Post by Max f'n Daemon on Mar 28, 2021 22:12:47 GMT -5
“What are you willing to do, Mr. Daemon?” the male twin asks.
“Are you willing to scour the globe in search of treasure?” the female twin asks.
“Go on assignments dedicated to mercenary style murder?” the male again.
“Perhaps betray your friends and allies whenever asked?” the female.
“We may or may not ask you these things—” the male is interrupted.
“—but alas, we are merely messengers and go-betweens. We do not know what Mr. Hunter will request of us,” the female finishes.
“Suffice to say that his faculties are not all there,” the male adds.
“You and him are truly not unalike, Mr. Daemon,” the female finishes.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Max and Nathan place the last box in the U-Haul that they rented. Once it’s in and not in a place that's liable to shift, they hop out the back and close the door. As Nathan padlocks it shut, Max stares at his trailer one last time.
“I wasted so much fuckin money on this thing,” Max says.
“If I am to be believed, that PETA sponsorship and your position in Action Wrestling means that money isn’t a problem anymore,” Nathan says.
Max sighs before placing Rebellion back into its scabbard on his back. After a bit of just watching his home for the last time, he picks up a whiskey bottle in the sand below before taking a sip.
He hands it over to Nathan who does the same. Once his drink is finished, he takes off his tie and stuffs it into the bottle.
“Have you spoken to your landlord?” he asks.
“Obviously,” Max says.
Nathan hands the bottle back over to Max who reaches into his pocket to pull out a zippo with a picture of his face engraved on it.
“I can not trust you to actually do so, you are aware of that right?” Nathan asks.
Max doesn’t respond. He just lights the zippo and allows the tie to be set on fire. He puts the zippo back in his pocket before looking back up at his trailer.
“Meh. I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he says. “Probably…”
He then tosses the bottle into the open doorway. It smashes and immediately the fire begins to spread.
“I am gonna miss this place,” he says.
Nathan pats Max’s shoulder a couple times before they make their way back into the truck.
“If you are truly serious about getting back into The Game, moving closer to the job and to us is only the smart decision,” Nathan says.
They enter the cab with Nathan taking the steering wheel. Max buckles himself in for a bit before taking out a small thing of Jack Daniels.
“Just because I am aware of how ‘adult’ all of this is, doesn’t mean I have ta' embrace it,” he says.
He quickly shoots the small bottle down his throat before tossing it out the window.
“I am sure Miss Lindbergh is happy to see how much you are changing for her,” Nathan comments.
Nathan starts the truck.
“Speakin of Trudes, any guesses as ta' how her and Rebecca are doin?” Max asks.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“So anyway, if you ever so much as break his heart or do somethin that pisses any of us off, I have no problems shootin your kneecaps and then lettin you bleed out before healin you and doin it again, alright?” Rebecca asks.
Miss Lindbergh stares on, gripping her glass of water tightly and trying to ignore how much shaking it is doing. She ignores the water spilling over the top in favor of surviving.
“Shit, that might’ve been too thick,” Rebecca says.
“Revy you’re a good sister, but maybe we should let Nathan give the shovel talk,” the suited Japanese man—Rock—says to the right of her.
“The fuck you just call me?” Rebecca asks already going for her gun.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“With Rock there I am sure everything will go fine,” Nathan says.
Neither of them say much for a moment. They just drive out of the trailer park in Tucson for the last time with Nathan focusing on the road and Max watching the fire behind them in the side mirror.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Should he wish to continue with your deal—” the male twin begins.
“—a thing that is nowhere near assured—” the female twin continues.
“—he would need to know of your opinions on his closest allies—” the male twin contributes.
“—as well as any allies that you have,” the female twin finishes.
“Wouldn’t want to make a deal with a devil when they’ve already made a deal with a saint, right?” the male twin adds.
“Or for a sinner to make a deal with a saint when they’ve already broken a deal with a devil?” the female twin amends.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“The soonest we get there, the soonest we can get this shit goin,” Max says.
Nathan glances over to him for a couple seconds before nodding and focusing on the drive.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Max I don’t think I was aware of your family when I made the decision to start this relationship with you,” Trudy says.
