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Max Jordan | Mr. Hyde ([info]tooth_breaker) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-30 01:17:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:dracula, mr. hyde

Who: Vlad and Max
What: "We need to talk"
Where: P3
When: June 20th, between 9:30 and 10 PM
Warnings: Existential crisis, sadness, and probably swears.


By the time Max left 302, his palms were decidedly sweaty and he kept licking his dry lips every several seconds. He was nervous, and not just because he had yet to come up with a solution to the "Brian is trying to figure out his fable" problem. Never before in his twenty years of existence had he told another person about what he was, and even now he wasn't sure if it was the right idea. Turning the key in the lock, he pocketed it and began to trot up the stairs. The alternative would be to not tell Vlad and try to keep this going on his own, but even he knew when to admit that something was too much.

He needed a bigger boat.

But he was out of options at this point. Jekyll and Hyde were gone, which meant that Max was alone once again without a liaison to grease the wheels. Jekyll had done a great job at keeping Brian complacent, but without that soothing voice, he'd start to obsess. Max knew that. Brian would become fixated on "Harry" and wouldn't stop until he had figured it out. Before, he had nothing to go on. He had a few awkward wake-ups and weird laundry habits. But now, there was somebody that he could use as a reference. He had a leg up on that ladder, and he would climb it. Brian wasn't an idiot, after all.

Max's footsteps thudded on the stairs as he practically raced to the top, cradling a bottle of whiskey in his left arm. This was going to suck, and he'd need a drink - or six - to get through it. Though he'd do Vlad the courtesy of not getting drunk before the big reveal.

Finally, he reached the penthouse floor, huffing and puffing as he stumbled over to P3. After taking a few moments to compose himself, he knocked sharply on the door. There was no turning back now.


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[info]nobleblood
2010-06-30 02:49 am UTC (link)
Vlad assumed that Max wanted to talk about the insanity of the past few days - which had apparently not counted as anything in the present time, as no time had passed between the time they left for the past and when they returned - and he was fully prepared to answer any questions his friend might have about the apartment building he'd unwittingly become a resident of. He knew very well what Bellum was capable of and he was still taken off guard by being sent to the past. It was another level of insanity, and he wondered just how much stranger things would get from here.

He'd been released from the hospital in early afternoon, albeit reluctantly since Helena was staying another night. At first he'd planned on just staying with her, but she insisted that he go home and rest, reminding him that she would be fine and she'd see him tomorrow. Apparently he also had to look after Home, which he'd completely forgotten about until she mentioned it. Once he'd gotten back to the building he took a shower first - which was quite the challenge considering his entire arm was immobilized so his shoulder wound wouldn't reopen - and spent the remaining hours on the couch taking painkillers and drinking ginger ale with Cain and Abel curled up on either side of him.

The sound of knocking sent the dogs into a frenzy, but Vlad managed to get them to be quiet and stay still as he struggled to his feet. In addition to the arm brace most of his body was still covered in bandages that he was supposed to change himself every few hours, along with a cream to apply to the burns. Needless to say, he was getting frustrated with the entire process and it had only been a few hours. Trying to arrange his expression into one that wasn't exhausted or irritated, he pulled open the door and stepped back. "Max. It's good to see you again-- come in."

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-06-30 09:12 am UTC (link)
Though Max hadn't been physically injured during his stay in revolutionary France, he had the expression of a different man. His face was gaunt, skin paler than usual, and his posture was uncharacteristically slumped. The weight on his mind seemed to be taking a toll on his body in a way almost as real as burns.

When the door opened, he looked up at Vlad, wishing he could smile but knowing he couldn't. "Hey," he said, looking at his arm. "Fuck...that doesn't look good." Clearly the best thing to say in this situation. "I'm glad you got out of there alive, man." He paused before reaching out and very lightly patting Vlad's uninjured shoulder. "It's really good to see you in one piece."

He stepped into the apartment, looking at the dogs with a bit of suspicion. Dogs sucked. He always felt like they were watching him, as if they knew somehow. Shuddering, he did his best to ignore them as he took a seat wherever Vlad indicated. "So. Why don't you tell me about Russia?" He knew that after he got his whole mess into the open, the conversation would be permanently derailed. Best to hear Vlad's story now.

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[info]nobleblood
2010-06-30 05:02 pm UTC (link)
Vlad hadn't expected Max to be injured, but his overall appearance was more surprising than if he would have shown up covered in blood. He'd never seen him look so physically weary, and he wondered if something had happened in France that was worse than being attacked by a pitchfork-wielding mob. Max never seemed the sort to take things too seriously, which was why the gauntness in his face worried him more than usual.

"It's more of an annoyance, really. Someone tried to stab me in the heart but missed and got my shoulder instead." Technically speaking it was Dracula who'd been attacked, but since the vampire was in his body he was the one who had to suffer for it. "I can say the same for you. The French Revolution..." He shook his head. "This building either wants us dead or wants us to get as close to it as possible."

