Shambling

by **Miriam Bell** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 6:50 pm

"Thanks." she says curtly, picking up the flask and it and her hand disapepar back under the covers before re-emerging inside the 'cowl' around her head as she lifts it to her lips, slowly tilting it up as she drinks all of it in one big draught. When she finally lowers it back down she does so with a drawn out sigh of satisfaction.

"God, I needed that..."

by **Basil Benson** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:34 pm

Once she finished, she would notice she could see him now. And once her thoughts weren't so focused on food, she would notice she could indeed hear his thoughts again.

Basil had cut the sleeve of one of his shirts to tie off a tourniquet to prevent further bleeding. He busied himself putting his jacket back on while she gulped the piece of him down, mindful not to stain it as he placed it back on.

Basil's thoughts are currently focused on just one thing: finding Colette.

" Glad you feel better." Basil replied, his thoughts indicated his statement was genuine enough, but his concern for Miriam welfare barely pinged the radar in terms of his current thought processes.

" I gave you what you asked for, so if you're finished, it's time to find Madame."

by **Miriam Bell** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:55 pm

"Right. Yes. Naturally." she says, much more at ease now that she has a mind (and face) to go along with the person she's talking to.

Reaching out with her mind she tries to get a bearing and with Basil's hyper-focused thoughts she has a pretty good idea of what to look for in order to recognize Colette.

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 10:50 pm

Colette was both easy to find, and difficult.Because her brain wasn't like other humans, her mind wasn't really on the same wavelength either, even in the astral. But that also made her stand out from the other minds in the area, making it less like finding a needle in a haystack and more like finding the letter block in the ballpit. One just had to feel for the odd shape out and... there, there was a corner. The dining hall. Of course, it was so obvious now, that's where the food was. Provided they could navigate the shifting staircases and find their way there.

by **Basil Benson** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 11:45 pm

Miriam could sense Basil's anxiety about this situation growing as she sussed out where the gelatinous woman was hiding herself, but he did not interrupt her work.

He did start that tapping motion with his left hand against his now injured right forearm however.

by **Miriam Bell** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 11:46 pm

There's not much Basil really can do to avoid his anxiety bleeding over into Miriam. Not that it's very noticeable seeing how she's mostly hidden udnerneath her blanket. "Dining hall..." she mumbles absentmindedly, then points into a vague direction. "That way. At least right now. I'll try to keep a bead on her..."

by **Basil Benson** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 11:49 pm

"C'mon then! Let's get free of this!" He replied, eager not only to get out of the dorms but to find out if the outside was just as hectic as in.

by **Miriam Bell** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 12:29 am

Miriam leads the way, occasionally doubling back or changing directions as the hallways shift in not entirely euclidian ways until they finally reach the door to the dining room.

by **Basil Benson** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 12:41 am

Basil kept up well, his dress shoes screeching against the floor once or twice as Miriam had to change abruptly.

When they made it to their destination, Basil was the first through the door.

"Madame?! Are you in here?!" He cried out.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Miriam, just the current surroundings.

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 1:13 am

The dining hall, like the rest of the campus, was a bit of a mess. Though thanks to the larger size of the room the overlapping of dimensions was more evident - tables had morphed through each other made of different materials and styles, and there were at least three different types of chairs surrounding them. It hadn't been the easiest place to reach, which probably explained why it was deserted. Well, mostly deserted. Near the front where the students picked up their food, the pink woman was sat with several brown bottles of cooking sherry and boxes of doughnuts spread out over the table. And she seemed quite content with herself, if oblivious to the world around her.

by **Basil Benson** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 1:55 am

Visible only to Miriam, Basil came up on the unresponsive lady gently, laying an invisble hand on her shoulder.

"Madame? We need to go."

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:12 am

The woman sat up straight at the touch to her shoulder, which placed it much higher than Basil may have expected it to be, apparently she had been really slumped low in her chair. She twisted around unnaturally at the waist to look at him with a confused and slightly glazed expression. For some reason the now towering jelly girlfriend was wearing her hair straight instead of the usual pigtails, and a little sloppy at that. She squinted at him for a moment before she spoke.

"You are not supposed to touch ze da..." she trailed off as through her translucent head the two of them could watch as the nucleus within was pushed at by something in her throat. Like a lavalamp, a second orb rose up and mashed against it, forcing the first back down below her very open shirt collar. There was a moment of silence as her hair changed style, and face shifted slightly.

