sweetchaos (sweetchaos) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-11-07 03:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, #may 2018, aidan, aya, knox, max, nate, shayna mae |
Who: Knox & Max, then Nate, Aidan, Aya & Shayna Mae
Where: Near Main Street & O'Reilly home in the woods
When: Mid May
Right before he had fallen asleep, Max had been holding Greer's hand. That was about all he remembered when he woke up and couldn't feel her next to him anymore. It was darker in the room than normally and the physical discomfort he was so used to was still there so it took him a few moments to realize his environment wasn't the same. Beyond just being a completely different room from his usual space in Juniper, it wasn't coated in stuff that looked like a biohazard. The only thing in there that was filthy and coated in wrongness was him. He was afraid, that was the first thing he knew for sure when he woke up and while that feeling wasn't new it now came with a sense of disorientation he didn't know how to react to. He slowly got to his feet, his body sore and tired and his stomach rioting with a mix of nausea and hunger. He hadn't felt hunger in a long time so that alone was alarming and he clutched his stomach as he moved as quietly as he could toward the nearest door.
This place was weird, the lights were so dim and there were so many weird shadows, Max was having a hard time figuring out just what it was all supposed to be. He followed the wall until he found another door but that one was locked and he couldn't find any way to open it. Peering out through the glass he could see some lit up signs and light posts but he wasn't making much sense of that either. He had to get out of there, that was all he knew but when he moved away from that door and onto the floor a loud ringing suddenly started up and he covered his ears as he ran into the room he'd woken up in and slammed the door behind him. It was an alarm, he was pretty sure, which meant someone would come and for some reason that was terrifying instead of soothing. Someone would come or something would come. He was so fucked either way.
He ended up breaking the window in the smaller room with a chair leg, sweeping all the glass aside before he climbed out and stumbled out into the street, half running and half stumbling past quaint little stores and signs. Antiques, clothing, cafes. It was all so familiar but at the same time not at all. It was all so clean. He finally found a gap between two buildings and darted through there, watching in horror as blue lights lit up the street behind him. None of this was good and where the fuck was Greer! Where was anyone he knew? He ran further, not wanting to be caught but at some point his body decided that there was no way he was gonna keep moving without eating something. He crumbled behind a building, curling in on himself as he struggled to catch his breath. "You're okay," he whispered, even if he wasn't. Maybe he could convince himself regardless. "They didn't get you. You're okay." It felt weird to be so hungry that it made him want to throw up and all this clean air was making his skin itch, as if he was just realizing how filthy he was now that everything around him wasn't as well.
Knox was awake and outside when something fundamental inside of him shifted. It wasn’t the first time, but instead of a sudden absence appearing, like someone removing a piece of him with an ice cream scoop, it was the opposite. A sense of Max burst through his being, and Knox’s head jerked up from where he’d been examining a dead animal carcass on the O’Reilly property. He looked around with alarm and a jolt of hope, as if the man would appear out of thin air somewhere around him. But Knox knew that wasn’t right, in spite of the lightning bolt re-entrance to their world, Max wasn't that close. He could feel that now. It was incredible to feel anything from their lost sheep though, and Knox tried to fend off the rush of emotion that came with it. Max was alive, and he was back.
He was also near-starving and terrified, Knox could feel that too now. That was what really set him into motion. He shifted into his owl form and took to the sky as quickly as he could, following the invisible magical line that kept him tethered to the O’Reilly family. As he was halfway to town he realized he should have alerted Shayna Mae, but Max’s needs were urgent, and it was Knox’s instinct to go help him. Too late now.
He perched on the edge of a building nearby when he finally reached him, peering down. Max’s glow wasn’t visible, but Knox could still feel it, drawing him in. The poor thing was curled up and miserable and scared, so Knox fluttered down to the corner of the building and took on his human form again before he walked around it. “Max?” he said, slowly moving in closer.
The sound of his own name shouldn't have terrified him but it did. He didn't hear Knox coming and he didn't recognize him so the simple word made his heart jolt all over again. There was an urge to run again but he was exhausted and despite being startled, he recognized that a human was better than one of those slithering things even if he didn't remember the man from Juniper. Max hadn't exactly felt small despite his awful physical condition but that feeling was added to the bundle of emotions as he looked up at the man towering over him. He knows my name he thought in a concentrated effort to soothe himself but Max didn't know his name so it didn't help much. "Who are you?" he asked, his muscles aching with the effort to not get up and go, aching in general because he'd been through too much already.
Knox could feel the fear and confusion radiating off of Max. He was disoriented and lost, perhaps his return had been as abrupt as it had felt to the familiar. Explaining who he was would likely be challenging, unfortunately. Aware of his stature, Knox crouched down where he was standing, a few feet away from his charge. “I’m Knox,” he said gently. “You’ve known me most of your life ... I’m part of your family. You don’t remember?” The question was a soft one, just in case the answer was No. Knox could tell he was all mixed up, and he didn’t want to add to his distress.
