’s had. She then offered out a hand for one of ZRCN to shake. “A pleasure to meet you all,” She began. “My name is Mirela Oxford, but everyone just calls me Mira. I’m Caspian and Neela’s elder sister.”

“And my name is Seraphina LeClair, but everyone calls me Sera!” The other woman loudly introduced, almost imitating yet mocking Mira’s introduction as she did so. 

“Sera’s not technically our sister, but mom and dad have practically raised her with us since she was little,” Caspian explained. “She’s certainly annoying like a sister though.”

“Thanks, Cas, I love you too,” Sera laughed, before hooking an arm over his shoulder.

Mira watched them with an unflinching gaze, before turning back to the group. “I hear you are supposed to be meeting with father, correct? "She asked, looking at Neela in particular.

“Yes, but he was just preparing some things for us,” Neela explained.

Mira made an unamused face. “Well, you would do well not to keep him waiting,” She advised. “As nice as this reunion has been, father took the time out of his busy schedule, you shouldn’t waste all that time speaking to Caspian when you can easily catch up on another day now that you're here.”

“I suppose,” Neela said with a shrug. “But I doubt we’d be able to offer much input about what’s being discussed, so there’s no real hurry.”

Mira didn’t seem particularly satisfied with that answer. So opted to take matters into her own hands. She ushered Caspian and Sera away from the group, encouraging them to continue their training, before gesturing the team to follow her through the doors they had entered. “Follow me,” She instructed, beckoning them with a wave of her hand. “I will take you to father myself.”