12512/Cael Is Always Right

Cael Is Always Right
Date of Scene:	19 August 2022
Location:	105 W 29th - Jon and Cael's Apartment
Synopsis:	Jon comes home from the confrontation with Lydia to find Cael trying to make strawberry shortcake. Which doesn't go well, but the title still stands.
Cast of Characters:	Cael Becker, Jonathan Sims

---

Cael Becker has posed:
    It's been a long day for Cael - out by the bank of the Hudson river, helping make the pack's cave as comfortable as possible, and getting to know individuals amongst the pack. It's not what she wanted to do with her day - she'd wanted to support Jon, but when it became clear that one of the newest members of the pack was in crisis, she'd been left with little choice in the matter.
    Now she's home, and repeatedly checking her messages for a text that isn't there has done her no good. Instead, she's decided to try her hand at making something with Jon in mind. She's put some instant biscuits from a biscuit tube in the oven to bake, and she's starts slicing up some strawberries, so she can add a squeeze of lemon and a quarter cup of sugar. Nearby waits a can of whipped cream.
    It's so simple, that even Cael can't mess it up. ...right?
    Sure. Except she forgot to put parchment down for the biscuits, and she doesn't seem to have noticed yet that she grabbed the wrong container out of the cupboard when reaching for the sugar...

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    There is a text, at one point.

    "Will be late. Jonathan is sleeping. Do not worry."

    It's not Jon's tone at all. It might cause /more/ worry. Not helpful, Ma'at.

    When Jon portals in, there's a wafting reek of blood and meat, and then the door closes and he stumbles over to the couch, not even noticing the goings-on in the kitchen. He just heads for the couch, his superhero outfit gone, and collapses on it, grabbing at the cat and burying his face in her fur. Nimue, fortunately, is a chill enough cat to put up with this behavior.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael was just reaching for the jar of salt when Jon - or Ma'at? - collapses on the couch. It momentarily saves the strawberries as she sets the measuring cup down, and moves into the kitchen. "Jon?" she asks uncertainly, moving towards them.
    She doesn't throw herself towards them just yet, however, as she tries to sort out what sort of state they're in - and just who's in charge of their body. "What happened? Is everyone okay? What... happened to Lydia?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Given that there's no wings or circlet and the eyes that look up at Cael are brown, rather than teal, it's safe to say this is Jon. Also, he's crying. "Y-you were right," he gasps. "I s-shouldn't... I shouldn't have... b-but then maybe someone would've been h-hurt... but I should have just..."

    Yeah, he's babbling a little bit. He buries his face in Nimue's fur again and keeps sobbing.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh, Jon... Love." Cael's on the floor next to the couch in an instant, her arms wrapped around them, and Nimue, as she tries to provide whatever comfort she can. "I know you." There's a momentary pause. Is this where she says 'so of course I was right'? "...and you would have beat yourself up over it if you //hadn't// gone. I don't know that there was a win condition on this one. But you're home now, and I'm here. I'm so sorry I wasn't with you... but I'm here now."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I should have had Ma'at go," Jon says. "I... I handed it over to her when... when I saw..."

    He makes a little whimpering sound in the back of his throat. "Th-the throne... it was made of... a /person/..."

    And then suddenly he pushes the cat into Cael's arms and dashes for the bathroom, to throw up whatever he's actually eaten today. Well, now they've /both/ done that this week, so... yay?

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael takes the cat readily, keeping Nimue safe from Jon's urgent, visceral reaction to what he'd seen and experienced. "You're a good cat," she murmurs, stroking the cat a few times to soothe any ruffled fur, before she sets her back down, and follows Jon to the bathroom. She stops at the door, calling quietly with obvious concern in her voice, "Do you want me to come in, Jon?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Please," Jon manages weakly. The door isn't locked or anything.

    He's thrown up into the toilet, and it's fortunate his hair is pulled back. He flushes the thing and then just kind of hangs over it. "Maybe I ought to explain in here. You know? Just in case."

    He swallows, then says, "It was just--it was awful. She'd been changing animals, and people, fleshcrafting them into... gods, I don't even know. I couldn't handle it. I couldn't face her, not like that. So I... stepped back, and let Ma'at take over."

