"C'est fantastique!" André exclaimed as he entered the small town with Jolie the Cleffa sitting on his shoulder. Normally, the young movie star rarely visited small town like this. He felt more at home in the big city, and the bright lights of Lumiose but it seemed appropriate for the occasion.

Today was the start of André's journey. He had no intention of doing this alone. Sure, he had Jolie, and a bunch of servants at his beck and call, but it would be nice to have some humans his own age to become friends with. He had his people send out letters to his former school friends. He hadn’t seen them since he moved to Unova, and became a celebrity. He was going to be meeting his travel companions today, and André was excited to get to know them.

One thing about small towns like this, they didn’t get celebrities visiting them, so when they did, it was a big deal. It didn't take very long before people began to notice the pink clad young man with the Clefairy by his side. People started talking and murmuring as André strutted by. Word got around fast that famous Movie Star André Bellamy was in town. Before long, André was surrounded by a crowd of screaming teenage girls, (and some guys) clamouring to get the young movie star's autograph, and have their picture taken with him. Something André was more than happy to do for his adoring fans. He signed some autographs, and posed for photos as several cameras started clicking away. “Merci beaucoup, Mesdames et Messieurs. You are a wonderful audience!”

Ember walked past a couple of the small shops, glancing through the windows admiringly before Finn cried out in excitement. This caught her attention, and she glanced up to see what the pokemon was looking at. Her eyes widening at the sudden rush of patrons all in one direction. She blinked a few times, glancing down at Finn, her Eevee who had been walking beside her, the studs of his collar shimmering in the sun. "I... I thought this was a small town..." she murmured to the pokemon, who turned back to look at the crowd, excitement glimmering in his eyes. A moment later the Eevee bolted towards the crowd "wha... Finn! No! Come back..." she whimpered, watching as he disappeared into the crowd. She grumbled for a moment before taking off after the fluffy little guy. She excused herself as she tried to get through the excited crowd. One overly eager fan pushed the petite girl, and with a small squeak, she fell, landing on the ground at Andre's feet. "Oof... Ouch" she whimpered to herself as she pushed herself onto her knees before glancing up. Her cheeks flushing pink as a few people glanced in her direction, but otherwise hadn't paid too much attention to her.

Finn had managed to wind his way through the crowd with no problem at all, sitting at Andre's feet and looking up at the flamboyantly dressed celebrity. He turned as his trainer fell, crying out and running over to her "Vee!?". Giving a small smile, she sighed "I'm okay" she said with a soft giggle. There was no point in being upset, seeing a celebrity had obviously caused a bit of an uproar. "Weren't looking for me, were you?" she asked, pulling herself up and dusting her legging off before turning her smile to Andre.

Vanville Town looked even smaller after all those years of traveling and exploring. Still, it was a cozy place and full of good memories. While it didn't seem ideal to start my journey here, I received an invitation from a childhood friend. My parents always commented that they saw his face on movie posters in Galar, but I had never watched any of them. In fact, it was very strange to see him again after so many years. I felt like a completely different person from when I left Kalos. All the experiences that shaped my personality, that made me who I was, were not shared with Andre. He didn't know me. And scarier than that was the fact that I didn't know him either.

I wasn't putting high expectations on this meeting. Just to find an old friend, catch up on his life news, and move on. Bullet was shyer than ever. Apparently, he felt that something big was happening. In fact, it was difficult not to notice, as a crowd formed at the place where we had agreed to meet. It was not difficult for me to go through that wave of people. I just projected myself against those who didn't seem to move. At the center of the frenzy were Andre and Ember, another good childhood friend. A nice surprise, but one that hardly seemed like a coincidence to me. It was clear that Andre was up to something and I was certainly curious to find out what it was.

- Hey, you guys. - I said with a loose voice. - How're y'all doing?

It had been a four days hike since Kairi and her Ghastly named Shadow left Lumiose City, after dropping in Aquadcorde City for a bite to eat and some rest Kairi continued on Route 1 to Vanville Town. It had been months since she had ventured out the way. With a slow drag of her cigarette, she looks at Ghastly "Got any thoughts about this Shadow?" She asked softly, mainly just to make some conversation.

