2165/Second Thoughts

Second Thoughts
Date of Scene:	19 June 2020
Location:	Angelo's Pizza
Synopsis:	Sara realizes she was an ass and apologizes, Achilles is his gracious self.
Cast of Characters:	Sara Pezzini, Achilles

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Sara Pezzini has posed:
The door closing too hard behind her had made Sara wince as she exploded out of the house. Even her skin felt like it had been scrubbed too hard, the air feeling gritty from car exhaust. She wasn't angry. Exactly. Not two doors down she slows and since the stoop is open to the street she invites herself to take a seat to think. Hugging her knees, she sits watching traffic go by, mostly taxis at this time of night. One sneaker taps lightly as she tries to put it altogether. Unhappily but determined she gets up and returns to Achille's house.

Pulling her jacket closer around herself she stands at the bottom of his stairs looking up at the house and the light spilling from the living room windows. With a nod, she trudges up the steps, ready to apologize.

Achilles has posed:
    Cleaning up was something Angelo has done often enough that it's just second nature. His is a disciplined mind and body of course. But he isn't really hurt. He pressed the buttons and he knew this was a potential.. even likely reaction for a control freak like Sara. But he's moving about in silence, picking up pieces of the plate with a broom and dustpan as you stand down there. It's hard to see him until he stands up. Then you can see the silhouette of his body backlit in his windows.
    But then he turns and pours the stuff into a trash can before returning to the table to collect the leavings. He does not remotely seem to notice your presence.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The shadow of movement can be seen inside the house. Sara knows it is Achille, Angelo, whatever she should call him. Everything irritates her right now. A bad sign, but she knows she has to, at least, tell him it is her own craziness and not him who is at fault.

Up the steps to the front door, the brass lion knocker with the ring hanging from his mouth sounds hollow on the door. Eyes down, she waits for the door to open.

Achilles has posed:
    That is ironic, the Lion knocker. He always called himself a lion among men when he was in his big bad hayday. Either way, when the knock resounds, he calls, "Come on in!" as if he expected you to return. Of course.. he -almost- added your name as he was expecting you to return.... but he figured that would just annoy you more.
    But when you get in, he is pulling a plastic bag out of the garbage can and cinching it shut. Such a domestic guy!
    He lifts his brows and tilts his head, waiting as he sees you.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
From wielding a magical bronze sword to a plastic garbage bag, Achilles is a man of many parts. Nodding mutely, Sara shrugs taking another step into the small entry leading to the living room. "I'm sorry for that display of temper. Really. I've been so volatile lately but that's no excuse for rudeness or for breaking a plate."

Achilles has posed:
    Shrugging his shoulders, Achilles smiles. He gestures for you to follow him as he heads towards the back door. Out back is an oversized garbage can that he deposits the bag into.
    "Sara. I pushed you. I forced you to react. I knew that a reaction like this might be possible. I was just trying to help you to learn from things that I have experienced."
    And now that he is out back, he moves over to sit in a folding chair that he set up there. Two chairs are there actually. "Please join me." he says and he gazes at the sky for a moment. "Odd that in my youth, we thought the stars were so much more, and less than they are now. But... as I was saying, in my youth I was so aggressive and glory-minded. I pushed everyone.. pushed them away and desperately wanted nothing but to live a life that would never be forgotten. But what they don't talk about is -why- I did that. I was terrified that I wasn't important enough to remember. Terrified that I was not in control of my life, my destiny. I fought that terror by pushing out... by hurting those closest to be because I could not admit or accept the fact that I was terrified. Does this sound familiar?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
It's another world on the back porch. This house and the houses in the neighboring yards have tall trees that breath greenly, valiant against the City and its crowded streets. The chair creaks slightly as she settles into it, still silent, content to listen, now that she is over the panic that had driven her out of the house.

"I'm not afraid of being forgotten. I don't want glory. I didn't join the department to be decorated or be in the news." She leans forward, "Naively, I want to help people and it is a lot more complex than just saying those words. You know that. The Witchblade..." She sighs and then takes a deep breath like it robs her of oxygen. "It is sentient. It has goals that I don't understand all the time." she snorts, "A lot of the time."

