002. character relations

[anatomizes]

fellow kings.
	liandrin delacroix. Mastigos Mage / Kaiser of Netsach. Maes is one of the few people who has known Liandrin since she first came into Aidan Claye's protection. She had been different, then: angry, fiercely beautiful, uncompromising, and self-destructive. Suffice to say, he feels that she's come a long way from the broken creature she was after the death of her parents and the "betrayal" of her best friend, and he's of the opinion that there can't possibly be someone better to lead Netsach in Aidan's place.
	aidan clayce. The Voidseeker / Furst of Netsach. Maes' first encounter with Aidan and the other lost children of the Fourth World changed his life completely, and altered his destiny. At present, there is no doubt in Maes' mind that, had he never known Aidan, he would have been consumed by his own despair and ended up taking his brother Alistair down with him. If there is one person Maes holds in near-equal regard to the Lady in spite of whatever disagreements or differences in beliefs they have had in the past, it's the Voidseeker. The Dragon only needs to say the word: Maes is ready to take on the entirety of the Darkness for him at any given moment. It is that deep love and sense of indebtedness that has pushed Maes to return to the ranks of the Malice Kings.
	riley falner. The Daywalker / Vicar of Netsach. Riley is nearly as dear to a friend and brother-in-arms to Maes as Aidan is, if only because the Daywalker was instrumental in bringing Maes around. The pair had quickly realized, in the past, that they could relate on far more intimate levels given the kind of darkness that the both of them constantly wrestled with, and - while Riley eventually managed to overcome his while Maes decided to use his as a weapon - this commonality has always been the ground work for their friendship.
	alistair mordechai. The Seer / Brother. One would have to be blind to not notice the fact that while the relationship between Maes and Alistair is stable now and full of the usual trash talk and gruff affection that usually characterizes the love between two brothers, there's a whole lot of water under their bridge that neither of them are inclined to talk about. And why wouldn't there be? Maes is fully aware of the fact that, when it counted the most, he failed to be the better man between them, and his break down forced Alistair to sacrifice a lot of things in order to make sure that the both of them did not end up losing themselves completely. This might be the reason why Maes hardly ever questions Alistair on his own decisions: it's not like he's made plenty of good ones himself. Maybe that could have prevented tragedy; maybe not. Either way, perhaps it does not matter now.
	hikaru shinta. The Blade King / Little Brother. Where does one even begin with this one? Hikaru is family and comrade, beloved brother and voice of reason, broken one and lost cause, and ultimately the living culmination of just how many times either Maes or Alistair failed to really do what was right, or - more simply - failed to save a life that mattered to them the most. Yes, he is in a much better place now. Yes, he will probably never fall or break the way that he had in the past, with every ordeal that he had suffered through as a result of either his own decisions or Karma simply being a bitch to the one creature that was out of the cycle against his will. It is sometimes difficult for Maes to see past his old memories of the quiet child whose nose was almost always buried in a Bible with the vicious, violet-eyed King who never hesitates to speak his mind with Maes or show him or the rest of the world amazing displays of charity and selflessness. He knows that Hikaru does not think that he owes him anything. Maes is still having a hard time dealing with that.
	calintz duskrider. Riskbreaker / Shane's Boy. It surprised many of the Kings how, in the distant past, Maes had kept his distance from Calintz, and had been rather obvious with his distinterest in the Riskbreaker. What only a few of them have realized was the fact that Calintz used to make Maes incredibly uncomfortable. Watching Calintz had been, in a way, similar to watching a reflection of Maes' own past, with Calintz playing Alistair's role and Maes playing Shane's. The Riskbreaker had once served as a stark reminder to Maes of how he could have easily destroyed his younger brother completely simply because he was weak. Suffice to say, Calintz has never actually asked Maes for his reasons, much less why the Butcher eventually came around. Maes has decided to take advantage of this: he'd rather not explain now.
	rilea heartnet. The Living Land / Liberty's Belle. Rilea and Maes used to butt heads often, and with valid reason: although both of them are defined by the strengths of their beliefs in some sort of grand divine plan and their actions are directed more often than not by powers beyond their control, their different inclinations led them into conflict only too often. Of course, much of their reason to antagonize each other has fallen away now that Rilea has stopped viewing Hikaru as some sort of karmic abomination that one such as herself - living vessel of the will of Gaea - must eradicate. Maes never HAS taken too kindly to any slights to his family...
	rethe kyriff. The Angel / Aidan's Husband. Although all of the Malice Kings personally took charge of teaching Rethe the ways of the world the moment he joined their ranks, Maes took a special interest in the matter. What he tells everyone is that it was because Rethe was an angel, and divine creatures deserved to be handled with gentleness and compassion. What he only tells a few is the fact that he had hoped, by helping Rethe, to make up for his own failures to help those closest to him in the past. At present, though, Maes is pleased to see Rethe doing well, and finally, finally opening up to people outside of his inner circle.
	lorenzo reyes. Acamoth Alastor / Liandrin's Dragon. Although many of the other Kings used to view Lorenzo with suspicion, especially during his first years at the Methuselah in Liandrin's company, Maes had never had a doubt that Lorenzo was trustworthy. Where most had seen his abyssal nature, Maes had seen the loyalty that Lorenzo harbored not just for Liandrin, but for everything she represented in being Matthias Delacroix's daughter. Familial love and devotion were things that Maes has always been able to relate to.
	setsuna shinta. The Fatespinner / Aidan's First. Maes had known, from the get go, that Setsuna was a good woman, and in his opinion? That had been a terrible thing. It had nothing to do with her powers, nor the fact that she hailed from some backwater little country that lived in fear and ignorance of the world beyond its shores. It had everything to do with the fact that she loved Aidan, and was willing to be used in any way that he saw fit in order to stay with him and try to save him. Few see it this way; many believe that Setsuna had little to do with the events that ultimately led to Hikaru, her little brother, becoming the Weapon of the Methuselah, and that was simply how things were meant to go. Maes has always believed otherwise. It has never reduced the affection that he feels for her, but he has never allowed himself to forget what he believes to be the truth.
	jessiah vice. The Hanged Man / The New One. Jessiah Vice has always been an impressive study for Maes, and it helps, of course, that he had already started from a point of intrigue due to the fact that Jessiah had turned from almost-one-night-stand for the Blade King to Hikaru's best friend in the Fifth World. Jessie might not be a man of the cloth, but Maes believes that he follows a different sort of religion with no less fervor than any Brother and Sister in Violence who swears in the Lady's Name. He's a seeker of the truth much like the Faithful are: his truth is just written down in the facts and the figures, the tools at hand and the tools yet to be acquired, and the trigger space between a finger and firing a bullet.