    He sniffles. "She was furious. She /is/ furious. Maybe not as much as she was, but--she didn't take kindly to what Lydia did to me."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Of course she was furious, so was I," Cael answers, as she comes in to take a place on the floor next to Jon, gently pulling them in against her shoulder. "We both love you - yeah? In different ways, of course. Neither of us are okay with you getting hurt like that."
    She lets out a sigh then adds quietly, "I wanted to be wrong, you know. I wish all of this had been easier for you but- we'll find our way through it. I promise you. It's- I know our experiences were different, but I know what it's like to have been made helpless, and what that does to you, and how hard it is to face it. To face the person that hurt you.
    "So I guess- what I'm saying is, this reaction is normal. And I'm here. And you're going to be okay - just like you helped me to be okay."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "She was still in there somewhere, I guess. Lydia, I mean. The real Lydia, /our/ Lydia. And I shouldn't be mad at her. I shouldn't. But I am. Gods, I'm /furious/ at her." Jon sobs. "Doesn't mean I wanted her to die, though. I-I want Viscera to... to /suffer/. But I don't know how. I don't know if that's possible. I mean--an Old One, suffering? I don't..."

    He sniffles, and then turns to Cael, pressing his face into her shoulder and clinging to her. "M'tired of hurting," he mumbles. "S'not fair."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I'm mad at her," Cael agrees in a quiet voice. "Even if she is our friend. Even if- Fuck, I don't know. I'm mad at her, and I'm going to punch her in the fucking face," she promises. She deserves that and more.
    She holds Jon to her with both arms, letting them cry as she holds them protectively, grief and worry reflected heavily in her features. "If there was a way to take away some of this pain for you, love - ...in a heartbeat. You know?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I know," Jon whispers. "But--you're here, and that helps. Never think it doesn't help. It does, so much."

    He sniffles. "Wish you were taller," he mutters. "Be nice to be properly held, just now. I have to /remember/ everything that--I know Ma'at is trying to keep the memories from me, but she can only do so much. It's still /my/ body. So I have to remember what she does with it. There were these squirrels--"

    He abruptly pulls away from Cael, to retch into the toilet again.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh, love," Cael says softly, her sympathy obvious in the gentle, concerned tone. It's that side of her that only Jon gets to see with regularity. She places her hand on Jon's back, making sure their hair stays back, and doesn't flop forward.
    "Do you- I mean. I //could// be taller. ...if that's what you really wanted," she offers. "I can be taller than you."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon laughs softly as he pulls away from the toilet again. Coughs a bit. "No, no, that's--umm--" He clears his throat. "That's fine. No. I don't want to ask you to shred your clothing just for that. It's okay, love. But thank you for the offer."

    They reach up to grab some toilet paper and wipe at their mouth. "Ugh. Let's just--let's not talk about it? It was bad. It was bad, and it's done. Chas burned out Lydia's Beast, I think? That's what Ma'at seemed to think happened. She was--not going to stand for much less, evidently. Her sister took her away somewhere, and we can deal with repercussions later."

    He sniffles. Frowns. "What... what is that... Cael, are you burning something in the oven?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I'd take them off first, you dork," Cael answers with a laugh.
    She listens to Jon's summary of events, her fingers reaching up to massage at his scalp - though their movements freeze at that question. "Oh, fuck, did I forget the timer?!" she asks desperately, and she's off in a flash.
    Moments later, the biscuits are on the counter - and while some of them are- 'rather well toasted' - the ones on the front edge of the baking sheet look edible enough. "I think I saved them! ...some of them."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon retches one more time, then brushes his teeth and wipes at his mouth again. He stares at himself in the mirror, frowning. "You'll be fine," he says. "You can handle this. You're a bloody /demigod/ now."

    Evidently power alone doesn't make a person feel safe.

    They sigh and head out to the kitchen, peering at Cael and the baking sheet. "What are you doing? Why do you have strawberries and--salt? Did you watch those ridiculous videos about drawing bugs out of strawberries with salt water? It's perfectly normal, you know. Just wash them."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...it's //salt//?" Cael asks in an agast tone, a spatula in her hands. She's just started trying to scrape the biscuits off from where they stuck to the aluminum try. She hastily puts this down, gets out a spoon, picks up one of the strawberries- and makes a face.
    "I- damnit. I wanted to make- I think we have some raspberries. It could be raspberry shortcakes instead?" she suggests - sounding entirely put out with herself. "How do I //always// do this?" she asks, giving Jon an apologetic look.
    "...I wanted to have something for you, for when you came back."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon just walks over and wraps Cael up in his arms, spoon and all, laughing. "Oh, my love," he manages. "I should ban you from the kitchen, I swear, but I keep hoping you'll figure it out someday."

