"This is it." breathed the young lady in question as she lifted her head and walked past the check-in counter at the local airport, freed of the luggage she'd hauled with her all the way there via taxi. No backing out now. She couldn't even if she wanted to, with all the preparations she had made for the trip. All the things packed in the briefcase were transferred to her one and only piece of carry-on baggage, a hefty rucksack in sky blue and black that stood out against her darker green top, long-sleeved and plain except for a little work done on the neckline and designed more for the welcoming cold of the new destination than style, though what the top lacked her sleek black ankle-boots made up for, going over the dark skinny jeans she wore and the ever-so-slight heel clacking every time her feet hit the ground. She was dressed for the occasion, in this case being the cold, and packed equally well for it.

Regardless, she made her way to the passenger's lounge indeed after a little stop-over for the morning's calling of caffeine, and found herself whiling away the time by laying her head back with her earphones plugged in, listening to music and just lost in thought about the situation, which often did happen. She could spend hours just thinking, and listening, and thinking and listening, but that wasn't the case this time. It seemed a short hour and a half before the flight was ready to board, with the young lady picking herself, and her stuff up, with a more excited skip in her step as the distance was crossed to the flight. Her lips quirking in a smile in greeting to the stewardesses, and then further when she was shown her seat, she sat herself down and snuggled into the seat, appreciating its difference to Economy, which had always been more usual, more standard and more expected for her if travel ever called.
Unfolding and spreading a blanket over her legs, she fastened the seatbelt over it and prepared herself for take-off, which included popping a little strip of chewing-gum into her mouth and watching the little presentation on the screen before her quite eagerly. Her heart raced when the plane moved and slowly sped up, its rhythmic beating trying to match the pace of the wheels against the runway. And it seemed to her like it took flight the minute the plane left the ground.

She spent the short flight plugging the provided earphones in and scrolling through the list of movies on-flight, picking one eventually and watching it in its entirety, though being cut off a little shorter than halfway with the second, though it didn't bother her in the slightest. It was one she'd seen parts of already, anyway. Making herself landing-ready by straightening her seat, taking off the provided earphones and folding up the tray in which she'd enjoyed a light breakfast, she popped another piece of gum and lay back with her iPod and her own set plugged in, peering through a nearby window to watch as the blue turned to the sight of a city as the plane hit the ground, the bump making her body tense but relax again as the plane slowed to a stop. Her excitement was almost liquid and pooled in her stomach, making it twist and turn like it always did with the thought of disembarking in a new location, when she left the flight, rucksack recovered from the overhead bench, and her fumbling for her passport on her way out from the flight and to immigration. It was a smooth journey to the baggage claim, though impatient as she was, she was a little bothered when the bag didn't show up on the first turn-around. Or the second. That was where and when she was greeted by the chauffeur and his little chalkboard with her name clearly marking it, and though she thought it a little strange at first, it was to be expected. She even brushed off the luggage collection after another minute of thought and a short word with the man. It was to be expected.
[i]Luxury treatment all the way or nothing, eh?[/i]
It didn't seem so bad after all.

"Oh, would you give me just a second?" she asked the man when they'd passed the toilets on their way out, with his initial greeting implying he could speak English, which she was thankful for. She wouldn't have been able to say pretty much anything in Swedish. Though she disappeared behind the corner and to the ladies' room without another word.

---

The young lady stepped out of the toilets and gave the chauffeur a shy, somewhat apologetic smile, even fixing her rucksack on her shoulder a little and tugging her shirt down so the fabric wouldn't be caught when she adjusted the bag she'd carried. Making someone wait was never a good idea, especially if they were so intent on waiting, and she almost felt a little bad. Visit the toilet? How typical of a lady!

The new environment was just as grand as confusing, to say the least. It was all so different here, and though she'd say she'd been accustomed to travelling, that was never the case and a new location especially always caught her off guard. The language back home was familiar, but this was a completely new tongue and she felt lost in a world not her own. The very thought left her longing, for just a second, to be able to make sense of it. The strange advertisements as they walked through the airport, and even the road-signs the minute they stepped outside into the breeze. Keeping up with the chauffeur's heel and pace wasn't too difficult, and she was actually grateful she didn't have to pull anything heavy behind her. Though it seemed bulky, the familiar procedures of going through an airport [i]with[/i] luggage in check was something she had become used to. It would almost feel like a more insignificant journey were it not for the signs, the new language, the new tongue lingering in the air, the accents, the people, everything was unbelievably new. She'd never been to this part of the world before, so far up north. She swallowed it down and shook her head, curious grey eyes blinking up through the spectacles that rested on her nose when they finally made it to the limo, where she froze, again. It was a sleek affair, and the door hung open, as if waiting to swallow her up. She was a woman of medium stature, about 5'5 roughly, but the grandeur of the limo made her feel small. She thanked the chauffeur with a little mumble and another waning smile as she sat herself down inside, left to wait.

To calm her nerves in the meanwhile, the minibar was her first and only destination of choice, with her smiling like a schoolchild as she identified all the bottles of alcohol and what they contained by reading the labels in the dim light. Some she had never even seen before, but it didn't matter. She would try them, but she'd try them some other time, when she was more sure of where she was or what was going on. This could either have been the best or worst thing to ever have happened to her.
[i]A kidnapping this fancy? Naw...Who'd go through the trouble?[/i]
A hand reached out for a can of Cola, and the stay was pulled open in practised motions from how many drinks-from-cans she was accustomed to having, and she wiped the edge with a little napkin that later found its way thrust back into her pocket, where she had it in case of emergencies, before she put it to her lips and sipped from it, sitting closest to the window that faced the airport and putting her bag down on the seat next to her, dimly-lit by the little lights as well. A certain Miss Erika Hayes waited and wondered.
[i]What did he mean by 'others'?[/i]