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Description
The foyer looked like it had been awake for a few hours now, the chairs huddled close to the fireplace now filled with families playing chess and fiddling with jigsaw puzzles. Though snow was still falling gently outside and the clouds had turned the sky overcast, it was still a rather bright day for late November.

"This is the foyer." Xavier explained, rubbing his hands together eagerly. As though it knew someone was talking about it, the room suddenly seemed to flood with an almost unnatural sunlight. "It's sort of like the hub of the lodge, with most other areas branching off from it." Xavier pointed out the doorway leading down to the swimming pool as well as the steps that led to several floors of resident lodging.

"There's a swimming pool here?" Ilene asked excitedly, chewing on the end of the pen she was holding. "I had no idea. I guess I don't really relate winter lodges with pools." Xavier had to admit, most people who came to stay at the lodge didn't expect it to house an indoor swimming area, himself included.

"It's a very nice pool, though it's a little shallow". said Xavier, who stifled a yawn. Despite his attempt to cover it, Ilene giggled.

"I guess you didn't get much sleep either." she suggested, rubbing some sleep out of her eye. Xavier nodded, feeling a little foolish.

"I suppose it was pretty late by the time I got to bed." he admitted. "But I'm used to getting up early."

As they began to walk again, Xavier could feel himself instinctively sucking in his gut while trying to suppress his normally distinctive waddle. He was nearly three times as wide as Ilene plus a good head taller, and the glances they received while touring the lodge's amenities seemed to remind him every chance they got. In truth, Xavier was actually rather well known by some of the annual patrons, who always praised how helpful and kind he could be; but none of them seemed to have arrived quite yet. Instead the two were greeted with -- glowering and other insignificant noises of seeming disapproval.

Xavier wasn't terribly successful on either count of fat masking, though he couldn't help but notice Ilene subtly glancing at him, still smiling. Butterflies.

With Xavier still doing his best to disguise his puffiness, they walked on in silence for a while, the jubilant heralding of the orchestra echoing behind them. As time went on and their casual trip grew longer, Xavier could feel himself growing less tense and more at ease around Ilene. Though he tried not to stare, he had a hard time not making an effort to get a peek at the girl walking beside him, who just hours ago had fallen on top of him in a grand, wintery tumble.

"I'm glad I have another chance to talk with you." she said suddenly somewhere along the way, breaking the silence and detouring Xavier's train of thought. "I'm really much nicer to be around when I'm not stuck in a window." It was true, Xavier had to admit, for as memorable as the last night had been, it wasn't what he would call leisure. he chuckled, fruitlessly trying to keep his soft belly from jiggling around too much. Soon Xavier began feeling his nervousness melt away, though he still held the menu close to himself like a shield.

"I wasn't sure I would see you again." he admitted, silently muffling the hot, fuzzy tickle in his gut. "This place is pretty big, and people come and go all the time." Ilene nodded, carefully slipping off her jacket and hanging it on her arm. Her face was beaming.

"I know I said it last night, but thank you again for saving me. If it weren't for you I'd be a popsicle right now. And not a very good tasting one, either." Xavier was a bit taken aback, but clearly pleased by the sentiment as he slowly let a small grin appear on his face.

"Aah, it was nothing." he insisted. "Just trying to help." As time continued to pass, Ilene seemed to loosen up a bit too.

"So you work in the kitchen?" she asked, their pace having slowed to a leisurely stroll by now. "Maybe one day. I'm a waiter." Xavier said. The corridor they were making their way down was all but vacant, some of the crown moulding having collected small, wispy spiderwebs. . "Oh, well a waiter, that's..." Ilene started, making hand motions that she hoped would communicate whatever it was she was trying to get at. Xavier shrugged, being used to such responses when people learned of his 'profession'. "It's not the most glamorous job out there, but I guess it could be worse." Ilene nodded firmly in agreement, lacing her fingers together behind her back.

"That's a good attitude to have." she said brightly. It was around that time that Xavier noticed that she started walking a few inches closer to him. Never one to excel at small talk, Xavier tried desperately to evade the uncomfortable silence that seemed to be looming, though Ilene seemed to be perfectly content admiring the cracked, ghostly paintings that hung on the walls.

"And you...set up internet connections? How's that?" Xavier asked, hoping he was at least a little close. Ilene waved her hand in the air apathetically, like she were just asked about a relative she wasn't terribly fond of.

"Eh, it's alright I guess. I work for a company in town that mostly deals with customer technical support, but these days we aren't gettin' so many calls, so I've done a little training in a few other areas." As they passed by a sudden gaggle of enthusiastic carolers, Xavier remembered how many times he'd been that clueless person on the phone trying desperately to find someone that could help make technology cooperate with him.

