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Vic is in the kitchen making pancakes. This isn't an unusual Vic activity. Pancakes and scrambled eggs. Coffee has been brewed, and there's orange juice on the counter in a pitcher. He's in track shorts and a t-shirt, so at least he's dressed. Sometimes he forgets modesty, but he's young and still learning. He hums quietly under his breath, some Beatles song, and since he's only humming he doesn't butcher it too badly. Still, those pips weren't made for singing.
Kaleb came out of his room at the speed of a slow crawl start to the last day. Sleep was interrupted and a precious commodity for him. That sound woke him up though. It was time and he emerged half sheveled holding up a hand seeing if he could tune Vic subtly. It resulted in making Vic mute, followed by very, very loud causing Echo to cringe and let the sound waves go again."Fffffffff- hi Vic."
Vic glances up and smiles. "Hey, Kaleb." At least now the humming has ceased. He goes to the coffee pot and pours a cup. Two sugars, cream, and he sets it before Kaleb, then he goes back to flipping pancakes. "How are you feeling?" He can't keep the grin off his face. He's going to get to go to school with the twins and Jay. No Vic left behind. "Do you want some eggs and pancakes?"
Kaleb shook his head a couple of times trying to wait for his head to recalibrate. He murmured, "I'm give." for a very very very broad, and still incorrect version of good. His eyes stent bloodshot that much anymore though. "food sounds good. you alright?"
Vic serves up some scrambled eggs for Kaleb and a couple pancakes. Which is set before him along with butter and syrup. Vic just seems so happy to be serving breakfast, and Kaleb's coffee just how he likes it. Still, in his good cheer, he casts a worried look at Kaleb. "Trouble sleeping?" he asks. He's up early, himself, in track shorts and a t-shirt, makin' breakfast like he do.
Kellan eventually shambles out of his room, in pajama pants with his hair a bit disheveled, though that's no real difference from most other times. He shuffles out toward the kitchen and breathes in the scent of coffee then lets out a sigh. He wanders over to Kaleb and squeezes his shoulder then wanders over to Vic and rests his head on his shoulder for a moment before he goes in search of orange juice.
Kaleb looked to his twin who was, effectively, dressed in identical state to him. briefly he wondered if they'd planned that sub consciously. the hand to his shoulder was met with his hands giving a pay to Kellan's lower back inn padding. "Well as I ever do. Kellan?" His brow furrowed in a faint expression moving his muted features. The question seeming to imply the rest of the question: are YOU ok, is something up?
There's a pitcher on the counter, ready and waiting. Vic gives Kellan a squeeze and a kiss, then starts serving up his breakfast. While Kellan gets the juice, he gets Kellan's coffee, and of course he knows how Kellan takes it, and it's doctored accordingly. He serves up scrambled eggs and pancakes for Kellan, and they're presented at the table before he goes back to pile up his own plate. He pours himself some OJ, too. He drinks coffee sometimes, but the effects of it are lost on him, alas.
The squeeze and the kiss is returned, and that brings a sleepy smile to Kellan's face as he nuzzles a little against Vic affectionately before he takes the coffee, a bit of cream, no sugar. With coffee in hand, he takes a sip and aits for the pancakes with a kind of reverent look of happiness. "You have no idea how amazing you are," Kellan says to Vic and presses another kiss to his shoulder before he sits down in front of his food. Then he looks over to Kaleb and shakes his head, "I'm fine."
Kaleb stood stone still and drank his coffee. He was immune to the display of affection letting them carry on. He had to clarify, "me fine or Vic fine?" see there was a scope to this. finally he say and pulled up his plate Vic made for him with a nod of thanks.
Vic's grin grows until there are dimples, and he says, "Only as amazing as you are." He seats himself at the table with his largesse, looking indecisive as to where to start. He doesn't just need lots of food to survive, he likes food, and it must be approached properly. He goes with the eggs first. They cool down fastest.
Kellan has no trouble knowing where to start. He dives right into those eggs as though they were just begging him for it. Nom nom nom. And for similar reasons. Eggs need to be eaten up first. He looks over toward Kaleb and says, "I'm fine.. Vic seems fine. You are not fine," because it's very obvious that Kaleb is not fine.
