7723/Meh, what's in a name

Meh, what's in a name
Date of Scene:	07 September 2021
Location:	Sara and Cael's apartment
Synopsis:	Jennifer steps by to check in on Cael - and receives some unexpected bad news.
Cast of Characters:	Jennifer Walters, Cael Becker

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Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer has been worried about their new FBI liaison. She knows that fighting Ultron is something of a challenge for people with powers, and Cael was kind of thrown into the deep end of all of it. So she finds herself in front of Cael and Sarah's apartment, knocking on their door to see if the woman is in.

Cael Becker has posed:
    In a quiet apartment - as much as such things exist in New York City - on the fourth floor, Cael and Sara Pezzini were just getting settled into their new abode. There were still moving boxes lying around - one of them is filled with discarded bits of tape, and protective cling-wrapping, and the like. Cael is currentently staring in bafflement at the back of a TV - as she tries to figure out the different wires and connections necessary to get it to work.
    Alis was always better at this sort of thing, she can't help but think. But in her absence - she had no choice but to muddle on.
    Maybe this one goes- huh. Putting down the wires, and pushes herself up to her feet, moving towards the door to swing it open. "Oh. Hey, umm... Jennifer, yeah?" she greets the woman casually. It's not like she has any doubts about the green-skinned woman's identity - more about how to address her in such a casual setting. "Wasn't expecting any guests yet. Did you want to come in? Don't mind the mess."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"Hi Cael," Jennifer says with a pleasant grin, "Don't mind if I do." she steps over the boundary and into the apartment proper. "Still unpacking?" She asks conversationally.

"Hey, look. I just wanted to check in with you, see how you were doing after that ordeal with Ultron." She rests her hands in her pockets as she looks at the FBI agent with a small amount of worry. "The Avengers are used to handling things like that, and you were kind of thrown in head first into the thick of it. Wanted to see how you were holding up."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "We saved lives - that's what matters, yeah?" Cael answers - giving a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, it was sort of intense, with the earthquakes and all, but... We do what we can. And it's not like it's the first time I've been in over my head. I was palling around with Steve and his buddy Bucky for a while... That was some intense shit."
    She gestures towards the kitchen as she adds, "I've got some beers in the fridge, already." Priorities, right? "Do you want one?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods, emerald eyes sizing up the FBI agent as she speaks, seeing how she reacts, reading all the non verbal queues. So far it seems like she's got her shit together, so Jennifer nods and offers up an easy grin. "Intense is a word for it, yeah," she concedes, making her way into the apartment and into the kitchen. "There are worse people to hang out with than Steve and Bucky, to be frank. Looks like you got a chance to dip your toes in first, to continue the metaphor."

She grins at the offer of beer. "That'd be lovely," she says. "Glad you've got a solid head on your shoulders. I can see why they made you the liaison." She shakes her head. "Listen to me. Like I'm one to judge." She lets out a sigh, "Really, though. Being with the Avengers means that you're going to encounter a lot of weirdness, and it's burned out lesser people. You never know when a solid head is going to save our bacon."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Just... trust me that I saw weirder, and more frightening shit than what happened out there," Cael remarks in a quiet voice, as she pulls out a pair of beers. There's a bottle opened magnetized to the fridge, and she pulls that off - using it to pop the caps off. One beer is handed over, and the magnet is returned to its position on the fridge, before she gestures towards the living room and the couch. "I mean, the worst thing that could have happened to me out there? Is a I could have died."
    She takes a swig from the bottle before adding, "Though I'll admit - it scared me when the Hulk pulled me out from under that wall. I wasn't sure if he was going to put me down or- I don't know. I mean, Bruce seems a nice enough fellow, but the //Hulk//..." The Hulk was far more unpredictable, and it's not unheard of for him to take a swing at a friend.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods, taking the beer and joining Cael into the living room. "The Hulk is fundamentally a good guy," she says, taking a sip of the beer and sitting down into the couch. "He's mostly misunderstood, though, and gets frustrated easily. He's not a monster. He's part of Bruce, and people tend to forget that."

She takes a bigger swig of the beer before continuing. "He's like a child in that he's got all these emotions running around uncontrolled and he doesn't know what to do with them, so it's easy to just lash out at the nearest thing." She sounds as if she's talking from first hand experience.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, well, come people can take it a bit easier when he does lash out," Cael remarks in a dry voice as she settles onto the couch. "I mean, I appreciate the assist. It was clear he was being helpful. But I'm lying if I claim it didn't scare me." And who can really blame her for that reaction?
    She takes a deep swig of her beer, as she eyes the mess still in the living room. Moving is just the worst - //so// frustrating. But things should be settled soon. Right?

