October Catch-All

[maximumcake]

Who: Max & OPEN
What: Covering Max's reactions to the Tiamat Plot & also Recovery after + lighter stuff for mid-month as desired
When: Thru October
Where: All over, stated in prompts
Warning: Discussion of trauma and death in reaction to the Valdis/Tiamat plot. I can tone it down if needed, please just ask

Timeline For My Own Sanity (Hope this helps!)

Late Sep. 30 Valdis is killed by Harvey
Early Oct. 1 Cass Notifies Max
Probably Oct. 2 Max in kitchen keeping busy talks with Grace
Early Oct. 3 Max Finds out Tiamat rose instead of Valdis
Immediately After Oct. 3 Daisy Comforts Max First
Oct. 3 in the morning, Ash is Killed. Three Days Later Ash texts Max he's back alive
A nebulous amount of time later, Erin texts to tell Max Valdis is Alive!


Keeping Busy In The Kitchen Oct. 2
Valdis was killed. There's nothing he can do about it. All he can do is wait and hope. Right now, there's only one way he knows how to cope with such feelings of helplessness. Baking.

Find him from morning until night in the kitchen surrounded by macarons of every shape, color, and size he can possibly think of. Macarons are her favorite. Their favorite. He wants enough to be able to shower her in them the moment she's awake again.

His eyes are red and his nose is raw from wiping away tears all night, but right now his expression is hollow and determinedly blank. He won't let himself contaminate his work with more tears. He won't...


Oct. 3- End of Tiamat [Cw: Heavy depression, hygiene/health neglect, disordered eating, alcoholism/drugs]
The only thing that was keeping him from breaking down completely was the hope of seeing Valdis again in three days. But now... the worst possible thing has come to pass. Valdis's body woke, but it wasn't her. It wasn't her...

Baking isn't enough to keep him glued together now. He's crumbling under the fear that he'll never see the woman he loves again. And even worse, that her body is being puppeted to commit such heinous and unforgivable acts. Ash... oh, Ash...

He can barely bring himself to get out of bed to face the new days. He hasn't gotten up to exercise even once this week. The usual 5 o'clock shadow his chin sports is turning into a full patchy beard because he hasn't bothered to shave, let alone gell back his wild curly hair. He hasn't put much care into his appearance at all, wearing his Crew pajamas almost all day, or otherwise wearing his gym shorts and T-shirts despite not doing any workouts. His appetite has gone the same way as his fashion sense. Not even the desperate rumbling of hunger in his belly is enough to persuade him to do much more than drink some juice without prompting.

Occasionally, he can be spotted out of his cabin moping around in the library, the hot tub, or, more likely, the bars. At a time like this, that new weed selection in the cigarette machine is starting to look attractive, even if he doesn't smoke. Oddly, the one place he can't be found right now is the kitchen. That's how you know it's Bad.


Post Tiamat Plot - Cooking Lessons
Now that things are finally back to the way they should be, he can breathe. It's almost like he came back alive the moment Valdis did. His passion for cooking has come flooding back to him so fiercely he can barely contain it. He feels a sudden need to share in his joy. So, he does something he's been thinking about for a long time.

All around the ship, new flyers have gone up (and, yes, they have brail translations too):
Cooking lessons!
Group sessions from 1:00-3:00 every Friday.
All skill levels welcome.
Offered by Max Maximum.
Private lessons also available, contact Max directly to schedule
Hope to see you there!

On that Friday, Max will be in the kitchen around noon to prep for his very first time teaching an actual class. He's nervous but also excited. He doesn't know what level everyone might be, so he's decided today's lesson will be something simple but still rewarding. He's going to teach everyone how to make homemade chicken noodle soup, including cooking the raw chicken, making the broth, and the noodles. There's a little bit of everything. It should be a good baseline. At least, he hops so. Never know with this crew, they might still manage to set something on fire.

"Welcome! Come on in. Go ahead and grab an apron and go to one of the stations. We'll get started when we have a full group." Said aprons are courtesy of the Spirit Tommy Bahama.

(ooc: You are welcome to treat this like a mingle as well, make fun of each other's fuck-ups, or whatever. Also, I'm happy to write a prompt for private lessons upon request. FYI, if you miss this one, I plan to repeat the prompt again in future months!)


Pillow Pit!!
Later in the month, Max finally remembers to go pick up the mail he had waiting for him at Sundries. There isn't a box, but rather a letter that describes a new feature at the spa and a key to open it. He is now the proud facilitator of a new pillow pit.

Catch him on his way there, so excited he can't stop himself from running. He'll wave at you and beckon to follow, "Come with me, I got a new surprise!"

He didn't really know what to expect but he has to say the decore is really... something.

"Wow..."

But that won't dissuade him from doing a fearless bellyflop right into the pillows. "Oh, fuck, it's so soft. God, I might never leave..."

This is his new favorite nap space now. He makes a point of coming in here almost daily to catch some 'zzz' while hoping maybe someone else will want to cuddle with him. It will be especially nice when that next excursion starts and he needs somewhere to go to seek comfort since he really can't bring himself to go on this one. Anyone else is always welcome to join.

