Xaviers!

There was a small clink of cup against saucer before the bubblegum-looking girl's mouth was obscured by the teacup as she sipped. But it was pretty easy to tell where her eyes were looking.

Hugo stifled a laugh.

"Gotta agree with Benson on that one."

Basil smirked at Hugo and then sighed, and got up from his spot to snag a few of the tiny finger sandwiches to nibble and think. He sighed again as he ate.

"So we need to be granted an audience is what I'm hearing.

Has he ever deigned to meet with you Gus?"

"I think he's even more reluctant to acknowledge the Spencers than he is to be seen with you. He probably thought he was done with this business. He's going to be wary, and he has to have been told you're out and about."

"Ugh. What an impossible little git." Basil huffed, grabbing another tiny sandwich directly from the array of such.

"I'm surprised he hasn't died of suffocation locked in like-" Basil paused abruptly, the bit of sandwich he'd been eating slowly sliding out of his hand and falling into his lap as clarity finally hit him.

The change in Basil's demeanor did not go unnoticed by his girlfriend.

"Basil, is somezing ze matter?"

"I jus' ruhliz'd how t'ged'en." He replied around a mouthful of food, with a large grin on his face.

Swallowing, he picked up the piece of sandwich from his lap and asked before finishing it. " Gus, how claustrophobic are you?"

"Well your girlfriend is in the room, so I'm going to assume this isn't seven minutes in incestuous heaven."

"Hardly. You're not my type, and I think that's intentional on your part for reasons that have nothing to do with me, but are coincidentally convenient against creating children with nervous system malfunctions.

I know you're fine being around me, but how do you feel about mutant powers being used on you? In a helpful way, mind you."

"Also, you are not zat level of royalty, so... no need."

Colette sipped her tea, pinky out.

"Where are you going with this?" Hugo asked disapprovingly.

Colette Rosenhof wrote:"Also, you are not zat level of royalty, so... no need."

Colette sipped her tea, pinky out.

"Madame..." He replied in a mock warning tone. "There's no need for concern. Even if Gus were not literally my cousin, I've the impression I'm not Gus' type either.

Though we could swap wardrobes... What's your inseam? Is height a Spencer consistent?"

Hugo Ealdwine wrote:"Where are you going with this?" Hugo asked disapprovingly.

At Hugo's disapproval, Basil seemed to be slightly more serious.

"I know at least one person, possibly two, who can make other people small. So small, they're practically unnoticeable. Combined with my own abilities, that should be enough to get to George.

But I can't go alone, for various reasons. Feel free to jump in if my logic is faulty Gus, but it seems obvious to me that The Board is a secret society. And if The Board is some sort of secret society, it makes it's own rules. Which means when dealing with an outsider, it can bend it's own rules as it sees fit, since it's only authority is itself. And if I don't have at least one current member of said secret society present for what I do, I won't have anyone to act on my behalf when The Board questions the legitimacy of my actions."

"Are we bringing this person with us, or just hoping he doesn't step on us once we get there?"

"And this person can be trusted?"

"As trusted as anyone in my life can be. I don't think he will give two shits what we're up to, so long as the money is right. And anything that keeps me away from his sister is a win in his ledger."

A look of realization came across Colette's face. "Oh! Yes, now I know who you are talking about. Ze one who dresses like a little tin soldier, yes. He was one of ze ones who volunteered to..." She trailed off and waved her hand a bit, she didn't like to bring up bad memories but hadn't stopped herself in time.

"The very same.

He was capable on infiltrating the facility I was in nearly on his own, with no layout and no plan. I'm sure he could get us in under these conditions."

"I mean... it is not me zat you have to convince." Colette pointed out before sipping her tea.

Basil arched his brows at his cousin Gus and their bodyguard expectantly, an ingratiating grin slowly expanding across his face.

"Can we please break into Benson Financial together and tell George he's being retired? It will make me terribly happy."

"I still don't exactly like it," Hugo said, "But your adopted father deserves no less. How about you, boss? It's your call."