Kaleb cut his food and held it up in a fork, "I have pancakes. I'm…fine." he ate his pancake and looked at another piece. it got poked with a fork and then skewered. "Trying to figure out.. what next. shouldn't have come back so soon. maybe we should… Look I'll think of something." he went back to his pancake and squint, "she's still got my book. " awkward. he didn't want to pursue that to ask. too much right now. "Need a new one. Vic, you put cinnamon in these? they came out super good."
Vic nods to Kaleb and says, "Yeah, I did." And cue a pleased look, happy for the feedback. He made quite a few eggs for himself, and he continues to work through them. His expression fades into something circumspect, and after a moment, he says, "It's all right to not be okay. You've been through an ordeal. You know we're here for the long haul, buddy." He glances to Kellan, not really needing his confirmation on this; the twin wouldn't leave his brother and he Vic knows it.
"We can get the book back if you want," Kellan offers. He'll go and ask for it back without a second thought. He does not say any sort of I told you so when Kaleb mentions that he came back too soon. Instead, he says, "Maybe we should go away again for a little while before classes start — give you a little bit more time to relax and feel better?" He glances over toward Vic, clearly including him in this plan.
Kaleb looked a bit guilty at needing that. He bit his lip and considered this. "Max said that…thing can build a dependant after a while. I don't… want to gain more problems here. I just want to figure out how to go back the fuck to being okay." His teeth squeezed together until they made a noise in his head which brought him to abruptly stopping. "we can…do a thing. something. he'll I considered calling Prendergast at this point. but, yeah. if I have to go back and someone gets carried away I don't want to wind up in a hospital again. I'm done being poked. I wish I had the drawings from that island. I only have the one left."
Vic nods to Kellan. "We still have time to go somewhere. Billy would take us there, I bet." Like the twins couldn't just afford to go." He pokes at his pancakes, then shovels a bite into his mouth. After he's washed it down with some juice, he says, "I admit, I don't know what-all is wrong except you've been through an ordeal, but a change of scenery might be good."
There is an abrupt shake of his head when Kaleb mentions Pendergast. "No," he says quickly, "We are not calling Pendergast and we're staying as far away from him as possible. Maybe if we need to talk to him, Max could talk to him. But I don't think you should go anywhere near those people until we figure out more of what all that is about." He looks over at Vic and he says, "They put chemicals in him, it.. triggered his DNA and it did something with his powers.. making them super sensitive, and he's trying to get control back over everything right now." He doesn't mention the room or Attilan but recovery seems safe enough to talk about.
Kaleb sat very very very still. He was allergic to having a messed he couldn't throw money at. His eyes squint and he looked to Kellan. he wouldn't be able to tell him no per se. Kaleb was clever, but Kellan had the smarts. in the sorry of what happened he just looked chagrinned and a bit humiliated. "Couldn't feel anything for a while. Jay likened his to being a wire with out insulation. he's not wholly wrong. since the lab got slammed down on us the tinnitus is kinda back."
Vic says quietly, "I don't know who Pendergast is." He grimaces then and says, "Is it getting any better? Or are we going to need to find someone who can help put the insulation back? Billy's got crazy powers, but I don't know if he can go mucking around with stuff like that. But you know Billy. If he can help out, he will."
"Or maybe Josh again," Kellan says. "He helped fix the tinnitus the first time." There's a furrowing of his brow and he studies Kaleb for a moment and then he says to Vic, "Pendergast is somet kind of middle man who was responsible for hiring the goons that took Lorna and Kaleb and delivered him to that place we got him from where they doped him up."
Kalebate. His. pancake. a fork at his twin. that. He considered the option, "we can see if max is willing to get involved. We don't know what danger that might be to him either and I don't want to assume. Can talk to Josh I suppose. That..seems reasonable." he quieted again and finally looked to Vic and Kellan "Works with our dad. Hes got my DNA on file." oh yay, Moe information. His focus fell back to his plate distracted. Stress made focus hard and then? the sound in the room temporarily blurred into silence, then restored.
Vic nods as Pendergast is explained. "He doesn't sound like the kind of wasp nest we want to poke at," he says. Josh seemed nice. I could make something for him to eat when he's done, like I did last time." Hopefully this time sans clandestine bullet wound. The sound blurs, and Vic looks up from eating, his lips moving. When the sound is restored, his focus goes to Kaleb. "We'll figure this out. For now, you keep taking it easy."