Comments

Wildcard: Reunion

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis leaves Erin after promising to return, seeking Max's soul through the ship. She knows she will need to find a balance between the three of them, and Ash will need to be last. Max needs her more right now. She checks the kitchen and sees the piles of macarons sitting on plates covered in wrap. She knows without a doubt that they are for her, that Max had likely thrown himself into baking when she died and then gave up when Tiamat took over.

In the end she finds herself at his door, knocking gently.

"Max, I'm here."

[maximumcake]

The door flies open and Max all but tackles her, wrapping her in his arms immediately. "Valdis! I'm so glad you're back. I'm so sorry."

[redlightgreenlight]

"Max," her breath catches in her chest as he wraps his arms around her. "I'm the one who's sorry. I never...I'm so glad you are ok."

Of all the people Tiamat had hurt, she had left Max alone, and Valdis is grateful to the goddess for that, and only that.

[maximumcake]

"I'm okay now that you are," he says, unwilling to loosen his grip on her, and deciding to walk her backward to the bed instead.

"I don't understand what happened but I... I missed you so much. I'm sorry I couldn't do more. I couldn't help you."

[redlightgreenlight]

"You stayed away, that's all I could have asked of you."

It made it easier, knowing he was safe, that Ylva and Daisy would protect him, that he would be safe from Tiamat's games and words.

"I just needed you safe."

She lets him guide her toward the bed, melting into his arms as much as she can while still staying upright. She'd told Erin she wouldn't cry, but Max isn't like the others, she can cry with him.

"I'm sorry, Max. I know it was hard..."

End of Tiamat

[actuallyawolf]

After endless debates with herself, Ylva ends up outside Max's cabin door, where she knocks, gently.

"Max? It's me. I brought some breakfast?" A beat. "I didn't make it, I'm only bringing it."

[maximumcake]

The creaking of his bed signals that he's getting up to answer the door. A few moments later, said door opens to reveal him standing there in his flannel pajamas with the front of the shirt all the way open because it's really too hot for flannel.

"That's really nice of you." He kisses her quickly before adding, "Come in."

He'll stand back to let her enter. Despite how listless he's been, the cabin is still just as tidy as always. He won't make Security or Helena suffer because of his own sorrow.

[actuallyawolf]

Breakfast is a large plate with some carefully selected breakfast-type foods: some toast and eggs and sausage and bacon and bits of fruit and whatever else seemed to be appropriate. Ylva comes in, and sets the plate down on the nearest surface so that she can turn back to Max and wrap her arms around him properly.

"How're you doing?" Her voice is low.

[maximumcake]

He buries himself in her arms, breathing in the comforting scent of her hair. "I'm... really exhausted. I haven't been able to sleep since..." well, she knows.

[actuallyawolf]

He doesn't need to say. Ylva holds him tightly for a moment, trying to find the words she wants.

"I can be anything you want me to be," she says. "Big and fluffy, lap-sized. Anything that would help."

In the Kitchen, lightly backdated

[dupli_arms]

Shouji is here, once again. He'd promised a friend that he would make her more of his bread, that they would use it to make french toast of the densest, richest sort. That it would be nice to share it with her partner. It had been some time before he'd come back down here again between navigating the various other personal revelations that he'd been privately having, but here he is nonetheless, already reaching for one of the aprons hanging just inside. He might have picked up Max's dirty joke apron just for the little spark of humor that he always gets from it, but then he pauses to see the man himself there, looking...terrible.

He thinks at first that he should say something, to interrupt the man's work as he determinedly tries to make more macarons to cover for the ones that were already contaminated. Instead, he merely steps up at Max's side and lays a hand over the back of his wrist to stop him, his head bowing and another hand coming to gently grip his arm.

There is no expectation that he should be told what's happening. He hardly knew Valdis himself, had the idea that she had little to no patience for him when they spoke, but he knows even the imperious sorts would have people that loved them dearly. To witness Max's grief pushes a protective instinct, and if he allows it, Max will be enveloped in an all-encompassing hug.

[maximumcake]

Max looks up from his work when Shouji stops his hand. His eyes are red and brimming with tears and his lips wibble as he tries and fails to say anything. Instead, he collapses into that hug, a loud sob racking him before he can clamp down on it. God, he needed this. He needs this. He feels so warm and safe cocooned in Shouji's many arms. So he clings on tight.

[dupli_arms]

It's so sudden and dramatic that Shouji realizes immediately that it wasn't just a kindness, it was necessary. Max was down here separate from others, trying to comfort himself with familiar habits, when what he needed was contact and comfort. Arms wrap around the man and tuck him in close, a large hand at the back of his head and Shouji's chin lifting to rest against the top of his head, keeping every possible point of contact.

[maximumcake]

That same realization hits Max at nearly the same time. Why is he here alone? He fell back into the self-soothing routines he had with Erik so quickly, even after all this time. He didn't even notice.

