HELIA

"I mean you've got to have some crazy stories right?"

Helia smirked into her cup of tea, then took a long sip before responding to the question. "I don't know what you're implying, Elio." She teased.

"No crazy fans? No crazy Grimm battles?" Elio pressed. "Come on, I bet you have some stories to tell."

"Not everyone has such a colourful life as you," Cherry laughed, nudging Elio in the side.

"Colourful is a bit of an understatement,” Morgan quipped, not looking up from where he was tinkering away on what looked to be Calantha’s armour.

“To answer your question - no, I do not have any crazy fans,” Helia responded, smiling slightly when she noticed that Elio seemed disappointed to hear that this was the case. “However, I do have a few crazy stories under my belt. There was one time in Higanbana that was particularly wild if I do say so myself.”

Elio leaned forward in interest. “Oh, do go on.”

Spurred on by Elio’s words, and further encouraged by the captive audience she had in Cherry and Calantha, Helia began to retell the events of what happened when her team had stopped in the town of Higanbana. 

It was one of the last good memories she had of her team before growing tension had forced them apart. They were on their way back to Mistral following a mission in Shion when they had chosen to stop and rest. The journey back was taking longer than expected, hampered by Anthea having hurt her ankle, but they knew the village had an inn as they had passed through it on their initial journey. It seemed like a reasonable place to rest up. 

In the end, it had turned out to be a good job they had stopped there - as only a few hours later the village had to contend with a large Archelon that had come up from the nearby river and had nearly bitten some poor teen’s arm off. 

A long, tiresome battle between HNSA and the Archelon had soon followed, and after nearly two hours, they finally succeeded in defeating it. The Archelon had been a troublesome Grimm to deal with; its hard shell leaving it with only a few precise places to truly wound it. There was also its slightly hooked mouth to contend with, which made it nigh on impossible for anyone other than Anthea using her crossbow to hit it, until Leyla was able to successfully use her semblance to restrain it long enough for Alcyone and Helia to finish it off.

As she wrapped up her tale, there was a hint of sadness behind her words, the pain of Alcyone’s still recent passing rising up again. When tears threatened to form, she looked away, and made a hasty apology for almost crying.

“It’s okay,” Elio said, in a surprisingly soothing voice. He reached across and held her hand gently for a moment. “You don’t have to apologise.”

Helia smiled back at him in gratitude and took a moment to calm herself again with a steadying breath. She had just settled back down when Wren returned to the base with ZRCN in tow. She had received a call earlier in the morning and had left in a hurry soon after. Elio had tried to pry some information from Parson, teasing the man over the kiss he had shared with Wren the night before in an effort to get some information out of him, but he seemed to know just as little as the rest of them.

Wren and ZRCN entered the communications room and Helia noted that they appeared to be missing a member as Xanthos was nowhere to be seen. Clearly, she was not the only one who noticed as Elio was quick to ask in a light tone, “Where’s Ravindra? Don’t tell me he’s still in bed.”

“He’s on his way with Captain Bougainvillea,” Wren responded sharply. Helia was not used to such a tone from the older woman, so she would have been lying if she said she hadn’t been a little startled. Looking up at her, Helia could see the older woman appeared on edge, and it was only then that she realised the members of ZRCN who were present also appeared to look unsettled. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the other Mob Ops either; Elio had promptly gone quiet following Wren’s response,  he and the others all now looking directly at their leader, curious about her sudden change in attitude. 

Despite some questioning looks from her teammates Wren said nothing and remained silent until the aforementioned arrival of Captain Bougainvillea with Xanthos in tow. When the two of them appeared, Helia suddenly had a good idea what had rattled everyone so much.

Xanthos was still wearing his formal clothes from the night before, only he was now down a jacket, his tie hung haphazardly around his neck, and the left sleeve had been torn at the shoulder.

“What even...What happened to him?” Morgan asked, following a sharp intake of breath.

“A member of staff at the university found him pretty banged up in one of the broom closets,” Carmen explained, looking at Xanthos as she spoke. “One of the medical staff checked him over and he was given the all clear - just a little dazed if anything.” Carmen smiled weakly before looking at Wren, a more serious expression taking hold. “You’ll want to hear what he has to say.”

She gestured for Xanthos to speak, but he appeared hesitant, and for a moment struggled to meet Wren’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” He finally said. “I really tried to stop them, but I failed…”

“What are you sorry for?” Wren asked.

“They took her - Belleza and Miho took Rosie!” Xanthos responded, a mix of anger and frustration in his voice. His gaze shifted over to Neela. “They took your sister too. Mira tried to help me, but she was caught in the battle and they took her with them.”

Neela blinked. “Ravi-”

But Xanthos had already turned away and was looking back at Wren. “I should have been able to do more, to put up more of a fight. They caught me off guard, and now because of me we might have lost them both!”

Wren’s expression softened considerably upon hearing his confession, and Helia watched as she stepped forward and gave him a small embrace. “It’s alright, Xanthos,” She told him as she pulled away. 

“But…” He began to stammer.

“No buts,” Wren cut him off. “You did what you could at the time, and that’s all I can ask.”