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods. "Understandable. If you can stay calm around him, then things should be fine. I can't tell you how many times he came around to help, scared some poor Sheriff to death who started shooting at him which just set him off even more."

She shakes her head, and sighs. "I know not everybody sees him the same way I do. To me, he's my cousin. He saved my life, and without him I wouldn't be the woman I am today. Literally." She takes a swig of her beer and relaxes back into the couch. "I just wish that he had an easier time of it, like I did."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...yeah. Don't shoot the Hulk unless you're feeling suicidal. I mean, that seems like just good advice," Cael remarks, letting out a snort at the idea of trying to shoot //the Hulk// and expecting that to go well for you.
    "I met Bruce briefly. He seems like a perfectly decent fellow. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to... not always be fully in control of yourself. To have to wake up, and deal with the emotional consequences of whatever act you'd just done, while you weren't really at the wheel. I don't envy him that."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"I've been on that side of things myself," Jen says softly, staring at her beer. "I have a rare blood type, and after I was shot they were scrambling to find a blood donor for me. Time was running out and Bruce happened to be in the area, so he decided to give me a blood transfusion even though he couldn't know what kind of side effects his gamma-irradiated blood would have on me."

"When I first woke up, I didn't know what Bruce had done," she explains. "I mean, I /knew/ he was the Hulk at the time, but I didn't know he had given me the transfusion." She takes a sip of her beer and looks up at Cael. "So when the person who shot me came back to finish the job, I got /scared/. I got /angry/. And then I turned into this."

Jennifer continues, "I wasn't as bad as Bruce, to be sure. I had /some/ control over the monster and I was able to direct that anger and fright at the right places, but when I came back to my senses I had done a /lot/ of property damage and in the end the guy had gotten away. I got it lucky, though. In the end I was able to tame the raging beast and become the Sensational She-Hulk everybody knows and loves. I wish Bruce had the same opportunity as I did."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well. In general, life is better than the alternative," Cael offers with a wry smile. "I mean, it's good Bruce was able to save your life. And for the pain that," she gestures vaguely, "the consequences may have caused you, at least it's been turned into a positive in the long run, yeah? Lives have been saved. We bear a burden so other people can live simpler, happier, safer lives."
    She takes a sip of her beer before remarking, "I did things I regreted, when I was younger. I don't have any excuse, though, other than being a teen. And stupid."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jen lets out a dismissive air, "Psssh. I've yet to meet a teenager who /hasn't/ gone and done anything stupid that they didn't regret later in life." She waves her bottle for emphasis, "I could tell you a couple of stories from my teenaged years. I was a mousey little book nerd, and the things I did to try to 'prove' I was cool to some people whose opinion I cared about but shouldn't've." She shakes her head. "Yeah. Regrets were had."