Kellan seems to continue to study Kaleb for signs that he might suggest further interaction with Pendergast, but when it doesn't come, some of the tension seems to go out of Kellan's shoulders and he digs into the pancakes that he had forgotten for a moment. Then he nods to Vic and says, "Yeah, I think that route might be good. We just need to find some way to help with the adjusting back to normal.."
Is the door locked? HOpefully the boys are taking that precaution. There is, in that case, a sudden jiggling and shaking of the door handle like someone is there, and just assumed the door wouldn't be locked to him. UGH. He is entirely used to the world being his to rule, even if it was just a small tiny world. There's a pause, and then a knock. But, its still ominous.
Kaleb looked startled. His eyes went to the door and he pulled his hair down into his face like Kellan wears. he was still in his sleep wear and could pads. the look to Kellan suggested -I'm not here-. He continued to eat his breakfast warily.
Vic looks toward the door. "Is Jay back already?" he asks, and he rises to his feet. This calls for more pancakes. "I'll get it," he offers, since he's up, and he goes to the door, all smiles and brightness as he expects to greet Jay. Then his brows lift in surprise, and he says, "Oh! Hey, how have you been? Maximus, was it?" See what he's done there, Kaleb? Now the twins know who it is and can react accordingly.
Kellan glances up at the knock and overin the direction of the door. When Kaleb assumes his Kellan-clone impression, Kellan just laughs a little and says, "Vic's pancakes are good but I don't think I've ever made reflections just to eat more of them." But he gets the gist and nods, glancing over when Vic opens the door and he says, "Oh, it's Max." There's a slight note of relief in his voice.
Maximus looks at Vic as if the boy has invented and started doing crack. "You know who I am." And then he tries to barge on in. He is holding a sack with something heavy in it about the size of a human head. "Is Kaleb around? I brought something for him. He will like it. It will certainly /change/ things forever…" Of course, he is unaware of the weirdness with Lorna. He is totally unaware that it kinda sounds like he murdered her and has her head in a bag.
Kaleb looked just relieved. For this he combed his hair back and he still looks tired. and kinda like hell. "Thank good it's you. you're alone?" He leaned over to get a look Ott the door cautiously. the lad's proverbial phone was a bit off of outs hook. he did offer though, "stay for breakfast?" it was a step up from trying to leave the apartment to avoid potential confrontation.
Vic closes the door after Maximus and says, "We went to that island. That one woman kept calling me Boy Scout." Did he ever tell Kellan about that adventure? Surely the statute of limitations on 'what the hell where you thinking' has lapsed for that. He trails after Maximus, veering into the kitchen so he can whip up a fresh batch of pancakes and scrambled eggs. "How do you take your coffee, Maximus?"
Fortunately, Kaleb had already given him his present from that adventure and he seems to be aware of it when it is mentioned, so there isn't the slightest flicker of surprise from Kellan. Instead he just says, "I'm kind of jealous you guys went without me." Then he moves back into his pancakes, finishing them off and picking up his glass of juice.
"I will stay for breakfast. Ohhh…it smells actually very good. I am not used to the type of breakfast you make here, but…I am developing a taste for it." Max wets his lips and drifts closer to where the boys are all gathered. HE, is not shabby. He looks great. Hair is curly, clothes are his usual near-formal wear, shoes are shiny. He has a pink ring on today. "I take my coffee such that it does not taste like coffee any longer." He winks. "Do not trouble yourself about it, Kellan. They spoke of you /endlessly/. Every time there was any danger, they kept each other out of danger, not because they were actually concerned, but because you would be mad." He sets the bag down by the kitchen entrance.
Kaleb couldn't help but crack a faint grin at this. A foot was used to scoot a chair out for their friend. "you brought me… a thing?!" HE BLINKED and his face actually animated finally. it was a bit of confusion and a bit of appreciation. "Maximus… what did you do? And yeah. maybe we'll go back, Kellan. we did get to….go to places with room service though." He made a promise, and he was ardent in keeping those. "seriously couldn't have come at a better time."