"Not too many crazies call in?" he joked, looking a bit shocked at his casualness. Despite that, Ilene looked amused.

"Oh no, we get plenty of crazies. Most callers are just normal people in over their heads though. I remember this one time a few years back." Ilene glanced out the murky window at a filmy view of the still lake, as though she were about to recount a childhood memory rather than one of her batty customers. "This guy called in asking what was wrong with his computer. After about ten minutes we figured out that he thought a computer battery was interchangeable with 12 "C" batteries. He was a keeper." Xavier laughed, having to admit to himself that it sounded like the sort of thing he would do.

"Ah, and here we are at Zoe's." Xavier breathed, standing in front of an ancient-looking shop carved into the lodge wall, as if someone hollowed it out and pushed it into the opening. Having led Ilene into a slightly secluded pocket of the lodge's eastern side, Xavier opened one door of the quaint-looking cafe. "This is one of the only things that hasn't changed about this ol' place in all these years. If you get the chance you should check out their Tiramisu, it's out of this world." Out of the corner of her eye, Ilene saw two tiny red buds of shy enthusiasm blossom on Xavier's cheeks.

"I love Tiramisu." she said happily, realizing that she herself hadn't gotten a chance to have anything to eat that morning. As they walked inside, the collective smell of breads and cakes filled their senses. A few tables sat idly on one side of the buttercup-yellow room, each one adorned with a small, plastic daffodil. From the corner came a slow, gnarled grumble.

"Morning, Bruno." a squat, strange looking woman called from behind the counter, her bony fists handling several rolls of coins. Xavier greeted her in a friendly tone that seemed like a stark contrast with the woman's gloomy appearance. "How are you, Molly? This is Ilene, she'll be working here for a few weeks." The woman looked Ilene over silently before grunting what she assumed was a noise of approval. "Nice to meet you." Ilene said weakly, wondering whether or not Molly was just stoic, or born with out the ability to smile.

"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" Xavier asked, already pulling out a chair from a nearby table. Ilene eagerly joined him. "Oh, that would be great, actually. I didn't eat anything this morning. Sitting next to those pancakes was torture." Happy to get off her feet after the first part of their journey, Ilene took the vacant seat across from Xavier, who had his pink nose buried in another menu.

"Do you like sandwiches?" he asked hopefully, his hands fidgeting with the chipped vase their flower was sitting in.

"I love sandwiches." she responded, putting her hands in her lap eagerly. Hesitating at first, Xavier went towards the counter to order, retuning in a few moments with two plates - one with a single turkey sandwich and a tiny grouping of greens, and another piled several inches into the air that looked like the same basic spread, but in a considerably larger quantity.

"Here we are." Xavier remarked as he sat the plate down in front of Ilene. Ilene thanked him, watching as he carefully lowered himself onto the chair below, wincing as he released his grip on the aged-looking sides. "These chairs are pretty old." he said quickly, almost forgetting that today he was with someone. Ilene nodded appreciatively. "I'll be careful with mine." she promised, taking her tiny-looking sandwich and biting it happily. Xavier began working on the first of his towering sandwiches, piled high with meat and crisp vegetables.

"Do you eat here a lot?" Ilene asked brightly, picking apart the rest of her meal. Xavier, who was quietly nibbling at his mountainous lunch, nodded through his light chewing.

"Pretty often, it's out of the way but it's always good." Xavier began, his normally soft voice gaining some strength and vibrancy. "I didn't have breakfast yesterday so I took kind of a big lunch down here. They were out of this kind but I had a couple of roast beef sandwiches, (which are awesome here, that's another good one,) and I think a few pieces of pie, and then usually I get...uh..." Xavier stopped, looking at an attentive Ilene and then down at his partially-consumed sandwich. Whenever he started talking about food, Xavier often found it hard to know when to stop. His excited tone shrank back into a faint mumble. "Sorry, you probably don't wanna hear all this." he said quietly, taking another tiny bite of his sandwich. Ilene was gently picking slices of cucumber from her own sandwich and folding them into her mouth.

"Oh, that's okay. So what else did you have for lunch?" she asked, looking genuinely interested. Xavier felt his cheeks go red again, letting the bit of crust he was toying with fall onto his plate. He smiled, though there was a clear sadness in his eyes. "You're not...making fun of me, are you?" he asked sheepishly, beginning to regret that he hadn't said he skipped lunch, too. Ilene nearly her own fork, looking as though someone had punched her in the gut.

"Oh, no, of course not!" she exclaimed so loudly that Xavier immediately sat up straight, looking rattled. Even Molly turned her head in their direction at the sudden outburst, fiercely snapping a fat bundle of quarters onto the counter.

