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Age of Anarchy

The City

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a part of Age of Anarchy, by xXxCryptic-AngelxXx.

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xXxCryptic-AngelxXx holds sovereignty over The City, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

1,322 readers have been here.

Setting

Default Location for Age of Anarchy
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The City

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Minimap

The City is a part of Age of Anarchy.

2 Characters Here

Willow Rogers [92] "the demons in the dark lie again."
Max Carson [92] "Heroes can be found in the most unlikely people."

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Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
═══════════════════════════
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

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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


Max swallowed her disappointment at Willow handing her over to Poppy, but she couldn't deny that Willow was probably the best person to pick clothes out for her. So she smiled and allowed Poppy to help her to the bathroom. She saw the look in Willow's eyes. The one that said she could trust the people around her, but it didn't do much to quell the fear in her heart. Even Willow still didn't know who she was. Of course, going with Poppy meant she was more than likely going to see her naked, an idea she shoved as far back into her head as she could until she had to face it. It wasn't as bad as she thought, in fact, her body was still heavy and aching so having someone to help her was honestly better than her attempting to do it for herself.

However, Harry coming in to check to see if she was wounded anywhere else made her pretty nervous. It wasn't that she thought her body embarrassing or that no one had ever seen her naked. It was just... she didn't really know him well and though he was a doctor, usually when you go to the doctor, you're covered most of the time until they're looking in certain places. Modesty is still valued. Her face was red hot the entire time he checked on her.

She watched her wounds out of the corner of her eye and noticed that the one on her side had indeed opened up again but wasn't bleeding too terribly and it would probably be clotted over once she finished washing up. There was a knock at the door. Max had expected Poppy open it a crack to speak to whoever was knocking, but then she heard Willow's voice and suddenly felt the need to cover up. Thankfully, they had finished washing up and were now slowly trying Max off. She grabbed the towel and draped it over herself. It didn't cover her completely but covered up what she needed to.

"Yeah come on in," She said, her voice cracking a little in nervousness. Willow appeared with a change of clothes: a black sweater and black yoga pants. She whispered a thank you and closed the shower curtain so she could attempt to change without being seen by the other two. They fit fairly well for clothes that weren't her own. Her own... oh she had managed to bring her bag from her house. On the run here, she kept a tight hold on it. Now probably wasn't the time to point it out. Although she'd feel awful if she bled on Willow's clothes.

When she finished, she pushed the curtain away and allowed someone to help her out of the shower. Once her feet were firmly on the ground, she started to walk on her own. She smiled shyly and apologetically at Willow. She was feeling a little better now that she had some time to herself. Her body wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of food, but she knew she needed to eat considering she hadn't eaten that morning. "So... food?" She stepped out into the other room and noticed it had been cleaned. The evidence of her entrance had been wiped away which was definitely a help. Her shoulders relaxed, releasing the built-up tension she had since she awoke. She waited for Willow to take point considering it was her friends and her apartment. She was a stranger and a guest. It only made sense for her to go first. "After you," she said, the back of her knuckles brushing against Willow's hand for a split second before Max realized what she was about to do and pulled her hand away.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
═══════════════════════════
xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


Once Willow handed over the clothes, she went back out into the apartment to help Winter tidy up. He knew not to ask any questions, and so they worked in silence, throwing the bloodstained paper towels into the trash and sorting out plates and cutlery for the food. Silence with Winter was never awkward. It was a comfortable silence.

Max and the others emerged from the bathroom. Willow was glad to see the clothes were a decent fit. Clothes that fitted well felt less like borrowed clothes. She smiled as Max asked about food, feeling a little relieved. She could see Max's shoulders visibly relax and her smile widened a little more. The feelings of fingers brushing against her own startled her a little, but she just smiled at Max as she started to dish out food. "So, we got a little bit of everything. Winter here can't tolerate spicy food, while Harry never fails to order the spiciest thing on the menu. We arranged it in order of spiciness." Max explained, starting to fish a little of everything out onto a plate for herself, along with some rice. "Winter claims it can mess up his power, but we all know he's just weak," Harry remarked with a smirk, and Winter slapped his arm. "It does!" Winter complained, and Willow laughed, shaking her head.

