sweetchaos (sweetchaos) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-08-14 01:06:00 |
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Entry tags: | #june 2018, caden, caden x max, max |
Who: Caden & Max
Where: The Back Porch
When: Saturday night, 6/16
So maybe Max had been waiting for something awful to happen to him ever since he met up with Greer. It was only a matter of time, he was sure, before some weird mutation from the other side started popping up and driving him a little crazy. He couldn't imagine what it would be, he just hoped he wouldn't be seeing people's deaths like Greer did, that shit was depressing as hell. It was possible that whatever it might be didn't manifest with people he loved, just like Greer hadn't seen his or her boys' deaths, so staying at home was likely the reason he hadn't discovered anything yet. It did occur to him that maybe nothing had changed about him but believing that required optimism he had never possessed.
Going out to meet Greer had taken courage and he dipped into that same damn mostly dried up well as he decided it was time to go out and meet people, old friends and strangers alike. Maybe he'd even get laid, he thought but with the way he was feeling that felt more like a joke than any kind of hopeful thinking.
He took Patrick's truck, had a beer on the way and blasted rock for the whole forest to hear as he sped toward town. First stop was The Back Porch. He didn't know if Caden was working but it was his hangout place and he was sure to know a face or two regardless. Unless everything had changed while he was away, just thinking about that possibility was a little exhausting.
Since Caden ditched out on the morning shift and left it to Aaron to deal with, he opted to go in for the evening, offering to close up so Gavin could have the night off if he wanted, especially after explaining that Gavin would have to hire a new waitress. See... he could be generous sometimes. The bar was pretty busy that night which helped taken Caden's mind off of a lot of shit. The house was empty but his mind was loud as fuck. He kept shifting between anger, pain, and relief. It reminded him a lot about Joseph dying, something Caden still hadn't quite processed. And now with Roxy leaving on top of everything... Point Pleasant was starting to feel really small.
When Max walked into the bar, things were quieting down just a little so Caden left Miles to deal with their current patrons as he walked down the bar to where Max had seated himself.
"There you are, man. Was starting to think you ditched town again."
Max had no idea if Caden knew what he'd been through, if his nephew had mentioned him being over there with him in the trenches of hell. It wasn't something he wanted to talk about but if Caden thought he'd bailed on a job, well, he might have to tell him the truth. "I probably should have," he said with a derisive grin. "Leave this shithole behind." It was a riot, considering he'd barely dared to leave his home until this week and the last time he left town hadn't turned out great for him either. "How you been? You get another driver?" That was one way to figure out where he stood with his buddy and he could explain a lot with a throwaway line that didn't convey the true horrors of what he'd been through, Max was good at that.
That was the dream, wasn't it? Getting out of this shithole. But it seemed like the only way to really do that these days is to die or get sucked into another dimension. He worked on getting Max a drink but shook his head at Max's question. "Nah, not yet. Things got kind of fucked after what happened in January." Jasper had told Caden about Max, but this didn't really seem like the right place or time to ask about it. It was nice to see his friend again though because Caden had been pretty convinced that they had all died over there. "How're you doing, anyway?" He set the glass, now full of liquor, in front of Max.
"Peachy keen," Max said with a wry smile and drank up. "No news, been useless. Kinda need a vacation. What about you?" Caden was an old friend but he almost wished Miles was working tonight because then he'd get caught up on all the local gossip in no time. Miles liked to talk and Miles paid attention. Caden paid attention for sure but he did not like to talk except occasionally when he was shitfaced and in a rare great mood. "I can't be the only thing that fucked things after January," he added while knowing that Jasper's disappearance had definitely taken a toll on the family so that probably hadn't helped. He still knew the Lucas boys always had something going on under the table, whether he was driving for them or not.
"Nah, it was just the same old fuckery with that new fuckery," Caden said, not really wanting to talk about any of that shit. Especially now that it was over and done with. He couldn't really tell Max he watched his nephew beat Caden's father to death. "I could use a vacation too. Or hell, doesn't even have to be a vacation. I just want to get the hell out of this shithole for a while. Find some place to drink in peace, you know?" And since he was thinking about it, Caden grabbed himself a clean glass to pour himself some whiskey. He owned part of this bar so he sure as hell could help himself to the liquor.
