fandomhigh | BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Sunday Morning.

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!event: newbie shuttle

BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Sunday Morning.

Oh, praise Jesus, she'd finally found it! Libby felt the most immense sense of relief wash over her when she spotted that large, glittery banner hanging over the waiting area for Fandom High, like a shining beacon, and not a moment too soon! This was the first time she'd ever really been anywhere entirely by herself like this, and it had been incredibly overwhelming. Exciting, yes, but it was a lot to take in! The only thing she could really think to compare it to was when they all packed up to go out to the Wal-Mart for groceries, but even then, she had her whole family with her. And now it was just her and a single suitcase and a pamphlet clutched in her hand, and she thought she'd get lost entirely in such a big place all on her own, but she found it! This was the place!

And she was apparently even a little early, since it looked like she might be the first one there? And even that was a little bit of a relief, because that meant she could just move away from the crowds moving around the airport into the quiet little space under the sparkly banner, have a seat, and just sort of breathe again before the next leg of her journey. An actual high school! Well, a little bit different, she supposed, because it was a boarding school, but as she took her seat, she started to feel that terrible and wonderful nervous turning in her stomach again, and she closed her eyes and she breathed out and she put her hands together to say a little prayer for strength and guidance, and couldn't help smiling a little as she felt a sense of serenity settle her nerves again.

It was scary, being out here by herself like this, but it was also thrilling, and she'd made it this far already, she was halfway there! Now she felt relaxed and ready, opening her eye and looking around for a clock, fussing a little with her long skirt and buttoned-up blouse and wondering if she should have worn more worldly jeans after all, to fit in better, but she didn't need to make herself feel more awkward than she already did with unfamiliar clothes. She just hoped it wouldn't be too much longer for the shuttle to arrive to whisk her away to the next part of this adventure.

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Libby had just been thinking about digging through her suitcase to pull out her prayer book to help fill some of the time before the bus arrived more productively when the boy in the hoodie showed up, and her head tilted cruiously at him as he went to take a seat. There was definitely something in his demeanor and the hoodie in general that was a little standoffish. Perhaps he didn't really want to be bothered, or he was tired from an even longer trip than she had (she'd heard that people came from all over to this school!), but it also seemed a little rude to just ignore him, so she added in a nervous but hopefully open kind of smile as she tried to get better look at him.

"Hello!" she said, her own accent with a particular twang to it as well. "Are you heading on over to Fandom High School, as well?"

"Oh, yeah" Kurt said simply. "Just got in. Wasn't sure how many people to expect to be honest." There was a slight pause before he continued. "I'm Kurt," he said with a slight nod, which caused the hoodie to slip back a bit, revealing his definitely unique features.

Well so much for staying under the radar for a bit longer. Guess this was as good a time as any to test the Professor's theory that Fandom High was going to be a better experience for him than the last school he had just left. He gave a shy smile, trying to keep those intimidating fangs hidden best that he could.

When the hood slipped back, Libby's eyes went wide for a moment before they blinked rapidly a few times. Her hand almost moved to rub them, and she glanced up toward the lighting overhead, because she was pretty sure they were trying to play some sort of trick on her. Because if she wasn't mistaken, Kurt almost looked like he was...

...but that wasn't possible. It must have been...

She realized she was probably staring, or worse, gawking, and he probably thought she was terribly rude and so she shook her head and tried to keep her eyes lowered. "I...my name's Liberty," she offered. "Or Libby...for short. You, um, you have an accent?"

Sure, Libby, that was the thing that was different about him!

But to be fair, she was almost as unfamiliar with different accents as she was with...blue skin!

"Ah. Yes" Kurt said with a slight smile and a curious blink. He wasn't used to people not simply pointing... Or worse. So he gave a slight nod a smile.

"Nice to meet you Libby. And yes, I'm from Germany originally."

Well, now, pointing or worse would be terribly rude of her, wouldn't it? She felt it was bad enough that she was afraid she would just be staring at him the whole time; thankfully, she was used to keeping her head down during times when children should be seen and not heard, and she herself knew all too well how it felt to be stared and pointed whenever the Hazlett brood went out and about and people whispered about their modest clothes and too-many-children like they weren't just religious, but apparently hard-of-hearing as well!

