11107/Family Dynamics

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Family Dynamics
Date of Scene: 10 May 2022
Location: The Triskelion: Courtyard
Synopsis: Cael and Sara go for a walk outside the Trisk - and talk about Cael's 'family life.'
Cast of Characters: Cael Becker, Sara Pezzini




Cael Becker has posed:
    Bear is off leash as the two women step out onto the Triskelion's grounds, heading out onto one of the walking paths with the pup carrying his favorite floppy bunny in his mouth. "I think he's been looking for Alis," Cael admits. "He's been going from room to room, and then coming back to me like he... just can't puzzle it all out."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Walking along with Cael, Sara has removed her jacket as it isn't needed, and no shoulder holster either. Just a lovely spring day, out for a walk.

"Animals are more intuitive then most people give them credit for," she comments, watching the way the floppy bunny flops while being carried by Bear. "They grieve just like people do, and tend to miss people when they aren't there any more. He'll get through it, just like you and I will."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, I know. I just- wish there was a way to explain it to him. But he's a dog," Cael remarks with a wry smile. "I'm thinking about getting another tattoo, actually - putting it here." She touches her neck where there should be a scar from her injury, but there's instead perfectly unblemished skin. "I picked out a design. A broken wrench." The story of her life, and her traumas - told on her skin, or at least that seems to be Cael's intent.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Although the tattoos where the scars should be isn't a thing Sara would do, she also had troubles understanding the significance of them to Cael. Why someone would want the reminders of the trauma she couldn't quite grasp, but she knew it was important to Cael, and that's all that mattered.

"Broken wrench huh? A little plain, but if you think that would work," she states, knowing full well the idea of the tattoo was also related to Alis. "Maybe get them to fancy it up a little?" She grins at that.

"I mean, it is something you will have forever, so why not add some flourish to the reminder?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Because Alis is a fancy sort?" Cael asks in a voice laced with dry amusement. "Nah. Simplicilty is fine. The sentiment doesn't need frills." And it'll be on her neck - she'd rather keep it fairly small.
    She's silent for several paces before adding, "Martin's leaving, too. For a while."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Already chuckling over Cael's comment about Alis and fancy, Sara grins broadly as she says, "Oh come on, Alis was super fancy!" She knew the truth of course, Alis was simplistic, and it was perfect for her. "You're right, simple is best."

When Cael falls silent, she glances over at her and then gets hit by the bomb. Blinking a few times, her first reaction is, "Wait, what?" then she gets her brain back in gear. "Why is Martin leaving? What happened?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Something to do with dreams about his father, and a place called Nilaa that's in another dimension. He's going there to try to save him, or at least find some sort of answers. I don't really understand it, but he told Jon and me he'd be gone... a year. Possibly more." She shoves her hands deep into her pockets as she adds, "He and Jon are enjoying a little more time together - before he goes."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
It's a blow to be sure, one Sara wasn't expecting really. She didn't know Martin all that well, but she did know how important the man was to Jon, and through Jon, to Cael.

Stepping in a little closer, she gives Cael a slight nudge as she asks, "How are /you/ taking this news?" Then she adds, "I'll ask about Jon in a minute, but I want to know how you are first."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael doesn't answer for a while, trailing after Bear and pausing as the dog picks a spot to do his business.
    "I don't know," she admits. "I just - it took me a while to adjust to the way that things //are// to figure out how things fit, and to accept... everything. And now... it's all changing again." She lets out a sigh and adds, "And Jon wants to know if I want to move in and that- that's... a lot."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara lays her hand on Cael's shoulder for a slight squeeze then removes it again, remaining silent as they pause and Bear does his thing. When Cael does speak, it's pretty much the answer she was expecting. Confusion over the impending change, but more so with the information that Jon asked her to move in.

"That is indeed a lot," she says after a moment. "Life is always in motions, always changing, and just when something gets comfortable, another thing happens to challenge the comfort levels."

"I know you have the strength to deal with the changes as they come," she continues. "You might not adjust over night, but you get there in time... and that's why I think you should move in with Jon."

