Owner	Pose
Mason	Another year has started. Mason was out of town for the holidays, back in California with his mother. Of course, there were parties out there he had to go visit as well. Some he might share with others, some maybe he will keep to himself. But now classes are back in session, and he's back to the school. He came back with a present. Apparently he wasn't thoughtful enough to buy a present before he left, but on Christmas he let her know he had found her something while he was out in California. It was shipped to a music store in the Salem Center, and so today was the day to go pick it up, but he hasn't told her what it was yet. "How was Christmas?" he asks, taking his usual 'too fast' standard as they zip down the back roads of Westchester.
Shannon	Shannon just chuckles and smiles, having the good sense to keep her wings tucked in tightly behind her for the drive down. "It was pretty good. I stayed up here for the kids who didn't really have anyone for the holiday, but I did get to visit my folks for New Year's. There was the huge dinner at school, and just before Thanksgiving there was supposed to have been a concert but that fell through. It's been pretty quiet otherwise, though I bet things will pick back up again now that the holidays are over." It seems over the holidays she's changed her hair up a little bit, adding a small blue braid, just a few shades darker than her own eyes, with three little silver beads on the end, on the left side of her face. She's dressed in a white tunic sweater, dark blue jeans, and knee-length caramel suede boots. "What about you, though? You were gone for a while again, everything okay?"
Mason	"Yeah," Mason says, "Just wanted to go see a bunch of people back in Cali, that's all," he says dismissively. "Hung out with Mom, gave Dad a call, stuff like that. Did a couple charity events, you know, obligatory celebrity stuff." He gives a shrug, and then narrowly misses being hit as he guns a left turn ahead of a car to pull into the parking lot of the mall. "Whoo, plenty of room, right?" he laughs. He searches the parking rows, looking for a good spot to park.
Shannon	Shannon yelps as the car is narrowly missed, her eyes gone as wide as dinner plates as her short life flashes before them. As the saying goes, 'first you say it, then you do it'. If that is true, then she will need a new pair of jeans by the time they head back to the school! "Hey, I'm a healer, I'm not Lazarus! I can't bring people back from the dead!" Still, she laughs, shaking her head. It seems Mason hadn't changed one bit, as wild and reckless as ever!
Mason	Mason finds a spot somewhere around the middle of a row, and throws it into park. "Sorry!" he grins. So very not sorry is on his face. He hops out of the car. "You curious what I got ya?" he asks with a big smile. "I think you're gonna love it."
Shannon	Shannon's knees are shaking a bit as she gets out of the car, checking to make sure she hasn't lost any feathers over the wild ride. Nope, no molting today! She laughs some and cants her head, peering over at him. "You didn't have to, you know. Just hope you'll like what I made for you." She grins a bit sheepishly, looking down at her slightly needle-pricked and now calloused fingers--had she been taking up a new instrument in his absence? "I had a lot of sewing to do for the holidays for everyone."
Mason	"Well, getting me stuff you can find in the store always seems kinda..." he shrugs. "Kind of the problem I guess with having money, I can probably get whatever it is myself. So something that someone makes, especially if it's someone that has some skills like you," he adds. "That's something I can't buy, so I'm really looking forward to seeing it." He makes his way into the mall, holding the door for her first, of course.
Shannon	Shannon smiles and slips through the door, shaking a little bit of snow off of her wings; on the way in, a few flakes had begun to fall, promising a coating of white on the ground by the time they were ready to head back. "That's why I like a homemade Christmas. I think I'd better be sewing all year this year, though. Trying to cram all those presents into a few short months was nuts! Especially this one." She takes her phone from her pocket and swipes through to a picture of a very patriotic-looking red, white, and blue quilt. Flipping her phone around, she shows that to him, with a sheepish grin. "Guess you can kind of guess who that was meant for. Got to give it to them a couple days before Christmas."
Mason	"Oh, that's cool, Mason says, looking closely at the phone and then moving to steal a cheeky kiss peck. "Like, Captain America or something?" he asks. "Looks like one he'd like. Well, I can't make stuff, unless it's songs." He stops. "Dang, I shoulda thought of that, I could have written people songs for Christmas." He scratches the back of his head. "Well, I guess you'll have to make due with my 'not homemade Christmas' present."
