Bones of Salt

Matias

Matias had to admit a few things to himself. Just because he was stubborn, it didn't mean he wouldn't change his mind once he was faced with the facts. One: Cypress was perhaps the most interesting person at the apprenticeship, despite who her family was. And two: say what you want about King Amaranth, but his grand-daughter was right. He did take his army of Blood Drinkers seriously.

Matias felt positively sure Cypress and him were on their way to become best friends, if not for a little detail. There was something about the other recruit that puzzled him.

He'd never thought of himself as someone used to paying any mind to the compliments the friends he'd had before had paid to him. He, in fact, used to wave them away with a nod of his hand or a grunt, because he never paid any mind to his characteristics. Every time one of the kids in the Market told him how brave or clever he was because of a story he just made up to entertain them, or every time one of the friends he had in Ichor, behind Jason's back, told him he was fierce and independent, he had paid it no mind. It was a miracle he could remember the words even now.

There had also been that time where the daughter of Athanasios' friend Pandarus had told him, with the naivety of some little girls who are noticing boys for the first time, that he had beautiful pink lips. Matias had laughed at her, and secretly, he found himself feeling almost disgusted. In the world they were living in, who had time to think about other people's lips?

However, for the first time in his life, he cared about compliments. And not just compliments coming from anyone. To be clear, he'd noticed Cypress hadn't paid any to him ever since they became friends, and for some reason this was making him restless.

Of course, it made him respect her more, in a way. Cypress studied astrology and astronomy, she knew many languages and she was one of the fiercest warriors in the training. She knew how to fire a gun. It was obvious she wouldn't think of other people's lips... it was incredible that, for some reason, this bothered Matias.

After the Demon Jonathan had battled, Roman had asked the other recruits whether it was time to tell the tutors about the Dybbuk too. The Speaker's conduct at the training would have been somewhat of a disaster if Mira and Minx hadn't known him for a long time and knew his heart was in the right place. Still, he didn't want to screw up more things than necessary. However, Matias reminded him that the Demon they found was inside the castle, not outside. The castle where they held the training.

"Why did you ask me to come?" Roman rubbed his eyes. It was early in the morning, probably before the tutors or their interns had woken up.

"I asked Cypress and Jonathan to come too," Matias replied. "I thought we could do some light reading." He patted lightly a tall stack of library books laying at his side.

"Are those the books you and Cypress thought would help us?"

At that moment, the door opened.

"Hi," Jonathan said, giving them a dazzling smile. "Thank the gods you asked me to come, Matias. I almost asked Jason if he wanted to taste how sharp my sword was. I won't report what he's said, but it was one of those jokes about mothers. They don't go over well with me, considering mine is dead."

"Is he awake that early?" Matias asked. "Strange of him."

"He had indigestion. Maybe this was why he was wandering the corridors on his way to the Sanitarium, saying strange things. I see you brought books. Let's see what's in them, since now it is something I can say."

"Well, you made a lot of progress," Matias felt a little admired.

But Jonathan let out a hissing sound that sounded like a 'ptff' and then started to laugh with an open and contagious laughter. "I can't read," he explained, between wheezing sounds. "Not even now."