"So, I guess I should introduce you guys," Willow said as she sat down on the couch with her plate. "You already know Harry's a healer. Not really one of us, but we buy him food and he patches us up from time to time. You've met Winter, and no prizes for guessing what his ability is. His real name is Mercury but if anyone calls him that, he's probably gonna punch them. And Poppy is an energy manipulator. She works in the lab with me. Well, we work in the same building, I work with electricity, she works with motion and sound and shit." She pointed at each of them in turn with her chopsticks.

"She's not joking about the punching thing," Winter added. "Drinks?" He asked, already pulling glasses down from Willow's cupboards. "Surprise me," Willow called.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
═══════════════════════════
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
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


Max smiled a little shyly as she made her way to the table with Willow. Her eyes roamed over the containers looking for things she felt like eating. Spicy wasn't her thing and the smell of it alone made her nose crinkle. "Yeah. No. I'm with Winter." To emphasize her point, she poked the container with the spicy food closer to Harry. She was hoping the action would amuse the others as well. Breaking the ice if you will. She made a small noise of excitement when she noticed the crab rangoons. "Now these I will eat." She also grabbed one of the egg rolls and a few pieces of sweet and sour chicken. She wanted to start small, unsure of how her stomach would react.

Once they were all settled, Willow went around the group and introduced the others. Winter, she had met. Harry had patched her up although, Max was surprised when Willow said he wasn't a part of their group. Was he just a civilian then? Or... was he a hero? She wasn't about to ask in front of the others, but she filed the information away for possible conversation in the future. She nodded to each in kind by way of greeting. When she got to Poppy, Max chuckled to herself quietly, spooning a bit of rice onto her plate. "Poppy. Motions and sound. I get it."

Looking at the woman made Max pause and she tilted her head a little. Max couldn't help but wonder if Poppy was more familiar with Willow than just a coworker. Though Max will never know considering Willow had drunk instead of asking how many partners she had. Max looked over at Willow for her cue to share what she could do considering she introduced them all to her but not her to them. She didn't look at them as she said, "I use sonic... well screams, but I don't have to scream to do it." She shoved a piece of chicken into her mouth, a bit of the sweet and sour sauce dripping down her chin. She reached for a napkin to wipe it off with when Winter offered drinks.

She thought for a moment. Alcohol might not... be a bad idea. She didn't exactly get drunk yesterday and she's sure that Winter will hold back on the liqueur again so she said, "Same." But made sure to add "Please."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
═══════════════════════════
xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


Willow was about to introduce Max to the group when she did it herself. Willow swallowed her forkful of food. "Careful, Poppy just might rope you into some experiment about the physics of your ability. She likes to abuse people's abilities. Once I got her to stop asking if I could come into the lab so she could do 'one small experiment' on me, she started asking me if I could function as a portable charger. And keeps asking, even after I told her I'd melt her phone." She added with a pointed glance at Poppy, who shrugged. "I'm hoping that if I keep annoying you, you might give in."

As Max asked for a drink as well, Winter smirked. "Sorry, Wills, but you've been demoted from favourite. Max shares my dislike for spicy food and says please." He called as he started mixing drinks. Willow rolled her eyes. "He's so fickle, it's ridiculous," She remarked, glancing over at Max. "Like you've never ditched me for a hot person at the bar," Winter called. "Like you've never done the same!" She retorted.

She knew that things had to be a little strange for Max, but was hoping that by just making it feel like a normal night-in with friends, it might relax her a little and take her mind off of things. Things weren't normal in the slightest, but they all needed a distraction, from what had just happened, from the whiteboard a few metres away from them. They just needed a distraction.