sworn brothers and sisters in the christian vigil.
	drake badd. Sin-Eater / Cardinal of the Dragon Spires. Maes would be lying if he said that he had never doubted that Drake could make it. The Sin-Eater had been a lost, faithless and angry thing prone to escaping far too much into his love for geist and dead girlfriend, a deep man who refused to show the world just how complicated he actually was because that meant admitting to the puzzling truth of his existence and how horrible it could actually get. Still, because Aidan appeared to take interest in him, Maes continued to give him the benefit of the doubt. Suffice to say, he hasn't had to just give Drake a chance in years.
	paolo inojosa. Sleepwalker Vaizard / Bishop of the Dragon Spires. As soon as Paolo expressed his interest in the Brotherhood of Violence, Maes was only too happy to take the young man under his wing and handle his training personally: Paolo was a fine Hunter and one of the best gunners in Anino's history, and it was clear that he had arrived at a point in his faith where he could not ignore the calling of the Lady any longer. Maes continues to view this one with pride, although he makes it a point to not be around whenever Paolo's out and about, looking to drag him back to the Black Cathedral in order to be a "proper Cardinal to the Brotherhood".

the notable children of 2012.
	elias tagabigay. Obrimos Mage / the Peacemaker. It was always the youngest Hunter among the members of the three blades who caught Maes' eye, and it was not because of his age. Back then, when Elias had still been Gio and things had seemed dark but not nearly as hopeless, Elias had been the quintessential child soldier in Anino's ranks, the good kid with the heart of gold who was always out to make the world a better place regardless of the cost. Maes' own regard for Elias only increased when he saw how single-minded Elias had been about undoing the Methuselah's past sins, thus making him directly responsible for saving people like Sawyer Mesch and Hikaru Shinta. Suffice to say, it was painful watching that boy break, and seeing Elias kill the child in him in order to grow up faster. Maes does hope that Elias will one day find himself again - but maybe that is coming much sooner than he had originally thought, especially in light of the fact that Elias has brought his Seraphic companion back unto the Prime Material Plane.
	aria skye. Thrysus Mage / The girl with a ghost's face. Honest to Elaine, Maes did not pay much attention to Aria on purpose. It may have taken Hikaru quite some time to realize that she was the reincarnation of Katherine Stiles-Shinta, the wife he had killed, an incredibly long time, but it had taken Maes but a few encounters and a handful of careful looks. His dislike for Aria has nothing personal grounded in it: he knows, for a fact, that she's a sweet girl. It's centered, quite firmly, in the fact that Maes believes that she can't possibly be a good influence in his little brother's life, not with the karmic baggage of being "that woman" for him. It is going to take Maes a while to let go of that.
	selene vega. Changeling / the Pied Piper. Maes makes it a habit to remember the names of every Changeling he has ever failed to save, especially since he makes it his business to use whatever means he has at his disposal to keep the Gentry from fucking with mankind anymore than they already do. As such, he kept Selene in his memory, all the way until the Methuselah finally managed to recover her. He does not feel particularly guilty about not being able to pull her out himself - the odds had all been against him. He is grateful, though, that Selene does not appear to take it against him in the slightest, and occasionally teases him by calling him "Uncle Maes".
