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Summary: Nicholas doesn't believe Mason is who he says he is, and Mason proceeds to work his charms on Taylor.
Date: February 19, 2012
Log Title: Justin Bieber Wannabe
Rating: PG-13
Xavier Mansion - Recreation Room
What was once the Parlor has been turned into a Recreation Room for the students. A nice plush carpet meets the light blue walls giving it a homey feel. A pool table at one end, a foos ball table at the other, and entertainment center with video game systems, movies, and of course, cable TV. Big comfy chairs and couches surround a coffee table for comfortable loafing. Long glass windows with a pair of French doors line one side of the room bringing in plenty of light during the day. The main rule in here is to clean up after yourself.
It's Sunday night in the mansion and Nicholas is occupying the recreation room. With a bag of chips and a bottle of apple juice on the table in front of him, he's got his gaze fixed on the television screen as he plays Batman Lego. His sneakers are on the ground and he's curled up on one of the couches with a blanket on his legs as he's focused on the television screen.
He's been gone for the last six weeks. Mason Steele's latest tour has been rather successful. A broader demographic has attended, though only ever so slightly. He's still pegged as a teen idol more than a serious artist, but he'll take what he can get for now. All the thinking on such things can wait, though. He's back.
His hand grips the side of the wall as he enters the room, tugging himself in lazily. He's moderately stressed out, and it shows in the way he carries himself. One sneaker'd foot plods before the other as he approaches a separate couch from Nicholas, and he lets himself thud into the side of the sofa before the TV. He unceremoniously rolls over the arm of the couch into the cushion, and there is a creak from inside the couch due to his weight. Am I gaining weight? He rolls himself out over the cushions and lets his eyes stare out at the screen. "Sup?" he casually greets Nicholas.
Taylor enters the rec room on all fours, presently wearing a light blue t-shirt with a picture of a little t-rex holding a bunch of balloons and apparently floating on the sky, and a pair of blue jeans. The feline student sniffs at the ground lightly, and then hops onto the back of the couch, landing softly, and peering down curiously at the other students there.
Looking over at Mason as he enters the room, Nick responds to his greeting with a bit of a head nod. He looks at him for a bit as if he recognizes him from somewhere before deciding it must be from class. "Hey Taylor." He says to the ocelot student as they make their appearance known. "How's your weekend?"
Mason runs a hand through his locks of blond hair, and lets out a sigh before his eyes drift up to rest on Taylor. "Hi there," he greets with a weak smile. His mouth opens in a yawn, and he stretches slightly. He doesn't really have a whole lot to add to any conversations at the moment, and rubs the side of his head. Though he doesn't seem dirty, he rolls a little dirt into his fingers, and then stares at it for a moment, frowning as he plays with the soil between his fingers.
Taylor seems a bit surprised for a moment or two after being spoken to, and the student takes a moment to finish climbing over the couch and sit down like a normal person, "Hey, Nicholas. My weekend's been pretty bland so far. Homework and napping, I didn't have much time for anything else…" The student pauses for a moment, quickly glancing over towards Mason, and then looking back to Nicholas, asking, "Um. Is that Mason Steele opposite me?"
"I haven't done a whole lot either just cause…" Nicholas shrugs and doens't finish the answer before he gives Taylor a 'what the hell are you talking about' look at the last question. "Mason Steele, you mean like that Justin Bieber wannabe kid? Yeah right, like some lame pop star would really come to school here." He says not believing for a second someone famous, outside of the X-Men, would be a student here.
"Nah, Justin Bieber wants to be me," Mason counters casually with a dismissive wave of the hand, "But it's good to meet you too," he offers to Nicholas. He's too tired to bother taking offense. "I guess you guys are new here. I've been gone on tour for a while. Good to meet you." He forces himself to sit up. "Taylor, is it?" he asks Taylor with that true blue gleam in his eye which he's known so well for. Even exhausted, Steele never fails to keep his charm turned on.
Taylor raises a brow slightly when Mason replies, and the feline student says, "Oh. So you really are Mason Steele? Not just… some kind of shapeshifter kind of guy?" Tay peers at Mason and then nods, "Yes, I'm Taylor."
The game is paused and Nicholas turns his head to look at Mason for a good while. They already met once but it didn't dawn on him then who he was. "He's gotta be pulling your leg Taylor." Nick concludes. "I mean seriously, what famous person would ever come here, to school, let alone admit they are actually a mutant. Probably like you said, just some kind of shapeshifter trying to impress people."