Family. Of course he had family but why couldn't he remember them? Max frowned softly as he tried to think of anyone who he might call family and there she was, a slightly blurry memory of his mother. He tried to connect that memory to the man crouching in front of him but there was nothing there. For all Max knew this man was lying to him but why? He had kind eyes and he was keeping a nice distance so Max wanted to believe him despite that undercurrent of instinct telling him to trust no one. It didn't make much sense how he'd appeared here and minutes later Knox had found him but that was just one more item on a long list of things that didn't make sense. "Why are you here?" he asked anyway. "How... How are you here?" Maybe this was a dream, that would make more sense. It just felt so real.
Of course he would ask questions that Knox didn’t have any easy answers too. He should’ve anticipated that, he supposed. He just hadn’t come up with good explanations yet. Knox squinched up one side of his face and chuckled a bit. “I’m here to help you,” he said first. “The ‘how’ is a little more ... Just say I’m very connected to your family, and I felt it when you came back. I can travel pretty fast. We’ve been missin’ you for months, Max. I’m so happy to see you alive.” He gave Max a crooked grin, because that part was the plain and easy truth. Knox was so relieved to see him, even if Max didn’t know who he was and he looked like he’d been dragged through the sewer. “You been gone quite a while, your head’s probably just a little scrambled.”
He seemed so genuine and Max felt so tired, he couldn't bring himself to be distrustful of him. Maybe this wasn't even real, maybe he was dying and Knox was some weird otherworldly entity here to guide him across... Whatever the fuck it was. Max wasn't religious so he didn't really buy into that and this didn't feel like a dream at all. He could read the signs around him and his body hurt so badly it should have woken him up. Not like a dream at all. "My everything's a little scrambled," he admitted quietly. "Do you know where Greer is?" He looked around the dark alley he was sitting in, a chill going through him. It was colder here than he was used to and it had apparently rained recently so he was gradually feeling more and more miserable. "Hell, where is this anyway?"
Knox wanted so badly to gather Max into his arms and give him a big bear hug, he looked so small and hurt and unhappy. That would come in time, hopefully. For now he had to figure out how to get Max back home. In his rush to get to him, he’d kind of forgotten that Max couldn’t shift and fly like he could, and he hadn’t brought a vehicle. “This is Point Pleasant,” Knox told him patiently. “You live here. Most of it’s nicer than this.” He glanced around them and smirked a touch. “Well, really you live outside of town, in a house with your brother and sister and dad and me ... but this is the closest town to us. As for Greer ... I don’t know where she is, no. Was she with you, where you came from? You remember her?” Knox knew who Greer was, they’d met through Zania Castell, and he knew she’d been one of the missing, he just found it interesting that Max seemed to remember her and nobody else.
Max remembered the last day, or was it days ago? He remembered a day and that day involved Greer. They'd been afraid, he wasn't sure why but he thought maybe people had gone missing. Were they here now? "I was holding her hand," he muttered more to himself than to Knox as he tried to get those foggy memories to take proper shape. He remembered Greer, he remembered her hand but her face was like a blank slate and it was all so damn uncomfortable. "Then I woke up in the room and she was gone and... I was here." He scratched at his beard and cringed in on himself at the touch. Knox looked so clean. It was easier to ignore how filthy he was when everything and everyone around him was equally filthy but now he just felt like some sewer monster that had crawled up on the surface and probably deserved to crawl back down. "There are no monsters here?"
So it was definitely an abrupt transition. Knox’s heart went out to him -- every member of the family always had his heart, but he tended to feel the most protective over Max, for magical reasons. It was too bad this had happened to the only non-witch among them. “We can find out if she’s come back too,” he told Max, to hopefully ease his worry. There was no promise that Greer had returned, but they at least knew who to start asking. “We know some people who know her. As for monsters ...” Knox hesitated a bit, his mouth twisting to one side. He was bound to honesty to his family, so he couldn’t exactly say no. “There are none that will do you harm tonight, I can promise you that. And our home is well guarded.” Still doing everything soft and gentle, Knox offered out his hand. “Will you come with me? We can get you fed and cleaned up and you can rest safely.”
Max thought about it before answering but not for terribly long. Getting clean and fed was too good of an offer to turn down and if Knox meant him harm it'd be easy for him to drag him wherever he wanted anyway. He was obviously stronger and even if Max thought he could hold his own, tonight was a miserable exemption. He nodded, though the thought of meeting family he knew nothing about was making his stomach riot with more than just hunger. "Tell me about my family?" he asked as he hesitantly took Knox's hand and accepted his help to get to his feet. "I remember my mom but she's dead, isn't she." He thought he caught a glimpse of his father's memory, a man weeping, it was so old though, so far away it didn't feel particularly pertinent.
