Bread Bandit

Max: 240 

Fighting was in his blood, and he sure as hell wasn’t going back to prison anytime soon. A fight they’d get if the guards came. He’d stand his ground and knock them back one by one if he had no other option. But then a strange thing happened- a colder hand, compared to his boiling temperature, snatched his and tugged away from the crime scene.
“Oh, oh right. Lead the way.”
Away he went with Jura but unfortunately the pain in his knees were quick to keep him from the same speed as his friend. His knees popped loudly as he move and dragged him down.
“Phew- slow down’ere somethin’ might be commin loose.”
He could push through the pain if he had to- just like the mines, but he’d rather not. It felt so wonderful to not have to work anymore. Eat when you were hungry, sleep when you’re tired, and run from guards and when you needed a good chase.
He looked to the back of Jura’s hood and wondered what made his friend want to be some sort of superhero… or since when he was able to grow things from his blood. Maybe it was like when Max discovered he could turn things to dust. Made him grin a bit, one creator and one destroyer. Sounded like a good team.
But now they were at the end of the alley, and Max looked to Jura for direction.

Jura: 324

Fighting was in his blood, and he sure as hell wasn’t going back to prison anytime soon. A fight they’d get if the guards came. He’d stand his ground and knock them back one by one if he had no other option. But then a strange thing happened- a colder hand, compared to his boiling temperature, snatched his and tugged away from the crime scene.
“Oh, oh right. Lead the way.”
Away he went with Jura but unfortunately the pain in his knees were quick to keep him from the same speed as his friend. His knees popped loudly as he move and dragged him down.
“Phew- slow down’ere somethin’ might be commin loose.”
He could push through the pain if he had to- just like the mines, but he’d rather not. It felt so wonderful to not have to work anymore. Eat when you were hungry, sleep when you’re tired, and run from guards and when you needed a good chase.
He looked to the back of Jura’s hood and wondered what made his friend want to be some sort of superhero… or since when he was able to grow things from his blood. Maybe it was like when Max discovered he could turn things to dust. Made him grin a bit, one creator and one destroyer. Sounded like a good team.
But now they were at the end of the alley, and Max looked to Jura for direction.

Max: 274

Shops past by and Max’s breathing was a bit labored by the years of brutal treatment in the mines. Getting air was a little difficult but it was manageable, just made it strenuous to add speaking in the mess of attempting a full sprint- which for some, maybe many, would probably just be a normal run. He raced a kid for a meal the other day and lost by an embarrassing distance.
“Shoulda lemme just tear em apart-“ He struggled. “Either way gonna kill me.” The humor was heavy in his voice, chased by authorities and still cracking jokes.
When they ran past lit buildings, Max held his breath, paranoid they were going to be caught. He ducked his head down and kept running along. Jurra swung the pair aside to a gate and led them down a path that like everything else in the city was unknown to Max. It was a small gap but seemed like a good path to take. Crowded by garbage cans and stacked crates, probably very easy to lose a pursuit if they took this road. Which he hoped was the plan.
No, there was more to it.
“Never doin this again-“ Max groaned as he lowered himself and worked his way through the window into a pitch black building.
There he could sort of make out some lines in the dark, so he went and flopped onto the floor. Then he rolled onto his back and heaved out a wheeze.
“Not meant for runnin no more-“ Max coughed and then grinned with a dry joke. “Tryin t’get rid o’me already, Jura? Now what. Sprint ‘cross the city?”

Jura: 212

Poor guy looked like he was gonna die more than Jura did from running around. The rogue gave a little exasperated sigh of his own and peeked out into the night from the window, listening most likely. “If you didn’t make so much noise you wouldn’t have to kill yourself sprinting away from them.”  

So Max couldn’t run, which was probably from his time in the mines doing backbreaking work, but he still wanted to brawl with anyone who looked at him sideways? The rogue turned his head back in the man’s direction, vaguely aware of where he was settled on the floor by the sounds of his labored breathing and a slightly darker blob in the darkness of the old warehouse.