“So what do we do now?” Parson asked. He rose from his chair and came to stand by Wren, resting a hand on her shoulder. Before Wren could even give an answer, it was Calantha who spoke up first.

“We could call Belle.” Was her suggestion, holding her modified scroll in one hand for emphasis.

“You’re able to call her?” Cherry asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes?”

“And you didn’t tell us this before?”

“It’s alright Cherry, I already knew,” Wren cut in, getting the other woman to stand down from her line of questioning. “The General and I both are aware she has a line of contact to her sisters. Numerous attempts were made to reach out to them before and after we left Atlas, but our calls were all ignored.”

“So why would she answer now?” Morgan questioned.

“Because she has something we want,” Calantha responded grimly. 

The room fell silent after that, nobody appearing to know what to say or what to do, until finally Helia heard Wren speak again.

“Call her. And put her on speaker.”

Calantha nodded and tapped away on her scroll quickly, before placing it in the centre of the table where she was sat with Helia, Elio, and Cherry. Like everyone else, Helia watched as the scroll rang, waiting for the telltale noise the call had been connected. When the familiar click occurred, Helia was not alone in inhaling sharply.

“Helllooooooooooooooo,” Belleza Rossi’s voice rang out across the room. “Is that you, little lamb?”

Calantha hesitated. “It is.”

“Oh good, I was expecting a call from you soon. I’ve been waiting for my scroll for hours now for it to come in.” She laughed loudly. “Is Major Honeycutt there too?”

Wren leaned in close to the scroll. “I’m here,” She answered simply. “We’re all here.”

“How nice for you,” Belleza responded, her voice oozing with fake sweetness. “You must be calling about those items I have, correct?”

“They’re not items, they’re people,” Wren scolded.

“Mind your tone, major,” Belleza warned. 

“We do not appreciate these games, Miss Rossi,” Wren pressed on. “We want Mira and Rosie back safe now.”

“Does that mean I get to keep the other one?”

Helia looked up, catching Cherry silently mouth “Other one?” in the direction of Elio and Morgan, who shrugged in response. 

“I don’t follow.”

There was a ping sound on the scroll as another message came through. Wren was quick to give her consent, and Calantha leaned forward, tapping a few buttons on the screen to open the message, which turned out to be an image attachment, and opened it up. Helia studied the screen intently as a silver haired boy appeared on it. She did not recognise him, but it was very clear that all of ZRCN did, none more so than Zelde.

“That’s my brother!” She blurted out, which quickly answered any questions Helia and the others had over his identity. “But that’s impossible. He’s in Atlas right now.”

“He was in Atlas,” Belleza corrected, having heard Zelde’s comment through the scroll. “He was a little gift we picked up just before we left for Highpoint. I would have thought by now his parents might have filed a report for him, but we’ve heard nothing.” There was a pause before she could be heard snickering. “And here I was thinking I had parental problems.”

Although Zelde was standing far away from her, Helia could sense her tension from the other side of the room. On either side of her, Zelde was flanked by Cordovan and Neela, who pressed against her in a comforting manner. Helia could not imagine what it felt like to find out your brother had been held in the clutches of Belleza Rossi for all this time.

“We want them all back,” Wren said into the scroll. “Do you hear me? All of them.”

“I hear you loud and clear,” Belleza responded. “And you can have them all back. But first you can do something for me.”

“No.”

“You haven’t even heard what I have to say yet!” Belleza protested.

Wren groaned loudly. “Go on.”

“Wise choice,” Belleza said, as though agreeing to hear her terms was some great decision. “I have something you want, and you have something I want - or rather my sister wants - so it stands to reason we can resolve all of this with a simple trade.”

“I’m not-”

“You don’t get the deciding vote here,” Belleza said sharply, cutting Wren off before she could finish. “Calantha, are you listening?” 

Helia looked up at Calantha, and noticed how rigid she had become.

“You know I couldn’t care less where you are and what you are doing right now,” Belleza began, her words implying she was speaking solely to Calantha at this point. “But Bianca...she misses you dearly. She blames me for you leaving naturally, even though I’ve told her time and again, you made that choice on your own.” Belleza let out an exaggerated sigh. “Come home, Cala. Bianca misses you and I know you miss her too. Come back to Olympia with me and I’ll let the others walk free.”

“What if I say no?” Calantha asked.

“No?” Belleza repeated. “No?” By the tone she used, she hadn’t even considered this to be an option from her sister. “If you say no, then it's quite simple - they come home with me instead.” There was a long pause before she added, “Since you seem unable to make a decision right now, I have decided to be generous and give you some time to think things over. You can have forty-eight hours. And if I don’t hear anything from you by then, I will take that as your answer. Goodbye for now, Calantha. I hope to see from you soon.”

“Wait!” Wren called. “Are they safe? Is Rosie-”

But Belleza had already hung up before Wren could get her answer. Wren placed her hands on the table, and lowered her head, sighing softly to herself.

Fresh from their first appearance in the fic here they are - the Mob Ops in all their glory as drawn by @neopoliitan (thanks again pal!).Look forward to them sticking around throughout the rest of arc 3!

