8549/Guest Staring Alis

Guest Staring Alis
Date of Scene:	04 November 2021
Location:	Sara and Cael's apartment
Synopsis:	Sara helps Cael connect with the spirit of her deceased foster spirit - and it's much more cathartic than Cael anticipated.
Cast of Characters:	Cael Becker, Sara Pezzini

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Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael is a wreck. She'd finally confirmed to Sara her desire to follow through on the ritual - but the time between making that decision, and waiting for the actual results of that decision... well. They aren't easy. She's trying to avoid relying to heavily on alcohol to make up the gap...
    But let's be honest. She's relying on alcohol a little. She's just limited it to a glass or two to help tide her over. That, and blaring music while she focuses on playing a Final Fantasy video game.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara had been watching as Cael slowly turned to alcohol, at least some what in moderation, for dealing with the question of whether or not to speak to Alis. She was certain there was more to it then that, but that appeared to be the root. Cael was a tough nut to crack, a phrase Sara's father would have loved to use, but Sara could understand it better now. Her roommate let no one in, not a single person. The walls and barriers that woman put up were akin to Fort Knox and Sara has only just barely made it past the first wave of dogs.

Setting up for this required far less then Sara originally thought. She merely needed the tool kit that Cael mentioned once belonged to Alis, and of course Witchblade. "Are you ready?" She asks quietly, still not certain Cael really is.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "No," Cael answers without looking up from the game. "But really - am I ever gonna be?" After a few more seconds on the game, she pauses it, looking towards Sara. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest, and he stomach churning. The fact of the matter was, just the thought of this made her feel sick, and when pairing it with the fact that she still wasn't completely sure she believed any of this... it was a mess.
    "What do I do?" she asks.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara moves to turn a couple of the lights off as she says, "We need the tool kit in here."

There were no clothes hanging or candles burning, no incense or chanting, just a slightly darker room. "If you put it on the coffee table, that should be all I need."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...yeah," Cael agrees. "Yeah, sure." She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly before pushing herself to her feet. She returns from her bedroom a few momements later - holding the tool kit from it's handle, and supporting it from below. It doesn't need the careful handling - it's a sturdy object, and meant to be all but tossed about. And yet still, she seems to treat it as if she expects it to shatter, as she sets it on the coffee table - and after a few moments pause, sinks into a seat on the couch, staring at it.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
One more light off and Sara takes a slow, deep breath. If she could make this easier for Cael, she would, but the truth was she believed the women needed this. Not merely to see an old friend, but perhaps to get some closure.

Turning the silver bracelet around on her wrist one, she steps over and runs her right hand over the top of the tool box lightly. "I really need this Yee," she says to no one specifically, at least no one Cael can see. "Can you please reach out, like you did before?"

Then there is silence, the only sound those from the streets below and the clock ticking in Sara's room. The shadows almost seem to grow longer in the minutes that past, perhaps a grand total of ten of them before a cool breeze blows through the room.

Sara looks up toward the front door and offers a smile and she says "Thanks Yee."

As Sara looks back toward Cael, beside her an image shimmers into being with one hand on Sara's shoulder. Alis, wearing exactly what she had been wearing the day she died.

Cael Becker has posed:
    The time stretches on - and Cael starts to believe that nothing's going to happen. She leans forward, one hand resting on the tool kit for a short time, before she leans back once more. A car horn sounds insistently. A dog barks in a nearby apartment.
    Eventually she ends up sinking back into the couch, staring down at the table in front of her - and only looking up when that cold breeze blows through the room for no discernable reason.
    It's unclear what surprises her more - that Alis is there, or that her hand is on Sara's shoulder. Her gaze goes immediately to the chest of the mechanic's coverall the other girl wears, half expecting a bloody mess but- it isn't there. And then her gaze is up on the unchanged features of her friend, her sister, as tears start to flood her eyes and blur her vision. "Alis?" is all she manages. "I-" God. What do you even say?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara has her eyes closed, as if she is concentrating, when in fact it is that contact with her that is charging up Alis and allowing her to be seen by Cael. Once Alis fully fades into existence, she steps away from Sara toward the tool chest and Cael.

"You look like shit, Shell," Alis states all matter-a-fact as her hands go to rest on her hips. "I'm the dead one, and you look like you already tried to join me... what's with that?"

