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@untxldvices

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Maximus "Maxie" Valentine →» BIO →» TAGGED →» TASK Jannik Vogler →» BIO →» TAGGED →» TASK

There were few things Merle loved more than seeing the evidence that she could bother someone—the way Maxie's fists clenched and his expression shifted into something that more closely resembled rage did terrible, terrible things to her ego. It proved to her that she was right, for one—and what a terrible thing to provide Merle Vos of all people with even more information—and proved to her that as she'd suspected, she had the upper hand. "Oh, Maxie. That's so cute," She said, her voice dripping with mock sincerity, not once looking away from him. "There's no universe where someone like you would be in that position—and regardless, I think I prefer being where I am rather than trying to cozy up to you and be on your good side." There was a pause as she looked him over once more. "If I were you, I'd spend less time fantasizing and more time remembering why you should be on my good side."

Reign it in Maxie, reign it in. He cleared his throat and shook out the tension from one hand, and then from the other. Allow the calm in. As if he'd ever been calm once in his entire fucking life. "There is a universe Merley," he pointed to the ground. "This one. It's comin'. I can feel it in the fuckin' wind. An' what a happy Valentine's Day it will fuckin' be. Shame that ye ain't gonna join by my side but, can't be helped can it." He clocked her look, didn't like it one bit, and he felt the usual chill down his spine. "I don't know what ye talkin' about."

#arcanae #Maxie // Merle

Art's grin stayed right where it was, but something behind it went very, very still. For a second, he didn't say anything. He just stared at Maxie, taking in the hand over his mouth, the sudden tightness in his body, the way he seemed almost as horrified by his own words as Art was. "Oh," Art said softly, a ghost of laughter falling from his lips. His eyes narrowed. "You can't shut up." It should have made him feel better, but it didn't. Not really. Not when every ugly word Maxie had just said was now sitting between them. Impossible to unhear. "That's so embarrassing for you, pal."

Art took one step closer, his voice dropping. "Here's the thing, Maxie. I don't actually give a shit what got dragged out of your mouth by whatever magic bullshit is happening to you." His jaw tightened. "I care that you looked me in the face and talked about Christian like he was just something fun you got to borrow." The forced humor slipped for half a second, and what was underneath was colder. "He's not a thrill. He's not danger. He's not some alleyway story you get to keep replaying in thick fucking skull because it made you feel wanted for once." Art's hand flexed at his side. "And if you threaten me again, I'm going to start assuming you're in control of that part."

Then, because he was still Art and too much honesty made his skin itch, he looked Maxie over with open disdain. "Jesus Christ. Magic rips your filter out and somehow you still have the charisma of a wet cigarette. Incredible work." He glanced him up and down. "Still want me to hit you or have I done enough damage?"

"I can shut up," Maxie was quick to protest, even though that rebuttal went exactly against what he was trying to convey. "I'm just feelin' truthful today." Which was the truth, but why he was so eager to spill the truth as it came to mind, every truth, he wasn't sure. It sucked. And it scared him a little. But he was Maxie Valentine, and walking away from even the slightest altercation wasn't like him. Hell, walking away from Art now would damage his reputation more than whatever truth came out next.

Maxie smiled, grim and sadistically. "Oh that part I am in control of. But lets cycle back. He is a thrill. He is a plaything. An' dream or no dream I got a taste o'him now, an' I'm like a shark. Sniff out some blood, get a lil' bite an' I'm all in. The fact he ain't mine makes me all the more eager t'make him mine. Don't wanna get in the way of true love do ya?"

He watched Art's demeanour, saw the subtle shifts in his stance and the way his hands flexed at his side, and Maxie smiled knowing, at least on some level, he was getting under Art's skin. "Yeah, I still want ya to hit me." He turned, presenting his left cheek. "Already got the scars on this side, might as well add another one. Then I can drag yer name through the fuckin' mud, an' Christian an' every fucker else is gonna know what kinda low life piece of shit you are. So do it. Pretty please."

#strawberette #Maxie // Art #// Magic Anon

Malachi rolled their eyes. "As if you needed any more credits." Then they tried getting up off the floor, using the wall as leverage. "It's not you who's taking the beating so shut up complaining."

Maxie frantically shook his head, lips pressed into a tight line. "It ain't about the credits or the money or any'a that shit. It's about the credibility. I had somethin' big t'offer ya, but if ya one of them folk that just ain't feelin' it then maybe ye the wrong guy."

#darkenedroad #Maxie // Malachi

Pippa didn't know what to think of this guy so just stood there with a confused look on her face. "Then who else could've sent you to me?" She asked.