"I mean..." Ilene began, lowering her voice, "I'm just curious, that's all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound hurtful." Starting to release the iron grip he now had on his utensils, Xavier's look of sadness melted away, and was replaced instead by one of relief, and then, bashfulness.

"No, it's alright, it's fine." Xavier assured her, temporarily forgetting the irritation that his straining shirt was making him experience.

"I don't like to make fun of people." Ilene continued, still smiling but now looking at Xavier with seriousness. Xavier ran a finger along the edge of his still overflowing platter, nodding in agreement.

"No, I don't either." he said softly. "I just get so used to when Ja-"

Xavier stopped, the very thought of January beginning to tarnish his pleasant state of mind. He quickly discarded the edge of napkin he had torn off. "...Some people think it's funny, I guess." he finished.

Ilene had finished her sandwich, and was now resting her head in her hands, still looking a bit stern. "I don't think it's funny at all. People can be really cruel." she said solidly. Xavier could see that her soft, green eyes were filled with an empathy and understanding that was entirely new to him.

"Yeah, they can." he said finally, slowly pushing his fork back and forth over his salad. Ilene smiled again, her expression turning softer. She had finished the second piece of her fun-sized sandwich, looking a bit surprised at the nearly full meal that sat in front of Xavier. He looked down at his untouched salad and sandwich, still looking like he could use a bit of food. "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought." he decided, pulling a small cardboard box from the end of the table and carefully packaging the remains of his meal tightly. Though the two of them didn't say anything more before getting up and shuffling towards the door, they both wore such content expressions even Molly's grunting seemed to sound a bit softer. "We'll see you around, Mol." Xavier called back as the two left as simply as they came.

"She seems nice." Ilene lied, scrunching her face up. Xavier couldn't help but laugh at her surprisingly good imitation of Molly's scowl.

"It's just because it's so early.  She's even less of an early bird than Ja-" he began, but again stopped himself.

"...-net. Janet, she works down at the market. Maybe that's where we should head now." Ilene nodded compliantly.

The rest of the tour went by uneventfully, but enjoyably. In fact, within minutes, Xavier and Ilene had both forgotten they were technically on the clock. The sun looked like it was beginning it's slow decent from high noon when they found themselves back at their starting point.

"Alright, so we've seen the café." Ilene began, noticing that the foyer had become significantly more crowded. "The market, pool, foyer, veranda, dining room...anything else I should know about?" Xavier looked pensive for a moment, closing his eyes contemplatively before responding.

"I think that's just about it." he deduced, just the slightest twinge of disappointment hanging in his voice. Ilene thought to herself for a moment before grinning.

"Now that you've shown me the ropes, why don't you tell me about your favorite part of this place?" she asked, eagerly awaiting his reply. Xavier had been able to block the thought of his skin-tight outfit up until now, but the sudden attention caught him off guard, causing him to fuss with his straining buttons again while searching for an answer.

"No one's ever asked me that before." he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. He stopped after a few moments, a sudden realization spreading across his face. "Actually...there IS a place." he declared, growing excited. "This way."

* * *

By the time the two of them finally made their way to the door they had gone up more flights of stairs than either one cared to think about, and though Ilene didn't look terribly fatigued, Xavier was practically soaked, trying to causally gulp for fresh air. His face had become a harsh, vivid pink. Still, once realizing they had reached their destination, he did his best to straighten up and grabbed the handle, clearing his throat. "Here we are, the most exclusive spot in this entire lodge."

Xavier gave the massive door a shove, forcing it open loudly. After pushing through the sudden rays of winter sunshine, Ilene could see that they were looking out over the lake, tall brush-like trees standing all along it's shores. Though it was a small area, it felt cozy and intimate. It appeared to be the closest thing the lodge had to a roof, planted at the top of lodge's tallest tower.

Ilene took a few steps out onto the landing, which was only big enough for two or three people to stand comfortably. "Wow." she breathed, her hair catching tiny rogue snowflakes. The air, nearly too cold to breathe, suddenly began to feel surprisingly warm. Ilene looked over to see that Xavier had turned on a very small space heater that was nestled between a scattering of snow-covered fake house plants.

"So, is this your favorite place because of it's charm and elegance, or...?" Ilene asked, feeling like she had been let in on a juicy secret. Xavier looked a bit embarrassed, but also rather proud of himself.

"More because no one wants to walk up all those stairs." he admitted. "I've always found it to be a nice spot to get away from things. No one ever bothers me up here." Even now Xavier couldn't help fantasizing about the good times he had spent on his rooftop 'oasis'.