Cain and Abel eyed the new arrival with suspicion, but on Vlad's orders they didn't move an inch. He gestured to the couch and took a seat across from him, the faintest flicker of pain crossing his expression before it was gone. Reaching for the bottle of pills, he shook one out and swallowed it before replying. "Russia... well, what can I say about Russia?" He smiled without mirth and shook his head. "At first we all nearly froze to death, and then a group of us were recruited as spies to infiltrate a dinner in honor of the Grand Duke. From there, things went downhill... there was a mob in the forest, and they believed I was Rasputin and a few of the women were my witches." He paused. "You have heard of the Romanovs, right? The last Russian royal family? It was during their time, about a year or so before they were murdered. The peasants tried to murder us with pitchforks and axes, and then we nearly burned to death when the damn forest was set on fire." Dracula had enjoyed the battle, but then again he didn't feel any of the injuries he'd sustained. "So," he said after a moment, "how was France?"

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-06-30 05:12 pm UTC (link)
Max kept a wary eye on the dogs as he sat across from Vlad, staring at them as if expecting them to charge before finally looking over at the other man. He set the bottle of whiskey down on the floor beside his chair, planning on opening it after this conversation. He felt bad that Vlad couldn't share it, but seeing him pop one of his pain pills made him feel better. Vlad was getting the good stuff, after all.

"Getting stabbed is annoying?" he asked in disbelief, laughing dryly and dragging a hand down his face. "Does anything bother you?" Obviously not. The man was a fucking tank. He had to be able to help with Brian, he was practically Superman.

The story had him listening intently, though with an expression of concern. When it concluded, he shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Shit. That's rough." And he meant it. "You deserve a medal for getting out of that. Russians are nasty, especially peasants. Little maggots with pointy sticks, that's all they are." He wrinkled his nose, huffing in disgust at the thought of it.

As he asked about France, Max's expression fell once again. Now he had to tell him. He had to commit to it, he had to voice that nasty little secret about his entire existence. Running a hand over his chin, he paused. "France was. Dirty. Hot. I scavenged for a few days before meeting some people from the building in a wine shop. Some lady got shot, I think, she was whining." Max hated whiners. "And I got sent to the desert for...fuck I don't know how long. It was night when I got back though." He sighed. "But that...that was all fine, France was...fine. It's not that that we need to talk about, it's..."

He cringed, pressing both hands to his temples. "Do you know how...people have..." He couldn't even articulate this. "They have...parts of their lives that they share, and then the parts that they manage on their own? Kind of like being Batman? Except instead of Batman...you're..." He licked his lips dryly, rocking back and forth in his seat and running his palms over his hair. "For example. You are. Vlad..." Fuck he didn't know his last name. "Vlad. You are in business. You have this nice place. And...lovely dogs." Shit, this wasn't making sense. "And then sometimes, you...do things that people shouldn't do." He paused, then made a stabbing motion towards his own chest. This was going poorly. "Right? You with me?"

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[info]nobleblood
2010-06-30 07:26 pm UTC (link)
Getting stabbed was a lot more than annoying, but he wasn't the sort of person to admit weakness or vulnerability in any form. He wasn't going to say that only having one good arm was worrisome, as it would be more difficult to defend himself, nor did he say that it would take weeks to heal and the painkillers only did so much. An annoyance was as far as he would go, so he merely laughed. "I try not to let anything bother me, no."

Vlad expected something worse, some horrific tale of near death or perhaps witnessing a mass beheading. But it didn't sound too bad - a trial to be certain, but not exactly life-threatening. His brow furrowed in confusion, but he kept silent and let Max set his own pace to talk about whatever it was that was so urgent.

He tried to follow his friend's train of thought, but the painkillers made things slightly fuzzy and he really wasn't sure what he was trying to say. "I think I am. People have... double lives, if you will. Batman has his superhero life and his normal one, while I have this part of my life and the part that only you know about. Is there... some part of your life that you need to talk about?"

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-06-30 07:34 pm UTC (link)
The question seemed to cause him physical pain. He cringed, dragging both hands down his face and balling up in his chair. Somewhere in his mind - or Brian's mind, he observed bitterly - he knew that he was being childish. But he had never admitted this to another person before. Nobody in the universe knew that Max Jordan, life of the party; Max Jordan, sorority slut banger; Max Jordan, murderer extraordinaire; didn't even exist. Not even Brian knew. It was the ultimate secret, something that only existed because one person knew. To the rest of the world, he was a dynamic psycho that happily flitted from party to party. Nobody else would wise up. Nobody else would know.

But Brian was already questioning. "Harry's" identity was the question du jour, and his internet history was filled with websites about "English Harry" or "English Henry." He was even thinking about going to that psychic woman upstairs. Though Max put no stock in such nonsense, he knew that Bellum bred a strange type of people. In the real world, psychics were bullshit. In Bellum, they might be able to tell Brian everything he wanted to know.

