maskormenacelogs | (no subject)

[ They're close enough that when she looks back he has to adjust a little as well to look at her properly. ]

No, not me and Ronan. We just can't live at home right now. And when we had to move, he moved in with Gansey.

[ There's a pause in which it seems like he might not have anything else to say, but then in something of a rush he adds-- ]

Some bad stuff happened. It's why he's hard to get along with sometimes.

[ Not much weighs on him for long, but Lucy's reaction when she first learned that Ronan was his brother isn't something he's entirely forgotten. ]

[She is quiet for a moment.]

I am sure he is a wonderful brother to you.

[Lucy doesn't like the idea of badmouthing anyone - especially a sibling - over something as trivial as a rudeness that it would do well just was easily to forget and avoid.]

[ Matthew could explain. He could tell her what it's like to have Ronan as a brother--Ronan, who never lies to him; Ronan, who was there to save him from Kavinsky; Ronan, who broke all the rules and brought their mother back; Ronan, who is an actual magician and makes his own dreams into real things.

But there are a whole lot of secrets mixed up in such an explanation and, much as he already adores her, he and Lucy are rather new friends. So he gives the short version, which somehow lacks none of the earnestness and admiration of the longer one. ]

He is. He really is.

[ A leaf falls into Lucy's hair and he briefly takes one hand from hers to pick it out. ]

You said you have brothers too, right? And a sister? [ He guessing as to whether he remembers that right. ]

Yes. I thought you looked a bit like one of them, my eldest brother, Peter, when he was your age, but the more I see the more you look only little alike. I am the youngest, you see. As are you?

[Selene keeps going along, and she tilts her head to see the leaf - ah - and beams up at him a bit, thanks him, and continues speaking.]

There is Peter, who is quite stern and a bit less inclined to smiling, but still gracious and fair, and Susan, who is the most beautiful woman in the world, and kind and gentle beyond that, but very much a lady-

And Edmund, of course, who is sensible and clever beyond reason, and quite sharp when he wishes to be. But not unkind. Only well forged, if such a saying translates. Like a sword whose blade is sheathed for the cut.

[It's a very Narnian thing to say.]

I miss them so very much.

[ Every word that comes out of her mouth, even the very Narnian ones he doesn't really understand, is so full of kindness and affection. Matthew loves it. ]

You've got so many nice things to say about them. [ He sounds pleased, refreshed, maybe a little wistful. ] Somebody told me the Porter sends people home sometimes. Maybe you'll get to see them again soon.

[ He frowns for a second, feeling a bit of selfishness. But it's a very brief second. ]

Or they might show up here, and then I could meet them, too. They sound really special, the way you talk about them.

[ He shifts his arms a little around her, readjusting his hold over her hands. ]

I'm the youngest, too. Then there's Ronan, and Declan is the oldest. He's good with people-- [ who aren't Ronan. ] I think you'd like him.

[ Declan would probably be more interested in Susan, the most beautiful woman in the world, but anyway... ]

Of course I do! Do we not all love our families?

[She clearly means it, too. Selene takes them further in, along the path.]

I saw them not so long ago. I was home for near to a year before I was brought back here. It was very good, otherwise I think I would be more melancholy now.

I hope, then, that the porter will allow you your eldest brother as well, Matthew.

[ Matthew considers the question for a moment, watching the ground pass by beneath them. ]

Sometimes families are complicated.

[ Not always, but sometimes. ]

That is good. I'm glad you could spend time with them. You shouldn't be sad. [ And he's smiling again. ] Hey, if Declan shows up I'll introduce you.

Yes-

Oh, yes, that is true as well.

[She looks up at him and smiles a bit, and leads Selene over. There's a pond this way - it's too cold to go in but it's pretty to see.]

I should like that muchly, if you think we should get along.

I think you would, really.

[ Matthew has little trouble leaving the subject of complicated families behind when he sees the pond, which is indeed pretty. The occasional gentle ripple makes for interestingly distorted reflections of the trees and sky, and it's just the kind of thing that catches his attention like a leaf on the wind. He leans over Lucy's shoulder to get a better look. ]

Wow, it's so nice here.

[ He says it with delighted admiration, as though Lucy put the pond there herself. ]

It is, isn't it?

[She leans back against him a little, and it's friendly and familiar all at once.]

I found it one day, and thought this would be a lovely place in summer, although in winter the ice freezes and you may walk on it without any fear.

[It freezes quite hard.]

[ He doesn't mind the leaning at all; they fit together on the horse very comfortably. And she's so nice, that's just how he feels around her in general. Comfortable. Happy. ]

And skate, too? I bet you could skate on it, if you wanted.

[ He would definitely be willing to try that. ]

Oh, yes.

[She nudges them around, careful.]

It is lovely for skating, and swimming in the heat as well.

[ He peers at the edge of the pond as she leads them around, on the lookout for anything interesting. ]

Too bad it's not warm enough today.

[ Not that he brought--or owns, for that matter--any clothing for swimming in yet. He'd at least take off his shoes and roll up his pant legs and splash around in the shallow places. ]

We could come back, though?

[ What he's really asking is if it would be okay for him to come back and visit her more often in general. He wants to, but thinks he shouldn't outright invite himself. ]

Yes! We could have a lovely picnic when the weather improves.

[She's so cheerful that it's clear it's a genuine invitation. Of course Matthew can come back. He seems to be such a kind boy.]

Oh, great!

[ He's so happy. A picnic sounds great, Lucy is great, knowing he can come back is great. ]

Thanks, for inviting me over. You should come see our place sometime, too, if you want.

[ He should probably check with the others before making promises like that but he's so eager, caught up in the happiness of this new friendship, it slips his mind right now. ]

I should like that muchly.

[Mostly because Matthew is very kind, and she is sort of friends with Adam and Gansey. Well. On good terms, at any rate.]

[ Matthew just beams; everything is going so nicely. Lucy is very kind herself, and from the moment she offered him her friendship, a mere minute or two after they met, he was a bit enchanted.

They fit together, and not just in the way that allows them to sit comfortably on the same horse. Honestly this whole "being teleported to another world" thing isn't shaping up to be too bad so far. ]