"I know exactly what you mean." said Ilene, who was pushing clods of snow off the roof's rusted railing and watching it skirt down the roofside. The uncomfortable buzz Xavier had been feeling lately seemed to have settled at last, if only for the time being. Breathing in deeply, he finally let go of the instinctive grasp he had on his belly, letting it slowly fill out the rest of his shirt as tension started leaving his body, though he still kept a protective hand over it. They both stood there in calm silence, too enamored with the view to mind that they were in such close quarters together.

"I guess we should be getting back." Ilene said quietly, feeling like a buzzkill. Though they had worked up a sweat getting there, already the cold was becoming a bit too much. Xavier opened to door again, taking one last look at the snow-covered landing.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." he agreed.

* * *

The warm foyer was a welcome sight when the two finally came down, Xavier still holding his packaged sandwich protectively. Though their trip had taken a good amount of the afternoon, Xavier couldn't help but feel like it was over all too soon. Ilene, who looked a bit tired but quite satisfied, folded her hands comfortably.

"Well, Xavier, I'd say you make a very nice tour guide. I'm impressed." They couldn't have been gone for more than thirty minutes, but already the foyer seemed to have calmed down. In fact, there was almost no one in sight, though most of the chairs and tables looked like they had been abandoned quite recently. A bit confused, Xavier turned back towards Ilene, still feeling a little bit chilly.

"No problem at all, it was-"

Xavier's ears began to ring as he was interrupted by a voice that sounded a bit like a dying buzz saw.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

A very tall girl with pale blonde hair and sharp features came barreling towards the two of them at light speed, boring her gaze into Xavier's frightened face. "What is your problem? You think you can just take off whenever you want to? January is pissed beyond belief." Xavier looked to be at a loss for words, though the woman continued to glare at him hatefully, clearly having only begun. Ilene, taken aback by the woman's sudden outburst, was courageous enough to interject.

"I'm sorry, this is really my fault. He was just showing me around-" she began to explain. Without so much as looking in Ilene's direction, the woman continued her assault on Xavier, who was now staring down at the ground again. It was an expression Ilene had seen before. She noticed that Xavier was holding the tiny box of leftover food behind his back now, as out of sight as possible. Though she knew it was coming, Ilene still grimaced when the girl, whose name tag read "Eliza", clamored forward almost as if she were about to hit Xavier as hard as she could. Instead, she angrily pushed through him, her eyes growing even crazier when she spotted what Xavier had been trying to conceal. Nothing good could possibly come next.

"Why am I not surprised." Eliza nearly cackled, holding the small box in her hands and looking like she'd love nothing more than to throw it into the still-roaring fireplace. "You wanna spend time stuffing your face, do it on your OWN time." Still recovering from what felt like an ambush, Xavier noticed how defensively Ilene was now standing, looking as if her insides had begun to fill with hot anger.

"Hey, you don't need to be so-" she started, but even her most forceful voice wasn't enough to overpower Eliza's cringe-worthy chortling.

        "You think you can just wander off whenever you want and expect others to pick up your slack? Next time you better think again, you whale." The girl gave a curt scoff before giving Ilene a quick, condescending glance and stomping back into the kitchen, shoving the box into a nearby garbage can. Ilene stared at the girl's now turned back in horror, petrified by her vile behavior. She looked up at Xavier, who remained silent. He had pushed his hands into his pockets, looking as though he'd like to crawl under a rock.

"I think I should go." he finally said, almost inaudibly. He kept his eyes glued to the floor, shifting from foot to foot glumly.

"Oh...alright." Ilene said sadly, still a bit shaken by what had just occurred in front of her. Xavier looked her way, clearly doing his best to smile despite his worried expression. Ilene hadn't seen someone look so miserable in a long time.

"I hope you have kind of an idea of the place now, if you have more questions than I'm always willing to help you out." Xavier had started pulling at his shirt again, his voice nearly cracking. Ilene pulled her jacket back on, wishing that somehow there were something that she could do or say. Putting on her own almost-smile, she pushed all the questions she was dying to ask down somewhere deep, for a day that wasn't today.

"Thank you so much, Xavier, I really had fun. I'm sure I'll see you again soon, right?"  She asked, realizing that it must be nearly dinner time by now. Xavier nodded.

"I'm sure I will."

Starting off towards the staircase, Ilene gave Xavier a gentle wave before departing, leaving him in the middle of the empty foyer. As soon as she had vanished Xavier groaned, finally letting go of the now painful hold he still had on his stomach and backside, no longer caring if any buttons popped off. The butterflies were gone. All that was left now was a gnawing hunger that Xavier wished he had satisfied when he had the chance.