"So, Max. Tell us a little about yourself. The weirdest thing that has happened to you on a job, the weirdest person you were chatted up by, what you wanted to be when you were a kid." Harry asked as Winter put drinks down in front of all of them.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
═══════════════════════════
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
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


Max's eyes widened slightly in concern and she glanced at Poppy. She didn't look like the mad scientist type but... her powers are sound based... Max's mind decided to choose that moment to imagine what it would be like for Poppy to experiment on her. Max on one side of a window, Poppy on the other. Weird wires stuck to her skin and needles in her arm. Like some kind of bad sci-fi horror movie. She moved closer to Willow.

Winter's comment pulled Max from her delusions and she smiled widely at Willow. "Sorry, Wil." She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, still wet from her shower. She tried not to think about how she smelled like Willow since Poppy had to use her bath toiletries. "Guess I get all the drinks now."

She stuck a piece of sauced up chicken into her mouth and chewed, listening to the conversation. Max tried to remember the last time she was around a group of people and just... talked like this. With a sinking feeling in her chest, she realized she couldn't. The only person she had ever spent any time with was Dinah. She didn't have many other friends. She had work acquaintances, but no one she was super close with. She always lived in Dinah's shadow. And now she was gone. Who was Max now? Max wouldn't even be the hero she was without Dinah. She was the one who trained her after all.

She sucked a bit on her chopsticks, the dry texture sending goosebumps forming on her arms. Her eyes zoned out a moment before Harry's voice pulled her back into the conversation. She was surprised at the multiple questions grouped together and her heart began to race at the last one. She had always wanted to be a hero. But she couldn't tell him that. Couldn't tell any of them that.

Then another memory came to mind. It wasn't from her childhood, however. It was from her adolescence. So she cleared her throat and started to answer them in reverse order.

She looked Harry dead in the eye and said, "I wanted to be a doctor." Then she looked away, at some spot on the wall. She didn't linger there for long. Didn't want the pity that came with being flat broke and unwilling to take on student loans. She didn't want to live her life in debt. She thought that was honorable. Others thought it was stupid.

"The weirdest person I was ever chatted up by?" She thought a moment, nibbling on her eggroll. "There was this one guy who wouldn't give me any space. He would dance right up on me. He would lean in so close I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He'd sniff my hair really loudly and tell me I smelled of cupcakes... He was a big creep."

The weirdest thing... "I was once stalked by paparazzi after a job. They followed me a long while before I finally was able to shake them loose." She tilted her head at them, her unlikely allies. "What about you guys?"

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
═══════════════════════════
xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


Willow sipped her drink as Max started to answer Harry's questions. Max seemed like the type who would be good as a doctor. Calm in a crisis, caring, intelligent... but still human. Willow had encountered doctors that seemed to nearly be robotic at times, so cold that they managed to creep even her out. They weren't good doctors. Max would be.

She snort-laughed at Max's story about the creepy guy in the nightclub, covering her mouth as she started to laugh at herself. "Cupcakes? Really?" Winter asked, an eyebrow raised.
"You kinda smell like flowers to me," Willow remarked, the comment out of her mouth before she really dwelled on it. She shovelled some chicken into her mouth to cover for it.

"I wanted to be a mad scientist as a kid. Seriously, I saw some Einstein-looking guy on a cartoon, doing experiments with electricity, and went "hey that seems like a fun job." Best part is, I didn't even have my abilities at that point," Willow remarked. "I just thought electricity was neat." Poppy pointed at her with her chopsticks.
"You're the only one of us that realised their childhood dream!"
"Minus the Einstein hair," Willow replied with a smirk.

"Weirdest person had to be some guy coming from a Renaissance re-enactment or something. He was still in character, and kept trying to chat me up," She continued.
"Wait, was he the guy Winter ended up getting with?" Harry asked. Winter suddenly became very interested in getting as much food into his mouth as possible.
["Wait, really?" Willow asked, staring at him. He just shrugged.