Ghastly simply shook side to side sharing the same blank expession as her. After a while they had stepped foot into a highly Decorated Vanville town."Guess it's gonna be a busy, crowded day huh?" She muttered softly, Ghastly now getting inside her bag. Neither of them fond of crowds, she let Shadow hide away and she lifted the hood of her grey, lightly tattered hoodie over her head, taking another puff of her cigarette before walking by herself to the heart of the festivities.

Kairi found herself walking upon three familiar people, ashing her cigarette under her foot quietly before looking at her three long lost friends, now rembering them. She eyed Ember first, then Saint and finally Andre, all while keeping a blank expression as she kept a bit of distance to blend some with the surrounding crowd.

Interactions: Ember @Eveekitten Saint @Euphoria

Suddenly, a small girl came out of the crowd, and fell at André’s feet. Followed promptly by an Eevee that most likely belonged to her. Poor girl must have gotten mixed up in the chaos. She got up and dusted herself off, and asked if André was looking for her. The young movie star grinned, showing off his perfectly white teeth. “Hm, maybe. I am waiting for some of my friends to arrive. Might you be one of them?” He pulled out a pink rose, and stuck it behind the girl’s ear. Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek. André often greeted people with kisses. No one knew if that just was a Kalosian thing, or if André was being flirty. He claimed it was the former, but often times it was really the latter. “Your Eevee is très mignon!” He exclaimed as he gave the Evolution Pokémon a pat on the head. “I do hope to get one for myself one day. They will evolve into a beautiful Sylveon!”

Jolie did not like André paying attention to other Pokémon one bit. She was the star of the show here. The Fairy type jumped off his shoulder, and looked at the Eevee up and down disapprovingly. “Cleffa…” She dismissed him, and went back to posing for peoples pictures.

Then André picked out a tall handsome boy out from the rest of the crowd. There was one particularly tall boy he knew growing up… He definitely grew up well if that was indeed him. André’s eyes lit up as he approached the boy, kissed him on both cheeks, then handed him another pink rose, and put his arm around his shoulder. “Bonjour mon ami! Is it possible you are one of my friends too?“

Ember blinked up at him for a moment before smiling, of course she was more likely to know who he was more than the other way around, she had seen many of his movies and shows. A soft blush formed across her cheek as he placed the rose behind her ear and gave her cheek a swift kiss. "I might... Ember..." she said, tilting her head to the side. "Though you probably remember my dad more than me..." she added with a roll of her eyes. Most people knew who her father was, his research was well known in the Kalos region. Her eyes sparkled and she beamed at the compliment towards her Eevee, bending down, she scooped the creature up in her arms. Finn closed his eyes, happy with the pats, clearly enjoying the attention "Eevee, Eve!" he responded, wagging his cute, fuzzy tail enthusiastically. "We haven't decided what Finn is going to be just yet, I told him that I would let him decide when the time is right" she smiled down affectionately towards her pokemon.

The cute little pink puff caught her attention as she scrambled down and turned her back, very obviously snubbing Finn. "Aww, aren't you just the cutest thing..." she cooed at the baby pokemon. Stooping down to get a better look, "so healthy, obviously really well taken care of" she said, knowledgeably. Glancing up when she heard a second voice, she stood again, turning towards the tall guy who made their way towards them. She gave him an encouraging wave "hey!" she said, letting Finn climb up to sit on her shoulder.

I didn't have to walk far to be greeted by Andre. It wasn't until I caught a closer sight of him that I realized how underdressed I was for the occasion. The blond lad was flawless. There wasn't even a rip in his clothes. I, on the other hand, was wearing a yellow crop top, very short fleece shorts, and slip-on shoes. At that moment I felt tremendous discomfort.

But all of that passed very quickly as Andre approached me. He came with a pink rose in my direction and put his arm around my neck, forcing it down and asking if I was one of his friends. Ember had an identical rose between her ear and her hair.

- Subtle as a Ryhorne, right Andre? - I said between two laughs. - Yes, I came for your letter. My name is Saint since you don't seem to remember me.

As soon as I managed to free myself from his hook, I gave him a tight hug and that rose scent intensified. I addressed Ember who seemed to hold back a laugh and did the same: - It's good to see you, my friend. It's been so long.

However, before we could sit down, a fourth presence brought even more movement to the already chaotic scene. I had to search my memory to recognize Kairi. She was very different. Thinner, paler, and less alive than I remembered. I was too young at the time to understand that her mother's death would have such an impact on the little girl. But I didn't hesitate and also threw her a hug: - Glad you arrived, Kairi!

