making monsters.

“     you're     off,      like,      actually     .     ”     precisely     why     he     didn't     make     widespread     fame     public,      because     of     the     deluded     fans     like     this     .     “     be     with     me     ?     yeah,      nah,      i'm     not     entertaining     this     .     hope     you've     got     a     damn     good     attorney,      yeah,      we're     done     here     .     ”     if     he's     lucky,      the     prospect     of     legal     action     is     enough     to     scare     her     off     .     their     little     rendezvous     had     already     made     him     late     to     picking     up     his     kid,      the     last     thing     he     needs     is     this     .     “     you're     going     to     put     this     entire     interaction     out     from     your     head,      you     understand     .     and     get     rid     of     the     photos     .     ”

"and you're cute. are we done stating the obvious yet, orrr...?" wai isn't the first person to suggest that there are a few screws loose in there. but so what? does life have to be so hinged and boring? accepting the crazy has been so much more fun, so much more successful, than holding it all back. she could be fawning over pictures on instagram right now, sure. but she wouldn't be in his presence. she wouldn't be reaching for the stars. hadn't mama always told her she could? "anyway, we're already late. we have to go pick up our child, don't we? i'll drive." flashing her teeth, she adds, "you can ride passenger or you can ride trunk. which is it, baby?"

“     see,      that     doesn't     really     assure     that     you'd     actually     pay     me,      if     you     lost     .     that's     all     i'm     saying,      it's     got     nothing     to     do     with     your     ability     to     drift     or     anything     .     ”     while     clearly     max's,     confrontation     isn't     micah's     forte     .     but     betting     money     isn't     on     the     table,      not     with     the     other's     uncertainty     .     “     how     about     this     .     .     .      we     race     without     any     money     wagers     .     you     beat     me,      and     i'll     owe     you     a     free     tune     -     up     at     my     dad's     shop     .     i     beat     you,      and     you     owe     me     .     .     .      shit,      i     dunno,      an     alani     ?     a     case     of     them     ?     sound     fair     ?     ”

max doesn't know which is more insulting... that he's being disparaged in that way or that it's not so far off from the truth. "come the fuck on." yeah, if he loses he probably won't pay up. more likely to stomp his feet and declare sabotage whether he believes it or not. that's also a part of the game. conceding is worse still than losing. "you think i'm gonna go for some stupid tune up? i already can do that shit myself. any good racer knows how the fucking car works." and he has a few other people he's roped into backing him up. the better ones know that the best way to win is to find every shred of advantage! "you've got to have something better than that."

“     enough     to     book     that     trip     i've     been     plotting,      not     that     they'd     ever     allow     pto     .     i'm     over     this     shit,      mal,      this     ain't     the     life     path     i'm     meant     to     walk     .     ”     circumstances     had     been     unkind     to     her     .     with     time,      though,      came     acceptance     .     “     and     you     ?     had     a     good     night     too     ?     ”

"oh... you don't know that. there's always someone who can pull the strings. you just have to know who it is." but she's not unaccustomed to the attitude that nayeli has... feels the same way much of the time. such is the nature of their work, a transient point on the path to something better. with any luck. "my night was just fine. nothing special. you know how it is..."

                             placidly,      hands     raise,      silently     communicating     he     meant     peace     .     “     you     know     what,     arguing     with     you     falls     so     far     below     my     list     of     priorities     that     it's     almost     laughable     .     i     was     trying     to     offer     suggestions,      and     you're     lashing     out     as     if     i     were     the     problem     .     the     hostility     is     neither     helpful     nor     necessary     .     ”     puts     generous,      or     as     generous     as     possible     given     the     dimensions     of     the     elevator,      between     himself     and     max     .     “     well,     the     complex     is     pretty     crowded,     especially     our     floor     .     surely     someone     else     will     realize     there's     an     issue     with     one     of     the     only     working     elevators,      pretty     quickly     .     in     the     meantime,     if     you     could     refrain     from     raising     your     voice,      i'd     appreciate     it     .     ” 

