Thankfully, Sebastian's intercession the day before had saved Mason from a world of grief, he rally didn't need.
With a mere minute to spare, he got to class on time. Comfortably he settled in to his class and felt a little better about things. All through the class, he wondered where he might meet up with Sebastian again. Sebastian had said he like to get to know him better- a bit hard at that moment since both of them were running late for their respective classes. Th rest of his classes for the day were not so hard to find- much to his relief. Taking the opportunity offered that night before he went for a run, he marked down the location of ever class he was to have that semester and stowed it carefully in his daypack. He was sure he would never be late or lost again, to a class.

After the day was over he went looking for Sebastian, but could not find him. Not surprizing since he had no idea where he might be- a good reason for him to get to know him better, if indeed they were to be friends. He couldn't see him at dinner that night and had no real idea what dorm room was his. Not put off, he vowed to seek him out the next day.
The following day Mason decide to combine seeking out Sebastian with exploring the campus a little better. By now he had explored the areas that held the library, as well as the classrooms. He had yet to explore the more outlying areas such as Athletic Fields. What he found there was most interesting. For one thing there was a running track, which meant he could stay on campus when he went on his runs and not have to contend with the cluster of the streets around the campus.

Wandering around he found his way to the area that held the field where the horses were kept. Mason was well aware that Panacea Academy was a prestigious school, so it came as no surprize that equestrian pursuits were offer here. The horses there were indeed (to his eyes) Magnificent beasts. They seemed so happy and lively as they moved about. He also marvelled at how big they were. Mason was pretty sure he'd need a ladder if he was to climb upon even the smallest of the horses.
As he marvelled at the horses, he noticed one that was standing by itself. The horse seemed to be being hand feed by someone. Someone that Mason had been looking for- Sebastian.
Fortune had chosen to smile upon the Freshman yet again! He went looking for Sebastian and here by a fluke of luck he had found him.
"Hey you!" he beamed brightly and made his way over to where Sebastian was standing.

It pleased Mason that Sebastian greeted him with a smile.
He might well have wanted some 'alone time' with the horses and would have resented Mason unintentionally intruding upon it. Some folks could be quite prickly about that sort of thing he had found. Might well have not mattered to Sebastian that Mason's intentions were well-meaning, but totally unappreciated at that moment by him.

"Oh I made it by a minute" the Freshman beamed with delight once he close enough to Sebastian. "Finding the right room was easy enough- from there it was a piece of cake. Again- thanks for your help". He was glad he able to meet Sebastian and thank him in person for what he had done for him. It also meant that maybe, they could get tp know each other better.
"Mmm- it went okay. The teacher seems nice enough- so far, and there is a girl in my class who is also taking the same class as me" Mason said as he rested his forearms upon the fence railing and then his chin upon it as he gazed at the other horses in the field. Sebastian asked him a question that really made him think. Mason was pretty sure that now that he was in high school he would have to start thinking more about things- or was that college that he had to do that? Whatever the answer to that, he wracked his brains to answer Sebastian's question.
"Ummm- 'Uma'...least that is what I have been taught. Might have it wrong and Uma is Japanese for Aardvark". Mason was still learning and much of the Japanese he had learnt to speak was from in-class tuition. Only now it seemed that he was being taught to understand written Japanese- and that was only early days yet.

He finally took notice of the horse that Sebastian was hand-feeding and watched it at length as it reached down for more grass to eat.
It was his first experience of horses up close and he was slight fascinated by this new thing he was witnessing. Sebastian it seemed liked horses. At least, that was the impression Mason was getting at that moment. Made him wonder if he rode them as well. He could ride a horse- after all, this was as close as he had ever got to one.

Looking over at Sebastian when he spoke again after he got his sketchbook out, Mason blinked. "Umm- no...not really". Mason could manage to draw crude stick figures, but not well enough of everything else to warrant him taking art class. Not that it mattered. Each person had their own talents and some people just had no artistic talent at all- like him.