She shifts her eyes to Cael now, "That, and I think Jon needs you to be there with them. They're not used to being alone any more, they support and loves you, you love and support them, that's how it's supposed to work. I know that's pushing right into your comfort zone, shoving it right out the window, but I believe you have the strength and will to do it, I also believe that at your core, you want to do it. Don't let fear get the better of you on this one."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael doesn't answer immediately, her gaze directed down towards the floor, and her hands still shoved out of sight. "I- I like the idea of having them there every night, with me," she finally admits. "But... I don't know. Living together, actually //living// together, with them, and with Agnes..." She lets out a sigh. "I just- I'm not a parent. I'm not a mother. I don't- taking her out to the gun range sometimes, or introducing her to roller coasters, or even teaching her how to drive a motorcycle on the Triskelion's track is... is one thing, but-"
    She lets out a heavy sigh, and shakes her head. "It's just a lot. It's overwhelming."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara actually chuckles softly, still grinning. "Cael, you don't have to be a mother. You can be a friend, or an aunt, but you don't have to be a mother." She gives Cael another nudge with her hip. "Just because you move in doesn't mean you instantly become her mother, and that's alright, you don't have to be, ever. You can still be an adult, part of her life, and help her out without being a mother."

Now she slips her arm around Cael's shoulder for one quick squeeze hug, before taking her arm back. "You have time to work it out, figure it out, but in the end, I believe you'll do it. Because, as I said, I know you want to. I also know your concerns, what you're afraid of happening, or what could happen, but let's talk through them. We just covered Agnes and being a mother, what's next?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Honestly, that's the big one. That living with her means- I don't know. I don't know what it means," Cael says with a tight smile. "I've barely figured out my relationship with her, and I just feel like this- it changes things. Doesn't it? Wouldn't it have to?" She stoops with one of her bags, cleaning up Bear's mess as the pup turns around to sniff at it - and risks smearing his bunny through the mess. "Lay off it, Bear!" she chides him.
    "And I just- I dunno. As things stand right now, I have... the space to get away, and the chance to have Jon near when I need them, but- if we're living together- I don't know."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara takes hold of Bear's collar to give him a little tug back, no need to get the bunny all disgusting.

"It doesn't have to change anything with Agnes, just because you move in," she says, then gives Bear a pat on the head before letting him go again. "That part doesn't have to change unless you want it to change. Changing your address doesn't change relationships, at least it doesn't have to."

"As for space to get away, you still have that too," she continues. "You can come to the apartment or the house any time, crash for a few nights or more, if that's what you need. That will never change Cael, no matter where your primary address is listed."

A thought occurs to her then and a huge smile spreads across her face. "I think I have an idea that might help. Why don't you move in with Jon for say, three or four days a week, then go back to the apartment for the other days? Give it a trial run, you know? That way, you get an idea of what it might be like and can decide if you can accept and deal with it, and if you can, fantastic, move in full time. If you can't, you cut back a few days here and there, and find your comfort zone and work up to more in time."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, well... maybe we try something like that," Cael agrees quietly. "I was thinking that- well. That at least I'd bring a toothbrush over, and some changes of clothes, and... that sorta stuff. You know? So that when I do sleep over..." She runs a hand through her hair, revealing the brightly colored underlayers.
    "I think Jon was afraid he'd, uhh, bring up moving in and I'd... run out the door or something," she adds - amusement creeping into her voice.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The amusement from Cael's tone creeps into Sara's grin. "Well yeah, I would imagine he'd think that," she comments. "Let's face it Cael, you don't handle new and change very well, so the idea of suggesting you do something new or change something you already do... of course you're going to run out the door."