Knox stood up with Max, glad to feel that his grip wasn’t terribly weak and he had balance when he was upright. He still wasn’t sure what the best method of getting Max home would be -- even with balance, Max wasn’t in any shape to walk it, and Knox didn’t want to leave him alone while he flew back home to get the car. He didn’t have any money for a cab, nor did he have a cell phone ... he would have to find a phone and call Shayna Mae or Aidan to come and fetch them, he supposed. “Your mom is dead, yes,” he answered with a nod, his tone regretful. “Your father is still alive though, he is Patrick. You are the oldest sibling -- next is your sister Shayna Mae and then Aidan is the youngest. And I’m ... well, I’m not related by blood. Long story. You have a lot of cousins scattered around, but those are the only local relatives. We all live in a big house outside of town.” He started walking around the building to the mouth of the alleyway. There were a couple nearby bars open, and he was sure they would let him use a phone.
There was a police cruiser parked down the street where Max had come from and he wanted to stay clear of it because breaking that window was likely to get him into trouble. The apprehension he felt at seeing those blue lights was really visceral and he wasn't sure why but he pulled at Knox to follow him as he started slinking away in the other direction. He repeated those names Knox gave him in a mumble as he walked and tried to conjure the faces that came with them but it was all a big blank except for the man he assumed was Patrick. If everything else wasn't so disorienting he would have thought Knox was lying about it all for sure but he was quickly finding that maybe the only person he really couldn't trust right now was himself. "I don't feel like I'm anybody's big brother," he said and that had more to do with how weak and miserable he felt at the moment but also how could he forget his siblings like that? It didn't seem right but then none of this did.
Knox followed, though he didn’t quite connect why they were going another way. Once they reached the end of the block and emerged onto another street, he got his bearings and turned them in the direction of Dragonfly. He knew Nate just from being another witch in town, and he knew Nate would let him use the phone. He might side-eye the filthy Max with him, but that was okay. They just needed to get home and get him settled. “This way, I know this place,” he said, lightly tapping the back of Max’s arm. “I don’t have a phone, sorry, and we’ll need a ride.” He hoped Max would just roll with it and not ask him why he didn’t have a phone or a car, and how he got there so fast if he hadn’t come in a vehicle. Knox felt a little guilty, he should’ve thought of that, the need to get to Max had just been so urgent. They came up on Dragonfly’s entrance, and Knox moved to open the door for them. At least Max would start feeling better if they waited around inside for a while.
Max glanced in through the door and felt more than a little apprehensive about going in there. It looked so fancy and he was pretty much a swamp monster at the moment and definitely shouldn't be in a fancy place. For some reason the moment he stepped in through the door it didn't seem to matter as much. He was still tired and hungry and his body still ached in a variety of ways but the fear and wariness he felt started to melt away. It was a nice place, it was a safe place and Knox wouldn't let anyone in there mess with him he was sure of that now. He didn't think to question where Knox had come from if he didn't have a car, he might have been nearby and seen him through the window or something, Max didn't need the details, especially now. "Do you think I can get some water?" he asked Knox as they walked toward the bar.
The magic in Dragonfly didn’t affect Knox quite as much as it did humans, but he did get a nice rush of good feelings as he walked toward the bar with Max. His wayward sheep, returned to the fold. Knox was already eager to watch him reunite with his siblings, sure they would embrace him regardless of what he remembered. “Of course,” he said to Max with a little huff. Water was free. Really, he was pretty sure that Nate wouldn’t charge him for anything within reason. Knox stepped up to the edge of the bar. It was late and a weeknight, so there weren’t many people in the club, and it didn’t take him long to get Nate’s attention. “Hey there,” Knox greeted when he was close enough, giving a lazy little smile.
Nate caught sight of them the second they stepped through the door, but it took him a moment to break away from his current conversation before he could move down the bar. Knox he knew, but the other man didn’t seem familiar, at least in his current state. Nate couldn’t decide if he needed a trip to the hospital or a shower. Definitely both. “Hey,” he said, his smile curious. “Everything okay?” He wouldn’t kick them out, but he also wasn’t sure they needed to open a tab.
Knox leaned against the bartop, his posture casual and relaxed like he didn’t have a filthy gremlin of a man standing right behind him, who he had just picked up from his return from another dimension. “Everything’s great actually,” he said, and meant it. Max was home! He was alive and home and everything else was secondary. “I’m in a bit of a bind though, you got a phone I can use? I need to call for a ride. Oh, and can we get a glass of water, please?” He nodded at Max a bit, unsure if Nate recognized him or not. Knox wasn’t honestly sure if Max had frequented Dragonfly or not, but he definitely wasn’t as well known in the local magical community as his siblings.
Max gave Nate a wan smile from where he was standing, an effort to be polite or some shit though he doubted it helped if Nate didn't recognize him. He wasn't so sure if he recognized Nate or not, they might be best of friends for all he knew. Strangers or not, he was gagging for that water and he'd smile all bright and do a silly little dance for it if he had to. What a sad, pathetic and silly little dance that would be with how tired he was. Did he even know how to dance? It felt strange to remember so little about his life.
