Dépaysement (n) – French, the feeling of not being at home, in a foreign or different place, can be either a good or a bad feeling; change of scenery

Breathe in, breathe out. That's all she had to do. Her job was the same, just a different location. She'd do her job at the best of the capabilities, get the intel she needed, and be done. The job wasn't even meant to last over four weeks, it'd be fine. Only a lot of people had to pull strings to get her in there, and she didn't know anyone. Well, her father worked in the department one of the puppeteers that pulled the strings, but this wasn't her workplace. She had known her colleagues for years, most she was related to in some way, these people at Quantico were virtually strangers. What if they didn't like her? Or thought she wasn't good enough to be working here?

Jesus, this was as bad as high school, taking a deep breath she plunged through the doors only exhaling as the rush of cold from the air conditioner hit her face. She filed in line through security getting directions from the guard on where to go. Going through a small hallway she found the door of Erin Strauss. Knocking softly, she heard a muffled response to come in. The office was mainly cherry oak and dark but she brightened when she saw the older woman coming to greet her. She was enveloped in a soft hug, Strauss' familiar fragrance of lilac and cotton wrapping around her.

"Karita, it's been too long, let me look at you."

Holding her within arm's reach Strauss looked at her. "You've grown to be a beautiful young woman. You look so much like your mother."

It was always a wonderful compliment, and she blushed. Karita always compared herself to her deceased mother, but since her eyes were not the same shade of blue and the way she had repeatedly dyed her hair to a bizarre color kept her far from her mother's spectrum. She thanked the elder woman anyways.

"How have you been, Rin?"

Strauss tutted, wagging her index finger. "We should get that out of the way, we must remain formal here. I know you're used to things a little more casual, but here things are different. I'm glad to see you've chosen some business attire today, and your hair is…erm…"

"A more natural color?"

"Yes, exactly. We must give off to the people that we are involved yet with a sense of structure. That we work finely tuned, and know how to get things done. We can't go off on a case acting unprofessional, I'm not saying have no compassion, but you have to keep a clear distance to things to see them correctly."

"Yes, ma'am."

Going to sit at her desk, Strauss offered you a seat across it. "To answer your question, things have been fine. In fact, I just had a very nice lunch with you aunt Coralyne a few weeks ago."

Karita grimaced internally, the only way the two of them would sit down together is to discuss work, and 'nice' had to be a metaphor like eye gouge out, cut out tongue metaphor.

"How's Tim?"

Strauss looked at her from the stack of files. "He and I divorced several months ago, it wasn't too messy and the kids are old enough to understand. Now, let's take a look at your file."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –"

"Karita, it's fine. Okay, you chose…Siskin as your last name here?"

She shrugged. "My father picked it out for me."

Strauss nodded in understanding. "I see. You've had three years working as an investigative specialist, before that you interned with the violent criminal apprehension program. Sound good?"

Karita shrugged her shoulders mildly. "It's your story; I'm just a character in it."

"Please, don't be that way. This can be beneficial on both our parts. You know what you're here for, so you can get down to it."

"Um, but where? I wasn't given much notice on this, if we had Mikael would've accompanied me."

"Hmm, better that he didn't, we don't need anyone with that kind of temper here. Come along, I'll escort you to Gideon's office and he'll take over from there."

She nodded, getting up to follow behind her. The elevator ride was silent, approaching the glass doors as she scuffled in, she allowed herself to look about the place she would be working during this time. Barely missing running into a large African American man, who chuckled at her stumbling.

"Well, well Strauss what have you brought up here?"

Strauss nodded at the man curtly. "Agent Morgan, this is Agent Siskin, she will be working with you in Greenaway's place until we can find a permanent replacement."

Karita saw the way the man flinched at the name Greenaway and she felt his heart tighten slightly as if in mourning.

"I trust you to make her feel a part of the team."

He looked at her, as if gauging, his teeth in full display again. "Dutifully noted, all of us will make her feel at home."

Karita smiled at him. "Thank you and it's nice to meet you Agent."

"Morgan will do fine."

"Seeing as your introductions have been made I will hand you over to Agent Morgan and allow him to escort you to Gideon's office."

"It'll be a pleasure."

Karita tried to grasp for words. "But I –"

Strauss smiled softly. "You'll be fine."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Morgan steered her in the other direction. "You got the dragon lady to smile, I either have to say you've got amazing skills or you know each other."

The two had just met but she felt he wouldn't put anything together. "When I was a child, I haven't seen her in ages though."

"Damn, that accent."

Her eyes darted up to him, and she chuckled. "It's not that bad."

"Not bad at all, just not what I expected."

"What were you expecting?"

"Not that, so where do you hail from?"

"California."

Morgan looked at her skeptically, she shrugged coyly. "I lived surrounded by two generations of Austrians, if that helps."

Morgan chuckled, before turning serious. "How long have you been in this line of work?"

"Over three years."

"I'm sorry, please don't take this the wrong but they looked like they recruited you straight from a middle school."

She sighed, she was used to this. "I'm twenty-three."

"I was leaning more to fifteen or sixteen but I'll take your word for it, pixie stick."

"Pixie stick?"

Before she could properly respond, a woman with a bright blue dress that matched her glasses comes up behind Morgan.

"Please, ignore my chocolate Adonis, our latest pretty. He likes the taste of foot in his mouth, and if he had just come to me in the first place I could have told him that you were qualified for this."