Mason chuckled. When he was first told the Japanese for 'horse' he had thought it was someone trying to make fun of him. Then, he found out that was what it truly was. Right then, he too thought about the actress of the same name. That was kind of funny at the time. "Probably" Mason answered, "Celebrities tend to know that sort of stuff sooner or later".
He looked up at the horse that whinneyed and wondered to himself what it wanted. This was really his first real interaction with real live horses and wasn't sure what to make of it. Therefore unlike Sebastian, he wasn't sure if horses were cognizant of what humans were actually saying when they spoke. Maybe they just ready body language and voice volume? Mason didn't know.
Never being a musical kid, he didn't get the reference to the movie 1776. So he just took Sebastian's word that he was right and the horse did understand what the character was saying (what a thing to say to a horsie!).

"I don't know...never really seen a horse up close" Mason answered honestly. "I guess they are okay- not like they hunt you down or have poisonous fangs or anything". That much was true- though a little eccentric in nature. Clearly he had little experience around horses.
"Mmm- sure thing" he agreed when asked by Sebastian to help feed the horses. Watching what Sebastian did closely, he copied his actions and held out the handful of grass for one of the horses. It sniffed what was in his hand first, then pursed it lips before tugged at the grass in his hand. Naturally he pulled his hand back as it munched on the grass contentedly. "Wow- talk about 'eating like a horse' " he said, watching the horse eating.

It was evident that Mason was intrigued and his interest piqued when Sebastian said he went to summer camp. "You went to summer camp? Cool!". He had never been to summer camp. It sounded fun from what he had heard: hiking, arts and crafts, canoeing and 'Camp Olympics'. The closest he came to that was staying for the weekend with friends of his father over the summer at their summer house. Of course he understood that Sebastian naturally would get to ride horses there- because that was something you could do at summer camp. He was pretty sure that he was now too old to go to summer camp- unless he went as a counsellor. From what he could see, his summers in future might be spent hiking- if his plan to join the Adventure Club went ahead, spending at the beach- because it was nice there or at summer wrestling camps at Simon Fraser University.
"Oh cool- there were horses there. So that was where you learnt to ride, huh?" he inquired, cocking his head to one side inquisitively.

Sebastian was right- horses were uber-big and it stood to reason to Mason that horses would need a lot of food each day. It was a good thing they lived in a field where there was a lot of grass. Unless...they feed them carrots too. Because horses liked carrots, right?
"I guess so..." he agreed as he went back to watching the horses doing horse things again. "They must be getting enough food to eat, because they seem happy" he suggested. Of course Mason knew squat about horses...

"My favorite classes?" Mason answered, a surprized look on his face. This wasn't a question he usually expected another kid to ask- certainly he wouldn't dream of asking it...as far as he knew. Still, it was a harmless one. "Umm...well, apart from Japanese class, I pretty much like P.E class" he said. He did like English class- he had to admit that Creative Writing was kind of fun, but having his written work scrutinized for grammar and spelling...urgh! History could be a drag for him. All those dates, names and stuff that happened in the past did kind of drove him nuts. Sure...there were nice stories, but that didn't happen much. Science class was new for him. Science here at Panacea Academy was a lot different. more intense and required more work from him. Maths kind of drove him nuts. Like he knew how to count, but Algebra? Urgh! Fry his brain already!
Needless to say, he was amazed that Sebastian liked English and History. But that was what made the world so interesting- different people liked different things. "Hmm- I don't really know anyone who does well in Maths- Science, yeah sure. But not Maths" he said turning his attention back to Sebastian.

Well...Sebastian asked him a real 'head-scratcher' of a question. "What do I want to do when I grow up?" he echoed. Was this guy commenting on how short he was? Surely not. In actuality he hadn't though beyond next year. "Well...I'd like to go to college one day" he admitted. "Not sure what I'd do after that". He thought for a moment and then said, "Maybe...something related to going to the Olympics" he ventured.

