The Inventor and the Academy.

[Mogar]

An eerie, tall man stepped to the outside of the building. He looked ghastly and dirty. His heavy clothes covered his lanky form which lied underneath. He stopped right in front and stared upward at the shimmering academy. The Masked student looked down at his invitation letter. "Lukas Herr Schopfer", his name, written in bold. He sighed and walked in, eyeing every corner of the school from under his mask. "Head to your room, don't talk to anyone, start tinkering." He reminded himself. But, soon someone else had joined alongside him for a conversation.

[Firefly]

Alice loved someone who was characteristic. Everyone here so far had had something that made them stick out, rather it was an internal characteristic or something more noticeable than that, and she loved it. This young man certainly had that going for them. Very tall, very skinny looking beneath heavy, dirty clothes, and with a mask covering most of his face. She absolutely had to talk to him. And so she did. "Hello," she greeted politely. "My name is Alice Bellerose. I'm an author, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

[Mogar]

"Lukas Herr Schopfer." He said, not looking at her. "Super Highschool Level Inventor." Lukas strode on. Internally, he was actually shocked that someone would walk right up to him and strike up a conversation. Most others avoided him, equating him to some creepy doctor or a Scarecrow. He wheeled his bags through the corridors, talking to her.

[Firefly]

"Is that a German accent?" She asked smiling up at him as she followed him down the halls. "Germany has some amazing literature. I've never been, personally, but I hear it's a very nice country." She clasped her hands in front of her, eyes curiously sweeping over his gas mask. "Pardon me for asking, but why do you wear that gas mask? I think it looks wonderful, most striking really. But I must question the reason one would want to wear such a thing around all the time. Especially to a school."

[Mogar]

"Yes." He said, agreeing with everything she said. Upon her Gasmask question, he sighed. "Why do bees fly? Why do birds yell?" He questioned. "I think we'll go with the answer of I am not at all good looking." Lukas answered. "Does that seem to work?"

[Firefly]

"No," she smiled. "There is a story behind that mask. I'd love to hear it, someday. I would also like to know why you described the noise a bird makes as yelling. But for now I'll digress. You're a very interesting fellow. It's been a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And even if you aren't especially physically attractive beneath that mask, I feel that one's soul radiates much more brightly than their outward appearance. As such, someone with a kind or interesting soul will always be more attractive than someone who's only beauty lays within their physical appearance. Which is an excruciatingly flowery way of saying that it's what's on the inside that counts."

[Mogar]

"Er. You too, I guess." He said, walking away. Suddenly, he stops and turns back. "Would you like to know?" He asked. "Come join me in my room. Don't be late either." He turned back on the heel of his boot and walked off to his dorm. It was a fairly small one, but it could work. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, taking his mask and his hat off and setting them on the table. He dropped his coat to the floor and quickly unpacked his supplies and what clothes he had packed. After all the tools were set on his desk and his clothes were neatly put away, he stripped and showered for a while. And by while, an hour at least.

[Firefly]

Alice gave him a long while to unpack, heading around to talk to others for a good couple of hours. When she figured enough time had passed, she eagerly scampered back to where she remembered his room being. "Lukas? May I come in?" She called, knocking quickly on the door and smoothing her skirt as she waited with much anticipation for him to invite her in so she could hear his story.

[Mogar]

Lukas immediately jumped out of the shower and dried off as best he could. He ran out of the bathroom in a frenzy to get ready, but he fell and made a loud crash that could be heard across the school. He got back up and got dressed, putting his mask back on before opening the door.

[Firefly]

"Are you quite alright?" She asked, blinking up at him with eyebrows raised. Her eyes flicked over him for any sign of injury though she didn't see any apparent marks.

[Mogar]

"Perfectly fine." He answered, stepping out of the way so she could come in. When she was looking away, he kicked his coat into the air and hung it on a hanger by the door. "So, what do you want to ask?"

[Firefly]

"I want to hear the tale of why you always wear that mask. Or, I'm assuming you always wear it, as I've yet to see you without it." She walked briskly into his room, though she didn't sit. She stood in the center of the floor, hands clasped in front of her and green eyes watching him intently.

[Mogar]

"Well, I was young and experimenting with an invention. I accidentally caused something to go wrong with it, releasing some sort of gas that could cause eventual death. After a brief trip to the doctor, my father had given me an old Gas Mask. It was a hand-me-down, like all of my other possessions. It's become more or less a habit to don the mask." Lukas explained, mostly. Or at least all she needed to know about his reasoning. "But, I don't always wear it. Not in private, at least."

[Firefly]

She nodded a little and glanced towards the doorway. "Thank you for the story. I won't ask you to remove your mask, as I believe I like the mystery better than knowing what you actually look like beneath it. Besides, this is not in private. I am a near stranger, meaning that this is a very public thing. It's only private if you're with people who you truly and dearly trust, or if you're all alone. And then it's only private if you trust yourself, of course." She smiled.

[Mogar]

"I see. Well, maybe one day I suppose." He said. Her words definitely reflectd her nature as an author. It was rather impressive to Lukas. Noticing her glance to the door, he immediately sprung up. "Well, it was a pleasure talking with you. Maybe later.. You and I could converse some more." He mumbled.

[Firefly]

"I'd very much like that. Thank you for your time, Lukas. It was most enthralling." With that she turned on heel, heading towards the door with a graceful stride.

[Mogar]

He opened the door and closed it behind her without a word more. He slid down in front of it, taking his mask off. "Lukas, du verdammte Idiot!" He mumbled to himself as he clutched his head. "Should've just told her the real reason.." Lukas muttered, picking himself up off the ground and over to his desk.

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