The morning after Clyde arrived, he spoke with the Mansion's admissions. To his surprise, after a bit of paperwork, he was free to stay as a resident. The office people told him a few things about the place, like how there would be classes he'd attend and a library he was free to browse. Plus, one other thing.

Clyde was getting a roommate.

He didn't really like the idea of having one, but since he was living at a place like this, he knew that he'd have to put up with it. If he remembered correctly, the guy's name was “Carrick.” Nothing else was mentioned, so it didn't really tell him anything. At least he was going to find out soon enough.

With that in mind, the age shifter made his way to the left hallway. He carried his backpack, which contained what little he brought with him. He looked around, noting how many rooms there were. To think this was just the guys' rooms!

Several rooms down, Clyde stopped in front of a door. According to the slip of paper they gave him, this was the room. He knocked, in case this new roommate was in.

Carrick’s wings wouldn’t open he didn’t know why but he was falling and couldn’t stop the ground was quickly approaching and then he realized that this was it. His stomach was still lurching, he had no idea how far he was falling or for how long. The ground was nonexistent and so was anything else. He was falling into nothingness. Black all around him except for small circle of light that illuminated from the sky and all around his body. He looked up and saw nothing, down and to the sides. All was black. Then he realized he was dreaming. He could fly he had wings. Carrick closed his eyes and when he opened them everything changed. He was flying again this time his girlfriend was flying next to him all on her own without wings.

Carrick was happy he looked forward and then looked back to Liz and reached out for her hand only as he was reaching out to her she stopped flying and started to fall. He reached out changing his flight pattern as well and changed it into a dive. His wings tucked to his body as she tried to slow herself. The ground was quickly approaching and he didn’t try to slow himself he was worried about her. The quicker he became the faster she fell it was an endless cycle and no matter how hard he tried or yelled for her she kept falling. Her lips moved and he saw fear in her eyes. The same fear he mimicked. He wasn’t going to save her this time he wasn’t fast enough.

Before she hit the ground Carrick jumped awake in his bed. He didn’t wake up screaming though he did wake up with his heart racing and an empty feeling in his stomach. Rolling over to the side of his bed he heard knocking at the door and winched trying to ignore it. Was it a teacher or one of his ‘you should be studying or in class’ neighbors or fellow mansionites. Liz would have just walked in so for the most part he didn’t care who it was. Carrick never really locked his door anything of value in his room was pretty much impossible to find in the clutter that was his room.

Kicking his feet off the bed Carrick sat in his custom jeans he wore from the night before. His tail twitched behind him as he yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He placed his head in his palms and spoke quietly to himself. ”Just a dream…” Sitting upright now his feet dangled off his bed just barely touching the pile of clothes that was on the side of his bed that reached out and started to mesh with garbage, text books and energy cans. Carrick stood upright and looked over to the dying plants that decorated the room that was his roommates. He hadn’t seen or heard from Kai in a few months after he moved out but Kai was nice enough to leave a few of his friends behind.

Most of the plants were dying now, lack of sunlight was never really a problem for them seeing as Kai tended to them constantly feeding them talking to them and moving them closer to the windows or away as needed. Carrick was clearly not as nurturing. Another yawn and he looked to the open window where the oak tree resided it’s limbs almost reaching into the room making an easy getaway for anyone that wanted to fly away or just escape and climb down. Out of anyone he had ever roomed with Kai was his favorite. Which was why he kept all the plants. Should he have been taking care of them? Yeah, but every time he was going to tend to them he decided he wanted to do something else. Like fly or go see Liz, or eat.

Carrick’s stomach growled and he looked into the drawer of his nightstand expecting to find some birdseed but only an empty back. Carrick’s throat let out a low rumble resembling a feline growl and he tossed the large and empty bag of birdseed into the clutter of garbage that was spread throughout his room. Turning back to his bed Carrick stuck his head under and grinned when he spotted an open box of pizza with still a slice left. ”Jackpot!”