"It ain't Jaren. And no one sent me. I promise." His face continued to burn red the deeper he dug this hole. Why was he so flustered? So embarrassed? "Look please don't tell him. This ain't...this-" he motioned his hand between the two of them. "-it's a misunderstandin'. Just don't tell Jaren. He'd be so upset if he thought I was..."

#darkenedroad #Maxie // Pippa #// Magic Anon

And in response, Merle laughed. It was an ugly sound, biting and filled with as much as venom as one would expect from someone like Merle Vos. It was clear she wasn't amused either while she glanced at her object of irritation of today (and many days). "You have no idea what it took to get to where I am. And you never will, Maxie," And she stepped closer, glaring up at him. "You'll never know what it took for me to get here because you can't even begin to imagine it. How could you? You don't even have a seat at the fucking table." She squinted as if looking through him, and then the corners of her lips tilted up into a dangerous smile, her head tilting. "And that kills you, doesn't it? Knowing that no matter how much you kick and scream and fight, it will never be enough. You will never be enough."

What it took to get to where I am. The only place Merle Vos seemed to reside was permanently under Maxie's skin, and he could help how it crawled as she closed the gap between them. He smiled his usual slimy smile, but his teeth pressed down harder, almost into a grimace. "Frankly," he cleared his throat, pushing to regain some control over the situation, "I don't give a fuck where ya were or where ya think yer at." He did. Of course he did. Knowledge held as much power as money, and he hated being out of the loop. "I am plenty enough!" He snapped, fists clenched tight and ready to strike, but he held back, occupying one hand by pushing his shades back up to cover his eyes. "Things change Merle. Head of the table one day is bottom of the heap the next. Make sure ye on my good side when that table flips."

#arcanae #Maxie // Merle

continued from here: {x} @untxldvices

Jaren can't resist the amused grin at his friend's sense of humor. It doesn't even bother him in the slightest that Maxie that just starts walking off. What most people don't understand is that they actually have one of the best friendships in Hiraeth because theirs is never boring! He follows after Maxie, like the man clearly intended him to. "Wait up! I'm about to head to lunch. Come with me." He'd meant to say it as a question instead of a demand, but he's momentarily distracted by reading a text message.

Wait up! At the command Maxie felt his body stop, foot coming down to the ground and not lifting again no matter how much he willed it. There was barely time to wrap his head around what was going on before Jaren was at his side, prattling on again. Come with me. Maxie's body turned, and now he could walk again but he kept in sync with Jaren's movements, each single step keeping pace and keeping in time. "We don't have to go to lunch." Being around Jaren was hard enough, but he had no idea how long it took Jaren to eat, and didn't intend to sit there for too long. He had shit to do.

#ofenigmas #Maxie // Jaren #// Magic Anon

Jonah saw the fangs. For one sharp second, all the air seemed to leave his lungs and rocks tumbled into his stomach. Jannik wasn't joking. He wasn't confused. Whatever had happened to him, whatever Hiraeth had done this time, it was real enough that Jonah could see it in his mouth.

And then he noticed where Jannik was looking. His neck. Got it. Fuck. Jonah took one slow step back toward the sunlight, careful not to move too fast. Not to trigger whatever instinct was clearly starting to surface behind Jannik's eyes. "Jannik," he stated, voice low. Steady. "Take it easy." His hand lifted slightly, palm out. Not a threat. Not yet.

"You don't want to hurt anyone," Jonah continued, keeping his eyes on him. "And you definitely don't want to hurt me because we're friends." His jaw tightened. "So stay with me. Look at my face, not my throat."

Jannik couldn't help let out a playful chuckle, one that gurgled in his throat and came out sounding...wrong. He watched as the realisation dawned on Jonah's face, a slight twinkle in Jannik's eyes as his friend stepped back. One step. Two step. Back into the light. Clever boy.

"I was gonna tell you," he smiled, but pushed his lips closed, covering the fangs that had just presented themselves, "I mean...I thought I already had...I don't...remember exactly." Jonah's palm extended, a sign to stop, but Jannik countered with a slow extension of his own, gentle, palm facing upward for his friend to take.

Of course, his hand could only extend so far before the glow of the sun began to burn, ever so slightly even in the shade of the alleyway, but he held firm. Something about he burn felt nice. Made him feel alive. "Never said I wanted to hurt you...or did I forget that too?" But he obliged his friend, let his gaze trail up so their eyes met.

#strawberette #Jannik // Jonah

Art's hand clenched instinctually. He knew Maxie had a mouth on him, but this was a lot, even for him. Admitting he was jealous of him felt like some weird power play. Art let out a sharp laugh, too quick and too loud to be convincing. "Wow!" he said, brows lifting. "Okay, first of all, if you and Christian ever recreate anything in an alleyway, please make sure I'm dead before you tell me... Actually, fuck, no. Don't tell me then either. I don't want to cringe in my grave."