Shannon	Shannon chuckles and turns a bit red. "That's exactly who it was for. Not sure how he liked it, he was determined to not spoil the surprise till Christmas. Hasn't been any word since. So here's hoping. I'm not about to bug the guy." The minute it sounds like Mason is about to put down his 'not homemade' Christmas present, she stops right there as they're making their way through the food court, crossing her arms, her wings spreading out and ruffling. "Hey. You put thought into it, that counts for a hella lot, you know."
Mason	Mason grins that slick grin that he has, "Well, we'll see if I hit the mark," he comments, heading to the music store. He walks up to the counter. "Hey Mike, it came in, right?" he asks the guy behind the counter, looking back with a sneaky grin to Shannon.
Shannon	Shannon grins, recognizing the music store as the one where she had gotten her guitar just a few weeks before Christmas. What on earth could Mason have in mind, coming here? Her brows quirk upwards, and she smiles, trying not to peek over -too- much from where she is nosing through some sheet music for piano solo versions of favorite songs; just her luck, she's come across a book of Elton John music she didn't have! "You didn't go overboard did you, Mason?"
Mason	"Overboard is very relative," Mason answers. Mike, the guy behind the counter, goes back to get the delivery. "Besides, I /do/ have a budget for stuff." He keeps that canary-eating grin. A new keyboard comes out. A Yamaha M0FX8 88 key. There are fancier keyboards out there, of course, but it's certainly a good one.     "Sorry it isn't wrapped, I'm a pretty typical guy in that respect," Mason admits. "Thought you might like an upgrade, you know?" he suggests.
Shannon	"Holy sh..iitake mushrooms. Mason, you didn't!" It was a sight different than the one her mother had passed on down to her, for sure. There was no way Shannon would get rid of that one, so it appeared now it was likely she'd be able to play some duets! Wrapping arms and wings around Mason in a hug, she just smiles from ear to ear. "Thank you!"
Mason	Mason happily receives the hug. "I'm glad you like it," he says with a smile. "Sorry I've been a bit absent. I have a bad habit of getting distracted," he admits. One hand travels a little farther south than a simple friendly hug, giving her a pinch. "Maybe we should take your new toy for a spin somewhere," he suggests.
Shannon	That pinch does make Shannon go very still for a moment. Without making a big deal of it, she curls her fingers around his wrists and very subtly, gently moves his hands away from the affected area. There was no sense embarrassing him, but neither was she going to let him get fresh with her, especially not in public! She steps back just out of reach and nods, tucking her wings in neatly behind her. "Sounds good, but where?"
Mason	The smiles on his face as she moves his hands away is hardly apologetic, but he doesn't force the issue. "I dunno, could go back to the school," he suggests. "Unless you can think of a better place." He glances back to the deliverer of the gift. "Thanks, Mike," he says to the guy behind the counter. "Want to carry it or should I?" He keeps going as if nothing at all had happened, just as confident as ever.
Shannon	Shannon's answer to the question of who gets to carry the gift is simply to scoop the keyboard up in her arms, carrying it against her shoulder. "I'll never get rid of the one my mother passed down to me, but this one will be wonderful to play also." She smiles and runs her fingers gently over the lettering on the box. "I remember you saying you did some work on advertising for Yamaha when you came back that one time."
Mason	"Yeah," Mason remembers, though he hadn't really thought about it. There's the look on his face that says she may have remembered better than he had. "Well I'm glad you like it." He starts heading back toward the exit, leading the way so that he'll be able to hold doors as necessary. As they leave the store, he turns to walk backward as he talks. "So, you want to go to the school? Or maybe someplace...quieter?" he suggests with the tilt of his head.
Shannon	The box is bulky and not exactly light, but the winged teen is managing it well enough. She smiles a bit at Mason and tilts her head, ruffling her wings by way of a shrug. "Well, where could we go that'd let me try this out? I'd be kind of curious to hear what kind of sound this has." Given his wandering hands just a few minutes ago, she's a bit wary, and not exactly pushing for a location either way, curious to see where he has in mind.
Mason	"Well," Mason says, holding the door as they reach the end of the mall to return to the parking lot. "I know that the back door to the Jr. High auditorium doesn't latch quite right," he notes. "Sometimes I sneak in there to work on something with the feel of stage." He uses his body to hold the door, and shoves his hands into his pockets.
Shannon	Shannon's eyes go wide, and she looks a tiny bit scandalized. "Doesn't that qualify as breaking and entering?" she asks, keeping her voice down low. "Maybe there's somewhere a little quiet where we could go at the school. Urgh, we -so- need a stage, and they'd freak if we used the DR for that." As tempting as it was, surely. "There anywhere that doesn't involve sneaking around?"
