Melancholy Musings || MASON

The quiet scratching of Jayden's pencil across the rough pages in his hands were the only sounds in the giant auditorium aside from the air conditioning unit's attempt to keep the temperature in the room stable.  The pencil had started off sharp, but as the pages of the sketchbook were filled, the point had dulled enough that smudging out the lines was easier, but control over finer details was more difficult.  He didn't mind, though; most likely, once this book was filled, he would either toss it or tuck it away somewhere in his dorm so that he could find it a few months later and scoff at how badly he had done compared to his future self's drawings and end up throwing it away nonetheless.

Eraser shavings were carelessly dusted over his surrounding area, but he hadn't yet realized how much of the pink rubber thing he had eaten up.  He was too focused on actually finishing something to care what his general state looked like to outsiders--if any had bothered to show up in the past two hours.  He hadn't heard any footsteps in quite some time, but honestly, he wasn't bothering to pay too much attention.

His efforts were drained into creating something that present itself on that stage.  His mind and hands had wandered into strange areas, and all were reflected on the pages he'd already flipped though.  One held a sketch of a man in a tribal costume spitting flames into the auditorium and catching the curtains on fire accidentally.  Another was of a student holding a ladder and walking across the stage to simply change out a broken lamp from the light fixtures above.  The last one he had finished was of a lone candle sitting in the middle of the stage and three actors in different positions around it.  One was standing, another sitting, and the last lying down.

He flipped to a fresh page and stared at the blank page, already seeing the proscenium arch draw itself into the whiteness.  His pencil flew quickly across, marking the virgin paper with vigor before working at the softness of the curtains.  What would take shape next, he wondered?

    The air slowly got warmer and warmer as the days went on, summer eager to arrive. On this day, the humidity was the highest it's ever been that year, and as such, the student body dressed appropriately, wear clothes, or lack their of, to help with the heat. Mason was no different. He wore a casual attire, but as always, it was quite fashionable. He donned a pair of white low top canvas sneakers (sock less), a pair of light brown chino shorts rested just above the knees, and a simple navy blue tank top that didn't hug his body, but wasn't baggy either. Like most of his outfits, he worn a number of accessories to accent them. In this case, he had a pair of square framed aviators, and ring necklace that rested in the middle of his chest (just above the tank top cut), and a red and blue stripped canvas watch on his left wrist.
    His time at the school was still fairly young, and as such, still spent much of his time exploring areas of the school uncharted. Because of this habit, Lupo got used to Mason's fairly stable schedule and usually ended up meeting him outside of class, walking with him to class, and then waiting outside either just laying down, or exploring himself before returning an hour later. Today was one of those days and as people filled out of class, Lupo wagged his tail excitedly knowing it met Mason was coming. At this point, people had gotten used to the beast waiting for them outside of class, some even petting him as the walked by, Lupo happy for the attention. As Mason walked out, the dog rubbed up beside his bare legs, moving between then, moving as if he hasn't seen Mason in weeks. "I'm done for the day mate. Want to go exploring again?" he ask the dog, who barked once excitedly. The two set off down a hall.

    As he walked from class, his backpack rested on both shoulders, his staff strapped to it in a similar fashion to skateboards. Lupo trotted behind him, his head and tail up in his proud way of walking like a show dog. Mason turned down corners and halls not yet explored, mostly passing classrooms or lounge areas. "Whoa, what's this place?" he asked as the two stopped outside large doors. Upon inspection, Mason read a sign that read Auditorium. Not expecting much, Mason opened the door slightly, enough to pop his head in. The dog, almost in a comedic fashion, did the same, his own furry head in the small crack below Mason's, his tongue out panting from the heat. As they opened, a wave of cool air smacked them in the face, brought on by the air conditioners in the space.
    Mason saw no sea of heads he was expecting when he opened the door, or anyone on the stage. "Hello?" he called out in a normal volume. The silence he took as an invitation to enter. Pushing the door open more, the pair entered the space, Mason crossing his arms with a grin on his face.


    The space proved to be quite impressive. The theatre gradually slanted down towards the large stage. The house lights were on, though only at half light, which was still more than enough light for people to see and read or write. They were the only source of light as there were no windows in the space. There were a couple of other entrances and alleyways the lead down towards the stage. The theatre looked as if it could hold somewhere between 700 and 1000 people. "Hello?!" Mason called out louder. "HELLLLLOOOOOO?!" The final shout was simply for the echo, as his accented voice bounced off the walls. The two walked down an alleyway and towards the stage.

