Metamagic skill levels?, MiTS metamagics Options

[Raptor1033]

ok I've got a few questions after reading through the metamagic section of MiTS. it seemed to me that a few of the metamagic skills actually had skill levels associated with them. For Centering, do you automatically get it at the level of your associated action skill? or do you get it at one then use karma to raise it up to the action skill? And for masking, it seems like you get it at skill level one then you can use karma to increase it like a normal skill so you can mask yourelf more effectively? or do you need to initiate again to move a masking 1 to a masking 2?
i'm just confused and want a little clarification.