BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday Morning

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina was totally on board with walking through the big, swirly magical portal thing with Lady Teresa, Shin, and Mistress Jeane looking on. Okay, no, she really wasn't, but Lady Teresa watched her with eyes full of faith and that a) made it hard to do anything to let her down and b) distracted Nina from her envy over Mistress Jeane's scantily clad… va-va-voom.

"Keep in touch, Nina," Lady Teresa said as the portal popped into existence in front of them.

Nina hefted her bookbelt and grinned. "I'll be fine, Lady Teresa, I promise!!!!!!! I'll write you right away and tell you all about it!!!!!!"

It was, like, totally super satisfying as some of her classmates got to shove her trunks through the portal before her. But then it meant she had to go through it and--there was no way she was letting Lady Teresa see that she had any qualms at all about this!

"Lord Shin," she said, as she turned to go, "you'd better make sure to look after Lady Teresa!!!! I won't be there to pick up your slack, you know!!!!!"

And then, before he could respond to that, though she heard Lady Teresa laugh, Nina strode through the portal, her back straight, her stride strong, her nerves jangling… and promptly, on the other side, tripped over her trunks.

"Owwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Nina popped up to her feet immediately, despite her aching knees, just in case, like anyone could see her, and stuck her tongue out at the portal, which blipped out of existence, utterly shameless.

It was only once Nina primly sat down on one of her trunks (and did not at all collapse onto it, really) that she took a good look around her.

Glitter, check. Balloons, check. Banner for the school, check…

And literally no one else.

"Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!"

Was she late?!?!?!?!?!?! Was she early?!?!?!?!

[Please to be waiting for the OCD is up, up, and away!]