Another nudge is given as she chuckles. "It tends to be your go-to reaction, leave first, or shoot off your mouth, or loose your temper... /then/ think it out." She looks back to Bear now. "Don't make it just when you happen to sleep over. Stay a few days a week in a row Cael, it's the only way you're going to know if you can handle it. If you don't just rip the bandaid off and do it, you'll debate it in your head for weeks, going over all the things that could go wrong."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "When I get too stressed out, or overwhelmed, I pull away from Jon," Cael admits quietly. "I did when he made his deal with Michael. I did when you were hurt and I- ...wasn't sure if you'd live. Jon knows that I just need a little time sometimes." She starts walking again - the little baggie of waste dangling from one hand.
    "I've stayed over at Jon's before." As if Sara doesn't already know this... "But Martin was always there."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara lifts a brow slightly as she walks but for a moment says nothing, just walking in silence as she listens to Cael.

"Even I know that you need space sometimes Cael, I was joking," she finally says as she looks over at her. "When you get overwhelmed, you need space, that's how it is and there's nothing wrong with that. So when you stayed before, with Martin there, where did you sleep?"

It was like pulling teeth sometimes, at least that's what it felt like. To Sara, it was as simple as deciding to do a thing and then doing it, no matter the risks or concerns, but to Sara, Cael always seemed second guess everything, which made it difficult to try and help her. That was the stubborn streak perhaps, or maybe it really was just that difficult and something Sara would never understand.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Jon in the middle," Cael says simply, her gaze off to the side, at some of the flowering shrubs that border the path. "He, um... they... needed us both there. God, though, that made me uncomfortable. I mean, at first."
    Her smile grows tight as she adds, "Hell, the first night I slept with Jon at Grand Central Station was hard." Bear, who'd been sniffing at some of the bushes - perhaps catching some scent of a rabbit or squirrel, lifts his head to look at Cael, and comes back to her side - rabbit toy still flopping in his mouth.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"So can you explain to me how Martin being gone makes that different now?" Sara asks plainly, trying really hard to understand why this made Cael so nervous. She wanted to help, to be a good friend, to offer support that actually helped, but if she couldn't understand the root of the problem, she might as well be talking out of her butt.

"There's no change with Agnes unless you want something to change," she then continues. "We both know you don't, so... no change. You've spent numerous nights there already, in fact it's almost like you already live there. You've spent more time with them then at the apartment, so does this really change anything? Get right to the core of it Cael, what are you worried about?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Because staying over sometimes is different than moving in, Sara," Cael says flatly. "And because- I was never //really// comfortable staying over at their place, I... I wanted Jon to stay over with me," she admits in a wry tone. "But I can't. Not with... Not with Agnes," she admits.
    "I don't spend more time over at Jon's place than at home," she contradicts flatly. "Not since Jon's gotten better about being able to, you know, sleep on their own."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Another pause in conversation, or rather Sara is quiet for a time as they walk. She's never really been one to study nature, sure she notices the pretty flowers but that's it. The rest of the time is surveying her surroundings in case of an attack. Walking with Cael and Bear now however, she takes a little time to notice nature, feeling safe that the Triskelion grounds were a place no one would be stupid enough to attack.

"Jon's apartment is a two room place, right?" She asks finally, already working on a plan B to help out. "I think I have an idea then, since that one bombed, and I'm willing to accommodate this idea even further."

Another pause, this one to think of the wording. "It sounds to me like what you need is your own room," she goes on finally. "Your own space that is yours, whether it's in our apartment or, with Jon. So... how about the idea of looking for a three bedroom apartment, or I talk to Johnny and you, Jon and Agnes live in the house, while Johnny and I take the apartment?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Maybe," Cael admits. "I, umm- I'd already told Jon, before Martin announced his trip, that a guest room would be, uhh... would be nice." She scuffs her feet along the path. "Not entirely sure Jon wants to move on from the apartment just yet. They've held onto it for so long, that's... it's where they lived with Lyra. Before she died." She gives a shrug of her shoulders then adds, "I'll talk to them, though, and see what they say."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara pats Cael on the shoulder with a smile.

"I can understand an attachment to a place," she admits. "Look at me with my dad's house... but it might be time for Jon to move on, and to do that, with you, it might mean moving. He might say no, he might not... but the house is still an option, just let me know."

