melodymania | Max Davis Voicemail

Thanks for calling. If you're reaching out to sell your soul, I'll already know and I'll be there soon. If you're calling to just talk, leave a message and I'll call you back when I can. Which will probably be soon. Talk to you then~

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[Max nods and moves to sit down in his chair. He smiles at Frieda as she speaks.]

Yes. Your blood will be a good starting point for our little hypothetical experiment. Straight to business. Let me ask something before we proceed.

In all honesty, are you wanting to proceed with removing your titan abilities if we find a way to do so?

[It's a fair question - one she can't immediately answer, and her discomfort over that quickly seeps in. Shouldn't it be an obvious 'yes'? She regrets inheriting her powers. All those memories are too much for her, too much for any one person. They're painful to bear. What's more, the way in which she can't tell herself apart from King Karl sometimes is frightening. She's scared of losing herself altogether one day.

And yet...]

...

It's harder than I thought, letting go of power. This must be the reason my ancestor sealed most of the Founder's abilities away from his successors. Even what little control I have obtained here in Ellipsa already feel worth holding on to. My titan form is hardly as battleworthy as the others', yet it makes me feel like I can make a difference.

[And that's without going into the ability to mold her countrypeople's memories, minds, and even bodies to her liking, one of the few abilities at her free disposal. She doesn't want to do such things, of course... but what if it becomes necessary?]

It is. Power not only feels good but it has a lot of uses. So then my question is if you aren't sure you want to give up your power, why are we searching for a way to remove it?

Is it, instead of for you, a backup just in case for others?

[Her frown only steepens.]

...

Maybe so.

[These realisations are only becoming more uncomfortable.]

I didn't deceive you - I really want to prevent greater harm. But given the different timelines that are converging here, wouldn't I risk losing all recourse of counteracting my opponents if I gave up my powers?

[In theory, the removal of her Founding Titan ought to retroactively prevent Eren from obtaining it once he's returned to their world - but who's to say that this will really go according to plan?]

If I implied you deceived me, I apologize. That wasn't my intent. More I'm seeing if your intent is perhaps more robust than we initially discussed over the network. You know. You had time on the way here to let the ideas steep. The ideas grows. So does ambition and yours is quite the ambition. To find a way to bring peace among those here with your people.

This all being hypothetical, of course. Having a permanent and temporary removal of Titans powers via some concoction could be very useful. Especially when needing to subdue someone from your world under a status effect or even giving them the choice to voluntarily remove their Titan abilities, if they want.

Preventing greater harm is a good and worthy goal. Though I doubt if others find out they see it that way.

Edited Date: 2025-03-23 04:14 am (UTC)

[She shakes her head - she took no offence. If anything, his questions brought an important truth to light: Her willingness to sacrifice everything doesn't come as easily as she thought anymore. At his final comment, she sighs.]

You're right to doubt that. My fellow titan holders left no uncertainty about their intent to hold to their powers. If they were to find out what we're trying to do, I'd lose their trust for certain.

[It's not like she's trusted as it stands!]

...

Even so, the potential gain is worth that risk.

[The front door opens and Esme walks in, closing the door behind him.]

I'm home.

[But he doesn't leave the entryway just yet, waiting for a response so he knows which room to head for.]

[Before Max can answer, the door opens and that voice calls out. He smiles softly.]

In here, love. Come meet my friend.

[He looks to Freida.] My partner. I'll introduce you. And I think you're right. The risk gain is worth the risk.

[She did come over without notice, but she still didn't expect to get to meet Max' partner! She gets up to greet him, not quite able to hide her curiosity. He looks like such a regular young man... at least at a glance!]

Good day! I'm sorry for coming by unannounced - Max is so good; he made time to help me with a challenge I'm facing. My name is Frieda Reiss.

[She offers her hand!]

Ah, hullo. You don't need to apologize. Any friend of Max's is welcome at almost any time.

[Admittedly, he's just as curious. It's good that Max is making friends, after all. He knows as well as anyone how shifty his partner can appear. She's very pretty and her smile is nice.

He shakes her hand, his grip firm but friendly.]

It's nice to meet you, Frieda. I'm Esme. Esme Faulkner.

...do you need more time? If you have a problem to work out, I can make tea or something until you've finished.

Some tea sounds lovely, Esme. We're just talking about a project we could do together, that's all. We're just planning that right now.

[She declined Max' earlier offer of a drink, but with the added company, that no longer feels polite, so she gratefully smiles at Esme.]

I feel a bit bad for dragging him into it as well now..! But if it's no trouble..!

It's not any trouble. Just let me know once you're ready.

[He smiles back and heads into the kitchen, giving them a few moments of peace. She seems nice, and it's nice to have another person comfortable enough to come over and see Max.]

[As Esme heads into the kitchen, Max looks at Freida.]

So that's Esme, my partner.

Anyway. I'll need some of your blood if I'm going to try and map this out with my Contagion and see what we can figure out on this little hypothetical experiment of ours. You can probably keep the specimen as it gestates, unless you want me to.

[Esme seems used to helping Max with his projects... it leaves her wondering if he's really an ordinary human, but for now, she'll assume as much. As Max casually explains the next steps, her eyes widen.]

Specimen..? There's going to be a specimen?

[He can't just gloss over that!!]

