Puh, It's Obviously Not a Llama

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank Cox was leading something that was quite obviously a llama into the school grounds.

A leash led from said llama's neck to Frank's hand. It also happened to be neon green and dotted with carrots. The llama didn't seem to particularly mind the leash, nor did it seem to particularly mind being led by said leash by Frank. It just seemed to have more or less decided that this was going to happen, so it might as well just accept things. It had that look of longsuffering that said precisely that. That it was just accepting its fate and moving forward.

It also wore a pair of bunny ears.

"Out of the way!" Frank shouted, waving her hands. "That's right folks, move away! Just a girl escorting her pet rabbit to the stables. Why the stables?" Frank paused and looked at a random person. "Because that's where all the rabbit gear is, and we need to pick up rabbit gear." Frank let out a few laughs. "It's not like this is a llama and I'm gonna try to hide him among all the horses and hope that the fact that one of the stablehands totally likes me is gonna help me get away from it. That's just nuts! Just look at him!"

Frank tugged at the leash, and the llama dutifully stepped forward. "He is quite obviously not a llama."

[Selina Taylor]

Selina glanced at the llama being led by a loud girl determined to draw attention to herself and wondered what it was she'd truly gotten into when she'd applied to this school. The llama looked as if it'd been through hell and back and she couldn't help but feel some pity for the creature. Getting
involved in something like this was not her typical cup of tea, though.

She smirked as the girl yelled at her about getting rabbit gear and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. It was poor taste, perhaps, to laugh at someone who was taking this so seriously, but the ridiculousness of the situation just got under her skin and she was shaking quietly, trying to hold it in. “Senorita, Qué typo de conejo es eso?” she asked with a smile as her silent giggles subsided, briefly forgetting where she was.

“Perdón, I mean-meant what type of rabbit?” she amended quickly. She was still adjusting to constantly using English in public, and some of the more common phrases and verb conjugations still caused her trouble, but she didn’t think she was doing too badly with it.
Though Selina had initiated speaking with the young girl, she was in no way going to get herself involved with the two. She was only intensely curious about the creatures before her, so merely asking a question was harmless enough, wasn’t it?

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

The noise made Frank turn and spin. This might have worked alright if she hadn't been holding the reins of the llama when she did. As a result, Frank turned partway and got caught in reins, jerking nearly till she fell. She managed to recover enough to look at the new person.

"Hello!" Frank cooed, grinning. She took a step toward the girl, only for her grip on the reins to tug her back again. She paused, then realized that the girl had been speaking Spanish. Time in one of the European schools had given Frank an understanding of what most of the languages sounded like. Though: "Sorry, I only speak French," she said in clear English, nodding.

There was a correct soon, and Frank stared for a few moments, blinking. "Rabbit? Who said I had---" the llama moved and Frank realized. "oh, right!" She nodded. Then looked over her shoulder. "He's a rare South Amer---" she looked at the girl again, "South African... rabbit. They grow them big down there."

The "South African rabbit" turned and spit before leaning down to chew the grass, dragging Frank along with him.

[Selina Taylor]

Selina almost stepped forward to help catch the girl should she fall, but she seemed to get a handle on herself before needing any real help and Selina relaxed a bit. She laughed outright when the girl proclaimed to only speak French, "So I see," she replied with a grin. This girl wasn't like anybody Selina had ever met before and she found herself drawn to the blonde. She didn't focus on why, she just decided to go with the impulse of the moment and damn the consequences.

When the girl corrected herself before she claimed the rabbit was South African, Selina smirked, "Are you sure? They grow them pretty large in South America too," she offered. "In fact, I remember one a bit similar to it on a farm outside of Santiago." There were many Guanacos in Chile, as they gave good wool and survived the altitude and mountain chill quite well.

Selina, suddenly remembering she hadn't yet asked the girl's name, held out her hand, "The name's Selina, by the way. And yours?"