His jaw tightened, the grin still forced onto his face. "Second of all, you should be jealous." It came out colder than he expected. He was stronger than he used to be. His eyes stayed fixed on Maxie. "Because someone like me actually has him. Not you." Silence fell between them, sharp and ugly.

"So maybe don't stand there and tell me what you'd love to do with my boyfriend unless you're trying to find out how fast I can stop being funny." He glanced him up and down. "You look like a rejected Hot Topic mannequin. Fix that before you try to talk to me again."

Why the fuck was Maxie saying all this? He'd been known to speak his mind more often than not, but this was a new level. It was as if his filter was gone, and the words that streamed out of him had no way of stopping. It was all the truth. Too much of the truth. It would be easy to just stop talking and walk away, but despite the weirdness, when had Maxie ever walked away from a confrontation? When didn't he try to get the last word in. "Oh no, I'll be sure to give ya all the intimate details. Y'could probably learn somethin'."

He didn't like this version of Art. This stronger willed version was irritating. Too self assured. He needed taking down a peg, but Maxie honestly wasn't sure he could do it, mostly because he wasn't sure what exactly was going to come out of his mouth. "I don't want him. Not like that." Shut up Maxie. "I love the way he made me feel, how aggressive an' assertive he was. How he seemed t'hate every second bein' around me but still couldn't help himself. Fuck, the way he made me whimper. An' the danger of it all. How public it was. How I knew deep down, even in a dream that he was yours but it didn't matter." Okay that's too much truth for one day.

Maxie closed his mouth and kept it closed tight, bringing his hand to cover it, pretending it was to simply wipe at his lips or scratch at his stubble. "Try anythin' an' I'll kill ya."

#strawberette #Maxie // Art #// Magic Anon

Pippa watched as Maxie took her hand and kissed it, ok, this was a little strange, even for a man who lived here in Hiraeth. "Ok Maxie... did Jaren put you up to this? Is that what this is?" She asked as she took her hand back. "You'd know who I am in that case."

"Jaren? No, why would Jaren-" A flood of realisation passed over Maxie and he felt his body flush. Was this the woman Jaren had been trying to date? "Oh shit, no wait...I...no this ain't." New embarrassment turned his face as red as his jacket and he fumbled enough of his words to not form any kind of coherent sentence. "It ain't like that. Don't tell him. Please."

#darkenedroad #Maxie // Pippa #// Magic Anon

@untxldvices

After taking a good beating that night, Malachi lay on the floor of the room they had been using for tonight's fights and let out a long sigh. There had been a lot of angry people who had lost a lot of credits due to Malachi being knocked on before their time.

"What?" They looked up at Maxie and shrugged. "I wasn't into it tonight."

Maxie's face betrayed him, trying to keep it neutral and blank but his growing irritation and rage slowly overtook. "Weren't into it, huh?" He took in a deep breath, and then inhaled deeper still, letting it out slowly and controlled. "Sometimes we gotta do stuff we ain't into. Ya know how much I had ridin' on ya tonight? A lot. A fuckin' lot. Ya embaressin' me."

#darkenedroad #Maxie // Malachi

"Oh, I apol-- I'm sorry," Angelie adds, and she's naive enough that it's easy to believe that Vice citizens really don't use the same vocabulary, ignoring that they all receive the same education when it fits her own prejudices. How 'fucked up'? Maybe she'd be more concerned if she weren't at the very end of her wits and also staring with wide eyes at the man's tattoos. "Can you really see rainbows dancing?" she asks, before remembering that she should be pretending she knows these things already. "Something in between, please." Angelie points one hesitant finger towards his arms. "... Did those hurt?"

Maxie smirked, and brought a fresh cigarette to his lips, lighting it and taking in a deep inhale of smoke. The rest of the bartenders moved out of his way whenever he stepped, not wanting to obstruct the boss from whatever he was doing. He poured himself a shot, and another for the woman. "Depends what yer on. Some drinks make ya dance. Some tonics make ya dance. Some tonics make everythin' else look like it's dancin'." He slid the shot towards her. "This one's on me. To get ya warmed up." He watched her point at his arm, lifting them and giving them a slight twist. "Nah, not much. First initial jab can be a bit unpleasant but then ya go numb to it. It's the kinda pain ya can crave, y'know?"

#ofenigmas #Maxie // Angelie

"No, like, figuratively." Star paused, brows drawing together. "I think. Like, she doesn't exist anymore but I do. And that's what's important, right? That I'm here and she's not. And people have to get used to that."

