8734/As If One Wasn't Enough...

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As If One Wasn't Enough...
Date of Scene: 19 November 2021
Location: Sara and Cael's apartment
Synopsis: Cael and Sara talk about Constantine, the unbalance involving the 'Gods of Death,' and the Witchblade. Cael reveals without saying that she gives a shit about her roommate.
Cast of Characters: Cael Becker, Sara Pezzini




Cael Becker has posed:
    It was fairly late at night when Cael returns from the Laughing Magician - sober, given that all she'd had while there was a single lager. That was for the best, given she'd driven back on her motorcycle. Once inside, she pulls off her jacket, tossing it casually onto the couch, and makes her way to the kitchen to grab a late night snack - pulling a small slice of pizza out of the fridge and tossing it into a toaster to heat and crisp up. She also pulls a bottle of whiskey out of the cupboard, pouring herself a single shot to go with it.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara is sitting on the floor in the living room, her laptop on the coffee table as she looks through a series of photos from a murderer scene. She's dressed in a pair of sweat pants and an over sized t-shirt, a cup of coffee in hand, and a determined, focused expression on her face.

When Cael enters, she looks up from the laptop to follow the woman with her eyes to the couch, then back to the kitchen. She doesn't have to see what happens next, she can hear it. The laptop gets closed as she stands and walks into the kitchen.

"What happened?" She asks calmly.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Nothing happened," Cael answers calmly, holding the shot glass in hand. She takes a sip from the glass, seeming to savor the flavor as regards Sara with an expression that's almost amused. "Though - apparently //magic doors// are a thing. And apparently calling them that is almost hysterically naive. Should I heat up a second piece of pizza for you?" she asks - nodding her head towards the fridge with a questioning look.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Coffee cup in hand, Sara leans against the door frame as she watches Cael. The amount of alcohol was getting worrying, but she wasn't a baby sitter... yet. Magical doors. This sounded too familiar for words, and something she should have checked out when Jon gave her the address.

"No thanks, I already ate." She replies, taking a sip of her coffee. "It's not naive to not know about doors concealed by magic, but I do have to ask, how did you find it?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I managed to get ahold of Constantine - he gave me the address," Cael replies easily. "I show up and... it looks like a fake address. //Nothing// there. I mean, you'd warned me he was a jerk - so honestly, I thought he was fucking with me. Then the dude just steps out of nowhere, and opens a door that shouldn't be there - that //hadn't// been there a moment before." She shakes her head, letting out a sigh. "I'm not gonna get used to any of this shit, am I?" she asks in a wry tone, before taking another sip from her shot glass. Picking up the bottle of whiskey, Sara might expect her to refill the glass - but she sets it back in the cupboard, before leaning back on the counter to wait for the toaster to ding.
    "That's a weird fucking place," she remarks casually.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara chuckles softly, waggling her hand slightly.

"You might, in time," she offers with a grin. "But it's going to take time, probably a lot of time. Those who don't know about this sort of thing, muggles as they are called in the Harry Potter books, don't /want/ to believe. In fact they are born into a world were not believing is practically bred into the genes... and this I say with experience."

Stepping into the kitchen, she refills her coffee cup and adds a little cream. "Before Witchblade, I had no clue, and I was happy not knowing. The first few months with Witchblade I thought I was going insane, I mean... I thought I'd completely lost it." She turns to lean against and looks at Cael. "I was talking to my dead partner, seeing things at crime scenes that weren't there, and had a bracelet that went to a gauntlet and encased me in armor. That's insanity."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I've been talking to my dead sister, walking through doors that aren't there, and shared a drink with a man I'd watched turned into dust that I'd washed out of my hair - next to what looked like a pile of trash in a t-shirt. I absolutely agree that the fact that I've completely lost touch with reality remains a disconcerting possibility." She finishes off the whiskey, then moves towards the sink to wash the glass, and return it to its place on the shelf.
    "Constantine described you as 'the woman in the spiky metal underwear' - just for the record."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara rolls her eyes as she takes another drink of her coffee. There were a few choice things she could call Constantine, but instead she just sighs. "He's only ever seen the armor," she explains blandly. "He's not one who knows who I am. I was already fully armored up in Hell when he accidently attempted to kill the group there to rescue him."

