[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5CeYBGt.png[/img]
[color=000000][u][b]Location[/b][/u][/color]
💀 Mt. Justice.
💀 Casper’s Room.
💀 The Lounge.

[color=000000][u][b]Interactions[/b][/u][/color]
💀 Coal.
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“Casper..,” Coal’s attempt pierced the silence. How long had it been? Mere moments? An hour? It was difficult to pinpoint the exact passing of time, Hex’s arms encircling his friend in what could only be considered desperation. A facade had been erected, one substituting fear with vigilance, stoicism replacing shock. Divorced from the others, however, Casper could shed this layer, if for only a moment as he was clinging to the large crow in his embrace. 

[color=FFE4C4]”I won’t succumb,”[/color] the boy offered, his eyes opening to offer a somber expression. [color=FFE4C4]”Allow me just a moment,”[/color] he pleaded, teeth clenching as Hex attempted to dispel the fright placed upon him by a distant memory.

“Take all the moments you need, dude,” the crow cooed, welcoming silence as it returned. Despite Casper’s shattered self, it was impossible to ignore a small, yet visible spark burning within. A sense of determination. It was like Duke Murdock Blackwood revealed, Hex had grown powerful, and a ghost from the past would not labor to spell his demise. 

There was, however, a question lingering in the back of Hex’s mind. Had he been attempting to don the face of someone he wasn’t? It was true that despite his position as a marquess, Casper never flaunted his title. Indeed, the boy had displayed a respectful approach whether confronted by prince or pauper. Though, upon arriving in America, he had opted to abandon both his vocabulary and threads of regal standing. For someone so adamantly apathetic towards the opinions of others, Casper had braved great lengths in an attempt to fit in.

Rising to his feet, Hex noted how Coal’s shape vanished from between his arms, talons materializing at his shoulder. There was a moment’s hesitation before Casper deigned to approached his closet, claws wrapping themselves around the handle before slowly pulling it open. Within he witnessed that of which was Casper Blackwood, a mask residing below neatly folded clothes. 

Where had he come across the handle ‘Hex’? It was quite fitting, but if analyzed, a question sprung to mind. What had brought this creature, one disregarding the notion of masks, to pick one up for himself? Perhaps it was a desire to separate from the name ‘Blackwood’, an attempt at carving out his very own identity divorced from mother, father, and bloodlines. It was a distinct contrast to his fellow student, Zachary Zatara, who desperately sought to wield his surname. Casper had muted his own. 

Claws gently traced themselves across the mask, feeling its hard surface against their sharp tips. Was this a desire to abandon his father’s name? Hex, its very definition denoting a curse, a bewitching spell. It was what Casper had become, which in turn indicated a desire to embrace his nature, an existence bestowed upon him by his father. “What’s on your mind?” Coal asked, seeing how Casper slowly retrieved the mask, eyes meeting a plague doctor’s visage. 

[color=FFE4C4]”Why am I afraid?”[/color] Came a question, Hex’s voice mellow in execution. 

A moment passed before Coal responded, avian feet landing atop the mask. “The guy killed you.” 

Again, there was a pause. Casper’s mind worked to decipher his emotions, a circle of never-ending questions. [color=FFE4C4]”Then, we are the same, he and I.”[/color] A faint frown bridged itself across Hex’s features, [color=FFE4C4]”father created Hex, but it is mine.”[/color]

“Yeah!” Coal exclaimed, “told old man shouldn’t scare you, Cassy! You’re the fucking ‘Hex’!” 

Lowering his mask, Casper turned towards the door as Coal reclaimed a position at the bird’s favorite shoulder. [color=FFE4C4]”Let us reconvene with the others.”[/color]

“So, now that your mental breakdown is over, I have a question for you,” the crow asked as they started down the corridor on a path to the lounge. “Everyone here is a bit broken, aren’t they?” 

[color=FFE4C4]”Yes,”[/color] Casper offered, hands sliding into the pockets of his jacket, [color=FFE4C4]”we are.”[/color]

“So, like..,” Coal continued, “what’s the plan? Overcome all this fuckin’ teen angst’ with friendship magic?” 

Managing a soft smile, Casper’s eyes remained on the floor as he walked. He allowed himself a moment to consider an answer, pausing as he noted a soft, blue light emanating from the lounge. Halting his stride, Hex remained in the corridor, a dark shroud manifesting upon him, [color=FFE4C4]”fortune smiles upon us, then, as magic appears abundant here.”[/color] He finished, before stepping into the sunlit lounge.