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EnarrHarmon Rottlage, Mason Crawford, Rosaline Marsh and Ruben Tarblatt
In collaboration with @Tyler
After everyone else had left, it was just Harmon, Lenny, and Kayla. They would have been off to somewhere else but, as Ruben had said before, Harmon was to stay behind and put away the canisters. Make sure they were all in working order. Sweep up that mess Michelle made. He insisted his two friends - one old and one, apparently, new - go on without him and tour the grounds, find something fun to do before their gathering tonight. And they obliged. After he spent the better part of an hour inside the classroom, he set aside the remaining cleaning supplies (really just a broom and a dustpan) and exited the room, locking the door behind him.
"Harmon," came the voice of Mason. "How're you doing?" Mason had left Casper after Blackmore's class, and was heading back to his dormitory when he spotted his roommate locking the door.
Harmon turned to face his roommate, camera clipped to the front of his coat. "Oh, I'm... I'm fine..." Harmon responded, "Just... locking up." He tucked the keys into one of his shorts pockets and continued, "What... uh, about you?"
How curious, Mason thought. What was Harmon doing locking up classrooms? He hadn't mentioned that he worked here. Regardless, he took it for what it was. "I, uh... Just had a class with Mr. Blackmore..." Mason said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Let's just say, I don't think it was for me..."
"Mister Blackmore is... he's, he's more direct, with his teachings..." Harmon responded, "It's not for everyone... Ruben, though, he's... he's much more studious... a thinker... h-he tends to be more of a help towards... less, uh... combat... focused? Meta-humans..." He twiddled with his fingers a bit as he worked up the gall to say, "He... might, be... a better, teacher for you... than, than Mister Blackmore..."
Mason hung on every word Harmon said. It was a slow process, speaking to him; the unsightly metahuman put a lot of thought into every syllable that left his mouth, and a lack of social confidence made conversations with him stuttered and broken. But, Mason was beginning to realise, they were usually full of useful information... If you were willing to put up with the inconvenience. Harmon was right, Adam's class seemed more like a military bootcamp than a learning environment. This Ruben fellow sounded like just the ticket.
"You might be right, Harmon," Mason said, smiling at the camera. "When is Mr. Ruben's next class? I might sign up for it, if there is still space available." he said. "What's he like? Did he teach you?"
"Y-yes..." Harmon responded, nodding, "I, I learned a lot from him, in, in a very short amount of time... he's studied all kinds of meta-humans, e-even though he hasn't directly encountered a fair portion of them... he's very good at assumptions and theories, though... he could tell you, uh... a good deal about your power, I think..." He turned his head for a moment before lowering his voice a bit, saying to Mason, "We, uh... we can go meet him now, i-if you want. He's... most likely... in his office."
Harmon seemed to light up with a spark that was usually absent when talking about this teacher. He really seemed to have a lot of faith in Ruben, and it rubbed off on Mason. The sooner he learned how to subdue his powers, the sooner he could get back to a normal life. "Thanks Harmon, that'd be great!" he said, warmly. "Are you sure Mr. Ruben won't mind?" he asked, not wanting to be impolite.
"Not, not at all." Harmon replied, cracking the faintest smile.
...
The duo had left the educational rooms and taken a stroll through most of the academy grounds. They chatted a bit, along the way. Eyed scenery, the like. Once they arrived at the staff offices, they approached the reception desk stationed across from the doors. Harmon stepped forward, clearly boosted out of his usual timid nature, and asked the woman seated there, "Is, uh... I-I-I'm sorry, hello, is Professor Tarblatt here? I-In his office, I mean?"
"Oh, uh, actually, he came in with Ms. Marsh not too long ago." The receptionist responded, "I think they were headed for her office. I, heh, I heard them bickering."
Harmon turned towards Mason and shrugged a bit. "Ms., uh... Ms. Marsh, she and Ruben know each other... I, I, I don't think he's too, uh... keen on her. But, he tends to do as she says. Humor her, he, uh... calls it..." He nodded towards the receptionist with a soft "thank you", and the two passed by. Harmon seemed to know just where to walk, turning a corner and leading Mason down the hall. They came upon one door that had two rather large, upward-reaching potted plants situated on either side. A few stray vines hugged the frame of the door as well. Harmon raised his hand and gave the door a meager knock, before following it up with a bit of a stronger one, at least to get some attentiention.
