Rachel let the conversation flow around her as she finished breakfast, some of her nervous tension abating as the others tried to make her feel welcome.  They were trying, which was all she could have hoped for under the circumstances.<br/><br/>“The fishing doesn’t bother me, though I’m a catch and release girl myself,” she said with an apologetic shrug for Mike.  “I won’t hold it against you if you don’t of course, I’ll even be happy to eat whatever you catch… as long as you clean it yourself,” she teased a bit between bites.<br/><br/>“I’ve never been to London, I’ll likely have a ton of questions for you later,” she said as Beth added a bit of her own background to the conversation.  It went a long way towards easing her nerves.  She was grateful for that, and she gave the other woman a smile that said as much.  She was surprised to find that she already liked Beth, and not simply because she was a rather striking woman.<br/><br/>“I’d appreciate the help, though it’s not necessary of course,” she smiled at the gentlemen at the table.  “I’m assuming they are for me.  It wasn’t something I thought to ask, I was rather upset when they told me that I’d be replacing someone else…” she admitted.  “A sonata, huh? I haven’t played in months… maybe this will give me a chance to polish up on my piano skills.  I apologize in advance for any headaches that may cause…”<br/><br/>“Aikido is a form of Martial Arts, Japanese to be specific.  I... had some rather unpleasant things happen a little over a year ago and  I wanted to be able to protect myself.  It’s moved well beyond that, I’m not sure what I’d do without it at this point.  It’s how I relax, if that makes any sense…” she explained with a small shrug.  “It’s mostly defensive, and unlike other martial arts it’s meant to incapacitate an attacker without truly injuring them.  I’m not strong enough to be effective in most of the other types of martial arts.”<br/>