"Oh I know," Max said with a little snort because oh boy did he understand that need on a personal level. "Take a fucking vacation, man," he said then. "Go on a honeymoon with Roxy or something, engagement trip, whatever. Don't tell me money's an issue." It was for him but Caden hadn't been torn from the world for months after a stint in prison so Max was sure he had some cash lying around. The Lucas boys usually landed on their feet with all their backroom dealings and a fairly popular bar. Caden might not afford a glorious honeymoon trip to Europe or something so grandiose but getting out of town to drink in peace didn't have to be expensive.
Hearing Roxy's name out loud was sort of a jolt, mostly because his brothers had known better to bring her up, but thankfully it didn't feel him with the kind of rage he had been expecting. Caden snorted softly. "Nah, no honeymoon in my future. Roxy and me broke up." He downed the whiskey in one swallow before starting to pour himself another. "Should've known better than to try and make her happy, you know? Women are never satisfied. I should pawn the ring and fuckin' take a drive to Atlantic City or something. Do something fun with the money."
Max wasn't sure why that actually surprised him when he had kind of expected this for years now. He pulled a face at the news but it softened as Caden kept talking. "Why don't we do that?" he asked with a whiff of amusement. "Why don't we fuck off to Atlantic City, get wasted and see if we can win some cash?" He raised his glass in a little toast as he spoke. "I might even be able to save us the drive down there." If Aidan's weirdo girl was willing to help him out which wasn't guaranteed - he was sure he could try to find a way to make it worth her while.
Caden cocked a brow and studied Max's face, looking for any sign that he wasn't totally serious. But fuck, it sounded like such an appealing idea. He could pawn Roxy's ring, take the cash to Atlantic City and maybe win big. Or he'd lose every penny and feel okay about that too. "Okay, you got me at fucking off to Atlantic City, because you know I'm down for that. But you've gotta explain to me what you mean by saving us the drive." It would be a long fucking drive but flying was expensive and Caden just wanted to get in the car and go.
Max looked around to make sure nobody was too close, especially gossip boy Miles. "I've got a partner in crime, so to speak," he said with a lazy grin and a twinkle in his eye. Aya might not be his partner in crime yet but he often thought of the amazing things they could do together if he just found out what made her tick. All the shit they could steal with next to zero risk. "She can open doors to anywhere. It's wild and fucking useful." He didn't even know if Caden would believe him or fully understand what he meant by that, nor did he really know if Aya would agree so he shrugged his shoulders with a bit of exaggeration. "I'm totally up for driving though, if that doesn't pan out."
Caden cocked a brow and studied Max closely. Opening doors to anywhere? That sounded like magic-shit. Which meant witches and he sure as shit didn't want anything to do with those people. If anyone asked Caden, they all ought to go the way of the Six and be hanged. Or better yet, burned at the stake. "Opening doors," he repeated with a huff of amusement. "Were you already drunk when you got here, man? You need to explain it a bit better. You're saying this woman can literally open a door to Atlantic City?"
It sounded crazy and Max was well aware. He wasn't so sure he'd believe it himself if he hadn't seen it first hand so he took Caden's response in stride. "Guess you gotta see it to believe it. I don't know how she does it, guess she's some kind of a-" he waved his hands as he tried to think of a good word that didn't sound insane. Fairy? "Entity. Fuck knows. She'd be so useful if she wasn't so stubborn, kind of a bitch, really, but she's Aidan's friend so she hasn't fucked me over yet." He had to laugh the more he kept talking because everything he was saying probably wasn't helping Caden believe. "But hey, like I said, I need a vacation so I'm happy to drive if she won't do it or if you don't trust me on this."
"Entity," Caden said, still dumbfounded. And wary. "You know how insane this sounds, right?" And he had no idea if it was something he wanted to test. Some entity bitch who may or may not fuck them over. "I've dealt with enough witches in this town that I don't know if I'd trust her... no offense. Driving might be the safest way to go." It was a long drive, sure, but that just meant he got to be away from this hell hole longer than if he just stepped through a door.
It was kind of funny how they'd been friends for years and never really talked about the supernatural before, in a way Caden had been the one normal thing in Max's life and he'd liked keeping it that way. Too much had happened lately to stay in the dark though and he quirked a brow at Caden's words, curious now and a little suspicious. "You've had beef with witches?" he asked and he sure as hell hadn't heard about that from any of his family members. "You gonna share that story before the bar gets packed?"