She looks back to Bear, then reaches to play with the rabbit dangling from his mouth, as if she'll take it. "I just want to help if I can," she adds. "Would even help look for another apartment if it came to that."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I know you do," Cael answers with a small smile. "And I appreciate it. And - hell. I don't even think you're wrong. A third bedroom.... It would help, I think. " She watches while Bear growls playfully, shaking his head back and forth and pulling at the bunny - before relinquishing it abruptly into Sara's hands.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara wiggles the bunny a few times, taunting Bear with it, then let's him have it back to 'kill' or shake or whatever it is he chooses to do.

"I know you love Jon, and I know they love you... but I truly believe, now that I have all the information, that a third room would be perfect. You could live with him, and when you needed your space, just go to your room."

Standing back up from messing with Bear she looks to Cael. "There are some really nice three bedroom apartments in Brooklyn, hell in our building the top most floor is just a couple of three bedroom places." She blinks and hmms softly. "Actually, I think one of my dad's neighbors is looking into selling his house." Yep, she still considers it her father's house, even though she owns it and lives there part time. "I could check it out for you, find the price he's asking. It's a nice little house, three bedrooms upstairs, den or office on the first floor, small basement with washer and dryer. Nothing fancy."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I need to talk to Jon first, Sara," Cael says in an amused tone, then lets out a heavy sigh. "But... yeah. Like I said. It's- I don't think you're wrong."
    She watches Bear shake his bunny a few times, before rejoining Sara and Cael in their walk, a cheerful expression on his dopey features.
    "Anyways. That's what's going on with us lately."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara chuckles softly and wiggles her brows. "You can talk to Jon," she muses. "And I can get prices... worst that happens, Jon says no and I happen to know what my neighbors house is worth."

"Jon was right about one thing though," she then says almost wistfully. "It's nice that the problems are becoming more normal, and less... save the world."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I know, right?" Cael answers with a laugh. "Even the damned Alhambras is- well. At least it's comprehensible, you know?" Even if rather upsetting.
    She walks the next several steps in silence before adding, "Jon's worried about me. Deeply... worried. I mean, I can't blame them. They... watched me die. And I don't know how to reassure them other than to keep promising them that I'm being careful. Paranoid, even."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Digging into her pocket, Sara pulls out a small thumb drive and offers it over to Cael. "That's everything I could find on the Alhambras in Phoeix. Current known leaders, current known members, what they consider their territory, all of it," she explains. "I'm sure there's more information to be gained, but that's what I could get... give it to Jon. Maybe knowing the enemy will help him to calm a little." She doubted it. It was a small consolation to have information, but watching your girlfriend die? No, information didn't end the concern and likely nothing would until the Alhambras were taken care of.

"Do you remember how you worried, knowing Jon would die and not being able to do anything about it?" She asks, already preparing to continue. "This falls into that category, only worse because it wasn't supposed to happen. Don't get me wrong, I'm worried, and terrified they'll try again, I'm /almost/ paranoid and I've never slept with you." She grins at that, indicating the joke. "The point I'm trying to make is that he has the right to be concerned, to worry, and to be paranoid. He watched you die, and he couldn't do anything about it, and he wasn't prepared for that to ever happen. Give him time."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael accepts the drive with a grateful nod, slipping it into an inner pocket of her jacket that zippers closed - no chance of losing it that way.
    "I know," Cael answers. "I don't blame them for being worried. I don't blame them for hurting. I know how awful it must have been." She's silent for a moment before adding in a quiet voice, "I trusted Jon to save me." And they didn't. They couldn't. No matter how many times Cael has told Jon she knows they did everything they could, that they weren't to blame... That knowledge hurt.
    She'd believed it would all be alright once Jon was there, whether that was fair or not.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The weight of what Cael whispers hits Sara in the chest like getting slugged. That was a lot of pressure to put on one person, to expect them to be able to save you. She understand the why, why Cael believed that and the comfort that must have come from believing that. Now it was gone, the realization that Jon couldn't, that they didn't, that it took Witchblade to do it.