The two of them are sitting on the bed in the Moscow Hotel whilst waiting for things to finalized in their official home…let’s just say it's located elsewhere.
“You already met Miranda. Did she not give you a hint as to how things might go?” Max asks.
Trudy just narrows her eyes at him for a few moments before sighing.
“Miranda is…normal, for a lack of a better term. She tends to stay away from all of…this. No, she never gave me a hint that you would consider other people like…these people your family,” she says.
Max sighs before falling backwards onto the bed. Trudy remains sitting up but doesn’t stop looking towards him.
“I’m gonna ignore that because I get where you’re comin from. Trust me, if ya' want ta' know about them I can tell ya’ where ta’ start, but otherwise feel free to ask me anythin. Ya' know I’ll answer where I can,” he says.
“So Rebecca and Rock…there’s totally a thing there right?” Trudy asks.
“Oh absolutely. Rebecca’s too afraid to go further with it and Rock is too polite of her boundaries to bother askin, but…yeah, they’re definitely gonna be a thing,” Max says.
Trudy sighs before falling back on the bed. She turns towards Max, placing her right hand on his chest.
“Can we talk about something normal?” Trudy asks.
Max closes his eyes for a few moments to collect himself before answering.
“Sure. Whatch’ya got?” he asks.
“Your match against Kidsgrove…and that fake bitch Deschanel,” Trudy says.
“What’s up with you and her by the way?” Max asks.
“She claims to be a vegan because it’s the ‘hip’ and ‘trendy’ thing to do but once things actually get to the point of dedication she doesn’t commit. She takes our sponsorship with open arms but doesn’t actually support the cause,” Trudy says.
“You’re aware I’m not a vegan either right?”
“Yeah but you’re a good-will ambassador. You’re not a vegan but you still heavily support our cause. At least you’re willing to commit and back us up. She can’t even be bothered to show up for an appearance.”
“Huh. What a bitch. If it’s any consolation Sam isn’t much better. The guy thinks he’s hot shit because he won a glorified pat-on-the-back award that could’ve easily been spent on somethin else more important, but he waves it around like it means anythin in any kind of reality. Trust me, there's a lot of reality and there’s not much a Golden Globe can do when faced against a weapon. Unless you’re Benny. He’s weirdly into Kidsgrove that it’s horribly shockin.
But still, the two of them really are perfect for each other. Zooey uses her fake-ass public image to appeal to any fan of hers and keep them under wraps and Sam uses his fake-ass acting abilities—which, hey, turns out he’s a garbage actor—to get people to look past that and still support his career. Seriously, the only reason the guy won the award is because of all the controversy they’d give if he didn’t. There’s only so much Ricky Gervais can do before they get fans startin shit with ‘em.
And now he thinks it’s worthy of putting it on the line in this stupid challenge?”
“What is he even thinking with that?” Trudy pipes in asking. “I doubt many people would give a shit about it, let alone anybody in AW.”
“With dudes like Walter and Flop and Ash Blake runnin around, a trinket like that would be an easy weapon or a nice mantle piece, but you’re right. Not a lot of people in AW would give a shit about it, and why should they? Most of ‘em are here for recognition, money, the pleasure of violence, or a combination of the three. Sam’s here for fame, ta' try and get his name out there ta' get more pointless awards. The only reason he’d want to win the World Title is because it’d look good on a red carpet premier to the other fake-ass actors. Meanwhile, dudes like me or Nathan or even guys like O’Connell or Jones—you’ll have ta' meet ‘em one of these days, they’re both old fuckers who refuse to die—are bustin our ass ta' try and keep all of this contained so nobody…normal, knows what’s goin on.”
Trudy grips his jacket.
“Did that word, normal, really bug you?” she asks.
“It didn’t feel good, no, but I understand where you’re comin from. Anybody would freak out about a reveal like this. Not everyday you see supposedly fictional characters in the flesh, livin and breathin like anybody with a heart, mind, and soul. But hey…it’s fine. You’ll learn ta' get used to it,” Max says.
“How come…how come…” she struggles to ask. “…you didn’t freak out from all this?”
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Of course, there is still the subject of your…special case,” the male twin says.
“Ah…yes…not everyday somebody in the game brings about something as…special…as you,” the female twin agrees.
