Xaviers!

"Nothing." He says at first, then shifted and replied. "Nicotine itch needs to be scratched. Happens when I do too much of something pleasant.

Like eating junk food."

"You have permission to step out for a cigarette, if you feel you cannot wait until I am finished."

Colette's tone was soft but serious, trying her hand at this new role of hers, seeing how well it would go over.

"It's fine. I can be patient, even if my nervous system can't." He joked.

The goo girl gave Basil's hand a little pat, a little reward for his continued patience. It didn't take her very long to finish up what was left however, making a nice little stack of trays and plates. She pushed the stack toward her boyfriend, learning to give him more ways to "serve" her as she stood up. And, well... she had taken in a lot of mass. It was a good thing that her tights were stretchy.

"Ready?"

Strangely, Basil didn't seem to relish picking up after her, but he did do it.

He'd follow after her, lighting up once they were the required distance from the rink.

Colette hugged herself to Basil's arm and leaving him one to handle his cigarette, her hip pressing against them as they walked.

"Have you enjoyed yourself tonight Basil?"

Basil shifted his 'captured arm a bit so that it was around her instead.

"I usually do, if I'm here with you.

It's more important though if you did."

"Well I zink your enjoyment matters too. But yes, zat was fun. In no small part because it was wiz you."

Basil chuckled ruefully and didn't comment further, shutting himself up on his cigarette.

Colette leaned a little closer to give Basil a small peck on the cheek. She didn't have to lean all that far, all that mass had made her a touch taller as well. Though it wouldn't take her too long to work it off.

Basil giggled.

"Do you prefer being taller?"

Colette raised her eyes in thought. "Mm, no, I zink I am happy ze way I normally am. But I must try and distribute all zat food evenly, no? Ozerwise zere may not be room on ze sidewalk for boz of us."

Basil took a drag again and quoted instead of sang-

"And if a double decker bus, crashes into us, to die by your side would be such a heavenly way to die."

Colette tried not to think about the lyrics too much. The sentiment was kind of nice, but the mental image didn't do much for her, especially when she thought about them in depth. But at the same time it wasn't worth bringing up, so she just rubbed Basil's back as they walked.

"Penny for your thoughts love?"

Colette shook her head. "Sorry, I just... was zinking about zose lyrics a little too much. I do not like zat scenario."

Basil paused for a moment, enjoying his cigarette before speaking around a cloud of smoke.

"I don't think that's unusual. On the surface I doubt anyone wants to be turned into the pavement smear such a large vehicle would render them into.

But you're right, I think you might be taking it too literally. The lyrics of gothic greats aren't meant to be taken merely at their face value. They're meant to focus on the romanticism of things that are dark.

Two lovers who die in an accident is tragic, but romantic because they went together. To profess you wish to go with your loved one is meant to suggest you'd rather die with them then live without.

Is it still disturbing through that lens?"

"Oh no, it makes sense. I read many books zat had zis as a major plot point. It is just... a bus would not be ze end of me. So I would be left to live wizout you, and imagining zat moment or realization if it did occur is unsettling."

Colette tapped her head, going a little more translucent than normal to show off her core. "So long as I am intact here, I am okay. No matter what."

Basil stopped walking and stared at her for several moments, his cigarette hanging off his lip, eventually falling off.

"Wait.... is that why you lived through getting smashed by a boulder in Hollydale?"

Colette stumbled a little bit when Basil stopped, not expecting him to come to an abrupt halt.

"Well, of course. I mean, it got squished but it was all still zere, so I was fine. Why, what did you zink had happened?"

Basil didn't break her grip on him, but he looked away, then down at the cigarette smoldering on the street in front of him. He crushed it out, knitting his brow.

"To tell you the truth, I prefer not to think on it at all.

I prefer to think that it was all make believe, because the alternatives of me being like that for real or the fact that yet another someone decided to play in my mind both make me upset to the point of paralyzed when I think on it too much...

And because If that's the true inner me, I'd have to eat a bullet and save anyone from having to deal with that hideous creature."

