Author's Note:- I do not own the rights to these characters. I do not own the rights to my title; it is St Augustine's famous quote, also used by St. Thomas Aquinas in relation to naturalism theory. Feel free to drop me some reviews. This is my first story, so I am totally open to suggestions. I will introduce Alex in the next chapter ;)

They Call This 'Cuba Street'

The wind was all Piper could think about as she stepped out of the Q300 aircraft. She'd been warned of this capital city and its wild weather, but she was yet to experience it - until now.

The wind itself was not cold on Piper's toned legs. She had just come from a particularly cold winter at Smith College, Massachusetts, so the open sun above was a welcomed change.

Inside the terminal, Piper followed the businessmen from her plane carefully. They seemed to know exactly what they were doing, moving with a purpose that indicated they migrated from Auckland every other weekend. Piper's blue eyes warily observed the scene around her. There were security guards milling around the corridors, their dogs sniffing bags wheeling past them. There were people of any number of nationalities talking wildly into cell phones, parents restraining children, and those damn businessmen somehow managing to push on ahead of it all. Piper held on tighter to her Country Road duffel bag, arriving at the end of the arrivals corridor.

"Oh wow," Piper whispered inaudibly as she stared up at Gollum from Tolkien's, 'The Lord of the Rings'. He leaned into the pool of people in the airport, searching for a person like a fish to snatch up.

"Welcome to New Zealand," Piper chuckled to herself.

Down in baggage claim, Piper waited anxiously for her suitcases to come around. She had no reason to be anxious; it wasn't as though she was carrying drug money or anything. Yet even still, Piper found herself bouncing on her toes.

"Piper?" a voice called from behind.

Piper turned immediately, searching for the voice knowing her name.

"Lorna?"

"Oh my good lord, it is you!" Lorna squealed, launching herself at Piper.

Piper flew forward into her friend's arms, feeling her embrace for the first time in years.

"It is so good to see you again," Piper said gently.

The two women pulled back, looking into each other's eyes fondly.

"I can't believe you're here. I can't believe you're doing this," Lorna said.

"I can hardly believe it myself."

"Your bags," Lorna exclaimed, dispelling the magic of the reunion.

The pair rushed back around to eye up the carousel, searching frantically for either of Piper's items of luggage.

"There!" Piper announced. She excused herself and passed to the edge of the carousel, dipping down. After securing the bag in her grip, Piper hoisted it from the rotating plastic, being careful not to lose her Country Road duffel from her shoulder.

As Piper turned around, Lorna appeared beside her with her other item of luggage.

"Right, are we ready?" Lorna asked, scanning the immediate vicinity for any remaining luggage.

Lorna led Piper out of the sliding doors to a dark and noisy lower level car park. Dozens of green and white taxis lined the pavements, proud drivers waiting alongside their vehicles attempting to catch Piper's eye.

"No, ignore them. It costs about fifty bucks to get from here to the other side of the city center." Lorna frowned at the drivers, steering Piper toward a public loading zone. "I brought the van."

After a short walk, a white beaten up van emerged from the haze of other parked cars and trucks.

"Thank god, my arms are about to drop off," Piper exhaled.

"Just chuck them in the backseat and I'll go pay," Lorna chimed as she skipped off.

"Well Wellington, what have you got to show me?" Piper smirked, sliding into the passenger seat.

"You have a bit of an accent, you know," Piper told Lorna as she sucked on her breakfast smoothie.

"You think so?" Lorna smiled proudly, looking out at the slow moving traffic approaching the Victoria Tunnel.

"I'm not going to get one of those ugly accents too, am I?" Piper teased.

"No, not being here for one year you won't."

"Good," Piper laughed, looking out the window at the speeding lights of the tunnel wall. "I am so glad to be out of the States. I am so glad to be away from the obligations Mother keeps pressing on me. New Zealand is about me, Lorna. This is my journey."

"That's sweet, Hun," Lorna said softly, watching Piper's head growing heavy out of the corner of her eye. "We're almost at Courtenay Place."

Piper perked herself back up, eager to see her new home away from home.

Quicker than she had expected, a maze of side streets led the van onto the main street of Wellington's central. Old English style buildings stood side by side, their bare structures lying untouched. However, modern architecture had not spared the isolated nation, and glazed windows created indoor-outdoor flow onto the cobbled street. Buses boxed the van in from all directions, preventing Piper from seeing just how many bars and clubs the day was concealing.

"What time is it?" Piper asked.

"Nine-forty-five," Lorna replied quickly. "Almost time to get you into a bed before the jet lag catches up with you."

"I'm a law student, we live on no sleep," Piper quipped playfully.

"Oh I'm sorry my Bachelor of Arts is not enough for you," Lorna bantered back, leaning over to slap Piper on the arm.

"Seriously, though," Piper said to change the mood. "Is this your last year?"

"It sure is. After this, I will have majored in International Relations. I'm hoping they keep me around to do honors, though. I won't get a job in anything other than high school teaching without the Honors Programme."

"Don't be dumb, Lorna. You speak fluent Italian, English and you've picked up Spanish. You're a god-damn asset."

The pair were silent for a moment as they let the city's character wash over them.

"This is a ridiculously arty city," Piper noted, looking at the unusual dress sense she could see emerging on Wellington's people.

"It is. Heaps of lesbians too," Lorna winked.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Piper asked, her upper lip curling.

"I'm just saying. You have a way of drawing near to danger. You live off the drama you create for yourself." Lorna looked across at Piper's face, which had begun to turn into a pout. "No, okay, no. Look, it's not a bad thing! As your friend, my life is certainly never dull. But I want you to be happy for once, that's all. This is your shot, Piper."

Piper sighed, stealing a long glance at the tight street they had just pulled into. They had climbed over so many hills to get to this location, finally parking on the roadside. The houses on the street were all built in villa style, and each painted in a different pastel color. All of the awnings and other exterior details were painted white.

"Art," Piper whispered.

"Alright Picasso, we should get you inside. Come meet your new flatmates and get a good sleep. Tomorrow, we're taking you down to Victoria University to get you signed in."

"Where are we?" Piper marveled, leaning into Lorna to lead her to the correct house.

"They call this: 'Cuba Street'."