Welcome Home. [Imogen|Evan]

She rounds the corner, reacquainting herself with the landmarks, with the roads and signs and even the feel of the cement under the click of her boots. Gone is the trenchcoat she always wore, replaced by a more stylish leather jacket. It’s almost shocking, but she wears jeans, and a simple causal top under the leather. The boots though – those are the same, and she’s still 6’2″ when one accounts for the heels. Her hair is longer, her makeup almost non-existent – all these are different.

The steady and heavy nature of her gaze however – that is the same.

He turned as he could feel a presence that he had not felt in a long time. It seemed that he was not the only one who had to return home to address parts of their past. However when AnneMarie came into view, he was a little bit taken back. This was not the same woman he remembered some time ago.

A line forms between her eyebrows, either at the changed presence of the silent Modi, or at the interruption of her phone. In any case, she turns her attention downward, fishing out her mobile phone to flick it open and see the message.

There is no doubt as to the cause of this frown, slight though it is. She flicks her cell phone shut and drops her cigarette to the ground as she gets to her feet. “Excuse me.”

Her departure, picking up her bag of fruit, putting her purse on her arm, is seamless and wasteless. She spares no time exiting, even as AnneMarie approaches.

“Welcome back,” is all she says in passing as she turns down the street, headed for her car.

She is still the same, yet different too. WHatever happened while she was away had a profound affect on her.

Her pale gaze rests on Evan, and her chin lifts slightly. Imogen stands, and as she passes by AnneMarie, she receives a respectful nod in returned greeting. The corner of her lips quirk into a slight smile, before she returns her attention to Evan as the distance between them closes. Once that distance is down to where others would find speaking comfortable, only then does she lift her chin toward Evan – classic Eagle nod.

The more things change….

And once she seemed to be getting closer, getting used to the terrain that was Chicago, he stood up, walking towards her. Lifting his chin in return.

“Welcome back.”

He welcomes her back, and she nods slightly. For the first time, in a very long time, the smooth, unchanged sound of her mental voice takes flight over Eagle’s wings. ~Evan-rhya.~

The respect is given without reservation, without a trace of the anger that drove her before at the difference between their status within the pack, within the nation. Sometimes distance breeds acceptance too. Whatever happened to her over the past year has taught her much.

“Good to see you again AnneMarie.”

It had been such a long time for him as well, the comfort of the Eagle’s link bonded together, uniting them. It had been a little while since he heard anyone’s voice over the wings of Eagle.

Decker did not deeply inquire about where he was in his absence, nor did he do so for her. If she wished to ask then so be it.

When one calls, the pack answers.

And you. she replies, as her gaze lifts to search the street, even as she instinctively positions herself to cover his back, to see where he cannot. It is not that she expects trouble, it is that she is always unsurprised when it occurs. The Pack? she asks, a simple question that encompasses the real intentions behind it – who remains here in town, who do they still count among their numbers. Seeing Imogen practically guarantees part of the answer will include Silence.

They were mostly shadow lords and what he knew how much she disliked them as a whole, he held that bit of information back. Let her learn that the sept she was apart of for so long was controlled in most part by shadow lords.

Good. is her only reply, and she does not pry further about those she will undoubtedly learn about later. As the rent still comes due, I assume the packhouse still stands? She had always paid for the office building they called their own – that had not changed either.

She probably already ate on her trip back from wherever she had come from, but Randi did make it apart of her deal to ensure that the pack was always fed. That was what she agreed to with Decker when she was first apart of the pack and she did not back down from it.

If not you can join me in my patrol. I am also going to tend to the three posts again.

She says nothing of the bag that hangs from her shoulder, and doesn’t insinuate that it would slow her down in any case – as it won’t. Such things never have.

She does not ‘speak’ again until they have begun to move, falling into step easily as if they had not spent months apart. You seemed shocked to see me. It’s said with the barest hint of a smirk across her lips, as she glances at him. She is well aware of the differences in her appearance.

Yes and no. Even from a distance I could still feel you on the edges of Eagle’s wings. It is your appearance that is new. Never seen you with long hair before.

It became more of a pain to cut as often as needed, than to let it grow.

That is the short explanation, and honest for the most part. It is likely that her almost shockingly minimal makeup is because of a similar reason. Whatever trials she suffered through while gone have changed habits engrained since she became a teen, which certainly speaks to her difficulties, if only in a small (yet obvious) way.

Evan, however, had not changed at all that she could tell. He still looked to be 12, and untested, though she knew better, and enemies who thought the former quickly found the later true enough.

And once they were beyond the boarders of the Lake View and back into the Green. Evan’s demeanor seemed to change, ever so slightly but still a change she would notice. He became more determined, more protective. His eyes seemed to darken from towards more of an evergreen green. A different path it seemed every night, just taking stock of the neighborhood and what was different from the day before. Anything that needed to be addressed at the moment was done with. Gang bangers not so much scared off, but disbursed from their gatherings. Pimps second thinking hitting their women while he was in the area. He didn’t make a name for himself, didn’t make himself stand out where he could. But they knew.

And after a quick patrol on this side, he found himself a dark place to slip across the gauntlet, to check up on the three posts that marked three edges of the packs land. Each one still holding the skulls of those fallen fimbul wolves that had corrupted and stolen one their kin. Making sure that they were taken care, cleaned and maintained.