Sara knew that in time Jon would be able to, he needed to study and practice and then he would be able to do what Witchblade did, at least that was what Sara believed and hoped. That hope didn't change the right now, that Cael felt pain over Jon not being able to save her.

"I'm sorry," she whispers back, chewing a little at the inside of her lower lip. "I'm sorry you don't have that safety net right now, but they'll work on it Cael. Give them time, and I'm sure Jon will learn how to. In the mean time..." she shrugs a little, shoving her own feelings down. "I promise to always come."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You can't tell Jon," Cael says quietly. "They feel awful enough without adding my own recriminations on top of it." She blinks a few tears from her eyes as she adds, "I really did- I had... faith that they could- that it couldn't possibly be so bad that Jon couldn't..." She lets out a heavy sigh, and stops walking for a moment, staring down at the path.
    "I know you'll always try to come. That you'd do anything for me - but Alis is gone." So how will Sara even know she's in trouble?
    Bear moves over towards her - nudging at his person with his nose, and therefore pushing his slobbery bunny all over her. Cael reaches down to rub at Bear's head before she resumes walking. "Anyways. I'm not invincible - obviously. I just need to be more careful - and I am. It won't happen again."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Laying her hand on Cael's shoulder again, Sara says quietly, "I will never say a word to them about it Cael. That's something between you and me, I promise."

The other part is something Sara had been considering. She didn't like thinking about Alis being gone, but it was a fact, plain and simple, that she was. "You're right, as things are right now, unless you called or someone called me, there's no way for me to know. There are things that could be done, that would let Witchblade know where you were, and if you were hurt, but even that isn't a guarantee I could get there in time. It's an option though."

Sighing softly, she shoves back her own tears before giving Cael's shoulder a light squeeze then removes her hand to give Bear a light pat. "I know this is hard for you, and there are no answers. I know you intend to be more careful, but in the line of work we are both in, even that's no promise that it won't happen again. But you're right, I will do anything for you."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Happening on the job - that's one thing. We take risks to help people," Cael replies, giving a shrug of her shoulders. She hasn't moved away from any of Sara's touches, as the two continue on their walk together. "That's- I mean, it's different, isn't it? Compared to just being... gunned down on the street. I'm going to try to keep either from happening, but- I dunno. One's a little more... acceptable, more understandable than the other. You know?" She glances aside at Sara, then back down the path as she keeps walking.
    "Not that I plan on dying again for a long time. Alis said she doesn't want to see my dumb face. Not for //years// to come."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara's hand remains resting lightly on Cael's shoulder, it can be moved out from under or brushed off at any time, but she needs that connection right now.

"It is a little different, yes, I'll agree to that," she comments with a nod. "But still, the act of being shot is the same, while working or on the streets. I want to believe it won't happen again, but I'm still terrified it will... that however is on me, not you. I can deal with my own fears."

For a quick second her eyes go glassy before she has to add, "Witchblade however, does not want to run the risk of you ever being shot again and would like to put you in a safe place for the rest of your life. Yes, he made me say that. He wouldn't stop repeating it until I did. He worries a great deal about you Cael, I mean... probably as much as Jon and I do."

Now that that was out of the way, and Witchblade stopped rambling in her head. "You aren't supposed to die until you're old and gray, I agree with Alis that it needs to be a long, long, LONG time."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, well, you can tell him we're not fuckin' doin' that. Thanks but no thanks, 'n all that," Cael replies in a quiet mutter. "I won't walk around bubble wrapped. I won't hide from the world forever." Just until the Alhambras are dealt with.
    She presses her lips together as she adds, "I dunno about old and grey... but it'll be a while. I keep training, and I keep practicing, I take reasonable precautions... And I'll be fine." Is she telling herself that, or Sara?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Cael can actually hear Sara muttering under her breath, "You hear that? I told you she wouldn't go for it." Then she looks back to Cael with a grin. "He's over protective, it's his nature. I think you may be the first 'non-wielder' he cares this much about, and let's face it... there have been some wielders he didn't like at all."