Despite the knocking, nobody was answering the door. So, Clyde stood still and listened carefully. There was movement to be heard in that room. No mistake; someone was definitely in there.

“You know, I can heah you in theah. If yo scrambling to hide a dead body, don't bothah,” he called through the door. Upon testing the knob, Clyde found it was unlocked, so he let himself in.

The room gave Clyde one distinct impression. It needed to be cleaned. Badly. Carrick obviously wasn't tidy. Clyde could see tin cans, dirty laundry, dying plants, an old pizza box-WHAT THE HECK WAS GRIFF DOING IN THERE?!

Clyde'd met him once already, and once was enough. Not only was a person with wings and a tail easy to remember, but this was the same Griff that stole wallets, the same Griff who had started a fight. The was the very same Griff that PICKED HIM UP and nearly dropped him tens of feet.

He stared at the winged pickpocket a moment, trying to piece together exactly why he was in there in the first place. Had he gone into the wrong room? No, Clyde was sure this was the right one. “Griff,” he growled, “ah you really Carrick, or ah you stealing from him?” The whole time, he continued to eye the other mutant suspiciously.

Carrick’s mismatched eyes looked up lazily with a yawn with his mouth filled with old pizza. Why was that kid there. What was his name again? ”Yes?” Carrick asked responding to both of the kid’s questions. He was Griff and Carrick and technically this was his pizza. Swallowing the pizza Carrick stuck out his tongue towards the kid and then looked back down to the pizza in his hand. Pulling off a hair Carrick smelled it and then shook his head as if it smelled disgusting. How long has it been? Shrugging slightly Carrick took another bite and it went down easier than the first one.

”Yer, that whiney lil’ shit from that brawl ya started the one who though’ he was better than everyone else.” Carrick looked from the clutter of garbage all around the room then back to the un-welcomed intruder, ”Why ya in me room?” Carrick asked filling his mouth again with another bite. ”Common courtesy to knock till someone responds and if they don’t.” Carrick took another bite then opened his mouth showing the kid all the food in it before closing and chewing again.

”Really though why are you here?”

The reality of Clyde's situation was just beginning to sink in. Griff/Carrick as a roommate?

No.

NO.

@#$% NO! This was not going to work!

Clyde marched right up to Griff/Carrick with a furious expression, despite the fact Griff/Carrick towered over him. He was not in a good mood as is was. He was feeling rather... confrontational.

“That I'm bettah than anyone else? No. But I know I'm at least bettah than you! First of all, you stahted the fight, birdbrain. Not me. Second, you stole that guy's wallet. I didn't. Third, yo mothah didn't teach you that,” he fumed, noting Griff/Carrick's revolting eating habit, as well as the fact that the pizza slice was practically mummified. Positively disgusting.  Who the hell raised him?

Clyde adjusted his backpack's position on his shoulders. “Nevah mind why I'm heah. I'll gladly get them to move me to anothah room.” Heh, hopefully, those in the office who knew this guy would understand completely.

The kid marched up to him. Carrick smirked and looked down on the kid. It wasn’t everyday someone was as short as he was got to have an opportunity to look down on someone. Carrick liked this already it made him feel powerful. Carrick took another bite of old pizza that was starting to taste worse and worse the longer the kid was in his room. The kid then started to list some things that made him better than Carrick. When the kid mentioned his mother Carrick’s wings snapped open and he stopped grinning. He was demonstrating his size to the kid something he did in Gryphon form if another predator tried coming in on his kill something that meant if you continue to challenge me you won’t survive. This was something Carrick never did before but he did this purely on instincts.

”Ya mention me mother again, I’ll take you for a ride and drop ya somewhere and no, I don’t plan on landing to let ya go.” his wings retracted and he took another bite of his pizza. There were only a few things Carrick couldn’t stand, small kids getting picked on, someone picking on his friends and someone insulting his other or father. He was a Mama’s boy at heart, which meant if you didn’t say anything nice about his mother his little fists would start swinging.