“Yeah, of course,” Nate said, and offered Knox the handset for the landline. He continued to stare at the other guy as he got them each a glass of water, sure he was familiar, but unable to place him. When it finally clicked, he had a hard time believing it. “Is that Max?” he asked. He hadn’t seen him in forever, but under all the filth the facial features looked similar. If it was indeed him, he was in horrible shape. He was also welcome to more than water.
Knox had made a point to memorize all of the O’Reilly kids’ cell phone numbers for occasions such as this, but it took him a moment to decide who to call. Shayna Mae would be overjoyed, but he felt more guilty about waking her up than he did Aidan. Maybe they could just get Max home and then surprise her. That sounded better. He shot Nate a little smile as he started to dial Aidan’s number, nudging both glasses of water over toward Max with his free hand. He wasn’t thirsty, and Max needed them. “That’s Max,” he confirmed with a bright grin. Knox put the ringing phone to his ear and pushed away from the bar a bit to focus on talking to Aidan.
Max grabbed the glass closest to him and swallowed it down in one gulp before grabbing the other as well since Knox clearly meant for him to have it. It felt weird to drink, both good and bad, like his body didn't really know what to do with that feeling of cool water entering it. His stomach didn't like it but his mouth and throat wanted more and after that second glass he felt like doubling over with discomfort. He didn't want to soil this pretty place but he came closer to Knox, slipping onto one of the barstools since it seemed like a better idea than sitting on the floor, raising concerns. He didn't really know who Knox was calling, supposedly one of his siblings or his dad, but at this point he found it hard to care about the details. He wanted to get clean, he wanted something to eat, he wanted to fit into this strange new world he'd been thrust into.
Though it was late, Aidan had always been a night owl, so he was up when his phone rang, interrupting the music it had been playing moments before. There weren’t a lot of people that called him and he almost dismissed the number as spam, except that it appeared to be from within Point Pleasant. After a moment’s hesitation, he answered, his finger to his lips to quiet Aya before he spoke. “Hello?”
Knox didn’t usually concern himself with details like caller ID, and it hadn’t even crossed his mind that Aidan might not pick up. He just would’ve tried again if that was the case, and again and again until he did pick up. “Aidan,” he said with good cheer in his tone. “It’s Knox. Listen, I need your help. I’m here in town, and need a ride back.” He grinned a bit. “Your brother’s home. He’s filthy and doesn’t remember who he is, but he’s back and safe.” It was kind of big news to just lay out that casually, but that was just Knox’s nature. The crisis had passed now, they could all relax again.
"Max?" Aidan asked as he sat straight up in bed, his eyes wide with surprise. Max coming back was supposed to be an impossibility, but he knew Knox wouldn't joke around with something like that. He could hear the truth in his voice, the excitement so real that Aidan couldn't question it further. "Where are you?" He was already looking for his shoes when his attention shifted over to Aya and another option popped into his head, one much faster than him driving into town. "We can come get you, in like two seconds." He took the phone away from his mouth, this time talking to Aya. "Knox found Max. They're in town somewhere. Can you open a door to bring 'em home?" He knew the answer was yes, but he wasn't going to risk being demanding and have her say no. "Please," he added as an afterthought.
The 'please' was a nice touch and Aya shrugged softly. "Where?" she mouthed as she got up from where she'd been lounging and straightened out her dress. She knew Knox wouldn't bring Max to the house if he was still a danger to his family but she wasn't loving the news that he was coming home, what if he was still wrong somehow and Knox was just so happy to see him that he failed to notice? Luckily she was there and she didn't give a shit about Aidan's family so hers was the best unbiased opinion they could get right now.
Knox didn’t get it for a second, then realized that Aya must be with Aidan. As much as he didn’t want to ask favors from her, this would be one that would save a lot of time. It might freak Max out, but he thought they could deal with that. “Dragonfly,” he answered Aidan, and glanced around. “And make her put it somewhere subtle, please, there are people here. I can take him to the bathroom or somethin’.”
“Dragonfly,” Aidan relayed to Aya. “The bar in town that makes you feel good.” She might not remember the name, but Aidan was sure Aya would remember the feeling being there gave her. It wasn’t the kind of place Aidan frequented, but he’d been quietly impressed. “There’s people there, so maybe the back door? Or the door to the bathroom?” he suggested, though he had the feeling Aya would put the door wherever she pleased. She was only doing this as a favor to him, so he didn’t want to get too picky.
Aya nodded and she liked Dragonfly. Maybe she'd stick around there for a bit if she thought Max was okay, let Aidan have a moment with his brother. It wasn't a selfless thing of course, she was pretty sure human reunions were as boring as they'd ever been. "Tell them to go wait by the bathroom," she told him though in a small place like that people were more likely to notice them and realize they didn't use the front door. It was late though so hopefully everyone was too sloshed to care. She was ready to go, it wasn't like they needed coats any more than they would walking between the rooms in this house.
