Max just said "this is the fate I've been given, I have to accept it." He then walked past both of them and said "so I might as well start walking now, or I wont have a place to sleep tonight by the time I get to the town." He began to walk down the street.

Cooper started walking too, keeping pace just behind him. "Max, we're all here for you. Why don't you come with us?" she asked. "You don't have to do this by yourself."

@Rusalka
"Oh, mischina..." Marcella gasped softly as she took in the singer's appearance. A waterfall of black was smudged around Daniella's red eyes, and her face was flushed with grief. Still, despite the imperfections, the Italian couldn't help but marvel at how Daniella managed to still look stunning.
"I came to check on you," Marcella explained. "I got so worried when you ran off..."

@Fubsy

~"Oh...no, I'm...quite alright, Marcella."~ She replied softly, even though it was a lie. ~"I was just...feeling sick all of a sudden. Nothing to worry about, dear."~ Daniella smiled lightly as if to show she was indeed okay, but her eyes, sullen with grief, surely they had betrayed her, the same as her pale, quivering lip.

Max replied "if I wish to hold on to what little pride I have left I must do this on my own." He looked at them and said "I'm thankful for your concern, but I must face this head on." He then smiled and said "after all I was planning on leaving the house after graduation anyways." He then glanced over at Daniella's house and muttered "I wish I could at least say good bye but she probably doesn't want to see me" He then continued down the road.

Though the scene was slightly sad for Lila, she did not feel the full impact of emotion, seeing as she did not have much of an emotional connection to either of them. She was walking behind them, not wanting to intrude. When Max walked away, Lila caught up to Cooper, now standing at her side. Suddenly, she got a genius idea. She leaned over and whispered in Coopers ear, "How about we knock him out and throw him in my carriage...for his sake, and not because I currently have an overwhelming urge to kidnap someone..."

@ladyanglaise

Marcella frowned skeptically. She was pretty sure red eyes and a flushed face weren't signs of being alright. "Daniella, please," the young girl sighed in exasperation. "I want to help you. If you've got something on your mind, tell me."

Max kept walking toward the metalheart town, he knew it would take him a while to get there so he didn't want to stop for anything. He just thought about the events of the graduation in his head over and over again. He knew that his friends wanted to be by his side, but when you transfer from one life to the other people don't react to you very well from either life.

@Fubsy

~"Marcella...."~ Daniella sighed, her fake smile, fake happiness, having gone from her....leaving only her face broken and bereaved. Who was she trying to fool? Who was she trying to deceive, when she knew well her friend could see past the false white mask she adorned to hide the inner turmoil? Then again...how could she hide such...when it was oh so evident? ~"Marcella..."~ And all too soon, as she saw the concern welling in the Italian's eyes, Daniella knew...she couldn't hide it any more. The mask...had cracked. In that instant, it all came crashing down upon her...once again. She fell to her knees, her beautiful crimson dress crumpling all around her, burying her face in her hands and sobbing without pause. ~"Marcella...I....I loved him!"~ She said it... With that very ill, heartfelt whimper upon her quivering lips...she said it, what she had wanted to say to Max all along...and even more. But, the sands of time had run out, the gears of fate shifting in opposite directions, taking Maxwell away to live the life of a metalheart and her...to continue wallowing in the vehement excesses of the rich and the famous.

Try as she may to even reach out to him, it would be for naught. The rich weren't meant to mingle with the poor and vice versa. Her parents, the community, even the city watch would do all they could to prevent Daniella from seeing Maxwell just one last time...or even speaking to him. It was over, and she knew it, so why even lie to herself anymore....

Cooper stopped walking. How could Max still be concerned with pride? It was his parents' pride that left him abandoned and alone! To her, it felt like he was still trying to act like he was better than her, better than other Metalhearts. Her hands balled into fists at her side, Cooper bit down on her lower lip to keep from blowing up at him. Max was almost out of earshot by the time she responded to Lila. "No, let him go." she said to Lila, clearly upset. "If he wants to act like he's some big, important noble all the way to the village, I say let him."

Marcella hugged the sobbing girl, her hold gentle and warm. "It's alright, mischina," she assured softly. "It'll be alright..."
A soft voice caused the young girl to jump and alarm. Her hug loosened and she turned to see a young girl standing close by. "Ah...I don't believe we've met," she greeted.
@Princeofhearts@Rusalka

Lila's shoulders slouched and she let out a sigh. "Aw...fine..." She said, clearly disappointed that her thirst for a kidnapping would go unquenched. "What now?"

