Xaviers!

"But Colette, this is your hole."

Her avatar smirks.

"It was made for you."

Haley nodded in agreement.

"We can go with you...I think. But you've got to come."

Colette had no face, but was obvious pouting.

"But - I am not a telepaz, I will be of no use in zere. And... I am scared."

Despite her protests she still stepped forward, lifting her dress instinctively as she crossed the threshold.

As soon as Colette's foot passed the threshold, the entire tunnel lit up with a bright green glow. Upon closer inspection, there were rafters of dilapidated wood deliberately bolted to the ceiling there-in that were so infested with foxfire and they lit up the entire passage. Considering it did not happen when Haley investigated briefly, it would seem Haley's assumption was correct: In order to get through this passage (and potentially this mind) without too much hassle, Colette's presence was required for some reason.

On the plus side, they could see now.

"See? This... isn't so bad," she says as they head deeper.

"It's...actually really pretty... she said, admiring the bioluminescent growths. "Still not sure exactly is happening here. Or why you're like...the key," she added, looking to Colette.

"Perhaps because I was one of ze few who did not immediately assume Baseel was a peeping tom because of his ability." Colette's head turned toward Haley and Sam while her heels clacked over the cobblestones, the green glow of the foxfire reflecting in an eerie manner off of the black latex. "Oh, I apologize. I did not intend to sound accusational."

The three didn't have too long of a travel. The foxfire began to die out, but as it did faint light at the end of the tunnel began to creep into it. There was a poorly lit room in front of them, though there didn't seem to be anything dangerous ahead of them according to Haley and Sam's spidey senses.

Once their eyes adjusted, they'd realize they were in some kind of a root cellar below another room, the light they were seeing was spilling in between the cracks in the floor boards.

Above them, Haley and Sam could feel a faint presence that both did, and didn't feel like Basil. Something like a particular scientist's cat.

All three could see the stairs and trap door that lead them out of the cellar, but the lack of light near the door suggested something was covering it. A rug perhaps?

"Well..it...almost seems like he's up there," Haley said, squinting up through the gaps in the floorboards. She looked to Collete and Sam twisted her face as she pondered whether or not her next action was good idea or not, and finally extended her hand and gently pushed the trap door open with her TK.

There was more resistance than she expected as she pressed against it, but as a weight rolled off of it, the door opened much smoother.

And then there was a groan from a masculine voice, and the shadow that was rolled off the door moved ever so slightly.

"...he was sitting on it?"

The shadow didn't move any further once Haley had pushed open the door, indicating if he *was* on top of the door, it wasn't intentional on his part or he'd be further trying to keep them out.

Haley's eyes widened in surprise and she covered her mouth with her hand as she heard the groan, "Oh shit. Sorry! Sorry!"

She moved towards the steps leading up to the now-open trap door and began to ascend, pausing and looking back towards Colette, "We should probably still stick together...and maybe you should go first? I mean...given how the first hallway reacted and stuff...y'know..."

Sure Haley. That's the only reason you want someone else going first.

"Also for all we know he doesn't wear trousers in his mind."

If Colette had eyes she'd have been rolling them by this point. "If seeing a young man in his sous-vêtements is troubling for you, zen you have not spent enough time upon ze continent. One cannot walk a block along a city street wizout seeing dozens of bits and pieces; be zey stone, bronze, or paint upon canvas."

Colette climbed up the steps slowly like she might a ladder, slowly pushing the door further open to peek into the room. She didn't want to stick her neck out if it wasn't safe, even if it did grow back.

Basil was, in fact, wearing trousers. One might argue he was wearing even trouser-y trousers than most of the X-Team wore on their excursions. His back was turned to Colette at first as he clutched his head between his knees. "Bloody hell...." He murmured to himself.

After A moment he turned to look around the room and spotted her, narrowing his eyes at her because he didn't recognize her and was already seemingly disoriented.

This Basil wasn't like 'outside' Basil, dressed rather flamboyantly and still sporting the mess of hair he had recently chopped shorter.

He continued to peer at her in his dazed state, trying to figure out what it was he was looking at.

Colette apparently stared for a moment, her sparkles slowly swirling around under her fascinator. She was reluctant to push out further, lest she get attacked by some brain goblins or something.

"Basil, why are you dressed like a dolly kei Doctor Whom?" Though really, maybe she wasn't the best one to criticize others' fashion senses.

"...wait, what?" Sam asks from down below.

Basil (?) responded about as well as someone would to three people (one of whom looked like an alien and two who were nearly complete strangers) invading his head without express permission. He scrambled away from them in fear, trying to rationalize who the hell they were as quickly as he could. It took a moment but he realized the voice that was being critical of him had a French accent, something he should be getting used to by now.

"M-Madame?!"

Haley looked over to Sam from her spot on the stairs as well, pausing at the sound of Basil's reaction. "Do...we go up there too, or does that make things worse than just letting them talk? she whispered.

"Um, did we catch you at a bad time? We didn't mean to interrupt your... nap."

The entity stared at the maelstrom of galaxy slime for a moment before crossing his arms over his chest.

"I wasn't napping! That bloody fuckin' chimp got the drop on me!" He exclaimed, scowling.

"...we might as well all go up."