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank nodded as the girl responded with the see. "Yep, you do see, 'cuz he's got the bunny ears and everything," Frank pointed at said ears in question, adding another head bob as she did so. Because clearly those ears were not sliding down his head and Frank didn't have to lean forward and nudge them back onto the head of the South African rabbit while it kept at the grass.

"Pretty--" Frank began, only to start realizing partway through. She lifted a finger, giving the girl a wink. "RIiiight, he's totally a South American rabbit. Right out of Saint Iago," Frank added another obvious, exaggerated, slow wink, one that had about half her face pinching. Then she repeated it, just in case the girl didn't catch it the first time.

A hand came out to snatch another, grabbing it and pumping a few times. "It's so cool to meet you, Selina! I'm Frank, and yes, that's a boy's name," Frank leaned forward and raised a hand to cover her face (or, well, tried to; that hand was still holding the llama, so Frank sort of jerked it a few times before just talking out of the side of her mouth anyway): "My parents had issues," she bobbed her head a few more times and straightened back up. "So, obviously you've been sent to help me deal with this South American rabbit and get him in the stables," she jerked her head toward the stables, giving Selina a "play along" sort of look.

As if Selina had a choice at this point.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina watched the bunny ears slip and the blonde not so subtly correcting their position with a warm smiled. This was probably the most she'd grinned since coming to this school, and that was most definitely not a bad thing. Selina tried to be as solemn as possible as she nodded while agreeing completely with Frank, "Absolutely. It is a perfectly adorable bunny. I have not seen anything more bunny-ish in my life."


    But when the blonde winked at her, Selina giggled like the young school girl she’d never had much chance to be, before pulling herself together to respond to the girl’s hints, “Not only that, but he has a holy blessing as well. Iago is the patron Saint of all South American rabbits you know,” she answered in her most scholarly tone, but ruining the pompous affect by cracking a grin at the end of it.


    As Frank finished introducing herself Selina raised a brow at “Frank” being a boy’s name. “You are a girl, yes? And your name is Frank, so how could it possibly be a name for only boys? You are clear proof that it is not.” Selina knew many who had names, or who had chosen names, that were considered by others to be gender inappropriate, so this was a little surprising to her. She then realized that what she’d just said might be considered rude. “Sorry, it was not my place to say such things.”


    Selina then nodded in answer to Frank’s question about the stables, completely forgetting her initial determination not to get involved and replied, “Of course I have been. Why else would I be here?”

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"Exactly! That's what I've been saying!" Frank said, gesturing. She let out another "puh" like she couldn't believe that someone would possibly think that the South American rabbit was anything but a rabbit. "Man," she looked back, clearly not seeming to quite get that she was talking aloud, "I should've added a tail..."

The distraction didn't take long though, because the girl sounded to be playing along with Frank. The blonde's head bobbed deeply again, going up and down in a manner generally reserved for bobblehead dolls. "Oh, yeah, totally. Super blessed. That's why he's, like," Frank raised her arm up to sort of fling around the llama, giving it a hug. It turned to look at her, then went back to eating, "so big and all."

"That's what I said!" She said, gesturing again to Selina as the girl pointed out the name thing. "Though my dad still totally was just, like, naming me that because he totally wanted a kid named Frank. He says he's perfectly happy with the one he got and that he definitely doesn't want another, so it wall works out. Aaaaand since you're here and all, you should help me walk this llama to the stables," Frank jerked her head and took a few steps in the right direction, only to pause, a leg stretched out, her face contorting. She turned. "Did I say llama? I totally meant rabbit. Obviously, 'cuz," she jerked her head back to the llama, "totally a rabbit."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina smiled at Frank’s comment, “Ah, but didn’t you know? Some South American rabbits don’t have tails. It’s a genetic thing,” she offered before gently holding her hand out to the llama, palm up. She’d met a few tentative dogs who responded well to such a non-threatening offer, but she was much less experienced with llamas. She just hoped the llama wouldn’t spit at her.



