"Yeah, I talked to him. Asshole as always, he was." A scowl. "And fine, maybe I was too, a little bit. Asked him how drunk he was, something like that. No, it was -- if he even knew whose blood that was, or if he was that drunk before he started eating. And he said something like, you could ask them, but they're dead."
"Yeah, uh -- I mean, I might cry some more, but." She waves the handkerchief; she'll be fine. "Luc's about four. He's gotten pretty big! We're not with him, right now, we have a friend taking him to stay with Jester's mom while we figure out all this war stuff."
Which she's DEFINITELY NOT STRESSED ABOUT, it's fine, she does trust Shakäste.
"And Yeza, well, he's an alchemist. He's very very smart, always has been. Luc takes after him like that. We had an apothecary in town. And -- he's really a lover, not a fighter, but he's been very brave."
Hey Max, it's Keyleth. Can I come to your room if you have time? I'm not doing so great. I'm not trying to manipulate into saying yes I just want to warn you? Also I have a produce basket made up for you. You can still have it even if you're busy.
Max resists putting his head in his hands. Only just. It's not like the rivalry between the two surprises him. It also doesn't surprise him to hear Astarion was being an ass. But, of all the things to say...
"If that was supposed to be a joke from him... it wasn't funny." Max sure as fuck hopes that was only a joke. Astarion wouldn't kill anyone here. Not on purpose.
"Yeah, no, he was fucking with me," says Edgar, his scowl deepening. "And I thought he might be, but I din't know for sure, and -- what was I supposed to do?"
It's a protest, almost rhetorical. (Not quite. If Max can tell him what he should have done, it might help.)
"I called Lioriley. Through the tomes. Asked her to come get him."
"Must be hard to be separated," he says, sympathetically. "But you're doing the right thing to keep him safe."
Max can't imagine having to worry about raising a kid in the midst of war like that. He's grateful that won't ever be a worry for him... even if that's ultimately because he'll never have the chance to raise kids at all.
"I bet you and Yeza make a good team. You dabble in some alchemy too, don't you?"
"I mean -- I'm trying." She sighs, a little shakily. "It's hard when you can't see them. At least now I can -- could see Yeza.
"I picked up alchemy from him, yeah, I assisted him at the apothecary sometimes. He's brilliant, honestly. We were working on some pretty cool stuff before I ended up back here." Another sigh, this one more rueful and less like she's going to cry again. "I guess the good part is he isn't missing me. He spent all that time thinking I was dead. He doesn't have to do that. He won't even know I'm gone."
Max grips the back of his neck, where the skin has begun to itch terribly. "I don't know. I guess... If you thought he was fucking with you, you call him on it? Get him to tell you the truth?"
Max doesn't know if he can really give better advice without having the full picture. Maybe he'd have called Lioriley too, to let her know Astarion was in a bad way. Although... Max has a sinking suspicion that it might only have made matters worse.
"So she came to help take him home then?" There's no question that she would come. At least now he knows for sure Astarion is safe.
Edgar makes a scoffing noise, low and bitter. "Like he'd ever do anything for me asking it. That's the whole --"
His jaw clenches, and he swallows most of the bitterness back and starts over. "That's why I called her. Because she'd be able to figure it out, or get him to come clean, whichever. And he did, the second she showed up. Except first he told her, the boy thinks I've murdered somebody." With the words, and the imitation of Astarion's haughty tones, a good deal of the bitterness slips back into his voice.
Even if it wouldn't kill him, it would much harder to fuck with someone with his head in one place and his body in another.
Astarion's lips pursed into a frown, but that was all the outward disapproval he was willing to display. "I shall have to trust your judgement on that, darling," he replied, lifting and dropping a shoulder. "Though he sounds like the type who, if given an inch, will take a mile, so to speak. You've enough people here who care about you to make his life a living hell. For once, you would have the power. Remember that. Use that."
They had, it would seem, efficiently uncovered every single one of his buttons and said to themselves Oh, that's nice, before they preceded to smash every single one of them at once. Poor Max. He never stood a chance.
Though Lioriley had it well taken care of, Astarion was happy to end her a hand, gripping the base of Max's cock while she sucked him down and drained him dry. It took very little, really, they'd done their good work so very well. Astarion hummed softly and tsked, lifting his hand and licking away the wet remnants that had dribbled from Lioriley's lips.
"What are we to do with him next?" he wondered aloud, pausing to tuck a finger beneath Lioriley's chin and share a messy kiss with her, tasting more of Max's lovely release on her tongue. "Shall we see how quickly our Max can recover? Perhaps motivate him to last a little longer next time?"
Usually, Lioriley was extremely thorough when she sucked someone's cock; swallowing back all she could and hungrily lapping at what she couldn't. But now, sharing with her beloved, she purposefully allowed some of Max's seed to dribble down the shaft - not wanting Astarion to be left out, knowing full well how much he enjoyed such things.
"Mm?" She hummed dreamily, head tilted and lips parted to eagerly indulge in that sloppy kiss. Her hand remained on Max's thigh, gently kneading along the inside near his weeping cock. "I would say you should elaborate, but perhaps it would be best to simply show him - let him guess our next move." She was ready to go wherever Astarion moved her, honestly.
Max's heart breaks for her all over again. She finally got back to Yeza and now she's been yanked away again. As much as he selfishly doesn't want to see her go, because that would mean losing such a good friend, he hates that she must now endure yet another separation on top of so many. Max doesn't know if there's much he could say to ease that brand of suffering. So, maybe a distraction would be better.
"Would it be too hard to show me a little of what you were working on?"
