It's The Question (Jenna/Luka/Aspen)

[Leander Hastin]

Leander walked across the school campus with Akamu on a long leash, the border collie cross running around the path happily. They hadn't met any people once they were out of the Brown Ribbon house, something that Lee wasn't all too unhappy about. He had enough to worry about, what with Akamu still running from every person he saw. Today, Leander was hoping to take a look around the clinic that would be his place for the foreseeable future, and so, his second home. He had also heard that he was to have three vet students, to whom he was supposed to teach what he was doing. It had come as somewhat of a shock to him, but he couldn't say no, not at a school. He would see what came of it, at the least. He had gotten all three students' phone numbers from the office files and had sent them a text, requesting that they meet him at the clinic this morning.

As he approached the large building, he unlocked the door and then led Akamu inside. He looked around the waiting room, nodding slightly, then walked behind the counter where a computer stood, turned off, naturally. He unclipped Akamu's leash and pointed behind the desk, "Go lie down." The dog complied, and Lee dropped the leash onto the desk, then sat in the office chair in front of the computer, turning on the machine and letting it boot up as he waited for his students.

[Aspen Kayla Smith]

Aspen was walking around campus as she was holding a text book and tried reading while walking. Yet always glancing up to make sure she wouldn't hit anything in her way. Man would that be embarrassing if she hit a pole in front of her because she was studying while walking. 'Worst explanation..' She thought to herself as she felt her phone vibrate in her bag and closed the text book closed, making a slightly loud sound. She doesn't know why she was studying while walking around campus. 'It's in the morning on a weekend! Yet it's always a studying day.."

She pulled her warm, white, fluffy North Face jacket around her, to protext her from the wind, as she put her text book in her bag and digged through her stuff. 'Note to self: Remember to clean out bag.." She thought to herself as she found her phone and read the text. It was a text message from the small animal veternarian. Oh yes, she was a small animal vet student of course. She almost forgot. She then nodded after she finished the text about meeting him in the clinic this morning.

She walked down to the clinic as her brown hair flowed in the gust of wind once in a while as her bootcut jeans ruffled together at each step. She apparoached the large clinic building as she gave a lightl pull on the door, barely giving any effort. The door barely opened, yet now she knows it's unlocked. She silently opened the door, enough for her to slip in. She walked into the waiting room. It was pretty nice. She then looked over to where a man was sitting in a chair and booting up a computer. He must be the small animal vet, since he was the only adult here. She shyly walked over and grinned. "Hello, I'm Aspen.. One of your small animal vet students." She spoke up, giving him enough information he would need.

[Jenna Place]

Jenna slipped the halter off of her mare, leaving her to roam freely around the pasture. The mare took off, bucking as Jenna left the pasture. Early this morning she had gotten up and paid a visit to Hayley before heading over to the Small Animal Clinic. It came to a complete surprise to her to receive a text about meeting down there. Hopefully she would get to know some of the other vet student, if there were even any. She had only met Sara, and Kayla in her stay so far, which was so not her to be reserved like that. She sighed as she returned to White Oak to drop off Hayley’s halter.

Swiftly Jenna made her way out of the barn for a second time and walked toward the clinic. Her eyes surveyed the clinic from the outside. She hadn’t taken time to look at the place since there was no vet, but now that there was she planned on getting to know the place like the back of her hand. She slipped her hands out of her pockets of her Columbia sweater and pushed open the doors to the waiting room. Only opening it enough to fit through and see the people in the room. Seeing a man and another girl she smiled warmly and approached the two. ”Hello, I’m Jenna.” She figured he would know who she was, since he had gotten a hold of her number.

[Luka Ingersleben]

Luka left Jethro where he was curled up on the bed, still sleeping, presumably, and dressed quietly. He had been lazing about, since he had been contacted with a time to meet, and he had decided that he wouldn't have enough time to work with any of his horses in the meantime anyway, so there had been nothing better to do than read and twist around a few codes that he had been trying to figure out bugs in. After throwing on some clean, but rough clothes, he laced up his shoes and then headed out of his room, slipping his phone and room key into the pocket of his dark jeans.