“We should move away from the window. Nobody really comes this way but it's better to be safe than sorry.” He said as he approached Max and held out a hand to help him back to his feet, “There's a second floor with a closed room, the door still locks.” He sometimes hid out here when he didn’t have the energy to go home or bother his boss and take up space in the office, so there were a few blankets and whatnot. Not really liveable but good for napping.

Max: 166

Poor guy looked like he was gonna die more than Jura did from running around. The rogue gave a little exasperated sigh of his own and peeked out into the night from the window, listening most likely. “If you didn’t make so much noise you wouldn’t have to kill yourself sprinting away from them.”  

So Max couldn’t run, which was probably from his time in the mines doing backbreaking work, but he still wanted to brawl with anyone who looked at him sideways? The rogue turned his head back in the man’s direction, vaguely aware of where he was settled on the floor by the sounds of his labored breathing and a slightly darker blob in the darkness of the old warehouse.

“We should move away from the window. Nobody really comes this way but it's better to be safe than sorry.” He said as he approached Max and held out a hand to help him back to his feet, “There's a second floor with a closed room, the door still locks.” He sometimes hid out here when he didn’t have the energy to go home or bother his boss and take up space in the office, so there were a few blankets and whatnot. Not really liveable but good for napping.

Jura: 200

When the got to the top of the stairs, and without Max keeling over, Jura drew forth some of his blood to shape into a key. Perhaps he'd seen the real thing before or just remembered through trial and error, as it unlocked the door on the first try. This he dissolved away to nothing instead of returning to his person. Inside, he waved Max to follow and waited to close and lock it behind them.

As one would expect with an abandoned building, it was dusty and gloomy, though one small window in the far wall allowed some moonlight to filter in. One could tell Jura or another person and cleared an area in the corner to make a bed. A few blankets piled up there with a pillow too.

"We should be safe here for a while, take a seat and rest a bit if you are sore. I'll bandage up your arm too.." and his own, while he was at it, he was used to the ache but wounding himself still hurt and was more than a little Inconvenient at times. A hand popping into a pocket so he could take out a roll of clean wrappings.

Max: 186

Jurra paused in front of a door and let them both into a smaller dimly lit room with few belongings in it. Max rubbed his beard for a second, wondering if this really was his hangout- probably.
“Well- this where ya living…? It’s… nice actually.”
Max found an empty wooden crate and popped his knees into a squat before he plopped down. The box groaned against his solid weight, he was built like a brick shit house. It was shocking how it didn’t shatter under him.
“S’cold somethin’ ain’t it? Nothin’ like that jungle pit hell hole.”
Max leaned back against the wall and let out a heavy sight, finally able to catch his breath. What a night. His plain linen shirt was simply brown with sweat, so he pulled the filthy thing over his head- cursing when it caught on his horns, and off his body. The cold air felt lovely against his skin.
“Aye well… just a scratch but, I ain’t gon’argue with ya. Some prettt fancy magic ya got there, Jura. Wasn’t sure ya had any- hell wasn’t sure I had none either..”

Jura: 351

“No, just a place to lay low. I have a house elsewhere.” This was just a hideout of sorts, where he’d nap when the weather was bad, or when he was hurting. But it also worked when he had to hide from guards, which wasn’t particularly often. Now, he probably needed it as a place to hide. Maskless and all, and with an escapee bread thief. Softly he sighed again and moved across the room to where Max was sitting atop a crate. A very precarious seat if one asked him, head tilting ever so slightly at the creak of wood under his companions weight. Hopefully Max wouldn’t end up with an ass full of splinters.

“Let me see your arm-” He said as he approached, unfurling the coil of bandages enough to start wrapping the gash he’d given the man, “Yes, it’s cold here. I don’t know which extreme I hate more.” Too hot, frequently wet and assaulted by bugs, or a cold that seeped into his very bones and made every movement agonizing. At least the summers here were less humid, and he could soothe some of his winter begotten aches with warmer clothes and plenty of blankets.

