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 Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 8:24 pm
He didn't really respond to her questioning or apologizing it seemed. No he'd just looked a little surprised and then tired suddenly, like he was ill. Concern for the youthful boy crept back into her face then as she eyed him carefully. Cordelia watched as he leaned back gently, his head rolling somewhat to the side like he was just about to take a nap. Basil was quiet for a moment or two, leaving the basilisk to think that maybe he had indeed fallen asleep. But then...
"No, I just think that you're really pretty."
Delia froze, her dark mouth hung open with a voiceless response stuck in her throat as she remarked the cobra boy across from her with extreme surprise and shock. H-had she heard correct? Did Basil just say what she thought he'd said? And the way he'd said it, so matter of fact, so direct, so un-Basil like. The female Raevan just couldn't wrap her mind around what had happened.
The dusting of rose had once more returned to her olive toned cheeks the longer she wasn't able to response to the other. Cordelia could barely remember a time she'd been unable to form some sort of coherent sentence structure after she'd finally found her voice. Now it was like all that had been taken away and once again the smokey girl found herself frustrated with not being able to speak.
She tried a couple times to form human words, but for whatever reasons they wouldn't come to her. Cordelia took a moment to calm herself before quietly hissing something out in parseltongue. "You...you think I'm pretty?"
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:52 pm
After he had delivered the barefaced remark, the cobra's eyes promptly dropped shut like theatre curtains. He had no intention of falling asleep. He needed only a moment's rest... He needed to gather his strength.
For a while he was submerged in warm darkness, with the familiar scent of Cordelia all around. He was in her house, reclining on her bed. With an innate and impeccable sense of hearing, he could detect nearly every sound that went on underneath its roof. The ventilation system, the humming of the refrigerator, and Adrian's own careful footfalls, creeping elsewhere in a part of the house Basil could only guess at. But then, there was a quietude that distracted him. Felt, rather, a heavy sheet of silence that might nearly have suffocated him. He felt that something was not right, sleepily opening a single black eye.
At times, Cordelia could be very chatty, and it was unusual for her to go quite this long without saying anything at all, even if it was just to ask how he was feeling. But then, when it came to Basil, she took her nurturing instincts very seriously.
He saw the look on her face, and it had startled him at first. It had been a very dramatic, almost horrified expression, as if he were looking at a mask in a store window. He quickly opened the other eye, staring at her now with the same intensity as before. He saw the way her mouth hung open on its hinges. Whatever he had said had caught her completely by surprise. The trouble was, he wasn't quite sure what he had said that would have evoked such an incredible reaction. He began to grow uncomfortable by it. He was always saying something that got him into hot water...
She had regained some of her composure, but apparently not so much for actual words. There was a particular way she pursed her lips that gave him some warning of what was to come. His parselspeak was very rusty. The Other was much more well-versed. In the end, he hadn't completely understood, and he made no effort to disguise it, which made him all the more uncomfortable. She was on the edge of her seat waiting for a reply from him, making him feel small and incompetent.
The voice did not return to comment, although he did not feel completely relieved of its presence, as if it were listening with its ear pressed just outside the bedroom door. Perhaps it got a thrill from watching him struggle for a reply.
He sighed instead, knowing that he could do nothing to conceal his own ignorance, which might have been very confusing for the Basilisk, having heard parseltongue from Basil's own lips several times before. He was about to explain himself, when the voice supposed he'd been twisting in the wind long enough. It had been only a whisper. The voice had become very weary, itself. A handy translation, followed by what must have been an impatient sigh. It was then that Basil's eyes shone with understanding. He leaned forward, over-eager, almost leaping towards her, "Yes! ...Yes, I do."
He paused, then, beginning to question whether or not it had been appropriate to mention. He had never driven anyone speechless before. It was entirely possible that he had offended her beyond words, and had only made matters worse with his enthusiasm. But then, it was a lesson every young man had to learn eventually. The often unintended consequences that came with telling a girl the most dangerous words they might ever encounter, second only to one other. Every boy needed to see the power of them. So powerful in fact, that they could apparently drive a girl to hissing
While Basil himself was not so opposed to courting danger, it did not please him to stumble upon it accidentally, and unprepared. He faltered, glancing down at the sheets, his eyes focusing on a single seam.
"I mean... is that bad? If I wasn't supposed to say anything, then..."
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 10:49 am
The silence came again from the other and Cordelia found herself wanting to disappear like the smoke she was made of. She shifted anxiously, her subconscious mind already calculating her mood as her body began to respond to the tension in the air, her hair flickering slight with wisps of smoke. Awkward silences always made the girl uncomfortable, thus the reason she was often trying to fill it with her own voice. Yet today she was not able to counter the silence for it had somehow become more powerful than she and if it kept on would most likely crush her.
Finally though she was saved, yet startled once more all the same as Basil leaned in so close that their noses almost touched. Normally such closeness wasn't minded by the basilisk, in fact it was encouraged, but right now the boy's boldness and directness was so out of character that it knocked Cordelia off her game.
A slight nervous sound emitted from the girl before she slipped out of the cobra's reach and floated over to her bureau. She was still trying to find her English tongue and for that she needed to calm down more. Delia gave the metronome seated there a quick flick, the room suddenly filled with a rhythmic clicking as the metallic rod rocked back and forth. It's familiar gleaming sight and sound settling her nerves at last.
Turning around to reveal the source of the noise to even Basil now, she looked to the other Raevan and shyly responded, "No...it wasn't bad. In fact it was nice to hear. Thank you." That faint blush was creeping back into her cheeks then as she continued. "I was just more surprised by the way you'd said it. So serious." She tried to mimic a serious face (Ebony's face no doubt) as she said those two last words, but couldn't hold it and just ended up laughing.
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Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 3:06 am
It was little wonder that Cordelia would have been startled by his directness. She had spent so much of their time together taking care of him, not for any want of recognition, and certainly not because she purposefully underestimated or condescended to him. She simply felt it was her obligation to see him happy as someone infinitely more well-adjusted. Seeing him take some control for himself this way, well... it communicated a sudden need to surrender some of the protectiveness she had felt for him. Make adjustments in her dealings with him. Coddle him less.
In this way, she was growing up, not only in body, but in spirit. Apparently, so was he, and for the better. They were growing up together.