"Yes," he finally said, dropping his feet to the floor. His fingers were still dug into his hair, constantly touching and caressing his scalp and face. He listed to the side, leaning against the arm of the chair before sitting up again. Everything in him was moving; his entire body was in a constant state of flux. "I-I'm sorry, I've...never told anyone this before." He laughed, the sound forced and hollow. "There's a part of me, Vlad...that..." He bit on his lower lip, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing the heels of his hands into his eye sockets.

The bruise on his face had faded significantly, but it was still a ghost on his cheek, brushing butterfly kisses against his nose. He dropped his hands, heaving a dry wheeze, before looking at the other man. "So I guess...I'll say it this way." He looked almost close to tears as he took a huge breath. "While I was in France, I heard my fable. Story. Tale. Whatever. And." Pausing, he pressed his hands against his knees, pushing on the joints as he stared intently at Vlad, resolved to not break eye contact. "I'm Mr. Hyde."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-06-30 08:30 pm UTC (link)
Vlad had gone from being fairly sure he knew what to expect to having absolutely no idea what Max was going to say. It wasn't about France, yet something about being brought to the past must have prompted him to feel the need to confess in the first place. Did it have something to do with the fables, perhaps? If he could hear Dracula, then Max must have been able to hear his... but how bad could it be? Whatever it was, it was bothering him far more than anything he'd ever seen before.

It was still confusing, though. Max had committed murder - what secret could possibly be worse than that? Judging from his body language, the struggle was genuine rather than faked. Feeling uncomfortably like he was dealing with a particularly resilient child, Vlad leaned forward slightly with one hand on his chin, offering silent encouragement.

At first it still didn't click, and his expression was carefully blank as he tried to work it out. "Mr. Hyde?" Well, it wasn't exactly a good fable, but could have been worse. "What does that--" He cut himself off abruptly, understanding flaring briefly in his eyes. Mr. Hyde was the creation of Dr. Jekyll, wasn't he? So if Max was Mr. Hyde... that meant there had to be a Dr. Jekyll. The implications left him with a creeping feeling of dread, even as he tried to hope that maybe it wasn't what he thought. "If you are Mr. Hyde... then who is Dr. Jekyll?" The question was asked slowly, and honestly he almost didn't want to know the answer.

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-06-30 08:42 pm UTC (link)
This was pathetic. He was pathetic. Max's eyes burned as he ran his hands over them, digging his heels into the sockets as if that would reverse everything he was feeling. His breaths were fast and ragged as he finally looked at Vlad, expression pained. It was like his entire existence had been crushed into dust. Knowing that he was a creation of a man's mind was one thing, but telling somebody else? Confiding in another that he only existed because somebody else willed him to? That was the worst feeling in the world.

It was like confronting his own very real mortality, and it was beyond the fact that he could die some day. Looking at Vlad, he truly came to grasp the possibility that Brian could learn of him and then simply will him to cease existing. If his mind truly no longer needed Max, Max would disappear. It was death with no promise of an afterlife. Contrary to what most people thought of a peerless psychopath, Max believed in God. He believed that his victims went to the afterlife, and that eventually, the rest of the world would, too.

But what of him? He had accepted that some people were without redemption. He was one of them. But what if he tried? What if he hoped and prayed and fought for his own existence? If he just had a little help, if he got one person on his side, maybe he could continue to exist.

The question of Dr. Jekyll made him cringe, straightening up as best he could. "Brian Jenkins," he said. "Brian Jenkins in 302. You talked to him once, I saw on the forum." His voice was dull and defeated, laden with despair. "When he was ten, he...saw something." Max had killed eight people and yet thinking of that rape made his guts turn into hot coals. "It...it was bad. He couldn't handle it. He tried to forget. His brain wanted him to forget. But as he grew up, he started having nightmares. Panic attacks. Finally, when he graduated college...I showed up." He looked from his shoes to Vlad, eyes threatening red. "I took on the memory. I took on all his angst and his fear and his hate. I'm his landfill." His voice was full of disgust, not for Brian, but for himself. Biting on his fist, he paused, looking away before his gaze returned to Vlad. "He doesn't know. But he heard Jekyll in France and...he doesn't know he's Jekyll, but he knows that he's hiding something. It's only a matter of time before he figures it out..."

His voice trailed into a pathetic whine as he hunched forward, cupping his face in his hands as his shoulders sagged. He stayed that way for a few moments before looking up at Vlad. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...I don't exist...but I'm afraid that I might disappear."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-01 02:47 am UTC (link)
The longer Max's silence lasted, the more his panic began to outweigh that feeble shred of hope that this wasn't what he thought it was. 'Who is Dr. Jekyll' didn't sound like a very complicated question, but the physical difficulty displayed in forming a response said more than any words could. Vlad couldn't say that he knew Max well by any stretch of the imagination, considering they'd only met once in the past before now, but what they'd done had left them as more than just acquaintance. For there to be a Dr. Jekyll, there would have to be another... what? Another personality? Was Max nothing more than a delusion created by a crazy man? He wanted to take another handful of painkillers, but they would only make him woozy and he needed to be able to think clearly.