“Obviously he would be inclined to know, should this deal go into place,” the male twin supplies.
“Of course, brother of mine, this implies that he, himself, actually knows,” the female twin supports.
“Indeed, sister of mine. The nature of your existence would be quite a bit of information to provide one’s employer,” the male twin threatens.
“Although knowledge such as that is forbidden for a reason,” the female twin assists.
“Coming from a pair such as us, it would be apt to inform you that such secrets are known only among those figures who are deemed ‘forbidden’,” the male twin tells.
“And forbidden knowledge such as that can only be revealed at the behest of those who first revealed it,” the female twin adds.
“Suffice to say, Mr. Daemon—” the male twin leads.
“—your secret is safe with all of us,” the female twin finishes.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Max places his hand on Trudy’s. The two grip each other with Max allowing a small smile.
“I’ll tell you one day. Just…I’m not ready for that quite yet,” he says.
Trudy leans forward and places her forehead against his chest. The two of them lie like that for a while.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Nathan…when I said we needed a place ta' stay, I didn’t expect it ta' be quite so…” Max says.
“Lavish?” Nathan asks.
“……sure…” Max says.
The house is a three bedroom, two-story house with a fully finished basement, a pool in the back, two office rooms, two game rooms, a theater in-house, and a space fully dedicated to a laboratory that covers way too much of an area underground, like, holy shit, how did the previous owners never discover this? I mean, somebody obviously did. There were clear signs of a former tenant and it was too clean to not have been in use.
“…let’s go with that,” Max finishes.
“The previous owners were quick to sell when their son and daughter sort of…unofficially graduated into the Council and Others respectively,” Nathan says.
“What about the parents?” Max asks.
“Usual severance package. They will be provided for out of the children’s pay until their deaths,” Nathan says.
Max sighs before taking a drink from the bottle of beer in his left hand.
The distant sounds of Trudy and Rebecca inside the house should put him at ease.
They do not.
“It is too much, yes, but the way I see it this is a good, out of the way meet-up for not only us, but also David’s group. It should be easily supported by the two of you. Also, I am still your official guardian so technically I will providing support as well,” Nathan says.
“Gee, thanks Dad,” Max says sarcastically.
“Just because you two jokingly call me that doesn’t make it any less real,” Nathan says.
“Yeah, I am not ready to tackle that yet which means that Rebecca definitely isn’t,” Max says.
He finishes his beer before tossing the bottle into a nearby box of Max’s stuff. He checked beforehand. Trudy most definitely had the majority of the items and it would be a bad start for some of those items to be damaged.
“Speakin of David, have ya' heard any news back from them?” he asks.
“Yeah. Ace wants to have a talk with you first. Consider it an interview. Using the Twins was a good way to set-up the process, but David is not happy with having his allies go behind his back like that,” Nathan says.
“David can get the fuck over it. They’re still busy bodies. Allies doesn’t mean dedicated services. If that were true Mr. Silver would be fucked out of that shop of his,” Max says.
“Yes I said something similar along those lines as well. His ego has grown significantly more recently—”
“Given how massive it already was…?” Max mutters rhetorically.
“—especially since the group is actually taking off and he has got most of the Figures on his side. Ace wants to gauge you personally before he gives the okay to David.”
“Real tight ship huh?” Max asks sarcastically.
Nathan smirks and chuckles. Trudy rushes out of the front door and approaches Max. She gives him a big hug before letting go and giving him a quick kiss.
“I love it,” she says.
“Well that’s good. We really don’t have much of a choice, but it’s nice ta' see ya' enjoy it,” Max says.
“Miss Lindbergh, where is Rebecca?” Nathan asks.
“Oh she’s passed out in the lab. She found a bottle of something and drank it,” Trudy says.
“……what color was it?” Max tentatively asks.
“Purple, I think,” she answers.
Both Max and Nathan rush back into the house to tend to their third.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“We will agree to speak with Mr. Hunter regarding your application for employment,” the male twin says.
“I am sure he will be most interested in the why more than the when,” the female twin adds.
“Yes, he is an emotional one,” the male twin comments.
“Much to his own detriment at times,” the female twin supports.
“So…what do I need to do?” Max asks.
