[Relationship] The Rosenhof Residence

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette chewed on a carrot as she thought. "Well, I could ask madam Dafne." She remained sitting down and stretched her arm out several meters to grab her phone from it's charger and bring it back to her so that she could tap on it while she ate. She was doing things like that more and more often, like holding the phone unnaturally in one hand and typing with her middle digits while she continued to eat her food with the other hand.

[Basil Benson]

The alien behavior didn't bother him in the slightest. It was something else.

"You've been talking to Dafne?"

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Mhhm." Colette said in an entirely nonchalant manner. "Not in person, simply online."

[Basil Benson]

"What do you two talk about?" He replied, seemingly as casually.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Oh, zw usual. Cats, clozes, memes, food, you."

[Basil Benson]

"Oh, I can't imagine I'm all that interesting, am I?" He chuckled.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Well, I zink you are utterly fascinating" Colette reassured him. "But lately she has been sharing wiz me stories about zis Edmond Spencer fellow. My oh my."

[Basil Benson]

"Oh? Any good ones?"

[Colette Rosenhof]

"A few. Apparent he was quite ze..." Colette paused for a moment to try and think of the proper term. "... Don Juan."

[Basil Benson]

"Well that makes sense. I exist." He quips.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Zis is true. Zough apparently you would be one of many... many, had he not been careful. Have you ever read zose stories about when ze male hamster gets into ze cage wiz forty females? He was ze hamster."

[Basil Benson]

Basil shrugged a bit. "I suppose he was young and without a madame. It's not uncommon. "

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Perhaps, zough I zink zat his success rate was greater zan most boys could ever dream of. Madame Dafne says all of zat changed however. He went from playboy to recluse, to ze point where zey do not even know if he is alive or dead."

[Basil Benson]

"... Maybe this is hopeless." He sighed, and began to pick at his meal.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette looked up from her phone and then put it away, feeling sorry that she even brought the matter up. The woman pushed herself to her feet and leaned over to place a hand on Basil's shoulder, stopping to kiss the top of his head.

"Perhaps. But perhaps it is not. It is better to try all ze same, no?" She gave the boy a pat on the shoulder before she moved away to head back into the kitchen proper, busying herself with something while he moped over his meal. Depending on how deep in thought he was, he might not see what she had retrieved from the fridge until it was placed on the table. A rather busy-looking cake, with a couple of cheap candles from Poundland.

"It is no Colin ze Caterpillar, but I hope zat it will do. I am sorry zat today has not been perfect, but I hope it has at least been good. Happy birthday, matou."

[Basil Benson]

Basil rubbed at his eyes in worry as Colette disappeared into the kitchen to collect her handiwork.

As he brought his hand down from his brow, he let out a wry chuckle.

"Thank you Colette." He replied. With her first name. Never a good sign. Especially when they were alone.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette took the emotional blow well enough, all things considered. She hadn't given Basil a very good birthday, but she could still salvage this when she gave him his gift after supper.

"You are welcome, matou. Now, blow out ze candles and make a wish, before ze wax gets everywhere."

[Basil Benson]

Basil did exactly as instructed with lacking enthusiasm. But he did go through the motions at least. That was something, right?

[Colette Rosenhof]

Basil's attitude didn't escape Colette's gaze, and her expression reflected this. While not always talkative, she was normally pleasant at mealtime, but instead was eating her meal almost lethargically. Already she was dreading things, was this what their future together was going to be like? Maybe her present would go over better. Once she was finished she cut the cake and presented him with a slice before taking one for herself.

[Basil Benson]

Like all food, Basil seemed to merely pick at the cake. He would smile occasionally in the polite manner he tended to, but didn't really start up any conversation. He had a lot on his mind currently, and didn't think he should express it all.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette normally was pretty happy when cake was involved, but she was noticeably less so as she ate her slice. Not the saddest little cake-eater, but a stark contrast to her usual level of enjoyment. When the meal was done she began gathering everything up, putting the leftovers in resealable containers for later and the glass cover over the cake stand before she started putting the dishes in the washer.

[Basil Benson]

"Thank you, that was delicious. " Basil replied politely to the cake as she cleaned up.

He didn't move on, merely folded his hands together and set them on the table top, a distant look over taking him.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"It was, was it not?" Colette answered, taking some pride in her work. As Basil sat in intense reflection she set about to cleaning up. It would have looked very much like something out of the 50s, except that the work was being done extremely quickly as multiple pink-and-black boneless extremities all worked at once, cleaning things and putting them away all at once, though Basil likely was a little too focused to notice such a thing.

Finding him still at the table when she was finished, she approached him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Basil?"

[Basil Benson]

Basil did notice, and watched. Rather intently actually, but why wasn't clear.

When he was addressed, he seemed to come out of a haze of sorts.

"Yes?"

[Colette Rosenhof]

There were a lot of questions that she wanted to ask Basil, but there was only one that she didn't dread the potential answer to.

"Would you like some tea?"

[Basil Benson]

"No thank you."

Ok yes something was wrong.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette sidled up behind Basil and rested her chin atop his head, leaning her crossed arms onto his shoulders.