As Regis walked down the roads of Vanville he couldn't help but wonder if Andre had changed since he left for his (Regis's) own homeland of Unova. It had been awhile since he been home but the cities he loved to wander with his father all those years ago as a kid. Kalos was...different but not bad the locals were mostly friendly, and the pokemon here there were plenty! But it still made him feel weird that Andre was contacting him, and apparently the rest of their clique, about apparently heading out together as a group? It certainly would be safer that way but the others...they weren't exactly the social type. As he walked down the road Regis adjusted his coat, and tossed the black, and gold pokeball that held his partner in his hand making sure not to drop it. Luxury balls were said to be comfortable so he may as well let Solace rest while he wasn't needed. There wasn't anyone to engage, and the others probably wouldn't remember a Teddiursa. As he walked forward he saw a crowd formed around Andre. Regis let out a grunt and decided to stay a bit of distance away waiting for the crowd to disperse a bit. Large groups made him uncomfortable especially those of young ladies. He'd step forward eventually, not that he was hiding since he was standing in plain sight, but for now his mind was focused on his future journey. A well rounded team of pokemon would be needed...a flying type would be easy enough to grab off the bat. Solace would become a solid normal type his evolution would be strong. But a team needed more than power. Trust was key in any party.

It was a sudden shock to Kairi, receving a hug from Saint. Her eyes widened with a soft, slightly embarrassed blush. The force of his friendly hug de-hooded Kairi, revealing her bright blonde, cropped hair which was way longer when they were kids, they often called her Blondie, and though it was much shorter, it still had that silky, softness to it. She let out a soft sigh."Yes.. It's me. Been a while huh Saint" After the brief hug, Kairi approached Andre and Ember with Saint to sit with them.

She wasn't much for social activities now a days, but it was the least she could do for a group of friends she hasn't seen in what felt like years."You can come out now bud... Got some old friends for you to see.". Ghatsly then slowly came out of her bag with an expression as blank as hers. " I never thought I'd see you guys again.."She said in a monotone voice addressing her friends. "What brings you here Andre?" in truth she was glad to see her old friends but her hardened exterior wouldn't let her show it, instead she brought her knees to her chest as she sat with them, Ghastly idlely floating behind her.

There was a crowd over there and Matt wasn’t going anywhere near it.

He knew what it was about, who was at its centre; he’d spotted him even before most of the people currently surrounding him had but hadn’t yet gotten up the courage to go over and say hi. As he waited more and more familiar faces showed up, changed by age but still recognisable, and with each one it got harder and harder to bring himself to walk over to them. Kind of silly really, considering that seeing them was the whole reason he had come here in the first place, but it had been so long and he was worried. He was worried that things wouldn’t be the same anymore, that they would have changed or he would be too different from how he used to be; that they wouldn’t be able to pick up their friendships just like that after six years of not seeing each other.

That they couldn’t be friends at all anymore.

The thought scared him. It scared him the longer he sat here and thought about it. He should just go over and get it over with; more than likely he was over thinking it and everything would be fine, everyone seemed to be getting along just fine so far. He could join them.

As he waited another person showed up, but stayed separate from the group like he did. He recognised them too. Matt stood up from his seat on someone’s garden wall and began to walk towards them; approaching one person was easier than walking into that crowd and he really did need to do something before he missed out entirely.

“Hey, it’s been a while.”

@vancexentan

@King Cosmos

"Matt." Regis said simply as he adjusted the black glasses that covered his eyes slightly. He turned to look at the person whom he had called 'friend' for about half his life now. He had known Matt as one of the quieter parts of the group. He wasn't surprised when he had come to see him instead of walking over to Andrew whom had just now started to shoo away the crowd slightly. Regis's voice was neither friendly, nor dismissive it was as calm as it usually was. He saved his emotions for his pokemon battles. "How are you my friend? I hope you've been well. Its been awhile I imagine you've done some stuff since we last spoke." Regis said to him in a very professional manner as he looked straight at Matt. He didn't want to seem disrespectful to him but from what he knew of the boy next to him he wasn't prone to taking the initiative a problem for any trainer so he may as well lead. "I've been working with my mother personally. Always busy helping people judge as per usual. She wanted me to wish you her best."

@Crimson Flame

"Well, finding him's not gonna be any trouble."

