As Clear As Crystal

Deterioration

There are very few certainties in life, but one of the constants is that actions always have consequences. In this case, the actions which Maximus took, his attempt at rallying dissent or whatever his intentions really were, there had definitely been consequences being felt all around it. It wasn't just you affected by his hatred for you, but those around you have also suffered repercussions. One key consequence was the family ties being cut at, nearly to the point of severance.

Black Bolt, he had to make a decision. As King, he needed to make a call on what would happen to Maximus after what he did, but that didn't mean he had to like what he needed to do. At the end of the day, the two were brothers, and Black Bolt had to strip Maximus or his royal ranking and role before removing him from the palace altogether. He hated that he had to do that to family, but what choice did he have when his own kin attempted to rally people in what was ultimately a coup d'etat? He had no choice.

And yet, in spite of what needed to be done, Black Bolt didn't want to completely erase any relations to his kin and has made an effort to at least maintain some civility by visiting his brother at his lab. Maximus had pretty much locked himself away with his experiments; in the week since his trial, the ex-royal had only been seen once or twice outside his lab. So safe to say, Black Bolt suddenly showing up didn't distil any wishes to hug and make up, not a chance.

There was only malice in Maximus' eyes when the King arrived at the door, Karnak by his side to read the words which Black Bolt had written down in hope to convey his grief for what he had to do. But then, such a description only stoked the flames of hatred as Maximus criticised what "had to be done".

"What you should have done from the start was get rid of the human!" The former Minister of Defence snarled as he gripped the door to his lab with the intention of slamming it in Black Bolt's face. He paused for a moment though, if only to hear what Karnak was then reading from the letter, not that any further words could even douse those aforementioned flames.

"Please understand, Brother, your course of actions, it was madness" Karnak read the King's words, earning a snarl from Maximus as he suddenly got in his brother's face, pointing a finger at Black Bolt as he exclaimed. "Don't, call me mad!" He hissed, gritting his teeth at such a description. "My actions are nothing more than sanity itself, soon you will see" his words dripped with venom before he retreated back into the lab, his statement (or threat) making Black Bolt wince as the door was slammed in his face. And with it, any possibility of reconciliation - if there was any at all to begin with.

But, of course, it wasn't just the Boltagon brothers who were at odds. There was also the tension between Amaquelin sisters regarding the issues surrounding you, Crystal had all but been refusing to speak to Medusa after Maximus' trial when it was revealed the Queen of the Inhumans still doubted your intentions.

It wasn't just the fact Medusa didn't trust you; to a degree, Crystal may understand if it took time for her sister to warm up to you even after how long it has been since your arrival, had it not been the obvious bias she used to justify her distrust. Medusa said she couldn't allow others to colour her opinions, except for Maximus as she shared the idea that you meant harm to the Inhumans. That mindset only pushed Crystal further away from her sister, and it was a sore topic for the Inhuman Princess as deep down she didn't want to be at odds with her sister. But she couldn't stand such hypocrisy.

Over the past few days, you've seen Crystal avoid Medusa in a way similar to how you did, the only difference being that she chose to avoid her sister whereas you pretty much had to. Of course, there were instances that the two did bump into each other, but the tension was too thick for them to stick around to even attempt to talk.