Alis runs her hand over the top of the tool chest, but not really touching it.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I'm not trying," Cael answers immediately. "I... God, Alis, I..." She wants to push herself to her feet, to wrap her friend in a hug - she's fairly certain that isn't possible, though. "I thought you were gone. I thought I'd never see you again. I..." She's still stuck. What do you say? She opts for the truth, as the tears gathering in her eyes start to fall. "Oh, God, Alis, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I- I've missed you so much. I didn't know what to- I was lost, when you died. I'm so sorry..."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis walks around the coffee table to sit down on the couch beside Cael, reaching over to brush her hand over her cheek, almost touching her. Just like her friend, she wanted to hug her but that wasn't something even Witchblade could do. To the living she was incorporeal, there was no substance to her, and she had grown accustomed to that. What she did know is that this wouldn't last too long, so she needed to get right down to business.

"You're still lost," she states with that same matter-a-fact tone. "You can't be sorry for something you didn't do, you can't change what has already come to pass. These are facts, plain and simple, blunt and painful."

She sighs, glancing to Sara a moment, but the woman was still just standing there, eyes closed, so she looks back to Cael. "/You/ are living in the past, hiding from the present, and not planning for a future," she then says softly. "What you're doing... come on Shell, look at yourself. Your acting like me, not you. You're so afraid of what happened, of it happening again that you've closed all the doors and thrown the key so far out of reach... stop it. Do you have any idea what that woman did for you tonight?" She points to Sara as she says this. "You won't even let her in, and she's offering up her own life energy for this... so let's not linger on what was, and get to what is and what will be, alright?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael wipes irritably at her eyes, futily brushing away tears that simply reappear as soon as they're gone. She looks at the specter sitting beside her, one hand reaching out cautiously - but as she thought. Nothing was there. "I couldn't save you," she says quietly. "I tried. I- I try to save others." Is she lost? She thought - when she left that life behind, she'd found a new path. Hadn't she?
    Her gaze goes towards Sara, as Alis speaks of her, then back to her friend again, confusion mingling with the pain on her features. "I don't understand. I- Alis, how do we help you?" Hadn't Sara said that, if Alis was still 'here' - it was because she was trapped?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis scoots closer, then looks past Sara. For one brief moment Cael sees the flickering of what looks an Chinese man, standing right behind Sara, but the shimmer and flicker is so fast, then gone.

"Shell, you don't have to help me," she says as she looks back to her friend. "You have to save yourself, you get that right? I love you Shell, I'll always love you, and I'll always be there watching... not because I have to be, because I /want/ to be. I can't..." she sighs, wiping her own eyes though no tears can fall.

"I can't go until I /know/ you're alright and Shell, you are not alright. Listen..." she looks again at that space past Sara, then suddenly lurches forward and /hugs/ Cael.

"You have to be alright," she whispers. "So you have to get past me."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's first reaction to the hug is to stiffen - from the shock that it's even possible, and from the mere fact that she hasn't hugged someone for over seven years. Thankfully, it doesn't take her long to melt into the contact, flinging her arms around Alis in return, as she can't help but begin to sob, her breathing coming raggidly and desperately. She tries to force out words, but they're almost incoherent. "I miss you. God, I miss you. I love you. I love you, too." Did they ever say those words in life? She doubts it, but then they never needed to. They knew. "Alis..."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis clings tightly for as long as she can, but has to force herself back and away, knowing the price being paid for that contact. As she moves back the solidness of her appearance seems to fade a little, making her almost transparent.

"Shell," she says quietly. "Promise me... promise you'll move on. I'll be watching," she looks toward Sara again.

Sara remains standing where she was, eyes closed, her breathing a little quicker and Witchblade has become the gauntlet on her right hand, the red stone in the center of the back of her hand glowing and looking very much like an eye looking out at the world.

"I have to go soon, but you have to promise me you'll stop living in a hole. Can you do that?" Alis then asks.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael doesn't want to let go - in fact, it takes a gentle punch to her shoulder to break through her desperate grip. Honestly, it wasn't the first time Alis had to extricate herself from a hug before Cael felt ready to let go - so it was a signal she remembered, and responded to automatically.
    "I-" What do you say? What do you say to a request like that? "...I'm going to try," she admits when she calms her breathing enough to manage words. "I just- I'm not sure if I know how."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis tilts her head, getting a familiar 'duh' expression on her face.

