Maximillian would listen to her. " Well, at least it isn't a one bedroom hobble that can barely be called an apartment. I guess I misjudged how well off you are. Well, I'm sure I can find a way to make the couch into a bed, even if it takes a bit of effort." He would pause for a beat and for a moment, he looked at the floor of the car that they were in. " You don't know a damn thing about me or my life. I have to do things and deal with things that nobody should have to deal with in their life. I have to be perfect and ruthless..... it's the only way that I ever get any acknowledgment. It doesn't matter."

@nico
 
"Barely be called an apartment huh? Why don't you go ahead and pay for all the stuff I need if you want luxury?" she scoffed. Her temper seldom boiled but something about his lack of empathy made her blood boil in her veins. "Sure, I don't know anything about your situation but you also know nothing about mine. Yet, you sit here and manage to make nasty comments and assume all these things about me right? If it doesn't matter why make it such a big deal." She took a turn into the parking lot of her complex, "Behave because my neighbors like me, and I would like to keep it that way."

@Lucky
 
Maximillian looked back at her. " I would, but that shop employee made me forgot my bank code and my credit cards are pains that always call about every purchase since I bought something expensive from Italy. " He would consider her point and then looked back at her and didn't have a witty comeback for that. He didn't know her, but he couldn't admit that to her. Admitting that would be weakness and he wasn't weak. Maximillian considered for a moment and then shrugged. " I'll try to behave myself, but I make no promises if I get bored, I get antsy and fidgety when I'm bored or scared."

( OOC Note: I'm already excited for whenever we get to the next day, but playing Jerk Max is just as fun)

@nico
 
(Sorry for the gap, I have been all over the place)

"Got it, guess it is my job to babysit which includes the duty of entertaining you," she shrugged and shut off the car, tucking the keys into her pocket before climbing out. Max would follow, at least she assumed he would as there wouldn't be much point in staying in the car. Charlie only walked a few steps in front of the car, not wanting to make Max feel like he was being left behind. Despite his attitude she felt some compassion for the kid...well man...who had been given an uppercut into learning a lesson earlier. 'Maybe he will mellow out tomorrow, but I suppose that remains to be seen.'

@Lucky
 
(It happens)

" Oh, it certainly will be interesting to see what you think will entertain me," he smugly replied back to her as she shut of the car and heading out. He figured he could sit and wait, but it might attract some unwanted attention, so he decided to head out of the car. He was thankful that he didn't have to take some greasy food out of the car to deal with. He yawned when he got out of the car. He groaned. " Just fucking great.. Apparently my younger body is not adjusted to about the two hours of sleep I got last night.... is there a place I could nap while you order the food or cook whatever you plan on doing."

@nico
 
"The couch isn't far from my door. I can grab you a blanket and pillow from my closet too if you'd like," she offered, shrugging, "but if not no sweat. I guess I'll check and see if there's enough for me to cook something for both of us; if not I can order food." She locked the car, her hand clutching the keys in her pocket. Charlotte's apartment keys dangled off her jeans, the subtle jangle of them as they collided with her thigh reminding her of their presence. "Is there anything you're allergic to or won't eat?"

@Lucky
 
Maximillian would look over at her. "I imagine that a blanket and pillow would be nice, most couches are much more comfortable with them on them, well except for the couch in our living room, but that's because it was custom made," he replied back to her, wondering what sort of food this poor person would have. He didn't say it a lot. " I won't eat any sort of meat, I have a dairy allergy along with soy. I'm not a big fan of vegetables or wheat based products. But, otherwise, nothing much really. Oh, I also don't like seafood."

@nico
 
"Right, so I'll just go ahead and order something probably," she took a deep inhale and let out a long sigh. This was going to be harder than she thought. Charlotte's hand met the glass surface of the door and pushing it open; she stood inside, holding the door for Max. Sure, she wasn't going to baby him or adjust to a reality where he was above her, but she didn't want to throw too much at him. Besides, holding the door was common courtesy, and she wasn't going to deny him that.

@Lucky
 
Maximillian would look back at her. "I also can't have any gluten as well," he added as an after thought. It wasn't that he didn't think the last thing wasn't important as much as he knew that many people had picked it up as a fad, making people with the real allergy seem less important. He was surprised that she held the door open for him that he held back at a witty remark in case she threw the door closed or gave him a hard blanket. He was a bit of an asshole, but he knew that lines could be drawn. He plopped himself onto the couch and fell asleep not too soon after, exhausted as his younger body needed more sleep.

@nico
 
Charlotte recounted all his aversions, searching for an affordable place to order food and coming up with nothing that seemed trustworthy. Seeing Max asleep on the couch she wondered if it would be worry some to him if he woke up and she wasn't there. After all, he had no way of contacting her should he wake and find she wasn't there. Regardless, she figured it would be best for him if she cooked instead of ordered anything, just to make sure the food wasn't prepared around any allergens or with any of them. She quickly scribbled out a note, leaving it on her coffee table in from of the couch with his keys next to it to show he didn't have to worry about his car.
'Max, I went to the store to pick up ingredients you can eat and will be back shortly. If anything happens shoot me a text or call me using this number....If anyone knocks just ignore it. If they're persistent and you must open the door tell them you're my cousin and that I will be back shortly. When opening the door keep the chain hooked on the back and speak through the gap.'

