Xaviers!

Basil was genuinely surprised. So far he hadn't had to do much of anything beyond hang around and keep an eye out for suspicious things until Morrigan could finish with more pressing business. It didn't bother him to wait, and in the meantime he kept his eyes on the neighborhood for anything fucky looking that no one else picked up on, though that was few and far between.

Done making his rounds, Basil had cleaned up as Sam was now requiring that semi-regularly and threw on his poncho in case someone came to find him. Pulling out her jar, Basil popped the lid.

"Hey gorgeous. Guess what I found." He said to her, and pulled a prepackaged sugar cube out of his bag. Ripping the plastic with his teeth, he dropped it into her jar.

((Open))

Haley, looking decidedly worse for the wear, walked into the room and hesitated as she saw the interaction. She had dark circles under her eyes, scratches all over her arms and neck, and several ugly bruises.

"H-hey," she said, still unsure if she should even be announcing her presence.

"Good morning Ms. Crusek.

You look like shit." Basil replied as he shut the lid again to allow 'Colette' to eat.

"But you're alive, which means things must have gone well. Congratulations...?"

"Thanks," she smirked weakly. "Good morning is right...glad the moon isn't out."

"Now how does that work exactly? " He asked, since she brought it up. "Are you like this the entire 'full moon', or just on the first night when the two are perfectly aligned?"

"...I think it's the whole thing," she sighed.

"Bummer." He replied, borrowing an American slang she'd be familiar with. "Well, at least it's good cardio?"

"I wouldn't recommend the shewolf workout plan, but it does work," she smirked.

"Muscle mass was definitely a problem for me during boxing... but I made up for it in dexterity."

Haley rubbed her arms awkwardly, not entirely sure whether she wanted to ask about Colette, or what seemed to be left of her. She casually reached out with her mind to see if she could feel anything from the jar.

The pink goo was slowly breaking apart the sugar cube that was slowly descending toward the bottom of the canister. It was of a slightly pinker hue than when the girls had first met Basil's "companion", perhaps because it was being fed.

Forming a connection with what resided in the jar was... tentative, at best. It was somewhat like on a summer night the odd weather would allow for one to tune their car radio in to stations that were normally out of range, but not quite strong enough to make out. There was something there, something broken and in pieces; not enough to put together into a coherent thought or feeling, but enough to know that something was there.

"Num num num." Basil replied cheerfully to the dissolving cube, as if speaking the onomatopoeia for her.

"I'm...glad you made it," she finally settled on saying. "Not a lot of people did."

"I wish I hadn't, but wish in one hand...." His voice trailed off, assuming Haley already knew the rest of the idiom

"Well you make shitty wishes. There have to be some good people left to rebuild when this shit is all over.

"Mmm, that assumes I will survive so long.

No offense, but I have read enough Stephen King novels to know that people like me are never the last man standing."

"Hey. Carrie is my spirit animal. Though I didn't ever get blood poured on me at prom."

"And Carrie, like all who bear the shine, suffers a terrible ordeal. " Basil points out.

"You should probably read more books before making such comparisons." He chuckles.

"...I've never read any of his books."

Basil giggled that warm, boyish one he used that made one feel less like he was laughing at the person, and more at the awkward situation.

"Apologies. Let me put it in literary terms perhaps that would make better sense.

The Snapes of this world always get what is coming to them in the end, no matter how good their intentions may have been."

Haley didn't want to admit she hadn't read those either--why bother when there were good movies of them which she had probably been busy making out with someone during instead of actually paying attention--so she just nodded in agreement.

"It's good that she has you," Haley tilted her head at Colette.

"Oh, I don't know about all that." Basil replied, sounding almost bashful.

"Anyone else would have done the same."

"I've seen a lot of shit the past few years that shows me otherwise," Haley said ruefully.

"How long have you two been hiding here in town?"

"Since the school was taken, more or less.

We had plans to return to her home, but it didn't work out.

Yourself?"

"I've moved around a lot...fighting where we could, getting people into safe houses...I was working with Trev. We made a good team...things went south a few weeks ago. I got bit, he...I'm not sure what happened. He's dead or like me now, probably. Or a prisoner."

She sighed, "Just got into London this week after running this way and that, trying to shake them off my tail."

Basil fought the urge to make the obvious werewolf joke.

"I'm sorry.

Take hope: Unless you saw a terrible sight he couldn't come back from, there is a very high likelihood he is still among the waking world."

"Thank you," she sighed. "...and thank you also for not making a werewolf pun," she smirked. "Your mind was practically screaming it, promise I wasn't poking."

"I think perhaps you should avoid idioms and euphemisms involving tails, snouts, fangs, or ears for awhile. " He giggled.

"That's fair," she chuckled.

"So what's next after the transformation? 'Wreck shop' on some authority goons?"

"I think so, once we're sure I'm more or less in control."

"Make sure to call on me if you need assistance breaking into anything."

"I will. I don't think subtlety is exactly a giant hellbeast's forte."

"Subtly is my middle name.

It come's before Oliver but after Crippling Self Doubt."

"Is Smartass your confirmation name then?" she chuckled.

"The lady wounds. I'm Jewish." He states with mock offense.

"However, my Hebrew name is Schmendrick. And while, My dear, you deserve the services of a great wizard, but I'm afraid you'll have to be glad of the aid of a second-rate pickpocket."

Basil replied, bringing the joke back around to books, though also, movies.

Haley stared back at him with a familiar blank expression.

"...Really? That one had a unicorn princess in it and everything.

Sorry to have to be the one to say this, but we're going to have to revoke your pretty princess card Ms Crusek. You're not fulfilling your magic and sparkles quota."

"This is bullshit. I am *filled* with magic and sparkles!" she growled, before breaking into a chuckle.

"Pity. Guess you'll just have to fall back on your real talent.

Drunken telekinesis and wrecking ball telepathy."

His humour was still as sharp and dry as it had always been, indicating the situation had yet to fully break his spirit, even if his life had become a cow-bearing chinashop.