CORDOVAN

Cordovan stood silently, watching Wisteria through a glass window separating the corridor to the interview room where the other was sitting cuffed to a table. 

Wren had asked her to be brought  out of her cell to answer some questions regarding the incident the day before, but so far, Wisteria had said nothing, only answering to the simple questions which provided little in the way of the information his mother was looking for. Cordovan questioned whether she would even answer them at all. From what he knew of her, she didn't strike him as the sort to just willingly roll over and comply. Then again, she hadn't quite been herself yesterday. She had barely engaged in the fight yesterday, and when she had, she seemed to lack the usual vivacity he was used to her showing. Not that it made fighting her any easier; even though she had posed little threat to him that day, it had been hard to shift the thoughts of what had happened the last time they had met.

In the room opposite, Wisteria finally leaned forward to pick up the cup of water Cherry had given to her along with a sandwich only minutes earlier. Due to being cuffed, the action it took to drink the water was clumsy, and some of it dripped down her chin. Cherry seemed surprisingly patient during all of this, given that she had been sat with her for nearly two hours.

"Ah, there you are, your mother asked me to find you," A voice sounded from the left, and Cordovan turned his head to see Parson walking down the corridor towards him. "Mr Oxford and Captain Bougainvillea have arrived to talk about what happened yesterday." Parson paused and Cordovan was aware of the older man studying him intently. "Are you alright?"

Cordovan didn't respond at first, too consumed by his thoughts and studying Wisteria in the room opposite. Parson's hand on his shoulder was finally able to bring him back to reality. "Cordovan?"

"Sorry," Cordovan was quick to say, flashing the man an apologetic look. "I'm fine it's just hard being so close to her and not think back on things."

"You don't need to apologise to me," Parson said, squeezing his shoulder a little tighter. "It's understandable you're still feeling a little conflicted about the whole situation. Just remember what I told you, yeah? If your mind starts to bother you, do those breathing exercises, just like I taught you. And if you need an impartial ear to vent to, I'm willing to listen."

Cordovan nodded, smiling appreciatively at the older man. It was hard to admit for him, but he still had several issues to work through in his life. The foremost of which were his conflicted feelings toward Wisteria, which continued to deeply affect his life and ability to carry out his duties as a huntsman-in-training. Training with Parson the past few days had been helping him work through some of those issues, even if it was just scratching the surface. Truth be told, Cordovan didn't know if he was ready to confront his trauma yet, but it was reassuring that he had someone like Parson to help guide him through it when he was ready.

Leaving Wisteria and Cherry alone in the interview room, Parson led him to where Wren was waiting for them with Gorman and Captain Bougainvillea, passing by Helia working on some stances with Calantha in the training room.

They found Wren waiting for them in her private office, huddled together expectantly. Morgan was also present in the room, which Cordovan noted made sense as he had been present at the factory yesterday. He moved to stand on the same side of the room as his mother, Parson, and Morgan.

"Glad we could all make it," Captain Bougainvillea smiled. "You look better than when I last saw you yesterday."

He had only met the head of Highpoint security yesterday, but she seemed like a pleasant enough woman. She was of a similar age to Parson and his mother, had light brown skin, and straight dark brown almost hair that fell past her shoulders. She was efficient at her job, with a firm but fair attitude, and a persistent work ethic. Cordovan got the impression that she was a woman who liked to see things through to the end.

"My apologies for the delay, Wren," Gorman began, straightening his tie as he spoke. "I know you wished to speak about matters yesterday, but as you might imagine, Heath Porfirio, had a lot to talk about."

"It's no problem, Gorman," Wren said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I am just glad we could discuss things sooner rather than later. Please give my apologies to Mr Porfirio the next time you see him, it was never my intention that our alliance with the security team would result in quite such destruction."

"To be fair to our little group from yesterday, when I asked for their help I did not believe we'd be engaging in such a fight," Captain Bougainvillea admitted. "My intel only told me about suspected suspicious activity, not that the Porfirio's place of business had been fully infiltrated by this - what was their name again? - Rossi family."

"To be fair Carmen, I don't think any of us suspected it either," Parson pointed out.

“Heath has already been proclaiming his innocence,” Gorman said, drawing the attention back to him. “He claims to have had no idea about anyone infiltrating his business. He and I do not always see eye to eye, but I am inclined to believe him.”

“As am I,” Carmen agreed, speaking directly to Wren as she did so. "Mr Porfirio's attitude may leave something to be desired at times, as does his daughter we dealt with yesterday, but I have lived in Highpoint for all my life and have known him for just as long. He is an honest man, and certainly not the sort to willingly align himself with people like that."

Cordovan watched his mother closely as she absorbed this information, curious what she thought of their opinions. He had met Heath Porfirio once before, and whilst he had a neutral opinion of the man himself, Cordovan knew that Neela trusted him and that was good enough for him. 

Seemingly, the assurances of Carmen and Gorman were enough for his mother too, as she conceded to agree to not class him as a person of interest in the battle. Moving on, she asked Carmen if the security team had found any traces of the Rossi's and their people after the battle. 

“During our initial search of the area after the battle, we did find a discarded set of clothes. Judging by the burn marks, I’d hazard a guess it was from the individual who got caught up in that dust explosion they used to escape.” Carmen responded to her question.

