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Katie heard the man behind them at the door. She was about to make a comment about seeing I.D. when Madison stepped aside to let him through. That was when she noticed it was the owner. She knew him from the first time she'd been to the Firebrand, but she'd never really introduced herself.

The seven foot woman made sure to step aside to allow Rage in. Once he strolled by she looked at Madi with a confused expression.

"Fuzzy..? But, your name is Madi, right?"

She blinked at Madison, slightly confused at the title Rage had given the bunny, and she wanted to make sure she had the name right. It could have been fuzzy, maybe because of the ears?

Yet again Katie had forgotten her manners.

"My name is Katie."

She would look down at the smaller woman as she spoke to her. She wouldn't mind being shorter, but this was who she was, not much she could change about that.

"So, is it always this hectic here?"

A quick glance outside told her that Sunstrike hadn't returned with Maximos yet. She assumed that's where he ran off to.

"And when she would start worrying about Sunstrike?"

She was more interested in the items he had told them to leave to the orphans. Wonder what good stuff he had lying around?

"Madison." Rage gave a bit of a nod to the bunny-girl, seeming to rather quickly correct the name he had given her initially. "And... Katie." If she had been any shorter, the fact that Rage was basically staring at her chest for a moment might have been insulting.

Avoiding the usual "how's the weather up there" jokes that he expected someone like her would hear, he instead gave her a short salute. "Right. You two just... uh... keep doing whatever it is you're doing, then."

Lost in thought might have been a bit of an understatement.

"Likewise."

Katie smiled, but her attention was still focused outside, staring into the dark as if she could see anything. She decided to look away. If Sunstrike and Maximos came walking around the corner she'd probably get spooked, maybe even accidentally punch them in the face.

"I say we should give them a few more minutes.. I'm not sure. Maximos looked bad. I wouldn't want to go chasing him in the dark."

Or meet him anywhere in the dark for that matter.

Hearing her name she looked towards the owner.

"It's Rage, correct?"

She thought she'd heard his name tossed around the last time she had visited Firebrand.

There were a lot of people that stared in the vicinity of her chest. She'd become used to it, so she hardly ever noticed or worried about it. If Rage had made some comment about staring at her chest that would have been another story.

She went to ask a question, but the Elven woman nearly ran into her. She didn't budge though, expecting and waiting for impact, but it never came.

"Hey.."

She'd met her once? Why couldn't Katie remember this? It must have been the first and last time she was at the Firebrand.

The top of the garbage can would suddenly hold itself upright for a few seconds, before dropping it's way to the ground, spinning a few times and sending the bits and pieces scattering.

No sooner had Max said those words, that he'd find himself grabbed at the back of his head, and shoved, roughly, up against the wall of the building with a dull thud. It was probably a good thing he was pressed to the wall, because the look on Sun's face would have melted the other man to the spot, if it could.

"Maximos." It was quiet, level, and seething. The arm that was newly repaired, held the package of meat, which started to drip. That meant through sheer will alone, Sun was holding the other, larger man, up. Anger changed a person, and the salamander was no exception to this.

"If you really found the taste of my arm that unappealing, you could have at least waited outside while I found you something else." There was a hurt there as well. Maybe Sunstrike thought this was a kind of rejection, though it had been no fault on Max's part. Slowly the grip loosened, and dropped the other man, while Sun tried to stop the panic and anger.

"Besides," Said slightly lighter. "How on earth do you think your breath would smell after all that?" With a bit more gentleness he let go and held out the package and gave it to the other man. Fresh meat showed through in the darkness.

"Eat this." He undid the buckles on the flask, and started to unscrew it. "Then drink some of this. You didn't hurt me, well...not enough not to get it fixed. We all have something that needs to make up for the difference, Max. Some of us have a luckier time of it."

He pulled out the bag of sweets and ate one with a crunch. "I'm surprised I don't lose all my teeth with stuff like this. Fruit, candy, alcohol. That's it. Can't take anything worse, else everything else gets thrown out of whack. It's the sugar that keeps things going. But see, I don't live off the light."

He looked at Max seriously, then shook his head.

"I'll expect that flask back in a bit, I gotta get inside before they come looking...or kill each other. DON'T eat any garbage, if you need any more after that, then come inside and I'll order more for you."

Sun turned, then hesitated and spoke over his shoulder.