She snorts softly, then rolls her neck to keep the rest of the comments about him to herself. "You're not insane, nor have you lost touch with reality. What you are is someone whose eyes have been opened /to/ reality."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well - I only refered to 'the Witchblade' for a reason, and made no mention of my roommate," Cael remarks. "I assumed he wasn't in on the secret." When there's a ding she retrieves the pizza, letting it sit on a paper towel for a little bit to absorb some of the oil. She nods towards the table before heading that way - dropping onto the floor near Sara's laptop, and leaning back against the couch.
    "Well. At least you know how it can feel otherwise - but I've got you and Sims telling me otherwise. And, you know, hopefully I haven't just imagined the both of you. I honestly don't think that I have but- ...well." She lets out a quiet sigh. "What do you mean he tried to kill you in hell, though?" she asks - her brow furrowing.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara follows back into the living room and sits back on the other side of the coffee table, leaving her lap top closed for now.

"Thanks for that," she says with a nod, regarding Constantine and who she is. "I don't know him, I don't like him, and I don't trust him."

She sets the coffee cup on the table then crosses her legs. "I know what you're going through though. I went through it and I didn't have much help with it, just Gabriel and Witchblade." She looks at the closed lap top a moment, then shakes her head and looks back to Cael.

"One of the challenges was spirits in the form of glass statues, that we had to maneuver through." She explains, her tone tinged with anger. "We were still among them when one cut Phoebe, John saw her get cut and worked some spell that blew the shit out of the statues, blowing huge shards of glass at the group. Witchblade reacted, shielding the group from the shards, but he /knew/ we were there. The only person clear of them was Phoebe."

Picking up her cup she takes a drink, "Then the asshole proceeded to scream at us for coming to get him, said we were interring, in the way, and opened a portal for Strange and Phoebe to escape through. He's a jack ass."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Hrm," Cael responds in a curious, and slightly puzzled tone. "Interesting. I mean, he was kind of a bristly prick, but didn't seem like..." There's a thoughtful look on her features. "I mean, honestly, I thought you were afraid we'd get along, and then you'd have to deal with two of us at once. But then again - all I saw of him was him in a bar, not him in a dangerous situation, which could make all the difference. I'll be cautious around him, though." She tears off a piece of the pizza nibbling at it before she remarks, "Sims was there too, actually. And we talked about what happened at the Garden - and why. And the fact that it could very well happen again. I sort of... volunteered you for helping to deal with the problem, but I didn't think you'd mind. It's to save lives, after all."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Afraid they'd get along? That never crossed Sara's mind, not once. She didn't know Constantine that well, hardly at all really, so why would Cael get along with him, and why would that matter?

"Of course I'm willing to help," she says after a moment. "That sort of situation is /exactly/ what Witchblade is for. Demons, devils, imps, spirits, ghosts, wicked magic users, dark vampires, these are all things that unbalance this reality... and Witchblade is about maintaining the balance. He's... driven to maintain the balance, yet his presence alone draws these things out and cause unbalance at times."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I didn't really understand what all is going on," Cael remarks after a second bite of her pizza. "But Sims said something about the 'Gods of Death' - God I can't believe I just said that - being unbalanced or something. Out of order. And he said there's something in hell that needs to be set right to ensure that nothing like that ever happens again, and honestly I can't think of too many things more important than making sure that something like that doesn't happen again. That shit was... bad."
    She lets out a frustrated sigh - a haunted look on her features for just a moment at the memory of those moments in the park. They still terrified her - even though she'd face them again if she had to. To save lives. "Apparently the only fix will be literally going to hell," another statement she can't believe she's saying, "to set something right. I told Sims I'd go if there was any realistic belief I'd be able to help - but I don't know how much I could accomplish there with just a gun. ...so that's when I volunteered Witchblade. Sims said you were already on the list."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara shifts slightly, head tilting and her eyes seem to glass over for a moment before she snaps out of it.

"/That/ is bad," she states, shaking off the after effect of Witchblade screaming in her head. "Gods of Death, and anything involving them, being unbalanced... not you volunteering me."