It seemed that most of his problems had stemmed from suppressing, ignoring, or fearing what was inside of him. It had made him agitated and fractured. Lose focus of things, of reality. It had made him helpless, in need of strong people like Cordelia to guide him, at the risk of reprehensible things. Now, he was starting to make room for this other presence, because there was simply no other alternative for him. He was making efforts to accept his condition. Live his life alongside it, although it continued to persist as a source of great humiliation and personal torment. The more he accepted it, the more gathered he felt he became, and the more settled his spirit would be, or rather, the both of them. Reason enough to continue making changes.
It was this togetherness that had made him aware of certain stirrings. Able to examine Cordelia differently. Examine her better and with greater clarity than ever before. It was good that he should be making an impression on her as well. She might begin to think things differently too...
With his strange, wheezy laugh, he joined her revelry at the face she had made, although he was still slow to realize that she was trying to poke fun at him. It was good that she was not off-put by the remark. It was nice to hear, she had said. He would be sure to remember that. This was such a relief.
He slid from the bed, although he had needed to hold his head, as if he were dizzy from having stood up too quickly. Shaking off the discomfort, the first thing he had done was close the distance between them again, his wings rattling noisily together as he lowered them, letting them hang heavily from their stalks. There was no hesitance in his step to suggest that he had a motive in mind. He simply liked to be near her.
He scratched at a stubbly patch in his left sideburn. It was obvious that Genie had not managed to clean underneath his fingernails before they had left...
"M'sorry, I didn't know there was a way I said it... I don't..." He chewed another flake from his lower lip, struggling for words. "Mmh..." He did not stop to finish the thought, suddenly glancing all around him, as if he had seen something out of the corner of his eye. A trick of the light, maybe. He shrugged.
Turning back to her, he then did something rather unexpected.
Without any reservations, he hugged her, although, a bit differently from the spontaneous greeting-hug he had foisted upon her earlier that evening. This, was a more intimate hug. The sort that was common for dear friends, usually for no reason at all other than to express affection.
He was still very tired, and was leaning a generous amount of his weight onto her, although not so much as to strain her. "You're pretty, Delia." He mumbled into her shoulder, echoing his previous sentiment, only because he knew it made her happy.
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:57 am
She was somewhat relieved when Basil laughed along with her then. Delia didn't feel like the air was so thick and heavy with whatever strange atmosphere it was that was developing between the two of them then. It was true, the basilisk had always been drawn to protecting this other being that was so much like her, possibly the closest thing to true kin she could have as a Raevan. It also did not help that the cobra was usually such a mess more than half the time that it only prompted her being even more overbearing and motherly. Thus it was a hard concept for Cordelia to suddenly be forced into seeing him in a new light now. The words serious, bold and fearless had never been associated with Basil in her mind until today. For whatever reasons, the normally shy and timid boy seemed a whole lot more together than usual. Honestly, it was hard for Cordelia to keep up.
The laughter had died down and now Basil was floating in front of her again, looking like his typical unsure self once more. If he'd had feet, the snake boy would probably had been drawing circles with his toe or something that would only accentuate his unease. Cordelia smiled softly, she always found his boyish mannerisms endearing. It was casting him back in the light she was so use to seeing him in and it seemed to calm her down even more. Thus when he snaked his arms around her for a hug, Delia obliged wholeheartedly. She would have returned the favor, but Basil had her arms loosely pinned to her sides and, something she only noticed just now, was that he floated a little higher than her and thus lacked a lower half for which she would have been able to hug then.
Basil seemed to press into her more, his face finding the niche between her neck and shoulder. This was different from the hug he'd given her earlier, gentle and delicate somehow. A crease of worry was inching its way back onto her face again when the thought of maybe he was still feeling ill crossed her mind. But then he said she was pretty again, but not in the same way as before. Perhaps he hadn't meant it to sound the way he did, but to Delia his voice had gone somewhat smokey and sultry in tone, reminding her of the way Rivener sometimes would talk to certain people.
Suddenly Cordelia clutched at her chest, finding it hard to breath as her rune pulsed erratically. She shouldn't have had this kind of reaction to his words, after all he'd said it a mere moment ago as well. That time it had been surprising, but this time it should have been just like anything else he could have said. Yet she could not ignore the greatly differing circumstances in which it had been said before. Basil had not been holding her so close to himself then. She'd not felt the slight warmth of his breath upon her cool skin as he said those kind words, nor heard them in such a way that it made her head spin. She had to admit for the first time in a long time, she was a little scared. Delia didn't know what this feeling in her chest was and why it was there now of all times. It almost felt like she would die if her heart wouldn't stop its quickened pace.
'Stop it. Please stop beating so hard heart. I don't want him seeing me like this.' she pleaded silently to herself. Utterly confused by everything and feeling drained by all the work her heart was doing then, Cordelia laid her head against Basil's chest, tears of frustration welling up at the scales around her eyes. If anything was going on in his chest then, she most likely wouldn't notice as all she could hear was her own heartbeat and the sound of the metronome still clicking away in the background.
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Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:23 pm
As Cordelia allowed herself to be embraced, she became aware of what to her, must have been a calamitous throbbing in her ears, not knowing that to Basil, it was even louder and grander than she could possibly imagine.
Basil was keen at detecting heartbeats, and it would be a challenge for Cordelia to conceal the fact that hers was off the charts, no matter how badly she might have wished it. Whether she wanted him to or not, he could hear it every bit as plainly as if it were his own, which oddly, remained quite calm and even-paced. Once he knew that Cordelia was not miffed at him, there was little for him to feel anxious about. It was soothing in fact, even moreso than the metronome. It would never have occurred to him that she might have been frightened, or upset, or excited, or any number of things that contributed to a racing heartbeat. It was just not a connection he made easily. There was still a lot for him to learn about the intricacies of body language.
If anything, he had every reason to believe that Cordelia would have gladly sped up her own heartbeat if she knew it would have pleased him. She was just wonderful that way...
The longer that Basil held her, the less of a hug it became, and the more he seemed to be using her as a kickstand. Slowly, he was going completely dead-weight. Thankfully, neither of them having much of a lower body, he did not weigh significantly more than she did, although it would not have passed completely from Cordelia's notice. Burying his nose and mouth into her skin, his brows knit together.
"(Sleepy?)"
