BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday Morning

[thegreatmanfredo]

Saturday morning, an elderly teal and white RV pulled into the dropoff lane outside the airport and disgorged a lanky teenaged boy and his bags onto the pavement, the driver asking him as he went if he had his laptop, migraine medication, and assorted other essentials. "Now get going and make some friends," she told him. "I've got a consult to get to in Virginia."

"I love you, Grandma," he said, and closed the door of the RV. As Xylda peeled out on her way to, he assumed, her next mark, Manfred headed into the airport, stopping off at Starbucks for a caffeine infusion before following airport employees' instructions until he found the right room. He was apparently the first one here, but he knew it was the right place because of the incredibly glittery banner.

High school, here he came.

Comments

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

Well, it was yay enough for Kanan, anyway. It had been, what, months since the last time he'd been behind the wheel of a bus?

... And sure, the last bus he drove had blown up, but that was beside the point. This one didn't hover, that had to count for something.

"All aboard for Fandom!"

Re: Trip to Fandom

[meepmeepmeep]

"Meep meep!" Beaker replied politely.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Uh, yeah," Kanan said, giving the... meepy kid a little grin as he honked the horn of the bus twice. Meep meep, see? "You're here for Fandom?"

Re: Trip to Fandom

[meepmeepmeep]

Beaker gave an extensive reply to that--all in meeps.

Sorry, Kanan. The nodding that accompanied it probably meant yes?

Beaker held up his duffel bag questioningly. Did Kanan want a bag leaking purple bubbles and smelling like feet inside the bus or underneath?

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Uh," Kanan replied, and then he gestured to the luggage compartment under the bus. Most students were welcome to bring their things aboard; there weren't that many of them, after all. But between the smell and the bubbles.... "Yeah, you can put that underneath. Last thing anybody needs are bubbles getting in my face while I'm trying to drive."

He probably wouldn't blow this bus up! But bubbles wouldn't help that any.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[meepmeepmeep]

Beaker nodded, meeping sympathetetically. Now to figure out how to climb allll the way up into the bus...

Re: Trip to Fandom

[seriesofbaddecisions]

Sabine still wasn't exactly comfortable with this, but she wanted to know what was going on, and also she kind of needed to get away from all things Portalocity for a bit before she lost it.

"So what's the deal with this place?" she asked, tucking her helmet under her arm. Not that she was sure she'd get an answer.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

Huh. Kanan had a... feeling about this one. He wasn't sure what sort of feeling, but there definitely was one.

He was going to chalk at least part of it up to the Mando armor she was sporting, there. He considered her thoughtfully, and then nodded to the bus.

"Looks like you stumbled over Fandom High," he explained. "Happens to the best of us. Going by your age, I'm guessing you've been enrolled as a student. And going by that question, I'm guessing this is the first you've heard of that fact."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean enrolled as a student?"

Soooo he was right!

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Yeah, that's about what I figured," Kanan replied, offering her a sympathetic wince. "First time I wound up there, I found out I was drafted to be a teacher. It happens from time to time. You show up, you do your thing, you graduate, you leave. It's weird, but mostly harmless. Where you coming from, uh..."

You? Mandalorian girl?

Re: Trip to Fandom

[seriesofbaddecisions]

"I'd say that should be obvious but apparently it's not," Sabine sighed. "Mandalore. You?"

Like she'd know the place.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[white_oleander]

Well. It was clear that this place put a lot more money into transportation than the State of California did. That was encouraging. Astrid sighed a little, picked up her suitcase, and climbed aboard, yawning a little before dragging herself toward the back and hoping no one claimed those seats first.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Tired kid," Kanan noted, taking note. Less worrisome than the Mandalorian, less confusing than the meeping kid. "I'm guessing you had a long trip here, huh?"

Looked like it, anyway.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[white_oleander]

"Not long," Astrid corrected, sucking in a breath that was clearly trying to stave off another yawn, but it couldn't be contained, and she yawned again anyway, "just early..."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Almost as bad," Kanan said, not even bothering to stifle a little grin. "I'll try to keep this a pretty smooth ride, if you're hoping to get some napping in before we hit the island."

Funny. Smoothride had been the make of hoverbus that had blown up on him that one time. Did that bode poorly? Only time would tell.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[white_oleander]

Considering the colorful company hadn't been very helpful in getting some sleep while waiting, Astrid's head bobbed a little. "That's be nice, thanks."

She wasn't holding out a lot of hope for it, though. Smooth ride and bus weren't things that usually went together.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thegreatmanfredo]

"Uh, hi," Manfred said as he carried his bags aboard the bus.

Why did he suddenly feel vaguely wary, like the bus might blow up or something?

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

Who knew! It probably helped that there weren't any explos-- actually, no, Sabine was on the bus. There were definitely explosives.

"Hey," Kanan said, nodding at the kid. "Welcome to... the bus. I guess. The picnic'll be more engaging, I'm sure."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thegreatmanfredo]

"I guess we could get the party started on the bus, but then someone would probably get carsick," Manfred said thoughtfully.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"My money is on Meep Meep back there," Kanan noted, shrugging. "And that other one was hoping to get some sleep during the bus ride."

It was like these kids wanted to suck all the fun out of it.

"... That said, you want to get the party started, I'll have my hands too full just driving it to really stop you."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thegreatmanfredo]

"I didn't bring my party in a box, darn," Manfred said.

"...also I don't think that guy says anything but meep."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

"This is our transportation?" Jaylah asked, frowning at the bus. "Why is it yellow?"

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan gave his eyes an expressive roll.

"To make it more visible to oncoming traffic, I guess," he replied. "It's not my color of choice either, let me tell you."

Huh. She looked a little bit like the kid of a Rattataki and an Echani, or something. Definitely not human. And now he was going to wonder if maybe she was from a galaxy far, far away...

"This one doesn't even fly, either. A bit underwhelming, so far as buses go."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

Yeah, that was a little disappointing for her too. Someone clearly needed to make that bus fly.

It wouldn't end in tears at all.

"So they might hit it?" she asked, making a face. "That seems like a poor choice."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"So that they can avoid it more easily," Kanan corrected, not quite able to hold back his grin. "But the ride would be a lot more interesting if it was the other way around, I'll give you that."