If Cael watches, she can see the red stone on the bracelet swirling like red smoke trapped in glass, hues of orange and yellow moving through it before it goes solid again. "Then we get you more than a gun, if you really want to go, but honestly Cael... I don't think you're ready for a trip to Hell. You're just barely grasping this reality, and to take you to another one..." she offers a soft smile. "I really think it best you don't plan to go unless we can get some more lessons under your belt about the things out there and magic in general."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "If I can help, if I can make a difference, then I want to," Cael replies simply and firmly. "If I can use my life to save more lives... then you know I want to - but I assure you, the idea of 'going to hell' doesn't exactly fill me with glee and excitement, and I don't want to throw my life away unnecessarily." She gives a shrug of her shoulders before adding, "I agree - I'm almost certainly unprepared for something like that. So I leave it in the hands of folks who know more just what's needed to accomplish the task - and if I'd be useful for that goal or not."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara nods slowly, clearly in a debate with Witchblade and her own thoughts.

"You're definitely unprepared," she states with a grin. "But you can be prepared, depending on how long before they go. You say just guns, but there are bullets that can effect demons and devils, so that's not an issue... the issue is if you are ready."

She takes another sip of her coffee then picks herself up to move around and sit beside Cael, not right by her, but closer and put her back against the coach. "I know you would give your life to save another, so would I for that matter, but that also means that I will always try to put myself in the way of harm coming toward you. I don't baby sit you like Sam does, but I will /always/ be there to help you get out alive. So... if you want to help, we'll make it happen, but not at the cost of your life."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael's gaze locks down onto her pizza, a thoughtful, unhappy frown on her features. "I appreciate that," she remarks in a quiet voice. "And like I said - I leave things up to folks who know more about this shit than I do. Part of me feels like I should stay as far away from this shit as I can. Who in their right mind would go back //towards// that sort of madness? The sort of power that can turn a body inside out in an instant? ...and part of me feels like I need to do this. Like the only way to really put it to rest, is to be there, and see it defeated, and be part of setting things right.
    "I honestly don't know, Sara," she admits openly.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara looks at Cael's pizza for a moment, then back up to her face.

"That's what I've been thinking myself," she says quietly. "I know it's madness, and you're right who would go charging into it? But I think it is the closure you need, to see it through as far as you can."

She offers a smile, "If you think you can, then I'm behind you. If you think you can't, I'm still behind you. The decision will be yours, and I'll back it."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "How do you ever know if you're ready for something like that? If you'll come out the other end more healed - or more broken?" Cael asks in a quiet voice.
    She's not broken. She's not.
    "And how do you even prepare for something like this?" she lets out a hefty sigh. "Sims thinks I should take... Magic 101, to help me make more sense of things. It seems a bit ridiculous to me - but at the same time, maybe he isn't wrong. Not as long as it's stuff I can put to use, and apply to our work."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"He's right," Sara states. "You should take Magic 101, I'll take it with you. It'll help in the long run with everything else out there. As for knowing your ready..." she shakes her head. "You never know, but you keep preparing yourself and then it happens, and you find you're ready. When it comes right down to it, in the heat of the moment, you prepare, you're ready."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael lets out a snort of amusement, glancing towards Sara with a brief, amused smile. "You're going to take it with me?" she repeats. "What good would that do //you//?" she asks. "I assume you're well past the 'Magic 101' phase, yourself. And where in the hell does one even find a 'Magic 101' to begin with? I just- well. I kinda assumed that you, and/or Sims would be able to teach me the shit I really need to know to... function. And be prepared." She tears off another piece of the pizza, nibbling at it slowly.
    "It was so much easier not knowing about any of this stuff. But there's never any going back, is there?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
For a moment Sara glances down at her coffee cup, at the creamy tan liquid inside. Even after all this time there were will gaps in her memory, it's possible she knew more than she thought she did but it had been erased or removed or something. She knew one thing, and that played through her head... there were ways to remove memories.

"Sims is likely a better teacher than I am," she admits about 'Magic 101'. "Ever since I lost that time, I can't be certain what I remember and what I don't. Witchblade is making certain that those memories, that time, and other little bits just don't come back."

