Transporting

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"So you're saying the car's dead?" Elsa repeated, pointing at the steaming vehicle. The curls of steam coming off the engine certainly didn't look like anything that Elsa wanted to get close to. The vehicles were supposed to be regularly maintained and regulated, which was why Elsa hadn't felt too concerned when she'd checked the car out of the school's lot.

Now, however, she was standing in one of Kalispell's finest auto repair shops, staring at someone who definitely looked like he knew cars, and listening as he explained that she had a better chance of strapping on a rocket and jetting off than that car moving. Elsa tried not to look too annoyed as he kept going: her mind reading let her know when she was being snowballed. She just waved it off.

"I'll get a ride," she insisted. The phone came out soon, and Elsa scrolled through. Felix would do it, but she knew he was busy working on some finals. Erika was busy with her life. Ellen didn't drive if she didn't have to. That really only left one person, who was actually the first one that Elsa had thought of:

"Roxana?" she said into the phone. "It's Elsa: I was wondering if you could come pick me up. I'm at..." and the directions were soon to follow.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana had not been back that long; in fact she had got in in the middle of the night and had been getting herself moved back into her room. She also had to deal with a temporary visitor that she wished would have remained home. She didn't know why Vlad wanted to join her and knew there had to be a reason other than caring about his little sister. They were close when they were younger but with age things became every man for themselves. So he was here for a reason and Rox was going to figure it out as soon as she could.

Yet her phone was ringing, the ringtone giving away that it was Elsa calling her. Amazing that she had not been back that long and Elsa was already calling on her for likely work of some sort. She didn't mind, even if she wanted to keep contact with the other girl just over the phone for a little bit. "Hello." Roxana replied back into the phone in a simple manner once she answered it and heard her name on the other side of the phone. She listened to what Elsa was asking of her and noted down the address in her head, knowing where it was. "I'll be there in a little. Try not to wonder." Roxana said as she was already heading to her car.

Yes, she did actually own a car and used it often when she had to go off campus to handle things. She knew she was going to be getting a lot of mileage out of it soon with her return and keeping in mind the things she had been informed of by her organization. She didn't hang up her phone however, just in case Elsa had something more to say and as some time passed, she was soon pulling to a stop at the location that Elsa had provided her, and looked around for the girl. She made sure her windows were rolled down so Elsa should have been able to spot her blonde hair easily against the contracts of the black vehicle.

It should have been expected Rox would dive something so dark, with tinted windows with her line of work. Granted the car was a bit 'fancy' to her taste and she didn't like how the doors opened by lifting up like wings, but it was for transportation and as long as it was black she didn't care too much.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Where would I go?" Elsa drawled into the phone at Roxana's comment, looking around. The shop didn't really lend itself well to "wandering" and she wasn't about to just start taking off. Instead she sighed, letting the phone call end and taking a seat just outside. At least she could check her email and process a few things on her phone while she waited.

When Roxana first pulled up, Elsa didn't even look up from her phone. The sound of the door eventually had her pulling at least one eye away, only to end up jerking. That wasn't just a car: it was the type of vehicle that Elsa would have expected someone in her family (or someone who her mother wanted in the family) to drive. She blinked a few times, just staring at it, watching the wings rise, before she realized that said car had a driver.

"Roxana?" she said, standing up to look at her friend. Elsa pointed with the hand holding the phone. "Who did you have to murder for that? It's got to be worth more than I pay you in a year..." did she go on some sort of assassination job while she was gone? Elsa looked over at Roxana, that question nearly evident on her face. There had been that late night call, but that could just be how the flight had worked out...

[Roxana Strix]

Where would she go? Fair point, Elsa didn't really seem like the kind of girl who would just walk off after she told you she would meet you somewhere. Still, Roxana wanted to be sure and Elsa's question was a clear enough answer that she would not have to worry about the other girl pulling a vanishing act. She didn't say anything in response and just drove to where Elsa said she meet up with her, noting that the call was ended in the process. When she arrived she figured that she would not have to yell or do anything big to get Elsa's attention, but it did seem that Elsa was distracted with her phone.