“Nothing. Diego will serve as your official spokesperson,” the male twin says.
“That man truly is a fatherly role model,” the female twin says.
“Though his actual fatherly position is still a sore subject for some, sister,” the male twin.
“Ah, right, that whole…thing,” the female twin.
“So what…I just sit there and wait?” Max asks.
“Well I’d certainly hope not,” the male twin.
“You’re a busy man Mr. Daemon. I’m sure you have things you could do that don’t involve messing with things you have a vague notion of,” the female twin.
“Why not? It seemed to work out for David,” Max says.
“When one has assistance from every source imaginable, it makes the process much easier,” the male twin.
“That being said your point has been heard and agreed upon,” the female twin.
“Has it?”
“Has it not?”
“Would it matter?”
“It would not.”
“I don’t know if I agree with the ‘vague notion’ part, but I suppose I can wait for Nathan to get back to me. I only hope that you’ll keep up with your end,” Max says.
“Despite how intricacies, Mr. Daemon, one of the things we no longer do is go back on a deal,” the male twin says.
“Yes, once is enough for us to learn from our mistakes,” the female twin adds.
“And it’s certainly a quality that you might be more inclined to agree with,” the male twin.
Max narrows his eyes before looking down at the ground. Briefly he sees a white-haired man with glowing yellow eyes and the worst look of anger he has ever seen.
“How much do you know…?” Max can’t help but ask.
“More than you ever will,” the male twin.
“More than you ever can,” the female twin.
“For the record he isn’t dead.”
“Though he is in a position where it wouldn’t be undesirable.”
“We can relate.”
“So apologies if we’re a bit biased in this situation.”
“All that said I believe we are finished here.”
“You know what to do should require us, Mr. Daemon. Though I suspect you will be quite busy.”
“Yeah…” Max says. “Thanks…”
With that, the scene fades away. Max is left in his bathroom, the door locked and his appearance unchanged. All traces of dirt or black skies has disappeared.
Max opens the door to the bathroom and sees Miss Lindbergh…Trudy still lying in bed. In the dark of the trailer with nobody but himself watching, he allows a brief moment to stare at her appearance…and to just smile at her presence.
“Are you willing to scour the globe in search of treasure?” the female twin asks.
“Go on assignments dedicated to mercenary style murder?” the male again.
“Perhaps betray your friends and allies whenever asked?” the female.
“We may or may not ask you these things—” the male is interrupted.
“—but alas, we are merely messengers and go-betweens. We do not know what Mr. Hunter will request of us,” the female finishes.
“Suffice to say that his faculties are not all there,” the male adds.
“You and him are truly not unalike, Mr. Daemon,” the female finishes.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Max and Nathan place the last box in the U-Haul that they rented. Once it’s in and not in a place that's liable to shift, they hop out the back and close the door. As Nathan padlocks it shut, Max stares at his trailer one last time.
“I wasted so much fuckin money on this thing,” Max says.
“If I am to be believed, that PETA sponsorship and your position in Action Wrestling means that money isn’t a problem anymore,” Nathan says.
Max sighs before placing Rebellion back into its scabbard on his back. After a bit of just watching his home for the last time, he picks up a whiskey bottle in the sand below before taking a sip.
He hands it over to Nathan who does the same. Once his drink is finished, he takes off his tie and stuffs it into the bottle.
“Have you spoken to your landlord?” he asks.
“Obviously,” Max says.
Nathan hands the bottle back over to Max who reaches into his pocket to pull out a zippo with a picture of his face engraved on it.
“I can not trust you to actually do so, you are aware of that right?” Nathan asks.
Max doesn’t respond. He just lights the zippo and allows the tie to be set on fire. He puts the zippo back in his pocket before looking back up at his trailer.
“Meh. I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he says. “Probably…”
He then tosses the bottle into the open doorway. It smashes and immediately the fire begins to spread.
“I am gonna miss this place,” he says.
Nathan pats Max’s shoulder a couple times before they make their way back into the truck.
“If you are truly serious about getting back into The Game, moving closer to the job and to us is only the smart decision,” Nathan says.
They enter the cab with Nathan taking the steering wheel. Max buckles himself in for a bit before taking out a small thing of Jack Daniels.