"Collette, if you would be so kind as to get in or out?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, of course. Pardon me."

Without waiting for an invitation Colette crawled out of the hatch, holding it open for the others. Special delivery; telepathic girls crawling all up in your space.

Sam climbs up, and looks around.

"Okay, this is his... inner hippie? What's this about a monkey?"

Haley followed Sam into the room, "Is the monkey still here...?

"Bohémien." The potential Basil corrected, sounding a bit put out before he realized three other people were in here now. "What the deuce?! First the Bailey and now all of you?! There isn't enough space in this town for all of us, shove off! I was here first and I'll fight all of you if I have to, lord help me!"

"...you got beat up by a monkey."

"Do you want us to beat up the monkey for you?"

"I didn't get beat up by a monkey!" He finally elaborated in a frustration only Colette would be familiar with.

"That sneaky Old Bill-bastard tricked me somehow, he must have." The entity looked around the room nervously. He didn't like all these people he didn't know being in here. Sam and Haley could sense Colette's presence was the only thing keeping him calm enough not to pitch a fit over it. Though his probably lacking skills on this plane probably wouldn't make the fit unbearable for the two of them, the judgment call to get her to stay proved to be the smart one.

"Do you have *any* idea what he's talking about?" she whispered to Sam, keeping her distance from Colette and Basil.

Colette would have furrowed her brow, had she had one.

"Old Bill... like ze police? You are under arrest? Were you a bad boy?"

Somehow being dressed in latex didn't help her question seem as innocent as it really was.

Haley barely suppressed a snort of laughter at the question given Colette's attire. She turned away and tried to compose herself.

"No!" He protested.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why do you always assume I am doing something wrong?"

"...so okay, where does the monkey enter into the equation?"

"There is no monkey!" Basil exclaims in irritation. "... Am I having an anuerysm right now? Is this what an anuerysm feels like?"

"Monsieur Benson!" Colette snapped, the glitter-galaxy within her looking especially turbulent. "If you would be so kind as to stop talking about police officers and chimpanzees if zey are irrelevant, and instead focus and speak of what your problem actually is in addition to ze details pertaining to how you came to be in zis situation, zen maybe we can be of some assistance. Or we can just go back ze way we came and you can resume your position upon ze floor."

"They're not irrelevant and I never said as such!" He snapped back at her, which again wasn't usual to his character at all. "The Bailey is the chimp, is the policeman, and is my problem!"

He explained, and started pacing about to calm himself and clear his thoughts up.

Now that the girls were actually in the room with him, they could get a better look at their new environment. It was rather sparse all things considered, as was somewhat the standard of a 'bohemian' lifestyle. It was clean however, what few possessions the entity seemed to have were placed orderly at a table in one corner of the room. In The other, a pile of lavish looking cushions were sprawled into the corner to lay upon, next to what almost looked like a television set that would be used in some dystopian Steampunk future, with what must have been a communication device judging by the giant microphone plugged into it.

He finally spoke up again once he had sorted himself out enough to relay things to Haley, Sam, and Colette.

"I was minding my own business eating with you when alla the sudden this cop-like bloke just shows up outta nowhere and starts issuing me orders and I sez 'who the bloody fuck are you?' and he sez 'who are you?!' We got inna fight, but I got th'betta'ov'im and locked him in the chokey." This entity seemed pleased with itself for doing so judging by the fact his expression was smug as he thumbed his own nose, though only Sam was likely to know what he was referring to exactly.


" 'Hard cheese, f'him' I think to myself.

But then the trouble began. Things started getting sticky, eh? Dangerous even." The only person likely to know what he was referring to with that wasn't currently present, though Colette might have an idea that he was referring to whatever sent him to that police station the night before his mother arrived.

"So then I thought the lil'gobshite seemed to be real interested in telling me what't'do as if he knew something I didn't, so maybe he did know something I didn't? So I tell'im he can come out to play too, jus'so long as he don't try to do me harm again and understands that I'm the one running this circus. And he was going along with it just fine, until today! Now I wake up and he's not here, you all are!

He had to have tricked me somehow! How else would I be going about my business and then just pass out? "

This Basil was exceptionally animated and expressive. When he spoke, his head moved in such a fashion that his hair bounced with it, making him look just a bit like a whimsical and fluffy bobble head. His eyes likewise made his emotional state an open book, and his anger with the policeman's betrayal was quite clear.

When he talked, he spoke with his hands, and the flailing of the limbs made a set of golden handcuffs on his left wrist very apparent, one of which was shackled on his wrist, the other open and jangling about like a piece of gaudy jewelry.

What's with the shiny handcuffs? That for business or pleasure? she piped up, a look of thorough and utter confusion on her face.

"...wait, let me guess here."

"You like drinking, dancing, and shamelessly hitting on the Mother of Dragons."

"Why, are you offering a proposition?" He queried back to Haley with a licentious smirk, though his attention quickly turned to Sam's question. "I wasn't hitting on her. I was just curious, that's all. Everyone's so different now." His response was genuine enough, and his mood seemed to revert rather quickly to pleasantry when Colette wasn't accusing him of bad behavior

"Wouldn't it be something to be whoever you wanted?" He added, obviously lost in a daydream about it as he stared off at nothing.