“Go wait by the bathroom,” Aidan said into the phone, hurrying to stand beside his bedroom door. Assuming that’s where she brought them in. If she brought them in through the front door of the house, he’d be down in a flash. He still had a hundred questions, but nothing mattered more than seeing his brother alive. That had been the insurmountable issue. Everything else they could manage.
“Got it, see you in a minute,” Knox said, then hung up the phone. He aimed a little wave at Nate, setting the handset down on the inside of the bar, then reached for Max’s arm to give him a little tug. “Come with me,” he murmured, flashing the guy a little smile that he hoped would be reassuring. This was going to weird him the fuck out, Knox just hoped that he didn’t freak and try to run or something. Maybe being in that awful other dimension for so long made him immune to thinking things were weird, who knew. As they walked back toward Dragonfly’s bathroom doors, Knox bent his head in a little closer to Max. “This is gonna be strange,” he told him. “But I promise, it’s not dangerous, okay? I’d never let any harm come to you that I could stop.”
Max hoped he wouldn't regret trusting Knox later but right now he believed him. Whether it was because he was too tired not to or because his gut instinct was good he couldn't tell, but he needed to trust him because Knox was essentially his life line right now. "Everything is strange," he muttered with a little huff. He wasn't sure how much stranger things could get. Alien creatures appearing in a blue light might be enough to wow him but he wasn't even sure about that. Even the bathroom doors looked nice in this place and when Knox stopped in front of them, Max stopped too. What was the implication of going with another guy to a bathroom, he wondered. Did he have an associated memory with that buried somewhere deep down? Or maybe that was the strange part. He quickly realized that no, that wasn't the strange part at all when one of the doors opened and the room behind it wasn't a bathroom at all. The whole vibe of the room within was completely different, where Dragonfly looked new and shiny everything within that room looked rustic and with crappier lighting. It was strangely familiar though and Max might have wandered right in if not for the girl standing in the doorway.
Aya had waited until she could feel the two of them behind the door she wanted to open, always aware of what was on the other side. She looked Max up and down, wrinkling her nose in disgust. He looked worse than she had when she'd first woken up and the smell...! "I should have opened this door into the bathroom," she said as she stepped back to let them into the living room and she really hoped Aidan wouldn't hug Max until he was clean.
Aidan had followed Aya down to the living room and waited anxiously as she prepared to open the door for them. He told himself to remain calm, but knowing that his brother was about to walk through the door had him all jittery with emotion. He’d been thrilled when Max had come home from prison, but this was different. It felt like he was coming back from the dead. And when he finally laid eyes on him, he decided he looked like it too. It didn’t matter to Aidan, who embraced his brother at the first chance he had, then immediately stepped back, belatedly remembering that Knox had said he didn’t know who he was, which meant he probably didn’t know Aidan either. “Sorry,” he apologized softly. “Just glad to see you.”
Max didn't hug him back, surprised by the embrace and unsure how to react to it. It wasn't a bad thing, these people obviously cared about him a lot because why else would this man - his brother? - hug him when he was this filthy. "I wish I remembered you," he said regretfully, looking Aidan over and searching for something familiar. That was all though, he looked familiar but not like a brother, not like someone Max knew intimately enough to hug. "You're Aidan," he added and glanced back at the girl who was closing the door behind them and did not look like she was willing to hug him at all. "And you're... Shayna Mae?"
Aya pulled a face that told him instantly that no, this was not his sister and he found some relief in that as she shook her head vehemently. That was good, because she didn't look familiar at all - or very nice.
All eyes were on Max of course, but that didn’t stop Knox’s big grin as Aidan and Aya appeared inside the ‘bathroom’ and let them back into the O’Reilly house. He let out a bark of a laugh at the idea that Aya was Shayna Mae, and was glad that got cleared up in short order. The look of disgust on Aya’s face didn’t even faze him. They still didn’t like each other much, but there was a truce between them as the non-human members of the family. They were stuck with Aya for better or worse. Knox gave Max’s shoulder a squeeze. “She’s still in bed,” he explained. “This is Aya, she’s ... well, she’s not blood but she’s one of us anyway. I’ll get your sister up.” He patted the filthy guy’s back and then moved to skirt around the little group to head to Shayna Mae’s room to tell her the good news. Knox wouldn’t get Patrick up yet, he needed his rest, but he knew the tiny matriarch would be upset with him if he didn’t wake her up with this news.
Aidan nodded in agreement--Shayna Mae would be pissed if they let her continue to sleep after bringing Max home. He was clearly in bad shape, and seriously in need of a shower, but he didn't appear to be hurt as far as Aidan could tell. "Do you need anything?" he asked, unsure how to handle a brother that didn't know who he was. "You hungry? I can make you a sandwich or something." He'd dig around in the fridge and see what they had. There were probably leftovers, which would be better than anything Aidan could make. He wanted to start asking questions, but was hesitant to get into much without Shayna Mae present.
