Birthmarks and Bruises

Apprehension

Felix couldn't resist the feeling of discomfort swelling in his chest.
"Uh, would you excuse us for a second?" He asked Maxine, who nodded in response. He grabbed ahold of his friends' arms and lead them into the next room. Felix pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Alright, so I don't normally judge people on their first impressions, but... I feel like she's kinda an ass." Felix grumbled. Daniel shrugged, and Andrea bit her lip.
"I don't know.." she started. "I... kind of feel like she could, y'know." Felix raised an eyebrow. "Protect us." She finished.

Protect us from what? Social interaction?

The taller sighed, smiling meekly and trying to lighten the mood a little. "Well, I guess an extra companion couldn't hurt, right..?" He mumbled sheepishly. Andrea's eyes lit up at the statement.
"Great! I'll go tell her."
The boys watched her as she scurried eagerly back into the room Maxine had been camping in. Felix and Daniel exchanged a look.
"Hm. She wasn't as comfortable and excited as that when she first met us, eh?" Daniel scoffed playfully.
"Well, maybe it's because she's met another girl." Felix reasoned. Daniel furrowed his brow.
"Dude! She thought you were a girl!" Daniel crossed his arms. "And she still screamed when you tried to like, actually be NICE to her." Felix grumbled in response.
"We'll see how it goes, anyway. " Daniel muttered, turning to walk back into the next room. Felix shook his head free of concern. Besides, she was probably just as confused as the rest of them.

Yeah. That's it. That's the reason she's being so harsh.

It's just that she didn't know if she could trust them yet, which Felix couldn't blame her for. The redhead allowed himself to smile a little, feeling the negative emotions being pushed to the back of his mind again. He would make up for Maxine's bad first impression by making a good one of his own.

The scene he was greeted with when he had joined back up with the others was bizarre. There, in his own room, was the collection of people he would have to put up with until everything was normal again. Daniel, his childhood best friend, who was sitting on his bed- rummaging through the pages of one of his calligraphist's magazines with a cocked brow. Andrea, the introverted, scared, fair-haired girl they had teamed up with and coaxed her to overcome her fears, in order to take down a whole ass demon. And of course, Maxine. This new, muscular, dark haired girl who had greeted him with a rough handshake and, well, insults- her eyes deadened, cold and assessing. Felix supposed getting comfortable with her would take a lot of time, and... some compromising. But it was possible, right? He took a seat beside his best friend.
"What's your deal with all this fancy shit, man?" Daniel asked, scanning through the pages of the magazine. Felix shrugged.
"I like it. It's calming. And-" he pointed to his bedroom walls, decorated with the elegant and bold lettering in each and every colour. "It looks pretty." He grinned. Daniel laughed.
"Oh man. Have you ever tried being a little less feminine?"
"Nah. I've accepted it. Also, gender stereotypes, dude. It's 2018. Let me do what I want"
"Right, right." Daniel said. And under his breath: "Still pretty gay."
"You're pretty obsessed with the possibility, huh?"

Across the room, Maxine sitting on the desk, Andrea was explaining the rough story of what had happened to them.
".. and there was this massive, gross, hairy ugly thing..." she explained.
"Wow! I don't recall being attacked by Felix' mum." Daniel called from across the room, followed by another thump and cry of protest. Andrea snickered, looking back up at her listener, who's greyed lips were set in a hard, straight line. Andrea cleared her throat. "But um, yeah. I promise you can trust those goons. I didn't at first myself, especially not the taller one..." Maxine scoffed. "What, that stick-figured sack of weak shit? Look. It's not that I don't trust them. They just look useless." Andrea pouted a little.
"We took one of those demon things down, you know!"
Maxine's expression turned from nonchalant to interested as she cocked her eyebrow.
"Expand."
Andrea managed to splutter out the story of their escape from the Snatcher. Felix and Daniel listened from the back of the room, the latter jumping up to add a triumphant "and I set the building on fire!! Pretty badass, right?" Which was answered with a curt nod from Maxine.
"Well, seems we only know as much as each other. But, if there's something I do know better than your party, it's that you constantly need to keep moving. They will sniff you out, otherwise." She stated, getting to her feet. Her chapped lips curled up into a smile, as she eyed Felix with a sideways glance. "So, shall we be on our way, then?"