He mumbled what passed for a confirmation, his breath tickling against her neck. Yes, he was feeling very tired. The Other had made sure of that.
"(Well you go right ahead... She'll be here when you get back.)" Now Basil's heartbeat was starting to pound. He didn't have the presence of mind to question it, or even object. He knew he wasn't smart enough to form an argument against it. The only thing he did know, was that it would have taken far too much effort not to slip away. There were just some things that needed doing if he was ever going to have peace in his life, and that meant giving the other a certain amount of face-time. It meant having to shut down sometimes...
Then, at that moment, his heartbeat might very well have stopped completely.
Thankfully, it did not take him long to revive. Taking a deep and sudden breath, the cobra was now very much alert, narrowing and un-narrowing his eyes as if he had been startled by something. He needed to get his bearings. Although he continued to hold Cordelia closely to him, he used the benefit of his height to look around him without having to remove her. He wrinkled his nose, bringing out the sharpness of his features. This room was even more hideous than Basil had made it seem, but then, Basil loved his earth-tones. He then glanced down at Cordelia, and smiled, putting a bit of distance between them so that he could have a look at her. She seemed to have made a terrific mess of herself, but for what reason he could hardly imagine. Although she was not crying, there was a moistness in her eyes that was unmistakable, and she had the heartbeat of frightened prey. He sighed loudly. He had always respected Cordelia's dedication to dignity, always friendly, but never at the risk of ingratiating herself. Since when did she become this emotional over something as harmless as a hug? Gently, he wiped the wetness away from her eyes with the edge of his thumb. "Stop that," He said a bit coldly, "Here."
Holding her a bit farther than before, he made a grand, extravagant gesture like a magician, then swiped his palm quickly in mid-air as if erasing something from a chalkboard. Nothing seemed to happen at first, until his rune began to glow, and very brightly, humming with energy. He was sucking the sound right out of the air. It was not immediately noticeable, unless one knew what they were meant to look for, but after a few moments, the silence was absolutely deafening. Although the needle of the metronome continued swinging back and forth, there was no clicking. There were no crickets outside, no hum from the ventilation system, no footsteps, and strangest of all, no heartbeats.
He smiled very broadly, as if making the effort to comfort her. "Ta-da." He nuzzled her on her forehead, a bit above the hairline, "You're alright." It was only then that he released her so that he could continue looking about the room, running his hand over the top of dressers and shelves, nonchalantly checking for dust. He talked as he went, his own voice apparently unaffected,
"Amazing, isn't it? But then I bet just about anything would impress you. Try screaming or something. Go as loud as you want, and I guarantee you won't hear a thing." He chuckled to himself, "You'd be surprised how that comes in handy." Brushing his palm onto the front of his jacket, he then thrust his hands into his pockets, taking a moment to reassure her, "It won't last long, maybe five minutes at the most. It depends. Would you like to show me the rest of the house? I think we've been in here long enough."
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:43 am
Unaware that Basil could plainly hear what she was trying so desperately to stop and hide, Cordelia was also trying to will herself not to cry. She couldn't let him see her like that, crying about absolutely nothing. Was it nothing? Delia wasn't sure why she was feeling like this now, and although she was horribly confused, she'd be damned if she let her junior see her cry for something stupid.
It was then she'd felt the boy go slack against her, his entire weight completely laid on her now. Thankfully they didn't weigh much and that she was a pretty strong female Frei to begin with, yet...Cordelia frowned. Had he really been sick this whole time?! Did he pass out?! "Basil...?"
He mumbled something she was unable to hear, but at least he'd acknowledged that he could still hear her and that put a lot of the basilisk's fears at rest for the time being. Though she got startled a bit when Basil suddenly jolted himself back to consciousness. Suddenly his onyx locks swished from side to side as he looked about, almost as if he were confused about where he was and what he was doing. Still with tears threatening to fall from the corners of her eyes, Cordelia looked up at him and wondered if he was okay. Basil smiled some, yet the minute he pushed her away to look at her it was gone, replaced by a look of what could only be described as disapproval. So she'd been correct. Crying in front of Basil was definitely not something she could do. She obviously needed to be stronger and not allow such stupid weird heart palpitations make her emotional.
Tears safely back behind their flood gates, Delia watched with confusion at what it was Basil was trying to perform for her. She frowned when nothing that was apparent happened. When he nuzzled her forehead like that, her frown only deepened. Somehow it felt like their roles had been reversed then and he was now mothering her in a way. She didn't know why, but this sort of irked her, the snake's previous uncertainty and fear gone. She disliked it even more the way he was just pacing around her room now, inspecting it like it, like she were beneath him.
Cordelia hadn't really been listening to Basil as he chatted away happily, somewhat wrapped up in her wonderment of why she was so suddenly not liking the way the other was carrying himself when only moments before she'd been on the total opposite side of the emotional spectrum. "What are you talking abo-" the smokey femme began to say, but stopped mid sentence to clutch at her throat. She'd spoken, she knew she had yet the sound of her voice didn't carry to her ears now.
She tried again, "Basil, what did-" yet once more Delia stopped when she was unable to hear her own voice. Actually she couldn't hear anything come to think about it, the movement of the metronome out of the corner of her eyes being a clear indication. Had he...had he caused her to go deaf? No no, that couldn't be it, she realized suddenly since she could hear him just a moment before. Him and only him.
Again anger grew in her, but Cordelia tried to keep it from reaching a boiling point. He couldn't possibly know or understand what it meant to take her voice away, especially like this. When she was younger it was hard and quite frustrating to get things across to others of how she felt or what she wanted. Even though he'd mentioned something about five minutes, that still seemed like an eternity to her. She couldn't wait five whole minutes to tell him off!
Placing her hands on his chest carefully, in case he started moving again, Cordelia began moving her lips quick and precise, a look of frustrated determination in her grey eyes. Was she...was she trying to use parseltongue to break the silence? Or perhaps she just hoped he could read lips well enough to know what she was saying to him. About how she wasn't impressed of how he chose to demonstrate his powers now. That it had not been a kindness onto her, whom as a newborn had been practically mute for months. That she hoped he wouldn't use it on her in the future. This she tried to convey to him desperately. Could she have waited? Possibly, but she was angry now, not later.