Outwardly, Grace kept up an air of snarky composure, glowering into the distance at Andre and his flock of screaming fans. Inwardly... Well, that was a different story. She'd thought herself emotionally prepared for the reunion, but nostalgia hit harder than she'd expected. She edged forward and stopped at a street corner, peering round, ribs clenching at the sight of her former friends.

Ember, at least, didn't seem to have changed much, or so Grace hoped. Kairi, on the other hand... It took a moment to recognise her. The girl who'd once been so full of life now gave off a quiet, gloomy air. She hadn't started trying to be cool and edgy, had she? Grace bit her lip. Matt, Regis, Saint... She knew none of them would be exactly as she remembered. And Andre. With a pang, she watched him greet Ember and Saint with kisses, and hand out roses. Andre, who'd accepted her into his group of friends, making her no longer an outcast. Andre, who'd made so many people feel welcome. Andre, who'd gone and ditched them all, and only just now remembered they existed.

"Pory?" Beside her, Vertex floated up for a better look at the group.

Grace sighed. "The guy's getting enough attention as it is, but we might as well get the meet and greet over with." Beckoning Vertex back to her side, she pet them on the head, taking a Lumiose galette out of her bag and nibbling at it. She knew all these sugary snacks were unhealthy, but they helped in stressful situations. Not that she had any reason to be stressed! She wasn't that snivelling wimp who cared what people thought, or put too much stock in friendships, any more.

With a deep breath, she strode up to Andre. "Hey. Sure has been a while, hasn't it?" She accompanied her frosty tone with a glare. If she was souring the mood, so be it.

"Ow!" She pulled back as Vertex gave her a harsh tap on the shoulder with their nose. The Porygon approached Andre, tilting forward and giving him a much gentler shoulder boop, more visibly eager than their trainer was to hang out with these people.

Interactions: Ember @Eveekitten Saint @Euphoria Kairi @xXSINXx Grace @LuckyBlackCat

“Merci beaucoup! She is my precious Jolie. Nothing is too good for her!” André replied as he picked up his small Fairy type and sat her back on his shoulder.

The Cleffa giggled, and started making cutesy faces. Then pointed at her open mouth demandingly.

“Ah, oui.” André reached into his bag, and pulled out a box of Pokepuffs, and fed a pink one to Jolie. “She loves those.”

André smiled when Saint gave him a hug. “Good to see you too mon ami. I see you have gotten handsome over the years. I cannot wait to take you shopping. Ça va être amusant!”

Saint then pointed out another one of their friend group. It was Kairi… At least, he thought she was. She had changed a lot over the years. Didn’t she used to be… more cheerful than this? He wondered what happened? She asked what brought him here, and André smirked. “Oh, I have a plan ma chérie. You will see when the others get here.” He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek like he had with the others, but when he got close, a bad smell reached his nose. He scrunched his face in disgust, and backed up. “Mon Dieu! Have you been smoking?” He reached into his bag, and pulled out a bottle of his Rose scented perfume, and sprayed it in her direction. Then stuck a pink rose behind her ear like he had done with Ember.

Sure enough, one more member of their friend group approached. It was Grace, and it seemed she too had changed a lot over the years, and not good way. What happened to these girls? It seemed like André had some work to do. He noticed the frosty tone in her voice, but chose to ignore it. “It certainly has mademoiselle.“ He kissed her on the cheek too, and her a pink rose. “That is why I have brought you all here!”

The Porygon seemed more friendly than it’s trainer was. André gave it a pat on the head, much to Jolie’s annoyance.

Ember watched the little pink creature as she chewed up her poke puff happily "so cute..." she mumbled to herself, before feeling a soft bonk against her cheek. Glancing over and spotting the annoyed look on Finn's face "oh, don't look at me like that... You already know how I feel about you" she added, reaching up and scritching behind his ear. He leaned into the scratching, murring in satisfaction before she stopped, turning to face the others. "Ready to meet some of my old friends?" she asked the little Eevee, who wagged his tail enthusiastically, feeling much braver than she did.

Following behind Andre, she smiled, a little shyly as their friend group began to gather. It had been several years, and while she and Andre hadn't changed quite as much, it seemed a good portion of their friends had over the years. It wouldn't take long before she was feeling more talkative, like she usually was, but it had been so long since they'd seen each other, it was like meeting a whole new group of people al it once. It was difficult not to feel a little overwhelmed. Her eyes were instantly taken by the bright Porygon as it came up to Andre, excitement taking over the shyness as she approached, kneeling down beside the electronic creature "wow, I've never actually seen one up close!" she exclaimed.