"Yes you do," she says firmly. "You do, you're just afraid and let that fear blind you. Do you remember how we used to do everything, literally... everything? We didn't let anything stop us, we faced every challenge and kept right on going."

She smiles brightly, "Do that Shell, root yourself down, stop running from yourself and the world and do the job you're do great at! Stop being so afraid, the world may be a lot bigger than we both thought, but it's still /your/ world... own it."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I'll try," Cael repeats. She continues forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths to try to contain the trembling in her breathing - it's working, little by little. "I will," she promises. She seems unwilling to make a promise larger than 'trying' however - no matter what 'Master Yoda' might have to say on the matter.
    "Hey, you've seen the C6, yeah?" she asks - refering to her Corvette. "How sweet is she? I just wish- think what we could get out of her, yeah? If I had you working under the hood."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis frowns slightly, looking down at her hands in her lap. She could feel the pull, back to the realm between this and the next. She didn't want to go, it was nice to talk to Shelley and actually have her speak back, as opposed to the usual of her talking and talking and screaming and nothing in return.

"I've seen her," she replies quietly, looking back up. "I've ridden with you a few times. We could have done a lot with her, you never would of lost."

Sara takes a hard breath in, "Can't hold the connection much longer Cael," she breaths out, eyes still closed. Whether or not she has actually heard any of this, no one knows.

Alis stands up then, chewing at her lip before talking around the coffee table. "I'll be with you Shell," she says. "Sara can see me now, ask her, talk to me through her from time to time, alright? But you have to move on."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "She can?" Cael asks - there's a little hope in that question, but also a little doubt.
    It had to be Alis, though. Right? It had to be true. How could she, realistically, deny this? "I will," she promises. "Sometimes, I will, and if you ever have something you need to tell me... God, I wish you could stay." But what good is wishing for the impossible?
    "I miss you, I think I always will," she admits. "Yer... Yer the only real family I've ever had." She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. "I'll be alright, though. I will. What other choice is there?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis pauses her body fading to transparent.

"Yeah, she's linked to Yee, and he's linked to me. She can see me now... but understand this... if you never speak to me again, that's okay. Because the other choice your looking for, besides just being alright, is to /live/ life Shell," she states, though her voice is starting to sound like she's at the end of a long hallway and she fades even more. "/Live/ damn it!"

Sara let's out the breath she'd held in her lungs, trying to give just that few minutes more but she'd reached her limit. Her face was covered in sweat, her shirt a little wet as well. "I'm sorry Cael," she breaths. "That's... all I can do right now."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Alis," Cael breathes softly, tears filling her eyes as the image of her sister slowly fades away. There's a part of her that wants to scream - to rail against the inevitable. To demand, uselessly and futiley for her sister to come back again.
    And yet part of her just feels... grateful, and relieved. She wipes at her eyes again, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "It's... that's alright, Sara. I- thanks. Thank you."
    She's silent a moment before asking uncertainly, "She's still here?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara steps over and sits herself in the chair, for a moment just breathing but she nods as she does. When she is able she says, "Yes, she's still here." Laying her head back on the back of the chair she closes her eyes. Cael can't hear him, but Yee is speaking to her and for the moment she is listening, letting him rant about how that was all a bad idea. She didn't care, Cael needed to know.

After another moment she lifts her head again. "She will be in and out, depending on the need," she explains. "But she is still standing right where she was for the moment, and Yee is talking to her now and not me, so it's all good."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Still right there. Her gaze goes from Sara, to where Alis had been standing, and it stays there for a long, silent moment, as she tries to turn over her thoughts, and her feelings. One questions seems more obvious to her than any other, though. "Can I learn how to see her?" she asks. "Or see her?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara picks herself back up to walk into the kitchen and get a bottle of water. Twisting the lid off she takes a drink as she walks back into the living/dining area.

"I'm going to see if I can find a talisman that will allow you to see her," she says quietly as she sits back down. "I know they exist, just finding one or someone who can make them might take time, and it wouldn't just be Alis, you'd be able to see all ghosts."

She takes another drink of her water as she muses allowed, "Gabriel might be able to find someone who can make one..." then her eyes focus on Cael again. "It's also possible for you to learn, but that would require a teacher, which usually mean a price to be paid that has nothing to do with money."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael remains staring at the point where Alis had been, as Sara retreats to the kitchen for water. When she returns, though, and speaks, her gaze towards towards her roommate. "That's fine. I don't care," Cael insists - an edge of her usual gruff demeanor creeping back into her voice. "I just want to see her," she insists.
    She looks down towards her hands for a moment, frowning as she takes another deep breath, trying to calm and center herself - not the easiest thing at the moment.
    "What kind of cost?" she asks.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara watches the drops of water rolling down the inside of the bottle to rejoin the mass of water at the bottom.

