Franki was having her fun, and she assumed Rudy was doing the same. He had never been too eager to explain what he was up to, and she had never particularly cared to hear the particulars. Had he told her, she would have listened, for the act of holding a conversation was a rare delicacy to the girl that was slowly retreating from the society she had once so thoroughly enjoyed. The rare times Rudy did speak, it was for a drink of water, for more ink, for something he had forgotten in his trunk and Franki, most happy when she was made useful, would bound off to as she was told.
Rudy was an odd companion for her, and it was good her siblings had not taken notice of it. If the report got to Astoria that Franki associated with a scraggly boy younger with her who seemingly did not understand the art of socialization, Franki would receive another lecture about which friends were proper- the ones Astoria had picked out and purchased for her. The problem was, no amount of money could make those teens ignore the obvious- that Franki was a bit of a goof, and that the Malfoys were old news. They had lost their manor to the d'Eaths, they obviously had no power left.
However odd Rudy was, Franki enjoyed having him around. She sometimes ventured to guess that he occasionally found her ability to prattle on tiresome, and he did get irritated with her when her energetic, go-get-'em attitude conflicted with his bouts of laziness, but otherwise, they seemed fine. The understanding was subtle but there- you do your thing, I do mine. We shut up, don't complain, and just stay glad the other one hasn't had me reported. Franki's relationship with the boy had never been as strong as this year, in which she was finding herself a tad dependent on him. Malfoy Manor was lost, as was her confidence and her safety. Friends peeled away and tormentors stood up. Just having someone handy at all times meant the difference between humiliation and a level of comfort.
Rudy was doing... whatever, and Franki was exploring the boy's dorm. She would never tire of it and as it was dinner, she had free reign. "I am the Queen of the boy's dorm, and they'll never know," she assured herself aloud. "Queen." The Queen raised a hand, still circling, and waved to all of her adoring fans, flashing a smile or two. She paused at a bed. "Is this Chad Tayler's bed?" She often asked Rudy questions, rarely expecting an answer. Just to hear the question asked gave her mind the direction it needed to observe the trunk's tag- Tayler, Chad.
"That'd be bad, wouldn't it?" she asked, again, not seeking an answer. "Looking through his trunk." She paused. "It's not bad looking through his dresser though- I mean, he wears his clothes publicly. It's not like I haven't seen them." Having thoroughly convinced herself, the Queen swept towards the dresser, opening the top drawer and gasping scandalously. "I've hit knickers!"
She pulled out the first pair she saw, orange plaid, and scoffed. "Gross. Horrid colors." She dropped them, glancing around. What a glorious idea- looking through the other drawers. She smiled widely, and turned back to Chad's, rifling through. She had momentarily forgotten her younger friend, so she absent-mindedly called, "How's it going?"
*