Description
The foyer looked like it had been awake for a few hours now, the chairs huddled close to the fireplace now filled with families playing chess and fiddling with jigsaw puzzles. Though snow was still falling gently outside and the clouds had turned the sky overcast, it was still a rather bright day for late November.

"This is the foyer." Xavier explained, rubbing his hands together eagerly. As though it knew someone was talking about it, the room suddenly seemed to flood with an almost unnatural sunlight. "It's sort of like the hub of the lodge, with most other areas branching off from it." Xavier pointed out the doorway leading down to the swimming pool as well as the steps that led to several floors of resident lodging.

"There's a swimming pool here?" Ilene asked excitedly, chewing on the end of the pen she was holding. "I had no idea. I guess I don't really relate winter lodges with pools." Xavier had to admit, most people who came to stay at the lodge didn't expect it to house an indoor swimming area, himself included.

"It's a very nice pool, though it's a little shallow". said Xavier, who stifled a yawn. Despite his attempt to cover it, Ilene giggled.

"I guess you didn't get much sleep either." she suggested, rubbing some sleep out of her eye. Xavier nodded, feeling a little foolish.

"I suppose it was pretty late by the time I got to bed." he admitted. "But I'm used to getting up early."

As they began to walk again, Xavier could feel himself instinctively sucking in his gut while trying to suppress his normally distinctive waddle. He was nearly three times as wide as Ilene plus a good head taller, and the glances they received while touring the lodge's amenities seemed to remind him every chance they got. In truth, Xavier was actually rather well known by some of the annual patrons, who always praised how helpful and kind he could be; but none of them seemed to have arrived quite yet. Instead the two were greeted with -- glowering and other insignificant noises of seeming disapproval.

Xavier wasn't terribly successful on either count of fat masking, though he couldn't help but notice Ilene subtly glancing at him, still smiling. Butterflies.

With Xavier still doing his best to disguise his puffiness, they walked on in silence for a while, the jubilant heralding of the orchestra echoing behind them. As time went on and their casual trip grew longer, Xavier could feel himself growing less tense and more at ease around Ilene. Though he tried not to stare, he had a hard time not making an effort to get a peek at the girl walking beside him, who just hours ago had fallen on top of him in a grand, wintery tumble.

"I'm glad I have another chance to talk with you." she said suddenly somewhere along the way, breaking the silence and detouring Xavier's train of thought. "I'm really much nicer to be around when I'm not stuck in a window." It was true, Xavier had to admit, for as memorable as the last night had been, it wasn't what he would call leisure. he chuckled, fruitlessly trying to keep his soft belly from jiggling around too much. Soon Xavier began feeling his nervousness melt away, though he still held the menu close to himself like a shield.

"I wasn't sure I would see you again." he admitted, silently muffling the hot, fuzzy tickle in his gut. "This place is pretty big, and people come and go all the time." Ilene nodded, carefully slipping off her jacket and hanging it on her arm. Her face was beaming.

"I know I said it last night, but thank you again for saving me. If it weren't for you I'd be a popsicle right now. And not a very good tasting one, either." Xavier was a bit taken aback, but clearly pleased by the sentiment as he slowly let a small grin appear on his face.

"Aah, it was nothing." he insisted. "Just trying to help." As time continued to pass, Ilene seemed to loosen up a bit too.

"So you work in the kitchen?" she asked, their pace having slowed to a leisurely stroll by now. "Maybe one day. I'm a waiter." Xavier said. The corridor they were making their way down was all but vacant, some of the crown moulding having collected small, wispy spiderwebs. . "Oh, well a waiter, that's..." Ilene started, making hand motions that she hoped would communicate whatever it was she was trying to get at. Xavier shrugged, being used to such responses when people learned of his 'profession'. "It's not the most glamorous job out there, but I guess it could be worse." Ilene nodded firmly in agreement, lacing her fingers together behind her back.

"That's a good attitude to have." she said brightly. It was around that time that Xavier noticed that she started walking a few inches closer to him. Never one to excel at small talk, Xavier tried desperately to evade the uncomfortable silence that seemed to be looming, though Ilene seemed to be perfectly content admiring the cracked, ghostly paintings that hung on the walls.

"And you...set up internet connections? How's that?" Xavier asked, hoping he was at least a little close. Ilene waved her hand in the air apathetically, like she were just asked about a relative she wasn't terribly fond of.

"Eh, it's alright I guess. I work for a company in town that mostly deals with customer technical support, but these days we aren't gettin' so many calls, so I've done a little training in a few other areas." As they passed by a sudden gaggle of enthusiastic carolers, Xavier remembered how many times he'd been that clueless person on the phone trying desperately to find someone that could help make technology cooperate with him.

