The Harenwood Reunion

Charlotte was the time to have not really gone abroad, hardly leaving her native French homeland growing up. But now here the Duel Seeker was, in a plane landing in Kyoto. Driven by thoughts of fighting all sorts of men and women in combat and proving her dominance in battle, like the knights of old from her lineage. Hearing tales of her Cousin Eliza's conquests in Tension drove Charlotte to pack up her lot and take a gamble on this. No expense had been spared for her trip, Charlotte was dressed in her usual regalia with her hair tied in a ponytail. The plane touched down.......

The Duel Seeker exited the plane, raising a hand up to block the rays of sunlight. It'd been a long trip after all, it had been grey and rainy when she left Paris. A omen Charlotte surely hoped not, she came to Japan with high hopes and belief in her ability. As expected of herself, still it was a relief to finally be on solid ground. Charlotte sighed as she stood off the steps from the plain, not letting the jet lag set in.

She followed the process after with a sort of robot like mentality, not really keen on the airport as after all it wasn't where Charlotte would forge her legend. The Duel Seeker checked her phone, she was getting a signal it seemed. Perfect, she sent her Cousin a text message as she made her way through customs.

"That's me arrived in customs, are you there at the airport?"

"That's me arrived in customs, are you there at the airport?"

“Yes, I have arrived. Just waiting outside of the gates. I cannot wait to see you.”

Eliza was pretty much used to the bustling and busy nature of the airport. Even in the morning, the noises of the PA systems, the turbines running near the docks, the shouts of workers doing their best to get cargo loaded or unloaded with as much speed as they could manage. With each trip from Japan to her native country Great Britain, Ms Harenwood had gotten used to how noisy and hectic it can be. However, the longer she stood there among the many others that are waiting to see their loved ones, the more the Dancing Passion reminisced about the time when she first came to Japan. How eager she was when she saw her ex making a splash in Tension that she made her trip there at the age of nineteen. To think that her own cousin would be following in her footsteps was astounding.

Of course, unlike Eliza, her cousin in question was a bit more prepared and battle-hardened. That didn’t stop the Darling of Tension wanting to support the Dual Seeker from her debut and many matches to come. So after reaching out, Eliza would meet up and pick her up from the airport. She hasn’t seen her cousin in such a long time, and much has changed after that time. Eliza was now a lady of war, honed from the many battles that took place in the Tension ring. But she could only hope that those changes had been good for Charlotte as they have been for her. The Dancing Passion had thought her career would never rise when the British Aristocrat had lost the chance to become the tag team champion with her then-lover, Clyde. But she had climbed back from that, her drive and love of the sport pushing her to keep going and get better, knowing that she would eventually be rewarded for her efforts.

Since then this year, she hit the ground running and shown Tension that she hasn’t missed a step at all, bouncing back after a rough year. And now she just had to wait a little longer for Charlotte to make past customs, waving to her when she eventually caught sight of her.

Charlotte truth be told had been looking forward to this in more ways than one, out of her British relatives Eliza had always been the most enjoyable to be with. Granted they had generally interacted with each other during holiday periods but Charlotte had to say that some of her British bloodline could be well......stuffy she'd guess the word of the time was. Eliza however was always freely available to converse with a wide variety of topics, plus the dancing passion had been eager to hear of the Duel Seeker's desire to do battle in Tension. Charlotte had been practising her craft in college, but it just......hadn't really gotten anywhere.

She had theorised it was due to trying to focus on her studies at the same time, now that Charlotte had followed where her heart desired she could already feel a sense of.....comfort was it? Yes she believed it to be so, it was afternoon now. Charlotte had forgotten what time she had departed from her homeland of France, she'd been abroad before to visit Eliza back in Britain. But stepping into the airport Charlotte could already tell things were different than the UK.

A short trip through customs Charlotte would grab her luggage bags, taking a moment to adjust her hair. It'd been a fair bit dishevelled she decided and the duel seeker wanted to look as best as possible for greeting her Cousin, once she was prepared she'd get into the main area and head out the gates. It was so hectic, but she could see Eliza there. She'd recognise that strawberry blonde hair of hers anywhere. Charlotte had an unusually large grin on her face and she hefted herself towards her with a wave "Eliza! Its sooooo good to see you again! Thanks for agreeing to help with all this have you been well?!" she said as she made her way to her dear Cousin.

Miss Harenwood hadn't seen Charlotte for quite a long while, and much had changed in that time, though she could only hope those changes had been good for the Duel Seeker as they had been for her. Truth be told, she was starting to feel the need of having family close to her as she battled in AFW. A pleasant encounter with Ryonata brought the idea of being a teacher, assisting others like her to get a good start in the league. But with so many things she wanted to do before she would eventually hang up the dress for good, Eliza had to put that dream on hold. When it comes to Charlotte, the British Aristocrat was quick to give her support for her start to be a great one, hopefully opening up to other avenues that Eliza was late to find. Just the idea of having her in Tokyo was enough to bring a smile on her face.

So, it was good to be at the bustling airport. A big smile on the blonde's lips as she caught sight of an old friend, her cousin, who had been there for her in her early days. She needed this in more ways than one, and she wondered if Charlotte was in a similar boat. Guess she would find out.

"Oh, there is no need for thanks, but I appreciate it!" Eliza came towards her cousin with a hug. "Honestly, I got lucky when I heard about where you were and thought, I haven't seen my dear cousin in too long, so why not help her in Japan?" She stood there smiling for a few moments, embracing Charlotte. Her hand brushed on the cousin's near dishevelled hair, plane rides aren't always an exciting trip. "And I am very well, thank you. I've made my return to the squared circle, though I guess you have already seen all of that unfolding!"