Jayden tapped the long-worn eraser of his pencil against the leather covering peeking out from under the pages.  It had been quite a while since he had done this kind of exercise--honestly, the last time he remembered doing such a thing was just after he had left the laboratory and took over his dorm for the first time.  Now, he normally passed his days drawing still life or using reference pictures from the Internet (which was a wondrous invention, by the way, and he'd only learned enough about it to pick through a few things), so this refresher on his roots was very welcome.

He had yet to think of something to fill the empty stage on his paper when one of the doors of the auditorium opened and a greeting was called.  The shock made Jayden twitch, and he froze.  Should he respond or just wait for the trespasser to move on, or would he rather engage in a conversation today?  Normally, he would welcome a stranger with open arms--literally--but he had been focused and working for such a long while that he wasn't certain of his next action.

Jayden finally decided to, firstly, close his journal and tuck it away into the messenger bag at his feet.  He seethed as the loudest of the "hello"s came through, jarring his sensitive ears and making him cringe and fold in on himself for a moment.  Once he gathered his bearings, he finally stood, turning toward the other and his canine companion.  Jayden's wings were tucked away, although the brilliantly-colored plumage could still be clearly seen.  He pressed his school bag against his side and offered a small smile and meek wave at the other.  "H-hello," he half-sang, voice louder than normal thanks to the acoustics of the room.  What was supposed to be next?  "Welcome to the auditorium"?  "Why do you have to be so loud in such a quiet place"?  Either definitely sounded strange, so instead, he glanced downwards out of shyness only to realize that both his clothing and the floor was covered with eraser shavings.

"Aaaah, I'll have to clean all of that up..."  He sighed, wings fluttering gently behind him as he dusted off his plain white shirt and let everything fall to the floor for now.  He'd have to find a closet with cleaning supplies or just pick everything off of the ground by hand later.

The pair of obnoxious intruders were so overwhelmed by the size and magnitude of the space, that they glanced over the lone person sitting in the auditorium. They were halfway to the stage, when the voice spoke up. Immediately, their attention went from the stage to the man, who was brushing eraser bits off himself. "Oh, sorry mate! Didn't know anyone was home," he spoke in an apologetic tone. "We haven't been here long, and we were just out exploring the place," he laughed at himself with his childish intentions, rubbing the back of his head while he smiled.

    The man, now brought to their attention, was very hard to miss. Mason, who is normally fairly aware of his surrounds, kicked himself slightly as he made such an error. This was less situational, and more simply because of the high standards he has for himself. The man stood at average to tall statue, and had a distinctive blue hair colour, not to mention the wings, despite being tucked so close to the body. Mason immediately thought of a bird, a thought Lupo and him must have had at the same time because the large wolfdog started off towards the large bird. "Oi. Not to fast!" he said to the dog with a snap of his fingers. The dog lowered his ears and walked back to Mason. "He's friendly, he just likes chasing birds and rabbits," Mason says, walking towards the man.

"I'm Mason by the way. In Lyra dorm. Just transferred here a couple weeks ago." He extends a hand to shake. Accepting the fact that he can't chase the man, Lupo leaves the two and goes exploring the theatre on his own. Moving in and out of isles, gradually making his way onto the large stage. Mason lets the dog do his with, his focus on the new man.

Jayden nodded at the other's apology.  He supposed that it would be easy to overlook him since he had been so quiet, and really, it was a surprise that this person was engaging in conversation with him.  Generally, people would ignore someone as quiet as Jayden when he was in this state, but he supposed that there was no helping it.  He had roped himself into a conversation the moment that he stood up and offered a word toward the other.

Giving a sheepish grin, Jayden rubbed his cheek with a finger.  "It's fine, really."  He gave a light chuckle, but it quickly dropped when the dog came closer to him.  Jayden's body automatically tensed, and it wasn't until the other called him back that the bird started calming down again.  He could feel his hairs standing on end , but he rubbed at his long sleeves, trying to force them back down.  His eyes glued themselves to the ground, wondering if it was obvious that he was, indeed, a blue jay.  Perhaps the other couldn't see the patterns on his wings since they were squeezed so tightly to his body?  Honestly, he wouldn't mind if he didn't have wings at all, but he did his best to keep them out of the way, so he supposed it wasn't such a bad thing that he hadn't been figured out so quickly.

Jayden took the extended hand, giving it a gentle shake.  "Jayden," he responded with another smile.  "I'm from Lyra, too, but I've been here for a while.  Welcome to the academy, although it's probably quite late to be saying that."  He gave a melodic laugh, finally feeling himself loosening up.  Knowing the other's name was a good start, right?  "Who's your friend there?  He seems very... open."  A little too open for Jayden's own liking, but that was simply because his kind normally ended as prey for canines.