She looks toward trees for a moment, not really focusing just clearing her head by looking far. "Once we take care of the problem, I know you'll be fine Cael," she finally says. "You'll be free to go about your life, training and work without that hanging over you. I almost started killing the leaders while I was there," she sighs, shaking her head. "But I was there as a police officer, and it felt wrong. I couldn't know who might be involved in what happened, and who wasn't, and Witchblade doesn't always get to be judge, jury and executioner."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael has no answer to that for a while - reaching down to brush her fingers across Bear's head when the pup nuzzles briefly at her leg, before trotting on ahead. He's definitely enjoying the walk.
    Finally, she remarks in a dubious tone, "What - his favorite," non-wielder, "person in... hundreds of years? Thousands of years? Why would he give a shit about me, other than- that you give a shit about me?" she asks - sounding genuinely confused.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Reaching over with her left hand, Sara turns the bracelet on her right around so the stone is back on top. How did she explain this in a way that made sense? Sometimes separating herself from Witchblade was difficult, but in this regard his feelings were as plain as the nose on her face.

"Well, let's start with the obvious," she finally says. "Normally Witchblade only cares about his wielder, on very rare occasions he will extend that to people the wielder find important, but usually the only thing he cares about is himself, his duty, his purpose. He uses the wielder to fulfill that purpose."

She offers a smile, and continues with, "Don't freak out about that, it's not how it is any more. After the Gaes, that changed. It was the first time in his existence that he was ever forcefully removed from his wielder. He was beyond enraged about it at first, that he could feel me there but couldn't touch me, couldn't talk to me. He learned during that time what it was like to be the wielder, and his attitude changed. That's also when I learned how to touch his emotions other than rage."

"He finds you to be one of the strongest, most determined and smart mouthed humans he's ever known. Time and again you have impressed him with your actions and words, and that grew into a fondness, and then into truly caring. The truth is," she looks back to Cael's eyes. "If I wasn't his wielder, he might have chosen you."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "And I would have told him to go play hide 'n go fuck yerself - I mean, it's pretty much my standard response," Cael says dryly.
    "So. Saying I'm his favorite person //ever// is just saying I'm his favorite person since he learned to give a shit - a couple months ago? Charmed, I'm sure." Can't just take a compliment, can she?
    She watches Bear as the pup's face fixates on a squirrel sitting on a patch of grass. The white pup barks once, and makes a playful bound - only to have hit playment disappear up a tree. He looks back at Sara and Cael with an almost forlorn expression on his features.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara laughs, shaking her head. "No, shit, I must have explained it wrong." She has to take a moment to collect herself, cause words were hard. "Gods you're such a pain in the ass sometimes... but no, that's not at all what I meant."

Glancing over to Bear she continues, "The emotions were always there, I just couldn't /feel/ them until recently... oh, and telling him to fuck off, doesn't work. I tried that." Her eyes shift back to Cael. "When he first attached himself to my wrist, I told him to fuck off, tried to take the bracelet off, all of that. It doesn't work that way... but still, yes, you are his favorite non-wielder /ever/... suck it up and accept."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "//Sometimes//?" Cael asks. "Fuck. I must be doing it wrong." But despite her words, she flashes Sara a smile, before looking back to the pup.
    "Aww. Poor Bear - your squirrel friend didn't want to play? How will you ever recover from this tragedy?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara laughs again, this time stepping over to give Bear a pet. "Poor guy, did he take off and leave you? Here," she kneels down and hugs the dog for a moment. "Does that make it better?"

Glancing to Cael she adds, "I was being kind, you are /always/ a pain in the ass."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "And don't you forget it," Cael answers, grinning at Sara.
    She grows more serious as she adds, "Thanks again for saving my life, though. There aren't words enough - you know? For what it means for me, and for Jon, and- well, for Alis too. Though she never had a moment's doubt in you, or in Witchblade. ...you would have been so proud of her, if you'd seen how brave she was down there."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Bear gets another hug because Sara needed it, even if the dog didn't, then she stands back up and brushes her knees off.