Achilles has posed:
    Shaking his head, Achilles turns to face you. "That is not what I meant. I know that I was an idiot what -what- I was afraid of. My question to you is... -are- you reacting because you are afraid of something, of the blade? Of yourself?" she asks. But then he nods, "Yes, it is. And yes it does. But.. so are you, and so do you. If you are unwilling to -communicate- yours with it, you will never know if it will fully accept you, will you? In the end, the only solution to all of this is the one that scares you the most. To become fully integrated within the meld. I know that you fear that -you- will be lost. I suggest that you will become more, not less."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Young and rash and a product of your environment. I try to be aware of that, too." She tilts her head, a tight smile of compassion for him as she nods at his words. "I'm not saying I don't do stupid things, Angelo. I get so angry at injustice that I'm afraid that one day, I will look up, waking out of a daze and there is a room full of dead people that I slaughtered out of my..." She makes air quotes, "...justified anger."

Achilles has posed:
    "Like I said, you are scared of losing yourself to it. I get that. But if you fight it, then it will fight you. That cannot end well for you -or- for the blade, or for anyone else close to you." He sighs and adds, "Let me make you an offer. If you talk to me about it all, share the dreams and even the weirdest thoughts you have while wearing that, then I will make sure that if you -do- lose control, if you feel yourself losing it, you call me and I will be there so that the only one who could be hurt by it is me... and remember, I cannot die."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara frowns doubtfully, shaking her head no before she has even heard him out. "I can't put you through that. You can't commit to something like that. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but something tells me that I have to do this alone, Angelo." Rubbing her forehead, "Ah, jeez, this is not easy, is it?"

Achilles has posed:
    "No, but one thing you should know. Nobody has to do -anything- alone. If you choose to, then that is your choice. But I do not regret making such an offer. Seriously. . . " he shakes his head and shrugs, "Even the Witchblade cannot kill me. I guarantee it." he says. Though... for a moment, he isn't sure. He's survived everything else life has thrown at him. Magic, gods, amazons... "You should allow -someone- to help you. To be a shoulder for you when you need it because... nobody should be forced to go through such a serious issue without -anyone- to support them. Knowing that you need help is not admitting to weakness. It's the strength to know when you need it."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"What am I going to sit down and talk to it?" Her voice is bitter. Contritely, Sara blows a breath as she waves her hand asking him to ignore her. "I will have to, I guess, commune with it."

"Why would you do that, Angelo?" As soon as she lifts her eyes to him, she looks away, but her natural bravery brings them back.

Achilles has posed:
    "Because." Achilles says softly, in a tone of voice nobody who read Homer's stories would -ever- attribute to the mythical warrior. Soft and almost fatherly. "You are my friend. Do I need another reason to help?" he asks. "We have shed blood together on the same side in battle... bonds of that sort do not break."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara holds his gaze, eyes focused intently on his as she nods solemnly. "You would make one helluva a partner, Achilles." Closing her eyes, her chest lifts as she inhales deeply, "I have been acting like a child and imposing on you. When I talk to it. If it lets me. Right? When, I do. Then. It would be good to know that you were close by." Her eyes open, "But I get the feeling it needs to test me or something."

Achilles has posed:
    "Sara." says Achilles. Still soft voiced. "Your only mistake is in your approach to this. You've no need to prove yourself to it. You know yourself. You know your worthiness. It needs to prove worthy of -you-." And as he says this, he reaches a hand up. He hovers with the palm an inch or so from your cheek before he moves it to your shoulder... figuring that this is a time for a more supportive, less intimate gesture. "You need to -believe- in yourself and your strength, and share that with the blade."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Lips parted, breath in suspension, she lets him touch her. He's able to move past her barriers, unlike anyone she has known except her father. She covers his hand with her own, exhaling, a weight that she hadn't realized she had been carrying, removed.

"How was it for the other bearers? Did you ever talk to them about it? Did they know who you are?"

Achilles has posed:
    "The first I met... I barely knew. The next... yes. We were a team. We spent a few -years- as partners." He pauses and now -he- looks away. "Yes, she knew whom I was." he says in a touch more... hurt tone of voice. "We were close. She settled down, married and had children. When she was married, the two of us were no longer..... together. She wanted a -mortal- life... and gave up the blade."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Swallowing, in short, quick nods, she acknowledges the pain she hears in his voice. Eyes screwed shut, she sighs, blowing the breath between taut lips as she thinks through the meaning behind his words. Her hand still remains on his, "You were partners and lovers, but the life became too much for her? You staying forever invulnerable while children passed her by and age robbed her of beauty. Of course, I knew that the blade didn't always leave its bearer in death. I just thought death followed close behind." Gripping his hand in her own, "I am sorry, Achilles. It must have been...terrible, for you both."

