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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"Oh yes, many," Meeka said, all sympathy. "And yet, my father has no siblings and my mother's family is still in Queens, my sisters and I still grew up with aunties."

From her accent, Meeka was probably from a lot further away than Queens.

"Aunties always find a way," Charlie said with a chuckle. "Though in my family pretty much everyone has mutltiple girls so we have a plethora of aunties. I feel for you though."

Something about that statement made Meeka grimace. Maybe the idea of a plethora of aunties? "My family mostly has sons," she said, voice neutral. "My sisters and I are the first generation in a long time without at least one."

The idea of so many males without women to balance them out made Charlie whistle. "I'd thought briefly that you might be a distant relation - what with the aunties and all - but not if you mostly have boys. Is that a problem for your parents? No boys in your family?"

The briefest of hesitations. "My...grandfather is not pleased," she admitted. "He is very traditional and does not believe that girls can carry on the family name. Or traditions."

And then, very quickly she added, "I'm am Meeka Joffer, by the way. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Charlie winced. "Sorry to hear that. My aunties and mother despair of me most of the time if that makes it any better."

She rolled her eyes, "Good job not introducing yourself, Charlie. Hi. Nice to meet you Meeka Joffer. I'm Charlie Gale."

"I believe we both failed to do so," Meeka said with another tentative smile. "The aunties would be appalled at us, I'm sure. Where are the manners of this generation?"

Charlie laughed. "Oh the horrors! But that's me, Charlie Gale, disappointing Aunties from, well, I suppose I can't say day one, but I don't think it took me long."

She loved her aunties, so her voice was fond, but boy, was she happy to get a little freedom.

Hard. Same.

"I suppose then I am lucky to mostly only disappoint Grandfather," Meeka said wryly. "And usually only due to my genetic makeup. The aunties are always just there with reminders of what not to do so I remain not a disappointment."

"Oh, they love me," Charlie said easily. "I'm just not good at toeing the family line. Probably shouldn't have been a surprise that I ended up being Wild."

She looked at Meeka and nodded approvingly. "Your grandfather's foolish if he thinks your genetics are disappointing, because they look just fine to me."

Yet a third smile, this one almost not tentative at all! Charlie was doing an excellent job of helping Meeka relax after the fiasco that had been her arrival. "Well, I am not a boy, but that is a him problem," she said firmly. "...Though convincing him of that is not as easy as one would wish."

"Eh, lemme know and I'll throw some Aunties his way," Charlie said, only half-jokingly. "They'll set him straight soon enough."

"It would be quite a distance to travel," Meeka chuckled. "And my grandfather is a very stubborn man."

Charlie grinned, thinking that it would only be the work of a minute if she could hear his song - or find the echos of Meeka's.

"I can guarantee you he's never experienced anything like the Aunties. When they talk about a Force of Nature they're talking about my Aunties."

"So was my grandmother, when she was alive," Meeka said with fond wistfulness. "Perhaps she would have gotten further if she had had backup."

"Say the word and I'll sic the Aunties on him," Charlie offered. "But in the meantime, I'm guessing we both get to be free of familial expectations here."

As if to prove her wrong, her phone rang out The Ride of the Valkyries. "Speak of the devil. Hang on. Yes?... Just getting on the bus now, Auntie Jane... I haven't forgotten, no, wait, hang on, they're calling me. Gotta go. Love you, bye!"

She hung up and turned the phone off. "I swear they know when you're talking about them. Now, where were we?"

"Yes," Meeka said fervently after Charlie hung up. "Free from expectations. I am looking forward to not being watched all the time. I'm sure it will be an exciting experience. It is one of the reasons I convinced my parents to let me come all this way. And they were sympathetic, at least. Also, my mother is happy that I will see the land of her birth, even though I am not in Queens. Perhaps a visit."

"Not being watched all the time, what a gift!" Charlie smiled at her. "My aunties actually sent me here. I think they thought I'd object, but a high school that's some sort of a nexus thing? I was all in."

She tipped her head. "Queens, huh? Never been. I'm from outside of Ontario. Canada."

"I am from Zamunda," Meeka says. "It is in Africa."

She figured that needed to be specified. Because North Americans.

"This is my first time on your contin--wait, what is a nexus?"

"Ah," Charlie said. "Africa. Okay. So yes, quite a ways from Queens."

She wrinkled her nose, thinking how to explain. "They say and I'm not sure exactly how much of it I believe, though the Aunties seem quite sure, but yes, a nexus, a place where different planes of, well, reality meet."

Blink. Blinkblink.

"I'm sorry, did you say a place where different planes of reality meet?" Meeka asked in a much more diplomatically polite tone.

"Ye-es? That's what the Aunties say. Kind of their selling point, you know? Keep Charlie occupied with all sorts of interesting things and people and maybe she'll stay put?"

She looked at Meeka and winced a little. "I take it you didn't know?"

"The existence of other planes is...theoretical at best," Meeka continued in that I am a goddamn diplomat, I'm diplomacying so hard right now. "I feel it would be very difficult to be prepared for such things."

"I guess... well, the Fae, you know, they're around a fair amount where we are - love basketball, so there's at least one or two on most teams - so maybe, knowing that, it's easier for me to... be prepared? Even if Gales don't have anything to do with the Fae generally?" Charlie suggested. "But other planes are much more than theoretical. Sorry?"

"Fae?" she asked, since that was something to focus on that wasn't nonsense.

Neither of her parents were big into fairy tales and even if they were, African fairy tales didn't revolve around Fae that much.

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