"I just wanna get clean first," Max muttered even if his stomach practically flipped at the mention of food. He was wondering if it would be okay to eat if he just washed his hands really well first when Shayna Mae appeared in the doorway and while he didn't recognize her either she was familiar in a way Knox and Aidan weren't. She looked a lot like his mom. If he'd had a shred left of worry that he was being lied to it faded when he saw her face and now he just felt really crappy that he couldn't remember any of them. "Hey," he mumbled and gave her a strained smile, hoping Knox had told her he couldn't remember her so that he wouldn't have to break that news.
Being woken up to be told Max was home was probably the best way to be roused from sleep. At first she thought she was dreaming... Knox often appeared in them, and she often had dreams where Max did come home. But this one felt real, so real, so she quickly slipped out of bed, tugged on a nightgown and hurried downstairs with Knox on her heels. It didn't matter that he could remember her. His memories of their family would come back in town, she was sure of it. Wherever he was, it had been horrible, and no doubt being back in the real world was quite an adjustment on him physically and mentally. "You're home," Shayna Mae said, smiling as she walked towards Max. She wanted to hug him, but she knew that might be uncomfortable for him, given the circumstances. "You need a shower," she said next, looking him over before her smile widened. "How are you feeling? Overwhelmed?"
With all eyes on him, Max supposed he should feel more overwhelmed than he did and he shook his head with a little smile. "Maybe a bit," he muttered and it was hard to really be sure how he was feeling at the moment. Tired, so tired and hungry. All these people looked friendly, save for the girl who'd opened the door maybe but he couldn't blame her for frowning at him the way he looked and smelled at the moment. "I could definitely use a shower," he agreed then. "I guess... I have clothes here? If this is where I live."
“Yeah,” Aidan smiled. “A room, clothes, everything. Including a shower.” He was glad now that none of them had been too eager to clear out Max’s stuff. It would’ve sucked for him to come back only to find his room repurposed and his clothes all gone. They’d held on to it all the whole time he was in prison, so what was a few more months in the grand scheme of things? “And know this is probably a lot, but… we’re just really glad to have you back.” Hopefully his memory would return, and soon. It had to be weird being around family and not knowing who they were.
They were quite a little crowd, weren’t they? Knox felt good about his decision not to wake up Patrick yet. Max did need to get clean and get a little more settled before even more unfamiliar faces were pushed at him. He personally had no doubts that Max’s memories would come back pretty fast, and then they could all relax back into normalcy. As normal as things could be in Point Pleasant, at least. “I’ll get some food together for after your shower,” he told Max with a little grin. Knox knew he had to be hungry, but getting un-disgusting was probably the priority. “Shayna Mae and Aidan can show you where your stuff is.” He gave Max’s shoulder a firm squeeze as he started toward the kitchen.
Clearing out Max's things had never crossed Shayna Mae's mind. She kept hoping he would come back. Stranger things had happened in this town and now he was here. The memory issues would right themselves out. She flashed Knox a grateful smile before reaching out to take Max's hand. "I can show you where your room is, and then the bathroom. You can take as long as you need. Take a bath even, if you want to." Though he may want to rinse off first then settle into a tub of filth.
Max didn't think he liked baths, bodies of water seemed ominous to him for a reason he couldn't pinpoint while running water sounded like heaven. By the look and feel of his body he was pretty sure he hadn't seen running water in a while but some part of him seemed to remember it and he wondered if his own room - his own shower? - would be more familiar to him. "Please," he muttered and while he didn't quite recognize her, it was nice to hold someone's hand again. Whatever fear he'd had of this being some weird setup was quickly fading, if they'd wanted to hurt him they'd had plenty of opportunity. The strange door behind him was now closed and the girl who'd opened it was gone, he was outnumbered and he had no idea where he was but he wasn't afraid anymore, just yearning for the shower and food that was promised to him.
Aidan followed along behind them, unwilling to leave Max so quickly now that they had him back. He knew he’d have to—he certainly wasn’t going to follow him into the bathroom—but he felt that if he could keep his eyes on him for just a little longer, then he might not disappear again. It was hard not to riddle him with questions, but if Max didn’t know who he was, then he definitely didn’t know where he’d been and what had happened there. Those would have to wait until later, for when his memory returned. Aidan couldn’t imagine it staying gone forever. He just hoped it wouldn’t take long, for all their sakes.
Despite the circumstances, Shayna Mae was just brimming with happiness. Even her magic felt lighter, like it wanted to burst out of her and create a house full of flowers, just for her brother. Of course, that would probably startle him. Maybe soon though. "This is your room," she told him, once they had reached the door. She pushed it open slowly and gestured inside. "And right down the hall is the bathroom. There are plenty of towels in the cabinet too. All of your clothes are still in the dresser and closet. Everything is clean." Shayna Mae chewed briefly on her lower lip. "Do you need any medicine? Do you feel any pain?" He looked all right, but that didn't mean he hadn't been hurt.