”Ha no way, yer suppos’ ta be me new roommate?” Carrick asked laughing, ”What’s yer name again half-pint?” Carrick asked over exaggerating the height at which he had to crouch down to get level with Clyde who wasn’t much smaller than him.

Clyde had to smirk at Carrick's reaction to the “mothah” remark. It was about time something wiped that stupid grin off of his face. More amusing still, it was simply the mention of Griff/Carrick's mother. It wasn't as if Clyde actually insulted her. All he said was that she didn't teach him to chew mummified pizza with his mouth open (or at least Clyde hoped she didn't).

“No you wouldn't. That'd be muhduh,” Clyde replied to the threat. Griff/Carrick seemed more the reckless than murderous. Even if he did try to kill him, there'd be no way he'd get away with it.

Clyde's nodded once in response to the roommate question. There was no way they were going to stay roommates for long, right? Whoever arranged it must've been either ignorant or a complete crackhead.

Clyde's expression returned to a glare once he saw Griff/Carrick started mocking his height. He wasn't fond of the nickname, either. “You nearly killed me and you don't remembah my name?” he asked. What an idiot. Birdbrain really did suit him.

Carrick smirked again with his mouth closed as he raised his hand up to Clyde’s height, ”I only ‘member names of people I like short sh@t nothing personal but you whined too much I’m guessing." Carrick took another bite of his moldy pizza and shrugged, ”I never nearly kill anyone. If I wanted to drop you I would have. It would have been simple I’ve been doing stunts like that since I was lil.” Carrick said shrugging and walked back to where his bed was.

Jumping back onto his bed Carrick kicked his legs up as his wings shifted behind him, ”That’s Kai’s side of da room, guess it’s yers now isn’t it?” Carrick said glad he’d have something to do now that Kai was gone. Even if he didn’t like the kid it be easy to get a laugh or two out of the kid. ”Hope you don’t mind plants, I grew to like ‘em.” Carrick said shifting in his bed and reaching under it to get a can of red bull from a case he had stashed there next to a large sack of money he had accumulated from a job he did with Shady.

Clyde couldn't glare any harder at Carrick. That wasn't whining! Whining was for real little kids. In reality, Griff/Carrick/whatever his true name was could have dropped him when he threw him midair. The flying mutant must have forgotten that other people don't fly – they fall. Apparently, this Kai person was the poor unfortunate former roommate. Heh, maybe he, whoever he was, got fed up with Birdbrain and left. The Mansion staff couldn't be serious about having them room together. Rooming with him didn't seem to do those poor plants much good. Overall, Birdbrain irritated him greatly.

“Uh-huh...” Clyde grumbled in response. “Excuse me fo a minute.”

He went into the bathroom and shut the door. Yech, this room was DISGUSTING. Just like the bedroom.

So Birdbrain liked to treat him like a kid? Well, Clyde was going to show him that he wasn't a kid.

A little more than a minute later, the door flew open. Clyde emerged, now in his teenaged form (and clothes, of course). He marched right up to Carrick, now a lot closer to him in height.

“Let me explain something to you, idiot. I don't like people talking down to me. So stop it,” he firmly demanded.

Clyde wasn't really counting on getting any respect from this guy, but it was something that he felt like he had to say when he looked like an equal.

Carrick leaned up from his bed and smirked when Clyde reentered the room a little taller than before closer now to his height. Carrick quirked an eyebrow, ”No reason to get short,” Carrick said taking another bite of his pizza then raising his hands as if the cops just kicked down the door for something he did. One hand held the crust of the remaining pizza while the other held an opened redbull can. ”You look taller.” Carrick said his mouth still full.

Hopping from the bed and placing the crust in his mouth Carrick took his hand to where Clyde used to be in height and to where he was now which was closer to Carrick’s. Carrick had always been short in fact Clyde was the first person he was taller than at least this size and his smaller size. ”Whoa! Ya can grow?” Carrick asked with a small laugh, ”Why ya stay so small then?” Carrick asked his tail flicking behind him curiously.