"Oh Baseeeeeel!" Colette slurred in delight. "You have come to rescue us! Oh oh, zis is who I was telling me about, zis is my boyfriend!"

by **Basil Benson** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:33 am

Completely Unseen by either Colette (but entirely seen by Miriam) Basil jumped back in surprise at the giant chimera girlfriend.

He took a hard gulp to collect himself.

"Us, Madame Rosenhof?" He asked, confused and horrified by why she had two nuclei in her fucking head. He had been so careful to avoid this...

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:59 am

Colette put her hand on the back of the chair and pushed herself into a standing position, which made her new stature all the more apparent. The formerly five and a half-foot tall woman now had to be close to seven feet in height if not more, though her clothing hadn't been meant for someone of her stature. Much muffin-topping was occurring, and her tights were audibly creaking... for the moment at least. That first orb began to rise again and force the second back down into her chest, which prompted other masses to shift as though it were the tides. Much of what made up her hips traveled upward and revealed why her blouse was almost completely unbuttoned, her hair going straight again and even her lips looking slightly more full.

"Are you certain zat zis is my boyfriend? He talks like he is my butler." Her face bore the slightest expression of strain, like trying to squeeze through a gap, appropriate for the nuclei swapping places again and the changes that followed.

"Oh yes, most certain! It is slightly complicated, I will explain it to me later." It was a little odd to have Colette stare right at Basil as she spoke, but not be speaking to him. "Oh Basil, I am so glad zat you are safe! I tried to find you but I became lost. Eventually I found myself here and I... found myself here. Oh! And you brought a friend!" The towering woman waved to Miriam, all while bent over at the waist so she could have her face closer to Basil's.

by **Miriam Bell** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:20 am

"It would seem your girlfriend has snapped a little."

by **Basil Benson** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:23 am

Basil's brow would knit itself in concern at Miriam's statement, looking away from Colette to Miriam. Not that it was obvious to Colette since she could not see him.

"What do you suppose is wrong? Was her nucleus damaged? There's two of them and that's not normal. "

Basil was sort of talking like Colette wasn't present.

Cuz she kinda wasn't. At least, not in her right faculties.

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:50 am

The woman furrowed her brow, it wasn't like Basil to talk about her that way. If Miriam probed she'd find that what she had regarded as one mind was actually two; extremely similar in wavelength and thought patterns, but slightly different.

"Zere is nozing wrong wiz me. I told you, I ran into myself here." The nuclei changed places again, and so her visage shifted. "Literally. Wow, my boyfriend is not very bright." Only to be replaced again. "Oh Basil, do not listen to me, I do not know what I am talking about."

by **Miriam Bell** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 5:27 am

"She appears to have split in two. No... merged?"

by **Basil Benson** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:53 pm

Unseen by Colette, Basil folded his arms over his chest, leaning his face into his left hand. The right, injured one tucked up against his rib cage.

He looked pensive, but Miriam's extra senses provided further context to the behavior.

He *was* thinking about what Miriam told him, but he was also stifling himself from saying anything in retort to the insult given to him, which actually seemed to genuinely effect him.

The feeling he was trying to fight off was betrayal. He had shed blood to find her. And maybe it wasn't in the same way as the hero squad would have, but it should count for something enough not to get insulted upon reuniting. Or so he thought.

There were loads of rude things he could say back fluttering at the edge of his mind trying to slip out.

But when he did speak, the response was careful and metered.

"Whatever she's merged with is... an issue, but I suppose we don't have the luxury of time on our side to suss it out. We need to get to where ever the others are staying safe."

by **Miriam Bell** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:20 pm

To Miriam's surprise she finds herself actually feeling bad for Basil. Of course she's not exactly great at expressing this.

"Merged with a right tart no less."

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:27 pm

The look on Colette's face was a mixture of amusement and outrage - literally, one half was shocked and the other outraged. The nucleus inside looked like it was trying to fight it's way back up her neck, but the one on her head wasn't having any of it, trying to push it back down. It gets to the point where one hand is waving at her face while the other is smacking it away. At some point the frustration became too much and the orb sought another route, the woman quickly losing a good chunk of her height as a second torso began to form out of her midriff, the straight-haired and full-lipped Colette forming beside the one Basil knew more intimately, sharing a pair of hips and legs between them.

"What is wrong wiz you? How could you stand by and let her call me such a zing?"
"You deserved it! Especially after what you said about mon chat. I have been a polite and welcoming host but I can no longer tolerate such rudeness."

by **Basil Benson** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:44 pm

Now Basil had no idea what to feel, until Colette split in half at the waist, the shirtless half demanding an explanation and the still clothed half looking and acting a bit more true to what he thought was right.