Mason	"C'mon," Mason teases with that charming smile. "It's half the fun," he contends. "Besides, school's closed right now, it's not like anyone's gonna be there to even know. Even if they did, I'm sure I could talk our way out of it," he justifies. "Not like we are gonna steal anything or break stuff, we're just borrowing the stage," he adds. He opens the trunk of the car for the keyboard. "You know you want to," he taunts lightly.
Shannon	"Maybe," Shannon concedes. "But what we want isn't always -right-. You know it's wrong to break and enter, and what if whoever we talk to if we get caught is in a pissy mood, or just an unreasonable jerk? I don't want to see you put in that position." She grins a little bit, thinking of a possible alternative. "It might not be as quiet, but... well, sometimes they do let me do sound checks over at Evolution, and that wouldn't involve a possible run-in with the law."
Mason	"I mean, yeah, if we wanna drive all the way down to the city," Mason answers, tone indicating he doesn't. "That's /so/ much traffic to get through." If permitted, he takes the keyboard to put it in the trunk. "Besides, we might want to do other things we shouldn't do," he suggests, innuendo strong. "Hard to do that at Club Evolution," he notes.
Shannon	While not blind to innuendo, Shannon was doing her best to ignore it, and not actively encourage it. "Still, the drive there would be wild. I mean, look who's got the lead foot and the golden voice!" She giggles softly, gently nudging him in a teasing sort of way. "And that's something I can't do yet. Waiting till spring for that. Have wings, will travel!"
Mason	"Wild is fun," Mason says with a wink, hip nudging her back. "Okay, if we go to Evolution, though, we'll have to go out to someplace nice for dinner," he says, "How's that sound?" he asks. "Maybe give you some candlelight even," he adds, closing the trunk and moving to open the door for her.
Shannon	Sliding into the passenger seat, Shannon makes doubly sure to buckle up, knowing all too well Mason's need for speed. There might be a meme going around the school of her bug-splatted on the DR floor, but she wasn't keen on becoming a bug splat across someone's windshield! "Sounds good! Where did you have in mind?"
Mason	Mason tears out of the parking lot like a bat on fire, and he zips down the side streets. "Some hole in the wall," he says with a shrug. "Unless Sam makes us stay and eat there," He guns it even harder as he gets to the freeway, the whir of the engine complaining at the high level of speed as he zips along that thin gray line of pavement.
Shannon	"Hey, the hole in the wall places can have the best food! Think there's any steak or seafood places that'd work?" Yeah, no, Shannon might like her vegetables, but she was definitely no vegan! A rare peal of laughter escapes her as the car zooms down the side streets, the speed and the rumbling roar of the engine making her very glad she had her seatbelt on! "There was gonna be a concert there and I was supposed to have been the warm-up act but the whole thing fell through. Who knows," she adds, turning a bit red. "Maybe I'll finally get to hear the song I wrote in there."
Mason	Mason cocks an eyebrow. "I know a place," he says. "Down near Julliard. And we can pretend I'm using one of the stages that are empty for practice, if there are any that aren't in use right now. It's a lot closer, and quieter," he notes, striking his blinker for the exit. "Unless you really want to do it in Club Evolution. I mean, up to you."
Shannon	Shannon's eyes go a little bit wide, and she can't help a bit of a grin. This was probably the one and only chance she would have to ever get anywhere near Julliard, as she was nowhere near good enough for a place like that. To that, she does nod, and doesn't even bother trying to hold back an impish little grin. "Hey, if it's closer, let's go for it. Plus it's a whole lot less likely you'll get in trouble for it."
Mason	And a hard turn onto the exit, enough that it causes both of them to shift there weight a little in the car. He slows down, and pulls onto the crowded streets of the city. "Now," he clarifies, raising a hand in defense, "I can't PROMISE that there will be one open, but we can check, because there are a couple of musicians that go to Julliard, you know."
Shannon	Shannon lets out a little squeak as the pair are shifted about in the car, laughing, her hands darting out to grip the dash. "Hey. Whether there's one or not, this is a one in a million chance to see the place!" She leaves unspoken her thoughts on whether or no she'd ever be good enough to study there, but hey, even being a guest was special enough! "Pfft. I know there are a couple musicians who go there. Maybe I've got cotton for brains, but yeesh!" Her tone is light and teasing, and she smiles.