"Are we clear Basil?" The sudden pop of her hissing voice into existence along with the rest of the sounds of the world gave the girl a surprise and she jumped slight. Touching her neck in various spots, Cordelia gave a tremendous sigh of relief. "Oh thank god!" This had been just as bad and disorienting as the time she'd turned completely to smoke and hadn't been able to force herself back to a solid form. "Let's never do that again. Geez..."
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 2:39 am
The boy had a certain smug satisfaction about him as Cordelia struggled to be heard, reflecting on how Basil didn't have nearly enough appreciation for this ability. But then, it was unfortunate that he should be so lacking in vision.
Patiently he watched the way she first touched her throat, making several attempts to break free from the silence, all of them in vain. He could see that she was growing increasingly more frustrated, and for some reason, she seemed to blame it on him. She had found it necessary to approach him, put her hands on him, at which point, his satisfaction turned to dismay and disapproval. He said nothing, now, standing a bit straighter than before. Basil's posture had never been so refined, always slouching and sitting. This early on, it was clear that he would grow into a very tall young man, and This One took full advantage of that fact. He would say nothing, allowing her to make a perfect fool of herself on her own, flailing about the way she did, trying desperately to communicate with him.
Basil first learned how to read lips before he had ever learned to speak for himself, but as the months went on, that ability slowly weakened, despite Cordelia's best efforts to enunciate. Her passion would be her tripping point, as she soon began moving her lips much too quickly for him to get anything out of it, which was just as well. He didn't really care, anyway.
Once her voice and all the other sounds had returned, she was distracted by how grateful she was to have them back, a sense of relief washing over her. This One on the other hand was cocked and loaded. To look at him, was to react. His nostrils flared, his face clear and sharp. In his eyes, there was a deep, unblinking hatefulness that had taken great offense to the way she behaved against him. Why should she be so short-sighted? Hadn't she been upset by her own body? Hadn't she done her own crying, and quickened her own stupid, sensitive heartbeat? If he had taken her sounds away, it was only to give her some relief of them, do her a favor, but that didn't seem to make her happy either.
He made a sucking sound between his teeth before he next spoke, "That's not very gracious of you. I told you that you would have your voice back and you're throwing it in my face. I can't say I like having my requests ignored, either. I think I was meant to be given a tour of the rest of this house. What kind of girl are you?"
And then, for no other reason than for spite, he used Cordelia's own voice against her, "But I guess you just entertain as well as you play violin."
He shook his head, bumping shoulders as he moved past her, perhaps on purpose. He seemed to be going straight for the door as if to exit on his biting remark, except he never made it that far.
He seemed to be going straight enough, and with great gusto, but had peculiarly faded left halfway towards the door, swaying, almost as if he were drunk. He didn't like to look like a fool at the best of times, shouting as his shoulder collided with the wall, and he tumbled onto the ground. Although he had done the best he could to exhaust Basil into a switch, he hadn't fully realized how much energy he had spent to do it, and allowing himself to get so furious didn't do him any favors. His head felt as if it were a gourd full of liquid, swishing back and forth between his ears. Like dirty bathwater. His body ached, and if he were able to vomit, he might have done so.
He was determined to right himself however, never easily defeated. He began bracing himself on his arms, breathing deeply through his nose to fight the nauseous feeling in his chest. He needed to lean against the wall for support. He lost all of his restraint, now, shouting fearsomely at the Basilisk with a loud and resonant voice, as if warning her to keep her distance from him, "And another thing! I'm not... I'm not Basil— I don't... You're just too stupid to tell the difference! You don't recognize me? I'm—" Interchangeably, he shouted and mumbled a mixture of those phrases, stopping short always before announcing "who" he apparently was... Almost as if even he didn't know. In all likelihood, he probably didn't. Not really, anyway. When it came time to define himself, to use a name, he naturally had to question the sense of his own identity. Realizing he had no name, and only a very weak grasp of person-hood, he simply hit a wall that he could not overcome with even the most straightforward logic.
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:11 pm
Just when she was rejoicing the reappearance of her beloved voice and had all but forgotten her previous anger at losing it and to whom, Basil had to go and ruin things yet again. Gods only knew how many times one person could shock another in a day, but it seemed the cobra hadn't got his fill on Cordelia today. Perhaps shocked was too light a word to use then, something more along the lines of flabbergasted might have been more fitting.
Mouth hanging open and brows scrunched together in confused anger, the basilisk couldn't believe what she was hearing. Such arrogance and cruelty she'd never experienced from her friend before. And to add insult to injury, Basil purposely bumped into her as he shoved past towards the bedroom door. This elicited a strong physical response from Cordelia as she splayed her sharp wings wide, giving them a rattle as a warning hiss issued forth from her dark lips. She wasn't necessarily looking for a fight, but such a display of rudeness was just begging for something, friend or not.
Venomous words were at the ready, about to take flight from her mouth when the snake boy seemed to lose his balance of all things and slammed right into the wall of the door rather than float on thorough it. Cordelia gave a bit of a gasp, snapping out of her anger some. Why did he...was he okay? She began to form the question out loud while floating closer to help him up, yet stopped when the other all but snapped at her angrily. Her eyes narrowed, why was he angry now? She hadn't been the reason he fell into the wall after all. If anything, Delia couldn't help but think he deserved it for having been so nasty to her just a moment prior.
She'd missed most of it the first time, but thankfully Basil, or rather the glass Raevan, was still rather angry about his sudden accident and how stupid she was not to recognize who he was that she got caught back up rather quick as it was all he could continue on about for a time. What did he mean he wasn't Basil? He certainly looked like Basil and they'd been together all this time so no one could have quickly switched places with him. Did the young cobra have yet another power she wasn't aware of? One where he could instantly switch places with another?
Quietly Cordelia mulled over this as the other keep on his verbal rampage. A power to switch with someone else didn't quite seem to fit here the more she thought about it. Even when her and Ebby had switched bodies it had been rather hard to keep from slipping up on who knew what exactly. This guy...seemed too close to being Basil not to be, yet he wasn't as he stated more than enough times now. She'd read some here and there about people having split personalities...could this explain the young cobra's sudden rudeness earlier? Could the reason why he'd been ill, the reason why he was so unpredictable...was because he was sharing a space with someone else? Delia couldn't really be sure since she knew rather little about this subject and had definitely never known anyone who suffered from this condition. Well, until now that was.
