Max's POV
Max sighed. He finds meetings with other Faction Leaders tedious. Why could they just read the dammed emails he sends them? What he hated though, was when Faction Leaders turned to Dauntless unannounced. In the guise of a new tech shipment, Jeanine stands in the middle of the supply docks, unmoving and cold.
Max's eyes settle on the man part way to her left that can make any meeting seem to fly by. Richard Vince, head of tech between Dauntless and Erudite, if Max remembers correctly. Informally, Max's best friend since they were younger. Even when Richard transferred over to Erudite and Max stayed in Dauntless, the jobs they choose kept them connected. Over the years, through meetings and emails, they have kept each other up to date with their lives like when Max emailed Richard about his marriage to Marissa and in return, a few months later, Richard's marriage to Ella, Max's other best friend. Richard kept him up to date on the births of his children, who even at a small age are terrible trouble makers. Years later Declan joined Dauntless. Max saw a lot of Richard in Dec's personality, his looks are all his mum's. Dec became best friend and brother to Eric and in turn, Declan and Eric become sons Max had never had. Four years later, Hugo joined the ranks. Hugo was a perfect mix of both Ella and Richard; calm and serious, playful and childish. Like Eric, Hugo was able to balance Declan out. Both Vince boys Max favours, he likes that Declan is always there to cheer someone up, being the goofball that he is and that Hugo will always get payback if someone hurts his friends or brother, however small or big. And then the twins Max refers to as Trouble and Mischief follow after their brothers two years after that. Dauntless has certainly been more alive since those two turned up. Golden eyes and hair screams 'Dauntless' and their playful pranking to match. When Max looks at Issy and Alec, he sees Ella and Richard as they were laughing and pranking people way before their Choosing Ceremony (if one ignores the hair and the eyes). From the reports from Four and Eric, the twins are good at what they do, even if everything is turned into a competition. It's only the first week so he'll have to keep an eye out.
Eric follows Max as he makes his way to Jeanine. He catches Richard's eye over her shoulder and Richard smirks before going bog-eyed and sticking his tongue out. Max coughs back a laugh and mock glares at him. 'So much for the serious Erudite.' Max stops a few paces in front of Jeanine.
"Jeanine, what a pleasant surprise." Max tries to sound welcoming. Its not, it's really not. "We aren't due for a tech shipment until next month." It was more of a question then a statement.
She smiled, more of a grimace really. "I have something I wish to discuss with you." And with that she walks to the corner of the room. No "Can I discuss something with you?" or "Could we talk somewhere else?" Max didn't know what it was but he didn't like her, not one bit. Max huffed, glancing from Richard who shrugged his shoulders and followed after her to Eric who rolled his eyes. Max knew Eric wasn't fond of her either. With another huff, the Dauntless leaders followed them. Max once again stopped in front of her with Eric to his left and Richard to his right.
"I want something that you have." 'Right, okay so?' Max shares a confused glance with Eric. Richard, Max notices, is shaking his head in anger. Max is warily now, not much pisses Richard off.
"Which is . . .?"
"I want Issy back in Erudite." Max freezes. Did he really hear her right?
"What?" Eric snaps. Max lets Eric take the lead as he tries to wrap his head around what Jeanine has just asked him. "She's transferred in, there's no way the council will allow her back nor does she want to go back." Max knows, even after a few days in, Eric sees something different in Issy, something more.
"Jeanine, I would have thought you understood that once an independent transfers out they cannot come back." Max rubs his face, annoyed that Jeanine had the audacity to ask such a thing and pure stubbornness if she thinks he'll just hand Issy over.
"If she gets below fifth in the rankings, she is –"
"No." Richard shakes his head again, cutting off his leader with such disgust in his voice Jeanine turns to him. "No!" He hisses.
"Issy is not fit for Dauntless. She will not be able to make it." Jeanine's voice remains cold. Eric goes to contradict her when Richard snarls.
"You and I both knew Issy was Dauntless the moment she ran back into that burning house!" Fury flares in his eyes as he glares at Jeanine. "Once yes, she could have been Erudite but now," His glare intensifies, damn the poor bugger that hurts his daughter's heart. "Now, Issy is Dauntless. Don't you dare suggest otherwise." Richard gives a curt nod to Max and Eric before storming off, back to the car they came in. Jeanine stands still, staring after Richard with an unreadable look in her eyes.
"Well Jeanine," Max couldn't be more smug. "You have your answer. Is that all?" She doesn't say a thing as she turns her gaze onto Max before walking off after Richard.
"What bullshit was she thinking?." Eric sighs.
"I couldn't have said it better myself son."
xXx
Max rolled his eyes as Karlton continued to talk. He understood Declan and Eric's hatred for him and now Max can't even remember why he hired him. Max looked around at the others who were still sat at their table. Harrison looked utterly bored out of his mind while he stared at his fork, Winnie was flicking through some folders mindlessly and Kim glared at Karlton. All of them wanted him to go so they could discuss the latest in the faction but he wouldn't stop talking.