“Their name is Sparrow,” Cordovan said quickly, when the name suddenly came to him. He could recall them from the attack on his home some weeks before, where they had grappled with Helia, using their speed and quick jabs to keep the older huntress on her toes. Having seen them in battle twice now, Cordovan got the impression that they were not usually the sort to engage in battle and were better suited to a more supportive or evasive fighting style.

"And do you know the name of the woman who triggered the explosion?" Carmen asked, turning towards him.

Cordovan nodded. "I believe her name is Miho Ryuzaki. You'd be better asking Calantha for a more concise answer, as she knows more about them."

"Calantha?"

"Calantha Rossi," Wren answered for him. Judging by the surprised looks on Carmen and Gorman's faces, neither knew about her presence at the base.

"I was not aware you had a member of that family staying with you," Gorman mused. Judging by his tone of voice, Cordovan got the impression that he was unsure what to make of this.

"Similar to the situation with Wisteria, Miss Rossi was entrusted to be watched over by my team by General Ironwood due to her involvement in several active and inactive cases that are of interest to the military," Wren explained, trying to keep the situation calm. She turned to Carmen as she added, "However, unlike Wisteria, you do have permission to question her independently from our alliance with the security team. But you will only do so if Miss Rossi consents, and if one of my team is present during any proposed interview."

Carmen considered this for a moment before nodding to show she understood. "I believe our current situation works fine for the time being. However, I would like any information on those involved in the attack yesterday."

"Of course," Wren nodded. "Morgan, would you be so kind as to help provide Captain Bougainvillea with the appropriate information?"

"Not at all," Morgan said, smiling politely at Carmen. "Captain Bougainvillea, please follow me."

Morgan moved from his side of the room and over to the door, holding it open and gesturing for Carmen to follow him. She gave a quick farewell to Gorman and the others before quietly following Morgan out of the room.

Gorman fiddled with his blazer before looking up at Wren. "I know you promised to relay any information to Carmen if and when it comes out, but I must ask, has Wisteria shown any signs of talking yet?" There was a pause as his gaze moved between Cordovan and his mother. "And I'm not just asking this as a councilman but rather a father. No doubt you're familiar with the situation given what happened to your son, but I will remind you that my daughter was kidnapped by her group all those months ago, and they attempted to ransom her back in an effort to extort money from my family."

Cordovan tensed at the mention of the night, but relaxed when his mother touched his arm. Gorman noticed the gesture, and looked apologetically at Cordovan, who in turn gave a small nod to show he was alright once the moment had passed.

“Unfortunately, Miss Bloome has shown little in the way of cooperation so far,” Wren admitted. “We will continue to hold her until I am satisfied my line of questioning is complete, or unless the General requests I bring her to Atlas.” His mother’s expression softened as she added, “I assure you Gorman - you will be among the first to know of any changes.”

“Thank you,” Gorman smiled. When his smile faded, he looked as though he had something else to say, but was torn between broaching the topic or not. “Whilst I’m here there was actually another topic I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Go on.”

“It’s about the Ball,” Gorman said.

“The Ball?” His mother echoed, clearly a little take aback.

“Yes, it's the annual dance we host at-”

“No, no, I’m aware of what the Astrolabe Ball is,” Wren said, cutting him off quickly. “I was just curious why you brought it up? It isn’t my place to decide whether it takes place or not.”

“Well, given the current situation we find ourselves in, I could understand if you thought it to be great of a security risk,” Gorman pointed out. “We have already had to put the event off for a few weeks due to resource issues, but I think that given the year we’ve all had, we could all enjoy something like the dance to brighten our spirits.”

Wren gestured for Parson to lean close to her, and the two of them had a whispered conversation, which Cordovan was too far away to make out any words. When they had finished, it was Parson who next addressed Gorman. “Do you have any security in place at the University for when the dance would take place?”

“Usually we have one or two members of the security team stationed at the school as a precaution,” Gorman responded.

Parson and Wren shared a glance before nodding their heads in sync. “I have a proposition for,” Wren said. When Gorman nodded his head for her to continue, she revealed the details of this aforementioned proposition. Cordovan listened as his mother suggested they wait for a week to see how events at the Porfirio’s factory would play out and see if anything came of it. If a week passed without issue Gorman could formally announce that the Ball was going to take place. As an extra precaution, Wren even offered up the services of the Mob Ops to help keep the place secure if Gorman was still concerned about a heightened security risk. 

Gorman rubbed his chin in thought before nodding his head sharply. “I would need to repeat your proposition to the board of governors for the school, but I think your proposition will go down well.” He smiled and proceeded to extend out a hand for Wren to shake. “It’s been a pleasure as always, Wren. Now if you excuse me I must go and find Carmen again.”

“Is a dance really wise?” Cordovan asked his mother, once he could no longer hear the sound of Gorman walking away. “Considering their previous actions, I doubt the Rossi’s would just drop everything so that we can enjoy a dance.”

CORDOVAN

Dazed and confused, Cordovan pushed his way through the debris. Dust and rubble was still falling down and around him, and he was cautious not to disturb it anymore than necessary, lest any of the remaining walls started to collapse. 