Patiently, the smokey femme waited for her junior to calm down enough that she could finally interject. There was something she'd noticed all the while he was rambling on, something she now needed an answer to, something that would plainly tell her whether or not her hypothesis was correct. Coming eye to eye with the other, face completely devoid of emotion, Delia asked outright, "If not Basil, who are you then?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:13 am
Although his arms threatened to give out underneath him, The Other was determined to keep himself suspended. Until he had gotten control of himself and was able to stand, he would stay in that position for as long as it took, even when the wobbling started. Initially, he had seemed unable to remove himself from his crisis of identity, which had now manifested itself as a series of facial twitches and gnashing teeth, like a glitch in corrupted software. Cordelia had provided the perfect distraction, rerouting his attention. Naturally, he would have preferred not to be approached while he was so vulnerable, his own wings poised at held ready to strike.
And that question she asked him. It was as if she were trying to taunt him now, although he didn't have much reason to believe she was being malicious. There had been nothing to indicate any pleasure in this exchange, and she hadn't sounded at all sarcastic. For a moment, there was a distinctly Basil-like expression of confusion, as if he had not understood what she had asked, but after a prolonged amount of time spent staring into her serious eyes, the same eyes that Basil had been so fascinated by what felt like several lifetimes ago, he only smiled. Widely in fact, and with his teeth.
Seeing the steady forthrightness in her face as she knelt beside him, the directness of her question in a manner far removed from any sentimental feelings she might have had for him, or rather his own alter ego, he thought, good.
So far, Cordelia had proven herself to be an especially spirited girl. Passionate, both when she loved, and when she hated, but in his own estimate, it was an improvement that she should take measures to be less emotional. With any luck, she might have the tools one day to reconsider showing her soft underbelly for only a few tender remarks about her personal appearance, no matter how off guard they had caught her. Sensing the gravity of the situation, she was taking those measures with him now, hardly under the pretense of covering her pride after how ruthlessly he insulted her, although the thought had crossed his mind. He chose to believe that she was not performing for him, but rather, had sat beside him with every intention of settling her business.
Although Basil only had a foggy recollection of the night that he had been introduced to Cordelia — the flashlight near the fountain, the parseltongue in the parking garage, and the battered policeman without a face — This One remembered it all, and vividly. The way Cordelia had needed to be carried to safety on his own broad shoulder, spending the night beside him in the first warm place he could find for them. Stupid, he had thought. Stupid to have allowed that to happen. Stupid to have put her trust in an imbecile that could barely read a street-sign. Barely find his way home. Barely keep the lint off his sweatshirts or remember to pick up loose change when he saw it gleaming on the sidewalk! Stupid!
He was not one that easily admitted to being surprised. Being surprised would have been the same as declaring that he was not always ten steps ahead, which obviously he was, and at great effort. Far enough to calculate every possible outcome and keep his proverbial fat out of the fire. But, if there was ever a time he might have considered changing his perspective, it was here, and now as she patiently anticipated an answer from him. He was beginning to like her, and for the record, he agreed that she was very pretty.
It was a start.
Although it was clear that he had heard the question, he said absolutely nothing to answer or acknowledge it, although, his face alone might have said enough. In addition to being uncertain himself, he got his kicks withholding information that way. He did it to Basil on a fairly regular basis. It was partly why he was so... simple. It gave him a sense of power, but more importantly, it gave him the feeling of being useful, and needed. She would not be able to get the answers she needed from Basil, and if she did, it would only be half the story, and not a very informed one.
He shook his head at her, chuckling, but then stopped, having suddenly become aware of a dampness on his upper lip. He first began twitching it about, then dabbed his tongue at it. It was blood. Alarmed, he touched two fingers to his mouth, discovering that his nose was bleeding. Of course, it was only after he had noticed it that it began to form a steady drip, and he had needed to cup his hand over it to contain the stream. It might have been the stress he was under, it might have been anything at this point. In any case, it was enough of a kickstarter that he found the energy to heave himself up from the floor with a loud note of labor, pick his way along the bedroom wall, and hurry into the bathroom where he could inspect the damage. Leaning heavily on the sink, he tilted his head backwards, tasting metal at the back of his throat. Everything smelled like pennies.
"Oh look at this..." He loudly despaired, "Would you just look! I don't suppose you have a big white strip for this?"
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:02 pm
Though normally friendly and open, the flip side to that coin would be Cordelia's innate ability to be rather cold and apathetic. Her guardian might typically keep people at a distance, but that was only because the human craved the opposite far more than she was willing to admit most of the time. Delia on the other hand could very easily cut ties with someone if it seemed in her best interest. The basilisk had yet to experience a time in her life where this would need to be done, but perhaps she was already learning ways to do this now without really knowing or understanding it.
Being able to completely block off her emotions at this moment was not something she was proud of. In fact it sort of scared her how easy it had been to just let go of them. But something told Cordelia that emotions would get her nowhere with this Basil. Yes, right, this Basil. She needed to understand and accept that this was not her beloved friend, but someone else entirely new and had to be treated as such. Of course Delia didn't remember that she'd already met this person once before. Her grandfather had saw to it long ago to have those memories locked away, along with whatever others she'd created during the time that metronomes could hypnotized her.
He seemed confused a bit when she'd asked him that question, carefully calculating her face for any signs of malice, perhaps waiting to see if she'd flinch from his stare. Honestly, Delia might have eventually as it was getting a little weird again, the atmosphere around them. She was glad when he smiled, but only for a moment as the other merely shook his head and laughed at her. So he wasn't going to talk. It was something she had already figured would happen and thus wasn't really surprised. The smokey Raevan held a small inkling that perhaps this other Basil didn't even know the answer himself. Cordelia wanted to know for sure though and that meant being delicate in the way she asked it otherwise this one would probably just yell at her again like he did earlier. It was funny how quickly things had flipped again and she were the calm and collected one now where this Basil was the emotional raw nerve as it were.
She never got her chance to ask then as the boy's nose gave in to a nose bleed all of a sudden. Delia blinked at the ruby sheen as it began to dribble down the cobra's lips and into his mouth. She should have been alarmed, she should have been panicking, she should have been helping him, but all she could do really was stare blankly. Obviously there was a downside to shutting yourself off like she had. It wasn't until he'd rushed to the bathroom and began yelling at her did the basilisk finally come to just a little. She supposed she could mother this one just a bit too, if that is what he wanted from her now.