"Brian Jenkins in 302," he repeated, voice hollow. Slowly the puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place - why they could only meet after a certain time, why he'd never seen Max on the forums. Yet there were still things that didn't make sense, and he tried to listen to his friend's explanation before letting his thoughts free. How was he supposed to believe that the man sitting across from him didn't exist when he was right there? Every conversation they'd had, what they'd done together... and he was just a creation of a scared little boy? Ever since he'd moved into Bellum Vlad had learned to believe the impossible, but this was different. This had nothing to do with the building.

He took a deep breath, ignoring the sharp pain in his lungs as he tried to sort out what he'd just heard as rationally as possible. "You... You come out after dark, then? While Brian is asleep?" He was trying to understand, but all he could think of was multiple personality disorder and that he was talking to what was essentially another persona created by a traumatized man. But thinking of it like that made Max seem like some kind of imaginary friend instead of an actual person, and he didn't like that. The point was that he existed because he was talking to him right now. "I cannot say I understand all of this," he said finally, running a hand across his forehead. "But... do you really think Brian can get rid of you? Is there something you can do to make yourself... more permanent?"

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-01 11:55 am UTC (link)
A part of Max wanted to run. He had never felt this vulnerable in his twenty years of existence. His gaze was glued to Vlad, as if expecting something terrible. He had, essentially, revealed his entire existence to the man. It was a raw, naked feeling, like he had been sliced down the middle so that the world could view his tender organs. Subconsciously, he crossed his arms over his stomach, hunching forward slightly as he shifted and fidgeted in his seat.

At Vlad's questions, he nodded. "Yeah. When he goes to sleep, I come out. So right now, he's...sleeping, really." Max didn't understand how it worked. "And then when I sleep, he wakes up. But I think there's sometimes a few hours where we're both out...I'm not sure." Thinking about the specifics of this arrangement was a nice little vacation from the reality of the situation, though he knew it was a pathetic grasp at distance.

"I don't expect you to get it," he said weakly, looking down at his shoes with a crestfallen look on his face. "That...that wouldn't be fair of me." Even in his selfish fits, Max was capable of understanding that this wasn't Vlad's problem. Vlad had his own problems, obviously. But it felt almost good in a sick way to confide in somebody about this. If just one person knew about him, knew what had happened and knew that he existed, then maybe when he eventually disappeared, he'd live on in memory.

At his final questions, Max scrunched up his face. "I'm like...I'm like crutches, after you break your leg. Right now, he needs me to function. He can lean on me, even if he doesn't know it. Any urges he has, any anger, I take that and help him control it. The memories, them too. But someday..." He faltered, pressing both fingers to his lips for a moment as if he could stop the words from coming out. "If he finds out...and he can handle all of this...then he won't need me anymore." The room seemed to be closing in as he scrunched down, arms crossed on his lap. "And when you don't need crutches anymore...you get rid of them."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-01 05:09 pm UTC (link)
It didn't take long for Vlad to decide that he simply couldn't think of Max as a delusion or anything other than a human being, just as real as anyone else who lived in the building. It was still strange to think that there was someone else inside that body, a consciousness that wasn't aware of anything right now, but Brian's need for him had brought him into existence, and if he had a distinct personality then how could he be fake? He wasn't hallucinating this conversation, nor had he imagined the murder they'd committed together. This was just another problem, and he was not the sort of man to back down in the face of a challenge.

"No." That one single word was said with as much conviction as he could muster past the medicated haze. He didn't know this Brian Jenkins, which meant it was very easy to forget that he was a human being who deserved to know that he had another person taking control at times. Right now he was on Max's side, and he could worry about Brian later. "Brian has no idea you exist yet, and we are going to make sure it takes him as long as possible to find out that you do. That will give us more time to figure out a way to keep your around once he does find out." He didn't know much about psychology or anything like that, but if Max could become the more dominant personality, gain the upper hand... "You are not some kind of... of imaginary friend. You have me, and somehow we will find a way to keep you here and in existence."

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-01 07:18 pm UTC (link)
Though Max knew it wasn't the definitive source of answers, Vlad's "no" made him feel strangely better. It was said with conviction, with power. If Vlad said no to something, you'd better believe that it was getting chucked out the window while on fire. Despite the situation, he cracked a wan smile. He was right. Brian was still ignorant. And as long as he remained that way, things would be fine.

Vlad's reassurance that Max wasn't just some figment of an insane man's imagination brought a real smile to his face. "Thanks, Vlad," he said genuinely. "If we can just keep him in the dark. I just..." He paused, rubbing his chin. "If he finds out about me. If he learns what I've done?" He went quiet, staring at his shoes. "I don't know what would happen." Sighing, he looked up at his one and only friend. "But I promise you. Whatever happens. He will know nothing about you. I give you my word. I don't think he'd ever be able to, I mean...knowing about me would be bad enough, but opening me up? He couldn't handle it." He paused. Nobody could, really.