"Well, my weirdest thing on a job had to be... accidentally breaking into a modern art exhibition with lots of... phallic objects," She said, trailing off. "It was an experience, I nearly forgot to actually steal the painting I was there for, I was in such a hurry to get out."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
═══════════════════════════
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
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


Max's head whipped to Willow when she laughed at her story. It was so unbelievably adorable Max wasn't quite sure what to do other than grin. She was about to comment on it after a beat when Willow decided to say something even more unbelievable. Unbelievable just for the fact that Max wasn't expecting it in the slightest. In fact, her face started to flush a bright, burning red. When Willow shoved chicken into her mouth, Max looked away and took a large swig of the drink Winter had placed before her. Flowers? She thought, resisting the urge to smell her hair. It would smell like Willow anyway. What flowers?

Max smiled softly at Willow's childhood dream. She wondered how true it really was considering she was raised by heroes at the time, but she had no trouble picturing a young Willow, eyes glued to the TV screen as a cartoon rendition of Albert Einstein prattled away about some experiment or another. "What about those cartoons with the Dr. Frankenstein references? I bet those were a huge inspiration for that dream." Max was, of course, commenting on the fact that Dr. Frankenstein had experimented with electricity in order to shock his creation to life. The idea of experiments sent her gaze wandering over to Poppy.

For the renaissance story, she just listened. She only commented after the fact about never going before. "Is it any fun? I've always wanted to wear one of the outfits. There's just something so liberating about changing your character for a day, you know?" She reached for her drink and had started to take a couple of slow sips from it when Willow began her next story. At this point she had collected quite a bit of the drink in her mouth and went to swallow at the exact same time Willow said the phrase "phallic objects" and she choked. Thankfully only a little came out of her nose. Lord only knows would've happened if more had shot forth. Not only the embarrassment but the burn!

She grabbed a napkin and blew her nose as soon as she stopped coughing from the alcohol that had tried to go down her trachea instead of her esophagus. "Wait... what?" she managed to choke out. She had so many questions, but all of them were stuck behind the one. She tried to remember if she had even been there and decided she probably hadn't considering she was too busy studying to do most things. She still doesn't know half the movies that were released the four years after she graduated from high school. "What?"

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
═══════════════════════════
xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


She shrugged at the question about Dr. Frankenstein. "Possibly? I can't remember, I just remember drawing a picture of myself as a mad scientist and my poor teacher being quite confused. I don't think I knew they were usually the bad guys? Or if I did, I didn't care. Either's possible, I was always a bit of a weird kid."

"Ask Winter, I heard they played dress-up together," Poppy remarked drily as Max asked about the Renaissance re-enactment. "Oh piss off Poppy, you just sound jealous," Winter retorted. "Winter has a type, and it's always either the weirdest person he can find or the most boring," Willow elaborated, taking a sip of her cocktail.

Willow started laughing at Max's reaction to the museum story. "Oh yeah. I didn't know where to look. I've never been so relieved to just see weird ass modern art with no sexual implications. Once I got out I just had to go lie down, I'm still mildly mentally scarred. Please don't ask me to describe it, I have nightmares I'm trapped in that room. Luckily enough, I'd already overcharged my client because he was a patronising, creepy, dick, so I didn't feel like I'd been cheated. And that, dear friends, is why I'm always reluctant to work modern art cases now. It was just horrific."

"She called me afterwards and I thought she was having a stroke, she couldn't get a single word out right," Poppy remarked. "I had to come over and comfort her," she added, and Willow raised an eyebrow. "Comfort me? I mean, if that's what you want to call it." In reality, Poppy had tried to get her drunk, but Willow hadn't even been able to drink. In the end, Poppy just handed Willow some chocolate and left her to her own devices.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
═══════════════════════════
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
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


The group drank and talked through the night. When they all started to pass out from drink and exhaustion, the Poppy, Willow, and Max, took to Willow's room for the night. Harry and Winter opted for the couch. While no one lived too far from Willow's apartment, they thought it would be safer to stay.