Mason	"Well, if you like it, I can always bring you back," Mason suggests. "Maybe we can get you an audition to come here as well for college." That might be more pull than he really has, but he can try. He pulls the car into a parking spot, and hops back out, making a grand gesture to the modern looking university and clicking the trunk release. "Here we are!"
Shannon	The winged teen's eyebrows loft, and she looks a bit dubious at best. "I seriously doubt I've got the chops like you do, to be able to come here for classes. Used to dream about it, or something like it, years ago when I was little and without wings." She's given pause, looking behind her. "Think I'd be better off with my inducer on here?"
Mason	Mason pauses at the question. "Um..." he seems uncertain. "They never really talk a lot about it," he admits. "I don't know. Maybe just to be safe. It's a private school, so they can kick people out for whatever they feel like." Of course, since he's not openly a mutant, he hasn't had to deal with it himself.
Shannon	Nodding quickly, Shannon quickly taps her inducer--hopefully before anyone sees them. Of course, if there are any security cameras on the parking lot, then it's already too late, but hopefully nobody was looking too closely! "Yeah, at least till we find out if this place is more openly mutant friendly or no." Smiling, she gets out of the car, heading around to the trunk to take out the belated Christmas present.
Mason	Mason leads the way in, and goes to the room reservation pad, pulling his Pre-college ID for the school out and showing it to the front desk. "So, no performances tonight," he says, "That's good, but we have a few that are taken..." he swipes the pad a couple of times. "Oh, here's one that's not in use," he beams. "It's on the third floor, it's usually used for the drama students, is that okay?"
Shannon	Shannon sticks pretty close to Mason, hefting the keyboard in her arms with ease. It's not so much the weight of the instrument, it's the bulk that makes it awkward. Her eyes are as wide as dinner plates as she steals a quick glance around, imprinting every detail of the place in her memory. "How did you manage to get lucky enough to be able to go here?" she inquires, looking like a kid at Christmas. "If I wasn't going for medical..."
Mason	The modern stairs are ascended, past the very unique front desk that is built into the white and wood toned steps. Once out of ear shot, he answers, "I hope it's because I was good enough," Mason answers, then glances back down the steps as the desk disappears. He lowers his voice. "My mom is a telepath, and...she doesn't always have the best ethical practices. She tells me she didn't do anything, but I'm never really sure."
Shannon	Shannon grimaces a little bit, keeping silent on the matter of his mother. She'd heard a little bit about it, but yeah, no, there was no point to bringing that up here. However, when she hears his assessment of his talents, she stops in her tracks. "Oi. You are far better than I will ever be. Saw that the first day I met you. Come on, let's face it, 'Rhapsody In Blue' isn't a beginner's piece by any stretch of the imagination!"
Mason	"Nonsense, Are the Beatles better than Bob Dylan, or Mozart better than Beethoven? Just different styles," Mason says. "If people can be touched by your music, that's all that counts in the end. And you have that gift." He hits the elevator to the third floor, and makes his way to the open room. "Here it is!" He opens the door, and the lights automatically turn on, revealing the stage at the end of a 200 seat theatre. It isn't big, but the chairs are rather classy, house seating in wood against a modern curved stage. a ramp is in place rather than stairs, making all of the location handicap accessible.
Shannon	"But you've never heard my own music, have you? So how can you know if it would really touch someone?" Shannon's brought up short as they enter the room; it's not the biggest stage she's ever seen, but it's certainly no elementary school size affair, either! For just a moment, she allows herself to imagine being up there, playing to a full room. "It's a gift you have, though, and don't you ever doubt it."
Mason	"Well, you play the music of others well," Mason says, "So play one of yours!" Without warning, he moves to pick her up in his arms, keyboard and all, and if he isn't stopped, he marches her down to the stage. "Let's get this thing plugged in!" he declares.
Shannon	Shannon yelps and holds on to the box, a little surprised at Mason's strength. She'd never seen that aspect of his gifts--either that, or he worked out a lot! Once deposited on the stage, the keyboard is unboxed and plugged in, and her phone slid free of her pocket. "I mostly composed this on my laptop, but there's enough of a keyboard part where maybe this'll work... you're going to want some earplugs before this is all done, though!"
Mason	Mason does work out, though carrying both her and the keyboard to the stage winded him more than he thought it would. He pants a little, and helps get the assembly required done, before settling into the front row. "Earplugs, huh?" he asks. "Is it screamo?"