Cael Becker has posed:
    There's a moment of silence before Cael agrees with, "Yeah, sure, you're probably right," followed by a deep pull at her beer that finishes off the bottle. She pushes herself up to her feet asking, "Do you want another?"
    The recycling bin hasn't been set up in the kitchen quite yet - so Cael simply sets her beer bottle on the counter, as she gets another beer out of the fridge - popping the cap off with her bottle opener.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer finishes her beer with one last, long pull. "Yeah. I'll take another." She finds a free space to put the empty on the coffee table (probably after nudging a box or two). "What about you?" she asks, calling back to the kitchen. "Got any sad backstories?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael pops open a bottle for Jennifer as well, offering the bottle over wordlessly, and sitting back down. She takes another deep pull from her beer, and stares at the TV in front of them - it's screen black, and faintly reflecting back at them their own images.
    "I got involved in a gang as a kid," she remarks. "My best friend - Ashley - was shot and killed. It's why I went into law enforcement, and Organized Crime," she explains simply.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Honestly? Jen didn't know what she had expected from the young woman, but being part of a gang wasn't it. She nods thoughtfully, "I'm sorry." she says. "It's good you made it out, though. Not everybody gets that chance."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Ashley didn't," Cael agrees simply. "...I was lucky." She takes a drink from her beer again before adding, "For all that it's motivated my path in life, I try not to think about it too often." Because sometimes the past hurts too much.
    "Anyways. It's the past. I still do what I can to keep other kids from falling into that trap."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods, and lets the subject drop. She sits in silence taking a sip of the beer before asking, "So how did you get yourself involved with the Avengers, anyway?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I managed to get mixed in with Steve, and Bucky - like I said," Cael answers. "Went with them on a few... mostly off-the-books jobs, where they needed some extra back-up. Another set of eyes, with a decent amount of gun training - it was mostly Hydra-related stuff, you see. Going after some research facilities where they were doing stuff like trying to develop their own super soldiers - on American soil. We put a stop to it. Steve thought I was pretty handy to have around, I guess."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"That's high praise, coming from Steve," Jen admits. Then she rolls her eyes, "And Hydra is /always/ trying to create their own super soldiers. Or death robots. Or..." she waves a hand trying to come up with another thing, "alligators with lasers on their heads. It's always one thing or another with them. I'm not trying to put down your work," she says hastily. "It's important to keep Hydra in check. It just seems that they always seem to pop up out of nowhere with some kind of scheme."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I've yet to run into any alligators with lasers on their head," Cael remarks with a dry, amused tone. "But... yeah. It seems like they're always up to something, and we always have to fight them. I mean, it's the same working the organized crime beat. It always feels like one step forward - two steps back. Like you can never get ahead..." She lets out a frustrated sigh. "But we try."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer nods in agreement. "Same thing but on a different scale. If we don't keep trying, then people will get hurt." She takes a swig of her beer. "Well. I hope the Avengers have made you feel welcome. I know that technically you're just a liaison, but you've gone on missions with us, so for me you're part of the team. Give it a year and we'll have you running around in a costume."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael lets out a laugh. "Oh, god, please no. I do //not// need a costume." She smirks in amusement. "I can just her what- what Ashley would have to say about something like that. She'd've never let me live it down." Her expression falls for a moment, but she hides it behind another swig of her beer.
    "Nah. The closest thing I need to a 'costume' is SHIELD or FBI issued body armor. Something that doesn't look flashy - that doesn't stand out. Let the enemies shoot at //you// guys first - you know?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"I don't know," Jennifer says teasingly. "You can pack in more armor in a costume and make it look pretty stylish. Keep the colors dark so that it doesn't pop out as much and I think you'd do well."

"Mmmm." she says after finishing off her beer. "Staying behind me is always a good tactic. I can take a bullet. Or an RPG."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well. Sara usually has me behind her and her... 'Witchblade' armor... thing." Cael stares at the beer in her hand before asking abruptly, "Hey Jenn. Sorry - Jennifer, what do you think of magic?" she asks uncertainly. "Sara insists that witchblade thing - that it's magic, but I always thought- well. ...I thought magic was bullshit. But..."
    Lately? She's not so sure.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"You can call me Jenn," she says, holding up the empty bottle of beer. "We've had two beers together. That earns you the right to call me Jenn."

She grins when the subject turns to magic. "Magic is real," she says. "Very real. We don't usually handle the magical threats. That's all Steven's.... that is Doctor Strange's wheelhouse. They don't call him 'Sorcerer Supreme' for nothing."

She chuckles, "He tried to ask me out once. Brought a bottle of this expensive dragon brandy. Don't ask me what was in it besides a tiny little dragon, but WHOO that stuff packs a punch. I actually got drunk off of it."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael looks aside at Jennifer with a faint frown as she affirms that magic is real - but it's the next thing she says that has that frown deepening. "Jenn, I-" she starts uncertainly. This is never an easy sort of thing to say. "I was- I was at the Bontanical Garden recently when some rather strange and... dark and twisted things happened." The sorts of things that give you nightmares and, yes, make a firm skeptic start to question her disbelief in magic.
    "I saw Stephen Strange die. He was hit by this pillar of darkness and he- the man cracked apart, and- well. He's dead, Jenn."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jen's eyes go wide. "He /what/?" Her eyebrows furrow, "That can't be right. Sometimes with magic things happen that look like they kill you but... but they send you to a different plane of existence or something like that."

She pulls out her phone and dials a number. It rings a number of time while Jenn mumbles, "C'mon, Stephen. Pick up...." and then it goes to voicemail. "I'll... I'll check the Sanctum Sanctorum tomorrow. Wong will know what's going on."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Maybe you're right," Cael answers quietly. "All I know is what it looked like. One guy... Umm... John Constantine, he touched this plate, this engraved image, and he turned to dust and... I mean, blew into my hair. And then Strange, he was hit by the pillar of darkness and just... cracked. Cracked, and shattered. It was was Morrigan MacIntyre that ID them both. She works with SHIELD sometimes. I- I guess she does magic, too. I saw her heal Bucky once. I thought it was a mutant power or something, but..." Apparently not.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"I don't know this Constantine fellow." Jennifer says with a scowl. "I know Morrigan, but only by reputation. She's got that school out in Happy Harbor where kids with powers can be kids."