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-02 07:14 am UTC (link)
He realized that this wasn't the kind of problem that could be solved overnight, or even in a few days, but despite the lethargic effect of his medication plans were already starting to take form in his mind. The first thing they had to do was delay Brian's self-discovery, even though he would have more luck with that than Max would. Getting too close to Brian would be dangerous, so he'd have to be careful and play his cards right.

Vlad nodded, feeling a faint stab of empathy somewhere beneath his exhaustion. His own problems were nothing compared to this. "He created you, and by doing so made you real - he has no right to get rid of you now." The fact that Max knew more about him than most people hadn't occurred to him until he mentioned it, and he prospect of Brian somehow accessing his memories made him freeze. That would be the proof Aiden needed, not to mention his ultimate downfall. "Thank you, Max. If he ever found out about what we did..." He trailed off, shaking his head. There was no way he was going to let that happen. "But it will not get that far. Do you know what Brian plans on doing next? Is there anyone he wants to talk to about this fable business?"

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-02 08:19 am UTC (link)
As Vlad speculated about Brian finding out about their little playdate, Max shook his head. "He won't," he said definitively. "I..." It was a heroic gesture, a big show of bravado, but he halted before speaking. "I'll disappear before I let that happen." Though the words were said with conviction, his voice was thin, clearly not the big brave best friend hero to save the day. It was a nice gesture, and really, Vlad deserved to get out of this unscathed the most because he was real. But it was hard to come to terms with the idea that if that were to happen, Max would essentially die.

They had only been back a day, and Brian had spent that day largely putting his thoughts in order. He'd gone grocery shopping, dawdled in the park, and simply tried to understand the entire time traveling nightmare. "A few weeks ago, some chick..." He paused, stroking his chin. "On the eleventh floor, I think. She says she's psychic? He talked to her about maybe getting a read before, and now...it's very possible he'll contact her again." He sighed. "Please tell me she's a con artist that knows nothing."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-02 07:28 pm UTC (link)
To sacrifice your own existence to save your friend was a grand gesture, and the very fact that Max offered it in the first place meant a great deal. If things got out of his control and it came down to a bottom-line decision like that, then it really was a question of Max ceasing to exist or his own life being destroyed. He'd have to leave for good, and even though he knew he wouldn't be living in Bellum forever, if he was going to leave then he wanted to do it on his own terms. "You have no idea how much I appreciate the sentiment, but I swear that I will do everything possible to make sure the situation never gets that far."

Vlad sighed heavily at the mention of a 'psychic chick on the eleventh floor'. "Esme. I wish I could tell you she knows nothing, but unfortunately she is as genuine as a psychic can be. She and I... do not get along very well." That was an understatement, considering the fact that she'd not only threatened to kill him but Helena as well. "She lived here before, but left for a few months because she literally became insane. Brian might not believe whatever she says, and her... predictions or whatnot are not always specific."

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-02 07:49 pm UTC (link)
Vlad's reassurance was quite reassuring. "Thanks," he muttered in response. But really, he was prepared for the worst. Though he loved life, there was something in him that knew how transient he was. He was a shield for Brian, something to keep him safe. Eventually, he'd run out his usefulness, and then what? Something in him had known his time would come up, but now that he had a friend and had spent twenty years in existence, he didn't want to give that up. He could think for himself. For all intents and purposes, he was a human being. But he was restricted in this fucking time share situation.

When Vlad mentioned that he and Esme didn't get along, Max perked up. "Oh, that's simple then!" he said, actually feeling better about this whole thing. "If she's a dumb bitch who's crazy - nobody cares about crazy people - we can just kill her!" He straightened up, wondering why he had ever thought he was done for. This was so simple! "Yeah, you know what? I can make the appointment with her in Brian's name. Show up at her door, and halfway through, gag 'n bag. Take her to the cemetery. It'll be like old times!"

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-03 01:05 am UTC (link)
Maybe it was the painkillers, or maybe it had something to do with the almost supernatural aspects of the building - whatever it was, his train of thought began to drift towards the realm of 'finding Max a separate body' seemingly of its own accord. One option was making sure the situation stayed like this, with Max and Brian sharing one body, while another was getting Max to become dominant. But was separating the two somehow really far-fetched? What if they could find a way to make him a completely separate being? Vlad would have to do some research on the subject first.

Max's sudden cheerfulness made him laugh at the swiftness in his mood change. He made murdering Esme sound so easy, and if only it really was. "If it were that easy, Max, I would have killed her a long time ago. Unfortunately there are people here who would miss her, not to mention the fact that I would be the prime suspect in her disappearance. Everyone here knows that there is no love lost between the two of us." He waved a careless hand. "It's a long story, but she was involved with a man named Emil a while ago. It was no secret that we wanted each other dead, and when he drowned she blamed it on me. As much as I wish I could take credit for it, it really was an accident." No, killing her was unfortunately not an option. "Is there any way you can get him to cancel the appointment, or make him believe that visiting a psychic is a waste of time?"

