Mason was wholly unconvinced by his mother's assurances. He nodded as she spoke, a feeble attempt at a reassuring smile gracing his features, though he was probably lacking in conviction on that front. She looked a little more than under the weather. Mason hated to say it, but she looked horrid, ill, and for the first time since his youth and his father's death, Mason came face to face with the reality that his mother might not outlive him. It was a childish notion really, to believe that he would not have to deal with her death one day, but Morwenna Skeeter had always been tough and resilient, so much so that Mason often thought she would live beyond him out of pure tenacity. Apparently, though he obviously did not know exactly what was wrong, the laid back visit he'd planned to have with his mother was not in the cards for today.

"Are you sleeping well?" Mason took in all of what she was saying, trying to process it and wrap his mind around it, but if he were being truthful, he didn't exactly know what troubles to which his mother was referring. He was woefully out of touch with most of the issues going on around the world outside of the school. There was plenty to worry about on school grounds, he didn't have too much extra time to spare thoughts on the rest of the world's problems. Sad as is sounded, life was much easier that way. "What's been going on?" He asked, prepared to offer help if he could, though Mason knew that if it was related to her work, he'd be practically useless. He would however, be starting to make more of an effort to come home and see her. Checking up on her was now officially on his agenda.