Snowman

Connor POV

"I'm going to miss this place... probably... I think?"

Leaving the store I found myself looking at the faces of the neighbors for years I've found myself unable to see their false faces. 6 years, a year before I met my aunt I found an identity pool a pond of water in a cave where I was given my concept "masks'".

I don't dislike my concept, it's useful when I got it gave me a general idea of its capabilities, I haven't decided on a path yet though.

My thought got interrupted when a few jerks came to make my day interesting. In my eyes every day these 4 have the most interesting people to observe. One of masks' abilities is to see the true feelings a person is having or at least interpret them. When they put on an act of happiness I can tell they're not really happy. They seal their emotions behind the mask.

The only way to truly make out their feelings are their eyes the only part of a person's face that is always visible even with a mask on. The squinting of their eyelids, the expansion, and contraction of their irises and pupils. There is no way to turn this ability off.

For 6 years I've been looking at masks, even in my closest remaining family member aunt Faye has been putting on a mask in front of me mostly one of sadness and I've never gotten to know her story.

These bullies are the most fun because just before they come to hurt me their masks change ever so frequently and never once have I seen them wear the same mask these kids are sad, angry, the leader is genuinely happy to hurt me up until a certain point and once he's done the mask of happiness comes back on but his eyes carry the deepest sorrow.

I've never asked their names, I didn't care I only long for those moments where I can see the true faces behind the mask even at the expense of my torment.

"Haha look at this parentless dumbass of a beggar." They'd say over and over with the same 3 terms they can't come up with anything new. That doesn't matter they're telling the truth and there's nothing more that matters to me.

Around 15 minutes passed and I didn't give a damn I just wondered if I should ask for a name once it's over. They wouldn't know that I have a job, a guardian, and a relatively steady income of messing with people and the bar.

"Alright boys let's leave this trash near the bin I'm sure we can trust the garbage truck to pick him up tomorrow." Another funny thing is that they don't even know they haven't seen my real face.

I use my second concept ability of shapeshifting, I can't turn into animals but I can imitate the look and physique of anyone in any gender, age, physical deformity groups and no one could make out a thing.

There is no weakness to this ability, no time limit from what I've seen, it's a perfectly fine ability without handicap it even changes my voice and genitalia meaning I could do anything another person can. However, it does seem that I maintain my own physical capabilities despite being either more muscular or slimmer than I already am.

The bullies walk away and I completely forget the thought of asking at least one of their names to see if it'd trigger anything but oh well.

"It is what it is~" I think to myself with a shrug and a grin.

Besides, I probably won't meet them another day after this. I wonder the streets asking for money there were a few kind ones who pitied me enough. I'd walk through the streets as nighttime rolled around and stare at the stars. I look at floating cars that look a bit pricey but it would be neat to hijack one for myself but I don't know how to.

Besides, I think to myself to keep my currently grimy hands as I discipline my kleptomaniac-like urges. While I do dislike those who put on a mask I'm a bit of a hypocrite for always having one on myself.

Though it sure is convenient to know the weakness of the eyes if there is one thing I'm good at when it comes to my abilities it's lying since even my eyes don't budge when I experience a mood change though it does keep my face creepily smiling a lot of the time.

My last and final ability is the ability to make clones by splitting off parts of my own personality. So far I've learned to split up into 6 different clones with rather vague expressions of emotion those being happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and surprise they do rip parts of me that are a bit too big so I usually put my 2 or more in a single clone to keep myself steady.

They maintain my memories so their capable o acting on their own however with a bit of practice after finally gaining the confidence around 2 years ago I started to work on it and I've learned to realize the difference that I've been putting whole emotions and not bits of my personality these make it up but don't express my own complexity but I guess it'll happen with time and practice.

"Sure feels like a humongous pain in the ass though, maybe I'll start working on it when I get to the academy *sigh."

Aunt Faye POV

"Wooh! Thanks, farmer boy, or whatever your name is guess I'll play with you again next week k?!"

"Um... yes ma'am, miss?" He mutters lying in his birthday suit under the bedsheets

"Just call me Faye cutie" I sent a flying kiss before heading straight back to the bar to smoke a nutritious cigarette

On my way back home I caught a glimpse of Connor stacking some balls of snow and a carrot in his left hand. The boy has a charming smile though you can never really tell if he means it.

Rolling them up rather mechanically apart from the time he helps out at the bar his weekends spent out in the forest of this nameless little town we live in. No extravagant buildings or landmarks are here just a few behind the time's apartment complexes with the most basic of materials and a few with some floating mana energized cars.

I continue watching him hum a tune watching with a melancholic smile on my face I go up to him and tell him to sleep in the bar and stay with me till the new year comes. The dates have remained using the same system Earth realm since even after the rotation of the Earth's time has lowered to around 22 hours a day no one was really planning on changing the January to December timeline.

Before heading back into our hidden phase bar I wrap a scarf around the snowman made by Connor before Ending the year off with some neat little fireworks.