    They shake their head. "Here, I think--can we rinse them off and use sugar instead? I'm serious, there were these videos of people soaking their strawberries in salt water and seeing little mites come out and I was like--do people not realize they eat insects all the bloody time? But then most people don't know they have mites running around on their eyelashes, so--"

    Yeah, not the most appetizing talk, Jon.

    They chuckle again. "Umm, anyway, so, I think we can rinse them, is the point, and then do the sugar."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael returns the hug, resting her head against Jon as she lets out a sigh. "I made the bisquits alright..." Mostly. She stays thre for a moment, then straightens, fetching the colander to try to rince off the strawberries. "We'll try it and see if it's edible," she agrees. "I mean I- I looked for easy recipes, and I still... Maybe it's a curse?"
    She's not serious. ... is she?
    "Can you grab the sugar?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon leans down to give Cael a kiss on the top of her head before she pulls away. "You're trying, love. You're trying, and I appreciate it. Either you'll figure it out, or you'll start a fire and I'll banish you from the kitchen forever." He grins at her.

    Oddly enough, the entire experience seems to have put him in a better mood. He grabs the sugar and hands it over, looking at her with that ridiculously sappy expression he gets sometimes when he's on the cusp of bursting out with something horribly embarassing and romantic. Or trying not to. Grinning foolishly, his eyes just sort of... lovestruck.

    "How'd it go with your pack?" is what he says, though. Almost casually.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael rinses the ever loving shit out of the strawberries to get off as much salt as possible, a sour look on her features as she works. She dumps them into a clean bowl, tastes one, makes a face - and then adds the sugar. After stirring it around, she tastes again, and lets out a noncommital grunt. Still salty but- ...edible?
    "It- it went alright. Hannah - she's pretty young, she's new to this... she's having trouble adjusting. And I- God, it feels so weird that I'm the one helping her adjust. I hardly feel like I've- but fake it 'til you make it, right?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon leans over to grab a strawberry slice, tries it, and hums. "Here," he says. "Let me heat these up, get them sweeter. Grab me the vanilla extract?" Jon, naturally, makes his own vanilla extract by soaking vanilla beans in vodka on the counter. He grabs a pan and starts to heat it up, pouring his own water into it and then grabbing the sugar and pouring that in. Next go the strawberries, and he goes about stirring it all while the sugar dissolves.

    "You know what we should start doing? I should just ask you to cut things up so I can cook when I get home. I /like/ cooking. It calms me down. But then you're still doing something, putting something into the recipe."

    He glances over at Cael. "I know the feeling, for sure." He laughs. "Remember how /nervous/ I was about the whole business of leading SHIELD in the siege? Gods, I was a /mess/. Hiding in my office doing something miserable to avoid dealing with people." It's an odd tone, maybe, the way he talks about that like it was years ago and not seven months. "But you were able to help her?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael passes over the vanilla - and then asks in a curious voice, "You really think me just chopping some veggies would be enough?" She doesn't sound convinced - but she's willing to try.
    As for Hannah, she adds, "I think so. I mean,, it's not the sort of thing that's just- one and done. She's going to need more support. We're going to have to keep our eyes on her. And I keep-" She lets out a sigh. "I keep thinking - I don't think I could ask Anubis to cure me. I don't think he would, but- maybe he'd be willing to cure someone //else// if I asked? I don't know..."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "It's worth a try," Jon says, as the water and sugar heat up. He's distracted for a moment, watching it boil, then turning down the heat and adding the vanilla and squeezing out some of the lemon. "Here," he says. "Stir this while I make a slurry to thicken it."

    He grabs cornstarch and starts to mix it with more of his summoned water as he continues, "Both are worth a try, I mean. You doing some bits like stirring or chopping, and talking to Anubis about releasing Hannah. Perhaps if you can convince him that she's not strong enough for the burden? Although that might just end with him killing her." He frowns. "Hmm. Not sure."

