fandomhigh | BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday

Entry tags:

!event: newbie shuttle

BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday

The plane down from New York hadn't taken long, but after all the time in airports, TJ was ready to be done with it all, and was regretting her refusal to let Dad take her in the jet. But nope, she was doing this on her own, no overprotective parents around.

Somehow, she thought the biggest danger here was going to be glitter. The stuff was everywhere. Most of it was concentrated on a huge banner that read FANDOM HIGH, but it never stayed just where you put it, did it?

She wheeled her suitcase over to one of the seats and perched on the back of the seats, tail out for extra balance, and took out her phone to text back that yes, Dad, yes, Mom, she'd made it just fine. And then maybe to whine to Aunt Kate about how she'd had to do that.

[Newbie shuttle ahoy!]

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TJ laughed, then cocked her head at whatever the other girl was doing. "Is that magic?"

Charlie's eyes widened in delight. "You can see them? Yes. Charms actually."

"I can't see what it's doing, but I recognize the..." she wiggled her fingers. "My mom's a witch. What are the charms for?" She jumped down off her chair and came closer to see if she could spot any difference.

"That one says 'fast'," Charlie said. "For obvious reasons. But then I added 'safely' because I thought it might be bad to get my fellow students in an accident before I even get there."

She smiled at her. "This is so cool. Generally no one can even see them - well, unless you're magic or a Gale."

"Yeah, let's not get in trouble before we're even at school," TJ said, grinning. "What's a Gale?"

"Me. I'm a Gale. A Gale Girl?" Charlie gave her an odd look, then grinned. "Oh, this is even better than I thought. You don't know who I am - who any of us are. This is amazing!!"

"And you probably have no idea who my dad is, so we're off to a great start!" TJ said, grinning. "Here's to lack of expectations. I'm TJ, by the way."

"I do not," Charie agreed. "Isn't it wonderful? Hi, TJ, I'm Charlie."

"Oh, yeah." TJ rolled her eyes. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my family, but it'll be great to do my own thing, no shadows to live under, you know?"

"Oh boy, do I know," Charlie said. "My family is huge and amazing and we all love each other to death, but to get out from under some of those expectations? If only a little? Totally awesome."

"Definitely." TJ nodded. "Hey, I'm guessing you don't carry that guitar around for decorative purposes?"

"What? You don't think it makes me look hot?" Charlie joked. "But no, not decoration. I play. My banjo and mandolin are being shipped."

"I mean, musicians are hot," TJ noted. "Oh, that's awesome! I play drums, but stringed instruments are kind of hard." She wiggled her three-fingered hands.

"Oh yeah," Charlie said, "I can see where that would make things harder. Is that normal for your..." she waved her hands, not knowing the right term. Some sort of fae, maybe?

Charlie was nosy and blunt, but didn't have a mean bone in her. Usually.

"For my genetics? Eh, depends how far back you go," TJ said. "I get 'em from my dad, but his mom and dad had the usual number. Just part of my mutation. Oh, wait." Her eyes got wide. "You don't even know about mutants?"

"Mutants?" Charlie shook her head. "I mean only in the geeky sci-fi sense, but no. And no offense intended."

"Hey, no worries," TJ assured her. "If you know the geeky sci-fi type, it's a good start. Some folks in my world are born with something called the X gene. It can give us powers sometimes, make us look different, a ton of stuff. So, like..." She called up photos on her phone. "My mom looks normal human, but my dad looks more like me."

She paused. "Yeah, getting out from under family, and I'm already showing off pictures. Good job, me."

Charlie laughed. "We'll never escape our families. So you have this X gene and it gives you powers? Dare I ask?"

"You can ask," TJ said. Then she laughed. "Nah, it's not a secret or anything, but mine are hard to demonstrate off the cuff. I can possess someone for a little while, and I can fire hex bolts. Not to mention all the awesomeness that is my bod," she added with a grin.

"You definitely have an awesome bod," Charlie said with an admiring look. "But I'm going to just say no to possession and hex bolts for today, thank you very much."

TJ took a bow. "But yeah, you see what I mean. Hard to demonstrate. But you do magic, which is pretty awesome!"

"Definitely hard to demonstrate," Charlie agreed. And shrugged with a smile. "Gale Girls do magic. Easier to demonstrate, but we also tend not to show it much around your average person."

"Yeah, your average person can get pretty stupid about things they don't understand," TJ acknowledged. "Mutants who can pass tend not to show off their powers, either."

"Where I'm from the people who need to know about the Gales, know about the Gales, but most people just maybe know that we're eccentric and incredibly lucky," Charlie said. "We're discreet, usually, but not really hidden. At home at least. Here I wouldn't lead off with my abilities. It's sheer luck you noticed me. Most people wouldn't think twice about someone running their fingers along a bus."

TJ grinned. "I'm apparently not most people. What else is new? So are the Gales just your family, or is it more than that?"

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