Waking up next to Willow had been an immense surprise. It took her a moment to reorient herself and remember where she was. It took a moment longer than that for her to puzzle together how she ended up in Willow's bed. It also took Poppy being in the bed as well to remember that nothing crazy happened between them. Max was both relieved and... disappointed.

Still, she got up from the bed and started her day. She was the first awake and was therefore undisturbed by the others for use of the bathroom. She changed into a black shirt, black skinny jeans, and a denim vest she had brought with her. She had decided at some point she wanted to thank the others in some way. After all, they rushed to Willow's apartment to help someone they didn't even know. The thought reminded her that they still didn't know that she was a hero at her core...but she'd worry about that later.

She searched as quietly as she could through the kitchen for the ingredients for breakfast. Thankfully Willow had practically all of the ingredients. Whatever she didn't actually have, she managed to improvise well. When she was finished, she was covered with flour--in her hair, on her face, on her clothes, etc.--and the entire apartment smelled of coffee, cinnamon, and chocolate. This was thanks to the coffee she started to brew as a wake-up call for the others--though she was disappointed that she hadn't brought her specialty coffees--, the cinnamon was thanks to cinnamon french toast, and the chocolate was due to the chocolate chip pancakes. In hindsight... she probably overdid it.

Oh well, at least she made enough to feed everyone and...possibly impress Willow.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
═══════════════════════════
xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


Nightmares were nothing new to Willow. She'd been having an oddly nightmare free spell, so when they came in force, she couldn't say she was surprised. Even though she'd gotten what should have been plenty of sleep, the constant nightmares and constant waking meant that she was exhausted even on waking. The smell of coffee was what drew her out of bed, still in her t-shirt and leggings from the night before. She was so exhausted she hardly even noticed Poppy still in her bed, and she sure as hell didn't think anything of it. It was only on seeing the boys sprawled out on the couch, and then smelled the food, that she remembered the events of the night before.

"Mornin'" she mumbled as she shuffled into the kitchen. "Coffee?" She asked, still too tired to form more than one word sentences. The food smelled amazing, and she was suddenly ravenous. She wanted to express her thanks to Max, but didn't quite have the mental capacity to. So she just smiled at Max as she found the coffee and poured herself the biggest mug she could find, adding a spoon of sugar and taking a big mouthful of it.

She took a plate of food and sat down. "Smells amazing," she managed to get out, before yawning and briefly resting her head on the table. She knew she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, but that was all she wanted right there.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
═══════════════════════════
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
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


A smile formed when she heard the door to the bedroom open. Whether it was Poppy or Willow, it meant someone was going to eat what she had made. When she saw it was Willow, her smile spread into a grin. It faded a bit when she saw how out of it her friend--yes friend. That's what they were, now. It hadn't been long and it hadn't been the likely outcome, but they were definitely friends now--was. Her hair was a bit messy and there were bags under her eyes. Judging by those clues and the fact Max had woken up repeatedly to Willow's distressed movements and sounds... Max guessed she hadn't slept very well. Was it because of her?

She shook off her worries and grabbed a plate for herself as well as a mug of coffee. Then she sat across from Willow, frowning as her forehead rested against the surface of the table. "Wil, you okay?" She asked, tilting her head. She went about cutting her pancake and french toast which she had piled on top of each other so the chocolate and cinnamon would mix. "You were moving a bit in your sleep last night." She smiled softly so Willow would know she wasn't judging her. Max hadn't had any nightmares last night--thank god-- but it seemed Willow might have.

If they were anything like Max's dreams from the night before... she could imagine how terrifying and/or painful they could really be.

[[sorry it's short!!]]

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
═══════════════════════════
xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


Willow raised her head as she heard a chair being moved out, and smiled a little at Max as she speared a bit of pancake on her fork. Max's question made Willow pause, and she sipped a little bit of coffee to make up for it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... nightmares," she admitted, taking a bite of the pancake. "But be honest, was it just me being restless or was it full on thrashing and screaming?" She asked, keeping her tone light-hearted so she'd know it was a joke. "This is really good by the way. Think I might hire you as my live-in chef," she added.