Achilles has posed:
    "The blade slows the aging also. She gave it up because she -wanted- to age and live as a mortal. I did not have that choice." He shrugs as he squeezes your hand gently. Then he smiles and shrugs, "When you truly care about a person, their happiness is more important than your own." he says by way of explanation.
    "You might say that I feel that I need to help you out of some perverse need to honor her memory. I admit, there is an element of that. But also, -you- are a fantastic person, a good cop, and -worthy- on your own."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"It does?" Flabbergasted, she drops his hand and interjects, "What? That must get...how do you handle people when they notice that you don't change, Achilles?"

"Stop telling me things like that, I'll get a big head." Her voice doesn't carry the conviction of her words and she smiles bashfully. "You are a good man."

Achilles has posed:
    "It is difficult at times. But usually I put my funds into a trust, let it linger for a couple decades while I live on other money I've hidden away. I don't like to show up right away, but eventually I appear as a named distant relative to claim my... inheritance." offers Achilles with a shrug. "As for you... I promised no more lies, didn't I?" he asks with a smile. "So what I say -must- be true, right?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Well, that seems to have worked well for you. It must be easier with international travel but DNA tracing could get you now, couldn't it?" As though the accumulation of the day's fatigue tumbles on her all at once, she tilts her head back and rolls her shoulders.

"I trust you. Trust you not to flatter me, too." She admonishes him with a finger, mustering a smile. "Thank you for all of this."

Achilles has posed:
    Shrugging his shoulders, Achilles just smirks. "Well, the good news is I believe DNA among family members -will- have similarities, right?" he asks in jest. "But in all seriousness, it is rathger amazing what one can do with enough money to throw at the problem. However, there is another reason that I involved myself with SHIELD. They are a law enforcement -and- espionage agency. And the higherups there -are- aware of whom I am so..." he shrugs, "I will let them cover things up for me as an asset of theirs."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Precisely what I was thinking. I knew you would have it figured out." Slicking back her hair and massaging her temples, "This has been a long day. I should be getting on. I could use some sleep, I have a long day tomorrow." She puts her hands on the arms of the chair in preparation to levering herself up.

Achilles has posed:
    "Sara." Achilles says more firmly, less like a father. "This house is also a safe haven for you. I will make one of the three bedrooms available for you at any time that you might wish it. If you need to be somewhere other than home, or somewhere where you are not alone, you are always welcome here." He says, as if that wasn't his plan all along. "It occurs to me that such a thing could prove useful."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara is not a detective for nothing though she can and will prove herself to be obtuse sometimes. Gazing at him quizzically, she seems on the verge of asking him a question but shakes her head.

"More to thank you for, Achilles. I didn't realize you had three bedrooms. We never finished the tour. I should be saying, Angelo, shouldn't I?" She stifles a yawn, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Achilles has posed:
    "Here, in private, call me whatever you wish. But it is easier to establish a habit in public if we use it in private." offers Angelo as he stands up and offers a hand to help you up, "Now, do you wish me to drive you home?" he asks.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Oh, god. What hit me all of a sudden?" She takes his hand to stand. "No, but I'll take a taxi. Don't trouble yourself. You have a garage here, don't you? Now, that is rather fancy for Brooklyn, you know. Angelo. Angelo. I will make myself use it but there are people in Latin countries that still use that name."

Out of character she moves forward into a hug. Americans having become such huggers over the past few decades. It would have been provocative in her grandmother's time to hug a man but no longer.

Achilles has posed:
    The hug catches him off guard, and he goes stiff for just a moment. Not that he doesn't want the hug. It's that he didn't want to force affection of that sort on you and he worries that you'll turn into a pumpkin or something. But after that half second, he leans into it. Just a quick thing, not lingering.
    "And people do not use variations of Sara?" he asks with a smirk as he releases you and steps back. "A name that is in use elsewhere is not a problem. That is called being human. I would worry if there were a few thousand Achilles's out there."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Stepping back she smiles up at him, noticing for twentieth time, just how handsome he is. "I'll call a taxi. I could take the subway home but I'm that beat. Thanks for everything," she says, fishing her phone out of her pocket to dial a taxi.

Achilles has posed:
    "Be safe Sara." says Achilles. Then he snaps his fingers, "Wait. One moment." he says as he turns and trots inside. You can hear him opening a drawer, and then another drawer.. and then his voice, "There you are." he says before he comes back out the back door and holds a key out your way, "They gave me a spare key when the locks were set up. And if this is to be a safehaven.. you need access even if I am not here."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Pocketing the keys, she gives him a strange look but shakes her head again as though dismissing something.With a pat on his arm she heads for the door. "Good night!"

Achilles has posed:
    And as Sara heads out, Angelo stands there and watches until she gets into the taxi. Then he goes back to putting the house in order. Oh, and ordering a bed for that safe haven room. Yep, must have that. ASAP.