don't sugarcoat things;

       Adrian knew her sister would have done everything to get to Rome, and he fully anticipated some lashing out since yes — they managed to take Sydney out, but she came out a little bit too late. Broken. He hoped for understanding on Carly’s side of the counter, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she points the blame finger at him. He supplied her a few bits about what happened to Sydney after reeducation the moment they reached contact. Not a lot of information though, just that she’s safe and about their location. Marcus was clever enough to set something to make their location untraceable but still convenient enough for Carly to find.

        These siblings will never fail to amuse me, he thought in fascination.  

        “So glad you could make it. It’s been a while, you remember me don’t you? Adrian Ivashkov, but it’s Jet Steele around here.” He carefully placed her belongings in the trunk, then he hopped on the front seat, head turned towards her in acknowledgment when she popped that inquiry. He almost forgot that they only gave her very little details and just waited until she finally sets foot in Rome to reveal more. Taking a deep breath, he tried to sound as calm as possible.

       "She’s at home. Uhm, Carly, I have to tell you something very important."  He ought to save the truth about the Sage family  for Marcus to say, but he was also obliged to give her a bit of a heads up on what she;s going to see once they reach the apartment. "I’m sure you understand that reeducation has been really rough on Sydney. She needed some time, that’s why we haven’t reached you sooner. She’s getting better lately though, I can assure you that." He suddenly remembered how she wasn’t a fan of beating around the bush back in Arizona, so he just finally rolled it out, ”But yeah… uh… she’s got PTSD.”

                    "Jet Steele? Seriously?"

  Laughter erupted from the blonde's lips as she raised an eyebrow in amusement and smirked.

                        "Why the hell would you pick something so out-of-the-ordinary                     like Jet Steele? Why not something like...oh, I don't know...John                   Smith? The most common names ever so no one would find you?"

     Carly kept her voice light, but with the exhaustion of being on a plane so long and worrying about Syd the whole time, the blonde realized she was coming on a little harsh. A lot of people found the eldest Sage too harsh with how blunt she was, along with the fact she barely had a filter with the things she said. If she thought it, she spoke it. Life was too short to beat around the bush in her eyes. She opened the passenger door and slid onto the seat, then narrowed her gaze on the Moroi boy. Carly watched how hard it was for him to talk about what was wrong with Sydney, which added to her suspicions about him but she cataloged it for later. Right now Sydney was her prime concern - the rest could be sorted out later. 

     P T S D. Through her cause back home, Carly was no stranger to the affects of the mental disorder. A lot of girls have it after their trauma, but none of them had ever been her baby sister. Her breath hitched in her throat slightly, but now was not the time to be emotional. It wouldn't help Sydney. She had to be strong now for the both of them - just like Sydney was for her all those years ago. After taking a deep breath, she turned to look at 'Jet Steele' squarely.

                  "Before I ask more about Sydney, we need to get one thing straight. She is my b a b y  s i s t e r. So from now on, I hear everything. I'm not going to be kept in the dark anymore, got it? And just spit things out instead of taking all day to say it. Can you agree with that?"

      She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for an indication he agreed before she continued.

Adrian wouldn’t say there isn’t any progress regarding Sydney’s condition. For the first couple of months, she really wouldn’t speak to just anyone, but lately, she was beginning to reach out to the world once again. Of course he allowed her to take her time, but also worked out what other methods they could possibly try to help her recover. And so when he finally got a contact from her sister Carly, it felt like fireworks on Fourth of July. He was full of anticipation as he drove his way towards the airport with their trusty rented car. It was supposedly Marcus’s job to pick up her older sister, but he got tied up with some lead to the Warriors of Light up in Tuscany.

He must admit, he liked Carly. She was quite epic and full of surprises during that short time they met in Arizona. And in Sydney’s behalf, he will be forever thankful for the lead about Keith, and the Rome tickets she gave on Sydney’s birthday. It wasn’t hard to recognize her from afar when he waved to her direction as he stood patiently by the arrivals wing of the airport. “Hey. I know I’m not a tattoed blond dude, but Marcus was tied up with something. So I guess, you’ve got me.” He reached for her luggage with an approachable smile. “Benvenuto in Italia.”

       S o, Carly did everything in her power to get into the study abroad program in Rome and flew thirteen hours to finally see her baby sister. It had to be discreet, ergo the study abroad program, so their father wouldn't find anything suspicious about his eldest daughter jetting off across the world. Sydney's health and safety was all the eldest blonde cared about, which is why when she spotted the strange Moroi boy who seemed way too invested in her sister's safety, Carly hastily walked towards him. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, since she'd been expecting the other guy, but his explanation and easy smile dissipated her inquiries.

                                    "It's all good."

      S he gave him a small, easy smile in return but backed away slightly when he grabbed for her luggage. It would take some time to warm up towards a Moroi, but the guy seemed harmless enough and the blonde owed him for all he'd done for Sydney, no matter how suspicious his motives were. Her eyes glanced at the car he took, but she didn't see Sydney in any of the seats.