It did look like it could be his room, Max thought, though it was cleaner than he would have expected. Maybe his sister had cleaned it while he was gone, or maybe he was neat despite his current appearance. There was a guitar case in the corner and he felt a small urge to check what the guitar inside was like and if he could play it. The posters on the wall were entirely unfamiliar, probably bands he listened to and so many random little things everywhere that looked like they held meaning to whoever lived there. Him. Held meaning to him. It was disorienting and he was somewhat glad when Shayna Mae spoke again. "No, I don't think so," he replied and turned to look at his siblings. They looked hopeful, maybe the room should have jogged his memory but it didn't. "I remember our parents," he felt obliged to tell them, feeling almost more sorry for them than he did himself at the moment. "Maybe I'll remember more later."
“That’s a good sign,” Aidan said, his hands sliding into his pockets as he bounced slowly on his toes. Having Max home had put him in a fantastic mood and it was hard to keep him contained. It didn’t matter if Max didn’t remember him at the moment. He was feeling more and more confident that it would come back to him if given enough time. They just had to be patient and not crowd him in the meantime. “Just let us know if you have any questions. We can fill you in. Or, you know, you want some rest. We know you probably went through a lot.” He’d try to keep his own questions to a minimum for the moment.
Shayna Mae blinked in surprise when Max told them that he remembered their parents. Maybe seeing their dad again would help jumpstart even more memories. Nodding along with Aidan, she tried hard not to look too hopeful. There may be some way to get his memories back with magic, if they didn't come back on their own soon. "Take a shower... do whatever you need. We'll be downstairs. Knox will have food ready for you too. We can talk then." Or they could leave him be for a while, depending on what he needed. Shayna Mae didn't want to overwhelm or smother him, but it was so hard not to just pull him into another hug and cling.
Max nodded and stood there a little awkwardly until they finally shuffled out. Being left alone was a relief but at the same time it was a little anxiety inducing and he took a few slow breaths to ground himself. There was a part of him screaming at him not to get naked and vulnerable, it was suicide though he wasn't even sure why. Monsters? Knox had said this place was well protected and he didn't really feel like he was in danger but it was hard to push that instinct away. He took some time just looking around, checking the window, peeking inside the closet to take in some of the clothes. He sniffed them too but it was hard to smell anything over the rot that clung to him and he was reluctant to touch too much in there, as if he might contaminate it all.
He finally relented, stripped out of the clothes and thought about how much he really loved this leather jacket. Pity, because he would never so much as touch it again. He found a plastic bag there among his belongings and shoved his clothes into it as he stripped, feeling more and more disgusted with every item he tore off until he was more than itching to get clean. The shoes were the worst, he never wanted to wear shoes for this long without pause and since they couldn't fit in the bag he pushed them into the corner with the bag on top to smother the worst of it. He wanted to burn it all now, from this world and from his memory. His shower didn't feel like it could be long enough to scrub all this filth off.
He was in his room for over an hour, at the end he was just letting water cascade down his body, finding all the sore places and soothing them. His skin was paler than he realized and he wondered if that was normal for him or if it had to do with where he'd been. No sun but for how long? It was warm inside this house so when he finally got out and found clothes to wear - clean, nicely scented and oh so soft clothes - he opted to go barefoot. It was incredible and if he wasn't so fucking hungry he'd have been tempted to crawl into that bed that supposedly belonged to him and sleep for days. He shuffled to the kitchen instead, pulling the sleeves of his flannels up his forearms and giving his family an awkward smile for making them wait so long.
Knox was fine and dandy with how long it took Max in the shower. It gave him enough time to whip up one of his favorites -- steak and eggs, with a side of hash browns. Everybody liked breakfast, right? And it was technically early in the morning. Max had always been big on meat, and even though the grease might be kind of heavy on his stomach, it was also filling and hearty. He needed protein. So like the good grill cook his family sometimes needed him to be, Knox made up a plate -- along with anything else the rest of them requested -- and it was nice and hot and ready by the time Max came down. Knox set the plate down at one of the empty chairs and gestured at it to Max. “Breakfast is served,” he said with a flourish, chuckling. Max looked so much more like Max now that he was clean, and it was hard not to snag him into a big bear hug before he sat down.
Aidan didn't normally eat at this time of night, he was normally fast asleep, but right now he was wide awake and happy to have a small snack beside his brother if Knox was cooking. He'd been trying to contain his excitement, but Max looked so much more himself now that he'd cleaned up that he couldn't wipe the silly smile off his face. "Feel better?" he asked, even though he knew the answer. He figured casual conversation would be easier, at least until Max remembered more.
