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The snowing has picked up; the snowflakes come in thick clumps and infinite numbers from the grey clouds above, and the wind is pushing them back and forth. Even though the flood lights are designed to withstand this kind of weather and make the perimeter of the airport and its parking lot navigable, it has little success in cutting through the dim rests of daylight - and it’s barely three in the afternoon.
Alexej stands off to the side of the big entrance, waiting for the masses of people to dissipate so he can have a better look around and find who he’s looking for. The overhang of the roof partially protects him from the snow and so he waits patiently, his bag next to him and hands buried deep in his coat’s pockets.
It only takes a matter of maybe ten minutes until most people have disappeared to avoid the cold and the weather; and Alexej knows he has to act quickly before the next plane’s passengers rush out to leave the airport. Taking a look around he spots a bright yellow jacket next to a dark car not too far from him.
“I can’t believe the weather you brought,” Yrsa has to shout against the wind to be heard.
Having stopped right in front of her under the hood of the suv’s trunk, she smiles at him while they just look each other in the eyes for a moment. Ysra squeezes his arm briefly before taking his bag and shoving it into the trunk and then gesturing to the flurry of fur which immediately begins to sniff the baggage while its tail repeatedly wags against the window.
“That’s Ákafi.”
With a smile Alexej watches as the dog turns towards him and immediately starts sniffing his hands and arms until Alexej dares to pet Ákafi’s head. Yrsa giggles beside him as he scratches the dog behind its ears and it all but melts into the attention.
The following ride to her house in the countryside is slow and long but a comfortable silence fills the car. Occasionally, Yrsa tells stories from the past weeks that they haven’t seen each other or asks him questions which Alexej answers with little words; at other times Alexej musters the energy to break the silence and share things of his own accord - but, truthfully, being with her again after weeks of working triggers his body to leave behind the fight-or-flight and just settle. Fatigue is starting to weigh on his body in more ways than just physical.
Admittedly, Alexej is not completely sure that he managed to stay awake the whole trip to her house but a lot sooner than later they pull into a driveway and end up in a carport attached to a small house.
Blue wooden panels and a characteristically black roof; he can see warm light coming from what looks like the kitchen window - and that’s really all he can see before Ákafi comes bounding around the car and runs straight into Alexej’s legs with a full-body wiggle. Huffing out a laugh from the impact, Alexej quickly starts petting the dog with both hands by rubbing through the soft fur and across Ákafi’s whole body.
When he looks up, still petting Ákafi, he sees Yrsa watching them with a warm expression and a smile on her face. His bag is already in her hand and eventually she sends Ákafi away to do his business and tells Alexej,
“Let’s get inside, shall we?”