The Feral North

Sebastien shuffled past the checked-in luggage pick up area, a suitcase nearly as large as him trailing behind. An airport employee followed behind him, a little put-off by the boy's out of place maturity and depressed mood, but he was her charge for the time being. The 9 year old wore a pair of black cargo pants and a cobalt blue t-shirt that brought out his eyes. His stuffed tiger was clutched securely under his arm. Blue-green eyes played over the crowd of people, looking for anyone who looked like the picture Grayson had showed him.

There was a Streak here, one of Colby's distant cousins had been the Wang, as they called it here. He'd since passed on, but his mate, Bailey, if he remembered right, was Chang here. She had a young daughter, in her teens, and a willingness to take on a less than emotionally stable child. His papa and Grayson had decided that somewhere with a family structure, something more stable, would be best for the boy. Grayson had been planning on going back to China when the time was right, and this new situation gave him an opening to do so. Grayson hadn't been particularly paternal anyway, not entirely knowing what to do with the distraught boy.

The trans-Atlantic flight had been a little rough on the tigerling, the boy not being used to being stuck in close quarters with so many humans, and he'd gotten more than a few sideways glances. He didn't really know how to act human, having spent so little time around them, and he was completely at a loss as to how to react to their movements and expectations.

The room was more or less ready, the phone call came about the boy that was being sent to her. Another son to take in. Bailey didn't mind in the least, after all, her and Chris had intent to have several children. Even without her late husband, it seemed her family was still growing. The child was to be at the airport around mid-afternoon.

Fair enough, Bailey gave Aria the option of going with. Her daughter had opted to stay home. That suited her just fine, as it meant that she didn't have to go through getting everyone loaded. Gabriel, she had instructed to stay with the children. It seemed better idea to have just herself to look for the young Sebastien. Arriving when the flight landed, aware that customs would take time, as would baggage claim, she waited at the international arrivals gate.

A picture had been emailed to her, something she had printed out and now held in her hand. Clad in jeans, soft red cotton tee, and a denim coat, she waited patiently. Cat ellipticals were covered with contacts watched, disregarding adult after adult. Under four feet was the height she was expecting. He was, after all, nine years old. Finally, out came a child with a bag nearly the same size he was, as well as an airport attendant. Pulling out her ID, she stepped forward, approaching both adult and child.

"Sebastien?" Her head tilted to the side as she looked at the youngling. Temptation to let her beast slip forward was there, but she kept it in check. She wasn't sure how the young man would react. Holding up her identification to the airport attendant, she smiled softly to the child, "Welcome to Canada."

The attendant quickly matched the woman's ID to the paperwork she had and skittered away. Something about the young boy was very intimidating, he just wasn't the average kid that she accompanied on flights, far from it. This boy had sat, virtually mute, the entire flight over, reading books and drawing, speaking only when spoken to, and then only in short, terse answers.

He nodded as the woman- Bailey, Grayson had told him- spoke to him, seeming to make sure it was him. She welcomed him to Canada, and he nodded again, looking around the large airport. It wasn't so different from the one in Yeovil that he'd arrived at all alone a bit over a year ago. Not much was really all that different. He was alone again, abandoned by those he cared for. He hadn't been overly attached to his biological family, but there had been a little something there, whether Sebastien really cared to acknowledge it or not. He held the tiger plushie tight, his one constant in a world he couldn't control, no matter how hard he tried. And boy, did he try.

He hadn't wanted Colby to go back to his father. He hadn't wanted Lizzy to run off wherever she'd run to. Away from him was all he knew.

((sorry it took so long, basically been sick for the last week, and if I haven't been, my boyfriend has... >.< ))

Watching the attendant, Bailey snorted as the other woman, the attendant all but ran from them. With a small smile, she looked at the young man, "Guess she isn't a cat person. Oh well, not everyone is perfect." She shrugged a little as she spoke, offering her hand to him to walk with him.

"I'm sure that Grayson gave you my name, but just because it is polite; my name is Bailey Lavery." The Chang navigated through the airport, people moving out of the way. Walking through the crowds, her shoulders and head were held high and regal. Carrying herself with a no nonsense kind of attitude, her tigress watching those around them with moderate disinterest before fully turning attention to the youngling next to her. Measuring his strength, metaphysical beast approached his, leaning down to but her head against his, turning in a way to rub her cheek.

That, unfortunately, didn't get to completely play out, the Siberian would have enjoyed talking the time to stretch out with the cub. There was always later. Shooting a text message off to Gabriel and Aria that she was on her way home with the young man, Bailey helped Bastien into her truck telling him to put on the seat belt. After climbing in to the driver's side, Bailey fired up her truck and sighed, "We've got a little bit of a drive, so, tell me about yourself."

Hopefully both her Bao and her daughter were putting the last little touches on Sebastien's room as well as watching the casserole she had cooking. Hopefully their newest addition would be hungry, and a fair bit more chatty. Oh well, right now, it was time to focus on the tigerling and giving him attention.

"Guess she isn't a cat person. Oh well, not everyone is perfect."

Given a different time, Sebastien would've laughed at that. 6 months ago, Sebastien would've laughed at that. Back when he had a family. Now he was being bounced around the globe, it seemed. But he managed to crack a bit of a smile. Half-hearted, though it was.

"I'm sure that Grayson gave you my name, but just because it is polite; my name is Bailey Lavery."

"Sebastien...Sebastien Avignon," he left off the McMillan, which he had, at one point, used as well. Back when he considered himself to have a family. Now, he was just baggage to someone, again. No matter how nice this woman seemed, he knew he wasn't something she had asked to be put on her plate. He was little taken by surprise though, when she hugged him and pressed her tiger against his. His perked up immediately, grateful to see another tiger, someone who seemed to care for him somewhat. A tiger who seemed to know what to do with a small child. He followed her to her car, hopping in the passenger seat.

"We've got a little bit of a drive, so, tell me about yourself."

It said something about the boy's current state that, despite having lived in England for nearly 2 years, he automatically began talking, albeit timidly, in French. It took him a moment to register that he was speaking in French, something the woman likely didn't comprehend. He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment to make his brain function back in English.

"I'm 9, almost 10. In October. I grew up in France," Sebastien wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to know. He petted his plush tiger, taking an amount of comfort from the familiarily.

Bailey couldn't help but note that the child only gave a smile to her stupid joke the airport attendant being perfect for not being a cat person. Well, hell, even Aria on her bluest days would have laughed. It made her all the more curious as to what the hell had happened to this kid. Sure, being shuffled around, but this was going to be his last stop.

Bailey helped him up into her truck, helping him belt himself in and smiling. At least his tiger, as cub as it was, still recognized the warmth of another tiger. It wouldn't take too long to get through whatever cloud was following him around. It was amazing how arrogant some adults could be, how they couldn't think past their own noses to how their actions would affect the children within their lives.

Easing the truck into traffic, she listened to what came from Sebastien's lips. Something that made her smile, "Ah, Français. Je parle moins que je comprends.(Ah French, I speak less than I understand.)" Maybe that would make him feel more at ease, and well, it got Bailey pondering if the young man could teach her own daughter how to speak that language better. A smile graced over Bailey's lips, "Grew up?" he was hardly grown up at all being only nine years old. She turned the truck through the familiar streets heading towards the estate.

"Tell me more, how did you end up in Yeovil? What happened to the streak there, Sebastien," She reached out her hand to him, offering assurance, "Tell me everything you want, child. I want to know you better, because I want you to be comfortable around me and within my streak. Okay?"