Floating off the ground, Cordelia followed him into her bathroom. Well it was actually mostly her grandfather's even though it was connected to her room, she never really spent a great deal of time in here given the nature of the kind of Raevan she was. Thus an abundance of towels were at the ready for the elder gent whenever he needed to use the facilities. Grabbing one blue hand towel with one hand, Cordelia swiftly used the other to smack Basil in the back of the head.
"Idiot. That's a good way to drown in your own blood you know. Tilt your head forward..." Gently she guided his head forward with her fingers and pressed the towel to his nose only until he held it there himself. "And just use this to soak up everything until it stops." There was a moment Delia stood there beside him, contemplating something as she stared at Basil's reflection in the mirror. Though she wanted to know more about this mysterious other side, she figured it could and should probably wait. Allowing a low sigh, Cordelia turned around to exit the room. "I'll call Genie to pick you up. I'll be downstairs when you're done."
Perhaps she wasn't as good as she thought at keeping her emotions at bay as a tinge of motherly concern was beginning to bubble up now. The sight of blood on Basil, whether it was her Basil or this other, it was enough to elicit some reaction from her after all. He was hers after all right? She'd declared him under her protection a long time ago, before this other had even shown up. It wasn't easy to just shut off feelings as she'd thought, even for this one. For he hadn't really crossed a line with her as of yet to call such action. There was also the Basil she knew, he was in there somewhere right? She couldn't really turn her back on him just because of this. Ugh! It was enough to give Cordelia a headache. Perhaps she ought to get a soothing strip for herself before phoning the other's guardian.
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:32 am
For a time, he could do nothing but stare irritably at himself in the mirror, cupping the runoff from his bloody nose and feeling it leak through the spaces in his narrow fingers. He was doing his best not to make a mess of himself or the bathroom, but it had come on rather suddenly and it was unavoidable that he should leave a "trail" behind him. Large, flat droplets fell to the bottom of the sink, and periodically he ran the tap to wash them away. He hated to make a fool of himself, and he hated to bleed. He would have to pace himself better, learn his limitations. He hoped this didn't mean anything serious.
In the mirror he saw Cordelia enter the bathroom and stand behind him. She just didn't quit, did she. Always on top of them like she was some kind of playground attendant. Bristling, he didn't like to have his back to people, nor did he especially enjoy being watched so closely. It made him nervous. So when she swatted him, it had come as a huge surprise to him. It was one thing to place her hand against his chest, but it was another entirely to hit him. He recoiled from her, knocking several toiletries into the sink, and one into a wastebasket underneath. He would not stoop to retrieve them. He would leave that to her. As she patiently explained herself and held the towel to his face, he stared at her from above with a perfectly wicked expression of shock and repugnance. He took the towel from her hand as she urged him to do, but by the jerk in his wrist, had there been enough room to do so, he would have meant to snatch it away from her like a petulant child. In his other hand, he gripped the rim of the sink, and passing a vibration through it, momentarily rattled the medicine cabinet. If he were to hold that towel under the tapwater and whip her across the face with it, he sincerely doubted that she would be so bold a second time. He gleefully entertained the thought as she prepared to leave, grumbling quietly to himself through the cloth, only stopping once she had declared very calmly, and very politely, that his visit was almost through.
This gave him pause, glancing down at the linoleum for a moment. He did not immediately share his thoughts, and without looking at her, turned back to the mirror to tend to his situation, "You do that." He said bitterly. She took her leave from the bathroom, and removing the soiled towel from his face, sighed deeply and set himself to washing the stains from his skin. It seemed to have clotted, although there was a stuffiness that made it difficult to breathe in one nostril. Clearing his throat, again tasting metal on his palate, he came to a decision, and stepped out from the bathroom so that he could catch her before leaving the bedroom. "Cordelia!"
He stayed near the bathroom door, holding the towel at his side and then gesturing it towards her, "Thank you, for this." With a sizeable pause, he carefully added in a more civil tone, "I just want you to know that... you don't have to— well, what I mean is, you don't need to—" He trailed off.
He meant to refer to her apparently irresistible urge to nurture, despite her renewed efforts to not only hold her tongue, but remain distant and impartial. What she had done for him in the bathroom just now had not been an overly affectionate gesture on her part, but it had not evaded his notice that despite his appalling behavior and belligerent comments, which had begun with her questionable intelligence and ended with her skills as a violinist, she had endured his criticisms while doing nothing to retaliate, with the possible exception of striking him. This was not to be mistaken for cowardice, or a willingness to be tread upon, although he could not bring himself to completely dismiss it as a possibility. Rather, she was managing him, and he was fully aware that she was managing him. Adjusting herself and her behavior so that she could continue to care for him in the same capacity as Basil, who perhaps required a certain amount of open affection from her. Regardless of whom she was dealing with, she had made one thing abundantly clear; that she would not easily be discouraged, which seemed to have come as a surprise, even to herself.
There was no word or phrase that could immediately describe it, and so he settled with, "I can take care of myself." There was a solemnity about the way he said it that seemed to stress its importance. He could take care of himself. That is, he could, and while Basil arguably could not, at least for the time being, he felt it was important to communicate that he was in a position to be her friend, not her responsibility, as Basil appeared to be, and it would be beneficial for her to fully explore the difference. She had the freedom to choose, and in his own strange way, was only looking out for her best interest, and to a lesser extent, Basil's, who regardless of her good intentions, simply could not be expected to go on solely as the receiver of her authority. Sheltered in the self-contained sphere of a relationship defined by one's dominion over the other, very much like a pet, or perhaps a small child. Hadn't she always thought of him as the baby brother she didn't have?
No... Not if he had correctly identified the impulse Basil had expressed only a short while ago as he had stared moonily into the Basilisk's eyes, and wondered. Perhaps she could not see it, but This One had a good idea of what the future had in store, and if for no other reason than convenience, he would rather the casualties be kept to a minimum.
