Xaviers!

It's a rare sight seeing Melissa in the university bar as she tends to lean towards the tea and coffee when she's on campus. Her subdued mood seems to have bled over into those around her enough that there's a ring of empty tables around her table. Given the obvious epicenter, the bar staff are not looking at her too kindly, but Melissa ignores them as she focuses on the occasional ripples in her glass of scotch.

((Open))

Basil showed up on the scene, sort of. Today it was clothes visible, body not, the standard Basil.

He didn't notice the good Doctor Terrance at first, but once he had his pint and was tucking into it, he waved at her. Melissa was one of the few who could see it however.

Melissa waves back half-heartedly, sipping at her whiskey.

Basil's head tilted like a confused dog, his floppy wavey mess of hair draping as he did so, the fingers on his right hand moving through a series of ticks as he was thinking.

Apparently not the kind to run when someone looked blue, Basil approached her pint in hand.

"Are you wanting to be left alone Doctor, or could you use some company?"

"I'm not opposed to the company. If anything it might be good for me," she sighs, "How are you doing, Basil?"

"Same shit, different day." It wasn't a lie, but if Melissa probed it enough she could tell it was something of a diversion statement.

"Girlfriend's busy, so I turn to my other crutch." He joked.

"What about you?"

"Thinking about Christmas," she says, "Always been a bit difficult, but this year more than normal."

"Oh? Why's that?"

She contemplates the whiskey a bit more and there are occasional ripples in its surface as if an invisible finger is stirring it. Finally, she lets out a prolonged sigh, "I lost my father earlier this year. It had just been the two of us since my mother passed, so it's... hard without him."

Basil didn't say ' I'm sorry', because he knew that wasn't going to help any. He was quiet for a moment before replying.

"I think I understand. I'm not certain Chanukah would be the same without Bubbe.

For one, we'd be sick of eating Indian food by the time Christmas came around after eight days of it." He joked.

"Just not sure how to celebrate without family. I don't have any siblings and my aunts and uncles know enough about me to find my presence disturbing. At least I can catch up on my sleep, I guess."

Basil's head tilted to the side and he started tapping his fingers on and playing with his tie, a nervous twitch that as his therapist, Melissa probably already figured out that it was him thinking.

"I like Christmas theoretically, but I don't know how to do it either. I'm Jewish." He added, pointing out his reasons were much different so she didn't think he was trying to compare their situations.

His face lit up and he said-" We should do it together!"

"That's alright," she says, "I'm going to have to figure out how to deal with this eventually."

"Yea... it's still shit though." Basil acknowledged. Melissa would know one way or another it wasn't his dad he was using to empathize though.

"I am starting to think family is who you make it. So.... Fuck them. Your dad might say the same, were he here."

“He might at that,” she says with a small half-smile.

"I bet they'll have a Christmas gathering here at the school." He pondered after a long drag on his beer.

"Perhaps you could get to know all the students, find some job security?" He joked. "Or maybe hang out with faculty friends."

"It might be worth seeing what Professor Rede is up to. The Headmistress doesn't really seem to be the Christmas type."

"She has to be. Frivolity is one of the best stress relievers for humans, and it is her job to make sure the students are as comfortable as possible.

Initiate recording of "It's The Most Wonderful Time" for a morale boost. Beep boop." He said, the last two words stated more than sounded out.