    Selina nodded and pulled her hand back after the llama had just stared at her without reacting. She shrugged lightly and focused back on Frank long enough to catch her agreeing about Iago’s blessing. She was honestly grateful when Frank didn’t appear offended by what she’d said, but made no further comment and just smiled as she was corralled into helping Frank get the poor llama into the stables. “Of course, we’ll this lla-rabbit to the stables as quick as we can.”



    She turned to the direction of the stables and started walking, glancing back over her shoulder to see if Frank was coming, “And by the way, do you mind if I ask how old you are?” she asked, since this girl looked a little young to be a college student.

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

"Of course!" Frank said, thrusting her hand into the air to proclaim her victory again. There was a nod to finish and she pointed. "I like you, new friend," she proclaimed, grinning wide enough to show off an impressive set of pearly whites. There was another bob and soon Frank was directing the South American rabbit toward the stables again. After all, they'd both agreed that was where it needed to head.

It did stop after about five feet to turn and spit, which had Frank cooing and rubbing its back. She was doing this when she heard the question, popping her head back up. "Eighteen and a quarter," she responded almost automatically, bobbing her head. "And yeah, I know, I totally don't act my age, but, like, that's just because acting like an adult is kinda boring. It's way more fun to just be me and be happy and junk. I'm totally legal though."

A pause, and Frank felt the llama tug, which reminded her to start walking. "Though I'm not really into girls, even pretty ones like you. I mean, like, maybe to make out with a bit if we want some attention or you wanted to make someone jelly or something, but I'm pretty well dude access only."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina grinned, “I like you too,” she responded in turn. Selina wasn’t one to throw the word “friend” out lightly, as she was highly guarded in how she interacted with people, but she felt like the potential for an eventual friendship was definitely there. Frank didn’t seem the type to stab her in the back at the very least which was already a vast improvement over her past relationships.


    Selina laughed as Frank explained her age as well as her behavior and nodded, “Well, I certainly don’t consider myself an adult, and I’m a year older than you,” she offered. “Besides, most adults I know spend the majority of their lives searching for the happiness you’ve apparently found. I should think they’d envy you,” she added with a half-smile. Her mother had never settled down, always looking for the next thrill, the next relationship, the next horizon, and Selina had been a first-hand witness to how much her lifestyle had worn her down.


    Selina followed Frank as she started heading to the stables again and laughed at her blunt admission, “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind,” she responded with a wink, “Though, if you ever want to experiment further, feel free to call me up. I’m very into women, though a few men have caught my eye as well on rare occasions.”

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank nodded. "Yeah, like, they go on about how you're all an adult when you're, like, eighteen, but I dunno: I don't feel very adult yet. Though being able to legally hit on older guys and not get the whole jailbait thing is definitely fun, though..." Frank paused for a moment, tapping her finger on the South American rabbit's halter, "the jailbait thing was kinda fun while it lasted."

Yep, back on the way to the stables, moving at a pretty decent clip, well, as decent a clip as they could possibly move considering their animal companion's reluctance to actually do anything besides eat and spit.

That didn't stop Frank from talking, or from giggling as Selina spoke. "Well, if I know any womens who are totally looking for a hottie, I'll make sure to send them your way. Most of the ones I know are totally hooked up right now, so you might be waiting a bit," Frank nodded sagaciously. After all, she was an adamant reader of DL and knew most people. "Though you can totally have fun being single: I so have." Frank nodded a few more times, before letting out a long, slow breath. "So what do you like to do? you know, for funsies and stuff?"

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina's eyes narrowed as Frank talked about being 'jailbait', and grew more than slightly uneasy. She knew what the term meant, as she'd heard it used before, but she was wondering if Frank was being sarcastic or serious. Perhaps she was more sensitive than most to the idea, considering the history she had with her teacher who'd basically called her the Spanish equivalent when he'd assaulted her in the classroom, but she wasn't sure. She shook her head and decided to ignore it. She didn't want to make the other girl uncomfortable, besides it was a heavier topic than most would bring up in a first conversation. Selina merely nodded silently and refused to speak further on the subject.