She takes another drink of the coffee and finally looks over at Cael, "I do remember however, that there are ways to remove memories from people's minds. To make them forget things, or lots of things for that matter.... so in a way, there is a way to go back..." she frowns. "... but that would involve forgetting a /lot/ of things, including me."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "And Alis. Or at least - that Alis is here. Neither of those things is happening, Sara," Cael replies firmly - even fiercely, a determined expression on her features. "I'll find a way to make things work. To make sense of all this and- well. To continue on, because honestly, keeping the company I keep, it seems like I'd just run into the same sort of fucked up shit all over again. Going //back// is not the healthy option here." At least she's able to see that much.
    "You have no idea why he's keeping it from you?" she adds, glancing to the thing on the woman's wrist. "I mean - I'd give him a piece of my mind if it'd help, but seeing as the thing can't even reply to me... probably just end up driving you nuts and accomplishing nothing."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara lifts her wrist to look at the bracelet, the red stone swirling again for a moment, then her eyes shift back to Cael.

"Something happened," she says calmly. "I don't know what, but whatever it was it was bad enough he felt the need to erase it. That's all the more I managed to figure out after all this time. Either he'll free up those memories or he won't..."

Another sip of coffee is taken before she continues. "He hears you. You can yell at him all you want, he just tends to ignore the things that don't matter to him. Regarding /your/ memories though, you're thinking clearly on that concept."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...I could do, specifically, without the image of a guy turned inside out, and somebody merged with a tree," Cael admits with a wry smile. "But it's not like I haven't seen plenty of other fucked up shit." Indeed - just saying that has a haunted look crossing Cael's expression, as the image of her sister, held in her arms, that horrible pink foam around her lips an fear in her eyes comes to the fore - complete with a brief, phantom impression of motor oil, gunpowder, and blood.
    It's the sort of moment that makes her wish for another shot of whiskey in front of her.
    "...anyways," she says quietly. "I imagine it'd be helpful to at least know WHAT happened - even without actually remembering it," she forces herself to say, while staring at the small bit of remaining pizza. After a moment, she tears off a little piece of pepperoni, simply sucking on it for the taste - to try to ground herself in the here and now.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Without consciously thinking of it, Sara turns the bracelet around on her wrist a few times. She does it when she's thinking hard or deep thoughts regarding Witchblade. She doesn't even realize she's doing it really, holding the coffee cup, free hand just turns it around.

"The thing I know, that angers Witchblade," she says calmly, though sounding distant as if still in thought. "Whatever happened, an imprint or a piece of Witchblade was taken. I fought it on the roof of a warehouse with Angelo, and the only reason it escaped was because it fell off the roof into the river. That's when the wings first appeared and saved me from falling after it."

She sets the cup down, then balls both her hands into white knuckled fists. "It's still out there," she hisses, the stone flashing as it swirls. "I've tried to find it, I've searched everywhere but we can't /feel/ it, so we can't find it."

Cael Becker has posed:
    It takes Cael another moment to really find herself - and the pepperoni absolutely helps. Pepperoni is a strong flavor, and a distinctive texture - especially when it's been baked, and then toasted. Finally, she looks towards Sara, looking the woman up and down as she takes in her posture, and the tension. "But you can't even really remember what 'it' is?" she asks. "Well. How //are// you supposed to find it - if you can't 'feel' it, and don't remember it? If you at least knew what you were looking for - SHIELD has resources we could use. I could even take a glance at some FBI files if we needed, but..."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Blinking a few times, Sara looks over at Cael.

"I know exactly what it was," she says bluntly. "A bastardized version of Witchblade, literally, over someone who was concealed by a full mask. It wasn't as powerful, it lacked many of his abilities... a piece of him stolen." The longer she talks, the more angry she seems to get and her hands ball up into fists again. In that same moment the stone flashes and swirls, and keeps doing do.

"What I don't remember is /how/ it happened!" She almost yells, but just manages to stop herself with a bite back. "I'm sorry... he really hates this, he hates knowing that piece is missing and out there and that we can't find it. It literally looked like..."

She suddenly stops and her eyes go glassy again. "Male..." she breaths out. "The wearer on the roof was male... christ, no wonder he's pissed."