Mason shrugs, "Okay, you don't have to believe me," he says. "Ask Ms. Frost," he suggests. "I've been here for over a year. News said it was so I could take Julliard classes, which was part true, but it was also so I could go here. My mom wanted to make sure I got opportunities that she never got as a mutant growing up." He digs his hand into his pocket and then retrieves two small rocks, and fiddles with them in his left hand. "But for the record, no, I don't admit I'm a mutant publicly."
Taylor sniffs at Mason and says to Nicholas, "Well, he smells like a potted plant. I'm not familiar with mutant stuff, but I dunno if that's shapeshiftery." The ocelot eyes Mason a few moments further and says, "So you're a mutant and you don't admit to it publicly? Lucky you don't look like you're a mutant. Wish I had the luxury."
Nicholas continues to stare at Mason for a bit before shrugging a shoulder. "Whatever." He says to the popstar unpausing his game. "And what kind of opportunity is that? The chance to see how lucky you are being rich and famous and nothing to worry about?" There's defiantly a mocking tone as he says that. He looks over at Taylor and frowns at the teen for a bit, feeling a bit bad. "Well it doesn't matter if you hide it or not, somehow, they still know."
"Mason takes a sharp breath in at Taylor's statement. "Yeah, for now," he comments, sounding uncertain of the matter. "Sorry. I don't mean to rub that in. And I smell like dirt because my body absorbs earth. It's my power, I can control rocks and stuff like that." A blond eyebrow quirks up to one side. "Are you always this friendly?" he asks in a rather bemused tone. There's something behind his eyes when Nicholas makes the statement, though. Some fear of truth stings between the vowels. "Or are you just one of those people who hate me because you don't like pop so you think it's okay to treat me like I'm not quite a real person."
Taylor raises his brow at Mason's question to Nicholas and then says, "Uh, I don't think he said that 'cause he hates you…" The feline student's tail flicks lightly from side to side, "I'm not sure whether I should be excited that I know a celebrity is a mutant to, or a bit sad that nobody else knows it… I'm kind of hoping to be able to go on buses without an image inducer someday."
"I'm just a friendly kinda guy." Nicholas says with a bit of a cold tone to his voice. "And yes I hate you because you're faking being a crappy pop star." He says rolling his eyes as it is a bit obvious he still doesn't believe the teen. "The only reason I think you -might- be Mason Steele is cause out of all the celebrities in the world, you choose him to impersonate." He looks at Taylor and shakes his head. "Well, that day is probably a long way off, I hate to say."
"Right," Mason says, sounding a little more annoyed. Apparently he is getting his second wind. "You realize I don't just play pop music, right?" he asks. "Actually, you both stay here for a second, I'm gonna be right back." He pops up from the couch, and heads back out. "Seriously, stay here, I have something to show you. Especially you," he points at Nicholas directly before he heads out of the room.
Taylor just gets a sad cat look when Nicholas says the day is a long way off, and then stares after where Mason heads off to and raises an eyebrow lightly, then looking over towards Nicholas with a bit of a perplexed expression, ears splayed at different heights to emphasize the confusion (not that it's intentional).
"You realize I really don't care, right?" Nicholas says to Mason before he runs off and he gets a frustrated look on his face. "Sorry Taylor, I know it'd be nice if it was all Mutant Love and crap but I don't see it happening anytime soon." He knows he's being jaded but it's just almost impossible for him to see hope for the future of mutants being different. "Honestly I don't know if he is or isn't, and I don't really care but if he comes in here and starts singing to show off, I'm outta here."
Sure enough, Mason comes back in, toting his keyboard a couple of minutes later. "You see, there's a lot of stupid people in this world," he explains. "People who have no musical talent whatsoever, who like to criticize people who have talent because they are small where it counts and they feel the need to compensate. So, you say that I'm a crappy pop star, so let me see what you can do," he challenges Nicholas. He sets the stand up for the keyboard, and turns it to face Nicholas on the couch." Looks like he's not showing off, he's challenging Nicholas to show off. Apparently Nicholas found a hot button, or maybe it's just a button that's been pressed too many times. "See, with the place I'm in now, I can really push to make a difference for mutants. Taylor, I believe the day you can walk around without an image inducer are close. People just gotta see the good in people who are different. That's the way it was with skin color back in the fifties, now it's just people who are mutants instead. Don't worry, there's hope."
Taylor sighs at what Nicholas says and nods, "Oh, I know, it'd be nice…" To what Mason says, the feline student headtilts slightly and then says, "Well, I guess I'm just thinking, it's like that Milk guy, the gay rights guy. You gotta show people that everyone knows a mutant… which is hard, 'cause not many people know a visible mutant…"
"That who guy?" Nicholas asks Taylor right before the keyboard is plopped down in front of him. Mason is given the look of death from Nicholas and is ignored for the moment as Nicholas looks over at Taylor. "Yeah but the minute someone knows your a mutant they're gonna try to kill you and your family. Doesn't matter if you're visible or not. Sure it's great to be brave and say something but…it's just a dream." He says before looking at Mason and looking down at the keyboard. "You have five seconds to get this thing outta my face or else it's going to end up meeting the wall. If you're really that hard up for self esteem that you have to play a 'my penis is bigger game' with someone you just met, wow. What's next, who can run five laps around the mansion the fastest?"