"It all depends on the teacher," she answers after a moment. "But all forms of magic have a cost of some kind from you as well. The six major forms of magical energy are arcane, death, aesthete, permafrost, verdant and intraspacial. There is also necromancy, but I'd prefer not to even think about that."

Taking another drink of the water, she stays in the chair almost across the room from Cael. "You'd be better off with a talisman," she finally adds. "Though she is shaking her head repeatedly over this conversation."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "How are death and necromancy not the same things?" Cael asks.
    Talking to your dead sister - that's fine. Healthy. Normal. Thinking that she can talk back - isn't that a sign of madness? But this was real. It was //real//. Wasn't it?
    "She's shaking her head? Alis is?" Her gaze goes back once more to where her sister had been standing, searching the empty space as if she could simply will her into reappearing. "I want to be able to see you. Is that really so wrong?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Necromancy raises the dead and uses them like zombies and ghouls," Sara explains quietly. "Death magic is incantations and spells, talismand and icons powered by killing, causing death."

She gestures with her hand, "Yes Alis, yes, I'll tell her." She looks back to Cael. "She wants me to tell you that you don't need to see her, you need to get past her and move on. You can't linger in the pas... and she left. Sorry Cael."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I mean. ...both sound pretty bad," Cael replies - though at the mention of 'raising the dead,' her gaze flicks abruptly from Sara, towards where Alis was standing, and then back to Sara once more. It probably wasn't that hard to figure out where her thoughts were going on that front.
    At the mention of the fact that Alis is - in fact - gone, her gaze goes to the empty space once more and immediately asks the one question she knows Alis doesn't want her to ask. "It's not possible to bring her back? I mean - really back. As... herself, somehow, alive? Or- I don't- I don't know the limitations of magic. I don't know how any of this work." Could she still, somehow, save her friend? What would the cost be?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sitting herself up more erect in the chair, Sara sets the bottle on the table as she rests her elbows on her knees and stares at Cael.

"You could bring her back," she states a little too firmly, a hint of impatience to her tone. "She'd never be herself again however. She'd be a puppet, and the cost would just be your own soul to some demon, devil or witch."

Standing herself up she stretches a little and looks toward the kitchen. "Yes, I know, not helping Yee."

She looks back over at Cael now. "Alis is right about one thing though," she adds then. "You need to let her go. Whole reason she's still around is that you can't move past that moment. You exist in that moment all the time. Life goes on around you, you go through the motions, but you're stuck in that moment when she died. She'll be stuck in this existence, unable to move on, until you find a way to let her go." She pauses there a moment, to take a breath and look back toward the kitchen.

"And don't think I don't know how hard that is. Every minute of every day I miss my old partner Yee, and he's standing right there. I miss working with him, dinners with his wife and daughter, working out together, having someone who actually understands me and wants to be around me."

Looking back to Cael she shrugs slightly. "The other choice is finding a way to send her on in spite of her unfinished business."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I want //her// back," Cael repeats - with a little more bite in her tone than she intends. "As herself. As she was. If she's not... free, if she's not herself, then it's not- It's not bringing her back, is it? Not really. I don't want some puppet, some... some slave, or prisonner, or... or shambling corpse. I want my //sister//." Tears spring to her eyes again on those words, and she dashes them away again irritably.
    "I didn't think it was possible," she adds in a quieter voice. "But I do want to see her."
    She takes a deep breath in, letting it out slowly once more before she adds, "And... Sara, thanks. I mean that. I- Just getting to- even if it was just for a moment..." She sighs. "Thank you."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara grabs a protein bar from her backpack before walking back over to the chair and sitting down again.

"Of course you want her back," she states as she tears open the bar. "I'd like my father back, my mother... my partner... but that kind of magic isn't something you fuck with."

Once the bar is open she takes a small bite. "You're welcome though. I wish I could have held out a little longer, given you a little more time, I'm sorry it wasn't that long." She sighs softly, chewing now then swallowing.