"Hugo had his sense of adventure excised at an early age. I'm told it's common in his family."

"Sounds like it's settled then. Once I can arrange things with my contact and get some details, we'll figure out what's the best plan of attack. Dafne, if you could find some sort of building schematics in the mean time, that would be lovely."

"On the case, cuz." She replied, picking up her phone to start finding out addresses and the like.

"Last order of business.

Chisaki, I'm relieving you of your duties as my... whatever the hell you are and replacing you with Chase."

Colette looked to Chisaki to gauge her reaction, ready to usher her off to another room if she needed to.

"I'm afraid that isn't up to you," Hugo interjected, "Your father is the only one who can do that."

"The father we're quietly conspiring to unhorse?" Gus quirks a brow at Hugo.

"Oh, no, the other one. The hermit."

For her part, Chisaki smiled that manic, soulless grin of hers at Basil and said nothing at all.

Basil's expression was about as sour as Colette had ever seen it, but after a moment, his face slowly softened and twisted to match Chisakis. His eyes however held all the intensity Chisakis lacked.

"Fine." He spat. "I'll handle that problem after I handle this more immediate one.

Anything else we need to review at the moment?"

Colette rubbed her face and chin in a way that actually stretched it before it snapped back into place.

"No, I zink you are correct. Ze Benson must be handled first. After zis... zen we can focus on handling ze Spencer issues.

"Zis is not going to involve..." She moved her hands in front of herself, unsure of how to say what was going on inside of her head. "... ehm, a hacking saw, an oil drum, and a trip out to ze sea, is it?"

"Of course not. This is about public embarrassment and financial ruin.

Murder wouldn't need this much planning."

"Oh, well I suppose zat I will... make sandwiches and coffee again."

"I can't think of anything else we need to discuss without those details," Hugo said.

The group dispersed after some polite conversation, except between Basil and Chisaki. They did not speak to one another again for the entirety of the rest of the afternoon, and Basil was careful to be polite and say goodbye to everyone but her.

For the next several days, Basil had made himself very scarce, but he didn't seem to be actively avoiding Colette, and when she inquired what he was up to, it seemed to be he was handling 'business', mostly catching up on bills and paperwork to make sure nothing had fallen between the cracks or been canceled on his behalf by who knows whom.

He hadn't been dressing up through, merely recycling through different pyjamas and tees. Clean ones mind, he kept up his hygiene. But for some reason he just kept wearing loose fitting, soft pants and his novelty shirts.

In the mid morning on a Wednesday, a rotate of those two is what Colette would find him in again, laid across the bed in the guest room, staring despondently at the clothes in the open wardrobe.

Colette hovered near the doorway, not exactly the stealthiest of spies. She didn't want to intrude on Basil, but he really wasn't acting like himself. Well, maybe he never again would act the way she remembered him, but this was more than that. She tapped lightly on the door frame.

"Your zoughts for a penny?"

"I am so dreadfully boring." He sighed, his head hanging over the edge while he laid looking at his wardrobe upside down.

"How do you manage?"

"I do not zink zat you are boring." Colette answered as she stepped into the room. "Why do you zink zis?"

In an act of dexterity that may have previously been considered impossible by the young man, Basil quickly kicked out his legs to hoist them over his head and roll off the bed smoothly, popping up into a standing position.

He then began picking through the clothes in his wardrobe, pulling things out to pile them slowly onto of each other on the bed for dramatic effect.

White button up, white button up, white button up, black blazer, black blazer, white button up, grey sweater vest. His exasperation was obvious.

"Who the hell even wears a grey sweater vest after primary? "

Colette was impressed, but she’d gotten to experience firsthand some of Basil’s new flexibility and athletic abilities, do it did not come as a complete surprise. She watched him go through his wardrobe and nodded softly.

“Yes, I zink I see what you mean. Perhaps adding a little more colour to your repitoire might…” She paused to consider her words carefully. “… help to bring you a little levity on occasion?”