Shaking her head as if to mirror him, Star grinned. "Yeah! I can do a trial. But to be honest, I'm not really all that good at talking to people? At least, that's what my boss now told me. 'Cause sometimes people get really upset when I forget their order or what table they're at. But I'm really, really good at keep things clean and in order!"

He smiled, even if it was forced. "Yeah," he agreed but shut that part of the conversation down quickly. Still too close to home. "You're here. I'm here. The old us ain't, an' yeah, people gotta get used to it." Somehow that had become reassuring, and the initial tension from that part of the conversation lifted.

He nodded. "Okay, keepin' things clean. Got it. Why don't ya-" he leant over the bar, tiptoes coming off the floor as he reached for a damp cloth and tossed it towards Star. "-go an' do a quick check of the booths. Wipe any spillage, collect some glasses. Anythin' ya think might be useful. An' if anyone gives ya trouble, ya tell me, okay?" His smile widened. "Like I told ya before, Maxie's got yer back."

#arcanae #Maxie // Star

"I guess it depends on how you look at it! I usually tend to think more about the sun and how it makes me feel," Kiran mused in response, and then his later statement had her jaw dropping. "You haven't? Well, maybe we should get something just in case. Maybe something sweet? Ooh! We could go to that bakery stall. Does that sound good?"

Jannik just nodded, mostly because he didn't know what else to do or how really to respond. "Okay. A small sweet treat for a sunny day. With...Kiran...who likes the sun." He smiled, happy with his efforts. "I trust you. Let's go."

#arcanae #Jannik // Kiran

continued from ( x ) @untxldvices

Jonah blinked, the grip on his arm was intense. Stronger than he ever expected from another human being. Flashes of the dream came to mind— how the sun felt, how weak humans were, how he could practically hear the blood in someone's veins... But that was the dream. This was reality. Still, he allowed himself to be dragged off into the shade. "Shade won't work forever," he said, standing in front of him Jannik. "I'm almost positive your mind is playing tricks on you anyway."

The cool of the shadows instantly washed over Jannik and he felt the relief of it on his skin, no longer did his body feel like it was boiling alive. He took a moment to compose himself. letting his head lull back against the wall, mouth slightly agape so the unusual sharpness of his fangs were visible. "My mind is a sharp as ever, friend. Save a few details." He looked over at Jonah and smiled, licking his lips as he watched the skin on his friends neck.

#strawberette #Jannik // Jonah #// Magic Anon

Sen followed Maxie up to the office as they always did, though it seemed much easier with long legs. Perhaps the stairs were to slow down his shorter intruders. Sen would have to keep that in mind. "I always tell you it is." They huffed their way into his office, dropping into a chair and leaning back. Tucking their legs underneath themself would be difficult as they were, so they stretched them out, allowing themself the gender euphoria inducing action of properly manspreading. "At least the light show is toned down. The combination used to be nauseating sometimes."

There was something more to this guy that Maxie was yet to figure out. Something confusing. The stranger spoke to Maxie with the confidence of someone that knew him well but with a face that didn't match anyone Maxie knew. I always tell you it is. The fuck does that mean, when they only just met? Maxie placed his hands flat against his desk, bent slightly and tipped his head forwards. Shit...is this someone from Maxie's past? From before the incident? Someone he was supposed to know but didn't? This was not good. He turned back around to face the man, perching himself on the end of his desk as he took in the others figure. No, he'd recognise someone like this. He'd recognise the lengthy limbs and the attitude and the bone structure of his face. Maxie licked his lips, and then shook away those intruding thoughts with a quick toss of his head. "What do ya want from me?" He cut to the chase. "Ya got my attention, which is clearly what ya wanted. An audience with Maxie Valentine. Now what? An' close ya damn legs."

#gh0st-towns #Maxie // Sen

Merle was smart enough to know that Maxie got some kind of a kick out of knowing that he could piss her off. The issue? Her wrath was so easily-ignitable that it worked. She crossed her arms over her chest, not backing down, her jaw set as she refused to break his gaze. "You know, some of us worked to get where we are. You don't have to get pissed off at me because you didn't have the balls to do it yourself."

Did Merle scare him? Yes. A little bit. Sometimes. Actually, a lot of the time. A woman could be a force of nature at the best of times, let alone an angry one. And somehow, Merle always ended up angry when in Maxie's presence. Yet, he couldn't help himself. He couldn't bring himself to avoid the allure that came with teasing her and riling her up for his own enjoyment. Mostly, he wanted to see what she would do, and how far he could push her. "Oh we both know I did plenty'a work to get where I am. An' it took more than balls to do the shit I done. Keep that in mind, yeah?"

#arcanae #Maxie // Merle

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