8993/The Vista Inside a Snow Globe

The Vista Inside a Snow Globe
Date of Scene:	02 December 2021
Location:	The Triskelion: Courtyard
Synopsis:	Jon and Martin take a nice walk in the snow after the events of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting. Jon's relay of the events there provokes terror in both men but they find resolve in each other.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Martin Blackwood

---

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    It's late enough by the time Jon gets back to the Triskelion that Martin's come off his EMT shift. Jon's asked him to meet out in the courtyard so they can take a walk in the snow. And it /is/ snowing, gentle flakes drifting down and sticking to the ground, so that by the time the two men meet there's a light dusting of white on the ground, making footing a little treacherous.

    Jon's wearing the heavy coat and emerald scarf he had on at the tree-lighting, earmuffs that his hair is long enough to curl around, leather gloves. He tucks those gloved hands into the pockets of his jacket as he waits for Martin, watching the puffs of his breath in the cold late autumn air.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin was well aware of the snow. He had to deal with a car accident in Mid-town because of it. Tourists. Thankfully, no fatalities but that didn't stop the rest of the crew from being on edge the rest of the night.

    He arrives in a heavy wool coat that hangs around his knees a dark blue jumper and fitted jeans--no doubt he has flannels underneath. He smiles as he spots Jon and appraches the taller man. "Sorry I kept you waiting..." he says, looking up at the flakes that fall. "It's pretty. Reminds me of a few winters back in England."

    He pulls his hands out of his pockets. The dark leather gloves on them aren't the inscribed tools of his craft but simple agents of warmth. He latches onto one of Jon's arms with a fondness and asks, "How was the lighting? I'm sorry I missed it."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Lovely, wonderful, the Chief did an /excellent/ job pushing the button and then snogging her husband in front of half of New York." Jon smirks, reaching over to put his hand over Martin's, pulling him closer by their linked arms. "Until the tree lit up without electricity, and the square was filled with this aura that made me want to hug everyone and donate all I could to charity."

    He hesitates a moment as he starts taking them over toward one of the park spaces. He's spent every morning out here of late, after all, he's getting to know the area. "Ahh... I donated $500 to the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. So you know."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin stumbles a step, but manages to stay on his feet. "Oh... I... see" he says hestitantly. "A good charity..." He eyes his husband. "Was this before or after you were affected by a mind altering aura?" he asks. "Not that I think the Sisters are involved... but... I want to make sure you donated in good faith."

    He sighs and eyes the man as they walktogether. "Now I'm really upset that I missed it. What else happened?" he pauses. "I am assuming the 'hug everyone aura' has faded by now?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "...After," Jon admits ruefully. "Evidently they have supernatural ties. But they're /good/ people, Martin, they're great for LGBT support, they help the poor... and we /can/ afford it." He smirks. "I hugged Agent Drew. And Erickson! Right out in front of people." He smiles down at Martin. "...The 'hug everyone' aura has faded, yes, but... the desire to find you and kiss you in the snow didn't. If you'd been there I probably would have, /right/ in front of everyone." He coughs a bit. He's always been shy about PDA.

    "There's... more, though, Martin," he says, tone growing solemn. "It's not... benign, what might be going on."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin sighs and nods. "I know we can afford it... and they *do* help people" he replies. At the mention of who Jon hugged he snickers. "I'm sure Agent Drew and Erickson appreciated it. You give good hugs."

    He looks at the sky again. "Well... it's snowing now and I am here... and there isn't anyone else around so nerves aren't an issue." He looks at Jon. "How about you get that out of the way now and then tell me what horrible threat we are facing this time around?" he eyes the man expectantly.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "You just like kissing me," Jon accuses, but it's a teasing sort of tone. He pulls his husband well onto a path into one of the parks, out of sight of the main building, and for a moment stands looking down at the shorter man, snowflakes collecting on his lashes behind the glasses.

    Then he leans down to kiss Martin, slowly, tenderly at first but then with more force. It might have been the aura that made him think of Martin, but he'd held onto the idea, silly and romantic as it was, of kissing his husband in the snow. A moment of peace, amongst all the turmoil of recent months.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin wraps his arms around his husband tightly during the kiss. The peace of the night is a wonderful respite away from everything that they were dealing with. Ravens, demons, artifacts, and everything in between... it all faded away while he was here in this moment with Jon.

    After a while he pulls back, his cheeks flush and his breathign a bit rapid. "That was... really nice" he says, his voice hitched a bit higher than usual. He stands there enjoying the shared warmth of the proximity to Jon and asks. "So... what's the play this time?" he asks, moving toward the future with intense reluctance.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs and presses his forehead to Martin's, speaking softly into the space between them, warmed by their breaths. "Agent Wilson recognized the aura," he says softly. "He says... the last time he felt it... was during the Nazi incursion on Long Island."