Shannon	Shannon laughs and shrugs. "More of a pop ballad, but I guess every artist is their own worst critic." Well, he did ask! Finding a folding chair in the wings off stage, she brings it over and sets it up, sitting down at the instrument. Her phone is set on the side, and tapped once. A simple, yet surprisingly powerful drumbeat begins, and a rhythmic guitar part, followed by light vibraphone and bass. The keyboard part is played by Shannon herself, and she takes up the lyrics and melody, her silky alto voice ringing out in the small auditorium. " "Maybe my story's not like some Livin' my life under the gun But it's mine And that's just fine I've seen sorrow, I've seen pain I'm learning to dance in the rain Look at me Now I'm free..." Her voice picks up in strength and raw, powerful emotion as light cymbals and a slightly more complex vibraphone line is added for accent. Surely, this must be the refrain of the song. "I'm going to touch the Don't know how, don't know why But now I'm gonna fly And you can't stop me No, you can't stop me I'm going to reach the sun Hold my hand up, touch the stars The sky is mine And I'm just fine I'm going to touch the sky..."
Mason	Mason sits back, listening to the performance and watching Shannon with an eager anticipation, his attention fully fixed on her. At the end, the entire audience gives a standing ovation. Which, well, that's just him, but it's still the entire audience!     "That's fantastic!" he declares. "See, you could do well here. You are so gifted!" He plants a hand on the stage, and then jumps up onto it, standing and walking up to her with a big grin.
Shannon	The driving drumbeat continues, with some strings added in to fill out the instruments, their sweet, swooping notes adding to the images painted by each word of the first verse and chorus. Plaintive notes weave in and out of the main melody, some soft, some a little stronger, but all forged into one harmonious whole. "I've taken chances some won't take Bending 'till my back would break Crying, please Oh, God, help me please Prayers whispered in the night Answered, now my heart takes flight Never alone again No, never alone again..."      The music swells, Shannon singing the refrain once more with renewed strength. There is no doubt that this song is her soul put into words, her journey to date finding voice as so many have been encouraging her to do--as you are doing even now.      There's an interlude where the drums drop off to just the bass drums, the bass guitar, and the rhythmic guitar strumming, which has been maintained through out the piece. Once more, bit by bit, the instruments are added back in, building to an intense crescendo, with Shannon breaking into the refrain a final time, the song ending with one last chord on the keyboard. The artist in question turns bright red, and she smiles a little bit. "You're far more gifted. And if I were to come here, what would happen to medical training?"
Mason	Mason shrugs, "You can heal people and sing them a song at the same time," he says. "Pretty impressive combo. He takes a few steps forward. "You shouldn't compare yourself to anyone else, your gifts are special, all of them." He reaches to take her hand and pull her in close.
Shannon	Smiling a little bit, Shannon lets herself lean in a bit. She takes care to keep her wings tucked in tightly; even invisible, Mason did not need to get a face full of feathers! "It's difficult to remember that sometimes. Something I struggle with every day. In a way, it's good I haven't been needed. But in a way, I wish I was needed and wanted sometimes." As he pulls her in, she lets the fingers of her right hand run over the keys of the new instrument, coming out with an old, familiar Billy Joel tune in a quick three-quarter meter. Oh yes. 'Piano Man'.
Mason	Mason moves in close. "Well," he says, "I want you," he whispers into her ear, and plants a soft kiss just in front of the ear on the side of her head. His right hand moves around her waist, and his left hand plays the harmony notes of the other side of the keyboard idly.
Shannon	At first, Shannon isn't quite sure how to take it as Mason moves in close like that. It's nice to be close to someone, so simply be held and to share a little bit of music. But as his kiss is felt near her ear, her hand falters on the keyboard, to the tune of discordant, jangling notes. Warning bells went off in the back of her head, but she held still for a moment, to see what would happen next.
Mason	Mason doesn't seem to respond to the notes being missed, and his right hand finds it up on her back, stroking up her spine between the wings. He gives a smile to her. "There's a green room right off the side here," he says. "Could be a good place to get comfy." He looks down into her eyes with that look that has probably won over a number of girls before.
Shannon	When Mason goes for that spot between her wings, Shannon has to fight the instinct to relax. A backrub was usually a very comforting, soothing thing, but something about this one was different. When she heard the suggestion for the green room, it clicked. Danger, Will Robinson, danger! Tensing right up, she tries to slide out of the chair, spreading her unseen wings out to their full span and starting to beat the air with them. Unfortunately, this puts Mason right in the line of fire, and is the avian equivalent of, 'Thanks, but no thanks!'
