fandomhigh | BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday Morning

There was a crackle of energy before reality split and portal opened up into the Portalocity Lounge. A few seconds later a figure popped through the portal wearing what appeared to be an environmental suit attached to an air supply hose going back into the portal. He then pulled out a tablet device and took some readings before stripping off the environmental suit revealing the teenager known as Barry Ween.

"Okay, Jeremy. I'm here and the atmosphere is breathable. Send the rest of my shit through," Barry said into his comm headset. "No. Just push it into the portal and pull back the suit. Jesus Christ! How fucking hard is it to push it through numb-nuts? Just fucking push it!"

Three suitcases and a large crate appeared through the portal. "About fucking time. Okay, now press the button to close the portal. Which one? The big fucking button that has a label on it that says 'PRESS THIS FUCKING BUTTON AND NOTHING ELSE.' Are you fucking kidding me? No. No. No! Just fucking forget it! Don't touch anything I'll shut it down remotely."

A couple of taps on his pad and the portal disappeared with a "plip." "All right it's done. Don't touch any of my fucking stuff while I'm gone, Jeremy. You hear me? All right. I'll check in with you later."

Barry looked up at the glittery sign bearing the name 'Fandom High' and grunted before going back to his tablet and taking further readings; muttering to himself occasionally when he found something of interest.

[Woo! Newbie Shuttle!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Four was completely overwhelmed by the amount of noise in the airport (and the airplanes, to be completely honest), but none of that was showing on his face. He'd learned over the last few months how to conquer his fears and he wasn't about to look vulnerable in front of strangers.

He walked under the sign, slung down his knapsack and nodded gravely at the people there already.

Barry looked up and nodded briefly at the new guy in return before looking back at his tablet.

"Sup?"

Seemed like a guy-greeting-thing to say.

"Hello," Four replied. He glanced up at the Fandom sign. "That thing is very...cheerful."

Four was wearing black. Glitter wasn't exactly something you saw a lot of in Dauntless.

Barry looked up at the sign again and grunted dismissively. "Looks like someone went a little pintrest crazy if you ask me."

"Pinterest?" Four repeated, frowning. "What's that?"

He hoped it was a what, anyway...

Barry gave Four a look. Really?

"It's a social media computer thing," he said slowly. "Clearly you're not from around here. I'm Barry."

Four held out his hand. "I'm Four. Not from around here."

"No kidding."

Barry's mind immediately recalled a television show staring Jerry Seinfeld where one of the plots involved naming a future kid 'Seven'. He speculated that given the clothing and the lack of cultural knowledge that Four's parents weren't watching any episodes with Jerry Seinfeld.

"Neither am I actually," Barry said with a shrug. "Similar dimension though this one is definitely not my own. Does your 'not-from-around-here' have a name or should we just say you're Four from nowhere?"

"From Dauntless," Four said. "It's my faction."

Since saying he was from the only place on the planet with people in it any more seemed rather harsh, even for a Dauntless.

"Faction?" Barry repeated. "Well that sounds almost as cheery as the glitter on our welcome sign."

Barry winced. "Sorry. Sarcasm is my usual kneejerk reaction to everything."

"Mine is hitting things," Four offered helpfully. "Or shooting them."

Four was a little scary, yeah.

"And clearly that works well for you," Barry said trying not to roll his eyes. "Asking you how you got the name 'Four' isn't going to illicit a knee jerk reaction is it?"

Four's lips quirked up. "No, but I'm not going to tell you, either."

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

notaweenie.livejournal.com - 2014-05-03 00:14 (UTC) - Expand

dauntless-four.livejournal.com - 2014-05-03 12:39 (UTC) - Expand

notaweenie.livejournal.com - 2014-05-03 16:29 (UTC) - Expand

dauntless-four.livejournal.com - 2014-05-03 18:41 (UTC) - Expand

Kaylin nodded back at him. He held himself like a fighter or warrior, which sort of instinctively both made her feel safer and more wary of him at the same time.

What? She never claimed to be particularly rational about this sort of thing. "Guess your going to this place too, huh?"

Four nodded. "Thought I was done with school. Guess not."

"Wish I was done with school," Kaylin said gloomily. "But I'm not either. And if I don't do well, I don't get to be a Hawk."

"A Hawk?" Four repeated, frowning. "What's a Hawk?"

"One of the three Halls of the Law? They do the investigating?" She looked puzzled. "You haven't heard of them?"

Four shook his head. "Dauntless and Candor do the investigating and prosecuting."

"Dauntless and Candor?" She gave him a weird look. "Are those like, made up words?"

Please forgive her, vocabulary had never been her strong suit.

"In Elantra the Hawks investigate, the Swords are the Peacekeepers, and the Wolves, well, they track down those foolish enough to run."

She looked at him. "You'd probably make a good Wolf or Hawk."

"I'm Dauntless," Four said, "which sounds like it sort of matches with your Wolves and Hawks. Candor are the judges. Dauntless is the police."

Kaylin beamed at him. Someone she could understand and relate to. "See, I knew you seemed like someone I'd know back home. How did you get here? Did they make you come, like they made me?"

"No, I volunteered," Four replied. "Until the brochure came, we didn't know there was anyone out there anywhere. Naturally a Dauntless should be sent to explore. We're unafraid."

"Sounds like the Barrani," Kaylin said. "They laugh in the face of danger. It's kind of eerie, actually."

"We have some of those in Dauntless," Four said, nodding. "The adrenaline junkies."

notamascot - 2014-05-03 22:32 (UTC) - Expand