The Causeway [Friday afternoon]

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

Max was sitting in the grass near the causeway with a legionaire's rucksack and a case of cheap beer next to him. He was actually armored up, too, his usual comfortable jeans and a tshirt replaced by well-maintained scale-mail.

It was kind of weird thinking that after all the time he'd spent in Fandom, he was basically leaving with exactly the same things he'd brought in. And he wasn't even leaving behind much. Mostly clothes, really.

He'd considered having some sort of send-off party, but that had felt... weird. So he'd just settled for emails to his former students and the various friends he'd made who were still around the island. There were fewer of those than there used to be. It almost felt like he was the last one out, in a way.

Max shook that particular thought off and popped open another beer. It wasn't very good beer, but since he was about to head back into the field, where he'd be lucky to get bad wine, so he definitely wasn't going to complain.

It'd been a good three years, really. He hadn't expected to miss the place, not when he'd first arrived, but... he knew he would. Which he knew was the real reason he was lingering. He didn't really need to finish the entire case of beer, but he was going to. If only to spend those few extra minutes saying goodbye.

[And Max is off. Feel free to have gotten a message if you like, or just feel free to swing by.]

Comments

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

"I wish you didn't have to go."

That voice came from the red head witchling that dropped her sight shield as soon as she got close enough to him.

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

Max smiled slightly at the sight of Cassie. "Gotta admit that I'll miss this place," he allowed. "But," he shrugged, "duty calls."

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

Her face fell a little. She understood all too well the demands of duty.

"Will you come back?"

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

"It's possible," Max said, but followed that up with a sigh. "But it's not looking promising." The smile he flashed wasn't especially convincing. "I don't know if there'll be a me to come back."

The reports he'd been getting were... not encouraging.

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

"You know that if you need help getting back here, all you have to do is ask for it. There are so many people who have learned so much from you and I was hoping that you would be around to train my court when they are formed. You know how to fight and protect and I know that it's because of that so many have survived when fights have broken out."

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

Max shook his head. "You guys are the ones who did all the work. I mostly just yelled a lot."

"And I'd like to be around to train your court. And when the time comes, you should send me a letter. If I'm able, I'll come." In fact, it'd be an honor.

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

She gave him a smile and called in a small package. "There are some pens, writing sheets and envelopes with my address on them," she said as she handed the package to him. "I'd like you to write to me when you can." She tilted her head. "And, of course, I would need to know where you can be reached or the vicinity so that I can keep you informed of things that go on here -- whether that be Fandom or Kaeleer."

[livingasheth.livejournal.com]

"You're leaving."

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

The sight of Millie brought a bittersweet smile to Max's face. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "I'm leaving."

[livingasheth.livejournal.com]

"Will you... be back?" she asked quietly.

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Max admitted. He patted the ground next to him in invitation. "It sounds like things back home are... getting interesting."

He sighed. "If I do come back, it'll probably... be a while."

[livingasheth.livejournal.com]

Millie sat down, folding her skirts neatly beneath her. "That sounds difficult," she said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

Max leaned into her slightly. "Sit with me for a while?"

"It's not looking good, but it looks like it's mostly going to be fighting." That wasn't the sort of thing he really wanted to see Millie involved in.

[glacial_queen]

Karla had gotten a text and an email from two of her favorite teachers telling her to come to the Causeway to say goodbye. There was a reason that graduation and the week after it were among her least favorite times of year.

"You, too, huh?" she asked.

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

Max looked up and flashed a sort-of grin. "Me, too, apparently."

[glacial_queen]

"No chance I could get all regal and bratty and convince you to stay?" Karla tried. "I could use my best Queenly-commanding voice and everything. I've been practicing."

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

"As much as I'd love to see that, I'm afraid I've got orders..."

[glacial_queen]

Karla tried not to pout. She couldn't stand against orders, she knew that. It was one of the reasons Max was such a good male. "I guess that's fair," she said quietly. "But as long as we're clear that I don't have to like it."

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

"You're not the only one," Max admitted. "I mean, the island is way nicer than where I'm going..."

And he still had all those students that he wouldn't be around to watch over now.

Not that they needed it that much.

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Cindy had sent most of her belongings on ahead, keeping only what could fit in a small dufflebag--which, as it turned out, was mostly a lot of weapons, a few pairs of shoes, and a change of clothing.

Cindy had interesting priorities.

"Going my way?" she asked Max, giving him a small smile. By that, she meant over the Causeway and off the island. Sad.

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

"That does sound nice," Max chuckled. Then sighed.

"Duty calls?" That was his guess for Cindy's own departure.

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Cindy said with a sigh. "My douchebag ex-husband is playing politics back home. If he gets voted in--and it looks likely--then there's going to be a whole regime change. The boss wants me on standby in case I need new orders."

Not to kill Charming. Sadly. But if he was elected, Snow would be leaving her post, and Bigby wasn't going to stay if Snow didn't. So what that meant for Bigby's special forces team was all up in the air.

She wrinkled her nose. "I hate politics."

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

Max shook his head. "You and me, both."

He sighed. "Though that sounds more relaxing than the war I'm heading back to." He found himself wishing that he could go with her.

[steel-not-glass.livejournal.com]

Oh, there were going to be plenty of battles in the coming days. Cindy just didn't know it yet.

"We should keep in touch," she said. "I've got some vacation time save up--" because, yeah. Her employment totally worked like that "--if you need someone to go save your ass from time to time, give me a call."

She had no problems bringing guns to a magic war, okay?

[furious-maximus.livejournal.com]

"I'll keep that in mind." And while Max laughed, he was totally serious, too. "Same goes for you, though I think I'm all out of vacation days..."

He shook his head. "At least we'll always have Paris?"