    He lets that sit for a moment. That was the one time Martin broke protocol and told Jon what was going on.

    He swallows, then adds, even more softly, "...The Spear of Destiny's been given back to Austria." He clutches his hands into Martin's coat. There's terror all through him. He grew up on stories of the Blitz, he knows all about Martin's ancestry... Nazis are a boogeyman from earliest childhood, long before he knew /anything/ about magic. And if they're using religious relics...?

    It doesn't bear thinking about.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin stiffens too. If the Nazi's were a boogeyman for Jon, then they are the bane of existence for Martin. His Oma survived the occupation long enough to flee before the systematic destruction of his heritage race was ennacted. His fists clench and then relax.

    "Don't... please don't call it that..." he says softly, trying to collect his thoughts. He remembered the incursion, remembered the terror he felt then just as real as it was now.

    "That's what the Nazis called it" he says, just as softly. "It's... it's just the Lance of Longinus for anyone else... just... the name *they* gave it makes it sound more... imposing than it needs be. And... have we received word that it's been lost again?" he asks, swallowing down his terror. He will not panic. He panicked then and it wasn't good. He would not panic again. Not from this.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I don't know," Jon admits. "I'm just relaying what I heard from Wilson and the Chief."

    He pulls back a bit, puts one gloved hand to Martin's face. "Hey," he says, "it's gonna be okay. We've got this. Agent Wilson's answering the call, the Chief's getting us moving... we've /got/ this, okay?" He means SHIELD. He /trusts/ SHIELD. Martin's always come home alive, despite Nazis and alien incursions and who eve knew what else. He's always come home mostly uninjured. It's more than Jon can say for anything he's done. And in a roundabout way, SHIELD's the reason he got out of the Eye of Ra cult, given that it was Martin's training that let him infiltrate and bring Jon out.

    "Lance of Longinus," he agrees. "I'm sorry."

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin nods and takes a slow shuddering breath. "It's just... sorry. They're..." he swallows and gestures to his chest. "Well, you know... when the invaded back then. I... I froze for a moment. I couldn't do anything but cower and try to hide. Nazi's..." He chuckles, though it's more nervous tick than humor. "I mean, I'm gay and a Jew so... what do you think they'll do... double gas me for good measure, right?" he shudders again.

    "It's not your fault... you don't know the whole history behind it..." he pauses. "Or... well, do you? Is there information about that in..." he looks up at Jon. "Well, you know?" He's asking if the Archive, or the Archivist has knowledge about the Lance.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Not that I've found," Jon says. "Doesn't mean it isn't there. I'll go looking, starting tonight."

    Then he wraps his arms around Martin, so tightly he almost lifts the shorter man up off the ground. "They will /not/ gas you at /all/, do you understand?" he whispers fiercely. "Whatever this is, /whoever/ it is, they're /not/ going to hurt you. Not while I'm around."

    His terror's bloomed to anger--as it all too often does, /furious/ at whatever's behind this, at the people working for it, at the entirely mundane people who let the atrocities that so terrify Martin happen in the first place. And with that anger, fierce protectiveness. Whatever he can do to keep his husband safe, he'll do it. Burn down the world, if he has to. Not that it'll come to that.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin winces and makes an almost squeaking noise as the intensity of Jon's protective embrace. "I... I know..." he says with a smile. "I trust you and I know you'll keep me safe. Just like I keep you safe."

    He smiles up at Jon as he's stabilized. "I suspect there is work to be done then... if the Lance is again in play..." he gives Jon a fond look. "This time we'll tackle it together. All of us." The concept of working with Jon on something this large excites him more than he had thought it would and he laughs.

    "You know... saying that out loud. That we'll be together in this... makes it easier. Not as... scary" he chuckles again, this time with humor. "Is that strange?" he asks.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon shakes his head, smiling brightly. "Not at all. I've missed working with you, Martin." They'd first gotten together through a school project, after all. "It'll be brilliant, I'm sure."

    He leans down to give Martin another kiss, but just as he's doing so an alarm on both their phones goes off. There's been a breach in one of the WAND vaults.

Martin Blackwood has posed:
    Martin's attention turns to his phone and alarm blosoms over his expression. "The vaults? That's... impossible..." he says. "Unless..." He nods. "We should go." He starts back toward the Triskelion before stopping and turning back to Jon.

    "I... we should do this more often. It was nice... just having a moment to breathe and be with you... like this" he says with a smile. "Promise me we'll do it again" he says.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Of course, love," Jon replies with a smile. He reaches out to take Martin's hand as they head back toward the Triskelion and whatever the alarm is in WAND.

    It may be a coincidence... but it likely well isn't. Whatever's in that vault probably has connections to what they were just talking about.