Matt tried not to let his smile falter as Regis spoke; the other boy had always been a little bit difficult for him to speak to, due to his rather flat way of acting. It was just, no matter what Matt said or did Regis wouldn’t ever give him much in return, his reactions were always so subdued it was hard to tell how he really felt about anything. Their interactions always felt kind of… business-like, in a way. Looking into those black glasses and seeing nothing but his own reflection staring back at him, he couldn’t tell if Regis was happy to see him, annoyed or anything else. Same as it had been back then.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been pretty good I guess. I haven’t gotten up to much I guess; since moving to Coumarine I’ve just been going to school, getting to know people. Oh, I took up photography.” Matt hefted the small bag at his waist that held his camera up a bit as proof. “I was thinking of becoming a travel photographer or something after college; it would be cool to go to a bunch of different places. At least, that was the plan before Andre’s letter.”

As Regis mentioned working with his mother Matt nodded in understanding as the memories came back to him; both of his parents were talented trainers in their own rights and Regis had always planned on joining them from what he recalled. He was probably planning on going on a journey like this whether Andre sent him a letter or not, unlike Matt. “How is she? And you dad. Are they still doing the contest and trainer stuff?”

@vancexentan

Kairi let out a seiries of dry spits as the taste of the perfume hit her tongue."Gahh now I smell like a fashion show dressing room." She said as she squinted and shook her face, the comment intended to poke a little fun at André. At least her sense of humor hasn't changed. She then came back to her blank expression and stood silently.

"Please.... Excuse me." She said softly, giving André gentle pat on the back as she walked away, not too far, but just enough to enjoy some solitude as she sits upon a wooden railing around the seating area the group congregated at. She lit up another smoke and sighed staring off into the sky. Ghastly came floating up beside her and she gently patted him. both seeming to share a gloomy aspect.

@King Cosmos

"Mom is currently at Cyllage City, she's helping with a charity race for abandoned pokemon. Some trainers can be cruel, and mom likes to help a good cause. She's less so into competing and more so looking to help new coordinators. She mostly is helping the Pokémon Activities Committee by acting as a judge. She gets paid doing what she loves. Can't say I'm a big fan of it myself but its in my blood. She taught me what she knew about it so who knows maybe I'll get into it once I hit a wall in training. Sometimes a new perspective helps things right?" Regis says to Matt casually as he places his hands into his pockets he looks over to Andre instead of Matt. "Dad is currently competing in the Orange Island League. Said something about trying his hand at something new. He's been collecting badges why not try for a minor championship? With Dragonite, and Granbull by his side I have no doubt that he'll be crowned as a champion there. Still last I heard of him was actually a few days ago. He is probably still at Kumquat Island." Regis said as he frowned slightly watching Kairi walk away from Andre looking depressed. Even he knew someone screwed up something.

"Why don't you try, and tell me more about your photos? Depending on what kind of stuff you're looking into Mom can probably set you up with a internship, or a apprenticeship under some pokemon contest guys. A lot of them have high standards but its a good way to get your name out there." Regis said still coolly calm as he took his luxury ball, and throws it onto the ground after pressing the activation button. The ball releases Solace form its ball before Regis kneels down and looks at his pokemon. "Go. I know you're better at it than me." Regis says to Solace as he points towards Kairi. Solace is wearing a small red scarf around its neck. The Teddiursa nods and started to run off towards Kairi with a determined look on his face before he stands back up. "Don't worry I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to sit here and talk to you until that moron realizes we're here instead of attending to his fan girls. Some friend..." Regis said not angrily, or disappointedly but still the same calmness that resonated around himself. He didn't especially feel much aside from slight annoyance that he would let a crowd stick around when he invited some friends here.

@xXSINXx

As Solace approaches he goes up to Kairi, and pats her on the leg to let her know he's there in case she didn't see him, and then speaks its name in a cute manner before hugging Kairi's leg, or at least attempting to while looking up at her. While it preferred fights it was still rather capable of being gentle with people in its current evolution. Regis's mom had often brushed it, and cuddled with it and a few other baby pokemon her husband had raised so the young pokemon had gotten use to people quickly. If it could help it would try after all that's what its trainer directed it to do.

