It's almost surprising how little and how much things have changed in the time she's been gone. Not even a year, though it seems like longer, sometimes... there's construction, nearby - new lights going up, but the same, familiar faces playing tag beneath them. She's starting to blen back in already - few second-glances, or suspicious looks, around this less gwailo-populated area. A more familiar face than some watches her for perhaps a little too long, and ducks into a tea-house, to use the phone. Ahhh, to be famous...

Yi's stride is confident, navigating through the not-quite changed streets and taking familiar alleys. She works her way down a narrow corridor before finally arriving at a relatively out of the way but still within view shop. Looking up, the windows are still covered with the same grime of old age, clouding anyone's view from the interiors of the hostel above without the need of the rickety blinds above each window. Adventurous Harmony is the name of the shop, and her adventure starts again with a somewhat melodious call into the interior that would draw out the notorious Uncle Lau, ~Drives-Hard-Bargains~. "How much is this?!"

The response is swift, but subtle - an old man's head peeking quickly out of a doorway to the office. "Mmm?" Curiosity turns immediately to amusement, and the Fostern smiles broadly with a slightly mischeivous look in his eye as he steps out fully. "Took your time, Yi Ling." he chuckles, moving quickly out to stand with hands on hips - tilting his head to get a good look at her. Detectably holding back mirth.

"That I did, Uncle," Yi shoots back with a broad, relieved smile. "You're getting slow or what? You'd normally be shooting out from the office when someone even stepped in the place." All kidding aside, Yi walks over to Lau, setting down her bag and giving him a hearty hug. "It's good to be back."

The hug is returned fiercely, and Lau's smile breaks into a grin. "Ahh, but you're back sooner than we thought, and quieter, too." He pulls away to look at her warmly. "You have many stories to tell! I haven't had time to tell Rui, I only just found out you were on your way here! How did you get back? How are our American relatives?" He guides her quickly, with one arm, towards the dining hall, scooping up her bag in one hand as he moves.

Yi clears her throat softly at the mention of her not so wave-makey entrance, allowing herself to be led towards the dining hall. Not exactly a hall itself, but one of the larger rooms upstairs where the sept could squish and gather if they wished. "I flew, with some help. Had some strong assistance with that one, na?" She chuckles and quickly stifles her own horrible humor. "Mr. Doh is doing well as far as I know... but he seems to have turned to being kin of Walkers than us. But, family is family." She lets Uncle take a seat first, letting her eyes look over the room to spot any differences since she's last seen it. "And, ah." An arm reaches out to gently take the duffel bag from Lau and set it on a square Mah-jong table. "Of course I had to bring some things back."

Uncle Lau's expression twists at the poor telling, and twitches slightly. "Ah. You will never make a Galliard." he rasps, then turns his attention to the duffel bag, and the goodies it may contain. "But priorities are still fine. You will have to tell us of your exploits over there, and great victories, little Yi." he teases, though his expression turns a little more sour. "Xia as Walker kin? That is... disappointing. You will have to expound on that one, too."

Yi's arm stretches back to rub at her neck, a bit sore from all the high flying. "That I will, Uncle. But first, I have to say hello to the others. Where's Grandmother?" As if to signal the strong possibility of where the old halfmoon may be, she looks upwards at the ceiling. "In this heat, I'd be sleeping off the sweltering heat."

The man smiles at her, and lets one hand slap lightly on the table. "I'm impatient." he notes, cheerfully. Running one hand through the slightly limp comb-over on his head, he smiles happily. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? No, Grandmother's out, somewhere. /Shopping/ would you believe?"

Yi's gaze falls back to Lau with an eyebrow arched dubiously. "Shopping?" She shakes her head. "Times change fast. What's she looking for? A good bargain or two?" Yi tilts her head and inquires on a subject, a bit darker in mind. "So... how is the sept?"

The Elder shrugs, and stands up, moving towards the kitchen. He makes a small beckoning gesture, then folds his hands behind his back. "Nothing to complain about, I don't think... which is something to complain about in itself? You came at a strange time. Just a few people getting jumpy, maybe. Formerly friendly neighbours not so friendly. Money coming into the city from the strangest of places. Interesting, in that I haven't seen it before." He looks at her over his shoulder. "And I've been around a while."

Yi nods slightly, picking herself up from the chair and following the gesturing man. She glances out a screened window, the blinds more dusty than dented. "Did Andy return yet?" Her eyes turn from the window to her Uncle. "Hanna wrote me, so I decided to come back." She takes out the tattered letter, unfolding it gently. "Said the sept was having some troubles, but not from the Red Sands."

Lau frowns a little. "Hanna has always been a little excitable, but I don't know why she would write that, to ask you to come back. Though she /has/ been missing you." The frown deepens, and he turns around, stopping. "Why did you ask about Andy. You mean Lai?"

"Yes, Lai...you know...your, packmate?" Yi furrows her brow at Lau a moment, the notion that the old guy might be getting senile fleeting and replaced with the possiblility that Lai joined a different pack.

The old man appears more concerned, than wandering. "Andy... had not told me he was leaving for St. Claire... Did he look you up, while he was there? I hadn't heard anything from him about it. He is still here, I know that much." There's a hint of suspicion behind his eyes.

Yi balks a bit, for a moment doubting her own mental information. Jet lag never was something good for the brain. "Well, I never saw him around. I just, had the impression that he wanted me to come back soon. Hanna too. And.. Ken. Uncle... you're sure the sept is ok?" She takes a pause to chew at her tongue.

Suspicion and unease vanish quickly. "No. Not a problem, though. So. Tell me, Yi, how've you been in contact with Andy, and not the rest of us?" He smiles faintly. "And I'm sure Ken misses you, even if he doesn't show it so well."