Oh...Sebastian hadn't ridden horses a lot- but he had ridden them.
At least Sebastian was smiling about it, so that was a good thing to Mason. It obviously was something he enjoyed at summer camp (summer camp that was about theater) and maybe- still did at Panacea Academy. He must do, since he seemed to know a lot about horses. More than Mason did any way.
There was a groan from Sebastian when Mason mentioned he liked PE class. Mason had to smile because it was the sound so many kids he knew made, when that subject was mentioned. He was fine with that- some people weren't meant to be athletes and some weren't meant to be math-letes. Again, it made the world a better place when everything wasn't the same. He smirked to himself and continued to watch the horses. As it was, Mason did enjoy PE class and was good at it. Walther Menon who was his PE teacher certainly would have noticed this. For a kid his size, Mason was in excellent fitness. He could pump out more push-ups than most of the kids in his PE class and never seemed to give up or tire as much as they did. In fact he was probably the only kid in the Freshman class who looked and acted like a high level athlete.

Algebra! Now it was Mason's turn to groan and roll his eyes.
How he dreaded that class. Sometimes it felt like that part of Maths class was designed to drive him nuts. Percentages, Fractions and Long Division- fine, he could do that reasonably well. But Algebra...it was like an alien language to him. None the less...if Sebastian liked and did well in Algebra and Science, maybe he could tutor him in those subjects one day? After all, he needed help in those classes and Sebastian did seem to be the helpful sort of kid. Besides, he heard that if you were flunking a class, teachers could stop you from playing sports. And that was something he didn't even want to think about!

Then the question was asked that a lot of people asked him when he mentioned he played sports or dreamed of competing in the Olympics one day.
"Wrestling...I'm a wrestler" the diminutive dynamo of a kid said. It was true- Mason did have a muscular build on him. Being that he had been working out seriously for the last two years, he had burnt away the 'puppy fat' of his pre-teen years, to replace it with the lean wiry physique of a teenage athlete. His body under his clothes were coated in long rubbery hard plates of lean muscle that were designed for explosive activity. That said, his height and physique taken into consideration- he could indeed be mistaken for a gymnast. Indeed in his sport it often did require him to flip and somersault his body in some of the moves he had to do.
He could have easily added that he also added he did Mixed Martial Arts- but why confuse (as well as freak out) Sebastian? It wasn't something he did seriously- like he had never been in a tournament. If anything it was a supplement to his wrestling work outs. That too allowed him to burn off fat and excess energy. It also helped him to develop the excellent stamina and resilience he possessed. Already he had found a spot in the Gym to practiced what he knew.

Mason gave Sebastian a tight lipped smile. He was waiting for the astonished reaction to what he has just said, where he would be told that he was pretty smaller to be a wrestler. It wouldn't be the first time someone had judged him that way. He was used to it and didn't take it to heart. "Been told I am pretty good at it" he continued, trying not to sound like he was bragging. "This will be the first time I wrestled as a sport in school. I am kind of excited about it". He was also nervous too. This wasn't like club level wrestling- the guys he'd be going up in high school would be seriously into their training. Some how he had the feeling this year he was going to get squished for the first few months...

"Uh-huh" Mason said in reply to what Sebastian initially said. What he said afterwards was a surprize to him. Not a lot of people who he told that he was a wrestler, suggested they a match. Usually it was for fun or as a joke. Something about the way Sebastian said what he did, sounded as if he was totally serious. That took Mason by surprize to say the least and it showed openly on his face. "Uh...really? Umm...okay" he said, not sure what else he could say.
Mason knew better than to judge someone by how they looked- certainly other people had judged him in the past. Sebastian was taller than him and lanky by the look of him. He knew that lanky people could be quite wiry like he was and deceptively strong. In the past he had wrestled lanky kids and knew from experience it was like wrestling a willow tree- they were 'springy' in nature and hard to over-muscle. Who knew- maybe if what he heard about Panacea Academy having a wrestling team, he might be able to recruit his new friend for it. That would be cool- having a friend who shared his love for the same sport.
At this point one of the horses seeing there was no room at the fence to get hand feed, ambled over towards where Mason was by the railing fence, thinking that he might feed him. Seeing it coming towards him, Mason noticed how tall it was. The horse would have problems getting close to him and he had a mind to pat the horse. "Hi buddy..." Mason said to him in a low voice. Scrambling up onto the railings, he climbed to peek over the top one. Pulling himself up, his biceps pulsated and swelled inside of his short shirt sleeve. Evidently the Freshman had some muscles on him- more than most boys his age would have, unless they were serious athletes. Many time Mason had used his hard biceps to grab his opponent around the waist (just under the lower ribs) in a nutcracker-like grip and squeezed them as he rolled them to their back, or lifted them slowly from the mat and then throw them. Even though he was (still) too young to be lifting weights, he did a lot of Press Ups and Pull Ups when he worked out. Considering what his biceps looked like, some people had often wondered what the rest of his body looked like...

