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!"