Cael Becker has posed:
    In the face of Sara's anger, a cautious, guarded look crosses over Cael's features, and she watches the other woman in silence. "I see," she remarks. "I misunderstood." She allows a moment of silence, before she'll begin again.
    "Well. I'll try to see if there's anything in any records I can reach about another Witchblade," she promises. "Don't know that I'll find anything..." but she'll try.
    She finishes off her piece of pizza before finally remarking, "So, that anger is //his// anger?" She hadn't realized it could affect Sara's mood so directly. She would hate to be tied to something like that. No wonder she'd thought she was going insane.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara turns the bracelet a few more times, to get rid of the white knuckled fists, to focus on something else. Closing her eyes she takes a couple of deep breaths, then lets the last one out slowly.

"It doesn't happen that often," she says more calmly. "That his rage rips through and I feel it as my own, but sometimes it happens. Yes, that was his rage. Don't get me wrong, I'm pissed about what happened as well. I failed to protect him, I failed him... but it's not that... deep."

Opening her eyes she looks over to Cael again. "Everything about Witchblade is symbiotic, eighty percent of the time I have full control, ten percent is fighting for control, five percent is usually at night, when I sleep, he's in full control and the last five percent is when he just... like now, he controls the emotions."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...yeah, well, I don't think I'd be particularly happy if twenty percent of my time was out of my control, or fighting for control," Cael remarks. "I'm frustrated enough fighting with- well. With the PTSD," she might as well call it what it is, "and that's my own brain fucking with me."
    She gives a shrug of her shoulders before adding, "You know I'm willing to help how I can. So if there's anything I can do..." She only needs to speak it. There's a moment of silence before she adds, "Witchblade's got a problem with dudes?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara blinks a couple of times then laughs softly.

"In general? No." She replies with a grin. "As a Wielder, /never/. Every Wielder has been female, and those after me will be female. It's part of the balance."

She takes another deep breath and finally the last of the tension slips from her body. "Angelus is female, The Darkness is male... together they made Witchblade, who is male. To keep that balance, the Wielder is female. No, I don't know why, I just know that's how it is. I've had him almost 2 years now, and I still don't know all the Wielders, but every night I learn about them."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "So. A dude with a fake Witchblade is insult to injury," Cael concludes - as close to understanding as she ever comes with this shit. She's silent a moment before asking curiously, "What were the other Wielders like before you? Who was //just// before you? How does someone... 'retire' from being a Wielder?" Do they all come to violent ends, she has to wonder? To some of them succomb to madness? Just what lies in the future for her friend?
    After all - it's not like she has an abundance of those.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Right before me?" Sara repeats, taking a moment to remember the name. "Tasya Federova, 1942. She wielded Witchblade during World War Two. She defended Doroga Zhizni on the front line of the 900-day siege on Lenigrad. More then six hundred thousand people died in those 900 days, but she survived thanks to Witchblade."

She blinks again, "And I feel what she felt, I can relive and learn from her life. After her is when Witchblade ended up in a Nazi lock up, then from there to the Vatican, and from there to..." she tilts her head. "I think that's when Irons got it."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Irons?" Cael repeats. "And what happened to Zhizni? She survived the siege, but... Did she survive the war?" she asks. "Or does Witchblade just decide 'I've put you through enough hell, good luck going back to a normal life' and fuck off?" Even though she tries to keep her tone fairly casual, it's hard to disguise some of the implications of what she's asking - and she doesn't have any pizza, or coffee, or anything else to try to hide behind. Instead, she can only look towards Sara with barely concealed concern.
    Is there any answer possible where Sara 'wins' after all this?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara laughs again with a nod, "Yeah, apparently that's what happens. I was told he abandons the Wielder at the moment they need him most, but I don't buy that for a minute. I think a time comes when the Wielder is no longer suitable, and then he 'moves on'. The truth is, only previous wielders know how it really goes, and thus far I haven't remembered anyone's final moments with him."

