(Private)

[Adele Holst]

It was time to come back.
Visiting her old town in Germany had been interesting, and much more productive than she had originally thought it would have been. She loved that town, but she really hated it. With a deep passion; and for good reasons, but it had been a nice visit.
However her stop in Sweden to visit the remains of the Den had not gone anything as she had wanted it to. Nothing had gone as she thought it would, and the whole thing had seriously just screwed with her mind. She hadn’t even been able to really sleep since then it’d messed with her so bad.
It was definitely time to return to Greece, and she bought a plane ticket that would take her back to Athens; back to Perrin’s villa. She hated flying; well, she hated heights, but she had to get back.
The flight was long and boring. Adele got stuck sitting next to a very talkative woman who spoke to her in some language she couldn’t understand most of the time. After a while, she gave up on pretending to listen and just put on her headphones, letting her music drown out other sounds as she looked straight forward at the back of the seat in front of her. She had given up her window seat, and refused to look out any of the windows, even when the plane had landed finally in Athens Greece.
At the baggage claim, Adele pushed through the groups of people, looking for her backpack. She hadn’t even wanted to check it, it was so stupid; but the airport claimed that her backpack was too big to fit in the overhead rack. Bullsh*t. Those storage containers would have been able to fit her inside of them.
Finally she found her bag, and pushed the Humans aside, perhaps a bit more forcefully than was required, and grabbed it, quickly squeezing out of that congested area. After walking a good distance away, she took a moment to look the bag over. “Verdammen es…” At a glance, it had certainly looked like her backpack, but taking a closer look it was apparent that this was not her bag.
She returned to the baggage claim where the crowd had died down some, but she did not see her bag anywhere as the belt came around.

[Arai]

The crowds enveloped two figures in the terminal. The wave of humanity passed by her as if she were no more than a grain of sand, inconsequential in the scheme of things. Which was true. No one really mattered as much as they thought they did. A principle that many would do well to observe and embrace. Like the businessman who pushed back her just now. He clipped her with his shoulder, then glared at her balefully as if she were the one who was in his way. Cooly, Arai gazed back, her light brown eyes boring into his, chin tilting up automatically. She had long ago realized that she possessed the rare talent of looking down her nose at people, regardless of her size. The man muttered some sort of apology of excuse after a few seconds of this, lowering his head and plowing on his way. Satisfied that her point had gotten across, Arai made her way to the luggage pickup. She and Namir had traveled here, to Greece. Arai was glad that she had a traveling companion; the long flight would have greatly bored her otherwise. Her backpack had been put in the plane storage; some crap about the bag not fitting in the overhead rack. She had tried to explain that it was not, in fact, going to be overhead, but rather at her feet, but the guards didn't listen. No sense of humor, those guys. Ah well. Spying her bag, she grabbed it, lugging it off with a strong tug. Yes, it was a bit disproportional to her small frame, but Arai could handle it. Her lycan side, much as she hated to admit it, made her stronger than she seemed.

Putting the bag on her back, she and Namir walked a while, but then suddenly she stopped. Something didn't sit quite right. Shifting the backpack, she tried to remedy it, but to no avail. Stepping next to a nearby wall so as not to be run over, she unzipped the top in one smooth motion. Why, these things were not hers at all! Great. She had grabbed the wrong backpack. Well, hopefully whoever's this was still stood at the pickup. Turning to the taller, dark-haired girl, she grinned a bit woefully. "Well, Namir, not even ten minutes in Greece and we already have a problem. We'll have to go back to the luggage terminal; I grabbed someone else's backpack." Grimacing, she sighed. "Now I'll probably get yelled at in Greek for a while. Touchy ones, these Greeks," she confided, keeping her voice low so that none of the aforementioned heard her.