    He glances at Cael. Flushes a bit. Clears his throat. "I--ahh--I realized that perhaps you should be thought of as--well. You're not a child. But in the kitchen you have about the skills of a kindergartener. Eager and willing and you can /read/ everything, but--mmm. Start /very/ simple. Even recipes are too complex."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I don't want her dead!" Cael replies, stirring as directed. "...do you really think he'd be just as likely to kill her as cure her? Fucking-" No. She doesn't like or think much of Anubis. Still.
    Being compared to a child has her blink in surprise, and give Jon a very put-out look. "I- a //kindergartner//?" she protests. "I'm not- and it's not like it was a real recipe! It was biscuits from a can!" she complains.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon gives her a level gaze. "Cael, love, the last time I walked into the kitchen to find something burning in the oven, Lyra was trying to make Father's Day breakfast for me and Martin. She was 5, and she'd got it into her head that she could make French Toast in the oven like she'd seen on some show on the telly. We had a /very/ long talk about her not touching the oven without permission. And then I started letting her help in the kitchen, because she clearly /wanted/ to."

    A pause, as Jon goes to pour the slurry into the sauce, which starts to thicken as Cael stirs. "You're not a child; you don't need such a talk. But you /are/ a beginner, because you never got those basic-basics that parents ought to be teaching their children. Most recipes you'll find online presume a level of competence that you don't have--through no fault of your own. So... I'm sorry. 'Beginner' is the right word. Look, think of it like this--I don't know how to drive a car. If you were going to teach me, you'd have to go over basic things like, umm--pumping the gas? No idea. Not even sure--cars don't have clutches anymore, right? Would I have to worry about the clutch?"

    He looks a little baffled for a moment, and flushes further. "Umm. Anyway. Yes. So. About as much as Agnes knows, which is--not much."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "It's very rare to find a manual transmission," Cael confirms wryly, looking towards Jon, then down at the pot as she stirs.
    "It feels like... failure, though," she admits quietly. "Not really a feeing I'm use to anymore. Usually I just- apply myself to something, and I figure it out. And with you needing to eat something that was made //for// you... I just want to be able to help you."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I know. And maybe eventually we can figure out something that you can make, entirely by yourself. But for now--simple stuff. Stirring, and chopping, and we'll work up from there. Okay?" Jon smiles at her, and leans over to kiss her on the top of the head.

    "Maybe it makes you remember having to figure it out for yourself, a little? Triggering, just a little?" He hesitates, and then sighs, and turns off the heat. "Here, one last thing." He grabs a pat of butter and puts it in the sauce. "That'll make it nice and rich. Stir it on in and then we can eat the shortcakes."

    That done, he steps away to let Cael finish picking out the edible biscuits and plating things. "As for Hannah--maybe give her a little more time? See how she adjusts, see how she does next full moon. You never know--she might blossom into being very good with all of this."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael leans into the kiss, and then stirs in the butter as bidden. Once it's finished, she does indeed get to plating - picking the best of the biscuits for Jon. She's generous with the strawberries, and then adds the whipped cream - bringing two plates out to the living room for them both.
    "And offering for you - with all my love," she remarks simply - giving Jon a small smile.
    "And maybe you're right about Hannah. I mean - none of us have to get through this alone. If we're there for each other... then it'll all be okay. I hope so, anyways."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's sitting on the couch by the time Cael's done plating, yawning. He takes the plate with a smile, though, and murmurs, "Thank you." hen gets down to eating.

    "It's good," he says softly. Smiles. "And it will be okay. Eventually. But it's okay that it's not right now." He's saying it for himself as much as for Hannah.

    After a minute or two, eating the shortcake, he says, "I don't know what to do about her. S'pose I should leave it to Chas and Rien, in terms of the JLD, but--as a friend. Maybe I just need to know, for once and all, how much of that was... her."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yes, well, //you// did half the work - it should be good," Cael remarks wryly. She leans over to give Jon a little kiss, and digs in as well.
    "What I think you should do - is step 1, sock her in the jaw. You can figure out the rest from there - but she deserves at least that much. You know?"
    After another bite she offers quietly, "I had to face Michael, eventually. It was hard, but it was something I //had// to do. I- honestly, Jon, I'm proud you could face her at all, so soon after everything that happened. I know it hurts - but you were brave - and it will get better."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon rolls his eyes. "I meant--filling. I can feel the effort you put in. Thank you."