Forgetting he wasn’t masked, he wrinkled his nose a bit when Max removed his shirt. He definitely needed a bath. Jura would certainly consider offering one to him once they were safe again. Regardless of his thoughts, he couldn’t expect Max to mind his hygiene when he was recently freed, though he’d have to ask the details later- instead he focused on wrapping up the wound he’d given his old friend. “I didn’t really know how to use it back then, bled myself half to death on many occasions…”

Tying a knot in the ends of the bandages, Jura shuffled a bit away from max to sit by the small window. Peeking out for a moment before he turned his attention away from the happenings outside and instead to his glove. Carefully tugging the black leather garment free so he could bandage the gash he’d inflicted with a bit of glass.

Max: 275

Not even flinching from any pain, Max reached down into one of his pockets while a bandage was produced from Jura’s. He pulled out the last of his smokes and shoved it between his lips then cursed.
“Damned it all no way to light.”
He grumbled once more, twice, and threw it back into the abyss of his saggy oversized pants.
“Ya? A whole house- what are ya rich or somethin? A whole house’nd here ya are. Jus’ buy a whole city.” Max chuckled. “Only been in a house once,” Max began to smirk at the memory of the General’s daughter. “Ended up with me in prison.”
Nope he didn’t even like her. The whole time he did it was just to piss off the General. He hated that man more than he hated himself.
Max’s skin began to crawl at the idea of blood everywhere trying to figure out a magic.
“Shi’ boy, don’t sound healthy. S’what- yer blood turns into a dagger?”
His red eyes had been fixated off into a wall while he spoke, like a brain dead fool, when in reality he only made eye contact when he was intimidating someone. Made him feel weird- just another tidbit of his lack of socialization.
“Thas’ what ya stabbed me with, right? ….AGH- ya stabbed me with yer BLOOD.” He visibly shuddered, more as a joke than anything.  “Can’t Stan no blood after watchin my crew get squished like bugs. Left’em like that for while… blegh.”
Max quickly pushed that memory aside and let out a long, drawn out sigh. It sounded like the years of his life went out with it.

Jura: 272

Jura sideyed the cigarette. He had matches in one of his pouches but he wasn’t about to share them. Not when smoke made his lungs burn, besides they were for candles and other less
noxious things. “It’s just an apartment. I got it from my-” He was going to say he got it from Enn, in exchange for his work in the mar, but Max didn’t need to know that much. “It’s small. Enough for me at least. I’ll let you see it if you promise to take a bath while you are there.”

He didn’t really have a lot of money, especially not when more than half he was compelled to squirrel away. Gifts or atonements for his lost siblings. The rest he used to buy food on occasion or his medicines, and even that was unstable.

“What about when you were little, Max?” Jura asked, knowing he was an orphan himself and only recently came upon a legitimate home within the last few months. His original dwelling after coming to Faline was in the slums and hardly counted for anything save keeping him mostly dry in the winter.

For a moment Jura ignored the comments about his blood. Occupied with wrapping his own arm up and returning his glove to his hand. “Daggers, whatever I want them to be. If I can imagine it and I have enough fluid in me anyways.” He was frequently dehydrated and anemic from his ability, so it varied on how useful he could really be. “What crew?” Someone from the mines maybe- After Jura got out? They had a lot to catch up on

Max: 263

“Bath?” Max snorted. “Yeah, ya got a River somewhere would love to take a bath in ice cold water.” There was sarcasm in his voice, he didn’t see how jumping into anywhere outside for more than a second was going to help anything. Luckily he was nose blind to himself. Hi
“Uhm.” Max paused and scratched his head. “Well what about it-“ that was a long time ago… “me ‘nd the gang ruled the streets where I came from. Sindolomere and I were rich— maybe not like them nobles, not much money. Lots of stuff, shiny things. Stole from anythin that moved. Ha! Them were the days. Gods, I do miss them.” He got a little quiet and shrugged. “But they’re all prolly dead now y’know, don’t see many out here old as me.” He looked over to Jura with a grin. “T’night- kinda like those days though. YKnow thas what kept me goin all those years. Escape back to this. Not the cold tho.”
Crew? His gang?
“OH- nah my minin’ crew. Didn’ I ever tell ya- I was lead captain of that hell. Knew the mines the best, seein as no one been down there as long as me. Not even the warden.” He spat on the ground after that curse left his mouth. “One of the smaller crews went off to the left wing after I told em it wasn’t safe, ended up how I said they would. She took fifteen more.”
He leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. Lots of talking, maybe he missed this company.

