Backstory
Although her family is from France, Basilie grew up mainly in Germany, and a few other European countries. Heaps of moving boxes and packaging material make up most of her early memories because her father had a job that involved longtime travel. As a child, Basilie didn’t mind it, thinking originally these were just vacations or temporary trips. That’s what she would tell her friends, “I’ll see you soon!” But it wasn’t the case each time, and a majority were young enough to not know their addresses or have a phone to communicate. Eventually, names and faces were forgotten entirely. How that shaped Basilie’s personality, she wasn’t shy per se, but she no longer wanted to make friends. Friendships were easier at an elementary school age; only bickering over minor things and making up afterwards, large friend groups and playtime, but it’s tougher in middle school.
Basilie noticed that kids her age focused on their changing appearances now, and the fear of which friends would still be around as they navigate their new interests. As for Basilie, her worries stemmed from wondering where she was going to be moving again, “How much time do I have left in this town?” She thought. Her older sister had it tougher going through the loss of friends longer than Basilie had— perhaps that shaped Basilie to start being alone by choice. Making and losing friends is a pain, why should I try? And even then, it’s not like anyone could visit them when her father was around. He was ignorant of Basilie’s presence, she didn’t stand out at all, nor emote much around family to strike a conversation with. Her mother also worked often, so Basilie wouldn’t know how to be hospitable around guests really. It doesn’t mean she’s never learned basics from TV and so on, and, when she moved to Sauzieu, staying at a boarding school ended up teaching her a lot more about a normal life.
Sauzieu was a German town surrounded by a ring of mountains, with inhabitants used to the outstanding presence of the local girls school there. The school grounds consisted of k6-12, with separate buildings and uniforms to distinguish “middle school” and “high school” students. Those who boarded could go home on weekends and holidays, such as Basilie and her sister Juneau. Not too close in the first place, Basilie didn’t mind that they had separate dorms, it’s still the same building of mixed students. Nowadays, most students stayed home to save on tuition costs, but Basilie preferred the voluntary solitude of her dorm, at home it was a suffocating silence. She figured Juneau felt the same.
When she began classes as a new 8th grade student, hype died down quickly because of her unsociable nature. Others thought she was shy at first, but her resting “😐” face deterred others along with her plain looks. Inevitably, she became something like a background character, someone who kept to herself. When you’re not focusing on your own hectic friend group, alone, you begin to notice others in the same boat; Basilie noticed Peppin was also alone by choice.
For a first impression, Peppin seemed to also have an unlikable resting face(“😒”), and being known to carry a baseball bat added to a delinquent look. However, that look was only what those in her grade saw— apparently a handful of baseball-playing underclassman thought Peppin was sweet. Intrigued at how she just didn’t click with those her age, Basilie took the initiative. They sat together in classes, Basilie wasn’t obnoxious and trendy, but even she gave Peppin a weird impression at first too. Lying down in adjacent infirmary beds one day, with Peppin getting a baseball injury and Basilie feigning to skip class, they suddenly began talking more. Intrigued by the other’s images being far off from speculation, they just kept talking a little more each time and finally clicked. Now friends, Basilie didn’t really notice it until they were inviting each other over and regularly hanging out outside of school. In the back of her mind, she was afraid that she would have to move again, but she focused more on the close relationship she had with Peppin that she’d never had with another friend. Despite their usually casual intimacy that was similar to other girls that were friends, at times it felt as if they were subtly pining. Basilie noticed it first with how Peppin was fairly quick to become bashful and careful, but Basilie also noticed that it was occasionally reactions to hide something. Accidentally discovering that Carambola and Peppin shared a form, and unbeknownst to Peppin, Basilie pieced together that Carambola was Peppin’s sister all along.
Her opinion of Carambola was always an uncaring one prior to personally meeting her, thinking “oh a superhero is convenient to have around”, but she was someone in town that had no individual impact on her. When Carambola did confess her role in Peppin’s life, as a sister Peppin had never heard of, Basilie grew more fond of the family. Peppin’s sister was someone who also cared greatly about her, unconditionally, and Basilie could see similarities between them, albeit subtle. Of course, hearing an outrageous reality that you’ve had a sister your whole life would be a big shock, so it’s not something Basilie would simply tattle tale on— it’s Carambola’s decision to disclose.
The way Basilie found out was seeing a similar face in her older sister’s early yearbooks, learning from Juneau that someone so bright was once around, and the current hero of their town looked uncanny to the girl Juneau once met. From figuring out that mystery with her sister to hearing Carambola’s ambitions to formally meet Peppin one day, Basilie wanted to get closer to those around her, all thanks to meeting Peppin. There’s a history she never knew about her own sister and family, good and bad, and her best friend was an extraordinary person she wanted to have at her side. It gave her things to look forward to in unfolding, and experiences she wanted to become a part of as long as she remained in their town.
