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Max let out a chuckle at Chiefs suggestion. He could imagine just how effective the woman could be at intimidation tactics. He sure as hell didn't want to find himself on the receiving end of her prawny rage.

She asked him to state his greatest Strength and weakness. It was a tough question and he considered it carefully.

"My greatest weakness is....I care too much." He said with a little laugh, " No but seriously probably that I like to make people happy. To the point where I put it above myself. Strength wise I'd say I'm loyal. Once I'm on your side I will stay there."

He hated self assessing. It was always a pain having to look at himself with a constructive eye. He preferred to just do and think later. Perhaps he should have said that instead, however that probably would have been a bit of a checkmark in the negative box.

The sun had slowly set in the warm spring night as Max made his way to the front gates of the mansion. His pulse quickened slightly at the thought of his upcoming date. The Mansion stood like a beacon before him and he gave a fond smile at his old home.

He wore sneakers, hiss fanny pack, and jeans, and his Haven tee-shirt beneath an open black jacket. The shirt was a small reminder to him of how far he had come. At the mansion he had felt like a child, with Haven he was beginning to come into his own.

He checked his watch and saw it was almost nine. He had spent the last few hours trying to plan out the evening and hoped it would go well. Considering the last date he had gone one had ended at these very gates was a bit of a negative, but he planned on turning things into a positive.

He debated ringing into the building and asking if Janelle was there but it felt a little high school to him. She said she'd meet him so instead he leaned against one of the brick pillars and waited, trying to look cool.

Max watched her process what he had said as the hot water rinsed sauce down the drain. She began to ask him a question but halted herself, he gave an appreciative little smile as instead she shifted into a simple statement.

Maybe… I guess you're not done"

"I suppose." He said in response.


She offered to help him and Max's heart did a strange sort of flip. He had always had trouble accepting help, preferring to offer it instead. He didn't even know Noel all that well, but she knew him. The offer seemed on the level.

"Actually, I'm working with someone now planning a trip back to Virginia to try to run down what happened to me. It's a long drive and I'd hate to be a bother." He began.

But he could use the help. He knew it, hell she probably knew it too. No point in being proud after you've made out with a girl and she had your memory's rolling around in her head.

"But if your interested I could use the help." He said.

She told Max she had worked personal security. He almost laughed finding it a strange idea but his mind gave him a flash of her when she had been in her pajamas. Her back had been injured but when her shirt had lifted Max had seen thin muscle around the girl. She was like him, thin but solid.

”What makes you go practice dance?”

"I don't know much about shooting really, ironic coming from a southern boy I know. I've learned a thing or two about fighting though, mostly how to get out of them," He supplied,

"I dance because I love it. It's a part of me ya know. Been doing it ever since I was in middle school, lessons, show choir. I wanna be a professional, and that takes hard work and practice. Plus, it's Hella good exercise." He said with a laugh.

He leaned against the counter, unsure how to proceed now that the meal was done. It was Noel's home after all, he didn't want to impose. He waited to follow her lead.

Chief asked how Max would handle difficult customers and he took a breath and considered his words.

"Depends on the customer I suppose. Some people you could just apologize to and make a joke and it's fine. Others are more difficult. That woman though." He said nodding towards her.

Most high society people look mostly the same to people of lower classes. It was only through years of dealing with people who place intense value on unimportant social stigma that you see that there are numerous tiny details that could tell you tons about a person.

His parents considered themselves high class. He'd spent enough hours sitting in on his mother's torturous lunches with the ladies she knew that he could analyze the clothes, hair, nails, and accessories of a person. He called it Snob Vision and he activated it as he looked at the woman.

He doubted her attitude had much to do with the service provided. Her dress and shoes weren't name brand, only her purse. Hence why she'd set it on the table. The other woman with her, she had the real deal going on, plus her jewelry was all real, while little miss aggrevated had mostly fakes on. She was probably just making a scene to show off to her friend.

He gave his head a little tilt.

"I'd apologize. Let her call me some name and then bring her the right drink, tell her next ones free. She'll be content that I'd sucked up enough and by the end she'd tip me big for helping her out." He concluded

Max was on one of the middle floors of Haven. Room 412. It was one of the bigger corporate meeting rooms and the spot had been chosen for convenient access right outside the elevator. It had a small waiting room with a number of chairs and a television that Max ignored as he entered the meeting room in earnest.

He had been given files, various proposals and contracts that had been worked up by Haven clerical staff for the meeting. Apparently Michael or The Ranger as he was known by some had contacted Devon as Max instructed. Since Max had been the point of contact he had been called into the meeting and a rush of nerves ran through him. He would never say it out loud but he held a fierce desire to please Devon 

The meeting room was mostly one large table, a circle so as to not denote authority to any one seat. A projector hung from the ceiling and was blasting a large board on one wall with the Haven logo. Max tossed the files onto the table, in easy reach of any chair and made his way very to the small cart nearby that held water and other beverages.

He returned a moment later, a can of coke hissing as he opened it and sat. He was early, as uncharacteristic as that seemed. Devon should be arriving soon and security would be sending Ranger up. The two men were intense individuals. His small encounter with Ranger had given him a feel for the man, but that had been a personal exchange, business was always more complicated.

He was basically preparing to throw firecrackers into pools of gasoline and oil. He could only hope things didn't explode.

I'll give it to you for free."

Max gave a surprised start as she tore the price tag off the wall. His heart swelled a little at the gesture. Sure he would have paid, it would have cost him about two weeks of tips but the painting would have been worth it. As a gift it was infinitely more special.

"Thanks you so much" He said.

I can ship it there with some gift wrapping."

He gave her the address to Haven, "Just drop it off with the front desk lady, or have her call for me and I'll come down and get it." He said with a smile.


She made a statement about sharing art, and gave her regards that she hoped Devon liked it. Max could already see his boss beaming at the painting.

"He will love it." He said.

He gave a look around the gala and saw the people mulling about looking at pieces. The crowd was small now, but still present.

"How much longer you have to stick around here?" He asked, "I'd offer you a drink but since it flows freely here maybe coffee?"

A triumphant smile spread across Max's face. Somehow he had succeeded, a fact that would perplex him for the rest of the day. She seemed relaxed but genuinely excited and Max's heart did a little flutter in response.

"Perfect. Which I suppose leaves the last questions of when are you free and what time should I pick you up?" He said.

He needed a nice evening with good company. His life had spiraled into a busy haze lately. The club had kept his nights filled with work, Haven activity was becoming larger and he was trying to get more involved, and he had a detective working the case of his own murder to plan with. Yeah a little break from the tension would be nice.

His brain went into planning mode, trying to come up with good date activities.

"I gotta say. I like this place." He said with a cheeky wink as he looked around the resturant.