thunder in a sky full of song.

"You know there is no need to apologise for that. I'm glad you're looking out for yourself first and foremost. You're no good to anyone if you've collapsed on the floor. If anything, you'd be creating more work. No offence." He said with a playful grin at that last part as he grabbed a breakfast bar from his own locker and immediately began to try and get it down his own throat. When he was done swallowing the bit he spoke again. "It's still going but no impending doom now at least. Everyone is where they should be so I'm actually following your lead and grabbing something whilst I can. I'm not sure what my breaks are going to look like today and others need them more so I'll get this in me and head back out there." He stated, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"Trust me, I've learned some hard things over this last decade that I should not mess with it," Max replied with light laugh. "Careful with that though," she gestured toward the breakfast bar, "before I'm having to do the Heimlich on you. Flu season is always so crazy, I don't know what's worse, Flu season or some other magical disease."

"Yeah, well my sister's own journey involved her almost dying and me having to watch her come into the ER with alcohol poisoning," Max said, stirring her straw in her drink. "I wouldn't say it's keeping an eye on her, but making sure she knows I'm there when she needs to stay sober." Max didn't want to admit it, but Erin's small slip up made her quite nervous about it. She knew it was a part of recovery, but Max couldn't get the images of Erin out of her head.

"Hm, I don't know," Max said, unsure of what she would do more this year. "Maybe keep a better eye on Erin, make sure she's good. Maybe make better relationships at work, I'm not very good at that, I always think I'm going to mess something up."

"In theory I know they won't but I can't seem to stop trying," Jesse chuckled to himself when she'd told him to lay off on his usual tricks. "Plus I kinda enjoy getting a groan or an eye roll from you."

Max rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going to have a permanant eye roll if you keep it going," she replied.

"Please, you could've gotten rid of me by now if you really wanted," Jesse insisted with an unimpressed huff before cracking a smile. "So it seems I really can't be too bad."

"Maybe I should've," Max teased. "I'm just saying, your usual tricks won't work on me, Jess."

"Maxine." Erin scolded "You're literally a healer, you know how risky that is." She did, however, give a small chuckle at the mention of their parents. "I wouldn't put it past her. And then he'd turn up at the hospital and, as soon as he'd made sure she was alright, call her a fool for scaling furniture instead of just using a summoning charm." Erin joked. "I know you have." And she did. Max had told her that she forgave her multiple times before. "I just... I don't know if I can."

"Erin," Max put her hands on Erin's shoulders. "You're my sister, and I will love you no matter what, till the day I die. You can forgive yourself, because I promise I'm never leaving you, okay? Forgive yourself, just don't forget what happened and how it made you feel. Okay? It's possible to do both. I just don't want you to continue to beat yourself up for it."

"Just because you've shouldered things before doesn't mean I need to be adding anymore to your plate." Erin replied. "Still. You prepare yourself to potentially see your family when they're injured or sick, not something so... self-inflicted." She sighed. "But that's just it, you're my younger sister. Even if it is by a year. I feel like I need to be the one looking out for you."

"We all have our vices, Erin, some more dangerous that others. The other day I cried in the basement of the hospital and ate a pint of ice cream from the shop down the street even though I know how much ice cream fucks with my sugars, last week I almost passed out because I was too focused on something else to fix a low blood sugar. We do stupid shit, stupid self-inflicted stuff when we're stressed or sad or hell, just busy. I'm sure Mum and Dad and our other siblings have their own shit they do too, like one of these days, I bet I'll see Mum in here with a broken leg or something because she was too stubborn to wait for Dad to get home to get something from the top of the cabinets. Really, Erin, it was shitty, but I forgave you, and maybe it's time for you to forgive yourself."

"Please, you could've gotten rid of me by now if you really wanted," Jesse insisted with an unimpressed huff before cracking a smile. "So it seems I really can't be too bad."

"Could I have?" Max asked with a raise of her eyebrows, teasingly. "Maybe I just put up with you for family friend sake." Max smirked slightly at him.

"Alright, though this feels a little bit like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it." Everleigh admitted as she finally moved forward to have a look at what they were working with.

"Maybe, maybe not," Maxine replied with a small smirk. "But you might be underestimating how competitive I am, and how much I love a challenge."

"Least it's not just me, then." Erin tried to joke, before letting out a sigh of her own. "You know, in a weird way, part of me wishes I remembered it? You're my little sister, I'm supposed to be the one looking out for you, the least I could do after putting you through a traumatic experience is shoulder some of the burden and fucking remember it too, but I just... can't." She shook her head. It hurt, hearing how Max had felt, but Erin knew it was important for her to hear. "You were the first thing I thought about when I woke up though, once I realised where I was."

"I'm glad you don't remember it," Max said. "I can shoulder it Erin, I mean, wouldn't be the first thing in my life that I've had to." She let out a soft sigh. "It's something that happened, and it could happen to any of us, any of our other siblings, or Mum and Dad. I understood that the day I became a healer." She knew though, it didn't make seeing one of them in the hospital any better. "I'm okay, really, I'm just worried about you, and before you say that I don't have to be or shouldn't be. I'm your sister, I'm always going to worry about you."

"Do I not look like the type who can play beer pong to you or something? Is this a challenge you really want to take on?" Everleigh asked, her lips tugging into a smirk at the situation. "I mean, don't let me stop you but I prefer an honest and open starting field." Though how they had got to this point she didn't know. Perhaps the drinks or maybe the encouragement of the barstaff.

"Hm.. I think yes," Max replied with a nod. "Come on, it'll be fun. Besides I'm tired of playing the same people. If you think you'd be a challenge, I want a challenge."

"I know that we don't exactly... talk about it," Erin began, clearly hesitant, but trying her best to push through. "And I've been fine with that, but if talking about it is something you want... we could do that." She paused. "I don't know if I know what I'm doing, but I know that I'm trying. I hope that can be enough."

"That is enough," Maxine replied. "Half the time I know know what I'm doing either." She let out a soft sigh. "I just... it was really scary when it happened. I don't like to remember it. Some of my co-workers had to go bring me somewhere else because I wasn't allowed to help with you. I felt so helpless." She hated feeling that way. It brought back memories from when she didn't have the knowledge to help, and somehow not being able to help when she knew she could hurt even more.

"That's great but but don't allow that doubt to cause you to hesitate. There is a reason you've got so far, all of them are very positive things and you just need to remember that." He responded warmly. "Take it from someone who has been there."