I am aware now of how everything's gonna be fine [Sybil]

It had been a long time since Basil had seen Sybil. Ever since Xan’s major bombshell, Basil had wanted some time to himself and there was nothing that calmed him down more than spending time with the younger girl. She was like a little sister to him, and he cared for her. School was just out for the summer, and he had taken her to Diagon Ally to do some window shopping. Without her knowing, Basil was thinking of buying her a new pet of some kind—something small, cute, fluffy. He didn’t know what it would be yet, but it depended on what she liked and what she wanted. He came to pick her up exactly on time and apparated her there carefully, to make sure neither of them would get splinched. When they arrived, he smiled at her.

“So, do you have anything you need for the summer, or are we just window shopping today?” He asked her carefully, walking down the cobbled street with a little spring in his step. This was a great distraction. “You don’t want an ice cream, do you? It’s a little warm out today, and I know a great place.”

He smiled lightly at the younger girl, breathing in deeply and exhaling. If he could be a good big brother to her then maybe there was a chance yet for him to be a good father. Father, wow. He still couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to go, but he was nervous and excited all the same. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Sybil that or not yet. Was it too soon to tell anyone? He worried about moving up the wedding to make sure Alexanderia wasn’t showing, but he knew that people were able to count. He worried that having a child would cut into the time he had for school and work. He worried about a lot of things and had very mixed emotions about the whole ordeal.

@Billie Fay

She'd made sure to be ready in time. Hair perfect, robes ready. And when he'd arrived, she’d beamed.

Despite his age, and the fact that he wasn’t actually related to her at all, he did feel like family. Family from another life. Of course, there were all kinds of things about that world that unsettled her if she thought too deeply about it, but it was difficult to do that with him right here in front of her, she thought. The blonde stayed by his side as they entered Diagon Alley. Basil Stringfellow was almost like a handsome imaginary friend come to life.

As with anyone she hadn't seen for some time, she was a little shy at the start of their trip. She tried to study him when he wasn't looking at her. It was true, too, that there had been some unnerving thoughts that she’d had in the lead up to this meeting. Ones she hadn’t written about in her most recent letters. For example, would he call her Sybil in the light of day, in a place like Diagon Alley? There wasn’t anything wrong with that, not exactly, but she wasn’t sure that it fit. The young witch remembered when he’d taken her to her island; they’d walked along rocky shores and beside walls wet with rain and drenched with history. She’d thought then that he suited that setting quite perfectly. And so did Sybil.

“I don’t think there’s anything I need,” she answered politely. Sybil wasn’t ever one to ask for things unless out of absolute necessity. She knew how lucky she was if she was with someone willing to fulfill her wants like that, and she didn’t want to take advantage. “I would really love that though,” she added, giving him another real smile.

Basil smiled at her widely, and led the way to a small ice cream parlor. The bell over the door chimed cheerily at them and he let out a content sigh. Being with her was like a breath of fresh air. Basil had never been meant to be a last child of the family, he thought. He was always meant to have been an older brother to someone, somewhere. He felt like this was a part of it, though. He had meant to care for animals and people like Sybil.

He liked that she was quiet, as he was often quiet when there was no-one around. It wasn’t the kind of silence that needed filling. He was lost in his own thoughts, though. He still didn’t know what Xan planned to do about the pregnancy and how that would shape the rest of his life. Could he support her on a potioneer’s salary? He had always wanted to be wealthy, independently. Yes, he had a small sum of his own money from the Grier estate, but that wasn’t the same thing. He didn’t know where to go with himself.

He spoke with her at short length about what kind of ice cream she wanted, then got mint for himself. He paid for both treats, and settled into a table outside the shop with their treats. “Let’s sit here so we don’t get messy.” He smiled. “Do you think your guardians would let you out of school this Halloween?” He asked, unsure. It was a Friday evening, so she wouldn’t miss any actual classes.

“I’ve got something important to tell you. I’m getting married.” He told her, for the first time. He had been engaged twice before this, but they had never gotten very far with either one. This one was real, and he was actually telling people about it. “We’re having a Halloween wedding. I would like it very much if you could make it, but I understand if they wouldn’t let you.” He didn’t know Kendrick or Jo very well, but he knew they didn’t seem to like him that much. With good reason, honestly. Basil wasn’t a good influence on anyone, or a good role-model for that matter. Either way, he wanted to make sure Sybil knew she was important enough to warrant telling in person and an invitation to boot. She was a bit old for flower girl, unfortunately, just a bit young for a bridesmaid, not to mention Alexanderia wasn’t close to her. Otherwise, he would have loved to have her in the wedding.

Sybil had wanted to try lavender ice cream for a long time now, but she couldn’t resist a fruity treat so he offered to get her both. And she’d let him, even though she felt something akin to burdensome mix in with the thankfulness. So it was a scoop of raspberry and a scoop of lavender for today.

“Halloween?” Sybil asked, casting her thoughts forward quite far. Halloween was three whole months away. Would Kendrick and Jo let her take a day off school? She didn’t really know the answer to that question. “Oh... I’m not sure,” she answered tentatively. Sybil knew that there was something her guardians didn’t like about Basil, and was willing to take bets on his surname… but they’d let her come out today, knowing who she was spending time with hadn’t they? She wasn’t even sure what the rules were – was it their decision…. legally? Should it be? She waited patiently for him to elaborate, and he did not disappoint.

“Married?” she repeated, her eyes going wide. She’d always been taken by the idea of weddings; declarations of love, the binding of two people’s hearts and lives. Her parents had married very young; her mother must have only been seventeen or eighteen, from the photos she still had.

“Wow Basil, congratulations,” she said after a beat. “I’m so happy for you,” she added honestly, a genuine smile appearing as she pictured him in dark dress robes dancing with a faceless witch in a beautiful gown. “What is she like?” she asked curiously, wanting to ask a whole lot more, but her politeness winning out in the end. She took small bites of her ice cream.