He had noticed Kaie watching him as he interacted with his parents. There was a brief flicker of a foreign emotion upon her exotic features, something that Matthew did not recognize. He had noticed that he was usually able to identify the emotions of others, unlike how he often struggled to put a name to his own. However, there were many times that the ability seemed to simply leave him, much like it had in this very moment. What did that brief expression mean? What was the odd sensation in his stomach when he sometimes studied her face? It was disturbing to him, only because the Harlot was uncomfortable being filled with something he could not understand.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Matthew nodded at Kaie as she decided on what their next step would be in this whole sequence of events. He gave her a bright smile as she placed her long fingers upon his firm chest, lifting his own lightly-tanned hand and gently placing it upon her own in a touch that actually resembled something tender. This time it was a subtle display of affection instead of a touch that sensually teased, showing that the Harlot was apparently capable of more than a single role. "Oh, Matthew! I forgot!" Theresa suddenly spoke, turning and hurrying over to a nearby table drawer, pulling out a single sealed envelope and returning to hand it over to Matthew. "This was left for you a very long time ago, back before you left. I can't remember who it was, I am sorry. He said it was important, though." Matthew nodded slowly, blinking at the folded paper before tucking it into a pocket.
Proper goodbyes were expressed to his parents, the husband and wife making it quite obvious that they were eager to have their son actually showing a woman around the house. There was no doubt that they would be engaging Matthew and Kaie later in the night to see more of their son and the woman that he had apparently taken as a lover. As they left the room, Matthew could sense the stiffness suddenly draining from the air around her, somehow lifting something of an odd heaviness that had hung around them. He had no clue of the troubling thoughts that went through her mind. He was not the sort try and 'steal' a lover from another lover, not even thinking himself capable of being a genuine lover to someone in the first place. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for him to cross a line, to turn their entire charade into something that teetered dangerously on the edge of genuine sin. He was blind to exactly what it was a loving relationship entailed between two people, making it easy for him to trample upon it without a second thought. He knew some of the rules, but not all of them. There were so many unspoken understandings between two lovers that even Matthew and all of his skill hadn't come to realize them all.
He escorted her through the hallways of the mansion, taking her up a back stairway that led to another hallway on the second floor. They passed by glass double doors that were slightly cracked open, leading to a balcony outside. Matthew paused for a moment to close them, a warm breeze caressing them both before he moved on. Which room would properly fulfil the conditions of Kaie's request? He had to think carefully about it. He had to think back to when he had been a child, back to days that he very rarely thought about. Her other questions were answered with a distant tone as he thoughtfully considered her request. "I just gave him a little spending money and let him decide how to keep himself occupied. They know nothing about him or my blessing, you are correct. While normally I find deceit to be more complex and difficult than just giving the truth, I feel that it is worth the effort to make them feel a peace of mind with what their son appears to have become. Something simple." He did not say it in a bitter tone, merely a matter-of-fact one. For Matthew, it was a genuine attempt to do what he thought was the kind thing.
Finally making up his mind, Matthew turned and led his Myrian companion down one last hallway, pausing in front of a doorway that was painted a shade of sky blue. Staring at it for a few ticks, Matthew reached forward and slowly opened it, exposing the room beyond.
It was a room that had been crafted with obvious love and care. The walls had been painted to resemble a forest, a miniature tree-house carefully crafted and attached to wooden columns that were carved to look like trees. Beneath them lay two child-sized beds, ironed sheets and fluffed pillows arranged upon them. Matthew led Kaie into the room, his hand absent-mindedly sliding down to take a hold of hers as he studied the scene before him. "This is the room I grew up in. I believe it was constructed long before I was born. They once told me that they had been trying for a long time to have a child and were eagerly looking forward to it. They appeared to have kept it just the way it looked all those years ago." He lightly tugged upon her hand, leading her toward one of the beds. This particular bed looked almost exactly like the other nearby bed except for one small difference. There was a teddy bear perched upon it, one that Matthew slowly reached out and touched. "Ah. I had forgot about this. When I was young, someone gifted me with this stuffed bear. I remember that I named him Gordon. I used to buy bows from a shop in town so that I could outfit him differently every day. How very strange."
He stared upon it for a few more moments before finally looking up, glancing over to Kaie to see if this had satisfied her odd request. "When it comes to the dance, we can try to avoid it if you wish. While I do not want you to feel as if our dance practice went to waste, I also understand that it may be uncomfortable for you. I am sure you are already uncomfortable enough wearing such foreign clothing in such a foreign place. In any case, I also wish to have a..." He paused, brow furrowing as his stomach twisted so hard that it hurt, vanishing just as quickly as it came. "...private discussion with you at some point tonight." He did not elaborate further, allowing her time to ask any questions about the room and decide what their next step would be.