"Now that we got out alive, I'm sorry you didn't get to go with us," Vic tells Kellan. He whips up breakfast for Maximus, and when it comes to the coffee, he pours the cup, frowns thoughtfully, then starts adding sugar. So much sugar, then some cream. He gives Maximus a questioning look. Does he want this cup of sugar with some coffee and cream in it? "Hey, yeah, you fellas went places with room service. I still want to go to Europe." His work schedule keeps him so busy, alas.
Kellan has his coffee and his juice, having finished up the rest of his breakfast. There's a little bit of a laugh when Maximus explains just why they mentioned Kellan endlessly. Then there's a grin at both Vic and Kaleb, "I'm glad that you were both appropriately cautious so that I didn't have to make stern faces at you when you got back." Then he glances at the bag that Max brought in and raises a brow. When Vic starts puttering around again, Kellan gets up and helps a little bit. He's not great in the kitchen but he can assist.
Maximus nods in a sage manner. "Yes…no room service on the island. We had to camp on a beach. With tents." He pauses. "But, truth be told, I find it relaxing. Right now the /noise/ of it would probably drive you mad." He picks up the sack again and then brings it to the table and sits down. "I could always take Kellan to the beach, let him bask in the sun with Vic here, while you take in a quiet night in a penthouse suite." He grins rakkishly. "Yes, I made it for you." He gestures at the sack for Kaleb to open it.
When he does…inside is a smooth, black helmet. It has a face covering, such that you cannot even see who would be wearing it, and on the inside it appears to fit snugly around the head and ears in particular. Though the design is pretty, there are other things going on in there too, the tell-tale of wires, of strange material utiliezed to conduct signals and electricity. Its not just a helmet, but some sort of device. And pretty as it is, it is slightly marred by what sort of look like 'cat ears' on the top, made of a wire mesh. It is SURELY performing some sort of function, but it does look like cat ears.
Kaleb arched an eyebrow and murmured, "After these two days? sounds ideal." it was not a pleased, or loud tone. Echo opened the bag and his eyes got huge, "Woooooooah…" there was a sound that almost immigrated the shush of the surf hitting shore. It was turned over in his hands examining it with a look of amazement that broke the wall of lethargy in his expression as of late. "This is….amazing. this do…what I think it does?" to hell with his hair, he put it on.
Vic offers Kellan the sweetest, sappiest smile when he comes in to help. He rests his brow against Kellan's and murmurs to him, "Love you." He gives the youth's hand a squeeze, then he goes back to finishing up the breakfast, which he then brings out to Maximus with the super sweetened coffee. "Here you are," he says, still aglow with the most obnoxious of all emotions: love. The helmet is regarded with interest. "Oh wow, cool helmet."
Kellan can't help the return grin that spreads across his face when Vic offers him that sappy smile and their foreheads rest together for a moment. He returns the squeeze and the murmured "Love you, too" before he continues on to the sink. He brings all the dishes in that have been finished to clear up some room. When he sees what Maximus brought for Kaleb he stares at it for a moment and then he says "It has ears."
"The two of you are…" Maximus looks at Kellan and Vic, then reaches over to grab Kaleb's hand and bring it up to the side of the helmet to press on a button that is flush with the rest of it. Then, it noise cancels out everything so that he can only barely hear Maximus continue, "Disgusting in your love. Its gross. Almost painful to watch..for the single man." He grins crookedly.
Kaleb said assuringly, "No one is going to mistake me for Batman, Kellan. He's got at least fifty pounds on me." An eye brow arched before slowly being joined by the other. It was almost completely quiet. Kaleb held his breath before absent amassing Maximus murmuring, "someone around here needs to be. they… earned that…" He was barely audible, though his eyes watered up. Relief was a hell of a thing. sure the tinnitus was there but he didn't care. it was glorious. He pushed himself to a stand and looked around before to his room, and finally the door to the balcony within opened. There was a faint cackle from beyond. Finally!"
Vic watches Kaleb go. In a helmet. The cackle is a good sign, right? Vic has no idea what's going on, and he looks to Kellan. Then he looks to Maximus and says with a smile, "I'm sure a man as handsome as you won't stay single long. Do you want anything else while I'm up?" He gathers up empty plates.