    Selina forced herself out of her own head so she could focus on Frank's other answer. She smiled, with a little more force than she had previously, "Thanks, I'll be grateful if you find one. And don't worry, I have plenty of fun living the single life as well." Yes, a new topic was a good thing to focus on. She blinked in surprise when Frank asked her what she did for fun. It wasn't a question she'd yet been asked and she had to pause to think a moment, "Well, I fight and read quite a bit. I find studying cultures and languages to be interesting, as well as studying people and how governments work. What about you?" she asked as she realized her list might seem a bit boring in comparison to something FRank might come up with.
        

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Frank didn't quite seem to pick up on her new friend's discomfort. She never did, not right away. Frank could read people well and all, but the whole "discomfort" thing never seemed to quite work as well as everything else.... probably because people were almost always "discomforted" around Frank. Her antics and attitude weren't exactly "normal" after all.

What she did notice was the smile, of course. "We can totes hang out as single chicks then," Frank said, nodding, "or we cold just hang out or whatever, no big deal," Frank shrugged. Then, as Selina spoke, Frank fell completely silent, her attention seemingly focused on Selina for several long moments. The South American rabbit did distract Frank slightly, what with the pulling, and that wasn't too helpful, but, well, Frank still managed.

"I do pretty much all the things," Frank said. "Like, partying, and reading, and not really fighting, though I know people who totally do fighting--oh!" Frank waved a hand, "you could totally join the self-defense club! If you're, like, super good you could help people out and stuff! There's also the Security squad who are all pretty cool. I'm friends with most of them, though not the little one, 'cuz she's kinda scary. And there's book club too: I think I'm in that one..." Frank trailed off at the end, tilting her head, her eyes narrowing. "Feels like I am..."

Frank felt the totally-not-a-llama-why-would-you-even-think-that? pull her forward. She yelped as she hit the ground, feeling the beast pulling her forward several more steps, all the while Frank letting out little "ows."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina nodded her agreement and smiled as the rabbit gave Frank a difficult time. "Of course we can. I have a lot of time on my hands," she responded wryly. Her distinct lack of a social life made that a nice commodity she sometimes wished she had less of. She almost blushed under Frank's attention. It wasn't that was uncomfortable, so much as she just wasn't used to people listening to her like that. 

    Selina felt somewhat relieved as the rabbit drew Frank's attention once more and she started talking about her hobbies. Selina grinned at the mention of the self-defense club, "I'm a part of that," she told Frank, "But I haven't yet joined the book club. Don't know why... maybe I should if you're there," she added before stopping when Frank suddenly fell and was dragged along the ground, "Hey!" she called out to the over grown bunny and ran after it, grabbing on its lead and tugging harshly back in an attempt to stop the creature. 
    

[Frank "Sunny" Laffont]

Thankfully Selina managed to pull the not-llama. It proved to be willing enough to obey her tugs, though it also looked over her shoulder to give an exasperated look in the girl's direction. Frank took advantage of the momentary lull to roll up and bounce to her feet.

"Bad rabbit!" she said, waving a finger at the llama. Frank let out a breath, blowing some hair out of her eye. It took a few more, and she was already reaching up to brush some more away, moving as quickly as she possibly could. She turned to Selina. "Could you believe it? Here I am giving him an awesome new home and he's all ungrateful. This is the reindeer thing all over again," Frank sighed and looked over at him, then shrugged.

"Well, we still gotta get him there," Frank stepped forward, pausing to look back to Selina. "So, like, do you wanna maybe lead him or something? I could totes take it back if you want, but he seems to like you more," said rabbit's head was now moving toward Selina, slobber gathering on his mouth.