[Max knows Esme will take some time before he comes back. A few minutes ~~tags~~.]

Well yes. I'm not about to rent out a lab when I don't have to. You give me blood and I plant it into some of my Contagion. And then we let it just gestate. See what becomes of it. With the Contagion programmed to review your blood and focus on mapping out the Titan powers, we see what comes out. Go from there.

[Somehow, she doesn't like where this is going...]

Will it be... alive? Sentient?

[That would bring with it two different concerns: That they might make a living thing suffer, or that it might turn into a danger, somehow. After all, Max told her that the Contagion is a risky thing to deal with.]

It shouldn't be, no. That wouldn't be helpful and I can't just spontaneously create life. So no worry there. It'd be more of a facsimile. A manifestation of your titan powers for me to look at and better understand.

[That sounds sensible... yet she can't help but worry, now. On the one hand, Max is helping her, and pulling out of the endeavour because of her vague misgivings would be really rude and ungrateful... but on the other hand, what if she has been misjudging him? What if he does have ulterior motives?

She thinks back on what he did to his various enemies - eating them, or condemning them to fates arguably worse than death. What if he makes her titan powers his own, somehow? Would it really be impossible for a deity? He already asked her to put her people - her titans - at his disposal, on a prior occasion...

This is so uncalled for, she chides herself. How hurt would not only Max, but also Evangeline and Esme feel if they knew how paranoid she's being right now? But if Max were to cheat her out of her powers somehow, her fellow Eldians would never forgive her for ignoring their warnings.

Realising that her hesitation must betray her apprehension, she feels acutely embarrassed.]

I'm sorry, I just... I don't know what I imaged it would be like.

[She takes a deep breath, trying to calm and steady herself. He won't do anything like that. Why would he?]

Let's proceed.

[Max can sense the apprehension coming off of Freida. Still, she opts to proceed.]

Alright. [He whistles. A small long dark note appears in the air before Freida. It spins with a long sharp needle hanging off of it.]

Here. Prick your finger with it and it'll take what I need. Nothing more. And then I'll prepare the chrysalis and we wait. You can keep it or I can. Either way.

["The chrysalis"... again, she pauses. He can't create life, she reminds herself. Whatever will come out of her blood mixing with the Contagion, it will just be a facsimile.]

Let's, ah... let's see how I feel about it, if that's alright.

[Despite the dreadful sense that she's making the wrong decision - just like when she confidently promised her father that she wouldn't give in to their ancestors' ghosts like her uncle and grandfather -, she pricks her finger.]

[A sharp prick of pain is felt as the needle draws Freida's blood up the long sharp implement. It curls around taking what it needs before it raises up and away from her. The wound closes as it does, as if it never happened. Then the note morphs into a small bowl holding said blood. It floats over to Max who takes it into the palm of his hand.

Next he brings it close and opens his mouth. It opens far wider than it should as that gooey white Contagion pours out of his mouth like cold syrup from a bottle. It slowly drops down until it makes contact with the blood and floating bowl. Slowly the ooze fills the bowl, mixing into a white and red marbled concoction before spilling over the bowl. It runs down the sides until finally Max's mouth snaps shut, sharp teeth cutting the string of Contagion still hanging from his mouth. He swallows loudly as the white Contagion forms a sphere of red and white with black at the very bottom.

It doesn't quite solidify but the top most layer seems to become waxy and lacey as if the top most layer is drying out to harden just enough to keep the sphere shape.]

And done. [He says with a smile. The little sphere seems to almost pulse every now and then.]

Here it is. Not sure how long it will take. Could be a few weeks, maybe a month. Then we'll see what we get out of it when it's finished. So. You wanna keep a hold of it? A slight warning, it might whisper or play a small tune as this process continues. Had that happen the last time I did something like this.

[The pricking, the bloodletting, and even the note's transformation into a bowl are strange enough to experience, but Frieda only gets really unsettled when Max starts spouting Contagion like a fountain statue. It's the distortion of his features, along with the sheer amount of white ooze, that semi-activates her flight impulse (which she, of course, suppresses).

At his eventual question, she considers both options. Luckily, the sphere doesn't give her any particular feelings, good or bad, beyond that overarching apprehension she feels... but now, reflecting on how Jade, who warned her about the fae much like her fellow Eldians, would inevitably find and inspect it even if she tried to hide it, the decision seems clear.]

If you could keep it with you, I'd appreciate it.

...

All that Contagion... did it comes from your stomach?

[Isn't that bad for him? Or does he have a pocket dimension inside of him, and that's where he called it from?]

[Max nods and tosses the little thing up. It sticks on the ceiling and just stays there. On the ceiling. Must be sticky.]

Can do. And not so much my stomach but more between the layers. I could show you but I will warn you, it gets pretty body horror-y. I think that's a word.

[She quickly shakes her head in decline of the offer. She wouldn't put it past him to turn himself inside out!]

Thanks you, that's alright!

[Her eyes are stuck on the sticky cocoon that keeps faintly pulsing ever so often. Is this really OK..? But what's done is done, and she can only hope that she won't regret it. In the best case, Max' research may just provide her with a backup solution in case the curse-breaking timeline back home gets averted by key players never returning.]

...

Will it keep looking like this?

[She can't help but expect some kind of metamorphosis.]