Jura: 230

“No, Not in the river Max, you’d freeze your balls off in there. I’ll set one up for you proper, warm water, soap...” definitely with soap and maybe something that smelled nice so his house wouldn’t reek of Max’s sweat for a month. Maybe he was being a little prissy, but he liked to keep what he had neat and tidy. The same applied to himself- where he smelled of lavender or other pleasant herbs, mostly to mask the scent of blood that clung to him for obvious reasons.

Had Max told him any of this before? Jura couldn’t remember. A lot of things he couldn’t remember it seemed. He simply gave a nod and minded his glove. Adjusting the part that covered his forearm and moving a few straps around to cover the cut portion of leather.  

“Well.. you still have time to do what you want… maybe with a little more caution.” So you don’t end up back in prison till you die of old age. Alas, Jura had no place telling the other man how to live his life. Did he even remember the mines? Awful place, definitely. Dark too. He could remember coughing till he choked on his own blood and spit, but was the extent of his foray into the dust and dampness. “Sorry to hear that… was that before or after I ran off?”

Max: 156

“Heh. Never done that before. Heard of soap though, somethin’ rich people use.”
Max crossed his legs and closed his eyes for a minute, letting things float across his mind without trying to fight them.
“Sorry? Ha, no loss there, didn’t like any of’em anyways. Remember we all end up there for a reason, right. Either gonna kill each other or that mine gonna swallow ‘em whole. Wanna go back some day, when it’s all on fire of course. Y’should come with, we can watch it burn together.”
Max never really changed from when he was thrown in, whether that was simply his disconnection from reality or he really just thrived in darkness, it’s unknown, he kept his carefree hope that someday things would be okay. Maybe now it was okay. It was too soon to tell. All he knew was that he had a friend again. Things were looking good.
“How long we sittin’ low?”

Jura: 231
“A bath-” Jura sounded a little too surprised and adjusted his tone, “… you’ve never taken a bath before?” How feral was this man? Even Jura and his street kid siblings tried to clean themselves up from grime once in a while- be halfway decent. Sometimes that meant standing knee deep in a fountain in nothing but your birthday suit, or just scrubbing dirt off themselves in the rain as the bare minimum. He even tried to keep himself somewhat clean when he was in the pit. A considerably harder endeavor when everything was just mud and rain all the time and he was so weary, but it was something. A little bit of normality in what was otherwise a nightmare.

“You can get it from some of the shopkeepers here pretty cheap…” Or just beg someone for a shred of their block like some vagrant. Of course he was still appalled but answered the suggestion with a faint reply of his own, “I don’t know if I could handle going back… not if the warden is still there and well.”

For a moment he shifted his gaze to watch Max as opposed to adjusting his own clothing, wondering how he got out. He’d save the question for a bit later anyways. “An hour at least. Longer is better. Why, you itching to get into trouble again, maybe it's the fleas?”

Max: 210

“Prolly not to what yer thinkin. Jump in a River, or the ocean mostly. Maybe a pond if it don’t smell too bad. Call it good.” Max stretched and yawned. “Eh. Too ‘spensive. Got more important things to get.”
He sat up and knitted his brow as if he had just been deeply offended.
“Ey- watch it or they’ll hear ya.” He patted his shoulder as if healing wounded feeling of his fleas.
Max stood up from the wood box and relieved it from the deadly amount of weight it had been supporting. He stretched again and the sound of the gold overlapping plates that lined up his spine scraped together slightly. It was no wonder why his back hurt, they weren’t the lightest.
Already bored with his 2 minute rest, Max walked around a bit and investigated the random objects scootched around the room with his foot. This was a man that could not sit still to save his life.
Well here he was- trapped in a room on the run. The usual. Maybe they could catch up on some good ol bonding time. Or maybe Max could challenge him to an arm wrestle- something. He was really debating on that. Jura was much different than what he remembered.

