[h2][color=a2d39c]Mason Crawford[/color], Casper Vaile and [color=crimson]Zachariah Bale[/color][/h2][hr]Mason turned the key in room 139 and eagerly pushed the door open. He'd been fortunate enough to always have somewhere to live, but over the last few years his income had not really been able to provide him the luxury he'd been afforded growing up. He was excited to see the living space he and Zachariah would be sharing.

It was pretty nice, actually. A damn sight better than some of the places he'd rented in Berlin, anyway. The floor was dark wood, but there was a large orange rug covering most of the floorspace and matching the orange bedding. Mason hated orange, but he figured if it began to bother him that much, he and Zach could always replace it. He was also going to struggle adapting to a single bed, as the last time he'd been without a double was at boarding school. 

Still, it had everything he needed. There was lots of space to store his belongings, which he noticed had been placed neatly in the corner of the room. He had too much stuff and too little energy to even consider unpacking right now, but he placed his luggage onto the bed tucked away in the corner. He hoped Zach didn't mind; Mason always found it easier to sleep if his bed was against a wall. Plus, it gave Zach the advantage of being closer to the bathroom, so he didn't imagine it would be too much of a problem. 

After a quick check to ensure nothing had been removed from his bags, Mason headed out of the room and locked the door behind him. He remembered Professor Portwood had mentioned something about some sort of welcome feast, and Mason figured that would be as good a place as any to meet people. As much as Mason enjoyed solitude, he always found it easier to be around people. It distracted him and stopped him from thinking too much.

When he arrived in the canteen it was busy, but large enough that there was still ample seating available. Mason spotted some private booths beside the serving area, but soon realised that these were for the staff only as their occupants were considerably older. Mason's stomach growled at the scent of all the food on offer, when was the last time he'd eaten? The journey here had become a blur. Regardless, he didn't feel like eating right now, he reasoned with himself as he poured a cup of black coffee and looked for somewhere to sit. 

Scanning the area, he quickly spotted the flashes of pink hair amongst the crowd. It was Casper, the shy-looking kid from the bus. Looking at him was a frightful reminder of Mason's time at boarding school; from the way Casper held himself to the way he seemed to stand out from the crowd despite wanting nothing more than to blend in, the similarities were almost eerie to Mason. They hadn't gotten a chance to properly chat, and so he figured now was as good a time as ever; Casper was sat on his own, drinking what looked like hot chocolate. It smelled delicious.

"[color=a2d39c][b]It's Casper, right?[/b][/color]" Mason asked the young boy. "[color=a2d39c][b]Mind if I sit here?[/b][/color]" he asked, smiling warmly. He didn't wait for a response, though, as he pulled out the wooden chair and placed down his steaming cup of coffee.

"Uh...s-sure..." Casper looked up at the new arrival. It was Mason, the guy from before. It would seem like others came to Casper, after all. This made things a lot easier and it would make getting to know this person, Mason, a lot more possible. The first step was always the hardest to make and now Mason had taken it upon himself to take it. 

Staring down into his cup of hot chocolate, Casper saw a faint form shaping upon the surface, his reflection. He did indeed feel his sotmach growling but eating with this many people surrounding him wasn't comfortable. Perhaps he could grab a sandwich and eat it in his room. The only reason he landed at a table here was because he didn't want to carry a hot cup of liquid all the way back to his room. Was he even allowed to do that? They owned the cup, after all. The cafeteria probably wanted it to remain. "Hi..." Casper gulped, not looking up just wait. His voice was quiet, but it could be heard easily enough from where Mason had found home. 

"Are you..." Casper continued, feeling his heart beating like a jackhammer against his ribs. "A-are you...getting along with..." He was almost done, just one more word. "People...?" The boy looked up, meeting Mason's eyes with his own, large brown circles. They would perhaps speak of innocence but the anxiety was easily seen within. Casper had both hands on the cup, as if to keep them occupied. This way he wouldn't accedently hurt anyone. 

It didn't take a great degree of empathic skill to spot that Casper was painfully anxious; the panic was present in everything about the boy, from the look in his eyes to the tremble of his voice and the way he cupped his drink so firmly. Mason knew how condescending it felt for people to point out things like this, and so he responded as best he could: be smiling that infamous, comforting smile of his. When Mason smiled, his whole face lit up and his eyes shimmered. It was an effect he couldn't replicate faultlessly when he was smiling insincerely, and so people who spent enough time around him when he was happy could usually tell when he was keeping up a facade. 

"[color=a2d39c][b]Yeah, so far so good![/b][/color]" he said, in response to Casper's question. "[color=a2d39c][b]I don't think I was everyone on the bus's cup of tea,[/b][/color]" he laughed. "[color=a2d39c][b]But my roommate seems pretty friendly. I think we'll get along. How about you?[/b][/color]" he asked, purposefully looking at Casper with an expression of interest and curiosity. 