Charlotte could already tell that she was at ease now that she was with Eliza, looking around the duel seeker was able to tell that people were coming and going. So this was where Charlotte's story would begin, the girl had high hopes for her time here. She'd watched several of Eliza's moves in preparation for her time in Tension, to gracefully strike down both men and women and make it look easy were feats that the duel seeker aspired to reach. Granted Charlotte's track record was a bit less than stellar, but the French girl was fully intent on making her legacy here and perform to the Harenwood standard as Eliza had.

She giggled as Eliza fixed her hair, instantly reminding her of the times where they would spend the holidays together. Charlotte could recall times when Eliza had fixed her hair as a kid, tying it in braids and the duel seeker would return the favour by giving her a ponytail and placing a flower in it. It was things like this that made Charlotte prefer the company of her cousin compared to the other girls of her school, she was simply relatable and friendly to be around.

"All the same I'm very grateful, I've been trying to learn the Japanese language on my way here. Good thing a lot of those wrestlers speak English at least. Yeah I saw your matches, you've not missed a literal step Eliza! Come, lets hail a taxi. I'll drop off my luggage and you can give me a tour of Tension yes?" the duel seeker would pat the dancing passion on the shoulder, already Charlotte was looking forward to this!

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Even fixing up Charlotte’s hair had her reminiscing about the past, remembering the times she would braid her hair, making it neat and proper. Just like how her parents and carers would teach her. It was almost like a big sister kind of thing, even though they were only cousins. She also remembered the time that Charlotte did her hair in that lovely ponytail…perhaps now is the time she could be a bit more experimental with her hair? Granted, she loved her straight golden locks. But like her corset, even that could change—something to ponder.

Eliza was glad that Charlotte was practising her Japanese upon arrival in Japan. “Indeed, many man and woman come from many places, but they do speak the common tongue. It will definitely help if you know a few things. In case if I’m not around, of course.” Then again, she was committed to being by her side no matter what. However, she can’t be flying over her like a hawk. Charlotte still has to stand on her own two feet. “One has to keep practising and honing their skills, even when not in front of the audience. And I know you will strive to do better, AFW is the best place for you.”

The Harenwoods can’t stay in the airport for long; however, they have other places to be. And Charlotte is more than eager to see the sights around Japan as well as Tension. “Indeed, right there with you. There’s so much I want to show you!”

Charlotte was aware that she'd have to learn Japanese when she first got the idea of moving to there, she'd gotten the hang of other languages easily enough. Besides she found the words of the land of the rising sun to be rather enticing in all honesty, it'd be a fun little side project while she went about learning combat and taking victory after victory in her mind. She still preferred the seductive tones of French at the end of the day though, old habits die hard in the mind of the duel seeker. Charlotte listened intently to the words of the dancing passion, Eliza was a dutiful and responsible gal and Charlotte knew she'd have the best possible start with Eliza being able to help guide her.

The duel seeker nodded her head and said "Oui, I intend to clash with many people! I could hardly sleep before stepping onto that plane, was watching matches on the internet and imagining myself driving a shining wizard into my foe in the middle of the arena and all that hehe." Charlotte was nothing if not enthusiastic about the craft.

Charlotte would walk with Eliza to the outside of the airport, thankfully a taxi was waiting outside. The duel seeker would open the door for her Cousin to go first and then hand her luggage to the driver, once they were all back in the car Charlotte would say "I think we'd better get to my apartment first, get the suitcases in first and foremost, perhaps you could tell me some more about Tension? Like I don't know.....the current state of things?" the duel seeker said as she buckled up.

Any new country will have it’s set of challenges one has to overcome. It can be a culture change to go from the West to the East, where the sun rises and not where it sets. And one of the challenges was speaking the language. Eliza could have used a bit of help, but she managed to study and learn Japanese.  Nothing felt quite like the suave and calm tones of her homeland and the seductive sounds of French at the end of the day. But even Japanese has its own appeal, as Ms Harenwood found out while she dutifully studied the language.

“That’s the spirit!” Eliza chuckled, sharing Charlotte’s enthusiasm. There was nothing quite like getting kicked by the legs of a Harenwood. And now AFW has to deal with another pair. They certainly aren’t ready, Eliza would think. Japan was definitely the right place for her.

“Ah yes, there are certainly some dubious fellows in Tension, but some of them have since left. Killer King remains the biggest threat of them all. And I still have yet to pay him back.” Eliza’s eyes narrowed at the thought of that man.

Charlotte grinned at Eliza's words, perhaps the pair could eventually face a team in the ring. Oh the glorious domination would ensue there, the duel seeker superkicking an opponent with them staggering right into Eliza delivering a beautiful pele kick to them for the victory. That'd be the stuff of legend to be sure! Of course Charlotte would love to do such a thing, though she'd do her first match by herself she reasoned. So she could display the French side of the Harenwood clan's might! One certainly couldn't say Charlotte lacked for enthusiasm at any rate.

The pair would enter the car before it drove out the airport, Charlotte could tell Kyoto was quite a different place than Paris already. The people seemed not to hold hands as much as the city of love did so, the duel seeker chalked that up to culture differences she supposed. Eliza then spoke of the less than reputable people in Tension, Charlotte had done her homework prior to coming. So she knew full well what the dancing passion was on about.

"Pffffff! That thing isn't even worthy of stepping into the ring with you or me, I have no interest in doing anything with him period. Not even worthy of tying my boots." Charlotte said folding her arms. "Besides there are others I'd wish to challenge! Both there and in Friction!" Charlotte said, she knew Eliza had made travels over to Tokyo for time to time to challenge others there and the thought was enticing to say the least......