Jura: 221

“That doesn’t count as a bath Max. If you come to my house you need to have a proper one. I’ll bring the soap and shit too. No cost on your part, save a little of your time.” If he said no, Jura would never invite him back. Well, maybe once or twice. He didn’t feel right just telling the guy to take a hike because he smelled like a two week old dead cat.

“Nobodies gonna hear us-'' He started and stopped just as quickly. Realizing Max was speaking of fleas instead of the guards hunting them down. Watching in silence for a moment as the man relieved the crate of its impending doom and stretched before pacing around the small space like a wild beast. “I thought you were tired…” Jura figured it might just be his knees, but the way he was breathing like he was about to just die on the floor earlier had him suspicious.

The room was sparsely furnished, if even, ‘furnished’ was too generous of a word for a collection of crates, broken shit and a couple old blankets. There didn’t seem to be anything of use or value.

“So… if you are done pacing like a wild dog, can you tell me how you got out? What happened with the prison? The… Warden?”

Max: 347

“Need to? We’ll see… don’t even smell.” He lifted his arms to take a whiff, then immediately put them down. “Maybe.”
A bath was a frightening term, it sounded like some sort of torture. He’d heard about it before, but not in a good way. He remembered ol’ Solis trying to fight the scrawny kid into some dark tub to clean the crap off him after he fell into a few piles. Max won and escaped.
He stopped his daydreaming and looked up when Jurra called out his pacing. Wild dog? He’s just used to working his fingers to the bones, there was nothing to do here. No one to boss around, and it was quiet. The quiet was hurting his ears. No shouting just quiet talk. No striking hammers or picks against rocks, and no squeaking wheels to the carts.it was driving him nuts.
“Ah- hmm. Well.” His shoulders fell and he returned to the box. “Let’s see.” Max thought a moment.
“So that cave’in collapsed a tunnel we don’ use much- unstable ‘nd all. They sent me to clean up after mouthin off- thas’ when I noticed a light…. We were diggin’ right into a cave… so I slowly worked at opening the hole up, it was full of water but damned there was light in there… thas’ when a golem found me.” Max shrugged. “Pair o’sheers worked. Snuck outta that hell and swam out, climbed out and set some charges. Prolly blew that mine to hell.”
Max grinned.
“Ran like hell outta there… jungle is a mad place, ha. Followed the coastline up ‘nd ran into some fishermen. Had me help ‘em for a bit to teach me things, told em I been lost in the forest my life. One thing led to a next, now I’m here.”
“Prison’s goin to shit. Some sort of disease wipin’ em out. Sounds like they’re gonna scorch the place and restart. Dunno, haven’t seen the Warren in a year I think.”
Max sighed and looks over to Jurra.
“So, whatta bout you. How’d you end up?”

Jura: 408

Didn’t smell? Jura got a little too much of that Max brand cologne and had a headache already. Prison fester had no right being in Faline, or anywhere near Jura for that matter. “Come on man, a little water won’t kill you. I’ll even make you some dinner as a treat, though I’m no master chef.. Maybe just some bread. I have a day old loaf I think.” He hardly cooked, but his house did come with a fireplace and a big soup kettle. Soups were pretty easy right? Lots of water and whatever you had around that could be tossed in and boiled? He probably had enough root vegetable things laying around to make something partly edible anyways. “If my food stock is shittier than I imagined, I know a couple nice places I can get you something from in the morning.” Jura sat still for a moment and just shrugged to end the thought.

