Caleb barely noticed as the passed through the gates. The crowds swelled past him. The noise faded into the distance, too. The voices of people, conversing in many languages, at various stages of meeting, and each dwelling in their own journey slowly met his ears. It was like being underwater. Luckily, he liked to swim. Swimming was easier than walking. The water lifted the weight of your body and carried some of the weight. All that remained was controlling the direction. He took this image and focused on it as his heartbeat faster. It was intimidating, but nothing like he had once remembered. It seemed that Octavia’s presence was the only lift that he needed. When she was by his side, the world could float by and Caleb was unharmed. 

Even the airport seemed to will him forwards. Occasionally, while they walked, the pedestrian walkways would take the work away from his feet. Then, it was a quick hop and back into the rhythm. He noticed that when Octavia hopped off, she floated on the air for a brief second longer than a human would. Even without her wings, she was less bound by gravity.

They reached the gate and Caleb carefully handed in his ticket as their turn came through. He’d selected the ones which were the least claustrophobic, but he was still nervous. Her gentle grasp gave him a slow pulse of encouragement. He squeezed her hand — a bundle of nervous energy escaping. “Merci.”

He thanked her and smiled softly as they walked inside a portable metal hallway, suitcases drawn behind them. “Don't you think by now they would have come up with a better way to board us? This is like the squished end of a paint tube…”

He looked around warily, focusing an uneasy smile on her face. Luckily, she looked nervous too. Together, or not at all, right? “Are you sure you couldn’t have given me wings to fly to Paris?”

It felt almost surreal for her to be here, she thought about the long life she had lived and she couldn’t even remember the last time she had gone anywhere for her own interests. It sounded like the Ailwards were slave driving her but honestly she was doing that to herself, she found the world much easier to cope with when she focused in on a single task at hand. She could control that one thing, she couldn’t control the entire world around her.

The time felt like it passed quickly in the airport, perhaps because of the routine of how many times she had been here in the past. She joined him in the crowd, showing her boarding pass as they headed down the tunnel where a queue of people were waiting to board “It’s all about efficiency and not glamor these days, I remember when flying was something only those who were the richest could do…now it’s available to just about anyone” which was good, because it allowed people to come together in a way they hadn’t before.

She gave a playful smile in response to his words “Unfortunately even if I could, I don’t think even your stamina could last such a long distance” she commented with a knowing smile, having wings had it’s perks, but using them was easier said than done. She squeezed his hand tighter, taking the lead and greeting the stewardess who was directing everyone to their seats.

Not letting go for a second she followed their lead, finding their two seats nestled together in the corner of their section, it was surprisingly more spacious than she expected “You must be at least a little excited to head home” she pointed out, attempting to distract him as best she could.

A bevy of emotions settled around Caleb as they walked through the airport. The noise in the background was oddly comforting. Listening to the people come and go allowed his thoughts to putter into a soft rain, replacing the torrential downpour of earlier. As an artist, the bright colors and active people were distracting. He frequently caught himself trailing behind Octavia while watching the crowds gather in different gates. They were all so unbelievably human. The supernatural in Evermore was intangible tangible. It was felt, more than seen. There was a messy, hapless sort of hope hovering the airport. The excitement of traveling to new places swelled within the exhaustion of arriving at them. 

He kept hold of Octavia’s hand as they wound down the path and towards a small waiting area where the plane was already lined up to the door. He flinched. There was nothing to be afraid of here. This safe, convenient vessel was nothing like the small military helicopter which had once taken his fiancée to her death. Caleb exhaled and leaned back in the chair, watching out the window, as planes landed and took off. It took years of training to even think of stepping into the sky. He’d once known a fair amount, from listening to Ava’s rambling, but much of that information was faded in his mind. He was only human after all and life moved on. He had too.

Caleb gave Tavi’s hand a warm squeeze, presenting his boarding pass as they took their first steps into the air. “Home is wherever I’m with you,” His smile teased. “But, yes. I have missed France. It is a beautiful country. I can’t wait to show you her best. Along with my family, of course, I’m already certain they will love you as much as I do.”