Wide blue eyes scan the bustle of the platform with no small amount of awe. The wild bustle of the London based station is a far cry from the Irish countryside, a fact that only becomes more apparent upon the slight jostle to one shoulder provided by a rapid moving passerby. Tightening her grip on the handle of her luggage, Avery finally manages to pry her gaze away from the mostly contained chaos of the station to look up towards her mother standing at her side.

The elder McCall looks just as out of her depth as her child, though does make an admirable attempt to hide the fact. Green meets blue as she looks down to her side, flashing Avery a brief, but warm, smile before leaning down to be heard more clearly.

"It's a bit different than what we're used to back home, huh?" her mother mutters conspiratorially, amusement clear in her voice. Avery breaks out into an excited grin, tightening her hold on her mother's hand with the one that's not holding onto the luggage with an iron grip.

"Yeah, but it's kind of fascinating," she says, smile unwavering. "I do suppose it's something I'll have to get more familiar with now that I'm..." Her words trail off slightly as she releases the grip on the luggage to wiggle the fingers on her free hand as way of a non-verbal explanation.

Cara McCall flashes another amused smile before taking a deep breath and lifting her gaze back to the platform before them. The two are quiet for a moment, settling themselves as out of the way as they can near platform 9 as they observe the comings and goings of other passengers. It's not long at all before the chance to observe other magical students making their way through the brick wall indicates the next step that needs to happen. Despite having mostly come to terms with the discovery of her magical capability, the sight of some children running at speed towards a brick wall still pulls her up short. All she can do is stare for a moment, trying to come to terms with the need to do the same.

Trying to steel her rapidly flourishing nerves, Avery releases her mother's hand to turn and look fully up at her. She does her best to plaster a bright smile across her features. "Well, this looks like the place the letter described. I, uh, better get going. Don't want to miss the train on my very first year. That...probably wouldn't be a great first impression, and I kind o-"

Avery's rambling is cut off before it can pick up too much traction by the arms of her mother coming to wrap around her shoulders, pulling her in for a firm hug. Some of the growing tension in the future student's shoulders release in a long exhale as she sinks into the hug, relishing the sensation for a few moments longer. Cara speaks quietly near her daughters ear. "I expect you to write us whenever you can, okay? We may not know much of what all you're going into, but I know I'd like to learn more about it all. So don't you go skimping out on the details now, you hear?"

Avery huffs a laugh into her mom's shoulder, nodding her head a little in acquiescence. "Don't worry, I will." She pauses a second, hesitating. "Do you..." The words trail off a little and she drops her arms to take a half step back. Her gaze remains on the luggage at her feet. "Do you think Dad will...?" She doesn't bother finishing the question, merely glancing back up at her mother.

A small, sad smile ghosts across Cara's lips as she gazes down at Avery, one hand absently coming up to brush a lock of hair from in front of her eyes. "I'll keep talking to him, don't worry. It's just...new. You know how he is with change." The words don't seem to come off as confidently as she'd wanted. Merely optimistically hollow.

Avery simply bobs her head a couple of times, another smile gracing her features despite being far less enthusiastic as before. "Right, yeah. It'll be fine, I'm sure. Anyways! I uh, better get going. Thanks for coming out with me, I'll be sure to send word as soon as I can once we get to the castle." Giving her mom another quick hug, she pulls away and grabs hold of her belongings. "Love you, Mama, I'll see you at break!" Without waiting for her mother to respond, Avery sets off towards the pillar with speed.

Cara is able to flash another small wave and a smile when her daughter turns back, clearly working up the courage to walk through the brick. And then in a blink of the eye, she's gone from sight. The elder McCall slowly allows her arm to drop back to her side. She simply stands and stares for a moment longer, fighting off the slight pressure building behind her eyes. "Good luck..."

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