"Yeah," Max replied as he took a seat and he might not remember these people but the way they were all beaming at him made him feel nice. It was exactly what coming back to a home he didn't remember should feel like, he supposed. He didn't try to hold back with the food, his stomach was churning with hunger and it all smelled so good and so familiar. As he ate he looked between his family members and then took in all the little knick knacks in the kitchen, wondering how many of them had significant meanings to him. It felt weird to not remember these things, to reach out and grasp at nothing when he focused. "Is it... still two thousand and eighteen?" he asked hesitantly, trying to get his bearings.
Shayna Mae worried they might be overcrowding him and he may not want all of them smiling at him while he ate. But it was difficult to usher everyone out of the room. Max may not want to be alone, after all. "It is," she replied, leaning back against the counter. "May. You disappeared in January, so it's been a few months. I don't want to overwhelm you with questions or anything. I'm just happy you're home safe and in one piece. Do you have any idea how you got back here?" Maybe he remembered something. Maybe Caius D'Onofrio managed to bring them home? She knew his mom had disappeared too. Maybe it was something else entirely. Shayna Mae could only hope it had happened with good intentions instead of nefarious ones.
Max was just glad he wasn't the only one eating, sitting there shoveling food in his mouth with everyone just watching would have been too weird. It was already weird enough with them all there, oh so happy to see him. Given how much they were doing for him, he was happy to see them too, just for different more selfish reasons than actual recognition. He was clean and he was eating, trying to be mindful of slowing down so he wouldn't throw it all up. "I just woke up in a different place," he replied when he'd swallowed. "I think I tripped an alarm so it was... I don't know. A store. Then the big guy found me." He still didn't know how but it certainly wasn't the strangest thing to happen to him tonight. He smothered a yawn, blinked tiredly at the food before scooping up more of it. "Is it okay if I just... crash after this?" he asked quietly. "In... my room?" Yeah, it still felt weird to think that that whole room just belonged to him, it was a lot like a fairy tale and he was somewhat mentally braced for it to turn dark at any moment.
Another explanation on how he’d found Max wanted to spill out of Knox, but it almost felt like bragging and now wasn’t the time. The poor guy didn’t know anything about where he was and what kind of family he had. Well okay, maybe now he had an inkling, considering he’d been found almost immediately by ‘the big guy,’ who had led him through a magic doorway from one location to another. It would’ve been amusing to think about from Max’s perspective if he hadn’t been obviously shellshocked by everything that had happened to him. From his spot leaned against the counter, Knox nodded. “You can do whatever you wanna do here, my brother,” he told him with a good natured grin. “This is your place too. All your stuff is still in there.” He popped a strip of steak into his mouth and happily chewed away.
“We’ll still be here when you wake. Maybe you’ll remember more,” Aidan said, offering Max a smile. He imagined this all had to be incredible overwhelming and probably bizarre, but Max seemed to roll with it, just like he always had. Aidan was confident his brother would bounce back from this, just like everything else. All he needed was some space, which they could manage. Though it wasn’t important right now, he was mentally trying to recall what all Max might’ve lost that they needed to recover. Maybe Aya could take him shopping later and they could collect a welcome home present. With Max back, Aidan’s mood had already improved and a shopping spree with Aya sounded a lot more fun than before.
Shayna Mae thought it was a good idea for Max to get some rest. That would give her time to tell their father about Max's re-appearance and give him time to absorb the news before seeing Max again. "You're safe here," she added, because he might need to hear it. Shayna Mae wasn't sure what Max had been through, but she knew it had to have been traumatic on some level. She didn't want him being fearful of this place. "Anything you need, just let us know. We want you to be as comfortable as possible." She thought maybe she should call Caius D'Onofrio and let him know Max was home. He had lost his mother, so perhaps this would give him some hope.
Max still felt hungry but his body was also starting to protest the heavy food, unsure what to do with this sudden fullness so he pushed the plate away once he'd eaten about half of the food on it. "Thank you," he said quietly and for a second he wasn't sure what else to say - if anything. With food in his belly, rioting or not, he felt sleepier than he had after his shower and a part of him wanted to crawl under the table and sleep right there. It didn't even occur to him that it might be uncomfortable, the only thing stopping him was all these people being in there with him. "Okay I'll-" he muttered, gesturing vaguely to the ceiling. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." He might not know them, but he hoped he would, because otherwise this was just a weird dream and he'd wake up filthy and miserable all over again.
“Sleep well, Max,” Knox said as their little returned black sheep left the kitchen to go back to his room. He didn’t care if Max slept for a week now, as long as he was still under their roof, he was Safe and Home, and that was what mattered to Knox. Once Knox heard his feet on the stairs, he grinned around at his family and spread his arms. “C’mere, bring it in,” he murmured, happy to give them the hugs that he couldn’t give Max yet. He had a feeling memories would return eventually, and they would have their Max back. He might not ever be exactly the same, those kinds of experiences tended to leave a lasting mark, but he was alive and back where he belonged.