8709/Coffee and catching up...

Coffee and catching up...
Date of Scene:	17 November 2021
Location:	Sara and Cael's apartment
Synopsis:	Rien and Sara catch up a little after the trip to hell months ago... Cael learns alittle more about magic and demons... and the small bakery in Little Italy just got another customer.
Cast of Characters:	Sara Pezzini, Cael Becker, Rien D'Arqueness

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Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara had been working on a cold case, her cold case... the case of the missing memories. Her phone chimed to reminder of the time, so she put it all away in a drawer of her desk and emerged from her room to head to the kitchen to make coffee.

"Hey Cael," she calls, not sure if her roommate is even home or not, but better to warn her just in case. "Got company coming over for coffee, need to see how she's doing. You can hide out or join us, your choice... and Alis, you don't want to fuck with this one, she also kills demons."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Probably just going to tempt her with a remark like that," Cael mutters under her breath. There's a mix of tolerant fondness //and// frustration in that remark - she's still coping with a lot, given the recent unexpected revelations in her life.
    She emerges from her own room where she'd been going over the manuals for Sam's wings //yet again//, moving into the doorway to watch her roommate. "I picked up some chocolate babka on a whim," she remarks. It'd go good with coffee though - I can't stay long. I have to leave in a bit for a meet with an informant."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    Rien knocks on the door, and once it's opened smiles and steps inside and greets Sara, handing her a vacuum-sealed bag of coffee. "Thank you for inviting me over, I figured some coffee would go over well as a gift." Spotting Cael, she gives a little wave and greets her with a simple, "Hello."

    She waits for Sara to close the door and lead her over to the couch, then sits down gracefully. "You have a nice place here."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The coffee brewing, Sara lets Rien in and shows her to the couch and love seat combo in the living room, accepting the offered bag. "Cael, this is Rien, Rien, this is Cael," she says first. "Cael is my partner and in the know," again covering bases. "Cael, Rien went to Hell with me. And this... this is a good coffee, thanks Rien." And with that she's back into the kitchen to get things ready. Today is the French Press method of coffee making, so the water just needs to get hot and while that's happening the tray is prepared. Cups, sugar, cream, Cael's whiskey, which floats off the tray and back to the counter, to Sara picks it up and puts it back on the tray as she whispers, "Don't fuck with me either, Alis."

Then she calls to the living room, "Should I pop this coffee open and serve it? It's a good brand, a medium roast."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Hey," Cael greets Rien casually - her arms folding over her chest. There's a moment before she seems to realize that her posture is particularly uninviting - and she forces herself to drop her hands to her side instead. Stop being such a bitch, Cael, she chides herself silently.
    "Pleasure to meet you. And- well. Sorry to hear that. From what little I know - it wasn't exactly a fun trip. But what trip to hell would be?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    Shrugging a bit, Rien replies, "I have yet to enjoy a trip to a hell, and I've been to two of them so far. I suppose it's no surprise that hell is unpleasant, but they do seem to go out of their way to make it so. I'm just glad that both times I did not have to go alone, it's good to have someone to watch your back in such places."

    In reply to Sara's question, she says "You can open it if you like, but any coffee will do, I'm sure. I wouldn't begin to tell you what to do with a gift."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara opens it and puts scoops into both french presses, then seals the top back up and adds the hot water over them. The tops go set on the presses and the tray gets picked up to carry in to the coffee table.

"I always share," she comments as she sets the tray down. "Five minutes and the coffee can be pressed, decorated and drank. I also added come cannoli to the tray because who doesn't love cannoli?"

Sitting herself on the love seat, she eyes Cael for a moment... improvement in the body language, that's something at least. "That was an unexpected trip to one of the hells, had no idea the door way lead there, but since there were civilians and Agent May going through, I went through."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's silent for a moment, glancing between the pair, before finally moving towards an empty seat, and dropping into it. "What happened that day, anyways?" she asks. "I wasn't really in a, uh, ...place to ask before. But since you said it had something to do with what all happened in the Garden that day...? What was all that shit about?" She asks - glacing between the two of them - since she apparently has two people to ask.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    With a low chuckle, Rien says "We were mounting a rescue, two powerful mages from our world had gotten pulled into this hell somehow. I never did get the whole story on exactly how that happened, but either way, we were trying to retrieve them. I wasn't in the Garden, I just got a call when they were mounting the rescue operation. And having had some previous experience, it seemed like a good idea to go."