[Namir Black]

Namir and Arai touched down in Athens at the airport, they passed through the slew of people that were buzzing like a horde of bees in a hive. She tucked her hands in her pockets of her leather jacket and gave up on trying to arrange her black mass of hair that was frizzed out in some places from resting her head on the side of the window, for once she actually put it up. Continuing in stride along side Arai, Namir waited for her to grab her stuff off of the conveyor belt.
Arai looked distressed, and Namir walked over to the side where traffic wasn't quite so pushy. "What's wrong?... Oh." Her mind groaned at the thought of standing in line for hours, then to deal with an angry woman who looks like she should be hugging you and giving you baklava, she was determined for this not to get her down, as always. Playfully she smiled, and cleverly commented, "This, my dear, is why you should have less crap in your back pack." Gratefully Namir was allowed to carry her small bag on the plane, it contained some clothes, a toothbrush, and a sketchpad and pencil. "To the Airport Services then?" Motioning to Arai, she continued on in the direction of the land of long lines, screaming babies, and disgruntled airports patrons.

[Arai]

Arai shook her head, a few strands of her straight auburn hair falling into her eyes. Putting a hand on Namir's shoulder, she stopped her. "Now now, not so hasty. Let's go back to the baggage claim; whoever this bag belongs to could still be there. And I have no desire to stand in line with a bunch of crabby people," she stated with a playful grimace. Turning, Arai began to duck, dodge, and weave her way back through the crowd, misplaced backpack in hand. When you were five two, you could not just simply push your way through the crowds; it took careful manuevering. Avoiding a group of teenagers talking in the middle of the hall, Arai slipped around two slow-walking old ladies, then did a quick hop-step over the rolling backpack of a small child. After a few minutes, she reached the baggage claim. "Whew," she sighed, "I feel like a salmon trying to get upstream to spawn. Except there are no guys at this end," she said with a mock moan. There were few people still here, and she saw no sign of her backpack on the revolving belt. Then she spotted someone; a woman, about her age, maybe, holding a very familiar piece of luggage. So her initial guess had been correct; here was another who did not want to wait in a line for mediochre service by bored airline employees. "Excuse me," Arai said, approaching her a bit cautiously, "is this yours?" She held the backpack up by one strap, displaying it. "Because I think that is mine," she finished, motioning with her other hand towards the twin backpack.

[Adele Holst]

Adele had stood there for a few moments, watching the belt pass around and around while the remaining luggage on it dwindled until there were no bags left. There was absolutely no way she would even consider speaking with the customer service employees at the ‘lost and found’. And she had thought about just taking this bag as compensation for her missing one, but at the moment, there was no motivation compelling her to move from her position. And she couldn’t help but think that she would really like her bag back if at all possible, considering among its contents was her ID and perhaps one or two incriminating objects she had managed to smuggle passed security.
Nodding her head a bit, blonde hair fell over her face in a curtain; oh she was so tired, but disturbing things crept into her mind every time she closed her eyes.
“Excuse me,”
Was someone addressing her? She tilted her head to the side and looked over from the corners of her eyes. That’s what it seemed like, so she turned to face the petite young woman speaking with her. Her accent sounded like Sinclare’s; American.
A soft smile appeared on Adele’s face, and she looked with tired grey eyes from the displayed backpack to the two girls who appeared to be a few years older than her. “Yeah,” she handed over the backpack she’d grabbed and took her own. After briefly checking the contents of her bag, she slung it over her shoulder comfortably, replying in English, “Good you found me. I blame the airport.”
There was something about the demeanor of these two that struck Adele, but they had really done nothing to prove this feeling and so she chalked up another one to her imagination.

[Arai]

With a small sigh of relief, Arai took her bag back. In it were all her wordly possesssions; losing it would have meant losing everything. Her friends back home would have laughed at the prospect of carrying one's life in an old backpack, and she would have too seven months ago. But no longer. The other girl looked relieved as well; her backpack was obviously not something she wished to lose. Curious, it was, that she would be traveling alone. Though looking in her eyes briefly Arai sensed a fighting spirit. It would appear there could be more to this long traveler than met the eye. This was something not uncommon nowadays; little was as it seemed. The corner of Arai's mouth tipped up a bit at her comment. "Yeah, if there were a better way to get here, I would have taken it," she replied. Flying sure took it out of you, even though you didn't do anything. Arai merely tired of the inactivity, the sheer nothingness that was available on a plane. "What is your business in Greece?" Arai asked, curious. She couldn't help herself; she liked to know things.