"Not too many crazies call in?" he joked, looking a bit shocked at his casualness. Despite that, Ilene looked amused.

"Oh no, we get plenty of crazies. Most callers are just normal people in over their heads though. I remember this one time a few years back." Ilene glanced out the murky window at a filmy view of the still lake, as though she were about to recount a childhood memory rather than one of her batty customers. "This guy called in asking what was wrong with his computer. After about ten minutes we figured out that he thought a computer battery was interchangeable with 12 "C" batteries. He was a keeper." Xavier laughed, having to admit to himself that it sounded like the sort of thing he would do.

"Ah, and here we are at Zoe's." Xavier breathed, standing in front of an ancient-looking shop carved into the lodge wall, as if someone hollowed it out and pushed it into the opening. Having led Ilene into a slightly secluded pocket of the lodge's eastern side, Xavier opened one door of the quaint-looking cafe. "This is one of the only things that hasn't changed about this ol' place in all these years. If you get the chance you should check out their Tiramisu, it's out of this world." Out of the corner of her eye, Ilene saw two tiny red buds of shy enthusiasm blossom on Xavier's cheeks.

"I love Tiramisu." she said happily, realizing that she herself hadn't gotten a chance to have anything to eat that morning. As they walked inside, the collective smell of breads and cakes filled their senses. A few tables sat idly on one side of the buttercup-yellow room, each one adorned with a small, plastic daffodil. From the corner came a slow, gnarled grumble.

"Morning, Bruno." a squat, strange looking woman called from behind the counter, her bony fists handling several rolls of coins. Xavier greeted her in a friendly tone that seemed like a stark contrast with the woman's gloomy appearance. "How are you, Molly? This is Ilene, she'll be working here for a few weeks." The woman looked Ilene over silently before grunting what she assumed was a noise of approval. "Nice to meet you." Ilene said weakly, wondering whether or not Molly was just stoic, or born with out the ability to smile.

"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" Xavier asked, already pulling out a chair from a nearby table. Ilene eagerly joined him. "Oh, that would be great, actually. I didn't eat anything this morning. Sitting next to those pancakes was torture." Happy to get off her feet after the first part of their journey, Ilene took the vacant seat across from Xavier, who had his pink nose buried in another menu.

"Do you like sandwiches?" he asked hopefully, his hands fidgeting with the chipped vase their flower was sitting in.

"I love sandwiches." she responded, putting her hands in her lap eagerly. Hesitating at first, Xavier went towards the counter to order, retuning in a few moments with two plates - one with a single turkey sandwich and a tiny grouping of greens, and another piled several inches into the air that looked like the same basic spread, but in a considerably larger quantity.

"Here we are." Xavier remarked as he sat the plate down in front of Ilene. Ilene thanked him, watching as he carefully lowered himself onto the chair below, wincing as he released his grip on the aged-looking sides. "These chairs are pretty old." he said quickly, almost forgetting that today he was with someone. Ilene nodded appreciatively. "I'll be careful with mine." she promised, taking her tiny-looking sandwich and biting it happily. Xavier began working on the first of his towering sandwiches, piled high with meat and crisp vegetables.

"Do you eat here a lot?" Ilene asked brightly, picking apart the rest of her meal. Xavier, who was quietly nibbling at his mountainous lunch, nodded through his light chewing.

"Pretty often, it's out of the way but it's always good." Xavier began, his normally soft voice gaining some strength and vibrancy. "I didn't have breakfast yesterday so I took kind of a big lunch down here. They were out of this kind but I had a couple of roast beef sandwiches, (which are awesome here, that's another good one,) and I think a few pieces of pie, and then usually I get...uh..." Xavier stopped, looking at an attentive Ilene and then down at his partially-consumed sandwich. Whenever he started talking about food, Xavier often found it hard to know when to stop. His excited tone shrank back into a faint mumble. "Sorry, you probably don't wanna hear all this." he said quietly, taking another tiny bite of his sandwich. Ilene was gently picking slices of cucumber from her own sandwich and folding them into her mouth.

"Oh, that's okay. So what else did you have for lunch?" she asked, looking genuinely interested. Xavier felt his cheeks go red again, letting the bit of crust he was toying with fall onto his plate. He smiled, though there was a clear sadness in his eyes. "You're not...making fun of me, are you?" he asked sheepishly, beginning to regret that he hadn't said he skipped lunch, too. Ilene nearly her own fork, looking as though someone had punched her in the gut.

"Oh, no, of course not!" she exclaimed so loudly that Xavier immediately sat up straight, looking rattled. Even Molly turned her head in their direction at the sudden outburst, fiercely snapping a fat bundle of quarters onto the counter.