    Mason shakes his hand with a smile. "Nice to meet another Lyra member! We seem to be far and few in between, but I guess that just say something about the quality of us I suppose," he jokes, laughing at his own humour. When Jayden refers to Lupo, who had decided to lay on the stage, he smirks.
    "His name is Lupo, which is kinda of redundant," he chuckles. "But if it fights right?" He turns his attention back to Jayden. "I got him about four years ago, and we've been inseparable ever since. He's a good companion, so I usually take him with me wherever I go, so sorry if that bothers you," he finished with an apologetic smile.

    "So, what were you doing here mate? You know my childish reasons! Is there an audition for something?" he asked both excited and jokingly. He walks towards the stage, which were only slightly more lit than the house. From the pit below the lip of the stage, Mason jumps up. Though with the aid of his air bending, easily clears the four feet between the pit and the stage, and lands lighter than you'd expect beside his dog, who, used to his antics, doesn't move. He sits beside his dog and turns back to his new acquaintance for his answer.

Jayden nodded when Mason spoke about his companion.  He wasn't too thrilled on being around a dog whose hobby it was to chase his people, but he didn't necessarily dislike the animal.  He simply didn't know the other well enough to pass solid judgement on him.  "I-I should be fine," he said, offering a smile that hopefully didn't twinge itself with worry.  His wings shifted nervously as he watched the other lift himself onto the stage.

"Ah, as far as I know, there's nothing going on today," he admitted, glancing down to pick a few more shards of pink-and-grey gunk off of his simple clothing.  "I actually came in here to practice my drawing."  He wondered how strange that would be to the other... some odd person just sitting around lazily in an enormous, empty room with nothing but a sketchbook to keep him company.  Then again, that sounded like any other artist, right?  And Mason was also in Lyra, so he should have been used to such people by now, even if he had only just transferred here.  Artists surrounded themselves with other artists, or so he had been told, right?

His brown eyes shot back up to the other.  Would it be alright to join him on the stage and become friends, or would it be safer to seat himself a little closer so he didn't have to shout his responses?  Instead of deciding between the two, he merely walked to the edge of the stage and simply jumped.  His lack of a natural human body weight allowed him to spring rather high, and with the help of one easy beat of his wings, he was able to twist himself around to land sitting on the edge of the stage, feet dangling carelessly over the lip.  "I do love how quiet it is here, though.  Not that I mind the company or anything--I just didn't expect anyone else to show up."  He gave a light chuckle, flashing a genuine smile at the other two.

    "That's too bad," he said in reference to the lack of auditions. "Never tried acting before, but I think I'd make a pretty impressive Hamlet or Romeo," he playfully boasted. He watched as Jayden walked towards them, who hesitated before jumping on stage with them. Lupo raised his head at Jayden's movements, especially noticing the use of his wings, but made no attempt to move from his resting position, already knowing that Mason forbad him from chasing the large bird. 

    "You draw mate?" he asked once the man settled on stage, his legs dangling off. "That's awesome! I do too. I used to love drawing nature and scenery, although recently I've been getting into more designs and fashion," he said laughing, but completely serious. He knew that a lot of his friends back home would jokingly tease him about his "obsession", as they called it, with fashion. A few years back he started dressing nicely, following the latest trends and designers, growing his wardrobe, but it wasn't only until recently that he started sketching some designs and ideas for more fashion. Mason was comfortable with his interests though, so he didn't feel self conscience about revealing that to this person he just met.

    "But you're right. Is is quiet in here," Mason add, laying down now. He put his arms behind his head, and brought one knee up as he looking to the ceiling. It was pretty high up, which only helped with the acoustics of the room. After a while, he spoke again. "I know I speak a lot, so if you get tired just tell me to piss off. I was just wondering though, with your wings. You fly a lot? Or do you prefer to walk around?" He sat up again after finishing the question, looking at Jayden with a curious smile on his face.

Jayden's eyes widened some as the other spoke about fashion.  It only took a quick glance over the other's outfit and enough time for Mason to finish his thought before Jayden realized that he was in the presence of a fashionista.  Guilt twinged in his gut as he drew his wings closer to his body in an attempt to cover the messy holes that he had cut out so he could even attempt to slip his wings through.  After all, trying to shove two seven-foot-long featherholders through a shirt was quite a feat.  This long-sleeved white sweater in particular was currently in the worst of its days with nothing holding together the back of the shirt anymore.  Now, it sported a gaping hole in the fabric that Jayden could rather comfortably wriggle his wings through.  If Mason saw that, though... A blush of embarrassment rose in his cheeks as his feathers ruffled against each other.  Not only was the other a fashionista, but he was also fairly attractive.  Jayden didn't think he could handle being scoffed at by such a man.

