11581/Strawberry Eve

From Heroes Assemble MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Strawberry Eve
Date of Scene: 12 June 2022
Location: The Velvet Room - Sitting Room
Synopsis: Cael's restlessness only continues to grow - as the Strawberry Moon approaches.
Cast of Characters: Cael Becker, Jonathan Sims




Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael has never been one to sit still for long, and that affect has slowly been growing more and more pronounced. She visits the apartment's gym, or the Velvet Room's training room multiple times a day - and seems to struggle with sitting still. She's all but abandoned her idea for the Alis Swain Memorial project - since she gets antsy after a mere five minutes of reading, or working on a proposal.
    She's just finished another intense work out, running through a variety of foes and bladed weapons as she makes her way out towards the bar, practically stalking towards the counter. She retrieves a glass, and the bottle of High Priestess, and pours herself a drink, carrying it with her and taking occasional sips.
    Bear, who's been resting on the couch, lifts his head to follow Cael's movements with his gaze - his tail thumping a few times in greeting.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon has /not/ abandoned the idea for the Alis Swain Memorial Project, because he knows that Cael's going to care about it when they've fixed whatever the problem is. He's been sitting on the couch next to Bear, going through research papers on a laptop, using his access to various databases to find and collate research papers. He's also writing up plain-language explanations for what each one shows, to help Cael hopefully understand what's being said, even if she insists on reading through them herself.

    He looks up from his own drink (an old fashioned, naturally, he practically lives off them lately), and says, "Good workout? I'd have joined you, but..." But he just cannot possibly keep up with Cael's relentless pace.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "It was good, yeah." After another drink from her glass, Cael stalks towards Jon, leaning in to give him a firm, whiskey-flavored kiss. After giving Bear a scritch of acknowledgement, she settles in next to Jon, wrapping a possessive arm around him. "You work too much - you should have some fun. We could find somewhere to join a roller derby - play out a few jams..."
    Given how aggressive and competitive Cael's been lately? It's hard to tell if that's a wonderful idea, or an awful one.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon returns the kiss and then wraps his arm around Cael's shoulders. "I think I'm a bit tall for roller derby. I'd just wind up crashing in a tangle of limbs." He's really more coordinated than he thinks he is, but Jon does continually seem to think he's still gangly and awkward like he was as a teenager.

    "Anyway, I /wasn't/ working earlier when we went to the gym, and I spent two hours watching Agnes play her video game, /and/ I got several of the pots for the balcony garden put together." Well, that explains why he still faintly smells of potting soil. "Unless you're going to say all /that/ was work."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "The video games weren't," Cael relents with a smile. "And you would //kill// at roller derby, Jon. Don't sell yourself short! We should start up a league inside SHIELD. Can you even imagine? That would be a //blast.//" She grins at the thought, taking another sip of her whiskey.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs. "Cael, /gardening/ is not work. I do it for relaxation and spiritual connection to the land and my ancestors. Everyone in Kemet had a garden, from the king to the lowest peasant. It is /relaxing/. Roller derby sounds terribly stressful, not least because I... well... I'm not particularly /great/ at skating. We can't organize a cricket league? Football? Hell, I'm a good swimmer."

    ...Is he just afraid of /losing/? Admittedly, probably, yes. Jon is afraid of losing.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Cricket is an insect, not a sport," Cael counters - giving the Brit a hard time just because she //can.// "You enjoyed the Derby!" she protests, letting out a sigh.
    "Fine, fine. I'll have to find others to play with. I bet Rien and Gabby would both give it a go." She squeezes her arm more tightly around Jon, enjoying his closeness for the moment.
    "You patrol tomorrow night, huh?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon glowers at Cael. "Oh, that's not... you /know/ if you drag everyone /else/ into it I'll do it too! That's not /fair/!" he protests. A huff. "Fine, I'll try roller derby if you /insist/." He really will agree to almost anything if she insists enough. At least to try.

    They lean in to place their head on hers for a moment. "Yeah... there's always /something/ on the full moon, and there's stragglers of the pack to consider. Marc's usually compelled to do so, and he doesn't have that right now but..." A sigh. "I feel like we ought to at least... try to keep up the motions, you know? Until we can figure out what's going on with him."

