Elena gave her director a warm smile and clasped his hand in thanks before departing. Orientations were largely voluntary at her level of experience, but she wanted to start off with a strong impression and get a good lay of the land.
While the topics were old hat by now, Elena still found her usual perfectly maintained attention wavering from the start. So very aware, was she, to being in a claimed territory that she had to ask for an insignificant detail to be repeated. A laugh brushed off the small slip, but Elena grew worried.
In her years traveling she had met a mixed bag of clutches. Each leader, powerful in their own right, had particular ideas as to what constituted a threat and while Elena was a practiced vampire, she had to walk the tightrope of pride and prejudice, same as the rest.
She tucked her bag into her arm and walked briskly into the cold night. Her direction wasn't planned so much as instinctual. If she intended to make her stay in Ridgefield extended, then she needed to locate and make introductions to the area's clutch. Elena had a general sense of where, but not who and that distinction made all the difference.
The only advantage she had was having done this sort of unintended meeting more than once in her life. There was no customary method to this, loathsome as it was. Elena would just have to make herself a wide target for the vampire no doubt circling her location. She stopped and touched eyelashes to cheek. A prayer to the Almighty that this one would not take offense for having to come to her, rather than her requesting an audience.
@Catrina