"I can't do this alone, Max. I need someone at my back that I can trust, these people are all new to me, and Hono's left, but...even she's different in loads of ways. So there's you. Don't get so caught up in beating yourself that you forget who needs you most."

And with that, he went back to see what was happening. It was up to Max whether or not he'd follow.

There wasnt even time for a blink before Max found his form hoisted and smacked against cold brink. Instinct was first to react, watching his food tumble to the ground and splatter across the floor. For some reason despite the nature of the meal, the ground made it untouchable. Shadowy utensils hit the ground with a quiet jingle and faded into nothing moments after. Much like attempting to steal a kill away from a Lion before he's finished, instinct was first to react. Sun might see the spirals from the center of his eye swirling outwards threatening to fill them with black once more...

Hey, I was going to eat tha....

The words trailed off into nothing but a hanging lip as he caught Sun's eyes. At his name the spirals retreated, immediately followed by a few shocked blinks as if the Shadow's eyes were trying to swallow the sight but couldnt take it all in one look. He'd never seen Sunstrike like this, and something most certainly melted. It wasnt fear that he felt, but a sort of shocking realization that while Sun's arm might not have been hurt, perhaps something else was...And that that effected him.

No, you di--

Didnt taste bad. Its that...But it never came out.

Its not---

A problem enough drink will burn the sm--But he never said it. The anger was stifling, like taking first breaths in a hot room. His mind gasped for air trying to put a place on what he was feeling, what he was thinking, while lost somewhere between staring into the blood red eyes he himself had made, seeing the strength of will that held this all together, and smelling something fresh and something bloody. He'd never been treated like this. People walked away, people left, perhaps crying. None had ever attacked.

It wasnt often Max found himself speechless. And before he could explain it all to himself, he was dropped and a shoved into his hands.

Max's face looked blank. As if every word the godling said bounced of a surface as hard as the one Maximos was leaning against. There was an emptiness to Maximos' eyes as they shifted down, past the bag. It was the sort of devoid expression that would leave Sun to wonder if anything he said was getting through.

Was he just feeling sorry for himself? Punishing himself? Maggots crawled around his feet, swirling through what mess he had called a meal. His mismatched eyes said "Huh?", or maybe "What?". But he said absolutely nothing, what could have been the most frustrating answer possible. Even as the God spoke over his shoulder.

Eat this. Drink that. A flask and a bag sat in his hands. That was absolutely non-sense. Max had no absolutely no intention of doing that.

Sun took his first step away would he hear the gentle slosh of liquid? Another step. The bag was ripped away so quickly it was easy to miss. But before a third step, just before the alley mouth a hand would reach out grabbing the godlings hand. Max's right hand at that, the fingers even warmer as the orange marking on his palm gently ignited with the contact.

He'd pull the hand back, so as to turn Sunstrike back around suddenly. He'd see Max, sharp teeth dug into a fresh steak which hung from his lips running red dribble down his chin. But the real impact was in Max's eyes. Black and white mismatched eyes stared back, with the sort of determination that it was proven not even death could put down. It was triumphant. It was heroic. And set the air ablaze with the feeling that something quite epic or ground breaking was about to be said.

Lef do diff.

A busy mouth said, before almost effortlessly tearing off a chunk of the steak, and swallowing it without a thought towards chewing. His hand slipped off. And he moved, taking a step forward, a hand rising up to Sunstrike's shoulder to nudge him, not that he needed it, he'd walk beside the man. And take another swing. Drink this. Then eat that. That was much better.

Sunstrike was surprised as hell to feel the hand drag him back, but the change...it was remarkable. Sun grinned, let himself be nudged, and then walked with Maximos back to the door.

When it opened with a startled bang, people would see the two darkened figures. Sunstrike was whole, healthy, and grinning enough to light up any room. Max was bloody, but also whole and maybe not quite so hungry, supping on the flask. They made quite the picture and the entrance.

Sun was the first to walk in, nodding to Katie for keeping the peace like he'd asked, and taking a look around at everyone that had gathered.

"Right, lets get this thing going. Try and find a chair 'round the parchment. Oh! First off, if I could trouble you for a plate of the same as befo-" A huge platter of raw meat clunked down onto the table without much encouragement and left Sun blinking a bit. Guess they didn't want a repeat performance of earlier.

"Thank you, and a big thank you to everyone for getting this whole set up organized! Cause you're still here must mean your interested! This is good, very good!"

He took the charcoal, and waited for everyone to either stand close or take a seat.