    She sighs and continues, "Of course, with each hell being different, prior experience didn't actually help that much, but we managed to get the job done."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sitting forward, Sara slowly presses the coffee down. "The events in the Garden where Strange and Constantine being taken to hell," she explains. "That's the part Cael here witnessed. Even I don't know which devil or demon was responsible for the kidnapping in the first place, but we got them back. I think Constantine dealt with it after that to ensure there was no repeat."

Pouring the coffee out, she offers a cup to Rien and Cael, and her own cup gets a little cream. "That version of hell though... never answered riddles or been through that sort of maze before. Witchblade recognized the concept and the places, but not much else."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Was kidnapping the pair of them the point?" Cael asks. "Is that why all that happened? Why those people died?" She keeps her voice as calm and even as she can manage - but there's a flicker of pain on her features as she remembers everything she saw that day. She accept the coffee - dosing it with a small amount of whiskey, before taking a sip. It isn't enough to get her drunk - after all she has work soon. But honestly, she's so used to the taste of it being there, by now.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    Rien adds a little sugar to her coffee and takes a sip, then replies "It's almost impossible to say. The motives of demons are often dreadfully obscure if they aren't the brute 'I just want to kill things' type. Perhaps the demon wanted them, or perhaps it wanted to find out who would go after them. I'm just glad we were able to get them back without losing anyone down there."

    She takes another drink for her coffee cup and adds, "However, the keys for advancing point at the malicious planner type of demon, causing fear and pain to go forward. We were just lucky I was there so we didn't have to kill someone to get past."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara actually pales slightly for a moment, takes a sip of her coffee and collects herself.

"I think getting access to Strange and Constantine was part of the plan, yes," she admits, then shifts her eyes to Rien. "I never did get the chance to apologize for cutting your heart out. I realize it had to be done, that's why I did it, but that could /not/ have been pleasant."

She takes another sip of her coffee and moves right along. "It was something related to Constantine because the asshole was actually angry we came to get him. Strange was just a lucky grab at the time."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...oooookay," Cael remarks - her eyebrows going up at the apology. There are something that're just- "My life is so fucking weird," she mutters under her breath.
    She takes another sip of her coffee, looking between the pair before she asks, "So - if I really wanted to understand everything that happened - my best chance of that is talking to this Constantine guy? Any chance he'd actually be willing to do that? Do we even know how to get ahold of him?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    "Honestly, I have no idea if he'd give you a straight answer. He's not exactly the sharing type, especially with people he doesn't know. And as for the heart thing, somebody had to give up their heart for the group to continue onwards, and I volunteered to do it. I have a certain advantage in situations like that."

    Since seeing is easier than explaining, she puts down the coffee cup, puts a napkin on her lap, then extends 3 claws from her hand. They look to be made of bone, and are inscribed with sigils and have a faint blue glow. She turns over her other hand and draws one of the claws across her palm, cutting it deeply. Almost as soon as she makes the wound, it is closing again, and in seconds there isn't even a scar. She retracts the claws and picks up her coffee cup again.

    "Given my abilities, I figured I'd be the best to give up their heart, as I'd just grow a new one after a bit."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Constantine is an asshole Cael," Sara says first, then Rien goes into her explanation and shows her abilities.

"I was so glad you weren't lying," she offers, taking another sip of her coffee. "Still... abilities or not, required or not, it wasn't exactly and easy thing for either of us." That's all the more she'll say on it. It has been a difficult moment in her life, to remove a woman's heart, even knowing she would recover from it. Sara prayed she never had to repeat it.

"You're best bet Cael is to accept that it was a demon or devil going after Constantine, and remember that demons and devils give no fucks about collateral damage, in fact they revel in it," she explains to Cael again. "Constantine won't tell you anything, and if you ask, he'll just insult you with his head up his own ass."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Oh, good, I'm an asshole too. We'll either get along fine, or try to kill one another," Cael remarks with an amused smile. Her expression grows more serious before she adds. "Still. I'd like to try to ask him. If I learn nothing - I learn nothing." But she'll have tried.
    She takes a sip of her coffee, watching Rien's demo with knitted brows. "Huh. Hell of a thing - must come in handy. Though - don't know that I'd be volunteering to give up a heart anytime soon. Seems like you wouldn't have long to fix that kinda dilemma before it becomes rather... permanent." Not to mention the amount of pain it must have caused.
    There's a beeping sound - and Cael lets out a sigh, pushing herself to her feet. "Aaaand... that's time for my meet. Sorry to run out on you - you know how it is. Busy life and all."
    With a nod to both of them - she heads towards the door.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara offers Cael a smile, "It's alright, Cael, work comes first."