Everyone's head snapped up to the doors as Four and Eric come in slowly with a pale Issy between them and Alec not that far behind. Max's eyes narrowed at Eric. Both Eric and Four were close to Issy, as if she will fall but Eric is closer than that, his side pressed up against hers. Either Issy doesn't mind or she doesn't realise how close he is. He'll have to bring that up later and ask. They guide her to a table near them and Eric helps her down and sitting next to her after. Four heads to the kitchens as Alec sits down in front of his sister, his eyes never leaving her. Four comes back with a bowl of soup and a few pieces of bread and sets it in front of her as he sits on her other side.
"How did training go today lads?" Harrison asks, his eyes jumping from the twins to the instructors.
"Good Harrison. We did the Bleep Test today." Four looks up to the leader's table.
"Oh?" The bleep test was always something Max would watch from the control room but today he had a meeting to attend so unfortunately he couldn't. Every year the initiates got out before either Eric or Four could but this year seems promising mostly due to the twins sat a table down. "And how did that work out?"
Four nods his head to Issy. "She won." The leaders looked at Issy in surprise. 'Well, I'll be damned.'
"She did? And who came second?" Max thought in likely cases it'll be Alec or Eric.
"I did." Eric confirms his thoughts as the young leader looks to Max.
"What's wrong with her now?" A small flare of protectiveness shot through Max. She may not be his daughter but it damn well feels like it. Eric's eyes flashes with something familiar before he looks at Issy.
"Issy nearly threw up not long after we finished and nearly fainted when she stood up." His eyes don't leave Issy. Max will definitely be bringing it up soon. "We think it's because she didn't eat much last night or this morning."
"Have you taken Golden Eyes –" Karlton sneers the nickname most of Dauntless has given them. " – to the infirmary?" Max watches as Eric's jaw tenses and his fist clench. Its not long before Four snaps.
"Karlton I suggest you show some respect. Both of these initiates did better at the Bleep test than you ever did back in initiation and now. Issy came first and Alec came forth, those combined alone is better than your final rank!"
"How dare –"
"Karlton!" Max has had enough of him. "Go sort out those files on my desk. Go!" Huffing and muttering under his breath, Karlton leaves the room.
"Well he seems like a nice guy." Alec mutters sarcastically. He mutters something to his sister now that she's finished.
"C'mon, lets go to the infirmary." Before Eric can, Four helps her up and Eric takes the bowl back. Moments later he comes back and glues himself to Issy's side again.
Eric looks at Max. "I'll have that paperwork on your desk for tomorrow." With that, like they entered, they leave the room with Issy in between Eric and Four with Alec behind them.
Later that day Max bumps into Eric as he is leaving his office. Max requests Eric to join him in his and they walk together to Max's office. Max opens the door, motioning Eric to enter first. Once Eric is in Max enters after him and closes the door.
"Is there something wrong?" Eric wanders around Max's office, his fingers brushing the chair. Eric's movements are cautious as he eyes Max up. Max doesn't know how to start this conversation so he head straight into it.
"What's between you and Issy?" Eric freezes, almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye but Max has known Eric for six years now, he knows things about Eric that only Declan really knows. When Eric faces Max an emotion flickers through his eyes for a single second before his professional façade slips into place.
"What do you mean?"
"Come on now son, you and I both know what I'm on about."
Eric sighs and his shoulders slump the tiniest bit as his hand reaches up to fiddle with his leather necklace. "I don't know . . . I'd say nothing but I don't think that's true anymore."
"How so lad?" Max has never seen this side to Eric, the more vulnerable side and he's glad that he finally is but he's surprised that all it took was Issy.
"At first it was if Issy or Alec got hurt Declan would be hurt, I wanted to protect my brother and in turn, his family. Especially after what Declan told me about Jeremy. But now," Eric puffs out a laugh and shakes his head. "I don't know, I just don't want Issy to be hurt. I want to protect her from it, from everything but Issy's too damn stubborn to accept it."
"Do I need to remind you that instructor and initiate relationships aren't allowed?"
"I know, I know Max, I'm trying."
"I know you are son and after the conversation before the Choosing Ceremony I understand that neither you nor Declan would cheat them into Dauntless. Even with that being said, if something does form, even if it's one sided, I have to remove you from discussing Issy's rank. Do you understand why I'm doing this?"
Eric huffs, glaring at the wall. "I understand."
So the next Outtake will be from Eric's POV even though Chapter 17 is also from Eric's POV. In Golden Flames Eric's POV will mostly just be about that single chapter, this next Outtake will involve Eric before Issy's initiation and during it, focusing on a few scenes.