When he was asked about his wings, though, Jayden nearly froze.  Was he being rude by flittering around the way he had just done?  Perhaps he should have gone around backstage instead to get onto the stage.  "A-ah... I don't mind if you talk," he stated, ending the thought with a nervous laughter.  "I'm normally a lot more social, but I seem to have lost myself in the doodles from before, so... I suppose I'm still in 'artist mode,' as some might call it."  He scratched his cheek with a finger.  "Also, I do prefer walking, although I've been recently trying to fly more.  It's much easier to do here in the open fields where there are no ceilings to restrict you, y'know?"  As soon as the words escaped his mouth, he instantly regretted them.  Flustered, he began rifling through his messenger bag to yank out the sketchbook and shove it at the other.  As much as he hated talking about his art, he actually began feeling a little queasy if left to talk about his past.

"H-here, if you'd like," he said, face already a brilliant shade of crimson from the amount of self-induced stress.  "You can flip through it and... give me feedback, I suppose."  At least it would help to have another artist constructively criticize his work, right?

"You've been flying more? That's great mate! I was wondering if--!" he began excitedly before he heard the noise of shuffling. This nose made Mason sit up again to see what was going on, only to be welcomed by a sketch book thrust in front of him. "Oh, uh, thanks," he said with an awkward smile. He wasn't really sure what to do with it, but he accepted the book with a smile. "Are you sure? I know we've only just met, and art can be very personal," he paused, examining Jayden's nervous face before smiling. "Okay."

    Mason opening the sketchbook, and was immediately impressed. "I love the detail..." he said quietly, both to himself and Jayden, but mostly to the art, similar to how one speaks to themselves as they work. "Could use a but more shading..." He flipped another page. "Brilliant colours, great accents..."

    This continued for a few minutes as Mason flipped through the pages. He hesitated on the most recent drawing, the one he assumes that he interrupted because it had only just been started. Once he was finish, Mason closed the book gently, before handing it back to Jayden. "That was brilliant, thank you! You're really talented at this Jayden. Loads better than myself I think!"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any work on me to show you in return, but there was something I wanted to ask you," another grin on his face. "I know we just met, and it might back been rude to me to ask about your wings mate, but I was wondering if you to have a race with me. A flying one! I may not have wings, but I think I can give you a run for your money!"

Jayden had successfully diverted the conversation!  He breathed a sigh of relief, not actually listening to the praise.  He had definitely been getting better since starting (he wished he was able to access his old records, but those were filed away for safekeeping where he could no longer reach them now).  He could always try to recreate something that he had done before and see how much he had progressed, but so many of his drawings before were abstract before making it into a solid piece.  Oh, well...

His ears pricked when the other said he had a question to ask, but when it finally came out, his stomach sank once more.  Mason's eyes held quite the excited sparkle, and it made Jayden shrink back a little.  "Y-you see," he started, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.  He didn't want to make the other upset, but... "I don't really do well with sports or things like that," he half-muttered, not making eye contact anymore.  "I would try, but my bones are pretty fragile, so I can hurt myself pretty easily, and I don't want to have to miss classes right now."  He sighed, wings unfurling slightly and drooping.  "My wings aren't that strong, either."  He spoke up this time, despite his embarrassment.  "S-so thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline.  You would definitely beat me in a race."  He laughed nervously, now feeling the porous tips of his hair.  He needed to trim them, he thought absently, but it wasn't a current concern.

"Um, but enough about me!"  He forced a small smile onto his lips and turned back to Mason.  "What do you like to do for fun?  Other than racing strangers that you meet in the school auditorium."

    "Oh," he said a bit disappointedly. He didn't want to impose on Jayden, but he was itching to see what the students here at Foresta had to offer. Not saying that Jayden didn't offer anything, Mason was sure that he had a number of hidden abilities, not all of them physical attributes either, but at this time, it was physical prowess he desired. "That's alright mate, it's not for everyone," he said with a smile, before turning his attention to Lupo, petting him and scratching just below his ear to make his back leg twitch with enjoyment.

    Mason perked back up at Jayden spoke. "Well," he chuckled at Jayden's joke. "I spent a lot of my time working on my abilities," he said almost absentmindedly, thinking back to how he was like that simply because his father pressed it's importance growing up. "Though free time I enjoy hiking or camping, drawing, and usually reading current fashion issues to keep up on the trend and work on my designs," he said with a smile. "I know that sounds incredibly prissy," he added. "But I don't mind. To me, it's another form of expression. Plus, I like looking good too," he smirked, before turning back to his dog. 

"What about you mate?"