Mason	Mason doesn't expect it, as the wings shove outward, he is spun to one side, and it tosses him off balance. He lands on his rear on the stage, admittedly bewildered. "Sorry, did I tickle you?" he laughs, taking it in good nature as he sits back up, a silly smile on his face.
Shannon	Sliding out of the chair, Shannon reaches down to help him up. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to knock you down like that... are you okay?" She carefully avoids the subject of tickling, starting to get the idea that her fellow student might be going for a little bit more than she was about to give. She does brace herself in a solid front stance as she reaches down, to make it a little more difficult to be pulled to the floor, however.
Mason	Mason takes the hand, but bears most of his own weight, knowing that he's heavier than he looks. "That's okay," he offers graciously. "Where were we? The green room. Nobody will ever look in there, you know, could have a lot of fun," the innuendo is even less veiled now. "Want to go check it out?" he asks
Shannon	The hand that had reached out to help Mason up off the ground is quickly pulled away, with Shannon taking a step backwards. She shakes her head slightly, letting out a little sigh. "Mason..." she begins, her tone low, and definitely less than pleased. "...I don't know what kind of girls you're used to out on the road, but I'm not ready for what you're implying." She hated having to tell anyone off, especially someone who had been so kind to her, but there were times it was unavoidable. She braced herself for the fallout; one could imagine her wings outspread behind her, the angel ready to fly away if necessary.
Mason	Mason looks a little confused for a moment, as if he didn't understand what she said. "I..." he holds one hand out as if he's holding an idea in it. "Wow, um...okay," he laughs, taking that same hand to scratch behind his head. "Okay. Didn't expect that," he says. "I just thought, I mean, thought you might enjoy it, you know?" He smiles again with that same disarming smile. "I'd be gentle," he adds, as if that might be the underlying concern.
Shannon	Urgh. Okay, this just got awkward. Shannon lets out a soft little sigh and shakes her head again. "Things like that can mean a lot to some people. I mean, okay, maybe for some it's just... well, fun for fun's sake, you know? But something like that to me, it's not just the body, but the heart, too." She smiles a little bit over at him, keeping her tone as gentle as possible. "The one date we were on, there was one kiss. Just one. My first one. There can't be any more first kisses. That was something special to me. It made it hurt that much more when you disappeared for those weeks you were gone. Things like that are very deeply emotional."
Mason	Mason seems to process that for a long second, and then licks his lip before answering. "Wow, I...kinda feel like a jerk, now," he admits. "I didn't mean to be any way about it," he sideways apologizes. "I uh..." he laughs again, "I gotta admit, I'm not really used to this. This...kind of conversation. I'm sorry." He presses his hands together in a praying motion and makes a slight bow. "I did not mean to overstep. And...I didn't mean to hurt you, or make you fee like you weren't special." There's something behind his eyes that wasn't there before, behind the gracious apology. It looks like pain, though he hides it well through his years of practice and performance, it's still there.
Shannon	All too aware of how much that must have hurt Mason--whether he showed it outwardly or not--Shannon steps a bit closer to offer a simple wing-hug. "You did make me feel special, though. That first day we met, that's something I'll always carry with me. It didn't matter if you were famous or who you were. You were kind and sweet, talented, funny, a lot of good things. Whenever I hear 'Rhapsody In Blue', I'll always have that to think of. That was just a tiny bit of magic, when I was new and scared, and alone. Something very precious."
Mason	Mason smiles a little lopsided again, "Well, I'm glad," he says. "I guess I'm just kind of an entitled dick," he admits. "I remember what it was like for me, you know..." he nods as if to imply the implied subject of the conversation. "First time, and after, it really kinda sucked when everything went south. Really bad. And because I guess I'm about as sharp as a rusty shovel, I never thought that I could be doin' the same thing to other people."
Shannon	It seemed Mason was starting to get the idea. Smiling somewhat, Shannon hugs him a little bit tighter, wings and all; even if they could not be seen at the moment, they could be felt, a feathery cocoon wrapped around him like a warm blanket. "We all screw up sometimes. This is gonna sound weird coming from me because I'm notorious for being hard on myself but... try not to be too hard on yourself about it. The mistakes folks like you and I make can be a lot bigger than tripping ourselves up on the sidewalk, but the thing is, we pick each other back up again."