He and Parson had been further away from the blast, but that hadn't prevented them from being caught as walls around them cracked and crumbled, and the shockwave struck them. But Zelde had been closer and it was she that Cordovan was trying to reach. 

Cordovan tried to remain focused on the task of getting to Zelde, trying to push out all other thoughts from his mind, but they were starting to overpower him. A wailing fire alarm, flashing red light, the hissing of a sprinkler system and the smell of nearby burning were reminding him too much of the night on Shizukana when he had lost his leg. His heart was hammering in his chest, threatening to shatter his ribs as it tried to expel itself, and despite wanting to find Zelde he could feel the anxiety digging in, clouding his thoughts and making it so that was all he could think of was that night. So powerful was this sensation, Cordovan dropped to his knees, his body trembling in fear.

Breathe, he willed himself, as he struggled to steady his breathing. Breathe!

Cordovan covered his ears with his hands, hoping that if he could try and block out the sounds, it might have calmed him down. Whilst it did work for a moment, a second explosion echoed in the distance, and set him off again. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Cordovan."

He heard someone calling out to him, but he was too trapped in his mind to acknowledge it.

"Cordovan." This time the voice was firmer and followed with a gentle touch on his shoulder, which made him turn. Parson was standing behind him, holding his arm over his blood-stained abdomen. Heavy bags hung below his eyes, and his Atlesian uniform had been torn by debris. Cordovan had told him to wait behind in the corridor, one of the few places that was relatively safe and secure. 

"Come back and take a breather, Cor, you're not helping anybody in this state."

"No," Cordovan said stubbornly, between his shaky breaths. "I have...to get to...Zelde."

"I understand that, but look at yourself, you can barely breathe." Parson said, crouching down with some effort. The obvious pain he was in did not go unnoticed by Cordovan.

"I'm...fine," Cordovan protested. "Worry about yourself."

Parson made a small grunt. "You'll thank me for this later."

With even more effort, not helped by Cordovan thrashing in defiance, Parson attempted to pull him back into the corridor. Something must have been severely wrong with him, as he stumbled backward a little, wincing as pain coursed through his body.

Despite Cordovan's earlier protests about not moving, seeing Parson clearly struggling was enough to get him back to his feet, and help lead him back to the corridor, which did help distract him for the moment. 

Once in the corridor, Parson staggered to and supported himself against the wall, making a horrible coughing sound. He tried to suppress it, but was not quick enough to hide the red spittle he had expelled onto his torn sleeve.

"Are you alright?" Cordovan asked.

Parson turned so that his back was against the wall and gave Cordovan a weak smile. "I'm good," He assured him, though Cordovan seemed doubtful. They had both used their semblances to endure some of the debris, but when the shockwave had followed Parson had been knocked back hard, and seeing him now Cordovan could only begin to wonder what kind of internal damage had been done.

“I’m going back for Zelde,” Cordovan told him.

“You should wait for backup,” Parson wheezed, clearly determined from seeing off again.

“We don’t even know if backup is coming!” Cordovan argued, recalling that when Parson had tried to reach out through his earpiece he had been met by static.. “And if it’s not...then I don’t want her to be alone.”

He clenched a fist and decided he was going back in with or without Parson’s approval. Ignoring the man’s weak pleas to stay behind, he pushed on ahead, carefully clearing the debris as he made his way to the room where Zelde had been. It had thankfully held up better than the room Cordovan and Parson had been stationed in, but still sat in ruins regardless.

It only took him a moment to find Zelde - and when he did, his heart sank.

“Zelde?” He called out only to be met with silence in response.

She lay face down on the floor, dust covering her hair and clothes from head to toe, and it looked as though a piece of the roofing was responsible for her current unconscious state. Cordovan rushed over to her, kneeling beside her, before very carefully rolling her over. Not only was she covered in dust on this side as well, but blood too. It had streamed down the left side of her face from a cut on her forehead which extended down onto her eyebrow.

Gently, Cordovan cupped the side of her face that was free from the blood, holding it there for a moment and sighing  when he felt her stir. Slowly her grey eyes blinked open, stared at him for a moment before relief filled her eyes.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” He said softly.

However, no sooner had he said those words, did the relief in Zelde’s eyes shift to pure panic. She sat up with alarming speed, and started babbling out what could only be described as complete nonsense amid deep, rapid breaths. 

“Zelde!” Cordovan gripped her shoulders, holding her still for a moment until she calmed down. “What’s wrong?”

She stared at him for a long moment, before tears filled in her eyes. “I can’t hear you. There’s-- there’s so much ringing, I can’t...”

Cordovan nodded his head in understanding. “We have to move,” He told her, making sure she was looking at him as he spoke, hoping she could read his lips. “It isn’t safe for us to stay here. Do you think you can move?” 

Zelde nodded. Cordovan rose to his feet first, and then helped Zelde stand up, letting her take a few steps forward to ensure she could move. When he was satisfied she could, he helped guide her back to the corridor, making sure he was never far from her. If she couldn’t hear him talking, then she certainly wouldn’t hear any falling rubble.