@Lucky
 
Maximillan didn't rest peacefully once he was finally asleep. Sure, he was finally getting the rest that he needed, but it also gave him no opportunity to repress the memory. The one that had formed his life. Of course, he couldn't have know that when he had fallen asleep, but it didn't matter when it comes to the magic. What mattered was that an opening had decided to exist and it took it. With no choice, his brain slid the memory in place of the dream he had been peacefully having in his sleep.

Darkness. It was the first thing that he remembered. He couldn't remember where he was or how he had gotten here. He just knew that someone claimed to be a business associate of his father and asked to take him for some food. He was already eating and refused. He didn't remember what happened next but he knew that the next thing he saw was darkness.

Maximillian shot up on the couch. He refused to be that again. He should have know sleeping would be a trick. He noticed that the house was empty and he listened for anything There was a note on the tale and his car keys. It made him feel better. "Okay, you're fine. That was just the past- it can't hurt you. It cant." He looked for some way to kill the time.... anything to escape the memory.

@nico
 
{I'm so sorry, I've been like crazy busy !}

After not to long Charlotte returned, keys jingling as she wrestled them from her pocket with an empty hand. Once she'd gotten the door open she shoved the keys back in her pocket and picked up the bag of groceries she'd had to set on the floor. "Sorry if I was out for too long Max, I see you've woken up. I hope you weren't alone for too long!" Charlie flashed a warm smile at him before kicking the door shut.

"I got a few meals worth of stuff and some snacks that seemed like they'd fit your tastes," she set the bags on the counter before opening the fridge. Inside she pushed, stacked, and tossed her food to make room for his stuff so that it wouldn't be buried or smushed. The freezer was practically empty so she wouldn't have to do any of that in there.

"If you'd like to wash up before dinner I can show you where my shower is. I picked up some guy soap while I was out too," she gestured to the plastic drug store bag by the door, "I tried to grab all the toiletries you would need, but I may have missed something. Oh! There's no real spot for your toothbrush in the bathroom though so we will have to figure that out." Claire was unloading the groceries quickly, opening and closing the fridge and cabinets as she worked her way through the two large paper bags she'd brought in with her.

@Lucky
 
Maximillian would look around the room and eventually just start playing a game on his phone to kill the time. After a little while, he would hear the keys jingle as she would open the door. He wasn't sure how long he had been on his phone, having lost track of time entirely. "I still prefer Maximillian. I don't know how long I was alone for, it felt like it was a little while, but I didn't pay attention to the time." He wondered if she even cared

Maximillian wasn't sure if she actually knew his tastes, but he imagined that listing all his allergies had gotten her some idea of what he would eat. He would follow her and noticed that her fridge had a lot of stuff. He did take note of the fact that her freezer was entirely devoid of anything that would resemble food. He had to wonder what she made for herself.

He considered for a moment if he wanted to wash up. To one degree, it would be weird to see what he looked like as a teenager again, but he didn't exactly want to smell like a dumpster fire of it. He hadn't even considered that he would need different soap or for that matter anything for grooming, looking over at her. " Well, I guess showering wouldn't be a terrible thing and I imagine I can figure out the tooth brush situation after all," he added. He didn't offer to help her as he waited for her to finish putting the things away so she could show him the shower.

@nico
 
"We will figure it out. It shouldn't be hard," she shrugged as she finished up putting away all of the groceries and scooped up the bag with the shower supplies. She noted that she would have to dig out a towel for him as well if she didn't want to share which she definitely didn't want to do.

Bag resting in the crook of her elbow, Charlie opened the cabinet she had earlier fished the blanket out of. On one of the higher shelves rested the few extra towels she had in her home. "I feel like Maximillian is too formal for this situation we are in. While I respect your want, Max rolls off easier, but I suppose I can try to call you by your full name." She tucked the towel under the arm that was holding the bag and gestured at an open door in the small hallway that also contained the entrance to her room.

"That is the bathroom. I ask that you don't dig around in drawers and such or move much stuff around. There's stuff in those drawers that are very important to me; stuff from family members and such," she shrugged, holding out the bag and towel for him. "The shower is pretty easy to understand, but if you need help let me know."

@Lucky
 
Maximillian would nod. Somehow he doubted that it was going to be easy though. It seemed that things were still going to take some getting used too as he looked over the shower supplies. They did seem to have everything that he would need to get clean and the products choosen weren't terrible.


Maximillian wouldn't ever admit that the blanket she had given him earlier was comfortable, but that was a different situation. He was surprised that she had spare towels in her home. " Fine, but I'm not going to like you calling me Max and I'm going to be very pouty about it. Yes, you could certainly attempt to call me by my full name," he added as a footnote, taking the time to follow her to the bathroom. He noticed how small the hallway was. Why was the living quarters comparable to that for a small child to walk in?