”Man if I could grow I’d be taller than a tree everywhere I go.” Carrick started to walk away then turned pulling the crust piece from his mouth, ”People wouldn’t call you short Sh!t or half-pint then.”

Ugh. Lousy Birdbrain hadn't paid attention to what he said at all. Clyde rolled his eyes and bore a look of contempt. Really, what could he have expected from him?

“Obviously.” Yeah, he could grow all right. As for why he was a kid most of the time, he wasn't going to dignify that with a response. Heck, if Clyde could hold his teenaged form indefinitely, of course he'd be in it more often! Birdbrain could figure it out for himself sooner or later.

Clyde craned up his neck and looked Carrick straight in the eyes. “Yo not that tall fo someone our age, eithah,” he pointed out. In fact, he was relatively short as well, just not as short as him. “You don't have the right to call people names fo being short.”

”Right, well it seems that this one time I do er, did.” Carrick smirked and pointed to him, ”Half-pint!” then raised his hand to where Clyde stood now, ”To full-pint.” Carrick shrugged as Clyde continued to pretend he was better than the winged mutant. ”Right well I figured if I get called names figure eve ‘now and then it be right fer me to do something similar.”

In truth he had been made fun of a lot when he was younger before he realized he was a mutant. He was always shorter and runtier than everyone else his age, which made him a prime candidate to be picked on. That was until his wings started to grow and he realized he could fly. That was when they stopped picking on him to his face. Otherwise they’d be hanging from their underwear on a flagpole.

”Can you grow any more than tha? Or is that as tall as you can grow?” Carrick asked curiously hoping he could grow a few more feet.

Was it possible to describe exactly how annoying Clyde found Carrick? If Carrick was going to continue poking fun at his height, he was going to have to make it a point to return the favor every once in a while. “Yes, I'm short. The fact is already hammahed in deep. So shut up about it, Feathahhead. And yeah, I can grow a bit tallah than you if I wanted.” He then shrugged. “But why would I? I'm perfectly comfortable with my height, unlike someone else I know.”

Oh, what a lie. The real reason Clyde didn't want to become older was because he was worried about straining Bryce's old clothes. But that crook didn't need to know that, right?

Carrick ignored the jibe that came from Clyde once he said he could grow a few more feet. ”Well, being taller migh’ give ya a few opportunities to make some money in a jif.” Carrick said shrugging slightly letting it sit in the air for a minute. He didn’t need money at the moment due to the duffle bag filled with a large sum buried under his bed behind garbage and pizza boxes filled with moldy pizza but since the day Clyde tried to rat him out for stealing a wallet Carrick made it his mission to corrupt the kid.

”Nothing too bad, just need to go buy a few items from a store and then give them to me and I turn it for a profit. I’ll make you a full partner and give you an even cut.” Carrick said shadily. ”Some of the kids are looking for a way to get some booze and with ya, we could do that. I mean we could always raid a teachers room or something but it would be easier with ya helping.” Carrick said nodding his head.

”I mean it isn’t that much different from helping me with the wallet thing only you wouldn’t need to steal anything. I already have the money in the city somewhere.” Carrick said nodding his head some more. ”Wouldn’t be too difficult.”

Clyde couldn't believe what he was hearing.

“Hold on a second. Yo suggesting I go to a lickah stoh as an adult and get booze for you and yo friends? First off, it wouldn't even work because they ID people. Besides, I wouldn't help you with it, even if it did. I'm only sixteen; you look about the same. It's illegal. I refuse.” He crossed his arms and did the best to stare Carrick down.

“In fact, if I evah catch you doing something you shouldn't, don't expect me to stay quiet.” Birdbrain needed discipline. In addition, he needed to stop trying to rope him into his crimes. “Oh, and about the stolen wallet thing, I didn't take the money. I don't want something you stole. I'm not yo accomplice.”

Kicking Carrick/Griff/whatever his real name was in the shins was really tempting.