"Oh sure..." Mason smiled from his perch up on the railing as the horse ambled slowly closer (he wasn't heavy enough to break the railing), "I go for a run every day". He nodded, "I jog too- usually to start off before up the pace to run". By the expression on his face, Mason liked the idea of going running with his new friend. "That would be awesome!" he smiled as the horse initially sniffed him casually. This was awesome- he had made a new friend who was uber-helpful and friendly, who wanted to have a friendly wrestling match and wanted to go for runs with him. True- he knew deep down that (as far as he knew) Sebastian had never wrestled before unlike him. And he was pretty sure Sebastian wouldn't be getting up at the crack of dawn to go for a run on a cold winter's morning and probably wouldn't be able to run as long as he could. Not that it mattered. He was just glad to have the company on his runs. At the moment since he got to Panacea Academy he had been running on the campus' running track- pretty sure he was allowed to leave the campus. Surely with someone else, he'd be allowed to go for a run on the streets and roads around the campus?

There was no way that Mason could know what Sebastian was thinking at that moment. Whilst he was a wrestler, he also did MMA training as well. It complimented his wrestling training nicely and he actually enjoyed sparring in MMA matches. Mason could indeed put Sebastian into a number of submission holds, based on the situation he found himself in. He had grown adapt at wriggling on the ground and getting himself into a dominant position and working for the submission. Being wiry he was able to wriggle and move quickly to attack and escape his opponent.

Mason nodded at what Sebastian said. It made sense to his mind. "Yeah- it would be" he agreed. Mason could see himself getting up early in the morning, suiting up for his run and heading off on his run around campus. It would be a great way to find his way around campus and even pick out the best routes to take for his runs. Much of the time he ran to build stamina or in the future, burn off fat to make weight. Other times it would be to develop explosive speed and power in his legs, if he chose to do sprints when he ran.
in answer to what Sebastian asked him, Mason hummed thoughtfully. "Usually in the morning I go running at like 5 or 6 in the morning- just before the sun comes out" he said. He also knocked out a number of sit-ups and press-ups before stretching out for his run. "At night...usually after I have done all my homework or if it is nice out". Running on a warm summer as the sun was going down, was something he enjoyed. Even now in the Fall, it was still warm enough for him to go for runs in the evening.
Having questions flung at him by Sebastian dim and he naturally had to ask him them to get to know him. Naturally had to ask him them to get to know him. 'Cool!" he smiled when Sebastian told him he too liked to run in the mornings. It sounded to him, that he and Sebastian would hang out when they went for a run in the morning. Jumping in a pool was one thing- a pond was another. "You swim in a pond on campus?" he asked incredulously, "Wow- that's pretty random. But I do like the idea of jumping into a swimming pool after a run on a hot day". Who didn't? In the recent past Mason had heard that swimming was a good way to workout if you had hurt yourself. He was an average swimmer- certainly not a competitive swimmer by any stretch of the imagination. Last time that Mason looked in the mirror, he had the start of a set of nicely chiselled abs. The more he worked out, wrestled and did MMA training, he not only burnt off his baby fat, but sculpted lean hard abs. At the moment he had hard knobs of muscle trying to poke out from under his light tanned velvety skin of his stomach, showing promise of there being hard Greek god abs there when he was a little older.

Having a horse come right up to him and sniff-snort him and then nicer at him, was an amazing experience for Mason. Panacea Academy was opening up to be an amazing experience for the Freshman kid. He gently patted the horse's snout and watch his reactions as the horse flicked his tail lazily.