Was she playing a game? Reading messages? Roxana could not help but feel a little curious for the moment and that was probably in part why she didn't say anything to get a hold of Elsa's attention. Elsa picked up that she was there soon enough, even if she did look confused. Roxana didn't understand Elsa's confusion, she should have still looked like the same Rox that left and she was dressed in her usual unique sense of fashion. "Where you expecting someone else?" Roxana asked when Elsa said her name in a question manner, as if the other doubted that Roxana was really there.

At the question Roxana had a small level of worry pass through her, wondering if Elsa somehow knew. She had not killed to get the car, but in the way kills along with other things did contribute to her being able to get the car. Yet, she still didn't understand why Elsa was surprised that Roxa was driving it. "Do you not like it?" Roxana asked as one of her hands ideally trailed along the steering wheel and down along the dashboard. "I'll admit that I'm not a fan of how the doors open, but I love the design and the overall feel of the Vehicle." Roxana said as she lightly touched the seats.

If Elsa had not figured out by now, Roxana was very big on textures. Her hands loved the feel of soft things, designs that were so finely detailed. The car met all of those standards and while she would have settled from something simpler when she asked for something black and sleek, she was satisfied with what she had. "You know I do get paid by my organization as well, right? Plus keep in mind I get paid by the jobs I do, and I assumed you already knew that my family overall has a decent amount of money." Roxana then pointed out, going back to the subject of Elsa paying her. There was a saying that came to mind. Poor people didn't care about their pedigree, and well the Strix family did.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"I was expecting you to arrive in something else," Elsa replied. Her eyes again flicked between the vehicle and Roxana herself. If she'd expected Roxana to have a car, she would have pictured an SUV of some kind. The color definitely seemed to match: black was actually one of the fairly inconspicuous colors.

Did she like it though? "It's certainly sporty," Elsa replied in kind, "and sleek," neither of which were words she would have assigned to Roxana. The bodyguard talked about the design and the overall feel... yes, Elsa supposed she could see that to some degree. It did seem as though the car was the sort you owned to make a specific kind of statement though, and again: it wasn't one that Elsa had anticipated Roxana making.

While the bodyguard kept going, Elsa came around to the other side of the vehicle, moving toward her particular seat. She doublechecked to make sure that she'd sent the message about the vehicle to the proper authorities. "I just didn't anticipate your using your money on something like this," she admitted. She slid into the car then, looking up at the door then at Roxana, not entirely sure if she should keep playing the chauffeured card or do something herself.

[Roxana Strix]

"Like some sort of van you see secrete agent sin movies sitting in while they are watching someone?" Roxana asked with a small smile. There was a bit of a tease there, figuring that Elsa had to know that Roxana was not going to drive around something that big. She liked things that were sleek, fast, and while they stood out in the daytime, became practically invisible at night. Black helped with the whole vanishing bit, but her car had speed, a van did not, and Roxana needed speed over have a wide array of technology in her vehicle.

Roxana gave a small nod when Elsa replied that it was sporty and sleek, but it seemed the girl was still surprised. Clearly they still had a lot to learn about one another, or more so that Elsa had a lot to learn about Roxana. Which was not Elsa's fault, since Roxana was not really forthcoming with any kind of information and they didn't really talk about themselves that often. Elsa did from time to time when it came to certain matters, but Roxana never really shared much about herself. She had tried that last time they talked, but that didn't go over so well.

She didn't first know how to reply back to Elsa's words about how the girl didn't think Rox would spend her money on this kind of thing. Other thing art supplies and clothing, Rox didn't really spend money, most of the things she needed were provided to her, so when she did buy things they were usually for her own benefit. The car was needed and also a benefit in terms of her again wanting something black, sleek, and well designed. She noticed that Elsa had not closed her door, but all it took was a press of a button and the door started to slowly lower shut on its own.

"I assume you want to go back to the school, correct?" Roxana asked as she put the car in drive and pulled forward. Everything was so smooth, you practically felt like you were floating, and that was even more reason why Roxana loved the car. It was easy enough to handle as well, stick shift like she liked it, all aspect elegant in her opinion.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa paused to look at Roxana at the question. she half-smiled. "Actually, I was thinking more toward a compact, bulletproof SUV. Though," she rapped her fingers on the car. "It does seem as though this might be ticking a few of those boxes."

