A Pleasant Surprise (Maxine)

[ROBERT SNOW]

Robert wanted to slap the girl he was holding close. She was so much like Mordecai, wanting all of the guardians to work together as a family. She wasn’t a brave, though, and in his eyes she was as cowardly as her leader. Why hide in the shadows and wait for it to be safe to come out when you could be a pioneer? Pioneers got glory and fame and Robert and Mordecai would go down as the starters of the revelation. Meanwhile Blurrs and Therianthropes would fall behind the curb and find themselves being labeled cowards for all of history. He couldn’t understand what a Gargoyle would see in a woman like her. She seemed meek and frail, very different from the hard, strong Gargoyles. She was diplomatic, however, which might hold some appeal for intelligent conversation for a man like Witt. His eyes glanced to the young man, seeing his displeasure and finding it weak that he displayed it so much. He turned his gaze back to the woman and gave a cold smile. “Yes, but there is something very comforting about being with your own. You know exactly what others are capable of and you understand your own politics and roles in society so much better than with of groups,” he insisted. “Do you not feel more comfortable in yourself with your own kind than with any other kind?” Maxine’s smile faded more and he was satisfied. He liked seeing the doubt come across her face. “Yes, I must admit I’m more comfortable with others like me, but sometimes it’s good to step out of your comfort zone and learn new things.” His eyes were hard as stone as he looked down at her.

“What have you learned from Mr. Witt?” Maxine looked almost surprised and then gave a nervous, breathy sort of laugh. “Not much. He’s just a fling.” Robert shook his head with a smirk. “You don’t lie very well, Miss McManus,” he said in a low rumble. She looked almost frightened and he watched as her cheeks flushed and she took her eyes from his. “I can see he’s furious with me dancing with you. I saw the way you two smiled at each other while you were dancing. It was picture perfect the way you two looked so happy.” Maxine didn’t like his taunting and she flashed her eyes up to him, though she gave a smile. “Thank you.” He spun her gracefully before pulling her back to him, catching her gaze intensely. “Wouldn’t you be happier with one of your own? I mean, you and Mr. Witt have completely different schedules even, and I can tell you’re much too sweet for a Gargoyle politician.” He gave a soft chuckle, but she didn’t seem very amused, though he mouth was smiling. “We make it work. We’re actually quite balanced in our personalities.” Robert nodded appreciatively, but he gave her a suspicious look. “But Gargoyles…we’re cold, cruel. Blurrs are warm and…humorous. Wouldn’t you rather be with someone like that? A woman like you deserves something like that.” Robert was used to saying things he didn’t really mean and made him want to gag. He really had to fight back to urge as he spoke to the girl.

She seemed to be having the same struggle as she looked up at him with a sour smile. “I appreciate your concern, Mr. Snow, but I’m happy. I don’t believe in all of the generalizations made of each species. Perhaps I could be happy with another Blurr, but not as happy as I am now. It doesn’t matter if we’re two different species; there are always ways to bridge that gap. More importantly, I think as long as we’re happy, no one else needs to be concerned.” Her smile was sugary sweet, as was her tone, but her eyes spoke a different story. Perhaps he had underestimated this one. She had more spunk than she let on. “Tell me, Miss McManus, are you pursuing a career in politics?” The girl seemed taken aback by the question and she shook her head. “Not really. Why?” He gave a small smirk. “You have a very diplomatic way of telling people to mind their own business,” he replied, somewhat amused by the exchange. Pissed off as well, but amused. She gave a soft laugh, glancing to her date on the edge of the dance floor. He looked anxious, which Robert found somewhat less amusing, but amusing nonetheless. “I will tell you, Miss McManus, Mr. Witt has some high ambitions, but I don’t anticipate him going very far with a partner who is something other than a Gargoyle. He’s probably aware of this fact. Have your fun, don’t let me stop you, but don’t be surprised if he keeps you at arm’s length,” he told the young lady with an imitation of concern. She looked as though he had struck her across the face. The song ended and he held her hand for a moment, brushing his lips across her gloves knuckles. “Take care of yourself, Miss McManus,” he said softly. She nodded, her hand slipping from his grasp as he made his way back to his second-in-command. The seed was planted and his work was done.

[AUGUST WITT]

Their dance was the longest five minutes of his life it seemed. August watched in angry anticipation as Snow spun his gazelle around the dance floor feeling furiously jealous and extremely bitter towards Maxine for lying to him. As far as he was concerned she had kept something important from him and it had been a lie by omission. He expected her to be honest always with him. He, on the other hand, was allowed to keep things from her if necessary, but he rarely had. She had been at the leaders meeting! Not even he had been in attendance for that. How could she have kept something like that form him? She had made a fool of him!

August was pacing some, his hands in tight fists at his sides as he monitored Snow with Maxine, thinking of ways he could punish Maxine for misbehaving so severely. In his angry state he wanted to take out his frustration not only at her, but also at Snow, but use her as his complete outlet. Then he wondered why he even bothered to stay. Maybe he should go, show Maxine he wouldn't wait around for her. Even as he thought it he knew it wasn't an option. Just thinking about Snow keeping his grubby paws on Maxine without him there to supervise drove him to the brink of insanity. Plus there was the added panic of seeing them talking. What was she saying to him? What was he asking? It was difficult to tell their expressions with the masks on their faces. Was she telling him what they were? He would be mortified if the leader of the Gargoyles knew he'd been having such close relations with a Blurr. It was frowned upon and almost taboo, and it would certainly be a poor career move for that to become public, one of the many reasons he kept her at arms length.