He would look over at the bathroom and bit his tongue about the room barely being a bathroom. Oh boy, how much he wanted to talk about it. " Yeah, I won't touch any of your stuff anyway. I've know better. As long as there is a hot and cold and the show thing, I'm sure I can figure the darn thing out as well. I'll let you know if I need some help." He would enter the bathroom after taking the supplies.

@nico
 
Charlotte made her way back into the kitchen, leaving Max to do whatever he deemed necessary for a shower. Ingredients made their way back out of their place and on to the counter. Water boiled, Charlotte hummed, ingredients were peeled, chopped, and boiled as the recipe had called for. To her shock, the meal hadn't really been to hard to prepare. It definitely wouldn't be a daily thing, cooking such elaborate things just so that Max could eat what he saw fit for himself.

An empty plate lay on the counter, next to the pot being used to keep the food warm was. Her plate was in front of her on the counter, a few bites had already been taken from it. It was a bit different from her normal, a lot different if she was honest with herself, but by no means did it taste bad. Its success made her wonder if she had actually done everything right while cooking because she certainly foresaw failure for herself. "Max," a small pause, "-imillian, dinners done!" She shouted, not needing to be super loud since her apartment wasn't exactly a large space for sound to cross.

@Lucky
 
Maximillian would take a few moments to take the stuff he needed for the shower. As he washed himself, he couldn't help but observe how different he looked when he was younger. This was before he had started to work so his arms were scrawny and while he was not fat by any stretch, all the defined abs he had was mostly gone, leaving behind a shadow of what it was. He would finish in the shower and while the new clothes were lacking, they weren't exactly uncomfortable or as bad as he thought.

Maximillian would look at his face. It was weird to look at his reflection and not see his five o clock shadow or his hair being perfect. He would take some gel out of the stuff and did how he used to do when he was a teen. He did like how it looked, not that he would say that a loud. He heard part of his name being called and he wasn't sure if saying it in two parts was a measure of progress or make him feel worse. He decided both was a valid option after all." I'm heading to the kitchen," he replied, walking into the kitchen and looking at the food. " This doesn't look half as bad as I thought it would be."

@nico
 
Last edited:
"I thought it would be worse too," she admitted, "Shockingly, at least to my poor people taste buds, it tastes pretty good too." She pointed her fork to the empty bowl on the counter, turning back to face him to gauge his reaction. At home, during normal age life, she was sure he had people to serve him; hell, maybe he even had people to feed him. Here that wouldn't be the case, she felt as if it was her duty to make him acclimate to a normal life.

His wish had been granted while hers seemingly hadn't been, she was the same as she was when she walked into that store par the fact that she now had a teenager living with her. Not to mention that that same teenager was actually a man thrown back into a younger body of his own. truly, it seemed like he had gotten the worse end of the deal upfront, but she was thrust into the roll of caretaker for the entitled teen. "Now, Maximillian, if you hate it keep it to yourself. It wasn't exactly cheap to make," she sighed, "The serving spoon is in the pot by the way." If he truly ended up disgusted she didn't know how she'd handle it. It wasn't exactly fair to make him go without a meal, especially after what must have been a disorienting day for him.

@Lucky
 
Maximillian was surprised that she admitted that she thought it would turn out worst. Most people were too afraid to tell him that they thought the food could be worse. He wasn't sure it was good, but it didn't smell terrible. He realized that he most likely was going to have to serve himself as there weren't any servants to do that. Thankfully, his father didn't have people to feed him. He imagined that if he was that spoiled, this would be more diffcult.

It felt that his wish had been granted, but it had been twisted at the same time. Sure, he wanted to be younger, but he didn't want to be a teenager, especially at the age where. No, he couldn't think about it. He was a different person after the incident. He had reinvented himself. He had too. Maximillian would take a moment to compose himself and serve himself as carefully as he could. He would walk over to the table and he would taste it. It took a moment before the flavor would hit his tongue. It tasted good. " This is actually really good, might even be a little bitter than whatever my cook used to make," he replied, speaking between bites and to not have food in his mouth as he did. God- the last time he had- fuck- a tear escaped his eye. Why couldn't he forgot this trauma?.....He had kept it at bay for so long.

@nico
 
"Well thank you," Charlie smiled, looking down at her bowl. Oddly enough, she felt that her own sense of pride would be taunted by the teenager which is what had prompted her to hide it. When she looked back up she caught the tear sliding down his cheek. Maybe she had done something that crossed a line, hurt his feelings, but she could think of nothing that would've upset him to this extent. She knew he was a bit stuck up but having to serve himself didn't seem like something he would be so upset by which left Charlotte at a loss for what had happened.

"Maximillian," her tone was soft, almost motherly, "Are you alright? Can I do anything to help?" Her concern was genuine. It was frightening to see someone who had been so headstrong and put together the whole time she had known them suddenly start to crack. Of course, Max had been at that store asking for a seemingly innocent thing, but maybe his reality was now much more vicious than outwardly shown. Perhaps by not specifying how much younger he had wanted to become the magic had chosen a time where he was truly younger, more naive, more vulnerable to what life may have thrown at him.
 
Back
Top