T is for Tours

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Okay, so Frank had heard rumors that there might be, like, some kinda official mentor thing for upcoming students. That was just super awesome and swell and as a senior and all, Frank totally intended to do her part and volunteer. This, however, had pretty well nothing to do with that.

This mostly involved Frank getting out her sandwich board and running around in the courtyard with a megaphone.

"GETCHA FREE ACADEMY TOURS HERE! TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN OTHER TOURS! 'CUZ THESE TOURS ARE LED BY THE ONE AND ONLY FRANK COX! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, FIND OUT STUFF ABOUT THE ACADEMY YOU NEVER KNEW!" mostly because Frank would make up the vast majority of it, but she wasn't about to tell them that. It would ruin the surprise.

"YOU THERE, PERSON RUNNING AWAY FROM ME VERY, VERY QUICKLY! YOU KNOW YOU WANT A TOUR! OR MAYBE YOU, CURIOUSLY HOT GIRL WITH THE SMOKING LEGS. YEAH, I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU. WORK IT. AND NO THANKS, I DON'T SWING THAT WAY, SO YOU CAN PUT THE FINGER AWAY!"

Oh yeah, the sandwich board. It read "Free Tour with Academy Star Frank Cox." Because of course it did. It said that in giant, glittery letters all done in brilliant purple with bright pink exclamation marks. Because of course it did. Just be thankful that Frank hadn't figured out how to make one that made music. Yet.

[Nathan Hayden]

As member of the Student Council, young Nate had taken it upon himself to tour some people around the school, which he literally, knew as well as the back of his hand. Even the smallest rooms held no secrets for the curious teen, who had already done quite some exploring back in his first year here. So he could relate to the people that wanted to know this beautiful place better, that’s why he volunteered…well, that and drawing the short straw when it turned out no one wanted to do it. But there’s no reason to be stuck on that, he was here, so he might as well do a good job.

This was the second tour today, the fact that it was a slightly hot girl made it more bearable, though she was a bit dull, then again, most people seemed a little boring to him. He was wearing the dashing new school uniform, or at least he though that’s how it looked, for such a chaotic guy, he really liked uniforms, and girls wearing them. Nate knew about many subjects, which included, strangely enough, public relations and marketing, meaning he had a general idea of what he had to say and do to get people’s attention. And it worked… 80% of the time.

-“ And here we are, back at the courtyard “- said Nathan, gesturing towards the general area where the tour had begun in the first place –“ So, even though this is a school full of mutants, it’s a pretty normal place and…”- His sentence was mercilessly interrupted by a girl shouting all sorts of crazy stuff over a megaphone –“ Most of the time, anyway “- Said Nathan, correcting himself on light of the recent evidence. She really loves those things, thought Nate as he said goodbye to the girl, debating if he should call it a day.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"DON'T WORRY HOT GUY WHO LOOKS LIKE HE SHOULD BE PLAYING KING ARTHUR; IF I SCARED HER AWAY, SHE WASN'T THAT GOOD TO BEGIN WITH," called Frank into the megaphone, because Frank had a megaphone and she wasn't putting it down till people pried it from her cold, dead hands. Even then, she'd probably make sure to super-glue it to her hands first, just to be sure.

Frank bounded up toward the other girl, lowering the megaphone and giving him a finger wave that was made almost entirely from finger wiggles.

"Hey there!" she chirped. "Haven't seen you around before," she pulled the megaphone up, "DO YOU NEED A TOUR? I'M A SENIOR, AND I TOTALLY KNOW THIS PLACE THE BEST."

Which wasn't strictly true, as Frank still got lost... frequently, but she wasn't about to admit that to someone. Because she had to do her duty as a senior and student of the great Bellefonte Academy.

Plus, you know, megaphone.

[Nathan Hayden]

He blinked a couple as she just kept going, and it got worse with each of her shouts. Though part of him admired her lack of shame, and her overwhelming confidence, traits they both shared, though there are different kinds of crazy. He liked to think of himself as “crazy-with-a-reason” though if said reason was good enough or not is a topic for another time. While she just seemed to act that way for the fun of, which he had to admit, was pretty enjoyable.

In a way, she was doing him a favor. The act she was pulling off was extremely likely to scare off most people, and not that many were interested in taking the tour to being with, so there was a plus side. Still, he felt the need to inform his loud classmate that there were other, more effective, approaches she could take. Or, most likely, that was just an excuse to go talk to her. He couldn’t tell for sure how they’d get along, but he would bet his “Harry Potter” book collection that it would be fun anyway.

He covered his ears and made his way towards the girl –“ Do you really think the megaphone is necessary ?”- He said at the top of his voice, though in a truly curious tone, instead of a scolding one, after all, he had done worse than that.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank noticed the ear covering and, because despite being wild and without much understanding of personal boundaries or traditional social values, she knew enough when she was hurting someone. So the megaphone lowered and Frank smiled at the guy.