Yes.. he would be planning something brutal if she had toyed with his career.

August felt his face pale as the dance came to an end and Snow kissed her gloved hands. He had to concentrate on staying where he was and not rushing out to collect his property or attacking the man he followed; a man who could kill him in an instant if he stepped out of line. There was a reason Snow was the leader of the Gargoyles. It wasn't a simple task and only the strongest could ever be considered. August knew he would probably never be considered giving his stature, but he had no desire to make it to leader.

August stood at a distance and simply glared at Maxine, his body rigid. As soon as his gaze caught hers he looked away, fuming silently. Finally he moved towards the exit. If she cared to follow, then she did. If not then he could certainly use the time to himself to consider the situation at hand. He walked into the hallway and paced around for a moment before turning to a wall, sliding his hand on it to brace himself as he tried to collect himself. How could she? He'd been played a fool! And August did not like to be made a fool.

[MAXINE MCMANUS]

Maxi didn’t like her and Snow’s conversation one bit. Who the hell did he think he was to tell her she shouldn’t see August? It was none of his damn business who August spent his time with! Why did it matter that she was a Blurr and he was a Gargoyle? It wasn’t like they were getting married or having kids. She couldn’t deny she wanted those things, but they certainly weren’t in the near future. Snow had no business putting his nose where it didn’t belong, and he had no right to bar Gargoyles’ political advancement simply because he didn’t like interracial couples. All the same, he would do it because he could, and that upset Maxi. “I will tell you, Miss McManus, Mr. Witt has some high ambitions, but I don’t anticipate him going very far with a partner who is something other than a Gargoyle. He’s probably aware of this fact. Have your fun, don’t let me stop you, but don’t be surprised if he keeps you at arm’s length.” She felt as if the wind was knocked out of her. How did he know that August did that? And why couldn’t they just be happy? Why did she have to be a Gargoyle for them to have any hope together? If she could change what she was, she would in a heartbeat to be with August forever. Why did it have to be so complicated?

The song ended and Snow kissed her knuckles, making her sick to her stomach. She wanted to crawl out of her skin now, escape that sensation, but instead she just watched him with distrusting eyes. “Take care of yourself, Miss McManus.” Maxi nodded, letting her hands fall to her sides once more, looking at the floor as Snow walked away. Snow—what a perfect name for the man. She brought her eyes up suddenly, looking around for her date and found him glaring at her. A surge of fear went through her as she remembered what had been revealed to him. She had to make him understand why she didn’t tell him, but under his furious gaze, she was frozen. Before she could move back to him, he was walking away towards the quiet hallway. She didn’t know whether to go after him or let him be. What did he want? For a moment she had to consider whether she cared more about his privacy or her explanation. She settled for her explanation. Her feet carried her after him quickly, ignoring all of the people around her who she had to push through. If there were familiar faces looking at her, watching her, she couldn’t say. All she wanted was to speak to August.

Her heels clicked against the hard floor as she searched the hallways for her lover. At last she found him in a secluded area and her heart hammered in her throat when he looked at her. She took a deep breath, moving toward him. “August, I’m sorry. Let me explain,” she started, moving to within a foot of him. “Gertie, the Blurr leader, he’s my mentor and he asked me to be there as the secretary. He asked me not to tell anyone I would be there; it was supposed to be a secret, that’s why I didn’t tell you. Gertie decided he wanted to keep our existence a secret, and I was so busy getting the word out and I wanted to tell you, but…I just wasn’t sure how you would react. And I didn’t know if Gertie would want me to tell anyone besides the other Blurrs. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” The words came tumbling out, needing him to hear them before he said anything. She was beginning to feel tears burning in her eyes and she prayed they wouldn’t fall, not wanting to mess up her face on such an important night. “And if I could have I would have told Snow to fuck off. I can’t stand that man. But you know I couldn’t do that. I didn’t want to get you in trouble or cause any more trouble for us.” She wrung her hands, looking down at them and feeling awful. Couldn’t he hear how sorry she was?

[AUGUST WITT]

The heels in the hallway caught his attention and he turned his head towards the woman making her way towards him, his eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at her as she came closer. “August, I’m sorry. Let me explain,” she started, moving closer to him and he gave her a warning look that said it would be wise to keep her distance. A snort escaped through his nose as he stood straighter, looking down at her and making it clear he was judging whatever it was that she felt she needed to explain. August was a stubborn man and he couldn't imagine she had anything worth saying. Further more, he wasn't interested in what she did have to say, which would make it all the more difficult for her to try and sway him.

He was deathly silent, hardly breathing as she explained how she was the Blurr leaders secretary. It was almost an embarrassment because even August knew the man was a complete joke to the Guardian world. He was a poor excuse of a leader and the fact that she worked directly under him disgusted August. It was something she had failed to mention, which made him even more upset.