"Those words are more than enough. You don't have to thank me, but you did, and that's enough." She offers a soft smile, but her mind remembers all the times while working for the NYPD someone thanked her for doing her job. It never felt right to her, but she knew that they needed to say it. It was her job, but they needed it.

"He misses her a great deal," she then says quietly, as if she doesn't want him to hear. "Knowing she was brave, that... I'm so proud of her for that. She used to worry that when it got right down to it, in the heat of a moment, she wouldn't be able to do what she knew was right, or help when she should. I used to tell her she had it in her, and apparently, she did, and that..." she shakes her head, refusing to cry any more about it.

After taking a moment to ensure she doesn't cry, she smiles again and says, "A part of me screams that I don't need to be thanked, it's my job, it's what I do, what he does... but that's the humbleness I think. I never wanted to be a hero, I just wanted to do the right thing. Sometimes that right thing gets a little gray these days, but over all I keep trying to do what's right."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah," Cael agrees quietly. She looks back towards the Triskelion, towering over the garden paths, then back to Sara before she remarks, "Was killing Javi the right thing? Is killing more of the Alhambras? They've done bad things. They've killed people. They're- whatever potential they used to have, they're damaged. Perhaps they can't be helped, but going after them, just to protect me..."
    She lets out a sigh before adding, "But maybe it isn't just about me. Maybe it's also about all the other people they'd kill and hurt if they continue to do what they do. Still... I don't like the idea of a bloodbath in Arizona because of all of this."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
That wasn't exactly how Sara has expected to hear what happened to Javier, but she took in stride with only a slight wince. Cael had wanted him to go to jail, that's what /should/ have happened, but apparently Ma'at and Jon had other plans. She takes a moment to chew up the first thing that popped into her head, followed by an even, steady breath.

"It's about you," she says first then looks to Cael's face. "And about the people they've hurt and will continue to hurt, but I didn't realize it was going to be a blood bath. We don't /have/ to kill them, no matter what they've done. That doesn't have to be the way it goes down."

The words in her head start spinning again, the desire to scream obscenities' follows. These weren't demons or evil cultists, they weren't magic users performing dark rituals, or anything super natural at all. These were just people, human people, the sort that /should/ be dealt with by legal means, not supernatural means. It was hard to keep the irritation and aggravation off her face, so she kept looking away, as if she was looking at the flowered bush over there.

"Not my choice," she mutters, closing her eyes to let Witchblade rant a moment. "How do you want it to go?" She finally asks, looking back to Cael. No, the emotions weren't all hidden away, but she wanted to know the answer to that question.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well. I hope it's not a bloodbath but- it could very easily turn out that way, couldn't it?" Cael lets out a sigh. "If I were to wish my ultimate resolution? They repent from their evil lives and we put some funding into the neighborhood, which allows them to find gainful employment while bettering the situations of their neighbor.
    "But if I were to give a realistic answer? ...jail time. With infrastructure being put in place to improve the neighborhoods, and offer spaces for safe drug injection and the like."
    She's silent a moment before adding, "Apparently I wasn't the first person Javi had killed. ...by far.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Doesn't matter," Sara almost spits out then reigns it in again to say more calmly, "You wanted him to go to jail, and that's what should have happened. He was just a human, we have no right to enforce supernatural things on humans who aren't..." she stops there.

Stepping away from Cael for a minute, she tries her best to center herself again. Part of the anger was Witchblade, who fought to maintain balance in this realm against other supernatural things. He didn't like hurting humans unless they were directly involved in magical things they shouldn't be, and even then he would rather scare them straight before killing them.

"I'm sorry," she finally says with a soft sigh. "I'll get over it in time, but just hearing that Jon killed Javi, it was a punch in the gut, took me by surprise."