Although Libby was mostly just left wondering if people from Germany actually were blue, because she definitely didn't remember reading about any of that in her social studies and geography lessons! Maybe her mother didn't know that, either, though.

"Germany! So people really do come to this school from all over! Here I thought I was making a big old leap from Tennessee, but you've had a whole ocean to get across!"

"Ah Germany originally. I was at another high school here in the states" Kurt said with a grin.

"What about you? Where are you coming to the school from? Anywhere exciting?" Kurt loved meeting new people. Especially those who didn't seem immediately horrified by his appearance.

Though he knew it would probably change once everything was know. He wouldn't be that lucky would he?

"Oh, no," Libby had to smile at the question as she shoo her head. "Not even a little. I'm from Tennessee."

Not that she didn't love her home deeply, of course, but she wasn't about to act like there was anything particular thrilling about it. Especially not when talking to a blue person from Germany.

"Where did you go to school before this?" she asked. "Anywhere more exciting than Tennesee?"

"I live with a bunch of other people who...who are like me. Special people"Kurt said, always finding it difficult to explain the whole mutant thing at first.

"Those of us who are young enough were sent to a local school in upstate New York. I already spent one year there but... Things were ummm difficult for me there. So my Professor decided it would be best to give Fandom High a try "

"Special?" Libby asked, blinking wide eyes again. "Do you mean because of your--"

Thankfully, she realized what she was saying before she finished, wincing as she cut herself off, because there she went, saying things withuot really thinking about them first, and usually she was so much better about that kind of thing, but all of this was so exciting and overwhelming that it was easy to just sort of get caught up in all these new people and interesting things that it just came right out of her!

"I'm so sorry!" she amended quickly, holding her hands up nervously in front of her. "I don't mean to be rude. Or ignorant! It's just I've never actually met anyone who was blue before."

And now she wa just going to zip right up because she realized that the more she spoke, the worse she was making it sound!

Kurt gave Libby a soft smile. He knew that panicked tone and manner of speaking. It was how he often sounded trying to talk to someone a bit mor 'normal' than he was

"It's ok" he said with a reassuring nod. "Special like me in that we are all mutants. We have different powers and abilities. And some of us" he added with a a soft smile "have more physical differences as well. We're mutants "

Kurt left it there. Waiting to see Libby's reaction before even thinking about getting into any of the specifics of what exactly his other mutant factors entailed.

Libby was still in the process of wrapping her brain around the idea that evolution was something that was actually more than just misguided secular propaganda, so mutants might take her a minute or two to really grasp, as well. Although it was really only a matter of time before she started coming across the concept of mutations in nature during her studies, as well.

And she honestly didn't know what to make of it right now, either. But the last few months had been filled with all sorts of new things she didn't really understand, but that didn't necessarily mean they were bad things.

"Well," she ventured, leaning pretty heavily on at least one big thing she'd learned all too recently, "the world would be a pretty boring place if God made us all the same."

Edited 2022-01-01 23:07 (UTC)

"Ah yes, this is true" Kurt said with a nod. "God does love variety and diversity. If He did do much for the plants and animals, I think it would be an insult to humanity, if He did not have that same creativity with us."

Now, if only more of his greatest creation could learn that concept, life would be much easier for many people- himself included.

"Have you signed up for your classes yet?" he asked, changing the subject to something hopefully a little less awkward.

There was just something so comforting in the fact that Kurt had responded the way he had that Libby almost felt as if every single bit of fear and apprehension she had about going away to school was melting away. All her life, she'd been told that the outside world was a harsh and godless place, where people not only were lost from His word, but actively shun it, and here, Kurt didn't even blink an eye at agreeing with her. Even Zo, who was openminded about most things, seemed to squirm a little with discomfort whenever Libby talked about her faith.

But, then again, there were a lot of things Libby had been told all her life that were proving to be wrong these days.

She smiled at Kurt almost contently before giving her head a small shake. "No," she said, "they said they'd have my schedule for me when I get there."