Now he was amused as well at this topless doppelganger getting berated from two sides, and that hand that was stifling thoughts from passing his lips was now stifling a laugh.

"You're right. I should never let someone talk about Madame that way.

But you aren't Madame, so you can sit and spin for all I care. "

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Fri Apr 05, 2019 11:36 pm

The topless half almost gasped before turning her nose up, folding her arms across her chest.

"Crass. Were we at ze club I would have you zrown out on your ear."

"But you told me you sat on a champagne bottle..."

"Zat is different! Zat is performance art. Not everyone can pop ze cork wizout using zeir hands. Let alone popping boz."

"TWO bottles?"

"No,'Madameeeee', no...." She looked around almost disinterestedly before spying what she was looking for. Her arm elongated in a way Basil seldom saw her do as Colette did her best to always try and seem human... actually, the new Colette was a little gooier and "sloppier" than the one he knew, her hair more a cascading liquid than twizzlers or gummy candy. She snatched a garment from the floor and pulled it into herself, the black rubber tube top eventually "rising" to the surface.

by **Basil Benson** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 1:47 am

The differentiation between Colette and whatever this... other thing was made Basil feel much more at ease with the situation. He trusted her enough not to merge with someone who was a bad person per say, but he also knew she had a tendency to make friends with anything sentient.

For his part, Basil was impeccable at 'eyes up here', but only Miriam would be privy to that since she was still the only one who could actually see him. Instead, those eyes almost rolled out of his head as he sighed and moved around the extended limb unperturbed by it, going to check and see if his half of the chimaera being was alright.

"Men of my status aren't thrown out of clubs because we're the reason 'gentlemen's clubs' exist in the first place. We're slapped on the wrist and given 'polite reminders'....

Though if your clientele make a habit of ruining their trousers on the viewing of a parlor trick, then perhaps your club isn't attracting men of my status."

This dining room was going to be at full capacity of cattiness if this kept up.

by **Miriam Bell** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 4:08 am

"That's not as endearing as you might think that sounds." Miriam rolls her eyes at Basil.

by **Basil Benson** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 5:14 am

Basil chuckled as he stared at the Colette he deemed the appropriate one, trying to determine if she was alright. After a moment, she'd feel his index finger on her chin as he tilted her face a little attempting to determine how effected she might be by the body intruder.

"Perhaps because I wasn't being endearing, but then again, perhaps I'm also being too subtle.

Rich men get away with murder, but you wouldn't know that, would you doppleganger? Because if you were a sex worker, you'd also know that only the girls with no tricks gloat about how amazing they are.

Girls with real skill let the clientele talk for them and keep the talents secret for paying customers.

So either you're lying about who you are, or you're a very talentless dancer who inflates her ego on easy marks."

Basil seemed confident enough in his response both internally and externally, but nothing in his mind yet tipped his hand to.Miriam about why.

by **Miriam Bell** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 7:18 am

"No, the just make you pay extra to keep them secret, so you can keep up the appearance that you're not as depraved as the common rabble."

Something about this topic seems to have pushed a button somewhere, as Miriam is getting increasingly mad.

"Trust me, I have a pretty good idea what some people of your status require to, as you so tastefully put it, ruin their trousers and it has nothing to do with class."

by **Basil Benson** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 11:18 am

Miriam would feel Basil's mixed emotions to her reaction.

Shame, and from that, some form of empathy.

He didn't feel sorry for Miriam per say, because feeling sorry for women over bad experiences in his opinion demeaned them. He did not mentally theorize on what was done to her, because it didn't matter. Whatever it was had made her so keenly aware of the problem he was referencing was not forgivable and certainly couldn't be taken responsibility for by him. Not because he wouldn't shoulder it if it would help her to blame him. Rather, justice dispensed on anyone other than the perpetrators of the offense in question would never satiate her want of it. And even that may not be enough.

Which is why he didn't issue an apology on behalf of people like him. No apology would be enough either.

He also wouldn't look at her, continuing to look Colette over.

"I wholeheartedly agree.

Which is why I suggest she's not the professional she claims to be, or she'd know the concept of being thrown out of a club isn't insulting or threatening to men like me.

She's lying in order to try to impress someone. "

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:22 pm

Colette's chin dimpled from the invisible touch, the girl giving a soft smile as she was coaxed to turn her head. The smile contrasted the other's fuming expression.