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-03 10:41 pm UTC (link)
Just as quickly as he lifted up, Max slumped when Vlad killed the murder plot. "Damn," he mumbled, starting to pout like a child. As he explained the story, he snorted. "Really? God, she is crazy, isn't she? Whiny, too. I hate whiners. If this Emil guy died, he died. You can't do anything about it, and her bitching and moaning and acting like a psycho whore won't do a damn thing about it." Really, people were just silly when it came to death.

He shook his head as Vlad asked about influencing him. "We're in the same body, but there's a one-way mirror between us. I know what he does, I know what he thinks, but I can't actively participate. He's completely unaware. If I was able to influence him, I'd be breaking the barrier." He frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "And I can't do that."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-04 02:11 am UTC (link)
Esme being out of the picture would make his life a lot easier, although he wasn't as worried about her as he once was. There had always been rumors of his dark past, but there was never any substantial evidence and not even visions and tarot cards could provide that. Besides, any accusations she made would just be attributed to the fact that she'd been involved with Emil - who was luckily considered to be just as crazy as she was. Vlad may not have been overly popular, but at least no one thought he was unstable and delusional. "You have no idea. A lot of these people here have no idea how to let go of the past and move on." Like Aiden - avenging his sister's death wouldn't change the fact that she was still dead. What good would it do? If he'd made his life entirely about hunting the murderer down, then afterward he might as well just kill himself, since there would be nothing but emptiness left for him anyway. "Honestly, even now she still thinks she can intimidate me. It's rather sad."

Well, that idea wasn't going to work. "I see. Never mind, then." He was silent for a moment, trying to think. "For the time being, you should be careful while you have control. The last thing we need is for him to become even more suspicious. That being said, is there anyone else in the building besides me who knows you? Or does everyone else just know Brian?"

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-04 09:32 pm UTC (link)
The mention of Esme thinking she could intimidate Vlad the Superhero made Max laugh genuinely, lifting his spirits from the pit of despair they had fallen to. "Really?" he asked behind a snigger. "What a dumbass!" Slapping his knee, he shook his head. "Oh man. Well. I guess everybody here thinks that the fact they live in a psycho-house gives them the right to bitch and whine about every little detail of their miserable lives."

As Vlad asked about other people who knew him, Max shook his head. "Nope. In France, I pretended to be him whenever I was out. That made it kind of awkward when "he" did things with people and then didn't remember the next day, but hey." He shrugged. "Gotta do what you gotta do. Jekyll and Hyde were surprisingly helpful, actually. See they...they are each other, in a way Brian and I aren't. What Jekyll sees, Hyde sees. In a way. It's weird. Anyway, Jekyll helped keep Brian calm and explained away a few things to keep him from getting too suspicious. I kinda miss them. Even though Hyde was a fucking idiot."

Sighing, he ran a hand over his hair. "And that's it. I don't think anybody suspected anything, and nobody else-" Suddenly, a realization hit him like an eight ton truck. Eyes wide, he dropped his hand into his lap and jerked to the side, flailing both arms out to the side. "FUCK!" Groaning, he buried his face in his hands. "I totally forgot about Blonde Girl." He still didn't remember her name. "Fuuuuuuck." He sighed, looking up at Vlad with a tired expression. "This fucking building manages to bring back the worst parts of your life to kick you in the ass, doesn't it?"

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-05 06:32 am UTC (link)
He couldn't help but smile at Max's incredulity, choosing not to mention the fact that there was a time - only one - when he did take on of her threats seriously. But she'd been crazy then, and he honestly believed that she would have killed Helena if he hadn't been able to convince her otherwise. Now, however, Esme was nothing more than an annoyance. "They do tend to complain quite a bit."

Vlad knew a bit about Jekyll and Hyde, but he hadn't read the novel in a while and wasn't quite sure of the specifics. "I doubt that people would ask too many questions if Brian could not remember certain things. Amnesia is not the strangest thing that's happened here. At least neither of them revealed who they really were." Still, on the next full moon either Brian or Max would become their fable - and would likely remember it the next day. "On the full moon, people... become their fables. But since it happens after sunset, would you become Hyde?"

He raised his eyebrows, since 'blonde girl' was a very broad statement to make in a building where a number of the female residents had blonde hair. Who could have possibly recognized him? "Does this 'blonde girl' have a name?" If only Max knew about what parts of his past the building had brought back. "Bellum does have a knack for doing that. You can move halfway across the world to get away from something, yet it still manages to find you here." He frowned. "It's really quite annoying."

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-05 09:31 am UTC (link)
"Yeah, they were a little weirded out but never pushed it." He sighed. But "magic amnesia" would only go so far. At least Brian had been diagnosed as a sleepwalker - if he really got in hot water, that was an easy way out. But still, he'd have to play his cards right, because nothing in this life was easy. "And probably not," he replied to Vlad's question. "I come out when Brian falls asleep. Unless he falls asleep before sunset, he's the one changing."