"I'll see if I can find a talisman or enchanted candle that will allow you to see her, even if that's not what she wants."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, well, fuck her," Cael answers. There's not a hint of malice in her voice to accompany the words - instead there's a sort of wry fondness. "And it was... it was enough. It was more than I ever thought I'd get. Getting to hug her again..." Once more she has to wipe at her eyes as a knot builds in throat. That was something she'd never thought would be possible.
    "Being able to hear her would be better, but even just being able to see her - to know I'm not just talking to empty air, that she can really hear me... I don't have to- I mean, there's plenty of people out there living perfectly healthy, happy fuckin' lives who talk to the people they've lost. Just wanting to know if she's there or not doesn't mean- anyways." She gives a helpless shrug of her shoulders.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"If the candle or talisman works Cael, you'll see and hear her," Sara says after another bite of the protein bar. "The two go together. It changes your senses, putting you in a space between this reality and theirs. I'm thinking a candle would be a better choice, light it and you /know/ it's going to work when the flame is going."

Another sip of water, a moment of silence and then she asks, "And what if she doesn't want to be seen? What if she decides to avoid you because of it?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Would she? ...she just might. Cael runs a hand through her hair in aggrevation at that thought. "Well... hopefully she won't," she answers - a little uncertainly. "Maybe if she- if she sees me actually trying to get better..." then she won't. She won't feel like she has to.
    She hugs her arms around her middle as she adds, "She's right, though - I guess. I wasn't always such a bitch. I mean..." She lets out a frustrated sigh. "I had friends. I thought I did. But when Alis was dying, right there in my arms - they slapped my phone away. Wouldn't let me call for an ambulance, because they didn't want the cops involved. Didn't want them at our chop-shop... My //friends// let my sister die."
    There's a bitter smile on her lips as she adds, "So who fuckin' needs friends?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara stands up again, this time to go into the kitchen to put on coffee, but as she goes she says, "True friends are like Alis, they touch your heart and soul, they're there through the good and the bad. What you had there was 'users', the worst kind, but not friends."

As she puts the water in the pot, she continues to talk, knowing she can be heard as the apartment isn't that big. "What you need Cael, is real friends. You're not that kid any more, you haven't been for a long while, but you still /feel/ like that kid, like everything can hurt you and if you open yourself to anyone, will hurt you. I think that's what Alis meant anyway."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I know," Cael answers. "I put them in jail, didn't I?" But the fact was - it was clear to everyone just how deeply that moment had burned, and wounded her.
    "It will hurt you sooner or later - opening up like that to someone else, especially the sorts of lives we lead. I never want to hurt like that again," she admits.
    "But Alis wasn't my friend - she was my //sister//. The only family I had." Her arms are tight around her middle as she talks, with a painful smile on her features. She definitely wasn't ready to open herself up like that again. Not yet.
    "You're my friend, though," she adds, without looking towards Sara, or the kitchen.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Filling the basket with coffee, Sara flips the pot on to make it brew, then starts to collect the mugs, sugar, cream onto a tray as well. A few more bites of the protein bar and it's gone, though her body still screams and wants to crawl into bed, she's not ready to leave Cael yet.

"And I'll always be there for you Cael, always," Sara replies. "The only way you're getting rid of me is if you die, then I'll likely not be able to get rid of you." She looks toward Yee, who thankfully it being quiet now, but he nods once and finally, he leaves.

"Everyone I've ever loved has been killed," she admits then, watching the magical brown liquid flowing into the pot. "My father who wasn't my real father was shot and killed, my partner, the first real love of my life... trust me when I say, I get it Cael."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I don't plan on getting killed," Cael answers, her voice barely loud enough to carry into the kitchen. "But I know I could. And- well. As long as I'm saving lives - it's worth it, yeah? Worth the trade. But it's not a trade I //want// to make."
    She's silent for a moment before adding, "I don't know how you do it, Sara. If it weren't for Barnes... if he hadn't rubbed my face in it, I'd still be out there. I'd either be dead, and buried under a saguaro - or I'd be one of those criminals I'm trying to put away. Dead inside, and taking the world down with me."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Filling the carafe with the fresh coffee, Sara puts it in the tray with the other items and the last item added is her flask with Irish whiskey. Collecting the tray she walks back into the living room and this time she sits on the couch.

While she pours coffee into both cups, she says bluntly, "I nearly went insane." One of the mugs is offered to Cael while she adds cream and sugar to her own, and a dash of whiskey. "Then I /did/ go insane, or at least I thought I did, but before that, I threw myself into my work and finding my father's murderer, and my work, and shoved it all down."