Yi is sure he does alright, and shows her acknowledgement with a nod. "Oh, well, he left some messages, and Wei Ao stopped by. I thought you and the others were busy with the shipyards and everything." She waves the notion off somewhat nonchalantly, though something about her posture would say otherwise. "I was going to visit the others at the shipyards soon. I'll bet Hanna doesn't know I'm back yet." She grins slightly.

The man chuckles for a moment. "Very few do, Yi. You slipped in very quietly. I'm impressed." He looks at her, and then starts to move back to the kitchen. "Though the news will have spread, by now. People saw you on your way here, and I received a few phone calls."

"Nothing ever could be kept secret for too long," Yi notes. "I'm glad I didn't lose too much of the nomoon touch." She glances out the blinds again, and scratches at an itch on her cheek. Her hand then strays down towards the pendant around her neck. A minute or two of silence stray by, before she turns away to glance at the duffel bag left on one of the chairs. "I'll, leave the bag here. Maybe you and Grandmother could, call the sept together and I can tell my stories then, na?"

There's the sound of the door creaking open and slamming clothes, and the aforementioned Grandmother stalks quietly in, from the reception, smiling quietly at Yi. Lau calls over, "Grandmother, what /have/ you been shopping for?" and the aging woman replies by tapping her nose with a finger, and patting a small parcel under her arm. "Welcoming gifts." she murmurs. "Hello, Song Yi Ling. Welcome home."

Yi looks behind her, and turns more fully to face the old philodox. "Grandmother!" Her enthusiastic greeting, coupled with a run and almost pounce truly tell that Yi is glad to be back amongst 'family'. "Welcoming gifts?" She hugs the halfmoon briefly and takes a short step back. "What welco--... you knew I came back, already?"

The old man scratches his head, standing back with an amused, almost sheepish smile on his face, and Rui just holds the girl tightly, before letting go with a sly smile. "Tsk. Don't make an old woman give up all her secrets, now, daughter." She reaches for the parcel under her arm, and hands it over. "Mission complete, then? Xia Doh caught up with and discovered to have travelled extensively and made good on his talents."

Cameron pages: Wrapped in brown paper, and tied with string. Heavy. :)

Yi checks out the parcel's exterior first, not opening it before relaying what she does know. "He is well, so far as I know, and was in contact with the Walkers at the caern in Seattle called Grey Sky. It fell though, and he moved to St. Claire. I wouldn't have found him though, if it weren't for a good friend - John." She smiles down at the package and Grandmother before setting to work at the knots. Like a child at Christmas, she looks down eagerly while peeling away the brown paper.

As the paper pulls away, it seems that Grandmother Rui has done a lot of shopping... Folds of silky-white fabric, with a golden-embroidered design of whisps of wind. Pulling away at the folds of what appears to be some sort of robe, Yi finds more things. A small, rectangular, framed picture of the Hong Kong night-time cityscape lies underneath a small jar of boiled lollies and a small box of what appears to be letter-writing stationery. Rui smiles a little more broadly, with a cunning glint in her eye, as the other things are revealed, and Uncle Lau just throws his head back and laughs.

Yi looks bewildered by the silk first, until the robe-shape appears. Her eyes widen first, then sink into a smile as the rest of the gifts are revealed. "Oh, Grandmother. Let it never be said you weren't generous in tipping your errand-runners." She sets the package under an arm and hugs the old woman again. Then, with a light of her own in eye, she moves over to the duffel bag and sets the welcoming gifts onto the table. Her hands move to unzip the bag and she lifts out her own wrapped up parcels. "The highest in stations should have the first share, right?" One by one, the packages unwrap to reveal quite a few more items of luxury, including things ranging from some engraved chopsticks, bowls of better quality than one could get at the higher class shops in Hong Kong, to a full on set of towels, blankets and loads of food. Apparently, Yi didn't pack all that many clothes when she left St. Claire.

Rui laughs, and she handles the gifts with care, before handing some off to Lau. The old man smiles widely, examining the gifts. "Some newfound wealth, Yi? Spending your little business trip doing more than the work we set?"

Yi ducks her head partially between her shoulders, eyes finding a spot on her shoes a moment before lifting again. "I wrote you about the dragon nest there. The Garou there.. I've made many friends." She smiles faintly, touching a finger to the pendant around her neck. "Your stories were true, Grandmother. The Caern of the Hidden Walk has so many warriors, of all tribes and auspices." Then as the uncle holds up some of the towels and fabrics to the window as if to examine their quality, Yi clears her throat softly. "I thought I would find a job or two, since I wasn't sure how long I would be there."

Distracted by the gifts, Lau murmurs cheerfully, "At least you are home. Some of the others should be arriving soon to welcome you back. There's much of the afternoon left, but..." He gives Yi a sideways glance. "Perhaps you might want to sleep until the dinner?" Rui stands regally by the table, looking on, quietly. "Travel does take it out of us sometimes, yes. Sleep, Yi. We'll be sure to wake you for your celebrations."

Worrying about the sept's conditions and her elders has kept the Gnawer ragabash up for quite a few hours past her bedtime surely, and it has kept her mind off her body's rather tired state as well. At Lau's mention of sleep, Yi does in fact yawn only to look a bit embarrassed about it afterwards. "I suppose you're right Uncle. I'll, be upstairs then." She glances towards the door out of the dining hall into the hallway, then back at the sept elders. "I'm glad to be back." She gives them both another half smile and a bow of her head before hitching up the now almost empty duffel bag and parcel Rui gave her under her arm to head out.

Both Elders keep right on smiling, until she's up the stairs and out of sight. When the faces fall, and the suspicious looks and low talk begin, Yi's almost already asleep.