[Namir Black]

Of course Namir had to jump the gun with her pessimism, she was the youngest and most rambuncious of the female werewolves, and it often played out for her in situations like this. Following behind Arai, she scanned the people, waiting at the belt, looking like bored cats watching the fish swim around in the bowl. A man and woman were standing there at the belt, the woman humming gently a smooth lullaby in unison with the man to the sleeping boy in his arms. The boy no more than two was still and peaceful as she slumbered on the shoulder of his father, his little spiderman tennis shoes dangled with untied shoestrings, and in the hand that wasn't draped over his fathers shoulder was clenching tightly in its small fist a stuffed dog, even in sleep he wouldn't let go of his dear friend. Namir smiled gently as she watched this sweet scene, wondering if she would ever be there herself one day, how would she be both a mother and a lycan rebel?
Arai was now conversing with someone who's voice sounded familiar. Namir peered around Arai's shoulder, and saw to her disbelief, Adele. "Hello Adele." she greeted her with warmth, they had come here to meet her, after all, but it was such a coincidence that they'd gotten their luggage switched up, out of all the people in this airport. "How was your flight? And yeah, what're you doing here?"

[Adele Holst]

“I live here now… Moved, from Sweden…” she was about to turn the conversation around, thinking if she had to converse she would rather it be about someone else than her. But then the companion of the young woman who’d grabbed Adele’s backpack spoke up.
The words of the dark-haired girl woke Adele up a bit, and her head snapped the short distance to turn her gaze toward the taller of the two females. “What? Sorry, who are you?” Pay attention. She smacked herself mentally and looked closer at the two young women in front of her. No, she was positive she had never met either of them before in her life. Even though they certainly gave off a familiar vibe, she knew she’d never exchanged anything with them before, except for the backpacks just seconds ago. “How do you know my name?” Had her name been tagged onto her backpack?
She brought a hand up and brushed away some blonde strands of hair. Before she shared anything else with these two, Adele was going to find out who they were. D*mn… She should have done that in the first place.

[Namir Black]

Namir chuckled, and tapped her forehead with her forefinger, smiling. "I know things." She smiled confidently, she'd figure it out. Of course Namir knew things, she could read feelings and thoughts from other people's minds, and look for information as she pleased. It was her version of stealing cable, she liked to joke. Adele looked a tad bit lost, the blank look of confusion on her face gave that away. Namir stepped forward and stuck out her hand, "By the way, I'm Namir, and this is Arai."

[Adele Holst]

Adele did not smile at the girl’s quip, and just looked at her solemnly for a moment as she chuckled to herself. She did not like people knowing things about her, especially if she did not know them; and was not in the mood to appreciate Namir’s humor, even if the young woman had glimpsed Adele’s name on the tag of her bag.
Even after Namir offered her name and hand, Adele just let the young woman’s outstretched arm hang there for a brief moment. When she did grip the older girls’ hand, she did not smile. But when Adele spoke, neither was there coldness in her tone, “Where are you from? What brings you two to Greece?” Neither of them had a Greek accent or had approached her using the language, so she supposed they were just visiting. Although, Adele did not speak Greek well or carry an accent of Greece and yet she lived here; perhaps her silent guess was wrong.

[Arai]

Arai noticed the uneasiness that the stranger exuded, and she wasn't surprised. If two random girls came up and one started calling her by name, she would be on guard instantly. Since Namir had already introduced them, Arai shifted her backpack and met the girl's eyes with her own. "I'm from America," Arai said quietly, trying to exude calmness. When an exuberant person like Namir and a defensive person like this Adele got together, it meant a conflict eventually. And she didn't like conflicts, especially when in a public place like this. "We're just visiting," she assured, "what brings you here?" The blonde girl seemed familiar with the surroundings, so she could be a native. But she was accentless, so Arai wasn't sure if the guess was correct. There was a strange essence about her, something a bit more primal. It made her feel at home and yet very uneasy at the same time.