"Well if you don't wanna play that game, then quit trying to play it. You're the one who started this," Mason challenges Nicholas. "I mean seriously man, give it a rest. I'm sick of people like you who just want nothing more in life than to make other people miserable. I came down and sat on the couch and you started insulting me. I've never even done anything to you. We just met. I just spent the last six weeks getting dragged around the country and I'm worn out. I don't need to come home to some new kid I've never met bashing me because someone pissed in his cheerios."
Taylor inhales sharply at Nicholas's reality check, ears folding back again in that sad kind of look, "I know. Sorry, I… guess it really is probably best I'm here, I wouldn't want to put anyone at risk…" The feline peers towards Mason and then says, "Sorry. I think your music is okay."
"First off I didn't suggest playing any games. Second, I still don't believe you're some famous pop star." Nicholas says to Mason, not hiding his thoughts at all. "And I'm sick of people like you who lives are perfect, so take your keyboard and pretend to be Billy Joel." He says as he tosses his video game controller on the couch and stands up, grabbing his sneakers. He looks at Taylor and frowns. "Sorry…I didn't mean, just…" He shakes his head and heads out of the room before he does something he know he'll regret.
"My life is far from perfect, Mason growls. "You don't even know anything about me, what would you know about my life?" He watches as Nick storms out of the room, and lets out a breath that he didn't realize that he had been holding. He glances back to Taylor. "You shouldn't have to hide, and you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are," Mason tells Taylor. "It's the world that has the problem, not you." He glances back to Nick's direction and then adds. "I probably was a little bit harsher to him than I should have been. Sorry about that. It's been a long month," he apologizes for his tone toward Taylor. "Thanks, it's good to hear when people actually like my music."
Taylor frowns when Nick leaves wordlessly, waving towards him and saying, "I know you didn't, umm, seeya…" The feline student glances down at the floor and then over to Mason, "Well, I know I shouldn't have to hide or whatever, and yeah, I'm totally trying to be okay with the whole being a mutant bit… but I dunno, what am I going to do when I graduate?"
"What do you wanna do?" Mason asks. "I wanna be a rock star and a composer. I don't think I should have to can that because I'm a mutant. I hope at least. So I'm gonna keep at it until I can't." He turns back the keyboard to himself. "Follow your heart," he recommends, softly playing a few undefined chords. No real melody seems to be produced, he's just playing the chords for the sake of playing them.
"I want to do, I dunno, fashion design or something like that, I guess… I enjoy working with fabric and making clothes. Uh, usually only for dolls now, if I could do it for dolls, I'd be set," says Taylor, shrugging lightly at that, "But looking how I look now… I think following my heart's all well and good, but it'll be tough to get a job like that…"
"If you really want it, you can make it happen," Mason answers. "Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. They are just full of garbage. You can't think like that. If people love you, they'll love you for who you are, not what you look like. Think of just how ugly some people out there are, and they are successful. You're beautiful, you shouldn't have any trouble." His fingers dance on a few more keys, a variation on the chords.
Taylor raises an eyebrow slightly and says skeptically, "You think I'm beautiful?" The feline student says, "I don't really buy that a pop star who is probably always surrounded by beautiful girl finds a cat monster looking person beautiful…" Taylor sighs deeply and adds, "But I guess thanks for the encouragement…"
"Are you kidding?" Mason asks. "My friend Shane is really into those japanese cartoons, and they always have cat girls in them. There's all kinds of guys that find that hot." He shrugs. "Glad I could be encouraging." He releases the keys, and plops back into the couch again, causing a definite crack somewhere inside of the sofa, but it doesn't seem to have affected it's ability to bear his weight. All the same, he might want to refrain from that habit in the future.
"Well, those cat girls usually just look human with ears and a tail or whatever… I look… more like an animal than that," says Taylor, shrugging lightly, "I guess I'm still surprised that you're a mutant, though… And… Shane? Like Shane from here? She's never mentioned you."
"Yeah, Shane and I went to the same school before we both came here. He closes his eyes "I'm not famous to her," he notes. "I'm just Mason. I'm not a big famous pop star to her. He folds his hands in front of him. It's at this point that the sleepiness seems to catch up with him, because he becomes very still, and after a moment it becomes clear that he is asleep.