She knew already Max wouldn't fall for the light-hearted joking, and she sighed, pushing a bit of french toast around the plate to pick up some of the melted chocolate. "I haven't had nightmares in a while, but I think after everything that happened yesterday, my brain just... started freaking out big time. It's usually the same or similar. Losing everyone I care about and being completely helpless to do anything. Or else my loved ones, controlled by something different, hurting me. And I know it isn't them, and seeing them controlled like that is as bad as the torture. They started after my- after I lost someone really close to me when I was a kid." Max didn't need to know about her brother. Willow didn't want the pity. "And then they got worse after my parents died. Last night was just... really bad," she admitted. "In future, poke me or something. I'm surprised Poppy didn't, actually." She said with a smirk, taking a bite of the french toast.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
═══════════════════════════
xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
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


Max smiled back at Willow softly and reassuringly when she lifted her head. She shoved a bit of chocolatey syrupy pancake into her mouth. She noticed a splotch of flour on her hand and she silently realized she was probably still covered in flour. She wiped it away with her other hand and turned her attention back to Willow. The woman had seen her covered in sauce and blood. Flour is probably nothing new. "It was more like twitching," she said reassuringly. "If you were thrashing I would've definitely woken you up."

She lifted a forkful of french toast to her mouth and ate it. Her cheeks heated slightly at the compliment of her cooking. Although, if Willow was actually serious it wouldn't be that bad of a gig. "They're really not all that special. It's just the typical recipe with a few goodies thrown in."

Willow's light-hearted tone made Max raise an eyebrow. The woman looked haunted due to her nightmares so they couldn't be as harmless as she tried to pretend they were. Then, Willow began to explain and Max's heart ached. She knew what losing someone did to you. In fact, Willow had seen her in the same situation... sort of. Honestly, Willow might not have even noticed Max's distress the day after she was kept up sick because of her nightmares over Dinah. She wasn't about to tell her that fact though. Maybe... about the nightmare though. So Willow didn't feel so alone. She took another bite from her plate as she listened, this time French toast and pancake and nearly choked. Not due to the size, but the fact that Willow had nearly said, right out, that she cared about Max. Enough to be plagued by nightmares.

The two didn't know each other very long, but in that short period of time, they had been through more than they should've. The kind of excitement and loss should be spaced out into years. So close together they begin to leave their mark. But it can also bring people together. Just look what it did for Willow and her friends. Max smiled softly, pain in her eyes and she said. "I know how that can be." She said as she took another bite. When she finished it she continued, "Just the other night I had nightmares. You know, after what happened with Dinah?" She looked down at her plate. "So I understand."

Then she looked back up at Willow, made eye contact with her and said with a smirk, "The next time I share a bed with you, I'll poke you." Then she drank her coffee slowly so she didn't have to look at Willow's reaction to what she had said.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
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xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

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xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


Max admitting that she had them too, that Willow wasn't alone in it, made her feel a little better. It was small but what else could she do? It was enough. She grinned at Max mentioning she'd poke her the next time they were in bed together. "Oh, so you're convinced we'll end up in bed together again?" She asked teasingly, with a wink that she wasn't sure Max saw. "Don't worry, I'll do the same for you," she said, a little more seriously, before taking a mouthful of coffee. It felt strange being this close to somebody she'd known for such a short amount of time, but with everyone they'd been through, it would have been strange for them to be anything other than that.

"No, but, seriously, why do these pancakes taste way better than literally any time I make them? I'm not convinced you're not a little bit magic," Willow remarked around a mouthful of pancake. "Or maybe I'm just so tired that everything tastes better but damn. Are you sure you weren't bluffing about the sonic scream thing, and in reality your ability is just amazing cooking?" She asked, partially aiming to change the tone of the conversation as well as being completely honest about it.