“I wish my way out was as easy… how’d you manage to kill one of those fuckers when they had me screaming like a baby…” Jura said that and immediately shook his head, running a hand over his eyes wearily and back up through his short cut hair, head drooping to his knees while he talked, “Anyways… They tossed me into solitary. Cold and wet cell, rusty bars, couple gawking guards once in a while. Checking if I was dead, I think… but they didn’t stop by often. Gave me time to play with my life I guess. I figured out how to make a knife there, shitty as it was and took down the guard. He didn’t have a key but you know nobody was going to come by looking for a while so I managed to break out with.. Tools.” Blood tools, but Max was smart enough to figure that out, hopefully. “I can’t really remember the rest of it but I know I threw myself into a river at some point. That’s a bad idea by the way…I almost drowned and got the sense knocked out of me.” On top of getting the shit beaten out of himself on the way out of the prison.

“What kind of disease- you didn’t see the Warden at all?” Jura said as his head popped up, looking a little frightened despite himself. What if that guy was in Faline? If Jura so much as heard his voice he knew he’d be fucked.

Max: 178

“Hmm… fine.” Max grumbled. “Only for the food. S’been a few days.”

He grew rather quiet when Jura began telling him of his escape. It wasn’t an easy one, it sounded like torment to the highest degree. Why would they isolate poor Jura to begin with? Sure he had sass, but not like the rest of the lot… Was it because of him Jura had been treated harshly, through association? Max frowned.
“Damned. That was a rough exit. Shoulda blown something up before ya left.” He gave Jura a grin and a good wink. “Nah hadn’t seen ‘em, rumor had it they got fired. Or died.” He shrugged. “Some sorta plague. Didn’t effect the miners much, already a rat.”
Max smiled and closed his eyes for a second.
“S’thas how you ended up. I woulda rot in that cell, ya got some guts… glad yer here now though.” He rubbed his beard and decided to push Jura’s buttons. “S’now what? Ya got a job somewhere? Married? Kids? Open up a shop or somethin, whatever it is people do.”

Jura: 225

“I didn’t have the time to go looking for a bomb Max, I just wanted out of there.” Which was true, he ran more than he ever thought he could.  

Jura sighed and shifted his hands to his person, fiddling with a belt by clicking and unclipping the buckle. Maybe he was nervous when it came to talking about the prison. “I hope they died. You know they wouldn’t get fired by anyone when the whole place was illicit. Shady work for shady people…” And the stones they mined were part of it. Dangerous for mages- good for lining ones pockets with coins. He figured those in charge got out before shit went south.

Thankfully the topic shifted before Jura could worry himself to death, “Thanks… I got a job, yeah. Thieving. Looking for papers and whatever the rich folks try to keep hidden…” The next three questions were answered with varying amounts of amusement, “no- no, aaaand no.” He didn’t marry. Sleeping with people was common, sure, but nobody he’d settled with long term. Short flings. Stress relief. “No kids, no family. I was seeing a couple guys here and there but nothing serious.” He also didn’t fancy himself a people person, not with how he looked. “Not very social either, and now you destroyed my mask. I guess I’ll have to make another.”

Max: 222

“Prolly is dead. Wish could’ve been me that did it. I’d boil ‘em Alive in the tar vat.”
A vivid image flashed across his mind, one that made a large toothy grin spread over his face. The Warden drowning in a vat of boiling tar. His face disappearing beneath the bubbles… If only.
“Rumor had it the guards were plannin’ on leavin’ too but we all know that place’ll be there ‘till we’re long ‘nd gone.”
And there may have been some truth to that, those giant stone pillars were etched into the planet forever.
“Thievin’s good. That kinda work yet doin’ though- I wouldn’t call ya a thief Jura… somethin’ else, can’t think of the name… but ya got the right targets.” He shrugged off the struggle to find the words.
“Ah right- the mask… thief’s have good disguised I guess. We never did, but I seen them before. Ya gotta have one don’t ya, if it’s comin from the nobels… better be careful Jura. End up like me.”
He beckoned to his entire self with his hands. He didn’t really need to say more.
And then it happened.
That sad little box that had been holding up a very heavy man fell through. He cursed, and stood up Jo brushing his pants before trying to pretend that it never happened.

