"Well, tell your mom I said hi back," Astrid added with a chuckle, and the two of them proceeded to the baggage claim. William had the chance to meet her parents, and when Lars had made a return from retirement to wrestle an occasional match in USPW, they even had the opportunity to work together. Astrid was happy to know that things were just as amicable with his side of the family, too. She listened closely to what else he had to say, catching her up on everything that had happened since she had left for Romania. That was when she heard the news about Marzia - and, at that, Astrid's shoulders slumped a little.
"I see...I was afraid of that."
Astrid and Marzia went back a long while. They had wrestled each other more than once back in WOWW, and both of them had stayed in touch as they went on to both LAW and USPW together - even teaming up on occasion. However, ever since Marzia had decided to turn her back on everything she felt was holding her back from realizing her true potential, the Italian had grown distant, not just from Astrid but from her own husband Ryan as well. Now that all of them were reunited in Japan, she had been afraid of what might happen when circumstances forced them to face one another - and, from the sounds of it, it had been ugly. She glanced back at William; as she did, she thought of her feelings for him, and what they meant to her. When Ryan felt the same way toward Marzia, and she was still shutting him out of her life, she could only imagine what it must have felt like. Still, when Astrid had known Marzia for so long, if anyone had a chance to get through to her, it would be her. But at the same time, she didn't want to make things worse if she had to step in.
"Well, I can try," she answered.
"I've known Marzia for a while. It isn't the first time she's struggled with her doubts...but I can agree that it hasn't been this bad before. She's listened to me before, so hopefully she can listen to me again...I hope." Even after sharing her thoughts, Astrid sighed. She hadn't had the chance to meet this new Marzia face to face either - and she didn't know how she would handle it. She could only imagine it would hurt her to see an old friend struggling the way she was. It would be even worse if Marzia didn't listen. But one way or another, it had to be done.
She looked back up as the topic turned in a more hopeful direction, and at the mention of them meeting Harmonia, she smiled wider.
"Ah, yes, so I've heard! I'm so happy to know that Molly's done so well for herself. I know she intends on starting a new tag team with her, too. Jon must be excited, knowing how far she's come. And speaking of, I hear you've been working with the Young Lioness Program too?"
William also brought up his sling, and at the thought of Thereisa still not being settled - even after their tense feud, even after a harsh and brutal match, she still hadn't learned her lesson - she grit her teeth, her fist trembling a little at her side before she straightened her back.
"I...suppose I'll have to have a word with her, too," she added - thinking back on
the last time they had met, when the Heavyweight Champion had judged Thereisa's Apex Qualifier match against Yuki Kazikura and things had gotten personal between them, she realized that their business was far from finished. But if she was going after those close to her, that was too far.
But that could wait. Now, Astrid realized, there were other things to attend to. Clearing her throat, she looked up to see the two of them approaching the baggage claim, and her thoughts returned to the present.
"Oh, William, keep an eye out for my bag! It's the dark red one with the wheels on it."