“Just because I am aware of how ‘adult’ all of this is, doesn’t mean I have ta' embrace it,” he says.
He quickly shoots the small bottle down his throat before tossing it out the window.
“I am sure Miss Lindbergh is happy to see how much you are changing for her,” Nathan comments.
Nathan starts the truck.
“Speakin of Trudes, any guesses as ta' how her and Rebecca are doin?” Max asks.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“So anyway, if you ever so much as break his heart or do somethin that pisses any of us off, I have no problems shootin your kneecaps and then lettin you bleed out before healin you and doin it again, alright?” Rebecca asks.
Miss Lindbergh stares on, gripping her glass of water tightly and trying to ignore how much shaking it is doing. She ignores the water spilling over the top in favor of surviving.
“Shit, that might’ve been too thick,” Rebecca says.
“Revy you’re a good sister, but maybe we should let Nathan give the shovel talk,” the suited Japanese man—Rock—says to the right of her.
“The fuck you just call me?” Rebecca asks already going for her gun.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“With Rock there I am sure everything will go fine,” Nathan says.
Neither of them say much for a moment. They just drive out of the trailer park in Tucson for the last time with Nathan focusing on the road and Max watching the fire behind them in the side mirror.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Should he wish to continue with your deal—” the male twin begins.
“—a thing that is nowhere near assured—” the female twin continues.
“—he would need to know of your opinions on his closest allies—” the male twin contributes.
“—as well as any allies that you have,” the female twin finishes.
“Wouldn’t want to make a deal with a devil when they’ve already made a deal with a saint, right?” the male twin adds.
“Or for a sinner to make a deal with a saint when they’ve already broken a deal with a devil?” the female twin amends.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“The soonest we get there, the soonest we can get this shit goin,” Max says.
Nathan glances over to him for a couple seconds before nodding and focusing on the drive.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Max I don’t think I was aware of your family when I made the decision to start this relationship with you,” Trudy says.
The two of them are sitting on the bed in the Moscow Hotel whilst waiting for things to finalized in their official home…let’s just say it's located elsewhere.
“You already met Miranda. Did she not give you a hint as to how things might go?” Max asks.
Trudy just narrows her eyes at him for a few moments before sighing.
“Miranda is…normal, for a lack of a better term. She tends to stay away from all of…this. No, she never gave me a hint that you would consider other people like…these people your family,” she says.
Max sighs before falling backwards onto the bed. Trudy remains sitting up but doesn’t stop looking towards him.
“I’m gonna ignore that because I get where you’re comin from. Trust me, if ya' want ta' know about them I can tell ya’ where ta’ start, but otherwise feel free to ask me anythin. Ya' know I’ll answer where I can,” he says.
“So Rebecca and Rock…there’s totally a thing there right?” Trudy asks.
“Oh absolutely. Rebecca’s too afraid to go further with it and Rock is too polite of her boundaries to bother askin, but…yeah, they’re definitely gonna be a thing,” Max says.
Trudy sighs before falling back on the bed. She turns towards Max, placing her right hand on his chest.
“Can we talk about something normal?” Trudy asks.
Max closes his eyes for a few moments to collect himself before answering.
“Sure. Whatch’ya got?” he asks.
“Your match against Kidsgrove…and that fake bitch Deschanel,” Trudy says.
“What’s up with you and her by the way?” Max asks.
“She claims to be a vegan because it’s the ‘hip’ and ‘trendy’ thing to do but once things actually get to the point of dedication she doesn’t commit. She takes our sponsorship with open arms but doesn’t actually support the cause,” Trudy says.
“You’re aware I’m not a vegan either right?”
“Yeah but you’re a good-will ambassador. You’re not a vegan but you still heavily support our cause. At least you’re willing to commit and back us up. She can’t even be bothered to show up for an appearance.”
“Huh. What a bitch. If it’s any consolation Sam isn’t much better. The guy thinks he’s hot shit because he won a glorified pat-on-the-back award that could’ve easily been spent on somethin else more important, but he waves it around like it means anythin in any kind of reality. Trust me, there's a lot of reality and there’s not much a Golden Globe can do when faced against a weapon. Unless you’re Benny. He’s weirdly into Kidsgrove that it’s horribly shockin.