Stirring her mixture, she sits back, but she doesn't crowd out Cael, she's on the other end of the couch. "Witchblade added to that insanity, but he also helped me define me and what I could do."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's arms remain hugged tightly around herself as Sara joins her on the couch, glancing towards the other woman. She doesn't show any signs of shifting away, however - even when Sara leans in to offer the coffee. If anything, she seems to subtly shift towards Sara. It takes a moment to loosen one of her arms from around herself to take the coffe - then she takes a sip. A moment later, she reaches for the whiskey, adding a shot before setting the flash back down, and taking one more sip.
    She was just setting the mug down on the coffee table in front of her as she remarks, "I would've been a complete nightmare for the PD back home." She follows this up with, "I'm sorry that you lost so many. I don't know how you- I don't think I would have survived - losing so much, like that."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara offers the cream as well, in case Cael wants to add some, even as she takes a sip of her own coffee.

"There was a point when I didn't want to survive," she admits with a soft sigh. "I just wanted to sleep and never wake up. That's of course when Witchblade put me through the Periculum. I honestly believe to this day that technically, for a few moments, I was dead, but Yee said it never happened."

Grabbing the flask, she adds a little more whiskey and stirs again. "The truth is, I got by day by day, kept my nose shoved in my work, and eventually it just didn't hurt as badly. It still hurts, but not as badly as it did."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael gives a faint shake of head, refusing the cream. She never adds any - she just drinks it straight, with the whiskey. "...I didn't know," she admits in a quiet voice, and scan't help but feel like she should have. She really doesn't pay all that much attention to what's going on with the others around - does she? "I'm sorry."
    There's a moment's hesitation, and then she reaches out, resting a tentative hand on Sara's shoulder. "I'm glad you made it through."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara sets the cream back down and offers Cael a smile.

"It's alright, I don't talk about it all that often," she says quietly. "I just try to get by day to day, and see what tomorrow brings."

Taking another sip of her coffee, she finally settles back comfortably into the corner of the couch, exhausted but the coffee it helping. "After my mother died and it was just dad and I, he kept going. She was the love of his life, they had plans for their entire life, right through retirement, had met in high school. I didn't know then, but they had tried to have a baby for so long, the only thing that kept them going was each other, having each other." She closes her eyes a moment. "To me, they were my parents, the fact that they adopted me doesn't matter... so when she died, and he some how managed to keep going to work and raise me, I used that to help get me through things."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I have no idea who my dad was," Cael admits, as she lets her hand drop from Sara's shoulder. "Pretty sure my mom didn't know either. Odds are, he was just some john my mom fucked for drug money," she says bluntly. She's silent a moment before adding, "I was twelve when I found her dead. Not sure if she'd died overnight - or while I was at school. I didn't see her that morning."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara offers Cael a soft smile. "I'm sorry your life has been shit Cael, I wish I could of helped in some way to make it better. I may not be able to changed what happened in the past, but I can help out now, right?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "It's the only life I've known," Cael answers with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's fine. I had school. I- honestly, I kinda liked school." It was the most stable part of her life, after all. "And it wasn't too long after that - I met Alis. She was having a tough time, too, so... it was better when we were together." She reaches for her coffee again, taking a sip from the cup and putting it down again - so she can wrap her arms around herself once more, instead.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"I liked school myself," Sara admits. "Didn't make many friends though, at least none that lasted."

Taking another sip of her coffee, she studies Cael for a moment. "I tried to get home quick from school, so my dad wouldn't have to be worried while he was trying to work. My aunt Ruth always said I was such an obedient young lady, never once seemign to realize that I did for my dad."

Leaning forward to put her coffee on the table, Sara studies Cael for another moment then just decides... fuck it. Scooting across the couch she attempts to wrap her arms around the woman, or end up getting her ass kicked for trying.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Sometimes I went home after school. Sometimes I went to a friend's house. When I was lucky, my friends would send me home with leftover," Cael explains, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. "Or sometimes I was in foster homes, or group homes... I mean, it all depended."
    And then, she abruptly and unexpectedly finds herself the recepient of a hug for the second time in the same day. She stiffens from the unexpected turn of events, jerking away at first - but that reaction doesn't laugh. After about a ten count, her muscles start to relax, and she starts to lean back in towards Sara. Her arms, hesitantly and carefully, move up to drape around Sara's back - and it's about that time that the flood gates open, and she begins to sob again.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara remains in the hug. At first her arms are loose around Cael so that if the woman wants to get away she can, she doesn't want her to feel trapped. When Cael does lean in however, her arms tighten just a little, welcoming her in and letting her decide how it will proceed. As the tears start however, all that changes and Sara hugs her even a little more tightly and just stays there, letting Cael cry against her for as long as she wants or needs.