Max fights the urge to put his head in his hands. He knew that Edgar and Astarion were likely to mix about as well as oil and water but... this is more like gunpowder and a match.
"Edgar... did you actually accuse him of murder or was he just saying that? You didn't say it in front of Lioriley, did you?"
"No, I din't fuckin accuse him," Edgar snaps, stung. "And for sure not in front of her, I --"
His jaw works for a moment, and he picks up his half-forgotten mug and takes a deep swallow, visibly trying to calm himself.
"I thought it," he says, lower. "When I first saw him. But I didn't say it, because I thought I might be wrong. And then he said it to my face and I might have believed him straight up, right there, except then he laughed about it. Not about the killing somebody, about me believing it. So no, I did not actually accuse him of murder."
Max sighed at those words. "Well, that's just it. Maybe my judgment when it comes to him is... flawed. I don't know. I hope I never have to test the theory."
The idea of Max having power over Erik still feels so foreign. Like putting his shoe on the wrong foot.
"Maybe what I should really ask is you remind me of that if the time ever comes."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-18 07:05 pm (UTC)What happens if you fail your job? And Johan fails it too? And everyone fails. What would be the consequences if no one was there to fight or win?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-18 09:53 pm (UTC)then johan dyes. then the rest of the pack.
gaia would dye cos the bad guys wud win faster?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-18 11:01 pm (UTC)He pauses there, watching for Max's reaction.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-19 08:01 pm (UTC)Right. You're not just fighting to fight. You're fighting to help your pack and to help Gaia. You fighting protects people.
text;
Date: 2021-08-22 08:59 pm (UTC)Okay thanks, and sorry. And thanks.
-Keyleth
Re: text;
Date: 2021-08-22 09:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-23 01:25 am (UTC)"If that was supposed to be a joke from him... it wasn't funny." Max sure as fuck hopes that was only a joke. Astarion wouldn't kill anyone here. Not on purpose.
"Um. So, what happened after he said that?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-23 03:36 am (UTC)It's a protest, almost rhetorical. (Not quite. If Max can tell him what he should have done, it might help.)
"I called Lioriley. Through the tomes. Asked her to come get him."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-23 01:34 pm (UTC)i hav to protect the pack
thats my job
[Is this what you wanted, Max? She is in confusion.]
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-23 01:39 pm (UTC)[He hopes...]
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-23 02:09 pm (UTC)Max can't imagine having to worry about raising a kid in the midst of war like that. He's grateful that won't ever be a worry for him... even if that's ultimately because he'll never have the chance to raise kids at all.
"I bet you and Yeza make a good team. You dabble in some alchemy too, don't you?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-25 08:53 pm (UTC)Max doesn't know if he can really give better advice without having the full picture. Maybe he'd have called Lioriley too, to let her know Astarion was in a bad way. Although... Max has a sinking suspicion that it might only have made matters worse.
"So she came to help take him home then?" There's no question that she would come. At least now he knows for sure Astarion is safe.
"Is that the end of it?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-26 02:48 am (UTC)His jaw clenches, and he swallows most of the bitterness back and starts over. "That's why I called her. Because she'd be able to figure it out, or get him to come clean, whichever. And he did, the second she showed up. Except first he told her, the boy thinks I've murdered somebody." With the words, and the imitation of Astarion's haughty tones, a good deal of the bitterness slips back into his voice.
"And she was fuckin furious. At me."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-28 04:49 am (UTC)Astarion's lips pursed into a frown, but that was all the outward disapproval he was willing to display. "I shall have to trust your judgement on that, darling," he replied, lifting and dropping a shoulder. "Though he sounds like the type who, if given an inch, will take a mile, so to speak. You've enough people here who care about you to make his life a living hell. For once, you would have the power. Remember that. Use that."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-29 03:50 am (UTC)Though Lioriley had it well taken care of, Astarion was happy to end her a hand, gripping the base of Max's cock while she sucked him down and drained him dry. It took very little, really, they'd done their good work so very well. Astarion hummed softly and tsked, lifting his hand and licking away the wet remnants that had dribbled from Lioriley's lips.
"What are we to do with him next?" he wondered aloud, pausing to tuck a finger beneath Lioriley's chin and share a messy kiss with her, tasting more of Max's lovely release on her tongue. "Shall we see how quickly our Max can recover? Perhaps motivate him to last a little longer next time?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-30 06:02 pm (UTC)"Mm?" She hummed dreamily, head tilted and lips parted to eagerly indulge in that sloppy kiss. Her hand remained on Max's thigh, gently kneading along the inside near his weeping cock. "I would say you should elaborate, but perhaps it would be best to simply show him - let him guess our next move." She was ready to go wherever Astarion moved her, honestly.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-30 08:05 pm (UTC)"Would it be too hard to show me a little of what you were working on?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-31 08:26 pm (UTC)"Edgar... did you actually accuse him of murder or was he just saying that? You didn't say it in front of Lioriley, did you?"
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-01 01:55 am (UTC)His jaw works for a moment, and he picks up his half-forgotten mug and takes a deep swallow, visibly trying to calm himself.
"I thought it," he says, lower. "When I first saw him. But I didn't say it, because I thought I might be wrong. And then he said it to my face and I might have believed him straight up, right there, except then he laughed about it. Not about the killing somebody, about me believing it. So no, I did not actually accuse him of murder."
His shoulders hunch. "For all the good that did."
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-01 09:22 pm (UTC)nothin eva hapens heer
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 12:33 am (UTC)And I did get attacked by that feral vampire that one time.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 12:46 am (UTC)The idea of Max having power over Erik still feels so foreign. Like putting his shoe on the wrong foot.
"Maybe what I should really ask is you remind me of that if the time ever comes."