"Do come in, dear!" came the muffled and yet still chirpy voice of Rosaline Marsh from behind the door. Harmon hesitantly turned the knob in the door and slowly pushed it open, accosted by a veritable cloud of leaves and vines upon stepping inside. He never quite got used to their location. Mason, though, he ducked under them as he followed suit.
Mason looked around the room, his mouth slightly agape at what he saw. The room was technically decorated in white and green, which would have made it look incredibly spacious if not for the near-ridiculous volume of plantage that seemed to grow from every corner. Tall, leafy trees formed a canopy, whilst prettier and more delicate flowers adorned the furnishings. A garland of vines and ivy was strung throughout the whole office. It was strange, to see so much of the wild outdoors in amongst antique furniture and sophisticated-looking sculptures. And the room was so warm! Peeking through the leaves above him, he spotted the sky; the whole room was a greenhouse. Mason loved the whole thing, it was like the themed clubs he'd visit back in Berlin... Only, during the daytime. And more... "Mumsy".
"Hello!" came an enthusiastic voice from behind some flora. The two boys turned a corner to reveal a clearing amongst the chaos, featuring plush white sofas, a large desk and a chaise longs. In one of the chairs sat a rather plump woman, draped in some kind of floaty-hippy number that reminded Mason of the drag queens who took him in... He pushed the thought from his mind. "You're a new face, and oh - so handsome!" she chuckled. "Come, come, sit! Tell me about yourself!"
Mason was utterly bewildered by the woman. She emnated so much warmth, it was futile to resist and soon enough he found himself sat opposite her, with Harmon not far behind. "I, uh. I'm Mason." he said, trying to make sense of the bizarre scenario. "Mason Crawford."
Rose beamed as the boy spoke. "You're British!", she shrieked upon hearing his accent. "Oh, how wonderful! We get so few British students here, oh it's just wonderful!" she said, repeating herself in her excitement. "Won't you have some tea?" she asked, grabbing the teapot before Mason had even opened his mouth. "It's the real stuff, not that trite they have in the canteen..." she giggled. "How about you, Harmon? Tea, dear?"
"Uh... n-no, no thank you..." Harmon responded, trying to sound as polite as possible to Rosaline, having a more positive opinion of her than Ruben. He continued, "We, we actually came here to... to see Professor Tarblatt... the, uh, the receptionist told us... he came in with you?"
"I did."
Ruben stepped before the three of them, ducking out of the storage closet nearby. Tucked under one of his arm-tendrils was a rather large, cardboard box overflowing with miscellaneous items - most of them being books and the like. He set the box down beside Rosaline's seat and stood upright, observing the three. He turned his Brainvault towards Mason and kept his vision trained on him. He'd seen him before, hadn't he?
"Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear!" Rose laughed at her own joke, perhaps for a little too long. Ruben had heard it several times before, but Mason cracked a smile. "Thank you ever so much, Professor. Where would I be without you?" she exclaimed, still smiling at Mason.
He glanced up at the hulking form of Ruben and gulped. He'd seen this man before, yesterday in the canteen. He'd been sat with Mr. Blackmore. Ruben was no less strange up close than he had been from afar, now with each detail of his lumpy flesh being exaggerated in the warm light of the greenhouse-office. Mason was surprised the man didn't stink. His robotic voice startled Mason.
"Nowhere. Different." Ruben responded, turning his gaze towards Rosaline. "If. Your requirements. Are met. Then I believe. I. Will take. My leave. Alongside. These two." He turned away and proceeded towards the door, fully expecting Harmon and Mason to follow him.
Rose chuckled at nothing in particular. "Looks like you two had better be on your way!" she said, raising her voice to ensure Ruben could hear. "Professor Tarblatt is just a little impatient!" she called, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Mason smiled. "Thank you for the offer, Ms. Marsh."
Rose adopted an expression of faux-discipline. "Now, we'll have less of that, thank you!" she said. "You will call me Rose!" she said, smiling to let him in on the joke. "Do come back some time, Mason. My door is always open."
"I most definitely will," he said, smiling as he rose to his feet. "Thanks Rose." he said, as he and Harmon followed the flesh creature out of the room, hearing Rosaline call out behind them.
"Any time, dearies! Any time!"
Mason exited the room first, Harmon following behind and closing the door as he stepped outside. The two of them stood before Ruben as he turned to face them, looking down at them with a bit of an unsettling gaze.
"Now." He said, "What. Do you. Require. Of me."