@Crimson Flame @Eveekitten

Despite Vertex's reaction, Grace didn't plan on softening her attitude. She had every reason to be annoyed at Andre. Before she could call him out, he kissed her on the cheek and stuck a rose behind her ear as he had with the others - leaving her unexpectedly tongue-tied. Her glasses steamed up. Hastily, she turned away, taking them off and rubbing them on her sleeve, hoping he hadn't noticed that or the slight blush that warmed her cheeks. That charmer attitude of his most certainly wouldn't work on her!

"Hmph..." She put her glasses back on and glared. "Y'know, the occasional message wouldn't have gone amiss." Nonetheless, some part of her - some stupid part - wanted to believe his words. That they were truly all reunited. That he'd show his former kindness and generosity, without running off and abandoning them again. Yeah right, she thought, that's the epitome of wishful thinking.

As she stepped back and looked around, she could tell things really weren't the same. Kairi didn't even seem to connect with them any more. Speaking in bored monotone? Smoking? This wasn't like her. What had happened?

A voice piped up, pulling Grace from her thoughts. "Wow, I've never actually seen one up close!" Ember seemed rather taken with Vertex, kneeling next to them as they greeted her with a soft shoulder boop. A tiny smile tugged at Grace's lips. From the look of it, this was still the Ember she knew.

"This is Vertex, they're pretty friendly," she told Ember, as the Porygon did a flip in the air, visibly excited to be around all these people. Her eyes flicked to the happy-looking Eevee on Ember's shoulder. "I haven't seen an Eevee up until now. Well, except in pictures of course, way too many people treat them like accessories for social media, but I can tell you really care for yours."

@vancexentan

Kairi was caught off gaurd, looking down with a blank lifeless expression."Hey there little guy." she said in a monotoned voice, surprisingly picking up Solace, tilting her head before gently hugging him. Now, pulling Shadow(Ghatsly) into the mix, after ashing her cigarette and clearing the smoke of course. She didn't care too much if humans were around smoke, but Pokemon was another thing. She knew Solace wouldnt like it, but it wouldn't bother Shadow.

She then took a long pause, slightly remembering Solace."I know you..Been a while huh Solace? Regis is with you I suppose." For a moment there, Kairi had a very slight smile. A few years back before Kairi went into gloom, she volunteered to help Regis' father raise a few Pokemon, sometimes along side Regis. At the time, Kairi was outgoing and had quite a few friends and wanted to be friends with Regis, resulting in some familiarly between them. She gently put Solace down and gave him two Chilace berries."Go say hi to Regis for me will you?" She then patted his head gently let him be on his way.

Shadow nudged her."You know I can't leave you out bud.."She gently handed him the last of the Chilace berries she had. Shadow didn't really have the need to eat, he just really enjoyed tasty things every now and then.

@LuckyBlackCat@Crimson Flame

Ember's eyes lit up with true interest, her passion in life had always been centered around pokemon, even when she was a kid. It was true, of all their friends, she had likely changed the least. Only one thing "oh yes... I've done research on them, of course... you do know that they're considered one of the greatest mysteries to some researchers. I mean, they know basic facts of course, like their typical height and weight..." she continued to rattle off her tid-bits of Porygon information, before she paused, her cheeks flushing a little "oh... sorry, I uh... just get excited then..." she gestured with her hand to indicate her mouth running off.

At the mention of him, she turned her attention to her beloved Eevee, who puffed out his chest at once when being noticed "yes, this is Finn... He loves meeting new people. Wanna say 'hi'?" she cooed up to the fluffy guy on her shoulder. "Vee!" he exclaimed, confidently, bouncing down off her shoulder. Leaving her scramble to catch him in her arms, giving a slight sigh of exasperation, before a soft giggle "yeah... He really has a mind of his own when he wants something, there's no stopping him... Almost the opposite of me really" she admitted, her eyes falling to the ground shyly, again. "It's um... been a long time" she admitted, looking a little embarrassed as the realization struck her that she had not done a very good job keeping in touch with her friends in the years. She had gotten so wrapped up in her research career. "But... I want to change that now" her eyes wide, and a small smile brimming. "I mean... that's why we're all meeting isn't it?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder towards Andre' questioningly.