Room B23 is farther away than he'd like. It's in the very far corner of the top story, and it takes him a good twenty minutes to find it. When he finally does, his anxiety is skyrocketing, and his head is swirling. What if his roommate doesn't like him? What if he likes him too much? The last thing Cas needs is an over-eager friend. What if he's weird? The misfit of the school? Wouldn't that make him a loser by association? Cas already knows what it's like to be a loser, he doesn't need to be one before he even introduces himself. All he knows is that his name is Sebastian Velenetene

Why don't you just walk in and find out? He's probably asleep right now.

Why is the sane part of your brain the part that always only whispers? Wouldn't life be so much easier if it could drown out the irrationality instead?

Taking a deep breath, Cas twists the doorknob and pushes. He didn't know what he expected, but what he sees is most certainly not it. The room is bigger than dorms usually are. There's a kitchenette to his right and the bathroom to his left. Straight ahead is a window, a little moonlight seeping through the curtains. Both sides of the room are almost identical with a twin bed, nightstand, dresser, and a desk.

The left one is Sebastian's side. His walls are covered in pictures taped on the wall. You can see the perfect line cut straight down the middle of the window where the pictures end. The pictures aren't unordinary; they're rather beautiful, like the ones you'd find at a gallery.

There's a camera laying on his nightstand. It looks like it's in good condition, but with a closer inspection, Cas can notice the scrapes and the worn part of the neck strap. It's probably from using it, but you'd assume if everyone here is loaded with old family money, he'd buy a new one as soon as it loses its "brand new" vibe. Beside the camera is a pair of simple, black, rectangular glasses, folded nicely beside the lamp.

Losing interest, Cas sets his stuff on his bed. He's being extra careful not to wake the breathing lump on Sebastian's bed. He doesn't know how he'd react if he woke up. Would he be angry? Drowsy? Cas doesn't need to find out.

He begins to unpack his bag; doing it tomorrow seems like a drag, and he's not tired. He didn't bring much from home since uniforms are provided and casual clothes are only for weekends and after hours, so the majority of Cas' suitcase is full of decoration for his side of the room. It'd be really hard to put up without waking up Sebastian, so once all the clothes are away, he hops into bed and hopes tomorrow is better than today.

Tomorrow is not better than today. Cas wakes up to the sound of an electric toothbrush, then something jumps on top of him, and being terrified by it, he screams and falls off the bed. He looks at the spot he just vacated and notices a calico cat sitting, eyes staring unimpressed while the tail thwacks back and forth slowly.

Cas's curses, then, "Why is there a cat in here?!"

The electric toothbrush noise stops and a half-naked guy comes out of the bathroom, looking just as unamused as the cat. "That's Lylir; don't let him scare you. He's harmless."

Cas has a feeling that isn't true. Cats are demons sent from the underworld to condemn us with cuteness and malign intent. That or Cas is just being paranoid, which he is.

"But why is he here?" Cas mutters, ringing his fingers through his hair. He made no motion to get off the floor.

The boy who Cas assumes is Sebastian looks at him as if he genuinely doesn't know what two plus two is. Then he sneers.

"Because," Sebastian drawls, grabbing the open button-down shirt from off his bed and sliding it on his shoulders, "this cat has more wit than half the student body combined, and I'll personally rip off someone's favorite body part if the dare corrects me."

Cas searches Sebastian's face to see if he could find any slip that will tell him that's only a threat. He couldn't, and it isn't. He's only known him for a few minutes, but with how serious and "proper" he is, Cas had a formal opinion that Sebastian Velenetene is a royal, gargantuan prick. He would most certainly be the kind of guy that goes by "Sebastian'' rather than a friendly nickname, and that little detail awakened the mischievous twinkle in Caspian's eyes.

"So let me get this straight, Seb, you-"

"Don't call me that."

"-would rather get up, close, and personal with someone than get rid of your cat? Unless your favorite body part is your arm. Mine certainly isn't. I bet yours is your eyes. Right, Bas? You-"

"Not that either."

"-have such pretty eyes. I bet all girls fall for you instantly, huh, Ash?"

He finally looks up from buttoning his red and black blazer. "Where does 'Ash' even come from?"

"Seb-ASH-tian. Thought that one was obvious."

"Stop talking."

"Well, since you haven't said no to that one, I guess it's Ash."

"Call me by my name."

"Too late, Ash is in motion," Cas says, in a much more chipper mood since that cat is off his bed now. He climbs to his feet and goes to his dresser to find some things for his shower. He hasn't showered since the night before yesterday. The plane ride, along with the train and late arrival, his body's in desperate need of some T.L.C.

"So, when does class start?" Cas asks.

"Class starts at nine."

Cas freezes. He looks at his alarm clock. "Then why am I up at seven?" He throws his collected toiletries back in the dresser and stocks over to his bed. "I'm going back to sleep. I'll wake up in an hour and a half or so."

"What? But that only gives you thirty minutes to shower, get dressed, and get breakfast. That's impossible."

"So are humans that are born with superpowers, but here we are."

Ash scoffs, "Abilities are not superpowers."

"Tell that to Marvel." That's the last thing Cas says before he flops on his bed and pulls the blankets over his face.

It takes Cas exactly twenty-eight minutes to wake up, take a shower, get dressed, and shove a handful of Skittles into his mouth. His tie hanging on his neck, collar unbuttoned, and hair unkempt, Cas knocks on the door that has the gold plate with printed Headmaster.