Because sometimes that was just more fun. Although Libby expected it would be pretty basic stuff, like math and science, probably a PE class that would involve more than just chasing the Littles around the yard, which she would be particularly excited for.

"Why? Do you already know what yours is?"

Edited 2022-01-01 23:35 (UTC)

"Naww, I don't know the specific classes yet" Kurt said with a head shake of his own. "The Professor, kind of our Headmaster where we live, he picked most of the classes for me. I got to pick a few I wanted to take but I am not sure which ones got approved yet."

He gave Libby a small smile. Maybe this wouldn't be as big a disaster as things had started to become back at the other school. He hadn't even made it to the campus yet and already he had found at least one person who wasn't completely flipping out on him over his appearance. How Libby responded to everything else that was bound to come out about him during the course of the semester remained to be seen. But for now, he was going to enjoy this very rare but very nice feeling.

"Maybe we will have a few classes together this semester," he offered with a somewhat awkward smile. "I know there's students from all over, but for a boarding school it sounds a lot smaller than a lot of the ones we had in New York. So maybe we'll get lucky with the class assignments."

If she was entirely honest, Libby would admit that the blue skin was going to take some getting used to, but there were a lot of nee things out there that were strange at first but ended up being fine, so this was just another one of those things, and a part of it was kind of exciting as well.

"I hope so!" she said, easily and eagerly. "I'm not used to being in a classroom filled with strangers, so it'll be nice to have at least one person there I do know!"

Oh sweet Libby... the blue skin was going to be the least of the brain bendy things you would need to deal with by the time you really got to know the awkward mutant boy sitting beside you!

"I remember going to school the first time, when I was a lot younger" Kurt said. "It didn't really go all that well, which is why my parents kept me at home most of the time and taught me everything I needed to know. But like most kids, I got to the point where I thought I knew better and could do whatever I wanted. Ended up getting me in trouble. Which is how the Professor found me and how I ended up living with the other Mutants."

"Well, everyone I've ever gone to school with before," Libby told Kurt a little wryly, but she noticed he'd said his parents taught him at home, too, so it turned out that maybe she wouldn't even be the only weird homeschooled kid, either!, "I was related to, so this is going to be a pretty big change for me..."

And she almost desperately wanted to ask Kurt what he might have done to get into trouble. Was it something as simple as defying orders, like she had done, or maybe something much worse? But to ask felt like prying, or gossip, and she didn't want to do any of those things, especially when she and Kurt were getting along well so far.

So, instead, she asked, "Did you like your last school? And living with the other..." She couldn't help frowning a little uncertainly at the word, "Mutants?"

"The other school, no so much" Kurt said with a slight sigh. "None of the kids were as cool as you. I had to hide that I was a Mutant because where I'm from most people don't like Mutants. Many want us locked away or even killed because they think we are dangerous or just because they are scared that we are different. It lead to a lot of fights and problems."

Kurt shook his head, not wanting to focus on that side of things. That was a big part of why he was being sent to Fandom now.

"Bu the team, they are really cool" Kurt said perking up a bit. "There quite a few of us that are being trained by the Professor. There are a lot more Mutants than most people realize. Not all of us are so... obvious" he added with a smirk.

At first, Libby had to snort a small laugh, because she was pretty sure the only other person who ever called her 'cool' before was Zo, and that was definitely in a surprised wow, I can't believe you're actually kind of cool sort of way, but the amusement was very fleeting, as the rest of what Kurt said made her frown with concern.

Sure, she knew plenty of people who seemed to hate things just because they were different. Her father, it turned out, was one of them, no matter how much he claimed it was the sin he hated, not the person. But none of them would ever take it to that kind of extreme!

"So," she said, her concern deepening the more and more she thought about it, "what...makes a person a Mutant, then? You...said something about...powers and abilities?"

And obviously things like his blue skin, but he'd also said that not all of them would have something like that.