Kellan grins a little bit over at Maximus and he ducks his head just slightly, but there's no shame in his game. "Life is short and full of dangers. I'm going to love as much as I can while I can, and not keep hiding in a closet." So, disgusting or not, he's going to keep right on. It's his home, anyway, and this is where he can be free to do so. He leans over and gives Vic a small kiss to his shoulder before he goes off to the kitchen. Then he grinsat Kaleb and says, "Still.. the ears are kinda cool." He does smile wat Kaleb's reaction to it, and a grateful smile is given in Maximus' direction.
Maximus lifts his voice so that Kaleb can hear him through the noise cancelling, "Just do not push the button on the other side, yet. Not until you work on your powers more. It will make it…more intense, directionally. So you could filter out noise in other directions and just hear from the one." He looks over at Kellan and shakes his head, curls swaying. "I meant it as a compliment. I am in favor of people being themselves."
|ROLL| Kaleb +rolls 1d20 for: 15
Kaleb came back in looking baffled and just BLINKED at ask of them. There was a consideration from Vic and Kellan back to Max, and back and back again. His hands were away from the helmet and he asked tentatively, "is not going to zap my brain is it?" He crossed back to his coffee and took a drink. "You…did this? That must have taken a minute." it was an observation of craftsmanship, care, and detail. "Thank you."
Vic says, "That's nice of you to say, Max. Can I call you Max or do you prefer Maximus?" Used dishes are whisked away. "That's impressive work, if you don't mind me saying so." As he passes Kellan amidst their puttering, he gives him a quick kiss. Like seeing him all of fifteen seconds ago was a billion years.
Kellan watches as Kaleb tests out the helmet carefully with some degree of worry, not because he doesn't trust Max but because he really really hopes that whatever it is — that it works, and when it seems to, he grins, broad and excited. "That's amazing," he exclaims, and then he ducks his head a little when Max says he meant it as a compliment. "Oh.. thanks." That grin returns then, and he goes over to give Kaleb a hug, and hell even Max a hug if he accepts it, and then he returns to Vic for that kiss. Kellan looks relieved, so very relieved.
"I don't…count hours when I work." Max answers in reply to Kaleb, then turns to Vic. He stares at the man for a moment like he's reviewing him for the first time. "Max and Maximus are fine, but…Maxi…no. Only Crystal calls me that and only when she's trying to annoy me." A glance to Kaleb then again, "It will not zap you…unless you…maybe if you wear it underwater it might."
Kaleb sort of went a bit cross-eyed trying to look up at it and drank his coffee. "Max if only we talked two nights ago. This…this is great. I…yeah." not a word guy. He wasn't a touching guy either but Max's shoulder got a squeeze. He moved to refill his coffee but Kellan was there and he clamped a hug around his twin. "We might be able to work on okay again, Kell." he didn't say what this meant, but it seemed important to him anyhow.
Vic clasps his hands together in the absence of someone to throw his arms around. "This is great," he says, though it's clear on his handsome face he's not entirely sure what's going on. But Kaleb's happy! And Kellan's happy! And somehow this is Max's doing! So he does the only thing he can do, he slips an extra pancake onto Maximus' plate.
Kellan nods his head to Kaleb in understanding of exactly what he's talking about. Then he grins to everyone and says, "I'm going to go take a shower and get dressed and stuff. I'll be back." He then leans over to steal another kiss from Vic before he slips over toward the bedroom.
Maximus watches Kellan go with his steel blue eyes and leans on the table. He looks down at his plate with an extra pancake and arches a brow. "I see I am already paid for my work. Not…what I was expecting. I was thinking of something more…tactile." He jokes with a sly smile. Then he stabs the pancake stack and slices a little crescent moon shape out of it. "How are things going, since the return? I was thinking…I could probably get you more information, when you are ready to go down that path."
Kaleb considered actually having the moment of respite. Kellan got a squeeze to his shoulder which might be the most touchy feely Kaleb's been on record. To Maximus he paused and looked to Vic for the answer on that one. Finally being terrible with both words and feelings had only the following to report on a very auto pilot process "It went… terrible. If you want I'll do us up dinner at the very least. I…yah. " It wasn't promising but he kept it succinct. "I'd…yeah…Max. immediately. maybe."
