Mad Sounds (Max)

[Maxwell Esposito]

Max nodded, agreeing with what his trainer was suggesting. Things were working, even if max hadn't put the greatest deal of effort in. He was sure if he gave it his all he'd be able to figure it out, and he'd probably give James a better idea on how to help him, but the kid would rather just avoid crowded and loud places. "Does the ringing in your ears ever go away?" the student asked, half joking because he felt he knew the answer. But maybe James would have a suggestion to at least minimize the discomfort.

Though Max's attention when back to his trainer when he said he wanted to be a musician. He probably expected Max to laugh or say something snarky, or at the very least roll his eyes. But there was no such reaction from the teen. "There ain't nothin' cliche about that," Max said very seriously. "It's cliche to say you wanna do it but never try. It takes balls to put yourself out there and actually do it," Max noted, clearly having a strong opinion about the matter. "Even if it doesn't work out..."

"My little sister wants to go to music school," Max explained. He wasn't even sure James knew Max had a sister. Or 5 older brothers for that matter. "And at least where I come from it's definitely not cliche to do that." Cliche where Max came from was dealing drugs and gambling away the money, getting in fights with kids from the richer half of town and dropping out of community college. To Max any ambition beyond that was commendable.

[James Lawrence]

A smile crossed James' features, as he let out a short laugh. "Honestly? No, it never completely goes away. There's no such thing as complete silence, unfortunately." He answered. "And that drove me mental when I was younger. It gets a little better if you're relaxed and somewhere by yourself." Crowds were always overwhelming. "But it is something you eventually do have to deal with. We can work our way there, though." The trainer would rather take it a bit slower so he didn't send Max into a panic attack, or worse, cause him to go deaf momentarily. It was a terrifying thought, but a reality for the ability.

Truthfully, James did expect some sort of comment. How many people graduated high school and decided they were going to be a musician? His attention fell on Max, noting how serious and genuine his student looked when answering. It was surprising, but also a relief not to feel judged. It had taken a lot of effort, but even that wasn't enough to break through and get noticed.

Then, Max brought up a younger sister. Probably the most personal thing he had brought up in their meetings. Usually, they focused Max and his ability instead of delving into their personal lives. "What does your sister play?" He asked, looking over at the student's expression. "Is there a good music school where you're from?"

"I guess if you try, and I mean really try, you can't be disappointed for not succeeding." James added. "For a lot of things in life."

[Maxwell Esposito]

Max visibly slumped upon hearing there would never be silence again. It was something he had very much unappreciated when he had it. Max knew a place where you were alone was better. Thats why he took such long walks through the woods and the weirder parts of town. But lack of people didn't take away the rustling of leaves, or the sound of his own heartbeat. Something about the way James spoke gave Max some hope, though, which was odd to admit - even inwardly.

When the conversation turned to his sister it was clear that Max had a strong bond with her. The way he spoke of her was different than how he spoke in regard to himself. "She's a singer, actually. She plays guitar now, too, but it's always been singing with that kid. She's real good, too," Max gushed, his pride showing. Though the glowing in his eyes floated away when his trainer asked about the schooling situation. "There ain't a good high school where I'm from, let alone a music school," Max admitted somewhat softly, a bit of disdain in his voice. He hated that his family was stuck in West Oak Brook. They deserved so much better than that.

[James Lawrence]

Complete silence was a thing of the past. There were times where James could 'turn off' his enhanced hearing but it took a lot of concentration and strength. Usually, it only happened if he was in an overwhelmingly loud crowd somewhere. It was something most people took for granted; true silence. People like him and Max heard everything. "If you have a place like to go by yourself, that can make it a lot better. And you're more than welcome to stop by here at any time." He offered.

James could see how much Max's little sister meant to him. The slight shift in the tone of voice. The words he chose to use. "She been doing it for awhile then?" He asked. The conversation seemed to be going well until he mentioned the schooling situation. Really, James should have known; he had a file with some of Max's information about his hometown and he had flipped through it when his student was first assigned to him. But he had spoke without thinking.

And all he could think was how hard it was for Max. To have a way out that the rest of his family didn't have. There was a lot James could say, but most of it was just blind optimism and not at all realistic. "Music's still a good hobby to have. And if she likes it and it makes her happy that's the important thing."

[Maxwell Esposito]

Max simply nodded at James' offer. While the student didn't really like accepting help, he was more than likely going to take advantage of the fact that James was offering his office as a quiet space. It was hard to get through a school day with all the noises sometimes - especially that godforsaken school bell. Footsteps and chatter in the hallway set Max on edge as well. It was hard to keep a cool head when so many little noises were in the air to crawl under your skin.

Max hadn't really opened up to anyone about his family since starting Hammel, but it was so easy to talk about his sister. She was probably Max's favorite person in the world aside from his mother. He was more proud of her than he'd ever be of himself. He didn't hold the same sort of love for his older brothers - likely because they used to beat him up as a kid. He still loved them and they were still family, but Max had a connection to Reese that he couldn't quite quantify.

"Yeah she's been singing since she was little. She used to sing with my dad in the church choir on Sundays..." Max explained, some nostalgia in his voice. It was hard to notice the way Max's voice fell upon mention of his father, but with enhanced hearing who knew what James would pick up. "Yeah it's a great hobby... keeps her out of trouble," Max noted, agreeing. Although recently Reese had tried to play at an open mic night on the east side of town - which did not go over well with the pompous stuck up East Oak youth. "For the most part..." Max amended.

[James Lawrence]

James didn't want to push the subject, so he relented when Max nodded as a response. He wasn't going to force him to come by everyday or anything; the option was there in case he was having a bad day when it came to the whole hearing everything at once.

Silently, James sat there, listening to what Max had to say. He felt like not enough people here did that; just listened instead of always trying to offering advice or tell the students what was right. Family issues were an entirely different subject than training and motivation, something more concrete that the trainer had knowledge in.

But he could listen. Nodding, he didn't catch the nostalgic tone, as subtle as the shift had been. "It's good to have something, anything as a hobby. Do you have something in particular you find yourself doing?" He raised an eyebrow when Max mentioned that something had happened. Not implicitly, but implied. "What do you mean?" He asked, unable to help the questioning nature.