"M-me..?" Oh dear, Casper wasn't expecting that question to come around. He actually assumed that Mason would just expect Casper to be the outcast he was and run with it. He seemed so...polite, though. Was this good? Perhaps. At the very least, Casper wasn't feeling uncomfortable around this young man. In fact, the boy's grip around his cup, albiet slight, loosned further. "You're...you're the first..." He couldn't help but trail back down to the chocolate with his eyes. "I...I haven't met my roommate yet..." 

Perhaps he was somewhere in that cafeteria. Perhaps he was close by, perhaps he was behind a tree somewhere doing drugs. You never know. "Y-you...you're Mason...right?" He just wanted to make sure that he had gotten the name right, at least that much needed to be correct if this was going to go on without fault. 

Mason smiled. "[color=a2d39c][b]Yep, that's me.[/b][/color]" he said, chuckling. "[color=a2d39c][b]I hope I'm not already making a bad name for myself.[/b][/color]" he joked. He watched the way Casper's eyes drifted back to his beverage as he thought about the roommate he had yet to meet. It was obviously something that worried the boy. "[color=a2d39c][b]And hey, don't worry about your roommate.[/b][/color]" he said reassuringly, as he tried to regain eye contact with Casper. "[color=a2d39c][b]Mine is[/b][/color]--"

Mason was distracted by a commotion a few feet away; it seemed that some of the students were getting into a fight already. It didn't take long to realise that one of them was Zach, yelling incoherently at another boy and raising a chair high above his head. He winced.

"[color=a2d39c][b]Mine is... About to beat the shit outta some guy...[/b][/color]" he sighed, before looking at Casper and rolling his eyes. "[color=a2d39c][b]I guess I have to intervene, right?[/b][/color]" he asked the boy. 

What the hell [i]was[/i] that!? No, Casper shook his head. That was a bad thought. He couldn't just go around thinking people looked like...monsters....because of some kind of deformity or the like. That would be incredibly rude. If he could slap himself without killing himself, he would. "A...a...f-fight...?" Casper gulped, turning to look at the commotion which had stolen everyone's attention at this point. "I don't...I...." He felt himself growing critically uncomfortable and was almost ready to run out of the cafeteria. That would however cause another problem, if he just ran away, [i]Everyone would look at him[/i]. 

"If...if you c-can..." The boy finished, looking at Mason. Of course one should stick up for their friends. If Casper had the backbone to do so, he would. 

Mason grimaced. "[color=a2d39c][b]I'll be back,[/b][/color]" he said, taking a sip of his coffee and walking over to the ruckus. "[color=a2d39c][b]Za[/b][/color]-- [color=a2d39c][b]Switch, dude,[/b][/color]" he said, getting the attention of his scabby roommate. "[color=a2d39c][b]What's going on?[/b][/color]" he asked, standing between Zach and his aggressor and holding up his arms, as though to calm him down. 

[color=crimson]"This grahs thucking jackal 'on't listen to 'hat I 'ath tah say!"[/color] Zach replied, [color=crimson]"An' 'e called 'e a da'n THREAK 'hen 'E'S the 'un 'at 'ON'T 'LAY A 'ART IN THE REST A' THIS STAHRY."[/color] He glanced back at his opponent and jabbed the chair legs in his direction.

Mason grabbed hold of the chair leg, and gently pulled the chair down towards the ground. "[color=a2d39c][b]C'mon, Switch,[/b][/color]" he said encouragingly. It was against his true will; by the sounds of it, the guy had called Zach a freak. Mason could think of few words that had hurt him less as a kid, and part of Mason wanted him to get everything he deserved. But he knew better than to react with violence. 

"[color=a2d39c][b]This fucker's not worth it.[/b][/color]", he said to Zach, looking him directly in the eyes. 

[color=crimson]"NNNNNGGGGG-"[/color] Zach replied, head reared and fists shaking. He took a moment to calm himself down and looked back up at the young man. He pointed at him and called out, [color=crimson]"'Er LUCKY 'e 'as 'ere!"[/color] With that he turned away and began marching towards the cafeteria exit.

Mason watched Zach leave, relieved that no harm had been done. As much as he would have preferred a solitary living space, he didn't want his roommate dead on their first day at the school. He turned to the guy who had provoked Zach, one eyebrow raised cynically. 

"[color=a2d39c][b]A freak? [i]Really?[/i][/b][/color]" he asked, talking down to the guy. They were of a similar age, but this one was more athletic than Mason, wearing a varsity jacket that was just tight enough to show off his physique. [color=a2d39c][i]Well, fuck...[/i][/color] Mason thought. He had to wrap this up and get out. "[color=a2d39c][b]Was there any need?[/b][/color]" he asked, turning his back on the jock and making his way back towards Casper.

