[PHverse PSL]

[hate_gettin_older]

Calloway's Curios has moved, and expanded considerably. Fortunately for those few who rely on them, his regular products are still in stock -- such as the reliable bloodfruit.

On this particular day, though, the shop is mostly crowded with people checking out the new products on his shelves. And at one particular point in the afternoon, a loud and irate exclamation of "What the hell?" can be heard rising from somewhere in the aisles.

And repeated, a few moments later, rather louder, by a young man leaning across the customer service counter to yell at the proprietor. "What the hell, man? D'you have any fuckin idea what this is?"

He's brandishing a shapeless wad of blueish stuff in Calloway's face, accusingly.

Comments

:3

[lordoftheozarks]

Erik rolls his eyes as he approaches the counter with a full basket of blood fruit. Honestly, has Edgar tried being polite even once in his life? What could he possibly be on about now?

"Since you're so worked up about it, why don't you enlighten us both?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"It's fuckin kronole," he snaps, barely even registering Erik's presence, "dangerous flammable shite that makes hallucinations and fucks up people's brains, what the fuck are you selling that for?"

"Well, since you ask," says Calloway placidly, "for four hundred Brass."

[lordoftheozarks]

Kronole is a new name, but the rest sounds terribly familiar. He can't believe it, but he's actually agreeing with Edgar now. They can't have that out on the streets here! God help him if he takes a client who's intoxicated with it.

"Four hundred?" Erik balks. "That's hardly going to cover your damages if you do not give that over right now. As a member of the town council, I'm tempted to open a formal investigation."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Four hundred --" Edgar starts to shout, and falls abruptly silent as Erik joins in with him. Whatever startlement he's experiencing, though, he recovers quickly. "Right," he rallies, and snatches up the lump of kronole. "Doing you a favor, really, getting this out of your shop."

Calloway protests, claiming to have broken no law, citing his operating expenses -- he can't afford to just give away merchandise or he'll be ruined, and then where would his honor the Town Councilman get his own supplies?

"Fine," Edgar finally snaps, "fifty brass to cover your expenses, how's that?"

[lordoftheozarks]

Erik is chagrined to find that he and Edgar make a good team when it comes to pressuring this crooked shopkeeper. The lad isn't a half bad haggler. Down to fifty is no small feat. If that will keep the peace, then it's not Erik's brass to worry about.

"And here is the usual fee for the blood fruits, as you so kindly reminded me, I do need to stock up." He tosses that brass down on the counter.

Calloway looks between the two, and Erik can nearly see the mental tallies behind his eyes. Calloway smartly relents, bidding the both of them to take their goods and get out of his sight.

"Well," Erik says with dark amusement, motioning to Edgar to follow him, "I suppose we have overstayed our welcome."

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar drops his own fifty brass down on the counter, glowers silently at Calloway, and turns on his heel to stalk out behind Erik.

"Can't fuckin believe he was selling it," he mutters, and fishes out a shabby handkerchief to wrap the lump of kronole.

[lordoftheozarks]

"I can believe it. That man would sell his own mother's soul for a high enough profit. Just how potent is that drug?" Erik asks as he eyes the lump warily. "I may actually owe you for taking it out of circulation before it had a chance to infect anyone I might have encountered."

[hate_gettin_older]

"I dunno about how potent," he says as he stuffs the wrapped lump away in a pocket, "but people fry their fuckin brains on it. Stare off at the pretty pictures in their heads and lose all fuckin sense of time. And it explodes if it gets too hot, just in case that wasn't bad enough."

[lordoftheozarks]

"I see. So, it isn't quite the same as what I'm familiar with."

Wait. It's explosive? "I don't mean to be indelicate, but if heat is an issue, are you sure you're the best one to handle that?"

[hate_gettin_older]

Well, now it's Erik's turn to get a glower, if a slightly less venomous one. Apparently Calloway's offense was bad enough to at least temporarily downgrade anyone else's.

"I'm not gonna fuckin carry it on me, man. Just take it home and ... I dunno, shove it in the back of the freezer or something."

[lordoftheozarks]

Isn't Erik so lucky...

"Really? That's your solution?" Erik scoffs. "If it's so volatile, it should be destroyed. Less risk of you or anyone else thinking of turning to it in a moment of weakness."

[hate_gettin_older]

He scowls. "Right, because obviously I had time to come up with a perfect solution when I first saw the shite two minutes ago."

A beat. "And you can fuck right off with your 'moment of weakness' bullshit."

[lordoftheozarks]

Fine. He supposes that's somewhat fair. Edgar did just have it sprung on him. Oh, but that last part, he has a lot to say about that.

"I will, if you can promise me that in the middle of the night, when you think of how much you miss Max, the thought of it won't cross your mind even once."

Wake Up Boys

[maximumcake]

Max has only just sat up in his own bed when he realizes he's suddenly not alone in it. Shock freezes him in place. Edgar? Is he still dreaming? No... wait. He can still remember where they came from. That's right. He just left Pumpkin Hollow...

"Edgar?" he croaks; his throat is still sore from the way he sobbed all the way to the docks. He's terrified to try touching his love yet, because if this isn't real he doesn't know how he's going to cope.

"Is it really you?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"... Max?"

Edgar's abruptly sitting up in bed as well, sheets sliding away from his bare chest, staring. "Max!"

And far from afraid to try, he lunges to seize Max in a desperate clinging hug, as though afraid he's going to be torn away in another moment.

