Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) - By Paula Flumerfelt Page 0,41

rest of his legs and had straps that crisscrossed around his hips and thighs. Meanwhile, the jacket was single breasted, cut snuggly and actually looked pretty badass when buttoned. Under the jacket was a white shirt, a black vest and a silver tie. The overall effect was rather sexy, but it was a pain to get into. He was certainly glad that it wasn’t required of him to wear it daily. That might drive him to quit.

He scooped up Nikola, who had returned to her ball form, and put the Shadowrider into his pocket. Re-emerging into Avian’s room, he stretched and felt the suit move with him. It wasn’t overly uncomfortable, but it put him out of his comfort zone. His ‘comfort zone’ was somewhat skewed, however, considering he wore girls’ clothes now. “How does it look, ‘ey?”

“Damn.” Avian gave a low whistle and the stylist woman gave him a slack jawed look. The looks that they were casting him made him feel vaguely self-conscious, so he fiddled with the suit, buttoning and unbuttoning the jacket.

Avian smiled and hopped up again, much to the chagrin of the portly woman. “You’re hair isn’t finished yet,” the hairstylist huffed, “come back.”

“Nope, it’s fine as is. Not changing it now. Your turn!” The Princess pushed Mathieu towards the stool and forced him to sit down. “Now, make him look manly, but pretty. I’ll be right back.”

The woman, one of the ladies he’d seen in the servant’s dining room more than once, pulled his hair free of the hair tie he’d put it up with while dressing and let it cascade down his back. She picked up a brush and pulled it through the silky strands. The food here had done the health of his hair wonders and he appreciated it. No longer was it a mess of tangles, but it spent most of its time as a waterfall of luxury. He prided himself on it, somewhat.

“I think a fancy plait over one shoulder would be nice. We could give it a nice twisting column look…” The older woman’s fingers fiddled with his tresses as she thought aloud.

Mathieu shrugged one shoulder. “Whatever you think is best. You’re the stylist here. You don’t tell me how to protect people, I don’t tell you how to make people look good.”

She laughed and set to work, first getting the few knots out and then separating the hair evenly. He quickly became bored of watching her, especially since he didn’t think he’d put that much effort into anything in his life. Ever. His eyelids became heavy and he fell into a light doze. It wasn’t long before he felt a tug on his sleeve, Avian looking at him with expectant eyes, Tesla hovering just over her shoulder. “Eh, what?” Mathieu rubbed one eye blearily.

“You’re done. And it’s almost time to go.” Her makeup was done lightly, highlighting her naturally high cheekbones and startlingly golden eyes.

“Crap, I slept longer than I thought. ‘m sorry.” He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Looking in the mirror, his hair now hung over his shoulder in an intricately twisted design that he was pretty sure he could never replicate in his life. Even with an instructional manual and unlimited time.

Avian patted his back. “Not to worry, it happens. I’m a fan of napping too.” With that, she threw her head back with a manic laugh that matched her personality. “Now, my loyal puppet, onward to the gathering of well-endowedly pocketed people!” One hand was on her hip, the other pointing towards the door, reminiscent of their first encounter.

Nodding, he rose and offered his arm, choosing to ignore her inability to create a proper sentence with real words. As she graciously took it, Mathieu led Avian out of her room and down through the house with a practiced ease. The palace was in full swing tonight, servants bustling here and there, laden down with dishes and trays. They all gave cheerily, heartfelt greetings to the pair as they went past, some even stopping to chat for a moment until someone else gave them a less than friendly look.

At the head of all the chaos seemed to be Narrie, dealing out orders to those who scurried by, frowning at those who seemed to be at a loss. Currently, she was berating one man whose hands were empty: “Is it not obvious that everyone else is working? Do you feel it is acceptable to stand around like a monkey while the rest of