"...Gertie decided he wanted to keep our existence a secret, and I was so busy getting the word out and I wanted to tell you, but…I just wasn’t sure how you would react." The dangerous look was back and it was clear that her words were failing to make an impression on him. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” August could clearly see how upset she had become and a part of him was glad for it. She needed to suffer for what she'd done to him. She had kept something major form him, and what was worse was she made him look like a complete fool in front of his own leader.

“And if I could have I would have told Snow to fuck off. I can’t stand that man. But you know I couldn’t do that. I didn’t want to get you in trouble or cause any more trouble for us.” For once he wasn't affected by her nervous behavior. Lately he became upset when she was, but tonight it didn't move him. He was enraged! He had never been so angry at Maxine before and he wanted nothing more than to pull his hand back and and swing it across her delicate little face. It was irrational, but August was irrational at the moment. She had single handedly ruined the nice evening he had been hoping to have with her, but he realized he had been foolish to think he could trust venturing out with her on these little "dates". Clearly she was better to keep around as his own personal fuck toy.

"Your explanation was as pathetic as I expected it to be." He snarled down at her. "You should have told me you served under Periwinkle. You should have mentioned you knew who Snow was. Do you know how much of a fool I just looked in front of him? In front of my leader? It was clear I had no idea you were familiar with who he was. Not to mention you're privy to leader information, which means you're immersed in Guardian politics and are clearly not some woman I would have just picked up. Do you have any idea how detrimental this could be to my career? DO YOU?" He snapped, shaking his head, his lip curling in disgust. There was something more than anger in his eyes as he glared down at the woman he cared so deeply for. He was hurt and it came out in anger and spite.

"I should have never brought you tonight." He grumbled. "This was clearly a mistake. You were clearly a mistake." He didn't mean the hurtful words, but he was too angry to see how detrimental it was to their relationship and moved past her, deciding he had enough for this evening. He wanted to go home and sulk with a bottle of vodka and attempt to drink his way into oblivion until the sun came up.

[MAXINE MCMANUS]

Maxi’s eyes were big as saucers as August glared at her. She had never seen him so angry. “Your explanation was as pathetic as I expected it to be.” She gulped hard, watching him as he spoke. “You should have told me you served under Periwinkle. You should have mentioned you knew who Snow was. Do you know how much of a fool I just looked in front of him? In front of my leader? It was clear I had no idea you were familiar with who he was. Not to mention you're privy to leader information, which means you're immersed in Guardian politics and are clearly not some woman I would have just picked up. Do you have any idea how detrimental this could be to my career? DO YOU?" Maxi jumped, tears running to her eyes now as August raised his voice to her. He’d never been so mad with her. Never. She wanted to ask why, why did it matter so much that they were together? Why did she need to tell him about her involvement in leader politics? It was a minor role and she had only just begun filling it. But the only words that came to her were a choked, “I’m sorry.”

“I should have never brought you tonight. This was clearly a mistake. You were clearly a mistake.” The world stopped turning. Maxi was frozen as she looked at August with her big, blue, teary eyes and her tears slipping down her cheeks. How could he say that? She thought he cared for her. She thought he loved her. But if he loved her…he couldn’t say that. The world was crashing down around her and all he could do was walk away. Her heart couldn’t beat anymore. It hurt so bad with every renewed throb it made and she was crippled by the pain. Her hand came to her heart, wanting to reach in and stop it from beating, just long enough for the pain to stop. She couldn’t breathe and she found herself gasping as she sobbed, leaning one gloved hand to the wall. There was no strength in her; August’s words killed every ounce of strength she had. “You were clearly a mistake.” She loved him. She loved an unlovable man, and this was what she got for it. It felt like she was dying. She was drowning in a hallway at the museum.

She had to get out of there. It was impossible to breathe in that cramped space. She tore her mask off and threw it to the floor, needing more oxygen, more cool air on her face. Some of the hair she had pinned came loose in the process, but she didn’t care. She cared about very little at the moment. Caring only got you tearing your mask off at a masquerade and running crying from the party. Maxi couldn’t remember running, but she pushed past the security at the door, her skirts hiked up enough that she wouldn’t trip on them. She tumbled down the stairs, not caring if she fell or not. Her foot gave out on the last step and she gasped, expecting to meet the concrete face first. Instead, she met a hard chest and warm hands. “Maxine? Are you okay?”

She looked up and saw Jack standing there through her tears. He looked concerned and it only made more tears well up in her eyes. She looked to the other figure making its way over and found the most beautiful face she had ever seen. All of the strength she had somehow mustered to get out of the museum departed her and she threw her arms around Becky’s neck, sobbing uncontrollably as she leaned on her. She was so grateful Becky was there exactly when she needed her the most. Her heart had been ripped out of her chest, but at least there was someone there who could fix the hole. She couldn’t even speak, she was sobbing too hard, but she heard soft voices. One was Becky’s, one was Jack’s, but both were blending into one soothing sound that pushed her tears right out of her, as if sucking poison out of a wound. But why did it have to hurt so much?