    He frowns, and looks out the window at the lights of Manhattan. "You weren't friends with Michael. You didn't have people telling you to forgive him. Everyone's acting like this is how it was with Chas, but--I remember what it was like, having the Watcher in my head. I remember the Mother's whispers. When we were putting together the plan to bind Michael, I was so excited I'd come up with some unique way to help the plan. I wanted to be useful, helpful. To be a /hero/. She preyed on that. The Watcher, it tried to prey on my curiosity, my nosiness. The Spider preyed on my need to be in control, to be special..."

    They sigh, and pick up their fork. "It's just--I keep thinking, Viscera came to her for a /reason/. And I keep telling myself it really came to the Predator, but--I've never known her /without/ the Predator. And I just..."

    He shakes his head. "Mercy said, the other day, 'you forgive friends and stay by them.' What if I can't? After everything I asked you to do with Chas--am I the bad guy, then? The asshole who won't forgive her even though he should because it 'wasn't her?'"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You are many things, Jonathan Sims - and 'an asshole' ain't one." Cael nudges Jon's shoulder playfully, trying to add just a little levity to the heavy subject.
    "Maybe you'll forgive her someday. Maybe you won't. Anyone who thinks you should forgive her //right now//? ...they're the asshole, Jon. You need time, and space, and support, and understanding. You've been hurt, and that doesn't just go away."
    She lets out a heavy sigh before adding, "I don't know if I'm going to forgive her or not. She was my friend. She helped me. But she hurt you, and I don't want to forgive her for that."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon smiles at her, a little tremulously. "Well, you know me--I need to know why, before I can make a decision. I need to understand what the hell happened. Maybe I'll forgive her. Maybe I won't. I just--I'm not looking forward to having to insist on the space to be hurt, and upset, if people rush to try to forgive and make everything okay."

    He frowns a moment. "Probably best you weren't there today," he adds. "Chas, he, umm--kind of went full angel. Bright and glowy. Dunno that you would've liked it."

    After a moment, he looks up at her. "You're not--are you ever--mad, about that? That Chas is one of the leaders of the JLD, now? Does it make you feel--I don't know, unsafe?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "If you need me to insist on the space on your behalf, I will. I'll advocate for you," Cael offers simply, before cutting a little forkfully off her strawberry shortcake - and offering it to Jon. As if he doesn't have his own right there... but this is an //offering.// Right? Sure.
    "I probably wouldn't have liked it," she agrees. "But it's- it hasn't been as bad as it used to be. It gets better, you know."
    His question, though, catches her off guard and she frowns in thought, considering an indescriminate point on the wall. "I... no?" she says - but she doesn't sound confident in the answer. "I don't think so, anyways. And as long as he doesn't do anything stupid like that again..."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon takes the offered bite with a smile, but it fades into a frown as Cael speaks. "He's learning. I'm--rather insistent that he learns. Or, maybe more accurately, that he /unlearns/ the beliefs that led him to think it was ever a good idea in the first place. And... he is. Learning, that is."

    He hesitates, peering at Cael. "I should have asked you, before we made him one of the leaders. It was just--we needed another, so quickly, Rien and I were both having trouble, and--"

    He sighs, and looks down at his hands. "I'm sorry," he murmurs. "I don't want you to feel unsafe."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You should have asked me," Cael agrees.
    Reaching over, she puts a hand on Jon's face so she can turn him towards herself - and look into their eyes. "I do feel safe. I am safe, and you're forgiven. Alright?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon frowns for a moment, looking at her. "Alright. But speak up if things bother you. Alright?" He leans in to give her a kiss, and then yawns.

    "Tired," he says. "Think I need to go sleep for... a while. Sorry 'bout that. 'Cause of Ma'at, y'know? You mind..." Another yawn. "...cleaning up?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I will," Cael promises.
    She rests her forehead against Jon's for a moment, listening to them speak, her immediate answer given by a small nod of her head, before she pulls back. "How about I lie with you, and hold you until you're out?" she offers. "Then I'll clean up. Deal?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sniffles, blinking away sudden tears. "That's, umm--yes. That's a good idea. Thank you."

    Another yawn cracks his mouth and his eyes drift shut for a moment. Then he blinks awake and stands, to head to the bedroom.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Not only does Cael cradle Jon in her arms when they get to the bedroom - she does one better. She sings softly for them, gentle songs to lull them off to sleep. Then, once they're asleep, she tucks the blankets around them lovingly, giving them a gentle kiss before shutting off the lights on her way out of the room.