Cael Becker has posed:
    It takes a while for the tears to stop - and it's a while after that, that Cael finally starts to pull away, wiping at her eyes. Their coffee's have cooled considerably by this point - unfortunately. There are hints of embarrassment in Cael's features for her reaction to the hug, and appreciation. That's replaced by a facade of mischief as she remarks, "I swear, you ever say a word about that - and I'll make sure to ruin another set of clothes. Yeah?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara releases Cael and scoots back just a little, remaining closer but no longer on top of her.

"Say a word about what?" She asks calmly, picking up her coffee and sitting back with a grin. "Besides, no one would believe me. "I hugged Cael." "Liar!" "Never happened!"." She grabs Cael's cup and offers it to her as well. "Why would I do that to my reputation?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Can't imagine why," Cael answers with a wry smile. She accepts back her coffee - taking a sip, and them making a face at the tepid temperature. //Great.// Still, she goes back for a second sip before she speaks again. "You can see Yee - all the time? You couldn't see Alis until now, though?" she asks with some confusion.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara takes a quick look around the room at the mention of Yee, but he's still not there.

"The first time I saw Yee was at his funeral," she says quietly. "I thought I'd gone insane, that was it. Death of my partner, but I was seeing him and he was talking to me. That's clearly a sign of insanity, right? But that was also before I understood /anything/ about Witchblade."

She chuckles a little, thinking about those first few times. "After that, Yee has been there to advise me, to help me, in my times of need he has been there. I think he's linked to Witchblade now. There was one other time that I could see a ghost, and it took Yee's help for that to happen. So, with Alis I knew I'd need his help again. He seems to be a beacon of some kind that I need, so between him and Witchblade, that's how I could allow you to see her."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, well... Talking to the dead is fine - but when the dead talk to you..." Cael agrees. She lets out a humorless laugh before she adds, "Part of me thinks I'm probably insane, too. But... She hugged me. I never thought- I mean, I always assume you die, and you're dead, and that's it. The end, yeah?" After a deep breath in, and letting it out slowly she adds, "But this is it. Magic's... real." God, it tastes wrong in her mouth, still. But can she really reject the notion of what just happened.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara reaches over and lays her hand lightly on Cael's, and only long enough to say, "If it's easier to assume it's not real except for a few specific things, do that." Then she removes her hand and continues. "I don't want to blow your mind any more than it's already blown."

The touch was offered quickly but hopefully the sentiment of it was left and remembered. "We can still go at this one step at a time."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "It's pretty blown," Cael admits quietly. "But if I can talk to my dead sister - and hug her - and see people get turned inside out, and see my roommate constantly turn into an armored up... however the hell you wanna describe that - well. What am I really leaving out at that point?" she asks.
    And does Sara really want to answer that question?
    "Now that you've seen Alis - you'll always be able to see her?" she asks. "She's still gone?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara chuckles and taps the bracelet lightly as she refers to the armored up however the hell part, then takes another ship of her luke warm coffee. She's after the caffeine anyway, so cold or not, it's getting drank, but no she is not going to go into the things Cael doesn't know about. One step at a time after all.

"Yeah, she's linked to Yee and Witchblade now," she says as she looks around for a moment then back to Cael. "Yes, she's back."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Hey Alis," Cael says upon hearing this news, her gaze flicking around the room for a moment without finding anything to rest upon. "How annoyed is she at me?" she asks in a wry tone, and without pausing she adds, "You know - we should find a way to teach her how to be a poltergeist. So when I'm being particularly stupid, she can express herself by hurling things at my head."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara's eyes settle on a space near the door to Cael's room, then shift to the front door.

"Poltergeist are another type of entity entirely," she comments as she looks back to Cael. "Can't teach her how to be one, it's not an ability she can have without some kind of ritual or magical spell used on her and then we're back to finding a necromancer."