@ladyanglaise

Cooper sighed, watching Max walk away. "I guess we should all just go." she said, defeated. "We should get Marcella."

@Princeofhearts@Fubsy

As Marcella hugged her, she laid her head upon the Italian's shoulder, her painful, bitter sobs dying slowly as they became frail whimpers. What was she to do? Forget him? Continue on with life as it had been dictated for her by that damned machine? By her family? Fate...it was not meant to be shaped by the hands of man. Instead...it was planned out already, a path one must simply follow...without question nor qualm. All those times she spoke of changing destiny, of defying the natural order....was it all just a lie? Just a fairy tale she weaved to give others a false sense of hope, including herself? ~"Marcella..no it isn't...it will never be alright."~ Her reply ever tearful as the girl held her in a soothing embrace. ~"I don't want to forsake him like the rest...but...I have to...There's no other choice for me."~

A gentle touch to her shoulder then, the reassuring voice of a sweet angel to her side. It was Khalil, her personal seamstress. The boy, a bit of an oddity for his affinity for women's garments, no less enjoyed by Daniella, he always followed her about like a timid little puppy. How could she had forgotten he was there when she began to break apart at the seams with sorrow. ~"Khalil sweetie."~ She turned to him with a ragged sigh. ~"Maybe you're right...that Maxwell will return to me, but even so. I would have nothing to do with him anymore."~ She stood, leaving the arms of Marcella, a bit of a stagger as she regained her bearings upon weak and wobbly knees. ~"If you will both excuse me....I need some time alone. Nothing towards you...just...need a moment to think."~ And so she left, a slow pace back to the parlor, back to the piano.

She sat there a moment, the silence, ever so dismal as she stared down at the keys, her head resting against the coolness of the black polished wood. She sighed wearily, and then...she played once more, only this time...her voice to accompany the soft melody of melancholy.

Marcella watched helplessly as the singer disappeared back into her home. A sorrowful tune followed, a gloomy melody intertwined with the sadness in the air. The Italian stood there numbly, tears threatening to overflow. It was the affect of the hauntingly beautiful voice and the helpless regret nestled deep beneath her gut. She was a doctor, damn it! It was her job to help. Unfortunately, there was no cure for a broken heart except time.

With a shaky breath, Marcella turned to the newly arrived companion. "Khalil, is it? Pleasure. My name is Marcella Biancardi. If only we had met in more jovial circums..." she trailed off as Khalil turned away, seemingly forgetting the Italian's presence. Marcella sighed and turned her back. The best course of action now would be regrouping with her companions before heading home to gather her supplies.

Max just kept walking away, not wanting to look back and show that he had a look of despair on his face. He didn't want to tell them the truth that the last time someone went from rich to a poor person, they were discriminated against by both the rich and the poor. He knew that he probably would sleep on the street or in whatever store accepted him, because most metalhearts have a dislike for people like him. He saw the town and began to walk in. Most people ignored him but a few gave him dark glares. He heard a few whispers "look it's him" "he got what he deserved, always looking down on others." "I heard that his father disowned him at the school in front of everyone" The people just talked without a second thought. He just ignored them and just kept walking. He then soon arrive a clock maker's house. He entered the place and said "excuse me sir, are you looking for help" The old clockmaker looked up from his clock and said "aren't you a little too upperclass to be working in a dump like this" Max then handed him a piece of paper that showed that he had the title of metalheart. The old clockmaker said "well I'll be, I haven't seen someone from your world get that title in years." He then stood up and said "well do you have anything to prove that you are a metalheart. " Max then pulled a device out of his bag and put it on the table (it looked like this )

The clockmaker chuckled and said "well I'll be, you are one hell of metalheart to make that." He then smiled and said "you can start tomorrow, if you need a place to stay I have a spare bed in my house in the back." Max said "thank you very much sir." He then brought his stuff into the man's house and begun to help the man as soon as possible.

Marcella turned and began to walk away, her shoulders dropped in defeat. She began to walk briskly down the street as she searched for her friends. Hopefully they had a better time with Maxwell than she did with Daniella. It wasn't long before she saw Cooper and Lila, a disheartened expression on their faces. Marcella quickene her pace and ran towards them. "How did it go?" she called, allowing a drop of hopefulness to seep into her voice.

Cooper shook her head. "Not good." she replied. "All I wanted to do was help him, and he completely blew me off." She crossed her arms and looked away from her friends, defeated.