"I mean..." Ilene began, lowering her voice, "I'm just curious, that's all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound hurtful." Starting to release the iron grip he now had on his utensils, Xavier's look of sadness melted away, and was replaced instead by one of relief, and then, bashfulness.

"No, it's alright, it's fine." Xavier assured her, temporarily forgetting the irritation that his straining shirt was making him experience.

"I don't like to make fun of people." Ilene continued, still smiling but now looking at Xavier with seriousness. Xavier ran a finger along the edge of his still overflowing platter, nodding in agreement.

"No, I don't either." he said softly. "I just get so used to when Ja-"

Xavier stopped, the very thought of January beginning to tarnish his pleasant state of mind. He quickly discarded the edge of napkin he had torn off. "...Some people think it's funny, I guess." he finished.

Ilene had finished her sandwich, and was now resting her head in her hands, still looking a bit stern. "I don't think it's funny at all. People can be really cruel." she said solidly. Xavier could see that her soft, green eyes were filled with an empathy and understanding that was entirely new to him.

"Yeah, they can." he said finally, slowly pushing his fork back and forth over his salad. Ilene smiled again, her expression turning softer. She had finished the second piece of her fun-sized sandwich, looking a bit surprised at the nearly full meal that sat in front of Xavier. He looked down at his untouched salad and sandwich, still looking like he could use a bit of food. "I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought." he decided, pulling a small cardboard box from the end of the table and carefully packaging the remains of his meal tightly. Though the two of them didn't say anything more before getting up and shuffling towards the door, they both wore such content expressions even Molly's grunting seemed to sound a bit softer. "We'll see you around, Mol." Xavier called back as the two left as simply as they came.

"She seems nice." Ilene lied, scrunching her face up. Xavier couldn't help but laugh at her surprisingly good imitation of Molly's scowl.

"It's just because it's so early.  She's even less of an early bird than Ja-" he began, but again stopped himself.

"...-net. Janet, she works down at the market. Maybe that's where we should head now." Ilene nodded compliantly.

The rest of the tour went by uneventfully, but enjoyably. In fact, within minutes, Xavier and Ilene had both forgotten they were technically on the clock. The sun looked like it was beginning it's slow decent from high noon when they found themselves back at their starting point.

"Alright, so we've seen the café." Ilene began, noticing that the foyer had become significantly more crowded. "The market, pool, foyer, veranda, dining room...anything else I should know about?" Xavier looked pensive for a moment, closing his eyes contemplatively before responding.

"I think that's just about it." he deduced, just the slightest twinge of disappointment hanging in his voice. Ilene thought to herself for a moment before grinning.

"Now that you've shown me the ropes, why don't you tell me about your favorite part of this place?" she asked, eagerly awaiting his reply. Xavier had been able to block the thought of his skin-tight outfit up until now, but the sudden attention caught him off guard, causing him to fuss with his straining buttons again while searching for an answer.

"No one's ever asked me that before." he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. He stopped after a few moments, a sudden realization spreading across his face. "Actually...there IS a place." he declared, growing excited. "This way."

* * *

By the time the two of them finally made their way to the door they had gone up more flights of stairs than either one cared to think about, and though Ilene didn't look terribly fatigued, Xavier was practically soaked, trying to causally gulp for fresh air. His face had become a harsh, vivid pink. Still, once realizing they had reached their destination, he did his best to straighten up and grabbed the handle, clearing his throat. "Here we are, the most exclusive spot in this entire lodge."

Xavier gave the massive door a shove, forcing it open loudly. After pushing through the sudden rays of winter sunshine, Ilene could see that they were looking out over the lake, tall brush-like trees standing all along it's shores. Though it was a small area, it felt cozy and intimate. It appeared to be the closest thing the lodge had to a roof, planted at the top of lodge's tallest tower.

Ilene took a few steps out onto the landing, which was only big enough for two or three people to stand comfortably. "Wow." she breathed, her hair catching tiny rogue snowflakes. The air, nearly too cold to breathe, suddenly began to feel surprisingly warm. Ilene looked over to see that Xavier had turned on a very small space heater that was nestled between a scattering of snow-covered fake house plants.

"So, is this your favorite place because of it's charm and elegance, or...?" Ilene asked, feeling like she had been let in on a juicy secret. Xavier looked a bit embarrassed, but also rather proud of himself.

"More because no one wants to walk up all those stairs." he admitted. "I've always found it to be a nice spot to get away from things. No one ever bothers me up here." Even now Xavier couldn't help fantasizing about the good times he had spent on his rooftop 'oasis'.

