This was getting weird.

Both heads watched in silence as the ethereal-like doe wandered in, as if she had been waiting for years to show up. She stompped towards Basil - who's expression had changed to.. relief? Strange- perhaps they knew each other -but stopped abruptly and stared. While Henry thought nothing of it, it hurt Mordecai, somewhat.

He knew he was being judged by the single-headed white doe from a distance and at length the left head tried to hide himself, the left side of the snake twitching and jerking somewhat as he tried to coil up to himself, but Henry did not follow. He watched with wide eyes, curious.

"I do not think this is our conversation," Mordecai hissed quietly. Henry, for once, had nothing to say to his brother as the head decided to obey Mordecai's actions, helping him coil around themselves. Although the left head was now resting on himself, the right head still watched curiously, fascinated.

The left head tried not to take too much notice of this, however.

Her lips twisted as she listened to those overly dramatic simpering words. It grated on her nerves. "Yes, you could do me a great favor that would help me immensely," She said calmly, without her usual smile. "You can turn around, face away, and close your eyes, and stop talking." There was something off about Basil, and perhaps if they would just shut their mouth it would help clear their head, she thought. The cat thing was the first gem she had come across that she disliked so greatly, and she felt incredibly mean in commanding them to do something so rude. Her gaze cast downward as she walked towards the two, frowning. Was she wrong to be so mean? She had told Pounce to forgive, but in practice, it was hard to do so when the bad blood still ran between Basil and her cub and the cat thing refused to say it was sorry. She turned to the two headed snake once she got close and sighed. "I apologize for such a rude display. It's not the first impression I would've wanted to make, but I have chased down this creature for a while for an apology duly owed." Calmly, she bowed to the little snake. "I would've liked to meet the-the both of you under other circumstances." "This is how I speak."

He quite happily spun around and closed his eyes for her, if it would make her happy! Anything for her, anything to win a pretty smile from her. He squinted his eyes shut, hunching his shoulders as if it would help.

Focusing somewhat on the task at hand, her presence lessened in his mind, and he felt...he felt the maniacal grip lessen its grip, sane thoughts leaking through. Was this- was this the cause? Eye contact? But-but he really loved looking at her, she was just so beautiful. How could he not? He almost wanted to take another peek right now, but he jerked his neck back.

No, no no no no no no, keep your sanity together, think, think. This was a major step. Say what you need to say.

"I..." he swallowed. "I...wan-want....." His words came thickly, and his claws dug into the ground. Keeping the disgusting compliments away was more than half the battle. "Wa-wanted t-to apoligize,"

He could hear her pause in speaking to the snake, and when she spoke to him, he almost lost it completely. "What did you say?"

She looked at the back of the cat-thing in utter disbelief. "If you wanted to apologize," She said bitterly, "Then why didn't you? You had every opportunity to, and instead you were rude, abrasive, and- and," She shuddered, "Flirtatious! Your behavior was-" "Wrong, I know," came Basil's voice, and she could tell it was hard won. Her mouth set in a hard line. "I don-" She could hear them audibly swallow, "Don't mean to, I swear." "Then why?" She spat, stomping the ground in frustration with her delicate hooves. "Just quit with the flowery nonsense and be honest! It isn't that hard." "This is how I speak."

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Every time she spoke, he felt the familiar curse try to regain its grip on him with a tight fist, shaking his resolve, telling him to give in and just let go of his sanity, but he couldn't, he wouldn't. This was his battle, and if he couldn't win the war, he could at least hold onto this one little victory.

Inhaling and exhaling, focusing only on what he wanted to say, he said, "I ha-have this curse," He said, clenching his eyes tight, "That makes me an idiot around anything female. It makes me forget everything. I'm not- not normally like that, I swear."

"I'm at its mercy," He bit off angrily. "And I hate it. I can't control anything I say."

She frowned. All of this pulled at her story-telling sensibilities, and her romantic heart worried for a creature in trouble and under a curse, but her practical mind told her that Basil could very easily be lying get out of her distaste for their flirting and for the apology. It felt like it could be a hoax....but she might as well test this, and wrangle that apology from them through all this nonsense.

"If that's the case, and you actually feel sorry for hurting my poor Pounce's feelings, then you'll come with me all the way back to Cetus, blindfolded. That would make a perfect penance for your ridiculous, simpering pedantry." She said with a lack of sympathy. "Wouldn't you agree?"



"This is how I speak."

He bit off a denial - walking all the way back to Cetus blindfolded?! Was she insane? But he kept his mouth shut, huffing through his nostrils.

He didn't exactly remember what he did to her demonic cub, since the curse made everything hazy when it wasn't the stupid sparkles in a woman's eyes, but he believed her when she said he hurt the kid's feelings.

But really.
The kid butchered and exploded a rabbit, covered and blood, and just pretended that it was all bloody fine.
Was he really going to go all the way and apologize to that?

He snarled and grunted, "Fine. But you have to find me a piece of cloth."

"Fine." She replied shortly. If this actually was a hoax, she would prepare herself for it.

She turned to the snake who was just watching the whole exchange silently and awkwardly. "I am so sorry you had to see all of that. We'll be out of your way shortly. I'm sorry."

She walked away with Basil near her, walking slowly, since they had their eyes closed. They had a very, very long way to go, and she sighed.

[Exit Basil and Clover]

"This is how I speak."