Vic peers at Kaleb. Nope, he doesn't understand. Hell, he understands even less, now. The thing about Vic, though, is he doesn't have to understand. He just smiles, and he gives Kaleb a squeeze to the shoulder, and he offers his hand to Maximus' to shake. "Thank you for helping my friend," he says. "I really appreciate it."
"Immediately maybe. Not /exactly/ a ringing 'yes'. My asking around really poses no particular danger to anyone. I am occassionally a not very nice person, or I need things that are not legal, exactly, and I know who that man is…that's how I found you." Maximus nods slowly. "Terrible…do you mean the control issue?" He looks over at Vic and flicks the man a crooked grin. "You should come with me when I go."
Kaleb sat still sorting out slightly, fighting static to get message to proverbial recover. "Lorna came back…wrong. I didn't know and she asked me to do things and…ya know I said no. it was weird, and turns out she was possessed by…someone angry about being trapped in her." his neutral look became distressed. His bloodshot blue eyes squeezed shut and his hands hovered in the air likely tweaking sound, but not affecting the room in any notable way if it was even working at all. She picked up the whole…med lab…And slammed it down around us. lost sight. had a um…had a seizure." he was allergic to admitting weakness, but there it was. His fight was gone. "I tried to leave and she followed me and looked… at me and blamed me for it and…maybe I don't…I can't. I told her to stop blaming me. Ive done literally everything I could to look Ott for her and give her everything she's asked for and it will never be enough. She never asked if I'm even ok. I'm not fucking ok, but I'm a monster for her trying to sleep with me, and I'm a monster for looking out for her and walking away. I don't want to be a monster, but I don't get a say." He sat perfectly still and his look was hurt and anger fighting for real estate. "We're done. I'm tired of being everyone's goddamn scape goat. I just wanted something to be…different."
"Sure, if Kellan doesn't mind," Vic says, "I'll go with you." He then settles next to Kaleb and listens to him. His expression remains inscrutable. This is his aunt Kaleb's talking about. His family. He put himself on the line going to get her back. Then again, he did the same for Kaleb. When the story's done, Vic wordlessly wraps his arms around Kaleb and pulls him close. No words for the moment, just a protective embrace. Daring anyone to come for his Kaleb. "I'm sorry," he says when he finds his voice. "You know we care if you're okay, and we always will."
|ROLL| Maximus +rolls 1d20 for: 11
Maximus presses his lips firmly together at the story and towards the end of it, he drops his fork and steeples his fingertips together. He sits there, silent for a long few seconds, thinking, trying to measure what he wants to say against what he probably /should/ say, which is more courtesy than he gives very many people. He exhales and wets his lips, finally, "I always thought she was mildly terrible and didn't understand what a myriad of men found so attractive about her, but I /am/ sorry that it made you unhappy to have dissolved in that manner." There's another pause and he picks his fork back up, not looking at Kaleb or Vic when the latter hugs the former, "I know that saying bad things about the other person doesn't make it better. Its just fun."
Kaleb furrowed his brow preparing to weather a wave of told you so's that came from neither. Then there was- oh good! Vic was hugging him, and he just accepted this and finally looked up, "Thanks, Vic. it's appreciated." He was trying to salvage his dignity, "I tried. I didn't listen to you, but I tried. " A faint grin formed at the door from Maximus, "Yeah, it is, but I just want distance from being branded over and over again." A hand finally raised and posted Vic's arm around him. he failed at empathy, but not at appreciation. "Still owe you dinner or something for the helmet though. you didn't have to do that, but with it? yeah we can leave a lot sooner really."
Vic eventually lets Kaleb go so that he can have his dignity, and he smiles at Kaleb with impossible sweetness. "Anytime," he says. He gets up, snagging Kaleb's coffee cup. Two sugars, cream. He heads into the kitchen to refill it. To Maximus, he says, "She's still my aunt, man. Even if she is lashing out and hurting my friends — and I don't like that one bit — she's still my family."
Maximus tilts his head curiously as he looks at Vic. "She is your Aunt? How is that possible? If she is your Aunt, then she must have…a sister or a brother who is your parent and I was unaware of her having either of those things." Here's the part whre Maximus finds out way too much about Strange and his family?! He glances to Kaleb and exhales. "I can fully sympathize with that. That's why I had that tantrum when she tried to bring down the building."