As he made his way down to the small animal vet clinic, he wondered about what kind of person the vet would be. He knew nothing about the new faculty member, but was hoping that the vet would be someone approachable, especially since he was supposed to learn from this person. As he came to the clinic, he pushed open the door and entered, seeing the three people in the waiting room almost immediately. He walked over to join them, smiling quietly at the girls, and then looking up at the man who had just risen and moved around the desk, "Good morning. I'm Luka."

[Leander Hastin]

Leander looked up as the door to the waiting room opened and closed, rising as the girl came over to his desk and holding out a hand to her, "Good morning, Aspen." He smiled as she added that she was a vet student, "Only you guys and the office know that I'm here yet, so I assumed that." He hadn't announced his presence just yet, but that would be happening in the afternoon, once he had time to settle in and get to know his 'crew'. Instead of introducing himself, he waited, watching as another girl walked in and then a boy after her. He smiled at them as they introduced themselves in turn, "Good morning, Jenna and Luka. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." He shook hands with each in turn, then ventured, "I am Dr. Hastin, although you can call me Lee." He glanced around, "Why don't we sit down and get to know eachother? I can't say I know much about you, and I'm sure you want to know more about me as well." He led the way to one of the u-shaped benches, sat down, and waited for his students to join him before he smiled and started talking, "Well, since we're going to be working together a bit, I'll tell you a bit about myself, and you can reciprocate if you wish. I am Leander Hastin, although I prefer Lee. I've been a certified vet for more than fifteen years. I do ride, I have one horse who is trained to ride and drive, or at least, knows how. I found her from a rescue organization, and her exact training is unknown." He glanced at the red border collie mix hiding behind the desk, "I also have one rescue dog of my own, Akamu, and he's going to be one of your supporters, as I have been using him for a blood donor since I cleared him for it." He beckoned to the dog, and the tri-color rose and padded to him, hiding behind him away from the students and only peeking out at them, "He's a DINOS, though, so don't expect him to be all too friendly until he gets to know you." He ran over what he had said. He wondered which of the students would ask about what a DINOS was, because he knew it wasn't a term used too much, just once in a while. He glanced at the kids, "Any questions? If not, your turn." He smiled easily, hoping they would feel at ease."

[Aspen Kayla Smith]

Aspen grinned as she shook his outstretched hand. She nodded at his reply to her comment about being one of his vet students. She stood there patiently as she heard the door and in came a girl and boy. She heard each other their names. 'Jenna... and Luka..' She repeated their names in her mind as she turned her gaze back to Dr. Hastin, or Lee. She listened to him as he offered the group to sit and get to know each other. She gave a small nod in agreement towards meeting each other. If she was going to work with the small animal vet, and two other students. She would like to get to know them a slight more as well.

She sat at the end of the u-shaped benches, she felt like sitting alone for now, unless one of the students would like to sit next to her. She wouldn't mind at all. She watched as the other two students sat down and looked back to Dr. Hastin, where he introduced himself first. She gave him her full attention, showing respect for a first impression, as he spoke about his occupation as a vet, training and owning a horse, as well as his dog Akamu. She gazed over towards his desk as a tri-colored dog rose up and came over to yet sit behind Lee. She gave a small smile at his comment about the dog being a DINOS. She didn't know what all of the term 'DINOS' meant. Yet she could give a good guess in her head. So she didn't comment about it when he asked for any questions. She decided that it was her turn, so she decided to give it a shot.

"For starters, I'm Aspen Smith.. I really don't have any nicknames, yet if you have any for me. I'll accept them, as long as they're nice kind of nicknames.." She teased slightly before going on. "I like singing, and piano.. I own a eight year old Morgan mare, Balsamo or Bali, and she knows how to drive as well, for one of her discplines.." She then thought about what else to say without going overboard. "Oh, and I as well have a dog, Layla.. She's a three month old English Springer Spaniel puppy." She finally finished her main bio about herself and gave another small smile before letting the next student have their turn after her.