you are the problem! was what he almost said, instead exhaling sharply from his nose. "you should keep your mouth shut unless you have something useful to say. i'm not a small talk guy or a thinking out loud guy. you've got an inner voice, use it!" so much for hostility being unnecessary. as far as max is concerned, it's the only tool he has against the unrelenting and uncontrollable world around them. it also duals as a punishment for wren having the audacity to be stuck in the same space as him. as if they're even close to the same level! "how about this? you stay over in that corner and i'll stay over in this one. no talking. we wait it out. not a suggestion, actually."

                             “    no,     you're    totally    fine    !    i    had    a    hunch,     but    you'd    be    pretty    shocked    at    what    some    parents    allow    their    kids    to    do    .    it's    my    mantra    to    always    double    -    check    with    them    myself    .    ”    she    does    feel    the    slightest    bit    guilty    about    crashing    the    kids'    fun,     but    the    last    thing    she    needs    is    a    tufting    accident    tarnishing    the    name    of    her    business    .    “    oh,     yeah    .    i    don't    mean    to    cause    any    tiffs;     i    just    wanted    to    also    make    you    aware    .    i    mean,     they're    such    crafty    kiddos;     i'm    sure    they    just    wanted    to    make    you    all    something    special    .    i've    got    some    of    their    work    if    you    want    to    view    it    ?    it'll    all    be    sent    home    with    them    once    the    camp    reaches    it    end,    but    since    you're    already    here,     might    as    well    take    a    peek    ?    completely    up    to    you    !    ”

"...trust me, i wouldn't be shocked." he was pretty sure he could have pointed to ten different couples he knew that were less responsible than he was.... which should have been saying something, considering his upbringing! but seth overcompensated for that fact, all those life lessons he had always ended up learning the hard way. some of them were necessary. clearly. "an' i know exactly where they get their clever streak from, too. i gotta brother who likes to cause trouble." of course, he wasn't responsible for any actual smarts. that was all their mother's side's doing. "i would love to take a look, if it's not too much trouble. maybe i can take a few pictures? their mom is gonna want them for sure."

                             “    forgery    !?    forgery,     they    aren't    even    teenagers    yet    !    where'd    they    come    up    with    the    bright    idea    to    forge    your    signature    ?!     ”    visibly    fuming,     she    stares    almost    dumbfounded    at    the    returned    slips    .    “    oh    my    god,     i    birthed    two    criminals    in    the    making    ━━    god,     seth    !    and    we've    got    a    third    on    the    way    .    what    are    we    becoming    ?!    let    me    find    out    is    was    andrew    that    gave    the    idea    of    forgery;     i'll    wring    his    damn    neck    .    i    ought    to    withdraw    them    from    the    summer    camp    since    they    think    they    can    get    away    with    murder    !    ” @carnassialisms

wringing his hands, seth hemmed and hawed about the situation at hand. on some level, he did feel responsible—he really should take more care with his signature, lest some wayward child be able to replicate it well enough to fool a teacher. at the same time, he agreed with her. where had they gotten that idea to begin with? certainly neither of them were keen to show them examples of such criminal behavior, but... the world was a fucked up, dangerous place. it was definitely fucking drew. "...i don't know if we should go that far just yet. we should give them a chance t'make it right, shouldn't we?" grimacing, he added, "...an' i'm pretty sure i know the real culprit behind this, anyhow."