[Adele Holst]

A few meters away, luggage began to reappear on the conveyor belt, which meant that another plane had docked and passengers would soon be filing in to fight for their bags.
Adele took a step back and shifted her gaze from Namir to look at Arai as she spoke; taking note of the two without blatantly staring. A small trace of a scar seemed to line Arai's face on one side, but it may just have been a shadow; she was pretty in any case, and looked young but mature.
Both of them had a certain liveliness about them, despite their difference in demeanor, and seemed to hide something within their eyes that said they knew things beyond what a Human their age might typically know.
From Arai, there seemed to extend a subtle calm vibe, that said more than what was even obviously implied.
That was something Adele didn't think she would ever get used to: the animalistic empathy that kept her aware of the strongest emotions of those nearby, almost influencing her own. She had enough trouble as it was dealing with her own feelings, not to mention receiving a good deal of information about the way others were feeling.
She brought a hand up and scratched the back of her neck, digging her nails into her flesh to drive away the feeling that was not hers. The noise level around her seemed to increase for a moment, and then died back down as Adele returned her concentration to the two young women.
"I live here," she'd been all over Europe recently, but it was safe to say that this was her home now, "...for most of the year."
"Athens is... busy," she said, a very light smile at one corner of her mouth. "The men here, they stare. It's just what they do. It can be strange at first, but you'll get used to it if you stay long enough."

[Namir Black]

Namir had dropped her hand, trying not to take offense. After all, she had invaded her personal space not only with an outstretched hand, but searching through her mind without thinking. Way to go Namir... making friends from the start.
"In Italy, they do the same. I won't have a problem," she smiled slightly. "I lived there most of my life actually. This is my first trip to Greece, its different to say the least, even so far as I've noticed." When Namir got nervous she talked... Her hands fidgeted together where she held them. She should probably let Arai take the reigns on this, Adele seemed to be more open to talking to her than she did with Namir. Namir breathed in deeply, and readjusted the bag that hung at her side. She had to stop reading minds...

[Adele Holst]

“Italy…” The word was hushed, barely audible, but Adele followed it in her mind; head drooping down slightly to where her tired eyes looked at the ground, these girl’s feet. She had overheard Alena Wulf speaking briefly about Rome once or twice, but apparently now the city was inhabited by Vampire-kind. Greece seemed safer; different indeed from Italy, since here, Werewolves were the majority breed.
“I’ve heard many things about Italy… ‘Never been. Though I would like to see how much of the history is left. I imagine Greece is a bit different than Italy… even though I have not seen that land. I… could help you navigate here or…” Perrin’s old villa had plenty of room, but why Adele suddenly thought of bringing these girls into a residence of Lycans, she was unsure.
In the pauses between her sentences, a small feeling rose in Adele, perhaps paranoia. Over the two or so years she’d been a Lycan, she had opened up a bit more, but was still a bit awkward leading conversations with new people. And then the thought popped up that perhaps she was keeping the two friends from some sort of appointment. “I… I mean, I don’t mean to keep you. But if… you weren’t busy we could grab some food and I could show you some good spots in town. Flying makes me hungry like a wolf.”

[Arai]

A strange choice of words for a teenage girl, Arai reflected. Hungry like a wolf.. Arai could sympathize. It seemed she was always hungry, despite her petite size. Her metabolism since becoming a lycan had skyrocketed, and she could put away quite a lot. But she didn't often eat out, not in front of others. It drew too much attention for a five foot three girl to be scarfing down a giant meal. But somehow, looking at this Adele, she felt a bit at ease. There was something rather familiar about the girl, though she wasn't sure yet what it was. Knowing Namir was waiting, she thought, "I think we should go with her." Namir was a lot bolder than she; there would probably be no disagreement. At least they knew the other girl wasn't a vampire. It was daytime and her skin wasn't pale enough. They should be safe as long as nothing happened. After all, it was rumored that Greece was held in lycan possession at the moment. Vampire attacks weren't very common. Though, Arai thought with an internal sigh, with their luck anything could happen.