He smiled a strange, secretive smile and went back into the bathroom. He would meet her downstairs shortly, but needed some time to himself. Unlike Basil, he was free from any voices or stirrings. When a switch had been made, Basil could do nothing at all to influence him, preferring in all cases without exception to sleep the hours away in some deep, secluded area of the mind where even This One could not touch him, later returning to consciousness refreshed, and usually very confused. In this way, Basil had never truly been alone a day in his life, much like the snake that had contributed to his birth. It was likely that he would never be able to fully appreciate the concepts of privacy and discretion, but This One could, at least while he was on the outside, and having a greater sense of independence had presented certain consequences that were difficult for him to reconcile. Namely, that it would always be possible for him to be lonely...
Basil was fortunate to never have that choice.
To even think of it brought a fresh stream of blood draining from his nose, and a short choking sound from his throat. He instinctively reached for the towel, but reconsidered. Stifling a cough, he stared himself in the mirror, watching, and waiting. It was not uncommon for him to consult with Basil through mirrors. It was only one of many ways to "keep in touch".
There were the hand-written notes, of which there were hundreds. Sometimes, they left messages for one another on the answering machine in the living room, and Genie, stupidly assuming that Basil was using it as a toy, would delete them at the first sound of his voice without even thinking. But Basil could neither initiate or return any of these courtesies. He would not appear to him in the mirror now, and if he had, he would very likely be sleeping, as still and unresponsive as a corpse. Certainly something everyone wanted to see from their reflection. What a funny thing it would be if This One were to ever have a fatal mishap. To step out into traffic or fall from a high ledge. This One believed in possibilities, and when it came to a swift and sudden demise, there were many possibilities. Then Basil really would be a corpse, but of course, he would never know it, the idiot. With every switch, there was always the risk that he might fall asleep, and enjoy it eternally. Was that worse than being alive with the possibility of loneliness? To This One, no it was not.
Finding himself in a mood that was as equally foul as it was colorful, he dabbed a fingertip at the new coat of blood on his upper lip, and then leaned a bit over the sink, where he then painted two small x's over his reflection. Over the eyes. He took a moment to admire his handiwork, but then, a bit frightened to be tempting fate, smeared the marks away with the heel of his hand.
Once he was cleaned up and a bit more amiable, The Other came downstairs, stealthy and silent as he floated just above the steps. Once there, he first gave a solemn glance at the front door, his gaze lingering there before looking around. How ironic it should be that Cordelia was not there to see him. She might have been elsewhere in the house, maybe with the old man, making her phone call. He allowed himself a snide chuckle. Had Cordelia shown him the other parts of the house as he'd asked, maybe he would have a better idea of where to find her. He relished the words as they came to him. It was a very good zinger, but unfortunately, it would have to wait for another time. In addition to making a fool of himself, and bleeding, This One also hated delayed gratification.
Clearing his throat, he loudly announced, "Cordelia, if you aren't on the phone right now, I'm here, and I'd like to talk to you."
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:15 pm
Sighing deep, Cordelia held a hand to her head to keep the impending headache from totally taking over. She was just about out the bedroom when she heard her name. Stopping and turning about, the girl looked to the youth with mild interest, yet it was obvious Delia was somewhat tired by this whole ordeal by now.
The basilisk was actually a little surprised to hear this one thank her for anything as he already seemed the type not to want to owe anything to anyone. Somewhat more invigorated from this tiny gesture, Cordelia was now much more interested to hear what else the boy had to say. As he stumbled over what it was that he was trying to convey, she couldn't help but see a bit of Basil in that, which only made things more confusing for her. Was he Basil, was he not Basil? She was even beginning to question slightly which one was the real him. Did Delia even know the cobra as well as she might have thought? It came as little to no surprise when he finally managed to mutter out what he'd meant and all she could respond with was a simple, "Okay then." before floating out and down the stairs.
Once she'd located the phone, of which wasn't on it's charger thank you very much Adrian, it was a very brief call to Genie merely explaining Basil's nose bleed and him not feeling all that well. In a side thought, she had to remind herself that she would have to have her grandfather clean up all that blood before Ebby got home and started asking questions. After pressing the button to end the call, Delia couldn't help but give a loud sigh of relief. Was she actually happy that Basil would be gone from her vicinity soon? The smokey girl couldn't accurately say what she felt then.
Yet another sigh escaped her dark lips as she leaned her face against the enormous glass aquarium in the dining area Ebony had installed not too long after they'd acquired the foxfish from the lab. The coolness there actually felt nice for once. Happily Poseidon began swooshing about in the tank right in her field of vision. Eyes narrowing in annoyance, "Knock it off mutt. I'm not here to play with you...stupid..." Honestly, that thing had little to no brains at all. By now you'd think it would have gotten the point that she didn't like it no matter how cute it acted.
Slipping lower to the ground and out of the fox's direct line of sight, Cordelia's mind reeled about all the events of today. Should she had said anything to Genie on the phone? Did the woman even know? Was it even her place to bring up the fact that Basil wasn't always Basil? Delia closed her eyes and propped her head on a hand. And what of that odd sensation with her heart from earlier? She still wasn't sure what that was all about, yet something about it felt awfully familiar. Perhaps that's why she'd gotten so emotional over nothing.
She was startled from her inner musings when the other called for her, closer than she'd have thought him to be. With great effort, Cordelia raised herself off the ground and floated around the corner to meet him. "Yes?" she asked dryly as she set the phone back in it's rightful place on it's charger near the stairs. Delia didn't make direct eye contact with him, one who seemed to see her as nothing but a bother really. Perhaps she really was happy to see him go, this one in particular, yet not Basil persay.
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Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:41 am
There is a bizarre phenomena that accompanies certain social situations, in which there is an irresistible risk to engage in one's most private and embarrassing habits before being confronted by an arriving party. Such as when one rings a doorbell, or sends their host into another room for drinks. Finite moments with a ticking clock, in which a person might hastily decide whether they will have the time to pick their teeth or straighten their pantyhose before being caught in the moment, which they usually were. This One was no exception, first cleaning underneath his fingernails with his teeth as if there was still time for clean nails to make some minute impression. Next came the swatting. The jerking, stiff-jointed swatting of his head that came to him with the inevitably of a cough being held in. Neither he nor Basil were completely exempt of certain... habits that singled them out, but whenever possible, This One preferred to keep his own under wraps.