She would no doubt notice the odd pause, even if Matthew was making a point to ignore it. It was exactly like the odd pause that had interrupted him at one point during the recent camping trip.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Matthew nodded at Kaie as she decided on what their next step would be in this whole sequence of events. He gave her a bright smile as she placed her long fingers upon his firm chest, lifting his own lightly-tanned hand and gently placing it upon her own in a touch that actually resembled something tender. This time it was a subtle display of affection instead of a touch that sensually teased, showing that the Harlot was apparently capable of more than a single role. "Oh, Matthew! I forgot!" Theresa suddenly spoke, turning and hurrying over to a nearby table drawer, pulling out a single sealed envelope and returning to hand it over to Matthew. "This was left for you a very long time ago, back before you left. I can't remember who it was, I am sorry. He said it was important, though." Matthew nodded slowly, blinking at the folded paper before tucking it into a pocket.
Proper goodbyes were expressed to his parents, the husband and wife making it quite obvious that they were eager to have their son actually showing a woman around the house. There was no doubt that they would be engaging Matthew and Kaie later in the night to see more of their son and the woman that he had apparently taken as a lover. As they left the room, Matthew could sense the stiffness suddenly draining from the air around her, somehow lifting something of an odd heaviness that had hung around them. He had no clue of the troubling thoughts that went through her mind. He was not the sort try and 'steal' a lover from another lover, not even thinking himself capable of being a genuine lover to someone in the first place. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for him to cross a line, to turn their entire charade into something that teetered dangerously on the edge of genuine sin. He was blind to exactly what it was a loving relationship entailed between two people, making it easy for him to trample upon it without a second thought. He knew some of the rules, but not all of them. There were so many unspoken understandings between two lovers that even Matthew and all of his skill hadn't come to realize them all.
He escorted her through the hallways of the mansion, taking her up a back stairway that led to another hallway on the second floor. They passed by glass double doors that were slightly cracked open, leading to a balcony outside. Matthew paused for a moment to close them, a warm breeze caressing them both before he moved on. Which room would properly fulfil the conditions of Kaie's request? He had to think carefully about it. He had to think back to when he had been a child, back to days that he very rarely thought about. Her other questions were answered with a distant tone as he thoughtfully considered her request. "I just gave him a little spending money and let him decide how to keep himself occupied. They know nothing about him or my blessing, you are correct. While normally I find deceit to be more complex and difficult than just giving the truth, I feel that it is worth the effort to make them feel a peace of mind with what their son appears to have become. Something simple." He did not say it in a bitter tone, merely a matter-of-fact one. For Matthew, it was a genuine attempt to do what he thought was the kind thing.
Finally making up his mind, Matthew turned and led his Myrian companion down one last hallway, pausing in front of a doorway that was painted a shade of sky blue. Staring at it for a few ticks, Matthew reached forward and slowly opened it, exposing the room beyond.
It was a room that had been crafted with obvious love and care. The walls had been painted to resemble a forest, a miniature tree-house carefully crafted and attached to wooden columns that were carved to look like trees. Beneath them lay two child-sized beds, ironed sheets and fluffed pillows arranged upon them. Matthew led Kaie into the room, his hand absent-mindedly sliding down to take a hold of hers as he studied the scene before him. "This is the room I grew up in. I believe it was constructed long before I was born. They once told me that they had been trying for a long time to have a child and were eagerly looking forward to it. They appeared to have kept it just the way it looked all those years ago." He lightly tugged upon her hand, leading her toward one of the beds. This particular bed looked almost exactly like the other nearby bed except for one small difference. There was a teddy bear perched upon it, one that Matthew slowly reached out and touched. "Ah. I had forgot about this. When I was young, someone gifted me with this stuffed bear. I remember that I named him Gordon. I used to buy bows from a shop in town so that I could outfit him differently every day. How very strange."
He stared upon it for a few more moments before finally looking up, glancing over to Kaie to see if this had satisfied her odd request. "When it comes to the dance, we can try to avoid it if you wish. While I do not want you to feel as if our dance practice went to waste, I also understand that it may be uncomfortable for you. I am sure you are already uncomfortable enough wearing such foreign clothing in such a foreign place. In any case, I also wish to have a..." He paused, brow furrowing as his stomach twisted so hard that it hurt, vanishing just as quickly as it came. "...private discussion with you at some point tonight." He did not elaborate further, allowing her time to ask any questions about the room and decide what their next step would be.
She would no doubt notice the odd pause, even if Matthew was making a point to ignore it. It was exactly like the odd pause that had interrupted him at one point during the recent camping trip.