"Um, I'm sorry Agent…"

"Just Garcia, or Penelope, but you'll come to see it's a last name sort of place."

Karita eyed her outfit enviously, wishing she had her jeans in place of the skirt she had on. But Garcia's hair had been donned with a crown of daisies, and the Small Wonder charm bracelet she had made you wish you had done more research on what the FBI expected in business attire.

"Penelope, thank you, how would you know that I was qualified?"

Garcia looked at her like the answer was obvious. "Your file, silly, oh, I'm the tech goddess over this unit and I make it my personal business to get to know everyone before they get here. On screen, of course.

Morgan shrugged his shoulders defensively. "I had no clue we were getting a new girl, mama, how was I supposed to know to come to you?"

"You should've come to me regardless, you know I need my Morgan fix in the morning."

Morgan laughed, hugging Garcia to him, it made Karita smile. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad. It didn't appear as strict and mechanical as everyone made it sound. Pulling away from Morgan, Garcia looped her arms with Karita.

"Over this way will be your desk."

"Thank you, but I'm supposed to see Agent Gideon first."

"Oh, he's a big ole softy you'll be fine to chat with your co-workers for a few minutes."

Being led she were stopped at a tandem desk, just like the ones from her old office. Hers had been attached to her sister's and she began to miss home.

"So if you like it here, is there any way you can stay permanently?"

Karita looked at the woman in shock. "I, well, I never thought about it, possibly, I guess."

"Yay! I can already tell I like you and it'll just get better from here. I don't want any more of my pretties leaving me."

"I'm sorry about Agent Greenaway, I don't really know the details, but it's always hard when someone you're close to leaves."

Garcia's eyes downcast. "She was a good friend, yet I can understand, with her circumstances how the job got to her. I'm hoping she's happier now."

Karita nodded, with a sympathetic smile. The jobs could get awful; a majority of the time wishing she herself could opt out of the career.

"Oh, good here comes your desk mate. Karita meet our illustrious Dr. Reid. If there is any fact you want prattled on for hours he's your guy."

Karita looked up to the lanky man, stumbling with files under one arm, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder, and blowing on a mug of coffee approaching the desk adjacent hers. She watched the blush that took over his cheeks at Garcia's statement.

"Very funny, Garcia. It's, um, nice to meet you."

He smiled but didn't offer his hand, though with them full would've been quite the task. "It's nice to meet you, too, Doctor."

"Reid, you can call me Reid."

This man was shy; Karita could tell by the hesitant behavior, she was sure if he hadn't worked here that he would bolt from the room.

"It's nice to meet you, Reid."

He smiled, nervously, straightening out the items on his desk. And Garcia squealed.

"I know we're all going to do well together, I can feel it. I have a sixth sense about these things."

"There's no such as a sixth senses like that, scientists are working on that humans have a sixth sense to be able to detect the Earth's magnetic field. But to sense friendship is probably never going to happen."

"And there is your first taste of the good Doctor's bubble bursting; he also can spout stuff things like that about anything you can think of. Sometimes a beautiful blessing other times a curse. We still love you though, junior g-man."

Reid blushed again, and Karita couldn't help but smile at the affection everyone held for each other.

"It's nice to see all of you so close. I was worried I would be walking into a drone office and I'd have to keep my head down during my time here."

"No, way, cupcake. We are all about love and splendor here; it's out in the field you have to worry about."

"Siskin?"

Popping her head up at her name, she turned and seen Jason Gideon leaning against the railing overlooking the bullpen.

"Yes?"

"Would you care to step in my office before you get too well acquainted with the team?"

Standing up, embarrassed, she began making her descent. "He's not as bad as he looks. Neither him or Hotch."

She looked between Reid and Gideon's office. "I haven't met Hotchner yet, is he as intimidating?"

Reid smiled. "Worse. But like I said, it's mostly bark and no bite, they can be very intense and focused when it comes to the job, but they really are good people and friends to the people they work with."

"That's good to know, thank you."

"And…"

She turned curious, watching Reid struggle with his words. "If there's, um, anything you need help with, obviously, I-I'm just across from you."

Karita grinned. "Thank you, Reid, but you might get tired of me asking you things."

Reid smiled timidly. "I don't think that'll be possible."

Walking up to the office, Gideon held open the door for her, as she sat in one of the chairs.

"You still play chess?"

Looking at the board on his desk she could tell he was in the middle of a game. He smiled putting his hand on the top of her chair. "Yes, Dr. Reid and I play profusely."

Karita spent a moment searching the for the word's meaning inside her, why'd he always do that, like he knew her intelligence was nowhere near it should be. She sighed.

"Do you like it here so far?"

"From what I've seen, yes, it feels more casual than I thought it would."

"It becomes a family."

Karita looked at him, eyes glinting sternly. "Does it?"

"Yes, Karita."

"Seeing as to how you were so opposed with me being here, I guess one would think you believe I know nothing about family."

"That's not true, and you know it. You know exactly why I didn't want you here. Your mother –"

"Don't please, I don't want to fight. That's not what I was meaning to do. Yes, it's fine here, and I won't be long anyways."

"I wish you didn't have to do any of this kind of work."

"So do I, but we're not in control of our lives are we?"

"Karita…"

"It'll be odd at first but just like with Strauss, it will become easier to learn you as Gideon. So, if it's okay, I'd like to get a grip on what is involved in working with the BAU, if that's okay with you, father."