                             “    so    don't    snitch    me    out    about    this    because    you    know    that    i    adore    the    littles,     but    i'm    pretty    sure    they    forged    your    signature    on    these    permission    slips    .    unless,     of    course,     you    did    sign    them;     i    haven't    seen    your    handwriting    .    ”    said    sheets    are    offered    for    examination    .    “    anyways,     if    you're    alright    with    them    using    the    tufting    guns,    it's    fine    by    me    .    we    don't    really    have    kid    versions    of    the    machinery,     but    my    assistant    and    i    are    more    than    capable    of    helping    them    operate    .    ”

"shit," he said... and then immediately glanced back towards her apologetically. "sorry, i'm normally better at—anyhow... let's go 'head and get it straight that we should keep 'em from the tufting guns for now." maybe if they had asked him he would have been more lenient, but the amount of trouble they went through to forge his ( admittedly... piss poor ) signature just made him feel more justified in the decision. of course, suni would bang the final gavel. "somethin' tells me their mom wasn't none too happy about this. they know i'm not gonna go 'round her back. but you don't know that, i understand... didn't."

                             “    to    trappin'    thirsty    motherfuckers,     i    pledge    allegiance    .    ”

"and to many, many more to come," mallory agreed, clinking a tall glass with her coworker. "how much did you make tonight?"

                             “    look,    ”    won't    let    it    show,     but    he's    mildly    perturbed,    “    with    all    the    ai    and    photo    editing    we    got    happening,     who's    to    say    that    people    aren't    going    to    believe    you're    bullshitting    them    ?    ”    won't    make    an    effort    to    hand    back    over    photos;    is    sure    there    are    multiple    copies    anyway    .    “    this    is    some    next    level    type    of    para    -    social    shit,     mate    .    ”

"why do you keep saying dumb shit like i haven't thought of this from every angle? i thought you were supposed to be smart." their talents seemed to imply as much, to say nothing of the ( arguable ) stalking that calypso had been doing. "these photos are just skimming the top. i've got so much information on you, shit—i could be you." a smile, long and thin and unfriendly, unfurled upon her face. "but i don't wanna be you, hon. i wanna be with you."

                             “    i    mean,     yeah,     i    race    .    just    don't    like     .    .    .     do    it    for    the    adrenaline,     y'know,     gotta    have    a    price    attached    to    it    .    and    like,     there's    gossip    n'    shit     .    .    .     that    you    never    cash    out    whenever    you    lose    .    m'not    trynna    make    waves    or    anythin,     but    i'mma    have    to    turn    it    down,     sorry    .    ”

"that's the funniest motherfucking shit i've ever heard in my life, dude." max even punctuated his statement with a bark of laughter, determined to make his point. winning was the only reason to race. adrenaline was a nice bonus, a good tool. money was tertiary and a consequence of getting good. and the rest? useless shit. "you should go star in a reality tv show if you want gossip, man. you definitely won't make waves there. everyone will forget you in five years max."

                         can't    comprehend    simmering    frustration    as    he    lifts    to    offer    drink,     only    feeling    fleeting    sense    of    relief    as    she    swats    violently    at    glass,     relishing    the    adrenaline    rush    as    it    shatters    against    the    floor    .    “    fuck    you,     alek    .    fuck    you,     fuck    you,     fuck    you    !    take    me    fucking    seriously    !    ”    she    punctuates    each    scream    with    a    hit,     swinging    blindly    and    furiously    at    anywhere    her    blows    land    .    “    i    hate    you,     i    hate    you    so    much    .    you're    dragging    me    down    into    your    pitiful    fucking    spiral;     i    was    doing    better    before    you    came    back    into    my    life    !     why    do    you    have    to    take    me    along    your    self    -    destruction    ?!    ”

he didn't flinch away from the swat, nor the shatter of glass beside him. didn't move, just blinked dull and disinterested in her direction as she snapped at him. it was only when she finally raised her hands against his chest—useless, but bold—where upon he clumsily hauled himself up from his chair and glared down at her. "fuck off," he growled, shoving her back and away. if she fell, she fucking fell. he was tired of always having to pick up after dead weight! it didn't matter that most of it came from himself. "i just wanna fucking relax. is that so hard to ask for? a moment to enjoy my fucking self? you're always here bitchin' in my ear about shit i don't care about. drink, don't drink. but don't harsh my goddamn buzz, bitch."