[Jenna Place]

Jenna had a smile glued to her face since she entered the building, and it still lingered. A boy had followed in behind her and the smile grew slightly larger when he introduced himself to the doctor. When Dr. Hastin had extended his hand and greeted Jenna and Luka she spoke quietly, ”It’s a pleasure to meet you too, sir.” After Dr. Hastin had introduced himself formally, she followed over to the benches and took a seat in the middle of the benches. Her legs crossed over each other, and Jenna listened intently to the man. The smile on her face grew and shrank often as he spoke about himself, his horse, and dog. He seemed like a very nice man, which was awesome. Hopefully the other students would be the same.

Her eyes followed the dog as it approached Lee, then laid behind him, peering at the new people. Sympathy washed over as Dr. Hastin said that he is a DINOS. Curiosity came crashing over accompanying sympathy. She began to wonder what caused the dog to be a DINOS. She shrugged it off mentally, putting it off for a moment, letting the other girl speak. The ever changing smile on her face grew as Aspen spoke to the group. As she ended her quick introduction, Jenna sucked in her cheeks, reminding herself. They don’t need to know every little detail right now. They will think you’re a psycho. Think of little important details.

She sucked in a quick breath as her turn came. ”Well, um, I am Jenna Place. My friends call me Jen sometimes, but not too often….” For no apparent reason she grinned lightly. ”I have a Clydesdale, Thoroughbred cross mare, who is trained in show jumping and dressage. I also have a six year old Calico, who is a doorstep drop off. My family and I came from church and found her and her family in a cardboard box.” Crap too much shut up! End it quick! She thought for a minute on what else to say then smiled and spoke. ”One more thing that might be helpful to your sanity: I talk a lot, and about pretty much anything too.” She stopped herself, realizing part of her Boston accent was seeping through, and let Luka wrap up the introductions with her cheeks flushing red.

[Luka Ingersleben]

Luka nodded as the man greeted them, shaking his hand as it came around. He smiled slightly as the man introduced himself, then invited them to sit and talk for a while, to get to know each other. He moved over to the benches and, while keeping a bit of space between him and the next person, sat rather close to the group. As Lee started on his introduction, Luka leaned back against the cushions and watched the man. He smiled as he saw the dog, but as the man mentioned that the dog was a DINOS, he frowned and tentatively raised his hand, "I'm sorry, what does DINOS stand for?" It had the sound of an acronym, but it was one he didn't recognize at all. As neither of the girls had asked, he assumed that it was something more common around the States.

After his question had been answered, and both of the girls had introduced themselves, Luka realized that it was his turn. He bit his lip for a moment, then smiled briefly and started talking, "My name is Luka Ingersleben, I don't really have any other spitznamen, er, nicknames." He frowned, "I just recently came to the States from Germany, so please forgive me if I slip into German once in a while." He shrugged, "I have two Zweibrueker horses and one Gypsy Vaneer, all trained in dressage, two of them are nice, one of them is rather mean." He smiled slightly, "I also have a cat, a Norweigen Forest cat." Not sure of what else to say, he shrugged again, leaning back slightly and smiling carefully, wondering what was next."

[Leander Hastin]

Leander smiled slightly at the boy, feeling the hesitance as he asked a question that he knew most people would wonder about, "It stands for 'Dog in Need of Space'." He gestured at Akamu, "Pretty much, he's shy around everyone, and would be much happier if you let him come to you, on his own time, which may be a long time." He added, with a smile, "And you don't have to raise your hand, you're not in class."

After he saw the boy's nod, indicating that he had understood, he listened as Aspen launched into her own introduction. As she offered to let them find a nickname for her, he forced down a smile, thinking of a number of ones, along the lines of Birch or Maple. He didn't mention them, yet, as he listened to the girl finish up her introduction by telling him about her own puppy. He nodded at her, then turned to Jenna, listening as the other girl started to introduce herself. He could tell that she was holding back information, but didn't mention it, "It's good of you to have taken her in, then." He smiled as she said she talked a lot, "As long as you can curb it when necessary, I think we'll all be able to keep our sanity." He turned to the only other male in the group, listening to the information the boy considered important, nodding as he heard about the cat. All three of his students seemed to have some pets, then, it seemed.