"Valdis was murdered..." he says, in a small voice. "And I'm really scared she won't come back."

[dupli_arms]

It certainly says something to that man's hold on Max that he would even now fall back on old habits. The statement is so quiet, buried against his shoulder, that it takes a moment for him to parse. Then his grasp only tightens, nearly enough to squeeze the breath out of someone.

"I'm sorry. I don't think it will be permanent but until we know for sure, would you like company here?"

Pillow Pit

[angrycrabnoises]

Karkat definitely makes a comment or two about the sketchy nature of being told there is a ‘surprise’ by a strange adult human on a torture cruise, but curiosity does get the better of him.

He looks down at the pit and finds himself getting excited. “GODDAMN,” he says. “THERE HAVE BEEN NO GOOD PLACES ON THIS STUPID SHIP FOR A PROPER FEELINGS JAM PILE. THIS IS MUCH MORE SUITED TO ALTERNIAN COMFORT AND RELAXATION THAN THOSE TINY FLAT RECTANGLES YOU HUMANS LIKE TO LIE ON TOP OF WHILE PRAYING FOR DEATH TO TAKE YOU.”

For whatever reason, as he looks at it, he has the strange thought that this pit could - nay, should - be filled to the brim with tiny balls of various colors. But he has no idea where such a thought came from and doesn’t think it’s a particularly practical idea.

[maximumcake]

Max lifts his head up from where he's currently lying face down. "Feelings jam? What's that?" Rectangles that they...Wait... is he talking about beds?

"You can come in and join me if you want to."

The call of the ball pit is strong. Maybe one day the erda will answer.

Cooking Lessons!

[theweakhavepurpose]

Pratt can cook two things: Pizza and Omelettes, and now that they have a kitchen he should really learn how to take care of himself instead of being a 27-year old teenager who only eats pizza rolls. And both things he knows how to cook weren't to better himself: pizza because he worked at a pizza parlor in high school and omelettes because he thought it would impress chicks to be able to flip eggs one handed in a pan.

"Oh shit, you're going all out huh?" He says as he ties an apron around himself. "What's your plan if someone sets the kitchen on fire?"

:]

[maximumcake]

"Of course! This was something I always hoped I get to do with my life." He's so excited, someone really wants to learn from him!

"Well, thanks to those flowers, I already had a dry run with that problem." There was a slight incident with Grace not too long ago. "If I can't get the flames out on my own using what I have here, I'll just take a burning towel out into the hall and summon Friday with it."

[theweakhavepurpose]

"Your own personal culinary academy. I can dig it. Everyone's gotta have dreams, and it's better if they're super attainable and not like: I wanna be the king of Tahiti."

He's pretty sure that Hurk said that to him at some point.

"You know... I never thought about just setting shit on fire to get her to show up. That's not a bad idea. Just start smoking in the hallway and get a personal audience instead of going to the desk."

[maximumcake]

"I would have settled for just being a teacher at one, honestly." Imagine, him having a whole academy... No, Max's goals have always been humble ones.

"W-well... I'd be careful not to abuse that too much or she might stop responding. We don't want her to not come when there really is a bad fire. I'd only call her like that if there really was one."

[theotherright]

For various reasons, Arthur had misgivings about group cooking lessons. Private ones, though? He'll take those: it's long past time he figured out more than just heating things up from a tin. And it'll give him a good excuse to spend time with Max, as well as Max an excuse to show off his rather impressive talents.

So here is Arthur, arriving at the kitchen, carrying a Spirit apron that he has no idea is printed with cartoony bloodstains. He's announced first by the rattling of his cane's wheel, and then by:

"Er, hel- hello? Max?"

[maximumcake]

"I'm in here," Max calls out. "I'm just washing my hands in the sink. You should do the same when you're ready."

A pause, when he sees the apron. "I see you came prepared. Need help getting the apron on or do you got it? I'm so excited to show you what I've done here. Between you and Helena, I knew I'd need to think of a way to make this more accessible. You're my first guinea pig so make sure and tell me if there's something I can improve."

[theotherright]

"Is there more to it than just tying it up?" asks Arthur, who up until this moment was 100% sure he knew how to put on an apron, and now wonders if there's some vital detail he's been missing all this time.

He follows the sound of running water towards the sink, a smile pulling at his face, and a great fondness filling him. The excitement of a Max in his natural environment is catching. "Present, and reporting for duty as guinea pig, Sah. I am ready to be wowed."

[maximumcake]

"Just making sure the tails stay tucked," Max answers. He Decides not to say anything about the fake blood. Wouldn't want to kill the vibe.

The smile in Max's voice is audible as he starts to explain the layout he's devised. He hopes to wow Arthur, really.

"Everything is in a very specific place. Now that your hands are clean, we can take a tour. First and most important thing is that the knife is on your left"--you know which way is left, right?--"facing in. You only need one to get the job done. Then the measuring cups are top right and below those on the right are the measuring spoons. I did maybe a little bit of a sloppy job, but I tried really hard to mark each of them with brail numbers for you so you won't be guessing."