Then Elsa was in the vehicle, waiting, watching as the door descended. Yes, this definitely wasn't what she'd have expected Roxana to drive. For that matter, she was somewhat surprised to find that Roxana had her own car period. It wasn't very European, though admittedly this particular vehicle was. Elsa had thought that she knew a fair amount about Roxana: they were friends. However this had her wondering if she wasn't fooling herself on some level.

"Hmm?" she managed, looking back to Roxana. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, staring off into the middle-distance. "Oh, yes, that would be just fine," had the car started moving? Elsa looked out a window, trying not to look overly surprised at the fact that they were moving. "How long have you owned this?" she asked, looking back to Roxana. "Is it new?" It certainly felt new, at least to Elsa.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana did actually chuckle, not out load but on the inside she had certainty found it...entertaining that Elsa pictured that she would really drive such a thing around. No, such a vehicle was not something Roxana would choose to drive around, normally it was worked related or she was just hanging out in the back of one for a few jobs. If she was going to drive a vehicle and it was going to be owned by her then it had to meet a few requirements. Requirements that she had already told Elsa when she had informed the girl what she liked about her own personal car.

"Originally I had no plans for this car to be for dangerous work, so didn't see the need to make sure the windows were bullet proof." Roxana informed Elsa, unsure if the girl had been also serious with her slight joke or tease there. When she had purchased it, she did not actually drive it as much as she would have liked back home. That was part of the reason why she decided to bring it back over with her when she returned to BA. She actually did a lot of driving when she was here, so figured that she might as well bring her own car instead of having to ask the school to take out on at her various odd hours. It avoided questions she did not feel like not giving answers to.

Elsa seemed to check out for a moment, which concerned Roxana for a moment until it sort of became clear what was going on with the other girl. Perhaps she was just in such a state of shock that Roxana would drive and own such a thing. Perhaps it was even the fact that it was so smooth and in Roxana's person opinion the interior was just as smooth and comfortable. "We do not have to return back to the school if you did not want to. I just assumed." Roxana pointed out, perfectly fine with driving around a little bit. "I got it for myself back around...January of last year. At least I'm pretty sure it was in January." Roxana said, trying to recall the exact date.

She had not really gotten the chance to actually drive it that much when she got it. Then on top of that it had to have some modifications made to it and go through certain checks before it fully belonged to her. "So it's new in terms of this only being the third time I used it. It’s also new to United States soil." Roxana added. Possibly a not necessary fact, but she informed Elsa of it anyways; just in case.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Originally? Elsa raised a brow at that, wondering if there was something that had changed Roxana's plans or that was just how she wanted to bring it up. She would have dug a little deeper had she not been distracted by her own thoughts and their meandering direction.

"No, the school's fine," Elsa replied. "I need to fill out reports about the vehicle anyway: It was one of theirs." Since the vehicles could be checked out by some students and various staff members. Then again, Elsa, being Elsa, could just about walk into any section of the school and ask for something. She may not be the Headmistress in name any more, but she still had a good deal of leftover authority.

January: that was before Roxana arrived at the school. "Surprised I--" Elsa began, only to pause as Roxana continued. "Ah, so you had it shipped over with your latest little journey." Elsa looked back at Roxana, studying her for a few moments, again trying to puzzle out what was going on there. Well, she might as well say something: Roxana was likely already picking up on bits and pieces as it was.

"Did you get what you needed from that trip?"

[Roxana Strix]

A few things had changed and it would likely be that she would have to use the car for work related things that were on the dangerous side. She knew she was going to have to get her windows changed but the main body of the car was already modified to how it needed to be. Elsa didn't ask any more about it so she left it where it was and focused on the task at hand. Once Elsa confirmed that she wanted to go back to the school, Roxana just gave a small nod and had their path set. It would not take long for them to get back to the school, so long as they didn't end up running into any traffic.

"I see. Do you ever plan to get a car of your own or you are fine with using the ones the schools provide?" Roxana asked. It was not a big deal either way and she figured that Elsa was probably the type to not really care of the kind of car she drove or how she obtained that car. She was a little surprised that Elsa had actually driven herself. Ellen didn't really drive herself around and Rox would have figured that Elsa would not have been a fan of driving. A new thing learned and still more things to learn about the other girl. They were friends but there was a lot that they did not know about one another, but Rox didn't fully mind that.

