Welcome back everyone. Basil is supposed to have a big roll for the first six chapters then be gone for the majority of the story. Enjoy and review.
Not Okay
As Basil walked into the b-movie area, a chimpanzee walked up to him. This just wasn't any chimpanzee. This was Blompkins, the chimpanzee who played the Lion Man's sidekick Jiggs. Any fool could see that "The Lion Man" was a thinly veiled knock off of MGM's Tarzan films, which themselves paled in comparison to the greatness that was the original Tarzan novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Even the Lion Man's name "Zantar" was just a reverse of the name "Tarzan" in fact it was one of two names that Burroughs had considered before choosing the name "Tarzan" so whoever wrote the script for this movie must have known Burroughs well. Even the story of a man raised by lions came from one of Burroughs novels: "Tarzan and the Lion Man." The plot of that was a film crew being in the jungles of Africa to film a movie only for Tarzan having to protect them from a mad scientist and his talking gorillas. That book was essentially a satire of Hollywood's treatment of Tarzan and it allowed Burroughs to spoof his own work and was the closest thing Burroughs ever got to writing a purely comedic novel despite still having all the action and adventure. As a Burroughs fan, Basil did not like the Weissmuller Tarzan films anymore than Burroughs or any other purist did. One thing that Basil wondered was just how much a lawsuit this plagiarism would make!
Basil had little love for Blompkins in fact he had little love for chimpanzees in general. He knew these things to be vicious cannibals and having been present when Blompkins predecessor, Emmett, ripped Barrage's arm off didn't help matters anymore. Barrage had been saved from certain death but Emmett had been put down for being considered too dangerous. Basil couldn't help but wonder in Blompkins was about to do something particularly vicious.
What did Basil do?
He grabbed a prop rifle and pointed it at Blompkins. "Back! Back! Back, I say you hairy, cannibalistic dwarf!" He motioned with the rifle a few times until he had backed Blompkins into a cage. As he went to close the cage and trap the chimp, Blompkins punched Basil right in the left eye.
Foolishly, Basil tried to punch Blompkins but only ended up getting his right hand bitten. The pain was horrible! Basil then wrenched open the chimp's jaws closed the cage and then locked it.
Well, that was that. Blompkins wouldn't be causing any trouble for a bit.
Basil then asked around to see if anyone knew where Tina was. He was directed to her dressing room and it was only when he reached the door of Tina's dressing room that he noticed something specific. Brad was nowhere to be seen! This only worried Basil. If Brad truly did believe that he and Tina were in love like the characters they played in the B movies then who knew what he'd do!
Basil opened the door and out fell Brad, Tina having sidestepped him, and kissing Basil's jacket. Basil was less than impressed. He had always dreamed of getting Brad fired but he could never find a way now he had one!
"Basil, thank goodness! For a moment I thought you were someone else." Brad was going to sweet talk Basil. Unbelievable! He was going to sweet talk someone who hated him more than fascism itself. "I'd just like to say that you should knock before entering a room that has two people in love trying to have some alone time."
Basil did not look convinced. If he knew anything it was that Tina did not love Brad. Tina herself did not even like being in the same place as someone as dangerously delusional as Brad Von Chilstein.
"Basil, could you please accompany me to Barrage's office?" Tina walked past Brad. She was clearly going to take this up with the head of the studio. It only caused Basil to wish that for once someone would notice that he was in pain.
Lee hadn't noticed that Basil was in pain from Brandy hitting him repeatedly with a parasol and now Tina didn't seem to notice that he was in pain from Blompkins savagery!
Still Basil walked with Tina. He loved her, not romantically, but as if she was his sister. He wasn't too thrilled about what Brad had been trying to do to her. A blind person could have told what was going on!
"So, Tina, was Brad really trying to…"
"Yes, Basil, he was."
They walked in silence. Basil would have to tell Tina about where to meet Lee for their date after they had talked to Barrage. Just made him wish that things wouldn't be so dramatic around here! It was starting to seem like his life was turning into a drama!