She pauses there and looks back to Cael's bedroom door. "She's pretty annoyed at you, you've been flipped off twice and a gesture I have no idea what it means... must be a west coast thing."

Cael Becker has posed:
    This news prompts a smile of all things from Cael, before she takes another drink from tepid coffee. Coffee should either be cold, or hot, not tragically in between. And quite honestly - hot is preferable. Still - there's a little whiskey in it, and she'll take it. "I know which one," she answers Sara with amusement - and demonstrates that knowledge when she puts her thumb between her first two fingers, closing her hand into a fist and shaking it towards her bedroom door. "Same to you! I'll put your tool kit back just like it was, you know!" Yeah. In life, messing with Alis's tools without permission was a sure fire way to get her ire. "Hey! Check out how I'm //not// getting completely soused over here. Give me a little credit."
    Looking towards Sara she adds, "I guess you weren't counting on an extra roommate when we got this place, huh? At least she won't leave dirty dishes in the sink."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara looks back to the front door at Yee. "To be fair, you didn't know you had an extra roommate until now either, so we're even."

Unable to take it any more, she collects the carafe and adds more coffee to her cup to warm it back up, then offers Cael the same. "Yee /always/ left coffee cups all over the place, so feel free to mimic him as punishment for not telling you sooner." She grins a little at this. "But I feel I should tell you, he's not always here... and she won't be either, and now she's just nodding at you and pointing at the tool chest." She pauses a moment. "She said you damn well better."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I can't seeeeeee him. So he doesn't bother me. Hello Yee - he can hear me, right? - hello!" Cael happily accepts the extra coffee - though she doesn't add more whiskey to balance it out. Instead, she seems content to sip it as it is.
    "Com'on, I've taken good care of it for the past seven years. Did you really I'm going to start abusing it now?" She relaxes into the back of the couch with a casual slump, and a relaxed smile she doesn't usually wear. She'd been dreading this - avoiding it for quite a while. She'd thought she'd be a mess. Never, in a million years, did she think she'd feel so... relieved.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Setting the carafe back on the coffee table, Sara sits back to get comfortable and rests the coffee cup on her leg and just listens for a moment, a long moment.

"Whoa, whoa. I am /not/ repeating all that Alis," she finally says. "She started a rant about keeping the thing in the first place, then switched to being grateful that you did, then switched back to you clinging onto the past... way too much for my tired brain Cael, sorry. I promise, tomorrow I'll translate everything word for word."

Taking another sip of coffee she nods, "Right, forgot that... Yee says, "This is not the ghost your looking for." and Alis flipped him off."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Alis, if you're hoping I forget about you entirely, that's not ever - //ever// happening, so you can shut it. Your birthday's always going to be tough, and I'm always keeping the tool box. But... I'm going to try not to let that keep me from living my life. From- making friends. I'm not looking for more family right now, but... I guess //maybe// you might have a point about- you might have a point," Cael replies with wry amusement, staring up towards the ceiling. Honestly, it's probably more natural than looking towards but not quite //at// her sister's spirit.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara snaps her head up and looks around, realizing she had just partly dozed off.

"Okay, that I can say," she chuckles. "And I quote, "You better not forget about me or I will haunt you at all the wrong moments." and then she snorted and disappeared into your room. I can of course imagine her haunting you while you can't see her, and thus I have to live with witnessing it and laughing my ass off."

She stands up now, taking her cup with her. "For that reason alone, so you can /see/ her haunting you. For now though, I have to sleep. Tomorrow I'll make a few calls and see about getting you something so you can see and talk to her yourself."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael nods a confirmation, looking towards Sara as she says quietly, "Later you can tell me what this really cost you. I really do appreciate, Sara. I can't say that enough." She looks towards the TV for a moment, then back to her roommate again before she adds, "I'll be sure to keep the Final Fantasy turned down low," she promises.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Walking over to her bedroom door, Sara pauses there to look at the TV a moment, then back to Cael.

"I rarely can hear it in my room, so don't worry about it," she looks down at the cup in her hand she blinks, then finishes off the coffee. "As for what it cost me, better to explain that tomorrow... but understand, it's nothing horrible or life altering, okay?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Sure," Cael agrees. "Still. I owe ya," she admit readily, even as she picks up the remote control once more. Then she pauses - sets it down, and decides to put the tool box away first.
    Otherwise Alis will be screaming unheard in her ear. Or at least - she wouldn't put it past her.