"I know exactly what you mean." said Ilene, who was pushing clods of snow off the roof's rusted railing and watching it skirt down the roofside. The uncomfortable buzz Xavier had been feeling lately seemed to have settled at last, if only for the time being. Breathing in deeply, he finally let go of the instinctive grasp he had on his belly, letting it slowly fill out the rest of his shirt as tension started leaving his body, though he still kept a protective hand over it. They both stood there in calm silence, too enamored with the view to mind that they were in such close quarters together.

"I guess we should be getting back." Ilene said quietly, feeling like a buzzkill. Though they had worked up a sweat getting there, already the cold was becoming a bit too much. Xavier opened to door again, taking one last look at the snow-covered landing.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." he agreed.

* * *

The warm foyer was a welcome sight when the two finally came down, Xavier still holding his packaged sandwich protectively. Though their trip had taken a good amount of the afternoon, Xavier couldn't help but feel like it was over all too soon. Ilene, who looked a bit tired but quite satisfied, folded her hands comfortably.

"Well, Xavier, I'd say you make a very nice tour guide. I'm impressed." They couldn't have been gone for more than thirty minutes, but already the foyer seemed to have calmed down. In fact, there was almost no one in sight, though most of the chairs and tables looked like they had been abandoned quite recently. A bit confused, Xavier turned back towards Ilene, still feeling a little bit chilly.

"No problem at all, it was-"

Xavier's ears began to ring as he was interrupted by a voice that sounded a bit like a dying buzz saw.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

A very tall girl with pale blonde hair and sharp features came barreling towards the two of them at light speed, boring her gaze into Xavier's frightened face. "What is your problem? You think you can just take off whenever you want to? January is pissed beyond belief." Xavier looked to be at a loss for words, though the woman continued to glare at him hatefully, clearly having only begun. Ilene, taken aback by the woman's sudden outburst, was courageous enough to interject.

"I'm sorry, this is really my fault. He was just showing me around-" she began to explain. Without so much as looking in Ilene's direction, the woman continued her assault on Xavier, who was now staring down at the ground again. It was an expression Ilene had seen before. She noticed that Xavier was holding the tiny box of leftover food behind his back now, as out of sight as possible. Though she knew it was coming, Ilene still grimaced when the girl, whose name tag read "Eliza", clamored forward almost as if she were about to hit Xavier as hard as she could. Instead, she angrily pushed through him, her eyes growing even crazier when she spotted what Xavier had been trying to conceal. Nothing good could possibly come next.

"Why am I not surprised." Eliza nearly cackled, holding the small box in her hands and looking like she'd love nothing more than to throw it into the still-roaring fireplace. "You wanna spend time stuffing your face, do it on your OWN time." Still recovering from what felt like an ambush, Xavier noticed how defensively Ilene was now standing, looking as if her insides had begun to fill with hot anger.

"Hey, you don't need to be so-" she started, but even her most forceful voice wasn't enough to overpower Eliza's cringe-worthy chortling.

        "You think you can just wander off whenever you want and expect others to pick up your slack? Next time you better think again, you whale." The girl gave a curt scoff before giving Ilene a quick, condescending glance and stomping back into the kitchen, shoving the box into a nearby garbage can. Ilene stared at the girl's now turned back in horror, petrified by her vile behavior. She looked up at Xavier, who remained silent. He had pushed his hands into his pockets, looking as though he'd like to crawl under a rock.

"I think I should go." he finally said, almost inaudibly. He kept his eyes glued to the floor, shifting from foot to foot glumly.

"Oh...alright." Ilene said sadly, still a bit shaken by what had just occurred in front of her. Xavier looked her way, clearly doing his best to smile despite his worried expression. Ilene hadn't seen someone look so miserable in a long time.

"I hope you have kind of an idea of the place now, if you have more questions than I'm always willing to help you out." Xavier had started pulling at his shirt again, his voice nearly cracking. Ilene pulled her jacket back on, wishing that somehow there were something that she could do or say. Putting on her own almost-smile, she pushed all the questions she was dying to ask down somewhere deep, for a day that wasn't today.

"Thank you so much, Xavier, I really had fun. I'm sure I'll see you again soon, right?"  She asked, realizing that it must be nearly dinner time by now. Xavier nodded.

"I'm sure I will."

Starting off towards the staircase, Ilene gave Xavier a gentle wave before departing, leaving him in the middle of the empty foyer. As soon as she had vanished Xavier groaned, finally letting go of the now painful hold he still had on his stomach and backside, no longer caring if any buttons popped off. The butterflies were gone. All that was left now was a gnawing hunger that Xavier wished he had satisfied when he had the chance.