A Whole New World

[JC]

“I’m telling you, it’s not a real place.” Charlie was gentle in the letdown, even as Jin pulled him to a stop outside of the travel agency.

“But we have tickets. It has to be real.” Jin was insistent as she waved the envelope in the air. Charlie stared at her in that Charlie way, where he was caught between adoration and puzzlement, as if she were some darling creature that he just couldn’t quite figure out. She quite enjoyed when he looked at her like that, which was rather often. But right now was serious business. They had a plane to catch! In the interest of not turning her boyfriend into a walking pack mule, she had commandeered a taxi to take them from New Haven to Halsted’s Interplanar Travel Service in Old Market. Said taxi driver looked less than amused as he hauled their bags out of the trunk and set them on the curb. While the pair bickered over whether Agrabah was, in fact, a real place or not, the driver interrupted by clearing his throat and sticking his palm out. The look Charlie gave the man for interrupting Jin could have melted the man’s face in a strictly metaphorical sense but Jin stepped between them and cheerfully paid the man more than he was worth and sent him on his way.

“If it isn’t, then I will even let you deal with Harris.” She said with a beam of a smile. This possibility seemed to placate the Ninth Charlie and he settled into a companionable silence at her side when she moved up to the counter. With all of the breathy fluster of a newlywed pre-honeymoon, she exhaled a quick greeting to the bored looking agent. “Hiiiii. We were recently given these tickets to go here,” she slapped the tickets down on the counter and pointed, “and my boyfriend doesn’t believe that it’s a real place.”

The agent glazed over the tickets and arched a brow. He looked down at the tickets then up at Jin and Charlie then back at the tickets. “Agrabah, huh? You’re for real about this?”

“Of course we are!” Jin bounced onto her tip toes. “Harris D’Artainian got them for me since I won the Kiowa Belt. Dunno if you’ve heard of the Iron Fists League.”

The man’s interest was renewed. He looked Jin over, his eyes widening. “So that makes you…”

“Best Chae! That’s me!” With all of the bouncy pep befitting one of the springy K-Pop stars that Nana had spent so much time pretending to be, Jin thumbed against her chest and grinned. “So, what’s the deal? Are we able to go?”

“Man...that makes you Charlie Freaking Nine! Can you sign this?!” The man made the mistake of reaching for Charlie’s arm.

...and that was how they got kicked out of the first travel agency.