Cael Becker has posed:
    There's a grin of triumph as Jon relents - and she nuzzles into his neck for a moment before remarking, "I'll get everything put together. We'll just have to figure out who's going to be our jammer..."
    As the conversation turns to the full moon, though, she's silent for a moment before remarking, "So... Video games and pizza for me and Agnes?" she suggests. "You'll be careful, though... and stay safe? I- ...want to go with you."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I know you do," Jon replies. "And I want you there. Don't think I don't. If nothing else, I'd love more witnesses when I give Marc shit for being utterly /useless/. Despite, you know, all the combat training and armor. He's going to feel useless." He smirks; he does love teasing people.

    Then he sighs. "But... right now, you're too likely to pull the trigger on something or someone that isn't actually a threat, and I'd hate to see you hurt a bystander. I know you would too. So, yes, pizza and video games for you and Agnes. The girl needs more pizza anyway." He smiles.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I wouldn't hurt a bystanders," Cael protests - but there isn't much heat or energy behind the words. She knows she won't convince Jon.
    And she agreed to listen to him on his.
    "If anything happens to you out there... I will give you so much shit. So fucking much shit," she insists - now her voice has taken on a firmer, sharper edge.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "You wouldn't /want/ to--but what if you thought someone was threatening me? What if they /did/, and it could be de-escalated, but you snap and do something to protect me? Your judgement isn't sound right now, love, and I'm not going to put /you/ in danger of making a decision you'll regret in the heat of the moment."

    Jon sighs, and squeezes Cael's shoulder. "I won't let anything happen, okay? I promise. We're taking a whole group, as many people as I can find. There's an avatar of Tewaret around now, there's Lydia, there's others. I have no intention of getting into any trouble, though, okay?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I don't like sitting out. It feels wrong. It feels //so// wrong," Cael protests. She lets out a heavy sigh, and holds Jon tightly to her with one arm. "You're mine. You're mine, so you come back to me. Besides - anything happens to you, I'm stuck taking care of Agnes on my own." And that's the last thing //any// of them want. Cael caring for a young and traumatized Archivist - with Martin still gone for a year or more.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I promise, Cael. I've always come back, haven't I? And myself. Maybe not whole, but myself at the core. I'll always come back to you." Jon frowns down at her. "I'm not gonna leave you alone with Agnes, and I'm /certainly/ not letting Agnes take the Archive now, not with all else we've done to prevent that."

    A pause. Then, slowly, "What's causing this, love? Is it just your... emotional state, or something else?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I don't like being sidelined," Cael answers bluntly, and with a hint of anger coloring her voice. "It's- God. It makes you feel helpless, doesn't it? I should be there." And Jon is hers. //Hers.// The arm around their middle still grips Jon with unrelenting strength. "That's all. I- it just makes me feel anxious."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I know, love," Jon says softly, slowly. "I know. Hey. I'll only be gone for a couple of hours, alright? Patrol around, make sure there's no werewolves lurking, home by midnight. I promise."

A pause. "Would you like... hmm... I dunno... I could put you on comms if that'd help you feel better?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Would it make her feel better? Or just more anxious and antsy - that she wasn't out there with them? "...I don't know," Cael admits. "I don't know if that's better or worse. Maybe it'd help. ...maybe it'd drive me nuts." She frowns at the thought, and then abruptly, extricates herself from Jon's side so she cna start pacing the room.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs as he watches her get up and start pacing. Again. "Well, let me know how you feel tomorrow, okay? If it gets to be too much we can turn it off."

    He bites his lip. "Let's... how's this. Why don't me and Bear come to the training room with you, and I can watch you and... study your aura while you blow off more steam, see if I can get a clearer idea of what might be going on?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's gaze turns towards Jon, and she abruptly downs the whiskey in her hand, setting it on the bar top. "Yeah, sure," she agrees. "Why the fuck not?" She pushes her hands into the pockets of her jacket, still pacing, but ready to follow Jon towards the training room.
    "What sort of simulation should we run? Unarmed, blades, firearms...?"