"Well, duh," she said, giggling and rolling her eyes. "I mean, what kind of tour would I be giving if i didn't have a megaphone? I suppose a microphone would work just as well, but then I'd have to carry around a set of speakers with me everywhere, and that would just be all kinds of awkward. Nope, best to just have the trusty megaphone on me," she gave it a few taps, then smoothly flipped it, tucking it away so she could extend a hand.

"I'm Frank, by the way! Frank Cox!" she nodded. "I'm a senior, a Libra, totally single, and totally fun." And, of course, she ended with a little giggle.

[Nathan Hayden]

Nate smiled back at her, lowering his hands. As he heard her spoke, he couldn’t help but nod as he discovered his earlier hypothesis was correct. The way she spoke, her voice and even her giggle all managed to make his initial smiled even brighter. Despite anything negative someone might think of her, there was no doubt she was unique, or at least for Nathan it seemed that way. His hand reached for hers, giving her a solid handshake –“Nathan Hayden, but Nate should work “- he nearly laughed when she said all those things about her, and deemed it only fair to reciprocate, even though he wasn’t big on the whole constellations thing –“ Senior as well, Leo, currently unengaged and I guess if I’m fun or not is relative “- He said with a shrug.

The boy looked around, noticing the slowly decreasing number of people, and then he had one of his “brilliant” ideas, though this one didn’t seem so bad –“ I wouldn’t mind a tour, by the way “- Nathan spoke calmly. He wanted to continue speaking with her, but didn’t want to interrupt her current task, so this seemed like a viable course of action, at least for him.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"Single, huh?" said Frank, smiling devilishly. She hadn't found a cute boy that was single in a while. Sure, there had been that Asian transfer that she'd... actively followed for a while, but he'd seemed to have disappeared or gone missing or whatever it was that happened to people who didn't seem to show up after a month or so. So now she had another who---

Wait, he wanted a tour? Frank tilted her head. "buuuut didn't you say you were a senior?" she asked, pointing at him, even rolling the finger slightly. "So shouldn't you, like, know the school already? Oh, are you some kinda senior transfer student who just got here from some other country or something? 'cuz your American accent is totally awesome. Like, I so couldn't tell you were from like, Norgway or South Africa or wherever it is they grow totally hot blonde guys."

Frank nodded with her usual enthusiasm before grinning that wide, infectious grin of hers.

[Nathan Hayden]

Totally hot blond guy? Repeated Nathan inside of his head while watching the girl, tilting his head slightly. He had never thought of himself like that, maybe because of the mark his first year after the manifestation of his mutation had left. It was hard to be a teenager with no idea of how he was supposed to act at that age, and with a brain that practically forced him to do things that were usually looked down on. People like Nathan commonly alienated themselves, isolated in their own minds, where it was sometimes better than in the real world. And the OCD didn’t help either, Nathan used to be terrified of viruses, bacteria and such, which also prevented him from having a normal life experience. But with time, Nathan slowly overcame it, he knew he would never heal, but at least now it was extremely mild. He had also practiced human social behavior and practiced for hours in front of a mirror, also recording his voice, and compared himself to the rest. And so, like with everything, he finally learned.

-“ I’m from California actually, but thanks, I guess “-He said, rubbing the back of his neck and still keeping up his spotless smile. -"I’ve been in the school for three years now, but maybe its not so much about the tour as it is about the company “-

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"California?" repeated Frank, tilting her head to the side. She wasn't all that surprised, though it was kinda weird to think that they'd literally come from opposite ends of the country, her originally being from Maine and all. Not that it came out all that often.

"Aww, you wanna hang out with me because I'm all fun and super hawt and stuff, amiright?" Frank threw an arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. "It's totally cool: I know them feels. Happens all the time and everything," she gestured magnanimously, nodding a few times. She started forward then, taking him along. "So if you've been here a while, then why aren't you doing tours on your---waiiiiit, are you, like, giving tours and stuff? oh, maybe we should totes team up and stuff! Like Batman and one of the actual cool Robins like the one who was his kid and used a sword to murder people or... okay we should probly not murder people. that might not work out well..."

[Nathan Hayden]

-“ Yep, the Golden State”- Said Nathan as she repeated the name, though in all honesty, Montana, or Kalispell to be more specific, had a spot closer to his heart. But still, facts were facts, despite living in this place for his three short years of existence as Nathan Hayden, California was the correct answer.

She once again proved her overwhelming confidence to him, which didn’t allow him to put his smile away for even a second –“ Don’t forget humble”- Said Nate in a jokingly tone as she finished giving herself praise. Physical contact with her came as a surprise, but certainly not an unwelcomed one. He put no resistance as they both moved forwards, beginning the tour. God, she likes comics too? Nathan asked in his mind, beginning to be thankful for picking the short straw –“Well, no, murder would most likely ruin the tour. And besides…swords are not the best way to go “- Spoke the boy, playing along –“ And about the team thing, who would be Batman and who would be the sidekick ?”-

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

The physical contact didn't phase Frank in the slightest. She just gave Nate another little arm squeeze, pulling him in for it. "Oh, I'm totes humble. People say that all the time. I'm also Batman. Like, obviously," she nodded as though this were the truest truth to ever be truthed. "Because I'm actually stupidly rich and stuff. At least, i think I am. It's sorta all in my parents' name and it's all their job to keep track of things and all that. And murder would so spice up a tour."