The question about Blonde Girl made him groan. "Does it really?" He sighed, digging his nails into the sides of his head. "Fuck. See, this is why you never, ever leave them alive." He pointed a finger at Vlad. "This is why I always kill them. I don't know why I didn't. I. Ugh!" After a bit more whining and fussing, he finally settled into using real English words.

"I'm sure Blonde Girl has a name, but I don't know it." Twisting his fingers around one another, he tried to organize the story in his head. "We met a few years ago, when Brian was having...a few issues with his wife." Issues Max had exacerbated, but Vlad didn't need to know that. "So he was pissed off, so I was pissed off. So I was cruising bars, and I met this little blonde girl. Pretty, in a broken way. She was always banged up, bruised up, looked like somebody had starved her and thrown her in a cage. She had some problem at home, I...don't remember anymore."

He scratched his head. "So we met up for about a month. We'd talk, go to bars, that kinda thing. Then one day, I..." He started to trail off for a moment, voice growing vague. "I just looked at her and felt...something. Something inside me that just couldn't stay quiet anymore. I balled up my fist and just..." He swung a fist through the air, catching it in his other hand with a sharp "smack" sound. "Bam. And once I started, I couldn't stop. I just...kept hitting her and hitting her and hitting her until finally I turned and ran before somebody saw."

Sighing, he sank to rest his chin in his hands. "So a week or so after Brian moves in here, I'm in the lobby, at the mailboxes. And this blonde chick shows up. She recognizes me. And she's yelling, and all "girl power," and "why did you do this to me," blah blah blah. Then? She starts hitting me." Most men would be ashamed of admitting that they had been beaten up by a girl. To Max, the shame was the same as if it had been a man. Why? Because he shouldn't have to take that shit from anyone. "She went to town. And all I could think of was trying to protect this body so Brian wouldn't wake up all fucked up."

With a groan, he gestured to the bruise on his left cheek. It was very faint now, nearly healed, but its ghost was still present. "See that? Blonde girl. This entire body is just covered. Most of them are healed now, but...when he woke up, let's say he wasn't happy." Pinching the bridge of his nose, he leaned against the arm of the chair. "She doesn't know about Brian, obviously, and they haven't run into each other yet."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-05 08:43 pm UTC (link)
"That could be a problem." Vlad leaned forward, ignoring the sharp stab of pain that traveled down the length of his arm. "If Brian turns into Jekyll, then he will remember it come sunrise. Still, that might not mean that he would automatically figure things out... he could think that it's a pre-Hyde Jekyll or something like that." The bottom line was that Brian would know who his tale was once he transformed, and there was nothing either of them could to do stop it. Not even he had the power to halt the change, and there probably wasn't much Dracula could do either.

Most people would have reacted with horror and outrage to Max's story, but not him. He listened calmly, barely blinking as he described how he beat the broken little blonde girl who was probably just as innocent and unsuspecting as his victims had been. It was never a matter of them deserving it or not; he wasn't deluded enough to think that the women he killed deserved to die. He wasn't some vigilante with skewed morals, instead he was a predator - killing without discrimination, acting on instinct and impulse to satisfy a different sort of hunger.

He would never have laughed, even if the thought of a girl beating his friend up might have been amusing under different circumstances. Instead he just shook his head, not in scorn but almost weary resignation that people could be so trite. "Foolish girl. She probably thinks she was 'empowering' herself or something like that. Have you seen or heard from her since?" If she met Brian, then things could get complicated very quickly. "Hopefully she will never meet Brian, but if she does... well, do you really think she would figure it out? She would probably think it was you pretending not to know her or something like that." The building was strange, yes, but people weren't that smart here. It took them longer than it should to realize some things.

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-06 11:21 am UTC (link)
They remembered the next day? Fuck. Groaning, Max pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "Maybe," he muttered. "Jekyll seems to be pretty smart. He handled Brian well back in France, giving him just enough information to keep him happy without giving away too smart. I started reading the book after we got back." Scowling, he scrubbed his knuckles over his jaw. "This fucking building is making me read. Can't fucking believe it." Sighing, he relaxed slightly. "I'm not too far along, but so far Jekyll's happy with Hyde. So he might try to lead Brian in that direction, thinking it's before Hyde and all."

Vlad's assessment of Blonde Girl's attack on him made Max snort. Of course she thought she was "empowering" herself. And he wouldn't deny her the right to revenge. But it was more than a little retarded. As Vlad asked about any further meetings, he shook his head. "No. Which is lucky, but I'm sure my luck will run out soon." It already had started.

The question of whether she'd figure it out or not made Max shake his head. "No," he said firmly. "What we are...it's unique. Even for MPD, it's different. Usually there are more "others," with one being more dominant. I've fooled at least half a dozen doctors at this point. They think he's a sleepwalker." Max grinned, clearly proud of himself. "Blonde Girl won't be the one to bust me."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-06 05:19 pm UTC (link)
"Well, if I can remember correctly, Jekyll was an intelligent man... perhaps too much so." After all, he'd created Hyde, and that hadn't exactly ended well. Vlad wondered if Max knew how the book ended - with Jekyll killing himself to stop Hyde - but if not, he didn't want to be the one to tell him. Besides, Dracula was killed at the end of his story and yet here he was, and the first Van Helsing had died. Clearly the usual plots weren't being followed in the building's version of things.