	tala vega. Changeling / the Key. Being the Key was more than enough to make Tala interesting for Maes; her actions around the people whom he cared about the most (namely Aidan, Alistair, and Hikaru) were the clincher. She's the curious cat who's fully confident in her strength of character and her abilities for better or for worse, and Maes was only too happy, in the past, to show her the way and help her make her own decisions about the conspiracy she had ended up joining. He is also quietly grateful for how she has influenced both of his brothers, but he'd be damned if he'd ever tell her that: it won't do anybody any favors, boosting her ego even more than it already has been.

the war hounds.
	joshua larue [brennan]. Sin-Eater / Blade Leader of the War Hounds. Now here's an interesting bundle of contradictions and complications: one Joshua LaRue, the kid that had started with hardly anything of note among his peers and yet ended up becoming the cornerstone upon which the Hounds have started to build themselves upon. It was actually Alistair who called Maes' attention to the boy, and all it had taken was a single mention on Alistair's part of just how close Josh happened to be getting to Hikaru. Suffice to say, Maes is watching their relationship with interest. Is he going to end up being something that'll turn his little brother's life around, or will he end up being yet another door shut in the Blade King's face?
	yulia bostova. Bladian / Second of the War Hounds. A man who has once broken knows a broken soul when he sees ones, and - once upon a time - Yulia was the poster girl for "shattered into a million pieces and angry about it". He had originally thought that the Russian girl would end up becoming yet another person hanging at Hikaru's heels, and someone his little brother would have to take care of. Suffice to say, he's been pleasantly surprised by how Yulia appears to be contributing to keeping Hikaru stable while recovering from the damage of her own grief herself.
	estanislao marisigan iii. Obrimos Banisher / Third of the Hounds. Although Maes has not really seen the way the Hounds interact with each other, it only took a few encounters with Taning to know precisely the kind of man Taning was, and what he now wanted to be for his blade: the smiling fool, the trickster, the one who always knows when to step back at precisely the right time in order to help those they care about the most, even if the methods themselves end up being harsh. Kindred souls always resonate with each other, after all.
	brigade [roland stevenson]. Promethean / Hecaton's Last. Maes had his reservations about this one, and he did not bother hiding them from Hikaru nor from any of the others who asked him about it. Yes, Brigade was a "good man". Yes, he was earnest and hard working and ever ready to put his life on the line for the Vigil. But he had also been playing at being human for months on end, and bumbling around constantly into other peoples' business without the slightest clue on what was really going on. He appears to have improved immensely, but Maes had decided to keep on watching before he revises his opinion.
	brianna lopez. Changeling / Hikaru's Third. Maes liked Brianna instantly, but that might have been because the first real stories she had heard of her was how she had pretty much adopted herself as Hikaru's new daughter and how she was pretty much insistent on referring to Alistair as "Daddystair". Granted, in light of recent events, it's a bit hard for Maes to navigate around his disappointment over her decision to leave. He, like Tala, had been hoping that she could be the one who'd watch over Hikaru for them.
	karlo antonio zobel de ayala. Card / Oswald's Wings. No, he had not been impressed by Kaz in the slightest. Yes, he had thought that the kid was soft and spoiled - easy pickings for a Relic that had quite possibly been broken by the taint and could no longer be controlled. He had been willing to bet, though, because he was a man of faith: surely the Wings had called to Kaz for a reason, and Maes was simply too old, too blind to the Lady's Plan to see it. As things are now, the boy's come a long way from the brat that had strode into the Spires, eager to prove himself. He's still got a long way yet, but Maes is slowly becoming more optimistic that it will all turn out for the best.