"Technically you are a Mutant if your genes are different. Those difference, or mutations, can show up in different ways." Kurt spoke a bit slower and carefully, making sure to choose his words correctly. "Some mutations are visual- blue skin, scales, animalistic features. Some mutations are totally invisible- controlling the weather, teleporting. And some mutations are a mix or something else entirely- retractable claws, super flexibility, x-ray vision. And some mutations you are born with, like me. Other times, people don't develop their mutation until they are older."

He stopped and looked at Libby for a moment, trying to gauge how much she was absorbing of all this. He knew it could be a lot and he was trying to keep it simple but still answer he question the best that he could. He also had to wonder if she had any clue at all that three of those mutations, in addition to the obvious one, actually applied to him.

Libby was trying, she really was. But someone having blue skin was much easier to wrap her head around than some of that other stuff. Teleporting? Controlling the weather?

"Some of that almost sounds like magic," she noted, with uncertainty.

But the Bible was filled with stuff like that, too. Jesus could walk on water, he calmed seas for the fishermen, brought people back from the dead! Through God, all things are possible ~~so jot that down~~. Some people could even be both boys and girls...

"Or miracles," she added, a bit more softly, and she would probably need to think on this stuff long and hard later, but, in the moment, she really could only think one thing, and it might be prying, it might be gossip, but it would drive her crazy if she didn't at least ask:

"So do you have other mutations, too? Or is it being blue?"

Honestly, if that was it, Kurt kind of pulled the short stick on that one.

Oh boy Libby... buckle in if you wanted the full run down.

"Oh ummm... no, I have, a few ~~nearly a dozen really~~ mutations other than just the blue."

Kurt went silent for a moment, realizing he couldn't just leave Libby hanging like that after giving her that kind of answer. But at the same time... which ones to bring up off the bat was proving to be a bit of a stumper.

"Well, remember how I said mutations can be visible and invisible? Well, I have several of both kinds."

Kurt paused there, waiting to see if that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity for the time being. He had a feeling it wouldn't but he also didnt want to dump on her too quickly. The whole mutant thing could be hard for a lot of people.

And it was that first pause, followed by that second, that did it, and made Libby realize that she'd probably overstepped by asking after all, and she was a little mad at herself for it. She still had so much to learn about interacting with new people!

"I am so sorry!" she quickly said. "Is that...that's probably a pretty personal question to just come right out and ask of someone you just met! Especially the invisible ones! I really didn't mean to pry, Kurt, it's just...I've never heard of anything like this before, outside of books! And, honestly, I don't really get to meet a lot of people, so sometimes I'm not good at knowing what's okay and what's not okay to ask about!"

Kurt had to smile a little at Libby for all the flailing she was doing. It was a bit odd to see someone so worried about offending him and insulting him. Kurt was used to the insults being thrown blatantly at him by most people, so this was an admittedly kinda cute change from the norm.

"It's ok, really. You don't have to apologize Libby. I'm not offended or anything... just still surprised someone I just meant actually wants to know more about me and who... what... I am."

He gave her a small smile for a moment as he considered how to approach this.

"Tell ya what. Let's start with the things that are gonna be hard to keep hidden unless I wanna keep wearing this thing all semester," he said patting the front of the hoodie.

"So, we'll start here" he said as he gave her a smile and slowly widened it, showing the two fang-like canines. He then pushed back the hoodie the rest of the way till it fell back off his head totally, revealing pointy ears.

"Then there's this" he said with a smirk as he lifted an arm and pushed back the sleeve of the hoodie, revealing his three fingered hand and the soft fine fur that actually covered his body before he slid his feet, which has been carefully tucked under the chair he was sitting in out to show Libby the custom boost he had to wear because of his unusual two toed feet.

"And one last one before your brain melts" he said as he stood and untucked the edge of the hoodie from his jeans, letting his long admittedly devil-looking tail slip out from where he had had it tucked up under his shirt.

"There... there's a reason why people usually call me a demon and are afraid of me" he said quietly, knowing that after all that and revealing his true appearance to Libby, he might had just lost the friend he had been so thrilled to have already made. But... she would have found out soon enough. Probably better to get it over with if she was going to react the way most people did.

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BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Sunday Morning.

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