She picks at the label of the empty bottle, her mind a whirl. "With magic, things are rarely what they seem. If Stephen really /is/ dead, that's bad news for a lot of reasons. He's the reason why a /lot/ of bad stuff from other planes of existence just don't waltz on in here and wreck the place."

She turns to meet Cael's eyes. "Magic is real. It's very, very real and it's dangerous stuff." Her tone is dead serious. "Acting that it isn't can get you into trouble. The real trick is going to be figuring out what is magic and what is bullshit, because there is a /lot/ of bullshit out there, too."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Ah," Cael says, as if she understands. It's clear from her expression though that she doesn't completely.
    "All I really know for sure is that things were really fucked up - that night at the Botanical Gardens. People died. People died in some really fucked up ways. One guy - this tendril wrapped around him, and literally turned his body inside out. One lady ended up with her body imbeded in a tree somehow. Like she was part of the tree. There were pixies or sprites or something - flying around, cutting people's throats. Killing people. I mean, I've been through some bad stuff. But, you know Ultron? Being picked up by the Hulk? Super Soldiers? I'll take any of that shit, every day, if it means never having to see that stuff from the Botanical Gardens - ever again."
    Even though her voice remains calm, there's something in the way she grips her beer, and the tension in her expression, that hints at just how deeply bothered the normally unshakeable FBI agent was.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer listens to what happened with a growing sense of horror. Strange /better/ not be dead if something like this is happening. "I... wow. Yeah. That's fucked up," she says, shaking her head. "Magic stuff isn't really what the Avengers are meant to handle. There's a thriving magical community that does that work that are much more knowledgeable about that kind of thing than we are. We just have to trust that they know what they're doing and can keep us safe."

She gives Cael a helpless shrug. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm usually just as helpless against magic as you are. I'm strong, and I can take a hit, but how do you fight against that?" She shakes her head. "I don't know."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Neither do I," Cael agrees. "I need something I can shoot. How do you shoot a pixie? I had a baton, though - I whalloped a few of the little bastards like it was baseball season. Hopefully that did them in." But how does she know? She takes another drink from her beer before remarking, "It was pretty bad, though."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
"I know what you mean," Jennifer says. "I hit things. With my fists. It's not very subtle. I'm trying to learn more finesse though, through training with the Amazons, but still it's just direct application of force." She waves a hand, "Half the magic stuff you can't even /see/ much less /touch/."

She lets out a heavy sigh. "I wish I had some good advice for you on this one, other than leave it to the professionals and keep your head down."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "There were people screaming - people who needed help. ...I went to help," Cael replies - her smile wry. "Just didn't know what I was walking into, and still don't know if I made any sort of a difference - if I really helped anyone or not. I just- I felt so useless. With all my training, with all my capabilities... I honestly can't recall ever feeling as useless as that. Hell, I pal around with you, and //Steve fuckin' Rogers,//" she points out.
    "But I still know I'm doing some good."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
Jennifer gives Cael a sad, sympathetic smile. "Sometimes... that's all we can do." She sighs, and gets up off the couch, and grabs her empties, taking them into the kitchen to set them with the other empties to be recycled.

"Look, I have to head out." She reaches down to where she set her bag and fumbles around in it until she pulls out a card. "Here's my personal number if you ever feel the need to talk to somebody about something. Or if you need legal advice. I do that, too." She walks back to the couch to hand over the card.

"I also know a really good therapist who's not afraid of tackling people who hang around superheroes, if you never decide that that's something you need," she says as she makes her way to the door. "He helped me out a few times, myself."

"I'll be seeing you around, Cael. It was good getting to know you a bit better." And with that she's out the door.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I hope you're right about your friend, Jennifer," Cael agrees as she takes the card - but from the sad smile she offers the other woman? It's clear she doesn't believe that'll be the case. "And- well. Thanks for stopping by. No need to be a stranger, huh? If you like video games..." She gestures to the game consoles she's yet to hook up to the TV. She'll be back to that in a few minutes, "Stop on by, I'll be happy to kick your ass anytime."
    It is, after all, the only way she stands of chance of kicking the She-Hulk's ass.
    She shows Jenn to the door with a small smile on her features and, after a final nod of farewell, locks it once more.