                             god,     it's    like    another    version    of    his    sibling;     obnoxious,     short    tempered,     and    loud    .    he's    hardly    got    the    opportunity    to    react    to    being    swatted    away    so    suddenly,     not    before    the    other    starts    doing    exactly    what    he'd    been    sidelined    for    .    “    okay,     rude,     firstly    .     and    secondly,     that's    actually    not    accomplishing    anything    ,    considering    i    just    tried    .    do    you    have    reception    or    hot    spot,     at    least    ?     i    could    try    reaching    out    to    my    brother,     they're    supposed    to    be    coming    over    anyways    .     i    just    never    have    service    anytime    i'm    in    here    .    ”

whirling to glare at wren, he spat, "first of all, i don't give a fuck." his manners always left something to be desired, but that would double ( triple? quadruple? more? ) when the situation he was in looked dire. who knew how long they would be stuck down here before someone finally fixed the problem? did they even know there was a problem yet? the worst part wasn't being in the elevator. that was fine. but now he had to be stuck with his clown. "second of all, i already tried the service before i opened my mouth. if i was able to get someone on the phone, i would have. it's almost like we're in a big fucking steel trap or something!"

                         “      i      like      us      better      when      we're      strung      out      .      i've      come      to      realize      that      being      sober      around      you      leaves      me      yearning      to      commit      heinous      crimes      .      ”      line      is      cut      clean      and      finished      through      a      rolled      hundred      -      dollar      bill,      head      tipping      back      to      rest      against      his      shoulder      .      it's      enough      only      to      mask      the      way      she's      cried      over      their      latest      argument      .      but      not      nearly      enough      to      ease      the      painful      twist      in      her      heart      .      “      i'm      refusing      to      let      you      so      much      as      touch      me,      unless      i'm      doped      up      on      something      .      ”

there was a long and heavy silence as she cut the line. maybe it was a little thicker than it should have been, but alek made no move to stop her. knew better. in any case, he was still feeling surly over yet another disagreement and was more inclined to let heaven make her own mistakes. talk about a fallen angel! "refusing, huh?" for all his grumbling, his tone wasn't wholly unpleasant. sobriety was neither of their strong points. "fine. here." he lifted his drink toward his shoulder for her to take. "that should help." coke wasn't worth doing without alcohol to give it a boost, after all.

                             “   so,    don't   take   this   the   wrong   way,    but   you're   a   horrendous   neighbor   .    the   walls   are   thin,    alright,    and   you're   incredibly   noisy   at   such   odd   hours   of   the   evening   and   early   morning   .    look,    i'm   not   trying   to   go   off   on   a   tangent   here,    but   while   we're   stuck   in   this   box,    i   figured   i   get   this   off   my   chest   .   ”    finger   jabs   violently   into   pitiful   excuse   of   a   help   button,    praying   to   anything   that'll   listen,    that   it'd   get   the   rink   -   a   -   dink   elevator   moving   .

the absolute last thing in the world max wanted to deal with was someone griping at him. it was bad enough that they were stuck in an elevator together—he had places to be, damn it!—and now he had to listen to someone else complain, too? not fucking likely. "look pal, i don't give a fuck what kind of neighbor you think i am. are you even pressing that button or are you just—? ugh, move over." hip-checking them out of the way, max jabbed the button with more fervor. the maintenance one, too. "hello? is anyone fucking coming?"

                         “    that's    big    talk,    real    big    talk    .    but    we'll    see    who's    got    the    last    laugh    when    wifey's    luggin'    your    sorry    ass    back    home    .    ”    taking    space    in    passenger    seat,    he    makes    himself    comfortable,    reaches    to    settle    new    port    between    lips    and    light    .    “    'ya    don't    mind    that    i    smoke    in    here,    right    ?    well,    shit    .    you'd    be    shit    outta    luck    if    'ya    did,    considering    the    bar    we're    goin'    to    s'got    the    name    cigar    in    it    .    guess    we    can    sit    out    on    the    patio    section    or    somethin',    smell    shouldn't    linger    too    bad    .    ”    has    courtesy    enough    to    roll    down    designated    window    to    allow    for    fresh    air    to    circulate,    though    not    near    enough    to    blow    a    cloud    out    of    it    .    “    let's    make    it    a    bet    then,    eh    .    like    how    we    used    to    when    we    were    kids    .    first    one    plastered,    owes    the    other    one    a    hundred    bucks    and    takes    care    of    the    tab,    whattya    say    ?    ”