"Would you care to venture over to ze sofa for some cuddling and talking? Or perhaps you would prefer to retire for ze evening and receive your present?"

[Basil Benson]

Basil was a big fan of that C word, but his distaste for that T word balanced out his answer.

But then again he was fairly certain he wasn't going to respond to Colette's present as well as she hoped...

In the end, Basil decided ripping the plaster off the most effective method.

"Present please." He stated, standing up as he did so.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette seemed pleased with this response. "Alright. How about you lock zings up for ze night and get ready for bed. Your present will be waiting for you in ze bedroom." By that she meant their bedroom, which was more her bedroom when he was too sullen to sleep in that space. Either way she turned and headed up the stairs.

[Basil Benson]

Basil dutifully did as he was told, disappearing into the bathroom with his clean PJs. He cleaned up fairly quickly, though lingered when he brushed his teeth, catching his own reflection in the mirror. He furrowed his brow at his mirror self to admonish it.

"Get it together, Benson. You've performed under worse conditions. " He thinks to himself as a half hearted pep talk.

He stores away his toothbrush, let's off a long sigh, and walks towards Colette's room. He pauses in the doorway, as is his nature.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Basil's present was, perhaps unsurprisingly, sitting on the bed waiting for him, with her legs tucked under herself. She was dressed in a sheer black lingerie number that had several important pieces missing, most notably the rear, cheeks totally on display. When Basil stood in the doorway she shifted to stretch out and lay on her stomach, her arm reaching out for a bottle of cheap champagne on the bedside table.

"I zought about getting you a book, but you surround yourself wiz zose all day, so I zought perhaps you might prefer to surround yourself wiz somezing else." She said in her musical tone, the cork shooting off with a comically loud pop that startled her, and then left her giggling softly. "I do not normally drink zis stuff, ze bubbles go to my head..." She said softly as she reached behind herself to pour a little on her rump, which visibly plumped just a moment later. "... and ze rest of it goes elsewhere."

Colette turned her head to look back at Basil from over her shoulder, champagne bottle still in one hand. "Well? I know zat you just had some downstairs, but are you not going to come and partake in my sponge cake?"

[Basil Benson]

It was clear he was still stuck up in his own thoughts, as an unburdened Basil would have nose-dove into the bed, likely smashing his face into the headboard in the process.

Instead, he moved into the room calmly to join her on the bed, reaching out to take the bottle from her with his left hand, and taking her chin in the right. He had been careful not to make eye contact with her despite a pleasant enough smile on his face, and was clearly set on the task at hand.

If she let him, he'd place the bottle somewhere safe that it wouldn't be knocked over, smoothly managing not to break kissing with her, and then refocused on his 'work'.

However, once she seemed satisfied for the night, he mellowed significantly in his advances, rolling onto his back and closing his eyes, his breath as steady as if he'd engaged in any other moderate work activity.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette was coming down from the bliss she'd experienced when she noticed that Basil had rolled away. It had been pleasant, but brief (well, compared to times when he'd been quite motivated anyway)... and a bit one-sided. She watched his face as he laid there on his back, showing no interest in actually getting pleasure from his birthday gift, which definitely gave her a lot to think about as she laid there and stared at the ceiling. He didn't want to talk, and now it had felt like what should have been an evening of passion and romance had been more him fulfilling an obligation. Was it because he'd seen how plain she was as a person? Or was he put-off by this new and strange appearance she could adopt? Those and other questions of self-doubt ran through her mind as she remained still and silent, attributing his disinterest to herself rather than outside forces.

[Basil Benson]

Unfortunately, Colette wouldn't really get her answer. Basil fell asleep without providing one.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette eventually rolled onto her side with her back to Basil and tried to go to sleep. When the morning came she wasn't exactly distant, but she was quiet. Not cold, but also not going out of her way to say more than was necessary. She had a lot on her mind and needed someone to talk to, and in her mind her boyfriend had made it clear that he did not want to talk about such things. She didn't meet him for lunch that day, though he had been sent with some leftovers from the night before. Supper that evening was on hold as she hadn't made anything and was apathetic about choosing what kind of takeaway to get instead, seeming to be content with a box of cream crackers as she laid on the couch.

[Basil Benson]

Basil hadn't really noticed there wasn't any dinner, because he didn't much care.

But he did eventually notice after he stored all of his things away that Colette was laying on the couch with a package of unflavored crackers. That was... different.

"Are you ill?" He asked with a concerned tone.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"No." Colette said, sounding tired. Half the time she wasn't even lifting the crackers to her mouth, just absorbing them by sticking her hand into the bag. "I talked wiz my parents today. It... was not pleasant."

[Basil Benson]

"Oh?" He stated, coming up behind the couch to watch her just... assimilate crackers one by one.

"What happened?"

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette didn't make any effort to move, just laying on her back with her head half-turned to the side, as if watching the fire in the fireplace... except that it wasn't turned on. "I asked zem for some advice, and during our conversation zey found out ze nature of our living arrangements. Zey... were very concerned."

[Basil Benson]

"Concerned? Why?

It's not as if I can do to you what your father did to your mother."