The next thing he knew, he was colliding with the ground, and could feel the guy's knee pressing into his lower back, his hands grappling Mason's shoulders. "Just who d'ya think you are, faggot?" he spat. "Parading around in your gay-ass gear like you're some kinda cop? Fuck, I oughta teach you a lesson..." he grunted. Mason couldn't move an inch.

[i]'Do something, Casper...Do something!'[/i] The boy sat paralysed watching the scene unfold before his eyes. The other male had left, the one who had been bullied, but now it turned on Mason. [i]'Why the hell is no one doing anything...why isn't anyone helping him!'[/i] Casper felt his entire body starting to shake, his blood rising to his head. No one did anything because no one wanted to be part of the issue. No one wanted to step up, it was the bystander effect. [i]"You can sit here and watch the only guy who gave a fuck about you get beaten up, or you can do something...for fuck sake, if you have this power, at the very least...use it!'[/i] No, no he couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt anyone else. 

[i]'If you don't hurt this asshole, Mason will be hurt. Is that better? If Mason get's hurt, you're the one at fault, Casper...get your ass in gear and do something!'[/i] Before he could react to his own actions, Casper jolted up from the chair and charged the scene. His speed surprised even himself and closed the distance in mere seconds. "P-please...let him go..." He could feel the energy in his legs rapidly leaving his body. This was a mistake, this was such a big mistake. 

"Oh look! Another little faggot? What will you do, huh?" The bully chuckled, still pinning Mason down. 

"[color=a2d39c][b]Casper,[/b][/color]" Mason grunted from beneath the jock's weight. "[color=a2d39c][b]Leave it, buddy.[/b][/color]" he said. He didn't want Casper to get hurt, and Mason was more than familiar with this kind of situation. "[color=a2d39c][b]It's not worth it.[/b][/color]"

"I...I don't want to hurt you...please...let him go..." Casper pleaded but to no avail. In fact, it made the bully laugh harder. Mason thought getting involved wasn't worth it but he was wrong. It [i]was[/i] worth it. Sure, Casper had only known this guy Mason for like five minutes but...you don't need a reason to help people. You don't...

"Hurt me!?" The bully shook his head. "I think you've got this a bit..." 

"Stop..." Casper cut him off, clenching his teeth and fists. Taking another step forward he shoved his hand forth and grabbed the larger, much larger, male by the shirt and tossed him across the floor. Needless to say, the boy was completely shocked from what he had just done and stood watching the bully trying to regain his composure.

"[color=a2d39c][b]Well, shit...[/b][/color]" Mason choked in awe, rubbing the back of his neck as he rose to his feet. He looked at the guy, then at Casper, then back at the guy. "[color=a2d39c][b]You kept that quiet![/b][/color]" he laughed to Casper, watching the larger guy leave the canteen with his head down. "[color=a2d39c][b]Thanks, Casper... You didn't have to do that.[/b][/color]" he said, feeling an odd mix of gratitutde and guilt for dragging the boy into this. He chuckled again at the image of the tiny boy throwing the jock across the room. "[color=a2d39c][b]But I'm not gonna lie... I'm really glad you did.[/b][/color]"

"Y..you're w-welcome..." Casper stammered, not even looking at Mason before hurrying out of the cafeteria. Did he just [i]do that?[/i] It was the first day and he had already put himself on [i]everyone's[/i] radar...It would take a while for him to get back from this. The boy hoped to get to his room but barely even knew where he was heading as he continued towards the exit. [i]'Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why...why did I do that? I helped Mason and...and it felt good...why did it feel good!? Did it feel good to hurt that ass or did it feel good to help Mason...? I don't know I just...I...'[/i] He wante to fall down to his knees and break down but not here, not in front of everyone...

Mason watched the timid kid flee from the canteen. He sighed, and shook his head. Casper had shown that he had so much potential, he doubted he was alone in underestimating the boy thus far, but he also got the feeling that the person who underestimated him the most was Casper himself. 

He returned to the table, and sat alone as he drunk the rest of his coffee. The black liquid was cold now, and the taste more bitter. As he sat, the Yorkshireman stood up on the table and began to cause quite the scene, demonstrating a creative use of telekinesis before insisting that others show their powers. Everything about the proposition seemed like a bad idea to Mason, who rolled his eyes as he sipped the last of the liquid from his cup. [color=a2d39c][i]Perfect time for a cigarette... [/i][/color]

He rose from his seat and headed straight out of the cafeteria, through the reception and out into the grounds. It was a beautiful day, and Mason fished out his sunglasses again, perching them delicately on the tip of his nose as he lit his cigarette and drew a long, satisfying breath. Mason had little interest in demonstrating his powers to anyone.