Caden laughed and brought his glass back up to his lips to down the rest of the whiskey. Two glasses gone. Gavin probably wouldn't appreciate Caden helping himself to the expensive stuff, but oh fucking well. He deserved it tonight. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. Pretty sure that Kelly is bitch is the reason why Amelia went missing last year. When I tried to get some answers from her..." Caden lifted his mangled hand. "Her small dicked husband did this. Guess I'm supposed to leave them alone now, but I don't know how long that'll hold." Especially now that he knew Caius D'Onofrio had fucked with his mind to make him forget it.
Max pulled a little 'yikes' face. "You tangled with Kelly?" he muttered and he wasn't at all sure how he felt about Caden knowing all about the witches and who they were. "D'Onofrio did that to you?" That was a clash of interests, he didn't know Caius D'Onofrio but Shayna Mae did and as much as Max tried to stay out of all the magic bullshit in town, well, he was too close to it all to fully ignore it. He also knew that was probably as much as he was getting out of Caden about the whole thing, his buddy had never been much of a storyteller, usually leaving Max to fill in the blanks himself. "My advice? Let it go or you'll lose more than a few fingers. Come to Atlantic City with me, I'm good to go whenever."
Of course it hurt his pride a little to think a woman had somehow gotten the drop on him but Caden reminded himself that it had been D'Onofrio, not Reagan. Eying Max, Caden internally dismissed his advice because he wasn't sure he would ever be able to "let it go". Not that he now knew they had fucked with his mind. But he could let it go for now. "Let's go tonight," Caden said after a brief moment of thought. "The sooner the better. I'll tell Gavin." He knew he was probably fucking over his brothers a bit by taking off when they were already short a waitress now, but fuck it. Gavin got to wallow for months. It was Caden's turn.
Max flashed him a surprised smile and nodded eagerly. "Tonight!" It'd be so good to get out of town, even if it was just for a day or two or however long Caden could stick around. If Aya gave them a 'ride' he might even stay longer even if Caden went home. He was more than due a break from Point Pleasant. "Do you wanna meet Aya at all? Or am I driving?" His smile faded into a slight grimace that said Caden should give her a chance for his sake, the thought of driving wasn't all that appealing when all he wanted to do was drink and have fun already.
Caden grimaced, even as he thought about it. Driving would be safer, probably. But... Max seemed somewhat confident about this Aya woman and nine hours was a long fucking drive. So he sighed and nodded. "I'll meet her. But if she fucks around in any way, we're driving." He wasn't going to put off his fun to deal with some bitch entity and whatever shenanigans she might get up to. He wanted to get away from all of this, not deal with it while he was trying to leave.
Max couldn't really promise Aya wouldn't fuck around but she'd been on a somewhat good behavior lately and they were building a decent rapport between them so that was a chance he was willing to take. At least if it meant not having to drive to Atlantic City. "It'll be fun," he said and drummed his hands on the table playfully before nudging Caden's arm. "Been a long time since we got up to shenanigans. You look like you need a double dose." He did too, if he was honest, a triple dose of just good old fashioned fun.
Caden couldn't help but laugh when Max mentioned shenanigans. No, he hadn't been up to any of those lately. He couldn't think of the last time he'd had any semblance of fun. Things had just been shit upon shit for years now. "Triple dose," he said, placing his glass in the bin beneath the counter. "Let's just make a pact that when we get home, we don't remember anything we did. That way we'll know the trip had been worth it. Let me go talk to Gav... but I guess work it out with your lady friend so we can get the hell out of this place tonight."
Max raised his glass to that in absolute agreement, laughing too but more out of the delight of actually leaving. "What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas and what happens in Atlantic City? Nobody can fucking remember." He wondered if they could go to Vegas instead, if Aya's reach was that good, but in case she flaked on him for a return trip it was better to be closer. He sure as hell couldn't afford a flight from Nevada to Maine. "And she's cool, it won't be a problem, go tell your brother you're ditching town."
Vegas definitely would have been more fun, but Caden wanted to stay close enough to Point Pleasant that getting home wouldn't be a pain in the ass if Max's "friend" disappeared. Since he was more than eager to get out of town, Caden reached over to muss up Max's hair before heading for the back. Miles was there to keep an eye on the front, even though Caden didn't think it would take terribly long to tell Gavin he'd be gone for a few days. Caden expected a couple grunts in response, or a long suffering sigh, but it was what it was.