"What's this about amazing cooking?" A voice mumbled from the couch. Winter's head, with a serious case of bedhead, popped up over the arm of the couch. "Max's pancakes. Come here, give them a try. Also, coffee," she added. "Coffee?" He asked, scrambling to his feet and going straight over to pour himself a cup. "We truly bonded over our love of good, strong coffee," Willow remarked with a smirk, taking another mouthful of hers as she glanced at Max.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xXxMaxxCarson
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xxxlocation: Willow's apartment. xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

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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


Willow's teasing response was what Max expected. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a response began to form, wiggling its way to the forefront of her mind. It was only a matter of time before it made its way out her mouth and she'd say something potentially stupid. Probably along the lines of, "The next time I end up in bed with you I doubt there would be any sleeping." That of course sent the heat rising in her face and she turned her attention to the food on her plate, her bangs falling into her face to hide her expression. What the hell was that about, Max? She thought to herself. She told herself it was just a result of their teasing. That was all.

When she said, more seriously, that she'd wake her if she had a nightmare, Max looked up, her expression changing into surprise and gratitude. Dinah never woke her when she was having a nightmare. Of course, her philosophy had been that dreams were the minds way of worrying through stress. To interrupt would invite worse into your mind. That, of course, wasn't the truth, but arguing with Dinah was like arguing with a wall. Once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. It was nice to have someone to watch her back like that.

Max laughed. Actually, wholeheartedly, laughed at Willow's comments on her cooking. "I promise," she said when she calmed enough. "I could demonstrate for you sometime. But I've got to tell you, it'll take more work on your part than on mine." She winked, a flirty tease for a flirty tease. She ate another bite of her food, avoiding eye contact. The act was made easier when Willow's bedhead appeared over the back of the couch. In one, not so graceful movement, he was over the back of the couch and into the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Max laughed again, a little less loudly this time at both his movement and Willow's comment. "I can tell." Max couldn't help but think that Dinah would like Willow and her friends. And just like that, all at once, her smile faded completely. She went back to her food. Although, she was no longer hungry. Here she was, having a good time, actually feeling some... happiness and Dinah was gone for this world. Max knew that she'd rather Max be happy, especially after the stress of the day before, but... she still felt that she was somehow already forgetting her.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Willow Rogers Character Portrait: Max Carson
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xWILLOWxROGERS
═══════════════════════════
xxlocation: apartmentxxxxxxxxxxoutfit: here

Image

═══════════════════════════
xxx"and these secrets all that we've got so far,
xxxthe demons in the dark, lie again.
xxxplay pretend like it never ends
xxxthis way no one has to know"


Willow didn't miss the sudden change in expression on Max's face, and judging by the glance Winter gave Willow as he sat down to the table, he hadn't either. He took a loud, long slurp of his coffee, and nearly spit it out all over Willow. "Oh fuck, that's hot," he said, grimacing once he swallowed. But it came with a wink at Willow, and she just rolled her eyes, glad for the distraction for Max's sake. "Seriously? What the hell were you expecting, Win?" She asked with a laugh. "Should I warn you the pancakes are warm? That there's eggs in the french toast?" She teased, shaking her head a little.

The whiteboard in the corner of the room, with her scribblings and theories still on them from the previous day, drew her back to reality. It suddenly felt a little wrong to be joking and laughing when all this was going on outside their little bubble. A sigh from Winter told her he was thinking the same. "I was thinking about going out and doing a little recon today. Talking to some people," he said, dropping the volume of his voice as he started cutting up his pancakes. "Is that a good idea? What if you're followed? I don't want anyone else getting hurt because we literally led a trap to their door," she replied, with a shooting look at Max. She didn't want to upset her, but she wasn't going to leave her out of a vital conversation like this. "Not... people like us. We pose as journalists or... PIs or something. Ask the cops. Other journalists. The general public." She raised an eyebrow. "Two teams. Me and Max, and you bring whoever you want. I'd be happier if Harry stays here, so we have someone to hold down the fort, and we have a healer on site if anything happens. If you want Poppy with you, get Joshua or someone to stay here as well. Nobody goes it alone," she said, and he nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Max, you on board?"