It was just the way she tended to live her life, it was safer that way. Roxana nodded her head yes as she turned a corner and came to a stop at a light. She would get more use out of it here then it collecting dust in her garage back home. Rox was pleased that they were at a stop light at Elsa's next question; it allowed her to think of how she wanted to answer the question for a moment. She resumed driving towards the school. "Not what I needed the most, but I got things done. My father would not allow me to go through rehabilitation but I have...adjusted." Roxana said.

Her father had his reasons behind not allowing her to, but she did not agree with them. Yet disobeying that man proved to be even more difficult than disobeying an order from SIGUARD. She viewed it as foolish for his reasoning behind it, but she obeyed. So most of her trip ended up being other things that were not her originally intent of returning back home.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"You clearly haven't met many rich people," Elsa replied airily. "I'll probably own a few cars and drive none of them." Which was pretty much the plan. In point of fact, Elsa thought she actually owned at least one car. She seemed to vaguely remember at least one of her family or maybe a family friend giving her a car when she'd turned sixteen. Then again, she might have turned around and given that to Erika or Alexis. She didn't really keep track of such things.

Nor did she focus on it now, with Roxana there, looking ahead seriously. There was a stop, a literal one, and Elsa could practically feel Roxana trying to determine what to say in response to her question. Not what she needed most..? That was a half-answer if Elsa ever heard one.

"Well, I doubt you actually needed full rehabilitation," Elsa replied, looking forward again. "If anything, you seemed to be getting better as of late. Your actions helped prevent an entire section of the school from burning to the ground. You've also worked your way into my innermost circle and gained my confidence." Elsa smiled slyly at that. "Which certainly sounds like a success to me. Then again," she quirked a brow, "I still don't know your organization's intentions..."

Elsa paused for a moment before looking ahead, her expression neutral again. 'In fact, I don't think I even know what the letters stand for."

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana assumed Elsa was joking by that comment, since most of the people Roxana dealt with were on the very wealthy side or had pissed the wealthy off. Money did make the world go around, along with just the fact of business and trade. All of it together was like a machine and when someone tried to get a little extra from the machine that did not belong to them, well it caused problems of course. She guessed that Elsa had a car, but was not certain since the other girl didn't really seem like the type to care about that sort of thing.

Yes, she did expect Elsa to care about the kind of vehicle she drove around in, but after finding out that Elsa had driven herself and was driving one of the cars by the school, well now she didn't know what to expect. "I never understood that stigma. Owning something that had not purpose to you besides appearing nice." Roxana said, that was why she brought her car over. She didn't like the idea of it just sitting there and not being used when she had bought it for that very purpose.

Rox had always been the kind of person that was going to use what she owned, but that did not mean that she was not going to go for the highest quality of it; case in point, her current car. Elsa was then stating her opinion, clearly not knowing what it was that Roxana had been seeking to go through rehabilitation in the first place. There was a mental debate to herself if she should say anything or just leave things as they were. Things were fine as they were and she was here only to pick Elsa up and drop the girl back off to the school. She ended up going with silence on the matter for now and focused on driving.

At least until Elsa brought up her organization. Another small debate on if she should say anything on that topic or not. She supposed it didn't hurt to give Elsa a little bit more, at least in terms of what the girl was asking about. "...I was...I might have given you a bit of a misunderstanding when it comes to the name. It's actually just SIGURD. No letter A in it, like I tend to toss in there. There is also that fact that while I present it as an acronym, it is not one. It has origins of Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Norse Mythology. We use it from the Old Norse name Sigurðr, which was derived from the elements sigr 'victory' and varðr 'guardian'. For those two meanings, victory and guardian." Roxana went ahead and explained. There, that was information that was sensitive but not enough that she or Elsa were going to end up into any trouble over.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa had to laugh slightly. Yes, Roxana definitely didn't understand how rich people think. How many items did her parents own that had no use? Or, for that matter, Elsa herself? "Some items are just useful for what they say," she replied, running her hands along the inside of the car. Was that what Roxana was really doing here? Was this all some kind of statement?