"Max, where the hell are we," he manages through a constricted throat, muffled against his shoulder.

[maximumcake]

"You're really here!!" Max bursts out as he wraps his own arms around Edgar with near crushing force. He's here. He's solid! It's really not a dream??

"You're... in my world." He answers with awe. "This is my bedroom."

And it's only now that he comes into full awareness that he's holding onto Edgar's bare back. Looking down, he can tell that's not the only thing that's bare. Weird...

"I don't... understand how you're here? I just left on the ferry."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Your world? How -- Max, you been gone for months, I -- I don't know how I'm here either, I din't know where the fuck I was going --"

He's trembling. It probably isn't from cold, even naked as he is.

[maximumcake]

Tears spring instantly to his eyes, and he rubs his hands up and down Edgar's back in an attempt to soothe that trembling.

"I'm sorry you had to be there without me for so long." Edgar gets another hard squeeze. "You must have been so scared on the ferry. You shouldn't have had to go through that all alone."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Fuckin awful," he mumbles, and then says "but --"

No, he's got to say it, there's no point in not saying it.

"It wasn't just me on the ferry. Erik was there. So he's got to be here now."

Unless, goes through his mind in a sudden horrible flash, and he stares up into Max's face.

[maximumcake]

Max's expression tightens with horrified understanding. "He got sent back too..." So, does that mean the Master of this house is the Erik they knew in Pumpkin Hollow? God, he really hopes so, because if not, then...

"Shit! Josiah!" Erik's second in command has eyes in every room, including this one. He'll have already noticed by now. He's the only one who won't have any clue what happened. "We need to--"

Too late.

The door lock at the top of Max's basement steps sounds the unlock tune and already he can hear the weight of someone creaking on the stairs. Max freezes in place, still with his arms wrapped around Edgar, protectively now, as if to use his own body to shield his love from harm.

Thankfully, Erik doesn't leave them guessing long. He's the first to step through Max's bedroom door. Shock flashes in his eyes, replaced just as quickly by a worried furrow of his brow. He quickly speaks to the room at large in an attempt to break the tension. "Josiah, stand down. I know this one. His name is Edgar and he will be staying with us henceforth."

Max's jaw drops open, leaving him unable to respond with more than a sob of extreme relief. Thank the fucking gods, it's really him. Maybe things will... be okay?"

[hate_gettin_older]

When Max freezes, Edgar goes still too. Whatever's happening here, if it means a fight he'll fight -- even naked as he is, he's not going to go down without one.

Erik's appearance, and reaction, leave him floundering.

"What the," he starts, "how did --"

It feels like a sick replay of last night: did you do this to me at hopeless odds with but why would you even want to, no way to make sense of it in his head. He stammers to a halt, hands clenched in the smooth sheet.

[maximumcake]

Josiah has been told to stand down, but he finds himself reluctant to relax when there is clearly something that all three of these men know that he does not. Being the one out of the loop makes his palms itch and the hair on the back of his neck raises like that of a threatened dog.

"I have never seen this man before," he says in as even a tone as he can manage. He mustn't sound like he's rebuking his Master, "How do you know him? Why is he here? With Max." Naked, in his bed.

Erik lets out a long, tired sigh. "Josiah, the answer to that is going to be very hard for you to believe, and the story is a long one. Follow me to the other room and I will explain. Let's give these two a moment to orient themselves."

Max lets out his own long sigh, this one colored in relief. He adds, "I'll be safe, Josiah. I swear, Edgar would never hurt me."

"Come," Erik says more firmly, "This way Josiah." To Edgar and Max he adds, "Is there anything urgent you want to say before we go?"

Max shakes his head, but looks to Edgar to make sure he doesn't have anything.

[hate_gettin_older]

The look Josiah is giving him makes his own hackles go up in turn. Everything about that man's posture says guard, and that's never been a good thing in Edgar's life. But the way Max seems to expect Josiah to take his assurance seriously -- and the fact that he does seem to -- is doing a lot for Edgar's estimation of him, and for the moment, with an effort, he withholds judgment.

And then Erik has to speak in that tone of command, and Edgar's hackles go up all over again.

"Pair of pants'd be favorite," he says with deliberate insolence, "if you've got any to spare around here."

[maximumcake]

Erik snorts in amusement and briefly rolls his eyes, "I'm sure we can find something your size around here. Try to have a little patience." Erik is sure he'll have to go find something in his own closet. Nothing of Max's is going to work.

Josiah can't believe what he's seeing. His Lord has just been insulted, directly, in his own home and he's... laughing it off? Worse, still, he's treating such insolence as a genuine request. What has happened? Why is his Lord suddenly unrecognizable to him. It's as if he's been body snatched. 

"I'll find some," he says sternly, but with a note of confused concern that Erik can pick up on. "If my Lord wishes?"

"Talk first," Erik says decisively. "Then we can see to the rest. I need you up to speed." On that note, the two will depart, leaving Max and Edgar alone in the room for now. 

Max turns his full attention to Edgar, his tone apologetic, "Sorry about that. Josiah is the head of security and he takes his job pretty seriously. He's the one who trained me to fight. He's my mentor, and he's kind of protective so... I'm sure he'll warm up to you soon..."

[hate_gettin_older]

"So he's, like ... looking out for you." Edgar scrubs a hand through his hair. "Stranger shows up out of fuckin nowhere, guess that'd make most people twitchy."

A bit self-consciously, he tugs the sheet closer around his waist.