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!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh noes.

Meeka continued to look like she wanted the ground to swallow her up, which hopefully solidified TJ's impression. "They are priestesses from my home country," she said, eyes still firmly on the floor in case a trapdoor handily appeared. "We have a, err, custom. To be greeted with flowers from home so that our first, err, steps in a foreign country are...reminders of who we are."

That was even mostly technically true!

"One of those things that sounds better in theory?" TJ asked. "I mean, it sounds awesome, keeping a connection, but you could just put some in your shoes."

She came to sit closer. "Hey, don't worry. If my dad thought it'd help and he could get away with it, he would absolutely do the same thing. And you sound like your country's far away. You're not from Wakanda, are you?" She couldn't remember them having any customs like that, but geography and sociology weren't her strong points.

At this, Meeka finally glanced up. And had to blink several times in rapid succession when she realized that the girl she was talking to was blue. "I, uh--" She cleared her throat, remembered that she was a diplomat, and offered her a polite smile. "I am from Zamunda," she said. "Wakanda is not a real country."

~~Which is perfect since this was actually an interaction from the movie, so thank you!~~

Edited 2022-08-27 01:58 (UTC)

~~Awesome!~~

"It absolutely is!" TJ protested. "I mean, I've never been there, but dad's met the king. It's where most vibranium comes from. I've never heard of Zamunda, sorry. I kind of suck at geography, though." She shrugged. "I'm TJ."

"Vibranium?" Meeka says, dubious. "Ah...Wakanda is from a movie. The Dark Jaguar. And Zamunda shares a border with Nexdoria."

That should clear things right up.

"They've made a few movies about it back home, too," TJ said. "Some even aren't boring documentaries."

She shook her head. "Still never heard of it. I'm from New York. I thought I'd been a bunch of places, but apparently I'm missing some. I really don't mean to be rude about it, sorry."

"It is fine," Meeka assured her. "I know much of your history deals with Africa only from a--" colonizer "--North American point of view. Zamunda did not have many dealings with your country until the 1870s after certain...changes were made America's economic structure and it was safe to reveal our existence. Even then, though, relations were not formalized until the 1960s and remained only distantly cordial until 1988."

It was, uh, perfectly normal in Zamunda to know this much history. Honest.

"You mean until we stopped keeping Black folks as slaves," TJ said bluntly. "Don't worry about putting it nicely - that was garbage, no excuses. Your people were smart."

"Well...yes," Meeka admitted. "That is what I meant. But your country often does not take criticism well and since I am to be here for the next two years, I thought it best to take a more...diplomatic approach."

And, you know. Habit. Nexdoria, for example, got really touchy when you brought up the whole 'abject poverty due to extensive military spending.'

"The country can deal," TJ said. "My folks are both mutants and immigrants; they may not have the long history of sucking, but enough we know which side of the fight we're on. The same people who'd be shouting...a word I shouldn't say...at you are the ones shouting 'mutie' at me."

"A...mutant?" Meeka asks, brow furrowing. "Uh. Is that--" Nope! Reframing! "I am not familiar with the term..."

"Huh. You, too? Charlie didn't know about mutants, either. Yeah, that's why I'm blue." She shook her head. "I don't mind questions if you're nice about it. I'm kind of used to it. My mom can pass, but Dad and I are, well." She shrugged.

Edited 2022-08-27 03:54 (UTC)

"I assure you I do not mean to cause offense and if any of my questions trend that way, please stop me immediately," Meeka said quickly. "But what is being a mutant?"

Between this and Charlie's talk about Fae, she would think that America was made up of inveterate liars, but she couldn't really argue with the blue.

~~Are we going to talk about how Zamunda has Black Panther and not the MCU? No. No we are not.~~

~~Definitely not. Ssshhhhh.~~

"So, some people are born with a gene called the X gene. It can make us look different or give us powers or a whole bunch of things." TJ shrugged. "There's a whole history, but that's the root of it. Some mutants are born to normal people who didn't even know they were carrying the gene. Both my parents are mutants too, though."

Meeka had to sit down. Sure, she was already sitting, but she had to sit, like, more down.

"Powers," she said, a little flatly. Because...sure, blue. But powers?

"Yep. Can't really demonstrate mine unless the school wants to pay the airport for a hole in the wall, though."

You know, with the way the people around here were making her blink in consternation, she wouldn't blame anyone for assuming she had some kind of eye infection.

"What kind of...power...leaves holes in the wall?"

"Hex bolts," TJ answered. "Destructive bits of boom. What about you, anything fun you can do? Are Zamundans secretly magicians?"

What? She'd already met someone else who was; she wasn't ruling anything out.

"I mean, there is a Court sorcerer," Meeka admitted, a little reluctantly. "But most people believe he is a charlatan and not to be trusted."

"Is he?" TJ asked. "We've got the real and the charlatans back home."

"Yeeees?" Meeka said, momentarily dubious. And then, more firmly. "Yes. My world has no magic."

Hey wanna guess who was going to get an unpleasant surprise in about a year?

TJ nodded. "So what's Zamunda like, apart from a booming floral business?" she teased.

"Oh it is the most beautiful country," Meeka said immediately, the smile on her face smaller but warm and genuine. "We are one of the wealthiest countries in Africa--" Okay the wealthiest ~~because they didn't have a Wakanda to compete with~~ but that seemed like bragging "--and we have spent most of our funds on ensuring the well-being and comfort of all of our residents. And, yes, while we do have many fine gardens and parks, we have also preserved a great deal of wild land, as we have a thriving animal population. The, ah, last queen was very active in protecting our native species from poachers and the difficulties of climate change and human encroachment. Zamunda is home to the biggest population of wild lions than anywhere else in Africa!"

Her smile was much brighter now, talking about home. She wasn't homesick yet - she hadn't been gone long enough for that - but it was nice being able to share the best parts of Zamunda with someone.

"We have universal healthcare, with more than a thousand hospitals, thirty-two colleges and universities, with the twenty-one public universities offering free tuitionto Zamundan citizens or descendants of Zamundans currently living outside our borders - which, as of 1997 includes the descendants of enslaved people living in America - and very robust social programs to aid our people when tough times befall them!"

All of which are very normal things that a normal Zamundan citizens know off the top of their head, thank you.

"Oh! And the only remaining McDowell's franchise!"

Edited 2022-08-27 22:22 (UTC)

Did TJ look impressed? Because TJ was very impressed. "Damn, you've got it all together! That's amazing! What's McDowell's?" That was the only thing that didn't make sense to her.

"It is a fast food chain not-affiliated with and legally distinct from McDonalds," Meeka replied promptly. "...My grandfather owns it."

BWI Airport Portalocity Lounge, Saturday

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