Speaking of: Roxana spoke. Elsa found herself actually turning, outright staring at her friend. SIGURD? It had... a meaning? Elsa stared, processing, blinking. She'd heard bits and pieces of this before, had cobbled some of it together herself. She wasn't an idiot, and she'd had people looking into this from the moment she'd heard about it. But hearing about it secondhand and in parts was nothing compared to hearing it all laid out before her and from one of the main sources.

"That strikes me as being sensitive information," Elsa said flatly, "and it does give me some ideas..." she tapped the car again. "Victory and Guardian... those are terms that men have been using for some time, and they mean something different each time they're used. I don't suppose you'll clue me in as to what precisely it means for your particular... collective?"

[Roxana Strix]

Even if the laugh was a slight one, it was still good to hear Elsa laugh. Not that Roxana had not heard it before, but it was still...nice. Nice was the best word that Roxana could figure to tack onto the feeling she got when she heard Elsa laugh. She didn't react to it other than glancing in the other girl's direction for a moment. "Everything that I have has to have a purpose." Roxana said and then she opened her mouth to say more, but there was a hesitation. "I do suppose art does fall into that category of its only purpose being to look nice. In which case, I can't fully say everything that I have has a purpose." Roxana said with a slight nod.

Yes, that was a bit more of an accurate statement. Her organization and family would have been pleased that she had said such a thing, since she had put so much devotion into her passion that was useless. The truth behind her organizations name was something that should not have just been casual shared. If Elsa now tried to look into things with the new meanings she had, she probably get a tiny bit more in the way of information. That would also lead to problem for the girl and Roxana, but Rox was sort of hoping that her friend would be smart about it all.

"It is, depending on what a person with such information decides to do with it. I'm trusting that you are not going to go talking about it to others." Roxana said, her tone the same for the most part, but there was a hint of a warning in there. She was trusting Elsa a bit more, and hoped that the girl would not come to disappoint in the end. Still, it all very well could have been a test. "Not along our current path. If we stopped somewhere; then perhaps, but even then I can't tell you much. My organization is an old one, more power than people seems to be able to fully grasp but even with that power things are still balanced." Roxana said, trying to think of how to explain it the simplest way she knew how.

"I also still have a limited amount of answers for you, since many things are hidden from me as well. Granted, I do have a bit more information than anyone around my age would but that is for certain reasons that you don't need to concern yourself with." Roxana said as she kept driving. They were not too far from the school as it was and she was already planning on just dropping Elsa off and then going back off to drive. She didn't fully want to return to BA just yet, but she was not going to drag Elsa other places. Rox had already seen how Elsa was when it came to wanting to go somewhere and how she would stay there over talking.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Technically art had several possible uses. Elsa knew several people who used it as a status symbol, to point at and say that they were better than other people, that they could afford art to hang on their walls. Still, that wasn't the part of the conversation she wanted to continue: not with Roxana continuing.

So yes, it was trusted information. Elsa had pretty well expected that. Though if Roxana thought that she was going to keep it entirely to herself, then Roxana didn't know Elsa all that well. If she needed to, she'd share it with her twin, at the least, though she certainly didn't want it to get out. Elsa picked up on the warning in Roxana's tone too: she nodded and waved slightly.

Though the next part didn't make a whole lot of sense. They couldn't talk in a moving vehicle? The bit about not being able to tell Elsa some made sense. "I can always find out the deeper answers through other means," Elsa admitted. She shifted to look forward, her attention on where the car was going for a few moments. "What brought this on?" she asked, looking over at Roxana. "You've been reluctant to even explain what the letters mean before now, and all of a sudden you can 'share sensitive information'?" it took all Elsa had not to literally make air quotes. "Did something happen during your little trip? Or did I pass some sort of secret test to be allowed more information?"

Either way, Elsa couldn't help but wonder where this was coming from. She could feel her mind already sifting through Roxana's surface thoughts, though Elsa seemed to naturally do that around people she trusted fairly well. She did hold back to some degree though, only picking up on bits that generally made their way into facial expressions or words anyway.