Kaleb flicked his glance up to Maximus, "All respect to you, she did blame you for doing as she asked and then cried because she thinks zero through. So while I'm hurt and I'm disappointed? I'm not surprised. I just…it doesn't matter. Doesn't matter." he looked from max though to Vic to see how he'd weather the curiosity.
Oh, that's right. These things are relatively secret. Well, Vic isn't lying when he says, "We're not related by blood." Spirit, soul, sure, but not blood! "But she's like family. Anyway, let's just not talk about her at all. I'm sure Kaleb wants to just forget all about it." Sure, Maximus knowing about Strange's son couldn't possibly end badly. He brings Kaleb's coffee back to him. "The important thing to focus on right now is taking care of Kaleb. Lorna has her own path, and I'm afraid it's a sad one."
Maximus knows when he's been dodged and he eyeballs Vic like the not-idiot he is. Slight narrowing. He'll figure that one out eventually. "Right. Not speak of her at all. Kaleb, I have every confidence that you will recover, but, until then we should discover more of the motives, which may give us an idea of what they did to you in the first place. And of course…I intend to report on the activity of these humans versus their own kind, to my own people." An exucse to dedicate himself to the job, perhaps, to cover for real reasons.
Kaleb was turned back in. Somewhere in the lack of being lit on fire or damned by those he trusted most seemed to resonate him a bit from his emotional lethargy. "Yeah. Kellan's…really pissed, but I had to agree to done…things to get the time and location for Lorna's transfer. When I can think straight we can use some of those details, it just… people will get hurt. Not thrilled about how this is working out but maybe we can use it too or advantage?" Blackmail wasn't fun, but wasn't losing if they played it right. "I don't care…much if this comes back to bite Mr but they can't find out about Kellan. I don't want them changing him too."
Kaleb says, "Maximus, whatever we have to do to help your purple on return? Done. Kay?""
Vic doesn't have the greatest poker face to begin with, either. "Your people?" he asks, steering the topic even further from his family. He glances politely between his friend and the Inhuman, who for all he knows is just a human being. Mutant, maybe? Some other strange strain of human? The embodied mote isn't one to judge.
Maximus looks at Vic sassily, like..oh I am not gonna explain if you aren't…written all over his face. He eats his pancakes while he listens, "Do you think it possible for them to not know about Kellan at this point? That may be something I can find out. But, if it has to do with your family, then, unless Kellan has been hidden since birth, they'll know about him." He delivers the bad news in a practical manner, but there's sympathy there as well.
Kaleb shook his head, "They didn't know we were mutants. Well they know now but they still don't know about him." His fork poked at his waffle and finally he drank his coffee, lifting the mug in silent salute to Vic as thanks. So many thoughts. "Maximus," there was a pause, and while he had insights into structures and sensible architecture he was no engineer. The tone suggested he wanted to know a thing and didn't want to seem overly curious, but he was noisy as shit. "the ear like dishes a functional structural design or a style one?"
Vic's brow knits as he looks at Maximus. He bears it, though. He'll just ask Kellan later. Still, he looks apologetic. It's not an intentional snub! Well, it is, but there are Reasons. "There's so much I don't know," he says quietly. He works atrociously long hours most of the week, alas, being Lambert's handyman. He gets up again, and he gathers up dishes. They won't wash themselves after all.
|ROLL| Maximus +rolls 1d20 for: 2
Maximus looks at the helmet and then at Kaleb's eyes. "They are functional. There is a feature on the helmet on the other side, that does allow sound in but only from a particular angle. The angle the ears are facing. So…the way you are facing. Fair warning though…sometimes my inventions just…have peculiar things because I feel like it." He studies Vic again, but he juuust can't seem to place the guy. He's referencing famous folks, and so on, and thinking about Lorna and her relations. Just…can't match it.
Kaleb glanced between them both and just lifted his fingertips to his forehead, "to be candid there's things you both can't talk about for the sake of others that won't let be jeopardized by this quest. %<u00a0>It's a mess. %<u00a0>everything is…" %<u00a0>He winced and murmured, "Just wanted to have a nice fucking dinner nothing can be nice and simple anymore. %<u00a0>I shouldn't have come back yet. %<u00a0>Everything was easier there, but you're right.
