âââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here
âââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
xxx"Heroes can be found in the most unlikely places.
xxxPerhaps we all have it within us to do great things,
xxxbut may simply lack the circumstances
xxxor the reasons to be heroic."
x
It wasn't a long ride to wherever they were going and when they finally arrived, Max understood why. It was an incredibly secure building that--in Max's opinion--rivals a highly secure lab. There were guards, cameras, and multiple keys. Max was certainly impressed, not that she really showed it. She allowed herself to be helped from the car but walked on her own. It was the cleanest, safest apartment Max had ever been in. If anyone was after her, this would be a place they would never get to her.
When they entered the apartment, Max immediately knew who it belonged to. Not because she had the keys, but because it was very Willow. It even smelled like her. Max stood still, unmoving until Willow finally addressed her. Anger was a heavy weight in her chest. She was being treated with gloved hands. Like she was fragile and delicate. She was a hero for heaven's sake! But as soon as the anger formed, it was snuffed out. She just didn't have the energy to sustain the emotion. She just felt so drained. She placed her own hand on top of Willows and replied, "Yeah. Alright." Before Willow pulled away, Max squeezed her hand and whispered, "Be careful okay?" Willow had done a lot for her. A lot more than she thought a villain would even do. "And... thank you."
Then, she let go. She made her way to the window and watched the city lights. It was still early in the day so there weren't really any lights on, but there was still a glow to the city even in the daytime. An itching thought formed in the back of her mind that she ignored until another emotion reached the surface: guilt. She was supposed to be at the clinic taking calls, filling out paperwork that would lead to people getting treatment, sending medications and blood samples through the tube system, among other things. Later she was supposed to be at the music shop and then at the bar tonight. Max thought about asking Willow if she could go to the bar tonight to inform the others of Dinah's death, but she figured sooner was better than later so instead she pulled out her phone.
"Hey," she said, attempting to put emotion into her voice, but even to her ears it sounded dead. "Yeah, it's Max. Hey, listen I won't be by tonight. I'm sorry to leave you short staffed but... Look, I don't know if you heard, but Dinah... She's..." Max choked on the word, her sorrow rising again. She rubbed at her eyes with the palm of her hand. "She was... There was so much..." She slid down the surface of the window until she sat on the floor, curled and leaning against it. "Yeah... I'll try to be back soon. Can you... Can you play Fish Out of Water for her tonight? I'm sure she'd appreciate that. Yeah... Bye."
She texted her other two bosses that she wouldn't work tonight. Said there was a death in the family. Said it was someone close, which wasn't a lie. Dinah might not have been blood, but they were sisters in bond. They both reassured her it was alright and they would fill in the gaps somehow. They also said that she could come back whenever she felt ready. While the clinic was really going out on a limb for her by allowing it, the music shop would be fine without her for a bit.
Before Willow left she said two things to her, "Stay safe." And, "Do you have drinks here?"