Jura: 159

"Maybe the prison will still be there long after us, but I do hope it lays empty." Not that he could do anything to influence how the pit and all its corrupt guards were dealt with. He was one person, and certainly not in any shape to go break a bunch of criminals or otherwise out of that hell. It didn't matter how much he wanted that or how much he thought about it.

"I think so too. Rich bastards." He mumbled the last part, turning his whole head to stare at the crate when it made some concerning creaks. Not a moment later, it gave in under Max's weight and was crushed. Jura stifled a laugh with his hand as the man got up and brushed his pants free of little bits of wood, "ha-- Y- yeah, I have another I could fix up. What happened to you anyways? Why'd you go after that guy, of all people?"

Max: 222

“Good, good. Can’t buy ya another really… Gave baker all I had.” He pulled out his holey pockets as proof of this, he really had nothing. Not even a place to lay his head at night. Max’s been living as some wild animal since his escape. Another inmate had tried to help him a little, socialize and tame down, but Max didn’t like that. He split away and set out solo.
The older man looked over to him and thought really hard why he was asking him that, it should be a clear answer right? He hadn’t been after money.
“Just wanted bread.” Max said. “Smelled it down the whole damned street. The plan was- break in, grab it, leave. Didn’t know ol’ man was still there, guess I’m a bit rusty.” He paused and gave a little huff. “Used to be the best on the street, mines took out that talent… Maybe ya can teach me some of yer tricks.” He gave him a wink before casting his gaze to the window. They—- Max, really did stir up a town tonight.
And… it hit him that Jimmy never returned. Max turned and looked around the room for the floating blob but never saw it. A chill ran up his spine.
“Ya still think they’re lookin? Been at least a lil’ bit…”

Jura: 173

At least he tried to pay the poor man, even if it didn't even come close to repairing two windows and giving him burglary nightmares for weeks. "I can make another, just don't … dissolve or whatever you did…to the new one. They take me a while to get right."  He was a perfectionist it seemed, but Jura also carved to relax and clear his head. He had mask blanks at home to finish anyways.

Listening, Jura couldn't help but squint as the man explained his reasoning. "Well, as I said. If you want food, I'll get you some. Just don't rob the poor old bakery again. You might give the old man a heart attack then none of us will get bread." Sure there was other places to get baked goods, but Jura didn't care to tell Max that much.

Turning to the window, Jura looked out for a while. It was quiet. That was good, he figured. "Might have run off the wrong way, why, you bored of my company already?"

Max: 157

“Won’t touch that bakery again, promise. Ya can get yer bread.”

And once more he began pacing like some sort of caged animal. His heart rate got a little faster, and it took him a moment to cool down: once he stopped pacing Max took to leaning up against the wall and folded his arms across his chest.
“No- not that. S’the magic. Haven’t had it in… since I was little. It burns.” His upper lip twitched. “Can’t control it much sometimes… but I want to destroy things. Not yer things, promise.” He paused. “Sure it’ll go away.”
He tapped his foot a few times and stared empty-minded out the window to the moonlit wall across the street. Thinking about that filthy hyena really got him going. If he ever ran into them again, he’d probably punch their face in.
“We can stay for a bit if ya want… or we can go. Just gonna follow ya.”

Jura: 250

Probably wasn't the best idea he had today, but Jura would trust him like he had all those years ago. Max was a good man somewhere under all that grime and wild words. "Good, behave yourself and maybe I'll show you around town…" he said as he watched Max pace back and forth like he was caged, frowning at the sight. In a way, the mines were good for Max, an outlet for all his wildness and all his fears. Somewhere where he couldn't hurt people but he could break anything he wanted.