She looks back to Rien now, "And that was my partner and roommate."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    Rien gives Cael a wave, saying "Hope your meeting goes well" and then turns back to Sara to ask, "So how have you been since that trip? Besides trying to get over the trauma, I mean." She smiles a little, but she's serious. Most people who actually manage to get out of hell need therapy to help them deal with the situation.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara lifts a brow slightly, studying Rien. "Trauma? The only trauma I experienced was with you, the rest Witchblade dealt with as he always has. You have to remember, I'm never alone in those situations. The layout may have been different, the riddles and keys unique, but he's seen more in his existence then one can imagine, and he helps me work through it. No normal therapist could handle the things I've seen and had to do." She takes another sip of her coffee, then reaches to add a little more cream.

"It's not an every day thing, but every night I relive another Wielder's life and they've seen a lot as well. Sort of helps numb you against the wall of demons, or whatever else might be there. Did not prepare me for that one part, so that trauma I'm working through."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    Rien raises an eyebrow, taking a moment to mentally file that info away, then says, "Ah, I did not realize it was sentient. I imagine that must indeed be helpful. I'm glad to hear you were able to handle it with his help." She chuckles and adds, "Yes, I suppose one of the previous wielders would have needed to be a Mayan priest to have experienced that before."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara closes her eyes a moment, taking a breath in and letting it out before opening her eyes again.

"All wielders are female," she then states, not that Rien needed to know. Sara was working on the whole 'not a huge secret' aspect as more and more people saw her in action and could put two and two together.

"I could list almost every wielder at this point, but I'm not going to, that would take all night... needless to say, no Mayan priests, but enough knowledge on the culture to keep me from losing my shit in a situation that was completely alien to me."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    After taking another sip of her coffee, Rien nods, "Yes, all that prior experience would be a great asset in almost any situation, I would think. Well, on the plus side, I wouldn't think you'll ever have to do that again, and I'm just fine, so it all worked out."

    She takes another drink of her coffee and then takes a cannoli off the plate and takes a bite. "Ah, very nice. Are they from a bakery in the area? I like to find some of the hidden gems in the places I go."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
All that experience was an asset, that much was true, but when it got dumped on her the first time, Sara found it an overwhelming nightmare. It was worked out now, she'd been with Witchblade long enough to know how he liked to do things, but in the beginning... just... ugh.

"Those are from a small bakery in Little Italy," she explains with a grin. "My aunt used to help out there for a while before she retired to be over run by her grandchildren. I like to go by and get their goods when I can, been trying to convince them to open a second bakery closer to here, but they like their currently location."

She reaches over to take a cannoli, eyeing the cream... the best part. "Sometimes the abilities that Witchblade offers can really help with my work, sometimes he gets caught up in how this or that case might be linked to him. They aren't all linked, but he still finds ways to keep me thinking they are," she then says and takes a bite.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
    Rien nods with a smile, "So you have a somewhat self-centered sentient artifact linked to you. That's got to be interesting, to say the least. Well, you always have someone to talk to if nothing else. Our kind of job can be a bit lonely at times."

    She gets the address of the bakery from Sara, finished her coffee and cannoli, then says "I'm afraid I have to go, I also am expected elsewhere this evening. Thank you for the invitation, we'll have to do it again soon."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara finds the card for the bakery for Rien and shows her to the door, with a second cannoli in a bag for later.

"Perhaps we'll have lunch some time and talk about the different types of demons we've killed," she comments with a chuckle. "Just please let's make sure Cael is there... she's in the process of learning that all of this shit is real and needs to get as much information as possible to prepare herself for how to deal with them other than denial."

Pulling open the door, she shakes Rien's hand and presents the bagged cannoli. "One for the road."