Looking back to Cael, she's not completely centered but is a little closer. "Something tells me that it doesn't matter what you or I want, that it /is/ going to be a blood bath in Arizona," she finally says. "But I can hope, right?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael watches Sara for a moment, then admits quietly, "Jon and I haven't //really// talked about what happened that night yet. I just- I know he's dead. I hope it won't be a blood bath, but I guess that depends on who goes, and- well. I'd hate for our people to go in and- and just walk into a mess, you know? Trying to peaceful, and decent, and get themselves in a bad situation."
    She's silent for a few more momnts before adding, "I mean, police and the FBI have been trying to build cases on them for years. If getting them all tossed into jail were that easy - it would be done already. And if we don't make any show of strength, why would they respect us?" she ask.
    She runs her hands through her hair then adds, "Let's start heading back." She turns, putting her words to action, with Bear quickly trotting to catch up with her.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara had seen a piece of that problem when she was in Phoenix. Her father's friend, Don Lawer, had been a part of the gang task force for years and never had enough on the Alhambras to do anything. An arrest here and there for minor things, never anything major that they could make stick. It had been that way for years, the gang was dug in deep with roots that ran throughout the entire city, not just the area they called their territory.

"You aren't wrong," she says after walking for a time back toward the Triskelion. "They've been trying to nail them for over a decade, and only managed a few arrests." She reaches up to run her fingers through her head, pushing it back off her face. "But there is a difference between a show of strength and a blood bath."

"Either way it goes Cael," she then adds. "Blood bath or not, I'm in. I may want to see true justice for them as humans, but that may not be possible. I loath it, no... I despise it, and Witchblade needs to shut the fuck up in my head right now because I'm in."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I mean. The arrests I trigged might... have been the worst the gang's ever seen. It's no surprise they hate me." Cael smiles sadly as she adds, "There's part of me that still feels bad for Javi. I just remember him as this twerpy little Junior High kid, you know? He idolized us. And he had a crush on one or both of us, I think. So. I can just imagine how much it hurt him when I put his brother away." She kicks idly at a stone - and Bear jogs after the skittering object for several steps before losing interest in it.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Managing to catch back up, Sara lays her hand back on Cael's shoulder as she says rather firmly, "You are not responsible for what he became, alright?"

Her tone changes to a little softer as she continues. "Listen to what you just said, he idolized a gang, members of a gang, a brother who was a gang member. Sure, he was a twerpy junior high kid, but he was already on the path that lead him to where he ended up, even before you got his brother arrested." She gives Cael's shoulder a light squeeze. "I feel sorry for him too, for all the circumstances that lead to him going down that dark path, but you are not the reason it happened."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I //know// that," Cael says with some irritation. "I know all that. The kid was fucked from the start, but I just-" She sighs heavily. "I still feel bad. He wasn't a //bad// kid. Not really. And to see that hate from him, and-" Her hand tightens at her side. "It was a sucker punch."
    She catches up with the stone and gives it another kick. "I wish it all could have had another outcome. This cycle of violence is... it's bullshit."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara takes her hand away, letting it fall back to her side. "I know you know, but sometimes hearing it helps it sink in. I get it, it all sucks. There's nothing for poor families or their kids and they go looking for something better... I get it."

She falls quiet there, just walking beside Cael. She's seen the cycle herself, a hundred times or more, and there was nothing anyone could do. That wasn't entirely true, if the super wealthy would get off their asses and offer assistance, then maybe some of the neighborhoods could offer more, but the truth was the United States were broken. There weren't enough jobs, or enough places to live in price ranges that average people could afford, and it was a constant downward spiral of violence and hatred, and as things were, it wouldn't end.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael nods her head. She still can't really forget how close she was to letting that be her life - and so she's quiet for the rest of the walk back, her fingers brushing over Bear's fur as they walk.
    "Let's grab something from the food court, yeah?" she suggests. "And then - I dunno. I was thinking of playing some video games?"
    The pair spend the next few hours that way - with food court take out and snacks, and the Triskelion's built in entertainment system - while Bear chews on his bunny, making it squeak annoyingly. One of these days it has to break. Right? Right?
    Oh well.