[ It's not the first eclectic tangent from Matt this evening. The most notable was probably the one he went on at the strip club, which involved it's so humbling to be reminded of just how broad the spectrum is for body patterns, ways of taking shape ... it's beautiful. One might reasonably think he just gets maudlin when he's had a few, except Matt is always like this. Ready to spout poetry over the origins of the universe and strangers' genitals alike.

For now, he beams back in the face of Tezca's laughter. He feels gloriously unselfconscious, like he's walking on air. Some of that air is made of scattered trash, and that's okay by him. Matt doesn't rely on drugs and alcohol to take him out of his head (most of the time), but he can appreciate their powers in that regard. ]

Even the embodied presence of gods isn't really a guarantee, [ he points out. He's gotten a bit overheated himself, in the course of the evening, and a few of his shirt buttons have come undone. ] I can talk to a human person and misinterpret what they say, so you being here doesn't mean I'll understand you unless I know how to listen.

... It probably is easier than not having you here, though. Easier.