Private to ML

Mat turned the page of his book, completely immersed in it. Although it was basically a text book, the boy had picked it up for some good reading. Entitled Understanding Humans, it was an introduction to physical anthropology and archaeology, two of Mathieu's favorite subjects. The boy had decided that, in order to escape the ruckus and overly perfumed cabin that he was forced to live in, he would benefit from a little bit of fresh air. He sat, not necessarily by the lake, but a few yards away. His back leaned against the trunk of one of the bordering trees. His knees were propped up, and the book sat comfortably in his lap at the same incline as his femurs. The air smelled of pine wood, grass, and cinnamon.

The pages of Mathieu's book were not as illuminated as he would have liked. This mere fact caused him to look up. He saw the sun slowly seeping down beyond the trees. He could hear the occasional cricket begin to stir, and the blue of the sky was beginning to fade to a deeper and darker color. Mat knew that soon he would have to forfeit the serenity and stomach the nauseating scents that floated within the Aphrodite cabin. If he thought about it, it was kind of ironic that he despised the many perfumes, since he himself gave of a natural sort of scent. But, hey, sometimes he couldn't help it. And the annoying siblings who would not lay off the perfume could definitely help it.

Just as Mat began to shut his book, his eyes dropped from the sky to the edge of the lake. Squinting, he saw that a person who, to his knowledge, had not been there before. Perhaps it was a nymph, but he had not seen many nymphs around at this time. Quickly, Mat reopened his book and feigned reading. His logic was that perhaps if they did happen to catch sight of him, they would not approach. He did not want to stand up and leave because if they caught sight of him, well, that was annoying enough just being watched. So, he stayed still as he could and strained his eyes on the pages of his book.

Mat lifts his chin up, peeling his eyes away from his book. His gaze caught that of the person who had joined him. He could now tell that it was a male. He watched the boy extend his arm in a short wave. Seeing the length of his arm, he surmised that he was also a boy of great height. But, Mat could also tell that there was not much meat on his bones. Mat himself was tall, but he was muscled fairly well, and certainly more than the newcomer. Mathieu's eyes also made out a book sitting in the boy's lap, much like himself. Although he was curious as to what he could be reading, he did not ask.

Mat did not extend in arm in the same greeting that he had been offered. Rude? Maybe, but it did not concern him. He did not care about sacrificing manners from time to time if it offered a little bit of solitude. Mathieu's personality was something of an enigma to most, and even to himself. Sometimes he would act one way, and sometimes he would be completely different. On occasion, there were constant trends in his attitude, but those, too, were complicated. In fact, one might have an easier time to just not try to understand him than to attempt plunging into the twisting and turning caverns that were his inner feelings.

So, upon having taken a brief and cursory examination of the boy, Mathieu let his eyes fall back down to his book. At the back of Mat's mind, it nagged at him that the boy was sitting there. He was a few yards away, but out of Mathieu's line of sight when he was reading. What if he was looking at him? That would certainly be annoying. Mat's eyes jumped over the words, but he wasn't really absorbing information. He found himself unsettled and frankly even a little bit irritated at the mere presence of this boy. Who was he to just plunk himself down in Mathieu's perfectly peaceful spot?