BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday Morning

[midichlorianfail]

The glittery welcome banner had been hauled out from storage, by now looking decidedly worse for wear, which made it a good match for now fairly battered Jedi robes Theron was wearing as he sat under it, trying to meditate.

Master Till'in hadn't quite kicked him out of the enclave with nothing but the (donated) clothes on his back, but the whole detachment and lack of worldly possessions gig meant they hadn't had much to spare either. Especially for random strays without connections to the Order like they were still selling Theron as, and among the practical skills Master Zho had taught him was enough financial sense not to waste his limited creds on replacing perfectly serviceable clothing just because he wasn't actually entitled to it.

At least no one where he was headed was going to recognise them for what they were.

Comments

Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

Meditation optional.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

Yeah, Norman wasn't terribly big on meditation. That didn't mean he wasn't going to kind of just sit quietly off to the side once he arrived in the lounge, granted. And maybe, maybe he was going to kind of side-eye the guy in the robes doing the meditating under the big sparkly banner.

Well, Grandma had said that he wasn't going to be the only odd kid out, he supposed.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

If Theron had actually been meditating, it would have been easy for him to ignore the other kid, but the proper state of mind had been elusive ever since Master Zho had left him and Till'in had dropped that little bombshell, so he opened his eyes.

And just kind of stared at the guy.

Yeah, he hadn't quite got the hang of interacting with people his own age yet.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

Well, at least he was in good company, there. Norman offered Theron a crooked little smile and lifted a hand to wave hello.

"Fandom High, right?"

He hoped? Otherwise he'd just be the random weirdo staring at some stranger at the airport.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

"Right." Theron mimicked the wave, awkwardly, and looked up at the banner. "At least that's what the sign says."

He thought. Why couldn't they use Aurebesh like normal people?

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

Norman looked up at the sign, and then nodded his agreement. Yep, that was totally what the sign said!

"Yeah." This was going to be such an awkward conversation, wasn't it? "First time going to boarding school?"

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

"Yeah." At least Theron was going to be quick to lean and adapt. Just not from Norman's example. Sorry, Norman. "Or any school, really."

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

"Home schooled?"

Look, it was as good a guess as any. Norman offered Theron an awkward little smile, to go with the awkward conversation.

"I've never been to boarding school before, either. But my grandma seemed to think it would be a good idea. I know better than to argue with her."

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

"Pretty much." That was as good a term to use as any. "My...grandfather thought I could benefit from a different learning environment."

That was a much nicer way of putting it than his only parental figure had skipped out because he wasn't, and never would be, up to scratch. Theron mightn't have the Force, but he could certain-point-of-view it as well as any Jedi.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

Norman nodded at that. That seemed to be the way of grandparents, as far as he could tell.

"Well, hopefully it lives up to the brochure," he decided. "It sounds like a friendly kind of school, at least going by that."

He didn't sound entirely convinced, but he was going to hold out hope all the same.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

"Well if it's a friendly school there's nothing to worry about." Theron was discovering the joys of sarcasm as a coping mechanism.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[squidpiddge]

Molly was doing her best to look inconspicuous. It was a bit difficult when you were in a yellow dress that was 100 years out of style, wearing pitch black sunglasses, and were staring at every piece of modern technology while scribbling notes on her little paper reporter's pad.

So really, she wasn't doing anywhere near her best to be inconspicuous. But in her heart, she was trying, honest.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

"You... look a little lost," Norman offered, after looking at the girl for a few moments, trying not to be too obvious about it. "First time going to boarding school?"

In really, really old hand-me-downs?

As if it wasn't Norman's first time, too? But, look, he was trying to start this whole 'new school' thing off on the right foot.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[squidpiddge]

"Hmmm?" Molly said, turning to look at the boy who greeted her. A smile spread across her face. Conversation was a bit difficult with most of the people she tended to spend time with back in Malifaux, especially ever since she'd lost track of Philip.

"Oh! Yes, boarding school. First time ever, it's going to be great, isn't it?"

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

"That's kind of what I'm hoping," Norman replied, his own smile going a little more relaxed. "I've never really done anything like this before. I mean, I went to school back home, of course, but just back home."

He paused, and then added, for further clarification, "I don't travel much."

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[squidpiddge]

"Well, traveling to a new place is usually great. Though, can be dangerous," Molly said. "Do you know much about where we're going? Is it safe? Is it mysterious? Anything?"

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

"All I know is what was in the brochure," Norman admitted, and then held up a finger for a moment before rummaging through his bag to pull it out. It was a heck of a rummage, too. He had quite a few of his favorite comic books in there. "Apparently this place is good for students of all backgrounds and talents?"

There had, in fact, been a great deal of emphasis put on the 'backgrounds and talents' part, which was half the reason Norman's grandmother had insisted he go.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[squidpiddge]

"Right, the brochure," Molly said. Nellie, the editor at the paper, hadn't given her a brochure. This is what happened when she volunteered too eagerly to take this 'assignment'.

"Students of all backgrounds and... magical talents?" Molly said, doing her best to gently needle her way into more information.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

"I-- I guess so," Norman replied, blinking back down at the brochure. "It doesn't really list magic as a requirement or anything, though."

Which was for the best, right? He didn't really think of his own abilities as magic. Talking to ghosts was just sort of something he could do, that was all.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[squidpiddge]

"Oh, right," Molly said. "I mean, not like I'm magic or anything. I'm just a good reporter."

Pause.

"For my old school newspaper."

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[always_someone]

Another pause, this time on Norman's end.

"I'm... not really good at anything like that," he replied. "I was in a school play once?"

He'd kind of ruined it. There had been screaming and falling off the stage, and then raving for a while...

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

Conspicuousness was relative. Though given it was the guy in the hand-me-down Jedi robes's narrative saying that...

Theron nodded at the girl, just as awkwardly as he'd waved at Norman earlier.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[squidpiddge]

Molly nodded back, and tucked her pad away before walking over to Theron.

"Do you mind if I ask about what you're wearing?" she said. A normal way to start a conversation.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[midichlorianfail]

Hey, Theron had been raised by an eccentric Jedi old enough to be his grandfather, and was still getting the hang of the small talk thing, for all he knew it was. Though he was pretty sure it wasn't.

"Clothes." Nice and specific answer there, Theron.

Re: Wait for the Shuttle

[squidpiddge]

"Well of course," Molly said. "That's to be expected. The question is more if they have some significance." She chewed idly on the back end of her pencil. "I feel like I could jump to a few conclusions about your clothes, but almost certainly I'd be wrong."