Mask of Lies

 No sign of them. He'd been looking for them for days, but there was no sign of them.

 Xavier slept under moonlit skies tonight, tired of all the walking he had to do. It had been a long time since he had actually gone outside. He was coughing a lot and he had to stay out of the sun whenever possible, in fear of developing sunburns on his pale skin. Oh, Ursula help him, he was nothing like Alex, at least HE could walk several miles without getting tired or anything... He was going to burn and wither away like an old man.

 As the mage set flint to tinder and cooked some rabbit meat he got when he hunted some game, he thought back to what happened. Two people, stealing artifacts. Not everyday that they do that. One left a residue of grime, so perhaps he was a... oh. That wouldn't be pleasant. Would that make the girl the mastermind? How could anyone have known that he had artifacts in his library, unless they were clairvoyant? Or maybe they sold their soul to the devil. Suspicious.

 The Crown of Sylvana, Boreal, Enderthon, and Solaris were in there, the same crowns that aided in keeping the seal intact. There were also the eyes of the Nue in there, Gungnir, some mystical, evil gun that spoke of death and destruction... All of which would be dangerous in the hands of enemies.  And of course he had put them all in the same place. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he berated himself under his breath. How could you live all these years and not know how to keep artifacts safe?

 The answer came to him quickly. From his robes, he pulled out a mask, feathery and resembling the face of an owl. This mask and a change of clothes were all he needed to fool others into thinking he was not the heir. Who would suspect a boisterous, cocky black mage would be the meek, timid librarian? Not many. This mask alone allowed him to conquer the shyness and come out of his shell. It did him a lot of good, though he never really got on many people's good sides as a result.

Conquer? Not truly. It only masked his true self, replaced it with a fake. Faking it til he made it did him no good with this mask; it was a lie, much like most of his waking life. It did not teach him bravery or how to talk to people or how to get along with others or anything. It only pretended it did. A shield of  overconfidence to hide just how pathetic he really was. A blessing and a bane.

As he stared into the fires, Xavier was lost in his own thoughts. Would the mask benefit him here? The others started accepting him one he showed his true colors, but... would that do him any good? What about people who did not know him? Gods, talking to anyone with that pathetic, soft voice in order to recruit them was embarassing, too embarassing. He actively avoided it, in fear of those who would make fun of him for it. Being bold and boisterious would help: have a few drinks, share a few stories, go on an adventure...

As his mind turned to the girl and the monster again, his mind was set. He knew he could not do this alone. And so he put the mask on his face.

Man hides behind many masks. They act their part with such masks, forgetting the world around them and getting into their role.

But a mask is merely a cover for what is beneath. And when the mask comes off, a million eyes are upon them. Watching. Judging. Waiting. And the man freezes, embarassed, stunned, scared, as the audience looks upon them. Scared of the eyes.

A mask can only do so much.