It was a slow process, but they were able to make it through safely, with Cordovan guiding her the rest of the way. He stepped through into the corridor first, before turning back to her and holding out his hand for her to take so that she could make it safely through.

“Parson?” 

The concern in Zelde’s voice made Cordovan turn around quickly, and panic began to set in again once he saw the state Parson was in. He was sitting down on the floor now, his back against the wall, and his eyes were closed. He looked notably worse than how he had been when Cordovan had first left him.

He took a cautious step towards the man and crouched. Cordovan reached for one of his hands and shuddered at how cold it was. The movement did seem to wake Parson up at least, as his eyes snapped open moments later.

He studied Cordovan for a moment, before slowly turning his head and looking at Zelde. “You found her,” Parson said softly. The older man gestured for her to come close. “Are you alright, Zelde?”

“She can’t hear you,” Cordovan explained, when Parson seemed confused by her lack of response.

“Can’t hear me?” Parson repeated. “Why can’t she hear me?”

“I… it was the explosion. It’s temporary.” Cordovan assured. At least he hoped it was temporary.

“Oh right...the explosion,” Parson said, his words slurring as he spoke. “I had almost forgotten about that.”

Cordovan frowned in concern. “Parson, how are you feeling right now? Are you sure you’re alright?”

Parson blinked at him slowly. “Tired,” He said simply. “Very tired. In fact, I might just...rest my eyes. Just until the backup comes. Be a good boy...and wake me when they come.”

His eyes fluttered shut, and Cordovan’s hands quickly went to his head, gently moving it to wake him up. “No, no, no,” He panicked. “Don’t close your eyes, Parson.”

Parson’s eyes didn’t open, but his face twisted into a mask of discomfort as he protested. “But I’m tired…”

“I know, I know…” Cordovan stammered, trying to hide the nerves from his voice. “But you have to try and stay awake.”

Parson didn’t even make a verbal response that time, merely shrugging, before going eerily quiet. Cordovan tried to gently rouse him again, but he remained unresponsive. Even with a more forceful shake there was no response.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Cordovan lifted his head at the sound of the voice. Although he couldn’t see them, hearing Cherry’s voice was a welcome relief.

“Yes!” He called out in response. “We’re over here! Quickly, we need some help!”

He looked down the corridor to see not just Cherry but Helia too. 

“Oh, shit,” Cherry cursed, losing her composure when she saw Cordovan crouched next to Parson. She quickly came over to join the two of them, and took over checking Parson. After recovering from her own moment of shock, Helia went over to see Zelde, who was standing and watching the situation with the expression of a lost child.

“She can’t hear you,” Cordovan had to explain again, when Helia was confused by Zelde’s lack of response to her. Helia nodded in understanding, and this time when she spoke to Zelde, made sure she was speaking directly at her.

Cordovan turned his attention back to Cherry, who had two fingers pressed against Parson’s neck, feeling for a pulse. When she noticed Cordovan looking at her, she looked at him with a worried expression.

“He needs medical attention right now,” Cherry said. “If he doesn’t soon, he might… not make it.”

“He...” But Cordovan couldn’t bring himself to repeat her words. 

CORDOVAN

High above the skies of Solitas, a lone transport ship was heading towards the isolated town of Highpoint. Staring out of one of the windows in the passenger hold, Cordovan watched silently as the snowy tundra passed them by, the occasional cluster of trees or a rock formation breaking up what would have otherwise been a blank and featureless landscape.

During the journey, Neela had been sharing stories of her home with Helia, Calantha, and Rosie to keep them entertained. Xanthos was also listening intently, which Cordovan suspected was to keep his mind off of his travel sickness. At first glance he seemed to be faring better than he had when the group travelled to Shizukana, but his sickly complexion grave away the nausea he was trying hard to hide. Cordovan was just glad the journey to Highpoint was only a few hours. He wasn’t sure he could deal with three days worth of Xanthos being on the verge of vomiting over them again.

Turning away from the window, he looked at Zelde, who was quietly typing away at her scroll.

“How’s your brother?” He asked politely.

Zelde stopped what she was doing to look at him. “How did you know I was talking to Callaway?” She asked, raising a brow.

“I figured he seemed like the likeliest choice given you called him yesterday,” Cordovan explained. A small smile tugged at his lips as he added, “Besides, I can see his name at the top of the screen.”

“How nosy of you.” Zelde said, giving him a teasing prod. She straightened in her seat, placing her hands in her lap before going on to answer his previous question. “Callaway is doing well. The last time we spoke he was still in a state of shock after leaving the family home with our father, but he seems to be in better spirits now -- he sounds more like himself. The only thing he seemed sad about is not being able to speak to his girlfriend.”

“Your brother has a girlfriend?”

“He does,” Zelde confirmed with a little nod. “It was quite a shock to me when I found out, but I’m happy for him. From what little information he was willing to divulge she sounded nice enough, if a little boisterous. Apparently mother was quite upset when she learned of her.”

“What’s this about girlfriends?” Rosie blurted out from behind them. 

“It’s nothing, Rosie.” Cordovan grunted, turning to give her a short glance. 

Unfortunately for him she didn’t let up so easily. “Are you two dating now?” She asked.