He barely saw the shape of Cordelia intruding into the room before he forced his arms down and discreetly tested his upper lip with the blade of his finger to be sure that a third accident had not occurred. When addressing her, he was nothing short of correct and controlled. Although he had proven himself to have a tongue sharp enough to split hairs down the middle and a voice that carried, his movements were not so dramatic, preferring very closed, limited gestures with elbows pressed firmly into his sides and shoulders wide and level as if he were constricted in bondage. Basil was not very conscious of his body, and had only a vague sense of space, which made him clumsy and oafish. He often dropped glasses and magazines inches away from the coffee table or nudged things off of counters without meaning to. He sometimes ran into doors, forgot that windows were closed, and was no stranger to bizarre, but avoidable accidents that gave him countless scrapes and cuts. And yet, it was endearing in its own way, like a puppy with large feet that bumbled and staggered in an effort to be loved.
"There you are," He said, curling his lip. "She's on her way?"
He knew that she was, and this gave him no small amount of dissatisfaction. Being in the company of that woman spelled another long and frustrating career of hiding, and neither he nor Basil enjoyed being inhibited that way... But it was the price he payed for privacy, and of course, to escape any consequences brought on by his night-time hobbies. Genie simply was not ready for him, but when the time came, he anticipated that their introduction would be a grand and devastating one. He wouldn't expect Cordelia to understand, although he knew very well that she had done only what she felt was appropriate. He had also known that he would have had to leave eventually. "Don't answer that," He said wistfully.
He had to admit, he was disappointed. Disappointed at the fraction of time allotted to him, wasted. Wasted on bleeding and yelling. It was clear even now that he was still laboring under a certain fatigue and an unnamed illness. He hadn't even shared a word with the old man, when Basil had botched their introduction so terribly. He at least wanted to set things right, but knew that first, he needed to set things right with Basil, and his companion. Although he was very much in control of what information traveled in or out, and knew that his alliance with Basil was sealed for life, Cordelia was now a risk.
He might have made a mistake in hinting at their condition the way he did, but what was he supposed to do? Allow her to confuse the two of them? Confuse him for the filthy and slow-witted creature he was forced to share a body with? There had been no other alternative. Genie could go on living in either denial or ignorance of him, he didn't care, but for some reason, it was important for Cordelia to judge him on his own merits... For some reason, he cared what she thought of him. For some reason, he wanted to cultivate his own relationship with her independent from Basil. In any case, he needed to be sure that their secret was safe with her, but rather than simply swear her to a promise which could be broken or denied, he would make the effort to leave on a good note, instead. Give her a final parting look at the creature she cared for so deeply, and in his opinion, persistently. Maybe that way they wouldn't leave her hating them. If that happened, she could be tempted to do something spiteful, and he needed to eliminate that risk. And also, give her reason to believe that there was some good in him...
In the same careful, deliberate manner as before, he announced, "Cordelia, I sort of... made a promise to someone, and I intend to make good on it. I'm going to go out on the front porch now, and I'm going to sit on the middle step." Noticing her sudden aversion to eye contact, he carefully held and lifted her chin to be sure she was looking at him, "Watch that clock," he pointed for emphasis to a handsome wall-clock, "because in ten minutes, I'm going to expect you to come outside and join me." He hoped that Genie would not arrive too early. He did not have a plan B in that event, and would just have to gamble. "When you do, please be sitting on my right side, and do not turn the porch-light on." If it were anyone else, he might have added in an especially condescending tone, "Do you understand?", but in this case, he was certain she had heard every word. Taking a step back from her, he gave her his own lingering gaze.
He might have added something, some sentiment of parting or a reassurance that they would meet again. However, he knew he didn't have very much time to work with, and lifting the hood of his sweatshirt above and over his head, turned for the front door. Closing it behind him, he stepped out into the brisk night air, admiring the neatly manicured lawns and glowing cityscape of Gambino in the distance. Although he did not know it, he and Basil had not been born very far from here. Or at least, their predecessor was. A conflicted, two-headed animal writhing in the marshy island underbrush that might never have amounted to any greater purpose than a freakshow attraction if not for the good doctor. But at least it was a freak that wore both its heads in plain view. He settled uncomfortably on the step, and inhaled deeply. He needed to concentrate. Letting his head fall and droop to one side, he shut his eyes, and waited.
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:42 pm
Whatever bad habits the other was trying to keep from her was sort of futile being as she'd already seen much of Basil's bad habits to begin with and still accepted him nonetheless. Thus in turn she could say the same for this other side, yet Delia still hadn't completely accepted this one as of yet. When he'd asked if Genie was on her way, the basilisk merely frowned in displeasure as if he couldn't figure that out from the phone she'd been holding and also at the fact that apparently this was all he'd wanted to say to her even though he'd made it sound like there was much more he'd wanted to discuss a moment before. Cordelia was finding very little redeeming qualities in this side of the cobra.
She frowned even more when the boy forced her chin up to look him directly in the eyes and to make sure she was listening. This was making her feel inferior again, like she was a child, and she wanted nothing more than to defy him then. But there was a certain sadness in his dark eyes despite the superior tone of his voice that held her tongue back. Suddenly Cordelia was feeling a wave of empathy towards this unnamed creature. She gave a slight sigh. She really couldn't help herself could she?
It hit home even more when he'd given her that longing sort of look before floating outside, like he was trying to say goodbye to her or something. That kinda made her want to cry. But why should she feel compelled to cry for someone she'd just met and didn't really get along with to boot? No doubt if he was stuck inside Basil as the other was with him, she'd see him again, unfortunately, right? Frowning Cordelia watched the clock as she'd been asked. She wasn't totally sure what it was that the glass Raevan was up to or what promise he'd made and to whom exactly, but she, oddly enough, trusted him and did as she'd been instructed.
When ten minutes had finally passed, Cordelia very carefully opened the front door and peeked out. Her grey eyes, adjusting to the darkness outside, settled on Basil's hooded back. His body leaned to one side, the right of which the other had mentioned, and it looked like he was just about to slam his head into the wood of the porch if Delia hadn't intervened and caught him. Sitting down and adjusting the cobra so he was propped up against her shoulder, the smokey girl couldn't help a tiny smile. Basil seemed so peaceful then with his eyes closed, oblivious to the world.
Gently she pushed a lock of black hair from his eyes and whispered, "Basil?"
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