"She survived the war, I know that much, but beyond that I don't know," she finally offers regarding Zhizni. "I spoke to her during my Periculum, she helped me understand the full extent of his powers, and accept what was in store for me. As for Irons..." she takes a slow, deep breath. "He's the asshole who tried to control me and thus Witchblade. He was a Pretender you see, tried to use Witchblade himself. Scarred him for life, among other things."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "So. ... correct me if I'm wrong. Only 'he' and the Wielder know how it all really goes down at the end. 'He' controls what you get to see and understand - and 'he's' chosen not to show you any of that yet." She pauses for a few moment before muttering under her breath, "What a dick."
    It's certainly loud enough to be heard, though, and it's clear enough she's concerned for Sara's future - concerned her friend //will// simply be discarded, and left scarred, and defenseless. "Kinda hate to say it - but you better make sure you're doing everything you can to remain capable and competant in a fight - without any sort of magical back-up, because if you make any enemies that do know your identity, and you just get ditched..." She'll be left exposed.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
One more time the bracelet gets turned and Sara seems to just accept Cael's line up of how it is.

"You make it sound a lot worse than it is," she comments with a slight chuckle. "Every Wielder goes through the Periculum, which defines the Wielder's purpose. I can't tell you what the previous Wielder's purposes were, but mine... it involves the entirely of the mess this world is in. Perhaps the other fulfilled their purpose and went about their lives, me... I don't see fulfilling my entire purpose in my life time. How do I fix the entire world in one life time?"

She reaches over and nudges Cael lightly. "But thank you for your concern. I do remain competent without using Witchblade, I maintain my physical health and strength, and I go to the shooting range every week... just in case. There is however, one other thing you should know... wielding Witchblade, is an honor."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I'm just telling you what I hear," Cael replies simply. And sure, she's hearing it through the filter of her jaded mistrust - she has quite a lot of that given her history. "And no. I'd be a little surprised if you managed to achieve the task of 'fixing the world.' But does that mean... you're stuck with him until you die? Or until he decides you're no longer 'worthy' or capable of achieving your task? I mean - I don't see a way where it ends... positively. How do //you// see it ending?" she asks.
    She's silent for a moment before adding, "You know I've got //your// back. Yeah? Anytime. Witchblade or no."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Casting her eyes down to her bracelet, Sara stares at it for a moment in silence before looking back to Cael.

"I know you do Cael," she says with a soft smile. "I trust you with my life, with or without Witchblade." That needed to be said first, because she meant it whole heartedly.

"I don't feel 'stuck' with him Cael, which I realize sounds crazy to you, but there is still /so/ much you don't know about him, there's still a lot I don't know, but you want to know what I honestly feel when I focus on him? When I think about the future, about tomorrow or next week, or next year? I feel..." she pauses a moment and a smile spread across her face.

"What I feel is supported, safe, protected, and even loved... like he's family and won't leave until my task is done or I fuck up so majorly, there is no forgiving me. I don't intend to fuck up."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael doesn't look entirely convinced by this - but she does look a little reassured, as she offers Sara a nod of acknowledgement. "Okay," she agrees. "I, uhh... I hope you're right. I mean, I know it's supposed to be a force for good in this world, so you wouldn't think it - he, whatever - would just be using people and tossing them aside like-" Well. There's no real need to finish the analogy.
    "But either way - I'll be here." Hopefully.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara gets this expression that is something between wanting to laugh, being serious and disgusted at the same time. "You do /not/ want to know how my brain finished that sentence," she laughs as she shudders. "I mean... ew, so no, not saying it."

Finishing off her coffee, she sets the cup back on the coffee table. "It feels right Cael, but either way, thank you. I've... lost a lot of people I care for."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "We both have," Cael agrees quietly. "I mean - you more than me. But you've also let more people get close to you than I have," she admits with a wry smile.
    She looks towards Sara - looks like she's about to say more - when she abruptly pushes herself to her feet instead. "Anyways. I should- I have to get up early again for another practice with Sam." Which is doubtlessly why she'd opted not to touch the coffee.
    "Goodnight, Sara."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Watching Cael almost say more, Sara sees how quickly she changes gears and stands, which makes her stand as well. There was always something lingering, something right behind Cael's eyes that indicated she wanted to say more and stops herself. That's alright, Sara could accept it. They were friends, and friends do that for each other.

"Yeah, it's getting late," she offers, picking up her lap top. "Sleep well, Cael. Maybe I'll come work out with you all in the morning.