BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday morning

[thishouseishaunted]

"Portalocity lounge," Mae read aloud, and heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally. First time I ever travel alone and I get lost in the stupid airport." She walked into the lounge, looked around, and hopped up onto the bench, her duffel bag tucked under her feet. There was plenty of room, since her legs were too short to reach the ground. "Of course, it's bigger than, like, all of Possum Springs put together, so I guess that can't be too surprising. Good thing Mom and Dad insisted I take the early bus."

She tapped her heels on her duffel bag and eyed the door. "And now I'm talking to myself. Good job, Mae. Perfect first impression." She made her eyes comically wide and waved to an imaginary audience. "HeY, I'M mAe, i'M TOtallY NOrmAl, niCE To MEeT yoU." She frowned and tapped her feet harder. "Good job, Killer."

Another glance around the lounge. There wasn't a lot to look at yet.

"I wish I had a video game."

[NEWBIE SHUTTLE TIME! Possibly slightly early, but I want a distraction]

Comments

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"It isn't a shark-abuse school," Kanan replied. And paused. "I can't account for what some of those teachers are peddling, granted."

He was mildly concerned about Deadpool on a good day.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"Math class is a crime against humanity."

Mae had never been good at numbers.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan paused a moment.

"I don't think this school has any math classes."

But there were two classes about dancing, apparently. And one that didn't even deny being an excuse for field trips.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

". . . Don't tease me like that, dude. Math is my sworn enemy."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan shrugged.

"There's science," he offered. "Which might or might not involve math. That might be as close as it gets."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

Mae was pretty sure this was your biggest fairy tale yet, Kanan.

"What do you teach? Or are you just here to drive the sparklebus?"

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Culture shock," Kanan replied. "Should be an interesting one this semester. If my co-teacher has her say too, there'll probably be giant insect invasions or something."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"That sounds less like a culture shock and more like a . . . normal shock."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Depends where you're from," Kanan noted, shrugging. "I was mostly going to just cover weird supernatural weather and alternate reality future children, that sort of thing."

You know. Normal stuff.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"Ohhh. The basics. I thought maybe you'd include, like, the unfathomable god-like creatures that secretly script out our very existence."

A beat.

"Or how to navigate the local Food Donkey."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"If you order from the dorms, they'll always over-deliver," Kanan replied immediately. "There's your Fandom Island survival tip of the day."

You're welcome, Mae.

"As for that other thing, I'm more a believer in the energy that binds all life in the galaxy." He shrugged. "To each their own."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

Mae's eyes went wide. "They give you extra food?!"

Fandom just went up several degrees in her estimation.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"That's what I keep hearing on the radio, anyway." Kanan shrugged. "I don't live in the dorms, so I haven't been able to test that theory myself."

So unfair. He would love to get extra food.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

". . . Why is the radio reporting on food delivery habits?"

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"Oh, just wait until you meet the squirrels."

Only you could make squirrels sound ominous, Kanan.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"I mean. I have met them before."

Squirrels were pretty ubiquitous. Especially when you spent a lot of your time walking on power lines.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"You'll like Fandom Island's, then."

Or not. Depended on how you felt about having privacy, ever.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"The squirrels," Mae said.

Why was this a sticking point for her? Who knew?

"Okay then."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"You'll see," Kanan replied easily, shrugging his shoulders. "In the meantime, enjoy some of the free food when we get there. Hard to go wrong with that."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"I am always a slut for free food."

Just what an adult wants to hear a teenager say.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

Oh yeah, well and truly.

"Free food's got that effect on people."

He'd been about as bad for most of his teenage yeras, himself.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"What with it being a requirement for basic survival and all."

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"And better to grab it at a picnic than have to fend for yourself, anyway."

Kanan wasn't going to clarify that 'fend for yourself' almost certainly involved eating from trash bins, when he was much younger.

Re: Trip to Fandom

[thishouseishaunted]

"They have, like, a cafeteria or something, too, right? We're not just supposed to live on one picnic and the kindness of delivery guys?"

Re: Trip to Fandom

[uncertain_dume]

"There's also a cafeteria," Kanan promised. "And most of the food they serve there is edible, too."