Colette hugged Basil firmly and stroked his hair, doing her best to comfort him. "I know zat zat is not ze true inner you Basil. You are not a bad person. And do you know what proof I have of zis?" She stepped back to hold him in the arms and look him in the eyes.

"Bad people do not worry about how ozers zink of zem. Zey do not feel sick in zeir stomachs when zey zink zat someone hates zem, or zat zey have made a bad impression, or zat zey have hurt someone. Zat is why zey are able to do what zey do. You are a kind, caring, and selfless person Basil. You have your faults, as do I, but zose qualities which you so despise are not among zem.

"I was made into somezing... foul, as well. As far as I know it was ze only invasion of zat sort I have ever experienced. For you to have undergone such treatment multiple times is... unfair does not seem like a strong enough word."

While he allowed himself to be doted upon, Basil didn't seem too interested in delving into it too deeply.

"This is just how it is for us I think. We're outsiders, which means people will do as they please and there's piss all we can do about it unless we want to end up in some horrid, dark, government regulated hole somewhere for 'Naughty Children'."

Colette gently pressed her fingers to Basil's cheek with that strange less-than human-warmth of hers.

"Which is why we must work togezer, lift each ozer up, carry zem when zey can no longer crawl. You have it in you to do zis Basil. You get it from your Grandparents, no?"

Basil laughed.

"Do you know what krolik means?"

"Is it some sort of fried pastry?"

"No, it means rabbit. Or more appropriately when applied to children, bunny.

It's what my grandparents call me because I'm soft and cuddly and run at the first sign of trouble. I don't think my grandparents would agree that whatever resilience they might have did not pass onto me along with my propensity to grow the most luxurious of fros."

"Well, zat may have been true at one time, but..." Colette took Basil's hands in hers as she spoke.

"Your mozer told you zat you must remain on campus, but you choose not to. Your grandmozer has told you to end our relationship, but you have not. Now zat you have a greater control of your abilities, you could go out in public and no one would ever suspect you had ze X-gene. No one would raise an eyebrow, ozer zat ze girls perhaps. But you choose to be seen in public wiz someone who cannot help but draw attention to her true nature.

"So, it is not true zat you will not stand up and resist, you simply have chosen what causes you will stand for, zat is all."

Basil frowned.

"Telling judgmental women to sod off isn't exactly Great Revolt behavior, but I appreciate your support.

You tend to oversell me I think."

"Well to be fair, I am not actually a princess eizer. So zat is somezing we are boz guilty of." Still, she was happy that Basil could recognize her attempts to support him, standing on her toes to give him a little peck.

"I am not interested in a princess." Basil states, turning his nose up mock-haughtily as he digs in his breast pocket for his pack of cigarettes again.

"Princesses are naive, spoiled, demanding, self centered, and frequently over-inflated considering they haven't had to do anything other than be born royal."

"However, Queens are different." He added in French.

Colette tried not to smile too much at Basil's coy little compliment.

"And one would assume zat ze title of prince would be less zan desirable for yourself, yes? So what does zat make you... Gentilhomme de la Chambre?"

"I was thinking more like prince consort, but I'll leave that to your discretion."

"La reine fait les règles."

"Mm, it is good to be ze queen."

"Shall we go home? I will prepare your things for slumber, Reine de Gelée."

"Zat does sound lovely. You really know how to treat a lady."

"Thank you. I'd like to think I know how to treat loved ones and their gender isn't related, but to be honest lady friends are the only friends I have had in adulthood.

And Chase." Basil sighed. "I should probably figure out something to do for him to make up for that incident."

"Well... I guess you should ask yourself what it is zat makes Chase happy? Is zere somezing zat he wants? Needs? Be it a physical zing or just having someone to depend on, zat can mean a lot to a person."

Basil however, continued to frown. He still didn't feel like he was doing enough for Chase.

But after a moment, an idea occurred.

"I have a cunning plan."

"As cunning as a fox who has just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?"

Colette had a complete straight face for that.