Arrival

*Dalaran Nexus, this is Director Mailin Isastra Azuresong. Request permission to open a portal to Stormwind Nexus. Over.*

*Director Isastra, permission granted. Stormwind Nexus has been adviced. Alignment window opening in 17 seconds.*

*Acknowledged, Dalaran Nexus. Director Isastra out.*

There was a spark in mid-air, a ripple in the fabric of reality as two points in it shifted and aligned, creating a similarity. Once the alignment was complete the spark bloomed rapidly, creating a shimmering curtain of arcane energy before her. Through it she could see the high ceilinged halls of the Stormwind mage tower with students and teachers milling about outside of the cordoned off portal area. At the far end of the hall she could see one of the numerous magical gateways that led to various other parts of the extra-dimensional Academy.

She didn’t really have time to stand around daydreaming, a habit that had remained since childhood and refused to leave her, and she stepped through closely followed by her silent arcane familiar carrying her possessions. She barely noticed the faint sensation, like grains of sand brushing over her bare skin, as she passed through that shimmering veil and strode up to the first person that happened to cross her path.

A young man with an expectant grin and a hurried pace, he stopped dead as the sharp click-click of Mailin’s heels brought her closer to him. His eyes widened and he tried to step aside as if to avoid being walked into. She simply seized his sleeve, giving it a light tug and he froze where he stood. He was perhaps half a foot taller than her, and she was above average for a woman, and of a stocky build but he still shrunk under her cool gaze. It brought her a measure of satisfaction and a flash of irritation at herself a moment later.

“Ma-“ She cut him off.

“Take me to High Sorcerer Andromath.” Her tone was cool and aloof; it seldom changed. The mage blinked and looked around with a hounded expression on that bluff face. She forestalled his next words with a delicate arched eyebrow and folding her arms beneath her breasts, displaying the signet ring with its purple stone and the sigil of the Kirin Tor magically imprinted into it.

Silence and then…

“Right this way, madame.”

I adore the descriptions. There was a spark in mid-air, a ripple in the fabric of reality as two points in it shifted and aligned, creating a similarity. Once the alignment was complete the spark bloomed rapidly, creating a shimmering curtain of arcane energy before her. -- offers such an image of portals, quite the best I've seen. Really nice.