“Who’s dating?” Xanthos called out, choosing the most opportune time to join in on the conversation. Zelde was beginning to flush red with embarrassment, and Cordovan let out a groan.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything back there,” Wren’s voice called from the cockpit - where she was with Helia - “But you should all know we’re about five minutes out from the military station so if you could all prepare for landing that would be much appreciated.”

As prompted by his mother, all the passengers proceeded to take their seats. As they drew close to their destination, the airship was rattled by a small wave of turbulence, which caused Xanthos to groan. In an effort to keep his mind off of things, Neela was once again on hand to keep him distracted. 

“Hey, Ravi, look out the window next to me, do you see that big building in the distance that’s Astrolabe University,” She said, pointing out of the window next to her, “My great-grandparents helped build that after the Great War - impressive, isn’t it?” 

It turned out that calling it a “big building” was something of an understatement. Cordovan couldn’t see it too well without leaning over Zelde, but even from where he was sitting it was a magnificent building; more like a small castle than what he had in mind for a university. Although it was set just outside the main part of Highpoint, it immediately drew the eye and served as a dominating focal point for the walled town.

Up front in the cockpit, he could hear his mother calling in to the military base, requesting permission to land. When she received no response, she and Helia exchanged a glance and Wren was about to try again when a distorted male voice spoke across the radio.

“Transport ship Delta R-1, you are currently flying in a restricted airspace. Please identify yourselves and state your business.”

“Highpoint Military Base, this is Special Operative Major Wren Honeycutt requesting permission to land.”

A long silence followed before the voice finally responded.

“Delta R-1 failure to identify yourself is...breach...security...land...now...or...force...taken.”

Although it was unclear whether they truly had permission or not, Wren still brought the ship down to land. She landed it smoothly save for a small bump. As she got to work on shutting the airship down safely, she encouraged the group to head into the base without her. Cordovan and his teammates were quick to go ahead, with Calantha following along behind them. It was only a short walk from the landing strip to the base itself, but they didn’t get the chance to step inside before three Specialists came outside to greet them - or rather interrogate them.

“Well,” The only woman out of the three began, giving ZRCN and Calantha an appraising glance as she spoke. “You’re not who I would have expected for a bunch of airship thieves.”

A blonde haired man next to her, put a hand on his hip and gave the woman a glance. “Shit, Cher, just look at them - they’re a bunch of kids. Do you really think they stole an airship?”

“Stranger things have happened,” She shrugged. “Especially if your outlandish tales are anything to go by.”

“They’re not outlandish.” He said, frowning a little. 

Their companion, who had been waiting silently with his arms held behind his back, suddenly coughed. “They might not have stolen it themselves, but we cannot rule out that they are potentially accomplices,” He pointed out, steering the conversation back on track, “Perhaps, we ought to ask her.” As he said that he made a gesture with his head to somewhere behind ZRCN, where Helia was approaching

“What’s going on here?” She asked, looking between ZRCN and the three specialists. “Is there a problem?”

“Were you responsible for flying the airship here, ma’am?” The younger of the three asked, blue eyes staring intently at Helia.

“I helped,” She admitted. “I’m not sure I understand what’s going on here - we were given permission by General Ironwood to fly here, why are you trying to suggest we stole it?”

“Hmm,” The blonde hair man mumbled, rubbing his chin idly with his index finger and thumb. “This is quite the situation we’ve found ourselves in isn’t it? I wonder what Par-”

Before he could say more, he was stopped by a quick smack on the arm by the woman, who was staring at Helia with sudden interest. “Holy shit, Elio, do you know who that is?” When he shrugged to indicate he didn’t, she pressed on. “That’s Helia Vines. You know - the Vytal winner.”

“No way,” He said, before turning to look more intently at Helia. After a moment, he too possessed the same starstruck expression as the woman.  Both he and the woman turned back to their companion and gave him a pleading expression. “We can’t lock them up now, Morgan. Imagine how bad it would look if we tossed Haven’s golden girl in jail.”

Morgan scoffed. “Vytal winner or not, she is not exempt from the law. You should know better than that, Elio. You too, Cherry.”

“What is going on here?”

Cordovan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his mother’s voice finally chime in. Having finished shutting off the airship properly, she had wandered over to join the group, with Rosie close behind her. She put a hand on her hip and gave a disapproving scowl at the three Specialists, who had all straightened up upon seeing her, slightly nervous expressions littered across their faces. 

“Skata.” The blonde man cursed under his breath, something which went by unnoticed to nearly everyone present, save for Helia who raised a brow.

After a moment, Wren eased her stance and exhaled deeply. “Let's head inside before someone winds up catching a chill,” She advised, before striding ahead of the group. Before they stepped inside the base, she quietly warned the three Specialists that she would speak to them privately later.

Stepping inside, the group travelled down a short corridor which opened out into a large communication room of sorts. Six desks were arranged in a semi-circle around three large screens, which had various pieces of information displayed on it. The general layout reminded Cordovan briefly of the Huntsmen briefing room at the academy, where Professor Velour had often taken them when she assigned them training missions as a way for them to get a taste of what they might experience in the future.