"s'pose we will, won't we?" seth knew what that actually meant... he would be picking up drew off the floor and throwing him into the back of the truck before the night was through. but so what? every once in a while, maybe he could find it in his heart to allow it. even if it ended up that suni was going to have to deal with the both of them. snorting, he interjected with his hand instead of words, ripping the cigar right out from between his lips and tossing it. maybe not the best practice environmentally, but he was making a statement! "you can smoke when we get there an' not a moment before. not in my truck an' not even in yours. it'll ruin the leather. y'know how expensive it was?" shaking his head, he continued, "it wouldn't kill ya to take care of your things now an' again, y'know." but it was also easier to be caught up in a bet than it was in any kind of teaching moment. especially because he saw an easy way to get the money for whatever damages drew caused. "sure thing. i just hope you're prepared to pay up," he said, pulling into the parking lot.

                             “    what    did    you    think    was    going    to    happen    ?     if    i    wanted    someone    to    just    stand    there,     i    would    have    just    brought    my    sister    .     stop    complaining    and    get    down    here    .    ”     he    busies    himself    with    lacing    up    his    skates,     flinging    the    duffel    that    contained    the    pair    dedicated    for    seth    .     “    here,     suni    told    me    to    get    you    a    set    if    you    were    going    to    be    helping    me    out    .     they    should    fit    .     if    not,     we'll    figure    something    else    out    .     anyways,     i    need    you    to    sit    legs    out    in    front    of    me    and    hold    my    wrists    .     pull    me    slowly    and    gently,     until    my    chest    lays    flat    on    the    floor    .     let's    go,     the    sooner    we    start,     the    sooner    we    finish    .    ”

with the pair of skates shoved into his arms, seth could only stare wide-eyed, in pure disbelief of what was being asked of him. "but i don't—" it was difficult to get a word in edgewise. how was he going to help anyone when he'd never been out on ice before? let alone in skates, roller or other variety. "i don't know how t'skate. i won't be any help to you out there!" he insisted, desperate to get out of this part of the arrangement. helping canon wasn't supposed to give him a concussion, too! "i'll look like an idiot. how's that s'pose to help you?"

                         “    your    temper    is    out    of    control,    danior    .    like    a    hormonal    teenager    marking    his    territory,    it    isn't    attractive    .    not    everyone    is    out    to    snatch    me    away    from    you;    let's    please    stop    behaving    as    though    it    were    the    case    .    ”    hand    drops    placatingly    to    his    chest,    urging    him    back    towards    the    empty    mass    room    .    “    you    promised    me    that    you'd    act    correctly    this    time    .    my    dad    nearly    had    security    drag    you    out    of    service    the    last    time    we    were    here    .    i    just    want    a    peaceful    sunday,    which    means,    absolutely    no    fooling    around    .    under    any    circumstances,    i    don't    care    how    bored    you    get    .    ”

"my temper is perfectly in control," he assuaged her, running his fingertip over the mark he'd just given her on her bare throat. she could have brought a scarf if she was really feeling embarrassed about it. he knew that she was just posturing, pretending to be the perfect church girl—meanwhile helpless to his corrupting influence. she even sent him back toward the main hall, empty as of yet. "you worry too much. relax, okay? or i'm gonna make you relax myself," he warned, leaning in to nose at her neck. the doors fell shut with a loud thud, echoing throughout the empty pews with enough force to stir up some lingering dust. "i promise, okay? i'll be nothing but serious."