On the design front Kaleb nodded with a slow acceptance of the facts. %<u00a0>"Any other day I'd say I know you wouldn't dare ruin my style. %<u00a0>today? %<u00a0>ugh there is none." %<u00a0>At least he had enough pluck to be critical of himself. %<u00a0>It was at least a slow but consistent improvement. %<u00a0>%<u00a0>%<u00a0>"I can't believe I burned one and a quarter million on that woman." %<u00a0>ok it still bothers him. He let his eyes drift back to the helm as he ate his bacon. directional was good. he was gritting ideas and frankly his in the technical distraction.
Vic looks up at Kaleb and smiles. "If it's better i don't know, don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me anything." If he had a tail, he'd be wagging it. See? He's agreeable! His jaw drops then. One and a quarter million? He snaps his mouth shut, swallows, and starts washing dishes. One and a quarter million. Not that he wants Kellan to spend money on him, but wowza.
Maximus eats a few bites of his pancake and looks at Kaleb as the man shows his stress. He runs his tongue over his teeth inside his mouth, "Kaleb…I am not trying to ruin your dinner or your style. I am definitely not trying to ruin your bank account. And its possible that this is completely inappropriate but you cannot be totally unaware that you are not without alternatives to…her." He comes at that from so many sideways that its practically head on again.
|ROLL| Vic +rolls 1d20 for: 1
|ROLL| Maximus +rolls 1d20 for: 18
Kaleb just got surrounded by one man with an army of words. How and when did that happen? He looked up with one eyebrow back to Max. He was serious and have the various implications a great deal of thought concluding in a conveyer with, "Not…completely. Though I suppose it's perhaps a good thing I come from a long line of high risk venture capitalists." He glanced back to Vic, very not forgotten, "Yeah, Vic." it was still a lot of money regardless of the size of the account it hailed from. He looked back to Max and swirled his coffee. "I said I'd help you. I'm intent on keeping my word to you on that you know." to be fair just to remove that of the table of tactics there and see what was left over for interest on the matter. It was hard to name him for being cautious here. "I'm not opposed to options."
|ROLL| Kaleb +rolls 1d20 for: 20
Vic isn't anyone famous, no. The way he moves about the kitchen, though, there's something in his offhand mannerisms and a strong resemblance around the eyes to… Strange? No. Can't be. But those eyes are the same blue. There's similarity in the jaw line. He turns in profile to stand at the sink and do the dishes. His nose in profile, too. It's one of those things where, once one sees it, it's hard to unsee. "I hope Kellan never spends that kind of money on me," he says. "I don't know how I'd ever repay that kind of kindness."
Maximus finishes off his pancakes, "Everything takes time. However, finding Pendergast will not take much time at all. Today, why don't you think about what we need to know. I should get going, for now. I am getting a new apartment today. I will check on you later, though. And Vic, I don't think any further wooing is required of Kellan. You are obviously smitten beyond the need for it."
Kaleb just noted flatly, "Max, I dunno anyone else who had gone as far to help me for the sake of just foing so. If you asked me to tell at the sun to make it move or shut it off I'd do it." short. blunt. To the point. Still he nodded and considered the point of source, "I'll make us a list of what we need to know. We meet for lunch, tomorrow?"
Vic looks up at Maximus and smiles. What has been seen can't be unseen, and there's even echoes of Strange in Vic's smile. Being blond instead of dark-haired throws one off a bit, but that smile. "I am," he admits. "He's so sweet, and good-looking, and nice." He goes back to puttering, and when he's finished the dishes, he dries his hands off with a towel and comes back to the table.
Maximus stands up and wets his lips. "Lunch, tomorrow. Indeed. I will be there, wherever you want to risk." He fiddles with his plate, but abandons it there on the table, in the end. "I believe that sort of dedication, that unshaking fixation, does run in your family, Vic." Steel eyes slide from the table to the other man, then he reaches out to put a hand on Kaleb's shoulder before turning to go see himself out.
Kaleb nodded. Lunch it was. At least he had until then to consider the myriad things he knew. His mind like the wheel it was had already started as of grinding out of the rust of the last two weeks. This was good; it was a step in the right direction. His hands crossed to his shoulder and have max's hand a squeeze there before he left saying nothing more. He didn't have to.