Smiling at them all, he looked around at his vet students, "Alright, so I noticed you all have pets." He glanced around, "If you'd like to bring them with you whenever you're here, feel free to do so. The cats can stay up front, here in the waiting room, and," he inclined his head to Aspen, "Your puppy can stay in the yard, so she doesn't have to be shut in your room." He had worked in a clinic that had always had the worker's pets around, and found it comforting to know that his own pet was close by.

Rising from his seat, he glanced around, "What do you say we take a look around? I haven't had a chance to look at the rest of the clinic yet, I just got here a few moments before you guys did, but I've been assured there are no rabid guinea pigs hiding anywhere." With that, he led the way to the nearest door, to the right of the front desk, with a wooden plaque that read "Examination".

[Aspen Kayla Smith]

She gave a quick glance over to the boy, Luke, who asked about the term DINOS. She didn't comment about the boy's curiosity, she was just impressed he was the only one who was brave enough to actually speak up and ask. She looked back over to the Small Animal Vet as he spoke about what the actual term for DINOS meant. 'Dog in Need of Space' She gave a kind of 'Oh' expression on her face and understood and gave a slight nod as he continued to explain. So far, she liked Lee, he was a pretty nice guy and she thinks she might actually like being a student of his.

She gave each of the other two students her full attention, and gave a light grin to each of them after they have finished. She listened as Jenna spoke after her, talking about how she has a Clydesdale x Thoroughbred cross. She thought it was a pretty interesting mix of the breed, yet it would still be cool and unique than other common breeds. She can tell the girl wanted to say more, but tried to hold back so she wouldn't have a bad impression. Rather speak the truth and show your true personality than just fake it. She didn't comment at all though. She heard Luke speak last as he commented about how he has two Zweibrueker horses. He never heard of the certain breed, though it sounded familiar. Along with a Gypsy Vanner. He heard him as he slipped into a bit of German when he introduced his first and last name. It seemed cool to speak another language. She wished she could. She noticed that Jenna and Luke both had cats, and she was only left with the one having a dog.. er, puppy.

The girl looked over as the man spoke lastly after we have all had the share to speak. She listened as he brought up the topic about how we all had pets. She gave a small smile at the reassurment of how she could bring in her puppy, Layla. She gazed over to the two other students as he heard that their cats were staying in the waiting room and turned back towards Lee. She then gave a thankful smile as he would let Layla stay in the yard so she could finally have some room to be active. "Thank you, very much, sir... I mean, Lee." She replied, keeping her light smile. After hearing that, she would make sure that Layla would stay away from the other two student's cats. Mostly everyone knows about how cats and dogs don't neccesarily like each other. Yet Layla was still a puppy, so she doesn't know much to know about how cats are her enemy.

She got curious as the man offered for them to join the tour with him around the Clinic. Of course if she was going to work in the building for a while, she might as well know her way around. She nodded in agreement to the offer as she slowly stood up along with the others as she followed Lee. She noticed as they entered the nearest room with a plaque that read, 'Examination' She took the advantage to look around from where she was standing. The Clinic was nice, and almost seemed unused.

[Jenna Place]

Jenna listened as Dr. Hastin explained what DINOS was. She added a gold star for herself mentally for being correct. It wasn’t the most common topic, but she had heard of it more than once, and finally googled it a long time ago. Though, after a few years, the term began to slip from her mind.

She smiled at the corner of her lips lightly when Lee spoke of taking Callie in and again about her talking. ”I assure you, I will keep my mouth shut when necessary.” Often, she found that if she made fun of her talkativeness, other people took it much lighter, and were easily accepting of it. Her thoughts trailed away when Luka began and introduced himself. He seemed like a nice kid. She couldn’t help but let out a small squeaky laugh when he slipped into German, or at least it sounded like German. Mentally she also wrote down to do some research on the Zweibrueker breed, since it was the first she had heard of it.

Once Luka was done, the older man told them that Jenna and Luka could keep their cats in waiting room Jenna grinned happily. Callie would appreciate getting out of Jenna’s dorm without having a harness on. Then they began a tour of the facilities, starting with the exam room. The placed looked very nice just from the waiting room, so the rest must all be nice too.