What's one more between friends?

"Here you go!" A cheerful girl said as she sat the mug down before the seated man. Brice’s steely gray eyes glanced up from thought and gaze a warm smile as he thanked her and took the handle of the glass staring down at the dark liquid that flowed inside. He felt her eyes on him when he realized she not moved on and looked up to meat her gaze once more.
"Something wrong?" he asked, with a questioning look, wondering why she’d stop to stare.
"You look different…Sorry! Hope you enjoy!" she said with another adorable smile as she trotted off. Brice’s eyes followed her before he smiled to himself, so she’d noticed he thought. Well it wasn’t often that he was in a good mood so he supposed it was to be expected. He turned his attention back to the files before him and sipped his coffee while looking them over, activity was up for some odd reason, but he was just assigned to paper word for now.

While Brice was busy reading over the new reports a light pressure on his shoulders caught his attention. He paused and lifted his head a moment, unsure as to whom it was. His head tilted slightly as he looked back to see Max, at first he just stared, before a small smile broke across his lips. “So…still alive?” He asked with a smirk, as his last encounter with the other male, had ended with no real resolve. His only insight to what might have become of him was what the demon had told him, in a dream no less. Even if he had taken the dream to heart, he still wasn’t sure if her words had held any truth. But her he was, just as she had promised, and looked no worse for wear. That gained the demon some points in Brice's opinion, if she’d lied or something had happened to Max, she could be sure, he’d make her pay. But for now He was just happy that the other was well. Lifting a leg under the table, Brice pushed out the chair across from him. “Have a seat” He offered as he traded the tables to the table for his mug.

The silver headed man eyed him casually from across the table, in his normal way, though for once Brice seemed completely relaxed, and at easy in his own skin. “Heh, yeah, it has. Come here let me get a good look at you…” He said leaning forwards and reaching for Max’s chin with his free hand, while the other set down the mug at the same time. Brice turned Max’s head side to side, obviously checking for bot marks. His eye may have lingered a bit longer on the second pass than was comfortable for the other. When he was satisfied Brice let go easing back into his seat. “Well doesn’t look like Raziel got to you, that’s good.” He said with a smile “I like you the way you are, so did you go through with it? Are you Hito?” He inquired, Brice was genuinely curious as to what he’d up to in his absence.

Brice watched the other as he struggled to find the words he was looking for and resorted to a change of venue. Brice nodded “A conversation for private” he Agreed, finishing off the coffee and standing. While he collected his papers her looked back to Max “I have to drop these off back at the station, We can talk on the way if you’d like.” He said as he finished sliding the papers back into their respective folders.

Brice nodded and lead the way out to his car, unlocking it and throwing the files in the back seat, before he sat in the drivers seat, and waiting for Max to follow before he pulled out into the road. “Seem familiar?” He joked, as the drove along “Yeah, never did get the radio fixed, so we are going to have to tough it out” He said with smile, before adding “But we are alone, so you can spill…”

Brice looked back over to Max with a concerned look that shifted to a softer gaze as he shook his head "Max, whoa hold up, relax…" he said in a soothing voice "Don’t be so nervous ok? " he said with a warm smile before looking back to the road as he spoke. "Now about the past, I’ve been there, I know it’s hard to explain so don’t bother…why don’t you start with the creature?" He said, but the real question was why had grunty felt the need to take him there of all places? He wasn't too sure what her motive for such a move might be, but from experience he knew she generally did things that benefited her self. Knowing that it could have been any number of reasons.

Brice just nodded slowly as Max explained, when he’d said spill he did expect a whole flood. Still Brice was able to piece the majority of it together. “Yeah, only I didn’t go threw a portal. That terrorists attack that was on the news a few months back, well it wasn’t an attack, not by terrorist anyway. It was a battle between the oni and the Kami, for some reason they felt the need to open a portal, not sure why. Anyways, at the time I was still clueless to all this, kind of like….you” He said casting a grin his way before getting back to the story “I was in that part of the city when it happened and got taken back, Raziel found me there and explained everything then. I ….Well I did some things there I’m not proud of, but we got back.” I looked away, as the faces of those I’d slaughtered replayed in my head. Brice fell silent for a few moments before changing the subject swiftly “I wouldn’t worry to much about the creature though, the gate between worlds was closed back then, so the chances of it being a demon, are slime to none.” He tried to assure him, though he knew that if grunty could go back others could as well.

Brice raised an eyebrow as Max spoke “Heh, you turning into Grunty on me?” He asked but he supposed that wasn’t all bad. “Yeah, I guess it can be…” He answered.