to paris with love

[coeur_de_lion]

Alli's school is not a terribly interesting school. It is, as far as Alli is concerned, a perfectly boring and average school in all possible respects. But some alumnus went and made themselves a bunch of money, and apparently they think it's a good idea to spend some of this money on "improving the cultural exposure of today's youth". (Alli has never met the alumnus in question, much less heard them speak, but she persists in picturing this spoken with a haughty British accent.) What this means for Alli is that she and a number of other 'deserving students' are being shipped over to France for free for a week. Alli's not quite sure why she counts as deserving- because her mom's single, maybe?- but she's hardly complaining. It's a free trip to France, after all.

In her usual style, Alli packs an hour before she has to leave and ultimately makes it out the door only ten minutes late after forgetting at least three vitally important items (her eyeliner!). But she makes it through Pearson security with plenty of time... well, more like barely enough time. But the important thing is, she's safely ensconced in her seat when they take off.

Once she's gotten her bag stowed and her legs rearranged in a doomed attempt at comfort and generally considers herself suitably settled, she turns to her seatmate. "Is your brain doing an Eeeeee France! thing too?"

Comments

[hatchedplan]

"Ha. When I've looked through some kind of book of lizards and picked one to pretend I 'have' I may just do that."

[horsefeathered]

"Good plan!"

[hatchedplan]

And the girls go to sleep.

May wakes up in the morning with no tail, no wings, no blue scales, and - hmmm, she wonders if she can breathe fire, but she hasn't done that overnight either.

[horsefeathered]

Jenny is duly excited about May's success!

[coeur_de_lion]

Alli is just as impressed, but possibly more familiar with the stakes than Jenny is. That in mind, she informs M. Hayden that May is feeling under the weather and ought to take a day to rest. M. Hayden, recollecting why Alli disappeared the previous day, turns just as red as he did the first time around and agrees that this is a perfectly reasonable request.

The hotel has an old computer in their 'business center' (a generous title if ever Alli's seen one) with a functional albeit slow internet connection. If May wishes to go researching, it's a good place to start.

[hatchedplan]

May elects not to prod the old computer - she doesn't think there's likely to be a ton of information on the open internet for teenage girls Googling "so I'm a dragon" to find. Instead she spends the morning in her hotel room, alone, playing with shapeshifting very carefully. There is a teeeeny little gouge in the carpet when she's done, but she hides that with a chair and there's no other damage.

She is pretty sure she can maintain human shape by lunchtime, and rejoins her group and succeeds at exactly that for the rest of the field trip, being cagey about the disposition of her indisposition.

She remains resolutely human the entire trip to France. She takes in French things. She speaks as much French as she can manage. And then they haul all the way home.

[coeur_de_lion]

Alli is very impressed; her blankets did not handle her medallion-ing particularly well. (And she got cat hair on absolutely everything.) She's also quite relieved. Running around trying to hide a dragon (a dragon!) in a panic was not how she wanted to spend her entire trip. So nice of May to spare her.

And so, as she continues to be well disposed towards her new apparently-not-mythical friend, once she's back in Toronto... well, first she spends some time having 'quality family time' with her mother, and the weekend with her sister. But then, a week or so after their return, May's phone rings. Alli has an excursion in mind!

[hatchedplan]

"Hello?"

[coeur_de_lion]

"Hi! It's your very favorite lioness. How's the critter life treating you?"

[hatchedplan]

"All right so far. I have not yet had an opportunity to try to breathe fire in a safe environment. Do you know if I can breathe fire?"

[coeur_de_lion]

"Hah, your guess is as good as mine. I know critter stuff, but up till France I thought dragons were as mythical as you did."

[hatchedplan]

"Yes, but I know that in myths sometimes dragons can breathe fire!"

[coeur_de_lion]

"Well, I was gonna say we should go to Avalon this weekend. But if you wanna try to set things on fire we could go north to the forest instead?"

[hatchedplan]

"Avalon first. I don't urgently need to set anything on fire."

[coeur_de_lion]

"As your highly flammable friend, I approve this plan. Sooo! Saturday at one work for you?"

[hatchedplan]

"Saturday at one works for me. How far am I traveling? Do I need to borrow Mom's car?"

[coeur_de_lion]

"I do not actually know where you live, but it's downtown. Not far from the church on Church Street, if that helps?"

[hatchedplan]

"I will just go ahead and borrow the car, it's simpler. Can I get an actual address?"

[coeur_de_lion]

Alli provides it. "See ya Saturday!"

[hatchedplan]

And Saturday at one, May is there, looking for parking in an elderly red station wagon.

[coeur_de_lion]

Alli's hanging out as promised, chatting with a couple guys whom she shoos once she spots May. "Hey, you made it. Adventure time?"

[hatchedplan]

"Adventure time. Is it accessible or am I wobbling in?"

[coeur_de_lion]

"I mean, if you wanna bond with the harpies, tough luck. Most of it should be fine? If I forgot any stairs, I can just lift you over." She grins. "Super strength!"

[hatchedplan]

"I mean, I might be able to bond with harpies, too," May points out, and she touches the side of the car for balance and goes around to get her chair out of the back. Out it comes. In it she goes. "Me and the chair should probably take separate trips if you have to haul us."

[coeur_de_lion]

"I wouldn't hurt it! But if you want."

Alli leads the way in. There's a rather intimidating man at the entrance to what appears to be an abandoned school. Alli smiles at him and greets him by name, at which point he smiles and becomes distinctly less terrifying-looking. "Hey, kitten. Who's your friend?"

"This is May! She's a critter too but hasn't been to our Avalon before, so I'm showing her around," Alli tells him.

"That so, that so? Well, nice to meet you, Miss May. You stay out of trouble, all right, kitten?"

"I'll consider it," Alli deadpans.

"Scamp. See you around, kitten, have fun with your shopping. And try not to buy too much eyeliner, okay?"

"Eyeliner is good for the soul!" Alli yells over her shoulder as she heads in. As they're leaving earshot, she adds to May, "He's been friends with my mom for... merde, I don't know. Ever. Critters tend to know each other. Small world and all that."