Jura spoke as he got to his feet, approaching with his hands up a bit, "Max, I don't think your magic will go away. You have to live with it," like Jura had to with his own magic, and all the fear it brought to him too, "we all do." His voice was soft, like he understood the pain. Of course, Jura's sympathy only went so far. He didn't know what it was like to see a friend die right in front of him. But at least, he had an idea. He thought Max was dead and gone, drowned in the guilt of leaving him behind. "I'll try and find you something to do while you are in Faline. Carving probably won't help you like it does me…"

Tentatively, he stepped closer, ignoring the smell of a man many many years late to a bath and a bit of soap. A hug, if Max would allow it.

Max: 217

“Behave myself?” Max snorted. “Ya do remember why I was on the surface so much?” He smirked. “Guess the city’s different.”

A frown appeared, but only for a moment…
“Oh.” Is all he could mutter. It felt powerful but, a little frightening at the same time when your friend is suddenly reduced to nothing. He looked at Jura with a fear that it might happen to him too…. Probably not, Jimmy deserved it. He let the thought slide by and wondered what he’d be doing in a place like this other than running the streets and surviving. The idea of owning his own shop or living like a civilian almost made him laugh aloud.

Jura stepped closer and his hair stood on end. Why was he so close? It made him a bit nervous, instinctively, and then he held out his arms a smidge and Max relaxed. He knew what he was going for.
“Thought I smelled.” Max teased before giving the man a giant hug and squeezing him a bit.
That was an unusual action, but he liked it. Hugs were very fitting for Jura. Had he done this in prison, they would’ve beat the shit out of him.
“Thank you for the help.”

Words no other soul would probably ever come out of Max’s mouth.

Jura: 175

Very true. Max was dragged out of the pit quite frequently, went absolutely feral and fought anyone that looked at him wrong. But, that could have also been from the conditions they were all in. Some got mad, others less so. Jura was of the latter, all doom and gloom and misery. It definitely got him targeted.

"Oh you do. I'd burn your clothes the moment you took them off, but I don't think I have anything that'll fit you besides a blanket." Perhaps some shopping was in order. He knew a tailor he could bribe to come measure, or at the very least, eyeball the beast that was Max and get him something plain but proper.  

Jura gave a sigh and tried not to breathe in too deeply when he was squished, though he did exhale a bit louder at the force, "I haven't really done anything. If you are getting stir crazy though, how about you take up my offer? Bath, food..- whatever else you want to do after is up to you."

Max: 79

“Hm- you smell good.” Max released his poor victim. “Yeah- I’ll take that offer up. Burn the clothes, I stole em off some dead guy anyways.”

He didn’t like the idea of having nothing but the skin on his back, but maybe Jura had something seven sizes larger he could fit into. He wasn’t sure.

Max waited for Jura to lead the way, seeing as he had no idea which direction to go, and he did so without fidgeting.

Jura: 292

Jura chuckled. Of course he smelled good, “Thanks, I use soap.” Soap, lavender oil and even sprigs of the plant if he could get it, Usually stuffed into his scarf or the edges of his mask when
He could afford some. Put himself in a little bubble where everything was nice and he didn’t have to cough up a lung when a room was smokey or smelled strongly of sweat.  

“Some dead guy-” Jura started, lifting a hand to rub his eyes while he took a step back. Incredible. “Definitely burning them then.” He wondered if Max had killed the guy and then stole his clothes- less… disgusting in a way, but he also considered the later option. Maybe max was no better than the vultures that loomed around the pit. An opportunist.

Stepping back again, Jura moved to the window to peer out of it. Relieved it was dark, but uneasy that he had to go walk around without his mask on. At least he could pull the scarf up over the lower portion of his face. Some little comfort, he supposed.

“Alright. It looks clear but we’ll take the backroads. Slip through a couple buildings…” Uninhabited ones of course. Anyone alive would smell Max and come looking. “My apartment is a couple blocks from here, give or take.” They’d walk more, obviously. Nobody in their right mind would be trying to hide from guards and take the main roads at the same time.

Turning from the window, he went to the door. Unlocking it and holding it open for his company to exit first. Clearly with the intention of relocking the room once they were both out. Didn’t need anyone coming through and poking around his little hide-y hole anyways.