"Or trying to make herself feel powerful in some way when she's lost and scared, lashing out lest she appear weak and helpless and more easily taken advantage of."

The scantily-clad half looked shocked, then uncomfortable. Things had escalated past what she had intended, that was certain. Sharing a body must have made some sort of mental link, because Colette wasn't normally that good of a judge of character.

by **Basil Benson** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:56 pm

Basil gave her a peck on the forehead and the pair could now see him too.

"If thats the case, there's nothing to be frightened of."

His eyes would pass from his Colette's to the seconds, then finally settled to Miriam's.

"This obviously needs to be sorted out but I think the bigger priority should be finding a way out of here.

Got any mind voodoo tricks to find us a clear path or should we just start smashing windows in here too?"

by **Miriam Bell** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 6:30 am

"You're a strange little weirdo, Basil." she says, but doesn't really elaborate. "But you're oddly honest, even if you're giving people much too much benefit of the doubt vis-a-vis getting throw out of strip-clubs. Anyway... I think I might actually be able to help those two. Inexplicably, I have experience with that kind of thing."

by **Basil Benson** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 1:34 pm

Basil's reaction to being called a weirdo was also strange. He was amused, which was probably surprising even to Colette.

He flashed a coy smirk over his shoulder, which he rolled in a flirtatious fashion.

"Flattery gets you everywhere Miriam, but only if I'm single. "

He was obviously joking.

Basil then returned his attention to the problem of 'two ladies '. He ruminated on them and what they told Miriam and he in silence for several moments, tapping his fingers on his clavicle as a Basil do.

"Well, should we be separating the two of you? It's sounded accidental but perhaps now you're doing this deliberately." Basil observed aloud, looking at what basically constituted a set of conjoined twins, one of which he happened to be dating.

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Mon Apr 08, 2019 4:51 am

Colette smiled at the kiss, and being able to see Basil again. Her other-dimensional counterpart looked shocked again.

"... you are dating Jezabelle's boyfriend?! Zat Basil?"

Colette made a bit of a face at the idea of Basil dating someone else, especially someone she knew, but have expected their relationship to be the same across all dimensions. "Yes, okay, whatever." She said dismissively before looking to her saviors.

"Is it safe? When we ran into ourselves, she was...not doing very well. Ze... whatever is happening, it had been razer rough when it brought her here." Indeed, the two of them were standing at roughly Colette's normal height, which meant that if they were separated with equal mass they'd be rather on the short and scrawny side to both be able to make lower halves.

by **Basil Benson** » Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:52 am

Basil still didn't completely understand what was going on right now, but the fact the other Colette knew who Jezabelle was and that he'd had an interest in her at one point made him feel awkward.

Partially because in his own mind she had rejected his advances and partially because they'd remained friends and Colette had a tendency to get jealous and he felt like this would be coming around to bite him soon.

But sussing out the finer points of their relationship right at this point was poor timing so he remained quiet, opting instead to wrap an arm around his half of the duo's shoulder to make her feel secure in the idea that he wasn't going anywhere.

by **Miriam Bell** » Mon Apr 08, 2019 3:57 pm

"Is anything ever completely safe? Take it or leave it." Miriam says not very reassuringly.

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:53 am

"Wait, let me get ze rest of my clozes." The Colette from another universe was reluctant, but really... if it didn't go well, she could hitch a ride again. Right? Her missing clothing was back at the "impact sight" near the cafeteria entrance, some decayed pink goo surrounding a pair of tall platform boots, long socks, a latex pencil skirt, and a blouse. She used her stretchy limbs to pick up the items and held them protectively.

"Wow, I can't believe zat in anozer universe, I am dating Basil Spencer. Zis is surreal."

Colette glanced over at her "sister". "Benson. It is Basil Benson."

The copy seemed a bit confused. "Oh, really? I am almost certain he introduced himself to me as Spencer. Perhaps I have him confused wiz someone else....

by **Basil Benson** » Tue Apr 09, 2019 3:23 am

Abruptly, Basil looked like he was about to shit himself.

"What did you just say?"

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:20 pm

"I said zat I needed my clozes.""I told her zat your last name is Benson." The two(?) women spoke at the same time.

by **Basil Benson** » Tue Apr 09, 2019 3:11 pm

Basil furrowed his brow in thought, letting it go from the conversation but not his mind.

"I'll let you work Miriam." He stated, moving away from the duo to give Miriam some clearance.

by **Colette Rosenhof** » Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:34 am

Colette tried to console her other half and reassure her that everything would be alright.

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