Frank nodded, and began walking forward, gently nudging her new friend (and potential crush at the rate this was going) forward as she did so. "though you could always be one of the other Robins. There weren't any blonde ones though... wait, wasn't there, like, a girl Robin or something who was blonde?" Frank stopped then, both in the whole walking thing and in the talking thing. She leveled a fairly severe gaze at Nate.

"You're not a girl, are you? 'cuz you so don't look like one, but there's this one girl, Devyn, who totally doesn't look like a girl either, and I know she goes around and flirts with guys and stuff which is just so unfair," she gave Nate a look that said that being unfair would not be good for the new Robin.

[Nathan Hayden]

He couldn’t be less surprised when she expressed with her natural confidence that she was, of course, Batman. Though he’d liked to be the Caped Crusader himself, he wouldn’t argue with her, since he knew it would do him no good. If her mind was set, then dissuading her shouldn’t be easy, if possible. Stupidly rich was a pretty vague description, but it was enough to get a general idea. The Haydens were also unnecessarily wealthy, though Nathan would never claim his economic status would be the same as theirs, even though he was likely to inherit it one day. He’d probably give it to his sister though, that is, if she wanted the responsibility of the family business on her shoulders. But knowing his “parents”, there was a large possibility that they had been grooming for some time now, the same way they were doing to him before the “situation”. One thing was certain for Nate though, he had no desire to have that money, or the company. This was a pretty big blue ball they lived in, and he intended to see all of it. But you never know what life has planned.

"Female Robin? That’s can’t be right", thought Nathan, though surprisingly, comics were not one of his main fields of knowledge, since he had practically skipped his childhood in a way –“ I think you mean Bat Girl, there was a blonde version. And I don’t think that uniform would suit me”- He stopped at the same time she did, looking back at her, honestly surprised by her more serious attitude. He chuckled a little bit –“Last time I checked, I wasn’t a girl. So yeah, I promise. My Y chromosome is reeeeeeally stuck in there”- He looked towards the hallway to their left for a second, before question popped into his head –“And why would the fact of a girl that doesn’t look like a girl flirting with guys be unfair”- He asked, running a hand through his hair.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"Yeah, she was, like, this really cool girl and stuff who got all inspired and stuff. There was a blonde batgirl too, but i don't think they were the same. I dunno; I mostly watch the movies and stuff," said Frank, shrugging. "And you could be batgirl if you wanted: I'm cool with however you wanna express yourself. Plus, you'd look totes cute in a skirt and it's not fair 'cuz you be all like flirty and stuff and then there's nothing downstairs to play with! Well, there's the ladyparts and all, but it's still sneeeeeeeeaky."

Frank folded her arms over her chest and nodded a few times, fully convinced of what she said (which was pretty much how she always operated). She then realized that they weren't doing much of the whole walking tour thing and that was supposed to be what they were doing. So she grabbed Nate and began walking.

"C'mon! I gotta do the tour thing! Oh, this is the courtyard, where people like to hang out and do stuff," she waved her hand about, nodding sagely. "It looks a lot better now that we cleaned up all the tank damage."

[Nathan Hayden]

Her nods were accompanied by his own as she explained whatever the hell it was she was talking about. This conversation should score at least an eight in the craziness scale, but then again, young Nate was used to weird dialog, though most of the time it was with himself. Some people say madness and genius are two side of the same coin, and he couldn’t find a reason that would disprove this hypothesis. Aren’t we all a tad crazy? Some more, some less, but it’s still there. He felt as she grabbed his wrist with one of her hands, immediately pulling him, as if he was going to run away or something. He didn’t put up any resistance as she talked about the courtyard.

Maybe he knew this school, but now he would see with new eyes, hers. Who knows what can happen. He followed her lead, wherever she would take him, something he was having a hard time to imagine –“So, Frank, how come we’ve never hung out before?”- He asked, knowing that it was true he had been all weird and confused on the first year, but once he got the hang of it, he had been quite sociable.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank paused, tilting her head to the side while her brain clearly seemed to be trying to form words. Then she shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm always everywhere and I swear I meet everyone, like, five times and stuff, but it seems like I don't get a whole lot of these whole cool one on one meetings. We might've met at a party somewhere though. Buuut I don't remember making out with you, so it must not have happened."

Frank then turned, pointing. "And that's where the rescue squad returned and did their thing. I was in the truck when they did that. At least, I think it was a truck. i was kinda out of it on account of starving and stuff," she turned and pointed stiffly, "that's where they went when they had to bring Ellen Banks, my biffle, back to life," Frank paused, tilting her head. "A lot of drama has happened here. Is that weird/" She looked to Nate, her head still tilted as if to shake loose various thoughts.