But still, the two of them really are perfect for each other. Zooey uses her fake-ass public image to appeal to any fan of hers and keep them under wraps and Sam uses his fake-ass acting abilities—which, hey, turns out he’s a garbage actor—to get people to look past that and still support his career. Seriously, the only reason the guy won the award is because of all the controversy they’d give if he didn’t. There’s only so much Ricky Gervais can do before they get fans startin shit with ‘em.
And now he thinks it’s worthy of putting it on the line in this stupid challenge?”
“What is he even thinking with that?” Trudy pipes in asking. “I doubt many people would give a shit about it, let alone anybody in AW.”
“With dudes like Walter and Flop and Ash Blake runnin around, a trinket like that would be an easy weapon or a nice mantle piece, but you’re right. Not a lot of people in AW would give a shit about it, and why should they? Most of ‘em are here for recognition, money, the pleasure of violence, or a combination of the three. Sam’s here for fame, ta' try and get his name out there ta' get more pointless awards. The only reason he’d want to win the World Title is because it’d look good on a red carpet premier to the other fake-ass actors. Meanwhile, dudes like me or Nathan or even guys like O’Connell or Jones—you’ll have ta' meet ‘em one of these days, they’re both old fuckers who refuse to die—are bustin our ass ta' try and keep all of this contained so nobody…normal, knows what’s goin on.”
Trudy grips his jacket.
“Did that word, normal, really bug you?” she asks.
“It didn’t feel good, no, but I understand where you’re comin from. Anybody would freak out about a reveal like this. Not everyday you see supposedly fictional characters in the flesh, livin and breathin like anybody with a heart, mind, and soul. But hey…it’s fine. You’ll learn ta' get used to it,” Max says.
“How come…how come…” she struggles to ask. “…you didn’t freak out from all this?”
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Of course, there is still the subject of your…special case,” the male twin says.
“Ah…yes…not everyday somebody in the game brings about something as…special…as you,” the female twin agrees.
“Obviously he would be inclined to know, should this deal go into place,” the male twin supplies.
“Of course, brother of mine, this implies that he, himself, actually knows,” the female twin supports.
“Indeed, sister of mine. The nature of your existence would be quite a bit of information to provide one’s employer,” the male twin threatens.
“Although knowledge such as that is forbidden for a reason,” the female twin assists.
“Coming from a pair such as us, it would be apt to inform you that such secrets are known only among those figures who are deemed ‘forbidden’,” the male twin tells.
“And forbidden knowledge such as that can only be revealed at the behest of those who first revealed it,” the female twin adds.
“Suffice to say, Mr. Daemon—” the male twin leads.
“—your secret is safe with all of us,” the female twin finishes.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Max places his hand on Trudy’s. The two grip each other with Max allowing a small smile.
“I’ll tell you one day. Just…I’m not ready for that quite yet,” he says.
Trudy leans forward and places her forehead against his chest. The two of them lie like that for a while.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Nathan…when I said we needed a place ta' stay, I didn’t expect it ta' be quite so…” Max says.
“Lavish?” Nathan asks.
“……sure…” Max says.
The house is a three bedroom, two-story house with a fully finished basement, a pool in the back, two office rooms, two game rooms, a theater in-house, and a space fully dedicated to a laboratory that covers way too much of an area underground, like, holy shit, how did the previous owners never discover this? I mean, somebody obviously did. There were clear signs of a former tenant and it was too clean to not have been in use.
“…let’s go with that,” Max finishes.
“The previous owners were quick to sell when their son and daughter sort of…unofficially graduated into the Council and Others respectively,” Nathan says.
“What about the parents?” Max asks.
“Usual severance package. They will be provided for out of the children’s pay until their deaths,” Nathan says.
Max sighs before taking a drink from the bottle of beer in his left hand.
The distant sounds of Trudy and Rebecca inside the house should put him at ease.
They do not.
“It is too much, yes, but the way I see it this is a good, out of the way meet-up for not only us, but also David’s group. It should be easily supported by the two of you. Also, I am still your official guardian so technically I will providing support as well,” Nathan says.
“Gee, thanks Dad,” Max says sarcastically.