"Even if you do run into her again, will she really be a problem?" He raised his eyebrows. Of course seeing her the first time would have been unexpected, and she had the advantage of taking him by surprise, but he didn't think Max would let some girl dictate what he did and didn't do. "She is probably the least of your problems right now."

He didn't have much faith in doctors, especially psychiatrists, but it was still fairly impressive that none of them had managed to find out about Max. "Impressive," he commented, seeing no reason to keep that particular observation to himself. "You know I'm not the kind of man who gives his word idly, but I promise you that if Brian does find out about you, he will fail if he tries to get rid of you. We will figure something out."

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-07 10:51 am UTC (link)
What was too intelligent? Mad science? Max knew that Jekyll was something of a mad scientist, but that wasn't automatically bad, was it? Madness could be helpful - look at him, the poster child - and science was good for everybody. But he didn't question this. Though Max wasn't an idiot, he knew he wasn't intelligent. Not the way that Brian was, and certainly not the way that Vlad was. So he didn't interject on the matter.

Vlad was right. Blonde Girl wasn't a huge problem, but if she ran into Brian, she could be. She was persistent and obnoxious, and didn't seem to know when to back the fuck off. If she was confused by Brian, and wanted to pursue bothering him, it could end badly. "Yeah, probably," he muttered, scratching at his head. "I just don't want her bugging Brian. All I need is somebody knowing about me going up to him about it, you know? It's weird."

Being told that his evasion was impressive made Max beam a bit. It was, wasn't it? He was basically James Bond in terms of how sneaky he could be. But James Bond worked alone, and Max couldn't anymore. At Vlad's promise, he paused, expression sliding through a thousand different faces before settling into one of gratitude. "Thanks," he said with a nod. "It's...hard. The brain is all fucked up, even when it isn't. Everything is...a big jumbled mess, and it's hard to know what's going to happen." Frowning, he leaned against the arm of his chair. "But I know I don't want to disappear. And that's something, right?"

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-09 03:42 am UTC (link)
Vlad nodded thoughtfully. "We will have to keep an eye on her, I suppose, which will be much easier once we find out who she is. I'll do my best to see what I can find out." Rosalie was the only 'blonde girl' he knew, but he was sure that she couldn't be the one Max was talking about. If she was, well, he'd have to make sure she was kept safe while making sure she didn't do anything to jeopardize Max's situation at the same time. He liked Rosalie, and he wouldn't hurt her if there were other options.

The human mind was a complex thing, and despite everything he knew, psychology had never been something he actively pursued. "It's a start, Max. Your determination to remain is a key factor in finding a solution, otherwise it would be a lost cause from the start. If your resolve happens to be stronger than Brian's, well, it's an added advantage."

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-09 09:31 am UTC (link)
Though Max trusted that Vlad wanted to help, and would do an amazing job, he knew that the other man didn't get it. Nobody could. It was impossible for a normal person to understand what it was like to be a fabrication, especially one that was made for the sole purpose of protection. As much as Max wanted to be his own person, the thought of hurting Brian made him sick. If only there was a way for both of them to exist simultaneously. Of course, he wasn't naive enough to believe in a happy ending.

Monsters never got happy endings.

"Yeah," he said weakly. "Yeah, it might be." He was like a rabid dog realizing that it was doomed to die. Picking up the bottle of whiskey he had brought, he looked down at it before glancing over at Vlad. "I, uh...should probably let you rest," he said, gesturing to Vlad's shoulder. "With your burns and all."

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[info]nobleblood
2010-07-10 12:57 am UTC (link)
He could tell that his attempts at reassurances weren't going over as well as he would have liked, but there was nothing more he could say. Even in Bellum terms the idea of a fabrication taking on a life of its own was something completely foreign and he could only try to understand to a certain extent. Still, if there was anything out there that could help in books or even on the internet, Vlad would do his best to find it.

Instead of insisting that Max stay, he simply nodded. There wasn't much else that could be said and the painkillers were making him want to sleep. "Perhaps that might be best. You should get some rest too... try to relax for a bit before we start trying to figure this out."

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[info]tooth_breaker
2010-07-10 01:04 am UTC (link)
"Yeah," he said lightly, nodding. He supposed it'd be pointless to reveal that he never dreamed. And as far as he knew, dreams were a part of active sleep. It wasn't that he didn't remember them - he didn't have them. Period. And really, when he was out, their brainwaves suggested that Brian really was asleep. So technically, he was resting now. But that was all science mumbo-jumbo. Too technical for him.

"Sleep well, Vlad," he said as he paused by the door, gripping his bottle of whiskey. "I..." He paused, expression defeated. "Thanks. For...you know." Sighing heavily, he opened the door, still facing him. "Hope you feel better." With that, he left the penthouse and closed the door behind him.

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