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Maximus has decided to pull his head out of his working shell and meander over to Kaleb's place, which, he did notice, lost a member, recently. No more Jeb-on-the-couch going on. All the better for him, really. Then he can lounge on the couch without it feeling like he's in someone's bed! He tucks his hands behind his head and muses over Kaleb, nearby. "So…my brother came back."
Kaleb was in sketch mode, to compliment the work in progress on his draft table. The sketchbook set aside he got up to scavenge fruit, cheese, and well, water of which he brought back for which to share setting it on teh table. Conversation pits were great for this. Really he hoped they'd never go away. He was bound to find disappointment in this some day. He broke off a grape and held it out for Max, perhaps with a serious expression to teh rest of the world, but the gesture spoke volumes in their personal language of affections they have built together. That face wasn't dispassion, it was a gift of his complete concentration. "Blackagar did return then? How… How'd that go?"
Maximus chomps the grape with a crane of his head and casts no judgement about it. "It went…fairly well, I would say. He seems to be…willing to walk among us, and…I have missed him. We have been apart for a long time, and things are different now, than they were. I'm…better…and so is he." Max admits, then tilts his head with a funny little smile. "What are you sketching now? Making us a fanciful house?"
Kaleb listened and sat on teh coffee table, though it was a solid hunk of oak besides and wasn't threated by his buck-thirty. He could be multi-tasking and opeted to hold off. Perhaps this was curiosity on his part, or that his partner had such a struggle historically and avoided really speaking of his family that he wanted to give him the benefit of having an audience in tis entireity all to himself. Perhaps all. There was a faint smile, pleased. he broke off a few more grapes and popped one in his mouth witha faint nod, thought there was an impish grin that turned wry, "Well if our fanciful house has net throwers hidden into wall compartments? Then yes. Maybe." It wouldn't be beyond them to do such a thing simply because they could. He shared another grape and thought longer on the discussion, processing it, and mentally turning it over to view from all angles. "Glad to hear it's going… better. It'll take time, rightly, but… we have all sorts of time." He paused and considered something for a longer moment and finally expressed with some importance to him, "Not right now, obviously, but… I'd like to meet him. Eventually." He had so many questions and reasons for that one.
"You should meet him. You, and he, would have a lot to explore together. A warning though. He is…very dry." Max grins crookedly. "Ahhh you must still be working on the danger room. Can I put something fun into it? Just a little…Max-ness…in a corner…something to keep everyone on their toes. Maybe a rotating gliche that randomly spawns a dinosaur every 304 uses."
Kaleb furrowed his brow at the warning that Blackagar was 'dry'. This really confused Kaleb. "And I'm not? I wasn't aware I no longer held the bar. Should I be concerned or intrigued by this?" His feet planted, and knees set apart fingers laced and at ret between as he leaned forward, "I imagine we would, bu, I always want to see these things tat you care so much about for myself; know them. try to understand…and know the face of any that have the capacity to make you hurt." It was a little dark, veiled and violent perhaps to some, but Kaleb was a creature of knowledge and curiosities, and took MAx's well being with serious commitment.
Maximus looks up at the ceiling at the mention of hurt and he stares there. "It was not really his fault. It was everyone else's fault. He was the…focal point of everything. And he did not handle it gracefully. Imagine that Kellan were the center of the universe, and that all love and care were paid to him. Imagine how you would feel about him…after some years of that." Max draws in a deep breath. "My parents could have loved me with more of their time. And…if you were to have your same attitude, but never speak…that's my brother's dryness." He looks back over to Kaleb again.
Kaleb sat quietly, ardently, and thoughtfully. For a young man with little ability to emote he was very busy. Still teh concept as Max laid it out for him was something he could very well grasp, but for his parents being affectionate to them at all. His hands flexed open in a jesture that proxied for a shrug and finally he concluded, "Well… pissed as hell but… he's my brother. No fault, no war." He couldn't understand how he'd be able to blame Kellan for…well… much. He had his moments, but they were not without personality in that regard. The comment made Kaleb crack a half grin, "Sounds like my kinda people to have a conversation with." Quiet. ooooh blessed quiet.
Maximus nods once at the sentiment. "I do not have your…steady personality. " There's a little grin there, and lidded steel blue eyes. "But…we can try…healing now. Like you said. So…when do they expect you to have your draft finished? When will it be built? I am excited for you at such an age to be part of this for the school. It seems like an honor, to me."
Kaleb unfoldes his hands and actually reached out to rest his fingers around Max's, or wait for them to at least. Kaleb was shit with words and explaining feelings, but the solidarity was there and where Max went, Kaleb would be in vigil while Max figured out how he wanted to explore that new terrain. WIththe hundred questions there was that easy grin that returned, wide, proud but not boastful of the project and he shook his head, "It'll always be a work in progress to avoid becoming stagnent, but, End of Q1? Q2 of this year. so by summer? And, um… they offered me a position there. Not… to live… but to help build the school in other ways." He paused and stopped over explaining and said, "They lost their guy who moved to the west coast who was teaching higher matha nd accelerated calc and geometry… likely algebra too." He chewed on the inside of his cheek and shrugged, "Get to help lead my people by making them stronger in small ways. but I won't be shot at?"
Maximus winds his fingers with Kaleb's. "Ahhh…a /teacher/. Oh my…that's not the usual profession for a man of your means. This means you must truly wish to do it. Can I come teach too? No…no, nevermind that. The students would hate me. But…discipline would be excellent." Max teases. "Ohh, can I just come do discipline for YOUR class?"
Kaleb endured the playful screak that Max had like a cat with very sharp claws going 'oh look, a box of gerbils!' It's not that he felt that Max wanted to proverbially eat them, but there was a line when it came to 'swatting' at mutants. There was a half grin of amusement, "You…. implying I can't make someone sit quietly?" Oh he didn't believe Max was implying that at all , but Max wasn't the only cat in the room that enjoyed that feeling of primeival superiority either. He gave Max's hand a squeeze, "We'll maybego shopping instead. Be demanding and awful, and have a present to show for it. Really though? I eman Math comes second nature to me and if it helps give them tools to use? Well… that aids me in teh long run. One step away from their dependance, blahblahblah, libertine sensibilities, yadda yadda." He summed up knowing that Max was possibly able to recite the Kaleb Miller rhetoric by rote on the inevitable uprising and liberation of his people. He wasn't going to bog him down with a sermon. Still, he was smiling in a faintly pleasant way coming back around to, "I'm glad you got to talk to your brother, Max. I really wanted this for you and it's the oe thing I can't give, soooo…" yeah. Feels or something.
"That's true…but…I would not plan on it lasting forever. We have a notoriously contentious thing, going on. He and I. Mmmm, you stopped sketching. Get back to work…you know I like to hear you." Maximus closes his eyes and draws his hands over his chest.
Kaleb fell silent. Go sketch something. It was an audio zen component. The sound of the world being in balance for them. A sound made of Kaleb being inspired and letting that crazy brain of his expand in limitless possibility undaunted by the outside world trying to hamper it, and being completely at peace with Maximus there to share that. Kaleb settled back into his chair, and let the world fall quiet that only the graphite dragging across his page was left to serenade them with.