“Just because you two jokingly call me that doesn’t make it any less real,” Nathan says.
“Yeah, I am not ready to tackle that yet which means that Rebecca definitely isn’t,” Max says.
He finishes his beer before tossing the bottle into a nearby box of Max’s stuff. He checked beforehand. Trudy most definitely had the majority of the items and it would be a bad start for some of those items to be damaged.
“Speakin of David, have ya' heard any news back from them?” he asks.
“Yeah. Ace wants to have a talk with you first. Consider it an interview. Using the Twins was a good way to set-up the process, but David is not happy with having his allies go behind his back like that,” Nathan says.
“David can get the fuck over it. They’re still busy bodies. Allies doesn’t mean dedicated services. If that were true Mr. Silver would be fucked out of that shop of his,” Max says.
“Yes I said something similar along those lines as well. His ego has grown significantly more recently—”
“Given how massive it already was…?” Max mutters rhetorically.
“—especially since the group is actually taking off and he has got most of the Figures on his side. Ace wants to gauge you personally before he gives the okay to David.”
“Real tight ship huh?” Max asks sarcastically.
Nathan smirks and chuckles. Trudy rushes out of the front door and approaches Max. She gives him a big hug before letting go and giving him a quick kiss.
“I love it,” she says.
“Well that’s good. We really don’t have much of a choice, but it’s nice ta' see ya' enjoy it,” Max says.
“Miss Lindbergh, where is Rebecca?” Nathan asks.
“Oh she’s passed out in the lab. She found a bottle of something and drank it,” Trudy says.
“……what color was it?” Max tentatively asks.
“Purple, I think,” she answers.
Both Max and Nathan rush back into the house to tend to their third.
-----------------------------------------------------------
“We will agree to speak with Mr. Hunter regarding your application for employment,” the male twin says.
“I am sure he will be most interested in the why more than the when,” the female twin adds.
“Yes, he is an emotional one,” the male twin comments.
“Much to his own detriment at times,” the female twin supports.
“So…what do I need to do?” Max asks.
“Nothing. Diego will serve as your official spokesperson,” the male twin says.
“That man truly is a fatherly role model,” the female twin says.
“Though his actual fatherly position is still a sore subject for some, sister,” the male twin.
“Ah, right, that whole…thing,” the female twin.
“So what…I just sit there and wait?” Max asks.
“Well I’d certainly hope not,” the male twin.
“You’re a busy man Mr. Daemon. I’m sure you have things you could do that don’t involve messing with things you have a vague notion of,” the female twin.
“Why not? It seemed to work out for David,” Max says.
“When one has assistance from every source imaginable, it makes the process much easier,” the male twin.
“That being said your point has been heard and agreed upon,” the female twin.
“Has it?”
“Has it not?”
“Would it matter?”
“It would not.”
“I don’t know if I agree with the ‘vague notion’ part, but I suppose I can wait for Nathan to get back to me. I only hope that you’ll keep up with your end,” Max says.
“Despite how intricacies, Mr. Daemon, one of the things we no longer do is go back on a deal,” the male twin says.
“Yes, once is enough for us to learn from our mistakes,” the female twin adds.
“And it’s certainly a quality that you might be more inclined to agree with,” the male twin.
Max narrows his eyes before looking down at the ground. Briefly he sees a white-haired man with glowing yellow eyes and the worst look of anger he has ever seen.
“How much do you know…?” Max can’t help but ask.
“More than you ever will,” the male twin.
“More than you ever can,” the female twin.
“For the record he isn’t dead.”
“Though he is in a position where it wouldn’t be undesirable.”
“We can relate.”
“So apologies if we’re a bit biased in this situation.”
“All that said I believe we are finished here.”
“You know what to do should require us, Mr. Daemon. Though I suspect you will be quite busy.”
“Yeah…” Max says. “Thanks…”
With that, the scene fades away. Max is left in his bathroom, the door locked and his appearance unchanged. All traces of dirt or black skies has disappeared.
Max opens the door to the bathroom and sees Miss Lindbergh…Trudy still lying in bed. In the dark of the trailer with nobody but himself watching, he allows a brief moment to stare at her appearance…and to just smile at her presence.