Sat at one of the desks was another Specialist, who swivelled around immediately upon hearing the group entering the room. Of all the Specialists they had seen so far, the man in front of them was the only one Cordovan recognised - Parson Rook, a long time friend of his mother’s.

“Wren,” He smiled warmly as he stood. When he approached the group he drew Wren into a friendly hug, giving her a confused look after they separated. “We had no idea you were all coming. We have had no reports from Atlas to suggest anyone was due to fly in today.”

“Really? How come?”

“Probably doesn’t help that one of our antennae took a bit of a ding from a Nevermore around a fortnight ago,” Elio explained. “The connection has been a little hit and miss ever since.”

“And you haven’t fixed it yet?” Wren asked incredulously.

“We have limited supplies to spare at the moment,” Parson said with a small sigh. “Even before our communication issues, Atlas were shortening their supply runs to the town, and by extension the base. We’ve been triaging for the last three weeks.”

“Well that would explain the cold reception you gave to my son and his teammates.” Wren said with a shake of her head.

“Your son?” Parson blinked and then turned to look at the group. When he spotted Cordovan he gave him a small smile of recognition. “The last time I saw you Corduroy, you barely came up to your mother’s waist - now look at you.”

“It’s Cordovan,” He corrected politely, giving the older man a nervous smile. Unlike Rosie who actively used the name to annoy him, he was willing to let it slide with Parson, knowing from the past that the man had some issued recalling names.

“I suppose some introductions are in order,” Wren said after a moment, looking between the Mob Ops and the rest of the group. She would first introduce ZRCN, Calantha, Helia, and Rosie in turn, before moving on to introduce the rest of the Mob Ops to the group.

Since she was already standing next to him, she started with Parson first. “This is Parson Rook, my second in command,” She said, as the man came forward to shake hands with everyone. He was a tall man with close-cropped dark hair and a matching beard. He was in his forties, but other than a few wrinkles lining his face, he carried his age well. Like the rest of his fellow Mob Ops - including Cordovan’s mother - he wore the typical red, white and blue Atlesian military colours in his outfit.

“This is Cherry Linnet,” She said, moving on to the only other woman in the group. Cherry was the shortest of the five, with tanned skin, and pale blonde hair which she wore in a choppy updo. She had pink eyes and wore lighter pink eyeshadow to further accentuate them. “She’s our resident semblance and aura expert,” Wren added with a hint of pride. She gave the woman a small pat before moving onto Elio.

“This young man is Elio Goldfinch,” She began, before being quickly interrupted before she could say more. 

“The best and brightest!” The man boasted, putting his hands on his hips dramatically. He was around the same height as Cordovan, with lightly tanned skin, tousled sandy coloured hair swept back into a rough bun, and reddish eyes. With his sleeves rolled up and his collar exposed, his outfit was notably less formal than the rest of his fellow Mob Ops.

“A self-proclaimed title,” Wren corrected with a smirk, which seemed to deflate Elio a little. “Though I will admit he has some skill on the battlefield.” She gave him a little wink as she said this, and he seemed to quickly brighten up again. 

“Last but not least, this is Morgan Lark,” Wren concluded, as she came to a stop at the last of the group. Morgan was a similar height to Elio, with pale skin, light blue eyes and spectacles resting atop his brown hair. Despite the formal air he had about him, he seemed much younger compared to the rest of the Mob Ops, and Cordovan wouldn’t have been surprised to discover that he was not much older than ZRCN. “Morgan joined us less than a year ago straight from the academy, but he is already a highly valued member of our team.”

With her introductions finished, Wren moved to stand back beside Parson and gave a little bow. 

WREN - ‘ KUNINGILIN’

Wren’s weapon is a hybrid between a warhammer and an RPG, though it has never been seen in the latter form. It’s name comes from the Old Germanic word of the same name meaning “kinglet”, which is associated with the fable of the election of the “king of birds”, of which the title character is a wren.

PARSON - ‘BISHOP’

Parson’s weapon is bō staff/bow hybrid.

CHERRY - ‘AGITATOR’

Cherry’s weapon is a bhuj. The haft is hollow and conceals a smaller stiletto-like dagger, as is the case sometimes with the real world version of the weapon.

ELIO - ‘PINPOINT’

Elio’s weapon is just a spear. He likes to keep things simple.

The name is a subtle nod to Elio’s semblance as the literal definition of pinpoint is something that is accurate or precise.

MORGAN - ‘ENCORE’

WREN - ‘REPLICATE’

Can replicate herself up to four times. Each clone is capable of attacking on their own free will or by mimicking Wren's actions.

PARSON - ‘LOCKSTEP’

By standing perfectly still and essentially planting his feet, Parson can activate his semblance allowing him withstand the force of several hits before flinching or receiving damage. He often uses it as a literal shield for both himself and his fellow Mob Ops, by stepping into the line of fire to stop an incoming attack.

CHERRY - ‘PESTER’

Cherry’s semblance allows her to become stronger the more people in her vicinity are emotional.

ELIO - ‘TACTICIAN’

Elio can identify and understand how someone thinks (or doesn't think) during combat.

MORGAN - ‘CROON’